It’s Hershey, again. It seems the Bears are inevitable.
Hershey sweeps the week and retakes the number one spot in the Chirps from Center Ice AHL Power Rankings.
We will see if there is any steam to the jinx that I think I put on the number one team by making them number one. With Hershey though, I don’t think so.
Alright, enough bloviating, let’s go!
1. Hershey Bears
Last Week: 8th (up 7)
Record: 17-5-3
Whatever it was that bugged this team is out of their system. Bears sweep the week and are again the number one team in the Rankings.
2. Calgary Wranglers
Last Week: 4th (up 2)
Record: 17-5-1
Sorry Wranglers fans, but yeah, the East Coast bias is real. Hershey does indeed jump seven spots, over you despite you sweeping a game Tucson club which has been making noise of late. Lead the Pacific comfortably here in mid-December, but so does Hershey in the East.
3. Springfield Thunderbirds
Last Week: 7th (up 4)
Record: 12-9-1
8-1-1 in their last ten so a hot team including a four game win streak. I think they are the hottest team in the League right now. Five game road trip begins Saturday in Wilkes-Barre.
4. Belleville Senators
Last Week: 5th (up 1)
Record: 11-4-0-4
Sweep the Moose in Winnipeg and have won four in a row but the North is ultra competitive, so the B-Sens are fifth in the division. And no, I don’t know what my obsession is with this team is either.
5. San Jose Barracuda
Last Week: 12th (up 7)
Record: 14-6-0-1
Sweep the Firebirds and have some separation for second in the Pacific. One more with Coachella Valley then San Diego and Ontario kick off a five game road trip.
6. Grand Rapids Griffins
Last Week: 1st (down 5)
Record: 15-7-1
Six game road trip off to bad start, letting Chicago take three of four points. Heading off to Colorado next weekend which isn’t an easy place to play.
7. Laval Rocket
Last Week: 11th (up 4)
Record: 15-6-1-1
Rocket get 5 of 6 this week and quickly course correct and re-take over the North Division lead.
8. Ontario Reign
Last Week: 6th (down 2)
Record: 12-8
Reign in the mix with some really good teams for second in the Pacific after picking up 4 of 6 points this week. Just one game this week with the Barracuda next Sunday.
9. Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins
Last Week: 3rd (down 6)
Record: 12-6-1
Battling consistency after dropping a pair this week to the Bruins and Bears or maybe Penguins are allergic to Bears.
10. Cleveland Monsters
Last Week: 2nd (down 8)
Record: 15-6-0-2
Bad week from the Monsters, so the Rocket are back in the picture and the two teams are tied for the North Division lead.
11. Toronto Marlies
Last Week: 16 (up 5)
Record: 11-3-2-3
Split with Laval this week. Host Lehigh Valley and (checks notes) Bakersfield this week.
12. Chicago Wolves
Last Week: 17th (up 5)
Record: 9-9-2
Took 3 of 4 points this weekend at home against division leading Grand Rapids and in sneaky good position with teams ohead of them faltering this week.
13. Rochester Americans
Last Week: 21st (up 7)
Record: 12-8-3
Traded shutouts in Charlotte, head to Laval and Belleville this week.
14. Charlotte Checkers
Last Week: 13th (down 1)
Record: 11-5-1-2
Split shutouts with Rochester. Quick three game road trip this week to Pennsylvania.
15. Abbotsford Canucks
Last Week: 23rd (up 8)
Record: 12-10-0-1
Sweep the Eagles at home which is nice and puts the Canucks back in the mix with a ton of teams chasing Calgary.
16. Providence Bruins
Last Week: 27th (up 11)
Record: 11-10-2
Jekyll and Hyde teams yo-yo in these Rankings. Providence was 16th two weeks ago and 27th last week. After gritting out all 6 points in a three in three weekend, it’s a big bump up for the Bruins again.
17. Iowa Wild
Last Week: 30th (up 13)
Record: 8-11-1
Sweep the Admirals and may have something going here. Rockford twice sandwiched in between a rematch with Milwaukee. Iowa is here because a lot of backsliding teams are taking a nosedive this week in the Rankings.
18. Coachella Valley Firebirds
Last Week: 9th (down 9)
Record: 11-8-1-2
Busy week with four games and the Firebirds win only one of them, with the Barracuda sweeping them this weekend.
19. Hartford Wolf Pack
Last Week: 22nd (up 3)
Record: 10-9-2-1
Seems like the Atlantic has tiers. Hershey is the class, then the Penguins, then everyone else. That’s Hartford who beat Bridgeport and shutout Rockford but lose to Wilkes-Barre.
20. Colorado Eagles
Last Week: 10th (down 10)
Record: 11-8-1-1
Rough week losing to the Canucks for a pair on the road. Eagles good run of momentum stalls a bit. Host Central leading Grand Rapids this weekend.
21. Lehigh Valley Phantoms
Last Week: 14th (down 7)
Record: 9-8-4-1
Pair of tough losses to the Hershey Bears this weekend in back to back games has to sting. Trip to the North Division with Toronto and Cleveland on the docket this week.
22. Henderson Silver Knights
Last Week 32nd (up 10)
Record: 6-15
Giving the Silver Knights a bump this week because they have more than one win this week. Maybe this team doesn’t stink?
23. Texas Stars
Last Week: 19th (down 4)
Record: 12-9
Stars brutal road trip through the Pacific is now over and they have four home games to look forward to starting with a sneaky hot Chicago Wolves team.
24. San Diego Gulls
Last Week: 31st (up 7)
Record: 6-12-1-2
Went 2-1 this week so it’s something to build off of. Host Henderson and San Jose this week.
25. Tucson Roadrunners
Last Week: 18th (down 7)
Record: 10-10
Have cooled off considerably, just 5-5 in their last ten and got swept in Calgary this week. Host a revitalized Henderson team this week for a pair.
26. Milwaukee Admirals
Last Week: 20th (down 6)
Record: 11-6-1-2
Lost four points in Des Moines this past weekend. Wild drop by Friday then it’s off to Rockford.
27. Rockford IceHogs
Last Week: 26th (down 1)
Record: 8-10-3
Go 1-2 in the Atlantic Division trip, beating Lehigh Valley, getting shutout in Hartford and losing a close one in Springfield. Home and home with Iowa then they conclude the week hosting the Admirals.
28. Syracuse Crunch
Last Week: 25th (down 3)
Record: 9-7-3-3
Lost ground this week and in a competitive North Division isn’t something you want to see as Crunch fan.
29. Utica Comets
Last Week: 15th (down 14)
Record: 5-12-1-2
Uh oh. Dropped two straight against Rochester and Providence this week. Host Syracuse for their only game this Saturday.
30. Bakersfield Condors
Last Week: 24th (down 6)
Record: 7-10-2-1
Lose a pair of 5-3 games this week to San Diego and Ontario. Hopping on a jet airplane heading to Toronto to take on the Marlies.
31. Bridgeport Islanders
Last Week: 28th (down 3)
Record: 5-14-2-2
This team stinks. You can’t start penciling in Calder Cup contenders this early on, but you can start penciling in teams that are non-competitive and non-playoff teams. Bridgeport fits that bill.
32. Manitoba Moose
Last Week: 29th (down 3)
Record: 6-12-0-1
Moose are swept at home by the Belleville Senators and now head to Calgary and Abbotsford this week. Eek!
Have a better week then the Moose, everyone!
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