Matt_O

After an alright rookie campaign for Materazo and a solid season for the Americans, the offseason comes to a start. The nerves of the expansion draft start to set in. "Last year, I wasn't nervous, but this year I feel on edge. I really would like to stay in New York, I hope they protect me" 
 
As the names were read aloud for the Malmo Nighthawks GM, Materazo waited to see his fate. When they reached the Americans, he was at the edge of his seat. "I wanted to contend, something that we will hopefully be doing in New York for a few seasons. If I'm taken in this draft, I may have to see myself with a cupless career." Wouldn't you know it, as his name was announced, he sunk into his chair. "I always wanted to play for my hometown team, since I was from Long Island. Being traded is one thing, but this is very bittersweet." Despite the sad feelings, he started to look to the bright side.
 
"At least I can get a chance to set all kinds of team records with Malmo. Maybe I'll even make the all star team. Plus their logo is sick, way better than New Yorks. Besides, I always wanted to go to Sweden."
 
He also had some departing words for the Americans. "It was a fun ride, but now Xander is going to be pissed. Hopefully the bad feelings will be put aside by time he gets older, or else you may have to miss out on an elite defenseman because of this. I think the beef will be put aside though. Good luck next year New York. I have to pack my bags."
 
 

I can second this. I've long since given up the grammar correcting crusade (the comparisons to a former political party responsible for millions of deaths didn't help) but Eno has taken up the banner in my absence. Eno is now what I was about 5-8 years ago.

Awesome the brand tournament is here. Who is excited!?!?
 
 

I'll show you a nice bust

@Devisewhen you know what time the live sim will be can you post the time so I know when to watch it

Clown of the year ?
 

I don't care, but I will post something about it being rigged after pretty much every lotto. 

why did i see this coming after the original article

Around two months ago, Matthew Materazo had a child with his wife Karen, and named him Xander. But Karen wasn't happy with the lack of committment that Matt was showing in the relationship.
 
"One time she said that she was going out, so I had to watch the kid. I had a game for the Americans that night, so I just brought him to the game. She wasn't very happy." Materazo told us in an interview.
 
What we believe was the turning point with the relationship was during Game 2 of the Wild Card series between the Americans and the Titans. It happened to be Karen and Matts anniversary night, and Karen did not want him to play in the game. Matt insisted on playing and did in fact play in game 2, where he scored the Americans only goal in the loss. 
 
"That was it for me" Karen told us. "I was so pissed, years of frustration finally boiled up and I just decided to leave him."
 
She also took Xander with her, who now takes his mothers last name. Matt was unhappy with this. "Yeah, its bullshit. How will he play hockey if Karen doesn't know the difference between a hockey stick and a chainsaw!?" Xander Hughes had started to play hockey already, but just around the house. Matt told us that he enjoyed slamming his toys against the walls, as if he was checking someone. He also has grown to 2'7, seven inches above the average baby. His future in the VHL may take a hit with this news, but he still looks strong as a potential season 73 draft candidate.

Sure, although I'll probably be awful with my minimal knowledge of hockey. I'll take the Rangers so if I'm consistently bad at least I'll be happy.

Around two months ago, Matthew Materazo had a child with his wife Karen, and named him Xander. But Karen wasn't happy with the lack of committment that Matt was showing in the relationship.
 
"One time she said that she was going out, so I had to watch the kid. I had a game for the Americans that night, so I just brought him to the game. She wasn't very happy." Materazo told us in an interview.
 
What we believe was the turning point with the relationship was during Game 2 of the Wild Card series between the Americans and the Titans. It happened to be Karen and Matts anniversary night, and Karen did not want him to play in the game. Matt insisted on playing and did in fact play in game 2, where he scored the Americans only goal in the loss. 
 
"That was it for me" Karen told us. "I was so pissed, years of frustration finally boiled up and I just decided to leave him."
 
She also took Xander with her, who now takes his mothers last name. Matt was unhappy with this. "Yeah, its bullshit. How will he play hockey if Karen doesn't know the difference between a hockey stick and a chainsaw!?" Xander Hughes had started to play hockey already, but just around the house. Matt told us that he enjoyed slamming his toys against the walls, as if he was checking someone. He also has grown to 2'7, seven inches above the average baby. His future in the VHL may take a hit with this news, but he still looks strong as a potential season 73 draft candidate.

Around two months ago, Matthew Materazo had a child with his wife Karen, and named him Xander. But Karen wasn't happy with the lack of committment that Matt was showing in the relationship.
 
"One time she said that she was going out, so I had to watch the kid. I had a game for the Americans that night, so I just brought him to the game. She wasn't very happy." Materazo told us in an interview.
 
What we believe was the turning point with the relationship was during Game 2 of the Wild Card series between the Americans and the Titans. It happened to be Karen and Matts anniversary night, and Karen did not want him to play in the game. Matt insisted on playing and did in fact play in game 2, where he scored the Americans only goal in the loss. 
 
"That was it for me" Karen told us. "I was so pissed, years of frustration finally boiled up and I just decided to leave him."
 
She also took Xander with her, who now takes his mothers last name. Matt was unhappy with this. "Yeah, its bullshit. How will he play hockey if Karen doesn't know the difference between a hockey stick and a chainsaw!?" Xander Hughes had started to play hockey already, but just around the house. Matt told us that he enjoyed slamming his toys against the walls, as if he was checking someone. He also has grown to 2'7, seven inches above the average baby. His future in the VHL may take a hit with this news, but he still looks strong as a potential season 73 draft candidate.

Bench Doors Opening/60 through the roof. Haven't seen these numbers since @Esso2264 in S63

Being the first overall pick of one of the worst drafts in VHL history will always be the highlight of my resume here

I got mentioned-ish. Not specifically, but as part of the line "Calgary had 2 defensemen but they made it work" - one of those defensemen was Lars Intranquilo, which was my first guy

After our look at Season 21, we can turn our head to Season 22. After Toronto’s championship run, they looked to get even better, and started the off season with a big trade. They traded Max Kroenenburg to Helsinki for a second round pick. The Legion traded for Phil Gerrard from Seattle for a handful of picks. Seattle also dealt their elite goaltender Joey Clarence and defenseman Dante Terrigini for two first round picks, a second and a third. The Bears weren’t done dealing; they also moved Cam Fowler for a few picks and two young players.
 
DRAFT:
 
The Season 22 draft was one of the worst in VHL history. It featured no hall of famers, and had multiple sub 100 TPE guys go in the first round. Clint Guite went first overall to Vasteras, and that was the only notable moments of the underwhelming draft.

 
Last year the Toronto Legion took home the victory cup, and they built on that. They finished with an absurd 126 points, a 62-8-2 record. Aidan Shaw had an MVP type year, even though he was robbed once again. Lars Berger and Peyton Nydroj both finished with over one hundred points. Their offseason acquisition Phil Gerrard tallied 85 points of his own. The Legion were so good, their backup goalie TOR G finished with a 5-4 record and an admirable 2.78 GAA. They finished 27 points ahead of the second placed Helsinki Titans.
 
