World Cup of Hockey XXIX Everything Thread (IC)

by **-Anthor-** » Wed Jan 13, 2016 10:36 am

Anthor Drops 2 in WCOH, Injuries to Blame?
As the Ducks lose 4-2 to Semarland dropping to the bottom of the tables, are their injuries at fault here or is the coach?

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Gnaeus Tanicius Vopiscus (@Gnaeus Tanicius Vopiscus)(TH)
^{January 13, 2016 2:41 PM | Vaumort, Anthor}

Graham Richardson (#71 Captain) is pictured on the ice during the loss to Semarland TH photo

Vaumort, Anthor(Herald) — Two months ago when the Anthoran Ice Hockey Federation announced that for the first time in thirty seven years, the national team Anthoran Ducks would be going to the World Cup of Hockey, the Anthoran people's and hockey fans went nuts. Not only did they get a treat this year following an explosive Championship finale in the AHL, fought between the Avon Knights and the Cheshnut Mustangs, but now for the first time in a generation they would get to see their best players compete on an international scale.

Selection process for the team was all done by AIHF President Léandre Valois, who selected HC Lucian Horn early on; Horn himself was a player on the last Ducks incarnation, as was his father; Valois stating that he thought it would be extremely fitted for a Ducks legendary member to coach their latest incarnation and it wasn't like Horn wasn't an already successful coach, having guided the Knights to a 2nd Championship in five years over Cheshnut, so his credientials were there. Backing up in the Assistant spot was his friend and professional rival as HC of the Wythcombe Hornets, Gabe Wilmer. Selection of their team reads almost like a Hall of Fame game, nearly every best player from every team in the AHL was chosen. Robertson, who is already assured a Hall of Fame spot after his long career, Poindexter, Rounds, Gustave, Deschamps; point is, this team is a dream team. So then, one may ask, is it sitting at the bottom of their Group's tables?

Coach Horn points to his injuries sustained in Game 1; Darien Gustave went down for 2-3 weeks on a mild concussion from a boarding hit from a GregGregoryisgodistani "Crusher", and Alvin Rounds went down for 5 weeks for a broken arm for the same reason; AIHF has already filed numeorus safety complaints to WCOH authorities claiming the hits were out of the sport, but so far no replies from them. Horn insists he can still turn this around however; Brigham and Hammond moved up from third line to second to fill in for Rounds and Gustave, but even then the first line is still in it's legendary Poindexter-Robertson-Hunter-Pearson-Rylyer-Deschamps formation, and Poindexter was finally able to demonstate some of his famed explosiveness by scoring one of the Duck's two goals and Horn is hoping with increased focus on keeping the puck and thereby extending the possession, they can then get the puck to Poindexter, Hunter, or really any of those players and hopefully then find the back of the net.

Gnaeus Tanicus Vopiscus contributed to this article.

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JamesT · 1 hours ago
Those damn Gregoryisgodistani should have been thrown from the Cup - fighting is one thing, they ****ing nearly killed Gustave, I bet you he's out for the whole Cup.
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NightOwlCala · 3 hours ago
GO DUCKS!!! WE GOT THIS!!!!!!!!!!!
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Mark · 4 hours ago
Shoulda never hired Horn, he barely won that Championship anyways......
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by **Kaboomlandia** » Wed Jan 13, 2016 10:41 am

Part 1

Ripped from the Sky
Part 2

Somewhere in the Arabian Sea

The towfish trawled slowly along the seabed where the aircraft was suspected to have landed. Target: the flight recorders. Up on the boat, Ray Smith watched a monitor carefully.
"Found anything yet?" he asked the crew.
"Sort of," replied Joey Cameron, a video technician. "We've found debris, but it's so scattered that the black boxes could be anywhere. Biggest piece we found was about the size of the towfish. Until we find the tail section, we can't know what happened."
Ray sighed and walked out of the room. A few minutes later, Joey called him back in.
"We have something."

The image slowly came in on the computer screen. Yes, this was the tail of Kaboomlandian Air Flight 184. It could be seen on the vertical stabilizer, clear as day.
"Drop anchor," Ray radioed to the captain. "We have our target." He turned to Joey. "How deep is this thing?"
"About 4,200 metres down," replied Joey. Ray blinked in surprise. "How can we get the flight recorders out at that depth?"
"The Kaboomlandian Navy lent us a remote submersible with a robotic arm that can work at depths of up to 5,000 metres. It's perfect for our job. Unmanned, with 800 metres of leeway," explained Joey.
"Go for it," Ray directed.

by **Alphatheta** » Wed Jan 13, 2016 4:18 pm

NOVOSTI ATLETICO Live dall'Estero

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DABLKHEDER: Slow Start For Tors

World Cup of Hockey XXIX
MD 1:
Alphatheta 2–3 Kaboomlandia
MD 2:
Torisakia 1–1 Alphatheta
MD 3:
Alphatheta v Armeia

Quebec City, QUE MSK+7 10:15pm - Although no longer international newbies, Antipha United is clearly finding its first foray into competition outside of the Arctic to be a bit of a struggle. The first two games in Group E at the 29th World Cup of Hockey have not been an easy adjustment for the Tors as they acclimate first to the weather in Quebec City and then to the fierceness of WCoH levels of competition.

"It's some of these kids' first time out of the patria," Leighton O'Hare pointed out in an interview after the first match of the Cup, where the Tors lost a close 2-3 against Kaboomlandia. "And we don't have a whole season to get used to it--or to get used to our new teammates. So it's definitely a different thing. We're definitely going to have to find our feet. Damn, though," O'Hare added with a laugh, "that got the heart rate up. This is the whole reason you play the sport, at the end of the day."

The undeniable stars of the first two games have been Otto Kempf and Braam Geier, both high-scorers in the NZEL season and now responsible between themselves for all of Antipha United's goals in the WCoH. They spoke with us briefly after the second match, a 1-1 tie with Torisakia, a team ranked above even Kaboomlandia.

Antonina Wetterman, NALd'E: What's it like to run right along from a debut season in the region to a debut season in the world?

Otto Kempf: It's very surreal. You sort of grow up in your little world out in the districts, and you know someday you'll be going to the nearest base and all, but-- you never expect this, I don't think. Even the boys from closer to Wytropolis didn't expect this.

Braam Geier: In part because Alphathetians are such homebodies. [OK laughs, nodding.] It's true! It's true. My mother's never left the town she was born in, and that's-- sort of the way it always is, especially inland. People barely go to the next qū, most of the time.

OK: I try to explain it on the phone to my niece, sometimes, when my sister calls, and she can't even understand what I mean. The idea that I went to the capital and then got on another plane-- blows her mind. So it's groundbreaking to be here, a little bit.

How are you finding the competition?

BG: Hard. Tough. Intense.

OK: Aggressive.

BG: Aggressive, yes, and-- I think that's why Otto and I have been having a little bit of an easier time of it. The Tors have, in the last few seasons, been very-- defense heavy. I mean, you have Žarko Császár, Ambrogino Vaccaro, Leighton O'Hare--that's some solid lining, and that's some digging in. Even Csaba-- Koenig, you know-- he's up there as a scorer but he's just a grinder at heart, and it comes out strongest when he's finding himself up against really light-on-their-feet offenses.

OK: But we don't get 60 games to get our heads on right, so. We'll see how it goes. Be a lot of drills before Coach Wilson lets us sleep, tell you that.

Speaking of 60 games, how is the team holding up without the whole game? Ožbej Althaus and Sjoerd Smedley aren't with you, and their replacements clearly have very big shoes to fill. How's the adjustment?

OK: Oh, Nikoshka.

BG: Poor Nikoshka.

OK: I feel like it's really harder on Nikolai [Cojocaru, Metalist Rynok] than it is on the rest of us. I mean, Ožbej [Althaus] was new this year, so remembering how to play without him just constantly grabbing the puck isn't so strange. And, I mean-- Braam here is brand new this year too. We're used to switching in and out as a team, you know, because we're mostly called up and down from the reserve. But Nikolai gets in his own head about it.

BG: But hopefully he'll get out of it before the match against Armeia. We could use a win.

Group E Standings Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Valanora                2    2   0   0    12    1  +11     4
2 Torisakia               2    1   1   0     4    2   +2     3
3 Kaboomlandia            2    1   0   1     4    6   −2     2
4 Natanians and Nosts     2    1   0   1     3   10   −7     2
5 Alphatheta              2    0   1   1     3    4   −1     1
6 Armeia                  2    0   0   2     3    6   −3     0

Antipha United is currently fifth in Group E, and hoping to at least maintain their position when they play Armeia in the next match, the team currently sixth and the only other unranked team in their group. Captain Žarko Császár was cautiously optimistic about the team's chances.

"There's got to be a very steep curve, but-- we might be hitting our stride," Császár reported after the tied game with Torisakia. "I think the imports from Zorya and Metalist and Krylya and all that are starting to get the lead out properly. The real goal is to not just fall on our faces the way Theta Yed did. Is it too soon to say that?"

We certainly don't think so. Analysts, further, have been quick to point out that Theta Yed's disappointing performance in the World Junior Hockey Championships X have led to a bump in both foreign imports and exports--both of hockey players and of taueens generally.

"Besides," Császár added, "really, we have to crank it up so that we don't hit season 26 and just have the entire NZEL laughing at us. That's motivating to keep out of last place."

Also motivating, of course, are the potential re-entry visas that foreign-competing Alphathetians always have to hope will be given to them at the end of the competition.

NILC Returns || Spartak Vorotagrad 1–0 Rapid Trusdvo || Central'nyi Steinstadt 4–1 KL Sborgorod || Chernomorets Vernyygorod 1–0 KL Gavan || Górnik Kholmstad 2–1 KL Bolotoderev

by **Novaya Zemlya** » Wed Jan 13, 2016 4:20 pm

NOVAYA ZEMLYA 2 - 1 KLAUS DEVESTATORIE
Recap | Boxscore | Stats | The Timofeyev Report | Video

"A DISTINCT KICKING MOTION"
Controversial goal call earns Novaya Zemlya second straight win

VAL D'OR Team Novaya Zemlya followed up their initial 4-2 win vs Allamunnic States with a significantly less impressive 2-1 victory against Klaus Devestatorie last night. The Novozemlyans came out looking really flat in the first period, seemingly expecting an easy win against the unranked opponents. But the Klaus Devestatorie players had other plans, and put ferocious pressure on the Novozemlyan defense right from the start. The newcomers carried the play for most of the first period, and it was only a couple of big saves by Iosif Bezukladnikov that kept the game tied going into the first intermission.

"It's like we're playing pond hockey out there, we really need to step it up," Krasimir Yerokhin commented before the second period. He added that coach Bobr "really let them have it" during the intermission.

It looked like Bobr's message got through, because the Novozemlyans seemed to elevate their game in the second. A higher tempo and quicker breakouts eventually led to some scoring chances, and Denis Yemelyanov could pick up a loose puck in the slot and roof it. 1-0 Novaya Zemlya.

