It always felt like this race atop the Great Plains East division would come down to the final weekend. That is exactly what has happened.
The Huskies and the Eau Claire Express remain tied atop the division. By virtue of their head-to-head record against the Express, the Huskies remain in first place and hold their fates in their own hands.
However, Duluth’s opponent for the final series, the Rochester Honkers, is not out of it yet either. They picked up the sweep over the La Crosse Loggers and are close to sliding in the back door here as well. Meanwhile, the Express wrap up their regular season with a home-and-home against the Madison Mallards.
In the (hopefully) final “Path to the Playoffs”, we outline the clinching scenarios for all three teams, and of course, the outcomes that Huskies fans should be rooting for.
First, here is how all three teams can clinch the postseason:
Duluth Huskies
- WIN BOTH GAMES vs Rochester
- 1-1 in final two games AND Eau Claire goes 1-1 or 0-2 vs Madison
Eau Claire Express
- WIN BOTH GAMES vs Madison AND Duluth goes 1-1 or 0-2 vs Rochester
- 1-1 in final two games vs Madison AND Duluth goes 0-2 vs Rochester
Rochester Honkers
- WIN BOTH GAMES vs Rochester AND Eau Claire goes 0-2 vs Madison
Next, here is the schedule:
Friday, August 9
6:05 PM CST – Eau Claire at Madison
6:35 PM CST – Rochester at Duluth
Saturday, August 10
6:35 PM CST – Madison at Eau Claire
6:35 PM CST – Rochester at Duluth
A link is provided above to the Northwoods League Scoreboard to help keep track of each game in real time.
With that in mind, here is what it means for the Huskies:
The Huskies are the only team that controls their own destiny. If they win both games against the Honkers, they are in. This is the simplest way for the Huskies to make it. However, if the Huskies win and the Express lose, the Huskies could clinch the playoffs as early as Friday night. It sure would be fitting with the postgame fireworks show right after. For that storybook ending, root for the Huskies to beat the Rochester Honkers AND root for the Mallards to beat the Express.
Any other combination would push the race to the final game of the regular season. Additionally, if the Honkers beat Duluth AND the Express lose to Madison, the Honkers would also be in play to steal the division away through the back door on the season’s final day. That’s where things diverge and could get interesting and messy, and we will get into all of that tomorrow should such a situation occur.