World Cup of Hockey 23 - Everything Thread

[Vettrera]

The Vettreran Commentator.
John Karvey

"Nothing To See Here @ WCoH23, Let's Move On To PHA12"

With Vettrera being shown-up in every way possible at the World Cup of Hockey, there's honestly no reason to cover the going-on's there. Vettrera's roster was plagued with injuries, and a lack of organization, that forces them to currently sit at a 0-3-3 record within their group. With the way things are faring, Vettrera's men shouldn't look to do much better in hockey at the upcoming Olympics in Saugeais. So with all that out of the way, all Vettreran hockey fans (or Oakbrook & Calvarie hockey fans) have to look forward to, is the start of the Protectorate Hockey Assoc. that will be starting up soon. Here, we will examine the high hopes and expectations for the top half (i.e: those that we expect to qualify).

Amastia Aristocrats (1): The Amastia Aristocrats won last year's Regular Season Title by posting a 43-15-17 Record (in W-D-L format). Amastia ranked 4th in Offense and 4th in Defense last year. They're going through no major changes as far as the offseason is concerned, and should be strong heading into next season. THeir only gaffes come in the fact that the team is very sporadic in the playoffs, which costed them the Finals Series last year against the Pearson Polar Bears (2-3 Series).

Dover Bay Dash (2): Last year, the Dover Bay Dash were seeded 6th, as they posed a 38-16-21. While Dover Bay may not be one of the strongest teams in the league, they are known for being able to surprise in the post-season. Considering a few of the high-up teams will be struggling next year due to retirements and a laundry-list of injuries, expect the relatively-stable DBD to capitalize.

Bankhead Blizzard (3): The Bankhead Blizzard have a long history of success when it comes to the PHL, and have always been the most intimidating team in the lead, regardless of whether or not they were the best. The Blizzard should once again return to the post-season, and put up a standard fight.

King's Grove Governors (4): No, I haven't lost my mind. Though King's Grove did miss out on the playoffs last year, it was only by a slight margin. The team was 31-33 in W/L situations. Considering that major injuries now plague the Swiftway Scream & St. Mark's Island Invaders (and the Pearson Polar Bears are dealing with a beast of a different kind) a surge in dominance from a young Governors squad isn't out of the question at all.

Oceanside Ocelots (5): There's not really much to report here. They were 7th last year, and I expect them to move up to 5th this time around. The team ranked 3rd in offense last year..

Giant Squid of Jackson's Gulf (6): They have the best defense in the entire league, but pose a really shitty offense. After receiving Pearson's leading scorer during the offseason, they should be strong again. They'll be around the same spot that they were in last year.

Syrtania Area Snowbirds(7): Last year, Syrtania finished 14th/16th in the PHA amassing a 19-38 W/L record. Now, before you go calling me stupid, consider the following: Syrtania already is the youngest team in the entire PHA, and the PHA is aging, and the greats of this era are retiring. Syrtania picked up 2 first-round picks, and used them to fix the areas that they needed most. Syrtania now has the tools to make some noise in this league, and a jump from 14th to 7th isn't impossible. The Snowbirds may finally be becoming a relevant team in the league

Pearson Polar Bears (8): Oh how the mighty have fallen, Pearson may have won last year's playoffs, but a discontent Matt Hersh (the team and league's leading scorer) left in favor of a Jackson's Gulf team that would give him more $$$. This will be a huge blow to Pearson in the upcoming year, and could turn the PHA on its head.

Though we only expect 2 teams to fall out of the Top 8 (Swiftway & St. Mark), we also expect Everport & Rockport challenge the rest of the bottom bracket as they attempt to leave the cellar, and we expect Creatia to fall to last in the PHA. Last year's standings can be seen below.

Protectorate Hockey League        Pld    W   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Amastia Aristocrats                75   43  17   115   85  +30   144 CHL Qualifier || Playoffs || Reg. Season Title
 2 Swiftway Scream                    75   42  19   103   65  +38   140 CHL Qualifier || Playoffs
 3 Pearson Polar Bears                75   43  22   175  117  +58   139 CHL Qualifier || Playoffs || Post Season Title
 4 Bankhead Blizzard                  75   40  17   158  108  +50   138 CHL Qualifier || Playoffs
----------
 5 Giant Squid of Jackson's Gulf      75   42  24    70   45  +25   135 Playoffs
 6 Dover Bay Dash                     75   38  21   110   70  +40   130 Playoffs
 7 Oceanside Ocelots                  75   37  23   122   88  +34   126 Playoffs 
 8 St. Mark's Island Invaders         75   35  27    69   66   +3   118 Playoffs
----------
 9 King's Grove Governors             75   31  33    64   65   −1   104
10 Southgate Icebreakers              75   27  37   109  143  −34    92
11 Otteo Area Originals               75   25  35    98  102   −4    90
12 Creatia's Carnivores               75   25  39    84  107  −23    86
13 Cartford Claymores                 75   23  41    99  135  −36    80
14 Syrtania Area Snowbirds            75   19  38   106  159  −53    75
15 Everport Expos                     75   15  52    67  129  −62    53
16 Rockport Rams                      75   12  52    46  111  −65    47

[Cassadaigua]

Queen Cassie Confirms Resignation: Ceremony Forthcoming,
by Heather Billings, Political Analyst, Concord Heights Times

Pretty soon, it will all be over. That is, the reign of Queen Cassie. Her Highness officially announced her plans to resign this morning, and to pass on the crown to her next of female kin, Princess Courtney. This is something that many, including myself, felt would be an imminent announcement as the Queen approaches her 80th birthday. Here is the transcript of her declaration:

“Good morning Cassadaigua, and to everyone else listening. This is a day that I knew would come one day, but one I wished I could put off as long as I possibly could. There has been a lot rumored already that I have been leaning towards this, so I won’t delay making the statement official. I will be resigning from the throne as Queen of Cassadaigua this week.

Over the last few weeks, I have spent a lot of time preparing Princess Courtney. She has known of my intention for a while now, and we want to make sure that this transition is as seamless as possible. I am convinced now that she is ready, and will be able to lead the country in a most honorable and dignified manner. She has always been looking forward to this, but has always been my biggest supporter at the same time. Personally, I still feel as though I am in great health, but I am getting older now and feel that it is time for myself to step away, and to lead a more relaxed lifestyle. I will always be there for my daughter when she needs assistance, but she is an extremely bright woman, and more then ready to lead the nation.

This ceremony will not be delayed, and you can all take a copy of the schedule of events for the coronation of Princess Courtney. This is also published on the palace website, so anyone listening can go online and observe the schedule. Invites to the actual ceremony will be limited to friends, family, other national leaders and their traveling parties, and two media credentials issued to each of the major networks and top five newspaper publications. On the outskirts of the actual ceremony, we will provide a limited number of tickets for anyone else, including civilians. Additionally, civilians can feel free to gather at Concord Heights Stadium, UCH (University of Concord Heights) Stadium, or CHBS (Concord Heights Beauty School) Stadium with the capital city. Other cities throughout the country are welcomed and encouraged to have similar viewing events, and their local leaders can fill you in on the details. It will be a special event for the nation.”

Princess Courtney also made a statement on the matter:

“It is with great honor that I will be accepting the crown from my mother. She has been my biggest supporter ever since I was a little kid, always letting me know that one day this would come, but I could never use it as an excuse to slack off on things. I have worked hard my whole life, representing the royal family, and waiting for this day to come. Now that the day will soon be here, I am entirely confident that I will lead Cassadaigua in the same honorable manner in which my mother has.”

It is not believed that there will be much different about Cassadaigua, especially in the short term. Given that Queen Cassie has prepared her, we can only assume that this will mean more of the same on all social, economic, and political issues, as well as international affairs. The main difference figures to be a more active Queen, given her younger age. While Queen Cassie pretty much stayed in Concord Heights, look for the new queen to travel across Cassadaigua much more often, as well as make more international visits. The Concord Heights Times is honored to be able to cover the upcoming ceremony.


Players react to Queen’s announcement,
by Rachel Sharper, Concord Heights Times- Senior Sports Writer

With all of the nation talking about the Queen’s resignation announcement, the shockwaves of the declaration even reach out to the last foreign country that Queen Cassie ever visited: Saintland. As you know of course, this is where the World Cup of Hockey is being played, and the Drawing Dagans, who may be tying themselves out of the playoffs have certainly been told of the news. While they have been here, they have been oblivious to the rumors that had been floating around, but now that it is official, the nation’s best hockey players are quite surprised.

“No, I didn’t expect it,” said captain Hannah Tremblay, “You don’t really get a lot of outside information from the limited media outlets in Saintland, so if it’s something that had been rumored at home, then, no, we didn’t know. As hockey players, we don’t really get into politics all that much, so when we did go online, it wasn’t the Politics section we headed towards.” Tremblay goes on to say that she doesn’t really know a whole lot about Princess Courtney, but a player who does is defenseman Danielle Gagnon, who attended Concord Heights Beauty School. It was there that the Princess served on the Board of Directions, and had also graduated from the college. “Everyone knew who she was on campus,” Gagnon began, “Naturally of course, being a Princess, she is the perfect person to look up to when it comes to looking your best. She was on campus a lot, giving motivational speeches, and would always give support if you asked for it. It was an honor, because we all knew it was the future Queen that we were taking too. I really wish I could be in Cassadaigua for the ceremony, but I am sure we will be able to watch an online stream of it, even if its not live.” The head coach, Julie O’Connell, hopes that this is something the team can rally around, “I told them this morning that this World Cup of Hockey will always be remembered as the sporting competition that was going on at the time of the coronation of Princess Courtney, and that one day they will be proud to say that they played in it. However, I also reminded them that anyone they may tell that, later in life, will follow that up with the question of, how did you do in that tournament? You don’t want the answer to that to be, we were eliminated in the group stage.”

Certainly not, but unless the team starts winning games, that is going to be the answer. If one only looks at the rankings, the final three games would all seem to be very winnable for Cassadaigua. The opponents will be two unrankeds, HopNation and New Koln, and then 78th ranked Gallund. But the games are decided on the ice, and not in the rankings and there is a lot more then meets the eye with these opponents. HopNation (1-4-1) seems to be making their rounds in most sporting competitions as a debutante in each, and has been impressive in each of their sports they have played. In football, they took home the Baptism of Iron 15 championship, and put together a respectable showing in Baptism of Fire 54 and World Cup 67 qualifying. They are showing the same kind of potential on the ice, and will present a serious challenge to the Dagans, if the team is not ready to play. Both nations will also be wanting to get in the win column, as the group stage has had the similar theme of draws for both. While the New Koln Spammers should be beatable, the final game against Gallund should a challenge, because as you may have noticed, they are in first place in the group. They have done this by winning, and not drawing.

We’ll see where this takes us, anyway.

