The NHL Playoffs don’t care about the date on the calendar and the Game 2 for the Bruins and Red Wings just happened to fall on Easter Sunday. Not a 1 or 7 pm start, but 3 pm — smack dab in the middle of the afternoon on a holiday. Talk about throwing a monkey wrench into tradition, Easter dinner became Easter brunch before heading to the game. Now, in the course of my entire life, I don’t think I’ve ever worn anything but a dress on Easter Sunday. Dresses in bright pastel colors are just appropriate. That being said, buzzing to the rink straight from Easter brunch was the name of the game, so my media outfit for Game 2 was of the Easter spring variety.
Breakdown:
Mint green dress, Forever 21, $12.80
Brown braided belt, Wet Seal, clearance, $.50
Grey and brown wedge ankle boots, Aldo, sale, $12.99
Long cream sweater, consignment shop, $8.99
Media Tip: During the playoffs, pack a snack, throw a granola bar in your bag or something… because you never know if it’s going to be a regulation game or run into multiple periods following the initial 3. No one wants to be starving to death heading into post game.
After the power outage and hits galore in Game 1, I could not have been more stoked to head back to the rink for the second playoff tilt between the Sharks and Kings. Add to that the festive feel from Easter (or whatever you chose to celebrate on April 20th), there was some seriously amped up post-season hockey vibe at the Tank even before the crowd was let inside the front doors.
Big game. Big action. Big energy.
And of course–drumroll please–that calls for a big time outfit:
I’m the world’s biggest contrarian when it comes to the clothing that I wear outside of my house.
So, since everyone and their brother’s dog insists on sporting pastels on Easter, I chose the polar opposite.
This black lace number was an under-$30 steal: it fits great, washes easily, and… well, it’s awesome. I always feel good wearing it.
Yes, it borders on being more of a date night frock. However when paired with opaque black tights and simple ballet flats, this dress turns into a work-friendly ensemble.
I finished this Sunday look off with gold midi rings–yes, that is my teal Sharks half-moon manicure!–that I’ve picked up from various little boutique stores over some time.
At one point during last night’s Dallas Stars and Anaheim Ducks game I considered making some flyers. In the style of the kind you find stapled to telephone polls, they’d just say “LOST: Dallas’s Defense.”
I don’t know where it went. They had one, I swear they did, or they wouldn’t have gotten to the playoffs at all. It’s limped its way along this season at times, and it’s never been the strongest part of the Stars’ game, but it’s been there. Dallas is down a defensemen as Brenden Dillon is out with an undisclosed lower body injury. But while Dillon is a solid defenseman, I wouldn’t go so far as to say he’s the best the Stars have. For me, that would be Trevor Daley and Alex Goligoski—both of whom have pulled their weight and the combined weight of their fellow defensemen during the series against Anaheim.
Ruff paired up his two best defensemen, Daley and Goligoski, last night and that may have been a mistake. The defensive roster is so lopsided right now that, in an attempt to balance things out, perhaps Ruff ought to have paired Goligoski with Sergei Gonchar and Daley with Jordie Benn or Kevin Connauton. Benn is usually a competent d-man, but clearly he’s struggling without his usual partner Dillon. Lending him some support from Daley or Goligoski could go a long way to giving Benn some confidence back.
Gonchar is just a tire fire. I say that with love, since I’m also a Penguins fan, and Gonchar was on the team back when they won the Stanley Cup. The fact is, though, he has not been playing well this series.
And last night he hit a new low in the third period. Gonchar was slashed, the penalty wasn’t called, and the slash left Gonchar’s stick broken. Instead of playing through, Gonchar complained to the ref about not calling the slash. And Anaheim scored. All you needed to see to know there’d be a serious talking to in the locker room later was the look on Lindy Ruff’s face. It wasn’t good. If he could have, I’m fairly sure he would have pulled his own ear off a-la Vincent Van Gogh and spiked it.
There’s no word on how serious Dillon’s injury is, or if he will be, as many Stars fans hope, playing in the game on Monday back in Dallas. If he’s out, again, then I think Ruff has no choice but to look at his defensive pairings and shuffle some things around to more evenly distribute talent.
