R.Rishaug season 2 mid way reports cards

[R.Rishaug]

Well we've rung in the new year already and just about to start the second half of the season. Hope everyone had a great holiday break.
Let's get onto the report cards to see how everyteam did.
Remember these are the opinions and gradings of a TaSN analyst and are not to be taken to heart.

[R.Rishaug]

Shockers 3-3-2 /Third Place/41GF 34GA
 
Forwards Grade: C+
Headed into the season touted as the ABHL’s Miami Heat everyone expected big things from this team. While they aren’t doing bad by any means, this team has yet to live up to its predicted status.
Their 41 goals for is 4th best in the league and they have one player barely in the top 10 in scoring. Don’t get me wrong with the grade given, they are super talented bunch, and maybe they are waiting for a second half explosion. This is a first half report card and I’m going to tell it how it is. With players missing game after game and showing up late for big matchups C+ might have been a bit generous.
 
Defense/Goaltending Grade: B
The 3-3-2 record of the Shockers can probably be attributed to its strong defense in most games. Bryan Lee has headlined this d core for the most part and looks to continue to do so in the second half. Missing games here is a key reason of why they could be better, but look for a team defense that will get better with time. Their 34 GA is second best in the league. Vincent has played solid and steady owning the third best GAA amongst starting goalies.
 
GM Grade: A-
Its difficult to grade this general manager as he seems to be ready to stand pat and let his team stick together. The huge 3way blockbuster deal made early in the season was enough to push this GM grade into the A rating. Acquiring Bryan Lee gave them the rock on the defensive end and also allowed him to move out struggling forward Eric Huynh. Hon Yee drafted a very cap conscious team with his plethora of high end picks. The Shockers remain out of cap trouble, but will need a surge to compete as the elite in the ABHL.
 
Overall C+
As mentioned earlier they aren’t taking the league by storm, but are sitting patiently as the glue sets. The grade slightly below average mainly due to the great expectations placed on the team. Headed into the midway point they have a few issues to figure out. The status of keeper Thang Ly is highly in doubt as his interests are fading to the Shockers organization. A key component of a Shockers squad, that will leave a void. The Shockers will be the most interesting team in the second half.
 
This is R.Rishaug reporting for TaSN – Edmonton. Stay tuned for the Roosters report card next.
 

[R.Rishaug]

Roosters 2-6-0 /Sixth Place/21GF  50GA
 
Forwards Grade: F
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that 21 goals for in 8 games just isn’t going to cut it in a 3 on 3 league. A shutout was thought to be a rarity in the ABHL. The Roosters have been shutout a whopping 2 times. While this team showed flashes of a bounce back in week 3, they have since resorted to their slumping ways. Granted the Roosters haven’t had their full arsenal of players each week, so we should cut them some slack there. I sense some changes coming to this black team as an offense that produces a measly 2.6 goals per game will just survive in the offense minded ABHL.
 
Defense/Goaltending Grade: C
The Roosters D is surprisingly in the middle of the pack when it comes to goals allowed. Meaning they often lose games cause they can’t light the lamp. As expected Ricky G has anchored the d core and has now teamed up with Steve Wong to provide one of the top pairings in the league. Wait a minute this just doesn’t make any sense…..A great d pairing that’s playing well, but still letting in goals? This leads us to point our fingers at their net minder. PChan has not played near his Vezina form last season. His 6.25 gaa is the worst amongst any starting goalie. It has been quite the fall from grace for PChan. I’m definitely expecting a better second half from this award winning goalie.
 
GM Grade: C+
It’s been an up and down season for the GM of the Roosters. Set with his keeper Ricky Gregorio, and fresh off a finals birth in season 1 things were looking up. PChan drafted decent team which was very cap friendly. He pulled the trigger on what looked to be an awesome deal making the way for a huge free agent signing. This FA was supposed to be a savior, quoted as having hands like Lubriderm oily soft, a savior he was not. Left with a short manned team and no savior in sight, the Roosters GM has left this team in a mess. This is a first half report card though, and the Roosters GM is typically quite active so we are expecting some rumblings coming from the Rooster camp. Stay tuned here.
 
Overall D-
A harsh overall grade indeed, but their place in the standings and the overall atmosphere around the team says its deserving. It has been a rough first half from the once tough Roosters, but if this team is anything like its GM it should have a never say die and never quit attitude. A few moves here and few there, could have this team right back in the thick of things. This will definitely be another interesting team to follow in the second half.
 
