The National Strat-O-Matic Hockey League Newsletter League Established May 1, 1997 Volume #11, Issue #16 - April 5, 2008 ********************************************************************* Current League Officers: Commissioner: Doug Norris Vice-Commissioner: Brian Leahy (7/15/07 to present) Email the whole league: mailto:nshl at yahoogroups dot com NSHL Chat List: mailto:nshlchat at yahoogroups dot com Web Page Administrator: Guy Caron League Web Site: http://nshl.org Files Adminstrator: Brian Leahy / Tom Vinacci League Files Site: http://www.highrantdistrict.com/SOM/NSHL Team Websites: Capital City Cougars: http://members.tripod.com/~CapCity/ Seattle Rainiers: http://math.colorado.edu/~norrisdt/rainiers/rainiers.html ********************************************************************* BEGIN NOTES: Just a quickie here because I'm out of prose already - it's tough writing up summaries of eight playoff series so that the writeups don't all sound the same (and I must say, I did an mediocre-to-adequate job! Kudos to me!). Some great series, though - including some fun NetMeeting matchups; these are definitely encouraged by the league if schedules allow for them - more than just hockey playing, it's a good chance for folks to get together online and talk hockey. And, as I've said so many times that I probably sound like a broken record, the owners are what make this league the best I've ever been in. Speaking of owners, thank you to Scott, Mike and Brian for their excellent articles - enjoy them! And thank you to Junu for helping beat the drum regarding trophy nominees (see below for more). ********************************************************************* 2007-08 TROPHY NOMINEES: I'm going to give everyone a few more days to get these done and in to me. Why? Because I have to do it if you don't, and I'm in the middle of government bid season. I don't mind doing it, per se - it's relaxing compared to projecting healthcare costs over the next eight years - but I surely don't know your teams as well as you do. Rest assured, however, there will be at least once case where I have to do it, I miss someone obvious, and then the owner who didn't do it publicly bitches and moans and basically calls me an idiot. I always appreciate that, and that owner will get the respect that they deserve. So once again, PLEASE get them in to me. Mucho thanks! ********************************************************************* EASTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS: #6 ST. MICHAEL'S PRIVATEERS at #1 BROOKLYN FOURTEENTH 2007-08 season: Series tied, 2-2 (Brooklyn: 13 goals, St. Michael's: 11 goals) All-Time Regular Season: Brooklyn leads series, 26-17-5 (Brooklyn: 141 goals, St. Michael's 114 goals) Farley Cup Playoffs: 2007 Eastern Conference Fianls: Brooklyn wins, 4 games to 2. #5 LONG ISLAND BERSERKERS at #2 QUEBEC CITY PATRIOTES 2007-08 season: Series tied, 2-2 (Quebec City: 13 goals, Long Island: 13 goals) All-Time Regular Season: Long Island leads series, 21-16-3 (Long Island: 127 goals, Quebec City: 109 goals) Farley Cup Playoffs: 2002 Farley Cup Quarterfinals: Long Island wins, 4 games to 2. 2005 Eastern Conference Semifinals: Long Island wins, 4 games to 3. ********************************************************************* WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS: #7 SEATTLE SASQUATCH at #1 HOUSTON AEROS 2007-08 season: Houston wins series, 4-0 (Houston 22 goals, Seattle 14 goals) All-Time Regular Season: Houston leads series, 24-11-1 (Houston: 137 goals, Seattle 99 goals) Farley Cup Playoffs: (first meeting) #5 SEATTLE RAINIERS at #3 NEVADA THUNDER 2007-08 season: Series tied: 3-3 (Nevada: 20 goals, Seattle: 18 goals) All-Time Regular Season: Seattle leads series, 14-11-1 (Seattle: 74 goals, Nevada 71 goals) Farley Cup Playoffs: 2004 Western Conference Quaterfinals: Seattle wins, 4 games to 1. ********************************************************************* CONFERENCE QUARTERFINALS IN REVIEW: The 2008 conference quarterfinals had their share of upsets, their share of exciting moments and their share of drama. Let's start by getting the short series out of the way - Brooklyn and Houston were each expected to dominate their first-round series, and dominate they did, each winning in five games. Looking a bit deeper, the Fourteenth had more than a bit of trouble with Corner Creek with all five games being won by a single goal. The last three games were all won in overtime, with Scott Walker sending the home crowd home happy with his marker 12:57 into the extra session of game five. "We really didn't want to make that trip again," said Walker after the