Bruins drop out of contention

It took 33 minutes on Sunday for the Chicago Bruins to go from being a hot team in contention to a team fighting for a fourth-place finish.

The Midwest Maniax out of Dyer, Ind., handed a 5-1 defeat to the Bruins, a team that one game earlier had defeated the Chicago Jets 3-0. The game before that, the Bruins had pushed Jaguar Mite #2 to the limit before falling on Inwood Ice, 2-1.

The Maniax's win moved them into fourth place, two points ahead of the Bruins. Both teams still have the potential to end the season with 16 points, although only one of them can actually get to that total since they play the season finale against one another. The team that gets there, however, will likely have to settle for fourth place in the White Tier of the Mite Division of the Northern Illinois Hockey League.

The fourth-place finish is probable because of the point totals already enjoyed by the three teams sitting above the Maniax in the tier.

The Chicago Bulldogs, who like the Jaguars were idle on Sunday, still sit atop the tier following the end of weekend play. They have 18 points and are two points ahead of the Chicago Jets, who increased their point total to 16 -- and climbed ahead of the Jaguars, who remain at 15 -- on the strength of a 13-1 victory over the last-place Sabres on Sunday.

The Bulldogs have one game remaining, against the Bruins on Feb. 10, and could end the year atop the tier with 20 points. Should they tie with or lose to the Bruins, however, that opens the door to the top spot for whichever team wins when the Jets and the Jaguars square off next Sunday morning, Feb. 12, at Johnny's Ice House.

Both teams should win the other game they have remaining -- the Jaguars against the Sabres (on Feb. 15) and the Jets against the Maniax (on Feb. 11) -- meaning a win over the Jets would give the Jaguars a probable 19 points on the season, while the Jets would, as a result of a loss, likely max out at 18 points. Conversely, if the Jaguars fell to the Jets, they would max out at 17 points (and settle for third), while the Jets could go on to a 20 point total.