Seven weeks into the 2003A season, the Keane Chill have endured some of the worst luck ever experienced by a team in the ADC FHL. Whether it has been a hot opposition goalie, unfavorable refereeing, or a vacationing captain, the Chill could have a full repertoire of excuses. But captain Greg Foran has chosen to ignore them all.
“We just haven’t performed in the clutch,” declared Foran, “it’s as simple as that”. That certainly seems to be the case for the hard-luck Chill squad. Of their five losses, four of them have amazingly been by a single goal. In the other loss, the team was without their first string goaltender Jeff McCarthy.
Despite being positioned in fifth place out of six teams in the standings, the Chill still sport the league’s second-best plus-minus goal ratio (+6) and are the league’s second highest scoring team.
Another obvious bright spot is the emergence of Rookie of the Year frontrunner Andrew Mercer, who is third in the league in scoring with 30 points. Mercer, the first-overall draft choice, and brother of perennial Lynx star Craig Mercer, has proven to be a multidimensional threat, with exceptional speed, passing and shooting skills.
Another pleasant surprise for the Chill is the season that journeyman Peter Rankin is having. After playing only six games, Rankin has already surpassed his previous bests for goals and assists in a single season. In fact, Rankin is third in the league with 14 assists, and he has played in one less game than the two players who have amassed more helpers.
Another positive for the Chill is that as a result of their bad luck in the regular season, they will almost certainly have a generous draft selection position in the 2003B draft, which is determined by 2003A regular season standings. Although the 2003A season has not started well for the Chill, many experts are picking them to do very well in the playoffs, and others are already picking them to win the 2003B championship as a result of their underachievement in the 2003A regular season.