It’s Old vs. New in SHL Finals

The 2018 Vandenberg Cup Finals is a study in contrasts.  The Anchorage Igloos, champions of the West, are making their third trip to the Finals in four years.  Their success has been built on a powerful, high-flying offense.  The Quebec Tigres, coming out of the East, parlayed their first-ever winning record into their first-ever Finals visit.  They have risen to the top on the strength of their defense, goaltending, and prefer a slow pace.

“We play totally different games,” said Igloos coach Sam Castor.  “Whichever team dictates the pace will win this series.”

The teams’ differing styles can be seen in the statistics.  Anchorage averaged 37.3 shots per game during the regular season, the league’s second-highest total; similarly, only one team scored more than the Igloos’ 213 goals.  Quebec, meanwhile, generated a mere 27.7 shots per game; only the expansion clubs in Boston and Kansas City were less prolific.  (They were eighth in the league with 183 goals.)  On the other side of the ledger, the Tigres held opponents to 27 shots per game, the second-fewest in the SHL; meanwhile, the Igloos yielded 30.5 shots a game, which placed them in the middle of the pack.

Perhaps ironically, both teams dispatched an opponent in the division round that resembles the club they will face in the Finals.  In the West, the Igloos shocked the Michigan Gray Wolves in a sweep.  The Tigres make no secret of their attempt to copy the Wolves’ model of defense, strong goaltending, and puck control.  Quebec coach Martin Delorme made his SHL debut as the bench boss in Michigan.  Meanwhile, the Tigres outlasted the Hamilton Pistols in a series that went the distance.  The Pistols play a fast-paced, offense-first style that strongly resembles Anchorage’s.

The Igloos are widely considered the favorite in this series, despite the fact that Quebec actually finished with a higher point total in the regular season, 81 to 80.  The Tigres have a bit of a chip on their shoulder as a result.  “We definitely felt like we’ve been overlooked this season,” said Tigres LW Walt Camernitz, the free-agent signee who wound up tying for the team lead in goals with 31.  “Everyone acts like it’s some sort of fluke that we won our division, or that we made the Finals.  Now we have a chance to prove it on the ice.  If we win the Vandy, people will have to take us seriously.”

Anchorage, meanwhile, is wary of assuming the Goliath role.  Last season, they went into the Finals as heavy favorites, only to be stunned in seven games by the Hershey Bliss.  “If anyone in this locker room thinks that the hard part is over because we beat Michigan, they’d better think again,” said Castor.  “Anything can happen in a short series; we found that out the hard way last year.  We definitely have the ability to win this, but Quebec’s not going to make it easy on us.  We have to bring the same drive and intensity that we did in the last round if we’re going to do this.”

The Igloos’ star, C Jake Frost, said that the team is dedicating this series to teammate Remi Montrechere, who was hurt in the division round and will miss the Finals.  “We’ve got to pick up the slack with Remi being out,” said Frost.  “We’re going to do this for him, and for ourselves.  We’re hungry for another title.”

CHL Update: Rhinos, Freeze Advance to Finals

The first round of the CHL playoffs mirrored the first round of the SHL playoffs in a number of ways.  One series ended in a sweep, with the victor headed to the finals for the second straight season, trying to avenge last year’s shocking loss.  The other series went the distance, with both teams holding serve on home ice; the winner is making their first-ever trip to the championship round.

In the East, the Virginia Rhinos felt as though they should have won the title last season, even though they were upended by Utah in 5 games in last season’s final.  “I think we all had the belief that the better team lost last time,” said C Cyril Perignon.  “We are on a mission of revenge.”

The Rhinos played with purpose and passion in the division playoff, dispatching the Oshawa Drive in three straight.  Despite the fact that Virginia thrived on scoring this season, they relied on stout defense to succeed in this playoff; they shut out the Drive in each of the first two games. They won Game 1 by a 4-0 margin, with C Tanner Brooks getting a short-handed goal to open the scoring and LW Yuri Laronov recording a power-play tally to end it.  The Rhinos eked out a 1-0 victory in Game 2, with RW “Real” Hank Diehl scoring the lone goal on a deflection early in the second period.  Goalie Gus Parrish was at the top of his game, turning aside 22 shots in the first game and 19 shots in the second.  In Game 3, with the series moving north of the border, Virginia opened up a 3-0 lead before D Ingolf Gudmundsen finally recorded the Drive’s first goal of the series late in the second period.  Oshawa LW Norris “Beaver” Young struck on the power play two minutes into the third period to close the gap to one, but they couldn’t muster the tying tally as the Rhinos completed the clean sweep.

