PHL Season 1 Contender Division Playoffs Round 1 Recap
Looking back at 3 of the playoffs series that happened this week in the Contenders Division, getting insight from captains and important players. Then, looking at next week's matchups.
(This article contains some opinions from the writer Wind, and they DO NOT reflects facts or the Wrenport)
The first one is between the Vancouver Frost Giants (2) against the North East Nighthawks (7).
VAN vs NEN
Game 1: 3-0 NEN
1st period
0:23 VAN presses early. Shot by TimJim saved by Grip.
0:40 NEN Presses, loses puck behind VAN net.
1:00 VAN shoots from far, easy save from Grip.
1:10 TimJim Lagges out, Chino steps in.
1:30 Lettuce makes a great defensive play.
2:00 Hljnx shots over, NEN has control most times.
2:50 BGP has a chance 1 on 1 with the goalie, makes a pass, and is intercepted.
4:00 Most passes don't connect on both sides.
4:20 Shrews has a close chance but is saved by Sleepy.
4:55 Chino makes a centering pass to Higgy, he shoots, Grip makes the save.
2nd period
0:15 Shrews loses the puck in his zone, VAN can’t capitalize.
1:00 2 on 1 for NEN, Lettuce kills the play.
1:40 Topher skates, burns VAN defense, but shoots wide.
2:10 Shrews dekes Lettuce but cant shoot.
2:40 TimJim takes the puck from BPG’s mistake and shoots, saved by Grip.
2:45 VAN presses with Higgy in the slot, saved by Grip’s leg, then chest.
3:50 NEN clears but Sleepy is active.
4:00 Shrews tries to michigan, Lettuce refuses.
4:30 NEN presses, then VAN presses.
3rd period
0:30 VAN presses early.
1:00 NEN can’t reach VAN’s zone.
1:20 Hljnx passes to Shrews, all alone, he shoots, saved by Sleepy, rebound on Hljnx and a weird bounce on his balls…
1:28 (1-0) Goal: Hljnx, Shrews and Topher
1:30 NEN takes control in Vancouver’s zone.
1:50 Topher tries to pass in the slot, blocked by Lettuce.
2:00 Hljnx skates to the free puck, and passes to the slot to Shrews…
2:00 (2-0) Goal: Shrews, Hljnx and Topher
2:30 VAN tries to create offense, unable to.
3:30 Higgy can’t get his stick on the puck to shoot.
3:45 Higgy tries to redeem himself in the slot but a diving save from Grip.
4:00 Grip saves a tip from TimJim in the slot.
415 Topher dekes Lettuce and shoots on Sleepy…
4:15 (3-0) Goal: Topher, Shrews and Hljnx
4:40 NEN kills the play.
Game 2: 1-0 VAN
1st period
0:30 Both teams has chances, no shot on net.
1:25 Lots of dumps, nothing really happening.
1:45 VAN presses, Chino tries to skate the puck, stopped by BGP.
2:00 VAN has momentum, good forecheck.
2:30 Lettuce centers, doesn't reach his teammates.
3:00 NEN tries to reach VAN’s zone but can’t.
3:45 Hljnx and Shrews makes passes in VAN’s zone, no shot.
4:00 VAN and NEN press back and forth.
2nd period
1:15 Slow start, both defenses are smart.
2:50 TimJim whiffs on the puck near Grip’s net.
3:35 Hljnx walks Lettuce but Lettuce pokes it.
4:00 Dabz throws the puck in front, TimJim tips it, Shrews clears the puck from the goal line.
4:40 VAN passes can’t connect.
3rd period
0:20 VAN presses first.
0:50 Dabz skates in, shoots, saved by Grip.
1:40 Chino can’t reach his teammate’s dump.
2:20 Dabz shoots wide after receiving Chino’s pass.
3:30 Full control for VAN.
4:00 Lettuce shots from the 0 zone, touches the post.
4:10 NEN presses, Shrews shoot but it is too weak.
4:40 Dabz throws the puck in the slot, Chino tips it in…
4:45 (1-0) Goal: Chino, Dabz and Lettuce
Game 3: 1-0 NEN OT
1st period
0:20 VAN presses early.
0:30 Turnover by BeeGeePi gives TimJim the puck in the slot, he shoots, but Grip makes the save.
0:45 Chino puts the puck behind Grip’s pads but the puck doesn’t go in the net.
1:35 NEN presses.
1:45 Shrews passes to Topher in the slot, he has a somewhat open net, but he misses.
2:20 Lettuces breaks Hljnx play.
3:00 BeeGeePi whiffs on the puck in NEN’s zone, Chino gets a short breakaway, saved by Grip.
4:00 TimJim passes the puck in the slot, blocked by BeeGeePi.
2nd period
0:05 Chino fakes NEN’s defense and gets a shot on net, stopped by Grip.
