Season AE600 Part Five - MD21 - 25 Top League Scorer: Jennifer McKenzie, 22 goals, 13 assists
Match Day 21
Dienville Lancers 0-0 Preston FC Ashingdon United 0-4 Senades Blitz Tarbert Huskies 0-1 Evesham United Holyhead FC 3-3 Snowdownia City Kendal Arrows 1-1 Stanton FC Edington Chiefs 1-1 Merton Ajax Tiranges Bolts 1-4 Hawick Royale Goodwick FC 1-1 Bankfoot Bears
Shock match of the week was the Holyhead FC taking on the Hawks; I know the Hawks have been a bit of a dark horse candidate here all year long with us, but when the schedule was released, I had definitely had this penned in as a certain victory for the Friars, which instead, thanks to great day from John Balfour and Michael Day, Snowdownia gets to split the points with Holyhead. Friars definitely need to figure on what's going on over there, Frederic Garrett hasn't scored a goal since long before the Evans Cup break and I'm really beginning to wonder if youngster Joe Maddox starts getting some caps over him, especially because he's proved explosive off of the bench.
Match Day 22
Preston FC 0-1 Ashingdon United Senades Blitz 0-2 Tarbert Huskies Evesham United 1-0 Holyhead FC Snowdownia City 4-1 Dienville Lancers Stanton FC 2-0 Edington Chiefs Merton Ajax 2-0 Tiranges Bolts Hawick Royale 1-0 Goodwick FC Bankfoot Bears 1-0 Kendal Arrows
Preston's embarrassing slide continues, Jason Rigsby continuing to look highly frustrated with manager Geoffrey Dunster, and I really have to wonder how much longer their worst season in the last seven years, which says something because they've had quite a slide from their championship contender level days, continues before Shaji Stadium sees some major change with the leadership. Evesham and Holyhead met once again, and for the third time this year, United are propelled over their budding rivals and number two seed thanks to a strong strike from McKenzie, who is fast on her way to completely transplanting Jason Rigsby as the perennial best Anthoran forward. Tarbert Huskies also manage to sneak in some controversy of their own, taking down fourth seeded Senades with a brace of goals from youngster Buck Stringfellow; word is he's still furious over being snubbed on a callup to his home Cosumar U21 team in recent international appearances.
Match Day 23
Tarbert Huskies 5-2 Preston FC Holyhead FC 1-1 Senades Blitz Dienville Lancers 3-1 Evesham United Ashingdon United 1-0 Snowdownia City Tiranges Bolts 2-3 Stanton FC Goodwick FC 2-0 Merton Ajax Kendal Arrows 2-0 Hawick Royale Edington Chiefs 0-1 Bankfoot Bears
I think Stringfellow is really channeling his fury into something positive, he scores his first ever hat trick in the AFC here on a massive blowout win over Preston, and he's helped along the way by his captain, Tyrell Richelieu who contributed a goal as well as Emory Combs off of a brilliant header. Kendal Arrows join the Huskies in upsetting higher ranked teams, taking down Hawick Royale on the back of Émilien Lécuyer's 14' goal and then his addon at '34. William Baird and Ashingdon finally snap Snowdownia's six game undefeated streak with a narrow 1 to nil win at home; Hawks boss said it was expected, as he had rested most of the starters and let the substitutes get some cap time in for experience; should still note that his team's performance is still one of the best for a team in their first season post-promotion to the top league.
Match Day 24
Preston FC 1-0 Holyhead FC Senades Blitz 0-1 Dienville Lancers Evesham United 2-1 Ashingdon United Snowdownia City 4-3 Tarbert Huskies Stanton FC 1-1 Goodwick FC Merton Ajax 1-1 Kendal Arrows Hawick Royale 1-1 Edington Chiefs Bankfoot Bears 0-0 Tiranges Bolts
On the seventh day, Geoffrey Dunster said to Jason Rigsby; save my job! And Jason Rigsby delivered, off of the longest strike this year at the ever timely '76 mark to help Preston beat the second best team in the League, marking three straight defeats for the Friars who are desperately peddling to find the ground they have seemingly lost. The battle of the youth between Snowdownia and Tarbert was an offensive mash fest, seven goals between the two of them with nearly triple as many shots; Hawick draws against the Chiefs, which break their record setting loss streak. I think Hawick is still trying to figure out how exactly they let Loan Thomas score on a lob cross.
Match Day 25
Dienville Lancers 1-4 Preston FC Ashingdon United 0-1 Senades Blitz Tarbert Huskies 0-2 Evesham United Holyhead FC 1-0 Snowdownia City Kendal Arrows 1-1 Stanton FC Edington Chiefs 1-0 Merton Ajax Tiranges Bolts 1-1 Hawick Royale Goodwick FC 1-0 Bankfoot Bears
Apparently Dunster is really still interested in Preston; I'd like to know where this spirit was for the last 20 matches, as Preston goes on to thump Dienville to the tune of 4-1; the Friars get some revenge from two week's ago draw and they narrowly defeat Snowdownia.
