The USPHL Premier picture in the West was as clear as mud when I started writing this article this early Monday morning. The Northwest didn’t appear clear according to what I could see on the USPHL website, and in the Mountain division, the Pueblo Bulls still had a period to play after a power outage forced an early end on Saturday night — and that period would determine if they finished 3rd or 4th in the division.
But its all done now! So with all regular season action now complete, it’s time to show you what the official matchups look like and make some predictions!
Northwest Division
Round 1: Best-of-3 Series
Week ending March 6, 2023
(1) Vernal Oilers host (4) Rogue Valley Royals
(2) Seattle Totems host (3) Rock Springs Prospectors
Prediction
(1) Vernal Oilers defeat (4) Rogue Valley Royals in 2 games
(2) Seattle Totems defeat (3) Rock Springs Prospectors in 2 games
Round 2: Best-of-3 Series
Week ending March 13, 2023
Higher remaining seed hosts lower remaining seed
Winner advances to the Nationals (Utica, N.Y., March 23-28, 2023)
Summary
-Rock Springs struggled this weekend and Seattle is a dangerous team that’s been playing well. This is Seattle’s series to win or lose.
-Rogue Valley had a good weekend despite the weather outside the arena making life for traveling teams difficult, but Vernal is a well-built team that has proven they’re a contender for a National Championship. Though Vernal couldn’t pull out a win in Pueblo this weekend, I believe this team needed some hockey adversity this season to mentally prepare them for the battle that will be the USPHL Premier playoffs.
Mountain Division
Round 1: Best-of-3 Series
Week ending March 6, 2023
(3) Pueblo Bulls host (6) Provo Predators
(4) Northern Colorado Eagles host (5) Idaho Falls Spud Kings
Prediction
(6) Provo Predators defeat (3) Pueblo Bulls in 3 games
(5) Idaho Falls Spud Kings defeat (4) Northern Colorado Eagles in 3 games
Round 2: Best-of-3 Series
Week ending March 13, 2023
(1) Utah Outliers host lowest remaining seed
(2) Ogden Mustangs host highest remaining seed
Winners advance to the Nationals (Utica, N.Y., March 23-28, 2023)
Round 3: Best-of-3 Series
Week ending March 19, 2023
Higher remaining seed hosts lower remaining seed.
Winner is Division Champion
Summary
-These are very likely the last games at the Greeley IceHaus for the Northern Colorado organization and the Eagles only have one netminder, Evan Stringer to help them advance in the playoffs. Stringer is an impressive young netiminder, but the entire workload in the blue paint is on him. This boggles the mind…considering the Eagles staff had adequate time to acquire additional goaltending prior to the 12 February 2023 playoff roster cutoff. With no backup, Stringer can’t afford to have a bad game or get injured because since the new year, the Spud Kings have really been one of those teams opponents just don’t want to face. Northern Colorado could take this series, but at the end of the day, this is Idaho Falls’ series to win or lose.
-The Pueblo Bulls have entered the chat. Pueblo ended their 12-game skid by having a great weekend… against one of the best teams in the nation. Provo is deep in their blue paint with Serdiuk, Stern and Palmer, as is Pueblo with Timmons, Björk and Sundhall. Pueblo will get at least a win in this series, but Provo will most likely be the team moving on … and this might just take OT to decide.
Pacific Division
Round 1: Best-of-3 Series
Week ending March 6, 2023
(1) Fresno Monsters host (4) San Diego Sabers
(2) Las Vegas T-Birds host (3) Ontario Jr. Reign
Prediction
(1) Fresno Monsters defeats (4) San Diego Sabers in 3 games
(3) Ontario Jr. Reign defeats (2) Las Vegas T-Birds in 3 games
Round 2: Best-of-3 Series
Week ending March 13, 2023
Higher remaining seed hosts lower remaining seed
Winner advances to the Nationals (Utica, N.Y., March 23-28, 2023)
Summary
-Fresno has had a week of rest and will not overlook the San Diego Sabers as both teams have added great depth and scoring, so this series will be a battle. Fresno should win this series, but if they think it’s in the bag, they could be watching Nationals from home.
-Ontario and Las Vegas are incredibly well-matched, both teams have excellent goaltending, sound blue liners and explosive offenses. But the Jr. Reign will have that extra team-bonding time on the road, and it could be this team-focused time that becomes the small “advantage” that helps them past the T-Birds. This is the ultimate show-up every period or go-home series.
Follow the Pigeonhole Hockey Podcast @PHHOfficial on Twitter or Instagram for junior hockey, collegiate hockey news and more! Listen to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or on a myriad of other podcast platforms!
Author: CD, Host, Pigeonhole Hockey Podcast
