2017-2018 PLAYER & GOALIE OF THE WEEK #21
| EASTERN SKATER | TEAM | GP | GOALS | ASISSTS | POINTS | PM | +/- | SOG | S% |
| Kane, Patrick | CLE | 3 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 5 | 11 | 18% |
| EASTERN GOALIE | TEAM | GP | GOALS AGAINST | G.A. AVERAGE | SAVES | SAVE % | |||
| Price, Carey | HAM | 2 | 0 | 0 | 67 | 1.000 | |||
| WESTERN SKATER | TEAM | GP | GOALS | ASSISTS | POINTS | PM | +/- | SOG | S% |
| Leddy, Nick | BCR | 3 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 17% |
| WESTERN GOALIE | TEAM | GP | GOALS AGAINST | G.A. AVERAGE | SAVES | SAVE % | |||
| Domingue, Louis | CAL | 2 | 2 | 1.01 | 80 | .976 | |||
| Hampton Blizzard | Hampton hosts Jagr as the season winds down with Antti Raanta getting the start in the nets for the Blizzard as a result of the plucky Finn providing a more reliable option than Carey Price between the pipes. |
| Jagr Mullets @ Hampton Blizzard | Alex Ovechkin fires eight at Raanta but comes up with nothing as Hampton scores a couple of power goals and dodges some last-minute bullets to take it 4-2. It was a sleepy game overall with Hampton somehow managing to get 37 shots on Vasilevsky compared to the Mullets 28. The Blizzard outscored the Mullets 2-1 in each of the first two frames before closing things out with a scoreless third period. Vasilevsky’s pretty lousy goaltending up to about the midway point of the 2nd period (he allowed four goals on the first 16 shots) and the early success of the Hampton powerplay were keys to the Blizzard’s win. Mikael Backlund got the first goal of the game at 4:57 with a wrister from a slot that beat Vasilevsky high for his 13th of the year. Johnson (12) and Lee (21) picked up helpers. Patrick Laine evened the game with a nice slapshot between Raanta’s pads at 10:29. Laine’s marker was his 35th assisted by Hall (44) and Ellis (22). Evgeni Malkin (34) got the go-ahead goal for Hampton at 14:40, 18 seconds after Roussel was sent off for interference. Gostisbehere (41) nabbed the assist with a nice pass threaded into the slot and onto Malkin’s stick where the Russian made no mistake on the one-timer. Anders Lee fired his 41st of the year at 9:53 of the 2nd with a long wrist shot that fooled Vasilevsky. Rantanen (22) and Backlund (38) got assists. Hampton moved to a 4-1 lead a couple of minutes later when Filip Forsberg capped a kind of disappointing season with his 24th on a nice passing play with Malkin (48) and Superman Sissons (6) on a power play. Perron (2) got back the goal only 30 seconds later on a defensive collapse by the Blizzard with Kadri (28) and Leivo (1) getting assists. |
| Weekly Summary: | Hampton finishes their home season with a solid win against Jagr but heads into the post-season with questions about their netminding and still no idea whether it’ll be a Price-Raanta platoon or to go the distance with Price (who will be the #2 guy in the 2018-2019 season). Jagr has a very solid season, but is stuck behind two strong teams in Brentwood and Columbus in the Metropolitan Division. |
| California Regulators | |
| Long Beach Ice Dogs @ California Regulators | California closes out a terrible season with a nice home victory over rival Long Beach. California wins 3-0. |
| Weekly Summary: | California limps across the finish line … |
| Clearfield Bison | With the division locked up and the President’s Trophy all but sewn up, Clearfield had 3 goals this week: give two division leaders a stiff test as they fight for their own positions, try to get Patrick Kane a scoring title…and rest up key players for the postseason. |
| Toledo Walleye @ Clearfield Bison | What a story this game is…the remnants of two abandoned franchises, both in the playoffs (and leading their divisions) less than a year later. Why the past owners abandoned this much talent is beyond me, but Mike and I say…thank you!
