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Colorado College tries to keep its hopes for a home-ice playoff berth alive this weekend when it entertains the University of Minnesota Duluth in yet another key Western Collegiate Hockey Association series at the World Arena.
Faceoff is 7:37 p.m. MT Friday and 7:07 p.m. MT Saturday.
CC, currently ranked 19th nationally, concludes regular-season play on the road next week with a pair of games at the University of Wisconsin.
The Tigers, 17-15-2 overall, have fallen to seventh place in the WCHA standings – one spot away from home ice for the opening round of the league playoffs – with an 11-12-1 record in conference play. They managed only one point at Bemidji State University last weekend, losing 2-1 at BSU's Sanford Center on Saturday after settling for a 5-5 tie with the Beavers a night earlier.
Minnesota Duluth, currently tied for third in the WCHA, is 19-7-5 overall and 14-6-4 in league play. The No. 7-ranked Bulldogs split a pair of decisions at Minnesota State University last weekend, bouncing back for a 6-2 victory on Saturday after suffering a 3-1 loss to the Mavericks on Friday.
With just four games remaining before the playoffs begin, CC finds itself one point behind sixth-place University of Minnesota and two behind fifth-place Wisconsin in the battle for the final two spot for home-ice advantage. Colorado College still can wind up anywhere from fifth to 10th in the standings.
The Tigers are hoping to avoid opening post-season play on the road in consecutive seasons for the first time in two decades. They've finished in the WCHA's lower division only twice in the previous 17 seasons, traveling for a first-round playoff series in 2010 and 2004.