Championship Hangover?

[omgitshim 901]

Championship Hangover?

 

We're four games into the season, so let's start to panic! The reigning champion Calgary Wranglers, who have had the best record two seasons in a row, have stumbled out the gate, going just 1-3 against the likes of Toronto, Helsinki, and HC Davos. Of those teams, only Toronto was really destined to make noise this season. So what's going on? Well it appears that Calgary management is tired of winning the regular season only to run out of gas in the playoffs. Last season's championship went all the way to game 7 (with some added controversy during Calgary's game 2 win), as did the previous season's where the Wranglers lost. There's hope that limiting their players' minutes early in the season will keep them fresh over the long run, but the team isn't buying it. Forward Oyorra Arroyo was particularly critical of the approach. "I understand the want for limiting regular season minutes, but when your two best wings are averaging less than 20 minutes a game, you aren't gonna be in the playoffs to enjoy that extra rest! Players that barely deserve to be on the team, let alone on the ice are seeing long minutes, and they're putting us into holes we can't get out of." Currently Arroyo is second on the team with 2 goals (both coming in their lone win of their season), and he leads the team with a +4 despite averaging just 19.21 minutes a game.

[Exlaxchronicles 415]

Calgary may be hard pressed to repeat.