World Cup of Hockey 23 - Everything Thread

[The Fair Republic]

There was no other story to be told about the Nassau-Hesser game except one stat line, 30 shots on goal, 30 saves. Heinrich Kinnel shut out the Eagles and an 1st period goal by John Malcovitch on a power play was enough for the Toucans to win 1-0. "He's the reason we won this game period." A blunt Malcovitch states. "You can talk all you want about the attack and the penalty kill and how they helped. Kinnel in my book is the MVP of this game and nobody on this team will disagree with me." Nobody did

[Nassau-Hessen]

Eagles Start WC The Wrong Way In Loss To Toucans

The Eagles were greatly anticipating the World Cup, even more to start out against a respectable, but beatable, Fair Republic Toucans. It is complex to decide if the score was right in this match due to many factors. For one, even though the Eagles easily matched the Toucans offense, the Fair Republic was very consistent and persistent.

After a seven minute stalemate, the Toucans' starting center Malcovitch professionally tipped one over Anders' pad. The Eagles valiantly fought back, achieving twelve shots but nothing to show due to solid goaltending by Heinrich Kinnel.

The second period seemed to be an uneventful stretch of time with the exception of an exceptional event of fist combat from Oscar Johnson to Marco Tetteris, both teams managed eight shots and an off-the-post shot.

The third period was an explosion of excitement, both teams edged closer to a goal as the shots got intenser. The goalies both proved their worth in style with many glove and kick saves. With eight minutes left in the game Olaf Liedland shot an off of the post shot which (although it didn't seem to be a goal at first or after review), had to be reviewed before confirmed as no goal. The Eagles pulled Anders and bravely fought back with four hard shots in the last thirty seconds to no avail due to the great performance of Kinnel.

The Red and Purple are heading to the Road Of Damascus to play against New Engollon, another fellow Red and Purple only with a hint of yellow. The Eagles must step up against the Ibex whom are ranked slightly higher than the Toucans in their division.


(2/6) @ Fair Republic @ Progress Stadium L 0-1
(2/7) v. Neu Engollon @ Via Damascus Stadium
(2/8) @ Gyatso Kai @ Civitate Dei Arena
(2/9) @ Super Llama Land @ Royal Stadium Rink 2
(2/10) v. Crystal Empire @ Civitate Dei Arena
(2/11) @ Falcus @ Via Damascus Stadium
(2/12) v. Mohawk Clans @ Progress Stadium
(2/13) @ Middleton Valley @ Apostolic Arena
(2/14) v. Trans Alpine Republic @ Apostolic Arena

[Arkiasis]

---

First World Cup of Hockey Match Ends In Draw During Abhorrent Weather Conditions
Saintland Criticized For Not Delaying Game & for Use of Outdoor Venues
Micheal Farnsworth, The Daily Globe | Posted: 6 February 2014 5:46 PM AST| Last Updated: 6 February 2014 Last updated at 11:10 PM AST

---

- (St. Petrus, Saintland) The first match for Arkiasis in the 23rd World Cup of Hockey ended in a tie which was plagued by constant heavy snowfall during one of the largest blizzards to hits Saintland in years.

Arkiasis was to start the tournament against the 27th ranked Gregoryisgodistan but what ensued was both teams unable to skate in the heavy snowfall which saw at times nearly 15cm of snow on the ice and terrible conditions. "This is ridiculous." said Head Coach Victor Montgomery, "The fact that Saintland officials did not suspend the game shows just how unprepared this country is to host the tournament."

After a first period with no shots on net, a Zamboni got stuck in the snow which caused a 45 minute delay and irritation among both teams, coaching staff and fans. Before the start of the 2nd period Captain Brent Resnick and Gregoryisgodistan Captain Harry Rupertson both convened and agreed that the ice surface was unplayable and that the game should be suspended. However, the request was denied by officials and the 2nd period continued much in the same way of the first with the puck being buried beneath 10cm of snow and players constantly losing their balance. The third period wasn't any different with both teams by now fed up with the conditions and just trying to run out the clock. As the final buzzer sounded, boo's reined down from the Football stadium as neither team reported a shot on goal during the full60 minutes of play.

After the end of the game Brent Resnick stated "There wasn't anything we could do. Both teams tried to express our displeasure and get the game suspended, but the officials denied our request. We're very sorry to our fans who came to see a hockey game. Believe us, we wanted a hockey game too."

[Middleton Valley]

Crazy Pups Stun Crowd In Bizarre Last Second Shorthanded Goal

Saintland - An unranked Middleton Valley took to the ice today in their World Cup of Hockey debut against a tough, twelfth ranked Falcus team. The Crazy Pups did not get off to a great start allowing an early goal in the first few minutes of play. But that would be the only goal allowed by goalie Day N. Night.

Then in the third period with 55 seconds to go, a delay of game penalty was assessed on Crazy Pups center Dustin Halls. Due to the upcoming power play for Falcus, Today S. Hopeless, head coach of the Crazy Pups, made a bizarre move pulling the goalie and both defensemen for backup center Doc Feelgreat, and backup wings Fuzzy Bear and Floyd Flipperson. This move put a center and four wings on the ice in an highly risky reward or disaster formation that left a wide open net with an upcoming defensive zone faceoff. The faceoff was won by the backup center Doc Feelgreat and the Crazy Pups quickly moved the puck into the offensive zone allowing for 40 seconds of set up time before a one-time, shorthanded, sniper shot by Gregory Unalmighty that scored with a second to go in the game.

After the game Unalmighty said, "We knew what we had to do to force the tie. We had a bizarre play set up, but knew that our high power offense could handle it. Coach told us to make Middleton Valley proud and I think we did. We face the highest ranked team in our group next and we need to keep pace with them in the game to put us in a good spot to advance to the next round."

[Estope]

"Well Cindy, you're the newest intern. That means you have to cover the World Cup of Hockey."

"But that's not fair. I don't even know anything about the sport."

"Neither do we but someone has to do it. And look on the bright side, you get a free trip to Saintland."

"Great. Thanks. But I won't do a good job. I know nothing about the sport."

"Well neither does anyone else in Estope but it is a sport so we have to cover it."

...

"And that just about wraps up our late night sports hour. But before we leave I just recieved word that the Estope hockey team had a game today over in Saintland. We will hear from Samantha for an update on how that game went."

"Actually it's Cindy,not Samantha. But I'm here at the Amphitheatrum Confessiones where Estope opened up against unranked Westbridge. It was an exciting and action packed game that featured..."

"You look cold there Samantha."

"I'm not Samantha but yes it is very cold. Especially since it is outdoors and I've been standing here for about eight hours waiting to go on the air. It is beyond freezing here. Do you want to know the temperature? It is only.."

"We really don't care. How did the game go?"

"As I was trying to tell you earlier, it was filled with lots of..."

"Samantha, can you hurry this up? We got to wrap up the show"

"Ok fine. It went good as far as I could tell. Let me find my notes real quick... ah here they are...let's see...it looks like Brady Loynes scored in the first period and then Alex Rookwood, who came off the bench scored twice in the third period. Estope ended up beating Westbridge 3-0. Signing off, this is Cindy Sparks, ESN 14."

"Is that all you got for us Samantha? Would you care to elaborate a little further?"

"Bob, my name is Cindy. And no actually I wouldn't. I tried to earlier and you cut me off but now you want the details. You know It's 2 a.m. in Estope and no one is even watching this. If you had given me the air time five hours ago when I was ready then you might have some more! Right now I would just like to go inside and sit by a fire to defrost."

"Ok, well it seems like she is having a blast over there covering our hockey team.They play next tomorrow against Sel Appa, whoever they are. It will be aired live on ESN 14, the 14th best channel to watch all your favorite sports."

[Super-Llamaland]

"Good news."

"What?"

"We only lost one to nothing."

"Sounds like bad news to me. I checked the standings, and we're in second-to-last. Who's our coach, a monkey?"

"Give him a break. Mohawk Clans is the seventh-ranked team in the world."

"Yes, but their name is silly."

"Do you know how many people have said that about us?"

"Well, I'm done reading my Hockey for Dummies-"

"Field Hockey for Dummies."

"-as I was saying, I'm done reading my Hockey for Dummies book, and apparently these fields are too icy to be adequate. We'll demand a rematch!"

"Oh nine double oh. Code oh nine double oh. 09000900."

"What?"

"(static) The eagle is in."

"Hither quickly come."

"What are you talking about?"

(whips out a gun) "Sorry, sir. You just aren't good enough to be the team president."

"No!"

(six FBI-like men run in)

"We've got you cornered. Surrender the position, or you die."

"Uh...uh...Oh-six-four-oh!"

(they all fire at the window, breaking it)

"Wrong code."

"You've made my men betray me! Why, you little-"

"Let's see...Four-oh-Nine-three!"