game, referring to the long trip to Sweden that would have been required for a Game Six. Looking a bit deeper at Houston's win...well, it was still pretty dominating. Houston poured the gas on early and often in their Game One triumph, a 9-0 massacre that perhaps have a false sense of security going into Game Two, which Houston needed extra time to secure. The Aeros rode the back of Tomas Vokoun (8/8 GR) in game three, but Hampton Roads would not go away quietly, scoring in the second overtime of Game Four to send the series back to Houston. The Aeros there dispatched the Hounds, and will now face the Seattle Sasquatch in round two. The Sasquatch took their time finding their wheels, falling to favoured Fort Garry in the first two games of their series. But the team quickly rebounded, winning the next four to send Roberto Luongo and company home disappointed (and a few weeks earlier than expected). Trade deadline pickup Teemu Selanne was vital, scoring three times in Game Three and twice in the Game Six series-clincher. There will be two Seattle teams in the conference semifinals, with the Rainiers joining their cross-town rivals in round two after a stunning seven-game decision against the young and hungry Vancouver Whitecaps. The defending Farley Cup champs appeared to be on the ropes early, with Dwayne Roloson allowing ten goals in the first two games. Vesa Toskala rode to the rescue - as he had done all season - winning games three, four and five before Wade Dubielewicz stole the show in Game Six. Roloson was back in net for the mutual-elimination game, battling Niklas Backstrom to a scoreless time at the end of regulation. Rookie Wojtek Wolski would be the hero for the Rainiers, snapping a wrister past Backstrom 4:21 into overtime. Another series of one-goal games came between Nevada and Capital City, with the final three games all going to overtime. The Cougars stole a road win in Game Two, but the Thunder rode Jean-Sebastien Giguere to a pair of 3-2 overtime wins in Lincoln before taking a 2-1 decision in game five. Jaromir Jagr was the hero in that one, and he will now face the team where he made his NSHL name - the Rainiers - in the conference semis. Long Island and Florida battled in a match of the NSHL's "Original Six" (or whatever), with Long Island facing a suspension to star goaltender Evgeni Nabokov. But backup Jose Theodore was up to the task, taking the Hellcats in six games, including a Game Two whitewashing after being blown out in Game One. Little-used Brian Finley was the star in the pivotal fifth game, stopping twenty-four shots in a 4-1 win. The Bersekers will face second-seeded Quebec City, who used a fair amount of energy in dispatching the feisty Manayunk Bullies. The road team would win four of these games, but it was Olli Jokinen (goal and assist), Manny Fernandez (31 saves) and the Patriotes who prevailed in the seven game matchup, getting balanced scoring throughout the series. On the losing side, Mike Knuble did all he could in the deciding game - scoring a goal and an assist, adding *five* takeaways and a hit for good measure. The Bullies have to look back and wonder what would have happened had all-world goaltender Dominik Hasek been able to finish the series. Last but certainly not least, the Bulldogs and Privateers met in a six-game tilt that started off rather rough (7-0 and 6-2 games) before settling down to a sequence of tight contests. Games Three, Four and Five were all 2-1 decisions with St. Michael's winning the key fifth game before pulling away with a 4-2 win in Game Six. Nathan Horton had the overtime winner in Game Five with Tim Thomas stopping all but one of forty-three Buffalo shots. ********************************************************************* MASSASAUGA WIN 2008 DRAFT LOTTERY: Fans of the woeful Minneapolis Massasuaga may finally have something to cheer about! In a draft chock-full of talented players, the Massasauga won the chance to have the first selection after winning the lottery held on April 3. Montreal and the soon-to-be Pittsburgh Hornets moved up one and two spots, respectively, to round out the top three. Full draft lottery results: 1. Minneapolis Massasauga 2. Montreal Wanderers 3. Pittsburgh Hornets 4. Topeka Tarantulas 5. Stone Harbor Sound 6. Pittsburgh Sound Chasers 7. Lyndonville Blades 8. North Calgary Hawks ********************************************************************* SASQUATCH SECURE SERIES by Scott Shigemi, Seattle Sasquatch skipper Seattle, WA (AP) - The monkey is finally off the Sasquach back. It has finally happened, the Seattle Sasquach have advanced by winning a series. Previously, their only