Eggy216

Bring on the Lynx
Saskatoon set to face Ottawa in the first round of the playoffs

 
As the regular season winds to a close, the matchups for the semifinal round of the VHLM Playoffs are starting to come into focus. While Oslo awaits their first opponent of the playoffs, a matchup between the Saskatoon Wild and the the Ottaway Lynx is set in stone. While the season series seems to favour the Lynx, with the Wild holding a 7-10-1 record against their first opponents in the playoffs, that's not always the full story. While the record seems to be a little one-sided in favor of the opposition, the Wild remain confident that this series will be closer than some experts may believe. The goal totals in the series are actually a mere +1 differential, favouring Saskatoon (47-46) while Powerplay goals favour the Wild as well, 16-14. Shots in the series also remain close and favour the Wild, sitting at 414 to 392. While I can't find a general faceoff percentage for the two teams against one another, Saskatoon has won a greater percentage of faceoffs in the offensive zone, neutral zone, and defensive zones meaning they hold the advantage in this statistical category as well - and by a greater margin than the other categories already mentioned here.
 
Where things seem to favour the Ottawa Lynx, however, is the recent games played. While Saskatoon has done well to keep stats even throughout the season, a look at the last six games between the two teams highlights that the Lynx may have the advantage heading into this series, winning 4 of the last 6 contests between Saskatoon and Ottawa. If we were looking at the most recent game only, however, Saskatoon did win the final game of the season between the two franchises. Saskatoon found the edge in shots, putting 31 on net while Ottawa only managed 21, and the goals fell similarly with the Wild taking the game with a commanding 4-1 final tally, Charles Murphpy's 21st of the season proving the difference as the game winning goal for Saskatoon.
 
Notable in this game as well is the fact that there were a total of 11 powerplays, with each team managing to capitalize on only one of them. If penalties are going to feature so prominently in this series (which they very well could conisdering the physical play we saw in this game, with 26 hits on behalf of the Lynx (with Igor Mjers' seven hits leading the way) and only 16 hits coming from the Wild (Daring Do's 3 hits taking top honors in this category for Saskatoon).
 
This looks to be an extremely interesting series, and it's going to be exciting to watch it play out for sure. There's no telling what could happen here, so all eyes should be on these two franchises as they do battle on the ice this postseason.

147 TPE heading into the playoffs. Take that, everyone who thought I was inactive at the draft.

147 TPE heading into the playoffs. Take that, everyone who thought I was inactive at the draft.

VHLM Playoffs Start with Two Close Matchups
 
While the Oslo Storm may have run away with the race this season, the VHLM Playoffs look to be getting off with a bang. As the bottom two teams battle it out to see who will snag the fourth seed this season and try to topple the beast that is Oslo, we'll see 5th place Yukon with 35 points take on the 4th place Aces with 42. While their matchup against Oslo (111 points) looks to be an absolute slaughter, the other matchup of the semi-finals looks to be a close and exciting one as 2nd place Ottawa (100 points) takes on 3rd place Saskatoon (99 points). As the season closed, Ay Ay Ron ( @boubabi) showed signs of great things to come as he scored not one, but two hat tricks to lead Saskatoon to a strong finish to the season. If his play continues in the playoffs, this is going to be a high scoring, hard hitting series that you won't want to miss.

Bring on the Lynx
Saskatoon set to face Ottawa in the first round of the playoffs

 
As the regular season winds to a close, the matchups for the semifinal round of the VHLM Playoffs are starting to come into focus. While Oslo awaits their first opponent of the playoffs, a matchup between the Saskatoon Wild and the the Ottaway Lynx is set in stone. While the season series seems to favour the Lynx, with the Wild holding a 7-10-1 record against their first opponents in the playoffs, that's not always the full story. While the record seems to be a little one-sided in favor of the opposition, the Wild remain confident that this series will be closer than some experts may believe. The goal totals in the series are actually a mere +1 differential, favouring Saskatoon (47-46) while Powerplay goals favour the Wild as well, 16-14. Shots in the series also remain close and favour the Wild, sitting at 414 to 392. While I can't find a general faceoff percentage for the two teams against one another, Saskatoon has won a greater percentage of faceoffs in the offensive zone, neutral zone, and defensive zones meaning they hold the advantage in this statistical category as well - and by a greater margin than the other categories already mentioned here.
 
