Not the best of ties for Yale, which skated well and generated its share of shots but seemed to be slightly off tempo all night. Tremendous defensive effort, and Ryan Rondeau was outstanding. Here's the link to my story in the Register.

As it turned out, the tie was costly. Quinnipiac helped the Bulldogs a bit with a 2-2 tie in Schenectady, N.Y., but Union was able to maintain the one-point lead in the standings. So, for Yale to win the Cleary Cup it must find a way to get even or pass Union tonight. Princeton has been playing quite well of late, but Yale needs to take care of Cornell first.

As for Quinnipiac, the fight for home ice in next week's first-round is still in doubt. But the Bobcats are in a position of options. A win or a tie will clinch a spot, as will a loss by Clarkson or a loss or tie by Brown. Since the Bobcats won't own tiebreakers with Brown or Clarkson, they'll be the odd men out and on the road should all three wind up tied.