2020–21 EHL season
| 2020–21 EHL season | |
|---|---|
| League | Eastern Hockey League |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
| Duration | Regular season September 2020 – March 2021 Post-season March 2021 |
| Number of games | 38–13 |
| Number of teams | 18 |
| Regular season | |
| Season champions | New Jersey 87's |
| EHL Playoffs | |
| Finals champions | Boston Junior Rangers |
| Runners-up | New Hampshire Avalanche |
The 2020–21 EHL season was the 7th season of the Eastern Hockey League. The regular season ran from September 2020 to March 2021 with a planned 38-game schedule for all teams. The New Jersey 87's won the regular season championship. The Boston Junior Rangers defeated the New Hampshire Avalanche 3 to 2 in overtime for the league championship.
Member changes
- In February of 2020, the EHL announced the addition of two new teams, the Keene Eclipse and Protec Jr. Ducks.[1] The former were admitted as an expansion franchise while the latter had purchased the Philadelphia Jr. Flyers and relocated to Somerset, New Jersey.
- Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic both the North Carolina Golden Bears and Philadelphia Revolution withdrew from the league and dissolved their junior programs. Both organizations continued to operate at the local youth level.
- Due to Massachusetts state restrictions on interstate travel and quarantine procedures, both the Connecticut Chiefs and Vermont Lumberjacks relocated to Massachusetts for this season. The Lumberjacks played out of the Waterville Valley Ice Arena and were temporarily renamed the Lumberjacks Hockey Club while the Chiefs used the Olympia Ice Center and were temporarily named the Western Mass Chiefs.[2][3] Both returned to their former homes after the year.
- The Keene Eclipse withdrew from the league in early November due to complications from the pandemic as well as a lack of planning and foresight from ownership. Despite their issues, the EHL allowed the team to return for the following year.
Regular season
The standings at the end of the regular season were as follows:[4]
Note: x = clinched playoff berth; y = clinched conference title; z = clinched regular season title
Standings
North Division
| Team | GP | W | L | OTL | Pts | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| xy – New Hampshire Avalanche | 38 | 26 | 8 | 4 | 56 | 146 | 90 |
| x – New England Wolves | 36 | 20 | 13 | 3 | 43 | 139 | 140 |
| x – Lumberjacks Hockey Club | 35 | 17 | 17 | 1 | 35 | 133 | 142 |
| x – Seacoast Spartans | 38 | 16 | 19 | 3 | 35 | 114 | 139 |
| Keene Eclipse | 13 | 3 | 9 | 1 | 7 | 37 | 55 |
Note: Keene withdrew from the league in early November.
Central Division
| Team | GP | W | L | OTL | Pts | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| xy – Boston Junior Rangers | 38 | 32 | 5 | 1 | 65 | 168 | 77 |
| x – Walpole Express | 38 | 26 | 10 | 2 | 54 | 131 | 98 |
| x – Western Mass Chiefs | 38 | 17 | 17 | 4 | 38 | 124 | 138 |
| x – Worcester Jr. Railers | 38 | 18 | 20 | 0 | 36 | 116 | 144 |
| x – East Coast Wizards | 38 | 17 | 19 | 2 | 36 | 124 | 132 |
| x – Seahawks Hockey Club | 38 | 13 | 19 | 6 | 32 | 102 | 122 |
| x – Valley Jr. Warriors | 38 | 10 | 26 | 2 | 22 | 105 | 151 |
South Division
| Team | GP | W | L | OTL | Pts | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| xyz – New Jersey 87's | 38 | 32 | 2 | 2 | 67 | 186 | 82 |
| x – Philadelphia Little Flyers | 38 | 20 | 15 | 3 | 43 | 142 | 123 |
| x – Protec Jr. Ducks | 38 | 17 | 15 | 6 | 40 | 133 | 154 |
| x – Team Maryland | 38 | 16 | 15 | 7 | 39 | 128 | 146 |
| x – Connecticut RoughRiders | 37 | 14 | 19 | 4 | 32 | 127 | 176 |
| x – New York Apple Core | 37 | 12 | 22 | 3 | 27 | 128 | 174 |
EHL playoffs
Note: For the Round Robin Semifinal, the non-division champion with the best regular season record received an at-large bid. The final two rounds were held at the Ice Line Quad Rinks in West Chester, Pennsylvania.
| Division Quarterfinals (Best-of-3) | Division Semifinals (Best-of-3) | Division Finals (Best-of-3) | Semifinals (Round Robin) | Championship (Best-of-1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| N1 | New Hampshire Avalanche | 2 | 4 | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| N4 | Seacoast Spartans | 3 | 5* | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| N4 | Seacoast Spartans | 4 | 2 | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
North | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| N3 | Lumberjacks Hockey Club | 5 | 5 | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| N2 | New England Wolves | 3 | 4 | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| N3 | Lumberjacks Hockey Club | 7 | 6 | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| C2 | Walpole Express | 4 | 5 | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| C7 | Valley Jr. Warriors | 2 | 3 | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| C1 | Boston Junior Rangers | 5 | 6 | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| N3 | Lumberjacks Hockey Club | – | 5 | 5 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| C4 | Worcester Jr. Railers | 2 | 0 | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| C3 | Western Mass Chiefs | 2* | 3 | - | C1 | Boston Junior Rangers | 3 | 4 | - | C1 | Boston Junior Rangers | 3 | – | 5 | 2 | C1 | Boston Junior Rangers | 3* | ||||||||||||||
Central | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| C6 | Seahawks Hockey Club | 1 | 0 | - | C2 | Walpole Express | 1 | 3 | - | S1 | New Jersey 87's | 6 | 3 | – | 4 | A | New Hampshire Avalanche | 2 | ||||||||||||||
| C2 | Walpole Express | 4 | 5 | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| A | New Hampshire Avalanche | 9 | 1 | 5 | – | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| C3 | Western Mass Chiefs | 1 | 3 | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| C4 | Worcester Jr. Railers | 5 | 4 | 7* | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| C5 | East Coast Wizards | 3 | 6 | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| S1 | New Jersey 87's | 6 | 5 | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| S4 | Team Maryland | 3 | 0 | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| S3 | Protec Jr. Ducks | 1 | 2* | - | S1 | New Jersey 87's | 3 | 3* | - | |||||||||||||||||||||||
South | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| S6 | New York Apple Core | 0 | 1 | - | S2 | Philadelphia Little Flyers | 2 | 2 | - | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| S2 | Philadelphia Little Flyers | 5 | 4 | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| S3 | Protec Jr. Ducks | 2 | 2 | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| S4 | Team Maryland | 5 | 6 | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| S5 | Connecticut RoughRiders | 2 | 0 | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Note: * denotes overtime period(s)
References
- ^ "EHL Welcomes Ducks and Eclipse". Eastern Hockey League. February 17, 2020. Retrieved August 17, 2025.
- ^ "EHL First Round Playoff Preview: Five Best-Of-Three Series Set To Begin This Week". Hockey Night in Boston News. March 2, 2021.
- ^ "Around the #EShow - First Half Recap". YouTube. January 4, 2021.
- ^ "2020-21 Eastern Hockey League Standings". Hockey DB. Retrieved July 30, 2025.