Week 10: Final Scores

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Week 10 seemed to go by in flash. In fact, it was only five days long, so maybe I'm not imagining things. However, it only took a short week to topple some giants. Let's dive in.

Can't ignore the Edmonton and Winnipeg game this week. The Kodiaks have seen their ups and downs so far this season, but did they ever luck out against the Winterhawks — who had their worst week yet! The Kodiaks slid by with a win 34-27, handing the Winterhawks their second loss all year. Oddly, D-man Tyson Barrie was the offensive juggernaut for Edmonton this week. His goal and 4 assists were worth 16 points.

Winnipeg had single digit points from its skaters and a big goose egg from Eddie Lack for the fifth week in a row. Interestingly, this is the first time all season that the Winterhawks didn't have at least one player in double digit points. The shortened holiday schedule did not treat the Hawks well at all.

Now, onto the most jaw-dropping score of the week. The Lumberjacks absolutely eviscerated the the Huskies 85-9. That's a 76-point difference and it may well be a league record. Vancouver was powered by a whopping 44 points from T.J. Hensick, who tallied a goal, 2 assists and 34 penalty minutes! Gustav Nyquist chipped in with another 15 points to help things along. Meanwhile, Alaska struggled with points from only three players and no one with more than 4. By the way, the Pioneers still hold the league record of 92 points in a single week.

Calgary and Dallas met for the second and final time this season, and just like the last meeting, it was another close one. The Outlaws edged the Cavalry 61-59 — just two points. What's funny is that in Week 5, again the Outlaws only won by a couple of points. This isn't what you'd expect from two teams at opposite ends of the standings. But Keith Aucoin and Sean Couturier each topped 20 points for Dallas while Calgary had four players in double digits, including new goalie Ben Scrivens.

The Beasts extended their winning streak to three games with a 44-30 win over the Gators. Mike Sgarbossa and Bobby Sanguinetti teamed up for 21 points for Boulder. New Orleans suffered from minimal production despite a pair of new faces this week. Blue-liner Kevin Connauton led the team with 9 points on an assist and 6 PIMs.

The Pioneers second three-game winning streak was halted by the Narwhals by a close 37-33 score. The Narwhals improved to .500 with the help of goalie Carter Hutton's 12 points. Portland was led by Mike Kostka who had a goal, 3 assists and 2 penalty minutes for 15 points. Trevor Smith also figured in offensively with 9 points.

Elsewhere, the Aviators continue flying high after a 59-30 win over the Renegades, led by Kris Newbury's 19 points. The Wave jumped back into the top four after defeating the Sharpshooters 47-42.  And the Hellcats grabbed their third W of the year, finishing 42-33 over the Scorpions.

Now, back east.

The IceHL EAST is where the giant-toppling was really taking place. After six consecutive weeks at No. 1, the Barracudas dropped to third following a 45-37 loss to the Nighthawks. At 528, North Carolina has more points than any other IceHL team. And this week, it was the heroics of forward Keith Aucoin that put them over the top. Aucoin had a goal, 5 assists and 4 PIMs for an impressive 23 points.

Tampa Bay has struggled with three losses in its last four games. Still, Tyler Johnson and Jason Zucker combined for 21 points this week. But their efforts weren't enough to overcome the league's highest-scoring team. The Barracudas will need a little more stability if they're going to remain at the top.

Jumping into first place with a big win were the Archers, who trounced the Blue Crabs 71-54. T.J. Hensick was a monster for St. Louis, amassing 44 points, comprised mostly of penalty minutes. For Baltimore, Kris Newbury and Mike Kostka came together for 34 points on 3 goals and 5 assists.

The Guardians darted into second place in the EAST with a 52-31 victory over the Arsenal. Andy Miele and T.J. Brennan each racked up 15 points on the same configuration of stats — 2 goals, 1 assist and 4 penalty minutes. Curtis McElhinney also had a shutout win for another 10. Atlanta, meanwhile, was led by Tyson Barrie's 16 points but got little else in terms of production.

