The two favorites will face each other in the division final of our Montreal division.

Taking place at the classic arena of Collège-Notre-Dame last Sunday, the playoffs were underway in the Montreal division. The logic was respected when both the Rhinos and the Torpedoes defeated their opponents, both heading into the division final, which will take place next Sunday, August 20 at 7:00 pm. Expect a high-level and high-intensity game from both sides. Make sure you circle the time and date on your calendar!

With the summer that has gone by in a gust of wind and that is still trying to have its remaining rays sparkle on us, the start of the playoffs are upon us and of sorts the start of the real season, the one where each shift counts. For the management of the LFA, it is also an extremely busy period as it must prepare our first inter-divisional championship game in our history simultaneously with a fundraiser for Sun Youths food bank. The latter Must also organize the 2017-2018 season which is fast approaching with all the usual pitfalls as well as new challenges.

It is in this perspective that the LFA’s administration recently announced its plans for multiple expansions in the greater metropolitan area creating the possibility of playing in various divisions of the league 4 days a week. More information about the various hockey programs is available to you in the LFA Bulletin Board dated July 22nd.

Most people would be surprised to learn that an adult hockey league could be so busy outside our weekly games and get-togethers in early July, but this is the case in the LFA. After two weeks of inter-division games, the first of their kind in our history, we also played our first international match against a Swiss-based team, which actually had players from six different nationalities. We then finished the week by re-adjusting our teams through a few trades. Add a special game on Friday so that each team plays the same number of matches in the calendar and we end up with seven games in a seven-day stretch. Now you will understand that it has been a very busy period in the LFA.

Inspired by an article in a magazine, in fact the 2009 souvenir program of the Impact that I found buried under a pile of stuff in the doctor officce. I thought the remarks were just as good for a hockey player as it was for a soccer one. So here are the essential ingredients required to become a well-rounded player in any sport.

After a few weeks of activities in the LFA, as the summer season is short, the time has come for a league analysis so that the teams at the bottom of the ranking can stay in the dance without losing too much ground. Not only are the teams shuffled on paper, but the league administration is reviewing its way of running the playoffs to give an equal chance to everyone as some teams had a tuff start. The repeated injuries and absences of some players having their effect on the score sheet while the league gives a chances to new recruits to show off their stuff. This practice is common in the LFA but sometimes can weaken or strenghen the level of play of some teams struggling with missing players.

With a full week of activity in the league and seven games under our belt we can be satisfied with the overall balance of our ten formations. With more than forty newcomers and a number of players coming back after some prolonged absences, the challenges were enormous to put together balanced teams in our two divisions. The most complex being that of the south shore mostly composed of new faces.