With one week remaining in the regular season, the men's hockey team is in the fortunate yet harrowing position of controlling its own destiny for the ECAC Northeast playoffs. At 13-1 and in a three-way tie for first place in the conference, three straight wins would land Tufts the top seed in the playoffs, which begin on Feb. 24.

Johnson and Wales, the other 13-1 team, has dominated the conference with its brutal style of play, leading the nation in penalty minutes with 24.27 per game. This aggressive play actually hindered its effort against Tufts, as the Jumbos converted on five power plays in the 6-5 victory on Jan. 21. This victory would give Tufts the advantage in the event of a tiebreaker.

Before any tiebreaker, both Tufts and Johnson and Wales must face 13-2 Wentworth, the defending conference champions. Although Wentworth's seven-game winning streak was snapped by New Hampshire College on Saturday night, it is one of the most feared teams in the league. This season it has tied nationally ranked Middlebury 4-4 and manhandled Wesleyan (a team which beat Tufts 5-3 earlier in the season ) 5-1.

Wentworth is lead by junior Tim Yakimowsky, who is tied for third in the conference with 38 points. It are also led by the goalkeeping tandem of freshman Raj Bhangoo and sophomore Jamie Vanek, who are first and third respectively in the conference in goals allowed, with only 1.99 and 2.41 per game. The Leopards are second only to Tufts in power-play conversion percentage (24.1) and first in penalty kills (90.7).

As the season has progressed, the race for first place has turned into a three-team contest, but virtually all of the eight teams that make the playoffs still have a legitimate shot at the title. Lebanon Valley (9-4) may pose the next greatest threat to the Jumbos' first place aspirations. Following a loss to Tufts on Jan. 26, the Dutchmen have faltered, going only 2-2 in conference play. Nevertheless, they boast the third best defense in the league, allowing only 2.76 goals per game.

Always a threat is Fitchburg State, last year's runner up, who despite a weak 8-6-1 conference record, has surprised several opponents. On Jan. 17, the Falcons became the first conference team to beat Wentworth, as it blanked them 1-0 in Wentworth's home arena.

Despite the numerous threats, Tufts' team as confident as they've been since the first day of the season. The Jumbos believe they're the team to beat, and they have the statistics and record to back it up. With convincing wins over Johnson and Wales, Lebanon Valley, and Fitchburg State, Tufts has handled every potential threat on its schedule. The one fluke came at the hands of Worcester State, an average team, which caught the Jumbos on an off night.

The Jumbos have the first, second, and third leading scorers in the conference in junior Jason Boudrow (60), sophomore Mike Carceo (39), and senior tri-captain Natan Obed (37). Offensively, the team leads the league with 5.80 goals per game, and defensively Tufts is fourth with only 3.35 goals per game allowed.

In the final week of play, Tufts will play Plymouth State (4-10) on Monday, Wentworth (13-2) on Thursday, and New Hampshire College (11-3) on Saturday.