[Gyatso-kai]

An ASPN Prouction, Brought to you on ASPN.co.gki

SAINTLAND --- Chu Zhu Li

Group 4

MD1 at ₃₂Neu Engollon
MD2 at _NRSuper-Llamaland
MD3 vs ₇₄Nassau-Hessen
MD4 at _NRCrystal Empire
MD5 vs ₁₂Falcus
MD6 at ₇Mohawk Clans
MD7 vs _NRMiddleton Valley
MD8 at _NRTransalpine Republic
MD9 vs ₃₇The Fair Republic

Here we are, ladies and gentlemen, two-thirds of the way through the Twenty-Third World Cup of Hockey. We are atop our group, but how we got there is not what we imagined. Expecting to be 6-0-0 at this point, the Ice Bisons are instead staring down a 4-2-0 record; which despite not losing any games, still have drawn two in matches that should have easily been victories.

"I am not sure what to say," stated Head Coach Kad Skirata after the 2-all draw against twelfth-ranked Falcus on the fifth matchday, "We are giving our all in these games, but we have came up short every night."

I wouldn't be so hard on ourselves, Coach. Sure, 4-2-0 is not exactly a perfect record, nor should it be. We have played professional-level multiverse games OUTDOORS. Not to mention, NEXT DOOR TO ANOTHER GAME TAKING PLACE AT THE EXACT SAME TIME!!!

Who approved this vote to allow Saintland to host?! Who even voted for them?! Whoever did nees to be taken out to a field and shot in the ballsack for this disgrace to the game!?

I mean, sure, an outdoor game is a unique experience we in Gyatso-kai only get to enjoy twice a year in the Water Tribe Classic. But to expect the National Team to perform at peak in such conditions is almost insane!

Nevertheless... A good craftsman can make a masterpiece with even the most worthless of tools, so blaming the playing conditions is not something our men would stoop to.

Here is a look back at the last six games of the Twenty-Third World Cup of Hockey:

---

Matchday 1 at ₃₂Neu Engollon
Civitate Dei Arena, Capacity: *UNKNOWN*
DRAW 2-2

The opening game for the Ice Bisons came against Neu Engollon. While the crowd was initially thankful for the such wonderful weather, it soon changed: At the halfway mark of the first period, the snow began to fall quite heavily, though play was not interrupted. Our team would start out the third period down by two thanks to a pair of goals in the first period by the Ibexs. However, around the thirteenth-minute Hakoda Ishii and Hei Hayate would score back to back in about twelve seconds to tie the game. Even with the Ibexs pulling their goalie in the final minute and our first line at full strength, it just wasn't enough to get a go-ahead goal on either team and thus we returned to the world stage at 2-all.

Seriously, why do we draw in multiverse play? We certainly don't do that in the AHL...

Matchday 2 at _NRSuper-Llamaland
Royal Stadium Rink #2, Capacity: 62,383
WIN 2-0

Leave it to the Ice Bisons to make it to the second game to finally show some life. With an opening goal by Pakku Ito in the fourth minute of the first period, the Ice Bisons would struggle against the unranked Super-Llamaland team for most of the second period. It would not be until the eighteenth minute of the third where Arnook Ishida would manage a clean breakaway to score easily over the clueless Chris He to win the game 2-nil.

Zhao Hotaka, who took a serious beating in the 2-all draw the matchday before, gave an impressive performance; one which many took as an attempt to redeem himself. Facing 28 shots and blocking everyone, Zhao continues to remind people of why he is our starter.

Matchday 3 vs ₇₄Nassau-Hessen
Civitate Dei Arena, Capacity: *UNKNOWN*
WIN 5-3

Going into the Civitate Dei Arena for the second time, the Ice Bisons looked to clip the wings of the Hessian Ice Eagles, who were fresh off of an impressive loss to Neu Engollon the matchday before. The match would see Ishii's first double-goal game of the tournament as well as Kal Skirata's first goal in this World Cup: Despite having made eighteen goals in World Cup 21, Skirata seems to be having a bit of a slow start this year. Many blame the time spent in Cotdelapoms, while others say he is distracted in his love life.

Only he knows... But we all can see that our Golden Child is starting to lose his luster.

A goal from Hei as well as one from Ito would see the Bisons' score five over the Eagles' three. This would also be a wonderful match to watch as we saw our first fight of the tournament between Kuruk Ikeda and Todd Harrison, when Harrison would trip-up the more physically-able Ikeda and eventually earn himself quite a pair of black eyes, swollen lips and a bit of a bruised ego, as well as give Ikeda his fourth career Unsportsmanlike Conduct in multiverse play.

Matchday 4 at _NRCrystal Empire
Via Damascus Stadium Rink #1, Capacity: 32,189
WIN 2-0

Another unranked opponent and you would expect the Ice Bisons to come out with a 6-nil game and not even break a sweat.

But you would be wrong.

Instead, lackluster play gave way to nameless players attempting to stop the Ice Bisons before being shut against 14,000 fans watching just one of two games being held at the Via Damascus Stadium. Ishii and Skirata would light the lamps this night; first Skirata on a great two-against-one in the first period, and Ishii on the power play late in the third on a slashing call.

Matchday 5 vs ₁₂Falcus
Progress Stadium, Capacity: 17,303
DRAW 2-2

The game which the Ice Bisons should have won! Falcus came into the game 1-2-1, with their only victory a single-goal game against thirty-seventh ranked The Fair Republic.

With a goal from Ishii coming in the middle of the second and another from Hei, the game was pretty shocking in that both of the Falcus' goals came on the power play while they were short-handed; the Ice Bisons have never been very good on the penalty kill, but still, to essentially lose a game because you couldn't keep four guys from making a goal against your five?!

Curse by Margaret I tell you!!!

Matchay 6 at ₇Mohawk Clans
Apostolic Arena, Capacity: 19,302
WIN 3-1

Ah, yes, finally, the Ice Bisons come alive!!! Against the higher-ranked Mohicia Eagles, the Ice Bisons showed their true self. Despite William Earnest's opening goal in the first nine seconds of the game, the Ice Bisons would see the first period end with them down by one. After an inspiring speech from Kad'buir during the first intermission, the Ice Bisons would waste little time before beginning the attack, with Ishii leading the charge with his equalising slap shot in the first minute of the second period. The rest of the first would be filled with plenty of shots --- fourteen for the Ice Bisons and seventeen for the the Eagles --- but it would be in the final minute of the second where Skirata would score the go-ahead goal; a simple one-timer to the net and a sprawling Richard Miller would be left dumbfounded. The third period would see both teams going for the goal, with a record twenty-shots from the Eagles and twenty-three from the Ice Bisons; a flurry of shots for two teams ranked on the lower end of offensive. However, it would be the final goal by Walon Vau to see the Ice Bisons claim a 3-1 victory and their first convincing win of the tournament.

---

Player		Line	Caps	G	A	Pts
BEI FONG Lo		R	**	**	**	**
DENIGII Aukaneck	3	5	0	0	0
FONG Laobei		3	5	0	0	0
Jaster GILAMIJ		3	5	0	0	0
HEI Hayate		2	5	3	2	5
HITEKI Kia		2	5	0	4	4
HONG Makhu		R1	**	**	**	**
Kuruk IKEDA		R	**	**	**	**
Arnook ISHIDA		1	5	1	2	3
Hakoda ISHII 		1	5	6	4	10
Pakku ITO		1	5	2	4	6
JIANG Tujing		3	5	0	0	0
KIMA Yagone		R	**	**	**	**
KO Piandao		1	5	0	2	2
KOBE Matsuda		R	**	**	**	**
KUANG Deniigi		2	5	0	1	1	
LEE Ning Xue		R	**	**	**	**
LUPIS Ulva		R	**	**	**	**
NGUYEN Tho		R	**	**	**	**
OTO Oyaji		R	**	**	**	**
PAK Dae Li		R	**	**	**	**
SATO Sorua		1	5	0	2	2
Kal SKIRATA		2	5	4	1	5
Wad'e TAY'HAAI		1	5	0	1	1
TORU Akiak		3	5	0	0	0
Walon VAU		2	5	1	0	1
ZHAO Hotaka		1	5	0	0	0

---

So where does this leave our boys heading into the final third of the tournament?

Well, the next three matches should be fairly easy, with the only real threats coming in the form of Middleton Valley, who just barely lost to Neu Engollon 5-4 and are sitting in the middle of the group at 2-1-3 with 7 points and a +1 on Goal Differential, as well as The Fair Republic, who have proven to be quite the competitor with a 3-2-1 for 11 points and a +3 on Goal Differential.

Seeing as those two matches are split between the eighth-ranked Transalpine Republic, our boys will get little time to rest before facing their largest obstacles to the top of the World Cup. After coming so close in our last few attempts, to return and not make a threat to the dominating force of Havl would be a crying shame indeed.

---

Copyright 2014.1 Avatarian Sports Programming Network. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
URL: http://www.aspn.com.gk/articles/ahl/21000186
© 2014 Avatarian Sportts Programming Network

[Gallund]

[Qazox]

QOXSPORTS.com/Hockey

LEV 0-4-1--5
QZX 2-0-0--2

With 29 seconds left in the 1st period, and having a 2-0 lead; Jason Park was injured after a Levivanian player and Thomas Varner crashed into him while Park was turning to face a potential shot. Park grabbed at his left leg, and writhed in pain while the medical staff took a look at it. The good news is that there was no broken bones and the hit was to the back of the knee not the front or side. Unfortunately, Park did tear his PCL and will be sent home to Qazox tomorrow.

As Brian Allen, who will take over in net starting tomorrow, was unavailable to play yesterday due to a family emergency involving his son; Qazox had to turn to Jack Rogers for the final two periods. As expected, it was a disaster, as Rogers allowed 4 goals on 16 shots. As mentioned earlier, Qazox did have a 2-0 lead, thanks to a pair of goals from Peter Bauer (5:45 & 12:43); but Levivania jumped on Rogers scoring 1:34 into the second cutting the lead in half.

The tying goal came just 2:06 later as Rogers misplayed a clearout, leaving the net open for the goal. At 15:47 of the period, Rogers was beaten high-stick side on a blast from Levivanian defender as Qazox trailed now 3-2. Just before the end of the 2nd, (19:42), Rogers allowed a shot through a tough screen making it 4-2. Qazox tried everything in the 3rd, even pulling Rogers late, but all that did was give Levivania an empty net goal with 32 seconds left in the game.

[Vaugania]

A blog by Jimmer Stevens

My name is Jimmer Stevens. I like to blog. I usually blog about pictures of cute kitties and puppies and the merits of the laissez-faire system of economy, but I found out that a lot of people like sports, so I'm going to blog about this big fancy hockey tournament going on in Saintland. It is called World Cup of Hockey 23. This is our 5th time in it, but I really don't know if it's good. I suppose I'll explain hockey as a warm-up to my analysis.

