S61 Early Preseason Dominance - The Brick Wall

6/11/2021 - Sly92

I hope everyone had the chance to tune in yesterday afternoon for the first half of the first day of the S61 Preseason Showcase, it was quite the show indeed. I don’t know about you folks, but I was keeping my eye on Rusty Remao, one of two goalies for the Phoenix Screaming Cacti.

Game One - Phoenix Screaming Cacti VS. Tokyo Yoshi’s - The Debut 
Remao started out strong maintaining a solid defense through the first period with 10 shots on goal coming from Tokyo, with zero points on the board. Heading in to the second period, Tokyo fired of another 8 shots on goal but again, they had no luck. The green, prickly, brick wall that is Rusty Remao held strong with zero points on the board for The Tokyo Yoshi’s. You could tell at this point that Tokyo was losing steam heading towards the end of the game. Finally, in the 3rd period after Remao’s completely fantastic performance during the first two periods, The Tokyo Yoshi’s gave up and just quit trying. With only 5 more shots on goal from Tokyo in the final period of the game, and without breaking a sweat, Rusty Remao had done it. A Stone wall victory in his first ever SMJHL game with a 1.0 SV%.

Game Five - Phoenix Screaming Cacti VS. Tokyo Yoshi’s - REMATCH
Still feeling the sting from their first complete shutout match against The Phoenix Screaming Cacti, The Tokyo Yoshi’s come back for more, in seek of sweet victory. Unfortunately, it was almost as if Rusty could see right through Tokyo, looking past them to his next victory. The first period came in a blur, only 7 shots on goal from Tokyo with not a single point to show for it. At this point, Rusty was starting to get cocky. 4 whole periods between the team’s two matches without a single goal being scored on him. He started taunting at the Yoshi’s as they were skating around frantically trying to get in position for another shot, desperately looking for points. Then it happened. Disaster struck. With a quick possession change, Jan Henzell managed to get in to position while Rusty was taunting Lucas McCoy. Jan wound up, and fired at Remao while he was looking the other way. GOAL. Rusty had been scored on 4 minutes and 25 seconds in to the second period. Rusty was quite surprised, he threw his hands up in a “what the heck just happened?” manner and glanced back at his bench. The coach was not happy and was shooting daggers at him with his eyes, the ol’ “don’t F-up like” that again look. Rusty snapped back to the game which was still flying by in front of him. You could tell that he was back in the zone. No more taunts, no more screwing around… Tokyo having just scored, started to put the heat on. Now that they knew it was possible to penetrate Rusty’s brick wall, their moral was restored. Unfortunately for Tokyo though, Rusty Remao was able to almost immediately recover from the previous goal and proceeded to shut down every single one of the next 8 shots on goal, totaling 14 total for the period and 21 total shots to this point in the game. The most consecutive shots against Remao yet… It appeared that this angered Tokyo moving in to the 3rd period as they couldn’t understand how this was possible from such a young goalie. So, they turned up the heat. Another 11 shots from Tokyo in the first half of the 3rd period. Not. A. Single. Goal. They were dumbfounded. 10 more minutes to go, they continued their assault. Thanks to the great defense of the Cacti, they were only able to pull off 6 more shots on goal, none of which were able to connect, totaling 38 shots for the game. With only one goal on Rusty in two games, the Cacti were victorious yet again and Rusty Remao had managed to come out ahead with another insane save percentage at .974.



