hockeyis66

1 -- to go out and set the tone for being a solid 2 way player that can play in any situation for the team
 
2 -- from a physical and mental stand point for sure; it will be a different grind from the VHLM but i think with my offseason prep, i am good to go
 
3 -- its a young team with a solid foundation in place for the future
 
4 -- blue
 
5 -- some teams made good moves and others did questionable ones, but its really hard to tell who won/lost the draft until a few more years down the road
 
6 -- the season is a marathon and not a sprint, so we will have ups and downs for sure along the way...improving defensively and setting up our offense with solid defense will be key to sniffing around the final playoff spot

“It was awesome to get my first goal of my VHL career in my second game and what made it even better was that it was a shorthanded goal.  I pride myself on playing solid two way hockey and take even more pride in making sure that the other team doesn’t score, so to not only do that but also get a shorty was just amazing and something that I will never forget.”
 
“I am glad that the team has confidence in me as a rookie to play me in all situations out there including being on the second team for both the power play and penalty killing units.  It is a learning process for me since the players here are bigger, faster, stronger and I have to make quicker decisions and make sure I know where I am going with the puck before it gets to me.”
 
“It is going to be an up and down season for us since we are a young team and have quite a few rookies and second year players on the roster.  We will definitely make some mistakes but we will learn from them but I also think we will be an exciting team for the fans, score a lot of goals and have our goalie make a lot of spectacular saves.”
 
Word count: 219

Team Europe celebrates their championship in the World Juniors after a 3rd place finish in the round robin
 
Team Europe came into the VHL World Junior Championships as a favorite to bring home a medal for sure since the team had the highest OV rating out of the 5 teams in the tournament although that can also be a little deceiving but the expectations were nothing lower than a bronze medal in the hopes of winning gold. 
 
Round Robin – Team Europe would finish in 3rd place overall with a 4-3-1 record which was good for 12 points, 6 points behind second place and 5 ahead of 4th.  Europe had the best defense in the tournament by giving up only 23 goals in the 8 games while having the 3rd best offense by scoring 27 goals.  They beat every team once and lost to every team once with the loss against Team USA being the overtime loss on their record.
 
Goaltending – Aike van Giesbergen and Papa Emeritus would split the 8 game round robin portion by playing 4 games each and each of them would win 2 games. Van Giesbergen would have a save percentage of .926 and a GAA of 2.93 while Emeritus would put up similar numbers with a .919 save percentage and a GAA of 2.75.
 
Defense – Team Europe would only have 4 defensemen for the tournament and they would log heavy minutes – JaredN Jr, Damien Salducci, David Tavau and Sven Reikkinen.  JaredN would lead the team in assists with 8 and tied for the most points on the team with 10.   Tavau would chip in with 6 points and Salducci with 5 and with both players, they would all be assists.  Reikkinen would have a goal and an assist for 2 points.
 
Forwards – Henri le Massif led the team in scoring with 5 goals and tied for the team lead in points with 10.  Team Europe had a well rounded effort when it came to offense from the forwards as Bonaparte and Lemieux each had 4 goals and 4 assists and Tessier had 2 goals and 6 assists.  Mikalavz, Tallinder, Khan, Wolf and Sunish each had at least a goal and 2 points or more during the 8 game round robin.
 
 vs 
 
Semifinals – 3rd place Team Europe would face off against 2nd place Team World with the winner going to the gold medal game.  Team World would crush Europe in shots by a count of 50 to 36, but it was two 3rd period goals by Sunish and Wolf that would give Team Europe a 4 to 3 come from behind win as the team was down 3 to 1 in the second period.  Also scoring for Team Europe were Lemieux and Tallinder.  Emeritus made 47 saves including 17 in the third period to secure the win.
 
 vs 
 
Gold Medal Game – Canada defeated Team Asia in the other semifinal and the Gold Medal Game will be Team Europe against Team Canada.  Europe would once again be outshot in the game by a count of 38 to 30, but Europe would jump out to a 3-0 lead in the first period behind goals from Tallinder, Sunish and Miklavz en route to a 4-2 win and the gold medal.  Tallinder’s goal came just 54 seconds into the game and he would score a power play goal about halfway through the third period to make the final score 4-2 as Canada cut the lead to just 3-2 earlier in the period.  Emeritus made 36 saves and backstopped the team to a 2-0 record in the medal round.
 
Word Count: 575

“My first international tournament has gone well so far and although we would certainly like to have a better record than 2 wins and 2 losses at the moment, Team Europe is off to a good start.  We had a good first game against the Americans with a 7-1 win but then came back against a tough Asia team and lost 4-2.  We then had two straight games against Canada and won the first one 3 to 1 and then dropped the second one 5-3.  That leaves us with one game against both Asia and the USA and two left against the World who are currently sitting in a tie for first place.”
 
“As for my own game, I came out strong against the USA with two goals and an assist, but in the next three games, I have only gotten a couple of assists for 2 goals and 3 assists in the 4 games.  I definitely have to play better and generate more offense in the second set of games coming up if we want to land in the top 2 in the round robin play.  The goal is to win a gold medal and bring home the championship so its time for me to up my game and do just that”
 
Word count: 213

Team Europe celebrates their championship in the World Juniors after a 3rd place finish in the round robin
 
Team Europe came into the VHL World Junior Championships as a favorite to bring home a medal for sure since the team had the highest OV rating out of the 5 teams in the tournament although that can also be a little deceiving but the expectations were nothing lower than a bronze medal in the hopes of winning gold. 
 
Round Robin – Team Europe would finish in 3rd place overall with a 4-3-1 record which was good for 12 points, 6 points behind second place and 5 ahead of 4th.  Europe had the best defense in the tournament by giving up only 23 goals in the 8 games while having the 3rd best offense by scoring 27 goals.  They beat every team once and lost to every team once with the loss against Team USA being the overtime loss on their record.
 
Goaltending – Aike van Giesbergen and Papa Emeritus would split the 8 game round robin portion by playing 4 games each and each of them would win 2 games. Van Giesbergen would have a save percentage of .926 and a GAA of 2.93 while Emeritus would put up similar numbers with a .919 save percentage and a GAA of 2.75.
 
