Updated May 4, 2024 at 10:45 a.m. EDT

The regular season is in the rearview mirror. The play-in games are done. The Division Semifinal games have been played, and we’re down to the final 8 teams. 

The puck dropped on the North American Hockey League Roberston Cup Playoffs April 19, with eight division semifinal best-of-five-game series matchups as teams began what they hoped would be a long journey that culminates with a trip to championship weekend in Blaine, Minn., May 17-21.

Four teams from each division – the Central, East, Midwest and South –competed in the Division Semifinals for the right to advance to the Division Finals and ultimately the Robertson Cup Championship.

The club seeded first in each division played a best-of-five series against the lowest-seeded club in that division, while the second seeds in each division competed in a best-of-five series against the second-lowest seeded clubs in the same division. The top-two seeds had home ice advantage in the Division Demifinals. The first club to win three games in a division semifinal series advanced to the Division Finals

Below are all of the game results for the NHL Robertson Cup Division Semifinals and the schedule for the Division Finals:

 

Central Division Semifinals

#1 Minot Minotauros vs #4 Austin Bruins - Minot wins, 3-0

Game 1: Friday, April 19 - Minot 9, Austin 1

Game 2: Saturday, April 20 - Minot 3, Austin 1

Game 3: Friday, April 26 - Minot 7, Austin 1

Minot advances to the Central Division Finals 

 

#2 Bismarck Bobcats vs #3 Aberdeen Wings - Bismarck wins, 3-2

Game 1: Friday, April 19 - Bismarck 5, Aberdeen 1

Game 2: Saturday, April 20 - Aberdeen 3, Bismarck 2 (OT)

Game 3: Friday, April 26 - Aberdeen 3, Bismarck 2 

Game 4: Saturday, April 27 - Bismarck 8, Aberdeen 2

Game 5: Monday, April 29 - Bismarck 4, Aberdeen 1

Bismarck advances to the Central Division Finals 

 

East Division Semifinals

#1 Maryland Black Bears vs #5 New Jersey Titans - Maryland wins, 3-0

Game 1: Friday, April 19 - Maryland 5, New Jersey 3

Game 2: Saturday, April 20 - Maryland 3, New Jersey 2 (OT)

Game 3: Friday, April 26 - Maryland 3, New Jersey 1 

Maryland advances to the East Division Finals

 

#2 Maine Nordiques @ #3 Rochester Jr. Americans - Maine wins, 3-2

Game 1: Friday, April 19 - Maine 4, Rochester 2

Game 2: Saturday, April 20 - Maine 5, Rochester 2

Game 3: Friday, April 26 - Rochester 2, Maine 1 (OT)

Game 4: Saturday, April 27 - Rochester 5, Maine 1

Game 5: Monday, April 29 - Maine 2, Rochester 1 (OT)

Maine advances to the East Division Finals

 

Midwest Division Semifinals

#1 Anchorage Wolverines vs #4 Minnesota Wilderness - Anchorage wins, 3-1

Game 1: Friday, April 19 - Anchorage 4, Minnesota 0

Game 2: Saturday, April 20 - Anchorage 2, Minnesota 1 (OT) 

Game 3: Friday, April 26 - Minnesota 4, Anchorage 1

Game 4: Friday, April 26 - Anchorage 6, Minnesota 2

Anchorage advances to the Midwest Division Finals 

 

#2 Wisconsin Windigo vs #3 Janesville Jets - Wisconsin wins, 3-0

Game 1: Friday, April 19 - Wisconsin 4, Janesville 2

Game 2: Saturday, April 20 - Wisconsin 2, Janesville 0

Game 3: Friday, April 26 - Wisconsin 3, Janesville 1

Wisconsin advances to the Midwest Division Finals 

 

South Division Semifinals

#1 Lone Star Brahmas vs #4 New Mexico Ice Wolves - Lone Star wins, 3-1

Game 1: Friday, April 19 - Lone Star 3, New Mexico 1

Game 2: Saturday, April 20 - Lone Star 2, New Mexico 0

Game 3: Tuesday, April 23 - New Mexico 4, Lone Star 3 (2 OT)

Game 4: Wednesday, April 24 - Lone Star 4, New Mexico 0

Lone Star advances to the South Division Finals

  

#2 Shreveport Mudbugs vs #3 El Paso Rhinos - Shreveport wins, 3-2

Game 1: Friday, April 19 - Shreveport 4, El Paso 2

Game 2: Saturday, April 20 - El Paso 3, Shreveport 2 (4 OT)

Game 3: Friday, April 26 - Shreveport 3, El Paso 2 

Game 4: Saturday, April 27 - El Pason 3, Shreveport 1

Game 5: Monday, April 29 - Shreveport 2, El Paso 0

Shreveport advances to the South Division Finals

 

East Division Finals

Maryland Black Bears vs. Maine Nordiques

Based on the rankings, the East Division figureed to provide the most difficult of all possible routes to the championship. While the Maryland Black Bears entered the postseason as the lowest-ranked of the four division winners, an argument can be made that they are the league’s premier team considering that East Division teams held the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh spots in the MHR NAHL rankings.

