World Cup of Hockey XXIX Everything Thread (IC)

[Ficiscia]

FNSN.fc WCOH coverage: Another Draw, Still Unbeaten

The draw against Zenic was largely unexpected and gave the Ficiscian team a perfect opportunity to almost secure their KO round participation today with a victory against 22nd-placed Norrehavn who hasn't been very convincing so far. Nevertheless, as an unranked team we are, of course, not the favourites against a team like them, despite their somewhat disappointing performance so far. Muratus changed his team a bit, sending Decimius Porcius back into goal despite the brilliant performance of Aedificor in the game against Zenic. "We are playing our games almost daily, so it's very important to avoid someone gets too tired or even hurt. We have a reason to believe we might stay in the competition past the group games, so we thought that Aedificor should preserve his energy".

Also, 31-year old winger Sextius Oppido took the place on the stands while 9 years younger Marcellus Simoni from the Limites Nordiques got his first chance to play at the World Championships. According to Muratus, Oppido stated that he is suffering from a cold and the coaches wanted to be sure he can get healthy before he'd play again, and indeed he could not be seen in the hall during the game. Simoni played a generally strong game without being seen much and didn't appear in the summary, but also didn't make any major mistakes. Muratus said that he'd decide on Oppido's playing tomorrow morning together with the winger and the medical staff.

Like in the three previous games, Ficiscia started out aggressive and was the better team in the first minutes. It took, however, a powerplay for the Lynx to score a goal - luckily the Norrehavn team soon took a penalty which the boys could use. It was a very nice goal, the umbrella being set up quickly and the puck circulating around, eventually finding the way onto the stick of the nation's best sniper Sergius Marcantor who shot the puck over the goalie's pad into the net. Only the good play of the Norrehavn goalkeeper kept the world's number 22 from going down by two before the break, and Ficiscian fans were cheering their team fanatically in large numbers as they were the whole week. Under those cheers, another goal went in shortly before the break, but the referees went into the review. Quickly, they decided to disallow the goal due to a goaltender interference by Antonis Larins, who had to leave the game for the next two minutes in consequence.

Luckily, Norrehavn couldn't use this powerplay to score an equalizer. However, they did shortly after the break due to a bad mistake by Marillii, allowing two of their forwards to run towards the Ficiscian goal, passing the puck between them to pass a chanceless Furus and shot the puck past Porcius. "There is no way to apologize for such mistakes. When you're at the blue line, you have to keep the puck - and I know that. But obviously I didn't do it on purpose, and we have to look forward and try to win the last period", said a visibly disppointed Lucius Marillii. Of course, everything was still open now - but then, in the first minutes of the third, Norrehavn's forwards deflected a shot into the net past a completely chanceless Porcius, who said after the game: "I think I played well. I know I conceded two goals again, but did you see them? A two on one and a deflection. I am not putting the blame on our defenders, if someone stands in front of the goal it's always a bit hit or miss if you or the forward gets the puck. In this case he did, and a deflection from there is barely stoppable". There was a bit of a discussion afterwards because some Ficiscians argued that the scorer stood inside the crease, but the referees reviewed the goal and claimed that Minor had pushed the forward in there.

Ficiscia had to put on an all out attack in the last minutes to avoid their first loss. They did so by replacing their goaltender early on, three minutes before the end, during a powerplay, and used their two man advantage to pass the puck quickly through the Norrehavn box onto Vero's stick, who only hit the post, and later for a shot by Praesumptus that was already past the goaltender but stopped by a defenseman on the line. The penalty was eventually over, but Ficiscia kept their goalkeeper out and managed a goal 53 seconds before the end by Decimius Vero, pushed over the line after a rebound on a shot from Fulvius. The team now faces The Sword Bloke in a decisive game. We will need at least a draw to go on to the KO round, but in case of a loss, we are out for sure as The Sword Bloke would overtake us.

For this crucial game, the team has to work without third line winger Linicius Pacorus, who was out after a unlucky situation in the second period. Pacorus was skating down the left side, attempting to deke past a defender, when he was checked fairly by a defender and lost his balance, sliding into the goal post with his elbow. Team doctors announced Pacorus is most likely out for the rest of the tournament and possibly even longer. At the post-game-press conference, Kyrillos Muratus stated that "this is a very bad thing, together with Oppido's illness. Our play also relies on not giving the opponent a time to breathe, always keeping the pressure up and for that we need depth. Luckily, I still have Marcellus and Marcus Licius here, so this shouldn't be a problem - but it's not what I was hoping for."

Norrehavn 2-2 Ficiscia (0-1, 1-0, 1-1)

SCORERS (FIC): 13' Marcantor 0-1 (Brica, Neri/Penalty Norrehavn); 60' (59:07) Vero 2-2 (Fulvius, Marcantor)
PENALTY: 5x 2 min Norrehavn / 4x 2 min Ficiscia
SHOTS: NOR 31-36 FIC

THREE STARS:
*** FIC #7 Sergius Marcantor
** NOR #8 (unknown name)
* FIC #89 Decimius Porcius

[The Sword Bloke]

THE SWORD BLOKE VS UZEKIA

"Hello, I'm Shop Owner. This is TSBtv Sports 1, and you are about to watch The Sword Bloke vs Uzekia in this 29th World Cup of Hockey. Uzekia are minnows, they are unranked, and we will win. In fact, I don't even know why we need to show a game that we'll win! Oh wait, you need to watch it or you get executed!!! So let's go over to Quebec for the game."

"Alright. Puck drops, and Bell Saklin comes a-running out of the centre. Uzekia's defence sucks badly, and just 12 seconds in, SAKLIN POUNDS IT IN! IF THIS DEFENCE CAN'T HANDLE BELL SAKLIN, THEN THEY REALLY MUST SUCK! YES! The Head Gnashers fans are banging their boomsticks in the air. They've got arguably the quickest goal this WCoH under their belts! They will win this thing!"

"Well, back in the centre. Saklin gets possession again. 1 minutes 9 secs in. While we're here, I'll just advertise for something. OK, OK, where the hell is that shee-oh, oh! There it is! Don't forget that the Swordean Hockey League starts up on Tuesday! Watch public executions before each and every game! Public executions at half time! First game is between the Indigoville Guillotines and the Angelou Avalanches! Get your grave candy inside the arena! Ooh yea!"

"Alright, 2 minutes left in the first period. Uzekia have the ball, courtesy of Dat Guy, but Dat Guy will face the wrath of the Head Gnashers, surely... The Head Gnashers have had 78% of possession so far tonight. And Dat Guy goes... AND THE SWORDEANS POUND HIM! OH YES! HE'S ON THE GROUND! GO SWORDEAAAAAANNNNNSS!!!!"

"Well, Dat Guy is on the ground, and he isn't moving. Blood coming out everywhere. Is he dead? Well, the Uzekian medical team is coming out, folks, and they're checking him. They have a mobile X-Ray, and they're checking his bones... Well, yep, they say he's not dead, just in a wheelchair for a very, very, very long time. Go Swordeans!"

"Well the Uzekians have possession from Which Guy, and the SWORDEANS INTERCEPT IT AND GO INTO AN OPEN NET!!! THE UZEKIANS CAN'T STOP TIM STOKES! AND IT IS IN!!! TIM STOKES, CAPTAIN OF OUR WJHC CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM, GETS IT IN RATHER EASILY! HEAD GNASHERS A-GO-GO! HOOT!"

"So it goes back in the centre, 29 seconds til the first period is over, y'all. Bell Saklin gets it, and the Uzekian defence is here, there, and letting him go through the middle???!?!? Saklin has only one defender and the goalie. The defender is a snail compared to Saklin, and he TAPS IT PAST THE UZEKIAN GOALIE!! GOAL, GOAL GOAL GOAL, GOAL!!! 3-0 HEAD GNASHERS! GROUP G IS NOT IN DOUBT WHEN WE'RE IN IT!!! GOAL!!!!!!!!"

"Alright. Second period has sped past. Now there's 1 minute left in the second period. The Uzekians got an early goal, from Who Dey Guys, 1:28 into the second period. But hey, the Swordeans are still beast. Cos with 19 seconds left, TIM STOKES IS NEXT TO AN OPEN GOAL!! HE TRIES A TRICK SHOT, AND GETS IT FROM THE CORNER OF THE FIELD! GOAL OF THE TOURNAMENT! SWORDEANS 4-1! OLE OLE OLE OLE! OLE OLE OLE OLE!"

"Well, 2:19 left in the last period. It is a Swordean show here, their defence killing the attack of the Uzekians, and their attack is beyond doubt the best out of anyone in the tournament! And Tim Stokes has it from half court. Who will get it in? SWORDEANS, SWORDEANS! And what will Tim Stokes do? Pass to Bell Saklin, as Saklin spins it up and HITS IT DOWN! SWORDEANS 5-1! OOH YEA!"

"And the game is beyond doubt! In the history books! SWORDEANS 5-1 UZEKIA! They have been pounded and fiddled! The Swordeans are equal second, with Ficiscia, who just drew with Norrehavn, ahead with +6 goal difference, while we have +2. Well, we are awesome. Especially, Bell Saklin, Tim Stokes and our 7'2" goalie, Christopher Police! We have dem skills to win! Next up is Ficiscia, win and we made the KO's, lose and we're out to some unranked minnows! GO SWORDEANS!!! Good night, 30 people in The Sword Bloke & Owner-osity who own a TV!"

[Gregoryisgodistan]

OOC: In response to Saintland's RP in the WBC thread - sorry for the short RP, I have not much time

Lord Almighty Gregory's Speech to the People

"Good evening, ladies, gentlemen, and slaves. I speak to you today of great news. The nation of Fatalulu, led by the brave, noble Abelino Greece, has declared independence from the wicked nation of Free Republics, led by the wicked Dumpy O'Rumpy. This is now the time for war. Surely Dumpy O'Rumpy will declare war on Fatalulu for having the dignity to secede from the wicked Church of Saintland backed nation that kills off the opposition like flies are killed by butter.

"And just as surely, we will help him. Mr. Greece was instrumental in our defeat of the wicked Consul Kulseth, and we will continue to come to his aid in defeating this tyrant. Already, thousands of soldiers are preparing to mobilize once O'Rumpy declares war, and we will provide full-scale military assistance in defeating him. Needless to say, we now recognize Fatululu as independent, and we recognize Abelino Greece as their leader. Furthermore, every supporter of Fatululu, whether in Saintland, Free Republics, or elsewhere, will be exempt from the Enemy List. Let us bring O'Rumpy to justice. We will wipe him off the map, we will nuke them if we have to, we will do whatever we have to do to kill Dumpy O'Rumpy. And Fatululu will help us. Abelino Greece will help us. And in exchange, we will secure them independence from that wicked, evil man. O'Rumpy will be destroyed. O'Rumpy will be killed. Let us destroy them. Together, we can destroy those heathens.

"Let us ride our nuclear weapons into the future, let us join forces with Fatululu to completely obliterate Dumpy O'Rumpy, we will destroy the Wee-publicans and wipe the Church of Saintland and the Ani-Patriarch off the map. I am the Lord, so perhaps the world will recognize that someday. But at the very least, this nation recognizes it, and for that, you deserve credit. But Dumpy O'Rumpy will die. Mark my words. Dumpy O'Rumpy will die. Brownie Cutter of Death time. Dumpy O'Rumpy will die. I am God, O'Rumpy is a fool. Death to Dumpy O'Rumpy! Death to Free Republics! All hail Abelino Greece! All hail Fatululu! They will be saved!"

[Zenic]

Lynda Tawfeek rubbed both of her temples in frustration. "How have we not won this group yet?"

Giehl chuckled. Tawfeek was the coaching yin to his coaching yang. He thought of all the positive and effective strategies and techniques that would lead to victory while she pointed out everything the opponent did well that would cause our defeat. Together, they manage to go through every possiblilty and find the perfect strategy to win. It didn't work everytime but it worked most of the time and enough to make Zenic a top 10 team in the multiverse.

