hockeyis66

“I was lucky enough to get a couple of assists in my first game with Miami, but would have rather gotten the win for the team as we lost 3-2.  We definitely didn’t get enough shots on goal and I certainly had some chances to shoot more and looking at the tape after the game, the coaches pointed that out as something for me to work on in the next game.”
 
“Against Mississauga in my second game, I assisted on our first goal on the power play and then early in the third period, I was able to get my first goal of the season on a one timer from the right circle on a great pass from Jahey and beat the goalie to the blocker side under the cross bar.  We made it 4-3 a few minutes later but the Hounds got a late goal and we lost 5-3."
 
“I am thankful for the Miami franchise giving me the opportunity to come right into the lineup and play over 20 minutes a game so far and my coaches have been very helpful so far in practice giving me areas to work on in my game and making sure I am taking my shots on goal and looking for open teammates to set them up as well.”

“I was lucky enough to get a couple of assists in my first game with Miami, but would have rather gotten the win for the team as we lost 3-2.  We definitely didn’t get enough shots on goal and I certainly had some chances to shoot more and looking at the tape after the game, the coaches pointed that out as something for me to work on in the next game.”
 
“Against Mississauga in my second game, I assisted on our first goal on the power play and then early in the third period, I was able to get my first goal of the season on a one timer from the right circle on a great pass from Jahey and beat the goalie to the blocker side under the cross bar.  We made it 4-3 a few minutes later but the Hounds got a late goal and we lost 5-3."
 
“I am thankful for the Miami franchise giving me the opportunity to come right into the lineup and play over 20 minutes a game so far and my coaches have been very helpful so far in practice giving me areas to work on in my game and making sure I am taking my shots on goal and looking for open teammates to set them up as well.”

Player Information
Username: hockeyis66
Player Name: Alexandre Crosby
Recruited From: Returning
Age: 16
Position: LW
Height: 75 in.
Weight: 205 lbs.
Birthplace: Italy

Player Page
@VHLM GM

Player Information
Username: hockeyis66
Player Name: Alexandre Crosby
Recruited From: Returning
Age: 16
Position: LW
Height: 75 in.
Weight: 205 lbs.
Birthplace: Italy

Player Page
@VHLM GM

Player Information
Username: hockeyis66
Player Name: Alexandre Crosby
Recruited From: Returning
Age: 16
Position: LW
Height: 75 in.
Weight: 205 lbs.
Birthplace: Italy

Player Page
@VHLM GM

Player Information
Username: hockeyis66
Player Name: Alexandre Crosby
Recruited From: Returning
Age: 16
Position: LW
Height: 75 in.
Weight: 205 lbs.
Birthplace: Italy

Player Page
@VHLM GM

Player Information
Username: hockeyis66
Player Name: Alexandre Crosby
Recruited From: Returning
Age: 16
Position: LW
Height: 75 in.
Weight: 205 lbs.
Birthplace: Italy

Player Page
@VHLM GM

The Moscow Menace came into the season with hopes of contending for a playoff spot with their younger roster and while the season started off promising, their youth showed throughout the middle and second half of the season as the team fell out of playoff contention in the European Conference.  The Menace finished the season with a 23-40-9 record which was good for 55 points and a 7th place finish in the conference.  They were 20 points out of the 5th and final playoff spot and 9 points back of 6th place. 
 
Moscow ranked 11th out of 16 teams with 237 goals scored and ranked 12th in defense with 283 goals scored against.  The average for both was 252 goals, so the Menace were just short of average in goals scored and above average in goals given up.  The goal difference of -46 ranked third worst in the league.  The Menace were also the most penalized team in the league which put a lot of pressure on the penalty killing units to deliver but they were 12th in the league at 77% stoppage rate which was below league average.  The power play converted on about 19% of its chances which also was slightly below league average as well.  The team did like to throw the body around and ranked 8th in hits and was slightly above average in that category.
 

