Login

jtam · 11-19-2020, 09:30 PM

(Ready to be Graded - 9700~ words + graphs and a spreadsheet - Im sorry)

Hamilton Steelhawks – Rikard Hammarberg and Season Review – J. Botchford Jr.

It has been quite a year for young Rikard Hammarberg. Coming off from the disappointment in finishing his last season in the SMJHL losing to Newfoundland in the Four Stars Cup finals with the Maine Timber, Rikard felt a renewed passion in his training. Graduating from the Outlaws and the Timber in his final season, it was time for Hammarberg to play for the team that took a chance on him in the second round in the S53 draft. Going up into the big leagues has been daunting for many a rookie, and Hammarberg was the same. He had his work cut out for him and he would need to up his game to play a role in helping Hamilton win the Challenge Cup.

Hamilton has been a top team in the SHL for a long time, winning the championship in S51, as well as the season that they drafted Hammarberg (S53), and was the runner up in S54, losing out to New Orleans. After not reaching the finals in S55, GMs Hallsy and gwdjohnson got to work, forming an incredibly talented core to get back to the finals this season. With such a strong core, Hamilton was touted as a Challenge Cup favorite this season. One needs to give up something to gain something, and this was the case with the Steelhawks. Most of the core was built via trades and was further supplemented by expensive free-agent signings. To make room for these free-agent signings, cap space needed to be freed. On top of trading away draft picks these past several seasons, of the many prospects that Hamilton had drafted with Hammarberg in S53, only A Jobin and Hammarberg remained. Kriss Darzins, (Clean) Andrei Kostitsyn, Lligma Broomstick, had been traded to help build the core. While only 3 players were drafted in S54, only Simon Takshak remained. Walito Gretzky had not panned out as expected, despite the name lineage and has found himself on his way out of the SMJHL, and 2nd round pick Adam Friedland was traded alongside veteran Jagger Forquette for 2 draft picks as cap relief. Prior to the S56 draft, it almost seemed like the prospect pool was a barren wasteland, and Rikard Hammarberg (which didn’t add much to the barren wasteland).

Bulletin Board Material – S56 Offseason Moves

Analysis: I'm worried they may lose some games to injuries from breaking their arms from patting themselves on the back too hard. Super team? In any other division, absolutely, but not in the Great Lakes. Goaltending leaves a lot to be desired competitively, and their defense is not quite as strong as the other 2 teams ahead of them. They do have an outstanding forward group though so they will need to score lots and lots of goals to be able to come out of this group any higher than 3rd. And they might just do that.

An analysis like that is sure to fire up the boys after an active offseason which saw extremely ambitious moves to set themselves up for the S56 season. While history will dictate whether the S56 Hamilton Steelhawks team was a super team, the results do not lie. More on that in a bit, lets see how they got to create this “super team.”

The S56 draft did not offer much to replenish the prospect pipeline. With three picks in the whole draft, one in the first round (received in package for Guy Zheng, more on that trade later), one in the fourth round, and one in the fifth round, GMs Hallsy and gwdjohnson were able to extract value with the 4th overall pick. First, the pick was traded to New England for a return of S56 10th overall pick and the S57 1st round pick that once belonged to Hamilton, which was traded to New England in the blockbuster trade for both Guy Zheng and Dick Clapper. In fact, this was one of the trades that traded away most of the prospects in the pipeline, including both (Clean) Andrei Kostitsyn and Kriss Darzins of Hammarberg’s draft class, as well as 4 1st overall picks (S55-S58). Getting the S57 1st back would be of importance as it was then utilized to over sheet the hulking right defence prospect Bork Lazer out of New Orleans. After drafting, and trading Sarah Burke for Evangelos Giannopoulos, with the 1st round pick, Hallsy and gwdjohnson were able to wheel and deal their way at the draft into excellent value in replenishing the prospect pipeline. Hamilton continued to add to its prospect depth by trading for the rights for Rotticus Scott from Chicago for the S59 1st round pick, the prospect pool was revamped in a hurry. Guy O’Shea was also injected into the lineup through a forced trade of Guy Zheng to Atlanta (which he had been hired as GM) to form a youth triumvirate of S52/53 prospects to spearhead the next generation of Hamilton Steelhawks alongside Hammarberg (C/W) and Jobin (G). Further deals helped replenish some of the draft picks that have been traded away, leaving Hamilton in a decent spot to draft future prospects to continue Hamilton’s championship pedigree. While this only covered the trades, it was in the free agent pool that GMs Hallsy and gwdjohnson made the most noise. In creating cap space, Hamilton were able to dangle large baits in the free agent frenzy and were able to wheel in massive gets. The prizes that awaited Hamilton were Michael Scarn, coming in at a whopping 9.5m and Theo Morgan at 6m. With both players at the peak of their primes and well-established 1st liners in their previous respective clubs.

With these signings and trades completed, it came down to the coaches in determining the lines to push for Hamilton to the finals and capture another Challenge Cup. With the Scarn and Morgan forming two parts of a formidable first line, they were joined by long time Steelhawk Hugh Jazz to form a 1A line. Season 55 leading SHL leading scorer Aaron Wilson anchors the 1B line with his running mate from S55, Dick Clapper, together with Dale Miller, who has moved up into the second line with the retirement of Flacko Lagerfield. Hammarberg would play on the third line in a defensive role on the wing, with two way forward Skao Anazibf in the center alongside captain Robert Phelps on the opposite wing. With two incredible offensive minded lines and a matchup line, the offence will come in waves from the Hamilton squad. On defence, the offence doesn’t stop. Ray Bork and Gabriel “all offence-no defence” Johnson man the point on the first pairing. Samuel Michaud and newcomer Guy O’Shea form the second pairing while Chico Smeb (later replaced by Igor Volkov) and Jax Duggan round out the defence corps on the third pairing. A Jobin will be the starting goaltender while Junior Guarda will provide back-up goaltender duties.

