TASK ONE: Pick either of the teams currently in the finals. Which player had to overcome the most adversity to get where they are at now? What did they have to endure before finally getting their crack at the Cup? Must be 150 words and include two specific situations that player experienced en-route to the Cup finals, whether this season or at some point during their career.

I have to imagine that no player has faced a harsher road to the finals than Richard C. Hocolate. The Calgary Dragons netminder had a pretty pedestrian regular season this year -- posting an underwhelming 21-20-3 record with a .908 save percentage and 2.75 GAA. The Dragons were poised to make a playoff run with their stars at the helm, but many doubted whether Hocolate would be able to stand up to the pressures. Many pointed to his career in the juniors, where his name was used to inspire an unfortunate nickname "the Fudgeman" after he "fudged" the bed repeatedly in the playoffs. Little did anyone know that this hurtful play on words hearkened back to an even earlier problem of his in mites, where Hocolate almost switched to forward because of his repeated need for bathroom breaks. Nonetheless, Hocolate has put on an impressive display in the postseason and deserves his shot at the cup this year.

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TASK TWO: Who is your choice for the unsung hero of the S38 playoffs up to this point? Must be at least 150 words and include at least two statistics in support.

Unsung hero without a doubt has to be Richard C. Hocolate. While his stats may not bowl anyone over at first glance (0.904 save percentage, 2.83 GAA), Hocolate has demonstrated an uncanny ability to clamp down when it counts and that's a huge reason why the Dragons are in the finals. There were a number of golden opportunities for Winnipeg to seal Game 6 and Hocolate kept them in the game long enough for the big guns to get off another volley. In game 6 he posted a ridiculous 42 saves on 45 shot attempts, with a whopping 21 saves to slam the door shut in the 3rd period when the Jets were surging hard. This is indicative of a player who knows when he needs to show up, and the Dragons should be thrilled with his hot streak going into the finals. There's been no shortage of heroic performances, but I think the goaltending was the difference in the Winnipeg series and may continue to be moving forward.

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TASK FOUR: What rookies or young players are looking to make a name for themselves during the Finals? How have they contributed to the team on the way to the Finals? Must be at least 150 words, and include two statistics.

Look no further than my drafting class mate, Roman Augustus for this prize. I made the finals as a rookie defenseman, and it's a lot of pressure when you're going up against some of the biggest names in the league. I was fortunate enough to have sheltered minutes, playing on the 3rd pairing with no special teams for about 13 minutes a game. Roman Augustus has been playing a steady 22 minutes a game, including big PK minutes in the post season. His -2 rating may be misleading, as few of the Dragons have a sparkling plus minus, but 14 shot blocks tells a better story. Sure, he may chip in on assists, but the Dragons' strategy seems to rely on him playing the safe stay at home role on the 2nd pairing with Pierre-Luc Laflamme and so far it's obviously working. I think if he can keep up his defensive performance it'll take some of the heat off of Richard C. Hocolate, who will also need to glimmer in the upcoming series.

[173 words, <a href='index.php?showuser=2638' rel='nofollow' alt='profile link' class='user-tagged mgroup-56'>TheDangaZone</a>]

TASK SIX: You’re the coach of a team in the finals. What changes would you make to the roster, lines or strategies of the team to give the team a better chance at winning the series? Must be at least 150 words.

If I'm looking at the whiteboard in the Dragons' locker room as the head coach, I'm taking a moment to breathe a sigh of relief. A lot of people considered them underdogs against the reigning champ Winnipeg Jets, and when you look at the stats there's still some work to do. Namely, an astounding proportion of their goals have come from star forward Randy Randleman. It makes sense that your biggest names put up the biggest performance, but the performance from the other forward lines has been inconsistent at best and bleak at worst. On the one hand, you may think there's no need to shake anything up given that they've found themselves in the finals. On the other hand, you can't expect your goaltender to continue to steal key games like they saw in Game 6. Ultimately, I'd consider spreading some of the scoring depth out for a few shifts in game one to disorient the opposition's strategy and see if one of the other stars can spark a flame of their own.
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