CFFL Playoffs Round 2 and FB Preview

 

Merry Christmas everyone!  Things got interesting in the semifinals of the CFFL Playoffs, but the teams that were in the lead held on and the stage is set for Fantasy Bowl XXXIX!

Animals 36  Cocktails 28 - "No way the Raiders defense can score 2 TDs again"  Hmm...I was wrong.  The Cocktails Raiders Defense DID score back to back TDs to pull the Cocktails to within 2 points of the Animals on Christmas Day!  Could it be a Christmas miracle?  Animals decided late to bench Dak Prescott in favor of Brock Purdy.  Dak had 8 and Purdy was terrible.  Cocktails still had A.J. Brown but he would come up empty.  Then the Animals drove the nail in the Cocktail coffin when Gus Edwards scored from 1 yard out.  The Animals now move on to the Fantasy Bowl with a chance to win their second title.  The Cocktails come up short and will have to wait another year for a shot at the championship.  

Gus Edwards slams the door on the Cocktails

Sinistars 48  Chislers 32 - The Sinistars were running on all cylinders.  It started with 16 huge points from CFFL MVP Josh Allen, who the Sinistars acquired in a trade with the Krauts.  He has 189 points on the season and has only scored less than double digits twice this season.  The Sinistars also got 18 points from their Lions RB duo of Gibbs and Montgomery.  The Chislers were really never in the game.  They would get a "Peak at my Butthole" TD late but the game was over.  Sinistars now move on to try to get their second CFFL title as well.  

The man is on a mission!

Fantasy Bowl XXXIX Preview

Stamm's Sinistars at Alex's Animals (-3.5)

The Animals will be playing in their 3rd Fantasy Bowl since they joined the league in 1999.  In their first Fantasy Bowl, they beat the Killers 28-21 in FB XXXIII.  They would return to the Fantasy Bowl 4 years later only to lose to the Krauts 51-22.  The Animals have certainly improved over the years.  In the early years the pressure of the draft rattled the then young owner Alex, but now a seasoned vet, he has assembled a championship team.

The Sinistars will be going for their second title since they joined the league in 2005.  They defeated the Cocktails in Fantasy Bowl XXXV 34-18 in their only appearance.   They have had varying success in their history.  They came into the league with a 11-3 division title first year.  Then went 4-10, followed by another division title year.  Then went 7-7 and 5-9.  But now they are back after 2022 season of 5-9.  An up and down franchise for sure. 

Here is how they stack up:

QB:  Josh Allen vs. Prescott/Purdy - I'm thinking the Animals will go with Prescott this time, considering the Cowboys will be home.  But hard to argue that Allen is the best player in the CFFL.

Advantage:  Sinistars

RB:  Both teams are loaded.  Sinistars have the Lions duo, but also Ekeler, Breece Hall and Najee Harris.  It will be Lineup roulette for the Sinistars.  The Animals have Gus Edwards and Kyren Williams, both FA pick ups early in the season.  But on the Bench they have Mixon.

Advantage:  Even (depends on who choses wisely)

WR: Animals have been strong all year at wide out.  Davante Adams, CeeDee Lamb, and "I want to be be called" Gabe Davis.  Sinistars will lean on Tee Higgins and DeVonta Smith again.

Advantage: Animals

K: Lucas Havrisik for the Animals has been putting up some points.  Sinistars Fairbairn has struggled with the absence of Stroud.

Advantage: Animals

D/ST:  Sinistars' Colts vs. Animals' Eagles.  Got to say the Eagles might have more of an advantage as they match up against the Cards.

Advantage: Animals

Outlook:  This, on paper, looks to be a close one.  Hard to go against Josh Allen the way he has been playing.  The Animals however can get scoring from every position.  Will the Sinistars make the right move at RB?  Will they leave the Lion duo in or make a change?  

Prediction: Take Sinistars plus the points in a close one.  I think they get the outright upset and Josh Allen goes for double digits in the win.  

CFHL Week 2

 Merry Christmas and Happy Boxing Day!  NHL and CFHL taking a 3 day break for the Holidays, but we resume action tomorrow!  

