How to win a Continental Cup, this analysts theory

[JCarson 723]

Season 89 in the VHL has come to a close, and the HC Davos Dynamo are the Continental Cup Champions. First, I want to congratulate them on their success; it is well deserved. Again, the award goes to the European conference. Some may be surprised by that, but this reporter and analyst is not surprised at all. Let me discuss my theory as to why the European conference is positioned to win even more Continental Cups in the future 

 

The shift in power in the league has been coming for a while, although many people including most analysts spend their time looking at the offensive side of the game it is my opinion that the real power comes from the defensive side of the game, and no one exemplifies defensive play like the goaltenders of the league. I agree that it is sometimes hard to see when a strong goalie exists but gets overwhelmed within a series by high flying offense but very few teams win the Continental Cup without a strong goalie backing them up. 

 

Take for example the Season 87 Playoffs. Oscar Lindbergh played an exceptional playoff series, posting a 2.06 goals-against average yet goes overlooked in the series because the offensive lines boasting talent like Landon Wolanin, Phil Strasmore, Daniel Janser, Leandro Goncalves, and AirRig GoodBrandSun, who dominated the offensive charts. Excellent goaltending, forgotten by the score sheet. 

Looking at the last 2 seasons we can see that the teams that won the VHL Continental Cup have been structured around a young exceptional goaltender. In season 88 that was London United goaltender Jesse Teno. During the regular season Teno was good but not exceptional by any means. Yet all they needed to do was get to the playoffs, now this is where Teno came to show what they were capable of. In 23 games played Teno lost only 6 and boasted a spectacular 0.949 Save % and a 1.92 Goals against average, which included 4 shut outs with a total of 913 shots against. 

 

In season 89 we saw another young goaltender step up for their team. HC Davos goalie Lachlan Summers. In a 16-game playoff run Lachlan Summers boasted a 0.937 Save % and a 2.47 Goals against Average. Now this outing was not as strong as Teno’s the year prior but still was magnificent in its own way. It would not surprise me if we saw another goalie pick up playoff MVP this year. To be honest the forwards did not do anything exceptional. 

 

These two powerhouse goalies still have plenty of career left, and I expect we will see them be a driving force over the next few seasons in the European conference. Goaltending can be overlooked by many in the league who are trying to build an offensive powerhouse team, but I still contend that the goalies of the league are the true stars. We will see what unfolds over the next few seasons, as the league shifts and a new batch of VHL stars emerge.