VSN presents: Under 250 - S77 VHLM Playoffs Review

[Ledge 1,131]

 

What is up VHL! Welcome back to another article of Under 250, where we cover everything VHLM. Make sure you're caught up with all the recent VSN news updates, articles, and podcasts here:

 

S77 VHLM Awards | S77 VHL Awards | S78 VHL Mock Draft

 

 

S77 VHLM Playoffs Review

 

 

In this volume of Under 250, we’ll be looking at the S77 VHLM Playoffs. I’ll be summarizing the quarters and semis, then go into a full breakdown of the finals. It was a fun write-up, so I hope y’all enjoy.

 

 While this postseason didn’t necessarily provide the exciting, edge-or-your-set action we have come to expect, that doesn’t mean it didn’t give us a championship to remember. The Mississauga Hounds, led by general manager of the year Zetterberg, steamrolled the competition and held a very strong case for a Founder’s Cup, while the entire Western Conference was lacking in truly playoff caliber teams. It made for an interesting first few matchups, which carried through the rest of the playoffs.

 

 

Quarter Finals

 

This was another one of those seasons where we could tell what the seeds were even at midway through the season. The VHLM is not a league abundant with parity, so we could even tell which teams would probably be going far in the playoffs soon after the draft. This season, those teams were the Mississauga Hounds, the Saskatoon Wild, and the Miami Marauders. They quickly distanced themselves from the rest of the pack in the regular season, and secured optimal positions in the playoffs. The other 5 teams may not have had as battle-ready rosters, but managed to confirm playoff berths nonetheless.

 

In the first series, the top seeded Hounds faced off against a barren Houston Bulls squad that took advantage of an unusually weak Western Conference to sneak into the postseason. On contrary to the widely predicted sweep, the Bulls stole game 1 but were manhandled by the dominant force that was the S77 Mississauga Hounds. The series ended 4-1, with Mississauga maintaining the primary spot in the next rounds’ reseeding

 

 

The second sequence was between the second seed Saskatoon Wild and the sneaky good Las Vegas Aces. The Wild had been riding a confusingly strong season despite a very strong team, and the Aces, with the help of their key deadline pickups Kjell Nilsson and Shaggy Tipton, exploited their weaknesses en route to a jaw-dropping 4-1 victory for the Sin City players. It was the first major upset of the playoff.

 

 

The third matchup pitted the Miami Marauders, who had mapped out their success throughout their last few seasons, against the San Diego Marlins, who were still reeling from past pick deficits. In an astonishingly narrow finish, the Marauders emerged victorious from an exhilarating game seven triumph. It proved the gritty and resilient mindset the Floridians would operate for the duration of the playoffs.

 

 

The fourth and final series was initially bound to be the tightest series of them all. However, a slight turn of events proved otherwise. The Halifax 21st and the Minnesota Storm had similar teams and similar situations during the S77 season. The Storm had established themselves as perennial contenders and were looking to pull off some miracle work in S77, while the 21st made clear that they wanted a cup sooner rather than later with their deadline acquisitions. After going down 3-0 in the first 3 games, the Storm roared back with two straight elimination wins before the boat gang finished them off in game 6.

 

Semi Finals

 

With the Aces the only real underdog heading into the semi finals, the results of the postseason were relatively uncertain, with all of the squads still alive having winning qualities. The Hounds remained the odds-on favourite for most, but the Marauders presented a strong case as a battle tested team from the previous few seasons.

 

Following the realignment of the seeds, the Hounds ended up opposed to the 21st in their semi final matchup. Once again, Mississauga was the heavy favourite and a quick and quiet series was expected. It was a back and forth tussle, with each team trading 2 wins in a row until the Hounds pulled off a critical blow in game 6 to send the Nova Scotians home. 

 

The second series had the Marauders countering the Aces. The Aces, coming off a massive upset of the Wild, may have been unprepared for a tougher, more talented opponent. The Marauders won the first two games by a combined score of 9-4, setting the pace of the series. The Aces held on to force the next two games into overtime but Delving Mackey in game 3 and Alexander The Great in game 4 came in clutch for the South Beach boys, clinching the sweep and their advancement to the Founder’s Cup finals.

