GOHL 2004 Playoff Teams Histories

As we begin the sixth post season of Game On Hockey League play, it's time to take a look at long history of this year's playoff teams. Some have very long histories, some are very new to the post season. So once again, we should find ourselves enjoying the most intense, exciting post season in apba hockey.

In five years, three Cup Champions have come from the Sather Conference, so we'll start there, with the Okanagan Selects. This team is in the playoffs for the sixth consecutive season. They have posted a 54-40 record in the playoffs with two GOHL Championships, three Sather Conference Championships and four conference final appearances. No other team in the league can boast such post season accomplishment.

Another former Victoria's Cup Champion is the Newmarket Nightmare, who are also making their sixth straight appearance in the playoffs. They have one Sather Conference Championship to go with their GOHL Championship and have two conference finals trips to their credit, having posted a 30-27 mark in the playoffs.

The Vegas Black Aces are another Sather team making their sixth consecutive post season. The Aces have posted a 35-26 mark in those years but have only two conference final appearances to show for it. They have yet to capture a conference or league title. But theyve also won their opening round series four of five years, so they should not be a team to face in the opening round.

Winnipeg makes it four teams from the Sather to make six consecutive playoff appearances. In their previous five trips, the Mosquitoes have gone 24-25, with only one trip to the conference finals, two conference semifinals, and one opening round exit.

Now you've got your up and coming teams like the St.Basile Grizzlies. This team has a long post season history, only having sat out the post season once in five years. But they only went 15-22 in those years, with a couple of conference semifinal appearances and a couple of early exits. All this came while the team was in Peel Region and Aurora. Maybe they can take it further in their first season in St. Basile.

The other team on the rise is the Orono Blizzard, who missed the playoffs the first three years, but have gone 12-11 with two conference semifinal trips the past two seasons. This year could be the year they push further into the post season.

Rounding out the Sather Conference are a couple of hit and miss teams. The Hamilton Tigers make their fourth post season appearance with a 5-12 record, never having escaped the opening round. The Bangor Bruisers missed the playoffs the past two seasons but are under new ownership and maybe a new city can help them improve on their 8-11 post season record. This is only the franchise's third post season.

Over in the Bowman Conference, there are only two teams who are making the playoffs for the sixth consecutive season, and they couldn't be more different. The Austin Express have posted the most playoff wins in this conference, with a 41-34 record, including one Bowman Conference Championship and three appearances in the conference finals.

On the other side of the coin is the Valleyfield Aliens. Yes, it is the sixth straight year they are in the playoffs, one of only six teams in the league that can boast that. But they have never survived the opening round in five previous trips, posting a 12-20 record in that span. Will this finally be the year the Aliens sell second round tickets?

The Brooklyn Railsplitters make their fifth post season trip in a row, after missing in the GOHL's inaugural season. They have one Bowman Conference Championship and two appearances in the conference finals with a 31-22 record to their credit. They went home in the opening round last season, first time that's happened to them.

Quasqueton is the defending Victoria's Cup Champion. They will be making their fifth post season, fourth in a row. Besides the GOHL title they also hold a Bowman Conference Championship and have made two conference final appearances, to go with their 39-32 playoff record.

The other four teams in the Bowman are relative newcomers, like the Rouyn Noranda Copper Throwers. This franchise makes it third straight trip to the playoffs, with a 5-10 record. They went home in round one their first trip, then got to round two last year, so maybe they've established a trend. Also new to this is the Laval Chiefs, who made their very first post season appearance in just this former expansion team's third season last year. They went 2-4 against top seeded Austin for an early exit, but they return this year looking for more.

The final two teams in the Bowman Conference return to the playoffs after a three year absence. The Somers Maple Leafs have an 8-10 record from the first two seasons, while the Forest City Claymores have a 2-8 record from that same time frame. Both teams are excited about the return of post season hockey to their towns.

A couple of notes about teams who will be sitting home watching the games. Two teams, the Bay Ridge Predators and Prairie State Stingers missed the playoffs for the first time ever, having made 5 straight appearances prior to this season. Another former league champion, the Manchester Storm, miss for the second year in a row.