Phantoms, Warriors take each other to the limit; Phantoms going to Finals
Buffalo Phantoms forward Sidney Crosby tallied two goals and six assists for eight points in a series that will never be forgotten.
“It’s surreal right now,” Phantoms forward Sidney Crosby said while wearing a T-shirt that was drenched in champagne. “It’s still fresh, but it’s something you work for your entire life and it’s going to be fun to go to the Finals with this group of guys.”
For the second straight year, the first-seeded North Bay Warriors fell one victory short of going to the Finals.
“I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep tonight,” Warriors coach Mike Brunetta said. “We should have won this series. I’m stunned right now. I really don’t know how to explain it. We should have won. I guess it is what it is. It’s done now.”
Brunetta also said he firmly believed the Warriors were the better team coming into the series.
“Even on paper we have the better team,” Brunetta said. “We had tons of chances in this matchup. We had about 30 or 40 shifts where we were in their end and we just threw everything at them. We missed a lot of freaking chances, but that’s the name of the game — you’ve got to bury them. Obviously we have to give the Phantoms credit, but that’s on us. I think we had the chances, the looks, and didn’t put it in.”
Even Phantoms coach Daryn Beckman was surprised with the result.
“I gotta be honest, I thought the odds were against us in a matchup with the first place Warriors,” Beckman said. “So for us to overcome those odds and actually beat them, it feels incredible and I can use all the words everyone uses; incredible, unbelievable, fantastic. We found a way to win. I’m sure everybody else’s blood pressure was up — ours was too. But, we’ve just got such great character on this team. We got it done.”
As much as the Phantoms and their fans are feeling a sense of accomplishment, Buffalo still needs one more win to achieve its ultimate goal.
“Like [Firestorm coach] Gates [Imbeau] said to the media after the victory over Victoria, we got one more win we got to go get,” Beckman said. “So enjoy this but then let’s get back to work on Monday.”
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ROUND TWO RECAP: Hamilton Firestorm (3) vs. Victoria Vipers (7)
Beat-up Vipers don’t give Firestorm enough of a fight; Firestorm will play for the Cup
When Hamilton Firestorm general manager Gates Imbeau stepped to the podium less than 12 hours after the organization celebrated it’s victory over the Victoria Vipers and subsequent berth to the Stanley Cup finals, he looked weary.
But as soon as he started to discuss the players and their accomplishments, the GM took a swig of water, placed his elbows on the table, broke into a big smile and talked about what it’s been like since the Firestorm dismissed the Vipers on Sunday night in a roller coaster hockey game.
“Well, obviously there was happiness when the time expired,” Imbeau said of the win. “You look over and see the ice, see these guys and watch how they celebrate, how emotional they are. You felt good for them, you really felt good for them.”
During Sunday’s celebration, it didn’t take long for Imbeau, who is in his first season as the club’s GM, to realize the significance of what the 2011-12 team had just accomplished.
“Then immediately after that feeling passed, I realized that we have a chance to win the Stanley Cup. And I’m still feeling that today as we prepare for Game 1,” he said. “It’s a great feeling. It’s a feeling of anticipation and excitement.”
“It feels unbelievable,” said Firestorm forward Brad Richards, who scored a goal and two assists in the series. “To go to the Stanley Cup Final is a dream come true, and to do it with this group of guys — our core has been great this season working toward something special and we have a huge opportunity in front of us.”
The Vipers got off to a good start and had the lead, but could not put away the Firestorm.
“We knocked off the second seeded Deer Park Chiefs but couldn’t knock off the third-seeded Hamilton Firestorm,” said Vipers coach Chris Hartley. “Just goes to show how close of a league it is. It came down to the wire and it only took a couple good plays in the end for them to get the win and advance.”
It was quite a disappointment for Hartley and the Vipers, but Hartley told his players not to hang their heads.
“It’s tough to swallow right now but the Vipers came a long way since finishing 15th last year,” Hartley said of the players on his team. “I don’t think anybody would have thought we’d be one win shy of making our first Stanley Cup appearance this year. But I think we’re all happy about the fact that we got our franchise’s first playoff win against the Chiefs in the last round.”
Firestorm forward Daniel Briere said the Vipers put up a good fight and won’t be suprised to see them take the next step in 2012-13.
