S55 SMJHL PT #5 - Race for the Cup
|
Ronniewalker
Registered Posting Freak
The Anchorage Armada currently have their final three games left in the regular season and are holding a one point lead in the race for top seed in the conference. It will not be an easy final push though, because one of those games will be against the league-leading Newfoundland Berserkers! Though we have beaten them at least once earlier this season, it will be a tough outing once again, for sure. The other two games against Colorado and St. Louis also should not be taken lightly if we’re going to take keep that conference lead from falling to Kelowna. On the bright side, Kelowna has a meeting with the Berserkers of their own still to be played. Their other two games against Anaheim and Quebec though look like they could give them the inside track in our race. In any case, the whole Armada will again have to bring their best effort to these last few games to make sure we start the playoffs from the best position possible!
Word count : 172 Sigs by sulovilen , Ragnar , supertardis101 , Leviadan , High Stick King , Carpy & KaleSalad
S69 Challenge Cup Champion - Philadelphia Forge
S59 & S62 Challenge Cup Champion - Texas Renegades
S57 Four Star Cup Champion - Anchorage Armada
S57 & S58 WJC / S62, S64 & S66 IIHF Gold Medalist - Team Finland
After 69 shots on net with still no SHL goals to show for it, even the opposition started to feel so sorry for Lemo, that they decided to help him out :D
- Bad pass by Jack Klompus, he gave it right to Lemo Pihl.
- Lemo Pihl rips it to the net...
- Lemo Pihl will find the empty net, that should do it!
TEX @ MAN, S59 game 31
Wawazat
Registered Senior Member Quote:Written Option (Pre-Playoffs): Talk about how your team is looking going into these playoffs, and what they'll have to focus on / who will be the key players for them to make a deep push for the cup. (150+ words) S55 SMJHL STANDINGS. Follow the arrow… | | | | V Look way down here at the bottom of the page… Here you’ll find a team which barely managed to break double digits in Wins…With an overpowering record of (10-36-4) A team that posted a Win % of a paltry .240 and managed to corner the market on league lows in every category. Any way you spin it, the S55 Nevada Battleborn are the Fugly fish faced ‘Cudas of the Junior League. Let’s be honest, Yes, we’re younger, better looking, we got better unis and a hella much better logo. But, that smell in the air …it’s a Tampa low tide stink that’s been here all season... The smell of Losing. But, some will say the “Playoffs”. Surely that will be the spark...that’ll Fabreze the season.. Newsflash.... Every team makes the playoffs in the “J” ...................whooopied doooo!! Great, we’ll get a Participation trophy to go with a juice box and those 2 stale Snickers mini candy bars left over from last Halloween. So as you drain your juice box and try biting into that Snickers without losing a filling . You can simply draw a line thru Nevada for this Season 55 Playoffs. Yea, you might be able to delay the inevitable by playing a defensive trap and see if “Fearless” can stand 75+ shots a game. Sorry, I just think there’s too many holes to fill. But, don’t cry ....no,no,noooo. That’s not Battleborn. If you’re Battleborn ..you take the hit ,and turn the other cheek ...you grit your teeth and spit out the blood. If you’re Battleborn you keep grinding, keep working ...Cause this season ...and this 2020... it shall pass. And with grit and determination and work it WILL change...S56??…We’ll make strides, we’ll progress, we’ll start that climb… S57??… Well, that just might be the reckoning day. [/color] [/size] UPDATE PAGE Quote:S56 WJC AWARDS
Bayley
Winnipeg Aurora S13, S15, S16, S25 Challenge Cup Champion
When it comes to the Playoffs, the Quebec City Citadelles are going to have a huge series in order to even get to the second round. It is not going to be easy, but they are really going to have to rely on a few players in order to get it done. The first player they are going to have to rely on is Alexander Roach. Roachy had 17 goals during the season to lead the team including 5 goals on the powerplay which could really be a difference maker in the playoffs. I think along with Roachy, looking at people like Sven Gunnar who had a sneaky 27 points during the season and Ryan Rieley who had 12 goals during the season as well. When it comes to defense, you have to look at people like Kira Cloudera Jr. that had 20 minutes on the ice during the season which led the entire team. They are going to have to lean on those players to make it to the next round.
