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+---- Thread: S76 SMJHL PT #6 - Playoff Dreams (/showthread.php?tid=136687)
RE: S76 SMJHL PT #6 - Playoff Dreams - Noah Johns - 05-07-2024
In order to prepare for the playoffs after a very long season, the Nevada Battleborn decided to go to a casino in Las Vegas as a team bonding exercise and hopefully there were no gambling addicts on the scene. The team overall had a great time and Suchanek obviously lost a whole ton of money in the process, those slot machines will get you. Now, the Battleborn must focus on the playoffs ahead of them as it is going to be a long road that will require a few upsets here and there. First off, the Battleborn must play the first round of the Four Star Cup playoffs against the San Diego Tidal who finished ninth overall in the league. Personally, Suchanek watched a bunch of film against the Tidal and also watched a few SHL goalies to see if he could apply anything they did to his game. Although Suchanek will probably not be staring anyways. The team ran a few scrimmages as well prior to the actual playoffs beginning and a meditation session to clear the mind. By that point the boys were ready to begin their cup run.
RE: S76 SMJHL PT #6 - Playoff Dreams - Popol - 05-07-2024
The team was getting ready. Players were all around the locker room. Alexa got up and made a speech, motivating the troops. We needed to get this. Everyone in the league underestimated us, we are seen as one of the worst teams of the league. But that's enough. Anything can happen in the playoffs. To get ready, the crows did a number of exercises: 300 jumping jacks in the locker room, 20 full ice up and down in socks, cut trees with a chainsaw. The Crows were excited for the playoffs. In the first round, the powerful Timbers were on their way way in the first round. They knew they could lose the first two games before going back home and getting back in the series. All they needed was a collaborative effort of each player. No matter where you stand, you can accomplish great things on this team. Go Crows!
RE: S76 SMJHL PT #6 - Playoff Dreams - Boomerange - 05-07-2024
There wasn't anything too crazy in the game plan for the Yukon Malamutes prepping for their playoff run. Late sign Hugo Spycher found himself training some extra minutes alongside the team's Top 6 as they tested out different line combinations. Backup goalies got shuffled in more consistently, making sure to keep starting netminder Karter Mendenhall on his toes and prepped for anything. The team as a whole took on a pretty gruelling conditioning regime, spending upwards of fourteen hours a week purely focused on strength training and endurance work. Eye witnesses from the Malamutes training sessions stated they'd never seen a group of guys look more bagged, yet more ready for what was upcoming. All in all, despite their low seeding heading into the post season, Yukon seems to have taken on a plan bigger than their brooches with the intention of being in this tournament a lot longer than many critics seem to figure.
RE: S76 SMJHL PT #6 - Playoff Dreams - Muerto - 05-08-2024
The Great Falls Grizzlies had a lot of reasons to be confident as the playoffs begin. They proved through the season that their strength was in limiting shots against and goals against. Defense as an identity is not super flashy in the regular season, but in any 7 game series, strong defending can give you a chance to win.
Elite rookie goalie Elvar Gil-Gelad was given the nod to start in the playoffs, but one of the Grizzlies luxuries is knowing that both their goalies put up top ten stats all season long. Having that reliable tandem in net lets the team know that not every lapse or mistake is going to result in a goal against.
Securing home ice for the first round was key as well. All season long the Grizzlies were right in that mix, and then at the end of the season they went on a 9-1-2 run in the last 10 games to solidify that home advantage. The team is very strong at home with a good record.
Also, just from looking at the season as a whole, there is no team the Grizzlies didn't get a win against at some point, so they know they aren't ever going to be in a matchup which they would be the overwhelming underdog, they can play and compete against anybody.
But mostly it is a confident group that knows you have to take it one game at a time, one series at a time. And who knows, they might just surprise everyone!
