Login

Jenny · 08-19-2018, 09:23 PM

The playoffs are a super exciting time of the season. You know what makes them more exciting? Giving out a ton of TPE!

Here's how this will work: there are five tasks, each of which is worth up to 2 TPE for putting in a little effort, for a total of 10 possible TPE. You can complete them in any order and do as few or as many as you would like.

ONLY S42 SMJHL DRAFTEES (S43 SHL DRAFTEES) CAN EARN TPE FOR CW TASKS

Task #1 -Pick a player from an eliminated team and slot them into an existing playoff lineup. Who do they replace, why, how do their playoff stats look?
Must include: 150 words.

Task #2 - Make a top 5 list for the finals. Top 5 goals, top 5 players, top 5 noteworthy people in the audience for one of the games, whatever you want. No word count, but if you just list 5 names, you won't get the full 2 tpe. Be a little creative.

Task #3 - Either write an interview with your player about your team's playoff hopes (or if you're on an eliminated team, an interview about your team's season in review) OR create a program cover for one of the games in any playoff series.
Requirements: Written option - At least 200 words. Graphic option - Logos of both teams in the matchup and at least one player render.

Task #4 - Write 200 words or make a graphic highlighting any goalie matchup of the series.
Written must include 3 stats, either from playoffs or the regular season.
Graphic must include both goalie renders and both team logos.

Task #5 - Write a goals highlight play by play for one series winning game OR make an infographic featuring stats from a series winning game.
Requirements: At least 200 words for written / at least 4 stats featured in at least 2 different ways for graphics (bar graphs, pie graphs, list of names, etc)

DEADLINE FOR ALL TASKS: 7 full days after the final PBP is complete, 11:59PM EST.

Muerto · 08-19-2018, 09:26 PM

Task #1 -Pick a player from an eliminated team and slot them into an existing playoff lineup. Who do they replace, why, how do their playoff stats look?
Must include: 150 words.

From the Vancouver Whalers, I eliminate C Guts O'Bigbers and replace him with my own player, Goku Muerto. A slight downgrade for total TPE but would be an axctive developing player on the 4th line instead of an overpaid inactive. Both are playmakers, pass-first centermen. Guts is a bit tougher and better defensively but Goku is a better skater. The wingers are young rookie sensation Luke Thmasen as well as another rookie stud sniper Jack Kennedy, so there could be that youthful energy helping drive the play when the stars needed a breather. The line currently seems to be playing well with their approximate 9 minutes per game, being a +3 with all of them having at least 2 pts. I think with Goku there, they would have even more points as he has great offensive instincts. Might be just that added goal they need to win it in 7th game OT!!

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Task #2 - Make a top 5 list for the finals. Top 5 goals, top 5 players, top 5 noteworthy people in the audience for one of the games, whatever you want. No word count, but if you just list 5 names, you won't get the full 2 tpe. Be a little creative.

Top 5 Famous Vancouverites Attending the Playoff Games

Playoff fever is sweeping across the globe and celebrities born and raised in Vancouver are just as big fans of the Whalers as anyone!

We spotted a few at the rink!

1. Ryan Reynolds

[Image: f1blso.jpg]

2. Seth Rogen

[Image: Seth+Rogen+Celebrities+attend+USA+v+Cana...DAWzTl.jpg]

3. Grimes

[Image: shenae-grimes-and-josh-beech-attend-a-ho...xxXmiWc8E=]

4. Carly Rae Jepsen

[Image: maxresdefault.jpg]

5. Michael Buble

[Image: df4a9e484011ffd7f8593b72315ec5f9.jpg]

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Task #3 - Either write an interview with your player about your team's playoff hopes (or if you're on an eliminated team, an interview about your team's season in review)

Goku Muerto, how did it feel to miss out on the playoffs with the St. Louis Scarecrows

Well Jim, it was a tough fight right to the finish. We had put ourselves behind the 8 ball with a couple early losing streaks, so the back half of the season was a real battle to try to get ourselves back in it. As it was, we were a better team in the second half of the season, and it came down right to the wire. For us, the last game was essentially a playoff game - if we had won, we would have made the playoffs. But unfortunately, we lost that game, which left us tied for the last playoff spot, but the other guys had the tiebreaker and so were left out! Disappointing for sure, but you know the guys worked really hard all season and it helped us grow together as a team, and we will be that much more motivated to get the team back into the dance next season, and reward the coaches for their hard work and the fans for their support. We're gonna have a great team as a lot of the rookies really worked hard to be the best they can be, and now we know what it takes to go a whole season, and that will be a real key to moving forward!

------------------------------

Task #4 - Write 200 words or make a graphic highlighting any goalie matchup of the series.
Written must include 3 stats, either from playoffs or the regular season

Vancouver and Kelowna are facing off in the 4-Star Cup finals, and although they have great teams on the ice, they also have 2 of the best goalies in the league. For Kelowna, Kata Vilde from Sweden played in 40 regular season games (39 starts). He went 29-8-2 which his 29 wins was the best in the league. His counterpart in Vancouver is Greg Santos. He started and played in 35 games and had a 28-6-1 record - he was 2nd in wins amongst SMJHL goalies.

Both of them also appear in the top of the rankings in other categories. Vilde had the 4th best Save % at .892, the 2nd best GAA at 2.50, and 6th for shots faced and minutes played.

Santos did even better, his .903 SV% and 2.39 GAA were the best in the league. He also had 3 shutouts which was 2nd best.

SO individually, if it came down to goaltending, I believe Vancouver actually has the edge here. Santos had better stats all around. All he needs to do is steal a couple games and the Whalers will be looking good. And that is entirely possible as Vancouver also won the regular season series between the 2 teams, and that was with a goal differential of only +1. So all it takes is maybe a highlight reel save in OT and that could be the difference in the series!

----------------------------------

Task #5 - Write a goals highlight play by play for one series winning game

We take you now to the highlights of game 4 of the first round series between Montreal Militia and Colorado Raptors.

Montreal looking to sweep after dominating the first 3 games, they have been running roughshod over the hapless Raptor squad.

First period, not even 3 minutes in, and the Militia strike first, Marco Raanteli burying it to give the home team the early lead:

[Image: UniformElectricHagfish-size_restricted.gif]

Code:
1. Montreal Militia , Marco Raanteli 1 (Harvey Danger 1, Radovan Hudec 2) at 2:58

Later in the same period, Colorado ties it up as Maui gets his first of the playoffs:

[Image: nate+mack+goal.gif]

Code:
2. Colorado Raptors , Maui 1 (Philipp Winter 1, Nico Wallner 2) at 9:16

Before the period is over, Montreal regains the lead as Tutankhamen makes a great individual effort:

[Image: V5LnmHg.gif]

Code:
3. Montreal Militia , Rahotep Tutankhamun 2 (Grease La Roache 3) at 11:59

In the 2nd period, the Militia add to their lead, Radovan Hudek with a nifty play:

[Image: canadiensgoal.gif]

The play went to review but the goal stands and Montreal has a 2 goal lead!

Code:
4. Montreal Militia , Radovan Hudec 3 (Viktor Valentine 2, Cody Johansen 2) at 5:10

They are not done yet, Colorado goes shorthanded and Jeff Brogen makes them pay!

[Image: InsecureSharpHagfish.gif]

Code:
5. Montreal Militia , Jeff Brogen 1 (Mason Hudson 2, Viktor Valentine 3) at 11:30 (PP)

Montreal has built up a 3 goal lead, and spend the 3rd period just toying with the Raptors

[Image: 1fqs30.gif]

Colorado goes down without a fight, and Montreal moves on to the second round!

------------------------------------

Schultzy · 08-19-2018, 09:42 PM

Task #1

For me the only way to make the already deep and talented Vancouver Whalers even better is to add another elite defenseman like Tig Murphy to their lineup. In the regular season the Detroit Defenseman had 31 points in 50 games. Remember that's a rookie defenseman scoring 31 points! That's just insane. 13 of his points came on the special teams and he added 50 blocked shots making him the complete package on the back end. Now, who does he replace? I would slot him in for Jean Luc Picard. The Whalers defenseman is playing 22 minutes a game this post season and has only 3 points with 7 shots and 4 blocks but is a minus 2 rating. I think Murphy has game breaking ability on the transition and could really be a difference maker for the Whalers especially on the Power Play. Murphy is a guy that can move the puck and rack up the points you need to win games and championships.

Task #2

Top 5 players to watch in the Finals:

From Kelowna: Daddy Mack leads the Knights in scoring with 10 points in 4 games. Look for him to be a threat every time he touches the ice and he'll need to be to lead the Knights to the Cup.

From Kelowna: Kata Vilde the goaltender in the cage for the Knights with an impressive .947 save percentage and a GAA of 1.00 thru four undefeated games.

From Vancouver: Luke Thomason is the rookie many think could go first overall in the upcoming SHL Rookie Entry Draft and he can't have a bad performance in the Finals going into that Draft given his hype. So far he has 3 points in 5 games so he has to keep that production going.

From Vancouver: Geoff Moore the defenseman with 5 points in 5 games has to continue to be a catalyst for the Whalers on the backend. If he dries up the Whalers could be in big trouble.

From Vancouver: Max Mauldin the rookie that many thought would go first overall in the upcoming SHL Rookie Entry Draft is already spoken for by the LA Panthers and given his performance they may want their money back. With 0 points and 3 shots in 12 minutes of ice time per game, Max is a minus one after 5 games played. There's no way to sugar coat this one. He has got to come to play in the Finals and be the difference maker that L.A. is expecting.

Task #3

This was a tough season in Montreal and honestly the Militia should have had a much easier time and a much better record. On paper, after the incredible Draft we looked great. Deep lineup without much weakness. Lots of send downs and veterans. But for some reason we ended up with Vrana in net as a rookie and that was ok at first even if less than desirable to pin your hopes on a rookie goalie but then he went semi active for a few weeks and that really hurt us as a team as a locker room.

Then the real issues became clear. We became streaky. We would win 4 games in a row then lose the next 6 without any adjustments. I really think management is happy with just squeaking into the playoffs in the sixth seed but they shouldn't be. We could have had a bye the first week but we didn't because of the lack of coaching in Montreal and it needs to be addressed. You can't keep watching the team lose and not make changes to strategies or lines when you know they're not working. That's where the season got away from us.

In the playoffs it was just more of the same. A few good wins early but then a brick wall in Vancouver without any changes to lines or strategies. Once again we just laid there and took it.