(they begin to dress in chicken costumes)

"Nope. Six-two-six-two!"

(they all shoot at the wall supports. The building begins to shake)

"No! Six-two-six-three!"

(they bring out larger guns and fire more. The ceiling rains dust)

"Wrong code!"

"Stop it, we're all dying!"

"Ha! You're not going to replace me now!"

"Uh...you're about to be dead. We're on the seventh floor of a building."

(dust shakes down in great clouds. The ceiling begins to cave in)

"I guess jumping is my only hope of survival."

(runs to window, but slips on icy ground and cracks head open)

"Ha! I'll steal your idea! Dead people can't sue for copyright infringement!"

(ceiling collapses)

[Nova Anglicana]

Three-time Champs "Announce Presence with Authority", Thump Lions 6-1

Martin Granger, Staff Reporter

If you were expecting a strong result from the Lions versus the world's best team, the three-time consecutive world champions, Havl, you were sorely disappointed tonight. I think even if you expected a three-goal loss, you were sorely disappointed. Havl clearly intended to flex their muscles and show the world that they were committed to winning a fourth straight championship. Unfortunately, the Lions had to be the first team fed into the Havl meat grinder. They jumped on the Lions early, with speedy Adam Fleer drawing a penalty from Zach McCoy, and then Andrey Pasternak converting forty seconds into the man advantage, to score at 3:19. Later, Sergei Sbrinski deflected a Lions pass, allowing Juna Mossil and Brian Demerson to get out on a 2-on-1 break. Demerson finished on Kelly's upper glove side to give Havl a 2-0 advantage at 7:25. Havl finished the period with a Justin Donndelinger goal through the 5-hole at 19:32, leaving the Lions down three goals just one period in. Andrés Kelly, the stalwart goaltender, faced fifteen shots in the opening period, so it is lucky that the Lions did not trail by more entering the second period.

The second period saw more Havl goals, and more Lions penalties. It is a testament to the skill of the world champions, that they ended up drawing seven penalties against the Lions (and scoring on two of them), many more penalties than Nova Anglicana usually concedes. Cecil Palmer, who hates penalties, was furious on the first four penalties, but just shook his head and placed it in his palms for the final three, accepting that his team was being seriously outclassed. Brian Beierle and Jason State scored in the second period, Beierle on the power play, and the score was 5-0 by the end of the period. Kelly was pulled, having stopped 25 of 30 shots, not so much for ineffectiveness, but to save his body and his confidence. Kelly received too little support from his defensemen and other teammates, and there was little point in leaving him out to face another fifteen or so shots.

The third period played a little slower, with the Lions limiting Havl to eleven shots and one goal, by Fleer at 15:45. Kermit Lea had saved the Lions from total embarrassment earlier by firing in a slap shot at 9:14, but the 6-1 final told the story accurately: the Lions had fallen flat in their opener and been completely controlled by Havl. What especially stings about this loss is its potential to turn into two losses. Having been smacked by Havl, it is imperative for the Lions to bounce back quickly and not let this loss affect them too much.

Their next opponent is #96 Lzherusskia, which could be a trap game in the best of circumstances, but since the Gold and Black defeated the #10 Quebec Ice Knights 3-2 in their first game, this becomes even more dangerous. The Lions will have to collect themselves, flex their muscles, and bounce back. A more robust offense would certainly help, as the Lions mustered just 22 shots in tonight's defeat, and scored a paltry seven goals in WCoH 22, a pattern that we hope does not repeat.

Elsewhere in the group, unrankeds San Jose Guayabal and Maineiacs drew in an 8-goal fest, unranked and yet to release a roster Yttribia scored a cool 2-0 upset over 21st-ranked but inexperienced Svengarda, and 36th-ranked Quakmybush drew unranked Hicana, fielding a team of people due to their other denizens' uncomfortability with hockey. Other notable games included top 5 nation Torisakia going down 5-3 to 63rd-ranked Perlasilangan, #33 Ko-oren beating #13 Equestrian States 1-0, as well as host Saintland falling to unranked Florgania 3-1, and Soviet Canuckistan losing out on a prime chance for points by drawing unranked Vettrera. The Lions will hope to continue the upset trend against Quebec and Quakmybush, but buck it against the various unrankeds and Lzherusskia.

More from nasn.nov
Rugby team to play Riysa in Round of 16
Fresh off defeat in IBS IV, Lions look forward to WBC 29
Lions ready to step up in WC 68, says Carbone

(OOC: Brownie points for whoever gets the reference in my headline)

[Gyatso-kai]

.:: VISITOR Locker Room, Civitate Dei Arena, St. Augustinus, Saintland ::.
2200 hours local time (UTC +/- UNKNOWN), 6 February 2014.1

A draw... A bloody haran draw!

Hiteki Kia just sat on the wooden bench in the VISITOR locker room at the Civitate Dei Arena in a bit of shock. He had just played a hard game, with almost twenty minutes of ice time on his part and he was tired.

I hadn't expected them to be that good...

Last time Hiteki had seen the Ibexs, he was a reserve player for the Ice Bisons in World Cup XXI and from the box seats, they didn't seem to be that tough of a team. Yet, here he was, sitting in a room full of exhausted players with a 2-all draw sitting on their returning game. He looked around the room, trying to make eye contact with anyone he could, but no one would dare look to Hiteki.

Maybe it is just the jet lag... Maybe we are a bit rusty...

The doors opened, and Kad Skirata walked in. Hiteki was expecting a berating from an enraged head coach whose formerly-ranked fifth in the world team had let some no-name team with a bloody purple uniform slow them down. Each man in the room quickly stood, each standing ramrod as if a four-star General had just walked into the mess hall. Skirata looked to them all, and raised a single hand.

"Udesii, ade."

Hiteki sat, managing to make eye contact with the Captain of the Team, Hakoda Ishii. Hiteki, as most of the men on the team, had military experience from their college days, and as such could easily read lips. Ishii just smiled, knowing that Hiteki had only played on the ice for the Ice Bisons four times back in World Cup XIX.

Relax. We are fine

"So," Skirata spoke again, this time moving to the centre of the room, surrounded by the players' benches, "Not exactly what we had in mind, eh?"

The players mumbled in agreement, many of them just slouching forward, arms on knees in various states of undress.

"I want to start out by saying good job on the back-to-back goals from Hak and Hayate in the third. Much better than shut-out."

Shut out by di'kuts in purple? How embarrassing...

"We allowed them to score early, which is always an issue in a game whose destiny is controlled by the clock. We only have sixty minutes to make more goals than them, and when facing a team that is almost as offensively-minded as you are, we just cannot allow them to score twice in the first period. It throws off our momentum, which is something that is always hard to regain."

Skirata went on for awhile, and all the while Hiteki listened with intent. At times, he would drift off, thinking back to the game, wishing he could have done more. Hindsight is 20-20 they always say.

Just have to work on getting that hindsight into foresight...

---

Goal Summary

First Period
NEG --- M. Terfam [P. Delmasso] (17:23)
NEG --- P. Delmasso [A. Reimsel, B. Farducci] (19:01)

Second Period
**No Goals Scored**

Third Period
GKI Ishii H. [Ito P. Sato S.] (12:56)
GKI Hei H. [Ishii H.] (13:08)

Penalty Summary

First Period
04:42 --- NEG --- High-sticking, 2-min --- J. LeTrac drawn by Sato S.
08:21 --- GKI --- Elbowing, 2-min --- Ishida A. drawn by S. Kemmelz
15:01 --- NEG --- Interference, 2-min --- A. Reimsel drawn by Zhao H.

Second Period
06:01 --- NEG --- Hooking, 2-min --- E. Volkzein drawn by K. Skirata

Third Period
08:22 --- GKI --- Tripping, 2-min --- Sato S. drawn by E. Volkzein

Goaltending

Team	Name		SA	GA	Saves	SV%	TOI
GKI	Zhao H.		30	02	28	0.933	59:40
NEG	C. Bassati	32	02	30	0.937	59:13

Shots on Goal Summary

TEAM	1st	2nd	3rd	OT	FINAL
GKI	09	12	11	XX	32
TPR	12	08	10	XX	30

Injury Summary

**No Injuries Reported**

Three Stars

First Star: Hakoda Ishii (1G, 1A)
Second Star: Primo Delmasso (1G, 1A)
Third Star: Hei Hayate (1G, 0A)

---

[New Wolfopolis]

Before the game, Locker Room, Amphitheatrum Confessiones, Saintland

"Congratulations, men, on making the squad, training and practicing really hard, and making it out to Saintland!" said coach Dustin Davila. The team whooped and cheered. Davila continued. "You guys are an awesome team, and although you may be new, you're going to go out there, and kick some ass!" The team roared and cheered loudly at that remark, for a good 30 seconds, until Davila finally regained control. "Guys, guys. Save your voices for the rink. Now, I want to remind you of something, and I want this to be crystal clear, so everybody quiet down and look at me for a second."

