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caltroit_red_flames · 01-06-2018, 01:54 AM

Round 1 of the playoffs against the Vancouver Whalers went something like this:

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I was excited for my first SMJHL post season, I never expected to sweep a team in my first series. Personally, I was disappointed in myself, I only had 2 points in 4 games. However both of those points were on the powerplay, which is something we struggled with during the regular season. It's really encouraging to know that I'm making a read difference when it comes to that.

My teammates were absolutely incredible. O'Sullivan decided to carry us to a victory by himself our first game, he got both first post season goal and his first post season hat trick. It was incredible to see happen, especially put of a fellow rookie. The amount of depth scoring we had in general was just great.

Our corsi is currently the best of any playoff team right now, so I'm feeling really great about or defensive unit going into the next series. I know I've spending most of my practices on the defensive side of the puck, defense wins championships. I think I've also been doing a better job of making sure I don't lose the puck. I've only been hit twice this series and I actually came out of my shell a little bit, I can't remember the last time I had 7 hits in 4 games. The coaches are really working wonders on me.

Hopefully we can finally get over the hump that is the Detroit Falcons in round 2...

MrPrime · 01-06-2018, 04:50 AM

When one thinks about a hockey ''retreat'' they think about some place isolated be it a chalet in northern Quebec or stay inside a hotel floor for a while with only our teammates and management to hang around with.
The Bahamas was never what I would think of when preparing for the next playoff round when we have the luxury of having a bye to move to second round. For me, the Bahamas is a vacation spot not a place to focus on hockey but I have to admit the Falcons managed to make me forget where I actually was and focus on team building and camaraderie. Detroit is clearly doing things differently than any team I played with in the past. It makes me wonder how the other teams are handling a bye, but between you and I it doesn't matter.

Now we know who we are facing, the Scarecrows who actually swept the Whalers in 4 and those guys are going full steam ahead. They have a lot of momentum going for them at the moment considering the way they defeated Vancouver it seems they they are going in very strong and this is something we need to look out for considering we might be rusty for a little bit comes the first match as we were in the Bahamas (Don't say vacations... Don't say vacations...) and they were playing. However, fatigue will be our ally as we have been well rested while St-Louis has been playing.

Our team is well rested, prepared and looking forward to take on (and down) the St-Louis Scarecrows who let's face it are not scary at all!
On my end I've been studying videos, lot's of them, while Viktor Marius kept on nagging me about my sister. I keep repeating that I don't have one, I only have brothers but he is relentless to the point of making me want to giving him an RKO out of nowhere.
I respect him otherwise, he is a good member of our team but ... I feel like he has a few screws loose. Maybe he drank too many maizes kvass who knows...

We are ready.

Dangles13 · 01-06-2018, 11:24 AM

I think we made the playoffs in Vancouver but I don't remember if we made it to any of the games. We got swept in four games by the St. Louis Scarecrows and it wasn't pretty. The Scarecrows high powered offence outscored us at almost a 2:1 ratio and considering the Whalers averaged 2.75 goals per a game that is impressive. It's hard to blame just one faucet of the team but rookie defenders in front of a rookie goalie was enough to let St. Louis pop in 4.75 goals per a game and that is just tragic.

Management did a good job trying to make it seem like we had a season to be proud of but the bitter taste of defeat takes time to wash out. The older guys in the room did a good job of trying to convince us that we will be a powerhouse in the future and coaches went over some of the things we need to work on in the off-season. We have been hitting the video room as we let our bodies heal but you can bet most of us will be hitting the gym with vim and vigour in a few short weeks.

Nobody · 01-06-2018, 03:54 PM

Itâ€™s now the postseason, 50 games later and it still feels like the SMJHL draft was yesterday. After having such a good season, it feels wonderful to get that first round bye, and wowâ€¦ the team management really outdid themselves. Team building and training in the Bahamas! Yeahâ€¦ the Bahamas. Weâ€™ve taken some time away from the ice, it definitely hasnâ€™t been one big holiday, sure weâ€™ve had time to relax on the beach, but weâ€™ve been needing that after a long hard season. Weâ€™ve spent a lot of time working on the basics, communication and working as a team. Weâ€™ve spent a lot of time going over the tapes and watching the first-round games, this has really helped us understand what weâ€™re going up against and where we can improve our game.

Going up against St. Louis is daunting, especially after they sweep through the first round. However, we have such a talented group of players here and I can really see this break paying off. It would be amazing to be able to bring the cup back to Detroit for the second year.

Now itâ€™s time to hit the ice and show the league that weâ€™re here to push aside anyone between us and that cup!

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Massive Coiler · 01-06-2018, 11:08 PM

The first round was an eventful and surprising battle for the Whalers and the Scarecrows.

The St. Louis Scarecrows entered a their first series as the lower seed. Everything indicated a tough battle against the favored Vancouver Whalers. Despite the certainty of the match up, the Scarecrows came out firing on all cylinders. Scoring 9 goals in their first two games, both wins, St Louis managed to come out of the series up 2-0. From there they took the series back to their hometown. Game 3 was the only "low scoring" affair in the whole series, a 3-1 win for the Crows. Up 3-0, confidence was abundant for the leading team, while the Whalers were all but defeated. Rather than play it safe, game 4 was a run and gun affair, with the Scarecrows scoring a series high of 7 goals to sweep the series.