It would be a mistake to discount the importance of returning to home ice and the psychological effect that can have. Hopefully, and I’ve been using that word lately with the Stars more than I’d like, Dallas can rally back home and get a win. They’ve been frustratingly close the last two games, but a shoddy defense and a lack of that oh-so-vital scoring depth held them back.
For now, Stars fans will just have to wait and see.
Captain Ryan Getzlaf was announced to a deafening roar at Honda Center for game 2 donning a new daddy glow, that happened to include 32 stitches underneath his bottom lip. As if taking a puck to the face in Wednesday night’s game wasn’t exciting enough, Getzlaf and his wife welcomed their third child, a daughter (Willa), in the early hours on Friday morning. Coach Boudreau allowed him to miss morning skate to get some rest from the action packed last few days, but Ryan and his brand new shiny chin guard were ready to shake off the near comeback from Dallas in game 1 on Wednesday night.
Said Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau, “If I was a player and I saw my captain taking a puck to the face and coming back the next day it would make me do whatever I could to help this team win.”
And win they did.
The Ducks once again did not start goalie Jonas Hiller, who has had a pretty decent season this far, and has handed over only 13 losses in regular season play. However, the decision was made to start rookie Frederik Andersen, who made his NHL debut against the Stars back in October where he delivered 2 shutout periods. Captain Getzlaf praised his outstanding efforts tonight as he posted 36 saves.
The first period was riddled with penalties from both teams, who also each posted a goal.
Corey Perry ended a 10 playoff goal drought unassisted, with the second top shelf goal over Lehtonen’s shoulder of the night, taking the Ducks to a 2-1 lead into the third. It was his first playoff goal since April 2011, and decent payback for the beating he took from Trevor Daley in the first period.
Andrew Cogliano made it a 2 goal push for the Ducks early in the third, with a shorthanded goal while Corey Perry was serving a delay of game penalty. However, Dallas answered back when a loose puck found Ryan Garbutt in front, who puts it past Andersen at the 9:58 mark of the third period.
With less than 5 minutes left, Andersen made a monster save with players from both sides slapping down a bouncing puck that went wild. Getzlaf took a tripping penalty at the 3 minute mark. 1:27 time out Dallas which resulted in Lehtonen warming the bench as the whistle blew again, giving the Stars a 6-4 advantage. Getzlaf fails to land an open net goal, but it’s no matter to Anaheim who takes game 2 with a one goal lead, making it their 6th win in a row.
Also to note is Devante Smith-Pelly who spent 13 minutes on the ice tonight, replacing Matt Beleskey on the top line who is out with a lower body injury in the Anaheim lineup. This marks Smith-Pelly’s NHL playoff debut.
The teams will meet again for Game 3 at 6:30 pm on Monday in Dallas, who is playing in their first playoff series since 2008.
Playoffs, the time of year where you inevitably ban one entire color from your wardrobe for up to 7 games. With Boston facing Detroit in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, that means saying au revoir to red for a few games, no way will I accidentally wear the opposing color this year. Some of you may recall my tiny snafu wearing “Leafs” blue colored pants to a playoff game against Toronto last year — I’ve yet to live it down.
When it comes to fashion, I’m a firm believer in wearing what you want and in the grand scheme of things, there aren’t really any rules. Wear what you want and more importantly something that you feel good in, no matter the color or time of year. At the end of the day, it’s you who has to live with the outfit you walked out of the house in. That being said, I chose to wear white pants to the game. I’ll be the first to tell you, I think the “rules” of when you can wear white are stupid. If you want to rock a pair of white pants in the middle of a blizzard in mid December with a sweater and boots, do your thing. This whole, you can’t wear white after Labor Day or before Memorial Day is a rule that I consistently and happily break on a yearly basis. Why should I let a perfectly good pair of pants waste away in my closet for over half the year, then only break them out for 2 weeks of wear, because then it’s too hot and shorts become the article of clothing necessary due to the elements. Did the inventor of the white rule ever think of that? I’ll spare you any more of my white pants rant, but moral of the story — they came out for Game 1.
