TASK ONE: Pick either of the teams currently in the finals. Which player had to overcome the most adversity to get where they are at now? What did they have to endure before finally getting their crack at the Cup? Must be 150 words and include two specific situations that player experienced en-route to the Cup finals, whether this season or at some point during their career.

While he played a minor role on the roster, perhaps nobody’s presence on the championship-winning Manhattan Rage’s roster was more surprising than Johnny Pollak. Once, Johnny Pollak was a fifth-round pick for the Prince George Firebirds in the Season 30 SMJHL Entry Draft, taken ahead of the likes of Toivo Kosonen, Geronimo Otto, Vasily Horvat, Jacob Renninger, Adam Kaiser, and Ronnie Westbrook. However, his growth and development stagnated as he went undrafted in the Season 31 SHL Entry Draft after a disappointing season with an equally disappointing outcome – a loss in the Four Star Cup Finals to Halifax. Pollak would play one more season with the Firebirds, scoring 12 points in Season 31, before leaving the game of hockey for good … or so we thought. While he didn’t play a single minute of the season for the Rage this season, Pollak was a vital provider of dihydrogen monoxide, chirps per 60, and reasons why nobody likes the Buffalo Sabres en route to the Rage’s Challenge Cup.

TASK TWO: Who is your choice for the unsung hero of the S38 playoffs up to this point? Must be at least 150 words and include at least two statistics in support.

The unquestioned leader of the Manhattan Rage in their Challenge Cup triumph was goaltender Jason Aittokallio, boasting a .934 save percentage during the playoffs. However, one of the unsung heroes lost in Aittokallio’s superb performance was forward Luke Atmey. Atmey led the team in goals, as he lit the lamp nine times in 20 games. Not only that, many of his goals came at the time Manhattan needed them the most.
In game seven of the Rage’s first-round series with the New England Wolfpack, Atmey scored in overtime to push the Rage into the Eastern Conference Finals. After falling behind 3-0 to the Minnesota Chiefs in that series, the Rage rallied to force a game seven. In that game seven, Minnesota took a 3-2 lead, but Atmey’s game-tying goal at 5:22 in the third period sparked a three-goal run for the Rage as they’d win 5-3. Lastly, in the Challenge Cup Finals, Atmey again provided the game-winning goal in the decisive game six, pushing Manhattan ahead 4-3 with 4:22 remaining in the third period for the Cup-clinching goal.

TASK FOUR: What rookies or young players are looking to make a name for themselves during the Finals? How have they contributed to the team on the way to the Finals? Must be at least 150 words, and include two statistics.

The lone rookie in this season’s Challenge Cup Finals, Roman Augustus hopes to make an impact early in his career for the storied Calgary Dragons franchise. Selected with the tenth overall pick in the Season 36 SHL Entry Draft, Augustus joined the Dragons after three seasons playing for the SMJHL’s St. Louis Scarecrows. Augustus was immediately thrust into a key role on the Dragons, playing top-four minutes on Calgary’s defense. Augustus actually tallied more shot blocks this season (78) than he did in any of his SMJHL seasons, adjusting well to life in the “big leagues.” Those shot blocks not only trended upward from his junior numbers, they placed him atop the team leaderboard and just shy of the SHL-wide top ten in the category. Those defensive contributions have been critical for the team during its Challenge Cup Finals run, and he should only get better with time and development.