Idaho scoring one of his team high 41 goals on the season
 
The Menace won 5 out of 6 games against Helsinki with the other game being a loss in a shootout and won 3 of 4 games against Toronto.  The team also went 2 and 2 against New York and Riga while having a losing record against the other teams in the league.
 
The Menace goalie duo of Andrew Bowman and Papa Emeritus faced a lot of shots during the season with Bowman seeing the bulk of action in 56 games.  He posted a 17-27-4 record with a 4.11 GAA and a .896 save percentage.  He did post one shutout on the season and had a .444 penalty shot percentage.  Emeritus saw action as a rookie in 31 games and had a .924 save percentage and a 3.20 GAA.  He did not have a shutout and posted a .636 penalty shot save percentage.
 

Rookie Emeritus making a save in his VHL debut
 
Winger Philip Stein led the team in assists with 64 and points with 87 on the season.  He also had the most power play points on the team with 26 while playing around 25 minutes per game.  Winger Duncan Idaho was first on the team in goals with 41 and scoring the second most points with 84.  He also had the most penalty minutes with 185, hits with 329 and shots with 453.  Center Paul Atreides was the only other Menace player to average more than a point a game with 82 points on 32 goals and 50 assists. 
 
The defense was led by the duo of Aurelien Moreau and Hard Markinson as they complied 66 and 64 points respectively.  Markinson had 27 goals which ranked 4th on the team and his 18 power play goals led the team as well.  More importantly, both players were above a +14 on the season and logged over 27 minutes a game while averaging less than a penalty per game.
 
The offseason is interesting really for any team and more so now for the Menace as they do have their own first round pick.  Will they try to nab a free agent or two or continue with the current course of adding a veteran through a trade and letting the younger players develop?  The next week or two will be telling as a trip to the playoffs are on the horizon.
 
word count: 610

1 -- the team that wins their last game of the season, malmo
 
2 -- havent really looked or paid attention enough to see the logos and stuff
 
3 -- basketball
 
4 -- probably not and will probably not pay attention 
 
5 -- anywhere that has a beach and is warm 
 
6 -- BBQ easily

It was a tough end to the season for us especially since we went up 3-0 on Calgary in the last game of the season, but then ended up losing 5-4 as they scored two third period goals to win the game.  We lost a lot of games not only by one goal this season but also in the third period, so that is definitely something as a team that we will have to work on during the offseason and coming into next season.   We will be more mature as a group and the consistency level should be better among our younger players to ensure we start winning games like that which should help propel us toward the playoffs next season.
 
I was glad to hit my goal of 50 points on the season and over 20 goals, but I was really expecting closer to 60 or more points on the season so it was a disappointed from that standpoint.  I have to work on getting my shooting percentage up cause the shots are there no doubt, I just need to do a better job on hitting the back of the net.  Will also continue to work on my skating and puck handling during the off season too and will not lose focus on playing solid two way hockey either.

The Moscow Menace came into the season with hopes of contending for a playoff spot with their younger roster and while the season started off promising, their youth showed throughout the middle and second half of the season as the team fell out of playoff contention in the European Conference.  The Menace finished the season with a 23-40-9 record which was good for 55 points and a 7th place finish in the conference.  They were 20 points out of the 5th and final playoff spot and 9 points back of 6th place. 
 
Moscow ranked 11th out of 16 teams with 237 goals scored and ranked 12th in defense with 283 goals scored against.  The average for both was 252 goals, so the Menace were just short of average in goals scored and above average in goals given up.  The goal difference of -46 ranked third worst in the league.  The Menace were also the most penalized team in the league which put a lot of pressure on the penalty killing units to deliver but they were 12th in the league at 77% stoppage rate which was below league average.  The power play converted on about 19% of its chances which also was slightly below league average as well.  The team did like to throw the body around and ranked 8th in hits and was slightly above average in that category.
 

