The European Conference has been the power conference for the last several seasons. The tables have slowly tilted the other way and now it is the North American Conference that has a number of titans battling. There is at least one great team that is gong to miss out on some post season action. The top 4 teams are separated by just 4 points, and the Chicago Phoenix have 3 games in hand on the 1st place Seattle Bears. The DC Dragons have the advantage if they can make their games in hand count, the Wranglers have risen up the ranks and the Wolves have disappointed thus far. Here is a quick look at the big 4 so far.
1. Seattle Bears (14-5-0) 28 points
The Bears have been led by forward Sigard Petrenko who has 24 points in 19 games. 2 of his 9 goals have been game winners. AJ Williams finds himself in his usual place, leading the team in goals and finding himself amongst the league leaders with 13. Nils Godlander finds himself right with Williams, with 21 points and 12 goals of his own. This combo with Ori who has 17 helpers on the season has created a recipe for success. Hulk Hogan 2 is chasing another piece of hardware, something he and his father both have quite the reputation for. The hulkster has 20 points and 41 blocked shots to start the season. Rusty Wilson is playing anything but Rusty, recording all 14 of Seattle’s wins and enjoying a 2.44 GAA and 923 save percentage.
2. DC Dragons (12-4-0) 24 points
DC has played 3 games less than Seattle and can leapfrog them if they make the most of their catch up time. The Nezuko - Darth Kaprizov combo has gotten off to a hot start out of the game. Nezuko has 28 points which puts him amongst the league leaders, and 15 goals which he is also amongst the top. Kaprizov has 22 points, and has complimented Nezuko quite well. He is definitely on pace to get back to his old form from a few seasons ago. Tui Sova is doing Sova things. He has 24 points, 18 of which have been slick assists and is on pace to try to solidly a HOF like ending to his career. The Lavelle - Vidot connection has returned after a one season break. It has caught fire this time around as Lavelle is on fire with 26 points. A very even 13-13 split with those stats, and tacking on 57 hits along with Nezuko. Ryan Vidot has 21 points of his own, as he is trying to set career highs while helping DC win. Vidot has always been a consistent PPG player, can he elevate beyond that this season? Milan Dvorak has 14 assists on the season, and 30 shots blocked along with Sova. Bubbles Utonium has posted up an impressive 11-3 record with a 2.49 GAA and .925 save percentage. It is without a doubt this DC team while talented, will lean heavily on Utonium to try to advance further than last season.
3. Calgary Wranglers (10-4-3) 23 points
The Wranglers have risen back to their competitive ways! Luc Tessler is leading the Wranglers and the league with his 30 points, with a solid 15 goals, and 15 assists. He and Portuguese forward Leandro Goncalves have torn up the ice. Goncalves has 26 points of his own, and leads the team with 17 assists. Daniel Janser is looking to bulldoze his way to a 100+ season. He is off to a strong start with 24 points, and 52 hits. Erlantz Jokinen is looking to beat the career high of 89 points he posted up with Calgary a few seasons ago. He could certainly do so with 20 points on the season so far, 15 being assists. He also has 38 hits on the season. Goaltender Ben Dahl’s numbers aren’t where he wants them to be yet, but they have been good enough for the Wranglers to be winning. He has 9 wins, a 2.80 GAA and a .918 save percentage.
4. Chicago Phoenix (9-4-2) 20 points
The Chicago Phoenix have played the least amount of games thus far with 15 and still hold a playoff spot in the NA playoff dash. When made up, they can easily find themselves competing for 1st. The Phoenix are led by stud defenseman Bo Johansson who has a stellar 26 points in 15 games. Bo is also among the league leaders in assist with 18. Scotty Sundin is looking to elevate his game to the next level, and is off to a strong start with 20 points, 9 of which are goals. Baby Bob is looking to build off a 100 point season, and is off to a decent start this season. Bob will need to start pumping out more to get back on pace, but 18 points and 10 goals I. 15 games isn’t something to moan over either. The Board Game Clue on Skates is looking to get back on pace after a strong rookie season, and a down S84 season. Our board game friend is off to a frustrating start for their level of play, but has still been a PPG player with 16 points in 15 games. Cole Pearce has filled in the void for Chicago’s franchise goaltender after tensions built in London. Pearce could give Chicago the edge this season. Thus far Pearce has posted up 9 wins, a .916 save percentage and a 2.55 GAA. Pearce is certainly capable of stronger numbers but it is early yet. And if you see Chicago rise up the standings as they make up games, expect Pearce’s numbers to sway up towards the elite tier.
On the outside looking in are the Vancouver Wolves, who are 3 points behind the Phoenix but have already played 4 more games than them. The Wolves could still comfortably find their way into the wildcard round despite their poor start. The Americans and Stars have 16 and 15 points respectively but will need to find some consistency to find themselves to be taken seriously. Could Art Vandelay or Augustus Kennedy play spoiler for some playoff hockey?
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Claim for week ending in 9/18, and 9/25.
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