Feature Story
One postseason berth still up for grabs
By Brian McDonough
With two weeks remaining in the regular
season, all but two postseason fates have been decided.
That’s in the North Division, where the
Alpena IceDiggers and Marquette Rangers are vying for
the NAHL’s final Robertson Cup Playoff bid.
With a three-point lead and two games in
hand over
“We’re breaking it down to playing our
game one shift at a time and staying focused on doing things right,” said IceDiggers head coach Jack Fritsche,
whose team helped its cause last weekend with a two-game sweep over the Motor
City Machine.
Alpena is staring at a daunting schedule
to close the season, with three games against the U.S. National Team, two with
division-leading
“We have some big games ahead,” Fritsche added. “We just need to stay motivated, stay
healthy, give 110 percent and let the chips fall where they may.”
With the deck stacked against the
Rangers, who finish with four home games - two against
“We understand that in order to get in,
we need to win out and get some help, but, with that said, we haven’t stopped
playing,” said Rangers head coach Kenny Miller.
“The guys have been competing in practice
and every person in that dressing room thinks we still have a shot at getting
in, even though we’re not sure where we want to be in the standings. Our guys
haven’t quit; they’re very optimistic.”
Also still up for grabs is the NAHL’s regular-season championship, in which South Division
powerhouses
With 85 points, the RoadRunners
hold a one-point edge over the two-time defending Robertson Cup champion
Bandits with four games to play, including two the final weekend of the season
in
“The regular-season championship is
something we’ve been working towards since training camp, and we’re on track,”
said RoadRunners head coach Scott Langer. “
A league championship brings with it home
ice throughout the playoffs. With
“Obviously, the home ice is important for
any team, and with the support we get at home, it may be even more so here,”
Langer added.
The Bandits, who won last year’s
regular-season championship, host
“There’s a good chance that it’ll go down
to the last weekend between us and
A division winner has yet to be
determined in the Central, either, where the Bismarck Bobcats hold a commanding
six-point lead over the second-place North Iowa Outlaws.
The Bobcats have six games remaining
matched against the Outlaws’ four, and both teams have locked down home-ice
advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
The only postseason race signed and
sealed is in the West, where the Fairbanks Ice Dogs wrapped up the division’s
regular-season title last weekend with two wins over the Alaska Avalanche.
“It’s a big boost of confidence to know
we’ll be playing at home, because we’ve had a lot of success there this year,”
said Ice Dogs head coach Josh Hauge, whose team is
It doesn’t hurt that the community
support in
“It’s an unbelievable arena and our fans
are so loyal and dedicated that they deserve the opportunity to watch us,” Hauge added.
“As much as winning the regular season is
nice, our ultimate goal is to advance to the Robertson Cup Championship
Tournament (April 28-May 3 in
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