Idaho scoring one of his team high 41 goals on the season
 
The Menace won 5 out of 6 games against Helsinki with the other game being a loss in a shootout and won 3 of 4 games against Toronto.  The team also went 2 and 2 against New York and Riga while having a losing record against the other teams in the league.
 
The Menace goalie duo of Andrew Bowman and Papa Emeritus faced a lot of shots during the season with Bowman seeing the bulk of action in 56 games.  He posted a 17-27-4 record with a 4.11 GAA and a .896 save percentage.  He did post one shutout on the season and had a .444 penalty shot percentage.  Emeritus saw action as a rookie in 31 games and had a .924 save percentage and a 3.20 GAA.  He did not have a shutout and posted a .636 penalty shot save percentage.
 

Rookie Emeritus making a save in his VHL debut
 
Winger Philip Stein led the team in assists with 64 and points with 87 on the season.  He also had the most power play points on the team with 26 while playing around 25 minutes per game.  Winger Duncan Idaho was first on the team in goals with 41 and scoring the second most points with 84.  He also had the most penalty minutes with 185, hits with 329 and shots with 453.  Center Paul Atreides was the only other Menace player to average more than a point a game with 82 points on 32 goals and 50 assists. 
 
The defense was led by the duo of Aurelien Moreau and Hard Markinson as they complied 66 and 64 points respectively.  Markinson had 27 goals which ranked 4th on the team and his 18 power play goals led the team as well.  More importantly, both players were above a +14 on the season and logged over 27 minutes a game while averaging less than a penalty per game.
 
The offseason is interesting really for any team and more so now for the Menace as they do have their own first round pick.  Will they try to nab a free agent or two or continue with the current course of adding a veteran through a trade and letting the younger players develop?  The next week or two will be telling as a trip to the playoffs are on the horizon.
 
word count: 610

1 -- young team compared to a lot of the other teams in the league, we should see a good leap next season
 
2 -- depth and leadership
 
3 -- it is what it is with the pick but i am still going out and showing Moscow what i can do as a player
 
4 -- probably will not pay attention to much if any of the playoffs in either league
 
5 -- better all around play -- skating, passing, handling, etc
 
6 -- Idaho

The Rookie of the Year race was wide open to start the season and then it boiled down to 3 players for a while – Jerome and Tyler Reinhart both of Vancouver and Jaromir Lemieux of Moscow.  However, the two Reinhart brothers have both separated themselves from the pack and will be dueling it out for the award over the final 15 games or so of the season.
 
Jerome Reinhart currently leads all rookies with 30 goals and 62 points while only playing 19 minutes per game.  He has a shooting percentage of 12%, a plus rating of +15, only 20 penalty minutes but has been crazy good on the power play so far this season with 8 goals and 15 assists for 23 out of his 62 points.  He isn’t afraid to throw the body around as well with over 70+ hits.
 
His brother, Tyler, has 25 goals and 33 assists which is good for 58 points and the second best point total among rookies so far.  He is a +12 on the season and plays just over 21 minutes per game.  He too has over 70 hits on the season and a shooting percentage of 9%.  He has a few more points on the power play with 12 goals and 16 assists for 28 points.
 
Both players play on the first and fourth lines and have helped the Wolves to a 61 point season to put the team in 6th place in the North American Conference.  They currently sit 6 points out of the 5th and final playoff spot.  The Reinhart brothers have very similar stat lines and there really isn’t much to separate them both from the award.  Jerome would slightly get the nod for me as he is a little more productive in less minutes and 30 goals as a rookie looks mighty good as well.
 
Jaromir Lemieux currently sits in 3rd place among all rookies with 46 points on 20 goals and 26 assists while playing just over 28 minutes per game for the Menace.  He is a -13 on the season with a shooting percentage of 8%.  He doesn’t hit much with only 19 checks on the season and his power play points are significantly lower than the Reinhart brothers as Lemiuex only has 1 goal and 8 assists for 9 points to go along with one shorthanded goal.  The Menace are in 7th place in the European Conference with 48 points and are 13 points out of a playoff spot.
 
