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(GRADED) Deep Dive #1 - Going Berserk
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(This post was last modified: 10-21-2020, 04:08 PM by leafs1997.)

The Newfoundland Berserkers find themselves in a good position 44 games into Season 56 of the SMJHL. They are in 2nd place in the East with a record of 24 wins, 16 losses, and 4 overtime losses. Playing at their current pace will definitely secure them a playoff spot. As the defending champions, they are in very good shape to repeat and win the Four Star Cup again.

They have 5 players with double-digit goals (Mats Marner - 16, Matthew Forrester - 13, Mattias Birdstrom - 11, Liam Slate - 11, and Niccolo Livius - 10), and two of them are averaging almost a point a game (Marner & Slate). Besides bruiser Livius (with 70 penalty minutes), they are a pretty disciplined team, as they are averaging less than 8 PIM per game. However, they only have 4 shorthanded goals of the season, so they need to improve upon that in the playoffs in order to make a strong run at the Cup.

They have 6 players currently with a negative plus/minus (Matty Sandeen -20, Chad Alfa -16, Colin Fuhr -7, Dwayne Gretzky -5, Jake Peralta -2, and Vaseline Podcalzone -1), which is not great but is much better than teams like Detroit, Kelowna, and St. Louis which is why those franchises are sitting in the basement. Newfoundland is strong at each position with a lot of depth. Jonas Kahnwald is an exceptional offensive defenseman, and center Mats Marner & right winger Liam Slate are superstars.

They also have a superb goaltender in Cale Amundsen, whose 2.33 goals against average is 4th best in the entire league. His 6 shutouts rank number one, as do his 21 wins. If he gets hot in the playoffs, no other team stands a chance. His save percentage is only 7th in the SMJHL, but his team make up for that with their excellent defense. Their backup keeper Hugo Gronroos has been respectable while spelling Amundsen, and has gone 3-3-2 in his starts.

The X-factor in the playoffs for Newfoundland may be right winger PBJ Souppan, whose 11 power play points tie him for 6th in the league. A solid player that is often overlooked, Souppan has the ability to take over an entire game. On the other side, Left Defenseman Renji Atake needs to be more careful with the puck, as his 48 giveaways tie him with Quebec City's Jasper Maximov for 2nd most in the SMJHL. The only player with more is Anaheim's James LeBlond, with 61.

The one thing about the Berserkers that really helps in the playoffs is their selflessness. These players are willing to sacrifice their body to win. They have 4 players in the top 25 for blocked shots, and 2 in the top 13 for hits. On the offensive side, they have 7 of the top 25 players for shots, and as most hockey fans know, the more shots, the more opportunities there are for deflections and second chance goals.

This team is built for another trophy, and the rest of the league does not want to see them in the playoffs. Even with their inconsistent play during the regular season to this point, they still sit 8 games over the .500 mark.

Imagine if they really get it going. These other teams better be ready.

Approved, +5 TPE @3lewsers




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