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1986 THL REGULAR SEASON

Willard Division: About a quarter of the way through the season the Whales caught fire, led by Bill Bronkowski, and proceeded to shatter the season scoring records all the way to the top seed and a division title. Bronko easily took home League MVP and Best Forward as his top line with Ray Parrino and Eric Caparros was unstoppable. Defenseman Eli Priestley was also brilliant and hometown kid G Brian Mahaffey earned an All-Star selection. The Whales' 53 wins are the most ever, and most since 51 by the 1982 Falcons. Just behind them their crosstown rivals kept pace as the #2 team in the league as the Pioneers rode a team effort to 154 points as Nelissen and Walker had resurgent seasons. A rejuvenated Anchors squad made a surprise playoff appearance after landing a Most Improved F Jack Kovak and bringing in new coach Frank Loomis who won Best Coach. It's an early arrival for the rebuilding Anchors. The Rockets fought hard and played very well behind stellar play from F Jack Koeneman but it wasn't enough in a brutal division. A bit lost in the shuffle, the Serpents actually improved in all phases and notched 64 points as their young players showed growth.

Hatch Division: The Hatch was expected to be a bloodbath but the Herons soared back to the top and the standings stayed largely the same through the season. Mozzy Turk led Trowburgh to 146 points, good enough for 3rd-overall and a #2 seed in the playoffs. Keeping pace was Prestonburg who saw another scintillating performance from Jan Mikulec who won another Best Defenseman. F Eric Jorgensen led the scoring as the Blazers were tough to play against. In a small surprise, the Swans struggled out of the gate as they adjusted to new chemistry with the notoriously difficult F Pekka Jokinen and it wasn't enough to catch the Narva Neptunes who took advantage and made a push into the playoffs. The Neptunes have an interesting mix of youngsters and veterans in a positive sign after Kris Kotulak's retirement. The Wizards and Kodiaks, now linked via their huge trade, both performed similarly, though the two rookies Rafi and Sami Romanov provided more of scoring spark while the Wizards were pleased with Sam Sebastian's development. Both teams had atrocious defense but played tough.

Elam Division: In what has generally been the weakest division overall, the trend continued as it was again a two-dog race between the Heralds and Crusaders. Chasonne pulled away with the title as goalie Elvis Pepper settled into his new home. The Heralds played well but draw a tough matchup against the Pioneers in the playoffs. Quebel, meanwhile, had an inconsistent offense but rode their patented tough defense into a playoff berth. The Barbarians gave them a push but their patched together squad didn't have enough depth to keep up. The Saints were terrible as expected after a jettison of the roster but found a little spark midway through and played well as a team. The Captains expected some growth but instead were met with a litany of injuries and sunk into oblivion. Some bright spots were F Davi Martikainen and rookie D Len Rutkowski.

Rankin Division: The Kings made the biggest splash in the Rankin as new addition Karolis Kazlauskas fit perfectly with Pete Lentini's style and helped Bancana to a second spot. Goalie Manu Harmaajarvi was a revelation as everything clicked for him on his way to a Best Goalie. Leading the way as expected was the Kavalos Electrics as continued great play from F Leo Stendahl and D Darren Cain kept the Kavs in the top five as they look to repeat as champions. The rest of the division was solid but unspectacular as the Killers were quiet and couldn't generate any consistent offense behind a rash of injuries even as the blue line was solid. The Bucks finished 11th but it wasn't enough to make any noise as the team played hard but had trouble securing wins. The two sides of Yubay alternately struggled. The Falcons, with Geno Pasternak now retired, saw a team-effort scoring punch but were iffy in the net. The Glaciers, meanwhile, couldn't score outside of F Jarrett Falk, but were pleased with their young additions to the net and blue line.



Playoff Preview

Kings vs Neptunes
The Neptunes have been a plucky team all year but the Kings have looked scary at times. If Bancana can unearth their talent, this should be a quick series.

Crusaders vs Anchors
The Anchors have surprised everyone while the Crusaders haven't met their expectations. This one is a toss-up.

Electrics vs Blazers
This could be a series of major fireworks as both teams are juggernauts. Prestonburg has a better defense, while the champs have a better offense. 

Heralds vs Pioneers
With the playoff rules, the 2nd-best team in the league enters as a 5-seed which is not a welcome sight for a Heralds squad that has skated by at times. We expect this one to go the distance.

Byes: Whales, Herons


C&C always appreciated!
Up next: 1986 playoffs

Always a good day when the Blazers are in the playoffs and the Swans are not. Hopefully we can keep up the stellar defense and move through to the next round.

It's weird to see when neither of the Yubay squads qualify for the playoffs. 

Always a great day when a new season of the THL has come!

The Portarra Whales look like a team of destiny, I'd honestly be surprised if they DON'T win the championship this year, as everything clearly is coming together for them.  It's obviously a bit early to talk G.O.A.T. status, but Bill Bronkowski seems to have the potential to get into that discussion one day.  Gonna be a great time period for Whales fans!

Meanwhile, poor Portarra Pioneers.  They've always felt like a good, consistent franchise, but never quite won it all.  Now, even with them being the 2nd best team in the league, it feels like they got only small odds at the championship, (especially being a 5 seed).  They could make a run, and I'd love to see a Whales/Pioneers series this year, but I have my doubt that they'll see championship gold anytime soon.

Also, whathehey happened to the Kirkenport Captains?!  37 points is pretty pitiful and there's definitely some more issues going on other than injuries!  Looks like they better hope for one heck of a good prospect in the draft to get that rebuild started!

Still very excited to see how the Kirlow Kodiaks/Alko Wizards draft trade will play out, it's only been a year, but so far so even!

Looking like we have some real barnburners early in the playoffs, with the 5 (should be 2) seeded Pioneers getting my Chasonne Heralds... (bad break for us) and we juuuuuust might get another Trowburgh Herons/Kavalos Electrics series, (always welcomed!).  And of course, if the stars align right, a Whales/Pioneers series would be wonderful!

Very excited for this year's playoffs!  Going Whales vs. Bancana Kings- whose strong goalie play will make lead them to a surprise championship round appearance.... only to get swept mercilessly.  In fact, bold prediction, I predict the Whales lose only 1 game the entire postseason!

A shocking upset by the Kings! It seems you've gotten the graphic mixed up - Game 6 should go to Bancana, right? Otherwise the Whales would win the series 4-2. Excited for the Cup series, hopefully the Electrics can win it.

What an upset by Bancana! Cheering them on in the final.