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+---- Thread: S38 PT 6 - Postseason Kickoff (/showthread.php?tid=82333)
- Jenny - 01-05-2018
The last games of the regular season have come and gone. It's postseason for some, an early offseason for others.
Your Task:
Written: Write 200 words about your team's performance in round 1 of the playoffs. If you had a bye, write about what you've been doing to prep for round 2. If your team didn't make the playoffs, write about your player's offseason antics so far.
or
Graphics: Create a game day program for one of the round 1 or round 2 matchups. Must include 2 team logos and 1 player render.
Reward:
4 TPE for doing the thing
Only S38 SMJHL Rookies (S39 SHL Rookies) are eligible for this PT. IF YOU CREATED AFTER THE TRADE DEADLINE AND WILL NOT BE ENTERED INTO THE S39 SHL DRAFT, YOU ARE NOT ELIGIBLE TO EARN TPE FOR THIS PT.
Do not claim this TPE until a post is made in the claim thread.
Deadline
January 11 @ 11:59PM EST
- treant - 01-05-2018
The Montreal Militia went up against the Kelowna Knights in their first series of the S38 SMJHL plaayoffs and it's fair to say, it was a series that had its share of ups and downs! The Knights are an exciting team filled with depth at every position and the Militia knew they would have their hands full trying to contain them. The teams split the first two games of the series in Kelowna, but the Militia were able to play some of their best hockey and take Games 3 and 4 and get a powerful 3-1 series lead. Kelowna proved that they still had fight left in them however and were able to beat the Militia 2-1 in Game 5 and cut the Militia's lead to only a single game. The Militia knew they had to close out the series in Game 6 or the tide would have turned in the Knight's favour and it would be them in control of the series, and fortunately two goals from rookie Patrick Brumm Jr. set the Militia up comfortably to complete a 3-2 win and win the series by a margin of 4 games to 2. The Militia's first round match up was one that was full of excitement, and if past experience is anything to go by, their second round series against the Prince George Firebirds will be sure to bring more of the same.
Code:
WORD COUNT: 234- karey - 01-05-2018
The Detroit Falcons spent their round 1 in the Bahamas relearning what it means to be a team while using the heat of the environment and fresh ocean water to relax and recoup their sore bodies after the rigorous season. The Falcons, who won the championship last season, have played seemingly non-stop hockey over the past two seasons, and if they want to make it into the finals for a second year, they need to be in top shape. Many teams like to spend the time off working in training and light practice to keep the mind right, but the Falcons opted to seperate themselves from the hockey world and focus on team building and trust. The time off hasn't been a vacation as the itinerary had been carefully constructed to maximise effectiveness over the first round. So far, the players are looking refreshed, tanned, and focused for the next round.
The second round, after a brief break from hockey will be very tough, but depth of the Falcons roster and high skill level of their top players really makes them the odds on favourites. The first round showcased hard nosed, yet exhausting hockey from those teams that didn't get rewarded with the first round bye like the Falcons. Detroit is hoping that the high level of play will physically wear out their opposition in the second round while their bodies have been recuperated via the warm equatorial sun.
The first round getaway is a risky move for a contender to do and not one seen much in the hockey world, that being said, the Falcons are one of the more mentally focused and mature clubs in the SMJHL, that a seemingly rash decision by management to escape the North American winter will only benefit the club on their journey to a back to back championship.
- Rancidbudgie - 01-05-2018
The St. Louis Scarecrows, after qualifying for the first round of the playoffs against Vancouver, all paused for a moment before the puck dropped in game 1. Their starting goalie for the regular season, Johnny Yuma, had been barred from playing at all post-trade deadline and for the playoffs. This was due to a simple paperwork snafu that was regrettable but eventually unmitigatable at the SMJHL GM's meeting.
What had once been a pumped-up locker room excited for playoff hockey was suddenly still, and you could tell most of the eyes in the room were on Friedrich Schmidt, the rookie Austrian keeper now thrust into the starter's responsibilities in Yuma's absence. Never one to be nervous, Schmidt went through his usual routines, performig his rites and rituals in perfect simulacrum of those before, even after pushing his already stacked training regimens to the limit in preparation for his starting position for the playoffs.
The whole series he was solid as a rock in net, and the skaters in from of him, inspired by his determination and stellar play in clutch moments, exploded offensively, ensuring they did not have to put all of the burden on the netminder to win those four playoff games as St. Louis swept the Whalers 4 games to 0.
A motivated and hungry St. Louis squad moves into the second round, and once again all eyes will be on Friedrich Schmidt. And once again, it won't make a difference in his play.
