Rush on the Brink

[Fradin99 96]

The Geneva Rush have just gone down three games to none against the Cologne Express. Leaving little hope and no other option than a reverse sweep needed to move on to the finals. The games have been close, in fact much closer than they had any right to be given the difference in shots and possession. 

A highlight for Geneva and someone who desperately needs help out on the ice is netminder Travis Clark. Clark has taken 150 shots against him in just three games. For clarity Justin Lion, Cologne's goalie has only had to face 83. That's almost a 70 shot difference between the two. Yet Clark maintains a .933 save percentage to Lion's .928. The five year VHLE veteran is doing all he can to hold his team up and stay in the fight, but the team can't keep the rain of German shots away from their zone. 

Where is the defense in all this you may ask? Well leading the Rush defense in almost all categories is none other than Alternate Captain, the rookie, Fradin McGryer. McGryer holds two points in three games, 18 hits, 14 blocked shots, and 10 penalty minutes with a +1 rating. Delivering his physical presence as promised, almost too much. For a player having this much impact on the ice, it's astonishing between his hits and his penalties to include kneeing and slashing that he hasn't found an opponent to drop the gloves with. The Massachusetts native gave a statement after game 3 in regards to how it felt being down 3-0 in his first VHLE playoff series. 

"Obviously it's not a great feeling. It's a bit of a loaded question I think in that regard. But I will promise you'll see an increased drive in our guys on the ice come game four. We're hungry, obviously for the cup which would be Geneva's first but right now the other leadership and myself are focused on one win at a time. If we're going to pull this out, our prime concern has to be limiting shots on T-Clark. Cologne is a high octane offense and it's certainly taken some of our other guys some time to keep up with the pacing but I think we can pull it out. And if not? Well. I still owe Gamble a little payback for dropping Turtle." 
 

Keegan Gamble, former San Diego Marlin and close friend of McGryer found himself matching the defenseman in points this playoffs. The Canadian forward also decisively won in a fight against Geneva forward Dank Turtle in game 3. Not known for his physical play, Gamble seems to have taken notes from his previous teammate and thrown his weight around a bit to really drive in the wins against the Rush. 

Cologne's not the only series up 3-0. Istanbul also found it's way to a three game win lead over Rome. Both teams have a chance to clinch out tonight and although they weren't the seeded favorite matchup, they certainly will be a much more interesting offensive matchup than some of the other possible pairings. Will we see a reverse sweep this semi-final? Or will the Vegas odds win out and both Rome and Geneva go home tonight and start their offseason early?

543 words set for 7/30/23