My E-xperience

[Triller 1,385]

Expectations Moving to the E

     Heading into Geneva to play for the Rush, Leonard Triller is looking to vastly improve from his second season in the VHLM.  Geneva has had an abysmal S86 so Leonard hopes to bring some excitement into the locker room and get Geneva out of the league basement in S87.  Getting to know his teammates and creating a fresh atmosphere in the LR is something he is looking forward to.  The E may be a short stop for some but it is more than that for Triller.  He could help set the tone for the team's future and hopefully create a winning vibe that lingers for the seasons after.

 

     Triller is looking to improve on his playmaking and defensive play.  He showed off his passing in the M and wants to bring that flair to the E and help his teammates light the lamp to get ready for the VHL.  He wants to be more physical on the puck and that means upping his game defensively.  While hopefully being paired against the best lines in the E, he needs to stop shots just as much as he would take them.  Supporting his blue line while also knocking the opposition off the puck is where his efforts will be focused.  Beyond that, he is excited to play against a higher caliber player and prepare himself for S88, his VHL debut.  Point wise, Triller is looking to be at a point per game.  He was just below that in the M so he is looking for some more consistency and stability in his line assignment to get a better idea of what he can do.

 

     Beyond the ice, Leonard is looking to explore Geneva and learn about this part of the world.  Travelling has never been this prairie boys forte but, as they say, when in Geneva…Not knowing French might be an issue so hopefully a teammate that is a bit more travelled can help Leonard navigate the city and see the sights as well as maybe learn some French.

(claimed)

 

The First Half

     As the off-season began, Leonard entered the Geneva locker room with excitement!  He was greeted by former teammate Kronchy Kardashian with whom he had won a Founders Cup with in San Diego.  He had watched the draft and was very happy to see his former teammate be selected to join him on the Rush.  The familiar face made the transition to the E much easier and helped bring some life to the locker room.  With this up, unfortunately came some down.  The third overall pick for Geneva had decided to move up to the VHL and left a significant hole in the lineup that looked to cripple the GMs plan for the season.  There was a declaration that players who would not be returning to the E for a second season would be up on the trade block to attain the assets required to secure a future for Geneva.  With the uncertainty of where Leonard would be playing at the start of the season and the lineup looking thin, the off-season concluded without any trades being made and S87 looking a bit grim.  Leonard would make his E debut with the Geneva Rush as planned and that grim outlook changed quickly.

 

     Geneva was winning and playing hard against the top teams, even stealing a fair bit of wins. At one point they were in a three way tie for first.  Leonard was playing the best games of his career and kept himself well above a point per game while playing consistently on the top line for the first time.  The locker room had a bit of life with Geneva prospects popping in and out to chat but was mostly held up by Kardashian and Triller.  Around 20 games into the season the GM brought in some IAs to help fill the roster.  Things kept up for a few games but then Leonard hit a 5 game point drought knocking him down to just less than a PPG.  At 30 games in, Geneva was in a tight battle for 3rd against Stockholm and Vasteras and with the trade deadline on the horizon the GM was letting the rest of the E know that Triller and possibly Kardashian was available for the right price.  With that said, they kept making it hard for MexicanCow to figure out a plan moving forward as the mid season mark hit.  Triller lit it up with a 4 goal, 1 assist game to pull him back over a point per game and Geneva seemed to be back again with more wins.  Third was still in reach as Geneva nipped at the heels of Stockholm.  With the right moves, Geneva could be contenders this season or they could possibly set themselves up for the future by selling off some assets.  The second half of the season is shaping up to be pretty crazy!

 

The Second Half

     No trades incoming.  The GM had shopped Leonard around but the rest of the E was set and so now was Geneva.  Geneva should be entering the playoffs if the rest of the season plays out like the first half of the season did.  As the team moves closer to the trade deadline, they are only 4 points back from Stockholm for third in the standings.  Leonard continues at over a point per game and sits at tenth in the league for shots and third in the league for hits which is an area Triller was looking to improve on.  With this added physicality, he also sits at tenth in the league in penalty minutes.  He continues to play up to the line but tends to cross it a bit too often so discipline will need to be something he focuses on going forward.  The locker room has been quiet which hopefully changes as we move closer to the playoffs.  The expectations are low but Geneva has surprised the top teams a few times and could easily make it to the second round.  With 28 games left and no teams making changes, Geneva should continue on their current pace.

