If it is at all possible, the playoff picture with just a couple of weeks remaining got cloudier, not clearer, across many of the conferences this weekend.

Some teams with opportunity to create separation fell victim to upsets, while some other teams looking to make a late-season run made a statement about the fact they are still in the mix and aren’t going to go away anytime soon.

Here’s the East weekend recap:

ECAC Northeast
After conference leader Nichols stumbled earlier in the week against Western New England, the door was open for some contenders to make a move, but teams making a late-season run kept things very tight at the top. The Golden Bears got their first conference win by a 4-1 score behind two goals from Dane Genord and 43 saves from Kevin Gollmer in the 4-1 win over the Bison.

Wentworth is showing they are going to be a tough out down the stretch and into the playoffs with wins over contenders Endicott and Suffolk. Kyle Lebrun scored twice and Joel Miller made 38 saves in the 4-3 win over the Gulls, while Miller again showed he is among the best in the conference by making 37 saves in a 3-1 win over Suffolk.

ECAC West
Neumann finally figured out how to slow Hobart down with a 2-0 win on Friday night despite being outshot 42-27. Nick Perruccio had a goal and an assist, while Mitch Wiebe stopped all 42 Statesmen attempts to earn the shutout and two important points for the Knights. Hobart earned a split on Saturday with a 7-1 win powered by two goals from Andrew Silard.

Hobart has opened up a large lead in the standings, but Utica made a strong statement for second place with a weekend sweep over Manhattanville by scores of 5-2 and 2-1 in overtime. Adam Moody scored twice for the Pioneers on Friday, while Shawn Lynch figured in both Utica goals, including scoring the overtime winner on Saturday night.

MASCAC
The battle at the top continues to be tight with Plymouth State and Salem State both posting key conference wins heading into their head-to-head showdown this week. Both teams showcased the hallmarks of what makes them both successful this season. Salem State used goals from five different scorers to earn Marcus Zelzer his 12th win of the season, while Plymouth State used a similar formula in downing Massachusetts-Dartmouth by a 4-2 score. The Panthers got goals from four different players and Gordon Caesar picked up his 13th win, making 18 saves.

NE-10
Stonehill remains unbeaten in the D-II conference at 7-0-2, having picked up two wins over Franklin Pierce and Assumption. Kevin Airoldi picked up a goal and an assist in the 3-2 win over the Ravens, while Thomas DePaolo notched a hat trick in the Skyhawks’ 6-1 win over Assumption on Saturday night.

NEHC
Maybe it was the back-to-back losses in December before the break or not being nationally ranked for the first time in this millennium or maybe it was just home pride that found Norwich winning two crucial games against Babson and Massachusetts-Boston by 5-1 and 4-2 scores, respectively. Paul Russell scored four goals for the Cadets in the two games, including a hat trick in the win over the Beacons on Saturday. Braeden Ostepchuk picked up both wins in goal with a combined 52 saves for Norwich, who solidified their hold on third place in the standings.

NESCAC
What many thought might be a defensive duel for the top spot in the conference standings turned into a wild offensive showcase as Williams used an overtime goal from Zander Masucci to down Trinity 5-4. The Ephs overcame 2-0 and 3-2 deficits before the Bantams used a late extra-attacker goal tie the game at 4-4. Masucci just needed 27 seconds to settle the affair and Williams capped off the weekend with a 4-3 win over Wesleyan to match Trinity’s 4-1 over Middlebury.

Bowdoin appears to be making a late-season run as they took four points with road wins over Amherst and Hamilton to move into fifth place in the standings. Matt Rubinoff had two goals and an assist in the Polar Bears’ 6-2 win over Hamilton, who have lost three of their last four games.

SUNYAC
Connor Gorman scored twice, including the game winner with just two seconds left in the five-minute overtime session, to give Plattsburgh a 4-3 win over archrival Oswego on Friday night. The Cardinals moved to moved to 11-1-1 in the conference with a 6-1 win over Cortland on Saturday. Six different Cardinals scored and Brady Rouleau picked up his seventh win of the season.

