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Newfoundland Berserkers S59 Week 1 Recap
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Newfoundland Week 1 In Review

Game 1: Newfoundland Berserkers at Maine Timber
A disappointing loss for Newfoundland as even though the Zerks out shot the Trees 39-13 the final score did not reflect this. Zerks ended up losing by a score of 1-2.

Zerk of the Game went to Robert E.O. Speedwagon for scoring the lone goal and trying to will the Zerks to victory. It’s just one of those days where you can’t get anything in the back of the net.

Game 2: Newfoundland Berserkers at Nevada Battleborn
The Zerks bounce back from a sad loss by crushing Nevada 11-2.

Lots of great performances in this game! Including Sabarro Torretta with an outstanding +- of +6. Billy Brooks had a goal and 3 hits and Jesse Trudeau scored 2 goals and 2 assists.

Ultimately Zerk of the game goes to Jesse Trudeau for the dominating performance! Congratulations!

Game 3: Newfoundland Berserkers at Maine Timber
A big revenge game for the Zerks! After losing the last time out to Maine, the Zerks avenge the defeat by winning 2-1.

Some incredible performances in this game. Bas O’Bigbers scored a goal and recorded an assist. Evgeni Petrov made 15 saves on 16 shots but ultimately there was one who rose above the others.

Zerk of the Game ultimately goes to Ric Charlesworth who also scored a goal and an assist. His goal was the game winning goal and gave the Zerks the push they needed to clinch the win!

Game 4: Newfoundland Berserkers at Kelowna Knights
Coming into this season we were hoping to be the best team in the league. In order to get to that point you’ve got to beat the teams who are on top and Kelowna is one of those teams. We just didn’t show up. Lost 0-4.

Zerk of the Game goes to Robert E.O. Speedwagon. A neutral +-, 1 takeaway, and overall solid defensive performance from the forward in what was a not very competitive hockey game.

Game 5: Newfoundland Berserkers at Vancouver Whalers
The Zerks really blasted the Whalers in this game. The 4-1 victory doesn’t really reflect the domination they exerted in this game. Outshooting the Whalers 56-14.

Everyone showed up today. Goals from Aleksandrs Balcers, Shion Okamoto, Robert E.O. Speedwagon, and Bas O’Bigbers. Also credit to Hugo Gronroos for the 15 saves on 16 shots.

Our Zerk of the Game goes to Robert E.O. Speedwagon for scoring a goal, recording a hit, and getting a takeaway!

Game 6: Newfoundland Berserkers at Carolina Kraken
Probably the most competitive game between Carolina and Newfoundland in a while but ultimately the Zerks defeat Carolina by a score of 2-0.

A game defined by the blue line, rookie Evil Allbran finds him self on scorers sheet for his 3rd goal of the season. The rookie is already off to a brilliant start so well done Allbran! Also Pasta the Turtle scores the 2nd goal and his first on the season. We love Pasta and we’re so proud of all he’s done for this team.

Ultimately though Zerk of the Game will go to Evgeni Petrov for recording a shutout on 23 shots. The 2nd year Goalie was phenomenal last season and he looks to be continuing that trend into this season! Well done Petrov we are so proud of you!

Game 7: Newfoundland Berserkers at St. Louis Scarecrows
Such a frustrating game. Maybe the most frustrating game I’ve ever had to cover. I’ve never ever seen such an absolute fucking frustrating shit fest as this game. The Newfoundland Berserkers outshot St. Louis by a margin of 61-15 and FUCKING LOST 0-2. HOW??? HOW DOES THAT HAPPEN? Iorek Byrnison, goalie for the Crows, records an insane 61 save shutout. Absolutely silly. Have a day.

Zerk of the Game goes to the Captain Bas O’Bigbers because he played well I guess.

Game 8: Colorado Raptors at Newfoundland Berserkers
First home game of the year and it’s a stinker. Kind of knew this game was fucked before it began. Needed to give Hugo a rest and we had to face the legendary Yaarno Rosejac in net against Colorado. Rosejac is perhaps the most frustrating goalie in all of the SMJHL to have to faceoff against and tonight was no different. Lost 2-5 despite outshooting Coloardo 38-26. Yaarno Rosejac with a 36/38 type night and we’ve been shooting at a brick wall for two games straight. That can fuck right off.

Zerk of the Game went to Aleksandrs Balcers for recording 2 assists and managing to go +1 out there on the ice. Well done Balcers!

Game 9: Newfoundland Berserkers at St. Louis Scarecrows
Newfoundland goes immediately back to the road after playing 7 straight road games and we’ve gotta face Iorek Brynison again. Well it was a feast for the Zerks. Zerks force the Crows to make a goalie change halfway through as the Zerks route the Crows 7-1.

Robert E.O. Speedwagon with another fantastic game. Scoring 2 goals and playing overall solid game. Jesse Trudeau with 3 assists, Jonas Caspari with a goal and 3 hits, and Slavakov Vladimirashenko with 2 apples and 3 blocked shots.

