Playoff Picture: Field Hockey (Oct. 3)

It's been a week of close games, upsets and playoff previews on the field hockey pitch, and the standings reflect just how small the margin for error is this year.

Crunch time is officially here, with the regular season ending in two weeks, and there is still plenty to be determined in all three divisions. Here's a look at where every team in the state stands heading into Friday's games.

Note: For field hockey, Division I will have 12 teams, Division II will have 11 teams and Division III will have 10 teams. Standings based off results reported to NHIAA.org and other media outlets. These are not official standings or pairings.

Division I

Team (record, rating, last week)

1. Londonderry (10-1, 3.6364, 1st)
2. Bedford (10-1, 3.6364, 2nd)
3. Keene (9-1-1, 3.4545, 3rd)
4. Winnacunnet (8-2-1, 3.0909, 4th)
5. Timberlane (7-4, 2.5455, 7th)
6. Pinkerton (7-4, 2.5455, 5th)
7. Bishop Guertin (7-4, 2.5455, 6th)
8. Salem (7-4, 2.5455, 8th)
9. Concord (6-3-2, 2.5455, 9th)
10. Dover (7-4-1, 2.5000, 10th)
11. Merrimack (4-6-1, 1.6364, 12th)
12. Windham (4-7-1, 1.5000, NR)

Outside: Exeter (4-7, 1.4545, 11th); Goffstown (2-9-1, 0.8333); Portsmouth (2-8, 0.8000); Nashua South (2-10, 0.6667); Nashua North (0-10, 0.0000); Manchester (0-11, 0.0000).

Tiebreakers

• Londonderry wins the tiebreaker with Bedford thanks to a better quality of wins against tournament teams.
• In a five-way tiebreaker, Pinkerton, Bishop Guertin and Timberlane finish ahead of Salem and Concord thanks to a better rating against tournament teams.
• In a three-way tiebreaker, Timberlane, Pinkerton and Bishop Guertin finish in that order thanks to quality of wins against tournament teams.
• Salem wins the tiebreaker with Concord thanks to a head-to-head victory.

First-Round byes (changes in bold)

1. Londonderry
2. Bedford
3. Keene
4. Winnacunnet

First-Round matchups

• No. 9 Concord at No. 8 Salem
• No. 12 Windham at No. 5 Timberlane
• No. 11 Merrimack at No. 6 Pinkerton
• No. 10 Dover at No. 7 Bishop Guertin

Playoff Dates

• Preliminary Round: Tuesday, Oct. 21, 3 p.m. at higher seed.
• Quarterfinals: Friday, Oct. 24, 2 p.m. at higher seed.
• Semifinals: Tuesday, Oct. 28, 5 and 7 p.m. at Bill Ball Stadium, Exeter.
• Championship: Saturday, Nov. 1, 7 p.m. at Bedford High School

Division II

Teams (record, rating, last week)

1. Oyster River (10-1, 4.0000, 2nd)
2. Souhegan (10-1, 4.0000, 1st)
3. Bow (10-1-1, 3.5000, 4th)
4. John Stark (9-1-1, 3.4545, 3rd)
5. Hollis Brookline (8-2-1, 3.0909, 5th)
6. Hanover (7-3, 2.8000, 7th)
7. Plymouth (7-4, 2.5455, 6th)
8. Kingswood (6-5, 2.1818, 8th)
9. Pembroke (5-5, 2.0000, 9th)
10. Derryfield (4-6, 1.6000, 11th)
11. Kennett (4-7, 1.4545, 10th)

Outside: Merrimack Valley (3-7-1, 1.2727); ConVal (2-8, 0.8000); Lebanon (1-10, 0.3636); Laconia (1-10, 0.3636); Milford (0-9-1, 0.2000); Pelham (0-10-1, 0.1818).

Tiebreakers

• Oyster River wins the tiebreaker with Souhegan thanks to a head-to-head win.

First-Round byes (changes in bold)

1. Oyster River
2. Souhegan
3. John Stark
4. Bow
5. Hollis Brookline

First-Round matchups

• No. 9 Pembroke at No. 8 Kingswood
• No. 11 Kennett at No. 6 Hanover
• No. 10 Derryfield at No. 7 Plymouth

Playoff Dates

• Preliminary Round: Thursday, Oct. 23, 3 p.m. at higher seed.
• Quarterfinals: Sunday, Oct. 26, 2 p.m. at higher seed.
• Semifinals: Thursday, Oct. 30, 5 and 7 p.m. at Bill Ball Stadium, Exeter.
• Championship: Saturday, Nov. 2, 5 p.m. at Bedford High School

Division III

Team (record, rating, last week)

1. Berlin (9-1-1, 3.6364, 2nd)
2. St. Thomas (8-1, 3.5556, 1st)
3. Hopkinton (8-1-1, 3.4000, 3rd)
4. Mascoma Valley (6-2-1, 3.2000, 4th)
5. Stevens (7-3, 2.8000, 6th)
6. Mascenic (6-3, 2.6667, 7th)
7. Kearsarge (5-3-1, 2.4444, 5th)
8. Gilford (5-4-1, 2.2000, 8th)
9. Conant (3-4, 1.7143, 9th)
10. Bishop Brady (3-5-1, 1.5556, 10th)

Outside: Sanborn (3-6, 1.3333); Monadnock (3-7, 1.2000); Newfound (3-7, 1.2000); Newport (0-7, 0.0000); Winnisquam (0-11, 0.0000).

First-Round Matchups (changes in bold)

• No. 9 Conant at No. 8 Gilford
• No. 10 Bishop Brady at No. 7 Kearsarge

Quarterfinals

• Conant/Gilford at No. 1 Berlin
• No. 5 Stevens at No. 4 Mascoma Valley
• Bishop Brady/Kearsarge at No. 2 St. Thomas
• No. 6 Mascenic at No. 3 Hopkinton

Playoff Dates

• Preliminary Round: Wednesday, Oct. 22, 3 p.m. at higher seed.
• Quarterfinals: Saturday, Oct. 25, 2 p.m. at higher seed.
• Semifinals: Wednesday, Oct. 29, 5 and 7 p.m. at Bill Ball Stadium, Exeter.
• Championship: Saturday, Nov. 1, 3 p.m. at Bedford High School