The Helsinki Titans finally made it back to the playoffs after barely missing out the two seasons prior. Cam Fowler, who they got in the offseason, had 110 points for the Titans. The Helsinki depth was what killed teams and made them successful, with seven players over sixty points, Max Kroenenburg, an offseason acquisition from Toronto, finished with 61 points. Their young goaltender Jakob Kjeldson finally stepped into the moment, capping off his breakout season with a .915 Save Percentage and 2.28 GAA.
 
Like last season, Helsinki and Davos finished with the same point total, however Davos was this time on the wrong end of the tiebreaker. The Dynamo didn’t have the depth the Titans had, but they had the aging core of Anton Brekker, Jordan Berglund, Jonathan Slade, and Heinrich Olen still holding down the fort. Daisuke Kanou had another one of his legendary seasons, with a .922 Save Percentage and a 2.17 GAA. Brekker was once again their top player offensively, collecting 118 points and 57 goals.
 
The Calgary Wranglers tank over the last few seasons began to pay dividends. They made the playoffs with 96 points, led by goaltender Joey Clarence, who they acquired from Seattle in the offseason. Mathias Chouinard and Evgeni Fyodorov were the most notable names of this team. One interesting thing about the Wranglers is that they only had two defenseman, but they made it work. Jardy Bunclewirth also won the Mike Szatkowski trophy with 136 points and then dipped, finishing with merely 86 points this season.
 
Unlike previous years, the playoff cut off point had a significant drop off. After the four playoff teams made it in, the best team that missed the playoffs were the New York Americans, still in the middle of their tank, and only had 52 points, 44 behind the playoff cut off. Jukka Hakkinen was their top player once again, and new comer Fantastic McAwesome became an early candidate for best name in VHL history. It was a similar story for the Bears, who tore everything down in the offseason, trading away big names such as Cam Fowler and goaltender Joey Clarence. They still had Markus Strauss, who continued VHL dominance, with 131 points, easily the most in the league that season. They also had up and comer Marek Mueller on the squad, who was on their of their top prospects. The Riga Reign also took a major step back after last years disappointing exit in the playoffs vs Davos. Tarek Saeijs and Oliver Scarlett both took huge steps back, failing to build on their award winning seasons. Goalie Ma’a Nonu still had a solid year even with the team failing to win games around him. But none of these three teams were as bad as Vasteras, who finished dead last in the league. Besides goalie Andreas Bjorkman, nobody impressed, as their top scorer only had 70 points. First overall pick Clint Guite finished with 36 points, an OK rookie campaign. This Vasteras team was building for the future, and they seemed to have something going.
 
TRADE DEADLINE
 
The only notable move at the deadline was a deal between the Bears and the Reign. They put together a deal centered around a handful of draft picks, as the Bears got a first, second, and two thirds, while Riga got two firsts, and three seconds. The first rounder the Bears got was Riga’s pick, so as long as Riga didn’t get a top 3 pick they looked like the winner of the trade.

 
PLAYOFFS
 
The two matchups of the playoffs feature the Legion facing the Wranglers in an all-canadian rivalry, and Davos took on Helsinki.
 
The Legion, who were far and away the best team, wanted to repeat, while the Wranglers wanted to make their first playoff appearance since their Season 19 cup run a memorable one. Games one and two in Toronto were won by the underdog Wranglers, shutting down the Legion offense in both games. Game one they shut out the Legion, and Clarence had a forty save shutout. Game two they barely scraped out off, and they rode Roman Andreevs hat trick to victory. Game three went to Toronto, as Phil Gerrard scored twice and Shaw made 27 saves on 29 shots for the 4-2 victory. Game four swung back in Calgary's favor, and they shut out the Legion again, with a 3-0 victory to take a 3-1 series lead. Clarence made 28 saves, and their elite winger Mathias Chouinard scored twice to lead them to victory. They had Toronto, the far superior team, on the ropes. Toronto responded in game five, collecting a narrow 2-1 victory in the must win to force game six. Game six was in Calgary, and Toronto was in must win territory. They dominated the Wranglers, only allowing ten shots the whole game. That being said, it was still scoreless heading into the final minutes of the third. David Walcott, with only 1:42 on the clock, scored on the powerplay after CAL RW took a hooking penalty. Chris Hawkins put the game away a minute later by scoring into the empty net, and the Legion forced game seven. This was probably one of the most frustrating games to watch in the Wranglers franchise history. Game seven was a similar story, as the Legion took care of business with a 4-3 win over Calgary. Lars Bergers hat trick secured the win for Toronto, completing the comeback over the Wranglers.
 
Now, we head to Europe. Davos faced the resurging Helsinki Titans, who barely missed out on the playoffs the last two years. Game one was in Helsinki, but the experienced Davos team put on a clinic. This left a bad taste in many peoples mouthes, and the calls that it was rigged were all over the place. Helsinki had fourteen penalties in one game, compared to the Dynamos four. Game two was also a subject of controversy, as Davos had seven powerplays compared to the Titans single powerplay. The Titans still fought through and won game two 7-5, in what may be Kanou’s worst playoff game ever. They carried the momentum and won game three in Davos, after Syd Drayson scored with only 41 seconds left in the third. Game four went the Titans way again, as Cam Fowler scored in overtime to win game four for the Titans. Fowler was quietly having a legendary postseason, with three or more points in the last three games. Now facing elimination, the poised Dynamo didn’t give up. Gordon Shore scored with three minutes left to give Davos a 3-2 edge over the Titans in game five. Kanou had a 38 save performance in the win for Davos. Now the Titans had to head back to Davos for game six, where the Dynamo once again stiffled the Titans, winning game six to force a seventh game. Brekkers powerplay goal early in the third was the game winner, as the Dynamo edged the Titans 3-2. Game seven had a ton of hype surrounding it, but the Titans quickly jumped on Davos, and won 6-2 and had 50 shots on net. Cam Fowler led the way with 4 points, and the Titans were heading to the finals.
 
The Continental cup finals between the Titans and the Legion felt like a repeat of last year; the Legion should handle whoever comes out of the European conference. Toronto was far better than everyone else, but apparently the Titans didn’t get that memo. They won game one 5-1, including four unanswered goals in the third period, and smothered the Legion, doubling their shot total. In game two, it seemed like a similar story, storming to a 2-0 lead heading to the third. The Legion wouldn’t go down quietly, and dropped three straight goals, including two by James Bencharski. Game three was a battle, tied at two heading to the third. Cam Fowler scored early in the third and the Titans shut down the Legion in the third to win game three. Game four was a repeat of game one, as the Titans took a 3-1 series lead with a 5-1 win over the Legion. They were all over the favored Legion in the first four games of the series, and Toronto was in a similar spot they were in against Calgary. Game five was all Toronto, and the Legion absolutely shut down the Titans offense. Now, it boiled down to a game six. For the Legion, if they lost, it was over. For the Titans, they had a chance to win it all, and losing wasn’t an option. Heading to Toronto for game seven was not what they wanted. The Legion started game six with a quik goal from Peyton Nydroj, but Fowler responded to tie it up. Lars Berger scored at the end of the second to give the Legion a 2-1 lead heading to the second. Cam Fowler tied it again with eight minutes left in the third, but David Walcott gave the Legion another lead just two minutes later. That would not be it, as Adam Schultz tied it at three with 3:15 left in the game. The two teams headed to overtime. Only two minutes in, Syd Drayson scored another clutch goal and the Helsinki Titans became continental cup champions for the first time since season 15. The heavily favored Toronto Legion had fallen, and it seemed like this was the turning point of the Legion’s fortunes. The Titans became a staple in the VHL’s elite, and Cam Fowler won the Playoff MVP trophy.
 
