Well the team has spent their time just trying to hang out and get all their minds in the same space heading into next season. They went on a camping trip together for a week where they read, hiked, ate and were merry together. It was great to get away from all of the noise and just be together for a while. You don't get that as often as one might expect. But soon it will be back to training full-time again. We have a ton of young players looking to pick up a bigger role this season both on the team and in the league in general, and we'll have to really push ourselves to develop to break out of this really tough division situation. We'll need to leverage our superior depth and make sure that depth is superior enough to leverage, whihc means there's a lot of work to do!
Regina were so excited to make the playoffs we weren't quite sure how to prepare for it. In the first round, we faced a tough Malamutes team that started by slapping us in the face with an 0-4 loss -- but we knew we had a secret weapon at hand: doggy treats. It was a last resort we had no intention of actually using because, well, we'd love to beat them from a strictly hockey standpoint. But when they beat us again in a 4-7 blowout, we knew the secret weapons were our only option. We won three straight, then dropped a third game to them when we tried to play fair, so out came the doggy treats for game seven.
Sadly, they were replaced with "organic, cage-free" doggy treats in a midnight raid of our team facilities, which is totally unethical (unlike the treats). The Malamutes unfortunately had zero interest in consuming our zero-meat, zero-happiness formulations and were confused of the notion of cage-free doggy treats because, let's be honest, do you see any doggy treats walking around or needing to be in cages? Of course not! The dang label on the treats themselves confused the Malamutes into beating us.
I'm not bitter about it at all. Go Elk. We'll get 'em next season.
Despite having the extra bye week, QCC got in a similar amount of practice time compared to the rest of the season. Enough to stay sharp, but also to rest up for future bumps and bruises earned in the matchup to come. Some of the players take extra time after practice on the ice, some watch the first round playoffs to scout out the future teams, and a few others go about their own hobbies to mentally reset before next week. There is a mix of strange atmosphere at times, something of a serious and tense focus towards team goals, but never for too long, as the rambunctious sophomore class has far too much fun for that.
Ju-gong would certainly be trying to take in extra practice sessions as allowed, as the foreigner wouldn’t have all that much to do out and about in Quebec. To mentally prepare, he’d likely spend some relaxing evenings sipping on some tea’s his family shipped over from South Korea, along with studying over some famous games of Baduk as a peaceful pastime.
Colorado prepared for the playoffs in the only way that Raptors could; by partying and enjoying the fact that we even made it there! Nah, to be honest, our training amped up even more than before. We had a rough opponent in our first round when we were going to face off with the Kelowna Knights, and we had to make sure we were adequately prepared. I know that La Sombra was on the ice late into the night, practicing his positioning and looking to become one of the most well-rounded players on the team. He was joined by fellow players Xavier Beausoliel and Pinli Switchbang to practice long hours, and it certainly ended up paying off for them; the Colorado Raptors defeated the Kelowna Knights in the first round 4-2. They weren't done, and after defeating the Battleborn in 4-1, they're now tied in the series with the Maine Timber 2-2. The long hours of practice have paid off... could it lead them to a championship berth?
The Citadelles had a few optional practices last week mostly because they were very confident. They finished the regular season first in the league with over 10 points in front of Colorado, earning them a free bye week while they had wait to figure out which team would be unlucky enough to play them in the second round. Turns out the extra energy by sleeping in and not having practice every day paid off since they eliminated Anchorage in a pretty satisfying fashion. Demir Bellona has been pretty happy with his regular season record as a rookie and sure he could've coasted through the playoffs but he decided to hit the ice a couple of times to practice some drills in both zones. He saw a couple of guys and rookies hit the ice as well so it was nice to see not everyone was taking these playoffs for granted because there were definitely a few teams that could give Quebec City some trouble.
We've wrapped up the last games of the regular season. It's playoff time!
Written Task: How did your team prepare for the playoffs? (150 word min.)
*If your team didn't make the playoffs: what is your player going to do with all their spare time?
