The playoffs always arrive much sooner than expected following the return to second semester. It can be a little confusing understanding what types of playoff opportunities are available for Marist and how the team can qualify. Hopefully this article can help answer any and all questions you have about Marist's postseason opportunities!

Firstly, it's important to note that Marist has the opportunity to compete in both regional playoffs and league playoffs. These are independent from one another, though it is likely that if Marist qualifies for league playoffs, they will achieve regional playoff berth, too.

Regionals

On the broadest scale, Marist competes as a Division 2 team in the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA). We are a member of the Northeast region in the ACHA. The Northeast is composed of several different leagues, including our own SECHL. There are five regional ranking periods throughout the regular season. Following each ranking period, an ACHA committee ranks the top teams in each region based on the following categories:

·       Strength of Schedule

·       W/L Record based on Strength of Schedule

·       Comparative scoring

·       Complying with ACHA Policies

·       Head to Head

·       General Knowledge of Voter

·       Overall W/L

·       Good Wins/Bad Losses/H & A Records

Four teams from each region compete in the D2 ACHA National Tournament in March. Following the final ranking period in February, the top two teams in each region automatically gain berth into the National Tournament and do not compete in the Regional Tournament. Teams ranked #3-#10 are eligible for the Regional Tournament, with the tournament champion and runner-up earning the last two National Tournament spots for the Northeast region.
 

The third ranking period ended on December 22, 2015 with Marist ranked #10 in the Northeast. Marist will need to play well during the remainder of the regular season in order to maintain a top ten ranking in the region. Stay updated on the Northeast rankings here.
 

The Northeast Regional Tournament will be held February 26-28th in Danbury, Connecticut at the Danbury Ice Arena. The National Tournament will be held March 18-22nd at West Chester University in West Chester, Pennsylvania.

League Playoffs

As mentioned, Marist competes in the Super East Collegiate Hockey League (SECHL). The SECHL is composed of eight teams, most of which are very competitve and ranked highly in the ACHA Northeast region. The top six teams (based on league record) advance into the SECHL playoffs. Below are the league standings as of 12/21/2015:

After nine league games during first semester, Marist sits in the sixth and final playoff spot in the SECHL. With five league games remaining, strong league play in 2016 will be crucial to the Red Foxes SECHL postseason hopes. The final five league games are listed below:

1/15 @ CCSU 9:00pm

1/22 vs. CCSU 9:15pm

2/5 @ Siena 9:00pm

2/6 @ NYU 8:30pm

2/13 vs. Montclair State 4:15pm

The most recent and updated SECHL standings can be found here.

Route 87 Cup Challenge

Marist's last game of the 2015-2016 season is against Siena College in the final game of the Route 87 Cup Challenge. Each year, Marist and Siena compete in a three-game series throughout the season. Whichever team wins two games earns the Route 87 Cup (and Route 87 sign) and bragging rights for the next year. The two teams are bitter rivals, but Marist is leading the series 1-0 after an impressive 8-3 victory in Poughkeepsie on October 24th. Marist defeated Siena for the title in 2015 and is looking to bring the Route 87 sign back to Poughkeepsie for the second year in a row.

This final matchup on February 19th in Albany will not count toward SECHL standings, but will be considered in the final ranking period for the ACHA Northeast.

Stay up to date on Marist Hockey's eventful second semester by following us on all of our social media sites!

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