0:45 Hljnx tries to walk in VAN’s zone, Dabz stops him.
1:10 NEN presses with Hljnx and Topher.
1:40 Great forecheck by NEN.
2:20 Sleepy pressures Shrews who had a quick breakaway.
3:15 VAN hasn’t reached NEN’s zone in 3 minutes.
3:30 Cross-ice pass by Hljnx to Shrews back-door but he can’t put his stick on the puck.
4:40 First real attack for VAN in 4 minutes, Chino walks and shoots on Grip…
4:40 Highlight stick save from Grip.
3rd period
0:05 Hljnx walks VAN’s defense and shoots, saved by Sleepy.
0:40 Both teams get great chances, goalies playing well.
1:10 Turnover by BeeGeePi in the neutral zone, Chino gets a partial break, he shoots over.
2:00 Good open ice hockey.
3:30 VAN has momentum, NEN are anxious.
…
Overtime 5
3:00 Both teams exchange chances.
3:15 Topher dumps, Dabz turns it over and Shrews takes the puck in the neutral zone, he shoots…
3:20 Goal: Shrews, BeeGeePi and Topher
NEN WINS 2-1
STARS OF THE SERIES
The Nighthawks capitalized on their chances, and the Frost Giants couldn’t because of the goalie. TimJim played well but I feel like they might have needed an elite puck handler. The numerous defensive errors of NEN were saved by Grip. To me, the reason NEN won was Grip, because the chances were quite even, but one team ended up with more goals.
Congratulations to the North East Nighthawks for reaching the Semi-finals.
Lettuce was asked on what was the main reason of the loss, here is what he said:
“I think we just stuck to a style of play that only works in certain situations and suffered because of that. In the end NEN adapted better than us and ultimately played better.”
The second series we are taking a look at is the East Coast Gladiators (3) against the Texas Toucans (6).
ECG vs TXT
Game 1: 2-0 TXT
1st period
0:30 TXT can’t reach ECG’s zone.
1:00 TXT presses.
2:00 ECG presses, TXT defense stops it.
2:15 Yunoo takes things in control and style gets a shot on net.
2:55 Style passes to Yunoo and is all alone, he shoots…
2:55 (1-0) Goal: Yunoo, Style
3:35 Neutral zone battle.
4:20 Galactian can’t reach the puck to get a breakaway.
4:40 Style dekes ECG defense but Hotdog pressures him and he can't shoot.
2nd period
0:10 TXT presses early.
0:40 Donut shoots from the right faceoff circle, saved by TheGoldTrader.
2:00 Style gets a free puck behind ECG’s net and comes back in front shooting.
2:20 Style gets a cross crease shot opportunity but whiffs.
3:00 Style gets another great pass from Squiggles, but can’t control the puck.
4:00 Mini blocks a 2 on 1.
4:10 ECG gets a shot from the blue line, saved by GoldTrader.
4:30 Galactian throws the puck in front of the net, but is too far for his teammate.
3rd period
0:30 TXT presses early, Mini stops the puck in his own zone.
1:20 Mini has a chance for a breakout but slows down, loses the puck.
1:30 Style gets a breakaway, stopped by Hotdog.
2:15 Goose clears the puck and it reaches Style for a breakaway, Hotdog challenges and stops the menace.
4:00 Hotdog is active when the puck is near him and clears twice but can’t reach a tape.
4:40 Mini shoots from the left faceoffs circle, saved by GoldTrader.
4:50 Squiggles gets a breakaway and dekes Hotdog.
4:50 (2-0) Goal: Squiggles
Game 2: 3-2 ECG OT
1st period
1:00 Both teams are aggressive and get chances.
1:30 Neutral zone battles.
2:00 Squiggles steals the puck from Mini and gets a breakaway, shoots, Hotdog makes the save.
2:30 Open hockey but no true great chances for any team.
3:25 Yunoo takes the puck from ECG mistake in their own zone, and shoots after getting close to the net.
3:25 (1-0) Goal: Yunoo, Squiggles and Style
4:00 ECG presses but can’t get shots.
2nd period
0:10 TXT presses early.
Yunoo shoots from the blue line, Galactian tries to block it but it sends it to Style…
0:40 (2-0) Goal: Style, Yunoo
1:40 Mini takes matter into his own hands and shoots after taking the puck from his zone.
2:20 ECG presses.
2:50 Galactian has a chance in the slot but he shoots wide.
3:40 Battle in front of Hotdog’s net, the puck.
4:00 Open hockey and great chances for both teams.
4:40 Style passes to Yunoo all alone in the slot, but he whiffs.
3rd period
1:00 TXT presses early.
1:10 TXT gets all chances.
1:20 Mini takes the puck and shoots from the blue line.
2:20 Galactian shoots but its blocked by Squiggles.
