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S74 Championship Week! 1/21 DEADLINE - Printable Version

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RE: S74 Championship Week! 1/21 DEADLINE - Wearingabear - 01-21-2024

Code:
1. CW TRIVIA, 3 TPE max - 1.5 TPE for participation, 0.5 TPE for each correct answer. This is completed through a Google form linked below. Make sure to spell your answers correctly or you will not get credit. Post your verification word in your CW post.

DOPE


12. Written, 2 TPE - The Procrastinator Special! (100 words min.)
Looks like [TEAM] won Season 74! Who won and why? What could the other team have done differently to change the result? What was your favorite part of the series?

Well well well well well, look who it is, running out the door. Oh that's right, it's parity. Why? Because other teams make bad trades to help in a "rebuild" but end up giving up assets to teams who know how to build loyalty and winning teams. That's exactly what happened this season. Both teams had some decent acquisitions through out the finals of last season and the trade dead line of this. Did it really help either team though? Or did New England Wolfpack just hit the getting hot button right as the playoffs hit? Their goalie went sicko mode the entire post season and made the dream a reality. Some might say dynasty, some might say hacks, some might say that luke smells. Time will tell.

2. Written, up to 4 TPE - Grab Bag: Pick up to 4 Challenge Cup related topics to write about! Each topic is worth 1 TPE. Each answer must be 50+ words.
a. Two old faces are back in the ring, proving reports of the dynasty’s demise were greatly exaggerated! Pick either of our finalists, and tell me what about them impresses you the most!
b. Upsets were a theme this year - which of our finalists had the more difficult road to the promised land and why?
c. Which of the finalists had the more impressive conference finals victory, and why?
d. If it ain't broke don't fix it: Who you got? Who wins? Why?


a. New England's ability to persevere through the seasons has been impressive. It's hard to think that many other teams could make it back to the finals and win multiple times. But that's exactly what New England Wolfpack have done time and time again. Will the dynasty be preserved? Will it last until the 80s? Time will tell.

b. This is a weird question. Neither team really had a truly tough time against any other team in the playoffs. Except New England in their first series against the Hamilton Steelhawks. That is the only series in the East to go to a 7 game series. Likewise, in the West, only one series went to game 7 and that was between Texas and New Orleans? So, i'm going to say that based off that fact, and that there were no injuries in the playoffs that New hard the slightly marginally harder series.

c. Well this is an easy one. San Francisco fell over and finally met their match in the Western Conference finals. A team that went 67 pts and had a .508 win% in the regular season versus an 80 pt and .606 win%. This one should have been called the moment SF glided on the ice. Meanwhile you have the 3rd in the League Philly against number 9 New England? New England hit it hot and were able to shut Philly's big mouth up.

d. Seeing as I'm a procrastinator, and I already know the outcome of the 'ship. Let's just compare the two teams for a second here.

NEW and Winnipeg were separated by 4 pts in the season. New went 40-22-4 (84 pts) and Win went 38-24-4 (80 pts)

Only Ivan Lacksamus of NEW was top 10 in scoring. NEW G Olaf had an okay regular season, but blew up big time during the Playoffs. Olaf had a 3.08 GAA, while Montagne had a 2.90. Likewise, Olof had a .913 S% compared to Montagne wiht a .897. However, the big kicker, Olof's Goals Saved Above Average hitting a 14.65 vs Montagne .58. POINT FIVE EIGHT versus a ridiculous FOURTEEN POINT SIX FIVE. WHAT THE HELL EVEN IS THAT NUMBER? THAT'S NOT A STAT, THAT'S NOT POSSIBLE!

