NAHL Day 40/41 - Whalers closing in

One of the many islands in the St. Lawrence near Sept-Iles, image credit to Pinterest

Steelers stay on top, Isca Town bounces back, Sept-Iles gains ground on Londinium, and a little good news for Vinovium

NAHL Day 40

Labrador Caribou 0, Pons Aelius Steelers 0 (1-2 SO)

Isca Town Captains 3, Eboracum Sharpshooters 3 (3-2 SO)

DC Oilers 1, Sept-Iles Whalers 2

Londinium Royals 1, Aquae Sulis Bears 0

Newfield Rangers 0, Portus Abonae Privateers 4

Vinovium Lumberjacks 0, Mancunium Raiders 0 (3-2 SO)

NAHL Day 41

Pons Aelius Steelers 2, Londinium Royals 0

Mancunium Raiders 0, Isca Town Captains 1

Eboracum Sharpshooters 1, DC Oilers 1 (1-2 SO)

Sept-Iles Whalers 4, Portus Abonae Privateers 1

Labrador Caribou 0, Newfield Rangers 1

Aquae Sulis Bears 1, Vinovium Lumberjacks 2

The Steelers are still our leaders, still three points up on Isca Town. They needed a shootout to dispatch Dave Francis and the Caribou, but their 2-0 win over Londinium was pretty dominating. Meanwhile, Isca Town bounces back from their poor run of play to defeat Eboracum and Mancunium; that and DC's loss to Sept-Iles means Isca Town is back alone in second place. Finally, Sept-Iles won both of their games, picking up two points on Londinium in the playoff race. 

Who's hot: Four and a half teams

-Pons Aelius is back to their winning ways. After losing to Newfield in a shootout, they took down a tough Caribou team in a shootout, then returned home to hold Londinium to just 22 shots in a 2-0 win. They are playing their best hockey at the right time, and lead the league with 30 wins, tied with Isca Town. They are on pace to finish with over 100 points for the season. And did we mention they now have 26 shutouts, or 63.4% of their total games?

-The Londinium Royals had their three game winning streak snapped as they were dominated in Nova Scotia by the Steelers. But they're still 8-2-0 in their last ten games, a strong stretch that is keeping them in a playoff spot for now. They didn't look pretty against Aquae Sulis, but Sheldon Cook found the net against Art Morrison to eke out a 1-0 win. The Royals will get the Caribou next. Every point is crucial when Sept-Iles is breathing down their necks.

-The Sept-Iles Whalers are hitting their stride. A 2-1 road win over the DC Oilers (remember their road woes from earlier in the season?) and then a 4-1 home blasting of Portus Abonae show just how far they've come. Their five-game winning streak has put them four points out of a playoff spot, something that seemed inconceivable given they finished dead last just a season ago. But their young core of Gaston Fortin, Rene Kelly, Denis Babin and others have made great strides, and Kris Howell is making an impact right away as well. The Whalers will face the Rangers next. It could be a trap game for the surging Sept-Iles team, as Newfield has been sneaky good in the second half.

-Yeah, the DC Oilers lost a game, but it was to Sept-Iles, another hot team, and they've won six out of eight. Their three goals allowed to Sept-Iles and Eboracum is below their season average, and their defense has been good since the beginning of the second half. Their offense continues to do well, and they could very well break 100 goals in their next couple of games. They'll take on Mancunium next in a bid to keep pace with the Steelers and Captains.

-The Vinovium Lumberjacks earn the designation of "half" a team in the hot column this update. Why, you might say? Well, they won two in a row this update. That doesn't happen very often for a team with just twelve wins on the year, and so we salute them with this designation. Jacques LaFlamme, their first-round pick, hasn't been the "instant offense"impact pick some thought he might be, but he did score in the shootout victory over Mancunium and had the opening goal against Aquae Sulis. He'll be fine in this league.

Who's not: Three teams

-The Aquae Sulis Bears are back to their old tricks, losing two games this update by a goal each. Art Morrison made 27 saves, but one missed save was enough for Londinium to take the win. Continuing the goalie rotation, Jermaine Roy made 30 saves against Vinovium, but it was the two he didn't make that made the difference. Bears head coach Reuben Cannady said he'd continue the rotation for the time being, unless one goalie impressed him far more than the other. But, he added, the offense is the biggest concern. That six-goal explosion against Labrador was nowhere to be found as the Bears scored one goal against Londinium and Vinovium combined. Aquae Sulis gets Isca Town next; that's a toughie.

