The final weekend of the regular is now complete, but it wasn't without some high scoring action and a few surprises.

FINAL DIVISION STANDINGS | FINAL KRACH RANKINGS

NORTHWEST DIVISION

NORTH DAKOTA STATE @ NORTH DAKOTA (FRI/SAT):  Over the course of two games, the North Dakota State Bison made a big statement heading into the tournament with two decisive victories on the road against in-state divisional rival North Dakota. On Friday, the visitors went one better than double their opponent's goals in a 7-3 win, following it up with a 10-1 demolition on Saturday.

The two victories were enough to push NDSU into a second place finish in the Northwest despite have 3 games cancelled due to weather. The Bison, who are now 4-1 in second semester, will head to the tournament with plenty of momentum and the second highest seed. For North Dakota, the losses were a wakeup call after a strong road performance the week prior against Gustavus Adolphus. The 8th seed Fighting Hawks will have to turn things around quickly as they face #1 St. Thomas on Friday.

MINNESOTA @ ST. JOHN'S (FRI/SAT): The most suprising results went down in Sartell as the host St. John's Johnnies took 3 of 4 points from the visiting Minnesota Golden Gophers. Friday night's game was back and forth, with the Gophers taking a lead early in the third. However, SJU fought back to take the lead and held it, claiming a big 6-5 win. On Saturday, both defenses locked down as neither team wanted to give an inch. St. John's scored in the first, and Minnesota responded in the second, but that was all that would light the lamp as the teams settled for a 1-1 tie.

St. John's took the victories that moved them up to 4th, but two games cancelled left them on the outside looking in for automatic qualification. Unfortunately, the Johnnies missed out by a slim margin in the KRACH and thus have completed their season. Meanwhile, the division champions Minnesota will lick their wounds and heal up before facing a 3 vs. 6 showdown with Gustavus Adolphus on Friday evening.

SOUTHEAST DIVISION

MINNESOTA STATE @ UW-EAU CLAIRE (FRI/SAT): An exciting set of games played out in Eau Claire as the streaking UW-Eau Claire hosted a desperate Minnesota State team for the final division series of the year for each team. In a series that featured 20 goals scored across 120+ minutes, the biggest lead was 2 goals - a testament to how hard fought and exciting the games were. On both occassions, though, UWEC's OT hero Casey Esselman found twine in the overtime period to run the streak to 17 games. Friday night's final score was 6-5, while Saturday's was nearly the same at 5-4.

The Blugolds climbed into a tie for 3rd in the Southeast, and despite losing the head-to-head tiebreaker for automatic qualification, UWEC easily claimed the first wildcard and jumped a few teams up to the #4 seed. UWEC will face off against Wisconsin on Friday. For Mankato, the loss brought a tough end to their season as the team finished 6th in the division and 11th in the final KRACH rankings.

UW-LA CROSSE @ WINONA STATE (FRI/SAT): The Winona State Warriors hosted their cross-river rivals UW-La Crosse on Friday night for their final Division series and Senior Night. The hosts blazed to a decisive victory, scoring double digits in a 13-4 win. Saturday's game was forfeited by the visiting team, giving WSU two victories to close out their first season back as a full member.

Winona State used the wins to rise to 5th place in the Southeast and finish out at 10th overall in the KRACH Rankings. The Warriors still have 3 games remaining on their schedule, including one this coming Thursday to finish out the annual Crosstown Classic with St. Mary's. UW-La Crosse has completed their season.

WEEKEND SCHEDULE