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S92 VHL All-Star Skills Competition

tcookie

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tcookie

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Note beforehand: I selected players for this based on appropriate ratings, not stats - so it's entirely possible some of the players here are not having all-star calibre seasons, or players who deserve to be at the all-star game were not selected. Also, I made sure every team had at least one player in the skills comp, and the results were determined relatively randomly with some consideration given to the appropriate ratings... I didn't use any kind of script or anything for this. It's all just made up.

 

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DC: Welcome to Los Angeles for the VHL All-Star Skills Competition! I'm Dan Callaghan for VSN and with me today is Landon Fairhaven. With players from each of the VHL's 16 teams in attendance competing for the All-Star Cup, testing their skills in a variety of different competitions, let's get right into the fun times!

LF: First up, we have the Hardest Shot competition. Competitors will get two attempts each and only the best will count. One point will go to the team with the winning player and one point will go to the overall winning team.

 

Your competitors for the Hardest Shot are:

John Jameson (Prague) @Frank-- 97 ST, 89 SC, 6'3 215
Wann Kerr (London) @VattghernCZ -- 99 ST, 88 SC, 5'9 189
Todd Cooke (Los Angeles) @KRZY-- 99 ST, 89 SC, 6'6 190
Jimi Jaks (Toronto) @ke1vi -- 99 ST, 90 SC, 6'0 190

 

ATTEMPT 1:
John Jameson 96.4 MPH / Wann Kerr 97.2 MPH
Todd Cooke 99.7 MPH / Jimi Jaks 81.4 MPH

 

DC: Well, Landon, three pretty good efforts there and then it looked like Jimi Jaks didn't get much on their attempt, but fortunately, they will all get another crack at it.

LF: Todd Cooke is probably the favourite in this event and got a pretty good blast off there! They'll be tough to beat. They're so strong and that 6'6 frame can really get a lot of leverage to rip a puck. Let's see what happens.

 

ATTEMPT 2:
John Jameson 98.5 MPH / Wann Kerr 95.4 MPH
Todd Cooke 100.1 MPH / Jimi Jaks 99.2 MPH

FINAL RESULTS:
John Jameson 98.5 MPH / Wann Kerr 97.2 MPH / EU Total: 195.7 MPH
Todd Cooke 100.1 MPH / Jimi Jaks 99.2 MPH / NA Total: 199.3 MPH

 

DC: You called it Landon - Todd Cooke comes through and even gives us a triple-digit blast. And his teammate Jimi Jaks is going to come in second here after a much better shot! That puts the North American Conference up 2-0 after the first event.

 

Next up, we've got the Accuracy Shooting competition! Players will shoot until they hit all 4 targets. One point will go to the team with the winning player and one point to the overall winning team.

 

Your competitors for Accuracy Shooting are:

Molly the Cat (London) @JCarson -- 92 SC, 91 WS
Nikolas Kauppi (Prague) @Tetricide -- 88 SC, 90 WS
EU Conference Passer: Babay Shrimp (Riga) @Blazzer (91 PA)


Jason (DC) @Jason kranz -- 90 SC, 91 WS
Napoleon Dynamite (Los Angeles) @thadthrasher -- 88 SC, 93 WS)
NA Conference Passer: Randy Bobandy (Calgary) @AJW (89 PA)

 

RESULTS:
Molly the Cat: 4 for 4, 9.1 seconds
Nikolas Kauppi: 4 for 6, 15.5 seconds
EU Total: 8 for 10, 24.6 seconds

 

Jason: 4 for 5, 13.2 seconds
Napoleon Dynamite: 4 for 6, 14.2 seconds
NA Total: 8 for 11, 27.4 seconds

 

LF: Molly the Cat shows off the quick release on their wrist shot AND their deadly accuracy with a very impressive 4 for 4, and in just 9.1 seconds - a fantastic performance!

DC: The EU ties up the Skills Comp as they grab the team point for this one, too. It was a good performance by Jason here but this one shot here, their fourth attempt, just barely misses the target and rings the iron.

LF: It keeps things interesting though! 2-2 after two events. There are a lot of young fans in here right now having a great time, meeting the players and getting a competitive event. That's what it's all about!

DC: Well, now we shift our attention to the Fastest Skater competition! This one's a real fan favourite. Each player will get two attempts with only their best lap counting. As with the other events, one point goes to the team with the winning player and one to the overall winning team.