playoff advance was a bye, coming from winning the Northwest division in the 2001-2002 season. The lost to the eventual Farley Cup champions, the Buffalo Bulldogs in a tight seven game series. Starting off this series, Fort Garry systematically dismantled the Seattle defense. The games started off tight, but as minutes ticked off the clock, the Crabs began to find the holes and exploit them. After the first two games, Fort Garry had outscored Seattle by a 9-3 margin in the second and third periods. Matching offensive fire-power might have been a mistake for Seattle as they tried to match their offensive guns to Fort Garry's. In two games, Chris Higgins emerged as a future star. The defensive-minded forward put on an offensive clinic in game two. Going from the checking line to Fort Garry's top line, the huggable Higgins checked, bounced and cleared space to pot two goals and an assist in a game that the Crabs could have easily lost while being dominated on the shot board. Mo got some bad news after the game, Higgins wouldn't be able to suit up for at least a week, due to a sprained ego. As the series shifted to Seattle, everyone was wondering if the Jason Spezza deal crippled the team. It seemed that the Sasquach had no team chemistry. On home-ice, Seattle could play their style of hockey, defense-first hockey. With no injuries to worry about and matching lines, the Sasquach put on the perfect how-to clinic on how to win a game as the crushed the Crabs in a 10-0 route. Game four was a much closer contest, but there were some similarities to game three. Roberto Luongo was chased from net after surrendering four goals in the second period. Seattle got critical scoring from multiple lines, something that they couldn't do at Fort Garry. They say winning breeds confidence, so Seattle took their new found ally on the road. Instead of playing to Fort Garry's strength, Seattle shuffled the deck and turned their checking line into their top line in an effort to slow the game down. It worked, the defense came through and Seattle took the series lead 3-2. From the game five recap, "Pandolfo, fer cryin' out loud. 3-0." With their backs to the wall, Fort Garry came out firing as they let Seattle have it with both barrels. They put up a 16-6 shot total in the first period of a do or die game six. Marc Andre Fleury plays over his head as the stones all 16 shots. Going into the second period, Seattle is up 2-0. After a firry pep speech, the Crabs keep up the pressure and it begins to pay off as they break through and score two goals. They get some help from the referees as Seattle is denied any chance with the man-advantage. In the end, the loss of Higgins and Lehtinen, two of Fort Garry's best defensive forwards proved to be disastrous. They couldn't stop the goal scoring machine that the Seattle Sasquach have become. Fleury may have proved the other adage, "it's better to be clutch than good." Seattle will now wait to see who they will face after the re-seeding. Most pick the Houston Aeros to face the upstart Sasquatch. If it is the Aeros, it'll be a first as the two teams have never faced one another in the playoffs. ********************************************************************* WHO WILL MASSASAUGA'S "POWERBALL" BE AFTER LOTTERY WIN? by Mike Steudle, Minneapolis owner Minneapolis Massasauga grabbed the number one spot in the NSHL Entry Draft Thursday Night. "We're delighted with the results - there will be many fantastic playmakers available this summer; we'll be looking at our options in the upcoming months", said General Manager Steudle. After the season Minneapolis had, they will be looking for changes behind the bench, too, as Head Coach Glen Goodall and his Assistant Mike Sullivan's contracts will not be renewed once their two-year contacts expire this summer. Goodall, who coached the Sasquatch throughout their successful expansion years, just couldn't improve on the last year's totals - only winning seven games and getting a NSHL record-low 11.0% winning percentage. Inside sources say if Goodall could have gotten a couple victories, his job could have been saved, but the Massasauga absolutely got destroyed over the final two months of the NSHL season with 6-0, 8-0 score lines, sealing his fate. On a final note Minneapolis will rely on Antero Niittymaki and Patrick Lalime for goaltending duties for the 08/09 season. Lalime has plenty of years starting for expansion type NSHL teams and was brought in from Vancouver in late February will be looking to subplant incumbent starter Antero Niittymaki, who has failed to live up to expectations of the Toso Pavilion