VHL Headlines

[STZ 5,360]

VHL Headlines
WRITTEN BY DRAPER
 
This article series covers the top story of the week. It is usually the first article in the magazine and is used to captivate reader's into continuing through the rest of the Magazine. While it's not the feature article, it is more times than not, the cover story.

Edited October 5, 2015 by Molholt

[Boragina 89]

On September 24^th 2013, there was a serious online attack on our old website, presumably to put an end to the Victory Hockey League for one reason or another. All logical thinking points to a (now former) member of the league that was upset both with the league and probably in his/her own life as well. As a result, we lost connection to the league save for the few members that still remembered our first board. Once most of the league’s core group of members got together and began to rebuild the league.

 

By September 26^th, our new place of operations was begun and soon it was a full-scale operation to save the league that we all love and enjoy so much. Everyone from the computer wizards to the graphic designers to the people that only understand how to copy and paste things from one place to another started to move pages upon pages of information vital to the running and historical understanding of the league. Here we are now, roughly three weeks after it seemed that we had lost everything, about to embark on the 35^th VHL season. There are too many names to name here, and I don’t want to single people out and leave others who definitely deserve the recognition out of the equation, so to everyone that made this transition possible, thank you!!

 

Without all the links to past seasons, writing up a proper preview to the season may prove difficult, but I shall try!

 

The North American conference is shaping up to be a competitive race for the three playoff spots that are up for grabs. Looking at things from a purely TPE standpoint, it would appear that the Wranglers are going to continue to prove to be a powerhouse and vie for the top spot in the conference along with the up and coming Quebec City Meute. Of course, the Seattle Bears are finally on the rise after a few seasons along the bottom of the North American standings and along with the Toronto Legion, who are led by all-star goaltender Remy LeBeau. With only three players currently signed, the New York Americans should be a lock for the bottom of the NA. Standings Predictions: 1) Meute 2) Wranglers 3) Legion 4) Bears 5) Americans

 

The Helsinki Titans have been head and shoulders above the rest of the European conference for a long time now, and that really should not change this season. After them, it really will be a dog fight for the two remaining playoff spots. The Cologne Express have finally built themselves up from expansion, bottom-tier team to playoff team. Davos Dynamo and the Vasteras Iron Eagles will also prove that they deserve playoff berths with some excellent play this season. The Reign will ultimately fall short in this extremely competitive conference. Standings Predictions: 1) Titans 2) Express 3) Davos 4) Iron Eagles 5) Reign

 

With the league just getting back underway, keep your eyes on the Announcements section. With the all new board and everything just starting to gather steam, there will be new bits of news and announcements made! We’re Back!

[Boragina 89]

Despite all the setbacks, the thirty-fifth Victory Hockey League season is well underway! It is still extremely early in the season, with all but two teams having played fifteen times, but it has already started to create some very interesting story lines for the season!

 

As most might have guessed, the Quebec City Meute have managed to jump out to a very strong start. Having lost just one time so far this season to the Vasteras Iron Eagles, the Meute are currently sitting in first place with a 14-1 record. Their offense has been clicking well, scoring at just under four goals per game while allowing just two per game. They are being paced by the Calgary Wranglers, who sit just five points back of the Meute, while playing with the same high level of play as the Meute. Calgary certainly has their offense figured out, with four of their players currently ranked 1-4 in league scoring. Within the top ten, we have the four aforementioned Wranglers (Wozniak, Rybak, Marcellin, Salmon), and four Meute players (Martucci, Grigorenko, N.Valiq, Clifford). By seasons end, expect one of these two powerhouses to remain atop the conference.

 

The Toronto Legion have nestled themselves comfortably in the last and final playoff spot early on, and currently have a sizeable lead on the fourth place New York Americans, and Toronto should have no problems holding that position as the year goes on. With an all-star goalie in Remy LeBeau, who currently is one of the top goalies in the league,  and should be able to push the Legion into the playoffs. After the recent firesale, the New York Americans faithful should not be too hopeful for a playoff push, and the Seattle Bears just have not been able to find a way to get things going so far this season. Seattle may be able to push for a playoff position, but Toronto should be able to hold on at years end.

 

In the European conference, the race for the playoffs has actually become a race for the playoffs! Many believed that the race would be a tight one, but one would also probably assume that the Helsinki Titans would end up the champions after their seasons of European domination. The start of the season has them sitting just four points ahead of the surprising upstart HC Davos Dynamo. Davos sits just barely ahead of the Iron Eagles, who in turn, are tied with the Cologne Express for 3^rd in Europe. Despite the massive amount of losses, Riga is just five points back of third, and only twelve points behind the Titans for first place. The Titans will really need their offense to catch fire if they have any hope of putting any separation between them and the rest of the conference. The other four teams need to just keep working hard and plugging along and their opportunities will come.

 

No other major news from the league this week, but always check the announcements section because sometimes announcements gets lost in the shuffle! Until next week! 

[Boragina 89]

Hockey has to be one of the greatest sports on Earth because of its incredible ability to be completely unpredictable. When one turns on a soccer game, or a football game, the winner of the match has almost always already been decided. In hockey, the unpredictable should always be expected and it is more than true this past week in the VHL.

 

After an extremely hot start to the year, the Quebec City Meute cooled down tremendously since the last issue of the Mag. A 7-5-1 record over the past week have seen the Meute go from sole possession of the North American conference to tied for second place in the conference. The Calgary Wranglers have had a steady season so far, and have made for an extremely tight race in the NA conference. The Toronto Legion have shot up from third place to take over the lead, ahead of both the powerhouses in Quebec City and Calgary. The extremely close race for first place won’t last the entire season, but for now it is extremely entertaining to watch. Niklas Lindberg is currently having a career year, with twenty one goals and fifty five points in twenty nine games played for the Legion this sseason. Combine that statline with Remy LeBeau’s stellar performance in goal, and there shouldn’t be any shock to see that the Legion are doing so well so far.

 

After a slow start to the season, the Helsinki Titans have finally broken away from the rest of the pack. They currently lead the European conference with 44 points, and own a thirteen point lead on Davos, who sit in second place. With the Titans having a near ninety nine percent chance of making the post season, it isn’t the case for the other three teams competing for the last two playoff spots available. Just four points seperates the second place Davos and the fourth place Iron Eagles. Despite this, the Cologne Express, currently third have been quietly having the second best season in Europe. They are currently one game under .500, but are the only other club in Europe with a positive goal differential. If they can keep up this steady play, they should have no problems qualifying for the playoffs, and building off of their first ever playoff’s last season. Davos will have to get it together defensively if they hope to reach the post-season.

