fever95

another close one here, wow this is a tough stretch for us.

close one but still not good enough.

we get smoked again.

In The Crease: Volume 1 - VHLM Hello and welcome to the first volume of VHLM's "In The Crease". Over the course of the next few weeks, for this series of articles, I will be taking a look at the starting goalie for each VHLM franchise and assess how well they have played thus far. I will determine strengths and weaknesses for each netminder as well as how each team has preformed at about the halfway point of the VHLM season. Season 47 has been an interesting one in the VHLM thus far so without further delay, let's get to the first goaltender on the list. Ryan Price - Bern Royals Ryan Price was the tenth overall selection in the Season 45 VHL Entry Draft by the Seattle Bears and is having a decent season with the Bern Royals. Appearing in all 35 games, Ryan has posted a 22-12-1 record for the first place Bern Royals. Price has had to deal with only 776 shots on the season, the second lowest total of a VHLM starting goaltender and has allowed 71 goals against, thus posting a save percentage of 0.909%, fourth among VHLM starters. He currently sits with the best goals against average in the league at 2.01, narrowly edging out the goaltender who sits in the number two spot. He has also posted two shutouts on the season, putting him in a tie for third in shutout leaders and has added one assist while staying disciplined and not taking any penalty minutes. Cooper Supernaw - Brampton Blades Cooper Supernaw was selected with the number twenty selection in the Season 46 VHL Entry Draft by the Toronto Legion and you would have to say that he is experiencing a sub-par season with the Brampton Blades, although he has faced the third most shots of VHLM goaltenders at 895. He has allowed 93 goals against on those 895 shots for a save percentage of 0.896%, the worst in the league. Cooper has appeared in 33 games and sports a below average 13-16-4 record, putting Brampton in last place in the North American Conference. Supernaw has posted three shutouts which actually ranks him tied for second in that statistical category to go with three assists and two penalty minutes on the year. Artom Zhumbayev - Bratislava Watchmen Artom Zhumbayev was selected in the Season 47 VHL Entry Draft by the Cologne Express and is having himself a very good season individually with the Bratislava Watchmen. As a team point of view, the same can not be said for the Watchmen as Zhumbayev has appeared in all 35 games, posting a horrid 10-10-21-4 record. Artom has seen more pucks than any other goaltender in the VHLM, facing 1116 shots and allowing 95 goals against, for a 0.915% save percentage, good for third best in the league. His goals against average sits at 2.68, which ranks him at number five among VHLM starting netminders, while posting a single shutout, ranking him fourth in the VHLM. He has added three assists on the season and Bratislava sits in third place in the European Conference, just five points up on the last place Moscow Red Wolves now, following a horrible stretch here for the Watchmen.

@ADwyer87

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Watchmen Struggling To Find Groove The Bratislava Watchmen started the Season 47 VHLM regular season with a decent start, going 7-3-2 in their first twelve games and even sat in first place in the European Conference on a couple occasions during that time span. Since then, the Watchmen have struggled mightily, losing all but one of their last eight games, going 1-6-1 in that time and scoring just six times and have been shut out four times in those eight losses. They now sit third in the European Conference with a 8-9-3 record, just eight points ahead of the last place Moscow Red Wolves and five points back of the Oslo Storm, while the first-place Bern Royals sit eight points ahead of the Bratislava Watchmen. Goal scoring has been one of the most glaring issues for this struggling Bratislava club, scoring just 42 goals on the season, ranking them sixth in the league at 2.10 goals per game and keeping the puck out of their own net hasn't been much better thus far, allowing 49 goals against for an average of 2.45 per game and ranking them fifth in the VHLM. The powerplay unit has been dismal, ranked last in the entire league, scoring just four times on 64 opportunities, an atrocious 6.25% success rate. The penalty-kill unit for the Watchmen has been much more effective, killing of all but nine powerplay opportunities against on 65 tries, a 86.15% success rate and ranked third in the league.Puck possession has been another issue for Bratislava, ranked seventh in both shots for and shots against, taking under 21 shots per game, while allowing over 30 shots against per game. They have been the most physical team in the league, delivering nearly 22 hits per game but have been terrible in the face-off dot, winning less than 47% of the draws, better than only the Moscow Red Wolves. Vincent Adultman leads the team in both goals and points (tied) with 13 goals and 22 points, while Bogdan Podarok leads in assists with 11 and is the man tied with Adultman with 22 points. On the plus/minus side of things, Vincent Adultman leads another category with a +9 rating and Randy Savage leads the Watchmen with 60 hits on the season. Bogdan Podarok has blocked 38 shots directed towards the Bratislava goal, leading the team in that department as well as game-winning goals with a trio of them. Although as a team, the Watchmen have terrible face-off numbers, both Vincent Adultman and Alexander Davidson have been spectacular, winning over 65% and 62% of their face-offs respectively. In goal, despite the team's record, Artom Zhumbayev has put up some respectable numbers, suiting up for all 1218 minutes of play on the season, the young goaltender has seen more rubber than anybody else in the VHLM this season, stopping 560 of 607 shots. That gives him a 0.923% save percentage and a 2.32 goals against average on the year. He has taken four minutes in penalties and assisted on three of Bratislava's goals while posting a single shutout. Goaltending has been one of the few strengths of the Watchmen as Zhumbayev is near the top of the leaderboard in both shots faced and save percentage. We will have to wait and see how this season unfolds for Bratislava, whether they continue to struggle or can break out of the funk they have found themselves in.

nice win.

we need more shots.

tough one.

