Chirps from Center Ice

Texas awaits us all.

The Texas Stars were the first team to clinch a playoff spot this weekend. They remain the number one team in the Week 25 Chirps from Center Ice Power Rankings.

Really not that much change this week. Your Lake Erie Monsters are the biggest climbers this week, up ten in the 15th spot.

Biggest nosedives this week belong to Iowa, down eight and in the basement after being swept by Grand Rapids and Texas this week and Syracuse, a disjointed team that looked out of sorts Friday vs. Wilkes-Barre and Saturday vs. Albany.

You’ll need to click through the jump to see where everyone else shook out this week if you didn’t link in direct.

Rank	Team	Last Week	Comment	This Week
1		No change.	Stars first to punch their ticket to postseason Sunday. Calder Cup may go through Cedar Park this Spring.	Host HAM Tue., @ SA Thu., Host HAM Sat.
2		3rd (+1)	IceCaps are going to be an extremely, extremely tough out come playoff time, with likely home ice advantage in the first round.	@ SYR Wed., BNG Fri., HER Sat.
3		2nd (-1)	Those beds in Des Moines must be lumpy. After sweeping the Wild, Grand Rapids travels to Chicago and is stomped 6-2 by the Wolves.	Home & Home w/ RFD Fri. & Sat., @ MIL Sun.
4		No change.	Beat up the Falcons Saturday. Squeak past the Bears Sunday. Dealing with Texas for the Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy.	Host WOR Fri., @ POR Sat.
5		6th (+1)	First sweep of Norfolk in Virginia ever by the B-Sens. Still a point ahead with a game in hand on the Penguins.	Host STJ Fri., @ SYR Sat., ALB Sun.
6		9th (+3)	Split a nasty series with Rockford this weekend that saw suspensions, then thumped the Griffins Sunday.	Host LE Wed. & Sat., @ RFD Sun.
7		No change.	Here’s how lopsided the North is. Marlies lead division with 81 points. Rochester is second with 70, and are probably not going to the playoffs.	Home & Home w/ RCH Tue. & Fri., Host IA Sat., ABB Sun.
8		No change.	4 of 6 points for Wilkes-Barre this weekend. A point behind the Sens for the division lead. Are glad that the Comets play in the Western Conference.	Host PRO Wed., @ NOR Fri. & Sat.
9		11th (+2)	Devils going to sign a petition to never play anymore games at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, where they have yet to win a game, losing to the Penguins Sunday.	@ HER Fri., Host WOR Sat., BNG Sun.
10		5th (-5)	Falcons face stiffer competition with Manchester and St. John’s and come away with no points. Falcons sure looking like a first round exit team.	Host ADK Wed., @ HFD Fri., ADK Sat.
11		15th (+4)	Comets have turned things around. But due to their terrible start, may be the best team that misses playoffs this year.	Host ABB Fri. & Sat., IA Sun.
12		13th (+1)	Split the weekend. With help by teams in their division, get separation from Hershey pursuing from ninth.	@ WBS Wed., POR Fri.
13		10th (-3)	Admirals slowed by a vanilla Hamilton team and a resurgent Comets team this weekend.	@ RCH Wed., Host LE Fri., GR Sun.
14		12th (-2)	Swept by Binghamton this weekend. Now the Penguins come knocking next.	Host WBS Fri. & Sat.
15		25th (+10)	Monsters sweep the struggling Amerks. What faint playoff hopes still are alive in the final week of March.	@ CHI Wed., MIL Fri., CHI Sat.
16		18th (+2)	Hartford won’t finish last in the East, but the Wolf Pack don’t look to be playoff contenders this year.	Host SPR Fri., then Home & Home w/ BRI Sat. & Sun.
17		No change.	Checkers are among a few other teams out West that just don’t want anything to do with that 8 seed.	@ IA Tue. & Wed., Host OKC Sat. & Sun.
18		14th (-4)	Sharks could have done better than 2 of 6 points this weekend. 11 points out with 12 games remaining. Schedule not favorable.	@ POR Wed., MCH Fri., ALB Sat.
19		20th (+1)	Remember when Abbotsford had a healthy lead over the Texas Stars in the West Division?	@ UTI Fri. & Sat., TOR Sun.
20		23rd (+3)	End a four game losing streak with a shootout win over Chicago Saturday. Another team that may miss playoffs that is in playoffs.	Home & Home with GR Fri. & Sat., @ CHI Sun.
21		16th (-5)	Barons’ hopes of playoffs slowed down by sweep of the Stars.	Host SA Tue., @ CHA Sat. & Sun.
22		28th (+6)	Bulldogs have a barking chance at playoffs but now embark on a 9-game road trip.	@ TEX Tue., SA Fri., TEX Sat., SA Sun.
23		27th (+4)	Rampage aren’t eliminated yet, but have to start winning, quickly, in order to not be.	@ OKC Tue., Host TEX Thu., HAM Fri. & Sun.
24		19th (-5)	Amerks have now lost six straight. If there is one team that may miss playoffs that is currently in playoffs, it’s Rochester.	@ TOR Tue., Host MIL Wed., TOR Fri.
25		24th (-1)	With a collapse in Worcester Saturday and a loss to the AHL’s best Monarchs Sunday, playoff chances fading rapidly in Chocolatetown,	Host ALB Fri., STJ Sat.
26		29th (+3)	Pirates win only game of their week, a 4-2 win in Bridgeport. Still battling Adirondack for last in the Conference.	Host WOR Wed., PRO Fri. MCH Sat.
27		26th (-1)	Sound Tigers playoff hopes fading after losing three this past week.	Home & Home w/ HFD Sat. & Sun.
28		21st (-7)	Disinterested Crunch checked out early in games vs. Wilkes-Barre and Albany this weekend, managed to beat an even worse Adirondack team Sunday.	Host STJ Wed., ADK Fri., BNG Sat.
29		30th (+1)	Manage to somehow beat the resurgent Comets Friday. Weekend went to hell from there.	@ SPR Wed., SYR Fri., Host SPR Sat.
30		22nd (-8)	Wild swept this week by Grand Rapids and Texas this week, dealing Iowa’s playoff chances a huge blow.	Host CHA Tue. & Wed., @ TOR Sat., UTI Sun.

–

Surely there is a hotel owner in Des Moines, Iowa to refute my lumpy bed claim in the capsule this week. If so, leave me a comment! Or, if you think that your team is ranked too low or not high enough, leave me a comment. Fire away!