Creighton Cup Finals, Game 4

In Game 4, the Millionaires had a chance to put that Game 3 clunker behind them and close out this series on home ice in front of their raucous fans. The Thistles, however, entered the game with all the momentum. 

Big players need to shine in big moments, and Barney Stanley came through for his team with an early goal that gave the Millies a 1-0 lead. The advantage proved to be fleeting, as Dan Bain found Alf Smith for a tally just moments later. The first period ended with the two teams deadlocked at one goal apiece.

The prettiest goal of the game came in second period, when Graham Drinkwater set up Duke Keats for a breakaway goal to make it 2-1 for the Millies. Once again, the Thistles rallied to tie the game when rookie Jack Walker buried a pass from Tommy "Tools" Smith. The Millionaires had little opportunity to get back on the attack, as the Thistles managed to provoke the Millies into taking penalties left and right. Harry Westwick alone was penalized twice in the waning moments of the second.

The Millies took the lead for the third time early in the final frame when Jimmy Gardner scored on a feed from Keats. Hugh Lehman did his best to make that slim lead stand up, stopping everything that came at him, in particular a point-blank shot from Bain midway through the third. As the clock ticked toward doom for the Thistles, top center Bain was whistled for a penalty. The Thistles were the most-penalized team in the league this year, so it was only a matter of time before one of their aggressive players took a penalty at an inopportune moment. On the ensuing power play, Gardner scored again for his league-leading fourth goal of the postseason. That, my friends, was the backbreaker. Lehman denied Tommy Phillips with a minute to go, and when the clock ran out, the Millionaires had won their first Creighton Cup championship. The Thistles are now the only franchise in our five-team circuit that has yet to win a title. 

I'm surprised at the outcome, to say the least. Anything can happen in a five-game series, of course, but I was curious about how the Millies pulled off this upset. It wasn't at five-on-five hockey -- their key strength during the regular season -- but rather they won through special teams. In knocking off the Comets and the Thistles, the Millies' power play was 27.27% and their penalty killing was an eye-popping 94.12%. Goaltender Hugh Lehman was also a major factor, and is probably the frontrunner for the Playoff MVP. I need to dig a little deeper into the numbers as I start to determine the Season 5 award winners, but for now I'll put this league aside and return with fresh eyes to wrap up a very enjoyable campaign!

Creighton Cup Finals, Game 3

The Millionaires arrived at the Thistles' arena with a chance to sweep the series and win the Creighton Cup in just their second year of existence. Did they pull it off? Boy howdy, they did not. 

The first period started slowly, and over five minutes of play elapsed before either team recorded a shot on goal. By the middle of the frame, however, the Thistles were starting to pick up the pace and get the puck on net. They capitalized when Moose Goheen scored for the second consecutive game after being a healthy scratch in Game 1. 

It was 1-0 in favor of the Thistles to start the second period. The Millionaires' offense continued to struggle, and a rash of penalties certainly didn't help. They killed off every Thistles power play, but elite players like Barney Stanley and Graham Drinkwater languished on the bench while the penalty-killing unit was on the ice. Later, a goal from sniping winger Alf Smith gave the Thistles a 2-0 lead, and then defenseman Hod Stuart scored near the end of the frame. As the second period came to a close with the Thistles on top 3-0, it was obvious that the Millies would not sweep their way to a championship. 

Tommy Phillips scored early in the third to increase the lead to 4-0. The visitors could muster very little offense against Riley Hern and remained off the scoresheet until a late penalty to Fred Whitcroft gave them their first and only power play of the game. Jimmy Gardner scored to spoil Hern's shutout bid, but the game ended 4-1 for the Thistles, allowing Hern to secure his first-ever postseason victory. The series is now 2-1 in favor of the Millies, who will get a second chance to close things out at home in Game 4.

Creighton Cup Finals, Game 2

Game 2 shifted to the Millionaires' arena, where jubilant fans celebrated their team's stunning Game 1 victory on the road, as well as the return of convalescing center Harry Westwick. 

The first event of note from Game 2 was a questionable penalty to Millionaires captain Art Farrell. During the ensuing Thistles power play, Westwick snagged a pass and flipped the puck to Duke Keats -- the overtime hero of the wild-card game -- who skated in against Riley Hern on a breakaway and scored just the second playoff shorthanded goal in league history. The Thistles were unable to convert on the remainder of the power play, but seemed to find a bit of life later in the period when they killed off a penalty to Moose Johnson. Hern turned away several quality chances, and it appeared that he was starting to find a rhythm. That sentiment proved to be a bit premature, as Westwick set up speedy winger Frank Rankin for a goal, putting the home team up 2-0. 

