12/16 Yellow Breeches Recap (Semi-Pro)

While the Northeast division wrapped up their season last weekend, the four teams meeting on Saturday in Harrisburg still had eight games yet to play on the season.  They would each get four of those games in the books at Yellow Breeches by the end of the day.  As the teams entered the event, all teams were looking to improve their playoff positions before the final festival of the season.

The team with the most to gain on the day was the defending champion Marple Gladiators.  After each team ahead of them lost games last weekend, a run of the table Saturday could vault them into first place.  Extremely short handed, the Gladiators still managed to take care of business, sweeping a pair of games from the 309 Sting Rays (7-0 / 9-0), defeating the Iron Knights 5-2, and winning against the hometown Hershey Typhoon 3-1.  The Gladiators now sit two points ahead of the Deuces and five up on Propel MG.

The Pottstown Iron Knights went 3-1 on the afternoon and vaulted themselves into a tie for fourth place with the Fusion Blizzard.  The Knights swept a pair of games against the Typhoon (6-2 / 8-1), lost to the Gladiators 5-2, and defeated the Sting Rays 4-1.  The Knights positioned themselves nicely with a nine point edge over the 6th place Typhoon.  Now holding the tie breaker against Hershey, any combination of a Knights win or one Hershey loss in the final weekend, will guarantee Pottstown a 5th or higher seed.

Short handed themselves, the Typhoon were only able to manage one victory on Saturday.  Missing their annual MVP candidate Matt Engle, the Typhoon dropped a pair to the Iron Knights (6-2 / 8-1), lost a tight game to the Glads 3-1, and earned their lone victory against the Sting Rays in a 9-0 blow out.  The Typhoon seem all but locked into a 6th seed.

The struggled for the Sting Rays continued on Saturday, as they managed just one goal all day and getting shutout in three of their four match ups.  They remain at the bottom of the Atlantic division, but can manage to climb to 7th with a good final event.

The Atlantic Division will conclude its season on January 6th, as all 8 teams head to Yellow Breeches.