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*Wraiths Cllinch Top Seed in NSFC - PigSnout - 06-22-2018 Wraiths Clinch Top Seed in NSFC Week 12 was a disappointment for the Wraiths as they suffered a 38-17 loss in Orange County, but there was still a silver lining for them that week. With the Phildelphia Liberty losing to the Colorado Yeti, the Wraiths have officially clinched first place in the NSFC for Season 8. The Wraiths currently sit at 9-3 with two games remaining while the Liberty and Yeti now sit even at 6-6 with the Hawks one game behind them at 5-7. With only two games left, none of the other teams in the NSFC can get to 9 wins this season, meaning that the Wraiths are now officially guaranteed to finish with the best record in the conference. Clinching first place in the conference is important because it provides home field advantage in the conference championship game, meaning that the NSFC Championship will be coming to Yellowknife for a second year in a row. However, this is far from a guarantee of success as the Wraiths' players and fans still have fresh and painful memories of last season's NSFC Championship game in which the Wraiths lost despite having home field advantage. The Wraiths will be watching carefully to see who they will match up with so that they can look to avoid a similar fate this year. While the Wraiths being the #1 seed in the NSFC is already confirmed, the second playoff spot in the NSFC remains up for grabs entering the final two weeks of the season. The Philadelphia Liberty currently hold this spot with a 6-6 record. The Liberty are the defending champions and started the season with a strong 5-2 start before starting a rebuild and trading away some key pieces. The Liberty have gone 1-4 since then and are looking to use their early season momentum to make one last playoff trip before beginning their rebuild. This would be an interesting match up for the Wraiths as it is a repeat of last year's NSFC Championship game and would give the Wraiths an opportunity to avenge last season's loss. However, the Colorado Yeti are hot on the Liberty's trail. The Yeti are also 6-6 right now and are tied with the Liberty but are currently losing out on the playoff spot due to tiebreakers. The Yeti have struggled in recent years but are surging forward this year as their young talent is starting to come together. Before the season, most people did not expect the Yeti to contend for a playoff spot this year, but they have been exceeding expectations so far this season and could do it again by jumping into a playoff spot in the final two weeks of the season. While the Hawks are last place in the NSFC right now at 5-7, they still could jump back into the playoff picture if they finish the season strong and the Liberty and the Yeti struggle in their final games. Though their record isn't great, the Hawks are very talented on paper and have caught some unlucky breaks this season, so they could be a sleeping giant if they are able to make it into the playoffs. The Hawks are probably the scariest potential match up for the Wraiths as they already played them very close twice this season and have a complete roster that could match up against the Wraiths' talent. Overall, it's hard to project which of these teams is going to be the Wraiths' opponent in the playoffs. With the Wraiths' final two games being home games against the Yeti and the Liberty, they could be seeing an exact preview of their playoff match up in the final two weeks of the season. One particular game to keep an eye on is the Week 14 game between the Yeti and the Hawks as this could be the game that decides who will grab the second playoff spot in the NSFC. While the Wraiths clinching the NSFC's top seed is a great accomplishment, it is not time for them to rest yet. They still need to finish the regular season strong as it is still up for grabs who would have home field advantage in a playoff match up between them and the Otters or the Second Line. The Wraiths also saw last year that a great regular season means nothing if you can't carry that intensity into the playoffs, so they will be looking to keep playing hard and let their momentum carry them to playoff success. The Wraith's road to trying to win their first Ultimus is still long, but being able to lock down the top seed in the NSFC is still a great milestone to hit along the way.