Toronto Legion S91 Regular Season In Review

[dstevensonjr 402]

After a tough 72 game regular season, the Toronto Legion head into the S91 playoffs to face the Chicago Phoenix in the first round. The Legion finish the regular season with a record of 46-24-2 and 94 points, sitting in 2nd place in the North American Conference and 6th place in the VHL. The regular season saw many highlights, but without a doubt the largest highlight of the season was the 14 game win streak mid-season that propelled the Legion up the standings after a so-so start.

 

Here's a look back at some of the big moments and performances of the regular season this year:

 

The Streak

We'll start with the big one. 14 straight wins (19.4% of the season schedule) represented the 2nd best winning streak in the VHL this season. A run in the middle of the streak included 3 straight wins over the Chicago Phoenix, who the Legion were battling for 2nd in the Conference at the time. The streak also included pairs of wins over D.C. and Warsaw, and a trio of extra time wins (2 in OT, 1 in the SO). This was a turning point in the season, as the Legion stayed hot after the streak, going 16-6-1 down the stretch.

 

Captain Clutch

 

Mac Atlas led the way for the Legion with 10 game winning goals, showing that he could be looked to by the rest of the team when it mattered most to get the job done. Atlas' 10 GWG's had him ranked 4th in the league in winners this season. His strong example led to almost every skater on the team chipping in with game winners this season (Callahan had 7, Jaks and Machado tied for 3rd with 6).

 

A Trio of Rookie Performances

 

Toronto entered the season with a trio of rookies this season, uncertain about how much they could contribute to the team right off the hop. Forwards Diego Machado and Harry Callahan, along with Defender Walter Fitzroy Jr. needed to help chip in with the core of veteran players, and they did just that. Both Callahan (55 points, 5th) and Machado (50 points, 7th)finished in the top 10 in Rookie points in the VHL, while Fitzroy Jr. (30 points) finished just outside the top 10 as well from the blueline.

 

The Brick Wall Tandem

The combination in net of Joel Castle and Evan Bihler helped backstop the Legion to the leagues lowest goals against total. Toronto gave up just 161 goals this season to lead the league. When the offense stumbled at times this season, the goalies were there to pick up the slack. Castle finished in the top 5 in the league in Wins and Goals Against Average, while having the best Save Percentage among starters, firmly earning a place in the league's elite netminders group.

 

Blueline Blockers

A large part of helping out the goaltenders this season was a blueline that stayed committed to staying in shooting lanes and blocking shots. The Legion finished the season with 3 defenders over 100 shot blocks, with Dens Oden leading the way at 139. Walter Fitzroy Jr. almost made it 4, finishing the year with 99 shot blocks. The four defenders were split between veterans and youngsters, Dens Oden (S83) and Jimmy MacElroy (S84) brought the experience, with Bobby Bob (S88) and Walter Fitzroy Jr. (S90) giving a youthful injection on the back end.

 

Dynamic Duo

 

The pair on the top line of Mac Atlas and Jimi Jaks paced the scoring attack for Toronto this season, finishing with 88 and 81 points respectively. They were also first and second in goals and shots on the team. The two S87 forwards will continue to be a large part of the offense heading into the playoffs.

 

Hit Parade

 

Tomas Sogaard led the way with 268 hits for a group that finished tied for 5th in the VHL in hits with 1302 total. Behind Sogaard were 6 Legion players with more than 100 hits (MacElroy - 191, Atlas - 186, Bob - 119, Jaks - 115, Callahan - 110, Fitzroy Jr. - 108).

 

Top 10 League Leaders

 

Here's a full rundown on statistical categories that Legion skaters showed up in the top 10 in the league:

 

Goals - Atlas (t-7th - 46 G)

Shots - Atlas (4th - 539 SH)

Defense Points - Bob (10th - 66 PTS)

Rookie Points - Callahan (5th - 55 PTS), Machado (7th - 50 PTS)

Plus/Minus - Bob (t-6th - +37), Callahan (t-6th - +37), Jaks (t-8th - +35)

Hits - Sogaard (6th - 268 HITS)

Powerplay Goals - Callahan (t-10th - 11 PPG)

Shorthanded Goals - Jaks (t-2nd - 2 SHG)

Game Winning Goals - Atlas (t-4th - 10 GWG)

 

Thanks for reading, and here's hoping for a long postseason run!!

 

Spoiler

@LastOneUp @Dadam30 @dstevensonjr @ke1vi @v.2  @Brandon @Baby Boomer @Xflexz @Snussu @Moon @animal74 @Eb14

 

[animal74 1,822]

Great read @dstevensonjr!

[JCarson 730]

Article Review:  It is always interesting to see an analysis of a teams success of failure from the perspective of the team itself.  This article provides a great overview of the highlights this team had this year.  It does downplay some of the negatives and focusses mainly on the positives.  Playing in the weaker North American conference may have allowed for this season to as productive as it was. That said, congratulations on Season 91,  Good luck in the playoffs.  I give this article a 8/10 as it was well written and kept a positive outlook.