"Well, The Sword Bloke and Norrehavn are doing roughly as expected while Ficiscia is definitely the surprise of the tournament. All we need is to beat or draw against Norrehavn and we move on to the knockout stages as the Group G winners. All of the pressure is on Norrehavn so we just have to play our game and take advantage of any mistake.," Giehl responded.

"I hate it when you're right while acting so calm. It makes me feel like I'm a crazy old lady for no reason," Tawfeek replied. "Well, you are becoming slowly becoming one at your age," Giehl joked before Tawfeek threw a clipboard at him. "Har har har, the hermit grows a sense of humor. Just start the tapes so we can review what advantages we can get on their defense. I want to aim for a blowout."

"As you wish," Giehl said, starting the tape of Norrehavn's most recent game against Ficiscia.

[Valanora]

Valanora Times
Calcuttas Rolling Through

The group has been tough for the Calcuttas but not in the way that most of us in the media originally envisioned. It has been tough in keeping the spirits ready for each and every game as the Calcuttas have just been sweeping through the defensive measures of their opponents like hot knives through butter. With a mind shattering twenty-three goals through the first four games of the group, the Calcuttas have shown why pace and skill are so valued among the Vanorians when it comes the game, skating around their competition as if they were training cones rather than defenders trying to keep them from lighting up the lamp. It has truly been one of the most impressive displays of offensive efficiency and ruthlessness that has been seen in the competition.

Let us not though forget to thank the blue liners who have been putting in a solid contribution as well, keeping the goals against average at just under two so far. When you're conceding just two goals a game, your offense usually can come through and win you a fair amount of games, let alone when they are lighting the lamp at a record pace. The most astounding thing about just the seven goals concede for the Calcuttas is the fact that half of those goals came in their last match against a rather offensive minded squad in Armeia. Before that, their goals against average was even more impeccable at just a notch above the one goal per game mark, a stat that anybody from Valanora to Bettia and Rejistania can admire.

The last game of the group though could be the one that shows just how focused the Calcuttas truly are when it comes to retaining their crown as they face off against Alphatheta. With four wins from four and a three point lead on second place Kaboomlandia, the Calcuttas already have the group title wrapped up and in theory have nothing left to play for in this game against the unknown. However, there is the matter of pride and continuing to send a message to the rest of the sides in the competition, which the side certainly has done being the only squad thus far to have eclipsed twenty goals for. A win over the upstarts who are looking for the points to continue their journey past the group stage would be an exclamation point on the end of a triumphant group stage, keeping a perfect record and serving absolute notice that the Calcuttas are looking to establish a dynasty the likes of which only Havl and Plutoni have been able to do.

Their competition though will no doubt be looking to slow down the pace and skill at which the Calcuttas like to play, as Alphatheta's style is far more methodical. That slower, more methodical style vastly reduces the amount of chances that other teams have against them, as noted by their impressive six goals conceded, but also stymies their own offensive thrusts. That being said, it in now way is a burden for them as they have grabbed a deserved five points and have proved more than capable against sides that ought to have put them to the sword. Such a contrast of styles will make for an interesting matchup as will the different objectives each side will be striving for when they hit the ice. Will a championship pedigree and desire to build upon it triumph over the mere desire to continue onward? I for one am quite interested to see how such varying styles and motives play out in this last game of the group as fate rolls it die and the ties for the knockout rounds are created.

[Elejamie]

"... For day four of the World Cup of Hockey, we now turn to John Daverson. John?"

That's right, Steve. Good morning, Elejamie! Elejamie are now undoubtedly through to the next round following their 3-0 victory over Polaskaan. The match, where it was Pedro Cervantes in goal instead of his uncle Antonio, saw the Icy Elephants shut out their opponents for the third time in four games. With four wins in four games now, it's fair to say that the Icy Elephants have won their group. Here are the highlights:

The first period got off to a relatively boring start, with the first shot just coming after the minute mark; a shovel shot from Cerin Meloten that bounced off of the Polan goaltender's pads. Afterwards, both sides tried their hardest to score first but, in the end, that honour went to Elejamie. Six and a half minutes after the start of the period, Elejamie bagged the first goal of the night when Ethan Swinburne's snap shot made its way into the Polan net. Not much happened afterwards; one of Polaskaan's defencemen being sent to the box for charging, Lupe received a two minute minor for high-sticking and, in the dying seconds, Polaskaan very nearly levelled the scores. In fact, their right winger was lining up his shot when the end of period klaxon went. Elejamie were leading 1-0 and, with two periods left to go, it seems like they won't be giving that lead up anytime soon.

The second period saw a fight break out thirty seconds after the start of the match, when their left winger delivered a body check to Francisco Solano, who didn't have the puck. What happened next was a flurry of punches from both sides before Solano managed to knock him down to the ice. On the 4v4, Elejamie managed to get a double when Cerin Meloten's wrist shot hit the crossbar and bounced into the back of the net; Adam Keane was credited for the assist. After plenty of missed shots and a Polan player receiving a two minute minor for charging, the period ended 2-0 in Elejamie's favour.

The third period saw Meloten make it 3-0 not long after the start of the period, thanks to a snap shot and assistance from Lupe and line-mate Anatoly Kasputin. However, neither side were able to add one onto the board, even when a Polan defenceman was sent to the penalty box for two minutes due to interference. Kasputin's wrist shot went wide. Aaron Andrews' snap shot hit the post. Felipe Barajas' slap shot went over the glass. And a possible fourth goal from Lucas Madgwick was disallowed when it turned out that he was offside. Even when Polaskaan pulled their goalie, Elejamie were finding it hard to convert shots into goals. It didn't really matter that much because, in the end, they won 3-0 and are undefeated for four straight games.

In a post-match interview, head coach Michael Madgwick said "I think Pedro did a very good job in goal. Much like his uncle Toni, he completely blocked each and every one of their shots and kept his cool. A lovely set of goals from Cerin and Ethan. Franny had a good game, doing what he did best. All in all, a good game, even if it wasn't the most exciting of encounters. I'd like to see if my boys can keep this up."

"Tomorrow, you've got your last game against Ethane. Do you think we'll see a repeat of the past few days?"

"Probably. I mean, Ethane isn't exactly a challenge. They've only won one game; 4-3 over Ortol'a. However, they've only been shut out once, when Polaskaan beat them a couple of nights ago. So they won't be a challenge for us, but they'll definitely be a challenge for Toni. However, I'm pretty sure he'll be able to keep his cool and keep the pucks out."

Meanwhile, in the other group matches of the day, The Equestrian States tried to make a comeback from their devastating defeat last night, but they could only manage a very narrow 5-4 victory over Ethane. And Ortol'a's troubles keep on coming as they went down 4-1 to Ontorisa. Today's the last day of the group stage and, let me tell you, we've got plenty of exciting games. Ontorisa and the Equestrian States battle it out on the ice, where the winner will be going through to the next round; Ortol'a will see if they can keep what little dignity they have as they take on Polaskaan. But, most importantly of all, we'll have the Icy Elephants' last game against Ethane. Will Elejamie make it five out of five? Will they keep a third consecutive clean sheet? Or will Ethane pull off a shocker? Find out tonight, Puck Drop, 9pm, ETV1.

Over in Group H, Gregoryisgodistan managed to bounce back from a string of poor results by beating Kazirstan 4-0. Up until that game, the Ice Slaves had scored three goals in three games, including a humiliating goalless draw against Abanhfleft...

---

Period			P1	P2	P3	FS
Elejamie		1	1	1	3
Polaskaan		0	0	0	0

[Kaboomlandia]

Phoenix 2, Ice Birds 2

"Welcome to the Colisee de Quebec! Today we have the Kaboomlandia Phoenix fighting for a playoff berth in Group E. Alphatheta shut out Natanians and Nosts earlier today, which means that Kaboomlandia needs to at least get a point out of this game to stay with the Alphathetians. Dylan Brady starting in goal, as usual. Once again, Torisakia didn't submit a roster, so we'll use numbers and positions again."

"We're about four minutes into the first period. Both teams have made a few changes, and Wade Blacken's fourth line is out with Manny Hayes and Bryson Martin. Blair Mitchell isn't afraid to play his three teenagers, that's for sure. Martin takes the puck from Blacken, can't get through DEFENSEMAN #44 and so he pulls away to the corner. Martin drops back to Tyson Nash at the line. Nash fakes, across to Lindsay, shoots, save by GOALTENDER #29 and there's not going to be any rebound at all."

"Halfway through the first. Kaboomlandia's top line takes the ice. Adrian Philips crosses the blueline and drops the puck off to Derek Strachan. Philips is hit into the boards, and there's going to be a penalty coming to Torisakia. RIGHT WING #81 is protesting, but it's going to be called interference, and the Phoenix go to the power play. Torisakia's players are tired, and their head coach will call time-out. Kaboomlandia has a potent power play, so he'll take time to organize the kill."

"Strategy here on the power play is one that power-play coach John Koenig likes to use. He used it in the last World Cup of Hockey with decent results. Then again, nobody on the Kaboomlandian team could score that campaign. Scott Herndon lines up at the right wing position, while the other four players on the ice will be Adrian Philips, Tyler Martin, Darryl Rutherford, and Derek Strachan. Look for the Phoenix to get it back to Strachan and fire through a screen."

"Faceoff is taken on the power play. Martin doesn't win the face-off, but Philips gets into the corner and gets the puck back. Philips around the net. Back to Strachan. He winds up, no lane, back down on the right side to Philips. Adrian Philips. Back to Martin below the goal line, the cycle getting set. Tyler Martin brings the puck back out with Philips crossing. Martin goes wide, to Strachan in the centre of the blueline. Herndon causing all kinds of trouble in front of the net. Strachan winds, fires, scores! A power-play goal for Derek Strachan! 1-0 Kaboomlandia!"

"That's the way the period will end, as Strachan's power-play blast gives the Phoenix the lead."

---

"Ninety seconds into the second period now. Zack Murray gets the puck to Aaron Richards...no, the puck's intercepted and LEFT WING #77 is off to the races! Steaming down the left side, fakes, over to RIGHT WING #21, scores! A bad pass by Zack Murray, a two-on-one, and it's in the back of the Phoenix net and a tie game!"

"Eight minutes into the second period now. Darryl Rutherford crosses the blueline with speed, whistled down offside. Rutherford's going to take a potshot at GOALTENDER #29 anyway and that's going to draw a crowd! Everybody's going to get involved here, some pushing and shoving! All ten players are getting into it here as the referees try to break it up. Finally they do, and Rutherford goes off to the dressing room. He's been ejected. There's going to be some other penalties here, and it looks like two players from each team are going off. Philips and Clooney are each getting roughing minors, and DEFENSEMAN #22 and CENTRE #91 for Torisakia. Rutherford got the extra penalty, so it'll be a power play for Torisakia, five-on-four for two minutes. Not a good move by Darryl Rutherford. He should know better."

"Midway through the power play. DEFENSEMAN #44 at the point. He plays it down to RIGHT WING #81. RIGHT WING #81 shoots from the top of the right circle and he scores! Torisakia takes the lead on an ill-advised penalty to Darryl Rutherford.

"End of the period now, Torisakia leads 2-1."

---

"Phoenix defending in their own end. DEFENSEMAN #44 patrolling the point, shoots wide behind the net. Tyson Nash picks the puck up, goes behind the net and passes out to Kennedy Linden. Linden gets the puck out past the blueline and faces down DEFENSEMAN #86. Linden with the nice move, putting the puck through the defender's legs. DEFENSEMAN #86 turns too late and it's a two-on-one for the Phoenix! Linden has Maxime Coderre with him. Linden holds, shoots, OFF THE CROSSBAR! GOALTENDER #29 dodges a bullet here as Linden's shot goes off the crossbar and out of play!"

