A
Division ... and speaking of the Ironheads - 2 words: what happened? It looks like the beer-gut fairy got snowed in at their houses during the off-season. On paper, these guys should be unbeatable - but in reality, they're running like a '79 Impala with cracked heads and no wheels. However, they still have the best goalie in the league in Patty Herman (who is admittedly as rusty as the rest of them right now) which will count later on. Once these guys get it together, they will be tough to beat - it just might take them too long to get there. Vaughan Thunder attempted to go incognito this year, and for good reason. After finally winning it all in B division last year, it looks like these guys wanted a bigger challenge. So they changed their name (they used to be Team Canada), and moved up to A. Whoops. Suddenly "losing with dignity" has become a goal to aspire to… Ditto for The Wraiths who, despite being bolstered by a healthy squad of Junior A talent, look as if they will be struggling all season long. However, as per the league alignment, the bottom of A will play in the B div playoffs, so there's always that to look forward to. The dark horse in this division are the Enforcers. A mish-mash of individual registrants, these guys have a surprising amount of talent, beating the Ironheads in their opening game. When these guys start clicking as a team (and start carrying a full bench), they'll be very dangerous. Splinters' Odds - A division Iron Cup Champs McKenny's
Kings - 2-1 B/C
Division The Red Wings and Vaughan Rockets are The Smoke's biggest challengers - except these two teams are a little lighter in talent, and also have tempers that historically gets them in trouble and off of their games. Again, sticking to hockey will be the key to success here. Weapon X and Crazed Baboons are both outside favourites to end high, but I'm not convinced they've got the talent to get it done. I dunno - there's something missing... Talent-wise they can hold their own, but this game's all about teamwork, strategy, and playmaking. Weapon X hasn't been around long enough to develop these skills, and I'm not sure the Baboons are their either, despite this being their 4th season. Despite having the cheeziest name in the league, Primetime Playas (i.e. "players" pronounced gangsta-style) can definitely play spoilah, and could be winnah's, as long as they… oh man, forget it - that name's way too annoying to continue… Mudskippers have a lot of talent, but they're a very young team, and probably lack the guidance to come together as a unit consistently. If these guys had a good coach, they'd be somethin'. But they don't, so there you go. Look for great goals and individual effort, but a poor record nevertheless. The Predators and Celestial Panthers were the class of the "pure" C division last year, and each have a strong team ethic (though there's still lots of work to be done in the talent department). These guys have an outside shot of making the B division playoffs, but will probably end 2-3 for C division once teams are realigned at the end of the regular season, making for a potentially interesting rematch if either can get past the Playas (cheezy name and all). Clamdiggers, Rage Against the Maroon, and Gang Green should all end within a place of each other at the lower end of the standings, and need to focus on making those C division playoff spots. All struggle with their goaltending and offensive talent, and need to stay focused on establishing the fundamentals, rather than worrying about making a run for the Cup as B division competitors.
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