Wild-Card Game

Tonight was our first-ever wild-card game, where the second- and third-place teams duke it out for the right to face the first-place team in the Creighton Cup Finals. This contest between the Thistles and the Bulldogs was a game for the ages -- it had everything but Don Cherry, Gritty, and Marty McSorley's illegal stick!  

Tommy Dunderdale, playing in his first career playoff game, got the scoring started early in the first period. The hometown Bulldog fans were ecstatic, sensing that a date with the Victorias was at hand. Riley Hern, however, had other plans, and stonewalled the Dogs on shot after shot. The next goal would come late in the second, when the Thistles' Dan Bain tallied on the power play to tie the game. Moments later, the Dogs picked up a power-play goal of their own, courtesy of a Bruce Stuart lamplighter. It was 2-1 in favor of the Bulldogs at the end of two.

Then things got kind of crazy. On just their second try with the man advantage, the Thistles scored again, tying the game once more. This time it was Fred Whitcroft, the Thistles' midseason acquisition, who found the back of the net. Two power plays, two goals. The Dogs were on their heels, dumbfounded that they just couldn't put away this vastly inferior Thistles team. The specter of sudden-death overtime loomed with each passing moment. Then, with under five minutes to play in regulation, Bulldogs winger Tom Hooper went down with an injury and was removed from the game. Gord Roberts took his spot and, as time was expiring, the feisty superstar hauled down Whitcroft and was called for a penalty.

It was looking grim for the Bulldogs. Their best player was in the box, their foes were already two-for-two on the power play, and now the game had gone to overtime. The Dogs could feel their extraordinary season slipping away. For a brief moment, a shorthanded breakaway by Oliver Seibert brought fans to their feet, but Hern turned him aside with ease. As soon as the penalty expired, Roberts joined linemates Bruce Stuart and Tommy Dunderdale, and the league's top trio got to work. All it took was a couple of crisp passes, and Dunderdale found himself in the slot with the puck on his stick. He snapped a shot past Hern for his second goal of the game -- a goal that has sent the Bulldogs to the Creighton Cup Finals!

Playoff Preview

First Place: Victorias (9-3-4, 22 PTS)

After a lost year that saw them slip to third place, the Vics returned strong in Season 4 and reclaimed their customary spot at the top of the standings. As such, they've earned an automatic berth in the Creighton Cup Finals and will play the winner of the wild card game. The Vics will be a tough opponent in that series, as they boast a potent combination of offense and defense. They scored at a rate of 3.13 goals per game (second in the league) and allowed only 2.13 (first in the league and the best single-season mark in league history). Scoring a full goal per game more than they allowed, the Vics racked up a +16 goal differential that tied for first in the league. Led by their two superstars -- offensive-minded defenseman Cyclone Taylor (13 G, 15 A, +8) and goaltender Bowse Hutton (2.13 GAA, .924 save percentage) -- the Victorias are looking to win their third Creighton Cup in four years.

Second Place (1st Wild Card): Bulldogs (8-4-4, 20 PTS)

A record of 0-2-2 against the Vics cost this dominant team the first-place finish they deserved. They scored at a ridiculous rate of 3.63 goals per game (first in the league and the second-highest single-season average ever) and, like the Vics, they gave up exactly one fewer goal per game than they scored (2.63, good enough for second in the league); the Bulldogs, too, had a goal differential of +16. This team is loaded with talent. Gord Roberts led the league in scoring (12 G, 18 A, +10), and Bruce Stuart (7 G, 18 A, +8) and Tommy Dunderdale (10 G, 13 A, +8) both finished in the top five. Rookie defenseman Jack Laviolette tied the single-season record for plus/minus (+13). I should also mention the crucial role of supporting players like Scotty Davidson, Tom Hooper, and Oliver Seibert, all of whom had career years. I fully expect the Bulldogs to annihilate the Thistles in the wild card game. 

Third Place (2nd Wild Card): Thistles (6-8-2, 14 PTS)

The Thistles finished a very distant third, edging out the Comets and Millionaires by a couple of points for the final playoff spot. Their 2.69 goals per game, 3.13 goals against, and -7 goal differential all ranked third in the league. This team is making its second straight appearance in the playoffs, but in many ways Season 4 has been a step backwards for the Thistles; centers Dan Bain and Tommy "Tools" Smith, along with defenseman Hod Stuart and netminder Riley Hern, all regressed from their award-winning Season 3 performances. How, then, did they make it back to the postseason? Star wingers Alf Smith (16 G, 8 A, -1) and Tommy Phillips (8 G, 12 A, -1) carried the team with MVP-caliber seasons. Additionally, midseason pickup Fred Whitcroft helped improve the league's worst power play by a full 10% in the second half.