Hockey is an ice sport. It is where a whole bunch of big brutish men skate around with sticks and hit each other. There are 5 or 6 (7? 8? 9? 10?) guys on the ice from each time at once. One of them is a big behemoth of a man called a goaltender who wears what appears to be some very highly advanced armor. I think the military ought to look into getting some of that because it looks pretty effective. Two of them are defenseman who whack people and try to stop a little rubber disk called a puck from getting to that big fella behind them. The other three are forwards. They try to make the disk go into the other teams goal while not getting whacked too hard. I suppose that makes enough sense. I'm not even entirely sure how it all works myself. It is a very complicated game. Rather interesting though. I'll talk about our games now.

We played some fellows from Vilita & Turori first. I don't know if that means three teams played, but we lost 3-2. They got the rubber disk past our players and into our net. Or rather put the "biscuit in the basket" as a fellow who chatted about the game on TV said. I think it is quite a cute expression. The rubber puck bit is the biscuit because it looks like one. And the net looks a tad like a basket so they called it that. Do I sound like I know what I'm talking about? I really want to impress my cousin. He plays this hockey stuff.

We got one more goal in the second game than we did in the first. We played New Wolfopolis in that one. They got 3 goals, too so we only got one point. Or did we get a GD? Those tables are all so confusing. I suppose you get more whatevers if you win a game and don't tie, but it was whatever. We got a thing and that's what matters. We just need a few more until something else good happens and hopefully we get to play-off. To my understanding, if you get to the point where you can play-off, you're really good.

We played two more teams after that. I don't know who because my cable was acting up. I heard we tied of them though, so that's two more GDs for us!

I saw the next game because I got my cable working again. It was against HopNation. I am not sure whether they are full of cute little bunnies (I should write a post about those) or adult beverages, but we won! We got the biscuit in their basket one time and they didn't get to our basket once. We got 3 points for that one. I recently discovered that GDs have to do with the score, not really the result. That's three times more than what we were getting by my calculation, so that must mean that just had a major improvement. Alexander Tomas (Really? Tomas as a last name?) must be coaching our guys really well. A lot of my friends were really happy.

Our most recent game was against some ladies from a nation called Cassadaigua. They are in the region, but I've never been there. We scored two goals on them and they got two of them on us. That's only a third of the points we earned after our HopNation game. I think somebody needs to be fired for that. Little spikes are bad. Look at the stock market. *insert analogy*. See what I mean? We really need to play so that we got more of those 3 point games. Those are really good for us, so let's whack th epuck with a sticks harder and better!

[Havl]

World Cup of Hockey XXIII - Havl 0, Svengarda 2

St. Paulus – For the first time in twelve years, Havl's men's ice hockey team was defeated in a preliminary game. You'd have to go back to World Cup of Hockey 20, when Havl lost to Soviet Canuckistan 1-0. The three-time defending champions fell to 21st-ranked Svengarda 2-0 Tuesday night. "It's not a great feeling," said team captain Justin Donndelinger. "But being #1 doesn't guarantee anything. There's a reason we still have to play the games."

Svengarda, the second-best team in Group 6 before the match, looked to strengthen their chances of advancing into the playoffs. The Ice Hawks fell just two points shy of advancing in World Cup of Hockey 22. Although the team didn't make an appearance in World Cup of Hockey 21, the did advance to the Round of 16 in the 20th edition of the tournament. "They're a strong, experienced team," said Havl head coach Patricia Donofrio. "They've only given up three goals, and I know we were really hoping to add to that total tonight, but we just fell short."


Davis Rich gave up two goals in the loss.

Havl's Firing Squad struggled against Svengarda's stingy defense. Led by defensemen Josef Pekkanen and Rufus Haakonssen and featuring hot goaltender Niklas Gulbrendsen, Havl's top-scoring offense was held without a single point. Despite Donofrio's attempts to play the first line against each of the Ice Hawks' lines, the trio of State, Donndelinger, and Fleer was limited to just nine shots. "We're used to getting a lot of shots on net," said Donndelinger. "Obviously, when that's not happening, we're not going to score goals."

After a close first period that saw Havl outshoot Svengarda, winger August Nyström scored in the second on a breakaway. Sven Andreasson followed suit early in the third with a one-timer from Aron Sorensen. From the first goal, the defending champions seemed out of sync. "We struggle when we get behind [in a game]," said Donofrio. "That's something we've been trying to address. We can still win even if we don't score first. But that's where we're struggling."

Despite the loss, Havl maintains the lead of the Group 6 standings over 21st-ranked Svengarda. Coverage of World Cup of Hockey XXIII continues on HTVM Wednesday evening as Havl faces unranked San Jose Guayabal live from Progress Stadium.

Box Score

	1st	2nd	3rd	Final
Havl	0	0	0	0
Svengarda	0	1	1	2

Team Leaders
Num	Name			G	A	Pts
17	Justin Donndelinger	3	8	11
19	Jason State		5	3	8
11	Adam Fleer		3	5	8
2	Brian Beierle		1	5	7
13	Andrei Petrov		3	3	6
15	Martin Klerx		2	3	5
8	Andrey Pasternak	1	4	5
18	Juna Mossil		1	4	5
6	Sergei Skrbinski	1	4	5
9	Brian Demerson		2	2	4
16	Cooper Sullivan		1	2	3
14	Brady Anderson		1	2	3
3	Petr Zaradnik		0	2	2
10	Joey Kaminski		0	2	2
12	Taro Tsujimoto		1	0	1
36	Jay Marshall		0	1	1
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	6	5	1	0	9	121	1.80	92.6	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 1 @ 1Havl 6 [Via Damascus Stadium]
Saturday, February 8		1Havl 3 @ URHicana 2 [Civitate Dei Arena]
Sunday, February 9		1Havl 5 @ URMaineiacs 2 [Royal Stadium]
Monday, February 10		96Lzherusskia 1 @ 1Havl 5 [Civitate Dei Arena]
Tuesday, February 11		1Havl 0 @ 21Svengarda 2 [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]

[Saintland]

Results for MD7

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

   Group 1                        Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
 1 Gallund                          7   5  0  2   11   7  +4   15
 2 Vilita & Turori                  7   4  2  1   21  15  +6   14
 3 Valanora                         7   4  2  1   24  15  +9   14
 4 Cassadaigua                      7   3  4  0   19  15  +4   13
 5 Vaugania                         7   1  4  2   11  13  −2    7
 6 HopNation                        7   1  4  2   11  13  −2    7
 7 Aquitayne                        7   1  4  2   13  13   0    7
 8 New Wolfopolis                   7   1  4  2    7  10  −3    7
 9 Caek of the Wolfen               7   0  3  4    5  12  −7    3
10 New Koln                         7   0  3  4   11  20  −9    3

Group 2
Sicoutimont 4–3 Perlasilangan
Qazox 1–0 The Royal Barangay
Frusennia 2–1 Levivania
Jeckland 3–5 Torisakia
New North Aqmuland 3–0 Swibia

   Group 2                        Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
 1 Sicoutimont                      7   5  1  1   25  15 +10   16
 2 Qazox                            7   5  0  2   17  16  +1   15
 3 Torisakia                        7   3  2  2   13  10  +3   11
 4 Perlasilangan                    7   3  1  3   22  21  +1   10
 5 Frusennia                        7   3  1  3   18  20  −2   10
 6 New North Aqmuland               7   3  1  3   21  20  +1   10
 7 Levivania                        7   3  1  3   13  12  +1   10
 8 The Royal Barangay               7   1  4  2    8   9  −1    7
 9 Swibia                           7   1  2  4    9  18  −9    5
10 Jeckland                         7   1  1  5   14  19  −5    4

Group 3
Kinzar 0–1 Equestrian States
Estope 1–0 Howdeellow
Westbridge 5–6 Saintland
Sel Appa 0–1 Ko-oren
Anditia 4–4 Florgania

   Group 3                        Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
 1 Ko-oren                          7   6  1  0   10   1  +9   19
 2 Estope                           7   5  1  1   12   5  +7   16
 3 Equestrian States                7   5  0  2   14   8  +6   15
 4 Anditia                          7   3  1  3   21  19  +2   10
 5 Florgania                        7   2  4  1   14  12  +2   10
 6 Howdeellow                       7   2  2  3   17  17   0    8
 7 Saintland                        7   2  1  4   15  19  −4    7
 8 Sel Appa                         7   2  1  4    7  11  −4    7
 9 Westbridge                       7   2  0  5   17  21  −4    6
10 Kinzar                           7   0  1  6    4  18 −14    1

Group 4
The Fair Republic 1–0 Super-Llamaland
Neu Engollon 3–2 Transalpine Republic
Gyatso-Kai 0–1 Middleton Valley
Nassau-Hessen 2–1 Mohawk Clans
Crystal Empire 5–6 Falcus

   Group 4                        Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
 1 Neu Engollon                     7   5  2  0   23  17  +6   17
 2 Gyatso-Kai                       7   4  2  1   16   9  +7   14
 3 The Fair Republic                7   4  2  1   11   7  +4   14
 4 Mohawk Clans                     7   3  1  3    9   9   0   10
 5 Middleton Valley                 7   3  1  3   14  12  +2   10
 6 Falcus                           7   2  4  1   15  14  +1   10
 7 Nassau-Hessen                    7   1  3  3    8  11  −3    6
 8 Super-Llamaland                  7   1  2  4    1   6  −5    5
 9 Transalpine Republic             7   1  2  4    9  15  −6    5
10 Crystal Empire                   7   0  3  4   11  17  −6    3

Group 5
The United Regions 2–3 Gregoryisgodistan
Soviet Canuckistan 2–3 Cosumar
Vettrera 3–0 Free Republics
Northern Sunrise Islands 4–3 Arkiasis
Darmen 2–0 Oralana

   Group 5                        Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
 1 Soviet Canuckistan               7   5  1  1   15  10  +5   16
 2 Gregoryisgodistan                7   4  3  0    9   3  +6   15
 3 Cosumar                          7   5  0  2   13   8  +5   15
 4 Northern Sunrise Islands         7   4  1  2   19  14  +5   13
 5 Darmen                           7   4  0  3   14  11  +3   12
 6 Oralana                          7   3  0  4    7   7   0    9
 7 Vettrera                         7   1  3  3   10  12  −2    6
 8 Arkiasis                         7   1  3  3    9  13  −4    6
 9 The United Regions               7   1  1  5   12  19  −7    4
10 Free Republics                   7   1  0  6    4  15 −11    3

Group 6
Nova Anglicana 3–0 Maineiacs
Quakmybush 0–2 The Royal Kingdom of Quebec
Hicana 1–0 Yttribia
Havl 3–1 San Jose Guayabal
Lzherusskia 4–5 Svengarda

   Group 6                        Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
 1 Havl                             7   6  0  1   28  10 +18   18
 2 Svengarda                        7   5  1  1   16   7  +9   16
 3 Hicana                           7   3  2  2   11  13  −2   11
 4 Nova Anglicana                   7   3  1  3   15  17  −2   10
 5 The Royal Kingdom of Quebec      7   2  3  2   22  19  +3    9
 6 Quakmybush                       7   2  2  3    6  13  −7    8
 7 Yttribia                         7   1  4  2   10  10   0    7
 8 Maineiacs                        7   1  3  3   19  26  −7    6
 9 Lzherusskia                      7   2  0  5   17  23  −6    6
10 San Jose Guayabal                7   0  4  3   10  16  −6    4

Key

Clinched a spot in the Playoffs
Clinched advancement past the group stage
Eliminated

[Florgania]

FlorganiaSport
Florgania Draw 4-4 With Anditia

Florgania met with unranked Anditia in an important group 3 match today. Both squads are playoff contenders and showed that on the ice with a hard fought, physical game. Florgania got started early as Paul Gardner slapped the puck over the shoulder of Corwin Buvol 5 minutes into the game. The goal was Gardner's third of the tournament and he would not be done for the day. Anditia answered back in the final minute of the first period on a power play goal from Nestor Van Ryk. The teams headed into the first intermission neck and neck with one another in almost every aspect of the game.