In 4th place with 16 goals and 18 assists for 34 points is Riga winger, Anze Miklavz.  Anze has played nearly 27 minutes per game with a shooting percentage just under 10% and is only a -4 on the season.  He has also been pretty efficient on the power play with 5 goals and 9 assists in helping the Reign to currently hold down the 3rd spot in the European Conference.
 
Lastly, 3 players are tied for 5th in points with 32 points each – Shane Lazeski – 10 goals and 22 assists, Bogdan Trunov – 14 goals and 18 assists and the lone defenseman in the top 5 is Nathan Powers with 6 goals and 26 assists.  His 26 assists is tied for 3rd best among all rookies.
 
Word count: 542

The Rookie of the Year race was wide open to start the season and then it boiled down to 3 players for a while – Jerome and Tyler Reinhart both of Vancouver and Jaromir Lemieux of Moscow.  However, the two Reinhart brothers have both separated themselves from the pack and will be dueling it out for the award over the final 15 games or so of the season.
 
Jerome Reinhart currently leads all rookies with 30 goals and 62 points while only playing 19 minutes per game.  He has a shooting percentage of 12%, a plus rating of +15, only 20 penalty minutes but has been crazy good on the power play so far this season with 8 goals and 15 assists for 23 out of his 62 points.  He isn’t afraid to throw the body around as well with over 70+ hits.
 
His brother, Tyler, has 25 goals and 33 assists which is good for 58 points and the second best point total among rookies so far.  He is a +12 on the season and plays just over 21 minutes per game.  He too has over 70 hits on the season and a shooting percentage of 9%.  He has a few more points on the power play with 12 goals and 16 assists for 28 points.
 
Both players play on the first and fourth lines and have helped the Wolves to a 61 point season to put the team in 6th place in the North American Conference.  They currently sit 6 points out of the 5th and final playoff spot.  The Reinhart brothers have very similar stat lines and there really isn’t much to separate them both from the award.  Jerome would slightly get the nod for me as he is a little more productive in less minutes and 30 goals as a rookie looks mighty good as well.
 
Jaromir Lemieux currently sits in 3rd place among all rookies with 46 points on 20 goals and 26 assists while playing just over 28 minutes per game for the Menace.  He is a -13 on the season with a shooting percentage of 8%.  He doesn’t hit much with only 19 checks on the season and his power play points are significantly lower than the Reinhart brothers as Lemiuex only has 1 goal and 8 assists for 9 points to go along with one shorthanded goal.  The Menace are in 7th place in the European Conference with 48 points and are 13 points out of a playoff spot.
 
In 4th place with 16 goals and 18 assists for 34 points is Riga winger, Anze Miklavz.  Anze has played nearly 27 minutes per game with a shooting percentage just under 10% and is only a -4 on the season.  He has also been pretty efficient on the power play with 5 goals and 9 assists in helping the Reign to currently hold down the 3rd spot in the European Conference.
 
Lastly, 3 players are tied for 5th in points with 32 points each – Shane Lazeski – 10 goals and 22 assists, Bogdan Trunov – 14 goals and 18 assists and the lone defenseman in the top 5 is Nathan Powers with 6 goals and 26 assists.  His 26 assists is tied for 3rd best among all rookies.
 
Word count: 542

1 -- more excitement around new members -- weekly spotlight, interviews, etc -- wouldo help to make them feel more part of the league on the forums
 
2 -- have some sort of prospect game before the draft, even if its just 4 teams, would help lead up to more excitement before the draft and you get to see how your player performs vs the other players in the draft
 
3 -- some sort of game like we do in the SBA where you can build your own team with different builds -- you get "x" amount of tpe to spend  and players have to between "x" and "y" tpe spent on them.  you could have 9 F, 6 D and a goalie and would allow folks who are not familar with the sim or player builds to tinker with different combos to see how everything in the sim interacts

It has been a rough go of it for not only the Menace but also myself here the past couple of weeks.  As a team, we win a game and then have trouble putting together a couple in a row to give ourselves some momentum.  Its hard to stay around that 5th spot in the conference by having a few 3 or 4 game losing streaks even if they are in overtime or in a shootout and then win a game and then lose 3 or 4 more again in a row.  We are a young team and that is something we will have to work on next season in order to put ourselves in a position to make the playoffs.
 
