Chirps from Center Ice

To start, I want to let you know that I want to simplify things with these Rankings. They were a bear to put together each week, and a bear to maintain. I don’t like to dabble in HTML but I had to in order to make things simple every week. Not anymore. If you want to know who the Chicago Wolves, or any team, play this week or how the Stockton Heat, or any team, did last weekend, you can go here and here. If you are wondering what the record of the Laval Rocket is or, for that matter, any team, navigate here. These parts in large parts were what made the whole concept so difficult because you had to maintain 31 teams capsules of scores, records and schedules each week for each team. Again, it’s a massive project that takes away a lot of my day / week. I do this as a hobby and debated just scrapping these altogether, but decided to bring them back. It was either this or the silly stat charts, but really, who wants to look at percentages and do math? Not me anymore!

What I don’t know is where or when or really how often I will run these. Let’s go with Tuesday’s, for now, and consider it a weekly feature again.

Rank, team, blurb and where they were last week is what I am giving you. I want to keep it as simple as I can make it this year. Not only for myself but for the reader.

Anyway here they are. Theme this week is Jekyll and Hyde. Every division has one and some have two. Here they are, in all their glory.

Rank	Team	Blurb	Last Week
1		As good as we thought they would be; 2-0 and at the top of the Atlantic Division.
2		Good lord that offense is potent. Down multiple goals in both games against Cleveland, Crunch storm back and win both games.
3		Beat San Jose Sunday 1-0 with just 15 shots to the Barracudas 34. Reigning Pacific Division Champs are in familiar territory, at the top of the division at 2-0.
4		Played fun and gun against Colorado in a pair of home contests and swept the Eagles.
5		Good start for the new affiliation with St. Louis, 2-0.
6		Pasted Grand Rapids in their only game of the weekend. They should all come this easy!
7		Ultra competitive division and every point is going to matter. 3 out of a possible 4 points isn’t bad, but Hershey was perfect, just saying.
8		It’s one game (and it was against Rochester) but a good start for the new Devils affiliate.
9		Hartford outgunned opponents this weekend. Hardly sustainable, but a 2-1 start nevertheless.
10		3 of 4 points to start the season isn’t bad at all.
11		Two more cracks against the Bears at home this weekend. Could be an early season indicator on how good the Checkers will be.
12		Jekyll and Hyde performances for the Pens this past weekend against Lehigh Valley and Charlotte.
13		Split a pair with Belleville in similar fashion. Good test with Providence coming Saturday.
14		See Laval. They get Cleveland at home for a pair.
15		Blow out win (Rockford) and a blow out loss (Milwaukee) Jekyll and Hyde? Jekyll and Hyde!
16		See Grand Rapids, but substitute Toronto as the opponent.
17		Split a pair at home against Tucson in front of about 2000 fans combined for both contests, and you thought your teams attendance was bad.
18		This is why a power rankings at the beginning of the season is a fools errand. Roadrunners are .500 after a pair of games against Stockton. It may take a while to figure these .500 teams out.
19		Bunch of teams are 1-1 in the Central, Wild are one of them.
20		Jekyll and Hyde performances against Manitoba (5-1 win, 5-0 loss) – Rochester up next then Cleveland.
21		Split with the Wild in close contests. Rockford next.
22		One of many .500 teams in the Central.
23		First win in franchise history as the top affiliate of Vancouver in shootout fashion against Ontario Sunday. Home opener against Henderson this weekend.
24		Two shootout losses already. Already? Already.
25		It’s one game, against Utica, but you lost to Utica!
26		34 shots Sunday in Bakersfield Sunday and no goals. Held the Condors to 15 and still lost.
27		You can’t take much from just one game. Gulls won’t be in last place in the Pacific for long.
28		Not a good start with the new Carolina affiliation, but it is just one game.
29		Gave up 11 goals in Nevada this weekend, more than any other team.
30		Yeah you aren’t going to compete in this division, or any division really, when you throw away multiple goal leads.
31		Potent offense on paper scored just two goals on ice. That’s why you don’t play games on paper.

Comments are there for you if you want them. I’ll be back next week, maybe, with week two.