With Worlds just ending in Vancouver (congrats Canada!), there hasn’t been much hype about Nationals this year.
They just released the Open Schedule and we’re in a pool with Mephisto(2), Firebird(10) and Flatline(15). We’re seeded 7th, which I think is way underseeded, but that’s the way the system works. With the top 3 advancing, this should set us up for a power pool containing Invictus(3), Grand Trunk(6) and Sofa Kings(11) on Day 2.
Game 1: Flatline(Vancouver) – These guys are our B team and have worked very hard this season. It’s tough starting a new team in Vancouver, and they’ve persevered. From what I know, they’re aiming for somewhere around 9th.
Game 2: Firebird(Ottawa) – We’ve only met twice before (at 2006 Nats), with us beating them in the 5/6 game. They’ve got quite the program in Ottawa and Firebird should be at the top of the B teams and probably beat a few of the city’s A teams as well. Max Wood, one of our rookies this year, played for them last year. HE’s been a great addition to our team and is probably missed by Firebird.
Game 3: Mephisto(Montreal) - We’ve got some revenge to get on these guys. They’ve knocked us out in quarters two years in a row. We have considerably more depth on our team this year and I’m hoping we can take them out finally. We’re all fired up for this game.
Day 2:
Invictus (Calgary) – We beat them in our only match this season, but they’ve beat us for the past two years. This will likely be a game that decides the top few places in the power pool. Should be a great one!
Sofa Kings (Okanagan, BC) - Mostly okanagan guys with a few Vancouver players. I wouldn’t underestimate this team as they got up 6 – 3 on us at Provincials before we made our comeback. I’d bet on them to make quarters
Grand Trunk (Toronto) – We only played once in Halifax in 2006, when they beat us in a close one. Since then, we’ve gotten considerably better, and they’ve lost their top talent to GOAT (and us). We’ve got about 3 ex-GT players on our roster/practice roster, so this should be a fun game. They’re another good bet to make quarters after having missed them last year, and could give us a good game if we play them.
August 12th, 2008 | General