RE: S74 Championship Week! 1/21 DEADLINE - Crazylemire - 01-21-2024

Task #4
The fact that Winnipeg Aura and New England Wolfpack both made the finals at this season finishing #8 and #10 in league is pretty impressive too say the least this isn't the first time we seen these too teams go head too head in the battle for the cup ethier though Winnipeg Aura faced a lot of the Underdog teams I have too say New England Wolfpack had the tougher matchups going into the finals and maybe why they were able too get the cup once again in the New England Wolfpack versus Winnipeg Aura final. Obviously looking at this we have too somewhat bring too the conclusion that teams that mesh together through playoffs build some unreal unjust Chemistry and pointing again at Montreal Patorits I certainly do they they pulled the plug a little bit too early and should of just let it ride out for a couple more seasons too see what could of been.

RE: S74 Championship Week! 1/21 DEADLINE - charlieconway - 01-21-2024

Quote:1. CW TRIVIA, 3 TPE max - 1.5 TPE for participation, 0.5 TPE for each correct answer. This is completed through a Google form linked below. Make sure to spell your answers correctly or you will not get credit. Post your verification word in your CW post.

eleven


Quote:2. Written, up to 4 TPE - Grab Bag: Pick up to 4 Challenge Cup related topics to write about! Each topic is worth 1 TPE. Each answer must be 50+ words.
a. Two old faces are back in the ring, proving reports of the dynasty’s demise were greatly exaggerated! Pick either of our finalists, and tell me what about them impresses you the most!
b. Upsets were a theme this year - which of our finalists had the more difficult road to the promised land and why?
c. Which of the finalists had the more impressive conference finals victory, and why?
d. If it ain't broke don't fix it: Who you got? Who wins? Why?

a. The way that Winnipeg has managed to come up with a team that challenges year in year out for so long without needing to re-tool is incredible to me. You could argue that they are at or nearing the end of their window, but even if they don't win another playoff series over the next five seasons, I'd say it's been a successful era.

b. Winnipeg's opponents in the first three rounds were good for a total of 238 points during the regular season, while New England's amassed a total of 259. So from a pure numerical perspective, New England gets the nod in opponent difficulty. I'd say just eyeballing the teams involved reinforces this, as New England was left facing the 3rd best team in the conference finals, while Winnipeg's opponent San Francisco were likely worn down at the end of their cindarella run.

c. You could just look at the regular season performance of the two teams and say that Philadelphia were the much more dangerous opponent, but I think that would be selling the Pride short. It's incredibly hard to take on a team that believes in themselves the way the Pride did, and it's guaranteed they were playing at a high level to make it to the conference finals. For that reason, I think it's a tossup.


Quote:12. Written, 2 TPE - The Procrastinator Special! (100 words min.)
Looks like [TEAM] won Season 74! Who won and why? What could the other team have done differently to change the result? What was your favorite part of the series?

The New England Wolfpack won the series, and therefore, the Challenge Cup.
Why? For many reasons, but I think the most important is goalscoring.
The New England Wolfpack outscored Winnipeg, totaling 28 goals to Winnipeg’s 22. In truth, it was a high-scoring affair, and both teams’ offense can realistically claim that they did their job. But Winnipeg’s inability to keep New England to 3 goals or under (excepting game 5) was really what did them in.
New England was able to take their scoring to the next level during the playoffs. The Wolfpack were 7th overall in scoring during the regular season, which is good but not great, but they scored 33 goals against the Forge in the conference finals! That’s an average of 5.5 per game.
With that kind of scoring, it’s no wonder they prevailed in the end.

RE: S74 Championship Week! 1/21 DEADLINE - Z-Whiz - 01-21-2024

Affiliate Link: https://forums.sim-football.com/showthread.php?tid=49125&pid=765925#pid765925

1) Quack

RE: S74 Championship Week! 1/21 DEADLINE - mer - 01-21-2024

Code:
1. CW TRIVIA, 3 TPE max - 1.5 TPE for participation, 0.5 TPE for each correct answer. This is completed through a Google form linked below. Make sure to spell your answers correctly or you will not get credit. Post your verification word in your CW post.
froggie

