There’s not much separating the top teams as the inaugural OEHL season reaches the midway point.
The Ripley Wolves sit in first place with 17 points and a 7-1-3 record, paced by OEHL leading scorer Garrett Meurs, who has posted 24 points in just 10 games. Veteran goalie Jason Hamilton leads all OEHL goalies with 7 wins and 3 shutouts.
It’s still a wide open race for first place, however, with the next six teams within seven points of the Wolves, and all with games in hand.
Saugeen Shores sits three points back with a 7-3-0 record, and have yet to tangle with the Wolves, though that will change soon, as the two teams are scheduled to meet Dec. 16th in Ripley.
The Creemore Coyotes and Durham Thundercats are just one point behind Saugeen Shores with a game in-hand, sitting with identical 6-2-1 records for 13 points.
The Seaforth Centenaires sit in fifth place a point behind Creemore and Durham with a 6-3-0 record, and the Minto 81’s occupy sixth place at 5-3-1, a point behind Seaforth.
Not to be counted out are the defending champion Tavistock Royals, who are .500 on the season with a 5-5-0 record in seventh place.
The race for the final AA playoff spot has been going back and forth between two expansion cousins, with the Erin Outlaws leapfrogging over the Georgian Bay Applekings last weekend.
Erin sits one point up with a 3-5-1 record to Georgian Bay’s 3-5-0 record.
Not to be counted out are Milverton and Lucknow, both of whom have picked up points in recent weekends to put themselves back in the playoff picture.
The scoring race is perhaps a little less dramatic, with Meurs sporting a comfortable six-point advantage over the second place scorer, Durham’s Kyler Nixon.
Pivotal matchups lay ahead this weekend as the points remain elusive and valuable with so little separating the clubs.
Saugeen Shores will attempt to keep pace with Ripley with a pair of games against teams right behind them in the standings, hosting Minto on Friday night and travelling to Durham on Saturday. The Thundercats are also in action on Friday, hosting Milverton.
Creemore will attempt to stem a three-game losing streak with a long road trip to Tavistock on Saturday to face the Royals, while Ripley hosts Milverton, also on Saturday.
A pair of important games in regard to the eighth-and-final playoff spot, as Lucknow travels to Thornbury on Saturday, then heads home to host Erin on Sunday.
The weekend wraps up with a big game for positioning as Seaforth hosts Minto on Sunday afternoon.
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