While the Cardinals opened up some space at the top of the standings, the battle for the remaining top four places is wide open amongst Geneseo, Potsdam, Oswego and Buffalo State, who picked up a big four points with a weekend sweep over Morrisville.

The 4-0 and 5-1 wins moved the Bengals into the thick of the battle for a home-ice berth. In both games, Buffalo State exhibited great balance with four different goal scorers on Friday and five different goal scorers on Saturday.

Weekend Biscuits

Tyler Stepke, Becker – the Hawks’ goaltender had quite the week, making 58 saves and recording an assist in Becker’s 4-1 win over Salve Regina that was ultimately decided by two empty-net goals. Stepke also made 46 stops on Friday in a 3-1 loss to conference leader Nichols.

Bryce Nielsen, New England College – scored all three of his goals to complete a hat trick in an eventful second period that saw seven goals total between the two teams in the Pilgrims’ 6-4 win over the University of New England on Friday night.

Zander Masucci, Williams – after yielding the game-tying goal in the final minute of regulation, the Ephs defenseman wasted no time in OT scoring the game winner against Trinity. The 5-4 win put Williams atop the NESCAC standings.

WEST WRAP – Brian Lester

MIAC

Augsburg maintained its hold on first place in the MIAC with a sweep of Hamline over the weekend. The Auggies, who topped the Pipers 8-2 and 2-0, have a four-point lead (31-27) over second-place St. Thomas in the conference standings. Jordyn Kaufer made a season-best 43 saves in Saturday’s 2-0 win to help the Auggies clinch a MIAC playoff berth. It was his second shutout of the year and the third of his career. Kaufer has won five consecutive games and has allowed only six goals during the impressive stretch. Trevor Stewart and Mack Ohnsted both scored goals in the win. In Friday’s opener, Nate Flynn and Drew Allen scored two goals apiece to pave the way in an 8-2 victory. The win marked the 11th time this year that Augsburg has scored at least four goals in a game. Flynn stretched his point streak to four games and came through with his fourth multi-point game of the season. Andy Faust dished out three assists, the first time in his collegiate hockey career that he has tallied that many assists in a game. Augsburg is now 14-6-1 overall and 10-1-1 in the conference … St. Thomas kept pace in the title chase as it swept Concordia (Minn.) over the weekend. The Tommies defeated the Cobbers 5-3 and 4-3 and are unbeaten in their last five games. Michael Dockry, Thomas Williams, Connor McBride and Wille Faust all scored goals for the Tommies, who improved to 11-6-4 overall and to 6-5-1 in the MIAC. Faust also came through with an assist in the win, while Joe Morris made 28 saves. St. Thomas fell behind 2-0 in the opener Friday, trailed 3-0 after two periods before exploding for five goals in the third to secure the win. McBride delivered the game-winning goal for the Tommies. Jon Grebosky played well for Concordia, scoring his 11th goal of the year. Jordie Bancroft scored his eighth goal of the season for the Tommies. St. Thomas and Augsburg battle next weekend in a home-and-home series that could very well determine the regular-season championship in the MIAC.

