Oxbow's in as D3 sets up exciting finish

You can add Oxbow to the list of teams that have clinched a playoff berth after the Olympians pulled away from Spaulding to improve to 3-4. That leaves just two postseason berths -- one in Division I and one in Division III -- still in play with one or two weeks to go in the regular season.

While Hartford's win over St. Johnsbury at the top of the DI standings deservedly drew most of the attention on Saturday, Oxbow and their Division III compatriots have set up the more fascinating conclusion in Week 8. Note these final-week matchups:

* Windsor (7-0) at Woodstock (7-0)
* Mill River (4-3) at Otter Valley (5-2)
* Oxbow (3-4) at BFA-Fairfax (3-3)
* Springfield (1-6) at Spaulding (1-6)
* Missisquoi (0-6) at Poultney/MSJ (1-6)

The last two matchups here might be the most intriguing as Spaulding and Poultney/MSJ wins would leave both teams with 2-6 records and identical wins. That would likely mean a coin toss would decide the final playoff spot.

I'll dig deeper into the playoff picture early next week, but for now here are the QPR standings through Saturday's games:

Division I

(Includes all games vs. in-state opponents. Games vs. out-of-state teams, including losses for Rutland and Hartford), are ignored)

1. Hartford (6-1* overall, 6-0 D1), 90 points, 15 QPR
2. CVU (6-1 overall, 6-1 D1), 90 points, 12.86 QPR
3. St. Johnsbury (5-2 overall, 5-2 D1), 84 points, 12 QPR
4. Essex (5-2 overall, 5-2 D1), 72 points, 10.29 QPR
5. Rutland (4-3* overall, 4-2 D1), 48 points, 8 QPR
6. Middlebury (4-3 overall, 4-3 D1), 50 points, 7.14 QPR
7. Rice (3-4 overall, 3-3 D1), 48 points, 6.86 QPR
8. Colchester (3-4 overall, 3-4 D1), 34 points, 4.86 QPR
9. Brattleboro (2-5 overall, 2-5 D1), 28 points, 4 QPR
10. BFA-St. Albans (2-5 overall, 2-4 D1), 26 points, 3.71 QPR
11T. South Burlington (0-7 overall, 0-7 D1), 0 points, 0 QPR
11T. Mt. Anthony (0-7 overall, 0-7 D1), 0 points, 0 QPR

Division II

(QPR includes only Division II games. Games against teams in other Vermont divisions are only counted for tiebreaker purposes.)

1. Burr and Burton (7-0 overall, 7-0 D2), 79 points, 11.29 QPR
2. Bellows Falls (7-0 overall, 6-0 D2), 62 points, 10.33 QPR
3. Fair Haven (6-1 overall, 5-1 D2), 47 points, 7.83 QPR
4. Burlington (5-2 overall, 4-2 D2), 36 points, 6 QPR
5. Mt. Abraham (2-5 overall, 2-4 D2), 18 points, 3 QPR
6. North Country (3-4 overall, 2-4 D2), 16 points, 2.67 QPR
7. Mt. Mansfield (2-5 overall, 1-5 D2), 9 points, 1.5 QPR
8. Milton (2-5 overall, 1-5 D2), 7 points, 1.17 QPR
9. Lyndon (0-7 overall, 0-7 D2), 0 points, 0 QPR

Division III

(Includes all games vs. in-state opponents. Games vs. out-of-state teams are ignored)

1. Woodstock (7-0 overall, 7-0 D3), 73 points, 10.43 QPR
2. Windsor (7-0 overall, 7-0 D3), 71 points, 10.14 QPR
3. Otter Valley (5-2 overall, 4-2 D3), 43 points, 6.14 QPR
4T. U-32 (4-3 overall, 4-3 D3), 36 points, 5.14 QPR
4T. Mill River (4-3 overall, 4-3 D3), 36 points, 5.14 QPR
6. BFA-Fairfax (3-3 overall, 3-2 D3), 19 points, 3.17 QPR
7. Oxbow (3-4 overall, 3-3 D3), 21 points, 3 QPR
8. Poultney/MSJ (1-6 overall, 1-5 D3), 7 points, 1 QPR
9T. Spaulding (1-6 overall, 1-6 D3), 5 points, 0.71 QPR
9T. Springfield (1-6 overall, 1-5 D3), 5 points, 0.71 QPR
11. Missisquoi (0-6 overall, 0-6 D3), 0 points, 0 QPR

How do these numbers work? Teams receive 10 points for a win over a D1 opponent, 7 points for a win over a D2 opponent and 5 points for a D3 opponent. Teams also receive 2 points for every game won by the teams they have beaten. QPR is total points divided by games played.