It’s finally time for the No. 4 Michigan hockey team to start thinking about the playoffs.

And considering where the Wolverines were earlier in the season, it must be a relief to be in that position.

But they still have a lot of work left to do.

Michigan is currently in third place in the CCHA with 30 points, two behind second-place Miami (Ohio) and six behind conference-leading Notre Dame.

Ohio State and Alaska are Michigan's biggest concerns, with each sitting just two points behind and tied for fourth place. Nebraska-Omaha, the Wolverines' opponent this weekend, is within range with 26 points in sixth.

But enough about the standings. What does Michigan have to do?

The top eight CCHA teams host a playoff series, and the top four teams get a bye and host a second-round series.

All Michigan needs is one point — a tie — to clinch a home series and six points to secure a first-round bye.

“From here on out, it's playoff hockey, every game, every period, every shift,” junior acting captain Chris Summers said.

That puts the Wolverines in a pretty good spot, given where they were around Thanksgiving. At that point, Michigan was buried in the CCHA standings in seventh place and had won just one of five conference series.

After that, the team awakened, reeling off 12 wins in 14 games. With a real shot to finish second in the conference, the Wolverines realize they couldn’t have done much better.

“We’re starting to establish our identity, who we are as a team,” Summers said. “We were kind of questionable at the beginning of the year and had kind of a shaky start. But I think guys are starting to adjust to their roles on the team.”

However, it's nearly impossible for Michigan to win the CCHA title outright, since the Fighting Irish have a six-point lead and play some of the weaker conference teams down the stretch.

Last year, four CCHA teams made NCAA Tournament. It's likely the conference will again receive four berths this year at most, making a top-four finish in the regular-season CCHA standings and an appearance in at least the conference tournament semifinals that much more important.

The other concern for the Wolverines is their inconsistency.

“I still think we should be able to win every game at home, and we haven’t done that,” sophomore Louie Caporusso said. “When you play in an arena like Yost, there shouldn’t be any reason why you can’t run over every team."

Their recent winning streak is impressive, but the power play continues to struggle, the defense gives up too many turnovers and the offense can be spotty.

Until a few weeks ago, Michigan’s top line produced more than half the team's offense, though the team has been much more balanced of late. The all-sophomore line of Carl Hagelin, Aaron Palusahj and Matt Rust scored three goals against Lake Superior State, and the rest of the Wolverines are also starting to pick up their scoring.

“We’re not relying on one line,” Berenson said. “We’re not relying on one player. We’ll probably have one 20-goal scorer this year. I think we’re a more balanced team.”

While the Wolverines certainly have their flaws, that can be overcome in college hockey. Who would have thought Notre Dame would be in the National Championship game last season, or Michigan State would win it all the year before?

All it takes is for a team to get on a roll at the end of the season and there’s no reason why Michigan isn’t capable of that.