We've wrapped up the last games of the regular season. It's playoff time!

Written Option: How did your team prepare for the playoffs? (150 word min.)

Graphic Option: Create a game day program for a playoff matchup involving your team. Must include 2 team logos and 1 render.

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You will receive 3 TPE for fulfilling all the requirements for any of the options. (You only need to do one of the options to get the credit and wont get additional credit even if you do more than one). Note that the wordcounter on the site can be inaccurate, if you want to ensure you reach the required wordcount you can use for example https://wordcounter.net/.

All responses are due on Sunday, March 23rd at 11:59 PST. NOTE: IF YOU SUBMIT/EDIT AFTER THE DEADLINE YOU WILL RECEIVE REDUCED/NO TPE.

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Only S81 SMJHL rookies (S82 players) are eligible for this task.

If your player is S83 (shown after name on portal), this is not for you.

Sigs by @Carpy48, @Nokazoa and me

#10 Jani Mänty || Center || Finland || Hamilton Steelhawks Great Falls Grizzlies Alumni Hometown: Sonkajärvi, Finland Height: 6ft 5in || Weight:222 lbs ----SMJHL Regular Season Stats---- 5 Seasons | Total - 271 GP | 94 G | 118 A | 212 P | -48 | 385 HIT | 208 SB 4 Seasons | GFG - 264 GP | 92 G | 117 A | 209 P | -47 | 371 HIT | 200 SB 1 Season | ANC - 7 GP | 2 G | 1 A | 3 P | -1 | 14 HIT | 8 SB ----Career moments---- Elected as Captain of Great Falls Grizzlies for Season 75 Season 74 WJC Gold with Team Norden Elected as Alternate Captain of Great Falls Grizzlies for Season 74 Season 73 WJC Bronze with Team Finland Season 71 WJC Bronze with Team Finland Drafted in 73th SHL draft #9 overall by Hamilton Steelhawks Drafted in 72th SMJHL draft #2 overall by Great Falls Grizzlies Joined Anchorage Armada as DFA for end of S71
#52 Björn Leppänen || Defence || Finland || Retired Peak TPE 2225 Texas Renegades Alumni Vancouver Whalers Alumni Hometown: Parainen, Finland Height: 5ft 11in || Weight:183 lbs ----SHL Regular Season Stats---- 17 Sesons | TEX - 1026 GP | 147 G | 358 A | 505 P | +169 | 1684 HIT | 1348 SB ----SHL Playoff Stats---- 12 Seasons | TEX - 123 GP | 10 G | 53 A | 63 P | +45 | 234 HIT | 168 SB ----SMJHL Regular Season Stats---- 2 Seasons | VAN - 100 GP | 4 G | 19 A | 23 P | -21 | 171 HIT | 99 SB ----SMJHL Playoff Stats---- 2 Seasons | VAN - 15GP | 1 G | 5 A | 6 P | +2 | 28 HIT | 14 SB ----IIHF Stats---- 15 Seasons | FIN - 189 GP | 27 G | 50 A | 77 P | -21 | 364 HIT | 222 SB ----Career moments---- Season 64 IIHF Gold Season 62 IIHF Gold Season 62 Challenge Cup Season 61 IIHF Bronze Season 60 IIHF Best Defenceman Season 59 Anton Razov Nominee Season 59 Challenge Cup Elected as Alternate Captain of Vancouver Whalers for Season 50 Drafted in 50th SHL draft #31 overall by Texas Renegades Drafted in 49th SMJHL draft #27 overall by Vancouver Whalers ----Viljami Leppänen || Texas Renegades---- 370-122-20 (S56-S63) Season 62 Challenge Cup Season 61 Joe McKeil Nominee Season 61 Cole Reinhart Trophy Season 59 Challenge Cup Season 58 Joe McKeil Nominee Season 58 Presidents Trophy Season 56 Joe McKeil Award Season 55 Joe McKeil Nominee GM for Texas Renegades from S56 to S63 Intermid GM for Texas Renegades, most of the S55 Co-GM for Texas Renegades from S54 to S55 GM for Team Finland for S50 WJC Co-GM for Team Finland for S49 WJC

