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Alucard · 04-23-2016, 10:29 AM

Task One: sent to PT Director

Task Two: Sevenâ€”in Russian, cÐµÐ¼ÑŒ, and on the ice, the number of points accumulated in the playoffs by two of the SHLâ€™s rising eastern stars. Ahead of the match-up between the West Kendall Platoon and the Edmonton Blizzard, we take a look at the fortunes of two ex-Kelowna Knights in the playoffs thus far.

On the eastern side we have the Platoonâ€™s #9, defensewoman Maria Maximova. Maxiâ€™s seven points have come in fourteen games, and comprise five assists and two crucial goals: when the Platoon won Game Four to tie the series against New England, it was she who got them on their way with a tying goal early in the second period; when they came from behind to take Game One against Hamilton, she scored the game-winning goal. Her assists have come at important times too: three of the five have been on game-winning goals.

On the western side we the Blizzardâ€™s #27, drunken winger Ivan Koroviev. Koroâ€™s seven points have come in less game than Maxiâ€™sâ€”Edmonton have played just eleven games en route to the Challenge Cup Finalsâ€”but his production has tailed off a bit. He was crucial against Calgary, netting twice in Game One, and providing assists in Games Two, Three, and Five.

The verdict? Maxi has been steady on production, averaging every 41 minutes or so, and has shown an ability to stand up for her team when they need a play. Koroviev, whilst seemingly more productive, with an average of a point every 32 minutes, is more mercurial. Someone should find out what he drank before Game One against the Dragons and make sure he drinks more of it ahead the games against the Platoon.
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Task Three: Edmonton, Tuesday, April 19â€”the most crucial game in the Blizzardâ€™s playoff run thus far. Having come through their round one clash with the Dragons with relative ease, Edmontonâ€™s 2-0 lead against the Jets had been erased in Winnipeg. Game Five was thus a huge one, and a Jets win would have swung the momentum in their favour ahead of Game Six. It wasnâ€™t quite a must-win game for the home side, but it was damn close to one, and what followed was a marathon struggle.

The Blizzard stormed into a 3-0 lead inside the first sixteen minutes, and everything seemed to be going according to plan. The Jets are never easy opposition in the postseason, however, and they fought back to within one by the end of the second period. A fourth Edmonton goal in the third gave them some breathing space, but it was short-lived; Winnipeg struck back within a minute, and five minutes after that theyâ€™d tied the game at four.

Overtime came and Aittokallio found himself the busier of the goaltenders; the Jets exerted great pressure on the home side, and threatened to move to within one game of progressing ahead of Game Six in Winnipeg. Edmonton stood firm, however, and early in double overtime they clinched the win. Winnipeg couldnâ€™t strike back in Game Six, and the marathon-winners marched into the Finals.
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Task Four: So often we have seen regular season form count for nothing in the playoffs. Edmonton were far and away the best team during the regular season in S27, but in the postseason they fell at the first hurdle. This season we saw Texas fall foul of the same fate. Itâ€™s clear that to win the Challenge Cup, it is postseason form that counts, and the sheer will and determination to win, or to fight back from losing positions. Ahead of the matchup between West Kendall and Edmonton, we look at how the respective finalistsâ€™ stats have changed between the regular and postseason.

In truth, not much has changed, but there are a few disparities that could prove crucial in separating the sides. Most notably, West Kendallâ€™s powerplay, which at 15.29% had been the leagueâ€™s worst during the regular season, has been even less productive in the postseason. Theyâ€™ve converted the man advantage just 8.33% of the time, while Edmontonâ€™s powerplay production has risen from 18.09% to 28%. On the penalty kill, Edmonton would also seem to have the upper hand. The Platoon boasted a formidable regular season PK, but their 82.32% success rate has dropped to 76.74% in the postseason, while the Blizzardâ€™s has risen from 82.03% to 93.33%.

