VHL This Week (December 14, 2014)

[Ninetyfourgoalie 168]

VHL This Week

Season 41 Edition 2

 

The VHL is back in action with the first games of the season being played this week.  Ten games in, we're beginning to see a clearer picture of where each team fits around the league although, at least right now, it isn't much different from what anybody would expect.

 

Announcements

 

Make sure to check out Edition 220 of the VHL Magazine!

 

The Preliminary Round for the Writing Ranks has concluded!  Judging by the submissions, get ready for some excellent writing ahead as the participants look to be named the best writer in the VHL.

 

The Season 40 Hall of Fame class has been announced!  The first inductee is center Kameron Taylor, who retired in Season 38 after a tremendous career with the Cologne Express.  Also inducted was Elijah Incognito, a defenseman who managed to win a Continental Cup with three teams - the Bears, Legion, and Reign.  Finally, JardyB10 was inducted as a builder due to his incredible contributions as a commissioner, simmer, and GM although that does leave plenty of room to manipulate things to his liking

 

Game Discussion

 

The first game we'll look at is the first one in the history of the new Stockholm Vikings.  Taking on the rebuilding Toronto Legion, this was a chance to give the new fans a win and that's what they did in very exciting fashion.  Midway through the first period, Toronto got on the board first with a Devin Sundberg powerplay goal.  It would be more than twenty minutes later before rookie Teuvo Ruutu scored the first goal of the franchise's history to tie the game up.  Despite the Legion continuing to barrage the Vikings with shots, the 1-1 score would hold up at the end of regulation.  Overtime would prove not to be enough to settle the score as the teams faced off in a shootout.  In the sudden death round, STO D1 scored the game winner to give the new fans a very exciting show.

 

Next, we'll dig deeper into a game between the consensus weakest teams in the league right now - the Dynamo and Bears.  Early in this one, it was all Davos, outshooting Seattle and putting the puck past Niklaus Mikaelson twice to take the early two goal lead at the  end of the first period.  But the Bears would not back down, cutting the lead in halflate in the period on a Rift Pajodcast shorthanded goal followed by, ironically, a powerplay goal by DAV C2.  The score would remain tied through the end of the second but it certainly appeared as if the Bears had stolen the momentum.  Just five minutes into the third, Simon Tremblay would help give the Bears the lead as the team would not look back, clinching the win on Brady Stropko's score at the midway point of the period.

 

Finally, we have a matchup between the two teams expected to meet in the Continental Cup Finals, the Americans and Reign.  The Americans would dominate the first period, outshooting the Reign at more than a 2-1 clip but were held in check by goaltender Mike Szatkowski Jr. and heading into the second period, the score was all knotted up at 0-0.  Putting another dagger into the will of the Americans, Robert Gow III helped give Riga the lead less than two minutes into the second period.  Robert and Robin Gow would each score a goal in the second to put the Americans down by 3.  In a clear display of the Americans' struggle, they were again manhandled in the third, outshot 16-8, as Slaeter Fjorsstrom clinched the 4-0 win with an early powerplay goal.

 

TPE Earning

 

Head to the VHL Magazine, where all you have to do is select a series of numbers to win free player store cash or TPE!  More details can be found in the magazine and make sure to check back each week to see if you've won!

 

If you participated in the VHL Fantasy Hockey Leagues, make sure to claim your points here!

 

Be sure to keep your eyes on the VHL Fantasy Zone, where you can earn uncapped points for correctly predicting the winners and score of selected games.  Make sure to get in your predictions for the VHL Pickem and Predict the Score tasks for week one!