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El Dorado Lynx Crowned 2012 Champions!

In EDH, News, WVR on July 14, 2012 at 3:50 pm

The El Dorado Lynx, a franchise that won it all in 2004 only to miss the playoffs for five straight seasons, are your new Gump Cup Champions!

The Lynx beat the defending champs, the West Virginia River Rats, in seven games: a hard-fought back-and-forth series with no shortage of intrigue. For one, the River Rats were missing leading scorer Sidney Crosby since game 4.

The Rats opened the scoring in game 7 with an unassisted tally by Eric Staal, his 10th of the postseason. West Virginia made it 2-0 as the second period was windown down – this time thanks to Corey Perry.

The Lynx wouldn’t get onto the board until early in the third. With El Dorado defenseman Eric Brewer serving a penalty, the Lynx managed to confuse the Rats’ powerplay unit and take advantage, with Vern Fiddler feeding veteran Jamie Langenbrunner for the shorthanded goal.

2-1 was the score until the last minutes of regulation, as Andrei Kostitsyn beat Ryan Miller, assisted by brother Sergei and Fiddler, to tie the game at two.

That set the stage for the most exciting situation in hockey: overtime in game 7. The home team was reeling from El Dorado’s late-game attack. Just three minutes in, Alex Ovechkin fed Christian Ehrhoff, who dished to one-time first overall pick Tuomo Ruutu, acquired by El Dorado in 2010. The winger made no mistake, beating Miller cleanly and earning the right to hoist the Gump Cup.

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Fourth Quarter MVP: Vote Now!

In Special Features on May 15, 2012 at 9:17 pm

Update: James Reimer wins in a landslide!

It was Michal Neuvirth in Q1, then Patrick Marleau in Q2. Sidney Crosby burst onto the scene in Q3. So who’s our fourth and final quarterly of 2011-2012?

A look at the nominees:

C Sidney Crosby, West Virginia River Rats
17gp, 9g, 20a, 29pts
It wasn’t quite the torrid pace he set last quarter, but Crosby’s 29 points put him in third for scoring in Q4 and helped West Virginia shore up the #2 seed.

RW Jarome Iginla, Portland Winterhawks
18gp, 17g, 12a, 29p
Will Iginla ever slow down? He almost hit 60 goals this year, and his 17 goals in 18 games this quarter was a big reason why. He was tied for the quarterly goal-scoring lead with Ryan Kesler.

G James Reimer, Portland Winterhawks
17gp, 14-2-1, 2.35, .920
To put Reimer’s excellent quarter in perspective – on the season, Portland’s other two goalies boast save percentages of .885 and .877. Portland was the best team in Q4 on the back of the rookie netminder.

G Tim Thomas, Sterling Eagles
15gp, 8-3-4, 1.62, .937
The stingy Eagles were once again led by the ageless Thomas. Sterling allowed just 29 goals in 18 games in Q4.

C Jonathan Toews, Vancouver Night Train
18gp, 12g, 18a, 30pts
The Night Train’s conference crown was by no means a guarantee heading into the quarter. Toews would lead the entire league in Q4 scoring while winning 65% of his faceoffs.

Playoff Preview: Conference Semis

In EDH, NAS, News, PWH, SAL, SCA, Special Features, STE, VAN, WVR on May 5, 2012 at 11:18 pm

Plante Conference Semifinals

#1 Salem Wannabees (54-16-12) vs. #4 South Carolina Fire Ants (34-40-8)

Another year, another Salem powerhouse. Once again, no team was better in the regular season – or even really very close. The Wannabees have it all: scoring, defense, goaltending. That’ll make for a tough slog for a plucky, often-undermanned South Carolina, whose sub-.500 record was still enough to snag the last playoff spot.

Season Series: Salem won 4-1-1

#2 Sterling Eagles (44-24-14) vs. #3 El Dorado Lynx (43-27-12)

This is the Eagles’ first playoff appearance since 2006-2007 and they have goaltending to thank for it. Tim Thomas will lead the way for a team that allowed just 157 goals during the regular season (no other team had fewer than 200). The Lynx, meanwhile, finished just four points back of Sterling, so it’ll be tight — especially if the ageless Teemu Selanne plays the way he did all year. Of note: both teams averaged under 2 goals per game against each other during the regular season, and they even played to a 0-0 tie.

Season Series: Tied 2-2-2

Sawchuk Conference Semifinals

#1 Vancouver Night Train (49-26-7) vs. #4 Nashville Knights (39-32-11)

After finishing with just 72 points last season, the Night Train bounced back and captured the conference crown, narrowly avoiding a first-round series against Portland. The Night Train weren’t exactly dominant all year but found a way to win, largely thanks to Jonathan Toews and a cast of clutch scorers. The question is, can Pekka Rinne get his act together? And will Nashville be able to overcome their paper-thin D, as they did for much of the season?