Its been a tough time for me as well as I haven’t been getting the points like I did in the beginning of season.  I did hit the 20 goal mark and have 42 points in the first 52 games and I should hit my goal of a 50 point season.  It’s a much different than being in the VHLM as in the VHL has the bigger, faster and stronger players and it takes a toll on your body especially since I am playing 28+ minutes a game and something that I will work on during the off season.

1 -- it is an ok topic, good if you follow the VHL closely but bad if you dont -- i will probably just write about rookie of the year
 
2 -- i think we are good for now, just need to get another season or two of growth under our belt
 
3 -- adding a season pass like the sba does
 
4 -- aliens are living among us
 
5 -- maybe just lower passing a bit and put into puck handling and/or skating
 
6 -- nhl 94 cause its the mecca of hockey games

1 -- we are a young team so i think it just growth and our younger players clicking at the same time
 
2 -- listen to music
 
3 -- Idaho for sure -- all around best player on the team so far
 
4 -- getting Francis and Ulf from Hartford back in 90-91 season to win our first cup
 
5 -- 10-9, love me some offense
 
6-- Thunderstruck by AC/DC
 
 

Through 29 games this season, the Moscow Menace sit in 6th place in the European Conference with a 11-15-3 record which is good for 25 points on the season.  They currently sit just one point out of the 5th spot and 2 ahead of the 7th place team.  However, Moscow has played 3 more games than both of those teams.  They have scored 93 goals on the season while giving up 111 which is a goal difference of -18.
 
Wingers Duncan Idaho and Philip Stein are the only two players on the team so far that are averaging more than a point per game as Idaho leads the team with 39 points and Stein is second with 31.  Idaho also leads the team with 19 goals and is only one of 3 players on the team with more than 10 goals as Grapes is second 12 and defenseman Hard Markinson is third with 10.
 
Stein leads the team in assists with 25 and tied for second with 20 each are Idaho and the newly acquired defenseman, Aurelien Moreau.  Markinson and center Paul Atreides each have 18 assists.  Idaho also leads the team in hits with 149 and shots with 192. 
 
From a goaltending standpoint, Andrew Bowman has played in 25 games and currently has a 9-13 record with a .904 save percentage and a GAA of 3.92.  His backup and rookie Papa Emeritus has seen action in 10 games so far with a 2-2-3 record.  His save percentage is .928 and has a GAA of 3.04.  Neither goalie has a shutout so far this season and Bowman does have 1 assist on the season. 
 
GAME OF THE WEEK
MOSCOW MENACE AT SEATTLE BEARS
 
The first period of the game was all Seattle even though it was tied early in the game.  Seattle opened the scoring just under 3 minutes into the game on a goal by Brown.  The Menace would tie the game at 1-1 as Markinson scored a power play as it was his 10th goal of the season.  However, the Bears scored 2 goals in about a 90 second span later in the first to take a 3-1 lead after the first.  They also outshot the Menace 18 to 15 in the period.
 
It was a weird second period as the Bears totally dominated in terms of shots, 22 to 7, but they could only manage one goal as Su netted his second of the game to give the Bears a 4 to 1 lead heading into the third period as they kept the Menace off the scoreboard.
 
The momentum of the game shifted in the first two minutes of the third period when Glass scored his 4th of the season for the Menace to cut the lead to 4 to 2.  Just over 4 minutes later, Idaho netted his 19th of the season and it was a one goal game at 4 to 3.  Moscow would receive a late power play chance and the newcomer Moreau would cash in on the man advantage to tie the game and send it into overtime. 
 
