World Junior Hockey Championships X - Everything Thread

[Alphatheta]

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Rocky International Start For Theta Yed

Group C Standings

1. Ficiscia 3 0 6 1 +5 9
2. Gregoryisgodistan 2 1 9 3 +6 6
3. Novaya Zemlya 2 1 4 3 +1 6
4. Levivania 1 2 4 5 -1 3
5. Alphatheta 1 2 5 9 -4 3
6. Unified Sunrise Islands 0 3 2 9 -7 0

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Looking Forward

Day 4: v Unified Sunrise Islands
Day 5: v Novaya Zemyla

Wytropolis MSK+7 7:49pm - While the People's Republic has had an amazing debut as an international hockey powerhouse in the NZEL, making an amazing play for the title currently in Belushya Guba, the junior team is off to a much rockier start on international ice. This year's young stars of Theta Yed started strong with a 3-2 victory over Levivania, but were then struck by the crushing reality of intense international competition in their second and third match, losing 1-5 to Gregoryisgodistan and in overtime to Ficiscia.

Marcel Šimek, who scored Theta Yed's only goal last night despite strong efforts by Yulian Gabler and Artyom Yedlička, came off the ice obviously frustrated. "Twice in a row is tough," Šimek told us while the rest of the team listened to a rallying attempt by captain Nikita Andres. "Especially when the second time is so close. Against Gregoryisgodistan-- you know, you're just obviously outclassed and blown out of the water, but then today, we thought-- maybe we could turn it around. And we're killing ourselves out there but [Marcus] Hephastius was just-- on top of it and Euphemios [Gottlieb] trying to keep up but it's... I don't know. We've never played this hard before, and it always-- It's no fun when you have to be humble and confront this sort of thing. That's all."

Although the rest of the team could not be reached for comment, head coach Watson Wilson delivered a much more positive read of the tough loss to Ficiscia.

"You know, there's never a good time to face an amazing coach like Bratislav Yurakin," Coach Wilson told us after the match. "And whoever's in charge of their recruiting this year really pulled together a roster. Honestly, I'm proud of the boys for making it into overtime."

When asked if he expected the team to make the quarterfinals, Coach Wilson responded with extreme caution. "Maybe we'll pull something out, but hell, we've still got to beat Saxton and that Kalagin kid to get there. The longer we can hold on, of course, the better--not just for us this year. I'm thinking more about the younger kids hitting the ice again next year and the older kids having something to look forward to when they try out for Antipha United. They're good, but they think they're great. It's important to see them taken down a few

The team enters day 4 ranked fifth in their group of sixth but not yet eliminated. They'll be looking for a win against Unified Sunrise Islands before they have to face the regional powerhouse they know, Novaya Zemyla, on day 5.

[Ilyseum]

There was 1 minute left in the third period and the match between Nova Anglicana's mystery team and Ilyseum's best young hockey players was still scoreless. The highlight of the match so far had been a fight between Elisedd Ingólfr and Ryan Roberson. After a minute or so of intense boxing, Ingólfr finally landed a right hook square in the skull of his opponent, knocking him out cold on the ice. This had set the stage for an extremely physical match that nearly saw several more fights break out.

The most bizarre aspect of hockey in the other dimension, to the Ilysee, wasn't the fact that it was played on ice or that it was played at an international level. The bizarre part was something called the penalty box. On this particular day, the officials were calling penalties a little more aggressive than usual, so the Ilysee team that was used to the anything goes style that was common in their world found themselves shorthanded for the better part of the match.

As it began to appear that the match would be heading to overtime still scoreless, Wine Caratacos passed to Thor Brynjarr, setting up a breakaway. Thor attacked the goalie head-on with a perfect shot that just went past the mystery man. As the buzzer sounded, it was evident to both teams that the deciding goal of the match had just been scored.

Gunnar Wulfsige had made the trip along with the team and, after the clock finally read all zeroes, he went out of his way to find Thor Brynjarr and interview him for those watching on the sphere:

Wulfsige - Thor, you've made quite a name for yourself in this tournament. By my count, you've scored 5 goals so far.

Thor - The gods have been with me. My shots just happen to be the ones that are going into the net right now and for their support, I shall provide suitable offerings to the immortals.

Wulfsige - This other reality is such an unusual place. Do they not realize the danger that their forbidden technology poses to the safety of mankind?

Thor - You'll have to ask them. We haven't really spent enough time here to know much of anything about these people but it is obvious that they, like our ancestors, know not of the gods.

Wulfsige - How sad life must be for these wretched souls, who live in a godless realm fueled by evil technologies that can wipe them out in the blink of an eye.

Thor - As much as we enjoy beating them in athletic competition, I don't think any of us actually want to live here.

Wulfsige - Should we continue to participate in their sports competitions? Should we try to show them the superiority of our way of life? Should we just break off all contact with them? What do you think, great Thor Brynjarr?

Thor - I think we don't know enough about this world yet to know whether we should go back to ignoring their existence. Who knows, maybe we can convince some of them that their technology is bad and that magic under the careful scrutiny of the gods is much, much safer for mankind.

Wulfsige - Do you think it would be in our interests to host some of their tournaments eventually?

Thor - Maybe. I've read in one of their newspapers that there are always tensions at their Summer Olympics for some reason, so maybe they'd go better if the gods were around to prevent them from shooting each other over the outcomes of the Olympics. Besides, maybe we should introduce them to blitzball and pankration someday. Seems like they already know about boxing but just can't figure out how to score a fight properly.

Wulfsige - That's worth thinking about, I guess. May the gods be with you.

