Alucard

I actually meant to italicise Nez's responses; apparently I forgot!

4–3 Bears

166 Titans 167 Reign 168 Wranglers 169 Express

Nezhmetdinov Slow to Settle VHL.com 23/09 Evgeny Nezhmetdinov scored his first goal for the Express against the Americans earlier this week. With just four points in twenty six games, Kazakh winger Evgeny Nezhmetdinov has been slow to settle in the VHL. An impressive debut season in the VHLM saw Kiyar net twenty eight goals in seventy two regular season games, and seventy one points over the course of the regular and the post season, including twelve points in twelve playoff games. He was drafted sixth overall in the VHL Entry Draft by the Köln Express, but thus far has struggled to find his feet in the league. He recently scored his first VHL goal in a 4–0 win over the New York Americans, and following that game VHL.com caught up with the youngster to see how he is adapting to life in the big leagues. Evgeny, it's fair to say that you haven't had the quickest of settling in periods; how do you feel about your first few weeks in the VHL? Nezhmetdinov: It has not been easy. The players here are much more physical than in the VHLM, and sometimes I feel like a punching bag out there. It's not a big deal, though. I just need to put my head down and work hard, train hard, and my ability will show. I have a lot to learn, but I'm on a great team and I'm optimistic about my future. You say you have a lot to learn; has that come as a surprise to you? You were one of Oslo's top scorers in S44, and now you're surrounded by players with a lot more experience than you. Nezhmetdinov: Yes and no. I think I knew it would be difficult to move to the VHL, but when you are playing well for Oslo it's easy to think that the gap is not so big. I did not start well for Oslo either though. I think I had something like one or two points in twenty games, and then finished with fifty nine points in the regular season. Speaking of slow starts, the Express had a slower start than they would have liked. How's the mood in the locker room now? Nezhmetdinov: It's good. We lost too many games in the first two weeks, but the locker room is very positive and now we're winning again. Do you have any goals for the season? Either as a team or as an individual? Nezhmetdinov: Stop getting beat up! Ah, I don't know. I need to get stronger, and I need to get better. I just have to work hard. The first few weeks were weird for me because I had a lot of personal stuff going on outside of hockey. Now I'm just looking forward to playing hockey and trying to help the team reach the playoffs.

Evgeny Nezhmetdinov—Oslo Storm + 2

Oslo have stormed back into contention after tonight's 2–1 victory over the Saskatoon Wild in game 3 of the Founder's Cup Finals. Don't let the narrow scoreline fool you; this game would have—and should have—been a blow-out were it not for Ariel Weinstein's heroics. The Storm held the hitherto free-scoring Wild to just seven shots on net, with just one of those beating Clegane. The visiting Wild did not manage a single shot on net in the first period, but it wasn't until the second minute of the second period that Oslo's dominance came to fruition, as winger Evgeny Nezhmetdinov set up fellow rookie Wesley Babiy for the game's opening goal. The Wild struck back midway through the period through R Truth, but Nezhmetdinov continued his excellent post-season form with his third goal of the playoffs to put the hosts back in front before the period buzzer. The third period yielded no goals, and so the Storm have narrowed the deficit to one game heading into game 4. The were 0 for 9 on the powerplay, but if they can restrict their opponents to so few shots in future encounters then they may just be able to spring an upset. Another victory on home ice will set us up for a thrilling conclusion to this season's VHLM campaign. P.S. Go Storm Go!

Back in business!

Seriously guys, can you make that show? I'd watch the hell out of it.

