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Tylar · 09-06-2020, 07:37 PM

Liam Slate's Playoff Performance

Toronto North Star’s prospect Liam Slate just finished his second season in the Simulation Major Junior Hockey League with the Newfoundland Berserkers. Last season with the Berserkers Liam Slate finished with 16 points in 56 games. Slate started on the fourth line with Livius and Suhonen. While Slate did not put up big numbers in the regular season in his rookie year, he was promoted to the third line in the playoffs and scored many big goals in the Berserkers playoff run which ultimately ended in defeat at the hands of the Four Star Cup Champions the Carolina Kraken. With a decent rookie season under his belt, Liam Slate looked to begin his second season a bit better.

“Going into my second season I really wanted to just improve my game and get better as a player. I felt like in my rookie season I did although in the role and minutes I was given but I was not satisfied. I am a competitive guy and I want to be able to do my best. I want to start my second season with a bang and start contributing more offensively. I am hoping to get at least thirty points this season that would be my statistical goal for my second season”

With that, Liam Slate's second season began on the third line with Guy LeGrande and Mattias Birdstrom. This third line performed well throughout the season. Near the end of the season the lines switched up a bit and Slate ended up playing with leading scorer and goal-scoring record holder Mats Marner and Mattias Birdstrom on the third line. This line also played extremely well and it ended with Slate recording 4 points in the final two games of the regular season. The Newfoundland Berserkers finished the regular season with a 35-9-6 record and were top in the entire league winning the Laufier Trophy.

“I was happy with my linemates. We worked extremely well together. I enjoyed playing with them. We developed some chemistry in the playoffs last season when I began to catch fire there and we continued that into the season. Guy is an amazing centerman and Bird is always in the right places so I think we mesh well together. It was kind of sad when the lines got changed but I was thrilled to play with Mats especially since he was so dominant this season. Also, I was happy for Guy because he deserved to play on the top line after carrying our line for so long. I am excited to see how my chemistry builds with Mats. I hope we play well together especially since it is likely we will be playing together on a line next season with all our departures after this year.”

Next season the Berserkers will have a different look with the Season 53 draft class leaving which includes the likes of Minamino, Steve Harrington, Clean Andrei Kostisyn, possibly Mattias Birdstrom and Patric Twist. The Berserkers could possibly lose a few members of the Season 54 class if any of their Simulation Hockey League teams need their services this season. The Berserkers could possibly return all their S54 class which includes Mats Marner, Matty Forrester, Guy LeGrande, Nicco Livius, Jack Klompus, PBJ Soupan, Renji Atake, Elias Kiersgaard?? and their current rookies Jonas Knalwald?? And Vaseline Podcalozone???. With that in mind, it seems like Liam Slate will find himself as one of the most relied upon wingers next season and will be expected to be an offensive threat from the top line. Compared to his past roles with the Berserkers this is quite the step up.

“I am excited about next season because I am looking forward to playing a more expanded role and being the guy rather than just a depth player. I look forward to being likely on the ice more and being able to hopefully be more an offensive threat. I know I have seen improvements in my game by double my points from my rookie season this season but next season I am looking to make it closer to a point per game pace. I am pumped for it honestly.”

The Simulation Major Junior Hockey League brought in a new playoff format with their recent expansion this off-season adding Quebec and Nevada. The top four teams in the league received a bye to the second round leaving the remaining teams to battle for spots in the second round. Since the Berserkers finished first in the entire league the Berserkers got a first round bye in the S55 Four Star Cup playoffs the Berserkers await their opponent for the second round. The Berserkers will play the lowest seed that makes its way through the first round. So the Berserkers will have to wait a bit before getting any action.

“It is nice to be able to watch the other teams battle, but on the other hand it kind of sucks because they get to feel the playoff intensity already while we go in kind of cold. I am not really worried about our performance but it would kind of be nice to be playing right now and getting some action in. It may be a bit of an advantage to have a bye but it also is kind of good to be playing too. Either way, I am pretty excited about the playoffs this season, I believe we have a really good chance of going far especially with how our regular season went.”

With all that being said, we are going to take a look at Slate’s performances in the playoffs and as well as in the World Junior Championship Tournament where Slate will draw into the British Isles line-up most likely.

