Fantasy Report: Playoff quarterfinals

The results from the opening of the Ski Racing Fantasy League playoffs paid tribute to the top of the heap with some huge point games in the quarterfinal bracket. Stenmark Division champion Sammyz Slammers – managed by SR Managing Editor Sam Flickinger – moved into the semi-finals with a solid thrashing of Editor in Chief Don Cameron's Birds of Pray. In a royal battle that had both teams over 300pts for the week Art Director Rand Paul saw his Rand Corporation squad up end Moser-Proell Division champion Interosseous Membrane – managed by veteran World Cup correspondent Nate Vington – by 36pts. The war between the Destroyers – operated by Contributing Editor Bill McCollom – and Publisher Andy Hawk's Kevlar Lederhosen was even closer, separated by 10 points. Staff Writer Hilary Lund's Hellacious Hardcore walked past my Smokin' Mirrors with ease to also advance.

THE RESULTS FROM THE opening of the Ski Racing Fantasy League Playoffs paid tribute to the top of the heap, with some huge point games in the quarterfinal bracket.
    Stenmark Division champion Sammyz Slammers — managed by SR Managing Editor Sam Flickinger — moved into the semi-finals with a solid thrashing of Editor in Chief Don Cameron's Birds of Pray. In a royal battle that had both teams over 300pts for the week Art Director Rand Paul saw his Rand Corporation squad up end Moser-Proell Division champion Interosseous Membrane — managed by veteran World Cup correspondent Nate Vinton — by 36pts.
    The war between the Destroyers — operated by Contributing Editor Bill McCollom — and Publisher Andy Hawk's Kevlar Lederhosen was even closer, separated by 10 points. Staff Writer Hilary Lund's Hellacious Hardcore walked past my Smokin' Mirrors with ease to also advance.
    The Slammerz got a DH podium for Renate Goetschl, and 242pts from Marlies Schild and Mario Matt in the overall positions to overpower the Birds of Pray which got points from overall position skiers Marc Berthod and Ingrid Jacquemod, but got stung by DNF's from Jens Byggmark and Anja Paerson.
    The Rand Corp's biggest scorer was a good one as Nicole Hosp generated 194, but the Corp also saw points coming in from every possible source with Tina Maze, Ted Ligety and even Akira Sasaki chipping in. The Membrane should have been confident having Goetschl scoring big overall points and slalom winner Mario Matt in the stable, but there wasn't enough support to get by the Corporation.
    The Destroyers were basically a one trick pony, but holy cow what a pony as Julia Mancuso, in her bid for the overall crown, brought home a stunning 240 points for a three podium weekend.
    The Hardcore had all 50 of Anja Paerson's lone points from Tarvisio which was plenty as my beloved Smokin' Mirrors ran out of miracles and skulked out of the play-offs with a 20pt total.
    Else where in the league the other teams played out the skein with The Blacks wishing the team had jelled a couple of weeks sooner as Elisabeth Goergl got to 96 with three races and Mancuso anchored both the DH and SG positions with podiums. Ranger Rick took the brunt of the Black Attack. Team PMS had Alexandra Meissnitzer return to form just in time, plus Goetschl's win in the SG slot to override the White Circus Watch. The Ribbons and the Hammers threw punch and counter punch at each other as Ribbons, with Benny Raich and his GS win plus Aksel Svindal's fourth, moved past the Hammers with not quite enough points from four skiers. The Dumpster Divers needed nothing more than the 80 Nicole Hosp tallied in SG to drub the scoreless Balloon Animal Commandos.

Ski Racing League Playoff quarterfinal results
Sammyz Slammers 362 vs Birds of Pray 112
Rand Corporation 345 vs Interosseous Membrane 309
Hilarys Hellacious Hardcore 62 vs Smokin Mirrors 20
Destroyers 246 vs Kevlar Lederhosen 236

Elimination ladder
Team PMS164  vs White Circus Watch 18
Ribbons 150 vs The Hammers 129
The Blacks 301 vs Ranger Rick 58
Dumpster Divers 121 vs Balloon Animal Commandos 0

Schedule

Semifinals
Sammyz Slammers vs Destroyers
Rand Corp vs Hilary's Hellacious Hardcore

Consolation Bracket
Birds of Pray vs Kevlar Lederhosen
Intersseous Membrane vs Smokin' Mirrors

Elimination Ladder
Team PMS vs Daves Dumpster Divers
Ribbons vs The Blacks

Draft pick Bracket
White Circus Watch vs Balloon Animal Commandos
The Hammers vs Ricks Rangers