Year of the Goalie VHL.com, 23/08 With the current season drawing to a close, the attention of many has already turned to the upcoming VHL Entry Draft. This season's class is a curious one, with as many as three netminders being widely regarded as solid first round picks. While it remains to be seen where and when each of these bright prospects will go, VHL.com takes a look at the goalies in question. 1. Greg Clegane (Yukon Rush) Save %: .900 GAA: 1.56 Shutouts: 17 Probably the highest rated prospect in the entire draft class, Yukon goaltender Greg Clegane has had a rookie season to remember. Over 72 regular season games he played more minutes than any other goalie in the league, and his GAA of 1.56 ranked him at third in the league. While he is regarded by many as the best player in his class, his GAA was actually lower than that of either Weinstein or his brother Sandro. 2. Ariel Weinstein (Saskatoon Wild) Save %: .910 GAA: 1.27 Shutouts: 24 Whilst the Clegane brothers have drawn plaudits for a variety of reasons, Saskatoon goaltender Ariel Weinstein looks set to end the season with both praise and silverware, as the Wild sit two games to the good in their VHLM Final series against the Oslo Storm. Weinstein led the league in regular season shutouts and GAA, and his performances have been such that even those who claim that any goaltender would succeed with Saskatoon would not deny his talent. 3. Sandro Clegane (Oslo Storm) Save %: .916 GAA: 1.30 Shutouts: 21 Brother of Greg, Oslo goaltender Sandro Clegane has arguably had an even more memorable season than his sibling. While the Rush were eliminated by the Wild in the Conference Final, Sandro and his Storm teammates marched all the way to the Playoff Finals with a riveting 4–3 victory over the Bratislava Watchmen. Despite being thought of as the third best goaltender in the class at the beginning of the season, Clegane's performances with the Storm this season have been amongst the most impressive of all players in the league. Numerous were the games when Oslo relied upon his heroics, and no goalie in the league managed a better save percentage. The Also-Rans The other goalies up for selection in this season's draft will be the Bern Royals' Ryan Price, the Ottawa Lynx's Teuvo Rinne, and the Brampton Blades' Filip Lundqvist. Most impressive of these three during S44 was Rinne, who—despite facing more shots than any goaltender in the league (2446)—managed to put up a very respectable save percentage of .904. He also put up more shutouts (5) than either Price or Lundqvist (2), and in many regards was one of the shining lights of a miserable season for the Lynx. Price lost 50 of the 59 games he played in, though he did manage to maintain a 100% record against penalty shots, albeit against only 5. As for Lundqvist, he played only 839 minutes during the regular season, but did win 9 of the 14 games in which he started. His draft stock will certainly be effected by his lack of ice time, and his true potential may not become apparent until S45.

YES!

Hey! Shut it , Valmount! You're lucky you're a Habs fan or I'd insult you so bad you'd cry like a Boston bitch.

Shots fired. Brotherly love.

From the VHL.com forums, after game 1 of the Oslo–Bratislava series: Are you shitting me? How the hell did we not win tonight's game?! Thirty-four shots to TWELVE, and we still manage to lose? Am I the only one who's suspicious about Coca Cola not taking his mask off? That was some Carey Price shit out there; are we sure that was even Cola in goal? —an irate Storm fan. This is actually a possibility. Seriously, we battered them in the regular season, and then Cola's pulling off Price-esque saves? Suspicious to say the least. The league should investigate this shit. —Storm fan, conspiracy theorist. You guys are full of shit. Do you even listen to yourself when you talk? Or do you just kind of drift in and out? Carey Price playing for Bratislava... you guys need a reality check. —Someone who's not full of shit. Whatever dude. Your mom needs a reality check. The bottom line is that whoever's in goal for Bratislava can't pull off this superhero shit four games in a row. We'll bounce back in game 2—mark my word. —Storm fan. Sing it with me: Wrong wrong wrong wrong. Wrong wrong wrong wrong. You're wrong. You're wrong. You're wroooooong. Same shit in game 2. —Storm fan from the future.

That final line may be the most painful pun I've put in a VHL article. I don't know if I should be proud or ashamed of myself.

