The Southern Professional Hockey league (SPHL) is heating up as teams battle for playoff contention. Currently,eight teams will advance,and the standings are incredibly tight,making every game crucial.Let’s take a look at where things stand and what’s on the horizon.
Here’s a snapshot of the current league standings as of January 26th:
| City | GP | W | L | OTL | SOL | PTS | GF | GA |
| Roanoke | 27 | 15 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 33 | 78 | 68 |
| Evansville | 24 | 12 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 27 | 65 | 64 |
| Knoxville | 24 | 12 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 26 | 64 | 69 |
| Quad City | 26 | 12 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 26 | 65 | 72 |
| Fayetteville | 26 | 10 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 23 | 53 | 67 |
| Birmingham | 26 | 9 | 12 | 1 | 4 | 23 | 70 | 90 |
| Macon | 23 | 8 | 11 | 2 | 2 | 20 | 49 | 65 |
Remember, two points are awarded for a win, and one point is given for either an overtime or shootout loss. This scoring system adds another layer of strategy to each contest.
Recent games have already begun to shift the landscape. Here’s a recap of the action from the past few days:
* friday: macon defeated Fayetteville 3-2.
* Friday: Huntsville dominated Birmingham with an 8-0 victory.
* Friday: Quad City edged out Evansville 4-1.
* Friday: Roanoke beat Pensacola 4-2.
* Friday: Peoria narrowly defeated Knoxville 5-4.
Looking ahead,the schedule is packed with opportunities for teams to climb the standings. Here’s what’s coming up:
* Saturday: Fayetteville travels to face Macon at 6 p.m.
* Saturday: Huntsville visits Birmingham at 8 p.m.
* Saturday: Quad City heads to Evansville at 8 p.m.
* Saturday: Roanoke takes on Pensacola at 8:05 p.m.
* Saturday: Knoxville battles Peoria at 8:15 p.m.
The action continues into the early part of next week:
* Sunday: Evansville plays at Quad City at 3:10 p