The rest of the games this week all had very close scores. The Colonials topped the Lagers 44-41 to get back to .500 and up a couple of places in the standings. Sean Couturier led Boston with 21 points on a goal and 5 assists while Brayden Schenn added another 10 points on a goal and 2 assists. Zach Boychuk and Bobby Sanguinetti combined for 23 points as Milwaukee continues to struggle.

The Mammoths, still in search of their second win of the season and now with new management, fell to the Mariners 44-39. Hartford was led by Radko Gudas, who had a pair of assists and 7 PIMs for 13 points. The rest of the team figured in with solid numbers. For Minnesota, however, a pair of new faces in Brendan Gallagher and Derek Meech came together for 18 points the team wouldn't have otherwise had. And goalie Robin Lehner bounced back with 12 points after three scoreless weeks.

Elsewhere, the Motorheads beat the Olympiques 38-31, thanks to 3 goals from Chris Bourque. The Sentinels trumped the Steelcats 31-26 with help from Mike Sgarbossa's 11-point week. And the Hitmen will spend another week in the top four after a 43-39 win over the Armada, who, despite the loss, got an amazing 20 points from new goalie Cristopher Nilstorp with 2 shutout wins. Three typically high-scoring players had donuts for Quebec.

So there you have it. Once we get through this holiday week, we'll be at the midpoint of our season. Think you know who's going to the playoffs? If the first 10 weeks have taught us anything, it's that predicting the IceHL is impossible!

Week 10: Preview

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Have a glance at this week's line-up.

And now the transactions executed for Week 10.

Take note that the next transaction deadline is Tuesday (Christmas Day) at 6pm ET. I'm offering a little extra time to get your requests submitted due to the holiday. But as always, try to get them to me sooner than later.

Good luck to all this week as we approach the season's halfway point!

Week 9: Final Scores

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Time to recap another exciting week of IceHL action. Let's start here.

Without question, the game to watch in the IceHL EAST in Week 9 was Milwaukee and North Carolina. Could a team riding five straight losses stand up to Jordan Eberle's incredible performance? In fact, the Lagers did beat the Nighthawks, if only by a point, 67-66. Credit goes to goalie Justin Peters who was a wall with 3 wins and a shutout for 22 points! Add to that Zach Boychuk's 5-assist effort for another 15 points as the Lagers held on for the win.

The Nighthawks also got production from all six guys so the disappointing loss wasn't for lack of trying. Eberle scored 5 goals, 3 assists and 4 penalty minutes for an amazing 33-point week!  Other than that, Keith Aucoin chipped in with 2 goals while Kyle Palmieri had 2 assists. As a group, the Nighthawks just didn't have quite enough to overtake Milwaukee and dropped from 3rd to 6th in the league standings.

The team that tallied the most points this week ended up facing the team that earned the fewest. The Archers walloped the Mammoths 73-24. St. Louis picked up an impressive 10 goals this week from all five skaters, including 3 each from T.J. Hensick and Justin Schultz. Minnesota, meanwhile, remains the only team in either league without multiple victories so far this season.

Swimming at top speed once again were the Barracudas, who topped the Motorheads 60-29. Dustin Tokarski led Tampa Bay from the crease with 2 wins and a shutout for 16 points. Trevor Smith and Matt Taormina each picked up another 10 points. Detroit saw minimal scoring from its side as Jon Matsumoto was the only one with a goal this week.

Taylor Hall powered the Olympiques to a 69-28 beating of the Sentinels. Hall notched 3 goals, 3 assists and 4 PIMs for 25 points. Cory Conacher, who's hot streak has cooled in recent weeks, chipped in mostly with time in the box this week. For Washington, half of the roster was left with goose eggs. Mike Sgarbossa, however, picked up a solid 15 points on a goal and 3 assists.

