mmrs617

Game 334 Recap - Ottawa Lynx vs. Houston Bulls The surging Houston Bulls pulled off an upset today as they handed Ottawa their 12th loss. This is Ottawa's second loss in as many games. After a scoreless first period, Ottawa went up by one early in the second from a goal by Wally Lose. This held up for over 20 minutes until Cole Stermer put up his 33rd goal of the season for Houston. Hulk Smash added another with 5 minutes left. A pulled goalie by Ottawa late in the third was not enough of a last push to tie it up. This was a highly anticipated game, as both teams went nearly perfect in the win column last week. Houston is poised to make a push for 1st in the Western conference and a chance to meet either Mississauga or Philadelphia. Ottawa is set to play Mexico City in the first round. Word Count: 152

Player Name: Matteo Stefano Position: RW Height: 5' 5" Weight: 180 lb. Age: 22 Current Team: Mississauga Hounds Hometown: Ottawa, Ontario Pros Speed: Stefano uses his speed to his advantage. He can open up the ice to get better vision of the openings and his teammates around him. He continues to improve on his speed and looks to be one of the fastest forwards in the league. Passing: Stefano is a playmaker a heart. He understands the importance of moving the puck efficiently down the ice to create scoring opportunities. He sees passing as a way to control the pace of play and keep the puck on the stick of his teammates to ensure offensive production. Defensive-minded: Stefano is a defense-first winger. If he is keeping the puck out of his net, he is making a difference. Plus/minus is the stat that Stefano feels is most important. Combining his defensive mentality with his passing ability allows Stefano and his team to limit the time spent in their own zone. Work Ethic: Since coming into the VHLM, Stefano has seen great improvement. He joined just under halfway through the S93 season and has become the most improved player in April. If he can keep this up, he has a good chance of reaching the first round of the S94 VHLM Dispersal Draft. Cons Size: Stefano stands at only 5'5", making him one of the shortest prospects in VHL history. Though his positivity and work ethic make him seem like a larger-than-life player, he is still physically small. He is at a disadvantage in may physical battles. Strength: In conjunction with his size, Stefano's strength can also be of concern. He has stated in the past that he is focusing on his strength to allow himself more opportunities. Prospects are still not seeing this progress as much as they would like and will continue to make note of how this changes in the future. Scoring Ability: Stefano may be too focused on passing and "being selfless". His scoring ability has taken a hit because of this. He has great vision of the ice, but when given opportunities to shoot, he seem reluctant. I would like to see more shots come from Stefano to boost his confidence and make him more of a complete player. Final Thoughts Matteo Stefano still has some work to do, but he looks to understand what it takes to be a top VHL player. He sets reasonable goals and is doing well to attain those. It is important to continue assessing Stefano as the Hounds enter the playoffs and make their run for the Founder's Cup.

Game 312 Recap - Las Vegas Aces vs. Saskatoon Wild This was a must-win game for Las Vegas as they faced their conference leader's, the Saskatoon Wild. The Aces were looking to bounce back from a tough week to close the gap on the Wild and move up in the standings. Unfortunately, Saskatoon had a different plan. The Aces went down early in the first on a goal from Felicia Hardy. They had a chance to tie up the game, but lack of shooting made this difficult. The Aces finished the game with only 14 shots on goal, with Wild goaltender Da TypThond stopping all of them. The third period had Saskatoon return to form as they scored 3 goals in the span of 3 minutes and 21 seconds. Overall, Saskatoon was too much for Las Vegas, and with the playoffs looming, are the Aces in for an uphill battle? Word Count: 140

