Crunch Time: ACHL Teams Battle for Seeding and Survival

With the flip of the calendar to February, teams are eyeing postseason spots as two compelling races heat up over the final month of regular season play.

Top Seed Battle

The Stoney Creek Tigers (1st place, 14-1-1-1) and Wentworth Gryphins (2nd place, 13-3-0-0) have both secured their spots in the J. Robertson Cup postseason but are jockeying for the top seed and home ice advantage throughout the playoffs. Stoney Creek currently holds a six-point advantage in the standings, but with three meetings remaining between the teams—including a home-and-home series to conclude the schedule—anything can happen.

The Tigers have been led by Bo Webster, who has collected 29 points (7 goals, 22 assists) this season, sitting fourth in league scoring. Dylan Madge and Josh Pietrantonio have each tallied 12 goals, putting them in a three-way tie for fourth place in that category. Matt Sagrott returned to the ACHL this season and has been solid in the Stoney Creek net, racking up a league-leading eight victories while sporting a 2.88 goals-against average and .918 save percentage. His partner in crime, Daniel Svedin, has held his own with six wins and an overtime loss, posting a 3.14 GAA and a league-leading .924 save percentage.

For Wentworth, they're scoring by committee with four players in the top ten for league points. Leading the way is Alex Hutchings, who is tied for the top spot with 33 points over 14 games, including a league-best 16 goals. His next point will be his 100th in the ACHL, making him the 35th player since the 2011-12 season to reach the century mark. Three points back in third place is Mike Lomas with 30 points (11 goals, 19 assists), while Matt MacLeod sits sixth with 25 points and Ryan Foss ninth with 22 points in just nine games.

In the crease, the Gryphins have been very steady with their trio of netminders: Dawson Carty, Matthew Camilleri, and Joe Murdaca. Murdaca has shouldered the most work, going 6-2 in eight starts, while Camilleri is 4-1 in six games with a 3.53 GAA and .911 save percentage. Carty has appeared in the fewest games but is a perfect 3-0 this season with a 3.26 goals-against average.

These teams are so evenly matched that their final three games against each other could serve as the perfect preview of the championship series.

Playoff Race Tightens

The other race features the Dundas Real McCoys, Cambridge Hornets, and St. Catharines Saints battling for the final two playoff spots. The race has only tightened of late, with the McCoys dropping six straight and the Hornets stringing together a pair of victories. Heading into this week, Dundas (6-12-0-0) leads Cambridge (5-13-0-0) and the Saints (5-11-1-0) by just two points in the standings.

Dundas' recent struggles have been attributed to short benches, which associate coach Don Robertson says shouldn't be the case going forward starting this week. The McCoys will be getting players back from injuries and outside commitments, which should help bolster their lineup. Mackenzie Wood has been solid once again for the Valley Town squad, sitting fifth in league scoring with 26 points (14 goals, 12 assists) over 11 games. They'll need his steady production, along with the reinforcements, to secure a playoff spot. One player who has already made an impact upon his return is Brad Bonello, who has scored three times in three games.

The huge question mark for the McCoys is in net. Mike Mole and Ryan DeMelo have played the majority of games and have combined to allow 79 goals with a save percentage of .870. Dundas will need timely saves to pick up victories and build momentum.

After a lengthy losing streak, the Cambridge Hornets have started to turn things around, picking up a pair of wins to close out January. Of their final six games, they'll face St. Catharines twice and Dundas once while looking to pick up crucial points, but they'll also look to steal some points from the Gryphins and Tigers in their other three contests.

Since the calendar flipped to the new year, Steve MacAulay has scored five of the Hornets' 14 goals and added four assists. Alex Mourani and Brett Wilson share the team lead for points by active players with 11 apiece. They and MacAulay will need to continue their hot play to give Cambridge a chance at a playoff run.

Marc Williams, who sports a 3-5 record this season in the Hornets' crease, has helped his squad pick up the last two victories, allowing six goals over those two games while making 85 saves. The Waterloo native currently has a 4.30 goals-against average with an .886 save percentage. Mason Kameka has the other two wins for the Hornets over 10 appearances, sporting a 4.56 GAA while his save percentage sits just two one-thousandths higher than Williams.

Cambridge may need to lean on Williams' recent hot streak to help guide them to a postseason berth.

While the Saints sit in last place, they do have a game in hand on Dundas and Cambridge, which could prove crucial in this final month as they sit just two points back of the McCoys for third place. In their final seven games, they'll face Cambridge, Dundas, and Stoney Creek twice each while seeing Wentworth only once. Like the Hornets, they'll need to take advantage of their schedule and secure big wins against the Hornets and McCoys to claim a postseason spot.

David Pacan has been steadily accumulating points this season for St. Catharines, sitting tied for the league lead with 33 points (13 goals, 20 assists) over 13 games. Of his 13 goals, four have come on the man-advantage, leading the ACHL with teammate Justin Brack one behind him in power play goals. Brack has been another consistent producer for the Saints. The Orangeville native has posted four multi-point games this season, including a five-point performance against Cambridge on January 16. Both will need to continue their scoring ways to lead the Saints into the postseason.

Trevor Micucci and Devon Popp have been the main goaltenders for St. Catharines in 2026, with Micucci backstopping the team to their only win in January. Micucci leads the Saints with a 5.18 goals-against average and an .880 save percentage.

For St. Catharines to challenge for a postseason berth, they'll need to provide better support for their goaltending. One key area is limiting opponent man-advantages by staying out of the penalty box—they've surrendered the second-most power play goals this season at 14 and are the second-most penalized team in the league behind Cambridge in both categories.

With 17 games scheduled this month and numerous head-to-head battles, the push for the 2026 postseason will be red hot and will likely go right down to the wire.

Magic Numbers
Stoney Creek to clinch first place – 19 points (Tigers wins + Gryphins losses)
Wentworth to clinch first place – 28 points (Gryphins wins + Tigers losses)

Dundas to clinch a playoff spot – 17 points (McCoys wins + Hornets/Saints losses)
St. Catharines to clinch a playoff spot – 19 points (Saints wins + McCoys/Hornets losses)
Cambridge to clinch a playoff spot – 21 points (Hornets wins + McCoys/Saints losses)

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