Akwesasne wins the Comissioners Cup
Akwesasne earlier this year won the Comissioners Cup in a finals meeting with the Brooklyn Aviators(Then known as the New York Aviators). Hard work payed off as the team became the first and so far only team to win the leagues title. Going 18-4 at home saw the Warriors finish the season only behind the Aviators in the standings but the team finished on a rough note with the absence of key players.
Those players returned in time for the playoffs and quickly made Akwesasne the team to beat. 1000 Islands was the first to stand in Akwesasne's way. The Warriors sent the Privateers packing in 4 games taking the series three games to one.
Akwesasne then went on to do the same to the Aviators. Winning games one and two in Brooklyn made life much easier as the team returned home. Under pressure to win it on home ice the Warriors dropped the third game 6-3 but came back a couple days later in what was arguably the best game of the season and playoffs. It was close. Trading goals until Akwesasne got the upper hand late forcing New York to pull the goalie. Pierre Dagenais beat a diving defender and casually skated the puck to the net and tapped it in sending the arena into party mode.
Danbury gives new teams the punk test
Danbury is up to their old tricks. A team full of tough guys. Naturally there's going to be a fight whether you want one or not. I've figured out Danbury's game plan though. Fight. Fight more. Then let Alec Kirschner take advantage of you team... Effective.
Over 300 penalty minutes were handed out to the teams including various suspensions of different lengths. You Call That Hockey? Drop the gloves. Do it man to man. In a recent game between the Warriors and Privateers this is exactly what happened. One player from 1000 Islands wanted a bench brawl. What did happen was three fights in the first five seconds. They got it out of their system and now we play hockey. I'm not endorsing mugging guys who are not fighters and that's often what happens in bench brawls.
Relocation, Expansion, Retraction
The FHL's rush for expansion has come with pitfalls. Some of which are new owners being thrown on hot coals when their teams aren't filling the building.
Broome County Barons moved to Cape Cod and becomes the Bluefins.
New Jersey has taken the league by storm in their first season and they continue to set the bar for marketing and recruiting as they are getting it done on and off the ice.
Danville is over 800 miles away from the nearest team and it's truly stunning that the team continues to have the support of the league. Expansion is nice but when you do it too fast and without much thought to the fact guys are not flying first class in team jets it really becomes a pain in the ass. Oh and they won a stunning two games in 2011.
The Vermont Wild folded. They didn't last as the team was losing money by the bundle and ownership was quick to cut their losses. A team in Vermont would have been nice. The proximity is very manageable and the team would benefit from fans of other teams making the trip with their respective teams.
Delaware Federals the team brought in to "fill the hole" Vermont's left... once lost 18-0. Moving on.
I want to thank you all for a great year. It's been a lot of fun to be even a small part of this league. We appreciate the support received in such a short time and we look forward to expanding to accomodate each fan base in the league. If you haven't already go to the You Call That Hockey? facebook page and click like. If your interested in writing about your team send me a message or leave a comment here. HAPPY NEW YEAR!
GO WARRIORS!
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