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.
Ivy (+3 TPE)
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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.
c. Two very different teams took two very different routes to the Cup Final: which of them impressed you more? Why?
d. If it ain't broke don't fix it: Who you got? Who wins? Why?
c. Winnipeg being back here yet again is most impressive to me. To be in the finals three straight seasons, even without a cup win, is insanely impressive. So often we hear of teams in the finals having a hangover the following season, so to see the Aurora not miss a beat and continue their regular season domination is truly a feat I did not expect from any SHL franchise. (69 words, +1 TPE)
d. As impressive as it is to see Winnipeg in the finals again, I am going with Buffalo. They are the hottest team in the post season, and I think that momentum is the difference maker here. It also does not hurt that Winnipeg seems to be a team that can't close out the cup final, and I do not see that changing here. I expect a close series, but Buffalo is the team of destiny this season. (77 words, +1 TPE)
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4. Written, 3 TPE, A Challenger Appears (150 words min.)
Buffalo hasn't put up the same offensive numbers as the Aurora, but they
haven't needed to. Their points leader in Konstantin Selich has 19
points in 16 playoff games, an impressive number in its own right, but
the Stampede's hero has been Casey Fantobens, their brick wall with a
casual *0.929* save percentage over the playoffs so far. In a battle of
unbelievable offense vs the stoutest playoff defense this league has
seen in a while, does Buffalo have what it takes to bring home the
trophy and send the Aurora back to Winnipeg yet again?
I have always been a believer that in the playoffs, it comes down to a hot goaltender. So often, we see some unfamiliar names dominate in the crease and carry their teams to the cup victory. In Buffalo's case, Casey Fantobens has been exactly that. To stop nearly 93% of shots on the biggest stage is nothing short of incredible. Because Fantobens has been doing it every game of every round so far, I do not see any reason why he would not carry that over to the finals against Winnipeg. Sure, this Aurora offense is probably unlike any other he has seen so far in the playoffs. But, Winnipeg also has not seen a brick wall like Fantobens. In the end, I am going to be putting my money on that wall to stop a great offense. It is also worth noting that for two straight seasons prior to this one, Winnipeg has shown an inability to show out on offense the way they do in the regular season and early round playoffs which only makes me more likely to go with the hot goalie in this case. (189 words, +3 TPE)
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.
07-10-2023, 09:04 PM(This post was last modified: 07-13-2023, 07:12 PM by Hungy Fella. Edited 3 times in total.)
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 Word- Cheese
Write your predictions for this year's IIHF tournament or WJC! Tell me about your team! How far do you realistically expect to go this year? What nations do you want to match up against, and which do you dread?
10. predict the United States to come through victorious, after a tough outcome last season where they fell short of a championship the American coaches put together a strong roster of players from all around the SMJHL. Many of the selected players are on the back end of their junior careers so they hope that their experience will lead them to a gold medal. Having a team full of junior players who have reached the cap of 425 TPE is a huge advantage and the depth on this American team will hopefully carry them far in this tournament. Although The United States seems like one of the favorites to win they will have to keep their eye on the respectable competition of UCORCAL and the British Isles, while teams like Canada and Rhine will probably be at the bottom of the standings again.
11. Written, 3 TPE, Civil War (150 words min.)
How does your player feel about playing against SHL teammates in the IIHF? Do you ease up on your hits, or do you go harder? Do you grin at each other across the ice, or is this a point of national pride?
11. Thomas Liebold is a very laid back person, while he wants to win and plays as hard as he can whenever he steps onto the ice no matter who it is against he also stays playful and often jokes around with his teammates and the other team at the faceoffs. The WJC is no different for him. He is very excited to see them and be able to compete against them. He will definitely talk with them but they all know the tournament is still a competition so they can expect to experience Liebold’s physical presence on the ice. Being selected for these teams is such an honor that none of the players want to let their teams and coaches down so they all try their hardest. Ontop of playing for national pride the players are also playing for bragging rights when they go back to the junior teams after the WJC is over
12. Written, 2 TPE - The Procrastinator Special! (100 words min.)
Looks like [TEAM] won the cup! (Sorry, Micool.) What was your favorite part of the series? Who won and why? What could the other team have done differently to have a better chance?
