As the second half of the season races by and most teams are in hot pursuit of crucial conference points, four Boston teams gather at TD Garden in pursuit of something else, hardware and bragging rights.

The first Monday of February is upon us, and it’s Beanpot time.

The tournament brings with it storylines of Beanpots past: this year all four coaches have won the tournament as players for their respective teams.

All four teams also enter the tournament coming off wins. The only team with the weekend off, Boston College defeated University of New Hampshire 3-2 last weekend. Boston University took two points from #4 Merrimack with a 4-1 win on Friday while Northeastern secured a more comfortable position for playoff hopes by breaking their 7^th place tie with University of Massachusetts with a 4-3 overtime win. In ECAC play, Harvard trumped Quinnipiac 6-3, also on Friday.

These four teams are coming in hot, all poised for playoff contentions in their respective leagues.

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BOSTON — In another close battle at Matthews Arena, Northeastern defeated Massachusetts, 4-3, in overtime. With the victory, the Huskies dealt a devastating blow to UMass and its place in the Hockey East standings.

The Minutemen played well during the second and third periods, but allowed a game-winning goal resulting from a defensive breakdown behind the net. The goal undid several periods of hard work for the Minutemen and left the team without any tangible benefit for the third-consecutive game.

The win also earned Northeastern a split of the season series at 1-1-1. Both teams fought to a 2-2 tie in the first game of the season for each on October 7 in Boston.

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A nearly-full slate of games on the WCHA docket this week, with only Minnesota and North Dakota with the week off. The other 10 teams will be in action against each other, so barring a whole bunch of splits, we could get some clarity to the playoff picture come Sunday morning.

1 — Minnesota Duluth (Last week: 1)

The Gophers have a solid lead in the WCHA standings and the Bulldogs had their worst weekend in a while against Tech. But I still give the edge to UMD, by a nose, because of the other factors — overall record, Pairwise ranking and KRACH ranking. The ‘Dogs are No. 1 in both sets of computer rankings and I think most teams would love to go through a “rough patch” consisting of a 2-2-1 record. Heck, that’s reason to celebrate in Anchorage.

2 — Minnesota (Last week: 2)

Despite leading the league and sweeping St. Cloud State, a feat not nearly as impressive with the Huskies being down SIX FORWARDS from the start of the year, the Gophers still sit perilously close to the Pairwise bubble, entering play this weekend ninth. That’s comfortable for now, but say the Gophs run into their own “rough patch” down the stretch. If they enter the WCHA playoffs in 11th or 12th, that will cause some nerves to be frayed in Minneapolis. And with games at Denver and at Nebraska-Omaha, a “rough patch” isn’t, you know, entirely out of the question.

3 — North Dakota (Last week: 3)

Sweeping Wisconsin in Grand Forks isn’t that great of an accomplishment, when you consider the Badgers have won just once on the road all season. But a sweep is a sweep and four points in late January, especially in a league as tightly contested as this one, will be huge come mid-March. The victories also moved UND onto the verge of the Pairwise bubble, but NoDak still has plenty of work to do in that area. UND enters the weekend tied for fourth, but could conceivably exit it in seventh place. And with the bye, there is nothing it can do about it.

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Good evening from the north woods of Minnesota.

Is the fat lady belting out her Do-Re-Mi’s when it comes to the regular season title? It very well could be the case. Minnesota wins tonight at St. Cloud capping a series sweep. Michigan Tech rolls, shockingly, to a 5-0 win over Minnesota Duluth, taking three points from the defending national champions at the house Jack Connolly built.

Minnesota now holds a five-point edge over the Bulldogs in the race for the league title as we head into the final month. Impossible to overcome? Not by any means. I once saw the Gophers overcome an 8-point deficit in the span of 8 days. And with UMD’s rather pedestrian schedule left, anything is possible.

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LOWELL, Mass. — In a game that appeared not to be in doubt through the first 25 minutes, Massachusetts challenged UMass Lowell in the second period, before succumbing, 5-2, in the final stanza.

Lowell dominated the first period and appeared poised to continue that domination through the second. But UMass defenseman Joel Hanley beat the typically reliable Doug Carr with a shot the goalie usually stops. That goal kicked off an excellent second period for the Minutemen. However, a rash of third-period penalties ended any opportunity to mount a comeback for UMass.

With the victory, the River Hawks swept the season series against their rivals — one season after being swept by the Minutemen themselves. The three wins against UMass are indicative of a remarkable turnaround for Lowell this season after winning only five total games last year.

In addition, the weekend sweep affirms Lowell’s quest to finish in the top half of the conference, while UMass must focus on merely securing conference play-off qualification.

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A crazy night around the WCHA tonight:

- Michigan Tech fell behind the defending champs, in Duluth, 4-0 after one period. But this isn’t last year’s Huskies anymore. One goal in the second and three more in the third sent the game to overtime, and Michigan Tech earned a point. Huge point for the Huskies, which keep themselves in the home ice race with the point. On the other side, just a brutal tie for UMD. With Minnesota’s win tonight, the Bulldogs are now three points back of the Gophers in the MacNaughton Cup race. This could be a point the Bulldogs look back on at the end of the season…

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AMHERST, Mass. — UMass-Lowell defeated in-state rival UMass at the Mullins Center Friday night, 4-2. Josh Holmstrom scored twice for the River Hawks, as the team enjoyed an appreciable power-play advantage, with five more opportunities than their opponent.

The River Hawks sealed the victory with an even-strength goal late in the third period. Lowell’s sustained pressure in the final minutes prevented Mastalerz from leaving the net for an extra-attacker. That effort was a microcosm of the game for the River Hawks, whose spirited play created multiple scoring chances and stifled the UMass offense. The Minutemen had cut the deficit to one goal

With the victory at the Mullins Center, the River Hawks clinched the season series. Both teams meet again Saturday night in Lowell.

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A late and abbreviated edition of the WCHA Power Rankings, as I’ve been on the road all day and am in Bemidji for this weekend’s Beavers-Mavericks series. I am also looking forward to my first games at the Sanford Center.

1 — Minnesota Duluth (Last week: 1)

A pair of one-goal wins over Alabama-Huntsville is more than enough to keep the ‘Dogs out front.

2 — Minnesota (Last week: 2)

Nothing wrong with a split against CC, but the Gophers need to figure out what ails them on Friday nights. This team is virtually unbeatable on Saturdays though…

3 — North Dakota (Last week: 3)

Wisconsin has just one road win this season, meaning UND needs to make some hay this weekend at Ralph Engelstad Arena.

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My intention tonight was to write a story on the Spirit of the Maverick trophy. It’s why I came down here. And with the teams tied at 1 headed to overtime, it looked like I was going to get the perfect scenario for such a story — a tie. An outcome where neither coach would be too overjoyed or disappointed and would be more than happy to engage in some rivalry trophy chatter…

Then overtime happened.

First, the important stuff. Under a minute into the extra session, UNO goaltender Ryan Massa was struck in the crease by Minnesota State defenseman Evan Mosey. Mosey was ridden into the goal by a Omaha defender and there was contact in the crease. Massa was motionless on the ice for several minutes and medical personnel was quick to get to him on the ice. After a delay of about 15 minutes, Massa was taken off the ice on a stretcher, and presumably taken to the hospital.

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