The race for playoff positioning in the PacWest is a feverish one. Five of the league’s six teams are separated by two points right now. The same two-point margin is what separates the second place team from the last place team. The only team that isn’t involved in the battle for playoff positioning is the VIU Mariners. The Mariners’ record of 8-2-0 gives them 26 points on the season, 14 points ahead of second place Kwantlen Eagles, and 16 points ahead of last place Capilano Blues.
The Mariners’ latest victory came on Saturday, October 4, against Quest University. VIU came out strong, erupting with three goals in the first half and led 3-0 at halftime. Quest did get on the board in the second half, but the Mariners’ defense didn’t surrender anything else. When the game’s final whistle blew, the Mariners were victorious by a score of 3-1.
The Mariners took care of business on the road September 27 and 28, picking up wins against Douglas and Kwantlen University. On Saturday against Douglas, it was Blaze Roberts who scored the only goal in a 1-0 Mariner win. Then, the next day, goals by Jordan Degraaf and Victor Blasco gave the Mariners a 2-0 victory. The Mariners’ defense, which allowed no goals on the weekend, has only allowed five goals in 10 games so far this season.
The Mariners play their final home games of the season on October 18 and 19 against Douglas College and Kwantlen University. The game against Douglas starts at 3 pm, and kickoff for the game against Kwantlen is 2 pm.
Standings as of publication:
| RANK | TEAM | PL | W | D | L | +/- | PTS | ||||
| 1 |  |
(1) |  |
Vancouver Island University Mariners | 11 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 17 | 29 | |
| 2 | |
(2) |  |
Douglas College Royals | 11 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 17 | |
| 3 | |
(3) |  |
Kwantlen Polytechnic University Eagles | 11 | 4 | 3 | 4 | -3 | 15 | |
| 4 | |
(4) |  |
Quest University Kermodes | 11 | 3 | 2 | 6 | -5 | 11 | |
| 5 | |
(5) |  |
Langara College Falcons | 11 | 3 | 2 | 6 | -6 | 11 | |
| 6 | |
(6) |  |
Capilano University Blues | 11 | 3 | 1 | 7 | -7 | 10 | |