Written Option 2

A team that has had a drastic change in performance from last year to this is the St. Louis Scarecrows.  Last season the Scarecrows were not the best team in the league but they were solid and could hold their own against some of the best teams.  Overall they finished with a 36-24-6 record and were seventh in the standings heading into the playoffs.  The Scarecrows banded together in the playoffs and beat the Ottawa Highlanders in five games before falling to the Carolina Kraken in five games in the second round.

This season the Scarecrows ended the season with a 17-42-7 record, placing 15th in the league standings heading into playoffs.  The big drop in productivity mostly stems from some of the Scarecrows star players from last season moving up to the SHL.  Louis Belanger, who ended the year with 92 points, was pulled up into the big leagues along with linemate Emile Dionne.  Dionne scored 67 points in 66 games.  The Scarecrows have some talented players on their roster but they are a young team.  I expect them to start climbing the standings again next year as the players on their roster mature and progress.

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