Midseason Report

Hard to believe, but I'm halfway through Season 5. So far it's been a year of high-octane offense, with teams scoring an average of 3.25 goals per game (vs. 2.875 last season). We've seen the emergence of new stars (Barney Stanley) and the fall of old ones (Frank McGee), and the two teams that have never won a Creighton Cup (the Thistles and Millionaires) are currently one-two in the standings. There's a lot of hockey yet to be played, but let's take a look at each team's highs and lows here at the midway mark!

1. Thistles (5-2-1, 28 Goals For, 22 Goals Against, +6 Goal Differential)

• Highs:
• Riley Hern (2.75 Goals Against Average, .913 Save Percentage) is the clear frontrunner for Goaltender MVP.
• Top-line center Dan Bain (6 Goals, 8 Assists, 14 Points, +5) is in contention for the scoring title as well as the Forward MVP trophy.
• Hod Stuart (4 G, 10 A, 14 PTS, -1) is in the running for Defenseman MVP.
• Lows:
• Captain and star left wing Tommy Phillips (3 G, 5 A, 8 PTS, +5) has underperformed and is tied for eighteenth in the league in total points.
• Fred Whitcroft is leading the league in penalty minutes (20) and, largely because of him, the Thistles are the league's most-penalized team.

2. Millionaires (3-2-3, 30 GF, 27 GA, +3)

• Highs:
• Their scoring rate of 3.75 goals per game is tied for tops in the league.
• Right wing Barney Stanley (8 G, 9 A, 17 PTS, +10) exploded out of the gate and is tied for the league lead in points. He's also the frontrunner for Forward MVP.
• The Millies are getting career years from veterans Harry Watson, Harry Westwick, and Graham Drinkwater (4 G, 6 A, 10 PTS, +2), the last of whom is a dark-horse candidate for Defenseman MVP.
• Lows:
• Their power play is dead last in the league and their penalty kill is second-to-last. 
• The theoretical top line of Duke Keats, Frank Rankin, and Jimmy Gardner has been downright awful -- the league's second-worst line at five-on-five hockey.

3. Bulldogs (4-4-0, 30 GF, 31 GA, -1)

• Highs:
• Their scoring rate of 3.75 goals per game is tied for first.
• The Dogs rank first in penalty killing.
• Gord Roberts (7 G, 7 A, 14 PTS, -1) and Tommy Dunderdale (5 G, 8 A, 13 PTS, -1) have shaken off slow starts and are in the running for the scoring title and Forward MVP.
• Supporting players like Tom Hooper, Oliver Seibert, and Scotty Davidson carried the team while the superstars shook off the rust.
• Rookie blueliner Jack Gibson leads all league defensemen in plus/minus (+8).
• Lows:
• The Dogs are giving up a league-worst 3.88 goals per game.
• A good chunk of the blame for the stat referenced above can be tied to goaltender Paddy Moran (3.88 GAA, .880 SP) whose numbers are way down from last year's Playoff MVP performance.
• Last season's Rookie of Year, Jack Laviolette, is a woeful -6 after leading the league in plus/minus as a rookie, and twice so far he's been a healthy scratch.

4. Victorias (3-4-1, 21 GF, 22 GA, -1)

• Highs:
• Bowse Hutton (2.75 GAA, .908 SP) is in contention for Goaltender MVP.
• Cyclone Taylor (4 G, 13 A, 17 PTS, +4), the most accomplished player in the history of this league, is tied for the lead in points, and (as always) is in the mix for the scoring title as well as the Defenseman MVP.
• Lows:
• Taylor has either scored or assisted on a staggering 81% of his team's goals. The story with the Vics this year is that if Taylor isn't on the ice, the team doesn't score. That's a big problem.
• At 2.63 goals per game, the Vics are tied for the lowest scoring rate.
• Newcomer Ernie Russell is second in the league in penalty minutes and George McNamara is tied for third; for the first time in franchise history, the classy Vics are starting to look like a goon squad.

5. Comets (2-5-1, 21 GF, 28 GA, -7)

• Highs:
• Veteran forward George Richardson (5 G, 5 A, 10 PTS, +0) is doing all he can to keep this team afloat.
• Frank Foyston (4 G, 5 A, 9 PTS, -7) leads all rookies in scoring.
• Lows:
• Where to begin? Their scoring rate of 2.63 goals per game is tied for worst in the league.
• The Comets are last in penalty killing at an abysmal 60%.
• Percy LeSueur (3.50 GAA, .876 SP) is suffering through a lousy season in goal.
• Defenseman Jack Marshall is dead last in the league in plus/minus at -9.
• The top unit of Frank McGee, Blair Russell, and Frank Foyston is the league's worst five-on-five line.