Holiday Fun

We're enjoying some downtime this week, basically just bumming around and playing with Christmas presents. One one of the kids' big gifts this year was Hockey Sauce, and although Matthew and I both consider ourselves pretty accurate shooters, I have to admit that we need to hone our skillz!

On the indoor gaming front, we've enjoyed a few memorable rounds of Butts in Space and are now poring over the contents of Aliens: Another Glorious Day in the Corps. It's a bit like AVP, but without the "P". I suspect we'll mainly use the components to enhance our Alien RPG gameplay experience in the next campaign. I've also tried introducing the boys to the second edition of Pathfinder, without much success; they're ho-hum about a system that's like D&D but not actually D&D. 

Finally, Nathaniel got a full set of fencing gear for Christmas, so here are a couple of photos of us in action!

WW84

It's a lot later than we had hoped, but Wonder Woman 1984 opens on Christmas Day, in theaters and on HBO Max. 

Building a Better Box

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Paizo does the best RPG starter sets. Although D&D hit home runs with the original Basic Set and the less renowned but still totally awesome Basic Game from Third Edition, most other starter sets have been lackluster at best. Paizo once again dunks on D&D with the Pathfinder Beginner Box for Second Edition. Like similar products for First Edition and also for Starfinder, this set is an absolute triumph of value for the gamer and a wonderful introduction to the game system. I look forward to giving it a test drive with the boys over the holidays. There's precious little chance it will displace Fifth Edition D&D as our system of choice, but it will be fun to play through the starter content and see how Pathfinder and D&D have gone in very different directions over the past decade!

Season 4 Awards

It's awards season again! Read on to find out who took home the hardware!

Scoring Title: Gord Roberts, LW, Bulldogs

Roberts notched 12 goals and 18 assists for 30 points, and joins Cyclone Taylor as the only players ever to crack the 30-point barrier (Taylor had 32 in Season 2). Roberts bested Taylor by two points and linemate Bruce Stuart by five to capture his first scoring title.

Runners Up: Cyclone Taylor, D, Victorias; Bruce Stuart, C, Bulldogs

Forward MVP: Gord Roberts, LW, Bulldogs

Roberts was the first-ever winner of this award back in Season 1, and he had an even better year this time around with a career-best 30 points and a plus/minus of +10, which was tops among all forwards in the league. 

Runners Up: Alf Smith, RW, Thistles; Frank McGee, C, Comets

Defenseman MVP: Cyclone Taylor, Victorias

Taylor, the league's premiere blueliner, takes this award for the third time in four years. He finished second in the league in scoring (13 goals, 15 assists) behind Roberts, and his +8 was fourth in the league and second among defensemen.

Runners Up: Jack Laviolette, Bulldogs; Hod Stuart, Thistles

Goaltender MVP: Bowse Hutton, Victorias

Like his legendary teammate Taylor, Hutton is now a three-time winner of the MVP award for his position. Hutton's save percentage of .924 was the second-best in league history, and his 2.13 goals-against average was the best ever. This year, he also became the first goalie to post two shutouts in a single season. 

Runners Up: Paddy Moran, Bulldogs; Riley Hern, Thistles

Rookie of the Year: Jack Laviolette, D, Bulldogs

After a slow start, Laviolette took the league by storm and set a league record for the most points by a rookie with 14 (5 goals, 9 assists). His +13 led the league and tied the mark for the highest single-season plus/minus rating.

Runners Up: Hugh Lehman, G, Millionaires; Harry Hyland, C, Victorias

Playoff MVP: Paddy Moran, G, Bulldogs

Bowse Hutton had the first-ever playoff shutout, and Gord Roberts and Tommy Dunderdale scored huge overtime goals, but Paddy Moran was truly the most valuable player in this postseason. His 2.80 goals-against average and .915 save percentage led all playoff goaltenders, and he set a single-playoff-game record with 42 saves in the overtime victory that clinched the championship for his team.

Runners Up: Bruce Stuart, C, Bulldogs; Bowse Hutton, G, Victorias

Creighton Cup, Game 4

Congratulations to the Bulldogs on winning their first Creighton Cup! Check out the recap below for all the thrills and chills!

With their season on the line, the Victorias struck first. Cyclone Taylor tallied an early goal, but the injury bug bit the Vics again when captain Hobey Baker headed back to the locker room in pain. Baker had already shifted from right wing to defense to cover for the injured George McNamara, so forward Dubbie Bowie spent much of the first period camped out in front of Bowse Hutton as a defenseman. Remarkably, the Vics managed to escape the first period with a 1-0 lead.

The courageous, gallant Baker (read up on his real-life story!) returned in the second to give his lads an emotion lift, but it didn't translate to the scoreboard. Tommy Dunderdale and Scotty Davidson scored to make it 2-1 in favor of the Bulldogs at the end of the second.