 

Founder’s Cup Finals

 

Mississauga Hounds vs. Miami Marauders

 

 

                                                    

 

This was it. The two dominant pillars of the Eastern Conference  meet again, with the stakes higher than ever before. Their head to head in the regular season is mind-blowing, with the Hounds winning 7 out of their 8 clashes. However, the Marauders were flying high with the nail-biter of a series with the Marlins to the confidence-building demolition of the Aces. For VHL onlookers, a tense, fight-till-the-end hell of a series was anticipated. But what derived from the finals was nothing short of incredible.

 

Game 1

 

Guy Lambert for Mississauga and Trevor Wallace for Miami (Noah Mashford was ejected from the draw) faced off at center ice to commence the S77 Founder’s Cup finals. Lambert got his stick under Wallace’s, cut him off, and kicked the puck back to Hard Markinson. Markinson took a few strides up ice, then lofted the puck into the Marauders’ corner. Jan Hlozek retrieved the puck, and what followed was what had worked for the Marauders the last eleven games. 

By moving the puck quickly and effectively, they took control of the Hounds’ defensive zone and set up their lethal offensive drive. It was only a matter of time before the puck found mesh. Napoleon Bonaparte finished the slick passing play with a rocket of a slapshot from the half wall to put the Marauders up 1-0 less than two minutes into the game. Roughly 3 minutes later, hotshot rookie sensation Tyler Reinhart fired a wrist shot off the blocker of ClapbombsRUs off of an offensive zone faceoff, then busted his butt to the front of the net where he tapped in his own rebound. 5 minutes into the first frame, and it was already tied at 1. 

For the ensuing 7 minutes or so, the game played out, with both teams generating around an equal amount of scoring chances. It wasn’t until 13 minutes into the first that, after regaining the puck in the offensive zone, 4 consecutive Marauders missed the net in rapidfire fashion. They just kept getting the puck back until, after a shot from Alexander The Great was blocked, Damien Salducci reached into the slot and wired a snapshot over the shoulder of Luke Spinelli. 2-1, Marauders, 

The second frame also started out with a bang. This time around, it was the Hounds who were all over their opponents from the get-go, dominating the faceoff circle and pummeling Clapbombs with a barrage of shots until Jonny Pacheco was able to find a loose puck off a wild one timer from the point and tuck it under the goaltender’s left pad to once again make the game even. Following that goal, there was an unnerving quiet in the arena as the teams traded chances. It wasn’t until Markinson let go a booming slapshot from the point that was blocked by a very brave Vasiliy Grigorev, but bounced right back to Markinson, who took advantage of the fast moving play to slide a low wrister into the bottom corner of the net, giving the Hounds the lead. The Marauders once again gained total control of the play, looking for a marker to not go into the third down a goal. They shelled Spinelli with shot after shot, still managing to miss the net a large chunk of the time, but they got a lucky bounce after Jah Coon, on the receiving end of a thundering hit from Chris P Bacon, took a whack at the puck, which sailed over Spinelli’s right shoulder and into the net. Thirty seconds before the end of the period, with one player from each team returning from the penalty box, the Marauders lost an offensive zone faceoff but their ferocious forecheck regained it, and it was Coon threading it through the slot to find the wide open Delving Mackey for an easy tap in. The South Beach boys went into the room full of adrenaline and the ice was tilted their way.

The third period carried the momentum attained by Miami with Mackey’s goal in the second. It was a relatively uneventful frame, with both sides exchanging offensive attacks. It was 7 minutes in when penalties from Miks Sunish and Joe Madison had the Marauders on a 5 on 3 power play, where they had a significant scoring advantage, and it was Declan Wolf who capitalized, putting the final nail in the Hounds’ coffin. The Marauders would hold on to take game 1 by a score of 5-3.

 

Game 2

 

Game 2 of the series had fans on the edge of their seats from less than a minute in. Owen Taylor was penalized for hooking a mere 3 seconds into the game, and on the power play, Hlozek’s blistering point shot that rang off the post was the only sign of offensive threats for a good portion of the first. Spinelli expertly fended off the initial man advantage, and Clapbombs showed off his striking ability to absorb pucks without a rebound, stifling all attempts to gain momentum. Later, when it was the Hounds’ turn to buzz around the O zone, Clapbombs was a rock wall in net until he was caught off guard by a Pacheco shot off of a brilliant royal road pass from Miles Johnson. Pacheco fanned on the one timer, but it hit a skate of a Marauder defenceman and trickled through the five hole of the goalie. 1-0, Hounds.

