FRANKLIN HOCKEY LEAGUE PLAYOFFS - 2013

SEMI-FINALS PREVIEW

BY FHL Contributor, Adam Cristallini

MUNHALL-   It has been nearly three weeks since the top seeded Thunder and Bulls have played an opponent on the black top. Conventional wisdom says “rust” will play a factor for those two teams and their opponents, the Moose and Crosby’s have a slight advantage since they played in the First Round last week. Bulls captain, Shane Lucas thinks otherwise. “I don’t believe playing in three weeks will have any effect on us going into this game versus the Crosby’s”, Lucas said.  “I feel that our team has veteran guys who have been a part of bye weeks and having weeks off before a playoff game which allows us to know how to prepare mentally for matchup like this.” Lucas also believes that if his teams gets off to a slow start, that the weight falls on him. He insists that getting his team ready to play is his full responsibility.

                What Shane Lucas does like about finishing high in the standings an getting a first round bye to the Semi-Final round, is that some of his key guys can rest up some lagging injuries. Roy McDonald, who led the team with 14 goals and 17 assists, was dealing with an injury that would have kept him out of the first round game had the Bulls not earned the bye.

                Another headline for the Bulls that is coming to the forefront is FHL great, Brian Barca. The attention always seems to find him and usually it’s for good reason. At the end of playoffs, Barca will be officially retiring for good. Brian’s business of youth baseball training is taking off faster than expected, as why his time this year was limited which was evident in his statistics. Barca registered 6 goals and 12 assists this season. Those were His lowest totals of his whole career.  Barca had previously never scored less than 25 goals in a given season.  With missed time this year, Barca recently was bumped from his king of most career points in league history. Chad Kanz now owns that distinction with 298 points. Barca finished his career with 295.

                Captain Shane Lucas couldn’t speak more highly of retiring veteran, “He has had a major impact on this league and the players in it because of his desire to win.” Lucas also mentioned how Barca helped him grow as player and instilling confidence in to Lucas as a line mate and as a captain. It will be Shane’s biggest honor to send Barca out of the league on top at the end of April. “I want to be able to be the captain that hands him the cup first, because if there is any player in this league that deserves to win each year, Its Brian Barca.” Whether you would like that or not, that’s a pretty cool way to close the door on an amazing career.

THE MATCHUP:

BULLS vs Crosby’s

GAME  1: Saturday March 30^th 1:00pm

GAME 2: Saturday March 30^th 2:00pm

Game 3: IF NECESSARY April 6^th TBA

BULLS-

-Bulls were the 2^nd place finisher with a 10-5 (37-22) and half game back of the Defending Champion, Thunder.

-Bulls FWD Ryan Sabo had10g,6a in his first year back since 2008-09 season.

- Shane Lucas is his first year as Bulls captain

- Goalie Craig Hixon had a 0.63 GAA

CROSBY’S-

-John George’s Crosby’s team finished 7-8 (30-31) and in 4^th place.

-Last year’s Runner-UP

- Defeated the Jets in the first round 3 games to 2.

Prediction: BULLS 2-1

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                Now onto the first Semi-Final matchup of the weekend between the Thunder and the Moose. The Moose come into this year’s Semi-Final round versus  the 1^st seeded Thunder as the league’s lowest seeded team. Last week, the Moose upset the 3^rd seed Whalers. Moose won the series 3-0 and were led by longtime captain Zack Siniawski and one time standout, Dustin Hess’ 3 goals and 1 assists. For their effort they get to meet an anxious Andrew McDonald led Thunder team who are ready to begin the FHL title defense.  “This is what you play all season for- These few weeks of hockey. It's the playoffs, you got to love it”, McDonald said.

