Pressiteated

Little was expected from the youthful Huggy Bears when the season kicked off and the team gave it's fans little to look forward to with an abysmal start. But after finishing the season with a record of 26-11-1, the fans had thoughts of a championship dancing in their heads. The Huggy Bears haven't disappointed so far.

The team has yet to drop a game in it's first two series of the playoffs - sweeping the 5th seeded Georgia Bulldogs in quarter finals and the 2nd seeded Saint John Sea Dogs in the semifinals, a team the Bears could not beat during the regular season.

Headed into the finals, the Bears meet another team they failed to topple once during the regular season in Team RBK. The regular season champions and dominate team in the league, stumbled in its last 8 games of the season going a, by its standards, a disappointing 5-3(those 3 loses accounted for all of Team RBK's loses during the season). RBK ran into a scare in the quarters when they were taken to Game 3 by the 8th seed San Diego HC club, but bounced back with a 2-0 sweep during the semis.

The local fan base has been abuzz with the idea of bringing home a Championship, and local media outlets have painted the team as a possible favorite heading into the finals. Huggy Bears coach Klement Mlčoch has been quick to temper expectations.

"We need to play better. It's as simple as that. RBK is a very accomplished club. Their a hard-nosed, veteran team. We have a tough, tough test ahead of us."

Getting better is exactly what the Huggy Bears have been good at through the season and playoffs, due in large part, to the addition of rookie forward Daniel Howard from the Sports Academy late in the season. In 4 playoff games, Howard has tallied 4 goals and 3 assists, tied for the team's lead in playoff scoring with Ondrej Tonkovič.

Asked on his early success, Howard mimicked his coaches sentiments, "I'm just trying to fit in with the guys. Ya know, it's easy when you play with guys like Tonk and Flippy." Howard is referring to Ondrej Tonkovič and Filip Mužík who he joined on the teams top line.

While both teams highlight prolific scoring, many believe the series will rest on the play of the goaltenders. Analysts agree, the advantage goes to Team RBK with their star goalie Dean Finley, who posted a sterling 1.55 GAA and .918 save percentage during the season.

Huggy Bears netminder Argo Lieberg, acquired in the first half of the season, has performed admirably during the stretch run, but will be the one Bears player who'll need to improve the most if the team hopes to bring home it's first championship.

Regardless, it promises to be an exciting division finals for one reason - both teams hail from the same region. Coach Mlčoch expects a wild atmosphere.

"Derby games are always a step up. The fans really make it a special experience. Throw a championship on the table and the roof might just come off."

And that might be the Huggy Bears greatest enemy heading into Game 1. A raucous, loud crowd awaits this relatively inexperienced group of players making communication difficult.

"It's all about chemistry," captain and defensemen Aurel Ion gave his answer to how the team would combat the unfriendly confines. "If we're in the right places, where we're supposed to be, play the system things it makes it alot easier to play on the road."

The finals of III.7 kick off tomorrow with Game 1, as both teams look to capture their first division championship, in a matchup that promises to be an exciting one.

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