Feeling the Creighton Cup slipping away from their grasp, the Thistles came out sharper in the second. Some strong work by Tommy Phillips and Alf Smith led to defenseman Hod Stuart's first career playoff tally. Later in the period, Dickie Boon fed Moose Goheen (yes, this team has two different guys nicknamed 'Moose') for the tying goal. The Thistles' rally was short-lived, thanks to the resurgent Rankin. Using Goheen as a screen, Rankin fired a shot from the top of the circle that Hern didn't see, and with his second score of the game, the period ended with the home team up 3-2. This goal also gave Westwick his third assist of the night.

In the third, Rankin had several more chances to complete the hat trick, but Hern delivered his best period of the series and did not allow any further damage. In the closing seconds, Dan Bain found Alf Smith for a cannon of a one-timer, but Lehman turned it aside as time expired to seal the one-goal win.

The Millionaires now have a commanding 2-0 lead in this best-of-five series. The Thistles now return home in search of answers and facing elimination. Millies fans, meanwhile, can start dreaming of which of their stars will earn the Playoff MVP trophy. Could it be Hugh Lehman (2.33, .924), Graham Drinkwater (3 G, 2 A, +4), or Frank Rankin (3 G, 2 A, +4)? Harry Westwick, Barney Stanley, and Duke Keats have all played key roles as well. The Millionaires certainly don't lack for candidates!

Creighton Cup Finals, Game 1

The championship series for Season 5 is finally here! Tonight the top-seeded Thistles hosted the injury-ravaged, emotionally drained Millionaires in Game 1!

The first period gave little indication of the offensive fireworks to come. The game was quiet until late in the first, when rugged winger Rusty Crawford -- dressing in place of the injured Harry Westwick -- whipped a pass to ersatz centerman Frank Rankin, who beat Riley Hern to make it 1-0 in favor of the visiting Millionaires.

While the first period was a tight, defensive affair, the second turned out to be a shooting gallery. A half-minute into the frame, defenseman Hod Stuart set up Tommy "Tools" Smith for a quick goal to tie the game. Just moments later, another Stuart pass led to a goal for rookie Jack Walker. Suddenly trailing by a goal, the resilient Millies went right back to work, and soon a Jimmy Gardner tally tied the game at two. Then the floodgates opened. The line of Duke Keats, Jimmy Gardner, and Barney Stanley cycled the puck with ruthless efficiency, setting up defenseman Graham Drinkwater for a slapshot goal from the point. Without pausing even for a drink of water, Drinkwater scored again on his very next possession. It was now 4-2 Millionaires and the home team was on its heels. Thistles hothead Alf Smith went berserk toward the end of the frame, leading to a Millies power-play goal from Art Farrell. 

Trailing by three goals to start the third period, the Thistles made some adjustments in the hope of obtaining more favorable line matchups, but all they could do was chase the Millionaires. Midway through the period, Drinkwater collected his own rebound and fired it past an imploding Hern to complete the first hat trick of his career. That goal also set a record for the most goals (six) a team has scored in a single postseason game. The end of period was marred by penalties on both sides. Alf Smith scored a late power-play goal to make it 6-3, but the Thistles had no time for a comeback. 

The Millionaires return home leading the series 1-0, and they'll get star center Harry Westwick back in the lineup for Game 2. The Thistles, meanwhile, need to right the ship in a hurry.

Creighton Cup Finals Preview

I know two things about this Creighton Cup series: 1) It's going to be really hard to top that heart-stopping wild-card game between the Millionaires and the Comets, and 2) a team that has never won the cup will win their first title over the next three to five games. Now let's take a look at how our finalists match up!

Forwards

• Millionaires: This crew contributed to a league-leading 3.13 goals per game, with MVP frontrunner Barney Stanley leading the league with 13 and Harry Watson chipping in a career-best eight. Stanley (+14), Watson (+11), and Harry Westwick (+11) paced the league in plus/minus, a testament to their excellent five-on-five play. The lingering injury to Westwick, however, robs this unit of an elite player for at least the first game of the series.
• Thistles: The Thistles' 3.00 goals per game ranked second in the league. Top center Dan Bain led the way with 11 tallies, and he's flanked on a potent first line by Alf Smith (9) and captain Tommy Phillips (7). The Thistles need more goals from supporting players like Tommy Smith (4) and Fred Whitcroft (3).
• Advantage: Even