Breakdown:
Hunter green blouse, Sears, clearance, $4.99
White pants, Sears, sale, $12.99
Brown braided belt, Wet Seal, clearance, .50 for a 3 pack of colors (Seriously, run to Wet Seal now, the whole store has bargains!)
Nude heels, Target, sale, $22.99
Gold tassle necklace, Target, clearance, $5.49
Media Tip: Playoffs are an entirely different experience from regular season, my biggest tip heading in… don’t forget to enjoy the experience.
The St. Louis Blues powered through three overtimes to topple the Chicago Blackhawks 4 to 3 on Thursday, welcoming us to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. In the first round, and first game of the series was the first game this season to go to triple OT. This is the beauty of the playoffs, and the agony, as you keep your eyes glued to the TV while standing up and begging your team to win.
If you were a St. Louis Blues fan you got your wish, and you only had to endure 26 seconds of the third overtime before Alexander Steen became your new hero. This was the first game in Blues history that went onto triple OT. The Blues almost did not get to overtime though if not for Jaden Schwartz, who tied the game up with 1:45 left in the third period. Schwartz forechecked and forced a turnover in the corner and let teammate Derek Roy pick up the puck and passed it to Schawrtz, who was ready in the slot to hammer the puck into the back of the net.
The Blackhawks could not get past Ryan Miler after 18:24 in the first period when Patrick Kane went five hole on a breakaway. Miller made 39 saves, including 35 in a row after the first period.
The Blues were the first on the scoreboard when Adam Cracknell beat Corey Crawford during the high scoring first period. The Blackhawks quickly responded when Johnny Oduya tipped the puck past Miller. The Hawks added a power play goal to take the lead 2 to 1, as Brent Seabrook’s snapshot soared past Miller. Vladimir Tarasenko would not let the Blackhawks keep the lead and tied the game up at 2 at 15:52 into the first period. Patrick Kane would give the Blackhawks the lead, beating Miller five hole. The score remained at a one goal differential up until Jaden Schwartz would tie the game up for the Blues late in the third period.
Fans can expect this series to continue to go into overtime, and be back in fourth. These are two incredibly talented teams that are inter-division rivals and having been gearing up for this match up all season long. The Blues took game one, and are leading the series 1 to 0 over the Blackhawks. This series continues in St. Louis, and the next game takes place on Saturday, April 19th, at 3PM ET.
One versus Eight. David versus Goliath. Any way you want to frame it the Boston Bruins are heavy favorites over the Detroit Red Wings. But it’s tough to call the Red Wings- a team who’s now made the playoffs 23 consecutive seasons, with proven veterans- a true underdog, and Coach Claude Julien agrees.
“Not with parity, I don’t think that exists anymore,” he said at Friday’s morning skate. “I’ve been mentioning that for the last couple of days, about the percentage of upsets in the first round over the last couple of years. So it just goes to prove to you that anything can happen in the playoffs. We’ve seen it many times before and I don’t expect that to change this year also.”
One thing the Wings had for them heading into Friday’s game was a couple hits to the Bruins overall depth.
With Chris Kelly out, no longer centering one of the league’s best third lines and providing a reliable penalty kill presence, Justin Florek got thrown into the fire. Daniel Paille was knocked out the second-to-last regular season game after a hit to the head, forcing him to miss Friday’s contest as he tries to recover. Jordan Caron took his spot.
Kevan Miller and Matt Bartkowski- who had both vehemently proved their top-sixth worth for Game 1 play- both sat out due to injury. Corey Potter and deadline acquisition Andrej Meszaros filled in.
Most of the talk surrounding the Bruins has been about their top two lines, but the team’s typically been at it’s best when their depth supports their defensive system and provides an offensive punch.
With Kelly, Paille, Bartkowski and Miller all out- they were tested from the get-go.