The Guardians pulled ahead of the Armada in the standings with a 57-44 victory. Four players were in double digits for New York, led by Martin St. Pierre's 3 goals and assist. Meantime, Nazem Kadri and Sena Acolatse combined for 27 points, including 12 penalty minutes from Acolatse.

Elsewhere, the Hitmen were led by the boys behind the blue line as they beat the Arsenal 43-28. Chicago's defense and goaltending came together for 34 of those points. Chad Johnson's 3 wins weren't enough to put the Colonials in the win column this week as they fell 40-32 to the Steelcats. And the Mariners defeated the Blue Crabs 55-47 with the help of 19 points from Jon DiSalvatore.

That's how it was in the East. Now the West...

The Wave were the high-scorers this week in the IceHL WEST as they shattered the Lumberjacks 70-34. Four players had a dozen points or more for California. Most impressive was a combined 29 points from the blue line, but James Sheppard led the way individually with 16 points on 3 goals and 4 PIMs.

Vancouver has now followed a three-game winning streak with a three-game losing streak. T.J. Hensick was sharp with 3 goals for 12 points but overall the team underwhelmed this week. On the other hand, the Lumberjacks are seeing good numbers from newcomer Zach Redmond who picked up a goal, an assist and 4 penalty minutes for 11 points after getting 9 points last week.

Week 9's biggest shocker saw the 1-7 team crush the 7-1 team. Records were of no issue as the last-place Gators knocked off the 2nd-place Outlaws 56-37. Jordan Eberle was the driving force behind New Orleans' upset as he tallied 5 goals and 3 assists for 33 points! Little else happened on the scoresheet in this one. Dallas' top-scorer was netminder Braden Holtby with 2 wins and a shutout for 16 points.

The Winterhawks now remain the only team with no more than one loss this season as they stunned the Sharpshooters 68-42. Winnipeg's forwards had a solid 44 points this week on 6 goals and 4 assists. But it was D-man Justin Schultz who grabbed 3 goals and 3 assists for 21 points. Sasktoon was no match as Jeff Taffe led the team with 12 points on 4 assists. The silver lining for the Sharpshooters, however, was that all six players produced points.

Back above .500 are the Beasts after a 42-32 victory over the Pacific Division-leading Aviators. Mike Sgarbossa led Boulder with 15 points on a goal and 3 assists. Mikael Grandlund, with a goal and an assist, is also helping out once again since returning from his injury. Seattle suffered from substandard efforts this week, including only one minor penalty each from the defense.

Calgary's newfound strategy for piling up penalty minutes failed them this week as the Cavalry lost 51-41 to the Pioneers. Portland is nipping at the heels of the divisional-rival Aviators. Cam Atkinson posted 2 of each stat category for 16 points as Mike Kostka pitched in 11 points on D. And after depending upon penalties for their first wins of the season — and 47 points last week from their goon pairing — Calgary saw just 18 points from Bobby Robins and Brett Gallant in Week 9.

Elsewhere, the Huskies held off the Steelcats 49-44 thanks to 2 wins and a shutout from Dustin Tokarski. The Kodiaks, with the help of a 25-point effort from Taylor Hall, defeated the Scorpions 57-50. And in this week's low-scoring match-up, the Renegades edged the Narwhals 27-22 as each team saw only three players earn points.

And that's the way it was in the IceHL in Week 9.

Week 8: Final Scores

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We're just over a third of the way through the IceHL season. Here's how things stand.

Last week, they earned their first victory after attempting a new strategy. This week, the Cavalry shattered their previous season high point total as they crushed the Scorpions 83-45. Once again, Calgary relied on Bobby Robins and Brett Gallant for a combined 47 points — all from the PIM column. Eric Tangradi tacked on another 11 penalty minutes along with a goal and 2 assists for 21 points.

