GRAND FORKS, N.D. -- And so it all boils down to this, a showdown in Kalamazoo to decide the Penrose Cup winner as regular-season champions of the powerful National Collegiate Hockey Conference.

North Dakota sits in first place, 5 points ahead of both Western Michigan and Denver heading into this final weekend of the regular season. The Fighting Hawks can win the title outright with two points earned at WMU. But a team that hasn't lost a two-game series all season is obviously shooting for more this weekend.

When this season is over in April, I think those who follow the Fighting Hawks will look at this team as one of the deepest in school history, showing great depth and talent on all four forward lines, on defense and in goal. Coach Dane Jackson and staff did a remarkable job of restocking this roster with freshmen and transfers to fit in so well with the returning players.

It is a team with depth and talent at every position, ranking high nationally in virtually every statistical category, offensively and defensively. An example of that is Adam Wiebe winning NCHC Defenseman of the Week the last three weeks in a row.

All that makes North Dakota a difficult team to play against, without a line or two carrying the bulk of the offense, but that depth throughout the lineup. 

That has vaulted UND to No. 3 nationally in the NPI rankings, trailing only Michigan State and Michigan. It puts the Fighting Hawks in good position to be seeded No. 1 in the Sioux Falls, S.D. regional, the closest region of the four NCAA sites for the 16-team NCAA tournament field.

It'll be raucous and rowdy in Kalamazoo this weekend, so a tall task awaits the Fighting Hawks, But for a team that has lost just two games in a row once this season -- Oct. 18 vs. Minnesota and Oct. 24 against Clarkson, this team seems up for the challenges ahead. 

While traditional national powers such as Boston University and Boston College have struggled this season, the usual power teams in the NCHC have not. That makes the upcoming league playoffs in the NCHC a battle royal indeed.

So much can happen in a game that can change the direction of the outcome in a heartbeat. The bounce of the puck, a key injury or two, are among the factors that are unpredictable.

This series in Western Michigan might be the key series through college hockey this weekend. It may well decide the Penrose champion, and position both teams for the NCAA playoffs.

Watch it if you can.

Go Hawks, right?

Virg Foss covered UND hockey for the Grand Forks Herald from 1969 through his retirement in 2005. He has written about UND hockey for UND Athletic Communications ever since.