dstevensonjr

Welcome to the sixth edition of This Week in the VHLM, Season 89 edition. This edition features the first round of the playoffs! Going to run a bit of a different format with some carryover as a recap to each series. Thanks for checking in, and let’s get into Week 6! First Round Matchups (1) Philadelphia Reapers vs. (8) Miami Marauders Standout Game: Game 5 - Philadelphia 5-0 - Reapers with a statement win in a pivotal Game 5, outshooting Marauders 48-25. First Star of the Series: Anthony Simmons (PHI) - 4 G, 8 A, 36 SHT, 5 HIT, 1 GWG, +9 Game Results: PHI (6-2), PHI (4-3), MIA (5-4), MIA (4-3), PHI (5-0), PHI (5-3) Series Result: PHI wins 4-2 (2) Houston Bulls vs. (7) Ottawa Lynx Standout Game: Game 5 - Ottawa 3-2 (3OT) - Lynx close out the series in triple overtime on a Powerplay goal by Jarmo Ruutu. First Star of the Series: Jarmo Ruutu (OTT) - 3 G, 2 A, 23 SHT, 9 HIT, 2 GWG, +2 Game Results: OTT (2-1), OTT (3-2), OTT (4-2), HOU (3-2), OTT (3-2) Series Result: OTT wins 4-1 (3) San Diego Marlins vs. (6) Halifax 21st Standout Game: Game 2 - San Diego 4-1 - After being shutout in Game 1, the Marlins respond with a solid win, outshooting the 21st 45-23. First Star of the Series: Clark (SDM) - 4 WINS, .941 SV%, 1.60 GAA Game Results: HFX (2-0), SDM (4-1), SDM (3-1), SDM (3-1), SDM (4-3) Series Result: SDM wins 4-1 (4) Mexico City Kings vs. (5) Mississauga Hounds Standout Game: Game 3 - Mexico City 4-1 - With the series tied a 1-1, the Kings win a strong game on the road to take back home ice advantage in the series. First Star of the Series: Grimgor Ironhide (MEX) - 5 G, 5 A, 25 SHT, 14 HIT, 1 GWG, +5 Game Results: MIS (5-1), MEX (3-2), MEX (4-1), MEX (5-3), MIS (4-3), MEX (3-1) Series Result: MEX wins 4-2 First Star of the Game Rankings 1st - Grimgor Ironhide (MEX) – 3 t-2nd - Anthony Simmons (PHI) - 2 t-2nd - LeBen Aky (PHI) - 2 t-2nd - Sjin (SDM) - 2 t-5th - 13 players - 1 Hatty’s and Blanks Hat tricks this round None Shutouts this round PHI/MIA Game 5 – Philadelphia 5-0 Miami – Karl Herzlich (1) 25 Saves SDM/HFX Game 1 - Halifax 2-0 San Diego - Boolie Buchholz (1) 28 Saves Playoff Bracket Statistical Leaders Skaters Points – Anthony Simmons (PHI) - 12 Goals – Grimgor Ironhide (MEX), Carson Walker Jr. (MEX), Axle Gunner (PHI), Dominik Kopecky (MIS) - 5 Assists – Anthony Simmons (PHI) - 8 Shots – Alexandre Crosby (MIA) - 40 Game Winners – Dominik Kopecky (MIS), Chris Sanzone (MEX), Jarmo Ruutu (OTT) - 2 Goalies Wins – Karl Herzlich (PHI), Ryan Artyomov (OTT), Clark (SDM) - 4 Save Percentage – Clark (SDM) - .941 Goals Against Average – Clark (SDM) - 1.60 Shutouts – Karl Herzlich (PHI), Boolie Buchholz (HFX) - 1 That will do it for the Week 6 Playoff edition of This Week in the VHLM. Thank you for reading, and I’ll see you again after the second round! Mentions:

This is fantastic, you did a great job with all of them!! I think that the Kings set is my favourite of the bunch, but I do like how the Lynx jerseys turned out!

5 games, and only 1 was more than a 1 goal difference (and it was only 2). As tight a series as you'll find. Congrats on a great season Houston.

I picked Istanbul in my Bracket Challenge submission as well!

1. In the VHLM, it's been pretty good this season. There are teams that have been excellent, teams that have been alright, and teams that have fallen off a bit, but we haven't seen anything outrageous like a team that wins or loses almost every single game. 2. If I had to choose between the two, I'd go with high draft pick with expectations. I'd like to help be responsible for making a difference with a team, and that comes with being a higher pick. 3. Depends on the day, but I'll go with either classic rock (give me an AC/DC playlist, or some hair metal), or punk rock (anything on the louder end for Rise Against, especially early material). ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. What time of year is your favourite, and why? Does it revolve around anything specific? 2. What are your thoughts on the early sims in the playoffs in your league? Any shocking results so far for your team, or others? 3. Do you have a specific day/time that you do your TPE work, or do you just wait to find available time?

