TASK ONE: Your player has been invited to do color commentary for Game 1 of the Finals. (Un)fortunately, your player’s decided to drink a bit before making this guest appearance. In at least 150 words, write a transcript of the opening commentary of the game and your player’s introduction.

Jon Toner: Hi Folks, I’m Jon Toner, one of your special guest commentators tonight.
James Johnson: And I’m gonna… no I’m not… yes, I’m gonna puke.
JT: Uh… we’re proud to bring you this Game One of the SHL finals, featuring The Minnesota Chiefs…
JJ: And the Dragon Calgarys. Calgary Dragons.
JT: James, what stands out to you about tonight’s matchup?
JJ: Well, you look at the Dragons, what’s the first thing you notice? There’s two of each of them. That’s a bold strategy, bold like keeping a whole bottle of tequila to yourself. But The Chiefs, they’ve got a very, very, very, very, very… what was I..? Oh. Very, very, very smart plan to stop this. They’ve got two goalies. How do you score on two goalies? You don’t. It’s like my friend, Higgins, old Higgly, Higgsy, Higginsly, Higgs, he always says: Stop leaving your empties in my locker. Jon?
JT: Thanks James, that was very insightful.


TASK TWO: Who is your choice for the unsung hero of the S40 playoffs up to this point? Must be at least 150 words and include at least two statistics in support.

When we talk about unsung heroes, I always like to look outside of the finals. Those players in the finals are getting sung an awful lot. It’s the guys who pour their heart out on the ice, only to have it cruelly smashed to pieces who deserve more praise. This year, I want to talk about Hamilton Steelhawks defenseman, Ben Dover. What a playoff this blueliner had. Hamilton counted on him like no one else, and he racked up over 25 minutes a night. Despite being a defenseman, he led his team in points, at fifteen, posting more than a point per game. Even with the fatigue of playing so many minutes in competitive playoff hockey, Dover still threw 23 hits. Even more punishing is his team-leading 22 shots blocked. Dover is a warrior, and it’s a shame the playoff hockey gods weren’t kinder to him. It seems like the only thing he didn’t do was fight.

TASK FOUR: Unscramble the names of these four players who will be competing in the Challenge Cup Finals. Send the answers to me by forum PM. You will not get credit for posting the answers in this thread. Please make the subject of the message “CW Word Scramble." [Grading: 1 TPE for participation, 0.5 TPE for each correct answer]

1. avoopktsmmsia
2. kdiogdaaser
3. cujzirkeekows
4. srkovoobhdfireo

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TASK SIX: Both of the goaltenders in the finals have put up a remarkable battle for their teams to get them this far. Between the two starting goaltenders, who wins the goalie battle, and will it be enough for them to bring their team home a Cup win? Justify your decision in at least 150 words with at least two goalie statistics and one team statistic.

Look, I don’t want to insult Olli O’Koivu. He’s a great goalie, and He’s had a great run in this playoff tournament. But, there’s a reason Dick Hocolate is my mom’s favorite goalie. Well, there’s two reasons - save percentage and goals against average. I’m talking 92.2% and 2.57 goals against, respectively. Chocolate has been on a different level in these playoffs. They say your best penalty killer has to be your goalie, and Hocolate has to be the first place you look to explain the 81.82% penalty kill the Dragons have posted, as opposed to the 72.06% we’ve seen from the Chiefs.
Hocolate really has no weaknesses, there’s no where you can shoot on him that he isn’t ready for, no shot that will force him to give up a bad rebound. As long as they don’t need him to play the puck, he’ll lead the Dragons to a victory.


TASK NINE: Trivia! Send the answers to me by forum PM. You will not get credit for posting the answers in this thread. Please make the subject of the message “CW Trivia.” [Grading: 1 TPE for participation, 0.5 for each correct answer.]

1. Who is the Minnesota Chiefs’ only historical winner of both the Ron Mexico and Sarmad Khan trophies?
2. Which two Western Conference teams have the Minnesota Chiefs defeated in the Finals to win Challenge Cups?
3. Who were the Dragons’ first two inductees into their team’s Hall of Fame in S6?
4. What is the Dragons’ Jesster Award awarded for?

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