Theo Morgan – Michael Scarn – Hugh Jazz

Dick Clapper – Aaron Wilson – Dale Miller

Rikard Hammarberg – Skao Anazibf – Robert Phelps

Ray Bork – Gabriel Johnson

Samuel Michaud – Guy O’Shea

Chico Smeb / Igor Volkov – Jax Duggan

A Jobin

Junior Guarda

October – Almost Perfect (14-0-1) (*Shaded denotes Home Games)

[Image: unknown.png]

With championship hopes hanging on this season, Hamilton started the S56 season strong. With a tight October schedule, securing points early on will be tough. The Eastern Conference has been mighty competitive the past several seasons and this year is much of the same. Every point counts and Hamilton needed to have a good start to keep pace with the rest of the conference. With other strong Challenge Cup contenders such as Chicago Syndicate, Manhattan Rage, and Buffalo Stampede in the same conference, it would serve the Steelhawks well to keep ahead of the pack to earn the bye into the second round for the playoffs. With fatigue a factor during the season and in the playoffs, any rest the team can get will definitely be beneficial.

Starting the season off at home, Hamilton rolled out to a strong outing against Tampa Bay, winning 6-3 at home. The offence was relentless, as they poured on 64 shots between Ian Venables, Hamilton’s backup from last year, and Tobias Lindeman. The prized free agents put on a clinic with Scarn tallying 3 points (1 goal, 2 assists) and Morgan outdoing him by scoring 4 points (1 goal, 3 assists). Dick Clapper also got into the action with 3 points (1 goal, 2 assists). Guy O’Shea (more on him later), Jax Duggan, Aaron Wilson completed the scoring for the Steelhawks. A fantastic outing in front of the home crowd.

No rest for the team as they started the season with a back-to-back with an away game in New Orleans. Facing a strong New Orleans side on the back end of a back-to-back is never easy and the Steelhawks were able to escape New Orleans with a 4-3 overtime win. With strong games from Dick Clapper (2 goals), Guy O’Shea (1 goal, 1 assist), Aaron Wilson (1 goal, 1 assist), and Samuel Michaud (2 assists), Hamilton began their quest for the Challenge Cup in S56 with two wins.
In fact, the winning ways held on for Hamilton for all of October aside from one small blemish. The dominant Hamilton offence was difficult to handle for most teams as the Steelhawks ran through most of their oppositions by wide margins all throughout October. Upon leaving New Orleans, Hamilton visited Tampa for the rematch, defeating them 9-0. In such a lopsided victory, there were high stat lines for many players, with Guy O’Shea and Aaron Wilson leading the way with 4 points each(both with 1 goal, 3 assists), and 3 points for Michael Scarn (1 goal, 2 assists) and Skao Anazibf (3 assists). Dick Clapper and Robert Phelps chipped in with 2 goals each. This game was also a personal highlight for Rikard Hammarberg, as his assist in the 2nd period was his first point in the SHL. Setting up in the offensive zone, Hammarberg saucered a pass back to the point to a waiting Gabriel Johnson as he wired one above the Ian Venables’ glove that ended Venable’s night at 8 goals.

Hamilton would run the gauntlet the next few weeks, scoring victories against the Toronto North Stars (6-2), the Texas Renegades (5-3), the Atlanta Inferno (8-1 and 4-2), the Buffalo Stampede (3-1), and the Calgary Dragons (3-2 Shootout). Hammarberg would treasure the game against Texas. Midway through the first period against Texas with the score tied 1-1, Hammarberg scored in a similar fashion to his first goal in the SHL. Upon setting up in offensive zone, Jax Duggan sent a pass towards Robert Phelps who threaded a seeing eye shot towards the net. Hammarberg was able to get in the way of Texas goaltender White Goodman and tip the shot passed his blocker for his first SHL goal.
Three weeks into the season and Hamilton had yet to lose a game. Coming into the tenth game of the season, in a highly anticipated matchup against the Manhattan Rage, Hamilton had all the momentum, gunning for ten straight victories to start the season. A double-digit win streak was not in the works for the Steelhawks as they would lose to Manhattan in a shootout, 5-4. While combining for 8 goals total in regulation, it was a goaltender duel as both teams were running and gunning for the whole game, leaving the goaltenders to become the stars of the game. With both teams throwing close to 45 shots each at the goaltenders, A Jobin and Peter Larson needed to be sharp, and they were. In the end, it was decided through the shootout and Jobin was the first to blink, leading to Hamlton’s first loss of the season. Hamilton got right back to its winning ways after dropping that game, winning the rest of the games in October. With wins against Edmonton Blizzard (4-1), Toronto (7-1), Winnipeg Jets (6-0), Tampa (9-1), and Baltimore Platoon (6-3), Hamilton ended October with an astounding 14-0-1 record.

Game of the Month: October 18 – Calgary Dragons (2) – Hamilton Steelhawks (3) – Shootout Win

In a battle between two cup favorites, it was a battle between one of the top teams in the East and one of the top teams in the West. Hamilton (8-0-0) came into the game red hot with a win streak of eight, while Calgary (5-0-1) had not lost in regulation. The two teams came together and provided a great game for spectators. Calgary had been stingy in allowing shots and goals against as they fielded an extraordinarily strong, defensively sound squad against the waves of offensive firepower that is the Hamilton squad. In a tightly fought contest, Hamilton was able to come out with their 9th win in a row in a hard-fought game that needed to go to a shootout to decide a winner.

In the first period, Chico Smeb opened the scoring with his second of the year on a blast from the point that threaded the needle through several players before ending up at the back of the net. Skao Anazibf and Aaron Wilson were credited with the assists. Boris Poroshenko responded for the Dragons with a bullet of a wrister from the left circle that handcuffed A Jobin 2 minutes later after some neat passing between Mikael Choybuk and Leopold Lockhart. Dick Clapper restored the one goal lead for the Steelhawks with his 7th of the year 19 seconds into the second period. After Wilson won the faceoff back, Guy O’Shea went d to d to his partner Samuel Michaud who caught Clapper on a defensive breakdown by the Dragons and was given a partial breakaway. Leopold Lockhart was able to angle Clapper away by leaning on him, preventing a scoring chance. Clapper kept possession as he went into the end boards before throwing the puck back to the point to O’Shea. O’Shea had some time and space as he threaded pass to Michaud before Michaud wristed a shot on net. Kata Vilde was able to get a pad on the shot but was unable to control the rebound. Dick Clapper pounced on the rebound and was able to jam in the puck underneath the pad as Vilde was repositioning to put the Steelhawks up by one.

