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*Eggcracker* · 05-05-2023, 01:01 PM

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. Winnipeg made the finals last year and came up just short against the Forge. Last year, their offense ran through Mikko Rashford - this year, their top line has been much more of a balanced attack, with Gonzo Gobbledygook and Lias Ekholm-Gunnarsson stepping up hard. Does this make Winnipeg a stronger team, or would it be better to spread this firepower out and run multiple scoring lines?

b. New England finds themselves in a similar situation to Winnipeg's last year: star winger Petr Svoboda has an absurd 30 points in 23 playoff games at the time this is posted. 18 of those are goals, 12 are assists: how do you shut this guy down?

c. Olof Karsikko has made 823 saves in these playoffs, nearly twice the number of saves made by Winnipeg's Rebecca Montagne. What can New England do to help their tendie out? Or should they settle on a strategy of allowing their goalie to face a high volume of low-danger shots to get in the zone and stay hot? Alternatively, how can they rattle Montagne?

d. If it ain't broke don't fix it: Who you got? Who wins? Why?

a. FHM can be a fickle beast, of course an entire team firing on all cylinders is better than just one line, and one line is better than just one player. That being said, the scoring for Winnipeg being shared among the top line is still better than what most teams can ice on a nightly basis. With the way matching line ups can go, it's always better to have all lines being a scoring threat. Go Winnipeg! (77words - 1 TPE)

b. Depending on the type of player he is and what his linemates are set up as, it would be best to set a direct counter to his and his linemates' play styles and maybe match them up against the best defensive players available. Although it's not a guarantee, it is usually easier to shut down one player with tactics than an entire line or team even. (66 words - 1 TPE)

Total: 2 TPE

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3. Written, 3 TPE, History Repeating (150 words min.)

Tell me about something good that happened in your SHL career which you hope will happen again! What is it, what will it look like? Did it happen to your current player or one of your former players? What can you do to stack the odds in your favor?

My career is only 2 seasons young, so there has not been a lot that has happened yet. However, this season the Yukon Malamutes have gone where no Malamute has gone before, the 3rd round of the SMJHL playoffs! Although we lost eventually, we showed that our team can hang and play with the best teams in the league. We defeated teams that were higher seeded than us in the regular season in both the first and second round. In the third round, we gave the first place (regular season) Maine Timber a run for their money, keeping all the games fairly close and even winning 2. I hope that this trend will continue, that the Malamutes will extend their play off runs deep into Round 3 and maybe even the finals eventually, we want the cup. I have also his career highs so far this year and almost a point per game pace, it would be great if this development continues and next season I hit over a point per game.

(172 words - 3 TPE)

(Total Running TPE Earned: 5 TPE)

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4. Written, 3 TPE, Dream Series (150 words min.)

Many teams have rivals they'd love to trounce in a playoff series. Maybe you as a player have another specific player you'd love to beat to win the cup and lord it over them for the rest of their lives. Tell me who you'd love to play in a playoff series and why! Why would you love to beat this team or player? What would it mean to you or your team? Keep it friendly.

In the SMJHL, I don't really consider any team a rival yet. We have been at the bottom of the standings for a while so it's hard to get the rivalry juices flowing when your play isn't the best. However, if I had to pick, the dream match up would be against geographic rivals, the Anchorage Armada, the series would decide the best team in the North. In the SHL, it would be the Toronto North Stars, being originally drafted by the North Stars, they hold a special place in my heart and I want them to do well in their rebuild. With Edmonton being a West team, and Toronto in the East, it would be a dream rivalry match up to see some of my old teammates and familiar faces in a Edmonton versus Toronto SHL finals. The chance to play against so many familiar faces especially from my own draft class would be awesome, the bragging rights of the best prospect in the class of S70 would be on the line, also EDM and TOR have a long history of trades, so the two franchises are intertwined.

(189 words - 3 TPE)

(Total Running TPE Earned: 8 TPE)

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5. Written, 3 TPE, Blood on the Ice (150 words min)

Continuing with the branding wars: this year's final features the return of the glowing bear god against a fresh opponent - a mighty wolfpack! This one seems slanted in the bear god's favor, but don't count the wolves out so easily! Tell me who wins and why! The arena and the rules of the fight can be whatever you desire. Get creative!

This year's cup winner will no doubt be the Winnipeg Glowing Bear Gods, I had them as my cup winners in last season's predictions. It call comes down to one player, Gudmunder Kristjansson. He is the best veteran in the league, in the twilight season(s) of his career, he is chasing another cup in his fairy tale career. In the metaphorical sense and maybe literally, a bunch of normal wolves have no chance against a glowing bear god from the stars. The glowy bears will eventually win the cup because it is inevitable, Kristjansson will claim another championship and sale off into the sunset with a successful career. If he has another season in him, nobody knows, but if he stays with Winnipeg for another season, or wherever he ends up, they will have another solid chance of winning the cup again. Last but not least, after last year's performance, it would be a shame if Winnipeg did not take the cup home this season.

(166 words - 3 TPE)

(Total Running TPE Earned: 11 TPE)

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6. Written, 2 TPE, Hopeful Haiku  (5 words min.)

Write a haiku telling me what you hope to accomplish in Season 71! A haiku is a three line poem where the first line is five syllables, the second is seven, and the third line is five again. None of your lines may rhyme with each other.

I want the cup now!
But we lost in the semis
Next season will do.

(15 words - 2 TPE)

(Total Running TPE Earned: 13 TPE)

IIHF

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16. Written, 3 TPE, Home Turf (150 words min.)

Rotating host countries is expensive and politically challenging. Local governments have to maintain sufficient arenas to host an event that comes around once a decade and popular sentiment is changing against olympic-style sports in general. We may have to pick a permanent home for the IIHF! Naturally, this should be your country, so state your case as to why your country is the best candidate to permanently host IIHF!

Although I am now part of team Rhine (France), I was formerly a team Canada WJC player and co-gm so Canada holds a special place in my heart. If a permanent location needed to be chosen for all future WJC/IIHF tournaments, Canada is a no brainer. As a country, Canada probably has the highest rink to population ratio there is (do not fact check me on this). Canada has the existing infrastructure to play in multiple professional sized arenas in major metropolises, like Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Hamilton, some of these cities have more than 1 professional sized arena that can be used as well. With all the cities being within a reasonable travel time, the games and fatigue on the players participating would not be impacted too greatly either. Also, Canada is a very multiethnic country, there will be fans from all walks of life and countries of origin that will be able to attend. They don't call Canada the birthplace of hockey for nothing, it would only make sense it be chosen as a permanent home for all international tournaments.

(182 words - 3 TPE)

(Total Running TPE Earned: 16 TPE)

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