-The Mancunium Raiders took two more close losses this update, failing to score a goal against Mel Pinson and Vinovium before falling in a shootout, then getting shut out in regulation by an Isca Town team that could only manage one goal. Cam Ferguson has, without a doubt, improved the defense for this squad, but they have failed to score a goal in four of their last five games. It's wearing on them, and it doesn't get any easier, facing the DC Oilers next.

-The Eboracum Sharpshooters are a somewhat respectable 3-2-3 in the second half, but they've lost five of their last six games and look a bit adrift. They have allowed Sept-Iles to get the jump on them for fifth place, and are now eight points out of a playoff spot. Even more frustrating, they are 1-3-5 against the top three teams in the standings, not to mention their 0-2-2 record against Londinium. That's a 1-5-7 record against the principal playoff teams, which isn't going to get you anywhere near a playoff spot unless you're borderline perfect against non-playoff teams. Eboracum faces Portus Abonae next in what is a crucial game for two teams looking to get back on track. 

Surprise of the update: Just one this time

The surprise? Vinovium has gone 3-3-2 in the second half! Yes, that's still an under-.500 record, and yes, they're still in last place, and yes, their three wins have come over the three teams directly above them in the standings, but forget all that. Eight points from eight games is about as good as they've played all year. They're still on pace for a horrific season, but let them have their moment. They deserve it.

NAHL Day 38/39 - Top teams jockey for position

Nova Anglican fishing boats on the Bay of Fundy in autumn, image credit to The Telegraph

Pons Aelius loses, but stays on top, while DC catches Isca Town as the slide continues for the Captains; meanwhile, Londinium and Sept-Iles try to be the only two contenders for fourth

NAHL Day 38

Pons Aelius Steelers 0, Aquae Sulis Bears 0 (1-0 OT)

Isca Town Captains 1, Portus Abonae Privateers 0

Newfield Rangers 0, DC Oilers 0 (0-1 OT)

Londinium Royals 2, Eboracum Sharpshooters 1

Vinovium Lumberjacks 3, Sept-Iles Whalers 4

Labrador Caribou 0, Mancunium Raiders 0 (2-1 SO)

NAHL Day 39

Pons Aelius Steelers 1, Newfield Rangers 1 (0-2 SO)

Portus Abonae Privateers 0, DC Oilers 1

Sept-Iles Whalers 3, Isca Town Captains 0

Mancunium Raiders 3, Londinium Royals 5

Aquae Sulis Bears 6, Labrador Caribou 3

Eboracum Sharpshooters 2, Vinovium Lumberjacks 2 (2-1 SO)

Pons Aelius doesn't hang on to their winning streak, but they do maintain their grip on first place. Meanwhile, Isca Town's split and DC's pair of 1-0 wins means the two teams are now tied for second. Londinium wins both their games to stay up in fourth place, though third place is looking increasingly like a dream. Sept-Iles wins both, and with Labrador's and Eboracum's split and Portus' dual losses, the Whalers are trying to pull away. Finally, is Newfield on the move?

Who's hot: Five teams

-Pons Aelius won nine in a row before having it snapped in a shootout by Newfield, so they're still hot. I'm sure they would have loved to win ten in a row and continue to challenge Isca Town's thirteen-game streak from earlier this year, but nine is plenty fine. They still have a three-point lead over Isca Town and DC for first place, and their defense is just outstanding. 19 goals in 39 goals is a 32-goal pace for the entire season, which would be an NAHL record.

-The Londinium Royals are 7-1-0 in their last eight, defeating the Sharpshooters for the fourth time in four games, and then pulling away from the Raiders in the third period to win that one 5-3. Eric Benson, Sheldon Cook, Nico Nielsen, Ben Malone, Thomas Bailey, and Daniel Roberts all had goals across the two games. They now sit on 50 points, eight behind DC and Isca Town. Incidentally, their four wins over Eboracum make up the bulk of the eight-point differential between them and the Sharpshooters.

