Well the Philadelphia Spinners pulled it out. They got a huge home win over the Boston Whitecaps and now only need one more win to claim home-field for the playoffs. Joining both those teams and taking the final spot in the postseason are the Seattle Rainmakers who throttled the San Francisco Dogfish on the road, This sets up another rematch against the Portland Stags for the Western Conference Championship. In fact, both playoff matchups will be a rematch of last year's conference championships as the top half of the league continues to separate themselves from the others.
#1 Portland Stags: 7-1
Last Week: #2 Change: +1
A theme for the Stags this season has been to take care of business against the lower teams in the conference. They want there to be no question about how they should be the favorite to make the championship game from the west. Against the Vancouver Nighthawks, they destroyed the competition. Portland converted more breaks (13) than Vancouver had points (10). Seven of those breaks came in the final quarter of play. With a seven assist performance, Cody Bjorklund has solidified himself as the front runner for the Western Conference MVP award.
#2 Philadelphia Spinners: 7-1
Last Week: #3 Change: +1
The Spinners offense had an outright clinic against the Whitecaps this past weekend. All season long the Boston defensive line has been the difference maker in getting the team leads to make up for a weaker O-line. Philadelphia though gave them no chance to show up. An 86.4 percent offensive scoring efficiency, coupled with a 63.6 percent first hold scoring efficiency gave Boston no chance. Their offense almost never turned the disc over and only got broken three times in the match. It wasn't just Billy Sickles contributing either, seven other players had three points or more in the game. The win has given Philadelphia complete control of the east and clinched their best record in team history.
#3 Boston Whitecaps: 6-2
Last Week: #1 Change: -2
Winning on the road against a playoff team is always a tall task. Doing it while having 21 players listed on the injury report and over 10 missing the road trip made it even more difficult. Boston did give the Spinners a close game in the biggest regular season match we had all season, but almost made it two in a row by struggling against the New York Rumble. Had it not been for the Whitecap defense holding New York to only five points in the second half (the same amount of goals that Boston scored in 3:30 in the third quarter against the Spinners) Boston would be reeling . Essentially they are 1.5 games out of first place because Philadelphia holds the tiebreaker. Boston can still claim the #1 seed but have to win every game and hope Philadelphia losses every game. Oh and make sure to pick up Tannor Johnson (4 goals, 1 assist, 1 block) for your MLU Fantasy Playoffs.
#4 Seattle Rainmakers: 6-2
Last Week: #4 Change: +0
Extend the winning streak to six games, the fourth longest streak in MLU history. The Rainmakers winning again while missing Khalif El-Salaam, but also Daniel Trytiak, Clay Dewey-Valentine, and Gavin McKibben. In addition, it was against a team still fighting for their playoff lives in San Francisco. Both teams were hesitant on defense to start the match with only one break in the opening frame, but a 7-1 run in the second quarter gave Seattle control of the game. From there Seattle's offense settled in (83.3 percent offensive scoring efficiency) and slowly rode out the game. The Rainmakers have now claimed their third playoff berth in franchise history, tying Portland for the second most all-time.
#5 Washington D.C. Current: 2-5
Last Week: #5 Change: +0
The Washington D.C. Current can make things interesting in the east this weekend. A doubleheader weekend against the Spinners and Whitecaps can drastically change who is hosting the Eastern Conference Championship. Right now the Current are just looking to get back into the win column and get a victory against a team not named the Rumble.
#6 New York Rumble: 2-7
Last Week: #6 Change: +0
New York had a huge chance to get a monumental win for their franchise this past Sunday. The Rumble used a 9-1 scoring run from the first quarter to the second to take a commanding 10-5 lead over the Whitecaps at home. Had they won, Philadelphia would have clinched the east for the first time ever. However after that run, the Rumble went stagnant. They would only record two more breaks in the game and convert four holds in the 25 minutes of play that was remaining. This team showed what they could do and what they can be in the future but for some reason it all went away after that lead.
#7 Vancouver Nighthawks: 1-8
Last Week: #7 Change: +0
Things were not looking good heading into this matchup with Vancouver going against the best team in the conference and missing their two superstars, Sasha Lo and Erik Hunter. In fact there were only 19 players that ended up seeing playing time in this game. As a result, there were no breaks for the Nighthawks which gave them no chance against a smothering Stags defense. One thing I am continuing to see as the season go on however, is the confidence the team is having in their top guys. Graeme Barber stepped in and had a incredible game, giving them to have a another look in the backfield when Lo and Hunter come back. A bye though is up next as the Nighthawks only have one game remaining.
#8 San Francisco Dogfish: 1-6
Last Week: #8 Change: +0
It was a chance, albeit a very slim chance for the Dogfish to make the playoffs. Losing to the Rainmakers at home though ended all of their hopes at getting back into the playoffs. This was a season that was very optimistic at the beginning but had never came to fruition as the games have gone on. Still there is a chance to finish strong, maybe even get their first road victory since 2013 in the final weeks.
Final Thoughts
We know who is in the playoffs but we do not know who is hosting each conference championship. By the end of the weekend we may know. The Current go on their second doubleheader road trip of the season, first playing Boston and then coming back down to Philadelphia. If Boston were to lose or Philadelphia were to win that would clinch the Spinners homefield in the East final. On the west coast it will be the Dogfish who are also on their second doubleheader road trip of the year. Just like the Current, they will play the two playoff teams in the conference, Seattle and Portland. Same scenario in the west, if Seattle were to lose or Portland wins, the Stags host the championship. New York and Vancouver both have byes this week.