Maryland finished 41-19 overall and with 87 standings points, seven in front of the No. 5 Maine Nordiques (37-23). The sixth-ranked New Jersey Titans (37-25) had 73 points, while the No. 7 Rochester Americans were 36-26 and had 75 points. The No. 9 Johnstown Tomahawks (36-26, 75 points) didn’t even make it to the Division Semifinals.

The Black Bears were led in scoring by Dmitry Kebreau, Jesse Horacek and Jeremi Tremblay with 52, 45 and 44 points, respectively. Tremblay had a team-best 22 goals, while Kebreau led the way with 33 assists and Kareem El-Bashir handed out 27 helpers. In goal, Owen Lepak posted a 2.19 goals-against average and .913 save percentage. Their opponents in the East Division Finals, the Maine Nordiques, are the No. 2 East seed and were led offensively by Charles Tardif, who recorded 36-28-64. Kellen Murphy was next with 54 points, and David Helledy dished out 36 assists. Carter Richardson compiled a .929 save percentage and 2.33 GAA in net.

 

How They Got There - Maryland outscored the New Jersey Titans, 11-6, to sweep its Division Semifinal series, 3-0. Dimitry Kebreau's 3-2-5 led the way for the Black Bears, with Jeremi Tremblay adding 0-5-5 and Jesse Horaceck contributing 1-3-4. Owen Lepak was the winning goalie in all three contests, recording a .938 save percentage and a 1.66 GAA. 

Maine had a much tougher road to the East Division Finals, needing all five games to eliminate the first-year Rochester Americans. The Nordiques needed overtime to win Game 5, 2-1, after dropping Game 3 by a similar score in extra time and Game 4 by a 5-1 tally on the road. Nils Forselius recorded a team-best five points in the series, followed by Shane Kozlina with four. David Helledy and Zion Green contributed three points apiece. Carter Richardson earned all three wins in goal while posting a .941 save percentage and a 2.06 GAA. 

 

East Division Finals Schedule - Maine leads, 1-0

Game 1: Friday, May 3 - Maine 2, Maryland 0

Ryan Panico and Cole Hipken each scored for the Nordiques, while goalie Carter Richardson made 36 saves to earn the shutout. Owen Lepak had 28 saves for the Black Bears. 

Game 2: Saturday, May 4 @ Maryland, 6:30pm

Game 3: Friday, May 10 @ Maine, 7:30pm

Game 4: Saturday, May 11 @ Maine, 2:00pm*

Game 5: Sunday, May 12 @ Maryland, 7:00pm*

 *if necessary; game times local to the host rink

 

 

South Division Finals

Lone Star Brahmas vs. Shreveport Mudbugs

The road to Blaine isn't much easier in the South Division, which boasted our top-two ranked NAHL teams as well as the Nos. 11 and 13 clubs, with the defending-champions and 10th-ranked Oklahoma Warriors being left out of the Divison Semifinals altogether.

Top-seeded and top-ranked Lone Star (44-16) Brahmas have a balanced offensive attack that features three 22-goal scorers in Jacob MacDonald, Justin Kerr and Brock James, but Ivan Zadvernyuk paced the team in points with 64 thanks to his 43 assists. Jack Wieneke compiled an impressive .942 save percentage, eight shutouts and a 1.39 GAA. Leading the offensive attack for second-ranked Shreveport, Lone Star's opponent in the Division Finals, are Hayden Nichol and Ryan Burke, who recorded 24 and 23 goals, respectively. Burke also dished out 40 assists to pace the club with 63 points, In goal, Eliot Seguin-Lescarbeau compiled a .925 save percentage with four shutouts and a 1.99 GAA.

