The High School Hockey league standings got thrown into disarray with the two games played on Wednesday:
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Shenendehowa
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2
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Bethlehem
|
4
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Tri-Falls
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2
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La Salle
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5
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Shen 2, Bethlehem 4: Bethlehem scores a big win over the Plainsmen. This game, coupled with Saratoga's loss to Niskayuna/Schenectady the night before, puts both teams into a tie which might not be resolved until the coaches meeting on Sunday.
Shen and Saratoga are tied at the top of the standings at 15 points. The first tie-breaker, is to look at head-to-head games. Both teams split the two games played, meaning each team earned one point a piece, making the first tie-breaker meaningless.
The second tie-breaker is to take a look at individual teams that both have played, starting at the top of the league standings, and whomever has scored more standing points against that team will be given the Delvecchio Cup and the league's #1 seed in the playoffs.
Tri-Falls 2, La Salle 5: Because of this result, that #3 team now is Bethlehem, who passed the Rivermen for that third spot. The Rivermen have played all 20 games, so therefore are done with the regular season and have to hope that they don't get passed by other teams if they want to play next Wednesday at the Glens Falls Rec Center.
More on the Rivermen in a moment. Let's go back to how these two results affects the battle for the top spot in the CDHSHL. Saratoga beat Bethlehem 5-0 back on January 7th, and Shenendehowa lost last night to the Eagles. That means if Bethlehem remains in third place after Saturday's games, Saratoga will get the nod over Shen because of that victory on January 7th.
There are two teams that can catch Bethlehem in the standings. Niskayuna/Schenectady, which has 8 standing points, has two games left, one being a two point league game and the other being a one point conference game. The Mohawks have the head-to-head advantage over Bethlehem, beating them twice.
The other is Burnt Hills/Ballston Spa. They have three games left, all worth one point, and one of those three are against Bethlehem.
If Niskayuna/Schenectady managed to replace Bethlehem as the #3 team, that would give the crown to Shenendehowa on basis of Saratoga's loss on Tuesday. If Burnt Hills/Ballston Spa took the #3 spot, that would move the discussion to the #4 spot, as both Shen and Saratoga beat Burnt Hills/Ballston Spa this season and earned both possible points.
It makes for some exciting hockey over the last few days, especially since so much are riding on the games that remain in the CDHSHL before sectionals.
Now, back to the Rivermen. That loss to La Salle coupled with Bethlehem's win over Shenendehowa removed any chance of the Rivermen claiming the #3 seed for the playoffs. Bethlehem has more points, and the Rivermen have three teams breathing heavily down their back. Having already played all 20 games they're allowed, Tri-Falls now has to sit back and hope all the pieces can come together that allows them to host next Wednesday as the #4 seed.
In short...
The Rivermen need:
- Burnt Hills/Ballston Spa to lose two of last three games. (at CBA; at Bethlehem; vs. CBA)
- Queensbury to beat Niskayuna/Schenectady on Friday
- Niskayuna/Schenectady to beat La Salle on Saturday
The Rivermen have head-to-head tiebreakers over Burnt Hills/Ballston Spa and Niskayuna/Schenectady, but does not have the advantage over La Salle.
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