ALBANY, N.Y. --- The men’s ECAC Hockey Conference regular season winds down this weekend with all 12 schools in action. Union, Harvard and Cornell are in a three-way battle for the regular season crown and the post season’s top seed. The three schools have first round tournament byes and only three points separate them from first place. 

Seventh ranked and top seeded Union (22-8-2, 15-4-1), with 31 points, rides a three game winning streak into a pair of road games against struggling Colgate (8-18-6, 6-11-3), Friday, Feb. 24, before squaring off against ninth ranked Cornell (17-6-4, 12-4-4), Saturday, Feb. 25. The Big Red are red hot and have gone 6-2-2 in their last 10 games.

That final regular season match-up could play into third ranked Harvard’s favor. The Crimson (20-5-2, 14-4-2), winners of eight in a row, need to take care of their own business with two tough home games against Clarkson, Friday, and St. Lawrence, Saturday.

Clarkson (14-13-5, 9-8-3) has played .500 hockey over the last 10 games, going 4-4-2, and they now find themselves in sixth place, with 21 points, three behind Quinnipiac.

Lawrence (15-10-7, 11-5-4) sits in the coveted fourth place spot heading into the weekend.

The 20^th ranked Saints, 4-4-2 in their last 10, could finish regular season play as high as second, with a lot of help from Harvard, or as low as fifth. Heading into the final two games, St. Lawrence is two points out of third and four points out of second place, where Crimson sits. St. Lawrence topped Harvard earlier this year 4-2.

If the Saints struggle, the Bobcats (17-13-3, 11-8-1) are poised to take that fourth place spot, since they trail the Saints by just three points. Quinnipiac welcomes 12^th seeded Brown (4-21-2, 3-16-1), Friday, and seventh seeded Yale (11-11-5, 7-9-4), Saturday.

At the end of the weekend, the top four teams receive an automatic first round tournament bye and play host to second round play.

The remaining four teams will come to Lake Placid, N.Y., Friday and Saturday, March 17 and 18, to play in the ECAC Hockey Championship Tournament. The winner of this tournament receives an automatic bid to the 71^st annual NCAA Division I men’s hockey tournament.

The two semifinal games will take place Friday, March 17, at 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and the championship game will be played Saturday, March 18, at 7:30 p.m.

All-session tickets can be purchased by calling the Lake Placid Olympic Center box office at 518-523-3330, or by visiting www.tickets.com. Tickets are priced at $55 for adults (ages 13-64), and $45 for juniors (12 & under) and seniors (65 & older).  Single day adult tickets are also on sale for $35 for adults and $30 for juniors and seniors.

Fans can also follow all of the action on Facebook, @ECACHockey.

For more information about all of the events and activities on ORDA’s Olympic venues, visit www.WhitefaceLakePlacid.com.

-- ORDA --

Established in 1982, the New York State Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) was created by the State of New York to manage the facilities used during the 1980 Olympic Winter Games at Lake Placid. ORDA operates Whiteface, Belleayre and Gore Mountain ski areas; the Olympic Sports Complex at Mt. Van Hoevenberg; the Olympic speed skating oval, Olympic jumping complex and Olympic arena. As host to international and national championships, the Authority has brought millions of athletes, spectator and participants to the region, resulting in significant economic development.