 

How They Got There - Top-seeded and top-ranked Lone Star needed four games to eliminate the New Mexico Ice Wolves. The Brahmas allowed just one goal in their three victories, outscoring New Mexico, 9-1, in those contests. Ivan Zadyernyuk's 3-3-6 paced Lone Star in the opening round, while Jacob MacDonald (2-3-5) and Brock James (3-2-5) notched five points apiece. Jack Wieneke recorded two wins and one shutout in goal, compiling a .924 save percentage and a 1.45 GAA. 

Shreveport and El Paso played a thrilling five-game series, with the Mudbugs coming out on top thanks to a 2-0 Game 5 victory. Colin Vassallo had 3-4-7 in the Division Semfinals, with Kyan Haldenby adding 3-4-7. Brent Litchard, Lucas Deeb and Ryan Buke contributed three points apiece. Eliot Seguin-Lescarbeau earned all three wins in goal, posting a .944 save percentage and a 1.39 GAA. 

 

South Division Finals Schedule - Shreveport leads, 1-0

Game 1: Friday, May 3 - Shreveport 3, Lone Star 2 

Logan Heroux's second goal of the game at 10:28 of the third period was the winner as Shreveport took Game 1. Carter McKay netted the other Mudbug goal, and winning netminder Eliot Seguin-Lescarbeau made 25 saves. 

Game 2: Saturday, May 4 @ Lone Star, 7:30pm

Game 3: Friday, May 10 @ Shreveport, 7:11pm

Game 4: Saturday, May 11 @ Shreveport, 7:11pm*

Game 5: Sunday, May 12 @ Lone Star, TBD*

*if necessary; game times local to the host rink

 

 

Central Division Finals

Minot Minotauros vs. Bismarck Bobcats

The Central Division featured our Nos. 3, 8, 16 and 22 NAHL teams in the Minot Minotauros, Bismarck Bobcats, Aberdeen Wings and Austin Bruins, respectively. Top-seeded No. 3 Minot faces off against No. 8 and third-seeded Bismarck in the Division Finals.

Minot (44-16) was led up front during the regular season by Jack O’Hanisain, who finished with 30 goals and 61 points. Joel Lehtinen added 16 markers and 51 points, while goalies Lukas Swedin and Brady James each recorded three shutouts. Swedin compiled a sparkling 1.72 GAA and a team-best .920 save percentage. Bismarck (41-20) had three 20-goal scores in Tommy Cronin (21), Patrick Johnson (20) and Julian Beaumont (20). Cronin also led the team with 59 points and 38 assists, with Evan Hunger handing out 34 helpers. Goalie Klayton Knapp posted a .921 save percentage, five shutouts and a 2.32 GAA. Stephen Pack had five shutouts, too, and compiled a 2.25 GAA and .917 save percentage. 

 

How They Got There - Minot rolled to a three-game sweep by outscoring the Austin Bruins, 19-3. Four players led a balanced Minotauro offense with five points apiece. Niklas Ketonen, Ian Spencer and Nicholas Sewecke had three goals and two assists apiece, with Joel Lehtinen contributing 2-3-5. In goal, Brady James recorded two wins to go along with a .956 save percentage and a 1.00 goals-against average. 

Bismarck rallied from a 2-1 deficit by outscoring Aberdeen, 12-3, in Games 4 and 5 to advance to the Central Division Finals. Tommy Cronin's 3-4-7 led the way for the Bobcats in the opening round, while Jake Peterson, Evan Hunter, Patrick Johnson and Tamas Toth added five points apiece. Netminder Klayton Knapp posted a pair of wins, a .941 save percentage and a 1.68 GAA. 

 

Central Division Finals Schedule - Minot leads, 1-0

Game 1: Friday, May 3 - Minot 5, Bismarck 2

John Small and Jack O'Hanisain scored twice for the Minotauros, who iced the game with a pair of goals in the final five minutes. Weston Knox and Nicholas Sewecke each dished out a pair of helpers for the winners, while Brady James stopped 24 shots. 

Game 2: Saturday, May 4 @ Minot, 7:35pm

Game 3: Friday, May 10 @ Bismarck, 7:15pm

Game 4: Saturday, May 11 @ Bismarck, 7:15pm*

Game 5: Monday, May 13 @ Minot, 7:05pm*

*if necessary; game times local to the host rink

 

 

Midwest Division Finals

Anchorage Wolverines vs. Wisconsin Windingo 

While the Midwest Division may not have had the highest-ranked teams, it may have been the most evenly matched group, featuring the No. 14 Anchorage Wolverines, No. 12 Wisconsin Windingo, No. 24 Minnesota Wilderness and No. 1 Janesville Jets. Top-seeded Anchorage (Minnesota (39-21) takes on second-seeded Wisconsin (39-21) in the Midwest Division Finals.

