Task #1 -

While a 7 game series is a decent sample size and about as long as is feasible, I'm still of the opinion that just about anything can happen. In reality, we saw the Whalers sweep the Knights and the Firebirds take out the Falcons in 5 games. However, it's not like the winners were completely dominating each individual game of the series. Each of them only won by a single goal in 3 of their 4 wins; things easily could've gone in a different direction. Ultimately, I would expect the Firebirds and Whalers to advance still. However, if my Mammoths had been able to face the Firebirds, we certainly could've put up a fight for moving on to the finals. PGF certainly has a scary first line, but I think our depth would've knocked them out of the sky. Meanwhile, as the Scarecrows took down the Whalers in the finals, maybe they would've done the same in the semis. The more interesting scenario would occur if we allowed the Firebirds and Whalers to face off in round 1. If the Firebirds managed to take them down to then face the Mammoths in round 2, things could have turned out very differently for us. With how closely packed those seeds 3 through 6 were during the regular season, I don't think any of them were clearly more dominant than any other. So despite the actual dominating performances that happened, something as simple as changing matchups could have completely changed the remaining playoff rounds.

Task #2 - Top 5 things done by St. Louis to prepare for defeating Vancouver

1. Read Moby Dick. St. Louis needed to learn how to defeat Whalers, and the tragic tale of captain Ahab was a good place to start

2. Watch most of Batman Begins. They learned from their villainous counterpart but turned it off early before he was defeated

3. Watch Free Willy. Learning how to help whales escape from captivity also seems like a useful skillset

4. Join the IWC. Wait whaling is illegal in most of the world? WTF Vancouver, you guys are sick. Anyways St. Louis is clearly a leading proponent of shutting down this most heinous of crimes within the international whaling commission.

5. Scare some crows. You know, just to get into the spirit of things. They probably played some hockey too but these all seemed more interesting.

Task #3

Interviewer: Thanks for taking the time to sit down with us today Mr. Goat-Z. What are your hopes and dreams for the Mammoths during the playoffs?

Goat-Z: First, my dad is Mr. Goat-Z; you can just call me Goat-Z. Second, after our incredible run during the season eventually culminating in a second place finish behind the scary Scarecrows, I would certainly expect to match up with them in the finals and give them a run for their money. Of course this didn't quite work out, as the Whalers had a whale of a time in advancing to the finals.

I: Alright Goat-Z, and what did you expect out of yourself for an individual performance?

GZ: My focus is on the team Interviewer, if that is your real name. However, after a surprisingly strong rookie campaign, I certainly hoped to perform well and contribute to the team as much as possible. Only scoring once in the series, during what turned out to be the final game, was a bit disappointing. I'll try to turn it into motivation to improve next season.

I: Finally, now that Colorado has been kicked to the curb, how do you feel about that series with Vancouver?

GZ: Obviously, I wish we could've pulled it off. On the other hand, I'm still really proud of this team. Other than that rough loss in game 3, we were within a single goal in the other 3 losses. If a little luck had gone our way with a puck finding the back of the net, we could've easily snuck another win in to extend the series. An extended series could only have helped us with our depth and teamwork, but I guess it wasn't meant to be. Next season should see us back in the playoffs and stronger than ever, so I'll talk to you again in a year with some better results Mr. Interviewer!