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Playoff Previews - "A" Division
(3) Sharks @ (2) Barons
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Sharks: 8-4, 66 GF, 47 GA, +19 Dif.
Barons:
8-4, 74 GF, 37 GA, +37 Dif. |
Sharks
Top 5 Scorers |
Barons
Top 5 Scorers |
Jeff Heer 8-8-10-18
Vish Singh 6-5-10-15
Bobby Grewal 5-4-11-15
Roy Cabrita 6-3-12-15
Ron Sandhu 6-4-10-14 |
Stan McClellan 12-16-22-38
Dan Molatore 12-8-21-29
Brenden Ham 12-7-10-17
Lloyd Weir 11-6-11-17
Craig Houle 9-2-12-14 |
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| The Sharks entered this season as one of the
favourites on the strength of a number of pickups from the vaunted
Surrey Thrashers team. As it turned out, injuries and scheduling
conflicts played havoc with the team all year, but when the top lineup
was together (such as the last game of the season, to secure a playoff
berth) it was dominant. The Barons always put together strong teams,
which is why it was such a surprise when they started the season with
an 0-4 record. Well, a couple months later the Barons have reeled off
an 8 game winning streak and clinched the higher seed on the strength
of an 11-3 drubbing laid on these very Sharks on one of their
decimated lineup nights. This a rematch of an exciting first round
series of last year that the Barons swept despite both games being
nail-biters.
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This is a match-up of two explosive teams. The Barons
have long been known for their high octane offense and this year was
no exception. The team scored 74 goals for an average of over 6 per
game. Only the Executioners scored more in the entire NWBHL. Stan
McClellan secured yet another scoring title, but a
couple of things that may surprise some people are the fact that he
led the division in assists, and managed to do it all without taking a
single penalty minute. This was possibly Stan's most well rounded
season to date. In second place in the scoring race is the
consistently under appreciated Dan Molatore. This guy has put up big
numbers for years and is one of the hardest workers on the floor.
Craig Houle is the main quarterback from the point from the Barons and
will be a key figure once again. His mobility and shot make him a
constant threat. There are a several other big scorers on this team
including the slot machine known as Rod "The Cannon" Wardell,
and rookie sensation Brenden Ham, who finished as the top
"A" division freshman scorer. It bears mentioning who did
not qualify as there are some Barons mainstays that didn't hit the
qualification mark. Ray Diesel, Jeff Hall and Kerry Nikolai will all
be absent from this years playoffs and will be sorely missed by their
team.
The only thing that kept the Sharks from the top of the scoring charts
was the fact that a number of players logged the minimum amount of
games to enter the playoffs, a fact that almost cost the team a
playoff entry in the extremely tight "A" division. The
incomparable Jeff Heer led the team in points with an impressive 18 in
just 8 games and as a defensemen, no less. Brevil Robinson, in seasons
past was the only real offensive threat the team had. This season he
managed to get into just 5 games and should be well rested for this
playoff drive. Bobby Grewal has put up monster numbers for this team
since his addition at the midway point working well with Sanjeev
"Peever" Haer who is on his way back to health after an
injury plagued season. The Sharks also feature a couple of premier
swing men that can play either forward or defense in Roy Cabrita and
Ron Sandhu. Keep an eye on the rookie match-up as the talented Brandon
Hudson of the Sharks goes against the aforementioned Brenden Ham of
the Barons. A big loss to the team was the broken collarbone of Vish
Singh in a recent world championship game, but look for linemate Shaun
Kalkat to pick up the scoring slack. The Sharks powerplay hit on an
impressive 38.5 percent efficiency this season but neither of these
teams take many penalties so special teams may not be a huge factor. Edge: Sharks |
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Jeff Heer does more than just put up points. He is a
master at controlling the play in his own zone and his incredible
reach allow him to knock balls of opposition sticks in any position.
The Sharks also have some defense-first defenders that will keep an
eye on things when Heer takes off on his trademark rush. Greg Hoy has
been a force in his own zone for years and Vaz Dhillon is one of those
players that doesn't get much notice but plays a smart, controlled
game. Matt Lynch has transitioned back to defense after a couple of
solid years up front and hasn't looked out of place.
Like with the Sharks, the Barons have a main offensive weapon that you
can trust in his own zone in Craig Houle. The team also has a wealth
of good veteran stay-at-home defenders in Dan Ko, Ed Silva, and
Scott Rickards. They will be missing some of their top defensive
forwards as Jeff Hall didn't qualify, and two men that are consistent
winners of the "Best Defensive Forward" award, Ray Diesel
and Graeme Spence only played one game each this season. Edge: Barons |
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As was the case last year with this series, the jury
is out as to who the goaltenders will be. Both teams have a pair of
highly qualified tenders at their disposal. Bill Lundholm was granted
the Number 1 status on the Sharks as Justin Faykosh plays out of the
net and can contribute on the offensive side as well. Lundholm's
numbers were inflated by some games when the team in front of him was
particularly short, but in general he has had a resurgence after a
shaky season in 08/09.
The Barons goaltending may be even more
up in the air as the usual main man between the pipes Dean Salsnek
missed most of the season. He appears to be back and ready to go but
Tony Ferreira had an amazing run in his absence going 5-1 with a 1.65
average and a .923 save percentage. Incredible numbers all around.
Picking goalies in this series might have more to do with who is
available come game day. Edge: Draw |
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| On paper the Sharks lineup is tough to beat. Too
often this year that hasn't been the team that actually showed up to
games but the thinking is that they should get most of the team out
for the playoff run. This is definitely the year the team is serious
about winning it all after building the franchise up from nothing over
the past few years. Standing in their way is a tough Barons team.
Although they have had a rough go finishing the deal, they always seem
to get to the final and did so last season by eliminating this same
Sharks team. The difference now is the Sharks have made some shrewd
player moves and have the lineup and motivation to win this time
around. Edge: Sharks |
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