3pointtally wrote:

Soooo, you're telling me that they "Caint" win the big series....... okay I'll see myself out now
 

Stickman wrote:

3pointtally wrote:

Soooo, you're telling me that they "Caint" win the big series....... okay I'll see myself out now
 

 
Boo this man!

Stickman wrote:

3pointtally wrote:

Soooo, you're telling me that they "Caint" win the big series....... okay I'll see myself out now
 

👏😂 killed me.

1996 Pacino Cup Finals
Bentley Stars vs. Lake Hope Lions

After an exhausting 7 game war, the Lions took advantage of the Stars, putting them away 5-3 to take the 1-0 series lead. Bentley returned the favour in Game 2, seemingly finding their legs and handing the Lions their first loss of the playoffs with a 5-3 win of their own.

The teams would head to the world famous Vertex Centre for games 3 and 4, where they would both blow each other out to tie the series 2-2.

Game 5 back at the EAC and the Bentley faithful were LOUD, pushing their team to a big 6-2 lead. The Lions fought back with a pair to make it 6-4 and then pulled the goalie with 2:33 remaining. With the extra man, Lions d-man Robert May would blast one off the bar and in to make it 6-5 with 1:15 left. The Lions pushed but ultimately would give up an empty netter as the Stars were on the brink of a championship again.

Game 6 was all Lake Hope, but Victor Frazer was a man possessed, stopping everything and anything headed his way. The Lions started crashing the net to throw him off his game but it didn’t work. With the game scoreless into the third it was clear the next goal was going to win. Frazer made an incredible pad save and sent the Stars out on a 3 on 2. Tom Armstrong came across the blue line, dropped it between his legs to Jionni Boyer and he ripped a wrister off the bar and in. It would prove to be the game winner, as the Bentley Stars take it 1-0 to win their third Pacino Cup.



After the season, the league announced their annual award winners:

League MVP - Alex Parker, Cayuga Saints
Forward of the Year - Alex Parker, Cayuga Saints
Defenseman of the Year - Oscar Cunningham, Bentley Stars
Goalie of the Year - Hayden Fletcher, Lake Hope Lions
Scoring Champion - Alex Parker, Cayuga Saints
Playoff MVP - Kaiden Nevin, Bentley Stars
Prime Minister’s Trophy Winner - Bentley Stars
Pacino Cup Champions - Bentley Stars




Up next, the 1996-1997 off-season and entry draft!

1997 Draft and Off-Season Notes

The 1996-1997 off-season kicked off with the annual entry draft. The first round looked as follows:



Following the draft, there were a bunch of coaching changes around the league. First up was Bentley Stars head coach Brooks Bondar, who has decided to retire after 3 Pacino Cups with the Stars. The now legendary coach walks away from the game leaving a massive mark on both the YHL and the Bentley Stars franchise. Replacing him was a shock to most Stars fans, as owner Randy Oliver has hired former Fort Theory General Daxton Keen. Keen won 2 titles with the Generals and knows what it’s like to be in the trenches in Bentley. He will try to bring the defending champions back to the finals.

In Battlefield, Phoenix Warner is out and is being replaced by former Sharks coach Marcus Rogers. Rogers immediately inherits a team that should be better than they are and a fanbase expecting a winning franchise now. The pressure is immediately on.

Speaking of fanbases expecting more, the Dawn Mills Devil Rays have let go of head coach Xander Marshall and replaced him with former Sharks player Jenson Kaur. Kaur will have a tough hill to climb as the coaching revolving door continues to swing in Dawn Mills.

Meanwhile, the Brooklynn Blackhawks have replaced Felix David with .. Xander Marshall. The Blackhawks fans don’t seem thrilled to pick up a coach who couldn’t get Dawn Mills over the hump when Brooklynn can’t get over the hump and into the playoffs themselves. An interesting move that will play out.

After the coaching moves, there were 2 trades that went down. First, Anchor City has sent Aron Reynold and Liam Williams to Kelly City for Robert May.



Also, Cayuga has shipped Alex Parker to Fort Theory for Kade Wood. Both players bring the same game so likely a shot at changing scenery to see if either guy can catch a spark.



Finally, the league will look different in 1997 as 4 teams had identity changes.

First up, the defending champion Bentley Stars have altered their logo slightly and their jerseys have been overhauled. The logo now features the full words “Bentley Stars” replacing just the B and the jersey striping and shoulders have been totally changed.



In Cayuga, the Saints have new logos and new jerseys and they SWEAR it has nothing to do with the fans calling them the aint’s. The logo has removed the “C’aint” wording in replace of Cayuga while an S wraps around a cross. The jerseys have moved from a primary orange to a black with orange striping.



In Kelly City, the Lakers have left the logo alone but have new home and away jerseys. Featuring the increasingly popular diagonal striping, the jersey separates the 2 shades of blue and has added nautical stars as shoulder patches.



Finally, the Lake Hope Lions are the first team to introduce a third alternate jersey and logo. The logo is an inverted black logo while the jerseys are grey and features diagonal striping. The white on grey shoulders are an addition that their home and aways do not have.



Up next, the 1997 Regular Season! C+C and predictions appreciated!