Both teams had 2 shots on goal in the overtime, but no one scored as we head toward the shootout.  Each team scored once through the first 3 shooters, then the goalies stopped each of the team’s next two shooters as we are still tied at 1-1 through five rounds.  The sixth shooters scored for each team and once again the goalies stood tall in the seventh round.  In the eighth round, Fertitta scored for the Menace and then SEA RW1 missed the net as the Menace won 5 to 4 in the shootout by coming from 3 goals down to claim the two points.
 

 
words: 620

Through 29 games this season, the Moscow Menace sit in 6th place in the European Conference with a 11-15-3 record which is good for 25 points on the season.  They currently sit just one point out of the 5th spot and 2 ahead of the 7th place team.  However, Moscow has played 3 more games than both of those teams.  They have scored 93 goals on the season while giving up 111 which is a goal difference of -18.
 
Wingers Duncan Idaho and Philip Stein are the only two players on the team so far that are averaging more than a point per game as Idaho leads the team with 39 points and Stein is second with 31.  Idaho also leads the team with 19 goals and is only one of 3 players on the team with more than 10 goals as Grapes is second 12 and defenseman Hard Markinson is third with 10.
 
Stein leads the team in assists with 25 and tied for second with 20 each are Idaho and the newly acquired defenseman, Aurelien Moreau.  Markinson and center Paul Atreides each have 18 assists.  Idaho also leads the team in hits with 149 and shots with 192. 
 
From a goaltending standpoint, Andrew Bowman has played in 25 games and currently has a 9-13 record with a .904 save percentage and a GAA of 3.92.  His backup and rookie Papa Emeritus has seen action in 10 games so far with a 2-2-3 record.  His save percentage is .928 and has a GAA of 3.04.  Neither goalie has a shutout so far this season and Bowman does have 1 assist on the season. 
 
GAME OF THE WEEK
MOSCOW MENACE AT SEATTLE BEARS
 
The first period of the game was all Seattle even though it was tied early in the game.  Seattle opened the scoring just under 3 minutes into the game on a goal by Brown.  The Menace would tie the game at 1-1 as Markinson scored a power play as it was his 10th goal of the season.  However, the Bears scored 2 goals in about a 90 second span later in the first to take a 3-1 lead after the first.  They also outshot the Menace 18 to 15 in the period.
 
It was a weird second period as the Bears totally dominated in terms of shots, 22 to 7, but they could only manage one goal as Su netted his second of the game to give the Bears a 4 to 1 lead heading into the third period as they kept the Menace off the scoreboard.
 
The momentum of the game shifted in the first two minutes of the third period when Glass scored his 4th of the season for the Menace to cut the lead to 4 to 2.  Just over 4 minutes later, Idaho netted his 19th of the season and it was a one goal game at 4 to 3.  Moscow would receive a late power play chance and the newcomer Moreau would cash in on the man advantage to tie the game and send it into overtime. 
 
Both teams had 2 shots on goal in the overtime, but no one scored as we head toward the shootout.  Each team scored once through the first 3 shooters, then the goalies stopped each of the team’s next two shooters as we are still tied at 1-1 through five rounds.  The sixth shooters scored for each team and once again the goalies stood tall in the seventh round.  In the eighth round, Fertitta scored for the Menace and then SEA RW1 missed the net as the Menace won 5 to 4 in the shootout by coming from 3 goals down to claim the two points.
 

 
words: 620

Expectations: I do not any expectations coming into my rookie season with Moscow other than I know the players in the league are going to be bigger, stronger and faster and I will have to use my hockey IQ to keep up with them.  I put in a lot of work on my offensive and defensive game from moving up from the WHLM.  From a goal standpoint, I would like to be around 12-15% shooting percentage and score 20+ goals on the season.  Overall, I would like to hit the 50 point mark especially since I will be playing on one of the top two lines.  I will also see action on the power play unit and hopefully be able to contribute on the penalty kill as well too.  My goal is to be a solid two way player that can contribute in all situations.  Someone who can score late in the game or shut down the other team with the game on the line. I ll be pretty quiet in the locker room and take in everything that are veterans have to offer.  My first season will be a learning experience and it will probably get a little overwhelming at times, but I know I will have my teammates to lean on and I will continue to work hard both on and off the ice.
 