Salt Lake City was above average this week as forwards Brayden Schenn and Nazem Kadri teamed up for 28 points on 3 goals and 4 assists. Curtis McElhinney continued his unbelievable hot streak with another pair of wins this week. On Sunday, Scorpions GM Kyle Grossman tweeted, "Hard to win when [Calgary] puts up 36 PIM through Saturday." He added hashtags #Buzzkill and #GoonHockey.

Two IceHL WEST powerhouses squared off in Week 8 but saw only below-average points. The Aviators (5-2) defeated the Wave (5-2) by a 33-27 score. Despite the win, Seattle tallied no goals this week. Blue-liner Matt Donovan led the club in scoring with an assist and 6 PIMs for 9 points. Meanwhile, California got much-needed production from Oliver Ekman-Larsson after a quiet week. He was the only Wave player in double digits.

Momentum is building for the Sharpshooters who shot down the Hellcats 65-51. For the first time, Saskatoon saw four players in double-digit points. Jeff Taffe and Chris Bourque had 30 points together on 8 assists. And Niklas Svedberg, the new addition between the pipes, picked up 2 wins for 12 points. Houston leaned on penalty minutes this week and Alexandre Bolduc and Ryan Stanton combined for 27. Goalie David Leggio has now put together back-to-back 0-point weeks after a strong start to the year.

After being handed their first loss of the season, the Winterhawks rallied in Week 8 to edge the Huskies 36-33. Brett Connolly had 2 goals, 1 assist and 4 PIMs for 15 points for Winnipeg while Jonathan Audy-Marchessault was Alaska's star, grabbing a goal and 3 assists for 13 points.

The Pioneers demonstrated their strength with a 41-31 win over the Kodiaks. Cam Atkinson had 3 goals and 2 assists for 18 points to power Portland. Only Cade Fairchild failed to make his mark on the scoresheet. At the same time, the goaltending woes continue for Edmonton as Petr Mrazek also put up a goose egg. The Kodiaks have just a single goalie win in eight weeks.

Elsewhere, the Narwhals extended the Gators' losing streak to six games with a close 43-41 win. The Outlaws were one of a handful of teams to get points from their entire roster this week as they clobbered the Renegades 46-22. And the Beasts rode a 49-36 victory over the Lumberjacks back to .500 this week.

Now, the other league...

The big story of the IceHL EAST this week has got to be how the fast descent of one team happens to be coinciding with the slow rise of another. It was demonstrated rather poetically as the Motorheads defeated the Lagers 42-32 in Week 8. After an 0-4 start, Detroit started to turn things around with back-to-back wins. And they only lost last week by a tie-breaker. Chris Bourque and Jason DeSantis combined for 29 points this week as every skater had something to contribute.

It was a different story for Milwaukee. Three goose eggs graced their scoresheet this week as Drayson Bowman did all of the heavy lifting with 2 goals, 1 assist and 7 PIMs for 18 points. As the AHL's Charlotte Checkers have cooled, so have the reliant Lagers. Meanwhile, Mikael Granlund returned from his injury this week but has yet to make a mark.

The defending champion Nighthawks are pushing their way back to the top, dealing the top-ranked Barracudas their second loss of the year by a score of 48-36. Jordan Eberle and Brendan Smith each put up 11 points as goalie Niklas Svedberg led the way with 12 points on 2 wins. For Tampa Bay, almost every skater contributed a goal and an assist, but all were below 10 points while netminder Dustin Tokarski's struggles continue.

The Guardians continued to quietly climb the standings with a 40-23 win over the Blue Crabs. Martin St. Pierre chipped in with 13 points on a goal, an assist and 6 penalty minutes while backstop Curtis McElhinney nabbed a pair of wins for 12 points. Baltimore, meanwhile, was just surprisingly quiet this week. The team saw minimal points this week except for defenseman Slava Voynov, who was above his season average with 9 points.

The Armada edged the Mariners, 31-29, to pull in line with the Barracudas at 6-2 on the year. Nazem Kadri and Kevin Connauton combined for the lion's share of Quebec's points this week with 22. Meanwhile, Radko Gudas led Hartford with 11 points — all penalty minutes.

