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Keenan · 02-22-2021, 02:26 PM

Written task: The season is just about 1/3 through and teams and players are starting to settle in. What do you think is the biggest storyline so far this season? Do you think it will continue? (150+ words)

Graphic task: Make a mockup of a frontpage article for a newspaper or magazine based on what you think is the SHL's biggest storyline this season.

You will receive 3 TPE for fulfilling all requirements.
Deadline: Sunday, February 28th at 11:59PM ET

Affiliate claims from either PBE or ISFL are accepted; link directly to your post and note if your username is different there.
If you have any questions/concerns, please PM me.

This task is for SHL players and send downs only, it is not for SMJHL rookies.

Dextaria · 02-22-2021, 02:30 PM

Without a doubt I think the biggest storyline for this season so far is the hot start that the Toronto North Stars had. They started the season at the top of the league having an undefeated streak of 10 games. Right there with them was the Texas Renegades that everyone expected, but the big surprise to start the season was the rough start by the rest of the teams in the Great Lakes Division. In particular, the Buffalo Stampede were getting beat by the Baltimore Platoon and the Tampa Bay Barracuda. However, this big storyline continues as the Great Lake teams such as the Buffalo Stampede, Chicago Syndicate, and Hamilton Steelheads fight back to where the public expected them to be. Similarly, the losses began coming in for the North Stars although they still remain at the top of the Conference, tied with the Steelhawks at 57 points. Unsurprisingly, the Buffalo Stampede and Chicago Syndicate are right behind at 53 and 48 points respectively.

The Great Lakes Division as a whole is definitely the biggest storyline this season as everyone is looking at it knowing one of the 4 teams are going to be out of the playoffs even though they stand 1, 2, 3, 4 in the conference at the time that I am writing this.

**_Blitz_** · 02-22-2021, 02:30 PM

ISFL PT Affiliate

**SFresh3** · 02-22-2021, 02:30 PM

While the hot topic that many will talk about is Toronto’s fiery start that sees them atop the Great Lakes Division after seasons of being the punching bag, but what even more impressive is Texas’ absolute domination leading to their 32-4-0 record to start the season. They have gotten to this point by being absolutely dominant on both sides of the ice. They have the most goals scored with 168, leading the next closest team Buffalo by 18, and only allowing 71 goals, which is 12 better than 2nd best Chicago. They have just been putting on a clinic with any team that gets in their way.

So far, their 4 losses have come from only two different teams. Edmonton was the team to notch the first win against Texas, snapping their quest for a perfect season off at 9 wins. Edmonton was also the second loss for Texas. The other 2 losses come from their cross-conference games versus Chicago, where the biggest shock about those is that Chicago was able to shut out Texas in BOTH of those games, with the final scores being 3-0 and 6-0. Texas is currently on a 15-game winning streak and their next game vs an opponent with a winning record isn’t until they host the Hamilton Steelhawks in 9 games.

Quote:217 words

Keenan · 02-22-2021, 02:32 PM

pt pass

LordBirdman · 02-22-2021, 02:32 PM

ISFL Affiliation - Birdman

***hockeyiscool*** · 02-22-2021, 02:33 PM

In a season that has seen a lot of interesting storylines. Some of them include Toronto off to a whirlwind start, or that the San Francisco pride are a playoff team but I would need to say the biggest surprised of the season is how the Baltimore Platoon have been "The Great Lakes Killers". As it stands now the Baltimore Platoon have are sitting at a cool ten wins twenty-three losses and 5 overtime or shootout losses. Their first win of the season came in their very first game getting a two to one victory over the Buffalo Stampede. Baltimore's next win comes against Buffalo Again in a three to two victory. Baltimore's next Great Lakes victory was over the Chicago Syndicate three to two. Baltimore yet again defeated the Hamilton Steelhawks yesterday five to three. This means that the Baltimore Platoon now is only missing a win over the Toronto North Stars to complete the grand slam of beating every Great Lakes team, this is a feat that is rarely done especially considering their current record in the league.

[183 words]

Bayley · 02-22-2021, 02:36 PM

I think the biggest trends of the season has been the surprises. Did anyone see the fact that Toronto would be second in the Eastern Conference over Buffalo and Chicago? Did anyone see Edmonton second in the Western Conference? I mean, we knew that Hamilton and Texas was going to be very good, but also the Specters being worse than the Pride? I think that this is a bit of a surprise to me at least. I mean, I had Pride as lower on my list.

I think the bets that I had were Chicago under 51 wins, so there's no doubt that they'd have a good season, but they have some real juggernauts in that conference at the top. How about Josef Kubinec scoring 17 goals, on pace for 51 goals this season. That is great considering the sim loves low scoring games or high scoring, there really is no middle. I think it's going to be fun to watch all of these storylines moving forward.