Wild (Card) Finish

Incorporating the wild-card format turned out to be a great decision. Without it, the Vics and Bulldogs would have punched their tickets to the Creighton Cup Finals weeks ago, leaving the other three teams to play out a bunch of meaningless games. Instead, the remaining teams all had a shot at a wild-card berth. Although the Millionaires were eliminated from contention in their penultimate contest, the Thistles and Comets met in their respective final games with a playoff spot hanging in the balance. The Thistles would clinch with a win or a tie, while the Comets needed to win outright. 

It was a heated affair from the first minute of the game, when the Comets' Blair Russell took down MVP candidate Alf Smith. Of course, the Strat-O-Matic game system has no way of knowing the emotions that real-life players would feel in this high-stakes game, but it was a cool coincidence that my Action Deck draws resulted in all sorts of aggression and mayhem. There were five penalties in the first period alone! 

The teams traded power-play goals in the first, with the legendary Frank McGee scoring for the Comets and captain Tommy Phillips for the Thistles. Alf Smith gave the Thistles a 2-1 lead in the second; that strike was his sixteenth of the year, tying him for the second-most goals ever scored in a single season. It's probably not enough to push him past Gord Roberts for Forward MVP, but it was certainly a memorable season for the rugged winger. In the third, Mike Grant blasted a slap shot on the power play to tie the game at two. For the Comets, however, a tie would still end their season. They tried to keep up the pressure, but the Thistles would not relent. The game ended in a draw, and thus the Thistles claimed the second wild card. They'll face the Bulldogs for the right to battle the Vics in the Creighton Cup Finals. 

There's only one more game left in the regular season (the Millionaires hosting the Bulldogs in a game that matters only for individual stats but with no playoff implications), and afterwards I plan to take a little break before beginning the postseason. I need to catch my breath -- Season 4 has been a blast!

Thank the Scheduling Gods!

Creating the schedule for a professional sports league is a herculean task; for my five-team Strat-O-Matic hockey league, however, the scheduling is essentially random. When I generated the Season 4 schedule, I plugged in the team names without giving much thought to who was playing whom and when. I certainly had no way of knowing that the Victorias and the Bulldogs -- last year's third- and fourth-place teams -- would improve so dramatically and dominate the other three franchises. I also had no way of knowing that first place in the regular-season standings -- and an automatic berth in the Creighton Cup Finals -- would come down to a Vics/Dogs matchup in the former team's final game of the season and the latter's penultimate game. 

But here we are! Tonight the top teams of Season 4 squared off for the fourth time this year. Historically, the Vics have owned the Bulldogs, and came into this contest with a record of 1-0-2 against their favorite foes here in Season 4. (A quick check reveals that the Bulldogs had defeated the Vics only twice in 17 prior regular-season and playoff games.) 

Phat Wilson and Bruce Stuart traded goals in the first, and then the Vics' Marty Walsh tallied on the power play in the second to put his team up by a goal. The stage was set for a wild third period. Tommy Dunderdale tied it moments into the final frame, with assists going to Gord Roberts and Jack Laviolette, both of whom had assisted on Stuart's earlier goal. Cyclone Taylor had assisted on both goals for the Vics, so the race for the league scoring title will come down to either Roberts or Taylor. Laviolette, meanwhile, continued his march toward setting a single-season plus/minus record; not only is Laviolette the strong frontrunner for Rookie of the Year, he's also giving Taylor a run for his money as both men vie for the Defenseman MVP trophy.

With the score knotted at two apiece, the Vics knew that a tie would secure first place. Even so, they pressed the attack and made an emphatic statement late in the third. Dubbie Bowie set up rookie Harry Hyland for the go-ahead goal, and then Bowie fed Taylor a moment later for a strike that sealed a 4-2 win. The Dogs must now face the third-place team (either the Thistles or the Comets, as the expansion Millionaires have already been eliminated) if they're to join the Vics in the Creighton Cup Finals. As for the Vics, they can rest easy for a few days, admiring their astounding 13-2-3 all-time record against the Bulldogs.

