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Playoff Previews - "A" Division
(4) Barons @ (1) Wolfpac
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Barons: 9-8-1 (.528), 79 GF, 60 GA, +19 Dif.
Wolfpac:
14-2-2 (.833), 97 GF, 64 GA, +33 Dif. |
Barons
Top 5 Scorers |
Wolfpac
Top 5 Scorers |
Brenden Ham 15-10-12-22
Ray Diesel 17-9-10-19
Craig Houle 15-4-15-19
Jerome Drapeau 13-2-16-18
Lloyd Weir 13-8-9-17 |
Mike Sanghara 16-25-20-45
Tony Chohan 14-14-13-27
Justin Matai 17-9-16-25
Herman Sunner 10-8-10-18
Gopal Powar 9-4-14-18 |
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| The Barons come into this match-up as the reigning
champs by virtue of an easy sweep of the Entourage during the Spring
season. That Entourage team included many current Wolfpac players that
would probably love some revenge. In spite of winning that series, the
Barons find themselves as fairly heavy underdogs against a Wolfpac
team that seemed almost unstoppable for virtually the entire campaign.
Included in the Wolfpac's impressive 14 win total were 3 against the
Barons, though none of them an easy victory, and the most recent of
which needed overtime. Both of these teams enter the playoffs on a
roll with the Barons having gone 7-3 over the second half of the
season while the 'Pac won 6 of their last 7. |
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The Barons aren't the same type of explosive
offensive team they once were. The loss of Stan McClellan alone has
taken a big bite out of their attack, but key players such as Jeff
Hall who has been injured all season and Kerry Nikolai who didn't
qualify, will be missed as well. To make matters worse Rick Cavallari
will be out of action as well due to injury. It's not all doom and
gloom, however, as the next generation seems to be making a difference up
front. Despite his tender age, Brenden Ham is making a big
contribution to this team these days and was their leading scorer this
season. As well, there are still plenty of capable veterans on this
squad. The ageless Ray Diesel remains one of the league's most solid
two way pivots, while Rod Wardell, despite an off year of 10-10-6-16,
is ever the dangerous scorer as evidenced by his playoff MVP from the
Spring season. The back end is a big source of offense for the Barons
with two of their bigger producers being defensemen. Craig Houle has
spent a few years now as the main quarterback on the point for the
Barons. His mobility and vision as well as a good shot make him
extremely effective. Jerome Drapeau is also a good shooter that can
effectively wheel the ball out of his zone.
The Wolfpac have it all when it comes to their set of forwards. They
scored 97 goals this year, a total eclipsed only by the Thrashers. The
amazing Mike Sanghara finished second in league scoring with 45 points
behind Marcel Lafortune. His partner in crime, Tony Chohan, also had a
great year with 27 points in 14 games. These two play so well off one
another, and there is little doubt the Barons will need to interfere
with their chemistry to be successful in this series. Behind them you
have such players as Justin Matai, whose speed and body control make
him one of the most elusive players in the game, and Herman Sunner
(The Gunner), who can beat teams with his cannon-like shot or
underrated ability to pressure opposing players. Mike Hayer has some
of the softest hands in the league when it comes to finishing ability
and of course Gary Chahal is pure hustle. On the back end you have
both Davinder Chohan and Gopal Powar each of whom have heavy shots.
They tend to play a more straight-forward game of "put it on
net" than their fancy forward counterparts. There are some other
dangerous offensive players I have yet to touch on, but I will leave
them for the Barons to figure out. Edge:
Wolfpac |
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The loss of Cavallari doesn't just strip the Barons
of a scorer but also a reliable defensive center. The team is
currently looking at moving underager Mike Farrington to that third
line center spot on a checking unit with George Molatore and Dan Ko,
whose many years as a defensemen make him ideally suited to that role.
The Barons have long been well stocked when it comes to defensive
defensemen, and they have another nice collection this year with Ed
Silva and the massive Mario Trionfi. Scott Rickards is another veteran
presence on the back end that plays a solid two way game. As mentioned
earlier, Ray Diesel has an impressive collection of "Top
Defensive Forward" awards from this league and he is also one of
the league's best faceoff men. Defense was one of the Barons' real
strengths this season, and their 3.33 team goals against was second
best in the division.
The Wolfpac didn't finish far behind the Barons in the goals against
race, and they have also been known as a stingy team over the course
of their franchise history. When your team always has the ball it
becomes difficult for your opponents to score and this is definitely a
team that likes to play a possession game. There are some noted
defensive forwards on this team although Gary Chohan is unavailable
due to injury and Sandeep Parhar didn't play many games this season
(Though he did qualify for playoffs). The trio of Gopal Powar,
Davinder Chohan, and Raj Kaila are very steady in their back end and
not afraid to just chip the ball out when in trouble. Tony Chohan will
occasionally drop back as well to open up some room for his booming
shot, but in some circumstances this can create chances going the
other way as well. Edge: Barons |
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This is one of many great goaltending battles
expected to occur in this year's playoffs. Dean Salsnek's record of
8-6 belies what a stellar season he had. In spite of his team's fourth
place finish, Dean ranks second behind only Justin Faykosh in goals
against (2.92) and save percentage (.874). This has been a resurgent
season for Dean as he is posting comparable numbers to the powerhouse
years of the Barons through the early 2000's.
Though the other goaltending numbers for Salsnek are better, one can't
overlook Vince Mudaliar's incredible 13-2-1 record this year. Vince
certainly does have decent numbers in average and save percentage
(3.59, .857) to rank third in the division in both categories. Both of
these goaltenders are also noted for their preference for keeping the
ball in play. Vince in particular is one of the best tenders in league
history when it comes to scooping the ball quickly up the boards and
catching the opposition in transition. Edge: None
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| The Wolfpac have pretty much handled everyone in the
league all season with the possible exception of the Thrashers. Many
nights they have done it with a short bench as there is just so much
top end talent on this team. They did, however, qualify enough players
to not need to play short handed this postseason as they have had
their sights set on the championship from day one. The Barons were
given a gift during the spring as their finals opponent, The
Entourage, was out late celebrating a wedding the night before both
games. Sadly, there will be no free passes this time around. Edge:
Wolfpac
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