 

There was one minor league trade this past week, where the Iron Eagles traded away a second round pick to the Riga Reign in exchange for Jesper Hellkvist and a Riga third. A depth move that should hopefully help Vasteras down the line, while Riga acquires a mid-2^nd round pick. The free agency class might have one of the biggest names in the VHL joining it, as current Helsinki Titans captain Ethan Osborne has yet to sign a contract extension in the Finnish capital. Despite a desire to play his entire career in the only city he has known, younger players and newer players might force out the veteran centreman. Tune in next week to get an update on the situation!

 

 

 

My bad steezy. Thought I hit post last night

[Boragina 89]

Welcome back to another exciting edition of the VHL Magazine! Before we get into the mag, I would like to quickly point out an exciting announcement made by the new editor of the mag, STZ! To all those who missed it, the VHL Magazine will halt regular production of the mag in order to release two separate special editions! What does this all mean? Well, next week will feature articles dedicated to the North American Conference! That’s right, an entire edition of the mag dedicated to the five teams that make up the western half of the VHL! The week after, it shall be dedicated to glorifying the European conference! Everyone will get a special in-depth look at each of the ten VHL franchises from the point of view of one or two magazine writers! Please get your orders in now for both of the editions, because it will not be something you want to miss!

 

How about the Calgary Wranglers this season? Everyone probably expected the Wranglers to have a good season, but everyone knows that it cannot last forever. Well, the Wranglers are going all out this season and have managed to claim top spot in the league. While the goaltending and defensive play has been quite solid this year in Calgary, allowing the third least amount of goals against with seventy five, it has been the offensive power that has really been on display. They lead the league with 164 goals so far this season, currently 18 more than the next highest scoring team, the Quebec City Meute. Entering his seventh pro season in the VHL, Michal Wozniak is having a career year to be sure. Acquired in the offseason for a future first round pick, Wozniak has stepped into Calgary and formed one of the most dominant offensive lines with Volodymyr Rybak and Chico Salmon. Wozniak currently leads the league in both goals (38) and points (85), 11 more points than his linemate and currently 2^nd in scoring, Volodymyr Rybak.  If you want an exciting and high scoring game to watch, any of the future Wranglers games will not disappoint.

 

The only question moving forward is can this high octane offense continue to produce at a consistant level. Rybak, Wozniak and long-time Calgary Wrangler, centre-turned-defenseman Clark Marcellin all currently play more than 30 minutes a night. If they were a few years younger, it would be easy to see them taking those minutes and coming back strong every night. As older guys, do they have enough left in the tanks to play so much during the regular season, and continue to do this during the playoffs? Should the offense start to drop off even a little, Calgary will be able to rely on Alex Labatte. Labatte has had a stellar season so far, posting a 93 save percentage and a 1.89 goals against average, both good enough for second place amongst goalies. He already has seven shutouts on the season, and has even managed to get himself invovledi n the offense, having three assists credited his way this season. The combination of offense and goaltending will have to be perfect if Calgary hopes to take home the Cup for the first time since S30.

[Boragina 89]

Well wasn’t that all a pleasant break from the normal routine! Welcome back to a regular edition of the VHL Magazine! We here at the Mag appreciate all the positive feedback we got from our previous two special edition magazines. We hope you enjoyed both of them, and we hope to get two special editions in every season from here on out! More information on that coming soon!

 

Well, another season has come and gone and we all now have to patiently await the crowning of a new champion. That’s right, it’s playoff time! The Seattle Bears, Vasteras Iron Eagles, New York Americans and the Riga Reign had their shot at glory, but must now focus on their golf swing! That leaves us with six possible challengers for the Continental Cup!

 

The Quebec City Meute managed to land the top spot in the conference over the extremely dangerous Calgary Wranglers. Along with winning the conference, they also managed to claim the Victory Cup, awared to the top regular season team. Thanks to their strong play in the regular season, they have earned themselves a bye into the second round.

 

In order to face Quebec City in the Conference Final, the Wranglers will have to take on the Toronto Legion. The Legion, who barely missed out on the playoffs last season, probably have the toughest road of any of the VHL teams to the Continental Cup. Goaltender Remy LeBeau has been outstanding for the Legion this season, with a less than two goals against average and a .923 save percentage. Of course, they will be taking on one of the most offensively gifted teams, headlined by Michal Wozniak. Should Toronto manage to take out the Wranglers, they have a fresh Meute team waiting for them on the other side. LeBeau will have to find a way to shut down the man who had a goal per game this season.

 

The Helsinki Titans found themselves in familiar territory when the season ended, as they took the European Conference for the third straight season. They weren’t the best offensive team this past season, but Tuomas Tukio put the team on his back and carried them to the top of the conference.

 

The Cologne Express will be looking to build off their shorted playoff from last season. They have been on the rise since they expansion into the VHL back in S31, and finally look like they pose a threat to the other VHL franchises. Standing in their way of their first ever playoff victory is the HC Davos Dynamo. Davos had the goal scoring this season, but lacked the defensive play to truly solidify them as a team in the top half of the overall standings. This will be yet another goalie vs player battle, as Kameron Taylor will be looked at to build off of his amazing regular season. Rookie goalie Lennox Moher will have play a bit better than he did during the regular season. His first in the league wasn’t bad by any means, posting a 2.59 goals against average and a .904 save percentage, but it will have to be better if Davos hopes to advance.

 

With the conclusion of the playoffs comes the VHL entry Draft! Tune in next week to get a sneak peak as we have a more draft centered edition!Well wasn’t that all a pleasant break from the normal routine! Welcome back to a regular edition of the VHL Magazine! We here at the Mag appreciate all the positive feedback we got from our previous two special edition magazines. We hope you enjoyed both of them, and we hope to get two special editions in every season from here on out! More information on that coming soon!

 

Well, another season has come and gone and we all now have to patiently await the crowning of a new champion. That’s right, it’s playoff time! The Seattle Bears, Vasteras Iron Eagles, New York Americans and the Riga Reign had their shot at glory, but must now focus on their golf swing! That leaves us with six possible challengers for the Continental Cup!

 

The Quebec City Meute managed to land the top spot in the conference over the extremely dangerous Calgary Wranglers. Along with winning the conference, they also managed to claim the Victory Cup, awared to the top regular season team. Thanks to their strong play in the regular season, they have earned themselves a bye into the second round.

 

In order to face Quebec City in the Conference Final, the Wranglers will have to take on the Toronto Legion. The Legion, who barely missed out on the playoffs last season, probably have the toughest road of any of the VHL teams to the Continental Cup. Goaltender Remy LeBeau has been outstanding for the Legion this season, with a less than two goals against average and a .923 save percentage. Of course, they will be taking on one of the most offensively gifted teams, headlined by Michal Wozniak. Should Toronto manage to take out the Wranglers, they have a fresh Meute team waiting for them on the other side. LeBeau will have to find a way to shut down the man who had a goal per game this season.

