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1965 PLAYOFFS

Semi-Finals


1 Portarra Whales vs 4 Kirlow Kodiaks (POR wins 4-3)
Perhaps deservingly so, all the focus was on the heroics of the raging rookie Joaquin Outlaw leading into the series. Experienced hockey writers were quick to point to the average roster behind Outlaw and his own greenness compared to the Whales. Either way, a war was expected and nobody was disappointed. In one of the most closely-contested Semi-Finals in league history, the Whales and the Kodiaks battled back and forth in true heavyweight fashion trading games and epic moments. In an oddity, every game had the winner by shutout as both teams mounted furious comebacks, including a pair of one-goal overtime affairs that seemed to drag on for hours. The battle between the veteran Anton O'Reilly and the newcomer Outlaw was a sight to behold. In a series that seemed it could go ten more games, it was the Whales who pulled it off late in Game 7 on a goal from little used second-line forward Wade Barber who, in a slice of irony from the hockey gods, originally grew up in Kirlow.



2 Chasonne Heralds vs 3 Yubay Falcons (YUB wins 4-0)
With all the big storylines over in Portarra and Kirlow, the Falcons wasted no time in getting down to business as they systematically dispatched the stunned Heralds with an assassin-like precision as goalie Von Wentz didn't allow a single goal. The Falcons seemed to be everywhere and befuddled and frustrated even normally the perfectly stoic Paul Kauffman as rookie defenseman Allen Lombardi made a name for himself in the series. The entire second-line outplayed the Heralds All-Stars at times as coach Rudy Nichols orchestrated a masterpiece as the Falcons cleanly swept Chasonne.


1965 MARCOTTE CUP CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS

1 Portarra Whales vs 3 Yubay Falcons
In a rematch of the '63 Finals, the Whales and Falcons meet again under different circumstances but with a familiar feeling. While the Falcons have grown exponentially, they're still the lesser experienced, albeit hotter team compared to the well-balanced and veteran Whales. It's Portarra's third Finals in a row and they're looking capitalize on the opportunity. Meanwhile, the Falcons feel they've turned a corner and their play reflects that feeling as they have been absolutely dominate as of late.


Game 1: POR 0 @ YUB 1 – The stellar play of goalie Von Wentz continued as he posted another shutout and Geno Pasternak reasserted himself as the primary scorer after the complete team effort in Chasonne where he'd focused more on passing. A late shot attempt by Adam Keenan nearly tied it for the Whales but a brilliant save from Wentz stopped the comeback.

Game 2: POR 0 @ YUB 2 – The fans from the Sava Side were rowdy and deafeningly loud as they cheered every stop from Von Wentz who was frustrating the Whales even more. Geno Pasternak scored and assisted on another by veteran forward Tyson Sallee.

Game 3: YUB 0 @ POR 1 – In perhaps some deja vu from their first matchup, the Whales prevailed in Game 3 after losing two to start. Anton O'Reilly made the winning goal, finally breaking Von Wentz's scoreless game streak at seven straight games.

Game 4: YUB 3 @ POR 1 – The Falcons, making sure not to repeat past mistakes, came out swinging, seeing two goals in the opening frame from Pasternak and Galbraith. Forward Chauncey Levesque added another. A scramble in front of the net provided a very late Whales goal by Marlin Parr to erase the shutout from Wentz.

Game 5: POR 1 @ YUB 0 – Back in Yubay, the Whales showed their most complete effort, with Adam Keenan scoring and O'Reilly and Maxwell Blunt shutting down the Falcons attack as they silenced the great crowd to remain in the series.

Game 6: YUB 1 @ POR 0 (OT) – With the intensity ramping up, both teams clawed tooth and nail in a hellacious game by both teams, particularly seemingly superhuman efforts from Anton O'Reilly and Shane Galbraith. Both goalies were locked in as they battled to an overtime period. Five minutes in, an accidental mid-ice collision between Adam Keenan and teammate D Grover Laughlin caused a turnover that Pasternak immediately snatched away and flung it forward to Sallee who punched it in against Blunt for the game-winner, giving the Falcons their first championship. For his postseason brilliance, Von Wentz was awarded Series MVP. After the Falcons returned to Yubay, a huge parade was thrown together by the city, the largest event of its kind at that time in Torland history.

