TASK ONE
Write a blog post about any post season game of S30. Can be a game preview, a recap, something silly like a review of what colour laces a player is wearing. Must be 150 words

Twitter User @Doesn'tMaattaToMe, for the Militia Mindset blog:

The Montreal Militia went in on small-scale rebranding this season, replacing their new logo from S28 with a new logo, largely considered to be superior. With this change came new jerseys and uniforms, including a switch from plain burgundy helmets to helmets that featured a golden stripe, which they debuted in yesterday's game 1 of the SMJHL S30 playoffs.

Overall, I think this is a striking choice for the Militia, one that definitely made a statement. When I heard there were going to be some small uniform changes to go along with the jersey, I was worried. Then a rumor came out that the helmets would be completely gold, with the Montreal logo on them. Part of me thought the contrast would be nifty. Most of me thought it would look tacky as hell.

Well, game 1 has come and gone, and I'm happy to say the Militia went with a less tacky colourblock choice than straight gold helmets, instead option for a custom job that includes some understated gold striping along the natural contours of the helmet, as well as the Bauer name brand in gold rather than white or black. The look does provide some nice contrast to the straight burgundy of the rest of the helmet, and I'm sure the St. Louis players didn't appreciate those flashes of gold streaking past them on Angello's three breakaways last night. I'm excited to see these helmets in action!

TASK THREE
Who is your MVP candidate for these playoffs and why? Must be 150 words and have 3 stats minimum.

These days, Nathan Russell is almost a member of the old guard, a longtime SHL player who's proven his mettle time and time again. He's nearing the end of his prime, but this year's SHL playoffs proved he still had a lot in him. Russell's 7 goals and 12 assists make him the leading scorer of the S30 playoffs, and he lead the New England Wolfpack to a Challenge Cup with ease, sweeping two teams in their wake.

Russell wasn't just an offensive powerhouse, but a defensive one as well, leading the league with 71 hits and in plus-minus throughout the playoffs. He played a strong, two-way game and in addition, was a leader on a team with a number of rookies and young players. While it's not Russell's first Cup--he won in S23 as a member of the Wolfpack, this second was a long time coming, and Russell's dominant two-way performance had a huge impact on the Wolfpack's post-season. Russell completely deserves playoff MVP; not only does it reflect his massive performance in this post-season but the long work he's put in over the seasons as a part of the Wolfpack to return to this spot.

TASK FIVE
Write 200 words on any series match up and what you think will happen, what actually happened or what should have happened.

The Eastern Conference SMJHL final--the Halifax raiders versus the Montreal Militia. The Raiders had a breakout season with a great crop of rookies, and the Militia were back again the the ECF trying to win their second Four-Star Cup in three seasons, but they'd had a middling season that had only picked up near the end. After fighting their way to a game 7 in round 1, the Militia came out swinging against the Raiders, before dropping two games. Again, they found themselves on the brink of elimination in game 6, only to fall in game 6. Game 5 and 6 were both brutal losses for the Militia, though they fought hard in the second and third period of game 6 to come back.

However, the Raiders are not undeserving of this win. They played a consistent game in front of goalie Hocolate, who spent this series playing lights-out hockey. They deserved the win, though Militia fans will have hoped that they could have gone to a game seven, where they had plenty of success in round one.

The series was vicious and hard-fought, getting dirty at times on both sides, but ultimately ended with both teams respecting the other. The handshake line was one of the most emotional of the playoffs. Look for these two to have spawned a rilvalry that will stretch into the forthcoming seasons.