Aimee

Frustration grows inside the London United’s defending zone as goalie Jesse Teno continues to rack up over time and shoot out losses. Teno is currently tied for first in the league in OT losses with 8 alongside Vancouver’s Brandt Fuhr and Toronto’s Joel Castle. “I honestly don’t know what is going on,” said the Vermont native. “I have these great games overall and then when it comes to overtime, it’s like everything I know just goes out the window.” Quite despondent, Teno is also upset about their general fall within the standings. “I’m just hanging on to top 10 in wins and barely managing to keep my save percentage there too.” Despite being one of the lesser shot and scored on goalies, Jesse Teno definitely struggles to remain consistent. Jesse has also dropped overall from 6th to 9th within the goalie standings; definitely a harsh drop since last week. “The struggle is real.”

153 words for week ending 5/7/2023

14 minutes ago, jacobcarson877 said:

Week of May 7th!

It is crazy around here in the Carson household so for the sake of getting a presser out there, here is one!

1. If your player had to play in net for a game (or for @aimkin if you had to play as a skater for a game), how would your player fare?
2. What is the best kind of yogurt?
3. If your player wasn't a hockey player, what would they be?
4. What do you feel you bring to the team?
5. What is something you hope your player can improve upon?
6. Our skaters can't hit the broad side of a barn these days. How would you train them to hit the net?

1. Not too bad, I think. Jesse has had a few assists over their career so I'd think they'd be a decent D man. 

2. The drinkable kind or drowned in granola. 

3. Jesse would probably be the CEO of a non-profit. 

4. That je ne sais quoi that only a non-binary person can lol

5. Not losing their confidence during a shoot out. That is definitely Jesse's weak point right now. 

6. Throw them at it so they are well aware of where it is. 

I spent this whole week struggling to figure out what I was going to write that would fit the theme of Retro. Having only been here for a few seasons, I don’t know much about the old VHL and any of its players. So I figured I would try comparing stats from the Top 10 Goalies from S66 and S86. With the change in the STHS post-meta, I thought I would compare the 20 season difference and see what, if anything, has happened to goalie performances over this time. Note that I will be looking at the Goalie Leaders stats which is based on the Top 10 Goalies with at least 36 games played during that season.

Season Record

In S66, the top goalie JB Drift had a season record of 47-10-7 with 4 shutouts which compared to S86 and top goalie Cole Pearce, who had a record of 43-18-3 with 6 shutouts, I think it’s safe to say that not much has changed at the top. Only a few games shuffled around and the two seasons are pretty comparable when it comes to the top spot.

However, when you look at the 10th place goalies, things seem to change. In S66, Kolur Bjoernsson finished with a 7-32-3 record with 0 shutouts and in S86, Augustus Kennedy had a 31-31-4 record with 1 shutout. I think it’s interesting to see how the top to bottom difference has changed to where the new system allows for a tighter race. This can especially be seen in the save percentage.

Save Percentage

Back in S66, the swing of save percentage between 1st and 10th was 0.927 and 0.886 while last season, in 86, it was 0.933 and 0.918. Not only is the difference tighter, unlike in S66 where the top and bottom goalie were the same, in S86, save percentage wise, the goalie at the bottom was Brandt Fuhr. Which is interesting because when the goalies are in record order, Brandt Furh was in third overall. This definitely shows the impact of the post-meta fixes. We all know that goalies still work on the old system so I think it’s more of a result of the change to skaters than it is to goalies. With the meta being removed, goalies seemed to have a better chance at stopping pucks, but also the tight range means that a goalie could be top in one category and bottom in another.

Goals Against Average

Another stat that has tightened up is the goals against average. In S66, JB Rift dominated with a 2.30 gaa while Kolur Bjoernsson had 4.22. In S86, Cole Pearce lead by a lot with a 2.05 and Brandt Fuhr was once again at the bottom with a respectable 2.59. Once again, it’s easy to see just how much the changes have impacted the ability of a goalie to properly do their job. If the top 10 are so tight in their stats, then it’s always a race to see who can eek out that extra little bit.

I know I didn’t dive too deep but I do think that this surface level look at the difference between retro and modern goalies stats does show the major changes that had affected the ability for a goalie to do their job.

555 words for week ending 4/30/2023

We’re catching up with Jesse Teno after a roller coaster of a week. How has the last week been going back and forth between the win and loss streaks?

It’s been tough, not going to lie. It seems like some days we have it all down perfect and then something comes along and just swipes the floor out from under our feet. It’s a little frustrating that we can’t find a consistent groove. And we’ve had a lot of one goal game losses which are the hardest losses to take.

How are you feeling about your current record of 18-11-6?

