We’ll be posting regular updates on what games each game day will have playoff clinching implications in the NCDC, USPHL Premier and USPHL Elite.
A few notes before today’s update:
No teams in the NCDC have clinched a playoff berth as of yet. There are, however, some teams that are finding their limits on where they can finish, on both the high end and low end of the standings.
Premier teams that have clinched playoff berths include:
- New York Aviators
- Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights
- Rockets Hockey Club
- Connecticut Jr. Rangers
- Utica Jr. Comets
- Elmira Jr. Enforcers
- Hudson Havoc
- Minnesota Squatch
- Minnesota Moose
- Wisconsin Rapids Riverkings
- Isanti Outlaws
- Steele County Blades
- Minnesota Blue Ox
- Northern Cyclones
- Islanders Hockey Club
- Boston Junior Bruins
- Bridgewater Bandits
- Boston Advantage
- Twin City Thunder
- Springfield Pics
- South Shore Kings
- Vernal Oilers
- Seattle Totems
- Rock Springs Prospectors
- Fresno Monsters
- San Diego Sabers
- Ontario Jr. Reign
- Las Vegas Thunderbirds
- Charlotte Rush
- Potomac Patriots
- Richmond Generals
- Florida Eels (clinched division championship)
- ALL teams in the Mountain Division, Great Lakes Division & Midwest East Division.
Elite teams that have clinched playoff berths include:
- Florida Eels
- Tampa Bay Juniors
- Atlanta MadHatters
- Palm Beach Typhoon
- Northern Cyclones
- Islanders Hockey Club
- Bridgewater Bandits
- Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights (clinched division title)
- Carolina Jr. Hurricanes
- Charlotte Rush
- Potomac Patriots
- Richmond Generals
The Twin City Thunder face the Islanders Hockey Club, and both teams enter the game in a tie for fifth with 37 points. Neither team can overtake fourth-place South Shore, but they can potentially close the gap, depending on South Shore’s result against the South Shore Kings, who play at 1 p.m. versus the Northern Cyclones.
A Kings regulation win can move them into a tie for third, and a Cyclones win would push them (at least temporarily) one point over their Granite State rivals the New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs in the race for first in the North Division. The Monarchs are idle from game action until Feb. 15.
In the South Division, if the Jersey Hitmen defeat the Rockets Hockey Club or if Utica falls to Connecticut tonight, the Jr. Comets will be mathematically unable to finish in first place in the South.
Mercer and P.A.L. face each other tonight, and both teams are tied for second in the South with 52 points. A regulation win would move them within two points of first only if the Jersey Hitmen were to fall to the Rockets Hockey Club in regulation – Jersey and RHC start play just 10 minutes before P.A.L. and Mercer. With no playoff berths clinched, tablets will be unlikely to be watched as there is still too much runway before berths and seeds can be determined.
The Hershey Cubs would clinch a playoff berth today with either a win or an overtime/shootout loss point against the Buffalo Stampede.
Mountain Division
If the Northern Colorado Eagles defeat the Provo Predators, we’ll know who hosts the first round, who travels in the first round and who gets the first round byes. We just won’t know any of the matchups.
Neither game in the Elite today – both in the North Division – will have an effect on the standings or playoff positioning.
