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. But we’ll show NCDC games where a team can improve its standings position (in points) as they come up and obviously mention clinching scenarios as they approach.
Premier teams that have clinched playoff berths include:
- New York Aviators
- Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights
- Rockets Hockey Club
- Connecticut Jr. Rangers
- Utica Jr. Comets
- Hudson Havoc
- Minnesota Squatch
- Minnesota Moose
- Wisconsin Rapids Riverkings
- Isanti Outlaws
- Northern Cyclones
- Islanders Hockey Club
- Boston Junior Bruins
- Bridgewater Bandits
- Boston Advantage
- Twin City Thunder
- Springfield Pics
- Vernal Oilers
- Seattle Totems
- Rock Springs Prospectors
- Fresno Monsters
- Florida Eels
- ALL teams in the Mountain Division, Great Lakes Division & Midwest East Division.
Elite teams that have clinched playoff berths include:
- Florida Eels
- Northern Cyclones
- Islanders Hockey Club
- Bridgewater Bandits
- Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights
- Carolina Jr. Hurricanes
- Charlotte Rush
- Potomac Patriots
- Richmond Generals
Jan. 27, 2023 Update:
Click conference names for playoff formats.
The playoff qualification situation is so tight in the NCDC that no teams will clinch or be mathematically eliminated before the end of January.
Boston Advantage vs. South Shore Kings – Neither team will change its standings position based on the results of this game, but other games may affect where they end the day.
New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs vs. Twin City Thunder – The Thunder could pull into a tie with the South Shore Kings at fourth place, but a Kings win and a Thunder win would put Twin City at fifth following this game.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights vs. Connecticut Jr. Rangers – Neither team can change their standings position as the result of this game.
Rockets Hockey Club vs. Mercer Chiefs – A Rockets win and a Rangers regulation loss would see a tie for fourth place between the Rangers and Rockets. A Mercer win would put them into second place in the South (And NCDC overall), one point ahead of the idle P.A.L. Jr. Islanders.
– The Metro Jets play Columbus tonight and a regulation win leaves Toledo and Metro battling for one-two and Columbus and Cincinnati battling for three and four. Toledo and Metro would have home ice and the question is who will leave Ohio for their first game.
– The Steele County Blades can clinch with either a win today or tomorrow, or a Minnesota Mullets loss.
– The San Diego Sabers and Ontario Jr. Reign (idle until Feb. 2) can both clinch with their next win or a Bakersfield loss. Bakersfield faces Long Beach for three games, and San Diego is up at Lake Tahoe for three games.
– The Las Vegas Thunderbirds, hosting the Fresno Monsters for a three-game weekend, is four points from clinching. Any combination of four points for or points lost by Bakersfield assures Las Vegas of no lower than fourth place.
– A Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights win over third place P.A.L. will secure the top seed for WBS in the Mid-Atlantic playoffs.
Tune in tomorrow to see the scenario for the Tampa Bay Juniors to potentially clinch a Florida Division playoff berth.