12. The Buffalo Stampede has emerged as the winner of the SHL for this season and it was a surprise to many that they were able to defeat the regular season champions the Winnipeg Aurora. Winnipeg’s downfall came in their own defensive zone, while the team was an offensive powerhouse and finished the playoffs with 6 of the top 10 point scorers they couldn’t crack the shut down defensive style of play that won the Stampede the championship. The Aurora will have to be stronger defensively next season if they want to bring home an SHL championship because as many people know, defense wins championships.
3. Teams win championships when their best player is their goaltender. Having a netminder who can save the vast majority of key chances that crop up over the course of your run. With Montaigne struggling, it seems that Winnipeg will have to rely on their defense, which will undoubtedly be a tough spot for any team to be in. Great teams need good goaltending, aside from the fact that any team playing at any level could use good goaltending. It's necessary for your goaltender to be playing at a certain level in the playoffs. Montaigne either activates that next level, or the Aurora go down to defeat for a 3rd time. It's vastly frustrating for plenty of reasons that this is what the Aurora are struggling with this playoff run. All signs point to this being it, but at the end, that's how these games tend to go.
4. As I just said, your goalie has to be very VERY good in order to win a cup, and this isn't different in the SHL. Buffalo is just the kind of opponent that Winnipeg is dreading. Stronger defensively, but dangerous offensively nonetheless, and with the x-factor goaltending that Winnipeg lacks. The big difference is defensive reliability, all things told, when the team you're playing against allows less goals than you do, I can't blame you through sweating through your jersey. It's part of what makes championship-level teams so deadly, they are usually the most well-rounded team in the league. Teams with balance, like Buffalo with their strengths on both sides of the ice, tend to get the better of teams that succeed in only a few different parts of the game. A good offense only gets you so far before a good goaltender catches up to you.
yosh SMJHL GM
cut back down to my knees, gotta get back, gotta get free, cut back to my knees, lean back now, lean back and breathe
07-11-2023, 12:16 AM(This post was last modified: 07-13-2023, 08:20 PM by yosh. Edited 5 times in total.)
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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 has put together an impressive streak of Challenge Cup Finals appearances, but has no hardware to show for their dominance in the west so far. What do the Aurora have to do differently to get over the hump this year?
b. Buffalo, fresh off a rebuild, crushed their way through the first two rounds of these playoffs after coming in as a wildcard, scoring two consecutive sweeps against two of the best teams in the East. Have the Stampede convinced you? If so, what sold you?
c. Two very different teams took two very different routes to the Cup Final: which of them impressed you more? Why?
d. If it ain't broke don't fix it: Who you got? Who wins? Why?
a. I think part of that struggle might just be psychological at this point. There seems to be so much more pressure as the top dogs in the regular season to see it through and win the whole championship, especially compared to a dark horse cinderella story run from a fourth division placing team that most had pegged to get out in the first round. If Winnipeg can shake off that psychological pressure and just play some good hockey, they've got this. (WC: 81)
b. The Stampede have convinced me off of their sheer momentum alone. However, they are not out of the woods yet by any means, and I am sure that Winnipeg will be their greatest challenge yet. If they can start out the series strong, that should be a good sign of their prospects for finishing out the fight and taking home a Challenge Cup. (WC: 63)
c. Definitely Buffalo. You just can't help but to root for those underdog cinderella cup runs. Really, for a team to go through a short rebuild (might as well call it a retool at that point) and then to just shock the hockey world with this run. They've got the respect of many in the SHL, and the disdain of the fans of teams that they've booted out of the playoffs. (WC: 70)
d. Buffalo (ignore the fact that I know about this from hindsight and the site is also in Stampede colours), and once again, this is solely based off of momentum on top of the aforementioned woes of Winnipeg from that extra pressure of being the top dog in the fight. I have faith that Winnipeg will make it a tough series, but I think that Buffalo will end up taking the upper hand here if they can get off to a strong start in the series. (WC: 85)
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3. Written, 3 TPE, Guess Who's Back (150 words min.)
