NAHL Weekend Preview

November 27, 2015

Despite the Thanksgiving holiday, it has been a busy week in the NAHL. Five games were played on Wednesday night and there will be plenty of action this weekend.

 

Three of the four division leaders are in action this weekend with more valuable points on the line. 

 

Watch all the action live on FASTHockey

 

 

In the Central Division, it will be a big series in Austin as the 2nd place Bruins host the 1st place Minotauros with just two points separating the two teams. Brookings will be in action twice on road, while Aberdeen will host two home games. Bismarck will have just one road game.

 

In the East, Aston is at Johnstown, while 1st and last place meet as New Jersey and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton battle in a home-and-home series.

 

In the Midwest, Janesville looks to stay hot as they host the Minnesota Wilderness.

 

In the South, division-leading Wichita Falls is at Odessa, while Amarillo is at Lone Star.

 

Outside the Divisions, the Minnesota Magicians have a three-game weekend thanks to a series with Coulee Region on Friday and Sunday, with a Saturday division game sandwiched in the middle. In the other series, Springfield faces Topeka for the 7th and 8th time in the last month and a half.

 

Minot @ Austin – It is a battle for 1st place in the Central as Minot visits Austin. Each team has two wins in the series, which have come on one another’s ice, which bodes well for Minot in this series. Minot beat the Bruins during the last series in Austin back on October 16-17.

 

Brookings @ Aberdeen (Fri) – The Blizzards are 3-0 against the Wings this season, but all of those wins have come in Brookings and two were in overtime, including one last weekend. The Wings have just one win in their last 12 games.

 

Brookings @ MN Magicians (Sat) – It is a busy weekend for the Magicians, who have to face Brookings in the middle of a Friday/Sunday series with Coulee Region. The teams are very familiar with one another to date, having played six times with each club winning three.

 

Bismarck @ Aberdeen (Sat) – Bismarck and Aberdeen have played just twice this season and both those games saw the Bobcats winning in Aberdeen. The Bobcats have one win in their last four games and goalie Hunter Shepard has started nine of the last 10 games.

 

Aston @ Johnstown – At 25 games played, the Tomahawks have played as many games as anyone in the league currently. The Rebels come in playing some good hockey, winners of seven of their last nine games. Aston has owned the season series to date, winning all three games, but all three have some in Aston.

 

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton @ New Jersey (home and home) – New Jersey remains in 1st place because of their consistency. The Titans have lost back-to-back games just once this season. New Jersey has a 5-2 record against the Knights this season. The Knights have also been playing some good hockey, posting a 3-1-2 record in their last six games.

 

MN Wilderness @ Janesville – The Jets come into their series with the Wilderness on a roll as they have won their last four games, all of which came in Alaska the past two weeks. However, the face a Wilderness team that swept them on home ice just three weeks ago. The Wilderness come into the series having won three in a row, including a win on Wednesday.

 

Wichita Falls @ Odessa – The Wildcats currently sport the largest lead of any division leader at eight points. The Wildcats have won their last four games and six of their last seven. They have also been dominant against the Jackalopes, winning all five contests against them this season. Odessa has won three of their last five games.

 

Amarillo @ Lone Star – The Brahmas 4-0 loss earlier in the week was just their second regulation loss of the season. Despite that, Lone Star has won seven of their last nine games. They have also been dominant against the Bulls, winning all seven games so far this season. The Bulls have lost five in a row and seven of their last eight games.

 

MN Magicians @ Coulee Region (Fri/Sun) – After winning three in a row, the Chill has dropped their last two games, including a loss on Wednesday. The two teams have faced one another just once this season with the Chill coming away with a 4-3 overtime win on October 30th. The Magicians are 2-1-1 in their last four games.

 

Springfield @ Topeka – For the fourth season and 7th and 8th times in the last month and a half, the Jr. Blues and RoadRunners will do battle once again. Topeka swept the Jr. Blues in Springfield last weekend, which marked the first time in the series either team posted a sweep. The RoadRunners are two games above .500 for the second time this season and have won their last three games. The sweep last weekend marked the first time Springfield has been swept all season.