Two struggling teams finished the week just a point apart. Nino Niederreiter led the Steelcats to a 31-30 win over the Sentinels. Niederreiter had a goal and 3 assists toward 17 points while Ryan Nugent-Hopkins was out of action all week. For Washington, Mike Sgarbossa and Jake Gardiner teamed up for 28 points.

Elsewhere, the Hitmen stung the Olympiques 34-26 on a 12-point effort from Tomas Tatar. The Archers beat the Arsenal 46-35 thanks to Cam Atkinson's heroics. And the struggling Mammoths lost another one in spite of impressive points from Roman Horak as the Colonials claimed victory, 52-40, led by hot forwards.

This week may not have had the big shockers of Week 7, but it was certainly interesting to watch it all unfold this week. Here's to more excitement in Week 9!

Week 7: Final Scores

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Depending on the team, Week 7 proved to be either lucky or seriously unlucky. It's one shock after another as you look down the box scores for the latest series of IceHL match-ups. Let's dive in.

As much as it pains me, this is the biggest story in the IceHL EAST. The Barracudas' perfect record was wiped out by a single point as the Olympiques won 40-39 in Week 7. Tampa Bay suffered its first setback of the season despite a decent week from most of the roster. Tyler Johnson and Trevor Smith teamed up for 24 points while Mark Mancari failed to figure in offensively. Ultimately, the Barracudas fell just shy of prolonging their undefeated run.

Montreal was powered by Peter Holland, who scored half of the team's points this week on a goal, 4 assists and 4 penalty minutes. Taylor Hall also picked up a goal for the Olympiques who improve to a winning record for the first time this season. The team takes a three-game winning streak into Week 8.

The Guardians made a huge leap in the standings, going from 9th to 5th place, with a stunning 87-30 victory over the Hitmen. All but one player was in double digits this week and every skater made key offensive contributions. Martin St. Pierre led the way with 25 points on 4 goals and 9 PIMs. Also impressive between the pipes was Curtis McElhinney with 2 wins and a shutout. Defenseman Mark Barberio was the high scorer for Chicago with 13 points.

A tie-breaker was needed to give the Sentinels a 38-37 win over the Motorheads. Both teams saw their defense outscore their forwards but the key in this match-up was goaltending. Jeff Zatkoff grabbed 2 wins for Washington while Eddie Pasquale did the same for Detroit — only with a shutout as well. Ultimately, however, the Sentinels had more goals (2-0), and so the 37-37 tie was broken.

The Blue Crabs are inching back up the standings after defeating the Mammoths 47-22. Newcomer Richard Panik scored 3 goals toward 14 points this week as blue-liner Mike Kostka picked up 15 for Baltimore. Minnesota's struggles continued as no player earned more than 7 points despite multiple roster changes.

The defending champion Nighthawks were stunned by the Colonials 63-43. Alexandre Bolduc and Mark Borowiecki powered Boston with a combined 42 points. For North Carolina, Kyle Palmieri tallied 2 goals and 12 penalty minutes for 20 points but the blue line was silent this week.

Elsewhere, the Armada blew away the Arsenal 50-23. The Steelcats won 38-15 against the Lagers, who have been struggling after a strong start to the season. And the Mariners beat the Archers 38-35, meaning the three teams at the top of the standings last week all suffered losses this week in a big reversal of fortune.

This season is definitely keeping the GMs on their toes. Let's take a look at the West.

The IceHL WEST match-up that everyone was watching featured two teams that have been atop the league standings all season. And a week after being handed their first loss of the year, the Outlaws turned the tables on the unbeaten Winterhawks with a 57-36 victory. Dallas relied on contributions from every member of the team this week but it was goalie Braden Holtby who led the club with 12 points on 2 wins. Keith Aucoin and David Rundblad each had 11 points for the Outlaws.

