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Claimed: Riga v. Seattle an outlook [1/2]


Tyler

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Markus King and VVA have a longstanding rivalry. 

 

Riga and Seattle are set to take part in the first round of the VHL playoffs. The series should get underway in the next few days and the two teams are pretty similar in terms of their outlook. Riga entered the season with high hopes coming off back to back cups but it's become pretty clear over the season that it would take a minor miracle for a threepeat. The team is aging, and while they can still win games, it is very unlikely they do much damage. Seattle is an odd team because they are sort of stuck in the middle. They have not won anything with this current core but it seems to be a solid team. The question is how much longer can this core remain without a cup before they have to consider real radical changes.

 

The Reign are led by franchise player Fred Krigars. He has had another great individual season while the team has lost a step it doesn't appear the Latvian centre has lost much by way of ability. He had another 100 point season and should be a hall of fame player by the time his career is all said and done. John Locke had a down year and seems to be a victim of changes acorss the league. He had 37 goals but only managed another 37 assists for 74 points and if the Reign have a justification for their fall off this year it may well lay in the hands of Locke. While he has had a successful career in Riga, it seems he is probably on his way out after this season. Simply a player who's cap hit will no longer meet his ability. Otherwise Niko Bogdanovic made the switch to right wing this year and has had a great season. Almost point per game and is looking to have restarted his career as a forward. The team now relies a lot on defenseman Slava Aleksei as the only premier quality defender on a team hoping to win the cup. He had 61 points in 72 games while logging some of the most crucial minutes for the team. In the end, the team lacks the top end talent it had the last few seasons and cap crunch has led players to play out of position. Goalie Markus King looks as competent as always. A 34-22-8 record was a bit of a down year but he still had a .921 save % and a 2.07 GAA. He will not win any awards with these stats but he remains a quality goalie who can steal a series.

 

In Seattle we have a Bears team that finished with 85 points this year. The team is sort of in lux not sure of where to head in the future and with rumors flying about moves they could make they have to focus on the task at hand. The team has a lot more depth up front with Mattias Forsberg, Aleksei Federov and Gabriel McAllister all having more points this season then John Locke did for Riga. While veteran Shawn Gretzky has looked pretty mediocore at times this season he could be the x factor in a seven game series. Look for his experience to play a key role. The team is led on the blue line by Mats Jonsson a player entering his prime who had 59 points this year. The Bears lack depth on defense but then again so does Riga so it likely won't matter much. In nets, the Bears are led by controversial but steady goalie Vernon Von Axelberry who has a longstanding rivalry with Riga's goalie. He had a 35-23-5 record with a .912 save % and a 2.12 goals against. While his numbers are a bit behind Kings, he is a fierce competitor and should keep toe to toe with the Reign netminder. 

 

If hockey is hard to predict in real life it is doubly difficult to predict simulation hockey. STHS is so wild and unpredictable that sometimes you have no clue even if you think you do. In the end, it should be an entertaining series and it will be a changing of the guard. Riga has had a great run the last two seasons but the cracks in the armor are clear now and I think Seattle takes this in 7 games. 

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1 hour ago, Tyler said:

Seattle takes this in 7 games. 

There is no 7 games. To make sure the wildcard round doesn’t take a week every time it’s best 2 out of 3.

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3 minutes ago, TheLastOlympian07 said:

yea we are ending the chance of a threepeat today. sorry bro. still love you tho

 

You meant Gretzky's mediocre season will finish today, isn't it?

 

Edited by hedgehog337
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45 minutes ago, Banackock said:

Should be 1 each day for sake of fairness. 

It’s a wildcard round, the point is to get it done quickly. Having it last 3 days isn’t quick.

 

Some wanted it to be 1 and done so this at least accounts for STHS randomness a bit more.

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34 minutes ago, CowboyinAmerica said:

Now that we won and I'm not seen as bitter, just wanted to throw my two cents in that best of 3 is dumb. Especially if you're simming two per day, at least make it best of five so there's a chance for changes if someone performs poorly first sim.

Was my thoughts too. Before, during and after the series still. Be nice to be able to do some lines if you lose game 1 etc if it's a 3 game series etc. Or make it 5 and do 2 day 1 and yeah. 

 

But Beketov spoke on it and it is what it is. I just think there should be some form of fairness even if it isn't a shit playoff round between 4/5. 

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  • 2 months later...
  • DollarAndADream changed the title to Claimed: Riga v. Seattle an outlook [1/2]

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