Claimed:Brampton falters with 0-2 start against Yukon [Reviewed]

[scoop 3,309]

Brampton falters with 0-2 start against Yukon

 

After finishing out the regular season with the best record in the VHLM, the Brampton Blades watched as the Yukon Rush beat the Ottawa Lynx in six games to set the stage for the North American Finals. Hoping to build upon their late-season success, the Blades looked to capitalize on their home-ice advantage to get an early lead in the series. Alas, it was the Rush who leave Brampton with the series lead, putting the Blades in an early hole.

 

Game One was a showcase in the difference in goalie caliber between the teams. The Blades had 44 shots on Ivars Klajums, but only Diana Maxwell managed to get the puck past him. Taking 16 shots of her own, Maxwell notched a hat trick to account for Brampton's three goals. She earned the first star of the game, but that was not quite enough to make up for Quinn Stevenson's lapse in net. The Rush scored four on just 22 shots. The offense came from an unexpected source for the Rush; Sterling Archer, who had just three points in the series against Ottawa, scored two goals and added an assist while Asher Donovan, the likely MVP, tallied just a single assist. For the Blades, Sven Wolf had three assists and won 25 of 36 face-offs.

 

Diana Maxwell's hat trick was not enough for the Blades in Game One.

 

In Game Two, Klajums once again demonstrated his superiority over Stevenson, who once again allowed four goals. Donovan played a more vital role in this win for the Rush, with two goals and two assists. The Blades scored just two in this game: Maxwell's fourth of the series and Theo Axelsson's first. Axelsson, who is projected alongside Maxwell to be a top two pick in the S50 VHL Entry Draft, also added six hits to bring his two-game total to 13. Jack Kraken, who had 58 points in 36 games with Brampton during the regular season, has been kept off of the score sheet thus far. One bright spot for the Blades was their penalty kill unit; the Rush managed to convert on just one of ten powerplays.

 

The Rush are looking to return to the finals for the first time since S41. During their first 11 seasons after joining the VHLM as an expansion team in S31, they appeared in the finals six times and won four championships. Success has been hard to come by since then, as this is just their third playoff appearance in the last eight seasons. Brampton, one of the better teams historically, has just one championship in the last 22 seasons. Despite this, they still have the second most of any franchise with seven Founder's Cups.

The Rush are taking a 2-0 series lead home to Yukon.

 

The Blades are currently down but not out. Although they are clearly outmatched in net, the potency of this Brampton offense is undeniable. They led the regular season with 277 goals, 29 more than the next highest (Yukon). While Donovan was the league leader in goals, Axelsson and Maxwell were just behind him. With Wolf in there to set these two up and Kraken hopefully providing another threat during the remainder of the series, there should be no rest for this Yukon defense. Eager to prove themselves as they head into their draft, Maxwell and Axelsson will be the two to watch out for. The Blades will also need Stevenson to at least perform a bit better if they want to get back into the series.

[Victor 10,668]

Making Yukon Great Again

[evrydayimbyfuglien 600]

Review: I was Brampton's GM for a short while. I told everyone to watch out for me in season 49 before being replaced. Glad to see my trades for draft picks finally paid off. Didn't notice any grammar issues or spelling problems. It was very well written. Nice job and keep it up, man! Best of luck in the rest of the playoffs and the draft.

[CowboyinAmerica 2,759]

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