Preliminary playoff info announced
Feb. 3, 2013
Spiders still in post-season hunt, but will be dependent on AHA math to avoid early golf season.
The mid-season AHA captains meeting was held last week, though the Spiders were busy in the hinterland heights of Inver Grove facing off against the then-playoff-hopeful Ak Bars.
As usual, the playoff tiebreakers will be enforced, and, as expected, the top four teams in C3 East and West will skate the soft Bloomington ice in April. Playoff pools will have the first- and fourth-place teams from one division with the second- and third-place teams from the other division. Three Round Robin pool games will be played, with the pool champions advancing onto the championship game Sunday. (It seems the AHA has all but eliminated the Saturday night semi-final, a tradition near and dear to Spider fans.)
Despite it being only the first week of February, whether the Spiders have any chance at April hockey will likely depend on how they match up this week with the fourth-place Sled Dogs. Though just a game behind in the standings, the head-to-head tiebreaker is up for grabs this game. Given how the season usually comes down to a logjam for the last spot, the tiebreakers tend to come into play often.
The Spiders almost got some help from the Diablos, who lost by just a goal to the Sled Dogs this weekend. Instead, everything stays the same, with the Diablos and Icedogs already out, the Ak Bars all but done, and the Spiders, Sled Dogs and, in third, a game up, the Fighting Saints, looking at meaningful games ahead.
Remaining on the schedule:
- Spiders (5th): Sled Dogs, Moose, Mastodons, Icedogs, Fighting Saints, Diablos
- Sled Dogs (4th): Spiders, Mastodons, Fighting Saints, Ak Bars, Moose, Icedogs
- Fighting Saints (3rd): Icedogs, Diablos, Sled Dogs, Mastodons, Spiders, Ak Bars
| Team | GP | W | L | T | OTL | P | GF | GA | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moose | 14 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 25 | 76 | 29 | 50 |
| Mastodons | 14 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 22 | 62 | 31 | 74 |
| Fighting Saints | 14 | 9 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 38 | 46 | 94 |
| Sled Dogs | 14 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 16 | 52 | 39 | 36 |
| Spiders | 14 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 47 | 38 | 66 |
| Ak Bars | 14 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 39 | 44 | 64 |
| Diablos | 14 | 2 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 27 | 65 | 50 |
| Icedogs | 14 | 1 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 23 | 72 | 104 |
| Team | P | GH | W | L | OT | T | GD | % | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|||||||||
| Moose –x | 25 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 47 | 100.0 | -0.0 | |
| Mastodons –x | 22 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 31 | 100.0 | -0.0 | |
| Fighting Saints | 18 | 9 | 5 | 0 | 0 | -8 | 88.7 | -0.6 | |
| Sled Dogs | 16 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 13 | 71.0 | +3.8 | |
| Spiders | 14 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 36.4 | -2.7 | |
| Ak Bars | 12 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 0 | -5 | 3.9 | -0.4 | |
| Diablos | 5 | 2 | 11 | 0 | 1 | -38 | Out | -0.0 | |
| Icedogs | 3 | 1 | 12 | 0 | 1 | -49 | Out | -0.0 | |
* All playoff chance stats courtesy Sports Club Stats and the C3 Moose.
