TASK ONE
Write a blog post about any post season game of S30. Can be a game preview, a recap, something silly like a review of what colour laces a player is wearing. Must be 150 words
Jakob Tanner. He's been here before and he's been there before. That is he's familiar with the pressure of being one win away from a Cup Finals appearance and he's got it done at the next level. His two cups with Hamilton in S24 and S26 were no fluke and his countless awards to go along with it increases his accolades. Still, this game pounded on his nerves and not even six shots of whiskey could calm the anxiety of getting through warm-ups and the National anthem. A shot at his 7th Finals appearance rested in his ability to shutdown the other team one more time in the next two games. Tanner didn't want a Game 7 though, he wanted this to end right here and right now. The Edmonton Blizzard await and he would be ready weather the storm and guide his team to the light (and a drunken haze celebrating his third cup).
A quick shot from Jed Lloren early in the game shattered his nerves as he flashed the leather and felt his confidence building. Tanner would go on to shut them down with 30 saves allowing just one Zallerras Szlerchek one-timer to find the back of the net. The Wolfpack would conquer the world and take it 6-1. Tanner was going to his seventh finals and couldn't be any fucking happier.
TASK THREE
Who is your MVP candidate for these playoffs and why? Must be 150 words and have 3 stats minimum.
While I originally would have continued writing about Tanner, upon further inspection and consideration I have decided Raven Silverwing is the true MVP and unsung hero of the New England Wolfpack.
FIVE. Yes that's a number, that's the number of game-winning goals Silverwing had for the Wolfpack in these playoffs including THREE of them in Overtime situations in rounds one and two. Raven only had 6 goals in the whole playoffs and 5 of them were game-winners for the Wolfpack. Perhaps not the most productive statistically, but certainly the most efficient and clutch.
SEVEN. That's the number of helpers Silverwing also added to the team over 14 games. Perhaps not as much of a clutch statistic but certainly contributing to the reason this team won the cup.
Silverwing would finish one point shy of a point per game and third in team scoring despite averaging far less minutes than some of the Wolfpack star players.
Pick four of the tasks below, worth three uncapped TPE each. There is also a bonus question, worth one extra uncapped TPE, for a total of 13 possible TPE. Doing more than four tasks will not gain you any extra TPE.
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TASK ONE
Write a blog post about any post season game of S30. Can be a game preview, a recap, something silly like a review of what colour laces a player is wearing. Must be 150 words
<div align="center">Calgary Dragons vs Seattle Riot Game 7
In what was an incredible series between the Calgary Dragons and Seattle Riot we look back on the game that decided it all to send the Calgary Dragons to the Western Conference Finals vs the Edmonton Blizzard. The series went the full 7 games and the last game did not fall short on entertainment. Calgary started fast as Alex Mack opened the scoring just 38 seconds into the game but it wasn't long before Seattle struck back and made Calgary pay for taking a penalty. At the 5:31 mark of the period David Benson tied the game up and just 30 seconds later Cameron Urbowicz gave the Riot the lead at 2-1. Half way through the second period Calgary Dragons young up and comer Shane Gagner tied the game up and the teams headed into the third period tied. Calgary struck first in the third period with a powerplay goal from Chris Johnson but the Riot wouldn't let up as David Benson scored again with 5 minutes left in the game and that's where the score stayed for the remainder of regulation. Just 1 minute into overtime Riot player Jack Burton took a costly penalty and Michael Boychuk sealed it for the Dragons by scoring the game winner to send them onto the next round of the playoffs.
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TASK THREE
Who is your MVP candidate for these playoffs and why? Must be 150 words and have 3 stats minimum.
The S30 SHL playoffs have seen two very different routes to the finals. The Edmonton Blizzard have been led by their stars whereas the New England Wolfpack have made it with a much more balanced approach with everyone on their team contributing. I believe the Challenge Cup MVP will come from the team who wins it all, so despite a few Edmonton Players having huge stats I don't think one of them will earn the award because I think the New England Wolfpack will win the Challnge Cup. Looking at the New England Wolfpack heading into the finals I believe that superstar goaltender Jakob Tanner is going to come out of it with the MVP. Tanner has a solid GAA of 2.63 and a very good save % of 0.916 but whats most impressive is he has just 2 losses on his record thus far. I expect him to add 4 more wins on his total and improve his save % and GAA when the playoffs are finished and he will solidify his bid for playoff MVP.
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TASK FIVE
Write 200 words on any series match up and what you think will happen, what actually happened or what should have happened.
<div align="center">Calgary Dragons vs Edmonton Blizzard SHL Western Conference Finals What should have happened:
This series did not go at all the way it should have. The SHL Presidents Trophy winning Calgary Dragons were clearly the best team in the SHL for S30. Loaded all the way through their lineup with superstars and ultra talented players. This series should have seen players such as Esa Anrikkanen, Bubba Nuck, Randy Randleman, and Nicholas Pedersen dominating the Edmonton Blizzard all over the ice. The once legendary Jakub Aittokallio and new starter Brett Broadway should have each had GAA higher than Patrick Brumm while he does his podcast. We must be living in some sort of bizzaro world alternate universe because now we sit with the Edmonton Blizzard in the finals and the dominating and deserving Calgary Dragons having to wait until next season to go back to the Challenge Cup finals. It is truly a travesty to the hockey world that the fans don't get to see the insanely talented Calgary Dragons again until S31. One can only guess at how the Edmonton Blizzard defeated the mighty Calgary Dragons but some speculate that Jakub Aittokallio actually sold his soul to the hockey gods as payment for this series victory and it seems that the hockey gods delivered on their end of the bargain.
