Sat-Dec-21, 2024
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Spring 2002 Playoffs

Playoff Preview

  • Spring 2002 Playoffs - The Spring 2002 playoffs begin Monday, June 3. Single-elimination, wildcard games are scheduled for Monday, June 3 and Tuesday, June 4. Double elimination play begins Friday, June 7. The playoff schedule is posted on the Master Schedule
  • Playoff Format - B League - top 2 teams, C League - top 4 teams, D,E Leagues - top 6 teams. Additional teams may qualify in case of ties.
  • Playoff Rosters - Only players on team rosters as of April 15, 2002 are eligible to play in the playoffs. Players added after April 15 can not play in the playoffs.
  • Playoff Overtime - A five-minute, stop-time, sudden death overtime is played for any tied playoff games, time permitting. A five man shootout is played for any game still tied after overtime.
June 4, 2002 - The playoff picture is now set and the Race for the Cup begins. Three divisions appear to have clear favorites heading into postseason. The Bulls(B), Bulldogs(D), and Avalanche(E) each look to punctuate their stellar regular seasons with championship runs. All three teams skated through division play nearly unscathed and are clear favorites to secure HLI titles. C League, on the other hand, is a veritable toss-up with all four teams having beaten each other at least once during the regular season.

C LEAGUE

Flip a coin, spin the wheel, toss the dart - the C League playoff run is a free-for-all. Four points separated the teams who each took turns beating each other during the regular season. The Red Wings are the hottest team heading into the postseason riding a four game winning streak which vaulted them into their first ever regular season title. Alas this uncharacteristic position counters the Red Wings past championship runs and is new ground for a team seeking its first HLI title in three years. The regular season co-champs, the upstart LI-Leafs, are perhaps the wildcard among the four teams. Equally capable of lighting the lamp or shooting blanks the Leafs will need to rely on their team defense and goaltending to skate to their first championship. The other two playoff teams, the Bucs and Sabres each boast vast playoff experience and impressive championship credentials. The Bucs are disciplined, steady, and simply take care of business. To a man they each play their designated roles in a unified attack that exemplifies the whole greater than the parts. The Sabres are stone-cold playoff assassins. They have yet to fail to garner a title in each postseason they've entered. They have demonstrated the ability to shake off middling regular seasons and invariably find their playoff focus en route to another championship.