faithful. ********************************************************************* SEASON ENDS FOR COUGARS AFTER EARLY PLAYOFF EXIT by Brian Leahy, Capital City owner (AP) LINCOLN, NEBRASKA.....In a season filled with its ups and downs, once the playoffs began, the Cougars felt as if they had a chance to do well and play their brand of hockey. Unfortunately, they ran into a wall that went by the name of Jean-Sebastien Giguere, and Capital City was quickly, and frustratingly dispatched in five games. The Cougars had high points, such as their 9-game winning streak earlier in the season, as well as leading the Western Conference in points at the All-Star break and having their coach, Brian Leahy, lead the West All-Star team. Capital City also had low points, including a period where they lost 5 consecutive games (all home games) that saw them plummet in the standings and teeter on the brink of not even clinching a playoff spot at all. In the end, the Cougars got the 6th seed in the West and were matched up against the Nevada Thunder, a team they played 3 times early on in the regular season and hadn't faced since bi-week 5/6. Capital City lost the season series, 2-1, but in perhaps a foreshadowing of things to come, each of the three games were decided by one goal. The Cougars won the first meeting, 1-0 and then lost the next two, 2-1 in overtime and then 5-4 in a shootout. The playoff series between the two teams lived up to their previous meetings. Each of the five games was decided by a goal and, aside from game one of the series, the remaining four games were all decided in overtime. Exciting and riveting for the fans to watch, I'm sure, but nail biting and frustrating for the Cougars who saw their offense stifled time and time again. Yet another season that was filled with promise at the opening and end on a sour note and an early exit. OFF-SEASON Cougars management hopes to re-tool the roster significantly in the off-season as ownership has had high expectations for their team in the past two seasons. With the free agent and waiver drafts this summer, one of the goals management has is to get the roster younger. With the playoffs still in progress, there's no word on any specific plans just yet, but team officials are set to meet in Lincoln this week to begin strategy sessions. NEWS & NOTES The Cougars announced the following team awards at a booster club dinner held this past Friday night. The winners: Joe Malone Trophy (Team MVP): Daniel Alfredsson. ConAgra Cup (Most 3-Star Points): Manny Legace. Mike Bossy Award (Team Points Leader): Joe Sakic. King Clancy Award (Top Defenseman): Philippe Boucher. Billy Smith Award (Top Goaltender): Manny Legace. Motto McLean Award (Unsung Hero): Mathieu Schneider. Fan Favorite Award (MVP Voted By Fans): Joe Sakic. Cougar Spirit Award (Most Improved): Todd White. ********************************************************************* OLD MEETS NEW AS RAINIERS UPSET WHITECAPS by Doug Norris, Seattle Rainiers owner Having qualified for the Farley Cup playoffs in all but one of their eleven campaigns, the Seattle Rainiers found themselves in the unusual position of opening on the road in the conference quarterfinals. Moreover, they faced the daunting task of facing the high-energy Whitecaps, 141 miles to the north. In the end it was a series for the ages, and in the deciding game it was something old and something new propelling the Rainiers to the series win. Dwayne Roloson, the Cup-winning goaltender of last season, found himself at the end of the Seattle bench after being pulled in a Game Two loss that put Vancouver ahead two games to zero. He watched as Vesa Toskala, the super sub in goal, won three consecutive games to put the Rainiers on the brink. But after a 2-1 loss in Game Six, coach Norris put Roloson between the pipes for game seven. And Roloson delivered while the once-powerful Seattle offense struggled to ignite. After sixty minutes of regulation in Game Seven, Roloson and Niklas Backstrom had met one other zero for zero. But it would take something more - and that more was 2006 first-round draft choice Wojtek Wolski, playing in his first postseason series. Barely four minutes into the extra session, Wolski fed an Andrew Brunette pass past an outstretched Backstrom, who may have been interfered with by Andy McDonald. The Rainiers now hope to get both Jonathan Cheechoo (calf) and Chris Chelios (back) for their conference semifinal series against Nevada, where they will face former goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere. Will Roloson or Toskala get the start in game one for Seattle? ********************************************************************* EASTERN