Defensemen

• Millionaires: Graham Drinkwater (5 G, 11 A, +5) earned a nomination for Defenseman MVP, but will likely finish third behind Cyclone Taylor and Hod Stuart. Captain Art Farrell was injured for a quarter of the season but, impressively, still managed to notch a half-dozen goals.
• Thistles: Their top three defensemen have been together since the first game of Season 1 and truly represent the heart and soul of this team. Hod Stuart had a monster season, his 24 points placing him fourth overall in the scoring race. Moose Johnson (+8) and Dickie Boon (+5) were among the league's best in plus/minus.
• Advantage: Thistles

Goaltending

• Millionaires: Second-year netminder Hugh Lehman was second in Goals-Against Average (2.75) and third in Save Percentage (.906). He's not going to steal any games, but he's turning out to be a very solid goaltender.
• Thistles: Riley Hern posted 2.63 and .914 in the aforementioned stats, ranking first in the league in both. He's the hands-down favorite to win Goaltender MVP this year.
• Advantage: Thistles

Special Teams

• Millionaires: Their power play was third in the league (17.65%), and their penalty kill climbed steadily over the course of the season to finish first (83.64%).
• Thistles: They were second in power play (20.41%), with Bain scoring a single-season record of six power-play goals. While their penalty kill was third (81.36%), they led the league in shorthanded goals.
• Advantage: Even

Prediction

The Millionaires are scrappy, but the Thistles are loaded with high-end talent. Over a five-game series, I think their stars will carry the day. Thistles in four.

Wild-Card Game

Nobody would want to face the scorchingly hot Comets in a single winner-take-all playoff game, but the Millionaires were especially concerned. The last time these teams met, the Comets spanked them 4-0. Percy LeSueur notched the only shutout of any goaltender this season, but a lot of the credit should go to the Comets' skating players -- to wit, the Millies managed just two shots on goal during the first period of that game, the lowest shot total for any single period in league history. 

Well, the Millionaires managed to rack up rather more shots in tonight's wild-card game. Midway through the first, Harry "Rat" Westwick buried a pass from Frank Rankin to give the hometown Millies a 1-0 lead. Rankin's clutch play was a bit of a surprise given his miserable season (2 G, 5 A, -10), but in his earlier years with the Victorias, he's always been able to take his game to another level in the playoffs -- and entered the game tied for second in league history in postseason points. At the horn, however, Ranking got into a tussle with the Comets' Blair Russell and was assessed a penalty. The Millies headed to the dressing room knowing they'd start the second period up against the league's top power play (26.67%), but they trusted in the skill of their league-leading penalty kill (83.64%).

The Millies killed Rankin's penalty to open the second, and then killed a Jimmy Gardner penalty shortly thereafter. The second frame remained uneventful until the closing minutes, when Percy LeSueur stonewalled Art Farrell and Rankin in rapid succession, keeping the Comets within striking distance. With mere seconds left on the clock, sparkplug winger Billy Gilmour snapped a shot that Hugh Lehman turned aside, but a juicy rebound landed on the stick of former Playoff MVP Mike Grant, who buried the puck to tie the game at one goal apiece.

Giving up a last-second goal was bad enough, but worse news came from the Millies' dressing room: top pivot Westwick was injured and would not return. The Millies had lost more man-games to injury than any other team this season, and the trend now continued into the playoffs. Westwick had finished tenth in the league in total points, and without their best playmaker the home team would need to rely on rookie center Duke Keats to step up.

The somber mood in the Millies' stadium soon turned to elation, however, when Jimmy Gardner set up star winger Barney Stanley for a goal early in the third to give the hosts a 2-1 edge. It was Stanley's first-ever playoff goal, and it came in his first-ever playoff contest. His tally remained the difference for much of the third as the desperate Comets -- their season on the line -- threw everything they had at Lehman.

With less than a minute left in regulation, the Millies had pinned the Comets deep in their own zone. Keats won a crucial faceoff and kicked the puck back to Farrell, who blasted a slapper that LeSueur somehow managed to swat away. The Comets recovered the biscuit and worked it up to Grant, who fired one last shot as time expired.

It went in.

I could scarcely believe the dice roll, but defenseman Mike Grant had not only scored a buzzer-beater at the end of the second period, he had just scored a buzzer-beater at the end of the third as well! (As an aside, Grant has been ridiculous in the postseason -- the guy basically turns into Cyclone Taylor when the playoffs start!) The game was now tied at two and headed for sudden-death overtime. It was yet another dagger in the hearts of the Millies and their dumbfounded fans. Two last-second heartbreaker goals, plus the crippling loss of Rat Westwick? This team was on the ropes.

