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The following excerpt is from a recent interview with Moscow Menace Goaltender Owen May. The entirety of the interview can be found at The Athletic Website: Preview [Replying to question What has been going through your head this season?] "It's honestly been a whirlwind. I feel like I haven't been able to get a firm hold on what I'm doing and have felt like I've been drowning. I've found it very difficult to get up in the morning and come to the rink. I have felt since ever I came back to America, I have done nothing but drown. I've been slipping below the surface time and time again, only coming up for air to keep me alive. I've been reaching out to everyone and I have been trying to get help. You know there's days I make fifty saves and we lose and there's days I let five in and we win. It's frustrating not having my effort line up on the score sheet. This isn't the type of player I wanna be known as and not the type of player that sticks around in the league for long. I could really use some vetran guidence but that's the thing about being the starter, you gotta be the guy who sets the example, and that's something I just haven't been able to do."

Our world is cruel and no one knows that better than Owen May. The Goaltender has been praised as possibly one of the hardest working goalies in his draft class. He's often found himself highly rated among GM's, Teammates and Selection Committees. But why have the results never followed? Today we're going to take a in depth look at the failures and short comings May has experienced as a goaltender. Last season the Houston Bulls had a remarkable year. As s brand new team introduced to the VHL they finished the regular season in third place. They did so with a solid offensive core that stood out on the national stage. The Bulls finished third in almost every category except for overtime losses. With a top 4 d that had the likes of Jerry Garcia, who was drafted 7th overall to the newly founded Malmo Knighthawks and Beau Buefordsson who would be drafted later in the draft to stand in front of Owen May once more for the Moscow Menace. So May must have been a key contributor to the success down in Houston? Right? Wrong! May produced a .882 save percentage, a 2.99 Goals Against Average and tied for shutouts with fellow Moscow Goaltender Chase with four total. He faced 1800 opportunities which is a typical amount to face in 72 games but May failed to find consistency, a problem that plagues him still today with the Menace. With the Menace, May has played a total of 24 games while sporting a .886 save percentage and a 4.01 Goals Against Average. It could be argued that May has faced many more shot opportunities than should be expected of a young goaltender. In Houston may faced an average of twenty five shots per sixty minutes, while in Moscow, May has faced ten more shots per sixty minutes. If the trend were to continue, May would face over four hundred more shots this season. So there's obviously some trouble in front of May that has left him out to dry but why is the blame put on May if there's statistical proof that May has been forced into a heavier workload? Well his back up Chase has been showing up when called upon. The second leg of the rookie tandem has produced a .964 save percentage, which is extraordinarily high for a goaltender who has been one of the lesser active goaltenders in the league. In it's justification Chase has appeared in two relief appearances for May and has mustered one start as a third of the season has passed. He faces an average of 29 shots per 60 minutes, again a high stat but he has played a combined time of 115 minutes which is five short of a full two games. So why can May not find the same results in front of adversity? It's unclear, Chase has been a better leader in the locker room and maybe that helps his defenders take shots for him. Only time will tell if May is a wasted pick and Chase is the goalie of the future.

I apologize boys. We will not win with me in net

That gives us 6

Yay another win Half way to 10

Excuse me

I'm applying for Asia. I think it would be a good test to see if I should step into the gm world for the VHL/VHLM

1. Be patient. The league does not favor goaltenders and it can be emotionally taxing. Just keep putting in the work and eventually it will come. 2. COMPETITIVE GAMES. I WANT THE CUP BABY....lol. But honestly I'm here to win and have fun. 3. Yellow, I'm kind of a copy cat. That was my best friends favorite color and over time it became mine. 4. Championship. No doubt, I wanna win. Finals mean nothing. 5. CCM. It was the gear gifted to me by a friend and I've refused to get anything else. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ P.S- Make sure to ask 6 questions! I'm very grateful you took time to ask questions but just for future reference!

1. Definitely reaction time. Getting deflections and in tight opportunities are parts of my game I feel comfortable with. 2. Consistency, very often in this early season I have games where I make 47-50 saves but turn around and have games where I go 17-21. It's tough to have confidence if that pattern continues. 3. I think the big time games! Obviously, Moscow is a long way away from reaching that point but I feel we'll get there eventually. I want to play in games where the entire league stops to watch 4. At times I've had to deal with some unkind people but the general population of the league has been very kind and supportive. It's been a fun time being here. 5. Win double-digit games. I'd like to be recognized as a top goalie and you can't do that without winning. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- P.S- Make sure to ask 6 questions! I'm very grateful you took time to ask questions but just for future reference!