 

The Helsinki Titans found themselves in familiar territory when the season ended, as they took the European Conference for the third straight season. They weren’t the best offensive team this past season, but Tuomas Tukio put the team on his back and carried them to the top of the conference.

 

The Cologne Express will be looking to build off their shorted playoff from last season. They have been on the rise since they expansion into the VHL back in S31, and finally look like they pose a threat to the other VHL franchises. Standing in their way of their first ever playoff victory is the HC Davos Dynamo. Davos had the goal scoring this season, but lacked the defensive play to truly solidify them as a team in the top half of the overall standings. This will be yet another goalie vs player battle, as Kameron Taylor will be looked at to build off of his amazing regular season. Rookie goalie Lennox Moher will have play a bit better than he did during the regular season. His first in the league wasn’t bad by any means, posting a 2.59 goals against average and a .904 save percentage, but it will have to be better if Davos hopes to advance.

 

With the conclusion of the playoffs comes the VHL entry Draft! Tune in next week to get a sneak peak as we have a more draft centered edition!

[Boragina 89]

All great journeys must come to an end, and yet another has finally come to a close here. The 35^th VHL season is now in the books and we finally have a crowned champion! The Quebec City Muete became the first of the two newest VHL franchises to win the Continental Cup, as they defeated the defending cup champs, the Helsinki Titans in six games. Quebec City managed to turn itself from nobodies to champions in just a five season span, an incredible pace that most franchises around the globe wish that they could imitate! Congratulations go out to Koradek for building this championship team and the rest of the Quebec City squad on an amazing season! Congratulations must also go out to Higgins and the Titans, the runners up in the final.

 

With the playoffs finally under wraps, we can finally move on to the newest offseason event! Announced a while back, the league is set to start its first ever VHL Super Cup! The new triennial tournament held its first draft starting on December 2^nd, with picks running as late as the last few days! The teams are almost done selecting, and the games will commence as soon as this gets done! Ethan Osborne was the first overall selection during his rookie draft, and has followed it up with a repeat at first for the inaugural Super Cup. To get a complete look at where your favorite VHL players might have ended up, please check out the draft thread in the Super Cup section of the board!

 

When the Super Cup is finally over, the league will finally move into the offseason! While most of the time is spent doing unpleasant league related work, two of the biggest times of the season occur: free agency and the VHL Entry Draft! Thanks to the recent signing of Ethan Osborne, the top end talent of the free agent class of S36 dropped. Chico Salmon, Smooth Jive, Odin Tordahl, Guido Schwarz Esq., and Yuri Grigorenko all headline the upcoming class, with all of the mentioned names currently have no contracts in place coming into next season. Salmon and Grigorenko should be resigned before the market official opens, but there are never any guarantee’s in the world of hockey.

 

Please be sure to check out the Announcements section to get up to date on the latest VHL sanctioned event, the Twelve Days of Christmas! Once again, thank you all for supporting and reading the magazine each and every week! We hope you all enjoyed our three special editions over the past few weeks and please feel free to let us know how we did! 

[Boragina 89]

We are finally well into the off-season, and one of the major events that currently headline it is almost upon us! The Super Cup draft has finally finished, and the teams are all ready for the first of many successful Super Cup tournaments! The Mag will try and have everything covered as the tournament goes along, which is set to start Thursday the 18^th. Best of luck to all competing players and the general managers as well!

 

The beginning of the off-season always means that teams are going to shake up their rosters. It could be a move from the current Cup champs or a blockbuster deal orchestrated to send a cellar dwelling team sky-rocketing up the standings next season. Calgary opened the trading when they acquired Keiji Toriyama from the Seattle Bears in exchange for the rights to pending free agent Felix Zamora. Zamora has shown interest in still hitting the free agent market, but the move does free up some cap space for Seattle in the future.

 

The Vasteras Iron Eagles missed out on the playoffs this past season, and have made a deal that should help them along in getting back into the post-season. Despite their failed season, Vasteras general manager Thomas Corcoran elected to trade away their first round pick. The fourth overall selection in this years Entry Draft was traded away to the Riga Reign who sent back Colognes first round pick (7^th overall), and two second round picks (11^th and 13^th overall) as well as veteran winger Damian Sandow. While trading down might not seem like the best move for Vasteras, they pick up a couple extra draft picks in hopes of acquiring a young player that may turn this franchise around. Sandow was also the best Reign player this past season, scoring 23 goals and 18 assists, being the only player on the team to break double digits in goals.

 

Vasteras wasn;t done making deals, as they quickly had another one in place not even thirty minutes after they announced the first one. This time, they acquired Zach Cuff and a third round pick from Cologne in exchange for Cologne’s 2^nd round pick and a future Vasteras second. Cuff had 24 goals and 54 points in 72 games last season, which would have been good enough for fourth on the team. Along with Sandow, hopefully both players can add some much needed secondary scoring to this Vasteras team.

 

I hope all of you have enjoyed the special editions that the Mag and all it’s writers have put so much work into over the last couple of weeks because there might be another! That’s right folks, next week’s edition of the VHL Magazine will be focused on the upcoming VHL Entry Draft as well as the always exciting free agent market!

[Boragina 89]

It’s that time of year again folks. The champions have had their fun with the Cup, while the other nine teams in the league have had some time off to reflect on the season that just finished. The off-season is over, the rookies have begun to settle into their new homes and teams while the free agent signings get used to cities that they had to play against. The Quebec City Meute have the honor this year of trying to defend their Continental Cup that they won from nine other hungry teams all chomping at the bit for a chance to skate with the Cup above their head at the end of the season. The thirty-sixth VHL season is underway!

 

This just could be the tightest season yet! Aside from one extreme outlier, the entire league is separated by just eight points. The only team that will not have a shot at the Cup this year will be the Calgary Wranglers. After many seasons of competitiveness and a will that could not keep them out of the playoffs, the Wranglers brass have finally had no choice but to throw everything to the wind and go out for a full blown rebuild. After losing four of their top players to retirement, combined with losing their top two prize young players to Free Agency (Zamora to QC, Salmon to TO), Calgary general manager Jason Glasser will try to attempt to build a winner through the next couple of drafts. Good luck Jason, and it will be no time at all until Calgary is once again contending for the Cup!