“I have to commend them,” Briere said. “They’re a young team that played great hockey. They generated lots of chances and had several opportunities. In the end, I think we had a little more gas in the tank than they had.”
Now Hamilton faces the Buffalo Phantoms in the 2012 Stanley Cup Final. Game 1 is Monday in Hamilton.
TV: VERSUS (HD), NBC (HD), CBC (HD)
March 26th, 2012
BIG STORY — It’s been an amazing AFHL playoff season that has flown by too fast. But that means we’re down to the best time of year when the top two franchises face off for the 2012 Stanley Cup, and with Game 1 starting on Monday night, it all comes down to this…
Who will end the season on a win and lift the Cup in celebration: Hamilton or Buffalo?
“It’s exciting, you might never get a chance to do this again, so you’ve got to have fun with it, just soak it all in as much as you can,” Firestorm coach Gates Imbeau said. “We expect a lot from each other inside that dressing room. Outside, we really don’t care what people think or say about us. We’re focused on this series. We’re focused on the Buffalo Phantoms.”
“We’re hungry, we’re focused, we’re ready to go,” Phantoms coach Daryn Beckman said. “Started from day one at training camp, we worked hard all year long to prepare the team, to be in the right frame of mind. I think as staff we’ve done what we’re supposed to do as far as getting the players feeling good about themselves, feeling good about one another. We’re really confident that they can go out and get it done.”
THE FANS — They partied in the streets after each win in the playoffs, swelling in numbers as the journey gets one step closer to the once unthinkable dream.
One win away from a first-ever Stanley Cup for their beloved hockey teams, fans in Hamilton and fans in Buffalo are displaying a feverish pitch of pride and passion.
“Most of it is about trust and whether or not we (the players) will trust the system, trust each other, trust what’s going on,” Firestorm forward Claude Giroux said. “I think that’s a lot of what happened with the fans here, too. And with the players, what I see more than anything, is so much belief. And the belief comes from a lot of things. It comes from a consistent group of players and coaches going through the journey together and learning along the way. There’s a great deal of confidence now in this city, and you see that every day. You can’t walk three feet if you’re somewhat known as a hockey personality without someone wanting to talk about the Firestorm. You see symbols and flags and people wearing jerseys. It’s everywhere.”
And it’s the same in Buffalo.
“Wherever you go in this city, people identify with the Buffalo Phantoms,” Phantoms forward Sidney Crosby said. “Me and Patrick Marleau, we went out for lunch yesterday and everyone was cheering when we left the restaurant. That was cool because the reality is we do it for our fans. We work hard to represent our fans. I mean, ever since franchise inception, there were steps that needed to be taken along the way. You have to crawl before you walk. You have to experience the lows and the disappointments before maybe the hockey gods let you experience the great highs. I think everybody in Buffalo right now really senses the opportunity.”
SEASON MATCHUP — Little did they know that the Buffalo Phantoms 6-5 victory over the Hamilton Firestorm in Week 18 of the regular season would turn out to be a Stanley Cup finals preview.
But don’t talk to the Buffalo Phantoms about it. To them, it was just one regular-season matchup out of 21. Sure, it was a big win. Craig Anderson had a shutout and Pominville-Marleau-Hossa each had a hat trick. It was a feel-good night, for sure. But that doesn’t mean the Phantoms will take the league’s No. 3 seed lightly this week. Hamilton, after all, fell just five points short of leading the league with 320 points.
“Obviously, they’re very skilled, they’re a great hockey team, deep and well coached, and it’s going to be a tough series, we’re aware of that,” Phantoms captain Sidney Crosby said. “Any key to your team’s success is how you play personally. I think we focus on what we do ourselves. Our coaching staff will give us their tendencies, and their coaching staff will give them our tendencies. It’s who’s going to want it more and who’s going to play to their abilities the best.”
The Phantoms have many weapons on their team, most notably Sidney Crosby, Marian Hossa, and Patrick Marleau. In the first two rounds of the playoffs, the trio has combined for 24 points.