CONFERENCE QUARTERFINAL RESULTS: #8 CORNER CREEK GREEN CALVES at #1 BROOKLYN FOURTEENTH: Corner Creek 2, at Brooklyn 3 [Game One, Brooklyn leads series, 1-0] BRK Olaf Kolzig - forty-one saves, 9/11 GR BRK Michael Nylander - two goals CGC Nils Ekman - goal, assist, hit Corner Creek 1, at Brooklyn 2 [Game Two, Brooklyn leads series, 2-0] BRK Olaf Kolzig - twenty-one saves, 3/4 GR BRK Alexander Ovechkin - game-winning goal CGC Chris Mason - thirty-two saves, 6/8 GR Brooklyn 4, at Corner Creek 3 (OT) [Game Three, Brooklyn leads series, 3-0] BRK John Madden - goal at 3:12 of overtime, two hits CGC Tyler Arnason - goal, assist BRK Ian Laperriere - goal, assist Brooklyn 3, at Corner Creek 4 (OT) [Game Four, Brooklyn leads series, 3-1] CGC Matt Cullen - three goals including goal at 7:51 of overtime, takeaway CGC Brett Lebda - two assists, two takeaways, hit BRK Marek Malik - assist, takeaway, two hits Corner Creek 2, at Brooklyn 3 (OT) [Game Five, Brooklyn leads series, 4-1] BRK Scott Walker - goal at 12:57 of overtime, two takeaways BRK Olaf Kolzig - forty-eight saves, 7/9 GR CGC Daniel Sedin - goal, assist, takeaway #7 MANAYUNK BULLIES at #2 QUEBEC CITY PATRIOTES: Manayunk 3, at Quebec City 4 (OT) [Game One, Quebec City leads series, 1-0] QCP Kyle Wellwood - two goals including goal at 1:32 of OT, assist MAN Dainius Zubrus - two goals, takeaway QCP Kevin Bieksa - power-play goal, assist, takeaway Manayunk 3, at Quebec City 1 [Game Two, series tied, 1-1] MAN Roman Hamrlik - two assists, two hits MAN Dominik Hasek - thirty-three saves, 3/4 GR MAN Greg de Vries - assist, two takeaways, two hits Quebec City 4, at Manayunk 0 [Game Three, Quebec City leads series, 2-1] QCP Olli Jokinen - two goals, assist QCP Jochen Hecht - goal, assist, takeaway QCP Manny Fernandez - fourteen saves, shutout, 2/2 GR Quebec City 0, at Manayunk 2 [Game Four, series tied, 2-2] MAN Joey MacDonald - thirty-four saves, shutout, 9/9 GR MAN Mike Johnson - goal, takeaway, two hits QCP Manny Fernandez - thirty-four saves, 7/8 GR Manayunk 4, at Quebec City 3 (OT) [Game Five, Manayunk leads series, 3-2] MAN Petr Cajanek - two goals including goal at 4:53 of overtime MAN Travis Roche - goal, two assists, takeaway, hit QCP Martin Havlat - goal, two takeaways Quebec City 3, at Manayunk 2 [Game Six, series tied, 3-3] QCP Daniel Briere - two assists, takeaway, hit QCP Kevin Bieksa - goal, two takeaways, two hits MAN Dany Sabourin - twenty-six saves, 5/5 GR Manayunk 3, at Quebec City 4 [Game Seven, Quebec City wins series, 4-3] MAN Mike Knuble - power-play goal, assist, five takeaways, hit QCP Olli Jokinen - goal, assist QCP Manny Fernandez - thirty-one saves, 5/6 GR #6 ST. MICHAEL'S PRIVATEERS at #3 BUFFALO BULLDOGS: St. Michael's 7, at Buffalo 0 [Game One, St. Michael's leads series, 1-0] STM Brad Richards - three assists, two takeaways, hit STM Nathan Horton - goal, two assists STM Tim Thomas - fifteen saves, shutout, 0/0 GR St. Michael's 2, at Buffalo 6 [Game Two, series tied, 1-1] BUF Mike Ribeiro - power-play goal, two assists, takeaway BUF Tom Preissing - three assists BUF Rick DiPietro - twenty-three saves, 4/4 GR Buffalo 1, at St. Michael's 2 [Game Three, St. Michael's leads series, 2-1] STM Tim Thomas - thirty saves, 5/5 GR STM Brad Richards - shorthanded goal, hit STM Duncan Keith - assist, two takeaways, hit Buffalo 2, at St. Michael's 1 [Game Four, series tied, 2-2] BUF Rick DiPietro - thirty-one saves, 4/5 GR STM Tim Thomas - thirty-eight saves, 6/7 GR BUF Martin St. Louis - game-winning goal, takeaway St. Michael's 2, at Buffalo 1 (OT) [Game Five, St. Michael's leads series, 3-2] STM Tim Thomas - forty-two saves, 6/7 GR STM Nathan Horton - two goals including goal at 11:55 of overtime, hit BUF Jordan Staal - assist, four takeaways, hit Buffalo 2, at St. Michael's 4 [Game Six, St. Michael's wins series, 4-2] STM Nik Antropov - two power-play goals, takeaway, hit STM Brad Richards - three assists STM Duncan Keith - two assists, takeaway, two hits #5 LONG ISLAND BERSERKERS at #4 FLORIDA HELLCATS: Long Island 1, at Florida 8 [Game One, Florida leads series, 1-0] FLO Daymond Langkow - three goals, assist, hit FLO Vaclav Prospal - power-play goal, three assists, hit FLO Lubomir Visnovsky - power-play goal, three assists Long Island 3, at Florida 0 [Game Two, series tied, 1-1] LIB Jose Theodore - thirty-one saves, shutout, 3/3 GR LIB Fredrik Modin - power-play goal, assist, takeaway FLO Ray Emery - twenty-eight saves, 6/8 GR Florida 3, at Long Island 2 [Game Three, Florida leads series, 2-1] FLO Ray Emey - forty-two saves, 5/7 GR LIB Jose Theodore - twenty-two saves, 7/9 GR FLO Brandon Bochenski - goal, takeaway, hit