Hurricanes One Game Away

The NSHL will have their first ever two-time champion

The NSHL will see its first ever two-time champion as the Minnesota Wild (Y1 Champs) face off against the Carolina Hurricanes (Y4 Champs). The Wild had a nice break as they finished off the Phoenix Coyotes in 5 while the Hurricanes disposed of the Lightning in a tight 7 game series. Some are calling this series the Battle of the Goaltenders with Roberto Luongo and Dave Thomas being no doubt the best players for their respective teams in their playoff runs.

The Hurricanes dominated game one by a score of 7-2 as Alex Steen lead the way with a goal and assist for Carolina. Minnesota sniper Marian Gaborik was limited to just a goal and four shots in the loss while Dave Thomas got lit up for 5 goals on 26 shots.

In game two, it was Edward Blanchette and Roberto Luongo who stole the show in a 4-1 win. Blanchette scored a goal and two assists for first star while Luongo stopped Minnesota's offense by making 29 saves for the games second star. Minnesota also took a huge blow when James Sheppard was injured 47 seconds into period three. It is expected he will not return until at least game 6, if the series goes that far.

Game three was again dominated by the Hurricanes, Patrick Eaves scored two while Dany Heatley and Andrei Markov, Garnet Exelby, and Olli Jokinen contributed with two points each in a 5-1 victory. The loss puts the series at 3-0 and leaves Minnesota looking for answers as to why their offense has hit the links early. Dave Thomas has not been his normal self either, getting the yank for the second time in the series after allowing 5 goals on just 22 shots. Can the Wild make a historic comeback? Stay tuned...

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Take a sneak-peak at the soon-to-be updated league webpage.

The list of 2012 Draft picks due to a sim error, is here. As of July 15