Game 10 - Phoenix Screaming Cacti VS. San Diego Sand Lions - The Big Boys
Their first matchup was here, Lions VS. Cacti. At this point, both teams were shaping up to be the strongest of the 4 teams this preseason. It was going to be a tough game and Rusty knew it. The Lions had been scoring well in all of their games this far and Rusty knew he was going to be challenged more than in any other game so far. The teams slid out on to the ice and the puck dropped… The Lions were fast. Really fast. Rusty was having a hard time keeping up. Pass, pass, pass, the puck was flying around the rink and before he knew it, GOAL. Less than 5 minutes in to the game and 3 shots later, Bjorn Viggosson had managed to get a shot off right in front of the goal with great success. Knowing this was going to be a hard game, Rusty brushed it off and buckled down. A few moments later, CACTI GOAL. Sam Siege had returned fire also from directly in front of the Sand Lions’ goal. The game was tied one to one. Knowing the game wouldn’t be a shutout, Rusty held strong and continued to keep his eye on the puck. The shots kept coming, 10 in total by the end of the first period. Remao held strong, the game was still tied 1 to 1 heading in to the second period. Rusty was starting to tire at this point trying to keep up. The puck was moving almost faster than he had experienced, and before he knew it, Sean Stevenson III was directly in front of him with the puck. A quick slide to the left and a flip of the wrist to the right sent the puck past Remao and in to the goal. The Sand Lions had scored again. Rusty, being quite competitive was visibly starting to get frustrated. Three minutes later, Steve Collins of the Cacti snagged the puck and looped around the back of the Sand Lions’ net for a sneak attack. GOAL. Again, the game was tied. The match was shaping up to be quite the nail biter. All throughout the last half of the second period the puck was flying around, both teams were taking as many shots as possible but the score held strong tied at 2 to 2. Rusty had managed to stop 17 of the 19 shots taken by the Sand Lions up to this point. The crowd was going wild at the close game, you could barely hear with both sides cheering on their teams relentlessly heading in to the 3rd period… The puck dropped to start the final period. Possession changed, Lions, Cacti, Lions, Cacti back and forth. 9 minutes passed and no one was able to score. Cacti’s had the puck and things were starting to get desperate. A quick pass to Vincent Fox and shot! But no cigar. Sand Lions’ Willie Miller (G) had stopped another one. But, in doing so, he was unable to grab on to the puck, and it bounced out of his glove landing right in front of Cacti’s Petra Sabor, perfectly lining up a SECOND consecutive shot against the Lions. Before Willie had any time to react, Petra slapped the puck in to the top right of the net. GOAL. The score was now 3 to 2 The Phoenix Screaming Cacti leading, with only 12 minutes remaining in the game. Rusty just had to hold out for 12 minutes. The Lions returned fire hard, trying to get in to position for anything they could get. The Cacti’s morale was high and their defense was having none of it. 5 minutes passed, no goals. Another 3 minutes, still, no goals. The shots kept coming, but the time after time, blocked, stopped, caught. 3 more minutes. 2. 1. GAME. Rusty was like a machine working with his team to hold out for the last 4 minutes. The Phoenix Screaming Cacti had done it, 3 to 2. Rusty went crazy with the Cacti, it was only preseason game 10 but they didn’t care, this was their greatest victory to date… It was a tough game but Rusty held strong coming out with a .895 SV%.



Summary
Throughout the rest of the first half of day one for the preseason showcase, the Cacti would continue to dominate most of the games they played. Between Rusty Remao and Jason Playstation, the Cacti’s goal tending was phenomenal. Rusty Remao’s first game performance holding the title as the only goalie to pull off a shutout game this preseason (so far) was unheard of for a new rookie just joining the league. His ability to rebound and maintain composure after being scored on is something that sets him a part from the rest. He was able to utilize his quick reflexes and positioning to put him at the best positions possible to stop goals and keep his opponent’s scores low, and the results are in the pudding. Rusty is shaping up to be a highly sought-after prospect for this season’s draft with rumors of multiple GMs contacting him leading up to this weekend. Only time will tell, but it looks like Rusty Remao has a bright future ahead of him.



(1,578 words)

Credit: Ragnar

showcase media let's goo

DEMIR BELLONA | RD | MONTREAL PATRIOTES
Name: Demir Bellona
Height: 5' 11''
Weight: 185 lbs
Number: 21

