Miami Marauders (late) playoff preview.

[osens 297]

Miami Marauders in their first season in VHLM have made playoffs. It didn't come without controversy, because until the first game Marauders still didn't know if they will be in the playoffs. Previous years there was a rule that wild card is being decided between conferences - from each conference, 2 teams went to playoffs as wild card teams. But this was not the case for this year. Marauders were playing great hockey, that's why league needed to change some rules. If rules would have stayed the same, then Marauders would have to miss the playoffs but Yukon Rush would make them because they would be in those 2 wild card spots, but Marauders were on much more difficult conference and even though Miami had 16 points more than Yukon, they would miss the playoffs because 2 stronger teams were in front of Marauders. After all the difficulties, Marauders were able to play in playoffs and they had to start against one of the strongest teams in VHLM - Minnesota Storm.  And boy have they started impressively.  Marauders started the series 2-0 and even in 1 game absolutely dominated Storm and won 5-1. Although series are now at 3-2, Marauders have looked scary and Minnesota Marauders definitely have to be creative in the way they are playing against Miami.  This is no shock that Marauders are playing that good against Storm. They were quite an inconvenient opponent for the strong Minnesota team. Marauders were 3-5 against Minnesota team, although on paper it may sound like a bad record but Minnesota had only 10 losses and 3 of them were against Miami.

Thanks to @bigAL, who let me to use this picture and information.

No one predicted a clean sweep for Storm, but no one saw Marauders leading it all. What is really amazing, that Marauders have taken Storm to OT in all losses. That means, that Marauders has got what it takes, but in both games something missed.  After the first 2 games, Minnesota Storm General Manager addressed the media and said that their players had some flu and that is the reason for unconvincing play in their home venue. A close source to us has called it a stupid excuse for bad showing from Minnesota. But Storm has kicked back a little and they have made the series go from 3-1 to 3-2, which is a little bit more convincing, but they are still on the edge of the blade. The main thing that we should point out, that Miami Marauders have been put together only this season and they are still a young team with room to grow next season, but Storm is a pretty experienced team for juniors and they have few players, who could be MVP candidates. 

Miami Marauders key players

G- Bacon (@Bacon). He has been the main guy for Miami Marauders.  In playoffs, he has put up the best save %, which is really admirable for a goalkeeper who is playing against one of the strongest teams in VHLM. Bacon has been tormenting Storm players on the ice and in their nightmares. The first few games Marauders were able to outshoot Storm players, but next games Minnesota were back to their usual domination in shots and then the main saving went to Bacon.  In these series, a lot will be dependent on how Bacon plays in goal. Marauders have been showing some signs of heavy scoring, but sometimes they forget about defending their own goal, but thankfully in the goal, they have Bacon who will save the team from even the most desperate situations.  One thing is for sure in these playoffs - Bacon really loves bacon, so if Marauders feed their goalie with some bacon, I think they will be on the right track to get to 2nd round!

D- Kosmo Kramerev (@Mongoose87).  This player has been a point machine in playoffs and in the regular season. In regular season Kosmo was 6th defenseman in points with 106 points, which is absolutely insane for a player who is playing his first regular-season in this league. But he has not slowed down a bit in playoffs too. Kramerev has started off in 5 games with 12 points (6+6) being the most productive player in playoffs.  Scouts around the league have been saying, that this offensive defenceman is a stud that every team would like in their teams. Right now Miami is the lucky one with this wonder kid and it will be interesting what he will be able to do in future but right now he is doing all the right things on the ice and that is why Miami Marauders are beating Minnesota Storm!

D- Wolf Stansson (@ahockeyguy). Wolf has been the second-best defenceman in Marauders. He has been overshadowed by Kramerev but that doesn't mean that Stansson is much worse. Kosmo Kramerev is a little bit more experienced when last season he fought in playoffs, but  Stansson has been an excellent rival because they have been fighting beside each other and also it has helped to improve them both in better players. Stansson is better on the defensive side, that is why this duo has worked really well. Kramerev insane offensive giving and Stansson helping out on offense but also helping out Bacon. Without Stansson Marauders would be hard to keep goals against on the lower side. Wolf will probably get in a good team that will know how to use this jewel. 

D- Eoin Byrne (@LatinViking). Irishman has jumped in the team with full force. Although he joined the team later in the season, in his 5 games in playoffs he has shown his contribution on defense. He is definitely a keeper for next season in Miami because he is not like most of the modern defenceman here. Lately, most of these defenceman's has been offensive players, but Byrne is a defensive defenceman, who likes to get a juicy block in the game. In the locker room teammates have said, that he always keeps everyone entertained and will always put the team first and then everything else. 

LW- Florent Vericel (@dart). In the regular season, there was a lot of hype about Vericel scoring ability, but Vericel didn't score as much as everyone thought. Only 22 goals and 47 points were not what Vericel was hoping, but playoffs have come around and Vericel has blowing horn off left and right. He has scored 4 goals in 5 games and he is not showing any signs of stopping. If this is how Vericel plays, then VHL better holds on, because if he keeps up with his training, he can be serious trouble for goalies there. Vericel has been finding his groove all season and he has finally found it. Miami is really hoping on Vericel to make all the shots, because every shot counts against Miami, and Marauders are hoping to defeat Storm and who knows, Vericel could be the hero of the series!

