So the main prime time offering on Fox Sport New England was Celtics-Clippers, which makes sense (FSNE having the local contract with the Celts). It made less sense when you flipped down to ESPN, and saw that their prime time offering was... Celts-Clips.

Considering that we're in the full swing of college hockey playoffs, you think that FSNE would be willing to let ESPN carry the load tonight and show something of greater local interest (I know, that may not be contractually possible). That not only meant that I didn't get to see BU take the first game of their quarterfinal match-up with Providence (5-4 at Providence, a rink we have trouble in), it also means I didn't get to see- and I have a hard time to believe this even happened- UMass knock Maine out of the Hockey East tournament AT MAINE by taking the games last night and tonight.

As much as I like watching the Icedogs win, there's a large part of me that would have loved to see the Minutemen celebrate in Alfond Arena. Maine's fans are, generally, the most obnoxious in all of Hockey East (based, I think, on the combination of students and locals whose only connection to the school is that they live in the state). UMass became the first team in all of D1 to advance in a conference tournament this season. Yesterday's surprise storm pushed back a few series that could have given them company.

My lone source of college hockey action tonight: the Union-RPI tilt on NESN. Let's just say that it was not attention-grabbing, even with the 2-1 final. Having Bob Norton on color didn't do much to entice me, either.

Interesting facet of their post-game: when they ran through the ECAC scoreboard, the game scores were crammed in the lower left hand corner, taking up about 10 percent of the screen. They filled the screen with a shot of an ECAC banner. Not sure if this came from lousy production, crappy graphics software, or an inferiority complex. I'm willing to say all were involved.

(The results would have driven college bowl "purists" and ACF partisans crazy, as three of the four higher seeds lost in the ECAC tournament. Perhaps Kelly McKenzie needs to become the ECAC's hockey czar.)

Not much excitement in the other two HEA match-ups, as BC topped a depleted Merrimack and UNH bested Lowell.

In other playoff action, I'm passing on this weekend's America East tournament at BU. I somehow can't see spending either $40 for tickets to all three sessions or $18 for one of them. I'm kind of banking on BU getting to the final, which is on the Saturday at the end of BU's spring break. I'll pay the higher price then, and gladly not have to fight the bulk of the student body for a seat.

Speaking of BU basketball, a situation is shaping up that may force me to copy and submit one of my former Freep columns to BU AD Gary Strickler. It appears that Northeastern may leave America East to join the Colonial AA, following former conference foes like Delaware and Drexel. Over in the Atlantic 10, there's some talk about dumping St. Bonaventure given their decision to scrap the rest of their men's basketball season after forfeiting games for using an ineligible player.

Should these come to pass (the NU thing is much more likely than St. Bonnie's getting the ax), it would behoove BU to do everything in its power to jump to the A10. There are four things BU would have going for it at this time:

1. A basketball team on the upswing, looking like it'll get its second NCAA berth. It suggests a quality program but, given the small conference pedigree, less likelihood that bringing them into the conference would threaten Temple or Xavier.

2. The new Harry Agganis Arena is expandable to 7200 for basketball, a size that fits snugly in the middle of the arena capacities for league teams.

3. BU's has nationally and regionally powerful non-revenue sports, which would help raise the A10 profile generally.

4. It would further open up the A10 to the northeast, giving the conference teams in DC (GW), Philly (Temple, La Salle), NYC (Fordham), and Boston. It may help the A10 compete with the Big East, though GW-Georgetown, St. John's-Fordham, and BU-BC are not, at this time at least, obviously competitive games.

There are some rather large impediments, such as BU's probably unwillingness to spend more money on athletics (travel would cost more, certainly) and the low odds that St. Bonnie's will be sent packing. But I wonder how much longer BU can stick with its mishmash of rural state schools and SUNY castoffs. We'd almost be better off packing it in and joining the UAA at that point.