[Ficiscia]

FNSN.fc Ice Hockey: Overtime Thriller for Ficiscia, Hephastius Beaten

It took 147 minutes and 41 seconds and three teams to beat Marcus Hephastius in the goal of Ficiscia. This brilliant performance was what lead the team to two victories and the leading spot in the group, and once again he needed to be in top form to secure a third victory in the third game, this time over Alphateta. The Alphatetans, who are used to international competition by their team in the Novozemlyan Elite League, a likely home for Manuel Aleixos in the next season, started out well and managed to put Ficiscia behind in the second period. Nevertheless, the boys fought back and handled that new situation well. Yurakin experimented a bit with his defense and made an attempt at sending out the faster and more offensive Asgerr Jonssenn together with Berjaman in the first line, thus creating a strong force from the blue line. And it was them who played a vital role in the first goal.

Aleixos was carrying the puck down into the zone and passed it back to Berjaman, going in front of the goal himself and pushing away the defenders together with Norrstrum, thus creating an open lane for Jonssenn. Berjaman made the blue line pass to his fellow Norja colleague, who hammered the puck onto the net. Gottlieb, having trouble to see the puck due to the screens of Aleixos and Norrstrum, had no chance to react as Jonssenn equalized. Dareios Rectus, who made his first appearance in exchange for Livius Briscus today, attempted a shot late in the third period who center Joka Felsberr could deflect into the goal, but a long video review showed that Felsberr had hit the puck above the crossbar, making the goal irregular. As nobody else could get a score, the game went into OT.

As we all know, a overtime is the time and place where heroes are made. And so, a hero was made in the person of SSP Carinha's 18 year old winger Andreios Rusus, a man who had - until today - not really been seen much. Together with Karus Niskros, he formed the third 4-on-4 line. And it was said Niskros who had taken the puck off his opponent, passing it down to Rusus and giving the winger a breakaway. Rusus skated down the left side, wristing the puck high into the far corner over Gottlieb's blocker to the golden goal. The next game will be a very special one: Ficiscia is going to face Novaya Zemlya, not only known as a hockey powerhouse but also the home of Bratislav Yurakin, coach of the Ficiscian team. We took the opportunity to have a talk with Yurakin.

FNSN.fc: Mr. Yurakin, your team is one of the surprises of this year for quite a few observers. Why is Ficiscia so strong in this cup?

BRATISLAV YURAKIN: This team is really a team. Everyone goes for each other, which is usually quite rare in a U20 team where everyone is preparing for drafts. It might be because my boys don't have to do a Entry Draft - most of them already know who they will play pro games for, except those who might be drafted abroad. But even if you don't make that shiny Armeian or Novozemlyan team that you wanted you'll still have a good contract for playing in Carinha or Laconia or Friya. That takes a lot of the pressure off my guys, they can really focus on playing for the team. And there's no age pressure. If there's no place in the pro team, keep playing a year or two for the one you're at now, even if you're already 20, that's no problem in Ficiscia. That is certainly making a difference.

Some of your players, especially Hephastius and Aleixos, get associated with foreign clubs. Would you recommend them to play abroad already or should they wait?

In the case of Aleixos, I don't see a point in waiting. Of course, with the recent opening he could play in the North or go to Carinha, or he could try to lead Orientalis for some longer. But this boy has the quality of playing a vital role in a adult team, he even does so already. Why shouldn't he take the challenge and go to whatever team ends up drafting him? Hephastius... I don't know. It's just so important for goaltenders to get playtime, and he is the Number One at home, so if I was him, I'd use the opportunity of being a number one keeper in a professional league and stay some more. But it's not my job to make Manuel's or Marcus's career decisions.

Your next game is against Novaya Zemlya. A special game for you?

It's not as special as if we were at a world cup, where teams stay roughly the same and it would really have been my old team. But of course, playing your homeland is a special affair. And it's also a really important game for the team, as we can secure the lead with a victory. But there won't be any special preparation or anything. We will study our opponents and play our best hockey as we always do, and I hope we win. There is no feeling of revenge or so from my side, and I hope the best team wins.

Whose national anthem are you going to sing?

*laughs* Well, that's an easy question - the Ficiscian one has no lyrics, so obviously I am going to sing the Novozemlyan one only. But I will shout along with our fans as loud as always in the end (note for foreign readers: at sports competitions, it's a custom to shout the Sumus Ficiscia chant after the national anthem) and my heart will beat for Ficiscia!

It looks like we dont have time, so one last question: Do you think you have an advantage because you know the Novozemlyan team?

No. Even though there are still some familiar faces, a lot of the players are new, and Saxton plays a different style. I don't know much more than you would with a detailed analysis, and I am sure Saxton made one of us and will be prepared as much as we are. And I don't believe in changing too much of your tactics to adjust to an opponent anyway. Better stick to what we know.

Thank you, Bratislav Yurakin for this insight on your thoughts!

ALPHATETA 1-2 FICISCIA (OT) - (0-0, 1-0, 0-1, 0-1)

SCORERS: 28' Šimek 1-0, 54' Jonssenn 1-1 (Berjaman, Aleixos), 62' Rusus 1-2 (Niskros)
PENALTY: 4x 2 min Alphateta / 7x 2 min Ficiscia
SHOTS: APT 31-35 FIC

THREE STARS:
*** FIC #31 Marcus HEPHASTIUS (30/31 shots stopped)
** FIC #19 Andreios RUSUS (1 G / 0 A)
* APT #11 Marcel ŠIMEK (1 G / 0 A)

[Kaboomlandia]

Phoenix shut out Pittasbria

Kaboomlandia went back to Kenny Baker in net against the Pittasbrians, and he made the coach look like a genius, stopping 29 shots in a 2-0 shutout win. The Pittasbrians, who were represented by a team of unknown players, put up a good effort but couldn't get past top pairing Derek Strachan and Patrick Clooney, who played 28 minutes each and were great. The winning goal came from Kennedy Linden again, who is playing the tournament of his life:

"On the power play. Zack Murray behind the net, looking for Linden, passes out. Kennedy Linden drops back to Murray and goes to the front of the net. Murray to Linden...SCORES! Kennedy Linden scores his fourth goal in the last two games, and the Phoenix take the lead here in the first frame!"