Zerk of the Game goes to someone else though! Leon Athanaisios scored 2 goals, a blocked shot, a hit, and a takeaway! Well done Leon!

Game 10: Newfoundland Berserkers at St. Louis Scarecrows
Newfoundland plays their 9th road game in 10 games and sticks it to St. Louis again by beating them 4-2.

Sabarro Torretta recorded 5 hits in a really solid game. Jesse Trudeau continues his fine form by scoring a goal and an assist. But Nike Kickz Jr had an incredible game! Scoring 2 goals and one assist and absolutely bullying the Crows on the ice with 5 HITS!

Zerk of the Game goes to Nike Kickz Jr for the phenomenal overall game. Great offense and physical dominance!

Game 11: Maine Timber at Newfoundland Berserkers
Looks like Maine is just going to be THAT team this year. We’re going to dominate them on the ice and either barely squeak out a win or barely lose in painful form. The Zerks outshoot the Trees 50-11 and somehow lose 1-2.

A frustrating game that everyone tried their best in. The game ultimately ended 1-1 at the end of regulation with Bas O’Bigbers scoring the only goal for the Zerks. Ultimately the Zerks lost in the shootout and I don’t know how this happens. So damn frustrating to have to deal with.

Zerk of the Game goes to Bas O’Bigbers for trying his best. 1 goal on 8 shots. The Captain is going to need to help step this team up and win next week.

Game 12: Colorado Raptors at Newfoundland Berserkers

Just a really hard fought game for both clubs. Petrov makes his 2nd appearance against the Raptors this season and we have yet another Rosejac v Petrov game. The thing is though. Rosejac is the most annoying goalie in the SMJHL to play against. It’s worth repeating because it’s so true. Zerks out shoot the Raptors 47-32 and the game goes to a fucking shootingout by a score of 2-2. First of all it’s yet another game that Rosejac just puts the team on his back. 45 saves is just nutty and this is what he does night in and night out. He’s just an absolute monster and I hate when we face him.

Zerk of the Game goes to Evgeni Petrov! Petrov had the most incredible game of his career by recording 30 saves on 32 shots against a really good Colorado team. Nothing to be ashamed of in this loss. You did so well Petrov but you just can’t win em all and when you face Rosejac you find yourself on the wrong side of these types of games on a regular basis. It is painful.

Game 13: Anchorage Armada at Newfoundland Berserkers
Playing Anchorage is such a punishment. Up 2-0 for most of the game and with about 10 minutes left in the 3rd they tie the damn thing up. Lost in OT. I don’t really wanna talk about it.

But hey ya know what, Hugo Gronroos had one of the more fantastic games I’ve ever seen from him! Recording 37 saves on 39 shots. It’s an absolutely beautiful game and I love seeing it from him. It’s been a while since we were able to gush about Hugo but he really lived up to his nickname tonight of HuGod! He was just sensational in net and we all feel so hurt that we couldn’t get him that win he so clearly deserved. Naturally he’s our Zerk of the Game too. Well done Hugo!

Game 14: Nevada Battleborn at Newfoundland Berserkers
Seems like after every tough game we play we get to play Nevada. Well we might’ve only beaten them 2-0 but we out shot them 59-6. I guess we should’ve won like 6-0 but I guess we’ll settle for our 2-0 win instead. It’s frustrating to feel like we don’t get the results we deserve because of some insane goaltending performances we’ve had to face. Rosejac twice, this, and that stupid St. Louis goalie who had a 61 save shutout. Not saying we should be ahead of Kelowna or anything. They’re clearly the best team in the league but this win would’ve been huge for us!

Matty Sandeen had a massive game with a lock down performance on D, an apple, and a whopping 10 shots on goal! He deserved a hat trick but it wasn’t meant to be. Slavakov Vladimirashenko with a massive 3 takeaway performance. Huge defensive game from the forward. And for what it is worth Hugo recorded a shutout on the 6 shots he faced.

Our Zerk of the Game goes to Shion Okamoto though for his goal and 5 hits. He was a big part of the offense tonight and played a big role in not allowing Nevada the space they needed to get anything done tonight. Well done!