 

It is an absolute free-for-all in the European Conference! HC Davos Dynamo have jumped out to a lead in the conference, but don’t expect that to hold up for long. That isn’t a slight against the Davos team, but considering that every team in the conference has at least three wins points that first place will not be a very secure position. The Titans currently hold the second spot in the conference thanks to a 5-3 start to the season, but lead only by two points over both the Vasteras Iron Eagles and the Cologne Express, who sit tied for third with eight points. Cologne will need to pick up more regulation wins and not depend on the single points picked up in OT losses to carry them throughout the season. Riga may currently sit last in Europe, but they are just two points back of Cologne and Vasteras. Stringing together a couple wins or losses may very well mean the difference between first and last place this season.

 

With the Calgary Wranglers securely out of the playoff race, the other four teams that comprise the North American conference have a tiny bit more breathing room, as they have one less team competing for a playoff berth. Quebec City is doing an excellent job presenting its case as to why it should repeat as champions starting the season off with a 7-1 record. The Toronto Legion have done an excellent job building its team, and are really being rewarded currently sitting second I nthe conference with nine points. The Seattle Bears currently occupy the third and final playoff spot, sitting just one point back of the Legion. The New York Americans are currently on the outside looking in, but will need to play some better defensive hockey if they hope to advance to the post-season.

 

With such an even early standing, it truly is hard to predict a favorable champion this early on in the year! This season has the makings of being one of the more exciting and unpredictable ones in recent memory! Stayed tuned and don’t forget to read the Magazine each and every week to keep up to date with all the latest scores stories and rumors floating around the VHL!

[Boragina 89]

This past week, the focus was really on the promotion and building of the junior league of the VHL. Aside from those actually IN the juniors, the VHLM is generally kicked to the back of the league and left there to finish out without much noise or anything else that would suggest that it actually is still around.

 

With that in mind, usually the managers of the VHLM teams are forgotten, or at the very least, not given the credit that they deserve for bringing up and raising some of the great young talent trying to enter the league. As such, there never really seems to be a member willing to stick it out long enough managing the minor league teams, creating a revolving door for most of the positions in the VHLM. Well, the Commissioner of the VHLM, Thomas Corcoran, has decided to implement an incentive program. For every player that a manager helps achieve 50 TPE, that GM will be rewarded with a bonus TPE for his own player.

 

Corcoran wasn’t finished trying to build up the ‘M, as he also announced a reform to the current waiver system that is in place. In the past, it has been general practice for certain teams to not use their waiver pickups in hopes of picking up a player already represented by a long standing member of the VHL, leaving newer members to wait and wait and wait for their players to be picked up prior to the draft, which usually results in that member walking away from the league. To try and combat that, Corcoran has decided that after a forty-eight period if a player still has not been claimed, that they will be assigned to a VHLM team based on positional need determined (presumably) by the commissioner.

 

It seemed that the growth of the junior portion of our league seemed to stem all the way from the VHLM to our very own Blue Crew as well. Or did the Blue Crew have a positive effect on the VHLM Commissioner? A few days before the VHLM announcements, the Board of Governers have elected to go it a step further during the recruitment process. Recruitment has always been a top priority for the league, as without new members, the league will not be able to survive for too long. Recognizing this, the BOG have announced a contest for the fans to create recruitment videos – essentially, what the VHL is, and how things work around here. This is a message to all the artsy people we have in the league to please start creating and bringing in the new blood!

[Boragina 89]

After such a strong start to the season which saw almost every team as a potential playoff threat, the mid way point of the season paints a slightly different picture.

 

The European Conference has really settled down, and there is now a more clear idea of who will be making the post-season. When the season started, just four points separated the then top seeded Helsinki Titans from the fifth place Riga Reign. Fast forward half a season and only one of those facts remains true. The Reign still occupy the European basement, and sit ninth overall in the league standings. HC Davos has taken over the top spot in the conference, currently holding a six point lead over the Helsinki Titans. The one saving grace for the Titans has to be their defensive ability, as they currently have the third lowest goals against in the league, which should more than make up for their weaker offensive outputs. The battle for the top spot in Europe should go on until the end of the season. The Iron Eagles currently have a stranglehold on the third and final European playoff spot with a ten point lead over the fourth place Cologne Express.

 

Just like in Europe, we have a new top team currently in the North American Conference. After a few seasons of dismal displays of hockey, the Toronto Legion are finally being rewarded for the patience, currently sitting first place in the conference. They are battling neck and neck with the current Continental Cup champions, the Quebec City Meute. Just two points separate the two top North American teams. Toronto has been the better defensive team, while Quebec has won thanks more in part to their stronger offensive capabilities. Much like the race going on in Europe, this will not be settled until closer to the end of the year, where both teams are likely to switch places a couple teams before the season closes. That leaves just two teams effectively fighting for one final playoff spot thanks to the Calgary Wranglers effectively dropping out of the race before S36 started. The New York Americans currently occpy the final spot with a three point lead over the Seattle Bears. Both teams will need to rack up some crucial wins over the next couple of games to try and separate from each other.

 

The race for the Cup was slated to be a strong one since the start of the season, and it hasn’t disappointed. The race for the final spot in Europe seems to be evaporating quickly, but we will need to wait that one out for some end results. North America still seems to be going strong and there is still no clear cut choice for that final playoff spot.

[Boragina 89]

Well, ladies and gents, we are just passed the midway point of the season, and that means the VHL Trade Deadline is upon us. In the North American conference, the Toronto Legion and the Quebec City Muete have already claimed playoff spots, while the Calgary Wranglers, already having written the season off, have been officially eliminated from the playoff race. No team from Europe has gotten that coveted ‘x’ beside their name in the league standings, but there really should be no reason why HC Davos will not be making the playoffs, as they currently lead the VHL in the standings. Effectively, that leaves the New York Americans and the Seattle Bears battling it out for the final NA playoff spot, while Helsinki, Vasteras and Cologne fight tooth and nail for the final EU spot.

 

So, the question now becomes what do teams do on deadline day? Normally a day if inactivity thanks to the general separation that occurs within the VHL standings, the league finds itself in one of the closest battles for the post-season, and the Continental Cup, in some time. So, do the ‘big three’ of Quebec, Toronto and Davos try and trade away young talent for even better veteran players? Do the middle packers try to do the same thing, despite not being in a great position like the other three? Maybe we see a team or two throw it all away and starting to pack it in and get ready for next season!

