For the next four days, the last four teams standing after the North American Hockey League grind will conclude their season at Fogerty Ice Arena in Blaine, dueling for the NAHL's Robertson Cup. 

The NAHL's equivalent of the NHL's Presidents Trophy (best regular-season record) spearheads the postseason's foray into the north metro, with top-seeded Fairbanks entering the final games of the season with a record of 51-9-5-3. Meeting the Ice Dogs in the semifinals will be No. 4 seed Minot, which finished fourth in the Central Division. The Ice Dogs won three of four games against the Minotauros during the regular season. 

In the other semifinal series, No. 2 seed Shreveport takes on No. 3 seed Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, with the South Division champion Mudbugs relying on the standout play of its deep scoring core and the Knights responding with rookie playoff sensation Christian Stoever between the pipes.

The teams will play a best-of-three series, with the final championship game played between the winners of those series on Monday, May 14th at 7 p.m.

Continue reading for team-by-team breakdowns.  

Fairbanks Ice Dogs (51-9-5-3)

Forward Samuel Ruffin leads the Ice Dogs in scoring with three goals and nine points in eight playoffs games, followed by fellow forwards Jax Murray (4-3-7) and Hunter Wendt (3-4-7). Wendt also has the highest plus/minus of the Ice Dogs, clocking in at +6 for the postseason, while Murray is the third-highest scoring rookie in the playoffs.  

Josh Benson has been the stalwart between the pipes for the Ice Dogs, posting a playoff record of 5-1-0-1 with a goals-against average of 2.54 and a .868 save percentage. Benson is committed to Sacred Heart University.  

The Ice Dogs own a 3-0-1 regular-season record against Minot.

Minot Minotauros (34-28-4-2) 

Through eight playoff games, Alex Adams has totaled four goals and eight points, registering nearly a quarter of his regular-season point total in the postseason. Defenseman Nolan Sawchuk follows Adams in total playoff points with six on three goals and three assists. Sawchuk has also been a clutch performer during the Mintotauros’ run to Blaine, scoring a pair of game-winning goals. Sawchuk scored in double-overtime to send Minot to the next round in the Minotauros' 2-1 win over the Austin Bruins.

Samu Lonkila has been the goaltender for all eight playoff games, and is currently fourth in GAA (1.74) and second in save percentage (.943) among all playoff goalies.

If there is a team that could consider itself kissed by fate, it would be the Minotauros, who finished fourth in the Central Division before scratching out a 6-2 record in the postseason. 

Shreveport Mudbugs (47-14-5-4)

With four players who topped the 40-point summit during the regular season, Shreveport boasts a deep and balanced lineup, including defenseman Dominick Procopio, one of the highest-scoring defenders in the league. Procopio has totaled 39 assists during the regular season and playoffs combined.

Forward Ryan Burnett (3-6-9) teams with Roberts Baranovskis (3-2-5) and Jordan Fader (2-3-5) to give the Mudbugs firepower up front. Another bonus for the Mudbugs could be the more stable presence of forward Brendan VanSweden, who’s got a goal and three points in 10 playoff games, but leads the team with 44 penalty minutes in that same span.

Veteran Jaxon Castor has won all six games in the postseason for the Mudbugs, totaling a save percentage of .922 and adding a shutout to his resume.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (36-26-5-1)

The Knights have ridden the inspired postseason play of rookie goaltender Christian Stoever to the final four, as the Northville, MI native and his six-foot, three-inch frame has gone 6-1-0-1 with a sparkling GAA of 1.86 and a sterling save percentage of .951.

On the offensive side, another rookie is standing out for the Knights, as Jack Olmstead paces the team in scoring with eight assists and 10 points. In fact, six of the Knights’ leading scorers in the playoffs are NAHL rookies, including Tyson Bronte (3-3-6) and defender Blake Kryska (1-4-5).