Defense – Team Europe would only have 4 defensemen for the tournament and they would log heavy minutes – JaredN Jr, Damien Salducci, David Tavau and Sven Reikkinen.  JaredN would lead the team in assists with 8 and tied for the most points on the team with 10.   Tavau would chip in with 6 points and Salducci with 5 and with both players, they would all be assists.  Reikkinen would have a goal and an assist for 2 points.
 
Forwards – Henri le Massif led the team in scoring with 5 goals and tied for the team lead in points with 10.  Team Europe had a well rounded effort when it came to offense from the forwards as Bonaparte and Lemieux each had 4 goals and 4 assists and Tessier had 2 goals and 6 assists.  Mikalavz, Tallinder, Khan, Wolf and Sunish each had at least a goal and 2 points or more during the 8 game round robin.
 
 vs 
 
Semifinals – 3rd place Team Europe would face off against 2nd place Team World with the winner going to the gold medal game.  Team World would crush Europe in shots by a count of 50 to 36, but it was two 3rd period goals by Sunish and Wolf that would give Team Europe a 4 to 3 come from behind win as the team was down 3 to 1 in the second period.  Also scoring for Team Europe were Lemieux and Tallinder.  Emeritus made 47 saves including 17 in the third period to secure the win.
 
 vs 
 
Gold Medal Game – Canada defeated Team Asia in the other semifinal and the Gold Medal Game will be Team Europe against Team Canada.  Europe would once again be outshot in the game by a count of 38 to 30, but Europe would jump out to a 3-0 lead in the first period behind goals from Tallinder, Sunish and Miklavz en route to a 4-2 win and the gold medal.  Tallinder’s goal came just 54 seconds into the game and he would score a power play goal about halfway through the third period to make the final score 4-2 as Canada cut the lead to just 3-2 earlier in the period.  Emeritus made 36 saves and backstopped the team to a 2-0 record in the medal round.
 
Word Count: 575

1 -- solid picks to get your goalie of the future and defenses
 
2 -- it all depends on how he fit into the team's time line and the market for him and maximize his value in the return
 
3 -- juniors is going on now and ok
 
4 -- defense
 
5 -- better as the young players progress
 
6 -- Duncan Idaho

“Two big things this offseason for me is going to have a little bit of a mental break and relaxation and secondly, still being able to train and get myself ready for the next season.  Going to take some time and just relax at the beach and not worry about anything hockey related for a week or two.  Catch up on some shows, take some time to read, play board games and stuff like that just to recharge my mind and mental state for the upcoming season.   I am also going to be doing a lot of yoga too as I hired myself a private instructor which will keep my mind clear and muscles stretched.”
 
“As for the physical part, its going to be a lot of skating and a lot of drills of passing, shooting, fighting for the puck in the corners, defensive work and carry the puck up the ice to avoid traps.  I will probably be doing 2 to 3 different sessions a day once I get back on the ice as well as hitting the weight room to continue to strengthen my body and build muscle to contend with the bigger, stronger, faster players in the VHL.  I am also working with a nutritionist to make sure I am eating healthy to compliment by workouts and making sure I am getting calories and protein.”

1 -- just go and relax at the beach and throw back some drinks in the sun
 
2 -- congrats on a great season and playoff run
 
3 -- same as today, working, running around with the kids everywhere
 
4 -- i am going to go with Warsaw in 6
 
5 -- NHL 94
 
6 -- i am fine with both actually and it doesnt matter the time of year either ; i would be 51/49 beach over woods

The Yukon Rush have made it through the first two rounds of the VHLM playoffs and are now in the Founders Cup Finals against the Minnesota Storm.  The Rush’s playoff run has mainly had ups but also a little down to start the second round as we take a look at a game by game recap.
 
VHLM QUARTERFINALS
 
Game 1 – Mexico City at Yukon – The Rush power play would be the difference in this game as they scored 3 goals with the man advanatage en route to a 5-3 win.  The Rush outshot the Kings 57 to 27 in the game and Emeritus made 24 saves.  Tyler Reinhart and Nathan Power each had two goals and an assist in the win.
 
Game 2 – Mexico City at Yukon – This game was lower scoring as the Rush jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period and then the Kings scored the lone second period goal, but could not get the game tying goal as the Rush added a late empty net goal to win 3-1.  Emeritus stopped 30 of 31 shots while 9 different Rush players had a point each to take a 2-0 lead.
 
Game 3 – Yukon at Mexico City – The Kings would get outshot again in this game, but they held the Rush to just a first period goal while scoring 3 of their own to cut the series lead down to 2 games to 1 in favor of Rush with a 3 to 1 win.
 
Game 4 -- Yukon at Mexico City – The Kings were once again badly outshot but a back and forth game saw the game tied at 3-3 with less than five minutes left to play.  The Rush got a late power play chance and Jokinen was able to cash in for the game winner to give the Rush a 4-3 win and a 3 games to 1 series lead.
 
Game 5 – Mexico City at Yukon – With the series on the line, the Rush came out and scored the first 4 goals of the game including 3 in the first 10 minutes and would eventually win the game 4 to 2 with Tyler Reinhart and Otto Numminen getting 2 points each in the win.  Emeritus would stopped 26 shots as the Rush won the series in 5 games and now face San Diego in the semifinals.
 
VHLM SEMIFINALS
 
Game 1 – San Diego at Yukon – The Marlins brought their A game for this as they had 71 shots on goal compared to just 50 for the Rush but it would be the Rush who had a 4-2 lead early in the second period before the Marlins would score the next 3 to take a 5-4 lead.  With less than two minutes left in the game, the Rush would tie it and send the game into overtime.  Neither team scored in the first overtime and it would be the Marlins getting a game 1 win in the second overtime by the score of 6 to 5.
 
Game 2 – San Diego at Yukon – The teams would exchange goals through the first two periods as the game was tied at 3-3.  Then in a 13 second span in the third period, the Marlins would score 2 goals and win game 2 to take a 2 games to 0 series lead with this 5 to 3 win even though the Rush outshot the Marlins 43 to 26 in the game. 
 