"What are we, kindergartners?" said Alberto Bermudez, the "class clown" of the team, so to speak. A few players reacted to this comment, chiming in with their various agreeing banter.

"Hey, Bermudez!" said captain Joshua Ramsey, who was a strict law enforcer on the team. "Enough." At that, Bermudez and his goonies quieted down and looked at Davila, after glaring at Ramsey for a second or two.

"Alright, thank you. Now, again, I want to make this crystal-clear: there will be no fighting, period, end of story."

The team let out a collective groan at this. Ramsey, goalie Joshua Goodson, and about two others on the team were the only ones not audibly disappointed. "Aw, c'mon, coach," said Bermudez, "the crowds love the fights! That's why hockey exists!"

"Alright, but when people think of New Wolfopolis, I don't want them to think, 'oh, they're that one nation that had 8 ejections in one game at WCoH.' Understood?"

"Nope. I'm gonna fight," said Bermudez, "and the crowd's gonna love me, and the world's gonna know me."

"Oh, I forgot to mention: Any player who engages in a fight will be suspended for one game. By me. Now, is it understood?"

"Nope," said Bermudez, "one game, no big deal."

"Multiple fights, exponential growth by two. Do you know the word exponential, Alberto?"

"Yes," he replied, "I do. Still no big deal."

"Alright, fine. You fight, you don't play past group stage. Suspensions still stand, and suspended for the playoffs. Now, gonna fight, Alberto?"

Alberto sighed. "You're so difficult. Fine. I won't fight."

"Thank you. Now, who's ready to win?!" The team was ignited. They were ready to play. They were pumped. And they exited the locker room for their first international game.

---

After the game, Locker Room, Amphitheatrum Confessiones, Saintland

"Well, you guys played... adequately, I suppose. But, I mean, watching you from practice, I feel like, that's as hard as you can play." Davila's remark was met by various pants, deep breaths, and squirts of water from the team. "I suppose that further reinforces my point. Be honest. Who isn't dog tired?" Two players raised their hands, the two backup goalies, who didn't play at all. "Again reinforcing my point. So, you guys did everything you could... and you tied. Great. This tournament's going great. Great. Just great."

"Coach..." said Bermudez, in between breaths, "what if... we... were allowed... to fight?"

"Ah, what the hell, go ahead. If it wins you a game, you can fight. If you lose, you get suspended, like before."

"What... if we... tie?"

"Then the bet's on for the next game."

"But... that... isn't fair," interjected Romeo McNair. "We've got... Vaugania... next."

"Then the stakes are high, aren't they."

[Lzherusskia]

Home -> Hockey -> World Cup of Hockey

The Home Of Lzher Sports Since 2089

Lzherusskia Dine On Quebecois Arrogance In Massive Upset
Are You Reading, Mr. Tremblay-Sachs? Your Boys Took One Hell Of A Beating!

Let's stop and consider this for a second.

We wrote a short piece on how we thought the World Cup was going to go. Despite saying we thought Quebec would stomp us, one of their higher officials wrote a very pissy little letter because we hadn't shown one of their star thugs enough respect, and that prompted no less than our own Commissar to step in and defend us. Quebecois fans took great pleasure in trashing us, our country, our great leader and our team.

And then, when the battle finally reached the ice, two glorious goals from Karl Myasnikovnik and thirty-seven saves from August Pokrovski, our brave, magnificent boys dropped last year's third-place finishers 3-2. Even if we lose every game the rest of the way, it'll have been absolutely worth it for the look on Logan Guthrie's face at the final whistle.

True to expectations, the Quebecois squad came to play their fast and heavy-hitting game that brought them so much success last time out, and most of us expected the worst when Arkadi Kochakidzev took the full brunt of a Colm Strojovic shoulder-blast, the young winger slipping over after standing back up and having to be helped to the bench. The young winger, Sargkisia's top scorer last year, was at fault for the opening goal as well - his sloppy pass was intercepted by Quebecois winger Brennan Hall, who drew Mikhail Proskinov out of position before passing to an uncovered Soo Myeon Kim, who buried the shot to put Quebec up.

But even as early as the ten-minute mark, there were signs that the Quebec team weren't looking nearly as sharp as their lofty ranking had implied - passes were going uncompleted, shooting lanes left uncovered and, most critically, penalties were being committed. Anthony Mantha will bear a lot of the blame from the Quebecois media, as he had a terrible game - it was his penalty that gave Lzherusskia the powerplay leading to our equaliser and returned us a lot of the momentum.

Called for hooking at 12:44, the Blender was put into action and a powerplay forward unit featuring Karl Myasnikovnik, Nikolai Shcherbatiski and Arkadi Kochakidzev gave the short-handed Quebecois fits with the speed and the smooth passing attack they brought to bear. The first attack was successfully fended off, courtesy of two fine saves from Alexandre Browne, but a lovely one-two pass between Shcherbatisiki and Myasnikovnik performed at full speed left Terentiev's star centre all alone with Browne and able to pick his spot, going high blocker side for the equaliser.

With no more goals in the first period, Lzherusskia came out for the second with the momentum fully in their favour and the Quebecois rink rust was beginning to look more and more evident. Pokrovski's confidence was growing with each shot saved, and his assurance between the pipes opened up our second goal - freed of his defensive responsibilities briefly, Gelashviliev skated up ice to link up with the forwards and moving at what seemed like an appreciable fraction of lightspeed when he hit the offensive zone, Sam Kasyanenko hit him with a beautiful drop-back pass and Gelashviliev cannoned his slap shot high stick-side.

Loss of the lead clearly ignited something in the Quebecois squad, and the furious chanting of the fans couldn't have helped matters. Obeying orders from the Commissar, however, all attempts to goad the Lzherusskia players into fighting were met with deaf ears, and the Lzher faithful who'd made the journey to Saintland were very vocal in their gloating when Raoul Jang was penalised for instigating after dropping his gloves and failing to get Leonid Yevdokimov to do the same. The resultant powerplay went nowhere, unfortunately - the steady passing that had worked well before failed to find an opening this time.

Still down 2-1 at the second intermission, Quebec emerged for the final period with desperation in their eyes, needing at least two more goals to ensure the only reasonable result from the day, and desperation lent them new energy. Another excellent save from Browne saw Yves Jodoin spring Alexandre Rioux down the Quebecois right flank, who outworked Denis Vodyanov to get to the puck first, and full credit to him for a superb solo effort, as he deked past the embarrassed Luka Zhelezkin and poked the puck through Pokrovski's five-hole to tie the game up again.

With time trickling away and five minutes left on the clock, nobody would have blamed Lzherusskia for hunkering down and trying to take something from the game, but it's to the coaching staff's full credit that they refused to deviate and kept hunting for a victory goal. And then, it happened.

Giving him a taste of his own medicine, Anton Veselovski smashed Logan Guthrie with a brutal but entirely legal hit to free up the puck. Yevdokimov made the quick change to bring Myasnikovnik on and, with the Quebecois fans screaming for Veselovski's head, the hitman made the best pass of his career to centre the puck. The shooting lane was clogged nicely by Lucien Ryu, but Myasnikovnik was already skating into space and just had to evade his probing stick. Alexandre Browne loomed large in the Quebecois net but, as the game's MVP later said, "I looked up and I just knew I had to shoot. It was like the opening was calling to me, I had to do it."

And do it he did. Browne expected another high shot and was wrong-footed completely, the puck scudding across the ice and crashing low on his stick side for another Lzherusskia lead. Then, and only then, did the team turtle up - the final three minutes were a torrent of Quebecois pressure, but Pokrovski held extremely fast and rightly, took second star honours for his role in what is undisputably the finest Lzher win we've ever seen. Mr. Tremblay-Sachs - your boys took one HELL of a beating!