Words: 172 Thank you OrbitingDeath! <3
Kraagenskul
Registered Senior Member
The Whalers had a rough start to the season, going 7-16-2 for the first half, including a dreadful 6 game losing streak that gave them a league record only better than the expansion Battleborn. Since that time the team went 17-7-1 with a finish of 8-2-0, making them one of the league's hottest teams going into the playoffs. The streak moved them up to within striking distance of the 7th best spot, but Anaheim hung on to that sport leaving the Whalers the 8th.
Which is probably a good thing for the Whalers; the 7th seed is going to be matched up against the Citadelles who gave the Whalers their last 2 losses of the season. The Whalers will instead play the Scarescrows whom they have beat 3 times in 4 tries this season. It's a favorable matchup for the young team that should propel them into the second round. Most pundits are picking the higher seeded teams for the first round. The teams are all on the 24 to 27 win range, while the last four teams range are all 18 and under, so there is good reason to believe this will be the results. If this is the case the Whalers will find themselves pitted against the first overall Berserkers, which the latter is probably not thrilled about since they went 1-1-2 against them. The team has been solid around in the last half, but they will need to count on some key players. Their first line of Hartmann, Nikiforov, and Desrouleaux will especially be needed to keep up their scoring ways. They will especially need Name Redacted to continue his strong play; his elite play has been a key factor in the Whaler's end run. See you in Round 2!
Matteo
Historian :heart_eyes:
Going into the playoffs, the biggest thing the Citadelles will have to do will be to limit shots on goal. Things are inconsistent in nets with two rookie goalies, so skaters will have to get between the puck and the net. Quebec City players have done well this season in this way, as defenseman Max Goodman ended up with 81 blocked shots, left winger Kev Kevens ended with 85, and star centreman Alexander Roach finished with 122. Speaking of Roach, he will also be a major key to success for the Citadelles. He is by far their best player, leading the team in goals, assists, points, shots on net, takeaways, shots blocked, and game rating (led the league in this stat too). Pretty much the only stats that Roach did not lead in were the physical ones, which were all led by defenseman Boris Petrov. This season he was one of the greatest enforcers the league has ever seen, leading in fights, hits, and penalty minutes. Him banging bodies all night will be another huge key to the Citadelles' success.
182 words.
jRuutu
Registered S45 Challenge Cup Champion
For Nevada, the key to success is a proper team-first type of mentality from each player. There is no need to do anything flashy, trap, and hit back when there is a turnover. The players who are key factors are of course the goalies Weaver and Supernaw, but also the defenders in front of them, Zoidberg III, Kamado, and Balzams are all solid puck-moving defenders, they need to be able to get the puck up the ice fast and accurately. Bane, Afalava, and Funk are more defensive, especially the first two. They need to take the body and that way make it as annoying as possible to get into the danger areas in Nevada´s end. Funk is known for his at time dirty playing style, but he was also the third-best in takeaways, so he is going to have a big role in the defensive end as well.
Finally, the biggest reason for Nevada having strong playoff - the forwards. Every forward need to commit to backchecking and trapping. After that comes the counter-attacking part and making sure to use the chances to score, Zuntnere, Helminen, Wallace, Danger, and Vermette all have the tools to score goals. Overall, keep it simple, rely on defense to keep games close, and use counter-attacks as well as possible. That is the recipe for Nevada!
krazko
Registered Senior Member
Going into the playoffs the Timbers will have to continue on the with the scoring we've done throughout the season with over 3 goals per game.