The action resumed with the same intensity that it had in the opening period. Buvol made a pair of marvelous saves for Anditia to keep the score even at 1 a piece. Patrick Nisur knocked a loose puck in to give Anditia the 2-1 edge with just under 12 minutes in the second period. Danny Hosey answered back 3 minutes later to tie the score at two. Things got a little heated on the ice with 3 minutes remaining in the 2nd period when Mike Baldwin lowered his shoulder and decked Kyle Pane at mid-ice. Pane did not appear to suffer an injury on the play. Baldwin and Pane dropped the gloves to the amusement of the crowd. With less than 30 seconds left in the period, Sam Nelson poked the puck into the net to give Anditia a 1 goal lead heading into the final intermission.

Florgania took off at the start of the third period down 3-2. Italo Pirkl kept the puck out of the net and Florgania managed to advance into the Anditia zone. It was minutes later that Paul Gardner netted his second goal of the day and fourth of the tournament. The Gardner goal tied the game once again 3-3. Tensions were at their highest as players added a little extra into their checks. With ten minutes remaining in the game Tim Melton scored his first of the night and second of the tournament to give Florgania the 4-3 lead. The celebration was ecstatic from the Florgania bench as they prepared to hang on to the 1 goal lead. Six minutes later Sam Nelson netted his second goal to tie the game at 4-4. The last minutes of the game were filled with desperate shots, hard checks and 100% effort from both sides. Despite the disappointing result, there were many positives to reflect on.

Florgania's coach, Bob Schueler said in his post-game press conference that "this was the greatest game I have ever been a part of. Both teams giving it everything they had for every minute of the game. I could sit here and complain, but that wouldn't be fair to my team and it certainly wouldn't be fair to our opponents. This kind of stuff happens when you get two evenly matched teams. I know they didn't know much about us, and we didn't know a whole lot about them, but I have a great respect for Mario Grappo and the whole Anditia squad... I really hope we get to play them again." When asked about the encounter between Mike Baldwin and Kyle Pane, Schueler responded "it was hockey at its finest, both men wanted to win this game and emotions took over, it happens." Schueler also commented on their next match against Equestrian States. "Obviously we have never faced them before, but I can tell you that there is a reason they are ranked 13th in the world. It will be a huge challenge, but I think the guys are up for it and a chance to head to the playoffs really excites us."

[Qazox]

QOXSPORTS.com/Hockey

QZX 0-1-0--1
SNG 0-0-0--0

Yes we are aware that The Royal Barangay is the team playing for Sangti this WCoH, but our editor in chief refuses to admit it, hence the old trigramme. We apologize for any offense.

So, with Jack Rogers in goal: 16 goals allowed 2-0-2 record, 4.80 GAA. With Brian Allen and Jason Park in net: 0 goals allowed, 3-0-0 record, 0.00 GAA. A 1-0 win over The Royal Barangay has Qazox just a point away from the playoffs. Issac VanDerJoy scored just 57 seconds into the 2nd period for the only goal of the game.

Now for a rare political note: Queen Cassie of Cassadaigua stepped down from her throne earlier this week in favor of her daughter, Princess Courtney. Too bad Cassadaigua still holds to the barbaric practice of female-preference primogeniture. This day and age, in which the vast majority of nations have full equality between the genders, that one of the major powers in the world still has such a medieval mindset. If they were as truly advanced as they claim to be, then they would coronate Prince Christopher, Queen Cassie's first born child, to be the next ruler.

[Vilita and Turori]

For the Vilita & Turori Ice Cat things International Ice Hockey Team, their time in Saintland has been an up and down roller coaster ride.

As the second highest seed in the group, many expected the V&V&V show to run away in the standings - that is, Top seeded Valanora, Vilita & Turori and Vaugania, the third highest rank nation in Group 1, would out last the competition and ease into the next phase of the competition.

However, it has been a much different story for the duration of the qualification rounds as Valanora have struggled throughout to maintain their top form and Vilita & Turori struggled over the opening five matchdays before finally righting the ship and putting together a string of victories to set thesmselves up in a good position heading into the final two matches.

The turning point, after the Ice Cat things sat in a 1-2-2 doldrum, came after the Vilita & Turori coaching stuff took the players out onto the ice for training one morning. Instead of riding the players hard, criticizing them for dropping points and working the players until they could not skate any longer, the Vilita & Turori coaching staff had another idea.

The players were told to leave off their skates and meet along the red line on one side of the ice. Then, they were set up in teams.

They weren't going to scrimmage, they weren't going to do anything like that. They were going to Curl.

Each other.

Players were paired up and told to designate which player would be the thrower and which player would be the stone. From the red line, one player would have to push the other along the ice. Whoever could get their teammate closest to the center circle would win the game.


Of course, there were some quite comical moments. The Suzgar brothers provided an ultimate fail moment with Ocean attempting to push River - who made it all of 8 feet before losing balance and collapsing in on himself, rolling over twice and flipping once.

In a lighthearted maneuver and knowing he'd lost, River crawled along the ice before sprawling out on the faceoff dot, jesting that he had won, as he was the only one to land on the dot.

Of course, the point of the game wasn't to see which players were best at sliding or being slid along the ice. The point was to take the players mind off the game, as clearly whatever they were doing was not working.

Whatever changed, it changed for the good as Vilita & Turori would string together victories against Caek of the Wolfen, Valanora and New Koln in order to slide up into the 2nd position just one point in the table behind Gallund but in a tight 4-team battle for advancement.

[Ko-oren]

Most scoring:
1. Havl (28), 2. Sicoutimont (25), 3. Valanora (24)
Least condeding:
1. Ko-oren (1), 2. Gregoryisgodistan (3), 3. Estope (5)
Record:
1. Ko-oren 6-1-0 10-1 +9
60. Kinzar 0-1-6 4-18 -14

vs. Equestrian States (13th) 1-0 W
vs. Saintland (26th) 2-1 W
vs. Howdeellow (UR) 2-0 W
vs. Kinzar (UR) 3-0 W
vs. Estope (22) 0-0 D
vs. Westbridge (UR) 1-0 W
vs. Sel Appa (57) 1-0 W
vs. Anditia (UR)
vs. Florgania (UR)

The Greenblues are one of three teams to qualify: Havl is going to the playoffs, and Neu Engollon is joining us at least after the group stage is over. More teams are elminated now: just Kinzar yesterday, 22 teams today. Group 1 has just four teams still playing to advance, in Groups 2 and 6 everyone but one team has a chance. As far as the defense situation goes: Gregoryisgodistan finally conceded some and that leaves them with 3 allowed goals after the 3-2 win over the United Regions. Estope is now third, coming from the same group as us, and this still leaves Group 4 as the least scoring group (117). Group 3 has seen 131 goals so far. Ko-oren is still in first place of the group and even has the best of all records, with Havl on one loss since MD6.

We have two games left, and both are against unranked teams. Before you start cheering for the inevitable six points, remember that both remaining opponents are actually in the top 5 and still have a chance to make the next round. Anditia is the first, and they are fourth with five points behind Equestrian States. This means their chances of reaching the next round are not too high, but they still want to make as much out of this as they can. After that we still play Florgania, also at 5 behind Equestrian States (and basically that means they need to win both remaining games while Estope or Equestrian States lose both their last games, all while Anditia and Florgania may not lose points).

Meanwhile, it might not be the case that many Ko-orenites are watching this team play, with the Rugby national team in the finals against Rhodesiah and all.

---

Ko-orenite Sports Encyclopedia - 9th Winter Olympics edition
Gridiron (American Football)

The league
The Gridiron league is probably the most strictly controlled, and at the same time best structured league in Ko-oren. It is fully professional, and it does not rely on several regions where the sport is more popular than in other regions. Almost every major city or populated region has a team, and travel distances are kept to a minimum for half the league, and after that teams play other teams based on strength. The Gridiron season, 19 weeks long, halts the entire nation on the Sunday afternoons when the games are scheduled. Parity gives every team a chance, while teams have enough room to rely on a solid/large fanbase to give them an edge over smaller teams.

There are 30 teams, and the first 10 games are home-and-away fixtures against five conference opponents. That means that there are five conferences, each based on geography, with six teams each that play each other for 10 match days total. Draws are possible, so games end after four quarters no matter the score. Teams are ranked by win percentage, draws counting for half a win. Win percentages are easy: with 10 games, every win adds 0,1 to the percentage, every draw adds 0,05 to the percentage. Teams finishing low in the conference one season have a decent chance to finish higher next season, and teams going from 6th to 1st and vice versa occasionally happen. There are some good rivalries in the conference phase, even though the single possible city derby is prevented (Tangku has two teams in the league: Isis and Godspeed, but Isis is in the South Conference, Godspeed is in the Southwest Conference).

At the end of the conference phase, the league phase starts. Each conference sends its two best teams to the top league, the 3rd and 4th ranked teams go to the middle league, and the last two teams are sent to the low league. So just looking at the top league, we have 2 teams from every conference. This makes travel times a bit longer, and teams will have to deal with playing 5 away games one season and 5 home games the season after where this is possible, but it allows teams to play other teams based on strength, making for excellently balanced games in a league that already has parity to a very large extent.

In the history of the league, only one team has ever gone without a loss: Sturng Mog went 17-2-0 in season 11. Examples of teams not winning in an entire season do not exist, though there are some teams that went 0-0-10 in the conference (Shells, Skies, and lastly the Kytes did it twice). Statistics are a big part of the sport, and there are accurate eternal win-draw-loss tables since the league started, though statistics are kept only for the conference phase, fuelling the rivalries/derbies. Isis is the most successful conference team: 64 wins in 100 games. They have won the conference title 6 out of 10 times, but they have never won a league trophy.