BOX SCORE
0-1  QBC   07:11  Kim (1)                  Hall (1)
1-1  LZK   13:43  Myasnikovnik (1) [PP]    Shcherbatiski (1), Kochakidzev (1)
2-1  LZK   31:57  Gelashviliev (1)         Kasyanenko (1), Kochakidzev (2)
2-2  QBC   45:30  Rioux (1)                Jodoin (1), Browne (1)
3-2  LZK   54:11  Myasnikovnik (2)         Veselovski (1)

THREE STARS
Third Star: Arkadi Kochakidzev (2 assists, 15:45, +1)
Second Star: August Pokrovski (W: 37/39, .949%)
First Star: Karl Myasnikovnik (2 goals, 21:29, +2)

PENALTY SUMMARY
PEN  LZK   04:21  Veselovski, 2 mins - cross-checking
PEN  LZK   08:41  Kipriyanovski, 2 mins - goaltender interference
PEN  QBC   12:44  Mantha, 2 mins - hooking
PEN  QBC   14:49  Turcotte, 2 mins - roughing
PEN  LZK   14:49  Veselovski, 2 mins - roughing
PEN  QBC   17:16  Clark, 2 mins - tripping

PEN  LZK   21:49  Shcherbatiski, 2 mins - diving
PEN  QBC   23:57  Howe, 2 mins - boarding
PEN  LZK   24:28  Yevdokimov, 2 mins - cross-checking
PEN  LZK   28:56  Tolstokozhev, 2 mins - roughing
PEN  QBC   33:37  Jang, 2 mins - instigation
PEN  QBC   38:38  Nieustrom, 2 mins - roughing
PEN  LZK   38:38  Veselovski, 4 mins - roughing + unsportsmanlike conduct

PEN  QBC   44:27  Morin, 2 mins - boarding
PEN  QBC   47:34  Guthrie, 2 mins - high-sticking
PEN  LZK   49:01  Zhelezkin, 2 mins - slashing
PEN  LZK   55:52  Karnaukhov, 2 mins - roughing
PEN  QBC   55:52  Strojovic, 2 mins - roughing
PEN  LZK   58:19  Veselovski, 12 mins - elbowing + game misconduct

[The Royal Kingdom of Quebec]

OOC: Lzherusskia. I said in my previous RP that Alexandre Browne, not Hal Niemes, will be starting in the net. Edit that or I'll just ignore yours and do entirely different recap post on my post-MD1 RP.

[box]PGT: -Insert quelques choses-
HappyDuckies
Moderator
Posts: 71,365

by HappyDuckies » 21 AUG 2014, 17:30
Have a run at it boys. Do whatever you want to rip this off, just remember to follow the forum rules.

Bertie79
Registered User
Posts: 102

by Bertie79 » 21 AUG 2014, 17:30


What a joke this article is.

Wasn't it evident that we didn't even give a shit about the game? No effort=>Not giving shit about anything really in the game=>Whatever the result is. We didn't give a shit about them so we gave no passion to win this game. I am not surprised honestly in fact.

JoeyMac37
Collingwood Rap Champion- 2013 and counting!
Posts: 6,418

by JoeyMac37 » 21 AUG 2014, 17:30

Lzher faithful who'd made the journey to Saintland were very vocal in their gloating when Raoul Jang was penalised for instigating after dropping his gloves and failing to get Leonid Yevdokimov to do the same.

We know who's the pussy pussy.....(OOC: Seriously? Raoul Jang's probably the player least likely to drop a glove. Change the player to someone else)

HappyDuckies
Moderator
Posts: 71,371

by HappyDuckies » 21 AUG 2015, 17:30

Giving him a taste of his own medicine, Anton Veselovski smashed Logan Guthrie with a brutal but entirely legal hit to free up the puck.

1. What a joke, especially because of what Logan said on post-game interview.

I felt nothing. No pain, no harm, so how can you call it brutal when I felt nothing and just went on like usual? I did not fall, and quickly regained my co-ordination while sleep-skating......

2. [url]Anthony Mantha will bear a lot of the blame from the Quebecois media, as he had a terrible game[/url]

Uh....No. He is not the one to blame and will not be blamed by the media. He had a decent game, making some flashy moves on breakaways and so on.
In fact, the blame should go to the entire team for not showing up in MD1.....again. No heart shown by anyone, not even Brownie(Alexandre Browne's nickname).
[/box]

Democritus
#Yolo2014
Posts: 401

by Democritus » 21 AUG 2015, 17:31
Apparently I heard that KGB agents are looking for Anton Veselovski. Why am I not surprised?

Jose
Registered User
Posts: 289

by Jose »21 AUG 2015, 17:31
We lost because we didn't give a shit about facing whatever the nation is called. No passion felt whatsoever, for some strange reason we don't know. We only gave 1% of what we were capable of.

@Democritus. Shut up. Why would those agents just go to a foreign nation and kill a hockey player? If anyone is going to kill Veselovski, it'll probably be a fan who committed such.

JanSvengaard97
Trade Ferland!
Posts: 1,786

by JanSvengaard97JanSvengaard97 »21 AUG 2015, 17:31
I don't care whatever happened in this match...... After all, Team Quebec's infamous for having a very slow start against horrible to mediocre teams. As long as they rebound and do well on the rest of the group stage, I probably won't care about a mere loss on MD1.

Jose
Registered User
Posts: 8,901

by Jose »21 AUG 2015, 17:31

one HELL of a beating!

It is more of we not giving a damn and giving you guys a win as a present, idiot.

Mackleless
Hforums All-Star blogger-
Since 1996!
Posts: 3,586

by Mackleless »21 AUG 2015, 17:32
I don't know about this one.....Honestly we shouldn't be coasting a game or two, regardless of circumstances. Expected better from Aronnax.....

Democritus
#Yolo2014
Posts: 401

by Democritus » 21 AUG 2015, 17:31
@Mackless. At least we can expect some profanity-loaded locker room speeches by Aronnax in the locker room. William Park didn't even do that when we barely won against teams that we should've destroyed last time.
@Jose. We'll see, by the time when we go to that Veselovski guy's funeral within a month.

HappyDuckies
Moderator
Posts: 71,373

[/color]

by HappyDuckies » 21 AUG 2015, 17:30

It'll have been absolutely worth it for the look on Logan Guthrie's face at the final whistle.

Dude. His "giving no damn about whatever happened on the game" expression showed that he is not upset at all. He looked more of sleepy, for some strange reason I have yet to find out. But one thing we still know is that he doesn't care and so do we. Ha!

*replays a GIF of Guthrie raising his middle finger as if it's nothing, while skating by the Lzherusskian bench*

@Democritus. Oh boy...... Someone's going to die very soon, at this rate.

[Middleton Valley]

"I'm Wade Fredrckson with breaking news out of the World Cup of Hockey this morning as Middleton Valley's Head of the Department of Financial and Scientific Advancement announces that new high-tech security for the protection of Middleton Valley players.

In an early morning press conference in Quebec, Amero Union, Dr. Emma Fitzsimmons announced that starting today highly skilled, martial arts, security droids will be used by Middleton Valley to protect its players from the 'ever growing threat' by Gregoryisgodistan. Fitzsimmons continued, 'Gregoryisgodistan should be taken as a serious threat to the safety and security of all attending or participating in the World Cup of Hockey. We at Middleton Valley do not believe that adequate security is provided for the Middleton Valley team. Because of the anti-firearm law in the host nation, Middleton Valley has created 50 highly skilled, martial arts, security droids. This droids will be equipped with knockout gas, potent enough to stop an Enemy Crusher in his tracks. I strongly discourage any Middleton Valley citizen from going to the World Cup of Hockey until the Gregoryisgodistan matter is cleared up.'

President Possible is expected to comment on the matter later today at her campaign fundraiser in Lowerton. Stay tuned to Sunnyside 105.3 for the latest news and all-day music.

We now return to our regularly scheduled programming."

[Sangti]

PAHAYAGANG PAMPALAKASAN
pahayagangpampalakasan.trb

WORLD CUP OF HOCKEY
Snipers start the right way: New North Aqmuland defeated
by Mico Toledo

After a hiatus on sports journalism, I am back, and reporting from Apostolic Arena here in St. Petrus in Saintland.

The Royal Barangay Snipers started the first game of the group stages in style, as they defeated New North Aqmuland 1-0 to get a share of the lead in Group 2 of the World Cup of Hockey. Erroll Ballaran scored his first goal in this tournament after a power play 5:40 into the second period. The Snipers next face Swibia, who lost to Levivania of all teams, 3-1. In other matches, 5th ranked Torisakia were stunned by the flying creatures of Perlasilangan 5-3, Qazox won a narrow 4-3 over Frusennia and Sicoutimont edged Jeckland 3-2.

The Snipers are expected to finish fourth in Group 2, but wins like these will boost their hopes for a playoff run. "We were fortunate to win that one, these wins are the ones we needed, and we must avoid any upsets if we want to make it into the playoffs." Coach Jonas Cabangbang said during the post match press conference.