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@TheNextGreatOne

haha, that's what happens when you try to do this when your kids are around i thought i got it all, but i guess not.

Artom Zhumbayev Rookie Profile Player Name: Artom Zhumbayev Position: Goaltender Handedness: Left Height: 6 Feet, 5 Inches Weight: 221 Pounds Hometown: Shymkent, Kazakhstan Age: 19 Jersey Number: 20 Drafted: 5th Overall by (S47 VHLM Dispersal Draft) 2nd Overall by (S47 VHL Entry Draft) Artom is the oldest son of former VHL superstar, Anatoli Zhumbayev who spent his playing days with the Helsinki Titans and Toronto Legion, amassing 270 goals, 343 assists, and 613 points in 504 regular season games, over seven seasons. He was known as a clutch player, scoring 60 game-winning goals in regular season action and another nine in 82 playoff games, including the game seven overtime winner in the Season 34 Continental Cup Finals against the Calgary Wranglers, lifting the Helsinki Titans to a championship. He went on to win a second championship, late in his career with the Toronto Legion in Season 37 before retiring from professional hockey following Season 38, a season where Zhumbayev and the Legion clawed their way back to the Continental Cup Finals, prior to being defeated by the HC Davos Dynamo in six games. Artom was too late in declaring his eligibility for the Season 46 VHLM Dispersal Draft and thus, was picked up off of the waiver wire by the Oslo Storm. Zhumbayev played just eight games with the Storm prior to being dealt to the Moscow Red Wolves, where he would spend the remainder of the season. Artom finished the regular season with a record of 39-11-4 in 54 games with seven shutouts, six penalty minutes, and one assist. His save percentage was 0.891% with a 2.19 goals against average, helping the Red Wolves get to the Founder`s Cup finals during their playoff run, eventually losing in six games to the Ottawa Lynx. Artom played in seven playoff contests, sitting on the bench in the last four games of the finals in favour of veteran, Ivars Klajums. Zhumbayev finished with a 4-1-2 playoff record with a 0.866% save percentage and 2.92 goals against average, a far cry from his regular season numbers. He was deemed eligible for both the Season 47 VHL Entry Draft and VHLM Dispersal Draft and first, was selected with the second overall selection in the VHL Entry Draft by the Cologne Express. The Bratislava Watchmen selected Zhumbayev with the fifth overall selection in the VHLM Dispersal Draft, the same team that selected his father in his VHLM Dispersal Draft eligible season. The Cologne Express and Zhumbayev mutually agreed that it would be best for his development if he spent another season in the VHLM, and thus he will be spending Season 47 in Bratislava. Artom has played six games for the Watchmen thus far this season and has vastly improved his numbers, posting a save percentage of 0.928% and a 2.12 goals against average. He has a record of 3-1-2 with a shutout and an assist. Positives: + Hand Speed: To be a successful goaltender, one of the most important tools you can own in your toolbox is a quick glove hand and Zhumbayev has one of the quickest sets of hands in recent memory. He uses those quick hands to snag a sure goal away from opposing forwards, using his glove hand or knocking it away with his blocker. If you find yourself one on one with this netminder, it would be well advised to place your shot lower rather than higher or be prepared to be robbed blind. + Reaction Time: Artom Zhumbayev is a very quick goalie who's reflexes are very quick. This allows the young Kazakh to shift from side to side with ease when facing a one-timer shot or going from post to post when an opposing player tries a wraparound shot. This quickness is a very important tool for a goaltender to have in order to be successful in the professional ranks. +Rebound Control: Zhumbayev 's rebound control is one of the best in the game of hockey today. When you shoot at his pads and think a rebound will come to the slot, it finds it's way to the corner or to one of his defensemen. He is very aware of where teammates and opponents are on the ice and directs the puck accordingly. If you are looking for a juicy rebound, you will not get one from this goaltender. Negatives: - Skating: Artom's skating skills are in no shape or form of the good nature. He rarely leaves his crease, but when he does, he struggles to get to the puck in time and this can give the opposing team an empty net to shoot at. This also causes problems getting to the bench when his coach pulls him in favour of an extra attacker on a delayed penalty or when down by a goal or two late in the game. This is something that Zhumbayev will need too address going forward. - Size: Zhumbayev is a big goalie, standing at six feet five inches, and over 220 pounds, but he does not use that size fully to his advantage. His work on angles could use a lot of work and he sometimes backs too far into the net or strays too far out of the crease, causing him to get out of position or make himself look small in the net. This allows opposing forwards to either skate around him for an open net or to pick their spot in the net with ease. To become an elite netminder, he will need to do some major work in this area of his game. - Puck Handling: Some goaltenders are better at handling the puck than others and Zhumbayev is one of the netminders that falls into the latter category. Although puck handling is not as important as other aspects for a goaltender, it still plays an important part. When Artom plays the puck, trying to pass to one of his teammates, it often ends in a turnover and gives the opposition a quality scoring chance. With that said, it's not often that he comes out to play the puck as he will just stop the puck behind the net for his defenseman most of the time. Zhumbayev will want to improve on this skill, even if it is just a small improvement.

#ShutoutCity

it's always nice to beat your old GM haha.