Taylor scored his second goal of the game to knot the score at two in the early stages of the third period. Bruce Stuart, however, restored the Dogs' lead a few moments later. Then, midway through the frame, Davidson took an ill-advised penalty to give the Vics a power play and a golden opportunity to tie the game once more. Penalty killing had been the Dogs' bugaboo throughout this postseason, and this game was no different; the hobbled Hobey Baker scored to make it 3-3 with just moments to go in regulation time. The Vics made a furious push in the final minute, and it all came down to Paddy Moran stonewalling Cyclone Taylor on two point-blank shots as time expired.

Overtime! The Bulldogs had needed OT to get past the Thistles in the wild-card game, and now they had a chance to win the Creighton Cup with a sudden-death goal. If the Vics scored, on the other hand, the series would culminate in a winner-take-all Game 5. The overtime period began with a scare for the hometown Bulldogs, as Gord Roberts took yet another penalty. Roberts is a superstar in this league and will take home multiple trophies at the awards ceremony, but damn, it seemed that this guy spent more time in the penalty box than on the ice here in the postseason. (He was, in fact, the league leader in both points and penalty minutes during these playoffs!) Given the Dogs' penalty-killing woes, I was expecting the Vics to strike for victory on the ensuing power play, but the Bulldogs held strong and the period continued. 

And then, before I knew it, the game was over. Rookie defenseman Jack Laviolette led the rush out of the Dogs' defensive zone and flipped a pass to Stuart. Stuart connected with Roberts, who skated in and knifed the puck past Hutton. Game over, series over! The Bulldogs had won the Creighton Cup! After four seasons of futility, the Dogs racked up more wins over the Victorias (three) in this one series than in all previous regular-season and playoff games combined (two).

Creighton Cup, Game 3

Back at home, the Victorias looked to rebound after losing Game 2, along with losing star winger Marty Walsh to injury. Game 3 did not begin auspiciously, as Bruce Stuart beat Bowse Hutton on the very first shot of the game. The Vics had little opportunity to recover from this setback, as stay-at-home defenseman George McNamara soon went down with an injury and did not return to the game. He's expected to miss Game 4, as well. Walsh is likely to return for Game 4, but for Game 3, at least, the Vics were forced to soldier on without two of their key players. They closed out strong in the first when Frank Rankin scored to tie the game. Rankin suffered through a miserable regular season, but, as in years past, he's elevated his game in the playoffs. With a goal in every contest thus far, Rankin has been one of the few bright spots for the Victorias in this series.

In the second period, the Bulldogs' second line took over. Tom Hooper and Oliver Seibert had quality chances, but it was power forward Scotty Davidson who did the damage. Davidson skates like a runaway train, and when he manages to put his speed, skill, and attitude together at the same time, he can be a fearsome opponent. Davidson scored early in the second to restore the Dogs' lead, and then he scored again on the power play midway through the frame. With three goals in four postseason games, he's been a solid contributor who's taken pressure off of the Dogs' big stars.

The third period featured a lot of back-and-forth, but little in the way of scoring. The Dogs' PK woes continued, as they surrendered yet another power-play goal, this time to Billy McGimsie. The Vics' top center made it 3-2 with that strike, but Paddy Moran slammed the door shut and backstopped his team to a 3-2 win and a 2-1 series lead. Game 4 takes us back to the Dog Pound (with apologies to the Cleveland Browns), where the Bulldogs can claim the first Creighton Cup in franchise history if they win at home in Game 4. For the Vics, they'll need to prevail on the road in order to force a fifth and final game on home ice.

Creighton Cup, Game 2

The Bulldogs came home needing a win, and boy howdy did they answer the call! It all started with a Victorias power play early in the first period. Superstar left wing Gord Roberts set the tone by stealing an errant pass and scoring a beautiful breakaway goal against Bowse Hutton. It was the first shorthanded goal in playoff history, and it was also the Dogs' first goal of the series. Minutes later, Tommy Dunderdale struck to give the home team a 2-0 advantage. Scotty Davidson increased the lead to three when he scored in the closing minutes of the first. The Vics had embarrassed the Dogs in Game 1, and now the Dogs wanted to return the favor!

The Vics, however, found some life in the second period, courtesy of one of their star players. Marty Walsh scored to bring the Vics within two, but Oliver Seibert picked up an unassisted goal for the Dogs shortly thereafter. Not to be outdone, Walsh scored again late in the frame, this time on the power play. With three tallies in the series thus far, Walsh was tied with Dunderdale for the league lead in postseason goals and was starting to look like a candidate for Playoff MVP.

As such, it was a cruel blow when Walsh went down midway through the third; he'll also miss Game 3 as he recovers. Adding to the Vics' misery, Bruce Stuart had just scored to put the game out of reach. Frank Rankin picked up a late goal on the power play, but the game ended in a 5-3 triumph for the Bulldogs. 

