Hometown Heroes

[iRockstar 307]

Being away for a while really proves to be a heck of a thing when it comes to writing media on the league again, but to me this topic is very easy to write about with little information, or at least very little information. In this segment, I'll provide you with a player in which I personally believe deserves to be recognized. There will be special segments where people are displayed due to retirement, due to highlight reel games or maybe even due to the exceptional season they're having, however this week we're going to recognize someone that has just impressed me greatly, and someone that New York and all their fans can easily be impressed with. 

His name is Edwin ReEncarnation and you may know him as the reincarnation of the badass that was Edwin Encarnation, but to me this kid is just killing it even more than his counterpart. Just looking through this weeks games, it makes me notice why the Americans are on top. ReEncarnation has scored a point in every game the team has played in while having a point to their name. This means in eight games, he's been present for seven out of eight of them, pretty impressive for any player. To me, what impresses me the most is the actual point total, accumulating thirteen points in only seven of those games, surely to go unnoticed. If this wasn't impressive enough of a get-go for you, let's talk more statistics. 

ReEncarnation notched back-to-back three point games, three assists and a hat-trick respectively in each of the games. With this impressive feat, there brings more statistics. ReEncarnation and the Americans have won every game he's at least tallied ONE goal in, respectively losing two out of the eight total games they played due to ReEncarnation not being on the goal sheet. I know what you're thinking, what's with all the stats? Well, this isn't a player spotlight for nothing, we need to highlight him for something he's doing right, so we'll continue. The final fact about him is that every game this week that he's played in which he's scored or tallied two+ goals, the team has won by multiple goals, something not too many other teams do relying on one player. 

So what's your opinion on the reincarnated beast himself? To me, there is no doubt in my mind that there is a legend in the making. He's top five in three major categories on the leaderboard including assists, shots and his position (left wing), meaning he's getting the job done when needed and allowing the Americans to have an easy ride to the playoffs. Do you believe that this series should follow just highlight reel players or do you think there should be more to it? Let me know what you'd like to see, as this magazine in my mind, is all about the people. Thanks for reading folks! 

[iRockstar 307]

With the very unfortunate news of a recent retirement announcement, this Hometown Heroes edition is a special one. The Riga Reign have been on a tear as of late, and their season has been going as expected. Just recently, the team clinched their playoff berth allowing them to have free 'reigns' to the playoffs. While the team has a few major stars on that team, there is no doubt in my mind that one of the greats is about to leave the league with his head held high. James Faraday

is easily a hall of famer in the making and someone that a lot of fans in Riga look up to when it comes to having hopes and dreams of becoming a promising VHL superstar. Faraday has proven since his early years in the VHLM that he would be a star, and has made due with his promise to achieve greatness. This week alone, Faraday proved to the league why he's still one of the games best, and why he plans to go out on top. 

 

In the seven games the Reign would play this week, despite going just over .500% winning percentage (four wins, three losses), Faraday impressed scoring five goals and adding five assists to his large total of points for the season tally thus far. With his point totals, his best game by far was the most recent against the Titans where he would go on to have a four point night, notching two goals and two assists to help bring the Titans down with a final score of 5-4, a great effort from one of the leagues all-stars. The final statistic for Faraday is adding a shootout goal that would unfortunately not be enough to help the Reign overstep their second game against the Titans as they fell 2-1 in that shootout, luckily for them they had clinched the playoffs at this time, so it didn't really matter. 

 

So what's next for the likely candidate for the HOF? Well I'd assume he's going to attempt to achieve over one hundred points before seasons end and it's very likely that he will do just that with eight games left in his season. Currently he has 37 goals, 57 assists for a total of 94 points, meaning that if Faraday can even achieve one point in each of the next eight games, he'll go just over that 100 mark, which is hard for a lot of superstars to even say they achieved. His agent seems to have found another player to introduce to the league, so it's very possible Faraday could become somewhat of a mentor to the new guy until he's ready to stand in this league on his own. Regardless of what he does, the Reign fans and the league thank him for an amazing career, and hope that he does great things throughout life. 

[iRockstar 307]

It's the most...wonderful time...of the year! And for hockey fans you know that that's not Christmas. Playoffs have been underway now for a few days and we've got a few breakout superstars on each of the teams in the playoffs, but unfortunately for them, only one can be highlighted. This time around we're highlighting a player from the Calgary Wranglers that really wasn't their best player during regular season but easily one of their most consistent players. Milos Denis was one point shy of hitting the 80 point mark and did bring a lot of assistance to the Wranglers squad. Because of this, and his exceptional playoff performance thus far, he is our Hometown Hero for the holiday. 

 

The Wranglers have played a total of eight games so far, and in their first series it was all uphill for them. In the very first game Denis opened up his scoring spree with a four point night, allowing the Wranglers to take down the Legion easily 6-1. He had an "assist hattrick" with three assists and added a goal for those four points. In the second game of the series, Denis would tally another two points in a blowout win of 5-0 for the Wranglers, adding a goal and an assist to his totals, putting him up to 6 points in two games, a huge feat that got him ahead in the scoring race early. In a stranglehold game three, Denis and the Wranglers would prove dominant once again where Denis would only pot one point in a 3-1 victory for the team, trying to sweep off the Legion and move to the second round early. In the fourth and final game, the Wranglers would do just that, with Denis leading the scoring again with a whopping SIX points, knocking out the Legion with a slap to the face victory of 8-0, a disgusting way to go out. With those six points (3g, 3a), Denis would finish the first round with 13 points, which put him ahead of anyone else in the scoring race and gave him a fair lead moving into the second round. 