“Everyone in this locker room is focused on one thing: winning the Howard Trophy,” said Rhinos coach Jeffrey “Swampy” Marsh.  “If we have to go over, under, around, or through our opponents to make it happen, that’s what we’re going to do.  We’re like Andy Dufresne in ‘Shawshank Redemption,’ climbing through that sewer pipe on our way to freedom.”

Meanwhile, the Minnesota Freeze had a bumpier road than the Rhinos did, as the Colorado Springs Zoomies pushed the series to the limit.  But like their parent club, the Anchorage Igloos, the Freeze survived and will advance to the Finals.

Game 1 was a back-and-forth affair, with the Freeze and Zoomies trading goals, and it ultimately went into overtime.  D Julian Staples ultimately nailed the game-winner six minutes into the extra session to give Minnesota a 4-3 win.  Game 2 was another close contest; Zoomies RW Joel Hagendosh got a short-handed goal midway through the third, and the game wound up in overtime once again.  One extra period wasn’t enough this time, but C Mason Alpine ended it a minute into the second OT with a slapper from the point that lifted Minnesota to a 3-2 victory.  Back home for Game 3, Colorado Springs kicked their offense into high-gear, rallying from a two-goal deficit to snatch a 6-4 win that staved off elimination.  In Game 4, the Zoomies made the most of the man advantage, scoring all three of their goals on the power play.  Even though the Freeze outshot them 39-23, Colorado Springs goalie Sonny Kashiuk stood on his head, making 38 saves in a 3-1 win.  In the winner-take-all Game 5, Minnesota again dominated on offense, outshooting the Zoomies 35-17.  But even though the Freeze scored four goals in a wide-open second period, the Zoomies hung tough, ultimately coming up short by a 5-4 score.

The Igloos sent their minor-league club a congratulatory video, with Anchorage players calling on their minor-league counterparts to help the organization capture both championship.  “We’re going to prove that we’re the best team right now,” said Igloos C Jake Frost.  “We’re hoping you guys can go out and prove that we’re going to win the future too.”

Although Minnesota finished the regular season 11 points ahead of Virginia, most observers expect a closely-fought battle in the Finals.  The Rhinos will be looking to win the title they felt they were robbed of last year, while the Freeze will be looking to make their parent club proud.  The series begins Sunday at Northwoods Auditorium in Duluth.

2018 SHL Division Playoff – Game 5

Eastern Division Series

QUEBEC TIGRES 4, HAMILTON PISTOLS 1

As the Quebec Tigres prepared for the deciding Game 5 in their playoff series, RW Stephane Mirac dressed in silence.  The winger is a local hero in Quebec, where the fans have nicknamed him “Stephane Miracle” for his goal-scoring prowess.  But Mirac had been quiet in the postseason, with only a single tally to his name through the first four games.  Several of his teammates – goalie Riki Tiktuunen, LW Walt Camernitz, even little-known winger Rupert MacDiarmid – had made a greater impact on the series.

“I felt it was time for me to make my mark,” said Mirac.

Sure enough, the winger made Game 5 into his personal showcase, scoring twice and leading his team to its first-ever SHL Finals appearance, as the Tigres whipped the Hamilton Pistols 4-1.

“I know this game meant a lot to Stephane,” said Quebec coach Martin Delorme.  “To be able to be a hero in front of his home fans… this was his dream come to life.”

With the Pistols having won the last two games to seize the momentum of the series, it was far from certain how the untested Tigres would respond.  Mirac set the tone for the game from the beginning.  Just 26 seconds in, he got a perfect feed from Camernitz and beat Hamilton goalie Lasse Koskinen up high to grab a 1-0 lead.

“I wanted to score quickly, so we and the fans could breathe a little easy,” said Mirac.

The Tigres had numerous chances to expand their lead in the first, as the Pistols committed three penalties.  But Quebec couldn’t convert on their power-play chances, and Hamilton controlled the ice during 5-on-5 play.  Tiktuunen had to make several challenging saves in order for the Tigres to keep their lead through the end of the period.

“After the first, we felt like we’d been outplayed,” admitted Camernitz.  “We were lucky to still be up.”