Graphic Task: Create a game day program for a playoff matchup involving your team. Must include 2 team logos and 1 render.
Reward: 3 TPE for doing the thing. (Just one of the things, not both.)
Only S74 SMJHL Rookies (S75 SHL Draftees) are eligible for this PT.
Link PBE, ISFL or SSL submissions here to get credit for affiliate claims.
Deadline: Sunday, January 21st @ 11:59pm PST
Our team approached playoff preparation with a comprehensive strategy, focusing on both physical and mental aspects. Intensive training sessions honed our players' skills, while strategic analysis of opponents' gameplay provided valuable insights. Our coaching staff emphasized teamwork and adaptability, ensuring that our squad was ready for any scenario on the playoff stage. Mental resilience was fostered through visualization exercises and team-building activities to strengthen camaraderie.
For those not making the playoffs, our players are turning spare time into self-improvement opportunities. Individual skill development, fitness regimens, and community engagement are priorities. Whether through extra practice sessions or community outreach initiatives, our players are channeling their energy positively, staying motivated, and preparing for the next season with determination. This period becomes a valuable time for personal growth and contributing to the broader community.
The Anchorage Armada spent most of the time before the playoffs really just worrying about making it in! We had a really tight fight all the way to the end of the regular season, where despite being a very strong team in general (finishing 7th in the entire league in points) we were in a blood bath of both a division and a conference, finishing 3rd in the division and 6th in the conference, with only the Detroit Falcons as a team from the other conference that finished with more points or wins. Once we finally clinched our spot, at that point we mostly all settled down and just spent some time bonding as a team, discussing strats to how we could potentially (and eventually) advance past the first round, and overall just having a good time. Besides being quite the talented team, the Armada was a very tight knit group this season, and it really was a pleasure to just share a locker room with these guys and be able to help the team get some wins.
Code:
178 words
Well, I will not be blackmailed by some ineffectual, privileged, effete, soft-penised, debutante. You want to start a street fight with me bring it on but you're gonna be surprised by how ugly it gets, you don't even know my real name-
Journey Man, while young into his career, has had a lot of playoff experience at the youth level. Traveling around the globe, Man has always found himself on competing squads, and knows the pressures of the playoffs well. Whether it be single elimination, a series, or round robin, Journey Man has gone through it, both as victor and loser. The key is to stay composed, maintain fundamentals, and successfully execute the game plan, whatever it may be. For Kelowna, as the lowest seeded playoff team, going against the 2nd best team in the league, it was all about making the most of the opportunities they had and forcing the Raptors off their game. While Colorado definitely had the skill advantage, Kelowna definitely has heart, and if you can just capitalize on enough chances, any team can beat any other team, even in a best-of-seven series.
Kelowna did manage to take two games off of Colorado, and forced a game into OT as well, with Game 6 also being decided by just 1 goal. But unfortunately, Colorado showed why they're up at the top of the standings. Congrats to the Raptors!
Physical preparation is a cornerstone of playoff readiness. Conditioning programs are often intensified to ensure players have the stamina and endurance required for the increased intensity and duration of playoff games which Yukon focused on. Strategic planning is also crucial. Coaches analyze the strengths and weaknesses of their own team as well as those of potential opponents. This involves studying game tapes, statistical analyses, and understanding the specific dynamics of playoff hockey. Strategies may be adjusted based on the opponent's style of play and strengths which GM Fluw has been apdating to both the Regina and Falcons playoff series Yukon played in. Psychological preparation is equally important. Players need to be mentally resilient, as playoff hockey can be emotionally charged and highly pressurized. Coaches work on instilling a winning mindset, emphasizing teamwork, and fostering a positive, focused mentality among players. This was done through creating good and positive vibes in the Yukon locker room.