Where things seem to favour the Ottawa Lynx, however, is the recent games played. While Saskatoon has done well to keep stats even throughout the season, a look at the last six games between the two teams highlights that the Lynx may have the advantage heading into this series, winning 4 of the last 6 contests between Saskatoon and Ottawa. If we were looking at the most recent game only, however, Saskatoon did win the final game of the season between the two franchises. Saskatoon found the edge in shots, putting 31 on net while Ottawa only managed 21, and the goals fell similarly with the Wild taking the game with a commanding 4-1 final tally, Charles Murphpy's 21st of the season proving the difference as the game winning goal for Saskatoon.
 
Notable in this game as well is the fact that there were a total of 11 powerplays, with each team managing to capitalize on only one of them. If penalties are going to feature so prominently in this series (which they very well could conisdering the physical play we saw in this game, with 26 hits on behalf of the Lynx (with Igor Mjers' seven hits leading the way) and only 16 hits coming from the Wild (Daring Do's 3 hits taking top honors in this category for Saskatoon).
 
This looks to be an extremely interesting series, and it's going to be exciting to watch it play out for sure. There's no telling what could happen here, so all eyes should be on these two franchises as they do battle on the ice this postseason.

Review:
Proud of my Legion draftee.
Good article.

Daring Do Scores First Career Hat Trick
 

Daring Do scored all three Wild goals in a 4-3 Overtime Loss on Friday
 
In her relatively short career, Daring Do's time in the VHLM has been full of ups and downs. While she's been more notable this season for her physical play than her goal scoring abilities, that hasn't stopped her from trying to work on her shot and improve in all areas of her game. The leading scorer among right-wings this season, she currently sits 16th among all skaters in scoring and 10th in goals. Her most notable accomplishment when it comes to scoring this season, however, came just last game when she scored all three of Saskatoon's goals in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Oslo Storm. Asked about her performance after the game, Daring Do commented that she was pleased with her first career hat trick, but that she still needed to be better for her teammates. "When it comes down to it, three goals wasn't enough. I needed to pick up one more goal somewhere in that game in order to give us the win. As nice as it was to put the team up 3-1 in the opening period, I can't stop scoring after the first 20 minutes are over. I had 40 more minutes plus overtime to pick up the one more goal we needed to go home with the W, and I just couldn't do it. Next time I pick up a hat trick hopefully it'll be leading Saskatoon to a championship victory."
 
Overall the game was dominated by the Saskatoon right winger. She picked up 10 of the team's 26 shots, as well as leading the team with 5 hits on the night. With her 13.50% shooting percentage this season, Saskatoon will be looking for more efforts like this one from Daring Do as they finish out the season. While the team has scoring up and down the roster, and really isn't lacking in that department, they're going to be hopeful that this 10 shot, 3 goal effort is a sign of what they're going to be getting out of the young winger as she plays in what are likely to be the final games of her VHLM career.
 
Saskatoon will be getting another crack at the Oslo Storm tonight as they look to exact their revenge for a game they believe they should have been able to win. In post-game comments, Daring Do commented that the Storm were a "soft" team, and shied away from playing a physical game. She added that she truly believes the last two games were Saskatoon's to win, and that she and the rest of the Wild will be coming out swinging when they hit the ice tonight in Oslo.

Fuuuuuuuuuck yes

Daring Do Scores First Career Hat Trick
 

Daring Do scored all three Wild goals in a 4-3 Overtime Loss on Friday
 
In her relatively short career, Daring Do's time in the VHLM has been full of ups and downs. While she's been more notable this season for her physical play than her goal scoring abilities, that hasn't stopped her from trying to work on her shot and improve in all areas of her game. The leading scorer among right-wings this season, she currently sits 16th among all skaters in scoring and 10th in goals. Her most notable accomplishment when it comes to scoring this season, however, came just last game when she scored all three of Saskatoon's goals in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Oslo Storm. Asked about her performance after the game, Daring Do commented that she was pleased with her first career hat trick, but that she still needed to be better for her teammates. "When it comes down to it, three goals wasn't enough. I needed to pick up one more goal somewhere in that game in order to give us the win. As nice as it was to put the team up 3-1 in the opening period, I can't stop scoring after the first 20 minutes are over. I had 40 more minutes plus overtime to pick up the one more goal we needed to go home with the W, and I just couldn't do it. Next time I pick up a hat trick hopefully it'll be leading Saskatoon to a championship victory."
 
Overall the game was dominated by the Saskatoon right winger. She picked up 10 of the team's 26 shots, as well as leading the team with 5 hits on the night. With her 13.50% shooting percentage this season, Saskatoon will be looking for more efforts like this one from Daring Do as they finish out the season. While the team has scoring up and down the roster, and really isn't lacking in that department, they're going to be hopeful that this 10 shot, 3 goal effort is a sign of what they're going to be getting out of the young winger as she plays in what are likely to be the final games of her VHLM career.
 
