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spidey · 03-17-2025, 10:04 AM

I think there is no surprise in the SHL that the current SHL champions are favorites to come out of the west and arguably win the whole playoffs for a three-peat championship. But, WHAT IF!? Will be asked today and what it will take for each team in west and what is need for them to win it all. What likely and unlike circumstances will it take, how will one domino that will lead to another, and another until the most unlikely have circumstances will present each team as a champion…

WHAT IF?

Winnipeg Aurora vs San Francsico Pride

SAN FRANCISCO PRIDE:
Starting in the West we look at the most lopsided series in the playoffs. As we said earlier everyone expects the San Francisco Pride to work its way to the finals this season. The first series should be a relative cake walk for the Pride, we do expect Winnipeg to steal a win by the play of Rhett Carpet and a few timely points by Langston Harison-Laurent. After the Aurora the Pride will face their toughest challenge coming out of the West, playing against a competitive Seattle Argonauts. Despite a close 6 games, the Pride come out on top facing off against New Orleans Specters. A series that goes back and forth with stellar goaltending as the Pride come out on top in game 7 taking advantage of home ice. Finally in the championship series the Pride take on Atlanta Inferno. The Inferno gives them a battle like no one else as an offensive series where both goalies are bombarded with shots until the Pride emerge as the champions in game 7 overtime with a goal by the franchise legend Viktor Hargreeves and the first ever threepeat is completed.

In all of the Multiverse this is the most common finish, but it is not the only finish we have foreseen.

WINNIPEG AURORA:
How can a team that seems destined to lose in the first round make it to the finals? It starts out with a heroic turn of events on home ice in game 3. The Pride look sluggish and slow, As the Aurora look strong. They are able to carry this momentum through the rest of the series as the Pride continue to wear down look slower and feeble. The same thing happens against Calgary who upset Seattle, they start strong and look in control through the first two games, but by game 3 they look weak, tired and sick, by game 6 the Aurora have won a second series! Los Angeles Panthers, the same thing happens, and finally in the championship series the Winnipeg Aurora face Tampa Bay Barracuda. The same formula happens, the Barracuda have a strong two opening games on home ice, but no sooner do they arrive in Winnipeg than the team starts to break down and by the end of the series (game 6) Winnipeg has dominated the Barracuda and won the Challenger Cup! How did this happen? Winnipeg being the worst place to live in Canada and devoid of most modern technology has done little to upgrade their clean water supply. Fortunately for the Winnipeg players they have formed an immunity to the biblical disease that run ramped through the city as they have been living there for the entire season. For the rest of the teams they take one sip of the tap water and they should be on the IR for at least a week, being the playoffs they play through the illness but it is too late. This gives Winnipeg an unexpected early championship and starting their dynasty run early.

Calgary Dragons vs Seattle Argonauts

SEATTLE ARGONAUTS:
The Argonauts are a team that could be a dark horse, they start their series against another dark horse opponent that could surprise. It is a tight series that goes to 7 but in the end the Argonauts are able to pull off a victory over the Dragons. In what becomes a shocker, the Argonauts steal two home games from the Pride, the Pride reeling to match against Seattle they utilize home ice and sweep the series causing the Pride to blow up their roster in the offseason ending the dynasty. Texas continues their Cinderella run until they hit the wall which is Seattle, unfortunately for Texas they are out of gas as Seattle pounds on the underperforming team until they run out of steam and win it in 5. Finally facing off against New England Wolfpack the Argonauts get their second real test on their way to winning the cup a back-and-forth series based on home ice advantage give the Argos the win in 7 games.

CALGARY DRAGONS:
A team on the rise Calgary has time and again surprised their opponents in the playoffs, this team plays their best hockey when it matters. This year they are coming in with a stronger roster than ever before, with that previous experience and a better roster they are able to walk through Seattle in 5 games. Coming up against the champs, they know this roster and their moves and coach up against them finding the keys to win out 3 big wins and a very close one to earn the right after 6 games to compete in the Western Conference finals. The Solberg Sisters go on god mode for the rest of the playoffs willing the Dragons passed the Chicago in their first sweep of the playoffs scoring a combined 15 goals through 4 games. That feat is no less as the rest of the team feeds off the energy and they push through Philadelphia through stellar goaltending by Anastasia Soderstrom and a team effort of scoring at will to lift the cup in 4 games.

