Task One:
One player who has experienced some obstacles in their career before making it to this season's Challenge Cup Final is Calgary Dragons' goalie Richard C. Hocolate.

For a long portion of his career, Hocolate was the backup to Hunter Wong. Wong carried the Dragons to playoff births and Challenge Cup victories and Richard was riding in the back the whole time. No matter how hard he trained, he couldn't crack Wong's hold on the starting job. Eventually, all the patience paid off as Wong retired into the sunset and Calgary finally became Richard's team. While he was a part of the team's victories, he now has a chance to be the goalie to win for them.

This season was up and down for the whole team. They finished firmly behind the top 3 teams in the West and had to go through the President's Trophy winners in the first round. This was the chance to prove that Calgary could count on Richard in the playoffs. Low and behold, Calgary upset San Francisco in the first round. Their reward? The powerhouse Winnipeg Jets in the Western Conference Finals. All that adversity in Hocolate's career came to a head against the offensive juggernaut in Winnipeg. Richard and the Dragons slayed their rivals and pulled off another huge upset by beating the Jets. Through all the seasons as a backup and trying to prove he could lead this team, Richard has brought his Dragons to the Challenge Cup Finals. They truly are his now.

(251 words)

Task Two:
The unsung hero of these playoffs is Winston Windsor. You may ask how the leading scorer on the Manhattan Rage could be unsung, but it's quite easy. When you think of the Rage, you think of Redding, Atmey, Wolker, Aittokallio, and Nuck. Windsor has been a steadying force for them, but is not someone who gets recognized for it.

In these playoffs, Windsor has been lights out. He leads the team with 17 points, 7 of them being goals. Contributing to that is his fantastic work on the power play. He's got 6 power play points, which also leads the team. While his offense has been incredible, he's also been solid in his own end as well. He has accumulated 42 shot blocks, which not only leads the Rage, but the whole SHL playoffs. He's made Jason Aittokallio's job a lot easier when he's on the ice, giving him and his team offense, as well as shut down defense. Winston Windsor is the unsung hero of these playoffs.

(168 words)

Task Four:
Between the Rage and the Dragons, there hasn't been a lot of young players making an impact for their teams. For the Rage, they've relied on their veterans to bring them to this point. For the Dragons, they do have two young players that have played some big minutes for them this post-season.

The first one is Roman Augustus. Roman is currently the only rookie playing in the Challenge Cup Finals. He's playing in Calgary's top 4 and on the penalty kill, averaging just under 22 minutes per game. He currently has 9 points, all assists, and is fifth on the team with 22 hits. He's been solid for the Dragons as a rookie.

The other young player for the Dragons is Mike Izzy. Drafted in season 35, Izzy is playing an important role for the Dragons in these playoffs. He's slotted on the second line while also getting power play time. He's averaging just under 19 minutes per game, putting up 7 points, with 2 coming on the power play. He's brought a physical presence though, leading the team in hits with 57. He's been good in his role for Calgary.

These two young players for Calgary have been key cogs in Calgary's journey to the Challenge Cup Finals.

(210 words)

Task Six:
There are a couple of changes I would make to the Dragons lines that may help them against the Rage.

First thing I would do is change up their defensive pairings. My first pairing would be Michael Boychuk and Casey Creller. My second pairing would be Roman Augustus and Connor O'Reilly. The third pairing would then be Pierre-Luc Laflamme and Chuck Goody Jr. These would be my pairings because in the top 4, each defenseman would be able to play off each other's strengths. Putting together a passer and a shooter would optimize their strengths and cover up weaknesses.

The other change I would make is in their top 6. I would swap Mike Izzy and Randy Randleman. In Calgary it is clearly a two man show with Kurczewski and Randleman. While they are great together, it leaves something to be desired once that line leaves the ice. Teams that face the Dragons can focus their defensive players on just one line and have the advantage against the other three lines. Swapping Izzy and Randleman means you have to line match against Joe's line and now Randy's line. It's a lot harder to play a team with their talent spread out than it is when it's concentrated on one line. Now Calgary has both their elite players controlling their own line and bringing up the play of 2 sets of wingers.

(230 words)