After the disappointing end to the season for the Calgary Dragons, Nicholas Pedersen and his best bud Esa Anrikkanen, unexpectedly found themselves with some free time before training started for S40. So what else was there to do with the new found time, than to go and hit up a string of 6 concerts from two of the remaining members of the Grateful Dead, Phil Lesh and Bob Weir. The duo tour took place in New York, Boston, and Chicago, so what better way of wallowing in their defeat, than catching two American Icons melt faces in three of the best cities in the states. The 2nd show of the the mini tour stood out the most by far, as Phil & Bobby were joined onstage by Trey Anastasio, guitarist for Peders favorite band, Phish. Coming onstage for the 2nd Set, Phil, Bobby, and Trey ripped thru Dead classics Playing in the Band, The Wheel, Dark Star, Jack Straw, Eyes of the World, St. Stephen, Viola Lee Blues, Standing on the Moon, and ending with a beautiful Ripple. All in all it was a magic night of music with my best friend Esa, just a short ride away from where we saw our first Grateful Dead show, so many years ago.

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In a little unconventional pick I'm going to go with Felix Herzog as the unsung hero of the playoffs. In his last run before retirement, Herzog, once a very skilled centerman, made the transition for the good of his team a few seasons ago, has turned into one of the best shutdown defenceman in the league. This showed in the first round of the playoffs against the number one seeded Calgary Dragons, as Herzog went head to head with the likes of Joe Kurczewski and Hall of Famer Randy Randleman and held the two dynamic scorers to a total of 3 points in the four game sweep. While focusing more on the defensive effort this final playoff run, Herzog, has made the most of his offensive contributions by scoring a game tying goal for the Panthers before assisting on the game winner in OT. Always the team player as noted above, Herzog continues to throw his body around the ice, blocking nearly two shots a game in the playoffs, which he will need to continue to do to cap his great career with a cup.

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Done!


In the SHL Playoffs you live and die with how well your goalie plays. This series is not going to be any different. Your goalie stands on his head, and you have a chance, play poorly and you will be hitting the golf course to take out the frustration of losing. The better team does not always win, we have seen this in the past, and we are seeing it this season, with the #4 seeded LA Panthers thoroughly dominating the competition thru the first two rounds. Look at the stat, and you will clearly see why, Timo Haas has been amazing. Letting up less than 2 goals a game, is going to lead to alot of victories. If he keeps this up, there is no doubt he is the MVP of the playoffs, and a very deserving one. Minnesota is riding the back of their offense, in the playoffs, and with the way this team is built, scoring comes from all over the lineup. Jonathan Lundberg hitting everything in sight, and providing key secondary scoring is going to be the catalyst that brings the cup to Minnesota. At the end of the day, I'm going to hang my hat on the hot goalie, and Predict that LA will win this series in 7 Games, with Timo Haas winning the MVP trophy.

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Bonus question: Who scores the Cup-winning goal? (NOTE: This question will be graded at the conclusion of the winning-game sim of the Challenge Cup Finals, even if that happens before the conclusion of Championship Week.)

Sophia Bennett