ROUND TWO

The Quebec Citadelles ended up coming out on top against the Anaheim Outlaws in a surprise upset in round one of the Simulation Major Junior Hockey League playoffs, so the Quebec Citadelles were the Newfoundland Berserkers first opponent of the playoffs. Their season was dominated by the Newfoundland Berserkers but they had a few close contests throughout the season. In-Game one of the playoffs, the Berserkers and Citadelles started off feeling each other out a bit. The Berserkers blew the doors open on the game around the 8 minute mark with their first goal on the powerplay and did not look back. The Berserkers ended up winning the game 4-0 with a major shot advantage and the Citadelles blocked a lot of shots in the game. Liam Slate had a quiet game but his line did get a goal from Mats Marner in the second. Liam Slate finished the game with a plus 1 rating, 3 shots on goal in 16 minutes of ice time, and an impressive 70 offensive game rating. Slate had this to say on his performance:

“Not going to lie, I was a bit nervous heading into the game. I felt kind of pressure to perform like I did last season. I think it was a good first game though. The top line came out swinging. I was happy our line got on the board with Mats continuing burning down the league. I am excited for game two and hopefully, I can start producing offensively, but as long as we win I am good. We just got to keep on swinging at them and hope they stay down. I know they are underdogs but you can not underestimate an opponent especially one that just came off of a slight upset in round one. They are a young team that battles hard, so we have to take them seriously."

Coming off a solid win, the Newfoundland Berserkers looked to gain a 2-0 lead and take the series lead back to Quebec. The Berserkers were looking to continue their hot start to these playoffs. In the game, they started off hot with Clean Andrei Kostitsyn scoring 3 minutes into the game. Clean Andrei Kostitsyn continued by scoring two more goals for a first period hat-trick within the first 15 minutes of the game. After the hattrick goal, the Berserkers continued to pour it on with Liam Slate scoring his first of the playoffs. Liam Slate would finish this game with just 1 goal, 2 shots on goal, 2 hits, and a 78 offensive game rating. The Berserkers continued to dominate the game which ended 8-1. The Quebec Citadelles ended up scoring on a lucky breakaway with a minute left in the game to spoil Cale Admunsen’s shutout. Here is what Liam Slate had to say:

“That game was pretty fun. We came out swinging and Clean showed up tonight for sure, he got us pumped up. Him scoring that hatty early in the game was huge. We just rode the momentum and just kind of beat them all over the ice and it was not close. It was a big win both on the scoreboards and in the mental game too. Now we are up to two games to none and heading there with them only scoring one goal in two and we have scored like twelve. I was pretty pumped to score and I hope there is more to come. Now we head back to Quebec for some big games there. We have to continue to prepare and not expect to win. Even though we kind of bullied them, we got to take them seriously. I know they compete every night which makes them dangerous. I think we got this, but you never know.”

After their huge win, the Newfoundland Berserkers came into this game at Quebec pretty confident in their abilities but they knew they were in for a battle. The Berserkers knew they likely were not going to run over the Citadelles as easy as in game two. The game started off close up until the end of the first period when the Berserkers finally struck at the 18 minute mark and a minute later just before the period ended to go up 2-0. The Citadelles and Berserkers would play almost two full periods of scoreless hockey after that. Near the end of the third period, the Berserkers scored the dagger to end the Citadelles' hope of a comeback and won the game 3-0. The Berserkers had a pretty good hold on this game but did not dominate as much as previous games. They still had a massive shot advantage at 32-20 shots. The Berserkers are going to look for the sweep to assert their dominance on the playoffs. The Berserkers goaltending thus far has been spectacular, although has not really been needed thus far. Liam Slate finished the game with 0 points and 3 shots on goal in less than 15 minutes of ice time as well as an offensive game rating of 69. Slate was a bit quiet in this game but was able to produce some goal scoring chances for his team. Slate’s corsi has been extremely good lately with a corsi over 65 up to this point. So all signs point to Slate having a good game, just not potting in goals at this moment. The forward may have to settle for a better overall game compared to last season over points. Slate had this to say about his performance:

“I think my game today was okay. I was not as good as the previous games, but I guess I can have down games because our team is so great. I know my linemate Mats was out there on fire again getting 2 points, so at least I know eventually he will feed me some points. I am just going to have to be patient for now and just keep playing my game. I can not get too caught up in producing points when in the end all that matters is the Four Star Cup. I look forward to hopefully winning game four and getting the sweep. It will be tough, but it is definitely doable.”