This was really three games in one. The first 7 minutes were all Clearfield – and they cashed in twice to take a 2-0 lead. The next 30 minutes were all Toledo on the scoreboard..in what has become a disturbing trend, Anderson let in a shaky one and two others..and the Bison found themselves down 3-2 late in the second. But, with less than 2 minutes left in the 2nd -Rakell blasted his 43rd of the season past Dubnyk, and that appeared to change the shape of the game. Clearfield taked on two more in the third and capped it with an empty-netter late – again by Rakell – to win a closer-than-the-score game 6-3. Aside from Clearfield’s usual faceoff dominance, most of the stats were pretty even. Shots were 35 apiece, Toledo had55 attempts to Clearfield’s 53, and outchanced the Bison 10-9. STARS: |
| LA Great Danes @ Clearfield Bison | With the Great Danes locked in a pitched battle for the division, the Bison deployed their best lineup for this one. In a case of ‘deja vu all over again’…the Bison jumped out to an early 2-0 lead, only to give it up by the end of the 2nd. Clearfield re-took the lead after 2, and seemed on their way to victory..but with 2:30 left in regulation, the Schenn line got a favorable matchup and put one home. Before LA was done celebrating, however, the Bison struck back – Drouin tipped one home 46 seconds after the Schenn goal. When Rakell put home yet another empty-netter, the home fans went home happy.
Most of the stats were close, except faceoffs (thanks to Bergeron soing an insane 23-4 in the circle) and scoring chances (19-11 Clearfield) Stars: #1 Rakell 2G 1A #2 Drouin 1G #3 Bergeron 1A, 23 FO wins, +2 |
| Bucks County Racoons @ Clearfield Bison | With nothing to play for and some playing time issues to attend to..the Bison emptied the bench. 3rd string goalie, plus a bunch of scrubs…mainly I wanted to get Kane ice time to get points, and see what happens when you hit ‘aggressive’ every single time.
I’ll tell you what happens, at least in this game: power plays. Lots and lots and lots of power plays. The Bison don’t take many penalties and they don’t draw many…a typical game might see 5 total PPs. This game saw 13! Early on it looked like the laugher I expected – BCR scored early and often, 3 total goals in the first. BUT, this time the Bison fought back from 2-0 and 3-2 deficits – thanks in large part to 2 power play tallies AND a Bergeron shortie. The game was tied after 2, but the Bison got their 2nd PP marker early in the third and held on for the win. The stats were even but I’m sure no one but BCR and I care lol, so let’s get this done: STARS: #1 Bergeron 2G #2 Kane 2A #3 Koivu 1G 1A |
| Weekly Summary: | Clearfield takes 3 at home and enters the postseason on a roll: 8-0-2 in their last 10, President’s Trophy (and associated curse?) in hand.
Still too early to know if we have Hampton or CBJ for the first round. No matter what happens from here, thanks to the other 19 owners for a great first full season. This has been a very cool experience, and I look forward to many years in the MWHL 🙂 |
| Jagr Mullets | Jagr has had an up and down season; with the playoffs now a foregone conclusion will the team play loose and finish on a positive note? |
| LA Great Danes @ Jagr Mullets | First game isn’t an easy one, as 1st place LA comes to town looking to secure a prime playoff position. But it’s Jagr that carries the play for the first 30 minutes – totally shutting down the Great Danes (4 measly shots). But the Mullets fail to get one past Andersen… and then as is our custom this season, a bone-headed play changes everything.
Oleksiak gets a 5 minute major for spearing at 11:12, putting LA on the extended PP. And the Mullets *nearly* kill it – but Chiasson (9) scores at 15:50 with assists by ex-Mullet John Carlson and McDonagh. The teams play evenly the rest of the way, with neither taking a big gamble. But at 9:13 of the 3rd, Patrik Laine (36) blasts one behind Andersen to tie it up! Oleksiak gets the primary assist to help atone for his bungle earlier. We go to OT, where the teams play it cool and angle for the shootout. But an unlikely hero – Darnell Nurse — tickles the twine for the Mullets with 23 seconds remaining to send the fans home happy! Scoring Summary Star 1: JAG Vasilevskiy 27 saves GWG: Darnell Nurse Notables: LGD Andersen 37 saves |
| Gilbert Sharks @ Jagr Mullets | The Mullets close out their season against the Sharks, and lavish their fans with swag (and outright bribery) at Fan Appreciation Night. Will they also provide a victory with the graft?