-The offense is clicking for the Sept-Iles Whalers right now. They've won nine of their past thirteen and three in a row, scoring 12 goals in those three games. Perhaps most impressive was their 3-0 blanking of Isca Town. The Captains are really down right now, but they rarely lose by three goals. Kris Howell, Denis Babin, and James McDaniel had goals in that win, which had "Le Navire" rocking and roaring from start to finish. They've started to create a little separation between them and the rest of the would-be playoff crowd, but they still have work to do to catch the Royals.

-The Newfield Rangers couldn't extend their winning streak against the Oilers, but an overtime loss is a good achievement, and the shootout win over the Steelers is even better. They have won four of six since the start of the second half, and have nine points in those six games. Their bounce-back effort has been good enough to drag them within two points of playoff hopeful Portus Abonae. Of course, they're still seven points out of fifth, and thirteen out of fourth, but if they ended up in seventh, it would be a good season for them and a good psychological rebound after their disastrous losing streak.

-The DC Oilers are well and truly hot, having won five of their six games since the All-Star break. Their only loss? A 1-0 OT defeat against playoff team Londinium. They've even improved their defense, allowing just five goals in those six games, with three shutouts. This update, they needed overtime to defeat Newfield and could only put one past Portus Abonae, but they won both games. They're tied with Isca Town and only three points behind Pons Aelius. If they can keep up their hot streak, they will threaten for first place.

Who's not: Three teams

-The Aquae Sulis Bears snapped their five game losing streak in emphatic fashion, pouring six past Labrador backup netminder Pete Henderson. Nick May, Cal Malone, Kip Maddox, Darin Drake, Martin Wong, and David Richter all had goals in the win. Unfortunately, the Bears have still lost six of their last nine and are flip-flopping with Mancunium for 10th/11th place. Jermaine Roy let in three goals against Labrador, so he's still getting used to the NAHL versus university play. 

-The Mancunium Raiders took a couple of tough losses this update, losing in a shootout to Labrador in their rivalry game, and hanging with the Royals for the first two periods until they pulled away in the third for the 5-3 win. They've lost seven out of eight, and it is looking increasingly unlikely that they will finish any higher than 10th this year. Cam Ferguson, however, seems to be adapting just fine to the rigors of the NAHL. Head coach Cary Hodges says he's "got a great motor and is a great teammate. From what [Hodges has] already seen, he's going to be a franchise player for us."

-Isca Town has three wins and seven losses in their past ten games, an almost inconceivable run of play for a team that won thirteen consecutive games earlier this season. Portus Abonae isn't a bad team, and the Captains looked like they still knew how to defend against them. But then they traveled to Sept-Iles and got wiped out. They are reportedly taking a mental health day to clear their heads before traveling to Eboracum. They need to recover quickly, or their dreams of first might just slip away.

Surprise of the update: Just one this time

The surprise? Newfield defeating Pons Aelius for the second time this year. The Steelers looked unstoppable, conceding just one goal in their nine-game winning streak. But the Rangers got a goal from Brady Dowell in regulation, and Dowell and Elliott Parrish scored in the shootout, while Augustin Gauthier made four stops to defeat the Steelers. Big win for the Rangers.

NAHL Day 36/37 - A new leader

Citadel Hill Historic Site in Pons Aelius, image credit to RCR Hospitality Group

The NAHL has a new leader for the first time since Day 11, Newfield is suddenly hot, and the group behind Londinium is as jammed up as ever

NAHL Day 36

Newfield Rangers 1, Isca Town Captains 0

Pons Aelius Steelers 0, Eboracum Sharpshooters 0 (2-0 SO)

Vinovium Lumberjacks 2, DC Oilers 2 (0-1 SO)

Londinium Royals 1, Portus Abonae Privateers 0

Labrador Caribou 1, Sept-Iles Whalers 0

Aquae Sulis Bears 2, Mancunium Raiders 4

NAHL Day 37

DC Oilers 3, Isca Town Captains 0

Mancunium Raiders 0, Pons Aelius Steelers 1

Sept-Iles Whalers 5, Londinium Royals 4

Eboracum Sharpshooters 3, Labrador Caribou 5

Portus Abonae Privateers 4, Vinovium Lumberjacks 3

Aquae Sulis Bears 2, Newfield Rangers 3

The big news of this update is that we have a new leader! For the first time since Day 11, the Isca Town Captains are not in first place. Instead, the Pons Aelius Steelers have overtaken them and now lead by two points. DC also won both of their games and are now just two back of Isca Town for second and four back of Pons Aelius for first. Could the Captains slide all the way to third? Meanwhile, the Royals, Whalers, and Privateers split their two games, while Labrador wins both and Eboracum loses both. Londinium's still six up on anyone else, and Sept-Iles, Eboracum, and Labrador are all tied with Portus Abonae lurking one behind.