Vancouver prepared for the playoffs by having a giant party to celebrate the end of the post-season and help build up the team atmosphere ahead of the playoffs after our disappointing and confusing tiebreaker loss costing us a first round bye. We played Charades and did Karaoke had a massive feast where everyone Shared their favourite foods from their home countries. We drank watched our teams high-lights and low-lights from the year. The weekend also featured a golf tournament, Frisknock, Street Hockey, and a mini skill competition For some of the veterans it was going to be their last run at the championship but for the large number of rookies on the team it was a time to bond over the first of what will hopefully be many successful playoff appearances. We knew the odds were stacked against us going into the playoffs so we tried to build a mentality of us going in and forcing every team that played us to have to struggle for every inch of the ice.
Well as this is my first playoff season with the Newfoundland Zerks, I don't know how exactly they prepare so I am coming into this system blind. I think we start out as we always do by having some fun team exercises and drills to get us loosened up and keep us motivated on the task at hand which always seems to go by the wayside. We cruised in our first series but came up against some tough foes in the Timber just like we did last season. Gotta hand it to the trees, they fought hard and gave us the business but we'll get them next time I am sure of that. I wish I could go into deeper detail on how we prepared for that other than just doing what we do and working how we work but it really is just an group mentality that keeps us going and prepares us for battle.
leviadan Player Progression Director
be nice to me it's the law
01-14-2024, 08:01 PM(This post was last modified: 01-14-2024, 08:03 PM by leviadan. Edited 1 time in total.)
We prepared for the playoffs by working very hard in practice and learning our systems thoroughly. That's a boring answer but it's true; a team that's prepared, more often than not, is a team that wins.
Now perhaps the more interesting thing, is what we've done to prepare for each round of the playoffs. As each opponent has been named, we've prepared a meal based on their team and eaten it in the dark, in our locker room, with no utensils allowed-- hands only. This was @micool132 's idea.
So for round one against Nevada Battleborn we had a fire roasted ram. We each partook of the delicious flank meat, and then subsequently partook of the Battleborn's delicious flank meat and defeated them in 5 games. Next up for our series against the Maine Timber we fried very thin maple log discs in palm oil and muched on them. We then fried and munched on the Timber in 6 games to move on to the finals. Now we have eaten an entire falcon, bones and all, to prepare for Detroit.
Ah, yes. The playoffs. The Regina Elk had done it -- they'd made the playoffs. It was a harrowing journey for sure, given the difficulty of qualifying for the playoffs in their division. Indeed, it was so difficult that it was actually impossible to NOT make the playoffs in their division. Knowing that going in to the season, the Elk chose to spend the entire regular season preparing for the playoffs they knew that they'd clinched since day 1. The regular season was just one long preseason for these Regina Elk, and as a result the fruits of their labor weren't always the sweetest (at least on paper). Not to worry, because they were getting the wrinkles out. This season was to be a bit of a rebuilding year for the Elk. Nobody really expected much, which was good. It gave them time to prepare their secret weapon for the postseason. The most significant thing the Elk did in preparation for the postseason was collecting the elk piss for the famed Regina Piss Ice.
And hey, it worked. Because this Elk team was not good. They were not expected to be particularly competitive, as previously mentioned, but it's a point still worth belaboring. They had a difficult road ahead of them if they were to win it all (and they didn't). The Elk, however, got their money's worth in the first round, only being bounced after taking the series to the maximum seven games. We can only imagine what's in store for the Elk next season.
The Maine Timber have been no strangers to playoff hockey in recent years. While they were just recently knocked out of contention, they went into playoffs with a fierce group of rookies determined to prove the Timber can compete even with a bunch of fresh foliage on the roster. To prepare for the first round, they spent a lot of time doing endurance exercises. They chopped wood all day and all night, stopping only to drink green smoothies made from the finest vegetables to strengthen their innards as they sculpted their exteriors. When they weren't chopping wood or drinking smoothies, they were engaged in team building exercises, watching tape, or getting a good healthy dose of rest. All of this served them well until the most recent round, but unfortunately they just couldn't quite find their way to the finals this year. I anticipate the team will get some much needed rest in the offseason, then pick up their intense exercise-chopping regime again soon.
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