In the second period, the Tigres ratcheted up their forechecking pressure and slowed the game to their preferred pace.  LW Stellan Fisker gave Quebec some much-needed breathing room four and a half minutes in with a wicked slapshot from the faceoff circle that deflected off Koskinen’s glove and into the net.  But three minutes later, C Drustan Zarkovich – who took a lot of penalties in this series – was sent off for elbowing.  Pistols C Calvin Frye deflected a shot past a screened Tiktuunen to make it 2-1, turning the mood at Centre Citadelle a bit anxious.  The Tigres again came up empty on a late-period power play, and they went into the locker room still clinging to that one-goal edge.

“In the third, we were determined to put [the Pistols] away,” said Tigres D Richard McKinley.  “We were looking for that knockout blow.”

But that blow remained elusive through a slow-paced first half of the third; both teams had chances, but they hit posts, shanked shots, or pushed them wide.  Both teams seemed a bit nervous and uncertain.

Finally, with just under eight minutes remaining, the Tigres caught Hamilton in a rare odd-man rush, and MacDiarmid finished with a low liner that got between Koskinen’s pads to restore Quebec’s two-goal edge.

“We had them back on their heels,” said McKinley.  “We just needed that last punch.”

Mirac delivered the knockout blow just over a minute later, as he crashed the net during a sustained shift in the Hamilton end.  Camernitz skated hard toward the right post and faked a shot.  Koskinen scrambled to seal up the right side of the net.  Camernitz slid the puck over to Mirac, who buried it in the wide-open net to seal the win.

The Tigres star dropped his stick and skated toward the glass, waving his arms as he whipped the crowd – his crowd – into an ecstatic frenzy.

“In that moment, we reached heaven together,” said Mirac of his moment with the crowd.

Delorme believes that the closely-contested series helped his team prepare for the Finals.  “Although I would have loved a sweep,” the coach said, “it was good for us to experience some adversity, to have to reach down within ourselves and find that extra strength.”

The Tigres move on to face a rested, battled-tested Anchorage Igloos team that enters the Finals as favorites.  “We are not scared of them,” said Delorme of the Igloos.  “We know we have the talent and the drive to beat anyone.”

Pistols coach Keith Shields congratulated his team on a hard-fought series and vowed that his team will come back stronger next season.  “Man, what a ride!” Shields said.  “Sure, we’d rather have won.  But it was just a tremendous experience for us.  I couldn’t be prouder of my guys and how hard they fought.   We’re going to use this series and grow from it, and we’ll be just that much better next time around.”

E Final - Game 5, Hamilton @ Quebec, Centre Citadelle

                   1   2   3   OT   F
Hamilton           0   1   0        1
Quebec             1   1   2        4

 
Hamilton               G   A PTS PIM +/-   Quebec                 G   A PTS PIM +/-

Alexander       LW     0   1   1   4  -2   Camernitz       LW     0   2   2   4   2
Smyth           D      0   0   0   0  -3   Workman         D      0   1   1   0   3
Frye            C      1   0   1   0  -2   Zarkovich       C      0   1   1   2   1
Risch           D      0   1   1   2  -3   McKinley        D      0   0   0   0   3
Lafayette       RW     0   0   0   0  -2   Mirac           RW     2   0   2   0   2
Gunnarson       LW     0   0   0   0  -1   Fisker          LW     1   0   1   0   1
Mulligan        D      0   0   0   0   0   Ilyushin        C      0   1   1   0   2
Constantine     C      0   0   0   0  -1   Jones           D      0   0   0   0   0
Werner          D      0   0   0   0   0   Robinson        RW     0   0   0   0   1
Patterson       RW     0   0   0   2  -1   MacDiarmid      LW     1   0   1   0   1
Campbell        LW     0   0   0   0  -1   Pugliese        D      0   1   1   0   1
Glasco          D      0   0   0   0  -1   Kalashnikov     D      0   0   0   0   1
Jennings        RW     0   0   0   0  -1   Pentti          RW     0   1   1   0   1
Soforenko       LW     0   0   0   2  -1   Miller          C      0   1   1   0   1
Dyomin          D      0   0   0   0  -1   Wesson          D      0   0   0   0   0
----------------------------------------   ----------------------------------------
TOTALS                 1   2   3  10  -4   TOTALS                 4   8  12   6   4

Scratches:
HAM:  Zalmanis (inj), Kratz, Rodney
QUE:  Shovshenkov, Zhzhynov, Kane

 
Hamilton            SH    SV    G    Sv%
----------------------------------------
Koskinen            27    23    4  0.852

Quebec              SH    SV    G    Sv%
----------------------------------------
Tiktuunen           31    30    1  0.968

