World Cup of Hockey 28 (Everything Thread)

by **Valanora** » Thu Oct 01, 2015 6:05 pm

Round of Sixteen, Game 1
Valanora 2–1 Cosumar
Esparmuran 3–1 Feministvs Sanctvsterra
Ko-oren 2–1 Havl
Gregoryisgodistan 1–0 Neu Engollon
Royal Kingdom of Quebec 4–1 Abanhfleft
The Sword Bloke 0–2 Elejamie
Ontorisa 4–2 Zenic
Novaya Zemlya 1–0 Nova Anglicana

by **Esparmuran** » Thu Oct 01, 2015 6:37 pm

Espars Rout Abanhfleft, Win Group

5.50 k.

National Herald/nationale Herolden - A Commonwealth of Crowns Herald Affiliate

Olaf Skovgaard

Raynor City, Valanora

The Espar's closed out the group match days in style Tuesday evening, defeating the Fleftic's 5-2.

The Espar's (4-1-0), who have won three in a row, defeated the Britonish 3-2 on Sunday and the Maramarkians by a 5-3 score Monday. They have earned points in nine out of ten points against Group E opponents this tournament, including 3/4 points on "away" games.

"Tough or not, it's been important to get these three wins." Captain Orrell Beake said. "We've made it this far and it's been fun. We've got the management, we've got the players, and most of all we've got the experience to get deep into this. Last years run was just the beginning, and I'm hoping we can keep the momentum up."

Both squads used their back-up goaltenders for tonight's game.

It took Esparmuran four minutes to record its first shot on Fleftic goaltender Nathaniel Mosser. Kim Jardine put his first of two shots past him at 14:45. Abanhfleft's dump-in rang around the glass in the Espar's end and cleared the zone, springing Jardine on a partial breakaway. The Espar forward deked Mosser before wrapping the puck around his outstretched pad to put Esparmuran up 1-0.

Five minutes later, Njord Abrahamsen corralled a rebound off the initial shot from Fleftic Delmar Holder and tried to tap it back to goaltender Aydan Herbert to cover up, but Eldridge Blough poked the botched exchange by the Espar goaltender to bring the game back even.

"It's my fault," Abrahamsen said. "It's not a play we work on or anything. It was kind of bouncing and I just figured I'd get him to freeze it, but we never said we'd work on that, by any means, so it can't happen."

Mosser denied Abrahamsen with two pad saves on a partial breakaway a couple minutes later, but captain Orrell Beake beat the Fleftic goaltender with a shorthanded goal at 6:52, when he took a return pass from Blaine Blackwood on an odd-man rush and scored his fourth goal this tournament.

Ted Kawakami's wraparound goal at 2:15 tied the game up again. Nathaniel Mosser stopped four of six shots, and was replaced by starting netminder Aaron Pickert to begin the second period.

Esparmuran responded immediately in the second after Peder Oakley deflected Lennox School's point shot between Pickert's legs to get the Espar's up by one.

Pickert denied an Temple Maynard one-timer midway through the second before Paul Lauritsen's centering pass hit Fleftic defender Stan Quesada and crawled across the goal line. On the next shift, Pickert blocked a chance from Danny Faulkner on the edge of the crease.

At the end of an uneventful third period, Pickert got called to the bench in favor of the extra attacker, Haven Clausen found the empty net with 0:51 remaining to give Esparmuran a 5-2 lead.

The Espars will face Feministvs Sanctvsterra in the Round of 16. What do you know about Feministvs Sanctvsterra? I know that they're a political party, rather than a country, but that's about it. They have a full-female roster, which mean the in-the-works Espar women's squad will be, according to coach Jimi Stack, playing the first game. If they don't do well, the men's squad will take up the second/and third game.

works? · by **Abanhfleft** » Fri Oct 02, 2015 6:32 am

Part One Part Two Part Three Part Four Part Five

Ignorance is Bliss, Part Six

Porcusces International Airport
Porcusces, Ceneisis
September 26, 2011

"I will be damned," Hjalmar Carlsberg said. "You won't believe it, Harry. Those black boxes that we got from the tail of Flight 1200 were really part of that plane."

"Really, Hal?" replied Harold Lampard. "Then that means you got at least one thing right."

"What is that?"

"NQA really need to get their priorities straight."

Lampard and Carlsberg then got together on the table as Carlsberg opened the box in which the data from both flight recorders had arrived in Porcusces from Riuwiee. Inside were stacks upon stacks of paper filled with the printed data from the recorders, and there were two CDs through which the investigators could access the data more easily. "I gotta hand it to NQA," Lampard said as he skimmed through one of the data sheets. "They know where to get the best and most accurate recorders."

"The tech guys in Riuwiee have put a disclaimer on it, though," the FTSB staffer that had delivered the box to the on-site investigators told the two of them. "Because the An-12 was not designed with the seventh-gen recorders, they're not sure how much of the parameters were accurately recorded."

"I take it back, Hal," Lampard said as the staffer left.

"Forget that," Carlsberg said. "Let's see the data and see if they're all accurate."

They took out the papers and the CDs from the box and then began reading through them. A few hours later, both of them were rubbing their aching eyes, the strain of reading print a little bit too small for their ageing eyes getting the better of them. "Oh, man, I really am getting too old for this," Lampard muttered. "Hal, you see anything that sticks out to you?"

"I think we've got a repeat of Flight 6703," Carlsberg replied. "Looks like Flight 1200 also suffered uncontrolled fires to its engines three and four. Just look at the temps recorded by the FDR." He passed the papers over to Lampard, who gave his eyes one last rub before putting on his glasses once again.

The papers that Carlsberg had passed to him were the data acquired by the flight data recorder from the plane's engines. Engines one and two looked like they were running perfectly fine, with temperature, RPMs and fuel flow all within the green zone of operation. But the story on engines three and four were quite different. They told the story of two engines which were already overtaxed and running ragged, hopping between the green and yellow zones before the temperatures in the two engines suddenly spiked to, if the data was correct, a whopping three thousand degrees Celsius. Lampard knew that steel melted at two thousand five hundred degrees, and aluminium at just six hundred degrees. If the temperatures recorded by the FDR were accurate, then Flight 1200 was melting itself apart even as it flew towards its catastrophic destiny.

"Hot damn," he muttered. "Three thousand degrees. If this is all true then this plane was tearing itself apart as soon as those fires started."

"I know, right?" Carlsberg replied. "It's gonna be like all those questions about 9/11, about how the fire got hot enough to melt all the steel and aluminum."

"Yeah, how did the fires get that hot in the engines?" Lampard asked. "It can't be just spontaneous. And engines three and four had been fluctuating between green and yellow throughout the flight."

"The usual suspects, then," Carlsberg said. "It's either the fuel, the oil, the hydraulics or all three." Carlsberg was referring to the pipes and lines feeding fuel, oil and hydraulic fluid to the engines.

"Have you checked the wreckage, see if any one of those cracked and caused the fires?"

"What we have right now doesn't look good right now," Carlsberg said, heading for one of the tables inside the hangar that they had turned into their makeshift headquarters and coming back carrying a plastic flat-bottomed container. "These are what we recovered from engines three and four," he said, taking out what looked like rocks but were actually bits and pieces of metal that had once made up the plane's Ivchenko turboprops.

"Dear God in heaven," Lampard muttered. "How in the world are we supposed to know if they failed in flight?"

"That's why I'm glad we have labs for this kind of stuff," Carlsberg said. He then poured the contents of the container into a small icebox, which he then sealed with yellow tape that he signed. He then offered the marker to Lampard and said, "You need to sign the tape as well."

"All right," Lampard said as he put his signature down on the tape as well.

by **Kaboomlandia** » Fri Oct 02, 2015 7:29 am

Ruling Family Deposed!

Stunning news arose from Kaboomlandia tonight, as the ruling family of King Andrew and Queen Diana has been shockingly overthrown from the throne by a long-lost branch of the family, the Kolra branch. King Wulfric and Queen Aliana have reportedly ordered the exile of the former leaders. Following the coup, King Wulfric declared the dissolution of the Kaboomlandian National Assembly and renamed the administrative capital of Calgary to Kolra.

KIHL Releases Statement

Following the coup of Kaboomlandia's throne, the KIHL released a statement on the state of affairs over Twitter:

"City of Calgary renamed to Kolra following coup of throne. KIHL operations suspended for the time being. Will release further information as it comes in. National team will not be affected, though the Kings nickname is expected to be changed, given the current political situation."

by **Gregoryisgodistan** » Fri Oct 02, 2015 10:22 am

Gregoryisgodistan 1–0 Neu Engollon

"Good evening folks, and welcome to Valanora. Tonight's game features Neu Engollon up against the glorious Ice Slaves of glorious Gregoryisgodistan. Will we see crushings tonight? Will we see victories tonight? Will we see goals tonight? It all starts RIGHT NOW!

