Taking a look at the standings, the playoff status for a few WPHL teams appears etched in stone, while for some it is as unpredictable as the weather. Alan May and the crew in Lubbock have done a most impressive job making this team into a contender in their inaugural season. The key will be whether or not May can keep this going. On the defensive side, Lubbock is blessed with arguably the best defenseman in the League, Arturs Kupaks. The one thing that could derail the Cotton Kings would be an injury to the defensive unit, which has gone only 4 players deep most of the season.
Injuries always seem to play a key element in a team's destiny, no matter what sport it is.
That could prove to be true with the New Mexico Scorpions. During their game against Fort Worth on December 23rd, leading scorer Joe Ferras took an inadvertent puck to the face, which prematurely ended his season with an eye injury. The Scorpions also lost another of their top weapons when Peter Ambroziak was forced to miss several games due to a nagging injury. This is where Coach Tony Martino and his team really stepped it up. Players like Randy Murphy have come on strong since the Ferras injury, helping to pick up the slack.