Task 1: (3 TPE)

Verification: Strongo

Task 2: (4 TPE)

a. Atlanta is a recent expansion team reaching it's first finals appearance. Chicago has been a dominant force in the league for a long time now, with their last cup win only seven seasons ago in Season 57. If you're betting on these finals, do you go for the experienced vets in Chicago, or the hungry Atlanta first-timers?

I'm putting all my money on the Chicago Syndicate. They have a far superior team and are proven in the playoffs. The Inferno are riding a heater right now, but they haven't faced a team like Chicago yet. Their elite depth is going to overwhelm Atlanta in this series. Very rarely does the first-timer win, they usually need to experience that painful loss first and I think that happens here. (70 words)

b. Chicago's lineup much more active with their sticks than Atlanta's, racking up 97 takeaways to Atlanta's 79. This late in the playoffs, how do you adjust to a team that's so adept at picking your pocket?

It's going to hurt Atlanta for sure. When you know that the opposition is adept at stealing the puck you play that much more cautious. You don't want to be the player that gives the puck away at a crucial time, so you're going to be more conservative. That's going to hurt Atlanta because they aren't as talented as Chicago and will need to be creative and try to catch Chicago off guard. This isn't a good combination for Atlanta and it will affect their game plan tremendously. (88 words)

c. Atlanta has only 32 penalty minutes in these playoffs compared to Chicago's 45. With emotions high and the Challenge Cup on the line, do you think discipline will play a big role in this series?

I honestly don't think this gap is going to matter in this match up. I expect Chicago to have the puck much more than Atlanta which should result in more penalties for Atlanta. Also, Chicago has been here before and knows what emotions go into playing in a final. I think it's going to throw Atlanta off and if they chase the game like I expect, they're going to take more risks and in turn get penalized more. (78 words)

d. Similar to last season's finals, we see Chicago running a balanced ice-time attack against Atlanta's targeted approach that has some players seeing sheltered minutes. Last season the more balanced attack won out. Do you think we'll see the same again? Why or why not?

We will see the balanced attack win again. Chicago has such good depth that they are able to throw each line out equally and still be dangerous. Atlanta can't hide half their team against Chicago because any one of their lines can score. Depth always shows itself in a long playoff run and Atlanta can't rely on a few players to finish the job, not against a deep team like Chicago. (71 words)

Task 3: (4 TPE)

a. Newfoundland has gotten 25 points in 11 games from two of their top D, Rand al'Thor and Mikko Rashford. If you're Quebec's coach, how do you adjust to Newfoundland having guys on the blue line that are just as offensively dangerous as the wingers?

It really wrecks your game plan. There are so few defencemen that can affect the game offensively like these two. Not only do you have to organize yourself to defend the forwards in the neutral zone and defensive zone, but now you need to have a player patrol the blue line and take away any passing and shooting lanes that are there. That is going to take away a player from the front of the net or leave a forward open along the boards. It's a really tough challenge. (89 words)

b. Quebec has three players shooting 20% or better in Bertrand, Utah, and Kidd. If you're the Newfoundland defense, how do you find a way to bottle up three forwards that can't seem to miss the back of the net?

Honestly, you hope that those players regress to the mean. Shooting 20% is very unsustainable and you can't expect them to continue that for at least 4 more games. However, you can't rely on that alone, so I think the game plan should be to disrupt their vision as much as possible. Try and have player in their face every time the puck is on their stick. Don't let them see the net for any shot attempt. (77 words)

c. Looking at each teams' PDO, we see that Quebec is riding a bit of a hot streak while Newfoundland has actually been a bit unlucky. Do you think this a is a good thing for either team? Is Newfoundland bound to find some luck, or are they going to get stuck in a rut? Is Quebec going to come back down to Earth, or did they get hot at the right time?

Numbers always regress to the mean, it just depends how long you ride it out until that happens. If you follow that logic, Newfoundland should bounce back while Quebec comes back down. However, obviously you want to be on a hot streak any chance you can get, like Quebec, you just need to hope it can last just a few more games. (62 words)

d. Newfoundland has appeared in all 4 of the last SMJHL finals and won 3 of them. Quebec, a consistently strong presence in the SMJHL, has a lot of playoff success behind them as well, having won several series since their last 4 Star in S58. How do you approach this series mentally on either side? If you're Newfoundland, are you worried your streak can't last forever? If you're Quebec, do you fear that you can't take down a goliath?

If you're Newfoundland, it's like you're playing with house money. You've done this before, won before, and every appearance feels like a cherry on top. It lets you play much more loose and free. You can take extra chances and not play too stiff. For Quebec, it's been a while since you've won and that can creep into your head. Is this the last time we're going to be here? You find yourself gripping your stick super tight and scared to make a mistake. That's tough to overcome. (88 words)

Task 7: (3 TPE)

3 TPE from Milestones

Task 22: (2 TPE)

I'm going to take this time to shout out our new commissioner, WBF. During the interview process, he took our questions and challenges in stride and was honest with himself and us. He knew he came in with a controversial reputation and most people would have used that as an excuse, but he didn't. He addressed it, accepted that he had work to do to fix it, but didn't let it stop him from showing that he was the best person for the job.

Ever since he took the reins, I believe he's done a great job building stability and also moving this league into brighter times. This is a tough, tough job, but his temperament has been a huge asset for him and his team. I'm excited to see this league under his watch.

(135 words)