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***Gwdjohnson*** · 08-24-2020, 12:24 AM

The playoffs are soon to be upon us (or upon us now depending when you're reading this) in the SMJHL, and all 12 teams in the league will be battling hard to get their names engraved on the Four-Star Cup this season, regardless of whether they had the best or worst regular season record. What are the key parts of the game that your team has to focus on in order to have success in the postseason? This PT has options for if you wanna do it before your team plays in the playoffs or after their round one series is over, choose whichever you want!

Written Option (Pre-Playoffs): Talk about how your team is looking going into these playoffs, and what they'll have to focus on / who will be the key players for them to make a deep push for the cup. (150+ words)

Written Option (Team Eliminated Round One): Talk about what went wrong for your team during their round one series that led to their elimination. What lessons can they take home from the series for next season? (150+ words)

Written Option (Team Wins in Round One): Talk about what your team did right in order to win their round one series, and what the key factors/players were in them advancing to the next round. (150+ words)

Graphic Option: Make a playoff preview chart for your team showing at least 3 of their strengths and weaknesses. Must include a player render from the team and the team's logo.

Reward
4 TPE for doing the thing. (Just one, not both.)

Only S55 SMJHL Rookies (S56 SHL Draftees) are eligible for this PT.

Link PBE or NSFL submissions here to get credit for Welfare claims.

You cannot claim TPE for this PT until a post is made in the global claim thread.

Deadline
Sunday August 30th @ 11:59 PM Eastern

***Leafs4ever*** · 08-24-2020, 12:38 AM

Overall, we've had a good season in Colorado. We're going to finish first in our division and third in the conference, so we'll have a solid position when the playoffs start. There's a lot to like about our performance, but also a lot to work on going into the post-season. We've been very balanced on the ice, both our offense and defense have performed really well. We're sixth in the league in goals scored and fifth in goals against.

I think our biggest strength for the playoffs is our depth. We have fire power on every line and can put any line on the ice and not have to lean heavily on our top line. On the third line we have 28 and 35 point scorers, so we're going to be hard to match up against for any team we face.

With all that, there's one player that we're going to need to step up. We're going to need our goalie, Jerry Huuveri, to play top notch hockey. He's currently sporting a .893 save percentage, but we need to see better numbers if we're going to hang with the top teams in the SMJHL. Huuveri is our most important player and I think he'll step up when we need him.

(210 words)

Guy Incognito - D - #24
Texas Renegades
Season 76
46-16-2
Regular Season - [G 7] [A 13] [Pts 20] [+/- +29] [PIM 36] [Hits 37] [SB 122]
[Image: ERs3IrD.png]

*Festinator* · 08-24-2020, 12:39 AM

The Newfoundland's are on top of the league with 3 games to go heading into the playoffs. We have been pretty dominant in every aspect of the game, and I am hoping for that to continue heading into the playoffs. The offence will need to stay hot if we are to win the 4 star cup. Mats Marner and Ryuuji Minamino have been hot all season and are on top of the league in Goals (Marner) Assists (Minamino) and Points (Marner ranked 1st and Minamino ranked 2nd). On defence, it's basically just keep doing what they're doing. We have let in the 2nd least amount of goals this season at 98. All the defencemen are also chipping in on offence, with Jonas Kahnwald the rookie defenceman actually leading the defensive group in goals with 6.

In goal, Cale Amundsen has been extremely solid, 3rd in the league in GAA among goalies who have played more than 20 games, and 5th in save %, while also being 3rd in wins. With one of the best offensive groups and defensive groups in front of him, Amundsen is more than good enough to backstop this team to a 4 star cup this season.

(WC: 202)

***Pythonic*** · 08-24-2020, 12:42 AM

The Vancouver Whalers are coming into the playoffs pretty hot. Their record for the past ten games has been 8-2, and for the two games they did lose, they only lost by an average of 2 goals. Name Redacted has been excellent in stepping up to opposing teams and letting in minimal goals. There are a number of key players that we are going to need to rely on, such as goalie Name Redacted, forward William Hartmann and defenseman Ryosuke Sato. Speaking of this pair, their chance to win a Four-Star Cup is closing and fast. Both are almost one hundred percent likely headed up to the majors next year, Sato to Toronto and Hartmann to Edmonton. Our weakest link right now is most likely our depth. After our top two lines and first pairing, TPE trails off rapidly. Due to how big this weakness really is, I doubt the Whalers may make a deep push for the cup. However, hockey is a weird sport, and weirder things have happened.