[HopNation]

Day | Oppenent (rank) 		(Their Record)
MD1 | Valanora (3)		(0-1-0)
MD2 | Vilita & Turori (9)	(1-0-0)
MD3 | New Wolfopolis (UR)	(0-1-0)
MD4 | Aquitayne (46)		(0-1-0)
MD5 | Vaugania (23)		(0-0-1)
MD6 | New Koln (UR)		(0-0-1)
MD7 | Cassadaigua (29)		(1-0-0)
MD8 | Gallund (78)		(1-0-0)
MD9 | Caek of the Wolfen (UR)	(0-0-1)
Mashers Record (0-1-0)
Won | Lost | Tied

Hockey Special by Ringwald Griffinsmith and Orpheus Diomedes
Game one in the books
Well that was better than we expected to start especially against Valanora. The Calcuttas seemed to be caught off guard by the Mashers as the game was extremely even for the most part, though Calcuttas did strike first the Mashers kept pace with them matching them goal for goal in this game. HopNation actually led going into the third, but Valanora showed their ranking in the third period and controlled almost all of it. They out shot the Mashers in the third fourteen to four, but could only notch an equalizer. Overall we are pleased with the Mashers start and definitely didn’t see this game ending in a draw when looking at it on paper before the puck dropped.
Goal scorers for Calcuttas included:
Voronthal Falasumé at 10:25 of the first period
Imenien Lithloth at 5:45 of the second period (PPG)
Málassnen Mallithar at 12:50 of the third period
Total shots: 43
Goal scorers for Mashers included:
Ruslan Bogomolov at 14:37 of the first period
Drahomir Robert Hustovi at 11:10 of the second period
Drahomir Robert Hustovi at 17:40 of the second period
Total shots: 28
Well there’s the quick recap, now for our next set of players.

Line Highlights - Emerald Line
#00 Halstein Andersen – Andersen a 21 year old from Chinook will be playing center for this line. He is a good skater, not overly fast but gets himself into great position so you could say he is more of a positional player. He’s decent with the stick as well, but where he excels is at face offs, he went 95-23 in last seasons games when it came to the puck drop. He should be the balance of this line as his two wingers tend to be more goal oriented. We both have Andersen as the number four center on the team.

#28 Ivan Marian Vanek – Vanek or Vans as the players call him is a 24 year old from Santiamsummit and will play right wing. Vans is a good shooter and passer, more so passing than shooting as he lead his team in assists this past season. We see him setting up both Andersen and Swindlehurst as much as he can. The draw back that Vans has is in is vision, not so much his vision of playing but his actual vision. Vans had his left eye ruptured in a game two years by a clearance from an opponent’s goalie. So if you see him tilting or turning his head often it’s likely due to this and that he can’t see on that side. Here again we both agree Vans is the number five right wing.

#20 Bennett Swindlehurst – Swindlehurst is a 27 year old and he is also from Santiamsummit. A team mate of Vans these two should work well together. He is a decent shooter, but he needs to work on his passing a bit. We think he will ultimately be the shooter on this line, since both of the other two are better passers. Other than his poor passing he’s simply an average HHL player. Griffinsmith has him as the number five left wing while I have him as the number four left wing.

Likely Defensive Pairing with the Emerald Line
#03 Ruslan Bogomolov – Bogomolov or Bogs as he and his brother are known is a 22 year old from Gawkasneer. Ruslan is a hitter and a very physical defender, even with his hard hitting and physical style don’t expect him in the penalty box very often as he is very clean and one that knows all the intricacies of the rules. Along with his play style he is a great shooter and has scored many a goals from the top of the key. Both of us have him as the teams’ number one D man.

#04 Prokopiy Bogomolov – Bogomolov or Bogs as he and his brother are known is a 19 year old from Gawkasneer. Prokopiy is not as physical as his brother is but he can still lay down a decent check when needed. He’s the better passer out of these two defenders and he will be a key distributer for this pairing. He too is a very clean player and is unlikely to find himself in the sin bin. Here I have Prokopiy as the number two D man and Diomedes has him as the number three.

It’s no wonder why these two lines are likely to be paired together, as the best defensive pairing is linked with what might be the worst offensive pairing. We expect a more defensive line out of this bunch as the offensive three are so much weaker than the two defenders.

Howe’s Howl
That was a great start fellas, way to show the world we are here to play. I think we left the Calcuttas side asking how ready there are for this cup. I saw a report that they were worried about players being tired after their season and other international play, so perhaps that was part of it. I give our guys all the credit though, they came out to play, and they had fire in their eyes before the game in the locker room so I knew it would be a battle. There were also only two penalties all game as well, which after reviewing the game cards I guess that was expected. I still don’t think Pokorny should have been called for interference in the second, which resulted in a power play goal for our opponent, but it is what it is. Our other penalty was blatant and I’ve spoke with Mustane about it already, we just don’t hook players like that at least not that obviously. Hopefully this gets the guys even more excited for our next game, which is the Ice Cat Things or something like that.

Match Preview – Game 2 vs. Vilita & Turori (9)
Next up for the Mashers are the Ice Cat Things of Vilita & Turori who won their first game against Vaugania with a score of 3-2. This should be another huge test for the Mashers as the Vilita & Turori side is ranked ninth currently and with the three goals put them on top of our group so far, though make note this is extremely early and the table will likely change as the tournament progresses. We think this will be a game that the Mashers lose but we expect them to at the very least notch another goal and keep the score close.

Score Prediction – 3-1 with Ice Cat Things coming out on top.


Well that’s it for us today, wishing the Mashers best of luck in their second game. Brew on! Brew well Hoptonians!

[Anditia]

Wolverines lose to something called Howdeelow in opening of WCoH 23
Jimmer Thomas -- SAINTLAND

In what many would call a "lackluster effort" the Anditon Wolverines lost to a team from Howdeelow by a score of 2-1. The game lacked all effort and excitement from an Anditon team that was expected to defeat their largely unknown opponent. Without even a roster submitted prior to the game, the Howdeelow team out shot, out skated and out fought the Wolverines. Unfortunately, the Wolverine's potentially potent first line of Smith, Van Ryk and Nelson only managed a total of 4 shots between them - with their score (the only score in the game) happening with 54 seconds left - goalie pulled and the extra attacker on the ice. The goal, a lovely one-timer by Nelson from Smith and Havut, rifled past the Howdeelowan goaltender to hit the twine at the back of the net. This goal came shortly after Philip Mys engaged in a tussle with one of the Howdeelowan blue-liners. The fight its self also largely lacked much of any excitement with Mys using his patented bolo punches (a swinging punch similar to an uppercut) to eventually take down the his brutish opponent.

[Ko-oren]

vs. Equestrian States (13th) 1-0 W
vs. Saintland (26th)
vs. Howdeellow (UR)
vs. Kinzar (UR)
vs. Estope (22)
vs. Westbridge (UR)
vs. Sel Appa (57)
vs. Anditia (UR)
vs. Florgania (UR)

One look at the schedule shows that we start with two tough games, and after that it is pretty much a parade of unranked teams. Estope and Sel Appa are there too to spice it up, but all in all, the Greenblues have to soldier on through the first two days to get to an easier schedule. This group also lacks a clear favorite: Equestrian States are the best ranked team, but Estope does not follow far behind, and the same goes for Saintland. Ko-oren is 33rd, so we can't expect winning this group, but we should definitely be able to qualify. And don't forget that while Saintland might not be among the top ranked teams, they are the hosts and home advantages count.

The defensive tactic that has even found its way into the Ice Hockey team should be fruitful to the Greenblues, and some new players added to the team should do the rest. It is interesting to see that all of the new players are from the state of Vnoskjulung, which might be the state where Ice Hockey is most popular, but some good teams are not from Vnoskjulung at all. In fact, only three players play for the Avka Astronauts. The Sturng Scouts are the most featured team, with five players, three of which are offensive players. The Ko-oren Capitals and Othushun State are represented by three players each, and the Iliju Internationals have two players. Maethoru State and Arelothun State both have one player.

The language most used by the team should still be Ko-orenite, but with a clear dominant Russian group of players, that might as well be the team's language. Still, home games (if not all games would have taken place in Saintland) would have been played in Batavophone (Dutch) Sraltlur, far away from the Russian speaking communities.

[Maineiacs]

OOC: limited time today, so just a quick update.

From MSPN--

Maineiacs began the Hockey World Cup with a 4-4 tie against San Jose Guayabal in Day 1 action. It was a near thing, as San Jose Guayabal led 4-3 with just 1:15 left in the 3rd period when team Captain Luis Chávez scored with a power play goal just 10 second into a 2 minute minor to Defenseman Ed Sealy for hooking. Maineiacs faired poorly on the penalty kill, as San Jose Guayabal went 3 for 7 on the power play. Goalie Jean-Claude L'avoie was pulled, and the hero line was sent onto the ice to try to salvage a point in our first game. Salvation came with just 35 seconds left when Mike Foster rocketed the puck past the San Jose Guayabal goalie and tied up the score.

So, we didn't totally embarrass ourselves out there, but in this commentator's opinion, we need to step up our game, because tying another unranked team isn't going to cut it.