...

"16:03 left in the first, Delmasso to Terfram, he shoots, off the chest of Enemy Crusher Porky "Fatso The Third" McFattel. Right to Volkzein, who shoots, again off of Enemy Crusher Porky "Fatso The Third" McFattel. Here's Kemmelz, off Enemy Crusher Porky "Fatso The Third" McFattel again and cleared out of the zone by Enemy Crusher Bigward McFooples. LeTranc will hold it while we have a shift change and now gets it up to Sameaux then scampers off. Sameaux to Velper, he shoots, off the chest of Enemy Crusher Bigward McFooples and finally cleared out by Enemy Crusher Crushdaguaya Balians. It will go down to the goaltender Bassati and he'll hold it for a bit, threat averted.

...

"8:03 left in the first and the ref has blown his whistle as a moron fan has thrown something onto the ice. What is this? It's a xylocarp, the fruit with the other forbidden name. And here come more xylocarps. One hits the ref in the head but he's ok. Where are they from? Those fans are morons and are going to jail. You can't throw xylocarps on the ice, even if it's not Gregoryisgodistan. And here come the Enemy Crushers and the Slave Beaters. The Enemy Crushers are going to crush some of the xylocarps, and the Slave Beaters are going to smash the others to bits with their sticks. This is so much fun. So much fun indeed. Xylocarps, by any name, are evil and must be destroyed. For that is what the Lord has willed. Death to xylocarps, sapient or otherwise!

...

"35.3 seconds left in the first period, Gazzina to Manon, shoots, smothered by Enemy Crusher Porky "Fatso The Third" McFattel. Attempted clear but Mastroni is there, no offsides, and he gets in to Weissbaum, who shoots, off the chest of Enemy Crusher Porky "Fatso The Third" McFattel. 5 seconds left, 4, 3, 2, here's Telhoffen, Goal. Neu Engollon leads, maybe. The horn went off. We'll review this. And we'll see if this is a goal. And the Enemy Crushers are surrounding the replay official who's taking his time. Now they're pounding on the glass and screaming at him. Here's the call."

"The puck crossed the line after the horn sounded. No Goal."

"And the Enemy Crushers rejoice and nobody gets crushed. It's a win-win. Hooray!

...

"13:33 left in the second period, Slave Beater NDNSHYQ19 to Enemy Crusher Bigmac Fatfrize, he shoots, GOAL FOR ICE SLAVES! TOP RIGHT CORNER! And now, what's this? Enemy Crusher Bigmac Fatfrize is taking a flag of Neu Engollon and he is burning it at center ice in celebration. And now he is bowing to a statue of Lord Almighty Gregory before throwing the burning flag into the stands. These Enemy Crushers are an incredible joy to watch.

...

"5:34 left in the second period and Velper is hit hard into the boards by Enemy Crusher Krushallah Krushsaintland. And he's hurt. He looks concussed, at the least. And Enemy Crusher Krushallah Krushsaintland is dancing in celebration, pointing and mocking Velper for being hurt. He's going to get a two minute unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. But that was a clean hit, they say, so no penalty there. And now he's mocking the ref for calling a penalty and crushing the penalty box attendant. This is incredible, incredible, fun. But we're back underway as Velper has been carted off and Enemy Crusher Krushallah Krushsaintland is in the penalty box with a dead attendant. He'll have to let himself out when it's time.

...

"12:08 left in the game, Neu Engollon on the attack, oh but taken away by Enemy Crusher Porkbert McPorkerstein, he quickly gets it up to Weatherman 92UDH9111, no offsides they say, he shoots, off the post. Here's Loyal Friend of Lord Almighty Gregory Harry Rupertson with the rebound, off the other post! Here's Weatherman 92UDH9111 again, into the glove of Bassati and we'll have a faceoff. Faceoff won by the Ice Slaves, Enemy Crusher Bigmac Fatfrize to Slave Beater NDNSHYQ19, off the stick of the goalie and cleared out. Threat averted.

...

"21 seconds left and the Neu Engollon goalie has long been pulled. They'll look to pull even and force OT. Here's Delmasso, to Galvnic the extra attacker, he shoots, high, 10 seconds left, chased down by Enemy Crusher Porkbert McPorkerstein and that's going to do it. Ice Slaves take game 1! Back for game 2 tomorrow to clinch."

by **Elejamie** » Fri Oct 02, 2015 11:59 am

"Over to John Daverson now for the news about Elejamie's first Round of 16 match. John?"

That's right, Steve. Good morning, Elejamie! Yesterday saw Elejamie win their opening Round of 16 game against The Sword Bloke. The Sword Bloke had topped their group winning all but one of their games, losing 1-0 to Kazirstan, who were eliminated from the tournament after coming fourth in their group; whereas Elejamie had only won two games - 2-1 over the Transalpine Republic and 2-0 over the Unified Sunrise Islands - and drew three. Despite the odds being stacked against the Icy Elephants, they managed to shut out the Head Gnashers and, as they go into game 2, they're confident that they'll sweep the series. Here are the highlights:

The first period opened with an Anatoly Kasputin goal fifteen seconds after the start of the match. Cerin Meloten won the face-off and managed to skate past the Swordean defence, before spotting Kasputin who put the puck in the net off the one-timer. After realising what had happened, The Sword Bloke were quick on the attack. About a minute later, Swordean captain, coach, leader and puer aeternus Shop Owner very nearly pulled one back thanks to this amazing slap shot that just hit the post, with Antonio Cervantes catching the rebound. Elejamie were trying their hardest to add to their score. Lucas Madgwick shot it wide; Carlos Sierra's wrist shot got saced by Angus Foley; and Ethan Swinburne accidentally moved the net trying to get a shot in. But, famous of all, there was this shot five minutes from time, when Felipe Barajas' slap shot not only flew over the boards but the puck somehow managed to get itself stuck in the netting behind the Swordean goal. Fortunately, play was restarted with a fresh puck, the one that got stuck was freed and given to Felipe later that evening and, at the end of the first period, Elejamie were leading 1-0.

The second period saw the only penalty of the match when, in the fifth minute, George Lincoln accidentally fired his shot into the crowd, receiving a two minute minor for a delay. Fortunately, the Swordeans were unable to score anything on the power play, with Cervantes deflecting or catching every single shot. Unfortunately, Elejamie were unable to score anything either, with Foley saving shots from Meloten, Kasputin, Pael Atenar and Aaron Andrews. The closest there was to a goal was this shot by Shop Owner, which would've been a goal had it not been disallowed for offside. As hard as both teams tried, the score remained 1-0 in Elejamie's favour.

The third period was also a tightly-contested affair, with both sides trying to get one over on their opponents. The Swordeans were coming quick and fast, getting as many as ten shots on goal between the second and third minutes; all the shots went wide or were deflected until Antonio Cervantes simply saved this wrist shot from Shop Owner and took it to a face-off. Even though they had possessed the puck throughout most of the period, they were unable to do anything with it. In fact, it was Elejamie who would score the next goal when, seven minutes from time, James Han made it 2-0 to Elejamie thanks to an unassisted snap shot, intercepting a Swordean pass before whacking the puck straight into their net. And, much like before, the Swordeans got to work to salvaging their game with no success, with every single shot going wide or going into Cervantes' gloves. Their only consolation was that the Icy Elephants was unable to add to their result either. Even with Foley being pulled off for an extra attacker, Elejamie were unable to put another one on the scoreboard, with the Swordean defence remaining strong until the end.

In a post-match interview, head coach Michael Madgwick said "I wouldn't say that was a reasonably tough game. But it wasn't really that easy and we were just given a couple of lucky breaks, that was all. On the upside, the offence are really getting into it as they should, with Cerin's opening shot being one of the best things I've seen them do this tournament. The defence, as always, kept strong but I would say that my personal man of the match - and the guy worthy of that first star - is Toni. I don't know how much effort he put in but he still gave one hell of a result! In fact, I could've easily given him a book to read during play and he still would've shut them out!"

"Do you think you'll be taking the next game?"

"I am sure we will, yes. Don't get me wrong, Shop Owner knows what he's doing and, as Flynn Taggart said after the 4-1 loss to the Ice Slaves, if they had won their group in the last tournament, then they would've made it to the quarter finals. And, indeed, they did certainly put up a fight here as we could've put more past them. But I'm afraid that they'll be going home early again, with my boys winning by one or two goals, maybe an overtime win if the Head Gnashers are lucky, which I'm hoping they are.