In fact, the South Conference only has one league trophy: Kaspan, while never having won the conference, has won the Low League trophy. The North Conference has five out of six teams as conference winners once: all but that one team have won the conference twice. This also allowed them to always have a few decent teams in the leagues: 10 leagues have been won by North Conference teams (Top twice, Middle four times, and Low four times). The Northwest Conference and the Southwest Conference each had four Top League winners (and therefore end-of-season overall champions), more than any other conference. Generally, the Northwest Conference is the best conference of all five: their teams completely destroyed the other conferences in season 4 and 5, and in recent years (up to season 12) they have been ripping it up again.

The national team
The Greenblues have been in four World Bowls so far, from the 19th up to the 22nd. Ko-oren lost the first 20 games, or all games in two full group stages. Now when the team actually started trying in World Bowl 21, they won their first game. Actually, out of 14 group stage games, Ko-oren won 10 and missed the second round by one game. In World Bowl 22, the infamous Casaran edition, Ko-oren was 2nd up to the last match day, when finally Saintland was too strong and handed Ko-oren the second defeat. The Greenblues went 6-2 while only playing teams that were ranked higher than them (bar one or two). Ko-oren was eliminated in the round of 16 against German Zerabithea, but nobody really expected the team to advance against them, anyway. But before that happened, there was a second group stage where Ko-oren went 3-0 against some very impressive opponents.
The team is very good at interceptions and trick plays, and generally those earn the teams some 6 points per game. Apart from that, many teams have a hard time getting to the Greenblue endzone twice a game. What’s more, the team always goes for a two-point touchdown (where possible).

The O-line has some explosive players, most notably Sonr Bakoan. Denes Ploraon is a very good quarterback and is responsible for all good two-point conversions. The Ardhonsi brothers are good at what they do, as well. The D-line is solid, and the linebackers tend to intercept once or twice per game. There are brothers in the D-line as well: the Bekwylgi’s, one linebacker and one end.

The back-ups are ok, yet not great. They are almost all under 25 years, and they represent the good era that the Greenblues are likely to have. Still, they are a bit too light to do the job now.

[Gregoryisgodistan]

Ice Slaves defeat United Regions, move into second place

The Gregoryisgodistan Ice Slaves defeated the United Regions national team rather easily today, winning 3-2 in a game that wasn't nearly as close as the scoreline would indicate. The United Regions team didn't even bother to post a roster, so the Gregoryisgodistan Press has decided to assign the team members insulting fake names until we find out their real ones. Otherwise it would get too confusing to keep saying "the player."

Gregoryisgodistan got their first scoring chance with 18:02 left in the first period. Actor 81248D8J, best known for playing Doybert on "Costa Lunians Say the Darndest Things" got a breakaway and fired a shot at goalkeeper Loser McDumbo who knocked it away with his stick. Pervert Chaser LL00PP19F tried to shoot the rebound but it hit the post. Then defender Iam Veryugly tried to clear it down the ice, but Slave Beater KKALMN kept it in the attacking zone and passed it up ahead to Actor 81248D8J but the shot was saved by McDumbo earning a whistle and allowing a very tired UR team to switch lines.

Gregoryisgodistan got another chance with 13:59 left in the first. Stupid McDoodlepoo was called for tripping Weatherman 92UDH9111 and sent to the penalty box for two minutes. It was time for a Gregoryisgodistan power play! They did not disappoint. With 12:18 left in the period, Pervert Chaser LL00PP19F got a breakaway and shot it past McDumbo to put the Ice Slaves up 1-0. To celebrate, a Gregoryisgodistani fan (OOC: actor from Gregory Llama Land hired to pretend to be a Gregoryisgodistani fan) held up a statue of Lord Almighty Gregory behind the goal, and the entire team bowed down to it. They were then given a two minute penalty for delay of game, to be served by Slave Beater LZ013ANZBAB. However, the Ice Slaves managed to successfully kill off the penalty and it was still 1-0.

With 2:03 left in the period, the United Regions finally had an opportunity, as Ihatemy Selff took a pass from Irea Leestink and shot it on goal, but it bounced right off Enemy Crusher Franky "Fatso" McFattel's huge body. He couldn't save it however, so Wearre Albad shot it again. This time Enemy Crusher Franky "Fatso" McFattel smothered it to keep his opponent off the board.

A little while later, the horn sounded to end the first period. After a brief intermission, it was time for the second period. The Ice Slaves were up 1-0 in a big game for them. With 12:09 left in the second period, Gregoryisgodistan went on the power play after Albad was called for boarding. Just 50 seconds later, they capitalized as Weatherman 92UDH9111 scored on a breakaway with nobody stopping him. It was very easy. The Sanctii fans could not believe it. Their most hated nation was doing very well at this tournament, and they didn't like it. The same Gregoryisgodistani fan (OOC: actor) held up the statue, and the team all bowed down to it again. Once again, they were called for delay of game, and once again, Slave Beater LZ013ANZBAB went to the box to serve the team penalty.

The United Regions finally managed to seize an opportunity on the power play, pulling off four shots in the first 40 seconds. Then Military SuperGeneral Harry Willingsley was called for tripping Will Luz and it became 5-on-3. This allowed the UR to capitalize as Luz shot it in five seconds after the face-off to cut the lead in half. It was 2-1, thus earning a cheer from the Sanctii fans. But Gregoryisgodistan was still winning.

It looked like it would be 2-1 heading into intermission, but with 5 seconds left, Wee Luzer was called for tripping Actor 81248D8J on a breakaway and it led to a penalty shot. Actor 81248D8J took it and scored past McDumbo to make it 3-1. Predictably, the fan held the statue up again, the players all bowed down again, the team got a delay of game, and Slave Beater LZ013ANZBAB went to the box to serve it. Five seconds later, the period ended, with 1:55 left on the power play. The Sanctii penalty box attendant then walked off to get some coffee during the break, "forgetting" to let Slave Beater LZ013ANZBAB out so he could go to the locker room. Despite the coach screaming at the all-Sanctii officiating crew as everyone left the ice, Slave Beater LZ013ANZBAB remained in the box for the entire 15 minute intermission. Then it was time to play.

However, Horse Beater LAL9120 was still furious at forcing Slave Beater LZ013ANZBAB to stay in the penalty box, yelled at the official, and was called for unsportsmanlike conduct. He was ejected and the team was assessed a five minute penalty, to be served by Slave Beater KKALMN. So it was 5-on-3 for 1:55. That expired without a goal, but Slave Beater LZ013ANZBAB, furious at being forced to wait in the penalty box for 15 minutes, started beating penalty box attendant Ioannes Paulus with his stick rather than going back on the ice. Eventually, the refs blew the whistle and called another penalty on Slave Beater LZ013ANZBAB but he kept beating Paulus. According to witnesses, Slave Beater LZ013ANZBAB compared Paulus to the slaves he beat. Eventually, Slave Beater LZ013ANZBAB was calmed down and ejected, and a 10 minute game misconduct penalty was ejected, meaning it would be 5 on 3 for almost three minutes, then 5 on 4 for seven minutes. Meanwhile, Paulus was taken to the hospital with a concussion but is expected to be fine. As Slave Beater LZ013ANZBAB was walking to the locker room, Sanctii police arrested him for assault and took him to prison. Authorities have not announced if he will serve a lengthy sentence for assault or if he will be released and deported to Gregoryisgodistan at some point in the near future.

Meanwhile, there was a game to play, and someone had to be the sacrificial lamb and serve Slave Beater LZ013ANZBAB's penalty. That turned out to be Prison Guard AQIIUS.

United Regions could not score at all during the 5-on-3 in spite of getting off 9 shots. Enemy Crusher Franky "Fatso" McFattel was just too good. They also failed to score during the 7-minute 5-on-4 in spite of getting off 13 shots. Enemy Crusher Franky "Fatso" McFattel, up until that point, had saved 45 of 46 shots. He probably deserves to be named to the all-tournament team. He is just that good.

At that point, there were about 11 minutes left in the game. United Regions got off 10 shots in the next 10 minutes, all saved by the brave and noble enemy crusher. Finally, they pulled McDumbo for the extra attacker. With 4.1 seconds left in the game, Stinky McLoser scored on a shot that somehow sneaked past Enemy Crusher Franky "Fatso" McFattel when he wasn't expecting it. That cut the lead to 3-2 but it was too little, too late. A few seconds later, the final whistle blew and the game was over. Gregoryisgodistan had won 3-2. The goalkeeper, the brave, noble, 500-pound enemy crusher, saved 55 of 57 shots. Words cannot describe how impressive he has been this tournament, only allowing three goals in seven games on 249 shots. That is a .988 save percentage, one of the best in history. He is definitely this team's MVP, and is arguably the best goalkeeper in the tournament.

Next up, the Ice Slaves will face Orlana, another unranked team. After that is the group stage finale against Soviet Canuckistan, in a game that could decide the group. Canuckistan is currently in first place with the Ice Slaves in second, tied with Cosumar but ahead on head to head. Cosumar takes on Vettrera and Northern Sunrise Islands on the next two days. However, if Gregoryisgodistan wins out, they will win the group no matter what Cosumar does. The Ice Slaves could still advance with a draw against Orlana and a win against Soviet Canuckistan. At worst, they would be tied with Canucks if that happens, and would own the tiebreaker, but Cosumar can pass them both with two wins. If they win one and draw one, Gregoryisgodistan would win the group on the tiebreaker.

[HopNation]

Day | Oppenent (rank) 		| Their Record
MD1 | Valanora (3)		(4-2-1)
MD2 | Vilita & Turori (9)	(4-2-1)
MD3 | New Wolfopolis (UR)	(1-4-2)
MD4 | Aquitayne (46)		(1-4-2)
MD5 | Vaugania (23)		(1-4-2)
MD6 | New Koln (UR)		(0-3-4)
MD7 | Cassadaigua (29)		(3-4-0)
MD8 | Gallund (78)		(5-0-2)
MD9 | Caek of the Wolfen (UR)	(0-3-4)
Mashers Record (1-4-2)
Won | Lost | Tied

Hockey Special by Ringwald Griffinsmith and Orpheus Diomedes
Elimination
We expected more, at least from our Mashers in this game. They were after all playing a team in pink, a team of mostly girls, but man those girls can skate. We, or at least I (Diomedes), didn’t think the Mashers would even score a goal in this game. We’ve seen a few of the other games that the Dagans have played and they should probably be in a different spot than where they were coming into this match with our Mashers. I don’t think we can give enough credit to the ladies, and a few gents, in Pink as we should. Instead of running up the score like you would think would happen in international play, after all Goal Differential is a big concern in international play, they appeared to hold something back and keep it closer than it should have been. Yes, the Dagans put in three against the Mashers but they outshot them 41 to 22. Many lines for HopNation did a great job at containing the attack, but the onslaught was just to much in the end and the game ended 3-1. The Dagans scored one in each period and controlled much of the action, keeping the puck and putting a passing clinic on at times. We expect them to do well in their remaining games, even when they take on the number one team in our group Gallund. As for the Mashers they have that Gallund team next followed by Caek of the Wolfen.