The replacements faired well in the first period of play. Caron ignited the crowd with an early hit, and created a chance with a centering pass later in the first. Potter also had a noticeably successful period, logging the fourth most ice-time on the Bruins back end, including effective penalty kill time. Florek was also effective on the penalty kill.
“It’s a great feeling, just knowing that he [Coach Julien] trusts me and everything,” Florek said postgame. “I’ve just got to keep working on both ends of the ice, move forward, and build that trust along the way. So, I’ve just got to keep presenting myself, getting opportunities, and doing my best out there.”
Although the Wings outshot the Bruins 11-9 and had the only man-advantage, the game was scoreless after 20.
The second period told a different tale. The Wings were all over the Bruins. It’s not confirmed that this “flu bug” is still taking its toll on some players, but the Bruins certainly played like it in the second. Legless, lifeless, the team was down 21-9 in shots attempted and playing with fire. It was as a great start for the Wings, but the Bruins still had time to find their game. We thought.
While the team showed signs of life early in the third period, and even garnered some momentum with a power play opportunity, the sustained attack just wasn’t there. Detroit was getting to pucks first, eliminating any chance Boston had at their cycle game, halting any offensive momentum the thought they had.
“Well as I said, it was a tight, checking game, but nonetheless, I think everybody’s got to find a way to create more and that’s going to be the challenge in this series with two teams playing really tight,” Julien said postgame. “So it’s about everybody working a little harder and then gaining your space and doing what you have to do here. But it’s, you know, it’s a long series. We predict if you look at tonight, it’s probably a good indication of that.”
The game was over just moments after the Bruins best opportunity. After Jarome Iginla fed Milan Lucic with the perfect deflection-oriented pass, it looked like the Bruins would go up 1-0; but the puck trickled through the crease, and it was Pavel Datsyuk with this magician-like hands, corralling the puck at the other end of the rink and ripping a wrist shot past Rask giving the Wings a 1-0 lead and ultimately, the first game of the series.
While the gut-punch will be tough for most for most Bruins fans to swallow- the team’s been here before; and quite often at their best in these exact situations as well.
It’s unfortunate, and you would think with lessons learned paired with veteran leadership the team has gotten past the point of needing that adversity, that extra emotion to bring out their will to win and the best of their play, but that remains to be seen.
The regular season came, saw and ultimately conquered for the Boston Bruins– sealing not only the east, but the entire league with 117 points. Despite looking to carry over their extreme regular season success, playoff hockey is of an entirely different realm. When the cup is involved, the quest is that much harder, and every team pushes themselves further than anyone thought imaginable. The Bruins looked to do just that when they faced off against the Detroit Red Wings for Game 1. With home ice advantage on their side, they looked to effectively shut down the Red Wings in a power move for the first game of the series.
In the first game of the series, it became a test of the newer defensemen within the black and gold system. A staple on the blueline since initially being placed in the lineup, Bartkowski was a scratch presumably suffering the same flu bug that has swept through the locker room all week. Bartkowski’s absence placed Michigan native Potter in his second game since being acquired at the trade deadline. The opportunity to shine was an unexpected one, for Potter, who has spent a majority of the season viewing the game from the scratch list.
“No, I just came to the rink today and found out, and was excited all day,” said Potter. “I’ve just been waiting for this opportunity for a long time to get into a playoff game, and I’m thankful it came.”
While statistically the lack in veteran defensive may have been a worry, the d-men held off a powerful Detroit offense through the first 20 minutes. Offensively speaking, the Bruins exhibited both strength and speed through the opening period — so did Jimmy Howard. The Red Wings goaltender held strong, stopping all 9 shots faced. Opportunity weighed heavily in Boston’s favor, but they were unable to connect with the back of the net.
The second period began with maximum pressure from the Red Wings, and a sluggish four Boston lines. The game remained scoreless after 40 minutes of play, it also remained disciplined.
The third rolled in filled with frustration as the Bruins just couldn’t capitalize, mainly with thanks to Howard playing his A game. In a frustrating turn of events, it was Red Wings Datsyuk that found a way past Bruins Rask to lead his team to a 1-0 victory at 16:59 from Franzen.