But the biggest question is about who we will be facing if we do take our game to the quarter finals. Will it be Ko-oren? Since we have a track record of facing them in the rugby, so it'll make sense for it to spill into the ice hockey. Will it be Havl? Because, let's face it, it won't be a World Cup of Hockey without an Elejamie/Havl game. Will it be someone else? As this tournament has been full of surprises. Well, whatever the answer is, we're hoping to do the best with what we have and we'll make sure that we put one hell of a show for the folks back home."

Meanwhile, both co-hosts of the previous tourney won their games; Ko-oren with a surprising 2-1 victory over hockey giants Havl, whereas Gregoryisgodistan edged out Neu Engollon 1-0. And, speaking of the last World Cup of Hockey: Esparmuran, who were runners up in that tournament, beat Feministvs Sanctvsterra 3-1, whereas Novaya Zemlya - who knocked Elejamie out of the last tournament at the quarter final stage before losing their semi-final and third placed games - lost 1-0 to Nova Anglicana. Group E runners up Abanhfleft were thrashed 4-1 by the Royal Kingdom of Quebec. Hosts Valanora grabbed a 2-1 victory over Cosumar; who, along with Havl, were lucky enough to be the best third placed teams of the tournament. And, finally, Ontorisa beat Zenic 4-2.

Today, we shall see game 2 and who will be making it through to the quarter finals, who'll be making the trip home and who will live to see another day. Will Elejamie finish what they started in game 1? Or will the Head Gnashers pull one back and take it to game 3? Find out on Puck Drop.

Elsewhere in the ice hockey, the Elejamie City Ice Elephants have confirmed their interest in Ontorisan player Friteras Mokomis. Mokomis, who would be playing for the Ice Elephants' affiliate team the Auckhampton Fathers should he make it to Elejamie, was let go by his previous team the Esanmur Timber Wolves at the end of the last season, playing only 32 games...

Period			P1	P2	P3	FS
Elejamie		1	0	1	2
The Sword Bloke		0	0	0	0

by **The Sword Bloke** » Fri Oct 02, 2015 1:29 pm

ELEJAMIANS WIN OVER SWORDEANS

Last WCoH, what happened to the Swordeans? They went home early as they were sweeped by Gregoryisgodistan. And this time, that seems the probability as Elejamie secured an embarrassing 2-0 victory over the Head Gnashers. The Swordeans were expected to win, Elejamie having won only 2 games and drew 3, where as the Swordeans won 4 and lost just 1 to Kazirstan, beating top-10 ranked teams Zenic and Cosumar on the way.

But last night was a embarrassment for all associated with Swordean hockey, as the Head Gnashers seemed to just give their hopes of victory to charity, that charity being Elejamie.
Shop Owner shook his head many a time in e poor performance stating after the game,
"We have work to do. A lot of work to do. We want to win, only that we seem destined for an early exit. Our boys will take it to game three, though, and we will win it. And win it good."

The Swordeans are in their 3rd WCoH. The Swordeans were drawn in what was probably the group of death in Quebec. Drawn with Gregoryisgodistan, San Jose Guayabal Yttribia & Vermark among others. The Swordeans were in the bottom two, getting a rank of 60-something. The next edition in Gregoryisgodistan & Ko-Oren, they were desperate to make change,

And they sure did, making the last 16 in 2nd place in a preferably easy group with only Equestrian States as a real challenger to the Swordeans, the ponies getting first. That meant the Swordeans had the doshonour of coming up against hosts Gregoryisgodistan, who were celebrating their 1st of June New Year over our games. And they killed us easily.

Not much can be said about those games. But about these games, we were reminded of the feeling to lift our forst international trophy. Shop Owner had made a cardboard replica of the WCoH trophy, and asked everyone to lift it, and then at the end asked them what it felt like. They said 'Happiness', 'Pride', 'Power' & 'Heroic'.

Well, the point is that our boys won't be going to home to Elejamie, and the 21st ranked Swordeans have a tiny chance of victory that would bring those things to the team. However, they are so close to getting eliminated. WILL they rise from the dead, or continue in their little grave?
That question will be answered tonight, at the Swordeans-Elejamie WCoH Game two.

by **Ontorisa** » Fri Oct 02, 2015 1:31 pm

www.Nationalsportsnetwork.ont
Game 1 Dominated By Ontorisa
Rebounding from a 2-1 deficit, Ontorisa surges in the late second period and the third period to take a 1-0 series lead over Zenic as Kedersolis openly took a shot at Gregoryisgodistan

Valanora - Hockey powerhouse Zenic were booed as they went onto the ice to kick off the Best of 3 series between Ontorisa and Zenic by the thousands of Ontorisan fans who had made the trip to Valanora. To be fair, this was Ontorisa's first Round of Sixteen game in a while, and it was functioning in a different format, with a best of 3 series. Every country has Ontorisa losing in the first round, with the Gregoryisgodistan analysts even saying that Ontorisa would be swept. How wrong do they look now?

Emotions were running high after the national anthems as each of the first lines took to the ice. Delsja was faced off against Celso Tennison, a centre man Delsja won against every single time. Calling it putting a new face-off taker against a veteran of a high speed league, but that's what it looked like even though Delsja was 3 years younger than Tennison. The scoring kicked off with a nice shot from Zenic's own Tendaji Jernej that beat Semkaris. The gesture Jernej made when he was going by the Ontorisan bench was one resembling of him lifting a trophy, one that agitated the team, enough for the young Heja Corispan to tally up his second of the tournament with a good cross-crease pass from Kolobos to beat Piatek. Corispan returned the favour to the Zenic bench, mocking Jernej before celebrating with his team.

As the second period began, Zenic continued to work in the Ontorisan end, keeping the team pinned in and drawing constant penalties. Even with Delsja's unreal effort in the face-off circle (a win percentage of 96.7), the puck was trapped, with constant defensive zone turn-overs. This resulted in a goal from a highlight reel goal by Celso Tennison, who was clearly frustrated by his woes in the face-off circle. Ontorisa answered back in a hurry on the powerplay, with a nice hold and release by Psear. From there, in the tie game, the balance of the game was clear as the teams were almost even in shots.

That all changed in the third period. A quick goal by Lamas Twaug from a simple dump on the net put Ontorisa in the lead, and the fire on Zenic, who struggled the entire period to find a third goal as Semkaris stopped all 17 attempts on net by Zenic in the third period. From there, Zenic's efforts began to get progressively and progressively more desperate as Ontorisa continued to put the puck on the net, Piatek putting on a show until a simple shot beat him. Xel Kedersolis scored this game winning goal, following two very silent games. Ontorisa would win the game, 4-2, against Zenic, a huge morale boost to the team, one that Kedersolis used to attack a certain nation.

"Well, to be fair, we came into this game as underdogs as so many newswires pointed out." Kedersolis spoke after the game. "Everyone's expecting us to lose this series, especially Gregoryisgodistan, literally the definition of a country run by a -redacted- for brains lunatic. Their hockey analysts, whom I bet has never played hockey outside of his little cardboard box in some office, say we're going to get swept, should probably look at their team of pure goons. You think they're a hockey team? They can barely score, never mind play the game properly without killing someone."

"Well, aren't you scared of them?" A reporter had asked Kedersolis. "They have been known to take the body to anyone who disagrees with them."

"They should be scared of me." Kedersolis' reply had been. "They're a terrible excuse for a top ranked team. I'd like to see them try to take the body on me."

Kedersolis currently leads the team in penalty minutes with 12 minutes in the box as well as hits, with 57 hits to his name. He's an imposing player, standing at 6"4, 210 pounds, being dangerous both offensively and defensively. With a devastating physical category along with experience and a nasty wrist shot, Kedersolis is a perfect example of what power forwards are today, a mix between a fighter, a body checker and a scorer. Kedersolis was drafted 103rd overall by the Recolosburg Tridents and was 19 goals, 22 assists and is a +15 with the Tridents before he left for international duty.