Saskatoon will be getting another crack at the Oslo Storm tonight as they look to exact their revenge for a game they believe they should have been able to win. In post-game comments, Daring Do commented that the Storm were a "soft" team, and shied away from playing a physical game. She added that she truly believes the last two games were Saskatoon's to win, and that she and the rest of the Wild will be coming out swinging when they hit the ice tonight in Oslo.

Daring Do Scores First Career Hat Trick
 

Daring Do scored all three Wild goals in a 4-3 Overtime Loss on Friday
 
In her relatively short career, Daring Do's time in the VHLM has been full of ups and downs. While she's been more notable this season for her physical play than her goal scoring abilities, that hasn't stopped her from trying to work on her shot and improve in all areas of her game. The leading scorer among right-wings this season, she currently sits 16th among all skaters in scoring and 10th in goals. Her most notable accomplishment when it comes to scoring this season, however, came just last game when she scored all three of Saskatoon's goals in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Oslo Storm. Asked about her performance after the game, Daring Do commented that she was pleased with her first career hat trick, but that she still needed to be better for her teammates. "When it comes down to it, three goals wasn't enough. I needed to pick up one more goal somewhere in that game in order to give us the win. As nice as it was to put the team up 3-1 in the opening period, I can't stop scoring after the first 20 minutes are over. I had 40 more minutes plus overtime to pick up the one more goal we needed to go home with the W, and I just couldn't do it. Next time I pick up a hat trick hopefully it'll be leading Saskatoon to a championship victory."
 
Overall the game was dominated by the Saskatoon right winger. She picked up 10 of the team's 26 shots, as well as leading the team with 5 hits on the night. With her 13.50% shooting percentage this season, Saskatoon will be looking for more efforts like this one from Daring Do as they finish out the season. While the team has scoring up and down the roster, and really isn't lacking in that department, they're going to be hopeful that this 10 shot, 3 goal effort is a sign of what they're going to be getting out of the young winger as she plays in what are likely to be the final games of her VHLM career.
 
Saskatoon will be getting another crack at the Oslo Storm tonight as they look to exact their revenge for a game they believe they should have been able to win. In post-game comments, Daring Do commented that the Storm were a "soft" team, and shied away from playing a physical game. She added that she truly believes the last two games were Saskatoon's to win, and that she and the rest of the Wild will be coming out swinging when they hit the ice tonight in Oslo.

Same lol

Never mind, TLO steered me in the right direction for the other question when I only answered one of the two. I got both now!

Never mind, TLO steered me in the right direction for the other question when I only answered one of the two. I got both now!

@MD9you know when you said I had a hat trick, I was thinking we won

Shit, Quill getting called up away from Oslo. Anything to slow down that first line I am all for.

Two new faces, nice! Time to push for a deep run!

@MD9 putting on a show

Is that why this is my third player and the first to get over like 50 TPE

fixed 4 u

Daring Do Sets Sights on Hits Title

 
Daring Do currently sits 3rd in hits with 131 on the season
 
While linemate Gabriel McAllister has been putting up ridiculous goal scoring numbers throughout the season, Daring Do has lagged behind a bit when it comes to finding the back of the net. But when asked about her relatively low goal total this season (which admittedly is 10th in the VHLM), her reply was simply "I'm not just a one-dimensional player." Asked what she meant by that, she replied "I have linemates who can score better than I can. While I'm a sniper at heart, that doesn't mean that's all I can do out there. Look at Jake and Gabe's numbers - they're 4th and 5th in the league for hits taken. Everyone knows what our line is capable of, and they're going to look to stop us in any way they can. It's my job go out there and stand up for my teammates, to get in the way of the opponents and make them think twice about that check they're planning to lay on one of my teammates. While they go out there and put up the numbers that can help us win games, I'm going to go out there and put up the numbers that keep them on the ice by taking out anyone who gets in their way."
 
She's done a great job of that this season, with her 131 hits putting her at 3rd in the VHLM and first on the Wild, but she says it's not enough. "There's still two guys in front of me, and I'm not going to stop until there are no guys in front of me. I want everyone around the league to know that I'm there, and if they leave themselves open to a check then they'd better be ready to take one if I'm on the ice. I'm not going to ease up on anyone ever. And you know what, I want that hits title when this season closes. Gabe can have the goal scoring title, I've got a goal of my own in mind."
 
While it looks doubtful she'll able to take the hits title as she has only one game in hand on Augustus Gloop, whose 186 hits for Yukon lead the league right now, and Rask Rowe of Vegas has three games in hand on her with 160 hits on the year. Either way, it's a good sign for Saskatoon that Daring Do has been putting up such big hits numbers to help keep possession of the puck for her team, and to help keep her teammates on the ice rather than on the team's injured list.

