The rumour on the Frostheaves fan run message board is that Halifax’s opponents for home games on the ninth and tenth will be the Vermont Frostheaves.
The Rainmen website still lists the opponents as being the Gwizzlies. The ABA website lists it as being the San Francisco Rumble. (E-mails sent out a few weeks ago to both the ABA and San Fran didn’t get any response) I am unable to load the Frostheaves schedule for some reason so I can’t verify on there.
I would not at all be shocked by this. The Gwizzlies have played very few of their games (mostly due to very unstable opposition) and their press releases make them seem very unprofessional. If the Gwizzlies back out last second I can definately seen Livingston threatening to pull out of the ABA (this would be the last straw for sure) and Alex Wolf (Vermont’s owner/SI writer) offering to send the Heaves to cover the schedule to keep Livingston in the league.
It looks like the Heaves’ trip to Halifax is confirmed. Taken from a Frost Heaves press release, “reprinted” on OurSportsCentral’s press releases page:
Vermont will make a midweek trip to Halifax to play the Rainmen on Wednesday and Thursday, in games that will take the place of two road dates lost when the Strong Island Sound suspended operations last month.
(The press release is now also on the Frost Heaves website. It looks like Thundercats are go)
Quick thoughts on this schedule change after the jump.
- Halifax would have beaten the Gwizzlies in both games. I am hoping for a 1-1 split against the Frostheaves. Despite this I would much rather watch the Heaves play. The last game they played here was the best ABA game I’ve seen and I would rather see good basketball where Halifax loses than watch them beat up on YMCA teams.
- I hope that some Vermont fans make the trip, but on short notice I doubt they will.
- This will be a good test for the Rainmen. It will be interesting to see if they really have turned the corner and are a legit minor league basketball team or if it was just a run of good luck. I’d like to see them win one of the two games. If they can do that the I think we can believe in the team.
SECTION 23 
I am now excited for my return to halifax becasue if the games against the heaves are as good as they were last time (could have tied it with a 4 point shot) then we are in for a real nice treat with some great basketball. I hope the heaves fans can make it and it will be a real test for the rainmen. I really like the suppost that the heaves owner gives the rainmen franchise where they are willing to make the trip just to keep halifax in the league. that shows some class and commitment from a team where the league has not shown very much of either. I think that the NE will remain fairly stable with that support apart from the rest of the league.
Although it will be misconstrued by the ABA haters on OSC, it does show the support, and willingness to support, of the Northeastern ABA teams.
Vermont could have very well said “No….. we want a weeks rest to get ready for Manchester”.
Instead, now we ALL have a very exciting week of basketball ahead of us.
Not knowing what team is showing up to play doesn’t reflect well on a league that considers itself professional, it does the complete opposite actually. However, it is good to see teams will help the Rainmen fill their schedule and I look forward to seeing the Rainmen play a solid team. The Vermont game was the only game I missed this year, and from the sounds of the radio broadcast and other reports, it sounded like a great game.
Imagine if the Frost Heaves, Gwizzlies and San Francisco Rumble ALL showed up in Halifax on January 9th? In any other league miscommunication of this magnitude would be impossible, but in this one…don’t say it can’t happen 🙂
I’m glad the Frost Heaves are coming to town – ABA Champions, and we gave them a GOOD run when they were here on Dec. 12th. It would be nice to get some more games against them – especially since we got blown out down in Burlington, VT in November.
Rikk, if all four teams showed up (including the Rainmen), I think there should be a 10-on-10 Battle Royale. Each team puts 5 guys on the court (say Vermont and Halifax versus Georgia and San Fran) and everyone tries to score points for their combined team. At haliftime, the winning team combo splits up into their original teams, then they play the second half 5-on-5 to determine the game winner.
That might actually be really cool to watch! If Joe Newman ever reads this, it might become a new rule next year! You read it here first – I want royalties on this idea.
Check out this link about the Gwizzlies:
http://abasite.proboards28.com/index.cgi?board=georgiagwizzlies&action=display&thread=1177083738