Not great, to be honest. Wish I could have some more in the win column but this season has turned a lot of things upside down on the ice. But I guess knowing I have the lead against Lachlan makes it a bit better. But I do hope I can pick up some more wins soon.

156 words for week ending 4/30/2023
 

28 minutes ago, JCarson said:

For week ending April 30 2023

Theme Week edition

 

1) What are your thoughts on the theme week topic?

2) Define the word Retro

3) What is your favorite Retro clothing trend?

4) Are you finding this theme week topic difficult?

5) Should our GM dress in a Retro outfit and post a picture on the forum?

6) If you got to pick the next theme week topic what would you choose?

1. Not thrilled, honestly. I've barely been here a year and I don't do graphics well so trying to figure out something to write or padcast for retro in a real struggle. 

2. For me, pixelated Nintendo games and most of the 1990s.

3. Keds! They were a staple in my house growing up lol. 

4. Yes, especially since I don't do graphics. 

5. Hell yea! 

6. Can't think of a specific but maybe one that gives players an incentive to talk to their teammates. 

Two weeks into the season and Jesse Teno has had a rough start. With a current record of 13-9-2, Teno is struggling to keep the London United in the win column. Thanks to a lot of work from Goat Bot though, London does seem to be holding their own in the standings, currently sitting at 4th in the European conference and 6th in the league.

The first 3 games of the 6 this season against Davos has the Teno / Lachlan rivalry at 2-1 in favor of Teno so we’ll see what happens during the second half of their faceoffs and find out within a week or so which of them will win their first season head-to-head.

Currently, Teno has cracked the top 10 in all of the good categories and has managed to stay off all of the bad ones. At the moment, they are in second for shutouts with 3, well behind Alexander Minion’s 6, and are also tied for first with Fukka Rask for most assists.

Can’t wait to see what the next few weeks have in store for them.

182 words for week ending 4/23/2023
 

1 hour ago, animal74 said:

I haven't really heard of StoryGraph (I probably had at some point but forgot) but I'm on Goodreads. How do you like SG compared to GR?

I like it better than GR. It's not as clunky feeling because the app is very sleek. Also your main feed is your TBR and recs instead of updates from people you follow. You can also see stats on your reading so you can check out the types of books you read, track how many pages you've read, and just so many other stats that I really like. I definitely recommend checking out the app. You can also export your GR stuff to SG so you can move over your reading history and TBR. 

https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/aimee683/episodes/Jesse-v-Lachlan-and-a-Goat-for-a-Bot-e22npa6

I discuss Jesse's updates, the Jesse v Lachlan rivalry, the emergence of Goat Bot, and some personal updates at the end past the 15 minute mark.

Finished Queens Shadow this morning by E.K. Johnston. Pretty fast read and great if you're like me and wish there was more Padme content in the Star Wars catalogue. Heavy on the politics but gives great insight into what happened between Episodes 1 and 2 with Padme, along with the undercurrent of Palpatine getting the gears moving. Also love how much the story revolves around her handmaidens and more specifically Sabe, who was the main decoy played by Kiera Knightley in Episode 1.

20 minutes ago, JCarson said:

Week of April 23 2023

 

I have had a number of people like the idea of doing Press Conferences to get to know their teammates

So here we go.

 

1) I took a blacksmithing class on Sunday April 16 and was able to create a letter opener, what is the strangest hobby you have ever done?

2) At least for out North American contingent April is tax submission time, did you complete your taxes on time?

3) What is one city you would like to go to but never have?

4) How big is the circumference of our head? Get out your tape measure or wrap a string around your head and them measure the string afterwards.

5) What is your favorite food?

6) Name one food you hate or at least choose not to eat. Why don't you eat it?

 

1. Probably this lol. Or general text roleplaying online.

2. Yes. And I completed about 400 other people's returns on time as well.

3. Tokyo! I've wanted to visit Japan for a long time and I can't wait to go one day and just eat all the amazing food.

4. However big a snapback is on the third nub lol.

5. Sushi all day every day

6. Mexican. I love it, it does not love me. 

On 4/9/2023 at 10:32 AM, JCarson said:

I wanted to get this in early so I could enjoy my day.

Week of April 16 2023 - Theme: London Prediction 

 

I am hoping you all posted your VHL predictions for the season, this press conference will focus on predictions for London United

1) Which player will have the most points by season end?

2) Will Leonard Triller be in contention for Rookie of the year?

3) Which player on the team will have the most goals this season?

4) How many shots will Jesse Teno face this season?

5) Will London make the Playoffs?

6) Will Jacob take GM of the year this year?

1. Daniel Janser

2. Hell yea!

3. I think Ivan is going to smash it once we get going.

4. Too many for my personal liking lol

5. Yes! We got a great team this season!

6. Hell yea!

14 minutes ago, Alex said:

Great listen @aimkin! Ironically Lachlan and Jesse played each other twice in the same sim, each picking up a win.

