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.

There are a lot of players on both the Manhattan Rage and Calgary Dragons that have faced adversity throughout their careers and have had to jump though a lot of hoops to get to where they are today. That being said, to answer this question I am going to have to go with a player that quite a few people have already mentioned and that player is the one and only Richard C. Hocolate. Now that the era of Hunter Wong has ended in Calgary it was time for the backup, Hocolate, to get his chance to show the team what he had in him. I think the first and foremost defining moment of Hocolate's post season was his entire performance against the Winnipeg Jets, but even more specifically his performance in Game 2 where he got the shutout against the most potent offense in the SHL. In the same vein of things, you can look to the regular season where Hocolate was tied for 2nd in the league with Jeff Kirkstone in shutouts. It is pretty amazing that a guy who has played 2nd fiddle for most of his career came in to this season and managed to help get his team to the Challenge Cup Finals. Kuddos!

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.

My choice for unsung hero of the Challenge Cup Playoffs has to be none other than Mike Izzy of the Calgary Dragons. The success that he had in his sophomore season outing in the regular season has definitely carried over the playoffs where he has been able to chip in some points here and there and continue his role as the muscle man for the Dragons. Via the playoff index, through 17 games Izzy has 7 points (6 of which have been goals) which may not seem like a ton, but he is shooting just over 16%. Izzy is following through with his best attribute, however, by leading the team with 61 hits. Points scored are not the end all to determining success in this league and I think that Izzy's physical nature helps the Dragons maintain possession of the puck which will ultimately lead to more goals scored and wins. I look forward to seeing what he can accomplish in the future..

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.

This is an easy question to answer. The rookie that has impressed me the most through the Challenge Cup Playoffs has been the defender from the Calgary Dragons and St. Louis Scarecrows alumni, Roman Augustus. The talented defenseman is having quite the rookie playoffs in my honest opinion. While no stat necessarily is eye popping he is putting up solid numbers in most categories. Through 17 games, Augustus has put up 9 points (all of which have been assists), laid out 24 hits, and blocked 21 shots. He has also been given ample time on the penalty kill unit. All in all, Augustus has the potential to be a big time force from the blue line in the SHL and he is starting to show just the tip of his ability in these playoffs. I honestly expect enormous things for Augustus in the upcoming seasons. He will be a name that people recognize all around the league.

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.

Being a coach takes a special kind of person to be able to analyze the assets that the team possesses and is able to put them into the lineup in a way that the team is performing at it's peak performance. To be perfectly honest, I am not that special person so any suggestions or thoughts that I have here are most likely bad decisions. The first thing that I noticed is that the Calgary Dragons are riding their stars pretty hard on minutes. Randy Randleman, Joe K, Michael Boychuk, and Esa Anrikkanen are all getting extensive time on the both the power play and penalty kill. It makes you wonder if these guys would be even more effective 5 on 5 if they weren't so dang tired all of the time. The Dragons have young guys, such as the previously mentioned Izzy and Augustus as well as Forsberg, who could help pick up some of the slack on the special teams that they aren't currently on... such as Augustus on the power play. As previously mentioned, however, I have absolutely no idea what I am talking about though especially when bringing up the Dragons as I know that they have top notch management.