Winston Windsor has had a rough road to get to this finals series. Sure, his isn't a career where he's never reached the playoffs, and he's even won a few cups- but that doesn't mean he hasn't struggled along the way. Winston was born and raised on the mean streets of London, where he had to scrap for every bit of respect he ever earned. When he entered the SMJHL, he had to endure the persecution of a harsh junior GM, by way of <a href='index.php?showuser=41' rel='nofollow' alt='profile link' class='user-tagged mgroup-66'>JumpierPegasus</a>. Luckily for Windsor, just when it appeared his career may come to an early end, he was under competent management when JP was replaced by <a href='index.php?showuser=89' rel='nofollow' alt='profile link' class='user-tagged mgroup-3'>Cuffy</a>. He got things back on track, and made it to the SHL- but the struggles didn't end there, he was forever undervalued, the crescendo of which was his brave self sacrifice to ensure the future of the only team that ever cared about him. He went on to finally hit a bright spot- winning a cup as a mercenary. Surprisingly, it wasn't his cup winning team that he became endeared to- it wasn't until his previous spot that he found a new home in Texas. Of course, the Great Tamper of S17 went down, and saw Windsor jettisoned from his only real home- to wind up in MAN, where he is once again playing the fearless merc attempting to deliver a cup. One last shot for a player who's had a tough road to hoe.

Geoffrey Allen has been the player who has come into the Manhattan roster and not only added a scoring (8 points himself, with 4 goals) element to help to push them over the top, his arrival also allowed Atmey (13 points in 14 games leading up to the finals) to move to the 2nd line, where he's become quite productive against lower competition (posting a +6 rating). When a team goes to game 7 in two instances in their march to the final, every single point scored is vital, and not only has Allen scored a number of points himself, he's helped the team as a whole score even more. More than just the on ice presence, of course, Geoffrey Allen brings with him the insight and example that comes with a player who has hoisted a Challenge Cup not so long ago himself. Surely he's been a leader in both tangible and intangible ways for the Rage, and I'm sure he won't be seeking any of the glory, regardless of how things turn out.

There is one clear player who stands out as a youth who has already made a big name for themselves in this tournament, and who will undoubtedly continue to do so as we move into the finals. That player is none other than blue liner Roman Augustus, playing for the Calgary Dragons. Of the two teams, there are 2 rookies- 1 on each roster. The Manhattan Rage have Evgeny Yakikov, who hasn't even been able to muster a minute of playing time. In stark contrast, Augustus has been a force for his squad- scoring 8 points in 11 games (all assists), and so far posting a -2 rating. Granted, you'd love to see a positive +/-, but considering the level of competition this rookie is facing, that's god damned fantastic. At the same time, he's tied for 2nd on the team amongst defenders with 15 hits. No doubt that Roman will be a huge part of the MAN squad as they move beyond this season.

Looking at the two teams, and how they stack up against one another, it's apparent that the biggest disparity between the two of them is shots for/shots against. The Calagary Dragons are managing 36+ shots for versus 31+ shots against, good for a +16.28% margin. Meanwhile, the Manhattan Rage are putting up under 31 shots per game, while allowing over 36, to give them a -10.93% differential. That has, to no surprise, led to the Dragons having a goal differential advantage over their foes (despite the fact that MAN is also in the positive in that regard). The Rage are going ot have to limit the opportunities for the Dragons, while bolstering their own- a tall task.

I would shit the 2nd defensive pairing of MAN into a 4-1 config, in an effort to make them more defensive- playing a trap game against CAL. You don't want to go too far with it, though, which is why I wouldn't touch the top defensive pairing- let them continue to generate offense. With the offensive lines, I'd roll the dice and hope that MAN's repeated 4th line could out duel CAL's- so I'd push them to 1-4 while dialing the top line version down to 2-3. Who knows if it would work... but I think it would give MAN a better shot of evening the chances- which I believe will be vital if they are to win the cup.