To say Winnipeg has been offensively dominant in their playoff run so far is needlessly charitable to their opponents. Lias Ekholm-Gunnarsson has *twenty nine points* in sixteen playoff games. Mikko Rashford has *twenty seven*. However, Rebecca Montaigne has a 0.888 save percentage for this run. Can Winnipeg's absurd offense finally get them over the hump, or do they need to patch up their defense if they want to outlast the Upstate Upstarts?
Let me just say, this offensive output is incredible. Mikko Rashford is putting on historic offensive numbers and this entire Winnipeg team is like a lethal weapon when it comes to scoring goals. That being said, an offense can absolutely be run dry if they face a tight defensive system or a goalie playing on an absolute bender of a run. Therefore, I am very worried about Winnipeg as a result of this. It does not help that they haven't had been blessed with elite levels of goaltending so far in this playoff run, although I do not know to whom that blame should be attributed, whether it's to Montaigne, or to the defensive group of the Aurora.
Anyhow, Buffalo will still prove to be a strong challenge for the Aurora. Based off of the context of them being an underdog team making a dark horse run, I would have to imagine they may be helped by that very same goalie run that might bend or break Winnipeg's offensive threat. Will be interesting to see how this matchup plays out. (WC: 180)
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4. Written, 3 TPE, A Challenger Appears (150 words min.)
Buffalo hasn't put up the same offensive numbers as the Aurora, but they haven't needed to. Their points leader in Konstantin Selich has 19 points in 16 playoff games, an impressive number in its own right, but the Stampede's hero has been Casey Fantobens, their brick wall with a casual *0.929* save percentage over the playoffs so far. In a battle of unbelievable offense vs the stoutest playoff defense this league has seen in a while, does Buffalo have what it takes to bring home the trophy and send the Aurora back to Winnipeg yet again?
Wow, what a number. As I predicted in my earlier task, it should come to no surprise that Casey Fantobens has been an integral part of this crazy Buffalo Stampede playoff run. That being said, the Winnipeg Aurora's offense will be Fantobens and company's greatest challenge to date, and rightfully so. This really could determine the outcome of the final series. If Fantobens and the defensive group do well to essentially extinguish Winnipeg's relentless offensive threat, then this Challenge Cup could very well almost be theirs for the taking.
However, all Winnipeg really needs is a spark. Game 1 and 2, if they can let the flood gates open and just unleash a barrage of goals, I just don't see how Buffalo can regain that momentum. At that point, Winnipeg should have the series all to themselves.
In the counterfactual realm, though, I don't see how a shutout Winnipeg Aurora team in Game 1 and 2 guarantees the Stampede the cup. It gives them a very strong case for sure. However, all they have to do is figure things out in the next two games for it to be a whole new series. In my earlier scenario though, an early series lead for Winnipeg might just be the straw that breaks the camel's back for Buffalo, though.
Essentially, I can see how the first two games of the series can be a tipping point for both sides. If Fantobens holds up, Buffalo has a strong chance. If not, then Winnipeg might as well be a lock. (WC: 256)
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5. Written, 3 TPE, Blood on the Ice (150 words min)
Continuing an emergent tradition: this year's final features a god-bear of cosmic wind facing an unfamiliar rival on a familiar battleground: this year, the great glowing north faces a furious herd of buffalo! Tell me who wins and why! The arena and the rules of the fight can be whatever you desire. Get creative!