Score Summary

1st Period
ZEN Goal: Jernej, Tendaji (4) [Ott, Adele (2); Vaughan, Clancy (6)] - Even Strength Goal - Slap Shot Goal - 13:48
ONT Goal: Corispan, Heja (2) [Kolobos, Yeta (3); Tryskai, Umar (1)] - Even Strength Goal - Wrist Shot Goal - 8:37
2nd Period
ZEN Goal: Tennison, Celso (1) [Ellsworth, Gulshan (3); Piatek, Olli (1)] - Even Strength Goal - Backhand - 10:59
ONT Goal: Psear, Fralo (1) [Wedernas, Tealmos (3); Deljsa, Rieaa (2)] - Power Play Goal - Snap Shot Goal - 7:24
3rd Period
ONT Goal: Twaug, Lamas (1) [Ealik, Jaskirn (2)] - Even Strength Goal - Slap Shot Goal - 12:08
ONT Goal: Kedersolis, Xel (2) [Kolobos, Yeta (4); Ceb-an-Mukai, Paukris (3)] - Even Strength Goal - Wrist Shot Goal - 6:45

Box Score
1st 2nd 3rd Final
Ontorisa 1 1 2 4
Zenic 1 1 0 2

Ontorisa Shots: 36
Zenic Shots: 38

W - Tolkos Semkaris - 36 Saves - SV% 0.947
L - Olli Piatek - 32 Saves - SV% 0.888

THREE STARS OF THE GAME - Presented by Velpoz Sports Equipment

1st Star: Fralo Psear (1 G, 0 A, 1 P, 0 +/-, 4 Hits)
2nd Star: Yeta Kolobos (0 G, 2 A, 2 P, 2 +/-, 5 Hits)
3rd Star: Xel Kedersolis (1 G, 0 A, 1 P, 1 +/-, 7 Hits)

by **Valanora** » Fri Oct 02, 2015 4:11 pm

"What do you think is the root of the trend of the current hockey powers playing a more defensive style of game, as compared to football where most of the best sides there are attacking? Considering the pace of hockey compared to football, you would think the inverse was true, not how it currently stands."

"It is quite an unusual quirk and not one that I think can be explained away with much ease, perhaps it is because of how quick the game is played that perhaps sees teams looking to play more defensively. You need to be as sharp as you possibly can and avoid the mistakes that the opposing skill players can pounce on and exploit. What better way to mitigate those possible exploitations than to play in more of a shell and have cover for what mistakes there are than to be stretched then trying to play in a more attacking style. While it is not something that is remarkably beautiful to the eye, it is a solid foundation in which a team can build itself and then reach out and snatch the results it needs to proceed, as the frustration of an attacker who can not breach the fortress will lead to their own mistakes."

"I can understand that to a degree but considering the diverse amount of footballing cultures, why does it seem at this current time that the hockey culture is nearly swallowed whole in this defensive ideal. I know that football had its age of Karela with the likes of Rejistania and that certain nations now are trying to revive it, but it has never seen a time where the majority of the powers within its sport like the which we are seeing now with the World Cup of Hockey."

"Trends fade through time, it is as true to sport as it is in the ways of fashion. While it is certainly odd and perhaps going as far as abnormal to have this much defensive minded teams among the power elite in hockey, it is something that will change in time. Perhaps even this tournament, as our own squad looks to reaffirm their spot among the elite within the sport. There is also the mimicking success factor to consider, when the country that shall not be named having won last edition while playing in such a style, so others looking to replicate their success by mimicking their style."

"I dearly hope so, I for one am not a fan of this shift towards defensive attitudes and many of our fellow countrymen are not either. We Vanorians enjoy a good show of a team at least trying to play something resembling an attacking game, thus this current trend is quite disturbing and would like to see it meet its end sooner rather than later. Sport is meant to be enjoyed and not subject to the performances that lack anything resembling a proper, organized attack."

by **Valanora** » Fri Oct 02, 2015 4:16 pm

Round of Sixteen, Game 2
Valanora 3–3(2–1 SO) Cosumar, Valanora wins series 2-0
Esparmuran 2–1 Feministvs Sanctvsterra, Esparmuran wins series 2-0
Ko-oren 1–0 Havl, Ko-oren wins series 2-0
Gregoryisgodistan 0–1 Neu Engollon, Series tied 1-1
Royal Kingdom of Quebec 3–2 Abanhfleft, Quebec wins series 2-0
The Sword Bloke 0–1 Elejamie, Elejamie wins series 2-0
Ontorisa 1–2 Zenic, Series tied 1-1
Novaya Zemlya 0–0(0–1 OT) Nova Anglicana, Series tied 1-1

by **Novaya Zemlya** » Fri Oct 02, 2015 4:19 pm

POLYARNAYA PRAVDA

World Cup of Hockey Blog
Anatoly Timofeyev reports live from Valanora and the 28th World Cup of Hockey

Nova vs. Novaya - Game 1 Recap & Reflection

Even though it was the first time Novaya Zemlya faced Nova Anglicana in a WCoH setting, the two nations do have some history. At the World Junior Hockey Championship 8, the Young Lions knocked the Novozemlyans out in a close fought quarterfinal. In the WJHC 9 opener in Vermark, Nova Anglicana came out on top yet again. This time, it was an 8-3 trashing which ultimately resulted in Novozemlyan U20 coach Bratislav Yurakin losing his job. The event is known throughout Novaya Zemlya as "the Videnhagen Disaster".

The 9th ranked Lions came into the Ro16 having lost only one game, against reigning champions Gregoryisgodistan. Not unlike the Novozemlyans, they have played a disciplined, defense-oriented game and not allowed many (or in some games basically none) scoring chances. As could be expected, the first period of last night's Game 1 quickly developed into a neutral zone battle. Whenever one team had the puck under control in the offensive zone, the amount of bodies in shooting lanes made it difficult to get shots through. Still, we hockey lovers can appreciate the beauty of a clogged neutral zone, right?

In the second, the Lions ramped up their forecheck a little which caused problems for our D. Bashkim Melekhov coughed up a puck and André Tailleur nearly put one past a sprawling Iosif Bezukladnikov, but it bounced off the crossbar. Later in the period, after a questionable hooking call on the Lions, Novozemlyans got a chance to work on their atrocious power play. Aside from a wiffed one-timer signed Nik Gavrilov and a shot from Andrei Yegorov that missed the mark by 10 feet, there were still no signs of life. At least we are consistent. We don't do PP goals, it's simply not our thing this year.

Early third period, our top line was (finally) able to generate some sustained offensive zone pressure and Dominik Shelagin could bang home a rebound off a Golumbovsky wrister to make it 1-0. It was nice to see, since we desperatly need these guys to step up and lead the team. The rest of the game was spent on the defensive, as the Lions furiously chased the equalizer. Things got really critical with 3 minutes to go when Fyodor Ryzhkov picked up a 2 minute minor for crosschecking, shortly to be followed by Mikhail Spiridonov with an interference call. A canonade followed on the ensuing PP as the Lions pulled their goalie for the 6 on 3 advantage, and towards the end Leif Haas had a great opportunity on a practically open net. Luckily for us, Bezukladnikov had entered beast mode and somehow managed to make the save and weather the rest of the storm. I wonder what this team would be without "Bezu"? Probably best not to think about it.

While it's always nice to take a series lead, this thing is far from over. Nova Anglicana is coming off four straight Ro16 exits and they will do whatever it takes to avoid making it five.

What I want to see for Game 2:

Defensive hockey is nice and everything, but let's remember that it's not illegal to put some pressure on the oppenents once in a while. You might even get a scoring chance out of it, who knows?
Power play goal. (One can dream, right?)
More Bezukladnikov heroics, please!

I think that about covers it. Timofeyev out!

by **Neu Engollon** » Fri Oct 02, 2015 8:43 pm

"Good evening to our loyal viewers out in Neu Engollon and our International crowd. You're watching the NETV Sports 7 Update and I'm your host, Magda Wertauer. Hockey...or should we say survival? That's what's happening here in Valanora at the World Cup. The Ibex survived another game with the Ice Slaves, and even managed to pull out a win against the world champions to tie up the series. They sure didn't look happy about it, though. We go to a brief interview with Geoffrey Siegler, the Assistant Coach for the Ibex. Coach, thanks for joining us..."

"Sure, Magda. My pleasure."

"It got a little rough out there again, didn't it?"

"Yeah, it did. They're animals. It's like a team full of Hanson Brothers."

"Sorry, I don't get the reference?"

"It's from a movie. Slapshot. Never mind...Anyway, we're recovering and hoping to field a refreshed, if bruised, team tomorrow."

"Will Remy Velper be back there on the ice with that squad?"

"I hope so, he's mostly recovered from yesterday after sitting this one out. I think he should be able to get back to it. Now Julien LeTranc will be out for at least a game after being ravaged by another one of those beasts."

"I saw that at the final buzzer, when they realized their last shot on goal was no good. Looks like some revenge was had on one of the Ice Slaves."

