This year in the Premier Division both conferences are split into their own pair of divisions, with the division winners taking the #1 and #2 seeds in the first round of the playoffs.

In the North Conference, the four New England Division teams have all shown us some ups and downs to start the season. For example, the New England Wolves knocked off the Philadelphia Jr. Flyers twice in three days, and all four teams have endured their own difficult losing streak this year.

At the Thanksgiving break, it looks like it will be a two-team race between the New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs and the Northern Cyclones, but don't count out the Vermont Lumberjacks.

Switch over to the Boston Division, and even though the Boston Bandits have been in first place for most of the season, it feels like any of the five teams can come out on top. Once each team’s total number of games evens out with one another, the five teams may find themselves to be even closer then they’ve been all year.

Here are your 8 playoff teams, if the postseason began today ...

1. Boston Bandits
2. NH Jr. Monarchs
3. Northern Cyclones
4. Valley Jr. Warriors
5. Walpole Express
6. East Coast Wizards
7. Vermont Lumberjacks
8. Boston Jr. Rangers

Keep in mind that not every team has played an equal number of games, and they all have 48 total games on their schedules this season.

Crossover to the South Conference, and at of the end of November, the Central Division is the closest race amongst all of the divisions in Tier-3 junior hockey. The Connecticut Oilers have held down the top spot for most of the season, but there are still only 8 points between them and the 4th place Connecticut Nighthawks.

On the other hand, the Mid-Atlantic has been all about the Philadelphia Little Flyers. The Little Flyers broke their own 20-game point streak to start the season, and currently lead the league with a remarkable record of 20-0-1 (41 points).

Here are your 8 playoff seeds, if the postseason began today ...

1. Philadelphia Little Flyers
2. Connecticut Oilers
3. Philadelphia Revolution
4. New Jersey Rockets
5. Philadelphia Jr. Flyers
6. New York Applecore
7. Hartford Jr. Wolfpack
8. Connecticut Nighthawks

Keep in mind that not every team has played an equal number of games, and they all have 48 total games on their schedules this season.

19U ELITE PLAYOFF FORMAT

• Top six teams in each conference advance to the playoffs.
• Top two teams in each conference receive a first round bye.
• Remaining four teams play a single elimination matchup at the home of the higher seed (3 vs. 6, and 4 vs. 5).
• Following the first round, each conference will re-seed 1-4 and compete in a Round Robin at a central location (separate locations for North and South).
• THE WINNER OF EACH ROUND ROBIN WILL ADVANCE TO THE 19U ELITE DIVISION FINALS.

When we flip over to the 19U Elite Division, the two conferences are extremely different.

The North has been jam-packed from the start of the season, as the Vermont Lumberjacks have stood tall in 1st place, while seeds 2-8 haven’t been separated by more than 8 points all year.

Meanwhile, the South Conference has shaped up to be the Philadelphia Revolution vs. Philadelphia Jr. Flyers, as the rest of the teams have been looking up at the Philly rivals all season.

If the season ended today, the Vermont Lumberjacks and the Boston Bandits would be the top 2 seeds in the North Conference, while the Philadelphia Revolution and the Philadelphia Jr. Flyers would be the top 2 teams in the South Conference.

For the 19U Elite Division all 15 teams will finish the season having played 42 total regular season games.