+3: 0. One (1) affiliate claim from either PBE or the ISFL will be accepted for 3 TPE!

https://forums.sim-football.com/showthre...#pid505824

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+3 1. Written, 3 TPE, Ups and Downs (150 words min.)
So this was a tough season for everyone in the SHL. Dealing with trolls online, horrible PR from product endorsements, and on top of that all some minor identity fraud to add to the pile. Are these the worst things to happen to your player this season, or did something unimaginably horrible happen? On the flip side, were there any bright spots hidden in the countless nuisances and problems? What good things on and off the ice happened this season for you?

Ole Olson had a perfectly pleasant season that began very slowly and ended about the same way if a bit more abrupt. His team, the New Orleans Specters, had minor hopes for the season knowing most of the roster was extremely young. While they may have been fast and athletic, they were not yet on the level of their experienced counterparts. It was an unfortunate season in terms of outcome, but it is only the beginning for the Specters. The future for the team from New Orleans is very bright as they continue to grow together and get more and more experience on the ice against professional opponents. While this season may have been disappointing there is a lot to look forward to for the Specters roster and their fans. In just a few seasons, they will be one of the best and most talented teams to be playing in the Simulation Hockey League. Stay tuned for the Specters future!

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+3: 2. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
Pokemon! Everyone loves em, and if you don't, you didn't have a childhood. Or adulthood. Anyways, let's imagine all SHL and SMJHL players are now pokemon. Assemble your team! On top of that, what is your strategy to navigate the POKESHL? Try to get the strongest pokemon and become champion? Catch all of the possible players and complete your pokedex? UwU Breed them? Catch low level juniors players and train them? Or become a gym leader, helping others on their path to greatness? I'd love to hear your approach.

Well, I would probably start my team off with some familiar faces; a r0tzbua, an inverted, a Kyamprac, an overdoo, and a Philliesphan96. With this team of Pokemon, I get a team with a variety of skill sets and temperaments. It makes for a well rounded group and one that can hopefully catch my opponents off guard, despite their intense lack of apathy. With their experience in all varieties and their diverse natural abilities, I think I can win most type matchups and control nearly every battle I find myself in. Due to the nature of the team, I'd likely post up in a Gym as a resident associate. I would not look to be the gym leader, but a resident trainer or just a regular member of the gym. I would hang out with this crew, training or just doing stuff for fun. It would be a pretty enjoyable experience, and it would be fun to compete against other trainers of similar skill level.

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+3: 6. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
What's your prediction for this season's IIHF tournament? Which teams do you expect to do well (or not well)? Which players?

This year is Norway's year to finish as champions of the International Ice Hockey Federation tournament. It is a simple fact that this team is one of the best as they are performing quite well in the Round Robin stage already. They took home the Bronze Medal last year, and have only gotten better since then. With a ton of defensive talent, the team will work to keep opposing pucks out of their net and take advantage of their breakaways and special teams to produce the offense needed to get pucks in net. Their strategy goes slightly counter to the traditional mantra of getting pucks deep, but that's not Norway's style. They want to control the game from the very beginning and they have the talent and ability to do so. Look for the Norwegian team to make a deep push into the finals and compete for that Gold medal against some of the best players around the world.

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+4: 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. The salt special: Do these teams deserve to be here? Or were they gifted a trip to the finals through puck luck and bullshittery?
Both of these teams are very talented and deserve to be in the finals. It has been a pretty regular occurrence since I have been around and it is very unsurprising to me to see these two teams back in it again. They always seem to be performing at a high caliber and are finals favorites.

b. Buffalo has been here many times in the past 20 seasons, this is only the second (I think I'm too lazy to check) time for Chicago. Which is more impressive? The continued dominance of Buffalo? Or the solid couple of runs Chicago has made despite the team only being 15 seasons old?
Chicago has built a very strong team and continue to prove to the league that they deserve the respect that they get. Buffalo has built such a dynasty that it is also fairly impressive. Without any knowledge of how either team has done what they have done, I would say that yes, it is impressive that they are doing what they are doing.

c. Everyone's a critic: Nitpick one thing about either team's logo, jersey, rink design, goal horn, or general site demeanor.
People in logos are not my favorite things, so I will call out Chicago for their mafioso. While it does feature a person, it is still pretty well done, and the color scheme is very nice. Buffalo on the other hand is a very simple, somewhat minimalist logo. I am also not a big fan of text in a logo, so I'll call Buffalo out on that.

d. Who is the best player to play for either team? Is it a current player? Retired? Traded? Make your case.
I have not been around nearly long enough to know which player from these two teams is the best. I have to imagine it's a Buffalo player as they have been around for an incredibly long time. Martijn Westbroek is a pretty likely candidate, as he has been playing extremely well for as long as I have been around.

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4+3+3+3+3= 16 TPE