ECHL ECHL

Division, playoff races heat up as season enters final weeks

Published on March 28, 2016 under ECHL (ECHL) News Release


Four of the ECHL's six divisions remain unsettled as the 2015-16 regular season enters the final two weeks of play.

In the East Division, Manchester has a nine-point lead over Adirondack, although the Thunder have two games in hand and two head-to-head meetings remain as the two teams will close the regular season with a home-and-home series on April 8 and 9. Reading is 10 points behind the Monarchs, and also has two games in hand.

South Carolina and Florida are separated by just one point in the South Division standings. The Stingrays, who have gone 18-2-4 in their last 24 games, sit on top of the division with 87 points, while the Everblades hold a game in hand. The two teams do not meet over the final two weeks of the season.

Fort Wayne leads Cincinnati by five points in the Midwest Division standings heading into a match-up at U.S. Bank Arena on Tuesday. Both teams have five games remaining entering the week.

In the West Division, Utah has closed to within one point of division-leading Idaho with the final head-to-head meeting of the season between the two teams set for Wednesday in Boise. Colorado, which won two games at Idaho over the weekend, sits five points behind the Steelheads and hosts Idaho for a pair of games on Friday and Saturday.

The race for the final playoff spots in both conferences is also heating up entering the final days of the regular season.

In the Western Conference, only Missouri has clinched a playoff berth, and there is just five points separating the teams in seventh through ninth place. Colorado's 74 points is good for seventh place in the standings and a two-point lead over Quad City. Tulsa sits just outside of the playoff picture with 69 points, and plays three each of its next three games against the Eagles and Mallards.

The top four teams in the Eastern Conference have already secured their spots in the 2016 Kelly Cup Playoffs. There is just five points separating fifth place from 10th, which will lead to plenty of scoreboard watching over the final two weeks. Entering the week, Adirondack and Wheeling are tied for fifth place with 76 points each, while Reading is in seventh place with 75 and Elmira holds down the final playoff spot in the conference with 74 points. Orlando and Kalamazoo sit just off the pace with 71 points, with both teams holding games in hand on the Jackals.

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A look ahead

Games to watch in the ECHL during the week ahead. Watch ECHL games live on ECHL.TV .

Eastern Conference

Kalamazoo at Greenville (Thursday, Friday and Saturday)

The K-Wings have won four straight and have gone 7-3-0 in their last 10 games to move to within three points of Elmira for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

Western Conference

Colorado at Tulsa (Tuesday and Wednesday)

The Eagles are in seventh place of the Western Conference standings with 74 points while the Oilers are in ninth place with 69 points, three points behind Quad City for the final playoff spot in the conference.

Divisions

East Division

- Patch Alber is tied for second among defensemen with 14 power-play assists.

- The Thunder are tied for fourth with four shorthanded goals against.

- Adirondack hosts Norfolk on Friday and Brampton on Saturday and Sunday.

- Guy LeBoeuf tallied his first professional goal in his 132nd career game on Friday against Brampton.

- Elmira is 21-3-2 when scoring first.

- The Jackals visit Reading on Tuesday and Brampton on Friday.

- Doug Carr posted his first shutout of the season on Saturday at Adirondack.

- The Monarchs are second in the league with 112 goals on the road.

- Manchester is at Toledo on Friday and Wheeling on Saturday.

- Braden Christoffer leads rookies with a 23.8 percent shooting percentage (10-for-42).

- Norfolk is 18-1-1 when leading after two periods.

- The Admirals are at Adirondack on Friday and Reading on Saturday and Sunday.

- Kevin Young has five multi-point games in his last 10 games.

- The Royals have posted 11 comeback wins this season.

- Reading hosts Elmira on Tuesday, travels to Wheeling on Friday and hosts Norfolk on Saturday and Sunday.

North Division

- Mike Vernace leads Brampton with 32 points (5g-27a).

- The Beast are tied for fifth with nine shorthanded goals.

- Brampton hosts Elmira on Friday and travels to Adirondack on Saturday and Sunday.

- Lane Scheidl has seven goals in his last seven games.

- Kalamazoo is 15-7-2 against North Division opponents.

- The K-Wings are at Greenville on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

- Josh Shalla has 21 points (11g-10a) in his last 22 games.

- The Walleye have had 17 sell outs this season.

- Toledo hosts Manchester on Friday, travels to Cincinnati on Saturday and hosts Wheeling on Sunday.

- Mathew Maione leads defensemen with 49 points (9g-40a).

- Wheeling went 8-2-3 during March.