Midseason VHLM Awards Predictions
 
A little bit over halfway through the VHLM season, the playoff picture has already come into focus. It’s clear that the Oslo Storm are likely to be the one seed, the Wild and Lynx will face off in the semi-finals, and the Aces and Rush will face off in the Wild Card for the right to face the Storm. While things can certainly change over the next 30 games, it would take a massive shift in the standings or a major trade to shake it up now.
 
What’s more interesting, though, is some of the individual races. Oslo Storm players dominate the league leaderboards, in part because the team as a whole is so strong. Will one of them be able to break out and win MVP, or will voters award a player like Apollo Oho or Gabriel McAllister who has been the primary goal-scorer for their team? Can anybody catch Key Perought for top goalie? And will the top defenseman be a scorer like Raven or Ron or a defensive monster like Gloop?
 
Here’s our best guess how some of those awards will go, along with short explanations for each one.
 
 Regular Season MVP, Most Points, Most Goals – Mattias Forsberg, Oslo Storm
 
The Oslo Storm first line is absolutely deadly; alongside Forsberg, Quill and Laflamme are also among the top four goal scorers in the entire VHLM. However, with his league-leading 39 goals and third-place 46 assists, I believe Forsberg has set himself apart just enough to win the MVP. Especially on a team where goalie play has been spotty, the Storm has needed offense to rocket to the top of the league, and I believe there’s a valid argument that the MVP should be the best player on the best team.
 
While naturally I would like to make an argument for Saskatoon’s Gabriel McAllister—he has double the goals of any other player on the second-place team, after all—a lot will depend on whether he can pick it up even further in the final stretch of the season. If McAllister can make up the six goal difference and beat Forsberg by the end of the season, even if he’s on the second-place team, the narrative might be too strong to deny.
 
 Top Defenseman, Most Assists – Nicodemus Raven, Oslo Storm
 
This isn’t one I would have predicted before the season, but Raven has shown to be much more of a facilitator than anybody would have thought. His 58 assists just barely outpace teammate (and fellow Bears prospect) Xavier Laflamme for tops in the VHLM, and his 68 total points are 16 ahead of his next closest defenseman competitor. I’m not too worried about only having 10 goals on the season, especially when you take into account that he’s top ten in both hits and shots blocked as well with his high defense rating.
 
Ay Ay Ron of Saskatoon may be the only person that challenges Raven here, given that he leads all defensemen with 15 goals. However, I wouldn’t put him as close to Raven currently as, say, McAllister is to Forsberg. Ron would need to turn on the goal scoring jets in particular and be a true second option for the Wild to be considered here; being outscored by Charles Murphy doesn’t look too good when your primary pitch is being a better goal scoring option.
 
 Top Goalie – Key Perought, Ottawa Lynx
 
This one isn’t really even worth discussing – nobody’s going to catch Perought’s .903 save percentage over the final 30 games, especially when his closest competition, Saskatoon’s Brienne O’Tarth, is sitting at .877. The real question here is whether Perought is worth an MVP look, taking a team that has nobody above 16 goals in 42 games at third in the standings. I would argue no, that .903 is a bit too low and that certain offensive players have been a bit too good. But if Perought goes on a tear over the latter part of the season, and particularly adds to that 8 shutout total, I can’t say I’d be surprised to see him in the conversation.
 
 Two-Way Forward – Daring Do, Saskatoon Wild
 
This isn’t an award to forget, particularly because this year it could present an interesting quandary: Do you reward individual stats or total team success with the two-way forward award? If it’s the former, then Apollo Aho is the clear choice. Among physical forwards, Aho stands apart; he’s fifth in the league in goals and sixth in the league in points, while simultaneously sitting eighth total and third among forwards with 117 hits. The downside, of course, is that this hasn’t really helped his team win games, since the Rush are last in the VHLM.
 
I would argue, though, that the voters may take into account team success here, particularly if nobody from the second-place Wild is winning any other regular season awards. First place among forwards in hits is Daring Do of the Wild, with 131. While his goals (15) and total points (30) are nowhere near Aho’s level, being a first line player on a Wild squad with all sorts of different scoring options plays a big role there. There also may be a bit of projection in this selection as well, as Do has worked hard in practice over the season and figures to continue to improve as we get near the end of the season.

