VHL This Week (January 4, 2015)

[Ninetyfourgoalie 168]

VHL This Week

Season 41 Edition 5

 

Welcome back to VHL This Week!  We're well past the halfway point of Season 41 now and with the trade deadline approaching, it will be interesting to see which teams are able to make some moves that will help them win the ultimate prize!

Announcements

The trade deadline is approaching and will be at 8:00 PM EST this Saturday, the 10th!  Stay tuned and watch for some big moves that could change the shape of competition in the VHL as we near the playoffs!

Round 2 of the writing ranks has concluded!  Stay posted for the beginning of round three, which will feature the top four participants!

 

The Super Cup will take place at the end of this season!  The competition will feature players from around the VHL and VHLM competing in a fantasy-style competition that will be sure to add some excitement to this off-season.

Game Discussion

The first game we will take a closer look at is this matchup between the Vikings and Reign.  Although the standings would indicate the Reign would easily win this game, it turned out to be a very close one.  Riga came out of the gates ready to go, taking a 3-0 lead less than four minutes into the competition thanks to two goals and an assist from defenseman Phil Villeneuve.  The Vikings defense was forced to tighten up and after about eight minutes of keeping the dangerous Reign off the board, they were able to score one of the own as Leon Leitner found the back of the net after collecting his own rebound.  But the Reign would score a heartbreaker with just ten seconds to go in the first period to conclude the final frame with a commanding 4-1 lead.  But Stockholm was not ready to go down so easily as they started the second period strong and were rewarded with a Sam Keeler goal just over a minute into the period to cut the lead back to two.  The rest of the period was filled with back and forth action but lacked any additional goals as Riga continued to hold off the Vikings.  With two minutes left in the third period, Tyrone Williams cut the deficit to just one goal but it would not be enough as the Reign came away with the 4-3 victory.

 

Next we have a cross-conference battle between the Americans and Titans.  The Titans, eager to put on a good show for their fans, scored first, just a minute into the game, off a Tyson Stokes one-timer.  Although the Titans continued to dominate the period, it would be the Americans who scored next as Jody 3 Moons found twine for the 23rd time this season.  The first period would conclude with a 1-1 tie but the Americans would waste no time building upon their momentum as Christopher Klose scored a rebound goal less than 30 seconds into the period.  8 minutes later, former defenseman Conner Low scored to double New York's lead.  With the two goal lead, the Americans put it upon themselves to control the game as Brick Wahl was a brick wall the rest of the game to help his team hold on for a 3-1 victory.

 

Finally, we have another cross-conference competition between the Seattle Bears and Cologne Express.  This one would be a low scoring affair as two solid defensive teams faced off and wouldn't budge all game.  While Andrey Zadorov helped the Express strike first just three minutes into the game, this matchup was essentially the Niklaus Mikaelson show.  Despite the early goal and the lack of help from his teammates, he kept the Bears in it until the very end, turning away an incredible forty of forty-one shots and displaying why Seattle used the first overall pick on him.  Although just a rookie, this game is a clear example of why he very likely is the next big thing in the VHL.  Despite the loss, he even managed to overshadow the Express' Blaine Olynick, who picked up a shutout in the win.

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!

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. Come claim your points for  week three's Pickem and Predict the Score and don't forget to participate in the week four Pickem and Predict the Score!