NAHL Weekend Preview

October 27, 2017

Several out-of-division games highlight the 20-game schedule this weekend in the NAHL as teams finish their second month of the 2017-18 season in October.

With the season about 20% over, eyes are on the NAHL standings as teams begin to jockey for position, looking for one of the top four spots.

October has seen quite a few NAHL players and NAHL alumni make NCAA commitments. The current 2017-18 season total stands at 75 players.

The tender signing season for the 2018-19 season is also on the horizon. On November 1st, NAHL teams will be able to begin signing tenders. A tender is a contract, of sorts, a player signs announcing his intentions to play for that particular NAHL team and that NAHL team only. Once a player signs a tender with an NAHL team, his playing rights belong to that team within the NAHL and he may not be recruited by any other NAHL team. Each team is granted ten (10) tenders - plus or minus any trades - which become active on November 1st each season. Tendered players are not eligible for the NAHL draft.

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In the Central Division this weekend, the hottest team in the NAHL, the Bismarck Bobcats put their six-game winning streak on the line with a home-and-home series vs. in-state rival, Minot Minotauros. The Austin Bruins, who saw their four-game winning streak snapped on Wednesday by Brookings, have a chance for revenge this weekend as they visit the Blizzard twice on Friday and Saturday. The last series features the Minnesota Wilderness traveling to Aberdeen to face the Wings in a two-game series, which is a rematch of last year’s Central Division Finals.

In the East Division, the red-hot New Jersey Titans, winners of their last four straight, are on the road to face the Northeast Generals, who are in 1st place, but have dropped three in a row. The other East Division series of the weekend doesn’t take place until Sunday as Johnstown will travel to Philadelphia to take on the Rebels on Sunday and Monday. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton is idle this weekend.

In the Midwest Division, the 1st place Janesville Jets are in Coulee Region for a lone game against the Chill on Saturday. Meanwhile, the resurgent Kenai River Brown Bears look for another win against the Minnesota Magicians on Friday and Saturday after taking home a 4-2 win on Thursday night. Outside of divisional play, the Fairbanks Ice Dogs prepare to host the 1st place team from the South Division, the Shreveport Mudbugs. The Springfield Jr. Blues will also play host to an out-of-division foe as the Topeka RoadRunners come to town.

In the South Division, with Shreveport in Fairbanks and Topeka in Springfield, there are two divisional series, which will take place. Red-hot teams collide in North Richland Hills as the Lone Star Brahmas, who are unbeaten in regulation in their last five games, host the Odessa Jackalopes, who are winners of their last three. The other series features the Corpus Christi IceRays at the Amarillo Bulls.

Friday, October 27th

Corpus Christi at Amarillo - 7:05 PM CDT

Austin at Brookings - 7:05 PM CDT

Topeka at Springfield - 7:05 PM CDT

MN Wilderness at Aberdeen - 7:15 PM CDT

Odessa at Lone Star - 7:30 PM CDT

New Jersey at Northeast - 8:30 PM EDT

Bismarck at Minot - 7:35 PM CDT

Shreveport at Fairbanks - 7:30 PM AKDT

MN Magicians at Kenai River - 7:30 PM AKDT

Saturday, October 28th

New Jersey at Northeast - 5:30 PM EDT