The Rivalry of Friends is About to Begin!

[Aimee 1,119]

 

It was a near miss meeting of goalies despite joining the VHL just over a month apart. One made the S84 draft while the other joined on waivers until drafted the following season. Now both have made their way through the minors, each only spending a single season in the M and the E. They are two of the fastest first-gens in recent history to 200 TPE. These two goalies will finally have a chance to see how they match up in the big leagues. Jesse Teno of the London United vs Lachlan Summers of HC Davos Dynamo. Let’s see how these two friends got to where they are now.

 

Jesse Teno joined the league one week prior to the S84 draft and, having come into a draft with few goalies and a minor league that was desperate for them, Teno was in the best position possible to get a starting spot right out of the gate. They were heavily desired by the Las Vegas Aces but got scooped up by the Saskatoon Wild for 30th overall. As a rookie with no backup, Teno had the team on their back and finished with a miserable  22-47-2 record, 0.904 save percentage, and 3.2 goals against average with 5 shutouts.

 

Lachlan Summers joined shortly after Teno, just missing the draft by a few weeks and was picked up off of waivers by the San Diego Marlins who already had their starter in Alexander Minion. As a backup, Summers only saw 8 games of ice time and struggled with a 2-5-0 record, 0.884 save percentage, and 3.46 goals against average. With his first full season in S85, Summers had a  34-30-8 record, 0.916 save percentage, 2.57 goals against average and 4 shutouts. It seemed that in the M, Lachlan would win the full year comparison between the two.

 

Not surprisingly, with only a handful of games between Saskatoon and San Diego and with Lachlan Summers working as backup, the two only met on the ice in a single game. It was a 2-1 win for Saskatoon with shots faced almost even at 23-26 in favor of the Wild. Each kept a clear first period but also allowed in a single goal in the second. It was Astro Singh who scored the winning goal on Summers in the third period. Both goalies put up impressive numbers with Summers earning a 0.923 save percentage and Teno earning 0.957. Both Teno and Summers also managed to be perfect while facing penalty kills.  

 

The two friends did not meet in the VHLE as Lachlan spent S85 in the M while Teno moved up to play with the Cologne Express. Teno started as backup and later took on the starting role, finishing the season with a 29-12-5 record, 0.930 save percentage, 2.08 goals against average, and 4 shutouts. Summers’ VHLE season with the Stockholm Vikings during the most recent S86 saw him finish with 27-28-9 record, 0.922 save percentage, 2.74 goals against average, and 3 shutouts. Teno would take the win for the E record between the two.

 

Upcoming, however, will be a new story. One that sees Lachlan Summers taking that well deserved shift up to the VHL to play with HC Davos Dynamo. With one season under their belt, Jesse Teno finished a backup year with London with a 7-3-1 record, 0.923 save percentage, 2.43 goals against average, and 1 shutout. Now it’s Lachlan’s turn to take his first season in the VHL and stamp his stats into the record.

 

When S87 starts, Jesse Teno will be the starter for the London United and Lachlan Summers will be the backup to veteran Xavier Booberry on the Davos Dynamo. Who knows how many times these two friends will meet on the ice but something tells us that it will be a showdown each and every time. We only hope that no matter the record between them, they won’t let it get in the way of their friendship.

 

“I’m really looking forward to finally playing against my friend again. It’s been too long and I miss seeing him on the ice. I know he’s been working hard in the M and the E and I’ve been keeping an eye on his game. Definitely worries me that he might actually be a threat. But that won’t get between us in the end. Friends are friends and this is just a job and sport we both love. I hope we can both do amazing but of course I’m going to be happy to kick his ass.” - Jesse Teno

 

“Now that I’m finally moving up the VHL, I’m definitely looking forward to a lot of things and being able to face off against Jesse is one of them. We’ve been friends for a while now and to be able to play against them is an exciting feeling since we’ve never had this opportunity before in our careers. There’s definitely going to be some type of friendly rivalry between the two of us for years to come once I become the full-time starter in Davos like they have for London already! I can promise you anything that happens on the ice will stay on it, though. I don’t hold grudges and Jesse doesn’t either, I reckon. But these past few years have been amazing for young goaltenders and VHL fans should mark their calendars for future matchups between the United and Dynamo. They’re going to be good ones.” - Lachlan Summers
 

 

 

772 words for week ending 1/8/23

word count does not include quote from @kirbithan

[kirbithan 1,699]

[Triller 1,654]

Once I move up to London for S88 I will be happy to have Jesse Teno filling the crease!

[nurx 914]

no bias but Teno is better