INDIVIDUAL AWARDS
 
Anton Brekker of HC Davos took home the MVP, in a season where Aidan Shaw got absolutely robbed once again. Markus Strauss won the Kevin Brooks and Mike Szatkowski trophy, as previously mentioned. The best defenseman was a shared award, where James Bencharski and Dante Terragini both had outstanding seasons. Aidan Shaw won the top goaltender, and that was the only hardware he would collect that season, despite his legendary performance. Evgeni Fydorov won rookie of the year, to cap off a strong season for Calgary.

 
Season 22 had one of the most incredible underdog wins in VHL history with Helsinki’s win over Toronto. Next season, a trade Seattle made in their contending days comes back and bites them. Multiple block buster trades, and teams taking steps back and teams making positive strides fill season 23, which we will take a look at next monday.

Last week, we took a long look at Season 20. We learned that the HC Davos Dynamo won the championship, we looked at Riga’s legendary offense, and we looked at the epic battle in the finals between Daisuke Kanou and Aidan Shaw, when Toronto and Davos faced off in the finals. Last week we looked at what took place during Season 20. For this rewind back to season 21, we have to look into the offseason, and the madness that was happening.
 
It all started with Davos shipping off Viottu Jannula. Jannula was a top tier offensive defenseman for the Dynamo in their continental cup winning year. They traded him to Toronto, in exchange for their first round pick, who became Pavel Koradek. Jannula was towards the end of his career, and Koradek was a highly touted winger, who would have an incredible career. The Dynamo wanted to get young, and this trade helped accomplish that.
 
Davos wasn’t done just yet. In one of the biggest trades I have seen in the VHL thus far, the Dynamo sent MVP winner Patrick Bergqvist, Jordan Berglund and Phil Esposito to Seattle in exchange for Seattle S22 first, S23 first, S23 second, two third round picks, Lady Gaga and defenseman Heinrich Olen. The team was almost completely different from the previous year, as Anton Brekker and Daisuke Kanou were the only real notable names left on the team. Those picks will be mentioned in future parts of this series, since they aren’t helpful for now.

 
Season 20 only saw one relocation, in which the Madrid Thunder moved to Vasteras to become the Iron Eagles. The change of scenary did not help the Irons Eagles, as they finished with 49 points and last in the European division. The Calgary Wranglers also finished the year poorly, with 53 points, but they were kept afloat by Jardy Bunclewirth’s 136 points, and Mathias Chouinard’s 118 points. While those two teams were not good in any sense of the word, they could be considered gods when compared to the atrocity that was the New York Americans. In what was maybe the worst season by a team in VHL history, they had a pathetic seven wins all year. Jukka Hakkinens 101 points couldn’t save this team. They let in a mind blowing 462 goals. That was 165 more goals against than the second worst team that year, the Calgary Wranglers. How is that even possible.

 
Now that we have discussed the few basement dwellers, lets take a look at the playoff teams. This year saw the Toronto Legion win the Victory Cup, with their lineup showcasing the talents of Lars Berger, Viottu Jannula, and Frans Spelman. Oddly enough, the highest scorer on the team (Berger) only had one hundred points this season. The reason the Legion were so good was largely due to one man; Aidan Shaw. He had an incredible 1.86 GAA as well as a .932 save percentage in a year where I believe he was FISTED ANALLY BY A CIRCUS MONKEY for MVP. He still did win the Aidan Shaw trophy for top goaltender, but that was not enough for the level he played at this year. The Legion finished first place, and he was a huge reason for that.
 
Twelve points behind them, we have the Seattle Bears. After barely squeezing into the playoffs the previous year, they rolled into the playoffs this year. Markus Strauss had another phenominal year, tallying 133 points, as well as thirty blocked shots. The three acquisitions they got from Davos (Berglund, Bergqvist and Esposito) all underperformed, even though they finished with 80+ points. Bergqvist really underperformed, where he went from MVP winning season with 144 points, to the fifth leading scorer on the Bears, having a solid 94 points. 
This team was loaded, however the playoff format was ultimately their demise. Because of the division setup, they had to play the Legion in round one on the road, while Riga got home ice and played a far worse Dynamo team. The Bears had more points than both Riga and Davos, and the playoffs became a controversial topic of discussion.

 
The Riga Reign won the European Division, ten points clear of Davos. Their amazing offense took a clear step back, as Tarik Saeijs failed to break the 130 point marker, and his teammate Mikka Virkkunen had fifty three less points than he had the previous year. It helped that their defense was very good, as Sigmund Olofsson headlined a defense that was a top 3 unit the league that season. They had goaltender Ma’a Nonu really shutting it down, with a season very similar to Daisuke Kanou in terms of stats.
 
As the first three seeds were locked in, the defending champion Dynamo and the Helsinki Titans battled for the final spot in the European division. After the Dynamo blew it up by trading their four top players besides their goalie Daisuke Kanou in exchange for a premium haul of picks, the expectations were somewhat low. Kanou put up a historic campaign, where he had a .926 save percentage and 2.61 goals against. Anton Brekker was one of the few elite players returning from their cup run, and be finished with 118 points that year, including 75 assists. The Helsinki Titans were on the upswing, and improved on their previous year, but still fell out of the playoffs due to a tiebreaker with Davos. They had guys such as Ignatius Feltersnatch, Kevin Hesje and Xavier Martinez, who all finished with one hundred or more points. Unfortunately for Helsinki, they missed the playoffs due to a tiebreaker with Davos.

 
As the trade deadline had passed and we headed into the postseason, it was a little obvious as to what would happen; the winner between the Legion and the Bears would likely win it all, since Riga and Davos were much worse than these two teams. The two North Americans rivals were set to face off in an epic clash for a spot in the finals. Game one was a Toronto victory, as Peyton Nydroj scored two goals and Aiden Shaw had 21 saves for the Legion. Game two was a different story as the Bears won 3-1; and Markus Strauss had another multi point night. With the series tied at one and the teams heading to Seattle, things were looking good for the Bears. The Legion quickly stole any momentum the Bears could have had, and picked up a 2-0 win in game three, and Aiden Shaw had one of his signature big time performances. The Bears, finding themselves in a tough spot, answered back the Legions game three win with a 3-1 win of their own. Markus Strauss continued his epic carry job, with a hat trick in the winning effort. The Bears continued rolling and stole a 2-0 victory over the Legion in game five. This was the first game Strauss was held to zero points. He had a point in every Seattle goal before this game. As they went to Seattle, the Bears were in a position to make their way to the finals on home ice. But it would not happen, as the Legion pummeled the Bears 3-1, and doubled them in shots on goal. Game seven was back up north, and the Legion would make no mistake. As Markus Strauss tallied for the Bears in the first period, the Legion scored three unanswered in the third period to clinch a spot in the finals. Biggie Shakur had two goals in the win for Toronto.
 
