Making a much welcomed debut for the Lite-Sabres was mid-season acquisition Trevor Murphy, who expects to be in game shape come playoff time. Although not scoring any points, Murphy was a force to be reckoned with at both ends of the floor. Murphy, who had spent the first half of the season in the minors in the US, remarked "the skill level back home is twice as good as down there".

Another line-up change for the Lite-Sabres was the forced debut in goal of forward Richard Pickering. Pickering had the unenviable task of facing the league's most dominant team ever. The Hackers picked on Pickering with pinpoint passing, capitalizing on a demoralized Sabres team. The Sabres first-string goaltender, Chris McMaster, was unable to strap on the pads due to a slight injury suffered the night before. "I pulled my groin running a deep pattern in touch football last night. If this was a playoff game I would have played". McMaster played some defense and appeared unaffected by the injury. Records of McMaster's past history of injuries are not to be found. However, unsubstantiated rumours suggest that McMaster has been pulling his groin since he was 13.