Anything is possible as we head into the final quarter of the 09-10 AFHL Regular Season.
Comment from Gary Thorne: Hello all. Thanks for the time and lets go.
Steve from Miami, FL: Which AFHL team has the best goalie? What do you think about Chiefs Henrik Lundqvist?
Gary Thorne: I take Brodeur or Miller into any playoff year. Lundqvist is outstanding, but unproven in the playoffs. But the AFHL Playoffs is completely different and it’s going to be new for everyone. I think Lundqvist is going to do fine, but quality experience is tough to beat.
Cliff from Richmond, Virginia: Who do you think will win the AFHL Stanley Cup?
Gary Thorne: I think Hollywood because they are very well rounded. But if Broduer gets hurt, yikes. He’s their only starting goalie. But I think any team that makes the AFHL Playoffs has a real shot.
John from Buffalo, NY: Gary, do you think Ryan Miller will lead Team USA to a gold medal? Also, do you think the Heroes have enough this year – what do you think they need to win the cup? Thanks!
Gary Thorne: Yes, but that will be left for debate. Miller is one of the best goalies in the world right now. No, the Heroes don’t have enough to win the Cup. Miller and Bryzgalov is great for goaltending but they also have to do it on D and offense and I think that is too much to ask of this team… unless they make a trade of course.
Mike from Portland, ME: Hey Gary, enjoy your work up here among the pines. What do you make of GM Furino’s comments? He should have known he was going to come off like the proverbial ugly American, shouldn’t he?
Gary Thorne: Hi Mainer. Yes, Anthony knew, but couldn’t help himself. He will back off the comments as all professionals do in this day and age, but he meant every word. General Bradley said in WWII, if you want an effective army, be sure they get three squares a day and receive their mail regularly. If you want hockey players to perform, you better take care of everything including the small stuff.
Dan from Winnipeg, Manitoba: Do you now agree that Steven Stamkos should be on Team Canada. See what that other young gun is doing for the Russians. I agree with people that say you need younger fresher legs out there with more desire and heart to win. Older vets are just embarrassing.
Gary Thorne: Just wanted to add this for folks to see. This is a common comment today. Yes, Stamkos should be on Team Canada.
Lisa from Philly, PA: Gary, do you forsee a future Washington Power team ever winning the AFHL Stanley Cup? Or will the other teams just too dominant? Is it finesse, speed and skill that is beating the “bump and grind” team style? Or is it something else?
Gary Thorne: Absolutely. Whatever the case may be, the Washington Power will always have a chance as long as they have their key players in place. Once their young players develop, Washington will be able to play the skate and finesse game as the competition in the AFHL force that upon teams and players who want to compete at that level.
Jason from Grand Rapids, MI: Is there any reason to believe that Ilya Bryzgalov will continue his good performance this year?
Gary Thorne: Sure, he’s been solid for most of the season. He’s hasn’t been as hot as he was earlier in the year but if his team plays better more consistently then he’ll continue putting up good numbers. I don’t think his numbers can get any worse than right now. And that’s not bad. Not unless he decides to experiment with playing while blindfolded, anyway.
Melissa from Toronto: Gary, you aren’t afraid to criticize, whether it’s flimsy one-piece sticks or players’ performances. Have you ever been confronted by someone who thought you were offside?
Gary Thorne: I’m sure people say stuff, but I’ve never been confronted. You know, I’ve got to do my job for the viewers, and I’ll continue to do my job that way.
Sam from San Jose, CA: What do you think of the Wheat Kings changes so far?
Gary Thorne: I think their new GM Jay Irvin is making great decisions. He’s a tough taskmaster, and he’s extremely well organized and well disciplined. They had fallen into disarray with the old GM, so he was a good choice. Irvin has an excellent reputation, and he’s accomplished a lot. I think it’s a good combination. He’s instilling a different attitude. (Winnipeg is) a unique place because the press has been giving them a hard time as of late, and you need a strong guy who can take it. And I think Jay Irvin can do that. However there are rumors the team can move to a different city after this season.
