Marauders En Route to Founders Cup Final

[tcookie 902]

Marauders En Route to Founders Cup Final
Inside the team's celebration after second-round, seventh-game series victory over Las Vegas

 

1:37 earlier, the Miami Marauders' bench erupted in celebration as Sheldon Juniper scored to break a 3-3 tie in game seven of a semi-final playoff series against the Las Vegas Aces.

Now the team poured onto the ice as the final buzzer made it official - the #8 seed in the VHLM playoffs was heading to the Founders Cup Finals against the Mississauga Hounds, having knocked off the #1 and #2 seeds to get there, each in seventh-game thrillers. In the opening round, Cabe McJake scored the series-winning goal with about three minutes left; this time, it was Juniper with less than two minutes to play.

Miami's first pick in the S74 VHLM Dispersal Draft was defenseman The Blob at 21st overall. Blob isn't even on the team anymore - he's since been traded to the Hounds and will be facing Miami in the finals. That's part of what makes this run so remarkable - this Miami team is lead by a group of players unheard of when the S74 season began. Despite the presence of Eoin Byrne, Theodore Hoffman, and off-season pickup Chickn Wing, they weren't supposed to be in the playoffs, let alone here.

Rara Rasputin signed up early, after a starting job more so than a finals appearance. Rasputin received heavy interest, including from the Halifax 21st, but turned down offers from "better" teams in favour of the Marauders. Then, as the season approached the midway point, the Marauders lured Addison McLaren. A couple days later, McJake. In short order, the Marauders added Nikolas DAndrea, Sheldon Juniper, Martin Master.

Rasputin was a known commodity, but McLaren and McJake weren't. The two wingers' work ethics were infectious. They pushed each other, they set the example for their teammates. The wins started coming - Philadelphia's 11-point lead in the standings evaporated quickly, setting the stage for an exciting playoff race. The Marauders added more depth; Vivek Weiner, Hulk Hogan Jr., JL Gunnar, Nathan Perry, Wooshi Cat. And somehow, things began to come together. On the outside, beating Halifax once was a fluke, beating them twice was an accomplishment; in the locker room, the Marauders were far from content with just showing up. McJake's series-winning goal put the VHLM on notice. The Marauders went up 3-0 against Las Vegas, but the Aces battled their way back in the series, forcing Miami into a second straight game seven.

And then we were here. The architect of this squad, Kris Rice, watched from the press box as Theodore Hoffman's empty netter sealed a 5-3 Miami win, equal parts proud and surprised as he has been with every mounting victory in Miami's playoff run. He made his way down to the ice as the insurance goal was announced, ready to join his players on the ice in celebration.

Amidst the jubilation, we caught up with the game seven hero, Sheldon Juniper, whose 8 goals in the playoffs lead the team and whose 14 points in 14 games have already eclipsed his entire regular season production. More ice time and more confidence have helped create a true weapon on Miami's second line. "Sheldon, you've got some increased ice time in this playoff run and you're really stepping up your game, making an impact for Miami. What's changed for you on the ice?"

"I think being on an amazing team and having an amazing management team has made this season special, and I just buckled down and worked my butt off and, not to sound cliche, but hard work really does pay off. I've had some great teammates this year, and I'll give them a ton of credit as well," Juniper said.

Momentarily, we were interrupted by a jubilant McLaren: "Sheldon, you're a monster!" It was a small thing, but an example of the attitude and support for each other that this Marauders team has developed. They are driven to win, they don't care how or who does it, and they are quick to share credit.

"This series against Las Vegas was a roller coaster and a real thriller for the fans; what's it like to come through and score such a big goal for your team?"

Juniper replied, "It's an amazing feeling. Coming through after such a tough battle with such a good team, it's great to be the hero. I really don't deserve the credit on that one; Hulk Hogan Jr. got three assists and Peter Louis II got two goals and an assist, so those guys both had amazing games. It's just great to be in the final after beating two of the best teams in the league."

Rasputin, a bit of an oddity as a 30-year-old VHL prospect, took a moment to stand back as his teammates piled up on the ice. After outdueling Kevin Malone in the opening round, he was even better in round two. He only had 67 VHLM games to his credit at the start of the post-season, but he was one of the most experienced members of the team and took on a leadership role in addition to his strong play between the pipes. He spoke glowingly of many younger teammates and the impact they had. "I think the transformation (of this team) over the course has been incredible. So many new faces on the team, jumping right in and first getting us into the playoffs, now going on an unbelievable run. It really gives live to a jaded old guy like myself."

Then, he threw a shout out to a VHL legend of the past, sharing the source of some extra motivation. "A friend of a friend, Greg Clegane, heard about my frankly mediocre regular season and gave me a call before the Halifax series," he recalls, laughing a bit. "What can I say, a pep talk from a guy like that makes a difference."