Game 3 – Yukon at San Diego – The Marlins would have a 2-1 lead after the first period in a game that the Rush have to win on the road to avoid going down 3 games to 0.  Early in the second period, Lemieux would get a shorthanded opportunity off of a steal and pass from Adams and would tie the game at 2-2.  Then the Rush would score the final goal of the game later in the second period to win 3 to 2 and get their first win of the series.
 
Game 4 – Yukon at San Diego – All the goals in this game were scored in the first period as the Rush scored first on the power play and then the Marlins tied it with their own power play goal.  The Marlins would then take a 2 to 1 lead before the Rush would answer with the final 3 goals of the game including 2 on the power play, to win the game 4 to 2 and tie the series at 2 to 2.  Neither team has won at home so far in the series and it now becomes a best of 3 with the Rush having home ice advantage or the Marlins having road ice advantage is more like it based on the series so far.
 
Game 5 – San Diego at Yukon – The teams exchanged two goals each in the first period as it was tied 2-2.  The Rush would probably play their best hockey the rest of the game as they limited the Marlins to just 11 shots in the final two periods, scored a power play goal in the second period and added two more goals in the first 2 minutes of the third period to win 5 to 2 and take a 3 games to 2 series lead.  They were also the first team to win at home in the series.
 
Game 6 – Yukon at San Diego – Like most of the games in the series, the teams once again exchanged a couple of goals in the first period as the game was tied at 2-2.  The Rush defense once again clamped down, holding the Marlins to only 12 shots in the final two periods and just 17 overall for the game, while scoring one goal in the second period and one goal in the third to win the game 4 to 2 and the series 4 games to 2 including the final 4 in a row to clinch a spot in the Founder Cup Finals against the Minnesota Storm.
 
Founders Cup Finals Preview
 
Minnesota v Yukon – The Storm haven’t lost in the playoffs winning both of their series by 4 games to 0.  The teams played 5 games in the regular season with the Rush winning 3 in regulation and the Storm winning 2 via the shootout. The Storm are led by a couple of defensemen in Peace III and Kaczka while getting some forward offense from Heavems and Massif.  Vaughn has played well in goal too and will be riding an 8 game winning streak into game 1.  Yukon will counter with a defensive trio of Powers, Sylvester and Jokinen while Reinhart, Lemieux and Numminen will form half of the top two lines for the Rush.  Emeritus will man the pipes for the Rush and is riding his own 4 game winning streak for the Rush including winning 3 of those on the road with an overall 4 wins and 1 loss on the road in the playoffs.
 
1149 WORDS
 
CLAIMING 6 TPE W/E 7-4-21 AND CLAIMING 6 TPE W/E 7-11-21

The Yukon Rush have made it through the first two rounds of the VHLM playoffs and are now in the Founders Cup Finals against the Minnesota Storm.  The Rush’s playoff run has mainly had ups but also a little down to start the second round as we take a look at a game by game recap.
 
VHLM QUARTERFINALS
 
Game 1 – Mexico City at Yukon – The Rush power play would be the difference in this game as they scored 3 goals with the man advanatage en route to a 5-3 win.  The Rush outshot the Kings 57 to 27 in the game and Emeritus made 24 saves.  Tyler Reinhart and Nathan Power each had two goals and an assist in the win.
 
Game 2 – Mexico City at Yukon – This game was lower scoring as the Rush jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period and then the Kings scored the lone second period goal, but could not get the game tying goal as the Rush added a late empty net goal to win 3-1.  Emeritus stopped 30 of 31 shots while 9 different Rush players had a point each to take a 2-0 lead.
 
Game 3 – Yukon at Mexico City – The Kings would get outshot again in this game, but they held the Rush to just a first period goal while scoring 3 of their own to cut the series lead down to 2 games to 1 in favor of Rush with a 3 to 1 win.
 
Game 4 -- Yukon at Mexico City – The Kings were once again badly outshot but a back and forth game saw the game tied at 3-3 with less than five minutes left to play.  The Rush got a late power play chance and Jokinen was able to cash in for the game winner to give the Rush a 4-3 win and a 3 games to 1 series lead.
 
Game 5 – Mexico City at Yukon – With the series on the line, the Rush came out and scored the first 4 goals of the game including 3 in the first 10 minutes and would eventually win the game 4 to 2 with Tyler Reinhart and Otto Numminen getting 2 points each in the win.  Emeritus would stopped 26 shots as the Rush won the series in 5 games and now face San Diego in the semifinals.
 
VHLM SEMIFINALS
 
Game 1 – San Diego at Yukon – The Marlins brought their A game for this as they had 71 shots on goal compared to just 50 for the Rush but it would be the Rush who had a 4-2 lead early in the second period before the Marlins would score the next 3 to take a 5-4 lead.  With less than two minutes left in the game, the Rush would tie it and send the game into overtime.  Neither team scored in the first overtime and it would be the Marlins getting a game 1 win in the second overtime by the score of 6 to 5.
 
Game 2 – San Diego at Yukon – The teams would exchange goals through the first two periods as the game was tied at 3-3.  Then in a 13 second span in the third period, the Marlins would score 2 goals and win game 2 to take a 2 games to 0 series lead with this 5 to 3 win even though the Rush outshot the Marlins 43 to 26 in the game. 
 
Game 3 – Yukon at San Diego – The Marlins would have a 2-1 lead after the first period in a game that the Rush have to win on the road to avoid going down 3 games to 0.  Early in the second period, Lemieux would get a shorthanded opportunity off of a steal and pass from Adams and would tie the game at 2-2.  Then the Rush would score the final goal of the game later in the second period to win 3 to 2 and get their first win of the series.
 
Game 4 – Yukon at San Diego – All the goals in this game were scored in the first period as the Rush scored first on the power play and then the Marlins tied it with their own power play goal.  The Marlins would then take a 2 to 1 lead before the Rush would answer with the final 3 goals of the game including 2 on the power play, to win the game 4 to 2 and tie the series at 2 to 2.  Neither team has won at home so far in the series and it now becomes a best of 3 with the Rush having home ice advantage or the Marlins having road ice advantage is more like it based on the series so far.
 