NCHA

In a showdown of two nationally ranked opponents, Wisconsin-Stevens Point prevailed in a battle with Adrian. The Pointers took down down the Bulldogs 6-4. Stevens Point scored four unanswered goals to earn the big nonconference win. The fifth-ranked Pointers capitalized on two power-play goals as Joe Kalisz and Kyle Sharkey both scored on those opportunities. Kalisz also dished out two assists. Sharkey and Lawrence Cornellier both tallied a goal and an assist. Taylor McCloy led the Bulldogs with a goal and two assists. Top-ranked Adrian fell to 17-3-1 on the year. The six goals are the most given up by Adrian in a road game under second-year head coach Adam Krug. Adrian had its two-game win streak snapped. The Pointers avenged a 3-2 loss they suffered to the Bulldogs back in November. Stevens Point has won its last six games … Concordia (Wis.) pulled off an upset of No. 13 St. Scholastica Friday night, knocking off the Saints 3-2 in overtime. The Falcons won on a goal by Braden Crone with 8.9 seconds left in the extra session. It was their third OT win in program history. The Falcons trailed 2-0 before Connor Hogg and Taylor Gauld both scored to tie the game at 2-2. Prior to this season, the Falcons had beaten a ranked opponent only once. They have three wins over ranked opponents this year. The win was their 10th of the year, tying a single-season record. Concordia won 10 games two years ago as well. The Saints bounced back on Saturday with a 5-1 win. Dylan Nowakowski scored twice in the win as St. Scholastica improved to 14-5-2 overall and to 12-4 in the conference. Concordia fell to 10-9-2 overall and to 6-8-2 in the NCHA. The Saints are in second in the North Division, while Concordia is third in the South. Bruce Keegan played well for the Falcons, scoring one goal and dishing out four assists.

WIAC

Wisconsin-Superior turned in one of its best offensive performances of the year in a game against Wisconsin-River Falls, knocking off the No. 10 Falcons 5-2 Friday night. The Falcons had allowed only 37 goals all year. Superior scored five goals en route to the win, their first over a nationally ranked opponent this season. Jimmy Hughes, Daniel Litchke, Beau Browning, Viktor Sallhag and Jordan Neduzak all scored goals for the Yellow Jackets. Litchke also came through with an assist in the win. Bryce Fink earned the win as he made 24 saves. The Yellow Jackets weren’t as fortunate in Saturday’s game against nationally ranked Stevens Point. The Pointers struck for six goals in the third to secure the 9-1 win. Joe Kalisz played a key role in the win as he dished out four assists. Jacob Barber punched in two goals and dished out an assist while Lawrence Cornellier came through with a goal and two assists. Jono Davis also came through with a goal and two assists. Stevens Point improved to 18-4-1 overall and to 4-2 in the WIAC. Superior fell to 8-13-2 overall and to 2-4 in the conference. Litchke scored the lone goal for the Yellow Jackets.

Hockey East showdown upcoming in Beanpot
The top two teams in Hockey East will meet on Tuesday with the stakes being the Beanpot, rather than league points.

No. 1 Boston College got revenge on Harvard and then some for its loss to the Crimson in last year’s event final, scoring early and often in an 8-0 annihilation, as BC led by five after a period. Megan Keller keyed the carnage with two goals and an assist, Alex Carpenter also scored twice, and Makenna Newkirk added three helpers. Katie Burt made 12 saves to gain her 10th shutout.

Rebecca Russo and Boston University struck first against No. 5 Northeastern, but Kendall Coyne scored twice in a three-goal rally by the Huskies, who went on to a 3-2 victory. Lauren Kelly also scored for Northeastern, while Alexis Crossley added a late power-play tally while the Terriers had a six-on-three skater advantage to make the last couple minutes interesting. Brittany Bugalski made 30 saves to earn her first Beanpot win.

Both finalists tuned up with one league contest on Saturday.

Northeastern led all the way after Coyne opened the scoring five minutes in and added an assist on Denisa Krížová’s tally nine minutes later in a 3-1 win over Providence. Melissa Haganey added a goal for the Huskies; Christina Putigna netted her ninth for the Friars.

Haley Skarupa scored twice in the third period to lift the Eagles to their 29th win over a pesky Connecticut, 5-4. She added an assist, and Carpenter had two goals plus two helpers.

