Summary of the Race to the Playoffs

As the 2024-2025 USPHL Regular Season is nearing the end, the race to clinch a spot in the playoffs is even more vital for multiple teams and may be coming to an end for others.

The current standings as of January 22, 2025: 

1. Lake Tahoe Lakers (53 PTS, 26-10-1-0)

2. Ontario Jr. Reign (47 PTS, 23-9-1-0)

3. Fresno Monsters (46 points, 23-8-0-0)

4. Henderson Force (45 points, 22-10-0-1)

5. San Diego Sabers (36 points, 18-14-0-0)

6. Bakersfield Roughnecks (29 points, 13-18-1-2)

7. Ventura Vikings (23 points, 10-22-2-1)

8. Long Beach Bombers (18 points, 8-23-2-0) 

Click each team’s names to read more about how they have performed in the 2024-2025 USPHL Regular Season so far and their odds of clinching a spot in the playoffs.

Unfortunately, even if the Long Beach Bombers (18 PTS) are able to sweep the rest of the season and if the three teams who are currently in spots 1-4 in the Pacific Division were to end up on a losing streak for the remainder of the season, the Long Beach Bombers will still be unable to secure the fourth spot and ultimately are out of the race. 

The Bakersfield Roughnecks (29 PTS) and Ventura Vikings (23 PTS) will have to fight an uphill battle to even be considered in the running. Based on the likelihood of their upcoming games, they may also be out of the race unless the rest of the division remains at a standstill while the Vikings and Roughnecks compete to maintain a winning streak for the remainder of the season. 

In a similar manner, the San Diego Sabers (36 PTS) do have a better shot at attempting to make the playoffs if they can sweep the rest of regular season as their odds are more in their favor compared to the rest of the division who trails behind them. This makes the Sabers a team to look out for as they are not completely out of the race but it will come down to if the odds are in their favor instead of those above them in the standings. 

Overall, we can expect to see the Lake Tahoe Lakers securing first place in the USPHL Pacific Division standings after their exceptional performance. However, the Lake Tahoe Lakers Lakers (53 PTS) do have some tough competition who are all fighting for the remaining playoff spots. It is hard to pinpoint who will clinch the second and third place as the Ontario Jr. Reign (47 PTS, four-game winning streak), Fresno Monsters (46 PTS, seven-game winning streak), and Henderson Force (45 PTS, five-game winning streak) are all currently one point away from one another in the standings. It will be a close race between these three teams for a spot in the playoffs and home ice advantage if they keep up their impressive winning streaks. Those who are closer to third and fourth cannot get too comfortable as they may need to look out for the Sabers as they are not done fighting and have better odds in their upcoming games. 

We have an exciting race to look forward to as the season comes to an end. Stay tuned to see how it will all unfold with the weekly game recap articles!