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TASK ONE: There are two options for this task.

If you are a player in the Challenge/Four Star Cup: How is your player feeling for the Finals? Are they nervous or excited? Are they ready? Write at least 150 words about the few days before the beginning of the Finals for your player and how they prepared for the series.

If not: How has your player kicked off their offseason? Are they traveling? Meeting up with friends and partying? Following the games? Write at least 150 words about the beginning of your player’s offseason. Must include at least one other player.

The players of the Montreal Militia have not been short of spare time during the last month as the action of the SMJHL playoffs has played out. The team's goaltender Cédric Moreau has spent a lot of the time practicing with the Manhattan Rage, his SHL team. He has been taking part in some one to one practice with their current head coach Jakub Aittokallio, one of the greatest goaltenders in SHL history and a fine mentor to a player learning to find their feet in the league. Cédric has also spent some time practicing with the Militia's rookie backup goaltender, Walter Hobbs, working to help him improve his game so he can be ready to step in when the time comes that Cédric must leave the SMJHL behind. It hasn't been all work so far, as Cédric has allowed himself to go on a vacation with his family. Cédric treated his family to a holiday to South Africa with some of the endorsement money he had been given, a way of giving back to them after they gave so much to him as he grew up.


TASK TWO: Who is your choice for the unsung hero of the S39 playoffs up to this point? Must be at least 150 words and include at least two statistics in support.

For a player who has made a reputation for himself as someone who likes to get violent and direct with the opposition, Danny Foster of the Los Angeles Panthers has been something of a dark horse during the S39 playoffs by not just backing up his aggression with good play, but by performing to a very high level and as one of the best defensemen in the entire league! In the 8 games that Foster had played in at the time of writing, he had scored 9 points. This was the best points total out of any of the players in his position on his team and the third best in the league! This doesn't mean however that Foster has become timid, quite the opposite in fact. In addition to scoring a lot of points, Foster has also scored 36 hits and been involved in 2 fights. He certainly isn't backing down when it is time to put his body on the line. Foster may not be the biggest name playing in the cup finals, but he has definitely been one of the best performers up to this point!


TASK FOUR: Unscramble the names of these four players who will be competing in the Challenge Cup Finals. Send the answers to me by PM. Please make the subject of the message “CW Word Scramble” or something along those lines. [Grading: 1 TPE for participation, 0.5 TPE for each correct answer]

I've completed the task as specified!

TASK SIX: Finals series always show surprises. Who will have to stand out the most from each team in order to win it? Make a prediction for potential series MVPs. Must be at least 150 words and mention at least one player from each team.

It might just be my positional bias as a goaltender that makes me think this, but when it comes to looking at a series like this I always believe that the true difference makers are those men stood between the pipes. In this series, that will be Timo Haas for the Los Angeles Panthers, and for the Minnesota Chiefs, Olli O'Koivu! I think that both of these players have the potential to be the MVP of this series. They are two goaltenders who are elite in almost every way, they play to an incredibly high level, they compete to the end and they will never be criticised for lack of trying. The fact that two of the most elite goaltenders in the league during recent memory are meeting in the cup finals is definitely something to be very excited about! The standard of play in this series will be extremely high and I think that whichever team's goaltender is able to give the better showing will be the one that leaves victorious! I think that both Haas and O'Koivu are potential MVPs for the cup finals, and I shall be very excited to see which of them emerges as a champion!



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