 

The Cologne Express appear to be one of those teams trying to cash in on its misfortunes this season, being involved in all but one trade over the course of the past week or so. While not getting into the details of every single trade they have made over that time period, Cologne has managed to add Matthew Mira (from TOR), Jaden Button (from VAS), Magnus Hertzberg (from VAS), Jamie Shetler (from TOR), Edwin Encarnacion (from SEA), two first rounds picks in S38 (VAS and CGY) three second round picks in S38 (TOR, NYA, SEA) and a S37 2^nd (CGY) and 3^rd (HSK). You have to give to get, and Cologne was forced to deal Cody Inko (to VAS), , Nicolas Stormborn (to SEA), Lauris Prikulis (to VAS), Reggie Dunlop (to TOR), Tony Stark (to NYA), Greg Glass (to SEA) as well as a S38 Vasteras 2^nd round pick and the S37 HSK third.

 

The biggest deal of the deadline time has to go to Vasteras and the New York Americans. Despite still battling for a playoff position, New York has decided to forgo possibly moving forward through the playoffs by trading away one of its leading scorers in Keiji Toriyama and a fourth in the S37 draft to the Vasteras Iron Eagles, who trade away its first rounder in this upcoming draft, as well as a S37 HSK third round pick and a third in S38 and Damien Sandow and Guido Schwarz Esq. Both Sandow and Schwarz Esq. have had promising starts in their new uniforms, while Toriyama has continued to produce this season. At first glance it would appear that New York has this trade locked down for a win, but depending on the playoff performance that Toriyama and the Iron Eagles have, things could change very quickly.

[Boragina 89]

One of the closest VHL seasons to date is finally coming to a close. Some teams have five games left while a few others have just four, meaning we are right around the corner from the VHL playoffs. In each conference, two of the three playoff positions are already taken. One team has been eliminated from each side. That leaves just two more playoff spots available to four different teams. Who’s in and who is currently fighting for their lives?

 

In North America, nothing has changed since last week, as both the Quebec City Meute and the Toronto Legion continue to battle it out for supremacy and the always coveted bye into the second round of the playoffs. A single point separates the two current NA super powers, with each team still having five contests left in their schedule. Will it be the slightly better offence in Quebec that prevails or the marginally better defensive game that Toronto has provided all season long that sees them end the season on top?

 

HC Davos has handily won the European crown, so look for them to rest their big names in hopes a long and hopefully fruitful playoff run. Though they have had an amazing season so far, they will be in a tough position as they might have to come up against the always dangerous Helsinki Titans. The Titans haven’t had the dominating performance its fans and the rest of the league is used to, but they are a veteran club that has shown that it knows how to win. Should these two find themselves in a battle for the right to represent the European conference during the semi-finals, it should be an exciting affair and one that should garner quite a lot of attention.

 

Combine those four clinched teams and the already eliminated Calgary Wranglers and the Riga Reign, that leaves four teams still in deep combat for that final spot in the postseason. The real battle will be happening in the North American conference, as the Seattle Bears and the New York Americans are currently deadlocked at sixty-two points apiece and identical 28-34-6 records. The celebrations won’t last that long in either city should they make it as they will have to match up with two menacing opponents in Toronto and Quebec City. With an eight point lead over it’s opponents, the Vasteras Iron Eagles, the Cologne Express appear to have an easier path to the post-season. Though last week, it was predicted that the Express were ready to call it a season with a flurry of trades, they have managed to keep spirited and competitive and should be able to make the post-season yet again.

 

Tune in next week for all some in-depth VHL playoff coverage! Read for match-up previews, game analysis and much, much more!

[Boragina 89]

Despite the close competative games that occur during the latter rounds of the playoffs, the opening round has to be the only one that can be as exciting as the finals. In the VHL, six of the ten teams are left vying for the Continental Cup. The top two teams in each conference have been gifted with a bye into the Conference championship, almost making them the favorites to compete for the cup, leaving the remaining four teams to duke it out for the right to move on and face the top team in their conference. So just who would be moving on to take on the Toronto Legion of North America and the HC Davos Dynamo out of Europe?

 

Most would have pegged this series to be over in four or five games. The reigning VHL champs, the Quebec City Meute, finished just a point shy of the eventual victors of the North American conference, and were poised to quickly eliminate the Seattle Bears, who managed to just edge out the New York Americans. Seattle is on the up and up in the league, and this was surely meant to be a stepping stone on their way to eventual cup contention. Someone evidently forgot to give the memo to the Bears who gave all that they could against the Meute, who did finally see victory after a tough seven game series. Sebastian Ball Jr. paced the Seattle offense as he led the team in points and goals as well as leading the league with six goals during the series. Despite some pretty impressive numbers posted by Rift, the Meute will have to have its offense clicking at a better pace. It averaged just under three goals against against the team with the most goals against of all the playoff teams, and will be going up against the stingiest defense in the league in the next round.

 

It was an incredibily tight race throughout the entire season in the European Conference, and it would appear that we would have a tight series as the Cologne Express would be taking on the veteran Helsinki Titans. While the other series should have been a blowout, and this series was set to be a close match-up, the opposite happened. The Titans quickly and effectively dispatched their German rivals in a four game sweep that saw them out score their opponents seventeen to seven. Willie Weber was an absolute animal in the opening round as he managed to get himself in on ten (1-9-10) of the seventeen goals scored by the Titans. Captain Ethan Osborne has showed that time isn’t a factor for him, after scoring five times and adding four assists, good for second on the team. While Tukio was stellar shutting down the above average offense of the Express, he will have to stand on his head hoping to shut down the top scoring team in the league. If he can manage to keep the scores down against, maybe the red hot offense for Helsinki has a chance of just out producing its opponent.

 

Please stay tuned to the VHL Magazine for all your latest VHL Playoff action! Next Round: Quebec City @ Toronto for the North American crown, while the Helsinki Titans hope to push past Davos for the European title.

[Boragina 89]

The second round of the playoffs is over and we finally have our conference champions. The two top teams in each of the European and North American conference proved that they were the best teams during the regular season, and have once again shown that they are the top contenders. Both the HC Davos Dynamo had the first round bye that allowed them some extra rest and preparation as they headed into the playoffs. It seems like that extra time as crucial in deciding the champions.

 

In a series that was supposed to have ended after game’s four or five, the defending cup champs had found that they were in for a tougher set of games than they had anticipated. After a grueling and tiring seven game series with the Seattle Bears, the Quebec City Muete found themselves head to head with the Toronto Legion, fresh off of their first round bye into the second round. After taking game one by a score of 5-2, the Meute fans thought that maybe Remy LeBeau and the Legion would fall as easily as the Bears were supposed to. Instead, Toronto fired off three straight wins to take a stranglehold on the series. Quebec City managed to once again silence the Legion in game five, but would ultimately succumb to the Legion, losing the series four games to two.

