By / Ryan Laverty
The calendar doesn’t have it slated to start for another four weeks but, for all intents and purposes, playoffs are fully underway in the Alberta Midget Hockey League’s Dodge Division.
While the J. Ennis Kings of Sherwood Park and the SSAC Boston Pizza Athletics have both locked up their spots in the post-season, five teams are involved in a fierce game of musical chairs – battling for the final four spaces in the northern quarterfinals.
At press time, the Rangers had netted 32 points, thanks to wins on Jan. 24 and 25, and trailed the St. Albert Sport Raiders by three points in the yet-to-clinch ranks. Close behind were the KC Pats who had picked up 30 points in the first 30 of their 34 scheduled games.
While nothing was set in stone, the Raiders certainly looked to have all but locked up a spot thanks to their 10-point lead over the Lloydminster Tanroc Bobcats. A road loss to the Calgary Buffaloes on Jan. 24 left the Bobcats with 25 points in the bag and only five games to go, all but guaranteeing St. Albert’s place in the playoffs.
That said, the Bobcats, with league-leading scorer Jamie Crooks on board, were still only three points back of the CAC Gregg Distributors Canadians for the final berth and they held a game in hand. Adding a little pressure to the Canadians’ situation was a 4-2 loss to the UFA Bisons on Jan. 25 despite out-shooting their hosts 44-28.
“To be honest, I felt like we really did deserve a better fate,” said CAC head coach Tim Fragle, noting his team now has nearly two weeks off before their next game.
“It’s almost a disadvantage to have so much time off now because when you play so well and you don’t get the results, you sometimes come right back with a game where you don’t play as well but you get the win.
“We don’t get that this time, so it’s going to be up to us to get ourselves prepared. These last three games are the most important ones we’ll play.”
The AMHL regular season wraps up on Feb. 15. Playoffs fire up later that same week. Check www.amhl.ab.ca for game times and locations. |