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Playoff Previews - "B" Division
(6) Black Aces @ (3) Vikings
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Black Aces: 5-6-1, 50 GF, 43 GA, +7 Dif.
Vikings:
7-4-1, 57 GF, 53 GA, +4 Dif. |
Black Aces
Top 5 Scorers |
Vikings
Top 5 Scorers |
Jason Merk 12-9-6-15
Kevin Irwin 12-5-6-11
Sean Magee 10-1-10-11
Steve Janes 5-5-5-10
Trent Nellis 9-5-4-9 |
Jeff Massullo 11-7-12-19
Fab Carella 8-13-5-18
Bob Haddon 11-2-5-17
Chad Lyons 11-6-8-14
Brent Lyons
9-7-6-13 |
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| After a dreadful start to the season (due in part to
a tough front-loaded schedule), the Black Aces have been one of the
hottest teams in the entire NWBHL. They went 4-0-1 in their last 5
games including the unforgettable playoff clinching, final day tie
that saw them pull their goalie in overtime while shorthanded to score
the tying goal. They also had a large player purge at the midway point
of the season that affected not so much the talent level but the team
chemistry. The Vikings, on the other hand come into this game having
struggled since starting the season with an impressive five straight
wins. That was followed by a for game losing streak that coincided
with an injury to one of their key producers, Fab Carella. The team
has gotten some points in recent games, but still don't look like they
have fully regained their form. The Vikings won the only game between
these two by a 7-5 score.
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Last year Paul Bennett was the dominant offensive
force on the Black Aces and there wasn't much depth after that. Things
have changed this year as Bennett has only scored 3 goals this season
but several other players have stepped up to share the load. Jason
Merk has been a team leader on and off the floor this year and leads
the club in both goals and points with 9 and 15, respectively. The
speedy Kevin Irwin, one of the best players in the league at
controlling the ball at top speeds comes in second on the team with 11
points. Tied with him is Sean Magee, who as expected has made most of
the players around him better, as he leads the team with 10 assists.
Magee is also a guy with loads of playoff experience and is a proven
winner, something that should help the team immensely at this time of
year. Steve Janes was a mid-season pickup that helped ease the
transition of players such as Mike Wood and Dale Sinclair by producing
in a big way. He scored 10 points in just 5 games and looks to be a
key figure in the Aces lineup now. Also keep an eye on Dennis Hintz
and his wicked shot. He was reduced to a minimum of games this year
due to injury but registered 4 goals in his 5 games. Though the team
has lost some of it's firepower from the back end without Sinclair and
Jeremy Skinner, Trent Nellis is still a formidable shooter from the
blueline.
Speaking of offense from the defense, the Vikings actually finished
with two d-men among the division scoring leaders. Jeff Massullo has
long been considered one of the top offensive forces in the league and
he once again put up some huge numbers with 19 points in just 11
games. The big surprise on the season however has to be Bob Haddon,
who is known more for his defensive capabilities, but had a breakout
year with 17 points and a team leading 15 assists. Up front the big
man for the Vikings is Fab Carella. It is no coincidence that the team
struggled badly when he missed a month with a broken thumb. His 13
goals are head and shoulders above anybody else on the team. He has a
nose for the net and a great release and a key point of coverage for
the Aces. Having said that, there are a variety of good scorers to
watch out for. The Lyons brothers, Chad and Brent, play extremely well
with one another and play a style of game using speed and
creating turnovers in the other end. As for the other Vikings
forwards, well they are a beefy group to say the least. Carlo
Bolognese, Darren Palmieri and Angello Marinelli all have size and
strength on their side and now how to use it.
Edge: Vikings |
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The Vikings, somewhat surprisingly, gave up one of
the higher goal totals in the division this season. The 53 goals
allowed was a fair bit more than the 41 the other five playoff teams
averaged out to. However, individually the Vikings have a bunch of players
that are solid in their own end. The defensive corps of Massullo and
Haddon along with Al Yip and Claudio Nonis were in tact most of the
season with each of those players logging at least 10 games. That
seems to be a trademark of Mario Bolognese lead teams; fewer
defensemen but ones that come out every game, leading to partners that
know how to play well together.
The Black Aces do it by committee and that
trend will have to continue for them to be successful. Trent Nellis is one of the league's premier
crease-clearers. Colin Ross and Steve Aspiri may not be household
names but they are both steady influences in the Black Aces' defensive
zone. Sean Kobierski also hasn't got much press in his first season
with the team but he has been a defensive specialist. Travis Mitchell
also provides good two-play as he has for the last couple of seasons.
The Black Aces have always been able to keep the opposition goal total
low relative to their place in the standings and this year was no
exception. Edge:
Black Aces
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John Rubino, like the rest of the players on his
Vikings team, had a great start to the season and found himself among
the league leaders in several goaltending categories, only to stumble
a bit in the second half. Although his record of 7-3-1 is still
strong, his average and save percentage dropped sharply. However,
there is no question that this year has still seen him improve as a
goaltender over his previous campaigns and if he can regain his form
from the first half of the season the Vikings will be in good shape in
this playoff run.
Corey Albino has been a league fixture for a few
seasons now and he continues to be able to get the job done. He got
his team into the post season once again and possibly set some kind of
record when he also backstopped the Sharks in a playoff-clinching
victory on the same day as a last minute emergency replacement, thus
getting two teams into the postseason in the same league, on the same
day. He is positionally sound and makes you make a perfect shot. His .861 save
percentage was second in the division behind only Gurn Sumal among
goalies with a minimum of four games played. Edge: Black Aces
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| This is definitely a tough one to call. It's a tale
of two seasons for each of these clubs with the Vikings having a
strong first half and the Black Aces a good second half. Conventional
wisdom would be to take the team that is playing well now, but one
can't help but think the Vikings swoon was caused by the loss of their
top goal scorer whose return marked the end of the team's losing
streak. There is no question these teams match up extremely well and
feature similar levels of depth at forward and defense and even eerily
similar special teams numbers. There is no question in my mind that
this will go to a third game and be a toss-up from there. Edge:
None |
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