3/8

Code:
3. Written, 3 TPE, Haven’t I Seen This Before? (150 words min.)
Despite being the 8th and 10th ranked regular season teams in the league, our finalists from Winnipeg and New England represent two of the most dominant teams over the past several seasons. What do you think is the secret to their success? What can other teams learn from them? Which one is more likely to be back again next year?
Winnipeg and New England both have very strong cores and leadership that is pretty set on winning cups, so despite not absolutely stellar seasons, they would go all out during the playoffs. There's also always a bit of simulation nonsense. I know that line chemistry doesn't have a huge effect on gameplay, but both teams have had players who have been together for quite a few seasons now, and that has to do something against teams who have players with low chemistry. Also conspiracy theory for fun, FHM likes repeat playoff teams and skews chances higher that way. I think that for future seasons, NEW may show up more in playoffs than WPG as NEW has slightly younger players who will be around for longer, although I know WPG has people in the pipeline. I think Manhattan is gonna win like 5 cups though so I'm also delusional and should not be trusted for takes.

6/8

Code:
11. Written, 3 TPE, Juniors’ Juniors (150 words min.)
Are there any new promotions to your org that you’re excited to see make your IIHF squad? Who’s a good rookie on your squad this offseason? Alternatively, who’s a current World Juniors star you’re excited to see in the IIHF soon?
Norway has susperstar sisters Sonja and Froya Solberg up to play in the IIHF tournament. They're also playing the World Junior Championships, so they'll be well tuckered out. They've only just finished their second season in the Juniors, so they're still very young and still learning what it's like in the pro leagues, but they're both incredibly talented and I'm optimistic that they'll do very well as rookies, and overworked rookies at that. Norway is a smaller nation, so we don't really have any rookies to come up in future seasons, but we've got some veterans that I'm hoping will see many seasons to come - though more likely, they'll be retiring in a few seasons and we'll have to find new Norwegians to join. We did very well last season, and I'm optimistic about this season as well! Hopefully the Solbergs have fun and this is just the start of their successes with Norway.

8/8

RE: S74 Championship Week! 1/21 DEADLINE - Toivo - 01-21-2024

Code:
3. Written, 3 TPE, Haven’t I Seen This Before? (150 words min.)
These teams have been here before and recently. They know how the grind of playoff hockey goes and I think this helped both teams out tremendously. Despite not being top seeds, these teams went into the playoff series’ knowing what they had to do to win and forged ahead. New England leaned on Bruno Tooyo to score goals and win games for the Wolfpack. 5 of the top 6 assists leaders were on the Wolfpack, including 1-4 and #6. It’s fair to note that the Wolfpack played more games than Winnipeg, but their stats are still impressive. Experience was the big game changer for these teams. They knew these matchups and how to excel. Winnipeg also got to the final by leaning heavily on Rebecca Montagne who had the best Goals Against Average at 2.90. Whereas, New England’s Olof Karsikko came in at 3.08. Having the best goaltenders of the playoffs really seems to have paid off for these two teams.

Code:
5. Written, 3 TPE, Upset City (150 words min)
San Francisco’s run was surprising and it’s too bad they could not have gone all the way. The Pride entering the finals and surprising everyone would have been the perfect way to shake up the old guard that dominate the final. It’s promising and relieving to see a team like that get so far. Teams can go on incredible runs during the playoffs. Far too long, we looked at the brackets and just assumed how they were going to playout based on season rankings. But now, upsets are back on the table. It makes playoffs an exciting time for all teams when you can see certain teams go on these deep runs. Tournaments are best when you don’t see the upset coming as a possibility and then a higher seeded team gets knocked out early. It sucks for those teams that get defeated, like my Panthers, but it’s good for hockey as a whole. Need these organic upsets as we go on.

