Halifax Floor Hockey League
Oh look, the Slayers are in first place. If this surprises you in any way then you've clearly never watched a single game in the last two or three seasons. With names like Tyrell, Keating and Scalet on their roster, the Slayers make a case for not bothering to vote for an all-star team. The league already has one. It's in Sunnydale.
On the plus side, the Slayers have what may be the single strongest bench in the league. With a consistent, patient and balanced scoring attack there isn't one single person opposing defences can key on as the offense can come frome anywhere. On the other hand, the Slayers have had surprising difficulty with the league's worst teams. Last season they were eliminated by the last place Keane Fire on the Fire's way to their improbable first league championship. This season the teams only regular season loss has come at the hands of, of all teams, the last place LAN Hackers. Once again the Slayers find themselves heavy favorites, but will that really make a difference? They were last year to.
Odds: 2-1 favorites (3-1 if the Hackers get past round 1)
Final Question: Will the Slayers go all the way or will they once again be victimized by the recent "You need Amy Scott on your roster to win" trend?
Keane Chill (5-4-1 109GF 86GA)
While the Chill, or as league pundits call them "Plan B" may only be in second place due to a technicality (both goals for and plus/minus are better than the third place Fire) don't let that fool you. This is still a dangerous team. With Tony Joyce and Jeff Shute both leading the team and the League in regular season scoring, the Chill have managed an offense almost as balanced as the Slayers. While the Slayers are the more talented team, always keep in mind that they barely edged the Chill in goals for.
The team's biggest handicap going into the playoffs will be their reliance on their top players. In all four regular season losses, Joyce, Shute and Chad Randell were held to four points or less. The Chill must find a way to get around this problem in the playoffs because while their other players can put up the goals, the team may not be able to get enough of an offense going if their stars are neutralized.
Odds: 4-1 favorites
Final Question: Does Michael Griffiths continue his best season since 2001 with his second league title or will he once again be suiting up for the pickup game after the finals?
Keane Fire (5-4-1 75GF 98GA)
You know, looking at this team's GF/GA, you have to wonder how they ended up in third place. The answer, however, is actually quite simple. When they lose, they lose big. I still can't figure this team out. Despite having one of the best players in the league in Gill Mombourquette the Fire are actually better off in a tight defensive battle than a blow out.
If Mombourquette is taken out of the equation, the Fire will need the rest of the team to step up and step up in a big way. Unfortunately, a review of all the Fire's regular season losses shows that this isn't likely to happen. No Gil, no goals. However, it should always be kept in mind that the same was said about the Fire last season and this is clearly a better team.
Are they good enough to repeat? That's hard to say. Fairy Godmothers only help Cinderella get to the ball once in a life time.
Odds: 2-1 underdogs
Final Question: With the loss of Amy Scott to the Lynx, could the Fire share something in common with the Slayers if they fail to repeat, or will Sunny Johnston prove a more than adequate replacement good luck charm?
ADC Lynx (4-5-1 71GF 73GA)
Now here's something you don't see every day, a team with the best goalie in the league sitting at -2. Despite a second half that was one of the most painful in the league this season, the Lynx are actually a team on the rise. After making the Slayers fight for an 8-4 victory, the Lynx ended the season with a convincing, tenacious 12-7 win over the second place Keane Chill. The team doesn't have the offensive power of the Slayers or the Chill but the Lynx are the hardest working and possibly most respected team in the league. They also have Martin Kane. It always helps to have Martin.
Where the team goes from here will depend on which version of the team shows up for the playoffs. Do we get the listless, effort-free version that was handily beaten by the Hackers or the stubborn, hard working, never say die version that can go toe to toe with anyone in the league? With Dale Wright leading the way yet again this season, everyone is contributing and with the surprise performances of Richard Wanamaker and Mike Montgomery, both enjoying their best offensive totals since 2001 and 2003 respectively, the Lynx could conceivably make a second consecutive appearance in the finals.
They are easily the dark horse of the league.
Odds: 7-1 favorites
Final Question: Does it shock or scare anyone else that Richard Wanamaker of all people is the third highest goal scorer on the Lynx?
LAN Hackers (3-6-1 90GF 110GA)
No, that isn't a misprint, the Hackers actually did finish in fifth place. The scariest thing here is that the fifth place finish is by virtue of being the only team not to lose to the Slayers. Having gone 1-0-1 against the top team in the league has to be a real confidence booster come the playoffs. Will it get them all the way? No. Not a chance.
There are numerous roadblocks in the team's quest for the cup. Jean-Marc Ferland is a rookie goaltender who's been given a minimal defence for much of the season. The poor man has to be seeing wiffle balls in his sleep. Also, the Hackers have yet to put out a full roster this season, with much of the bottom half of the roster showing up for only half of the regular season a lack of chemistry will hurt this team. The Hackers have three things going for them:
1) This is still a better finish than last season 2) They've actually got the third highest goals for in the league 3) Two of their three regular season wins came against the first place Slayers and the Hackers first round opponent, the ADC Lynx
There's one problem, the Lynx remember that and they AREN'T happy.
Odds: 5-1 underdogs
Final Question: So how long do we all think the Hackers will really need to rebuild?
Lite-Sabres (3-7-0 72GF 117GA)
Oy, this has not been a terribly good season for the Lite-Sabres. When you've slipped into last place behind a team as bad as the Hackers, that's nothing less than sad. Interestingly enough, the Sabres and Hackers have many of the same problems. Only three members of the Sabres have shown up for the entire season, and one of them's the goalie. The team has not been able to compete against the league's elite and it's lack of experience has shown over the course of the season.
With the large amount of new arrivals, several of whom have impressed management of other league teams, it's highly doubtful we'll see this same roster next season. Whether or not that's a good thing remains to be seen. The Sabres, unlike past editions, are HIGHLY unlikely to win the cup, however they have an opportunity to do what nobody else in the league will be able to do. Take out the defending champs in the first round. Unfortunately, they weren't able to do that during the regular season. If they finally figure themselves out though, they might just make things interesting.
Odds: 6-1 underdogs
Final Question: So how do you like the bigger nets Brent?