TOR G Steals the Show, 3 Points From Seattle

[Doomsday 4,043]

TOR G Steals the Show, 3 Points From Seattle

 

TORONTO - The Keaton Louth Rule, established to ensure that back-up goaltenders start in at least eight games, is handled differently throughout the VHL. Some teams carry a second goaltender, whether it’s an established back-up or a young goaltender working their way towards being the starter, and for others, it’s a bot goalie. For the Toronto Legion, outside of Oskar Lindbergh, there is only Boris Tsezar, who is currently playing with the Mexico City Kings and unavailable at the VHL level. So, for the stretch run, it would be up to TOR G to reach the necessary eight starts to prevent league repercussions, and with a three game series against the vaunted Seattle Bears, no less.

 

Knowing they needed each point they could get to secure their playoff positioning, Toronto got right to work, taking an early two-goal lead into the first intermission. However, the Bears roared to life with an outburst of three goals in the second period and tied the game in the final minute of the period. Despite Jaromir Lemiuex’s tie-breaking power play goal early in the third, Seattle again tied the game late on a Nixon Caldwell game with less than six minutes to go in regulation. The Bears then proceeded to dominate the ensuing overtime, and while Gunnar Odinsson beat TOR G to win the game, he had stopped 38 of 43 shots and given the Legion a valuable point in their playoff race.

 

 

In the second game of the series, however, TOR G turned in an absolute gem of a performance. Both teams started hot offensively, with Armani Calamari highlighting it with a clutch goal on the power play with less than a minute in the first period to tie the game at two. Despite taking 17 shots in the first period, the Legion would fail to muster that throughout the final two periods, leaning heavily on TOR G to get the job done. Despite Toronto being outshot 26 to 10 in the second frame, as TOR G kept the game tied going into the final period. Again the Bears heavily outshot the Legion, 27 to 5, but one of Toronto’s few shots was the game-winner, with Otto Numminen beating Em Em Flex with just over five minutes to play. TOR G stopped 64 of 66 shots for an incredible .970 save percentage, earning him the first star of the game and a huge two points.

 

The final game of the series could not have started any better for Toronto, as the Legion went up 3-0 in the first five minutes of the game, with TOR G getting in on the fun with an assist on Lenny Sanderson’s power play goal that put the Legion up 3-0. However, the rest of the period was all Seattle, as Venus Thightrap tied the game late in the period to take a 3-3 tie into the locker room. Although Armani Calamari gave Toronto a 4-3 lead late in the second, Seattle quickly responded with two goals within two minutes in the third period to give them a 5-4 win, wrapping up the series.

 

 

With TOR G’s work finished, now the Toronto Legion can focus on finishing the season strong and capping off a remarkable comeback from finishing last in the league a season ago to returning to the playoffs in Season 81. If they manage to pull it off, unlikely successes such as this stretch by TOR G will have paved the way for this young team fighting to establish themselves as legitimate contenders.

 

Jethro Novacek is an award-winning writer for the MSFL Times, the merriest provider of simulation sports news. He enjoys Reese’s Peanut Butter Trees, truckloads of free TPE, and watching Steve Harvey mentally unravel on Family Feud.

[Shindigs 1,771]

First we have Board Games playing hockey, now we have All-Star bots? Madness!

 

3 hours ago, Doomsday said:

on a Nixon Caldwell game with less than six minutes to go in regulation

Assuming this was meant to be goal, not game?

 

Other than that a great read as usual. I was tempted to make a TOR G GFX to commemorate this moment, but I don't have time.