Florida 1, at Long Island 3 [Game Four, series tied, 2-2] LIB Trent Hunter - two goals, assist, two takeaways LIB Vincent Lecavalier - two goals, assist, takeaway, hit FLO Ray Emery - thirty-three saves, 8/9 GR Long Island 4, at Florida 1 [Game Five, Long Island leads series, 3-2] LIB Fredrik Modin - two goals LIB Brian Finley - twenty-four saves, 7/8 GR LIB Tom Poti - assist, takeaway, two hits Florida 3, at Long Island 4 (OT) [Game Six, Long Island wins series, 4-2] LIB Marian Gaborik - power-play goal, two assists, takeaway FLO Brandon Bochenski - two goals LIB Mikko Koivu - goal at 3:41 of overtime ********************************************************************* WESTERN CONFERENCE QUARTERFINAL RESULTS: #8 HAMPTON ROADS HOUNDS at #1 HOUSTON AEROS: Hampton Roads 0, at Houston 9 [Game One, Houston leads series, 1-0] HOU Scott Gomez - two goals, assist HOU Simon Gagne - two goals, takeaway HOU Tomas Vokoun - twenty-one saves, 1/1 GR Hampton Roads 3, at Houston 4 (OT) [Game Two, Houston leads series, 2-0] HOU Chris Pronger - two goals (incl. goal at 12:56 of OT), assist, three TA HOU Brendan Shanahan - two goals, assist, five takeaways HRH Joe Pavelski - two goals, assist Houston 5, at Hampton Roads 1 [Game Three, Houston leads series, 3-0] HOU Tomas Vokoun - thirty-two saves, 8/8 GR HOU Peter Forsberg - two power-play goals HOU Rick Nash - goal, assist, two takeaways Houston 5, at Hampton Roads 6 (2OT) [Game Four, Houston leads series, 3-1] HRH Bryan Smolinski - two goals including goal at 24:19 of overtime, assist, two takeaways HOU Rick Nash - power-play goal, assist, hit HRH Glen Murray - goal, assist, takeaway Hampton Roads 3, at Houston 4 [Game Five, Houston wins series, 4-1] HOU Nicklas Lidstrom - goal, two assists, takeaway HOU Mats Sundin - two assists, three hits HRH Cristobal Huet - thirty-eight saves, 7/11 GR #7 SEATTLE SASQUATCH at #2 FORT GARRY FIDDLER CRABS: Seattle Sasquatch 2, at Fort Garry 4 [Game One, Fort Garry leads series, 1-0] FGF Kimmo Kimonen - goal, assist, two takeaways, hit FGF Roberto Luongo - twenty-eight saves, 7/9 GR FGF Christopher Higgins - shorthanded goal, takeaway, hit Seattle Sasquatch 3, at Fort Garry 6 [Game Two, Fort Garry leads series, 2-0] FGF Christopher Higgins - two goals, assist, takeaway, hit FGF Joe Thornton - three assists, takeaway, two hits FGF Jere Lehtinen - goal, assist Fort Garry 0, at Seattle Sasquatch 10 [Game Three, Fort Garry leads series, 2-1] SES Teemu Selanne - three goals, assist SES Marc Savard - two goals, two assists, takeaway SES Marc-Andre Fleury - twenty-two saves, shutout, 5/5 GR Fort Garry 5, at Seattle Sasquatch 6 [Game Four, series tied, 2-2] SES Sergei Brylin - two goals, assist, three takeaways FGF Ryan Smyth - two goals, takeaway SES Dan Boyle - goal, two assists, takeaway, two hits Seattle Sasquatch 4, at Fort Garry 2 [Game Five, Seattle leads series, 3-2] SES Brett Clark - goal, assist, takeaway, hit SES Marc-Andre Fleury - twenty-six saves, 7/9 GR FGF Mattias Ohlund - power-play goal, two takeaways Fort Garry 3, at Seattle Sasquatch 4 [Game Six, Seattle wins series, 4-2] SES Teemu Selanne - two goals FGF Marian Hossa - goal, two assists, takeaway, hit SES Dan Boyle - assist, two takeaways #6 CAPITAL CITY COUGARS at #3 NEVADA THUNDER: Capital City 3, at Nevada 4 [Game One, Nevada leads series, 1-0] NEV Jason Blake - two goals, hit NEV Jean-Sebastien Giguere - thirty-four saves, 5/6 GR CCC Daniel Alfredsson - three assists, hit Capital City 2, at Nevada 1 [Game Two, series tied, 1-1] NEV Jean-Sebastien Giguere - thirty-six saves, 9/10 GR CCC Markus Naslund - goal, assist, takeaway, hit CCC Joe Sakic - two assists, two takeaways, hit Nevada 3, at Capital City 2 (OT) [Game Three, Nevada leads series, 2-1] NEV Jean-Sebastien Giguere - twenty-eight saves, 10/12 GR CCC Marty Turco - forty-four saves, 10/13 GR NEV Brian Campbell - goal at 2:12 of overtime Nevada 3, at Capital City 2 (OT) [Game Four, Nevada leads series, 3-1] NEV Brian Rolston - goal at 1:06 of overtime, assist, hit NEV Mike Sillinger - goal, assist, hit, 10-of-11 faceoffs CCC Markus Naslund - power-play goal, assist, hit Capital City 1, at Nevada 2 (OT) [Game Five, Nevada wins series, 4-1] NEV Jaromir Jagr - goal at 7:15 of overtime, three hits NEV Jean-Sebastien Giguere - forty saves, 9/10 GR CCC Pavol Demitra - goal, four takeaways #5 SEATTLE RAINIERS at #4 VANCOUVER WHITECAPS: Seattle Rainiers 2, at Vancouver 4 [Game One, Vancouver leads series, 1-0] VAW Niklas Backstrom - twenty-nine saves, 9/10 GR SEA Dany Heatley - goal, assist VAW Dustin Brown - power-play goal, assist, takeaway Seattle Rainiers 2, at Vancouver 7 [Game