I suppose it depends on how the Aurora manifests itself. If it manifests as like a brutal deadly solar laser, then I don't think any amount of buffalo can defeat it. It is like the hypothetical scenario of how many humans it would take to take down the sun. It would have to be a number so large that it is not fathomable to the human mind, if I had to imagine.
Now, let us say that instead of manifesting itself as a powerful and mighty deadly solar beam laser sent from space, the great glowing north is instead just a display of Aurora Borealis. Simple solar flares that are quite majestic to witness. If you have a decent enough camera, that is. Otherwise, you really aren't going to see much. In this scenario, you can guess that the giant herd of buffalo will have this in the bag. They'll just chill out in their plain wilderness, pop a bag of popcorn, and enjoy the views of the late night Aurora Borealis. (WC: 172)
2. Grab bag - 2 TPE
c: Winnipeg impressed me more because they did not have to use cheat codes to get there. I mean Buffalo obviously cheated their way to the final. I think all of us (except Buffalo) will agree on this. So Winnipegs performance was much harder and deserves far more credit than that of Buffalo. I'm not sour at all. /s
d: I think Buffalo will win it because they have rigged the sim for some reason. The blasted past us in the first round and found a way for their goalie to have god mode. We should have been the better team, but we had 0 chance against an unbeatable goalie unfortunately.
10. IIHF - 3 TPE
For this years IIHF tournament I think we might see another surprise win just like last season when Germany won the gold medal. I think this season Germany has only gotten better and will make another deep run and potentially win it back to back. Other strong nations that will have a shot are Sweden and Canada I think, but to be fair I am just talking out of my own ass because I have actually no clue what nations are strong and which are not. I think Finland and Japan also do well for the past few seasons, but I do not know if they will be strong contenders again. Some nations also seem to be at the bottom all the time like Austria, Russia and France for example. In the end I just hope that Germany wins it again because I need more medals in my profile on the site.
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 word = regret
3 TPE
Code:
4. Written, 3 TPE, A Challenger Appears (150 words min.)
Buffalo hasn't put up the same offensive numbers as the Aurora, but they haven't needed to. Their points leader in Konstantin Selich has 19 points in 16 playoff games, an impressive number in its own right, but the Stampede's hero has been Casey Fantobens, their brick wall with a casual *0.929* save percentage over the playoffs so far. In a battle of unbelievable offense vs the stoutest playoff defense this league has seen in a while, does Buffalo have what it takes to bring home the trophy and send the Aurora back to Winnipeg yet again?
Defending wins rings. I think the stats there aren't truly showing how scary the defence and keeping has been for Buffalo as we have also faced the 4th, 3rd, 2nd and now 1st seed in the playoffs and played very well against every single team. We're scoring more than enough to get the job done and frustrating every teams offence. Buffalo proved by going through 1 of the hardest play-off routes ever they had what it takes to win it all. I am proud to be on the team, helping them defend and go on quite a magical run to help 1 of the best orgs in SHL win yet another ring. I feel kinda sorry for Winnipeg, 3 finals in a row and losing them all aint easy, I've been there before (I won the the final though so just win it next year!) and it hurts but hopefully they bounce back. They're doing well in the regular season at least!
Weirdly had Winnipeg losing the finals this year as well but against Philly rather than us since I figured that'd be a good stats final but I'll take this final instead!
[193 words] - 6 TPE
Procrastinators
Code:
12. Written, 2 TPE - The Procrastinator Special! (100 words min.)
Looks like [TEAM] won the cup! (Sorry, Micool.) What was your favorite part of the series? Who won and why? What could the other team have done differently to have a better chance?
Let's fucking gooooooooooo! First season on Buffalo ends in a ring? Managed to help slightly with it as well? Hell yeah! My fav part was spamming :bufcup: with everyone else in the locker room. Been a very first season and I look forward to just seeing what happens now.
