JST Round Robin Review: Summers

[kirbithan 1,767]

A moment of peace and quiet for Lachlan before a game

 

The Round Robin of the Junior Showcase Tournament is coming to a close, and goaltender Lachlan Summers now has 15 starts under his belt after splitting games with teammate Joel Castle. As it stands on August 20th, the Australian netminder’s average save percentage is 0.915 with a GAA of 4.09 and a record of 3-9-3.

 

Although Lachlan has struggled as of late, I still believe he has what it takes to be an elite starter as he continues to grow. To add to that, his attributes were not up to date this past Monday and not as strong as they should’ve been. I imagine the playoffs will be a better showcase of the Aussie’s skills in net. The following is a review of the games he’s started so far.

 

Game 6 - Delhi Pickles (6) vs. Team Clue (3)

W, 1-0-0

Game 6 against the Clue was Lachlan’s first start for the Delhi Pickles. He had a solid performance in net during his Pickles and JST debut, saving 34 of 37 shots (0.919). I was hoping for this showcase of Lachlan’s skills to mean positive outcomes for future games. However, that just wasn’t the case going forward, some of which were out of his control. 

 

Game 12 - Delhi Pickles (3) vs. Team Clue (5)

L, 1-1-0

Lachlan’s second start for the Pickles was absolutely disastrous. The Australian had allowed 4 goals on 10 shots, resulting in him being relieved by fellow netminder Joel Castle at the 10:44 mark. Poor Lachlan ended his short shift in this game with an abysmal save percentage of 0.600. This game was the only time Lachlan was pulled during this tournament as of now. Although there was a valiant effort from the Pickles to come back from a devastating 4-0 Clue lead, it was too much for them.

 

Game 18 - Delhi Pickles (3) vs. Team Clue (4) 

L, 1-2-0

This game was. . . intriguing, to say the least. Lachlan saved 45 of 49 shots (0.918) in an extremely tight matchup between the Pickles and Clue. It seemed that he was attempting to rile up his team or was just plain frustrated, but he took a penalty for slashing at 10:19 into the first period. To make matters even more interesting, it was a double minor. That leads myself and others to wonder how egregious the slashing incident was to incite a 4 minute PP for the Clue. Clearly, the Aussie was channeling his inner Ron Hextall.

 

Game 22 - Delhi Pickles (3) vs. Royals (4)

L, 1-3-0

Lachlan put up another solid performance that unfortunately ended in a loss, saving 44 of 48 shots (0.917). It was a back and forth game between the two teams in regards to goalscoring, but eventually, the Royals were able to beat the Pickles with two goals in the third to end it. Another frustrating close defeat for the Delhi Pickles.

 

Game 29 - Brigade (4) vs. Delhi Pickles (2)

L, 1-4-0

This game against the Brigade is one of few that showcased the Pickles’ defensive troubles, as Lachlan saved 50 of 54 shots (0.926). Again, Lachlan has shown sparks between the pipes and he clearly has what it takes to become an elite goaltender moving forward, but the team in front of him is struggling to keep the puck out of their end and not scoring enough to make up for it.  

 

Game 37 - Royals (4) vs. Delhi Pickles (6)

W, 2-4-0

A weaker game for Lachlan against the Royals here, but a win's a win nonetheless. He saved 40 of 44 shots (0.909) for his long awaited second win in net for the Delhi Pickles after a sorrowful four-game losing streak with the Australian guarding the goal. The Pickles were aggressive throughout the entire contest, finishing the Royals off with three goals in the third to their two.

 

Game 42 - Delhi Pickles (1) vs. Team Clue (3)

L, 2-5-0

As of August 20, this is Lachlan’s statistically best game as he saved 56 of 59 shots (0.949). However, it was an embarrassing loss as both Team Clue and the Pickles scored all of their goals in the first period. The other two periods were scoreless and again, it’s clear there’s also offensive struggles among the Pickles’ forwards, resulting in the Aussie Wonder standing on his head in an effort to aid his team. For his hard work, he was awarded first star of the game for the first time, although that means nothing to him if there wasn’t a win to show for it.