The Newfoundland Berserkers came into game four looking to sweep the Quebec Citadelles in dominant fashion. The Berserkers have been dominant all over the ice minus the shots blocked category which the Citadelles have been dominating since they barely have the puck. The game started slowly with both teams tensing up due to it being an elimination game. Similarly to game three, the Berserkers got on the board late in the period to go up 1-0. Another scoreless second period happened with both teams trying to not make mistakes. Late in the game, the Berserkers put another goal on the board, Most Valuable Player Mats Marner scored both of the goals in the game. Liam Slate assisted on the goal late in the third period. Liam Slate finished the game with 1 assist, 3 shots on goal in just under 15 minutes of ice time with a 78 offensive game rating. The Berserkers swept the Quebec City Citadelles and look forward to the next round. Their opponent is still unknown at this point.

“I am pretty pumped about the sweep. It is nice to come out of our first series with a sweep and it being a dominant one is even better. We were clearly the better team. I am pretty happy with my performance in the game too. Mats is just on another level and he kind of carries us as a line. I know every game he comes out and performs, and I just want to learn from him for next season. In my opinion, he is the best player in the league and it is an honor to play with him. Now we got to look forward to the next round and be ready for it. We got to prove that we are a dominant force and continue this momentum from this series.”

Semi-Finals

The Semi-Final round sees the top team the Newfoundland Berserkers facing the second best team in the league the Carolina Kraken. Game one of the series was all Carolina as they won the game 4-0. The Berserkers pounded them with shots and ended up scoring none on 42 shots. Liam Slate had no shots on goal in an overall rough game.

“It was a tough loss. We peppered the goalie with shots but could not score. I guess if we are going to lose might as well lose out shooting them I guess. I feel like we deserved better in this game, and hopefully, the next one goes better. We can not get too down on ourselves here. We just got to pick it up for the next one and forget this one. I believe in our team and feel like we have a strong group. Maybe some adversity will be good for us in the long run.”

Game two occured and it was much of the same for the Newfoundland Berserkers. They had the lead and lost it late in the game and lost the game 7-5 and therefore lost home ice advantage and basically seemed out of the series at this point. The Berserkers find themselves going to Carolina two games down and an uphill battle ahead.

“Honestly, I am pretty disappointed. This was kind of our year and to see it kind of go sideways after our first round series is painful. I want to be better and I believe in us but it is just kind of hard. Hopefully, we can turn it around.”

A wounded Newfoundland Berserkers team came into Carolina for game three looking pretty defeated. The Newfoundlander Berserkers got off to a good start scoring 5 minutes into the game. They piled it on in the second period scoring two more goals at the 12 and 18 minute mark. The Kraken scored late in the third period and the Berserkers came back and scored quickly to lead 4-1 and win the game. The Berserkers led the shot counter 39-31 and were physical with 22 hits. The Berserkers got standout performances from centers Matty Forester and Guy LeGrande. The Berserkers mixed up their lines which saw Slate playing with Matty Forrester and Patric Twist. With the line changes, Liam Slate finished the game with an assist and nothing much else. But overall this was a good bounce back game for the Newfoundland Berserkers after looking out of it for the past two games.

“I am pretty excited we came back and won today. It feels good to be back in the win column. Now we need 4 more wins like this one. We just gotta keep it going. We know we can beat them, and I feel like now we have full confidence we can do it, not that we did not before but now we did it. I am pretty happy with my performance. Getting back on the score sheet is a good confidence booster for me.”

This game four in this series was a big one as Carolina looked to put a struggle hold on the series and keep home ice advantage. Whereas the Newfoundland Berserkers were looking to continue on their great game three. The Berserkers came out and scored the first goal at the 10 minute mark of the first, but the Kraken came back and answered fairly quickly. The Berserkers would come back and score early in the second, but the Kraken later countered again to tie it up 2-2 going into the third. In the third, the Kraken went up early on a power play goal but not long after the Berserkers scored to tie it up, Mattias Birdstrom scoring his second of the night assisted by Liam Slate. With the score 3-3, late in the game, the Berserkers came down and Guy LeGrande scored the game winner with 18 seconds left in the game for the Berserkers to win 4-3 and tie the series at two games a piece. The Berserkers got home ice advantage back, and are coming home with momentum on their side.

“It is nice to get two straight and go back home feeling great again. We came here, and battled hard and were rewarded. I feel like we got our groove back and hopefully, we continue it. I know we have an uphill battle still since Carolina is pretty good. We can obviously beat them but this series is going to be a war. I am excited to get on the board again with an assist. I feel like it was a pretty big play too. Birdy played excellent tonight and him playing well shows how deep our team is. He popped in two goals and our top guys showed up late in the game to finish it off. I feel like our team is special and we can come back from an 0-2 disappointing start to the series.”

