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 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.
-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 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.
-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.
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