Here is a quick recap of the Week 2 action:

Goon Crew vs. Slapshots 3-2-1 - It was a close one but the Crew were able to edge the Slapshots behind three big wins from goalie Scott Wedgwood, who was put in for injured goalie Oettinger.  Slapshot blue liner Dahlin had a great week with 3 goals and 2 PPP.

Wedgewood playing well in relief 

Checkers vs. Assassins 4-2 - The Checkers get things right in Week 2 downing the Assassins 4-2.  Known for their hits, the Checkers racked up 39 hits including 16 from Jeremy Lauzon.  

Checkers mascot Chubby!

Space Monkey Mafia vs. Raisins 5-1 - This is a week to week league.  After a great start defeating the Slapshots 5-0-1 last week, the Raisins fall to the Mafia 5-1 this week.  The Mafia were led by Nathan MacKinnon (4-3-4-2) and Zibanejad (4-3-2-0).

Mackinnon had huge week for Mafia

Krampus Carols vs. Greek Empire  3-2-1 - Tis the Season for the Krampus.  They always start out strong in December as they grab their opponents, stuff them in a sack in beat them with a stick.  This week they stuffed the Greek Empire into their sack thanks to a Kirill Kaprizov's week of 4 goals 3 assists and 2 PPP.

Krampus fans scare me...

White Mamba vs. Who Gives a Puck 4-2 - As I said before, this is a week to week league.  Last week Puck scored a 5-1 win and Mamba a 1-5 loss.  This week was the opposite for both teams.  Mambas got great net play from goalie Ilya Sorokin who posted 2 wins and a .930 SV %.

Sorokin solid in net for Mamba

Three Stars of the Week:

Number 3 Star:  Mika Zibanejad, F, Space Monkey - 4 goals, 3 assists, 2 PPP

Number 2 Star:  Kirill Kaprizov, F, Krampus - 4 goals, 3 assists, 2 PPP, 2 hits

Number 1 Star: Nathon MacKinnnon, C, Space Monkey - 4 goals, 3 assists, 4 PPP, 2 hits

Goon of the Week:  Jeremy Lauzon, D, Checkers - 16 hits

Mackinnon's gal Charlotte Walker

CFFL Playoffs Round 1 & Round 2 Look ahead

 

Will the dominance of the Cherry's continue?  Two have advanced to the semifinals with a chance at playing each other in the Fantasy Bowl.  But in their way are two hungry teams from the Eastern Bloc.  How did they get there.  Read on..

Playoffs Round 1

Animals 50  Dragons 38 - The Dragons threw everything they had at the Animals, but the Animals appear to be a team of destiny.  Dragons got big games out of Russell who had 10 points. Mostert and Deebo "Dabo Sweeny" Samuel both tallied 12 points!  But it just wasn't enough.  It took a minute for the Animals to get rolling, but once they did during the late window, it was scoring smorgasbord.  Kyren Williams scored. CeeDee Lamb scored and then QB Brock Purdy lit it up with 16 points!  Game over.

Purdy put up 16 points for the Animals!

Cocktails 37  Warbirds 29 - The Warbirds were playing an up hill battle to start after the Cocktails got 12 points from their Raider Defense on Thursday night.  By the time that Jalen Hurts took the field, the lead was too great for even him, and when Kenneth Walker scored Monday Night, it was the nail in the coffin.  

Two scores from the Cocktails' Silver and Black!

Sinistars 35  Juggernauts 31 - The Sinistars had to hang on tight to survive this one.  They had a comfortable lead to begin, getting 12 points from Gibbs on Saturday and then 13 from kicker Fairbairn.  But the Juggs had McCaffrey and kicker "Big" Jake Moody.  McCaffrey scored 3 times and Moody had 9 points!  The game was only 35-31 and the Juggs had Metcalf yet on Monday night.  The owner of the Sinistars had to be on pins and needles the entire game Monday night, but thankfully for him, Metcalf was held scoreless.  

