Originally Posted by ironchef82

I can answer 2 and 3. You are correct when you say that the CCHA, WCHA, ECAC, etc are analogous to conferences like the ACC and Big 10.

All of the six conferences in Div I Hockey award an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament to the winner of its conference championship tournament. The NCAA hockey tournament is a 16 team affair, so 10 at-large bids are also handed out, using a mathematical formula/comparison system similar to the RPI for basketball. For more info, consult http://www.uscho.com/m/ncaad1/