Goal scorers for the Dagans:
Chelsea Paquette at 12:12 of the first
Brianne MacNeill at 8:10 of the second
Justin Rivers at 18:45 of the third
Goal scorers for the Mashers:
Robert Knutsen at 19:10 of the second

With this loss the Mashers have actually been mathematically eliminated from the tournament as Cassadaigua sits in the fourth spot with 13 points, a point limit the Mashers could reach if they win out, but due to tiebreakers they would still be behind the Dagans in the standings.

Quick recap, quick look ahead, now what’s next? Right, Power Play.


Line Highlights – Power Play units
We won’t go so much into detail about individual players as merely letting you know who’s on what line when it comes to the man advantage lines.

First we have our five man power play unit, the Fire Line as they are known. Which coach Howe changed this power play unit after the first game, so this line consists of both the Bogomolov brother as the defensive pairing, Filat Yaroslav Matveev at right wing, Drahomir Robert Hustovi at center, and at left wing Mathias Olov Normansson. It’s no mistake that the brothers are together again on this line, they really are a pair to be reckoned with. As for the three up top, they are more or less the second best on the team at their positions but put them together and watch out. Normansson is hands down the best passer and we’ll look for him to set things up and distribute when he gets the puck. Hustovi, is the shooter and is extremely accurate and the best target shooter the team has. Matveev is also a good passer, not to the extent of Normansson but still good, he’s also a good shooter but tends to aim high which has him miss often. So we will be looking for both Normansson and Matveev to be giving the puck to Hustovi to put away.

Our other power play unit is if we have a four on three situation and is known as the Water Line. It again has the Bogomolov brothers as the defensive pairing and then Coach Howe went with two centers up top with Hustovi and Knutsen. The two best centers on the team for that matter, Knutsen is even the teams captain. This should be a great line if they are ever on the ice in a four on three situation. Any of these four could score, but we see the borhter setting up Hustovi a little more than Knutsen just because Hustovi’s shooting is so good.

Howe’s Howl
I’ve been asked about fifty times since the game ended how we lost to girls. I’ll tell you why because those girls, no Ladies (plus a few gentlemen) are some damn good hockey players that’s why. Their ranked number twenty nine in the world for a reason and they proved it to us that we have some work to do. They made us look bad, real bad at times. Now I’m not taking anything away from our players, they played hard, fought for every opportunity they had and we did put away one goal against the Dagans which isn’t easy. We’ve got some things to work on if we want to be considered any kind of equal with these top fifty teams we’ve been playing. Let’s see how we fair against a top one hundred side as we face number seventy eight ranked side of Gallund next and they are at the top of our group so it will be another big test for our guys.

Match Preview – Game 8 vs. Gallund (78)
Gallund debuted new jerseys for this World Cup of Hockey and it seems to have helped the team play better, alright it’s probably not the jerseys but they are playing well. This team has been up and down and has already lost to a fellow unranked side of New Wolfopolis, a team HopNation tied earlier. We feel this will be an exciting game for the fans and a good game for both teams. Gallund will be looking for goalie Rovsky to get another shutout in this match, but the Mashers will have a different idea. We see the game actually coming down to the end where HopNation somehow edges Gallund.

Score Prediction – 2-1 in favor of the our Mashers.

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

[Lzherusskia]

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The Fix Is In
Strong Performance Against Svengarda Destroyed By Appalling Referee Bias

For many teams on a losing streak, blaming the referees is a last-gasp tactic to shift the blame, and it's something we at Svodlak Zabarinava have tried to avoid as much as possible. But when the referees show as much willful incompetence and deliberate favoritism as in today's game against Svengarda, sometimes it has to be done.

The scene, then. Up four goals to three - Nikolai Shcherbatiski continued his excellent form with two goals and an assist on Artur Pozdnyakov's equaliser, and Luka Zhelezkin put Lzherusskia in the lead early in the fourth - a fight broke out between Leonid Yevdokimov and Ice Hawks left winger Reijo Partanen, with Yevdokimov dominating the overmatched Partanen. While the fight was still going on, however, defenseman Rikhard Toivonen charged into the fray and hit Yevdokimov from behind, with what Andrej Reshetnikov would later claim was an elbow. Toivonen was quickly tackled by Aleksander Trapeznikov and, once the dust had settled, all four players would be assessed fighting penalties.

But no more. Despite committing multiple, extremely blatant major penalties in his attack, Toivonen was only given the standard five minutes for fighting, and the officials refused to budge despite the video replays showing Toivonen's assault over and over. To make matters even worse, as team captain Karl Myasnikovnik attempted to exercise his right to discuss matters with the referees, only to himself be given an immediate two-minute penalty for what was officially recorded as "unsportsmanlike conduct". Only Radomir Karnaukhov and Zhelezkin physically holding their coach back stopped Reshetnikov from storming onto the ice himself.

Svengarda equalised on the ensuing powerplay.

With the Lzher fans seething and on the verge of a riot, play restarted at 4-4 and it looked like the game would finish tied with the score remaining knotted with three minutes remaining on the clock. A quick faceoff was won by Myasnikovnik, who fed the puck to Shcherbatiski and joined him in moving up the ice. A quick shot from Shcherbatiski prompted a save from Niklas Gulbrendsen, and then another when Myasnikovnik arrived in the slot and picked up the rebound. The puck was deflected up and over the crossbar, and Sam Kasyanenko moved around the back of the net to snare it - he was facing the boards when Rufus Haakonssen came in at full speed and drove Kasyanenko hard into the wall.

The penalties were obvious - an immediate two minutes for boarding, five minutes to attempt to injure and ten minutes for dangerous play, for a powerplay that would have lasted the remainder of the game. Upon watching the play again, Kasyanenko did not turn at all and present his back to Haakonssen, Haakonssen came in without making any effort to slow down and blind-sided Kasyanenko. This was a call even a complete novice to the sport could have made - and the officials called none of them. Even as Kasyanenko kept falling over as he tried to stand up, suffering from an obvious concussion, the referees waved play on and, with a man down, Svengarda got to effectively enjoy a powerplay situation, capped off with Ekki Lundquist's game-winning goal.

Sam Kasyanenko will miss the remaining two games of the World Cup with a severe concussion. Reports from the Lzherusskia camp indicate that his memory of the game is shot, completely gone. Leonid Yevdokimov will also miss the next game as a precaution, after he reported migraine-like symptoms after being hit from behind. We are now missing two players, two important players, and have more or less been eliminated because of absolutely disgraceful officiating, and it should come as no surprise to anybody that Reshetnikov was quick to lodge an official complaint appealing for supplementary discipline to be meted out to the Ice Hawks' offending players.

To editoralise briefly: it couldn't be more obvious that Svengarda were the favourites and, whoever in the Saintland hockey setup gave those referees this task, we hope that you have the good grace to immediately mete out an appropriate punishment. As they destroyed any chance we had of having any success at the tournament, we hope they are stripped of their licenses and forced to regain them. They don't deserve to get another game.

[Cassadaigua]

(Note: The actual coronation ceremony will occur in tomorrow’s (Friday) roleplay)

“Are you ready?” Queen Cassie asked her firstborn daughter.

“Yes, absolutely, I have been waiting for this all of my life.” Responded Princess Courtney.

“We must be grateful that we are allowed to do this. Sometimes a change in power is forced due to other events, like what happened with King Paulus of Saintland. I know you want to be more active with visiting foreign countries, Courtney, but remember, if King Paulus stayed home, he would still be with us right now.”

“Well, I will always make sure security is at a premium.”

“King Paulus felt safe in the Free Republics, but he let his guard down, and when an enemy struck, that security was no where in sight. You always need to watch your back when you’re the Queen.”

“That really bothered you, didn’t it? When he was assassinated.”

“Absolutely, Courtney. You have to remember something very important, and that’s that you will not like every country in the world. There will be some countries in which you absolutely detest their culture, or to a lesser extent, simply disapprove of the way they do things. Likewise, there will be other countries that feel the same way about us. But as a Queen you must always be diplomatic, especially when dealing with other Kings and Queens, as they are part of a storied royal family themselves. You might disapprove of everything they do, but there’s a mutual respect for their role of leadership. It’s the nutcases out there, like Greg in Gregoryisgodistan, that you need to worry about.”

“I will, I know we’ve been over this a hundred times before, but I will do everything in my power to live up to those expectations.”

“There will be a lot of highly respected national leaders at this ceremony, and they all want to see you succeed. I consider them to be my friends, and look forward to seeing them one last time as the Queen before you wear this crown. They will be your friends as well. Other nations are sending people who have very close ties to their national leader, and they too want to see you succeed, even the ones who have to win elections to become a leader.”

“What about countries like Qazox, who think Prince Christopher should be taking over the crown?”

“That’s fine. They can think that way. Like I have told you, there will always be countries that disagree with the way we do things here, and you will have the same feelings about them on certain topics, too. They can disagree, there’s nothing wrong with that. It doesn’t mean we’re going to stop doing things the way we do them. Even Male Equality Now realizes we are following tradition. Sure some of them might agree with Qazox, but remember you’re older brother loves you and will be a big supporter of you. Let him do things. He’s a smart man after all, and can watch over things for periods of time when you might want to take a vacation of make one of your international visits that you want to do.”

“I plan on it, he doesn’t seem to resent me for it.”

“He understands the tradition. I know that he will be there for you whenever he needs it, and I will be as well for as long as I live.”

“Thank you.”

“You ready to go out there and do this? There are a lot of people out there waiting!”

“I’ve been waiting for this my whole life. Thanks mom.”

[Valanora]

Valanora Times
To Infinity And Beyond?

Form was fleeting, skill was everlasting, that was what the watchwords of Vanorian teams new and old had been. Pay little heed to what was happening in the moment, it was the total collective of achievements, of skill, of what you did over the course of a month, a season, a career that mattered. There was little to be done about what happened in the moment and day, luck was as ever a fickle mistress as one could hope to find as was her sister in sport in the temptress of form. If you took aim at the larger picture and did not get caught up in the headlines, the stories, and the stats of the day, then you were likely going to be able to overcome any slip ups and mistakes that were made.

Those words were becoming harder and harder to live by though, as one year after another, one tournament followed by another, and each sporting competition came and went without a Vanorian team lifting the trophy. For a nation whose sporting culture was so used to success, it was an increasingly frustrating and humbling experience to routinely have to fight back for the respect that they thought they deserved, to put in all the effort that they were accustomed to and still come up short. Was there a need for the entire sporting culture within Valanora to change, to become far more humble and less expectant of success? Or would that loss of confidence and optimism that every time that they suited up for a competition, that they should hope to win, would that loss be more of a detriment than a boon?