Andrew from London, Ontario: Datsyuk returned to St. John’s, does that make them a contender in the Canadian Conference?
Gary Thorne: Yes, it does. Datsyuk has that much talent and power and ability to play big minutes against top centers in the game. Having said that, it gives the Red Wings so much more strength now. You have to be strong on offense to win the AFHL Stanley Cup. With Datsyuk, Toews, Zetterberg, that’s a terrific combination.
Steve from Dallas, TX: Where would you like to see the next Winter Classic played?
Gary Thorne: I think New York would be cool. Islanders versus Rangers, great rivalry matchup.
Comment from Gary Thorne: Thanks one and all and sorry for the delay when the little laptop went POOF. And remember, in the immortal words of Red Green, KEEP YOUR STICK ON THE ICE.
The AFHL’s last week of regular season action is highlighted by the very tight race for the final spot in the playoffs.
| Rank | Team | W-L-T | Pct | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Phantoms | 153-59-28 | .696 | 334 | ||
| *2. | Vancouver Heroes | 141-58-41 | .673 | 323 | |
| *3. | Hollywood Stars | 140-71-29 | .644 | 309 | |
| *4. | Oshawa City Leafs | 134-74-32 | .625 | 300 | |
| *5. | London Mustangs | 127-80-33 | .598 | 287 | |
| *6. | Manhattan Supermen | 118-80-42 | .579 | 278 | |
| *7. | Fort Drum Killers | 114-92-34 | .546 | 262 | |
| 8. | Deer Park Chiefs | 104-97-39 | .515 | 247 | |
| 9. | Lexington Leg Hounds | 98-102-40 | .492 | 236 | |
| 10. | St. John’s Red Wings | 100-106-34 | .488 | 234 |
In any given matchup, you compete to win 12 stat categories… each win counts for two points, each tie counts for one and each loss counts for none. The total of these points is used to determine standings and playoff seedings.}
Going into the final matchup of the regular season, there are still three teams vying for a post-season berth. Already clinching playoff spots are: Buffalo, Vancouver, Hollywood, Oshawa City, London, Manhattan, and Fort Drum.
13 points separate the Deer Park Chiefs (eighth place with 247 points) and the St. John’s Red Wings (10th, 234 points) underscoring just how tight the playoff race is.
Week 21’s schedule has the following matchups:
- Deer Park Chiefs vs. Castlegar Wolves (15th place)
- Lexington Leg Hounds vs. Buffalo Phantoms (1st place)
- St. John’s Red Wings vs. London Mustangs (5th place)
Deer Park vs. Castlegar
The Chiefs continue their playoff push as they try to defeat the Wolves for the first time this season.
Castlegar beat Deer Park 5-4 in Week 2 as Parise, Richards, and Dubinsky combvined for 11 points. Parise will not play in this matchup because he was traded a few weeks before the trade deadline last Thursday.
The Chiefs are coming off a 5-4 loss to the Hollywood Stars last week and will need to play better this week to make the playoffs.
“So now it’s up to us to get ready, concentrate and focus on every game we have to play,” Deer Park coach Mike Nellany said. “We have one matchup left, but if we play good and win then we should be in the playoffs.”
Lexington vs. Buffalo
Lexington plays Week 21 against the first place Phantoms, and they were shut out by them in their last meeting 11-0.
“As the season went on, we believe we got better, we improved, so I think we’ll be ready this time” Lexington forward Derek Roy said following Monday morning’s practice.
Despite losing to the Bruins 6-4 last week, Lexington has been playing very well, winning five of their last seven matchups.
St. John’s vs. London
Time is running out on the Red Wings.
With 234 points and just one matchup left, St. John’s is in 10th place but only 13 points behind Deer Park and Lexington as they fight for the final playoff spot.
In their last matchup against London, they lost 9-2, but their roster looks completely different now.
After making a bunch of big trades a couple of months before the trade deadline, the Red Wings are loaded with several superstars including Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg, Jonathan Toews, Duncan Keith, M.A. Fleury, and Thomas Vokoun.
