As the final two weeks of the regular season approach, we have a humdinger of a race. Basically the league breaks down clearly between Top Six and Bottom Feeders. We made telepathic contact with our friend
The Swami for his view on who wins this thing. What'd he say? Read on ...
PhantomsRecord: 6-0, 12 points
Games remaining: Fugaweez (1-5), Stickmen (5-1)
Oddsmakers say: 2-1.
Swami sez: The Phantoms are the team to beat. They have solid goaltending (Jesse Gonzales), solid defense and plenty of scoring threats (Neal, Howard & Co.), not to mention the league’s loudest scream (defenseman Ryan Smith). They've beaten the Spiders and Stingers and Wolverines. (Oh, my.) If they don’t stumble against Fugaweez, Phantoms should be in line to play for the title before moving up to D League. (At least that’s what we hear.)
PatriotsRecord: 5-1, 11 points
(we stand corrected)
Games remaining: Spiders (5-1), REDRUM (2-4)
Oddsmakers say: 8-1
Swami sez: The Patriots always bring great goaltending, especially when Jon Ellis is in net. But scoring has been a challenge this season (just 2 goals per game), and the Pats haven’t beaten a winning team yet. This Saturday’s showdown with the Spiders will determine whether the Pats are for real.
Spiders
Record: 5-1, 10 points
Games remaining: Patriots (5-1), Blue Devils (2-4)
Oddsmakers say: 6-1
Swami sez: Last week’s 7-2 crushing of the Brewzers showed this team has something in its bag. They have decent goaltending and nearly four goals per game. True enough, they’ve not beaten a winning team except for the Wolverines (in a shootout), but they nearly beat the Phantoms. This could be a good keg matchup. We’ll see how they do against the Patriots.
StickmenRecord: 5-1, 10 points
Games remaining: Wolverines (4-2), Phantoms (6-0)
Oddsmakers say: 15-1
Swami sez: They’ve played a soft schedule (no meetings against top teams), so it’s hard to tell on this bunch. They do have good goaltending (McCollister), and he’ll be tested against some of the best offensive teams in the next two weeks. We doubt they can pull it off. If they can beat the Wolverines on Saturday, we’ll re-evaluate.
Stingers
Record: 4-2, 10 points
Games remaining: Blue Devils (2-4), Puckers (2-4)
Oddsmakers say: 4-1
Swami sez: Stingers have played one of the toughest schedules and acquitted themselves well, losing in overtime to the Wolverines and in a shootout to the Phantoms. They’ve also beaten the Patriots. Not to mention they have the Jolly Green Giant (aka "Total Eclipse") in net (even if he has the highest GAA among top teams). Oh yeah, they also have the league’s highest scoring average (over 4 gpg) and a soft schedule in the last two weeks. We think they’ll have another shot at the Phantoms in the Keg final.
Wolverines
Record: 4-2, 9 points
Games remaining: Stickmen (5-1), Ice Holes (2-4)
Oddsmakers say: 10-1
Swami sez: The Wolverines had a chance to grab first place last week and stumbled badly against the Phantoms. Their only quality win was in overtime against the Stingers. They have plenty of scoring power and a good goalie, but they need a lot to happen before they can play for a second consecutive Keg. They must start by beating the Stickmen, then hope others lose.
So who plays for the Keg?Swami sez: Phantoms over the Stingers in overtime.
