S54 Championship Week

S54 Championship Week

Rich
Moderators
S30, S31, S39 Challenge Cup Champion

#161

07-11-2020, 01:44 PM (This post was last modified: 07-11-2020, 10:33 PM by Rich.)

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1. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)

Reflection on your season - how did your player fare on the ice this season? Did you meet or surpass your individual player goals or did you come up short? Whether you excelled or disappointed - what can you attribute that to? What will you try to do better next season?

Season 54 was another tough one for Toronto, but not a surprising one. We knew what to expect. Individually, I’m pretty satisfied with how Lane did. I wouldn’t go so far as to say happy, but satisfied fits. 41 points and 18 goals on the 2nd worst team in the league isn’t too bad. I would have liked it if he had led the team in points, given that he is more offensively focused, but he was just 2 points behind Mika and had 3 more goals, so it was very close. Whether you look at this as success or failure, you can attribute it to different things. Obviously, if you look at it as a failure, it is because our team just isn’t good enough to compete yet. It is so hard to do well individually on a team that can’t maintain puck possession. If you look at it as a success, it is because in spite of the team being weak, the top forward line played quite well, and seemed to compliment each other nicely.

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5. Written, 2 TPE (100 words min.)

Which player from the Steelhawks or Specters has a great chance to make the Hall of Fame when their playing days are up? Make the case for that player's HOF bid.

I’m going way out in the future with this one, and a player that isn’t even on the Specters anymore. I’m predicting Mitchell van der Heijden will make the Hall. His first season in the SHL wasn’t anything amazing. He really turned it up in the playoffs, though. 12 points in 17 games as a rookie, including the cup winner, is outstanding. It shows that he can show up big when it counts, and that he has an extremely bright future ahead of him. Couple that with the likely hood that he will have a much bigger role earlier in his career in New England than he would have had in New Orleans. I’m pulling for him.

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13. Written, up to 4 TPE Pick up to 4 Challenge Cup related topics to write about! Each topic is worth 1 TPE. Each answer must be 50+ words.

a. These are absolutely two of the best goaltenders in the league in Cain and Kryyst - which team has the advantage in net in this series?

Cain appears to be the most talented in the league, but for whatever reason, can’t seem to channel that talent. I’m taking Cain, just because I want to see him realize his potential, finally. In the playoffs, it looks like he is playing to the level we’d all hoped he could. But, if I’m going by history, I’d have to take Kryyst.

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b. There are two Johnsons in this series - Gabriel (HAM) and Darnell (NOLA). In fact, the two used to host the Johnson & Johnson Podcast together, but they're now on the ice as bitter rivals. Which team has the better Johnson?

It’s tough to compare then, because they’re fairly different, and are used differently by their teams. I’ll take Darnell. He has a smaller role in New Orleans, and doesn’t provide as much offense as Gabriel. That is the kind of guy I like to pull for, though. A more understated, undervalued depth piece on a good team. You need those guys.

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c. The Specters won both regular season matchups, but Hamilton finished with better team stats overall. Do regular season head-to-heads provide an accurate forecast for a playoff series? (answer predictively if it hasn't happened yet; reactively if it has.)

Turns out the head to head matchups predicted the outcome. I still wouldn’t have picked New Orleans to win. I don’t put a lot of stock in something like that if it is only 2 games. Feels like too little to go on. Hamilton seemed much stronger overall in the regular season.

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d. If SDCore offered you an all-expenses paid week-long vacation to either New Orleans or Hamilton, which city would you choose to go to? (tough choice I know lol.) How would you spend your time there?

As much as New Orleans isn’t really my scene, I’d still choose to go there. Lots of interesting culture and sites to take in there, and it’s the kind of place I’d like to go to just so I could say I did. I don’t honestly know what is in Hamilton that would make it worth visiting.

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12. Podcast, 3 or 4 TPE

Record a mini-podcast on any of the below topics!

- Highlights of the S54 season (on or off the ice)

- S54 playoff round-up

- S54 Challenge Cup/Four Star Cup finals Breakdown

- S55 predictions

1 person Mini-Pod: 3 TPE for 5 minutes or 4 TPE for 7 Minutes

2 person Mini-Pod: 3 TPE for 6 Minutes or 4 TPE for 8 Minutes

Post the direct link to your podcast.

Rich and Luke Championship Week Edition 2 person, 9:32 length

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16. CW TRIVIA, 3 TPE max - 1 TPE for participation, 0.5 TPE for each correct answer. This is now completed through a Google form linked below. Make sure to spell your answers correctly or you will not get credit. Post your verification word in your CW post.