Update on the USPHL 2024-2025 Road to the Playoffs (Pacific Division)

The race to clinch a spot in the playoffs is even more vital for multiple teams as the 2024-2025 USPHL Regular Season comes to an end during the week of Feb. 27 - March 2, 2025. 

As of February 12, 2025, the current standings are:

1. Lake Tahoe Lakers (63 PTS, 30-10-2-1, three games left) CLINCHED 

2. Fresno Monsters (62 points, 31-9-0-0, six games left) CLINCHED

3. Ontario Jr. Reign (54 PTS, 26-11-2-0, seven games left) 

4. Henderson Force (53 points, 26-13-0-1, six games left) 

5. San Diego Sabers (43 points, 21-16-1-0, eight games left) 

6. Bakersfield Roughnecks (36 points, 16-21-2-2, five games left)

7. Ventura Vikings (31 points, 14-27-2-1, two games left)

8. Long Beach Bombers (20 points, 9-28-2-0, seven games left)

After the games during the week of Feb. 7-9, 2025, it was announced that the Lake Tahoe Lakers and the Fresno Monsters have clinched a spot in the 2024-2025 USPHL Playoffs after their impressive performances during the regular season. Henderson Force continues to dominate and are now one-point away from the Ontario Jr. Reign. The Jr. Reign has been holding onto the 3rd spot in the standings for the past two weeks. The San Diego Sabers trail behind Henderson Force and their hopes of staying in the hunt will come down to how they perform in their upcoming three-game series against the Lake Tahoe Lakers. The Bakersfield Roughnecks, Ventura Vikings, and Long Beach Bombers are officially out of the race to the playoffs. 

The Race to the Playoffs

The Lake Tahoe Lakers are scheduled for a three-game series against the San Diego Sabers on Feb. 14-16, 2025. This three-game series will close out the Lakers’ regular season and be crucial for the Sabers as it will determine whether they are still in the race. The Lakers and Sabers are split 1-1 in regards to wins against one another during the regular season which makes for a set of highly anticipated matchups this week. 

The Fresno Monsters have six games left which include a three-game series against the Long Beach Bombers on Feb. 14-16, 2025. They then will close out the regular season with a three-game series against the Bakersfield Roughnecks on Feb. 20-22, 2025. We can expect the Monsters to sweep the Long Beach Bombers and Bakersfield Roughnecks as they have done so in the previous matchups against one another. 

The Ontario Jr. Reign have seven games left in the 2024-2025 regular season. The Jr. Reign will face Henderson Force in a two-game series on Feb. 14-16, 2025. They have had the upper hand in previous games against Henderson Force, however, since Henderson Force is one point away from the Jr. Reign in the standings, this will make for an intense set of games this week. They will then face the Sabers and Long Beach Bombers in a two-game series during the week of Feb. 21-22, 2025. The Jr. Reign will close out the regular season with a three-game series against the Bakersfield Roughnecks and the Colorado Fighting Elk. The Jr. Reign is expected to close out the regular season with a winning streak as they have had the upper hand against the teams that they will be playing in the last five games of the season. 

Henderson Force has six games left in the 2024-2025 regular season. They will face the Jr. Reign in a two-game series on Feb. 14-16, 2025 which will be an intense game against one another as they fight for 3rd place in the standings. Henderson Force will then face the Iron County Yeti on Feb. 21, 2025 which they are expected to find success in based on their previous game against one another. Their season will close out with a three-game series against the Long Beach Bombers and the Sabers. We can expect Henderson Force to win against the Long Beach Bombers and expect a battle between them and the Sabers. 

The San Diego Sabers have eight games left in the 2024-2025 regular season. They have a crucial three-game series against the Lake Tahoe Lakers during the week of Feb. 14-16, 2025 which will make or break the Sabers’ chances of still being in the hunt or out of the race. The Sabers will then face the Ontario Jr. Reign and Ventura Vikings in a two-game series during the week of Feb. 21-22, 2025. They will have a tough battle against the Jr. Reign before finding success against the Vikings. The Sabers’ regular season will close out with a three-game series against the Colorado Fighting Elk and Henderson Force. After spending the latter half of the regular season battling for the 4th spot in the standings against Henderson Force, the Sabers last two games of the season will be a thrilling one to watch. 

Overall, we can expect a shift in the standings as teams continue to fight for home ice advantage and to officially clinch their spot in the playoffs. We can expect multiple outstanding performances and possible surprises from those who are still in the race. Stay tuned to see how it will all unfold with the weekly game recap articles!