 

The Helsinki Titans had absolutely no troubles eliminating the Cologne Express, and quickly silenced the German based team in a four game sweep. While not enjoying the complete time off like their next opponents, the Titans did managed to sneak in some much needed rest and extra practice before having to dance with HC Davos Dynamo. Outscoring their opponents by a combined score of six to one  through two games, Davos stormed out of the gate with a two to nothing series lead. That would prove to be the ultimate deciding factor in the series, as the two great rivals would go on to split the next four games, giving the series to Davos thanks to a similar four to two game series.

 

This sets up a very interesting and closely contested final! Both teams enter with a four and two record in this season’s playoffs,  and feature the league’s best offense against the league’s best defense as the two clubs battle it out for the Continental Cup. What’s most impressive is just how strong the Toronto attack has been since the playoff began. They had a strong offensive game during the regular season (ranked 3^rd in goals for per game), but was easily seen as a more defensive oriented team. For Davos, their offensive game will be key if they want to gain an advantage. It hasn’t been up to regular season numbers, but it will have to improve if Davos is looking to win.

 

 

 

Note: My bad STZ. Wrote this last night and just noticed that I didn't end up posting it

[Boragina 89]

Another VHL season has come and gone, and with it a new champion has been crowned. They managed to finish third overall in the total league standings, but claimed the top spot in the European Conference going into the playoffs. They had to beat out of one of the toughest and most veteran squads in the VHL en route to their berth in the Continental Cup final. They then defeated the top team in the North American conference in an exciting and dramatic seven game series. Congratulations go out to the entire Davos Dynamo organization! You had an amazing season, and good luck defending your title!

 

With the playoffs now over, the league starts to shift over and focus on the upcoming season. There are plenty of rookies looking to make their mark on all the VHL general managers as the VHL Entry Draft looms closer. At the same time, the older more veteran players that are on the ends of their current contracts have some very important decisions to make. The players decide a lot for themselves during the year with their play, but there is one thing that they do not control at all: trades. This off-season, the Helsinki Titans will finally relinquish control of the European conference, as they were involved in some of the biggest trades of the off-season.

 

The first deal of the day for the Finnish franchise trade away long time member Anatoli Zhumbayev and a second round pick to the Toronto Legion in exchange for two first round Toronto draft picks (S37 and S39). Zhumbayev is coming off a very strong season in Helsinki, as he recorded fourty-eight goals and 124 points this past season, scoring only less than teammate Ethan Osborne. Zhumbayev should be a welcome addition to the Legion locker room, and might be the piece they were missing that helps them win the Cup. The second deal for Toronto saw Quebec trade it’s S39 first round pick for goaltender Tuomas Tukio. With Skyler Rift having recently retired from the league, Quebec needed a top tier goalie if it hopes to compete with the Toronto Legion this season. Naomi Young was also dealt not long after the other couple of deals, this time being traded to the Cup champs, Davos Dynamo. Young was traded for two first round picks (S38 NYA, S39 DAV) and Davos’ second round pick in the S38 draft.

 

The final deal of the day for Mitch Higgins would be the one that took place with the Seattle Bears. After being the first ever selection for Higgins when he took over the team back in S31, a chapter in Helsinki Titans history is about to close. Team captain and franchise icon Ethan Osborne was traded away along with defender Willie Weber to the Seattle Bears for two firsts (S38 and S39 Bears), a second (s39 SEA) and defender Greg Glass. Osborne leaves the Titans as its highest scoring player ever and led the league in goals (65) and points (135) last season, which instantly put the Bears into contention country. Good luck to Ethan this upcoming season!

[Boragina 89]

With the VHL season right around the corner, there is always a ton of speculation and discussion as to how exactly the upcoming season will turn out. Will such and such a team make the playoffs? How will So and so bounce back after a bad season? Who will be the league’s top player? While there is nothing guaranteed this early, what’s the harm in a little bit of prediction?

 

Why not start out in the North American conference, home to some of the current threats to the VHL champions, the Toronto Legion, the Quebec City Meute and the Seattle Bears? The Legion have an extremely good shot at repeating as champions in North America as they still have a world class goaltender in Remy LeBeau. Most would argue the addition of Anatoli Zhumbayev also creates tons of chance for a repeat, but Toronto will have to fight through the loss of Nikita Lebedev, which drops them to just defensemen this season. Nipping at their heels will be both the Quebec City Meute and the Seattle Bears. The two clubs had a fierce first round match-up that the Muete won in seven games. Quebec City traded away some of its forward depth (Roberto Martucci) for some help on the blueline (Greg Glass) as well as picking up Tuomas Tukio to replace the now retired Skylar Rift. The Bears really want to win as they have gone out and had one of the most successful offseasons, acquiring veterans Ethan Osborne and Willie Weber from the Helsinki Titans in an effort to push their way past both the Meute and the Legion.

 

It really shouldn’t be much a race in the European Conference as the current VHL champs should have no problems running all over the conference. Considering their only real bit of competition last season has decided to go into a full-scale rebuild, not much is expected from some of the European teams. The race for that 2^nd playoff spot will essentially be a three team race with the Helsinki Titans out of commission for quite some time. The Cologne Express did make the playoffs last season, but they stood pat in terms of offseason acquisitions. Vasteras and the up and coming Riga Reign will be challenging for that final playoff spot so Cologne will have to play some exceptional hockey if it hopes to repeat.

 

The Calgary Wranglers and the Helsinki Titans are still out of the playoff running. Both general managers have committed themselves to rebuilding their franchise’s after seasons of playoff contention. The New York Americans are also in a weird place. They are a young team, but maybe youth won’t be enough to beat out the older and frankly better teams in Seattle and Quebec City. With a few older players cattered throughout the lineup, do the Americans hold onto their leadership corps, or elect to trade them away to bring in younger players?

 

NA Prediction: 1)Legion 2) Meute 3) Bears 4) Americans 5) Wranglers

EU Prediction: 1) Dynamo 2) Express 3) Iron Eagles 4) Reign 5) Titans 

[Boragina 89]

The thirty seventh VHL season is upon us ladies and gents. Last week was a time of prediction and simple speculation about what would happen during the season. We are just under a quarter of the way through the schedule, which helps to give a more refined glance as to just how true the old predictions were, and to make up some more. It is time to dive right in to some of the biggest stories going on the VHL right now.

 

The defending Continental Cup champs are proving exactly why they won last season. The HC Davos Dynamo have yet to lose a game in regulation so far this season, and have managed to grab a point in every game dating back to their three straight victories that won them the Continental Cup. Their offense has been lights out so far, having scored seventeen more times than the next highest team. The most interesting stat to me is just how well they are playing against the much stronger teams from the North American conference. They really shouldn’t have a problem taking the European crown, and the fact that they are playing so well against what appears to be their real competition should be an extremely positive sign for Davos.

