It’s time for some March madness in the CCHA, and prognostication of this league, this year in particular, often is an exercise in futility.

Bemidji State last won the MacNaughton Cup in 2017, in a defunct men’s league (WCHA) against a defunct team (Alabama-Huntsville) in a game played south of the Mason Dixon Line.

Trophy season in the CCHA arrives this weekend, and the MacInnes Cup will be awarded in Houghton, Michigan, to the winner of the Michigan Tech-Minnesota State series.

Road teams ruled this weekend in the CCHA, picking up 13 of a possible 18 points in the intra-league clashes.

Much of the college hockey world has slipped into holiday mode – taking care of exams and nursing bruised bodies for a couple of weeks – but a handful of schools are getting in a final weekend of action.

As the 2023-2024 CCHA hockey season nears its halfway point, many players are starting to find their strides, and they’re bringing their teams along for the ride.

This week in CCHA RinkRap, we catch up with the nation's leading scorer, touch on the reemergence of Australian standout Tyrone Bronte from Michigan Tech and check in with Bowling Green as it moves past a recent hazing scandal.

For the first time this season, all eight CCHA teams will be competing within the conference this weekend – four series that will establish the league’s balance of power.

It’s here, hockey’s version of March Madness, earlier and richer than its more ballyhooed sibling college hoops.

Ordinarily, there would be four story capsules leading up to CCHA action this weekend, especially with Northern Michigan’s late-season sprint for home ice against Bowling Green, but this weekend belongs to the Michigan Tech-Minnesota State series.

This week on CCHA RinkRap: A scoring faucet is cranked wide open in Marquette, a Mankato-themed sequel in Bemidji and a gripping horse race for CCHA Rookie of the Year award.

The race for the 2023 Hobey Baker Memorial Award is heating up and is far from decided at this point. Many players are still firmly in the mix for college hockey's top individual award as the postseason looms.

Three mega series in the CCHA this weekend demand attention: A legend’s return to hockey’s Mecca, a carnival with an historic trophy on the line and three days in February – a series in Big Rapids previews the postseason.

This week in RinkRap: The UP's version of A Tale of Two Cities, a historic streak comes to an end, a coach reaches a milestone and a goalie owns Fridays.

In the words of iconic thoroughbred track announcer Dave Johnson, "Down the stretch they Come!"