Why did Buf win? Winnipeg either defended worse, couldn't score as many or are just legit cursed to never win the ring at this point so any of those reasons is why BUF woould go on to win 4 games in a row in the finals for a 4-2 dub. Felt nice to win this 1 actually. Usually these days when I win a championship I throw the ring/trophy on the huge metal scrap of shit I've done all the sim leagues I do but this one felt really rewarding. So thank you Buffalo!
[144 words] - 8 TPE
Proud S67 - S69 Colorado Raptors Captain S57 Forward of the Season Award winner
07-11-2023, 07:31 AM(This post was last modified: 07-11-2023, 08:25 AM by RomanesEuntDomus. Edited 3 times in total.)
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.
Pacific
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 has put together an impressive streak of Challenge Cup Finals appearances, but has no hardware to show for their dominance in the west so far. What do the Aurora have to do differently to get over the hump this year?
b. Buffalo, fresh off a rebuild, crushed their way through the first two rounds of these playoffs after coming in as a wildcard, scoring two consecutive sweeps against two of the best teams in the East. Have the Stampede convinced you? If so, what sold you?
c. Two very different teams took two very different routes to the Cup Final: which of them impressed you more? Why?
d. If it ain't broke don't fix it: Who you got? Who wins? Why?
a. I don't really know to be honest. Maybe the fact that some of their players are dominating the leaderboards in various categories is making them a bit complacent, thinking that as long as they are beating up on weaker teams and score a ton throughout the season, that must mean that they are the best team in the league. I don't want to be too harsh on them because they really are very good, but other teams have been able to do more with less, when it really counted.
b. The Stampede didn't even have to convince me to be honest, they have one of the best management groups in the league so even when in a slight rebuild, I still consider them a possible threat. They way they crushed their opposition in the first two rounds despite "only" having a good but not great regular seasons shows that their are masters at strategizing and testing thing to find the right solutions quickly.
c. Definitely Buffalo. The gap between their regular season and postseason performance was bigger and they have also been more convincing against arguable stronger opposition earlier on in the playoffs. They way the managed to change gears and enter "playoff mode" is what sets apart real winners from teams that are merely good, and they seem to have that.
Quote:3. Written, 3 TPE, Guess Who's Back (150 words min.)
To say Winnipeg has been offensively dominant in their playoff run so far is needlessly charitable to their opponents. Lias Ekholm-Gunnarsson has *twenty nine points* in sixteen playoff games. Mikko Rashford has *twenty seven*. However, Rebecca Montaigne has a 0.888 save percentage for this run. Can Winnipeg's absurd offense finally get them over the hump, or do they need to patch up their defense if they want to outlast the Upstate Upstarts?
I think those statistics don't mean that there is a flaw withtin the Auroras defense, it's just a reflection of their style of play, which is very deliberate: A high octane offense, taking lots of risks and being creative, even at risk of losing the puck and giving up counter attacking chances. Those kinds of team tactics tend to lead to lower Save-Percentages for your goalies, as you generally have a lot of possession and don't give up a lot of chances, but the ones you do give up tend to be higher quality, odd man rushes, 2-on-1s and the likes. The fact that their Offense is performing at the level that it is, shows that this style is working so I don't think there really is a need to change or adjust anything. The question is if other teams have started to figure out this strategy and develop countermeasures a lot, because while Winnipeg might be the best team in the league over the last few season, they have been countered quite a lot in the playoffs as well.
07-11-2023, 08:52 AM(This post was last modified: 07-11-2023, 10:18 AM by qWest. Edited 1 time in total.)
Code:
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 word: q
Code:
One (1) affiliate claim from either PBE, WSBL, SSL, or the ISFL will be accepted for 3 TPE!
07-11-2023, 08:58 AM(This post was last modified: 07-11-2023, 11:58 AM by Jumbo. Edited 2 times in total.)