"Midway through the final frame. Kaboomlandia trailing by one but dominating the play. Adrian Philips controls the puck on the left wall. Out to Herndon, shoots, kicked out nicely by GOALTENDER #29. Tyler Martin picks up the rebound, back to Philips at the point. Philips skates in, drops it back for Herndon. Scott Herndon winds, fires, GOALTENDER #29 makes the save but can't hang on to it. Martin whacks at it, blocked by GOALTENDER #29. Another whack, scramble in the crease. Tyler Martin tries to take another jab at it, but GOALTENDER #29 has it."

"Under two minutes to go in the game. Phoenix trailing by one goal in the offensive zone. Zack Murray takes the puck behind the net, held up by DEFENSEMAN #22. Murray loses the puck, but there's a whistle! Penalty to Torisakia for holding! The Phoenix, with just 86 seconds left, are going to the power play with a chance to tie the game at two! Blair Mitchell signals for a time-out. We're expecting him to use Herndon in front of the net again. That worked beautifully when it was used in the first period. Blair Mitchell calling Dylan Brady to the bench now. Big risk here as Torisakia can fire freely at the open cage, but with the Phoenix' lethal power play, it's worth taking. Looks like Zack Murray will be the extra man."

"Thirty seconds left. Phoenix haven't been able to get one yet, but Torisakia can't clear either. Martin back to Rutherford at the point. Back to Martin, down to Philips. Adrian Philips back off the boards to Rutherford, who goes across to Strachan. Derek Strachan shoots, save by GOALTENDER #29. Zack Murray grabs the puck, throws it back on goal. GOALTENDER #29 can't corral the rebound, Herndon takes a shot, off the pad and out to Tyler Martin, HE SCORES! SCORES! SCORES! TYLER MARTIN TIES THE GAME ON THE POWER PLAY! Kaboomlandia will tie this game with fourteen seconds to play! What a finish!"

"Coderre dumps the puck in, and the game is over! The Phoenix get one point out of this game with Torisakia, and they are in a very good position going into the final day against Armeia!"

[Nordeana]

Nordeanian Geographic Society

Overview of Nordeanian Geography: Part I

The country of Nordeana is typically divided into four major geographic regions with distinct attributes. These regions consist of the Maritimes, the Lowlands, the Prairies, and the Mountains. However, as a whole, Nordeana is characterized by a cold climate with moderate summers and frigid. Additionally, the majority of the country is covered with boreal foliage and fertile soil. While some natural resources, such as timber, petroleum, and cereal crops are concentrated to specific areas of the country, Nordeana in its entirety is covered by sources of fresh waters such as lakes and rivers. Nevertheless, Nordeanian geography is characterized by its diversity above all else.

The Maritimes, known to be home to cold, damp weather year-round, hold most of Nordeana's coast line. This region consists of rocky islands, port cities, fishing villages, and picturesque coastal scenes. Historically, fishing and shipping have been the major industries in the region; the latter continues to make an impact on the local economy. In addition to shipping, off-shore drilling has begun to emerge, as well as a tourism industry catering towards retirees and older professionals. Nordeanians typically associate the Maritimes with scenes of rocky outcroppings, lighthouses, and small seafood restaurants. Demographically, this region has the highest density of people from the Nordic ethnicity. The area's largest city, Hanstad, contains 60% of either Danish or Swedish speakers. This region was also the center of the predecessor to Nordeana, the Hanseatic Union. Shaped by its proximity to water and its economic and cultural roots.

[The Royal Kingdom of Quebec]

MD5 Cutoff

So I feel really sick and drunk tonight, to the point where I'm feeling as if I'm an aquaman.

---

Group A
Narsora 3–4 Vilita and Turori
Vaugania 2–6 Royal Kingdom of Quebec
Sandhelm 4–6 Neu Engollon

Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Royal Kingdom of Quebec    5    5   0   0    23    8  +15    10
2 Neu Engollon               5    4   0   1    19   10   +9     8
3 Vilita and Turori          5    3   0   2    17   15   +2     6
4 Vaugania                   5    2   0   3    14   16   −2     4
5 Narsora                    5    1   0   4     7   17  −10     2
6 Sandhelm                   5    0   0   5    10   24  −14     0

Group B
Ortola 2–0 Polaaskan
Equestrian States 2–3 Ontorisa
Ethane 1–4 Elejamie

Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Elejamie                5    5   0   0    19    4  +15    10
2 Ontorisa                5    4   0   1    21   12   +9     8
3 Equestrian States       5    3   0   2    12   14   −2     6
4 Ortola                  5    1   0   4     6   13   −7     2
5 Polaaskan               5    1   0   4     7   14   −7     2
6 Ethane                  5    1   0   4    10   18   −8     2

Group C
Banija 2–1 Ilyseum
Nova Anglicana 0–1 Ko-oren
Arkiasis 2–0 Nassau-Hessen

Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Ko-oren                 5    4   1   0    10    3   +7     9
2 Nova Anglicana          5    4   0   1    16   10   +6     8
3 Arkiasis                5    2   2   1    13   12   +1     6
4 Nassau-Hessen           5    2   0   3     5    9   −4     4
5 Banija                  5    1   0   4     8   12   −4     2
6 Ilyseum                 5    0   1   4    12   18   −6     1

Group D
Esparmuran 6–3 HUElavia
United States of Devonta 1–1 Kernansquillec
Nephara 2–2 Nordeana

Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Esparmuran                  5    5   0   0    25   12  +13    10
2 Nephara                     5    3   1   1    17   11   +6     7
3 Nordeana                    5    2   2   1    10   12   −2     6
4 Kernansquillec              5    0   3   2     9   12   −3     3
5 United States of Devonta    5    1   1   3     6   12   −6     3
6 HUElavia                    5    0   1   4     4   12   −8     1

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

Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Valanora                5    5   0   0    26    9  +17    10
2 Kaboomlandia            5    3   1   1    12   11   +1     7
3 Torisakia               5    2   2   1    14   12   +2     6
4 Alphatheta              5    2   1   2    12    9   +3     5
5 Natanians and Nosts     5    1   0   4     6   20  −14     2
6 Armeia                  5    0   0   5    11   20   −9     0

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

Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Cosumar                    5    3   2   0    21   13   +8     8
2 Novaya Zemlya              5    4   0   1    16   12   +4     8
3 Allamunnic States          5    1   2   2    11   13   −2     4
4 Iskandervale               5    1   2   2     8   11   −3     4
5 Unified Sunrise Islands    5    0   3   2    13   16   −3     3
6 Klaus Devestatorie         5    1   1   3    11   15   −4     3

Group G
Uzekia 2–0 Damukuni
Ficiscia 1–1 The Sword Bloke
Norrehavn 0–1 Zenic

Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Zenic                   5    4   1   0    16    3  +13     9
2 Ficiscia                5    2   3   0    14    8   +6     7
3 The Sword Bloke         5    3   1   1    10    8   +2     7
4 Norrehavn               5    2   1   2     9    9    0     5
5 Uzekia                  5    1   0   4     8   19  −11     2
6 Damukuni                5    0   0   5     7   17  −10     0

Group H
Kazirstan 5–2 Semarland
Red Blackiland 0–1 Gregoryisgodistan
Anthor 3–5 Abanhfleft

Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Gregoryisgodistan       5    4   1   0     8    0   +8     9
2 Abanhfleft              5    4   1   0    16    9   +7     9
3 Red Blackiland          5    1   2   2    10   11   −1     4
4 Kazirstan               5    1   2   2     8   11   −3     4
5 Semarland               5    1   1   3    11   15   −4     3
6 Anthor                  5    0   1   4     8   15   −7     1

---

WCoH Seedings              Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts
1 Valanora                   5    5   0   0    26    9  +17    10
1 Royal Kingdom of Quebec    5    5   0   0    23    8  +15    10
1 Elejamie                   5    5   0   0    19    4  +15    10
1 Esparmuran                 5    5   0   0    25   12  +13    10
1 Zenic                      5    4   1   0    16    3  +13     9
1 Gregoryisgodistan          5    4   1   0     8    0   +8     9
1 Ko-oren                    5    4   1   0    10    3   +7     9
1 Cosumar                    5    3   2   0    21   13   +8     8

2 Abanhfleft                 5    4   1   0    16    9   +7     9
2 Ontorisa                   5    4   0   1    21   12   +9     8
2 Neu Engollon               5    4   0   1    19   10   +9     8
2 Nova Anglicana             5    4   0   1    16   10   +6     8
2 Novaya Zemlya              5    4   0   1    16   12   +4     8
2 Nephara                    5    3   1   1    17   11   +6     7
2 Ficiscia                   5    2   3   0    14    8   +6     7
2 Kaboomlandia               5    3   1   1    12   11   +1     7

Round of 16 Fixtures
#1 Valanora vs. #16 Kaboomlandia @ Soongookseonyeol Centre, Chicoutimi
#2 Royal Kingdom of Quebec vs. #15 Ficiscia @ Colisee de Quebec, Quebec City
#3 Elejamie vs. #14 Nephara @ Parksang Pavillon, Sherbrooke
#4 Esparmuran vs. #13 Novaya Zemlya @ Northwest Centre, Attawapiskat
#5 Zenic vs. #12 Nova Anglicana @ Montreal Forum, Montreal
#6 Gregoryisgodistan vs. #11 Neu Engollon @ Maple Leaf Gardens, Kingston
#7 Ko-oren vs. #10 Ontorisa Colisee d'Abitibi, Val d'Or
#8 Cosumar vs. #9 Abanhfleft @ The Palladium, Ottawa

[Neu Engollon]

"Hello out there to our loyal viewers across Neu Engollon and to our International crowd. You're watching the NETV Sports 7 Update and I'm Karl Demais, and with me is your favorite co-host, Magda Wertauer.”

“Hello beautiful Neu Engollians! We are glad to still be here, live from the Royal Kingdom of Quebec. The Ibex keep charging along in the World Cup of Hockey, and have climbed to the second spot in Group A, after beating Vilita and Turori in their latest group game.”


"Magda. That one goal was after an intense showdown for two straight periods between the two sides, with a bit of a scuffle between Arno Reimsel and Vakki Cren, resulting in Cren being sent off to the box. Finally, the Ibex saw their chance with the power play and put the blitz on."

"Blitz indeed, Karl. They flew across that ice and overwhelmed the Vilitan defense. The Ibex looked like posessed demons as they blasted into the Vilitans, after a grinding deadlock for so long, not that the Vilita and Turorians let up on their defense and crumbled at the sight of the assaulting Ibex..."

"No...but it was just enough of a hole. We saw Gavnic feed Velper with a quick pass in order to set him up for that gridlock breaker. What a play as they swarmed in towards the Turorian goal."

"Karl, it absolutely was a swarm. There was grace to it, but just a veneer as it was more about steel force, like a wall breaking over the Turorians after slogging it out taking shots on each others' goals for so long. I think it was the most crucial few minutes of the whole game, right there. Don't you think, Karl?"

"Magda, I think that's the most poetic I've ever heard you get. I completely agree with you on that. Those were the most crucial few minutes of the game, and the Ibex recognized it and went for that gap with full force. The Vilita and Turorians didn't seem to be able to regain the momentum and despite 7 more shots on the Ibex goal, they came away hands empty with the tying goal to put it into overtime."

"Karl, it was, if not a game, at least a highlight for Ibex history. Next up, the Ibex take on unranked Sandhelm in the last match day of the group. As always, we've learned that you can't take anything for granted and they might have a real show on their hands, even with an upstart new team like Sandhelm."

"Magda, I think the odds are in their favor, but absolutely the Ibex can't take anything for granted. Especially after a knock down, drag out fight like the Vilita and Turorian match. Let's hope the Ibex can muster the energy to jump back in the rink and run the advanced plays of Coach Liu."

"Let's hope so, Karl. So, after this break, we'll do an indepth profile of some of the top Sandhelm players and have some more pregame coverage. Stay tuned after this quick sponsor break..."