As for my own performance this season it was an adjustment every game. But I think I've made a lot of improvements to my game and finishing in the top ten in the league in hits was a major accomplishment given my limited ice time. I'll be back next season and ready to take on a bigger role with more ice time and hopefully more points as a result.

Task #4

It's difficult to even compare the two goalies in the SMJHL Four Star Cup Finals this year. There really is no comparison. The numbers are wildly off.

The Vancouver Whalers will continue to rely on goaltender Greg Santos who has a 4-0-1 record through five games with a .860 save percentage and a 2.69 GAA. And those numbers alone aren't bad at all. In fact nearly every team would kill to say that's their goalie and his stats. But then we turn to Kelowna and see the Knights star netminder and things suddenly get grim for the Whalers.

The Kelowna Knights will once again turn to the nearly perfect Kata Vilde who has a .947 save percentage and 1.00 GAA in four games which have resulted in a perfect four wins. This is why the matchup isn't even comparable - there's no way to even begin to contrast against numbers so inhuman as Vilde has amassed.

If the Knights win then Vilde has to be the pick for MVP. Forget Daddy. This is the guy leading them to the Cup and the numbers prove it. So I wish Santos luck I really do. Obviously, he's going to need it as Kelowna is as talented as a team as you're going to find in the SMJHL. But you cannot help but wonder if Kata will come back down to earth or stay phenomenal.

Task #5

We're back at the start of the 2nd period with the Montreal Militia still on the carry over penalty for Holding to Dabcity Savage. Montreal looking for any momentum to claw their way back into this series and a kill here might be what they need if they want to stay alive in this elimination game.

On the Penalty Kill and forward Cody Johansen wins the draw. He's flanked by Rafe Ulrich and Montreal will dump the puck down to Vancouver's end. With that Montreal will change the Defense pairing and Harvey Danger and Grease La Roache will step out onto the ice.

Vancouver back to get it now, still plenty of time on the clock on this Power Play with the Whalers in a comfortable lead. Soren Kierkegaard, David Kastrba, Kristaps Ball are on ice up front for the Vancouver Whalers. On Defense its Geoff Moore, Tokek Takshak that are back retrieving the puck and starting the break out.

David Kastrba passes it up to Moore in neutral zone. Geoff Moore moves puck into the Montreal zone. Big shot by Moore, but it's blocked by La Roache. Into the corner and the puck is picked up by David Kastrba who fires it on goal!

He scores! And just like that the Montreal Militia have zero hope and no prayer will save them now. Turn out the lights, good afternoon and good night it's all over! The Vancouver Whalers are going to the Finals! Good bye Montreal!

King · 08-19-2018, 09:46 PM

Task #1 - Play from an eliminated team

For this one I'm going to put my boy Pierre Laroche-Durocher onto the Kelowna Knights @lespoils. The Knights are definitely the most stacked team in the league, but if you check their lines and look at their TPE per line they do have one hole, which is Darren McCarty on the second pairing.Their current line up is given below with the corresponding TPE

Michael O'Dowd (334) James Dekens (350) Daddy Mack (350)
Fenton Uriel (350) Cash Savage (350) Matej Elias (350)
Peter Walker (269) Ryan Gardiner (350) Xavier Paquette (350)
Fenton Uriel (350) Daddy Mack (350) Boris Denisovich (264)

Kevin Maddox (350) Michael Fischer (350)
Deku Izuku (307) Darren McCarty (177)
Elias Svensson (220) Greg Connors (229)

Kata Vilde (350)
Reece Artois (212)

When you go through the lineup from top to bottom Darren McCarty and his 177 TPE sticks out like a sore thumb. PLD and his 260 TPE is a huge upgrade. He adds a physical presence to the blueline that the Knights are lacking. PLD in the playoffs would be a stud. Deliver bone crushing hits and really changing the make up of the pairs. He would easily lead the playoffs in hit, blocked shots, and would be playing a ton of time on the penalty kill. 16 hits in 4 games for Kelowna along with 8 blocked shots. PLD would move up to the first pair and would pair very well with Kevin Maddox, and allow Maddox to jump up into the play more. Fischer can slide down into the second pair and give the Knights a much more well rounded top four.

275 Words

Task #2 - Top 5 list
Top 5 celebrity appearances at the SMJHL Finals

Tickets have been flying off the shelf for the Knights and Whalers finals. And we have some special Kelowna and Vancouver celebrities who have bought tickets.

1. Ryan Reynolds - Vancouver native
[Image: 224279_54144e418f5fa8aa4bf7a2b65132cc216f55a1e0.jpg]

[Image: 224279_54144e418f5fa8aa4bf7a2b65132cc216f55a1e0.jpg]

Reynolds is a long term hockey fan and a die hard Whaler. Reynolds, a season ticket holder is ready to paint the face and take his wife and baby to each of the Vancouver games.

2. Taylor Kitsch - Kelowna native
[Image: taylor_kitsch_lauren-dukoff-06.jpg]

[Image: taylor_kitsch_lauren-dukoff-06.jpg]

You might know him as Gambit from the Wolverine movie, or Tim Riggins from Saturday Night Lights, but the Knights know him as die hard Knight fan Taylor Kitsch. Taylor has been a ticket holder and the local Kelowna celebrity for some time now.

3. Michael Bublé - Vancouver native
[Image: 224293_28e02a492b82e325b0800cd9c334da14f461cc38.jpg]

[Image: 224293_28e02a492b82e325b0800cd9c334da14f461cc38.jpg]

Buble has been singing the anthem at major Vancouver games for awhile now, and we expect to see him singing at each Vancouver home game.

4. Colin Basran - Mayor of Kelowna
[Image: N_oKJilU.jpg]

Kelowna is a hockey city through and through, and it continues all the way to the top with the mayor of Kelowna, Colin Basran. Even the government is on the Knights bandwagon.

5. Cobie Smuldres - Vancouver native
[Image: 224295_5ca4c8bfba9cb8a19985a4bdf3e1660485fb86c9.jpg]

[Image: 224295_5ca4c8bfba9cb8a19985a4bdf3e1660485fb86c9.jpg]

Well she wasn't your mother, but she is you local Whalers cheerleader. Born and raised going to Whaler games Cobie will be at the attendance of every finals game.

Task #3 - Interview on season

*TSN caught Leshaun King at the golf course for a charity game*

TSN: Hey Leshaun, a minute of your time? Leshaun I know we've talked about it a lot but how has it been dealing with the seven game losing streak that ended your season?

Leshaun: I'm not exactly sure how I should answer that one. We thought we were a playoff lock. Then we lost seven straight, going 3-14 over the last seventeen games to collapse and just miss the playoffs. It stings. We could be playing right now. But we're not.

TSN: How much of the blame do you think falls on your shoulders.

Leshaun: A lot. I was on the first line playing centre. Thats a big weight, a big role, I was on the first power play. And we didn't get it done to finish the season. I need to be better and I intend to be better next season.

TSN: Next season, how will the team avoid such a collapse. How will you get better.

Leshaun: Just internal growth. I think we got a look of rookies who are getting a lot better, we're going to have a big off season, work hard, and come back next year ready to play. We're going to make the playoffs next year.

TSN: Is that a promise?

Leshaun: Yeah thats a promise, you guys can go put that in a headline.

235 Words

Task #4 - Goalie matchup

The SMJHL had a massive rookie crop this year and in the crease it was headlined by two big names. Cedric Robinson of the Detroit Falcons and Petr Vrana of the Montreal Militia. The two faced off eight times. With Detroit coming out on top six of the eight times, and of two of Montreals wins one of them came in over time (Stat 1. Wins/Losses). There individual stats were a little closer though. The save percentage by game is going as follows (Stat 2+ all the save percentages)

Robinson, .933, .905, .900, .895, .950, Back-up, Back-up, Back-up,
Vrana, .882, .889, .889, .903, .917, .667, .889, .957

Robin had the more steady performance, missing the last three games though with the back up playing. Vrana had the highest peak with a dominate .957 save percentage. But unfortunately had the lowest low as well, with a .667 save percentage performance where he ultimately got pulled in the loss. The two unfortunately could not meet up in the playoffs to duel out but both will have long SMJHL careers ahead of them. The two will have eight more meet ups next year and with the way there teams are trending will likely meet up in the playoffs at least a few times again, and likely in the SHL.

219 Words

Task #5 - Goal highlight pbp for a series winning game

We hit up game five of Montreal vs Vancouver. Montreal needs a win to stay alive, Vancouver can end the series.

Goal 1
Montreal gets the early opportunity on the power play with Buck Maverick taking the minor for hooking. The powerplay is struggling to get rolling when Viktor Valentine hops over the baords with the second unit. Jean-Luc Picard has the puck and is ready to clear the puck when Kazarian picks off the clearing attempt and moves it up to Brogen. Brogen into the neutral zone. Over Harvey Danger in the Whalers Zone, dropped back to the wizard Valentine. Valentine holding the puck, looking for options and he sets up the tic-tac-toe. Valentine to Kazarian, to Danger, back to Valentine from the point.. GOAL! 1-0 Montreal

Goal 2
Momentum is all Montreal and they are buzzing. Puck is stuck in the neutral zone. Whalers being pressured. Andani trying to break out, goes for the pass and Brogen is there to intercept it, over to Valentine who dumps it in for the chase. Picard is back to get it though, again trying to clear and Harvey Danger is there! Picks it off. Vancouver is scrambling! Over to Hudson, Hudson to Raanteli. Raanteli moves the puck back into the Whalers zone. Over to Harvey who is coming in behind, he fakes the shot and drops it again to Hudson. Hudson with bodies infront! SHOOTS SCORES! 2-0 Montreal

Goal 3
Vancouver needs to wake up or they'll be going to a game 6. Well next shift Buck Maverick decides to take over. Kazarian wins the center ice faceoff after the goal and the puck is on Schiecks stick. Schieck skates it into the danger zone, and drops it to Hudson, Hudson and Montreal is in with numbers! Hudson... FUMBLES THE PUCK! Buck picks it up and sends it to Benis Smol, Smol away with Skalbergs. Saklbergs racing up ice with the puck. Skalbergs hits the breaks and hits the traling Kastrba! Kastrba can't take the pass! Oh no blown chance. But Buck Maverick is there to grab the free puck, shoots! Broken play but he scores! 2-1. Vancouver is awake.

Goal 4

Puck dumped into the zone by Vrana is out to play the puck, he sends it up to Wormster who tries to break it out but Guts O'Bigbers is there to pick off the pass! Guts to Luke Thomason, skates in stops, hits the trailer Nowes! SHOOT! MISS! Hammanen there though to grab the puck. Skates with it shoots! Miss! Puck bounces back to Hammanen who buries it on his third try. All tied.