Other stats show Edmonton improving too: their goals per game is up from 2.86 to 2.91, whilst West Kendallâ€™s is down from 3.14 to 2.71. The Platoonâ€™s league-leading regular season defence allowed just 2.38 goals per game, with the Blizzardâ€™s second best at 2.52 goals per game. Those stats are 2.79 and 2.36, respectively. Neither side have been particularly physical in the postseason, but then they werenâ€™t particularly physical in the regular season either. Both sides have taken less penalties than they did prior to the postseason, with West Kendallâ€™s average of 7.82 penalty minutes per game being reduced to 7.36, and Edmontonâ€™s going from 7.74 to 6.73. This still leaves the Platoon taking slightly more penalties than the Blizzard, however, and with the latterâ€™s special teams looking more productive than the Platoonâ€™s, that could be crucial in what is sure to be a tightly-contested series.
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dankoa · 04-23-2016, 10:46 AM

Task 1: Trivia
PM Sent.

Task 2: Player Comparison (3 uncapped)
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Task 3: Biggest Game or Championship Banner (3 uncapped)
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Task 4: Head-to-head battle (3 uncapped)
It seems almost fitting that the West Kendall Platoon would clash in the Challenge Cup final this season. Two teams that have both come very close in recent years but hadn't quite been able to deliver the goods now find themselves clashing in a best of seven series with the cup at stake. The Platoon dominated the Eastern conference this season, and despite a slight mid season dip in form by the team, the Blizzard also put together a year to be proud of. It's interesting also to compare the road to the finals both teams took through the playoffs. After a grueling series that went all the way against the fourth seeded New England Wolfpack, the Platoon then had to grind their way past the Hamilton Steelhawks, a team that seems to be constantly able to compete, in another thrilling seven game series, whereas the Blizzard pushed aside last season's champions the Calgary Dragons in a mere five games, before beating the upstart Winnipeg Jets in six. The physical and mental pressure exerted on WKP by their longer series may be an advantage to the Blizzard when it comes down to it, but it's very rare that teams can't find extra energy to take them to the next level when it comes to big series like this so the effect may be negligible. When it comes to on ice play, the key for both teams is a lot of depth, a small number of elite level players to head up the offense and an MVP caliber goaltender to lead them. Both Aitokallio and Schmidt have both been given the rank of the league's best, and it'll be fascinating to see them clash in this series.

jRuutu · 04-23-2016, 01:29 PM

Task 1: Message sent

Task 2: Clayton Goode vs Bojo Biscuit

That is the match-up, two players who are leading their teams in penalty mins. You need to have players who go out there and are willing to do whatever it takes to win. Sometimes that emotion and desire to win can be too much and in result you might end up taking a penalty that might actually cost you the game.

Goode has 15 penalty mins in 11 games and Bojo Biscuit has 16 in 14 games. When we look at those numbers more closely, we can see that Goode has dropped his gloves once which means he has 5x2 mins and 1x5 mins, Bojo has not dropped his gloves so far, so all of those penalty mins are from 2 mins, 8x2. Another part that might be good idea to look at, is how much both of these guys play on average, Goode plays roughly 14 mins when Bojo plays about 24 mins each game.

Bojo playing more each night means that he is more likely to collect penalty mins. Going to be interesting to see how well both of these guys manage to play under the pressure of the finals. There is no room for stupid penalties at all.

(200ish words)

Task 3. New England Wolfpack vs West Kendall Platoon

WKP started the series by losing the first two games, so at that point things were looking pretty bad for them. They managed to turn things around somehow and won the next two games which meant that the series was at 2-2.

The next game was massive for both teams, but WKP managed to lose the game 5 even though they had 43 shots! Wolfpack only needed 17 shots to score 3. Platoon scored 1 with 43. After a loss like that the morale in the team cant be too high, 3-2 down and difference between season going and beach time is only 1 game.

Platoon did the almost impossible and won the next game to make it 3-3. That game in my opinion is the most important game for WKP. Of course the game 7 is very important, but to come back after losing a game like that and actually force the series to game 7 is quite impressive.

(160)

Task 4

Head 2 Head Battle

Powerplay

When talking about scoring a goal these days, you have to talk about powerplay. ItÂ´s on the powerplay where most of the teams score good chunk of their goals, or at least are expected to do so.

West Kendall PlatoonÂ´s PP % was actually the leagues worst with 15,29%. Edmonton Blizzard had fairly good one with 18,09, that PP % landed them a spot on the middle of the standings when talking about best powerplays in league during regular season.

