AcousticKazoo

+4

You're a freaking legend!

Awesome article! One minor thing, though....it's MICHA Sage. lol. Great read, though! I appreciate the shout.

For Week Ending in 9/29: 1. After a relatively good start to the season we've been in a bit of a skid, what do you think we need to change to get out footing back? We're rebuilding, so there's no shame in experimenting with lines and seeing what works best, who works with who best, and what produces the better result. 2. What's one area of your game you think you need to improve? Scoring. Having 5 goals and 5 assists 21 games in seems disappointing, and I need to find that formula to get better results. 3. With 19 games under our belts, S68 2nd overall pick Lance Flowers has shown his ability to hang with the pros. How does it feel playing with one of the most prolific picks of the S68 draft? Great guy, solid player. Can't wait to see what the numbers he puts up look like at the end of the season. 4. Who do you think has been our season MVP so far? LeGrande. He's been solid on D, pushing those points and assist totals super high. 5. The D.C. Dragons and the Prague Phantoms have been scraping the bottom of the bowl all season, do you think they will break out of the bottom 2 spots by the end of the "year"? It's hard coming into a league as an expansion team with little to work on. If they break out of the bottom two, I think it would more have to do with the other teams that pushed them up moreso than it does with the expansion teams doing well. 6. The program recently tacked on a new AGM to upper management, is there anything the players want to see from him? Not really. I think as long as he is there helping out and making sure we're producing, he's solid. 7. If you could change one thing about the league, what would it be? Injuries. Make minor injuries hit your stats for a series of 3 or 5 games, in which you produce less. Or suspensions. I know it's a sim, and you can't control what happens, but adding some injuries or suspensions could be cool, and make teams scramble for lines. Also, TPE earning needs to be looked at a bit.

Review: Okay, as an old gamer, this is awesome. I miss the days of old hockey like this. Graphics were stupid simple, but the game was just amazing. I love how you put in the jersey colors, not even sure how you managed to do this, but you did an amazing job! I want one for me!

Review: I like this. It's pretty cool for what it is, I think I would have done maybe a cartoon effect on the dog, but seriously this is awesome. Great job, the logo for the dog tag on the collar is awesome.

Review: Awesome job. This is seriously super cool. I love the effects, everything ties in well. I think the only thing I could pick on is the font color, but it's minimal to me that it doesn't really take away from the whole thing. Awesome job, stellar graphic.

Review: Great graphic, really love the effect. Love that you used the vintage jersey for the Kings, I've always preferred that one over any of their others. I think the color on the last name could have been a bit brighter, something to make it pop more. I also would have added more space to the right, it almost looks like the 'r' on the last name is right on the edge. Great work!

Review: Ah, the LeGrande Train gets some love! Great graphic, I love the effect on this. Like @chillzone mentioned, I would have placed the text somewhere else, or perhaps done it in a different color that made it stand out a bit more against the player. Either way, still an awesome effort!

Review: Love this. The effect is wicked, and the logo addition is seamless. I wish I could get that sort of effect down without it being noticeable that the logo was placed. I cannot read cursive because I r stoopid, but the text effect is amazing. All around good job!

Review: I like the second one more than I do the first. There's nothing particularly wrong with the first one, however, I think the second one has more going on that makes it more appealing to the eye. I like the arrows, they flow with the direction of the player. Gives you that impression he just ripped a wicked wrister into the back of the net. I'm also a huge sucker for college style cage helmets, so good on you! Great job!

Review: Really love this. The player cut is nice, and I like the effects that you put on this. Straight and to the point, no fancy useless additions. This is seriously great work, keep it up!

Welcome to the first edition of VHL Insight: Rookie Edition. Today we are sitting down with a familiar face who has recently moved his way up into the VHL after an impressive start in the VHLM, Micha Sage. Sage was drafted 16th overall by the New York Americans, and currently is playing third line minutes. We caught him after a team practice, and we were eager to once again poke the mind of the rookie and get his thoughts on life in the VHL. Micha, thank you for joining us again and having a chat with us. You've made it to the VHL! How different has the change been for you, and are you finding difficulty in settling in? MS: Hey, thanks again. It feels great to finally be in the VHL. Being here is a huge culture shock for me, I guess. The VHL is so different from being in the VHLM in just about everything you do. Practices are different, meetings are different, even team meals are different. And don't get me started on travelling...it's just a whole new world for me and I think it's sort of caught me off guard. On top of being in a new country, and sort of getting used to how people live here is a lot to take in. So, yeah, I'd say I am having a bit difficulty adjusting to life. You touched a lot of points, especially that the life in the VHL is hugely different than it is in the VHLM. Do you attribute the low scoring and assist totals on the troubles you're having adjusting to the new life, or are you having a slow start? MS: Yeah ten points in twenty-one games played is rough, at least by my standards. I think part of it has to do with my troubles to adjusting here, but I also think it's just the talent pool in the VHL is so deep, it's hard to keep afloat. That's not to say there wasn't huge talent in the VHLM, because there is, but it's just a whole new world of talent here. You have guys who have been here awhile, who know the ropes, are set on a routine and have passed that sort of 'Freshman Shock' period in their career. I'd like to say it's a slow start, and the best is yet to come, I know I am capable of it I just hope my team and the coaching staff see that, too. You're on a team that has been rebuilding, adding and removing players in hopes of being contenders in the near future. Do you feel the team is there, or are you guys a season or more out from hitting that full powerhouse potential? MS: I think we have a good team around us right now, and we're floating in the middle of the pack kind of. As far as being in a rebuild stage still or not, it's not for me to say. I don't mind being on a team that's trying to rebuild and gain new players; it gives me a chance to get used to life here, and progress my game a bit more at a relaxed pace. Although, at some point, I need to step up. I am aware of that. Has anyone taken you under their wing, so to speak, and showed you the ways of how to go about life in the VHL? I know you have been pretty active on social media mentioning Americans D-Man Guy LeGrande a few times. Is there sort of a bromance going on there? MS: Yeah, LeGrande is great. I guess he's taken me under his guidance and make sure I don't do anything silly to mess up what I have going for me. I think the biggest thing for me is just...getting used to it all. He's been pretty helpful, even inviting me for some dinner and a movie a few times. It definitely helps to have that person making sure you're playing to your full potential, and that no chance goes wasted. Bromance? Sure, I guess -laughing-. He's just been great, as a teammate and as a mentor. Sage (Left) and teammate, LeGrande (Right) during warm-ups Speaking of LeGrande, he's currently leading the team in assists and points. What are you thoughts on that? MS: He's stepping up as a D-Man and really laying it all out there. I think this year is going to be his breakout year, in all honesty. It's really cool to have someone of his talent and caliber make noise right out of the gate at the beginning of the season. I really see great things from him, and like I said, he's been a great mentor. Thanks for taking the time to sit and chat with us again, Micha. I hope you start to come around sooner rather than later and life gets a bit easier for you in the VHL. That wraps it up for this edition of VHL Insight. Tune in next time, thanks for reading, and until then, we'll see you. Word Count: 835 Submitting for week ending in 9/29

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