VHL This Week (January 11, 2015)

[Ninetyfourgoalie 168]

VHL This Week

Season 41 Edition 6

 

Welcome to the sixth edition of VHL This Week so far in Season 41!  This has been an exciting season and despite being just 15 games from the playoffs, there are a number of battles that are yet to be decided and very well may not be until the final games.  In the North American Conference, the Toronto Legion are trying to muster up a late season rally to overtake the Wrangler for the third and final playoff position while in the European Conference, the Express, Reign, and Titans are all entrenched in a heated battle for the elusive first round playoff bye.  Stay tuned to keep track of all the exciting competition the VHL has in store.

Announcements

The trade deadline has come and gone with little action among teams this year.  In fact the only deadline trade was one between conference rivals Calgary and Quebec City.  In an interesting move, the Wranglers sent two of their top performers in winger Jakob Linholm and defenseman Tony Stark to the Meute for a Season 43 second round pick.  Click here to visit the discussion!

The writing ranks competition has been whittled down to four competitors!  Round 3 will feature Noah!! vs. YEAH! and Doomsday vs. Green in what is sure to produce even more great writing!

 

Make sure to check out Edition 223 of the VHL Magazine!

 

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
 

Now if people don't care about these - please do not hesitate to let me know!  It is quite a bit of work and, right now, the focal point of VHL This Week so if there is something else I should discuss more in depth, I want to know

 

Anyways, the first game we will look at is this one between the Legion and Vikings.  Starting off quickly were the Vikings as they took an early lead less than five minutes into the game off a quick shot by Tyrone Williams.  While the Legion picked up the pace following this goal, Stockholm held them off as the first period ended with the Vikings up 1-0.  The second period was a different story, though, as Sachimo Zoidberg tied the game up on a shorthanded goal that came a the result of a perfectly placed Jaime Hill pass.  While it would take ten minutes before another goal was scored, Zoidberg managed to scored two more times in the period as he earned the natural hat trick that helped Toronto take their 3-1 lead into the third period.  The Vikings would not go down easily, though.  Just six seconds into the third, Lloyd Light managed to cut Toronto's lead in half but a quick response by the Legion all but negated that effort and seemed to demoralize Stockholm as Toronto came away with a strong 5-3 victory.

 

Next is a matchup between the Seattle Bears and Riga Reign.  Riga started this one off especially strongly, outshooting the Bears 14-2 in the first period and striking first off a Brennan McQueen one-timer.  Early in the second frame, they extended their lead as Robin Gow scored his 35th of the season.  But the Bears would not go down so easily as they fought back with all their might and were rewarded when Queen Latifa cut the lead to one just over halfway through the game.  But just twenty seconds later, Robert Gow III helped Riga regain their two goal lead, a goal that seemed to deflate a discourage the Bears, who failed to muster any real significant scoring chance the rest of the game as the Reign captured the 3-1 win.

 

Finally, we have an exciting game between two playoff teams from opposite conferences, the Americans and Express.  This game featured back and forth action that made this a great game from start to finish.  While New York dominated the first period, exerting an incredible 12 to 3 shot advantage over Cologne, it would be Mason Richardson of the Express who struck first, less than thirty seconds from the first intermission.  The second period was far more balanced but it was the Americans who scored first, this time a goal from Tom Slaughter helped to tie the game.  Ever the defensive battle, the two teams headed into the third embattled in a 1-1 tie.  But things looked terrible for the Express in the final frame as the Americans came out hard and strong, taking a one goal lead off Xin Xie Xiao's big shot from the point.  While it seemed like New York would be able to keep the Express at bay, everything changed with just over a minute remaining in the game as Ron World Peace knotted it up at two to eventually force overtime despite a New York shot advantage that was in excess of a two to one ratio.  Yet in overtime, it was the Express who controlled play.  Cologne possessed the puck from the initial faceoff and just over a minute into overtime, Logan Laich found the back of the net to nab a big win for Cologne.

 

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 four's Pickem and Predict the Score and keep your eyes peeled for the posting of week five tasks.