Words: 170

***Gwdjohnson*** · 02-22-2021, 02:39 PM

pt passerino

***bluesfan55*** · 02-22-2021, 02:46 PM

The biggest storyline this season has to be the slaughterhouse of a division that is the Great Lakes, where if the playoff formatting wasn't bad every team would be making the playoffs. The Hamilton Steelhawks lead the division on 38 points, buoyed by not only their returning stars (Scarn, Morgan, Michaud) but new acquisitions and rookies (Jones, van der Heijden, Ibrahimovic, Basher), and a point behind them are the surprising Toronto North Stars, who have a game in hand AND one of the league's best pairings in Meszaros-Barron, as well as a stacked goalie tandem of Stratton and Carpet and an evenly distributed scoring chart, getting goals from all three lines. The Buffalo Stampede sit 3rd on 32 points, having overcome a rough start to roar back into the 3rd spot in the GL, thanks to Augustus Wang's stellar displays and goaltender Elizabeth Doyle continuing to stay hot. The division is so stacked that the reigning Challenge Cup Champion Chicago Syndicate are in last with 31 points. They have 2 games in hand on the Stampede who are just a point ahead and should figure to sneak into 3rd. This is the tightest the GL has ever been, and the race for 3rd looks to be really, REALLY close. Only time will tell.

Jonny Tsunami · 02-22-2021, 02:48 PM

Honestly, I have not been paying much attention to the SHL. I have focused all my attention in the minors, and my Maine Timbers team. I root for my Big Leagues the New England Wolfpack, but otherwise I do not know how any of the teams are doing. The biggest storyline to me, is if my three team parlay hits for this season. Therefore, I am rooting hard for the Tampa Bay Barracuda, and hope every team crushes the Winnipeg Aurora and Buffalo Stampede. I do not remember what the over/unders are but I think my parlay is looking good at the moment. Another storyline for me specifically is my fantasy team. I do not know how, but my team is 6th, and I had to drop Guy Zheng because he underperformed to start the season. Do I think this is a good idea? I have no idea because I do not know what I am doing when it comes to fantasy. These are my personal storylines because I do not know actual storylines.

Jepox · 02-22-2021, 02:50 PM

The Toronto North Stars being second in the entire league is the biggest surprise of the Simulation Hockey League season so far. They've been a good team on paper for a number of seasons now but never could quite put it together for a number of reasons. Their youthful core finally coming into their own certainly helps but I would have to say that their goalie tandem of Harry Carpet and Scoochie Stratton are the key reason that Toronto is playing as well as they are. With two brick walls in net the North Stars can relax a bit and focus more on the offensive side of the game, which has led to breakout seasons for a number of players. The Great Lakes division is tough however with the Buffalo Stampede, Hamilton Steelhawks and Chicago Syndicate all among the league's best. I believe that should their goaltending hold up they will continue their hot run, but if they falter a bit they may fall back down to earth.

168 words

KC15 · 02-22-2021, 02:52 PM

ISFL Affiliate PT

*slothfacekilla* · 02-22-2021, 02:56 PM

I think the biggest storyline so far is Toronto's rise to second place in the East while Buffalo currently sits 5 points behind them and Chicago 6 points behind them. They have long been buried in the SHL standings and finally their long going rebuild seems to be bearing fruit for the Stars. Even though it is a bit of a shock, I think that they will stick around in the top of the standings for the East because they slowly have been building a super strong roster. After making some moves to push them over the top it seems like they are finally going to see some success in the East. They are led by superstar Bobby Lane who has been instrumental to the team's rebuild, and semi-recently acquired defenseman Adam Barron is leading the way from their blueline and second in team points. With a few other plays hovering near a point per game pace I think they will hold onto their high place in the standings the rest of the season.

174 words

**JamesT** · 02-22-2021, 03:00 PM

Code:
Written task: The season is just about 1/3 through and teams and players are starting to settle in. What do you think is the biggest storyline so far this season? Do you think it will continue? (150+ words)

I think the biggest storyline 1/3 through the S58 season would have to be amazing start that the Toronto Stars

have showcased thus far. The Great Lakes division in recent history has been predominantly top of the league with teams such as Hamilton, Chicago and Buffalo all being top or near at the top of the entire SHL. All three of those teams have also won Challenge Cups in recent season as well!

Toronto has unfortunately been the team that people tend to forget when it comes to the Great Lakes division and would likely be a top in other divisions. However, this season they have shown they are a powerhouse of a team and a serious threat for the CC. With a record of 18-3-1 (at the time of this post) and with players such as Bobby Lane, Adam Barron and Rhys Richard being point per game players and of course their goaltender Harry Carpet who has over $300M in their bank almost 2K TPE this season. It is a surprise that it took them this long to be this dominant in the league. Time will tell how their story unfolds but it is definitely must watch TV whenever they are in action.

(205 words)

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