Rift vs Labatte - One Last Time!

[Devise 4,475]

Skylar Rift entered the league on a high note. Winning tons of awards in the VHLM, a gold medal as apart of Team USA in the World Cup and going on to win rookie of the year and a Continental Cup in his first and only season with the New York Americans. However another thing that Rift has seen as he entered the league is playoff battles with one of the best goalies of all time....Alexander Labatte.

 

S35 marks the last season for the future Hall of Famer. So it is fitting then....that Labatte and Rift will duel it out one last time in the post season. Rift and Labatte first met in the Continental Cup Finals in S32. That would be Rifts first trip to the post season...and in a epic 7 game series that saw 4 one goal games...Rift would barely out duel Labatte en route to the Cup. In that series Labatte and Rift both played equally inconsistent. Some stellar games, some bad ones...but it would be Rifts stellar outing in Games 5 and 7 of the series that would be the difference maker. 

 

The two would face off again in the post season the following year. S33 when Labatte found his way to the defending champion Americans and Rift would switch over to the Wranglers. This best of seven would determine who would walk out of the North American conference and get to play Europe for the Continental Cup. 6 of the 7 games in this series were one goal games. Both Rift and Labatte played excellent this entire series...but this time it would be Labatte who got the last laugh, out dueling Rift and taking the Americans in overtime of game seven for the last laugh. The series was as much of a goalie duel as you will find. 

 

Now enter S35. Rifts fourth trip to the playoffs in as many seasons....and the third time he has found himself against Labatte in a crucial series. Labatte now playing for the Wranglers, the team Rift left behind via free agency in controversial fashion at the end of S33. While the Muete hold the series lead, goal tending has once again been brought to the front as these two net minders face off. They traded shut outs in Games 1 and 2 and Rift has slightly out dueled Labatte in Games 3 and 4 to have a commanding lead. If history says anything, this series will go to seven. These two goalies have a knack for bringing out the best of each other in the playoffs, and this series doesn't look to be that different.