"It was nice to get that monkey of my back," Yemelyanov said of his first goal on the national team. The Torpedo centerman had appeared in 9 previous WCoH games before finally finding the back of the net.

Klaus Devestatorie answered right back, however. Their talented first line cycled the puck in the Novozemlyan zone and our defensemen got caught standing around watching it. One of their forwards sneaked in unattended at the far post, eventually getting the puck for an easy tap-in to make it 1-1.

The rest of the period was fairly even, with neither side giving up any qualified chances. In the third, things got more interesting. Midway through, Nikolai Gavrilov came skating down the wing, throwing the puck on net to hopefully get a rebound. The puck ended up bouncing off Mikhail Spiridonov's skate into the net. It looked like he might have kicked it in, and the play was put under video review. 28 minutes later, the referee pointed to center ice and concluded: "good goal", which led to protesting Klaus Devestatorie players surrounding the ref. The crowd, mostly Quebecois and presumably neutral, announced their disapproval of the call through a deafening "boo" which lasted for most of the remainder of the third period.

The referee did not change his mind, however, and the Novozemlyans could eventually collect their second win in Group F.

"No comment," Spiridonov answered when asked about the play, adding that the team needs to focus on their next game. Dominik Shelagin, who recently had his twitter account suspended by the hockey federation, was less restrictive in his media policy: "Mikhail should try out for the national football team. Ballon d'Or 2017 baby!"

Next game for Novaya Zemlya takes place tonight vs Cosumar.

by **Ficiscia** » Wed Jan 13, 2016 4:27 pm

FNSN.fc WCoH - Ficiscia Unbeaten

The National Team faced fellow unranked Uzekia and overran the team to an easy and never challenged 2-6 victory. "This was what we want to see. Today everything worked, we just worked brilliantly as a team and all. Just the defense could be a bit stronger, but that can happen when you're too far ahead. I am looking forward very much to the game against Zenic!", said assistant coach Septimius Maiori. Indeed, Ficiscia entered the stadium in Ottawa and blew their opponents away like they did against Damukuni - but without the following comeback from the first game. This time, the team just kept their opponents in their zone and hardly even gave their opponents a chance to come back into the game. "We are just really confident right now, we can really play ourselves into a rush right now. You can feel it in the locker room, everyone really just merged together as a team. Actually, I never expected us to become such a tight team in such a short time. Everyone here wants to go for each other, Carinhani, Norja, Mountaineers, Northmen... we all unite under Green, White and Black", described defender Lucius Marillii the team's secret.

The team started out very aggressive again, playing a very quick and fast passing game, but didn't get to the goal, playing a little too nice, too complicated. Nevertheless, the huge number of Ficiscian fans who made the way to Quebec were entertained well by their team, waiting only for the goal to set their team ahead. It only came towards the end of the period in the powerplay. Just shortly afterwards, a pass from a Uzekian defender found only the stick of Marcantor, who didn't hesitate to convert on that mistake. From this moment on, all gates to the Uzekian goal were open, shots fired onto the goal left and right leading to a 1-5 lead after 40 minutes. The last period saw a bit less action, but still lots of chances and shots. Ficiscia truly overran their opponents and is now second behind tomorrow's opponents Zenic, a team who scored seven goals against Uzekia and beat WJHC champion and hosts The Sword Bloke with an impressive 5-0 victory.

In the third match of the day, Norrehavn beat Damukuni with 2-1 and is now in the fourth place behind Zenic, Ficiscia and TSB. For tomorrow, we will need to be at our best form to beat Zenic, but if the team manages to do so, they are likely to advance to the next round which would be a fantastic achievement for our first international ice hockey tournament. Muratus has announced that he is planning to put Aedificor back into the net after a break during this game, while the lines on the field are likely to remain unchanged. The game against Zenic can be watched live on TF2 at 16:45 Ficiscian Time. Make sure to tune in when Ficiscia faces the favourites of their group in the battle for the first place in Group G!

Uzekia 2-6 FICISCIA (0-2, 1-3, 1-1)

SCORERS (FIC): 14' Larins 0-1 (Vero/Penalty UZE); 17' Marcantor 0-2; 24' Hejman 0-3 (Berjaman, Oppido); 30' Fulvius 1-4 (Brica, Marcantor); 33' Aleixos 1-5 (Furus, Vaccarius); 51' Praesumptus 2-6 (Neri)
PENALTY: 3x 2 min UZE / 3x 2 min FIC
SHOTS: UZE 22-41 FIC

THREE STARS:
*** FIC #7 Sergius MARCANTOR
** FIC #9 Kyrillos BRICA
* FIC #2 Tertius FURUS

by **Elejamie** » Wed Jan 13, 2016 5:32 pm

"For day two of the World Cup of Hockey, it's over to John Daverson. John?"

That's right, Steve. Good morning, Elejamie! The Icy Elephants made it two out of two when they managed to snatch a heart-stopping 4-3 victory over rivals Ontorisa. Both teams had won their opening games and a victory for either side essentially meant the group. As a result, both teams tried their hardest to get one over on their opponents but, in the end, it was the Icy Elephants who came out top. Here are the highlights:

The first period got off to a great start as, over a minute after the start of the match, Elejamie were 1-0 up; Cerin Meloten won the face-off and passed it to Anatoly Kasputin, whose wrist shot made its way past Tolkos Semkaris. In fact, when Jeriak Osmilia was given a minor penalty for hooking, Elejamie saw several opportunities to add another one on the board. After that, however, there wasn't really anything of note. Aaron Andrews' shovel shot was easily caught by Semkaris. Mejer Doristram's slap shot bounced off of the post, with Antonio Cervantes easily catching the rebound. And Pael Atenar's wrist shot went wide. At the end of the period, Elejamie were still leading 1-0.

The second period began with Elejamie doubling their lead when, under four minutes after the start, Lucas Madgwick scored his second in two games; a snap shot with some assistance from line-mates Paul Morton and Bill Harrison. However, Ontorisa proved that they weren't down and out just yet when, a few minutes afterwards, they finally managed to pull one back, with a snap shot by Prakos Panjaarvi - assisted by Ritlai Brutakei and Paukris Ceb-an-Mukai. However, their celebration was short-lived when Vekirk Tolmoki was sent to the box for two minutes; fortunately for them, Elejamie were unable to score on the powerplay. Indeed, even when Danilo Barajas had to come off for high-sticking, both sides were struggling to put the puck in the back of the net. However, Elejamie would get another chance not long later when Xel Kedersolis also had to sit out for a couple of minutes, this time for roughing. On the powerplay, Anatoly Kasputin, along with Lupe, set up Cerin Meloten's wrist shot, which lead to Elejamie's third goal. Eventually, after plenty of good shots, Elejamie were still 3-1 up at the end of the second period.

The third period was filled with more examples of Ontorisa showing what they're worth. Under a minute after the start, Francisco Solano was sent to the box for two minutes for interference; the resulting powerplay lead to Mejer Doristram and Rieaa Delsja helping Yeta Kolobos score the second Ontorisan goal of the night. Eight minutes later, Heja Corispan scored what had to be the most beautiful goal ever to level the scores; going from a backhand to a forehand, adding a bit of a twist to it before he finally flicked it over Cervantes. However, they weren't able to take the lead even when, in the last five minutes, Ethan Swinburne was sent to the box for slashing. In fact, with just over four minutes to go, Elejamie regained the lead when Kasputin scored his second goal - and his third point - of the night - when he managed to get it in off of the one-timer; defencemen Lupe and Adam Keane were credited for the assist. At the end of the match, Elejamie won 4-3 and, even though it's early days, there's no doubt that the Icy Elephants will be one of the first teams to advance to the Round of 16.

In a post-match interview, head coach Michael Madgwick said "That was a really tough game. After all, Ontorisa are a good team and I was expecting them to take the two points tonight. Fortunately, Toni kept his nerve in goal and, while he did let in three, it was no big deal. Anatoly had a great night and was definitely worthy of that first star. And Heja Corispan deserved that star as well for such a brilliant shot. Everyone else? A hearty applause all round, for both teams."

"You've got the Equestrian States tomorrow night. Do you think that also will be a challenging game?"

"Undoubtedly. Just because they haven't been in the last competition doesn't mean they're no longer a tough team. Granted, they've squeaked a narrow win against Polaskaan. But I'd chalk that down to getting back in the saddle after a long break, rather than a sign of struggle. But I'm still confident that we'll walk away the victors; not exactly "beating a dead horse" confident, more like "we'll win by about one or two" confident."

Meanwhile, in the other Group B matches of the day, Polaskaan could only manage a single goal in their encounter with Ethane. And Ortol'a were shut out for the second match in a row as they went down 2-0 against the Equestrian States. As a result, Elejamie have moved into first place, with the Equestrian States not far behind on goal difference. Ontorisa and Polaskaan sit third and fourth respectively, with one win and one loss each. Ethane sit uncomfortably in fifth place, thanks to that goal against Ontorisa on day one, and Ortol'a remain in last place, with no goals scored in their last two games. Tomorrow, Ontorisa will try to regain their honour as they face Polaskaan; and Ortol'a will see if they can finally put one in the net in their game against Ethane. But, the biggest match of all will be Elejamie's match against the Equestrian States. Can Elejamie make it three wins in a row? Or will the ponies end that streak? Find out tonight on Puck Drop, 9pm.

Elsewhere in the World Cup, Abanhfleft managed to surprise everyone in their match against Gregoryisgodistan by taking it to a goalless draw. The Ice Slaves, still ranked first in the world, were the favourites going into their match against the rank 13 Fleftics and were expected to win by a couple of points...

Period			P1	P2	P3	FS
Elejamie		1	2	1	4
Ontorisa		0	1	2	3

by **Gregoryisgodistan** » Wed Jan 13, 2016 6:01 pm

Enemy Crushers Crush 5,943 Fans In Revenge For Embarrassing Draw

After the Gregoryisgodistan ice hockey team, nicknamed the Ice Slaves, played Abanhfleft to a mere scoreless draw in a game they should have won, they were furious. Absolutely furious. And the Enemy Crushers wanted revenge but the Fleftic heathens had already gone to the locker room. Fortunately, fans were still in the stands getting ready for another game coming up next, and the Enemy Crushers got ready to make their move. First, they dropped 50 Fleftic flags on the ice along with 250 statues of Dumpy O'Rumpy, 591 Republican flags, and 33 nun outfits. Then they poured gasoline over the mixture and lit it on fire with a blowtorch while the Secret Police blocked the exits to prevent fans from fleeing.

