WEEK 24 (thru Saturday)

Despite being lodged in 11th place overall, the SC Cobras are a Sunday removed from a berth in the H2H Championship match where they would compete for the coveted crown and it’s $120.00 prize; the Cobras using Igor Shesterkin’s 34th win of the season to pad their advantage; the odds-defying franchise bringing a double-digit lead to the final day of the semifinals.

Semifinals, Playoffs

SC Cobras: 38.0
Cherry Pickers: 26.6­
GM Recoskie’s thoughts of “surely my team can’t continue to struggle, sooner or later they’ll produce” were inexplicably greeted with yet another subpar performance, the Cherry Pickers - the No. 1 seeded, best H2H team in the league on the verge of a monumentally disappointing exit from the postseason, the giant-killing Cobras leading the perplexing Pickers by 11.4 points.
LAST DAY LINEUP (SC Cobras: 6 players; Cherry Pickers: 7 players)
SC Cobras: Nikita Kucherov, Jason Robertson, Vincent Trocheck, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Cam Fowler, Jake Oettinger*
Cherry Pickers: Erik Haula, Andrei Svechnikov, Kyle Connor, Miro Heiskanen, Mikhail Sergachev, Connor Hellebuyck*, Tristan Jarry*
*Start not confirmed at press time.


Misconducts: 60.8
Lumberjacks: 49.2­
Leading by 10.6 points, GM Smalley figured his team just had to be “good enough” over the final two days to claim a spot in the H2H title match. Conversely, to advance, the Lumberjacks would have to be great. When the ice spray settled on Day 6, the Lumberjacks (5.0 points) were not great and the Misconducts - as drawn-up by GM Smalley on the locker room chalkboard - were good enough, the Domi division champion and their 6.0 point Saturday now leading the now-or-never Jacks by 11.6.
LAST DAY LINEUP (Misconducts: 7 players; Lumberjacks: 5 players)
Misconducts: Bryan Rust, Kirill Kaprizov, Rickard Rakell, Tage Thompson, Jake DeBrusk, Rasmus Dahlin, Andrei Vasilevskiy*
Lumberjacks: Alex Tuch, Filip Forsberg, Victor Hedman, Jared Spurgeon, Antti Raanta*
*Start not confirmed at press time.



The Boulder Flyers were the best team on Saturday as unheralded youngster Robert Thomas (1g, 2a) guided the three-time champion to a clutch 22.9 point performance; the flying-again Flyers now leading the 2nd place Wild Ducks by 13.9 points.

The Battle for the FHL Cup
Seemingly on the verge of seizing control of the overall standings - trailing by just 6.7 points on Thursday - the Bluliners and their 11.9 point effort now find themselves 24.7 points behind what would be their 5th FHL Cup championship. With only 9.7 points on Saturday, Baba Booey skated in the wrong direction, the champion-hopeful Booeys now 41.1 strides from the peak of Mt. FHL.

The Bout for the Money
The Central Red Army used a 9.0 point performance from defenseman Noah Hanifin (4a) to move closer to a season-ending payday, the Army now stationed just 72.0 points from $120.00. In need of a lot of “goods” to become a money-contender, the Ice Hogs were good again on Saturday as slingshot defender Justin Faulk (2g, 1a) unleashed 12.0 points, the Hogs - though still a hike from a Top-3 finish - now in control of the Week 24 Best Week bonus.

The Scrap for the Laughing Bag
All the toes on Rocky Rocks feet were wiggling on Saturday as a strong 14.0 point showing moved the unplugged franchise to within 46.9 points of the 11th place SC Cobras.




BONUS LEADERBOARD
1. Ice Hogs, 69.3
2. Central Red Army, 65.0
3. Boulder Flyers, 62.6
4. Wild Ducks, 61.2
5. Misconducts, 60.8

LINK: Standings