I had an up and down week predicting games week 1, but after seeing a first round of games, surely I will be better at this...right?
Game 1: More Tooth vs. Black Squirrels - Squirrels were requesting a swap to a different weekend due to a "team retreat", which doesn't bode well for their odds in this game. More Tooth looked very strong in their first game, but they have yet to roster a goalie, which makes it a little hard to predict what their situation in net will look like each week. The key to this game is going to be the Squirrels roster, and if in fact a ton of their players will be missing. If they have a legit roster I think they stand a chance, but if truly half their team will be out of town, this might get ugly. I am guessing it isn't quite as bad as they suggested, but that they will be missing a bunch of regulars and will have trouble getting things going as such.
More Tooth 2 - Black Squirrels 0
Game 2: Liabilities vs. Baseball Bats - I had high expectations for this Liabilities squad, but they ended up getting blanked in week 1 despite having a lineup that on paper looked like it was going to pour in goals. Baseball Bats didn't look bad, but did look a little rusty taking a few penalties, and not really having enough bodies for their first game. With a larger roster I think Bats will be able to keep up their speed more in the game, and will be able to keep things tight, but I don't expect Liabilities to have that much trouble scoring and generating offense for long. Look for them to get things going in this game, and get their first goals as a franchise
Liabilities 4 - Baseball Bats 2
Game 3: Steinway Baby Grands vs. Terminators - Steinway Baby Grands may have had a rough first game, but this squad has shown resilience throughout their time in the league, and on this week they may have a larger roster with some more of their younger players which should translate to a better result. Terminators were able to net 3 in their opening game which bodes well for this game and in the future, but have some roster question marks on a weekly basis. This game is especially hard to predict because there will likely be some subs added to squads, but if I have to predict it now, I think both teams come out fighting after a week 1 loss, and Baby Grands are just a bit hungrier.
Steinway Baby Grands 5 - Terminators 4
Game 4: Flying Hellfish vs. Dutch Killer Bees - Dutch Killer Bees started off their rebranded season with a 5 goal win (more goals than they scored in a game before), as well as a 4 goal game from current league leader in scoring Mike Tigri. They come into this game with strong momentum, but they also run into a buzzsaw in Flying Hellfish. The Hellfish took about half a period to get things going in their first game, but once they did, they didn't look back. The scoring in the game came from a variety of places, but the speed and ball movement from this squad should translate to more wins for them throughout the season. DK Bee will likely get some scoring opportunities, but I'm looking for Hellfish to get another W this week.
Flying Hellfish 6 - Dutch Killer Bees 2