Cologne's First 24 Games

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We are one-third of the way through the VHLE season and the Cologne Express, seeking a third-straight title, have established themselves as a contender once again.

 

Cologne sits third in the VHLE right now with a 13-9-2 record, a little ways back of the Vasteras Iron Eagles and Rome Gladiators, but firmly entrenched in a playoff spot and within range to pose a threat to the league's top two teams. Their +14 goal differential actually matches that of Rome, but some things just haven't quite gone their way, particularly on the defensive end as Cologne leads the league in goals for (82) but has a middle of the pack defense with 68 goals against.

 

The Express have been led by a pair of VHLE veterans so far, with centre Anthony Simmons leading the way with 14 goals and 30 points and defenseman Jordan Bennett right behind with 8 goals and 25 points. Eric White Jr is the squad's top-performing VHLE rookie, having picked up 6 goals and 24 points through 24 games. Together, the trio gives Cologne three of the league's 15 PPG players; Bennett is tied for the VHLE lead in scoring by a defenseman.

 

Between the pipes, netminder Clark has a 10-8-2 record with an 0.910 SV% and 2.72 GAA, though he has yet to record a shutout this season. It's actually the worst save percentage, by a fair margin, among all VHLE goalies who've played in at least 12 games this season - but not to worry, everyone knows that Clark brings his best in the playoffs.

 

As far as the special teams go, Cologne's been clicking at 23.64%, ever-so-slightly behind the league leading Oslo Storm (23.66%) - bet that's not who you would have guessed would have the VHLE's most dangerous powerplay! With a 79.35% penalty kill efficiency, ranked 5th in the league and 6-7% behind the league leaders, the Express' PK has struggled and should be a focal point for the team going forward. Keeping pucks out of the net has been the main reason for Cologne not being at the top of the standings alongside Vasteras and Rome so far, and the poor penalty kill is definitely a factor.

 

There are 48 games left on the schedule for the Express to make their move, and it would seem we can bank on some improvement from players like Brad Marchand, Joshua Schwarzer, Theo Allard, Phillip Rave, and Lionel Collberg down the stretch to help deepen the lineup even further. All of these players have been improving since the season began and have more room to improve yet as they get acclimatized to the VHLE. For some, that could mean improving on already productive seasons (Schwarzer has 10 goals and 21 points while Collberg has 17 points) and for others, that could mean starting to put up some numbers to help make a scary Cologne offense even better (so far, Marchand has just 11 points, Allard 10, and Rave 4).

 

Back in action tomorrow for a third-straight match against the Bratislava Watchmen (the previous 2 were split), the Express hope to keep the offense rolling and straighten out some of the issues in their own end to regain their place among the VHLE elite.