Gibbs rambles for two TDs

Chislers 33  Legion 25 - Chislers cruised to a fairly easy victory.  They jumped to a 20-0 lead after getting 12 points from Addison "Not Mattison" and 8 from Browning.  The Legion would connect on a 10 point connection when Love hit Reed for a 17 yard TD.  However, Chislers would get insurance from newly acquired off waivers Demarcus Robinson,  The Ram WR found the end zone.  Chislers' Midas Touch continues...

Addison "Not Mattison" scores twice for the Chislers

Playoff Preview Round 2:

Cocktails at Animals (-1) - Its really hard to slow the Animals down.  He can go either Purdy or Prescott.  Mixon and Williams consistently score.  Plus they have a plethora of WRs.  CeeDee Lamb and Davnate Adams to name a few.  These Molotov Cocktails hope they have some animal tranquillizers in those bottles.  They need a better performance from Tua than 4 points.  Don't sleep on their WRs either with Aiyuk and A.J. Brown.  

Take the Animals on the Money Line. Cocktails won't be getting 12 points from their defense this week. Animals 38-27

Chislers at Sinistars (-4) - The key to the Sinistar victory will be if he can make the right moves with his line up.  The  Sinistars have a ton of talent, but can't start everyone.  Josh Allen is leading the league in scoring once again.  Gibbs and/or Montgomery will get you points every week.  Chislers are always dangerous when they get into the playoffs.  They have 12 trips to the Fantasy Bowl and 7 titles.  

You got to go with the Chislers and the points don't you?  Too much history to bet against. Chislers 33-30

Last week went 3-1 ATS.

CFHL Week 1

We drop the puck on the 13th CFHL season this week.  At the draft Who Gives a Puck hoisted the Cherry Cup in celebration of last years championship run.  

Week 1 action on the ice...

Krampus vs. Goon Crew 4-1-1

Brady Tkachuk bruised the Goon Crew with 20 hits, which led all starting skaters for the week.  Jack Hughes was able to net 4 goals for the Goon Crew but the story was Krampus Goaltender Darcy Kuemper.  He managed to come away with a shoot out win on Sunday to flip the game from a tie to a 4-1-1 win!

Kuemper makes huge save for the Krampus

Raisins vs. Slapshots 5-0-1

The California Raisins got a huge week from forward Brock "Lesner" Boeser who scored 5 goals!  Defenseman Noah "Ark" Dobson had 8 assists earning 3 Star honors for the Raisins.  It was an easy victory over the Slapshot, whose owner didn't log in until after puck drop...

Don't think he is as big as Lesner

Greek Empire vs. White Mambas 5-1

In another lopsided victory, the Empire got a huge week out of their net minders.  Connor Hellebuyck and Husso combined for 3 wins and a SV% of .938.

Hellebuyck was Hell-a-good for the Empire

Space Monkey Mafia vs. Assassins 3-2-1

The Space Monkeys were led by Nathan MacKinnon and Mitch "Moss" Marner on the ice.  "MacDaddy" MacKinnon had a 3-7-5-5 week  and Marner went 4-5-2.  The Assassins goaltenders kept the game close at least.  Thatcher Demko had 3 wins and a SV% of .957 and Swayman "Nightman" posted a .942 SV%

MacKinnon the Space Monkey

Who Gives a Puck vs. Checkers 5-1

And in the game of the week on ESPN, we had the two most crowned franchises in CFHL history, combining for 8 cups (Checkers with 5 and Puck with 3).  Well the history was more interesting than the game as the Puck had little trouble with the checkers behind Auston Matthews 5 goals and 3 assists along with Rantanen's 3-5-4-5 week.

Mikko Rantanen helped Puck to a win!

Three Stars of the Week:

Number 3 Star:  Noah Dobson, D, Raisins - 8 assists, 1 PPP and 2 hits

Number 2 Star:  Filip Gustavsson, G, Space Monkey - 2 wins, .959 SV%

Number 1 Star:  Auston Matthews, C, Puck - 5 goals, 3 assists and 2 PPP

Goon of the Week:  Brady Tkachuk, F, Krampus - 20 hits

Auston Matthews' girlfriend 
Emily Ruttledge

CFFL Week 14 & Playoff Preview

Eight teams play on.  Eight teams sit at home and wait until August...brutal.  The controversial Week 14 is in the books with illegal rosters and questionable line up decisions.  