Welcome to the sixth edition of This Week in the VHLM, Season 89 edition. This edition features the end of the regular season, the playoffs will be separated by round later on. Thanks for checking in, and let’s get into Week 6! Standout Games This Week Halifax - Game 349 – Halifax 4-3 (SO) Mexico City – Halifax with 3 goals in the first period, including 2 PPG – Miroslav with shootout winner Houston - Game 344 - Houston 5-2 Miami - Bulls outshoot Marauders 51-12, at least 14 shots in all 3 periods - 7 players with 4 shots or more Las Vegas - Game 326 - Las Vegas 3-1 Saskatoon - Jeffrey Blake 34 saves on 35 shots - Vegas goes 5/5 on the PK to hold off Saskatoon Mexico City - Game 328 - Mexico City 5-4 (SO) Philadelphia - Kings with 4 second period goals - Steven Mcdard with shootout winner over top team in the league Miami - Game 337 - Miami 3-2 Las Vegas - Marauders outshoot Aces 36-17 - Miami 2/3 on PP and 5/5 on PK Mississauga - Game 318 - Mississauga 5-1 Saskatoon - Hounds with 5 straight goals - Dominik Kopecky with 2 G, 2 A, 4 SHT, 5 HIT, 1 SB Ottawa - Game 327 - Ottawa 3-2 (SO) Houston - Lynx finally reverse shootout luck, beating future playoff opponent - Harry Callahan and Bruise Banner with shootout goals Philadelphia - Game 316 - Philadelphia 6-4 Miami - After falling behind 3-1, Philly piles up 5 goals in second/third - 8 players with 4+ shots and 1+ points San Diego - Game 331 - San Diego 4-3 (SO) Miami - Marlins pile up 61 shots in win over Marauders - Sjin with shootout winner to go with 12 shots and 4 hits Saskatoon - Game 348 - Saskatoon 1-0 Houston - Wild with upset win over top seed in the West - Joseph Reed with a spectacular 34 save shutout Three Stars of the Week 1st Star – Game 354 – Savaisk Tzesar – San Diego 6-2 Las Vegas – 4 G, 8 SHT, 5 HIT 2nd Star – Game 343 – Jarmo Ruutu – Ottawa 5-4 Saskatoon – 2 G, 2 A, 7 SHT, 7 HIT 3rd Star – Game 315 – Baby Moo Moo – San Diego 5-0 Ottawa – 2 G, 2 A, 8 SHT, 3 HIT First Star of the Game Rankings t-1st - Xiver Zilla – Houston – 11 t-1st - Brad Marchand – San Diego – 11 3rd - LeBen Aky – Philadelphia – 10 t-4th - Carson Walker Jr. - Houston - 9 t-4th - Maxim Anisimov - Halifax - 9 Hatty’s and Blanks Hat tricks this week Game 332 - Philadelphia 4-1 Las Vegas – LeBen Aky (3) 3 G on 9 SHT Game 336 - San Diego 5-1 Mississauga – Savaisk Tzesar (1) 3 G on 10 SHT Game 354 - San Diego 6-2 Las Vegas – Savaisk Tzesar (2) 4 G on 8 SHT Game 360 - Halifax 5-3 Mexico City – Maxim Anisimov (2) 3 G on 8 SHT Shutouts this week Game 313 – San Diego 3-0 Saskatoon – Clark (5) 20 Saves Game 314 - Mexico City 3-0 Las Vegas - Jose Avocado (4) 22 Saves Game 315 - San Diego 5-0 Ottawa - Clark (6) 11 Saves Game 322 - Mississauga 1-0 Houston - Pierre-Luc Dutil (2) 18 Saves Game 348 - Saskatoon 1-0 Houston - Joseph Reed (2) 34 Saves Game 358 - Mississauga 1-0 Philadelphia - Pierre-Luc Dutil (3) 31 Saves Hot and Cold San Diego – 9-1-0 in sim, 18 of 20 possible points, .900 pts % Philadelphia – 7-2-1 in sim, 15 of 20 possible points, .750 pts % Saskatoon – 3-6-1 in sim, 7 of 20 possible points, .350 pts % Las Vegas – 1-8-0 in sim, 2 of 18 possible points, .111 pts % Standings East Philadelphia – 55-12-5 – 115 points - +84 DIF Mississauga – 36-26-10 – 82 points - +2 Halifax – 32-37-3 – 67 points - -21 Ottawa – 24-33-15 – 63 points - -41 Miami – 26-36-10 – 62 points - -59 West Houston – 48-14-10 – 106 points - +68 DIF San Diego – 49-16-7 – 105 points - +74 Mexico City – 39-27-6 – 84 points - -2 Saskatoon – 26-42-4 – 56 points - -47 Las Vegas – 25-43-4 – 54 points - -58 Statistical Leaders Skaters Points – Axle Gunner – Philadelphia, Brad Marchand - San Diego – 99 Goals – Brad Marchand - San Diego – 46 Assists – Tyler Swift – Philadelphia – 61 Shots – Catia Goncalves – Mississauga – 411 Game Winners – Axle Gunner – Philadelphia – 11 Goalies Wins – Karl Herzlich - Philadelphia - 54 Save Percentage – Karl Herzlich - Philadelphia - .917 Goals Against Average – Karl Herzlich – Philadelphia - 2.21 Shutouts – Karl Herzlich - Philadelphia, Clark - San Diego - 6 Projections Comparison West Projection Standings Houston Houston Mexico City San Diego Las Vegas Mexico City San Diego Saskatoon Saskatoon Las Vegas East Projection Standings Philadelphia Philadelphia Mississauga Mississauga Ottawa Halifax Halifax Ottawa Miami Miami That will do it for the Week 6 edition of This Week in the VHLM. Thank you for reading, and I’ll see you again after the first round! Mentions:

