Second Half Begins With Many Teams Looking Up

 

Ball State

 

The Cardinals are currently 1-9-0 in league play and are in danger of missing the MCRHL Championships if they don?t pick up some good wins in the second half.  This weekend may present the chance to move up in the standings with games against Purdue and Illinois, two other teams fighting for the final playoff spot, along with Miami, a team that failed to make the postseason last year.  Should the Cards fall short in those games this weekend, they will have little chance of pulling out the eighth seed.

 

Illinois

 

The Fighting Illini are in almost the exact predicament as BSU, and will have a similar second half schedule against other teams fighting towards the bottom of the pile.  The Illini have had some great performances throughout the year, but their tough schedule has kept them to just one win.  This weekend, their opponent?s have a combined record of 6-37-8, and Illinois needs to capitalize on the opportunity.

 

Michigan

 

The Wolverines sit in a surprising sixth place right now and are seventh in the MCRHL computer rankings.  With a 5-6 league record, you would probably call this a down year for the club.  But during the Winter Invitational, this team found a spark and rolled to an undefeated round-robin record and a top four seed in the tournament.  Problem is their schedule is very tough in the second half, and this weekend will be their lightest record wise.  Games against Purdue and Miami will be crucial along with two against Ohio State, a team that nobody knows a lot about at this point.

 

Purdue

 

If Purdue is to avoid missing the MCRHL Championships for the second straight year, they need a big weekend.  After this weekend, the Boilers will have played 17 of their 18 league showdowns, and through 14 have not posted a win.  This is a greatly improved squad from last year though, and they?re on the cusp of making a move over some MCRHL foes.  The series against Illinois in West Chester will be big for both teams.

 

Ohio State

 

Ohio State is off to a fantastic 6-1-0 start in MCRHL play, but a lot of questions remain about this Buckeye team.  Last year?s Haschel Cup runner-ups have not had what most would call a difficult schedule to this point in the season, and did lose to Illinois State the opening game.  Eight games against all four Michigan teams loom large in the second half, starting with the season series against the Wolverines this weekend.  Ohio State could be a contender for a regular season crown, or they could be a middle of the pack team, we?ll find out soon enough.

 

Miami

 

The Redhawks have opened a lot of eyes in the Midwest after a great 5-5-2 start to the season, especially compared to their ninth place finish in 2003-2004.  Given that five teams from the MCRHL were taken in last year?s Collegiate Roller Hockey National Championships, the hawks may have their eye on a spot in that tournament to be held in Colorado.  There are still six games to be played in the regular season however, and Miami must finish strong to prove its worth.  Games against BSU, OSU, U of M, and U of I this weekend will put Miami 2 games from the end of the season and will frame their ability to finish in the top four or five.

 

Stay tuned to MCRHL.com for a Development Division preview of the coming games in West Chester.