Dec 22, 2013 | SCorrigan | 318 views
Unofficial Half Way Mark of Season
As week 11 drew to a close we mark the unofficial half way point of the season and there have been some real story lines in the first half that highlight team achievements and individual achievements.
The most obvious story line is the Devils, who have been the class of the league. It took till week 11 for them to actually loose a nail biter of a game. Still their game play has shown a complete team effort and remarkable consistency. Seven of their ten wins have been by 2 goals or less. Great goal tending, stingy defence and tenacious fore checking - they are fun to watch and miserable to play against.
We have seen top flight goal scorers this year - 3 kids already have more than 20 goals and one has even passed 30. More telling, even more impressive if you will, is the fact there are 11 kids who are averaging a goal or more a game. If I recall correctly, last season only 4 kids achieved that feat by year's end.
The points garnered by kids indicate a good deal of passing is going on - far more than last season in fact. 3 players already have more than 30 points, 1 more than 40 and 1 even over 50. Once again though the most striking figure that highlights the quality of play we watch every weekend is that 22 kids are on a point per game or better pace this season.
But for all the fireworks and goal scoring, we are starting to see many more tight games and typically 1 to 2 games each weekend where the stay at home defenders and goalies are truly the show stoppers. Six of the last 10 games for example have been decided by 2 goals or less. Fans can often loose track of these defensive stars but I would point out that coaches don't; it is notable that the last 2 player of the years for this HL group as voted by the coaches were solid stay at home defenders.
All teams now enter week twelve with eyes clearly set on the Christmas tournament. This is always a fun time and each year there are "upsets" which prove the fact that in a short tournament any team can beat any team. The notion of favorites is silly. Please make sure you check the schedule to verify both your game time and the arena location.
Merry Christmas to all.