Our first week of sims brought us to St. Louis's Enterprise Center, featuring a formidable 4-1-0 Newfoundland Berserkers team against the 3-1-1 Scarecrows. Coming in to the match, fans turned their attention to stars like Newfoundland wingers Steve Harrington and Slatt Potts, as well as defenseman Jukka Timonen. Burgeoning star Tinke Jutila - a late second round pick from this season's SMJHL - has proven to have a high-quality plus-minus and to this point has played a significant role on the defensive end in spite of his newness. They'd be tightly-contested by the ever-recognizable LPLL and winger Sasha Dangelchek, as well as the ever-vigilant Elizabeth Doyle in goal. As these teams continue on with still-impressive records on both sides, integral games such as these will have to serve as strong learning moments for all involved if they hope to contest the dominant Falcons, as well as the West's Armada and Raptors.
The game was tightly contested and a defensive grind from the get go, with nearly fifteen minutes of first-period action elapsed without a single goal. After a failed attempt to keep Dangelchek onsides, the ref called for a face off that Danny Marston easily won, ushering the puck to St. Louis's Ruslan Zaporozhets. He was boarded quickly by the ever-present Tinke Jutila, who started a flurry of passes between Birdstrom, Morningstar, and Kirkegaard - but the puck eventually came back to Jutila, who broke away for a one-on-one resulting in a Newfoundland goal to make it 1-0 after Doyle was a fraction of a second too slow from stopping the puck outright.
The game would see another period of relative quiet - with a series of penalties and resulting powerplays allowing for plenty of shots but without any connecting. The second period started off with a bang, however, with several hits including a thundering belt by Erben Kasius onto Matthew Forrester that nearly sent him into his own bench. The cleverly-named PBJ Souppan attempted a tough shot on Doyle in the interim, allowing the Berserkers to briefly corral the puck and volley between Mega Tron & Trevor Johnson. This resulted in a one-timer by Kriss Darzins, who blew the puck straight by Caleb Amundsen for a 1-1 tie just 37 seconds in! The game immediately became more physical thereafter, with Flash Gordon collecting a goaltender interference penalty and Klompus receiving a charging penalty just two minutes later.
Around ten minutes into the second period, PBJ Souppan snapped a sharp pass into traffic to a waiting Niccolo Livius, who was promptly smothered by the defense, unable to receive the pass that then went over the glass. One face off later, LPLL made a pass forward to Dangelchek, then with rapid passes to Danny Marston and William Lockwood in the slot. He went for a one-timer that was deterred but not blocked by Amundsen! 2-1 Newfoundland!
17 minutes into the second period, Yamamoto Mitsuharu was whistled for an interference penalty, resulting in a Newfoundland powerplay that looked largely fruitless for the first ninety seconds; but the tricky Niccolo Livius received the puck after a face off, producing a one-timer that was promptly blocked by a vigilant Danny Marston. A relentless Livius pursued the puck into the corner and immediately went for a wrap-around the net before burying it with masterful body contortion around the crease, giving us a 2-2 tie with one period to go!
As the third period started, there was an uneasy feeling suggesting that the first team to score would hold momentum throughout. St. Louis, clearly a little rattled by Livius's strong goal, committed a series of penalties - two slashing infractions committed in the first four minutes. Newfoundland couldn't take the game home on the first powerplay, but after Kriss Dazins's slash forced the puck into their offensive zone. Red Arrow picked up a loose puck and slapped the puck to Guy LeGrande in the slot, who took a moment to deliberate before sending a tough slap shot on goal -- AND HE SCORED!! Guy LeGrande made it 3-2!
Desperate to close the gap, St. Louis continued to make mistakes, with two consecutive hooking penalties over the following 12 minutes or so. They had their last chance with twelve seconds left after a hooking penalty by Newfoundland's Ryuuji Minamino, but couldn't capitalize with so little time remaining -- it's a Newfoundland Win!
Three Stars
RD Jukka Timonen - Timonen broke the nearly fifteen-minute drought without a single goal in the first period, which started a flurry of penalties that held the Berserkers over for the remainder of the period. He also did a fantastic job defensively, netting a positive plus-minus in spite of two of the teams' goals coming on the power play.
