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Zerks Early Season Success
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ajwllmsnRegistered Member After about a fifth of the regular season completed, the Newfoundland Berserkers are finding themselves rolling through the SMJHL. The Berserkers are currently ranked at the top of the standings after day 5 of sims and a 13 game win streak has really helped them accomplish this. My player, AJ Williams, is a first generation right winger playing for Newfoundland so I have been able to keep up with the team the most compared to any other teams. This team has a great atmosphere in the locker room with great people, so I am happy we are performing so well through the sims. This article will recap the first 14 games of Newfoundland's regular season and mention an interview from captain Mikko Rashford, as well as get into a bit of stats.
Game 1 vs QCC Game 1 and home opener of the season found the Berserkers facing off against the Quebec City Citadelles. Newfoundland was projected to be extremely talented top of the league team this season, so a hot start was what they were looking for. A hot start is what they accomplished as S63 Jeff Larsson opened up the scoring of the game and Newfoundland’s regular season only 7 seconds into the first period. The success continued as S64 rookie AJ Williams buried 2 goals 30 seconds apart, just 4 minutes after Larsson’s opening goal. A great debut so far from the rookie. Jeff Larsson added to his tally for his second of the night to end the period at 4-0 for NL. Larsson finished the first period but also opened up the second, completing his hat-trick to put the zerks up 5-0. S62 Alexander Mackenzie also assisted every Larsson goal, putting him at 3 assists on the night. The third period turned into a blow out as three different Berserkers scored to bring the game to a 8-0 win for NL. S64 rookie Nina Tucker completed their first shutout of the season saving 26 of 26 shots on goal. Newfoundland was a hot topic after the first game and would see the Maine Timber in their second. NL record: 1-0-0
Game 2 @ MET After a huge shutout victory, Newfoundland traveled to Maine for their second game of the season. The team was still buzzin’ as captain Mikko Rashford opened the scoring 14 seconds into the first period for their first goal of the season. Maine answered back quickly to tie the game at 1 and end the first period. The second period was quiet, with only Jeff Larsson scoring for the Berserkers to put them up 2-1. The tables were fully turned in the third period though, and the Timber came out to play, scoring four unanswered goals to bring Maine’s lead to 5-2. Jacques Lilcoque would score for NL late in the third but with no time left on the clock, Newfoundland had received their first loss of the regular season. NL record: 1-1-0.
Game 3 vs QCC A great way to bounce back from a loss is to win, right? Facing Quebec City for the second time already this season, the zerks looked to mirror what they did in game 1. That they did with S63 Valters Denisova and S62 Pope Coswi scoring their first goals of the season to put NL up 2-0 after the first period. The scoring continued as S62 Rand al’Thor, AJ Williams, and Alexander Mackenzie added to Newfoundland’s total to bring the game to 5-0 after the second period. al’Thor and Mackenzie’s goals would be their firsts of the season. The game ended 5-0 and S61 Jonas Johansson would see their first shutout of the season. After three games, both NL goaltenders achieved a shutout win. NL record: 2-1-0
Game 4 @ NBB Game 4 saw Newfoundland taking on the Nevada Battleborn. Like they have done every game this season, Newfoundland opened the scoring with Valters Denisova’s second of the season only one minute into the game. The Battleborn came back strong, scoring two of their own to close the first period at 2-1. Nevada took control of the second period as well, scoring the only goal of the period and leading the game 3-1. You can never count out the strength and talent of the NL squad though as Maxwell King, Jeff Larsson, and Tommy Tightpants would answer back and win the game for the zerks 4-3. Tightpants scored the game winning goal for their first of the season. Jeff Larsson seemed like a scoring machine now as well with 5 goals in 4 games. NL record: 3-1-0.
Game 5 vs GFG After a nail-biting finish in Nevada, Newfoundland traveled home to host the Great Falls Grizzlies for the first of a three game home stand. A strange start to the game appeared when the Grizzlies scored first and would finish the period with a 3-0 lead. The start of the second came in their favor as well, adding to their total for a 4-0 lead. Pope Coswi broke the silence though and scored a beauty on the powerplay to give NL some life. After Coswi scored, three different zerks skaters would follow suit and make the game a 4-4 tie. Going into overtime for the first time this season, Larsson became the hero once again and finished the game off from team assists leader Alexander Mackenzie. The zerks would win 5-4 in OT after completing back to back game comebacks. NL record: 4-1-0.
