Just in time for the holidays, the GWMHL finished its second quarter yesterday. The halfway point means the mid-season free agent draft is coming, as well as the trade deadline, but most of all it’s a chance to see some bonafide playoff races begin to form.
In the Plante, El Dorado (26-10-4) solidified its hold on first place, 9 points ahead of second-place Baltimore (23-16-1). But a race for the third and fourth spots is already taking shape, as Pittsburgh (19-15-6) and Salem (20-19-1) are barely ahead of Charleston (18-19-3). Winnipeg and South Side are both within striking distance, too.
The Sawchuk race saw West Virginia (27-11-2) come down to earth a bit in the second quarter, making way for a surprising Vancouver club (26-9-5) to narrowly take the top spot. The reigning champs in Boston (25-13-2) are right in the mix, as is Delta (21-12-7). It’ll be an uphill climb for any of the other teams to make a push for a spot, as fifth-place Ice Harbor (20-19-1) trails by 8 points.
Along with his teammates, West Virginia’s Leon Draisaitl cooled off a bit but still holds a healthy lead in the points race with 64. Delta’s Nathan MacKinnon put up 28 points in the second quarter to take second place with 59. Alex Ovechkin of El Dorado leads all goal-scorers with 32. Farmington’s John Carlson has a whopping 45 points, first among defensemen, although Vancouver has four blueliners in the top 10 as they’ve driven the team’s success so far. And finally, Charleston freshman Dominik Kubalik leapfrogged past Baltimore’s injured Cale Makar to take the rookie scoring lead.
Gump Worsley Memorial Hockey League 