RW Mega Tron - Though he didn't find his name on the jumbotron, Mega played an integral role in getting the St. Louis offense moving, including assisting Darzins on his even-strength goal just 37 seconds into the second period.
C Lucifer Morningstar, Newfoundland - An integral faceoff-winner and assistant to Timonen's first goal in the first period, Morningstar was key in maintaining possession and setting up plays from deep within Newfoundland's defensive zone.
04-09-2020, 03:09 AM(This post was last modified: 04-09-2020, 03:10 AM by Dextaria.)
Elizabeth Doyle Infographic
Depth Coming Up Big
Most teams rely on their stars to take control of the game and come up big when they are needed. However, in this game between the St.Louis Scarecrows and the Newfoundland Berserkers their third and fourth line came up big. Scarecrow’s third line winger Kriss Darzins scored the Scarecrows’ first goal of the game which tied the game at 1. It was certainly a greasy one as the Scarecrows’ third line was able to carry the puck from their end to dump it in. After winning the puck in the corner, Darzins was able to tip a shot on net and it squeaked past Amundsen. It was as if time was slowed down as Amundsen only realized where the puck was when it was too late. Then, the Scarecrows’ fourth line showed up with a goal by rookie William Lockwood to take the lead. The Berserker’s bottom six players certainly weren't quite either in this game as their rookie fourth liner Niccolo Livius scored on the powerplay to tie the game for his team. While it is clear that top line players are expected to lead the team, it is truly the entirety of the team that is needed if teams expect to remain competitive. This is especially true when top line players go quiet.
A Goaltender Duel
This game between the St.Louis Scarecrows and the Newfoundland Berserkers found two hot goaltenders going head to head against each other. In the net for the Scarecrows, Elizabeth Doyle had a record of 2-0-1 with an incredible goals against average of 0.65. Her opponent certainly was not too bad himself as Cale Amundsen of the Berserkers had a record of 2-1-0 with a goals against average of 1.95. Between the two goaltenders, the shots were pretty even as Doyle faced 30 shots as Amundsen faced 29. Ultimately, it was rookie Cale Amundsen that came out ahead only letting in 2 goals compared to the 3 let in by Doyle. For the win, Amundsen came up big in the last minute of the game where the Scarecrows had pulled the goalie for an extra attacker. In the last minute, the Scarecrows had the Berserkers hemmed in their own zone and they had 5 shots in this time period. The most significant save during that minute was definitely the one against Danny Marston where after making two saves prior, Amundsen stoned Marston who had his eyes on an open net. Definitely a great showing for both goaltenders that were able to continue their hot streak moving forward.
Undisciplined Second
What a second period this game had. A total of three goals were scored, with St. Louis putting two in the back of the net off eleven shots. Surprisingly, neither of those were off the power play. Newfoundland's only goal that period did come off the power play. Now let's talk about power play, as there was a lot of power play time during the second period. A total of six penalties were handed out, three to each team. Of the six penalties, four were for tripping. Each team taking two tripping penalties. The other two penalties were for goalie interference and charging.
Third Verse, Same as Second
You like penalties? No? Well too bad, because the third period was similar to the second period. The refs weren't swallowing their whistle, handing out a total of five penalties during the third period. This time though, the penalty distribution was not as even the second period. At the end of the third, St. Louis had four penalties called against them. Two of the penalties were for slashing, and two for hooking. A tough break for the Scarecrows, but you have to displayed disciplined if you want to win hockey games. You can't be taking stupid penalties and sitting in the box.
Consistency is Key
Through the whole game, consistency and patience was the name of the game for the Newfoundland Berserkers. Each period, they were able to score one goal. The shot totals were thirteen, nine, and eight for the first, second, and third periods, respectively. On the defensive side of the game, Newfoundland were in their groove, not allowing goals in the first and third periods. The second period wasn't as solid, but it's hard to keep pucks out the net when you're top defensive players are tired from penalty killing. Overall a solid game from Newfoundland, who were really in gear this game.