Game 5 – San Diego at Yukon – The teams exchanged two goals each in the first period as it was tied 2-2.  The Rush would probably play their best hockey the rest of the game as they limited the Marlins to just 11 shots in the final two periods, scored a power play goal in the second period and added two more goals in the first 2 minutes of the third period to win 5 to 2 and take a 3 games to 2 series lead.  They were also the first team to win at home in the series.
 
Game 6 – Yukon at San Diego – Like most of the games in the series, the teams once again exchanged a couple of goals in the first period as the game was tied at 2-2.  The Rush defense once again clamped down, holding the Marlins to only 12 shots in the final two periods and just 17 overall for the game, while scoring one goal in the second period and one goal in the third to win the game 4 to 2 and the series 4 games to 2 including the final 4 in a row to clinch a spot in the Founder Cup Finals against the Minnesota Storm.
 
Founders Cup Finals Preview
 
Minnesota v Yukon – The Storm haven’t lost in the playoffs winning both of their series by 4 games to 0.  The teams played 5 games in the regular season with the Rush winning 3 in regulation and the Storm winning 2 via the shootout. The Storm are led by a couple of defensemen in Peace III and Kaczka while getting some forward offense from Heavems and Massif.  Vaughn has played well in goal too and will be riding an 8 game winning streak into game 1.  Yukon will counter with a defensive trio of Powers, Sylvester and Jokinen while Reinhart, Lemieux and Numminen will form half of the top two lines for the Rush.  Emeritus will man the pipes for the Rush and is riding his own 4 game winning streak for the Rush including winning 3 of those on the road with an overall 4 wins and 1 loss on the road in the playoffs.
 
1149 WORDS
 
CLAIMING 6 TPE W/E 7-4-21 AND CLAIMING 6 TPE W/E 7-11-21

The Yukon Rush have made it through the first two rounds of the VHLM playoffs and are now in the Founders Cup Finals against the Minnesota Storm.  The Rush’s playoff run has mainly had ups but also a little down to start the second round as we take a look at a game by game recap.
 
VHLM QUARTERFINALS
 
Game 1 – Mexico City at Yukon – The Rush power play would be the difference in this game as they scored 3 goals with the man advanatage en route to a 5-3 win.  The Rush outshot the Kings 57 to 27 in the game and Emeritus made 24 saves.  Tyler Reinhart and Nathan Power each had two goals and an assist in the win.
 
Game 2 – Mexico City at Yukon – This game was lower scoring as the Rush jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period and then the Kings scored the lone second period goal, but could not get the game tying goal as the Rush added a late empty net goal to win 3-1.  Emeritus stopped 30 of 31 shots while 9 different Rush players had a point each to take a 2-0 lead.
 
Game 3 – Yukon at Mexico City – The Kings would get outshot again in this game, but they held the Rush to just a first period goal while scoring 3 of their own to cut the series lead down to 2 games to 1 in favor of Rush with a 3 to 1 win.
 
Game 4 -- Yukon at Mexico City – The Kings were once again badly outshot but a back and forth game saw the game tied at 3-3 with less than five minutes left to play.  The Rush got a late power play chance and Jokinen was able to cash in for the game winner to give the Rush a 4-3 win and a 3 games to 1 series lead.
 
Game 5 – Mexico City at Yukon – With the series on the line, the Rush came out and scored the first 4 goals of the game including 3 in the first 10 minutes and would eventually win the game 4 to 2 with Tyler Reinhart and Otto Numminen getting 2 points each in the win.  Emeritus would stopped 26 shots as the Rush won the series in 5 games and now face San Diego in the semifinals.
 
VHLM SEMIFINALS
 
Game 1 – San Diego at Yukon – The Marlins brought their A game for this as they had 71 shots on goal compared to just 50 for the Rush but it would be the Rush who had a 4-2 lead early in the second period before the Marlins would score the next 3 to take a 5-4 lead.  With less than two minutes left in the game, the Rush would tie it and send the game into overtime.  Neither team scored in the first overtime and it would be the Marlins getting a game 1 win in the second overtime by the score of 6 to 5.
 
Game 2 – San Diego at Yukon – The teams would exchange goals through the first two periods as the game was tied at 3-3.  Then in a 13 second span in the third period, the Marlins would score 2 goals and win game 2 to take a 2 games to 0 series lead with this 5 to 3 win even though the Rush outshot the Marlins 43 to 26 in the game. 
 
Game 3 – Yukon at San Diego – The Marlins would have a 2-1 lead after the first period in a game that the Rush have to win on the road to avoid going down 3 games to 0.  Early in the second period, Lemieux would get a shorthanded opportunity off of a steal and pass from Adams and would tie the game at 2-2.  Then the Rush would score the final goal of the game later in the second period to win 3 to 2 and get their first win of the series.
 
Game 4 – Yukon at San Diego – All the goals in this game were scored in the first period as the Rush scored first on the power play and then the Marlins tied it with their own power play goal.  The Marlins would then take a 2 to 1 lead before the Rush would answer with the final 3 goals of the game including 2 on the power play, to win the game 4 to 2 and tie the series at 2 to 2.  Neither team has won at home so far in the series and it now becomes a best of 3 with the Rush having home ice advantage or the Marlins having road ice advantage is more like it based on the series so far.
 
Game 5 – San Diego at Yukon – The teams exchanged two goals each in the first period as it was tied 2-2.  The Rush would probably play their best hockey the rest of the game as they limited the Marlins to just 11 shots in the final two periods, scored a power play goal in the second period and added two more goals in the first 2 minutes of the third period to win 5 to 2 and take a 3 games to 2 series lead.  They were also the first team to win at home in the series.
 
Game 6 – Yukon at San Diego – Like most of the games in the series, the teams once again exchanged a couple of goals in the first period as the game was tied at 2-2.  The Rush defense once again clamped down, holding the Marlins to only 12 shots in the final two periods and just 17 overall for the game, while scoring one goal in the second period and one goal in the third to win the game 4 to 2 and the series 4 games to 2 including the final 4 in a row to clinch a spot in the Founder Cup Finals against the Minnesota Storm.
 
