After winning the first series in 5 games against the Blues, the Trident just reached the South Conference Finals by defeating the Orcas in 6 games. After leading the series 3-1 and losing game 5 on the road, captain Lenny Koonts proved his tremendous leadership qualities in front of a sold-out home crowd. Koonts led the Trident to a 4-2 win and ended up with 2 goals (including the game winning goal), 1 assist, a +2 rating, 1 hit and 2 takeaways. He now leads the team in points with 15 in 11 games. Coach Julian Trudel had this to say:

"Koonts is such a great leader for this team. We forget it because he's been in the league since the start but he's only 22. It feels like he's already a veteran but he's only getting started and getting better every year.

The team is playing its best hockey right now. Everyone is stepping up. Both our goalies are killing it there is no other way to say it. I think we are seeing a new kind of team in here. A team that no one likes to play against. And that's exactly what we want to be"

After pulling the Trident from a 4-14 record stretch, coach Trudel finished the season with a record of 17-12 and pushed the Trident to a playoff spot. For the past seasons, the management wanted to see a bigger offensive output from the Trident and this season, the team is fared a lot better than previous seasons. Being dead last in goals for the first 2 seasons, 22nd in the 3rd, 18th in the 4th, the Trident now ended up with as the 8th team with the most goals for. A major improvement! Lokhanov (79GP 30G-44A-74PTS), Haslebacher (80GP 28G-39A-67PTS), Koonts (80GP 39G-35A-74PTS) and Pfeffer (80GP 8G-37A-45PTS +26) all had their career best seasons offensively while Shibahara finished the season with the best Sv% (0.923) and the best GAA (2.66) in the league.

"We did not finished the season with the momentum we wanted to carry to the playoff. We got a bit unlucky the past few games, but I'm still happy with the team performance since I got here. We believe we have a very solid group of players and we can take on anyone in the league for sure. We know we have all it takes to be solid contenders."
-Julian Trudel

The Saint Paul Razorbacks organization has made the decision to relieve Head Coach Kris Lemieux of his duties following a disappointing early playoff exit. While we recognize and appreciate Kris’s leadership in guiding the team to a regular-season championship, our organization is committed to postseason success, and we believe a new direction is necessary.  Although Kris had multiple years on his contract, he's expected to retire after a long career.

We are pleased to announce the promotion of Gail Fraley from our farm team, the Grand Rapids Guppies, to Head Coach of the Razorbacks. Gail has demonstrated strong leadership, player development, and a winning mindset, and we are confident that he is the right person to lead this team forward.

The organization will immediately begin the search for a new head coach for the Grand Rapids Guppies as we continue to strengthen our development system from the ground up.

The Minnesota Dockheads are headed into a long offseason earlier than they wanted, and make no mistake, ownership is not pleased. An early exit from the Beacon Cup Playoffs is not the standard this organization expects, and after a series that featured narrow margins and missed opportunities, there is real frustration surrounding how this season came to a close.

Still, disappointment and belief can exist at the same time.

Minnesota’s first-round loss to the Orcas was not a series where the Dockheads were completely outclassed. In fact, they were right there nearly every night. Game 1 ended in a 2-1 regulation loss. Game 2 was a 3-2 overtime defeat. Game 3 saw the Dockheads fall 4-2 on home ice. Facing elimination, Minnesota answered with an overtime win in Game 4 to extend the series and show the fight that remained in the room. But in Game 5, the Dockheads were shut out 2-0, ending their season in frustrating fashion.

That is what will sting the most.

This was not a team that folded. This was not a team that got embarrassed. This was a team that battled shift after shift, stayed within reach, and simply could not find the extra play or bounce needed to turn the series. And that is the cruel reality of playoff hockey. Winning the Beacon Cup is incredibly hard. Every mistake is magnified, every missed chance matters, and every opponent left standing is dangerous.

Ownership is clearly unhappy with the result, but there is still a strong sense that this core group deserves continued faith. With the expansion draft approaching, that becomes even more important. This organization now faces an offseason where difficult decisions may have to be made, but there is still reason to believe the foundation in place is good enough to compete again.

As for the Orcas, this writer believes they are good enough to finish the job. After surviving a hard-fought series with Minnesota, they look like a team built for this moment, and I expect them to go on and win the championship.

For the Dockheads, the ending is painful. But with the expansion draft looming and a core still worth trusting, this may not be the end of a window, only a hard lesson in how difficult it is to reach the top.

 In what may be his last game in pro hockey Privateers C Zackary Nowry left nothing in the tank.  Nowry recorded 3 goals in a 4 - 2 victory over the Miami Trident.   Nowry finishes the season with 36 goals, 35 assists for a total of 71 points.   If this is in fact his last game his career line reads 397 Games Played  172 Goals, 208 Assists for a total of 380 Points.   He also had 35 playoff games with an additional 30 points.   Nowry played in 3 All Star Games and made the Cup Finals one time back in Season 3.