C3 East standings watch: Spiders on brink of elimination
March 12, 2015
The fifth-place Blade Runners shut out the second-place Mastodons Wednesday night, eliminating the Nighthawks and Marauders from playoff hopes, and pushing the Spiders to the brink.
The Blade Runners vs. Mastodons was the final game of Week 18 of the season, and the result makes the playoff picture slightly more clear.
| Team | GP | W | L | T | OTL | P | GF | GA | PIM | Spiders Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
||||||||||
| Maroons –x | 18 | 10 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 23 | 76 | 56 | 114 | 1–1–0–0 |
| Fighting Ice Fish –x | 18 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 22 | 72 | 55 | 84 | 0–2–0–0 |
| Mastodons –x | 18 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 22 | 56 | 50 | 99 | 0–1–0–0 |
| Blade Runners | 18 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 21 | 59 | 56 | 148 | 1–0–0–1 |
| Gold Rush | 18 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 21 | 80 | 50 | 120 | 0–2–0–0 |
| Ice Gators | 18 | 8 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 18 | 70 | 71 | 86 | 1–1–0–0 |
| Royals | 18 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 18 | 67 | 55 | 86 | 0–1–0–0 |
| Spiders | 18 | 7 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 17 | 63 | 66 | 92 | – |
| Nighthawks | 18 | 6 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 16 | 50 | 55 | 116 | 0–1–1–0 |
| Marauders | 18 | 6 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 15 | 47 | 60 | 100 | 2–0–0–0 |
| Wolfpack | 18 | 3 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 34 | 100 | 88 | 2–0–0–0 |
- At 23 points and currently in first, the Maroons are assured of a spot, as high as first, but as low as fifth.
- Tied for 2nd place, at 22 points, the Fighting Ice Fish and Mastodons are also assured of a playoff spot.
- Tied for fourth place, at 21 points, the Blade Runners and Gold Rush are in control of their playoff destinies, but could be overtaken by the 6th or 7th place teams, depending on their ability to tread water the next two games.
- And on the outside looking in, by a game and a half, the Ice Gators and Royals, tied for sixth with 18 points, have the potential to reach 22 points, but each will need help from at least one of the teams in spots 2–5.
- Finally, on the precipice of an early spring, the Spiders are holding onto the last possible thread of playoff hopes. If — and a big if — the Spiders are able to buck their seasonal trend and actually win the next two games, and get generous help from not only the Blade Runners losing out, but also the Ice Gators and Royals not adding more than one win each, the Spiders could yet again sneak into the playoff picture. Of course, if it got to that point, the Spiders would be dependent on tiebreakers with three of the four teams, most of which won’t go the Spiders’ way (until the 50/50 coin toss).
Key games in week 19 besides the Spiders vs. Royals this Saturday:
- Gold Rush vs. Marauders (Saturday)
- Ice Gators vs. Maroons (Sunday)
- Mastodons vs. Gold Rush (Wednesday)
- Royals vs. Blade Runners (Wednesday)
And week 20, when the Spiders close out the C3 East regular season on Sunday, March 22, against the Mastodons:
- Fighting Ice Fish vs. Ice Gators (Sunday)
- Marauders vs. Blade Runners (Sunday)
Best-case scenario for the Spiders to avoid their tragic number, the Royals and Marauders beat the Blade Runners, the Ice Gators lose at least one, and the Spiders win out. Don’t worry ... no one in the Spider camp will be holding their breath.