 

In terms of stats, here they are:
Teno: 4 GAA, 0.901 SV%
Summers: 3 GAA, 0.891 SV%

Yea, I think this week's podcast will update that and I'm going to try and extrapolate all the thoughts I can from the two games lol

2 minutes ago, Triller said:

Good listen!  Stayed on topic, not a ton of long pauses trying to figure out what to talk about.  Ummms and ahhhs to a minimum lol good job!

Thank you! I’m glad I was able to make something that’s actually listenable lol. I’m usually very bad with my umms. 

https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/hNANoWiB9yb

Off season and the upcoming and long awaited meeting of Jesse and Lachlan.

After celebrating the holiday of Passover with their family, Jesse Teno is officially back to work in London with the United. The long off season gave them a lot of time to work not only reconnect with friends and family and time to work on their charity, but also gave Jesse a lot of time to work on their game. Jesse spent a lot of time on the ice and has improved a lot since they last played a game in the VHL. With the start of season 88, Jesse Teno hopes to be able to lead London to a successful season and maybe even the playoffs. Given the big moves made by new GM Jacob, it’s possible that once this London teams gets their ice legs under them, there might not be anything stopping this team.

But for now, we will watch Jesse Teno get back to the big leagues and we will see how their third season in the VHL will treat them.
 

165 words for week ending 4/9/2023

F - Molly the Cat

G - Art Vandelay

@Beketov

D - Phil Strasmore
D - AirRig GoodBrandSun

@Beketov

F - Landon Wolanin

F - Sergey Preobrazhensky

@Beketov

14 minutes ago, JCarson said:

Week of April 9 2023

 

1) We are quickly approaching the beginning of Season 88, where do you expect us to rank in the European Conference?

2) Our New Gm has made a number of moves in the offseason, quickly provide your analysis of what has been done?

3) Provide a quick analysis of your expected performance this coming year?

4) How much TPE are you expecting to earn each week this coming season?

5) Is there anything about your teammates that you would like to know?

6) Is there anything about yourself that you think your teammates should know?

1 Hopefully top 3? I think with the off season moves we made, we should be much better set than last season.

2 A lot of fire power brought on to get us some serious wins!

3 Hopefully better than the last. I've put in a lot of work since S87 ended and I'm hoping it makes a difference.

4 13+!

5 Would you rather fight 1 horse size duck, or 100 duck sized horses?

6 Only two weeks left of tax season and then I'll be back to my normal activity and socialization!

Welcome to London!

During the early morning snow storm here in Vermont, we were able to grab a quick interview with London United goalie Jesse Teno. Still the lone goalie for the team, Teno is set to have another good veteran season. Still without a backup, and with no goalie picked up during the S88 draft, Teno remains the only backstop for London. Hopefully new GM Jacob Carson will be able to grab Teno some backup during free agency or future trades. But for now, we were able to catch Teno coming out of their sunrise practice at Riley Rink.

Jesse, great to see you working so hard for this upcoming season. How are you feeling going into S88?

I am feeling pretty good. Last season was a bit rough but since we only just missed the playoffs, I think we have a good chance this season. It helps that we were finally able to call up a great player like Leonard Triller. Jacob also did an incredible job picking up some serious power in Siyan Yasilievich, Sock Monkey and Igor Molotov. I think London might be the place to be this season.

Do you think the extra power will help London finally have a successful playoff run?

Man, I hope so. I know London has never won the Victory Cup so it would be amazing if we could be the team that gets it done. I don’t know if it will be this season or a future one, but I really do think that this team has a shot. Also Jacob was able to get San Diego their first cup, so I don’t see why such a successful GM in the VHLM couldn’t do that here. I know it’s probably a long shot with how powerful some of the other teams are, but hopefully all of the trade shuffling worked out in our favor.

What has been your biggest focus during training this off season?

Honestly, I have been focusing on everything. Certain aspects of my game feel really, really good so I’ve been trusting that to stay where it is. Right now, I’m working on my glove hand. It is by far one of my weaker points and how most goals are scored on me. So given the number of goals I let in last season, I think it’s about time I got that glove working like a veteran glove should. 

You ended S87 as the 6th overall goalie in the VHL for wins. Did you think you would end up that high and do you think you will be able to do better?

I had not realized I was that high. It seems so strange given where our season ended. But it is nice to know that I’m up there with some killer talent. A lot of the goalies who are up there have been around the VHL for a long time so I guess it feels good to be able to hold myself up against some real talent. In terms of climbing? Who knows. The season could go any way the hockey gods and Simon deem fit. I’ll just give it my best and keep trying to bring the cup back to London.

