Final: RUMOR MILL, AWARDS predictions.

[Insider]

The last rumor mill of the regular season.....it has been a good year imo....

The Deer Lake Red Wings got a boost to the offense and their toughness as Matt Lundrigan returned to their lineup and made an impact collecting 4 points and 6 pims in 2 games. Jon Chaulk is also a new man on the team, I dunno much on this kid but I believe he is from Deer Lake. No word on the health of sniper Grant Vincent as he is still out and his scoring punch is missed in the middle of the wings top line.

The Jets have picked up Dylan Noseworthy to help them out but without Jeremy Mitchell and the loss of Adam Greene, Jon Organ, David Gould and Steve Canning the Jets are hard pressed on bodies and that will affect them at playoff time... they did have close games with Wings this weekend but i didn't get a chance to catch a game to see if they have added more bodies to their roster. Again with the jets they will rely on their excellent goaltending to get them though.

The Cataracts have added some more bodies to help them in the final push for the playoffs and the league title....
Trent Boone, Jarvis Budgell, Mckenzie Roberts and sniper David Bryne back in the fold....these pickups IMO may make the Cats the favorite for a fourth title in a row....the Mariners will have their work cut out for them to topple them but unlike most years this year it is possible. The Cats have also had good starting goaltending from Josh Randell which was considered their weakpoint at the start of the season.

While most teams are getting players the Mariners seem to be losing them....Jon Snow hasn't played after xmas and neither has Curtis Clarke, even though they have enuf to qualify to play the playoffs they have seemed to have abandoned ship. Zack Clouthier also seemed to be a one weekend wonder leaving the Mariners short. Julien Ward has moved to St John's for schooling and its unknown if/when he will be back for the playoffs.
On one positive move for the baby Mariners they did manage to secure stallworth defenseman Roger Snow. Snow was highly sought after before the season but decided to play with PAB. He finally made his debut in the first series after xmas and he has made an immediate impact notching 6 points in 4 games. He has added toughness and is the perfect player to bring along young defenseman Russell MacLean, Cody Musseau and Jordan Edgar. Snow was injured Vs the Jets and I don't have the specifics of his injury and I do not know if he is 100%

Matt Hardy made his debut with the team played well in the pinch and depending on college he may be one of the future goalies of the boatmen next season.

If anyone has anything to add to this please feel free....if there are some players I forgot please let me know.

AWARD Predictions:

Rookie of the year Nominees: Jared King (GFW), Scott Francis (PAB), Ryan Meade (DL) Josh Randell (GFW), Cody Musseau (PAB) and Russell MacLean (PAB)

Winner: Jared King (GFW)....this can go either way and tbh my opinion changes on this everyday of the week between King and Francis....good years for all involved here.

Top Goaltender: Nominees: Luke Canning (PAB), Andrew Murley (SV) and Josh Randell (GFW)

Winner: Luke Canning (PAB): Coming on strong lately the Mariner tender has been good as of late..he struggled vs GFW but was sensational vs the Jets.....however this could go either way as well and Murley is still Murley.

Top Defenseman Nominees: Garrett Thistle (DL), Adam Hopkins (PAB), Scott Cantwell (GFW) Jordan Kennedy (DL), Russell MacLean (PAB)

Winner: Scott Cantwell (GFW)...He proves year end and year out that he is the best defenseman in the league, hes reliable, plays almost every game, he's the teams undoubted leader. Adam Hopkins has make leaps and bounds this year for PAB and has become one of their most dependable defenders. Thistle has been a surprise imo and gets better every game and he should be even better next year. Jordan Kennedy is as solid a dman as there is. His skating is his weakpoint but he makes up for it with his smart, simple plays. Maclean has the most potential out of this list and he is still in high school. Maclean is prone to the giveaway when he tries to do too much but if he stays with the Mariners will be one of the best D in the league in the near future and there may be a senior team knocking on his door before too long. Roger Snow is a top notch d in this league and if he played all year may just have the moxy to dethrone king cantwell but we will have to see if Snow suits up for a full year with the M's next year.


MVP: Nominees: Garrett Vincent (DL), Brett Robinson (PAB), Scott Cantwell (GFW), Nick Tucker (PAB) and Nathan Mitchell (GFW)

Winner: Brett Robinson (PAB)= playing all year with the short bench Mariners, Robinson has been the go to guy and stepped up as one the leaders on the team and is feared by the oppostion. Nick Tucker deserves some credit as well as he has help carry the Mariners to a 1st place standing going into the seasons final weekend. Garrett Vincent's skill is 2nd to none but his injury/illness will keep him out of this running. Nathan Mitchell has had a solid season and has been GFW's best player on most nights along with Jared King and is deserving of a nomination. Scott Cantwell has been a pillar of D in this league for years now and most likely be taking his skills to the senior team sooner rather than later. His skating is his achilles heel but man can he defend and he has a great shot to boot.