Week Seventeen: 4/24/10 - Preview - Kostkas Article

With just three more crucial weeks to play in the Franklin Hockey League’s grinding regular season schedule, every team is currently jockeying for playoff position. One team in particular, the Moose, currently owns the FHL’s top seed. They lead the league in wins (11), total wins (30), wining percentage (62.5 percent) and goals (85). The Moose feature the FHL’s most lethal scorers. Jeff Pingor leads the team in goals with 28, also good for the second spot in the entire league. Jeff Rogers is second on the team (16) and sixth overall. Close behind the Moose, and currently in second place are the Jets, who sit just one game back. The Crosby’s are tied with them for the same spot, but would get the third seed if the regular season ended today. Each team sits with 10 wins and six losses. The Jets get the tie-breaker because they have one more total win than the Croby’s (37 to 36). Which team will get what seed is yet to be determined, but I have to say the Jets have the better chance of securing the second seed due to having league leader in goals and points, Brian Barca. The lower echelon of the FHL standings will most likely pose no threat to the top three seeds, but each still have some work to do to earn their positions. The Pirates currently sit three games back fro the top spot, Boyle is six back and the Kings have seven games to make up. It is very unlikely that any of these three will contend for the top seed, so they will have to make their own brand of noise when they playoffs begin. The Pirates features the most balanced lineup of the three. They have three skaters with at least 10 goals scored. Andrew McDonald leads them with 17, Ryan Cleary is second with 16 and Tony Bonacorso is third with 12 lamp-lighters. Boyle and the Kings will duke it out to see who stays out of the cellar, but I feel the final seeds will end up being exactly as the standings sit today. Boyle and the Kings will be very thankful for the FHL playoff format, which includes every team.