MATT KHOLIN | C | BUFFALO STAMPEDE | RETIRED 
Name: Matt Kholin
Height: 6' 1''
Weight: 205 lbs
Number: 15
Peak TPE: 2069
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Achievements
Round 4 #35 overall S45 SMJHL by Halifax Raiders
Round 1 #14 overall S46 SMHL by Tampa Bay Barracuda
S45 WJC Team Canada Silver Medal Winner
S45 Nominated for the Esa Anrikkanen Award (Rookie of the Year)
S46 WJC Team Canada Bronze Medal Winner
S47 WJC Team Canada Gold Medal Winner
S47 Jared Hanson Award Winner (Most Points)
S47 Roberto Martucci Award Winner (Most Goals)
S47 Ideen Fallah Award Winner (Regular Season MVP)
S47 Brandon Holmes Award Winner (Top Defensive Forward)
S47 Ron Bolt Award Winner (Most Sportsmanlike Player)
S48 All Rookie Team
S50 IIHF Team Canada Bronze Medal Winner
S53 Damian Littleton Award Nominated (Most Dedicated)
S53 Elias Armia Award Winner
(The Commissioner's Award of Excellence)
S54 Traded at the Trade Deadline to Buffalo Stampede
S54 Damian Littleton Award Winner (Most Dedicated)
S54 Jeff Dar Award Nominated (Best Two-Way Forward)
S54 Aidan Richan Award Nominated (Most improved)
S54 All-Star 2nd Team
S54 IIHF Team Canada Gold Medal Winner
S55 IIHF Team Canada Bronze Medal Winner
S56 IIHF Team Canada Gold Medal Winner
S57 IIHF Team Canada Gold Medal Winner
S57 Damian Littleton Award Nominated (Most Dedicated)
S59 Damian Littleton Award Nominated (Most Dedicated)
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SHL Statistics
S48 TBB: GP: 50 G: 14 A: 19 P: 33
S49 TBB: GP: 50 G: 9 A: 20 P: 29
S50 TBB: GP: 50 G: 11 A: 22 P: 33
S51 TBB: GP: 50 G: 13 A: 16 P: 29
S52 TBB: GP: 50 G: 14 A: 28 P: 42
S53 TBB: GP: 50 G: 15 A: 24 P: 39
S54 BUF: GP: 50 G: 32 A: 40 P: 72
S55 BUF: GP: 50 G: 19 A: 35 P: 54
S56 BUF: GP: 50 G: 20 A: 33 P: 53
S57 BUF: GP: 66 G: 23 A: 46 P: 69
S58 BUF: GP: 66 G: 24 A: 43 P: 67
S59 BUF: GP: 66 G: 36 A: 45 P: 81
S60 BUF: GP: 66 G: 32 A: 51 P: 83
S61 BUF: GP: 66 G: 40 A: 28 P: 68
S62 BUF: GP: 66 G: 20 A: 36 P: 56
Career: GP: 846 G: 322 A: 486 P: 808
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SHL Playoffs Statistics
S48 TBB: GP: 7 G: 1 A: 2 P: 3
S49 TBB: GP: 12 G: 2 A: 8 P: 10
S50 TBB: GP: 19 G: 4 A: 8 P: 12
S51 TBB: GP: 4 G: 0 A: 2 P: 2
S52 TBB: Eliminated
S53 TBB: Eliminated
S54 BUF: GP: 13 G: 2 A: 8 P: 10
S55 BUF: GP: 17 G: 4 A: 11 P: 15
S56 BUF: GP: 23 G: 6 A: 11 P: 17
S57 BUF: GP: 17 G: 7 A: 9 P: 16
S58 BUF: GP: 21 G: 9 A: 4 P: 13
S59 BUF: GP: 19 G: 12 A: 9 P: 21
S60 BUF: GP: 22 G: 5 A: 15 P: 20
S61 BUF: GP: 9 G: 5 A: 0 P: 5
S62 BUF: GP: 9 G: 1 A: 5 P: 6
Career: GP: 192 G: 58 A: 92 P: 150
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International Statistics
S45 WJC CAN: GP: 22 G: 2 A: 5 P: 7
S46 WJC CAN: GP: 29 G: 7 A: 23 P: 30
S47 WJC CAN: GP: 28 G: 7 A: 21 P: 28
S47 IIHF CAN: GP: 12 G: 2 A: 2 P: 4
S48 IIHF CAN: GP: 13 G: 0 A: 2 P: 2
S49 IIHF CAN: GP: 13 G: 1 A: 4 P: 5
S50 IIHF CAN: GP 14: G: 0 A: 3 P: 3
S51 IIHF CAN: GP 13: G: 1 A: 4 P: 5
S52 IIHF CAN: GP 12: G: 7 A: 3 P: 10
S53 IIHF CAN: GP 14: G: 9 A: 9 P: 18
S54 IIHF CAN: GP 17: G: 10 A: 9 P: 19
S55 IIHF CAN: GP 14: G: 6 A: 8 P: 14
S56 IIHF CAN: GP 15: G: 3 A: 13 P: 16
S57 IIHF CAN: GP 15: G: 7 A: 5 P: 12
S58 IIHF CAN: GP 15: G: 3 A: 7 P: 10
S59 IIHF CAN: GP 12: G: 1 A: 5 P: 6
S60 IIHF CAN: GP 13: G: 3 A: 8 P: 11
S61 IIHF CAN: GP 15: G: 3 A: 6 P: 9
S62 IIHF CAN: GP 15: G: 1 A: 4 P: 5
Career: GP: 302 G: 70 A: 138 P: 208
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SMJHL Regular Season
S45 HAL: GP: 50 G: 15 A: 17 P: 32
S46 HAL: GP: 50 G: 10 A: 17 P: 27
S47 HAL: GP: 50 G: 24 A: 24 P: 48
Career: GP: 150 G: 49 A: 58 P: 107
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SMJHL Playoffs Statistics
S45 HAL: GP: 11 G: 4 A: 6 P: 10
S46 HAL: GP: 13 G: 3 A: 5 P: 8
S47 HAL: GP: 4 G: 0 A: 2 P: 2
Career: GP: 28 G: 7 A: 13 P: 20
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big dog rusty!

Sig by @Ragnar