 

The second round started shortly after as most of the games finished fairly quick. The Wranglers were looking to continue their domination as they came up against the former VHL champions in New York, however they were knocked off of their highhorse with a loss to the Americans at a final score of 5-2, but despite their loss Denis would add a point to his total putting him up to 14 points in five games, let's be honest that's just incredible. Despite their game one loss, the Wranglers came in guns blazing and forced the Americans into Overtime where they(Wranglers) would win the game by a score of 3-2. Denis unfortunately went pointless in that game, but he wasn't done just yet. Come game three and he was back at it again, tallying another point to help the Wranglers squeak in another win in overtime, with a final score of 5-4. For those that have lost count, Denis would now be up to 16 points in seven games. In the final game that's been posted, the Wranglers would look to put the Americans on edge and they would do just that. In a close game that would end 3-2, Denis would add an assist to his totals finishing this portion of the series with 17 points in 8 games, two points ahead of any other player in the playoffs currently. 

 

The Wranglers have been a high-scoring powerhouse team trucking through their opponents and looking like a very possible VHL cup winner. If the Wranglers and Denis can continue their rampage, I truly believe there will be no other team to take them down, regardless of who makes it with them to the finals of the playoffs. Do you agree that Denis is the Wranglers hidden gem in the playoffs? Who would you like to see be highlighted next? If there is a good enough response to this article I'll take your suggestion and make a highlight of them, but we want to hear from you! 

[iRockstar 307]

Playoffs have come on and gone and now we're on to a new season, but I'm not done talking about the old one just yet. Before, this article was all about the players, but this time around? I'm switching the game up just a little bit. Instead of featuring one of the best players in the playoffs, I'm here to highlight a manager that deserves a little bit of recognition for what he accomplished last season. Draper is a long-term member of the league and in my eyes, one of the most well respected members in the league. Despite some controversy that surrounded the playoffs and the 'simming' portion of things, Draper the general manager is absolutely a beast, and deserves a lot of praise for bringing the Titans all the way. Let's talk a little bit about the run and how it all became what it did, and how Higgins played the biggest part in all of it. 

 

Draper joined the Titans as general manager back in Season 42 after the Titans had a very rough campaign into the playoffs the season prior. Looking at the first two seasons of his tenure, it's obvious that the rollercoaster ride was only beginning. In Season 42, the Titans were the third best team in the league and took their division no problem, getting almost twenty points ahead of the second place Cologne Express. Despite destroying the Express in the regular season however, the team would end up losing to them in the second round of the playoffs and the Express would actually go on to win that season. No matter how it happened, it obviously took a toll on the Titans squad as the very next season was an absolute nightmare. Season 43 was an obvious rebuilding stage for the team, as with three players the team finished second last in the league, not even coming close to being in the playoffs. Because of this, some questions must have been raised but regardless Draper stuck around to see things through. 

 

The consistency was finally there, but not in the way Draper or anyone active on the Titans would have liked it to be. Despite being in a good rebuilding state, the players were becoming anxious as another below average season happened once again. Season 44 was rock bottom for the squad as they placed dead last and didn't even have a fighting hope. However because Draper had a plan from the get-go, he wasn't disappointed by this, as he'd pick up a top pick and continue moving forward with the rebuild. And this is where the story get's really good. Come Season 45, and now the team was back to full form. With a full roster including some of the best in the game currently and a bunch of major all-stars, the team rallied their way back to first in the division and actually placed first in the league. With nervousness of a possible repeat of their Season 42 performance, Draper was likely on the edge of his seat as the playoffs took place. However the Titans took the Dynamo with ease and made it to the finals after a bye week in the first round. Finally in the finals, this team was ready to overcome everything, that was until the series went to a game seven. Everything became a little antsy but despite the possible odds against them, the Titans would finally take home the championship and win their first cup since Season 27. Almost ten seasons later, the dream had become reality, and the Titans were ready to do it all again. 

 

Now jumping to Season 46, the Titans hadn't lost the steam they had from the previous season and Draper was ready to repeat. With nothing to lose and everything to gain, the team jumped into the season with a head of steam and eventually overtook their division and stayed there the whole season. At the end of regulation, they had repeated the same success from the previous season and topped the league with the best win/loss record and another opportunity to win it all in the playoffs. With another bye week, the Titans had some time to rest but there was so much practicing going on, that they didn't really take much time off to enjoy the week that they should have. With a repeat match-up from the previous season, the Titans would go on to almost sweep the Dynamo and move on to the finals where they would once again face the Wranglers. With controversy in mind, the Titans would end up eventually taking it all, being the first team since the Dynamo to win back-to-back championships. Draper is instantly a lock in my eyes for a hall of famer but he's not done yet, and to me he's only going to continue trying, possibly even trying to be the first ever GM to threepeat the championship win. Controversy aside Draper, you've got my vote as a lock for the HoF and I commend you on your great GMing over the course of almost eight seasons now. Keep on trucking, and doing your thing, let the haters talk while you win it all, again and again.