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+---- Thread: Anaheim Outlaws Five Game Fight (/showthread.php?tid=109188)
Anaheim Outlaws Five Game Fight - lancedjack - 08-13-2020
Five for Five
The Anaheim boys have had one hell of a chock full set, culminating in a 5 game bounce against first and second in the East, new kids on the block the Citadelles and the, second in the West, Armada. Lets have a look at how our brave boys in red have coped with their increasingly busy schedule over the last 5 games, not to mention the rigors and stresses of taking on enough naval themed teams to sink an entire fleet. Maybe, just maybe, with a good rub of the green the Outlaws can position themselves to take advantage down the stretch and shoot for a cup win.
Quebec City Citadelles @ Anaheim Outlaws
A three goal win for the Outlaws here is a cracking opener. Don't be fooled into treating the Citadelles in this aloof manner. Their place at 5th in the East should not be confused for weakness. Rather they're coiled, like a foul French-Canadian spring, ready to explode in a burst of energy. Are you familiar with the term "Over-wrought Metaphor"? Cause apparently I am not. Dropping a goal here isn't the worst thing possible, but oh boy will it become quite the theme as we continue our trudge through this series of five games. Nevertheless a win is a win, so chalk it up and lets move on!
Carolina Kraken @ Anaheim Outlaws
Oh jeez. Much like an HP Lovecraft novel the fish men are here and they are not best pleased, oh no. Four goals later with a mere consolation goal to the Outlaws name and the Kraken came, collected and scarpered all within an evening. The Innsmouth coalition was in no mood for messing around, running rampant across the Outlaws. It was always going to be a hard hit out against the 2nd place Kraken. They're not to be underestimated. I think the Outlaws took a good read of them, it just came down to sheer fatigue.
Anchorage Armada @ Anaheim Outlaws
The Armada sit just above the Outlaws in the West and this was always going to be a bit of a tight knit, close wrought affair. Or at least you'd be forgiven for thinking that. The Armada left five goals to the good, daylight bloody robbery. There wasn't a dry eye in the house after the fourth goal slid in, the fifth coming as the exclamation mark on a tired and tepid effort from Anaheim. Two consolation goals do very little to help the boys out and even as a tie breaker you still need to be winning games for the tie breaker to matter. For those Simpsons viewers at home this is when you can pinpoint the heart breaking. Fatigue city came to a head here.
Newfoundland Berserkers @ Anaheim Outlaws
Past the halfway point of the five game fatigue fest and, unfortunately, things aren't much brighter for the California men. You'd forgive the fans in the cheap seats for their protests at the conclusion of this affair. Another two goal losing game with four goals to the visitors is nothing short of shambolic. Expectations must be tempered with this being the fourth game of a series against (mostly) top seed teams but nevertheless the fans have come to expect more and Anaheim must deliver more in these games. It's not enough to show up, must compete.
Anaheim Outlaws @ Anchorage Armada
The boys took a "quick" bus trip over to the Armada and managed to post ANOTHER two goal losing affair.This was written in the stars for the jump. A four game long fatigue fest at home punctuated by an away trip, the bus heavy in the legs. Safe to say the boys never got off the bus mentally and were tucked back on it in three short periods. Five goals for the Anchorage men makes it a 10-4 score over the last two games. The route to the big dog dance goes through Anchorage at the moment and the report card surely reads "Must Do Better" for the Outlaws at this stage.
Overall, as grim as I've been here, it's not the most heinous performance over a challenging stretch for the Outlaws. With an eye fixed firmly on the post season it comes down to their final 20 games to determine just how that goes. With games against the Kraken, Berserkers and the Armada in no short supply lets check back in and see if they manage to right the proverbial ship or if they'll flounder (See, lots of nautical) in time for the home stretch.
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