- The Nailers host Reading on Friday and Manchester on Saturday before visiting Toledo on Sunday.

South Division

- Max Everson is second among rookie defensemen with 14 goals.

- Atlanta leads the league with eight overtime wins.

- The Gladiators are at South Carolina on Tuesday and Florida on Friday and Saturday.

- Matt Willows leads rookies with 58 points (22g-36a).

- The Everblades are third with 27.42 shots-against per game.

- Florida visits Orlando on Wednesday and hosts Atlanta on Friday and Saturday.

- Jack Combs is on a five-game point streak (6g-5a).

- Greenville has scored first in five of its last six games.

- The Swamp Rabbits host Kalamazoo on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

- Eric Baier is tied for fourth among defensemen with 28 assists.

- Orlando is 20-8-2 when scoring first.

- The Solar Bears host Florida on Wednesday and are at South Carolina on Friday and Saturday.

- Stephan Vigier has at least one shot on goal in 31 consecutive games, a stretch that dates back to Jan. 10 and has seen him score 15 goals.

- South Carolina is 7-0-3 in its last 10 games.

- The Stingrays host Atlanta on Tuesday and Orlando on Friday and Saturday.

Midwest Division

- Joe Wilson is third among rookies in plus-minus at +19.

- The Cyclones have outscored their opponents 77-55 in the third period.

- Cincinnati host Fort Wayne on Tuesday and Indy on Thursday, visits Evansville on Friday and hosts Toledo on Saturday.

- Chris Rumble is fifth among defensemen with 155 shots on goal.

- Evansville leads the league with 74 goals in the second period.

- The IceMen host Cincinnati on Friday and Tulsa on Saturday and are at Fort Wayne on Sunday.

- Taylor Crunk and David Friedmann both scored their first pro goals last week.

- The Komets are 25-0-0 when leading after two periods.

- Fort Wayne visits Cincinnati on Tuesday and hosts Indy on Saturday and Evansville on Sunday.

- Ben Marshall is tied for eighth among defensemen with 34 points (11g-23a).

- Indy is 24-11-3 against Midwest Division opponents.

- The Fuel visit Cincinnati on Thursday, Fort Wayne on Saturday and Quad City on Sunday.

- Brody Hoffman made a career-high 44 saves in Saturday's 3-1 win at Wichita.

- The Mallards have won five straight games on the road.

- Quad City is at Wichita on Tuesday and Missouri on Wednesday and hosts Tulsa on Friday and Indy on Sunday.

Central Division

- Chad Costello's 14-game assist streak is tied for the fifth-longest streak in ECHL history.

- Allen leads the league on the power play at 21.7 percent (55-for-254).

- The Americans visit Missouri on Friday and Saturday.

- Josh Robinson leads the league with a 1.84 goals-against average and a .930 save percentage.

- The Mavericks are the league's third-least penalized team with 11.65 penalty minutes per game.

- Missouri hosts Quad City on Wednesday and Allen on Friday and Saturday.

- Phil Brewer is third among rookies with 23 goals.

- Tulsa is tied for the league lead with three shorthanded goals against.

- The Oilers host Colorado on Tuesday and Wednesday and are at Quad City on Friday and Evansville on Saturday.

- Landon Oslanski leads defensemen with nine power-play goals.

- The Thunder are 10-1-2 when leading after two periods.

- Wichita hosts Quad City on Tuesday and visits Rapid City on Friday and Saturday.

West Division

- Stephen Perfetto and Patrick Wellar have played in all 67 games for the Aces.

- Alaska is second with 33.61 shots per game.

- The Aces are at Utah on Friday and Saturday.

- Adrian Veideman leads defensemen with 16 goals and is second with 42 points.

- The Eagles are fifth with 3.12 goals per game.

- Colorado is at Tulsa on Tuesday and Wednesday and hosts Idaho on Friday and Saturday.

- Rob Linsmayer scored his first career hat trick on Friday against Colorado.

- Idaho is sixth with 2.59 goals-against per game.

- The Steelheads host Utah on Wednesday and are at Colorado on Friday and Saturday.

- Danny Battochio is third with 1,167 saves.

- The Rush are 18-1-2 when leading after two periods.

- Rapid City hosts Wichita on Friday and Saturday.

- Ryan Faragher's 24 wins are the most by a Grizzlies' goaltender since 2011-12.

- Utah is 4-1-1 in its last six games.

- The Grizzlies visit Idaho on Wednesday and host Alaska on Friday and Saturday.

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ECHL Stories from March 28, 2016


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