 

     Geneva keeps pushing forward and are now tied with Stockholm in points but are officially in 3rd overall due to having more wins than the Vikings.  Kronchy Kardashian is really making a name for themselves and Triller continues to be at over a point per game with 66 points in 53 games putting him tenth in the league in points and sixth overall in goals.  Triller has had to transition into more of a goal scorer due to the team makeup.  He is shooting more and those shots continue to find the back of the net.  Still in third with hits, he is making his presence known and teams are taking note.  The threat of being hit is causing teams to turnover the puck and Geneva has benefitted.  The locker room remains slow but with so many IA it isn't a surprise.  We do what we can to keep morale up and nothing is more helpful than winning.

 

     With 7 games left in the regular season, Geneva is on a tear winning 8 in a row with two of those wins coming against Oslo.  This puts Geneva officially into second place overall. Tied with Oslo in points and wins but ahead when the OT wins are counted.  The Vikings continue to keep pace and are only a point back from joining these teams in second.  It is going to be very close but Geneva has two games in hand over Oslo and one over Stockholm.  These last 7 games are all winnable with only one game remaining against Stockholm so if Geneva keeps up this win streak, second place will be a lock.  First place Cologne is already out of reach unless they lose every remaining game.  The excitement for playoffs continues to build but the locker room remains quite quiet and only perks up after games.  It is unfortunate the active team makeup is essentially only three players including Triller.  He remains very excited about a playoff run and is very happy to be on a competitive team for his season in the E.

 

Regular Season Summary

     The end of the regular season has arrived and Geneva ends in 4th with 98 points.  Reaching the 100 point mark would have been great but with 2 losses in the last 3 games, it was not to be.  It has been an excellent season for the Rush and one that not even the teams GM could have expected.  Being hired right after the draft to manage an unknown team certainly did not make anything easier.  They head into the playoffs where their round one opponent is the Vasteras Iron Eagles in the wild card round.  Geneva ends the season 17 pts ahead of Vasteras, with a 10-1 record against the Iron Eagles.  With a best of 3 format anything can happen but Geneva should have no problem moving to round two where the real challenge begins against the first place Cologne Express. Triller has had a career season with 41 goals, 48 assists for a total of 89 points exceeding his PPG goal.  This puts him 6th overall in goals and 8th overall in points, 6th among the league's forwards.  He was a heavy shooter all season and caps off at 486 shots for 5th overall.  Leonard met his goal of wanting to play more physically as well, ending the season in 2nd overall with 250 hits.  He played a more disciplined second half of the season and managed to drop out of the top 10 when it comes to PIMs.  He also tied for 4th with five others at 8 game winners.  Geneva is going to need those if they want to push deeper into the playoffs.  It has been a fun season of hockey even with a relatively quiet locker room.  Without an AGM there is definitely a void that, if filled, could have provided more engagement.  Triller, Kardashian and Johnson certainly kept active with the GM after games but nothing more than that.  If Geneva goes all the way, it may be a pretty quiet party but one that will still be enjoyed!  See you in the playoffs!

 

Playoffs Wildcard - Vasteras Iron Eagles

     Game 1 ended as expected, but was much closer than expected with Geneva out shooting Vasteras 41-23 and the game ending 2-1 in OT.  Triller netted the game winner from Kardashian and Johnson.  He received the first star of the game along with an assist to grab 2 points on the night.  Next game is all that is now needed for Geneva to take the wild card spot and move on.  Game 2 reflected more of what we saw in the regular season.  Geneva pulls out a 4-2 victory with Leonard putting in 2 goals, one of which being another game winner.  He earns himself a third star in the game.  The Rush heavily out shoot the Iron Eagles again with Triller firing 11 off in the game.  The locker room is now starting to buzz as they look towards their upcoming opponents, the season dominating, Cologne Express.  A tall task but who doesn't love an underdog!