Weekly Recap

Heading into the season, optimism in the LR was as high as it has been since falling just short of winning the cup in season 56. After an abysmal S57 and an overachieving S58, the quick rebuild was already beginning to show the fruit of management's labor. Some solid drafting, and a few savvy signings later, the Newfoundland roster heading into S59 was as deep as any team in the J this side of Kelowna. This sentiment wasn’t only shared among the Newfoundland LR but opinions around the league seemed to agree as evidence by their ranking as the #2 in the SMJHL in the season's initial power rankings. Fast forward a week into the season and the result is nowhere near the expectation. While you certainly wouldn’t say this year's Berzerkers have been bad to this point, it would also be difficult to argue that they have been particularly good. Now let’s not overreact. There is a lot of season left and I think most would agree that Newfoundland is not the 8th best team in the J despite that being their current spot in the standings. With a record of 7-4-3 they are what you’d call a fake .500 team as they have lost as many games as they have won. On the bright side they can boast one of the better goal differentials at +14. But, that comes with caveats. The Berserkers have been playing extremely stingy team defence while owning a majority of the shots and allowing a league low 26 goals thus far. That being said they also have only 40 goals scored which is not much of a step up from the leagues bottom feeders. Throw in the fact that 11 of those goals came in an 11-2 blowout of Nevada who is 3-13-1 and the result is 29 goals scored in the 13 other games Newfoundland has played. Now all of that being said, this is a really good team and sooner or later the results are going to follow. This team is as deep as any in the league and all the way from top to bottom is arguably the best defensive team in the league. Allowing the fewest goals (1.86 Goals Against/G) and shots (22 Shots Against/G) on a per game basis shows that opponents aren’t being given chances. Now what makes everything I have said above so crazy is that Newfoundland is 1st in the league in generating shots with a whopping 43 Shots/G yet are 6th in the league in Goals/G with 2.86. Additionally the powerplay is dead last in the league at 6.5%. If Newfoundland can figure out how to get their offense going or even take it a step forward and maximize their offensive potential they are going to absolutely terrorize the league. You heard it here first.

Notable Performers

The team scoring leaders thus far are Ric Charlesworth (5G 6A) and Dwayne Gretzky (3G 8A) tied with 11 pts a piece with Jesse Trudeau and Captain Bas O’Bigbers trailing just behind with 9 pts and 8 pts respectively. Aleksandrs Balcers leads the team's defenders with 8 pts to follow up his rookie of the year campaign with another hot start. Dwayne Gretzky’s two way game is as apparent as ever as evidenced by his team leading 18 blocked shots. Billy Brooks is playing as angry as ever, already laying 31 hits and dropping the gloves twice resulting in 1 win and 1 loss. Sabarro Torretta is playing stellar defense with 11 takeaways and is once again leading the team in plus-minus with blueline partner Balcers as both sit at +10. The team's exciting young rookie, Evil Allbran, is off to a solid start with 3 goals and 1 assist for 4 pts and shooting 15.8% to make the most out of his 9:16 of ice time per game. The team's starting goalie, Hugo Gronroos, is looking as solid as ever going 3-3-1 with a GAA of 1.73 and SV% of 0.915. Evgeni Petrov has taken his game to another level behind his teammate, filling in for 6 games to the tune of a 4-1-1 record with a GAA of 1.81 and a SV% of .0.919.

3 Stars of the Week

3rd Star
Evgeni Petrov
For a team that is struggling to put the puck in the net, keeping the puck out of their own net suddenly became much more crucial. This should take nothing away from starter Hugo Gronroos, whose numbers are almost identical, but serve more as a testament to the importance of having two goalies you can comfortably rely on, on any given night. For Petrov, only a second year player, to come in and perform as well has given this team an incredible boost and you would be hard pressed to hear anything negative about the young Russian in Newfoundland. The skys the limit for this kid.

2nd Star
Aleksandrs Balcers
He’s back at it again and no one should be surprised. The skill this kid provides the Newfoundland blueline with is downright disgusting. It seems like all he does on the ice is get the puck to the offensive zone and create scoring chances. Balcers is the living embodiment of “the best defense is a good offense”. Night after night Balcers is just far too busy scoring to get scored on.

1st Star(s)
Ric Charseworth
Dwayne Gretzky
Ok a bit of a cop out here but I had such a hard time deciding which was more deserving that I decided they should share the honor. Add the fact that these two are both big physical forwards with two-way contributions who are tied for the team scoring lead and it just makes sense. Charlesworth and Gretzky combine to make up a lot of the grit in Newfoundlands top 6 as Gretzky leads the team in shots blocked with 18 and Charlesworth is right behind Brooks with 30 hits.

Rookie Spotlight:
We’d like to this time to talk about the rookie Winger Evil Allbran. Allbran has so far been a delight to have in the locker room and he’s already found him self on the score sheet multiple times in his young career. When I asked him how he was feeling about it he said “It's really great to be able to put up some points straight away! I had a good pre-season so I am glad I have been able to keep up that momentum.” Next I wanted to know how he was liking his time in Newfoundland so far “I have been blown away by the culture in the NL locker room, the guys have been really welcoming and supporting and they have made me feel right at home. Really I could not have asked for more!” lastly I wanted to know what he thought SHL GMs should know about him ahead of the S60 SHL Draft “Right now I don't want to get ahead of myself. I am looking to do my part to contribute to my team and help them to succeed. But I will say this, if you like spicy graphics you will like what you see.” Lookout for Allbran.

Word Count: 2849

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#2

Berserkers

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#3

Really fun read and breakdown, great job!









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#4

Great writeup as always guys!!

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#5

Couple zerksssss

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Berserkers     -       syndicate      -     Berserkers
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#6

Berserkers Berserkers Berserkers Berserkers Berserkers

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#7

Berserkers

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#8

Awesome work!

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