While the teams continued to trade chances throughout the second period, it was not until the middle of the third period before the puck entered either net. Third line center Nicky Pedersen Jr. capitalized on a poor line change by the Steelhawks and was sent in all alone against A Jobin. Jobin bit hard on Pedersen Jr’s forehand move and was unable to come across as Pedersen Jr. backhanded the puck above the outstretched pad of Jobin to tie the score at two. Overtime would solve nothing, and a shootout was needed to separate these two closely matched sides. On this day, Jobin bested Vilde as he stopped both Maxime Bouchard and Mikael Choybuk in the skills competition, making up for his breakaway miss from earlier in the game. On the flip side, Dick Clapper and Michael Scarn made good on their chances to keep Hamilton’s season opening win streak alive for one more game.

Player of the Month – Theo Morgan (14 goals – 18 assists – 32 points in 15 games)

While tempting to award this to Guy O’Shea for his unbelievable performance throughout the month of October, the award has to go to Theo Morgan. Morgan feasted on the Steelhawks opponents scoring 14 goals and assisting on 18 others for a total of 32 points in the month of October. Morgan went through all of October scoring points in each game except for two. Highlight game for Morgan came against Tampa near the end of the month where he came close to matching Robert Phelps’ FHM era single game team scoring record with 4 goals (Phelps’ record is 5 goals). Morgan also threw in an assist for a 5-point night. Scoring at a torrid pace, Theo Morgan was on track to meet, if not beat, Flacko Lagerfield’s single season team scoring record of 84 points (Morgan is on track for 106 points after October). You will likely see Morgan as player of the month a few more times.

Guy O’Shea’s October is nothing to be scoff at. One of the newest Steelhawks, after being traded from Atlanta, came in guns ablazing and scored above a point a game (6 goals 15 assists, 21 points in 15 games) all of October. While this pace would prove unsustainable for the young defenceman as his points totals began to trend back to a player of his TPE level, his accomplishments in the month of October must be applauded.

November - Road Weary (9-3-2)

[Image: unknown.png]

While October was packed with 15 games, November was also not kind to the Hamilton Steelhawks, with another 14 games on the docket. Having played 3 back to backs already this season, November gifts the Steelhawks another 4 back to back games. As strong and fit as the team may be, the strenuous grind of the season does no favors for the weary. Starting November with a 5 game road trip, with 2 back to backs, back to back finally brought the Steelhawks back down to earth. Continuing with a stellar 14-0-1 October, Hamilton racked off another win against Texas (4-3) off strong performances by Dick Clapper (2 goals) and Samuel Michaud (2 Assists). Dick Clapper got the Steelhawks on the board midway through the first period. After stripping the puck, Aaron Wilson sent a cross-ice feed to Dick Clapper in stride, and he was able to weave through a Renegades defender before rifling the puck past White Goodman. SLATT Potts equalized for Texas with his first of the year from Kaarlo Kekkonen and Eric Hudson, before Dick Clapper restored the one goal lead a minute and a half later on a crisp cycling play alongside Samuel Michaud and Dale Miller. Kaarlo Kekkonen equalized for the Renegades once again on the powerplay (Michael Scarn for cross-checking) after some nifty passing between Alaxander Wacther and Andreas Kvalheim. Josef Kubinec pulled the Renegades ahead, deflecting an Alexander Wachter shot (second assist of the game) from the side walls. It seemed like Texas was going to hand Hamilton its first loss of the season after going up 3-2 going into the third period, but the firepower Hamilton has in store was too much. Rikard Hammarberg equalized for the Steelhawks three minutes into the third period for his third of the season, jamming in a rebound off of a Skao Anazibf shot. Guy O’Shea, continuing his hot streak from October pulled Hamilton ahead for good with his seventh of the season, assisted by Samuel Michaud, midway through the third period.

Coming into the next game against Baltimore, with a back-to-back against Seattle, after playing a back-to-back a game ago, the team was feeling beginning to feel the fatigue set in. Despite the fatigue, Hamilton poured 66 shots against Baltimore, dominating the game offensively. Pouring that many shots against a team usually results in a win, but in the classic words of Wayne Gretzky’s 3D Hockey, “The Goalie’s a WALL!” Luca Del Vecchio put in a performance of the ages. Despite surrendering three goals, Del Veccio stopped 63 of 66 shots including a crucial stop against Michael Scarn in the shootout to lift the Platoon to a shootout victory. This would bring the Steelhawks their second extra time loss of the season. While they have still yet to lose in regulation, it seems that it will inevitably happen during this road trip. The team needed to dig deep into the tank in the back end of the back to back.

Sadly, the tank ran on empty as Hamilton loses their first game of the season to the Seattle Argonauts. Bo Kane, Satoshi Zizagooney, and Abel Skinner tallied for the expansion franchise and Theo Morgan replied with his 15th on the power play. Two days off and the Steelhawks were once again in another back to back situation against Toronto and Edmonton. A solid win against Toronto (4-2) with Jax Duggan and Michael Scarn supplying the heroics for the road weary Steelhawks was ruined by the second loss of the season to the Edmonton Blizzard (1-2). A Jobin did his darndest to give his team a chance to win, playing a superb game against Edmonton, but it was not to be. Hamilton would return home after the 5 game road trip, with 2 back to backs, back to back with a 2-2-1 record.