When we closed out the season and looked at the standings we saw that we drew anchorage in the first round we decided see to focus our training regime to suit playing them. We ran out to the local shopping centre and bought every game of ‘ battleship’ that we could find. We had to have picked up 15 different versions. We spent all day Saturday playing. We took notes on how to handle each type of ship, learned their various attack patterns through video. After watching the breakouts we went to work on disrupting their momentum and making a plan to break up the attack as soon as it started and keep them harboured. We then focused on how to neutralize each player on their club, whether they are one of the little two peg patrol ships or a big shot carrier. The coach broke it all down as we played game after game. By the end of the day everyone had a pretty good understanding of who to watch and how to best neutralize them. So we are feeling pretty confident in Kelowna for the first round. And even though we were missing some pegs at the end of the day, which Erik Johnson claims he didn’t eat. We are sure we have the right training to advance to the next round.

   Rawbie Gardner || 42 || D || Kelowna Knights || Peak: 350 TPE Birthplace: Halifax, NS; Canada | Height: 5'7" | Weight: 187 lbs ------------------------------------------------------------ Career Statistics: SMJHL Regular Season: S81 || 66 GP | 4 G | 23 A | 27 P | +15 | 108 s | 70 h  | 238 Blk * Team Leader (3rd SMJHL)  S82 || x GP | x G | x A | x P | -+ | x | x | x  ------------------------------------------------------------ SMJHL Playoffs: S81 || 21 GP | 1 G | 10 A |11 P | +22 | 21 s | 13 h  | 74 Blk ------------------------------------------------------------ SHL Regular Season: N/A    

In order to prepare for the playoffs, everyone on the team needs to have the right mental attitude and state. We did some team building activities in order to maximize our unity and the effort we give as a team. Then, preparation is necessary. Even though they’re the lowest seed, we must not take the Detroit Falcons lightly, after all, this is playoff hockey and we all know that anything can happen in any given series. We loaded up Falcons tape and highlights to get a good idea of their strengths and weaknesses and areas we can hopefully try to exploit. We did look at some other matchups too, but it is vital that we don’t look past Detroit.

Finally, we practiced! It was a honestly a great few days of team practice, morale is high and we believe in each other. If we carry this formula into the actual playoff games, I believe there is no goal too lofty for the Maine Timber - now let’s go!

Matt Lewis-Flood || G || West Kendall Platoon || 1018 TPE Name: Age: Height: Weight: Number: ------------------------------------------------------------

C.T. Carragher || F || Anaheim Outlaws || 511 TPE Name: Age: Height: Weight: Number: ------------------------------------------------------------

Bellamy Blake || LD || Baltimore Platoon || 1107 TPE Name: Age: Height: Weight: Number: ------------------------------------------------------------

Travis Coates || G || Maine Timber || 221 TPE Name: Age: Height: Weight: Number: ------------------------------------------------------------

Nevada checked the standings at the end of the regular season and saw that we were the sixth seed, playing third place Carolina in round one.

The season didn't turn out as good as we hoped but watching the rookies develop throughout the season gives us a lot of hope for the future. The playoff experience is going to be great for the young players.

As the lower seed it feels like Nevada is in a low pressure situation most of the pressure will be on the Kraken. Nevada is planning to play a little more free and capitalize on any mistakes Carolina makes in the series.

Most of our preparation is just working on little things crisp tape to tape passes. Making sure everyone is on the same page defensively. A lot of special teams practice, if we are going to pull off the upset, special teams will be a major factor.

We also went back and watched the games we played against the Kraken during the regular season. 

We also went to one of the best seafood restaurants in Vegas to celebrate our season.

The Knights are not overestimating any of our opponents so we have been preparing for our matchup against the Anchorage Armada as if it was the Stanley Cup Finals. We have spent the last week go over tactics to ensure that we can play our game and truly showcase our strengths on the ice, while also exposing Anchorage’s weaknesses namely in the powerplay. We know that the Armada have a decently strong defense, but they are not going to be prepared for the offensive onslaught that is about to come from the Knights. Apart from actual physical training, we have also took some well-needed time to focus on team chemistry and cohesion. To get our head in the spirit of beating the Armada, we went on a team-bonding white water rafting trip where we split into three teams based on our lines and tried to see who could finish the route in the fastest time. I’d say the Knights are prepared and more than ready to face the Armada.

