Week Eighteen (4/18/09): Preview

It is almost the time. The Franklin Hockey League Playoffs are just one week away. With second place up for grabs, there are two huge games for Week Seventeen of the FHL season. Also, each playoff match-up will be decided. First, the Kings, battling for second place, go up against the Pirates. The Crosby’s, currently in second, will play the first place Jets. Finally at two, the Hawks and Bishop Boyle will meet. This is just another huge week in the FHL.

The 11:00 game puts the Kings (8-8) against the Pirates (6-10). Right now, the Crosby’s are sitting at a 35-33 total record, compared to the Kings 33-34 record. In order to be in second place, the Kings need to win this game and the Crosby’s need to lose. This game is huge for a bye in the first round. Kings come in with firepower on both offense and defense. Chad Kanz has 33 goals to go along with Adam Cristallini’s 20. On defense, Bill Seaman has 14 points, and is a shut down defender. For the Pirates, with a win, they can move up to the 4-seed, gaining home ice advantage in the first round. They can do that with a win along Bishop Boyle loss to the Hawks. A loss for the Pirates can send them back into last place, if the Hawks beat Bishop Boyle. The Pirates are arguably the hottest team in the FHL. Since the trade deadline, the Pirates are 3-1. Newcomers Drew Hruska, Shane Lucas, and Brian Hreha have fit in nicely with the likes of Tony Bonacorso, Andrew McDonald, and Ryan Cleary. A must win game for the Kings and Pirates is just the first of three action-packed games we expect to see this Saturday. The Jets have already locked up a first round bye and the number one overall seed in the FHL Playoffs. The Crosby’s get to watch the first game and see what they need to do in order to receive a bye. If the Kings lose, they already get the bye. If they win, they know they need a win to seal the deal. It’s that simple for the Crosby’s. As you know, this game will be a battle for each team. Roy McDonald leads the Crosby’s with 34 goals. That along with Matt Wierchowski’s 12 goals, 22 assists, Buddy Doyle’s 11 goals, 9 assists, and the defense of John George and Dan Drane has kept the Crosby’s team in the hunt. The Jets have Brian Barca, who has basically locked up the points lead at 61. Its always a question who will show, but the league will never question the talent they bring to the ice every week. The Mark and Tom Fetsko, Zack Wahal, captain Zak Campbell, and more bring a lot to the table each week, and you know this is going to be a great game to watch. On a side note, the Rookie of the Year battle between Ben Bobick and Ryan Mains could be decided this game. Both currently stand with 6 goals, 5 assists on the year. With a first round bye at stake, this game could make or break a team’s chances of making it to the FHL Championship. The Hawks come into this game having lost its last five. Bishop Boyle hasn’t won in their last two. Both of these teams have playoff implications on the line, as they are set to battle at 2:00. Hawks are looking to have their guns at work, led by Jeff Rogers and Gary Gerson. For Boyle, expect to hear the name of captain Brian Grise, who leads them with 19 goals. Also, Nick and Zack Siniawski combine for 42 points on the year. A Lancers win guarantee’s them at least the fourth seed. A Kings loss may move them up to number 3, depending on the final outcome of each game. A loss for Boyle can move them as low as last place in the league, depending on other results. It’s a crazy week for them. The Hawks can move up to number four with a win, and a loss by the Pirates, depending on outcome. This game has so many question marks, but by the start of it, we will all know what each team needs to do to finish in fourth, fifth, or sixth. The battle between the Hawks and Bishop Boyle will decide a lot going into FHL’s post season adventures, and by the time this game is over, we will be previewing the next three weeks. There are countless complicated “if” statements, but it’ll all pan out this Saturday afternoon at Franklin.