SPNHL Season 29: Conference Finals Review/Stanley Cup Preview
By: Jake Dietrich
“Déjà vu”.
Here we are again, the end of another exciting season of SPNHL hockey. We’ve had controversies, upsets, and complete domination. We have seen new stars emerge, superstars become legends, and legends fall short of the ultimate prize. However, after 11 grueling weeks, we find ourselves at the Stanley Cup Finals with two familiar teams: the Ottawa Senators and the Colorado Avalanche.
This is Kozmo’s third trip to the finals in 4 seasons, while Eggman looks to add more to his trophy case as brings his squad of defending champions for a rematch from last season’s Stanley Cup finals. Kozmo brings one of his strongest teams yet, while Eggman retained the core of last year’s team. With two teams as strong as these teams, these Finals should be very exciting.
Before we get deeper into the final series of the season, let’s take a look at the Conference finals matchups that brought these teams within 4 wins of hoisting the greatest prize in sports.
EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS
Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Ottawa Senators.
Results: Senators in 6.
The Senators found themselves in a very familiar position in round two, being down two games to one after the first three games. However, just like they did against the Devils, the Sens took games four through six to beat the Bolts. Truelegend, Redflag, Yeap and co. mustered plenty of offense, but Ottawa’s top line of Ransom, Marc, and toslick was just too deadly for Tampa Bay.
WESTER CONFERENCE FINALS
Vegas Golden Knights vs. Colorado Avalanche.
Results: Avalanche in 6.
The defending Champions were given a run for their money by the Vegas squad, but were able to dispatch of them after 6 games. It seemed the Knights were on track for a comeback in game 5, but Sliyum, Ajax, and Prodigy could not overcome the all-around skill of one of the most decorated trios in SP history in GM Eggman, his blue-line partner Sedin, and all-time SPNHL great Woytikw.
Now that we’ve covered those matchups, let’s get to the nitty-gritty. A matchup from last year’s finals, the Avalanche and Senators both bring similar lineups from last season, with 8 of the 12 players from the projected starting lineups returning. However, two of the players in this series were on opposite sides of the previous battle, so it will be interesting to see how different this series is played.
Let’s take a look at the projected starting 6 from each team in this Year’s finals, and see the role they may end up playing this series:
Ottawa Senators
FORWARDS:
Go_marc: being acquired at the midway point last season changed the game for the Senators. Marc is an offensive dynamo, capable of driving the puck to the net and setting up his teammates for sure-fire goals. Marc also has some incredible timing, as he is one of the most clutch players in the league and has scored many big goals for Ottawa. He looks to score a few more in this series.
Ransom: a former Selke winner, Ransom decided to give defense a try last season and was there until the first round of these playoffs. Since moving back to forward, his team has gone 7-2. Having a player with as good as a defensive instinct as their offensive instinct is necessary and proves the age-old quote true: “offense wins games, defense wins championships”.
Toslick: one of the most outspoken players in SP, toslick was on the Colorado Cup squad last year and finds himself looking to win back to back cups. An offensive dynamo on the ice, toslick is a great scoring winger capable of making outstanding plays, and could be the player Ottawa needs to get them over the hump and avenge last season’s game 6 overtime loss.
DEFENDERS:
u_1_2_b_me: playing wing for the majority of the season as Ransom took D responsibilities, U_1 is a natural defender. After the move back to forward for Ransom, dropping back to defense was a great move for U1, as he plays a crucial role in Ottawa’s tight defensive game. One of 4 players not in last year’s Finals, U1 wants to make a big splash and help the Sens bring home the cup.
Notorious: The Legend Killer. Notorious took on that nickname last series after shutting down Truelegend on the wing, and the stay at home defenseman added that name to his list of victims in the playoffs that includes last season’s Cup winning goal scorer Boutch and this season’s Art Ross winner Grammy. Could Ottawa’s shut down-d add another name to the list and win a cup?
GOALTENDER:
Giroux: Giroux emerged from out of nowhere to become a favourite to win the Vezina trophy, and save for a few games in the post-season, has only gotten better with time. Being the go-to backstop for Ottawa this regular season and post-season, Giroux is 4 more wins away from securing the Stanley Cup. He’ll need to stand on his head against a solid Avalanche team to get them.
Colorado Avalanche
FORWARDS:
Woytikw: a player who has done it all in SP, Woy is going for another Cup to add to his huge trophy case. Woy is effective at every position, but is an incredibly talented playmaker who is deadly on the wing. He can carry a team to victory, but when he has talented players around him (like he will in this series), he becomes a terrifying player to play against and stupidly difficult to defend.
Stoner: a former first-overall pick, Stoner was picked up just before the trade deadline in preparation for a deep playoff run. A dynamic offensive talent, Stoner can fit well at any spot on the forward line because he can do it all: he can score, he can set up plays, and he can forecheck with the best of him. The Avs are going to need him to do all three if they want to repeat as Champions.
Breezy: a wildcard to say the least. Breezy is a very good player who almost acts as a counterpart to Ransom: a versatile player who is just as defensively minded as they are offensively minded. A defender last season, Breezy played forward for Colorado this season, but on a limited basis. In the Cup finals, the Avalanche need more availability from one of their top guys to go back-to-back.
DEFENDERS:
Eggman: the GM for the past two seasons and the catalyst for a possible Colorado dynasty, Eggman is as good on the ice as he is off the ice. Holding down the blue line is no easy feat, and Colorado may have the best defensive pairing in the league. Will Eggman be able to slow down the fast-firing offense of the Senators and help Colorado win their second consecutive league Title?
Sedin: the other half to the Colorado Rockies on defense (bad pun, I know), Sedin is another former GM with a championship pedigree. Seeing Eggman on the blue line without Sedin is a rare sight these days and for good reason: they are an immensely talented duo. If they get the chance to play their way, Colorado will be able to topple the Senators in the Finals yet again.
GOALTENDER:
Kamakaz: a perennial all-star goaltender, Kama is the other player on the opposite side of this Cup Final. Conditions limited Kama’s play in last year’s Cup Final, but looks to prove he is still at the top of his game in this cup final. His post-season stats have been stellar thus far, but he will need to step it up in this championship series in order to secure the Cup that fell out of his grasp.
With a staring 6 as strong as these two teams have, it’s no wonder that we have a rematch of last year’s cup finals. However, will the changes be enough to alter the result? The teams are dead even in regards to overall skill, so this battle is going to come down to hunger: team hungry to avenge a loss, or a team hungry for another taste of the Cup. No matter what, this is going to be fun.
Tune in tonight and tomorrow at 9:00 p.m. EST to catch all the action, and make sure to join us early for pre-game coverage and interviews for the upcoming games. As well, don’t forget to tune into SPNHL: Off The Ice this weekend! We will be doing the Awards show and will either be broadcasting August 24th or August 25th at 10 p.m. depending on how the series goes.
That’s it for me for now! Good luck to the Avalanche and the Senators!
* DD