2:50 Galactian steals the puck off of Goose and deke…
2:50 (2-1) Goal: Galactian
3:20 Style has a close-angle chance but doesn’t have enough time and misses the net.
3:50 ECG presses.
3:50 (2-2) Goal: Pac
4:55 Galactian has a close chance from a behind the net pass by Mini but is saved by TheGoalTrader.
Overtime 1
0:30 TXT presses early.
1:00 Yunoo shots from the blue line, but it’s saved by Hotdog.
1:30 Mini shoots from the center line and it is hard to save for TheGoldTrader, but he does.
2:20 Pac gets a free chance because of TheGoldTrader's mishandle, but can’t score because of TXT’s backcheck.
3:15 Mini shoots from the blue line but it is saved.
4:00 Open hockey and both goalies are active to help their team take control.
Overtime 2:
1:00TXT has the most chances and the momentum.
2:40 Mini shoots from the blue line, saved by TheGoldTrader.
3:00 ECG can’t seem to connect any passes.
3:45 Pac gets a breakaway and shoots top corner…
3:45 (3-2) Goal: Pac
Game 3: 2-0 ECG
1st period
0:20 TXT presses early.
1:00 ECG can’t get into TXT’s zone so they dump every time they get the puck.
2:15 Squiggles shoots from the slot after receiving a beautiful pass by Yunoo.
3:00 TXT presses.
3:30 Good defense by ECG, especially Mini.
4:20 Style shoots from the blue line but is blocked by Galactian.
2nd period
0:10 Goose has a chance on the blue line, but whiffs on the puck.
1:10 ECG shoots from the neutral zone, wide.
2:00 Galactian shoots again, from the neutral zone, it seems to give TheGoldTrader a hard time.
2:30 Galactian takes things into matter in TXT’s zone and shoots from the slot…
2:30 (1-0) Goal: Galactian
4:00 TXT presses and gets momentum.
3rd period
0:20 ECG presses early.
1:00 Open hockey and both teams pressure.
1:30 Pac gets a breakaway, stopped by TheGoldTrader.
2:30 Goose kills Pac’s chance.
4:20 Pac skates to the free puck and wraps…
4:20 (2-0) Goal: Pac
4:40 Donut gets a breakaway, stopped by TheGoldTrader.
ECG WINS 2-1
3rd Star: Pac
2nd Star: Hotdog
1st Star: Galactian
Great performance by both teams. In the end, clutch players will win you playoffs games, and Pac and Galactian are exactly that. Amazing performance by these two, but also Hotdog. He made many important saves, and coming into this series, was probably perceived as the worst of the two goalie. Now, I think the narrative might change, I saw a GoldTrader that didn’t make the important saves. Allowing 2 goals in the 3rd of the second game isn’t all his fault, but to be in the top tier of goalies, you need to save those. TXT had more passes and had better chemistry than the East Coast Gladiators, but in a best of 3, the better team wins.
Congratulations to the Gladiators for reaching the Semi-finals!
The second star of the series, HotdogFlaps, justifies their win by analyzing the other team and literally Jesus Christ:
“It was a helluva game! ECG definitely started out on the wrong foot and really didn’t improve till 3rd period of the second game when a miracle happened! We figured them out and exploited it, making game 3 a reversal of game 1. In the end, I think this is what the community wanted to see- Great games played and a fight to the end. God is good! Christ is King!
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13
God bless America.”
On the other hand, Yunoo talks about his mistakes and how he could have made the team better:
“I take the blame for the loss... Lost my man twice leading to goals in game 2... Also should have built the team better and drafted another defender so i could play forward... And should have swapped Mal in game 3, i think the team was much more confident in our play style when he was in net throughout the season. ”
The third series we are looking at this week is the Moose Jaw Moose (4) against les Castors de Saint-François-Xavier-de-Brompton (5).
MOO vs SFX
Game 1: 2-1 SFX OT
1st period
0:30 MOO presses early.
2:00 Good defense by MOO.
3:00 Stamkos tries to get into MOO’s zone but Canoodle stops him quickly.
4:40 No real chances for both teams.
2nd period
0:15 Gudhart has a great chance in the slot but it’s saved by Fluff.
1:15 Stamkos shoots on the outside of the net from a harsh angle.
1:40 SFX presses but MOO defends well.
2:00 Many clearing passes.
2:00 Stamkos on a breakaway but needs to act quick, he shoots on Frig’s pads.
4:00 SFX can’t reach the MOO’s zone.
4:05 Gudhart gets the puck on the right side of Fluff after a rebound and he shoots…
4:05 (1-0) Goal: Gudhart
3rd period
0:10 Canoodle gives the puck to Parabolax on the blue line, he shoots wide.
1:15 Jack cuts in the center of MOO’s zone and shoots wide.
1:50 Canoodle takes a shot in the slot but that is blocked right in front by Wren.
2:30 MOO’s creating a lot of offense.
