Because the NCAA had previously announced that all winter sports athletes would retain whatever eligibility they possessed through at least the following year, none of Providence's players would lose a season of play.

[3] The first impediment for the team was Hockey East using a power index to decide conference placement rather than win percentage.

This meant that Providence finished below Connecticut despite possessing a better record and would have to play a road game in the quarterfinals.

Providence had lost both games to BC, gone 1–1 versus Boston University and 0–2–2 against Massachusetts (including the playoff match).

This left the Friars with a 1–5–2 record against the 'good' Hockey East teams, which was not sufficient to earn them a trip to the national tournament.