The rest of the period was also dictated by the netminders, who faced a total of 18 shots. In the second frame, the pace of the game was at its peak, with players streaking down the ice at full speed and the puck going from end to end to end faster than it had all game. A critical point in the game was when Noah Mashford was cruising into the Hounds zone when he lost control of the puck, only for it to be picked up by Alexander The Great, who used his teammate as a screen to nestle a shot in the top right corner of the net. The subsequent celebration from the Marauders bench was louder than all the fans in the building as the line went to high five their teammates. It showed what kind of team Miami was, and their fierce determination to capture a championship. 

Slightly over a minute later, the hyped up Marauders were flying around the Hounds’ zone, exchanging the puck at a VHL level. This time, Wallace was the star, as he received a drop pass, took a stride through the extended stick of his defender, and flung the puck at the net. A screened Spinelli was unable to track the puck, and it bounced off his pad and right back onto the tape of Wallace, who flicked it top shelf to score the eventual winning goal of the game to put the Marauders up 2-1. 

The remainder of the period was largely controlled by the Hounds, who outshot the Marauders 15-9 in those 20 minutes. In the final frame, Miami was able to wrestle back the momentum and successfully repel the Hounds’ attacks until, with just over a minute remaining, Grigorev was boxed for hooking. The Hounds pulled Spinelli, and it was a 6 on 4 for the rest of regulation. Unfortunately for Mississauga, they were unable to find a tying goal, and the Marauders went back to their home rink with a 2-0 lead in the series. 

 

Game 3

 

The air inside the rink was electric. The hometown Miami Marauders had a chance to take a chokehold on the Hounds, which is going up 3-0 in a best of seven series. It’s one of the most coveted positions in sports history, and almost always spells doom for the victimized franchise. As always, Mashford and Lambert met in the faceoff circle to commence game 3 of the Founder’s Cup finals. 

The first five minutes of the contest went without a major turning point, until Coon was boxed for tripping, putting the Hounds on the man advantage. After some scrambling which even involved Madison icing it on the power play, the Hounds finally managed to set up their PP system, which resulted in a Miles Johnson snap shot from the top of the circle, in a similar style to Nick Suzuki. 

A few minutes later, something very strange took place. With a delayed penalty to Mackey for tripping, Owen Taylor flipped it over the boards in his own end, signaling a delay of game penalty. A four on four occurred, with two completely different penalties happening at the same time. One important faceoff and a zone entry later, Wolf deflects a shot from Alexander The Great and it’s all tied up. 3 minutes later, The Great picks off a pass, dishes it to Wolf, then to Sportsboy57, back to The Great, who unleashes a wrister that finds twine behind Spinelli. Suddenly, Miami is leading 2-1. The first ended without any more goal scoring action.

Fast forward to 4 minutes into the second. Gustislav Nasherov of the Hounds is serving a two minute minor for hooking, and the Marauders are on the power play. Hlozek is rushing the puck up through the neutral zone, but loses control. Sportsboy is there to tap it back to him, so he glides into the zone and unloads a clapper from the blueline. Amazingly, it wedges in between the blocker and chest of Spinelli, and the score is 3-1 Miami. 

The rest of the stretch was a replay of game 2, with Clapbombs and Spinelli both being extremely solid in between the pipes. The third period began and continued with players from both sides being sent to the sin bin, and both power play units having nothing to show for it. That was before Jah Coon took a fateful trip to the box for high-sticking. Lambert won a crucial faceoff, and the puck was cycled around the O zone before Hounds defenceman Joakim Lund saw Lambert loitering in the slot, so he purposefully missed the net. The puck bounced off the boards beside the net and into Lambert’s area. He took a swing at it, and it skidded through Spinelli and into the back of the net to lower the lead to one goal. The Hounds played out the final few minutes in desperation, pulling Spinelli for an extra attacker, but it once again failed as the Marauders came away with a narrow victory. 

 

Game 4

 

Game 4. The Marauders had a chance to finish it off right here, inside their home rink, in only 4 games. When they stepped on the ice, they were greeted by a sea of pink in the stands. I could only imagine what was going through the minds of the poor Mississauga players. The vibe was tense among everyone in the building. This was true playoff hockey!