Standings Shuffle This week had a lot of changes to the standings, and with only about 25% of the season left, the final playoff seeding is still in flux. One of the most notable changes was between Saskatoon and Las Vegas, changing places in 2nd and 5th. I commented last week on this battle, and it seems my prediction with Saskatoon having the upper hand was correct. Another change was at the bottom of the standings. San Diego overtook Miami to force Miami into last place. This may seem like a downside for San Diego in terms of draft position, but the Marlins hold very few of their own picks for the S94 VHLM Dispersal Draft. Clinched - Ottawa Lynx and Halifax 21st With still around 19 games left, the Ottawa Lynx and Halifax 21st have clinched a playoff spot. They are in a battle with each other for top spot in the league with only one point separating them. Both GMs recognize that there is still more work to do, with Ottawa's GM @Grape saying "Job's not done. ... The real effort going forward is to maintain our momentum and push to finish first in the league." Halifax's GM @LucyXpher agrees that, "The rest of the way, it’s all about consistency for us and working towards success in the playoffs. We can’t take our position for granted because every playoff team will be improving, so now is the time for us to bring our best!" Scoring Onslaught - Halifax 21st Whoever faces the Halifax 21st on any given day is going to need to step up their defensive game. The 21st have scored 181 times this season, 26 more than any other team. This past week they added 57 goals to their total, averaging over 4 goals per game in that stretch. Halifax captain, Andrew Skilton (@ace_five_), knows the depth the team has. "It makes me confident that we can put anyone out there in any situation and still put points on the board. Players up front like Maple Dogwood, and on the back end like Alex Novotny really make us look good too." Front Office Changes - Miami Marauders and Las Vegas Aces On the heels of a tough week, the Miami Marauders and Las Vegas Aces have made some changes to their front offices. Both teams advertised their AGM position this week. The Marauders announced Thursday that they've hired newcomer @ace_five_. Marauders GM @Ricer13 said "I am very pleased with Ace so far. He’s new to the league and this is his first gig in the management world. I am always willing to give new members a chance to come in, learn and help be a part of the team." @ace_five_ shared the sentiment, saying "Ricer ... [is] a pleasure to speak to, and I look forward to learning from him. He has a pretty clear picture of what he wants for the future and I'm going to do my best to facilitate that as well." Aces GM @McLovin commented that "The [AGM] position hasn't been filled yet, but we'll likely have a hire in about a day, give or take! The Aces have had a bunch of roster changes that we're obviously needing a bit of time to adjust to, but we're pressing through the challenges and figuring out line combinations that work so we can get back into the winning column!" mmrs617's Stars of the Week Pinn Jinn @Eagle Eye (PHI) - D - Jinn is the two-way defenseman that teams dream of having, only Philadelphia doesn't have to dream. He is top 10 in points with 58 in 53 games. Defensively, Jinn is a nightmare to play against. This week he added 36 hits and 30 blocked shots to his already top 5 numbers. Ender @Ender9511 (SDM) - C - Ender jumped up 35 spots in the overall rankings this week with a league leading 11 goals and 22 points. With the Marlins in the position they are, Ender may be a high commodity at the trade deadline. John Season @dylanjj37 (HFX) - D - Season is a defensive force to be reckoned with. He added +12 to his already outstanding +/- this week.

1. I'd love for the Leafs to make it that far and for them to play Edmonton or Winnipeg. It's been too long since a Canadian team has won. 2. I've only played 22 games, but they are doing well. I've been looking at the points put up by other players and it really motivates me to earn TPE. 3. Better weather. I'm a not to hot, not too cold kind of guy, so spring is where I like to be. 1. What do you enjoy most about your team's locker room discord? 2. What do you think is the most important rating for all skaters/goalies? 3. Do you think Arizona's move to Salt Lake City will solve their perpetual bottom-of-the-league problems?

Thank you so much for the kind words. I've really enjoyed my time so far in the league. I'm hoping to continue to improve and help out my team.

@AJW put out an article this week outlining some proposed changes to the VHLM. This included abolishing the VHLE and expanding the VHLM by two teams to accommodate the players from the E. I've decided to take this idea and run with it. What if this happened? What could the possible new franchises be? Since it is a two team expansion, it makes sense for there to be one team added to each conference. I started thinking about where these new franchises could end up. I am a little biased, so I only considered Canadian locations. Without further ado, I present the first expansion team added to the Eastern Conference, the New Brunswick Tides! I liked the idea of having the Bay of Fundy represented in a team. Since the Bay is located between New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Maine, and Halifax already has a team, I decided on New Brunswick. The logo features rock formation from the Bay of Fundy and the tides moving in from below. The letters NB are brought in to show the team's location. I decided on a brown and blue colour palette to represent the rocks and water. The team would have two home jerseys, that would be called the "High Tide" and "Low Tide" jerseys. The second team would enter the Western Conference. Saskatoon is the only western Canadian team in the M, so there were lots of locations to choose. I decided on Vancouver, only to realize there is a VHL team in Vancouver (I'm new so I forgot). This team could be a new VHLM team, or possible a rebrand of the Vancouver Wolves. I present to you, the Vancouver Alpines! The Alpines feature a simple by sharp design. The logo consists of a "V" for Vancouver, with the peak of the Rockies emerging from within. The different shades of blue and grey are featured throughout the jersey. I imagine there would be a third jersey that has an alternate word-mark logo that says "ALPS". This was a ton of fun to make, if not time consuming. There are so many concepts I could have gone with, but I'm really happy with how these turned out. Maybe one day we will see @AJW's vision come to fruition, and maybe New Brunswick or Vancouver will be in the running for expansions.