04-10-2020, 09:51 AM(This post was last modified: 04-23-2020, 09:47 PM by Wally.)
With the game 0-0 and the Scarecrows and Berserkers continuing to pummel it out in the corners something had to give. Early shots finding the posts, the teams both were playing nervously. As the minutes ticked by the teams started to ease, while the intensity continued to pick up. Nearing the 15 minute mark Jukka Timonen dangled by a defender before burying a short-sided shot top shelf for New Foundland and open the scoring. Momentum was seized early in the rivalry, but proved only to be the beginning of a heated match up as the game would register thirty-one hits in total.
With the drop of the puck to start the second period the Scarecrows quickly pounced. With a quick cycle, St. Louis gained possessions in the zone. A crisp pass at the point found a short sided two on one in the pocket. With the ice still fresh, the puck moved quickly between the attacking Crows drawing the defense away from the crease where Kriss Darzins was left alone in the slot and quickly slipped one past Amundsen to tie the game in the 2nd period after making it through the slot and build the momentum just 37 seconds into the period.
After the Scarecrows pull the goalie for a six on five advantage, the Scarecrows were finding another groove as they continued to pile on the shots. With the seconds counting down, the cycle was one. From one to the next, the passes were finding the tape. What players weren't finding, however, was an alley way to get the puck to the net. Just when all hope was almost gone and ten seconds one the clock Danny Marston quickly gathered a tipped pass through the slot and wristed a shot top shelf. Out of no where, Cale Amundsen snags the puck blindly late in the game to seal the win for the Berserkers.
04-11-2020, 02:43 PM(This post was last modified: 04-11-2020, 03:21 PM by JURT.)
The Faceoff Circle
The faceoff situation during this whole game has been pretty clear : St. Louis was the superior team. Overall, the Scarecrows dominated the Berserkers by a score of 35-24. Sadly for them, this 59.3% domination at the dot didn't translate to a win as they lost in much tighter game from a scoreboard point of view.
Faceoff Hero Danny Marston
Martsen was in 20 contests during this game, prevailing in 14 of them for a great percentage of 70%.
Faceoff Zero Matthew Forrester
Martsen's success made it so his Berserker counterpart, Matthew Forrester, has had a rough night, with only six faceoff wins in 16 occasions (37.5%)
04-12-2020, 11:43 PM(This post was last modified: 04-12-2020, 11:44 PM by Rotti.)
Rotti's Roundup
Nimble Newfies
The Berserkers come into tonight with 9 points on the season, boasting a single regulation loss through 6 games. The Scarecrows are their first chance to show off the great puck they've been playing so far. Although named after barbarian warriors, the Berserkers are no chumps when it comes to finesse and skill. They have no issues moving the puck consistently, dangling defenders with dastsyukian deaks, and managing to find minuscule fractions of an inch to sneak the puck past tendies. This team is going to one to watch when it comes playoff time, and could be challenging for a cup come the end of the regular season.
Schocking St. Louis
The scarecrows have got off to a tough start to the season, losing a tough game in OT and only notching 5 points so far. In the SMJHL a team can turn around their luck at any time, though, and the Scarecrows could end up making something out of this season. Mega Tron has been a driving force in both of the team's prior wins, and almost pushed St. Louis to a win tonight, but it wasn't enough. The one thing St. Louis can hold on to after this game is that it was winnable at points, and if a few mistakes can be erased, they might be looking to add wins instead of losses on the stat sheet going forward.
Morningstar's unleashes the deamons
Just like Mega Tron from the Scarecrows, Lucifer Morningstar has been a large part of the Berserker's early success. His game is similar to Tron's in the sense that he's not stuffing the stat sheet, but if the Bersker's are getting a good luck in the offensive zone there's a good chance the look came off of Morningstar's tape. There have been some discussions as to whether Morningstar may be getting some help from *ahem* elsehwere due to his name and likeness, but he remains vigilant that his play is coming from hard work and skill. He joins my player's to watch for the rest of the season, and will be on Rotti's Radar going forward.