[Ontorisa]

www.Nationalsportsnetwork.ont
Whose Afraid of the Big, Bad, Gregoryisgodistanis?
Ontorisa qualifies for the WCoH Play-Offs with an Exciting Win over the Equestrian States and will face Gregoryisgodistan in the first round

Quebec - Fans are advised to watch the game from their hotel room and houses as Ontorisa is expected to go up against the mean and fierce Gregoryisgodistan in the first round of the WCoH play offs.

Thanks to a fantastic 3 point night by Prakos Panjaarvi (1 goal, 2 assists), Ontorisa rebounded from a 2-1 deficit to snatch away the Equestrian States' hopes of qualifying for the WCoH play-offs. However, this is expected to be a one-sided series. As much as we all would like to think Ontorisa will do well against the thuggish Gregoryisgodistan team, there's not enough grit and grind on the Ontorisan team to easily stand toe-to-toe with the Gregoryisgodistanis.

Unless if you're Xel Kedersolis.

Kedersolis is coming into the series with 3 goals and 1 assist. Even though this has been a lacklustre performance by the power forward, he is expected to be the go-to guy to stand up against anything the Gregoryisgodistanis throw at Ontorisa. Big, strong, powerful and accurate with his shot, Kedersolis should perform well in the high-hitting games. As well, Yeta Kolobos, Jeriak Osmilia and Vekirk Tolmoki should do well in this style of game, with them leading the team in hits.

"Yeah sure, whatever, they'll try and grind us down I guess." Jeriak Osmilia spoke after this morning's practice about facing Gregoryisgodistan. "It's my job to make sure that we put the puck in the back of the net, they don't and that Weedy [Wedernas] and the other star guys don't get injured by them."

"They're still a bunch of -redacted- lunatics and goons." Kedersolis angrily spoke after the practice. "If they just so as lay a finger on any of the kids or our scorers, I'll make them pay for it. Believe me."

Fingers crossed everyone. Fingers crossed.

Team Leaders
Goals
Prakos Panjaarvi (4)
Tealmos Wedernas (4)
Xel Kedersolis (3)
Heja Corispan (2)
Qanas Johik (2)

Assists
Mejer Doristram (9)
Rieaa Delsja (5)
Tealmos Wedernas (4)
Yeta Kolobos (4)
Kepitri Salkug (3)

Points
Mejer Doristram (11)
Tealmos Wedernas (8)
Prakos Panjaarvi (6)
Rieaa Delsja (5)
Yeta Kolobos (5)

[Ficiscia]

Italic writing is the coach's thoughts. Just thought I probably should specify that.

Ottawa, Royal Kingdom of Quebec

The people in the stands look nervously at the clock. 1:48 minutes are left to play in the third period, and still, The Sword Bloke leads this game with no more than one goal. Kyrillos Muratus looks at the board he is carrying around, the head coach's thoughts going back to that moment in the second period. Next to him stood Septimius Maiori, the team's assistant, and his players all stood at the boards, just as unable to take this tension as himself. It was a dreadful moment, Varcis slapping over the puck, Berjaman losing balance on his way back and suddenly Saklin got into this breakaway, wristing the puck past Aedificor. But let's think about now. Muratus looks out onto the field where his players launch another attack, going after the one goal, that equalizer, that would bring them over the edge into the KO round. Larins hurries down the side, swapping positions with Vero, whom he passes it to and... "HEY!" Kyrillos shouts loud. That damn referee! That was a cross check! Is he blind? The puck slides through the zone, with Vero not there anymore to take it, and ends up on a Swordean stick, who ices it. "REFEREE! TIMEOUT!", Kyrillos shouts, signifying it with his hands.

The players skate over to the bench, where Kyrillos shows them their positions on the board. "You gotta push more, stand in front of that goal, battle for the puck, just push it over the line! I want to see shots fired, guys! You need to be there, you need to shoot, you need to fight! Don't make a beautiful play, just make a damn goal! Push that puck over that line once, just once, and we have made the KO round. I want to see that you mean it! GO! GO! Move, pass, shoot, FIGHT!" The siren goes off and he holds back Aedificor, signaling him to stay on the bench for a sixth attacker. Muratus gives a nod to his captain, who leads the team in a shortened version of the famous chant: "Sumus Ficiscia, hic pro Victoria!" - the team answers: "SEMPER FICISCIA!" and skates down to the faceoff. Brica on the right next to the board, Marcantor and Vero in front of the goal, Fulvius as the only defender back at the blue line, Larins between Fulvius and the net. In the middle Alexandros Praesumptus facing the man who set them behind, Bell Saklin. Just win me that one faceoff. Score that One. Damn. Goal.

The puck drops. Alexandros immediately passes it back, Fulvius looking for his man. He finds Larins, who passes behind the goal to Marcantor. Oh god, Sergius. Don't go back there again, they trap you. A quick pass back up to Larins, over to Fulvius who shoots - and hits Police again. Christopher Police... does he have any weaknesses? The players close in on the goaltender, pushing for the puck, getting under his skin, and Vero receives a blow from Jack Asmailov pushing him away, but the referees dissolve the pack and prepare for another faceoff. The clock shows 1:24. Come on, guys. Shoot and score! Just get that puck over the line. How hard can it be? Again, it drops and Praesumptus secures the puck. Blue line passes between Fulvius and Larins, and then the defender slaps it and... it disappears between the players battling in front of the goal. Push that siren already. Come on, it surely must be worked in? Police is on the ground, there is battling and shoving... and suddenly, the puck is pushed out. Out to the stick of Captain Kyrillos Brica - who snaps it in over Police and past the defenders!

The hall explodes with celebrating Ficiscians. Everyone on the bench jumps up, hugging and high-fiving each other, screaming, while the players on the ice bury Brica against the boards. Don't go overboard. You still have a bit over a minute to go. It's the Swordeans taking their timeout now. Kyrillos doesn't have many words for his players, just reminding them to pay attention and defend now. It's now time for the Swordeans to take out Christopher Police, as a goal would bring them back to the KO games. The match restarts, puck in Ficiscian hands but not for long. A quick pass relay brings the Swordeans into the Ficiscian zone, two, three passes and a shot that ends up in the glove of Aedificor. Next try. Hadfield down to Stokes, over to Saklin - who falls after contact with Marcantor, and suddenly there's pushing and shoving again. And a penalty. Are you serious? You are such a blind man! There was no damn hooking! Marcantor leaves the game while Brica discusses with the referees, but they are mercyless. 37 seconds with two men less on the field. It will be a hell of a game.

The Sword Bloke pushes down onto the goal, attacking, shoving, but doesn't get past the defense of Aedificor. And now, the people on the stands behind Murata begin to count. "Decium, Novium, Octum, Septum, SEX, QUINQUE, QUATTUOR, TRES, DUUS, UNUS" - the siren goes! Decimius Aedificor smashes the puck away as the bench empties, the team jumps onto the ice and flocks around their keeper, throwing sticks, helmets and gloves off. Ficiscia qualified for the KO round! The team celebrates on the ice, with the fans in the stands, and shakes the Swordean's hands before disappearing into the locker rooms. Where they keep on celebrating, together with Kyrillos Muratus, Septimius Maiori and the rest of the staff. But don't forget - there is more to come. Tomorrow, we relocate to Quebec City and face the hosts. I have to look up their game... "Guys, you did great. But don't forget that tomorrow is a strong day. We leave for Quebec City at 9am, and I want you to be ready for an analysis of our next opponents on the bus ride!"

Ficiscia 1-1 The Sword Bloke (0-0, 0-1, 1-0)

SCORERS: 26' Saklin 0-1; 59' Brica 1-1 (Vero, Marcantor)
PENALTY: 4x 2 min Ficiscia / 6x 2 min The Sword Bloke
SHOTS: FIC 33-39 TSB

THREE STARS:
*** FIC #1 Decimius Aedificor
** TSB #39 Christopher Police
* FIC #9 Kyrillos Brica

[Kaboomlandia]

Phoenix 4, Armeia 3

"Welcome back to Quebec City for the final game of the group stage! Today we have the Kaboomlandia Phoenix looking to clinch their first-ever World Cup of Hockey playoff spot. Alphatheta has already been eliminated after their 3-2 loss to Valanora, and if Kaboomlandia wins tonight, they will clinch a playoff spot no matter what Torisakia does in the late game. Dylan Brady starting again for Kaboomlandia."

"First period is well underway, an evenly matched game. Casey Lindsay drops back on the left side, up on the left side to Coderre. He's challenged by RIGHT WING #14 and loses the puck! RIGHT WING #14 races in past a stumbling Lindsay, trying to get back. RIGHT WING #14 goes up over the glove and scores! A bad turnover at the blueline and Armeia takes a 1-0 lead!"

"Halfway through the first. Jerome Smith has Zack Murray with him on a two-on-one. Smith to Murray, great save by GOALTENDER #1! Back the other way as DEFENSEMAN #3 gets the puck up. Now it's Armeia with a three-on-two! LEFT WING #8 shoots, saved by Brady. LEFT WING #8 to RIGHT WING #14, great save, Brady! Another whack by RIGHT WING #14 and finally Brady covers up. A game that's setting up to be a great one already!"

"Late in the first period. Darryl Rutherford gets the puck near the blueline. He drops the puck back to Tyson Nash, big shot, saved by GOALTENDER #1. Rebounds straight to Rutherford...GLOVE SAVE, GOALTENDER #1! A beautiful stop through traffic!"

"RIGHT WING #17 takes a shot, steered to the corner by Dylan Brady. Jerome Smith back to get it, up to Zack Murray! Murray squares up the defenseman, drops the puck back to his skate and up to his stick through the defender's legs! Murray's one-on-one with the other defender. Another nice fake and he's past DEFENSEMAN #18! He shoots, SCORES! A beautiful goal for Zack Murray!"

"The period is over! We've got ourselves a hockey game! 1-1 after one period of play!"

---

"The puck is dropped on the second period! A 1-1 tie, both teams looking for the go-ahead goal. Tyler Martin wins the face-off and goes back to Patrick Clooney, saucer pass up to Rutherford. Darryl Rutherford down the right wing. He takes a slap shot, big glove save by GOALTENDER #1. Shots are currently 14-13 Armeia!"

"Armeia on the power play after a Aaron Richards hooking penalty. CENTRE #19 wins the face-off from Jackson. DEFENSEMAN #20 has the puck at the right point. He goes across to DEFENSEMAN #18. Fakes, down to LEFT WING #8. Around the net to RIGHT WING #14. He takes the bad-angle shot, steered easily away to the corner by Brady. RIGHT WING #14 back on it, back to the circle, CENTRE #19 goes far-side to LEFT WING #8, shoots, GREAT SAVE BRADY! Dylan Brady reaches the pad over! LEFT WING #8 gets another shot at it, saved. CENTRE #19 with the rebound! Big scramble in front of the net, but Brady recovers, can't find the puck. All the way back to the blueline, DEFENSEMAN #20 one-timer, through traffic...just missed! LEFT WING #8 gets the puck back and throws it at the net, but Patrick Clooney got his stick in the way and tipped it out of bounds. The puck hit a stick, went through Brady's legs, and missed the net. Armeia was that close to taking the lead."

"Late in the second period, the Phoenix have just iced it and are stuck with a bad change. Alexander Jackson faces CENTRE #19. Jackson loses the face-off, CENTRE #91 going for the front of the net. Back to DEFENSEMAN #7, shoots through traffic, scores! A late goal by the Armeians gives them the lead off a bad face-off!"

---

"Six minutes into the third. This game has been great so far. Kaboomlandia trailing by one goal right now, but not for lack of trying. Kevin Bore has the puck at his own blueline. Flips a puck up the middle for Wade Blacken, but he can't get a hold of it. CENTRE #90 strips him of the puck and finds LEFT WING #23 cutting to the middle! LEFT WING #23 splits the defense and he's on a breakaway! He shoots, he scores! Another bad turnover by the Phoenix and Armeia leads 3-1!"

