Optimism High in Riga After Hot Start to S79

[Bojovnik 487]

The Riga Reign knew that they would have to start S79 strong after two seasons of missing the VHL playoffs, and the club from the Latvian capital have done just that.

The Reign currently sit in second place in the European Conference after starting the season with a 9-3 record. They have won five straight games, including a miraculous 4-3 win over the high-flying Malmo Nighthawks after trailing 3-0 in the second period.

 

"Things are great in the camp. I think we're finally starting to become the team that we thought we could be last season. The guys on the team know the struggles we've had over the past two seasons, so we're highly motivated to keep this going and ensuring that we don't become complacent, as at the moment, we will be our own worst enemy," defenceman Jan Hlozek said.

 

Offseason acquisition Zamboni Driver has been a true pillar in net since joining the team. Driver currently sits top of the goalie standings with an outstanding save percentage of 0.940, and Hlozek said that the Reign's new goalie is giving his team a chance to win every night.

 

"I know that we have some good defencemen on this team, and that we should be able to keep scoring chances low, but Driver has been so good for us over the start of the season. I don't want to say we had bad goaltending last season because that would be unfair, but with Driver, there's a new confidence that I think is running through the whole team," the Czech blueliner remarked.

 

The Reign are blessed with significant depth on their blueline compared to other teams in the VHL. This could explain why they have conceded just 24 goals through 12 games, 11 goals less than any other team in the league.

 

Hlozek said that he was proud to be part of a defensive unit that appeared to be having so much success.

 

"I remember it was Sir Alex Ferguson who always pushed the line: attacking wins you games but defending wins you championships. That's something that I think we're trying to put into practice. Of course, it's far too early to be talking about us being a contender for the VHL title, but we have to believe that we are a team that is capable of winning it," he said.

 

The Czech blueliner, who hails from the eastern village of Topolna, has often been a slow starter throughout his career in the VHLM and VHL to date, especially when it comes to offensive production.

 

Through 12 games, Hlozek is yet to find the back of the net and he has totaled just seven assists, but he said that he was happy to be blocking shots and throwing the body, rather than getting his name on the scoresheet.

 

"Look, I've been getting shots, I've been contributing as I know how. But for me, I worked super hard this offseason on things that would improve my defensive play first of all. I know that I'm not going to get on PP1 at the moment because we have guys like Linus Zetterstrom and Jolly Greene Giant. Those guys are going to be our big producers, so I have to make sure that I can be out there on PK1 so they can get the rest they need," Hlozek stated.

 

Hlozek already has experience of contributing in important games, as the Czech blueliner was a major feature of the Miami Marauders' S77 Founders' Cup title run, as well as Team Europe's World Junior Championship gold the same season.

 

He said that the Reign's priority for now was making the VHL playoffs, as anything can happen once you get your ticket to the dance.

 

"The European Conference is a warzone. There are so many good teams in our conference who are battling each night. None of the games are easy, and we could just as easily go on a five-game losing streak as we could go on a five-game winning streak. This means that we have to be ready to go every night, and we need to be sure that we are going to bounce back when the eventual rough patches in our form appear," he said.

 

"We just have to get into the playoffs. That's all we can focus on right now. Once you make it there, it's a whole different game, it's a whole different scenario. I think we have all the things in place to be a contender, and that's where we should be. We've had a couple of tough seasons, but now it's our time to make a statement and show the VHL that we are a serious team to be reckoned with," Hlozek added.

 

The Czech blueliner also said that he was committed to giving the fans in Latvia a team they could be proud of, adding that he thought some teams had slighted the Reign in his time in the league.

 

"I think last season, a couple of teams maybe didn't take us seriously. You could see that in the way they played or the way they talked about us in the media. We're using that as the motivation now. We learned our lessons, we took our lumps, but this is our time. This is Riga's time, and we're going to make the city, the country, and the entire Baltic region proud of us," Hlozek stated.

 

The Reign are set to face off against the Prague Phantoms and D.C. Dragons later this evening as they look to keep their winning run going.

 

The Dragons currently sit in second place in the North American Conference having dropped just one game in regulation, although the team from the US capital have remarkably lost six games in overtime or a shootout this season to date.

 

"I don't think we need to change our tactic to face any team. If we're responsible in our own zone, and let Driver see the shots he's facing, then I think we have enough to beat any team in the league," Hlozek concluded.

  

[ClapbombsRus 42]

@Bojovnik The article you wrote was very engaging, I really enjoyed the reporter style of your writing and I didn’t find any errors in your grammar, this piece was well written and really demonstrated the view of the league. It sure seems you did your research before writing this piece. I’m going to give you a 9/10!  I think if you had some other players perspectives as well it would be a 10!

[CowboyinAmerica 2,910]

Review: 9/10

 

Thought this one was good, a good breakdown of the team's early season hot streak so far. It's got the standard beat reporter's formula which made it an easy read - short analysis - quote - short analysis - quote. The quotes themselves actually had something to say and spoke to the team's play thus far as well, with pulls like the Ferguson quote that made them more fun. The bolding of the quotes worked by me to set them apart, but I wouldn't have minded a picture and a headline or something else to spruce up the presentation as well. My only other small nitpick was that it dragged a bit towards the end to hit a word count, in a newspaper I could see an editor shortening this one to 400-500 words. But all in all a great piece, and excited to see where Riga goes from here!

[Kisslinger 376]

 9/10

This is a super well detailed piece that must have taken you some time to write, I really like the interview style, I use it myself for my media spots lol, the article shows that you keep up with what is going on around the vhl season and that's awesome! grammar and spelling are well done and this article is very easy to read! for improvements maybe add a picture or some colour, in this article i can understand maybe why you did not do it but a picuture would have been nice!

[Bojovnik 487]

Week two claiming