Who's hot: Four and a half teams

-Pons Aelius has run their winning streak to eight games now. This winning streak has vaulted them into first place, rarefied air for a team that's been chasing DC and now Isca Town for the bulk of the year. They have outscored opponents 8-1 during the streak, twice winning in a shootout and once in overtime. And it hasn't been against patsies, either. They've defeated Londinium, Isca Town, DC, Portus Abonae, Labrador, and Eboracum during their streak, all playoff teams or playoff hopefuls. Aquae Sulis doesn't look likely to stop their streak, either.

-The Londinium Royals had their five-game winning streak snapped in Sept-Iles, but they're still hot and still a playoff team. Sheldon Cook had the only goal in their 1-0 win over Portus Abonae, and Thomas Bailey, Eric Benson, Brendan Ellis and Gabe Chambers weren't enough to defeat the Whalers on the road. They remain hot and in a good position going into their rivalry game against the Sharpshooters.

-Despite their loss to Labrador, the Sept-Iles Whalers are still victors in seven of their last eleven games, earning them a "hot" designation this update. Kris Howell had a goal and an assist, as did Rene Kelly and Gaston Fortin in their 5-4 win over Londinium. It was a back-and-forth affair, but the Whalers triumphed on a Denis Babin goal in the final minutes of the third period. The Whalers are still six points out of fourth place, but they're playing well and sure to pounce if the Royals stumble.

-The Newfield Rangers have won three in a row! Wins over Mancunium and Aqaue Sulis are not that impressive, but they upset Isca Town 1-0 on a brilliant goal from rookie center Will Flowers. The three wins have given them sole possession of 9th place, not much to brag about, but with such a crowd competing for fourth/fifth place, ninth is where the solid non-contenders end up. They continue to scrap along; learning and growing is most important. 

-Labrador gets to be our half a team this week, as they bounced back with two wins over direct rivals for the playoffs. Marc Curtis scored the only goal in their win over Sept-Iles, and Victor Hall and Johnny Ramsey both had two in an uncharacteristic offensive explosion against Eboracum. The Caribou have been up and down all year, but two wins against would-be playoff teams helps them a lot. They have a rivalry game against slumping Mancunium next.

Who's not: Three teams

-Da Bears. The Aquae Sulis Bears have lost four in a row, and only have wins in two of their last seven games. They've sunk all the way to eleventh place, above only Vinovium, who look likely to stick in last place for the entire season. They were competitive against Mancunium until the third, and new goalie Jermaine Roy, after a poor first-period performance against Newfield, played quite well, making a number of good saves in the second and third periods. It wasn't enough to avoid the loss, however. The Bears will get Pons Aelius next, a daunting task.

-The Mancunium Raiders snapped their four-game losing streak, defeating Aquae Sulis 4-2 behind goals from Brandon Scanlon and Quinn Baird in the third period. But their 1-0 loss to Pons Aelius means that they have still lost five out of their last six. They're not in eleventh place, which is about all we can say for them. They get Labrador next; a rivalry win might add a little color to this season.

-Isca Town is in a deep depression, losing to lowly Newfield 1-0 and then getting waxed by DC 3-0. They did not look up for the Oilers game, and Robbie Reid said after the game, "I think we were all in a state of shock after the Newfield game, that bled into the DC game, which you cannot do in this league. We have to take it one game at a time." Sammy Jensen and Owen Jones had a goal each for the Oilers, who are now just two back of the Captains for third. 

Surprise of the update: Just one this time

The surprise is that Isca Town has now won just two of their last eight games, a horrific stretch for them that has seen them fall out of first place and hit double-digit losses overall for the first time this year. If they don't turn things around soon, figure out what ails them, it will be a bumpy second-half ride.