Goal 5

Vancouver fought back into the game but Max Mauldin takes the careless minor to give Montreal the Power Play. And Montreal would only need 12 seconds to convert. Johansen wins the face-off over Andani straight back to Schieck. Schecik looks over his options. Back to Johansen, Back to Schieck. Scheick walks the line switching spots with Piotr for the one timer. Moves it over him to him, send it to Schieck for the one timer!!!! FAKES THE SLAPPER it's a slap pass to Hudec who buries it!

Goal 6

We're still in the first and we already have five goals. Montreal is up by 1 with under 3 minutes to play. Vancouver grinding its way back into this. Herb Robert dumps the puck in and the Benis line is on the ice to get it. Hudec is the first man back on the puck and tries to send it up ice but Tokek is there to pick it off and catches the entire montreal team changing. Sends it over to Kastrba to skate the puck into the zone. Kastrba is leading the charge on a 3 on 1 break away. Kastrba to Picard, back to Kastrba, over to Skalbergs, cross ice back to Kastrba, ONE TIMER!! And its in! Tied at the three as first one comes to a close..... right?

Goal 7

Well 30 seconds later and the Whale strike again! Off the next draw, Guts with the big faceoff win. Over to Nowes. Noews skates the puck to the Militias and the Vancouver classic, endless cycling of passing begins. Nowes down the blue line to Jussi. Jussi down the boards to Luke, Luke cross ice to a streak Nowes, Nowes skates around back up to Jussi. Jussi back to Luke. Luke cross ice to Guts. Guts is bound to shoot! NOPE. Fans begind to chant "SHOOT" Guts to Nowes. Noews to Kennedy. Kennedy back to Luke. Fans are looisng it "FOR THE LOVE OF GOD SHOOT" Luke the playmaker finnally takes a shot... GOAL!

Goal 8

Whalers up by 1 going into the second. Dabcity Savage takes a penalty at the end of the first to give Vancouver a chance to start the period on the power play. 16 seconds in and they answer. Cody wins the oppening face off of the period and gets the easy dump into the Whalers zone. Penalty killers begin to change to get the match up they want. Kastrba is the first one back to pick up the puck. And sends it up to Geoff Moore who carries it up into the Montreal zone. Skates and and lays into a HUGE slapper. GREASE WITH THE FEARLESS BLOCK! Puck deflect to Kastba who wires home the wrister top shelf.

Goal 9

Montreal down by two, trying to get back into this one. Start of the play in Montreal zone. Johansen wins it, and drops it to Hudec. Hudec trys to break it out, intercepted by Tokek, who sends it back the other way Skalbergs is coming in with speed and picks it up, cross ice to Nowes, Noews back to the trailing Tokek. Vancouver ready to make it up by three. Tokek winds up! And Marco Raanteli steals the pick and springs Rafe Ulrich. Ulrich flying in with Johansen, 2-0 break away! Rafe shoots! Wide, off the back board back to Johansen who taps it in! And the lead is cut to one.

***39alaska39*** · 08-19-2018, 10:05 PM

Task #1:

Troy McClure III is the easiest answer for slotting someone onto one of the championship rosters. For me, he is going to be replacing Jussi Hammanen on the Whalers roster. This would give the Whalers another maxed defenseman and reunite Troy with his favorite person in the SMJHL, Tokek Takshak (Geck). Troy's numbers from this season were heads and shoulders above any other defenseman in the regular season, and I would expect that to continue in the playoffs. He would likely be on the powerplay for the Whalers and playing significant minutes during critical times for the Whalers. Even though I expect that his offensive numbers will continue to be high, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to suggest that Troy would end up with more assists as the Whalers have a higher quality group of forwards lead by MVP candidate Erik Skalbergs. This offensive talent will open the door for Troy to not have to put the team on his back and distribute the puck more.

Task #2:

Top 5 Players in the Four Star Cup Finals

#5. Kevin Maddox, Kelowna Knights

Acquired from the the Colorado Raptors at the beginning of the season with another player on this list, Maddox put together another great season with the Knights putting up 6 goals and 27 assists during the regular season, but just one goal and one assist in the playoffs is why he's so low on this particular list.

#4. Luke Thomason, Vancouver Whalers

But Alaska, you cry! This is a best players list. Well in two seasons or less, I will be justified in making this pick. Thomason has the potential to be the best player out of anyone on the ice in these finals, just in a few seasons time. He's a high skill winger that can move the puck well and is a top prospect in the draft this season.

#3. Matej Elias, Kelowna Knights

The Seattle Riot draft pick controls the game when he is on the ice. His high skill and knack for making things happen brings him in at #3 on our list. There are times where he is stifled, hence his third slot, but he usually makes up for it in the clutch with timely goals and well placed passes. We look forward to seeing him in the SHL.

#2. Cash Savage, Kelowna Knights

This was a tough decision between #1 and #2, but Savage fell just behind this time around. Also acquired from the Colorado Raptors with Kevin Maddox, the highly skilled winger is often the best player on the ice for the Knights, something hard to do with how stacked their roster is. Savage was well worth the price paid to bring him to Kelowna and he hopes this season can be the one where he finally breaks through and wins the 4 Star Cup.

#1 Erik Skalbergs, Vancouver Whalers

The Whalers winger is the definition of elite. High skill, great skater, great shooter, lead the league in points and goals this season. There isn't much we could write about Skalbergs that hasn't already been written, but he stands alone as the best player in this series.

Task #3:

The Denver Post got the opportunity to speak to rookie forward Alex Winters on locker room clean out day at IMGen Arena.

Post: Alex, can you give us a few thoughts about the way the season went for you guys?

Winters: Well, we definitely exceeded some expectations out there, most of the media had us out of the playoffs, ya know. And I think that’s just a testament to the way this team came together for the guys in the room and we went out, battled every night to make sure we earned at least one point, ya know. It was a good year.

Post: What about the playoffs, getting swept by the Militia in the first round has to be tough?

Winters: Ya know, it was. Everyone wants that chance to win the Four Star Cup and this just wasn’t our year. That first game, apparently it was the longest in SMJHL history, really took it out of us. We never seemed to get the momentum back and I think that killed us, ya know.

Post: What can we expect from you and the Raptors next season?

Winters: Playoffs. Actually winning a game this time, ya know. We have a great roster, with a lot of great players. Anyone that didn’t realize that this season is really going to see it next year and at the draft. Expect to see a lot of us off the board early, we’ve got a great group here, ya know.

Post: Thanks for taking the time to speak to us.

Winters: Anytime guys, have a good one.

Task #4:

Kata Vilde, Kelowna Knights: The star goalie for the Knights back stopped them to the 4 Star Cup last year and is looking to do so yet again. While Vilde’s stats this season haven’t jumped off the page completely (just 2.50 GAA and .892 SV%), they have been nothing short of rock solid behind a fantastic Kelowna roster this season. Some mental lapses down the stretch cost the Knights the number one overall seed in the playoffs, but Vilde will looking to rectify that and close out the Whalers down the stretch. Vilde will be facing some high caliber players in league point leader Erik Skalbergs, rookie sensation Luke Thomason, and rock solid defenseman Tokek Takshak.

Greg Santos, Vancouver Whalers: Santos has arguably been the best goalie in the SMJHL this season, posting 2.39 GAA and 28 wins, and the Whalers goalie has kept it up in the playoffs. His ability to make fantastic saves is likely going to come up huge in terms of facing off against the stacked Kelowna Knights. Santos has the ability to steal games for the Whalers on a regular basis, when he is also behind a great Whalers team, there aren’t many teams that can match up with the Whalers. If the Whalers are going to beat the Knights this season, then it is going to take a spectacular performance from the Whalers goaltender to make it happen.

Task #5:

[Image: KN290g7.png]

I am terrible at graphics, please don't judge me Undecided

Alex Winters (retired)
Matej Winters (retired)
Dominik Winters
S45 Jesster Trophy Winner
Challenge Cup Winning Goal Club: S52

MyLittleHexx · 08-19-2018, 10:09 PM

Task #1 -Pick a player from an eliminated team and slot them into an existing playoff lineup. Who do they replace, why, how do their playoff stats look?
Must include: 150 words.

Here we are fans, Vancouver and Kelowna. A battle that will rely heavily on skill, but will be missing something that almost every other series has had. A battle of grit, a battle of the bodies. Neither team has players that put their bodies on the line, grinding away at the other's top players. It will likely be a high scoring series, as neither team has players can separate body from puck effectively. To remedy this, we'd take Sulak O'Hritea from the Colorado Raptors and place him on the Vancouver Whalers, replacing Kristaps Ball. Replacing Ball would be a no brainer, as he has done nothing of value in the five games he has played. Playing his game, Sulak would most likely rack up 15 hits in the first four games, score one goal, assist on three goals, and block two shots. Sulak most likely would only rack up four minutes of penalty time, but it wouldn't be the most penalty minutes on the team. With Sulak in the lineup, Vancouver might have that edge to prevent the Knights from having three cup wins in a row, which would please pretty much anyone in the league.

Task #2 - Make a top 5 list for the finals. Top 5 goals, top 5 players, top 5 noteworthy people in the audience for one of the games, whatever you want. No word count, but if you just list 5 names, you won't get the full 2 tpe. Be a little creative.

This playoffs, we are taking a look at the top five hits of the playoffs. Playoff hockey always seems to draw the big hits out, and this years is no different with a bunch of massive hits being thrown around.

5. Max Mauldin on Rahotep Tutankhamun - Game 3 Montreal vs Vancouver
[Image: VirtanenHit.gif]

4. Sulak O'Hritea on Radovan Hudec - Game 3 Montreal vs Colorado
[Image: ShabbySophisticatedIvorybackedwoodswallow-small.gif]

3. Muhammad McLovin on Daddy Mack - Game 1 Anchorage vs Kelowna
[Image: ku-xlarge.gif]

2. Muhammad McLovin on Tig Murphy - Game 5 Anchorage vs Detroit
[Image: giphy.gif]

1. Katsuo Yamaguchi Hit on Raanteli, leading to line brawl - Game 1 Montreal vs Colorado
[Image: RemarkableRaggedFlounder-size_restricted.gif]

***luke*** · 08-19-2018, 10:37 PM

Task #1 -Pick a player from an eliminated team and slot them into an existing playoff lineup. Who do they replace, why, how do their playoff stats look?
Must include: 150 words.

