S95 Final Four

[tcookie 927]

Four teams remain in the chase for the S95 Continental Cup. As the semifinal matchups near a conclusion, let's take a look at the remaining teams, why they might be able to bring it all home this season, and why they might not.

 

CHICAGO PHOENIX

Why They Will Win: Although they may not have the deepest roster around, the Phoenix had four players hit the 90-point mark during the regular season, with Spanish Moon Moth @Renomitsu (104), Francesco Mancini @GioSivo (98), Joshua Schwarzer @Velevra (92), and YaBoi Oven @Doomsday (92) combining to create deadly first-unit that all finished between +44 and +48 on the season. Defensively, they have a solid four man unit and Ryan Artyomov @Enorama is among the VHL's top goalies, so Chicago has cornerstone players at all three positions (forward, defense, goalie). They have faced a little bit of adversity already, having to play a 7-game series against Vancouver in the playoffs' opening round. Experience in those high intensity situations is invaluable, and the Phoenix have proven they can deliver when it matters. With five PPG-plus players so far in the playoffs, their offense continues to get it done.

 

Why They Won't Win: Their depth is a legitimate concern, as their second unit of players finished the regular season with +/- ratings between 0 and -2, and they are slightly on the minus-side again so far this post-season. That's an exploitable area for most elite teams, and their top unit can't be as overpowering against teams that are just as good. Most playoff teams have better depth on the roster, especially at the second-line centre position.

 

TORONTO LEGION

Why They Will Win: Toronto's roster is absolutely stacked, with five undeniably elite big name players leading the way. Up front, they have Diego Machado @Dadam30, Harry Callahan @dstevensonjr, Jimi Jaks @ke1vi, and Mac Atlas @v.2  while they also have defenseman Bobby Bob @Baby Boomer. Callahan had 50 goals, 105 points, and 171 hits during the regular season, making him a pretty unique player around the league easily capable of putting a team on his back. They were the North American Conference's top team in the regular season with 101 points, and have not faced a ton of resistance from their NA foes in the playoffs, beating Seattle in 5 games and sporting a +6 goal differential despite their series with Chicago currently being tied 2-2. They're probably the most talented roster left, and that can be a difference maker in a playoff series.

 

Why They Won't Win: Their goaltending could potentially be an issue. Toddly Bobbly @ToddlyBobbly's VHL career is in its infancy, with this season marking his first as a full-time starter. Although he may not have the pedigree of some other netminders left in the playoffs, he did look to be up to the task in the regular season, with a 41-15-4 record and an 0.922 SV%. Those are very good numbers, so perhaps the concern is invalid. However, he's likely to face heavier workloads as the opponents get better, so we'll see how the Legion and Bobbly respond against Chicago and in a potential finals matchup with Riga or Davos. Despite the big names on their roster, it didn't necessarily correlate to production in the regular season - Jaks had 81 points, Bob had 77, and Atlas had 76 - all respectable totals, but not the type of numbers you'd expect from that kind of star power. The Legion may need their top players to find another level to finish this playoff run off.

 

RIGA REIGN

Why They Will Win: Riga may well be the only team left with a legitimate superstar centre, defender, and goaltender in Axle Gunner @Steve, Skor McFleury @Alex, and Red Panda @Lemorse7. Not only that, but winger Shubham Anand @Will3 clearly established himself as an elite scorer in his own right when he popped off for 54 goals this season (and 107 points), and defender Lucy Leitner @LucyXpher had a breakout season of her own with 86 points, 150 hits, and 166 blocked shots. Six players are above the PPG mark already for Riga in these playoffs, and they swept Malmo aside in a four-game first round series -- a formidable opponent on paper, albeit one with a dubious playoff track record. McFleury, Leitner, and Fradin McGryer @Fradin99 is easily the best top-3 defense of the remaining playoff teams, and you know what they say about defense winning championships.

 

Why They Won't Win: Riga's second forward line and #4 defenseman are a step below the rest of the roster (although they have done pretty well in Riga's eight playoff games so far). In a matchup against Toronto, can they hold up? In a matchup against Chicago, it may be more difficult for them to exploit Chicago's biggest weakness. As talented a netminder as Red Panda is, he's currently operating at just an 0.911 SV% so far these playoffs, and the Reign will need more consistency out of him.

 

HC DAVOS DYNAMO

 

Why They Will Win: There's something to be said for momentum and getting in a groove in the playoffs, and Davos has done just that so far. They are the only team left who came through the wildcard round, breezing past Warsaw, and then sweeping the Victory Cup-winning Moscow Menace in their next series. They are a young team on a hot streak with all kinds of confidence, and that can be VERY difficult to beat. Antonia Bucatini @CowboyinAmerica has proven she's not just a regular season scoring dynamo, with 20 points in 13 playoff games, while winger Grimgor Ironhide @FrostBeard has 8 goals, 16 points, and 41 hits on her wing. The dynamic duo hasn't been stopped by anyone yet, and they are keying a first unit that sits between +9 and +12 so far this post-season. If they continue to win their matchups that heavily, it's hard to see a team managing to beat them.

 

Why They Won't Win: They were the weakest of these four teams in the regular season, and they are probably the weakest overall roster of the four, too. Aleksanteri Kaskiniemi-Kekkonen @Snussu is still young and sported just a .916 SV% through the regular season. This playoff run has been on the back of Kaskiniemi-Kekkonen's 0.936 SV% so far. That's incredibly strong play, but is it sustainable from a rookie? Davos had the second-weakest offense (220 goals for) of all playoff teams and the issue hasn't entirely resolved itself in the playoffs, with Bucatini and Ironhide providing the lion's share of the scoring and nearly half of the team's playoff goals.

 

In what has been an exciting playoff so far, the field has been narrowed down to four. Who's your pick to win it all? Personally, I'd bet on Riga, but all four teams have established themselves as true contenders thus far. Let's hope to see some more great hockey over the coming week as the VHL crowns its S95 champion.

 

 

~1100 words for this week and next

Edited September 22 by tcookie

[LucyXpher 1,571]

RIIIGAAA!

 

...as long as Simon cooperates 

[tcookie 927]

claim week 2/2