NAHL Day 34/35 - Londinium beats the leaders

Londinium at night, photo credit to the Weather Network

The Royals start the second half with a bang, Pons Aelius gains ground on Isca Town, and Eboracum leapfrogs Sept-Iles

NAHL Day 34

Londinium Royals 1, Isca Town Captains 0

Pons Aelius Steelers 2, Portus Abonae Privateers 1

Mancunium Raiders 2, Eboracum Sharpshooters 3

Labrador Caribou 2, DC Oilers 3

Aquae Sulis Bears 0, Sept-Iles Whalers 3

Newfield Rangers 0, Vinovium Lumberjacks 1

NAHL Day 35

DC Oilers 0, Londinium Royals 0 (0-1 OT)

Sept-Iles Whalers 0, Pons Aelius Steelers 2

Eboracum Sharpshooters 1, Aquae Sulis Bears 0

Isca Town Captains 2, Vinovium Lumberjacks 1

Portus Abonae Privateers 2, Labrador Caribou 1

Mancunium Raiders 3, Newfield Rangers 3 (1-3 SO)

The big news of this update is that Londinium has pulled two big upsets! Yes, they're the fourth place team, but they're significantly behind both DC and Isca Town, whom they defeated. The win gets them some breathing room from the pack behind them, while putting them a not-insurmountable six points behind DC. 3rd place for Londinium would be a coup, as it would mean avoiding Isca Town in the semifinals. Meanwhile, Pons Aelius won two in a row, scoring twice in each game and defeating two would-be playoff contenders in Portus Abonae and Sept-Iles. Brendan Bryan, their 1st round pick, scored his first NAHL goal to put them up 2-0 on Sept-Iles late in the third. In the battle for the right to be the team just behind Londinium, Eboracum won both their games, Labrador lost both their games, and Sept-Iles and Portus Abonae split their games.

Who's hot: Three and a half teams

-Portus Abonae lost their five-game winning streak, falling to Pons Aelius, but they bounced back to defeat Labrador and have won six of their past seven games. Their strong run still puts them seven points out of the playoffs, though. They were encouraged, however, by their first round pick Alexandre Boulanger's play in their victory over Labrador. He scrapped hard on defense, won pucks to keep possessions alive, and even assisted on the winning goal. They have high hopes for him.

-Pons Aelius is a machine, now winning five in a row and eight of their last ten. They took down Portus Abonae 2-1 and Sept-Iles 2-0. More consistent scoring from them can only be a good thing, as they had the league's worst offense in the first half. They still sport the league's best defense as well, with the victory over Sept-Iles being their 21st shutout of the year, tying them with Isca Town for msot in the league. They have also closed to within two of the Captains, and have designs on being the first team in a while to be in first besides the Captains.

-The Londinium Royals have won four in a row, and these past two wins have been big. Victories over DC and Isca Town solidified their grip on fourth place and clawed them back to within six of DC. Their first round pick, Gabe Chambers, didn't come away with any points from his first two games, but he gave them good energy and work rate from the third line and they hope he'll continue to buoy the lower end of the team. The Royals get the Privateers next; a win would keep the momentum going and stifle a potential challenger, while a loss might herald another run of poor play like the one the Royals recently ended.

-The Eboracum Sharpshooters are our half a team this week, as they've won two in a row, but still lost seven of their last eleven games. But their two wins, over Mancunium and Aquae Sulis, have jumped them back into sole possession of fifth place. Tim Smith, Glen Gray, Christian Ball, and Archie Cole were the goal-scorers in their two wins, a balanced attack that delivered them the victory and snapped a five-game losing streak. They will need to keep up that success against teams higher than them in the standings, something they've struggled mightily with, going just 1-7-4 against the four teams currently in playoff position. They will get Pons Aelius next in a key test for them.

Who's not: Three teams

-Perhaps not on a big losing streak, but the DC Oilers are just 3-2-2 in their last seven games, dropping games against Sept-Iles, Mancunium, Pons Aelius, and Londinium. Three of those four teams are decent, but the Oilers have now fallen four back of Pons Aelius and six back of Isca Town. Their once-larger lead over Londinium has also shrunk and they are in some danger of falling too far behind the leaders.

-The Mancunium Raiders have now lost four games in a row: a shootout with Portus Abonae, a 5-2 whipping by Sept-Iles, and a pair of tough losses to Eboracum (3-2) and Newfield (shootout). Their first round pick Cam Ferguson played well in his limited ice time, but they couldn't stop Eboracum and Heath Lindsay was outplayed by Augustin Gauthier in the shootout against Newfield. They're still respectably ahead of Vinovium, but their game against Aquae Sulis next will be crucial.