A New Week, 6 New questions! 1. Moscow has fallen to last in the standings. Is there reasons for hope or is the season lost already? 2. Who has stood out as the best player on this team? 3. Is there someone who's level of play has surprised you? 4. Every team has a rival. Who would you consider to be Moscow's rival? 5. If you were given the opportunity to redesign the Moscow Menace jerseys would you do it and what would your design be? 6. If you were to choose one area where the Menace needs to improve, what would it be?

Roger Sterling @Savoire Faire

F-Kronos Bailey @TheFlash

I can respect that

Review- Hey again. It's me ya boi. Only thing I'd really change is the who is Xander part. Kinda seems redundant but other than that it was a good read

Review- I'm unsure if you have finished this yet. But for future reference I would either keep it an interview or a weekly recap but that's my personal preference. Best of luck in the VHLM

Marvin Harding @Savoire Faire

Maxim Kovalchuk @TheFlash

Question. How do I not get a star

A young goaltender can be a fragile thing. Arguably they are the most important player on the ice every night. They play to the last minutes, they're responsible for every goal and can be the target of a lot of criticism. If they steal a game their the hero of the world. If they let one through the wickets they're run out of town. In 7 Games, May has faced 320 shots and allowed 36 goals. A save percentage of .888 doesn't seem stellar but high danger opportunities have been aplenty. In all three games the Menace have secured a point, May has faced at least 42 shots. In their win against Calgary, May faced 58 shots, saving 55. The wolves have been chomping at May and he's done his best to keep Moscow in games but as with men like Cam Talbot and Henrik Lundqvist, an overworked goalie tends to break down faster as time passes. Hopefully the Moscow defense can help out their young goaltender before his body eternally turns blue from constant puck abuse.

Translated from a recent interview with Vlad Putin. " It is unacceptable for such disastrous results from a team that is to be the National Team of Russia. For too long have we awaited a team to represent us in a league on the world's stage. The VHL has given us what we deserve but our results with Moscow have been disgraceful. The people of Russia have been robbed of the chance to show that we are the most passionate and exciting fan base of the world. " For those out of the loop, The Moscow Menace were founded last year, and they had a disastrous first season which resulted in just 9 wins all season. Moscow was left with just 155 goals for and 355 against, Moscow has been the worst team by far. This season has started rough for the Menace who have lost all five games this season for a total record of 0-3-2 which somehow tops last year's cup winners the Toronto Legion who are 1-5. There lone victory came over the Menace in last weeks meeting where they won 5-3. Is there reason to believe that the standings will be the same come playoff time? Absolutely not. Unless Moscow can find a way to take every game to overtime or shootout. What also turned some heads was Moscow's draft. The benefit of having poor seasons is usually having an abundance of picks. The Moscow Menace did their best with their picks as they grabbed some promising skaters and a goalie who could help form one of the stronger goalie tandems in the league. When asked about the promise Moscow had, Putin responded with frustration "We are to be great now, we gain nothing from being good in few years. If anything, to succeed later we need to win now and show that Russia can form the strongest of teams. It costs us money because fans do not want to see Moscow, they would rather watch the KHL. If results do not improve, I will take control of the team. Russia is a strong and proud nation, we desire a team that embodies the spirit of our population." To say the pressure is on for the Moscow GM and Players would be an understatement. The way they have performed will not be sustainable under the rule of Vlad Putin. To find out how the locker room handles the national pressure, we sat down with rookie goaltender Owen May. "Honestly it's really suffocating at times. We're early in the season, seats are empty and the only media response we get is negative. We as a team are working hard to turn things around but we need a helping hand from the Russian people. Things didn't always go smoothly in Houston, we were an expansion team who struggled at first. However, the city really got behind us and next thing you know we're sitting a win away from making the cup finals. Obviously, that's another part of the world and the culture can be very different at times but we're here for entertainment and want to show that we can entertain the Euro-Asian people. I hope that I can be a familiar face in the following years and a public figure when people think of Russia."

How did I get 1st star in a loss?

Elias Dahlberg @Savoire Faire

Seattle 5-3

50 Moscow Menace @ New York Americans 51 Seattle Bears @ Malmo Nighthawks 52 Moscow Menace @ Helsinki Titans 53 Vancouver Wolves @ Seattle Bears