Anchorage had a disappointing regular season. Finishing 6th and having to face a tough Kelowna team in the first round. Since the match up has been known, the Armada has been studying film and watching all the previous games ver Kelowna. Watching these games has given the Armada a chance to change some strategies and throw something new at the Knights.

Practices over the weekend were very tough. Coach pushed each player to dig as deep as they could in practice. Hitting was mandatory. Puck battles were run over and over again. Coach said these practices were to prepare us for the tough match up.

Saturday the team reported to practice and after a tough practice, coach gathered the team up and told us how we have the ability to correct our failures this year by playing our style of hockey versus the knights. He reminded us what we have been capable of and then gave us Sunday off!

I think Fort Minor did a song on this like a decade ago. Something about 10% luck, 20% skill, etc? (I kid, of course I know the song). But I think that's kind of the approach the Whalers took when prepping for the their R1 series against Thunder Bay. The team is clicking right now! Goalie has been a brick wall, the offense has been churning out points, and we've been pretty hot the back half of the season .I think the. biggest thing we've done for preparation is just continue to be ourselves. We've consistently been able to punch above our weight class this season, so by keeping this normal, I think we can continue to be better prepared for whatever comes our way. 

Definitely looking past Thunder Bay though, and I know all our team and coaches prep has been focus on shutting down their high powered offense before we start to look beyond.

ISFL Affiliate

TORONTO GM CAREER ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Trophy Case S78 | Lance Uppercut Nomination S78 | Joe McKeil Nomination ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Regular Season S78 | Co-GM | GP: 66 | W: 38 | L: 25 | OTL: 3 | P: 79 S79 | Co-GM | GP: 66 | W: 39 | L: 23 | OTL: 4 | P: 82 S80 | Co-GM | GP: 66 | W: 23 | L: 35 | OTL: 8 | P: 54 S81 | GM | GP: 66 | W: 27 | L: 35 | OTL: 4 | P: 58 4 SHL Seasons | GP: 246 | W: 127 | L: 118 | OTL: 19 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Playoffs S78 | Co-GM | GP: 7 | W: 3 | L: 4 S79 | Co-GM | GP: 6 | W: 2 | L: 4 S80 | Co-GM | GP: 19 | W: 11 | L: 8 S81 | GM | GP: 4 | W: 0 | L: 4 4 SHL Playoffs | GP: 36 | W: 16 | L: 20

At this point in time, The Detroit Falcons aren't quite ready for their magical playoff run. There is lots of fresh blood on the team that, who knows, could make something happen, but realistically, the Falcons are out in round one. So with that in mind, preparations for the first round will go like this:

Awesome tunes in the locker room and in the gym to get pumped up for playoff hockey. 
High fives with all the fans we can reach to get hyped up for the playoffs and let them know that we are going to try our best.
Hard hits on the opposing team. If we can't win, we'll at least beat them up and make sure they can still feel us when and if they get to the second round. 
Friendship. It's our chance to bond over a playoff series. It's special no matter what so we're going to bond and make the most of it. 

Let's see some fun and exciting hockey!

Looking at just the standings you might think that the #6 Ottawa Highlanders were handed a cake walk in the first round being matched up against #14 St. Louis Scarecrows. However, in 6 meetings during the regular season between the two teams they split right down the middle with 3 Ws each. To prepare to face off against this team in the playoffs for up to 7 more times, the Scarecrows are using the footage from those 6 regular season games to figure out what did and didn’t work against the team. Up to this point the whole season has been “rebuilding” and chemistry building and I don’t think the playoffs approach will be much different. Get the rookies experience in the playoffs as they’ll need it down the line.

So with that in mind, still most likely a first round exit. So the preparations will be just like any other hockey game. Keep energy high in the locker room, and just enjoy the experience. So next time the playoffs roll around and the team has higher expectations, they’ll be ready.