Badgers on the brink
No. 2 Wisconsin widened its lead in the WCHA to seven points with a sweep at Ohio State. The Badgers can clinch the regular season crown next weekend when they host Minnesota State. Jenny Ryan and Annie Pankowski scored in Friday’s 2-1 win, while Claudia Kepler became the first Buckeye to score against Wisconsin this season. On Saturday, Ann-Renée Desbiens was back in the shutout business, her 15th of the season, the most by a Badger and two shy of the NCAA mark. Baylee Wellhausen and Sam Cogan scored in Wisconsin’s 2-0 win.

Kessel not enough
Amanda Kessel rejoined No. 3 Minnesota and her presence sparked the Gophers to a 3-0 win over No. 8 North Dakota on Friday. Kessel assisted twice, as Minnesota got goals from Hannah Brandt, Sydney Baldwin, and Sophie Skarzynksi. Those were the only goals either team got all weekend. Amanda Leveille saved all 29 shots, and followed it up with a 28-save shutout the next night. Shelby Amsley-Benzie responded with a 25-save shutout of her own for the Fighting Hawks in the 0-0 tie. The goaltenders’ mastery continued into the shootout, where Amy Menke and Kessel were successful early, but the contest continued to the 11th round where Charly Dahlquist converted to win an extra point for UND.

How the rest of the top 10 fared
No. 4 Quinnipiac lost for only the second time this season, 3-2, at No. 10 Colgate on Saturday. The Raiders led all the way after Annika Zalewski’s goal at 16:17 of the first period. Breanne Wilson-Bennett and Olivia Zafuto added goals for Colgate with Bailey Larson having the primary assist on both. The Bobcats twice cut the lead to one on goals by Meghan Turner and Alicia Barry but could not get the tying marker. Ashlynne Rando picked up the win with 32 saves.

Quinnipiac’s weekend started better, 4-1 over Cornell. Christian Higham gave the Big Red a lead 1:45 into the game, but Sydney Rossman saved the other 26 shots as the Bobcats’ offense took over. Kristen Tamberg and Taylor Cianfarano led with a goal and an assist.

Meanwhile, Colgate fell to No. 9 Princeton, 4-2, on Friday. Karlie Lund scored at 12:19 of the third period to break a 2-2 tie and added an empty-netter in the final minute to complete her first collegiate hat trick. Kimberly Newell made 37 saves for the Tigers.

Princeton made it a four-point weekend with a 5-0 shutout of Cornell on Saturday. Newell saved all 30 shots, Kelsey Koelzer had three assists, and Hilary Lloyd and Morgan Sly had a goal with a helper.

No. 5 Clarkson got it done at both ends of the ice in winning over Rensselaer, 9-1, and Union, 4-1. Versus the Engineers, Lauren Lefler scored twice and had an assist, Geneviève Bannon and Renata Fast had a goal with two helpers, and Rhyen McGill assisted three times. Cayley Mercer scored twice on the Dutchwomen.

No. 7 Bemidji State got a series win at St. Cloud State. The teams played to a 3-3 tie on Friday, with the Beavers winning the shootout. Molly Illikainen and Alyssa Erickson scored third-period markers for the Huskies to erase a two-goal deficit. Illikainen and Brittney Anderson had a goal and an assist for SCSU, and Ivana Bilic did the same for Bemidji State. Kaitlyn Tougas led the Beavers to a 4-1 win on Saturday, with two goals and an assist. Bilic and Alexis Joyce had two helpers, and Brittni Mowat stopped 21 of 22 shots.

Other action
Minnesota-Duluth swept at Minnesota State. Michela Cava completed her hat trick at 3:54 of overtime to give the Bulldogs a 3-2 win on Friday. Lara Stalder assisted on all three tallies. The Mavericks got third-period goals from Savannah Quandt and Amanda Martin to force the extra session. On Saturday, Ashleigh Brykaliuk supplied the hat trick and an assist in UMD’s 5-2 triumph. Kayla Black picked up both wins.