Happy to be here representing the Ottawa Lynx!

1. I think that having multiple active players who have continued to develop over the course of the season has allowed the Legion to grow as the season has gone on, which has resulted in consistent improvement. It bodes well moving forward. 2. Yes, I do. I don't think that it's time to start moving a bunch of futures for current assets yet, but that time is coming. 3. I'll take a jersey retirement. I'd like to think that honour would come with individual and team success to be in that position. 4. It might be cheating now with a bit of time passing, but yes, I think that there will be 4 by the end of the season. 5. I was happy with my start to the season being able to contribute offensively. Would have been nice to keep that pace across the course of the season. 6. Nothing above 21 degrees with a light breeze. Anything above that, and the sweating begins.

I think you're missing the fact that this is now the third time this year that you've been first star in a game (Games 99 and 210 as well). Clearly a leader on that blueline!

Happy Birthday VHL!! In my limited time in the league so far, I can see why this has been going strong for 16 years now! This has been a fun place to hang out, and I hope to see many more birthdays! Cheers to everyone who keeps this ship running!

Welcome to the fifth edition of This Week in the VHLM, Season 89 edition. Thanks for checking in, and let’s get into Week 5! Trades Surprisingly, only 1 trade made this week at the trade deadline, this time between Las Vegas and Halifax. Here are the details: Las Vegas gets: LW Quinndillus Whopper (S88) Halifax 3rd Round Pick (S91) Halifax gets: C Jeid Rohnson (S90) RW Maxim Anisimov (S90) Standout Games This Week Halifax - Game 256 – Halifax 4-3 Mississauga – 21st with 3 straight third period goals to complete comeback – Boolie Buchholz 32 SV on 35 SHT in win Houston - Game 253 - Houston 5-3 Halifax - Bulls come back from down 3-1 in the first - HOU PK started 0/3, killed off 5 straight to finish 5/8. Las Vegas - Game 274 - Las Vegas 3-1 Mississauga - Jeffrey Blake 48 saves on 49 shots - Stinky with 2 G on 7 SHT, 2 HIT, and 3 SB Mexico City - Game 240 - Mexico City 3-2 San Diego - 3 straight goals, including 2 PPG - Jose Avocado with 33 saves on 35 shots Miami - Game 301 - Miami 6-4 Philadelphia - Marauders with 6 straight goals - Miami 3rd win in sim over top ranked Philadelphia Mississauga - Game 280 - Mississauga 4-3 (OT) San Diego - Robert Boldy OT Winner 3:10 into overtime - Davis McLirath with 1 G, 2 A, 9 SHT, 1 HIT Ottawa - Game 275 - Ottawa 2-1 Miami - Lynx win in the battle for the final playoff spot in the East - Shinoa Hiiragi with 1 G, 1 A, 4 SHT, 2 HIT Philadelphia - Game 307 - Philadelphia 7-3 Miami - Reapers get pay back on their sim rivals - Axle Gunner continues dominance with 2 G, 2 A, 9 SHT, 1 SB San Diego - Game 298 - San