The Playoff Picture

The Harvard men's hockey team should host either Minnesota or Bowling Green Friday and Saturday nights in a two-game, total-goals NCAA quarterfinal series at Bright Center.

The NCAA will announce the pairings for the eight-team Division I Ice Hockey Championship tomorrow.

Four teams from the East and four from the West will be matched in two-game, total-goals quarterfinal series at campus sites Friday and Saturday.

The winners will advance to the Final Four in Detroit. The semifinals will be on Thursday, March 26, and Friday, March 27; the finals and consolation will be on Saturday.

The teams will be seeded one to four in both the East and the West, with the top seed in the West hosting the fourth seed in the East and vice-versa, and the second seed in the West hosting the third seed in the East and vice versa.

The four Western teams almost undoubtedly will be WCHA champion North Dakota (36-8 and the nation's number one team), CCHA Champion Michigan State (30-9-2), WCHA runner-up Minnesota (32-12-1) and CCHA runner-up Bowling Green (33-8-2). They should be seeded in that order.

The top two Eastern teams are Harvard (26-4) and Boston College (29-7). If the Eagles win the Hockey East title game tonight against Maine (24-13-2), they should get the East's top seed on the strength of their 7-6 overtime victory over Harvard in the Beanpot consolation. If B.C. loses tonight, Harvard might get the top spot.

Maine and St. Lawrence (24-9) will also be invited to the tournament from the East and travel west for the Quarterfinals.

NCAA Hockey Tickets

NCAA quarterfinal round hockey tickets go on sale today at 2 p.m. at the ticket office in the basement of Harvard Hall. Tickets for Friday's and Saturday's playoffs at Bright Center cost $7.