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| Tanner Howe (#9) and Aiden Oiring battle for the puck. |
That is how crazy the WHL’s Eastern Conference standings are at the WHL’s Christmas break. With a 15-11-3 mark, the Prince Albert Raiders are in that exact position. At the moment, they sit tied with the Red Deer Rebels (15-14-1-2) for the eighth and ninth positions in the conference with 33 standings points.
If the WHL was to go into playoff action following the Christmas break, the Raiders and Rebels would play in a tiebreaking game. As both teams have 15 wins, Red Deer would host that contest as they beat the Raiders 3-2 on December 3 in the only meeting between the two clubs so far this season.
If the Raiders would have had six more standings points, they would have been tied for first place in the conference with the Medicine Hat Tigers (19-14-1) at 39 points. If the Raiders had seven more standings points, they would be sitting alone for top spot in the conference.
As for the Tigers, they would be sitting out of a playoff position if they had seven fewer standings points. That line alone sounds strange when you are talking about a first place club in hockey.
This column of mine appeared in the Prince Albert Daily Herald. To read the full article, feel free to click right here.