Murray would later add an empty-netter of his own to ice the game late in the third period. Next up for the Phoenix is a tough game against the Royal Kingdom of Quebec.

[Novaya Zemlya]

Zimulis: "I might go overseas"

One week prior to the WJHC, we visited Podrezovsk to have a chat with Zigurds Zimulis, the young left wing who has been carrying NZEL's Dynamo on his back the last two seasons. He shows us around town, which doesn't take long. Podrezovsk is a wind-swept, sleepy port town on the west coast with some 40,000 inhabitants. At the end of the main street lies the Sports Complex, home of Dynamo Podrezovsk. A concrete building that looks to have seen better days. "This is my workplace," Zimulis says.

Dynamo has been a bottom dweller in the Elite League for about as long as the league has existed, and relegated to the second tier a couple of times, but there was never any question about which club Zimulis would play for.

"I'm born and raised here, I grew up a Dynamo fan. People ask me all the time why I don't sign with Partizan or Torpedo, but that's not who I am."

You can tell that he has heard the questions before. Podrezovsk is a hockey town, but the proximity to the capital has had a negative impact. The big Belushya Guba clubs and the academy come in and scoop up most hockey talent at a young age, and Dynamo, unable to offer similar salaries or a big city lifestyle, has to make do with what's left.

Zimulis quickly became a fan favorite in Podrezovsk, partly because of his hockey skills but mainly because he has snubbed both Torpedo and Partizan numerous times. However, fans are now worried that they might lose their superstar anyway.

"I've always said that Dynamo is the only club in Novaya Zemlya that I'll play for, but if I got an offer to go play abroad for a few years, that's something I'd consider."

In Novozemlyan hockey, players need a permit from the Hockey Federation to go play in foreign countries while maintaining their national team eligibility (and citizenship). This rule, which has been heavily criticized by the international community, was instated to protect and develop the domestic hockey league. So far, only 5 Novozemlyan players have gone abroad, but more might be coming. Zigurds Zimulis is one of those who has applied for a permit and it has, reportedly, been granted.

Zimulis played in WJHC 9 in Vermark, and there were rumors about a move to Quebec's QHL at the time. In the end, nothing came of it. As WJHC 10 rolls around, scouts from all over the world will be watching again and Zimulis, now with one more year of experience, is one of Novaya Zemlya's key players.

"We'll see what happens. The most important thing is that the team does well. We brought shame on our nation last time, so we are going to have to try and make up for that."

[The Sword Bloke]

CUTOFF TIME

Red = Eliminated
Green = Qualified for Quarter Finals

Group A
The Sword Bloke 1-0 Pittasbria
Kaboomlandia 0-1 The Royal Kingdom of Quebec
Esparmuran 2-4 Armeia

1. The Sword Bloke 4 0 8 2 +6 12
2. The Royal Kingdom of Quebec 3 1 4 3 +1 9
3. Kaboomlandia 2 2 8 6 +2 6
4. Armeia 1 3 7 9 -2 3
5. Pittasbria 1 3 3 6 -3 3
6. Esparmuran 1 3 6 10 -4 3

Group B
Semarland 2-0 HUElavia
Kazirstan 3-8 Abanhfleft
United States of Devonta 2-0 Nassau-Hessen

1. Devonta 4 0 7 0 +7 12
2. Abanhfleft 3 1 16 6 +10 9
3. Kazirstan 3 1 7 8 -1 9
4. Semarland 1 3 2 5 -3 3
5. HUElavia 1 3 1 5 -4 3
6. Nassau-Hessen 0 4 2 11 -9 0

Group C
Unified Sunrise Islands 1-2 Alphatheta
Ficiscia 1-1 Novaya Zemlya (2-1 OT)
Gregoryisgodistan 1-0 Levivania

1. Fiscicia 4 0 8 2 +6 12
2. Gregoryisgodistan 3 1 10 3 +7 9
3. Novaya Zemylya 2 2 5 5 0 6
4. Alphatheta 2 2 7 10 -3 6
5. Levivania 1 3 4 6 -2 3
6. Unified Sunrise Islands 0 4 3 11 -8 0

Group D
Ethane 0-1 Frenline Delpha
Gim 0-3 Nova Anglicana
Banija 0-5 Ilyseum

1. Ilyseum 4 0 15 1 +14 12
2. Banija 3 1 7 5 +2 9
3. Nova Anglicana 2 2 5 6 -1 6
4. Gim 2 2 2 8 -6 6
5. Frenline Delpha 1 3 2 7 -5 3
6. Ethane 0 4 1 5 -4 0

[Ilyseum]

The Ilyseum-Banija match for first place in Group D was another dominant victory for Ilyseum. Math Ingimárr, Sindri Njáll, Conchobhar Somarliðr, Wine Caratacos and Guðbrandr Beorhtsige each scored a goal for Ilyseum. The final score was 5 to 0 in favor of the Ilysee side. This put the Ilysee into the Quarterfinals. So far, the hosts were the only other team to have clinched a spot in the elimination rounds. Now all that remained before the Quarterfinals was an absolutely meaningless match against a winless Ethane team.

Given the lack of anything interesting happening at all in Group D, we will once again turn our attention to other matters. Today's tale will be a description of the political structure of the Ilysee Republic. Ilyseum is a republic so political power rests with the people of the realm. The Ilysee polity, however, is founded on the idea that mankind is inherently unequal. Indeed, the very idea that a Patron, a Peon and a Slave should be regarded as equals under the law is unthinkable for that would go against the very nature of the world.