“You can’t be over-aggressive, because once you do that, they spin off of you and that’s what they want to try to accomplish, be one guy and then two on the next,” Firestorm defenseman Shea Weber said. “They’re really good at finding each other, with the give-and-gos, and the blind pass behind the back. So that’s a real challenge for us, to be aggressive but not be stupid about it. So, we have to be smart in our defensive play.”
The Firestorm counter with their own trio of elite forwards. Patrick Sharp, Claude Giroux, and Teemu Selanne combined for 17 through the first two rounds of the playoffs.
“They have a lot of skill and a lot of speed,” Phantoms goaltender Jose Theodore said. “They also have a back end that has a lot of versatility, and they love to carry the puck up the ice a lot. So, they are a pretty potent team and obviously, they thrive on their power play. So, we are going to have to be a physical team. But we are also going to have to be a very disciplined team.”
The goaltending could be the X-factor in this Finals matchup and a lot of people believe the Firestorm tandem of Fleury and Thomas is better than the Phantoms’ tandem of Theodore and Anderson.
“The goal is not to think too much,” Thomas said after today’s morning skate. “And for the most part, you have to think to play, but you just want to keep it all focused on hockey. Be in the moment.”
WHO’S HOT — For Hamilton, Chris Kelly has a five-game point streak, with three goals and four assists over that span. Zdeno Chara has scored goals in three of his last four games. Marc-Andre Fleury has stopped 64 of the last 67 shots he’s faced. For Buffalo, Sidney Crosby has 13 points in the seven games he’s played since returning from injury. Marcus Foligno, recently called up from the farm team, has six goals and four assists for 10 points in eight games played. Marian Hossa is riding a seven-game points streak with two goals and seven assists over that span. Jose Theodore has stopped 56 of 60 shots in his last two outings.
INJURY REPORT –Phantoms defenseman Raphael Diaz has been out for 11 games with a lower body injury. Hamilton is healthy heading into the Stanley Cup Finals.
TICKETS — Firestorm forward Patrick Sharp had some advice for family and friends looking for Stanley Cup tickets that are said to be trending toward the $1,000 mark in value for a pair of cities caught with the Cup fever.
“I just tell everyone, ‘StubHub.com’. That’s your best option [for tickets], don’t come to me,” Sharp said.
Nellany and Rauscher Exchange Words
VS. 
The bad blood between the Deer Park Chiefs and Vancouver Heroes intensified Tuesday, as Mike Nellany, coach of the Deer Park Chiefs got into a verbal spat with Ben Rauscher, coach of the Vancouver Heroes.
An AFHL spokesperson said he did not know all of the details of the encounter between the coaches except for how it started and when it needed to be stopped.
A few days ago, Nellany announced that he wanted to trade his 17th round pick for a defenseman from an AFHL team. Rauscher made a sarcastic comment saying it would make very little sense that he could trade a pick that hasn’t happened yet for a player already chosen.
Nellany did not take the comment lightly and delivered a stern message to Rauscher: “Don’t insult my intelligence with your lame attempt at humor.”
Jordan Carbone of the Toronto Red Devils tried to intercede, but he wasn’t able to keep them from going after each other. During the 17th round on Tuesday, Nellany picked a player that was already drafted. Rauscher made a witty remark and Nellany responded to the remark with some nasty, x-rated commentary.
After the incident, AFHL Commish wrote up a report and Nellany was fined by the AFHL [Given his first warning] for using too many explicit words and phrases.
Chiefs coach Mike Nellany (above) during the 17th round of the AFHL Draft.
Told of Nellany’s comments, Rauscher kept his simple.
“As for rivalry, I have seen his team, and there is nothing to challenge me (or most other teams in this league). C’mon… Cheechoo?? I hope this guy rebounds to anything worth more than a bag of used pucks, but its highly unlikely – enjoy him!” Rauscher said.
The Vancouver Heroes have had a very successful draft so far because Rauscher put together a plan for who to pick and when to pick ’em. Instead of drafting all veterans, the Heroes have drafted a little bit of everything, including dark horses, sleepers, and some young bonafide goal scorers.
Deer Park has had a very successful draft as well, and seems to have the edge in the goaltending department, with Henrik Lundqvist wearing the Chiefs jersey.
“I’m not worried about the rivalry,” Nellany said. “I have the better players, so we’ll just win this battle on the ice.”