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Advantage

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    Rookie Watch

    in Article Submissions

    Posted

    S1: Award Controversy Sparks Debate

     

    This entry will be a little different than how I usually write things.  Normally I recall the events as I see them and present a historical piece.  However, this will become an opinionated historical entry that will argue against the decision to name Petr Shirokov GMOTY in Season 1.  

     

    With Season 1 ending, the Calgary Wranglers and the Vasteras Iron Eagles were the two squads that really separated themselves from the competition.  Calgary had an incredible 69-3 record in the regular season as they stomped opponents on a consistent basis.  Vasteras, on the other hand, would knock off the Wranglers in six games to win the VHL's first Continental Cup.  Therefore, with these two teams standing out so much, the Sam Pollock Memorial Trophy would have to be awarded to one of the two, right? Wrong.  For whatever reason, Petr Shirokov would receive the honours much to the surprise of the attending audience.  

     

    Now, let me preface this by saying that I do respect the work Mr. Shirokov did as the General Manager of the Amstel Tigers.  He made some great moves and built a decent team.  However, his team finished under .500, and while they were in a playoff spot, they were a full thirty-nine points back of first place in their division.  Going further than that, they lost thirty-six more times than the Wranglers who were dominant throughout the season.  Perhaps it may have been voted that way due to Amstel not expecting to do much, but is it really that impressive to finish ahead of Stockholm, who only had fifty-one points?

     

    In contrast, the work Brett Slobodzian did with the Wranglers is incredible.  The easiest argument is that they were stacked and because they lost in the finals, he doesn't deserve it.  The fact is, Amstel didn't even make the finals, and the Wranglers may go down with the best record in VHL history.  It is truly a record that may never be topped.  Why shouldn't Slobodzian receive more credit when he built a team full of superstars, creating a wrecking ball that hit anything in its path?  A 69-3 record should be recognized and it is insane that it didn't receive more credit.

     

    Then there is the work of PensFan who controlled Vasteras.  While his team finished second in the campaign, they were far better than Amstel and were the only team within striking distance of Calgary.  This continued to prove true when they went on to defeat the Iron Eagles in six games to win the Continental Cup.  The Wranglers lost more times in that series than they did all season, proving just how good of a team PensFan built in Vasteras.

     

    Whatever the reason for the decision, my argument is that it was the wrong one.  You reward the best in Season 1, and the Wranglers and Iron Eagles were clearly the best constructed teams.  The Wranglers had the best team all-around and showed it with an unimaginable performance, while the Iron Eagles knocked off that team to win the prize we all play for.  Meanwhile, the GM of the Tigers was able to construct a team who finished under .500 and was fourth in the league.

    Rookie Watch

    in Article Submissions

    Posted

    S1: Shocker of Epic Proportions

     

    After the Calgary Wranglers would take out the Seattle Bears and the Iron Eagles dispersed of Amstel, the two best teams in the regular season, would face off for the VHL's first ever Continental Cup.  However, while it seems like the perfect setting for a tightly fought battle, the regular season series proved to be anything but that.  The Wranglers went 7-2 during the season against Vasteras, outscoring them thirty to eighteen.  While the Iron Eagles clearly did better against Calgary than anyone else, no one was really expecting this to be close.  Well, everyone was wrong.

     

    Off the backs of Scotty Campbell and Matthew Pogge, the Iron Eagles would not only keep themselves in it, but actually put the Wranglers to the edge of the cliff.  In game six, with Calgary down 3-2 in the series, the Wranglers would fail to find the back of the net as Pogge would shut the door.  Markus Lidstrom scored two goals and Campbell racked up another one in the shutout cup-clinching victory.  The Calgary Wranglers would lose more games in that series then they did all season long.  Why did this happen? Matthew Pogge proved to everyone that he is a star.  He pitches a shutout in game six and two really solid wins right before that against a tough and ruthless offense.  Scotty Campbell also was huge with seven points in the final three games of the series, including a hattrick in game five that put Calgary's backs against the wall.

     

    With eleven points in the six games, Brett Slobodzian did everything he good for the Wranglers, and Drew Barclay was solid as well despite being left out to dry at times towards the end of the series.  So how did Calgary lose with their best players performing well? Simply, Vasteras stepped up.  They proved that the Wranglers were not unbeatable and that with great goaltending, anything can happen in any given series.  When true superstars step up, any team can win.  The parity the VHL has is part of the reason this league looks to be so great.  So with the season now complete, we head into the offseason to see what may lay ahead of us down the road.

    Rookie Watch

    in Article Submissions

    Posted

    S1: To the Playoffs We Go

     

    The Inaugural Season of the Victory Hockey League is over and we are moving on to what should be some exciting playoff battles!  The Calgary Wranglers finished the season with the best record and what may become an unmatchable record in this league's history.  With a 69-3-0 record, it is hard to imagine anyone ever topping such an incredible feat.  However, it's a new season and their regular season record has no impact on the playoffs.  Regardless though, the Wranglers will be a team to watch due to their high power offense that features Brett Slobodzian, Scott Boulet, Sterling Labatte and Brad Janssen.  They also have a solid goaltender in Drew Barclay, that will need to be solid to help defeat times like Vasteras.

     

    As for who reigned supreme in the regular season, it appears that Brett Slobodzian is the favourite to win the MVP as he was absolutely astonishing this season.  His 79 goals, 92 assists and 171 points led the entire league.  His teammate Sterling Labatte is the obviously deserving winner of the Orr Trophy for Top Defenseman.  His 102 points and 77 hits make him the easy choice in what should be a sweep of the voting, with the likes of Petr Shirokov and Joey Kendrick being on the ballot.  In net, it seems clear that Matthew Pogge has a good chance of winning Top Goalie.  While Barclay gave him a run for his money, word is that due to the clear difference in teams playing in front of each goalie, that more people are leaning to Pogge in this tight vote between the two netminders.  The final award to talk about is the two-way forward award that clearly looks to be going to Scott Boulet.  He led the league in hits and was one of its top scorers which makes him an obvious front runner, being such a major part of the destructive Wranglers lineup.

     

    As for who I think will win it all.  I expect it will be a battle in the finals between Calgary and Vasteras, but with how well the Wranglers played in the regular season, how can I not go with them? Vasteras will need Pogge to steal the cup away because Calgary is too fast, too skilled, too strong and too good for the majority of that lineup.

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