Jala · 08-24-2020, 02:54 AM

The Nevada Battleborn are coming into the playoffs dead last in the league, but that doesn't necessarily mean they have no chance to win at least the first round. A lot of the losses came from early in the season where a lot of the team was underdeveloped, but the Battleborn as a whole have matured and become much more of a threat on the ice. That said Nevada will be leaning heavily on their top six forwards and top pairing on the back end of Sachimo Zoidberg III and Tanjiro Kamado. Zelma Zuntnere and Gavin Wallace lead the team in scoring with 25 points each, with Chad Danger and Alexis Vermette closely behind with 22 points each. Raivo Helminen will need to continue with his knack for putting the puck in the net and the defense pairing, who has done the lion's share of scoring from the blueline, will need to contribute too. One unquestionable fact is that Phillip Weaver will remain fearless between the pipes and will put on a one man show to carry this team as far as he can into the post-season. Weaver was the keystone to the Battleborns defense in the regular season and played well above his pay grade, along with better then the defense in front of him.

Word Count: 216

lancedjack · 08-24-2020, 06:18 AM

Anaheim are looking like they're in with more than a punchers chance going into the Playoffs. With some stumbling blocks against Newfoundland and Carolina leading up to the playoffs themselves the Anaheim Outlaws have been in the position of playing playoff hockey for several weeks now so the idea of entering the playoffs changes very little for a team chasing another Four Star Cup. The ability of Anaheim to make a deep run sits with LW Ethan Price and LD James LeBlond. Their prolific goal scoring has been pivotal in the run that the Outlaws are making, with the pair responsible for 39 goals across their campaign thus far.

The real test will be not giving up goals on the lower lines who are a bit shorter on the TPE front. Making sure to keep it as tight as possible there whilst also being able to produce shots on goal will make a huge difference. Depth is crucial as teams make this cup push and without that it'll be a very short run. Let's hope the Outlaws have what it takes to make that push. I, for one, believe that they do.

Code:
192 words

WildfireMicro · 08-24-2020, 07:55 AM

I am gonna be honest with you all, I don't expect Qubec to make it far in the playoffs. We are an expansion team who is slowly building a contender for next season. But if we are to make a surprise deep push into the playoffs, the goalies Mat Smith and David Danielson are going to have to be shot blocking machines. Both have proven to be good players, but nether have faced a high stress situation like the playoffs. They need to ether sink or swim, and if they sink Qubec ain't going far.

Alexander Roach is also going to be huge this playoffs, being the teams only maxed out player. He will have to be a leader for this team like he has been all season with his 17 goals and 17 assists. He also needs to help block shots to help the aforementioned goalies. In the end, while I don't expect us to go far, this is at least going to be very interesting and a good representation of how far we have come.

***Ragnar*** · 08-24-2020, 09:01 AM

Heading in to the playoffs, the most important thing I think the Anchorage Armada can do now is just continue the consistency they have been exuding all season. With the third best record in the regular season, and the best season in the West, the playoffs are ours to lose. Chris de Siren and Cyril Vyskoc are both huge pieces in the Four Star Cup winning puzzle, as they have 52 and 46 points respectively, and both have contributed 20 goals towards the team’s regular season success. Possibly the biggest piece of the puzzle is between the pipes. He has had a hugely successful season, finishing with the best goals against average, best save percentage, and most wins. Literally the best goalie in the league this year. Of course I’m talking about none other than Scoochie Stratton, the incredibly gifted phenome who is looking to drag his team into a deep playoff run.

Sigs by Me, Merica, High Stick King, Rum_Ham, Jess, vulfzilla, enigmatic, and Carpy

❤!! RIP to the big homies 701 and Mac !!❤

enigmatic · 08-24-2020, 09:36 AM

Considering our roster is almost entirely made of rookies, I think we should be proud we didn't finish dead last in the SMJHL.

While most teams in the league have stayed stagnant in their top talent, ours only improved as the season went by. Our top line always had the talent to at least compete but now others have put the work in to also make a difference.

I think the key players for us will be our goaltenders, David Danielson and Mat Smith, because they were able to keep us in games where we were completely outplayed all season. We'll also look to Alexander Roach to lead us offensively... and defensively. He has been Québec's best player all season long without a doubt. It will be up to the rest of the skaters to step up and give him some support. I'm particularly excited to see more of Tres Sombreros and Boris Petrov during the playoffs, the first one for his offensive talent, and the latter for his physical play. Two completely different players but equally as important in our quest to win at least one game.

