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*UptownCord* · 06-23-2023, 03:29 AM

Last season, the St. Louis Scarecrows finished the season at the bottom of the table, the squad only earning 38 points. They had the worst offense in the league, finishing with only 142 goals for, 30 goals behind the second worst offense in Anchorage. Their defense was slightly better at fourth from the bottom, but this still couldn't save them from having the second worst point differential in the league at a disastrous -119. However, this season is an entirely different story. With two games left to play the team has more than doubled their win total from last season, sitting at a comfortable sixth place in the standings. The Scarecrows have scored 90 more goals while allowing 40 less than last season, leading to a massive increase in differential at a staggering 130 goal turnaround to +11. So just how has the team from Mound City achieved this miraculous reversal of fortune? First, they turned a -10 shot differential per game to a +0.3. Next, they boosted their power play scoring percentage from 14.9% to 22.0%. Additionally, they increased their penalty kill percentage by 3.4 and their faceoff win percentage by 4.5.

Now, on to which players have most helped this team to right the ship. Leading the way was rookie phenom Konig Wolf. Despite playing on the second line, Wolf amassed a team leading 73 points while leading the squad in shot efficiency. Wolf isn't just a shooter as he also racked up the second most assists on the team. While certainly a more offensively minded player, Wolf still managed to be third on the team in hits. Third year veteran James Ward-Prowse moved from Center to Right Wing, but has not let this disrupt his scoring. Coming off of a 70 point season in the year prior, Ward-Prowse kept his assist numbers the same and still got the puck in the net, notching 66 points with two games to go. He also improved his hit numbers in a major way, jumping from 92 to 147. So, who has helped to fill the gap that JWP left at center? That would be for non-other than the other half of the Scarecrows' dominant rookie pair on the second line, Sunrise van de Schubbekutteveen. Sunrise has also attained 66 points and has done so even more efficiently. The best part of it all is that Sunrise's defensive game is even better than their offense. Sunrise is also a magnet for power play success, earning 17 points while St. Louis has the numbers advantage. Last and certainly not least is second year goaltender Kyle Baretto. Filling the role of backup last season, Baretto ended with a record of 5-21-5 with an overall game rating of 64. Getting the starting job this season, Baretto had an outstanding transformation, improving to an 18-16-4 record with a league leading overall game rating of 76.

All in all, this is a majorly improved St. Louis squad who only have room to grow. They could certainly make some noise and surprise some teams this postseason, but they can easily become true contenders as their young stars continue to improve.

538 Words

*CptSquall* · 06-23-2023, 10:50 AM

Approved, +5 TPE to @UptownCord

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