This is R.Rishaug reporting for TaSN – Edmonton. Stay tuned for the Cash Only report card next.
 

[R.Rishaug]

Cash Only 3-5-0 /Fourth Place/40GF  52GA
 
Forwards Grade: D
The usually high scoring Cash Only has the second worst offensive output in the first half of the season. The green team top 3 Stanley Chan, Gary Wong, and Winslow Tang have missed a combined 6 games. That singlehandedly could add another 10 goals to their output. With only one scorer barely making the top 10 in scoring this team needs to solve its offensive woes. They are scoring some timely goals as they have won games late. The lone bright spot is underrated Jason Lee. Jason has provided a steady two way game and has more than done his part helping CO stay afloat. Unfortunately he will be relocating and leaving CO.
 
Defense/Goaltending Grade: C-
When looking at the stats it is often confusing, they aren’t outscoring teams and they aren’t locking it down per say. With the 2nd most goals allowed at 52 they haven’t been stellar.  When looking just at the numbers though one must be careful. This team was over the cap for the majority of the first half. Without the luxury cap punishment this team could be doing a lot better.  Nick Yatco has provided a solid presence since being acquired as he actually owns the second best gaa in the league right now. Ryan Ho will need to captain his team and shoulder the load to carry this team to a second straight playoff appearance. Ho has been doing his share on the offensive side with 12pts in 8games from the blue line.
 
GM Grade: B
This was a difficult grade to handout. One could argue this team could be much better or higher in the standings had it not run into cap issues early on in the season. The poor drafting was overcome in a strong way though. While giving up 3-5 goal leads, this team is still in the playoffs at this moment. A lot of recognition must be given to the GM who got his team out of debt, and becoming cap compliant. The extra player being carried on their roster will work out as Jason Lee is leaving the team and will be bought out shortly. Given the disastrous start and where CO stands now, I’d say this team has done well. More moves will be needed in the second half though, so we’ll see where this team ends up.
 
Overall C+
Sitting in the playoffs, albeit barely, Cash Only has had a decent first half. If Ryan Ho can repeat his MVP type performance of last year and shoulder the load for this team they can always be a threat. It’ll be a matter of the green machine big guns showing up. They have a legitimate goalie in Nick Yatco, now provide him the offense and CO could be seeing the rest of the league in the playoffs.
 
This is R.Rishaug reporting for TaSN – Edmonton. Stay tuned for the Slammer Hammer Jammer Bammers report card next.
 
 

[R.Rishaug]

Shjb has been completely revamped going into the second half of the season
Please keep in mind this is a grading based on the first half only.

Slammer Hammer Jammer Bammers 8-0-0 /First Place/48GF  16GA
 
Forwards Grade: A
Well it’s easy to hand out the first A to any forward group of any ABHL team. They are currently in a three way tie for most goals accrued over the first 8 games. With two players in the top three in scoring this team in red is sniping away. Leading the attack again is first season MVP Keith Mah, leading the league in scoring with a balanced 14g and 14a. Other SHJB members are chipping in when it counts as well with new comer Kevin Chew scoring timely goals when needed. They possess the ball well and continue to dominate the league.
 
Defense/Goaltending Grade: A+
While the offense is good, the defensive game of SHJB has been even better. Allowing a league best 16GA in 8 games in unheard of. Their strong possession game often leaves them playing very rarely in their own defensive zone. But even so they have had an All Star MVP like season from net minder Dan Sune. Sune has posted two shutouts and notched two player of the week awards. Rock solid Dman Check Chang will continue to grow more comfortable in the SHJB season I’m sure. Playing in a 3 vs 3 league it’s a rarity to have defense like the Bammers possess. A+ all the way here, we’ll see if this astounding pace and play can continue in the second half.
 
GM Grade: A
With the countless wins comes massive dollars towards a team’s cap. That’s one thing that Daniel Mah has always been conscious of as the GM of this squad. He is facing cap issues for the second time already this season, the first time he made a large deal freeing up enough space to breath. Now they are almost one million over the cap and moves will need to be made. The first deal didn’t slow the team down and kept the SHJB dominance going. I believe this next set of moves will really make or break the SHJB season. Managing a team with an 8million dollar superstar will not be an easy feat, we’ll stand pat as this story unfolds.
 
