The Season 3 FHL Playoffs are underway! The road to the Furry Hockey League Cup begins this Monday, April 14th. In the meantime, here’s a full rundown on the basics for all the teams that qualified this year.

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1. Salt Lake City Killer Bees (28-8-6, 62 Pts.) Western Div. Champs

The Killer Bees utterly dominated the Oak Conference, finishing a full 12 pts. ahead of the competition. Woe to those who provoke the hive. Like their namesake, there’s no end to the ways the Bees can sting an opponent. Led by MVP-nominated goaltender Raz Yoshi (2.32 GAA, .939 SV%), the Bees will look to aggravate and outmuscle their prey with their elite goaltending and defensive corps (ranked 2nd and 3rd in the league, respectively).

The Bees are this season’s team to beat. Their only minor weakness has been in the offensive dept., which ranks a none-too-shabby 5th overall.

PROS: Savage and suffocating defense; Elite goaltending; Strong core of veterans; Able to control tempo and pick apart opponents.

CONS: Struggles with special teams; Offence is good but possibly not championship calibre.

ODDS: 3-1 (Cup Favorite)

2. St. Louis Spirits (30-11-1, 61 Pts.) Heartland Div. Champs

The Spirits have been the surprise story of the season. New management has tranformed these former basement-dwellers into division champions. St. Louis boasts a well rounded squad, ranked 3rd in goaltending and 2nd overall both offensively and defensively. Arguably their greatest threat is their top forward line, which consists of MVP-Nominated Easytune (54 pts in 42 games, +44) flanked by fellow 40+ point scorers Joshua Underhill (46 pts in 42 games, +41) and Skye Goodfellow (43 pts in 42 games, 54 pm’s).

The Spirits are serious title contenders. Arguably a better all-around team than the Killer Bees, they play a similarly aggressive and balanced game to wear down opponents.

PROS: Aggressive forechecking and backchecking; Well organized squad with strong depth; Balanced offence that scores by committee; Top snipers, agitators, and playmakers in the league.

CONS: Prone to inconsistency and lapses in discipline; Serious lack of playoff experience on roster.

ODDS: 6-1 (Strong Contender)

3. Hamilton Wanderers (28-9-5, 61 Pts.) Canadian Div. Champs

The Season 1 Champions finished Season 2 at the bottom of their conference. This year the Wanderers are back. What the squad lacks in depth they more than make up for in leadership, discipline, and team cohesion. Samantha Dalembert (45 pts in 40 games) is a constant threat on offence, while strong play from rookie goaltender Beau Regards (2.39 GAA, .935 SV%) has helped the Wanderers grind out more than a few ugly wins. Their offense and defence are both ranked 4th overall.

Despite winning the notoriously competitive Canadian Division, the Wanderers may be destined for an early upset. Their lack of depth and inexperience in goal (ranked 6th) raise serious questions.

PROS: Experienced leadership in all aspects of the game; Coached to play a smart, efficient style of hockey; Very fast skating team, lots of speed; Uncanny knack for finding ways to win.

CONS: Lacks the depth of other contenders; Top line carries the team, while bottom lines struggle; Inexperience in goal.

ODDS: 8-1 (Outside Contender. Possible Conference Finalist)

4. Jacksonville Gators (22-14-6, 50 Pts.) Eastern Div. Champs

The Gators will be making their playoff debut as Division Champions. Not bad for the former FHL basement dwellers! Much of the team’s success can be credited to outstanding goaltending and an intimidating defence (ranked 4th and 5 respectively). Lacking in starpower, the Gators have distinguished themselves with their rugged work ethic and stamina. The bulk of the pressure will be shouldered by the Gators’ goaltending tandem, led by the veteran Hanaho Sasada (2.05 GAA, .939 SV%).

Despite their prowess in their own end, the Gators continued offensive struggles (ranked 11th in the league) should make the road to the finals extremely difficult.

PROS: Defensively sound, hard working squad; Embrace their status as underdogs; Play at a very methodical pace; Possess a wealth of strength and stamina.

CONS: Extremely underwhelming offence, Lack of elite pedigree, Notable lack of playoff experience.