Marcotte Cup Champions: Yubay Falcons (1)

Up next: 1966 offseason

LETS GO FALCONS! We done did it baby!

Love the tweaks to the Falcons, the hem stripes look great.

1966 REGULAR SEASON


After suffering a broken jaw in 1967 which derailed much of his season, Gary Wisniewski was back healthy and pissed off, which proved to be a lethal combination as he pushed the Anchors back into the playoffs. Port Alrene posted the most team goals scored since their record-breaking '62 campaign as Gary Wiz earned Best Forward. The influx of scoring accented the continued steadiness of Ferdy Haight in the net, who had stretches of a full week without allowing a goal during the season and earned a well-deserved 5th Best Goalie trophy. The Anchors saw four All-Star selections, with defenseman Colly Lehman and forward Jerrold Lancaster enjoying their team's success. The Anchors proved that their dip outside of the playoffs last season was more of a fluke than any team decline.

The man who broke Gary Wiz's jaw, the raging rookie of '67, reigning MVP defenseman Joaquin Outlaw continued right where he left off, this time knocking Glaciers' budding star Peter Isaksson out cold in the first game of the season. Although Isaksson returned a few week later, he was noticeably in a daze the remainder of the season as the Glaciers couldn't build on their progress and were unable to score many goals with Isaksson slowed. Meanwhile the Kodiaks raged onward behind Outlaw as he repeated his performance and again seemingly singlehandedly led Kirlow back to the playoffs. His superhuman efforts earned him another MVP trophy, much to the chagrin of the fans in Port Alrene who felt Gary Wiz deserved it more. Second-round pick rookie forward Pascal Brink started a few weeks late into the season as he was dealing with legal troubles, but once on the ice was phenomenal for a rookie.

The Captains made the biggest strides as a team as young forward Keenan Draper came into the season with a stronger frame a noticeable calmer demeanor in his season year. The Captains offense took off as Draper proved he belonged in the league and earned an All-Gold selection. Splitting games with Scott Fitchette helped Gerry McKnight be more consistent in goal and defenseman and rising team leader Lauri Rikhard had a fantastic year as the Kirk Boys seem to be back in business.


While perennial All-Star Paul Kauffman had another fine year, the Heralds as a team continued to struggle at times even though two big win streaks vaulted them into a 3-seed. Forward Lou D'Angelo also earned an All-Star selection but team depth seems to be a problem. While Chasonne battled through their issues, even a good year by an experienced Whales team wasn't enough to power through the muddy waters between the 3-6 seeds. Forward Marlin Parr had one of his better seasons but injuries to defenseman Anton O'Reilly inhibited the progress of the team and any ability to make a late-season push as Portarra fell out of the playoffs for the first time. The reigning champions in Yubay seemed to be in a post-Cup hangover as the team struggled mentally outside of Geno Pasternak and goalie Von Wentz, who both had good seasons. Team depth was non-existent for the Falcons who had an all-around disappointing end to their season.

The Neptunes were a disaster in goal as Greg Kannell and Alan-Edar Fortier both regressed. The forwards enjoyed continued growth and success as Stefan Ostroskwi and Kris Kotulak forged a nice chemistry. Many questions were asked of owner Harlan Durant about the job security of coach Neal Owens but Durant wisely deflected them this time and said they would continue to evaluate the team.

Playoff Preview

Anchors vs Kodiaks
The raging Outlaw again stole all the headlines but Gary Wiz is out for revenge on the broken jaw and his Anchors are hotter than ever. The Kodiaks meanwhile have bucked every trend and opinion and don't seem to care what people think of them. Will the Outlaw rage and wreck havoc once more or will the Wizard settle the score by sending the Kodiaks home early?

Captains vs Heralds
These two relative neighbors have somehow only met once before in the playoffs, a series the Heralds won 4-1 on their way to a Cup win. Times have changed. The Captains have clawed back into contention and are seeing new success in scoring. The Heralds haven't shaken their rollercoster ways but they're more talented and experienced and feature one of the best players in the game in Paul Kauffman. Who will find the magic touch to advance?

Up next: 1966 Playoffs