WLUHL Fantasy Hockey League WLUHL13 Playoff Round #2 outlook
WLUHL: Playoffs Round #2 Brother Love Predictions
Brampton, On - The first round of playoffs have come and gone and there has been a
little noise being made. The emphasis of that statement is little. Some teams have
stepped up to rock the boat... the Terriers put out a very shocking statement, the
Hitmen have started to blow their own horn, the Ice Barons have gloated a bit and of
course, the Goliaths have done their share or chatting, but nothing compared to past
seasons.
So, with that being said, Brother Love has decided to step up and raise a few eye
brows. Even though the love in the WLUHL is there for everyone, Brother Love knows
that sometimes you have to say things that people just don't like and well, Brother
Love is ready to do that in his Round #2 predictions.
1. Hull GOAL BUSTERS at Pinkerton PYLONS
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The Hull Goal Busters were the giant killers, knocking off the power house
Kitchener Terriers. The devastating blow caused the GM of the Kitchener Terriers to
step down from his position. Are the Goal Busters that powerful? Bill Guerin was
huge in Round #1 with 4 goals and 3 assists. Mike Dunham had an amazing .953 save
percentage. However, outside of those two guys, the Goal Busters really didn't
impress anyone. It was more or less the Terriers folding, than the Goal Busters
kicking ass. The Goal Busters are a good team, but to beat the Pylons they will have
to step up and get more from Lehtinen, Rolston, Brind'Amour and especially Leetch
and Desjardins who had 1 point each in the first round. Only 1 point for a hall of
famer like Leetch, and considering he was averaging 21.5 minutes a game, there is a
problem there!
The Pinkerton Pylons are the real deal. They battled hard against the Knights and
they were almost knocked out. However, the Pylons have determination and heart...
and good coaching. The Pylons were lead by their goaltender David Aebischer.
Aebischer pulled out a 1.91 GOA and a .930 save percentage. We the wall that the
Knights could knock breakdown... or even chip away. The Pylons found a way to shut
down the Knights and after that, they sat back and watched Jagr, Shanahan and
Demitra go to work putting up a total of 8 goals and 9 assists. Those numbers, along
with some great defensive play from Oleg Tverdovsy and Bryan McCabe, the Pylons
where solid and almost unstoppable. Can they do that against the Goal Busters? They
have the defense, they have the potent offense and of course they have the amazing
goaltending of Aebischer, so yeah, they are the real deal and you will be seeing the
Pylons moving on to Round #3.
2. Guelph EDGE at Waterloo HITMEN
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The Guelph Edge knocked off the second seeded Mississauga Meatheads in 7 games.
The see saw battle saw the Edge take a few big hits in terms of the injury bug.
However, they battled through it and won the series. Their goaltending was extremely
shaky and the only reason the team got anywhere was because of the play of Steve
Yzerman and Patrick Marleau. The two put together 10 goals and 8 assists in the 7
games leading up to this series and they are the driving force behind this team. The
Edge have the talent with Yzerman, Carter, Marleau, Satan, etc... however, with
their coach being absent so far in the playoffs, and their team in jepordy for next
year, the Edge are definately a team playing on the Edge.
The Waterloo Hitmen stumbled in Game #2 against the Crunch, and then blew them
out the next 3 games. The Hitmen made some last season deals that put them over the
top in GM Jason Stumpf's opinion. The newly formed Legion of Doom line of Lindros,
Deadmarsh and Leclair dominated the Crunch and can potentially do the same to the
Edge. However, the Hitmen are a very fragile team and can easily be hit by the
injury bug. With Lindros, Lemieux, LeClair and Deadmarsh all with high injury
ratings, anyone of them could go down for the rest of playoffs at a drop of a hat.
However, the Hitmen also received solid goaltending from Jose Theodore with 2.17 GOA
and a decent .910 save percentage. Combine with that fact that Mike Peca has been
playing some inspired hockey against some of the other teams top players, and Peca
has not received any praise from the Hitmen management, even though he is leading
the team in points, you can see that the Hitmen are more then just a 1 line team. I
would suggest you put some money on the Hitmen and look for a Hitmen vs. Pylons semi
final.
3. Chicago WINTER HAWKS at the Cap City LAW MAKERS
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The Winter Hawks are a team looking to relive the glory. Unlike the Terriers, the
Hawks have tasted victory from the Cup and they are looking to do it again. Like the
Terriers, they have a great roster and they had a great 1st round of the playoffs.
The Hawks know what it takes and are willing to go all the way to do it. Combined
with the fact that in the past there has been bad blood between the Hawk and Law
Makers, this could become a very interesting series. Roman Checkmanek was in the net
for the Hawks and he was not at all stellar. If anything, he was the weak point in
their series. The Hawks need him to step up or they will be stepping out of the
playoffs. However, the Hawks have more than what they need up front. Craig Conroy
led the way with 2 goals and 7 assists and Tkachuk, Sykora and Sundin followed up
with 8, 7 and 7 points. That is a 4 some that can hammer away at any teams defense.
The Hawks are solid up front and this is a team to not take lightly.
The Cap City Law Makers, the team that everyone loves to hate (outside of the
Terriers that is). The Law Makers have had their own days in the lime light with
various controversies. However, now is their day in glory. the Law Makers played
great hockey through the first round of the playoffs. They Law Makers split time
between the pipes with Belfour and Salo, and nobody knows who will be the starter
against the Hawks. However, just like the Hawks, the Law Makers have a potent
offense, something that could make the Oilers of the 80's crumble in fear. Jerome
Iginla is leading the way with 4 goals, 6 assists and 11 penalty minutes. He is the
true leader that any time in the WLUHL would love to have. However, being backed by
Yashin, Hull, Fluery, Naslund and Jovanovski, almost anyone could become a great
leader. The Law Makers are deep, very deep and if I was a fan in Chicago, I might be
afraid... very afraid because right now, I am thinking that the Law Makers just
might go all the way.
4. Gordo GOLIATHS at the Birmingham ICE BARONS
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We have the battle here of the student vs. the master. The Gordo Goliaths and GM
Mike Nevett were brought into this league by Richard Lomax and the Birmingham Ice
Barons and then he was educated by his master, Jedi Master Lomax. However, the
Goliaths have since made their own way and they are ready to have no mercy on their
one time master. The Goliaths have slowly built their team up into a top league
contender. Danius Zubrus, Daniel Alfredsson and Richard Zednik are the men that are
leading this team. Aging veteran Doug Gilmour is giving this team the leadership
that they need. Sakic and Battaglia played second fiddle in the 1st round and if you
can have them playing second fiddle, then you have a great team.
The Ice Barons are a great team on the border of, well, I guess on the border of
possibly given Patrick Roy another WLUHL ring. The Ice Barons are an interesting
team. They are a team that is good, not great, but good. They have a veteran roster
which is solid and has been solid throughout the season. The Ice Barons have been
led by Zhamnov, Dahlen and Nieuwendyke. They were backed up by Whitney, Recchi,
Smolinski and Robitaille. All players who are not top stars in the WLUHL, but they
are scrubs either. The Ice Barons are a team that is hard to figure out. They don't
look to be a dominant team, but they are. What can you say, when you are good... you
are good and they are just that! The Ice Barons are good and with GM Lomax taking on
his pupil Mr. Nevett, I would have to give the elder Lomax the upper hand in this
battle. It will be close and go all the way, but look for the Ice Barons to jump
into the line of fire in the 3rd round against the Hawks or the Law Makers.