[/quote]
Goalie power
Goalie is really important for each team, there are no doubt, but sometimes, they don't have so much power to get a win for their team by their own. Elizabeth Doyle played very well for Scarecrows. She saved 27 of 30 Berserkers shots and had 90% saves in her debut SMJHL game. Anyway - it wasn't enough for a victory. Doyle will be very important for Scarecrows this season, she played pretty well this game, but that wasn't enough. It's pretty hard to win if you score only two goals in a game and this was the proof. Both goalies played well though. (102 words)
Discipline
Discipline is really important in hockey in general, but this game was the one where you forget what is the discipline. Berserkers had 12 penalty minutes in this game, but Scarecrows even 18. 30 combined penalty minutes in whole game without fights or major penalties. It was just a game without the discipline. 30 combined penalty minutes and only five combined goals. Pretty low discpiline and pretty low quality of powerplays for both teams. Chaostic game! Both teams need to have better discipline and powerplays if they want to get Four Star Cup this season. Both teams need pretty insane changes. (101 words)
The king of faceoffs
Scarecrows won in many things, but not in the score. Danny Marston of Scarecrows went in psycho mode. Martsen was in twenty faceoffs and won fourteen of them, which means he won 70% of them. Pretty insane statistics for a SMJHL player. If he could keep up this type of performance in faceoffs, Scarecrows would have great advantage in offense and defense aswell. Scarecrows won 35 faceoffs, while Berserkers only 24, which means that Marston won almost half of his teams faceoffs and almost same amount as Berserkers players combined. This is some king level type thing which is pretty unbeatable. Luck or skill? We will see in next games. (110 words)
1) The most surprising stat of the game to me was how many freakin penalties there were this game. Man, the refs were not letting anything go out there that night. A whopping total of FIFTEEN powerplay opportunities given out (9 for Newfoundland and 6 for St. Louis). Unfortunately I cant go back and see if that is a season record for a game but I'm sure this game had to have broken the record. Surprisingly enough there was not one fight out of these penalties, so it wasn't a very chippy game, just an undisciplined one. Another additional surprise is that the shot count was actually even at the end of the game even though Newfoundland has more power plays.
2) The unsung hero this game to me was Ryuuji Minamino. The Berserkers rely on Ryuuji in many roles on this squad as he is on the 2nd line on even strength, top power play line, and a depth role on the penalty kill. For only his 2nd year in the juniors these are big shoes to fill for the speedy forward. He performed perfectly this game in defense and on top of that added 2 blocked shots and 3 big hits that definitely kept the Berserkers penalty kill active and effective. This was a great showing on what’s to come for Ryuuji in the future.
3) The turning point of the game was definitely Berserkers’ Forward Niccolo Livius’s powerplay goal with one minute left in the 2nd period. As everyone knows power play goals are definitely costly and momentum changers. But power play goals with less than a minute left in periods are demoralizing. Niccolo’s goal definitely came at a perfect time to carry the team hype into the locker room and come out energized for the 3rd period, which is definitely what happened. Frustration kicked in for St. Louis in the 3rd period because they took 4 more penalties that period which definitely slowed down any potential comeback for the Scarecrows.
04-25-2020, 02:53 AM(This post was last modified: 04-25-2020, 02:54 AM by thevoicelesscreator.)
1. Star of the Game – Jukka Timonen
Coming into the season, everyone knew that Jukka Timonen would be the heart and soul of the Newfoundland Berserkers, and this game showcased just why that is. Timonen lead his team with 29 minutes of time on ice – that’s nearly half the game. The Scarecrows must have gotten sick of seeing number 24 flying around the ice, because he was everywhere. His opening goal was the only point he had, but opened the game strong for the Berserkers, who have traditionally struggled in that respect. He would follow that blazer with another 7 shots on net, totaling 8 on net and 12 total. He also picked up a blocked shot, just to chip in defensively.
2. Dud of the Game – PBJ Souppan
Talk about a player that has been struggling to break into form. PBJ has watched his team enjoy their great start to the season, and not done much to help them get there. In fact against the Scarecrows, he very nearly helped sink them. PBJ was a mess during the nearly 15 minutes he got to play on the ice. While registering a blocked shot and a takeaway, the young defender was very easily baited out of position and allowed the Scarecrow to capitalize twice (resulting in a +/- of -2). This hasn’t been the first game the PBJ has struggled as such, and likely will not be the last if his play of late has any indication. Look for his coaches to limit his ice time until he figures it out.