After a month of near perfect hockey, Hamilton came back from the trip with 3 losses, 1 in a shootout. While most teams would love to be in their shoes, in a hyper competitive league at the top, every win and every point counts. Given a two day break after their loss to Edmonton, a rested Hamilton squad exacted revenge against Seattle at home. Dick Clapper once again got the Steelhawks going with a powerplay goal after a brilliant Theo Morgan play. With Frederick Wanesly in the box for delay of game, puck over glass, Morgan knocked down a clearing attempt in mid air at the offensive blueline, keeping the puck in play in the offensive zone. Wiring a pass to Clapper, Clapper unleashed a clapper from the right face off dot over the shoulder of Nolan McMahon for his 15th of the season. Frederick Wanesly responded for the Argonauts on the powerplay after cycling in the offensive zone with Jack Kanoff and Tig Murphy with Hammarberg in the box for boarding. Theo Morgan continues his brilliant play with his 17th of the season to bring the Steelhawks back up ahead for good. Rikard Hammarberg nets his fourth of the season, pouncing on a rebound after a Ray Bork shot. Robert Phelps nets the second assist on Hammarberg’s goal midway through the second period to put the Steelhawks up 3-1. Theo Morgan was sprung on a breakaway by Michael Scarn for his 18th of the season, and Hammarberg rounds out the scoring for the Steelhawks with his first two goal game of his career to help the Steelhawks recover from a disastrous road trip with a 5-1 victory. Home cooking worked wonders for the squad. Sadly, no rest for the wicked, as the Steelhawks returned onto the road for a game in San Francisco against the Pride. Looking to prove that their last road trip was an aberration, the Steelhawks were on a mission coming into the San Francisco. The result, a 10-0 thrashing with 11 players registering 2 points or more. Leading the way was Theo Morgan once again, matching his output against Tampa Bay back in October with 4 goals and 1 assist. Rikard Hammarberg registers his second 2 goal game in 2 games, scoring the first two goals of the game, and Dick Clapper, Michael Scarn, Aaron Wilson, and Skao Anazibf round out the scoring with a goal apiece. Gabriel Johnson, Chico Smeb, Guy O’Shea, Michael Scarn, Aaron Wilson, and Skao Anazibf each registered 2 assists in a game that is sure to pad the stats for the Steelhawks. Theo Morgan also matched the single game shots on net record with 15 shots. The record is held by Flacko Lagerfield with 17 shots on net. Feeling a surge of confidence, the Steelhawks returned home for another much anticipated game between two juggernauts in the Eastern Conference.

The Chicago Syndicate awaited them back at home and what awaited the spectators was a spirited affair that had a little bit of everything. With very little separating between these two clubs in the standings, the players fought for every inch of ice. Nick Conolly got the scoring started at four minutes into the game, jamming a rebound in off of a Disisde Dayudie shot after he was set up in the slot by Akira Ren. Gabriel Johnson responded with a seeing-eye point shot that handcuffed Tibuk Soonika. Ray Bork picked up the assist. Chicago took a commanding 3-1 lead into the second period after goals by Jules Watt and Parker Smeb. Both teams saved the best for the last period as Michael Scarn scored his 7th goal of the campaign, Theo Morgan scored his 23rd on the powerplay, and Dick Clapper scored his 15th in the third period before the period was even half over. Charlie Schieck scored his first of the season 4 seconds after Morgan’s powerplay goal. Knotted at 4 a piece, Lallo Selman scored his 9th of the season to win this tilt for the Syndicate, handing the Steelhawks another loss. Some interesting stats from the game, Gunnar Soderberg amassed 16 penalty minutes, with a roughing misconduct and two tripping penalties, for which Hamilton could not capitalize. Corey Kennedy blocked an amazing 12 shots that was directed towards the Syndicate net, and both goaltenders were on their game, despite the high scoreline, with Tibuk Soonika stopping 44 out of 48 shots, and A Jobin stopping 47 out of 52 shots. With a 4-2-2 record halfway through November, Hamilton roared back into the win column winning out the rest of November (5-2 over New England Wolfpack, 2-0 over Los Angeles Panthers, 6-0 over Minnesota Monarchs, 4-3 win over Chicago, and 8-2 over San Francisco) except for a 2-1 loss to Manhattan ending the month with a 9-3-2 record, a 500% increase in losses over October.

Game of the Month – November 27th – Chicago Syndicate (3) – Hamilton Steelhawks (4) – Shootout Win

In the rematch between Hamilton and Chicago after Chicago defeated Hamilton in a shootout a week ago, Chicago and Hamilton once again played an epic game for the spectators. The teams wasted no time getting on the scoreboard to set the tone that neither team was going to back down from a fight. You can tell this one could get chippy one minute into the game when smooth skating Samuel Michaud skated hard and plowed into Syndicate goaltender Tibuk Soonika trying to jam in a rebound. His stay in the penalty box was short lived as Daniel Smeb made sure that the Syndicate capitalized on the penalty. Five seconds into the penalty, at 1:14 in the first period, Smeb scored his twelfth on the powerplay, Smeb got in behind the four man box that Hamilton employed and redirected the puck behind A Jobin after a perfectly weighted saucer pass from Corey Kennedy from the far wall. Martijn Westbroek picked up the secondary assist as it certainly did not take long before Chicago got on the scoreboard. Not to be outdone, Hamilton answered right back. After a winger win from the center face-off circle, Gabriel Johnson put on the jets and dangled his way into the offensive zone. Stopping short at the left hand faceoff dot, Johnson faked a pass cross-ice and wired a shot just over the outstretched pad and under the blocker of Soonika, equalizing the game with his 11th of the season 16 seconds after Smeb opened the scoring. A minute later, Cameron Carter II scored his second of the season, tipping in a Parker Smeb blast from the point. Lallo Selman set up the play drawing defenders towards him before sending it back towards the point, earning an assist. After a fast and furious 3 minutes, the score was 2-1 in favor of the Syndicate. While there was no scoring for the next ten minutes, Hamilton peppered Soonika with shots, as they put up 19 shots in the first period alone to Chicago’s 9 against Jobin. Beginning to tire from the barrage of shots, Soonika was unable get across the crease at 13:09 to stop a Theo Morgan wrist shot, his 27th tally in his 28th game of the season, after Jax Duggan and Guy O’Shea walked the line to open up a passing lane. Two minutes later, Dick Clapper would get Hamilton the lead with his 19th of the season, on a rush chance, set up by Dale Miller and Aaron Wilson. Hamilton would go to the dressing room up 3-2 after a frenetic first period that saw 5 goals and 28 shots total.