Then the Enemy Crushers made their awesome move. They charged into the stands and started crushing as many fans as they could. Quebecois, Fleftic, and every other nationality that was there were crushed. They crushed fans, concession vendors, ushers, and everyone else they could find while the mess of heathen items burned on the ice. Then one of the Enemy Crushers commandeered the Zamboni and started driving it into the stands, running over fans in its path and crushing them with the Zamboni. Another Enemy Crusher took the other Zamboni and went into the other stands. Finally, the Zambonis ran out of gas and the Enemy Crushers had to get off, at which point they crushed even more fans before dropping xylocarps from the rafters onto the burning mess. One of them turned out to be a sapient xylocarp from Xylocarpstan who had somehow gotten mixed in with the non-sapient ones. He died too, from the fall then being burned. It was awesome. All in all, 5,943 fans and one sapient xylocarp were crushed by the Enemy Crushers and their stolen Zambonis. They then fled from the arena to the team hotel before anyone could stop them, and proceeded to sing the national anthem out their windows all night long, keeping up the other hotel patrons and disturbing the prostitutes who were trying to sell themselves below. (The Ice Slaves' hotel was in a really bad neighborhood, apparently.) Speaking of prostitutes, one of them got a client around 3:00 AM. Pervert Chaser JDJJ8138 then ran out of the team hotel and dickapitated and castrated said client, then set his privates on fire and threw them down the storm sewer where they would never be seen again. He then lifted the lid from the storm sewer and threw the client down there as well along with the prostitute before replacing the lid and returning to the hotel room, all under cover of darkness. He then proceeded to scream "NO SEXFUL STUPIDITY" out the window all night long at the other prostitutes. Finally, the Enemy Crushers decided to eat breakfast, which was 30 pancakes, 27 waffles, 19 pieces of french toast, 13 bowls of cereal, 19 glasses of orange juice, 14 bowls of grits, 12 bowls of oatmeal, 23 glasses of milk, and 13 cups of coffee per Enemy Crusher. They needed the coffee because they had been awake all night long. This meant that they would have enough energy to get through the day and do even more winning and crushing.

And meanwhile, nobody would ever know what happened to the prostitute and her client, at least as far as Pervert Chaser JDJJ8138 knew. They were on the way to the sewage water plant to be recycled and made into new water. And everyone would just thing they fell in or flushed themselves down the toilet while having sex or something like that. Or at least that's what Pervert Chaser JDJJ8138 hoped.

Next up was Semarland, another heathen nation who the Enemy Crushers would love to crush. Would they? Only time would tell. But they were ready to win, they were ready to injure, they were ready to crush if necessary, and they would love to crush some more referees after they took a game off from doing so. It was sure to be an awesome game against Semarland, one that could be critical for group position as well. It looked like out of Gregoryisodistan, Abanhfleft, and Semarland, two of the three would go through, but we didn't know which ones yet. So this game would be absolutely huge, just like the Enemy Crushers, most of whom are over 900 pounds and all of whom are over 750 pounds. The Enemy Crushers are looking to crush some more tonight, and you can watch it all live from Kingston, Quebec on Sports TV 1.

by **Nordeana** » Wed Jan 13, 2016 8:31 pm

NORDEANIAN HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIP > ABOUT

The Hansabank Championship, known officially as the Nordeanian Hockey Championship, is Nordeana's top league for professional ice hockey. Twenty four teams compete year in, year out to be the best in Nordeana. There are four divisions with six teams each. The NHC was founded in the early twentieth century with four teams; these original franchises are colloquially known as the "first four." These teams are the Hanstad Nordics, Navenhagen Metropolitans, Engholm Steelers, and the Stanfurt Warriors.

Here are the four divisions and their respective hockey clubs:

Maritime Division

Hanstad Nordics
Fiskhavn Sharks
Baymont Seahawks
Sansa Cyclones
Ferstand Devils
Norport Wolves

Metropolitan Division

Navenhagen Metropolitans
Navenhagen Senators
Engholm Steelers
Stanfurt Warriors
Transton Redhawks
Elmbrook Tigers

Prairies Division

Saskholm Bears
Reginald Pats
Weshampton Titans
Sachston Lions
Blue Moose Broncos
Goliath Giants

Mountains Division

Vangary Flames
Landport Wolverines
Francis Bay Monarchs
Montoro Rebels
Vidburg Whitecaps
Delwood Pioneers

More to information to follow...

by **The Sword Bloke** » Wed Jan 13, 2016 8:34 pm

SWORDEANS ANNOUNCE UNIFORM DEAL TO REALLY MAKE THEM THE HEAD GNASHERS

Yep, you didn't read wrong. The Sword Bloke National Hockey Team will be signing an amazing deal, which will see them really become the Head Gnashers. Want to know what it is? Find out after the jump.

OK. So, the Swordeans, instead of using the traditional hockey uniform materials already provided by the Meski Company of Red Blackiland, will coat the inside of their jerseys with melted skulls. Yep, melted skulls.

In other words, the skulls of people the Swordeans have killed have been melted, and the inside of the uniforms have been coated with this 'Skull Sauce'. This makes the Swordean uniforms harder to rip through, and also help the Swordean medical staff by providing them with less injuries.

So yea. The Swordeans really are the Head Gnashers. This authentic uniform will cost $245 Swordean Dollars ($570 USD). Sure, the fakes may be way cheaper, but hey, these ones are better.
Under a new Swordean law, every Swordean citizen must buy one of these jerseys, and wear it during the WCoH games in which the Head Gnashers are playing. The punishment is of course, death by hockey stick.

Yep. Death by Hockey Stick. We use the stick to twist your head around until blood floods out and you die. So fun to watch. Sooooo fuuuuunnn toooo waaaaattttccchhh...

So, that's what happens if you disobey crimes in The Sword Bloke. Though there is of course other types of punishment. That is just a special WCoH punishment.

Well, now you know what's happening in Swordean hockey. Bye bye, let's win this tournament, and GO HEAD GNASHERS!!!!

by **Klaus Devestatorie** » Wed Jan 13, 2016 9:32 pm

Please stop calling me foul names on twitter.
An article from a major Imperialian newspaper.

Okay. Okay. We nearly won. Yes, we nearly won against the team that I declared just the other day to be assured to make it to the next round. I am thus fundamentally un-Devestatoriean, and don't believe in the boys; and, and, you get the point. No, I was not expecting this game to be anywhere near as close as that. You're going to hate me even more, because I'm about to double down and take the referees side on that second goal.

A lot of you are upset, of course, but having gone back and rewatched the TV broadcast, I'm not certain our commentators explained the issue to everyone properly. Yes, a goal cannot be scored if it was intentionally put in the net by the attacking players using something other than their stick. But the sticky word in that rule is "intentionally", and often it's damn near impossible to determine intent. In this case, it took a team of professionals reviewing video of the play in a completely different city to decide one way or the other.

People intimately familiar with the sport would have already been looking for certain things in the footage- firstly, if Mikhail Spiridonov was looking at the puck when contact was made with his skate (and he was), and secondly, if it appeared that his foot moved intentionally to push the puck towards the goal. This is the inconclusive bit, that confirmed the goal. His feet made no kicking motion; what specifically happened was Spiridonov was turning to face his body towards the goal to better align himself to take advantage of a potential rebound, which meant the directions of his skates were turning, while still moving forwards at the same time. The puck bounced off his skate at that moment, and it looked rather like it was intentional.

The players absolutely would appeal- they're expected to. The Quebecois fans were upset too, for two reasons- firstly, they just wasted 28 minutes on a goal review- surely that must be some kind of record. Secondly, Klaus Devestatorie is the underdog team that was, against all expectations, taking it to the Novayans, a team that's come here with a plan to win it all. Everyone likes an underdog, a good story, a good game coming from somewhere where it wasn't expected, and that call left those fans feeling a bit cheated.

Chin up. We're at the bottom of the pool and are now almost certain to miss out on advancing, but there's 3 games to go, and we made a proud account of ourselves today. Stay interested- I'm hearing a rumour that we might get to see a bit more ice hockey in the future beyond this tournament.

by **The Royal Kingdom of Quebec** » Wed Jan 13, 2016 11:16 pm

MD3 Cutoff

Are you guys ready for some bloodbath?

Group A
Sandhelm 0–2 Narsora
Vaugania 1–3 Neu Engollon
Vilita and Turori 2–5 Royal Kingdom of Quebec

Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Royal Kingdom of Quebec    3    3   0   0    15    6   +9     6
2 Neu Engollon               3    2   0   1    12    6   +6     4
3 Vilita and Turori          3    2   0   1    13   11   +2     4
4 Vaugania                   3    1   0   2     9    8   +1     2
5 Narsora                    3    1   0   2     4   11   −7     2
6 Sandhelm                   3    0   0   3     4   15  −11     0

Group B
Ethane 4–3 Ortola
Equestrian States 0–5 Elejamie
Polaaskan 4–6 Ontorisa

Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Elejamie                3    3   0   0    12    3   +9     6
2 Ontorisa                3    2   0   1    14    9   +5     4
3 Equestrian States       3    2   0   1     5    7   −2     4
4 Polaaskan               3    1   0   2     7    9   −2     2
5 Ethane                  3    1   0   2     5    9   −4     2
6 Ortola                  3    0   0   3     3    9   −6     0

Group C
Arkiasis 3–2 Banija
Nova Anglicana 3–1 Nassau-Hessen
Ilyseum 1–4 Ko-oren

Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Nova Anglicana          3    3   0   0    12    7   +5     6
2 Ko-oren                 3    2   1   0     7    2   +5     5
3 Arkiasis                3    1   2   0     9    8   +1     4
4 Nassau-Hessen           3    1   0   2     3    6   −3     2
5 Ilyseum                 3    0   1   2    10   14   −4     1
6 Banija                  3    0   0   3     5    9   −4     0

Group D
Nephara 3–4 Esparmuran
United States of Devonta 1–2 Nordeana
HUElavia 1–1 Kernansquillec

Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Esparmuran                  3    3   0   0    16    7   +9     6
2 Nephara                     3    2   0   1    11    7   +4     4
3 Nordeana                    3    1   1   1     7   10   −3     3
4 Kernansquillec              3    0   2   1     6    8   −2     2
5 United States of Devonta    3    1   0   2     3    7   −4     2
6 HUElavia                    3    0   1   2     1    5   −4     1

Group E
Torisakia 3–5 Valanora
Kaboomlandia 2–0 Natanians and Nosts
Alphatheta 4–2 Armeia

Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Valanora                3    3   0   0    17    4  +13     6
2 Kaboomlandia            3    2   0   1     6    6    0     4
3 Alphatheta              3    1   1   1     7    6   +1     3
4 Torisakia               3    1   1   1     7    7    0     3
5 Natanians and Nosts     3    1   0   2     3   12   −9     2
6 Armeia                  3    0   0   3     5   10   −5     0

Group F
Iskandervale 0–0 Allamunnic States
Cosumar 7–4 Novaya Zemlya
Unified Sunrise Islands 3–3 Klaus Devestatorie

Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Cosumar                    3    1   2   0    14   11   +3     4
2 Iskandervale               3    1   2   0     7    4   +3     4
3 Novaya Zemlya              3    2   0   1    10   10    0     4
4 Unified Sunrise Islands    3    0   3   0     9    9    0     3
5 Allamunnic States          3    0   2   1     5    7   −2     2
6 Klaus Devestatorie         3    0   1   2     6   10   −4     1

Group G
Norrehavn 4–3 Uzekia
Ficiscia 0–0 Zenic
Damukuni 1–5 The Sword Bloke

Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Zenic                   3    2   1   0    12    1  +11     5
2 Ficiscia                3    2   1   0    11    5   +6     5
3 The Sword Bloke         3    2   0   1     7    7    0     4
4 Norrehavn               3    2   0   1     7    6   +1     4
5 Damukuni                3    0   0   3     5   12   −7     0
6 Uzekia                  3    0   0   3     6   17  −11     0

Group H
Anthor 0–0 Kazirstan
Red Blackiland 2–3 Abanhfleft
Semarland 0–1 Gregoryisgodistan

Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Abanhfleft              3    2   1   0     7    4   +3     5
2 Gregoryisgodistan       3    2   1   0     3    0   +3     5
3 Semarland               3    1   1   1     7    6   +1     3
4 Red Blackiland          3    0   2   1     6    7   −1     2
5 Kazirstan               3    0   2   1     3    5   −2     2
6 Anthor                  3    0   1   2     2    6   −4     1

by **-Anthor-** » Thu Jan 14, 2016 1:26 am

Baby, not Giant, Steps?
3 games in and the Ducks have 2 losses and 1 draw; 4th time is the charm for a win?

^{SHARE THIS:}

Gnaeus Tanicius Vopiscus (@Gnaeus Tanicius Vopiscus)(TH)
^{January 14, 2016 9:13 AM | Vaumort, Anthor}

Duck's goalieGuy Ryley looks on as Kazirstani players near with the puck; it would be one of 8 saves that night TH photo

Vaumort, Anthor(Herald) — On the heels of two big disappointments, Horn's Ducks present possibly a third, but maybe, just maybe it's not a third embarrassment for a national team that despite possessing the best icers in the nation sits with no wins, but instead it's the last baby step towards a win.

To someone who is a bandwagon hockey fan, the game was boring, being almost entirely a defensive game from halfway through Period 1 on. The game kicked off with the Ducks winning the puck early on and Poindexter, Richardson and Hunter teamed up for some very aggressive plays, duking, slamming to the point of near-boarding and nearly inciting a fight, and actively taking shots at the Kazirstani net; they nocked up 65% of their shots for the whole game in this brief window. However at 12:41, right as Deschamps takes a shot on the net which is skillfully blocked by the Kazirstani's stick, Richardson gets recorded with a hooking call, and is taken to the penalty box. His time there gives the Kazirstani a powerplay for a few minutes which they could easily use to turn the game, but instead of netting a goal for themselves they merely turned the battle into a even conflict; for the rest of the match, they themselves would only make eight shots on the Duck's goal, masterfully blocked by Guy Ryley who is having a stellar performance for the first time in the Cup, and the Ducks would go on to make eleven shots, with one even almost making it in to be stopped last second by the leg pads of the Kazirstani goalie.

So yes, we drew and in the process, we remain at the bottom of Group H with 1 point, no wins and only 2 goals for while embarrassingly allowing 6 goals in two, now three, games. However, let's look at the positive side the naysayers will ignore; our defense without Gustave and Rounds who will be out for still 1-2 weeks and 4 weeks respectively with injuries managed to maintain a fast beat tempo for sixty straight minutes; Deschamps and Pearson played at their top form as expected, but second liners Koddey Stoddard (#50, Right Defender) and #33 center Benjamin Elwin performed superbly, with the former managing two skillful shots on the opposing net and Stoddard displayed hard-hitting get to the puck defense that many haven't seen since his rookie season with Darley; even the third rounders were playing above average form and this spells major good tidings for the Ducks, it's proving after its embarrassing show in the opening Game that the team does truly have depth and can operate effectively outside its legendary First Line, with second and third line showing they are more then capable of carrying on in a game, provided they stay in form. In post-match conferences, Horn stated he felt positive coming off of the ice and that while it wasn't a win that he was hoping for, the marked increase in defensive performance, specifically domination with puck possession with the Ducks easily over-dominating the Kazirstani team here, that perhaps with increased focus on coordinated attack runs and increased cooperation, a goal and a win where on the near-horizon for the Ducks.

Gnaeus Tanicus Vopiscus contributed to this article.

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^{FAVORITE THIS DISCUSSION}

Leon23 · 1 hours ago
We had to face three international giants; the #1 team, Semarland, and the team that finished near-third in its group last time around. I think this is a steady performance and next week, the Ducks get to show everyone why the AHL Is the best damn league.
614 up · 7 down
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#HatersAreNeededAndTrue · 3 hours ago
Yo can someone tell Horn to remind ****ing Poindexter how to score; Richardson's an old man, replace him already.
891 up · 49 down
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GregsNeedToBeBanned · 4 hours ago
Poor Gustave and Rounds, surely with them we might have won. But who knows, maybe next time. GO DUCKS!
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by **Novaya Zemlya** » Thu Jan 14, 2016 7:16 am

COSUMAR 7 - 4 NOVAYA ZEMLYA
Recap | Boxscore | Stats | The Timofeyev Report | Video

UNPRECEDENTED SUCKAGE IN VAL D'OR

We have suffered our first defeat of the 29th World Cup of Hockey. And what a defeat it was! The last time Novaya Zemlya gave up 7 goals at the WCoH level was back in WCoH 25 in Vaugania, when the Equestrian States obliterated us 7-2. At the time, Novaya Zemlya was an unranked underdog playing in only its second international hockey game, so the mishap was somewhat understandable and forgivable. This time, I am at a loss. What kind of excuses can you possibly come up with for a top-10-in-the-world hockey team that completely craps the bed like this in the most important game of the group stage?

While no member of the team escapes criticism after a game like this, it has to be said that Iosif Bezukladnikov had a terrible night in net. He gave up more goals in two periods than he did in the entire WCoH 28. I feel coach Bobr should have put Anton Lopatin in there earlier, but he chose to wait until the 6th Cosumar goal. In my humble opinion, when your starting goalie gives up softies left and right - get him out of there, and try to preserve what is left of his confidence. Either way, it will be interesting to see if Bobr gives Bezu a chance to redeem himself tonight against Unified Sunrise Islands, or if Lopatin gets the nod. It is a tough decision for sure, and I am glad I am not head coach.

However, let's not pretend that we lost this game solely because of goaltending. There was no shortage of skaters who stood out in a negative way either. Dmitriy Chupalov, who is probably the least mistake-prone defenseman in the NZEL on a normal day, had a couple of bad pinches that directly led to 2 goals against. The Cosumarites also had the luxury of last change as designated home team, and coach Havenstein had done his line matching homework, consistently putting his formidable Prentice - Vargstenen - Olson line out there against our third defensive pairing of Alenichev and Myshkin, who were having a train wreck of a game.

The Novozemlyan team declined to talk to the media after the game, save for the obligatory press conference which only Krasimir Yerokhin ("it's embarrasing, we gotta work harder") and some Hockey Federation PR guy ("here, cookies for everyone") attended. Bogdan Bobr was nowhere to be seen. However, I happen to stay at the same "hotel" as the Novozemlyan team here in Val d'Or (in reality it is a shabby motel located at a motorway exit an hour outside of town), and got a chance to talk to some of the players last night. Besides an unconfirmed report of Bogdan Bobr beating up a poor desk clerk, I did not get any quotables of note, but I got the impression that the team possesses enough mental strength to bounce back from this humiliating debacle. Call me a romantic, but I could see it in the eyes of Krasimir Yerokhin.

It is said sometimes that facing adversity in the round robin only helps in preparation for the elimination rounds. It might be true, provided you even make it to the elemination rounds. Right now the Novozemlyans are on the outside looking in, as our goal differential took something of a blow last night. The team now sits in third place of Group F, behind such hockey powerhouses as Iskandervale, a tropical island with 300'000 inhabitants and a six-team amateur league.

The way I see it, tonight's game against Unified Sunrise Islands will tell us everything we need to know about the character of this team, if this group of players is even remotely capable of going anywhere in international hockey. Nothing short of two decisive victories to close out the group stage is acceptable.

Anatoly Timofeyev is our leading hockey writer and he will bring you the latest updates from the 29th World Cup of Hockey

SOCIAL MEDIA

by **Kaboomlandia** » Thu Jan 14, 2016 9:47 am

Phoenix 2, Natanians and Nosts 0

"Welcome back to the grand old barn in Quebec City! Today we have the Kaboomlandians facing off against Natanians and Nosts in the third game of the group stage. Dylan Brady returns after missing one game with the flu. Natanians and Nosts didn't release the names of their players, so we will refer to them by their positions and numbers instead."

"Five minutes in. The Kaboomlandian RPM line of Rutherford, Philips and Martin goes across the centre line three-on-two. Martin with the puck, flips it to Philips on the left wing. Philips throws it on goal, save by GOALTENDER #1. Tyler Martin races for the rebound but can't corral it, behind the net it goes. Martin cycles back to Philips and goes around the net. Philips throws the puck back to the front of the net. GOALTENDER #1 gobbles that one up, but we're going to have a penalty here as DEFENSEMAN #4 cross-checked Tyler Martin to the ice right in front of the net as he was searching for the rebound, and the Phoenix will go to the power play."

"On the power play now. Darryl Rutherford controlling the puck on the half-wall, feeds back to Clooney. Patrick Clooney skates with it and feeds the puck back to Rutherford coming back towards to blueline. Rutherford throws it behind the net for Martin. Tyler Martin setting up behind the net, out to Philips who shoots, SCORES! ADRIAN PHILIPS ON THE POWER PLAY! THE PHOENIX GET ON THE BOARD!"

"Derek Strachan skating backwards now, defending against RIGHT WING #83 now. Strachan waits, then steps up and knocks RIGHT WING #83 down with a good, clean hit! Strachan gets the puck and head-mans it for Manny Hayes, who fires it down and gets a change."

"Time ticking down in the first period, Kaboomlandia's third line on the ice. Blair Mitchell is doing a good job of getting the best out of his players, and it shows against a disorganized Natanians and Nosts defense. Only the inspired play of GOALTENDER #1 is keeping them in this game. Jackson across the line. Feeds the puck to Kennedy Linden, who's going cross-ice. He guards the puck from the defender, then goes to the backhand, nice save by GOALTENDER #1 with six seconds remaining in the first period."

