The Crimson Hawks have not played a game since their win over Slippery Rock Feb. 13., but they are hoping that their 11-5 victory over the CHMA regular season champions will be enough to boost them through the CHMA playoffs.
Through 14 conference games, Slippery Rock managed to pull ahead of West Virginia by three points to take the No. 1 spot.
While both teams were 10-4, two of West Virginia’s wins set them above.
Two of its wins in overtime (one in a shootout), were enough to set them back three points behind Slippery Rock, given that four points are awarded for an overtime win, and only three points are awarded with a shootout win.
The first two games of the playoffs are today and the second two games are Saturday. The CHMA championship game is Sunday.
The No. 4 seeded IUP Crimson Hawks will take the stage against the fifth-seeded Pittsburgh Panthers. In two games this season, the Crimson Hawks proved their dominance over the Panthers by a combined score of 7-1.
The Crimson Hawks have played in games where they beat strong teams like Slippery Rock 11-5, but have lost to weaker teams like the Youngstown State Penguins 6-2.
Maybe that big win IUP had over Slippery Rock will be enough to fire up this team for a win. The puck drops at 9:50 p.m. Friday.
Before the Crimson Hawks play, there will be a game between the Washington & Jefferson Presidents and the Duquesne Dukes. The No. 6 seed Presidents, only having 29 points in the CHMA, are hoping to be able to pull off an unbelievable win over No. 3 seeded Duquesne.
Washington & Jefferson lost to the Dukes twice during the regular season, but only by one goal in each game. A notable win for the Presidents came earlier in the season when they downed the Crimson Hawks 5-1. The puck drops at 6:50 p.m. Friday.
Of these four remaining teams, Slippery Rock will play the lowest seed remaining at 5 p.m. on Saturday, while West Virginia will play the highest seed remaining following the SRU game at 8 p.m. The winners of those games will meet Sunday at 3 p.m. for the CHMA title.
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