Conference tournament season is officially here, and the chaos has already begun. In this episode of Light the Lamp, the guys break down a wild weekend of college hockey as teams across the country fight for their playoff lives.

We dive into the Big Ten playoff picture, including Penn State’s sudden slide down the PairWise rankings and whether they could actually be in danger of missing the NCAA tournament after looking like a lock just weeks ago. Meanwhile, Minnesota, Notre Dame, and the rest of the conference prepare for a one-game playoff format where anything can happen.

Elsewhere around the country, overtime hockey ruled the weekend. Bentley and Mercyhurst battled through a triple-overtime thriller, while Air Force and Robert Morris needed double OT in another Atlantic Hockey marathon. We also look at the first-ever United Collegiate Hockey Cup, a brand new postseason tournament for independent programs.

Plus:

• UMass quietly climbing the Hockey East standings

• ECAC playoffs getting underway with the top seeds advancing

• CCHA tournament matchups heating up

• Our weekly hot takes, including whether Mankato could fall short despite being the top seed

With conference tournaments underway and NCAA tournament bids on the line, the road to the Frozen Four is only getting crazier.

The best month in all of sports is HERE! The madness of March has finally arrived and we have playoff hockey this week. We have 4 conferences heading into conference tournaments. We break down our predictions as we will out our brackets. First, we evaluate a crazy week last week with some seeding decisions to be made, including the CCHA which came down to a nail biter. Hockey East even had a blackout to create some controversy! We break it all down it’s time to lock in

It’s a golden era for hockey in the country right now! 2 FAT gold medals for the US hockey teams in the Olympics are all the buzz. We break down a great weekend and the matchup vs Canada. It is getting down to the wire in the college hockey season and teams need to step it up. We break down some of our late February takes including our predictions on how Providence will go, if the Badgers even make the tournament, and Penn State hitting their stride. Some possible playoff matchups are taking place in conference tournaments as well! We break everything down.

We only have a first weeks left in the regular season and it is time for teams to LOCK IN if they want a shot for seeding in their conference tournaments and more importantly, the NCAA. We break down which conferences are already locked and which ones will come down to the wire. Some good matchups last week throughout the country like matchups of Minnesota and Notre Dame, Providence and Northeastern, and North Dakota and Miami to name a few. Some extremely critical games coming up this week as well for teams that have a few at hand to move up the ranks. Getting close to playoff time so educate yourself and tune IN!

Feburary Hockey is in full swing! Athletes are fighting for gold in the winter olympics and teams are fighting for their shot to be in the NCAA tournament back home. A ton of great action this week that we break down including a lot of predictions in the Big Ten! Wisco getting bumped? They've been very cold lately and need a late season push. Another similar team, the GOPHERS! What's the next move for them as they are having one of their most dissapointing seasons in nearly 2 decades. Lots of tight conferences as we get closer to March as teams in the Hockey East, CCHA, and ECAC battle it out! Tune in for a lovely epsiode this week!

Another week down in the college hockey season and we have a lot to talk about! Big news coming out of Penn State with projected #1 overall pick Gavin McKenna. How will this developing story effect Penn State and his future? We break it down. Teams are still HOT like Providence continuing their win streak, and COLD like Wisco struggling by getting swept by the Gophers. February could shift the landscape for good! It’s a BC vs BU battle for the BeanPot as well! Who takes it? Tune in!

t’s time for one of the best tournaments of the year, the BEANPOT and it’s gonna be a great one. We break down the first games that start on Monday! It was also a wild week for matchups last week. Tons of teams getting hot like Providence and St. Thomas and teams getting COLD like Wisco. How are these games gonna affect the tournament standings? Big matchups coming up. TUNE IN!

We are back this week with some great takes with Janauary almost completed! The playoffs are just right around the corner and we have some conferences coming down to the wire. Minnesota is looking BLEAK with only 8 wins so far this year. IS coaching to blame? Providence is looking solid in the Hockey East, snagging a sweep of BC last weekend. Can the friars continue their hot streak? We break down some great matchups coming up including a very competitive Connecticut tourney this weekend. Tune in!