Storm Confident Despite Defeats Oslo, 15 August Oslo's #19, Evgeny Nezhmetdinov, was down-trodden after game 2, but insists the series is far from over. The Oslo Storm fell two games behind in their series against the Bratislava Watchmen last night, but according to Storm forward Evgeny Nezhmetdinov the team are still confident that they can turn things around. They outshot their opponents in both games, and will be scratching their heads as to how they've wound up two games down as they travel to Bratislava for games 3 and 4. The end result is that Oslo must win four of the next five, or face elimination. If the Storm were in disbelief about their loss in game 1, they will be doubly confused as to how they are now two games behind. Just as in game 1, tonight's game saw Cola Cola's goal peppered with shots, yet it is Bratislava who hold a two game lead after overtime winner. The forward has now scored four goals in two games against Oslo, and seven overall in the playoffs. As for the Storm, the bright side is that Game 2 saw the return of their powerplay. After going 0 for 7 with the man advantage in game 1, Oslo leapt into a 2 goal lead inside the first five minutes with 2 powerplay goals from Maxime Perron. Grady Simons pulled the Watchmen to within 1 a couple of minutes later, before a mass brawl saw three players from each side penalised for fighting. The same remarkable incident also saw three players called for roughing, and one for slashing. The powerplay struck again in the second period, but this time it was Bratislava's special teams making the difference as Simons recorded his second goal of the night and pulled the visitors onto level terms. When a fifth goal arrived, it was again in the wake of a penalty: Bratislava's Tanner Hynes got the gate, and Giovanni Reuel netted his first goal of the playoffs to make it 3–2 Oslo. The Watchmen wouldn't give up however, and it was Valmont who equalised before the final buzzer, and he again who netted the winner in overtime, handing his side a surprise two game lead in the series. Despite this setback, winger Evgeny Nezhmetdinov was adamant in a post-game interview that the series was not out of the Storm's hands, and was far from over. "We were unlucky in game 1," he said. "We played them off the ice, but Cola was incredible. Tonight we were the better team again, but credit to Bratislava—they didn't know when they were beaten, and they robbed us again. We were better today though; we moved the puck well, we won the majority of the face-offs, and most importantly we came up big on the powerplay. There is still a lot of hockey to be played in this series, but I know we can go to Bratislava and turn it around. Those Men better Watch; there's a Storm coming."

3–2 Vikings

Wranglers Vikings Wranglers Vikings

Yukon Bratislava Yukon Bratislava

4–1 Bratislava

Evgeny Nezhmetdinov (Oslo Storm) Forward Points +/-

dat sexy avatar <3

Getting to Know... Evgeny Nezhmetdinov VHL.com Talented Kazak winger Evgeny Nezhmetdinov has had an impressive first season with the Oslo Storm, and is likely to be one player who will attract a lot of interest ahead of the S45 VHL Entry Draft, but who is the tricky little fucker? This week on Getting to Know... we caught up with Nezhmetdinov after training one day, and ran him through the usual series of random questions. We even gave him some cake to loosen his tongue. VHL: Welcome Evgeny! Can we call you Nez? Nez: You can call me Susan if it makes you happy. VHL: All right, Susan it is! So, Susan... we're going to dive right into the deep end. Would you rather have a head the size of tennis ball, or a watermelon? Nez: So my choices are that I get a head the size of a tennis ball, or I get a watermelon? Watermelon, please. VHL: Hmmm... you're a bit of a smart ass, aren't you? I'll have to keep my eye on you. Nezt question! Nez: That was terrible. VHL: I know. I couldn't resist. Next question: what was the last thing you listened to? Nez: I was listening to Creedance Clearwater Revival in the car... but in the gym I was listening to Zyklon. VHL: And the last thing you read? Nez: H.P. Lovecraft—At the Mountains of Madness. VHL: Did it drive you mad? Nez: No, not really. I like Lovecraft though; The Rats in the Walls is one of my favourite short stories. VHL: Cool. What was the last thing you watched? Nez: I can't tell you that now. This is bat country. VHL: Ahh, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas? Nez: Yeah, great film. VHL: It is indeed! And the last person you kissed? Nez: Your mother? VHL: I walked into that one... how's the cake? Nez: Good. It's tasty. Not as tasty as your uh... next question? VHL: Next question. Pineapple on pizza? Nez: Shit yeah. VHL: What are your plans for the future? Nez: Really? You're just going to spring that on me after 'pineapple on pizza'? I don't know, man. I'm just looking forward to the play-offs right now, and when they're done I'm sure the draft will be super crazy. Beyond that... I'm just going to keep doing what I'm doing, and hopefully I'll have a good career in the VHL. VHL: All right, well we're well over our word count now, so I guess that's that! Thanks for talking to us, Susan. Nez: No problem.

