Halifax 21st SuperSailor #23 (S96 Week 2): Chad Powers and Jon Webber III

[LucyXpher 1,409]

With 130 TPE collected across 15 players this week, the Halifax 21st have continued earning and making my job as GM very easy-- well, actually harder because choosing just one person to acknowledge as our SuperSailor this week is extremely difficult when everyone is doing so well to improve consistently and keep our locker room lively.  In 12 games this week, Halifax went 5-6-1 and is currently last in the Eastern Conference.  If you didn't look any further than this, however, you'd probably get the wrong impression about the team's success so far in S96.  Though the 21st are last in the East, they rank 7th out of 10 teams in the league with an overall winning record of 15-14-1.  Additionally the 21st have the 5th best goal differential in the league, albeit still negative at -3.  This team isn't in the same conversation as teams like Ottawa and Philadelphia this season, though they can certainly hold their own against any team and find a way to win.  With the outstanding growth of the 21st so far this season-- now a total of 729 cumulative TPE-- the outlook is only getting better.  9 players started the season at 91 TPE or below and only 2 players have yet to eclipse 120-- Tuomala, Bolivar, and Powers continue to be the top first gen earners, already having more than doubled their starting TPE total.  Oh, and Kazuma Satou continues to do it all for this team with 84 TPE earned, 20 points, and a positive locker room presence. 

 

The highlight of the week, however, was undoubtedly Halifax's goalies, and once again I'm copping out and choosing two SuperSailors because we had two very deserving players who represent the past, present, and future success of the Halifax goaltending position.

 

The Past: Jon Webber III @Webberj was drafted to Halifax in S93 in the 5th round, 46th overall.  At the time, Halifax management was so eager to select him at this spot that they hastily traded away S92 draftee Kendra Cavill for a 7th round pick that would never materialize.  While the team would bring Cavill back later to complete her career with hometown Halifax, Jon Webber III quickly cemented himself as the team's top goalie in S93.  With Samuel Wazinski taking time away from the game, Webber III locked down the starting position about 25 games into S93 and never looked back.  As a rookie, Webber III posted a 41-14-3 record with a .899 SV% and 2.23 GAA with 4 shutouts.  Sure, the save percentage that season was nothing crazy, but he was a stabilizing force for the team as they managed to finish 2nd in the league behind the Ottawa Lynx.  In S94, Webber III would capture the Benoit Devereux trophy as the league's top goaltender with a 50-7-4 record, an improved .914 SV%, and a shockingly low 1.72 GAA, with 11 shutouts as the icing on the cake.  During that season,  presumed to be his last with the team, Webber III set a new franchise mark for wins by a goaltender with 91-- the same as his jersey number-- and finished just shy of the franchise shutout record (17) with 15.  Playing 61 games that season, he shared the crease with Kendra Cavill and Lane Ellis who combined for 11 games, but it was clearly Webber's net as he led the team to the Prime Minister's Cup with a league-best record.  Though the team faltered in the playoffs against the Saskatoon Wild for a second straight season, Webber III finished his first stint in Halifax atop the team's all-time goalie leaderboard.

 

The Present: Webber III would move up to the VHLE in S95 and play a full season for the Cologne Express, putting together another incredible season with a 41-11-1 record, a .932 SV%, 1.82 GAA, and 7 shutouts.  When the VHLE was dissolved following S95, Webber III opted to return to Halifax for a final season in the VHLM.  To date, he has put together a 10-8-1 record, a .924 SV%, 1.66 GAA, and 2 shutouts to improve his career win total to 101 at the time of writing.  While the S96 edition of the Halifax 21st might lack the top-end punch of previous rosters, the team is full of promise and Webber III has played a huge role in ushering in the new era of Halifax hockey.  His understudy this season, Chad Powers @Big_Dyl has been showing exceptional promise with an uncompromising work ethic and a team-first attitude.  Selected in the 2nd round of the S96 VHLM draft at 16th overall, Powers has begun his career 5-6-0 with a .890 SV% and 2.73 GAA.  It must be noted, however, that a comparison of Powers' rookie record to Webber's is not a simple 1-to-1.  For starters, the dissolution of the VHLE resulted in the expansion of the VHLM, meaning teams would feature players far above the previous league cap.  And in terms of the team in front of him, Powers has not had the benefit of playing on a team so far that can compete for 1st in the league as Webber did.  This is not to diminish Webber's rookie effort in any way, but only to cast each in it's proper light.  Powers has by far outearned every other goalie in his draft class and is on track to become a competitive number one goaltender in the VHLM by S97-- perhaps even as early as the end of S96.  

 

The Future: With Chad Powers demonstrating his determination to make an impact in the league, the future continues to look bright for the Halifax 21st.  Though he's been asked at times to take on a backup role to Webber III who has been putting together another Devereux calibre season, Powers has remained upbeat and positive in the locker room, putting the team's success ahead of his own icetime, all while continuing his torrid developmental pace.  This attitude and work ethic is the epitome of what it means to be a Halifax SuperSailor and the game results are sure to follow soon for Powers.

 

Congratulations to both Chad Powers and Jon Webber III on being our SuperSailors this week!  

 

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Edited November 1 by LucyXpher