1. Trivia - 3 TPE
Verification word: Jumbo
2. Grab Bag: - 3 TPE
a. Winnipeg has a better defense this season, and even though overall scoring is down, they have some players who are just on fire this season. It will come down to if Winnipeg's stars (Rashford, LEG, Blanchet, Jarrow) can really keep up the scoring and push Buffalos defense back. They will need to score early and quick.
-56 words
c. Buffalo Stampede has definitely been the most impressive team in the playoffs this season. They swept Montreal and then swept the defending Champions New England. That alone is extremely impressive. Then finally eliminating Philadelphia in game 7. Buffalo is an underdog in this fight. No one expected them to get this far.
-52 wrods
d. I would have to go with Winnipeg Aurora. They are the number 1 team in the league. They have made the finals again this season for the 3rd straight time. I expect this final to go differently, they have alot of firepower and a great defense to back it up. Winnipeg in 5.
12. The Procrastinator Special! - 2 TPE
Welp another season with Winnipeg in the finals versus a different team. Honestly of the past 3 season finals, I thought Winnipeg had by far the best chance this season to defeat Buffalo. Buffalo finished the season 5th overall despite being 9th in Overall team TPE. But Buffalo must have luck on their side as they defeated Montreal (Ranked #3), New England (Ranked #2), and then Philadelphia (ranked #4) before matching up against #1 Winnipeg. That is the toughest road to the Cup, but Buffalo played lights out hockey and sailed to win the Challenge Cup. The best part of it is how Buffalo rebounded after going down 0-2. Winnipeg came out swinging then Buffalo turned the tables and won the next 4 games to take the series and Cup. Game 3 was the series deciding game I think. Buffalo won 2-1 in Overtime. If that game went to Winnipeg, then I think we are talking about how Winnipeg was finally able to do it. So props to Buffalo for winning it all.
-173 words
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 has put together an impressive streak of Challenge Cup Finals appearances, but has no hardware to show for their dominance in the west so far. What do the Aurora have to do differently to get over the hump this year?
b. Buffalo, fresh off a rebuild, crushed their way through the first two rounds of these playoffs after coming in as a wildcard, scoring two consecutive sweeps against two of the best teams in the East. Have the Stampede convinced you? If so, what sold you?
A. Winnipeg definitely needs to change their approach. We've had [REDACTED] finals appearances straight and No cups to show for it? At this point, the only thing they can realistically do to get over the hump is to call up their future superstar, the pride of Vancouver, the greatest, rootenist, tootenist player in their entire system, the one, the only, Johnny FourStar!
B. What sold me on Buffalo? Man, I've been riding this Buffalo train all season! As one of only 5% of people on this site who picked Buffalo to make it to the Challenge Cup finals, I always knew that Buffalo was a team that could achieve this season despite how underrated they were. But do I think they can win a challenge cup? Hell no! The Aurora are the best team in the league and have been for multiple seasons. The East has no team that can compare to Winnipeg's dominance. Winnipeg has a golden opportunity to finally get a cup, and while Buffalo is a good team, Winnipeg is a great team, and they aren't going to miss on this opportunity.
Quote:11. Written, 3 TPE, Civil War (150 words min.)
How does your player feel about playing against SHL teammates in the IIHF? Do you ease up on your hits, or do you go harder? Do you grin at each other across the ice, or is this a point of national pride?
First off, I can't believe you'd ask me such a question. The answer is as simple as the Swedish language, as rich as our world renowned cuisine, and as full of heart as a warm hearth on a cold winters night. Any player, nay, any PERSON with a shred of pride will have the same answer. You play for your motherland! You play for your country! You play for glory! The SHL is fine and dandy, but ultimately meaningless when compared to a winner take all global bout. My coach in the J tells me to play for the team on the front of my jersey and not the name on the back. While what the whale means to. Me is important, it's nothing compared to the crest on my Swedish sweater that represents my family, friends, and brethren back home in Sweden. I don't care how close we are in north America, I am playing my heart out to win the thing I covet most - a gold medal and a championship I can share with an entire nation. There is no higher prize in sport than winning for your country.
