Little room for error.

Bruce Ciskie the radio voice of the UMD Bulldogs kind of lays out a scenario that shows how little room for error the Fighting Sioux hockey team has the rest of the way forward. The UND Fighting Sioux need a sweep this weekend and three out of four points next weekend to gain home ice. It doesn't look like UND is going to catch the Bulldogs unless they go on a late season swoon.

Heading into this weekend's two-game series at North Dakota, the Bulldogs have an eight-point lead over the sixth-place Fighting Sioux. Each team has six league games left, for a total of 12 available points.

That means UMD's "magic number" for home-ice advantage in the WCHA playoffs is six points. Any combination of six points accumulated by UMD or lost by North Dakota will give the Bulldogs a coveted home-ice position.

This could happen this weekend. UMD getting a win and a tie in Grand Forks would give them a ten-point lead on the Sioux with four games to go. It would be impossible for North Dakota to catch UMD, as they could only pick up eight points over the rest of the season.

If the Bulldogs just get a split, they would only need one win or two ties in their last four games to clinch home ice.

It's not time to buy your playoff tickets yet, UMD fans, but we're getting real close [Ciske Blog]