Trivia word: paper

Quote:b. Manhattan has charged from a ninth place regular season finish to an Eastern conference championship and a shot at the Challenge Cup. I don't think that it's out of line for me to say that not many saw this coming. How do you think they got to this point? Who's performing better than expected? Do you think they have enough gas to complete the Cinderella run? (1 TPE)

The biggest reason for Manhattan making it to the finals would have to be Lev Lebedev. He exploded in the playoffs and was able to be the leader that Manhattan needed to get past some tough opponents, leading the playoffs with 22 goals and 43 points. Name Redacted also turned into a brick wall along the way, putting up a .921 save percentage and three shutouts across the playoffs.

Quote:4. Written, 3 TPE, Tough to Swallow (150 words min.)

In your opinion, who was the best SHL or SMJHL team to NOT win the Challenge Cup / Four Star Cup? Who was on that team, and why do you think they deserved to win it all? What round did they lose in and how? Was it bad luck? A hot opposing goalie? Inexperience?

The best team to not win the Four Star Cup would be the Quebec City Citadelles. They had an explosive two-headed offensive threat of senior players Sophie Bordeleau and Portgas D. Ace, and the pair led the team in scoring by a wide margin. Ace in particular played one of the best playoff runs of all time coming up just short. The team was fun to watch and had plenty of incredible rookies. Forwards Tony Hawkey and Viktor Hargreeves were great on the third line, and rookie defenseman Alexander Minaj was a slam-dunk success as he racked up 51 points to place third on the team. Caleb Hayden was solid in net on the way to 40 wins and the plucky Citadelles won the Laurifer. The biggest reason the Citadelles made it as far as they did was their tenacity. They were never out of a game or a series, as shown when they erased a 3-1 series deficit against St. Louis and a 2-0 hole with less than 15 minutes left in Game 7 to come back and win the game and the series in overtime. The reason for the team's loss was an inexplicable 9-2 demolition that still bears no rhyme or reason.

Quote:5. Written, 3 TPE, Hotel Rooms (150 words min)

During the playoffs it’s not uncommon to have to spend several days on the road in the same city. Whether you’re in the playoffs or not, who does your player share a room with on the road? What do you get up to? Are you the type to drag around a PS5 everywhere you go, or are you the first to hit the bar after the game? Are you a night owl or an early riser?

Sophie Bordeleau's first road trip roommate on the Citadelles was Louise St. Martin for reasons of gender. The younger Bordeleau was usually the more shy type at first while she acclimated to the environment, but once she was better-acquainted with teammates she was happy to be more social. Sophie isn't a heavy drinker, but she will enjoy the occasional visit to the bar after a road game. She would describe herself as somewhat of a night owl, and in particular loves having video calls with her friends and family to be able to keep in touch when the team is on the road. For entertainment, Sophie likes to keep it simple with her Nintendo Switch on the road, which has the games she likes and is a great way to pass the time. Now that she's one of the leaders on the team with the A on her chest, Sophie has recently taken to organizing outings on the road where teammates can get some bonding time, and it's this connection that's gotten the Citadelles to the finals.

7. Milestones +3 TPE

Quote:13. Graphic, 1 TPE, crAIyon? More like CWaiyon!

In the spirit of the insanely easy ring task that stayed around forever, we can keep running this one! Try using OpenAI’s DALL E Mini (now known as crAIyon) to generate a Challenge Cup related image. It could be a championship ring, your player lifting the cup, a locker room celebration. Go nuts as long as you’re attempting to make it SHL related! The results will be weird, but it’s fun!  https://www.craiyon.com/

Enjoy zombie apocalypse Sophie.

Quote:23. Written, 2 TPE, Say Something Nice (100 words min.)

I’m not sure when we did this last, so that probably means it’s a good time to bring back the positivity prompt! Tag some other folks on the site and let them know why you appreciate them! Could be a GM, a friend, a department head, anyone! The goal is to make someone happy.

There are so many people I'm wanting to thank, I've been fortunate to have such a great group of people around me in the league. The past four seasons in Quebec have been incredible and I have to thank @Evok @RAmenAmen @Faelax @Caleb_H and others for bringing me in and helping get Sophie one of the highest point totals in SMJHL history. There are far too many people to tag here that have made QCC the best locker room to be in, but y'all know who you are and I love you guys. Big shoutout to @Toast and @Bfine for taking a swing on me by trading for me, and I hope to repay them and have a great career. Couldn't leave this without shouting out the SFP crew @AgentSmith630 @sulovilen @Keven @Spartan @LordBirdman @lespoils @Jimmysmo27 and so many others. Every one of you make the LR a joy to be in, and I'm excited to get to come up to the big club with you guys. Last but not least, big ups to the gals who have become some of my best friends on the site and are always a joy to talk to. I won't tag you for confidentiality, but y'all know who you are.

TPE: 14.5+trivia/16