Topic: Front Page
NOVEMBER 26 - With just over a month to go in the 2007 season, we are being treated to one of the greatest playoff races in NYLISL history. With the defending champion New Jersey Bandits having clinched a spot in the postseason, the three teams trailing them are scrambling for the final two spots.
Someone is going to be left out of the postseason party - be it the Massapequa Hitmen, the West Side Stories or the St. Jack's Demons. It may take 50 wins to secure a spot in the playoffs, although that mark has only been reached seven times in the league's first seven seasons.
The Demons have the toughest road to the playoffs, after a 4-4 stretch directly following their audacious nine-player deadline deal with the Floral Park Flesheaters. The failure to take more than two wins away from four games with the Gramercy Riffs and the Oswego Lakers put them in a very difficult positon down the stretch. With 11 games to go in their season, all are against established teams - including four with the Floral Park Flesheaters and three with the Wellwood Scribes of Lindenhurst.
St. Jack's will need to take four of their remaining five games from the West Stories to keep themselves on the playoff map. If they can do that and also go 4-2 against the Stories and Flesheaters, both teams would finish with 49-35 records. The Demons would grab the playoff spot, however, because of the head-to-head advantage.
If the Demons falter against the Stories or can't take of business in the other games, then the West Siders would find themselves in either second or third place on the league table. It would be quite a coup for Owner/GM EdPrice's franchise to make the playoffs in only their second season in existence. The Hitmen's remaining games are with the Scribes and the Flesheaters. Massapequa will probably need only to tread water and play .500 ball to put themselves in position to chase their second league championship.
Posted by nylistratleague
at 11:33 AM EST