"Yeah, um, Bojan Gavnic got a little in on Fatty Mcbiddle Butter, or whatever his name is, during the second period. A good hit, with a little stick in there. He got called for high sticking, but worth it. Bojan and Remy are good friends."

"So...Bojan's not fearing reprisals?"

"We're Neu Engollon, we take as good as we get. Well, I'm from Aquitayne, but not now...We will not be pushed around by these cavemen. They get enraged by coconuts for crap's sake."

"What's the strategy from here on out, Coach?"

"Well, it's a little specific, but I can say generally what Coach Liu is pushing. We're gonna play the smart game, keep lines together, keep our defense on point and keep firing the puck in to their net as much as we can. That's...That's it. That's the plan. This is the tiebreaker and we want it bad. Worse than when we came into Game one. We need to take the Ice Slaves down. It's in our blood now. Blood that's on the ice."

"Strong words from Coach Siegler. Thanks for talking with us, Coach. We will have the final game in the series against Gregoryisgodistan live tonight. Stay tuned."

by **Elejamie** » Sat Oct 03, 2015 3:17 pm

"We now go John Daverson with the news about game 2. John?"

That's right, Steve. Good morning, Elejamie! The Icy Elephants have made it two out of two as they beat The Sword Bloke 1-0 to make it through to the quarter finals. In a match that was clean and free of penalties, the two Cinderella teams of the last World Cup of Hockey took to the ice for the second time to see if Elejamie would be making it through or if The Sword Bloke could cling on for one more game. Instead, Antonio Cervantes shut the Swordeans out for the second time in a row and a sole Lucas Madgwick goal was enough to put the final nail in the coffin. Here are the highlights:

The first period was pretty much a repeat of the third from the last match: The Sword Bloke possessing the puck through most of it but were unable to do anything with it, with Shop Owner getting most of the shots on goal. First, there was this one that bounced off the boards. Even when Jai Fowler got to the puck and tried to set one up for Shop Owner, the puck ended up hitting the post before sailing back into his path for the rebound. This happened about five times before Antonio Cervantes got a glove to it and took it to a faceoff. The next big Swordean chance came not long later, when Bell Saklin's snap shot bounced off the crossbar, although Shop Owner's rebound shot was, again, easily caught by Cervantes. In their defence, Elejamie were having a hard time getting the puck into the net as well, as their first shot didn't come until the sixth minute, when Ethan Swinburne's wrist shot was easily caught by Angus Foley. Eventually, after plenty of good chances, the first period ended goalless, with the Swordeans having seventeen shots on net, compared to the Elejamians eight.

The second period saw the only goal of the match came four minutes after the start when Paul Morton won the faceoff and Lucas Madgwick knocked it in off the one-timer. However, the Swordeans were quick to retaliate, very nearly making it 1-1 when Nick Deswick's mad attempt to get the puck in the net resulted in the net being moved. Despite this, they were quick on the attack, with Marcus Fello's slap shot just being saved by Cervantes. Elejamie very nearly made it 2-0 near the end when Anatoly Kasputin's shot went in towards the end; unfortunately the goal was disallowed when it turned out that it passed the goal line after the horn sounded. Despite this, Elejamie still had the lead going into the third period and victory seemed inevitable.

The third period was a relatively quiet affair, with both teams still battling for supremacy. Shop Owner tried getting on in the opening seconds but it ended up hitting the boards. Anatoly Kasputin's snap shot was easily saved by Angus Foley. Jai Fowler's wrist shot was knocked away by Cervantes. And Pael Atenar's shot went wide; Danilo Barajas attempted to set up another one but a check by Merri Camden ended up breaking the glass. Fortunately, neither Barajas or Camden were injured and the broken glass was quickly cleaned up and replaced. But, despite their best efforts, Elejamie were unable to add to their score, even after Foley was taken off the ice; fortunately, it didn't matter as they had made their way to the quarter finals yet again.

In a post-match interview, head coach Michael Madgwick said "Although I am pleased that we've made it to the quarter finals for the second time in a row, I honestly think we could've had a better game. Of course, props to my son Lucas for bagging the only goal and to Morty for setting it up. But we need everyone else in your positions to step up their game, especially since we're at that stage where we can't afford to make any mistakes. The defence had another excellent game and I'm glad they're still being. And, of course, Toni had yet another brilliant game, earned yet another star and I'm hoping lightning strikes thrice for us. Then again, I think I might put Pedro in game two or three, depending on how things go."

"How do you feel about your next game?"

"To be honest, I'm a little bit nervous. You know, because we made it this far last time and, despite winning a game, we ended up booking our flights home. We're hoping to learn from our mistakes and I'm pretty sure we'll be keeping them in mind in our next game against Ko-oren. Although they are are a good team - 6th in the world last time I checked - and pretty much a tough nut, I'm pretty sure we can crack them with little to no difficulty just as long as we know what we are doing."

Elsewhere, the hosts Valanora are also through; after their match ended 3-3, the Calcuttas won the shootout 2-1. Ko-oren are into the next round, thanks to a 1-0 win over Havl. Group F winners Quebec grabbed a 3-2 victory over Abanhfleft, whereas World Cup of Hockey 27 runners up Esparmuran beat the Feministvs Sanctvsterra 2-1. However, some teams managed to turn things round and, for them and their opponents, there will be a game 3. Neu Engollon shocked the world by defeating reigning champions Gregoryisgodistan 1-0. Nova Anglicana edged out Novaya Zemlya thanks to a 1-0 overtime win. And group D runners up Zenic turned the tables and got a 2-1 victory over Group C winners Ontorisa. Tomorrow, the Ice Slaves will see if they can avenge their loss to the Ibex; the Ice Lions will take on Novaya Zemlya for the third time in a make-or-break game; the Arctic Survivors will try to dump out Ontorisa; and everyone else still in the tournament will have their bye days.

In rugby league news, the Hansons Brews League will begin tomorrow night with the opening match between Woodsworth and Alvis taking place tonight. However, both sides have players who won't be attending tonight's game at the Mechanic's home stadium Wellesley Field: Woodsworth winger Nathan Westerman is out with a sprained ankle; and Alvis captain George McFarland with a sprained knee...

Period			P1	P2	P3	FS
Elejamie		0	1	0	1
The Sword Bloke		0	0	0	0

by **Kaboomlandia** » Sat Oct 03, 2015 3:24 pm

Kaboomlandia Now the Phoenix

The Kaboomlandian national teams are now the Phoenix. Following a coup by King Wulfric II, the Kaboomlandian Sporting Federation chose the new name, as they felt "Kings" did not reflect positively upon the current political situation. The name represents rebirth and rising from the ashes.

by **Zenic** » Sat Oct 03, 2015 3:34 pm

History and consistency seem to be going out the window in this World Cup of Hockey for the Zenic national team. Going from giving up a 2-1 and losing 4-2 in game 1 to winning 2-1 in a very rough and tumble matchup, this Round of 16 matchup against Ontorisa has been anything but run of the mill or a walk in the park.

Analyzing the stats so far makes it a surprise we still have a chance to advance to the Quarterfinals once again. Most of the defense except for Adele Ott seem to be struggling with the speed of the Ontorisa national team. Piatek’s numbers are horrendous compared to his norm because of the defense’s struggles. Line changes are occasionally coming too late and the matchups created favor the opposition. Overall, this squad seems to be far removed from the disciplined and talented squads of the previous tournaments, despite the fact that these are the same players.

Another stat, this time one that is both encouraging and worrying is this: Tendaji Jernej is proving why he was the first Zenician hockey player to go overseas. Two goals and an assist make him the only consistent player on the team in this series, generating the little bit of offense that we’ve displayed this series. The other goals this series came from Celso Tennison and Gulshan Ellsworth. At times, Giehl is even keeping him in as the second or third lines come in to prevent a drop in offensive output. If Zenic hope to continue the trend of making it to the Quarterfinals and then possibly advancing past that stage, the other offensive players will need to step up and help Jernej in Game 3 and onwards. Tendaji Jernej may be talented but he is no god of hockey: he cannot win games all by himself.

Another issue that needs to be addressed is first line defensemen Gustaf Hoedemakers of Teyio Mariners. All tournament long, he has looked very inconsistent: he would make major mistakes in one game then suddenly be the best defender in the world the very next game. Much hasn’t seemed to change in this series as he allowed himself to be passed by Corispan for an easy first goal in game 1 and got called on a tripping penalty that gave Ontorisa a power play and a goal from Psear. Both of those players are Ontorisa right wings, players that a left defenseman like Hoedemakers is responsible for defending.