Perhaps the coaches did not like the looseness that both teams showed in their defensive coverage, or perhaps both teams spent too much energy in the first, but the second period was played at a much slower, more defensive pace than the first. Both teams only combined for 19 shots against, with only Martijn Westbroek’s late tally, his 20th of the season set up by Jules Watt and Ryuuji Minamino, in the final minute of the second period as the only puck that got past either goaltender. The third period would once again be played at a frenetic pace by the Steelhawks, as they wanted to end the game in regulation, pouring another 19 shots towards Soonika. Tibuk Soonika was not to be denied, however, stopping all 19 shots in the third period to bring the game into extra time. Overtime was tilted towards the Hamilton end as Chicago was the only team to be able to direct shots on goal, but A Jobin was up to the task, stopping all 4 shots, including 2 grade A chances to force the game into a shootout. While billed as an offensive affair, it was all up to the goaltenders to earn their teams an extra point. Dick Clapper was opened the tally in the shootout with a sneaky forehand backhand move, and then it was the A Jobin show, stopping both Daniel Smeb and Lallo Selman. After Michael Scarn could not increase the lead for the Steelhawks, Theo Morgan put the game away with a wrist shot to give the Steelhawks the victory and the all-important extra point. With the series tied one a piece, both settled in overtime, and 2 more contests between the Syndicate and the Steelhawks, the season series looked as tight as it can be.

Player of the Month – Theo Morgan (15 goals – 9 assists – 24 points in 14 games)

Theo Morgan continued to play at an incredible level throughout the month of November leading the way with an even loftier goal scoring rate, scoring at over a goal a game in the month of November. While his assist totals dropped from 18 assists in October to only 9 assists in November, with 29 goals and 56 points in 29 games, single season goals and points records are actually within sight. Even the hallowed 50 goals in 50 games benchmark from the NHL seemed attainable. While his lofty points totals suffered slightly due to the fatigue the whole team was experiencing, with the whole team (except Rikard Hammarberg who scored at a slightly higher rate in November) recording lower point totals from October to November, Theo Morgan was the engine that powered the team through its tough November schedule.

December – Enter the Jobin (9-1-2)
[Image: unknown.png]

Coming into December, the Steelhawks held a 23-3-3 record, leading the league. Hamilton had survived a difficult November where they played 4 back to backs, including two of them back to back. Coming into December, Hamilton was one of the teams that had played the most games in the league. With 3 more back to backs in December and a thirteen game schedule, the Steelhawks would need to continue to compile points to continue staying ahead of the pack for the much needed first round bye heading into the playoffs.

For the first game of the month, Hamilton was not as successful this time around against the Syndicate. Despite Jobin’s best efforts, and being awarded the first star of the game, Hamilton’s offence faltered, only putting up 29 shots against Tibuk Soonika. Chicago piled on the pressure and put up 48 shots to Hamilton’s 29. Hamilton’s stamina didn’t hold up in the third, only mustering 6 shots. Martijn Westbroek opened the scoring with a short handed goal while Akira Ren was in the box for holding. After Daniel Smeb got into the passing lane and intercepted a pass, he freed the puck up to Corey Kennedy who then sprung Westbroek in on the breakaway for his 24th of the season. Gunnar Soderberg doubled the lead 10 minutes later with a blast after some nice passing plays between the Smebs (Daniel and Parker). It wasn’t until the third period that Hamilton was able to get on the board with a point shot by Guy O’Shea that bounced around several Chicago bodies before squeaking by Soonika. A goaltender’s duel, the game ended 2-1 in favor of Chicago, and started the month poorly for the Steelhawks.

Piling on the misery, in the lowest point of the Steelhawks season, Hamilton lost the subsequent game against the Tampa Bay Barracuda in a shootout. As with the Baltimore Platoon loss back in October, Hamilton ran into a brick wall. Call it the Ian Venables revenge tour. Traded earlier this season for cap relief, Venables came back with a vengeance this game. Guy O’Shea opened the game with his 11th of the season, assisted by Dale Miller and Dick Clapper at 6:23 in the first period. Sidestepping his check at the blueline, O’Shea slid into the slot and wired a wrist shot that Venables was not able to catch. Chico Smeb made it 2-0 with his 4th of the season blasting a point shot that Venables could not see. Dick Clapper and Jax Duggan got the assits on Smeb’s shot. Hamilton dominated the first period to the tune of 12 shots to 1. With Hamilton sitting back on their lead in the second, Tampa Bay came back with a furious second period. While Hamilton still put up 12 shots in the period, the Barracuda directed 15 shots towards Junior Guarda, with Justin Keahi scoring his 7th after being sprung by Michale Fitted on a breakaway. Looking to close out the game, Hamilton decided to turn on the offence for the third, throwing an astonishing 26 shots towards Venables, but he was not to be denied. Despite dominating the third like the first, the Barracuda were able to equalize the game at 2 a piece with a fantastic effort by Mega Tron. Deceiving his check, Mega Tron made like a robot and rolled out of the zone after Ambacas Cuddles got his stick in the passing lane to knock the puck to Dwight Knight. Knight deftly launched the puck into the air only to have it drop right on Mega Tron’s stick and he made no mistake, rocketing it past Guarda to tie the game up against the flow of play. Overtime would solve nothing and the game headed into a shootout, where James Ronlain won it for the Barracuda in the 4th round of the shootout after Aaron Wilson was robbed by Venables. This gave Hamilton its second loss in a row, the longest of the season.

