Claimed:Ottawa Defeats Saskatoon, will Face Storm

[Fire Tortorella 2,653]

OTTAWA DEFEATS SASKATOON, WILL FACE STORM

 

 

OTTAWA, ON – The waiting period for fans has finally paid off.

 

          After a Founder’s Cup victory in Season 35, things went downhill for the Ottawa Lynx. While not a surprise, the grace period given by the fans to championship teams eventually wears off. Four seasons later, and people began to get that itch again for a championship. By securing a first-round bye on the last day of the regular season, the Lynx greatly improved their chances to secure their third Founder’s Cup victory in the team’s history. At the beginning of the playoffs, Ottawa General Manager Jim Gow was quoted:

 

          “All three playoff teams are strong teams. The first round series between the Wild and the Blades is going to be a real battle. Getting that first round bye this season will be a huge advantage for us, as unlike in most seasons, there aren’t any cakewalk series on either side of the bracket. In terms of overall talent, this is one of the best seasons in VHLM history.”

 

          After securing a 2-0 series lead, the Saskatoon Wild dropped their next three games against the Blades. However, the team was able to persevere against the scrappy Brampton team, and would go on to win the series in game seven. While their victory was sweet, one would have to wonder how this would affect their upcoming performance in their series against the Lynx.

 

          “Being forced to go to game seven is going to be rough on them,” added an anonymous VHLM scout. “Both teams have a ton of depth and some high end talent, but on even ground, I’d give a slight edge to the Lynx. Add in the fatigue concern, and I’d have to put my money on Ottawa.”

 

          The series began with a 4-1 shellacking of the Wild. Andrew Erikson scored just two minutes into the game to give the Lynx a 1-0 lead, while Kurtis Hunter tied it up sixteen minutes into the second. However, Ottawa took control of the game in the third, with a goal by potential first overall pick Thomas O’Malley just forty-nine seconds into the period, while Aksel Thomassen scored on the power play to give Ottawa a two goal cushion. Leo Tesla sealed the deal with another goal with six minutes left in the game.

 

 

          Things slowly began to fall apart for the Lynx after game one. While the Wild were outshot in all but one game of the series, they were able to put pucks past the Ottawa goaltender at a high rate. Defeats of 2-1, 3-0, and 3-2 soon saw the Lynx down 3-1 in the series. It was at this point that adjustments needed to be made. Jim added:

 

          “We went into the playoffs thinking that we’ll continue to play the way we played all season. An extreme focus on offensive firepower worked out well during the regular season, but as everyone knows, the playoffs are a different animal. We decided to try and help out Douffet a little more and reduce the number of chances against. With our talent on offense, if the game came down to a few chances by each team, we were confident we could convert on more of them than the Wild.”

Whatever the team changed, it worked. After 4-3 and 5-3 victories, it all game down to a game seven.

 

          The first period was utter domination by the Lynx. The team was able to put up fourteen shots of their own while holding the Wild to just one. Reserve forward Aelred Leskowsky put the team up 1-0 fifteen minutes into the period off of a rebound shot by Andrew Erikson. The second period was more of the same, as the Wild were once again out shot by a margin of seventeen to two. James Faraday and Aksel Thomassen were able to grow the lead to 3-0, but a goal by Kurtis Hunter put the Wild back into striking distance with only a minute and a half left in the second period. In the third, the Wild mounted a furious comeback attempt, knowing that their season was on the line. Eight times they tested Douffet, but eight times they were rejected. At the final horn, the Oslo Storm finally knew who they were up against in the Season 39 Founder’s Cup.

 

 vs.

[Will 4,660]

A storm is a' brewing

[Da Trifecta 1,896]

There is a storm brewing and it is ready to SWEEP through Ottawa.

[Guest Svoboda_3]

Content: 3/3

723 words. I hate you and your face . Great Media Spot with good flow and excellent structure. Good luck in the finals.

Grammar: 2/2

game down = came down

Appearance: 1/1

Lots of color.

Overall: 6/6

[Frank 5,189]

Claimed