The playoffs are here!  The playoffs are here!  The playoffs are FINALLY HERE!

19. Dark Rainbows at 14. Butchers – 1 pm, East
by Jerome

In this corner: #19 Dark Rainbows (4-13-1)

The road so far: Spotted with legit wins this year, which is a stark contrast to last year’s campaign and postseason.

The history books: Known for having a stacked team in the gilded age of BTSH, this generation has of late followed the trend of other BTSH squads by actively scouting youth and talent. The middle years of the Tompkins era have been a long-term period of rebirth (sorta) with some veterans (5-ish years) staying, some players doing part-time then gradually phasing themselves out of the league, and other players establishing new beginnings.

Injury report: Only if some of the Rainbow females “ironmanned” the crap out Hockaway.

One player to watch: Katherine. She’s cute.

Key number: 201-2… ah wait… it’s 1: Of their four wins, none of them were against a first division team. They’ll put up a loud celebration not only for making the following round, but also against a team of the league’s highest echelons.

Dominant narrative: Optimism—league sweetheart Cat excitedly wrote about the Rainbows’ first win and readers interpreted it as if someone lifted the earth from Atlas’ shoulders. A yearlong losing streak is that which no one wants to be a part of, but having documented on pulling a shutout win after all that waiting, Cat and her comrades collectively embrace a new lease on hockey life because they finally know the feeling. It makes the team hungrier and more confident in each other.

The big question: What team is Yetter really on?

Bandwagon-ability: Too easy. Although the Butchers aren’t villain material, these phosphorescent puck-handlers are still underdogs for the match. Jess(-ica)’s smile is contagious and her aptitude of rhetorically smacking the Sultan in social media is all-around praiseworthy.

One good reason not to root for them: It’s when Jess is in goal—she’s let in 8 goals in her one appearance.

In this corner: #14 Butchers (7-10-1)

The road so far: Tempestuous for the Crimson Tide. With Rachel’s campaign alongside the BTSH elites coming to a close, she and her squad will be happily saying “Bye Felicia” as they descend to the Caroline Division in 2019.

The history books: Having formed the franchise early in the Tompkins era, the knife-bear-pigs haven’t really made huge splashes in the postseason. Their ascendance to the Soko Division was partially due to the result of a seven-game win streak and taking their divisional rivals seriously. After begging members of Poutine—myself included—to trade division spots prior to the 2018 season, Rachel unfortunately had to live with the consequences of winning the Caroline division. I think Jo and BSA would have totally acquiesced to the trade if the act itself was permissible…

Injury report: Perhaps not a huge injury… but if Creamy’s kid was old enough to play with Legos and left them strewn on the floor only to have Creamy himself step on them in the middle of the night… yes, that would yield potentially bad consequences for the Butchers and their defensive line.

One player to watch: Pete. Seasoned in both Mofo and BTSH with high offense and medium defense workrates, he’s the team’s two-way player.

Key number: 1. See following point.

Dominant narrative: Men? Only one of the scorers currently documented in the Butchers’ scorecards this season is female (Dana). There is an illusion of susceptibility, that because the ladies haven’t tallied much means they’re bad… that’s nonsense. It’s the kind of narrative that doesn’t exist in this league, because the ladies who get picked to play every year get more and more talented. Georgine and MDF know the game pretty well and don’t need their names on a sheet of paper to prove their worth. So, even though it’s more likely Tarzan and Brady will see their names written on Sunday, their success must be attributed to the rest of the team, especially the ladies who sweep the defenses, valiantly battle 50-50 situations, and run just like the men do.

The big question: Can Dave be the next hockey Professor?

Bandwagon-ability: Tough. Certainly any friend of the Butchers will come root for them. The players are a great bunch of chill people who certainly don’t play dirty and excel professionally (Dave’s a doctor!!!). But perhaps because this squad has a higher average age than their rivals, this increasingly youthful league is likely to root for people their own age.

One good reason not to root for them: Netminder Tim probably made a save on you during the year and you didn’t like it one bit, so you decided to root for the other team.

Prediction: Age before beauty, but there will undoubtedly be a lot of tussling. As of late, the Rainbows have played the game beautifully, and their results have demonstrated it. However, experience will be the very factor that illuminates the difference, and it’s the knowledge of how D1 teams execute plays that, I think, will seal the deal. Captains will be tight-lipped in this grudge match, with Butchers overtaking the Rainbows 3-2.

17. Sky Fighters at 16. Mathematics – 3 pm, West

written by Ruthie Langmore

In this corner: the Sky Fighters

The road so far: The Fighters finished 5-12-1, with 11 total points. It was a rocky season, however there were some dominant victories sprinkled in here and there.

The history books: The Sky Fighters won the coveted PBR Cup in 2009, and were a dominant force in the league for many years. However, due to a large amount of personnel turnover, they had to rebuild, and have been struggling to regain their former glory.

Injury report: Probably one of them took a ball or a stick to the face in Ocean City this year, since apparently everyone did.

One player to watch: Infanti. Not necessarily for hockey reasons, but just because he is handsome.

Key number: 3. This is the number of kids Steiner has. (It might be 4 now?) However, dude is still as sharp as ever, and doesn’t even make dad jokes.

Dominant narrative: They are a much better team than their record shows. They added some young, skilled players. If the newbies as well as the vets all show up, they could beat any team in the league.

The big question: Can Caroline and Greg’s band of merrymakers shake the regular season off, and gel together to get this win?

Bandwagon-ability: Fairly high. They lost a lot of skilled players in recent years, but have still kept it together, and manage to keep smiles on their faces even after a rough loss.

One good reason not to root for them: Mia is too nice.

In this corner: Mathematics

The road so far: Math finished 5-11-2, with 12 total points. I could be wrong, but I suspect this was one of their worst seasons in recent history. Attendance issues are a big reason for this, including the Norrises needing to be away a lot this summer, as well as CommissionHERR (wait, has no one ever said this before?? It just came to me now) having surgery and missing most of the season. However…

The history books: Math got screwed in the semifinals in 2014, but we won’t talk about that.

Injury report: Sam’s liver is likely in pretty bad shape, but I think other than that, they should be good to go.

One player to watch: Other Charlotte. I haven’t met her yet, but word around town is that she is a very good player, and super nice to boot.

Key number: 2014.

Dominant narrative: Like the Fighters, Math are a much better team than than their record suggests. At times they struggle to score, however Dave’s strong goaltending and the team’s tight defense go a long way.

The big question(s): How many Norrises are on this team?! How much can Eli bench? Will Perras be in London? Will Amy bring some type of homemade dessert? Brad, can we get some more boards to cover all the holes in the fence?

Bandwagon-ability: Incredibly high, as always. Math embody what BTSH should be, and exhibit a high level of hockey skill while doing so.

One good reason not to root for them: You’re on the Sky Fighters.