Hamilton came back strong the next game against Toronto. Holding Toronto to 14 shots total, A Jobin was perfect between the pipes for his 5th shut out of the season. Ray Bork (2nd of the season), Theo Morgan (30th of the season), Robert Phelps (9th of the season), and Dick Clapper (20th of the season) supplied the offence as Hamilton got back into the win column after losing two games in a row. Sadly, this trend would not last, as Hamilton would suffer another shootout defeat (5-4) at the hands of Calgary two nights later. Losing three out of four games, Hamilton needed course correction and get back into the win column to keep up in the hyper competitive Eastern Conference and maintain their lead atop the standings to win the President’s Trophy. The team had played a lot of hockey the past two months, so the extended break between the Calgary game and the next game in the schedule against Manhattan was a welcome one. With six days in between, Hamilton was able to reset, get some much-needed rest for their bodies, and put in a few practices to adjust their lines and tactics that opponents have started to counter.

The Steelhawks came into Manhattan refreshed and looking to put their losses behind them. While things started off well against the Rage with Ray Bork scoring his third of the season after Robert Phelps picked up the puck on a broken play and was able to feed it cross-ice for Bork to start the scoring off for Hamilton. Manhattan would reply eight minutes later as David Vent blasted a point shot that A Jobin was unable to find in traffic. Piotr Czerkawski and Ola Wagstrom were able to open up the shooting lane for Vent as they cycled the puck between each other before Czerkawski sent it to Vent to even up the score at one. Manhattan took advantage of a sluggish start by Hamilton, taking control of possession and hemmed the Steelhawks in their defensive zone as they poured 16 shots against Jobin to the 9 shots from Hamilton. It was all because of Jobin that the score was not lopsided after the first. The Rage would take the lead midway through the second on a deflection from David Kastrba. After Luca Vecceli won a faceoff back to the point, Reginald MacIntyre wristed a shot towards a screened A Jobin. Kastrba was able to get a stick on it and deflecting it down underneath Jobin’s pads for his ninth of the season. Phineas Gold would double the Rage’s lead at 15:28 in the second period on a three on two with Andrej Doskocil and Jax Aittokallio. Gold’s 15th of the season would put the Rage up 3-1 late in the second period and it seemed like Hamilton was once again heading towards a loss. Dale Miller was able to claw into the lead at 17:15 on some solid cycling work between Miller, Aaron Wilson and Dick Clapper. His 10th of the season would begin a comeback for the Steelhawks in the third period. Theo Morgan would even up the game at 3 a piece with his league leading 31st of the year on the powerplay after Jax Aittokallio was called for holding. Similar to Kastrba’s goal in the second period, Michael Scarn won the faceoff back to the point, where Gabriel Johnson was waiting. Walking the line, Johnson fed the puck down low to the side of the net where Morgan had snuck into after the faceoff and was able to jam the slide the puck between Peter Larson’s pad and the post. Rikard Hammarberg would complete the comeback with his 10th of the year, wristing a shot past Larson’s glove. Skao Anazibf and Robert Phelps would pick up the assists as the Steelhawks would get the win off of a spirited comeback.

This win over Manhattan would start a nice run of games for the Steelhawks as they would eclipse their win streak of 9 games in a row from the start of the season with 12 straight wins stretching into the new year. With some days in between games to rest the aching bodies in this run, Hamilton was able to stay fresh in the stretch run prior to heading into the playoffs. Victims in this run of games in December include Baltimore (two 3-0 shutouts), Los Angeles (a 2-0 shoutout), New England (6-1), Chicago (5-2), Atlanta Inferno (5-2), and Manhattan again (4-3). Unlike in games in October and November, Hamilton had started to buckle down their tactics to strengthen their defensive structure. While Hamilton had been running up the score against many of their opponents, a stronger defensive structure would prove to be beneficial going into the playoffs. As they say, defense wins championships. Luckily, there were six days off between the loss to Calgary to the win in Manhattan through which the coaches were able to instill the new defensive structure to the team. In the remainder of games in December, Hamilton never conceded more than 2 goals except against a high-octane offense in Manhattan twice. They were also able to score three shutouts.

Game of the Month – December 6th – Calgary Dragons (5) – Hamilton Steelhawks (4) – Shootout Loss

For the third game of the month, it is another shootout game. Calgary and Hamilton are in a tight race at the top of the standings for the President’s Trophy and every single point counts. Calgary continues to boast an incredible defensive game with potent firepower, while Hamilton’s offensive onslaught continues to be in league of their own. Hamilton was unable to secure victory in this game, as the Dragons were able to best them through the shootout after chasing starting goaltender A Jobin, on a rare off night, from the game midway through the first period.

Boris Poroshenko got Calgary started early in the first period with his 9th of the season. Not even one minute into the game, with the Dragons set up in the Hamilton defensive zone, Mikael Choybuk floated a wrister into the pads of A Jobin. With Jobin unable to control the rebound and the defensemen unable to clear the crease, Poroshenko was able to pounce on the rebound and jam it in for his ninth of the season. Barry Batsbak would get the secondary assist. Less than one minute later, Bernik Vrzala would blast a shot from the point through traffic and past Jobin for his fourth of the season, and the goals would keep coming in. Less than a minute later again, Boris Poroshenko would find his second goal of the game from Brennan Kennedy Jr. and Barry Batsbak again to put the Dragons up 3, less than 3 minutes into the game. That would spell the end of the night for A Jobin, who was let in 3 goals on 5 shots, and the Steelhawks would have a massive mountain to climb if they would want to make this game competitive. Midway through the period, Calgary would once again increase their lead in the game as Mikael Choybuk netted his 17th of the season from Brennan Kennedy Jr. and Boris Poroshenko, who is having himself quite the game with two goals and an assist to his tally halfway through the first period. Junior Guarda was unable to get across quickly enough as the Dragons came in on a three on one with Kennedy Jr. jumping up into the play. The Dragons were running away with this game and many waited for the Steelhawks to fold for this game and concentrate on the next one. Hugh Jazz was able to cut the lead down to three near the end of the first period. Jax Duggan and Chico Smeb would pick up the assists.