Founders Cup Finals Preview
 
Minnesota v Yukon – The Storm haven’t lost in the playoffs winning both of their series by 4 games to 0.  The teams played 5 games in the regular season with the Rush winning 3 in regulation and the Storm winning 2 via the shootout. The Storm are led by a couple of defensemen in Peace III and Kaczka while getting some forward offense from Heavems and Massif.  Vaughn has played well in goal too and will be riding an 8 game winning streak into game 1.  Yukon will counter with a defensive trio of Powers, Sylvester and Jokinen while Reinhart, Lemieux and Numminen will form half of the top two lines for the Rush.  Emeritus will man the pipes for the Rush and is riding his own 4 game winning streak for the Rush including winning 3 of those on the road with an overall 4 wins and 1 loss on the road in the playoffs.
 
1149 WORDS
 
CLAIMING 6 TPE W/E 7-4-21 AND CLAIMING 6 TPE W/E 7-11-21

The Yukon Rush have made it through the first two rounds of the VHLM playoffs and are now in the Founders Cup Finals against the Minnesota Storm.  The Rush’s playoff run has mainly had ups but also a little down to start the second round as we take a look at a game by game recap.
 
VHLM QUARTERFINALS
 
Game 1 – Mexico City at Yukon – The Rush power play would be the difference in this game as they scored 3 goals with the man advanatage en route to a 5-3 win.  The Rush outshot the Kings 57 to 27 in the game and Emeritus made 24 saves.  Tyler Reinhart and Nathan Power each had two goals and an assist in the win.
 
Game 2 – Mexico City at Yukon – This game was lower scoring as the Rush jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period and then the Kings scored the lone second period goal, but could not get the game tying goal as the Rush added a late empty net goal to win 3-1.  Emeritus stopped 30 of 31 shots while 9 different Rush players had a point each to take a 2-0 lead.
 
Game 3 – Yukon at Mexico City – The Kings would get outshot again in this game, but they held the Rush to just a first period goal while scoring 3 of their own to cut the series lead down to 2 games to 1 in favor of Rush with a 3 to 1 win.
 
Game 4 -- Yukon at Mexico City – The Kings were once again badly outshot but a back and forth game saw the game tied at 3-3 with less than five minutes left to play.  The Rush got a late power play chance and Jokinen was able to cash in for the game winner to give the Rush a 4-3 win and a 3 games to 1 series lead.
 
Game 5 – Mexico City at Yukon – With the series on the line, the Rush came out and scored the first 4 goals of the game including 3 in the first 10 minutes and would eventually win the game 4 to 2 with Tyler Reinhart and Otto Numminen getting 2 points each in the win.  Emeritus would stopped 26 shots as the Rush won the series in 5 games and now face San Diego in the semifinals.
 
VHLM SEMIFINALS
 
Game 1 – San Diego at Yukon – The Marlins brought their A game for this as they had 71 shots on goal compared to just 50 for the Rush but it would be the Rush who had a 4-2 lead early in the second period before the Marlins would score the next 3 to take a 5-4 lead.  With less than two minutes left in the game, the Rush would tie it and send the game into overtime.  Neither team scored in the first overtime and it would be the Marlins getting a game 1 win in the second overtime by the score of 6 to 5.
 
Game 2 – San Diego at Yukon – The teams would exchange goals through the first two periods as the game was tied at 3-3.  Then in a 13 second span in the third period, the Marlins would score 2 goals and win game 2 to take a 2 games to 0 series lead with this 5 to 3 win even though the Rush outshot the Marlins 43 to 26 in the game. 
 
Game 3 – Yukon at San Diego – The Marlins would have a 2-1 lead after the first period in a game that the Rush have to win on the road to avoid going down 3 games to 0.  Early in the second period, Lemieux would get a shorthanded opportunity off of a steal and pass from Adams and would tie the game at 2-2.  Then the Rush would score the final goal of the game later in the second period to win 3 to 2 and get their first win of the series.
 
Game 4 – Yukon at San Diego – All the goals in this game were scored in the first period as the Rush scored first on the power play and then the Marlins tied it with their own power play goal.  The Marlins would then take a 2 to 1 lead before the Rush would answer with the final 3 goals of the game including 2 on the power play, to win the game 4 to 2 and tie the series at 2 to 2.  Neither team has won at home so far in the series and it now becomes a best of 3 with the Rush having home ice advantage or the Marlins having road ice advantage is more like it based on the series so far.
 
Game 5 – San Diego at Yukon – The teams exchanged two goals each in the first period as it was tied 2-2.  The Rush would probably play their best hockey the rest of the game as they limited the Marlins to just 11 shots in the final two periods, scored a power play goal in the second period and added two more goals in the first 2 minutes of the third period to win 5 to 2 and take a 3 games to 2 series lead.  They were also the first team to win at home in the series.
 
Game 6 – Yukon at San Diego – Like most of the games in the series, the teams once again exchanged a couple of goals in the first period as the game was tied at 2-2.  The Rush defense once again clamped down, holding the Marlins to only 12 shots in the final two periods and just 17 overall for the game, while scoring one goal in the second period and one goal in the third to win the game 4 to 2 and the series 4 games to 2 including the final 4 in a row to clinch a spot in the Founder Cup Finals against the Minnesota Storm.
 
Founders Cup Finals Preview
 
Minnesota v Yukon – The Storm haven’t lost in the playoffs winning both of their series by 4 games to 0.  The teams played 5 games in the regular season with the Rush winning 3 in regulation and the Storm winning 2 via the shootout. The Storm are led by a couple of defensemen in Peace III and Kaczka while getting some forward offense from Heavems and Massif.  Vaughn has played well in goal too and will be riding an 8 game winning streak into game 1.  Yukon will counter with a defensive trio of Powers, Sylvester and Jokinen while Reinhart, Lemieux and Numminen will form half of the top two lines for the Rush.  Emeritus will man the pipes for the Rush and is riding his own 4 game winning streak for the Rush including winning 3 of those on the road with an overall 4 wins and 1 loss on the road in the playoffs.
 