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TASK SEVEN
Design a Challenge Cup Champions hat or shirt. Must include team logo.
BONUS: Who scores the cup winning goal? Patrikov Bure
TASK ONE
Write a blog post about any post season game of S30. Can be a game preview, a recap, something silly like a review of what colour laces a player is wearing. Must be 150 words
Game one of the West Kendall/New England playoff series was an anticipated one, due to the light, friendly rivalry they have due to both team's allegiance with the Kelowna Knights junior teams, and of course Knights fans being split on who to cheer for in this affair. Oliver Pettyfer opened the scoring just 19 seconds into the game, setting the tone right away. Talo and Makinen both answered back with goals however to ensure the Wolfpack would go into the second period with a 2-1 lead. Pettyfer would score again in the second period to make it 2-2 going into the third, and that's when the floodgates opened up for West Kendall, as they managed to score three goals in the third to cement their 5-2 victory in game one. You can not only credit Pettyfer for opening the scoring with West Kendalls two goals, but you can also give a big nod to Matt Lewis-Flood, rookie goaltender for the Platoon who stopped 35 out of 37 shots in this series opener.
TASK THREE
Who is your MVP candidate for these playoffs and why? Must be 150 words and have 3 stats minimum.
My vote for MVP candidate would without a doubt have to go to the New England goalie, Jakob Tanner. Fighting hard through the heated battles in the playoffs, with a stunning shutout to solidify the sweep in game 4 of the finals, there was a lot of games where Tanner had the team on his back. Tanner led the playoffs with a solid 0.929 save percentage, as well as leading the league with a 2.25 goals against average. Tanner also won all 12 games of course, and he comes in second for most shots faced with 478. One of the top things that made Tanner such a dangerous goalie, is his ability to keep a steady head in high pressure situations. This is proven by how 7 of the 12 playoff wins Tanner had were one goal games, where he had to stay sharp near the end so that New England had the win.
TASK FIVE
Write 200 words on any series match up and what you think will happen, what actually happened or what should have happened.
In the matchup of West Kendall vs. New England, there is not a doubt in my mind that West Kendall should be the team that advanced to the Challenge Cup Finals. While New England barely scraped into the playoffs, with only 59 points, West Kendall had 65 points which landed them second in the conference. New England, led heavily by Patrikov Bure and Nathan Russell, had troubles on the defensive backend after sub-par seasons from Clayton and Pomerov. West Kendall on the other hand, although not having any superstar seasons from the scorers have much more balanced forward and defensive core. Szlerchek and Pettyfer led the forward core, scoring 43 and 42 points. Kendall's forward core however, led by Biscuit, Maximova, Smirnov and Wager, is miles stronger than New England's core. West Kendall dominated New England in game one with a 5-2 game, however in game 2 we seen Tanner have one if his more impressive games, shutting down 49 shots from West Kendall to lead New England to a 3-2 win in double overtime. If it wasn't for Tanner's hot streak, there isn't a doubt in my mind that New England would not have been able to stand a chance against a high flying West Kendall team, and that is why I believe West Kendall should have been in the finals.
TASK EIGHT
Take one Cup finalist and talk about how they made the playoffs (free agent signings, trades, outstanding rookies, a career season from someone). Must be 200 words
New England Wolfpack barely squeaked into the playoffs in the last spot in the conference, and can be highly attributed to an all-star season by New England goalie Jakob Tanner. Tanner rounded out the season with a .910 save percentage, and an admirable 2.48 goals against average. Tanner was a critical piece in the 26 wins he had playing goalie, although he also had 17 losses and 1 overtime loss in the 44 games he played. Patrikov Bure also led the forward group throughout the season, boasting an outstanding total of 60 points. He scored 26 goals in that 60 points, as well as having 34 assists. It's hard to imagine the Wolfpack having success this season without the likes of Bure. Aside from his large point totals, Bure finished the season with a +19, and only took 16 penalty minutes. Another key asset to their success was free agent signing Jonathan Lundberg, who had no problem jumping right into the top 6 and producing at a solid level. Lundberg registered 9 goals and 20 assists, and while it isn't as much as other members of the Wolfpack it is pretty good considering that he was just picked up in the free agency.
TASK ONE
Game 4 of the Challenge Cup Finals has New England on the verge of a sweep of the Edmonton Blizzard. A supposed even match up on paper has been anything but thus far in the finals of the S31 Challenge Cup tournament. Edmonton has put veteran netminder Jakub Aittokallio back in net in place of Brett Broadway in hopes that the experience of the soon-to-be HoF goalie can help turn the tides for the West Champions. New England came out strong and drew first blood three quarters of the way through the first courtesy of Buckner and the New England third line who have been major contributors this series. The second period was a slaughter as the Wolfpack found the back of the net 3 times in 4 minutes and all but sealed the deal. Lundberg added one final goal in the third and Edmonton get shut out to seal the sweep.
