Today's games have now been updated on our Coloplast International page, and the results were mixed, with the Canada Ice team splitting their games today.

The first of today's games came against the TNT, who made significant changes to their lineup in the off-season, gaining some valuable players (namely Eddie Crouch, Cliff Chunn, and Wayne Romero) from the formerly #1 team in the US, the Lakeshore Demolition.  The winner of this game got to play an exhibition game against the Germans, while the loser would face the friendly neighbourly Maniacs, featuring our own Whitey.  The TNT took the game but I'm not sure if they suited up for their exhibition game or not.

Not to be forgotten in this tournament is the simple fact that this is quite simply the toughest tournament in the world this season, and that if you took the top three high pointers and the best deuce from any team, they would be facing an uphill climb to success.  Next week at the Demolition Derby, we'll be at full strength, and it promises to be a different affair altogether.

In a highlight for the day, Ian Chan led his Bushwhackers to an upset victory over the #1 tournament seeded Australians, looking sensational in the process. The best the Aussies can do in Tampa is 5th, which is also the best the Brits can hope for, after being taken out by 7 points by the Kiwis, who are continuing their winning ways.

The final four are the 3, 4, 6, and 8th seeded teams, namely Hoveround, Belgium, New Zealand, and San Diego, which just illustrates some of the problems with the original ranking, which was bizarre to say the least.  It makes you wonder just how the higher seeded teams got their seedings.  Oh yeah, Vinnie made the seedings.  'Nuff said.

Fighting for 5th place are the 1, 2, 5, and 7th seeded teams: Australia, Great Britain, California Quake, and the Texas Stampede.

9th-14th place will be decided amongst the 9th to 14th seeded teams, as none of the lower seeded teams were able to escape from their interment in the lower levels of the pools.  Frazier TNT, German Rebels, Lakeshore Demolition, Casco Bay Navigators, Canada Ice, and the host team, the Tampa Generals will all fight for pride and 9th place, although the best that Maine and Tampa can do now is 13th, and escape the ignomy of finishing DFL.  The Ice will move up from the ranking, but how far that will be remains to be seen.

That's all for now.  I need some hot chocolate, as I'm still recovering from my day at the Ice Bowl, where it turned out being -24ºC or -36ºC with the wind chill.  That's -11ºF and -33ºF with the wind chill factor in the outdated format, which I barely remember learning in the 70s.  I think our local Food Bank will be happy with the food & money raised today.  Cheers!