With grim determination, the Millies set to work in the overtime frame. Five minutes in, Stanley found an open Keats in the slot. The rookie rifled the puck past LeSueur, sending the Millionaires and their fans into a frenzied celebration. With a victory in the wild-card game, they had punched their ticket to the Creighton Cup series to face the top-seeded Thistles!

What a Finish!

Tonight's tilt between the Bulldogs and the Comets was, for all intents and purposes, a contest to determine the third and final playoff spot (the Thistles and Millionaires had already locked up the first two). The Dogs came into the game holding a slim one-point edge in the standings, but the Comets were absolutely red-hot, riding a five-game unbeaten streak that had already pushed the flagging Victorias into the cellar. In a stunning turn of events, the Comets knocked off the Bulldogs with an easy 3-1 win, vaulting them into the playoffs. There's still a meaningless game between the Victorias and the Thistles to finish up before the postseason, but the playoff picture is set. The Millionaires will host the Comets in the wild-card game, and then the winner of that contest will face the first-place Thistles in the best-of-five Creighton Cup finals.

The Home Stretch!

We've passed the three-quarter mark! Season 5 of my pre-modern hockey league is careening toward an exciting end to the regular season. Here are a few key storylines I'll be watching as the teams make their push for the playoffs...

• Three Tiers: The teams have settled into three distinct tiers, with the Thistles and Millionaires vying for first place and therefore the crucial bye into the Creighton Cup Finals; the Bulldogs and Victorias as deeply flawed teams struggling to snag the third and last playoff spot; and the Comets suffering through a wire-to-wire stint in the basement. 
• Photo Finish: Four players are in contention for the scoring title, with Dan Bain (11 G, 11 A), Barney Stanley (11 G, 11 A), Cyclone Taylor (7 G, 15 A), and Hod Stuart (5 G, 16 A) all within a point of each other. One of these four will most almost certainly take home that trophy, and I'd say Bain and Stanley are co-frontrunners for the Forward MVP, while Taylor and Stuart are co-frontrunners for the Defenseman MVP. Multiple trophies up for grabs!
• Record Breakers: The single-season record for points (32), assists (18), and plus/minus (+13) might all be broken this year. (Not surprisingly, we haven't seen a single shutout so far!) On the other end of the spectrum, the record for worst plus/minus (-10) and most penalty minutes (28) might also be set. 
• Race to the Bottom: Somebody has to win Rookie of the Year, right? Top contenders Duke Keats (6 G, 4 A, -6) and Frank Foyston (4 G, 7 A, -11) have produced well enough offensively, but they both rank among the league's worst in plus/minus.

Worth the Wait

I've waited over six months for NHL '21 to come down in price so that I could justify purchasing it solely for the copy of NHL '94 that comes bundled with it. Matthew noticed the other day that NHL '21 was on sale for about twenty bucks, so I jumped on it. 

This old gem was worth the wait! From the graphics to the music to the sound effects, NHL '94 is just as I remember it from high school. Well, it's not exactly as I remember it, because it's a lot harder to play using the Xbox controllers. Once I get the hang of it, I can't wait to start a playoff and guide my team to the Cup!

Pop quiz: Why do these screenshots feature the New York Rangers and Vancouver Canucks?

Cup Preview?

Tonight the Thistles and Millionaires faced each other for the first time since skating to a 2-2 tie a couple of weeks ago. Here in the second half of the season, these two franchises have cemented their status as the teams to beat and they entered the game tied for first place -- although the Thistles have more wins, so technically they hold the top spot. Could this be a preview of the Creighton Cup finals?

The Thistles found themselves in penalty trouble early and often, but the Millionaires' inept power play failed to cash in. In fact, Thistles center Tommy "Tools" Smith potted a short-hander on the team's very first shot on goal. After that rude awakening, the Millies went on the offensive, peppering Riley Hern with a baker's dozen shots but without denting the twine.

The second period found both teams settling into a measured pace. Barney Stanley, the league's leading scorer, had one quality chance, but otherwise found himself harried by Thistles captain Tommy Phillips every time he touched the puck. About five minutes into the second, defenseman Graham Drinkwater found a wide-open Harry Watson, who beat Hern for the Millies' first goal. Later in the period, star defenseman Hod Stuart scored on Smith's rebound to make 2-1 in favor of the Thistles. Shortly thereafter, however, Tommy Tools took a penalty and Millies captain Art Farrell rifled home a shot from the point to tie the game at two apiece.

Not much happened in the first half of the third. Phillips made it interesting with a power-play goal to put the Thistles up by a goal for the third time, but rookie Duke Keats knotted the game at three with a goal of his own in the waning moments of the third. 

In the end, not much was settled tonight. I hope we see these two heavyweights clash again in the finals!