The Newfoundland Berserkers were back home for game five after tying up the series after going down two games to none. The Berserkers were running high as they had the confidence and mental willingness to win again. The game started off tense but the Kraken got on the board first 14 minutes into the game. Just before the period ends, the Berserkers tie it up at one apiece. The second period the tense game continued with some penalties and a heavyweight tilt between Friedman and Livius, which was a spirited affair but both went tumbling to the ice with no clear winner. The Berserkers got going early in the third, 19 seconds in to be exact and PBJ Soupan scored to put the Berserkers up 2-1. The Berserkers held on to that league as the Kraken tried but were unsuccessful. The Newfoundland Berserkers find themselves up 3 games to 2 and are going to try and finish the series off in Carolina in game 6. Liam Slate finished the game with no points, 1 shot, and 1 blocked shot in what was an uneventful game for the forward. Slate was also recently named to the World Junior team for the British Isles again.

“It is pretty exciting to kind of turn the tables and be up in the series now. We just got to keep it up and finish it off strong like we have been playing. I guess the adversity at the beginning of the series was exactly what we needed. Maybe we came into this series overly confident after bouncing Quebec around with ease. Now we know we got this. We can not think it is over because it could easily come back to haunt us so we got to go into Carolina and battle like it is our last game and we are down. In other news, I am excited to be named to the British Isles team again. I want to improve on the silver medal I won last season and the bronze from S53. I think we have a pretty good team, although we kind of lack in some areas but I am not worried. I know our management and coaching staff are pretty good. I look forward to seeing my British Isles friends again once the tournament starts.”

The Berserkers went into Carolina hoping for a win to close out the series in six. The game was extremely intense. The game began with the Berserkers coming out hot score 3 minutes in. The Kraken came back to tie it 4 minutes later. In the second period, the Newfoundland Berserkers and Carolina Kraken would trade goals again. In the third the Berserkers scored 5 minutes in, but then fell apart. The Carolina Kraken would score 4 unanswered goals with three of them being with under 3 minutes left in the game. The game saw the Newfoundland Berserkers lead in shots 45 to 26 and still lose the game. This game was unfortunate for the Berserkers who would now need to win a big game seven at home. Liam Slate finished a rough game with a minus 3 rating. Slate will be looking for a big bounce back in game seven after struggling in game six.

“We battled hard out there and we kind of outplayed them in my honest opinion. It just came down to luck at the end there. We had a pretty good game I think. We just not got to refocus on game seven and play out best. If we play like we did for the first 40 minutes of game seven like we did in game six, I know we will win. We have been arguably the better team since game three. I believe in our team and I have had a great feeling about this team all year. I think this team is special and we got this game seven, I feel it in my heart. I look forward to playing in game seven.”

The biggest game of the Berserkers season thus far is game seven against the Carolina Kraken in Newfoundland. The series has been back and forth especially after the rough start the series going 2-0 down with home ice advantage lost, looking as if they were down and out. They battled back to lead the series and are now in a game seven situation. The game started out intense with both teams looking to not make a mistake and let in a goal. The Kraken were blocking a lot of shots as the Berserkers were trying to desperately score and the Kraken were countering with their own offense. The first goal came courtesy of Guy LeGrande late in the second period. The Berserkers went into the second intermission feeling good but knew they needed more. The Berserkers came out flying in the third period and were rewarded with a goal courtesy of Liam Slate. The rest of the third was Carolina trying to desperately score and the Berserkers trying to hold onto their lead. In the end, the Newfoundland Berserkers came out on top and found themselves in the Four Star Cup finals! Liam Slate finished game seven with a goal, 3 hits, an offensive game rating of 74, and an overall game rating of 67. Overall a bounce back game for Slate after struggling in game six.

“Honestly, it feels amazing after last season losing to them and the way this series started. I am extremely proud and just hard to describe how I feel right now. I am just so pumped about getting to the finals. Looking forward to playing against Maine.”

FOUR STAR CUP FINALS

It was game one of the Four Star Cup between the Newfoundland Berserkers and the Maine Timber. The game started quickly with the Timber scoring 18 seconds into the game and 6 minutes into the game. The Berserkers would finally connect 10 minutes into the first. The Berserkers and Timber would exchange goals in the second period. In the third, the Berserkers tied the game 5 minutes in. With 15 seconds left in the game, Matty Forrester scored the game winner on a breakaway assisted by Liam Slate. The Berserkers won game one 4-3. Liam Slate finished game one with 2 assists, 2 shots on goal, 77 offensive game rating, and a 68 overall game rating. Overall the game was pretty close.

