Lobsters hosted the first match of the Eastern Division Championship Series in front of only 912 fans in Boston and lost, 25–16. The Triangles took the second match in Pittsburgh, 23–14, to end the Lobsters' season. A last-place finish All WTT teams returned to a 44-match regular season schedule in 1976, with 22 home and 22 road matches. The Lobsters played 18 of their home matches at the Walter Brown Arena and four at the Hartford Civic Center. The Lobsters' August 9 road match against the New York Sets was cancelled due to Hurricane Belle and not made up. The Lobsters started the 1976 season with three straight losses but rebounded and stood at 5–5 after 10 matches. From there, the Lobsters lost 11 of their next 15 matches and fell to 9–16. They had 9 wins and 9 losses in their final 18 matches, but it wasn't enough to avoid a last-place finish in the Eastern Division with 18 wins and 25 losses. Changes lead to success The Lobsters acquired 20-year-old Martina Navratilova in a trade with the Cleveland-Pittsburgh Nets for Wendy Turnbull prior to the 1977 season. They also added Roy Emerson as a player-coach. Navratilova led WTT in game-winning percentage in women's singles and won 32 of the 39 sets she played. She also teamed with Greer Stevens to lead WTT in game-winning percentage in women's doubles. The Lobsters' Tony Roche was third in game-winning percentage in men's singles. The Lobsters played 16 of their 22 home matches in 1977 at the Walter Brown Arena and the other six at the Hartford Civic Center. They raced out of the blocks starting 3–0 and extending their record to 8–1, 14–2, and 17–3 after 20 matches. The Lobsters played in front of four sellout crowd of 4,103 at the Walter Brown Arena. They finished the regular season first in the Eastern Division with 35 wins and 9 losses. The Lobsters met the Cleveland-Pittsburgh Nets in the Eastern Division Semifinals. The Lobsters won the first match in Boston, 30–26. However, the Nets took the second match in Cleveland, 21–20, to force a deciding third match in Boston. The Lobsters won the third match, 28–21, to advance to the Eastern Division Championship Series against the defending WTT Champion New York Apples. Having played the previous three consecutive days, the Lobsters opened their series with the Apples in Boston with a 29–21