The Thunder are clearly the favorite again this year. The Thunder have the weaponry of Chad Kanz, the league’s top scorer with 44points, and Zack Wahal, who had 22 goals this season.  While McDonald has one of the best offensive teams in the league, he is plenty aware of what the Moose are capable of. “Any team can win on any week. The Moose are talented on offense with (Zack) Siniawski, (Jay) Kortz,(Dustin) Hess, and(Joey) Faiello just to name a few. Not to mention having (Ryan) Perhac back on defense, he's one of the hardest to score against”, McDonald said “We have our hands tied this week for sure.”  Last week, the Moose came out of the straight out of the woods and surprised everybody by beating the heavily favored Whalers. Dustin Hess was a major part of that cause. Hess has had limited playing time due to work, but came up big like a trusty veteran should. Will that momentum carry over into the series against the Thunder is yet to be seen. One thing is for sure though, it should be a dog fight

THE MATCHUP:

THUNDER vs. MOOSE

GAME 1: Saturday March 30^th 11am

GAME 2: Saturday March 30^th 12pm

GAME 3: IF NECESSARY April 6^th TBA

THUNDER-

-The Thunder had the league’s best record and are the Defending Champions

-Every Roster player but one, Jeff Pingor, registered at least a point

-Dave Kwolek led all goalies in wins(34) and GAA(0.52)

MOOSE-

-Moose finished the season in last place with a record of 4-11(17-36)

-Joey Faiello led the team with 12 pts, the lowest team leader in points in FHL history

-Dustin Hess had 3 goals and 1 assist in Opening Round. He had 1 goal and no assist all season

Prediction: THUNDER 2-0 SWEEP.

 

Game 1- Moose win 1-0 in 2 OT

Moose:

- Siniawski from Hess (2OT)

Whalers: 

No Goals

Game 2 - Moose win 1-0

Moose:

- Hess from Mitch

Whalers: 

No Goals

Game 3 - Moose win 2-0

Moose:

- Hess from Siniawski

- Hess from Siniawski and Kortz

Whalers: 

No Goals 

 

  

Game 1 - Crosby's win 1-0 in OT

Crosby's:

- Grise from Sheetz and Weber (OT)

Jets:

No Goals

Game 2 - Jets win 1-0

Crosby's:

No Goals

Jets:

- N. Siniawski from Zelena and Doyle

Game 3 - Crosby's win 2-0

Crosby's:

- Bonacorso from George

- Bonacorso from Grise (EN)

Jets:

No Goals

Game 4 - Jets win 1-0

Crosby's:

No Goals

Jets:

- N. Siniawski from Morrison

Game 5 - Crosby's win 1-0

Crosby's:

- Gardner from Grise

Jets:

No Goals

FHL Round One Playoff Preview

By Barry Melrose

As winter emerged and November came to an end, six captains gathered in the back room of Dukes Upper Deck Café.  There they respectively mapped out what they believed to be the blueprint for a championship winning hockey team. One goal was in mind when drafting a team—win the Franklin Hockey League Cup.  Fast forward to Saturday, March 23^rd and the first round of most intense recreational sports tournament will commence exactly 4 months since draft day.  There have been many spirited battles throughout arguably the most competitive FHL season to date—but when the ball drops Saturday, business kicks up a notch.

1. Thunder (BYE)

2. Bulls (BYE)

3. Whalers vs. 6. Moose

The Moose stumble into the playoffs losers of 5 straight.  After playing a consistent brand of physical hockey for the first half of the season, they seem to have lost their identity.  Former MVP Jason Kortz has been in and out of the lineup, and last year’s rookie of the year; goaltender Joey Neutrelle has not quite regained his form.  Overall, the team has had a different lineup every week and are still learning how to play with each other here in March.  Captain Zack Siniawski has struggled to be the player he was in his prime.  There have been some bright spots for the Mighty Moose though.  Joey Faiello has proven to be an elite scorer—leading the Moose, and all rookies in goals and points this year.  His wrist shot is arguably the best in the league.  Another newcomer Chuck Ossler has given the Moose a spark on offense and he plays a very responsible game.  The addition of Pat Farrell at the trade deadline has also been a breath of fresh air for their struggling blue line.  While their record and recent play may not show it, the Moose still pose a considerable threat to the Whalers—who are one of the hottest teams in the league right now. 

Captain Joe Rogers has the Whalers fully buying in to his system in 2013.  A team that was fighting to get out of the basement all last season has developed into one of the stingiest teams to play against.  Pack had this to say about his teams transformation from last year.

“Nothing against the guys from last year, because we had a lot of talent, but we never really clicked as a team.  This year, I just think we have a lot more chemistry.  That chemistry has led to more scoring, which we all know is necessary in this league.  Also knowing the type of players you need on the bigger surface was key.  Last year, I think I drafted a team built for Franklin.  This year, I feel like I stole a ton of people in the draft that should’ve gone earlier.  That being said, the records are thrown out the window now.  We’ve accomplished nothing so far.  We didn’t play for a better record or a 3 seed or a first round bye.  We want the cup”.

