Hello Whaler faithful, your Keyboard Warrior is here once again to recount the day that was. It is a beautiful August day, or so I'm told by the slacker who believes himself to be in control of the life of Luffy Richard and your humble reporter, and we have two games on the slate. 

First, we have the Vancouver Whalers at the St. Louis Scarecrows, a team that truly brings out my childhood fears. Thank you, Batman, for traumatizing me. I am but a bird, not a corvid though as they are intelligent creatures capable of impressive feats of observation and problem solving and quickly catch on to the fact that a scarecrow is no threat to them, no--I am more like a Mourning Dove, freezing in fear and hoping my presence goes unnoticed by the predatory gaze of the scarecrow. Luckily for you, Whalers fans, the Scarecrows do not inspire the same fear in Luffy Richard. Fun fact: he is afraid of dummies, the dark, and spiders.

Second, Vancouver Whalers at the Carolina Kraken, a team that reminds me of the true terror of the ocean is the depths, the unending depths that are as black as the souls of Coldplay fans. Up from the obsidian unknown, who knows how many brave sailors were pulled into Davey Jones' Locker by this mythical Scandinavian terror. Why, when I was little I was afraid they would drag me into the sewers because the woman who baby sat me told me that's how long their arms could reach. Bleh. 

Anyways, let us recount the first game, shall we? The Whalers got goals from Daniil Nikiforov, Wile Coyote, Bryce McMahon, and the succinctly named KnockedOut byOvechkin, showing that the Vancouver Whalers offense has much more mustard on its bun this season, taking the game 4-1 giving the Whale their fourth win in their last five games.

Luffy Richard did not provide much offense, having only one shot the entire game, but his defensive game was superb. He provided four hits and a takeaway while winning one of the two face-offs he took. He ended the night at a neutral plus/minus and added another penalty to his rapidly rising total. He has become a speedy little bull out there, amping up his hits and takeaways. Hopefully, this will see a vast improvement to his defensive stats, which began to blossom last season as he began to fill a more defensive role for the Vancouver Whalers.

William Hartmann gets this game's "Whale of O'Tale" for this game (something new I will be trying out here) with two assists, a plus-1, a blocked shot a takeaway and generating six shots on goal. What a whale of a game for Hartman, and that is a tale he will be able to tell for many sims to come.

Next up, of course is, the Whalers trying to make a meal of the Kraken. Well folks, if you missed it, you missed a doozy as the Whalers took the game five to two, winning their fifth in six games. This game is notable for Dee Centerman's first Simulation Major Junior Hockey League goal, with assists going to Jason Desrouleaux and Zebulon Leavitt.

The Vancouver Whalers also got goals from William Hartmann. two for Daniil Nikiforov, and KnockedOut byOvechkin.

Once again, Luffy Richard did not show up on the score sheet offensively, but his solid defense helped maintain the Whalers' lead as they continued to build it throughout the game. He had an impressive five hits, the most on the team this game, and a blocked shot to go with a neutral plus/minus.
I know he wants to add more points to his total, but the Whalers' defense has been key during this run of wins. If their offense stays strong, he who shall not be named remains hot, and the defense holds the line, I am sure they can put together a run towards the play-offs.

For this game, the Whale of O'Tale goes to Daniil Nikiforov for his two goals, an assist, being a plus-three, a blocked shot, and a takeaway. What a game, and what a tale he will be able to tell, for many sims to come.

I caught up with Luffy Richard after the day's sims were done, which is pretty seeing as we live together, and I'm his ride home. I asked him how he felt about his scoring draught, and it was on his mind, but he was happy with his defensive, physical play today. He also noted that he had eleven points so far in the season which is a career-high for him. As long as he is helping keep pucks out of the net, he is satisfied that the puck will go in for him eventually.  Most importantly, he is happy with the recent success the team has been having, and hopes for their strong play to continue.

Luffy Richard is now third on the team in hits with 53. He is also third on the team in takeaways with 19 as well as third in shots blocked with 47, so he is throwing his body around to help his team the best he can. I asked him if he has been extra sore because of his physical play, and he laughed about that. He loves it, the challenge of battling with other people, the test of wills, the way everyone in the league seems to know his mother. He has worked on his physicality, but also his speed, positioning, and agility. He wants to engage in physicality on his terms. He wants to be able to read his opponents better, and take away any advantage they may have in speed, strength, basically anything that will cause him to lose the puck. To Luffy Richard, the battle against the Simulation's hold over his destiny will not stop him. He will keep fighting, and drinking his TPE shakes.

until next time Whaler faithful, This was the sim that was, and I have been you Keyboard Warrior.

Good stuff!

Zebulon Leavitt, Defense

Number:24

Good stuff!

Thank you! I appreciate it.