 

Playoffs - Cologne Express

     Geneva went 2-8 against Cologne in the regular season with only one of those games going to OT.  The outlook wasn’t the brightest but the playoffs are a different beast.  Game one was close.  The Rush went up 1-0 in the first period but the Express came back hard with three unanswered goals and the Rush couldn’t catch up with the game ending 3-2 for the Express.  Triller dropped an assist and Geneva went back to the drawing board.  Game 2 did nothing to help morale in this series.  Cologne came out strong, outshooting Geneva by 15 and the score reflected this with the Express winning 4-1 with Leonard putting up another assist.  The locker room attitude didn’t change much as expectations weren’t through the roof to begin with.  Geneva feels as if they are a player short of really competing with Cologne but crazier upsets have happened and Geneva has to rely on that heading into game 3, two games down.  Game 3 ends up being a wash.  Geneva barely outshoots Cologne for the first time but a 2-0 shutout by the Express leaves the Rush down 3 games and hoping against an impending sweep in game 4.  Even one win would cap a season off that has already exceeded expectations.  In game 4, Geneva brings it all and the big dogs show up to the show down.  With 52 shots from the team, Kardashian brings 2 goals and an assist, Triller hits with a goal and an assist and Johnson does the same to take the Rush to a dominating 5-2 win!  A win like this brings some excitement to the locker room.  Not so much the belief that they could reverse sweep but a sigh of relief knowing that even just one win like this shows they deserve to be where they are.  Everyone feels a bit more relaxed going into game 5 where another win could start to turn the ship.  Game 5 starts off strong with Geneva getting out to a 2 goal lead but they are quickly put back on their heels with Cologne scoring on the powerplay with 55 seconds left in the first period.  A goalless second period keeps the Rush in high spirits until the Express score quickly to start the third.  This one ends up needing extra time and while the teams trade penalties in OT, a tripping call against Glendenning gives Cologne the power play goal they need to end Geneva's time in the playoffs and bring a close to their season.  Triller would take home one last assist in the game.

 

     Triller would exit the playoffs first in points with 9, tied for first in goals with 4, tied for first in assists with 5, third in shots with 41, and tied for first in hits and game winners in a total of 7 games.  His playoff performance stood up to his regular season play showing that he is able to be a consistent player no matter the scenario or level of pressure.  This will be tested in his rookie debut with the London United next season.  Leonard has gained a lot of experience in Geneva and has high expectations for his first season in the VHL.  Overall the VHLE was worth it.  It is unfortunate that the Rush had so many inactive players as the locker room experience couldn't hold a candle to that of Triller's time in the M, but that also isn't really a fair comparison.  The E certainly has its place and should only get better as time passes.  It is still in its infancy and will no doubt undergo tweaks and changes but for Leonard, it was a great place to showcase the work he put in in the M and to see how much he has grown as a player.  He will showcase his talents again this off-season in the WJC for Team Canada which should really highlight how much he has improved over just one season.

(2554 words)

Thank you to the Geneva Rush and good luck next season!

(Claiming for 04/09

04/16

04/23

Theme Week Skip

05/07)

Edited May 1, 2023 by Triller

[Daniel Janser 1,983]

Château Chillon right there. I passed it a lot of times during my time in the army...

[Triller 1,385]

2 hours ago, Daniel Janser said:

Château Chillon right there. I passed it a lot of times during my time in the army...

Very iconic!

[Triller 1,385]

Claim 1 - 04/09

[JCarson 594]

Article Review:  Triller wrote more than a media spot here, this is a book.  The writing is fabulous and when that is put with the graphics it creates a very professional piece.  You can tell that Triller is enjoying the experience of the VHL and is definitely increasing the expectation of what a Media Spot could be.  Looking forward to seeing what Triller does as a member of the London United.  Wish there was an award for best piece done through the year as Triller would definitely be in the running.  

 

I give this article a 10/10.  Excellent work.

[Triller 1,385]

Claim 2 - 04/16

[Triller 1,385]

Claim 3 - 04/23

[Triller 1,385]

Last Claim 05/07 last week skip for theme week.