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.
-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.
-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.
-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.
-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.
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