Ultimately, high power offense won the series for the St Louis Scarecrows. Despite the series sweep, if they want to have further success in the second round, they will need to improve their defensive play as a team. Team morale is at the highest it has been all season however, as this team wants to continue their run into the next series.

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GrilledTwinkiez · 01-07-2018, 05:07 AM

Round one was exciting, making the playoffs Dan finishing 3rd overall is easy to take for granted but I didnâ€™t, I took in everything I could and it was a great experience. Although we ended up being eliminated by Montreal there is a ton of potential in this club and I canâ€™t wait to see where we can take it. With rookies developing at light speed, and and vets leading the charge the knights will be at the top very shortly. Where it went wrong for us this post season was by far the lack of discipline we had on the ice. We wool way to many penalties and allowed the opposition to dictate the pace and style of the game. Killing penalties is a grilling task and even more so when it becomes 1/3rd of the game that we spend short handed. Combine all that with some untimely slumps and youâ€™re left with a recipe that mixed up sugar for salt... and if youâ€™ve ever made that mistake you know how it turns out.

Next season the knights have high hopes and will be pushing for a first round by just like we were so close to taking this year. Most teams take this heartbreaking loss and dwell on it, here in Kelowna weâ€™ve taken our time off to reflect, and now itâ€™s a learning experience, but most importantly, motivation to be back in the playoff next season more prepared and stronger than before. Go Knights!

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sludge · 01-07-2018, 01:25 PM

Itâ€™s been a great first round for us â€˜crow boys from the crow boy naysh in STL. The Crow Naysh has been blessed with a perfect record going in to the second round and perfectly chiseled abs for going life. While I havenâ€™t been doing much in relation to the scoreboard, I feel my grit, intangibles and veteran leadership have more than made up for any slack in the scoring department. Would I like to score more, of course, am I gonna complain while we have a perfect record, no. Iâ€™d rather have us win the four star and me not score a single time than lose and have me score fifty points. My 1 assist is not where I was hoping to be, but as long as Iâ€™m playing good defense and shutting down other teams, I donâ€™t care how many points I have. As long as our good players keep scoring, and our elite level goal tending keeps playing lights out, weâ€™ll keep chugginâ€™ through the other teams, like a skinny Japanese man at a hot dog eating contest. Other teams need to be afraid. Much like real crows, I hope the other teams are scared of us, because if they underestimate us, theyâ€™ll regret it.

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Keenan · 01-08-2018, 03:43 AM

Round one of the playoffs are over and I couldn't be happier. The nerves are slowly draining out of my body, replaced by confidence. After all the first round is over and the Montreal Militia have advanced to round two. And not only a win for the boys, I feel like I am finally coming into my own as a player.

I'll be candid, I was fairly disappointed in mt play this season. I started off very slowly, but due to hard work clawed my way off of the fourth line in order to play on lines 3 and 4, along with some power play time. Despite that playing time I finished the season with only 1 goal and 3 assists. A paltry 4 points. I know that it takes time but it's still disheartening. However the playoffs give me optimism going forward. In the first round series against the Knights I put up 2 goals and 3 assists for 5 points. In the six games in round 1 I had already scored more goals and points than I did in the whole junior season.

While there's still quite a bit of playoff hockey left to be played I know no matter what happens I can look forward with my head held high.

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DanbyRem · 01-08-2018, 10:22 AM

Geoff Higgins was a late comer to the SMJHL. He sorta sprouted out from no where. Not heard of before the draft or even a little after. But it was almost midway through the season a Halifax Raider scout found him and told the GM about him and his potential. Halifax an already struggling franchise wasn't going to say no and abruptly signed him. With Halifax out of the playoff window by then Higgins signed knowing full well what the expectations of the team was this season, miss this season, destroy next. Now sitting in the off-season Higgins is awaiting the SHL draft, his first ever draft since he missed the SMJ. He thinks he will go somewhere between the 3rd and 4th rounds of the draft due to not having enough games to prove himself. But as a late comer he is one of the most improved first year players even beating a lot guys who had head starts over their first season which is quite impressive. He definitely thinks of himself as a sleeper pick no doubt. Higgins when he is not thinking about the draft enjoys his days traveling the world trying out new workout techniques and sort of vacationing alone.

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Allegiant · 01-08-2018, 12:28 PM

Offseason Fun? Not So Much

Missing the playoffs sucks. Thereâ€™s no way around it. Nobody wants to sit out without so much as a chance to play, but ever since the league changed to allow two teams to miss the postseason, thatâ€™s been a reality for a number of rookies. For Karsten Kadinger, an early end to the season ahs meant a little extra time to do the rounds in anticipation of the draft â€” submitting communications through official channels to denote himself as an â€œinterested prospectâ€, and waiting on calls from managers â€” calls that, admittedly, have not come in the volume that he may have expected.