1149 WORDS
 
CLAIMING 6 TPE W/E 7-4-21 AND CLAIMING 6 TPE W/E 7-11-21

“It was good to get a taste of playoff action in the first round of the VHLM playoffs against Mexico City.  They played us tough during the regular season and we knew we were going to be in for a battle once the series started.  We held home ice through the first two games and then they won game 3 on the road, but in Game 4, it was a must win for them, but also for us since we wanted that 3rd win of the series and put all the pressure on them and we did and then won game 5 at home.”
 
“Then we drop the first two games of the next series at home to San Diego which was a great wake up call for the team.  We had to win both games on the road in games 3 and 4 and we did.  Now we are looking at a best of 3 with us having 2 of those 3 at home even though we lost 2 already there against them.  First period of Game 5 was tied 2-2 at the end but we played our best hockey of the season in periods 2 and 3 and won the game 5 to 2.  We have the momentum in the series and have to win game 6 because we do not want to give them any life and go to a game 7.”

1 -- its a team game and the whole team deserves the recognition for the series win
 
2 -- not very surprised at all -- HOuston is a solid team and gave us a lot of trouble during the regular season and anything can happen in the playoffs
 
3 -- i was second in my group by less than 1 point 
 
4 -- depending on the team make up, strats could go either way --> i think our balanced approach has worked well and wouldnt tinker with it at all
 
5 -- we went to the souther OUter Banks of North Carolina last week and will take another week off in august too before everyone goes back to school, etc
 
6 -- i dont mind 70-80 degree F weather as long as the humidity is low, but once it gets above 80 and humid, count me out

With most VHLM teams having 9 or 10 games left in the season, both conference’s top 4 teams are set for the playoffs but there still is a little bit of playoff seeding that needs to take place over the final 10% of the season.
 
In the Eastern Conference, Halifax, Minnesota, Philadelphia and Ottawa will all make the playoffs.  Ottawa is locked into the 4th seed and will face a team in the first round that will have more than double the wins and points than they did on the season.  Philly is locked into the 3rd spot in the conference and will be a formidable opponent for either of the the top 2 teams.  In 14 games against those 2 teams, Philly does only have 1 regulation and 1 overtime win against them but the playoffs are a whole different matter as we have seen in the past.
 
Not only are Halifax and Minnesota fighting for the top spot in the conference, but also for the top spot in the league with Yukon.  Halifax does have a 3 point lead over Minnesota and Halifax does have 1 game in hand with 10 to play, but Minnesota has slowly been chipping away at their lead here in the second half of the season.  The teams do play each other twice in the final stretch of the season and Minnesota just defeated Halifax 3 to 1.  In the 6 games against each other this season, both teams have won twice in regulation and each team has won once in a shootout.
 
In the Western Conference, Yukon, San Diego, Saskatoon and Houston have all clinched playoff spots.  Yukon is currently locked into the first spot with a 13 point lead over second place San Diego.  Yukon also has a 5 point lead over Halifax for the most points in the league as well.  Yukon has won 5 out of 8 against Houston and 6 out of 7 against Saskatoon, but is only 3 and 3 against San Diego.  San Diego has also done well against Houston winning 5 out of 6, but Saskatoon has had their number this season as San Diego only had 2 wins in 7 games against them.
 
The real battle in this conference is for the 3rd spot between Houston and Saskatoon.  Both teams have just 9 games left on the season and Saskatoon has a 4 point lead.  The two teams do not play each other the rest of the season and that is probably a good thing for Saskatoon since Houston won 6 out of the 8 games the two teams played including 5 in regulation.  Both teams have 5 home games left and Houston might have the tad bit easier schedule especially since they finish the season with 3 straight games against Ottawa even though 2 of them are on the road.  Both teams face some of teams ahead of them in the standings.
 
Yukon has a 5 point lead over Halifax and a 8 point lead over Minnesota for the top spot in the league.  Yukon has had trouble against the other teams that have over 90 points on the season and that will include San Diego as well.  It will be interesting to see how and if this plays out in the playoffs.  In the East, is the conference final destined to be Halifax v Minnesota or will Philly ruin that party by upsetting one of them in the first round?  Over in the West, the conference is Yukon’s to lose and which of other 3 playoff teams will take them to the limit?

“It is a nice accomplishment for the team that we ended up winning the best overall record and home ice advantage throughout the playoffs, but we definitely cannot take any team lightly and hope we do need to go to a game 7 at home.  You don’t play though for regular season championships but in the end, all players want the league championship and that’s what we want in Yukon.  The team was built to win and we added some nice depth as the season went along and can use that to our advantage as the playoffs go along.”
 
“Mexico City is a tough matchup for us and a team that isn’t going to lie down and just let us roll over them in the first round.  We have to take them seriously as they did beat a couple of times during the season and just beat us right before the end of the season so they are coming into this series with momentum and the confidence that they can beat us.  Our players have to up our game to another level during the playoffs and our leaders have to set the tone in game 1.  Take it shift by shift and play Rush hockey and in the end hope for the best result and move onto the next round.”

1 -- although its nice to have the best regular season record and home ice throughout the playoffs, regular season awards do not really mean much and its more about winning that championship
 
2 -- it should by Tyler Reinhart, he was just so dominate across the whole entire season from start to finish
 
3 -- none, rather face them in the playoffs and beat them there than in the regular season
 
4 -- Houston will be a tough draw and cant overlook them, we have home ice and have to take advantage of that and up are game and play our best players 20+ minutes a game
 
5 -- Thunderstruck by AC/DC
 
6 -- depends on the movie, but more or less i would shy away from opening day/weekend

With most VHLM teams having 9 or 10 games left in the season, both conference’s top 4 teams are set for the playoffs but there still is a little bit of playoff seeding that needs to take place over the final 10% of the season.
 
