The El Dorado Lynx, led by Alex Ovechkin and his 24 goals in the schedule’s third quarter alone, have vaulted past the Vancouver Night Train to take the first overall spot in the league as the GWMHL enters its final 18 games. The Lynx went 9-1-2 at home and 8-3-1 on the road, and scored a league-best 112 goals. Ovechkin leads all goal-scorers with 56.

El Dorado sits atop the Plante Conference, well ahead of Baltimore and Pittsburgh. The third quarter did see Winnipeg turn in a solid 13-7-4 record, enough to move them just past Salem. With only two points separating them, the fight is on for that fourth and final playoff berth.

Vancouver, meanwhile, went 15-5-4 against some tough competition in the quarter, but the real news in the Sawchuk Conference is West Virginia. After a sparkling start to their season, and a middling second quarter, the Rats are fading, going 9-13-2 in Q3. Thanks to strong efforts from both Boston and Delta, West Virginia has now dropped from second place at midseason to fourth, and are just 4 points ahead of fifth-place Ice Harbor, putting their championship hopes in serious peril.

Despite that, it’s the Rats’ star forward Leon Draisaitl turning in the best individual performance of the season so far, and he’s already passed the 100-point threshold with a whole quarter left to play. Farmington’s John Carlson leads all blueliners with 67 points, while Charleston’s Dominik Kubalik has a healthy lead in the rookie scoring race with 62 points and 34 goals. El Dorado’s Tuukka Rask boasts an all-star-worthy .933 save percentage, albeit in just 30 starts. Boston’s Ben Bishop leads all goaltenders in wins (28) and shutouts (4).