- AssPancakes - 01-05-2018
So Kelowna just got eliminated from playoff contention which sucks. I guess it isn’t the end of the world because I somewhat knew going into this series that we were not in the best spot. I saw we took a lot of penalties and our goal scoring was kind of developing slowly. While I still thought we would beat Montreal, I am not too upset about the loss. I just wish I played better because my stats were just garbage the entire series. In game 5 I did get first blood with a goal but we ended up losing that game because penalties ruined us. The good news is that my line is expected to receive more time in the next season and that means more goals. With my scoring being as high as it is, I think I will be super spooky in my sophomore season because I also just upgraded my skating and my puck handling. So I think I can actually… you know… score. In the first couple games I just flat out sucked. Hopes are high for next season! Wherever I go in the SHL will be great, but I do want to win a cup with Kelowna next season just because Samee needs happiness because the sens are bad right now.
word count: 216
- Mongoose87 - 01-05-2018
The Raiders’ failure to reach the post – season was a shock to no one. So, after he'd packed hos things and said his goodbyes, James Johnson settled down for that long bus ride back to Pittsburgh. Well, not really, his dad bought hos a flight But it was coach, so it wasn't all fun and games. Though, it wasn't actually to Pittsburgh, it was first to the family vacation home in Florida, then to Pittsburgh. The point is, he went home. Eventually.
Home was strange for James. Little had changed about the place, but he wasn't used to the down time. Coach gave them days off, of course, but when was the last time he'd had a full week without travel? When was the last time he'd had so long without practice?
The cliché thing to do was golf, and James played a few rounds, but his mind couldn't settle on it. He set his feet, his hands gripped the club, his arms swung, but his mind was in Halifax.
James was made for hockey. He was born for it. And part of his league was playing hockey now. But not him.
He swore he wouldn't be here next year. He was going to the playoffs and Halifax with him, if he had to bring them there himself.
- esilverm - 01-05-2018
The St Louis Scarecrows came in to the postseason with last season's Game 7 loss against the eventual S37 4 Star Cup Winner Detroit Falcons hanging on their backs. Though they lost several great players like Joseph Lombardi, Roman Augustus, and Tigole Bitties in the offseason due to call-ups, they haven't yet lost hope. Right before the first round started, the Seattle Riot called up their starter Johnny Yuma (#FreeYuma). This prompted their GMs Joe and Ryan to put, Austrian Goaltender, Friedrich Schmidt in the crease as starter. However when the time came, Schmidt didn't shy away from the opportunity. Throughout the first round, he was, in my opinion, the Crow's MVP. He started and ended as a brick wall. Holding off the Whalers and giving the Scarecrows a perfect 4-0 sweep of the round.
Now with the second round coming up, it is his time to take on the well-rested, defending 4 Star Cup Winners, the Detroit Falcons. This round will probably be a repeat of last season in terms of intensity because the Crows are looking on using their recent momentum to get to the finals once again. The player to focus on for this upcoming round is Schmidt.
- Mackkz - 01-05-2018
Unsurprising to anyone, after an extremely active trade deadline as a seller, the Mammoths quickly flamed out and we watched our playoff spot rapidly dissapear as we reached the end of the season. As a young rookie who joined the team mid-season, and was swiftly placed in a starting goalie position after the loss of our original starter, this end to the season was very much a shot to the ego, and moderately discouraging to my competitive mentality. In the few games that I'd seen action as a backup, I had performed admirably, which made the abysmal stats upon being placed within the starting role, greatly upsetting.
So with that being said, what's my plan for the offseason? While I'd love to say that I'm jetting off to some tropical destination to unwind, my competitive drive is not allowing that. Immediately after our last game, I got together with my personal trainer and goalie coach to establish a dynamic training routine that is going to heavily evolve me as a player leading up to the rapidly approaching SHL draft. Especially after my lackluster end to the season, I believe that I owe it to myself to stay on the grind and ensure that I present myself as the best possible draft candidate, before eventually returning to the Mammoths to make amends for last seasons end.
Chris Partridge is going to make a mark on the league next year, and any team that drafts me is going to secure their long-term goal tending for a very long time. The fire is still burning.
262 words
- CptSquall - 01-05-2018
So, round 1 of the S38 SMJHL Playoffs for the Kelowna Knights was against the Montreal Militia and boy was it an interesting one. A goaltendeing series with plenty of shots going both ways though each game. A solid 3-0 win to start Montreal off gave way to a barn burner and the first of four one goal games. Kelowna took the first of these 5-4 in overtime. A goaltendeing duel went the Militia's way 2-1 at home and a solid 3-1 win put the Knights up against the eight ball. A Heroic 2-1 win in Kelowna kept the Knights hopes alive, but the exciting game six was sure to remember. Christian Petersen's Penalty Box parade gave way to Patrick Brumm Jr's two Power Play goals. But the Knights fought back with goals from Jacob Dorty and Miervaldis Frīdrihs Ozoliņš. Ultimately it was the Militia coming out on top with Connor Tanner's fourth of the series and ended it four games to two. For the team that snuck into the playoffs they played well and nabbed a serious upset. Kelowna meanwhile had a strong regular season and have lots to build on for next year.
