NAHL Weekend Preview

April 2, 2021

It is a busy Easter weekend in the NAHL as 20 games are on the schedule for Friday and Saturday.

Just six weeks remain in the 2020-21 regular season and playoff spots are starting to be clinched, so points are at a premium in the final stretch of the regular season.

The 2021 Robertson Cup Playoffs begin the third week in May and the top four teams in each division will qualify for the post-season. The four divisional playoff winners will meet for the 2021 Robertson Cup Championship, which is scheduled to be held at Fogerty Arena in Blaine, MN, from June 18-22.

Two more players announced their NCAA commitments this past week. That brings bringing the current season total to 280 players (including a new record of 261 Division I commitments) who are playing in the league and are committed to playing NCAA hockey in 2020-21.

In the Central Division this weekend, the Aberdeen Wings, who clinched a playoff spot last weekend, are on another winning streak as they host the Minnesota Wilderness, who are holding onto the fourth and final playoff spot. The Austin Bruins, who are currently in 5^th place, need some points to try and get into playoff position and will try and do that this weekend in Bismarck against the 2^nd place Bobcats, who have won two straight. The final series features the St. Cloud Norsemen trying to snap their three-game slide as they host the 3^rd place Minot Minotauros.

In the East Division, it is a full schedule of games. The headliner is a match-up of 1^st and 2^nd place teams as the division-leading Johnstown Tomahawks travel to Maine to face the 2^nd place Nordiques for pair of games. 3^rd and 4^th place also clash this weekend as the New Jersey Titans looking to snap a four-game slide as they travel to Maryland to face the Black Bears. Finally, two teams tied in points in the standings, the Danbury Jr. Hat Tricks and Northeast Generals, clash in Massachusetts with both teams three points out of the fourth and final playoff spot.

In the Midwest, things got started early with a pair of games on Thursday as Fairbanks beat the Magicians, 6-2, and Chippewa beat Kenai River, 3-2. The two series continue on Friday and Saturday. They will be the final series for both Fairbanks and Kenai River in Minnesota before they head back to Alaska for the remainder of the regular season. Janesville is idle.

Finally in the South, the 1^st place Shreveport Mudbugs, who are 5-0-1 in their last six games, will face tough task as they are in Amarillo for a pair of games against the 3^rd place Amarillo Bulls, who are 3-0-1 in their last four games. In the other series, the Wichita Falls Warriors travel to Odessa to face the Jackalopes with both clubs looking to snap small two-game slides.

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FRI, APRIL 2

New Jersey at Maryland - 6:30 PM EDT

Johnstown at Maine - 7:00 PM EDT

Danbury at Northeast - 7:30 PM EDT

Chippewa at Kenai River - 7:00 PM CDT

Minot at St. Cloud - 7:00 PM CDT

Shreveport at Amarillo - 7:05 PM CDT

MN Wilderness at Aberdeen - 7:15 PM CDT

Austin at Bismarck - 7:15 PM CDT