Code:
12. Written, 2 TPE - The Procrastinator Special! (100 words min.)
New England Wolfpack ended up besting the Winnipeg Aurora. This series saw the two best teams in the SHL battle, and New England emerged victorious. New England led in many of the playoff stat categories, (so did Winnipeg, and it’s no surprise when they played more games). New England was led by Bruno Tooyo with 17 goals. This really propelled New England to victory. Matiss Ozolinsh was second with 13 goals, Ivan Lacksamus with 12, Nathan Cormier with 11, and then the first Winnipeg player shows up, Matsmith Soderberg-Tremblay with 11, along with Lord Farquaads. To be fair though, New England still had two more games played than Winnipeg. Still, New England had some firepower.

RE: S74 Championship Week! 1/21 DEADLINE - natedoeshockey - 01-21-2024

Code:
1. CW TRIVIA, 3 TPE max - 1.5 TPE for participation, 0.5 TPE for each correct answer. This is completed through a Google form linked below. Make sure to spell your answers correctly or you will not get credit. Post your verification word in your CW post.

patyatime

+3 TPE

Code:
2. Written, up to 4 TPE - Grab Bag: Pick up to 4 Challenge Cup related topics to write about! Each topic is worth 1 TPE. Each answer must be 50+ words.
a. Two old faces are back in the ring, proving reports of the dynasty’s demise were greatly exaggerated! Pick either of our finalists, and tell me what about them impresses you the most!
b. Upsets were a theme this year - which of our finalists had the more difficult road to the promised land and why?
c. Which of the finalists had the more impressive conference finals victory, and why?
d. If it ain't broke don't fix it: Who you got? Who wins? Why?

a. Patya thinking Winnipeg and New England much impressive, but Patya am talk about Winnipeg. Patya surprised that Winnipeg am be staying much competitive for many seasons. Patya knowing they am have much of players from same class, but am somehow just keep performing for such high level. Patya am never surprised any more by success of this team.
b. Patya am thinking New England am have much more difficult road for get to promised land. This team am given run for their money in round 1 against Hamilton, then after being taken to 7 games, they am have to play Buffalo, a historically strong team. They make quick work of Buffalo and then they have to play Philadelphia, who has been much strong team lately. Then after they win this series, they have to play Winnipeg, who has been other much strong team. Patya seeing New England have to play 2 dynasties and 2 historically strong teams for win cup.

+2 TPE

Code:
3. Written, 3 TPE, Haven’t I Seen This Before? (150 words min.)
Despite being the 8th and 10th ranked regular season teams in the league, our finalists from Winnipeg and New England represent two of the most dominant teams over the past several seasons. What do you think is the secret to their success? What can other teams learn from them? Which one is more likely to be back again next year?


Well, Patya not much familiar with New England but am guessing is probably same as Winnipeg when it come to having much success. Winnipeg very much smart with players they acquire and am have good ownership, coaching, and tactics for make many wins. New England was much successful team before, and am now beginning for see success again. Patya not thinking is any accident for see these two teams perform in playoffs, which is when performance am count most. Patya also see Ivan Lacksamus much big during regular season and also much big during playoffs, but Bruno Tooyo am show up big for wolfmans. Patya thinking other teams maybe learn from them for how better utilize players and what type of players they need for get from trades for build team that is much powerhouse. With way things am going, Patya thinking Winnipeg probably back again next year, but not surprised if both teams am reappear.

+3 TPE

TOTAL: 8/8 TPE

RE: S74 Championship Week! 1/21 DEADLINE - KalixIzalumi - 01-21-2024

code 1. trivia
strawberry

RE: S74 Championship Week! 1/21 DEADLINE - skyrrhawk - 01-21-2024

Code:
1. CW TRIVIA, 3 TPE max - 1.5 TPE for participation, 0.5 TPE for each correct answer. This is completed through a Google form linked below. Make sure to spell your answers correctly or you will not get credit. Post your verification word in your CW post.

verification word: screech


Code:
11. Written, 3 TPE, Juniors’ Juniors (150 words min.)
Are there any new promotions to your org that you’re excited to see make your IIHF squad? Who’s a good rookie on your squad this offseason? Alternatively, who’s a current World Juniors star you’re excited to see in the IIHF soon?

