Playoff Previews: Semi-Finals - MOS vs RIG

[Doomsday 4,143]

Playoff Previews: Semi-Finals

Moscow Menace vs. Riga Reign

 

Welcome, one and all, to the European Conference Finals, where a trip to the Continental Cup Finals is on the line. For the Moscow Menace, their regular-season dominance carried over just as well as General Manager Victor Alfredsson could have hoped. For as valiantly as the Prague Phantoms put up a fight, they were no match for the Menace, who swept them aside after four games. Benjamin Zeptembergs' Riga Reign, however, had no such luxury, taking all they could handle from the Helsinki Titans before a decisive Game Seven victory matched them up with the buzzsaw known as Moscow. 

 

Road To the Semi-Finals

 

Moscow's dominance made them an easy favourite over a Prague team that clawed their way into the playoffs, and they did not disappoint. Randoms continued his memorable farewell tour with a team-leading eight points, including the series-clinching goal in Game Four. Jet Jaguar added on to his phenomenal regular season with another seven points, while Smitty Werbenjagermanjensen and Dean Clarke both added six points each. Goalie Raymond Bernard had a fantastic series, boasting a .929 save percentage and a 2.50 goals allowed average. The Menace has been red-hot all season, and they continue to roll along.

 

After cruising through the regular season, the Riga Reign faced off against their old rivals, the Helsinki Titans in the first round. In old-school VHL tradition, they took this series to seven games, with Riga breaking through Alexander Pepper's valiant stand with a 5-2 victory. Ryan Kastelic's six points and 27 hits led the Reign, as he hopes to end his career the way it began: a Cup win with the Reign. Codrick Past, Lincoln Tate and Guy Saskamoose each had five points as well in the series, which was cemented by promising rookie Ryan Tallinder's goal in the second period. Riga certainly has the heart of a champion in surviving against their rivals, but do they have the strength to topple Moscow?

 

Why Moscow Should Win

 

Moscow's complete and utter domination is easy to explain: this is a deep roster, loaded with all the tools required to lift a Continental Cup. A dangerous first line featuring two sure-fire award winners in Jet Jaguar and Randoms will strike fear into any defensive pairing. Speaking of defensive pairings, the Menace will have either Smitty Werbenjagermanjensen or Vladimir Pavlov on the ice at all times, which will do plenty to slow down Riga's offence and keep Raymond Bernard comfortable. The Reign do not boast much depth at forward, which should make slowing Ryan Kastelic down much easier than it should be. The Menace, on the other hand, has the depth at forward to constantly remain a threat to score. Additionally, Kastelic's line was -4 (Ryan Busser was -3) during the Helsinki series. With their top scorer's line defensively vulnerable, this could be another quick series for Moscow. 

 

Why Riga Should Win

 

Ryan Kastelic's farewell tour won't go quietly into the night, although it very well might without some rethinking. His -4 despite leading the team in points is worrisome, and despite his talent, Kastelic cannot beat Moscow alone. Patrick Tallinder's series-clinching goal could have his confidence at an all-time high, and along with his responsible defensive play, he could be the key to stabilizing Kastelic's line. Finn Davison will need to be nothing short of a god in net for Riga to survive the Menace's dangerous forwards, which means Jagger Phillyfan and Apollo Hackett's defensive play must improve tremendously in this series. -5 and -3, respectively, will not cut it against a Moscow team that is eviscerating all of their opponents. Davison will need to channel his inner-Rayz Funk for Riga to pull this one out. 

 

VSN's Pick

 

Riga has had themselves a quality season, but their lack of scoring options not named Ryan Kastelic will prove to be their downfall. Between Jet Jaguar, Randoms, Smitty Werbenjagermanjensen, Gritty and Dan Baillie, there are just too many scoring threats for Apollo Hackett and Lincoln Tate to slow down. While I believe that Finn Davison, Hackett and Tate will mount a valiant defence, Moscow simply has too much going on to be stopped. Not here, not now. Riga will be able to prevent a sweep, but not much else. The Moscow Menace will advance to the Continental Cup Finals with a victory in Game Five on home ice in front of their raucous fan base, overjoyed that their beloved team is finally playing for all the marbles.

 

Players Mentioned: @Victor, @hedgehog337, @gorlab, @flyersfan1453, @Kyle, @Mr_Hatter, @Sonnet, @Enorama, @Kylrad, @Tate, @Cxsquared, @Patrik Tallinder, @diacope, @Poptart, @Philliefan, @Renomitsu, @Rayzor_7, @eaglesfan036, @wcats

[Victor 11,021]

moscow moscow moscow

[Nykonax 1,566]

1 hour ago, Victor said:

moscow moscow moscow

riga riga riga riga

 

wow wtf reverse sweep

[Victor 11,021]

1 hour ago, Nykonax said:

riga riga riga riga

 

wow wtf reverse sweep

never happened

[Cxsquared 455]

21 minutes ago, Victor said:

never happened

yet