Work Doesn't Equal Results [1/2]

[FacebookFighter 67]

Our world is cruel and no one knows that better than Owen May. The Goaltender has been praised as possibly one of the hardest working goalies in his draft class. He's often found himself highly rated among GM's, Teammates and Selection Committees. But why have the results never followed? Today we're going to take a in depth look at the failures and short comings May has experienced as a goaltender.

 

Last season the Houston Bulls had a remarkable year. As s brand new team introduced to the VHL they finished the regular season in third place. They did so with a solid offensive core that stood out on the national stage. The Bulls finished third in almost every category except for overtime losses. With a top 4 d that had the likes of Jerry Garcia, who was drafted 7th overall to the newly founded Malmo Knighthawks and Beau Buefordsson who would be drafted later in the draft to stand in front of Owen May once more for the Moscow Menace. So May must have been a key contributor to the success down in Houston? Right?  Wrong!

 

May produced a .882 save percentage, a 2.99 Goals Against Average and tied for shutouts with fellow Moscow Goaltender Chase with four total. He faced 1800 opportunities which is a typical amount to face in 72 games but May failed to find consistency, a problem that plagues him still today with the Menace.

 

With the Menace, May has played a total of 24 games while sporting a .886 save percentage and a 4.01 Goals Against Average. It could be argued that May has faced many more shot opportunities than should be expected of a young goaltender. In Houston may faced an average of twenty five shots per sixty minutes, while in Moscow, May has faced ten more shots per sixty minutes. If the trend were to continue, May would face over four hundred more shots this season. So there's obviously some trouble in front of May that has left him out to dry but why is the blame put on May if there's statistical proof that May has been forced into a heavier workload?

 

Well his back up Chase has been showing up when called upon. The second leg of the rookie tandem has produced a .964 save percentage, which is extraordinarily high for a goaltender who has been one of the lesser active goaltenders in the league. In it's justification Chase has appeared in two relief appearances for May and has mustered one start as a third of the season has passed. He faces an average of 29 shots per 60 minutes, again a high stat but he has played a combined time of 115 minutes which is five short of a full two games.

 

So why can May not find the same results in front of adversity? It's unclear, Chase has been a better leader in the locker room and maybe that helps his defenders take shots for him. Only time will tell if May is a wasted pick and Chase is the goalie of the future.

[Renomitsu 933]

Review - I feel your pain - when my teammates perform below their TPE or we get put up against an opponent that just has our number it's frustrating.

 

In terms of writing, I always enjoy when players can bring statistics to back up their point, especially when comparing/ranking themselves relative to others or drawing stark comparisons to last season (e.g. your 'four hundred more shots this season' extrapolation). It really helps put the current season in perspective. As with all things, I'm sure this will rectify itself with time and as Moscow becomes more competitive.

[Matt_O 896]

In his last game, May had 51 saves on 56 shots. He'll come around