The European conference final was an intense series as well. Game one went Riga’s way, with a 5-2 win. This was one of Daisuke Kanou’s rare bad games, and Ma’a Nonu had himself a great game, stopping 51 shots. Tarik Saeijs had four points in that game, but Riga couldn’t keep their momentum in game two. Davos won 2-0, and Kanou answered a poor performance in game one with a clutch shutout in game two. His stellar play wavered in game three though, as both teams traded goals in a 6-4 win for Riga, and Mikka Virkkunen had four points for the Reign. But once again, the momentum failed to continue to the next game, which seems to be a recurring pattern. The Dynamo won game four 4-2 off of two third period goals. The goalies, especially Daisuke Kanou, had failed to seriously impress this series with exception of his shutout and Ma’a Nonu’s 51 save performance. Game five was much of the same for the two goalies, as the Dynamo won 5-4 in overtime, and took a 3-2 series lead over the favored Riga Reign. David Vidal recorded a hat trick for the Dynamo, including what tied the game with six minutes left. Chad Murphy won it in overtime for Davos and they could head back home with their heads up. Game six was the game the Dynamo had been waiting for, as they jumped to a quik 4-1 lead and never looked back. They won it 5-2 off the back of Anton Brekkers four points, and Davos was headed back to the finals

 
The Finals were officially set; it would be a rematch of the previous year between Davos and Toronto. The Dynamo were not nearly as good as last year, yet they had a real shot at repeating. In another battle between Kanou and Shaw, the Dynamo won game one in a low scoring 2-1 game. Anton Brekker scored the game winner with just under five minutes to go, and the Dynamo stole home ice from the Legion. They wouldn’t let it get out of hand though, as they fought back for a 3-1 win in game two. Kanou again failed to impress, finishing with a save percentage under .900 once again. Game three was a different story for Kanou, as he stopped 37 of 39 shots, but it wasn’t enough. Christopher Hawkins snuck one by Kanou to win it in overtime, and gave Toronto a 2-1 series lead. Kanou continued to perform very well but his team simply could not generate offense, and they lost game four 2-1, and heading to Toronto in a 3-1 hole. As game five started, the Dynamo went up 3-1 in the first period, and held the lead into the third. Peyton Nydroj scored five minutes into the third to cut the lead in half, and JD Stormwall scored with four minutes left in the third to force overtime. There was no scoring in the first overtime, or in the second. It took three overtimes to decide our winner, where Lars Berger tucked one home on the Legions 70th shot of the night to win the Continental Cup for Toronto. Kanou made 66 saves on 70 shots, and Shaw made 55 saves on 58 shots. This was a goalie battle for the ages, and Toronto came out on top.
 
While Toronto may have won the most wanted trophy in the VHL, other individual awards had to be handed out as well. Daisuke Kanou won the MVP, with his .926 save percentage. I feel that Aidan Shaw was FISTED ANALLY BY A CIRCUS MONKEY, as he won the top goaltender trophy but not MVP. Jardy Bunclewirth of the Calgary Wranglers won the Mike Szatkowski trophy, with 136 points. Markus Strauss scored 60 goals and Oliver Scarlett had 80 assists, in their Kevin Brooks and Alexander Beketov trophy winning seasons. The top defenseman award also went to Oliver Scarlett. The top rookie was Jon Cruze of Calgary, and the Wranglers were starting to piece together a good young core.

 
That’s all for season 21. It was definitely quite the season for goalies, and not the season the Americans will look fondly on. All in all, the Toronto Legion came out of it with another Continental Cup to their name, and they had some team. Next week we will look at Season 22, where things change pretty drastically for some of the top squads. Feel free to leave feedback in the reply section ? Season 22 will be out Wednesday!

Cats and Dogs Redux

ri·val n. 1. One who attempts to equal or surpass another, or who pursues the same object as another; a competitor. Everyone knows that rivalries exist, especially within sports. Rivalries are often the driving force behind hard work, the thought of topping the person or team you despise the most is just too tantalizing a want to pass up. It raises the level of competition, energy, and most of all; desire. Rivalries are a centralizing part of the Victory Hockey League, and in the past 10 seasons we've seen new rivalries brew up and come close to the rivalries of old such Riga and Davos. Seattle and Toronto began the rivalries of the 2nd "decade" of the VHL and it could be argued that it was the biggest one of the 3 we are going to cover, making the North America Conference a constant dogfight in the playoffs. However, it wasn't long after that a European Conference rivalry was brewing as well. Davos was once again at the center of another bitter rivalry with the Helsinki Titans meeting in the European Conference more than enough times to brew a hate for each other that almost matched that of Riga and Davos nearly 10 seasons before. Finally, possibly the greatest rivalry in the history of the VHL and almost certainly of the past 10 seasons; the Seattle Bears and the New York Americans. It's the closest thing we've gotten to the Riga-Davos rivalry of old, and it was a good one. The GM's pure hatred for each other certainly rubbed off on their players which led to constant conflicts during games and even off ice issues between the squads as well. We will be covering all 3 rivalries and all 3 have been excellent examples of what really makes up a VHL rivalry.

Seattle Bears v Toronto Legion (Season 20-21)

Greg Harbinson over the past decade has certainly been no stranger to conflict and is often at the center of it when it comes to league matters, especially when it involved his own team. But before Greg became known as the GM who would never step down, he was at the center of a rivalry between his Bears and the Toronto Legion. Toronto was led by league figurehead David Knight and were a favorite nearly every single time they played the Legion. Cam Fowler, David Walcott, James Bencharski, Aidan Shaw, Phil Gerrard, Joey Clarence, Patrick Bergqvist, Max Kroenenburg, Lars Berger, JD Stormwall, Peyton Nydroj, and Markus Strauss were just a few of the superstars that played a role in the rivalry. Possibly the most eye popping stat is that between the 2 teams they had elected 9 Hall of Famers  and 2 more that are on the fence that could be inducted in the next few seasons. Both teams were favorites to win the Continental Cup, and it was a toss up for the North American Conference to see who would be able to play for the championship. Unfortunately for the Bears, it was always the Legion who ended up pulling out the victory in the playoffs when it matter thanks to the heroics of legendary goaltender Aidan Shaw. Although the rivalry between Toronto and Seattle didn't last particularly long, at it's peak the intensity and hate between the players was something that caught the attention of everyone in the league. At the time, Lars Berger was the center of the VHL world and often the target of the attacks of the Seattle Bears.
"They were obnoxious, like any contender, but so were we." - Lars Berger

Season 19: The Brewing

Season 19 was the start of the reign of the Legion where all of their young players were finally coming into their own and looking to take home a Continental Cup after dismal years for the Legion. Toronto was fresh off seeing the failure of Malcolm Kelly, who promptly left for the Legion and retired in order to undertake a management role for the Helsinki Titans. During Kelly's time, the Legion finally thought they were headed in the right direction as a franchise. Unfortunately that wasn't the case and Toronto was in a struggle for multiple seasons. Meanwhile on the other spectrum, Seattle was basking in the success of Emerson Hrynyk who Toronto passed over in order to select Malcolm Kelly. Seattle ended up winning the Continental Cup in Season 17 with Hrynyk only to go into a quick rebuild to prepare themselves going into the future. Meanwhile, during Season 19 the Legion were trying to slug it out with the Continental Cup champions Calgary Wranglers to whom they fell to in 5 games. This would prepare the Legion for the future and going into the offseason Bears would be gearing up to round up their rebuild as well.