The Hounds had brought their best game, that was clear from the moment they stepped on the ice. They were up against a wall, and they had no choice but to fight until they couldn’t anymore. They peppered Clapbombs with shot after shot, looking for cracks. Ultimately, after a long minute of moving the puck around the outside of the Marauders’ zone, Gaspar Zakrevsky received a feed from JaredN Jr. and rifled it on the ice through the five hole of Clapbombs to break the ice and give the Hounds the push they needed. Unfortunately for them, the ecstasy didn’t last long. Miami roared back, poking and prodding the Hounds’ defense when Mackey fired a wrister wide of the net, only to be picked up by Coon, who danced behind Spinelli for a moment before stepping out and roofing it to make the game even. 

The time remaining went by quickly, with no real dangerous scoring chances or rushes. In the second, it carried on that way, with Tynan Sylvester of the Hounds and Declan Wolf of Miami coming close but not being able to breach the netminders. Then, it happened. With Salducci in the box for tripping, there was a faceoff in the Hounds’ end because of an icing. The Great knocked it back to the point, where it was fed to a winding-up Trevor Wallace, who fired a slapshot that rang off the right post before dribbling in. A shorthanded goal is the last thing you want to give up while tied in an elimination game, yet the Hounds managed to accomplish just that. It seemed to motivate the Hounds, however, who pounced on the Marauders but could not finish the play. The period ended with a dominant effort from the Hounds, who doubled the Marauders’ shot totals.

In the third, the period felt like it went by in an instant. Both teams were playing with crazy levels of adrenaline and desperation, and they traded scoring chances frequently. It wasn’t until 3 minutes left in the contest when, on the man advantage, Zakrevsky tipped a wayward puck around Clapbombs to tie the game up. What followed was one of the biggest heartbreaks for the Hounds maybe ever. Paralysed with happiness, perhaps too focused on not letting them score instead of scoring themselves, they allowed themselves to fall shorthanded; needless to say Alexander The Great ended their championship hopes with slightly more than a minute left in the final game. The Miami Marauders had won the Founder’s Cup!

 

That brings this edition of Under 250 to a finale. Thank you for reading, and make sure you’re all caught up with all the latest VSN coverage.

 

 

 

Players mentioned:

Spoiler

@Spartakiller2 @LilHCorny @Mashy @STZ @Bojovnik @CptSquall @Zetterberg @ClapbombsRus @Shiny @Deee.Geee @Lspinelli @jpach @Noxalpha @denns @Chris P Bacon @Jurell Yurki @Anomalijs @Brewins15 @MrShark @Owen Taylor @Midnite @Sportsboy57 @Vat @Bouncyelf @Pythonic @jared @diamond_ace

 

[Sportsboy57 19]

Dang, what a review man!

[LilHCorny 55]

Damn, that felt great to relive

[Guest Noxalpha]

22 hours ago, Ledge and Dairy said:

 

What is up VHL! Welcome back to another article of Under 250, where we cover everything VHLM. Make sure you're caught up with all the recent VSN news updates, articles, and podcasts here:

 

S77 VHLM Awards | S77 VHL Awards | S78 VHL Mock Draft

 

 

S77 VHLM Playoffs Review

 

 

In this volume of Under 250, we’ll be looking at the S77 VHLM Playoffs. I’ll be summarizing the quarters and semis, then go into a full breakdown of the finals. It was a fun write-up, so I hope y’all enjoy.

 

 While this postseason didn’t necessarily provide the exciting, edge-or-your-set action we have come to expect, that doesn’t mean it didn’t give us a championship to remember. The Mississauga Hounds, led by general manager of the year Zetterberg, steamrolled the competition and held a very strong case for a Founder’s Cup, while the entire Western Conference was lacking in truly playoff caliber teams. It made for an interesting first few matchups, which carried through the rest of the playoffs.

 

 

Quarter Finals

 

This was another one of those seasons where we could tell what the seeds were even at midway through the season. The VHLM is not a league abundant with parity, so we could even tell which teams would probably be going far in the playoffs soon after the draft. This season, those teams were the Mississauga Hounds, the Saskatoon Wild, and the Miami Marauders. They quickly distanced themselves from the rest of the pack in the regular season, and secured optimal positions in the playoffs. The other 5 teams may not have had as battle-ready rosters, but managed to confirm playoff berths nonetheless.

 

In the first series, the top seeded Hounds faced off against a barren Houston Bulls squad that took advantage of an unusually weak Western Conference to sneak into the postseason. On contrary to the widely predicted sweep, the Bulls stole game 1 but were manhandled by the dominant force that was the S77 Mississauga Hounds. The series ended 4-1, with Mississauga maintaining the primary spot in the next rounds’ reseeding

 

 

The second sequence was between the second seed Saskatoon Wild and the sneaky good Las Vegas Aces. The Wild had been riding a confusingly strong season despite a very strong team, and the Aces, with the help of their key deadline pickups Kjell Nilsson and Shaggy Tipton, exploited their weaknesses en route to a jaw-dropping 4-1 victory for the Sin City players. It was the first major upset of the playoff.