TASK THREE
Prior to the finals Pedro Sarantez would probably have been the obvious vote for playoff MVP but with his 0 point performance in the finals the award most likely slipped out of his grasp. Jakob Tanner won the duel of the goaltenders in the final series where it mattered and won my vote for playoff MVP along with that performance. Broadway and Tanner were the two standout goalies in the playoffs this season as they were number 1/2 in GAA heading into the finals with 2.48 for Broadway and 2.61 for Tanner. Broadway broke the .920 mark while Tanner came close with .916 save percentages. Both goalies were key to their team's post season success and Tanner ended up winning 3 head to head contests in a row keeping Edmonton to just 2 goals in each of the 3 games while Broadway faltered in his first time starting in the finals. Tanner finished it off in game 4 with a shutout which gave him his third Challenge Cup trophy vaulting him into elite territory.
TASK FIVE
The Western Conference Finals had two very familiar teams face off against each other for a chance to head to the finals. Calgary had won 2 of the last 3 seasons and looked very strong in the regular season but struggled in the first round as they edged out a 7 game series against Seattle. Their opponents the Edmonton Blizzard was the team that won it all two seasons prior, in S28, stopping Calgary's bid for a repeat title and they'll look to do so again. Edmonton went 6 games with Texas in the first round and they'll need that momentum to help them out as they've come into the post season with a very underwhelming head-to-head record against Calgary. I had penned Calgary to be the favorite in this match-up as they had a dominating head to head record of 5-1 in the regular season. Calgary won the first game at home in a very close game as expected. However, Edmonton came storming back in game 2 to a dominating 5-1 win to tie the series up followed by a 5-2 thumping at home in Edmonton. Calgary lost game 4 despite a heroic effort from Wong who stopped 34 of 37 shots faced as Edmonton found a way to get the win at home and head back to Calgary with a 3-1 series lead. Edmonton closed it out in game 5 with 2 empty net goals as Calgary fought tooth and nail but just came short.
TASK EIGHT
There are a few solid story lines that lead to this Edmonton Blizzard team appearing in the Cup finals. The acquisition of Pedro Sarantez mid-way through last season played a big factor as he took over and lead the team in scoring this season, both in the regular season and in the playoffs as well as the reigning MVP Theo Kane fell back to earth and looked mediocre this season. Edmonton also made a mid-season trade this year as they acquired Dean Colt from Hamilton to fill the need for a top end center to help Kane out. He didn't put up the same numbers as he did in his prime but he played a very productive role as the 2nd line center and even as the first line center for parts of the season. Another major change to the team was Brett Broadway taking over the starting role from Jakub Aittokallio as Aittokallio declared that he was retiring after this season and Broadway looked ready to shoulder much of the load. And he did so in exceptional fashion as he lead Edmonton to a 2nd seed in the west just falling short of Calgary off .917 save percentage and 2.46 GAA (2nd in the league in both categories). The future of Edmonton's goaltending situation looks secure as one of the best goalies in SHL history hands off the torch to his protege.
TASK ONE
Write a blog post about any post season game of S30. Can be a game preview, a recap, something silly like a review of what colour laces a player is wearing. Must be 150 words
Game 7 – Manhattan Rage vs West Kendall Platoon. Winner moves onto the second round, loser hits the golf course. The Rage outshoot the Platoon 12 to 10 in the first period, but goals by Linna and Pettyfer have West Kendall up 2 to 0 at the end of one period. The Platoon come out in the second period and dominate as they score the next three goals to take a commanding 5 to 0 lead as Wert, Laflamme and Biscuit find the back of the net. Jakobsen scores late for the Rage, but they are still down 5 to 1 heading into the third period. Pejonis scores early in the third period to make the score 6 to 1 before Nichushkin scores late in the game for the Rage to make the final score 6 to 2 as the Platoon move on to the second round in convincing fashion. Platoon outshoot the Rage 51 to 23 in the game as Lewis-Flood wins game 7 with a 21 save performance. Pejonis had a goal and two assists to be named #1 star of the game.
TASK THREE
Who is your MVP candidate for these playoffs and why? Must be 150 words and have 3 stats minimum.
My MVP through the first 10 games of the playoffs would be Edmonton forward Pedro Sarantez. He currently leads his team and the league in goals with 8, is tied for second on the Blizzard with 6 assists, his 14 points leads the league, he is second on his team in +/- with a +9, has not taken any penalties so far, first on his team in shots with 45, has close to a 18% shooting percentage and plays nearly 23 minutes per game playing on both the power play and penalty killing units. He has one game winning and one game tying goal so far in the playoffs.
He has been named the number one star of the game three times and the second and third star each one time. His team has scored 33 goals so far in those 10 games and he has either scored or assisted on over 42% of those goals in these playoffs leading his team to seven wins and three losses. As goes Pedro, so goes the Blizzard so far in these playoffs.
TASK FIVE
Write 200 words on any series match up and what you think will happen, what actually happened or what should have happened.
Seattle came into their first round matchup as the #4 seed against the #1 seeded and defending champion Calgary Dragons. In game one, Seattle got two first period goals from Urbowicz and Jesster while McFadden stopped 23 out of 24 shots to give the Riot a game one win on the road. In game 2, the Riot took control of a back and forth game in the third period on the road and with a late empty net goal, won game 2 by a score of 5 to 3. McFadden made 35 saves in goal while Ratzon, Jesster, Burton and King all had two points in the win to give Seattle a 2 games to 0 lead heading home.
