FHL Round One Playoff Preview

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