For Winnipeg, underperforming players led the team to suffer its first defeat. Marcus Foligno had 2 assists and 7 PIMs for 13 points and Justin Schultz earned another 10. Otherwise, the Winterhawks were pretty quiet this week. The result of this game now means that neither conference has an undefeated team.

After weeks of struggles, the gritty Cavalry fought their way to their first win of the season, 48-39, much to the chagrin of the Kodiaks. Calgary is trying a new team philosophy which relies on players known for spending time in the box. New additions Brett Gallant and Bobby Robins lived up to those expectations in Week 7 teaming up for 26 points — all penalty minutes. Mark Barberio led Edmonton with 13 points while Nino Niederreiter had a goal, an assist and 2 PIMs for 9 points.

The surging Aviators remain among the league's elite after a 63-26 thumping of the Lumberjacks. The forwards alone accounted for 46 points with Peter Holland's 20 leading the team. Vancouver, on the other hand, saw minimal production as none of its players managed a single goal. Bracken Kearns had 2 assists and 5 penalty minutes for 11 points.

Back to their high-scoring ways, the Renegades slaughtered the Huskies 71-36. Two players topped 20 points for Regina. Martin St. Pierre earned 25 points while Mark Borowiecki's time in the box propelled him to 22 points. Alaska relied on Zack Kassian who had a goal and 11 PIMs for 15 points this week.

The rollercoaster ride that is the Pioneers was on another high note this week, knocking off the Wave by a score of 60-46. Portland is back above .500 with the win thanks to Kyle Palmieri who had 2 goals and 12 penalty minutes for 20 points. The forwards combined for 35 points. For California, Patrick Maroon's 17 points weren't enough to power his team. Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Magnus Paajarvi were below expectations.

Elsewhere, the Narwhals took out the Sharpshooters 42-40 with 18 points from goalie Carter Hutton. The Scorpions stung the Beasts 38-16. And the Hellcats took a step toward digging out of their troubles with a 34-21 win over the Gators, propelled by 20 points from Alexandre Bolduc.

Lots of surprises this week. But most interesting is the fact that there are no more 0s in the IceHL standings. The unbeaten were beaten and the winless won. And a quick glance at the standings proves there's a lot of parity in both leagues. In fact, 17 of 30 teams are one win/loss away from a .500 record.

So it's been anything but boring this season!

Week 6: Final Scores

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We've got final scores for another round of IceHL match-ups. Take a look.

One incredible streak came to an abrupt end in the IceHL WEST this week. The Aviators are flying high after catching the unstoppable Outlaws, who were dealt their first loss of the season following a 5-0 run. Seattle got big points from all three forwards, propelling them to an impressive 84-51 victory. Kris Newbury and Peter Holland combined for 46 points as the team amassed 7 goals and 5 assists.

Dallas' loss was not indicative of any particular shortfalls, however. Sean Couturier picked up 3 goals, an assist and 2 penalty minutes for 17 points while defenseman David Runblad lit it up with 2 goals and 2 assists for 14 points. The Outlaws' talent was on display this week as penalty minutes accounted for only 4 points this week, while the Aviators relied on 35 PIMs. But even if you take away the time spent in the box, Seattle still would've been 2 points ahead overall.

The Beasts showed their teeth with a 78-57 win over the Huskies. Goalie Yann Danis stood tall for 3 victories (18 points) and defenseman Brendan Smith earned 3 assists and 9 penalty minutes (also 18 points). Mike Sgarbossa was impressive as well in his second week with Boulder, grabbing 2 of each stat for 16 points. For Alaska, Jonathan Audy-Marchessault was back to his high-scoring ways with 22 points as Zack Kassian earned another 17.