Down to the Wire

We're down to the last few games of Season 4, and the playoff picture is coming into focus. The Victorias and Bulldogs are running neck-and-neck, and both teams have clinched playoff spots. Whichever team finishes in first place (at the moment, it's the Vics by a whisper) gets an automatic berth in the best-of-five Creighton Cup Finals. The second-place team, meanwhile, will host the third-place team in a one-game, do-or-die contest that will determine the other spot in the Finals. The Thistles have the inside track to claim third place, but technically the Comets and the expansion Millionaires are still in the hunt for that last playoff position. The Millies were dealt a blow last night, however, when rookie defenseman Joe Hall suffered a season-ending injury. Up to this point in Season 4, there had been no serious injuries for any player league-wide, but it looks like our newest franchise will have to rely upon the services of free agent blueliner Harvey Pulford for its last-ditch playoff push.

9th Edition Blues

I picked up the smallest of the 40k 9th Edition starter sets back in August and I've been painting the minis on and off for the past couple of months. Why has it taken so long? Honestly, it's been hard for me to get excited about 9th Edition, which I feel is a real step back from 8th. Even so, the starter set provides some nice reinforcements for Nathaniel's Ultramarines, and the Necrons will augment the impressive army that Matt so kindly gifted to us a couple of years ago.

I was rather pleased with the painting until I saw the high-resolution photo images. Argh! Digital photos highlight every imperfection. Well, to the naked eye, at least, they look pretty good. 

The starter set includes a Primaris Lieutenant and a squad of Assault Incercessors. 

The Necron lineup, meanwhile, consists of a Royal Warden (the bigger guy in the center), three Canoptek Scarab Swarms, and ten Necron Warriors. 

As with the previous edition, the starter set includes a battle map and a box insert that doubles as a terrain piece. It's a fast, easy way to create cool-looking, multi-level battlefields!

Here's the Lieutenant in a showdown against the Royal Warden.

My favorite aspect of any of these miniatures is the Lieutenant's awesome shield!

9th Edition does have some cool new units like the Hammerfall Bunker, but I don't have immediate plans for any more models. The boys and I are already hard-pressed for time to play our regular RPG campaigns, so wargames have taken a backseat over the past year or so.

Forward MVP Race

We're at the three-quarter mark of Season 4, and in addition to jockeying for playoff position (currently the Victorias, Bulldogs, and Thistles are in, and the Comets and Millionaires are out), the players are vying for the various end-of-season MVP trophies. Aside from Cyclone Taylor cruising toward his third Defenseman MVP in four seasons, the other awards are all up in the air.

The most exciting race is for Forward MVP, and it's quite a contrast from Season 3. Last time around, Frank McGee won his second consecutive Forward MVP trophy because...well...no one really stood out. It was, on the whole, a ho-hum year for forwards. This year it's a whole different story. I could make a strong case (at least as strong as last year's case for McGee) for Bruce Stuart (C, Bulldogs), Tommy Phillips (LW, Thistles), Jimmy Gardner (LW, Millionaires), and even McGee (C, Comets) again. 

However, it's really coming down to two phenomenal players: Gord Roberts (LW, Bulldogs) and Alf Smith (RW, Thistles). Roberts, the Forward MVP from Season 1, is having his finest campaign (12 GP, 11 G, 10 A, 21 PTS, +5), and currently leads the league in points. Sitting one point behind him is Smith (13 GP, 14 G, 6 A, 20 PTS, +0). Roberts has been the better all-around player (the plus/minus difference is hard to ignore), but Smith has an eye-popping 14 goals in 13 games. He's on pace to match or beat McGee's single-season record of 18 goals back in Season 2. (Side-note: McGee managed this prodigious feat in a mere 12 games, whereas today the seasons are 16 games long.) I think Roberts has the edge for now, but if Smith does, in fact, break the record, it would be hard to deny him the award, especially if all the other numbers are close. After all, a forward's job is to score goals!

G-Mac Gets the G

George McNamara has spent his entire career with the Victorias and has won two Creighton Cups with that team over the past four seasons. This durable defenseman has suited up for all 48 games that his team has played to date. He brings an intimidating physical presence to a team that otherwise lacks it, and has been a valuable penalty killer as well. He's done a little bit of everything except, well, scoring goals.

Tonight, however, G-Mac scored for the first time ever. The big blueliner somehow found himself on a two-on-one break with star winger Marty Walsh. Walsh had the puck, and everyone -- including Bulldogs goalie Paddy Moran -- was thinking shot, but Walsh had other plans. He dished to McNamara, who buried the puck to end that pesky 48-game drought, the longest in league history.