Reservations: I don’t really have any reservations coming into my rookie season other than how am I going to match up and compete with the other solid players on the other teams when I match up with them.  I need to make sure I am getting into open ice so my teammates can make a pass to me or I need to keep my head up and looking for options on the ice whether be a pass or just taking the shot.  Defensively, I need to hustle back into the neutral zone and our own defensive zone to make sure I am covering my player and to break up any odd man rushes against us.  Same goes on the penalty killing unit and need to make sure I have an active stick in the passing lanes, block shots and get the puck out of our zone.  It will be a little intimidating going into the locker room for the first time and being surrounded by the veterans of the team especially since a couple of them have won rookie of the year before.  I just need to be myself and play my game to help the team win.
 
Word count: 424

1 -- good solid pickup to help at the blueline and should help reduce our shots against while providing a ton of offense from the blueline
 
2 -- i think we are all set and just need to continue to improve and grab tpe
 
3 -- any type of card or board game is always a good time
 
4 -- can jump right into the lineup and play a significant amount of minutes
 
5 -- its been fine so far, just have to keep working on skating, defense and puck control to be successful for the team
 
6 -- work and driving kids around

“It has been an OK start to the season for me.  It took a few games to get the speed of the VHL under my belt and more suited to the bigger, faster, stronger players but once I was accustomed to the difference of play versus the VHLM, I have become more confident in my game.  There is still a lot for me to work on my game though.  I have to continue skating hard and out working the opposition to the puck and fight for the puck in the corners, better puck control and make sure I am making good passes and not turning the puck over in the neutral zone.”
 
“As for the team, we continue to hang around that 5th and final playoff spot , but there are also a couple of other teams that are knocking on that playoff spot’s door as well too so its going to be a season long battle for that spot.  We have to continue to grow and play well as a team and make sure we are getting points out of each game we play and eliminate any losing streaks that could potentially put us in a tough spot.  No doubt we are a young team and will continue to grow as the season goes along.”

The first 8 games of the season for the Menace have produced 2 wins, 4 losses and 2 overtime losses which is good for 6 points on the young season.  The Menace sit in 6th place in the 8 team European Conference.  They have scored 26 goals but have given up 34 for a goal difference of 8 but haven’t won a game on the road yet in 4 tries.
 
Moscow at Warsaw
 
This was a tough way to start the season on the road against the defending champs and although Moscow had a 2-1 lead after the first period, the Predators scored the final 3 goals of the game to win 4 to 2.  The Menace goals were scored from Seabasstard and Newhook and Stein assisted on both Menace goals.  Bowman got the start in goal and stopped 29 of 33 shots in the loss.
 
Warsaw at Moscow
 
As if the first game was tough against the reigning champs, the Menace hosted the Predators for their home opener.  Tristan scored for Moscow just over a minute into the game but the Predators tied the game just 30 seconds later.  Lemieux scored his first career VHL as the Menace were shorthanded due to a Predators power play, but Warsaw soon tied the score again before the end of the period.
 
The Menace took over in the second period as they scored the only 3 goals to take a 5-2 lead going into the third.  Idaho, Stein and Tristan all scored while the Menace defense held the Predators to just 9 shots after giving up 19 in the first period.
 
In the third, Idaho scored the first two goals of the period to complete his home hat trick while Atreides added another for the Menace to offset the two scored by Warsaw as the Menace won the game by a score of 8 to 4.  Emeritus got his first VHL start and got the win by stopping 33 out of 37 shots as both Idaho and Markinson each had a 4 point game in the Menace’s first win of the season.
 