Both teams had plenty of rookies who will surely grow and plenty more will join us soon.
Word count is: 212
- teztify - 01-05-2018
Coming in to the S38 SMJHL Playoffs, the Montreal Militia knew they were in for a difficult first-round match-up. Entering the post-season as the bottom seed, the Militia would have to face the Kelowna Knights, who had had their number all season. The experts favoured Kelowna, as one might expect. However, in Game One, the Militia came out firing on all cylinders, and stole the first game of the series with a 3-0 victory.
The Knights were determined to have a different outcome to Game Two, and netted three goals in the first period of the game. The Militia responded with a four goal second period, but were unable to capitalize as they dropped that game in overtime. Now a best-of-five series, Montreal got the results they were looking for out of Games Three and Four, taking both of them. With an opportunity to put the series away in Game Five, the Militia were disheartened at their second loss, bringing the series back to Montreal for a Game Six that would either win them the series, or give all momentum to the Knights.
Montreal came up big in that game, putting the series away and heading to the second round where they'll meet the SMJHL's top team, the Prince George Firebirds. The Militia have gotten the scoring done by committee so far, with players like Kyle Keenan Jr. seeing an increase in scoring, and will likely need to again in order to overcome the top-end talent boasted by Prince George.
- FlappyGiraffe - 01-05-2018
![[Image: xJ4xaia.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/xJ4xaia.jpg)
- ml002 - 01-05-2018
Since Prince George secured first place in the regular season and a first round bye, we focused on getting our new guys from Colorado integrated into our city and team. It was a big change for many of us getting four absolutely top line guys into our team. We've all been watching the first round games as a team with someone new hosting a viewing party for each night, and preparing for the next round while waiting to find out who we are facing. Lot's of training and team building stuff that really has us all closer for this playoff run. Obviously we made a large trade that sent shockwaves through the SMJHL, so expectations are extremely high for us. Win or lose we will face criticism from the rest of the league so we have really bonded over that fact. For Prince George it's very simple, 4 Star Cup or bust. Our GMs put all their faith into us as players, and now it is time to return the favor. The Militia are certainly going to be a challenge and have terrific players at their disposal, but we are as ready as we'll ever be. This the stuff you dream about as a kid and now it's time to go for a run. Also #DoItForDildo
Word count: 216
- CDub2 - 01-05-2018
Luckily, Prince George managed to pick up a first round bye in a pretty competitive SMJHL S38 season. We were led by huge scoring totals from top line guys. We even traded for an entirely new line. So what does the old second liner, previous third liner, and new fourth liner of the Firebirds do in order to prepare for the playoffs? Well, the answer is that Carter Manning has been working just as hard as everyone else. Some guys would see the previous demotion(s) as a knock to their game. They would quit, coast the rest of the year, or get a bad attitude. Not in Manning's mind. Team success is most important. So even if the fourth line can only contribute 1 shot per game, Manning is working to ensure that it will be a good shot. Who knows, all season we saw many games go into over time so if the PGF 4th line can steal a game and help win a series, the demotion is totally worth it. Secondly, Even if Manning were to be benched, quitting on your teammates is not the answer. He'll still be in the locker room, he'll still watch the games. It's this attitude and practice that will help the PGF boys get deep in the playoffs.
217 Words
- Blastmeaway - 01-05-2018
![[Image: ai13Ec4.png]](https://i.imgur.com/ai13Ec4.png)
- NorwegianDemon - 01-06-2018
After a first place finish, my team, the Prince George Firebirds, had a bye round in the first round of the 38th season of the SMJHL. Since we had to wait for both series to finish before knowing our second round opponent, we couldn’t start working on a game plan just yet.
Since we had to stay in game shape, we had practices every day. Those practices were mostly focus on strategies. We spent a bunch of time working on special times, both on the power play and the penalty kill. A lot of time was also spent on defensive zone strategies and both offensive zone and neutral zone forecheck. We ended every practice with a scrimmage to keep being exposed to game situations.
After hearing that our next opponent will be the Montreal Militia yesterday, we had a video session this morning to watch some clips from their first round series to point out the way we needed to do specific things to beat them in the second round. The practice that followed the video session was also focused on practising the strategies we had developed to try to beat Montreal.
Off the ice, we had a team dinner to celebrate winning the regular season. On my part, I also watched most of the game from the first round. Finally, to get my mind out of hockey some nights, I went to the cinema with some teammates to watch some movies.