Troy McClure III- D
Troy is a 350 TPE defenseman from Colorado Raptors, who was leading a team of rookies to the playoffs. But, they got knocked out the first round. So now he will get placed on Vancouver and see what happens to their lineups. So Since Vancouver's defensive line is pretty stacked, with their 1st D-pair is maxed out, and the second line is almost maxed out as well. Troy McClure is a 2-way defenseman, who very well deserves 1st D-pairing on any other team but Vancouver is so deep, he will be forced to play on the 2nd pairing, with Geoff Moore who also just recently capped at 350. That means Buck Maverick would be placed down onto the 3rd line with Jussi Hammann. This forces Noah Nowes down to 4th line D-Pairing, creating a super deep defensive line that would be a threat to Kelowna winning. 2 1/2 lines of capped players will be blocking shots left and right

Task #2 - Make a top 5 list for the finals. Top 5 goals, top 5 players, top 5 noteworthy people in the audience for one of the games, whatever you want. No word count, but if you just list 5 names, you won't get the full 2 tpe. Be a little creative.
Top 5 Notable People coming to the games.

Top 5 Players to look out for in the Finals.

1. Erik Skalbergs - The top point producer for the regular season, and for the whalers has been hot in the quarterfinals, putting up 7 points in 5 games. All that while playing on the 2nd line, he is one person to look out for while watching the up and coming games. Very long and bright future ahead of him

2. Max Mauldin - This rookie from Vancouver hasn't shown a lot to us this past season, and in the playoffs, but if you ever look at his game, you can see that he is very skilled for a rookie, he is just not in the best luck right now. Hopefully next season and in this series, he can show his strides and point producing capabilities.

3. Daddy Mack - Who doesn't love some daddy mack, he is a superstar for the Knights. Only having 4 games and putting up 10 points is beyond superhuman. He is a pure point producer, and Greg Santos is going to have some difficult time in between the pipes

4. Vladislav Konstantin - the Knights only good rookie, he will be left with crumbs around him as all of the old guards gets called up next season. If he ever wants to touch the cup then he has to win this series.

5. Cash Savage - A consistent point producer for the Knights did not rest in the quarterfinals, going 1 PPG, and he is not stopping. They are going for the 3-peat and they definitely have the squad to do so. With Cash leading them along with Mack, it will be a very competitive game.

Task #3 - Either write an interview with your player about your team's playoff hopes (or if you're on an eliminated team, an interview about your team's season in review) OR create a program cover for one of the games in any playoff series.
Requirements: Written option - At least 200 words. Graphic option - Logos of both teams in the matchup and at least one player render.

Reporter: Hello Luke, thank you for stopping by before you head out to training, as you know it is finals time and your team is in them. Any general consensus on how you feel?

Luke: Yeah, It is a good feeling, you know, being a rookie going to the SMJHL cup in his first season. Of course, I am not the best player on the team, but I need to put in my work and grind until we either win or lose. I need to get my passes to Kennedy and he'll blast them into the net. I'm not feeling nervous or anything, just excited about what is about to be.

Reporter: what do you think what will happen during the finals?

Luke: Not to be unbiased, but I definitely think that the Whalers will win. It will be a tough couple of games, but I feel that the Whalers will come up on top. Kelowna has one of the best teams in the league ever, having many players on the 2nd and 3rd line that could be 1st liners everywhere else. But the Whalers up in the time and effort to win in 6 games, maybe 7.

Reporter: Where do you see yourself in these games?

Luke: Well, I hope that I can at least up in a point or two during the series, I put in 3 during the games with the Militia, giving me a positive +/- during the playoffs so far. I hope I get more ice team as I prove the coaches that I can play more than I am right now. But time will tell where I will fall. Next season I hope I can get up to the 2nd line as more people get called up. Maybe 1st if I train hard this offseason.

Reporter: Thank you for answering my questions.

Luke: anytime, thank you.

310 words

Task #4 - Write 200 words or make a graphic highlighting any goalie matchup of the series.
Written must include 3 stats, either from playoffs or the regular season.
Graphic must include both goalie renders and both team logos.
Goalie Matchup:

Petr Vrana VS Greg Santos
MTL VS VAN in playoffs

Game 1: MTL: 4 VS VAN: 3
Petr Vrana (MTL), 23 saves from 26 shots - (0.885), W, 5-0-0, 72:10 minutes
Greg Santos (VAN), 25 saves from 29 shots - (0.862), OTL, 0-0-1, 72:10 minutes

Game 2: MTL:2 VS VAN: 3
Petr Vrana (MTL), 23 saves from 26 shots - (0.885), L, 5-1-0, 59:22 minutes
Greg Santos (VAN), 6 saves from 8 shots - (0.750), W, 1-0-1, 60:00 minutes

Game 3: MTL:1 VS VAN: 3
Petr Vrana (MTL), 27 saves from 30 shots - (0.900), L, 5-2-0, 60:00 minutes
Greg Santos (VAN), 17 saves from 18 shots - (0.944), W, 2-0-1, 60:00 minutes

Game 4: MTL: 3 VS VAN: 4
Petr Vrana (MTL), 11 saves from 15 shots - (0.733), L, 5-3-0, 46:58 minutes
Greg Santos (VAN), 25 saves from 28 shots - (0.893), W, 3-0-1, 60:00 minutes

Game 5: MTL: 4 VS VAN: 5
Petr Vrana (MTL), 5 saves from 10 shots - (0.500), L, 5-4-0, 20:16 minutes
Greg Santos (VAN), 13 saves from 17 shots - (0.765), W, 4-0-1, 60:00 minutes

You can see from these 5 games, it is a mixed bag of Save%, but in terms of wins, Greg Santos pulled out the win 4 out of 5 times. Greg Santos though, had a more solid showing at the average of all 5 games. In one game, Petr Vrana got pulled after the 1st period, after allowing 5 goals. In all 5 games of goaltending Stanos had
Santos .862, .750, .944, .893, .765
Vrana .885, .885, .900, .733, .500

The last two games for Vrana came at a high cost for MTL, as they lost the series. The first 3 games though, Vrana was more consistent, but in the last 2, Santos held it out.

301 Words

Task #5 - Write a goals highlight play by play for one series winning game OR make an infographic featuring stats from a series winning game.
Requirements: At least 200 words for written / at least 4 stats featured in at least 2 different ways for graphics (bar graphs, pie graphs, list of names, etc)

Game 4: Knights:4 Vs Armada:0

We take you for game 4 of the Kelowna Vs Anchorage, as the Knights try to sweep the Armada, while the armada trys to keep themselves afloat.

Let's get into the action.

First off, there was a penalty against Anchorage, bringing the Knights a chance to score a goal.

In the 1st 6 minutes, on the PP, Kevin Maddox comes in after a beautiful pass from Daddy Mack, Maddox beating the goaltender, making the score 1-0.

1. Kelowna Knights , Kevin Maddox 1 (Daddy mack 8, Matej Elias 1) at 5:47 (PP)
[Image: giphy.gif]

Only a couple minutes later into the period, Anchorage again, gets a penalty called upon them, making the Knights go on the PP again!.

And just like at 13:42, Elia Svensson gets a beautiful one-timer handed to him by Gardiner. Elias rips it into the net, just barely passing the goalie, making this a 2 goal lead.

2. Kelowna Knights, Elias Svensson 2 (Ryan Gardiner 2, Matej Elias 2) at 13:42 (PP)
[Image: giphy.gif]

At the beginning of the 2nd, this isn't looking good for Anchorage. Deku Izuku throws it across the ice to Cash Savage as he has a breakaway! He comes up and jukes the goalie, letting the knights cement the lead of this game.

3. Kelowna Knights , Cash Savage 2 (Deku Izuku 3) at 1:16

The final goal comes from Cash Savage again, on the PP, as he gets a nice across ice pass from Fischer, and he gives a nice wristshot into the net, to right, what a beuaut. and that is all she wrote folks, the Knights have won it.

4. Kelowna Knights, Cash Savage 3 (Michael Fischer 1, Elias Svensson 2) at 17:13 (PP)
[Image: giphy.gif]

291 Words

JayWhy · 08-19-2018, 11:46 PM

TASK ONE

Rather than select from my own team as most will, I'm electing to focus on a player who had a major impact in the playoffs and simply fell out of favor at the end of their run.

Marco Raanteli of the Montreal Militia would be absolutely stellar for the Kelowna Knights. He played 20 minutes a night in Montreal, led the team in defenseman scoring despite being a rookie and was a consistent player in hits and shot blocking. He would replace Greg Connors in the line-up as a top-four option.

Through that, he'd be playing just a few minutes fewer a game, however rather than a single point in four games, we could expect Raanteli would have been a point per game player. Considering the powerhouse that Kelowna is, he would've fit perfectly into the full throttle offense as a puck moving defender. Fewer games would lead to lessened impact in terms of points, but his averages would be higher on scoring and shooting most likely while having possession will lead to fewer shot blocks and hits.

Raanteli would be a fantastic option for Kelowna after his stellar debut for Montreal this postseason.
Word Count: 194

=================================================

TASK TWO

TOP FIVE TRADES THAT AFFECTED THE SMJHL FINALS

1. COL-KEL, 07/10/18
Kelowna trades S44 1st & 3rd round picks and $6,000,000 cash to Colorado in exchange for Kevin Maddox and Cash Savage.
--> Obvious huge trade that happened in the offseason. Maddox leads the team in minutes for a defenseman and Savage is tied for team lead in goals for the playoffs thus far.

2. COL-KEL, 07/08/18
Kelowna trades S44 2nd round pick, S42 7th & 8th round picks to Colorado in exchange for Ryan Gardiner
--> Gardiner is second on the team in points in the playoffs, and has been a crucial piece of the powerplay regularly.

3. KEL-STL, 07/04/18
Kelowna trades S42 6th & HFX S42 6th round picks to St. Louis in exchange for Pete Walker and Elias Svensson
--> Svensson ties for third in team scoring and the top scoring defenseman on the team, while Walker is consistently contributing with three assists in four games.

4. VAN-DET, 07/29/18
Vancouver trades Marcel Puhringer to Detroit in exchange for a S44 2nd round pick.
--> A more interesting pick for it, this move of a young wing to Detroit filled a role for them that didn't need filled at the time. Little did we know just days later they would be moving another player who plays an impact in this series, and thus making this a very important trade.