Meghann Treacy and Maine shut out Merrimack for the weekend in gaining a sweep, 4-0 and 1-0. Jess Vallotton powered the offense in the opener with a hat trick. In game two, Victorial Hummel broke a scoreless tie at 5:44 of the third period. Treacy made 31 saves to win a duel with Samantha Ridgewell, who turned aside 35 shots.

Vermont surprised New Hampshire with a sweep in Durham, 2-1 and 3-2. Taylor Willard scored the winning goal with 72 seconds remaining in regulation to give the Catamounts the victory on Friday, thanks to 30 saves from Madison Litchfield. The same duo struck again in the second game. Willard potted the game winner midway through the final frame after Cassidy Campeau had tied it up for UVM five minutes earlier. Litchfield came up with 28 more stops.

Connecticut took advantage of New Hampshire’s losses to widen its lead for the final home playoff spot. The Huskies defeated Providence, 3-1, on Sunday. Rebecca Lindblad and Justine Fredette scored in the first period to give Connecticut the lead, and Elaine Chuli made 29 saves, yielding only a power-play goal by Christine Putigna. Leah Lum sealed the win into an empty net.

Mercyhurst had its most successful trip to Robert Morris in recent years, coming home with a sweep by scores of 4-0 and 6-3. Jessica Convery got the start on Friday and came through with a 31-save shutout. Hannah Bale’s first-period goal was all the Lakers needed, but Rachael Smith, Brooke Hartwick, and Sarah Robello hit the net in the second stanza. Down a goal after a period on Saturday, Mercyhurst scored five times in the middle frame. Six different Lakers scored, and Smith and Hartwick added a helper to their strikes.

Syracuse kept pace with a sweep at Penn State. On Friday, the Orange got a tying goal from Morgan Blank late in regulation, and Jessica Sibley won it on a power play with seven seconds left in overtime, 3-2. Syracuse came back with a 2-1 win on Saturday on the strength of Megan Quinn’s power-play goal in the second period. Laura Bowman, who scored both days for the Nittany Lions, had tied it a couple minutes earlier. Jenn Gilligan made 19 saves in the 2-1 Orange victory.

RIT took the first game at Lindenwood, 3-2, but the Lions bounced back with a 2-1 win on Saturday to salvage a split. Jenna de Jonge made 36 in the Tigers’ victory, with goals coming from Carly Payerl, Maddie Grisko, and Brinna Dochniak. Sarah Bobrowski had both Lindenwood goals, with helpers from Shara Jasper. The roles reversed on Saturday, with Jasper putting two in the net and Bobrowski assisting twice, as Nicole Hensley made 30 saves. For RIT, 35 saves from Jetta Rackleff and a power-play tally by Jess Paton weren’t enough.

Harvard’s struggles continued when it settled for a 3-3 tie with Brown. Erin Conway scored the tying goal on a power play with under five minutes left for the Bears, who got a 51-save performance from Monica Elvin. Sydney Daniels scored a pair of goals for the Crimson.

The Crimson finished their week on a high note, stopping Yale, 4-1. Karly Heffernan scored twice and added an assist.

Yale won on Friday at Dartmouth, 4-3, when Jamie Haddad netted a goal at 3:17 of overtime. The Big Green had rallied from two goals down behind goals from Eleni Tebano and Ailish Forfar.

On Saturday, Dartmouth got its first win since November, 5-0 over Brown. Robyn Chemago turned in a 13-save shutout. Laura Stacey scored twice, including a short-handed tally, and Forfar had three points, one being a goal.

St. Lawrence shut out Union, 2-0, as Grace Harrison made 13 saves, and Kennedy Marchment and Kayla Nielsen found the net. Brooke Webster assisted on both. Melissa Black made 38 stops for Union.

Rensselaer and St. Lawrence ground out a 1-1 tie. Laura Horwood put RPI ahead just 26 seconds into the game, but Hannah Miller tied it up in the second period. Lovisa Selander held the Engineers in it with 48 saves, and Grace Harrison stopped 25 shots for the Saints.