Hoedemakers was even the cause of a large brawl in game 2 after blindside body checking an Ontorisan player. Now, many of us here at the Leinz Herald do not believe it was malicious as many of the Ontorisan team believed but it was most certainly a late hit. It simply seems like another incident that happened, not because Hoedemakers has become a dirty player, but because he has lost a step or two in speed and just can’t seem to adjust to this newfound truth. It was revealed after the game that the player has received a concussion from the hit and it is unclear whether he will play in this World Cup of Hockey again. Many people on the Zenic squad, Hoedemakers included, have sent their well wishes to the young player and hope to see them again in the next World Cup of Hockey. We would like to also extend our well wishes to the player.

All in all, it seems like a bleak outlook for Zenic unless some kind of turnaround is achieved. Maybe it’s another center or winger getting hot and helping Jernej in the offensive department. Or maybe this unfortunate incident with the concussed Ontorisan player will help Hoedemakers focus on adjusting to his new physical limits and improve the defense. It could also be Giehl making some strategic changes to the lines that neutralizes Ontorisa while kickstarting Zenic and maintaining that new energy.

Whichever the case is, the team will have to make it happen fast as Game 3 of the Round of 16 matchup against Ontorisa happens later today.

-- Pauline Ferzi

Pauline Ferzi is a homegrown talent, having lived most of her life in San Valerie. She attended New Citium University and majored in sports journalism. She joined The Leinz Herald soon after graduation and returned to San Valerie after the Zenic national hockey team’s headquarters and stadium were constructed. She is now the lead reporter on any and all news hockey related and looks to have a promising career.

by **Ontorisa** » Sat Oct 03, 2015 3:47 pm

Tarpas Frapriscamil (@NSNTarpas109)
Hockey Analyst for nationsportsnetwork.ont, former Hockey Player for the Tetorosburg Titans
Tweeted at 5:27 PM
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Corispan diagnosed with a concussion and a dislocated shoulder. Out for 10-12 weeks. #WCoH28

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by **Valanora** » Sat Oct 03, 2015 5:47 pm

Round of Sixteen, Game 3
Gregoryisgodistan 0–0(0–2 SO) Neu Engollon
Ontorisa 1–4 Zenic
Novaya Zemlya 0–1 Nova Anglicana

Quarterfinals
(1) Valanora v Neu Engollon (13)
(2) Esparmuran v Elejamie (11)
(3) Ko-oren v Zenic (10)
(5) Royal Kingdom of Quebec v Nova Anglicana (9)

Ranking reflects seeding.

by **Esparmuran** » Sat Oct 03, 2015 10:16 pm

Giants falling, Esparmuran faces Elejamie

5.50 k.

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Olaf Skovgaard

St. Petrus, Saintland

For the second time in a row, Esparmuran will sweep their Ro16 opponent, two games to nothing. First to San Jose Guayabal, now to Feministvs Sanctvsterra. The female squad handled both games, and outscored Feministvs 5-2 overall.

But the real story tonight is the match between Gregoryisgodistan and Neu Engollon. Not only has Havl lost to Ko-oren, but now the WCoH 27 champions Gregoryisgodistan simply couldn't put a puck past Calvino Bassati. The Neu Engollians, who are ranked 21 lower, have made history and will advance the hosts Valanora. The Valanorians have won the group stage, and have defeated Cosumar two games to nothing.

Only one of the three titans are left after the Round of 16. With Gregoryisgodistan and Havl gone, it's up to the Royal Kingdom of Quebec to keep the legends alive and keep winning. Quebec swept Abanhfleft 2-0 and will face Nova Anglicana in the quarterfinals.

So the ladies have won the first round. What next for them? They are, after all, still in the "beta" phase. They weren't expected to play in the Ro16 in the first place, so it's likely they won't play for the rest of the tournament. The ERC haven't said anything regarding their financial problems of having two teams in the WCoH, which probably means they're going bankrupt for the eight time. But for now, let's focus on Elejamie, the Espar's next opponent in the quarterfinals.

Elejamie was defeated by Novaya Zemlya in the quarterfinals in the WCoH 27. Novaya Zemlya was defeated by Esparmuran in the semfinals. In this tournament, Elejamie finished the group stage with an interesting record of 2-3-0 and seven points.

So, what can you expect? I, in all my biased glory, believe we will pull out another sweep. That doesn't mean Elejamie isn't a talented team; far from it, but they need to be more consistent in scoring to able to take the Espars down, and I personally don't see that happening. Elejamian goaltender Antonio Cervantes was solid during his Ro16 run, not even letting in a single goal against The Sword Bloke, but both teams are defensively minded. Esparmuran is the exact opposite. They will score and they will produce scoring chances, no matter how defensively committed Elejamie are. The biggest battle in this round is going to be between Orrell Beake and Cervantes. Beake has seven (4G,3A) points in three games, pretty regular for the vet. I don't know much about Cervantes other than he's been a beast for these past couple games. With only two goals against in four games, I predict Beake will push Cervantes to the limit and have at least two goals against him for these next 2/3 games.

by **Ko-oren** » Sun Oct 04, 2015 4:42 am

Havl heads home, Ko-oren continues coming quarterfinals, Zing! zesty Zenic

Havl ice hockey is in trouble. The once three-peat winners are freefalling down with two consecutive Round of 16 exits. In their defence, they weren't the only giants to drop out, with Gregoryisgodistan being the biggest news story this round, and a honorable mention for Novaya Zemlya. There's still enough talent in the quarterfinals and a big opportunity for other teams to jump into the gap left behind by the upsets. Like us. The Dragonflies have eliminated Havl with a 1-0 victory for a place with the final eight. As we always say... this is our year. Another great chance for our team to finally get the status they have been deserving for so long. The tenth tournament with a Green and Blue team would be a fitting place for success after so long.

However, Ko-oren could have had it easier for their next opponent. Zenic will come up next, who needed a third game against Ontorisa which they won comfortably 4-1.

In the Round of 16, Ryan Evans scored the winner in the second period. The Union was one man up: Havl's winger Hatch was sent to the side for two minutes for tripping, but could come back after one minute and twelve seconds following the Ko-oren goal. Shizuka received the puck from Kuijper, who was the first to cross into Havl territory, and Shizuka's hard, low shot was touched by Evans just before goaltender Hasenpfeffer could clear it. The puck flew in high against the net, Zaradnik just short of getting his stick against it. The remainder of the game, Havl tried to enforce an equaliser at the very least, but the Ko-orenite back line did not give in. Some might say that Havl deserved the goal for the Union's defensive stance after the 1-0, but neither team crossed the line: no goal line, but also no proverbial line to mark a dirty game.

After the game, the press conference was over quickly after one question about whether the Dragonflies anticipated the 'upset' over Havl. Unionite captain Mathew Bradley answered "This was in no way an upset, and if that is how you gauge this team, I think we're done here", got up, and left. At first, head coach Yevgeny Petrov apologised for the behaviour of the star defenceman and stayed in the room to answer more questions. The first next question was a simple rephrasing of the previous question, to which Petrov replied "Just because I apologised for Mathew's outburst, doesn't mean he was wrong. This wasn't an upset, so yes, I do think we rightfully won and to answer your question directly, yes, we anticipated the win." Later, Petrov still ended the press conference early after a comment that "it's a little arrogant to think you're better than a team with four gold trophies". Oh, how the mighty have fallen.

by **Neu Engollon** » Sun Oct 04, 2015 12:00 pm

"Good evening to our loyal viewers out in Neu Engollon and our International crowd. You're watching the NETV Sports 7 Update and I'm your host, Magda Wertauer with my co-host, Karl Demais. The WC of Hockey 28 is wrapping up the Round of 16, and unless you had the television shut off, electronics powered down, and ignored all your neighbors’ shouting, you know that something happened for the Confederacy. That something was the Ibex performing a huge upset in the hockey world by grinding and wearing down #1 ranked Gregoryisgodistan to finally beat them in during the post-overtime shootout. It was a sight that was hoped for but not really expected, not by anyone except for maybe the team and management itself.

