KINCH'S CORNER

Brought to you by Lasse Kinch

Date:8/9-02


The final four


Hi All! Only four teams remain in the TWHL3 playoffs. Los Angeles, Rio, Rome and Taipei. I've tagged along with the Ratz on their vacation. We're currently at the Copa Cabana in Rio. We'll stay down here until after game two in the Rio-LA series. Then we'll go up to L A to visit the Trainor Brothers. GM Wayne has been kind enough to invite both the entire Ratz team to LA. Adam Foote is especially happy, he has been invited to the Tonight show with Jay Leno. I'm not sure as to why but I'll look into that when I get to LA unless MMB beats me to it.
Now on to more serious matters. Lets take a look at the conference finals match-ups.

Match-ups

Rio (3) vs Los Angeles (14)
This series has potential to become a seven games series if any. Rio has in fact only played in seven games series. They have been knocked out by Mexico in both TWHL1 and TWHL2. This season the Carnavales managed to defeat their achnemesis. Rio is lead by centres Brett Lysak and Peter Stastny. They are both among the leading scorers in these playoffs and must be stopped if LA wants to go further. So what about LA. They have played outstanding so far. They needed just nine games to eliminate both Toronto and Vancouver. Marcel Dionne is a key player for the Wolves but its not Dionne who'll decide this series. It is goalie Mike Richter who needs to play just like he did during the first two series. In last nights opening game of this series he didn't. Rio won 6-3 after a great game from Lysak, Rheaume and Kultanen. Defenseman Jarno Kultanen is a mystery, he played in just 23 games this season and recorded only five points and was on minus in the so important +/- column. In the playoffs he has played like a god. He has 14 point in 15 games!

Taipei (2) vs Rome (5)
Taipei has for the first time come out from the Lee division and at this point in the playoffs they must be held as huge favorites. No bookies in the known universe would give you anything higher than a 1.0 odds on the Phoons. Rome are also in the conference finals for the first time but in game 1 they couldn't stop the Taiwanese team from winning. Coach Terry Chrisp must find a way to get Minard and Irbe to play like they did in the series against the Ratz, if not well then they are toast. Peter Forsberg is looking hot and might very well become winner of the Conn Smythe when the playoffs are over. He has 17 points in just 10 games. This is the last chnace for the Typhoons captain, Kevin Hatcher to raise the cup and I'm sure that he'll give what it takes to get it. The same goes for winger Dean Sylvester.

It sure looks like the Typhoons will win the cup this year but there are still a lot of hockey to be played and only one thing is for sure and thats that we'll get new Trans world cup champions this season.

Retirements
The TWHLPA release the list of the players that will retire after this season. Some teams will get hit worse than others. Taipei and Stockholm are the only teams who'll lose more than 2 players. Both teams will lose three players. LA, Toronto, Montreal, Mexico, Cape Town, Moscow and Hong Kong will not lose any players at all.