Season Series: Vancouver won 6-1-1

#2 West Virginia River Rats (46-27-9) vs. #3 Portland Winterhawks (45-29-8)

The two highest-scoring teams of the regular season [check Salem] go head-to-head in the opening round. Can the Winterhawks get their dynasty back on track against the reigning Gump Cup champs? Crosby, Thornton. Staal, Spezza. Perry, Iginla. Vanek, Kovalchuk. This should be fun for everyone but the goaltenders.

Season Series: West Virginia won 4-1-1

River Rats’ Crosby Named Q3 MVP

In News, WVR on April 5, 2012 at 4:49 pm

West Virginia River Rats star Sidney Crosby, who made a triumphant second-half return from injury, has been named the third quarter MVP. Crosby, last season’s scoring champ, posted 46 points in 24 games and led the Rats to a 15-5-4 record.

Third Quarter MVP: Vote Now!

In Special Features on March 26, 2012 at 2:57 pm

It’s that time again? Who will join Patrick Marleau and Michal Neuvirth as quarterly MVPs?

A look at the nominees:

C Sidney Crosby, West Virginia River Rats
24gp, 19g, 27a, 46pts
Crosby’s much-anticipated season debut delivered in spades. Crosby led all scorers on the quarter by a healthy margin and led the Rats to a sterling 15-5-4 record.

C Ryan Kesler, El Dorado Lynx
24gp, 15g, 19a, 34pts
The Lynx had a glorious 16-3-5 quarter, thanks in large part to Kesler, who led El Dorado in scoring and boasted a great +15.

RW Cory Perry, West Virginia River Rats
24gp, 23g, 14a, 37pts
A beneficiary of Crosby’s comeback? Maybe. But Perry was West Virginia’s leading scorer before the quarter began and is now closing in on 50 goals.

G Tim Thomas, Sterling Eagles
20gp, 8-8-4, 1.88, .940, 4 SO.
The Eagles are having a hard time scoring. That they’re still in the running is thanks to Thomas, who had 4 shutouts on the quarter.

C Jonathan Toews, Vancouver Night Train
24gp, 9g, 25a, 34pts
The Night Train had 16 wins on the quarter — tops in the Sawchuk. Toews is the biggest reason why, considering Pekka Rinne’s extremely dodgy performance.

Playoff Picture Sharpens as Q3 Ends

In EDH, News, PWH, SAL, STE, VAN, WVR on March 26, 2012 at 1:40 pm

The third quarter is the books. Just 18 games remain in the regular season. The once-blurry playoff picture is starting to come into focus — and the big races have emerged.

Wannabees or the Real Thing?

The Salem Wannabees — last year’s Gump Cup also-rans — continued their ass-kicking play, going 16-2-6 for a healthy lead atop the standings. It’s a good thing, too, because they’re playing in what might be the GWMHL’s toughest divisions. The Sterling Eagles, for example, allowed just 43 goals this quarter, or 1.79 per game.

Lynx Vault into Contention

The El Dorado Lynx’s stellar 16-3-5 quarter separated them from the Pilots and Chiefs in the Plante West for second overall in the entire league.

Crosby Makes a Splash

Sidney Crosby finally saw his season debut for the defending champ West Virginia, and made a huge impression. With 46 points in 24 games, he led all scorers league-wide and propelled the River Rats to a great 15-5-4 record on the quarter.

Can Portland Get Its Groove Back?

Portland struggled on the quarter (10-12-2), giving the Vancouver Night Train an opening to pull away atop the Sawchuk West. In fact, if the playoffs started today, the Winterhawks would be on the outside looking in — they’re a point back of Saint Louis and just two ahead of Nashville.

Patrick Marleau is Your Q2 MVP

In News, SAL on February 13, 2012 at 4:08 pm

It was close – the difference was just one vote – but Patrick Marleau has been voted the Most Valuable Player of 2011-2012’s second quarter.

Marleau, who led the GWMHL last season with an astounding 77 goals, put up 15 in just 20 games in Q2. He’s one of the offensive movers behind the powerhouse Salem Wannabees, and once again leads all Gumpers in goals on the season with 32.

Marleau edged Nashville Knights center Claude Giroux for MVP honors. Giroux’s 27 points led all players for the quarter.

