Photo Courtesy of the Madison CapitolsWhile several teams are assured of making the Clark Cup Playoffs, others are still knocking on the door to get in. Plus, who’s on the brink of capturing the Anderson Cup?
Here are some things to watch for this weekend.
Who’s Next?
The Waterloo Black Hawks, Madison Capitols, Muskegon Lumberjacks and Youngstown Phantoms all punched their tickets to the Clark Cup Playoffs last week. There are still incentives to play for, however.
The Capitols, Lumberjacks and Phantoms are in quite a battle for second place in the Eastern Conference. Each team is within a point of each other in the conference standings, with a first-round bye in the post-season up for grabs.
Several other teams are hoping to celebrate their entry into the playoffs soon.
The Sioux City Musketeers come into the weekend needing just two points to clinch a playoff berth. They will travel to Fargo to meet the Force on Saturday.
Speaking of Fargo, they have a magic number of five to secure a spot. The Force will play three games over a seven-day stretch.
Tri-City has a magic number of seven heading into this week.
The Race For The Anderson Cup
Clinching a playoff spot is nice, but capturing the Anderson Cup is even better.
This cup is awarded to the team that accumulates the most points during the regular season. While it certainly doesn’t guarantee a Clark Cup Championship, it does come with its own set of bragging rights.
The Lincoln Stars have won three Anderson Cup titles and are vying for a fourth. They could clinch at least a share of the cup as soon as Sunday.
The Stars and Sioux Falls Stampede will tangle in the Capital City Friday and Saturday for the final two matchups of the top two teams in the Western Conference during the regular season.
Lincoln (40-13-2-0, 82 points), extended its point streak to five games but saw its four-game winning streak come to an end on St. Patrick’s Day 3-2 against Fargo in overtime.
The Stars maintain a five-point margin over the Dubuque Fighting Saints (37-15-1-2, 77 points) for the lead in the overall league standings.
Lancers To Hold Down Syndrome Awareness Night
The Omaha Lancers have a special night planned Friday. The club will host Down Syndrome Awareness Night during their game against the Des Moines Buccaneers.
The Lancers (7-41-5-1) will wear specialty jerseys for the night, which will be up for grabs during a silent auction behind Section 109 at Liberty First Credit Union Arena.
Following a 4-3 overtime win over the Tri-City Storm March 8, Omaha has dropped five in a row, and hope to get back in the win column starting Friday against the Buccaneers (21-30-4).
Puck drop is set for 7:05 Pm.