Going Out on a Whimper

[aimkin 944]

And with that last buzzer and a terrible shutout loss against the Ottawa Lynx, the regular season is over for Jesse Teno and the Saskatoon Wild. A long and hard season sees them clawing their way into the VHLM playoffs as they take 8th in the regular season standings. Mathematically, by the last few games, it was impossible for San Diego or Miami to jump the Wild in points. Now they face the literally impossible task of going up against the number one seed in the VHLM; the Las Vegas Aces. One would have to imagine it will be a sweep of a series. Honestly it’s not even fair how lopsided this battle will be. A full roster team going up one that barely has any on-ice presence. It’s going to get ugly.

 

But enough of the Wild and their inevitable downfall, let’s see how Saskatoon’s go-to goalie fared this season.

Jesse Teno has finished their first and only season in the VHLM with a 22-47-2 record including 5 shutouts, and 4 shoot-out wins. They also lead the league with a perfect shootout record, having not let in a single shootout goal from 13 shots. And on top of that, they finish the season with a respectable .904 save percentage.

While Jesse does lead the league in shots against (2,386) and losses (47), it can’t all be blamed on them. Between Saskatoon severely lacking in any real shooting power, being the only goalie for the team up until the third to last day of games, and having a league leading 4,280 minutes of ice time among goalies, it’s easy for all of those aspects to have worked against them.

So, after a career starting season like this, where does Jesse go from here? At this point in time, it could be anywhere. The VHLE is a whole new step and location for Jesse. Despite their win / loss ratio, Jesse is an incredibly active goalie with a long career ahead of them. They are talented, bright, and hard working with no signs of stopping. Numbers don’t always tell the full story. Sometimes the facts surrounding circumstances can have a major impact.

Is Jesse the number one goalie in the VHLM? No.

Is Jesse in the top 5 of VHLM goalies? Probably not.

What Jesse does have is hard work and dedication to hockey and the VHL that will carry them further than most and we cannot wait to see what is next in store for this goalie.
Jesse posted the below to their social media after the final game:

I want to thank Saskatoon and the people here for standing behind me during my first season. I know we’re not where we want to be but I promise I tried to get us there. This whole season has been a time of real growth and learning. I left home for the first time, played on my first non-school based team, and I have doubled down on my love for the sport of hockey. I hope to make Saskatoon proud in the playoffs but I think we all know the odds we are facing. All I can promise the fans is that I’m going to give it my all.

 

539 words for week ending 8/7/22

 

[Pictured below, a sad goalie.]

                                                     

[diacope 1,629]

Oh definitely a top 5 goaltender in my eyes

Edited August 3, 2022 by Frozen Block

[aimkin 944]

5 minutes ago, Frozen Block said:

Oh definitely a top 5 goaltender in my eyes

 

Thank you! 

[jacobcarson877 2,191]

Statistically rough season, but the fact that you've pushed through it, and in fact seem to have more passion for the VHL on the other side is impressive. I've been a goaltender on some pretty great teams but also some pretty garbage teams. It takes a tremendous amount of will to push through those bad seasons, especially in net, but once you end up on a good team, you'll see how much potential was underneath those pads the whole time! Keep up the great work!

[Shindigs 1,771]

At least Vegas are coming into the series on the our first 3 game losing streak of the season. But yeah, I'm not a huge fan of the 1st vs. 8th seed thing in the VHLM. But I think limitations of the engine means we can't really do much for alternatives with play-ins, since we have an equal number of teams making the playoffs.

 

Still though, stats aside your growth this season has been amazing, and you should have a very bright future in the league. Being above .900 in your first season as when joining the week of the draft, pretty much. Is no small feat. But just down to the season SSK had, all the other stats were kinda doomed without anything you could do about it. Actually getting 5 SO is kinda insane, considering the shot totals you normally faced.

[TopTiddee2 186]

I’ve been watching you closely throughout the season, and I agree with Shindigs. The fact that you came in not too long ago and have solid stats is quite impressive. I guess we’ll have to see how you do against us in the first round.

[nurx 914]

Hey I don't know if you know, but I am currently hosting a VHLM Writing Competition. Your article qualifies and I want to know if you'd like to enter it into the competition.

[aimkin 944]

9 minutes ago, nurx said:

Hey I don't know if you know, but I am currently hosting a VHLM Writing Competition. Your article qualifies and I want to know if you'd like to enter it into the competition.

Sure thing! How do I do that? 

[nurx 914]

6 minutes ago, aimkin said:

Sure thing! How do I do that? 

I will get you in! I am entering you now.

[nurx 914]

Writing Competition Voting!

 

https://forms.gle/1p6Ejdz6axw9HssT7

Edited August 5, 2022 by nurx

[AJW 1,953]

Had a great VHLM season on a not so great team. Big things coming for you in the VHLE and VHL

Edited August 5, 2022 by ajwllmsn

[der meister 3,003]

Full disclosure - I've never heard of you or your player before. But having read this, I'm not invested in the future of Jesse Teno, not only in terms of performance, but where you might find a place to play. The VHL seems to be rather set on starting goalies at the moment, though maybe with enough hard work, you can find a sweet spot and get yourself some crease time. Grammatically, it was an easy, enjoyable read, and I wish you all the best moving forward. 10/10