CowboyinAmerica

+5

Seattle -- Ever since his days on the Saskatoon Wild in the VHLM, Gabriel McAllister was known as a shoot-first forward. Goals were always his specialty, and since he could find the back of the net fairly often, nobody ever really argued. There was no need to be anything else... until this season. Throughout the S59 regular season, McAllister simply couldn't find his shot. He finished outside the top ten in goals scored for the first time since his rookie year, and going into the playoffs, he knew something had to change. And change they have. While McAllister still has a high number of shots, he's developed as a playmaker throughout these playoffs, registering a league-leading 12 assists in 9 games during this run. Couple that with his 18 total points, tied with teammate Shawn Gretzky for most in the playoffs, and it seems like the Seattle first line has finally hit on something that has worked. The result is a return to the Finals for the Bears - incredibly, the first team Seattle has made back-to-back Finals since Season 12. "It feels good to be a part of this run, and to know I've adjusted my game to get there," McAllister recently told reporters. "But we're not done. It's time to do what we couldn't last season. And I feel like we're going to get there."

You're a good dude, and it was a pleasure to be on your team. Best of luck in life, and I hope to see you around occasionally

lol. Well, back-to-back finals it is. Good series Toronto - sorry it had to go down this way, would've liked to see you guys in the finals instead.

Not purposefully! I literally did nothing different and get rewarded with three straight first stars. STHS

Well. -4 not the best game for McAllister. But still, thanks for doing the work @Beaviss

This is what McAllister was waiting for apparently, with two straight first stars. I'll take it!

Toronto vs. Seattle, Semi-Finals GM 5 Toronto 3-2 New York vs. Helsinki, Semi-Finals GM 5 New York 3-2 Seattle vs. Toronto, Semi-Finals GM 6 Toronto 3-2

We've got a series here. This should be good.

Bears! I'll take stealing the first one. And the assist king gets another

Now that we won and I'm not seen as bitter, just wanted to throw my two cents in that best of 3 is dumb. Especially if you're simming two per day, at least make it best of five so there's a chance for changes if someone performs poorly first sim.

Where the fuck was this in the regular season? 5 assists is not what I was expecting.

Got what I came here for. Good write-up though, liked it a lot. In time. Hopefully.

Agreed that Faux is a snub, was always a great player for Riga. Flyers still shouldn't have tried to make a goalie and selected Wingate at #2 instead.

+5

Seattle -- Our second play-in round since the Playoffs were reformatted is here, and this one's particularly interesting. The fourth seed Seattle Bears are set to take on the fifth seed Riga Reign in a rematch of last year's Finals, as well as a battle of two teams that had much higher expectations entering the season. The Bears this year saw their first line not play up to expectations. Winger Gabriel McAllister, a popular dark horse MVP candidate, could only muster 80 total points. Linemate Shawn Gretzky, who had topped 100 points in three straight seasons, could only snag 73. Couple that with the second line playing solid, but not spectacular, and the Bears couldn't snag another first round bye. Riga saw an even greater fall. The vaunted offense was finally hit be depreciation, and although Krigars scored 100 points again, former MVP John Locke fell to just 74 points in his penultimate season. Goalie Markus King underperformed his TPE as well - although his 2.07 GAA was solid, his .921 save percentage was less so. So who will win this series and travel on to face Toronto in the semifinals? It could come down to the defenses. If Aleksei and Bourdon can hold the Seattle offense from taking shots better than Johnsson and Lane against Riga's high-powered first line, it could be a long series for the Bears.

Fair enough with TPA and the loss of Veteran contracts, I don't mind that. McAllister's about to get Super Paid though.

Seattle -- This season was expected to be a breakout one for Gabriel McAllister. Last season, he was in the MVP conversation until the final weeks of the season, and this year, many expected him to take the next step. However, a step back was what he saw, not topping either 40 goals or assists in an all-around poor season. In fact, heading into All-Star voting, McAllister wasn't expecting much. But in the end, McAllister did indeed make his third ASG - barely. McAllister was the dead last forward named to the squad, 12th out of 12, and he felt he was lucky to get even that. Still, when McAllister takes the ice for Team Beaviss next weekend, he expects to come out firing. "I know I've got the skill. And even if it didn't come together for me this season, I have to break through sometime, right?" McAllister said. "I'm just glad I did well enough to be recognized." Others still see the possibilities as well - in fact, McAllister was the second player selected to the Beaviss squad. Will this be the beginning of a turnaround? Only time will tell, but it'd be good timing with the VHL playoffs and a tough matchup against the Riga Reign imminent.

Is there really a point because we all know there's only been one threepeat in VHL history

I don't know how I did this year, but I won my group 4 straight seasons before this so *shrug*

+5

248 Reign 249 Reign 250 Legion 251 Wranglers

3-2 Bears

Cool, I apparently picked a good weekend to be away then.

Seattle (AP) -- Last season, the goal for the Bears was simple during the regular season: Finish at least third, and avoid the play-in round of the playoffs. They accomplished that goal, and getting into the 2-3 series spurred them eventually to the finals. This season, the team had loftier goals: Finish at the top of the league as the number one overall seed. Obviously, the season has not gone their way. With 44 games down, the Bears sit in fourth in the standings, only 1 point above the defending champion Reign, and 6 points behind the Helsinki Titans for third. The Legion and Americans sit 12 and 11 points ahead, respectively. With one-third of the season left, though, there's still time for Seattle to avoid that tough 4-5 play-in series. And a quick look at the schedule reveals a tough road, but one where the Bears hold their fate in their own hands. Down the stretch, Seattle plays New York 5 times and Helsinki 4 times, and it's not a stretch to say that the results of those games will likely decide the season. "We haven't given up yet; there's a lot of hockey to play," winger Gabriel McAllister recently told reporters. "And I feel good about saying this team will continue its current winning streak and be able to put it all together by the time we hit the playoffs. It's Bears time."