Two, Vancouver leads series, 2-0] VAW Sidney Crosby - two goals, assist, VAW Nicklas Backstrom - twenty-six saves, 3/4 GR VAW Hal Gill - goal, assist, three hits Vancouver 3, at Seattle Rainiers 5 [Game Three, Vancouver leads series, 2-1] VAW Sidney Crosby - two goals SEA Tomas Holmstrom - goal, assist SEA Mike Fisher - three takeaways, hit Vancouver 1, at Seattle Rainiers 3 [Game Four, series tied, 2-2] SEA Alex Tanguay - goal, assist, takeaway, hit SEA Andrew Brunette - goal, assist SEA Vesa Toskala - thirty saves, 2/2 GR Seattle Rainiers 2, at Vancouver 1 (OT) [Game Five, Seattle leads series, 3-2] SEA Vesa Toskala - forty-four saves, 9/10 GR SEA Tomas Holmstrom - goal at 13:54 of overtime, assist, two hits VAW Niklas Backstrom - thirty-three saves, 5/6 GR Vancouver 2, at Seattle Rainiers 1 [Game Six, series tied, 3-3] VAW Wade Dubielewicz - thirty-four saves, 7/8 GR VAW Hal Gill - two assists, three takeaways, hit VAW Sami Salo - goal, takeaway, hit Seattle Rainiers 1, at Vancouver (OT) [Game Seven, Seattle wins series, 4-3] SEA Dwayne Roloson - twenty-six saves, shutout, 4/4 GR SEA Wojtek Wolski - goal at 4:21 of overtime VAW Niklas Backstrom - thirty saves, 9/10 GR ********************************************************************* 2007-08 REGULAR SEASON LEAGUE STANDINGS: NORTHEAST DIVISION GP W L OL SL Pts Pct GF GA Home Road Brooklyn Fourteenth 82 62 16 2 2 128 0.780 280 181 36- 3- 1- 1 26-13- 1- 1 Buffalo Bulldogs 82 56 23 2 1 115 0.701 287 213 32- 9- 0- 0 24-14- 2- 1 Long Island Berserkers 82 42 36 0 4 88 0.537 257 259 22-18- 0- 1 20-18- 0- 3 Corner Creek Green Cal 82 36 37 2 7 81 0.494 233 242 24-12- 2- 3 12-25- 0- 4 Lyndonville Blades 82 31 42 4 5 71 0.433 218 241 21-15- 3- 2 10-27- 1- 3 Empire State Americans 82 30 42 3 7 70 0.427 177 253 14-21- 1- 5 16-21- 2- 2 ATLANTIC DIVISION GP W L OL SL Pts Pct GF GA Home Road Quebec City Patriotes 82 43 30 3 6 95 0.579 245 242 24-12- 2- 3 19-18- 1- 3 Florida Hellcats 82 41 33 4 4 90 0.549 231 237 21-17- 2- 1 20-16- 2- 3 St. Michael's Privatee 82 41 36 2 3 87 0.530 229 236 25-14- 0- 2 16-22- 2- 1 Manayunk Bullies 82 39 36 3 4 85 0.518 226 215 18-20- 1- 2 21-16- 2- 2 Stone Harbor Sound 82 31 44 1 6 69 0.421 178 231 15-23- 1- 2 16-21- 0- 4 Montreal Wanderers 82 25 52 1 4 55 0.335 183 291 10-28- 1- 2 15-24- 0- 2 NORTHWEST DIVISION GP W L OL SL Pts Pct GF GA Home Road Fort Garry Fiddler Cra 82 51 25 3 3 108 0.659 259 202 27-10- 2- 2 24-15- 1- 1 Nevada Thunder 82 50 27 3 2 105 0.640 284 216 25-15- 0- 1 25-12- 3- 1 Vancouver Whitecaps 82 49 27 3 3 104 0.634 256 231 24-13- 1- 3 25-14- 2- 0 Seattle Rainiers 82 50 29 2 1 103 0.628 302 231 25-15- 0- 1 25-14- 2- 0 Seattle Sasquatch 82 47 30 0 5 99 0.604 291 275 24-14- 0- 3 23-16- 0- 2 North Calgary Hawks 82 43 33 2 4 92 0.561 281 252 22-15- 2- 2 21-18- 0- 2 CENTRAL DIVISION GP W L OL SL Pts Pct GF GA Home Road Houston Aeros 82 54 26 0 2 110 0.671 308 212 29-11- 0- 1 25-15- 0- 1 Capital City Cougars 82 48 27 3 4 103 0.628 276 246 23-13- 2- 3 25-14- 1- 1 Hampton Roads Hounds 82 45 28 4 5 99 0.604 247 221 20-16- 2- 3 25-12- 2- 2 Pittsburgh Sound Chase 82 40 38 0 4 84 0.512 243 242 20-19- 0- 2 20-19- 0- 2 Topeka Tarantulas 82 23 51 3 5 54 0.329 188 314 12-27- 0- 2 11-24- 3- 3 Minneapolis Massasauga 82 7 71 2 2 18 0.110 129 325 3-37- 1- 0 4-34- 1- 2 ********************************************************************* 2007-08 EXPANDED LEAGUE STATISTICS: EXPANDED STATISTICS Total Home Road NORTHEAST DIVISION REG OVT SHO REG OVT SHO REG OVT SHO Brooklyn Fourteenth 59-16 1- 2 2- 2| 35- 3 0- 1 1- 1| 24-13 1- 1 1- 1 Buffalo Bulldogs 45-23 2- 2 9- 1| 27- 9 0- 0 5- 0| 18-14 2- 2 4- 1 Long Island Berserkers 35-36 2- 0 5- 4| 18-18 1- 0 3- 1| 17-18 1- 0 2- 3 Corner Creek Green Calv 32-37 2- 2 2- 7| 22-12 0- 2 2- 3| 10-25 2- 0 0- 4 Lyndonville Blades 25-42 3- 4 3- 5| 16-15 3- 3 2- 2| 9-27 0- 1 1- 3 Empire State Americans 24-42 2- 3 4- 7| 13-21 1- 1 0- 5| 11-21 1- 2 4- 2 ATLANTIC DIVISION REG OVT SHO REG OVT SHO REG OVT SHO Quebec City Patriotes 38-30 1- 3 4- 6| 20-12 1- 2 3- 3| 18-18 0- 1 1- 3 Florida Hellcats 34-33 2- 4 5- 4| 17-17 1- 2 3- 1| 17-16 1- 2 2- 3 St. Michael's Privateer 34-36 1- 2 6- 3| 21-14 1- 0 3- 2| 13-22 0- 2 3- 1 Manayunk Bullies 35-36 1- 3 3- 4| 16-20 1- 1 1- 2| 19-16 0- 2 2- 2 Stone Harbor Sound 23-44 2- 1 6- 6| 11-23 2- 1 2- 2| 12-21 0- 0 4- 4 Montreal Wanderers 20-52 3- 1 2- 4| 8-28 1- 1 1- 2| 12-24 2- 0 1- 2 NORTHWEST DIVISION REG OVT SHO REG OVT SHO REG OVT SHO Fort Garry Fiddler Crab 41-25 4- 3 6- 3| 20-10 3- 2 4- 2| 21-15 1- 1 2- 1 Nevada Thunder 43-27 1- 3 6- 2| 22-15 0- 0 3- 1| 21-12 1- 3 3- 1 Vancouver Whitecaps 42-27 4- 3 3- 3| 21-13 3- 1 0- 3| 21-14 1- 2 3- 0 Seattle Rainiers 