Monday, June 15, 2020

NAHL Day 12 - Excitement in Mancunium


A view of the lovely Labrador coast, home province of the Mancunium Raiders, image credit to LiveMint Viewfinder

A mostly dull day, but Mancunium-Eboracum featured seven goals to liven things up a bit, plus Vinovium gets their second win.

Mancunium Raiders 3, Eboracum Sharpshooters 4: Where'd all the goals go today? Well, they got sucked into a vortex over Mancunium, apparently. Everywhere else saw a 1-0 scoreline, but in the province of Labrador, 8,673 fans were treated to a bit of 4-3 excitement. The Sharpshooters took a 2-0 first period lead, conceded three goals in the second to fall behind, and then came back with two goals in two minutes in the third to win the game. Glen Gray, Tim Smith, Jan Becker, and Gavin Kirkwood were the goal-scorers for Eboracum, with d-man Kirkwood's power play slap shot providing the final margin. Mancunium got goals from Quinn Baird, Jack Green, and Brandon Scanlon in the second to take a brief lead, but couldn't hold it. They have now lost five straight and have tumbled down the standings to eleventh place. The Raiders will host the Rangers next; they desperately need a win to stop this slide.

Newfield Rangers 0, Vinovium Lumberjacks 1: After their veteran netminder, Mel Pinson, had surrendered five goals on consecutive occasions, interim head coach Dean Collins made the decision to start second-string goalie Simon Barnett against the Rangers. He'd allowed four goals in his only appearance, but this time he stopped 25 shots and had a shutout. Is Barnett the answer in net? Maybe, but it might have something to do with the eight shots blocked by Lumberjacks players, including three by oft-injured center prospect Parker Martindale. When asked about it, Collins remarked, "We've had conversations with him about it. He's a really talented player and he wants to give his all for the team, but we've talked about the importance of staying healthy." Jake Roundtree scored the only goal of the game at 8:29 of the third period, and the Lumberjacks earned their second win of the year. For Newfield, this was a missed opportunity at home. If they expect to contend, then they will need to win games against bottom-feeders at home. Both they and Mancunium will be looking for a win in their next game.

Londinium Royals 0, Isca Town Captains 0 (0-1 OT): If revenge is sweet and best served cold, then does that mean revenge is ice cream? If so, then the Captains were enjoying a waffle cone full of revenge in Londinium tonight. The Royals defeated them 2-1 in Isca Dumnoniorum the last time they played, which remains the last time the Captains have lost this season. Their winning streak now has reached an astounding 11 games. It wasn't easy, but high-level NAHL hockey rarely is. Shaun Webster was the open man as the Captains passed it around the horn, and his one-timer beat Eli Boyd at 3:44 of overtime to end the game. The Royals at least picked up a point in this one, and are one point clear of Labrador and Eboracum for fourth place. But they will need to pick up the scoring pace to stay there; without their 5-3 win against Vinovium, they've only scored 13 goals in 11 games, a 1.2 average that is distinctly pedestrian.

Labrador Caribou 0, DC Oilers 1: It didn't take a shootout this time, but it wasn't any easier of a win for the Oilers. At home, the Caribou took the Durovernum Cantiacorum-based team to the waning minutes, and even outshot them 28-26. But they couldn't breach Ted Carpenter's wall in net, and Sammy Jensen skated by two Caribou players and snapped a wrister past Dave Francis at 17:32 to put the Oilers up late. Victor Hall, the Caribou's star center, said after the game, "Give a lot of credit to our d-men and Dave for holding up so well throughout the game. If our offense had been able to score, that late goal might not have mattered. We've got to score more consistently and more often and I take responsibility for that." The Caribou have now been shut out twice in a row after putting five goals past a woeful Vinovium team. If you eliminate that game, they've only scored 11 goals in 11 games, hardly a recipe for success unless you have the defensive prowess of Pons Aelius. The Oilers bounced back after losing to the Steelers in their last game and remain two behind the Captains.

Pons Aelius Steelers 1, Portus Abonae Privateers 0: It's two wins in a row for the Steelers, keeping them two points behind DC and four points behind Isca Town, both winners on the day. The last time the Steelers and Privateers tangled, in Portus Abonae, the game was played more at the Privateers' pace, with four goals scored. This time, in Pons Aelius, the Steelers played their game. They limited the Privateers to just twenty shots on goal and dispossessed them on numerous occasions. It's the mark of a good team that they can win in various ways, and that's what the Steelers have done in these two games against Portus Abonae. The Privateers lost a two-game winning streak; they had designs on stringing some wins together and vaulting into an outside shot at the playoffs, but the Steelers put a stop to that. They are five back of Londinium for fourth place and mired in eighth place. 

Aquae Sulis Bears 0, Sept-Iles Whalers 0 (0-1 OT): This was a marked change from these teams' first meeting, where nine goals were scored, but the result was the same. Sept-Iles got a goal from Rene Kelly, on an assist from Denis Babin, at 4:04 of overtime to triumph over the Bears. They have won two straight, both on the road, which augurs well for their future play. They sit in a three-way tie for eighth place with the Bears and Portus Abonae. They will host the Steelers next, looking to knock off those heavyweights after losing 1-0 last time. The Bears have now lost four in a row and have only scored four goals in those four games, being shut out twice. Through eight games, they were averaging nearly two goals a game and had a winning record; they will need to return to their goal-scoring ways if they expect to win again/

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