INTER-CONFERENCE BATTLES ADD TO OVERALL LEAGUE PARITY

[SAINT PAUL | MINNESOTA]

        The implementation prior to last season to divide the CCHL into two conferences for the purposes of creating rivalries within each conference, while doing the same in pride for your conference during Inter-Conference play, has seemingly more than lived up to the hype of the separation.

        "I think this season in particular has been fantastic," said Norsemen general manager, Blake Wendt. "Obviously if you're winning, it's a lot more fun. But the parity within our own Canosa Conference has been a dog fight all season. Now that we've officially played every team in the league, with being halfway through Inter-Conference games, it's just as much a fight every night going up against those guys. Both conferences are built well and very evenly matched."

        Case in point, the current CCHL Standings:

 # TEAM NAME       GP    W    L    T    Pts    PCT
1 Musicmen        42   37    3    2     76   0.905
2 Norsemen        42   29    9    4     62   0.738
3 Crusaders       42   29   10    3     61   0.726
4 Chinook         42   27    9    6     60   0.714
5 Thunder         42   26   10    6     58   0.690
6 Ronin           42   26   11    5     57   0.679
7 Millers         42   24   15    3     51   0.607
8 Puffin          42   23   15    4     50   0.595
9 Reign           42   23   16    3     49   0.583
10 Express         42   21   17    4     46   0.548
11 Ferrets         42   20   16    6     46   0.548

        That's the top two clubs being from each conference. The Corfield with three in the top five, and the Canosa with six in the top eleven. It doesn't get much more evened out than that.

        "At the beginning of the season, it was looking as if the Canosa Conference was the superior side," said Wendt. "But a few major impact trades completed by Calgary and Niagara Falls in particular, really boosted up the Corfield Conference. Dayton was completely running away. They still are an extremely dominant team. But the Chinook and Thunder will absolutely give them fits as we get closer and into the postseason. Niagara proved a couple of seasons ago that brut strength and physicality can get you to that ultimate goal. I personally don't see that changing for them. Calgary is a pretty stout, all-around good team. They more resemble the Musicmen in their defense and goaltending. Maybe don't have the offense to keep up with them. But (Carey) Price is capable of shutting down anyone's offense single handily. It has been and will be fun to compete at such a high caliber within our conference and hopefully one of those Corfield clubs in the postseason."

        Outside of the top eleven in the CCHL, you have a mix of teams that are very close to moving up now or very soon, or rebuilding themselves into the contenders oftomorrow. Then there's Fort Erie. Like the falcon on a telephone pole. Just watching and waiting for their opportunity to swoop in.

        "The Falcons are one of those clubs you always keep an eye on," said Wendt. "They sell off a bunch of their key assets, make it look like they have packed it in. But they're still hanging around. Still very much in contention of making some noise. Definitely not a fully committed rebuild team. It would not surprise me in the least if they make a deal or two to drastically alter their roster into a now team. Just don't see them getting their wings clipped and being in the audience this season."

        For the Norsemen, the goals remain the same from before the season. The whole thing.

        "We're not going anywhere," said Wendt. "First goal is to win the regular season conference. We're on the top rung, but know it's going to be a continued battle with Copenhagen and Victoria and really Georgetown and Reykjavik are in the ring too. We can't overlook any opponent, any night. Second goal is the Presidents' Trophy. Currently fourteen points behind Dayton is an enormous hill to climb to get there. But climb we will. Third goal is to win the Canosa Conference and the ultimate goal is the Kehler Cup."