-Isca Town had lost four of their last five before their 2-1 victory over Vinovium, a remarkably poor stretch of play for this elite team. But their selection of Zach Gill in the first round of the NAHL draft showed they weren't panicking or concerned about the trajectory of the season. The Captains have reached a deal to send Gill on loan to a team in the Alps Hockey League, where he will gain valuable experience while not being overpowered by the level of play.

Surprise of the update: Just one this time

The surprise is Londinium defeating Isca Town and DC in back-to-back games. Those two teams have twenty losses combined, better than five teams on their own. Sheldon Cook scored the only goal in their defeat of Isca Town, while Daniel Roberts found the net in overtime, beating Ted Carpenter to give the Royals the win. They are now 3-3-2 against those two teams, a respectable record that is the difference between them and Eboracum, who are just 1-3-2 against them.

NAHL All-Star Game - Team McQueen defeats Team Smith

NAHL All-Star Game

National Arena in Londinium

Londinium, Nova Anglicana - The annual NAHL All-Star game took place at the National Arena in Londinium last night, where Team McQueen claimed a 4-3 victory over Team Smith. Unlike a regular season game, the All-Star Game consisted of three periods of ten minutes each, rather than the usual twenty. This was to lighten the load on the players, since it was only an exhibition. Before the game, goalkeepers Brett McQueen of Pons Aelius and Justin Smith of Isca Town were named as captains, and proceeded to pick their squads, schoolyard style, until each had an eighteen-man team.

The puck dropped, and play was noticeably different. Most teams in the NAHL favor patient build-up or a modest attacking style, but in this exhibition, play flowed freely and attack was the order of the day. Smith and McQueen are two of the best NAHL goalkeepers, and they played well, but they weren't about to overexert themselves, not with first place still up for grabs in the second half. Four minutes into the first period, Owen Jones, playing on a line with his DC teammate Julian Stephens and dynamic Aquae Sulis right winger Nick May, snapped a shot past Smith to put Team McQueen up 1-0. Two minutes later, Brady Dowell of the Newfield Rangers had a breakaway; he dodged Newfield teammate Graham Drummond and beat McQueen to his glove side high to tie the score. Asked after the game if he went easy on Dowell, Drummond said with a chuckle, "Heck no. I was trying to take his head off, 'cause you know he'll be bragging about that one in practice for days."

The first period ended with no further scoring, but the second period started with a bang. Team McQueen's Gaston Fortin, of Sept-Iles, executed a terrific give-and-go with his Whalers teammate Rene Kelly, that ended with Fortin beating Smith to give his team a 2-1 lead barely forty seconds into the second period. Five minutes later, Tim Smith, of the Eboracum Sharpshooters, took a nifty pass from his linemate and regular teammate Glen Gray and rifled a snap shot into the net past McQueen to tie the score at two. Smith is typically the passer and Gray the goalscorer for Eboracum, but the reverse was true to great effect for Team Smith. McQueen and Smith both made nice saves later in the period to keep the score level at 2-all. They were replaced by Labrador's Dave Francis and Londinium's Eli Boyd, respectively, after making 15 saves apiece.

In the third period, play loosened up even more. Nearing the end of the game, even the d-men were aggressively attacking and defense thrown to the winds. This made it more difficult for Francis and Boyd, but they played admirably, if often with too little support. At 4:38, Kevin Morgan of Vinovium was the open man when Team McQueen whipped the puck around the offensive zone, hoping to expose a weakness in the Team Smith defense. A quick wrister was all it took to beat a sliding Boyd and put Team McQueen up 3-2. It was a great moment for Morgan, and for Vinovium fans, who have seen a lot of losing and tough games this season. But at 7:21, Team Smith answered back. Sammy Jensen, the other DC Oilers' first-line All-Star, received an outlet pass from Quinn Baird, skated and dodged past the Isca Town defensive pairing of Jason Gross and Louis Tremblay, then, one on one with Francis, faked left, went right, and buried the puck in the back of the net to tie the score. If no team scored a winner in the next 2:39, the game would go to a five-minute overtime, then a shootout. But that wasn't necessary, as Philippe Laurent's heavy slap shot rebounded off Boyd, and Mancunium's Brandon Scanlon was there to finish the job, shoving the puck home at 9:14 to provide the final margin. Team McQueen held off the six attackers of Team Smith in the final 47 seconds and took the 4-3 victory.