 

Let's meet the competitors for the Fastest Skater:

Jacob Stone (Malmo) @scoop-- 92 SK, 6'6 222
Daryl Dixon (Helsinki) @Ricer13 -- 90 SK, 5'10 170
Liv Slater (Vancouver) @Subject056 -- 88 SK, 5'9 148
The Frenchman (DC) @OrbitingDeath -- 90 SK, 5'11 170

 

ATTEMPT 1:
Jacob Stone: 17.206 seconds / Daryl Dixon: 14.069 seconds
Liv Slater: 14.401 seconds / The Frenchman: 15.209 seconds

 

DC: Jacob Stone might be the guy with the best top-end speed here but had some trouble with one of the corners and couldn't get it back together. Daryl Dixon had a lightning-quick lap with a real competitive time and it looked like The Frenchman just didn't get up to speed in time, they're capable of better, but let's see how this second run goes!

 

ATTEMPT 2:
Jacob Stone: 14.854 seconds / Daryl Dixon: 14.312 seconds
Liv Slater: 14.188 seconds / The Frenchman: 14.552 seconds

FINAL RESULTS:
Jacob Stone: 14.854 seconds / Daryl Dixon: 14.069 seconds / EU Total: 28.923 seconds
Liv Slater: 14.188 seconds / The Frenchman: 14.552 seconds / NA Total: 28.740 seconds

 

LF: Well, that was exciting! All four players really flew around the rink on that one. Three of them improved on their times.

DC: But ultimately nobody touches Daryl Dixon's first lap here! 14.069 is an excellent time. Liv Slater gave it a really good run, their acceleration and agility was clearly on display. The team score is very close here but it looks like the NA will take that point, countering the point Dixon gets for the EU.

LF: So we have a 3-3 tie! But now we get to the real good part...

DC: It's time for the Shootout competition! Each player will take two shootout attempts on the opposing netminder. One point is awarded for each goal scored!

 

Let's meet the players:

AK92 Wit da Hoodie (Riga) @hedgehog337 -- 94 PH, 78 PS
Left Alone (Moscow) @okochastar -- 90 PH, 80 PS
Alfred Champagne (Warsaw) @Anthique -- 88 PH, 78 PS
EU Goaltender: Fuukka Rask (Helsinki) @Jubis -- 64 PS

 

Skor McFleury (Calgary) @Alex -- 94 PH, 78 PS
Severus Targaryen (Seattle) @Banackock -- 85 PH, 74 PS
Mac Atlas (Toronto) @v.2  -- 92 PH, 80 PS
NA Goaltender: Art Vandelay (Los Angeles) @Gustav  -- 55 PS

 

DC: Coming in for their first attempt it's the VHL's current leading scorer, AK92 Wit da Hoodie.

LF: 30 goals and 62 points in 39 games so far this year, those are stunning numbers. You know they can put the puck in the net.

DC: A lovely little forehand-backhand move there and Vandelay is caught out of position! Chalk up a goal for the EU there!

And trying to match that now will be Skor McFleury of the Calgary Wranglers. McFleury comes in with speed and a flurry of moves!

LF: I see what you did there.

DC: He puts it past Rask and our score is now 4-4! Back to the EU Conference's turn, it's Left Alone. He skates in, toe drag, a great little move but Vandelay stones him! An excellent blocker save from Vandelay!

LF: So the North American Conference will have a chance to take the lead here. Severus Targaryen, second-year pro from the Seattle Bears will take the shot.

DC: It looks like he bobbles the puck here a bit picking it up but makes a nice recovery, walks in, takes the puck to the backhand but puts it wide.

LF: Rask gave him no room there, he tracked the puck really well all the way across. Targaryen was looking for whatever little space was there but there wasn't any.

DC: Alfred Champagne, the Warsaw representative here, will get a chance now. He skates in, fires a quick shot but it looks like Vandelay was ready for that one all the way.

Now we have Mac Atlas to take the shot. He's got Rask on his heels as he comes in fast, takes a shot and oh my! He scores! That shot couldn't have been placed any better.

LF: No chance for the goalie there, that's why Atlas has back-to-back 40-goal seasons.

DC: North America has a 5-4 lead here. We'll go in reverse order for the second try, so it's right back to Atlas. He's got the moves this time! Takes it out wide, comes back in, backhand-forehand-backhand and a lovely finish - that's two magnificent goals from Atlas. That one's really got the crowd going.

LF: And North America has a 6-4 edge. Champagne is back out to try to narrow the gap.

DC: Ohhhh and he wires it off the crossbar! A more promising effort than the first one but Champagne can't quite bulge the twine. It's a chance for the North American team to take a stranglehold here and Targaryen comes back out.

Targaryen comes in quick and - oh! Would you look at that, he tries to go between the legs and that would've been something magical but Rask wasn't fooled.

LF: A good job by Rask of staying in position with the fancy move happening right in front of him.

DC: Left Alone, driving out wide to the left side of the ice and now he slows it down as he cuts back in, fires and scores!

