MOOSE JAW -- There wasn’t a whole lot of movement in the latest edition of the SportCage.com Western Hockey League Eastern Conference Power Rankings, but that’s not to say things are settling down completely.
The Prince Albert Raiders remain the only team yet to lose in regulation in the Conference, and as a result of their 7-0-2-0 record, they remain at the top of the rankings for Week 5. The Raiders played two games this past weekend, taking a 6-5 win over Regina and dropping a 3-2 overtime decision to the Edmonton Oil Kings.
Both the Saskatoon Blades and Edmonton are right on Prince Albert’s heels in second and third respectively, with only two ranking points separating the three teams.
Saskatoon holds a 9-3-0-0 record after losing 6-2 at home to Moose Jaw Friday, winning 8-5 in Moose Jaw on Saturday and taking a 4-3 win over Edmonton on Sunday.
Edmonton is in first place overall in the Conference standings at 9-3-0-1 after their battles in Prince Albert and Saskatoon.
The remainder of the East Division sees Swift Current (6-3-0-0) in fifth, Moose Jaw (6-5-1-0) sixth, Regina (2-6-2-0) 10th and Brandon (2-6-1-0) 11th.
The Lethbridge Hurricanes were the only team to make a move in the rankings, jumping a single spot to eighth over Red Deer after falling in a shootout to Spokane last Wednesday and downing Calgary 7-6 in overtime on Saturday after scoring five third-period goals.
The Eastern Conference power rankings are voted on each week by a panel of longtime WHL observers, with priority given to recent results in addition to the current standings.