Goalie Jim Besterci leads the way, however the green machine have the luxury of trotting out some snipers capable of doing damage in Drew Hruska, Tom Hanna and the newly added Ryan Fish.  Fish was traded from the Moose after a disappointing start to the season riddled by injuries (hernia, hand).  He will hope to find some spring magic again with Hruska who he won a cup with in 2011—with the Moose.  Tom Simpson and BJ Yott add a physical element to the Whalers that we haven’t seen before.  Defensive depth may be the Achilles heal for them as Captain Joe has been forced to log some serious minutes this year.  This matchup has a lot of internal storylines and should provide an exciting introduction to the 2013 playoffs.

4. Crosbys vs. 5. Jets

Out of seemingly nowhere the Jets have been one of the hotter teams in the FHL.  After spending the entire season in last place, the Jets have won 3 of their last 4 games and will surely come out of the gate swinging against last year’s cup runner-ups.  The Jets were eliminated last year by the Crosbys in the 2^nd round.  Captain Nick Siniawski took over this year for long time Jets leader Zak Campbell.  Zak remains on the team, and Nick feels he has finally gotten things pointed in the right direction when asked about his team’s recent surge.

“Well Barry one of the main reasons for the Jets turnaround has been the fact that we've got some people to show up recently. It's tough during the regular season to go through those weeks when you only get 6 or 7 guys to come but you've gotta persevere because we all know that the playoffs is when it truly counts. During the draft Zak Campbell and I put this team together with the playoffs in mind. After the slow start we made a few moves at the trade deadline that I feel helped to deepen and improve the team. We feel that we've got a talented, well rounded club that has the ability to make a deep run through these FHL Playoffs. It's all about playing good hockey at the right time and I'd like to think that were starting to peak at exactly the right time. We'll see in the coming weeks how everything transpires, but I like to wish everyone good luck in these upcoming playoffs. As always, everyday is a great day for hockey, and God bless the FHL”.

The Jets have seen Derek Morrison develop into a scoring threat and a guy who fits in well with Campbell and Siniawski on the top line.  2^nd line scoring is where the Jets weakness may lie.  Their blue line is stout with Buddy Doyle and Mark Zelena providing a steady veteran presence.  Young Jesse Lyons offers a physical element to the team, and Jeff Rogers hopes to provide a spark after spending most of the season on the IR.  Goaltender Rick Severa has also been through the dance before.  Whether all of this is enough to stop the Crosbys remains to been.

The Crosbys have had a roller coaster season.  After a terrible 1-4 start, they made some moves internally and through trades to address the issues.  The main catalyst has been Jeff Gardner jumping up to the first line to play with Tony Bonacorso and Brian Grise.  When clicking together, these 3 are unstoppable at times.  The other end of this meant Ryan Cleary moving to defense.  Cleary has provided a steady hand on the blue line and puck moving ability to go alongside defensive defensemen Sean Lyons and John George.  Adam Pander rounds out the blue line with cup experience.  The 2^nd line however is where the Crosbys can create mismatches.  Mark Weber is one of the top goal scorers in the league, and he has benefited from playing alongside the talented Thomas Sheetz and gritty Josh Edwards.  With Ryan Mains splashed in at times, that 2^nd line could cause some chaos on Saturday.  Veteran goaltender Marty Terrick is the elder statesmen of the team and is hungry for another shot at the cup.  One concern for the Crosbys has been their inability to stay out of the penalty box.  The team will have to keep their composure if they wish to knock off a hot Jets team.

That’s all for this week folks. See ya at the deck Saturday, and God bless the FHL!

--Barry

Sorry for the delay, fans.  Weeks 13, 14, and 15 will be updated within the next few days, hopefully. 

Here are the final standings:

1.) Thunder

2.) Bulls

3.) Whalers

4.) Crosby's

5.) Jets

6.) Moose

First Round of the FHL Playoffs - March 23rd

1) Thunder and 2) Bulls receive Byes

12:00 PM - (3) Whalers vs. (6) Moose

2:00 PM - (4) Crosby's vs. (5) Jets

* These games will be regular season format of a single-5 game series, 13 minute games, where the winner advances to the second round.