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Ottawa Advances to VHLM Finals [1/2]


StamkosFan

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Pat Svoboda celebrates as he scores what will be the game-winning power play goal against Yukon in Game 7 of the Semi-Finals.

 

Heading into the VHLM Finals, the unlikeliest of contenders has emerged. Disregarded by many, the Ottawa Lynx have overcome their underdog status to win two series and face the Saskatoon Wild in the championship series. As the lowest qualifier in the standings, few, even within the Ottawa fanbase, believed that the Lynx had a chance, but they took the best-of-three wild card series against the Las Vegas Aces in two close games. However, according to the doubters, Las Vegas was on a completely different tier than the Yukon RushIn the latest questionnaire for the VHLM press conference, players were asked if Ottawa had a chance, and the majority answered with a confident no. And for the first two games, it appeared that this consensus was correct.

 

Ottawa was shut out in Games 1 and 2, so the outlook was bleak. The Lynx played with fury in Game 3, knowing they couldn't fall behind to face elimination this early, mustering up 30 shots and edging the rush 3-2. And then they won Game 4 1-0, but this victory raised concerns and did not provide much reassurance. The Lynx put up a measly 6 shots, which was laughable to commentators and fans alike; they were fortunate netminder Finn Davidson had a clutch shutout performance, slamming the door on 19 shots. So it was not a big surprise when Yukon reestablished their lead in the series with a 2-0 shutout win in Game 5; all of their wins were decisive, allowing no goals against.

 

Facing elimination, Ottawa knew they would have to fight for every loose puck and every chance. They clawed their way back from a 2-1 deficit in the third period, and then Gritty's first goal of the playoffs won the match in Overtime. Against all odds, everything would come down to Game 7; they were 1 win away from advancement. With everything hinging on this game's result, tensions were high as the puck dropped. It was evident that the Lynx were going for an upset as they earned a 2-0 lead in the first two periods of the game, but Yukon refused to go down easily. They tied the game with two third period goals in a span of less than 3 minutes. With time winding down and 3 minutes left on the clock, it looked like this would be a repeat of Game 6 and would come down to overtime.

 

But Swedish right wing Pat Svoboda, a midseason acquisition for Ottawa, had other ideas as the Lynx were on a man advantage. Rocky LaGarza unleashed a blast, which was stopped, but the puck ended up lose. With impossible speed for such a burly figure, he scrambled to grab the puck and whipped it on net before Rush netminder Rhett Stoffiday had time to reset his positioning. The puck whizzed past his right pad faster than he could stretch out his leg to stop it, and Svoboda celebrated exuberantly. The Lynx killed out the remaining minutes, and just like that, the buzzer sounded. The Ottawa Lynx were the unlikely victors of a captivating series and would move on to the VHLM finals. Now, they will have the opportunity to win it all against the Saskatoon Wild. If there is one thing for viewers to have learned from their first two series, it should be not to count them out.

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  • 2 months later...
  • DollarAndADream changed the title to Ottawa Advances to VHLM Finals [1/2]

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