 

 

The third matchup pitted the Miami Marauders, who had mapped out their success throughout their last few seasons, against the San Diego Marlins, who were still reeling from past pick deficits. In an astonishingly narrow finish, the Marauders emerged victorious from an exhilarating game seven triumph. It proved the gritty and resilient mindset the Floridians would operate for the duration of the playoffs.

 

 

The fourth and final series was initially bound to be the tightest series of them all. However, a slight turn of events proved otherwise. The Halifax 21st and the Minnesota Storm had similar teams and similar situations during the S77 season. The Storm had established themselves as perennial contenders and were looking to pull off some miracle work in S77, while the 21st made clear that they wanted a cup sooner rather than later with their deadline acquisitions. After going down 3-0 in the first 3 games, the Storm roared back with two straight elimination wins before the boat gang finished them off in game 6.

 

Semi Finals

 

With the Aces the only real underdog heading into the semi finals, the results of the postseason were relatively uncertain, with all of the squads still alive having winning qualities. The Hounds remained the odds-on favourite for most, but the Marauders presented a strong case as a battle tested team from the previous few seasons.

 

Following the realignment of the seeds, the Hounds ended up opposed to the 21st in their semi final matchup. Once again, Mississauga was the heavy favourite and a quick and quiet series was expected. It was a back and forth tussle, with each team trading 2 wins in a row until the Hounds pulled off a critical blow in game 6 to send the Nova Scotians home. 

 

The second series had the Marauders countering the Aces. The Aces, coming off a massive upset of the Wild, may have been unprepared for a tougher, more talented opponent. The Marauders won the first two games by a combined score of 9-4, setting the pace of the series. The Aces held on to force the next two games into overtime but Delving Mackey in game 3 and Alexander The Great in game 4 came in clutch for the South Beach boys, clinching the sweep and their advancement to the Founder’s Cup finals.

 

Founder’s Cup Finals

 

Mississauga Hounds vs. Miami Marauders

 

 

                                                    

 

This was it. The two dominant pillars of the Eastern Conference  meet again, with the stakes higher than ever before. Their head to head in the regular season is mind-blowing, with the Hounds winning 7 out of their 8 clashes. However, the Marauders were flying high with the nail-biter of a series with the Marlins to the confidence-building demolition of the Aces. For VHL onlookers, a tense, fight-till-the-end hell of a series was anticipated. But what derived from the finals was nothing short of incredible.

 

Game 1

 

Guy Lambert for Mississauga and Trevor Wallace for Miami (Noah Mashford was ejected from the draw) faced off at center ice to commence the S77 Founder’s Cup finals. Lambert got his stick under Wallace’s, cut him off, and kicked the puck back to Hard Markinson. Markinson took a few strides up ice, then lofted the puck into the Marauders’ corner. Jan Hlozek retrieved the puck, and what followed was what had worked for the Marauders the last eleven games. 

By moving the puck quickly and effectively, they took control of the Hounds’ defensive zone and set up their lethal offensive drive. It was only a matter of time before the puck found mesh. Napoleon Bonaparte finished the slick passing play with a rocket of a slapshot from the half wall to put the Marauders up 1-0 less than two minutes into the game. Roughly 3 minutes later, hotshot rookie sensation Tyler Reinhart fired a wrist shot off the blocker of ClapbombsRUs off of an offensive zone faceoff, then busted his butt to the front of the net where he tapped in his own rebound. 5 minutes into the first frame, and it was already tied at 1. 