Jagr strikes first, with Granlund potting his 27th of the year, with helpers by Schultz (40) and Hall (46) at 7:33 of the 1st. In the 2nd, both goalies let down their guard and pay for it, as Gilbert gets two quick strikes from Burrows and Iginla, the 11th goal of the year for both. But less than a minute later, Justin Schultz (14) rips one behind Rask to tie it up at 2-2. The Mullets own the 3rd period, scoring 3 goals: Roussel (15), Kadri (37), and Grandlund’s 28th into an empty net to take it 5-2 and end the year on a high note. Many faces are returning for what is setting up to be an impactful year for the Mullets in 2018. Scoring Summary Star 1: JAG Granlund 2 G GWG: Antoine Roussel Notables: GIL None |
| Weekly Summary: | Mullets finish the year 42-31-9 for 93 points, the first loser for playoff position. We scored 280 goals (even after trading away Top 12 league leaders Phil Kessel and Jeff Carter. But we also surrendered 253, and that’s why we’re on the outside looking in. Our team always seemed to give up the big goal at the wrong time and could never string a consistent streak together.
But we are proud of the top-to-bottom scoring of our team; we had two 35+ goal scorers, three 20+ goal scoreers, and three more in the teens. Alex Ovechkin (25/45) paced the team with 70 points, while Taylor Hall (21/46) and Patrik Laine (36/31) finished tied for 2nd with 67 pts. Nazem Kadri was a scoring machine all year (37/29), and added some grit with 101 PIM. Mikael Granlund (28/34) and Alexander Radulov (16/29) both came over via trade and performed well. Our defense was an offensive force, with Justin Schultz (14/41) finishing with 55 points and a +31. A possible Norris candidate? Ryan Ellis (20/22) and Hampus Lindholm (13/18) also joined the rush to keep the pressure on. In net, Matt Murray was bought out after a rough start, and neither Vasilevskiy (2.94/.909) nor Quick (2.95/.906) distinguished themselves between the pipes. But both look to be very tough next year behind a team that has 10 players averaging 0.7 or more points per game. |
| Long Beach Ice Dogs | |
| Weekly Summary: | Long Beach splits their last 2 home games. |
| Toledo Walleye | Toledo (47-26-6) plays its last regular season home game against Pacific leader Alamo (48-24-7) in what should prove to be an exciting game. Both teams need wins to hang on to their division leads. |
| Alamo Defenders @ Toledo Walleye | Alamo 1, Toledo 0 – A well played game by both teams, especially the goal keepers, except for one brief moment late in the first period when a bobbled pass by the Walleye led to a 2 on 1 breakaway and a goal by Wheeler, assisted by Perreault and Pacioretty. 1st star – Lehner 40 saves 2nd star – Wheeler GWG 3rd star – Pacioretty |
| Weekly Summary: | Toledo misses its chance to clinch the division and must now hope for a road win, or a loss by the Deep Freeze. |
| Brentwood Bandits | Brentwood has been in first place in the Metro almost since day one, but Columbus has made a serious push down the stretch. Though unlikely, the Bandits COULD miss the playoffs with Hampton and Columbus making their late season surges.
How will it shake out, especially with Lundqvist, and others usually in the press box, forced into action? |
| Gilbert Sharks @ Brentwood Bandits | Brentwood scores in the final minute of the 1st to take a 1-0 lead, and would hold on to win a VERY important game at home 4-1 (two empty netters). That should clench the division (finally!). |
| Hampton Blizzard @ Brentwood Bandits | Hampton comes into town. Brentwood doesn’t NEED to win, but a fellow playoff team that we could meet in the playoffs… it would have been nice. But, it was not to be as Carey Price shuts down the patchwork Brentwood team 4-0. |
| Weekly Summary: | Brentwood ends the season by clinching the division against Gilbert, but then being shut out at home by potential playoff opponent Hampton. Would be lying if I said that didn’t concern me.