"I had a certain level of hate for them. Why? They were the best team at that time other than us and they had some unlikable figures. They eventually just got to be annoying, like a buzzing fly wanting attention." -David Knight



Markus Strauss was the Offensive Leader for Seattle

Season 20: The Beginning

At the beginning of the 20th season, we saw a massive trade that saw superstar Lars Berger head to the Legion which began the rebuild for the Wranglers who repeated as champions in Season 19. Although Berger was a relative newcomer to the Legion squad, he fit in extremely well with the personalties on the team like fellow youngsters David Walcott and James Bencharski. Both Bencharski and Shaw were an extremely integral part of the rivalry from the Toronto side of things, and when asked about their thoughts on the rivalry the 2 of them certainly didn't mince words.
 
"He (Greg Harbinson) followed me around all over the rink before games and put his comments in. Greg is a good shit disturber, probably better at that then actually being a General Manager." -James Bencharski

"It was the fact that our rivalry seemed more destined against Davos over Seattle. We just saw Seattle as a stepping stone to the next level. They had a good team but I had faith that my team was better." - Aidan Shaw

Aidan Shaw Could Be the Best Goalie Ever

Toronto was a team that had a lot of confidence, and they had the right to be confident in themselves. They had an obvious franchise goaltender in Aidan Shaw who was poised to become one of the best in the history, everybody knew this before he even began to reach his prime. Walcott and Bencharski were on the blueline and looked excellent, young, and a very high ceiling. With the addition of Lars Berger to the team, it only gave the Legion more confidence that they would be capturing not just 1 title; but multiple. They had depth at all positions, were young, and had the backing of agents who had major success before at the VHL level.

The North America conference seemed wide open for the Legion, but one team planned on giving them competition and that was the Seattle Bears. Seattle was led by a fresh face Greg Harbinson who was looking to put himself on the map by winning a Continental Cup early in his career. Cam Fowler was a player who was becoming a superstar for the Bears and fast, putting himself at the forefront of players who would compete with Lars Berger for the Boulet Trophy year in and out. It wasn't just a team rivalry between the Legion and Bears, it was the players who individually on their own accounts who had a distaste for each other. Although it was short lived, the hate between Seattle and Toronto was border lining to the point where the league considered stepping in. But Season 20 wasn't even the high point of the rivalry, Toronto knew they had the edge over the Bears in Season 20 and some would speculate that the Bears knew it as well. Toronto made short work of the cocky Seattle Bears in the playoffs taking them out in 5 games (all which were relatively close, however) and made their way to the finals like they intended at the beginning of the season. But, much to the happiness of the Bears they fell to the Davos Dynamo and Daisuke Kanou in 7 games in one of the best Continental Cup series of all-time.

Season 21: The Finish

After being swept away by the Legion in 5 games in the playoffs, the Bears and Greg Harbinson realized that if they were to compete with the Legion in Season 21, they needed to make moves. Harbinson decided to jump on the opportunity of a Dynamo team that was looking to move out some of their pieces that were aging off of winning the Season 20 Continental Cup. Seattle made a blockbuster that saw them receive Patrick Bergqvist who was fresh off one of the best season a defenseman has ever had and Geno Esposito who was a crucial part of the Dynamo topping the Legion in the Continental Cup. Seattle gave up 2 1st round picks to get a future free agent in Esposito and a retiring Bergqvist after his season with the Bears. It was an extremely risky deal for Harbinson to make, but it believed it could payoff in the long run for the team if they could manage to topple Toronto. It was a back and forth battle not just through the regular season, but during the playoffs as well. Cam Fowler and Lars Berger were particularly lippy with one another, both were power forwards looking to take their rightful place as the top one in the league.
"They acted like the cup and really winning the North American Conference was their birthright, and we did not take too kindly to it." - Joey Clarence

Once playoffs rolled around, nobody was quite sure who was going to manage to take home the North America conference, some believed Seattle would snatch it back from Toronto and others believed Toronto would once again prove why they were amongst the league's elite. The series went 7 games and after a gruesome battle between the 2 rivals, Toronto once again managed to take home a North American title. Toronto would go on to once again face a younger and less talented Davos squad and claim the Continental Cup in 5 games. Their is little questioning that Seattle also would've won over the Dynamo.

After that season, the Bears franchise had a full on fire sale that saw Cam Fowler, Geno Esposito, Markus Strauss, and Joey Clarence all on the way out of Seattle. Seattle fell into the abyss of the standings for a few seasons after their rivalry with Toronto and for now the rivalry is simmered, but you can never be too sure with the Bears looking competitive this season and the Legion also being the Season 29 Continental Cup champions. Although it's doubtful the rivalry will spark up again anytime soon, it's hard to believe these two hated franchises will forget each other after only 9 seasons.

Helsinki Titans v HC Davos (Season 21-23)

A rivalry that is far less notorious than that of New York vs Seattle or Toronto vs Seattle is Helsinki and Davos. For 3 straight seasons these two European powers butted heads not just off the ice, but on the ice as well. Although it didn't have the intensity or fire of the other two, it can be said that it was the most competitive rivalry of the three.  General Managing the Dynamo was Harvey Singh, who recently stepped in for Miroslav Ladic to get things under control in Davos. In Finland, it was notorious VHL'er Joey Kendrick who was running things for the Titans. He was representing Helsinki goaltender Jakob Kjeldsen and in the hunt for a Continental Cup sooner rather than later.  These 2 general managers were bound to butt heads from the start, Singh was an extremely outspoken manager and Kendrick often was the same way and very opinionated. From the start the two were going after each other, trying to out best one another on the ice and in the VHL media. This rivalry had a lot of push behind it and is an interesting story, but it has never gotten the publicity it truly deserved.