The series is now tied at a game apiece. The Bulldogs have regained their scoring touch, but their penalty killing remains a serious problem, as they've allowed six power-play goals in nine chances through the first three games of the postseason (including the wild-card game against the Thistles). The Vics, meanwhile, will have to find a way to win without Marty Walsh, and hope that Bowse Hutton recovers quickly from his worst-ever playoff performance.

Creighton Cup, Game 1

It's a rematch of the Season 1 championship series! Will the Victorias claim their third Creighton Cup in four years, or will the Bulldogs win their first? If Game 1 was any indication, Bulldogs fans, don't plan that parade just yet.

Less than a minute into the first period, Vics captain Hobey Baker got behind the Bulldogs defense and rifled a shot past Paddy Moran. Two minutes later, the Vics were on a power play and Marty Walsh popped one into the back of the net. The game had hardly begun and Moran had already allowed two goals on two shots. The Bulldogs managed to stop the bleeding and push back a bit, but the period ended 2-0 in favor of the Victorias.

After a scoreless second in which the teams were on mostly equal footing, the Vics elevated their play and put the game out of reach in the third. Billy McGimsie tallied on the power play to make it 3-0, and Frank Rankin scored a garbage goal two minutes before the final buzzer put the Dogs out of their misery. In the end, the Vics notched goals on two out of three power-play attempts, meaning that the Bulldogs are a woeful 33% on the penalty kill over two playoff games thus far. Gord Roberts has been a no-show, with costly penalties and nary a goal. And what about the Vics' stars? High-flying defenseman Cyclone Taylor assisted on all four of his team's goals, which set a record for assists and points in a playoff game. And most impressively of all, Bowse Hutton achieved the first-ever shutout in postseason history. 

The Bulldogs will be on home ice for Game 2, and they'll have winger Tom Hooper back in the lineup. They need to treat this game as a must-win if they have any hope of getting back into this series.

Creighton Cup Finals Preview

The wild-card game is now behind us, so we have our teams for the best-of-five Season 4 Creighton Cup Finals! Let's take a look at how the Victorias and Bulldogs match up. 

Forwards 

• Bulldogs: Gord Roberts (12 goals), Bruce Stuart (7), and Tommy Dunderdale (10) make up the most dominant line in the game. What makes the Bulldog attack even stronger, though, is that they get tremendous support from role players like Tom Hooper (7 goals), Oliver Seibert (6), and Scotty Davidson (8). One complication they'll face is the temporary absence of Hooper, whose injury will keep him out of at least the first game of the series.
• Victorias: The versatile Victorias mix and match their players rather than roll consistent lines. They're led by captain Hobey Baker (6 goals), Billy McGimsie (7), and Marty Walsh (7). Supporting players Frank Rankin (6 goals), Harry Hyland (3), and underrated two-way forward Dubbie Bowie (5).
• Advantage: Bulldogs

Defensemen

• Bulldogs: Rookie star Jack Laviolette tied the single-season mark for plus/minus (+13), but Art Ross and captain Si Griffis (both +7) were also rock-solid defenders. There's no one here who can equal the sheer offensive output of someone like Cyclone Taylor or Hod Stuart, but the Bulldog defensive corps is the best in the league.
• Victorias: Cyclone Taylor had another superlative season (13 goals, 15 assists, +8) and is almost certain to win the Defenseman MVP trophy, but there isn't much depth behind him. George McNamara and Phat Wilson are average players at best.
• Advantage: Bulldogs

Goaltending

• Bulldogs: Paddy Moran, in his second season with the Dogs, posted solid numbers in the regular season (2.63 goals against average, .908 save percentage), but good luck played a large role; his Strat-O-Matic stat card shows a far less competent netminder.
• Victorias: Bowse Hutton dominated this season (2.13 goals against average, .924 save percentage) and will undoubtedly win the Goaltender MVP.
• Advantage: Victorias

Special Teams

• Bulldogs: They were first in the league in power-play percentage (30.43%), but their penalty killing was...not so good (75.61%). The Dogs finished fourth in PK, although this unit did manage to score two shorthanded goals. Troublingly, they also gave up two goals in three chances in the wild-card game against the Thistles.
• Victorias: At 25.93%, the Vics' power play finished third, although typically the Vics have the best power play in the league. Their penalty killing (88%) was tops in the league by almost a dozen percentage points.
• Advantage: Victorias

Prediction

It's hard to bet against the team that has gone 13-2-3 against its opponent over the past four seasons, but I think the Bulldogs are the better team. Bowse Hutton is likely to steal a game or two, but the Bulldogs are a deeper team with an overwhelming offense. It's going to be an amazing series, but I'm calling it here: Bulldogs in five.