Admiration and respect for Rasputin from his teammates was obvious. As McJake skated by us, he was quick to shower his netminder with praise. "Rara's stolen more games than I can count, we've been outshot for almost every game we played in these playoffs and he's held his ground, we only have him to thank," he says. This from a guy who many would call the Playoff MVP himself, who has 17 points in 14 games, second in the VHLM playoffs. We asked him about the chemistry between him and linemates McLaren and Weiner, a group put together towards the end of the regular season that has found instant success. "All three of us are just on the same wavelength," says McJake. "We all know each other's tendencies so we can make plays very easily. I think our playstyles also mesh really well; Vivek being a playmaker and me and Addison being shooters allows us to be a threat off the rush every single time we move up the ice."

McLaren has 6 goals and 14 points himself, plus a team-high 51 hits. He plays a slightly less offensive game than McJake, but he thrives in the dirty areas of the ice. And Weiner, though he's been hard on himself for lesser production than his linemates, still has 3 goals and 11 assists in 14 games and, as McJake called out, plays a complimentary style that makes the line click.

"Yeah, we fit together really well," McLaren agrees. "Vivek's a pass-first guy that does it all offensively, Cabe and I are both shooters. Cabe's a little more dynamic and I like to go get my nose dirty a bit. All together, we've got a little bit of everything on our line and I think that makes us tough to defend as a line. But I can't say enough good things about the guys on this team or how hard they work. This goes up and down the roster. I mean you look at a guy like DAndrea, he's not playing a ton right now, but he's all in on this team, he's around in the locker room, he does everything he's asked to do. You guys know all the big names, but this run is about more than just the big names, this is for the whole team."

"When I came here, it was a tough choice. I've basically never played outside of Minnesota in my career. I obviously had no idea this was what was waiting in Miami and I know I made the right decision. I'm proud of everyone here and just like I said when we won last series - tonight we're going to celebrate this, but tomorrow we're getting back to work. The goal is always a title... whatever happens, I'm sure will look back on it this off-season and we'll be happy, but we've got a job to do right now."

The Marauders' were in no hurry to take the celebration to the locker room, staying out on the ice with each other, with team staff, with media for about an hour after the game finished. Finally, as the team headed off, we caught up with Rice for his take. "Each game we win I sit back in disbelief. I marvel at how well these young players are gravitating to this league and how hard each of them have worked. Each win represents exactly that and it’s been an honour as their GM to watch this all unfold."

We asked him about the uniqueness of this run, mainly powered by in-season acquisitions. "Houston’s S73 team was similar; they had a very strong season but fell short in this playoffs. It wasn’t quite like this run," he says. So why is this group so special? "The amount of depth of active members on this team is something unheard of. The effectiveness comes from the activity. The majority of these young players have been active which in turn leads to positive results, when you have so many members doing exactly that on one team magic is bound to happen."

Make no mistake, Rice deserves credit too. He put this team together and is highly regarded by his players. He played a big part in each recruitment and in helping these players along in their development - their high level of activity is no accident. The Marauders are simply a well-run organization that does things the right way. This playoff run is proof of what can happen when a team has a mix of talent, leadership, and belief.

Now there's only one test left.

And to a player, the Marauders are united.

They are going to the finals, and they are going there to win.

 

---

 

1776 words, will claim over the next 3 weeks.

 

@Victor @RedSus @fyrefly @Ricer13 @CosmicStorm @Nikdandrea34 @Tropicalfire @coochiman @tinafrombobsburgers @snackhero @Jake Sumner @Martin Bradac @chikn @LatinViking @Beaviss @Big Mac @matt sovick

Edited November 2, 2020 by tcookie25
typo in title

[Victor 10,946]

9 hours ago, tcookie25 said:

Rasputin received heavy interest, including from the Halifax 21st, but turned down offers from "better" teams in favour of the Marauders.

Superb life decision

[CosmicStorm 5]

Why at me when you said nothing about me

[tcookie 902]

8 minutes ago, CosmicStorm said:

Why at me when you said nothing about me

 

oh shoot, sorry, I just tagged the entire team that was active (or at least somewhat active).. I didn't mean to leave anyone out but I may have missed mentioning a few people

[CosmicStorm 5]

1 minute ago, tcookie25 said:

 

oh shoot, sorry, I just tagged the entire team that was active (or at least somewhat active).. I didn't mean to leave anyone out but I may have missed mentioning a few people

Its ok

 

[Crstats23 340]

Review great job an easy read, I like the fact that you had the different colors for each interview, only thing I’d want to see is a question on what was the feeling being pushed to 7 games

 

rating 9.5/10

[tcookie 902]

Claiming for week 2/3

[tcookie 902]

Claim week 3/3