Seventh Heaven: Oslo Storm Past Moscow VHLM Game 268 Wesley Babiy got Oslo off to the perfect start in Moscow, as the Storm ran riot against their divisional rivals. The Red Wolves were left bloodied and bruised after game 268 of the regular season as European Conference leaders Oslo hit them for seven in an overwhelmingly one-sided game. Second liners Evgeny Nezhmetdinov and Wesley Babiy were the stand-out performers, each accumulating four points and claiming the first and second stars on the night. The game marked the first time this season that the Storm have scored seven goals, and brings their total against the Red Wolves to forty for the season. Both sides came into the game having already secured a play-off birth, with the visitors having already clinched the conference title. If Oslo have had a problem this season it has to be their lack of goals in comparison with the overall standings leaders Saskatoon and Yukon. Even Brampton and Bratislava—both of whom currently sit 22 points adrift of the Storm—have scored more goals, but this was a night when everything came together for Oslo's offensive units. The Norwegian outfit fielded a second line consisting of Hunter Backenbauer and the rookie pairing of Wesley Babiy and Evgeny Nezhmetdinov, and no sooner had they set foot upon the ice than the forward trio had combined to give Oslo the perfect start, with Wesley Babiy providing the final touch on a slick, free-flowing move for his fourteenth goal of the season. The visitors dominated the opening phases of the game, though they did survive a scare on seven minutes as Moscow's Stumppell Aurinkoinen Jr. hit the post with a fierce drive from the point. Just shy of the twelve minute mark Oslo gained their second powerplay of the night, and took just ten seconds to make the extra man pay. Babiy and Giovanni Reuel picked up the assists on a crackling shot by Sup Hot Fire that was past Lenny Face in the Moscow goal before the netminder even saw it. Moscow came back into the game thereafter, but at the buzzer they found themselves down by three, as Romanowski and Nezhmetdinov combined to set up Hunter Backenbauer. The hosts could easily have been disheartened going in at the break, but a late penalty gave them cause for hope, and they began the second period with a man advantage. When the goal came twenty seconds in there was no surprise as to who was responsible: top scorer Jace Hines netted for the Red Wolves, and Moscow suddenly had a path back into the game. The sides were evenly matched over the course of the following twenty minutes, but a series of penalties gave Oslo more time on the powerplay, and the hosts had their goaltender to thank for keeping them in touch. Midway through the period they capitalised on Face's heroics, as Tomas Andersson set up Santi Piñeiro for the Red Wolves' second. The home fans were revitalised, and the comeback looked well and truly on. At the buzzer the score was only 3–2, but what transpired in the opening phase of the third period lead to an outflux of of supporters from the arena. With the second line having taken most of the plaudits over the first two periods, Giovanni Reuel stepped up for the first line and struck twice in the first three minutes of the third, with centre Le'Sean Coutzen picking up an assist on both goals. It was a whirlwind start to the period for Oslo, and they weren't finished there. Two minutes after Reuel completed his brace the second line were at it again, with Babiy picking up his second assist of the game on a Evgeny Nezhmetdinov goal, his twenty-fifth of the season. The Red Wolves were shell-shocked, and as the period progressed they never really threatened Clegane's goal. The Storm recorded twenty-four shots in the period, and five minutes before the final buzzer they had their seventh—the first time they have hit that number all season. Babiy was involved again, picking up his fourth point of the night as he set up Nezhmetdinov for his fourth point of the night. Oliver Cleary picked up a consolation for the hosts before the night was done, but at the final buzzer the score Oslo 7 Moscow 3. If the Storm hope to upset either Yukon or Saskatoon and claim the championship for themselves come the post-season, they will need young stars Babiy and Nezhmetdinov to continue their good form to supplement the top line of Coutzen, Reuel and Perron. 1st Star: Evgeny Nezhmetdinov (G: 2 A: 2 Pts: 4 +/-: 3) 2nd Star: Wesley Babiy (G: 1 A: 3 Pts: 4 +/-: 3) 3rd Star: Giovanni Reuel (G: 2 A: 1 Pts: 3 +/-: 2)

Oslo Brampton Saskatoon

4–1 Brampton