The most important political offices in the realm are the Consuls, both of whom are elected. One of the Consuls is elected solely by the Patron class while the other is elected by both Patron and Peon, with each class's vote carrying equal weight. While officially both are known simply as Consul, in the vernacular they are known as the Exemplary Consul and the Popular Consul respectively. The Consuls have full authority to do anything they wish, provided that the other does not veto their act and that they do not contradict any decision arrived at by the Senate. The Senate consists of all former Consuls plus all individuals appointed to the Senate by Consuls, past or present. Membership in the Senate may, at the discretion of the Consuls issuing it, be hereditary and only by becoming a Senator may a Peon move up into the Patron class.

Since the Peons have the right to their own representative, the office of Tribune was created 75 years ago. The Tribune is elected by the Peons and advises the Consuls as to the wishes of the Peons. In addition, the Tribune has the conditional authority to veto decisions made by the Consuls or the Senate. Vetoes by a Tribune, however, may be overridden by a four fifths (80%) vote by a quorum of the Senate. A quorum of the Senate is defined as more than one half of the total membership of the Senate. Effectively, the Tribune functions as the protector of the Peons against abuses by the representatives of the Patrons.

Elections for Consuls and Tribunes are held annually and no man may hold any elected office for more than 1 year out of 10. Suffrage operates on the one household, one vote principle since it is considered absurd for a house to be divided against itself. By custom, the household's vote is cast by the head of the household. The head of household is the oldest adult man in the house or, if there is no adult man living in the house, the oldest adult woman in the house. All votes must be cast in person, in the Forum, located in the center of the Eternal Capital of Ilysea. If the head of the household is not around to cast his vote, then the next individual in line casts a vote on his behalf or, if there is nobody else in the household who is a legal adult, the household must abstain from voting.

The elected officials rule the city of Ilysea but much of the realm is too far away to be directly ruled by the Consuls in the Eternal Capital. Therefore, the Consuls have the authority to appoint and recall Governors of provinces and Mayors of cities to rule them on behalf of the Senate and Consuls. The military, likewise, is largely independent of the central government. While the legions are partially funded by the Eternal Capital, commanders are expected to provide part of the expenses out of pocket. While some commanders are Peons who work their way up the ranks and fund their army by conquering more territory for the realm, most are Patrons who purchased an army through their personal wealth. This system makes the Eternal Capital potentially vulnerable to rogue commanders but the government fully funds half a dozen legions directly under the command of the Consuls. The purpose of the Consular Legions is to ensure the security of the capital and provide the Consuls with a military force should they choose to go out on a campaign to seek personal glory and the greater good of the realm.

More details about the political system of the realm will be provided at a later time...

[Novaya Zemlya]

WJHC Report Day 5 - Yurakin gets last laugh
Anatoly Timofeyev reports live from the 10th World Juniors

KAWAKA, TSB Oh no, we suck again! Slight exaggeration maybe, but Novaya Zemlya's hopes to advance from Group C took a huge hit last night after the Pioneers lost in overtime against Ficiscia. This publication does not know what tie-breakers the WJHC uses, but in all events the Novozemlyans need a win vs Alphatheta in the last game and we need Ficiscia to beat Gregoryisgodistan, preferably by 7 goals or so.

"I'm just so disappointed," Plamen Mikhailov said after the game. When I asked him to elaborate he simply walked out of the media zone. The captain is making his third and final World Juniors appearance and he knows this is his last shot a WJHC medal. You could tell that the pressure and expectations from an entire nation is taking its toll on the young defenseman.

The Ficiscians and Bratislav Yurakin are enjoying a good run and playing some great hockey right now, so I really can't complain about the Pioneers coming up short against them. The loss against Levivania the other day, however, was a stinker. That was the kind of game you need to win if you want to go deep in a tournament.

Speaking about Yurakin, he said in an interview with FNSN.fc before the game, that there are no feelings of revenge on his part. I think he was just trying to say the right thing, and I think he enjoys this OT win more than he would like to admit. He just could not wipe that smile off his face when he shook Paul Saxton's hand after the game. Not that I blame him. He took all the blame for the failure in Vermark, when in reality the collapse was a team effort.

Next up is our regional rivals from Alphatheta. This game has all the makings of a classic. The Theta Yed sit at 6 points and are fighting for their WJHC lives, just like we are. In addition, this is the first time two Arctic teams face each other in an international hockey competition so there is a lot at stake, including bragging rights.

[The Sword Bloke]

CUTOFF TIME
Who will Make it through to the quarter finals with The Sword Bloke & Ilyseum? Who will flop to their deaths at the hands of Shop Iwner? Find out next on TSBtv Sports!

Group A
The Sword Bloke 2-0 Armeia
Kaboomlandia 0-1 Esparmuran
The Royal Kingdom of Quebec 0-1 Pittasbria

1. The Sword Bloke 5 0 10 2 +8 15
2. The Royal Kingdom of Quebec 3 2 4 4 0 9
3. Kaboomlandia 2 3 8 7 +1 6
4. Pittasbria 2 3 4 6 -2 6
5. Esparmuran 2 3 7 10 -3 6
6. Armeia 1 4 7 11 -4 3

Group B
Semarland 1-0 Nassau-Hessen
Kazirstan 0-0 Devonta (1-0 OT)
Abanhfleft 2-1 HUElavia

1. Abanhfleft 4 1 18 7 +11 12
2. Devonta 4 1 7 1 +6 12
3. Kazirstan 4 1 8 8 0 12
4. Semarang 2 3 3 5 -2 6
5. HUElavia 1 4 2 7 -5 3
6. Nassau-Hessen 0 5 2 12 -10 0

Group C
Unified Sunrise Islands 2-0 Levivania
Gregoryisgodistan 1-1 Ficiscia (1-2 OT)
Novaya Zemlya 1-0 Alphatheta