Game 6 vs MET After handing Newfoundland their only loss earlier this season, Maine came to town to look at repeating their success. Unfortunately for them, Newfoundland decided to take over the game and would hand the Timber a fat “L” in a 5-0 win. Tommy Tightpants, Jay O’Neil, and AJ Williams would provide goals for the zerks with Emeril Lagrasse scoring two! The zerks were on a roll and did not look like their momentum could be stopped. Jonas Johansson picked up his second shutout of the season while saving 28 of 28 shots on goal, and Newfoundland already now had three shutouts in six games played. NL record: 5-1-0.
Game 7 vs NBB Nevada would see Newfoundland once again for NL's last game of their home stand streak. It would not come easy for Nevada as Maxwell King and S64 rookie AlexaDemie-M-SLATT scored second period goals for a zerk’s 2-0 lead. SLATT accomplished his first career goal by doing this which ended up being the game winner. Emeril Lagrasse would continue their success, scoring the third goal of the game and fourth of their season. Nevada would put in a desperation goal with two minutes left in the game, and the Newfoundland Berserkers would finish their home game streak with a 3-1 win. Alexander Mackenzie accomplished 10 assists in this game, becoming the first zerk to do it this season. NL record: 6-1-0.
Game 8 @ STL The first matchup between Newfoundland and St. Louis came for NL’s eighth game of the season. St. Louis was winless at the time but determined to break the zerk’s win streak. Maxwell King and Emeril Lagrasse had other plans though, scoring the first three goals of the game for a 3-0 Newfoundland lead. St. Louis stopped the momentum in the second period to cut the lead to 2. Alexander Mackenzie kept the train rolling in the third period for the zerks, bringing the lead back up for a 5-2 finish with two goals, including a powerplay marker. The zerks would continue their win streak and start off a new streak, beating St. Louis in the first game of their 4 game series throughout NL’s next six matchups. Newfoundland would see the Scarecrows every other game for the next stretch. NL record: 7-1-0.
Game 9 vs ANA The next matchup had Newfoundland inviting Anaheim to their arena for a slaughter-fest. Newfoundland would defeat the Outlaws 5-0 with Alexander Mackenzie, AJ Williams, Emeril Lagrasse, Tommy Tightpants, and Maxwell King all contributing to the Berserkers scoring. Mikko Rashford would tally 3 assists this game, putting them at 10 on the season. Jonas Johansson also finished the game saving 22 of 22 shots on goal for their 3 shutout in 7 starts. NL record: 8-1-0.
Game 10 vs STL After a strong game against Anaheim, Newfoundland played at home again against the Scarecrows for their second meet up this season. St. Louis opened the scoring two minutes into the first period, but after that it was demolition of the zerks. Like the previous game, five different Berserkers found the back of the net and would finish the game 5-1 for Newfoundland. The shots were 74-14 for Newfoundland, so big props to the Crows’ goaltender for only letting in five. NL record: 9-1-0.
Game 11 @ ANC With a couple of recent blowouts and a 9 game win streak in Newfoundland’s back pocket, they headed out to Alaska to face the Anchorage Armada in a S62 Four Star Cup rematch. The play time was over and this game was serious. Newfoundland looked to continue their win streak to 10 games and Anchorage scoring the first goal of the game was not the way to do it. Captain Mikko Rashford took charge and brought life to the zerks, scoring the tying goal only a minute after the Armada. Valters Denisova and Buck Keithley would add to the tally to bring the zerks to a 3-1 lead. Anchorage would not back down though as they opened the third period with a goal, bringing the game to 3-2. Jonas Johansson had been a stud so far this season and stood his ground to complete the zerk’s win. Newfoundland accomplished their 10 game win streak and were now gunning for the top seed in the league, tied with the Carolina Kraken. NL record: 10-1-0.
