1. CW Trivia (3 TPE)

Verification word: yikes

2. Grab Bag 1 (4 TPE)

a) I'd have to go with the veteran forces in CHI. They've proven time and time again that they are a force in this league, and it would be foolish to bet against them. While ATL was able to take down veteran juggernauts in HAM and BAP on the road to the finals, they simply don't have the firepower to take down a team firing on all cylinders like Chicago. (69 words)

b) You absolutely have to think before you move the puck in this league, especially against a skilled defensive team in Chicago. It's not news to Atlanta that they'll have to be careful, but I think they'll be caught off guard by how skilled Chicago is with their sticks. Atlanta needs to keep the puck moving and make sure they have their guard up at all times in this series. (69 words)

c) No. Chicago is too smart to let their emotions get the best of them, and at this point every aggressive play they make will likely be intentional to keep Atlanta on their toes and down to earth. Atlanta will need to learn to play rougher and keep up, but if they keep out of the box and can convert on the powerplay they may have Chicago looking for answers. (69 words)

d) Yes, but not really because of the approach. While Chicago's strategy has ups and downs, the problem is that Atlanta's plan will make their top guys tired pretty quickly, so if they ever need to get back into a game you can't play your top guys even more than they're playing already, and Chicago can always start double shifting their top guys in case of an emergency or comeback. (69 words)

3. Grab Bag 2 (4 TPE)

a) It wouldn't be Newfoundland without strong and capable guys on the backend, in this case captain Mikko Rashford and the younger Rand Al' Thor. If I'm Quebec, I'm telling my guys to forecheck and stay on their guys whether they're D or not. Newfoundland is a Swiss army knife in that if you focus too much on one thing, they'll bite you everywhere else. Focus on aggressive checking throughout. (69 words)

b) Shooting percentage doesn't tell you the full story. What it tells be is that these "snipers" aren't shooting if it isn't a favorable chance, so I'm doing everything possible to keep them to the outside. Force them to make quick decisions, force their hand and get them taking bad perimeter shots that will sink that inflated percentage. If you can make them make quick decisions, they will shoot badly. (69 words)

c) Getting hot at the right time is essential for a good run, but there's other ways to track how hot a team is other than PDO. In this case, Newfoundland is shooting below average in terms of %, but this just means they're getting more chances and converting slightly less per chance, but they're still generating chances and scoring more than the other team, and that's enough to win games. (69 words)

d) If I'm Newfoundland, this is the last dance. GM and coach Nhamlet is going, the large S62 core is going, and they're going to go out with a bang. Quebec is trying to get on the board for the first time in 5 years, and will use all the gas in their tanks as they attempt to take down the juggernaut of the J in the last few years. (69 words)

4. Origin Story (3 TPE)

The origin story of the prestigious Challenge Cup is a good one, one that stretches back to pre-SHL days. Back in S5 BCE, the league at the time was a barren 8 team league called the Simulation Hockey Association (SHA) that had an 8 team playoff bracket after a 50 game season. Problem is, when they won all they got was some "gold" medals that were just painted steel. This made the current league juggernauts and 5-time champions Greece Giants upset, and when they won their 6th championship in S1 BCE they proclaimed that they were the best team in the league, but that upset the Persia Painters who felt that they were the better team. The Greece Giants (GG for short) challenged the Persia Painters to a duel, the winner receiving a trophy. After thinking for a season, Aristotle would name the cup "The Challenge Cup", which was globally accepted. The Greece Giants would win the match played in S0, the last season of the SHA. The SHL would form in the SHA's demise, and the rest is history. (180 words)

7. Milestones (3 TPE)

[/url][url=https://simulationhockey.com/showthread.php?tid=123533&pid=3213716#pid3213716]Link to my milestones post

Total TPE Earned: 16 (17/16)