 

First Period
------------

GOALS:
00:26  QUE  Mirac (Camernitz, Workman)

PENALTIES:
04:27  HAM  Alexander 2:00 (Interference)
08:28  HAM  Risch 2:00 (Interference)
18:52  HAM  Soforenko 2:00 (Hooking)

Second Period
-------------

GOALS:
04:24  QUE  Fisker (Pugliese, Zarkovich)
08:09  HAM  Frye PP (Risch, Alexander)

PENALTIES:
07:48  QUE  Zarkovich 2:00 (Elbowing)
16:48  HAM  Alexander 2:00 (Hooking)

Third Period
------------

GOALS:
12:12  QUE  MacDiarmid (Pentti, Miller)
13:24  QUE  Mirac (Camernitz, Ilyushin)

PENALTIES:
06:32  QUE  Camernitz 4:00 (Unsportsmanlike Conduct)
08:29  HAM  Patterson 2:00 (Slashing)


 
SHOTS
------
                   1   2   3   OT   F
Hamilton          14   7  10       31
Quebec            10   7  10       27

 
POWER PLAYS
-----------

Hamilton         1 for 2
Quebec           0 for 5

 
INJURIES
--------

None

2018 SHL Division Playoff – Game 4

Eastern Division Series

HAMILTON PISTOLS 2, QUEBEC TIGRES 0

After the Hamilton Pistols dropped the first two games of the best-of-five Eastern playoff to the Quebec Tigres despite outshooting their opponent in both games, many observers predicted that the Tigres would make quick work of the series.  Hamilton had finished the regular season on a cold streak, and it looked like Tigres goalie Riki Tiktuunen would extend their slump right out of the playoffs.

Pistols coach Keith Shields dismissed the naysayers.  For one thing, he felt that Tiktuunen’s success wasn’t sustainable.  “Tiktuunen’s a great goalie, but he’s not unbeatable,” Shields told reporters.  “I feel like the puck luck is due to break our way.  If we keep firing pucks at him, he’s going to crack eventually.”

Even more, though, he felt that the enthusiasm of the home crowds would shift the momentum in Hamilton’s favor.  “You feed off the energy of your fans in your building,” said Shields.  “Our fans are great, and I know they’re gonna be loud for us.  That will give us extra energy and tilt the ice our way.”

The Pistols and their fans validated the coach’s faith in the last two games.  After surviving a long grind and pulling out a double-overtime win in Game 3, Hamilton came out strong and used the energy in the building to fuel a 2-0 win, sending the series to a winner-take-all Game 5 back in Quebec.  Tiktuunen looks mortal, and the Pistols’ top-notch top line is getting hot at the right time.

“Now, all those smart guys who were reading our obituary after the first two games, don’t you feel silly?” said Shields.  “I told you this team was too talented to be held down, especially with our fans behind us.”

The game started slowly, as both clubs seemed a bit drained from their Game 3 marathon.  But an early penalty on Tigres D Doug Wesson got the crowd fired up, and the Pistols quickly warmed to the task.  They pinned Quebec in their own zone through the power play, and LW Steven Alexander broke through with a shot from the bottom of the left faceoff circle that snuck in above Tiktuunen’s blocker.  If was only the second shot of the entire game, but it put Hamilton in front.

“Getting that first goal was huge,” Alexander said.  “It fired up the crowd and fired up our bench, too.  It was the shot of adrenaline we needed.”

As the second period began, the Pistols had found a rhythm.  They nearly cashed in on another early-period power play, as RW Kenny Patterson fired a shot that dribbled between Tiktuunen’s pads.  The Quebec netminder managed to sweep the puck away before it crossed the goal line, however.  A couple minutes later, Hamilton killed off an elbowing penalty to LW Jamie Campbell, and the crowd roared and stomped so hard that the benches shook.

“It felt like it was an earthquake,” said Tigres C Mikhail Ilyushin.

Shortly after the Campbell penalty ended, Pistols C Calvin Frye grabbed a loose puck near his own blue line and fired a perfect pass to Alexander, who had leaked out of the zone.  Alexander streaked up the ice, deked past Quebec D Hal Pugliese, and thundered a slapshot that beat Tiktuunen and went bar-down for a second goal.

That two-goal lead felt more like ten given Quebec’s challenges in jump-starting its sluggish offense.  The Tigres had one more power play opportunity in the second and two in the third, but they couldn’t convert on them, and they found it virtually impossible to generate shots during 5-on-5 play.

