GRAND FORKS, N.D. --  Based on the number of national champions produced from the league in the last decade or so, one would not be wrong to say that the National Collegiate Hockey Conference is the best in the county.

Beginning with UND's NCAA title in 2016, five of the last seven national champions have come from the NCHC with Denver and Minnesota Duluth winning twice each since UND's title in Tampa, Fla. No NCAA tourney was held in 2020 because of the onslaught of COVID-19, when UND (26-5-4) was a potential winner as NCHC champs.

That's dominance. And in that span, twice teams from the NCHC lost in the national championship game, flashing the depth of the league as well.

That said, UND can take great pride in beginning the NCHC playoffs against Miami this weekend as the Penrose Cup champions again, the best team in the league, in the best league in the country.

While that got UND possession of the Penrose Cup for at least another year, it doesn't get them much beginning this weekend, when knockout post-season play begins.

Even though UND is 4-0 against the RedHawks this season, and Miami won but a single league game in 24 tries, all that means little beginning this weekend.

And that's where the test begins again for this outstanding UND team, ranked No. 3 nationally in the Pairwise rankings and a lock to make the NCAA tournament regardless of what it does this weekend with the RedHawks.

The bright side of it all is that this weekend's games are played at friendly Ralph Engelstad Arena, where the Fighting Hawks are 17-4-1 on Ralph's ice this season.

Since UND has lost its last four road games, at Colorado College and Omaha, there's good news on that scene as well.

As Grand Forks Herald beat writer Brad Schlossman has noted, beginning with this series vs. Miami, UND does not have to play another true road game the rest of the season. If UND wins this weekend, it would advance to the league Frozen Faceoff at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, then likely to the NCAA regional in Sioux Falls, S.D. A win there would put UND back in St. Paul for the Frozen Four and a shot at the school's ninth NCAA title beginning April 11. All those would be neutral site games in name only. With UND's tremendous traveling fan base, crowd advantage always swings UND's way.

While UND was the best in the NCHC in the rugged 24-game league schedule, it has proved itself vulnerable at times. Being swept by Colorado College and Omaha on its last two road trips is enough evidence of that. Hopefully, those losses sharpen the team play and focus, beginning now.

And as great as it was for this team, this program, these fans, to win another league championship banner to hang in Ralph Engelstad Arena, this much is clear.

Beginning this weekend for many of the teams in the college hockey, losing a playoff series likely spells the end of the season for them. North Dakota, with its high national ranking, will advance to the 16-team tournament no matter how it fares against Miami.

Yet the focus needs to sharpen to the here and now. At the most, UND has nine games left to play this season -- a potential three vs. Miami, then two each in the NCHC Frozen Faceoff, the NCAA regional and the NCAA Frozen Four.

So it is time to take care of business, and a sharp performance against a desperate Miami team this weekend would be a great way for that to start.

This is a very good league North Dakota plays in. As the rankings stand right now, there's a decent chance that four other teams from the NCHC could join North Dakota in the 16-team NCAA tournament. Denver, Colorado College Western Michigan and St. Cloud State are all in contention for national berths. Only Hockey East, with the Nos. 1-2 teams in the Pairwise in Boston College and Boston University and six teams in the top 16, can battle the NCHC for depth of league power.

But starting tonight, it's a fresh start for every team in the country involved in league playoffs. That Miami had one league win all year, and four losses in four games to North Dakota, means nothing on the scoreboard when the puck is dropped at REA tonight.

You're the best? Prove it again. That's the test Miami will put to the Fighting Hawks. Favorites never win all the time. Upsets do happen. "No games are easy,'' UND forward Jackson Kunz said this week.

And if North Dakota wants to prove its championship caliber beyond the Penrose Cup, that test begins this weekend, when indeed it's likely that no games will be easy.

Test papers will be handed out this weekend. Exam time is here. Can UND ace them? Go Hawks.

Virg Foss is in his 54th season of writing about UND hockey. He was the beat writer for UND hockey for 35 years prior to his retirement in 2005. He is currently in his 19th season of writing about Fighting Hawks' hockey for UND athletic communications.