VHL Playoff Preview: Vancouver vs Calgary

[Matt_O 896]

Well, it's that time of the year again. The playoffs are upon us, as eight teams will battle it out for the leagues 67th Continental Cup. Last year, we saw the Helsinki Titans dominate and win it all, but this year has the Toronto Legion in that position, and seeds two through six are separated by only three points. Lets look at the series that pins the defending North American Conference Champion with a team that many predicted would win it all this year.

 

Vancouver Wolves vs Calgary Wranglers 

Season Series: 5-3 Vancouver

 

Both teams faced each other last year in the Semi Finals, in what became an epic back and forth series. Game seven was one of the greatest in recent memory, as it was tied at two heading into overtime. In the second overtime, the trade deadline acquisition Shawn Glade ended Calgary's season with the game winning goal. That was Vancouvers first trip to the finals since S62, when they lost to Calgary. That would be Calgary's last cup, as they lost in the S63 finals to Riga, and then started a rebuild phase that has led us here. 

 

Roster

Calgary has a really solid team, but no one stands out as a super star. Sebastion Ironside is fading, and Diljodh Starload struggled in the home stretch of the seasons. Joel Ylonen also failed to reach 70 points. Many players disappointed, including Brady Stropko Jr. and Leph Twinger. However, the elite play of Brick Wahl has helped them tremendously throughout the season. With a 2.5 GAA and a 0.920 Save Percentage, expect Wahl to get some votes for Top Goaltender, and maybe even win the award. 

 

Vancouver, on the other hand, does have a star. Beau Louth had another campaign worthy of the Boulet, and had a stunning 98 points. That is impressive, but he is overshadowed by his own teammate Rauno Palo. Palo's 110 points was the most in the league this season. He also had the most assists, with 64. Julius Freeman also compliments them nicely, with a breakout season of his own. The decision to draft Freeman over Mars has paid dividends for Vancouver. They also have a strong defense group, featuring the likes of Shawn Glade, Jagger Philliefan, alongside young guys such as Denver Wolfe and Codrick Past. They also have solid depth, with Gritty leading the way with the young guns of Michael Scott, Hans Gruber and Shawnomir Jagr. The Wolves also traded for Ismond Kingfisher, but he put up poor stats and struggled.

 

X Factor

 

Calgary

Calgary has a solid defensive core, but it isn't elite. Elasmobranch fish had a breakout year, but him and Malenko will need to really start to control the game if they want to be able to contain Vancouvers top line. If the Wranglers first defense pairing fails to step up, this series could be over in a hurry. With Palo on the second line, the whole defense core of Calgary will need to up their game.

 

Vancouver

Gritty has had a mediocre career so far, but his love of the big moment is noticeable. Of his 46 career goals, 9 of them were game winners (20%). Most of the elite talents in the VHL have a 16% game winner to goals scored ratio. While that may seem like a small difference, it is very noticeable, especially when you aren't a big scorer. Last year, Gritty beat both of Dil's teams (New York+Calgary), and he will need a repeat performance if he wants to win this series and have a 3-0 record against Dil.

 

Verdict

 

Offense: Vancouver

Defense: Vancouver

Goaltending: Calgary

 

This series should be a battle. I expect it to go the distance. Overall, I think Vancouvers combo of Louth and Freeman , as well as Palo on the second line is just too much to handle for Calgary's defense group. Unless Wahl is able to steal games, I expect Vancouver to over power the Wranglers, and Gritty will be 3-0 against Dil.

Prediction: Wolves in Six

Edited August 19, 2019 by Matt_O

[Beaviss 4,949]

@Matt_O

 

Palo is our 2nd liner.....

[Matt_O 896]

Just now, Beaviss said:

@Matt_O

 

Palo is our 2nd liner.....

damn

[Matt_O 896]

i think I fixed that. Should be good now

[eaglesfan036 4,583]

@DilIsPickle prepare for the broom

[Dil 1,744]

2 minutes ago, eaglesfan036 said:

@DilIsPickle prepare for the broom

I'll clap your cheeks

[TheLastOlympian07 2,388]

i think this series is going to be so close. we seem to have them in most categories except the one that makes the biggest difference in sths

[Beaviss 4,949]

39 minutes ago, TheLastOlympian07 said:

i think this series is going to be so close. we seem to have them in most categories except the one that makes the biggest difference in sths

 

its not like kingfisher is horrible tho.... just a slight edge were we got an edge in everything else by a decent margin.

[Motzaburger 1,590]

I don't see CGY having a chance.