Hugh Jazz would tally his second of the game, from a beautiful feed from Theo Morgan cross ice, to cut the lead to two midway through the second period, and there was life in the Steelhawks once again. Leaning on their signature waves of offense towards Calgary, Hamilton was able to muster 13 shots against a stingy Calgary side that was sitting defensively on their lead. A break came when Samuel Michaud sprung Dale Miller and Dick Clapper in on a two on one and Dale Miller made no mistake as he beat Kata Vilde as he was diving over from a brilliant saucer pass from Dick Clapper. Miller’s 9th of the season cut the lead to one and the comeback was almost complete. Calgary clamped down defensively even more in the third period which stifled Hamilton’s comeback efforts. It wasn’t until late in the third period with only two minutes left to play when Hamilton’s comeback was complete. With the Steelhawks set up in the Calgary end, Robert Phelps dished a perfectly weighted pass to the point for Gabriel Johnson who unleased a heavy shot from the point. Rikard Hammarberg was able to slide inside Kata Vilde’s vision just a split second before Johnson released his shot. Hammarberg was able to get his stick on the puck, tipping it between Vilde’s glove and pad to tie the game up at 4. Overtime would solve nothing and the game would go into the shootout, where Michael Choybuk and Barry Batsbak would score the shootout goals for Calgary as Hamilton was unable to get one past Kata Vilde, giving Calgary the extra point. While the Steelhawks were unable to win this game in the shootout, the resiliency that they showed after their starter was pulled and being down 4-0 in the first period was a sight to behold and gives spectators hope that the Steelhawks can triumph over adversity in a season that has been kind to the Steelhawks. This would bode well when the going gets tough in the post-season.

Player of the Month – A Jobin (9 Wins - 1 Loss - 4 Shutouts)

While the offensive numbers of Theo Morgan and the forwards of have stolen the spotlight for the Hamilton season, Jobin’s December was a month to remember. Starting in 11 out of 12 contests in December, Jobin put up outstanding numbers, despite being pulled in the game against Calgary giving up 3 goals in 5 shots. While the team’s offensive stats dropped once again in December, Jobin’s stats continued to get better. Jobin faced 263 shots in the 11 games that he played in, allowing only 16 goals for a save percentage of 0.939. With the increase in defensive structure to the team, it allowed Jobin to come into his own and give the Steelhawks solid and steady goaltending to unleash their offensive creativity and take risks knowing that they have Jobin in net behind them. With four shutouts in the month of December, Jobin had a Christmas to remember.

January – Finish off Strong (8-0-1)

[Image: unknown.png]

Having played the majority of their games in the past three months, the Steelhawks January only had 9 games. Even so, there was a back to back, back to back situation once again. Hamilton continued their win streak from December onto January, winning the first three games in January. After having played Buffalo in the 2nd week of the season back in October, Hamilton and Buffalo did not meet again until the New Year’s Day Extravaganza. The schedule makers seemingly wanted to get through all of the Buffalo vs Hamilton games in one week, and thus, Hamilton played Buffalo three times in one week, winning two games, and suffering their only loss in January at the end of a back to back in the same city. Winning 4-2 on New Year’s Day, 5-2 on the first game of the back to back, and losing 4-3 on the back stretch of the back to back, Hamilton felt good about their chances against the defending Challenge Cup winners if they were to meet in the playoffs this season.

With five games remaining in the schedule, Hamilton needed three wins to clinch the President’s Trophy. While Hamilton was in the driver’s seat to win the Eastern Conference and with it, the first round bye into the playoffs, securing the President’s Trophy has become a sprint to the finish line between Calgary and Hamilton. Calgary had been on tear since the middle of December, going on an extended winning streak, making up ground against the Steelhawks. In what could be a dead heat at the finish line, both teams were neck to neck in the second last week of the regular season. Hamilton had the inside track, holding a slim lead over Calgary coming into that week, and both teams matched each other, with both teams winning all their games, with Hamilton winning 3 and Calgary winning 4. Sadly, Calgary would lose out in the race as they would drop two games in a row to Atlanta and Seattle, while Hamilton won all their remaining games, thus securing the President’s Trophy. Hamilton defeated Atlanta (5-3), Winnipeg (5-0), Minnesota (11-0), New Orleans (3-2), and New England (7-2) en route to securing one of the most successful seasons in franchise history with a stellar record of (40-4-6) earning them 86 points out of a possible 100 for the season.

Game of the Month – January 1st – Hamilton Steelhawks (4) – Buffalo Stampede (2)

In what could likely be a preview of a playoff series, Hamilton and Buffalo played outdoors in the annual New Year’s Day Extravaganza hosted by Bridgestone Tires. Played in Buffalo this year, Hamilton and Buffalo played a under a soft sprinkling of snow under the bright lights Ralph Wilson Stadium. With temperatures dipping below -12, players were eager to get on the ice to warm themselves up. Given the conditions, both teams were off to a cautious start in the first period. Despite Hamilton giving up a two man powerplay to Buffalo midway through the period, Buffalo was unable to capitalize on it, and the teams ended the first period knotted at zero. Buffalo had sustained pressure in the offensive zone throughout the period, pouring 20 shots against A Jobin to Hamilton’s 8. Jobin was clearly a difference maker in this game, especially in the first period.
Hamilton came out flying in the second period, as Skao Anazibf was able to corral an errant pass from Robert Phelps from the defensive zone due to the puck slowing down on the thin layer of snow that had accumulated on the ice prior to puck drop in the second period. Anazibf was able to skate onto the puck in the neutral zone and came in all alone against Elizabeth Doyle. Unwilling to put on fancy moves for fear of losing control of the puck, Anazibf fooled Doyle with an offspeed knuckler that Doyle would definitely want to have back. Five minute later, captain Robert Phelps, playing in likely his last season in the SHL, scored a greasy goal to put the Steelhawks up by 2 by jamming in a rebound off of a Hugh Jazz shot. Jax Duggan would put the Steelhawks up by 3 with a point blast that somehow found its way through a maze of bodies and into the back of the net. It was his ninth of the season, assisted by Aaron Wilson and Dick Clapper. Buffalo was able to respond with Alexander Roach’s fifth of the season after he dove onto a rebound from a Jaska Seppala shot.

