What is going on in Miami?

[Ricer13 2,796]

           Miami is having a season for the history books. They were projected to be a lottery team at the beginning of the season with everyone already counting them out of the playoff picture. They had maybe five active members at the start of the season who were getting lots of minutes while they learned the ropes of the VHL. They struggled for the first half of the season sitting a few spots out of 8th in the standings. They began recruiting members as the great recruitment drive of S74 began. They were quick to recruit members to fill out their roster and were able to DROP inactive members in order to make space for ACTIVE members. Miami did a fantastic job recruiting players as they have pulled together some of the best recruits this season. The team started to turn the season around and found them selves fighting for that 8th and final spot. It came down to the very last game of the season that decided the fate of the Marauders and they shocked the VHLM work by winning themselves into the playoffs. Securing that 8th spot was a blessing and curse as they had to face the number one team in the league the Halifax 21sts. A team primed for a championship run that the Marauders had no business even winning against. Well seven games later Miami shocked the VHLM world yet again by defeating the juggernaut team in Halifax. It didn't end there as the Marauder's now had to face the challenge of facing the number two team in the league, the Las Vegas Aces. This Marauders came out strong after riding the high of beating Halifax and took a 3-0 series lead. While Miami wanted a sweep, Vegas had other plans. The Aces forced their way back into this series by winning 3 straight of their own forcing this series to another game 7 for the Marauders. Trying their best to avoid the cursed reverse sweep the Marauders came out hard and with a late goal in the third they sealed their victory against Vegas and are now moving on to the finals. For the second straight season the Miami Marauders are in the finals. Last season as the top team but this season as the 8th overall team. What is going on in Miami?

 

      GM Ricer and AGM Zetterberg had a goal in mind this season and that was to make the playoffs. At first it looked like that wasn't going to be a possibility but the two never wavered from their mission. They started signing waiver players early as they brought in Goaltender Rara Rasputin. Rasputin signed believing in GM Ricer and that his history spoke for its self. Rasputin improved drastically throughout the season and stole a number of games for us late in the season and was a huge contributing piece as to why Miami defeated Halifax in round 1 of the playoffs. Addison McClaren picked up later in the season was very eager to learn the ropes of the VHL. He is a student of the game and his dedication to earning this season was top notch. He did all the work to improve his player and he now sits near the top of the draft board for the VHLM and scouts have been calling as they are excited about the potential of this player. His hard work has turned him into a contributing factor in the Marauders success this season as he sits near the top of the scoring leaderboards. Cabe McJake another addition of the mid season Marauder signings is louder than McClaren but works just as hard if not harder. He is the fire on this team that gets the team pumped after big wins. He wears his heart on his sleeve and bleeds Marauder black and red. Crazy because he's only been a member for half a season. McJake has been line mates with McClaren most of the season now as the two of them have been the top earners this season. They have both carried this team offensively during the regular season and it has been even more so in the playoffs. A surprise player for Miami has been Sheldon Juniper who Miami picked up late in the season. He isn't a member of the Marauders locker room as he is only a forum guy but he hasn't hesitated to reach out to learn and has been a solid earning member since he has joined. He worked his way up to the second line and has been a clutch player for Miami during these playoffs. Vivek Weiner who was another late signing by Miami started on the fourth line because the team was so full. He worked his ass off earning experience and climbed his way right to the top line. He is sitting pretty between wingers McClaren and McJake completing what has been the most dominant line in the VHLM these playoffs. A few other waiver signings I would like to mention are Hulk Hogan Jr., Martin Master, Nathan Perry, JL Gunnar, Wooshi Cat and Nikolas DAndrea who have played key supporting roles for this team since being signed late in season 74. They have all done their part in remaining active and earning to the best of their abilities.

 

      How crazy is that? That is a lot of waiver signings. It goes to show how important it is to be able to recruit members to your team and to help them remain active. This is something Miami has strived to be good at since they first joined the league three seasons ago. Now while I have given a lot of praise to the new members of this league who have been a huge part of Miami's success this season it really wouldn't be possible without the core pieces that were drafted and or acquired by this team. On the back end you have the best shutdown pair in the league with Eoin Byrne and Chicken Wing. Byrne has had a history of being moved around in the VHLM he was once in fact moved out of Miami. When GM Ricer saw the opportunity to reacquire this stud defensemen this season he quickly hopped to and got a deal done. Byrne has been the definition of a two way defensemen. He has put up the points and has been a huge factor in shutting other teams offense down. Chicken Wing was acquired by trade from the Halifax 21sts. GM Ricer had been given good reviews of this young player from Marauder Alumni and got a deal done to bring Wing into the Marauder family. Chicken Wing is very similar in regards to Byrne she can simply do it all. When you need the offense she is there and when its time to shut em down she's got that covered to. These two have been a staple on Miami's top pair all season long. Forwards Theodore Hoffman and Peter Louis II were leading the charge on the top line earlier in the season. They have been the perfect supporting pieces on this Marauder team and their attitude about it has been extremely positive. Hoffman was acquired in the same deal that brought Byrne to Miami from the Yukon. He slotted into the top line right away and was playin with Louis II. The two of them had instant chemistry and were leading the way when all of the waiver players started signing. As new members surpassed them in TPE the two were bumped down to the second line but did so graciously knowing the end goal was the playoffs. Even though they moved down a line the production never went away. The two of them have been a solid contributor to the Marauder's during the post season as well. Back up tendy Matt Sovick Jr. was also gracious enough to let Rasputin have the starting job so he could continue improving himself over the season to take the starting role in season 75. He did very well in the limited starts he had during the season which shows promise for this young goaltenders future. Lastly, Zakrevksky and Great who were higher up in the line up earlier in the season now serve as depth pieces. Both of which waiver on the edge of activity but when called upon they are there for their team.

      I think it is pretty obvious what is going on in Miami. They have gathered a nucleus of players who have all come together for a common goal. They all put in the work to get to where they are today. When you look at our roster now and compare it to those we are up against there really isn't much of a difference. The same couldn't have been said mid season when everyone here was a newbie joining the league for the very first time. Now look at them, on their way to a Founders Cup final and it's all because of them. 

Word Count: 1502

Edited November 2, 2020 by Ricer13

[Ricer13 2,796]

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[Victor 10,953]

Some team you put together from nothing here.

[Ricer13 2,796]

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[Ricer13 2,796]

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Edited November 16, 2020 by Ricer13