Moose (1) vs Pirates (4)
11:00 AM
First ever playoff match-up
The Pirates are flying high after an impressive win over the defending champs Bishop Boyle last Saturday at Franklin. The McDonald brothers came alive in game four with a thrilling comeback in the final minutes to send the series to overtime, where Amac buried the winner. They also got an amazing performance from Matt Wierchowski who returned after a 3 month absence from competition. The buccos are oozing with confidence and a new found swagger after putting a hurtin' on the Lancers. This week however they face a formidable opponent in the regular season champion Moose, led by captain “Uncle” Zack Siniawski.
Captain Z produced arguably one of the best drafts in FHL history. After franchising all-star defensemen Jeff Rogers, Zack went out and acquired a very crafty first line of forwards in Drew Hruska and Jason Kortz. Z also brought in veterans Jim “Beans” Johnston and future hall of famer Bill Seaman. Young guns Ryan Fish and Max “the vehicle” Vehec have also provided some secondary scoring for a Moose team that scored a league high 129 goals this season. The rookie Fish is anxious to get out there for his first playoff game.
“It's gonna be a great experience playing in that kind of atmosphere with all of those eyes watching. Looking forward to taking this thing to June. Keep your head up while I’m out on the ice (pirates), s'ko Moose.”
The team has definitely bought into Zack's system, playing a style that few teams have been able to mirror over the past years. Siniawski went the entire season without making a single trade, a rarity in this league. The big question in this game is if the Moose will be able to keep up with the Pirates speed. The Pirates beat Boyle to a lot of loose balls last week and over the course of a series those wins can start to play a factor.
There is little love loss in this series as many Pirates have expressed their disliking of the cocky moose team. A match-up to keep an eye on is the brother vs. brother storyline between Jeff and Joe Rogers. Joe (pirates) is chomping at the bit to battle his own flesh and blood. He had this to say when asked if beating Jeff provides an extra incentive to get to the cup. “I hate his (expletive) guts. How is that for urge to win”. No doubt Jeff feels the same way as these two have been going at it for decades.
Come Saturday the Moose just may prove to be too big, strong, and skilled for the Pirates. They have disposed of every team with relative ease in the regular season, so what reason is there to think otherwise for this match-up. This is the playoffs, that’s your reason. The Moose had a similar performance in 2009-2010 and then were swept in their first playoff series as a franchise. Anything can happen on any given Saturday. We'll see if the Pirates have anything left in the tank for this 5 star match-up.