Riga at Moscow
 
After losing 4 straight games after that win against Warsaw, the Menace hosted the Reign in what would turn out to be quite an exciting game.  The Menace went on two early power play chances and were able to cash in on both as Seabasstard scored his 3rd of the season and then Grapes netted his 4th for an early 2-0 lead.  However, the Reign would close the gap to just one goal late in period for a 2-1 Menace lead after the first.
 
The Menace increased their lead after the halfway period of the second as Idaho scored his 6th and Grapes added his second of the game and 5th of the season for a 4-1 lead.  The Reign would not go away however, as they scored a late power play goal to cut the lead to 4-2 as the game headed into the third period.
 
The Reign would cut the lead to just 4-3 with a goal just over the halfway point of the period, but the Menace defense would hold on the rest of the way to preserve the 4-3 win and the Menace’s second win of the season.
 
Bowman got his first win of the season by stopping 34 out of 37 shots and the offense was led by Grapes who had 2 goals and an assist and Lemieux who had 3 assists before getting booted out of the game in the second period for instigating a fight.
 
Word count: 595

The first 8 games of the season for the Menace have produced 2 wins, 4 losses and 2 overtime losses which is good for 6 points on the young season.  The Menace sit in 6th place in the 8 team European Conference.  They have scored 26 goals but have given up 34 for a goal difference of 8 but haven’t won a game on the road yet in 4 tries.
 
Moscow at Warsaw
 
This was a tough way to start the season on the road against the defending champs and although Moscow had a 2-1 lead after the first period, the Predators scored the final 3 goals of the game to win 4 to 2.  The Menace goals were scored from Seabasstard and Newhook and Stein assisted on both Menace goals.  Bowman got the start in goal and stopped 29 of 33 shots in the loss.
 
Warsaw at Moscow
 
As if the first game was tough against the reigning champs, the Menace hosted the Predators for their home opener.  Tristan scored for Moscow just over a minute into the game but the Predators tied the game just 30 seconds later.  Lemieux scored his first career VHL as the Menace were shorthanded due to a Predators power play, but Warsaw soon tied the score again before the end of the period.
 
The Menace took over in the second period as they scored the only 3 goals to take a 5-2 lead going into the third.  Idaho, Stein and Tristan all scored while the Menace defense held the Predators to just 9 shots after giving up 19 in the first period.
 
In the third, Idaho scored the first two goals of the period to complete his home hat trick while Atreides added another for the Menace to offset the two scored by Warsaw as the Menace won the game by a score of 8 to 4.  Emeritus got his first VHL start and got the win by stopping 33 out of 37 shots as both Idaho and Markinson each had a 4 point game in the Menace’s first win of the season.
 
Riga at Moscow
 
After losing 4 straight games after that win against Warsaw, the Menace hosted the Reign in what would turn out to be quite an exciting game.  The Menace went on two early power play chances and were able to cash in on both as Seabasstard scored his 3rd of the season and then Grapes netted his 4th for an early 2-0 lead.  However, the Reign would close the gap to just one goal late in period for a 2-1 Menace lead after the first.
 
The Menace increased their lead after the halfway period of the second as Idaho scored his 6th and Grapes added his second of the game and 5th of the season for a 4-1 lead.  The Reign would not go away however, as they scored a late power play goal to cut the lead to 4-2 as the game headed into the third period.
 
The Reign would cut the lead to just 4-3 with a goal just over the halfway point of the period, but the Menace defense would hold on the rest of the way to preserve the 4-3 win and the Menace’s second win of the season.
 
Bowman got his first win of the season by stopping 34 out of 37 shots and the offense was led by Grapes who had 2 goals and an assist and Lemieux who had 3 assists before getting booted out of the game in the second period for instigating a fight.
 
Word count: 595