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.

eleven

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. Two old faces are back in the ring, proving reports of the dynasty’s demise were greatly exaggerated! Pick either of our finalists, and tell me what about them impresses you the most!
b. Upsets were a theme this year - which of our finalists had the more difficult road to the promised land and why?
c. Which of the finalists had the more impressive conference finals victory, and why?
d. If it ain't broke don't fix it: Who you got? Who wins? Why?

a. The way that Winnipeg has managed to come up with a team that challenges year in year out for so long without needing to re-tool is incredible to me. You could argue that they are at or nearing the end of their window, but even if they don't win another playoff series over the next five seasons, I'd say it's been a successful era.

b. Winnipeg's opponents in the first three rounds were good for a total of 238 points during the regular season, while New England's amassed a total of 259. So from a pure numerical perspective, New England gets the nod in opponent difficulty. I'd say just eyeballing the teams involved reinforces this, as New England was left facing the 3rd best team in the conference finals, while Winnipeg's opponent San Francisco were likely worn down at the end of their cindarella run.

c. You could just look at the regular season performance of the two teams and say that Philadelphia were the much more dangerous opponent, but I think that would be selling the Pride short. It's incredibly hard to take on a team that believes in themselves the way the Pride did, and it's guaranteed they were playing at a high level to make it to the conference finals. For that reason, I think it's a tossup.

Quote:12. Written, 2 TPE - The Procrastinator Special! (100 words min.)
Looks like [TEAM] won Season 74! Who won and why? What could the other team have done differently to change the result? What was your favorite part of the series?

The New England Wolfpack won the series, and therefore, the Challenge Cup.
Why? For many reasons, but I think the most important is goalscoring.
The New England Wolfpack outscored Winnipeg, totaling 28 goals to Winnipeg’s 22. In truth, it was a high-scoring affair, and both teams’ offense can realistically claim that they did their job. But Winnipeg’s inability to keep New England to 3 goals or under (excepting game 5) was really what did them in.
New England was able to take their scoring to the next level during the playoffs. The Wolfpack were 7th overall in scoring during the regular season, which is good but not great, but they scored 33 goals against the Forge in the conference finals! That’s an average of 5.5 per game.
With that kind of scoring, it’s no wonder they prevailed in the end.