Hounds Bite Back: Playoff Hopes

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Hounds Prepare to Bite the Postseason

 

By Billy Maltball

 

Mississauga, Canada

 

It’s amazing that 66 seasons in, the VHL is still producing such amazing talent. Some of the greatest players to ever play the game have passed through the VHLM, and this season has been no different. Now, it’s time for each of these amazing players to analyze what they accomplished. Now, it’s time for them to dig deep and see what else they have left to give. Now is the most interesting time of the season.

 

The Mississauga Hounds, an expansion team that just played their first season in the VHLM, are thinking about how they can keep their momentum going. The Hounds finished the season sixth in the league, winning 41 games and losing 26 cleanly, with five shootout losses. This statistic does very little to show the fact that every player on the Hounds believes that they have the ability and the grit to go all the way to the finals. That’s no easy task, either. The Hounds are currently set to face the number three ranked Ottawa Lynx in the first round in the playoffs. The Hounds have a pretty even record against them against them in the regular season. “We’ve proven we can beat them,” said Hounds forward Scott Greene. “We just need to show up and play like we have been. If we do that, we have the potential to knock them out.”

 

Ottawa, Home of the Lynx

 

We sat down with Greene in his apartment in Mississauga to try to get a general feel for the attitude in the Hounds locker room. “I would say our attitude is very positive. All of us feel like we can be champions, without a doubt, man. Our next opponent is Ottawa, and their good, but I don’t think any of us are worried about them. We played well against them, and we’re not the same team we were at the start of the season.” I asked Greene how he always ends up being the one we interview. He laughed and said “I don’t mind being the voice for the team. Some of the other guys don’t really have a love for it. Plus, you guys always come to me, so how could I complain?”

 

None of the teams will go down easy, but Greene is confident about all but one. “I think the only one that worries anyone is Saskatoon,” said Greene. “They were incredible scary in the regular season. Other teams, like Philly and Ottawa we can really bring it to, but Saskatoon has been the one that ends up being the roughest for us, and I can tell you that we all hoped we didn’t match up with them in the first.” Saskatoon has really impressed this year, sitting at number 4 in the standings. “It’s odd, I guess that we worry about them more than, say, Halifax. But historically, it's been tough against Sass,” said Greene.

 

We asked Greene how he thought his play has been and where he’d like to improve. “I could be a little finer with the puck, honestly. I have no problem getting the puck to the back of the net, but they tend to pick the puck off of me to easily. Watch for me to try to hang onto it a lot more in the playoffs! As for the rest of the season, I’ve been really happy with how I performed. I started out slow, but I think that was just a little hill that I had to overcome. Everyone has an adjustment period, and I finally got my feet under me. I really wanted to contribute to my team by scoring goals. Simple as that.”

 

The Hounds were ranked 5th in goals for and 6th in goals against in the regular season, and while Greene performed well, he wasn’t the leader. Leading the scoring force for the team is Callum McElroy with 107 points, a wonder to see on the ice. “He slices through the offense, man. It’s crazy, and I’m glad he’s getting the recognition he deserves as on of the leagues top scorers,” says Greene. Greene should know; he played most of his shifts on the first forward line with McElroy and left-winger Cody Smith back at the start of the season. Cody Smith is an amazing player in his own right, with 87 points this season. Backing them up is the Incredible Hulk Hogan, who led the VHLM in points for a little while during the regular season.

 

This is not the line that the Hounds have been excited about the most, however. The shocking growth of the second line, featuring McElroy, Dan Gles, and Berocka Sundqvist has been the magic touch many of the Hounds felt was missing. “I don’t want to touch whatever magic has been happening there,” said Hounds GM Jerry Garcia. “Man, like, those guys have been crazy.” The second line scoring pulled the Hounds out of a slump in the middle of the season and elevated them to the place they are now. “Sundqvist was really a surprise, to be honest. He came in and started kicking ass right off the bat. He gave us a ton of momentum,” said Greene. If they can keep the momentum, they could upset the higher-ranked Ottawa.

 

James K. Polka’s first album cover, Weird as Polk

 

The Hounds are looking to go to the finals, but they have plans in case it doesn’t go the way they want. “I know Hogan and DeYeeto are getting ready to launch their acting careers, and the other boys have their own plans, but I was planning on buckling down and getting something going with my band again,” said Greene. “We had to put it on hold during the regular season, but playing music has always been a passion of mine. With any luck, I’ll be able to go home with a trophy to look at while I write new songs!” Greene, who plays U.S. President-themed polka music under his pseudonym James K. Polka, has released three albums and one EP to date.

 

With the season over, all that remains is for one team to put their names into the history books and win it all. The pressure can very easily get to the players involved, but, at least in Mississauga, we know spirits are high.

 

 

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1061 words, claiming for weeks of 6/17-6-23 and 6/24-6/30.

 

 

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VHL.com article and media spot for playoffs done. Claiming for bonus 2 tpe. Link to VHL.com article: 

 

Edited June 18, 2019 by DoktorFunk

[DoktorFunk 810]

Claiming for second week