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.
stump
Code:
5. Written, 3 TPE, Blood on the Ice (150 words min)
Continuing an emergent tradition: this year's final features a god-bear
of cosmic wind facing an unfamiliar rival on a familiar battleground:
this year, the great glowing north faces a furious herd of buffalo! Tell
me who wins and why! The arena and the rules of the fight can be
whatever you desire. Get creative!
221 words
Last season I went with the wolfpack because there was an obvious god-destroying wolf out there in the universe. No such parallel exists for buffalo. There are some cool gods who ride buffalo (Yama in Hinduism) but very few who *are* buffalo, so they really can’t get on equal footing. A lot of religions do hold cows to be sacred, though the animals themselves are mundane and it’s cattle in general, not specifically buffalo.
There is a really famous bull constellation, so we could pit that up against the great bear constellation: Taurus vs Ursa Major in a stellar battle. By area, the bear is much larger than the bull. But that’s just one bull! If you had a whole stampede of Tauruses (Tauri? Taureaux?), I think the bovines would have a clear advantage. The brightest star in Taurus is Aldbaran which is an awesome name for the 14th brightest star in the sky, while the brightest star in Ursa Major is Alioth and ranks only as the 33rd brightest so that’s pretty lame. Taurus is a Zodiac sign but Ursa Major is not.
Lastly: Ursa is more commonly known as the Big Dipper or Plough and we all know that cattle drive ploughs so obviously Taurus will be dragging that thing all around the sky. Victory goes to the Buffalo.
Code:
11. Written, 3 TPE, Civil War (150 words min.)
How does your player feel about playing against SHL teammates in the
IIHF? Do you ease up on your hits, or do you go harder? Do you grin at
each other across the ice, or is this a point of national pride?
251 words
We all love playing for our country, even if it’s not the country we grew up in. Since relocating to Ireland, I’ve been incredibly welcomed and supported. Of course I’m always going to feel some attachment to my native Germany and hope there’s no ill will if we matchup against them (I mean, they’re doing pretty well without me). Sure, they might hit me a bit harder (keeping my head up around fellow Texan Hodor) and I might be extra motivated to put one in their net but it’s all about the game for me once we’re on the ice.
Seeing my Texas teammates on the international rink is always a fun time. This season, I’m most excited for one I get to play alongside, as SHL rookie Jack McCarthy will be making his IIHF debut with the Irish squad. It will actually be our first time playing together, hoping we might get a little PK time together.
For opponents, though, the big game will always be if Ireland and Great Britain get to square off. There’s obviously a lot of pride on the line in this game, with all the history between the nations and seeing players who were teammates on the British Isles J squad now have to line up across from each other. It would also pit me and McCarthy against three other young Renegades prospects: Tiberius Kane, Patrice Bergeron, and Chris Valentine. I don’t know if any of us can pull our punches if this game happens
Mat Smith always does whatever it takes to win, no matter if it's SHL, SMJHL, WJC, or IIHF. When he's getting screened he doesn't see the name on the back of the opposing jersey, he sees their knees that he can slash and their lower backs that he can cross check when the ref isn't looking. This has definitely come back to bite him when the SHL preseason rolls around, as he's had teammates and even some of his captains come into it with bumps and bruises because of him, but at the end of the day they understand how competitive he is and know that this will always work in their favour as long as they're wearing the same jersey. As a member of the quad gold club, people can dislike Smith's methods of winning, even crash the net harder than they otherwise would, but nobody can question his effectiveness.
12. Procrastinator, 2 TPE
At this point I don't know what to say, Winnipeg has five straight 100+ point seasons, three straight finals appearances, and three president's trophies in the past five seasons, but no cups to show for it. This team has the talent to win it all, but just hasn't been able to go all the way. At this point they have to be one of, if not the best team to not win a cup with this group. Buffalo is obviously a very talented team with great coaching, as we've seen during the Great Lakes era, but they were pretty heavy underdogs during this series.