“We know that Boston, they’re a good team and they’re a tough team we know what we waiting from them and we wanted to play a fast game,” said Datsyuk.
The game itself was an equalizer of sorts, with similar disciplined styles of play — at many points they were almost mirroring each other. Did Boston play their game? To an extent, but improvement is always at the forefront. Tallying only three penalties between both teams through the entire 60 minutes, stylistically, it was old time aggressive hockey, while managing to stay out of the box. Perhaps that trend will continu, but the introductory game is over and some things need to change.
“Well, I think the one issue for tonight is we didn’t have the puck enough, and when we had it, we got to start putting pucks in the areas where we can get them back, and we got to get pucks in areas where once we get it, we can hang on to it,” said Head Coach Julien. “And tonight, I thought we didn’t play with the puck as much as we normally do but the one thing about our team tonight — I thought we got better and better as the periods went on. So the third period was obviously our best period, but we started playing more of our game in the third period than in the first two. So we got to kind of make those adjustments here and hopefully have three periods more like the third period was and capitalize on the chances that we had.”
A frustrating outcome for Boston was still marked with positive aspects. Young defenseman Justin Florek made his NHL Playoff debut, surprising viewers with his solid play.
“Yeah, I didn’t really know what to expect coming into it but it was everything and better,” said Florek. “I think it’s going to be a great series here going forward.”
Despite spending time throughout the season with the parent club, the transition into the lineup is often a difficult one. But the camaraderie and welcoming attitude will always be sentiments that fill the locker room.
“Like I said before, it’s a great group of guys and they’re welcoming from day one coming in here, which is awesome,” said Florek. “But building confidence is great, every chance I get here just building confidence throughout those first couple of games of the regular season was important. They were giving me chance on the penalty kill and things like that and that built confidence for me coming here today.”
While the loss puts Boston down a game in the series, best of 7 means there’s still quite a bit of hockey to be played. The teams will reconvene on Easter Sunday for a 3 pm re-match, for fans of the Bruins — hopefully the outcome will yield a different result before home territory belongs to Detroit for Games 3 and 4.
While most realistic Kings fans weren’t expecting LA to sweep San Jose (it may have been a fantasy deep down, but logically it was just not going to happen), they were probably also not expecting a rout in Game 1 of the series.
Brief recap:
Sharks jump out to an early 1-0 lead just over three minutes into the first period thanks in part to some heavy zone time.
Heavy SJ zone time early, and Pavelski-Thornton-Burns cashes in 3:06 into the game. Quick wasn’t expecting Pavelski’s backhand; 1-0.
Not off to a great start, but OK. Only down 1-0. No big deal. Kings nearly escaped the period down by one, but nothing was going right for the Kings at the time. An opportunistic Hertl scored off a turnover and Marleau added insult to injury by scoring 48 seconds later. Kings head to the locker room down by 3. Not great, but not impossible to come back from. A good start in the second period could get the Kings back in the game.
But that didn’t happen. The second was slightly better than the first as they only allowed two goals, though that’s about the brightest spot from the middle frame. Just about seven minutes into the second, Vlasic hit the crossbar and bounced to Torres in the slot who had skated in alone and beat Jonathan Quick for what eventually ended up being the game winning goal. Kings down by 4 now. Three and a half minutes later, Vlasic rubbed some salt in the giant gaping wound formerly known as the LA Kings (not sure what else you could’ve called them at that point) by scoring a power play goal through Quick’s 5-hole. Yeah, things were not going well. Kings went to into the second intermission having given up only two goals that period so, progress.
Martin Jones led the team onto the ice for the third and two minutes in, Kings decided to make things interesting. Kopitar fed Muzzin who beat Niemi. Five minutes later, Slava Voynov decided to join the fun and he scored an unassisted goal thanks to a nice screen from Jarret Stoll. With six minutes to go in the game, Jeff Carter banked the puck in off Trevor Lewis. The Sharks spent most of the period looking to just kill off the clock and didn’t really press for many Grade A opportunities. The ones they did get, Jones was up to the task. Brent Burns sealed the game with an empty net goal after a careless giveaway with 55 seconds to go.