 

The rest of the conference seems to be in a bit of a dogfight for those two last and final playoff spots. There are ust four points that separate the second place Riga Reign and the fourth place Vasteras Iron Eagles. The Cologne Express are currently nestled in that third and final spot, but will need to elevate their game if they hope to retain their position in the VHL playoffs. Their records are all very similar as are their defensive and offensive stats. It would appear that their fates will not be determined via beating up each other, but seeing who can knock off the only two teams lowlier than them.

 

The North American conference will be the place of action during this season with multiple races going on throughout the season. Not only will there be a battle for playoff positions, but there should also be a healthy race for just who will walk away with being the top team in North America. The Quebec City Meute were squeezed out of the spot last season, but look to be back in top form as they currently lead the NA Conference through their extremely stingy defense which currently ranks first in the VHL. Last edition, the New York Americans were predicted to be out of the playoffs, but they are showing that they maye just have what it takes at least early on in the season. The Toronto Legion have gotten off to a slower start than most imagined, but just give them some time as they will be looking to repeat that Continental Cup finals berth.

 

Lastly, the Titans have finally fallen. It was widely speculated that the team would struggle this year, given the massive fire sale durng the off-season, but the team has yet to win a single game so far this season, going 0-13 so far. 

[Boragina 89]

Well hockey fans, we are just under half way through the VHL season! A couple teams have already been eliminated from contention, but they were written off at the beginning of the season anyway! The other eight teams still have a long while before the playoffs begin, and just about anything can happen!

 

Last season, the race for the North American regular season crown was not an easy one, and it appears to be more of the same this season. The Quebec City Muete currently hold the top spot with 56 points, while the Toronto Legion trail by just two points and the New York Americans continue to chug along with 47 points so far. The Seattle Bears are right there in the thick of the on going race to the post-season, but sit just outside a pla

[Boragina 89]

Well hockey fans, we are just under half way through the VHL season! A couple teams have already been eliminated from contention, but they were written off at the beginning of the season anyway! The other eight teams still have a long while before the playoffs begin, and just about anything can happen!

 

Last season, the race for the North American regular season crown was not an easy one, and it appears to be more of the same this season. The Quebec City Muete currently hold the top spot with 56 points, while the Toronto Legion trail by just two points and the New York Americans continue to chug along with 47 points so far. The Seattle Bears are right there in the thick of the on going race to the post-season, but sit just outside a pla

[Boragina 89]

Well hockey fans, we are just under half way through the VHL season! A couple teams have already been eliminated from contention, but they were written off at the beginning of the season anyway! The other eight teams still have a long while before the playoffs begin, and just about anything can happen!

 

Last season, the race for the North American regular season crown was not an easy one, and it appears to be more of the same this season. The Quebec City Muete currently hold the top spot with 56 points, while the Toronto Legion trail by just two points and the New York Americans continue to chug along with 47 points so far. The Seattle Bears are right there in the thick of the on going race to the post-season, but sit just outside a playoff spot with 43 points. The Calgary Wranglers currently occupy the basement, but there isn’t much surprise there.

 

One of the most interesting notes about the North American conference so far is the fact that it’s current leader is one of the weakest teams offensively so far. The Meute have managed to score just over two goals a game so far this season. They have relied heavily on the play of their defense and goaltender, who have reacted extremely well to the dried up offense. Will Quebec City go out and look to land some more offensive depth or stand pat and hope that Tuomas Tukio can keep up his amazing play?

 

In Europe, we are seeing more of a one sided race to the top of the conference. HC Davos Dynamo are running away with the title so far this season, and still have yet to hit double digits in losses (regulation + extra time). With the Helsinki Titans already out of the playoff picture for the foreseeable future, and the Cologne Express struggling to find their game at the mid way point, the battle for second and third in the conferece rages on between the Riga Reign and the Vasteras Iron Eagles. Vasteras holds the edge at this point, holding a four point lead over their European rivals, as well as a vastly superior defensive game.

 

One has to assume that Davos finds their way back the VHL Continental Cup Finals. I also think that more people would assume that they are also a favorite to win as well. They are 13-2-1 against their own conference, and appear to have the most competition coming from the Quebec City Meute. They are stellar defensively and are currently the highest scoring team in the VHL. As good as the Meute have been, are they good enough to take down the machine known as the Dynamo?

 

The VHL Trade Deadline is nearly upon us, as it lands on April 7^th! Be sure to tune in that day for all last minute deals and moves as the teams start to gear up for a long and hopefully successful playoff push!

Edited April 1, 2014 by Boragina

[Boragina 89]

We are here once again. The season is just past the half-way point and it really becomes crunch time for all the league’s general managers. For those vying for playoff positions, the rosters will be looked over and over, trying to figure out what has been working and if there are any ways to improve what isn’t. At the same time, the teams that are currently fading out of the playoff race have to decide if they are going to try and make some moves to improve their clubs now, or cut their losses and sell off pieces in hopes of better luck next year.

The Riga Reign and the Cologne Express represent both sides of the coin. The Reign currently sit tied for second place in the European conference and the Express sit just outside the playoff picture. The Reign would love nothing more than to overtake the current top team in Europe in the HC Davos Dynamo, and secure themselves a bye into the second round. The Express on the other hand, sit eighteen points behind both the Reign and the Iron Eagles for the final playoff spot, and would need some extremely good luck in terms of both wins and losses for their competitors if they hope to reach the playoffs.

 

Instead of risking it all in hopes of what would be an extremely tough end to the season, it appears that the Express have made their decision on their future. They and the Riga Reign made a huge trade on deadline day that actually will have an impact on the rest of the season. The Express traded away core pieces in KameronTaylor and Malcom Spud, as well as veteran Guido Schwarz Esq. to the Riga Reign in exchange for two first rounds picks (S38 and S39) and a second round pick in S39.

The Reign were already an extremely strong offensive squad, and adding Kameron Taylor will only help that out. Taylor currently ranks tied for seventh in points (69) and third in goals (34). Assuming that Taylor is put out on a line with another one of the top scorers in the VHL in Mikey Blade, the offensive output from the Reign should only increase. The only problem the Reign have had all season is that their defensive game is the wrost out of all the current VHL teams that haven’t been eliminated from the playoff race. Malcom Spud should be able to come in and hopefully start to clean up a mess that has probably cost the Reign a few teams already this season.

The Cologne Express have had trouble over the past few seasons luring potential top free agents to their club. Instead, they have relied on their drafting game, which has gone extremely well since the franchise entered the league. By picking up the picks, they are again going back to what has worked so well for them in the past. Hopefully the new players are enough to help out the Express through short- and hopefully long term as well.

