Cleganebowl

[Mr_Hatter 1,608]

Cleganebowl
By Beat Reporter-Mann

 

A review of the best goalkeeping duel in a playoff series, ever.

 

In honor of VHL theme week, we will be diving into the annals of VHL history and take a look at possibly the most intense goalkeeping duel we have had the pleasure of witnessing. Showcasing two of the finest goaltenders in VHL history, this playoff series was for the Continental Cup, and went to 7 games no less. Let us take a dive into the archives and see just what made this series so special. Let the bowl begin!

 

The Players

The two goalies in question were the Clegane brothers, Greg @Victor and Sandro @JardyB10. The elder, Greg Clegane, was drafted in season 45 at the second overall pick by Helsinki, and is considered to be one of, if not the best goaltender to ever stand between the pipes in the VHL. A massive, 6’8” 250lbs, this towering figure has put up some of the best career stats out of any goaltender, including the most shutouts of all time, the most wins of all time, and the lowest goals against average of all time. In S51, Greg found himself playing for the Toronto Legion for the first time, and boasted a .940 SV% in the regular season, and came into the playoffs looking hot, but before being crowned Victor (hehe), he had to face one final test; his younger brother Sandro.

 

The younger of the two Cleganes, Sandro came out in the S45 draft as well, at 4th overall pick to Cologne. Unlike his older brother however, Sandro took an extra year in the VHLM to hone his skills before moving up to the big leagues. Although a slightly shorter figure than his brother Greg, Sandro was nonetheless just as massive, weighing in at 250 lbs and standing at 6’6”. Although not considered quite as skilled as his older brother, Sandro was nonetheless a HOF goaltender, and boasted some really impressive statistics and achievements, mostly on the backend of his career, unlike brother Greg. Going into S51, Sandro was involved in a massive, 6-person trade that ended with him on the Riga Reign, once again similar to his brother Greg. Despite a SV% less than his brother’s, at .931, Sandro’s 1.40 goals against average and single season shutout record of 22 set him apart during the regular season, earning him the Scotty Campbell Trophy, although splitting the Aidan Shaw trophy with Greg. 

 

Going into the playoffs, the stage was set for a fantastic showdown, and when the finals came around, it failed to disappoint. After a first round bye, the Reign scraped by the Express in a seven game series, winning their final 3 matches. Toronto, on the other hand, ploughed their way through the Bears in six games, and the Wranglers in five, to set up a finals matchup for the ages. The Brothers Clegane stood toe-to-toe in a series for the ages. 

 

Game 1: REIGN Win, 2-1
Best Bro: Sandro 

 

Opening up the series was a 2 goals to 1 win for Riga, setting the tone for the series. As expected, the favorites came out strong right at the start. Greg Clegane had a decent match, posting a SV% of .913, but Sandro took this match with a SV% of .947, taking second star of the game. The story of this match, however, was both the Legion’s lack of discipline, as well as the startling poor power play from Riga, who went 0/10 with a man advantage. More importantly, they only put 23 shots, meaning they only averaged 2.3 shots per power play, assuming they had no other shots the other 40 minutes (of course this wasn’t the case; for one they only scored their two goals on the full 5v5). In the end it didn’t matter and they took the game, but wow that was poor. 

 

Game 2: REIGN Win, 3-1
Best Bro: Sandro

 

The Reign continued their strong start, winning the second game of the series with a score of 3 to 1. This game was a little more interesting on the goaltender front. Greg had what must really be said was a relatively poor game from a goalie of his quality, managing only a .885 SV%. Sandro stole the show this match, letting in only a single goal in 33 shots, off a power play as well, good for a SV% of .970.  Once again, Sandro was named second star of the match. 

 

Game 3: LEGION Win, 2-1 in 2OT
Best Bro: Greg

 

60 saves. Enough said.

 

Really though, in the third game of the series, Greg decided he was done being outshone by his younger brother, and put up one of the best showings of a goalie, ever, in a single match. In a double overtime classic, Greg made 60 saves on 61 shots, good for a SV% of .984. Let it be said, however, that Sandro was no slouch in this game, only allowing 2 goals on 35 shots for a SV% of .943, what was also a fantastic game for the younger Clegane. Greg is the winner of this game however, and took the well-deserved first star (though I think Sandro had a shout for second or third star as well, despite not being named). The Legion once again had a fantastic PK, stopping the Reign on 8/8 attempts. 

