15. Milestones, up to 3 TPE (3/16)

New this season, Milestones are folded in with CW. So just link your Milestone claim as task 16 for up to 3 TPE towards your 16 total.

+3 TPE - SMJHL Milestones

2. Written, 2 TPE (100 words min.) 5/16

Oh no, the head honchos of the league are worried that there aren't enough story lines for the finals! Therefore they're changing the rules for the finals. The home team will get to choose to either a) play the whole game with 6 skaters on the ice at a time or b) be immune from penalties/offsides/icing. Whatever the home team chooses, the visitors get the other perk. Which one are you choosing, given the choice and why?

I believe being immune to offsides, penalties and icing offers a bigger advantage than having six skaters on the ice, simply because it allows you to cheat, giving you a greater advantage. You can just keep a player in the offensive zone waiting for a pass, or you can always dump the puck without risking an icing. While having six players on the ice is cool and sounds good on paper, we often see it in empty net situation and it rarely results in a goal. Getting the advantage of getting over the rules seems like the bigger advantage and would increase your chance of winning. You can prepare facing six skaters, but it's harder to prepare against no offsides, icing and penalties.

4. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.) 8/16

If you're sitting at home watching the Finals: What do you plan on doing differently next season to help your team reach the promised land? If you're playing in the Finals: Is there anything different you plan on doing next season to continue your team's success?

I have a lot to do to help my team reach the finals next year, after all, the Anaheim Outlaws were dead last in their division this season. We were able to give a little scare to the Colorado Raptors in the playoffs, but overall it was a disappointing season. Being the oldest player on the team alongside my goaltender, I'll need to be able to get better production out of my wingers, as my offensive abilities aren't where I want them to be at the moment. Other than that, I must use my leadership better to lead the numerous young players to victory and hopefully win more than a few playoff games. As for the SHL, I was recently traded to the Edmonton Blizzard in a blockbuster trade, so I don't think I can have much impact at the SHL level next season, but I'm confident the team can do well without me. In short, my goal next season is to get better offensively to take some pressure of the young players' shoulders with the Outlaws.

5. Written, 2 TPE (100 words min.) 10/16

Which SHL or SMJHL team was the best team to not make the finals this season and why?

I think the best team not to reach the finals in the SMJHL were the Kelowna Knights. We're talking about the best regular season team in the league with 109 points and fifty three wins. They had eleven more points and seven more wins than the second team in the league, the eventual champions, the Quebec City Citadelles. It's gotta be disappointing for the Kelowna Knights after they made a big trade in the offseaon with the Anaheim Outlaws to get two 425 defensemen. The team was stacked from top to bottom and given their regular season, the Knights were poised to be the champions from the get go. I don't follow the SHL that much, so I can't really tell who has been a disappointment.

12. Written, up to 4 TPE - Pick up to 4 Challenge Cup related topics to write about! Each topic is worth 1 TPE. Each answer must be 50+ words.
Which of these two teams' brandings do you prefer? Take into account colors, logo, name, location, and anything else you consider relevant. (11/16)

This question is kinda hard to answer for me, because I'm not really a fan of either logos to be completely honest. I think the Steelhawks logo is too simple compared to the other logos in the league, while the I really don't like yellow on hockey logos and I don't like dark green in general, so a mix of the two isn't ideal for me. To be honest, I don't really care about a team's branding, I'm just here to play hockey, but if I had to choose between the Steelhawks and the Stampede based on their logos, I'd choose the Steelhawks.

a. Hamilton finished 13 points above Buffalo in the standings this season. What is one thing that Buffalo can do to give themselves a leg up despite this? (12/16)

The Hamilton Steelhawks come into the series as the bookies favorite, but there's something the Buffalo Stampede can do to give themselves the upper hand. Nothing can beat good coaching in hockey. The Steelhawks lost some games this year, they aren't unbeatable. The Stampede can build a gameplan designed to beat the Steelhawks system and play the game to their advantage.

b. Hamilton was 3rd in the league in GF this season. Buffalo was 2nd in GA. This begs the age old question: what will win out, a great defense or a great offense? Why? (13/16)

To me, defence wins championship. If your team is well built defensively and has a good gameplan, your defense can shut down the best offensive teams. When an offensive team is struggling, they get frustrated and make more mistakes that you can take advantage of. However, I don't think there's a definite answer to this question in hockey, as things can change quickly, with penalties or injuries.

16. Written, 3 TPE (16/16)

I loved this as a mPT when hotdog did it last season, so I'd like to bring it back as a permanent fixture. After all, we could all use a little positivity every now and then. Say something nice about another member or members, no word limit.

For the last thing in my CW post, I'd like to take a moment to thank @Keygan and @"TommySalami" for welcoming me in the Blizzard family with open arms. I've had a good time talking with both of them and you both really seem like good people. Hopefully it's the start of something good between us.