44-29 5- 2 1- 1| 24-15 1- 0 0- 1| 20-14 4- 2 1- 0 Seattle Sasquatch 33-30 6- 0 8- 5| 17-14 5- 0 2- 3| 16-16 1- 0 6- 2 North Calgary Hawks 37-33 3- 2 3- 4| 17-15 3- 2 2- 2| 20-18 0- 0 1- 2 CENTRAL DIVISION REG OVT SHO REG OVT SHO REG OVT SHO Houston Aeros 50-26 2- 0 2- 2| 28-11 0- 0 1- 1| 22-15 2- 0 1- 1 Capital City Cougars 44-27 1- 3 3- 4| 22-13 0- 2 1- 3| 22-14 1- 1 2- 1 Hampton Roads Hounds 40-28 1- 4 4- 5| 17-16 0- 2 3- 3| 23-12 1- 2 1- 2 Pittsburgh Sound Chaser 37-38 1- 0 2- 4| 19-19 0- 0 1- 2| 18-19 1- 0 1- 2 Topeka Tarantulas 17-51 2- 3 4- 5| 8-27 1- 0 3- 2| 9-24 1- 3 1- 3 Minneapolis Massasauga 7-71 0- 2 0- 2| 3-37 0- 1 0- 0| 4-34 0- 1 0- 2 ********************************************************************* NSHL CALENDAR April 6 - Conference semifinals begin today! April 20 - Conference semifinal results should be complete by today. ********************************************************************* INCENTIVE POINTS: Incentive points are not discretionary, and are assigned strictly per formula without respect to extenuating circumstances. Incentive points may be appealed through the Review Board. SES -1 IP, newsletter article MIN -1 IP, newsletter article CUMULATIVE INCENTIVE POINTS: BRK -2 IP CCC exempt FLO -2 IP HRH -1 IP HOU -1 IP MAN -3 IP MIN -1 IP NEV -2 IP NCH -2 IP QCP 1 IP STM -1 IP SES -1 IP SHS -2 IP TPK -2 IP VAW -7 IP ********************************************************************* 2007-08 NSHL NORRIS POWER INDEX To calculate the predicted margin of victory for an upcoming game, take the NPI of the home team, subtract the NPI of the visiting team, and add the calculated home-ice advantage (currently 0.194 goals). NPI: projected "power" of the given team VAR: variation in a team's NPI. SOS: strength of schedule (average NPI of opponents to date) NORRIS POWER INDEX NPI VAR SOS LW 1. Houston Aeros 1.390 8.648 -0.120 2 2. Brooklyn Fourteenth 1.324 4.296 -0.127 1 3. Nevada Thunder 0.999 6.915 0.075 3 4. Seattle Rainiers 0.884 8.285 0.101 5 5. Buffalo Bulldogs 0.824 6.024 -0.073 4 6. Vancouver Whitecaps 0.606 5.715 0.133 7 7. Fort Garry Fiddler Crabs 0.575 9.053 0.112 6 8. Seattle Sasquatch 0.558 7.801 0.131 9 9. Capital City Cougars 0.386 6.027 0.015 8 10. North Calgary Hawks 0.385 7.355 0.112 10 11. Hampton Roads Hounds 0.143 7.950 0.037 11 12. Long Island Berserkers 0.037 8.634 0.004 12 13. Quebec City Patriotes -0.010 5.417 -0.089 15 14. Manayunk Bullies -0.031 5.055 -0.104 13 15. Corner Creek Green Calves -0.033 6.224 0.064 16 16. St. Michael's Privateers -0.035 8.605 -0.048 18 17. Pittsburgh Sound Chasers -0.045 7.112 -0.025 14 18. Florida Hellcats -0.122 8.144 -0.051 17 19. Lyndonville Blades -0.331 6.200 0.039 19 20. Stone Harbor Sound -0.790 5.528 -0.007 20 21. Empire State Americans -0.995 5.678 0.037 21 22. Montreal Wanderers -1.433 6.379 0.010 22 23. Topeka Tarantulas -1.583 7.085 0.088 23 24. Minneapolis Massasauga -2.703 4.404 0.181 24 ********************************************************************* POSTSEASON INJURY REPORT: This will change with every playoff game, and will be announced to the relevant owners at that time. LIB - Evgeni Nabokov out 1 game (suspension) NEV - Andy Wozniewski out 28 games QCP - Drew Stafford out 38 games STM - Todd Bertuzzi out 7 games (injury - suspension will occur concurrently) - Dan Hinote out 21 games (suspension) - Geoff Platt out 6 games - Ryan Potulny out 5 games ********************************************************************* ASSOCIATE LIST: SINCE GP Dean Engemoen June 16, 2007 17 Francois Lessard December 10, 2006 8 Steve Kramer December 13, 2004 0 Greg Ralls December 14, 2004 0 Andrew Smith November 19, 2005 0 J.J. Schrems May 1, 2006 0 Scott Bruner June 18, 2007 0 Dale Ripley September 11, 2007 0 Steve Beren February 2, 2008 0 If you're still an active associate, and aren't on this list, please get in contact with me. Thanks! Doug ********************************************************************* TRANSACTIONS: All free agents *must* play in at least six of your team's games the following biweek. Violation of this results in the player being released immediately. ********************************************************************* League Governing Boards Responsibilities of the following governing boards are outlined in the Constitution. Review Board Tom Vinacci, Buffalo Bulldogs Patrick Shea, Long Island Berserkers Mark McNeil, Lyndonville Blades Constitutional Council Head: Patrick Shea (patrickjshea at verizon dot net) Doug Norris, Commissioner Brian Leahy, Vice-Commissioner Andy Bartalone, St. Michael's owner (vacant) *********************************************************************