Diego 3-2 (SO) Houston - Marlins come back from down 2-0 in first in big Conference win - Baby Moo Moo with tying goal in third, SO winner Saskatoon - Game 264 - Saskatoon 2-1 (OT) Ottawa - Ontario Leblanc Jr. OT winner at 4:00 - Joseph Reed with 28 saves on 29 shots, stealing a win Three Stars of the Week 1st Star – Game 259 – Brad Marchand – San Diego 7-1 Mississauga – 2 G, 3 A, 6 SHT, 2 HIT, 2 SB 2nd Star – Game 286 – Amir Redzic – Miami 2-1 Philadelphia – 33 Saves on 34 Shots 3rd Star – Game 302 – Kyle Toms – Houston 6-2 Halifax – 2 G, 2 A, 5 SHT, 2 HIT First Star of the Game Rankings 1st - Xiver Zilla – Houston – 11 2nd - Brad Marchand – San Diego – 10 t-3rd - Carson Walker Jr. - Houston - 9 t-3rd - LeBen Aky – Philadelphia – 9 t-5th - Harry Callahan – Ottawa – 8 t-5th - Maxim Anisimov - Las Vegas - 8 Hatty’s and Blanks Hat tricks this week Game 263 - Houston 4-3 Mexico City – Carson Walker Jr. (1) 3 G on 6 SHT Shutouts this week Game 243 – Philadelphia 4-0 Saskatoon – Karl "The Lich King" Herzlich (6) 13 Saves Game 244 - Halifax 1-0 Ottawa - Boolie Buchholz (3) 27 Saves Game 255 - Mexico City 1-0 (SO) San Diego - Jose Avocado (3) 24 Saves Game 255 - San Diego 0-1 (SO) Mexico City - Clark (4) 25 Saves Game 300 - Las Vegas 1-0 Ottawa - Jeffrey Blake (1) 23 Saves Hot and Cold Houston – 13-0-1 in sim, 27 of 28 possible points, .964 pts % San Diego – 9-2-3 in sim, 21 of 28 possible points, .750 pts % Mississauga – 4-8-2 in sim, 10 of 28 possible points, .357 pts % Saskatoon – 5-9-0 in sim, 10 of 28 possible points, .357 pts % Las Vegas – 4-11-0 in sim, 8 of 30 possible points, .267 pts % Standings East Philadelphia – 48-10-4 – 100 points - +75 DIF Mississauga – 29-24-8 – 66 points - -1 Halifax – 28-32-2 – 58 points - -20 Ottawa – 20-28-14 – 54 points - -33 Miami – 23-31-7 – 53 points - -51 West Houston – 42-12-9 – 93 points - +60 San Diego – 40-15-7 – 87 points - +52 DIF Mexico City – 33-24-5 – 71 points - -4 Las Vegas – 24-35-4 – 52 points - -43 Saskatoon – 23-36-3 – 49 points - -35 Statistical Leaders Skaters Points – Axle Gunner – Philadelphia – 94 Goals – Axle Gunner – Philadelphia, Brad Marchand - San Diego – 41 Assists – Simons Worst Nightmare – Houston – 55 Shots – Carson Walker Jr. – Mexico City – 371 Game Winners – Axle Gunner – Philadelphia – 11 Goalies Wins – Karl Herzlich - 47 Save Percentage – Karl Herzlich - .918 Goals Against Average – Karl Herzlich – 2.23 Shutouts – Karl Herzlich - 6 Projections Comparison West Projection Standings Houston Houston Mexico City San Diego Las Vegas Mexico City San Diego Las Vegas Saskatoon Saskatoon East Projection Standings Philadelphia Philadelphia Mississauga Mississauga Ottawa Halifax Halifax Ottawa Miami Miami That will do it for the Week 5 edition of This Week in the VHLM. Thank you for reading, and I’ll see you again next week for the last week of the regular season and the start of the playoffs! Mentions:

Nice article! I've been looking for a better way to hide mentions on my articles, and you've done them well here, so thanks for the formatting idea!

1) I'm disappointed, both in the individual performance department, and how the season is going for the team. I haven't been able to produce nearly as much as I was hoping to this season relative to my first season. On the team side, I was hoping to be in the mix in the middle of the pack, maybe with home ice in the first round. Instead, we're holding the last spot very tightly and the gap is closing, so we've gotta hope for some improved play. 2) I'll say sure, all droughts end at some point, no time like the present to do so. 3) It was much quieter than I was expecting it to be in the VHLM. There was only 1 trade made on deadline day in the M, which I figured was surprising being the last chance to load up for the playoffs or add future assets. ------------------------------------------ 1) Have you seen any of the Mission: Impossible movies? Will you be seeing the new one coming out this week? 2) What is your favourite thing to drink? 3) Do you put any TPE into the intangibles attributes (Poise, Leadership) for your player? Why or why not?

Welcome to the fourth edition of This Week in the VHLM, Season 89 edition. Thanks for checking in, and let’s get into Week 4! Trades 1 trade this week between Las Vegas and Houston, here are the details: Las Vegas gets: D Harjen Van Araken (S90) RW Jason Lajeunesse Jr. (S86) Houston gets: D Walter Fitzroy Jr. (S90) Standout Games This Week Halifax - Game 183 – Halifax 5-3 Philadelphia – HFX was outshot 43-17 – Boolie Buchholz 40 SV on 43 SHT in win over top team in the league Houston - Game 216 - Houston 3-2 San Diego - Devon Giguere 16 SV in third period - Bulls win the battle of the top teams in the West Las Vegas - Game 176 - Las Vegas 4-3 (OT) Halifax - Maxim Anisimov OT winner - Jeffrey Blake 34 SV Mexico City - Game 220 - Mexico City 3-1 Ottawa - 2 PPG for Bulls - MEX 5th win over OTT in sim Miami - Game 213 - Miami 2-1 Saskatoon - Marauders outshoot Wild 37-29 - Oden Bell with 1 G on 10 shots in win Mississauga - Game 184 - Mississauga 3-2 (OT) Miami - Catia Goncalves scores game winner 40 seconds into OT, added 12 SHT, 3 HIT, 3 SB Ottawa - Game 204 - Ottawa 2-0 Miami - OTT with 2 goals in 49 seconds - Ryan Artyomov 18 SV SHO Philadelphia - Game 226 - Philadelphia 3-2 (OT) Houston - Tyler Swift OT winner 48 seconds in - 13 SV for Karl Herzlich in 3rd period San Diego - Game 214 - San Diego 4-3 (SO) Philadelphia - Brad Marchand with the only goal in the SO - Marlins close the gap to the top of the VHLM standings Saskatoon - Game 187 - Saskatoon 6-1 Halifax - SSK with 4 goals in third period to pull away - Ontario Leblanc Jr. with 2 G, 2 A, 6 SHT, 2 SB Three Stars of the Week 1st Star – Game 193 – Diego Machado – Saskatoon 5-1 Miami – 4 G, 11 SHT, 1 SB 2nd Star – Game 200 – Robert Boldy – Mississauga 8-2 Miami – 3 G, 2 A, 13 SHT, 1 HIT, 1 SB 3rd Star – Game 223 – Axle Gunner – Philadelphia 4-3 Las Vegas – 2 G, 2 A, 6 SHT, 2 HIT, 1 SB First Star of the Game Rankings 1st - LeBen Aky – Philadelphia – 9 t-2nd - Brad Marchand – San Diego – 7 t-2nd - Karl Herzlich – Philadelphia – 7 t-2nd - Xiver Zilla – Houston – 7 t-5th - Carson Walker Jr. - Houston - 6 t-5th - Clark – San Diego – 6 t-5th - Harry Callahan – Ottawa – 6 t-5th - Maxim Anisimov - Las Vegas - 6 t-5th - Miroslav – Halifax – 6 t-5th - Sjin – San Diego – 6 Hatty’s and Blanks Hat tricks this week Game 172 – San Diego 4-3 (OT) Houston – Brad Marchand (3) 3 G on 7 SHT Game 175 - Mississauga 3-2 Mexico City - Gremlis Lielais (1) 3 G on 3 SHT Game 193 - Saskatoon 5-1 Miami - Diego Machado (1) 4 G on 11 SHT Game 196 - Philadelphia 4-2 Las Vegas - Axle Gunner (2) 3 G on 9 SHT Game 200 - Mississauga 8-2 Miami - Robert Boldy (1) 3 G on 13 SHT Game 222 - San Diego 5-0 Saskatoon - Sjin (1) 3 G on 6 SHT Game 232 - Ottawa 6-4 Saskatoon - Celise Pereira (1) 3 G on 5 SHT Shutouts this week Game 178 – Houston 2-0 Philadelphia – Devon Giguere (3) 26 Saves Game 181 - San Diego 3-0 Las Vegas - Clark (1) 16 Saves Game 199 - Mexico City 2-0 Ottawa - Jose Avocado (1) 17 Saves Game 204 - Ottawa 2-0 Miami - Ryan Artyomov (3) 18 Saves Game 208 - Saskatoon 2-0 Las Vegas - Joseph Reed (1) 20 Saves Game 215 - Mexico City 2-0 Ottawa - Jose Avocado (2) 23 Saves Game 222 - San Diego 5-0 Saskatoon - Clark (2) 19 Saves Game 224 - Mississauga 4-0 Mexico City - Pierre-Luc Dutil (1) 32 Saves Game 225 - Miami 1-0 Ottawa - Gage Barclay (2) 18 Saves Game 228 - San Diego 2-0 Saskatoon - Clark (3) 21 Saves Hot and Cold Mississauga – 10-2-1 in sim, 21 of 26 possible points, .808 pts % Houston – 10-2-3 in sim, 23 of 30 possible points, .767 pts % Las Vegas – 4-10-0 in sim, 8 of 28 possible points, .286 pts % Halifax – 3-10-1 in sim, 7 of 28 possible points, .250 pts % Standings East Philadelphia – 39-6-3 – 81 points - +62 DIF Mississauga – 25-16-6 – 56 points - +16 Halifax – 20-26-2 – 42 points - -21 Ottawa – 15-24-8 – 38 points - -34 Miami – 15-26-6 – 36 points - -53 West San Diego – 31-13-4 – 66 points - +36 DIF Houston – 29-12-8 – 66 points - +33 Mexico City – 27-16-5 – 59 points - +5 Las Vegas – 20-24-4 – 44 points - -22 Saskatoon – 18-27-3 – 39 points - -22 Statistical Leaders Skaters Points – Axle Gunner – Philadelphia – 75 Goals – LeBen Aky – Philadelphia – 34 Assists – Tyler Swift – Philadelphia – 47 Shots – Carson Walker Jr. – Mexico City – 303 Game Winners – Axle Gunner – Philadelphia, Baby Moo Moo – San Diego – 8 Goalies Wins – Karl Herzlich - 39 Save Percentage – Karl Herzlich - .917 Goals Against Average – Karl Herzlich – 2.24 Shutouts – Karl Herzlich - 5 Projections Comparison West Projection Standings Houston San Diego Mexico City Houston Las Vegas Mexico City San Diego Las Vegas Saskatoon Saskatoon East Projection Standings Philadelphia Philadelphia Mississauga Mississauga Ottawa Halifax Halifax Ottawa Miami Miami That will do it for the Week 4 edition of This Week in the VHLM. Thank you for reading, and I’ll see you again next week! Players mentioned this week: Axle Gunner @Steve Baby Moo Moo @Elvis Boolie Buchholz @Jacob buchholz Brad Marchand @McGriddy10 Carson Walker Jr. @Cwalker Catia Goncalves @cLoWn Celise Pereira @asteria Clark @cl4rk Devon Giguere @omniscius Diego Machado @Dadam30 Gage Barclay @Waffleboard39 Gremlis Lielais @Anomalijs Harjen Van Araken @VaderTheTater Harry Callahan @dstevensonjr Jason Lajeunesse Jr. @ThatCanadian Jeffrey Blake @ElementStyx9 Jose Avocado @Bobo Joseph Reed @BrutalBoost Karl Herzlich @LastGoon007 LeBen Aky @Ben_Reformed Maxim Anisimov @McLovin Miroslav @Zyrok Oden Bell @WhiskyJack Ontario Leblanc Jr. @Psanchez55 Pierre-Luc Dutil @Pierre-Luc Dutil Robert Boldy @The Goblin Ryan Artyomov @Enorama Sjin @Sjin Tyler Swift @lilchrist Walter Fitzroy Jr. Xiver Zilla @jhatty8