1. Ficiscia 5 0 10 3 +7 15
2. Gregoryisgodistan 3 2 11 5 +6 9
3. Novaya Zemlya 3 2 6 5 +1 9
4. Alphatheta 2 3 7 11 -4 6
5. Levivania 1 4 4 8 -4 3
6. Unified Sunrise Islands 1 4 5 11 -6 3

Group D
Ethane 0-4 Ilyseum
Gim 1-0 Banija
Nova Anglicana 1-0 Frenline Delpha

1. Ilyseum 5 0 19 1 +18 15
2. Banija 3 2 7 6 +1 9
3. Nova Anglicana 3 2 6 6 0 9
4. Gim 3 2 3 8 -5 9
5. Frenline Delpha 1 4 2 8 -6 3
6. Ethane 0 5 1 9 -8 0

[The Sword Bloke]

HOST ANNOUNCEMENT
The group draw for the quarter finals will be done via pots through Random.org. A runner up will first be drawn, followed by a group winner who they will play against. The groups will be drawn ASAP.

EDIT: Ficiscia vs Banija
The Sword Bloke vs Devonta
Ilyseum vs The Royal Kingdom of Quebec
Abanhfleft vs Gregoryisgodistan

The Swordean game will be scorinated by a third-party scorinator

[Ficiscia]

FNSN.fc Ice Hockey: 5-0, Playoffs Made

Remember the streak of games ending 3-2 for the football team at the Olympics? A similar thing is happening at WJHC for the hockey U20 team now, but with 2-1 victories in OT. After beating the Arctic teams of Alphatheta and Novaya Zemlya with that result, third team in line was Gregoryisgodistan. After the crucial win over Novaya Zemlya, a special affair especially for Bratislav Yurakin who was smiling wide after the game despite his claims to not have any hard feelings to the nation that sacked him after the last championships, Ficiscia was almost certainly qualified. The game versus Gregoryisgodistan, however, would be a almost direct fight for the top spot in the group. On top of that, a youth organization loosely tied to the communist CF had planned to protest against Gregoryisgodistani policies and their actions during the last Olympics, but the Ficiscian police stopped them in the airport of Carinha. The CF member and minister of the Interior Marius Decampus quickly distanced himself and the party from the actions and said that this group was an independent activist group only tied to the CF through common activities with the CF Iuventus, the party's youth organization.

On the field, however, things were less peaceful. The team was prepared for a fight and it had to fight one, as Gregoryisgodistan opened with a powerful, physical game. It took only six minutes to the first injury, when a high stick forced Quintilius Tertii to go out because his lip was bleeding. The referee decided the action was not meant to injure the player and gave out a 2+2 minute penalty rather than the major one that would be required in case of an injury. Ficiscia, however, showed they can play that game as well and lost Simoni for twelve minutes after a check to the head by the Antiqua Lumières defender. This incident caused the first minor fighting, ending with two more penalty minutes on both sides. In between the checking and brawling, hockey was played as well. The best chance in the first period was missed narrowly by Marcus Licius, who could get a puck after it rebounded off the board behind the goal and was stopped by the goalkeeper's stick in the last moment.

Things really heated up in the second period. A Gregoryisgodistani defender slashed Aleixos's wrist outside the referee's view, but not outside the view of Lucius Quintilii, who literally jumped the offender and started a large fight between the teams. The two goalkeepers battled each other, with Ficiscian backup Alexandros Neri - Yurakin wanted to give Hephastius a break - wrestling his opponent down while his teammates were more on the receiving end. In the end, one player on each side was sent off while six more penalty minutes were being given out per side, plus a 10 minute personal penalty against Andrinus Nervus for complaining. Manuel Aleixos could not keep playing, but the captain will be back for the quarterfinal as nothing in his wrist is actually damaged. The Ficiscians were determined to give their answer on the ice and put loads of pressure on the Gregoryisgodistani goal, trying to get under the goaltender's skin and going after rebounds. And this is also how they eventually succeeded. Karus Niskros was battling in front of the goal, screening the keeper's view, as a shot from Jonssenn hit the post and rebounded right onto the center's stick, finishing the play and scoring the first goal.

In the third period, things were only a little bit calmer, but nothing more than a few checks and shoves happened. It looked as if Ficiscia could fight their way to a 1-0 win when suddenly a Gregoryisgodistani forward carried the puck into the zone, passed it over to his teammate who deked past Vero and slapped the puck home. Alexandros Neri did not look very good as he opened up the near corner, but also wasn't entirely to blame. Vero should have been able to stop the man trying to run past him. That meant the game would go into overtime. In the overtime, things didn't take much time to heat up. After no more than a minute, Berjaman was sent off for a crosscheck in the slot, giving Gregoryisgodistan a potentially decisive powerplay. However, their defenders didn't except Janus Ducantus. The winger managed to intercept a pass between their defenders and rushed towards the goal, getting a breakaway but was hooked from behind. Despite this interference, he managed to shoot but missed just barely, and was given a penalty shot in consequence. This penalty shot was scored with a nice deke, faking a shot to the bottom left corner but pulling over and lifting the puck over the goalie's pad with the backhand. Ducantus's first goal means that Ficiscia will go into the quarterfinals unbeaten and face Banija there.

