It's hard to believe, what with it being only February, but the playoffs are here.  It seems like the season just got started, but in fact, it has been over four months of dryland, practices and games and the 2009 Peters Cup playoffs are upon us.

"It's a shock for most of our guys because they come from juniors where they play 70 games, to only have 25 games here.  Even the upperclassmen, they aren't used to the fact that the regular season is so short," said Yellowjacket Head Coach Dan Stauber.  "But it is what it is and we are in the first week of our playoffs.  And as good as our regular season was, it really doesn't mean anything today.  I know it's cliché, but it truly is a new season beginning right now."

The NCHA, which seems to switch playoff formats every few years, has had one constant throughout - the "best-of-three" in the first round.  Meaning?  The first team to three points wins the series.  If the teams are tied after two regular games on Friday and Saturday, then they will play a 15-minute mini-game after Saturday's game.  The mini-game - you love 'em when you win and hate 'em when you lose. 

The 'Jackets have succumbed to the curse of the mini-game the last two seasons, falling in mini-game overtime to St. Scholastica in 2007 and to Eau Claire last season.  In fact, the 'Jackets haven't won a mini-game since beating St. Norbert in 2000, going 0-3 since that game, and dropping all three on home ice.

"We don't want to talk about mini-games," said Stauber.  "We have nothing to gain by discussing them."

The 'Jackets come into this playoff as the number one seed, looking to sweep their first playoff series since the first round of 2004-05.  Below is a breakdown of the four first-round series of the 2009 Peters Cup playoffs.

Lake Forest at UW-Superior

The Yellowjackets enter the post-season as the number one seed, one of just two teams in the league to beat every other team (St. Scholastica was the other) and unbeaten in their last seven games.  Despite all their successes of the past two decades, the 'Jackets have only been the number one seed in the post-season two other times, and they claimed the Peters Cup and advanced to the Frozen Four in each of those seasons.  Could history be repeating itself?  Possibly, but they have business to tend to with a Lake Forest team that has played better of late, riding on the shoulders of a goaltending tandem that ranks among the best in the nation despite the team's record.

UW-Eau Claire at UW-Stout

This series is a tale of two teams heading in separate directions.  Stout is among the hottest teams in the country, unbeaten in their last ten and going 13-1-2 in their last 16 games.  In fact, they lost just once since being swept at home by Superior and St. Scholastica in mid-November.  The Blugolds started the season 7-1-0, but since then have gone 6-11-1, won just one game in conference and plummeted to seventh place in the conference.  The Blue Devils are an electrifying offensive team, while the Blugolds have struggled to score.  The two rivals are only physically separated by 20 miles, but they are light years apart in terms of hockey at this point in the season.  Stout should have little trouble staying hot and dispatching the Blugolds to advance to the semifinals.

UW-River Falls at St. Scholastica

The Saints have been among the best teams in Division III all season, including a run where they were unbeaten in 14 straight games.  Their 18 wins are the most by a Saints team since 1985-86.  They have All-American candidates at every position, including goaltender Steve Bounds, who was statistically the best goaltender in the NCHA.  The Falcons, meanwhile, have ventured into uncharted territory, finishing below .500 for the first time since 1991-92 as a bad start morphed into a bad season.  They have had little to cheer about, but a bright spot has been the offensive production of forwards Derek Hansberry and Tyler Czuba.  The Saints lost just twice at home this season, and should be able to advance to the second round for the third straight season.

UW-Stevens Point at St. Norbert

St. Norbert has returned to earth in 2008-09.  After four years with Kyle Jones between the pipes, the Green Knights went through this season without really settling on a goaltender.  They have, at times, struggled to score, and haven't been invincible on home ice.  Stevens Point continued their gradual improvement under second year coach Wil Nichol.  They improved in their number of wins and again moved up a slot in the standings behind a young lineup that was led in scoring by a freshman.  Any 4-5 match-up in the post-season can go either way, but this one truly could.  The Pointers won the most recent game, and St. Norbert's top scorer out of the lineup, they could be vulnerable in the first round.