Haha, sorry about that I use the week sim stats for the hot/cold list, and you guys were 7-3-4 for the Monday-Sunday sims, so you just missed out. Lots of other good Halifax content though with the first star of the week, hat tricks, and shutouts! Just for clarification, the projections is a comparison to my start of season projections, not where you're currently projected. Just a way to see how the season is playing out compared to how I thought it would.

1) Hoping to be in the mix for most goals in the VHLM (Alexander Chershenko Trophy), but I've got ground to make up. 2) Being a Canadian player playing for a Canadian team, my big celebration day was on Saturday. Gotta cook some food on the bbq and relax for the holiday before getting back to the grind. 3) This is my first player, so I'll have to take Harry Callahan by default. Only in my second season, so I'm looking forward to a long career ahead! ----------------------------------------------------------- 1) If you had a time machine, what concert would you like to go back and see? (Band only is okay, or if you have a specific choice of band and year even better) 2) Has your team played as well this season as you had hoped now that we're roughly at the halfway mark? Do you like your chances at a playoff spot? 3) Are you watching (or re-watching) a particular tv show currently? If so, what is it, and would you recommend it to others?

I don't have the time/energy this week to record the podcast, so the Week 3 edition of This Week in the VHLM will be in written form instead. Welcome to the third edition of This Week in the VHLM, Season 89 edition. Thanks for checking in, and let’s get into Week 3! Trades After seeing 2 trades last week, we had just one this week. This weeks trade sees the Mississauga Hounds sending three players, Jarmo Ruutu, Mak Doyon, and TheParaKing to the Ottawa Lynx for Med, as well as Ottawa’s 2nd Round pick in the S90 draft, and their 3rd round pick in the S91 draft. The Hounds trade from their forward depth, as they had been running 8 forwards this season, in exchange for some draft capital. The trade came late in the week, so it’ll be another week before we see how well it pays off for the teams. Standout Games This Week Game 100 – Saskatoon 4-2 Mexico City – SSK was outshot 46-17 – Joseph Reed 44 SV Game 111 – Miami 2-1 (OT) Houston – Gage Barclay 36 SV on 37 SHT, Oden Bell (waiver claim) GWG Game 113 – Ottawa 3-2 (OT) Philadelphia – Celise Pereira OT winner Game 115 – Mexico City 5-4 (OT) Houston – Foster Bedwyr OT winner 40 seconds in Game 117 – Las Vegas 4-3 (SO) San Diego – Late 3rd period PP equalizer Game 123 – Mississauga 5-1 Halifax – Shots 44-20, Dominik Kopecky 1 G, 2 A, 10 SHT, 4 HIT Game 127 – San Diego 4-3 (OT) Las Vegas – Savaisk Tzesar 2 G in third to tie, Baby Moo Moo OT winner Game 133 – Halifax 6-2 Houston – Big win in battle of second place teams. Game 138 – Houston 5-2 Saskatoon – SSK outshot 61-18 Game 149 – Philadelphia 1-0 San Diego – Philly beats their nemesis Three Stars of the Week 1st Star – Game 165 – Miroslav – Halifax 7-2 Miami – 3 G, 3 A, 14 SHT, 1 HIT 2nd Star – Game 131 – Brad Marchand – San Diego 5-2 Ottawa – 4 G, 10 SHT, 2 HIT 3rd Star – Game 101 – Gage Barclay – Miami 2-1 San Diego – 33 SV on 34 SHT, outshot 34-14 First Star of the Game Rankings LeBen Aky – Philadelphia – 8 Karl Herzlich – Philadelphia – 6 Miroslav – Halifax – 6 Xiver Zilla – Houston – 6 Baby Moo Moo – San Diego – 5 Brad Marchand – San Diego – 5 Clark – San Diego – 5 Harry Callahan – Ottawa – 5 Tyler Swift – Philadelphia – 5 Hatty’s and Blanks Hat tricks this week: Game 103 – Houston 5-3 Mississauga – Kyle Toms 3 G on 9 SHT Game 130 – Ottawa 3-4 Mexico City – Harry Callahan 3 G on 8 SHT Game 131 – San Diego 5-2 Ottawa – Brad Marchand (2) 4 G on 10 SHT Game 152 – Philadelphia 7-2 Halifax – LeBen Aky (2) 3 G on 6 SHT Game 162 – Halifax 3-2 Miami – Mikko Borisyuk 3 G on 7 SHT Game 165 – Halifax 7-2 Miami – Miroslav (2) 3 G on 14 SHT Shutouts this week: Game 124 – Miami 5-0 Ottawa – Gage Barclay 19 Saves Game 129 – Halifax 1-0 Miami – Boolie Buchholz 21 Saves Game 149 – Philadelphia 1-0 San Diego – Karl Herzlich 28 Saves Game 170 – Philadelphia 2-0 Ottawa – Karl Herzlich 21 Saves Hot and Cold Philadelphia – 12-2-1 in sim, 25 of 30 possible points San Diego – 10-2-2 in sim, 22 of 28 possible points Saskatoon – 5-10-0 in sim, 10 of 30 possible points Ottawa – 3-9-2 in sim, 8 of 28 possible points (9 gm losing streak) Standings East Philadelphia – 30-3-2 – 62 points - +54 DIF Halifax – 17-16-1 – 35 points - -1 Mississauga – 15-14-5 – 35 points - -1 Ottawa – 11-17-6 – 28 points - -28 Miami – 10-21-3 – 23 points - -42 West San Diego – 22-8-4 – 48 points - +30 DIF Houston – 19-10-5 – 43 points - +19 Mexico City – 18-11-5 – 41 points - -2 Las Vegas – 16-14-4 – 36 points - -9 Saskatoon – 13-19-3 – 29 points - -20 Statistics Skaters Points – LeBen Aky – Philadelphia – 58 Goals – LeBen Aky – Philadelphia – 30 Assists – Tyler Swift – Philadelphia – 41 Shots – Carson Walker Jr. – Mexico City – 213 Game Winners – Tyler Swift – Philadelphia, Baby Moo Moo – San Diego, Chris Sanzone – Mexico City – 6 Goalies Wins – Karl Herzlich - 30 Save Percentage – Karl Herzlich - .921 Goals Against Average – Karl Herzlich – 2.20 Shutouts – Karl Herzlich - 5 Projections Comparison West Projection Standings Houston San Diego Mexico City Houston Las Vegas Mexico City San Diego Las Vegas Saskatoon Saskatoon East Projection Standings Philadelphia Philadelphia Mississauga Halifax Ottawa Mississauga Halifax Ottawa Miami Miami That will do it for the Week 3 edition of This Week in the VHLM. Thank you for reading, and I’ll see you again next week!

First time I've been in one of these polls, so I had to pick my own player!