This game was completely out of character for the Kings. In their full 82 game season, they only posted a Corsi For percent below 50 (which is considered average) 18 times (second best Corsi For team, Chicago Blackhawks, had 20).
Kings put up a 32.3% Corsi close tonight. Their worst game all season was 33.3% (at Chicago). Second worst 38.1%. This was out of character.
It was certainly a bad game all around, particularly for Jonathan Quick who allowed five goals. Critics on twitter (so obviously that should be taken with a grain of salt) complained that Quick allowed too many soft goals, though in his slight defense, most of the team didn’t bother to show up until the third period. Unfortunately for Quick, it was too late for him and he was done for the night. Turnovers, sloppy play and seeming disinterest ultimately cost the team a valuable win in San Jose but I wouldn’t expect that trend to continue. They’re only down 1-0 in the series and will look to come out strong in Game 2 on Sunday.
The team has two days between games and has returned to Los Angeles. They’re scheduled to practice Friday at 12 pm local time at Toyota Sports Center.
Reading Royals (1)- Fort Wayne Komets (8) Kalamazoo Wings (2)- Greenville Road Warriors (7) South Carolina Stingrays (3)- Wheeling Nailers (6) Orlando Solar Bears (4)- Cincinnati Cyclones (5)
For the ECHL Western Conference, every team made the playoffs, and with the folding mid-season of the San Francisco Bulls, a full 72-game schedule could not always be accommodated. Playoff seeding was determined by win-percentage, rather than points this season and it was a tight race until the end for the Grizzlies, Condors and Eagles. The Alaska Aces have a virtual bye for the first round, facing the eighth seeded Las Vegas Wranglers, a team that had only won 20 games in the regular season. The Thunder and the Reign are certain to play a heavy-hitting series, both teams thriving on physical play. The matchup between the Grizzlies and the Condors is certain to be a battle of the goaltenders, both teams weighing in with elite talent between the pipes.
The Eastern Conference is much larger than the West and will soon get another team, the Indy Fuel to increase the count to 14 teams next season. The playoff race went down to the wire as several teams including the Florida Everblades and Gwinnett Gladiators made late pushes to try and capture the eighth seed. Reading and South Carolina spent much of the season in a tight battle for first place, but the K-wings were able to edge out the Stingrays, who have made it to the post-season a record 20 times, for second place with their end of season surge. Reading will try to hang on to the Cup, but the Komets have everything to prove and have one of the best road games in the league.It will also be the first time the Solar Bears enter the post season, their second year in as an organization.
Aces/Wranglers
The Alaska Aces, a serious contender every year for the Kelly Cup, picked up the Brabham Cup for the fourth consecutive year and comes into the 2013-14 playoffs dominant in offensive depth and experience between the pipes. The top line of Peter Sivak (31g-52a-83pts), Captain Nick Mazzolini (25g-47a-72pts) and Brendan Connolly (22g-27a-49pts) have been a deadly combination on the ice, with Sivak’s accurate shot earning the AMI Graphic Plus Performer of the Year award for the 2013-2014 ECHL regular season, notching a +49 rating. The Aces goaltending duo of Gerald Coleman and Olivier Roy, recently returned from the AHL Abbotsford Heat, boasts Kelly Cup playoff experience. Coleman held down the fort for the Aces in the 2010-2011 season, capturing both the Brabham Cup and Kelly Cup that year. Roy spent last season with the Stockton Thunder, leading his team to the Kelly Cup Finals.
If there was a more opposite team to the Aces, it is the Las Vegas Wranglers. They began the season with a new coach, former player Mike Madill and struggled mid-season with securing a new arena deal for the 2014-2015 season. The team fought to win 20 games this year and stringing together wins proved a challenge. Scoring has come from second year forward Adam Hughesman (21g-24a-45pts) and Chad Nehring (22g-20a-42pts). Rookie goaltender Travis Fullerton, league leader in saves, has had to face high shot totals this season and carried much of the netminding duties with Mitch O’Keefe working through injury this season.
