Under 250: The VHLM Review (S70 First Round Review/Second Round Preview)

[Mr_Hatter 1,608]

 

Hello, and welcome back to Under 250: The VHLM Report. In these series, we will be taking a look at the trends and topics from the past week in the VHLM. What twists and turns will our minor league hold? Stay tuned to find out!

 

 

The Review:

 

Welcome back to the VHLM Review! The first round of playoffs has been played, and it was a demonstration in dominance. All four series were decided in just four games. We did predict some strong performances from the top teams, but this was something else entirely. Let’s take a look at how the series went down.

 

Minnesota Storm (1) vs. Las Vegas Aces (8)

 

All is said and done between the first seed and eight seed, and the series went about as well for the eight seed as we expected. The Aces were outscored by a score of 25 to 3 across the four games played. Minnesota set the pace early, with two back-to-back 7-0 wins. Jaxx Hextall kept both shutouts, although he was only called into action on 28 occasions across both games. In contrast, the Aces faced a total of 118 shots in the first two games. You could really have your pick of which Minnesota offensive players stood out. In the first game, Alex Armstrong completed the hattrick, while Gary Tarantino ran Game Two, ending the night with three goals and an assist to his name. The next two games were somewhat more entertaining for your Las Vegas fans, though in reality no less lopsided. Mike van Stronk opened up the scoring for the Aces in Game Three, but it was only to be a consolation goal, as the Storm were up 4-0 by the time he found the back of the net. The final game of the series was another display of offensive prowess from the Storm. Another hattrick, this time from Leon Gutzweiler, and a four-assist game from current team points leader Ben Storm helped the Storm close out the series. Justin Graves and Logan LeBlanc were able to get on the scoresheet for Las Vegas, so they would not go shutout a third time in four games, but it was not enough to match Minnesota’s firepower. 

San Diego Marlins (2) vs. Yukon Rush (7)

 

Another series, another sweep, and another dominant offensive display from the higher seed; and it’s no surprise, coming from the number one offensive team from the regular season. The San Diego Marlins led the Yukon Rush by 30 goals to 7 across their four games. The Marlins kicked it off with a 7-2 victory against the Rush in Game One, enjoying a three-goal, one assist performance from Kyl Oferson. Game Two was the largest margin of victory throughout the whole first round of playoffs. The Rush scored three times in each of the three periods, all while holding the Rush to zero goals on 21 shots, a nice feather in the cap for Marlin goaltender Bruce Grimaldi. Perhaps surprisingly, the no player scored more than two goals in this balanced display, suggesting that the Marlins are much, much more than just a pretty top line. JaredN, in particular, stood out, with a fantastic two-goal, two-assist performance. Game Three showed some promise in the first period to stay close, with the Rush’s Nicolas Konig keeping them in the game with two first period goals. Despite bringing it to within one, the Marlins pulled away, widening the gap to three goals, before ending the game with the final tally of 8-3. Uhtred’s five points with two goals marked his team’s highest single-game point total of the first round. The final match was another dominant performance from the Marlins, with balanced scoring across the board, as they closed out the series win with a final score of 6-2. 

 

Ottawa Lynx (3) vs. Mexico City Kings (6)

 

It feels strange saying a sweep was the closest series of the first round, but the matchup between 3rd seed Ottawa and 6th seed Mexico City was just that. Two games were decided by just a single goal, with Ottawa coming out on top both times, for a final series total of 18-8 for the Lynx. Game One was a close affair. The teams were evenly matched, with Mexico even taking the first goal from Robin Winter a minute into the first period. By the end of first, the teams were tied 2-2. The Lynx would eventually take the game with the winner coming from Jim Bob on the power play late in the second period. Game Two was somewhat more one-sided, with a final score of 5-2 in favour of the Lynx. Daldo in particular impressed, finding the back of the net three times as well as assisting once. Game Three was almost the turning point for the Kings, but they were unable to convert, and it may have ended up being the straw that broke the camel’s back. Evenly matched at one goal apiece at the end of the first, it was clear that this game had all the makings of a classic. When the Kings took the lead early on in the third, it appeared they might even be able to steal the game, but Ottawa had other plans. Veteran defenseman Finnigan MacBurn was able to snipe out a tying goal while on the powerplay, forcing the game to overtime. Ottawa dominated overtime, outshooting the Kings ten shots to four, and eventually won the game halfway through the overtime period, with Rich Dickbutt McFudderdudder taking the game-winning goal. Heartbreaking for the Kings, especially for goalie Nicolas Fomba, who had a fantastic 36 save performance for a final SV% of .923. The final game of the series was not nearly as close. Ottawa scored five in the first period, effectively putting all hope of a reverse sweep out of Mexico’s mind, and sealing the deal for the Lynx. Blacker Velvet had a great game to close out the series, scoring twice and assisting once to earn the first star for the Lynx. 

