Claimed: Toronto?

[DollarAndADream 3,357]

Fuck

 

Heading into the S56 Playoffs, the Toronto Legion were the favourites to win over the Calgary Wranglers. On paper, it looked that way according to the standings, with Toronto holding a 44-21-7 record. Meanwhile, the Wranglers were 20 points under them with a 35-32-5 record. That's barely a .500 team, but their battles during the season indicated they were more similar than they appeared.

 

During the season, Toronto was 4-3-1 against Calgary. The games were close, with scores of 2-0, 5-2, 2-1, 1-0, 3-1, 2-1, 2-1, and 4-2. Only one of those games went to a shootout, where the Wranglers were victorious. So looking at it all on paper, the playoff series between the Legion and Wranglers was going to be a close one.

 

---------------------------

---------------------------

 

Let's check out the series.

 

Game 1:

The Legion outshot the Wranglers 36-28 in this game, and Jacob was great. AK47 started off the 1st Period scoring the Legion's first goal of the playoffs at 8:51, assisted by Xander Finn and Daring Do. Towards the end of the period with 4 minutes left, Jim Lahey tied up the game off passes from MA Leblanc and Felix Savard. Both teams came out of there with a goal, with shots being even 12-11. The 2nd Period was an even affair as well, with Marc-Alexandre Leblanc putting Calgary up by one goal, then Toronto's Xander Finn tied the game up soon after that. The Legion outshot their opponents by 15-8, but could only come out of that period tied. In the 3rd Period, Max von Hohenzollern was the only player to score, putting Calgary up by one goal, 3-2, almost midway through the frame. That 3-2 score would hold, and Jacob would make 34 of 36 saves, holding the fort for Calgary's Game 1 victory.

 

Game 2:

The second game of the series was a different story all together. Once again, the Legion outshot the Wranglers, this time doubling them 40-20. Still, Calgary were the ones to open the scoring in the 1st Period on a shot by Marc-Alexandre Leblanc. A Luca Volkov penalty allowed right winger Verner Reinholdt to score on the PP, tying it up off a pass by Bo Boeser and Ted Doughty. Soon after that, a Jim Lahey penalty gave Roman Sokolov the chance to tie it, and he did, bringing the Legion to a 2-1 lead. Before the end of 1st, however, MA Leblanc scored once again at 18:48, knotting the game at 2-2. In the 2nd Period, there was only one goal and it was scored by Daring Do, assisted by Xander Finn and Dexter Lane. Toronto controlled that period with 11-2 shots. In the 3rd Period, it was more of the same, with the Legion outshooting the Wranglers 17-4. AK47 brought Toronto to a 4-2 lead early, and that 4-2 score held until the end of the game. Series tied 1-1. Ironside saved 18 of 20, and Jacob saved 36 of 40, both having a save percentage of 90%.

 

Game 3:

In the third game of the series, Toronto was looking to take a lead in this series for the first time, and they did just that. Overall, they controlled the game once again, outshooting Calgary 42-25. The 1st Period though was an even game, with shots being 16-14 in favour of Toronto. Roman Sokolov would score his 2nd goal and the only goal of the 1st Period, giving Toronto the 1-0 lead out of the 1st frame. In the 2nd, Daring Do scored her 2nd of the playoffs 49 seconds in on the PP, assisted by Roman Sokolov and Xander Finn. That 2-0 score would hold for the rest of the game, while the Legion controlled it as well, and Torstein Ironside would ride to a 20 save shutout. Jacob saved 40 of 42, otherwise this game could have been ugly for Calgary. 2-1 series for Toronto.

 

Game 4:

In Game 4, the tides would turn towards Calgary. They outshot Toronto 11-2 in the 1st Period, and Max von Hohenzollern scored giving them the 1-0 lead out of the 1st. In the 2nd Period, the Legion would battle back, with 2nd Period shots being 10-9 Wranglers. Verner Reinholdt would score 1 minute in, with assists to Ted Doughty and Bo Boeser. However, 5 minutes later, MA Leblanc would score yet another goal in this series, his 4th of the post-season, giving Calgary the 2-1 lead and that would hold until the 3rd. In the 3rd Period, Verner Reinholdt would make a pass to Bo Boeser who tied the game at 2-2, which was Boeser's 1st goal of the playoffs. This game would head to OT at a 2-2 score, and nobody would score in the 1st OT. 3 minutes into 2OT, Max von Hohenzollern would win the game with his 2nd of the game, giving Calgary the tie in the series, 2-2. Game on. Ironside saved 44 of 47 (93.6%) and Jacob saved 32 of 34 (94.1%).

 

Game 5:

After their big win in Game 4, the Calgary Wranglers would continue their strong play, outshooting Toronto once again in Game 5. The shots were 42-29 in favour of Calgary, surprising many, including the highly offense Legion. Marc-Alexandre Leblanc and Max von Hohenzollern would both score goals in the 1st Period, bringing Calgary to a quick 2-0 lead. At 14:04, veteran Ted Doughty would bring the Legion within 1 goal, and that 2-1 score held up until the 2nd. In the 2nd Period, Daring Do tied the game up with her 3rd of the playoffs. Towards the end of the frame, Do would take a penalty though and Titan Kronos gave the Wranglers a 3-2 lead, scoring on the PP. Early in the 3rd Period, Felix Savard would give Calgary a 4-2 lead. The shots were 14-7 in the final frame, and although Ted Doughty would bring the score to 4-3 with minutes left, the Wranglers held on to that 4-3 lead, to take a commanding 3-2 lead in the series.

 

Game 6:

Alright, the Legion are now on their heels, being the favourites and trying to bring this series to a 7th game. Something happened though, and Simon T Hockey Simulator didn't give a shit about the Legion's depth at forward, and their good defensive core. The weaker Calgary forward core managed to put up 65 shots to Toronto's 28. 65-28. In the 1st Period, the shots were 31 to fucking 6 for Calgary. Jesus fucking Christ. Although, Calgary only scored 1 goal by Luca Volkov on the PP. In the 2nd, Luca Volkov scored yet another goal on the PP from Titan Kronos, bringing the score to 2-0. Veteran Ted Doughty would bring the score to 2-1, but Felix Savard reestablished the 2 goal lead with a goal, bringing the score to 3-1. In the 3rd Period, Titan Kronos would score a heartbreaker for Toronto on the PP, bringing the score to 4-1. Dexter Lane brought the score to 4-2, but Calgary would hold on, and take this game easy. 6 PPs for Calgary might have helped that 65 shot total, but Toronto got handled in this game. Ironside saved 61 of 65, and Jacob saved 26 of 28. The Wranglers would take this game, and the series, 4-2.

 

 

So, now, it's on to the next one for Toronto and the Legion. Ted Doughty and AK47 will be retired this season, so there is some work to be done.

[Da Trifecta 1,902]

Correct name is Toront-no