With the Steelhawks up by 2 going into the final period, Buffalo came out strong on home soil to try to force the game into overtime. Aron Hernadivic scored his tenth of the season on the powerplay after Theo Morgan was called for interference 13 seconds into the third period. With sustained pressure inside the Hamilton defensive end, Buffalo threw everything they could at A Jobin to try to even up the score. Unfortunately, in a desperate attempt to retrieve a puck, Nicholas Owens delivered an illegal check to the head and was penalized for five minutes and given a game misconduct. While Hamilton was unable to capitalize on the five minute power play, they were able to keep Buffalo hemmed in their own defensive zone, unable to put together offence. In the end, it was not Buffalo’s night, as with their Elizabeth Doyle pulled for the extra attacker, Samuel Michaud was able to ice the game with 39 seconds remaining with an empty net goal.

A thriller of a game, and one that Buffalo would have wanted to win in front of their raucous home crowd, but the conditions, coupled with the unfortunate check to the head meant that the Buffalo faithful went home without a win.

Player of the Month – Robert Phelps (4 goals, 5 assists, 9 points)

While this honor could go to any of the top 6 forwards, this award for the final month of the season goes to Robert Phelps. Prior to the New Year’s Day Extravaganza, Phelps had decided that this was his last season in the SHL and that he would retire at the end of the season. The captain of the Hamilton Steelhawks for as long as anyone could remember, Phelps had left a lasting impression in both on the ice and in the dressing room. Captaining the Steelhawks to two (three now) Challenge Cups during his tenure, Phelps has always been open and friendly to all. Even in the twilight of his time in the SHL, Phelps was not far behind the superstars on Hamilton in his final month of regular season play. Behind top scorer Aaron Wilson (4 goals 9 assists 13 points) and Michael Scarn (5 goals 8 assists 13 points) by only 4 points, Phelps has kept up his level of play and was not a passenger this season. Galvanizing the team, the team wanted to do their best to win Phelps one last Challenge Cup before his retirement.

Fun Season Stats
- Theo Morgan came close to equaling Flacko Lagerfield’s 84 point season from two seasons ago with a stellar statline of 43 goals – 38 assists for a total of 81 points in the season.
- Theo Morgan’s 43 goals is an SHL record in the FHM era.
- Theo Morgan’s 81 points was 12 points clear of the second place points getter Martijn Westbroek who had 69 (nice) points.
- Gabriel Johnson was 4th in shots in the season with 241. As a “defenseman”. Theo Morgan topped this list with 267 shots.
- Michael Scarn led the league in assists with 41.
- A Jobin led the league with 35 wins beating Kata Vilde by 2 wins, but Kata Vilde dominated the goals against average and save percentage with a 1.68 and .936 respectively while Jobin held a respectable 1.81 and .932 goals against average and save percentage.
- A Jobin led the league in shutouts with 10, besting Elizabeth Doyle’s 9 shut outs this season.
- After Theo Morgan’s 43 goals, the next highest goal scorers on the Steelhawks were Dick Clapper with 26, and Aaron Wilson with 20.
- After Michael Scarn’s 42 Assist, the next highest assist getters on the Steelhawks were a tie between Aaron Wilson and Theo Morgan, both with 39 assists, with Samuel Michaud coming in next at 36.
- After Theo Morgan’s 82 points in the season, the next highest points getter were Aaron Wilson with 59 and Dick Clapper with 58. A nod to Guy O’Shea who was fifth in points for the Steelhawks with 42.
- All of Hamilton’s players had a PDO of above 100. They got lucky. It is pretty hilarious if you think about it. You just gotta look at it and just laugh. Just laugh.
- Hamilton held a winning record (points percentage wise) against all Eastern Conference Teams and all Western Conference Teams except for against Edmonton and Seattle.
- Hamilton did not lose in regulation at home at all this season.
- Hamilton, in fact, did not break their arms patting themselves in the back, and proved the doubters wrong in securing the President’s trophy. Which is higher than 3rd in the Great Lakes Division.

Rookie Season – Rikard Hammarberg.

Hammarberg had as good of a rookie season as one can have. Scoring 14 goals, leading all rookies, and adding 9 assists, Rikard’s proudest achievement in his rookie season was not being a minus player. Granted the plus minus stat is not a good indication of how good one’s defensive play is, Hammarberg has worked on his defense ever since he entered into North America. Not being ventilated for goals against in a league as talented as the SHL was a surprise for Rikard’s rookie season. It further validated the time that he spent work with his coaches in the defensive department. Getting stronger on his skates and his stick, Hammarberg was able to be responsible in his own end, while chipping in offensively where he could. While still a work in progress, with 29 giveaways to 12 takeaways, there is still a lot more to learn for Hammarberg. Deployed as a shadow, hounding the top players of the league and not giving them as much space to operate, Hammarberg was thrown into the deep end, and not only did he not drown, he was able to thrive. Hammarberg knows that he was carried this season to the President’s Trophy and being surrounded by such talented players every day, he is soaking up the experience as he goes. Hammarberg knows that eventually he will need to carry the torch for the Steelhawks, but as for now, he’ll take a pat on the back for a job well done.

[Image: unknown.png]

***golden_apricot*** · 11-20-2020, 08:50 AM

Holy Analysis Batman

Gooney · 11-20-2020, 08:57 AM

part 1

D:

jtam · 11-20-2020, 09:41 AM

part 2 will be much shorter..... hopefully. playoffs

***Hallsy*** · 11-20-2020, 10:47 AM

Nice Article!

***golden_apricot*** · 11-20-2020, 11:14 AM

11-20-2020, 10:47 AMHallsy Wrote: Nice Article!

dont lie, you cant read....

Navigation

Extra Menu

About us