LW- Rocket (@Rocket). Rocket and Vericel are fairly similar in terms of their story. Both of them struggled in the regular season and now are doing wonders for their team. Rocket is a real rocket on the ice and off it. He is always really nice in the locker room but on the ice, he could beat a rocket to the other side of the rink. Rocket is not scared of physical game and he can take a hit too. He is training hard and could be a really useful player for some VHL teams but now he is all playoff zone and he is trying to do everything in his power to make sure Marauders doesn't lose and they are still able to go on. Rocket has got a strong shot and he can beat every player in the league on skates. If you see Rocket going on breakaway, good luck on catching him!

RW- Bobbie Cheechoo  (@Sharkie) One of the Marauders players with a memorable name, but not only his name is memorable, but his style of play and how humble he is off the ice.  Cheechoo may not be sniping that many goals like Jonathan Cheechoo did in his best season, but Bobbie is giving Marauders a playmaking help, that is needed in this team because Miami has got a lot of great snipers.  In playoffs first 5 games, Bobbie Cheechoo has got 4 assists and 0 goals. Cheechoo is thinking about his teammates on the ice and is always finding the right pass to finish the play. Cheechoo is always finding the right words to make teammates feel good. 

RW- Oh Sens. This Japanese wonder kid has taken VHLM by a storm and he ain't stopping yet.  One of the key things about this player is his game on both sides of the ice. He can skate really fast on the breakaway, make a dangerous shot, and will be already back at his side of the ice to help Bacon and defense out.  Sens has got a terrific shot and he will make every goalie be scared. Either scared of being hurt mentally or physically. Oh Sens has not been a new name for media, because earlier this season he got into a scandal about being a drug lord and his innocence is still not proved. He is being set on trial after the season and everyone will know the truth then. But while it is not happening, Oh Sens is focusing on playoffs and trying to destroy Minnesota Storm. Oh Sens has helped his team with 2+2 and positive +/-. If we are talking about +/-, then Oh Sens in the regular season had the best +/- in the team and that proves how good Sens is on both ends of the ice. Time will show how good will Oh Sens be, but he is eligible for this year's VHL draft, like most of Marauders team and he is being predicted to be 2nd round pick. Any team that lands him will be sure to get the steal of the draft!

C- Dakota Lamb (@dlamb). Arguably, the biggest steal of the last VHLM draft. Watching his play, you can never have enough. His play has had a lot of comparisons of Patrice Bergeron, but everyone can already see, that a new legend is growing there. His insane playmaking skills haven't gone unnoticed. In his 72 regular-season games he gathered up 93 points, of those points 56 were assists. He was feeding his teammates really well! But he is really good at defense too. Because of his great showing in defense, he gathered second-best +/-. Rumors around the league are saying, that a lot of VHL teams are interested in this stud and after he is done with Marauders this season, he is gonna be picked pretty high. There were talks, that Lamb would slow down as the season went further, but now on playoffs, he has shown the opposite - he has increased his productivity. In 5 games 9 points. That is an insane stat line and Marauders will be hoping Lamb to keep it up, so Miami can pass on further on playoffs.

C-  Andre Lebastard (@Andre LeBastard). Not only he is the 1st line center for Marauders, but he is the captain of the battleship.  He is a traditional playmaker center, who feeds his snipers with passes all night long. Lebastard was pretty dominant in the regular season, being able to put up a point per game all season, but he has been having Minnesota Storm for lunch these series. In 5 games, he has racked up 10 points and amazing 9 assists. Teammates love playing beside him not only because of his sharing of passes but also because he is so humble and nice in the locker room. Lebastard always checks up on his teammates and helps them every way he can, just like a good captain should. And he is continuing to steer the battleship in the right direction because Miami is in the lead in playoff series. 

This dream team was put up together by the best general manager in the league - K-Rice @Ricer13 who found all of these steals in the draft and was helped by, always helping, BigAl. This team has got a big future in front of them and most of these players will be big stars in the big league. Time will only say who of them will be the best in the future, but one is for sure - they are doing the best they can right now and they are seeing only one thing in their eyes - beat the living crap out of Minnesota Storm. 

Go Marauders Go!

 

/exactly 2100 words, 4 weeks free for me/

 

THIS WAS MADE EXACTLY BEFORE GAME 6, SO READ WITH CAUTION!

[bigAL 2,176]

With a team like this on paper, there’s no way Miami loses Game 7!

[Andre LeBastard 112]

wow dude a great read and lots of it! 

 

Just needs a little formatting with spaces between each player listed to make it easier to read.

 

More good work from you!

 

8/10

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claiming for 2/4 week

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claiming 3/4

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claiming TRIPLE week.

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Claiming for 4/4 week.