League Rosters:
Sammyz Slammers: Schild OV1, Matt OV2, Goetschl DH, Schild SL, Cuche GS, VanderBeek SG
Destroyers: Mancuso OV1, Strobl OV2, Grugger DH. Ligety SL, Hosp GS, Ludlow SG
Rand Corporation: Hosp OV1, Maze OV2, Aufdenblatten DH, Sasaki SL, Ligety GS, Guay SG
Hillary's Hellacious Hardcore: Paerson OV1, Fill OV2, Buechel DH, Tissot SL, Simard GS, S Goergl SG
Ranger Rick: Palander OV1, Buechel OV2, Maier DH, Palander SL, Maze GS, Maze SG
Hammers: Walchhofer OV1, Grandi OV2, S Berthod DH, Larsson SL, Maier GS, Meissnitzer SG
Birds of Pray: M Berthod OV1, Jacquemod OV2, Paerson DH, M Byggmark SL, Poutiainen GS, Paerson SG
Interosseous Membrane: Goetschl OV1, Scheiber OV2, Guay DH, Matt SL, Paerson GS, Svindal SG
Smokin' Mirrors: Byggmark OV1, Zahrobska OV2, Holaus DH, Raich SL, Ottosson GS, Kucera SG
Ribbons: Svindal OV1, Maier OV2, Nyman DH, I Kostelic SL, Raich GS, Maier SG
Balloon Animal Commandos: Zettel OV1, Poutiainen OV2, Strobl DH, Rocca SL, Miller GS, Clark SG
The Blacks: E Goergl OV1, VanderBeek, OV2, Mancuso DH, Borssen SL, Kirchgasser GS, Mancuso SG
Daves Dumpster Divers: Miller OV1, Rocca OV2, Fill DH, Grandi SL, Rienda GS, Hosp SG
Kevlar Lederhosen: Raich OV1,Ligety OV2, Svindal DH, Stiegler SL, Mancuso GS, Kildow SG
White Circus Watch: Kildow OV1, Defago OV2, Kernen DH, Minagawa SL, Simoncelli GS, Fischbacher SG
Team PMS: Jelusic OV1, Meissnitzer OV2, Hosp DH, Hosp SL, Zettel GS, Goetschl SG.

Kashalot, Sbtski and Extremeskier moved decisively into the semi-finals but the fourth player comes in on a tie-breaker after NY8730jr and Dewitt Cave deadlocked at 130pts each. NY8739jr with Anja Paerson's combined points and Benjamin Raich in slalom matching Dewitt Cave's total from Nicole Hosp in SG and Aksel Svindal in GS. The season point total edge went to NY8739jr by 400 and that spells the difference between the top and bottom half of the ladder.
    Kashalot got the best of Raich for 180 in an overall position and another 56 from Ted Ligety in the other overall for just enough to off-set MGB's 194 from Hosp in overall 10 from Fraenzi Aufdenblatten in DH. Sbtski blasted Tristate Alumni thanks almost entirely from Julia Mancuso's 240 in overall. Extremeskier had the league's high point count for the week with a five skier score spree that include Marlies Schild in overall, Renate Goetschl in DH, Raich's GS win and Mancuso's SG podium.

Forum League Playoff schedule – quarterfinals
Kashalot 254 vs MGB 204
Sbtski 290 vs Tristate Alumni 28
Extremeskier 371 vs Skibum 196
NY8739Jr 130 (2655) vs Dewitt Cave 130 (2254)

Semifiinals
Kashalot vs NY8739Jr
Sbtski vs Extremeskier

for five through eight
MGB vs Dewitt Cave
Tristate Alumni vs Skibum

League Rosters
NY8739jr:  Paerson OV1, Buechel OV2, Walchhofer DH, Raich SL, Zettel GS, Svindal SG
Kashalot: Raich OV1, Ligety OV2, Miller DH, Schild SL, Hosp GS, Fischbacher, SG
MGB: Hosp OV1, Aamodt OV2, Aufdenblatten DH, Poutiainen SL, Paerson GS, Maier SG
Skibum: Kildow OV1, Meissnitzer OV2, Buechel DH, Sasaki SL, Blardone GS, Meissnitzer SG
Sbtski: Svindal OV1, Mancuso OV2, Strobl DH, Tissot SL, Simard GS, Kildow SG
Extremeskier: Schld OV1, Palander OV2, Goetschl DH, Rocca SL, Raich GS, Mancuso SG
Tristate Alumni: Miller OV1, Maier OV2, Maier DH, Palander SL, Rienda GS, Reichelt SG
Dewitt Cave: Zettel OV1, Walchhofer OV2, Kildow DH, Grandi SL, Svindal SG, Hosp SG.