[monochameleon]

NB: So, the original game decided to crash out in any attempt to sim past 22nd September. Meaning, I've started it again. The teams all remain the same (with a very few exceptions of player moves) but the results for the first three days have obviously changed.

Before I write anything else: a big, big thank you to Pwal who is creating awesome, awesome uniforms for this league. Thank you so much.

PREMIER LEAGUE HOCKEY NEWS: DAY 1 OF THE NEW LEAGUE

7 GAMES AS THE LEAGUE GETS UNDERWAY
FIRST INTERLEAGUE PLAY

The new Premier League of Hockey got underway today in seven matches with all but four of the new league's clubs involved in the action. Here are the game recaps.

Charlottetown Islanders 4 - 5 Michigan Stags
Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids (Att: 15,900)

It was a full on shoot-out at Van Andel Arena this afternoon when the Charlottetown Islanders and the Michigan Stags played the first ever interleague contest. The defending-Atlantic Champs took on the Stags in front of a packed house of nearly 16,000 people who got one hell of a show: four goals in the first period alone. Lee Knight and Billy Hodges for the Islanders and Mike Bracher and Jeremy Waller for the Stags all lit the lamp. It was then the turn of the defenders and goalies in the second, with Charlottetown's Dan Dubielewicz stopping 18 shots - but allowing one in, Dax Rolling's shot from the slot at the 18th minute that turned out to be the game winner. Four more goals, split evenly between the teams, lit up the second half, with Larry Walton's powerplay marker and veteran Jakub Kukol's even-strength goal putting Michigan up 5-2. Charlottetown played with increasing desperation to claw it back to 5-4, including a second, shorthanded goal to Billy Hodges at 19:21, but it was all too late and though Hodges was player of the match for two goals and an assist, the Stags ran away with the points.

Chicago Cougars 1 - 3 Calgary Mustangs
Federation Arena, Calgary (Att: 19,150)

The rebuilding Cougars ran straight into the brick wall Mustangs at Federation Arena in downtown Calgary tonight. While Andrew MacAskill's goal at 3:49 of the first would have given the Cougars hope, the brutal - but surprisingly clean - defence of the Mustangs prevented them from getting too close again. The penalty count was a surprising 3-1 against Chicago, and the two powerplay goals for Calgary suggest the Cougars have some work to do on their penalty kill. Juraj Gajdos' pair - one powerplay, one even - was good for player of the match honours.

Los Angeles Sharks 0 - 2 Seattle Nightmare
Key Arena, Seattle (Att: 16,150)

The Sharks will rue a soft penalty - an illegal stick by Claude Milton - that allowed Seattle's Alexis Paquette to score on the powerplay and take the lead and the momentum at the Key Arena. The Nightmare were all over the Sharks like a rash and given the 34-19 shot differential, the fact that the Sharks only lost 2-0 is somewhat flattering to them. The Sharks, perhaps bafflingly, started backup Martin Kurka ahead of favoured tender Matthew Kavanagh for reasons known only to the Sharks bench, and while he performed admirably he received surprisingly little help from his defence, with only Rajbir Johar having a game to be proud of, sakting a remarkable 25:18 of the game - perhaps because his colleagues spent most of their time in the box. The PIM count ended up at a lopsided 20-2 as the Sharks showed seemingly no discipline. As already noted, the Sharks can merely be thankful that the margin wasn't bigger.

Toronto Aces 4 - 3 Vancouver Giants
Pacific Coliseum, Vancouver (Att: 16,750)

Opening day festivities on the far west coast were given a shake-up when the Greenshirts disposed of the Giants in a solid display of all-round skating. The two teams were totally evenly matched for the first two periods, scoring one a piece in the first and going scoreless in the second until 19:59, when Justin Moher of the Giants finally put one on net. But the Aces seemingly had the legs where the Giants didn't, and in a third period where no penalties were drawn, Gene Tupper of Toronto set up first Shayne Lesperance and then Evan McGlennon to put Vancouver away. A consolation goal to Pete Bithery drew the Giants to within one at the 17:06 mark, but it was too little, too late, and the Aces were able to hold off the charge to register first points.

Lehigh Valley Phantoms 2 - 1 St. Paul Cardinals
The Nest, St. Paul (Att: 18,000)

In another interleague showdown, the Phantoms saw off the Cardinals at the Nest. Lehigh Valley outshot the Cards 41-29 and though the Cardinals played the more physical game (they outhit the Phantoms 26-13) they were unable to break up the plays when it counted, and Sebastian Johansson's powerplay goal at the top of the 3rd put the Phantoms ahead, a position they held thanks to the remarkable work of their goaltender Joe Logan, who stopped 10 shots in the last period and 11 in the second to ensure the win.

New England Whalers 3 - 4 Montreal Champions
Mount Royal Arena, Montreal (Att: 16,100)

Opening night for in Montreal saw the home team down the Whalers in an overtime thriller. The physicality of the game - the first period saw seven penalties, 5 to New England and 2 to Montreal - was frankly brutal and unsurprisingly both first period goals were powerplay markers - one to Kevin Bowman of Montreal and the other to Ben Suffa of the Whalers. The second period saw Noah Ness put his Champions ahead with an assist on Bowman's second of the night before scoring an unassisted powerplay goal of his own late in the period, but Chris Coats and Terry Lowe of the Whalers kept it all tied up at 3-3. The final period saw neither team able to break the deadlock, despite seven shots on goal each, and in the end it was a goal to Jamie Carrick at 3:36 of overtime that ended it with the Champions walking away with the points and Ness walking away with the Star of the Game.

Manitoba Vikings 4 - 4 Colorado Eagles
Whitefall Arena, Denver (Att: 16,450)

70 shots on net and 47 hits in a game that was all razzle-dazzle but ended in a 4-4 draw provided the fans at Whitefall Arena one of the best contests of opening day. Manitoba scored twice in the first period, with Justin Homer and Jonathan Gagnon both getting past the Colorado defence, but the second period saw something very special indeed. Colorado captain Gil Blanton scored a natural hat-trick, a 1:11, 2:19 and 13:49 of the second period to put his team up 3-2 in the most dazzling display of hockey for the night. The highlight was the second, a powerplay goal that saw Blanton take the puck deep in his own zone, skate the length of the ice and put it straight through Mantioba tender Ryan McIsaac's five-hole without stopping, eventually allowing his momentum to carry him into the backboards. The third period seemed almost anti-climactic, as Jason Woombill scored at 2:40 and then Blanton made it four for the night at 5:22 to keep things even. Overtime saw neither team able to score, with the Eagles probably disappointed they were unable to capitalise on a penalty against Dale Brenneman. Few games with the points split would ever be considered this exciting.

Tomorrow's games: New York Centrals at San Francisco Arrows; Quebec Nordiques at Ottawa Nationals

[Out of Universe note: This level of detail may or may not continue: this is going to go very slowly if I do it like this, obviously. I may get to day-by-day league-wide wrap ups when/if I get jack of this]