Each test against Gregoryisgodistan was like entering combat for the Ibex, some of whom are actual military veterans of the NEDF. However, the arena of sport is not normally where most Confederacy citizens seek out constant life or death challenges. Coach Liu Qiang An briefly covered that in the most recent press conference in Valanora:”

...Yes, we have some veterans of the Neu Engollon Defense Force on the team and I think that some of that training had to play a part. For others, it took a stepping up of their mind set to get into combat mode. Every moment, Ibex life was threatened by the Crushers, the enforcers of the Ice Slaves. They set out to accomplish a mission, knowing that they are literally laying their lives on the line to accomplish that goal. Put the puck in the net. It wasn’t something we absolutely trained for, but I think that by adversity, the team was able to step up and take on that level of intensity…

“Magda, casualties were taken during the ‘Mission’. No one paid with their lives, but there were near instances where clashes with the Ice Slaves could have meant an abrupt end to careers on the ice. Remy Velper was the first to fall victim. Then Julien LeTranc. This latest climactic deciding match saw Bojan Gavnic get targeted after his retaliatory hit on one of the Crushers during the second period of the second game in the series. Gavnic was laid flat, but was able to pick himself up and shake it off. Andre Manon wasn’t so lucky, falling victim to another hit in the beginning 4th minute of the third period as Gregoryisgodistani frustration mounted with a goose egg score all around. Manon was carried off the ice and word is still out on his condition.

“Karl, the offender, Enemy Crusher Bigmac Fatfrize, like all his teammates, had little regard for the penalty box and refused to remove himself from the ice. Vanorian officials had to take to the ice, some hurriedly slapping on skates, in order to corner and escort Fatfrize off the ice to the reinforced box. The latest attendant was protected in a cage, a response to the demise of his predecessor at the hands of one of the Ice Slaves.

“Magda, that was a sad commentary indeed, but let’s not let the ultra violence overshadow the gameplay shown by the Ibex out there. Repeatedly, Bassati and for a brief stint during second period, Vincent Gaspard, fended off shot attacks as the Neu Engollian defenders were overwhelmed by the Enemy Crushers and Ice Slave forwards. Not one, but for an invalidated goal taken after the penalty whistle, was able to cross that line. Calls for a medal for the goalkeeping crew of the Ibex have been out in social media originating from the Confederacy and around Astyria. Never has the padding and protection of Ibex keepers been put so to the test as during this past game.”

“I agree. I think that every Ibex player to serve time on the ice today deserves some extra attention, Karl. They all took their knocks, some obviously harder than others. They held up and the final tie-breaking goal in the shootout by Maurice Terfram was quite a relief, as we can see here by the footage of Ibex player, coach staff and fan reactions…”

“Incredible. Shock, relief, disbelief, joy...So many waves of emotion registered in a short span. Sticks stabbing in the air and hugs all around on the ice, the benches and the stands. Then of course, the Ibex gearing for the barrage of the Slaves at the buzzer as they rushed at them, all pretense of a game out the window.”

“Sportsmanship?! What’s that?”

“Yes, little heard of in some corners. All in all, credit should still be given to the Ice Slaves who are a top team on the ice and within the confines of the game, all else aside. They were world champions for a reason. They fought their way to that spot, and we might see them do it again next Cup…”

“But for this Cup, they’re out.”

“Yes, but now the Ibex face another stiff challenge, and this could still be their early ticket home before the finals. The host team, the Calcuttas of Valanora will be bringing their best to the upstart Ibex.”

“Be sure to watch it here on NETV Sports 7 tomorrow. The match will be carried live, with replays and simulcast on sister station NETV Sports 19.”

“Now I think we have some rugby sevens to cover right here in Burgunden, right, Karl?”

“That’s right, and a special preview of the Rugby Union World Cup on the horizon…”

by **Ontorisa** » Sun Oct 04, 2015 12:51 pm

www.Nationalsportsnetwork.ont
International Bound?
17-year old Ontorisan hockey prospect, Rimas Toreis, has announced he will pursue international teams in the hockey off-season

Ontorisa - If you follow the KFAC106 League, you'll hear Rimas Toreis' name constantly during highlight reels. The 17-year old, who currently plays for the KFAC106's Panas 82's, has announced that he will pursue a position in international hockey drafts. The two-way forward is a solid point producer and scorer, leading the 82's in points with 56 goals and 47 assists. Toreis was a 2nd Round pick during the 2014 KFAC106 Entry Draft, being picked up by the 82's 35th overall. However, looking back on the past season, Toreis has definitely proven himself to be the most capable player on the 82's.

Toreis, Rimas (Panas 82's)
 Season        Team           GP    G    A    P    +/-    PIM
13-14      Drupatis Academy   52    13   25   38    19    12
14-15      Panas 82's         74    56   47   103   51    44

Information from http://www.hockeyprospectwatch.ont

The production Toreis has put up is no wonder why so many OJL teams are vying for him. The jump from his time at the high school league to the juniors was incredible as Toreis went from being a 13-goal scorer to a 50+ goal scorer. As well, another thing Toreis brings to the table is his unorthodox way of playing, almost breaking free from the stereotypical two-way forward playing style and simple going between that of a dangler, a grinder and someone who can play both offence and defence.

"It's not that I don't want to play in Ontorisa, but it's just I want more options abroad before I play here." Toreis spoke about his announcement. "I like Ontorisa's hockey league, I grew up cheering for the Trailblazers, but it's not the style I like."

Right now, scouts pin Toreis, if he does participate in the OJL Entry Draft, at 7th overall, with the top 10 picks looking like this:

1st: Iris Caderim [OUHL - Yetikar Memorial School]
2nd: Kaprive Sudromis [HZE - Fronosdrav Axmen]
3rd: Horka Zemisburg [OUHL - Kelixsburg International College]
4th: Vladimir Zukov [VHL - HC Sarov]
5th: Blorideri Gromaz [ENHL - St. Hormis Fighting Spirit]
6th: Ermisef Xulos [ENHL - Grosburg Ironmen]
7th: Rimas Toreis [KFAC106 - Pana 82's]
8th: Argrad Fokulins [OUJL - Rapazi University]
9th: Grenkard Solozer [OHL - London Knights]
10th: Tirkis Zujoviskard [HZE - Ventasburg Patriots]

If Toreis drops out, then the draft positions would move one up, allowing Lucrastic Friham of the Cerfasburg Gazelles to move up to 10th overall. This is monumental for the OJL, who lost Mejer Doristram, Drojas Zeirry and multiple other prospects to international hockey leagues. If Toreis leaves, this could signal a wave of lacklustre drafts in the next few years.

by **Nova Anglicana** » Sun Oct 04, 2015 12:51 pm

Lions Squeak Through, Will Face Familiar Foe

Martin Granger, Staff Reporter

Well, they finally did it. The Lions finally made it to a World Cup of Hockey quarterfinal. It only took them seven tournaments and five Round of 16 appearances before they were able to achieve this feat that many other have done much more quickly. The Lions have failed against Falcus, Hicaña, Valanora, and the Royal Kingdom of Quebec, but it was Novaya Zemlya who finally let them through. The Lions have a little history with the Novozemlyans; they defeated them in a World Junior Hockey Championships 8 quarterfinal, and then beat them 8-3 in their WJHC 9 opener. The younger players on the squad were somewhat familiar and did the best they could to work with the older players.

In the first game, a Dominik Shelagin shot smashed by Todd Ingram early in the third period and the Novozemlyans made it stand up. In the second game, it took overtime to find a winner. Troy Parker, first line center, nearly gave the Lions the lead in the first period when Iosif Bezukladnikov was laid out after saving a Jordan Bergeron shot, but his shot pinged off the crossbar and Dmitriy Chupalov cleared it away down the ice. Zakhar Golumbovsky's last-ditch attempt with under ten seconds to go in the game nearly sneaked by Ingram, and he even bobbled the puck after making the save, but he managed to dive on the puck and melt it down to end the game. In overtime, it was the unlikely fourth line winger Dan Warner who found the net. Warner, scrambling to beat Mikhail Spiridonov down the ice, did so, then went behind his back to skate past Andrei Yegorov. Finding himself one-on-one with Bezukladnikov, he unleashed a quick wrister that beat "Bezu" on the upper glove side to end the game.

Game 3 was physical, with many hard checks and battles for the puck. Defensemen Marq Brint, Matt Washington, and Cyrus Lovett especially found themselves in situations that tested their strength and endurance. There were no fights, but there could have been. Timely intervention by referees and teammates prevented clean physicality from spilling over into enraged combat. The Novozemlyan power play continued to struggle, going 0-for-5 and only producing six shots. One, by Sergei Kutuzov, could have found its way into the back of the net if it were not for an excellent kick save by Ingram. In the end, it was the swift-footed André Tailleur who slipped past the Novozemlyans, deked Bezukladnikov, and buried the puck in the back of the net.

Three games decided by a 1-0 scoreline sent the Lions into the quarterfinals. They will be facing none other than the Ice Knights of the Royal Kingdom of Quebec. The Lions have a rich history of competition against the Ice Knights; unfortunately, it's mostly a losing history. They succumbed to the Quebeçois in WCoH 27 in the Round of 16, a result they would like to avoid repeating. It will take a series like the one they played against the Novozemlyans to advance,though I imagine it won't be quite that low-scoring.

