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Playoff Picture Becoming Clear in Final Regular Season Stretch
2017-06-20
The Playoffs are around the corner. Some teams are in, others have some work to do. Click READ MORE to learn more about how things are shaking out atop the ECJLL standings.
Colin Beiswanger
With 2/3’s of the games finished in 2017, the playoff picture is starting to become clearer. The Dartmouth Bandits and Halifax Hurricanes, sitting at 10-1 respectively, are guaranteed a playoff berth. The third and fourth spots, however, are at least worth talking about.
Mavericks a Threat in 2017
The Moncton Mavericks, making their way back into the playoffs for the first time since re-joining the league in 2015, also look like a solid 3rd place team heading into the final stretch of the ECJLL season. Taking advantage of playing at home (4-2 in Moncton as of July 15), the Mavericks will need to pull out a couple wins against their final four opponents the Bandits, Hurricanes, Wolves, and Warriors. Their resurgence is due in large part to a solid recruiting program across the province of New Brunswick.
The Mavericks have relied on old faces and new ones to get the job done on offense. Jack Boyle, a Mavericks mainstay since 2013, has 42 pts (25G 18A) in 10 games played. Rookie John Newman has come on strong with 40 pts (21G 19A) in nine games. Finally, Jake Mosher-McGraw has been averaging 7.4 pts per game over his five appearances since returning from NCAA DII Tampa.
This year’s version of the Mavericks seems to have the goal-scoring pedigree to challenge a second seed come playoff time. Defensively there are question marks, having allowed 144 goals in 13 games played. Offense however, has been a different story – the Mavericks have 10 players notching 10+ points so far in 2017, which eclipses their mark in 2015 (8) and almost matches their total in 2016 (11). Keep in mind they still have four games remaining in the schedule. Last year’s team relied heavily on star player Andrew Neilson, but this team’s offense appears to be much more balanced.
Fourth Spot Up for Grabs (Sort of)
With these three essentially punching their ticket to the post-season, that leaves the final spot remaining. Up until this weekend, it looked as though the June 26th date between the Sackville Sportwheels Wolves and the Halifax Marley Lions would be a crucial matchup that would have playoff implications. That was until the Wolves pulled out a thrilling 14-13 win over the NB Mavericks on Saturday. With the return of Zac Carrigan (21G 10A in six games), the Wolves are beginning to assemble an offense that can win against the top tier teams in the ECJLL. Though, there is clearly work in front of them after a 17-8 defeat at the hands of the Dartmouth Bandits last week.
For the Lions, the issue is that they do not control their own destiny. With three games to play they have two games against the Mi’kmaq Warriors and one remaining against the Wolves. Winning all three games would put them at 12 points, two ahead of the 10 the Wolves currently have. A win yesterday against the 1st place Hurricanes would have helped their cause, but a 10-4 defeat ultimately put a late run to rest.
The Wolves, with a game in hand over the Lions, must face the Warriors, Bandits, Lions, and Hurricanes. A single win in any of these contests would put the Wolves in a tie with the Lions, any more and they would punch their ticket to a post-season berth. Keep in mind the tie would be broken by a goals average formula (GF/GF+GA) noted in 8.2 of the ECJLL Regulations.
The Lions would need to win by a wide margin to win, considering the Wolves took the first two contests between the two by scores of 9-7 and 12-8.
First Place is Crucial
In years’ past the #1 seed has been a great advantage, and this season may tell the same story. The #1 seed has been able to cruise through the first round of the playoffs for the past two years, cruising to a sweep in the semi-finals and getting all-important rest heading into the finals. This year, however, could be the year that trend changes. The Wolves and the Lions, no matter who takes the fourth spot, both have played tough against top competition in 2017.
That doesn’t change the importance of earning the #1 seed however. Retaining home-floor advantage and missing out on playing the #3 seed in a semi-final are all valuable reasons to lock up the top spot.
The Hurricanes and Bandits are currently dead-locked at matching 10-1 record. It is only fitting then that the Bandits and Hurricanes will meet on June 30th and again on July 4th to settle the standings. The Bandits took the first matchup 7-6, meaning they currently hold the tie-breaker over the Hurricanes.