 

Houston Bulls (4) vs. Philadelphia Reapers (5)

 

The Houston Bulls good form continued into the postseason, and their defensive chokehold held out strong against the Reapers in what is perhaps the most impressive series victory of the first round. Despite scoring the fewest goals of the winning teams in the first round with fifteen, the Bulls held the Reapers to only three goals in four games, the same as the Storm, but against the much stronger competition (no offence Las Vegas fans). Stone Wolski showed why he might be the number one goalie in the VHLM this season, as he shut the Reapers out twice, ending the series with a fantastic .967 SV% across all four games. Balanced scoring from the Bulls took the first game 4-0, with two goals coming from winger Valtteri Vaakanainen. Game Two was more impressive, as the Bulls one 5-0. Jimothy Frost stood out with his two goals of the night. Game Three was another story, however. Similar to Game Three in the Ottawa/Mexico series, we found ourselves tied up after regulation, with Reaper Bud Knight taking the goal to tie it up two minutes into the third period. It was a nervy finish for the Bulls. After suffering a minor penalty for hooking 13 minutes into the overtime period, they had to weather the storm, before SS Hornet was eventually able to put the game to bed only a few minutes until the end of the first overtime period. The final game of the series was a close one, but one which the Bulls eventually were able to take. They came out strong, scoring two goals in the first period. For a while in the second, it appeared the Reapers might be able to make a comeback, with a goal from Damien Wolfe halfway through the period, but they were unable to maintain momentum, and the game was effectively ended when Gary Neal found the back of the net with five minutes left in the third, taking the game out of the Reapers’ reach. 

Second Round Preview

 

Minnesota Storm (1) vs. Houston Bulls (4)

 

Get prepared for a great playoff battle between two strong teams. The Storm and Bulls are the leagues two strongest defences, with goaltenders Jaxx Hextall and Stone Wolski in fantastic form. The question is, will the Bulls be able to keep up with the Storm’s offence? They have a proven track record of depth scoring, while the Bulls have a host of relatively untested depth players on recent waiver pickups. With that being said, the first round proved that when it mattered most the Bulls could show up, take SS Hornet’s Game Three winning goal for example. This second round battle will likely be played on the special teams. Getting behind on the penalty kill could be the kiss of death for two teams that are otherwise so solid. Odds are this will be an entertaining series! Expect the Storm to take it, but if any team could make a dark-horse run to the cup, it is this fantastic Bulls group, especially riding the hot hand of Stone Wolski.

 

San Diego Marlins (2) vs. Ottawa Lynx (3)

 

The Lynx will have their work cut out for them this series. The San Diego Marlins are proving a well-oiled machine that takes no prisoners, and have passed all tests asked of them this season. If Ottawa is going to take this series, they are going to have to clean up their defence. Out of all winning teams in the first round, Ottawa’s Joakim Bruden had the lowest SV% of  .892. Without a doubt respectable, but against this San Diego offence that holds six of the top eight slots for points so far this postseason, it will need to be better if they want to move on. Either that or their offence will have to kick it into gear. They weren’t playing at their regular season levels of production in their first series, at least not consistently. That being said, there is a good reason this squad was the best team in the league for a good part of the beginning half of the season, and it would be foolish to expect them to continue to underperform. For San Diego, they just need to keep doing what they are doing. I predict the Marlins to take this series, but it should be an entertaining one as the league’s number one and two offences duke it out for a trip to the cup. 
 

That’s all for this edition of Under 250: The VHLM Review. Thank you all for reading, and stay tuned next week for the inside scoop on all that’s going on in the league. Until next time!

 

 

VSN Writer Mr_Hatter
 

[Zyrok 173]

Great work hats! Hope you keep doing thid on the offseason too

[Mr_Hatter 1,608]

2 hours ago, Zyrok said:

Great work hats! Hope you keep doing thid on the offseason too

Probably won't be doing the offseason, there isn't anything happening! But maybe a preseason warmup

[Zyrok 173]

1 hour ago, Mr_Hatter said:

Probably won't be doing the offseason, there isn't anything happening! But maybe a preseason warmup

I was hoping like a pre-draft or something like that but I will stay tuned