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Victory Cup Champs wait for opponent

 

Helsinki, FINLAND - With the VHL's 66th Regular Season wrapped up, and a first-round bye giving them a break before action resumes, the Helsinki Titans, owners of the league's best record (55-14-3) patiently await their next opponent. While most would expect that the team is hard at work, running drills and video sessions 24/7, to prepare for either scenario - Davos or Riga - that is not actually the case. In fact, Hartwall Arena has not seen its lights turned on for days, as the team has been getting some much needed rest and relaxation. To go a step further, not only is the team getting some time off, but Captain Kronos Bailey, knowing the team would have the week-long break, managed to schedule a team retreat, taking the entire group to Santorini, in Greece.

 

Having some fun in the sun, the group is celebrating its Victory Cup Championship, as well as its two known award winners in Julian Borwinn and Matt Thompson, as the pair shared the Kevin Brooks award as co-leaders in league goal scoring with 51-apiece, while Borwinn took home the Mike Szatkowski Trophy as the league's run-away scoring leader, finishing 10-points ahead of 2nd place Jake Davis with 114 on the season. Both marks are team-highs since GM Matt Bailey re-took the role in Season 62.

 

Perhaps most in need of a break from hockey activity is starter Alexander Pepper, the team's star goaltender who looked strong going into the final game of the season, before being pulled for the first time in 64 starts. While the netminder holds all the confidence of his teammates, he was happy to be able to get away from past demons quickly after that start, hoping to buck past trends: "Maybe my head was already on the island, but it's definitely good not to have to focus on that. If we were back at the 'Wall, I'd probably be overthinking what happened in that game against Moscow, and driving myself mad trying to fix it. Instead, we're here, having a great time as a team, and getting some much needed mental relaxing. One of our goals this year, when we got on the roll we did, was to break 55 wins, so while we had the V-Cup locked up for a while, we were going hard to accomplish that, and it took, probably, more mental fortitude than just getting into the playoffs the last couple years."

 

Newcomer Matt Thompson is no stranger to regular season success, having been on the Victory Cup winning Bears the past 2 seasons, and finishing 1-point behind Riga for the league's top spot in Season 63. For him, the real work begins now: "It's nice to win the Victory Cup, as it's a 72-game grind, but nobody remembers the Regular Season Champs. I came here for one reason, and one reason only: to win a Continental Cup. This group has been unbelievable, right to the last man on the roster. We've put ourselves in the best position possible, but, from experience, I can tell you it doesn't guarantee anything. While it's nice to get away, I think Bails had a great idea bringing us out here. Every day the whole group has been together, so it's nice for everyone to continue bonding. To a man, everyone here puts the Titans ahead of themselves, so now it's time to finish what we started!"

 

The Titans will return to Finland after the first three games of the European Semi-Final are played, and then begin their on-ice preparations for their eventual opponents. Whether that's Davos or Riga, neither opponent seems to scare the Finnish side, as they are confident they can continue their winning ways. Only time will tell, for sure, but these Titans look poised to reach the VHL's ultimate summit: the Continental Cup!

 

Theme Week for Bailey

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