For the ensuing 7 minutes or so, the game played out, with both teams generating around an equal amount of scoring chances. It wasn’t until 13 minutes into the first that, after regaining the puck in the offensive zone, 4 consecutive Marauders missed the net in rapidfire fashion. They just kept getting the puck back until, after a shot from Alexander The Great was blocked, Damien Salducci reached into the slot and wired a snapshot over the shoulder of Luke Spinelli. 2-1, Marauders, 

The second frame also started out with a bang. This time around, it was the Hounds who were all over their opponents from the get-go, dominating the faceoff circle and pummeling Clapbombs with a barrage of shots until Jonny Pacheco was able to find a loose puck off a wild one timer from the point and tuck it under the goaltender’s left pad to once again make the game even. Following that goal, there was an unnerving quiet in the arena as the teams traded chances. It wasn’t until Markinson let go a booming slapshot from the point that was blocked by a very brave Vasiliy Grigorev, but bounced right back to Markinson, who took advantage of the fast moving play to slide a low wrister into the bottom corner of the net, giving the Hounds the lead. The Marauders once again gained total control of the play, looking for a marker to not go into the third down a goal. They shelled Spinelli with shot after shot, still managing to miss the net a large chunk of the time, but they got a lucky bounce after Jah Coon, on the receiving end of a thundering hit from Chris P Bacon, took a whack at the puck, which sailed over Spinelli’s right shoulder and into the net. Thirty seconds before the end of the period, with one player from each team returning from the penalty box, the Marauders lost an offensive zone faceoff but their ferocious forecheck regained it, and it was Coon threading it through the slot to find the wide open Delving Mackey for an easy tap in. The South Beach boys went into the room full of adrenaline and the ice was tilted their way.

The third period carried the momentum attained by Miami with Mackey’s goal in the second. It was a relatively uneventful frame, with both sides exchanging offensive attacks. It was 7 minutes in when penalties from Miks Sunish and Joe Madison had the Marauders on a 5 on 3 power play, where they had a significant scoring advantage, and it was Declan Wolf who capitalized, putting the final nail in the Hounds’ coffin. The Marauders would hold on to take game 1 by a score of 5-3.

 

Game 2

 

Game 2 of the series had fans on the edge of their seats from less than a minute in. Owen Taylor was penalized for hooking a mere 3 seconds into the game, and on the power play, Hlozek’s blistering point shot that rang off the post was the only sign of offensive threats for a good portion of the first. Spinelli expertly fended off the initial man advantage, and Clapbombs showed off his striking ability to absorb pucks without a rebound, stifling all attempts to gain momentum. Later, when it was the Hounds’ turn to buzz around the O zone, Clapbombs was a rock wall in net until he was caught off guard by a Pacheco shot off of a brilliant royal road pass from Miles Johnson. Pacheco fanned on the one timer, but it hit a skate of a Marauder defenceman and trickled through the five hole of the goalie. 1-0, Hounds.

The rest of the period was also dictated by the netminders, who faced a total of 18 shots. In the second frame, the pace of the game was at its peak, with players streaking down the ice at full speed and the puck going from end to end to end faster than it had all game. A critical point in the game was when Noah Mashford was cruising into the Hounds zone when he lost control of the puck, only for it to be picked up by Alexander The Great, who used his teammate as a screen to nestle a shot in the top right corner of the net. The subsequent celebration from the Marauders bench was louder than all the fans in the building as the line went to high five their teammates. It showed what kind of team Miami was, and their fierce determination to capture a championship. 

Slightly over a minute later, the hyped up Marauders were flying around the Hounds’ zone, exchanging the puck at a VHL level. This time, Wallace was the star, as he received a drop pass, took a stride through the extended stick of his defender, and flung the puck at the net. A screened Spinelli was unable to track the puck, and it bounced off his pad and right back onto the tape of Wallace, who flicked it top shelf to score the eventual winning goal of the game to put the Marauders up 2-1. 

The remainder of the period was largely controlled by the Hounds, who outshot the Marauders 15-9 in those 20 minutes. In the final frame, Miami was able to wrestle back the momentum and successfully repel the Hounds’ attacks until, with just over a minute remaining, Grigorev was boxed for hooking. The Hounds pulled Spinelli, and it was a 6 on 4 for the rest of regulation. Unfortunately for Mississauga, they were unable to find a tying goal, and the Marauders went back to their home rink with a 2-0 lead in the series. 

 

Game 3

 

The air inside the rink was electric. The hometown Miami Marauders had a chance to take a chokehold on the Hounds, which is going up 3-0 in a best of seven series. It’s one of the most coveted positions in sports history, and almost always spells doom for the victimized franchise. As always, Mashford and Lambert met in the faceoff circle to commence game 3 of the Founder’s Cup finals. 

The first five minutes of the contest went without a major turning point, until Coon was boxed for tripping, putting the Hounds on the man advantage. After some scrambling which even involved Madison icing it on the power play, the Hounds finally managed to set up their PP system, which resulted in a Miles Johnson snap shot from the top of the circle, in a similar style to Nick Suzuki. 