Platoon had 170 chances to score a goal on the powerplay, they scored 26, Edmonton had 188 chances on the powerplay, they scored 34, so there is only 8 goals between the two teams, which is not that bad when you think about it, but still Platoon was the worst PP team in the whole league. That last spot might sound bad, but the differences between the teams in SHL are not that massive as we can see with for example Platoon and Edmonton.

(160ish)

FourFour · 04-23-2016, 01:30 PM

Task 1: PM Sent

Task 2:

Task 3:

Task 4:

Durden · 04-23-2016, 02:54 PM

Task 1

Med.

Task 2: Player Comparison (3 uncapped)

In our match for the championship, we see the Edmonton Blizzard take on West Kendall Platoon. Our two top stars here are in Theo Kane (EDM) and Niklas Stryker(WKP).

Kane is doing all he can for his team, tallying 5 goals and 9 assists in their 14 games played. Itâ€™s difficult to be a point per game player especially in the playoffs, but Kane has figured out a way to contribute for his team every single night, and then some! Kane has only played in 11 games, but his 14 points are ridiculous. Kane is tied with other centers Clitsome and Simons for points by a center, but has played 1 less game than both. Kane is also dominating the face-off circle with a 56% win rate.

Stryker is doing his part for the Platoon, tallying 6 goals and 4 assists for 10 points. While Stryker isnâ€™t putting up as great of numbers, heâ€™s helping carry his teamâ€™s offensive load. Stryker has been playing a lot in the back end, scoring a shorthanded goal, but also putting in work when it counts, netting two game winning goals, and 1 game tying goal.

Each of these players are keys to winning the Challenge Cup this year.

Task 3: Biggest Game or Championship Banner (3 uncapped)

The most important game for the West Kendall Platoon was game three against the Hamilton Steelhawks.

West Kendall went on to lose game two 6 to 1, but this was an important step for them. It allowed them to be beaten up, and downtrodden, and the next game, became the most important.

After getting their asses handed to them, West Kendall pulled it together and found a way to beat the Steelhawks to re-gain the series lead. This win showed a lot of determination from the Platoon squad, and it all started with them being down 2-0 in this game. Their fearless leader Niklas Stryker scored his fifth of the playoffs, and was assisted by Wagner and Smirnov. These two would go on to assist together on the next two goals as well.

Hamilton tied the game early in the second, but the Platoon were able to score a late 2nd period goal to go ahead, and never looked back.

This game became the turning point for West Kendall, and gave them the confidence they needed in order to realize their memes arenâ€™t just dreams, and could go on and win the Championship. They realized theyâ€™re in control of this.

Task 4: Head-to-head battle (3 uncapped)

The game between West Kendall Platoon and the Edmonton Blizzard was a game that no one thought would happen. Edmonton finished up in third place in second place in the Western conference, behind a dominant Texas team that was supposed to go all the way. West Kendall on the other hand was the lock in the Eastern Conference since day one.

It comes as no surprise that West Kendall dominated in most of the stat columns. The Platoon had a +38 goal differential in the regular season, compared to Edmontonâ€™s plus 17. West Kendall also put up a lot of collective points, totaling 448 between their players, while Edmonton managed just 400. West Kendall was the most dominant team in the league in goals for/against, racking up a whopping 131.93%, while Edmonton eked out a 113.49%. However, the main stat surprise is how bad West Kendallâ€™s special teams compares. They finished in 11th place in the league, with a 97.61%, behind 7th place Edmonton with 100.12%. West Kendallâ€™s power play killed them, totaling a measly 15.29% over the season.

While I firmly believe WKP will roll over the Blizzard, West Kendall needs their power play to show up and for Edmonton to not get on a hot streak.

Tylar · 04-23-2016, 04:16 PM

1. pm'd

2. Comparison of Stats

The Goaltenders
Jakub Aittokallio has performed really well so far in the SHL play-offs heading into the Challenge Cup Final. He has a record of 8-2-1 with a .919 save percentage and a 2.27 goals against average. He also has 1 shut-out in the play-offs so far along with 1 assist as well. He has faced 321 shots and allowed 26 goals. Aittokallio has been a major reason why the Edmonton Blizzard are where they are, that is in the finals. He has a major factor in the first round series against the former Challenge Cup champions, the Calgary Dragons. He has done a great job in goal for them at is old age. This may be his last chance at a cup in his career he seems to be making the most of it so far these play-offs.

