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Whikadoodle · 06-10-2019, 01:43 PM

The semifinals of the S48 Prospect Showcase concluded last night, and boy were scouts left with a lot to think about. Let's hop right into the action.

BLAZERS TOPPLE WRANGLERS IN TWO

The Wranglers were considered heavy favorites to lift the trophy at the end of the showcase. On the back of the strong goaltending performance by Nolan McMahon, the Wranglers seemed unbeatable; especially against a Blazers team that struggled to get off the blocks.

A penalty from Joey Fraccaro led to a beautiful powerplay goal from Jan Zacha with five minutes remaining in the first period. . Even more impressive was the vision from Elijah Jones to get the puck to a high scoring area. The Blazers quickly gave up a powerplay of their own, but stood tall and prevented the Wranglers from an early reply.

The Wranglers came out of the locker room ready to strike, and Bo Kane lit the lamp a mere twenty two seconds into the second period to tie the game at 1. Before the PA could even announce the goal, Jake Primeau found time to remedy his earlier penalty by finding Jones on a beautiful 2 on 1 breakaway to regain the lead.

At the start of the Third, Primeau decided he wanted to light the lamp himself, again getting the jump on a sleepy Wranglers squad and potting another just seconds into the third. Despite two powerplay chances early in the third, the Wranglers failed to crack McMahon, who got the whistle eleven times in the third to seal the game one victory on behalf of the Blazers.

Game two was a sloppy game on all counts. Skaters were clearly frustrated throughout the first as their attempts to create were often foiled by poor decision making and terrible execution. Late in the second period, the Wranglers struck first on a powerplay that looked to be a spark to their offense. Vesa Seikola found Skao Anazibf who fired an absolute ripper. Mike Richards, ever the opportunist, got his stick on the puck to net a redirect in what was an impressive show of offense. However, the Wranglers took two steps backward, allowing Noah Andros to snipe an equalizer six seconds later. Wet Cucumber would notch his second assist of the contest, dishing to Theodore Sober with a minute remaining in the second, however, the Wranglers would light the lamp on a buzzer beater from Anazibf to tie the game going into the third.

After an exciting second, the teams once again forgot how to play hockey, totalling a mere 4 shots in the third period. The Wranglers, physically gassed, allowed an easy goal to Sober to end game two.

The Wranglers came in with a bang, but clearly left with a whimper. With only three shots on goal in their final twenty one minutes of play, one has to wonder if the Wranglers felt the wear and tear of a long showcase.

The Blazers, on the other hand, shocked the Showcase and did what they had to do to win. Capitalizing on slow starts by the Wranglers, the Blazers were able to take advantage on their opportunities. In game 2, the Blazers did not take a single trip to the box, essentially stifling the Warners offense from getting going. The Blazers did what they needed to do, and have earned themselves a trip to the finals for their efforts.

Whiks 3 Stars of the Series

First Star - Pucky Stopz - .888 Series Save Percentage
Second Star - Wet Cucumber - 3 Assists in Game 2
Third Star - Theodore Sober - 1 OT Series Winning Goal

VIPERS EDGE OUT STINGRAYS IN THREE

Going into this series, the Stingrays were the clear favorite over the Vipers. After numerous close games, it just seemed as though the Stingrays knew how to do just enough to get past the Viper squad.

The start of this series seemed to be more of the same. Sterling Slaughter worked quickly to net the Stingrays first goal just 40 seconds into the tilt. Arthur Dayne would go on to tie the match off an assist from Prince Devitt with the Vipers only shot in the third period. An overtime goal for Cuppa Kaako would seal the deal as the Vipers mustered a pathetic four shots on goal over the course of nearly eighty minutes.

Game two saw Knox Booth lay a brick wall against a barrage of shots in the first. Arthur Dayne would finally crack the Stingrays with a goal early on in the second period. This goal set the tone for the Vipers offense, as they continued to find the net for the rest of the game. Gotta Love Honors Bio would add some insurance early in the third, and Booth would shut the door in a 2-0 shutout victory.

