He had seen enough.  The Blizzard left the ice to head to the visitor’s dressing room after last night’s game against the Blues and the team was down 5 to 1 despite outshooting the Blues 23 to 17.  Starting goaltender Tor Kronberg was pulled midway through the period after surrendering  five goals on 10 shots with Remy Botelho coming in to finish the game.  Once again, the Blizzard had been out goalied by the opposition and enough was enough.

GM Kelly Flewelling was seen on his cell phone in between periods and at the conclusion of the game, the Blizzard GM had pulled the trigger on a big trade that brings in one of the premier goaltenders in the LTLHL, acquiring Andrew Dumont from the New York Knights in exchange for Tor Kronberg and a S7 1st round pick.

This morning, Flewelling held a press conference where he officially made the announcement.  “
We are excited to bring in Andrew.  He has consistently been near the top of his position and that is something we feel we really need for our team. 

It is tough to let a good young player like Kronberg go, especially since he played a huge role in our cup win in Season 3.  However, A player of Dumont’s calibre does not become available often and we have suffered from a great deal of inconsistency on a season to season basis and this season seemed to be going in the same direction so I had to make a change.”

Dumont will make his debut in the Blizzard net tomorrow night when the Blizzard host the Redbull at home.

The Nissen Junior League is off to a good start.  With 13-14  games played for most teams the top players are starting to separate from the pack. 

Axel Riederer of the Reign(Razorbacks) has 19 points in 13 games played.  Tied with him is Spike Ruddy of the Reds(Muertos) and Timo Schenk of the Nighthawks (Royals).

Gabriel Pardy, Raiders(Muertos), Ivan Kapustin, Gators(Razorbacks) and Denny Brega Menace(Privateers) are right behind them at 18 points each.  

There are quite a few new faces in the scoring leaders, Gabriel Pelletier, Howlers and Vsevolod Pakudin of the Reds find themselves in the top 20 scorers in their debut season.   Islanders Center Braydon Sandwith is not far back with 13 points in 14 games.  

In net the league is being led by Sigbert Dahms of the Howlers with 9 wins and a save percentage of .943.  Somehow Dahms remains an undrafted prospect at age 20.  Just behind Dahms is Mikalay Kubarew of the Firebirds(Razorbacks) with 7 wins and a save percentage of .921

Lots of players to keep an eye on in the Nissen.  It's never to early to scout for the draft or prospects who may make a pro player expendable in the near future.  

The committee nominated 6 players for the Beacon Cup MVP: RW Brentt Bing (Harfang), C Lenny Koonts (Trident), G Igemar Sjoberg (Harfang), G Daulton Gammond (Trident), D Elijah Sanner (Harfang) and G Tsurayuki Shibahara (Trident).

Congratulations to Quebec City’s RW Brentt Bing and the Harfang! The 31 year old American earned a unanimous selection (11 first place votes) from the committee.

Bing’s Statline:  24 GP - 17 G - 15 A - 32 Pts - +15 - 22 PIM - 4 PPP - 4 GWG - 18.89 S% - 37 Hits - 11 TA - 23 GA - 14 SB - 17.83 AM/G

Accolades: Beacon Cup Champion; Northern Conference Champion

Here are the nominations from the Awards Committee:

- “Brentt Bing - Harfang - 17 goals in 24 game?? Led all playoff performers with 32 points. Had some HUGE goals to help Harfang win Championship.”

- “I nominate Brent Bing. He scored 3 big unanswered goals in less than 8 mins in the 1st period of game 7, which gave his team a huge momentum and practically sealed the deal right then and there. He also finished as the best scorer in the playoffs with 32 points in 24 games and a +15 rating.”

- “Brentt Bing - Led skaters in goals and points, had 4 GWG and 3 game tying goals (led both categories) and single handedly led the Harfangs to a Championship.”

- “RW Brentt Bing - Harfang: led all players in goals and points, tied 1st in +/-, 1st in shots, and led the league in PP goals”

- “Bing led all playoffs in points (32), goals (17), +/- (+15), shots (90), and GWG (4). The RW scored a hat-trick in game 7 of the finals and is an all-time Beacon Cup performance. He is the straw that stirred the Harfang drink and led this team to its first Beacon Cup Championship.”

BREAKING NEWS

LAS VEGAS — In a move that has sent shockwaves through the LTLHL, veteran goaltender Andrew Wiewel has officially requested a trade from the Las Vegas Voltage. Sources close to the situation confirm that the 35-year-old netminder is deeply frustrated with his current playing time and a historically rocky start to the Season 6 campaign.

Wiewel, an elite talent and one of the league's most decorated players, arrived in Las Vegas back in May via a trade with the Massachusetts Militia in exchange for Luca Almond and a 4th-round draft pick. The move was expected to solidify the Voltage crease, bringing a three-time All-Star, former regular-season MVP, and Goalie of the Year winner to the strip.

Instead, the relationship has quickly soured.

A Rough Start in the Desert

Wiewel’s tenure with Las Vegas has been a nightmare on paper. Through the early stretch of Season 6, the veteran has found himself glued to the bench, receiving just 2 appearances (both starts). In those 120 minutes of action, things went off the rails. Wiewel posted an uncharacteristic 0-2-0 record, allowing 9 goals on 83 shots.

His current stat line tells the story of his frustration:

GAA: 4.50

Save Percentage: .892

Record: 0-2-0

For a goalie carrying a career .922 save percentage and 115 wins across five stellar seasons with the Militia, a 4.50 GAA is entirely uncharted territory. The lack of consecutive starts has seemingly prevented the veteran from finding any semblance of a rhythm, leading to the trade demand.

The Voltage front office now finds itself in a tight spot: try to smooth things over with a proud, former MVP, or look to recoup assets for a $2.7M asset who no longer wants to be in Las Vegas.

More updates to follow as this story develops.

The committee nominated 7 coaches for the LTLHL Coach of the Year: Kris Lemieux (Razorbacks), Chris Martin (Voltage), John Moyer (Blues), Julian Trudel (Tridents), Kent Gould (Twisters), Louis Roy (Royals), and Matt Binns (Harfang).

Congratulations to St. Paul’s coach Kris Lemieux and the Razorbacks! The now-retired 69 year old Canadian earned 7 first place votes from the committee.

- S5 Razorbacks - 47 wins & 98 points - 1st in LTLHL, 1st in Southern Conference, 1st in MidWest Division

- S4 - 38 wins & 84 points - 19th in LTLHL

Here are the nominations from the Awards Committee:

- “Lemieux of the Razorbacks for coach of the Year. Razorback had a +14 improvement and finished at the top.”

- “Kris Lemieux - Razorbacks: Missing the playoffs last year, the Razorbacks had a 14 point improvement, winning the president's trophy (or our equivalent). Was 3rd in total goals scored for the 2nd consecutive season. A +41 goal differential compared to just a season ago.”

- “I submit Kris Lemieux as the best coach of the year. The Razorbacks had the most wins this season, had the best GF/GA differential in the league and finished at the very top of the standings. All that after finishing at the 19th rank in the standings last year.”

- “Took the 19th place team last season to 1st place this season. Most wins with 47 Best goal differential with +30 Got fired.”