In comparison;
Colin Schmidt has also had a pretty good play-offs himself. He has a 8-4-1 record with a .913 save percentage and 2.65 goals against average. Although hew has zero shut-outs and assists. He has faced more shots than Aittokallio with 437, therefore allowed more goals with 38 goals against. Schmidt helped the Platoon get passed in two tight series, over the Wolfpack then the Steelhawks.

I would say Aittokallio has been better than Schmidt slightly thus far in the play-offs, but Schmidt also had to face more shots and played in more games, so it can be a bit misleading. Either way both goalies are extremely good, and the Challenge Cup Final should be a good goaltending battle.

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3. Biggest Game

Game 5 - Edmonton Blizzard vs Calgary Dragons
The biggest game for the Edmonton Blizzard in this years play-offs was game 5 of their first round series versus the previous Challenge Cup Champion Calgary Dragons. The Blizzard were coming off a hard loss in game 4, when they were up 3-0 in the series. That loss gave Calgary life, and the Blizzard needed to close out the series in game 5 before the Dragons could find their groove. In game 5 it was 3-2 after one period. Then 3-3 after two periods. The Blizzard scored early in the third and held onto dear life for the win to take the series 4-1. I say this is the biggest game of the play-offs for them because if the Blizzard lost game 5, all the momentum would be with the Dragons and i think they would've clawed back and took it to game seven. You can never count the former champs out, so that is why it was a must to take them out when the did.

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4. Head to Head Battle

Edmonton Blizzards vs West Kendall Platoon

The Edmonton Blizzard and West Kendall Platoon met twice in the regular season. They both went 1-1 against each other. They also both scored 5 goals and allowed 5 goals against. Both teams won the home game, and lost the away game. Edmonton won their home game 5-3. Then the Platoon won their home game 2-0. The Platoon's top scorer forward was Zallerras Szlerchek with 52 points and Edmonton's top scorer was defenseman Jackson Rogers-Tanaka with 47 points. The Platoon finished the season on the top of the Eastern Conference standing with a record of 30-15-5, whereas the Blizzard finished second in the West with a record of 29-15-6. Once again very comparable. Although the Platoon scored more goals and allowed less goals against then the Blizzard.

Overall these two teams were really comparable during the season against each other and with their records overall. It should be an intense battle for the Challenge Cup!

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***WannabeFinn*** · 04-23-2016, 04:31 PM

Task 1 - Completed, PM'd

Task 2 -

Theo Kane vs. Niklas Stryker

Theo Kane led the Edmonton Blizzard to a S28 Challenge Cup victory with 22 points in 17 games, doubling the production of the second-highest scoring forward on the Blizzard roster. While Kane did not play a very physical game, he paced the Blizzard with 71 shots on goal and 8 goals scored. Kane's finesse game drove Edmonton's offense in all situations. Theo Kane led the team in plus/minus rating with a +10. He also played nearly 25 minutes per game, a very impressive feat for any forward. Despite playing such a large amount of minutes, Kane didn't take a single minor penalty throughout the entire playoffs. Kane's discipline and offensive prowess certainly propelled the Blizzard towards success.

Niklas Stryker plays a similar game to Kane for the West Kendall Platoon. However, Stryker didn't produce nearly as much for his team as Kane did. While Stryker kept his penalty minutes and physical game at a minimum, he only managed to notch 12 points in 20 games. His 7 goals on 67 shots rivals Kane's goal production, but his assist total and time on ice per game is severely lacking in comparison. Despite being relied on pretty heavily for the success of WKP's penalty kill, Stryker didn't display defensive dominance in any 5v5 situations.