ODD: 16-1 (Longshot)

5. Thunder Bay Puffins (28-11-3, 59 Pts.)

The former Portland Roses are an FHL powerhouse; the defending champions looking to make their 3rd consecutive Cup Finals appearance. Be extremely wary of the Puffins low seeding. Early season struggles likely cost Thunder Bay the Canadian Division title, and they will be eager to avenge themselves against their division rivals in the Conference Semis. This years roster is stacked with talented blue liners, snipers, veteran playmakers, and savvy defencemen. As a result, the Puffins finished the season with the 1st ranked offence, defence, and goaltending in the nation. Offensive-defenseman Paul Shepherd (45 pts in 42 games, +37) has been the backbone, while Hari Pehltonen (2.07 GAA, .946 SV%) has established himself as possibly the greatest goalie in FHL history.

All things considered, the Puffins are strong title contenders that are peaking at exactly the right time. Anything less than the FHL Cup would be a disappointment.

PROS: Overwhelming depth; Diverse pool of talent covering a wide range of capabilities; Fast, hard hitting team; Arguably the strongest team in the league.

CONS: Serious questions about team’s maturity; Roster has yet to play to its full potential; Lack of chemistry and cohesion has led to struggles against ostensibly weaker opponents.

ODDS: 5-1 (Strong Contender)

6. Omaha Stampeders (23-15-4, 50 Pts.)

If the Gators are all-defence, then the Stampeders are all-offence (ranked 6th overall). Omaha may not pose any serious threat to the favorites, but they are one of the most entertaining teams in the league with their run-and-gun frontier style of play. This is firewagon hockey at its finest, propelled by MVP-nominated tanuki Yum Cha (51 pts in 42 games) and his cohorts April Deak (35 pts in 41 games), Colby Neighbors (39 pts in 42 games), and Ilya Matryoshka (36 pts in 42 games). The Stampeders live and die on momentum and are particularly lethal on the counterattack. Unfortunately, their relentless style of attack leads to inevitable turn-overs and defensive miscues, which in turn generates a high number of chances for the opposition. Their below average defence and goaltending both rank a disappointing 9th overall.

The Stampeders may face long odds against the Spirits in the Conference Semis. Keep in mind, however, that it was Omaha that snapped St. Louis’ record 11 game winning streak. Their offensive style is well suited for this matchup and an upset is possible.

PROS: Extremely quick team; Fast on the transition; Good communication; Potent offence.

CONS: Lacklustre defence; Team struggles in their own end; Struggles with discipline and consistency; Questionable depth; Serious lack of physicality and stamina.

ODDS: 15-1 (Heavy Underdog)

7. Seattle Guardians (22-16-4, 48 Pts.)

The Guardians will be pleased just to be making their playoff debut after an perilously tight race to the finish. The remarkable strides this franchise has made can be credited to brilliant management, as midseason pickups like rookie phenom Nico Vaananen (34 pts in 30 games) and ex-Wanderer captain Etienne St. Claire (34 pts in 42 games) have proven essential to the team’s continued success. Seattle is an aggressive team notorious for generating traffic in front of the net, controlling the boards, and dominating special teams. Their offence ranks among the best in the league (3rd overall), while their defence (7th overall) has been modest at best.

Seattle is a strong candidate to play spoiler against the Gators. Either way, this will be a matchup of two of the grittiest, roughest teams in the league. The Guardians defence may be slow and struggle with puck control, but they are arguably the most physical in the FHL.

PROS: Steady improvement throughout the season; Outstanding special teams; Strong character; Physically aggressive; Good management and coaching; Elite offensive capabilities.

CONS: Sloppy puck control; Inefficient defense; Inconsistent goaltending; Lack of leadership; Injured star

ODDS: 13-1 (Heavy Underdog)

8. Bridgeport Bandicoots (22-18-2, 46 Pts.)

While other teams have surged into the playoffs, the Bandicoots have struggled to find their form. Over the course of the season Bridgeport has dropped from division leaders to bottom seed. That’s not to say that the Bandicoots don’t belong here! They boast the top goal scorer in the league in Chris Delucci (28 goals in 42 games) and a possible Rookie-of-the-Year in Sidkah Watanabi (31 pts in 39 games, +19). However, the Bandicoots abilities on offense and defence are both average at best (both 8th overall). Goaltending, too, has been mediocre (10th overall).

The Bandicoots will have their work cut out for them against the top-seeded Killer Bees. They will need to improve exponentially for even a remote chance at an upset.

PROS: Very consistent roster; Close-knit squad that plays well together; Well-rounded; Has shown flashes of brillance over the season.

CONS: Out of their depth; Fringe competitor; Lack of momentum.

ODDS: 20-1 (Dark Horse)