GREGORYISGODISTAN 1-2 FICISCIA (OT)- (0-0, 0-1, 1-0, 0-1)

SCORERS: 33' Niskros 0-1 (Jonssenn), 58' GGS (unknown scorer) 1-1, 62' Ducantus (PS/Penalty Berjaman!)
PENALTY: 12x 2 min + 5+20 min (unknown) Gregoryisgodistan / 10x 2 min + 5+20 min (Quintilii) + 2x 10 min (Simoni, Nervus)
SHOTS: GGS 31-29 FIC

[Banija]

RP Permissions
Style Mod: +3
Choose my Scorers: Y
Injure my Players: Y(please specify the injury and the time my player will be out)
Other Notes:



Banija National Junior Ice Hockey Team
Head Coach: Martial Odongo

Goalie
Starter: #35 William Beheras(age 20)
Backup: #44 George Carter(age 17)

Defenders
Partnership 1
Left Defender- #7 Alexander Costas(age 20) ALTERNATE CAPTAIN
Right Defender- #17 Eric Boulder(age 21)

Partnership 2
Left Defender- #19 Francis Boulevard(age 19)
Right Defender- #18 Didier Garnier(age 20)

Forwards
Line 1
Center- #1 Lilian Alard(age 20) CAPTAIN
Left Wing- #2 Maxence Duclos(age 19)
Right Wing- #16 Robin De Villiers(age 18)

Line 2
Center- #8 Auguste Chausson(age 20)
Left Wing- #5 Guy Mignard(age 18)
Right Wing- #4 Bastien Rousselot(age 19)

Line 3
Center- #13 Hervé Pélissier(age 20)
Left Wing- #10 Armel Guillaume(age 16)
Right Wing- #6 Nicolas Mossé(age 17)

[Abanhfleft]

Part One Part Two Part Three Part Four Part Five Part Six

Ignorance is Bliss, Part Seven

Porcusces International Airport
Porcusces, Ceneisis
September 26, 2011

"What do you say we take another look at the crash site; see if there's anything we may have missed the first time around?"

"Anything's better than sitting around in this hangar all day long waiting for those test results to come back from Riuwiee," Hjalmar Carlsberg told Harold Lampard as the two of them stood up and prepared for the long walk to the field just outside Porcusces International where NQA Flight 1200 had crashed and killed everyone on board, all members of the Fleftic men's and women's under-21 ice hockey teams. It wasn't the biggest or worst air crash in Abanhfleft, but there was certainly a lot of attention being paid to it in terms of media and the news and the fact that the country was due to participate in a major junior ice hockey tournament soon.

"What is there left for us to find at the site, though?" Carlsberg asked as they approached the crash site. "The plane's been reduced to a smoking pile of ash and molten glass, and what big pieces we have left we've already picked up and stored in the hangar. If we're going to find anything there, we'll have to use a microscope. So, where do you want to start?" he asked as they arrived.

"I want to take a closer look at engines three and four, or at least what's left of them," Lampard replied. "Through all that ash and grass and debris, there must be something else we haven't picked up; something that will help us crack this case wide open."

"When I said I wanted to do something other than waiting, I didn't think it would mean looking for a needle in a stack of needles," Carlsberg muttered, but he still went down beside Lampard and began looking for any sort of crash debris that looked like it may have come from the burning engines of Flight 1200. It took them some time, but then Carlsberg finally turned up something deep in the grassy field of the crash site.

"Have a look at this, Harry," Carlsberg said to Lampard as he held up what appeared to be a mechanical nut but was actually the head of a pipe fitting. "How the hell did we miss this in the first search?"

"I don't know," Lampard replied. "You were the one assigned to this part during the initial search, yeah?"

"Yeah, fuck that," Carlsberg replied. "I think there's something about this particular pipe head. Something I can't quite put my finger on at the moment."

"All right, then," Lampard said. "Bag it up and let's bring it back to the hangar for examination."

---

Ludovico Markham-Obasigo Building
Official headquarters of the Fleftic Commission on Sports and Games
Riuwiee, Abanhfleft

"How seriously has the crash of Flight 1200 affected us?"

"I hesitate to say this for fear of sounding like a callous and heartless bastard, sir," Richard Huth, head of the Fleftic Ice Hockey Federation, said to the Commissioner of the Fleftic Commission on Sports and Games, Ronaldo Be; first cousin once removed of Fleftic president Makhdoum Be. "But the crash of Flight 1200, while it has claimed the lives of the members of our country's under-21 teams in ice hockey for both genders, will not do much to affect the development and growth of our own hockey players. While it is truly a sad day for ice hockey fans here in Abanhfleft, the crash has done little to stifle our growth."

"You say that with the air of a man who has rehearsed his answers carefully and repeatedly," Be said as he turned around from his chair to face the Riuwiee skyline. "Don't tell me what your federation thinks, Richard; what do you personally think about this... situation we've found ourselves in?"

"Well, I personally think that we can and will bounce back from this tragedy stronger than ever," Huth replied. "See, Ronaldo, it's not a matter of when we'll recover but how. Our teams have been decimated by this crash. We do not have the time necessary to assemble a new team to send to Schutzenphalia for the World Junior Hockey Championships. About the only thing we can do now is..."

"Yes, Richard?" Be asked. "What is it that you propose to do?"

"The only thing we can do now is hold an, how do you say it, audition young players for places in the roster. The good thing is that we still have some players that we have called up who are still alive and available for us to play once again. Some of those have potential but we haven't really been able to tap them up because we have--used to have players that were much better than they were. But now that the playing field has been levelled, so to speak, they now have a chance to play for their country. It's not the best of circumstances, but it's the best that we have at the moment."

"An audition, you say?" Be asked as he stood up and began to pace around his office, behind his desk. "To me, it makes it sound like you're trying to host a variety show. But I suppose that it's the fastest way to assemble a team in time for the Championships. Go ahead, Richard. You have my permission to reassemble Abanhfleft's under-21 ice hockey team using all means necessary. We must show the world that we can bounce back from such a tragedy like the one we have suffered. We are Abanhfleft. We are resilient. We will survive this, like we have survived everything else that the world has thrown upon us."

[The Sword Bloke]

CUTOFF
Ficiscia 5-3 Banija
Ilyseum 2-0 The Royal Kingdom of Quebec
Abanhfleft 0-3 Gregoryisgodistan

The Sword Bloke vs Devonta will be scorinated by the Royal Kingdom of Quebec.
Which makes the semi final matchups...