In the Eastern Conference, Halifax, Minnesota, Philadelphia and Ottawa will all make the playoffs.  Ottawa is locked into the 4th seed and will face a team in the first round that will have more than double the wins and points than they did on the season.  Philly is locked into the 3rd spot in the conference and will be a formidable opponent for either of the the top 2 teams.  In 14 games against those 2 teams, Philly does only have 1 regulation and 1 overtime win against them but the playoffs are a whole different matter as we have seen in the past.
 
Not only are Halifax and Minnesota fighting for the top spot in the conference, but also for the top spot in the league with Yukon.  Halifax does have a 3 point lead over Minnesota and Halifax does have 1 game in hand with 10 to play, but Minnesota has slowly been chipping away at their lead here in the second half of the season.  The teams do play each other twice in the final stretch of the season and Minnesota just defeated Halifax 3 to 1.  In the 6 games against each other this season, both teams have won twice in regulation and each team has won once in a shootout.
 
In the Western Conference, Yukon, San Diego, Saskatoon and Houston have all clinched playoff spots.  Yukon is currently locked into the first spot with a 13 point lead over second place San Diego.  Yukon also has a 5 point lead over Halifax for the most points in the league as well.  Yukon has won 5 out of 8 against Houston and 6 out of 7 against Saskatoon, but is only 3 and 3 against San Diego.  San Diego has also done well against Houston winning 5 out of 6, but Saskatoon has had their number this season as San Diego only had 2 wins in 7 games against them.
 
The real battle in this conference is for the 3rd spot between Houston and Saskatoon.  Both teams have just 9 games left on the season and Saskatoon has a 4 point lead.  The two teams do not play each other the rest of the season and that is probably a good thing for Saskatoon since Houston won 6 out of the 8 games the two teams played including 5 in regulation.  Both teams have 5 home games left and Houston might have the tad bit easier schedule especially since they finish the season with 3 straight games against Ottawa even though 2 of them are on the road.  Both teams face some of teams ahead of them in the standings.
 
Yukon has a 5 point lead over Halifax and a 8 point lead over Minnesota for the top spot in the league.  Yukon has had trouble against the other teams that have over 90 points on the season and that will include San Diego as well.  It will be interesting to see how and if this plays out in the playoffs.  In the East, is the conference final destined to be Halifax v Minnesota or will Philly ruin that party by upsetting one of them in the first round?  Over in the West, the conference is Yukon’s to lose and which of other 3 playoff teams will take them to the limit?

“We have 16 games left in the season and a 8 point lead over the second place team, so baring any collapse, we should earn that #1 seed in our conference.  The playoffs are not going to be easy in our conference and all 3 of those teams have played us well.  Having that #1 seed and potentially getting a game 7 at home is huge.  Being the #1 seed though, we shouldn’t have to go to a game 7 and need to take care of business before that to avoid any upsets.  Our fans have been crazy at home all season long and make it tough for opponents to play there and I would expect the playoffs to be no different.”
 
“It has been a decent week for myself scoring wise for a change as I had a hat trick and a couple of other solid games here recently.  Its time to up my game and get ready for the playoffs as we are able to roll 4 solid lines out against the other teams and make it difficult for them to shut down just one line.  That scoring depth will be huge come playoff time and I hope to provide the solid two way game that the Rush will need to make it out of the conference and into the VHLM finals.”

“We have 16 games left in the season and a 8 point lead over the second place team, so baring any collapse, we should earn that #1 seed in our conference.  The playoffs are not going to be easy in our conference and all 3 of those teams have played us well.  Having that #1 seed and potentially getting a game 7 at home is huge.  Being the #1 seed though, we shouldn’t have to go to a game 7 and need to take care of business before that to avoid any upsets.  Our fans have been crazy at home all season long and make it tough for opponents to play there and I would expect the playoffs to be no different.”
 
“It has been a decent week for myself scoring wise for a change as I had a hat trick and a couple of other solid games here recently.  Its time to up my game and get ready for the playoffs as we are able to roll 4 solid lines out against the other teams and make it difficult for them to shut down just one line.  That scoring depth will be huge come playoff time and I hope to provide the solid two way game that the Rush will need to make it out of the conference and into the VHLM finals.”

1 -- its should be good to roll 4 lines against teams in the playoffs unless the other team is double shifting their top players, then it might present a problem
 
2 -- i just check in whenever, so i just go about my daily business of work, etc
 
3 -- if its a tie then both GMs should get a free pass or should it go to the next tiebreaker which is who scored the most goals and then the losing GM has to sing?
 
4 -- speed -- skating is there but just cause you can skate well doesnt mean you are a fast skater per se; or maybe acceleration to get to the puck faster than other players
 
5 -- people watch
 
6 -- i dont mind sitting in the airport and relaxing for an hour or two before a flight and you can also bet on which planes are going to land first with the person sitting next to you

With the VHL now adding a 3rd league which will strictly be in Europe, which cities would I choose to be the original 6 of the VHLE?  The cities cannot be the same ones that are currently in the VHL, but I am ok putting different cities in the same country between the two leagues.  I would also like to have a mix of current countries as well as sprinkling in new countries so that the league can continue to grow and reach different populations of the world with the idea of adding more new countries than existing.
 
My first two cities would be the Nordic duo of Oslo, Norway and Stockholm, Sweden.  They would create an instant rivalry in the league and add one new country in Norway while strengthening the VHL in Sweden to go along with the VHL’s Malmo club.  Oslo is already known for winter sports such as skiing and biathlon and the city already has an ice hockey arena in place.  Even though Norway is not a power house on the international hockey level, adding a team here would go a long way to developing the sport in the country.  Stockholm is the capital of Sweden and ice hockey is one of the most popular sports in the city.  They have hosted Olympic and Nordic Games throughout its history and is just a no-brainer choice to have a VHLE team.
 
For my next two cities, we will travel to the main land of Europe and add Berlin, Germany and Paris, France.  Berlin is the capital and biggest city of Germany and like Stockholm, have hosted major international sporting events throughout its history.  Berlin does have a team in the German Pro hockey league but adding a high profile team to the VHLE will only continue to grow the sport in Germany and make use of an arena already in place.  Paris is another capital city and is just such a major influence on the world’s sporting stage – hosting Olympics, World Cups, French Open and the last stage of the Tour de France – that adding a VHLE hockey team here seems like a natural fit and help to push France onto the world hockey stage as well.
 