Season 21: Developing Distaste

After Davos was fresh off of a Continental Cup win, they sold their 2 of their best skaters in Patrick Bergqvist and Geno Esposito, because of this Davos fell from Continental Cup winners to favorites to finish in the basement of the league. But with talent like Anton Brekker and Daisuke Kanou in the fold, it was made evident half way through the season that the Dynamo were going to do their best to make sure that wasn't the case. However, a young Titans team was ready to make a name for themselves with players like Ignatius Feltersnatch, Adam Schultz, and Kevin Hesje. Not to mention an extremely talented Riga team that won the European conference pretty handedly in the regular season. But the story of the season was the race for the final playoff spot in the European Conference, Davos and Helsinki were in a tight race all year long to get that 2nd seed in Europe. In the end, the two teams managed to tie in overall point on the season. However, with the Dynamo having the edge in wins by 1 win, they had the opportunity to go to the big dance. When the Dynamo got there, they managed to upset the 1st seeded Riga Reign on the back of Kanou and went on to face the favorites in the Toronto Legion only to fall in 5 games. However, Joey Kendrick had more than a few moves up his sleeves in order to get the Titans in the playoff picture. But fortunately for the Dynamo, Harvey Singh was thinking about next season as well. Both GM's would make themselves amongst the class of the league in Season 22, and the ride would kick up more than a few notches going forward.

Davos Struggled to Beat Helsinki

Season 22: Things Heat Up

A familiar face with rivalries in Cam Fowler joined Helsinki after a fire sale by the Seattle Bears. Fowler again was the center of a rivalry controversy between Davos and the Titans. Although most of the attention and bickering was surrounded around the General Mangers (who still to this day hate each other), Cam Fowler still certainly played a big role in the rivalry. After the slipping of the Riga Reign, the European Conference became a battle between the Titans and the Dynamo. All of Season 22 was a neck and neck race for who would be the first seed, finally being awarded to the Dynamo who were led by legend Daisuke Kanou. Once the playoffs began, Kanou was looking across at perhaps one of the most underrated (and certainly overshadowed) goaltenders of all time in Jakob Kjeldsen. In one of the best 1st rounds in playoff history where Calgary and the Legion went 7 games to decide who would advance to the finals; the same thing happened between the Dynamo and Titans. After Helsinki jumped out to a 3-1 series lead with a dominant performance by Cam Fowler, most assumed that it would be over quickly. But quicker than Helsinki got up 3-1, the Dynamo rallied back to tie the series at 3 a piece and force a Game 7 back in Zurich. Despite their best attempts, the Davos stereotype of having a team of hot heads reared it's ugly head. Davos gave Helsinki power play opportunities for almost a whole period throughout the game; Cam Fowler once again was the hero and had a dominant performance in Game 7 which saw the Titans beat their rivals and avoid the series comeback by the Dynamo. Helsinki would go on to defeat the Toronto Legion in 6 games and win the Continental Cup, giving them bragging rights over the Dynamo at least until next season rolled around. Davos was looking to improve going into next season and they did; but so did the Titans.

"The big thing with Davos and Helsinki was the Harvey-Kendrick rivalry. There was a ton of cheap shots coming from both sides, mainly from Harvey which he will freely admit." - Cam Fowler

Season 23: Playing Both Sides

Going into the offseason of Season 22 was certainly one of the most interesting actions to happen within the rivalry. Shortly after winning the Continental Cup with the Titans, Adam Schultz hit free agency. Most expected Schultz to resign with Helsinki but felt as though he was weighing his options in free agency. But then the expected happened, Adam Schultz signed a multi-year deal with Davos to play under Harvey Singh. Joey Kendrick was displeased to say the least and the fire between the two teams went from calm to blazing once again. Shortly after signing with the Dynamo, Davos also locked up now Hall of Famer defenseman Japinder Singh in the same offseason. Davos was projected to take down Helsinki fairly easily in Season 23, but then Joey Kendrick pulled the trigger on a trade that saw Tarik Saeijs round out the Helsinki offense and add a dominant force to put alongside Feltersnatch and Fowler. The fantastic offense of the Titans were set to have a great rivalry with the stout defense of the Davos Dynamo. Not surprisingly, the regular season was once again very competitive between the two rivals and the off ice clashes were as frequent and heated as ever. Japinder Singh was a vocal new addition to the rivalry and Adam Schultz was frequently involved in the clashes with his former team as well. In the most anticipated playoff matchup in the European Conference since Davos versus Riga, the pressure was on both teams; especially Helsinki who had a closing window with their current players. In a battle to reach the Continental Cup finals in a matchup with Calgary, Helsinki once again came out as the victors over the Dynamo winning the series in 6 games. Helsinki's offense and veteran leadership proved to be too much for Davos. However, the Titans would go on to lose in the finals to the Calgary Wranglers.

Schultz Could've Been Considered a Titan Legend, He is Now Considered a Traitor

"I still believe we were the better team, I'm not exactly sure how we lost to them. I guess they just got lucky, they were too confident for their own good and somehow they just managed to come out on top. Kjeldsen played great and so did Fowler. I respect the team, but I still think we should've came out on top in the series." -Vadim Volkov

After Season 23, Helsinki went into a retool that saw them made a trade with the Dynamo for Pavel Koradek and Claudio Martucci in Season 24. Davos continued to compete and would go onto win 2 Continental Cups in Season 24 and 25,  Helsinki won the head to head rivalry; who won in the end?

New York Americans v Seattle Bears (Season 25-28)

It's been 6 seasons since Greg Harbinson began has original rivalry with the Toronto Legion and despite the Legion-Bear rivalry being long over, Greg Harbinson once again found himself in an intense battle with a North American team. In what I believe was the best rivalry since Riga versus Davos, the Seattle Bears and New York Americans duked it out in the North American Conference for 4 straight seasons. Greg Harbinson and Sam Helberg had a hate for each other on the managing level unlike any in the history of the league and it reflected on the players. Future Hall of Famers Daniel Braxton and Jarvis Baldwin were in on the fun since the beginning. New York was consistently one of the top teams in the league throughout the rivalry, but in the end Seattle outnumbered the Americans in Cups by the end of the rivalry.

Season 25: Growing Up Together

Season 25 saw the process of rebuilding in both Seattle and New York. Although Seattle was still struggling and New York made the finals in Season 25 (only to lose to Davos in 5 games) both teams were still young and getting better every single season. Although New York was a competitor, they also had a lot of key aging players such as Jukka Hakkinen, Ignatius Feltersnatch, and Keon Henderson. With Seattle rising out of a rebuild it seemed as though the two teams were destined to clash in the near future. During Season 26 things really began to heat up between the two teams and many different personalties on each team played a huge role. With New York making the finals in Season 25, they had plans of doing the same in Season 26 except with a different ending. Seattle however, wanted to make goal a lot tougher than they expected.

