ISFL PT Affiliate (3 TPE)

Task 1: (3 TPE)

Well, my sophomore season came and went and it left me longing for my rookie year. I don't know what happened this off-season, but I just never got joining.

I started out in Colorado, of course, and put up a few points, but was terribly unlucky. I was sporting one of the worst PDO's in the league and it never really improved while there. We had high hopes in Colorado, but we also struggled this season. That led to Colorado selling pieces, where I was shipped off to Nevada. I never expected my time in Colorado to end that quick and in that fashion, but they got a haul and couldn't really turn it down.

In Nevada, things didn't improve much. My luck was still bad and I didn't make an impact with my new team at all. We went into the playoffs with a first round bye, but were quickly eliminated in the second round. A very unremarkable season ended in a whimper.

I wish I knew what happened, but I really don't. Hopefully next season goes better than this.

(181 words)

Task 2: (3 TPE)

Season 49's Challenge Cup Final between Edmonton and New England is the most memorable of the last 10 years. Edmonton won that Cup and carried the hopes of an entire league in it. No one wanted to see the Wolfpack win the big one, so everything rested on Edmonton. It's like every superhero movie, we all wanted to see the good guy beat up the bad guy and it was glorious to watch it unfold.

Edmonton was carrying a deep roster, but one that was together for a very long time. The core in Edmonton became a staple in the SHL and their bond ran deep. The fans felt that togetherness and it really gave the Blizzard that home town feel for even neutral admirers. It was also memorable because of Rockefeller's performance. He really became a superstar in that series en route to an Anton Razov Trophy.

The long standing core of the Blizzard defeating the villainous Wolfpack was easily the most memorable Cup Final of the last 10 years.

(171 words)

Task 13: (4 TPE)

Both of these teams have an impressive set of skaters - without factoring in any coaching or tactical strategies, which team do you think has the better roster of skaters on paper?

The Steelhawks are stacked. They are clearly the best team in the SHL, as seen in the regular season and in these playoffs. A team with Morgan, Clapper, and Wilson is almost unfair. They drafted well, signed free agents, but also took advantage of teams in trades. There isn't a weakness on their roster. I think we all predicted Hamilton in this spot, which should tell you the answer to this question. Good luck to Buffalo. (76 words)

Do you foresee the teams making any strategic adjustments during the course of the series? Should the teams be quick to switch tactics or stick with what they've been using?

I'm never a fan of always switching tactics. You got this far with what you've been doing. Either you trust your players to execute the game plan or not. If you don't trust them, you've already lost. In a seven game series, do you really want to make your players play seven different ways? You should know by now what style best benefits your team. Stick to what you know and believe it can be enough to win. (78 words)

These two teams hail from the Great Lakes Division. Which of the Great Lakes (Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, Superior) do you think is the Greatest and why?

Lake Ontario is the greatest. It shares a name with the greatest province which doesn't hurt. Don't be fooled by Lake Superior. I assure you it's just a name and not in fact superior to the other lakes. Lake Ontario brings a charm to the shores it touches. Yeah, maybe you can't always swim in it, but that's just because it's too majestic for mere humans to always be allowed inside it. Lake Ontario is the best, don't fall for the other Great Lakes propaganda. (85 words)

If, once it is safe to do so, you had to go hang out in person with one of the users on Buffalo/Hamilton, who would you hang out with and what would you do? (if you pick gabe you get -1 tpe)

I'm hanging out with Trautner because, based on his player name, I know we'd just talk about The Office all day and I'm sure start a binge watch together. We'd make it all the way to Threat Level Midnight and just share laughs and tears. After that, we could start another binge watch of The Office because that's what you do when you finish The Office, just watch it again. (70 words)

Task 14: (3 TPE)

Verification: Strongo