Kisslinger II season and playoff recap.

[Kisslinger 372]

Before First Game

 Kisslinger had tons to think about before he made his debut for Warsaw. He had options and those options were, 1. Stay in Stockholm and help them compete for a title or go up and make his debut. Kisslinger did not know what to do and really did not have anyone to turn to for advice. Kisslinger was thinking about the benefits of staying down an extra year like maybe becoming captain and leading the lead in points this time around, he could have polished up his game and made a real impact next season for Warsaw. But… Kisslinger knew deep down he was ready for the league, that he was ready for the VHL. Kisslinger knew he was going to be overlooked and doubted but that is what drove him to be better. Kisslinger trusted that season and was called up to the Warsaw Predators. Kisslinger knew he had to really grind for that roster spot, but he did it anyways. Kisslinger was put on line two and given a little bit of powerplay time. Little did we know, before he even played that this player could be the ROTY.

 

Mid Season

 It was very apparent that Kisslinger made the right move by going up to Warsaw. Kisslinger was leading the way in rookies at this point and was over 10 points higher than the rest. Kisslinger was dynamite on that second line for Warsaw, scoring and passing the puck efficiently pretty much every game. Kisslinger II was feeling confident around this point, and he was confident in Warsaw too. He felt like Warsaw was an underdog team with really good players that he felt were underrated, just like him. Warsaw was one of those teams that if you took lightly, they would score 5 on you in a game. Kisslinger II was thriving in this environment, he thought that this was going to be the perfect season, but the worst was yet to come.

 

Playing through an Injury.

 Around 55 games into the season, Kisslinger stopped producing. He stopped scoring, passing the puck, and even throwing hits. Something was wrong. Reporters knew nothing, same with coaches and even close friends, one of his friends said, “even when we were kids, it was impossible to know if he was hurt, he would always push himself to the limits, he did not care until the job was done.” The coaches and GM suggested to Kisslinger that he goes and visits the team doctor, which after 2 weeks, he did. It turned out that Kisslinger was playing with a broken wrist and 2 broken fingers. The doctor did not understand how he was playing through all that pain. Kisslinger was lucky as these breaks were not bad and did not require surgery. Kisslinger was told to take it easy, but he still wanted to play and try to contribute. Kisslinger still played and he just took it easy until the bone healed. Kisslinger II was expected to make it the playoffs and be 100%.

 

End of season.

 Kisslinger finished with 92 points in his rookie season. Which is pretty insane when you think about that injury. Kisslinger tied for second place in the ROTY race. Kisslinger knew that if he wanted to win ROTY, he would have to perform super well in the playoffs. Kisslinger had 40 goals, and 52 assists on the season really impressing everyone on Warsaw.  Kisslinger was healed and ready to go for his first playoff appearance. He was ready to take on Davos in the play in and hopefully move on.

Play in vs Davos

Game 1: Kisslinger and the Predators came out and really showed what we needed to see from them in game 1. The Predators took down Davos 7-3. Kisslinger managed to walk away with the seventh goal of the game and finished with 1 goal and 0 assists. Kisslinger was really pumped to score in his first playoff game and to show that the old him was back.

 

Game 2: Kisslinger and the Predators came out even stronger in this game, winning 4-0 to boost Warsaw’s lead to 2-0 in the series. Kisslinger again managed to score the last goal of the game, making his total point total to 2 goals in 2 games. Kisslinger and the Predators were feeling very confident and were ready for game 3!

 

Game 3: Davos came out swinging in the elimination game managing to beat the Predators 3-1. Kisslinger was virtually invisible out there this game. He had a couple early shots, but other than that was held pointless, and he currently had 2 goals, 0 assists in 3 games.

 

Game 4: Kisslinger and Warsaw came out with the shovel and buried the series against Davos with a 5-4 OT2 thriller which left the fans speechless.  Kisslinger walked away with his first assist of the playoffs. Kisslinger finished this series 3 points in 4 games with Captain Chris Reynolds scored the goal that moved the predators on, and they were set to face Malmo.

 

Round 1 vs Malmo

 Kisslinger and the Predators were ready and looking forward to potentially upsetting Malmo, which would change the whole dynamic of the playoffs.

 

Game 1: Malmo would open the series with a 5-4 win over the Predators. Kisslinger was second star of the game, netting 1 goal and 2 assists for 3 points on this series. Kisslinger and the Predators were disappointed that they could not walk away with this win.

 

Game 2: Malmo would beat Warsaw again 5-4 but this time in OT. Kisslinger would walk away from this game with 1 goal and one assist for five points this series. Kisslinger and the Predators were discouraged after two back-to-back close losses. They returned to practice and got ready for game 3.

 

Game 3: Malmo has been blessed by the hockey gods, beating Warsaw 5-4 for the third straight game. Kisslinger would have 3 assists in this game bringing his point total to 8 in this series. Kisslinger and the Predators knew they needed a miracle to come back and win this series.

 

Game 4: Malmo would have a dominating performance this time winning 6-3 and completing the sweep on the Predators. Kisslinger put up 1 goal and 2 assists this game for a total of 11 in 4 games this series. Kisslinger and the Predators were disappointed but knew that they would be back next year.

 

Overall Kisslinger would have 14 points in 8 games played.

1082 words.

Edited January 8, 2022 by Kisslinger

[Kisslinger 372]

claiming 1/9 and 1/16

[CowboyinAmerica 2,889]

Review: 10/10

 

Congrats on the excellent first season! I liked the way you not only recapped the season, but put in some of your own thoughts behind the scenes about what you were thinking at any given moment. It really made the article come to life and an easier read than just recapping the season and playoffs. I appreciated the presentation flairs you put throughout as well, whether it's italicizing a quote or bolded/underlining the points in the playoffs. I'm not always a fan of that stuff, but the way you did it here really helped drive home the points that you wanted to emphasize. Grammar and flow of the piece worked by me, just a small nitpicking thing or two. All in all solid!

[DrunkMonkey23 51]

10/10 damn where to start? All of this is insane, a hell of a job. I love the extra information not only the stats and team play. Good job for your first season and better luck next playoffs.

 

[Kisslinger 372]

Thank you!!