However, as good as Seattle was in games 1 and 2, you cant keep the champs down for that long and Calgary was right back in the series by winning games 3 and 4 by the identical scores of 4 to 2. Wong made 30 saves in game 3 as Hill, Pedersen and Martell were some of the players that netted goals for the Dragons. Wong was again huge in game 4 with a 36 save performance including 16 of 18 in the third period after seattle scored a couple of goals to make it 3 to 2. Esa, Hill, Boychuk and Gagner all scored for Calgary as they evened the series at 2 to 2.
Calgary comes back home for Game 5 and wins a close one by the score of 4 to 3 while in game 6, Seattle lives to fight another day with a huge 5 to 2 win on home ice setting up a showdown for game 7. In Game 7, the game is tied after three periods at 3 to 3 setting up an epic overtime where the winner moves on to face Edmonton and the loser goes home. Mack finds Boychuk all alone on a breakaway just under 2 minutes into overtime and Boychuk scores sending the crowd into a frenzy and Seattle home with the blues.
TASK EIGHT
Take one Cup finalist and talk about how they made the playoffs (free agent signings, trades, outstanding rookies, a career season from someone). Must be 200 words
The big move that Edmonton made during the season was to acquire all world forward Dean Colt from the Hamilton Steelhawks. Colt was struggling the first half of the season in Hamilton with only 13 points in 26 games and Hamilton had just traded several of their key and veteran pieces, so the receipe was there for a team like Edmonton to jump in and acquire Colt for a championship run.
Edomonton moved Miles Berger, 3 draft picks and some cap space to Hamilton in order to acquire Colt and based on what Colt has done as a member of the Blizzard, there is no doubt, it has been the right move especially since you pair him with players such as Sarantez, Muller, Rogers-Tanaka and Kane.
In 24 games with the Blizzard, he had 12 goals and 12 assists for 24 points which was a point per game in leading Edmonton to the second seed in the conference. So far in the playoffs in 10 games, he has 3 goals and 4 assists for 7 points and has since to help lead the Blizzard to a win over the top seeded Dragons and into the Finals.
Making it to the finals guarentees that Edmonton management made the right decision in getting Colt into their lineup and making the Blizzard a deep and tough team to play against. Probably the only thing Edmonton wishes they would have done better was acquiring Colt sooner!
TASK ONE
Write a blog post about any post season game of S30. Can be a game preview, a recap, something silly like a review of what colour laces a player is wearing. Must be 150 words
Game 4, Minnesota @ New England Wolfpack
For game 4, the Chiefs saw themselves at the brink of elimination. Everything they tried was going wrong and nobody with the Chiefs had any idea why. They'd just had a great season, ending up 1st in the east for the second year in a row. So, it was time to try something new to strengthen the confidence of the squad. As we all despise and detest everything that the New England Wolfpack stands for when it come to political correctness, passive aggressiveness and pony loving, goaltender Robert Andersson decided to do something about it. He went to a local company that mass-produces t-shirts. Andersson thought that he could burn some of his contract money on something to strenthen the resolve of his teammates and fans, so he ordered 20 000 t-shirts with a pony "making love" with people of all the ethnic minorities, in a very harsh way. The first ones were given to all teammates to wear under their equipment. And the rest were put in boxes, together with those types of cannons you shoot tshirts with. Some were loaded up and ready in the locker room for when the chiefs won, to be shot out into the crowd to cause a shitstorm.
But sadly, Wolfpack won their first game without having to go to OT, which might have been to the over-confidence of the team.
RIP.
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TASK THREE
Who is your MVP candidate for these playoffs and why? Must be 150 words and have 3 stats minimum.
My MVP will be Tanner, not just because of his in-game success, but rather for him being the sole reason New England won. His coaching has been stellar ever since he came to NEW and they would've probably missed the playoffs if they hadn't traded for him.
But when it came to the in-game performance, he was awesome too.
9.29 SV% puts him at number 1. only .04 in front of Bauer, but still 1st.
2.225 GAA puts him in 1st by a mile, broadway was number 2 and he was at 2.83.
and of course, he had 12 wins, with broadway coming in at second place with 8.
478 shots against puts him in second, only behind broadway who had one single shot more against, which shows that the so called MVP who was named by the game, and his D-friends wasn't as helpful as they should've been.
Tanner for MVP. No question in my mind.
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TASK FIVE
Write 200 words on any series match up and what you think will happen, what actually happened or what should have happened.
Minnesota Chiefs vs New England Wolfpack Series.
The Minnesota Chiefs vs New England Wolfpack Series ended in a strange way if you look at it. The Minnesota Chiefs were superior in most categories, including Offense and Defense. The only real downside that the Minnesota Chiefs had against New England Wolfpack was the goaltending situation. Jakob Tanner, being a MVP goalie in his prime, against Robert Andersson, who is on his 4th full season in the SHL universe.
So why did the New England Wolfpack sweep the Minnesota Chiefs?
The very same goaltender, Jakob Tanner. Who is also the coach of the team.
The series ended 4-0 for the Wolfpack, sweeping the Chiefs under the carpet. Something that nobody had thought would happen, despite the jokes in the LR about "Getting swept by the softpack". Which might have been what jinxed us, as a bunch of us said we would either retire or leave at the end of the contract if this happened.