The World Cup of Hockey was proving to be another one of those humbling experiences, as the second ranked side in the tournament was struggling not just to win the group, but to advance into the knockout rounds/playoffs. Detrimental results against opposition that they were expected to cruise over and then a suddenly resurgent Vilita team had sent the team to the very edge of not qualifying for the next round of the tournament. With two matches left to go and just one point separating the Calcuttas and the fourth placed side in Cassadaigua. Gallund was still somehow holding on to the top spot of the group, while what had appeared to be a struggling Vilita side was now in second place.

There is no surprise visit from the like of Laborious Hawk or Espy va Drake on the way to bring to life the side. If the team is to find their way out of this unenviable position that the lack of results has put them in, it is going to be on the back of their own hard work and their own ability to motivate themselves beyond what their opponents have. While luck and conditions have played a part, this team has yet to do anything that is expected of them except for two games. That is simply not acceptable if you wish to become champions or if you even desire to win your group. Unless this team desires to return to Valanora and lose their jobs, then they need to ship up and get back to playing up to the level that is expected of them. Or perhaps the overhaul of Vanorian sport is closer than any of us in the business would have thought.

[Middleton Valley]

"Ok, guys. I am going to keep this short. I have some great news," spoke Pepé Hocké to the Crazy Pups before their game. "I just found out that this will be my last game as coach, since Head Coach Today S. Hopeless was cleared to return to Saintland today. So, I know that we are all excited about this, but we need to channel that energy into our game. We have two games left against bottom teams, so we should win, but we need to focus. Lets go out and win this game, so that we can bring Coach to the next round of games. On three. One. Two. Three."

[Nova Anglicana]

Can the Streak Continue?

Martin Granger, Staff Reporter

The Nova Anglicana Lions continued their quest for the playoffs yesterday, defeating unranked Maineiacs 3-0 in what was probably their best game yet. One match removed from allowing four goals to Quebec's junior Ice Knights, Andrés Kelly stopped all 31 shots, recording his second shutout during this 23rd World Cup of Hockey. With the victory, the Lions extended their undefeated streak to four games and their winning streak to three games. They now sit at 3-1-3, with their 10 points placing them one out of third place, behind unranked Hicana. The Flyers snuck by unranked Yttribia 1-0 and play the U20 Ice Knights of Quebec in their next match. Hicana and the Lions meet on the final match day, and unless Hicana were to win today and the Lions lose, it would be a winner-take-all game. Of course, that winner would likely find themselves in a one-game playoff as one of the third-place teams with the worst record, but play-in games to the playoffs are better than sitting at home.

The Lions scored one goal in each period in a workmanlike effort, firing 35 shots against goaltender Jean-Claude L'avoie, and getting goals from Kermit Lea, Derek Jensen, and the first career senior team goal for former U20 captain Dallas Carlson. Zach McCoy added a pair of assists and had three blocked shots. After the game, notoriously tight-lipped Cecil Palmer said, "Overall, I feel that this was the best game we've played so far. We really were in control all night. What I'm really satisfied with was that we only had two penalties tonight, and we minimized our turnovers. I'm proud of our guys."

And proud he should be, as they just might be saving his job as coach of the national team. After an 0-0-3 start, things were not looking good at all. Players did not respond after the winless start nor have they responded now to questions about Palmer's job security. There have been concerns that Palmer is too abrasive and rides the players too hard, but a 3-1-0 streak is pretty impressive. The Lions will try to keep it going against 36th-ranked Quakmybush. Quakmybush is considered a good team in the NS hockey rankings, but there has been very little press coverage of them and they have not even released a roster. They suffered a 2-0 defeat to Quebec the other night, and have struggled to score, notching only six goals in seven games. Nevertheless, they stand at 2-2-3 with 8 points, and have an outside shot at qualifying, especially if they win tonight. The Lions will have to be on their game. A win could potentially put them in the driver's seat, while a loss could doom them. A draw would merely postpone their fate until tomorrow against Hicana. They'll have to buckle down and grind this one out.

More from nasn.nov
Lions fall to co-hosts, finish 4th in RUWC debut
Thousands to attend Sutton retirement ceremony in Londinium
Faceoff: If Lions miss playoffs, should Palmer get the axe?

[Gyatso-kai]

From the blog Hockey, I Do Give A Damn!!!

Well what the flying haran was that?!?!

We lost to unranked Middle-of-bloody- nowhere Valley 1-nil! And after that great 3-1!!!

Why is Skirata still in charge of the team? He is obviously not delivering the guys like he did in the "old days". I mean, six games in and we have only scored 16 goals in seven games as a team!!! Hakoda did that himself last World Cup. Sure we may be a little rough from bring out, but after only missing a cycle to be playing this bad?! Who paid off Saintland's refs? Who took Margaret out for steak and lobster and slipped her the roofie?!

Seriously?!

At least the next few games are against unranked teams... who have been doing better than expected... And we just lost by a goal... and Neu Engollon overtook us in the table...

Never mind... We're boned.

[Saintland]

OOC: My RP (with Irad) in the Copa Rushmori earlier today relates to certain allegations against Republican authorities.

Results for MD8

Group 1
New Koln 0–1 Cassadaigua
Gallund 3–3 HopNation
Caek of the Wolfen 3–5 Vaugania
Valanora 4–1 Aquitayne
Vilita & Turori 6–4 New Wolfopolis

   Group 1                        Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
 1 Vilita & Turori                  8   5  2  1   27  19  +8   17
 2 Valanora                         8   5  2  1   28  16 +12   17
 3 Cassadaigua                      8   4  4  0   20  15  +5   16
 4 Gallund                          8   5  1  2   14  10  +4   16
 5 Vaugania                         8   2  4  2   16  16   0   10
 6 HopNation                        8   1  5  2   14  16  −2    8
 7 Aquitayne                        8   1  4  3   14  17  −3    7
 8 New Wolfopolis                   8   1  4  3   11  16  −5    7
 9 Caek of the Wolfen               8   0  3  5    8  17  −9    3
10 New Koln                         8   0  3  5   11  21 −10    3

Group 2
Perlasilangan 4–2 Swibia
Torisakia 2–1 New North Aqmuland
Levivania 2–1 Jeckland
The Royal Barangay 1–0 Frusennia
Sicoutimont 5–3 Qazox

   Group 2                        Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
 1 Sicoutimont                      8   6  1  1   30  18 +12   19
 2 Qazox                            8   5  0  3   20  21  −1   15
 3 Torisakia                        8   4  2  2   15  11  +4   14
 4 Perlasilangan                    8   4  1  3   26  23  +3   13
 5 Levivania                        8   4  1  3   15  13  +2   13
 6 The Royal Barangay               8   2  4  2    9   9   0   10
 7 Frusennia                        8   3  1  4   18  21  −3   10
 8 New North Aqmuland               8   3  1  4   22  22   0   10
 9 Swibia                           8   1  2  5   11  22 −11    5
10 Jeckland                         8   1  1  6   15  21  −6    4

Group 3
Equestrian States 4–0 Florgania
Ko-oren 1–0 Anditia
Saintland 2–1 Sel Appa
Howdeellow 0–1 Westbridge
Kinzar 2–2 Estope

   Group 3                        Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
 1 Ko-oren                          8   7  1  0   11   1 +10   22
 2 Equestrian States                8   6  0  2   18   8 +10   18
 3 Estope                           8   5  2  1   14   7  +7   17
 4 Florgania                        8   2  4  2   14  16  −2   10
 5 Anditia                          8   3  1  4   21  20  +1   10
 6 Saintland                        8   3  1  4   17  20  −3   10
 7 Westbridge                       8   3  0  5   18  21  −3    9
 8 Howdeellow                       8   2  2  4   17  18  −1    8
 9 Sel Appa                         8   2  1  5    8  13  −5    7
10 Kinzar                           8   0  2  6    6  20 −14    2

Group 4
Super-Llamaland 0–0 Falcus
Mohawk Clans 7–4 Crystal Empire
Middleton Valley 2–4 Nassau-Hessen
Transalpine Republic 2–2 Gyatso-Kai
The Fair Republic 2–0 Neu Engollon

   Group 4                        Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
 1 The Fair Republic                8   5  2  1   13   7  +6   17
 2 Neu Engollon                     8   5  2  1   23  19  +4   17
 3 Gyatso-Kai                       8   4  3  1   18  11  +7   15
 4 Mohawk Clans                     8   4  1  3   16  13  +3   13
 5 Falcus                           8   2  5  1   15  14  +1   11
 6 Middleton Valley                 8   3  1  4   16  16   0   10
 7 Nassau-Hessen                    8   2  3  3   12  13  −1    9
 8 Super-Llamaland                  8   1  3  4    1   6  −5    6
 9 Transalpine Republic             8   1  3  4   11  17  −6    6
10 Crystal Empire                   8   0  3  5   15  24  −9    3

Group 5
Gregoryisgodistan 1–0 Oralana
Arkiasis 3–4 Darmen
Free Republics 0–3 Northern Sunrise Islands
Cosumar 2–3 Vettrera
The United Regions 3–6 Soviet Canuckistan

   Group 5                        Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
 1 Soviet Canuckistan               8   6  1  1   21  13  +8   19
 2 Gregoryisgodistan                8   5  3  0   10   3  +7   18
 3 Northern Sunrise Islands         8   5  1  2   22  14  +8   16
 4 Darmen                           8   5  0  3   18  14  +4   15
 5 Cosumar                          8   5  0  3   15  11  +4   15
 6 Oralana                          8   3  0  5    7   8  −1    9
 7 Vettrera                         8   2  3  3   13  14  −1    9
 8 Arkiasis                         8   1  3  4   12  17  −5    6
 9 The United Regions               8   1  1  6   15  25 −10    4
10 Free Republics                   8   1  0  7    4  18 −14    3

Group 6
Maineiacs 3–2 Svengarda
San Jose Guayabal 1–3 Lzherusskia
Yttribia 2–9 Havl
The Royal Kingdom of Quebec 2–0 Hicana
Nova Anglicana 1–0 Quakmybush

   Group 6                        Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
 1 Havl                             8   7  0  1   37  12 +25   21
 2 Svengarda                        8   5  1  2   18  10  +8   16
 3 Nova Anglicana                   8   4  1  3   16  17  −1   13
 4 The Royal Kingdom of Quebec      8   3  3  2   24  19  +5   12
 5 Hicana                           8   3  2  3   11  15  −4   11
 6 Maineiacs                        8   2  3  3   22  28  −6    9
 7 Lzherusskia                      8   3  0  5   20  24  −4    9
 8 Quakmybush                       8   2  2  4    6  14  −8    8
 9 Yttribia                         8   1  4  3   12  19  −7    7
10 San Jose Guayabal                8   0  4  4   11  19  −8    4

Key

Clinched First Place in Group
Clinched advancement past the group stage
Eliminated

[Nassau-Hessen]

We Didn't Even Know Anymore

The Eagles, in a display of a battle of birds that truly could've gone either way and a much better game than the last two, still are winless in the oddest possible way. It is hard to decide whether it was a good or bad result. Falcus is a formidable foe, but beatable-ish in this game. The end result, more than midway through the cup the Eagles have no wins.