Teams Get Deeper, Older at Mid-Season Free Agent Draft

In DEL, News, Transactions on February 11, 2012 at 9:58 am

Even by Mid-Season Free Agent Draft standards it was a quiet one, but 11 teams took a chance on 16 veterans as they head into the second half of the season. Winger Jamie McGinn led the way, claimed by the Delta Sturgeon. Only three of our six most surprising pre-season cuts found new teams — Cody Franson, Jason Blake, and Jamie Langenbrunner — while Martin Brodeur, one of the greatest goaltenders in GWMHL history, is still without a home.

Complete 2012 Mid-Season Free Agent Draft results, plus cuts, after the jump:

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Second Quarter MVP: Cast Your Vote!

In Special Features on January 30, 2012 at 3:55 pm

Who had the biggest impact on their team’s success in the second quarter? Vote now – or read on for more about each nominee and then vote, you big nerd.

The Nominees:

C Claude Giroux, Nashville Knights
20gp, 9g, 18a, 27pts
Giroux was tied for most points on the quarter and drove the Knights to a very solid 10-8-2 record.

C Eric Staal, West Virginia River Rats
20gp, 3g, 23a, 26pts
In Sidney Crosby’s absence, Staal racked up a quarter-leading 23 assists – 5 more than anyone else.

LW Patrick Marleau, Salem Wannabees
20gp, 15g, 8a, 23pts
Marleau’s 15 goals were tied for the quarter lead with Corey Perry. Four were game-winners, and he finished a +17.

G Roberto Luongo, Great Lakes Pilots
16gp, 7-5-4, 2.03, .934, 1so
Great Lakes powered to the top of their division on Luongo’s back and his numbers were among the best on the quarter.

G Tim Thomas, Sterling Eagles
12gp, 4-4-4, 2.04, .939, 1so
Where would Sterling be without Thomas? Way further back of the Wannabees, that’s where. Thomas stole several games.

Biggest Midseason Surprises of 2011-12

In DEN, EDH, IHS, NAS, News, SCA, Special Features, STE on January 30, 2012 at 12:38 pm

We’re halfway through our season. So what’s been raising our eyebrows?

As a Rule, Eagles are Pretty Badass

The Sterling Eagles have missed the playoffs four seasons in a row. But after 40 games, they’re second overall in the entire league with a stellar 23-12-5 record, and even managed to steal five points on the road against division rival Salem. They’re getting help where it counts, like unheralded winger Nikolai Kulemin, who already has 22 goals. Previous career high? Eight.

Backups Earning Their Keep

The Eagles’ Tim Thomas has the numbers (1.88, .939) but backup Johan Hedberg is winning more games. His record is 12-6-0 to Thomas’ 11-6-5. Likewise, the Ice Harbor Storm’s Alex Auld (.914) and Jonathan Bernier (.933) are busy overshadowing the “starting tandem” of Mathieu Garon (.885) and J-S Giguere (.874).

Pick One Already!

The Storm aren’t the only one with a menagerie of netminders in a pen out back. Five goalies have seen action for the Nashville Knights already this season: Sergei Bobrovsky (17 games), Cory Schneider (16), Ray Emery (3), Brian Boucher (3), and Mike Smith (1). That’s two rookies backed up by three vets, and the elevator pitch for an ensemble basic-cable sitcom.

Ovie-Shadowed

Alex Ovechkin is not leading the El Dorado Lynx in points. That’s kind of remarkable. The Lynx are okay – still in good playoff position at the halfway point, actually – thanks largely to the ageless Teemu Selanne, who has 18 goals and 45 points to Ovie’s 20 and 41.

Giddy-Up?

The Denver Spurs offense could use a swift, spiky kick in the rear. They don’t have the lowest GF, but let’s break it down: they’re deep up the middle and shallow on the wings, and that means they’re leaving lots of goals on the table. Mike Richards and Daniel Briere each have just 18 points in 40 games. Joffrey Lupul is their top scorer but has the lowest point total (28) of any team leader league-wide. Oh, also, he’s nursing an injury that could see him miss significant time.

Head of the Class

The top five draft picks (Skinner, Hall, Seguin, Eberle, and Stepan) are all playing pretty well, but they’re trailing in the rookie scoring race to an unlikely gaggle (herd? colony? murder?) of youngsters: South Carolina’s Tyler Ennis, Nashville’s PK Subban, Ice Harbor’s Mikael Backlund, and Baltimore’s Michael Grabner.

Brett Freaking Clark

Subban isn’t just the second highest scoring freshman so far. He also leads all defensemen in goals with 13, which might just make him the leading rookie-of-the-year candidate at this point. But that’s not even the most surprising development on Nashville’s blueline: Brett freaking Clark already has 10 goals, people. That’s just crazy.