"Seven minutes left, face-off in the Armeian zone. Something new here, as Blair Mitchell has put Zack Murray, Kennedy Linden, and Bryson Martin on a line together. A major gamble, putting three younger players together, but Blair Mitchell seems to know what he's doing. Murray wins the face-off back to Derek Strachan. Strachan over to Bore. Kevin Bore wrists it on goal, tipped...SCORES! Bryson Martin tips the shot in on GOALTENDER #1! The Phoenix have new life! 3-2 Armeia!"

"The Phoenix haven't been able to get anything since the tip-in, but there's two minutes left and on comes the kiddie line again. Zack Murray is facing Armeia's best face-off man. The puck is dropped, and Murray manages to sneak it to Linden on the left side. Kennedy Linden fires the puck down low. Bryson Martin can't win the race to the puck, but blocks the clearing attempt behind the net. Martin cycles back to Murray. Zack Murray tries a wraparound, can't do it. He gets another try, stopped. Bryson Martin gets a whack, SCORES! Bryson Martin does it again! His second goal of the night! Tie game!"

"Tyler Martin's line on for this face-off deep in Armeia's zone. The puck is drawn to DEFENSEMAN #7, but he panics and shoots this all the way down. Icing, Armeia. And...what's this? Mitchell's calling the top line back to the bench! The Murray line comes on with Linden and Martin again! Zack Murray lines up for the face-off. Only ten seconds left in the game. Murray can't win this draw cleanly, but Linden picks the puck back to Herndon. Scott Herndon to Patrick Clooney. Clooney shoots, save by GOALTENDER #1 - LINDEN SCORES! Kennedy Linden with just five seconds left! Pandemonium on the bench!"

"The game is over! The comeback is complete! Kaboomlandia is playoff-bound! Yes! Yes! Yes!"

[Alphatheta]

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

---

Staying To Cheer: Apparently Tradition

World Cup of Hockey XXIX

MD 5:
Valanora 3–2 Alphatheta

---

Group Final Standings      Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Valanora                5    5   0   0    26    9  +17    10
2 Kaboomlandia            5    3   1   1    12   11   +1     7
3 Torisakia               5    2   2   1    14   12   +2     6
4 Alphatheta              5    2   1   2    12    9   +3     5
5 Natanians and Nosts     5    1   0   4     6   20  −14     2
6 Armeia                  5    0   0   5    11   20   −9     0

---

NALd'E Watch Picks

Valanora vs. Kaboomlandia @ Chicoutimi
Royal Kingdom of Quebec vs. Ficiscia @ Quebec City
Esparmuran vs. Novaya Zemlya @ Attawapiskat
Zenic vs. Nova Anglicana @ Montreal

Quebec City, QUE MSK+7 7:34pm - Our coverage of the World Cup of Hockey XXIX has come to an end, but the ride is not yet over for Antipha United--or for fans.

The Tor's final match against Valanora was, as anticipated, a bloody battle to the end. Although Otto Kempf managed to grab the first point of the game, the lead was snatched away by the middle of the first period and never regained. We saw an amazing rally toward the end of the third period from Metalist Rynok's Nikolai Cojocaru, but Suiadan Lasséseth denied every other attempt with deft grace, leaving the final score 2-3 in favor of Valanora.

In a post-match interview, Žarko Császár's head was still held high. "Overall, I'm proud of what we did here. We managed to crunch out some hard points against incredibly talented teams, and we've got a little more experience packed under our belts. All this work is coming back with us next year, I'll tell you that-- Should be a much smoother start next time around."

As after Chvalia's defeat before the Round of 16 in the World Lacrosse Championships 23, however, the team will not be returning to Alphatheta immediately, but instead sticking around to cheer and learn.

"We have to stay, I think. I mean, I know I have to stay," Császár laughed. "Nikolai Gavrilov and Dmitriy Chupalov [Torpedo Belushya Guba, eds.] are still in the running. Of course I want to watch them--and cheer. You spend a season watching and studying and playing, and-- you get excited. Proud. I know a lot of us are sticking around to keep hollering for the Arctic, that's for sure."

Others, such as Leighton O'Hare, expressed a more pragmatic rationale for staying. "It's a little easier to breathe, now that we're watching rather than participating," O'Hare noted. "Might give a chance to actually talk to folk like Dylan Brady [Kaboomlandia, eds.] and Decimius Aedificor [Ficiscia, eds.] properly now. You don't get them coming through Wytropolis while you're in training, right? Take the chance now."

Beyond noble regional spirit and practical learning, others still are planning to stay simply for the experience.

"How can we leave before Kaboomlandia's next game?" Braam Geier expressed vehemently in interview. "They're going up against Valanora again, which was brutal in groups. That's something you want to watch live." Many fans seem to agree, as national requests for the rest of the series to be broadcast domestically are through the roof.

---

NILC QFs || Spartak Vorotagrad wins series 3-0 ||Central'nyi Steinstadt 0–0 Chernomorets Vernyygorod (2–3 SO) || KL Gavan 0–1 KL Bolotoderev || Rapid Trusdvo 2–4 Górnik Kholmstad

---

[Elejamie]

"... And, as we say good bye to the group stages of the World Cup of Hockey, we turn to John Daverson for last night's match against Ethane. John?"

That's right, Steve. Good morning, Elejamie! Elejamie managed to make it five out of five as they defeated Ethane 4-1. Despite Antonio Cervantes letting a goal in, the result was still enough to put Elejamie through to the net round. As always, here are the highlights:

The first period saw Elejamie get off to a great start when, three minutes into the match, Paul Morton made it 1-0 to Elejamie, thanks to a wrist shot that put the puck just out of the goalie's reach, along with some assistance from linemate Lucas Madgwick and fellow Coventry Puffins teammate Greg Warren. Shortly afterwards, an Ethanian defenceman had to sit out for two minutes for roughing. Luckily, this allowed Elejamie to double the score, when Cerin Meloten's shovel shot hit the net; Anatoly Kasputin and Adam Keane were credited with the assist. Afterwards, both sides tried their hardest to put one in the next - including a slap shot from Bill Harrison that was just saved by the goalie - but, in the end, neither team were able to put more in the net. At the end of the period, the score was 2-0 in Elejamie's favour.

The second period began with the Ethanians finally ending Elejamie's shutout streak with a clever backhand, which sailed just out of Cervantes' reach. Unfortunately for the Ethanians - and fortunately for Cervantes and co. - that would be their only goal of the game, as they were unable to score any more. A slapshot hit the post, as did the rebound, before a third attempt at goal was caught by Cervantes. A wrist shot was deflected by Cervantes' stick. Even Elejamie were struggling to add more onto the board; the closest they came was a snap shot from Danilo Barajasd that was disallowed because it was offside. At the end of the period, Elejamie were still leading, 2-1, but they really needed to get things into gear if they wanted to keep the lead.

The third period saw them finally get things working. Two minutes after the start and with an unassisted wrist shot, Cerin Meloten grabbed his second goal of the night. That was enough to get the ball rolling for them. Even when Bill Harrison was sent to the box for two minutes due to interference, Elejamie's PK unit still managed to prevent Ethane from scoring any more goals. Seven minutes later, a backhander from James Han made it 4-1 to Elejamie and, as a result, the match was in the bag. As hard as they tried, Ethane was unable to narrow the gap, nor were the Icy Elephants able to widen it and, in the end, Elejamie had won 4-1, securing their place in the next round of the competition, with an added bonus of winning all five of their group games.

In a post-match interview, head coach Michael Madgwick said "A brilliant game from the boys. Although Toni's a little bit disappointed about letting one in, I still think he did a very good job. Don't worry about it. As for everyone else? Cerin's scored a couple of great goals, as did James and Morty. Well done, guys."

"Now that you've come top of your group, how do you think you'll do now?"

"That's not really up to me, though. It mostly depends on our next opponents and how they did in their group. I mean, we did make it through our group alright; our only real challenge was Ontorisa. But who's to say that we won't be up against... say, Gregoryisgodistan. Either way, whoever we'll be up again, I'm pretty confident that we'll win it. Besides, if we're not going anywhere, I might let the boys have a massive snowball fight after practice. My treat."

Meanwhile, in the other group matches of the day, Ontorisa managed a very narrow 3-2 win over the Equestrian States. And Ortol'a got their first victory of the tournament - a 2-0 win over Polaskaan - but, unfortunately, it was too little too late. So, as we say good bye to the group stages and four teams, let's see how we did. Elejamie, who had won every single game, remain on top with ten points. Ontorisa, thanks to that win, keep their second place while the losers - the Equestrian States - stay in third and, as a result, will be going home. Ortol'a jumped two placed into fourth, thanks to that amazing win. Polaskaan slip down into fifth thanks to that loss. And, bringing up the rear, we have Ethane.

And so, after a break for the teams to travel to their games, we'll take a look at who's playing who. Elejamie, who'll be staying in Sherbrooke, will take on Group D runners up Nephara; this will be the first time the two senior teams will meet, although they did play against each other in the controversial 9th World Junior Hockey Championships, where Nephara won 4-2 in their opening game. Group H winners Gregoryisgodistan - who might have been low-scoring but they are the only team not to have conceded a goal - will travel to The Palladium in Ottawa to take on Ontorisa. Group E winners and reigning world champions Valanora will travel to the - hang on, let me see if I can get this right - Soongookseonyeol Centre in Chicoutimi, where they'll have a rematch against group-mates Kaboomlandia; the last time the two met, the Calcuttas beat the Phoenix 4-1. Hosts Quebec, who finished their Group A run with a 6-2 win over Vaugania, will travel to the capital Québec City to take on Ficiscia, who finished second in Group G, finishing ahead of The Sword Bloke on goal difference. In fact, Group G winners Zenic will face Nova Anglicana, who came fourth in the last tournament and second in Group C, only being pipped to the post by a 1-0 loss to Group winners Ko-oren. Speaking of Ko-oren, they will play against Group H runners-up Abanhfleft, who famously took the Ice Slaves to that goalless draw earlier in the tournament. And Esparmuran, who famously fell to us in the quarter-finals last time, won Group D and, as a result, will take on Novaya Zemlya, who finished in second place in Group F, in Montreal.

Yes, we're definitely in for a whale of a time! Will the Icy Elephants avenge the junior squad's disappointing performance? Or will Nephara pull the rug from under our feet, much like their junior squad against ours? Find out in a couple of nights on Puck Drop, here on ETV1.

Elsewhere in the world of hockey, the Elejamie City Ice Elephants have announced that they have worked a deal out for Neil Cuevas. Praciba-born Cuevas, who is currently with Krisþisinam Járnisarn, will start playing with his new club when the next ENIHL season starts in September...

---

Period			P1	P2	P3	FS
Ethane			0	1	0	1
Elejamie		2	0	2	4

[Novaya Zemlya]

Spotlight on
ESPARMURAN

Previous games
Esparmuran 7–3 Nordeana
Esparmuran 5–1 United States of Devonta
Nephara 3–4 Esparmuran
Kernansquillec 2–3 Esparmuran
Esparmuran 6–3 HUElavia

World ranking: 4

Last WCoH: Lost to Elejamie in QF

WCOH: ROUND OF 16 PREVIEW
Novaya Zemlya to take on Esparmuran: "It's a tough one"

VAL D'OR Round of 16 matchups have been presented, and Novaya Zemlya will travel to Attawapiskat for a showdown against Esparmuran. The Espars are certainly no novelty to Novozemlyan hockey fans, who remember the WCoH 27 semifinals in Ko-oren all too well. "Tough task," our hockey expert Anatoly Timofeyev comments. "As a Novozemlyan, it is unfortunate to run into such a great team already in the first round, but as a hockey fan, I really look forward to this series. The Espars have an amazing offense, and one of the best coaches around in Jimi Stack."

Esparmuran, ranked 4th in the world, emerged out of Group D with a perfect 5-0-0 record. They are led by captain Orrell Beake, one of the most prominent scorers in WCoH history with 68 goals and 104 points in 45 appearances. Do they have any weaknesses? "Well, Orrell can't play all 60 minutes, so that's one weakness I guess," Timofeyev says jokingly. "On a more serious note, their defense is not quite as impressive as their offense. Goalie Wolf Paige even publically critized his D after their opener against Nordeana. Although, that was probably just his way of getting his teammates riled up and focused for the next game."