Overall A+
8-0 and utter dominance of every other team in the ABHL leads to the best mark you can possibly achieve. SHJB has achieved honors with excellence in the school of Rishaug. They should be proud of their accomplishments. Coming off a season 1 championship they continue to ride hot, but 8 games does not make up an entire season. The rest of the teams will be hungry to knock off the defending champs. When you’re at the top everyone is gunning to beat the best. Hats off to this team and its GM Daniel Mah for a stunning first half.
 
This is R.Rishaug reporting for TaSN – Edmonton. Stay tuned for the Chain Gang report card next.
 
 

[R.Rishaug]

Chain Gang 4-3-1 /Second Place/48GF  37GA
 
Forwards Grade: B-
This squad hasn’t had too many issues scoring the ball. They are tied with the highest offensive output in the league. They have a solid all-around bunch of players who play hard and don’t ever stop till the whistle blows. This grade isn’t quite an A as they have to be better on both sides of the court. At times not picking up their checks and covering their defensive matchup. Wilson Man has headed the attack with another solid start to his second season. Less antics from this underrated player have helped him produce at the rate he has.
 
Defense/Goaltending Grade: C+
While scoring the most goals in the league, they allow just under 5 goals per game. If the defense tightens up just a tad this could be a very formidable squad. The goaltending has been decent but not stellar, that also goes hand in hand with the shotty defense at times. Their true D core has yet to be discovered, but one thing for sure is it will lean heavily on Andrew Szeto to provide that presence he gave to the Roosters last year.
 
GM Grade: B-
Coming out of the draft it looked as though the Chain Gang was ready to field a solid team once again. They have been good and haven’t ran into any cap issues so far. CG GM has been relatively quiet as he is known to have a quick trigger finger.  Nothing spectacular so far and nothing overly negative. Middle of the line grade here, but my instincts tell me it will be a action packed second half for the blue team as they get ready for the playoff drive.
 
Overall B-
Sitting second place overall in the ABHL isn’t a terrible spot by any means. They aren’t dominating but they are keeping close. A bit more consistency from this team would be good as they’ve looked fabulous some games and not so good the next. With the every team around this squad improving the CG will have to stick to its guns, play hard, play intense and I believe this team will be a force to be reckoned with.
 
This is R.Rishaug reporting for TaSN – Edmonton. Stay tuned for the Flying Tigers report card next.
 

[R.Rishaug]

Flying Tigers 2-5-1 /Fifth Place/48GF  57GA
 
Forwards Grade: A
Possibly one of the most potent offence in the league. They’ve been without all-star Garvin Chow for two weeks and are still tied for the most goals for. A lot of this can be attributed to Captain Bernie Chu. He is once again on pace for a huge season and a good bet to challenge for the overall scoring title. They have more depth this year with the combo of Kelly Pham and Joseph Florendo. Garvin is set to rejoin the team after a stint overseas and should make an impact immediately. Newcomer Mike Lee has yet to make his mark on the league, but as he gets more comfortable he might be able to do so.
 
Defense/Goaltending Grade: D--
Didn’t want to fail this team, but they were very close. At 57 goals against they are the worst in this department. In Week 4 they were able to notch an astounding 19 goals total, but still lost both games. It’s a combination of goaltending and defence. Neither has been very good and it shows. If this team wants to bounce back from its season 1 performance this is one area they’ll need to improve. With goalie Hoac Tang on the shelf for a while, this team will struggle to find the consistency.
 
GM Grade: B-
GM Bernie Chu has learned from his last season that roster moves must be made to stay competitive in the ABHL. His drafting season 2 was solid as he notched a top end player with a solid core around him. The Tigers have managed their cap space very well and have not been forced to make a move due to any luxury penalties. I do believe they are a move or two away from being one of the elite teams in the league, but they’ve got the potential.
 
Overall C
Unfortunately I can’t give a team outside of the playoffs a B or better grade. They are only 1 pt out of the playoffs and are set to make a strong run. They still only lost some games by a late goal or two, so there is a lot of room for improvement. I do predict this team to finish this season making the playoffs for the first time in franchise history.
 
This is R.Rishaug reporting for TaSN – Edmonton.
Hope everyone enjoyed the report cards hold tight as the second half of the season should be filled with lots action.
 
 

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