MCRHL Final Regular Season Event This Weekend

 

With one regular season event and a handful of home games left on the MCRHL schedule, the only questions that really remain in the Active Division are that of play-off seeding in the upcoming MCRHL Championships on February 25-27 in Wixom, MI.  Seven of eight spots have been claimed, and only Illinois and Ball State have a shot at claiming the final spot.  The Fighting Illini have a definite advantage in this; however, as they need only to win one more game, or have the Cardinals lose one.  Illinois will face Eastern Michigan, Miami, Illinois State, and Ball State this weekend in Bloomington.

 

With Michigan State and Western Michigan idle this weekend, undefeated Eastern Michigan will look to establish themselves as the league leaders, but they must defeat a tough Ohio State team twice to do so.

 

The rest of the teams in attendance this weekend will be fighting for play-off positioning alone.  Each of them has the opportunity to finish anywhere from fourth to eighth with the exception of Ball State who, as mentioned before, are fighting for the final eighth spot.

 

The Development Division is a little trickier this upcoming weekend.  Western Michigan ?B? needs to win either two of its last three games or have Illinois ?B? lose two of its last six games to clinch the Conference ?B? West.  If the Bronco?s can manage to win their last three games, they will clinch the top spot in the MCRHL Championships.  They face Ball State ?B? twice and Illinois ?B.?

 

Northern Illinois needs only one point to clinch the Affiliate Division and claim one of the top three spots in the MCRHL Championships.  Due to the two teams? conflicting schedules, Northern Illinois must play Dayton three times this weekend.  Ohio State ?B? and Illinois ?B? round out their schedule.

 

The fight for the final two play-off spots are where the real story is in the Development Division.  Ball State ?B,? Dayton, Illinois ?B,? Illinois State ?B,? and Ohio State ?B? all have a shot at them.  In Conference B West, Illinois ?B? has the advantage at receiving the automatic bid for finishing second in the conference.  That leaves the other four teams fighting for the final spot in the MCRHL Championships.

 

 

With the 2005 MCRHL Championships only two weeks away, the MCRHL action is heating up.  Stay tuned to mcrhl.com for the final standings and tournament info.