The name of the game this season for Nevada was development, and that doesn't change in the playoffs. With an incredibly young team, the odds are against us, but this is also an opportunity to gain playoff experience and continue growing as players. Though our regular season left something to be desired, it does not mean we will lay down for the playoffs. The Battleborn will still compete to the best of their ability against a tough Kraken team with the mindset that we will make Carolina earn their way to the second round, and possibly even steal the series. While there isn't much pressure to make a deep playoff run and contend for the cup this season, we have prepared by buying in to the long term plan for the team. We will have fun and play hard this postseason knowing that it is all a step towards developing as a team and seeing more and more success in the seasons to come

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Harland Sanders | Left Wing | Nevada Battleborn | 291 TPE Birthplace: Columbus, OH Height: 6'0" Weight: 200 -------------------------------------------------- Career Statistics: S81 NBB | GP: 66 | G: 26 | A: 24 | P: 50 | +/-: -20 -------------------------------------------------- Career Highlights: S81 SMJHL | Drafted 24th OA - Nevada Battleborn

The Ottawa Highlanders had a really solid regular season and are very much looking forward to our first round matchup against the St. Louis Scarecrows.  In order for us to get ready for the playoffs, we all did what we do best... READ. We grabbed a bunch of inspirational books, all picked one, read it, and did a "book report" powerpoint for the rest of the squad.  I had "the Champions Mind" by Jim Afremow, a sports psychologist.  I honestly feel like it took me mentally from a player with a semi-positive confidence level to one who is ready to dominate these playoffs.  If I have a huge jump in game ratings in the first round, I'm going to send Jim a bucket of peanut clusters.

Some of the other notable books that were presented on were: "Beyond Basketball" by Coach K, "Mamba Mentality" by Kobe Bryant, and "The Brave Athlete: Calm the F*ck Down and Rise to the Occasion" by some people.

I'm not going to lie to you all, once the San Diego Tidal found out we were making the playoffs for sure, we partied. We partied HARD. I'm pretty sure it was like a week long bender (and we were playing games during that time too, which explains our 2 losses to Nevada during that time). Obviously with Gappy being a rookie, he had to make sure he was in tip top shape to be able to make a solid impact for the playoffs. So he trained his butt off with Pilates and balancing his inner self to be able to hit that next milestone. He had heard that some of his teammates hit the extra weights, or went to do some other exercises and forms to better themselves during this upcoming playoffs. The coaches went to review some film from past games so that they can see what to improve on against Colorado. All in all it should be a good matchup. Can't wait to see how our team unfolds the rest of the season!

Given the difficulties that the Battleborn faced during the regular season, our expectations are low. Despite this, hopes are high in the Nevada locker room. We learnt that we were drawn to face the Carolina Kraken, who were one of the best teams this season. This information did not deter the metaphorical hype train from leaving the station. As everyone states, the regular season does not matter once playoff season come around. Though this is slight hyperbole, it generally contains a magnitude of truth as those results technically have no bearing on the results of the playoffs. This was learnt by the Battleborn locker room as come time for game one, Nevada would best the Kraken in a 5-2 victory. In celebration of this surprise victory, the team went to a local arcade the day after the game, and Armani set a new high score on one of the buck hunter cabinets (you know the ones with the light guns). This was followed by a victory in game two, birthing a new tradition for the team.

NBB's regular season was pretty good, and we were situation that we don't have any pressures in playoffs, we can just play our own game.
After the regular season we had a little nightout. It is good way to forget what happened in regular season and it is also a good start for playoffs, and it is also important for team chemistry. Sauna was well-heated and night was amazing with the team.
Luckily hangover wasn't too bad and everyone was in arena on time, because we had a team meeting in the morning and then we had ice practice.
On sunday we had a ice-practice, and after that the whole team and staff had a great dinner time in Vegas (gambling was prohibited).
After this amazing weekend, NBB is ready for playoffs. As i said, we don't have any pressures in playoffs, so this is an ideal situation for us. All the pressures are in Carolina, so this is our change to surprise them.