By USPHL Staff
In The Playoff Push, we will take a look at the busiest game days’ most integral games in regards to teams clinching playoffs or clinching specific playoff berths, as we head down the stretch toward the end of the regular season in March.
USPHL Premier
15 games today
College Universel Gatineau doubled up Utica 6-3 and the Pics defeated South Shore in the final seconds to set up New England.
The Junior Bruins (No. 7) will visit the Cyclones (No. 2). The South Shore Kings (No. 6) will visit Islanders Hockey Club (No. 3). The Springfield Pics (No. 5) will visit Gatineau (No. 4) in Springfield. Utica has a first round bye and could host anyone but the Cyclones or Islanders Hockey Club.
The Midwest West is so close to being finalized. Isanti (No. 7) is finished with 27 points. The Mullets (No. 8) have 26 points and host the Squatch (No. 2) today in the Division’s season-ending game.
Mullets hold the tiebreaker over Isanti, so they only need a point today to bound into seventh place and travel to the Squatch next weekend. Otherwise, Isanti makes that trip and the Mullets head to Wisconsin (No. 1).
Otherwise, the Havoc (No. 3) host Steele County (No. 6) and the Minnesota Blue Ox (No. 4) host the Moose (5).
Atlantic Division: P.A.L. (No. 4) has finished with 53 points. Hershey (No. 3) has 53 points and will finish at the Hitmen (No. 7) today. Elmira (No. 5) has 51 points and hosts WBS (2) in their final game. P.A.L. holds the tiebreaker over both teams. Hershey needs a point today to claim third as their own. Elmira loses to both teams on the tie breaker, so they finish fifth today no matter what they do.
Otherwise, we’ll have the Aviators (No. 8) at Connecticut (No. 1), the Hitmen (No. 7) at WBS Knights (No. 2), the Rockets (No. 6) at either Hershey or P.A.L, and Elmira (No. 5) at Hershey or P.A.L.
Florida: Bold City is No. 1, at 58 points with three games remaining. The Florida Eels (No. 2) have 56 points with one game remaining. Eels hold the tiebreaker. The Eels need to win vs. Palm Beach (No. 6) today and they’ll hope that Bold City loses three games in regulation.
Tampa (No. 3) has 54 points with two games remaining. Bold City holds the tiebreaker. The Eels hold the tiebreaker.
To escape third, Tampa needs to win today over Atlanta (No. 4) and hope everyone else loses in regulation. If they get past that, they face Bold City in the last game next week.
USPHL Elite
9 games today
The Midwest is settled. Decatur (No. 6) will visit Motor City (No. 3). The Chicago Cougars (No. 5) will visit Fort Wayne (No. 4). The Metro Jets (No. 1) and the Chicago Crush (No. 2) can watch cartoons while waiting to see who emerges for Round 2. Clearly, the Jets won’t host the Gamblers and the Crush won’t host Decatur.
Today, Florida Eels (No. 2) host Palm Beach (No. 5), and Atlanta (No. 3) visits Tampa (No. 1). Atlanta needs to win and hope for a Palm Beach victory. Otherwise, the Eels finish second.
The Atlantic is still a mess. P.A.L. and the WBS Knights are tied for first. WBS holds the tiebreaker. WBS visits Elmira (No. 6) while P.A.L. travels to the Rockets (No. 3).
The Rockets are six points back with two games in hand. Anything short of three wins consigns them to third.