5. KEL-DET, 08/04/18
Kelowna trades Xavier Paquette & S44 3rd round pick to Detroit in exchange for Vladislav Konstantin
--> Days after acquiring Puhringer, Detroit moves Vladislav Konstantin to Kelowna giving them some variety to their line-up and youth in the locker room. While he only has a single goal in four games, he's an important role piece that wouldn't be in Kelowna if not for Vancouver's trade about a week earlier.

=================================================
TASK THREE

Interviewer: Jax, considering your team went to the Conference Finals this season, what are your thoughts on how the team fared compared to expectations you may have had coming in?

Jax Aittokallio: We honestly exceeded expectations. We did fantastic, played nine games in the playoffs. We weren't perfect, of course not or we'd still be in it, but we made huge strides. The hard part now is to not get complacent moving forward. We're losing some key pieces, specifically in Cameron Carter II going up to Manhattan. We need to commit to the pieces needed to fill that role, and we're lucky in that Bust and Eero Niemi both showed flashes of greatness to be able to do that and get to the next step.

Interviewer: You mentioned Carter II going up. Do you feel that had an effect on the season in any way, to know he's on his way out?

Jax Aittokallio: Absolutely. You know when someone is on their way up to the big leagues. When you know that, you know you have to put in that extra work. You pay closer attention to that person, you get to know their traits of what made them do so well. Then you start doing it, you start to buy in and work harder to try and get that guy the Cup. We failed in our mission, but we all benefitted greatly from this and he will have a major impact on the Armada for seasons to come.
Word Count: 253

=================================================

TASK FOUR

This is the battle of the back-up goalies. Who is able to swing the door open fastest? Who is able to get those water bottles out there? Who is the handsomest in a hat?

For Kelowna, they have Reece Artois on the line-up. in the regular season he showed great poise with 14 games played and 6 wins. He has great reflexes with an .872 save percentage, which shows his ability to recognize when a player gets to the bench and make that quick swing action to open that door. He had 39 back-up games, meaning he is well practiced in recognizing those key attributes while also having stepped in on five occasions, showing he's always prepared to strip from the hat and spring into action. He's a focused player who gives it his all every night, even when he's just filling the water bottles and rolling them down the ice. With that in mind, his history of wearing a hat on the bench gives him an ability to know how to look great in it, but his age could be showing at times.

On the flip side, Vancouver has a rookie Johannes Leitner as the back-up. He played in 16 games, a couple more, and had 8 wins. He had a strong .889 save percentage, showing he has better reflexes and is a quick study. When he needs to get that door open, he doesn't just lazily grab it, he's lunging into the play and even giving encouraging words to his teammates. He's young and full of energy and excitement. He did only have 35 back-up games, so he's less practiced than Artois who even has other seasons under his belt including in these high pressure situations. Leitner may get sloppy when the bit lights are on, and having missed out on crucial reps during the season, it could prove troublesome for him. He's also not often called upon from the bench, only having to step in once for starter Santos. He may not know how to prepare for games where he isn't preparing early in the day, getting his meal and nap in and watching the tape in personal sessions. Luckily, with his youth comes beauty as well, and he is likely to be the more attractive one in a hat though less practiced with it.

Ultimately, this series could come down to those sloppy line changes that could come to play from a youthful goaltender like Leitner. However, he could also be a difference maker in keeping his team alive and upbeat as well as his athleticism coming into play. Only time will tell which is the better of the back-ups.
Word Count: 387

=================================================

TASK FIVE

Game Link to Game 20

We are heading into the third period for the Anchorage Armada hosting the Detroit Falcons. It's tied two a piece, huge chances coming up for both teams to take the bull by the horns.

Almost three minutes into the period, Wolfhard Richter dumps the puck for a line change but not hard enough. Benjamin Blue grabs it, sends it to Badum Tuch. He spots Geno Natostado racing up the middle, sauces the pass over. Notastado quickly taps it to his wing for Ryan Mason as far off from the line change as possible. As Detroit scrambles to make it back, Mason launches the puck into the zone on a cross ice flip for Tucker Baloo to pick up. He fires to the middle, Geno Natostado picks it up and has a step on the defense now to pull it backhand and SCOOORRRREEESSS!

With a 3-2 lead now, Anchorage is looking strong. This only leads to frustration for Detroit, knowing they're on the brink of elimination. Hypolact Asia takes a penalty for slashing on known pest Ryan Mason. Nearly a minute into the penalty, Jax Aittokallio wins a face-off over Kyle Keenan Jr. in what is a look into the old Edmonton dynasty. Puck goes back to Rex Kirkby. Doug Dimmadome immediately cuts around to the blue line, grabs a drop pass. He draws the defense up and in on him, using his skill lines a pass through to Sean Stevenson Jr. at the top of the left face-off circle for a quick one-timer low and away! Robinson makes the stop, but his push is continuing past the puck and Bust is there in front in a battle and just manages to get his stick on the puck first, driving it into the open net! It's a 4-2 lead for Anchorage!

Immediately off the goal, Dank Boija is kicked out of the face-off and Pingy Pingu is forced to take his place. Out of sorts, he loses it to Steve McGirthensons. Geno Natostado, ever the performer, immediately cuts into the play to grab the puck up. He sees the defense, Karl Von Wittelsbach, cutting up the right side to fill his spot and spins to catch him with a pass for an easy zone entry with possession. Detroit is looking exasperated, as they go to close in, KVW throws the pass along the line for Geno Natostado to race in and pick up. He fakes a shot, Robinson drops to a knee and opens the top of the net for a SNIPE right above the glove into the corner! It's a 5-2 lead, and Ricky Lewis comes to relieve Robinson. He would not allow any further goals, but Detroit by this point was completely out of the game, ultimately losing the series.
Word Count: 463

An old man's dream ended. A young man's vision of the future opened wide. Young men have visions, old men have dreams. But the place for old men to dream is beside the fire.

Thanks to Jackson, Copenhagen, and Harry Hans!

GOING DOWN IN STYLE. TOAST4LYFE

Harry Hans · 08-20-2018, 12:54 AM

Task #1 -Pick a player from an eliminated team and slot them into an existing playoff lineup. Who do they replace, why, how do their playoff stats look?
Must include: 150 words.

Troy McClure III would be a beast defense men for any team in the playoffs, unfortunately the Colorado Raptors couldn't make into the finals in the 4 Star Cup this year as they were knocked out by the Montreal Militia. However if Troy were to be in one of the final teams which one would it be? it would certainly be the Vancouver Whalers. Whalers offensive are stacked with top notch forwards, but they could have used one more solid defense men in their line and those cup dreams would have been reality , I'd say he replaces Jussi Hammanen as hasn't done anything to help whalers out in the playoffs, Troy only played 4 playoff games this year but manged to get 2 assists. In the regular season Troy produced 10 goals and 36 assists for an impressive 46 points this season. Even though the series between the Knights and the Whalers was close, it would been more intense with someone like Tory McClure III on the Whaler's side.
~169 words

Task #2 - Make a top 5 list for the finals. Top 5 goals, top 5 players, top 5 noteworthy people in the audience for one of the games, whatever you want. No word count, but if you just list 5 names, you won't get the full 2 tpe. Be a little creative.
[Image: s42_CW_Task_2.jpg]

Task #3 - Either write an interview with your player about your team's playoff hopes (or if you're on an eliminated team, an interview about your team's season in review) OR create a program cover for one of the games in any playoff series.
Requirements: Written option - At least 200 words. Graphic option - Logos of both teams in the matchup and at least one player render.
[Image: SHLCW_PT3.jpg]

Task #4 - Write 200 words or make a graphic highlighting any goalie matchup of the series.
Written must include 3 stats, either from playoffs or the regular season.
Graphic must include both goalie renders and both team logos.
[Image: PT_4ndnfv.jpg]

Task #5 - Write a goals highlight play by play for one series winning game OR make an infographic featuring stats from a series winning game.
Requirements: At least 200 words for written / at least 4 stats featured in at least 2 different ways for graphics (bar graphs, pie graphs, list of names, etc)
[Image: infographedrf.jpg]

ViN · 08-20-2018, 01:30 AM

Tasks 2, 3, and 4 Complete.

Task #2 -
Top 5 Celebrity Appearances

#5:
Liam Neeson
After killing the people who kidnapped his daughter, he come out to catch a playoff game.
[Image: 2EC2D60F00000578-0-image-a-113_1448367527625.jpg]

[Image: 2EC2D60F00000578-0-image-a-113_1448367527625.jpg]

#4:
LL Cool J
Mama said go watch your favorite sport!
[Image: image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn-s3.si.com%2F...w=800&q=85]

#3
Christopher McDonald aka Shooter McGavin
He never got his gold jacket, but he did show up to game one of the finals!
[Image: image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn-s3.si.com%2F...w=800&q=85]

#2
Kate Upton
The amazing beautiful Kate Uption with a surprise appearance attending the finals!
[Image: image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn-s3.si.com%2F...w=800&q=85]

#1
Channing Tatum Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Dax Shepard, Kristen Bell & Sean Hayes
Just a group of friends out at a hockey gam... WAIT A MINUTE?! Is that Channing Tatum!? JGL AND DAX SHEPARD TOO OMG!
[Image: image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn-s3.si.com%2F...w=800&q=85]

Task #3 -

Task #4 -

***CaptainCrazy*** · 08-20-2018, 02:55 AM

Task #1
I have selected Vancouver Whalers third line (Soren Kierkegaard - Max Mauldin - Carlo Russo). I replace Max Mauldin with my own player, Gvidas Kazlauskas. They both are rookies. Max Mauldin was drafted with 3rd overall pick but Gvidas Kazlauskas was drafted only in 9th round. It is very big difference. But if we look at the SMJHL Regular season statistics, we can see that Kazlauskas was the best rookie in scoring, picking up 19 goals and 20 assists, while Mauldin scored just 2 goals and gave 4 assists. Kazlauskas also got better +/- coefficient (+8 against 0), much better shooting percentage (12.67% against 5.26%) and also better in points per 20 minutes (0.91 against 0.23). Gvidas Kazlauskas also picked up some points in power play while Max Mauldin only played in 5 to 5 lineup. Lithuanian was the best goal scorer in team but Mauldin was in the bottom half in his team. So with Kazlauskas Vancouver Whalers could be a better team.