Three of the games ended in OT, so despite the advantage in skill the Chiefs possessed, the Wolfpack managed to claw their way to the advancement. All because of the leadership and coaching of star goaltender and elite strategist Jakob Tanner.
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203 words
TASK EIGHT
Take one Cup finalist and talk about how they made the playoffs (free agent signings, trades, outstanding rookies, a career season from someone). Must be 200 words
New England Wolfpack wins this by a mile just by one single deal. Jakob Tanner. I know that this Championship Week has been a lot about Tanner from me, but it is hard to stray away from it. the fact that he single-handedly turned New England Wolfpack around from a very average season, actually looking to miss the playoffs, to become contenders and favourites over a night. No other player would have this impact on any other team, and that is a fact. So the credit has to go out to the GM pair of the New England team, despite how much it hurts to say. Another thing making the New England Wolfpack contenders for years to come is the fact that half their squad has signed long term for 2M a year, effectively fucking every other team over from being able to give compete with FA's when it comes to salary. A thing that is a league killer, but apparently sportsmanship and the health of the league is nothing that they care about. But as that is now in the past and nothing that can be done anything about at this point, No point in talking about it any further. However this is one of the reasons why New England Wolfpack had a chance at the playoffs, and made them a successful team that will have a bright future for seasons to come.
In a game that will go down in history, we have game 2 between the Texas Renegades and Edmonton Blizzard. Texas came away with a game 1 victory, and were looking to take 2 games on the road to start the set. The game was super tight, like a tiger, and was equally exciting. The game started out with a bang as Mark Longford opened the scoring just 6 minutes in. But Geoffrey Allen wanted his team to do well and put one away on the power play just five minutes later. In the toughest part of the game for Texas, Edmonton scored two back to back goals which put the Blizzard up 3 to 1. This would be the problem. Texas dominated the second period (after Knight got the Renegades within 1 goal at the end of the first) and Texas managed to put up two goals to Edmonton’s 1 in the second. A scoreless third would lead to overtime, where Texas couldn’t catch a break. Despite outshooting the Blizzard 10 to 5, Edmonton found the back of the net and took game 2. How different this series would’ve been if Texas could have won this game as Texas would win game 3. A 3 to 0 lead would’ve led to a completely different playoff scenario.
TASK THREE
For me, the playoff MVP is Pedro Sarantez. Sarantez is currently at 14 points in 10 games, having scored 8 goals and 6 assists. Sarantez is putting forth an enormous effort on the offensive side of the ice and is responsible for helping Edmonton win their games. Sarantez is also kicking ass on the back end, as he’s a +9 player. He’s also got 5 shot blocks, and has a game tying goal, and a game winning goal. He’s also been active on the power play as he has 3 of his 14 points coming from the man advantage. This is also on top of his 2nd on the team 34 penalty kill minutes. He’s all over the ice, doing everything that’s needed of him. While is faceoff percentage could have a little work done to it, he’s doing everything that’s expected of him to make sure this team succeeds in the playoffs.
TASK FIVE
In my own humble opinion, Texas should have won the initial series between Edmonton and the Renegades. Texas managed to win game 1 3 to 2, and did so on the road. Game two should have gone to Texas, but for some reason, the Renegades can’t take games in overtime. Despite a game 2 overtime loss, the Renegades came back to Texas and dominated the Blizzard 4 to 0. If game 2 had gone slightly different, we’d have seen the Texas Renegades take a 3 to 0 series lead over the Edmonton Blizzard. Even with Texas losing three in a row, another one of those was in overtime, and their last game was a loss by a single goal. The entire series was tight, but with one game going another way, we have a different series, and a different playoff bracket. Texas would have likely gone on to the cup finals, where they would have played the sawftpack. It’s difficult to look at these games and feel like you were truly beaten when there were three players at a point per game (one who had 10 points in 6 games) and 4 who were 1 point shy of a point per game average.
TASK EIGHT
One finalist that really made instead of broke this series is Jakob Tanner. Tanner came into the New England team because of a trade after a locker room dispute. Many are saying that it’s a silly quarrel, but some are going to continue saying it was the worst thing that had ever happened. Despite what was given up for Tanner, it’s been well worth it. While the sawftpack just barely snuck into the playoffs, they’ve made the most of their time in the post-season. Tanner has virtually taken over as a GM for the sawftpack, who really wouldn’t be in this place without him. We all know that without a strong goalie between the pipes, even the strongest offensive team doesn’t do well. And Tanner’s done it all off the ice for this team, and is doing a good job on the ice as well. After finding a home in the resident “safe space†that is the sawftpack locker room, Tanner has continued to do his job as a top tier goalie. Tanner has put up a .916 save percentage and a 2nd place 2.63 goals against average. If there’s a single reason as to why New England is relevant, it’s because of Jakob Tanner.