RE: S76 SMJHL PT #6 - Playoff Dreams - Eggcracker - 05-09-2024
The atmosphere was tense in the battleborn locker room when the team found out they were going to face off against the San Diego Tidal for their first round match up. The team has been here many times before, making it to the big show 4 out of the 5 past seasons, this was no different, but there was an unease in the room. We were up against an unknown commodity, some teams turn into absolute machines come playoff time and is expected to perform well, while others are perennial underachievers during the playoffs (eg. Toronto Maple Leafs). This is the inaugural season for the Tidal and their first appearance in the playoffs as well. Finishing the season at .500 (33-32-1), it is hard to gauge their real strengths or weaknesses. In preparation, the team will need to watch all the previous game footage from the season. The Tidal won the season series 4-2 and outscored Nevada by 31-20. Nevada is the higher ranked team and won the last 2 meetings between the teams though, so it is all very uncertain. The team will hope for the best and prepare for the worst.
197 words.
RE: S76 SMJHL PT #6 - Playoff Dreams - CybershadeEDM - 05-09-2024
The Ottawa Highlanders are going into their first ever Playoff series against the Carolina Kraken and we are taking interesting approaches to training for it. One of the things we've done is sitting in a hot sauna for an hour then suddenly jumping into a pool of ice cold water. This is to help prepare for the sudden changes of the game in the playoffs and how to quickly adapt to the said changes. We also do 4 bag skates per day to help improve our stamina and resilience. One after breakfast, one before lunch, one after lunch, and one after dinner. Another exercise we do is including incredibly hot and spicy food to our meals to work on our pain tolerance and how to push through it. We are a major underdog going into the playoffs but by using these exercises, we hope we can possibly steal a few games and maybe even pull off an impressive upset.
RE: S76 SMJHL PT #6 - Playoff Dreams - Gaia Mormont - 05-10-2024
The Grizzlies as a team did everything they could to get ready for the playoffs. Last minute updates, earning all the TPE they could before the playoffs started and generally just appreciating the opportunity to play after the regular season, which they were denied last year.
The hype in the locker room was subtle at first but it definitely grew as the day approached for game one.
I, Elvar Gil-Galad, was pulled into the GM's office before the first game and was told they were going with me as the starter for round one. After the panic had erupted and the anxiety was firmly anchored, I mean, It's a rookies worst fear and biggest dream to get the nod in the playoffs, a lot is on the line.
The GM calmed me down and bolstered me up by a simple phrase... we win or lose as a team. And we did. We won the first round as a team. (Though I must personally take responsibility for the 6-1 loss. Worst game of my career thus far....)
What a fantastic ride, hope it continues one more round at least.
RE: S76 SMJHL PT #6 - Playoff Dreams - oilmandan - 05-10-2024
pbe
RE: S76 SMJHL PT #6 - Playoff Dreams - Baron - 05-11-2024
we've been prepping hard for the playoffs with the colorado raptors. we focused on boosting our defense and improving our passing game, with workouts that push our stamina to the limit. coach's been running us through drills to make sure we're tight on the basics.
i've been watching game tape of Jefferson Steelflex every night. i already know all his tricks, I just like to channel my rage and seeing him always does the trick.
on the ice, we've simulated high-pressure game situations. keeping sharp mentally is just as important as physical readiness, so we've done visualization exercises and had team meetings to stay focused.
for me, it's been about balancing my role as an enforcer and a scorer. i've hit the weights, worked on my shot, and made sure i'm ready to protect my teammates and score when it matters.
the raptors are ready to hit the playoffs strong, aiming to go all the way.
RE: S76 SMJHL PT #6 - Playoff Dreams - AW13 - 05-11-2024
PBE PT
RE: S76 SMJHL PT #6 - Playoff Dreams - Whitecap - 05-12-2024
Well, the Knights knew they were certainly in for a challenge in facing Quebec in the first round of the playoffs. In fact, in the previous playoff format they would have never even made it in the first place, so they were determined to show that they belonged. Being such underdogs, the team had to rely on some more unorthodox methods of preparing for the series. One of these methods included dressing the entire team up in a full suit of armour in one of their practice sessions. This helped because it got them into shape, and also helped them embody the entity they represent as the Kelowna Knights.