Season 26: Seattle Wants to Play

With the retirement of franchise player Jukka Hakkinen, the Americans needed someone to fill the void of a leader on and off the ice. GM Sam Helberg did one better and went out and traded for Adam Schultz and Kristian Carlsson, both who were on top of their game during their time with New York but again, aging. Seattle with their young and improving roster went out and got superstar (at that time) Evgeni Fyodorov in order to keep pace with the Americans. Fyodorov would prove to be an extremely valuable asset for the Bears, scoring 139 points in 72 games and beating out any other Bears player in scoring by 26 points. With Seattle beginning to pose a threat for the Americans, things really began to heat up between the teams. 3rd year player Daniel Braxton was at the center of the conflicts, often having verbal altercations with Felix Peters whenever the two teams faced off with one another. Often it seemed as though other teams were being asked about what they thought of the rivalry between the two teams from an outside perspective.
"In my opinion, they're acting like idiots and not hockey players. They're more worried about chirping each other than getting better. They're both great teams, but I think they need to worry about winning the battle on the scoreboard and not the verbal battles." - Ansgar Snijider

Seattle and New York would go onto face each other in what would be the first of their 3 playoff meetings in the next 3 seasons. Things were high tension and often youngsters Kasey Braun, Jarvis Baldwin, Benjamin Glover, and Daniel Braxton probably played the series with fuses a lot shorter than they should've. For a young team with less talent, Seattle put up the best fight they could've versus a strong Americans team; but in the end the Bears lost to the Americans in 6 games. But to the pleasantry of the Bears players, in the Americans 2nd straight trip to the finals they once again fell to their European counterparts. Iron Eagles of Vasteras beat New York in 6 games and won their first Continental Cup since Season 1. New York was beginning to get frustrated; and Seattle knew they would be better in Season 27.


Seattle and New York Fought Plenty.

"I did hate them. I didn't like how they all seemed to show up to discussions relating to the Bears. I feel like they felt their opinion mattered more than other people's. Any time Greg would open his mouth, they would follow up with some bullshit." - Jarvis Baldwin

Season 27: Shaking It Up

After New York losing two of their best players from last season in Adam Schultz and Kristian Carlsson, they needed a player to round out their defense. Lars Intranquilo was the epitome of a defensive defenseman, which is exactly what the Americans needed at that point in time to stop the now stout Bears offense. But that wasn't the story of the offseason of the two teams, Seattle made a trade with Riga in one of the biggest and most surprising blockbusters in VHL history sending captain Kasey Braun to the Reign in exchange for a slew of picks. Many questioned Seattle's reasoning due to their wanting to compete and Braun being a huge part of that competitiveness. However, Mitch Higgins was quickly becoming one of the best defenseman in the league and filled in the hole beautifully that the Braun trade left. However, on the other end of the spectrum in New York Daniel Braxton established himself as THE best defenseman in the league where he won the Labatte Trophy in Season 27. With both Seattle and New York having 2 players who were neck and neck for the best on the blue line, the competitive nature between the teams continued to rise. Sam Helberg and Greg Harbinson were clashing in the media more than ever and the rivalry was getting ugly both on and off the ice between the two teams. Both teams were looking at winning a Continental Cup and had both the talent to accomplish it, but the problem was they were going to once again be facing each other in the North American Conference finals. In an extremely hard fought series where the Bears dropped 1 or 2 games they could've won, the Americans once again got the best of the Bears in an excellent series that went 7 games. The closeness of the series was almost unbelievable with only 1 game being separated by 2 or more goals, and Game 1 in the series went into 4 overtimes; making it the longest game in VHL history at that point in time. With New York making their 3rd straight trip to the Continental Cup finals, it seemed as though it was destiny for New York to finally win their 2nd Continental Cup. Unfortunately, it just wasn't in the cards once again for the Americans where they lost to an extremely talented Helsinki Titans team led by Pavel Koradek and Leeroy Jenkins. The window for the Americans was closing and fast, they knew they only had one maybe 2 more chances to win their Cup and Seattle was still improving every season.

"There's no doubt that there was some brash arrogance on the squad. I guess you could say all good teams that have the confidence, but New York had never won anything. I will say, their general manager is a very smart guy, and he knows it." - Jarvis Baldwin

Season 28: Same Teams, Different Round

In one of the biggest restructures in the history of the VHL, the Commissioners made the decision to allow the teams with the 4 best records in the entire league to make the playoffs and have a crossover, as opposed to a playoff matchup versus teams in the same conference. Everyone knew what this meant, a Continental Cup matchup between the Bears and the Americans was well on its way to happening. For the 4th season in a row, Sam Helberg and Greg Harbinson were at each other's throats at every opportunity possible. Knowing the stakes that Season 28 brought with the Toronto Legion, Davos Dynamo, and Calgary Wranglers all young and on the rise extremely quickly. Despite these rising teams, the only real teams considered to win the Continental Cup were Seattle and the Americans. That's what ended up being the finals like everyone expected, once again for the 3rd season in a row the two league powerhouses met in the playoffs for what would be the last time. After the Calgary Wranglers gave the Bears a 7 game scare in the opening rounds, they eventually pulled out the series in the 7th game ready to face the Americans who beat the Davos Dynamo in 6 games. It had finally happened, one of the two teams were about to capture the a Continental Cup and likely have bragging rights for who came out on top in the end between the two teams. In a series were Calliou Gifford had one of the best goaltending performances in recent history, the Seattle Bears won their first playoff series against their rivals when it mattered the most. Seattle had done it, and New York for the 4th straight season fell to their competitors in the Continental Cup Finals. Greg Harbinson had waited a long time for his first Continental Cup, winning it against their bitter rivals in the end must have made it all the sweeter for the long tenured general manager.


Seattle finally won it all.

"The three series we played against one another were the peak of it. The first two being conference finals where we were able to dominated and then upset the Bears in back to back years spawned some of the most interesting game discussion I've ever seen. The next season, when the crossover was introduced, we met in the finals, where the Bears were able to dispatch of us in 6 games." -Daniel Braxton

Although the Bears and Americans remained competitive in Season 29, the stepping down of Greg Harbinson after their Continental Cup win settled the fire of the rivalry between the two teams. The hostility was gone and it was hardly the same between New York and Seattle. Both Seattle and New York made the playoffs once again in Season 29, but only to lose to the youngsters in Davos and Toronto in the 1st round. After Season 29, Sam Helberg stepped down in New York as well; thus putting the end to the Seattle-New York rivalry all together. One of the most genuine hate filled and competitive rivalries this league has ever seen lasted over 4 seasons. The rivalry between Seattle and New York was exciting not just for those involved but from outside spectators as well. For teams who didn't compete, the playoffs were always and exciting time to see which team would come out on top.

What makes rivalries so special in this league is the excitement and intrigue it puts in for the entire league. Some may hate the constant attacking between two hated teams in seemingly every thread; but where is the fun in agreeing and congratulating each other every single game? Hockey is a game of passion, their is no passion in being friends with the opposing team. Despite us having no rivalries currently in the VHL, I believe their will be one sooner rather than later. Although none of the rivalries in the 20's matched that of Riga versus Davos, we were certainly a lucky bunch to see 3 rivalries all with their own characteristics.

Lol not a soul got it right

The easiest one is Schrute - Peace. The guy corrected Thran's spelling of Battlestar Galactica for christ's sake.