Season 24 - *4 Star Cup Champions - Vancouver Whalers*
Season 36 - *Challenge Cup Champions - Texas Renegades*
Season 36 - *Anton Razov Trophy Winner - Playoff MVP - Texas Renegades*
Season 41 - *IIHF Gold Medalist - Team United Kingdom*
Season 41 - *Triple Gold Member*
**Vancouver Whalers Hall of Fame**
**Texas Renegades Hall of Fame**
**Hall of Fame Member**
mstuk41 Registered
S27, S29, S32, S40, S42 Challenge Cup Champion
Posts:1,223 Threads: 34 Joined: Jun 2014 Reputation:21
Pronouns: Undisclosed
It isn't easy to win in the SHL playoffs. It is a lot harder to win when you know the fix is in on you. This was evident after Game #4 in the Calgary Edmonton 2nd round matchup. Game 4 is often the turning point in a series. It's when a team could tie it up at 2 or in this case build an insurmountable 3-1 lead. With Edmonton bouncing back from a game 1 loss to Calgary, to take the 2nd and 3rd game of the series, game 4 was going to dictate how the series would end. Calgary wins, they get back home advantage in the series, they lose and its goodnight on a great season. It is tough to play hockey games 6v6. Let alone 8 v 6 or 5 considering Calgary spent nearly a third of the game in the penalty box. Usually refs swallow their whistles during the playoffs. There was nothing usual about this game in Edmonton. Edmonton was whistled for their one and only penalty 46 seconds into the game, from there the next 8. Yes I said 8 penalties went against the Calgary Dragons, with potential league MVP Bubba Nuck being the worst offender with 3. The hard fought game went into the 3rd period tied at 2, where the series deciding goal was scored. On the Powerplay. So thank you zebras you really suck. Signed Calgary. Congrats Edmonton on winning the West.
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TASK THREE
There is really only once choice for Playoff MVP in the S30 playoffs. Brett Broadway. Broadway single handedly dispatched defending Challenge Cup Champion Calgary, by standing on his head, as his team was outplayed and outshot. Through Edmonton’s first 10 games of the playoffs, Broadway has won 7 of those contests, with a .921 save percentage. Even though he has a less than elite goals against average of 2.48, he is keeping his team in every game, by saving at such a high rate. Turning away 305 of 331 shots against him, he has on a nightly basis carried a team that isn’t playing up to their lofty expectations defensively. Miraculously his name has only been called one time as 2nd star of the game. Whoever is judging this needs to really get their heads out of their asses, because Edmonton is on the verge of winning a cup because of the fantastic net minding of Brett Broadway.
158 Words
TASK FIVE
The stage was set, a rematch of the Western Conference Finals from S29. The Calgary Dragons facing off against the Edmonton Blizzard. Last season, we saw the Dragons win the series in 7 hard fought games, that propelled them into their 2nd Challenge Cup in 3 seasons. After taking home the Presidents Cup, the Dragons came into the series on a high note. Dispataching the Seattle Riot in 7 games after falling behind 2-0 in the series. Defending the cup looked like it was in their grasp as they captured game one on home ice, 2-1. But something happened, that happens all too often in the quirky SHL sim. A stud goalie decided he cannot save a beach ball. I call it Marc Andre Fluery disease. Unfortunately Hunter Wong caught a terrible case of the the MAF for short, and decided to stop saving pucks. Calgary lost the next 4 games, and their hopes of defending the Challenge Cup. In game 2 of the series, the Dragons lost the game 5-1. On paper thats a blowout. When you look deeper into the numbers, you see that the Dragons outshot the Blizzard by 12 shots, 34-22, and that Hunter Wong only made 17 Saves. 17 Saves from a 1400 TPE goalie? Really? Something is rotten in Edmonton on that one. We also look at the first shift of the game and we see that Edmonton scored 17 seconds into the game. Again, who scores that quickly? Going even deeper we see that Calgary had 4 power plays to Edmontons 1. Calgary 0-4, Edmonton 1-1.. Curious. Even deeper we dive, and we see that Calgary won 44 Faceoffs to Edmontons 27. Had the puck longer, had more shots, more power plays....one could assume that Calgary took game 2 and a 2-0 lead in the series to Edmonton for game 3. Now we look at game 3. Oh look, the Dragons out shot Edmonton 34-25 in this game, while losing it 5-2. Oh look, Edmonton scored 5 seconds into the game.....How the fuck is that even possible? Calgary again with more power plays, 5-4, not so bad in this game...just wait till game 4. Oh look Calgary won faceoffs by 10, had more hits, and blocked shots in this game. Sure looks like it could have been another Calgary win for a 3-0 lead, and a chance to end the series in a sweep. Game 4 really pisses me off how this series unfolded. At least this game Edmonton actually took more shots at 37 to 26, but when we look at why there is something that is really screwy. Calgary played nearly an entire period in this game with a man down. 16 mintues of time spent in the box to Edmonton's 2. So Edmonton had free will to fire shots on net, yet only managed to win 3-2. Looking even deeper, the Dragons won every other battle in this game, Hits by 10, Faceoffs by 2, and Blocked shots by 10. In a alternate world, Calgary should have swept this series and be defending thier Challenge Cup, unfortunately in reality, the Sim is pure luck, and Edmonton had it all in this series.
547 words
TASK EIGHT
Championships are won by making small moves that fill in a key need for teams. Other times is happens when a marquee free agent signing decides to sign and elevate the team to a new level. Then there are times when making a small move that seems insignificant at the time, changes everything, the Locker room seems like a weight has been lifted off of it, and there is a new sense of happiness and chemistry that develops once that player is gone. This happened change to the Locker Room happened in New England this past offseason, and it without a doubt changed the team for the better, brought them closer together, and made it able for them to go on the run that has them one step away from bringing the Challenge Cup back to the east. The move I am talking about is when New England honored Hunkey Monkeys trade request because he doesn't like girls, him being all of 7 years old, and shipping him off to Calgary to join his dad Nuck for a 2nd round pick. The energy that was pumped back into the Locker room after lil nuck left is something of legend. If New England can pull off the series victory against the fierce Edmonton Blizzard, this is the move that they will be talking about for ages. One little boys hatred for playing with girls, led the team full of girls on a mission to glory!
