1998 Regular Season

In the West, the reigning champion Devil Rays were cruising until just after the trade deadline when starting goalie Aiden Hall went down with a concussion. Hall never recovered and neither did the Devil Rays, struggling down the stretch and missing the playoffs in an absolutely disappointing end to a championship reign.

Behind them were Anchor City and of course, Brooklynn. The Sharks decided to part ways with head coach Chuck Butera, who brought them to the finals but couldn’t get them over the hump. The Blackhawks fire another coach as 2 years in the basement is enough to removed Xander Marshall from another coaching gig. The Hawks continue to struggle and continue to circulate through coaches. Fans are tired of the run around and the teams attendance dipped to a scary low. It’s hard to think they will be able to get a big name coach to come in at the moment.

In the playoffs for 1998 are the 3 playoff powerhouses; Bentley, Fort Theory and Battlefield. The Generals get the bye which means Bentley will host Battlefield to start the playoffs. The Stars look for another title while the Generals and Braves are looking to get back into the Cup Finals. No matter what the Western Final looks like, we know it will be a war.



In the East, the Lions continue to roll. Despite adding 3 rookie, it didn’t seem to make a difference as the Lions dominate again and win the East by a huge margin. They get the bye and will face the winner of Kelly City and Mount Faith. The Lakers are the much more skilled team, but the Eruption have come back into form with a smashmouth, grinding game that has worked. Can they maintain it for a cup run?

Missing the playoffs was Cayuga, Bayleigh and South Beach. Despite the failures, all three teams kept their head coaches though it’s a given that all three are on a short leash going into 1999. With expansion coming and teams losing players, next year may be the last chance for some teams to make a push to go on a big run.



Up next, the 1998 Conference Semi-Finals:
Kelly City Lakers vs. Mount Faith Eruption and Bentley Stars vs. Battlefield Braves!

1998 Western Conference Finals
Fort Theory Generals vs. Bentley Stars

For the 7th time in the first 9 seasons, the West will be represented by one of these two dynasties. The Generals haven’t won a title since 1993 after a brief rebuild, while the Stars are looking for another title after losing in the semis a year ago. Unfortunately for the Stars, it was all Fort Theory. After a 3-2 win in Game 1, the Generals blew out the Stars 6-0 in Game 2. With their backs against the wall, the Stars tried to rally in front of their hometown fans at the Element Air Centre, but it wasn’t meant to be as the Generals rally off back to back 4-3 win to sweep the Stars!



1998 Eastern Conference Finals
Lake Hope Lions vs. Kelly City Lakers

The high powered Lions return to the semi finals for the third straight year, looking to finally break through and secure a Pacino Cup while the Lakers look to make the finals for the first time ever. In Game 1, the high scoring Lions powered through with a 6-5 after after jumping out to an early 3-0 lead. Game 2 was much the same, leading 3-0 after the first, the Lions would double the Lakers 8-4 to take a 2-0 lead. In Game 3, desperate to get back into the series, Lakers forward Landon Cash grabbed his own rebound and buried a backhand in double overtime to cut the series to 2-1. The Lions would not be denied though, dominating with back to back 7-3 wins to clinch the East and head to their third straight final. They are the second team to head to three straight finals, following the Mount Faith Eruption who failed to win until 2 years after their triple final run.



The 1998 Pacino Cup finals are next, featuring the Fort Theory Generals looking for their third title to tie Bentley against the Lake Hope Lions, hoping a third times the charm and they can get over the hump and bring the Cup back to Lake Hope!

1998 Pacino Cup Finals
Lake Hope Lions vs. Fort Theory Generals

Here. We. Go. The Vertex Centre was so loud pre-game you could barely hear the opening introductions as the Lake Hope faithful roared. Charlie Woods would blow the roof off the place just 41 seconds in, racing down the wing and going shortside for the 1-0 lead. The Lions would double the lead through 2 and then add 2 more in the 3rd to take Game 1 4-2.

Game 2 was an offensive showdown, both teams throwing punches back and forth. Tied 6-6 in the 3rd though, Damarion Watkins buried the game winner off a cross crease pass from Jack Patel to give the Lions the 2-0 series lead.