Novaya Zemlya's roster is largely the same as it was in the WCoH 27 semifinals, in which Esparmuran won comfortably in two games. Do the Novozemlyans really stand a chance this time?

"We are the underdog, no doubt," Timofeyev says. "But we certainly have a shot. Puck possession is key, you need to force the Espars to play in their own end as much as possible. Put pressure on them. If you give them too much time and space, things could turn ugly really quick. Don't do that."

---

Bobr: "Bezukladnikov gets the start"

VAL D'OR We caught up with head coach Bogdan Bobr at the airport in Val d'Or, just as the Novozemlyan team were getting ready to board their flight to Attawapiskat. Bobr was seemingly more willing to share his views on Quebecois airport security, rather than discussing the Ro16 matchup. "I don't want to talk about opponents," the coach said. "We focus on our own game. We want to force them to adjust to us, not the other way around."

Bobr also put an end to the goaltending debate. "We will go with Bezukladnikov," he said. There had been some speculation in media after the veteran netminder was chased in the Cosumar game, after giving up 6 goals, but apparently his solid performance against Iskandervale was enough to regain the trust of the coach.

When asked about his views on the team's performance in Group F, Bobr did not want to dwell on the past. "We lost 7-4 to the Cosumarites, we can't be happy with that. But that's history now, the real tournament starts tonight," he concluded.

[Gregoryisgodistan]

Gregoryisgodistan Announces Plans To Propose Olympic Slave Crushing

Gregoryisgodistan's Olympic Committee has announced plans to propose Slave Crushing as a demonstration sport at the Summer Olympics this summer. Slave Crushers, Enemy Crushers, and the like from all the nations of the Multiverse will converge on the host country and engage in the Gregoryisgodistani sport of slave crushing. They will have to crush as many slaves to death in 12 minutes as possible. There will be just one round, and each crusher will have 12 minutes to crush as many slaves as possible, supplied by Gregoryisgodistan. The crushers will go one by one so there is no interference, and the slaves will be released to them one by one. Whoever crushes the most slaves wins. If there is a tie for one of the medal positions, there will be a 4 minute tiebreaker round where they try to crush as many slaves as possible in those four minutes. Additional four minute tiebreaker rounds will be repeated as necessary.

According to Lord Almighty Gregory, "This is a glorious opportunity to show the Multiverse the power of Gregoryisgodistani Slave Crushing. We will introduce them to this sport and show fellow crushers from around the Multiverse that slavery is good, slave crushing is good, and we are truly the Most Glorious and Holy Nation in the Mutliverse."

Enemy Crusher Fatty Fattorcrushy, an early medal favorite who holds the Gregoryisgodistani record by crushing 31 slaves in 12 minutes, is looking forward to the opportunity to win Olympic gold, even if it is only in a demonstration event and doesn't really count. "Crushing is fun. Crushing slaves is even more fun. I look to crush unlimited slaves and set a new national record and win Olympic gold. Then they will play our national anthem and raise our flag and everyone will love us and witness the awesome power of the Lord and the awesome power of Enemy Crushers. Nobody else will win, because our Enemy Crushers are the greatest in the Multiverse. We crush everyone we don't like. Crushing is what we do best. I would be honored to have an opportunity to crush slaves on such a glorious international stage, and compete against wannabee crushers from other nations who try and fail to crush as many slaves as I can using their own body for they are not trained Enemy Crushers. This will be an awesome moment. Let us strive for gold, silver, and bronze, an Olympic medal sweep. Let us raise three flags during the medal ceremony, we will win all the medals."

Although a host, and thus a demonstration sport process, has not yet been chosen, Lord Almighty Gregory is confident slave crushing will be accepted. "If it's not, we'll invade," he said. It remains to be seen whether he actually will or not, or which country he will invade as host. Perhaps Gregoryisgodistan will even host. Who knows? Then the world will have to recognize Lord Almighty Gregory as God when he lights the Olympic torch using his God powers. Nobody other than God could do that. It most certainly would not be remote controlled. No, sirree, it would not be. Lord Almighty Gregory would genuinely light the Olympic Torch using his own God powers, for he is God Almighty Lord Almighty Gregory. Let us all celebrate the slave crushing proposal by singing the national anthem and bowing to Lord Almighty Gregory, in TV, in person, or in statue. He is our God, let us love him forever. All praise Lord Almighty Gregory in his Infinite Wisdom.

Ice Slaves Look For Revenge Against Neu Engollon

Tonight, live from Kingston, the Ice Slaves of Gregoryisgodistan will look to avenge last World Cup of Hockey's shockingly early exit against Neu Engollon, when they face the Ibex in the same round in which they faced off in Valanora. Last time around, Gregoryisgodistan took Game 1 before falling in Game 2. Game 3 went to a shootout after a scoreless draw, and Neu Engollon won 2-0 in the shootout. It was a disappointing finish for the Ice Slaves, who came in looking to win their third World Cup of Hockey title. However, the Ice Slaves are still ranked #1 in the Multiverse and are looking to win the title here in Quebec.

Star goaltender Enemy Crusher Porky "Fatso The Third" McFattel, who has not allowed a goal in five matches, is out looking for revenge. "I want revenge on Neu Engollon. I will get it. I am the Enemy Crusher. I get what I want or I crush. Neu Engollon, you are going down. This is a huge matchup for me, for all of us. We are all out for revenge here against a heathen team who dared beat us in the Round of 16. Mark my words - we're getting #3 here in Quebec. And then we will lift the trophy high and take it to the Gregoryisgodistan Sports Hall of Fame where our two other World Cup of Hockey trophies are. And where our World Baseball Classic trophy is. And our Baptism of Iron trophy. And all our International Baseball Slam trophies. But hockey is the greatest sport, which is why we are the greatest team."

Right wing Enemy Crusher Ronald Fatgoat was equally out for revenge. "You can bet someone will be crushed if we lose. But we won't lose. We'll never lose again. It is time to show the world the awesome power of Gregoryisgodistan. Let's go Ice Slaves. Let's get some wins. I will score a goal, my teammates will score a goal - and oh by the way, we haven't surrendered any goals yet. And we never will. Porky is great in goal, our defensemen are great, this may be the greatest Ice Slaves team ever, and we're not done yet. Let's win us another championship, and then another. And another. And another. Pretty soon we will be the most successful hockey team in the history of the Multiverse. Mark my words. This is for all of us. We are going to win a third, for the Lord Almighty Gregory and for all of Gregoryisgodistan. Let's go, folks. We're going to win. We'll win this whole tournament. I guarantee it. And if we don't, it's crushy time! So let's win!"

[Kaboomlandia]

Game Preview: Valanora v. Kaboomlandia

The Kaboomlandians finally made it past the group stage in their third World Cup of Hockey. For their reward, they get to play Valanora, who beat them 4-1 in the group stage when they last met. The difference here? Kaboomlandia has a healthy starting goalie, a great new second line in Zack Murray, Kennedy Linden, and Bryson Martin, and the adrenaline from a crazy comeback that saw the Phoenix score three goals in the final seven minutes to erase a 3-1 deficit and beat Armeia. We'll take you through this matchup.

Offense

Valanora's speed overwhelmed the Kaboomlandians. The Phoenix got into penalty trouble against Valanora and paid the price with their plodding penalty kill. The Kaboomlandians have a very strong offense and power play. If Zack Murray's line continues to score, the offense could be a toss-up.

Defense

Though Valanora only allowed 9 goals to Kaboomlandia's 11, four of those 11 were from Valanora. The Phoenix top-four is their strong suit, with Herndon, Bore, Clooney, and Strachan all playing very well for Kaboomlandia. However, Kaboomlandia's bottom-two defense is not as strong. Blair Mitchell needs to manage his defensive matchups well to get the win here.

Goaltending

This is the area where the Phoenix have the edge. Dylan Brady had the flu for the last game against Valanora, and Mace was outshot 37-20 by Valanora. Brady still needs to stand on his head against a Valanoran offense that scored more goals than any other team in the tournament.

The verdict? Although Kaboomlandia will definitely make it interesting, it'll be an uphill battle for the Phoenix. My prediction? 5-3 Valanora.

[Zenic]

The group stage of the World Cup of Hockey has come and gone. With its end, the knockout stages have arrived.

Zenic ended the group stage with a 1-0 victory over Norrehavn. The lone goal came from Tendaji Jernej slapshot with 8 minutes left in the first period. The rest of the game was a great display of defending, reminiscent of Giehl's time as the head coach of the ice hockey team at Conscientia University. With the victory, the Frozen Survivors qualified as Group G winners and finished 5th in the overall seeding.

As a result of the seeding, Zenic will square off against their semifinal opponents from WCoH 28, Nova Anglicana. The Frozen Survivors swept the Lions 2-0, winning the first game 2-1 and then shut out the Lions 3-0 to advance to the final in Valanora against the Vanorians. Now, they will be the first opponent that Giehl and his squad have to defeat.

The Nova Anglicana squad has performed impressive, as to be expected of the squad that finished 4th in the last World Cup of Hockey. Having won 4 out of 5 games with their lone loss to fellow top squad and Group C winners, Ko-oren on the final match day, this is no walk in the park. Despite this, I still believe Zenic will sweep the series against Nova Anglicana 2-0, with the first game ending 3-1 and the second game ending 1-0. After that, Zenic could end up in a face-off against perennial championship contenders, Gregoryisgodistan.

One final note before I go: should there be no re-seeding, it is possible for a rematch of the World Cup of Hockey 28 final between Valanora and Zenic. It would be an interesting rematch as the two squads would only have 3 games to prove themselves as the best in the world. Regardless, Zenic will give its best for the rest of this tournament; what's left to see is if that's enough to become world champions.

--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.

[Esparmuran]

Esparmuran with perfect record, advances

5.50 k.

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

---

Olaf Skovgaard

Attawapiskat, Quebec

Esparmuran had the pleasure to be in a relatively easy group. The toughest opponent in the group, Nephara, was ranked 17, 11 lower than Esparmuran. Regardless of whether this helped the Espar's get to an undefeated record or not, in the end, they advanced, and that's all that mattered. Round of 16, here we come.

Our first (of hopefully four) opponents is Novaya Zemlya. You may remember them from the 27th WCoH, where we defeated them in the semi-finals before inevitably losing to Gregoryisgodistan. As for the 28th, Novaya Zemlya was defeated two games to one against Nova Anglicana in the Ro16. Esparmuran, on the other hand, was infamously defeated two games to nothing by then-rank-12 Elejamie in the quarterfinals. Since then, both teams have done well. Esparmuran with a 5-0-0 record and Novaya Zemlya with 4-0-1.

Now if Esparmuran wants to repeat the 27th semi-finals, they're going to have to focus on Novaya Zemlya's strengths and weaknesses. For strengths, we've got Iosif Bezukladnikov. Novaya Zemlya's goaltender, aside from a six-goal blunder against Cosumar, has done good for the team through the group stage, and will most likely, provided there's no injuries, stay on the ice for every post-group match NZ encounters.

For weaknesses, NZ has, like Esparmuran, a crappy power-play unit. And whenever they do score, they, unlike Esparmuran, seem fond to pull back and let the clock take care of things. Esparmuran on the other hand, usually can't believe they scored a PPG in the first place and then go all out from the sheer joy of scoring one. Or, at least that's the way I'm thinking of it.

One could argue Bezukladnikov carried NZ through the group match. as he did in the 28th. But if he's carrying the Novaya Zemlyan's through the group stage, Orrell Beake had carried the Espar team from Chicoutimi to Attawapiskat. With eleven points in five games, Beake has continuously shown to be one of the best players in the WCoH, and easily one of the highest scoring.