Here are Group 6 standings:

Group 6
San Jose Guayabal 4–4 Maineiacs
Yttribia 2–0 Svengarda
The Royal Kingdom of Quebec 2–3 Lzherusskia
Nova Anglicana 1–6 Havl
Quakmybush 2–2 Hicana

   Group 6                        Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
 1 Havl                             1   1  0  0    6   1  +5    3
 2 Yttribia                         1   1  0  0    2   0  +2    3
 3 Lzherusskia                      1   1  0  0    3   2  +1    3
 4 Maineiacs                        1   0  1  0    4   4   0    1
   San Jose Guayabal                1   0  1  0    4   4   0    1
 6 Hicana                           1   0  1  0    2   2   0    1
   Quakmybush                       1   0  1  0    2   2   0    1
 8 The Royal Kingdom of Quebec      1   0  0  1    2   3  −1    0
 9 Svengarda                        1   0  0  1    0   2  −2    0
10 Nova Anglicana                   1   0  0  1    1   6  −5    0

[Havl]

World Cup of Hockey XXIII - Havl 6, Nova Anglicana 1

St. Ioannes – One question dominated discussions in preparation for match day one of the 23rd edition of the World Cup of Hockey; "Will it snow?" The three-time defending champions of hockey have recent experience with outdoor hockey. Many of the matches in the last tournament were held on outdoor hoofball stadiums. Snow wasn't a concern in the Equestrian States, but the game time temperature was expected to be below freezing at Progress Stadium.

"We're from Havl," said defenseman Brian Beierle. "We're used to snow. I grew up playing pond hockey in Davenport in my backyard, and it snowed all the time." And just five minutes before opening faceoff, like clockwork, the flakes began to fall in St. Ioannes. It was a picturesque scene for the start of what many hope will be the tournament's greatest edition. "The snow was great," said Havl rookie Joey Kaminski. "It [was] like a scene from a movie."

The match against 44th-ranked Nova Anglicana marked the debut of new head coach Patricia Donofrio. Former head coach Nicklas Lindberg, who helmed the team to three consecutive championships, announced that the last World Cup would be his final appearance with the team. "It's obviously a big spot to fill, lots of expectations," said Donofrio. "But I've had a lot of support from the players and from the fans." Donofrio is the first female head coach for the Capital City-based team, although other women have held important positions on the team since its inception. Donofrio has served as the head coach of the University of Havl's men's hockey teams for the last seven seasons, and her pedigree includes three HCAA championships with the team.

There was some concern that Saintland's sumptuary laws might pose challenges for a female head coach. Before leaving Capital City, Lindberg presented Donofrio with a "coaches' cap" once worn by hallowed coach Dick Emblem. Donofrio wore the cap during the match against Nova Anglicana. "It's good luck," said Donofrio.


Brian Beierle had a goal and two assists to help put Havl up early

A dominating performance in the first period gave the defending champions a healthy three-goal lead. Donndelinger, Demerson, and rookie Andrey Pasternak scored in the first tilt. "It's kind of the way we play," said Donndelinger. "We like to get in the lead early, if we can. Obviously, everybody wants to lead early, but that's how we've had success in the past." Beierle, State, and Fleer notched goals in the second and third periods with Kermit Lea providing the only offense for Nova Anglicana.

Goaltender Andres Kelly made 25 saves in the first two periods before being relieved by Bryan Blake in third. The 32-year-old Kelly is expected to start the remaining games for Nova Anglicana. "We put a lot of shots on net tonight," said Havl rookie Martin Klerx, who netted his first international point on an assist to Beierle in the second period. "There are a lot of new players on the team, but it's starting to feel familiar and comfortable."

"They're a strong team," said Donofrio. "We've never played Nova Anglicana on the world's stage, which is exciting and a bit nerve-wracking from a coach's perspective. We try to focus on our team's strengths, and we have a flexible team that can hopefully react to surprises like new teams."

With the win, Havl moves into the lead of the Group 6 standings. Coverage of World Cup of Hockey XXIII continues on HTVM Friday evening as Havl faces the 36th-ranked Quakmybush live from Via Damascus Stadium.

Box Score

	1st	2nd	3rd	Final
Havl	3	2	1	6
Nova Anglicana	0	0	1	1

Team Leaders
Num	Name			G	A	Pts
2	Brian Beierle		1	2	3
17	Justin Donndelinger	1	2	3	
11	Adam Fleer		1	1	2
19	Jason State		1	1	2
8	Andrey Pasternak	1	0	1	
9	Brian Demerson		1	0	1
13	Andrei Petrov		0	1	1
14	Brady Anderson		0	1	1
10	Joey Kaminski		0	1	1
18	Juna Mossil		0	1	1
15	Martin Klerx		0	1	1
6	Sergei Skrbinski	0	1	1	
16	Cooper Sullivan		0	0	0
36	Jay Marshall		0	0	0
3	Petr Zaradnik		0	0	0
12	Taro Tsujimoto		0	0	0
77	Tomas Holicek		0	0	0
7	Trevor Ventham		0	0	0
Num	Name		GP	W	L	T	GA	SA	GAA	S%	SO
29	Davis Rich	1	1	0	0	0	21	1.00	95.5	0 
30	Ty McLaren	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Scores and Schedule
Thursday, February 6		1Havl 6 @ 44Nova Anglicana 1 [Progress Stadium]	
Friday, February 7		36Quakmybush @ 1Havl [Via Damascus Stadium]
Saturday, February 8		1Havl @ URHicana [Civitate Dei Arena]
Sunday, February 9		1Havl @ URMaineiacs [Royal Stadium]
Monday, February 10		96Lzherusskia @ 1Havl [Civitate Dei Arena]
Tuesday, February 11		1Havl @ 21Svengarda [Via Damascus Stadium]
Wednesday, February 12		URSan Jose Guayabal @ 1Havl [Progress Stadium]	
Thursday, February 13		1Havl @ URYttribia [Apostolic Arena]
Fridaym February 14		10The Royal Kingdom of Quebec @ 1Havl [Apostolic Arena]

[Sicoutimont]

The Edmundston Enquirer
Sicoutians Start World Cup of Hockey 23 Right Against Jeckland

ST. IOANNES, SAINTLAND -- It was a day of upsets on the first day of the World Cup of Hockey here in Saintland. Many top-ranked teams fell to their unranked demons. In our own group, Torisakia was bested by Perlasilangan, a team ranked 63rd in the world. Taking to the ice against Jeckland at the Progress Stadium, the team would have to hope they would be able to pull off a win.

"I think it'll be exciting for the boys," said coach Michel Nillonier on the topic of playing at an outdoor venue. "Sure, the SHL has its Winter Classic, but to play real, world-championship hockey outdoors is something I think most hockey players can relate to." For sure, said team captain Jean-Luc Desjardins: "I remember pretending to win this very tournament on a pond not far from my house. It'll be cold, that's for sure, but I think we'll have fun." Before the game, Nillonier announced the starting line-up for the roster. As predicted, the top lines offence and defence were normal, and Etienne Bouchard would get the start for Team Sicoutimont. This game, against Jeckland, is the first World Cup of Hockey game for this team since 1 year ago, at home, where the team fell to Vilita and Turori in the Round of 16. Now, the Sicoutimont team looks to accomplish more at the 23rd World Cup of Hockey in Saintland.

A crowd of 17,290 turned up for the game at the Progress High School stadium, also named Progress Stadium. Most of the fans were Sicoutian travelling fans, although some Jeckland fans and Sanctii observers were at the game as well. Finally, the puck was dropped and the game began, almost directly on time. It was easy to see that the Sicoutians were not on their top game early. Maurice Rolloton lost the opening face-off, and the puck went to the Jeckland defender. There was a great break into the zone, and the Sicoutians were forced to defend much earlier than they would have wanted to. It appeared early as if the Sicoutians were significantly behind their Jeckland opponents. This situation worsened only 7 minutes into the game, when a Jeckland forward got a great shot from just above the half circle which beat Etienne Bouchard, giving the opposing team a 1-0 lead. The team was not ready to start the game, and appeared to be awe-struck by the spectacle of the outdoor game. After another goal from Jeckland only 4 minutes later, it was time to do something. Michel Nilonier called a time-out. Although the 2-0 score would be the score after the first period, the pace of the game had changed, and it was only a matter of time before the game changed as well.

Sicoutimont roared out of the gate to start the second period. Michel Nilonier's time-out certainly helped the team, and they began to play the game they were used to. It was Jean-Luc Desjardins who struck first. The first line's roaring break-out 5 minutes into the period put the Jeckland defence on their heels racing to stop the attack, and tired after a long shift, they drew a penalty. The first power-play line stormed the ice, and blew Jeckland's defence away, with Jean-Luc Desjardins scoring only 19 seconds into the power-play. The score was now 2-1. 10 minutes later, Sicoutimont would tie the game. Sicoutimont now controlled the play of the game, and it was the defence this time who broke through to tie the game. Julio Archambault's hard slap-shot just could not be stopped this time, and because of this, the score was 2-2. Sicoutimont went into the intermission confident that they would come out of the game with the 3 points they wanted.