Ficiscia vs Ilyseum @ Owner's IceFields, Busko
Gregoryisgodistan vs The Sword Bloke @ Owner's Memorial Ice Arena, Angelou

Stadiums will be announced once the Devonta-The Sword Bloke game has been played, as The Sword Bloke would prefer to play in Angelou if they made it.

[The Royal Kingdom of Quebec]

As promised....

The Sword Bloke 3–0 United States of Devonta

[Ficiscia]

FNSN.fc Ice Hockey: The Story Continues

Five wins out of five games brought the Ficiscians into the quarterfinals, where they faced the squad from Banija. Both teams play a fairly offensive style, which should result in a good game with lots of goals - and this is what we received. The play of the Ficiscians often was stopped at the defense of the opponents and goalkeeper Marcus Hephastius was needed, but today, Banija left much more space open to the boys that they could use. The team was the same as in the 0-3 opening victory against United Sunrise Islands, but with Manuel Aleixos, the team star, playing with a taped wrist after a slash in the last group game against Gregoryisgodistan. Yurakin stated that he had thought about switching the star for Andreios Rusus, but Aleixos had asked him to play in the first line as he used to, claiming his wrist was not posing any problems to him. Banija played with only three lines and two defensive pairs as throughout the whole tournament, which Ficiscian experts believed to be an issue against the four complete lines of our team. It proved to be, but let's start at the beginning.

As the puck dropped, Banija started out with Alard getting the puck back to the defenders, a long pass up to the front where Maxence Duclos accepted the pass, danced past Berjaman and wristed the puck high into the corner, where Hephastius could only block in and Alard almost pushed it over the line. Only Linicius Quintilii managed to push the Banijan captain away and stopped him from scoring the rebound. Ficiscia's numerous fans had to wait a few more minutes before they could celebrate the first time - or at least they thought they could. The fourth line was on ice when a pass came from Eloskas and Joka Felsberr, battling in front of the net, deflected the puck over the line. But the referees went into video review and, under the loud whistles of the fans, came to the conclusion the puck was kicked into the goal. Everything seemed to go for Ficiscia from there, but the goals didn't want to come. New discovery Karus Niskros hit the post, Licius's deflection of a Nervus shot ended on the pad of William Beheras in the Banijan goal and Ducantus shot over the goal on a breakaway. Despite a 13-8 shot total in the first period, the team was behind as Banija started a counter attack late in the period and could come up 3 on 1 against the Ficiscians. After a nice passing play between Mignard and Rousselot, the latter shot the puck past a chanceless Hephastius and scored the important go-ahead goal.

The second period started with a shock as a battle in front of the goal between Quintilii and De Villiers was suddenly stopped and the Ficiscian sent off for a very light cross check. Under some more loud whistles, Banija set up its powerplay as Hephastius wanted to clear and shot the puck over the glass, bringing Ficiscia down two men with 1:28 left for Banija to score on the two man advantage. It took them only 24 seconds until Maxence Duclos beat the goaltender for the second time and brought the Banijans up 0-2. Yurakin took his timeout and was seen heavily gesticulating and shouting at his players trying to wake them up, and apparently he was successful. Ficiscia attacked more again, and the moment that seemed to change the game's dynamics came just a few minutes later - on the powerplay again. A hard shot from Jonssenn was deflected by a defender and ended up in front of Andreius Rusus, who had an open goal in front of him, converting on the chance. Manuel Aleixos, rather unseen so far, stormed forward off the following face-off, getting the pass from Berjaman, cut through the defense and tricked the keeper with a nice deke, scoring the equalizer just 14 seconds after the first goal from Ficiscia. And the period wasn't over yet. A bit under two minutes before the end, a quick pass to Tertii resulted in a one-timer of the winger, shooting the bottle off the Banijan keeper's net and bringing the score to 3-2 before the break.

In the last period, the game became faster and more open, both teams were less secure in their defense and seemed to look for that one last punch. Banija seemed to come back early on, when the third line shined. Pélissier's solo through the middle let Arcius look like a young kid and his shot was quite the challenge for Hephastius, but the young keeper stopped that shot - only to see Armel Guillaume, probably the youngest player of the championship at 16, converting the rebound against a chanceless keeper. The game was now wide open again, but the big effort of the three Banijan lines showed now. Ficiscia outran them play for play, chasing the Banijans over the ice and getting more and more room as well as chances. Their quick rotations brought Banija's defense out of position and suddenly Licius was standing open in front of the goal, getting the pass by Sparti and shooting a one-timer unstoppable for Beheras. From this point on, Ficiscia took a bit of speed out of the game and played it down until the last minute, when Banija took out their goalkeeper. Livius Briscus, replacing the unlucky Vero who had to leave due to a injury (suspected concussion) and is unlikely to come back during the championship, took the chance and scored the decisive empty netter 42 seconds before the siren. The next game will be played tonight at Busko against Ilyseum. Possible final opponents would be the hosts from The Sword Bloke or a repeat of the fierce battle against Gregoryisgodistan.

FICISCIA 5-3 BANIJA (0-1, 3-1, 2-1)

SCORERS: 16' Rousselot 0-1 (Mignard, Garnier), 24' Duclos 0-2 (De Villiers, Boulder/Penalty Quintilii, Hephastius), 31' (30:24) Rusus 1-2 (Jonssenn, Berjaman/Penalty Boulevard), 31' (30:38) Aleixos 2-2 (Berjaman, Norrstrum), 38' Tertii 3-2 (Niskros, Simoni), 43' Guillaume 3-3 (Pélissier), 50' Licius 4-3 (Sparti, Jonssenn), 60' Briscus 5-3 (NA/empty net)
PENALTY: 6x 2 min Ficiscia / 8x 2 min Banija
SHOTS: FIC 41-36 BAN

THREE STARS:
*** FIC Harall Berjaman (0 G / 2 A)
** FIC Marcus Licius (1 G / 0 A)
* FIC Asgerr Jonssenn (0 G / 2 A)

[The Sword Bloke]

CUTOFF TIME!
The first spot in the final and the third placed playoff are up for grabs. One team will go in each. That team is...

