Week 1 Review

Lake Erie 1-8 Winnipeg

Led by a terrific goaltending trio of Ilya Bryzgalov, Jonathan Quick and Semyon Varlamov, the Wasps started their POH6 campaign on an impressive note. Varlamov, who the Wasps selected to be the team's No. 3 goaltender, posted an impressive 2-win, 1.30 GAA, .960 SV% in Week 1. Winnipeg won 4-of-5 offensive categories, and nearly won the DEF category despite fielding just two eligible defensemen for most of the week.  Standouts: Patrick Kane (WINN) 2 G, 4 A, 17 SOG---Jack Johnson (LE) 2 G, 2 A, 4 DEF, 11 SOG

Vancouver 5-3 Latvia

The defending champion Villains began their title defense with a slim 5-3 victory over the Lipsuckers. Vancouver was firing on all cylinders offensively, piling up a league-best 49 points in Week 1. The goaltending effort was a poor one, however, leading to a less than stellar 5-3 result. Dwayne Roloson finished the week with a 4.35 GAA, while third year Villain Roberto Luongo struggled to the tune of a 3.60 GAA. Henrik Sedin had 7 points to lead the way for Svitak.   Standouts: Kris Letang (VAN) 1 G, 5 A, 6 DEF, 15 SOG---John Tavares (LAT) 5 G, 3 A, 12 SOG

Alberta 5-3 Newfoundland

Another match up featuring an offensive sweep for one team (Alberta) and a near sweep in the goaltending statistics (Newfoundland). The Bears peppered the net with shots, racking up 144 in the 10-day opening week. Claude Giroux impressed in his first week with Alberta, scoring 5 points (3 on the PP). Many sources close to the Alberta franchise say Sean Slevin is expecting Giroux to be in a Bears uniform for quite some time. The NorthStars, who came out this week with a "three-year plan" to rebuild the organization, held their own against the high powered Bears offense. Phil Kessel had an impressive 5 G, 3 A week, though his final effort of the week was executed on the bench. Kari Lehtonen provided the spark in net, with only 6 GA in 4 games (all wins). Standouts: Ray Whitney (ALB) 2 G, 2 A, 10 SOG---Kari Lehtonen (NEWF) 4 W, 1.48 GAA, .955 SV%

Branson 2-6 Sandusky

The Slanderers may have had the strongest all-around performance in Week 1, tallying 35 points on offense while posting a sub-2.00 GAA and a pair of shutouts. The defending Fleury Division champs had a league-best 154 SOG, including three players with more than 20(!) in the week (Neal, Vanek, Carter). Thomas Vanek was just silly, with 3 G, 4 A, and 20 SOG. Neal took an early lead in the Richard Trophy race with his 5 goals. The Bull Frogs had a league-best 24 A, including 4 from Shane Doan. Sandusky swept all 4 goaltending stats despite playing the entire week without Antti Niemi. Standouts: Jeff Skinner (SAN) 2 G, 4 A, 14 SOG---Mike Smith (BRAN) 1 W, 0.96 GAA, .955 SV%

NWT 3-3 Istan

With the return of POH4's 9-category system comes the infamous 3-3-3 tie. In a game that could have future implications for the Rathje Division crown, nothing was settled as the Buls received 2 assists on Sunday from Ryan Getzlaf to secure the tie. Perhaps the biggest news in this one is the wavering health of third year keeper Evgeni Malkin, and GM Nick Lake's public attempts to trade the former Art Ross Trophy winner. Istan controlled the offense for the most part, with a 3-1-1 mark in those categories. Rick Nash led the way with his 2 G, 3 A week. The Buls also received steady production from Gabriel Landeskog (2 G-1A), who was officially shipped to Newfoundland as of Saturday evening.  Jared Stewart benched Alexander Ovechkin twice, missing both games the Russian sensation collected any points. Only giving more ammunition to those who contest that the third-year manager lacks the dedication to win a Prince's Pot. Standouts: Daniel Sedin (NWT) 2 G, 5 A, 4 PPP, 17 SOG---Rick Nash (IST) 2 G, 3 A, 14 SOG

Question of the Week:

How much longer does Evgeni Malkin have in an Istan Buls uniform? It seems only a matter of time that a willing general manager in the Princes of Hockey will roll the dice on the oft-injured Russian. And if, like we expect, Malkin is dealt...what will Lake get in return? Certainly this seems to be the most glaring storyline heading into Week 2 action.

League Leaders

Goals-Vancouver (16)

Assists-Branson (24)

PPP-Winnipeg/Alberta (17)

SOG-Sandusky (154)

DEF-Vancouver/Lake Erie (12)

Wins-Winnipeg (7)

Shutouts-Winnipeg/Sandusky (2)

GAA-Winnipeg (1.656)

SV%-Winnipeg (.9446)

Week 2 Match Ups

Alberta @ Vancouver

Winnipeg @ Branson

Lake Erie @ NWT

Latvia @ Sandusky

Newfoundland @ Istan