The third period had elements of the first and second periods inside of it. Sicoutimont once again over powered the Jeckland defence, and got many chances on net. 3 minutes in, they broke through. The 2nd line got the goal this time, and Lucien Beliveau was the hero. He received a pass from Gaspard Richard, and rifled the resulting slap-shot into the top corner. Now, the score was 3-2. Sicoutimont would be able to hold on for the final 16 and a half minutes of the game, but it was tough, with a shot just hitting the post and missing. The national anthem played, and the team saluted the fans by raising their sticks. Also at Progress Stadium later that day, 3-time defending champion Havl took on Nova Anglicana, a game Havl took 6-1.

"We didn't have a good start at all. I understand, it's the first game. We'll take the night and tomorrow to practice, travel and review our gameplan for the game with New North Aqmuland. We'll have to be ready. Apostolic Arena should provide us with a great game, and we'll have to make sure we're willing to play our best hockey," said coach Nilonier. After the game, the team headed straight for the city of St. Paulus by the host country's well-developed railroad system, hoping to sleep in that city and prepare for the big game the next day. We'll have more from the next game at World Cup of Hockey 23, straight from St. Paulus, Saintland.

[Hicana]

Quakmybush 2–2 Hicana

   Group 6                        Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
 1 Havl                             1   1  0  0    6   1  +5    3
 2 Yttribia                         1   1  0  0    2   0  +2    3
 3 Lzherusskia                      1   1  0  0    3   2  +1    3
 4 Maineiacs                        1   0  1  0    4   4   0    1
   San Jose Guayabal                1   0  1  0    4   4   0    1
 6 Hicana                           1   0  1  0    2   2   0    1
   Quakmybush                       1   0  1  0    2   2   0    1
 8 The Royal Kingdom of Quebec      1   0  0  1    2   3  −1    0
 9 Svengarda                        1   0  0  1    0   2  −2    0
10 Nova Anglicana                   1   0  0  1    1   6  −5    0

(OOC: My puppet's government is pulling a Gregoryisgodistan-in-IBS-Two, or a Saintland-at-CoH-59)

Breaking News: Hicana scores many times in win
Jay Putnam

It was the best of times against Quakmybush, as we scored a WCoH record 19 goals in a blowout in Saintland. With the 19-1 victory, we obviously took first place. The coaches were amazed at their brilliant success. With such an easy win, star Harry Stanton said, "we must be even better than Havl." The Hicana fans there are screaming "better than Havl!" repeatedly, although none of them mentioned the game details, only saying remarks like "wow, we were really good".

Here is the scoring summary.

HIC 3 10 6
QMB 0 0 1

Goals:
Period One: Carlson, Barnett, Jones
Period Two: Carlson (4), Barnett (3), Stanton (3)
Period Three: Stanton (4), Carlson, J. Alvarez

Harry Stanton put up a ridiculous seven while Josh Carlson scored an astounding six goals, while Bennett Barnett (4) wasn't far behind. The dominance of the first line was supported by strong defense, especially from goalie Ryan Reagan, along with goals from Allen Jones and Justin Alvarez.

This should be an easy WCoH.

[Middleton Valley]

"This is it. Game two, gentlemen," said Today S. Hopeless, head coach of the Middleton Valley Crazy Pups. "We face the highest ranked team in our group. We can beat these guys. Go out and score goals early and often. The more we score the hard it is for the other team to win. We need to stay out of the penalty box and control the puck. We played extremely well yesterday in the last minute of the game. Now, use that momentum to get us out early in this game.

I realize that we have a lot more security and a lot less fans in the arena tonight. Many of you know that it is due to the Gregoryisgodistan threats against the wonderful leaders of this beautiful host nation. Gregoryisgodistan complained and cried foul because they could not score. We need to take this opportunity to put on a goal scoring clinic, so that they can see how it is supposed to be done.

Now go out there and make Middleton Valley proud. On three. One. Two. Three"

[Saintland]

Results for MD2

Group 1
New Koln 1–3 Aquitayne
Vaugania 3–3 New Wolfopolis
HopNation 2–2 Vilita & Turori
Cassadaigua 5–5 Valanora
Gallund 1–0 Caek of the Wolfen

   Group 1                        Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
 1 Gallund                          2   2  0  0    2   0  +2    6
 2 Aquitayne                        2   1  1  0    5   3  +2    4
 3 Cassadaigua                      2   1  1  0    6   5  +1    4
 4 Vilita & Turori                  2   1  1  0    5   4  +1    4
 5 Valanora                         2   0  2  0    8   8   0    2
 6 HopNation                        2   0  2  0    5   5   0    2
 7 New Wolfopolis                   2   0  2  0    5   5   0    2
 8 Vaugania                         2   0  1  1    5   6  −1    1
 9 Caek of the Wolfen               2   0  0  2    0   2  −2    0
10 New Koln                         2   0  0  2    1   4  −3    0

Group 2
Perlasilangan 5–3 Frusennia
Jeckland 4–5 Qazox
New North Aqmuland 4–7 Sicoutimont
Swibia 0–0 The Royal Barangay
Torisakia 0–0 Levivania

   Group 2                        Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
 1 Perlasilangan                    2   2  0  0   10   6  +4    6
   Sicoutimont                      2   2  0  0   10   6  +4    6
 3 Qazox                            2   2  0  0    9   7  +2    6
 4 Levivania                        2   1  1  0    3   1  +2    4
 5 The Royal Barangay               2   1  1  0    1   0  +1    4
 6 Torisakia                        2   0  1  1    3   5  −2    1
 7 Swibia                           2   0  1  1    1   3  −2    1
 8 Jeckland                         2   0  0  2    6   8  −2    0
 9 Frusennia                        2   0  0  2    6   9  −3    0
10 New North Aqmuland               2   0  0  2    4   8  −4    0

Group 3
Equestrian States 2–0 Westbridge
Sel Appa 2–1 Estope
Anditia 5–1 Kinzar
Florgania 2–2 Howdeellow
Ko-oren 2–1 Saintland

   Group 3                        Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
 1 Ko-oren                          2   2  0  0    3   1  +2    6
   Sel Appa                         2   2  0  0    3   1  +2    6
 3 Florgania                        2   1  1  0    5   3  +2    4
 4 Howdeellow                       2   1  1  0    4   3  +1    4
 5 Anditia                          2   1  0  1    6   3  +3    3
 6 Estope                           2   1  0  1    4   2  +2    3
 7 Equestrian States                2   1  0  1    2   1  +1    3
 8 Saintland                        2   0  0  2    2   5  −3    0
 9 Kinzar                           2   0  0  2    1   6  −5    0
10 Westbridge                       2   0  0  2    0   5  −5    0

Group 4
Super-Llamaland 0–2 Gyatso-Kai
Nassau-Hessen 2–3 Neu Engollon
Crystal Empire 2–2 The Fair Republic
Falcus 3–3 Transalpine Republic
Mohawk Clans 2–0 Middleton Valley

   Group 4                        Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
 1 Mohawk Clans                     2   2  0  0    3   0  +3    6
 2 Gyatso-Kai                       2   1  1  0    4   2  +2    4
 3 Neu Engollon                     2   1  1  0    5   4  +1    4
 4 Transalpine Republic             2   1  1  0    5   4  +1    4
 5 The Fair Republic                2   1  1  0    3   2  +1    4
 6 Falcus                           2   0  2  0    4   4   0    2
 7 Crystal Empire                   2   0  1  1    3   4  −1    1
 8 Middleton Valley                 2   0  1  1    1   3  −2    1
 9 Nassau-Hessen                    2   0  0  2    2   4  −2    0
10 Super-Llamaland                  2   0  0  2    0   3  −3    0

Group 5
Gregoryisgodistan 0–0 Vettrera
Northern Sunrise Islands 1–2 Soviet Canuckistan
Darmen 1–2 The United Regions
Oralana 0–1 Cosumar
Arkiasis 1–0 Free Republics

   Group 5                        Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
 1 Soviet Canuckistan               2   1  1  0    3   2  +1    4
 2 Arkiasis                         2   1  1  0    1   0  +1    4
 3 Northern Sunrise Islands         2   1  0  1    8   6  +2    3
 4 The United Regions               2   1  0  1    6   8  −2    3
 5 Darmen                           2   1  0  1    4   4   0    3
 6 Cosumar                          2   1  0  1    3   3   0    3
 7 Oralana                          2   1  0  1    4   2  +2    3
 8 Vettrera                         2   0  2  0    1   1   0    2
 9 Gregoryisgodistan                2   0  2  0    0   0   0    2
10 Free Republics                   2   0  0  2    1   5  −4    0