244 Words
BONUS: Who scores the cup winning goal? Nathan Russell
BONUS: Who scores the cup winning goal? Squidward Tortellini
TASK ONE
Write a blog post about any post season game of S30. Can be a game preview, a recap, something silly like a review of what colour laces a player is wearing. Must be 150 words
Heeey guys as head of the Raven Silverwing I`d like to start this blog post by blessing and praising Silverwing. May his shots forever be powerful and accurate.
I visited the first playoff game of the New England Wolfpack as they played the Minnesota Chiefs in Minnesota. It was a long ride their, but it was so worth it.
The game was amazing! Watching the pregame skate with Raven just gliding around and shooting pucks and stuff. The game got very excited towards the end of the third. We went down 2-0 at 13 minutes and it was getting grim for us, but we kept on cheering and chanting.
I held up my sign 'Raven, Raven, Baeven!' as I cheered his name. We scored in the 14th and it was 2-1 for so long after. When SHerrill tied at the start of the 19th I swear I almost cried with joy. The wolfpack showed so much passion. I knew inside they weren't going to lose this game.
The first overtime was very stressful as the Chief were getting off more shots than us, but they weren't able to score, but finally in the second overtime. 2 and a half minutes in Raven got the puck and I could just feel this was going in. I chanted with all my energy I had left and he shot and scoooooored!
The wolfpack fans that were their cheered so loud. Raven Silverwing is our saviour.
(242 words)
TASK THREE
Who is your MVP candidate for these playoffs and why? Must be 150 words and have 3 stats minimum.
The question who is the MVP for this playoff is one easily answered. It has to be the top lad Raven Silverwing himself who wins this playoff award.
The young brit who is in his sophomore year with the wolfpack ended the cup race with 6 goals, 7 assists for a total of 13 points. Which ties him 5th together with Bojo Biscuit, Pierre-Luc Laflamme and Jackson Rogers-Tanaka.
Also rocking a +13 in plus/minus and a shot precentage of 12.77%. His best stat however is 5 GWG's. In 14 playoff games played this mean Silverwing scored the game winner in 35% of the games.
He scored these goals in: OT #2 Game 1 vs the chiefs, OT #1 Game 2 vs the chiefs, OT #2 game 6 vs the platoon, 19:53 3rd period game 9 vs the platoon, 17:32 1st period game 10 vs the platoon.
The first two were inportant goals in their sweep vs the chiefs and after he had 3 GWG's against the Platoon in a difficult series.
These stats show his important for the WOlfpack and how clutch he is.
Take one Cup finalist and talk about how they made the playoffs (free agent signings, trades, outstanding rookies, a career season from someone). Must be 200 words
'From wandering hobo searching a new home to cup winner'
We'll be looking at one of the new guys on the New England Wolfpack who joined the roster this season and instantly won the cup. We'll be looking at Jonathan Lundberg.
Lundberg signed as a free agent after having played for Manhattan and Winnipeg in S29. Good for 29 points (9 Goals, 20 Assist) 13 plus/minus in the regular season, he was projected to have a good playoff run with the team.
In the 14 games the wolfpack played in the playoffs Lundberg had 3 goals, 6 assists, good for 9 points total. He had a plus minus of -1 and so he was the only player on the wolfpack to be rocking a negative plus minus and is a total scrubcake.
He rocked a Faceoff Precentage of 51.52% on 460 faceoffs taken and so was a helpful force for his team.
From a free agent to a solid teamplayer and awesome teammate Lundberg has settled well in Boston. Rumer has it the wolfpack was a place Lundberg wanted to play for and so not only did he find a place he wanted to call home, but also came out with a cup.
Thank you Fever, sköldpaddor and OD for the amazing sigs!
What makes the New England Wolfpack so great? It's a question many people in the SHL world have been asking themselves lately, and there have been many proposed answers: their abyss-like depth, their impeccable coaching, their commitment to friendship and magic, their determination... the list goes on and on.
As we come up on the Challenge Cup Final, though, where New England will face the Edmonton Blizzard, we look to their pre-game routine for a clue. While a few of the vets prefer quiet before they hit the ice, they concede to two youngsters in the room for a one-song long dance party. Here are three of the songs Mia Landvik and Mainio Makinen have played before playoff games this season, as given to us by their teammates:
- Fight Song - Rachel Platten
Nathan Russell: I think the songs they choose are pretty amusing. There's one where they get really emotional... no, wait, that's all of them.
- Feeling Myself - Nicki Minaj (ft. Beyonce)
Jasper Clayton: They each take a part for this one. Mainio does a really disturbing Beyonce, and Mia does Nicki. [Can she rap?] No.
- Shake It Off - Taylor Swift
Bennett Jones: Oh yeah, I love the dance parties. I always join in for the Taylor Swift songs. Haters gonna hate, etc.
