PR - Achaeans

Against seemingly impossible odds (with Cloutier in goal), and when no one seemed to give them a chance, the Ayton Achaeans won the TFHL cup.
This was the first cup win for GM Matthew Butchart - who had to this point only made the finals once before in TFHL as the Stormtroopers in
TFHL 8.

The Achaeans were seeded 5th overall in the West, and were always the road team throughout the playoffs.  However, they never went past Game
6 in any of the series that they played in.

The Wheat Kings gave them their toughest challenge, taking 2 of the 6 games that they played against each other.  The Wheat Kings will most
definitely be a good team this season, assuming that they keep their roster together.

After defeating the Kings, the Achaeans had the unenviable task of playing against the extremely talented Pain team.  This seemed to many
as the end of their playoff run, since the Pain had knocked them off the past 2 seasons.  However, the Pain were knocked out of the
playoffs for the first time, ending their series winning streak at 9 and denying them their "Ultimate Hat Trick".

The Flames were next opponent.  The Flames had the Achaeans number all season, until now.  It appeared that both teams were feeling the
effect of the playoff season, but the Flames seemed to suffer more, losing 2 key players during series (one to a suspension in the series
against the Ice).  Due to this, the Flames were dispatched in 4 games, a result not fitting of a talented Flames team that surely was
disappointed with this result.

The Aces were the finalists of the Eastern Conference, and looked to be quite the force to be reckoned with. They had been getting terrific
goaltending from rookie sensation Barry Brust and Tim Brent had been playing fantastic leading into the series.  Due to the length of the
playoffs, both teams were forced into using their backup goaltenders for fear of injury to either Cloutier (who finally won something for
someone) and Brust.  In the battle of the backups, J.S. Aubin clearly won over Milan Hnlinka.  This turned the tide in the series, and the
Achaeans were able to take the next 4 straight games in a series that appeared to be a battle of eventual attrition.

For the Achaeans, Elias played outstanding and should be considered for the Conn Smyth.  He led the team in scoring, and was consistently
named as one of the three stars throughout the playoffs.

Sophomore LW and 2 time! Lady Byng winner Gregory Campbell also had a terrific post season, picking up where he left off during the regular
season.  Big things are expected from this man for years to come.

Craig MacDonald, viewed as a mistake in Ayton as a preseason RFA pickup, played a very impressive post season.  The Achaeans were
forced into giving up their 1st round pick this upcoming draft, but it appears that the gamble played off when it really counted.

Rookie Alexander Ovechkin, who will be a rookie next season, looks to be a future force as well, as he posted great numbers during the post
season.

The best surprise came from Clark Wilm in the final game of the season.  He may have only played 5 minutes, but these were arguably the greatest 5 minutes in the history of hockey.  He scored his first goal of the post season, short handed to put the Achaeans up 3-0 at
the time.  After the Aces had tied the game up, Wilm scored his second goal of the game, on the power play in overtime.  While he was -1, he scored these 2 goals on 3 shots,  and had a hit to boot.  All he needed was a regular strength goal for one of those rare cycle hat
tricks.

Ok, enough gloating about my team.  I barely finished above .500 in the regular season, so now everyone will get a nice fuzzy feeling when they beat me this year.  I'm looking forward to this season, and hopefully making the playoffs.

Matthew - I have no fancy pictures, since I lack the time and effort to find and doctor them like some have in the past.