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North American hockey has adapted to stop-and-go play in 2020-21 as leagues continually adjust to their respective campaigns, and this weekend the ECHL will join in as it drops the puck on its own season.

The adaptation leagues are continually undergoing is sure to bring surprises across the continent, where shortened seasons skew variables including game frequency, rest ratios, injury timelines, and far more.

Some players, and subsequently some teams, will adjust better than others, where hot or slow starts can distort overall production for those teams and players. These factors are almost certain to unfold unanticipated storylines and can be the jumping point for a number of dark horse teams ready to upset preseason favorites. 

In The ECHL

In October, the ECHL offered an opt-out to its clubs via a voluntary suspension. Since then, 11 teams have chosen to sit out the 2020-21 season, with the Cincinnati Cyclones, Idaho Steelheads, and Kalamazoo Wings announcing their decisions over the weekend. The Fort Wayne Komets and Toledo Walleye, the only two remaining teams set to start in January, have not finalized their decisions.

With just 15 — and possibly just 13 — teams remaining in the scheduling mix for 2020-21, the ECHL could see a fun overhaul in standings from the 2019-20 campaign. Fifteen clubs finished the prematurely canceled 2019-20 season above the .500 mark; of those clubs, seven have opted out of 2020-21.

With the split-season format leaving all 2021 postseason spots in the hands of points percentage, there is a lot of room at the top for some new playoff faces.

Orlando Solar Bears Brighten Defense

With a 27-29-5-1 record, the Solar Bears took a step back last season after consecutive second-round playoff losses. Orlando was a defensively strong team last season but struggled to find consistent offense as the 21st team in goals-for.

The Solar Bears brought in a number of new forwards, namely six rookies with three on tryouts. Despite their lack of flash on paper, the young legs of the rookies should stay fresh in a compacted season.

The club also ensured that it would maintain tits key to success by shoring up the crease. The Solar Bears have brought back goaltender Garret Sparks, who spent 2013–2016 with the team, earning a 26-13-3 record backed by a 2.42 GAA, .933 SV%, and six shutouts. Sparks, in combination with Clint Windsor, will make for one of the best tandems in 2020-21.

With a dedication to preventing goals, where they finished 10th last season in goals-against, remaining defensively-minded with a system that allows for natural offense could see the Bears make some trouble.

In The NCAA

With the opt-out of The Ivy League, the NCAA is running six conferences in 2020-21. Additionally, independent programs Arizona State and Long Island University have affiliated themselves with the Big Ten and Atlantic Hockey for the season.

An Atlantic Hockey Horse

In Atlantic Hockey, Robert Morris has already shown it is ready to give back-to-back conference champ AIC some competition this year. The Colonials finished last season with a 13-19-5 overall record and a three-way tie for sixth in the conference. With the split hubs in AH, the Colonials and Yellow Jackets won’t see any face-to-face action in the regular season.

The Colonials have gotten off to a 5-3 start, including a 3-1 conference record as the current top spot. Their early success has been built on an electric offense with four players sitting at or above a point-per-game through eight contests.

A first period hat trick from Jordan Timmons helped propel Robert Morris to win Saturday night and a sweep over Air Force! #RMUnite | 🔴🏒🔵https://t.co/3G8bANTJvs

— RMU Men’s Hockey (@RMUMHockey) December 6, 2020

With 12 different goal scorers, the Colonials are getting production from their depth and refusing to let up late in games with 12 third-period goals and 83 third-period shots. But playing form behind is not a recipe for success as the Colonials have entered the third period with a lead just three times this season.

Despite a deep offense, the Colonials are struggling to prevent goals and are currently relying on outscoring their deficiencies. Coach Derek Schooley has split goaltending duty early on this season, but freshman Noah West is emerging as the No. 1.

With the defensive lapses and the team’s 3.29 GAA, Schooley could be riding the tandem out while he continues to work out the kinks in the defense as to not wear out West or curb his confidence in the crease. The bulk of time should start to tilt his way in the coming weeks.

WCHA Underdog

The Lake Superior State Lakers are ready to put last season’s 14-23-4 record behind them and show their overall record of 23-13-2 in 2018-19 was not just a blip. Upperclassmen — notably Ashton Calder, Lukas Kaelble, William Riedell, and Pierre-Luc Veillette — were there for the Lakers’ best regular season since 1995-96.

Now, the four of them sit in the top seven in team scoring and are leading the way for the Lakers’ current 4-0-2 start, which is the best record in the WCHA, despite conference play not starting until January.

Through their six-game unbeaten streak to start the season, the Lakers are showing they are not a one-trick pony. They are scoring and defending equally and shutting teams down with the league’s 12th-best penalty kill among teams to have taken at least 10 penalties in minutes.

But a 0-for-18 powerplay is in drastic need of improvement in order to maintain scoring success. Their five-on-five efficiency is encouraging, but no true contending team, be it conference or national, can allow their man advantage to be so stagnant.

Coach Damon Whitten’s powerplay system has run dull since taking the helm in 2014-15, never reaching above an 18-percent conversion rate.

Laker Hockey Closes out 2020 with a 3-2 Win over Alabama Huntsville https://t.co/yfhHdfVP2W

— Lake State Hockey (@HockeyLSSU) December 7, 2020

The Lakers don’t play again until a Jan. 1-2 series with Alaska. It offers Whitten a lot of practice time to revisit the powerplay and find some chemistry and a system that fits his players.

The series with Alaska, which will be the Nanooks’ first action of the 2020-21 season, will offer the Lakers a chance to jumpstart the powerplay and get back into game mode after a month-long hiatus as conference-play begins.

Following their series with Alaska, the Lakers will have another two weeks off before facing Minnesota State, Michigan Tech, and Bemidji State in three consecutive weekends.

Don’t miss the Solar Bears or Colonials this weekend, when both teams will be in action live, right here on FloHockey.

Have a question or a comment for Jacob Messing? You can find him on Twitter @Jacob_Messing.