And that was about all the time I had with Jesse Teno this morning. They were off to continue working on their charity as they are set to fly back to London later this week to join their team for pre-season practice.

576 words for week ending 4/2/2023

With the long off-season nearing its end, Jesse Teno has continued to be busy working on their wedding, taxes, and not-for-profit charity. It’s been a busy few weeks and it seems Teno might be getting antsy with all the downtime from hockey. They have been seen going to the rink more and more often, sometime with a group of kids and most often with a local beer league so that they could actually practice and not just show up on some little kids who enjoy getting dunked on by a pro player. 

Jesse, when they do train, has been hard at work trying to make sure that they are ready come this season. They are also wanting to be ready to face off against their friend and friendly rival, Lachlan Summers. The faceoff the two have been waiting for is now guaranteed when London and Davos meet on the ice now that both goalies are starters. It’s going to be an interesting showing and one that many are looking forward to.
 

171 words for week ending 4/2/2023

7 hours ago, JCarson said:

As we have a number of new members on London I thought I would do a get to know you Press Conference

 

1) What do you do for a living? (Employment, School)

2) What age bracket are you in (under 20, 20-35, 36-50, 51-65, over 65)

3) Where do you live? not looking for specific location, for example I am in the Niagara Region of Ontario Canada?

4) What hobby do you have outside VHL?

5) How long have you been involved with the VHL?

6) Tell us a little bit about your family?

1. I’m an Enrolled Agent which means I do taxes for a living and the IRS says I can lol

2. I’m 33! Will be 34 in June. 

3. New Jersey!

4. I enjoy reading, playing video games, and currently I’m wedding planning lol. 
5. 10 months! Almost at the one year mark I can’t believe it. 
6. Mom and dad happily married, younger sister who is engaged, and me with my fiancé. 

I’m not sure what to talk about this week. Work is taking up most of my time and I don’t have the creativity to work on a graphic so I guess my words will have to do. So, what’s new since the last time I wrote a stream of conscious media spot…

Well, Dil is gone forever and Jacob is the new GM of London which is great because I really did enjoy working with him as AGM in San Diego the last two seasons so it will be nice to see what it’s like to be on his team. He’s made some big trades in the last few days so hopefully London will be much better this season. I’m hoping that this off season I can earn all the TPE there is and be ready to go. So far I’ve punched most of my core abilities to 95 and once I get SC to 95, they’re all going to 99. It should only take me about 2.5 seasons to get to my ideal build and then I’ll be able to bank like a madman to prepare for depreciation. I’m also currently 12 TPE from 900 so this media spot will close half that and I’ll just be some easy points next week to the milestone. Then on to 1,000! 

I can’t believe I have been here for 10 months like holy crap that’s a long time for me to stick with something. I’m sure I said that at the 6th month mark a while back but seriously. Between my ADHD and how easily I can burn myself out, I’m shocked that I’m still here and managing to produce content. Yea it’s a struggle sometimes but I’m honestly impressed with myself. I truly am enjoying it here and the long term commitment is still sticking around. I have my next player named and everything.

Wedding planning is going well now that we have a venue, photographer, dj, florist, and our save the dates went out last week. After tax season we’ll go back to where we had our first date and have an engagement photoshoot.

But back to the VHL for another 135 words.

Congrats to @kirbithan for hitting 700 TPE! You’re gaining fast but we’ll see if you’ll ever be able to catch up to me lol.

I’m still sitting at 5th overall in my class but I’m catching up to Phil slowly so we’ll see how long until I can overtake for 4th. My goal is to get up as high as possible in my class rankings since I plan to play out a full career with Jesse.

Ah, in recent news, how the hell did I get 1st overall in the VHL Finals Bracket???? Like seriously. I am very confused and I will tell you that it was stupid luck. I have never done that well before in any sort of fantasy bracket or the like either here or in real life. Honestly I’m shook (but also low key I’m loving the 10 TPE boost).

Well that’s all for now. See you next time!

519 words for week ending 3/26/2023
 

We caught up with Jesse Teno after the announcement of London’s new GM Jacob.

Jesse, how do you feel about the new GM appointment?

“I’m really excited, honestly. I was a little worried about who they might pick but Jacob and I go back a bit and I’m really looking forward to being on his team. I know he did amazing things in San Diego and I’m hoping he can work some of that champion magic on us.”

Your friend Lachlan Summers was a goalie under Jacob in San Diego. Have you spoken to him at all about it?

“Not yet, no. But maybe I should get a few pointers on how to keep the GM happy [laughs]. But seriously, I was close with Jacob while he was a GM these past two seasons and I know how he works. He’s beyond supportive and is always there to help if anyone needs it.”

Safe to say that the mood in London is looking up. Hopefully Jesse and the United can pull out a successful upcoming season.

176 words for week ending 3/26/2023