2:55 Jack tries to wrap on Frig but he gets there in time.
3:30 Gudhart has a partial breakaway and shoots but it’s too weak.
4:30 SFX can’t create offense.
4:55 Wren takes the puck in the neutral zone and shoots…
4:55 (1-1) Goal: Wren
Overtime 1:
0:20 Both teams exchange chances.
0:40 Stamkos gets a great chance, he shoots but he misses.
2:00 Open hockey but no really good chances.
3:00 Canoodle gets a breakaway but he hesitates and Fluff saves it.
4:00 SFX has the most chances.
4:30 MOO shoots from the middle ice, Fluff struggles to save it, but he does.
Overtime 2
0:40 SFX presses.
1:15 Wren takes the puck in MOO’s zone and cuts in the middle, shoots low…
1:15 (2-1) Goal: Wren
Game 2: 1-0 MOO
1st period
1:00 SFX presses.
2:00 MOO has a hard time to keep control of the puck, SFX pressures a lot.
3:00 MOO presses after a big hit on Jack, MOO takes momentum.
3:30 Wren tries to get into MOO’s zone, but is blocked by Parabolax.
4:00 Stamkos gets a breakaway and he shoots, saved by Frig.
2nd period
0:20 Parabolax shoots from the right faceoff circle, saved by Fluff.
0:55 SFX gets a partial 2 on 1, the pass is blocked by Gudhart.
1:30 MOO gets into SFX’s zone, Parabolax gets a slot shot, but Wren partially blocks the shot, saved by Fluff after.
4:30 Crow misshandle the puck in the defensive zone.
4:40 MOO presses, the puck is free in front of the net, Stamkos mishandles the puck and puts it in his own net.
4:40 (1-0) Goal: Canoodle
3rd period
1:00 MOO presses.
1:20 Gudhart in the slot, takes his time and shoots, saved by Fluff.
2:30 SFX presses.
4:20 Canoodle gets a breakaway but he shoots over.
4:40 SFX presses but no luck.
MOO vs SFX
Game 3: 1-0 SFX
1st period
0:10 Crow (Raven) presses early and shoots wide.
0:30 Wren tries to deke and shoot but can’t do the ladder.
1:10 Stamkos whiffs on the puck.
2:20 Big reverse hit from Gudhart on Wren.
3:30 Stamkos dekes in MOO’s zone and makes a slot pass to Jack, but he can’t lift the puck and Frig saves it.
4:00 SFX presses.
2nd period
0:30 Teams exchange chances.
1:00 MOO has momentum.
1:40 Jack receives the puck from Crow and only has to put it in…
1:40 (1-0) Goal: Jack, Crow
2:30 SFX has momentum and creates chances.
3:10 Canoodle shots from the left faceoff circle after a balloon pass.
4:30 Gudhart almost taps the puck in his own net.
3rd period
0:15 SFX presses early.
0:50 Jack steals the puck in MOO’s zone but can’t reach the net.
1:20 Gudhart presses but SFX stops him.
2:30 SFX dumps the puck most times, trying to waste time.
3:00 SFX has a 2 on 1, but Stamkos shoots wide.
4:00 Neutral zone battles.
SFX WINS 2-1
STARS OF THE SERIES
3rd Star: Fluff
2nd Star: Gudhart
1st Star: Wren (no bias)
Les Castors de Saint-François-Xavier-de-Brompton wins and are going to the semi-finals. This series was a faceoff, since V wasn’t available for SFX, between two of the best all-around players in Wren and Gudhart. The series was especially close since SFX didn’t have their star player.
Congratulations to the Castors for reaching the Semi-finals.
The Wrenport Reporter Alicat had a quick chat after the game with Wren about the toughness you need to play in the playoffs:
“I’m a man made of steel, and ain’t nothing gonna keep me down in a game that big. We were fighting a bit of an uphill battle, knowing that we were without our star player V, but nothing was gonna keep me out of the play, that’s for sure.”
Montpellier, captain of the Moose Jaw Moose, reacted on his early playoff exit:
“It's always a disappointment to go out in the first round, but for this team's story to end so early in the postseason feels like a personal failure.
I wasn't around enough to give this team the leadership it deserved. Frigg, Can00dle, Parabola, PaulKariya, Gudhart, Creeperdoughnut, Kgor, and Novastar combined to make this team one of the best experiences of my online career. I look forward to forming a team with them again.
With my season over, I can now shift my focus to my role in PHL League Operations, and help revamp the rulebook, the servers, and our community relations to be ready for Season 2.
Looking at the second round, happening as soon as Monday:
We got the Galaxy on home ice against the Nighthawks. The matchup is set for Monday night, at 8pm.
On the other side of the bracket, we got les Castors in the Gladiators arena. Puck drop is set to 9:30pm, Monday night.
Thanks to Galactian for the graphic.
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