Ilyseum 4-3 Ficiscia

The Royal Kingdom of Quebec will soon scorinate the Gregoryisgodistan-The Sword Bloke semi final. The winner will play Ilyseum in the final, whi Le the loser will play Ficiscia in the bronze medal game.

Final
Owner's Memorial Ice Hockey Arena, Angelou
Ilyseum vs The Sword Bloke

Third Placed Playoff
Owner's IceFields, Busko
Ficiscia vs Gregoryisgodistan

[The Royal Kingdom of Quebec]

The Sword Bloke 4-2 Gregoryisgodistan

[The Sword Bloke]

THIRD PLACED PLAYOFF

Ficiscia 3-1 Gregoryisgodistan

Congrats to the winner, commiserations to the loser.
Frenline Delpha will be scorinating the final game tomorrow between Ilyseum and myself.

[Ficiscia]

FNSN.fc Ice Hockey: Gold gone, Revenge for Bronze

We all remember the last preliminary against Gregoryisgodistan as a fierce battle with lots of penalty minutes and fighting, and as the game where we almost lost Manuel Aleixos. Now, the time for another go at the Gregoryisgodistani team has come as Yurakin's squad loses out against Ilyseum in the semifinals. And this time, they did lose a first line forward - but it wasn't Aleixos, it was center Thorvall Norrstrum who suffered after a check into the boards. The diagnosis is not here yet, but it is suspected that Norrstrum will be out until the new season or even miss the beginning of it, and the doctors fear a concussion for the 20 year old Norja. Norrstrum was checked by the end of the first period by Ilyseum defender Hallþórr Kay and fell unluckily, sliding on the ice on high speed and colliding with the boards head first. The Ficiscians were up by two at this point but seemed shocked, conceding a goal before the break and almost another one in the final minute, but Hephastius showed a miraculous save against a Caratacos one-timer.

Everyone who watched the previous games of the Ilyseum team knew two things: One, their snipers are deadly, and two, they play an extremely physical match, ending up on the penalty box quite a lot. Not few commentators expected another war on ice to break out as it happened against Gregoryisgodistan, but in the first period, everything was calm except for a little bit of shoving and pushing after the check against Norrstrum. However, things changed a little as the period went on and Ilyseum seemed to try intimidating their opponents. After a shot from Brynjarr, chaos started in front of the Ficiscian goal and eventually, Beorhtsige took it one step too far by slashing Hephastius's catching glove after the whistle. Suddenly, the forward found himself jumped by the Ficiscians and after some pushing and shoving, Kay and Berjaman were exchanging a few hits. As both kept their gloves on, no more than four penalty minutes per side were issued and the game continued, however this wasn't the case for much longer.

This time, it was Ficiscia's turn to take revenge by checking Brynjarr hard into the boards, an action classified as a check against the head by Jonssenn. The Ilysee team used the following powerplay to score an equalizer that set Ficiscia on its heels, bringing the team into a difficult situation and forcing them to search a third goal. However, this third goal fell for Ilyseum just after the break. It was a hard slapshot by Njáll, leaving no chance to Hephastius. Ficiscia tried to attack hard but ran into a strong Ilysee defense and opened up room for counter attacks, one of them used by Brynjarr to convert a chance. Now down by two, Ficiscia kept attacking and eventually got a chance on the powerplay, converting with one of the nicest goals in the tournament. Three direct passes ended on the stick of Rusus, who passed over to Ducantus, lifting the puck with a one timer over the pad of Brandr right into the goal.

Nevertheless, Ilyseum wins the game with 4-3 and goes on to the finals against the hosts, while Ficiscia faces Gregoryisgodistan in the bronze medal game.

ILYSEUM 4-3 FICISCIA (1-2, 1-0, 2-1)

SCORERS: 4' Sparti 0-1 (Licius, Nervus); 9' Felsberr 0-2 (Arcius); 16' Brynjarr 1-2 (Beorhtsige, Caratacos/Penalty Kay; Quintilii); 34' Yngvi 2-2 (Ingólfr, Njáll/Penalty Jonssenn); 42' Njáll 3-2 (Ingimárr, Yngvi); 48' Brynjarr 4-2 (Þórleikr); 56' Ducantus 4-3 (Rusus, Berjaman/Penalty Þórleikr)
PENALTY: 14x 2 min ILY / 13x 2 min + 1x 10 min (Jonssenn) FIC
SHOTS: ILY 46-39 FIC

THREE STARS:
*** ILY Thor BRYNJARR (2 G / 0 A)
** ILY Björn YNGVI (1 G / 1 A)
* FIC Marcus HEPHASTIUS (42/46 stopped)

[Frenline Delpha]

Cut-off

Ilyseum 0–0 Sword Bloke (0–1 OT)

Congratulations to the winner. Commiserations to the loser. Thanks for having me, and thank you to TSB for letting me do this game.

[The Sword Bloke]

Host Announcement
As nobody wrote an RP for the All-Star Game, the All-Star Game has been cancelled. IC'ly, it was due to the Swordean Domestic Hockey League using the stadiums for games.

I'd like to thank you all for participating in the 10th WJHC. Congratulations to myself, commiserations to silver medalist Ilyseum, bronze medalist Ficiscia and 4th placed Gregoryisgodistan. This was my first hosting experience with more than 8 teams, and I enjoyed it thoroughly. Thanks to Quebec and Frenline Delpha for being third-party scorinators and to those who guided me in this process. Again, thanks for taking part in the WJHC. My winning RP will come in the upcoming WCOH.