TASK ONE: Pick either of the teams currently in the finals. Which player had to overcome the most adversity to get where they are at now? What did they have to endure before finally getting their crack at the Cup? Must be 150 words and include two specific situations that player experienced en-route to the Cup finals, whether this season or at some point during their career.


Calgary Dragons Goalie Richard C. Hocolate has had a wild ride to get to where he’s at now. Hocolate had been with the Dragons for many seasons now, but he was always stuck behind future Hall of Fame goalie Hunter Wong. Hocolate sat on the bench as Wong led the Dragons to a Cup win in S32, and another Cup appearance the year after. With Wong finally retired, a new challenge emerged, as management was rumored to have been in talks with various other teams in the league to acquire a new starter. Calgary was not enamored with Hocolate, as sometimes his work ethic was suspect throughout his career. Having nothing really going for them in the trade market, free agency, or finding a future starter in the draft, they went with Hoc, and while he struggled a bit during the season, he’s been great in the playoffs, getting the Dragons to the finals. (154)


TASK TWO: Who is your choice for the unsung hero of the S38 playoffs up to this point? Must be at least 150 words and include at least two statistics in support.

The unsung hero of the playoffs so far has to be Michael Boychuk. Boychuk had a very weak regular season, notching only 27 points in 50 games for a PPG of 0.54. In the playoffs, however, Boychuk has 15 points in the Dragons’ 11 games so far for a PPG of 1.37. He’s really stepped his game offensively in the playoffs, and having him scoring is when the Dragons are most dangerous. Boychuk is also a +11 already in the playoffs, furthering the point that he’s been tilting the ice in the Dragons favor. Defensively, Boychuk only had 58 shot blocks in 50 games. In the playoffs? Boychuk’s 25 shot blocks have been just as helpful as anything he’s been doing on the ice. He’s nearly doubled his shot blocks per game total, and he’s playing the like Michael Boychuk of old. As long as he keeps this up, the Dragons are going to be tough to beat in a seven game series. (164)


TASK FOUR: What rookies or young players are looking to make a name for themselves during the Finals? How have they contributed to the team on the way to the Finals? Must be at least 150 words, and include two statistics.

The Calgary Dragons have gotten to where they are at this point because of the play of a lot of their younger players who are finally starting to come into their own. Mike Izzy is a hard-hitting forward who’s known more for checking people into the boards than putting the puck in the net. Izzy totaled 15 goals, 31 points, and 192 hits in the regular season. In the playoffs, he’s stepped up his offensive game, getting 6 goals in 11 games so far. All the while, he’s still dishing out the hits, as he has 46 hits in the post season. Dani Forsberg is the other youngster that’s stepping up for the Dragons. His regular season consisted of 25 points and 122 hits himself. Forsberg has nearly doubled his points per game in the playoffs, as he’s already gotten 10 points himself in the 11 games played, to go along with another 36 hits. Everyone likes to say the Dragons are old and dying, yet these two are part of the new blood in Calgary, and they’re developing right before our very eyes. (185)

TASK SIX: You’re the coach of a team in the finals. What changes would you make to the roster, lines or strategies of the team to give the team a better chance at winning the series? Must be at least 150 words.

The one thing I would do if I were the Calgary Dragons’ coach would be to ride our big horses a bit more. We have generational players at each spot on line 1 alone. Esa Anrikannen is a surefire hall of famer who’s already won everything there is to win. He has an SMJHL award named after him. Randy Randleman took that torch from Esa and became one of the best SHL players in modern history. He was just ranked #1 on the Top 100 list. Joe Kurczewski doesn’t have the accomplishments of the other two just yet, but he’s got 1800+ TPE and is (hopefully) well on his way to having the same type of career. Why are they only playing 35% of the game? I’d take a page out of Manhattan’s book and run my best players at 45% or so. I know that Calgary has a great up and coming core, but this is the playoffs, just run the best players until they die. (167)