But the playoffs are a whole new ball game. So, bring them on! |
| LA Great Danes | The Great Danes close out the regular season at home against California. For the finale, Andersen and Carlson sit out to meet their GP limits. Tyer Toffoli is back in the lineup for the final home game while sitting out LA’s 2 road games. |
| California Regulators @ LA Great Danes | The first period was very evenly played statistically – SOG 9-8, chances 3-2, FO 50% and each team 0-1 on the PP. It was Anton Stralman getting his first goal of the season to break the ice to give Cal a 1-0 lead 6 minutes into period 2. Seconds after Brayden Schenn’s shot off the post, Kesler wins a draw back to Pietrangelo, and Toffoli defects it past Domingue to tie the game midway through the 2nd. With 1:07 left in the 2nd, Kesler and Toffoli team up again, with Kesler getting the goal on a delayed penalty call. So the Danes head to the final period with a 2-1 lead. The Danes dominate much of the 3rd but cannot beat Domingue. The only shot past Domingue in the 3rd was a Benn shot off the post with 3 1/2 minutes left. California pushed back late and got the last 3 shots of the game, but the Danes were able to hold off the Regulators and come away with the 2-1 victory. Despite getting 28 shots in the 3rd period and 49 for the game, the Great Danes had to rely on their defense late to get the 2 points. Kesler/Toffoli were the first 2 stars with 1G-1A each, and backup Steve Mason had 28 saves for the 3rd star. Domingue was strong in net for Cal with 47 saves. |
| Weekly Summary: | The Danes may have wrapped up the league trophy for the lowest goals against for the year with the 1 GA versus Cal, unless they really collapse in their final road games. So it’s onto the playoffs, opponent and location TBD as this final week will decide the Pacific division title. |
| Gilbert Sharks | Gilbert has one last home game to finish out the season |
| Columbus Brew Jackets @ Gilbert Sharks | Columbus wins 2-1 in a shootout. |
| Weekly Summary: | Disappointing end to a disappointing season for Gilbert |
| Weekly Preview: | Bucks County closes the regular season with 2 home games in the hope of reaching the .500 mark for the season…. |
| Corktown Suds @ Bucks County Racoons | Aided by 5 PP opportunities Bucks County fires 43 SOG, but the eventual game winner is not scored until there are just under 3 minutes left in the game as BCR defeats the Corktown Suds by a score of 3-1. An empty net goal provides the final margin. |
| New Jersey Grizzlies @ Bucks County Racoons | In a wild back and forth affair Trevor Lewis scores with 5 seconds left in the 2nd period to tie the game and Jayden Schwartz scores 5 minutes into the 3rd period and the Bucks County Raccoons hold on the rest of the way for a 5-4 win over the New Jersey Grizzlies. The visitors controlled play throughout, winning 55% of the face offs and out shooting the Racs to the tune of 42-28 but fail to come away with even a participation point. |
| Weekly Summary: | Two wins at home give the Racs a fighting chance to finish at .500 with only a road game against playoff bound Clearfield left on the schedule in which the Racs need to secure at least a point to accomplish their task for the week. |
| Bathgate Rangers | Final home game of the season features 2 team hovering just above .500 and wanting to stay that way. |