"We're back into the game, two minutes gone in the second period. Zack Murray wins a draw just outside his own blueline. Kevin Bore takes the puck and skates back, banks it off the boards for Derek Strachan. Strachan flips it up the ice for Jerome Smith. Smith steaming down the left wing. He pulls wide on DEFENSEMAN #8, power move towards the goalie. He goes for the shot, kicked out by GOALTENDER #1. Jackson collects the puck, cross-crease for Richards...WHAT A SAVE BY GOALTENDER #1! Richards looks skyward! He can't believe the goalie saved that shot!"

"Phoenix killing a penalty now after Darryl Rutherford was taken off for roughing. Scott Herndon takes the puck, plenty of room. He's going to rip this one...and it's going to be called on Herndon! He shot that puck 200 feet in the air and it hit the netting on the other end. A tough call, but now Natanians and Nosts will go to work on a 5-on-3 power play."

"Still on the two-man advantage. DEFENSEMAN #23 is back at the point. Over to DEFENSEMAN #4, who one-times it, kicked out by Brady. LEFT WING #12 tries a shot, but Pat Clooney got in front of it. LEFT WING #12 doesn't give up, goes behind to RIGHT WING #9, but Dylan Brady got over and didn't give him any room to shoot. He goes back to DEFENSEMAN #4, who shoots again, but Brady eats that one up to stop the clock."

'Phoenix back to full strength here as Herndon gets out of the box for delay of game. He goes to the bench, Martin hops the boards. Clooney goes high and it's a breakaway for Tyler Martin! He's in all alone! He shoots, he scores! Tyler Martin with the breakaway and the Phoenix now lead 2-0!"

"In the third period now. RIGHT WING #83 down the right side, he shoots, nice glove save by Brady to get a whistle."

"Phoenix with another power play. Derek Strachan shoots, he hit the post! Zack Murray chases the puck behind the net on this second unit. Murray out to Smith, who shoots, stopped by GOALTENDER #1 and there's no rebound whatsoever."

"Last minute of play, Natanians and Nosts with an empty net. Puck goes down to the net, Brady stops it and he's going to fire this one all the way down the ice. Can he make it? No, it is going to slide just wide of the open cage! What a beauty that would have been!"

"The game is over! The Phoenix now occupy second place in the group, ahead of their game tomorrow against Torisakia!"

by **Zenic** » Thu Jan 14, 2016 12:15 pm

Honestly, it was a weird scene at The Palladium after the Ficiscia-Zenic game on match-day 3. Some would be pleased that Zenic managed to stay on top of Group G while others would be disappointed that Zenic failed to beat an unranked nation in Ficiscia. Truly, this is one of the few moments that it is fine to feel both emotions.

The match was close from start to finish, as each team had about 48 shots on goal and 9 legitimate goal-scoring opportunities combined. Most of Ficiscia's chances came in the first period as they tried to get out to an early lead but the coaching staff and Piatek had prepared for it. Zenic then had most of the chances during the 2nd and 3rd periods, coming close with 3:27 into the beginning of the 3rd period. Ellsworth launched the puck at the goal which Celso Tennison deflected past Ficiscia goalkeeper, Aedificor. Unfortunately, Tennison's left skate was in the crease and the goal was nullified.

Some people wouldn't be too surprised from this results, considering Ficiscia has played well enough to land in second place in Group G as of this point. They had impressive victories over Damukuni and Uzekia, also giving them the second best goal differential in the group. It's a case of two teams playing against each other at a time when they are both at the top of their games. Though, I personally feel that the Frozen Survivors should have at least won the game by a goal or two.

The team will now have to move on from this game and prepare for their match-up against Damukuni while Ficiscia takes on Norrehavn and The Sword Bloke faces Uzekia. A return to their form from the first two games will be essential to stay ahead of Ficiscia, The Sword Bloke and Norrehavn. Zenic still has a few kinks in the armor that they need to patch up but overall, it is hard to deny that they are a legitimate contender to win the 29th World Cup of Hockey at this pace.

--Pauline Ferzi

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

by **Ficiscia** » Thu Jan 14, 2016 3:40 pm

FNSN.fc WCOH Coverage: Crazy Fans Everywhere!

The eyes of the hockey nation are directed at the Royal Kingdom of Quebec, and Ficiscia's eyes especially on Ottawa, where the team could beat Damukuni and Uzekia in spectacular games and showed their arguably best match last night against Zenic, the group leaders, managing a 0-0 draw which keeps Ficiscia at the second spot in their group and maintains all chances to qualify with good matches against Norrehavn and the Swordean Head Gnashers with their truly fear-inducing new jerseys. But we should not forget all the other hockey-crazy people who decided to stay at home and turn the streets of major and minor Ficiscian cities into a party despite the cold weather outside. In Antiqua's main square Forum Republicanum, Tele Ficiscia and the FIHA collaborated with city authorities to raise Ficiscia's largest screen in front of the city hall. In Carinha, a screen has been placed at the landmark bridge, Pontus Neptuni, to show the games. Friya has put a screen into the currently unused Norjastadion, selling 5'900 of possibly just over 8'000 seats for the first three games. Craziest, however, are the people in Limites. Despite the -19°C last night, over ten thousand fans gathered in the inner city to watch the game in the Limites Fan Walk, a 800m long street with a market and a total of fourteen big screens, along with an unknown number of small ones in temporary bars. It truly seems like Ficiscian life had come to halt for those days, with everyone wearing Black, Green and White and watching the games.

Here is the 0-0 against Zenic, seen from various places in this country.

CARINHA, 16:10 - We have to look for our places as people rapidly fill up the space along the Neptuni facing the huge bridge screen. As we can't find a good place anymore, we decide to walk two blocks westwards to the sea and turn down south across the river, into Carinha's nightlife district. Usually rather dead at this time, the bars are all opened, with large signs reading "WCOH HERE!" and advertising their beer prices. We decide for a classic, the "Carinha Sports Bar", a meeting point for all hockey fans in the Capital, decorated with jerseys, flags, scarves and sticks of Carinha's ice hockey pasts. The newest addition is a signed national team home jersey from team captain Kyrillos Brica and a WJHC away shirt from Karus Niskros, under which we sit down and greet the bartender, Nina, known to everyone in the city's hockey scene. Nina knows everything you could imagine about SSP, and belongs to the Sports Bar like the Pontus belongs to Carinha. She serves us our first local brews and chats a bit about the last game with us, before the first large fan groups enter the bar and Nina is busy greeting and serving people, while we await the game's start.

LIMITES, 16:25 - There are no local legends around in Limites as I enter the fan walk and instantly head for the main screen. People here are wearing thick sweaters and have their jerseys pulled over their jackets, but with the tons of hot drinks on offer and the people huddled tightly together, there is hardly any feeling of coldness coming up. Having lived in this city forever, I meet plenty of old friends - as does almost everyone who lived in Limites for long enough. This city might have 2.1 million inhabitants, it feels like a village. Fans gather in front of the screens, drinking the local speciality, hot, sweet peppermint tea with various amounts of vodka (never ask someone where this tradition comes from because we don't know) and practices their chants. Singing, waving flags and drinking North Tea is our way of keeping warm, along with the local stars from the rock band Nefas, performing at every Nordiques game and powering up the crowd now.

ANTIQUA, 16:45 - We squeeze between three studens from the Antiqua University, looking at the screen as they play the jingle that became so familiar and indicates the change over to Ottawa, where the teams enter the rink. People cheer as their local hero Alexandros Praesumptus is shown in the closeup and whistle at the Zenician players. Chants are getting louder, beer is flowing more and more and Antiqua is warming up before the puck drops, and suddenly people get up for the National Anthem. They are silent and seem thoughtful, but that is only a short moment. Just one and a half minutes after, they shout, like one man the traditional chant: "SUMUS FICISCIA! HIC PRO VICTORIA! CITIUS ET FORTISSIMA! SEMPER FICISCIA!". I have never heard something like that in my life.

FRIYA, 17:00 - Talking about things never heard, the rendition of the Anthem - which has lyrics in Norja - in Friya belongs in that section as well. But the voices, as impossible as that sounds, get even louder when the puck drops. Thousands shout and chant as their team starts aggressively and search the first goal. After two minutes, a check in the corner against Anderr Thorvaldssenn does not have any consequences. This cues a loud whistling, shouting and complaining, as he is one of the guys here, born, raised and trained in Friya. "REFEREE!!! CROSSCHECK! YOU BLIND CHICKEN!!", an old man shouts behind me while some young Norja men throw their empty beer cups at the big screen in the stadium. While the people behind me in the seats provide a constant singing background and wave their flags, as flags are forbidden in the flat part, the stands where the ice usually is are occupied by young men standing, shouting, celebrating - and me. Only Friya's notorious Ultras split up, as the part with the flags had to relocate to the seats. The athmosphere is brilliant, just the game lacks a goal.

LIMITES, 17:23 - "Now watch Larins passing it over to Vero, Decimius Vero over to Thorvaldssenn, back to the blue line where Arrius is waiting, SHOOTS! And it's deflected by a Zenician defender right onto the stick of Larins, but WHAT a save!" A loud growl runs through the square after that almost-goal by Antonis Larins and fans light green torches and white smoke. "FI-CIS-CIA! FI-CIS-CIA!" chants can be heard, fans climb onto the walls and benches of the square and if you look over it, you can see a sea of flags. Again, people sigh as a Zenician shot just barely misses the goal - this time with relief. The chances are there, but the goals aren't - yet the referees are, punishing Sextius Oppido for a tripping. Again, there is screaming, claiming dives and hurling drinks as the game goes on. We certainly don't feel the cold anymore...

CARINHA, 17:48 - The first break comes up and people flock outside the bar to have a smoke. Nina brings us another round, sitting shortly at our table to discuss the game, like she does with all of her regulars. We agree that Ficiscia is the better team but needs to score soon to avoid being crushed under the Zenician defense. Somehow the team never broke through, somehow a stick was always in the way, and so we failed to score a goal despite having 19 shots on goal compared to a mere 11 by Zenic. We chat with the fans at our table, finding out that they are from a female amateur team from Racovo, the suburb north of Carinha where Slavic settlement into Ficiscia started, and some of their boyfriends. They agree with our analysis of the game, one of them - their goaltender - pointing out the performance of Zenic's goalkeeper. However, as soon as the game resumes, people's attention is fixed onto the screens again...

ANTIQUA, 18:19 - Another loud scream and a concert of whistles ensues as the referee sends off Furus for 2+10 minutes after a check from behind which we all classify as normal action. Just shortly after, Fulvius gets sent off for a hooking, and people watch the screen anxiously, breaking into cheers as Aedificor does two big saves. Then, Furus's replacement on the penalty bench Aleixos returns onto the ice and gets a pass and a breakaway! But the youngster fails, shooting the puck against the post and back into the field, getting another sigh from the enthusiastic crowd. Every mistake, every bad decision and every Zenician near miss just seems to get this crowd more going, to make them scream louder and wave their flags wilder. But in the end, this all can't help them. Ficiscia is getting crushed under the approach of Zenic, and the fans feel it, getting more and more anxious.

