Task 1
The player who had to endure the most adversity was Richard C. Hocolate. After being backup for 7 seasons behind Calgary great, Hunter Wong, Richard C. Hocolate finally got his chance in season 37, finally being announced as the starter. Through his first 7 seasons in the SHL, Chocolate played in 42 games. Finally in his 8th season, he played 44 games, already increasing his games played by 50%. Chocolate showed a lot of patience, waiting in the wings to take over for Hunter Wong, and he finally got his chance.

However, in his first season, he finished 9th in the league in save percentage with a .905 and 9th in the league in goals against average with a 2.85. In round 1 of the playoffs last season, he was not able to help Calgary make it past the first round and lost in 7 games to Seattle. This season, everything took a turn. He finished the league 5th in save percentage with a .908 and 3rd in the league in goals against average with 2.75. He is currently 8-2 in the playoffs and is looking to help Calgary win the Challenge Cup once again.

Task 2
The unsung hero of the playoffs is Esa Anrikkanen. While only having 4 goals and 4 assists so far in the playoffs, he does boast a +10 rating which means he has to be doing something right on the ice. No stranger the big stage, Esa is primed and ready to help the Dragons win another Challenge Cup, and Esa’s 4th himself. All the MVP awards will be looking at guys like Randy Randleman who has 16 points in 11 games or even Michael Boychuk who has 15 points and 25 shot blocks! However, if you look even closer to the stats, Esa has quietly been the clutch player the Dragons needed. With 1 game winner and 2 game tying goals, 3 out of the 4 goals Esa currently have could not have come at a better time. While not currently in the MVP race, the Dragons and the Dragon fanbase cannot thank this man enough. He has been clutch for the Dragons, and here’s to hoping that he continues.

Task 4
Roman Augustus is looking to make a name for himself in the finals. During the regular season for his rookie campaign, he finished the season with 3 goals, 15 assists and a -4. However, he did also have 78 shot blocks, which lead all of Calgary. Finally in the big spotlight in the rookie season, he is being thrown into the fire. He has handled everything very well so far, but the Challenge Cup is a whole new ball game. Stakes are higher, any mistake can be costly, every little detail can be the reason you win the cup. The Dragons will be looking at the rookie sensation to keep doing what he’s doing and helping C. Hocolate keep the puck out of the net. So far in the playoffs, he has no goals and 8 assists. He is not being asked to score, but helping his team score with 8 assists is no laughing matter for a defender. He has 14 shot blocks so far for Calgary, second only to Michael Boychuk. He is averaging 22 minutes per game. He has handled his first SHL playoffs well so far, let’s see if he can hold on and keep his emotions in check as he tries to make a name for himself as the best young defender in the SHL.

Task 6
The one change I would have made for Calgary would be to split up the two top scorers they had in the post season. After running into a hot goaltender like the Dragons have done to many teams before, I would have split up the duo of Joe and Randleman. These two players had 21 and 25 points respectively. I would have moved Esa to the top line who had 12 points in the playoffs, Randleman to the second line who was their best offensive player and Jagr to the third line, who was struggling in the playoffs. Yes, this may weaken their 3rd line, but, it was already having quite a bit of trouble in the first place. Doing this splits up Calgary’s dynamic duo, and makes the Rage have to cover these 2 players on two separate occasions instead of stacking up their best defensive pairing against Joe and Randleman. Another change I would have made was put Boychuk on the 1st line powerplay, he has been killing it so far in the playoffs, and has always been a clutch performer for the Dragons.