Deja vu in game three saw Slaughter once again open up the scoring against the Vipers in the first period. However, Jagger Fouquette, the Vipers leading scorer in the round robin stage, would finally notch his first point of the series with an early goal in the second. Scott Miller scored to give the Vipers their first lead of the game, but Slaughter found twine and sent the game tied into the third. The game would remain tied into a sudden death overtime, and Fouquette took advantage, sending the Vipers to the finals off assists from Miller and Ricky Spanish.

The Stingrays seem to have gotten cold at the wrong time. With the exception of the overtime winner in game 1, Slaughter was the only Stingray to score over three games. This lack of production led to the Stingrays semi final exit.

The Vipers, on the other hand, found depth scoring to weather the cold streaks of Fouquette and Miller. Namely, Dayne and Honors-Bio stepped up and contributed to keep the Vipers in a close game one and win a tight game two.

Whiks Three Stars of the Series

First Star - Arthur Dayne - Series 2 G, 1 A, 5 Hits
Second Star - Sterling Slaughter - Series 3 Goals
Third Star - Jagger Fouquette - 2 Goals, 1 OT Series Winning Goal

FINALS PREVIEW: BLAZERS VS STINGRAYS

The Blazers and Vipers finished the regular season tied for last place at 8-8-4 and 7 wins in regulation or overtime. In their seven game round Robin series, the Vipers edged out the Blazers 4-2-1, with a +7 goal differential on twenty five additional shots. The Vipers powerplay was most-lethal against the Blazers, scoring on 38.5% of their chances. Furthermore, the Vipers limited the Blazers powerplay to a mere 18%.

The Blazers need to see contributions from their stars. Jean Francois Mayer was invisible last series, and the team needs to get him going to have a chance. Additionally, Stopz needs to continue his work in net. Stopz has five shutouts on the tournament, indicating he has what it takes to put together a championship worthy performance.

The Vipers need to get their chemistry flowing. Until the final game of last series, the line of Fouquette, Miller, and Spanish were kept silent. This series, they need to find a way to put points on the board. In each win against the Blazers in the round robin, this line has gone off. Additionally, the defense, led by Devitt, must be in a position to block shots and grind out wins. Many of the prior games between these two have placed a heavy load on Booth, and the defense must ensure that they clog the passing lanes and clear the zone.

Whiks Predictions
Vipers in Three
Finals MVP - Jagger Fouquette

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Waters · 06-10-2019, 01:46 PM

Go Vipers!

Tate · 06-10-2019, 01:50 PM

This article was awesome! Thank you for the great work Smile

***hhh81*** · 06-10-2019, 01:54 PM

It's fascinating that 4/6 stars of the series will likely go undrafted tonight.

Good writeup!

Winter is Coming · 06-10-2019, 02:04 PM

06-10-2019, 01:54 PMhhh81 Wrote: It's fascinating that 4/6 stars of the series will likely go undrafted tonight.

Good writeup!

Which truly goes to show how worthless stats are sometimes and how cruel the sim engine can be to the actives. Crybaby

Waters · 06-10-2019, 02:15 PM

06-10-2019, 02:04 PMWinter is Coming Wrote:
06-10-2019, 01:54 PMhhh81 Wrote: It's fascinating that 4/6 stars of the series will likely go undrafted tonight.

Good writeup!
Which truly goes to show how worthless stats are sometimes and how cruel the sim engine can be to the actives.

Idk I think the sim engine is pretty cool

Winter is Coming · 06-10-2019, 02:15 PM

06-10-2019, 02:15 PMWaters Wrote:
06-10-2019, 02:04 PMWinter is Coming Wrote: Which truly goes to show how worthless stats are sometimes and how cruel the sim engine can be to the actives.
Idk I think the sim engine is pretty cool

Because you rigged it. Ninja

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