“Our chances are getting slimmer and slimmer, that’s the bottom line,” Red Wings forward Jonathan Toews said. “You start running out of matchups. Every matchup is big for us. This is the last one. There is no room for errors right now, we need a huge win.”
| Head-to-Head Who will win the AFHL Stanley Cup? Read both sides, then read Users Reactions. |
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It is no surprise that the Heroes are in the Finals. They have size, strength, very underrated speed, and a will to win that makes them a serious contender to win the championship. And it all starts with balance. Coach Ben Rauscher has four lines and three sets of defense that he can play at any time of a game. The Simon Gagne-Henrik Sedin-Daniel Sedin line will cause all sorts of havoc because their cycling ability can wear London’s in-zone coverage down. And Eric Staal, who has a nice little checking buddy in Sean Avery, has proven he still has that magical scoring touch. The Heroes also initiate at the point of attack as well as any team in the AFHL. Their style is not for the faint of heart. It hurts just thinking about the collisions we’ll see in this series with the huge hitting potential of Tomas Kaberle, B.J. Crombeen and wrecking machine Sean Avery. Heroes defensemen know how to break down the trap, too. Dan Boyle is a one-man trap breaker whose explosive skating ability will force the Mustangs to target him early. And if he gets loose, look out.Thanks to their system, size and the fact they can play and thrive on bad ice, the Heroes become a dangerous foe once they get to London.And, oh, by the way, what happened to the vaunted Stars’ power play against the Heroes? The answer is easy. Kaberle and Corvo cleared out down low so that goalies Ryan Miller and Ilya Bryzgalov could see the shots, and aggressive and wily forwards like Hagman, Langkow and Crombeen closed down passing and shooting lanes.The X-factor in all of this is persistent, consistent and Mr. Everything in the playoffs Henrik Sedin. Henrik has 101 points on the year and he has shown no signs of slowing down. Need a big goal? Henrik is there. Need a big swing in momentum? Yup, Henrik is there, too. Want to see grown men go nuts? Just sic Henrik on ’em. Coach Rauscher knows he has a special weapon in the Sedin Twins.Simply put, the Vancouver Heroes are a powerhouse. With such a well-balanced team, they will give the Mustangs a good ride, but will they become champs? |
REGULAR SEASON STATS
London coach Blake Wilson observed that the Heroes “beat a hell of a hockey team” after they outlasted Hollywood in the second round of the playoffs. They’re poised to do that again. This could be the best Stanley Cup matchup of the decade. Both teams are deep on offense and in goaltending. They’re both physically imposing and defensively sound, which should make for yet another long and grueling series.
Where London separates itself — ever so slightly — is in the abundance of goaltenders. They have three starting goalies whereas Vancouver only has two. The trio of Hiller-Rinne-Halak could be a problem for the Heroes as their opponents in the first and second round only had one starting goalie.
The Mustangs have their fair share of big-name players. Zach Parise, Rick Nash, and Kyle Okposo help form a very well balanced offense that also includes David Perron, Patrice Bergeron and red-hot Jakub Voracek. The most important advantage that the Mustangs have is in goal. For some reason there are still some Jonas Hiller detractors who don’t recognize him for how spectacular he has been all year long. Hiller has his mind set on winning the Cup and debunking his doubters. When he is focused, Hiller is as good as any keeper in the game and this season he has learned to thrive in high pressure.In a series as closely matched as this one, every small edge is vital and no coach is better at exploiting weaknesses than Wilson. Look for the Mustangs to capitalize on any sloppy play (we’re bound to see a few of those from Heroes’ defenseman Dan Girardi) and to put pressure on at well-calculated points in the game.All in all, it will be a great series, with two teams that are virtual images of each other. Heck, even their systems look alike. However, the Mustangs have a team that matches up perfectly in terms of offense and goaltending. |
The Mustangs have their fair share of big-name players. Zach Parise, Rick Nash, and Kyle Okposo help form a very well balanced offense that also includes David Perron, Patrice Bergeron and red-hot Jakub Voracek.