A potential final between these two teams could end up being one to remember, with both teams possessing firepower on offense and solid defensive units.
With 2/3’s of the games finished in 2017, the playoff picture is starting to become clearer. The Dartmouth Bandits and Halifax Hurricanes, sitting at 10-1 respectively, are guaranteed a playoff berth. The third and fourth spots, however, are at least worth talking about.
Mavericks a Threat in 2017
The Moncton Mavericks, making their way back into the playoffs for the first time since re-joining the league in 2015, also look like a solid 3rd place team heading into the final stretch of the ECJLL season. Taking advantage of playing at home (4-2 in Moncton as of July 15), the Mavericks will need to pull out a couple wins against their final four opponents the Bandits, Hurricanes, Wolves, and Warriors. Their resurgence is due in large part to a solid recruiting program across the province of New Brunswick.
The Mavericks have relied on old faces and new ones to get the job done on offense. Jack Boyle, a Mavericks mainstay since 2013, has 42 pts (25G 18A) in 10 games played. Rookie John Newman has come on strong with 40 pts (21G 19A) in nine games. Finally, Jake Mosher-McGraw has been averaging 7.4 pts per game over his five appearances since returning from NCAA DII Tampa.
This year’s version of the Mavericks seems to have the goal-scoring pedigree to challenge a second seed come playoff time. Defensively there are question marks, having allowed 144 goals in 13 games played. Offense however, has been a different story – the Mavericks have 10 players notching 10+ points so far in 2017, which eclipses their mark in 2015 (8) and almost matches their total in 2016 (11). Keep in mind they still have four games remaining in the schedule. Last year’s team relied heavily on star player Andrew Neilson, but this team’s offense appears to be much more balanced.
Fourth Spot Up for Grabs (Sort of)
With these three essentially punching their ticket to the post-season, that leaves the final spot remaining. Up until this weekend, it looked as though the June 26th date between the Sackville Sportwheels Wolves and the Halifax Marley Lions would be a crucial matchup that would have playoff implications. That was until the Wolves pulled out a thrilling 14-13 win over the NB Mavericks on Saturday. With the return of Zac Carrigan (21G 10A in six games), the Wolves are beginning to assemble an offense that can win against the top tier teams in the ECJLL. Though, there is clearly work in front of them after a 17-8 defeat at the hands of the Dartmouth Bandits last week.
For the Lions, the issue is that they do not control their own destiny. With three games to play they have two games against the Mi’kmaq Warriors and one remaining against the Wolves. Winning all three games would put them at 12 points, two ahead of the 10 the Wolves currently have. A win yesterday against the 1st place Hurricanes would have helped their cause, but a 10-4 defeat ultimately put a late run to rest.
The Wolves, with a game in hand over the Lions, must face the Warriors, Bandits, Lions, and Hurricanes. A single win in any of these contests would put the Wolves in a tie with the Lions, any more and they would punch their ticket to a post-season berth. Keep in mind the tie would be broken by a goals average formula (GF/GF+GA) noted in 8.2 of the ECJLL Regulations.
The Lions would need to win by a wide margin to win, considering the Wolves took the first two contests between the two by scores of 9-7 and 12-8.
First Place is Crucial
In years’ past the #1 seed has been a great advantage, and this season may tell the same story. The #1 seed has been able to cruise through the first round of the playoffs for the past two years, cruising to a sweep in the semi-finals and getting all-important rest heading into the finals. This year, however, could be the year that trend changes. The Wolves and the Lions, no matter who takes the fourth spot, both have played tough against top competition in 2017.
That doesn’t change the importance of earning the #1 seed however. Retaining home-floor advantage and missing out on playing the #3 seed in a semi-final are all valuable reasons to lock up the top spot.
The Hurricanes and Bandits are currently dead-locked at matching 10-1 record. It is only fitting then that the Bandits and Hurricanes will meet on June 30th and again on July 4th to settle the standings. The Bandits took the first matchup 7-6, meaning they currently hold the tie-breaker over the Hurricanes.
A potential final between these two teams could end up being one to remember, with both teams possessing firepower on offense and solid defensive units.