Reign/Thunder
The Ontario Reign gave the Alaska Aces a run for the Brabham Cup this year and nearly got it with 44 wins on the season. They started the year out strong and never let up, despite shake-ups in their lineup as they absorbed some of the fallout from the defunct San Francisco Bulls and the Worcester Sharks placing some of their players with the team. The Reign have a solid defensive core that gives up very few goals but can produce offensively. Blueliner Matt Register, ECHL Defenseman of the Year, was tied for second among league defensemen with 14 goals and 44 points and had most of his offensive production during 5 on 5 situations. Captain Derek Couture makes his presence known around the net. Forward Matt White (22g-35a-57pts) leads the team offensively but Maxim Kitsyn and Gaspar Kopitar have deft hands and speed to get the puck to the net. Goaltending has been up and down this season, with Jussi Olkinoura in net. Sharks prospect J. P. Anderson joined the team the last half of the season to balance the goaltending duties.
The defending Western Conference Champion Stockton Thunder began the season strong after making it to their first Kelly Cup Finals in the 2012-2013 season, but struggled offensively in the final month and a half. The team thrives on getting the puck deep, winning board battles and creating havoc around the net to score goals. Their power play is rated at the top in the league, with a 20% conversion rate. The top line of Andrew Clark (14g-21a-35pts), Joey Martin (21g-45a-66pts) and Jeremy Langlois (19g-41a-60pts) has seen AHL playing time together and will continue to dominate offensively for the team. Their defensive core is young but is anchored by Ryan Constant, who is one of the league leaders in power play assists. Goaltending has been a duo of Brian Foster and Parker Milner, both of whom have kept their team in the game under pressure.
Grizzlies/Condors
The Utah Grizzlies, after a rough start have turned their season around since January and climbed the standings. Their Coach Tim Branham, served as assistant coach for last years’ Kelly Cup Champion Reading Royals. They are a big-bodied team, using their size to knock the other team off the puck. Their finesse players, forwards David Vallorani (24g-35a-59pts) and Danick Paquette (23g-26a-49pts) capitalize on breakaway opportunities. Goaltending has been a big factor in the teams’ success with both Igor Bobkov and Aaron Dell earning successive ECHL Goaltender of the Month awards for their impressive play.
The Bakersfield Condors have made a steady climb, despite a rocky start to the season. No longer the underdog, they are making a serious go at the playoffs. The Condors have brought together a group of forwards with scoring talent in Captain Joel Broda (21g-19a-40pts), Greg Miller (21g-30a-51pts), and Jordan Knackstedt (19g-32a-51pts) and have a wealth of offensive depth. Their penalty kill is top notch. Their playoff gold is in their goaltending with rookie Laurent Brossoit between the pipes. With 24 wins and 9 losses, the Edmonton Oilers prospect has tied the ECHL single-season record with eight shutouts and ranks 1st in the league with a 2.05 goals-against average.
Steelheads/Eagles
The Idaho Steelheads finished the regular season strong with a 7-3-0 record in their final ten games after struggling mid-season. Goaltending consistency played a major role in their mid-season slump with Josh Robinson up with the AHL affiliate Texas Stars and several key forwards out with injury and callups. The Steelheads are surging offensively with talented forwards Tommy Grant (23g-27a-50pts), Mitch Wahl (17g-39a-56pts), ECHL Rookie of the Year William Rapuzzi (16g-42a-58pts) and recently returned from the Iowa Wild/ Bridgeport Sound Tigers Justin Mercier.
The Colorado Eagles have a solid core of veteran talent that has proven playoff experience. The team thrives on their transition game, striking quickly if given even the smallest opportunity. Forwards Trent Daavettila (22g-44a-66pts), Kyle Ostrow (28g-38a-66pts) and Kevin Ulanski (23g-40a-63pts) frequently record multi-point games and Captain Riley Nelson takes advantage when his team is down a man for a shorthanded goal. Goaltending has been inconsistent but Marc Cheverie has given them solid support down the stretch.
