Quote:1. CW TRIVIA, 3 TPE max - 1.5 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.

Verification: welost

Quote: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?
I've always personally leaned towards spreading your offense out (within reason) during the playoffs. I wouldn't be playing star players on the bottom line or anything, but being able to come at a team in relentless waves can be exhausting for the opponent. You can always stack a line later if you need to find some offense.

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?
To quote the next question, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". Obviously New England's strategy is working as they've toppled some very strong teams to get to this point. It seems to me like they're allowing teams to make low danger shots and Karsikko is mopping up whatever comes through. It's the same strategy the Habs used to get to the cup a few years ago. Lock down the middle and let your star goalie deal with the rest.

d. If it ain't broke don't fix it: Who you got? Who wins? Why?
Well, if I'm being honest I thought that we had a pretty good chance at getting it done this time. Of course that came back to bite me. I felt pretty good that we wouldn't have to face Philly again and might have underestimated New England a bit. Maybe we're cursed, or maybe we just can't rise to the occasion, I don't know. But we'll keep trying.

Quote: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?

Unfortunately throughout my career I have been stuck without any Challenge Cup wins, so I can't use that as my prompt. I did have one Four Star win way back in I believe S41, but it was with a team I was traded to at the deadline at the end of my junior career and I did not have a big connection or attachment with that team. Other than that, the best things that have happened in my SHL career would be between winning a Stevens trophy with Jon Toner back in S49 I believe? Or my back to back Mexico nominations with Blanchet a few seasons ago. Winning the Stevens trophy was something I was really proud of, but even though I didn't pull out a win from my Mexico noms, that almost feels like a bigger feat. To be a top 3 player in the league is huge, and to be able to do that in back to back seasons was pretty cool. I don't think I'll reach those heights again with Blanchet, but maybe some day on a future player I can pull out the win.

Quote:7. Milestones, up to 3 TPE

Milestones are folded in with CW. So just link your Milestone claim as task 7 for up to 3 TPE towards your 16 total.
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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.

Milestones Link

Quote: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.

Just one cup pretty please
It's been five years, still no cup
I'm dying inside

Quote:17. Written, 2 TPE - The Procrastinator Special! (100 words min.)
Congratulations, procrastinator! Through my most gracious scheduling error, you’ve won a special task! [TEAM] has won it all! Were the playoffs as you expected this year, or were there some surprises? Who were you hoping would take it - Winnipeg's redemption tour or the fresh-faced Wolfpack? What did you like or not like about this season?

We felt pretty good once again going into the playoffs. We felt like we were definitely the team to beat in the West and we ended up cruising through the conference without too many issues. Once again though we couldn't get the job done in the finals. We will still have plenty good enough team to win over the next few seasons, but it can be frustrating to have a championship within your grasp but have it slip away a few times in a row. I'm beginning to feel like a bit of a curse, I've been here for about 5.5 years now without an SHL championship to speak of, and I have almost consistently been on playoff teams throughout my SHL career.