Semi-Pro Round Robin Wraps Friday Night as Bracket Locks In for Saturday

by Anthony Flynn

Friday’s Semi-Pro round robin at the PIHA Finals is officially complete, and the final slate delivered both separation at the top and urgency at the bottom—setting up a clean, high-stakes Saturday bracket with byes, win-or-go-home quarterfinals, and a direct path to Sunday’s best-of-three championship.

Final Round Robin Results

New Jersey Assault 3, Arvada Fire 1

New Jersey finished strong, taking care of business against Arvada to close round robin play at 2–1 and secure the #2 seed in Group A—exactly the kind of positioning that keeps a team on the favorable side of the bracket.

Long Island Empire Snipers 4, Raleigh Mops 2

In the marquee matchup of the final round, the Empire Snipers stayed perfect. The Snipers knocked off Raleigh to finish 3–0, locking up the top seed in Group B and reinforcing their status as the team nobody wants to see in elimination play.

Marple Gladiators 6, Mile High Blizzard 2

Marple delivered its best performance of the round robin when it mattered most, pulling away from Mile High to earn a key win and enter bracket play with momentum—despite finishing 1–2 in the standings.

Final Semi-Pro Round Robin Standings

Group A

  1. Raleigh Mops (2–1)
  2. New Jersey Assault (2–1)
  3. Mile High Blizzard (1–2)

Group B

  1. Long Island Empire Snipers (3–0)
  2. Marple Gladiators (1–2)
  3. Arvada Fire (0–3)

Saturday Playoff Bracket: Who Plays, Who Waits, and What’s Next

Quarterfinals (Single Elimination)

  • 10:50am — New Jersey Assault vs Mile High Blizzard
  • (to follow) — Marple Gladiators vs Arvada Fire

It’s survive-and-advance from here: one mistake, one cold stretch, one hot goalie—season over.

Byes to the Semifinals

The two group winners earned the reward for strong round robin play:

  • Raleigh Mops (Group A #1)
  • Long Island Empire Snipers (Group B #1)

Semifinals (Single Elimination)

  • 3:40pm — Raleigh Mops vs Winner of Assault/Blizzard
  • 4:25pm — Empire Snipers vs Winner of Gladiators/Fire

Championship Series

The two semifinal winners will meet in a best-of-three final set for Sunday morning, with a Semi-Pro championship—and a PIHA Finals title—on the line.

Bracket Storylines to Watch

  • Snipers (3–0) enter as the only unbeaten team and the clear pace-setter.
  • Mops (2–1) have already shown they can score in bunches—and now get rest plus matchup leverage.
  • Assault vs Blizzard is the purest “who’s ready for pressure?” game on the slate.
  • Gladiators vs Fire is a classic contrast: Marple’s late surge versus Arvada searching for a reset after an 0–3 round robin.

Round robin is over. Now it’s elimination hockey—where the margin for error disappears and Sunday is earned, not scheduled.