TASK ONE:
Richard C. Hocolate is not a household name, but he is the starting goaltender for the Calgary Dragons. You would think that by being the man between the pipes for, not only a team 4 wins away from a Challenge cup, but one of the best franchises in recent history of the SHL, he would be a name raved about around the league. However, even though everyone knows of him, hes been around since S29, but he spent much of his career behind the legendary Hunter Wong. This proved to be difficult for Hocolate to gain any confidence, he would work hard and fight to impress his coaches in training, but when it came down to it, he could never really prove he was better than a goalie like Wong, who was in the middle of his prime and winning everything for Calgary. Another rough moment in Hocolates career was when Calgary drafted highly stouted goaltender Thaddeus Prince, just as Wong was beginning to fade into the late stages of his career, this new kid was now giving Hocolate some competition for the future role of the Dragons.

Hocolate persisted however, and Prince never turned out to be the goaltender everyone thought he would be, and now Hocolate is finally the man for Calgary, after a long road, he is their man and he has managed to help them get all the way to the finals.

TASK TWO:
If youre looking for an unsung hero, look no further than Winston Windsor of the Manhattan Rage. The Rage have clawed their way to the finals by defeating 2 heavy favorites in the East, both in 7 games, and one of the main reasons for being able to edge out New England and Minnesota was the defensive play of Windsor. Windsor has laid his body on the line with his league leading 36 blocked shots! He is averaging 23.75 minutes per game which is good for top 4 on the Rage, who have played 14 games on route to the finals. One of the key components to the finals, is the wear and tear factor, after a 50 games season and a rough playoffs for the Rage, and especially Windsor, can he continue his high level of play and sacrificing his body, to help his team edge out the Dragons and claim the Challenge Cup?

TASK FOUR:
Roman Augustus is in his first ever SHL season, and with this performance he is putting on for the Dragons fans, he is really starting to make a name for himself around the league. The young defender has had quite the showing for a rookie, with 8 points over 11 games, which is better than veteran Mike Izzy and the same amount as future hall of famer Esa Anrikken. He has earned the confidence of his coach, playing just under 22 minutes per game. Augustus has provided great play for the Dragons who now have an extra weapon to add to their already prolific team. Augustus will be looking for his first SHL playoff goal in these finals, and of course, his first Challenge Cup. Even if he and the Dragons are not successful this time around, the future looks bright for this kid, and the Dragons must be licking their lips at the potential they are watching unfold.

TASK SIX:

I am a firm believer in the saying that goes, if it aint broke, don’t fix it. If I were the coach of either of these teams, I would not be touching anything from the winning formula that brought them to this point. If there are ways that each team could have improved, it would have had to have been at the trade deadline. The Dragons have a goaltender who will be entering regression at seasons end, and has only just eclipsed the 1000 TPE mark. I do not think this is good enough, and if it weren’t for their amazing players in every other positions, they would not have made it this far. They could have gone out to get a better tender to help their chances. For Manhattan, much of the same from recent years dating back to the McZ days, they need some depth and some players to give their top guys a break. They are currently playing their top 2 lines 90% of the game. One way they could have improved their team is by acquiring some solid 3rd line players to lower that number to 80% and give their guys a much needed rest after a long 14 games road to the finals.