FRIYA, 18:43 - A sound like a hurt animal shoots through the crowd as Aedificor does a last minute stop against Tendaji Jernej. There is no change before the faceoff, and Zenic wins it, Ellsworth shooting and suddenly, the puck is in the net. Instantly, people fall silent - until the first review. Now they see the Ficiscians complaining to the referees, requesting a video review, and the Norja in the stadium do the same. The old man behind me can be heard again, asking the referee his price, and they skate over to review the play. This sparks discussions among the audience in the Norjastadion whether the goal was good or not, and a big sigh of relief about four minutes later when the referees confirm that it was indeed a crease violation.

LIMITES, 19:11 - "SEPTEM, SEX, QUINQUE, QUATTUOR, TRES, DUO, UNUS, CERO!", the fans count down the seconds during the angry final attack of the Zenicians. Instantly, people celebrate, hug their neighbours, wave flags and light pyro as the siren confirms the draw against the big favourites, the number six of the world. People from the makeshift sports bar tents flock outside, celebrating together with their friends and colleagues in the streets of Limites as this confirms the possibility for Ficiscia to qualify. Me and my friends slowly head home, discussing the next game against Norrehavn - another top team. But for now, this draw feels almost like a victory.

Ficiscia 0-0 Zenic (0:0, 0:0, 0:0)

SCORERS: --
PENALTY: 7x 2 min + 10 min (Furus) Ficiscia / 6x 2 min Zenic
SHOTS: FIC 47-49 ZEN

THREE STARS:
*** FIC #1 Decimius Aedificor
** ZEN #0 Olli Piatek
* ZEN #98 Celso Tennison

Your reporters for this article were Livius Numerii and Fabius Rivi from Carinha, Parva Ninnia from Limites, Kyrillos Eristos and Iulia Terrana from Antiqua and Jokim Valdberr from Friya.

by **Gregoryisgodistan** » Thu Jan 14, 2016 5:00 pm

Lord Almighty Gregory's Speech to the People

"Good evening, ladies, gentlemen, and slaves. I speak to you today with great news. One week from tomorrow, January 23, is now officially a holiday. Specifically, it is Death to Dumpy O'Rumpy Day, where we honor our hatred of the wicked leader of the Free Republics, Dumpy O'Rumpy. For 24 straight hours, midnight to midnight, we will express our hatred of Dumpy O'Rumpy in burnings, songs, chants, smashings, and more. Here is a full schedule.

"At precisely midnight, we will sing the national anthem, as we do every hour on the hour. Then we will spend the next 30 minutes smashing statues of Dumpy O'Rumpy into hundreds of tiny little pieces with a sledgehammer. Once that's done, we will set the pieces on fire and watch them burn. From then until 1:00 AM, we will chant "DEATH TO DUMPY" non-stop while the fire rages. Then, we will sing the national anthem again and burn Republican flags for an hour while chanting "DEATH TO DUMPY" again. It will be incredibly awesome. Then, it's time for another rousing rendition of the national anthem at 2:00 AM, and we will burn effigies of Dumpy O'Rumpy for the next hour, chanting "DEATH TO DUMPY" then sing the anthem again at 3:00 AM. Once we're done with that, we will all flush miniature Dumpy O'Rumpies down our toilets for the next hour and chant "DEATH TO DUMPY" while we do it. At 4:00 AM, we will sing the anthem and burn Republican flags, throw miniature bombs at slaves dressed as Republican soldiers, and then behead them. That is what happens to heathens, they die and burn. Speaking of which, we will then set them on fire. This whole time, we will be chanting "DEATH TO DUMPY" which would be incredibly awesome.

"At 5:00 AM, we will sing the national anthem, and then we will chant "DEATH TO DUMPY" and "NUKE THE REPUBLICANS" at the top of our lungs for a whole hour while burning Republican flags, Bibles, and statues of Dumpy O'Rumpy. At 6:00 AM, we will sing the national anthem and eat breakfast. But not just any breakfast. We will all eat pancakes shaped like Dumpy O'Rumpy to symbolize eating our Enemy. Even commoners will be able to eat these, in fact they will have to. And these pancakes are most certainly not laced with mind control drugs to make them go along with what we're doing. That is not a Suspiciously Specific Denial. I am Your Lord.

"At 6:30, once we are done with our pancakes, we will sing a mock, highly insulting version of the Republican national anthem in which we refer to them as heathens, fools, and dead and how they will all die. It will be incredibly awesome. While we do that, we will burn Republican flags and more Bibles. At 7:00, we will sing the national anthem again, and launch into another hour-long chant of "DEATH TO DUMPY" which will be incredibly awesome. While we chant, we will burn more things of him in effigy and smash more statues. We will even smash xylocarps which have been specially grown to look like Dumpy O'Rumpy, destroying two of our enemies at once.

"At 8:00, it's time for another anthem, and then we will throw more bombs at more slaves disguised as Dumpy O'Rumpy, then execute them with the Brownie Cutter of Death, just because we can. The slaves will praise "Eye-ee-zus" while they do that, and then they will pay for their sins. At 9:00, it's time for another anthem, followed by more flag burning, statue smashing, and even statue beheading using ceremonial swords. Then we will flush the smashed statue pieces down the toilet. At 10:00, another anthem, and then we spend the next hour beheading and burning mannequins of Dumpy O'Rumpy. At 11:00, after another anthem, the Enemy Crushers will come in and crush slaves who look like Dumpy O'Rumpy, or, when no slaves are available, will crush mannequins of Dumpy O'Rumpy. At noon, it's time for another anthem and another meal. And again, you get real food. Specifically, pizza shaped like Dumpy O'Rumpy's face. You will all stab the pizza and then eat it. It will taste good and Dumpy O'Rumpy will be ceremonially eaten again. Then, for dessert, you get cookies shaped like Dumpy O'Rumpy's face. You will eat them. And they're not laced with mind control drugs. They most certainly are not. That is not a Suspiciously Specific Denial.

"That will take an hour, and then at 1:00 PM, we will sing the national anthem, and set slaves alive while they read Bible verses and pretend to be Dumpy O'Rumpy. Then we will behead their flaming bodies and chop them into tiny little pieces. It will be glorious and awesome. They will all die and we will kill them. At 2:00 PM, we will sing the national anthem and have more flag burnings, chanting "DEATH TO DUMPY" the whole time. We will also smash statues and have lots of other fun. At 3:00, another national anthem, more smashings, more slave stabbings, more burnings, and more "DEATH TO DUMPY" chants. At 4:00 PM, more national anthems, and we will spend an hour doing nothing but chanting "DEATH TO DUMPY" while shooting statues of Dumpy O'Rumpy. It will be awesome. At 5:00 PM, another national anthem, and then we will throw human solid waste at slaves dressed as Dumpy O'Rumpy, wipe the human solid waste off of them with Republican flags, and burn the flags. At 6:00, another national anthem and dinner. Specifically, cheeseburgers shaped like Dumpy O'Rumpy's face, vegetables specially grown in the shape of his face, and cookies shaped like his face. At 7:00 PM, another national anthem, more "DEATH TO DUMPY" chants, more statue smashing, more flag burning, and more slave slashings. At 8:00 PM, another national anthem, and we drown slaves who look like Dumpy O'Rumpy because they have disguised themselves, and then we will flush their remains down the toilet. At 9:00, a national anthem and dessert. Cake shaped like Dumpy O'Rumpy's face. There will be many species of cake and we will let you eat as much as you want, even if you are a commoner. You will eat cake for an hour while stabbing his face.

"At 10:00 PM, after a national anthem, we will have a dart throwing contest at a dartboard shaped like Dumpy O'Rumpy. Whoever wins each ward's dart throwing contest will receive one million greggygodbucks. It will be incredibly awesome. You will throw darts at his eyes, his nose, and his mouth. And then you will win one million greggygodbucks. It will be awesome. At 11:00 PM, we will sing the national anthem and stab more Dumpy O'Rumpy faces, it will be so incredibly awesome. And we will chant "DEATH TO DUMPY" for a whole hour and throw rocks at slaves who look like him. At midnight, we will sing the national anthem, chant "DEATH TO DUMPY" one last time, and the holiday will be over.

Happy Death to Dumpy O'Rumpy Day, everybody!

by **Elejamie** » Thu Jan 14, 2016 5:47 pm

"And now it's over to John Daverson for the third day of the World Cup of Hockey. John?"

That's right, Steve. Good morning, Elejamie! Yesterday saw Elejamie completely humiliate the Equestrian States. The Equestrian States, also known as the Windigos, came third in the 27th edition of the competition - winning their group on goal difference before going onto the semi finals, where they were knocked out by co-hosts and eventual winners Gregoryisgodistan; they would later beat Novaya Zemlya 3-1 in the third-place playoff in Schemerdrecht, Ko-oren - and, despite them missing the last competition in Valanora, were expected to show that they still had some spark left in them. Unfortunately, that wasn't to be as they went down 5-0 in a match that was clean and free of penalties, with two goals coming in less than a minute. Here are the highlights:

The first period saw the Windigos get off to a great start, as they very nearly came close to scoring twice in the first minute; the first shot hitting the glass behind the goal and the second being caught easily by Antonio Cervantes. Even after they won the face-off, they still couldn't get it past the brick wall that was Cervantes. However, they proved to be quite a challenge when we . Fortunately, we managed to get past them; halfway through the first period following an icing call, Danilo Barajas won the face off and passed it to James Han, who scored off of the one-timer. However, both sides weren't able to capitalise on that and, at the end of the first period, the score was 1-0 to Elejamie.

The second period saw Elejamie double up early when, a minute and a half after the start, Lupe stole the puck from an Equestrian attacker and passed it to Cerin Meloten, whose shovel shot made its way in between the goalie's legs. Afterwards, Elejamie tried their hardest to add another goal onto the board, whereas the Equestrian States were trying to level the scores. Bill Harrison's wrist shot just went wide. Aaron Andrews managed to hit the post, with his rebound being caught by the Windigo's goalie. James Han's attempt at a second goal stopped as soon as he started because he was offside. In the end, both sides weren't able to add to the score and, with the second period now over, Elejamie were 2-0 up and still holding on to the reins.

