Toronto Legion End Playoff Drought [Final 6/6]

[Ninetyfourgoalie 168]

Toronto Legion End Playoff Drought

 

It was only a matter of time but the Toronto Legion snapped what was the longest active playoff drought in the VHL by grabbing the third and final playoff spot in the North American Conference. Ultimately, this was the result of a red hot finish to the season, winning fourteen of their final fifteen games to amass a total of 86 points, well ahead of the Seattle Bears despite an early-season scare. Unsurprisingly, the team was led by the trio of Tyler Cote, Jerrick Poole, and Sachimo Zoidberg who paced the team in scoring and playing time. Zoidberg led the team in goals for the second consecutive season while Poole has now led the team in assists in each of his first three seasons.

 

The Legion were matched up with the defending champions, the New York Americans, in the first round of the playoffs. While New York was heavily favored, the Legion were determined to put up a good fight. In game one, the Americans got off to an early two goal lead in a display of utter dominance over their comparatively inexperienced opponents. But Tyler Cote would score his first career playoff point and goal midway through the second period - a goal that, very fittingly, was also Sachimo Zoidberg's and Jerrick Poole's first career VHL playoff points. While the Americans responded quickly, the goal seemed to give Toronto new-found life. In a third period dominated by defense, Slaeter Fjorsstrom and Sachimo Zoidberg were able to find the back of the net despite the team only putting five shots on net to force the game into overtime. It didn't take long for Cote to finish New York off, giving the Legion an unexpected 1-0 series lead.

 

Tyler Cote (right) and Sachimo Zoidberg celebrate Toronto's game on overtime win

 

Unfortunately, this early success would not be enough to overcome a stronger opponent. Despite playing more tight games including an overtime thriller in game three, New York would win the next four games to move on while the Legion were sent home early. As was the story all season, the Legion's first line played neck and neck with all opposition with Cote, Poole, and Zoidberg pacing the team with 6, 5, and 5 points respectively in the playoffs. Only Fjorsstrom with two points and Jaime Hill with one also managed to put their names on the scoresheet throughout the series. 

 

This drastic difference in performance was just as pronounced in the regular season. Cote, Poole, and Zoidberg had +/- ratings of 53, 52, and 50 which were good enough for 6th, 7th, and 9th in the VHL while the three also led the team in points by a significant margin. Aside from Jaime Hill, who also managed an impressive +51 rating, only Bennett Wahl and Dirk Firkley even managed a positive rating. While it is always nice to have a core group of players that can be relied on to lead a team, the fact that there was such a stark difference between the play of the first and second lines is concerning. 

 

Although she has been largely overshadowed by the likes of Toronto's "Big Three", Jaime Hill has provided the team with excellent defensive play

 

This brings up an immediate need for the Legion to address this off-season. While they unquestionably have a solid team, they need to fill out their roster if they plan on contending for the Continental Cup. This off-season is of dire importance for the storied franchise as it will likely decide if they are able to make the next step or if this rebuild marked by a stockpile of Season 40 draft picks will be nothing but a failure. In order to avoid a terrible ending to what could have been something special, the Legion must add an additional impact player at the absolute least. It would be a shame to see the once-hyped franchise remain stuck in a bout of extreme mediocrity.

[Edgar 283]

WOO, a good feeling... playing golf

[STZ 5,360]

Note from Mag Editor

 

Add 1 TPE as I am using this for the Magazine.

[DollarAndADream 3,356]

Content: 3/3 - Great article. It was nice to see Toronto in the post-season.

Grammar: 2/2 - I didn't notice anything at all. Great.

Appearance: 1/1 - Looks good.

Overall: 6/6