Game 3 back at the Beacon Grounds Coliseum was all Lake Hope as they put the hurting on Fort Theory and took the 3-0 stranglehold with a 5-0 win. The Generals couldn’t match the speed of the young guns up front and Damarion Watkins had another brilliant game putting up 4 points.

With the title on the line, the Lions nerves showed again and they crumbled under the pressure early, allowing the Generals to take a 3-0 lead through 1. The Lions would try and fight back but Solomon Rollins showed why he’s been the goalie of the year and kept the Generals alive.

Game 5 was back in Lake Hope, and the nervous energy was choking everybody in the building. The Generals took a 2-0 lead through 1 before Damarion Watkins broke through in the 2nd to make it 2-1. The Lions pushed in the third, but Rollins hung on yet again and the Generals added an empty netter to go back home down 3-2. After the game, with the Lions faithful a mess, the career Lion Watkins stood at the podium and guaranteed that the Lions would be coming back from Fort Theory with the Cup.

Game 6 was back and forth with both goalies standing on their head. Early in the third, the Generals took the 2-1 lead on a Patrick Butler point shot. With things looking dreary for the Lions again, Charlie Woods picked off a pass and broke in on a breakaway, beating Rollins low glove to tie the game at 2. Then, with just 1:32 left, the Lions won a faceoff in the Generals zone. Jonathan Webb blasted a shot and who else, Damarion Watkins buried the rebound to give the Lions the 3-2 lead. They would hold on for the final minute and yes, the Lake Hope Lions win the Pacino Cup!



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



During the awards announcements, the league announced the 4 cities that will be joining the YHL for the 2000 campaign and they are:

Crystal Beach, Chosta
Montane, Fenice
Central Valley, Copetown
Walker City, Rockton

More details regarding their identities along with league changes will be announced during the off-season.

Up next, the 1998-1999 off-season, entry draft and league news!

Congrats to the Lions! We finally did it!

1999 Pacino Cup Playoffs

Eastern Conference Semi-Finals
Kelly City Lakers vs. South Beach Seminoles

The Seminoles headed to the Quest Centre looking to steal Game 1, and did they ever. Despite going down 1-0 early, the Seminoles stormed back with 6 unanswered. The Lakers would score a couple in garbage time but the Seminoles would add a 7th for the 7-3 win. With momentum swung, the Lakers charged back in Game 2, 19 year old rookie Finlay Evans took the net for the Lakers and stood on his head with 41 saves in a 3-1 win to tie the series.

Game 3 in the MOBY Arena was a back and forth heavyweight tilt, going to overtime tied 3-3. Despite another stellar performance from Evans, he was beat on a 2 on 1 by Andrew Burns as the Seminoles took a 2-1 series lead. With the series on the line, the Seminoles and Lakers had another back and forth game, ending 5-5 and heading to double overtime. In the second overtime frame, Eugene Rogers took a pass at the red line, beat the defenceman wide and put a back hander under the bar as the Seminoles take the game 5-4 and the series 3-1. The Seminoles will play the Mount Faith Eruption in the conference finals.



Western Conference Semi-Finals
Bentley Stars vs. Fort Theory Generals

Here we go again. The two teams traded everything in Game 1, eventually ending on a late goal by Colt Melendez for the 1-0 Stars lead. With the EAC rocking in Game 2, the Stars took an early 2-0 lead all the way to the third period before Steven Hooper cut the lead in the half. But just 45 seconds later, Louie Perry scored to put the Stars up 3-1 in the game and 2-0 in the series.

In Game 3, the Generals fought back and finally broke through on the scoreboard, putting up a 6 spot in a 6-4 win to get back into the series. In Game 4, the Generals and Stars went back and forth much like Game 1, except this time Tyler Evans buried the game winner to tie the series 2-2.

In yet another game 5 between these two, the Stars came out flat and the Generals jumped ahead early. After leading 4-1, the Stars raced back with 2 quick goals to make it 4-3 headed to the third. However, the Stars couldn’t break through and the Generals added 3 in the third to win 7-3 and take the series 3-2. The Generals will head to the Western Conference Final to take on the Dawn Mills Devil Rays.



Up next, the 1999 YHL Conference Finals!