Week 14 action:

In the North...It didn't look like any team in the North wanted to play.  With the playoffs on the the line the Crew only managed 6 points and lost to a Ferret team that had given up.  15 points from Ferret kicker Aubrey did in the Crew...With the North division on the line, the Chislers scored only 6 and it was from their defense!   Animals win 20-6 and claim the North.

Kid couldn't miss for the Ferrets

In the South...The Warbirds defeated the Killer Bees 30-28 on a last minute pick six by their defensive lineman from the  Dolphins!  The Dragons, needing to win to get in, did just that, defeating the Titans 39-11.  They got 12 points from both Mostert and Deebo "Dabo Sweeny" Samuel.

Warbirds' defense get the pick six for the win!

In the East...The Sinistars were able to hold on to defeat the Cocktails 22-17.  The Cocktails had Tua, AJ Dillon, and Derrick "King" Henry going Monday night, but couldn't get enough production to pull off the win.  In fact only Henry would score for the Cocktails...The Krauts get a last minute TD from Hopkins to defeat the Juggernauts 41-38!  Juggs still clinch the division with the sweep of the Sinistars during the regular season.

Hopkins catches the game winner for the Krauts!

In the West...Cam's Killers were able to send the Crush home with their 12 loss on the season 31-12. All 31 points came from Killers' Buccaneer players...The Legion got a late 10 point connection on Monday, but wasn't enough to sustain the 12 points the Whales got from Barkley on Monday night.  Whales fall jut short of making the playoffs and defending their title.  They lose the points tie breaker to the Dragons 401-355.

Barkley soars into end zone for Whales

Player of the Week:  Baker Mayfield, QB, Killers - 14 points

Congratulations to our Division Winners:

North:  Alex's Animals 12-2:  They win the North by 2 games and are the odds on favorite to win the Fantasy Bowl.  This is only the Animals' 2nd division title and their 10th trip to the post season.

South:  Weiland's Warbirds 10-4:  Pretty much ran away with the south winning it by 3 games.  After starting 9-19 since entering the league, this is their first trip to the playoffs.

East:  Jakes' Juggernauts 9-5:  They tied the Sinistars for the division, but won the head to head battle sweeping them.  This is the Juggs' 5th division title and their second in a row.  

West:  Iron Legion 8-6:  The Legion enter the post season on a three game skid.  This is their first division title as well as their first playoff appearance.  

Playoff Round One Match ups:

(8) Dragons at (1) Animals -6 - Animals are rolling.  They have won 12 in a row and are loaded at every position.  Dragons stumbled in the second half of the season, but managed to pull it together in the final week to make playoffs.  Could be dangerous with Lamar Jackson and Mostert.  

Take the Animals and lay the points.  Too much for the Dragons.  Animals 42-23

(7) Cocktails at (2) Warbirds -10 - Warbirds tend to rely on Jalen Hurts, but have formidable RBs in Achane and Etienne.  The Cocktails are hungry for a championship.  Not sure this is the team though.

Take the points with the Cocktails.  Will be close with Warbirds winning a close one.  Warbirds 27-25

(6) Sinistars at (3) Juggernauts -1 - The third act for these two East division rivals.  In the Week 7-8 home and home series, the Juggernauts won both games, 45-29 and 43-35.  Will they get their third in a row?  They say it's hard to defeat a team three times in one season in the CFFL...

Grab Juggeranuts on the ML.  Kamara, McCaffrey and Metcalf are hard to beat.

(5) Chislers at (4) Legion -10 - Legion limping into the playoffs, losing their last 3.  I can't imagine the Chislers will only score 6 points again.  Legion are a very dangerous team focused on Packers and Cowboys.  Looks like it will be Love all the way now with Herbert out of the year with a broken finger.

10 points is way too much.  Take the Chislers and the points.  Keep an eye out for an outright upset win too.  Chislers 38-36

Vegas odds board to win Fantasy Bowl:

Animals +250

Juggernauts +350

Legion +450

Chislers +450

Warbirds +600

Cocktails +750

 Dragons 12/1

Happy Holidays!