SteelHounds a point away from playoff berth

YOUNGSTOWN — The Youngstown SteelHounds need just one more point to clinch a Central Hockey League playoff berth for the second straight season.

Wednesday’s 3-2 win over the Colorado Eagles combined with the Rocky Mountain Rage’s stunning 7-6 overtime loss to the Arizona Sundogs gives Youngstown (37-20-5, 79 points) a three-point lead. The Rage had a five-goal lead in the third period and led by three with two minutes to play before being tied. They earned a point for the overtime loss.

The SteelHounds own the tiebreaker against the Rage from winning the season series. The Rage are tied with the Mississippi RiverKings for fifth place. The RiverKings have three games to play while the SteelHounds and Rage have two.

The Rage loss also has the Eagles (37-19-6, 80 points) one point shy of winning the Northwest Division championship. The division winner will be the second seed in the conference playoffs. Five teams from each conference qualify for the postseason.

The SteelHounds trail the Texas Brahmas (82 points) by three points for third place in the Northern Conference.

Complete story appears in Friday’s edition.