The last two cities I will choose are also in new countries as well – Vienna, Austria and Budapest, Hungary.  Vienna is also a capital city and although it is more of a soccer city, this would be a great place to continue to grow the game of hockey in Europe.  Vienna has hosted Ice Hockey championships in the past and would give a great winter sport for the city to cheer during the soccer off season.  Vienna is very close to Budapest, surprise another capital city, that the two would more a natural rivalry as well too.  Like the other cities, Budapest has hosted many international and European championships in its history and not only can the city host a hockey team, it would be a great chance for the VHLE to expand into a non-traditional hockey country to expand the sport in Europe.
 
The VHLE should be very successful and the question on everyone’s mind would be expansion and where to go after these 6 cities.  Italy is the next logical choice and putting a team in Rome with its long international sports history and starting to add a more southern European city would only aid in the growth of the sport.  I would go east next and add Bucharest in Romania as my 8th city to expand the VHLE to its most eastern city on the map.  This would also allow for two 4 team divisions:
 
VHLE North
Oslo, Stockholm, Berlin and Paris
 
VHLE South
Vienna, Budapest, Rome and Bucharest
 
Then looking to another two to four cities to get to a 12 team league -- Dublin, Madrid, Kiev, St. Petersburg, Copenhagen, Amsterdam to name a few

With the VHL now adding a 3rd league which will strictly be in Europe, which cities would I choose to be the original 6 of the VHLE?  The cities cannot be the same ones that are currently in the VHL, but I am ok putting different cities in the same country between the two leagues.  I would also like to have a mix of current countries as well as sprinkling in new countries so that the league can continue to grow and reach different populations of the world with the idea of adding more new countries than existing.
 
My first two cities would be the Nordic duo of Oslo, Norway and Stockholm, Sweden.  They would create an instant rivalry in the league and add one new country in Norway while strengthening the VHL in Sweden to go along with the VHL’s Malmo club.  Oslo is already known for winter sports such as skiing and biathlon and the city already has an ice hockey arena in place.  Even though Norway is not a power house on the international hockey level, adding a team here would go a long way to developing the sport in the country.  Stockholm is the capital of Sweden and ice hockey is one of the most popular sports in the city.  They have hosted Olympic and Nordic Games throughout its history and is just a no-brainer choice to have a VHLE team.
 
For my next two cities, we will travel to the main land of Europe and add Berlin, Germany and Paris, France.  Berlin is the capital and biggest city of Germany and like Stockholm, have hosted major international sporting events throughout its history.  Berlin does have a team in the German Pro hockey league but adding a high profile team to the VHLE will only continue to grow the sport in Germany and make use of an arena already in place.  Paris is another capital city and is just such a major influence on the world’s sporting stage – hosting Olympics, World Cups, French Open and the last stage of the Tour de France – that adding a VHLE hockey team here seems like a natural fit and help to push France onto the world hockey stage as well.
 
The last two cities I will choose are also in new countries as well – Vienna, Austria and Budapest, Hungary.  Vienna is also a capital city and although it is more of a soccer city, this would be a great place to continue to grow the game of hockey in Europe.  Vienna has hosted Ice Hockey championships in the past and would give a great winter sport for the city to cheer during the soccer off season.  Vienna is very close to Budapest, surprise another capital city, that the two would more a natural rivalry as well too.  Like the other cities, Budapest has hosted many international and European championships in its history and not only can the city host a hockey team, it would be a great chance for the VHLE to expand into a non-traditional hockey country to expand the sport in Europe.
 
The VHLE should be very successful and the question on everyone’s mind would be expansion and where to go after these 6 cities.  Italy is the next logical choice and putting a team in Rome with its long international sports history and starting to add a more southern European city would only aid in the growth of the sport.  I would go east next and add Bucharest in Romania as my 8th city to expand the VHLE to its most eastern city on the map.  This would also allow for two 4 team divisions:
 
VHLE North
Oslo, Stockholm, Berlin and Paris
 
VHLE South
Vienna, Budapest, Rome and Bucharest
 
Then looking to another two to four cities to get to a 12 team league -- Dublin, Madrid, Kiev, St. Petersburg, Copenhagen, Amsterdam to name a few

“We just went 1 and 1 against Houston in the last sim and it’s a little concerning since they currently sit in the 4th spot in the Western Conference and would be a potential first round matchup for us in the playoffs.  The Bulls have played us well all season long and have presented tough games against us all season long.  We will have to elevate our game against them in the playoffs because I am sure they will bringing their very best against us.”
 
“We have a lot of games left against the other two playoff bound teams in our conference in San Diego and Saskatoon.   We have played two games against both teams so far this season and have gone 4-0 against them but with Houston right on their tails in the standings, all 3 teams will be fighting for that second seed and home ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs too.”
 
“As for Lemieux, its been an up and down season so far and one that has been disappointing on a personal level.  Was hoping for more goals and points for sure but am glad the team is doing well and that’s the most important thing.  I am going to continue to work hard during practice and games and have the Rush bring home the most points and wins possible this season.”

“We just went 1 and 1 against Houston in the last sim and it’s a little concerning since they currently sit in the 4th spot in the Western Conference and would be a potential first round matchup for us in the playoffs.  The Bulls have played us well all season long and have presented tough games against us all season long.  We will have to elevate our game against them in the playoffs because I am sure they will bringing their very best against us.”
 
“We have a lot of games left against the other two playoff bound teams in our conference in San Diego and Saskatoon.   We have played two games against both teams so far this season and have gone 4-0 against them but with Houston right on their tails in the standings, all 3 teams will be fighting for that second seed and home ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs too.”
 
“As for Lemieux, its been an up and down season so far and one that has been disappointing on a personal level.  Was hoping for more goals and points for sure but am glad the team is doing well and that’s the most important thing.  I am going to continue to work hard during practice and games and have the Rush bring home the most points and wins possible this season.”