1982 REGULAR SEASON

Willard Division: All of the free agents signed by Fort Bevin paid off as they catapulted to the top of the division. Perennial All-Star defenseman Pat Ossola capped off yet another brilliant season with a League MVP trophy as the Rockets ran away with a weak division. An early season-ending injury to F Jonathan Walker left the Pioneers tumbling and a midseason injury to D Thomas Nelissen promptly knocked them out of contention in a disappointing year. With the Whales and Anchors both in the middle of rebuilds, it was the Kurohara Killers who took advantage of the situation as all their young talent gelled together with the incoming free agent signings. With a whopping 56 point improvement, the Killers surprised the whole league led by young F Alex Kirkland and D Tony Champagne.

Hatch Division: The Hatch became the first division with 4 playoff teams as the divisional games were absolutely brutal as all five teams jockeyed for position. The Trowburgh Herons saw a big leap from all their talent as F Mozzy Turk guided them to the top and 2nd-best overall record. Goalie Brendon Ruske benefitted the most, earning a Best Goalie. The Neptunes kept pace behind stellar play from F Kris Kotulak and a resurgent D Gav Brankovic. The Kodiaks felt they had an excellent roster but were bullrushed by the Swans and Blazers late in the season to miss the playoffs as F Pascal Brink doesn't look like he has much left in the tank. Prestonburg's defensive standout Jan Mikulec was quietly one of the best players in the league, while the Swans saw F Cal Capezzio rediscover his scoring ways.

Elam Division: All the teams struggled at times, especially the defending champions in Chasonne who had a special target on their backs having won two in a row. They nearly lost the division but a late surge from F Gian Guiliano helped them right the ship. Meanwhile the Barbarians played excellent hockey behind F John Jurski and G Arlie Lozano and notched a playoff berth. The Saints and Crusaders both went on a pair of 10-game winning sprees but couldn't follow up with consistent play as both teams struggled defensively, a concerning trend considering their talent.

Rankin Division: The Rankin was expected to be a bloodbath but outside of the Falcons dominating it was the Abrieden Bucks who pushed aside the division to secure their first playoff appearance. Sophomore goalie Vassily Wuopio was stellar, earning an alternate selection, as forwards David Suvak and Ric Rundstrom were excellent. The Glaciers missed the playoffs by a single point in a brutally disappointing season for them that will bring many questions in the offseason. The Sava Side, meanwhile, cruised to the top seed in the league as the ageless Geno Pasternak took a facilitator role and propelled F Karolis Kazlauskas all the way to a Best Forward trophy. Adam Oreskovich was rusty for the first half and then blossomed back into the talented two-way player that made him the #1 pick in 1972. Defenseman Malcolm Jackson continued his ascent as many felt he should have won the Best Defenseman award. The Kings expected some improvement but instead were derailed by a nagging toe injury to Pete Lentini. The Electrics had a frustrating up-and-down season and couldn't generate any consistency.



Playoff Preview

Barbarians vs Swans
Guilden is looking for better playoff success while the Swans have broken through behind veteran leadership. Ones to watch: F Cal Capezzio against D Gil Van Nuland.

Killers vs Blazers
In this matchup of former UHA foes, the Killers have exploded onto the scene while the Blazers have taken a quiet approach. Ones to watch: F Alex Kirkland goes up against D Jan Mikulec.

Falcons vs Wildcard
The Sava Side has been here before and know how it works. They're prepared for any matchup. Ones to watch: Can G Claude Dohms discover some playoff magic?

Herons vs Wildcard
This is new territory for the Herons but it gives them more time to heal up and prepare for their matchup. Ones to watch: F Jan Luc Ryba has been a good second fiddle but needs to up his scoring.

Rockets vs Bucks
The old Rockets are playoff vets and only looking for one thing; another Cup. The Bucks are the fun new kids on the block. Ones to watch: Forward depth of Fort Bevin against Abrieden's blue line.

Heralds vs Neptunes
The champs get a tough draw in Narva as both teams know how to win. Ones to watch: F Robert Bertucci has been in a funk.

How's your team doing? Ask me for a detailed recap of the state of your favorite or hated team!

C&C appreciated!

Up next: 1982 Playoffs


Edit: Updated Divisions Graphic

Last edited by Steelman (9/29/2020 1:05 am)

Hate see the Glaciers out, but I'll be pulling for the Swans and Bucks, I suppose. In the end though, it's anyone but the Falcons.

Bucks baby! Lets f--king go!

Go Birds!

I updated the divisional outlook graphic to include the new Killers uniform.

Stickman wrote:

Wow, lots of new teams in the playoffs this year!  The UHA teams are looking really good right now, even though it'd be a shock in any of them win the championship this year.  The Killers especially are a major surprise, that 56 point improvement has to be one of, if not THE, biggest single season improvements in league history!  

If my math is right, only 4 of the 10 playoff teams have ever won the championship before, (not counting UHA titles obviously), so the odds of a new winner are actually fairly high this year.   

As for the Heralds, at least we won the division, but I have a bad feeling the nightmare logo Neptunes will mow them down.... I'm actually feeling the Herons this year for the title, maybe over the Rockets or Falcons.  But I think this could be their year.

You got me curious so I had to go do some digging into the stats. I didn't go into too deeply but logged some of the biggest point differentials. The Killers were impressive, especially considering their talent leap, but they're not in the top five.

THL Biggest Point Improvement Differentials

+94    1971 PA (45) to 1972 PA (139)
+84    1971 POR (45) to 1972 POR (129)
+71    1966 YBG (41) to 1967 YBG (111)
+69    1979 ABR (32) to 1980 ABR (101)
+63    1968 YUB (64) to 1969 YUB (127)

-84    1972 YUB (103) to 1973 YUB (19)
-63    1968 POR (101) to 1969 POR (38)
-56    1967 YUB (120) to 1968 YUB (64)

Thanks for that, it's always fun to dig into 25 years of data! The Anchors' +94 in 1972 is even more legendary because they not only traded away Gary Wiz for Lou D'Angelo during that offseason, they drafted Dimitri Ranko at #2 and Jerry Haake at #7 with the pick they acquired from Chasonne. With a massive bounce back from Ferdy Haight and depleted depth around the league from a 4-team expansion, the Anchors roared to the top and won the Cup. The Heralds won it in '74 (the infamous Earthquake Game) so it wasn't a bad trade but it was definitely more so an instant jolt for Port Alrene. What's even more wild is that general managers weren't required until 1973 so it was future Hall of Fame head coach Don Easterling who organized all of that because GM Rueben Kidwell hadn't been hired yet.