Las Vegas Aces: Comparing S68 to S71

[Matt_O 897]

This is probably the first time in over a month I've had to sit down and actually write a media spot, since I have been able to claim my S20 articles for a very long time. I didn't forget about the part 3, I just started to get busy and never got around to it, and it probably never is going to happen at this point. Anyways, let's get into the story of the Las Vegas Aces. At the VHLM draft this year, the Aces snagged up General Zod at 15th overall. Zod fell in the draft, and was a first round talent that fell out of round one. However, it all worked out, because Las Vegas is where he wanted to go anyways.  The S71 Aces had a ton of talent, especially on offense. SS Hornet and Joe Proto headlined the offense, and Randy Marsh and General Zod had the back end. However, they missed out on one crucial position: a goalie. After the draft when I realized we didn't have a goalie, I immediately made the comparison between the S71 team and the S68 team. They signed a free agent, but in the end it wasn't enough for them to play to the best of their abilities, and they finished fifth in the league, and were quickly knocked out by the Rush in round two. This is remarkably similar to the S68 Aces, who had an elite roster, but due to a lack of a strong goalie, failed to maximize their potential. Lets compare.

 

The S68 roster had one of the best duos in recent VHLM history, and they were the beginning of the increased scoring trend that has gotten crazy in the VHL. Jeff Tates, who signed as a free agent, had 149 points and 71 goals, while Benny Graves had 143 points. The S68 draft was extremely good for Las Vegas, and I'm not even trying to pat myself on the back. I was looking back at the draft, and besides a few mistakes, most notably me drafting a retired player, and the Bruce Grimaldi situation which we will get to in a little, it was a really good draft for the Aces. Cinnamon Block, Black Velvet (rip), Tony Bolonee and Mike Van Stronk headlined an elite top four defenseman, while George Washington, Killy Foilen, Benny Graves, Jeff Tates, and David Wallace headlined the offense. On paper, this was probably the best roster in the VHLM that season. However, their goalie did not pan out. Bruce Grimaldi was taken in the third round as a bit of a risk. I knew there was a chance of him playing in Prague, but I didn't have a goalie and I thought the risk was worth taking. If he stayed down, the Aces could have been incredible. But he didn't, and we were left with a 30 TPE computer goaltender for quite a while, until @Walter Fizz decided to make a goalie for me. He was our goalie, but he didn't have enough TPE to keep up with the good teams when we played them. They struggled to put away the seventh seeded Marlins in round one, and quickly got dispatched in round two. It was a disappointing playoff run. Now lets look at S71 and compare.

 

The S71 Aces also had a great draft, but missed out on a goalie. Ultimately lacking a goalie would be one of their biggest downfalls, as the free agent goalie we picked up didn't have enough TPE to keep up with elite teams, similar to the S68 team. They also had a roster that was better than their seeding, but the goaltending was the issue. While they didn't have anyone on the levels of Graves and Tate, Hornet, Proto, and Pengu all put in great contributions on offense, and General Zod surprisingly put up 74 points, despite being defense first. Another thing that hurt the Aces in S71 was the competitiveness of the VHLM that year. In S68, it was pretty competitive. In S71, it was insanely competitive. The Aces could have finished first or second in many other seasons with the roster they had, but instead finished fifth. This was another reason for their downfall. In S68, the competitiveness definitely was a factor, but not as much as it was for the Aces in S71.

 

Another similarity between the two was the huge gap in goal scoring and goals against. By huge gap, I mean ability to play both ends, not having a huge plus minus. In S71, the Aces scored 316 goals, which was second in the league. In S68, they scored 283 goals, which was far and away the best in the league. Both teams had the ability to score whenever they wanted, but their defense is what held them back. In S71, they allowed 266 goals. That was the worst out of the top six teams in the league, and ultimately was a huge reason why they finished in fifth, rather than higher in the standings. In S68, they allowed 190 goals, which was the most of the top four teams in the league. That may not seem that big, but those 190 goals was at least 20 more than the other four top teams in the league. Despite scoring 60 more goals than first place Houston, both teams plus minus was right around 90. The Las Vegas defense and goaltending was their kryptonite in both S68 and S71. However, they still had very good defensemen on the roster, but they still relatively struggled to keep the puck out of the net.

 

The S71 and S68 Las Vegas Aces were very similar for a couple reasons. Firstly, they both had really good rosters, but didn't have a goalie to back them up. This led to their defensive struggles, even though both teams had really good defensemen on the roster. Both teams underperformed, whether it was in the playoffs with the S68 Aces, or the regular season with the S71 Aces. 

 

 

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[Matt_O 897]

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