 

Game 48 - Royals (2) vs. Delhi Pickles (3)

W, 3-5-0

A solid performance from the Aussie netminder against the Royals once more, saving 30 of 31 shots (0.938). He added a third win to his résumé finally, as the Pickles were able to stave off the Royals’ offense in time for the clock to run down to 0:00. All around good game for the entire Pickles team, and something they strive to recreate in the days following.

 

Game 51 - Delhi Pickles (3) - Steel (6)

L, 3-6-0

The first of two games in a row where Lachlan’s save percentage unfortunately dipped under .900. He saved 47 of 53 shots (0.887) in a difficult loss to the Steel. It was a close 3-4 game until the Steel buried 2 goals past Lachlan in the third to firmly close this game out.

 

Game 52 - Delhi Pickles (4) vs. Warriors (5)

L, 3-7-0

This performance from Lachlan was also lackluster, as stated in the Game 51 summary above. The Australian saved 38 of 43 shots (0.884) and was blown away when the Warriors scored three uninterrupted goals in the second period. Clearly not the highlight of Lachlan’s young career so far. He may have broken a stick or two after the matchup’s conclusion.

 

Game 55 - Team Clue (3) vs. Delhi Pickles (2)

L, 3-8-0

A bounceback game statistically for Mr. Summers in a tough loss against Team Clue once more, saving 42 of 45 shots (0.933). Unfortunately, the Pickles’ slow start in the first period resulted in a 2-0 deficit that they came short of coming back from. However, there is significant improvement in how the Pickles have been playing in front of Lachlan, they need to find their offensive presence and run with it. 

 

Game 58 - Delhi Pickles (3) vs. Royals (4)

OTL, 3-8-1

The first of two devastating overtime losses that Lachlan would definitely want back, if he had a choice in the matter. He saved 46 of 50 shots (0.920). The Royals and Pickles were neck-and-neck throughout the entire contest, scoring one goal per team during every period which led to OT. This occasion marked the first overtime loss for Lachlan after the Royals put in a goal 44 seconds in.

 

Game 62 - Team Clue (4) vs. Delhi Pickles (3)

OTL, 3-8-2

Poor Lachlan felt like he was experiencing deja vu during this matchup against Team Clue. The score was identical to the previous game and Lachlan put up nearly identical numbers: saving 45 of 49 shots (0.918). The Pickles looked strong after jumping to a 2-1 lead by the end of the first but were outplayed by Team Clue in the following periods. It was also a very penalty-heavy game for both teams. Thus came overtime once more, and Team Clue put it away a mere 22 seconds into OT. Talk about tough luck for the Australian and his fellow Delhi Pickles when it came to overtime contests. 

 

Game 73 - Delhi Pickles (2) vs. Warriors (3)

OTL, 3-8-3

Yes, you’ve read that right. A third consecutive overtime loss when Lachlan is between the pipes for the Delhi Pickles. This was an extremely scrappy and penalty-heavy game with a game misconduct against the Warriors. The Australian put up a stellar performance, saving 55 of 58 shots (0.948) and earned first star of the game. However, this wasn’t enough to put his team ahead in overtime, as the Warriors buried the puck in the back of the net 2 minutes in. Another frustrating night for our Aussie Wonder.

 

Game 78 - Team Clue (5) vs. Delhi Pickles (3)

L, 3-9-3

Ever since Lachlan’s hot start against Team Clue during his first game, it seems like they’re his kryptonite now. The Pickles had sprung out into a 3-2 lead at the end of the second period, but three goals in the third for the Clue solidified another sour day for the netminder, posting 44 saves from 49 shots (0.898). 

 

Word count w/o game headings: 1283

Claim for (8/28),(9/4)

 

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Claim for (9/4)