Chirps from Center Ice

OK, so a quick note on these, they are based off of games through this past Sunday. I like having AHL puck to watch on a daily basis on AHL TV, but in situations (like these) you have to cutoff where you are going with these and put together a rankings. That’s where we are here and why they are out on a Monday as opposed to a Tuesday.

Utica reclaims the top spot in the Rankings this week hotly pursued by the Manitoba Moose, who are second. Stockton and Ontario are joined at the hip and the Providence Bruins round out the top five.

Here’s the whole list in all it’s glory. The Last Week column is back. Belleville didn’t play, so they remain in 23rd.

Rank	Team	Blurb	Last Week
1		Tidy weekend sweep of the Syracuse Crunch show other teams in the division that if you come at the North Division Kings, you better not miss.	+1
2		Did what they had to and swept the Wolves at home. Now host the Canucks this weekend. Could it be a trap series for the Moose?	+3
3		I didn’t particularly like the way that the Heat coughed up a 3-1 lead and lost 4-3 in overtime to the Silver Knights Saturday night. Long week to stew on that before the Reign come calling.	n/a
4		Reign stay hot, outgunning the Roadrunners at home for a pair over the weekend and stay in step with the Heat in pursuit of the Pacific Division crown. Ontario has three games in hand on Stockton, too. Three of the next four are with last place San Jose.	n/a
5		Split a weekend pair with Bridgeport or took two out of three? Are still at the top of the division and will likely yo-yo with Hershey for a bit here.	+1
6		Swept Iowa at home this week. Eagles not getting enough credit with how good they really are.	+9
7		Wolves lead in the Central is now in serious danger after getting swept by second place Manitoba.	-6
8		Split with Hartford. Winnable games this week it would seem.	+2
9		Tenacious way to claw back for a win Saturday in Stockton. Clash of the Pacific Division titans this weekend when the Silver Knights host the white hot Colorado Eagles this weekend.	+2
10		Got some help back from the Rangers Sunday and were a lot more competitive against the Bears, who they managed a split with.	+2
11		Three straight with Tucson this week in Arizona, so this is a golden opportunity to make up some ground on the top four.	+3
12		Only played one game this week and won Wednesday in Utica. There’s talk of a lot of the North Division teams struggling, not Laval. 8-2 in the last ten.	+4
13		Split with Springfield and Lehigh Valley this week. It’s not bad, but also not that very good. Utica and Syracuse on the road this week.	n/a
14		Lost in Grand Rapids then split a pair at home against the Americans.	+5
15		4 of 6 points isn’t bad, gives the Phantoms some breathing room on 7th in the division.	+7
16		Swept the Marlies at home in blowout and comeback fashion. Anomaly or are they pulling themselves out of the Atlantic basement for good?	+9
17		Split a pair in Cleveland. Everyone has been really average here of late in the division, Americans are one of them.	-8
18		IceHogs let Texas take 3 of 4 points from them this weekend. Iowa – Milwaukee – Chicago this week.	+2
19		Obliterated in Wilkes-Barre and in Hartford this week. It comes at a good time, as a lot of the teams in the North are struggling.	-12
20		Hottest team in the Central is actually Milwaukee, who haven’t lost in regulation in their last five games.	+9
21		Swept San Diego at home, now head east to Winnipeg to take on a white hot Moose side in what should be a decent enough test.	+5
22		Bleeding points away. Thunderbirds used to be all alone at the top of the division but now they have a lot of company.	-14
23		The Senators did not play this week. They host Toronto for a pair this weekend.	n/a
24		Light week for the Griffins who beat Cleveland (okay) and lost to Milwaukee (bad) – can’t do that if you want to contend with the Moose and Wolves of the world.	-6
25		Managed a split with Providence and then an OT win at home against the Thunderbirds.	+5
26		Took 3 of 4 away from Rockford this weekend. Trip up to Chicago this week. then Laval comes in for a weekend pair. Haven’t lost in regulation in four games, so like Milwaukee, the division may be a bit upside down.	+5
27		Well, that wasn’t good, swept in a home and home against the Comets. Cleveland drops by Wednesday.	-10
28		Swept in Colorado in a pair of close contests. Seems like it is a step forward and a step backwards with this club.	-7
29		Nice to pick up a win Sunday against Bakersfield. There’s time to push, but three against Ontario makes for an uphill climb!	-5
30		Swept in Abbotsford. Host a very good Colorado side Wednesday then travel to ornery Iowa this weekend.	-2
31		0-5 against an array of opponents (good and bad) – this team may be cooked already.	-4