 

Game 4: LEGION Win, 2-1 in OT
Best Bro: Greg

 

In back to back games, Greg Clegane took his team to 2-1 OT victories, this time with 39/40 saves, for a SV% of .975, and was once again named first star. His brother Sandro let in the game winning goal 2 minutes into the OT period, going 36/38 on the game, or a SV% of .947 (and once again was not named a star of the game, despite a very good performance). Having tied up the series after two back to back OT victories, Greg Clegane and the Legion looked on the front foot to take the series. The Legion tightened up their PIM woes, and didn’t take a single penalty in this match, alleviating a lot of the pressure on their goalie Greg. 

 

Game 5: LEGION Win, 3-1
Best Bro: Greg 

 

In the fifth game of the series, Greg led the Legion to their first game lead of the series, going up 3-2 on the series. Named second star, Greg once again posted a strong SV% of .964, allowing just 1 goal on 28 shots. For the first time this series, Sandro posted a SV% less than .940, a relatively poor .906, allowing 3 goals on 32 shots. Toronto outplayed Riga this game, and looked to be completing a strong comeback, having won the three past games. The single goal let in by the Legion came in on a Reign power play, but continued strong play from the faceoff circle led them to victory; in fact, in each of the 7 games Toronto won the draw more often than not. 

 

Game 6: REIGN Win, 3-2
Best Bro: Pietro Maximoff

 

The sixth game in the series was the first and only in which neither Greg nor Sandro was featured in the 3 stars of the game. In fact, neither goalie did much to deserve the title of Best Bro this game; therefore, I have decided to award this game’s best bro to the 1st star of the game, Riga’s Pietro Maximoff. The top-line left winger for the Reign put forward an offensive clinic in a series stacked with defensive powerhouses, and claimed a huge hattrick to tie up the series at three games a piece, sending it to a decisive game seven. Sandro posted the better SV% of the two brothers, at .935 compared to Greg’s .914, but he also faced 4 less shots, at only 31 to Gregs 35. Each team this game scored a PP goal, but it was Maximoff’s PP goal for the hattrick, 6 and a half minutes into the 3rd period that sealed the game for the Reign. 

 

Game 7: REIGN WIN, 1-0
Best Bro: Sandro

 

Unlike some of the previous performances this series (Greg’s Game 4 victory comes to mind), this classic Game 7 wasn’t some marathon game with each goalie posting record-setting save numbers, but they didn’t have to. In an incredibly tight performance, Sandro shutout his older brother Greg’s Legion on 25 shots. Thanks to a power play goal from Jeff Hamilton with 24 seconds left in the 3rd period, the only goal of the game, the Riga Reign became Continental Cup Champions. A true heartbreaker, this game, and this series deserved to go to OT, but it was not to be. Sandro was named the first star of the game after his shutout performance, but his older brother Greg’s 28/29, .966 SV% was a well deserved second star performance. At the end of the day, someone has to score, and the series has to have a winner, but this game 7 remains an iconic display of goaltending, and is a microcosm of the series as a whole. Two standout goalies just standing on their head, two well-matched teams, and a series in which both teams had an opportunity to take the championship. 

Final Word

 

I think at the end of the day, we need to look back to appreciate the moments like these in VHL history. A series of this magnitude, and performances of this magnitude from two Hall of Fame goaltenders has left us spoiled. I name both Cleganes the Best Bro™, due to their fantastic performances. Hopefully one day we can have a goalie duel of these proportions, but I sincerely doubt it will ever match the intensity these brothers showed in this all-time classic matchup. 
 

 

1625 words, will claim starting the week of 10/20-10/27

Edited October 15, 2019 by Mr_Hatter

[Mr_Hatter 1,608]

Claiming this for the themes week (but NOT yet as a Media spot), in addition to this VHL.com article, for a combined 8 uncapped TPE.

[Banackock 7,989]

#BanADV

 

GOOD WRITE UP FUI

[Gustav 6,325]

How is Victor ever going to find this article? You never said "Cast."

[Victor 10,845]

3 hours ago, GustavMattias said:

How is Victor ever going to find this article? You never said "Cast."

Thank you sir.

 

CLEGANEBOWL

[Mr_Hatter 1,608]

First claim, 1/3

[Mr_Hatter 1,608]

Second claim. 2/3

[Mr_Hatter 1,608]

Final claim, 3/3