LF: Alone catches Vandelay here by changing the angle and beats him low blocker with a well-placed wrister. The lead is back down to one, it's 6-5 for North America.

DC: Skor McFleury coming back in here. Flying out wide, now cutting all the way back across the circles and he slides the puck through Rask!

LF: McFleury is so smooth out there, not hard to tell why he's one of the best defensemen in the league. He probably would've had a chance in the Fastest Skater and he put that speed to good use there, really put Rask in a bad spot.

DC: AK92 Wit da Hoodie is hoping to keep the lead at one before we get into the Breakaway Relay. He pulls up at the dots and tries a slapshot! And it works! Oh, the fans love that. He caught Vandelay off guard by going for the slapper there.

LF: And it was a heck of a shot, too! What a rocket.

DC: So with that, we have a 7-6 score in the skills comp. And we've got one final event to decide it all! It's the 3-on-0 Breakaway Relay. Teams of 2 forwards and 1 defenseman will take three 3-on-0 attempts against the opposing netminder, with one point awarded for each goal scored.

 

Here are the Breakaway Relay lineups!

Yaroslav Bogatyrev (Malmo) @Bojovnik-- 85 SK, 87 PH, 69 PA, 89 SC
Leonard Triller (London) @Triller-- 91 SK, 94 PH, 94 PA, 83 SC
Pierre Emile Bouchard (Helsinki) @Gaikoku-hito -- 84 SK, 91 PH, 85 PA, 87 SC
EU Goaltender: Lachlan Summers (Davos) @kirbithan

 

Francesco Mancini (New York) @GioSivo -- 87 SK, 86 PH, 91 PA, 86 SC
Yaroslav Trunov (Chicago) @qripll -- 80 SK, 88 PH, 67 PA, 85 SC
Mark Calaway (DC) @Beketov -- 87 SK, 90 PH, 68 PA, 90 SC
NA Goaltender: Merome Dilson (Calgary) @MexicanCow123

 

DC: And here we go! Triller picks the puck up at centre for Europe and he comes in fast! Pass to Bouchard, who one-touches it back to Triller, and oh my! He pulls Dilson out of position beautifully and sends a magnificant feed to Bogatyrev. That's a tap-in for Big Boga and our skills comp is tied.

LF: Triller led the league in assists last year and he's one of the most crafty players in a league where shooters get a lot of the attention. That right there is what a great playmaker can do!

DC: Mark Calaway moves the puck ahead to Trunov here and the NA team is in on Lachlan Summers. Trunov passes off to Mancini, he throws it back to Calaway who fakes a shot, passes back to Trunov, but the pass is a bit off and bounces away from Trunov, an unfortunate break there.

It looks like the EU is sticking with what's working as Triller picks the puck up with speed and flies over the line. Throws on the breaks and gives the puck to Bogatyrev, he sends it back to Bouchard and Bouchard rips the shot home! Suddenly, Europe has taken the lead!

LF: Nothing like a good back-and-forth competition!

DC: This time Mancini will run the play for North America. He fakes a shot and passes to Trunov who hesitates, drops it back for Calaway and he lets a rocket go! It's off the post and into the back of the net!

LF: Calaway is one of those guys with a great shot from the back end and he shows it off there. No defending that one!

DC: So, the teams are tied and we have one attempt each left.

LF: Oh, the drama! You know, it's just a skills competition but these guys are competitors. They don't want to lose, especially when it gets to the end and it's this close.

DC: Triller with a little razzle-dazzle as he puts on a spin move as he picks the puck up! He passes it to Bouchard, to Bogatyrev, back to Bouchard and back to Triller for the finish! Brilliant passing and the European Conference goes up 9-8!

LF: That right there is why a 3-on-0 is a goalie's worst nightmare. There's nothing Dilson can do about that. I talked about that Calaway shot earlier being impossible to defend, but this play here is just another level entirely.

DC: It's a must-score situation for the NA trio and Trunov picks the puck up. He runs a little give-and-go with Calaway, moves it over to Mancini. Mancini tries a move and OH NO! He lifts it just a shade over the net! Mancini had Summers beat but gets a bit too much on it.

LF: That was an excellent move and Summers here goes for the poke check, Mancini just gets around him, this probably should be a goal but he just got a little too excited there and skies it! What a finish.

DC: That's a tough one for Mancini, but at the end of the day, this event was for the fans and hey, they got their money's worth! A dazzling display of skills from the VHL's most talented players and a thrilling scoreline overall. Congrats to Team Europe for ultimately grabbing the 9-8 win - we hope you enjoyed the show!

 

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2484 words so claiming for the next 4 weeks

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