Minor League Report #1
By Jake Mednick
It's not often that a minor league sports team can make the New England Patriots near perfect season look unimpressive, but that's what happening in the SDHL.
The Philadelphia Phantoms are doing things once thought impossible in professional hockey after recording some shockingly lopsided victories.
In their past two games, the Phantoms have managed an unthinkable 35 goals, while allowing only a stingy 2. Previously they have also recorded, almost modestly, 7-0, 13-1 and 17-2 victories. If you're not a hockey fan, this is at times the equivalent of a basketball team winning by well over 500 points.
The team is deep on all fronts and Mark Parrish, less than 10 games into the season, has 19 goals. He's on track for a mildly impressive 171 tallies. Minor league or not, may this writer ask, Gretzky who? You can guarantee he'll be knocking if not pleading for at the Flyers first team door very soon.
It's not just a compliment to the players, but a compliment to the determination on the part of Flyers management to produce quality hockey at any level.
"Well, to be honest, I really want to win the Calder Cup," Mark Mead said, GM of the Flyers. "My Phantoms are just awesome."
Mead is a hockey man through and through and knows the value of winning and building a winning tradition from top to bottom in a franchise.
To be fair, there have been other teams posting some remarkable score lines. Quad City scored 17 one game and Hartford 18, but no teams have been as consistently dominant as the Phantoms.
Perhaps the success of the Phantoms is symbolic of the depth of the Flyers franchise. On all levels they boast top tier talent. The Flyers are tipped to go far this year, their prospect pool is deep and the Phantoms are on another planet. Professionalism shows itself on all fronts for top franchises, as proved by teams like the Red Wings and the Devils in the past.
Will the re-writing of the record books continue? It's hard to see why not. There is dynasty and then there is demolition. The Phantoms may very well be an example of both.