Aside from draft speculation and preparation, Kadinger has spent most of his time in training and practice. Truth be told, Kadinger is not a very interesting person off the ice. For the most part, he focuses solely on his game and his career, with very little time spent on social outings or even friendships. Although he has hit the ice once or twice with friends from other teams, this is a far cry from the wild parties some players have been holding. For Kadinger, though, thereâ€™s no reason to celebrate when your team is golfing before the playoffs even start. Just more reason to press forward and train harder.

So, whatâ€™s next for Kadinger this off-season? If youâ€™ve been paying attention so far, you already know the answer. More practice, more training, more on-ice drills and more watching old tapes. Between practical, on-ice practice and watching the tapes of old SHL greats, Kadinger is determined to enter the draft as one of the most surefire draftees, even if he does fall deep into the first or second rounds.

jdinino · 01-08-2018, 02:52 PM

After a disappointing rookie season for Doc DiGreasi, he decided needed to talk a little time off from the game before he would get back into the swing of training. DiGreasi decided to take the first couple of weeks to just hang out and experience some of the great things about Denver. After joining the Mammoth as a free agent after the draft, DiGreasi says he hasnâ€™t really had time to go around and explore the city as much as heâ€™d like to. DiGreasi also said that after the performance of his rookie season he might be in Denver a little longer than expected and wants to be able to enjoy that time. The rookie was seen to be in many of Denverâ€™s nationally acclaimed destinations such as Washington Park and Mount Evans, as well as some of the more science related destinations such as the Denver Museum of Nature & Science and the Denver Botanic Gardens. DiGreasi says the first couple weeks of the off-season, while the playoffs are still going, he is going to use to rest and relax as he prepares for a tough off-season training regime with his best bud, Tigole Bitties. DiGreasi has a lot to work on after a lackluster performance. DiGreasi finished the season with only 6 points in 50 games and was a -19. If he wants to not only be taken in the SHL draft but also have a chance to play in the SHL he will have to put in a lot more effort to show to teams that this season was a outlier to what he will bring to their team.

ntuttle · 01-08-2018, 08:20 PM

It's playoff time. Oh boy, my first season in the SMJHL and we won the Laurifer Trophy, earning a first round bye and some extra time to practice. Our coach has had us doing drills, scrimmages, and in the film room all week long to learn from our mistakes during the season. This hard work has really taken a toll on my body at the end of a difficult season. Despite it being my first year in the league and getting minimal playing time, the coach has mentioned wanting to offer me increased playing time in the future, and this is the best way to up my endurance. I feel like the team is extremely focused on our goal and we will be ready come game time for the first clash against our second round opponents. With our high octane offense, and viscous defending, any team should be afraid of playing us. This past week has only helped us recover and get stronger as to gear up for our Four-Star Cup run. We know these games won't be won easily, but it is our duty to fight for them tooth and nail. This season's postseason belongs to Prince George and the Firebirds. Time to prove it on the ice.

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Kesler17 · 01-08-2018, 09:36 PM

***Ohtaay*** · 01-09-2018, 11:50 AM

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The Vancouver Whalers left the post season, just as fast as they made the playoffs. It was a 4-0 games sweep, that saw the Whalers give up 19 goals in 4 games, while only recording 11.
A major downfall for the Whalers play was due to poor defence and goaltending, as their starting goalie only post a .824 save percentage, while their backup post a .889 save percentage. This was to be combined with the Whalers top defence pairing combining for a -11 during these four games.
Another problem was their top players simply not showing up, their team was lead by dude love, who posted four points from the backend. However, top players like gabrieal wong, and shaun stephens only posted 4 points combined. These two players were the Whalers top players through the season, and they simply could not get it done during the post season.

Moving into the offseason Ostap Maksimov has mind set towards the SHL draft, and training hard during the off season. Ostap had an impressive rookie season, and looks to improve on that heading into next season. The Whalers will boast a strong defence core lead by the 3 rookie defenceman that they drafted this season.

tweedlebrumm · 01-09-2018, 03:10 PM

The SMJHL S38 Playoffs got off swimmingly for the Montreal Militia has the team was continued to be powered by the top line, and the rookie second pairing of Elliot and Koenig, and the consistent play of rookie Goalie Cedric Moreau. The team found success from other contributors in the first series of these playoffs, with solid preformances by both 5th round picks Loks and Brumm Jr. Especially in game 6 we saw Brumm Jr shine on the power play as the Militia sent Kelowna home in the first round of the playoffs. The 35th overall pick scored 2 power play goals to give his team an early lead in both the 1st and 2nd period.

Loks was a contributor throughout the playoffs, and actually scored more almost as many points in this series as he did in the regular season. With Brumm an Loks the Militia really hit a jackpot in the draft, not to mention the aforementioned homeruns in Koenig, Elliot, and Moreau. The team is still Anxhored by the Tanner but he is on the way out, and itâ€™s nice to see the rookies able to secure a solid future for the Militia team before the studs that have been driving the success head to the show.

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