Hockey Math

Michael St. Croix (Edmonton Oil Kings)

I am sure that in the academic world that the ways hockey uses math just drives math teachers insane. On a Tuesday with just 2 WHL games going on there was plenty of ways to show off hockey math.

Michael St. Croix (NYR 2011 4th) was in a goal scoring slump that dated back to December 28th or 10 straight games. Thanks to hockey math when Michael St. Croix buried his own rebound into the net at 1:01 of the first period; not only did the 10 game goalless slump disappear but it became a 3 game point streak.

Sorry Edmonton fans but St. Croix needs a couple more goals before we say the slump is over. But still for St. Croix, it was his 22nd goal and it turned out to be the game winner (his 5th) as Edmonton would go on to just dominate the Moose Jaw Warriors 7-0.

This really was ugly as the Oil Kings just owned every part of this game holding the Warriors to just 13 shots for the entire game, going 3 for 6 on the power play and killing off 4 Moose Jaw power plays.

Griffin Reinhart (NYI 2012 1st) had a rare assist as he got the primary assist on Curtis Lazar's power play goal in the 2nd period which made the score 3-0. It was Reinhart's 11th assist of the season as he is now 4-11-15 on the season.

In the 3rd period, St. Croix picked up a secondary assist on Edmonton's 6th goal to make it a 2 point evening for St. Croix who improved to 22-31-53. The most important hockey math number from this game is the number 3 as that is the lead that the Oil Kings now have on the Calgary Hitmen for the WHL's Eastern Conference lead.

Shane McColgan (Steve Hiscock)

Edmonton is on a 4 game road trip and they move on to Saskatoon to face Shane McColgan (NYR 2011 5th) and his Saskatoon Blades. The Blades are struggling as the hosts of the 2013 Memorial Cup find themselves locked in a pitched battle just to make the WHL Eastern Conference playoffs.

(Here is Hockey Math Algebra time) Entering Tuesday's game against the Brandon Wheat Kings, the Blades were in 8th place trailing 7th placed Medicine Hat by 2 points. The Blades though have played 3 few games than the Tigers.

The Blades scored 3 goals in the 2nd period and cruised from there to a 4-1 win over the Wheat Kings. McColgan had a secondary assist on the Blade's 3rd goal which gives McColgan a 11-35-46 mark on the season.

The win gives the Blades a 4 game unbeaten in regulation streak (2-0-0-2) as they pass Medicine Hat for 7th place even in points but the Blades have played 2 fewer games.

Wait it gets better as with the win, the Blades trail 6th place Lethbridge by 2 points but the Blades have played 4 fewer games. And 5th placed Swift Current also holds a 2 point lead on the Blades but the Blades have played 2 fewer games than Swift Current.

OK all those who are confused may take the rest of the day off, those of you who understood all of this please walk to the end of the hallway for a drug test.