I'd like to start a recap of the weekly games. I will give the standings as of the end of the week, and comment on anything I find notable. Battle for Eastern Conference Supremacy - Ottawa Lynx vs. Halifax 21st This was definitely a tight battle this week. Both teams came out with a 12-3-0 record. Due to the playoff seeding, Halifax 21st are forced into the third seed position, although they are 6 points ahead of Las Vegas. This is going to lead to a very interesting second half of the season. Ottawa and Halifax play each other 6 more times, and I'm expecting close games for each match up. When asked how they will ensure they come out on top, Halifax GM @LucyXpher said "Ottawa is a well built team and is solid at every position. That said, I still like our forward depth and all of our players are making great progress. I think the key to the matchup will come down to the quality of our depth players and how much we can still build over the next few weeks." Players to watch: Jon Webber III @Webberj (HFX) - G - 18-7-1 in 27 games with 1 shutout Jillian Woods @jacobcarson877 (OTT) - D - 16 goals and 27 assists for 43 points in 39 games Western Conference Logjam - Las Vegas Aces vs. Saskatoon Wild vs. Houston Bulls The Las Vegas Aces sit on top of the Western Conference standings, but only three points separate them from the 3th place Saskatoon Wild. The record's of these top three teams, including the Houston Bulls, were all very similar this week, with Saskatoon coming ahead with a slight lead in point. Point production has also been steady. Houston GM @AJW notes that "These are ... very talented teams. Las Vegas being known for their long franchise success and Saskatoon being an elite team this season makes it tough for us. Houston is definitely pushing for top of the conference and will experience some specific line changes if needed when playing Saskatoon and Las Vegas as the season continues." It looks like the difference maker will end up being defense. Although they sit the lowest of the three teams, I would give Saskatoon the slight edge, as they have the lowest goals against. Saskatoon goaltender Austin Goulet III @Tuchy sits on top of the leaderboard for GAA. If he can keep it up, the Wild will surely move up the rankings. Saskatoon GM @Dadam30 expressed his desire to reach the top spot, but also says having "a super deep team come playoff time" is most important because "we have to go through that gauntlet that is the western conference." Players to watch: Cole Stermer @Bazeus (HOU) - RW - 20 goals and 27 assists for 47 points in 39 games. Carson Tripp @Cartripp14 (SSK) - D - 10 goals and 29 assists for 39 points in 39 games A Winning Record - Mississauga Hounds For the first time this season, the Hounds have found more consistent success. They ended the week 8-7-0, recording a shutout in 3 of the last 6 games. Mississauga GM @Nathan_8 praised the team, saying "I think we had a good performance this past week that will set a foundation for us to improve heading into the trade deadline." The Hounds are looking to continue this success going into a week where they face some of the top teams in the league multiple times each. Players to watch: Shaunca @shaun1979 (MIS) - G - 16-18-5 in 39 games with 4 shutouts.

The Mississauga Hounds added 2 more losses to their season on Thursday against Philadelphia (3-2) and Ottawa (1-0). “It’s been tough stretch," says GM @Nathan_8, "but we just have to keep our heads down and keep on working hard at our skills so we can start getting these Ws” These losses mark the Hounds 11th and 12th 1-goal losses this season. This comes a day after the Hounds signed RW Matteo Stefano, in an attempt to build on what they feel is a solid core group. In an interview after the shutout loss to Ottawa, Stefano said, "I have no doubt that things are going to change in the win column. I don't think it is my presence that will be the difference maker, though. These guys know what they want and are hungry for wins. When we string together a few, we are going to ride that momentum." AGM Piffer @Pifferfish is hoping for some more rapid change. "If we lose by 1 12 more times in the second half, I'm quitting the VHL!" He says (hopefully jokingly). In the end, the Hounds currently sit in the final playoff spot, 9 points ahead of the Miami Marauders. If they do tighten up those close games, they should pad that lead and potentially gain some ground in the standings.