After an 0-4 start, the Sharpshooters have put together back-to-back victories with a 52-31 win over the Cavalry — who are still looking for their first W of the 2012-13 season. Danny Taylor's shutout win earned him 10 points for Saskatoon as Sami Vatanen picked up 16 points on a goal and 12 penalty minutes. In Calgary, T.J. Brennan and Alex Burmistrov combined for 23 points this week as Jake Gardiner and Roman Horak were left pointless.

The Winterhawks kept their unblemished record alive, improving to 6-0 on a 52-30 win over the red-hot Pioneers. The loss ended a three-game winning streak for Portland, which saw minimal production this week. Justin Schultz, on the other hand, was on fire for Winnipeg. His 2 goals and 5 assists earned him 23 points as Brett Connolly grabbed 4 assists for 12 points.

Taylor Hall carried the Kodiaks to a 54-42 win over the Hellcats. Hall tallied 30 points on a goal, 8 assists and a minor penalty. Tyson Barrie chipped in with a goal and 2 assists for 10 points for Edmonton. Houston suffered up front as two forwards were left without points. The blue line made an effort with a combined 25 points, but it wasn't quite enough to hold on.

Elsewhere, the Wave moved into 2nd overall, powered by 33 points from their defense, with a 61-55 win over the Renegades. The Lumberjacks beat the struggling Gators 54-41. And the Scorpions have only their forwards to thank for a 49-40 win over the Narwhals.

Now on to the other league.

There were a couple of shockers in the IceHL EAST in Week 6. For one, the Arsenal (1-4) knocked off the Nighthawks (4-1) by an 80-59 margin. Atlanta's roster finally came to life in a big way as the entire team pitched in — and not just with penalty minutes either. Every skater had at least one assist and goalie Yann Danis had 3 wins for 18 points.

And it's not like North Carolina was sitting on the bench. Jordan Eberle alone was remarkable with 5 goals, 2 assists and 2 PIMs for 28 points. Brendan Smith also contributed 3 assists and 9 penalty minutes for 18 points. But unfortunately their fifth win was just out of reach this week.

In the other match-up between a 4-1 team and a 1-4 team, the Colonials stunned the Armada 81-59 — very similar to the score of that Nighthawks-Arsenal game. Five players were in double digits for Boston, including 24 points from Brayden Schenn and 30 from the defensive pairing. Only Cody Hodgson was without a point as he's been sidelined with an injury. Together, Nazem Kadri and Zack Kassian had 29 points for Quebec.

Another surprise came in the form of the Olympiques' 79-55 victory over the Lagers. Montreal set a team record for points primarily thanks to a 55-point collaboration between Peter Holland and Taylor Hall. Meanwhile, Milwaukee continues a slow descent from the top of the league standings. The team has now followed a three-game winning streak with a three-game losing streak, despite continued production from players like Zack Boychuk, Justin Faulk and Brett Connolly.

The Barracudas continued their unbeaten run with a 44-38 win over the Steelcats. Both teams got production all the way down the roster. Tampa Bay was led by Tyler Johnson's 3 goals and 2 assists (18 points) while Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Nick Leddy teamed up for 21 points for Hamilton. These were two very closely-matched teams in Week 6.

The Archers won a very tight one against the Guardians, 64-59. And it was the defense playing a starring role as Justin Schultz and Oliver Ekman-Larsson teamed up for 38 points. On the other side, Andy Miele started to show a spark with 5 assists and 2 PIMs for 17 points to lead New York. A win from goalie Curtis McElhinney this week would've been enough to put them over the top.

Elsewhere, Tomas Tatar's 5 goals powered the Hitmen to a 51-37 win over the Mariners. The Blue Crabs beat the Sentinels 42-28 on 21 points from Kris Newbury. And the Motorheads dug the Mammoths into a deeper hole — while digging themselves out of one — with a 36-29 victory.

Up next: Will the Barracudas and Winterhawks be able to keep up their winning ways? Will the Cavalry finally catch a break? Can the Aviators and Renegades continue their point domination? All of these questions and more will be answered with another week of IceHL hockey. Stay tuned!