On a Roll to Start SWHL Season

[DragonFire420 17]

            Michael Fletcher has opened the SWHL on fire, posting a 4-0-1 record with a 1.80 Goals Against Average and 1 Shutout. His Bakersfield Barons are in sole possession of first in their conference and sit second in the league behind Fresno. Fletcher also boasts 2 assists on the season, an added utility that has helped Bakersfield get going on the rush, something they lacked the previous season.

 

            In his first outing, Fletcher was able to pick up a hard fought win versus the Henderson Lions in a 3-2 game where Fletcher saw 17 third period shots, stopping 16 of those and holding on for the victory. He was easily the first star after that period alone, and while the Barons were able to secure three goals, they struggled to maintain possession for much of the contest.

 

            His second outing was much better for the team, outshooting the Crush (Santa Ana) 25-6 in the final two periods of play and collecting a 4-0 victory, Fletcher’s first shutout in the league. He followed that up with another strong win, but a little rough on the scoresheet, surrounding 3 goals in 5-3 win versus Riverside and bringing him a 3-0 start to his SWHL career. Thr run would end there however as he would drop the next game 4-3 in a shootout to the Scottsdale Suns.

 

            In the fourth and as many games of the season for Fletcher, the Scottsdale Suns rolled in and put up 2 goals in the first ten minutes of the game. While Bakersfield managed to respond, even going up 3-2 with 11:06 in the third, it was a well-placed shot that beat Fletcher with 3:00 to go in the third to tie it up. In what was Fletcher’s worst game in the SWHL thus far, he did manage to keep the net clear for overtime but gave up the critical goal in round seven of the shootout to end the Baron’s run at three.

 

            Following the loss, was a back-to-back night with the second half behind Scottsdale being Tucson. Tucson scored early, putting them up 1-0 for majority of the game but Fletcher’s game would solidify there and the bleeding would end as Bakersfield rounded up the next 4 goals to win 4-1. Fletcher had an easy night following the first period and after 5 games is sitting comfortably as a top goalie in the SWHL. Fletcher would go on to talk about not only his first five games for the Barons but also the draft and his focus for next season.

 

“I’ve spoken with a few [GMs] about the draft. You try your best to focus on the games in front of you but it’s difficult. I want to give a team the best chance to win and I’m focused on building towards that.”

 

“I’m happy with the start here. We’ve got 9 out of 10 points so that’s the right way to play. These guys are at a level where you hope to get that game experience from them and we have so far. It’s a good group and I think we can go far.”

[Beketov 9,140]

What is this league and who are these teams you’re talking about?

[Smarch 3,196]

3 minutes ago, Beketov said:

What is this league and who are these teams you’re talking about?

I believe it’s a continuation from this media spot 

 

https://vhlforum.com/topic/93881-fletcher-to-play-in-swhl-during-break/

[Beketov 9,140]

36 minutes ago, Smarch said:

I believe it’s a continuation from this media spot 

 

https://vhlforum.com/topic/93881-fletcher-to-play-in-swhl-during-break/

That would check out