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.

Geoffrey Allen from the Manhattan Rage had to overcome some of, if not the most adversity to get to where he is now.

Allen had spent his whole SHL career as a Texas Renegade and from what we can tell, he never wanted to leave. He is in his final SHL season and very well could have retired as the rare never moved teams player. This did not happen, obviously. A late offseason trade sent Geoffrey Allen and team mate Winston Windsor to the Manhattan Rage where they are now in the SHL finals for one last kick at the can.

If this trade doesn’t put him at the top of the overcome adversity list then remember he also had really bad chapped lips this season and he never once complained. He took those dry cracked lips and used it to motivate him to be that extra offensive talent Manhattan needed to make it to the finals once again

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.

I believe the unsung hero of the S38 Challenge Cup playoffs is Winston Windsor of the Manhattan Rage. An off-season addition at the beginning of the season, Windsor and fellow renegade Allen were brought in for this exact purpose, to get the Rage over the hump and in to the playoffs. So far they've done that and then some as the Rage are set for a 7 game winner take all series with the western conference champions, the Calgary Dragons. Whether with Tanaka and Muller in Edmonton, Kaiser and Vader in Texas or Nuck and Wollker in Manhattan, Winston has always played second fiddle in a top defensive pairing, yet manages to rise to the occasion when it matters most. This post-season is no different. 3rd in team scoring, and 2nd in defensive scoring, Winston has managed to score 11 points in 14 games, including 6 goals. Throw in a team leading 36 blocked shots and you can't deny the amazing value Winston brings to the team as the 4th defenseman in the depth chart for the Manhattan organisation. Can Winston Windsor help carry the Rage to another 7 game series victory and lift the cup for the 3rd time in his illustrious career? Stay tuned.

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.

Lets be real here, this was Dani Forsberg's coming out party. He finished the playoffs with 15 points in 17 games despite playing predominately on the 3rd line and 2nd PP. That's good for the 3rd highest scoring forward on the Dragons behind only the two goats, Randleman and Kurczewski. On top of that, he was 3rd on his team in hits with 53. The playoffs are a whole different beast compared to the regular season and bringing physical play to the table is absolutely necessary for success. His shooting percentage was really low coming in at 5.77% (despite 99 Scoring) so that tells me that Forsberg performed actually below his absolute peak while still also putting up as many points as he did. It's looking like this guy could be a really important playoff performer already early on in his career. It's a valuable asset to have for any team knowing they can count on a player to perform when the lights shine the brightest.

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.

I think the adjustment I would make to Calgary would be a slight adjustment to the defensive pairings in order to reduce their goals against which currently sits at 3.00 per game compared to 2.2 for the Rage. I would put Boychuk and Augustus together since Boychuk is more defensive minded and Augustus is more offensive. They compliment each other in other ways too as Boychuk is a better passer, skater and checker while Augustus handles the puck better. Then I would put O’reilly and Creller on the second line together since one is defensive minded and Creller is offensive. Creller brings a little more physical presence than O’Reilly does but O’Reilly can pass and handle the puck better. The third line would be two defensive minded players in Laflamme and Goody Jr. Neither will bring much hitting or offense to the table but can skate, pass and handle the puck well and can match up against the other teams first or second lines.