After the game, players hugged amiably and fans cheered an exciting game. The NAHL draft is up next, and then the second half of the season begins. It's anyone's game, as the excellent All-Star play demonstrated today.

NAHL All-Star Game Roster

NAHL All-Star Game Selections

Forwards

Julian Stephens (C), DC

Victor Hall (C), Labrador

Rene Kelly (C), Sept-Iles
Jordon Upshaw (C), Portus Abonae
Quinn Baird (C), Mancunium
Aaron Black (C), Pons Aelius

Gaston Fortin (RW), Sept-Iles

Sammy Jensen (RW), DC

Ben Malone (RW), Londinium

Nick May (RW), Aquae Sulis

Brady Dowell (RW), Newfield

Tim Smith (RW), Eboracum

Glen Gray (LW), Eboracum

Owen Jones (LW), DC

Kevin Morgan (LW), Vinovium

Darin Drake (LW), Aquae Sulis

Robbie Reid (LW), Isca Town

Brandon Scanlon (LW), Mancunium

Defensemen

Dirk Ziegler, Pons Aelius

Louis Tremblay, Isca Town

Jason Gross, Isca Town

Marc Levesque, Sept-Iles

Graham Drummond, Newfield

Jack Green, Mancunium

Shane Manning, DC

Philippe Laurent, Labrador

Goalies

Brett McQueen, Pons Aelius

Justin Smith, Isca Town

Eli Boyd, Londinium

Dave Francis, Labrador

Team McQueen

G Brett McQueen, Pons Aelius

G Dave Francis, Labrador

C Julian Stephens, DC

C Rene Kelly, Sept-Iles

C Jordon Upshaw, Portus Abonae

RW Gaston Fortin, Sept-Iles
RW Nick May, Aquae Sulis
RW Ben Malone, Londinium

LW Owen Jones, DC
LW Brandon Scanlon, Mancunium
LW Kevin Morgan, Vinovium

D Jason Gross, Isca Town

D Louis Tremblay, Isca Town

D Graham Drummond, Newfield

D Philippe Laurent, Labrador

Team Smith

G Justin Smith, Isca Town

G Eli Boyd, Londinium

C Quinn Baird, Mancunium

C Victor Hall, Labrador

C Aaron Black, Pons Aelius

RW Sammy Jensen, DC
RW Brady Dowell, Newfield
RW Tim Smith, Eboracum

LW Glen Gray, Eboracum
LW Darin Drake, Aquae Sulis
LW Robbie Reid, Isca Town

D Dirk Ziegler, Pons Aelius
D Marc Levesque, Sept-Iles
D Shane Manning, DC
D Jack Green, Mancunium

Team: Number of Players

Aquae Sulis: 2

DC: 4

Eboracum: 2

Isca Town: 4

Labrador: 3

Londinium: 2

Mancunium: 3

Newfield: 2

Pons Aelius: 3

Portus Abonae: 1

Sept-Iles: 3

Vinovium: 1

NAHL Midseason Update

Midseason Update

Please read below for statistical information on the 12 NAHL clubs here at the All-Star break. Please note that recorded goalscorers do not account for all goals scored by a team.

Team: Aquae Sulis Bears

Goals For/Game, Rank: 2.03, 4th

Goals Against/Game, Rank: 2.30, 10th

Shutouts, Rank: 2, 11th

Recorded Goalscorers: Nick May (12), Cal Malone (6), Darin Drake (11), Martin Wong (8), Kip Maddox (4), David Richter (3), Mike Morrill (1)

Team: DC Oilers

Goals For/Game, Rank: 2.55, 2nd

Goals Against/Game, Rank: 1.97, 6th

Shutouts, Rank: 4, 10th

Recorded Goalscorers: Owen Jones (12), Julian Stephens (15), Shane Manning (2), Greg Ford (1), Reed Harrison (8), Wally McMillan (4), Malcolm Hogg (6), Sammy Jensen (13), Jeff Sutton (2),


Team: Eboracum Sharpshooters

Goals For/Game, Rank: 2.58, 1st

Goals Against/Game, Rank: 2.67, 12th

Shutouts, Rank: 5, 8th (tie)