Here Come the Wild
Saskatoon easily repeating last year's regular season performance
 
While the VHLM is known for its topsy turvy standings and ups and downs from year to year, Saskatoon has managed to do the opposite by not only keeping most of their core team from last season's second-place finish in place, but also managing to hold on to the same position in the standings that they held last year, this time second only to Oslo rather than the Aces. It's been a season everyone in the locker room can be proud of, and it doesn't look like they're going to be slowing down anytime soon following two dominant victories in their last two games played. If Saskatoon can keep up the high pressure throughout the rest of the season and into the playoffs, they should have absolutely no problem claiming second in the league at the conclusion of the regular season, and with all the growth that we've seen from this team throughout the season it's hard not to imagine that we'll be seeing the Wild in the finals for the second straight year - and hopefully with a different finish than we saw in last season's final.

Review
McAllister definitely proving he is the #1 guy in the draft.
Daring Do turning into quite the pickup for me as well.

Gabriel McAllister celebrates his league-leading 24th goal of the season
 
It's been a long season for Saskatoon, filled with ups and downs as they try to hold on to second place in the VHLM, clinging to the memory of last season's championship series against Las Vegas. Nobody in the room wants to go home early this year, and leading the way both on and off the ice has been Gabriel McAllister, whose league leading 24 goals in 25 games have been the talk of the league. But while his numbers have been legendary, the real story has been his contributions outside of games.
 
Every practice, whether it's a game day or an optional practice, McAllister will be the first one in and the last one to leave. From the moment practice starts he's out there taking charge and ensuring everyone else is staying on track. If someone needs help or wants to practice a specific part of their game, he'll head right on over to lend a hand. He's not just focused on improving his own game, he's just as intent on improving everyone else's.
 
"He brings 110% every day, even when he doesn't have to," commented teammate Daring Do. "It's been amazing playing alongside him, he's truly one of the league's all-time greats. He's the glue that holds the rest of this team together. It's great, he shows up every day with a smile on his face, even when things were at a low point for us. It's hard to come to practice every day when you're getting outshot every game. Even when we took that one game with a 1-0 win in the shootout, we know we didn't deserve it. 6 shots isn't going to cut it. But Gabe, he didn't let it get to him. He was still right out there first thing the next morning, taking reps and working on improving himself. A guy like that, it does a lot for the team's morale."
 
With Saskatoon sitting comfortably in second place, it's not hard to see how much of an impact McAllister has had throughout this season. There's a reason you see so many of his jerseys in the crowd, and it's the same reason all of his teammates look to him in the locker room. He's a leader in every sense of the word.
 
While it's almost certain that McAllister will be leaving the VHLM after this season as he pursues his life long dream of a VHL career, his mark on the franchise and the minor league on the whole is one that will last for long after he last steps on the ice in a Wild jersey. And if he has anything to say about it, that last step on the ice for Saskatoon is going to be taken with the cup held high.
 
@CowboyinAmerica

Gabriel McAllister celebrates his league-leading 24th goal of the season
 
It's been a long season for Saskatoon, filled with ups and downs as they try to hold on to second place in the VHLM, clinging to the memory of last season's championship series against Las Vegas. Nobody in the room wants to go home early this year, and leading the way both on and off the ice has been Gabriel McAllister, whose league leading 24 goals in 25 games have been the talk of the league. But while his numbers have been legendary, the real story has been his contributions outside of games.
 
Every practice, whether it's a game day or an optional practice, McAllister will be the first one in and the last one to leave. From the moment practice starts he's out there taking charge and ensuring everyone else is staying on track. If someone needs help or wants to practice a specific part of their game, he'll head right on over to lend a hand. He's not just focused on improving his own game, he's just as intent on improving everyone else's.
 
"He brings 110% every day, even when he doesn't have to," commented teammate Daring Do. "It's been amazing playing alongside him, he's truly one of the league's all-time greats. He's the glue that holds the rest of this team together. It's great, he shows up every day with a smile on his face, even when things were at a low point for us. It's hard to come to practice every day when you're getting outshot every game. Even when we took that one game with a 1-0 win in the shootout, we know we didn't deserve it. 6 shots isn't going to cut it. But Gabe, he didn't let it get to him. He was still right out there first thing the next morning, taking reps and working on improving himself. A guy like that, it does a lot for the team's morale."
 
With Saskatoon sitting comfortably in second place, it's not hard to see how much of an impact McAllister has had throughout this season. There's a reason you see so many of his jerseys in the crowd, and it's the same reason all of his teammates look to him in the locker room. He's a leader in every sense of the word.
 
While it's almost certain that McAllister will be leaving the VHLM after this season as he pursues his life long dream of a VHL career, his mark on the franchise and the minor league on the whole is one that will last for long after he last steps on the ice in a Wild jersey. And if he has anything to say about it, that last step on the ice for Saskatoon is going to be taken with the cup held high.
 
@CowboyinAmerica