TEAM MARYLAND HEADS INTO PLAYOFFS ON A 9 GAME WINNING STREAK
2010-01-27
Team Maryland U18 clinched a play-off birth after winning five straight league games in Ann Arbor, Michigan this past weekend. Team Maryland U18 clinched a play-off birth after winning five straight league games in Ann Arbor, Michigan this past weekend.
Team Maryland defeated the St. Louis Selects, 3-2, Friday night. On Saturday, Team Maryland faced a tough double header but it didn’t seem to affect its performance as the team defeated the Green Bay Jr. Gamblers, 5-2, and the Nevada Stars, 5-1. On Sunday, Team Maryland faced the second placed Lansing Capitals and easily defeated them 6-1. The team closed out the NAPHL regular season on Monday against the Carolina Jr. Hurricanes with a 2-0 victory.
This was a very successful weekend for Team Maryland as they finished in sixth place with 30 points in the league. Team Maryland finishes the regular season in the NAPHL with 9 consecutive wins as they head into playoffs.
Forward Casey Thrush finished the regular season in third place in points with 35, while Maxim Gaudreaut finished right behind him in fourth place with 29 points. Jake Lynes had a strong finish as he sits in 9th place with 23 points. Defenseman Josh Bretner finished the season ranked fourth overall among defensemen with 17 points and first overall in points per game.
Team Maryland is currently tied for first in the league with the Boston Jr. Rangers for NAHL player signings. Team Maryland has four players that have signed tenders in the NAHL for next season. Jake Lynes, (Topeka RoadRunners) Maxim Gaudreaut, (Motor City Machine) Mike Williams, (Springfield Jr. Blues) and Lennie Childs (Janesville Jets). Team Maryland expects more players to sign over the next couple months as other players have been offered tenders from various teams within the North American Hockey League.
The NAPHL play-offs will begin February 12th in San Jose, California. Team Maryland U18 will face-off against the St. Louis Selects, followed by the Lansing Capitals and the Milwaukee Jr. Admirals. The play-off format will be a round robin series, then will be reseeded and crossed-over against the other division, which consists of the Southern California Titans, The Boston Jr. Rangers, Omaha AAA, and the Pikes Peak Miners.