On the flip side, we will need to tighten up defensively and not let up the almost 3 goals per game we're currently letting in. Starting defensively the Timbers will need our goaltender Leo Bloomfield to step up to the level we all know he can play at. While he has been solid throughout the season, we all know he has more to give! If Bloomfield finds that game-form we can probably limit ourselves to only give up 2 goals per game. With the help of the defensive side and master shot blocker (160 shots blocked, league leader) Will Windsor the defensive side of the playoffs can be really fun. Offensively the Timbers have been looking solid with 7 players at or over 10 goals for the regular season. Kyle Sutton has been solid for the team putting up 20 goals and 21 assists. If those 2 things combine, the playoffs can (and will) be a really fun time for the Timbers! credit to amazing @Carpy48, @Ragnar @sköldpaddor, @the_paytonium & @sulovilen !
Salming
Registered Posting Freak
Quebec City finished 10th in regular season and will face Anaheim Outlaws on round 1. Anaheim's goal differential was -2 (147-149) and Quebec's -79 (120-199). Our opponent had eight different players who scored at least 20 points when we had only five. There is no doubt that Anaheim will dominate the puck during the series but we can't just survive. We need to also be brave and improve our puck possession statistics compared to regular season. Otherwise we won't have any chance to achieve surprise wins. Of course we will rely on heavily our goalie tandem Danielsson-Smith but we need also a lot of luck and bounces need to be on our side.
When it comes to players, we need to find ways to stop Anaheim's top players E. Price, J. LeBlond, R. Jones, Z. Tambo and E. Bergman. I trust that our coaching staff will find ideas how we prevent them scoring and make them pay high price in exchange for possible goals. From our side, our defender's need to be part of offensive game too because in regular season none of our D's broke 20 point barrier. All of them scored 13-18 points but that is not enough against Anaheim. They need to achieve higher PPG numbers. Of course same thing touches our forwards behind A. Roach who needs to be the best player in the series if we want to get some results. It is not easy to create chances when there are situations 3v5 in the offensive zone. We need active defenceman to support our cycle game so that situations are more like 4v5 or 5v5. It would be wise to take some calculated risks maybe when it comes to balance of five men units. Word count: 299
JstMaro
Registered Member
New team Quebec City citadels didn't do anything really wrong in their first season. Team finished in 10th place, overtaking another new team Nevada Battleborn and also quite surprisingly Detroit Falcons by 1 point. Quebec will play Anaheim Outlaws in first round of playoffs. Big bonus for Quebec is that they don't have anything to lose this season but they can only gain. And they can gain a lot!
Main goal in this playoffs would be getting first playoffs win ever. Eliminating Anaheim would be awesome and with little luck it will be possible. For this whole team needs to perform at at least 100%. 1st and 2nd line should play s they played most of the season. All (rookie) defenders must primarily be focused on stopping enemy attacks and assisting in offense when they have their backs covered. We know that both Quebec goalies are capable of stopping over 0.900% shots and with that kind of goaltending wins will be close. Strong play offensively and defensively from 3rd and 4th line will tip the balance onto Citadels side.
sakrosankt
Registered Senior Member
The boat gang finished on top of the Pacific division. Looking at the team, this is no surprise to be honest. This team is good, really good. Before playoffs start now, we don‘t have to change anything I think. What we did over the season worked. The rookies completed the team and the veterans played at a very high level. It was a fun first season to spend in the SMJHL. The key players in the playoffs are some key players all over the lines. For one, there is Scoochie Stratton, the best goalie in the league when looking at regular season stats. If he keeps it up like that, the Armada are a tough opponent for anyone. In the regular season, they by far had the best defense looking at goals allowed, which was at just 89. The second best value is 102. The defense consists of a lot of strong players, it‘s hard to pick one out. On offense, it is for Chris de Siren, Cyril Viskoc and Thorbjorn Gunnarson to keep on performing like they did.
If the Armada can keep their regular season performance up, they will be a tough opponent for whoever will face them.
Huskies311
Registered Member
Unfortunately, Nevada is dead last in the league and even winning a game in these playoffs would be seen as an accomplishment. However, crazier things have happened. The only silver lining here is that Nevada has consistently improved and have had a few solid additions throughout the season.