1. As a new player to the team, I hope I can support my new teammates. We've got a great core, we just haven't hit our stride yet. 2. Team building is just as important as training. If we can build on our chemistry off the ice, it will show on the ice. 3. I would say 7 wins is a good start. If we can hit that goal we can build on the momentum the following week. 4. The best baked good would have to be warm apple strudel, right out of the oven. 5. I'm always in the mood for a laugh. Life in Pieces is quirky and light-hearted. 6. I hope we don't run into this situation. Piffer's been an amazing help to me as I've gotten started and I'm not sure what I would do without them.

Confirmed

"Work hard, get in the dirty areas, don't let anyone's effort out-match yours, and most importantly, have a great time." Those are the words that Matteo Stefano's father has told him before every game and every practice as far back as he can remember. Those are the words that have motivated Stefano to strive for what many have deemed extremely unlikely or even impossible, reach the VHL. Matteo Stefano is a first-generation Canadian, born to Italian parents. From a young age, Stefano struggled in school. Although he had a love for stories and books, he had trouble with reading and writing. He couldn't keep the words straight in his mind. He and his parents chalked it up to the language barrier, as he spoke primarily Italian at home, but soon found out that Stefano was dyslexic. Determined to not let this impede his love for literacy, he would sit at the dining table for hours with his father practicing and coming up with strategies to overcome the challenges he faced. This was Stefano's first introduction to adversity, and the first glimpse into his unmatched work ethic. Something Stefano didn't have any trouble picking up was a pair of skates. When he was 7-years-old, Stefano was introduced to figure skating, and it was apparent that he had some natural skill. If he wanted, he could have used those skills to compete at a very high level, but he took the words of his father very seriously: "Have a great time". Figure skating left something to be desired in Stefano, and he knew exactly what it was when he saw his first hockey game. Although he had the skating ability, placing a stick in his hands created an entirely different story. This was Stefano's second bout with adversity. So he worked at it and he improved by leaps and bounds in a short amount of time. His father says "Matteo created a strict regime for himself. He would come home from school, finish his homework, then go to the garage and practice. He would handle the puck and shoot for hours, only taking a break to eat his supper. It would wear me out just looking at the work he put in, but I don't think I have ever seen him not smiling when he has that stick in his hand." It is that unbridled enthusiasm for the game that sets Stefano apart from others. He is a workhorse, but also never passes up the opportunity to help a teammate. By the age of 12, Stefano had competed in every major hockey competition he could, often being awarded for his sportsmanship and leadership. As the years went on, Stefano's competition grew in ability and size. This is where Stefano's third major run in with adversity hit, and unfortunately, it has to do with something which no amount of effort could fix: his size. Although Stefano was quick on his feat and had the hockey sense his 5'5" frame was a deal breaker for many coaches and managers. He began to be turned away from teams he had previously been high on the list for consideration. He was told it was "for safety reasons" and "uncertainty of long-term effects." Though his confidence would waver at times, his experience with overcoming challenges just continued to feed his work ethic. His size was too much of a risk factor for teams to take a chance on, but it seemed as though his effort was recognized by the other players. Many of Stefano's previous teammates would contest the manager's decision to not take him on. This seemed to fall on deaf ears until the father of one player happen to be granted ownership of an expansion team and could not believe that Stefano was not yet on a team. Stefano was offered the first ever contract for the team and named captain for the inaugural season. He went on to score 68 points (26 goals, 42 assists) in 40 games. Even through the tough run Stefano faced, he is too humble to tell you that. When asked about that season, Stefano always speaks to the effort of his teammates and their massive feat of having no player's plus/minus in the negatives. He speaks about his appreciation for the opportunity to show that he can compete at the highest level possible, and that he will continue to strive for improvement. Despite his size, there is no one that can match Stefano's heart. He exudes an overwhelming positivity and love for the game of hockey that I has not seen in a long time, and he is ready to take that to the next level. Stefano has set his sight on the VHL, and if I've learned anything from looking into this young man's life, there's nothing that will stop him from getting there.

Player Information Username: mmrs617 Player Name: Matteo Stefano Recruited From: Member (ace five - Andrew Skilton) Age: 22 Position: RW Height: 65 in. Weight: 180 lbs. Birthplace: Canada Player Page @VHLM GM