NMU hockey team CCHA playoff scenarios

MARQUETTE — The Northern Michigan University hockey team could have put itself in the driver’s seat this week against Lake Superior State at the Berry Events Center for a home-ice first-round CCHA playoff series with a victory over Bowling Green State, but instead the Wildcats lost and now need a lot of help to prevent themselves from hitting the road.

The ’Cats will need to jump at least two teams in the CCHA standings this weekend to secure a home playoff series.

NMU can still finish as high as seventh in the CCHA and as low as last place in the league. According to Playoffstatus.com, Northern has a 15 percent chance of jumping Michigan, LSSU and BSGU; a 20 percent chance of jumping two teams to finish eighth and get home ice; an 18 percent chance of finishing ninth; a 44 percent chance of finishing in 10th and a 2 percent chance of finishing last in the league.

So let’s put those percentages into real-word terms. Below is a breakdown of what Northern needs to do to pass LSSU, pass Michigan and pass BGSU.

— NMU must get two regulation or overtime wins at home over LSSU AND BGSU must lose twice in regulation or overtime at Notre Dame.

— NMU must get two wins at home over LSSU and one of those wins may come in a shootout.

— NMU must get at least three league points via one overtime or regulation win over LSSU OR via a shootout win and shootout loss IF Michigan loses twice in regulation or overtime at home to Ferris State for 0 league points.

— NMU must get at least four league points at home against LSSU via a regulation or overtime win and shootout loss OR via two shootout wins IF Michigan gets one or 0 league points at home against Ferris State.*

— NMU must get two wins at home over LSSU, and one of those wins may come in a shootout, IF Michigan gets two or less points at home against Ferris State.**

— NMU must get two regulation or overtime wins at home over LSSU IF Michigan gets three or less points at home against Ferris State.***

— State must get two wins at home against Western Michigan in regulation or overtime IF NMU finishes with two league points. **

— State must get two wins at home over LSSU, and one of those wins may come in a shootout, IF NMU finishes with one league point. *

— State must get at least four league points at home against Western Michigan via a regulation or overtime win and shootout loss OR via two shootout wins IF NMU loses twice in regulation or overtime against LSSU.

* — To get one league point in a weekend, a team must lose once in regulation or overtime and once in a shootout.

** — To get two league points in a weekend, a team can either lose once in regulation and win once in a shootout OR lose twice in a shootout.

*** — To get three league points in a weekend, a team can either win once in regulation or overtime and lose once in overtime and regulation OR win once in a shootout and lose once in a shootout.