Welcome to the new VHL, now run under new Dictator Commissioner Doug! The first change made will be a massive expansion of the VHLE. 8 teams is not nearly enough for this prestigious league, and it needs to be a much larger group of teams. I think that 16 teams is a much better number. But in all seriousness, you're going to read a lot of suggestions to "Abolish the E" this week, and I don't think that's the right approach. I do think that it's important to have a league progression system, and I like the 3 tiers. I think that the more important problem to figure out is why there seems to be an issue keeping interest piqued while on the journey to the VHL. TPE Earning & Caps In my experience, it has been daunting to see how much TPE that it takes to be a top level player in the VHL, and how long that it would take to get anywhere near that level from the beginning (assuming you hit the 12 Capped TPE threshold each week, it would take 1.5-2 years or 6-7 seasons to get to 1000 TPE, which would put you in the top 40 players in the VHL). To that end, I propose changes to the TPE system, both in terms of earning ability and earning caps. The key to finding balance between just handing out points and leaving players room to earn more if they choose is important. You don't want to encourage too many people to just coast by with points that are earned without interacting with the league, but you also don't want to make it so that you have to post multiple articles/podcasts a week to be able to earn. In that area, I'd increase the Practice Facility TPE to 5 points from the current 2 so that you can lock in a handful of points from the get go at the start of the week. To ensure that this doesn't become a league where the point claiming is done on the portal only, I'd increase the Capped TPE amount to 18 a week. That would also help offset the shortened season length that will be mentioned below to not hinder players ability to earn quickly. TPE Thresholds I'd also propose changes to the thresholds that it takes to go from the VHLM to the VHLE to the VHL. The current cap in the VHLM is 200, and the cap in the VHLE is 400. I'd propose that the cap for VHLM be lowered to 150, and VHLE be lowered to 300. Giving players a quick chance to progress through the VHLM into the VHLE should keep engagement levels higher when players take that step, which should improve competitiveness and interest in the VHLE. I think that it would be a mistake to just broom an entire league/tier to play at, and would cause a logjam of players that are making the jump from the VHLM to the VHL. Making the E disappear doesn't help solve a problem, it just ignores the issues, and would only cause others. I also thought about a TPE threshold for the VHL, but I'm not sure how you could make that work fairly for players, so I've left that off. Season Length It takes roughly 2.5-3 months to complete a full season at the moment, which means that it takes about a year to get to the VHL from player creation date if you play 2 seasons in the VHLM and 2 seasons in the VHLE. Increasing the amount of games that are simmed per day from the current amount (3 days in sim, roughly 15 games for the VHL) to a bit higher (5 days in sim, roughly 25 games) could increase the speed of the season and shorten the length it takes to complete each one. To summarize, here are the changes that I'd make: Weekly TPE Cap: 12 to 18 Practice Facility TPE: 2 to 5 VHLM TPE Playing Cap: 200 to 150 VHLE TPE Playing Cap: 400 to 300 Sims per day: 3 days to 5 days I think that there are a lot of great things about the VHL as a whole, and so I don't think that huge changes are needed, especially to the league structure. I think that the timeline is the largest part of the struggle to maintain interest in the league, and tinkering with it would go a long way to making a great thing even better! Thanks for reading!

1) Right now we're 7th in goals for and 7th in goals against, so I think we need to keep developing at both ends of the ice. With our goaltending shored up, I think we can continue to develop enough over the next few weeks to be right there with the best teams at the end. 2) The Leafs, and I'd like to see them make a deal or two. They've only got 3 picks in the draft, so there won't be many prospects coming in. I would like to see them move Marner for a package similar to what the Sabres did for Eichel, but I doubt that happens. Get Matthews and Nylander re-signed. 3) I've been happy so far, but I'd really like to see more production. I can't really change my player at all now at the TPE limit, so I'm hoping the shots turn into goals soon. 4) I'll say 70. Chicago getting Hall will help him offensively, but they need a lot more there still. 5) I don't think that anybody is unbeatable. Philly has a head start from a TPE perspective, but teams will catch up as the season goes forward. 6) Dubois getting dealt was a pretty big name, even though it was pretty well known that he was going to be on the move. Any of the Calgary guys could go if they won't re-sign. I think that Erik Karlsson ends up getting dealt at the draft though. @ctots @Med @Gmoneyman52 @shinoa @Jayrad28 @Doomsday @asteria @dasboot @BrandyAndy @Enorama

New Ottawa Lynx Press Conference: 1) After today's sim, we're officially a third of the way through the season. We're sitting in third in the East and sixth overall at 10-9-5. What do we need to do to close the gap between ourselves and the top teams in the M? 2) Who is your favourite NHL team, and what are you hoping that they do this week between the draft and Free Agency? 3) Have you been happy with your players overall performance through the first third of the season? 4) How many points do you think that Connor Bedard will put up in Chicago next season? 5) Will anybody be able to slow the Philadelphia Reapers down? 6) Who do you think is the biggest name that gets moved this week in the NHL?

The 4 goals was amazing, but the 16 shots was just bananas.

Here is the Week 2 post of the podcast! Please let me know what you think, and if there is anything that you'd like to see added at all! Happy listening! Players mentioned in the podcast this week: Ryan Artyomov @Enorama Darko Alexander Malkovich @AColdCanadian Baby Moo Moo @Elvis Clark @cl4rk Carson Walker Jr. @Cwalker Catia Goncalves @cLoWn Celise Pereira @asteria Jeffrey Blake @ElementStyx9 Aurora Skylight @Bedirhan Miroslav @Zyrok Tyler Swift @lilchrist Brad Marchand @McGriddy10 Xiver Zilla @jhatty8 LeBen Aky @Ben_Reformed Chris Sanzone @handfullofbubba Lim Jahey @Cuffy Maxim Anisimov @McLovin Karl Herzlich @LastGoon007 Devon Giguere @omniscius Axle Gunner @Steve Mikko Borisyuk @Minebro

Ah shoot, I just saw this now!! I'll definitely try to remember it for week 3!

F - Napoleon Dynamite @samx