Team USA's IIHF future is shaping up to be bright. There's no lack of talent coming up through the Juniors for the USA squad, with two full teams being fielded for this season's World Juniors. The USA White squad is headlined by Quebec City teammates Ryland Murphy (who was named Captain) and Celeste Desjardins (the S73 Esa Anrikkanen Trophy winner), centered by Shadow Fenix, whose sophomore season in the SMJHL was an absolute breakout in which he posted 93 points for the Colorado Raptors en route to the Cup Finals. USA Blue features Langston Hardison-Laurent, whose season numbers for the Yukon Malamutes barely edged out reigning Roberto Martucci winner Jeff Hunziker (also of the Citadelles), though he was unable to prevent Hunziker from repeating as the winner of the Jared Hanson. With these players in the pipeline, and several of them having multiple seasons and tournaments' worth of experience as lineys, USA is shaping up to be an absolutely formidable force in the IIHF in the next few seasons. (169 words)


Code:
12. Written, 2 TPE - The Procrastinator Special! (100 words min.)
Looks like [TEAM] won Season 74! Who won and why? What could the other team have done differently to change the result? What was your favorite part of the series?

New England outscored Winnipeg 28 to 22 over the course of the series. Only one game culminated in overtime- a game in which NEW came roaring back (pun intended, as bad as it is) from a 2-1 deficit at the end of the 2nd. But who's to say which team put up a better effort in that particular game, given the scoring pattern? Yes, NEW was down after two and down two after a minute in the third, but they were able to put up four goals with no response until 17:06 in the period. On top of this back and forth OT matchup, both teams struggled on the power play throughout the entirety of the series; is that the fault of PP tactics or were their penalty kill units simply that good and on their game? I'm sure both teams have been discussing that very thing in the aftermath. But let's be honest: the team that scores more tends to win. That's sort of how it works! (168 words)

RE: S74 Championship Week! 1/21 DEADLINE - Dhoop - 01-21-2024

1. Loaded

Quote:(1.5-4.5 TPE)


3. Both New England and Winnipeg have had a really good push in the playoffs and had a solid regular season. I feel one of the biggest parts of the New England run has to be the defensive play in their game. They ended the season with a plus 71 goal differential and only 249 goals against this year. They play a very strong style of play and even know how to limit high potential opportunities as they even scored 26 goals short handed this year. So even when they take penalties they seem to create enough push to score down a player.  As for Winnipeg, they seem to have relied on the same style. They only gave up 229 goals against and were a lot more solid defensively. They did not create as much scoring as New England but were a lot more defensively giving up less goals on the year.

Quote:151 words (3 TPE)
 

4. The league has seen some really big power houses and this season had another showing that these teams can really stand out year to year. The styles they play and the way they build are something the league should be taking notes on. I feel with a previous task I went through a lot of what makes New England and Winnipeg tick. So I feel I would go more in depth on the Philadelphia side of this task. They finished the second best goal differential at plus 142 and finished second on goals scored with 346. A team that can defend that well and create that much score will obviously be a top team every year. One thing that gets overlooked and really helped PHI was their goalies. Base finished with a .900 save percentage and really stepped up. The biggest by far was their back up. Stratton finished 12-0-0 and a .960 save percentage. When you can give your starting goalie a breather and the back up comes in and is automatic there is no doubt your team is suited for a championship.

Quote:184 words (3 TPE)

Quote:TOTAL TPE: 7.5-8 TPE


RE: S74 Championship Week! 1/21 DEADLINE - BarnabasCollins - 01-21-2024

Code:
1. CW TRIVIA, 3 TPE max - 1.5 TPE for participation, 0.5 TPE for each correct answer. This is completed through a Google form linked below. Make sure to spell your answers correctly or you will not get credit. Post your verification word in your CW post.