Los Angeles Panthers vs Texas Renegades

TEXAS RENEGADES:
This was a surprise, this team by all rights should not have finished 4th in the league, and I am sure plenty of teams (Los Angeles included) are licking their lips waiting for the chance to beat upon their roster. But Texas proves to be too much for LAP as super rookie Chris McZehrl powers the offense though the Panthers. Against New Orlean it is a goaltenders’ duel but the legend Anthony Dionne commands a .932 save percentage in this series helping to shut the door and give the Renegades the win in 6 games. The Renegades come up against the Juggernaut out west and face off against the San Franscico Pride, through luck or sheer will power they force a game 7, and through a triple overtime game winner Marton Diehm takes a wayward pass from his old teammate Chris Valentine and breaks through all alone on Justin Time to punch their ticket to the finals! In the finals the unlikely story of the little engine that could goes up against the Atlanta Inferno, going down early 0-2 in the series, the team rallies back and wins 4 straight to win the Challenge Cup!

LOS ANGELES PANTHERS:
This team has all the pieces to win another Challenge Cup but for some reason they have been struggling. Luckily for them they have the softest opponents in the league for their warmup round in the playoffs. Through this easy round they lose their first game but find the right makeup for success, and with that they carry this success through the playoffs, beating Texas in 5, Chicago in 6, and finally facing off old rivals in the Western Conference Finals. The San Franscico Pride take their foot off the gas pedal in game 1 against the Panthers as they win 3-2. This is all the Panthers need to gain momentum against the champs. They apply pressure and win games 3,4, and eventually game 6 returning once again to the finals. In the finals the Panthers face off against the Forge, already playing a championship series against the Pride, they know what is needed to win. They play a hard fought 6 games and win the championship on home ice!

Chicago Syndicate vs New Orlean Specters

NEW ORLEAN SPECTERS:
The Specters have made their game on fantastic defensive play, unfortunately if they can’t shut down an opponent, they do not have the offense to win games. This will be how they beat out Chicago in a 6-game series, solid defense and great goaltending. They follow this up by taking it to Texas and locking up rookie sensation Chris McZehrl shutting down Texas offense in 5. Seattle becomes their western conference finals opponent and a back and forth series New Orleans manages to punch their ticket in a close game 7, 2-1 victory before facing off against the high scoring Philadelphia for the cup. Offense vs Defense is the name of the series, and as the old saying goes defense wins championships, New Orleans is able to control the series and most of the games with a decisive game 6 victory to take the cup! It is later learned that the Specters called upon Marie Laveau from the after life to place a Voodoo curse on the other teams to win this playoffs.

CHICAGO SYNDICATE:
Chicago has done a masterful job conducting a rebuild and they look close to ready to compete for a cup. A little luck and they are there this season. How it happens, they are able to bully their way passed New Orleans in 6 games taking advantage of their lack of offense and peppering Lodge with shots. Los Angeles manages to beat Texas but stumbles as they can’t find team chemistry in the second round giving Chicago an opening to beat them in 5. Calgary surprises everyone as their Western conference opponents as they beat both Seattle and San Franscico but when they come to Chicago Anastasia stumbles and the opportunistic Syndicate are able to beat Calgary in 6. In the finals they face off against Tampa Bay, who look like they have finally figured out their TPE heavy roster. Unfortunately, they are hated by the FHM gods and go on a 4-game losing streak once the action shifts into Chicago as the Syndicate take the series in 6. Both great coaching and timely plays by offensive addition Slava-Ukraini help them win the cup.

downer · 03-17-2025, 10:14 AM

Quote:and through a triple overtime game winner Marton Diehm takes a wayward pass from his old teammate Chris Valentine and breaks through all alone on Justin Time to punch their ticket to the finals