TASK ONE: You’re the coach of one of the teams in the playoffs! At least you’d like to think you are. Come up with a new set of lines for one of the teams eliminated in the playoffs, and explain why you made the choices you did. Must be at least 150 words.
I'll do some rejiggering of the Falcons lineup that I think could have helped make a difference. Our defensive depth is pretty ridiculous, so I think it makes sense to stick with Hefeweizen and Richter as our top pairing, with Turska and Strathairn in the second pairing. This is a Nashville Predators esque top 4 that I think could be on the ice for more than 2/3 of the game and stifle the other team. Our problem has been, and continues to be, goals up front. I think that the sim engine doesn't reward depth the way we think of it in real life, so I'd probably stack the top two lines as much as possible, and even double shift where appropriate. This means having Walkerand Victorsson on the top line, and trying to spread the center "depth" down the middle to rely hard on an overwhelming star cast. I think this could work, and would look like this:

Michael Walker - Francesco Bellucci - Mathis Victorsson
Vijanupatan Singh- Maurizio Arrivabene - Jurgis Bulota
Kevin Marks - Timmy Barlow - Tommy Barlow
Alexander McKinley - Tommy McMahon - Michael Walker

Karl Heifeweizen - Ryan Richter
Ben Turska - Ryan Strathairn
Dwong Ho - Hans Oldrich
Ben Turska - Karl Heifeweizen

Evgeni Marmaladov
Blowjob Jesus Jr.

[160 words]

TASK TWO: Who is your choice for the unsung hero of the S36 playoffs up to this point? Must be at least 150 words and include at least two statistics in support.
I'm going to have to cast a vote for Falcon Ryan Strathairn. I'm absolutely floored by what we got out of this trade with Montreal, namely that we were able to add a pretty solid anchor to our blue line and give us even more defensive depth. This is a guy who was tied for 2nd in the playoff scoring race, as a defenseman, with 14 points. That doesn't seem too shabby when you consider that we didn't even make it to the finals! 14 points in 12 games is impressive in its own right, but it's also more impressive when you consider that he was on our 2nd pairing and averaged about 22 minutes per game, with only 2 of those points coming on the powerplay. I think there were a lot of unsung heroes in this postseason, but I have to applaud someone who's able to make a consistent difference in every game despite being considered a "2nd liner." This is the sort of thing that makes a team pretty intimidating come postseason games: depth.
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TASK THREE: Who has the edge, New England or Texas? What (or who) will be the biggest factor for one team to triumph over the other? Must be at least 150 words.
I think when you have two high powered teams like these, you have to look at a handful of the intangibles that we always hear commentators bullshitting about: depth, experience, and goaltending. I think there's a lot of veterans on the New England squad that know their way around their strengths, weaknesses, and more importantly how to gel as a team in terms of lineups and tactics. That being said, the Texas Renegades squad isn't exactly a bunch of newbies either. In their own right, they've posted a pretty spectacular season (and post season) to date. That success has come largely on the back of their goaltender, Georgette Pel. We all know what they say about the playoffs: you need good goaltending to win. I have a feeling that if one of the goalies hits a hot streak, it may tilt the ice in a way that no level of experience or coaching can can overcome.

[156 words]

TASK FOUR: The SHL is hosting a charity event including members of both teams from a series during this postseason. Describe how this teamwork event would go in a minimum of 150 words. Must include three player names from each team, the name of a charity and at least one activity.
The SHL is going to look to a lot of up and comers to help grow the game over the course of the upcoming season. A charity event will be hosted between the Winnipeg Jets and the Hamilton Steelhawks to benefit Doctors Without Borders. Raising awareness of the game is one thing, but raising awareness of what is considered to be one of the largest, and most efficiently run charities is more important. Doctors Without Borders is designed to allow doctors in developed countries to bring their expertise to less developed countries who lack the resources and infrastructure to supply the elevated level of medical care they need. The SHL is focusing on engaging rising young stars in the effort, who will host a $5,000 per plate banquet. From the Winnipeg Jets, youngsters Karl Hefeweizen and Vijanupatan Singh will be flanking their "hockey dad", Zach Evans at the head table. They will be joined by rising stars Nour Harrak and Mathias Victorsson from the Steelhawks. Of course, no Steelhawks event would be complete without stud defensive prospect Oliver König, who will be the guest of honor.

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