Task 3 -

Game 5 vs. Winnipeg Jets

The Edmonton Blizzard's single most important game of their playoff run was their Game 5 2OT winner against the Winnipeg Jets in the Western Conference Finals. After a handful of very close games, the Blizzard found themselves tied at 2-2 in the series with Winnipeg and their rookie goalie Lukas Berger, who had already eliminated the Texas Renegades from the playoffs (a team that many had pegged to win the Challenge Cup). Game 5 saw Jackson Rogers-Tanaka put on a clinic. Rogers-Tanaka's stat line in this game was very impressive. 1 goal, 2 primary assists, +3 rating, 3 shots on goals, 3 blocked shots, and almost 34 minutes of ice time. JRT drove play for a majority of the game and powered his team to a 3-2 series lead over the Winnipeg Jets at home. This game set the Blizzard up with a prime opportunity to close out the series on the road, and they did with a fantastic performance from goaltender Jakub Aittokailio.

Task 4 -

Blizzard vs. Platoon head-to-head

Throughout these playoffs the Edmonton Blizzard have dominated on special teams. The Blizzard had a solid power play unit that saw success 18.52% of the time. While their power play might have only been slightly above average, the Blizzard truly shone bright on their penalty kill. With a success rate of 91.49%, Edmonton shut down even the best power play units with ease. On the other hand, West Kendall struggled with their special teams over the course of the post-season. Their powerplay succeeded in fewer than 10% of their man advantage opportunities and their penalty was mediocre at best with a kill rate of 81.94%. Despite their failures on special teams, the Platoon still managed to outshoot and outmuscle the Blizzard during their Challenge Cup run. The Platoon averaged an astounding 5.5 shots for per game more than Edmonton. They also hit their opponents roughly 20 times per game, while the Blizz chipped in with a smidge better than 18 hits per game.

Reynolds · 04-23-2016, 05:03 PM

TASK 1: PM'd

TASK 2:
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TASK 3:

TASK 4:

ArGarBarGar · 04-23-2016, 08:40 PM

Task 1: Trivia (0.5 uncapped for each correct answer, 2 total)
PM Sent

Task 2: Player Comparison (3 uncapped)
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Task 3: Biggest Game or Championship Banner (3 uncapped)
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Task 4: Head-to-head battle (3 uncapped)
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Alonzo Garbanzo Final Tallies (Among Defensemen):
2nd in Goals (208), All-Time Assists Leader (765)*, All-Time Points Leader (973), 3rd in Hits (2587), All-Time Blocked Shots Leader (1882)*
*All-Time Leader Among All Skaters
Player Profile | Update Thread
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Kevin Juice Bieksa · 04-23-2016, 09:59 PM

Task 1
Donzo

Task 2: Player Comparison (3 uncapped)
The Russian Rockets
From Russia with pride, these two young players have both been instrumental in their teams going to the SHL Challenge Cup finals showing a bright future for the Russian international team as well. One is a defenseman, one is a forward, both have the same points.

From the West Kendall Platoon's Russian defencemen, (defencewoman?) Maria Maximova, with 7 points in 14 games, 2 goals and 5 assists. She's been absolutely clutch so far in the playoffs with a game winner against Hamilton and several game winning assists coming off of her stick.
Maximova has been able to get a point every other game in the playoffs so far and has been a good offensive player on the blueline

From the Edmonton Blizzard, we have winger Ivan Koroviev who also has 7 points off of his stick, difference is though, he's gotten 7 points in 11 games. Ivan was a constant thread in Calgary's side being very consistent game after game. Winnipeg was a different case however as the winger struggled to find more points

What will happen during the finals? Ivan Koroviev will probably get Maximova drunk as well and they will both be face down in their LR for the rest of the series.

Task 3: Biggest Game or Championship Banner (3 uncapped)

Game 3 of the Quarter Finals, West Kendall Platoon and the New England Wolfpack. New England had done the unthinkable and won 2 games against the West Kendall Platoon. WKP had to win this game, or risk embarrassment by the team that just barely squeaked into the playoffs and a goalie worse than an empty net.

The first goal of the game was a nightmare for the West Kendall Platoon, Tim Buckner who had been a force in the playoffs scored yet again for the Wolfpack, 5 minutes later the Platoon managed to bounce back off of a PP goal by Zallerras Szlerchek. The Platoon peppered Cia with 26 shots on target, with only one goal, it was looking like it would be another bad night for the Platoon. 2nd period gave Bojo a heart attack as they only managed 10 shots and they were scored on by Makinen to give the Wolfpack the 2-1 lead heading into the 3rd. Adrian Thomaz had manged to score in the 3rd following another goal by the Platoon to gain the lead.

