1987 REGULAR SEASON


Willard Division: The Willard runs through Portarra and seemingly the rest of the league does too as both the Whales soared back to the top with the Pioneers right behind them. The Rockets and Anchors both clinched playoff berths while the Serpents had a tough time in a brutal division. Bronko led the Whales to the top in scoring and landed another Best Forward while D Eli Priestley made All-Star. The Pioneers saw defenseman Thomas Nelissen come very close to winning another MVP trophy but he and Jonathan Walker were able to keep the Pioneers above the standings in a tough race. The Rockets rode tough defense and timely scoring, even with Pat Ossola losing a step. F Jack Koeneman was an All-Star snub and carried the team. The Anchors surprised again with a playoff berth behind resurgent play from forward Jack Kovak who is having a revival late in his career on a line with JoJo Gorka and Roger Hornick. The Serpents had a difficult time staying afloat and sank to the bottom of the league.

Hatch Division: The big story was the Most Improved play from disgruntled F Pekka Jokinen. The former MVP hadn't looked good in Lecayne or Vensessor but decided to re-up on a 1-year deal with the Swans and it paid off as they sailed to the top of the Hatch along with stellar play from Andre Kabbani in the net. A seasoned Neptunes squad was plucky and found clutch scoring with Luke “Little Wiz” Wisniewski & Co to notch a playoff berth. In a disappointing finish, the Blazers couldn't ride out a late season injury to Jan Mikulec and missed out on the playoffs. The Herons also struggled, alternating bad play and untimely injuries in a rough year for a loaded team. The Wizards made a big jump, seeing improvements team-wide while the Kodiaks saw a nice scoring punch from the Romanov brothers but had trouble winning games.

Elam Division: The Captains with #1 pick John Roszak improved greatly but still finished last in the division while seeing hope for the future in Roszak and Davi Martikainen. It was the Quebel Crusaders who rode their patented stellar defense with Viktor Nurmi leading the way to a division title. The former Lecayne Saints, now in Dosa City as the Snappers, were the surprise entrant into the playoffs as rookie forward David Tennfjord led them past Guilden and Chasonne in a sensational first season in DC. The Snappers struggled in the net and on the blue line at times but coach Owen Zimmerman helped navigate them through the swamp and won Best Coach for his efforts. The Barbarians finished just one point shy of a playoff berth in a brutally disappointing season that will bring many questions in the offseason as they struggle financially. The Heralds saw another nice season from Gian Guiliano go to waste as they couldn't break out of the pack.

Rankin Division: The Electrics scooped up the division for the fifth year in a row, this time behind a masterclass from defenseman Darren Cain who finally won his first Best Defenseman and scored a League MVP trophy to go with it. The reigning champions in Bancana kept pace for the season behind another stellar performance in the net by Manu Harmaajarvi who won Best Goalie. Pete Lentini and Co improved their scoring as the Kings look to return to the Finals. The Bucks had trouble scoring and played bad hockey at times but somehow managed to sniff making the playoffs in a year where nothing went right. It was similar in Kurohara where the Killers have been unable to put it all together to get back into the playoffs since winning the Cup in '84. The Sava and Niko sides both struggled in tandem, and at one point the opposing radio show hosts decided to cover each other's teams they were so bad.



Playoff Preview

Neptunes vs Anchors
The Neptunes' no-name squad has been pushing their limits while the young Anchors have defied expectations in what could be a tough wildcard series.

Snappers vs Rockets
The baby turtles in DC are new to the show, having carried a franchise whose never seen the playoffs to the playoffs, while the Rockets are old veterans and have plenty of experience.

Crusaders vs Pioneers
The Crusaders have been stingy and tough to beat but go up against a Pioneers squad which also features tough defense and better scoring.

Swans vs Kings
For their great effort in winning the division, Pekka Jokinen and Co get rewarded with a bad matchup against Pete Lentini and the Kings.

Whales (bye)
Electrics (bye)

C&C always appreciated!
Up next: 1987 playoffs

I hope that this year is finally the year for the Crusaders

FC Macbeth wrote:

Man, what a disappointing year for the Heralds. What's happened to you, man?

Disappointing indeed. Chasonne suffered from a lack of growth from some of the young players and virtually no help from the veterans for Gian Guiliano who actually had a really good year. In particular, typically stellar defenseman Frankie Albertelli looked disinterested and unmotivated despite being in a contract year.

Hopefully my Pioneers can finally pull it off, but I just don't see it happening.

1987 PLAYOFFS

Wildcard Round


7 Narva Neptunes vs 10 Port Alrene Anchors
The Anchors notched a Game 3 OT win to keep the series alive but it wasn't enough to keep the Neptunes at bay. [NAR wins 3-1]

8 Dosa City Snappers vs 9 Fort Bevin Rockets
The Snappers and Rockets provided some fireworks with DC winning in 3OT's in Game 3 but Fort Bevin's experience paid off as G Geoff Thatchkin pitched a pair of shutouts to win it. [FTB wins 3-2]

Quarterfinals


1 Portarra Whales vs 9 Fort Bevin Rockets
The Rockets were no match for a rested Whales squad, as Bronko and Co sliced through them for a quick sweep. [POR wins 4-0]

2 Kavalos Electrics vs 7 Narva Neptunes
The Neptunes were game but they were easily overpowered by the Kavs who made short work of the series. [KAV wins 4-0]

3 Quebel Crusaders vs 6 Portarra Pioneers
Both teams were tight defensively and two games went into extra periods but it was the scoring juice from Jonathan Walker and the Pioneers that proved to be the difference. [PTP wins 4-2]

4 Vensessor Swans vs 5 Bancana Kings
The Swans shocked the heavily-favored Kings by pulling out a pair of OT wins and sweeping them behind tough play from Andre Kabbani in the net.

Semi-Finals


1 Portarra Whales vs 6 Portarra Pioneers
The only other time these two have met in the playoffs was in the 1984 quarterfinals where the Pioneers scored the upset in Game 7. This time though, the Whales rang up three wins to put the Pioneers on the brink and cashed in with a Game 5 victory to send them back to the Cup for the first time since 1968.

2 Kavalos Electrics vs 4 Vensessor Swans
The Swans put up a fight but the continued brilliant play from defenseman Darren Cain was too much for them to handle as the Kavs won in 5 games to send them back to the Finals. [KAV wins 4-1]


C&C always appreciated!
Up next: 1987 Marcotte Cup