Word: FuckHamilton




IIHF





Code:
10. Written, 3 TPE, IIHF Underdogs (150 words min.)
Predict an upset for this season’s IIHF tournament, and explain why you think your chosen underdog matches up well against that specific opponent!

I think the Czecks beat Sweden again this tourney. They finished next to last in last season's tournament and won only 3  games. One of those wins was against a very good Sweden team who finished the round robin section in third place. The Czechs seem to have Sweden's number and I think there is no reason to believe this season will be any different. It's always fun when one of the weaker nations knocks off a powerhouse. It gives the other nations hope and also helps in the recruiting efforts so people don't just flock to the good teams all the time. Fhm appears to be starting to show that there is a bit more parity and that all teams really do have a shot at winning. Not really sure wht the Czechs match up so well against Sweden.Quite possibly they have very strong goalie playing with a weaker team in front of them and maybe that's wht Sweden has such a rough time with them. Anyhow that's my big upset pick for this season's tourney.





Procrastinators





Code:
12. Written, 2 TPE - The Procrastinator Special! (100 words min.)
Looks like [TEAM] won Season 74! Who won and why? What could the other team have done differently to change the result? What was your favorite part of the series?


New England won. It basically came down to the offense, they simply outscored their opponents. They had 6 players over a point a game and 2 more who missed it by one. Winnipeg only had 3  and noone else close. When you're putting up that many points you're going to definitely be hard to beat. Winnipeg needed to have a better defense or have their goalie stand on his head to have had a shot at this series. The best part of this whole thing is that a number 9 seed won. Fhm is such a shit engine so it's nice to see the lower teams actually do have a chance.

RE: S74 Championship Week! 1/21 DEADLINE - Le Thrill - 01-21-2024

NVM wasn't supposed to do this

RE: S74 Championship Week! 1/21 DEADLINE - caltroit_red_flames - 01-21-2024

Code:
1. CW TRIVIA, 3 TPE max - 1.5 TPE for participation, 0.5 TPE for each correct answer. This is completed through a Google form linked below. Make sure to spell your answers correctly or you will not get credit. Post your verification word in your CW post.
Verification: Chomp chomp

Code:
2. Written, up to 4 TPE - Grab Bag: Pick up to 4 Challenge Cup related topics to write about! Each topic is worth 1 TPE. Each answer must be 50+ words.
a. Two old faces are back in the ring, proving reports of the dynasty’s demise were greatly exaggerated! Pick either of our finalists, and tell me what about them impresses you the most!
b. Upsets were a theme this year - which of our finalists had the more difficult road to the promised land and why?
c. Which of the finalists had the more impressive conference finals victory, and why?
d. If it ain't broke don't fix it: Who you got? Who wins? Why?
a. I think what impresses me the most about New England is that Luke was able to GM that team to a finals while doing everything else that he does for the league. I swear that guy is in nearly every department, it's like he's a shadow commissioner and on top of that he does a ton of rogue programming stuff.
b. I think New England had the harder path to the finals this season. Both conferences are super strong right now but when you have to go through two teams like Buffalo and Philadelphia to make it to the finals you've definitely had your wok cut out for you. Not to mention playing Winnipeg in the finals on top of that.
c. Definitely New England. Philadelphia was one of the top teams and not to dis San Francisco but it was a Cinderella run for a reason. There's something to be said for getting hot at the right time but at the end of the day teams are going to regress to the mean and it finally happened in the conference finals.


Code:
12. Written, 2 TPE - The Procrastinator Special! (100 words min.)
Looks like [TEAM] won Season 74! Who won and why? What could the other team have done differently to change the result? What was your favorite part of the series?
New England won the cup off of their depth, I can it's really that simple. Winnipeg has the top end talent, but when you can put your top line out there and shut them down every shift and have your second and third lines centers leading the playoffs in points you're going to be real successful. Of course you can't forget about their goalie Olof Karsikko who got hot at the right time. As the saying goes "show me a good coach and I'll show you a good goalie". New England was about to cut their teeth against two of the top teams in the league in their conference playoffs and then it was a cakewalk in the finals. Depth wins championships folks!

