Playoff Matchups

So, yeah, I'm having way too much fun with Season 2 of my Strat-O-Matic hockey league. The regular season has now concluded, and we're moving on to the championship series between the first-place Victorias and the second-place Comets! In answer to the question no one asked, here's a position-by-position breakdown of the two teams before they start to duke it out...

Forwards

• Comets: It all starts with Frank McGee; the Comets' dynamic sniper tallied an astounding 18 goals in 12 games this year. (For the sake of comparison, last year Cyclone Taylor led the league with 11 goals in 12 games.) McGee is an unstoppable scoring machine, notching 44% of the Comets' goals this season. He's received valuable support on the top line from defensively adept winger Blair Russell and crafty playmaker Billy Gilmour. Captain Harry Trihey, power forward Jimmy Gardner, and the newly acquired George Richardson give the Comets some secondary scoring, but can they carry load the if McGee is contained or -- hockey gods forbid! -- injured?
• Victorias: The Vics spread out their attack among a variety of skilled players, with no forward scoring more than 8 goals this year. Top offensive threats include Hobey Baker, Frank Rankin, Marty Walsh, and Billy McGimsie. Dubbie Bowie and the aforementioned Baker remain two of the best defensive forwards in the business, as well. It's a great mix of quantity and quality. 
• Advantage: Even

Defensemen

• Comets: If it weren't for Cyclone Taylor, the Comets' Mike Grant would be winning all the awards for defensemen; he is unequivocally the best two-way blueliner in the league, and also finished comfortably among the top ten players in points scored (racking up more points than star forwards like Alf Smith and Tommy Dunderdale). The steady Jack Marshall gives the Comets another elite shutdown defender, while Graham Drinkwater and rookie Phat Wilson give them added depth.
• Victorias: The Vics have Cyclone Taylor and...some other guys! The league's most dynamic playmaker patrols the blueline alongside the likes of George McNamara and Art Farrell. When Taylor went down with an injury, the Vics shifted captain Hobey Baker back to defense and he outplayed the everyday defensemen. 'Nuff said.
• Advantage: Comets

Goaltending

• Comets: According to the Strat-O-Matic game stats, Percy LeSueur is the worst goaltender in the league. In terms of actual performance, he was the third-best (out of four) goalie in Season 1 and the second-best in Season 2. He can absolutely steal a game on occasion. However...
• Victorias: Bowse Hutton is hands-down the best goalie in the game, both in terms of game stats and actual performance over the past two seasons. He won last year's Playoff MVP award, and may well be the most important player in this postseason as well.
• Advantage: Victorias 

Special Teams

• Comets: After leading the league in both power play percentage and penalty killing percentage for most of the season, the Comets slipped to second in power play. Even so, they're very dangerous, with McGee, Grant, Russell, etc., making for a dynamic group that can seemingly score at will when they're firing on all cylinders. Their penalty kill -- led by Russell, Grant, and Marshall -- got smoked in their final regular-season game, but they maintained their status as the top unit.
• Victorias: The Vics languished at the bottom of the league in penalty killing for much of the campaign, but climbed into second place by the season's end. Baker and Bowie make a great tandem, but the team is thin on defensive defensemen. Their power play, meanwhile, was consistently in second place until overtaking the Comets toward the end of the year. Taylor and Walsh absolutely feast on goaltenders during power plays.
• Advantage: Even 

My prediction? I'm thinking the Vics will win in three games, with each team victorious at home. If the Vics win, the most likely MVP is Taylor, and if it's the Comets, then McGee would be the obvious choice. Watch out for Mike Grant as the dark horse.

It all starts tonight!