TASK ONE:

We are back here in West Kendall following that icing penalty by Ales Smirnov. The Hamilton Steelhawks are now lining up in their offensive zone for a faceoff. They could be mere seconds away from pulling off a spectacular comeback after losing the first two games of the series.

It looks like its Dean Colt lining up against Oliver Pettyfer. Colt is by far the better man in this area of play. Here's to hoping that defense can hold up for the Platoon.

And the puck is on the ice, brief struggle but Colt finally gets it out to Ziepins. He gets rid of it fast to Zarins. It looks like he's about to get boxed out, but he gets it back to Colt who is open on the other side of the net! He shoots!

He scoooooores! Schmidt stretched awkwardly across the net to get to it, but was a split second too late!

The Steelhawks are moving on after being down 2 games early in the series. What a way to pull out the series win!


TASK TWO:

Jakob Tanner, goaltender for the Hamilton Steelhawks, finished the regular season with a save percentage of .926, first among starting goalkeepers (but one one-thousandth behind Minnesota backup Mathias Lundgren). He came third overall in wins with 28. He also came in first among starting goalies with a 2.17 GAA.

It is obvious that Jakob had a stellar season, but how is he squaring up with the best in the SHL? If the fact that he made it to the SHL finals doesn't tell you, maybe his stats will. He's kept up a .908 save percentage, tied for second at the writing of this article. His GAA has gone up to 2.69, but that average is still spectacular when you see the offenses he has faced. He's faced 524 shots during these playoffs, more than another other goalkeeper...about 70 more than Calgary's Hunter Wong.

The stress has been piling on the Hamilton goalkeeper. Being the man in the net for a playoff team is stressful enough, but put on top of that five overtime games, two long series, the first a comeback, and the second a dogfight...and you have got one stressful post-season. It takes one special goalie to take stay strong in the net through all of that. Lucky for Hamilton, they've got that man in Jakob Tanner.


TASK THREE:

With so many people looking back at the Renegades/Blizzard series, let us look further up. The Edmonton Blizzard are coming off a championship season. With a team that made few changes since their last run, what if Edmonton was able to beat Calgary in game seven of their second series?

That gives us a new championship matchup as the defending champions, the Edmonton Blizzard, take on the Hamilton Steelhawks. Would Edmonton have been able to keep up with Hamilton in the finals? Well, it's safe to say that the Blizzard don't have nearly the offensive firepower as the Calgary Dragons. I strongly believe that the reason Calgary has won during the series is because of the constant onslaught of shots that they have forced Jakob Tanner to defend.

Don't get me wrong, the defending champions would have been able to put a fight. With Theo Kane leading the offensive charge, and possibly the greatest goaltender in the history of goaltenders in Jakub Aittokallio, they could have taken it far. The series would have ended earlier though. I believe that had it been Edmonton vs. Hamilton in the final, Hamilton would have been able to end the series in six games, not the seven they are currently facing with the Dragons between them and the Challenge Cup. By the end of it, Hamilton would reign supreme, Edmonton would continue the customary post championship descent, and Calgary would head back to the drawing board to come back stronger next season...and win the Challenge Cup.


TASK FOUR:

Wendell Luna smiled as he landed in his hometown of Charlotte, North Carolina. This day had been a long time in the making. His entire life had been building to the moment that he could walk off the plane at home with the Challenge Cup in his hands. As he walked through the airport a few fans who recognized him cheered, but he purposely had not told his fans the time that his plan would land. After walking for quite some time he finally saw his parents, his brother, and some of his greatest friends. These were the people that he wanted to celebrate with. Being a simple man there were no crazy stunts planned, no parades or anything. Luna hugged his mom and dad. His friends congratulated him on achieving a dream they had once all planned to achieve together when life was simpler. This is what he wanted to do with his cup day, and no one would change his mind. A good home cooked meal with his family and friends, an autograph signing outside one of his favorite local restaurants, and then a nap...yes a nap...because after one ridiculously long season, it was time for one...and it was going to feel nice.