(161 words)

Task #2

TOP 5 Goals of SMJHL Playoffs

5. Vancouver Whalers , Eriks Skalbergs 2 (Geoff Moore 2) at 14:22

[Image: giphy.gif]

4. Montreal Militia , Vital Kravtsov 1 (Dabcity Savage 1, Charlie Schieck 3) at 13:08

[Image: giphy.gif]

3. Anchorage Armada , Viktor Kolesnikovs 1 (Geno Natostado 2, Bust 1) at 5:08

[Image: giphy.gif]

2. Detroit Falcons , Tobias Viklund 1 (Lightning Jones 1, Kyle Keenan Jr. 1) at 8:08

[Image: giphy.gif]

1. Colorado Raptors , Gvidas Kazlauskas 1 (Troy McClure III 1, Andrew Martin 1) at 5:33 (PP)

[Image: giphy.gif]

Task #3

[Image: Copy_of_Hockey_NEW_Made_with_Poster_My_Wall.jpg]

Task #4

[Image: A_New_Design_Made_with_Poster_My_Wall.jpg]

Task #5

vs

Game 1

This game was very close with three Overtimes and 116 minutes played.

First Period
Johansen against Martin in the faceoff circle. Militia lose this one. Troy McClure III gets a quick shot off that's blocked away by Valentine and RIGHT ONTO THE STICK OF GVIDAS KAZLAUSKAS...
GOAL! Goal

Colorado Raptors , Gvidas Kazlauskas 1 (Troy McClure III 1, Andrew Martin 1) at 5:33 (PP)

Militia

0:1

Shot by Andrew Martin misses the net. Another chance for Martin... GOES WIDE!! Picks up his own rebound in the corner...

Out in front the puck goes to O'Hritea!!.....

GOAL! Goal

Colorado Raptors , Sulak O'Hritea 1 (Andrew Martin 2) at 7:18

Militia

0:2

Second Period

Kravtsov wins the faceoff back in Militia's zone right to Raanteli. Raanteli carries it into the Colorado zone.

Beautiful pass to Tutankhamun.......

GOAL! Goal

Montreal Militia , Rahotep Tutankhamun 1 (Marco Raanteli 1, Vital Kravtsov 1) at 6:13

Militia

1:2

Kazarian wins the draw against Forsberg 8:35 into the period. Jeff Brogen shoots one!! Blocked by Maui. Now Danger has it...

GOAL! Goal

Montreal Militia , Harvey Danger 1 (Jeff Brogen 1, Stephen Wormster 1) at 12:25 (PP)

Militia

2:2

Pepperoni walks it into the zone. Drops it off for O'Hritea. HEAVY SHOT!! Tipped in front!!!....

GOAL! Goal

Colorado Raptors , Sulak O'Hritea 2 (Tony Pepperoni 1, Troy McClure III 2) at 18:48

Militia

2:3

Third Period

Johansen wins the draw forward in Colorado's zone...Puck goes behind the net. La Roache gets there. Behind the back pass...FINDS VALENTINE IN THE SLOT...

GOAL! Goal

Montreal Militia , Viktor Valentine 1 (Grease La Roache 1, Rafe Ulrich 1) at 1:59

Militia

3:3

Kravtsov's shot goes wide. Now Savage with a chance...

GOAL! Goal

Montreal Militia , Dabcity Savage 1 (Vital Kravtsov 2, Grease La Roache 2) at 2:34

Militia

4:3

Brown wins the puck back. Yamaguchi has it. Feeds it across to Winter. Winter walks in... AND HAMMERS ONE...

GOAL! Goal

Colorado Raptors , Philipp Winter 1 (Katsuo Yamaguchi 1, Nico Wallner 1) at 11:26

Militia

4:4

Overtime #1

No goals here

Overtime #2

No goals here

Overtime #3

Kravtsov wins the draw at center ice. Tutankhamun picks it up. Here comes Valentine!! Pases to Savage!! Flying down the side!! Dekes in!! SHOOTS!!..

GOAL! Goal

Montreal Militia , Dabcity Savage 2 (Viktor Valentine 1, Rahotep Tutankhamun 1) at 16:43 (PP)

Militia

5:4

425 words

**RomanesEuntDomus** · 08-20-2018, 06:00 AM

Task #1 -Pick a player from an eliminated team and slot them into an existing playoff lineup. Who do they replace, why, how do their playoff stats look?
Must include: 150 words.

The player I'm choosing is Troy McClure III, one of the top-players and undisputed leaders for the Colorado Raptors. McClure is an SMJHL veteran at this point and a big minute-eater as well, this season he logged over 27 minutes a game for Colorado and while the Raptors were ultimately swept in the first round, McClure was one of the few bright spots on this young team. Throughout four games he put up two assists and played a strong physical game (13 hits), all the while playing the most minutes of any Raptor and often being tasked with shutting down the oppositions best players. I would insert him into the Vancouver Whalers lineup because even though the Whalers did admirably and came only two wins short of winning the cup, they ultimately lacked the defensive depth. With only five defensemen in their regular lineup, the Whalers were forced to resort to double-shifting or playing people outside of their natural position, which definitely contributed to their downfall in the finals. McClure would be perfect to fix that.

Task #2 - Make a top 5 list for the finals. Top 5 goals, top 5 players, top 5 noteworthy people in the audience for one of the games, whatever you want. No word count, but if you just list 5 names, you won't get the full 2 tpe. Be a little creative.

Top-5 top-5 lists of the finals/this CW:

Top-5 SMJHL Finals Parents (TommySalami) - Very creative idea and funny write-ups
Top-5 Whalers Saves (JRed94) - Can't go wrong with some awesome save gifs
Top-5 Max Mauldin Games (Wasty) - Nice self-depreciating humor and ironically I found this one just minutes after thinking "wow, I didn't realize how bad Mauldin was these playoffs"
Top-5 Fails of the Playoffs (Good_Ole_Kimmy) - Some of the all-time-great hockey gifs in there, always love to be reminded of those
Top-5 Trades that affected the SMJHL Finals (JayWhy) - Best contribution by raw quality, some actual analysis in a throwaway task!

Task #3 - Either write an interview with your player about your team's playoff hopes (or if you're on an eliminated team, an interview about your team's season in review) OR create a program cover for one of the games in any playoff series.
Requirements: Written option - At least 200 words. Graphic option - Logos of both teams in the matchup and at least one player render.

"Welcome back everyone to the Raptor Report! We just took a look at the biggest hits from this past season in a segment that we could probably rename "The Sulak O'Hritea Show" and now we're here with one of our Raptors to talk a bit with him about the season. Philipp Winter, welcome to the Raptor Report!"

"My pleasure Steve, thanks for having me!"

"You are one of almost a dozen rookies who joined the Raptors this season and it feels like it was just yesterday that you guys were drafted here. The past few months have seemingly flown by and now you are sitting here with us at the end of your rookie season. What would you say, how did things go for you?"

"First of all let me just say what an honor it was to play for the Raptors this past season and to play with these awesome teammates and for a great management group as well. I know that both our GMs from this season have moved on to new projects but they made this first season in the SMJHL a really enjoyable one for not just me, but I'm sure my teammates as well."

"Well that's great to hear for all of us here in Colorado. No hiccups along the way?"

"Oh of course there were plenty of things that didn't go my way and areas where I know I have to improve next season. I only had an average season in terms of offensive production and was overwhelmed at times by the physical demands and defensive complexities at this level and this is something that I am really planning to work hard on this off-season. If we all put in the necessary work over the coming weeks then we have the potential to be one of the best teams in the league next season!"

"Thank you for your time Philipp!"

Task #4 - Write 200 words or make a graphic highlighting any goalie matchup of the series.
Written must include 3 stats, either from playoffs or the regular season.
Graphic must include both goalie renders and both team logos.

Today we are looking at the first round series between the Colorado Raptors and the Montreal Militia and their goaltenders Scottey Crawfling and Petr Vrana. In a series that only lasts four games and ends in a sweep you would usually expect one team to quite dominate the other but that actually wasn't the case here. Aside from Game 2 all games in this series were quite even and could've been really close - if it weren't for the goalie matchup. While Colorado's Scotty Crawfling had an average series, Petr Vrana absolute dominated the Raptors and carries his team through this round. In Game 1, he was unbeatable through over 50 minutes of Overtime until Dabcity Savage finally won the game for the Militia in Triple-OT, leaving Vrana with a 0,917 Save-Percentage even though he had given up four goals in regulation. Vrana would continute this dominance by shutting the Raptors out completely in Game 2 and it took Colorado all the way to the third period of Game 3 to score their next goal of this series - bringing Vrana shootout streak to a very impressive 172 minutes, quite frankly an insane mark for the playoffs. Just like in Game 3, Colorado would only be able to score once in Game 4 as Montreal finished the sweep, with Vrana earning on 1st star and two 2nd star honors and him only giving up two goals throughout the last three games of the series. Sadly for Vrana, he wasn't able to hold that form throughout the rest of the playoffs and the Militia ended up falling to the Whalers in the Conference Finals.

Task #5 - Write a goals highlight play by play for one series winning game OR make an infographic featuring stats from a series winning game.
Requirements: At least 200 words for written / at least 4 stats featured in at least 2 different ways for graphics (bar graphs, pie graphs, list of names, etc)

We're gonna take a look at game five of the finals, that game that brought Kelowna within one game of winning it all - which they proceeded to do in the next one. Kelowna ended up beating Vancouver 2-1 with all goals being scored within a short span in the second period. We now go to Rick Jeanneret and Rob Ray with the call:

"Kelowna still on the powerplay... Denisovich dumps the puck in, Elias and Walker charging after it... Picard gets to it first but he gets pressured hard... Tries to shield it... Elias digs it free... Pass to Fischer... Fischer shoots.... SCOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSS!!! Top-shelf where momma hides the cookies!!! Michael Fischer scoooooooooooooooorrrreeesss for the Knights on the Poooooooooooower-Plaaaaaaaaaay!!!"

"What a shot here by Michael Fischer, RJ, but just as much credit has to go to the Knights forecheckers on this one. Many teams hesitate to get the puck deep during the powerplay because they don't trust that their forwards can retrieve it but not so Kelowna, they know that guys like Matej Elias and Peter Walker can create some great pressure along the boards and win them possession even if their opponent gets there first. Jean-Luc Picard is a great defenseman but if two guys are coming in on him with as much tenacity as they did right here, then there is no way that he can hold on to the puck for very long. Great work by the Kelowna Knight and a beautiful finish to boot!"

Nictox · 08-20-2018, 08:23 AM

Task #1 -Pick a player from an eliminated team and slot them into an existing playoff lineup. Who do they replace, why, how do their playoff stats look?
Must include: 150 words.