| Corktown Suds @ Bathgate Rangers | Suds want to clean-up the season and start strong firing two pucks past Nilsson in the first. Stone (24) gets the scoring started late in the period and then Simmonds (23) adds the second with less than a minute and a half remaining. But then the game shifts and the Rangers get one very early in the 2nd when Zajac (9) tips one in and then at the 5 minute mark in period 3, Wood (7) ties it up. Hey, at least he can score a few times (not as much as fighting, but hey, everyone needs a fighter – Woods got another 5 minute fighting major in this one). However, Shaw gets called for holding and during the delayed penalty, Rust (15) gets the game winner. No one scored in the final 10 minutes which included a little of a minute of Bathgate pulling the goalie. Lehtonen held firm and got notable mention for his 30 saves. Corktown proved to be a rough and tumble team getting 28 hits in the game! Final 3-2 Suds Stars (all CRK) 1. Rust 1 goal (gwg) 2. Simmonds 1 goal 3. Stone 1 goal |
| Weekly Summary: | Rangers lose their final home game in a season that saw them trade off some serious goal production – however, they became a better defensive team and actually had a better team performance after the trading. Fans hope so, they were pretty depressed when Kane and Malkin left the building….Put we have P.K.!!! |
| Lakeland Flying Tigers | Final 3 games of the season, and it couldn’t have come too soon. 🙂 |
| Brentwood Bandits @ Lakeland Flying Tigers | Lakeland 4, Brentwood 3. OT
Everybody gets some points but Lakeland gets the extra…as a really weak shot from Orlov in OT wins it for the Tigers. |
| California Regulators @ Lakeland Flying Tigers | California 2, Lakeland 1.
Lakeland scores first SH…and then gives up 2 goals late in the 3rd to lose the home game. |
| Bathgate Rangers @ Lakeland Flying Tigers | Lakeland 4, Bathgate 2.
Lakeland comes out strong…as the guys knew, the sooner they got this one over with, the sooner they could go golfing…seriously…I have a lunchtime outing in Orlando at Orange County National today. 🙂 |
| Weekly Summary: | Well, nice way to finish the season. Started OK and ended OK for the season.
If I had to vote, I would say either Oshie or Fleury was our team MVP for the season… |
| Columbus Brew Jackets | Slim, slim chance left for division title but post season is coming …. |
| Thunder Bay Nor’Westers @ Columbus Brew Jackets | Any chance for title disappears in this one as Nor’Westers starter early, 1:19 into game – Tatar (with not a rare goal, #25) and more often, 2 2nd period PP goals – and they are both from Tatar (26, 27) for the hat trick. And that was just enough to win the game. Brew Jackets get a 1st period PP goal from Holden (8) and then an even strength goal from Stalberg (8) in the 3rd, but they can get no closer than 3-2 and Thunder Bay takes the game. STARS: 1. (TBN) Tatar – 3 goals 2. (TBN) Couturier – 3 assists 3. (CBJ) Stalberg – 1 goal, 1 assist |
| Weekly Summary: | Final home game goes to the visitors who put a hat trick on the Bowery Boys. |
| Alamo Defenders | Alamo hosts Bathgate, then takes on Chicago on the road. Stray asked me to play games. Chicago plays well and wins. |
| Bathgate Rangers @ Alamo Defenders | Jay Beagle leads off the scoring in the first and puts Alamo on board. Later, in the first, Bathgate takes advantage of a power play and ties the game. Ekblad nets a goal and Alamo resumes the lead.
In the 3rd, Seguin scores an insurance goal, and the goal holds up. Alamo 3 Bathgate 1 1st star – Lehner 33 saves |
| Alamo Defenders @ Chicago Cosa Nostra | Chicago plays spoiler and plays well at home. Eaves scores the first goal for Alamo, but Chicago goes on a run with 4 straight goals. Chicago goes 2 for 7 on the power play. Note that Chicago had two 4 minute power plays to feast on Alamo. Alamo goes 0-2. Alamo scores 2 late goals, and falls by one goal.
Chicago 4 Alamo 3 1st star – Kreider |
| Weekly Summary: | Alamo wraps up their home schedule with a 3-1 win over Bathgate. Chicago plays spoiler and wins 4-3 in Chicago. |
| Corktown Suds | |
| Minneapolis Deep Freeze @ Corktown Suds | Minneapolis 6-1 Gets the much needed win. |
| Weekly Summary: | Corktown drops the 1 home game badly. |