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Reeling Bandicoots Make Emphatic Case for Playoffs
11 years ago
General
The Official FA Homepage of the Bridgeport Bandicoots Many felt that we should have wrapped up the division by now. Instead, the Bandicoots will have to watch the Jacksonville Gators raise the Eastern Division championship banner after losing 10 of the next 13 games since beating the Gators 4-2 on February 10th, and the epic collapse has left many fans and experts scratching their heads. Some have even called for head coach Sebastien Giroux to be fired after coughing up the division and now relying on other teams to get into the postseason. And after Monday's 3-2 loss to the lowly Houston Cosmonauts which eliminated the Coots from the division race, co-owner Croco Chilton made a bold prediction and, to paraphrase, said that "we will score ten goals" in the season finale against the Baltimore Blue Herons.
The prediction nearly came true, as the Coots would easily handle the Herons in an 8-4 victory, wrapping up the regular season with 46 points and a record of 22 wins, 18 losses and 2 overtime losses. They did it without the services of top center Vesa Turunen, who was nursing a muzzle injury suffered in the previous game, so someone had to step up. It turned out to be the Wolfpack line of Rain (1 goal, 1 assist), Aurelio (2 goals) and Viktor Andreev (1 goal, 1 assist), who provided the majority of the scoring punch, and the reunion of the all-lupine unit couldn't have come at a better time as Rain was coming off a significant leg injury. Rikko Browning provided more than adequate support from the blue line, racking up a pair of assists and scoring a shorthanded goal as the jaguar has been on a tear in the latter part of the season. "Brownie has really stepped up his game," said captain Chris Delucci, who all but wrapped up the goal scoring title with his 28th goal of the season, "It's taken him a little time, but he's really in some kind of a groove now just in time for the playoffs." Saaz Hallertau made 30 saves, but has been under heavy scrutiny for not being the top-caliber goaltender the Coots were expecting him to be, and is facing stiff competition from the nubile Irina Novokova for the starting spot. But Giroux is keeping his cards close to his chest. "Whoever's playing better will start for us, whether it's Saaz or Nova," he said when asked, "But for now, let's just get into the playoffs and then we can talk about that."
Which brings us to the playoff scenarios at hand. As of right now, and because of an odd schedule, the Bandicoots have finished the regular season with 46 points, and are sitting in 4th place in the Oak Conference with the Seattle Guardians equal at 46 points, but with a game in hand. If Seattle (21-16-4) were to lose to Bakersfield on Monday, then the Bandicoots would be ranked ahead of them based on victories. But if Seattle were to win, then the only hope would be for Erie (22-18-1, 45 pts.) to lose at home to the Gators.
So to lay out the playoff scenarios:
If Seattle and Erie both lose, then the Bandicoots finish 3rd (BPB - 46*, SEA - 46, ERE - 45) and will play Jacksonville. Anyone showing up at the Ovision Center for Game 3 in Gators colors does so at their own peril.
If Seattle wins and Erie loses, then the Bandicoots finish 4th (SEA - 48, BPB - 46, ERE - 45) and will play Salt Lake City. The Coots match up well against the Killer Bees, winning the regular season series 2 games to 1, with an overtime victory.
If Erie wins and Seattle loses, then the Bandicoots would also finish 4th (ERE - 47, BPB - 46*, SEA - 46) and get a date with the Bees.
If Seattle and Erie both win, then they (SEA - 48, ERE - 47, BPB - 46) would knock the Bandicoots out of the playoffs. And while primary owner Bill Chilton has been calm in the face of the team's troubles and said that a full evaluation will be conducted after the season, Croco may not be so patient...or calm for that matter. Expect a lot of fireworks in the front office if this scenario plays out.
But they, as well as the rest of the team staff, can agree on one thing. "We got hosed with the scheduling," said Giroux, "But that will not be an excuse if we don't make the playoffs."
The prediction nearly came true, as the Coots would easily handle the Herons in an 8-4 victory, wrapping up the regular season with 46 points and a record of 22 wins, 18 losses and 2 overtime losses. They did it without the services of top center Vesa Turunen, who was nursing a muzzle injury suffered in the previous game, so someone had to step up. It turned out to be the Wolfpack line of Rain (1 goal, 1 assist), Aurelio (2 goals) and Viktor Andreev (1 goal, 1 assist), who provided the majority of the scoring punch, and the reunion of the all-lupine unit couldn't have come at a better time as Rain was coming off a significant leg injury. Rikko Browning provided more than adequate support from the blue line, racking up a pair of assists and scoring a shorthanded goal as the jaguar has been on a tear in the latter part of the season. "Brownie has really stepped up his game," said captain Chris Delucci, who all but wrapped up the goal scoring title with his 28th goal of the season, "It's taken him a little time, but he's really in some kind of a groove now just in time for the playoffs." Saaz Hallertau made 30 saves, but has been under heavy scrutiny for not being the top-caliber goaltender the Coots were expecting him to be, and is facing stiff competition from the nubile Irina Novokova for the starting spot. But Giroux is keeping his cards close to his chest. "Whoever's playing better will start for us, whether it's Saaz or Nova," he said when asked, "But for now, let's just get into the playoffs and then we can talk about that."
Which brings us to the playoff scenarios at hand. As of right now, and because of an odd schedule, the Bandicoots have finished the regular season with 46 points, and are sitting in 4th place in the Oak Conference with the Seattle Guardians equal at 46 points, but with a game in hand. If Seattle (21-16-4) were to lose to Bakersfield on Monday, then the Bandicoots would be ranked ahead of them based on victories. But if Seattle were to win, then the only hope would be for Erie (22-18-1, 45 pts.) to lose at home to the Gators.
So to lay out the playoff scenarios:
If Seattle and Erie both lose, then the Bandicoots finish 3rd (BPB - 46*, SEA - 46, ERE - 45) and will play Jacksonville. Anyone showing up at the Ovision Center for Game 3 in Gators colors does so at their own peril.
If Seattle wins and Erie loses, then the Bandicoots finish 4th (SEA - 48, BPB - 46, ERE - 45) and will play Salt Lake City. The Coots match up well against the Killer Bees, winning the regular season series 2 games to 1, with an overtime victory.
If Erie wins and Seattle loses, then the Bandicoots would also finish 4th (ERE - 47, BPB - 46*, SEA - 46) and get a date with the Bees.
If Seattle and Erie both win, then they (SEA - 48, ERE - 47, BPB - 46) would knock the Bandicoots out of the playoffs. And while primary owner Bill Chilton has been calm in the face of the team's troubles and said that a full evaluation will be conducted after the season, Croco may not be so patient...or calm for that matter. Expect a lot of fireworks in the front office if this scenario plays out.
But they, as well as the rest of the team staff, can agree on one thing. "We got hosed with the scheduling," said Giroux, "But that will not be an excuse if we don't make the playoffs."
