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.

Geoffrey Allen. People don't understand how much adversity Geoffrey Allen had to overcome to get to this point in his career. Being born in Buffalo, Allen grew up not knowing anything about success. He was a fan of the Sabres and the Bills growing up, and was used to soul crushing defeats. Allen fought through loss after loss. He started playing hockey, hoping some day he would carry the Sabres to a Cup win. Well, that didn't happen. Allen ended up in the SHL, where he took the league by storm. There are two big moments in his career that happened off the ice, and he doesn't like talking about, that really shaped his determination to take over the SHL. When he was in the SMJHL, he went to use the showers after his first practice and couldn't figure out how to turn on the hot water. No one would tell him, either, they just laughed and laughed. Eventually the water started to boil from the steam coming off his head. Allen essientally went Super Saiyan and started to take the league by storm. The other time was his first practice after coming up to the SHL. In an attempt to prank the new guy, someone hid his skates before practice. Allen once again overcame all odds and had one of the best practices of all the guys on the ice. It earned him a great deal of respect. Allen is a true champion, and has overcome
everything thrown at him to really prosper in the SHL.

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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.

I would have to say that the unsung hero in the S38 playoffs would be Winston Windsor of the Manhatten Rage. After being traded from the Texas Renegards to Manhatten in the offseason, he put up an extremely impressive 38 points in 50 games this season. However, it's the playoffs where he really shined and proved that the trade was one that was going to pay off for quite a long time. During the playoffs, Windsor ended up coming in third on the team with 11 points in 14 games. Windsor lived up to, and surpassed, every expectation that the Rage had for him after aquiring him from Texas. After having a great first season with the Rage, there's high hopes for Windsor moving forward to next season. He's proven himself to be an upcoming first pair defenseman, and if he can continue his play he could become a shutdown defenseman for the Rage for quite a long time.

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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.

Roman Augustus, the rookie superstar from Calgary, is the standout rookie from the Finals. He ended up second in scorig for Calgary with 18 points in 50 games, but finished with a -4 rating overall. He was a shot blocking monster, leading the team with 78 blocked shots over the course of the season. His legs weren't exactly happy with him. Once the playoffs started, he decided to really turn his game on. In 11 games, he scored 8 points and managed to block another 14 shots. His legs, once thinking they'd get a break, didn't. While a lot of people didn't see Calgary making it out of the first round, Augustus managed to help carry the team into the Finals. He blew the critics out of the water and cemented himself as an up-and-coming stud for the Calgary defense. Hopefully he's able to continue on this path, and be a shutdown defenseman next season.

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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.

As a coach of a team in the finals, the biggest changes I would be able to make to give my team a much better chanc eof winning the series would be to keep the hot players together, if they have chemistry. I feel like the better the team plays together, the hotter the players are, and the more damage they can inflict on the opposing team over the course of a seven game series. If we start allowing too many goals, I'd probably shuffle the defense around to make sure that the my shutdown defenseman is on the ice against the top line, possibly even top two lines as much as possible. He may get tired over the course of the seven game series, but he's got all summer to recover from it. If we end up with a solid lead, I'd even switch to a 1-3-1 defense regardless of how much of a game killer it is.

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