Next, let's look at coaching. While Espar head coach Jimi Stack has emphasized offense over defence, NZ coach Bogdan Bobr has a slower approach to his game, keeping the opposing team at bay and pushing into their defensive zone. If the Novaya Zemlyan's can take out Esparmuran's flawed defence, this will be a very one-sided round.

Beake, 38, said yesterday he's probably going to retire in a couple more years. so before he does, let's hope he's able to get a WCoH Winning trophy in the process.

[Neu Engollon]

"Bien Welk! Welcome Neu Engollon and to our International viewers. You're watching the NETV Sports 7 Update and I'm your host, Karl Demais, live in the studio in Burgunden. While Magda is out tracking down stories for us in Quebec, where the World Cup of Hockey saw its last day of Group stage games. Magda is lining up some good interviews for us and we’ll cut to her very shortly here. The news was good today as we saw the Ibex beat the unranked team from Sandhelm six to four. I say just good, as we know the margin should have been a lot bigger. Oh...So, I just got word. Magda is ready with our first interview of the night. Assistant Coach Geoffrey Siegler is standing by with her. Magda, can you hear me?”

“I’m here, Karl. So is Geoff. We are on a time crunch with Geoff, Coach Siegler, sorry…”

“That’s ok, Magda. Yes, I do have to get scootin’ here soon. And Karl, I agree with you. In theory, the margin should’ve been a lot wider than it was against an unranked team, but I think the fact that the third string was being played in order to save the starting line fresh for the Round of sixteen game we were sure was coming up…”

“I’m not trying to attack you here, Coach Siegler.”

“I know, I know. I take responsibility and so does Coach Liu. Well, listen...We played it a little close to the belt I suppose. Still, we locked it in and took the game. They shouldn’t have been able to rack up 4 points, but...we got it. That’s what counts.”

“It does, indeed. So, ultimately, You and Coach Liu made the right decision. Considering the match up you all have coming up, the Ibex need to be in top shape and fully refreshed.”

“Yes, and that was the plan. We didn’t think we’d have to face the Crushers again so early on, but there you go. Battle time. They’re ready for war.”

“Gregoryisgodistan are completely seeing red over this. Literally. They have their goons ready to be unleashed with full revenge on their minds towards the Ibex.”

“Well, we’re not weighing down the team with all that nonsense right now. They don’t need to hear that these raving fanatics are screaming for their blood.”

“Coach, let me just play something for you. This is an audio clip from Right Winger Fatgoat of the Crushers…”

“Fat goat, eh? hehe. Okay. Go on.”

“So, here’s the clip:

"You can bet someone will be crushed if we lose. But we won't lose. We'll never lose again. It is time to show the world the awesome power of Gregoryisgodistan. Let's go Ice Slaves. Let's get some wins. I will score a goal, my teammates will score a goal - and oh by the way, we haven't surrendered any goals yet. And we never will. Porky is great in goal, our defensemen are great, this may be the greatest Ice Slaves team ever, and we're not done yet. Let's win us another championship, and then another. And another. And another. Pretty soon we will be the most successful hockey team in the history of the Multiverse. Mark my words. This is for all of us. We are going to win a third, for the Lord Almighty Gregory and for all of Gregoryisgodistan. Let's go, folks. We're going to win. We'll win this whole tournament. I guarantee it. And if we don't, it's crushy time! So let's win!"

So, there were some other words from some of their other players, but that’s about the gist of it.”

“Ya, they’re nutty. What can I say? How do you reply to that, Karl? They pray at the looney altar. It’s like they’re all cloned out of the same sci fi machine, ya know?”

“Well, are we going to see a different strategy this time around from last World Cup?”

“We’re more prepared, but really, what strategy do you use? The Ibex know it’s going to be survival from the get go. They’re going to armor up and power through this game. Not too much armor, because they need the speed. It’s one of the advantages we can rely on.”

“Speed?”

“Speed. And agility. But really speed. They need to escape these guys because honestly...Our guys are tough, sure...but they can’t go toe to toe with the Crushers in every scuffle here. The Ice Apes, that’s their thing. They will get in every shot possible. They’ll swing those sticks like hatchets. They’ll take out refs to get to the Ibex. So, our guys can’t slow themselves down with too much padding.”

“That’s...that’s the strategy, Coach? Survive?”

“And shoot at the net? What? You want our detailed plays, Karl? They got guys that watch this [bleep], you know? Sorry, I gotta play this to the vest, man.”

“Of course. We understand, Coach. It’s just that it seems overly simple. You have a three game series now to get through with Gregoryisgodistan and they aren’t going to underestimate your guys out there this time.”

“Nope. Yep. Nope. Not gonna. I gotta jet now, Karl. Magda. Thanks.”

“Er...Thanks Coach. Thank you for talking to us and…”

“You bet. See ya.”

“Magda?”

“He’s gone, Karl. We have two more pregames after this. We’ll catch up again. I’m going to go make sure Remy Velper stuck around. He’s around here somewhere. Usually lags around in the locker room after the other guys.”

“How do you know…? Magda, you’re not lingering around the lock-”

“Nope. Gotta go, Karl. We’ll be back.”

“Right, uh, so, when we come back... More pre-series coverage of the Round of 16. Stay tuned, right after this sponsor break…”

[The Royal Kingdom of Quebec]

OOC: Part of a multiple-part series involving what's considered one of the longest games ever played on QHL history. Stay tuned for more...

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, to the Hockey Night in Quebec. This is what looks to be an exciting night of hockey, as the Kingston Knights face Attwapiskat Avalanche, here, in Maple Leaf Gardens tonight. I'm Felix Egorian and my partner for broadcast here tonight is Danielle Rouget-Blanc."

"Good evening everybody, and welcome to the game 7 of Western Conference Finals as what we could argue as the top 2 teams of the nation battle for the ticket to challenge the Goose Bay Flames."

"That's right, Danielle. This is the game that we'll get to see who's going to win the cup in 2 weeks. Flames may have qualified a bit earlier last night, but they are simply not at the calibre of either Avalanche or Knights as we all know. Hence all the bettings, hence all those in crowd tonight. Your thoughts?"

"Well it's hard to say, Felix. Both are excellent teams with explosive offence, contributing defence and most importantly of all, excellent goaltenders and coaches, so it all comes down to the home-ice advantage I think. Both teams only lost one game on home ice, and are undefeated in the conference finals so far. In the end, I have to say that Knights will win the game. No way they will not win under the motivated crowd they have here, and we know key guys like Clark, Browne and Smirnov will always step up."

"Quite indeed, especially intriguing to see Knights coming back with a record season after a huge change to their roster. Who would've expected Knights to win the President's Cup with most points in team history, after selling off Rioux, Hatfield, Bibeau and having some inexperienced guys?"

"Not me indeed. (turns on the profile of Knights' young guns) We have 5 players in the squad under 23 here: Fitzpatrick on goal, Sprong, Nylander and Kim on wing. All four of them are unique in their own way: Fitzpatrick's a high-IQ goalie who has excellent great rebound control, excellent reflexes and mental fortitude, while Sprong's a offensive wildcard in which you can see him score on most powerplays should his growth continues. Maxim Nylander, as we've all seen it with Marlies, is a phenomenal playmaker who made a big jump and Maurice Kim's just Maurice. The banger who can kill and score with his tools."

"What draft range were they picked back in the draft?"

"Well it really depends. With Fitzpatrick Aklavik traded up to 15th and grabbed him insta, while Sprong and Nylander were boom and bust picks whose defensive concerns really dropped them below. Kim was projected to be a late 2nd round pick by most, so the Knights really made a high-risk gamble back then at 28th pick. So Knights just cashed off their draft through luck and good player development, something that they've excelled in the last decade."

"Indeed. Who knew that they would draft and craft such gems?"

"Absolutely. The list is endless so we're not going to discuss it. (turns on the profile of Avalanche's youth) But when it comes to player development, Avalanche is no inferior as well. Can you give your opinions on that?"

"Well I've watched Avalanche for past 2 decades and gotta say that this squad is perhaps the most displaying example of the new Avalanche system under Allen and Aronnax. It's even more here, with 6 players under the age of 23. They were signed or drafted in convenient positions, aside from Richards who was traded from Saint John not too long ago. Right now Richards is the only really scoring out of all of them, but Bleackley's at least commendable for his shutdown abilities."

"Boy, yes. He was splendid last night. Don't you agree?"

"Absolutely. He's been put in key situations where veterans are expected to be at, and really put his heart out there to do what he can. This whole season he was a pleasant surprise, and it may not be long before we see him with a lettering. A good counterpart against Gauthier, on this series, in my opinion."

"Now, going back to where we began, Danielle: Who do you think will be x-factor tonight?"

"For Avalanche, I think the key decider for Avalanche tonight imo will be Jan Arne. As we all know, Arne's excellent at powerplay (shows a clip of Arne's spectacular PP goal). But we all know he's had some defensive deficiencies as well (shows a clip of a key mistake that led to a breakaway goal by Sylvain Turcotte). With Markov being out for the last 2 games, he's had a night and day of games with good, bad and ugly in his games all shown. He knows he can't do that, but will he fix that and step up when it matters? That, in my opinion, can pretty much decide this whole series because team needs him that much. It's not easy to replace 25 minutes of ice time and already Passmore's getting overworked here, so it's time that he steps up and takes over some of the luggage the Kingston native's been handling."

" For me I think it'll be Raphael Roux. It's been particularly rough this season, because of this lawsuit Taschurinyuk (his old girlfriend) filed last January. He's had to deal with this hot mess of a case and it really affected his game in some key moments. Since he just got acquitted of it last week, we'll have to see how it goes on tonight, for he'll have to deal with taunts and boos coming from the stands. What about the Knights, Danielle?"

"It's easy: Dave Clark. Clark's a very consistent performer in playoffs, but whether he shines in key moments or not tends to be too much of determiner for a win or a loss in times. Some of more skilled players tended to have problems against Avalanche's defence, so Clark and Gauthier often had a pretty big role. Expect him and Gauthier to log 40 minutes this game, because Yi seems to be pretty tired at this very tail end of his career and you know you can't trust Desmarais right now."

"I agree with you on this one. It's going to be interesting to see how those three players, all so crucial to team, will perform under the heightened pressure in Maple Leaf Gardens tonight. Now we'll pass down to Eric, right on ice as we speak. (camera turns to Eric) Hello Eric!"

"Hello everyone. I'm here, right next to ice level tonight. It's not as bustling right now, perhaps because not every seat is filled yet."

"Did you see anyone notable on ice so far?"

"I've seen few so far, with the list being Jacques Lemieux, the QHL Commissioner; Knights legend William Clark, Avalanche president and legend Tony Allen, and of course Jane Withers. We all in a pretty good company here for sure, with there being a good mix of season ticket holders and VIPs."

"Do you know where they might be seated at? I do not recall seeing them."

"Well Felix, I can be safe in assuming that Mr. Lemieux himself is on the very ice level, with him having to handle the ceremonies and the cup afterwards. I can't say exactly where though, for I met him in washroom. People's reactions were quite interesting enough when they saw the commissioner there, haha."

"Absolutely. Mr. Lemieux's losing hair and it's getting more noticeable with every passing game of this series. What about our respective legends and Ms. Withers?"

"There probably are couple of boxes reserved reserved for each of the team alumni, so I guess they're probably there. [hears the ding-dong, checks the instagram update] We have a pretty large congregation there, according to my friend who's currently doing an interview. There's Clark, (Doug) Lambert, (Mats) Backlund, (Will) McLellan, (Daniel) Lee, (Nikita) Barbashev and even elderly Sid Bower."

"Impressive to see such an arsenal of Knights legends back here again to witness a historic dynasty continuing for Knights. Any update on Avalanche front?"

"Well Tony Allen and his group is sitting on usual Box 17, typically reserved for management staff who's on a rival team. They also have a full team, maybe more packed than their homely counterparts because they also have to fit in the old-timers and players' families. Jane Withers is not there though, she was at her box reserved for her family."

"Awesome. With that being said, how's the atmosphere like? It's hard to hear right now."