A few minutes later, something very strange took place. With a delayed penalty to Mackey for tripping, Owen Taylor flipped it over the boards in his own end, signaling a delay of game penalty. A four on four occurred, with two completely different penalties happening at the same time. One important faceoff and a zone entry later, Wolf deflects a shot from Alexander The Great and it’s all tied up. 3 minutes later, The Great picks off a pass, dishes it to Wolf, then to Sportsboy57, back to The Great, who unleashes a wrister that finds twine behind Spinelli. Suddenly, Miami is leading 2-1. The first ended without any more goal scoring action.

Fast forward to 4 minutes into the second. Gustislav Nasherov of the Hounds is serving a two minute minor for hooking, and the Marauders are on the power play. Hlozek is rushing the puck up through the neutral zone, but loses control. Sportsboy is there to tap it back to him, so he glides into the zone and unloads a clapper from the blueline. Amazingly, it wedges in between the blocker and chest of Spinelli, and the score is 3-1 Miami. 

The rest of the stretch was a replay of game 2, with Clapbombs and Spinelli both being extremely solid in between the pipes. The third period began and continued with players from both sides being sent to the sin bin, and both power play units having nothing to show for it. That was before Jah Coon took a fateful trip to the box for high-sticking. Lambert won a crucial faceoff, and the puck was cycled around the O zone before Hounds defenceman Joakim Lund saw Lambert loitering in the slot, so he purposefully missed the net. The puck bounced off the boards beside the net and into Lambert’s area. He took a swing at it, and it skidded through Spinelli and into the back of the net to lower the lead to one goal. The Hounds played out the final few minutes in desperation, pulling Spinelli for an extra attacker, but it once again failed as the Marauders came away with a narrow victory. 

 

Game 4

 

Game 4. The Marauders had a chance to finish it off right here, inside their home rink, in only 4 games. When they stepped on the ice, they were greeted by a sea of pink in the stands. I could only imagine what was going through the minds of the poor Mississauga players. The vibe was tense among everyone in the building. This was true playoff hockey!

The Hounds had brought their best game, that was clear from the moment they stepped on the ice. They were up against a wall, and they had no choice but to fight until they couldn’t anymore. They peppered Clapbombs with shot after shot, looking for cracks. Ultimately, after a long minute of moving the puck around the outside of the Marauders’ zone, Gaspar Zakrevsky received a feed from JaredN Jr. and rifled it on the ice through the five hole of Clapbombs to break the ice and give the Hounds the push they needed. Unfortunately for them, the ecstasy didn’t last long. Miami roared back, poking and prodding the Hounds’ defense when Mackey fired a wrister wide of the net, only to be picked up by Coon, who danced behind Spinelli for a moment before stepping out and roofing it to make the game even. 

The time remaining went by quickly, with no real dangerous scoring chances or rushes. In the second, it carried on that way, with Tynan Sylvester of the Hounds and Declan Wolf of Miami coming close but not being able to breach the netminders. Then, it happened. With Salducci in the box for tripping, there was a faceoff in the Hounds’ end because of an icing. The Great knocked it back to the point, where it was fed to a winding-up Trevor Wallace, who fired a slapshot that rang off the right post before dribbling in. A shorthanded goal is the last thing you want to give up while tied in an elimination game, yet the Hounds managed to accomplish just that. It seemed to motivate the Hounds, however, who pounced on the Marauders but could not finish the play. The period ended with a dominant effort from the Hounds, who doubled the Marauders’ shot totals.

In the third, the period felt like it went by in an instant. Both teams were playing with crazy levels of adrenaline and desperation, and they traded scoring chances frequently. It wasn’t until 3 minutes left in the contest when, on the man advantage, Zakrevsky tipped a wayward puck around Clapbombs to tie the game up. What followed was one of the biggest heartbreaks for the Hounds maybe ever. Paralysed with happiness, perhaps too focused on not letting them score instead of scoring themselves, they allowed themselves to fall shorthanded; needless to say Alexander The Great ended their championship hopes with slightly more than a minute left in the final game. The Miami Marauders had won the Founder’s Cup!

 

That brings this edition of Under 250 to a finale. Thank you for reading, and make sure you’re all caught up with all the latest VSN coverage.

 

 

 

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Amazing review, feels good to live this moment again!

[Ledge 1,131]

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