Anchorage is led by three 20-plus goal-scorers in Fyodor Nikolayenya (27), Bryce Monrean (21) and Romulus Riego De Dios (21). Nikolayenya and Monrean poured in 64 and 62 points, respectively, with Oliver Salo reaching the 55-point mark thanks to his 38 assists. Liam Beerman compiled a .923 save percentage in goal to go along with four shutouts and a 2.37 GAA. The Windingo boasted the top-scoring duo in the NAHL as Maxwell Martin potted 44 goals to go along with Will Schumacher’s 32 tallies. Martin led the league with 97 points, while Tyler Grahme added 62 and Schumacher contributed 58. Max Beckford recorded an impressive .940 save percentage and 1.830 GAA.

 

How they Got There - It took Anchorage four games and a lot of frequent-flyer miles to knock out Minnesota.Tyler Hennen recorded 2-3-5 for the series winners, with Fyodor Nikolayenya adding five helpers. Devin Brock, Cole Christian, Cam Shasby, Bryce Monrean and Kade Shea added three points each. Netminder Liam Beerman was the winner in all three victories, compiling a .949 save percentage and a 1.72 GAA. 

Wisconsin outscored Janesville, 9-3, in its first-round sweep, with Everett Pietila's 1-3-4 leading the way. Jacob Jastrzebski and Maxwell Martin added three points apiece, while Max Beckford shut the door in goal with three wins, a .974 save percentage and a 1.00 GAA. 

 

Midwest Division Finals Schedule - Anchorage leads, 1-0

Game 1: Friday, May 3 - Anchorage 3, Wisconsin 2

Arvega Hovsepyan, Drew Nelson and Tyler Hennen staked the Wolverines to a 3-1 lead through two periods and goalie Liam Beerman held off Wisconsin in the final 20 minutes. Beerman finished with 29 saves to earn the win in goal, but things got tight in the third period after Carter Theissen cut the margin to 3-2 at the 2:42 mark. 

Game 2: Saturday, May 4 @ Anchorage, 7:00pm

Game 3: Sunday, May 5 @ Anchorage, 4:00pm**

**If Windigo lead series 2-0 or series tied 1-1**

Game 3: Friday, May 10 @ Wisconsin, 7:00pm***

***If Anchorage leads series 2-0***

Game 4: Friday, May 10 or Saturday, May 11, 7:00pm*

Game 5: Saturday, May 11, 7:00pm or Sunday, May 12, 6:00pm*

*if necessary; game times local to the host rink

 

  

MHR NAHL Power Rankings as of May 3 

Here is a look at how the playoff teams stacked up among all NAHL teams based on our MHR Tier 2 power rankings entering the postseason (teams in bold qualified for Division Finals):

1. Lone Star Brahmas – 47-17-0, 93.90 rating
2. Minot Minotauros – 47-16-0, 93.45
3. Shreveport Mudbugs – 44-21-0, 93.39
4. Maryland Black Bears – 44-19-0, 93.31
5. Maine Nordiques – 40-25-0, 93.11
6. New Jersey Titans – 37-28-0, 93.03
7. Rochester Jr. Americans – 38-29-0, 92.98
8. Bismarck Bobcats – 44-22-0, 92.96
9. Johnstown Tomahawks – 36-26-0, 92.79
10. Oklahoma Warriors – 32-31-0, 92.75
11. El Paso Rhinos – 42-26-1, 92.73
12. Wisconsin Windingo – 42-21-0, 92.58
13. New Mexico Ice Wolves – 35-31-0, 92.36
14. Anchorage Wolverines – 42-22-0, 92.15
15. Amarillo Wranglers – 32-30-0, 92.08
16. St. Cloud Norseman – 26-35-0, 92.06
17. Odessa Jackalopes – 27-37-1, 92.95
18. Northeast Generals – 27-35-0, 92.05
19. Aberdeen Wings – 34-33-0, 91.99
20. Philadelphia Rebels – 26-34-0, 91.98
21. Janesville Jets – 33-30-0, 91.92
22. Austin Bruins – 31-32-0, 91.75
23. New Hampshire Mountain Kings – 20-40-0, 91.38
24. Corpus Christi IceRays – 19-41-0, 91.26
25. Minnesota Wilderness – 31-33-0, 91.25