Quote:Code:
1. CW TRIVIA, 3 TPE max - 1 TPE for participation, 0.5 TPE for each correct answer. This is completed through a Google form linked below. Make sure to spell your answers correctly or you will not get credit. Post your verification word in your CW post.

Help

Quote:Code:
2. Written, up to 4 TPE - Grab Bag: Pick up to 4 Challenge Cup related topics to write about! Each topic is worth 1 TPE. Each answer must be 50+ words.
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?
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?
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?
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?

a. Well it's obviously too late now but my money would have been on Chicago. With the recent parity troubles it's just foolish not to bet on the favorite. The recent changes that will hopefully change things for the better and breed more real competition in the near future, but we aren't quite there yet.
b. I don't think there is too much you can do about it from a tactical standpoint, you just have to be disciplined, play a strong physical game and not be afraid to lose the puck even if your opponent is very good at taking it away for you. Being afraid of losing the puck is worse than actually losing it sometimes, so just keep your confidence up, keep making confident plays and deal with the backcheck when necessary,
c. Discipline will play a big role for sure but I think we are dealing with two very disciplined team here, so I don't expect this factor to be a problem for either one of them. Atlantas PIM-stat is very impressive though, given that they are a team who had to fight hard all playoffs and wasn't exactly the favorite in most of their series, being able to still win in such a clean fashion is a great feat.
d. I think ultimately the more balanced approach is the superior one and you will ultimately just overwhelm the other team with your firepower if you have great talent distributed throughout your entire line-up. But I'm sure Atlanta would actually agree with me and would do the same if they could, they just don't have the players for that.

Quote:Code:
3. Written, up to 4 TPE - Grab Bag: Pick up to 4 Four Star Cup related topics to write about! Each topic is worth 1 TPE. Each answer must be 50+ words.
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?
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?
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?
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?

a. Not to take anything away from these guys, they are obviously great players, but I do think their stats are a bit inflated from the fact that they are playing on easily the most dominant team in the league. Being on a team that dominates play so much both gives them the opportunity to pick up easy assists just by passing the puck along as the team controls play in the offensive zone, and they also have more freedoms to jump into the play offensively than Defensemen on most other teams.
b. Just keep on doing what you've been doing all season. Shooting at that high of an percentage means that these players did get lucky in the playoffs so far, which likely isn't sustainable. And even if it is, Newfoundland has so much talent, if they just play to their strengths as they have done in the 70+ games of the season so far, they will be the favorites.
c. -
d, I don't think there will be any fear on Newfoundlands side, the game has clearly favored the powerhouse teams in recent years and there is no more dominant powerhouse in either the SHL or the SMJHL over the last few seasons than the Berserkers. They will be playing with all the Confidence in the world and QCC won't have much of a choice than to embrace the underdog role.

Quote:5. Written, 3 TPE, Cup Check (150 words min.)
Which league has the more prestigious cup in your opinion, the SHL or the SMJHL? Which cup is harder to win? A lot is said about the different skill sets required to GM in each league, so which do you personally think is tougher to manage? Is a trophy case with three Four Star Cups as cool as a trophy case with three Challenge Cups? Maybe you think it’s even cooler. Why?

I have a lot of respect for the SMJHL and all the people that make it what it is, but this one has to be the SHL and the Challenge Cup. Is it just so much harder to win and so many more things have to go right for you to even be able to have a shot at it, and then you are likely still facing multiple stacked teams full of superstars and with some of the best tactical minds in the league behind the helm. The SHL has some absolute juggernaut teams and many great players never even get a real shot at the comp because the timing is never quite right for the teams they are on. The cup window in the SHL might be a bit bigger than in the SMJHL but with rebuilds getting longer and longer, it's quite easy to miss our on your cup window altogether - making it even more special for those players who do manage to win one.

Quote:7. Milestones, up to 3 TPE
Milestones are folded in with CW. Just link your Milestone claim below this task for up to 3 TPE towards your 16 total.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Post your claim in the milestones thread for tpe earned per stat, and then link that post in your CW submission. This is done because the person who grades CW will be a different person than double-checks milestones.

https://simulationhockey.com/showthread....pid3208921 +3