Recorded Goalscorers: Glen Gray (13), Tim Smith (7), Jan Becker (3), Josh Jensen (1), Will Richardson (6), Christian Ball (6), Alec Loveless (2), Gavin Kirkwood (3)


Team: Isca Town Captains

Goals For/Game, Rank: 1.48, 10th

Goals Against/Game, Rank: 0.73, 2nd

Shutouts, Rank: 21, 1st

Recorded Goalscorers: Jason Gross (8), Jonathan Barnes (8), Robbie Reid (11), Louis Tremblay (4), Shaun Webster (8), Zeke Moseley (3)


Team: Labrador Caribou

Goals For/Game, Rank: 1.58, 9th

Goals Against/Game, Rank: 1.64, 4th

Shutouts, Rank: 9

Recorded Goalscorers: Victor Hall (12), Philippe Laurent (4), Wade Hamilton (8), Johnny Ramsey (8), Don Betts (2), Stan Colvin (2)


Team: Londinium Royals

Goals For/Game, Rank: 1.64, 7th (tie)

Goals Against/Game, Rank: 1.55, 3rd

Shutouts, Rank: 6, 6th (tie)

Recorded Goalscorers: Eric Benson (7), Sheldon Cook (7), Daniel Roberts (4), Thomas Bailey (4), Ben Malone (8), Brendan Ellis (1), Nico Nielsen (7),


Team: Mancunium Raiders

Goals For/Game, Rank: 1.70, 6th

Goals Against/Game, Rank: 2.12, 8th

Shutouts, Rank: 6, 6th (tie)

Recorded Goalscorers: Quinn Baird (13), Brandon Scanlon (11), Todd Hagan (8), Matt Harmon (7), Jack Green (2)


Team: Newfield Rangers

Goals For/Game, Rank: 1.64, 7th (tie)

Goals Against/Game, Rank: 2.09, 7th

Shutouts, Rank: 5, 8th (tie)

Recorded Goalscorers: Brady Dowell (11), Earl Switzer (4), Elliott Parrish (6), Toby Swan (7), Seth Sharp (2)


Team: Pons Aelius Steelers

Goals For/Game, Rank: 1.27, 12th

Goals Against/Game, Rank: 0.52, 1st

Shutouts, Rank: 20, 2nd

Recorded Goalscorers: Dirk Ziegler (3), Eric Ferguson (1), Hank Gross (4), Joe Strickland (4), Aaron Black (10), Brooks Worrell (5), Nate Fuller (3)


Team: Portus Abonae Privateers

Goals For/Game, Rank: 2.36, 3rd

Goals Against/Game, Rank: 2.45, 11th

Shutouts, Rank: 1, 12th

Recorded Goalscorers: Jordon Upshaw (11), Jesse Brock (5), Doug Dixon (1), Tony Boykin (2), Jamie Atwood (5), Archie Cole (6), Cliff Holt (7), Tad Baines (3), Mike Henry (4), Scottie Richards (1)


Team: Sept-Iles Whalers

Goals For/Game, Rank: 1.85, 5th

Goals Against/Game, Rank: 1.82, 5th

Shutouts, Rank: 8, 3rd

Recorded Goalscorers: Gaston Fortin (14), Rene Kelly (10), Marc Levesque (1), Denis Babin (7), James McDaniel (6), Michel Picard (4), Jean-Luc Broussard (4)


Team: Vinovium Lumberjacks

Goals For/Game, Rank: 1.42, 10th

Goals Against/Game, Rank: 2.18, 9th

Shutouts, Rank: 7, 4th

Recorded Goalscorers: Parker Martindale (7), Kevin Morgan (9), Roman Massey (4), Max Getz (6), Jake Roundtree (4), Tyler Foster (1)

Leading Recorded Goalscorers

1. Julian Stephens, DC, 15
2. Gaston Fortin, Sept-Iles, 14
3. Glen Gray, Eboracum/Quinn Baird, Mancunium/Sammy Jensen, DC, 13
6. Nick May, Aquae Sulis/Owen Jones, DC/Victor Hall, Labrador 12
9. Darin Drake, Aquae Sulis/Robbie Reid, Isca Town/Brandon Scanlon, Mancunium/Brady Dowell, Newfield/Jordon Upshaw, Portus Abonae, 11
14. Aaron Black, Pons Aelius/Rene Kelly, Sept-Iles, 10