 

The rest of the league has been quiet on deadline and that just means that deals either fell through or the other general managers were content with what they have. Good luck to both these teams and hopefully they help both of the clubs! 

[Boragina 89]

We are just a few days away from yet another amazing and exciting VHL season! The race for the European conference is already over with eight to seven games remaining, leaving an extremely small time frame for those teams to shore up position within the conference! The top two teams in the North American conference are already ready for the playoffs, but the third and final spot is still being fought over!

 

HC Davos Dynamo looks poised to capture the top spot amongst the European conference teams. They currently hold a nine point lead over the second place Vasteras Iron Eagles, and it would take a serious late season collapse for the Dynamo to lose the top spot. They have been the best offensive team In the league for quite some time now, and when you combine that type of play with the fact that they are also the third best defensive team, it really doesn’t appear that they will be dethroned by the end of the season.

 

The Iron Eagles are still in a battle with the Riga Reign for who should be able to get that second seed in the conference and the right to home ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs. This isn’t to suggest that Vasteras can’t do it; it just seems extremely unlikely this late in the season. With a five point lead, the Eagles appear to have the upper hand, but they do have the extra game played. Riga also has a vastly superior offense, thanks in part to a deal made at the deadline for Kameron Taylor (9-10-19 in 13 games) and Malcom Spudd (7-14-21 in 13 games). The Reign will have to hope that their explosive offense is able to overcome the poor defense play they’ve shown so far.

 

After sitting in second place for a good majority of the season, the Toronto Legion have finally taken over the top spot in the VHL’s North Amiercan conference. They currently have a two point edge over their rivals in Quebec City, and they hope their play continues on into the post-season. The Meute have finally slipped from the top spot, but that doesn’t mean that they aren’t going to be regarded as top tier opponent. While the Legion have managed to vastly outscore the Meute by fifty goals at this point, Quebec City has managed to keep everything together thanks to some extremely impressive defensive play as well as outstanding goaltending from Tuomas Tukio. While it appears that the defensive game is usually the ones that wins come playoff time, it would only benefit Quebec City if they saw a couple more goals go in.

 

The New York Americans and the Seattle Bears have an extremely tough road ahead of them. While they fight for their playoff lives as the season starts to dwindle down, they must also realize that they will have an extremely tough post-season schedule, needing to go through both Quebec City and Toronto, as well as the champions of Europe. The Americans currently occupy the 3^rd and final playoff spot, but hold a slim three point lead over Seattle. The two are nearly deadlocked in terms of defense, so Seattle will have to hope to find some offensive game over the last little stretch if they hope to make it into the playoffs.

[Boragina 89]

The regular season is finlly over. For four teams, it is going to be a long offseason of reflection for both the players and the management. It will be a time to look towards the possibility of players or top office executives being moved and the acquisition of new players in hopes that they won’t be in the same position next season. The focus isn’t on those teams though. The focus is instead on the six teams that are left vying for the chance to call themselves champions. They have battled hard throughout the regular season but all of that means nothing. It’s time for a brand new season. It is time to start the VHL Playoffs!

 

While the other four teams will have to play an extra round to determine who will compete for the Continental Cup, both the Toronto Legion and the HC Davos Dynamo will get a chance to rest up and prepare for their opponents. The Legion won the North American Conference with a six point edge over the second place Quebec City Meute, while the Dynamo managed to decisively take the European regular season title by a fourteen point margin. While winning their respective regular season titles will look nice on paper, both teams are looking ahead to bigger and better prizes, like the top honor to represent their side in the Continental Cup final.

 

The Quebec City Meute held the top spot in the North American conference for a majority of the season, but a couple of costly late season losses forced them into second place where they will need now play an additional playoff round. Their opponents will be the Seattle Bears, who managed to claim the final playoff spot after a tight race with the New York Americans down the stretch. They will be in for an extremely tough match up with the Meute and will need to somehow down them early if they hope to rest up for that second round matchup with the Legion. The Bears did manage to split the season series with the Meute, posting a 4-4 record. The Meute also gave up 20 goals to the Bears in eight games, the third most against any team this season. Despite the sizeable point difference, it should be an even matchup and an exciting way to kick off the playoffs.

 

Sailing across the pond, we find that the Riga Reign and the Vasteras Iron Eagles were deadlocked at ninety-six points apiece. With a couple more wins to their names, the Reign will get home ice advantage throughout the first round. The Reign might have been the most offensively dominant team in the league this year, posting the most goals scored, they were also the weakest defensively out of all the playoff teams. The Reign will hope that their forutnes won’t follow what happened during the regular season, as they posted a 3-5 record against the Iron Eagles, though two of thoses losses did come past regulation. 

 

Coupling both of these two first round matchups, we should be in for quite an entertaining first round of playoff action. Both these teams had pretty even records against one another. The question now becomes: Should they manage to squeeze past their first round opponents, will they have enough to get through the next round? 

[Boragina 89]

The first round of the playoffs are now over and we finally have the second round matchups set and ready! 

 

The first round matchup between the Quebec City Meute and the Seattle Bears should have been a quick series. The gap between the two was eleven points during the regular season, with the Bears just managing to overcome the New York Americans for the final playoff spot during the last few days of the season. Instead, the two teams gave us an entertaining first round matchup that saw the series go the distance and was ended after a tough seven game series. The Meute held a 3 games to 2 advantage heading back to Seattle looking to close out the series, but the Bears managed to hold on to force game seven. Karsten Olsen scored just 20 seconds into the first and it was the only goal of the final game as the Bears eliminated the Meute to move on to face the Toronto Legion.

 

The Riga Reign and the Vasteras Iron Eagles finished the regular season tied with 96 points apiece. The only reason the Reign got the home ice advantage is thanks to a couple extra regular season wins. The two European clubs battled and alternated wins over the first four games of the series. Deadline acquiree Kameron Taylor won the fifth game for the Reign after a powerplay goal midway through the second period stood up to be the game winner. With their losses in the playoffs coming only in overtime, and game six headed for extra time, it appeared to be the same old for the Reign. Matteo Gallo had other plans and sent Riga through to the second round with a game winner just a minute and a half into the extra frame. 

 

Now that the first round has finally ended, we have the secind round matchups set. The Seattle Bears will travel to Toronto to take on the Legion, and the Riga Reign will have it tough as they face the VHL's top team from the regular season in the HC Davos Dynamo. The winner from those two will get to face off for the top prize: the Continental Cup!

 

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Not sure how long this one is. Using my gf's weird bootleg ver of Word that doesn't give me a word count. Not my best work and its outdated, i tried to just pull something out as quick as I could. feel free to use something else if you find something better than this quick article.