Hope is high in Brooklyn, as for the first time in MYJHHL history, we have two Brooklyn teams in the semifinals, as Barkai and Flatbush have both survived the 11 game gauntlet to get here.
But if there is one part of Brooklyn, who knows this final four round all too well, it’s the MDY Warriors, or better known as “ The MDY Brooklyn Dynasty”.
From 2016-2018, MDY was the best team in Brooklyn, as they continued to make it to the postseason, before exposing a fellow Brooklyn team in the quarterfinal round.
Whether, they were at the Warrior Dome, or at another arena like the Falcons nest, the Warriors proved to be too strong.
However, after every quarterfinal win, the Warriors would go on the road and get smoked, or just lose close ones to teams that proved to be better than them, and that they earned that high seed.
However, even though the MDY dynasty has ended, it doesn’t mean that the effect that it had on league history, and Brooklyn alone, has been forgotten, as this year it applies to both the Falcons and Blizzards ahead of their semifinal matchups against higher seeds. So without further ado, let’s dig into the history!
First, let’s break down each of the 3 postseason runs.
In year 1, the Warriors went 7-3 and had the 4 seed in the postseason. The losses, the Warriors had were mostly to the teams that were better than them.
In the playoffs, the Warriors went up against HOFer Eddie Catton( Who had a league record 36 goals in the regular season) and the Barkai Blizzards, who were making their first-ever postseason appearance.
Even though they were the home team, the Warriors were the underdogs, as they were without their superstar Albert Green, who fell just shy of Eddie's total in the regular season. The Warriors, also had a goalie in Albert Chehaber, who was just a couple days removed from a leg injury.
Nevertheless, the Warriors ousted the Blizzards 3-1 and moved on to the semifinals, where they fell to the 9-1 YCQ Wildcats in an epic game 3-1.
In year 2, the Warriors went 5-4-1( 5-4 plus a tie), which earned them the 5 seed in the playoffs. They went up against a Flatbush Falcons team that beat them 7-6 in the season opener, and were big favorites coming into this game .
However, the Warriors surprised everyone, when they started their backup goaltender Joseph Shweky who somehow held the explosive Flatbush offense, (Who had stars like Isaac Maleh and Alvin Ades) to just 2 goals, while the MDY offense poured in 10 goals, with 4 of them coming from Sammy Franco ( Who had just recently received 11 stitches on his finger, and was still somehow able to play) .
In the semifinals, the Warriors fell 8-1, to an undefeated , and eventual champion, North Shore Stars, who you could argue is the greatest team in league history, because that’s what they did to every other team that season, they just rolled through them.
In year 3, the Warriors had their best year yet, going 8-2, scoring a franchise record 69 goals , while allowing only 22 in 10 games , which turned out to be another franchise record!
In the playoffs, the 3 seeded Warriors defeated an upstart Barkai Blizzards team 7-3, in a game that was close until the final minutes, when the Warriors scored two goals to put the game away.
However, there were still two teams above MDY, as the Warriors weren’t able to solve them in the regular season, and didn’t in the playoffs, as the 2 seeded HALB Lions defeated MDY 8-3, before falling to an undefeated YCQ team in the finals 4-1.
So now that you got all the history down, let’s compare it to our two teams here.
Barkai: path number 3.
The Blizzards went 8-2 in the regular season and were only beaten by the teams that were better than them in HANC (10-0), and HALB, (9-1).
Ironically, the Blizzards have done, so far exactly what MDY did a year ago, as they defeated the Warriors in the quarterfinals 7-2 this past week, and now head to the Lions den to face the 2 seed HALB. Sound familiar? Oh yeah right, it happened last year with MDY.
Also just like the Warriors, the Blizzards only managed one goal in their regular season meeting against HALB.
If the Blizzards want to rewrite history, they must watch the aggressive play of HALB, and try to use their speed and their crazy fans to their advantage.
Flatbush: path number 2.
Okay, so it’s not exactly like the Warriors did it two years ago, but it is similar, because the 5 seeded Flatbush Falcons (7-4), will be going up against the undefeated HANC Hurricanes (10-0).
While this team may not be great as that North Shore team, it’s still deadly considering the talent level in the league compared to last year , when the top 7 teams were separated by one game each.
If Flatbush wants to rewrite history on Thursday, they must be aggressive, have a bend but not break defense, and keep putting pressure on HANC goalie Joey Diamond, and exposing the HANC defense.
Overall, I think these teams can do it, and that’s why if/when these two teams win, you will see a final of epic proportions, on championship Sunday.
Comments