Wolski Woes

[DollarAndADream 3,356]

Where's Wolski?

 

Did something happen to Stone Wolski over the off-season? This is a question that some analysts and fans are asking after his bad start to the season. He definitely needs to look for some consistency real quick and find his stride, otherwise the D.C. Dragons are in trouble.

 

Wolski has started the season with a 1-4-1 record, carrying a 0.897% saves and a 3.34GAA. His first season of 14 games is his best one so far, and this current one is worse than the last. It strikes as very odd that the more training hours he puts in, the worse he gets. If Wolski wants to make a career out of this, he needs to make a sharp turn and start playing a lot better.

 

Let's take a look at his previous games:

 

NY Americans vs. DC Dragons

4-0 NY

This one does not look very competitive on paper. Julius Freeman and Owen Nolan put New York up by 2 goals in the 1st period, then Acyd Burn scored a PP goal in the 2nd to put a bit of a dagger in it. Julius Freeman scored again in the 3rd period as New York domintaed this game and won 4-0. The Americans outshot the Dragons 45-26, which definitely did not help Wolski at all in net, but he still could have been better. Stone Wolski saved 41 of 45 with 91.1% saves, which is actually one of his better games this season. 

 

DC Dragons vs. Chicago Phoenix

3-2 DC

In this game we had a Dragons team face off against the expansion Chicago Phoenix. This is a game that DC was expected to win, and luckily for them, they did just that. Luciano Valentino scored 2 quick goals to start off the 1st period for DC, and Benny Graves added another at the halfway point to bring DC up 3-0 after one. After a 15-3 shot, dominated 2nd for DC, Chicago crawled out of that one still down by 3, heading into the 3rd period. Chicago's Milos Slavik would score 2 goals for the Phoenix to bring them close, and kill Stone Wolski's numbers, but that was it as the door was held shut the rest of the way. The Dragons won that game in a nail biter by a score of 3-2. Wolski saved 14 of 16, which isn't great, but it's hard to find comfort in net when your team outshoots the opposition 49-16.

 

Chicago Phoenix vs. DC Dragons

5-4(OT) Chicago

This game was a bit of a barn burner, and an exciting one especially for the new Chicago Phoenix team. Groovy Dood and Benny Graves put the DC Dragons up 2-0 early in the 1st period. Chicago would come back within one, but Mikko Aaltonen would restore the lead with DC leaving the 1st period up 3-1. The 2nd period started off nicely for DC, where Aaltonen scored another and brought his team up 4-1. Chicago did not take that lightly and decided to turn things around. Vladimir Shaposhnikov scored 2 goals for the Phoenix, bringing the score to 4-3 DC after the end of the 2nd. In the 3rd, Nikita Kulikovich would score his first of the season around the 12 minute mark, tying up the game, and erasing the Dragons' 3 goal lead. That momentum carried itself into OT, as Charles Drumm's penalty put Chicago on the PP, where Squirrely dan scored the OT winner, 14 seconds in to seal the deal for Chicago. Both goalies weren't great, but Stone Wolski was worse than Jean Pierre Camus. Wolski only saved 19 of 24, which is good for 79.2%.

 

If the Dragons are going to go anywhere this season, they will need to start scoring, and Wolski will need to build off of that good performance against NY that he had in net. Consistency will be key, but there's no need to worry just yet, only 6 games in.

 

[ahockeyguy 110]

Interesting article! First, I want to say that I love how you segmented this out: you're clearly a pro, and I and others who are newer can learn from this. I also really liked the graphics and the set-up. For the descriptions, I thought they were very good (with respect to the games). I am wondering, though: .897 isn't a bad save pct., from where I sit. Is it poor in the VHL? I don't do much in STHS. If it isn't poor, but say average--is the 1-4-1 record more a reflection of Wolski or his team? The 5-4 game isn't great, but honestly saving 14 of 16 isn't terrible, and the first game seemed to go well. So I don't know if it's more Wolski doing poorly or him just not being able to have an off-day, because no one's there to rescue him! I don't expect you to throw any teammates under the bus, however, so I don't know what I would suggest! Score: 9.5/10

[DollarAndADream 3,356]

1 hour ago, ahockeyguy said:

Interesting article! First, I want to say that I love how you segmented this out: you're clearly a pro, and I and others who are newer can learn from this. I also really liked the graphics and the set-up. For the descriptions, I thought they were very good (with respect to the games). I am wondering, though: .897 isn't a bad save pct., from where I sit. Is it poor in the VHL? I don't do much in STHS. If it isn't poor, but say average--is the 1-4-1 record more a reflection of Wolski or his team? The 5-4 game isn't great, but honestly saving 14 of 16 isn't terrible, and the first game seemed to go well. So I don't know if it's more Wolski doing poorly or him just not being able to have an off-day, because no one's there to rescue him! I don't expect you to throw any teammates under the bus, however, so I don't know what I would suggest! Score: 9.5/10

Generally for a goaltender, you want to have an average above 90%, with anything above 92% being fantastic. Anything below 90 is under average, just like the NHL. 

 

It's a little different in the VHLM. Goalies are fine being a little under 90% because in the minors, the attributes are a little more all over the place because people are still rounding out their player builds.