"Game hasn't started yet, so we're only hearing some buzzes here and there. We'll see how it goes next time we're talking."

"Dope. Thank you, Eric."

"No problem."

(goes back into the media box) "And now we're off to the game intro as we enter into what could potentially be the most memorable game in this Avalanche-Rivalry at the end of 2010s. 3 times they faced each other previously, with Kingston winning 2 of the series. All three series have had their winners move up and win the Cup as well, so this is gonna be a big deal for all those watching from Yzerberg to Gregoryisgodistani Capital District."

The on-ice projection show starts and plays for around 4 minutes, before the lights are all out. Then the music starts again and a sole light is focused to the home side of the ice. Brett Sanford, the on-game announcer of the arena, starts the player introduction for the final game.

'For the starting lineup tonight, for your Kingston Knights, in goal, Number 45....Alexandre Browne!'

"An unsurprising choice for the Knights as the 26 year old starts for the Knights. He's been healthy, focus, and most importantly of all, with all the momentum in the world."

'On Defence, from Kingston, Frontenac. Number 3...Ian Blanc-Laperriere!'

"With Laperriere it looks like Coach Burns decided to start his usual pairing instead. I remember hearing earlier in the day that he was considering on starting either him or Keith Robertson for the game.'

"That's certainly interesting. Seems that they really considered on going full on defensive hockey by putting Lavigne or Robertson on for the top pairing. Laperriere has excellent hockey IQ and tools, but he's not the shutdown defenceman Either is."

"Absolutely. Playing Laperriere would work better for transition game, and maybe that's why they're throwing the top pairing. Tennfjord is just as good as Tyrie in transition skills from one zone to another and he has the presence Tyrie lacks."

'On Defence, from Yzerberg, Vaugania. Number 36....Fillip Tennfjord!'

'Once again, not too surprising. Woodcock needs no aggression nor trap hockey right now, but rather a balance in defence and transition. Tennfjord, an all-around, physical defenceman, fits the billing. As you said earlier, Felix, this is not really surprising because Avalanche is a team going for full offence, so Knights need to find a balance to counter that. Considering it's Woodcock, they'll try to counter that with a mix of various tactics.'

'The next up are forwards. From Ogoki, Ontario. Your 47......Mikhail Komarov!'

"That's a bit surprising of change, Danielle. It looks like they might've changed their plans with forward lineups with this line expected to be line #2 for the Knights."

"I agree with you on that, Felix. It seems like Komarov's moved up in place of Scannell, who now should be playing in 3rd instead of 2nd line with elderly Min Joon Yi and Maxim Nylander. Not particularly surprising anyways, especially if we think of this as Woodcock trying to counter the top pairing of Martinek and Passmore by going for skill on the pairing: strong net-front presence with Komarov, Desmarais' playmaking abilities and Sprong's dynamic chamber of shots..."

To be continued....

---

Round of 16, Game 1 Cutoff

So the Monsieur Quebbles has a big, daunting task to do tomorrow, and all he sees is fire burning auburn on his heart.

---

[The Royal Kingdom of Quebec]

Round of 16, Game 1 Results

---

Valanora 6–3 Kaboomlandia
Royal Kingdom of Quebec 3-1 Ficiscia (Scorinated by Neu Engollon)
Elejamie 5–4 Nephara
Esparmuran 2–3 Novaya Zemlya
Zenic 3–1 Nova Anglicana
Gregoryisgodistan 1–0 Neu Engollon
Ko-oren 3–4 Ontorisa
Cosumar 4–4 Abanhfleft (4-5 OT)

[Novaya Zemlya]

ESPARMURAN 2 - 3 NOVAYA ZEMLYA
Recap | Boxscore | Stats | The Timofeyev Report | Video

---

BOGDAN & THE TERRIERS

We have ourselves a 1-0 series lead! Of course, we had a 1-0 lead against Nova Anglicana at the last WCoH as well, and we all know how that ended. Anyway, the quick rundown: good first period, great second period, very worrisome third period.

The slightly longer version: After an evenly matched, fast paced first period in the Northwest Centre, the score was tied at one. Our passing and movement in the offensive zone actually looked really promising, and we were able to keep up with the offensive-minded Espars in the scoring chance department.

In the second period, the Novozemlyans had some stretches of spectacular play, and grabbed a 3-1 lead thanks to goals from Krasimir Yerokhin and Sergei Kutuzov. Towards the end of the period though, the Espars started to crank it up. It got progressively worse, and in the third period Iosif Bezukladnikov found himself under constant bombardment from Espar forwards.

In fact, Novaya Zemlya's third period was mostly spent hanging on for dear life, as the opposition desperately chased the equalizer. They did score once, and Orrell Beake had a shot off the post in the last minute of play, but the exhausted Novozemlyans managed to hold on to their fragile 3-2 lead until the end. I think our national sigh of relief could be heard all over the Arctic as the final buzzer sounded.

At the post-game press conference, Dominik Shelagin claimed to be "ecstatic" about beating the Espars. Head coach Bogdan Bobr, on the other hand, was not entirely pleased.

A very narrow win tonight, Bogdan. What's your thoughts on the game?

"I thought we played well for the first half of the game, taking away their space like we had talked about before. But Esparmuran took over more and more as the game went on. Let's be honest here, they owned us in the third, and we were lucky to come out with a victory in the end."

Most of your players were around for the WCoH 27 semifinals. They know what they are up against. Is that a strength for you guys? Or could you be at a mental disadvantage from the start, as the Espars won decisively that time?

"I'm a hockey coach, not a psychologist. Next question!"

Fyodor Ryzhkov seemed to do his best to throw Orrell Beake off his game, even ripping his helmet off once to force him to go to the bench for a change. Was this part of your game plan tonight?

"No. No, that was just Fyodor being Fyodor. He should be damn happy he didn't get a penalty there, because there is a special place in Bobr hell for players that take stupid penalties in playoff games. Besides, Beake is a seasoned vet who has seen it all, it's a waste of everyone's time trying to agitate him."

You rode your top guys really hard in this game. Yerokhin played close to 25 minutes, and Dmitriy Chupalov had 30, barely leaving the ice for the last 10 minutes of the third. Aren't you worried that they'll run out of gas, with the intense schedule and all?

"What is this, an interrogation? I'll play the players that give us the best chance to win."

Well, you have the Olympics coming up right after the WCoH, don't you want your key players to have a little something left in the tank for that?

"I couldn't give two sh*ts about the Olympics right now, I'm here to win a World Cup. And I don't see what the big fuss is about, if you're a hockey player you should be able to skate for 25-30 minutes a day. It's not unreasonable."

Finally, what do you need to do in order to win again tonight?

"Pressure on their puck carrier, we need to go after them like terriers out there. Don't give them that extra half second to set up some fancy play. We did it for parts of this game, we can do it again. But it's important not to go overboard and neglect your defensive assignments either. Third man high. It's all about balance. I call it the passive-aggressive school of Bobr hockey."

[Elejamie]

"... And now we turn to John Daverson with the news about Elejamie's first Round of 16 game. John?"

That's right, Steve. Good morning, Elejamie! Last night, Elejamie managed to defeat Nephara 5-4 in their opening Round of 16 game. The Icy Elephants had managed to win all of their Group C games, the highlight being the 5-0 thrashing of the Equestrian States; whereas the Gulls had won three of their Group D games, drew 2-2 to Nordeana and lost 4-3 to group winners Esparmuran. And, indeed, despite Elejamie being the clear favourites, Nephara put up an incredibly tough fight. Here are the highlights:

The first period got off to a good start as, less than a minute after the start, Anatoly Kasputin made it 1-0, thanks a wrist shot and assistance from Cerin Meloten and Adam Keane. After that point, Nephara tried their hardest to score a goal but were unable to; their best shot came in the fifth minute, when a slap shot could've gone in had Antonio Cervantes not saved it in time. In fact, even when Bill Harrison was sent to the box for two minutes for slashing, the Nepharim were unable to convert shots into goals. Eight minutes from time, Cerin Meloten scored his first - but certainly not his last - of the night when a shovel shot made its way in between the Nepharim goalie's legs to make it 2-0. However, after that, Elejamie were unable to score any more goals for the rest of the period, even when a Nepharim defenceman was sent to the box for high-sticking. At the end of the period, the score was 2-0.

The second period, however, was a bit of a disaster. First, five minutes after the start, they managed to pull one back, thanks to a wrist shot. Unfortunately, they were able to get a second two minutes later; when Francisco Solano was given a two minute minor for interference, they managed to level the scores, with a wrist shot tucking its way into the back of the net. Fortunately, less than halfway through the period, Elejamie managed to get back into the lead, with a slapshot and assistant from Danilo Barajas and Carlos Sierra. However, as hard as both teams tried, no one was able to add more to the board and, at the end of the second period, the score was 3-2 to Elejamie. They were just hanging on by a thread and they needed plenty of goals in the third to stay afloat..

The third period saw Elejamie get back in the game. Seven minutes after the start, after a Nepharim player was given a minor penalty for boarding Aaron Andrews, Elejamie's PK unit made it 4-2, thanks to a snapshot from Cerin Meloten and assistance from Lupe and Rosetta Royals teammate Francisco Solano. Unfortunately, not long after that, the Nepharim managed to score once again. It was at that point that Antonio Cervantes came off and was replaced by Peter Berg, who showed some promise early on by saving this slap shot from a Nepharim right-winger, a shot which could've easily tied the scores. Eventually, when Nephara took their goalie off, Elejamie managed to make it 5-3, thanks to Cerin Meloten completing his hat-trick and assistance from Anatoly Kasputin. Although Nephara got one back in the dying seconds, it wasn't enough to force the game into overtime. Elejamie had won their first game 5-4 and, although it wasn't the result they were expecting, it was still a great start to their campaign.

In a post-match interview, head coach Michael Madgwick said "I am a little bit disappointed with our defending tonight; letting in a few goals that they could've easily saved. But I'm still proud of the result; I don't see why I shouldn't be, it's just that we could've done better. Cerin, Anatoly and James had a good run. And Toni... could've done better but I'm pretty sure it's nothing really major. Nothing worth getting mad about. Overall, a good performance all around."

"Do you think you'll be able to take game two?"

"Undoubtedly, yes. I mean, they came third in their group last tournament; and they weren't third enough to make it through to the next round. Before that, they came fifth in Ko-oren. And before that, on their first try, they lost both of their round of sixteen games against Gyatso-Kai. So I don't think they'll cause us any troubles. Maybe another close victory for us but, apart from that, nothing too serious."

Elsewhere, Valanora thumped group-mates Kaboomlandia 6-3, whereas Novaya Zemlya beat Esparmuran - who won both of their semi-final games at the 27th World Cup of Hockey - 3-2 to kickstart their revenge. Gregoryisgodistan kept things going by beating Neu Engollon - who famously knocked them out at this stage last time - in another low-scoring shut-out victory; 1-0. Speaking of the last tournament, Zenic beat Nova Anglicana 3-1 in what could be described as "a rematch of the semi-finals"; back then, Zenic won their first match against the Nova Anglicans 2-1, then their second game 3-0. Group C runners up Ontorisa managed to squeak past Ko-oren with a 4-3 victory. Hosts Quebec managed to snatch a 3-1 victory over Ficiscia. And Abanhfleft managed to snatch a 5-4 overtime victory over Cosumar after the match ended in a 4-4 draw.

Tonight, it'll be game two of the series? Will Elejamie be able to win twice in a row? Or will Nephara pull one back? Find out tonight on Puck Drop, 9pm on ETV1.

Elsewhere, Jon Horton has announced that he will be retiring from international ice hockey. The 41-year-old Horton, who hasn't played an international match since Elejamie's 4-4 draw against Prusy Krolewskie at the 27th World Cup of Hockey, has stated that he will play one last friendly after the tournament before calling it a day...

---

Period			P1	P2	P3	FS
Elejamie		2	1	2	5
Nephara			0	2	2	4