February 11, 2009

Playoff Picture Takes Shape

Z-Rink Plays Host To Important Final Event

Buffalo won both Division I and B last season, can they do it again?

Cockeysville, MD - When all is said and done, the entire season will come down to the final weekend. Most teams have clinched a playoff spot and finished their season, so all eyes will turn to Glastonbury, CT where 14 teams descend on the Z-Rink with hopes of qualifying for the 2008-2009 ECRHA Regional Championships.

In Division I, Rutgers won the regular season championship, the first in school history, with three victories out in Harrisburg last weekend. Beating Penn State, Hofstra and Pittsburgh. More importantly, Andrew Brodsky returned to the lineup, scoring 5 goals and registering 1 assist in the victory. The rest of the field is set, with Pittsburgh and Hofstra missing the tournament and West Point and Connecticut clinching a playoff spot. Rhode Island, Stony Brook and Connecticut can still improve their incoming seed with victories this weekend. Incoming seed is the only tie breaker used at the regional tournament to reseed after the round robin, so each victory matters.

1- Rutgers (37 Pts)

2- Buffalo (30 Pts)

3- Towson (23 Pts)

4- Rhode Island (20 Pts) - Connecticut, Nassau, Stony Brook

5- Penn State (19 Pts)

6- Stony Brook (12 Pts) - Suffolk, Nassau, Rhode Island, Connecticut

7 - West Point (9 Pts)

8 - Connecticut (8 Pts) - Rhode Island, Suffolk, Stony Brook

Current Pool A: Rutgers, Rhode Island, Penn State, Connecticut

Current Pool B: Buffalo, Towson, Stony Brook, West Point

In Division II, West Chester clinched the regular season championship, their first since 2002, and the first overall seed to the regional tournament. Neumann held on to the second second seed by virtue of the second best win percentage in league play. Rowan moved into the 3rd spot and will be the top seed of Pool C.

1 - West Chester (33 Pts)

2 - Neumann (30 Pts)

3 - Rowan (30 Pts)

4 - Shippensburg (27 Pts)

5 - Brockport (26 Pts)

6 - Drexel (21 Pts)

7 - Cornell (20 Pts)

8 - Slippery Rock (20 Pts)

9 - Binghamton (16 Pts)

10 - Millersville (16 Pts)

11 - TBD

12 - TBD

Current Pool A- West Chester, Drexel, Cornell, TBD (Boston)

Current Pool B- Neumann, Brockport, Slippery Rock, TBD (Albany)

Current Pool C- Rowan, Shippensburg, Binghamton, Millersville

The final two playoff spots will be determined this weekend. Albany and Boston currently hold the advantage over Maine, Vermont and Temple, but its truly impossible to predict who will end up in the final two spots. Temple, plays everyone currently in front of them and a perfect weekend will clinch them a playoff spot. At this point though, its anyone's game.

11 - Albany (9 Pts) - Vermont, Temple, Boston

12 - Boston (7 Pts) - Temple, Maine, Albany

13 - Maine (5 Pts) - Vermont, Temple, Boston

14 - Vermont (5 Pts) - Temple, Maine, Albany

15 - Temple (4 Pts) - Albany, Boston, Maine, Vermont

16 - Ramapo (2 Pts)

In Division III, Loyola has clinched the first Division III regular season championship and the top seed for the regional tournament. #4 Cortland and #5 Syracuse will play into the Championship Bracket at 6am on rink 1 on 2/21. Immediately following that game, at 7am, #2 Delaware will battle #3 Scranton in the first game of the Championship Bracket. #1 Loyola will play the winner of the 4/5 match-up in the second game of the Championship Bracket at 11am on rink 3.

In the B Division, everything is going to come down to the final weekend, where Temple and Stony Brook will attempt to win their way into the regional field. Currently, Buffalo, West Chester, Towson, Penn State, Drexel and Suffolk Gold have punched their tickets into the field.

1 - Buffalo (30 Pts)

2 - West Chester (29 Pts)

3 - Towson (22 Pts)

4 - Penn State (21 Pts)

5 - Drexel (20 Pts)

6 - Suffolk Gold (19 Pts) - Temple, Stony Brook, Hofstra

7 - Cornell (12 Pts)

8 - Rutgers (12 Pts)

9 - Stony Brook (11 Pts) - Suffolk Blue, Suffolk Gold, Temple

10 - Temple (9 Pts) - Suffolk Blue, Suffolk Gold, Hofstra, Stony Brook

11 - Suffolk Blue (9 Pts) - Stony Brook, Hofstra, Temple

12 - Hofstra (6 Pts) - Suffolk Blue, Suffolk Gold, Temple

13 - Binghamton (0 Pts)

Current Pool A - Buffalo, Penn State, Drexel, Rutgers

Current Pool B - West Chester, Towson, Suffolk Gold, Cornell

In Junior College action, Nassau will take on Suffolk County for the third straight season in a best of three series. Nassau defeated Suffolk in three games last year, winning the decisive game 10-6. Suffolk won the 2007 title taking the series in two games, including a 11-7 decision in the decisive game. Suffolk leads the season series 2-0, winning 8-5 and 6-3 in two games. Suffolk leads the all-times series, 9-4-1.