As all leagues begin playoffs, we do one last regular season Tier 3 Power Rankings.
Before we start, we would like to make one comment about the Tier 3 environment. We speak with a lot of Tier 3 coaches here at TSA as we have clients spread across all leagues. One common item that has been said across the board has been that this year's college placement process has been extremely difficult. This is simply because most NCAA D3 schools are holding out for NAHL, BCHL and other Tier 2 league players to tell them no before moving onto Tier 3 (which makes perfect sense).
The problem with that is most Tier 2 players seasons do not end until April/May whereas Tier 3 is mostly done by March/April. Point being, these League commissioners need to really consider starting the Tier 3 season later so it finishes later and in line with the Tier 2 seasons. We do not need to have these many players just waiting and hoping.
Final League Rankings
1 - EHL
2 - NA3HL
3 - USPHL Premier
4 - USPHL ELite
5 - EHLP
Toughest Divisions
1 - East Division EHL
2 - South Division EHL
3 - West Division NA3HL
4 - North Division EHL
5 - Southeast Division USPHL Premier
Power Rankings
Railers EHL 36-8-2
Previous 1
The Railers are a good consistent hockey team, winning the regular season title in the EHL is proof of that. They have been consistently the top team in the league and a solid showing at the showcase was the cherry on top of a great regular season. Rival New Hampshire Avalanche have given them fits however, as they are 0-2 in their last two vs the Avalanche. Elmira commit 03' Defensemen Corbin Melie (38 pts) and Wentworth commit Tristan Boyer 03' Defensemen (40 pts) both finished top 6 in scoring for defensemen.
Helena NA3HL 44-2-1
Previous 3
The top team in the NA3HL standings, playing in a decently tough frontier division has kept Helena in the top 3 and moved them up a spot. They have had only one hiccup in the last month and that was too a good Gillette team. Helena will host Great Falls in the 1st round of the playoffs. During the regular season Helena went a perfect 6-0 vs Great Falls making them the heavy favorite. The Cunningham boys have been fun to watch this season as (Dylan 03' 60pts) (Braden 06' 60pts) (Camden 06' 57pts). NAHL scouts should tune in to watch the 06's and schools should be watching the 03.
New Hampshire Avalanche EHL 34-9-3
Previous 4
An impressive 11 NCAA D3 commits is tops in the EHL and from our records in the Tier 3 landscape as a whole. The Avalanche once again finish a regular season in our top 5 for the 3rd year in a row. A recent 2-1 record at the showcase included impressive wins over the Express and Railers, the Avalanche are looking sharp heading into the playoffs. The Avalanche forward group features 5 players in the top 15 in scoring, they will be a hard out this post season.
Express Hockey Club EHL 34-10-1-1
Previous 5
No nights off in the East Division this year and it was the Express that finished uptop the hardest division in tier 3 hockey. The Express have been trending up since December and finally beat out the Boston Jr Rangers for the East Division crown. The Rangers and Express have beaten each other up all year, but for the Express they recieve the first round bye which may end up being a massive advantage. The Jr Rangers will be taking on a very good EC Wizards team in the opening round that are very capable of handing an upset to a top seed.
Potomac Patriots USPHL Premier 36-3-3-0-1
Previous 6
The USPHL is a league where there is a large gap between the top and bottom organizations. But the Patriots play in a division where the Charlotte Rush, Hampton Roads and Carolina Jr Canes are tough outs on any given night. The Patriots have been dominating the regular season in the Southeast Division and have been impressive in cross division showcases. This team is loaded with talent and is waiting to exploded in the USPHL Playoffs.
Granite City Lumberjacks NA3HL 36-9-0-2
Previous 10
We can say Granite City had a wakeup call back on January 26/27 after they were swept by West Bend. Since that weekend Granite City has only seen one loss and that was a 3-2 loss to Alexandria. In that 6 week span the Lumberjacks went 3-0 vs Rochester and 2-1 vs Alexandria. Since the NA3HL showcase back in December where they went 3-0 this team has been rounding into shape quietly. If you watch this team, you can see a lot of Tier 2 talent. Do not be shocked if you see this team go on a great playoff run.
Boston Jr Rangers EHL 32-13-0-1
Previous 2
A loss on Feb 20 to the Railers 8-2, really sticks out even if the goaltenders just had an off night. A 5 spot drop maybe a little harsh and we will probably regret it like we normally do when we doubt the Jr Rangers Club. This team was impressive at the showcase going 2-1 but they have been asleep at the wheel once too many times this season. EC Wizards better have the Jr Rangers attention in the first round of the playoffs.
Metro Jets USPHL Premier 38-2-2-0-1-1
Previous NR
The class of the Great Lakes Division, Metro has rolled through this season. The argument will be made that the Metro Jets do not play a tough schedule. However, looking at their 14-1 record in their showcases where they are often matched against other divisions' top teams tells a different story. Wins over Utica, Cyclones, Rush, Vernal prove our point that this is a good team. They were recently humbled with a 4-3 loss to Toledo after humiliating Columbus 37-1 (yes 37-1).
New Mexico Ice Wolves NA3HL 38-7-2-0
Previous NR
There have been few teams that have been playing to the caliber the Ice Wolves have been late in the year. The South, much like the NAHL south, is a tight division so coming out on top and creating separation in standings says something about this team. They are a deep team that can beat you multiple ways which will make them extremely difficult to match up against in a playoff series. 04' Forward Carson Gotelaere has proven to be a reliable goal scorer and has really turned it on of late scoring 11 of his 24 goals since late January.
New York Applecore EHL 34-11-1-0
Previous NR
13 wins in a row in the EHL is impressive, that is what coach Lenny Caglianone's team accomplished. The streak ended on Feb 21 but it did propel them to a second-place finish in the Central Division. However, a 2 and 2 finish is slightly concerning heading into playoffs.
Dropped out:
Gillette Wild
East Coast Wizards
Charlotte Rush
Others in contention:
Connecticut Jr Rangers
Charlotte Rush
Gillette
East Coast Wizards
NJ Bears
NJ 87's
NE Generals
Rochester Grizzlies
El Paso Rhinos
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