The Battleborn are going to have to rely heavily on what few studs they have. Forwards Chad Danger and Alexis Vermette have been solid so far, and Philip Weaver and C.K. Supernaw can hold their own in the net. The biggest question mark going into the playoffs is undoubtedly the defense, but with some strategy and a bit of luck we could hopefully at least keep our offense within a fighting chance. At the end of the day, chances are really low that Nevada makes any noise in these playoffs. Hopes are high though that the team will take a clear step forward as their rookies get more experience.
yosh
SMJHL GM cut back down to my knees, gotta get back, gotta get free, cut back to my knees, lean back now, lean back and breathe
The Newfoundland Berserkers are the team to beat right now entering the Simulation Major Junior Hockey League playoffs, and rightfully so. Finishing with the best record in the regular season, this team is definitely the most feared team that the entire league acknowledges as the juggernauts. When you have some of the leading scorers of the regular season playing together, there’s naturally going to be a lot of talk about this team. Whoever we are playing will be looking to shut us down and prove that they can take down the best. They’ll try and get at us, but the big thing for the Berserkers is to shut down all of the unneeded noise and just concentrate on our game plan and winning every game. Our top forwards of Minamino and Mats Marner will have to keep doing what they’ve been doing, and our third and fourth lines have to step up as well to provide secondary scoring in these tough playoffs.
Word Count: 162, Written Option 1
d0lph1nb0y
Registered Member
Colorado Raptors was able to finish 1st in the their divison but finish 5th in the league, meaning they will have to play the highest seed coming out of the first round. This will also mean they will be playing as the away team for 4 out 7 games which may be good for them as they had a better record on the road.
Sven Svenson will be a key player for them going into their playoffs scoring 47 points in the regular season and finishing 2nd in goals with 27. A player that will need to step up for them is goalie Jerry Huuveri who got a .888 save percentage. Looking down their roster they also have a great player in Rock Strongo on the 3rd line who was able to get 32 points to lead the rookies. One of the Raptors strengths is keep the shots against low. they had 24.44 shots against average which put them second in the league. At the other end they put an average of 33.76 shots for which put them 5th in the league. By out shooting their oppents they should make it through the playoffs.
Keven
Fantasy League Manager Posting Freak
For Quebec City going into our first playoffs, the most important thing to look for is team depth. Being an expansion team consisting primarily of rookies, we can't leave the whole job to be done by the first line of Roach, Gunnar, and Rieley. Although they were by far our best point producers during the regular season, our most successful games occurred when every line was contributing to the scoreboard. Also, success in the playoffs for us will potentially come from having our two goaltenders, Danielson and Smith, being able to split time fairly evenly. This will allow both of them to get plenty of rest between games so that neither one gets burnt out by playing too many games in a row. Finally, since this is a playoff series, being able to wear down the opposing teams over the course of many games is important as well and for that job, we'll be looking to Boris Petrov to play his signature physical game to give our team the long-term advantage. Overall if QCC is to have success in our first-ever playoffs, we're going to need everyone playing their 'A' game.
Kyamprac
Registered Posting Freak
The Vancouver Whalers had a rough start to the season, recording just 7 wins in their first 25 games. Midway through the season after a particularly rough six game losing streak, there were probably a few naysayers thinking the team had no hopes of getting into the playoffs. However, as the season wore on and the younger players on the team began to show some growth and learn from their mistakes, the Whalers bounced back to win 17 out of their last 25 games. Four of their rookies reached the top 20 in the S56 class for TPE earnings by the end of the season, while key veterans on the team like William Hartmann, Daniil Nikiforov, and Jason Desrouleaux continued to shine on the ice and do what they do best.
While some may still see the Whalers as unlikely winners in this upcoming playoff race, I think the team will prove them wrong in a favorable match-up against the Scarecrows and at the very least make it into the second round. It'll be all hands on deck for Vancouver as the younger players work to compliment the veterans on the ice, with solid backing from Name Redacted and his flaming hot 0.919 SV% in net. 209 words thank you amid, swoosh and eni for sigs! <3 |
« Next Oldest | Next Newest »
|
Users browsing this thread: |
3 Guest(s) |