“We need more quality and more quantity on offense,” said Quebec coach Martin Delorme.  “What we saw tonight will not get the job done.”

Meanwhile, Pistols goalie Lasse Koskinen looked sharp, turning aside all 24 shots he faced.  “Lasse really stayed on it tonight,” said Hamilton D Hercules Mulligan.  “There were stretches were the action in our end was so dead he probably wanted to pull out a rocking chair and take it easy.  But whenever they made it through to our end, he was on his toes and making the stops.”

All in all, it was a decisive win for the Pistols, and momentum is definitely on their side going into the deciding game.  But will they be able to keep it going as the action shifts back to Quebec?  Shields pointed out repeatedly that his team got a boost from the red-clad throngs at Gunpowder Armory; how will they do amid the orange-clad throngs at Centre Citadelle, rooting for their defeat?  How badly will the Pistols miss third-line center Edz Zalmanis, who left the game late in the second period with an upper-body injury and is reportedly done for the year?

And what about Tiktuunen, who looked superhuman in the first two games but distinctly mortal in the last two?  Will he rediscover his mojo on home ice, or have the Pistols figured him out?

A shot at the Vandy rides on the answers to those questions.  Both teams can’t wait to find out what happens next.

E Final - Game 4, Quebec @ Hamilton, Gunpowder Armory

                   1   2   3   OT   F
Quebec             0   0   0        0
Hamilton           1   1   0        2

 
Quebec                 G   A PTS PIM +/-   Hamilton               G   A PTS PIM +/-

Camernitz       LW     0   0   0   0  -1   Alexander       LW     2   0   2   0   1
Workman         D      0   0   0   0   0   Smyth           D      0   1   1   0   0
Zarkovich       C      0   0   0   2   0   Frye            C      0   2   2   0   1
McKinley        D      0   0   0   0   0   Risch           D      0   0   0   2   0
Mirac           RW     0   0   0   0  -1   Lafayette       RW     0   0   0   0   1
Fisker          LW     0   0   0   0   0   Gunnarson       LW     0   0   0   0   0
Ilyushin        C      0   0   0   0  -1   Mulligan        D      0   0   0   0   0
Jones           D      0   0   0   0   0   Constantine     C      0   0   0   4   0
Robinson        RW     0   0   0   0   0   Werner          D      0   0   0   2   0
MacDiarmid      LW     0   0   0   0   0   Patterson       RW     0   0   0   0   0
Pugliese        D      0   0   0   0  -1   Campbell        LW     0   0   0   2   0
Kalashnikov     D      0   0   0   2  -1   Glasco          D      0   0   0   0   1
Pentti          RW     0   0   0   0   0   Zalmanis        C      0   0   0   0   0
Miller          C      0   0   0   0   0   Soforenko       LW     0   0   0   0   0
Wesson          D      0   0   0   2   0   Dyomin          D      0   0   0   0   1
----------------------------------------   ----------------------------------------
TOTALS                 0   0   0   6  -1   TOTALS                 2   3   5  10   1

Scratches:
QUE:  Shovshenkov, Zhzhynov, Kane
HAM:  Kratz, Jennings, Rodney

 
Quebec              SH    SV    G    Sv%
----------------------------------------
Tiktuunen           31    29    2  0.935

Hamilton            SH    SV    G    Sv%
----------------------------------------
Koskinen            24    24    0  1.000

 

First Period
------------

GOALS:
03:31  HAM  Alexander PP (Smyth, Frye)

PENALTIES:
02:34  QUE  Wesson 2:00 (Diving)
04:06  HAM  Constantine 2:00 (Cross-checking)
14:06  QUE  Kalashnikov 2:00 (Diving)

Second Period
-------------

GOALS:
09:07  HAM  Alexander (Frye)

PENALTIES:
01:37  QUE  Zarkovich 2:00 (Tripping)
05:03  HAM  Campbell 2:00 (Elbowing)
17:18  HAM  Werner 2:00 (Interference)

Third Period
------------

GOALS:
None


PENALTIES:
01:29  HAM  Risch 2:00 (Holding the Stick)
14:35  HAM  Constantine 2:00 (Holding the Stick)


 
SHOTS
------
                   1   2   3   OT   F
Quebec             7   8   9       24
Hamilton           8  11  12       31

 
POWER PLAYS
-----------

Quebec           0 for 5
Hamilton         1 for 3

 
INJURIES
--------

Edgars Zalmanis (HAM) -- Upper-body  20 games