Another training method was that they deliberately lost a lot of games in the regular season so that they would be mentally prepared when they inevitably lost some games against Quebec. The hope is that they will be able to bounce back from such losses and perhaps take a game from their opponents. If they can do that, who knows what may happen in the rest of the series.
178 words
RE: S76 SMJHL PT #6 - Playoff Dreams - Ruggsy - 05-12-2024
This was the first playoffs in franchise history for the Ottawa Highlanders of the simulation major junior hockey league. Because of this we did not really have any traditions already in place for our getting ready for the playoffs time. All the players chipped in their ideas to see what we should start doing. My favorite activity we did was get the whole team a happy birthday grimace dinner meal from mcdonalds, which is Hockey Players favorite food. One of the other thing we did was we played a series of four player games which is Demir Bellonas favorite activity. He really loves jackbox games too. Next season there are definitely some bigger ideas now that we know what supplies we need for other activities. We really wanted to do a costume party but there are no halloween stores open at the moment and we are all too lazy to put in any more effort than that.
RE: S76 SMJHL PT #6 - Playoff Dreams - ImShiny - 05-12-2024
To prepare for the playoffs the whalers went fully into understanding how each other plays. Understanding how someone skates with the puck, when they want to pass the puck when they want to shoot. Getting to fully understand each other as much as they can so they can fully trust each other going into the playoffs. Also, the team spent a lot of time working on offense drills. Making sure the team is feeling good when it comes to scoring and being in the opponent's zone as much as they can. One of the best parts of the Whalers game is their offense. They have goal scores and people who can make plays to set up their teammates to score. Their goalies made sure the game was sound and were feeling fluid in their movements sliding across the crease and seeing the puck in traffic as much as they could.
RE: S76 SMJHL PT #6 - Playoff Dreams - Steelflex - 05-12-2024
For seasoned professionals like the hunks over in the Anchorage locker room, prepping for the playoffs is no different from prepping from a regular season game, or even preseason. In Alaska, hockey just comes so truly naturally to us that we don't find a need to "run drills" or "work out" or "eat well" -- somehow the stars just align and the hockey gods paint their masterpieces with our blades. That being said, the night before any game, we meet up in the locker room around 7pm and have a slumber party where we watch old movies, talk about boys and perform ritualistic sacrifices under the influence of ayahuasca. It might seem "weird" or "off-putting" or "borderline illegal" but you know, that's just your opinion, man, and it brings us closer together as a team. On the ice? no, I don't think it provides any benefit. But seriously it's a lot of fun and that's what really matters.
RE: S76 SMJHL PT #6 - Playoff Dreams - Revontulete - 05-12-2024
In preparation for the playoffs, the Nevada Battleborn did as Gwendolyn's contracts required. On February 23rd, 2043, after a close win against Maine, the team all convened with the holiest of cheeses under the full light of the moon within the depths of Maine's Acadia National Park. The team was ready to complete the most unholy of rituals to secure their place in the playoffs. Wearing the same jerseys of the game earlier, the team donned on a Skyrim designed cheese wheel hat. With a wedge cut out, the team pointed the empty space into the circle of the ritual to demonstrate the holes in the team's play they wish to make whole.
Within the circle is latin writing across the circumference, labeling the team's intent to forfeit their most prized possessions in an attempt to win the Four Star cup. Jess, holding a gallon of yogurt would step forward and begin the initiation, highlighting all of the words to summon the Great Gouddha, his Enlightened Cheese. Simultaneously, the Battleborn would begin their chant, engulfing the sounds of the forest as their cries echo through the branches of the trees. Tirelessly, the team would continue until the entire woods shook, splitting the ground open as an incomprehensible mountain of molten cheese began to crawl out.
Speaking unknown French tongues that not even Gwendolyn understands, the Great Gouddha would merge pieces of himself into the Skyrim cheese wheel hats to designate how truly whole his presence brings to the Battleborn. And yet, the Great Gouddha would disappear from the earth once more after his great gift to the team. Surely only greatness can befall the Battleborn through the playoffs from then on.