Baja Blast (+2.0 Goals) (EVEN)
The Phantom Pie Pie (-2.0 Goals) (-145)
Over 7.0 Goals (-130)
Under 7.0 Goals (-110)
Notes: The opening game of the season sees a shorthanded green team take on an orange team missing their top pick Craig but otherwise icing what seems to be a full lineup. Power rankers seem to think green is going to have a tough season and, well, I’m mostly inclined to agree. But tonight…well, tonight is actually worse as they’re missing multiple top picks. It is of course entirely possible that the league has this green team pegged incorrectly and they will surprise all of us. It’s happened before and it could certainly happen again. But I don’t think tonight is the night for it, even if this Pie Pie team isn’t quite as strong as it has been in past seasons. Orange by two or else they have serious problems.
Chappell Red (+2.0 Goals) (+120)
Hockey at Glatt’s (-2.0 Goals) (-165)
Over 8.0 Goals (-200)
Under 8.0 Goals (+140)
Notes: Tough to tell who’s in for red considering they’ve been sucked into the annual Campbell preseason bender and are posting photos for Puerto Rico, making me think they’re probably not playing in this game tonight. Red is built on depth though and one of the teams most suited to winning even without some of their best players. Glatt’s is decidedly NOT built like that, but thankfully their top players are in for this game with a rotating cast of female subs for the doubleheader (Caitlin & Mel for this one). I don’t know what either lineup looks like so this is a bit of a guesswork line, but I’m expecting a high scoring game with Glatt’s putting up at least five goals. 6-4 brown.
Baja Blast (+2.5 Goals) (-120)
Street Meat (-2.5 Goals) (-120)
Over 8.0 Goals (-200)
Under 8.0 Goals (+140)
Notes: Street Meat has a close to full lineup minus Erik and Ariel. I really should have looked at availabilities more when drafting this team because somehow Ariel and Oskar have complete opposite availabilities. Oskar gets the start for the opener along with the Ken and Ryan ends of the tandem. Some may say those are the better ends but whomever says that is probably getting a red shell to the spine.
I’m expecting goals galore in this one as green is missing players and yellow is just built to score goals and also has a goalie coming from a volleyball match so might be starting one of their forwards (Doug) in net. Thankfully he does come with actual goaltending experience but it remains to be seen how the team will gel defensively in front of him. All this to say that the over is a safe bet and I’m expecting this game to be another goalfest. 7-3 Meat.
Bruise Control (+1.0 Goals) (+135)
Hockey at Glatt’s (-1.0 Goals) (-200)
Over 7.5 Goals (-120)
Under 7.5 Goals (-120)
Notes: I really have no idea what to expect from this one. Rose is out for purple but Maddy is in. That’s a reasonable swap and doesn’t really change purple’s outlook. But just in general, opinions are all over the map for both of these teams but especially Bruise Control. It’s true that they probably have the least firepower in the league but they do have a path to winning games with sound positional play, defense and depth. It’s not sexy, but it could work. Unfortunately, I’m not sure if it will work against Glatt’s which is all firepower, all the time. It’s an interesting contrast in styles but ultimately I have to go with my gut and the general notion that the best players will find a way to win games. 5-3 Glatt’s.
Glazin’ Donuts (-2.0 Goals) (-120)
The UMass Football Team (+2.0 Goals) (-120)
Over 7.0 Goals (-120)
Under 7.0 Goals (-120)
Notes: The final game of the night is a possible final four preview between two of the consensus top teams in the league with two of the weirder names out there. The UMass Football Team is missing Jo Robin for this one and a lot about this team is actually a total mystery to me including who’s going to lead this team in Jack’s absence and who’s doing their subs because I haven’t been asked for any. Meanwhile Glazin’ Donuts should have most of their lineup in tow minus Pete and Carson and are already being mentioned as a possible cup contender. I expect them to bring the pain against a new team tonight and kick off the season on the right note. UMass will be fine in the long run, but without Jo and Hill this is looking like what they call in the business a “scheduled loss”. 5-2 Donuts.