Sadly, the final week of 3ICE concluded in Clarksville Wednesday night. Four teams were in action all with different goals in mind. Team Fuhr was looking to steal the final playoff spot and needed a tournament win in order to get it. Team Mullen was looking to play spoiler as they had no way of making it into the playoffs, Team Patrick was hoping to move up the standings into first, and Team Murphy was hoping to keep first place.
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Game 1 saw Team Mullen taking on Team Murphy, while Game 2 saw Team Patrick taking on Team Fuhr. As always, both losing teams played each other for 0.5 points in a consolation game while both winners received a point automatically and played each other for another two points in the final game of the night.
Game 1: Semi-Finals – Team Mullen vs Team Murphy
Team Mullen was playing for pride against Team Murphy as they had no chance of making it to the playoffs, and they came out hot, but not before Zach Solow scored in his 3ICE debut to put Team Murphy up 1-0 early. Seamus Donohue quickly tied it 1-1 before Patrick Mullen made it 2-1 with a potential goal of the week candidate as he batted it out of the air.
Team Mullen held the lead for the rest of the game behind a second goal from Mullen and a solid performance all around. Colton Hargrove made it 4-2 with another goal of the week candidate but it wasn’t enough, and Team Murphy lost 5-3.
Game 2: Semi-Finals – Team Patrick vs Team Fuhr
Team Fuhr needed to win both games this week if they wanted any chance of making the playoffs, but they needed to get through a red-hot Team Patrick to make it to the Finals in Clarksville. Unfortunately, Team Patrick came out hot yet again and took Team Fuhr’s playoff hopes away. Team Patrick defeated Team Fuhr 5-1 to earn one point and move on to the Finals.
Team Patrick vs Team Mullen earned the right to be in the Finals for two points, while Team Fuhr battled Team Murphy in the consolation game. With this loss, Team Fuhr was eliminated from the playoffs and Team Johnston is in.
Game 3: Consolation Game – Team Murphy vs Team Fuhr
Team Fuhr battled for pride in a consolation matchup against Team Murphy, but unfortunately, the luck just wasn’t there for them in Clarksville this week. This game was never really close. A hat-trick from MVP candidate Hank Crone and a huge offensive output from the rest of Team Murphy led them to a 10-4 victory over Team Fuhr, earning them a half-point.
With this, Team Fuhr finishes the season in sixth place with 1.5 points while Team Murphy was in jeopardy of losing first place. A loss for Team Patrick meant Team Murphy stayed in first, but if they were able to knock off Team Mullen, they’d jump Team Murphy and into first.
Game 4: Finals – Team Patrick vs Team Mullen
The final game of the night was a big one for both teams. A win for Team Patrick meant they’d jump into first place by half a point, while Team Mullen was looking to play spoiler and keep them in second place. In what was a really close game, Team Mullen was able to successfully pull off the upset and win 4-3 against Team Patrick, moving themselves into fifth place to end the season.
Team Mullen left this week as tournament champions with three points, while Team Patrick only got one. Team Murphy earned a half point while Team Fuhr comes out as this week’s loser with zero points.
With the season now over, Team Murphy, Team Patrick, Team Bourque and Team Johnston have earned the opportunity to play in championship week on Saturday, Aug. 12, while Team Mullen, Team Fuhr, Team LeClair and Team Carbonneau finish outside the top four, and will not play next weekend.
Make sure to stay tuned to The Hockey Writers for all your 3ICE coverage throughout the rest of the season.