Group 6
Maineiacs 0–2 Hicana
Havl 6–1 Quakmybush
Lzherusskia 3–2 Nova Anglicana
Svengarda 0–0 The Royal Kingdom of Quebec
San Jose Guayabal 0–0 Yttribia

   Group 6                        Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
 1 Havl                             2   2  0  0   12   2 +10    6
 2 Lzherusskia                      2   2  0  0    6   4  +2    6
 3 Hicana                           2   1  1  0    4   2  +2    4
 4 Yttribia                         2   1  1  0    2   0  +2    4
 5 San Jose Guayabal                2   0  2  0    4   4   0    2
 6 The Royal Kingdom of Quebec      2   0  1  1    2   3  −1    1
 7 Svengarda                        2   0  1  1    0   2  −2    1
 8 Maineiacs                        2   0  1  1    4   6  −2    1
 9 Quakmybush                       2   0  1  1    3   8  −5    1
10 Nova Anglicana                   2   0  0  2    3   9  −6    0

[Cassadaigua]

So what’s this about the Olympics,
by Julie O’Connell- Head Coach WCOH Team

The Backwards Games (Olympics) are coming, and yes, there will be a Cassadagan delegation there. It’s always been amazing how some nations seem to rush to put up their delegation when there is so much time provided by the hosts, but anyway, let’s talk about the Olympics. Most specifically, let’s talk about Olympic hockey. Can you believe that there are some nations out there who are claiming that the World Cup of Hockey is a tune up for the Olympics? Or even if not phrasing it like that, can you believe that there are nations that will send the same players to the Olympics as they do to this World Cup? It really is pretty appalling, and it is a shame that the world’s most backwards competition also fails in this area of letting professionals represent their nation in hockey, and not sending what they should be sending: amateurs.

Ah yes, the World’s Most Backwards Competition is all about money these days. For Cassadagans, it is really a wonder how something with such a high level of corruption remains popular, but I’ll digress that point at least until the next paragraph of this blog. Unfortunately, there will be teams like Saintland which seem poised to send their professional hockey players to Saugeais, thus meaning that a team of amateurs like we will provide has their work cut out for them even more then it should be. Sending professionals to the Backwards Games is what, allegedly, the fans want to see. It won’t be enough to see them play on this stage, which is the greatest hockey stage, but the only way ratings will stay high in the Backwards Games is if the hockey players are the recognizable stars. Screw the young players trying to make their way, all in the name of making a buck. Thankfully, Cassadaigua does not agree with that practice. Our young stars are gearing up now preparing to be divided up into boys and girls teams in the backwards style of the Olympics, but at least they will be there. The experience that they will get figures to be fantastic, so even if a group of professionals bully the kids on their route to medals, it will be the kids that benefit the most. When the Backwards Games begin, look for Cassadaigua to play a more aggressive style out there on the ice. After all, they know that the millionaires on the other side of the ice certainly do not want to get injured in Saugeais and jeopardize their seasons at home. For the kids, the proper people who should be participating, they don’t have the same concern. Sure, there are junior-level seasons, but that pales in comparison to the pro leagues.

Once again, yes, the Backwards Games has taken the sexist approach of dividing teams between men and women. I have no idea why there still needs to a division between men and women, unless the reasoning is that the men need to have a fair playing field. (That was a joke, relax). I propose that if Cassadaigua ever hosts the Olympics (and don’t worry we will never bid to host it), that the men and women divisions go away and we create new divisions: Blondes/Redheads vs Brunettes. Sound stupid? Well, so does the ancient tradition of dividing teams by gender.

Now, as for the hockey, I am content with the way we have played in the first two games, though I want to see more consistency. Winning 1-0 in the opener was great, it was an all-around effort, and I am glad to see Chelsea (Paquette) get her name on the scoresheet right away. We made some mistakes in the opener, but I think that you will find that many teams can be a little rusty in their first game. There are also good things about getting a draw against the 3rd-ranked team in the world, even if it was five goals apiece. You can expect that from the Calcuttas though, they play a wide open game, and it has beneftted them for a real long time. Thankfully, we were able to match their pace, and it led to an exciting game for anyone who watched, for sure, as one team never had more then one goal lead at any point in the game. For ourselves, the top line looked real good, scoring three goals, one from each part of the line. Still, there is a long way to go, so there’s no reason to get too excited or too down about anything, yet.

Thanks for reading!

[Gregoryisgodistan]

OOC: Any allegations of match fixing are IC only.

Gregoryisgodistan Draws Vettrera 0-0 after Grounds Crew Refuses to Shovel Ice

The Great Sanctii blizzard ended in the early hours of this morning, but the grounds crew at Royal Stadium refused to shovel the rink prior to the Gregoryisgodistan-Vettrera game, so it was covered in about 12 inches of snow. Although both teams initially refused to take the ice, calling it unplayable, the all-Sanctii officiating crew threatened to declare the match a double-forfeit if they didn't take the ice, so eventually they did. However, after the face off, the puck got buried in the deep snow, and it took 10 minutes just to dig it out. Pervert Chaser JDJJ8138 hit the puck, but the official stopped play because he wasn't taking the original face off. So he dropped it again, it got stuck in the snow again, and by the time anyone found it, the first period was over. It was truly ridiculous.

The Zamboni didn't even bother to come onto the ice, since the driver knew he would get stuck. Both captains appealed to the officials to make the grounds crew shovel the rink, but to no avail. The second period proceeded much the same as the first. So did the third period. Neither team got a shot on goal, and they barely even touched the puck. Then it was overtime, and the same thing happened. The ref dropped the puck, and five minutes later, the final whistle blew, with neither team even digging it out.

At that point, the grounds crew shoveled the rink out before the next game, as the Gregoryisgodistan coach and players screamed obscenities at them.

Head coach Horse Beater LAL9120 accused King Petrus XX of fixing the match to ensure Gregoryisgodistan did not defeat an unranked opponent that had not bothered to submit a roster. "We were clear favorites in this game. However, the wicked King Petrus XX refused to allow the rink to be shoveled. This is match fixing. I demand the matches from the last two days be replayed and King Petrus XX be executed for match fixing along with his family. Oh, and, by the way, we are saving our enemy crushers for tomorrow against Free Republics. They will kill the Republican team by crushing, and then they might be executed. We could not risk them being executed before then. Otherwise, I am certain the enmey crushers would crush the referees to death after this outrageous game. They deserved to die."

Lord Almighty Gregory added "I know the grounds crew received orders directly from King Petrus XX. I hold no grudges against them. I know King Petrus would have them hanged if they disobeyed him. So it really is not their fault. It is all King Petrus' fault. He must pay for his sins. I call upon the International Hockey Federation to storm his castle and execute him along with his family. His conduct has been highly inappropriate. At least the rink has finally been shoveled and no snow is in the forecast. Now we can have a real game against Free Republics that isn't an utter farce. Their team needs to watch out for our enemy crushers. We will crush them to death, even if it gets our enemy crushers hanged. They must die for what their country did to Enemy Crusher Porky von Porker. They are a horrific country who executes people for doing their jobs. We only execute people when they do not do their jobs. The Republican team must die. So must King Petrus. Death to Saintland! Death to Free Republics! Good night."

[Qazox]

QOXSPORTS.com/Hockey

GAME 1 v. Frusennia

QZX 0-1-3--4
FRU 2-1-0--3

For 52 minutes, Frusennia looked to yet another team pulling off an upset; but 3 goals in a 4:34 span allowed Qazox to escape the upset bid and start off 1-0 at the World Cup of Hockey. Frusennia's Jan Miller opened the scoring beating Jack Rogers high-stickside just 4:17 into the game. Miller had slipped through the defense and outraced Thomas Varner to the puck before wristing home the opening goal. After both teams traded roughing penalties, Lyle Aho scored the 2nd goal of the game, tapping home a Cameron Vaughn shot to make it 2-0 at the 9:54 mark.

Qazox cut the lead in half, on a 3-on-1 breakaway, as Ryan Allister banged home a one-timer from Peter Bauer 4:11 into the second. But the lead would double again, as Aho scored his 2nd goal of the game, lasering home a shot from the left point that skipped off of Hank McCulley's skate to make it 3-1 with 1:13 left in the period.

Qazox' comeback started just 35 seconds after Ryan Erickson's boarding penalty at the 12:09 mark of the 3rd. Mike Lupido took an outlet pass from Allister and deked past the unnamed goalie to make it 3-2. 2:34 later (15:18), Gary Duberville slapped home a loose puck and the game was tied at 3-all. During a 4-on-4, caused by mutual roughing calls on Carlos Branch and Casey Olsadt just 54 seconds after Duberville's tying goal; Nathan Bradley slipped home the game winner just ahead of a delayed whistle for hooking by Aho. Frusennia did manage to pull their goalie, but with only 17 seconds left in the game and the extra skater did little to generate a last second goal.