“It felt good to get two assists and was pretty pumped about the winner. It felt like we were all over them throughout the game. We played pretty well. Now we have to come back and perform again. They are going to battle every night as well so we got to be ready.”

Game two saw the Berserkers all over the Timber in the first period. The Berserkers would score 15 minutes into the first. The Timber would score twice in the second to take the lead. The Berserkers would struggle to score with Leo Bloomfield of the Timber putting on a goaltending clinic. The Berserkers ran into a hot goalie and were leading the shot totals for the whole game. A few late penalties gave the Timber more shots which made the game look closer then it probably was.
“It was tough. We ran into a hot goalie. It happens. We got to move on for the next game in Maine and take two games home.”

So far the series has been back and forth. Game three was a big one. The Berserkers came ready to play. They scored two goals in the first, while Maine scored one. In the second, the Timber tied the game at two. In the third the Berserkers took over and scored three unanswered goals to win 5-2. Liam Slate scored 1 goal, 5 shots on goal, 2 shots blocked, and an overall game rating of 65, offensive game rating of 69, and a defensive rating of 62.

“This was a big game for us. Bloomfield has been a wall so far and to get five by him is great. Hopefully, this sparks us for the rest of the series and brings us home the win.”

Game four saw a physical start with a fight and some penalties. All the scoring in this one happened in the second with Maine scoring two and the Berserkers scoring one. The game would end 2-1 Maine and the series was tied 2-2. Liam Slate had a bad game recording just 2 shots on goal.

“This was a tough one for us. Bloomfield came back and just owned us for most of the game. We threw everything at him. We got to go back to the drawing board for creating offense.”

In game 5, the game started back and forth with the Maine Timber scoring first. The Berserkers came back quickly to tie it up at 1 after period one. The Berserkers came back and scored in the second to go up 2-1. In the third, the Timber would tie the game up at two. The Berserkers came back to go up 3-2 and hold on and the next one was a big one for the Four Star Cup for the Newfoundland Berserkers.

“Now the pressure is on to win the next one. I feel like we have to end it now because they are battlers. They are battling hard out there. We know what we got to do and just got to perform like we have been. We have outshot them, outhit them, and outplayed them quite a bit. It is just going to take some grit and determination to get this done. I know we got this.”

In game six, the Timber started off by scoring on their first shot of the game less than 7 minutes into the game. The Berserkers came back and scored two quick goals before the period was over to be up 2-1. The Berserkers scored in the second to go up 3-1. The Berserkers would score twice in the third to be up 5-2 and were crowned FOUR STAR CUP CHAMPIONS!

“IT FELT AMAZING TO GET THAT WIN. WE DESERVED IT AND FOUGHT HARD. IT FEELS GREAT THAT THIS GROUP GETS TO WIN. THIS IS A SPECIAL GROUP AND THE BEST IN THE ENTIRE LEAGUE IN MY OPINION. THIS GROUP IS SPECIAL AND WE ARE ALL GOING TO HAVE A MAJOR IMPACT ON THE SIMULATION HOCKEY LEAGUE WHEN WE ARE ALL UP. THIS GROUP WILL BE LOOKED BACK ON AS A JUGGERNAUT AND NOW AS FOUR STAR CUP CHAMPIONS!!!”

With that S55 is complete and Liam Slate and the Newfoundland Berserkers won the Four Star Cup. The Newfoundland Berserkers have been dominant these past two seasons with their core of S53’s and S54’s leading the way. The group was considered special by management and proved it this season. Next season the Berserkers are losing a lot of talent, but also will add a lot of talent through the draft as well as keep some of their stars like probable SMJHL MVP Mats Marner. With the losses comes the opportunity which Liam Slate will have lots of. Liam Slate will be the Berserkers best winger next season and will likely see a dramatic jump in ice time and opportunities. Slate should have a breakout season next season after winning the Four Star Cup. But for now, Slate is going to continue to celebrate being a champion.

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**leafsftw1967** · 09-06-2020, 07:51 PM

Amazing write up Ty! Slate had a good sophomore season and can't wait to see him take his game to the next level in an expanded role. Hope we'll continue to be linemates next season Blush

ALSO WE'RE CHAMPIONS NOW NEVER FORGET THAT Berserkers

**Lime** · 09-06-2020, 10:40 PM

TY CHAMPION

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