Game 12 vs STL A tough game turned into an easy one as St. Louis would travel to Newfoundland, or so that is what the players thought. St. Louis would score two goals in the first close the period with a 2-0 lead. Newfoundland struggled all game to figure the Scarecrows netminder out, putting 63 shots on net and finding no success. After not finding a goal in 7 games, Jeff Larsson resurrected and scored the first goal of the game for the zerks with one minute left in the second period. Tommy Tightpants would become clutch in the third period, tying the game at two a piece. Overtime solved nothing and a shootout was needed. The goalies were struggling as the first three out of four shots were goals. Going into the fifth round of the shootout, Pope Coswi scored for the zerks and Jonas Johansson stopped the next Scarecrow shooter, giving the zerks a 3-2 shootout win. This was definitely a game that almost slipped out of Newfoundland’s hands. NL record: 11-1-0.
Game 13 vs KEL The next game had Newfoundland at home again, this time hosting the Kelowna Knights for the first time this season. S61 Jannik Nordstern opened the scoring for Newfoundland with their first goal of the season, and Emeril Lagrasse was quick to follow to put the zerks up 2-0. Kelowna would respond and close out the first period while trailing 2-1. The second period was all Kelowna as they scored the only goal of the period and tied the game 2-2. Kelowna would also open the third period scoring for a 3-2 lead, but Rand al’Thor was ready to respond, scoring with 10 minutes left in the game and tying it 3-3. This game seemed like it needed overtime, but Emeril Lagrasse, team goal leader, buried one with 13 seconds left and would put the zerks up 4-3. The zerks would win 4-3 and Lagrasse would become Newfoundland’s first skater of the season to reach 10 goals. NL record: 12-1-0.
Game 14 @ STL The last game of this article would be the second largest scoring game for Newfoundland this season. In their last matchup, St. Louis had brought Newfoundland to a shootout and would lose 3-2 as a result. This game was a bit different as the zerks would score the first 5 goals of the game with Emeril Lagrasse contributing two. St. Louis would put one in and bring the score to 5-1, but three different Berserkers would answer back and finish the game in fashion with an 8-1 victory. This game completed day 5 of SMJHL sims but continued Newfoundland’s win streak to 12 games straight. NL record: 13-1-0.
Interview with Newfoundland Captain, Mikko Rashford After game 14 against the St. Louis Scarecrows, an SMJHL reporter pulled Mikko Rashford aside for an interview: Reporter: What has been the key factor to Newfoundland's success so far this season?
Rashford: Familiarity, the core of this team has been together for at least 2-3 seasons, along with 8 players who all joined the roster in the same season. The team knows each other well, we want to win for each other, and it is that competitive 'Zerk' drive that keeps us in the driver's seat.
Reporter: As captain, what do you do to get your team in a winning mentality every night?
Rashford: Two things. I remind them of how it felt in S61 when we lost in the finals, and then remind them how it felt in season 60 and 62 when we won. Every game we get to choose which ending we want, I know what I would choose.
Reporter: Newfoundland is on a 12 game win streak, will this streak continue? Has NL hit their peak of the season?
Rashford: No one is perfect and with a tough upcoming game against GFG anything can happen. That said, no better opponent to keep a streak going than against them.
Reporter: After a S62 Four Star Cup victory, does the team look to repeat their success from last year?
Rashford: The Four Star Cup is where we have our eyes set. We know what it takes and we plan on giving it our all. The team is hungry.
Statistics To start things off, I created a bar chart race for Newfoundland’s skater’s points. I thought it would be pretty cool to see and will look really cool at the end of the season with more data. I do not know how to put it in here, but if you want to look at it click this link:
Bar Chart Race Team Stats Leaders
Goals
Doing this article and looking more into the stats of my team was fun. I got to learn more about my team and mostly the players who are not scoring every night. I actually know most of the names of my teammates now since I read and wrote them so many time. I hope and plan to do another one of these again in the future of this season and also update that bar chart race.
DeletedAtUserRequestRegistered Posting Freak
RAmenAmenSMJHL GM Posting Freak
The bar chart race is really great! Nice job on this!
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