Putting Kiko Rytmeyr on Vancouver Whalers in place of Jussi Hammansen. While Hammansen is not a terrible player what so ever, he has 2 points (1 goal and 1 assist) in 5 games. Having to choose a player to fit in Vancouver's stacked roster, he was an easier pick to make to remove from the line-up as the lowest defensemen. Rytmeyr is an offensive defenseman who can put a puck in the net and drive a power play. He led the St. Louis Scarecrows' rookies in points (well, technically tied) as a defensemen. I believe with Vancouver's already great penalty kill unit, their power play unit would be a lot better with Kiko's smarts and shot. Rytmeyr would be giving other defensemen on the team a run for their money when it comes to ice time, he was averaging 19:31 minutes in the season 42. With He is such an elite talent he could make any team better.

[159]

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Task #2 -
TOP 5 Dance Moves At A Game
5. I'm to Lazy to get out of my seat -dance
[Image: giphy.gif]

4. Typical Leaf Fan
[Image: 2015-03-05_20_46_46.0.gif]

3. The Ovi
[Image: ZealousSoupyAustraliankestrel-size_restricted.gif]

2. When the Acid Kicks In

[Image: giphy.gif]

1. Bear Back Blue Jackets

[Image: bear-dance.0.gif]

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Task #3 - Either write an interview with your player about your team's playoff hopes (or if you're on an eliminated team, an interview about your team's season in review)
Requirements: Written option - At least 200 words.

Good morning Williams, do you have time to answer a few questions?
Yes, of course!
With the St. Louis Scarecrows out of the playoff race, what have you been focusing on?
Well, I've been hitting the gym more and working on my fundamentals. Really working on my shot and my defensive play, which has been improving at a good pace. I should be really making a difference next season with the Crows.
Do you have anything to say about the Scarecrows' play last year? Anything about the ocker room or GM's?
St Louis is great. We have a great group of young guys in there and we all have something to prove. While I think we had a rocky start of the season, most of us are still getting used to playing with each other, we all started clicking near the middle of the season. Being behind from the start, it's hard to come back from. I think we pushed really hard in the second half of the season and gave it all we had. Not once did our locker room lose it's positivity or motivation. With our Captain (Daniel Karlsson) giving some great tips to all the rookies and pushing us all to be better players. Of course, our GM's are great! They are always around helping out and motivating us in the right direction.
You were recently named to the All-Star team, how excited are you about that?
Pretty good, it's a good feeling to get a chance to play with some of the best SMJHL players around the league.
You were also named Co-GM to Team USA for the World Juniors, how does that make you feel?
Ecstatic to be able to lead a team full of great American players! Cain, the other GM, is great and we get along well!
Thank you for your time! Enjoy the WJC and All-Star games!
Thank you!

[317]

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Task #4 - Write 200 words or make a graphic highlighting any goalie matchup of the series.
Written must include 3 stats, either from playoffs or the regular season.

Tonight we look at Vancouver Whalers' Greg Santos and Kelowna Knights Kata Vilde! Both goalies have made a name for themselves as elite talents in the SMJHL. Both teams had a great regular season which earned them an automatic spot in the conference finals. Santos has gone 4-0-1 in 5 games so far. Posting a 0.860 save percent and a 2.69 goals against average. In the regular season Santos went 28-6-1, with a 0.903 save percentage and 2.39 goals against average, also recording 3 shutouts, making him one of the best goalies around the league. Vilde is 4-0 so far in the playoffs, boasting 1 shutout. Vilde had a save percentage of 0.947 and a 1.00 goals against average in those four games. Absolutely tearing the playoffs up. Regular season Vilde was pretty good, in 40 games, he would post 29-8-2 record, with a 0.892 save percentage and 2.50 goals against average. So with two outstanding goalies in the finals, we should see a lot of great saves and not a lot of goals. I believe Vilde's focus and determination could really set him up to be top goalie of the league, but Santos is right there with him and could absolutely be a brick wall.

[206]

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Task #5 - Write a goals highlight play by play for one series winning game ; Requirements: At least 200 words for written

Game 5 of the SMJHL Conference Finals, Montreal Militia versus Vancouver Whalers. It's an elimination game, Montreal needs to win to keep the series alive. Starting off in the first period, with the man advantage, Montreal is able to put one on the board when Viktor Valentine nets one at 6:37, receiving Harvey Danger and Kevin Kazarian receiving assists. The Militia would not be done yet, 2 minutes later, Danger finds Mason Hudson open who is able to net one passed Greg Santos at 8:41. With Vancouver losing 2-0, they know they have to come up big, at 9:02, Buck Maverick would net his second playoff goal and spark a fire on the Whalers bench. Following Mavericks goal, Jussi Hammanen would net one at 12:32 to tie the game at 2, assists going to Noah Nowes and Luke Thomason. Vancouver's fire seems to be finally lit, so much so, Max Mauldin takes a holding the stick penalty at 13:26, which allows Montreal to take the lead with a power play goal from Radovan Hudec at 13:38. Now down by 1, the Whalers need to finish the period strong and get a tying goal. They get a goal from David Kastraba late in the period at 17:21, with Eriks Skalbergs and Jean-Luc Picard assisting. Vancouver would not be done as rookie Luke Thomason is able to score 30 seconds later at 17:51. The end of the first period has Vancouver leading 4-3.
With Dabcity Savage in the penalty box to start the period off, Whalers would go on to record their 5th goal when David Kastrba records his second of the game, coming from the power play, at 0:16. Montreal now down by 2 would have to really push to stay alive. Montreal pulls starting goal tender Petr Vrana, and puts in Khalil Anthony. Cody Johansen would record his 3 goal of the playoffs for Montreal at 13:06. Assisting on the goal was Rafe Ulrich and Marco Raanteli. With a period and a half of hockey left, Montreal would still have a chance to tie the game up and possibly win the game to force more games. Unfortunately, they are not able to score any more goals in this period.
With the third period underway, neither team would be able to score another goal. Vancouver would take 23 shots, but all are stopped by back-up goalie Anthony. The Militia would only record 4 shots in the third.
With Vancouver winning the game 5-4, they would move on to the Finals, where they will face off against league favorite, Kelowna Knights.

[439]

RIP Dangel #AD26

Mayuu · 08-20-2018, 11:56 AM

Task #1 -Pick a player from an eliminated team and slot them into an existing playoff lineup. Who do they replace, why, how do their playoff stats look?
Must include: 150 words.

Marc "The Trumpet Man" Palicka had a very good rookie season, If the depth of the Falcons forwards was as good as they were projected to be, Palicka would not have to carry such a burden by himself. Even so, pulling out a 14 goal 14 assist as a first year is impressive, one could only imagine what he would accomplish on the Whalers roster.
Palicka gets slotted right into the first line of course and bumps everyone down (sorry Bigbers you're out).
Even though Palicka only netted two points during his 5 game's in the playoff's the rest of the team were vastly under performing, his ability to make his linemates better would serve him well between Herb Roberts and Kristaps Smol who could use a lethal finisher and someone to help Kristaps to score those important goal.

Palicka might be young, but that is his strength, his second season will surely be even better. One could only imagine if he came of a cup win as well.

[169 words]

Task #2 - Make a top 5 list for the finals. Top 5 goals, top 5 players, top 5 noteworthy people in the audience for one of the games, whatever you want. No word count, but if you just list 5 names, you won't get the full 2 tpe. Be a little creative.

To promote the finals to a young audience some top players from each team got to play on the Fortnite Pro-AM with some of the biggest content creators.

#5
The Vancouver superstar Eric Skalbergs paired up with rising twitch star King Richard for the competition.
Although Eric Skalbergs is really good with a stick, he's not as good with a joystick and thus dying early in most of the rounds.

#4
Daddy Mack, feisty and flashy on the ice and loads of personality behind a mic got paired with the one and only Ninja.
Although they made it deep in some of the rounds Mack's constant smack talking put Ninja off his game and ended up with a 4th place

#3
Max Mauldin, the young prodigy had someone real success in the rookie all-star game, he got paired up with the young architect Myth and saw some real success
Top 3 in points total and win to boot. These young guns had some real chemistry!

#2
Cash Savage came out looking like a real pro, keeping up fairly well with his team mate Tfue, there's always going to be moments where you can spot who's a pro video game player but the moments were few and far between. Cash Savage might just become a new favorite for the young SHL crowd.

#1
Luke Thomason is a really good Fortnite player, he might even be a better Fortnite player then he is a hockey player. He was anything but dead weight next to Daequan. Hell, he could play with any of the pro's and most likely pull out the win. As if potentially going 1OA wasn't enough!

Task #3 - Either write an interview with your player about your team's playoff hopes (or if you're on an eliminated team, an interview about your team's season in review) OR create a program cover for one of the games in any playoff series.
Requirements: Written option - At least 200 words. Graphic option - Logos of both teams in the matchup and at least one player render.

The pre-season looked good and we had high hopes coming in to the regular season, not a lot of people in the media believed we had anything to compete with but look at were we ended.
The season started out real bad, and we were in real trouble for quite a while. Looking like the media predictions were coming through Flacko came through with an epic speech I'll never forget. Actually, I just remember him screaming "lets stick it to them, fuck 'em were falcons" over and over again.
Things turned around after that, Robinsson posted multiple shut outs and we were going into playoffs with confidence.
My personal performance was pretty bad, a couple of goals and some assists, I think I could have done better had I just focused on the right things from the start. North American hockey is a total different beast then the European style.

Play off's were quick and brutal, we got exposed early and did not manage to overcome our weaknesses. Sadly to our demise.
We've had a couple of days to look back at our season though and have already implemented a game plan for next season, less suck and more win you know.
I plan on taking a bigger role personally, but that all comes when I prove I'm ready to do so.

All I'm saying is watch out for the Falcons next season.

[233 words]

Task #4 - Write 200 words or make a graphic highlighting any goalie matchup of the series.
Written must include 3 stats, either from playoffs or the regular season.
Graphic must include both goalie renders and both team logos.

4 times, that's the number of games this regular season Greg Santos and Kata Vilde has gone up against each other and there's a quite telling story behind these games.
In these 4 games Vancouver has not lost a single one, it seems like Greg Santos really has the upper hand versus Kelowna skaters.
At the same time Vilde has had a tough time just playing the whole 60 minutes getting pulled in multiple games.
Lets break the games down a bit.

