WEEK 22 (FINAL)

A despondent Jack Eichel was at a loss for words when asked “How in God’s name did your team not qualify for the playoffs!?” - the Wild Ducks crashing out of the H2H regular season by losing five of their final six matches - the best overall team in the league to spend the H2H postseason parked on the sidelines.

SC Cobras: 57.9
Wild Ducks: 39.2­
Granted the Wild Ducks didn’t do themselves any favors by losing their final four matches, but for the Ducks not to qualify for the playoffs, it was something of a perfect storm. In addition to the Ducks dumping games, struggling teams suddenly started winning; the combination of which dispatched GM Collard - with golf clubs in hand - to the brown fairways of FHL Meadows. The SC Cobras, 12-10, will begin the playoffs with high expectations, the playing-well franchise gunning for their first-ever H2H championship.

Polar Bears: 49.2
Bluliners: 24.9­
The Polar Bears are relishing their role as “FHL Spoiler” - the team adding “Hamilton” to the list of GM’s they have pissed off. While the Bluliners wouldn’t have qualified anyway (based on Week 22 results) GM Elya is still smiling — though not nearly as much as he was smiling at the conclusion of Week 17 - that fateful day in which his last place Polar Bears rallied to defeat the heavily-favored Wild Ducks - a loss that would eventually trigger the Ducks' collapse.

Ice Hogs: 55.2
Rocky Rocks: 48.6
The Ice Hogs survived a Rocky Rocks scare - netting enough points to successfully fend-off the advances of their now fully-stocked opponent. By winning, the Hogs further padded their league-best record, the team drawing the curtain on the H2H regular season with a sterling mark of 17-5. The Rocks put up a good fight, but in the end, the patched-together squad didn't have enough fuel for the fire, the Rocks finishing (tied with the Bears) with a league-worst mark of 5-17.

Central Red Army: 64.0
Misconducts: 26.8­
The Central Red Army will begin the H2H playoffs on a high note - the highest note - GM Buker winning his seventh consecutive match by posting the league’s best Week 22 score. With the convincing win, the Army, 5-10 after Week 15, qualified for the postseason, the 2018 H2H champion closing with a mark of 12-10. The Misconducts will begin the playoffs with the weight of a two-match losing streak on their shoulders, the sagging squad capping the regular season with a somewhat deceiving record of 13-9.

Boulder Flyers: 50.4
Badger Bob: 22.3­
The postseason situation didn’t always look good, but in the end the Boulder Flyers survived, the team punching their ticket to the playoffs by thrashing Badger Bob. On the strength of a torrid 6-0 start, Badger Bob will skate in the postseason. The team however will arrive bearing some noticeable late-season scars, the worst score of the week leaving the Bobs with lower expectations, despite their admirable record of 13-9. ­

Cherry Pickers: 55.5
Vegas Vipers: 41.5
Playing some of their best hockey of the season, the Cherry Pickers rolled over the Vegas Vipers, GM Recoskie and his first-year franchise heading to the H2H postseason with a record of 12-10. The Vegas Vipers tried to play the role of spoiler but could never get their hands around their opponent, GM Miller and four others (Bluliners, Rocky Rocks, Polar Bears and Wild Ducks) to drown their no-playoff sorrows at the FHL Meadows clubhouse.

LINKS:
Week 22 Scoring
Standings
Playoff Preview