RE: S74 Championship Week! 1/21 DEADLINE - 39alaska39 - 01-21-2024

1. Bill

2.b. I think that Winnipeg is a better team and I’m totally not just saying that because they were the team that beat us in the conference finals. But they did 100% clobber our young Pride team and as such, it would be in my own personal best interest for them to win and us to have lost to the champ. 

WC: 56

2.d. I think that Winnipeg is a better team and I’m totally not just saying that because they were the team that beat us in the conference finals. But they did 100% clobber our young Pride team and as such, it would be in my own personal best interest for them to win and us to have lost to the champ. 

WC: 60

5. As a member of the San Francisco Pride, I feel that our run to the Conference Final was the most impressive upset this season. The fact that despite this being our first year with some of our major prospects coming up and we were able to make it that far was outstanding. Of course, nothing is ever guaranteed in the long term with regards to success in the SHL, but this does seem to set us up well for the long term and our ability to get further into the playoff again. I thought we had a great run with a lot of contributions from our younger players and that was absolutely critical and will continue to be critical for us going forward. Our management team has done a great job spreading out our drafted talent and I think that this is going to allow us to succeed in terms of being a competitive SHL team.

WC: 156

Total TPE: 8

RE: S74 Championship Week! 1/21 DEADLINE - takethehorizon - 01-21-2024

Code:
1. CW TRIVIA, 3 TPE max - 1.5 TPE for participation, 0.5 TPE for each correct answer. This is completed through a Google form linked below. Make sure to spell your answers correctly or you will not get credit. Post your verification word in your CW post.

Moisty

Code:
2. Written, up to 4 TPE - Grab Bag: Pick up to 4 Challenge Cup related topics to write about! Each topic is worth 1 TPE. Each answer must be 50+ words.
b. Upsets were a theme this year - which of our finalists had the more difficult road to the promised land and why?
c. Which of the finalists had the more impressive conference finals victory, and why?

b. New England's road to the Finals has definitely been more difficult. Establishing series wins against Hamilton, Buffalo and New York is no easy task after how all those teams played this season. The Wolfpack also played more games than the Aurora which could also take a toll on their stamina heading into the Finals. Buffalo and Philly looked like a few Finalists by themselves so to dispatch those great organizations as the underdog is truly impressive. Word Count: 77
c. The more impressive Finals is definitely also New England beating out Philly who everyone thought would make it to the promised land. Philly only had 6 more wins and 13 more points than New England this season but finished 7 places above NEW in the standings and were highly favored coming into this matchup. Even more amazing is the fact that NEW beat Philly in just 6 games in the Conference Finals. Word Count: 72


Code:
3. Written, 3 TPE, Haven’t I Seen This Before? (150 words min.)
Despite being the 8th and 10th ranked regular season teams in the league, our finalists from Winnipeg and New England represent two of the most dominant teams over the past several seasons. What do you think is the secret to their success? What can other teams learn from them? Which one is more likely to be back again next year?

The secret to any good team at the top of the standings at the end of the season is of course, scouting and drafting. As teams know all too well, having a high draft pick especially in the first two rounds go inactive before even reaching the SHL could be an absolute disaster for a team looking to develop a strong roster to start pushing for the post season. Winnipeg and New England have proven to do this exceptional well over the past bunch of drafts, giving them the edge over the rest of the league. Winnipeg shows this with Farquaads, Sparrow and Montagne who has been steady in the net. Now that i'm looking deeper into this, Winnipeg has also been particularly good at trading for solid players to help bolster their group. New England proves this true with Lacksamus who led the team in points with 109. Outdoor Truck and Beauregard are also examples of great draft picks working out in the long term.

Word Count: 166