The most important advantage that the Mustangs have is in goal. For some reason there are still some Jonas Hiller detractors who don’t recognize him for how spectacular he has been all year long. Hiller has his mind set on winning the Cup and debunking his doubters. When he is focused, Hiller is as good as any keeper in the game and this season he has learned to thrive in high pressure.In a series as closely matched as this one, every small edge is vital and no coach is better at exploiting weaknesses than Wilson. Look for the Mustangs to capitalize on any sloppy play (we’re bound to see a few of those from Heroes’ defenseman Dan Girardi) and to put pressure on at well-calculated points in the game.All in all, it will be a great series, with two teams that are virtual images of each other. Heck, even their systems look alike. However, the Mustangs have a team that matches up perfectly in terms of offense and goaltending.
Heroes or Mustangs? Who will bring home the Cup?
| Heroes’ forward Sean Avery was a pest for Martin Brodeur in the second round against Hollywood. Don’t expect his role to change in the Finals against London. |
TheAFHL.com asked visitors the question that’s on every hockey fan’s mind: who’s going to be the last team standing? We received hundreds of responses from users on both sides of the ice with some of the most interesting ones below.
The Mustangs will win because of the tough matchups they won against the Leafs and Phantoms. They know what it takes to win and probably want it a little more than Vancouver. Mustangs win 7-5.
— Billy Sims , Austin, Texas
Vancouver is a team of veterans that like to play a defense-oriented game first and force teams into making mistakes. London is a scrappy team that has a lot of speed. Vancouver can’t handle speed. Fort Drum was proof of that. Also, London has had a terrific power play in the playoffs while Vancouver was average. If their goalies are able to play every game and London can keep Vancouver from completely dominating the offensive stat categories, they will win convincingly. London 6-4.
— Tim O’Connell , Tokyo, Japan
Ryan Miller is the best goalie in the league. The Mustangs lack the offensive talent as well as defensive strategy that Vancouver has come to master. Vancouver has proven goal scorers in the Sedin Twins, Staal, Gagne, and Boyes, as well as muckers with experience such as Sean Avery. With talent like this the Heroes work the neutral ice trap better than any other team in the league including London.
— Scott Astley , Colorado Springs, Colo.
Is there any question? The Vancouver Heroes are going to crush the London Mustangs. Heroes win 10-0.
— Ryan Dean , Calgary, Alberta
Vancouver is much faster, has a better goalie, and can check with anyone in the league. London has played two tough series and are somewhat dinged up going into the finals. Vancouver should win the series 8-1.
— Greg Buckhout , Raleigh, N.C.
The Heroes take this series 7-3 (o.k. maybe 6-3) and here’s why: 1.) 2nd and 3rd line match ups – Vancouver has been the deepest team since Manhattan was eliminated. They simply wore down Hollywood’s offensive weapons. 2.) Goaltending wins championships – There shouldn’t be any question in anyone’s mind that Vancouver has, by far, the better goaltending duo. 3.) Ready for the Cup – Not to downplay London’s desire to drink from Lord Stanley’s Cup, but Vancouver was built for this moment and the Sedin Twins are an advantage.
— Kent Lawrence , Arlington, Texas
London. They’ve got incredible firepower (ask the Phantoms), and so far, Vancouver (and Miller) hasn’t seen anything like that. Plus, they are incredible defensively (and in goal). And with a London team that scores by capitalizing on mistakes, London’s tallies will be few and far between. London just can’t match up.
— Joey McDonald , Waverley, Nova Scotia
It’s all about desire and the bottom line is the Heroes want it more. Every Heroe is throwing punishing hits. I don’t think the Mustangs have seen that kind of relentless pursuit of the puck yet, and I think it will lead to some uncharacteristic turnovers by the London D. On the other side, London’s Defense is more physical than Buffalo or Oshawa City so London won’t be able to puch guys like Staal and Gagne around. I like Vancouver 6-4.
— Matt Buffalo, N.Y.