Royals/Komets
Defending Kelly Cup Champions, the Reading Royals have continued their success into the 2013-2014 season, battling the Alaska Aces for the Brabham Cup title. They have had a strong end to the season, going 31-10-3 in the last 44 games since January 8th. Offensively, they are led by Yannick Tifu (19g-29a-48pts), Ryan Cruthers (16g-40a-56pts) and TJ Syner (19g-25a-44pts). Both Tifu and Syner were instrumental in last year’s Kelly Cup team. Their defense is solid and can produce offensively. Michal Cajkovsky leads the team defensively with 14 goals and 22 assists on the year. Riley Gill and Brandon Anderson defend the net, delivering solid coverage and have come into their game the last half of the season.
The Fort Wayne Komets have surged into the playoff picture. Earlier in the season, it would have been a long shot for the team to make the post season and they entirely missed the post-season last year. A flurry of 12 trades and 9 different goaltenders made them a long shot but they ended the season 8-2-1 over the last 11 games. They are a solid team on the road with a 20-13-3 record. Forward Brandon Marino (30g-58a-88pts), the ECHL Player of the year leads the team offensively.
K-Wings/Road Warriors
The Kalamazoo Wings are looking to make an impact in the post season after missing out last year. They captured the North Division Title for the regular season and are led offensively by forward Matt Caria (24g-34a-58pts) and defenseman Sam Ftorek (13g-34a-47pts). They are a team that shuts down the opposing team’s offense, giving up very few scoring chances due to stingy defense. Their rookie goaltender Jordan Binnington was tied for fourth in the league with 23 wins.
The Greenville Road Warriors have battled all season and are a team that thrives on the late push to win games. The Road Warriors have offensive skill in Andrew Rowe, who is second in the league with 29 goals and Marc-Olivier Vallerand (26g-30a-56pts) and Jordie Johnston (22g-33a-55pts) round out the offensive top end. The team dominates on the penalty kill, holding 1st in the league with an 87% successful kill.
Stingrays/Nailers
The South Carolina Stingrays have been a strong contender all season and occupied the top spot in the East for at least the first half of the season. The team has steadily improved their record over the last three seasons. Their coach Spencer Carbery earned ECHL Coach of the Year and kept his team winning despite losing 15 players to AHL call ups, not including those with their Boston Bruins affiliation. Forward Dale Mitchell (19g-26a) is the team leader in points with 45 in 50 games played.
The Wheeling Nailers turned up the intensity the last half of the season and finished the season with an offensive drive that saw them score 5 or more goals in six of their last 12 games. Defenseman Mike Ratchuk has led his team from the point with 15 goals to lead the ECHL among defensemen. Offensively talented Sahir Gill (13g-41-54pts) and rookie forward Cody Sylvester (24g-18a-42pts) have led the team in scoring, while goalie Mike Condon ranks second in the league behind Bakersfield’s Laurent Brossoit in shutouts with 6 this season. His confidence in net at the end of the season is notable, allowing just 6 goals over his final seven appearances.
Solar Bears/Cyclones
The Orlando Solar Bears have been one of the surprises this season and made a strong push at season end, battling for the fourth playoff position with the Cincinnati Cyclones. They are led offensively by Mickey Lang, who led the ECHL in goals this season with 44 and had 77 points, as well as 7 game-winning goals. Goaltending has been split between Maxime Clermont and recently returned from the AHL Iowa Wild Cody Reichard.
The Cincinnati Cyclones ended the season in a tight race for the fourth playoff position, eventually losing out to the Solar Bears. The Cyclones forwards Anthony Luciani (25g-28a-53pts), Jonathan Hazen (22g-29a-51pts) and Paul Crowder (16g-32a-48pts) have dominated the offensive production for the team. Defensively, they have solid two-way players in Taylor Aronson and Mike Dalhuisen who keep pucks moving from the point and keep the opposing team off the scoring sheet.
Breakdown:
Prev
