PBE PT +3

2. Written, 2 TPE (100 words min.)
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?

At 1st glance this was a tough decision then I thought about it for about 2 seconds and the choice was clear give immunity from penalties, offsides, and icing. While I get the other will have a constant power play, my team wouldn't have to worry about how they play. No icing means we wouldn't have to worry about clearing the puck out of the zone, plus we don't have to worry about offsides which means when we do have possession of the puck we can go all out. Considering how much short handed goals the FHM engine gives I think being shorthanded wouldn't be so bad.

4. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
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?

Obviously the season did not go the way we wanted in New England. For Jakub it wasn't a terrible bad season although he failed to hit 10 goals and had a career high in negative +/- and PIMs, but Jakub was still top 3 in the team in goals and points and lead the team in hits and shots blocked. While Jakub will be starting regression this offseason but I don't think it will have not much effect on me atleast not for the upcoming season. The however improved in a huge way this off-season acquiring one of the best defensemen in the SHL in FR Finn Rhys. He will be moving straight into the top pairing with Sven Yxshaft, giving us 2 over 1700 TPE defensemen. On top of the trade all of our young players have been earning TPE and NEW now has 4 forwards above 1000 TPE and another 3 forwards all all under 200 TPE away from having 1000 TPE.

7. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.) or Graphic, 3 TPE
These are two very storied franchises, what is each team's all-time top 3 forwards, top 2 defensemen, and top goalie? Why did you choose them? For graphics people, make a graphic showing both team's starting lineups and some key stats.

For the all time Hamilton roster I'm going with Aaron Wilson, Robert Philips, and Joe McKeil as the forwards. Aaron Wilson dominated the league for a good 4 seasons but which felt like forever, Wilson has been arguable the biggest reason for the Hamilton dynasty over the past 10 seasons. Robert Philips is Hamilton's all time leading goal scorer with 391 and all time leading point scorer at 988, his fire power is a no brainer and absolutely deserves to be here. Joe McKeil is the last forward on here and is Hamilton's 2nd all time goal and points getter and also brings a physical side to the forward line. On defense for me it's Tig Murphy, and Gabe Johnson, both defensemen have had incredibly SHL careers and matchup beautifully as Tig being more defensively and Gabe being the more offensive presence. Geezus Kryyst is the no doubter to start in net Kryyst holds all the Hamilton goalie records and has just dominate in his day.

For Buffalo they are in their golden era right now so most of their players are still active. The forward line would be Viktor Marius, Hippo Passamus, and Monkey D. Luffy. Defensively it would be Alexis Meltzer, Charles Walker and Elizabeth O' Doyle in net. Marius is one of the best offensive threats of all time and Luffy is no slouch himself, Passamus lives up to his last name and is an excellent set up man slash 2 way forward. Defensively Meltzer might be the best Dman of all time and Walker is just a tiny step down. My former Crow teammate O'Doyle is probably the best Goalie right now and the best in the last couple of seasons.

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.
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?

Plain in simple the defense, Buffalo is one of the best defensive teams in the league and still have the scoring to make it not a one dimensional team. Hamilton certainly aren't a one dimensional team but I do think that Buffalo is the more balanced team of the 2, but I'm not sure it will be enough to win 4 games.

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?

In FHM it really seems like offense is slightly better then defense. Your not going to get were in a position to win a Cup if your not great at both but it just seems in my experience that offense holds a little bit bigger of an advantage. Plus offense isn't just offense but it also means possession, and if your just keeping the puck you will end up just buzzing around in the opponents zone.

c. Which of these two teams' brandings do you prefer? Take into account colors, logo, name, location, and anything else you consider relevant.

Neither team really has my favorite branding, I think the Stampede works a lot better with the Buffalo location then the Steelhawks fit with Hamilton. That being said I do like the Hamilton logo better then Buffalo's, and I do think the color schemes work well for both teams. I don't really think there's a clear winner between the 2 but if I had to pick I guess I would go with Hamilton.

d. It's all come down to this: game seven overtime. Which four players are you sending out to win the game for you. This is in a fantasy sense, so feel free to mix and match from both teams.

I really like this question, the 4 I'm sending out are Aaron Wilson, Elijah Jones, Augustus Wang, and Elizabeth O' Doyle. Wilson, and Jones as the forwards that will dominate the Offensive zone, and Wilson is not a slouch on defense either. Wang is comfortable in both zones and is pretty physical. As for goalie O' Doyle is the obvious choice. I think there are lot of combos you can go with I think this one is the winner.

SHL Milestone +1