Week 20 results: Borschland Hockey League
04/30/2020
Big transaction news: Sajbell has sent their first-string goaltender Sybrandy Spillers to play the rest of the season for Holtzlund in exchange for the services of forward Grundel Masur. Holtzlund also purchased the contract of Nations’ Cup hero Gregory Gatekeeper for 12,000 schillings from Noi-Sporting-West and transferred it to Sajbell in consideration of the Spillers transfer.
Image of an ancient hockey mask and goaltender stick by Morket from Pixabay
“We are playing for the Championship and the Cup,” said Holtzlund general partner Joost Baambler. “If this is not the year to pull out all the stops on the organ and put on the steam, I don’t know what is.”
Spillers has not had the best possible year for the improving but still lowly Sea Gods, with a 2.88 GAA over 17 games including the Flowering Branch Cup, but to be honest, his defense has been among the worst assembled in the league. Holtzlund got Spillers for his proven leadership: he is 28 years old and a five-year veteran of the league with a lifetime .909 save percentage.
His Week 19 performance against Meechen, stopping 40 of 41 shots in the sparkling win over Meechen, may also have pricked up the ears of the Axe Men’s management.
“We are thrilled to get Gregory Gatekeeper,” Sajbell managing partner Koort te Brujswaald said. “We were not looking to move our first-string netminder, but Gatekeeper is the goalie of the future and we are also getting a fine young player in Grundel Masur.”
The goaltender glut in Holtzlund (Schmidt Max and Gareth Velnath) meant a decision to loan Velnath to Noi-Sporting-West for the rest of the year. The Mountain Kings are undefeated in their league with 5 ties thanks in large part to Gatekeeper’s work.
Asked why Gatekeeper was not the (much less expensive) target for this transaction, Baambler said, “We have our goaltender of the future in Gareth Velnath. We needed a big splash in goal to make this last push for the double.”
4 Holtzlund v. Te Staff 4: Another opportunity lost for Holtzlund as they squandered a 2-goal advantage with Gareth Velnath in goal and not looking like the championship goalie the Axe Men need for their stretch run. Multi-point games came from Holtzlund’s Lourens Noordhall (2 assists) and Kaameron Luudjeron (1 goal, 1 assist) and Te Staff's Bernt Gruun (1 goal, 1 assist). Chrujstoff Anselm scored his 6th goal since returning from injury, and third-line center Wils Schauers knotted the score at 4 with 3:33 left in the third period.
2 Rjaward v. Dohmatische 2: Dohmatische fired a shot over the bow ahead of the Flowering Branch Cup semi-finals. The two possible opponents in the final four played to a standstill on the Cattle Drivers’ home ice, a stark contrast from their 3-1 home loss in Week 11. Rjaward’s forwards came up against a stiff Dohmatische defense and the Swamp Hawks again managed to score just enough to keep the Lassomen from 3 points.
1 Meechen v. Tarlunz 2: The Steelmen took advantage of a Proud Lion team that’s spiraling down, opening up a two-goal lead on markers by Gerd Luppink (11) and Pujtr Weeckerstrom (4) and before Meechen finally scored with 4:01 left in the third period and made it a game.
3 Atterische v. Sajbell 3: Sajbell has now gone 1-0-3 since their acquisition of Man Grizzlyfaith, and they are now looking to improve even further with the young, high-energy forward Grundel Masur. Much depends for the end of the year on Gatekeeper’s ability to play in the top league of Borschland, but his Nations’ Cup performance makes him the best bet of any netminder in the lower divisions. Atterische regrets not taking three points at home versus a game but inferior opponent, especially after leading 2-0 and 3-2 in this one.
4 Wrischer v. Bevinlunz 3: With Heiko Moordfors spectating, Wrischer feasted on the Merchantman backup goalie Luukas Kolibruj. First liners Tomas Scheelgrav and Beenz Grechtlin had goals, along with Silvius Silvulus and Tor Blunderbuj, while winger Albuj Ploof got on the scoreboard with a brace of markers for Bevinlunz.
0 Meenesanne v. Bjaward 0: An excellent result for Meenesanne, which is suffering through a typical wasteland of a season. Erick Ritsche, long-suffering goaltender for the Weavers, played a dandy game, making 35 saves. His counterpart on Bjaward, Breet van Hejgl, had a much easier day, having to stop only 21.
4 Matexipar v. Onatten 2: The Iron Sticks got back on the bar with an easy win over Onatten, who will finish at their lowest point in 24 years. Sigiswald Zberg had two markers in this one.
3 Lojren v. Sichebach 1: A workmanlike win for te Lughaus, typically winning at home versus lower-ranked opponents. Backup goaltender Dragoon Camarata had an excellent day with 27 saves and Bengt Jagermann had a goal and an assist.