If West Kendall hadn't scored in the 3rd, the series would have likely ended. New England would likely have lost in the semi-finals and the playoffs would look a lot different.

Task 4: Head-to-head battle (3 uncapped)
As both teams are in different sides of North America, they only got to face each other twice for the season, the record was 1-1 for both teams. The goals for and goals against were even as both had scored and let in 5 goals. Both won their game at home. Edmonton beat West Kendall 5-3 while the Platoon beat the Blizzard 2-0. Facing against other teams however, West Kendall came out on top as they were first in the East while the Blizzard were 2nd in the west. Edmonton's top scorer was a defenseman, JRT with 47 points. Zallerras Szlerchek was the leading scorer for the Platoon with 52. Something I can see right off the bat is that both these two teams are very even in the regular season.

Playoffs however is a different story, Edmonton has gotten to the finals in 11 games while the Platoon had a scare with the Wolfpack leading to 14 games. Either way, both teams are the best in the league and it is sure to be a well matched finals

All-time New England Wolfpack scorer
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Copenhagen · 04-24-2016, 09:18 AM

Task 1
Sent.

Task 2
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Task 3 (Not Done Yet)
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Task 4

LB. · 04-24-2016, 11:36 AM

1. Sent
2.
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3.

4.

enigmatic · 04-24-2016, 12:42 PM

Task 1: Trivia (0.5 uncapped for each correct answer, 2 total)
Done.

Task 2: Player Comparison (3 uncapped)
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Task 3: Biggest Game or Championship Banner (3 uncapped)
Being on the Platoon roster, it's difficult for me not to pick one of our two game 7. Out of the two, I would pick Game 7 against the New England Wolfpack as our most important game so far.
We've been pictured as a championship team since we made it to the finals in S25. After that, although we were able to qualify for the playoffs every season, we failed to get past the first round. Another early playoff exit wouldn't have just been a huge disappointment, but also another example of our team underperforming in the playoffs. We barely won game 7 and the Wolfpack gave us quite a scare but in the end, we were finally able to get past the first round. We might not win the Challenge Cup this year but it's great for all of us to reach the finals and get another shot after two disappointing years of playoffs.

Task 4: Head-to-head battle (3 uncapped)
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engine · 04-24-2016, 12:53 PM

TASK 1: PM'd

TASK 2: BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
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TASK 3:
For me, one of the most important games of the SMJHL playoffs was Game 1 of the Four Star Cup final series. Montreal had just swept Detroit with a dominant performance that proved their status as an SMJHL powerhouse. Meanwhile, Prince George was trying their best to come back from a rough season by proving their worth in the playoffs. After winning the series against Vancouver 4-1, and grinding out a difficult series win over last season’s champions, Colorado, Prince George went into the game with high hopes. The first game of the championship series would set the tone, and Prince George was determined to come out strong. It was an incredibly tight game, and for a while it felt like it was going to be a close series.

It took only 5 minutes for Montreal to win the game in overtime, and it was a bit like a premonition. By winning that first, close game, Montreal took control of the series. [162 words]

TASK 4:
The interesting thing about this SMJHL final match-up is how unbalanced the teams are looking coming into the series. After their near-win last season, Montreal stacked their roster even more, trading for Prince George’s own star winger, Bennett Jones, in hopes of bolstering their offense in the playoffs. Their dominant performance in the first two series proved that they are truly a team to be reckoned with, led by their two biggest stars, captain Raven Silverwing, and goalie Matt Lewis-Flood. Meanwhile, Prince George is yet again a rookie-filled team. After a lackluster season, Casper Jakobsson has helped lift the team towards victory with some serious clutch goals. But while Montreal is coming off a sweep, Prince George played a rough seven game series against last year’s champions. The underdog narrative is always fun… but Montreal has experience on their side. Can Montreal keep their winning streak alive? Or will Prince George knock another champion of their pedestal? [157 words]

linsangeles · 04-24-2016, 01:28 PM

Task 1: Sent!
Task 2: [Image: xOlJiKX.png]

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