The Wild, Wild af2 West
Keith Antigiovanni
Sunday March 17, 2002
"It will be a great division to watch because every team is brand-new so it will keep level playing field this season," Riptide Head Coach Cree Morris said. Picking the winner of the division will be as hard as picking the winner of the NHL`s Western Division in 1967 when they doubled in size from 6 to 12 and placed the 6 expansion teams in one division.
The Riptide hope to establish intense intrastate rivalries with Bakersfield and Fresno something that the San Diego Gulls of the West Coast Hockey League already have with the Bakersfield Condors and Fresno Falcons. The Hawaiian Islanders probably have the toughest schedule in the league considering the amount of travel time they will have in their 8 trips to the mainland for road games this season. "Its always possible that a team can get worn down from a lot of traveling but management is trying to minimize that. Besides, our job as coaches is to overcome those things and keep our players prepared
for any type of situation, "Islanders Head Coach Guy Benjamin said. Of course, Hawaii will have home field advantage of having weary teams flying in from the mainland who are looking for fun in the sun on Waikiki Beach. The Riptide will be making two trips to Honolulu this season because of the odd schedule. "It will be a great trip but when we go there its business, we have a job to do," Morris said.
"After reviewing San Diego’s roster I am impressed with their talent. They have a lot of local talent which is something we`ve done by signing former University of Hawaii players," Benjamin said. The Islanders currently have 7 Hawaii Rainbow players on its roster while the Riptide have 8 ex-Aztecs and many other players with local ties.
"I expect San Diego to be one of the teams to beat in the division. They have an excellent coaching staff and they like to fish which is something we have in common," Benjamin said. "I`ve met the other coaches in the division and there’s not anyone who will lay down for anyone else. They’re all tough, knowledgeable football guys. The division will be a dogfight," Morris said.
Keith Antigiovanni is a free-lance writer in San Diego, California. He has worked for several local newspapers covering sports, government and business. Keith started writing in 1995 after graduating with a Bachelors Degree in Mass Media Communications from the University of San Diego. Aside from working as a sportswriter he has a side business of providing marketing assistance/research for small businesses and also directs,produces and hosts a regular public access television show on Time-Warner Cable named "San Diego Yesterday". Antigiovanni is also a member of the San Diego Sportswriter Association.