My player has been producing lately. Nice change of pace, considering I was on a stretch of something like 40 games and only 10 points until the last handful of games

1. Last WJC I was on Team World and made the all-WJC team, so hopefully I can dominate for USA, as one of the top players.
 
2. USA Baby. My home country and couldn't be prouder to represent
 
3. USA is really good, I think they will take it. Canada is looking good but USA is really solid, they should be able to give Canada a strong fight.
 
4. I'm getting MVP. I'm confident, even though I am offended I was put on the second line. 
 
5. I'm going to make the all star team, Brady Stropko, Basabara Moose, Elasmobranch Fish, HHH, Joe Nixon. Not sure how many spots there are but that would be my five before the tourney starts
 
6. The US has the best national anthem tbh. I don't sing it at sports games but it gets me fired up if it is a good performance. If it sucks than it kind of ruins the hype

USA looks ?

Potential WJC Season 65 Team USA
 
Line 1:
Left Wing: Kyson Blake Center: Gritty Right Wing: Matthew Materazo
Now, this is a really great first line you have Kyson Blake who is a pure sniper who is also a great all-around skater.
Gritty is a wonderfully powerful puck handler who can handle the puck gracefully and get deep into the zone, He can also shoot well enough to hold his own.
Matthew Materazo is the playmaker who lets this line shine with his unselfish play and ability to let his line-mates do what they do best.
 
Line 2:
Left Wing: Jose Gonzalez Center: Hunter Hearst Helmsley Right Wing: Katie Warren
Jose is a great addition to the second line. He is a player who is a good mixture of a player who has a good shot as well as the ability to pass very well.
Hunter Hearst Helmsley is a great center who is currently still in the VHLM and is already able to score at will and keep his opponent one edge with his ability to outskate and puck handle any defense. 
Katie Warren rounds out this line with the unselfish play-making ability that lets the line-mates do great things and balance each other out.
 
Line 3:
Left Wing: Shane Mars Center: Orion Slade Right Wing: Josh Harris
Shane Mars is another VHLMer who is currently tearing it up right now in the VHLM and can do great work on the WCJ team. With his scoring and general skating ability, it will be a pleasure to see him on the team.
Orion Slade is a center who is a great all-around offensive player. He can shoot, pass, skate and handle the puck with ease. Look for him to make good use of the third line.
Josh Harris is a great sniper who will help this line-mates by always being in the right place to get a good shoot off so that his line can capitalize on any situation given to him. 
Line 4:
Left Wing: Matteo Center: Teagan Glover Right Wing: Rocky LaGarza
Matteo is perfect for a fourth line that can be physical and push the other team around. I would not be surprised if he starts a few games just to check and fight the other team and get them off their game.
Teagan Glover is an absolute legend in Halifax right now doing work and getting his team-mates opportunities to great things. Teagan is a well-rounded player who deserves a spot on this team and will only get better as time goes on.
Rocky LaGarza is a strong offensive player who will balance out the rest of the line in his true offensive nature. Where Matteo might check someone out of the play Teagan will bring up the puck and Rocky will be where he needs to be to make a play.
 
Defensive Pair 1:
Left Defense: Dallas Jones Right Defense: Eric Parker
Dallas Jones is a strong defensive player who will be the cornerstone of this USA team. He plays the tough defensive game that makes the other team pay to get near the goalie. Don't sleep on Dallas on the power play either he has a wicked slapshot that can and will go in.
Whereas Dallas was the tough defender Eric Parker is the defender who is more all over the place in his ability and play style. Eric is a great position player who has great hockey IQ and that allows him to play whatever style the team needs at any given moment.
 
Defensive Pair 2:
Left Defense: Fylo Gibbles Right Defense: Charlie Paddywagon
Fylo Gibbles is a great defensive defenseman who will keep opposing forwards away from his goalie. He also has a nice shot if given the space. Fylo is a great skater one of the best on his teams.
Charlie Paddywagon is a strong defender who worries more about defense and stopping people than he does about getting points. He is a great skater but his defensive play is one of the best. Maybe one of the best on this team USA roster. 
Defensive Pair 3:
Left Defense: Jerry Garcia Right Defense: Rusty Shackleford
Jerry Garcia is a younger skater who is known for his breakout ability. He is great at making sure he makes the right pass or keep the puck himself until he and his team is out of danger and out of his own zone.
Rusty Shackleford is a wonderful foil to Jerry. Rusty will check someone out of the play so that Jerry can push the puck out of their zone. Given more time these two could be higher on the depth chart but for now, they could be great additions to the team.
Starting Goalie:
Joe Nixon
Joe Nixon may not be a starter in the VHL yet be he is learning under one of the best goalies in the league right now Tristan Iseult. With that kind of learning and his practicing he has been doing, I am excited to see what he can do with the starting role.
Backup Goalie:
Cole Mertz
Is a strong back up on his current team of HC Davos Dynamo and he will be a strong backup for team USA. 
 
Couple players who are on the outside looking in:
Justin Cole - G
Justin Cole is a great young goalie who even if not on this USA team this year will be a great goalie for years to come.
David Harrison - C
David Harrison us a great center who starts a play off right by getting the faceoffs when they count. He is developing into a good all-around offensive player who if he continues to grow could make a good addition to this team.
Julius Freeman - LW
Julius Freeman is a wonderful playmaker who is really new to the league and is on his first season but already near the top of players who can play in the WJC in season 65. If he grows and some people slack off you might see him steal a winger position maybe.
 
 
AK47 - RW
I'm actually not sure if AK47 is able to play since he is on the WJC Eligibility list but he is also retired. If he can play he would be the second line RW but if he is retired then he is retired.
 
1,055 words - Will use for 2 weeks - March 18th- 24th and March 25th-31st
 

"Anyway, here's Wonderwall," said Halifax GM Anthony Rogers, pulling an acoustic guitar out from under his desk. 
 
The press let him get halfway through the first verse before politely informing him that the press conference was, in fact, not over, and that it would be nice, so very nice, if he could give the time to answer a few more questions about his team, the Halifax 21st, currently (and suspiciously) atop the VHLM standings behind some admittedly (though, again, suspiciously) stellar play from a few star players and the team as a whole. The conference got under way again, and ran smoothly until Rogers was asked for his opinion on the VHLM's two expansion franchises: the Houston Bulls and Philadelphia Reapers. At the mention of these names, Rogers showed no reaction whatsoever and asked the reporter to repeat himself. When he did, Rogers' response was a simple "I don't know what you're talking about." 
 
The 21st's response, or rather lack thereof, to negative anecdotes from Houston's players could certainly be explained by the situation at hand, as Rogers seemed to have no idea that the Bulls (or the Reapers) even existed in the first place, even after having played both. 
 
"So that's where Kozlov went," said Rogers, looking over Houston's roster and noticing Viktor Kozlov, a physical forward previously owned by the 21st and the lone player to be selected in this season's VHLM Expansion Draft. "Garcia, too. When the last round in this draft came up we looked for him, but he just wasn't there. I thought he just quit or something." 
 
Various Halifax players could not be reached for further comments or reactions.
 
(@McWolf I did it)