It was Santos 9th game of the season and he only had one loss so far, The game ended with a 4-1 win for Vancouver, Santos sported an incredible 96.4% saves rate. That's only one goal allowed from 28 shots, absolutely incredible.
Vilde had one less start but sported a good record of 5-1-1 and was looking to pad his stats even further, but only recorded a 87.5% saves rate letting 4 out of 32 past, Kelowna by no means got out-shot, the goalie was the difference in this game.

Next game was only a couple of days later, Santos record going into the game was an impressive 10-1-1, Vilde on the other hand was no worse adding a couple of wins and was now sporting a 9-2-1 record.
This game was a barn burner because it was such a close game, Vancouver managed to close out the win 4-3. Santos save %? a solid 90% on 30 shots faced.
Vilde on the other hand let 4 by in just 15 shots leaving him with a very weak save rate of 73%. He eventually got swapped for Artois who stopped the bleeding.

The next two games were sadly not any better for Vilde, getting out shadowed by Santos greater save rating in both the games, 91% on 33 shots and 92% on 37 shots.
Vilde never managed to have a save rating above 90% against Vancouver which you absolutely need in the playoffs.

If history has any merit, Vancouver got this in the bag!

[335 words]

Task #5 - Write a goals highlight play by play for one series winning game OR make an infographic featuring stats from a series winning game.
Requirements: At least 200 words for written / at least 4 stats featured in at least 2 different ways for graphics (bar graphs, pie graphs, list of names, etc)

Detroit Falcons Falcons

Vs

Anchorage Armada
Game 5

Falcons had to win the game to stay in the series, Armada just had to keep doing what they were doing.
As the puck dropped it didn't take long until Armada got control of the puck, strangling down Falcons as so many times before, as they kept possession of the puck in Falcons zone the puck was bound to end up in the net behind Robinson pretty quickly. And it did 1:10 into first period.
Bust slapped it up in the top shelf much to the Falcons disappointment.
0-1 to Armada
Uphill, once again for the Falcons, retaliation was not more then 10 minutes away though as Tig Murphy blocked a shot which lead to Paquette scoring on a breakaway!
11:32 and it was a tie game.
1-1

Second period started slow with not a lot happening, we had to wait until the middle of the period before we would find out who would take control of this game,
Eero Mäkinen with a face-off win passes it to Hippo who shoots but Benjamin Blue makes a fantastic save, rebound however is picked up by Kyle Keenan Jr who lets one rip so hard it could be heard the next town over, it misses the net though and bounces of the back boards and lands perfectly on Pingy Pingus stick who just rakes it in.
2-1 Falcons

But that's where the fun ended for the Falcons, just 8 minutes later it was Anchorages turn to tie the game, Viktor Kolesnikovs picked up a blocked shot and caught Robinson out of possition.
2-2

Third Period
And the bombardment begins, 3:14 Geno Natostado scores with a wrister
2-3 to Armada

Five minutes later the horn sounds again, Bust slaps in a rebound with precision.
2-4 to Armada

At this point of time you could visibly see the Falcons players give in and let their focus drop for a moment, face-off loss, fast pass to Geno Natostado. Boooom. 6 seconds between the goals.
2-5 to Armada

And that was that, season over, Robinson got replaced but it was to little to late.
Anchorage was brutally effective compared to Detroit who had a really tough time to score.

[357 words]

RETIRED

ThatIrishFellow · 08-20-2018, 02:44 PM

Task #1 -Pick a player from an eliminated team and slot them into an existing playoff lineup. Who do they replace, why, how do their playoff stats look?
Must include: 150 words.

I have chosen to slot my own player, Kiko Rytmeyr, into Vancouver's lineup. In order to do this, I'll be removing Noah Nowes since he's playing as a defender, even though he's a forward. This just seems to make the most sense. Having six defenders is better than one forward and five defenders. Slotting Kiko into the lineup gives the Whalers a ton of defensive depth. Kiko excelled on the second line, and played a lot of power play minutes in the regular season. Kiko's stat line would look similar to Geoff Moore's:

G: 2 | A: 3 | P :5 |+/- 0 | SB: 10 | PPP: 3

I think this is a realistic stat line for Kiko. I've added a few more shot blocks above Geoff's and reduced the +/- since Kiko isn't as good in his own end. Overall, I think adding Kiko into Vancouver's lineup could help take them over the top, and allow everyone to place their proper position. They've already make it to the finals with their current setup, but adding Kiko makes them a lock to win the finals.

[186]

Task #2 - Make a top 5 list for the finals. Top 5 goals, top 5 players, top 5 noteworthy people in the audience for one of the games, whatever you want. No word count, but if you just list 5 names, you won't get the full 2 tpe. Be a little creative.

Top 5 Canadian Snacks Spotted at the Finals

Starting with number 5, we have Thrills gum. A classic in Canada, notorious for tasting like soap.

[Image: Thrills18g.gif]

At number 4, we have Lay's Ketchup chips. Can't decide between fries and chips? Try these instead!
[Image: F_Lays-Ketchup_Chips.gif]

At number 3, we have Kinder Surprise Eggs. That's right, we may not be able to bring rifles to sporting events, but you bet your ass we have a toy to keep us occupied during intermission!

[Image: KinderEgg.jpg]

At number 2, we have Beaver Tails! Every Canadian's favourite dessert!

[Image: beavertails-350x219-1.gif]

Last but not least, the number 1 snack, the undisputed winner - POUTINE. It just isn't a hockey game without it.

[Image: ?context=bWFzdGVyfHJvb3R8Mjk0MjZ8aW1hZ2U...dlNWE3OTY3]

[Image: ?context=bWFzdGVyfHJvb3R8Mjk0MjZ8aW1hZ2U...dlNWE3OTY3]

Task #3 - Either write an interview with your player about your team's playoff hopes (or if you're on an eliminated team, an interview about your team's season in review) OR create a program cover for one of the games in any playoff series.
Requirements: Written option - At least 200 words. Graphic option - Logos of both teams in the matchup and at least one player render.

Q: So Kiko, we know St. Louis barely missed the playoffs, but can you list some positives to build off of?
A: You know, we really came together as a team in the locker room this season. The perseverance we showed throughout this year is something to be proud of. We never let our losses get to us, and always tried to see the bright side of the situation. I think we really focused on building each other up this year, and supporting each other no matter what. That's what makes a good team great. The skill will come, but stuff like that can't be taught.

Q: What does your team need to work on to be successful next season?
A: It's always hard to pick out flaws in your own game, but I think we just need to train harder. We have all the intangibles already. Losing as much as we did builds character, and you can bet we've used this as an opportunity to toughen up mentally. I think our weakness now is the physical aspect of the game. We need to be on the ice every week, pushing our limits, and pushing each other. I truly think our core group will bounce back next year and have a breakout season. We're all so young, which means time is on our side.

Q: The team aside, how do you think you performed this year?
A: I think I shattered the expectations I had set for myself. I definitely played to my strengths, and my stat line shows that. I was a key player on the power play and put up decent offensive numbers. I know I need to do a bit more work in my own zone, and tighten up defensively, but all in all, I think I gave myself a great rookie year to build off of. This off-season has been horrible since we have to watch other teams participating for the cup. I'm using that as my motivation for next season and I guarantee you'll see St. Louis in the top half of the standings in a year's time.

[353]

Task #4 - Write 200 words or make a graphic highlighting any goalie matchup of the series.
Written must include 3 stats, either from playoffs or the regular season.
Graphic must include both goalie renders and both team logos.

Since the finals are around the corner, I will compare the goalie match up between Vancouver and Kelowna:

Kelowna has Kata Vilde defending the pipes this series, and he has looked great so far.
Vancouver has Greg Santos, who has played one more game, and hasn't looked too hot in comparison.

Let's take a look at their stats to see who has the advantage.

Save Percentage: Kata Vilde (0.947) vs. Greg Santos (0.860)

The advantage here goes to Kata, who has stood on his head all four games. Although Greg has played one more game, which means Kata should regress to the mean sooner or later. However, the sample size is to conclude things will change. Expect Kata to be a huge player for Kelowna. Their success will largely depend on his play.

Goals Against Average: Kata Vilde (1.00) vs. Greg Santos (2.69)

Again, the advantage goes to Kata, who is only allowing an average of one goal per 60 minutes. This is going to be huge for Kelowna, as Vancouver has averaged just over 3.5 goals per game. Santos will have have his work cut out for him in this regard.

Saves per Minute (SA/ MP): Kata Vilde (0.317) vs Greg Santos (0.321)

This one is a complete dead lock. They're both saving at about the same rate - no advantage either way.

Overall, Kata Vilde is the goalie to beat. He has league-bests in every category, and is looking to take his unblemished record into the finals.

[249]

Task #5 - Write a goals highlight play by play for one series winning game OR make an infographic featuring stats from a series winning game.
Requirements: At least 200 words for written / at least 4 stats featured in at least 2 different ways for graphics (bar graphs, pie graphs, list of names, etc)

Goal Summary for Game 4 Between Kelowna and Anchorage:

Game Page

This game wasn't even close, as Kelowna easily beat Anchorage 4-0.

First period:
The first period was uneventful and no scoring happened.

Knights

0 - 0

Second period:

5:47: With the man advantage, Kata Vilde starts the play by passing to matej Elias, who sprints it through the neutral zone, handing it off to Daddy mack. mack plays with the puck a little, shooting a few times, missing each shot. Kevin Maddox wants a stab at it, so he retrieves the puck and finds twine, putting Kelowna up 1-0.

Knights

1 - 0

13:42: Ryan Gardiner retrieves Elias' lost puck, and takes it in for a shot on net. It's blocked, but comes back to Elias Svensson, who wires one in for Kelowna's second pwoer play goal of the night.

Knights

2 - 0

Third period:

1:16: Deku Izuku takes a shot off the faceoff, only to have it blocked by Rex Kirkby. Tuch picks up the puck, but his pass is intercepted by Cash Savage. Savage dishes it back to Izuku, who loses it to Tuch again. Tuch's pass to Bust is intercepted yet again by Izuku, who sauces it up to Savage for a shot - and a goal.

Knights

3 - 0

17:13: On the power play again, Kata Vilde retrieves the puck and dishes it to Elias Svensson for the breakout. Scensson sends it to Michael Fischer in the neutral zone. Fischer delicately places it on Cash Savage's stick for a shot. Savage hammers the final nail in the coffin, for Kelowna's third power play goal of the night.

Knights

4 - 0

Final Score: Knights

4 - 0

The powerplay was the difference in this one, as Kelowna converted 3 of 6 into goals. Two in the second, and one in the third. Anchorage had no chance of coming back after that.

[312]

Navigation

Extra Menu

About us