3. Stat of the Game – PIM (STL 18-12 NL)
When you looked at the bench this game, it may have seemed like both squads forgot a couple players at home. However, as it would turn out, those players were just on the other bench. No not the one beside them, the one across from them. Yes, the Johnny Sins Bin. Neither squad could keep their discipline, with St. Louis being on the lose end of it. To be fair, on the 18 total minutes they spent down a man of the ice, 6 of them was served by right winger Kriss Darzin. The aggressive winger also had a goal this game, and no doubt his coach would have rather see him on the ice, than in the box across from them.
Renomitsu
RD Jukka Timonen - Timonen broke the nearly fifteen-minute drought without a single goal in the first period, which started a flurry of penalties that held the Berserkers over for the remainder of the period. He also did a fantastic job defensively, netting a positive plus-minus in spite of two of the teams' goals coming on the power play.
RW Mega Tron - Though he didn't find his name on the jumbotron, Mega played an integral role in getting the St. Louis offense moving, including assisting Darzins on his even-strength goal just 37 seconds into the second period.![[Image: qgldMOE.png]](https://i.imgur.com/qgldMOE.png)
![[Image: tDLeigN.jpg]](https://imgur.com/tDLeigN.jpg)
![[Image: UnfortunateHighDungbeetle-size_restricted.gif]](https://thumbs.gfycat.com/UnfortunateHighDungbeetle-size_restricted.gif)
![[Image: EqualSmallArizonaalligatorlizard-size_restricted.gif]](https://thumbs.gfycat.com/EqualSmallArizonaalligatorlizard-size_restricted.gif)
![[Image: source.gif]](https://media0.giphy.com/media/xTiN0PFx6zhGqiuLq8/source.gif)
![[Image: Wally.png]](https://i.postimg.cc/gjsvkSr2/Wally.png)
![[Image: lespoils.gif]](https://sig.grumpybumpers.com/host/lespoils.gif)
![[Image: rotti.gif]](https://sig.grumpybumpers.com/host/rotti.gif)
![[Image: aumy3.png]](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/694020619620188191/1117613605702094918/aumy3.png)
![[Image: honkerrs.gif]](https://sig.grumpybumpers.com/host/honkerrs.gif)
![[Image: OPTIMIZED.png]](https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/268946899795443729/833026899462586428/OPTIMIZED.png)
![[Image: bouch22.jpg?ex=65381617&is=6525a117&hm=6...178839271&]](https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1130500308238348288/1161379657166356620/bouch22.jpg?ex=65381617&is=6525a117&hm=63cdb01f75216de182852b4253a11783f29ac7a4d8baa3d821b63b1178839271&)
![[Image: VGl3CB4.png]](https://i.imgur.com/VGl3CB4.png)
![[Image: image0.jpg]](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/565211154738053122/695054779273183302/image0.jpg)
![[Image: Dextaria.gif]](https://sig.grumpybumpers.com/host/Dextaria.gif)
![[Image: Niz2wua.png]](http://i.imgur.com/Niz2wua.png)
![[Image: iB9r7kM.png]](http://i.imgur.com/iB9r7kM.png)
![[Image: 6by0kBi.png]](http://i.imgur.com/6by0kBi.png)
![[Image: hexx55.gif]](http://sig.grumpybumpers.com/host/hexx55.gif)
![[Image: mitochondriafigure1.jpg]](https://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/cells/mitochondria/images/mitochondriafigure1.jpg)
![[Image: POmXoHd.png]](https://i.imgur.com/POmXoHd.png)
![[Image: ttwc20t.png]](https://i.imgur.com/ttwc20t.png)
![[Image: 0lYsKLJ.png]](https://i.imgur.com/0lYsKLJ.png)
![[Image: r71fcMj.png]](https://i.imgur.com/r71fcMj.png)
