Coast To Coast is FloHockey’s monthly, cohesive news on North American hockey and live-streaming partnerships.

The Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) announced its 104-game conference schedule on Thursday. All eight CCHA teams will play a 26-game conference slate with the regular season champion being awarded the prestigious MacNaughton Cup, recognized as the premiere conference trophy in collegiate hockey.

In addition to the obvious competitiveness of a No. 4-No. 5 matchup, the fact that this series is a rematch of last year’s conference championship game makes for appointment viewing this weekend. The fact that these two teams were involved in a three-team race for the last home-ice berth—a pennant race that took until third period of the regular season finale—adds even more drama to a matchup that already has plenty.

Home sweet home. If you asked CCHA coaches in October about their playoff aspirations, they all would have told you that Job No. 1 is to secure home ice in the first round. Here we are, five months later, and the three-team battle between Bowling Green, Lake Superior and Northern Michigan for the CCHA’s final home playoff spot is stealing the thunder from the confrontation of the league’s two superpowers.

This week in the CCHA: A first round playoff preview, BGSU fights to maintain home ice and college hockey’s silver chalice on hand in Mankato.

This week on RinkRap: Michigan Tech's streak ends in a big way, the Tommies get thrashed in Alaska and a former Bulldog beats his old team.

This weekend in the CCHA: Tech and BGSU vie for a trophy, jostling for position in the Soo, and an old friend plays host to CCHA action.

This week on RinkRap: a patriotic sendoff in Mankato, Tech’s Joe Shawhan is forced to adapt to reach the promised land; and a visitor’s trophy-hoist in Marquette.

The CCHA regular season has reached the far turn, the stretch run approaches, and all eyes are on the standings as we head into this weekend’s play.

This Week on CCHA RinkRap, the long strange trip to the Olympics for MUS’s Nathan Smith; a shutout streak by someone other than Dryden McKay; and joy tinged with sadness for Potulny’s giant-killers.

Eight teams, four competitive series. This is what pushes the pulse for fans of the CCHA. There’s a case that can be made for all eight teams to pick up points in the standings, as the race for home ice turns into a sprint. Let’s get started.

The unofficial start to the second half of the CCHA season resumes this weekend with seven teams engaged in four series: the undisputed No. 1 Mavericks look to avoid another upset by Ferris; Grant Potulny’s Wildcats host Colgate in non-conference play, and Bowling Green tries to claw back home-ice in the CCHA postseason picture.

It’s been a tumultuous first semester of college hockey, but perhaps none more turbulent than that endured by the CCHA, especially tough on prognosticators.

On Sunday, Bowling Green coach Ty Eigner was in the middle of his weekly car wash when he began scratching his head about how unpredictable this season has been. “Every night when you look at College Hockey News, you check the scores and you’re like, “What? That happened? Every single night, it’s crazy.”

This weekend, the top two teams in CCHA clash in a battle of Minnesota's titans and Northern Michigan tries to stay hot.