FHL Playoffs Week 2 Preview
In 2008, “Low” by Flo-Rida was a top 10 hit song, American Idol owned the top two TV programs in the country, and 8 SEC affiliated schools were considered to be the least livable states (West Virginia was #8 for you Pitt fans). And you’re wondering now, what those figures have to do with anything that relates to the FHL playoffs. The answer: It’s the last time the Crosby’s won a playoff game. That season happened to be the Crosby’s worst season to date. They went 7-12 that year, and have increased their win total by 2 games each season. This year was only a +1 improvement and went 14-6 overall. Captain John George might have his best team ever and is loaded with once in a lifetime talent like Brian Barca, Tony Bonacorso, Ryan Cleary and Ben Bobick. Shockingly, Barca, Bonacorso, and Cleary have accounted for 69 of the team’s 81 goals on the year. With all that scoring and team unity, and depth, you would think the pressure is on for John George if his team doesn’t come up with a title. He obviously strongly disagrees. “Well… I'd be lying if I said I don't think about my past playoff failures”, George said. “It’s obviously something I'm well aware of. But despite all of that, I feel confident in not only my team’s ability, but my own as well”.
George recorded 11 goals back in the 2008 regular season. This year, he had 0 goals and 12 assists. George has prided himself on his defense ability and it has shown. It’d be a waste to not protect the strong offense in front of him. The Crosby’s and John George can’t wait to get out there Saturday and really get after the FHL Cup, which the Crosby’s own one of already. “We're really chomping at the bit to get out there and perform at a championship level”, George said. It won’t get any easier this weekend when they face off against the four-time finalists, and two-time Cup winner Jets.
Here are the match-ups for the Semi-Final Round of the 2012 FHL Playoffs:
11:30AM (1) Crosby’s vs. (4) Jets
Captains: Crosby’s- John George (0g12a) Jets- Zak Campbell (6g8a)
Goalie: Crosby’s- Joey Neutrelle (0.56GAA) vs. Craig Hixon (0.72GAA) 3W-1L in First Round vs. Whalers
George recorded 11 goals back in the 2008 regular season. This year, he had 0 goals and 12 assists. George has prided himself on his defense ability and it has shown. It’d be a waste to not protect the strong offense in front of him. The Crosby’s and John George can’t wait to get out there Saturday and really get after the FHL Cup, which the Crosby’s own one of already. “We're really chomping at the bit to get out there and perform at a championship level”, George said. It won’t get any easier this weekend when they face off against the four-time finalists, and two-time Cup winner Jets.
Here are the match-ups for the Semi-Final Round of the 2012 FHL Playoffs:
11:30AM (1) Crosby’s vs. (4) Jets
Captains: Crosby’s- John George (0g12a) Jets- Zak Campbell (6g8a)
Goalie: Crosby’s- Joey Neutrelle (0.56GAA) vs. Craig Hixon (0.72GAA) 3W-1L in First Round vs. Whalers
Top 5 Leading Scorers:
1. Tony Bonacorso – Crosby’s (33g18a)
2. Brian Barca – Crosby’s (25g22a)
3. Ryan Cleary - Crosby’s (11g13a)
4 .Nick Siniawski – Jets (13g10a)
5. Shane Lucas – Jets (11g11a)
John George on how to beat the Jets: “The Jets are a great team. Plenty of skill, plenty of athletes. We gotta get pucks past Craig Hixon though. That kid played a hell of a series last week and we know our biggest challenge will be trying to figure him out”.
Zak Campbell on how to beats the Crosby’s: “Guts…It’s gonna take guts.”
Adam Cristallini Prediction: Crosby’s in 4 Tony Bonacorso Series MVP
Joe Rogers Prediction: Crosby’s in 5 Ryan Cleary Series MVP
1:00PM (2) Thunder vs. (3) Moose
Captains: Thunder- Andrew McDonald(23g27a) Moose- Zack Siniawski(3g4a)
Goalies: Thunder- Dave Kwolek (0.73GAA) vs. Martin Terrick(0.67GAA) 3W-1L in First Round vs. Boyle
Top 5 Leading Scorers
1. Chad Kanz – Thunder (25g32a)
2. Andrew McDonald – Thunder (23g27a)
3. Roy McDonald – Thunder (16g27a)
4. Drew Hruska – Moose (25g14a)
5. Ryan Mains – Moose (16g18a)
Andrew McDonald on how to beat the Moose: “Just gotta play Thunder hockey. Capitalize on mistakes, win loose balls, and limit our own turnovers. We have been trying to utilize skill all year and we have to keep playing out game.”
Zack Siniawski on how to beat the Thunder: “The Thunder have a lot of offensive talent. We need to limit their shots by possessing the ball.”
Adam Cristallini Prediction: Thunder in 5 Andrew McDonald Series MVP
Joe Rogers Prediction: Thunder in 5 Chad Kanz Series MVP
The FHL Finals will take place next Saturday June 9th, at 12:00pm
