[ ARENA FOOTBALL ]
Islanders set to take
on Central ValleyThe team hopes to get off to
a fast start against the Coyotes
Officially, the Hawaiian Islanders slogan is "You're In The Game," but the way their games have gone lately, they might want a new catchphrase.
Perhaps something like, "Don't Leave Early."
Two of the Islanders' last three contests have been decided on the final play of the game, rewarding fans who refrain from trying to beat the traffic home.
The Islanders thrilled the home fans by stopping Bakersfield at their 1-yard line as time expired in a 45-40 win on April 24. Two weeks later they stunned San Diego when Darnell Arceneaux's dive on a 2-point conversion in overtime gave the Islanders a 55-54 victory.
While the frantic finishes are exhilarating for spectators, the Islanders players and coaches would rather see slightly less stressful endings to their games.
"You can only hit that bull's eye so many times," Islanders coach Cal Lee said. "One of these times you're going to miss, the odds are against you.
"You have to get on people and put pressure on them so that you don't have to come from behind."
The Islanders (4-2) have had two weeks to recharge after their win at San Diego and look to maintain their momentum against the Central Valley Coyotes (1-5) tonight at Blaisdell Arena.
Kickoff for the arenafootball2 West Division contest is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
The Islanders opened the season with a 68-35 win over the Coyotes in Fresno on March 27 in one of their few games that didn't go down to the wire.
The Central Valley franchise relocated from Bakersfield in the offseason, but the Coyotes are essentially an expansion team and lost their first five games.
They earned their first win last week, a 42-31 victory over Rio Grande Valley. Waipahu graduate Ricky Leung Wai, one of the Coyotes' few af2 veterans, was named the af2 defensive player of the week after recording three sacks and forcing a fumble in the win.
"They were brand new and they didn't know what to expect," Islanders lineman Morrie Roe said of the first meeting with Central Valley. "Now they have a few games under their belt, and they probably got a lot better from that first game."
The bye week gave the Islanders, who are tied with Bakersfield atop the West Division, a chance to heal. Receiver/defensive back Anthony Arceneaux returns from a rib injury and Roe is looking forward to playing in his first home game after missing the team's last four outings.
It also gave the players an opportunity to gather themselves after beating San Diego in the first overtime game in franchise history.
"It was an emotional game, it drained us," Lee said. "The bye came at a good time because our emotions were so high."
But at least one Islander player would liked to have played last week.
"I didn't want the bye," Darnell Arceneaux said. "I thought the last couple games we were in a pretty good groove and when you have a good fire going you just keep putting wood in it and make sure it doesn't burn out."
While the Islanders pride themselves on their ability to make key plays down the stretch, they're hoping a fast start to tonight's game can lessen the need for last-second heroics.
"We're putting ourselves in those positions," Arceneaux said. "We don't come out strong in the first quarter and then we come out strong in the second half. We can't take any plays off or say 'we'll win it in the fourth quarter.' "