The game started off in a very normal manner, no deadlock, no surge, just back and forth play. This went on for a good eleven minutes until the Ice Falcons started to make consistent progress towards their offensive end. Surprisingly, no goals came from it, although there were some good shots by the second forward line. The silence had to be broken by a breakaway five hole goal by Rudrick Hoer with four minutes left in the first.

The second period acted as a normal bridge between eventful beginnings and ends. Not many chances due to a good period by both goalies. A few words were exchanged between the first line on the Ice Falcons and the second line of the Eagles after a cover up for a freezing. Less than twenty combined shots was to show for the conserving of energy for the final period.

Finally, after two periods of somewhat fruitless hockey, the game metaphorically exploded. Amazing shots and saves were coming left and right. There was a moment where it seemed all of the crowd held its breath as the puck skated across the entirety of the far red line, escaping both Jacob Anders' and the net's grasp. With seven minutes left in regulation, a screened shot from defensemen Carter Nicholas sent it to a tie. And so it would remain for the rest of the game.


(2/6) @ Fair Republic @ Progress Stadium L 0-1
(2/7) v. Neu Engollon @ Via Damascus Stadium L 2-3
(2/8) @ Gyatso Kai @ Civitate Dei Arena L 3-5
(2/9) @ Super Llama Land @ Royal Stadium Rink 2 T 0-0
(2/10) v. Crystal Empire @ Civitate Dei Arena T 0-0
(2/11) @ Falcus @ Via Damascus Stadium T 1-1
(2/12) v. Mohawk Clans @ Progress Stadium W 2-1
(2/13) @ Middleton Valley @ Apostolic Arena W 4-2
(2/14) v. Trans Alpine Republic @ Apostolic Arena

[Havl]

World Cup of Hockey XXIII - Havl 9, Yttribia 2

St. Paulus – After a relatively rough patch for the three-time defending World Cup of Hockey champions, Thursday night saw the Havl of old return to the spotlight as they defeated unranked Yttribia 9-2. Led by a hat-trick from winger Jason State, Havl's infamous Firing Squad combined for four goals and twelve points. "When they're hot, they're really hot," said Havl head coach Patricia Donofrio. The hat-trick marked Havl's first since former player Seth Detweiler scored three against Patistan in World Cup of Hockey 22.

Before the game, the unranked Southern Penguins languished in seventh place of the Group 6 standing with a solitary win, four draws, and two losses. With just two points separating Havl and second-place Svengarda, the defending champions had clinching on their minds. "If we win and [Svengarda] loses, we clinch first place," said rookie Cooper Sullivan. Coach Donofrio was quick to tamp down on predictions from her players. "It's like every game," said Donofrio. "We focus on the game ahead and try to play our best hockey. There's no need to worry about 'what if.'"


Jason State scored his first international hat-trick.

Despite the runaway total, the defending champions were never more than four goals ahead of San Jose Guayabal for most of the game. State started off his scoring bonanza with a one-timer from Fleer early in the first. Petrov scored on the next shift on a breakaway pass from Martin Klerx. Three shifts later, Brian Demerson scored to give have a 3-0 lead. The Southern Penguins fired back with a goal from team captain Xavier Lasaña on a cross-ice pass from Luis Chávez.

The second period saw more offense from the Firing Squad. After Joey Kaminski batted in a floating puck for his first international goal, State and Beierle scored to put Havl up 6-1. But once again, the Southern Penguins came back with a goal, this time a Chávez one-timer on a flipped pass from Lasaña. "We'd go up big, [then] they'd come right back," said State. The second ended with Havl ahead 6-2.

From there, the defending champions had the run of the third. Adam Fleer netted his fifth of the tournament, and State scored his first international hat-trick on an odd-man rush. "When a guy has a chance to trick, you feed him the puck," said Donndelinger. "State was finding the net, so we just kept giving him the puck." Juna Mossil scored late to set the final tally, 9-2.

In Group 6 play, the win (coupled with a loss for second-placed Svengarda) means that Havl clinched first place and will advance past the advancement past the group stage. Their final matchup, against 10th-ranked Quebec, will see the Ice Knights fighting for the chance at a play-in game. "They'll be playing their best hockey, for sure," said Donofrio. Havl last faced the Ice Knights in World Cup of Hockey 21, when the two teams played to a 1-1 draw. With first place secured, some are speculating that Donofrio will rest her better players, including veterans like Rich and Donndelinger. Donofrio has shrugged that notion aside. "It's a short tournament," said Donofrio. "Yes, it's important to give [the players] rest when I can, but we still need to be making the most out of our time on the ice"

With the win, Havl clinches first place of the Group 6 standings over 21st-ranked Svengarda. Coverage of World Cup of Hockey XXIII continues on HTVM Friday evening as Havl faces 10th-ranked The Royal Kingdom of Quebec live from Apostolic Arena.

Box Score

	1st	2nd	3rd	Final
Havl	3	3	3	9
Yttribia	1	1	0	2

Team Leaders
Num	Name			G	A	Pts
17	Justin Donndelinger	3	12	15
19	Jason State		8	6	14
11	Adam Fleer		5	6	11
15	Martin Klerx		3	6	9
2	Brian Beierle		2	7	9
13	Andrei Petrov		5	3	8
8	Andrey Pasternak	1	7	8
6	Sergei Skrbinski	1	6	7
9	Brian Demerson		3	3	6
18	Juna Mossil		2	4	6
16	Cooper Sullivan		1	4	5
14	Brady Anderson		1	2	3
10	Joey Kaminski		1	2	3
3	Petr Zaradnik		0	3	3
12	Taro Tsujimoto		1	1	2
36	Jay Marshall		0	1	1
7	Trevor Ventham		0	1	1 
77	Tomas Holicek		0	0	0
 
Num	Name		GP	W	L	T	GA	SA	GAA	S%	SO
29	Davis Rich	8	7	1	0	12	141	1.50	91.5	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 1 @ 1Havl 6 [Via Damascus Stadium]
Saturday, February 8		1Havl 3 @ URHicana 2 [Civitate Dei Arena]
Sunday, February 9		1Havl 5 @ URMaineiacs 2 [Royal Stadium]
Monday, February 10		96Lzherusskia 1 @ 1Havl 5 [Civitate Dei Arena]
Tuesday, February 11		1Havl 0 @ 21Svengarda 2 [Via Damascus Stadium]
Wednesday, February 12		URSan Jose Guayabal 21@ 1Havl 3 [Progress Stadium]	
Thursday, February 13		1Havl 9 @ URYttribia 2 [Apostolic Arena]
Fridaym February 14		10The Royal Kingdom of Quebec @ 1Havl [Apostolic Arena]

[Hicana]

MUST WIN
Hicana close to playoffs, must win awaits

Saintland--The Hicana Flyers are in critical condition after being shut out against Quebec, which severely jeopardized their hopes of advancing to the next round in this debut World Cup of Hockey XXIII. Ryan Reagan faltered late as the Quebec U-20 squad scored twice in a pivotal four minutes in the final period.

The team has scored eleven and conceded fifteen, not bad for an unranked. The team's done well enough to clinch no worse than seventh place, and they have a chance to be as high as third. A game against Nova Anglicana is crucial, with the winner standing a good chance of advancement.

It will be either Nova Anglicana, Hicana, or The Royal Kingdom of Quebec on top when the dust settles tomorrow. Quebec will take on world number-one Havl in an intriguing matchup tomorrow, but Havl is heavily favored and Quebec will be lucky to get points out of it.

Josh Carlson was ineffective all day and sucked the momentum out of runs in the first and second periods. The third was one giant, ugly scar as Quebec dominated. Let's take a look at the Group Standings, or at least the teams still in contention.

Group 6                        Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
 1 Havl                             8   7  0  1   37  12 +25   21
 2 Svengarda                        8   5  1  2   18  10  +8   16
 3 Nova Anglicana                   8   4  1  3   16  17  −1   13
 4 The Royal Kingdom of Quebec      8   3  3  2   24  19  +5   12
 5 Hicana                           8   3  2  3   11  15  −4   11

Both Havl and Svengarda have effectively punched their tickets to the playoffs, while a pileup features Nova Anglicana, Quebec, and our very own Flyers separated by a mere two points. Anyways, here's the situations and what would happen.

Quebec Wins, Hicana wins or draws: It's over. The Royal Kingdom of Quebec is in.
Quebec Wins, Nova Anglicana wins: The Anglicans advance to the next round by a point. Hicana risks slipping to sixth or seventh place.
Quebec Draws, Hicana wins: Nova Anglicana and Quebec tie for fourth while it's HICANA advancing!
Quebec Draws, Nova Anglicana draws: Nova Anglicana is in, Quebec fourth, Hicana still two back at fifth.
Quebec Draws, Nova Anglicana Wins: Nova Anglicana wins easily.
Quebec loses: Winner of Nova Anglicana/Hicana advances on to the next round. Unless...
Quebec loses but Hicana draws: It's Anglicana in the next round.

In other words, Quebec needs to draw or lose and Hicana needs to win. With Quebec up with the world number one, it could easily happen. But we'll have to see...

In other news, a troop of Hicanans landed on the southern coast of Gregoryisgodistan and killed five. The attack was condemned by many people both domestic and abroad. It is unknown whether the government was involved.

[Neu Engollon]

"Good evening, Karl Demais here on the NETV Sports 7 Update. Tonight we bring you to Saintland and the World Cup of Hockey. Tonight was the Ibex first loss in a few games, losing to the Fair Republic. They let two goals by and didn't answer in return, despite numerous shots. The last goal attempt before the buzzer was made by Manon with an assist by Dermbech. Andre had rebounded from a check by FR defender Tammolds. Overcompensating as he skated back to the action, he tipped to the ice but was able to actually make a slap at the puck, before pancaking, as it had come around and hit the stick of Dermbech, who passed it along. The whole effort was beyond incredible, but to no avail as Heinrich Kinnel was able to slap it down and trap it under his glove.

Despite this loss, Neu Engollon is heading to the playoffs, and we couldn't be more proud of them. They have played up to a higher caliber before this game, and we're sure that the Fair Republic game was a minor blip in what will be a continuing drive through the Cup, using more skill than brawn, as they didn't manage to do tonight.

I will try not to jinx it, but with the Avatarians dropping to an unpredicted third, and several other top ranked teams having troubles and dealing with odd upsets, the Ibex might just have a chance to make it pretty far here. They hold a pretty solid seat in second for Group 4, and are going into the last match of the Group phase tomorrow...against a normally tough Super Llamaland side, but the Ice Tigers have not done so well this Cup. Predictions are good that they will be able to pocket another win on this. Be sure to catch the game right here on the Seven, on delay. Now, on to women's flat track derby scores..."