Citadelles

ddrector · 08-24-2020, 09:40 AM

The Vancouver Whalers have had a resurgence these last few weeks the likes of which most people didn't think would happen this season. We are on a real tear winning a lot of games recently to crawl our way back up to a .500 win loss record and currently only 2 points back from the Anaheim Outlaws for fourth place in the Western Conference. This team has been impressive of late and I would bet that no team wants to see us come playoff time. We have a young roster that continues to improve every single week and out gain the rest of the teams in TPE earned per team each week. While it is a long shot to go all the way this season I find it impressive how much improvement we have shown just in this season and I wouldn't be surprised if we are one of the top teams in the Junior League next season. As good as William Hartmann has been in this winning stretch I think the key to success for the Whalers is everyone else stepping up so that Hartmann doesn't have to be a one man show.

W19eaver · 08-24-2020, 11:38 AM

Well in all honestly Nevada Battleborn's chances at the 4 Star Cup are pretty much as slim as they get. With 2 games left in S55 Nevada is dead last in the league with only 10 wins and 24 points and are 8 points behind the 2nd worst team the Detroit Falcons. Not only that we have scored the least amount of goals in the league with 102 and sit 9 goals below Vancouver Whalers who even happen to have a game at hand. And unfortunately the one stat we do lead the league in is goals against with a whopping 203, so with a disgusting -101 goal differential their aren't many high hopes for a long play off run. However absolutely anything can happen come playoff time and if certain players get hot at the right time, Nevada could surprise some people. In net they have Phillip Weaver and CK Supernaw who have both shown to be able to keep their team in games despite the odds. My guess would be that Phillip gets the start in the Playoffs but if he were to falter I have complete faith in CK to be able to step in and be the difference maker.

canes2112 · 08-24-2020, 11:51 AM

The Carolina Kraken are in a great position to have success in the playoffs. Currently neck and neck with Newfoundland for the top team in the league, the Kraken are prepared for any first round matchup, which based on the standings, will be heavily in their favor. The biggest key to the Kraken's success will be goaltending. Blunt Man has been solid so far and is poised to be a prime performer, despite a few lapses during the regular season. The team has full confidence in him. Another key player will be Ulrik Bergstrom. A trade deadline acquisition, he solidifies the defense to have three very solid pairs, which will be critical when facing high powered offenses like Newfoundland. The team is optimistic that the top line can continue to roll as players like Linus Grimstad will need to continue to step up and perform at a high level. If Carolina can continue to get depth contributions as well then they are one of the top contenders to take home the four star cup.

Durden · 08-24-2020, 01:14 PM

The Carolina Kraken are looking just as good as we did last year when we won the cup. We're not looking to go deep, we're looking to win the whole thing for back to back cups.

We're only 1 point back of the favorites to win in the Newfoundland Berserkers, but they do have a game in hand. This puts us at second in the league. Unless the Armada or Knights win out and we lose out, that's the worst we can finish.

We've also got some amazing players on our team to push us. We've got Grimstad with 53 points in 48 games, Wager with 42, and Witecek with 42. Blunt Man is also doing amazing in net.

We just need to stay consistent and if our 3rd and 4th lines get going, there's no stopping us. It will absolutely be a repeat season. We've got everything to lose, but we're not going to.

funk · 08-24-2020, 01:58 PM

Nevada has been pretty much as good as expected in their first season. With an admittedly mediocre record, Nevada will be looking to put up a good fight in their first round series.
The team wants to show the league that we do have some potent weapons on the roster in line with a solid team-wide defensive scheme. The main goal here will be to look like we
belong in the postseason.

Offensively, the team will be leaning on our four biggest weapons in Zelma Zuntnere, Gavin Wallace, Chad Danger and Alexis Vermette. On the blue line, however, Nevada will be trying
to employ tactics that benefit the uniformity and depth that is their D corps. I don't think there will be a single player that really takes over for Nevada, but it will be a great experience for
the budding, rookie-filled roster. No matter how the team finishes the season off, our sights are set on making as big a jump as possible in our second season.

Code:
171 Words, Written Option 1

24redcrayons · 08-24-2020, 02:11 PM

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