Chris Clegg
NPHL.com Writer
The final week before the Christmas break, except for GP, who started their break after the Saturday win over GRIM. They don’t play until Jan. 3, a break of 19 days. Meanwhile it’s not all bad for winless HP. Every team makes the playoffs and HP has only four more road games left after their trip to FAL this week: FAL and MAN, and GRIM twice with one game at PR. Seven are at home. David Temple, former NPHL linesman and avid NPHL fan, sets the lines. To his credit, Temple called the GRIM upset over GP last week.
High Prairie at Falher (Thu., Dec. 20)
LINE: Falher by 3 1/2
It’s worst vs first in the East and the fourth of six meetings this season. FAL won on home ice 6-5 and in HP 10-4 and 7-4. It’s the third straight Thursday the teams clash. Of the 28 categories listed in the Stats Pack, HP ranks last in 16 of them, and sixth in seven more. That’s 23 of 28 categories so it’s not hard to see why HP is winless. Think stats are sometimes for losers? How about winners? FAL is a fascinating contrast in that stats can lie. Let’s rattle them off. Despite the second best win percentage in the NPHL, FAL ranks only fourth in PP, sixth in PK, fourth in shots on goal four, fifth in shots on goal against, fifth in shots on goal for and against. You would expect a top tier team to do much better. How good will FAL be when they straighten that out? HP and FAL have the two worst PK units in the league – FAL is 70% and HP 68.66%, and they sport the two worst records when scoring first: HP is 0-5 and FAL 2-3. FAL ranks first or second in the NPHL compared to HP’s sixth or seventh ranking in best record when allowing the first goal, trailing after one period, goals scored in the first and second periods, and goals allowed in the first period. FAL ranks first while HP is last in goals for and against in the first period [+10 for FAL to -11 for HP] and in the second period [+16 for FAL to -34 for HP]. FAL at 5.00 PIMS per game and HP at 4.42 PIMs per game rank sixth and fifth in most stick foul PIMs. There are ugly stats when HP goes to FAL. FAL has won 15 straight over HP in FAL since Dec. 18, 2010 and each game has been by at least three goals – except the last game! Eleven of the 15 wins have been by at least five goals. FAL has also scored at least seven goals in 11 of the wins, and HP scored three goals or more only three times. FAL is getting hot while HP is still winless. FAL to win and cover.
The Season Series
1. Thu., Nov. 15 – Falher 10 at High Prairie 4
2. Thu., Dec. 6 – High Prairie 5 at Falher 6
3. Thu., Dec. 13 – Falher 7 at High Prairie 4
4. Thu., Dec. 20– High Prairie at Falher
5. Thu., Jan. 24 – Falher at High Prairie
6. Thu., Jan. 31 – High Prairie at Falher
The Stats Pack
[Ranking in Parenthesis]
Category High Prairie FalherRecord 0-10-1-1 [4-East] 8-3-0-1 [1-East]
Power Play 9-51, 17.65% [7] 15-68, 22.06% [4]
Penalty Kill 21-67, 68.66% [7] 18-60, 70.00% [6]
Shots For 32.67 per game [6] 40.50 per game [4]
Shots Vs 43.33 per game [6] 39.33 per game [5]
Shots Diff -128 [6] +14 [5]
PIM For 25.25 per game [4] 23.83 per game [3]
PIM Vs 21.25 per game [3] 24.92 per game [5]
PIM Diff -48 [6] +13 [5]
Scoring 1st 41.67% [T5] 41.67% [T5]
Record Scoring 1st Goal 0-5 [7] 2-3 [6]
Record Allow 1st Goal 0-7 [7] 6-1 [1]
Lead After 1 Period 0-4 {7] 4-3 [6]
Trail After 1 Period 0-7 [7] 2-1 [1]
Lead After 2 Periods 0-0 [7] 7-2 [6]
Trail After 2 Periods 0-12 [7] 0-1 [3]
Goals Scored in 1st 1.50 per game [6] 2.17 per game [1]
Goals Scored in 2nd 1.17 per game [7] 2.67 per game [2]
Goals Scored in 3rd 1.33 per game [6] 2.08 per game [3]
Goals Allowed in 1st 2.42 per game [7] 1.33 per game [2]
Goals Allowed in 2nd 4.00 per game [7] 1.33 per game [T3]
Goals Allowed in 3rd 2.25 per game [T5] 2.17 per game [4]
Goal Diff in 1 -11 [7] +10 [1]
Goal Diff in 2 -34 [7] +16 [1]
Goal Diff in 3 -11 [6] -1 [4]
Come From Behind Wins 0 [7] 50.00% [1]
Blown Leads 50% [7] 25.00% [4]
Team Stick Fouls 4.42 PIM/Game [5] 5.00 PIM/Game [6]LAST WEEK’S RECORD STRAIGHT-UP: 5-2
LAST WEEK’S RECORD AGAINST THE LINE: 4-3
SEASON RECORD STRAIGHT-UP: 27-12
SEASON RECORD AGAINST THE LINE: 25-14