truth

+1.5-3.0 TPE (depending on how correct i am)


5. I think a good place for the finals to take place this season that isn’t one of the two cities of the teams who made it would be Mexico City. Mexico is a place that is a neighbor to the US and Canada where the league currently takes place, and there are a lot of Mexico natives that live in both California and Florida. I’ve heard rumblings in recent times of Mexico being considered for IIHF expansion and I wouldn’t write them off for an SHL expansion team as well. Mexico City is a large metropolis with an enormous pool of potential new fans. As of this writing, its also 30 degrees warmer than where I am, and its high elevation keeps it relatively consistent all year round and insulates it from the extreme heat in other parts of the country. I think having the finals in Mexico City as a showcase for the league would go a long way toward earning new followers as well as serve as a test case for potential federation or league expansion in the future.

181 Words, +3TPE

6. While the Tampa Bay Barracuda are a division rival, Marek would be pulling for them in this series no question. For starters, Carda himself has played in one league final, last season against these same San Francisco Pride – and we all know who emerged victorious there based on the other writing prompts – so there is some history and animosity in that which is still fresh enough to counteract some of the in-division feelings toward TBB. On the Barracuda side, Carda has a number of people he shares bonds with on that roster. Zedward Zilliams was Marek’s captain on the Detroit Falcons back when the team won the S74 four star cup. Also on that team were The Murray and Dunkler Sowerwine, who currently lace up for the Barracuda. The next season, current Cuda youngster Brayden Point also joined the Falcons, skating a season with Marek before he left a season early to join the Forge. Beyond the SMJHL teammates on Tampa’s roster, he also has friends from the S74 draft class down there in Florida, in the shape of Dag-Otto Bjorntjanst and Shawn Pawn. The connections run deep with the Barracuda. On the other side, San Fran’s roster boasts only former teammate Mephi Morgonstjarna (IA) who has gone dark and no contact with his former team. The competition really isn’t that close in this case.

225 Words, +4TPE

TOTAL: (1.5-3.0)+(3)+(4) = 8.5-10 TPE, for a maximum of +8 TPE