When the third period started, the Windigos wanted to prove that they weren't exactly beaten. But, sadly it wasn't to be as, a minute after the start, Anatoly Kasputin made it 3-0, thanks to his unassisted snap shot bouncing off of William Young's pad, hitting the post and sliding into the back of the net. As a result, a fresh goalie was brought on for the rest of the period. Fortunately, this played off, as their new guy was able to prevent any more goals. A wrist shot from Lucas Madgwick, a one-timer from Pael Atenar, even a slap shot from Felipe Barajas were either caught or deflected. A small consolation as, not only were their fans starting to walk out of the match, but also none of the forwards were able to trouble Antonio Cervantes; the closest they came to a goal was three minutes from time, when a shot hit the crossbar and just managed to land in Cervantes' hand. Unfortunately, although they did very well in goal, the Equestrian goalie were taken off of the ice for the last minute. Just as their goaltender was coming off, Anatoly Kasputin managed to steal the puck from an Equestrian defenceman and passed it to Francisco Solano, who made it 4-0 with a backhanded empty-netter; he then celebrated it with style, with his celebratory dance being considered a sequel to Antonio Cervantes' figure skating routine after the 4-4 draw against Havl in the 26th edition. And, to rub salt on the wound, Anatoly Kasputin would win his third point less than thirteen seconds from time when he, along with Adam Keane, assisted Cerin Meloten's snap shot into the Windigos empty net. With that last goal - which was followed by the Icy Elephants dawdling about until the clock reached zero - Elejamie had won it 5-0 and now head into their next game with high hopes.

In a post-match interview, head coach Michael Madgwick said "That was not how I was expecting that to turn out! I mean, don't get me wrong, I was predicting a victory but only by a couple of goals. Five is not a couple! That being said, the Windigos did manage to keep calm during those three periods and, indeed, they only really fell apart in that last minute. A disappointing display from a normally good team but it's nothing they won't recover from. They didn't go soft on us and, again, they might come back to the next tournament and actually put us on the ropes for a change."

"Tomorrow, you've got Polaskaan. Do you think that'll be another easy game?"

"Yes. I mean, there's a chance that they'll pull off a surprise, maybe two, especially since they're in the lower half of the table. But I wouldn't really bet on it. The only thing they've really had going for them so far was that very narrow 1-0 win over Ortol'a from last night. So yes, I'm very confident that the boys will make it four out of four."

Meanwhile, in the other group matches of the day, Ortol'a finally managed to score a goal - three of them, in fact - but it wasn't enough to stop Ethane from beating them 4-3. And Ontorisa just about managed to bounce back from their disappointing loss yesterday thanks to a 6-4 win over Polaskaan. Today, Ontorisa will try and get an easy win over Ortol'a; and the Windigos will try to bounce back from that humiliating defeat in their match against Ethane. But, most importantly of all, Elejamie will playing Polaskaan; a match which, should they win, would see the Icy Elephants being among the first teams - if not THE first team - to qualify for the Round of 16.

Over to Group F now, where group leaders Cosumar humbled Novaya Zemlya 7-4. The Novozemlyans, hot off the heels of their 2-1 victory over last-placed Klaus Devastorie, were the favourites going into their match against the Ice Dragons, who were looking for that first victory after two draws in a row...

Period			P1	P2	P3	FS
Equestrian States	0	0	0	0
Elejamie		1	1	3	5

by **Alphatheta** » Thu Jan 14, 2016 6:53 pm

Novosti Posledniye: Family members of Wytréno still waiting with petitions for repatriation after team's failure in Sept-Iles, QUE; The mood after Wytréno's final game... read more]

NOVOSTI ATLETICO Live dall'Estero

Back to International News Home || Back to Sports Home || Domestic Sports || International Sports || Hockey Central || Curling Central || Olympics Central || Search

Strides Forward, Finally

World Cup of Hockey XXIX
MD 3:
Alphatheta 4–2 Armeia
MD 4:
Natanians and Nosts v Alphatheta

Quebec City, QUE MSK+7 8:34pm - Antipha United finally properly flexed its muscles in their sole group game against another unranked competitor in the pool. In a fairly fast-paced game, the Tors manged to hold a definitive lead throughout, keeping a point ahead at all times to finally finish the match 4-2. Although there's still a long way for the team to go to truly have held their own in the pools--and although there are still formidible competitors to face in games 4 and 5--fans across the patria have been celebrating since the final minutes of the game against Armeia.

"That's my team!" an individual who wished to remain anonymous in Sborgorod shouted over every score announcement throughout the match. "That's how we play!"

The sentiment was more or less echoed by Antipha United's head coach, Wilson Wilson, in a brief press conference after the match here in snow-clogged Quebec City.

"Most of it, I have to say, is that [team captain Žarko] Császár got his head back on straight," Wilson speculated. "He'd been really starting to rely on Ožbej Althaus in the regular season--too much, I think. And now he's back to looking for Bhàtair [Robert] and Yakov [Matheson] and that's good. Good for us here; great, really, for us in the long run. Probably good for him to stumble a little here, too, and for these kids like [Otto] Kempf and [Braam] Geier to be cutting their teeth with a functional team showing them the ropes."

Group E Standings Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Valanora                3    3   0   0    17    4  +13     6
2 Kaboomlandia            3    2   0   1     6    6    0     4
3 Alphatheta              3    1   1   1     7    6   +1     3
4 Torisakia               3    1   1   1     7    7    0     3
5 Natanians and Nosts     3    1   0   2     3   12   −9     2
6 Armeia                  3    0   0   3     5   10   −5     0

There is, of course, some speculation that the turnaround may have been at least partially motivated by the fact that the Alphatheta National gridiron football team, have not had their re-entry visas approved after the team's defeat in their group in Sept-Iles, Quebec. Affectionately known around the capital provinces as 'Wytréno,' the team came third in their World Bowl XXVIII group but failed to make the round of 16 and, as such, has largely begun making their way to Quebec City to join Antipha United rather than being allowed to return to their homes in Alphatheta.

"It definitely has our attention a little," Draško Browne reported while taking a brief drill break. "Most of us figure our commissions will get us back in, at the end of the day, but with Wytréno coming here because they can't go back-- it definitely gets stuck in your mind a little that it's real. It's not just a boogeyman story your mom tells you to get you to go to bed on time. And that's something that has to have some impact on your playing, whether you like it or not. We just try to push for it to be positive impact rather than distraction or anything like that."

With their first victory under their belt, the Tors look forward now to channeling that anticipation into their match against Natanians and Nosts.

NILC QFs || Spartak Vorotagrad 2–0 KL Sborgorod || Central'nyi Steinstadt 2–1 Chernomorets Vernyygorod || KL Gavan 1–0 KL Bolotoderev || Rapid Trusdvo 1–0 Górnik Kholmstad

by **Esparmuran** » Thu Jan 14, 2016 7:35 pm

Third period propells Esparmuran, defeats Devonta

5.50 k.

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

Olaf Skovgaard

Chicoutimi, Quebec

Esparmuran has taken game number two here at the 29th WCoH, over 19-seeded Devonta. Esparmuran has had a strong start in the tournament, and judging by Group D's roster, we figure we'll continue to do well enough throughout.

Before Esparmuran's five tallies, Devonta went and scored first. Paul Stark, the same player who scored against Esparmuran in a 2-1 loss at WCoH 28, scored again here. Stark skated right to left behind the net and sent a sharp-angled shot that bounced off Espar defenceman Devereux Bone's skate, and then ricocheted off goaltender Wolf Paige's right skate and over his shoulder into the net.

"To be honest I don't think I've ever seen something like that. That was pure puck like right there." Head Coach Jimi Stack said with a laugh after the game.

Devonta was doing very good in this opening half of the period, almost making it 2-0 from a would-be Gregory Fist goal, but it waved off, after the officials took another look at the goal and found Fist interfering with Paige. Devonta's tally was brought down to one on the scoreboard after a reign of boos from the predominately Devontan crowd.

At 16:03, Espar right-winger Kim Jardine backhanded a pass from Gregers Østergaard on a 2-on-1 rush past Devontan goaltender Daniel Kinked for his first goal of the tournament.

The second period was scoreless, but not penalty-less. At 9:16, a scrum for the puck in the neutral zone provided some shoving and pushing and eventually escalated into a fight, with Francis Rodriguez and Dan Rasmussen going at it. After a tumble to the ice, both were sent to their respective sin bins, and the period continued on as usual. A couple good scoring chances, but alas, no goals.

Something in the Espar team clicked at the beginning of the third period, and whatever it was, it helped them rout the Devontans in the third.

And the end of the third, Beake, School, and Royston (two times!) had scored in a heavily-leaning Espar period. Paige had a great game as well, posting a .965 save percentage. Esparmuran will face Nephara tomorrow.

by **Ontorisa** » Thu Jan 14, 2016 7:53 pm

www.Nationalsportsnetwork.ont
The Falcons Comeback Immensely
After trailing by two going into the third period, Ontorisa scores four unanswered goals to beat Polaaskan

Quebec - Stop, Team Ontorisa, our hearts can only survive so many heart attacks.

Going into the game, immense pressure was on Ontorisa as the heartbreaking loss against Elejamie was still fresh in everyone's minds. Players specifically under the microscope? Xel Kedersolis, a -1 in the tournament so far with 6 penalty minutes. The tough scoring power forward had not recorded a goal in the past 2 games, and was "under consideration of being demoted to the third line." However, everyone was looking forward to seeing the Finnish Sniper, Prakos Panjaarvi. At this point, Panjaarvi was onto something, with two goals in his past two games played.

However, the first period did not go the way Ontorisa wanted it to.

Thanks to a fantastic tic-tac-toe passing strategy between Corispan, Psear, Qanas Johik showed off a rocket of a shot, beating the Polaaskan goaltender low blocker with a well placed slap shot to open up the scoring. However, from there, Ontorisa's game only got worst. Polaaskan scored three unanswered goals, two of them from the blue line that easily beat Semkaris while one was a well placed deflection at the hash marks.

From there, Semkaris was yanked in favour of Torik Sacikij. As Semkaris came off the ice, a few fans decided it would be funny to boo him and throw garbage at him, a very disrespectful display from the fans.

"Yeah, it sucks letting the team down." Semkaris acknowledged his lacklustre performance. "But it's worst if you're pelted by garbage and jeered."

The fans were removed immediately by security.

Thankfully, Prakos Panjaarvi continued his goal streak during the Polaaskan power play in the first period. By choking up on the forecheck, Panjaarvi was able to close the distance between the Polaaskan forward playing defence on the power play and easily take the puck off of the forward before speeding forward. He then went bar down on the goaltender, shooting the puck short side, putting the puck between the goalie's blocker and his head.

3-2, made 4-2 with a weird bounce from a shot from a sharp angle in the second period. Ontorisa looked done and dusted. Until Polaaskan took two bad back-to-back penalties, one for cross-checking and the other for interference. From there, it was feeding frenzy for Ontorisa.

A powerful slap shot from the point that was beautifully deflected by Tealmos Wedernas got Ontorisa back into the game, which would allow them to score 3 more unanswered goals to win the game.