07-11-2023, 01:46 PM(This post was last modified: 07-11-2023, 01:47 PM by Jorec. Edited 1 time in total.)
3. Written, 3 TPE, Guess Who's Back (150 words min.)
To say Winnipeg has been offensively dominant in their playoff run so far is needlessly charitable to their opponents. Lias Ekholm-Gunnarsson has *twenty nine points* in sixteen playoff games. Mikko Rashford has *twenty seven*. However, Rebecca Montaigne has a 0.888 save percentage for this run. Can Winnipeg's absurd offense finally get them over the hump, or do they need to patch up their defense if they want to outlast the Upstate Upstarts?
The old saying is that defence wins championships. So if we're going to follow this old axiom then this seems like a pretty easy answer. Winnipeg needs to shore up their defence and start playing smarter if they want to get over that hump and win the championship. Of course, that doesn't tell the whole story and that old axiom comes from what it takes to win a football championship. It seems silly to say but hockey isn't football and what works for that sport doesn't necessarily work for hockey. Winnipeg could do it, their offence is firing on all cylinders right now in the play-offs and that could be enough. If they are able to keep up the torrid pace, they could win it all by simply out scoring their defensive issues. This is all relying on the Stampede not figuring them out and shutting them down. After all, most of the offence is coming from a few players and if they get shut down, it's all over. Hopefully they can bring in some secondary scoring to help mitigated that possibility.
182 words.
10. Written, 3 TPE, IIHF Analysis (150 words min.)
Write your predictions for this year's IIHF tournament or WJC! Tell me about your team! How far do you realistically expect to go this year? What nations do you want to match up against, and which do you dread?
Another season, another competition between the countries to see who is best this year. Historically (and as recently as last season) Canada is a safe bet for doing well and taking home the gold, even if they got beat out last season and 'only' took home silver. Canada produces some of the best players, they have the deepest pool of players and as a Swedish player, I know they'd be one hell of a match.
Last season saw Norway take home the gold in what I feel is a pretty big upset. It's not to say that they don't have good players, they obviously do but simply that their success last season was a result of going hot at the right moment and that's all it takes really. This season I'd put them a bit lower down on the rankings but of course, they could always go supernova again and win it all. I'd rather face my fellow Nordic country over Canada though.
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11. Written, 3 TPE, Civil War (150 words min.)
How does your player feel about playing against SHL teammates in the IIHF? Do you ease up on your hits, or do you go harder? Do you grin at each other across the ice, or is this a point of national pride?
When it comes to national pride and taking home the gold for Sweden, Andren goes all out for his country. Your teammates are your friends or at the very least co-workers throughout the regular season (and God willing, the play-offs) and while Andren would go for the wall for any of them, that all goes away once the tournament starts. Really, Andren goes even harder for bragging rights and respect. In his estimation, If you're in a good relationship with your teammates, they'll be happy for you if you win it over them. They'll respect that you gave it your all and didn't let up on the hits, the scoring or even the fighting. At the end of the day, you're going to be leaving it all on the ice anyways. You can always take them out for a beer later after you'd checked them into the boards and scored that game winning goal.
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Andren Akerson (Present)
Adrik Baranov (S55 to S70)
Rurik Razin (S32 to S44)
Roy Razin (S17 to S32) (HOF/Rage HOF)
Audun Wissink (S5 to S15)
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Proud S67 - S69 Colorado Raptors Captain 
S57 Forward of the Season Award winner ![[Image: 41-2.png?ex=65d9e0d0&is=65c76bd0&hm=ada7...1aae5535a&]](https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/998650848588615753/1205852672133955624/41-2.png?ex=65d9e0d0&is=65c76bd0&hm=ada74b94b1ffd423547051c40ec401f69c3137d6aeea169b7d464821aae5535a&)
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