5 of 6 points is good for the conference standings

but the tie last night cost the Irish a couple of spots in the PWR. It's as if the NCAA bubble has a tractor beam on us. A tie against OSU on the road would likely have the reverse effect on our PWR but against a team far out of contention at home it's like an anchor.

2-4-1 at home in the conference ain't gettin' it done, nor is an overall .500 record on campus. Our only sweep at home is against the worst team we will likely to play all season. we've almost reversed the old college hockey adage of sweeping at home and splitting on the road. with two home series left (3 counting the postseason, as long as we finish well in the conference) Notre Dame might not be able to afford to drop any more points at home.

A huge opportunity awaits Notre Dame next weekend in Columbus. OSU is within range, 4 points ahead. Jackson looks to be leaning on Cale Morris as the season heads into the stretch drive. OSU likely will keep the tandem action going with both Romeo and Nappier seeing the ice. Tommy Nappier is atop all the important statistical categories for goalies in, with Morris right behind him. Wins against OSU would give our PWR a huge boost. If we're not getting it done at home we better to continue to do so on the road.

I'm not a fan of the NCAA bubble because this program has never made an NCAA tournament when conference tournaments were what made the difference. One way or another, we might be off the bubble after next weekend.