Score Summary

1st Period
ONT Goal: Johik, Qanas (1) [Psear, Fralo (1); Corispan, Heja (2)] - Even Strength Goal - Slap Shot Goal - 17:53
POL Goal: Slap Shot Goal - Even Strength Goal
POL Goal: Slap Shot Goal - Even Strength Goal
POL Goal: Deflection - Even Strength Goal
ONT Goal: Panjaarvi, Prakos (3) [Unassisted] - Short Handed Goal - Wrist Shot Goal - 4:10
2nd Period
POL Goal: Wrist Shot Goal - Power Play Goal
3rd Period
ONT Goal: Wedernas, Tealmos (3) [De-ker-Peork, Vecam (2); Delsja, Rieaa (3)] - Power Play Goal - Deflection - 16:48
ONT Goal: Kedersolis, Xel (1) [Doristram, Mejer (5); Psear, Fralo (2)] - Even Strength Goal - Backhand Goal - 16:13
ONT Goal: Tamatro, Kjil (1) [Tryskai, Umar (1); Kolobos, Yeta (1)] - Even Strength Goal - Snap Shot Goal - 14:19
ONT Goal: Delsja, Rieaa (1) [Wedernas, Tealmos (3); Salkug, Kepitri (2)] - Even Strength Goal - Wrist Shot Goal - 3:07

Box Score
1st 2nd 3rd Final
Ontorisa 2 0 4 6
Polaaskan 3 1 0 4

Ontorisa Shots: 50
Polaaskan Shots: 46

W - Tolkos Semkaris - 19 SA, 16 SV - SV% 0.842
W - Torik Sacikij - 27 SA, 26 SV - SV% 0.962
L - Name Not Submitted - 31 SA, 26 SV - SV% 0.838
L - Name Not Submitted - 19 SA, 18 SV - SV% 0.947

THREE STARS OF THE GAME - Presented by Velpoz Sports Equipment

1st Star: Prakos Panjaarvi (1 G, 0 A, 1 P, 0 +/-, 3 Hits)
2nd Star: Tealmos Wedernas (1 G, 1 A, 2 P, -1 +/-, 2 Hits)
3rd Star: Kjil Tamatro (1 G, 0 A, 1 P, -1 +/-, 5 Hits)

by **The Royal Kingdom of Quebec** » Thu Jan 14, 2016 11:01 pm

MD4 Cutoff

Everything feels new once you're in the link, as if you're on an interstellar journey.

Group A
Royal Kingdom of Quebec 2–0 Narsora
Neu Engollon 1–0 Vilita and Turori
Sandhelm 2–3 Vaugania

Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Royal Kingdom of Quebec    4    4   0   0    17    6  +11     8
2 Neu Engollon               4    3   0   1    13    6   +7     6
3 Vilita and Turori          4    2   0   2    13   12   +1     4
4 Vaugania                   4    2   0   2    12   10   +2     4
5 Narsora                    4    1   0   3     4   13   −9     2
6 Sandhelm                   4    0   0   4     6   18  −12     0

Group B
Ontorisa 4–1 Ortola
Elejamie 3–0 Polaaskan
Ethane 4–5 Equestrian States

Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Elejamie                4    4   0   0    15    3  +12     8
2 Ontorisa                4    3   0   1    18   10   +8     6
3 Equestrian States       4    3   0   1    10   11   −1     6
4 Polaaskan               4    1   0   3     7   12   −5     2
5 Ethane                  4    1   0   3     9   14   −5     2
6 Ortola                  4    0   0   4     4   13   −9     0

Group C
Ko-oren 2–1 Banija
Nassau-Hessen 2–1 Ilyseum
Arkiasis 2–4 Nova Anglicana

Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Nova Anglicana          4    4   0   0    16    9   +7     8
2 Ko-oren                 4    3   1   0     9    3   +6     7
3 Arkiasis                4    1   2   1    11   12   −1     4
4 Nassau-Hessen           4    2   0   2     5    7   −2     4
5 Ilyseum                 4    0   1   3    11   16   −5     1
6 Banija                  4    0   0   4     6   11   −5     0

Group D
Kernansquillec 2–3 Esparmuran
Nordeana 1–0 HUElavia
Nephara 4–2 United States of Devonta

Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Esparmuran                  4    4   0   0    19    9  +10     8
2 Nephara                     4    3   0   1    15    9   +6     6
3 Nordeana                    4    2   1   1     8   10   −2     5
4 Kernansquillec              4    0   2   2     8   11   −3     2
5 United States of Devonta    4    1   0   3     5   11   −6     2
6 HUElavia                    4    0   1   3     1    6   −5     1

Group E
Armeia 3–6 Valanora
Natanians and Nosts 0–3 Alphatheta
Torisakia 2–2 Kaboomlandia

Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Valanora                4    4   0   0    23    7  +16     8
2 Kaboomlandia            4    2   1   1     8    8    0     5
3 Alphatheta              4    2   1   1    10    6   +4     5
4 Torisakia               4    1   2   1     9    9    0     4
5 Natanians and Nosts     4    1   0   3     3   15  −12     2
6 Armeia                  4    0   0   4     8   16   −8     0

Group F
Klaus Devestatorie 3–2 Allamunnic States
Novaya Zemlya 3–1 Unified Sunrise Islands
Iskandervale 0–4 Cosumar

Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Cosumar                    4    2   2   0    18   11   +7     6
2 Novaya Zemlya              4    3   0   1    13   11   +2     6
3 Iskandervale               4    1   2   1     7    8   −1     4
4 Unified Sunrise Islands    4    0   3   1    10   12   −2     3
5 Klaus Devestatorie         4    1   1   2     9   12   −3     3
6 Allamunnic States          4    0   2   2     7   10   −3     2

Group G
The Sword Bloke 5–1 Uzekia
Zenic 3–2 Damukuni
Norrehavn 2–2 Ficiscia

Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Zenic                   4    3   1   0    15    3  +12     7
2 Ficiscia                4    2   2   0    13    7   +6     6
3 The Sword Bloke         4    3   0   1     9    7   +2     6
4 Norrehavn               4    2   1   1     9    8   +1     5
5 Damukuni                4    0   0   4     7   15   −8     0
6 Uzekia                  4    0   0   4     6   19  −13     0

Group H
Gregoryisgodistan 4–0 Kazirstan
Abanhfleft 4–2 Semarland
Anthor 3–4 Red Blackiland

Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Gregoryisgodistan       4    3   1   0     7    0   +7     7
2 Abanhfleft              4    3   1   0    11    6   +5     7
3 Red Blackiland          4    1   2   1    10   10    0     4
4 Semarland               4    1   1   2     9   10   −1     3
5 Kazirstan               4    0   2   2     3    9   −6     2
6 Anthor                  4    0   1   3     5   10   −5     1

by **-Anthor-** » Fri Jan 15, 2016 12:54 am

OOC: Shoutout to Kyrusia for the assist in the new banner

Dreams Dashed, Go Home Ducks
Duck's Mondy blows what could have been a magical night, and thus, the Ducks are finished in the Cup

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Gnaeus Tanicius Vopiscus (@Gnaeus Tanicius Vopiscus)(TH)
^{January 15, 2016 2:41 AM | Vaumort, Anthor}

Austin Poindexter (#14 Left Winger) looks in horror as Blackiland scores the winning goal with :41 left TH photo

Vaumort, Anthor(Herald) — Well, it seems like my debut into covering international Anthoran hockey is going to be a short one, as the Ducks dashed almost everyone's hopes against the rocks last night; their performance was magical, they went into halftime up 2-0, make it 3-0 by the start of the final period and it looked like just maybe they could ink out a advancement; and then the shoddy performance, described by numerous Anthorans back home as "the crappiest defense this generation will ever see", with the Ducks giving up 4 goals in ten minutes, and ended up watching Red Blackiland win 4-3 and celebrate what should have been a Ducks victory.

The match got off to a great start, masterful back to back puck plays, the first twenty minutes was mostly defensive play with both sides getting some long-odds shots on their enemy's nets but the first celebration came when the Blackiland's #2 Moritz Gottesman with a boarding call on the Duck's #48 Left Defender Tony Pearson which had him removed from the game. The ensuing powerplay, which came on the heels of a near fight with several team-mates having to hold back a fired up Poindexter, saw Hunter connect with Robertson on a long pass down the ice and then Robertson skillfully putting it in the back of the net. The game returned to it's defensive play until 12:31 of the 2nd Quarter when the emotion clicked back on for the Ducks offensive, with Robertson stealing the puck from #11 Pascal Reichwein and connecting with Hunter for a short pass, then to Poindexter, then to Deschamps, then back to Hunter, then to Poindexter just to the right of the goal who flicked it in with such speed, I'm shocked that Blackiland's Barnabas even saw it in time to make a failed kick at it, but missed. Ten minutes later, Poindexter would repeat his success and score on a long shot off of a pass from Stoddard, a net which sent the already ecstatic Ducks fan's wild to the point of euphoric madness.

Rest assured, the Ducks did the one thing they've been good at all Cup and brought them down, conceding a goal just six minutes later, a mere four minutes after Guy Ryley is pulled following complaint from a probable injury following a save in which the puck collided with Ryley's helmet - the save was back in the 2nd period but the effects took a while and post-game he was determined to have a mild concussion. When Mondy came in, the Ducks dreams got flushed down a toilet. Pascal Reichwein avenged Robertson's steal earlier and slammed Hunter expertly against the boards, allowing fellow winger Mathias Kirschbaum to nab the puck and connect on a back-to-back series of successive passes with Manfred Niemeyer and Alfons Bechtholdt to score the Blackiland's second goal, bringing the game to 3-2 and with 6:45 to go. The Duck's defense fought on hard, as by this time most of the second line had come onto the ice, but Reichwein exacted further vengeance at 2:31 to score the tying goal, easily slamming the puck into the net behind the back of Mondy. Ducks attempted to rouse a second wind with Stoddard and Edgar Hammond attempting to rouse up their fellow Duck's spirits, and they managed to cling on for nearly two minutes until Hammond got slammed to the ice and lost the puck, allowing Eckhart Stickler to score a goal that might have, in fact in terms of advancement did, sealed the Duck's fate in this Cup.

As of this moment, the Ducks are at the dead bottom of their Group, with 0 wins, 3 losses, a draw, 3 goals for and 5 against, for a total of just 1 point. They have a single game left, which is against #13 ranked Abanhflelt, which is second in the group with 3 wins and scaringly has scored a group-high 11 goals for, with only six goals allowed. If the Ducks can manage just one win against the Group runner-up, they would still fail to qualify for advancements to the playoffs, but would manage to save face. Already calls are being made by pundits asking numerous questions - the most prevalent theory is that Horn's selection process of simply running down the best, statistically speaking, players in a hockey-esque sabermetric fashion was 'flawed' and clearly hampering the Ducks, as despite possessing the best players the Anthorans have to offer as far as stats go, they, plainly, suck. One can hope that perhaps Horn can alter his gameplay and squeeze just enough out of the Ducks so atleast they can go home saying they won at least one, and hope to double it next time.

Gnaeus Tanicus Vopiscus contributed to this article.

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