[Drunk Skunk]

The Standings - Quad City sits in sixth place in the Western division, 15 points out of the division lead, with a record of 18-16-2-5. They are only 6 points behind third place Peoria. The top four teams in the division make the playoffs, however if the fifth place Western division team has a higher point total than the fourth place Northern division team, the West team will cross over into the North as the fourth seed. The Flames are ahead of the fourth place team in the North right now, but would have to over-take fifth in their own division. They are four points out of fifth place. Overall, there is only a seven point difference between third and eight in the division. The other three divisions feature a 12 point difference(North), 20 point different(East), and 19 point difference(Atlantic). The West is indeed the best conference in the AHL.

The Team - This season has been frustratingly inconsistent. There are times when they play lights out of the whole game, and when the team plays that way, they can beat any other team in the league. I have no doubts about that. That being said, when this team is off, they're off. It's hard to believe that the same team that can be a complete steamroller can also look like a house league team at times. They have proved they can play with anyone, and that they can look silly against anyone. That's not to say there are times without effort, this team is always working, working, working. I have no doubts, though, that if the team gets on another roll, or starts to play a consistent game that they will go far.

The Coaches - I didn't know a thing about either Ryan McGill or Scott Allen before this season, and wasn't sure what to expect aside from what Tilley, and a couple others, had said. I am very impressed with both of them. The first thing that sticks out to me is the system that is played. They are molding players for Calgary, and they are doing a great job of it. When I come home from a Farm Flames game to turn on the TV and watch a Calgary game, I can tell that the players I just saw in person have the same game as the players on the screen. Both McGill and Allen are no-nonsense coaches, and make absolutely no excuses. There have been games that could have been blamed on the officiating, or other intangibles, but they didn't mention it once.