TASK SIX
TASK SEVEN
TASK EIGHT
The New England Wolfpack seemed to just barely scrape into the playoffs with a win over the Portland Admirals in the dying days of the regular season. Understandably, many people began to wonder how they did that. Now that the Wolfpack is facing the Blizzard in the final bid for the Challenge Cup, let's take a look at some of the factors that contributed to the Wolfpack's success.
3. The Wolfpack have a coach that knows how to make the most of the team. Though the Wolfpack have struggled in some areas, they have overall been able to outwit, outlast, and outplay their opponents. This has translated even more to their postseason play, where they have tallied a considerable number of overtime wins.
2. Friendship and magic are the baseline of this team. While some teams may have gotten frustrated by inconsistent play throughout the season and let tensions rise in the locker room, the Wolfpack never let it get to them. Endlessly encouraging each other on and off the ice does wonders.
1. Finally, neither of those things would have been possible without the talented general managers of the Wolfpack, both past and present. Building a contending team that can both play well and have fun is not easy, but NEW GMs make it look like it is. Without their talents, both the coach and the players wouldn't have it nearly so easy.
TASK ONE
Write a blog post about any post season game of S30. Can be a game preview, a recap, something silly like a review of what colour laces a player is wearing. Must be 150 words
Check it, Brandon Pomery signing on here again. It's been awhile folks but today we're going to review player's performance in the play-offs vs. their visor colours.
TASK TWO
Make a graphic matching up a "Player To Watch" on each team in the finals. Must have 3 stats minimum, two player renders and team logos
TASK THREE
Who is your MVP candidate for these playoffs and why? Must be 150 words and have 3 stats minimum.
TASK FIVE
Write 200 words on any series match up and what you think will happen, what actually happened or what should have happened.
TASK SIX
Make the Championship banner that goes across the top of the site, must include the team name, logo and at least one render
TASK EIGHT
Take one Cup finalist and talk about how they made the playoffs (free agent signings, trades, outstanding rookies, a career season from someone). Must be 200 words
BONUS: Who scores the cup winning goal?
Nathan Russell
“The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and pass, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth comes again. ... There are neither beginnings nor endings to the Wheel of Time. But it was a beginning.”
bilbo Registered
Should be working but just loafing around
Posts:1,613 Threads: 40 Joined: Jan 2016 Reputation:61
Pronouns: They/Them
TASK ONE
Write a blog post about any post season game of S30. Can be a game preview, a recap, something silly like a review of what colour laces a player is wearing. Must be 150 words Unimportant Significant Hockey News: S30 Playoffs
It was game 1 in the series finals. The New England Wolfpack had acted as the ferocious wind, blowing the competition away in round 1. When round 2 came, so did the ice, striking hard but then moving back towards the west. Then came the finals, and four to seven feet of snow lied in front of this Cinderella-like ending for the New England Wolfpack. If you haven’t guessed by now, they were up against the Edmonton Blizzard.
How was game 1 going to go? Spoiler alert: New England won in overtime, 3-2. That wasn’t the real story here. What was, you ask? Our team of experts was much more interested in defense rookie Mia Landvik’s adventures on and off the ice.
How does a rookie prepare for a playoff game? What makes that small difference to calm the nerves before ice time?
For Mia, it starts with a pre-game dance party with New England veteran Mainio. The two encourage other Wolfpack teammates to join, but somehow, it tends to end up with just the two of them shaking it. Next for pre-game rituals, Landvik has had many reporters make comments about her style, but no matter others’ opinions, Landvik starts game 1 of the regular season and game 1 of the final playoff series the same way: dance party, pink tape, tying of the colorful laces, and last, but certainly not least, jamming out to “Fight Song” by Rachel Platten before going out onto the ice to quite literally hit, fight, and protect the puck at all costs.
We can’t wait to see what song she’ll be singing come the final playoff game! Perhaps, “We Are the Champions?”
TASK FOUR
Create a game ticket for any playoff game in S30. Must include the home team's logo.
TASK SEVEN
Design a Challenge Cup Champions hat or shirt. Must include team logo.
TASK EIGHT
Take one Cup finalist and talk about how they made the playoffs (free agent signings, trades, outstanding rookies, a career season from someone). Must be 200 words
GM Eggy and co-GM lil were in dire need of a new experienced goaltender before season 30 started. Though Mikke Laukkanen has all the passion to become New England’s future starting goalie, the team made a tough trade to get former Hamilton Steelhawks’ goalie, Jakub Tanner. Though it lost them Connor O’Reilly, Tanner would prove his worth to the Wolfpack, going 26-17 in the regular season. Not only that, but bringing up rookies Mikael Talo and Mia Landvik would prove to be fruitful. Talo had dominated on the SMJHL Knights in the past season, and his talent is slowly starting to shine on the Wolfpack. Defensive rookie Mia Landvik didn’t produce the points that the Wolfpack were looking for, but her D-game came to play with 41 shots blocked in the regular season, along with 99 hits that we’re sure SHL components will remember for seasons to come.
A lot of Wolfpack veterans had better seasons this year, but the vet who stands out is arguably the regular season MVP, Patrikov Bure. Bure produced 60 points and dominated the individual standings in the SHL. For a team that is still growing their depth, a lot of weight was put on his shoulders this season, and he only took it and ran with it. A lot of SHL fans may be wondering how this underdog team has now made it to the final series of the playoffs, but just look around the NEW locker room and you will find the passion was here all along.
BONUS: Who scores the cup winning goal?
Jasper Clayton ;
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