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by **Elejamie** » Sun Oct 04, 2015 4:01 pm

Pitch for Mihai Március Álvares and Karl Malthus

*video starts*

Olá. Meu nome é Alexandre Gabriel Tavares Santos. Ou Du Júnior. And I am the head coach for the Edgebaston Shamrocks. I am talking to you two today to give you a bit more information on the club and what would happen if you joined it. Apologies if this video seems a little bit rushed but I was putting off this recording and I ended up leaving it to about an hour before our game against Elejamie City.

The Shamrocks were formed in 1959 and were one of the original seven teams that played in the first ENIHL season the year after. We won the league a couple of times, '70/'71 and '74/'75, which are a couple of bonuses. However, we fell on some hard times a few years ago, got relegated to the ENIHL2, tried making it in by winning the league or the playoffs but kept falling at every hurdle. But now we're back and looking for some fresh talent to try and make up for lost time.

So, now let's talk money. The two of you shall receive Ꞅ3,500 a week salary. Each. Don't worry if it seems too low, since a) you'll both receive a raise if you do well and b) feel free to let me, the GM or any other staff member know if you have a better idea for a wage; details will be given at the end. As for bonuses: Ꞅ250 for each goal, Ꞅ150 for each assist, Ꞅ100 for being one of the three stars and Ꞅ1,500 for winning the league. Oh, and you get a Ꞅ300 bonus, Mihai, if you manage to shut out the opposition.

And, not only will you two receive accomodation but also you'll receive admission to Midland University, just on the outskirts of Edgebaston. In fact, if you wish to, both of you are more than welcome to spend some time playing for the university hockey team the Clovers; don't worry, you'll still be under contract with us here at the Shamrocks, meaning that, not only will you still be paid weekly for your services but, should we need at least one of you, you'll be called up to play for the Shamrocks. Juniors or seniors, depending on which one desperately needs a new player.

Will there be any problems? There will be for Mihai, as you have to be at least eighteen years old to play in the ENIHL. We don't know how long that will be but, hopefully, you'll still be raring to go by then. Don't ask me why this is, as I've already forgotten and I will need to check later. Fortunately for you, Karl, you're already 18 so this doesn't apply to you, so if you're still interested, then come right on over.

So, the big question left to ask is "Are you guys still interested?" If you are, then you know where to go. If you do have any questions, concerns or things you want to let us know, check out our website, shamrocks.enihl.ej, then click on the "contact" tab. Alright, we hope to see you soon. Eu sou Du Júnior, obrigado e adeus.

*video ends*

Harrison Blackburn Announces Move to Natanians and Nosts

"Hello, I'm Harrison Blackburn. Some of you may have known me from the IHT, where I was part of the Elejamian team. Where we ended up in second place and didn't make it through. At least there's next time. Or maybe the Junior Championships if we don't get a repeat of what happened last time.

But, today, I am here to announce that two teams have shown their interest in me. They are Barnum Brown Athletics and the N-City Peas and they're both with the Natanians and Nosts. Now, at first I wondered why they wanted me since I don't think I'm good enough to play abroad; I set up a lot of good shots that ended up missing in my first game but didn't really shine until the third game against Norrehavn, where I scored one and assisted the other. But then my agent - basically my uncle Frank - and I sat down and thought about it. After considering each of the two offers, I am announcing that I will be joining the BBA, as I'll be calling them.

However, since the school term has started, not to mention it might be a bit difficult getting me to join a school just in time to finish my mandatory education, I have decided to stay here at Lake Autumn High for my senior year - and with the Whirlpools the '15/'16 Educational League season - and then join my new club in the Summer. When I get there, we'll sort out my university, accomodation and all that. Also, I'm being told not to fight in the new league. No problemo! Not only is fighting looked down upon in the Educational League for obvious reasons but, even if it wasn't, I'm more of a playmaker so don't expect me to drop the gloves any time soon; not to mention that my uncle Frank was a playmaker as well for the Mainsborough Icemen and he always kept his gloves on on the ice, even during that line brawl against the Lightning in 2003.

So, to recap: I will be staying here at Lake Autumn High for the time being. Once I've finished school and the Educational League, I'll be off to my new club Barnum Brown Athletics to play with the Natanians and Nosts. I thank the N-City Peas for considering me and I apologise for not going with them; I will wish them luck, however. I thank you all for your time, goodbye."

by **Kaboomlandia** » Sun Oct 04, 2015 4:51 pm

KIHL Season Cancelled

The Kolra coup by King Wulfric II has had far-reaching effects across the nation, but in a move some people might have seen coming, the Kaboomlandian Ice Hockey League cancelled the last five weeks of the regular season and the entire playoffs.

"We regret to inform you that, due to the unstable political situation in Kolra, the KIHL cannot safely operate and keep its fans safe. Unfortunately, the remainder of the regular season has been cancelled, and the entire playoffs with it. We are sorry for the inconvenience and the effect this will have on the economy, but the safety of our players, staff, and fans always comes first."

The U20 selection camps, as well as the entry draft, will not be affected.

by **Zenic** » Mon Oct 05, 2015 11:15 am

To say I wasn’t a tiny bit excited by the display from the Zenic ice hockey team in their most recent game would be a lie. If the squad could play like they did last game for the rest of the tournament, it would not be a surprise if they bring home the championship.

In Valanora, Zenic defeated Ontorisa 4-1 in the deciding Game 3 of the Round of 16 matchup. With goals from Jernej, Herut, Madeiros and Clancy Vaughan while allowing only a single goal from Kedersolis, it was a return to form we have come to expect and hope that it stays this time around. Everything from line switches to defending to minimal amount of penalties, Zenic displayed the talent that makes them one of the best defensive teams and the four best overall team in the world. Yesterday was certainly a good day to be a fan of ice hockey in Zenic. However, there isn’t much time to celebrate as the Quarterfinals are fast approaching. For this edition, Zenic’s opponents are Ko-oren.

This is a brief summary of Ko-oren for those who aren’t that familiar. Ko-oren are currently ranked 6th in the world. They have a long history of doing well but never getting over that final hurdle and winning it all. The squad is comprised of players from all over the Union of Ko-oren, which contains 21 different nations. Ko-oren is well known for an extremely defensive style that Yevgeny Petrov has installed in his long tenure as head coach. As of now, Zenic is undefeated against Ko-oren, having swept them in the Round of 16 during WCoH 26 and getting a tie against them in the group stage of WCoH 27.

After having analyzed this matchup, here are some key points I feel Zenic needs to focus on in order to make it to the semifinals.

1) Strike when you can – So far in this edition of the WCoH, Ko-oren has been involved in only two high-scoring games: a 4-3 win over Feministvs Sanctvsterra and a 2-0 win over Hopnation. Every other game was either a win by one goal or a draw. Zenic will most likely not get many opportunities to score so they must take advantage and score on the few times they get a good shot at goal.

2) Ryan Evans and Hiroto Shizuka: Dividers and Conquerers– Evans and Shizuka are clearly the two players leading the team going forward. As of now, Evans has 3 goals while Shizuka has a goal plus three assists. The two of them paired up on the game winner that knocked out four time champions Havl. They are a major threat since you still get the benefits of one even if the other leaves the ice as opposed to our squad, since Jernej fills both roles for us.

3) Consistency, More Consistency, A lot more Consistency – Before this WCoH, there were two things these teams had in common: great defense and consistent results. Now though, Ko-oren seems to have continued that trend while Zenic seems to be struggling. Whether it is a result of a brief bit of complacency, an aging squad, or an extended time required to adjust to Valanora, Zenic just hasn’t been able to fully maintain the high standard of play from WCoH 25, 26 and 27.

As a recap, Zenic needs to score on as many opportunities they are given while finding a way to contain Evans and Shizuka by hopefully returning to their top level consistency. Even if only two of those are achieved, it is quite possible for Zenic to emerge victorious from this Quarterfinal series and march on towards the semifinals. But for now, the ice hockey squad must focus their undivided attention on Ko-oren in this potential epic clash of titans.

-- Pauline Ferzi

Pauline Ferzi is a homegrown talent, having lived most of her life in San Valerie. She attended New Citium University and majored in sports journalism. She joined The Leinz Herald soon after graduation and returned to San Valerie after the Zenic national hockey team’s headquarters and stadium were constructed. She is now the lead reporter on any and all news hockey related and looks to have a promising career.

World Cup of Hockey 28 (Everything Thread)

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