Season AE600 Finale - MD30 - 33 Top League Scorer: Jennifer McKenzie, 30 goals, 16 assists
Match Day 31
Tiranges Bolts 4-1 Preston FC Goodwick FC 1-0 Senades Blitz Kendal Arrows 4-2 Evesham United Edington Chiefs 0-1 Snowdownia City Tarbert Huskies 1-1 Stanton FC Holyhead FC 2-0 Merton Ajax Dienville Lancers 4-0 Hawick Royale Ashingdon United 4-2 Bankfoot Bears
Match Day 32
Preston FC 5-1 Goodwick FC Senades Blitz 1-0 Kendal Arrows Evesham United 3-1 Edington Chiefs Snowdownia City 4-1 Tiranges Bolts Stanton FC 0-2 Holyhead FC Merton Ajax 1-1 Dienville Lancers Hawick Royale 3-0 Ashingdon United Bankfoot Bears 0-2 Tarbert Huskies
Match Day 33
Kendal Arrows 2-1 Preston FC Edington Chiefs 1-4 Senades Blitz Tiranges Bolts 5-6 Evesham United Goodwick FC 0-3 Snowdownia City Dienville Lancers 6-1 Stanton FC Ashingdon United 1-0 Merton Ajax Tarbert Huskies 2-1 Hawick Royale Holyhead FC 1-1 Bankfoot Bears
Player of the Year: Jennifer McKenzie (Evesham United) Golden Boot: Jennifer McKenzie (Evesham United) Top Rookie: Buck Stringfellow Manager of the Year: John Greenwood (Evesham United) Team of the Year: - #99 Bryan Kimball (Holyhead) - #80 Equan Durant (Tarbert Huskies) - #81 Richard Carter (Tarbert Huskies) - #56 Richard Holloway (Evesham United) - #21 James Findlay (Ashingdon United) - #22 Jason Elsmore (Snowdownia) - #19 Oliver Wardell (Evesham United) - #7 Jennifer McKenzie (Evesham United) - #5 Alistair Dolan (Evesham United) - #32 Nicholas Stark (Kendal Arrows) - #9 Michael Day (Snowdownia) - #21 Cole Harrison (Hawick Royale)
Anthoran International Hockey Federation Season 603 Offseason Review
Welcome back avid Anthoran and international fans, as I, Tanner Sorenson, guide you through our first pre-season broadcast for the 603 AIHF season!
Last season, we were treated to some truly amazing feats of play, that stretched from week one of the regular season when Yarmouth lost their debut home game to Ancinnes by a line of 6-1, all the way to the post season where you had Rannoch not only qualify for the playoffs for the first time in five seasons, but they managed to advance all the way to the Federation Semi-Finals where they eventually were defeated by the ever dynamite Yarmouth. In addition to this, you had Toussard continue its five-year streak of playoff qualification, becoming the first Southern Division team to do so, however they once more failed to advance past the first round, crashing out to the Avon Knights. For the second year in a row, you were all treated to a finals rematch as Avon and Yarmouth squared off for the second consecutive year for the right to lift the Lyonwrit Cup, and for the second time in a row Gerald Hampton's Duck killed Austin Poindexter's dreams of cementing his legacy as the Ducks earned their fifth consecutive championship, solidifying them as this generation's preeminent dynasty.
This offseason was relatively quiet compared to the one from two years ago when you got to see Ancinnes let a generational player Graham Robertson walk away and Furness scooped him up for a relatively fair contract. Rannoch sent signals they intend to remain competitive this season as they re-signed budding star Scott Bebbington to a 2 year/£3,310,000 deal, as well as extending Benjamin Nystrom's contract for a further 2 years/£5,200,000; those two were part of the core of the Master's improved offense and their continued stay with the team will potentially help ensure that the Masters win games in the ever tough Northern Division.
The one piece of talk that did loom over all sixteen teams and may have contributed to the unusually quiet offseason were the heightened rumors around expansion within the Federation. Rumors initially begun last year when Federation President Léandre Valois let slip in a television interview that he and the other Federation officers had been discussing expanding the Federation to include more teams, and widen the fan/player bases. The rumor mill took the interview slip and ate it up, as expansion has been a hotly discussed topic among fans. AIHF domestic support is at an all-time high, despite the argument that there hasn't been a new champion in five seasons kills ratings, and the Federation just secured a new multi-network TV rights deal worth more then seventeen billion pounds, which is a 14% increase over the prior contract. Ratings are at all time highs, and there is clearly room to grow, plenty of it in fact. What has helped is President Valois's campaign in the last ten years since he was appointed to expand the fanbase of hockey in the Kingdom outside of it's traditional regions in the northern provinces, and into the warmer south. Three decades ago a team in Penshurst or Toussard would have been a punch line to a bad joke in a Kerveguen ale house, but now they have teams, and teams that are highly playoff competitive. The expansion of popularity has seen arguments crop up that the Federation should expand to a third, or even fourth division and distribute the teams more evenly, perhaps even mix northern and southern teams, but all of the talk has just been fan theories and conjecture; up till about two weeks ago, when Neil Shaji, heir to the Shaji estate, announced he had founded an investment group with the intentions to purchase stadium rights from a city, and team rights from the Federation. So far, the Federation has not issued an official response, but fan theories continue to run wild.
Another new change for the upcoming season was two new rules for the Federation; firstly, that the long fan-requested All-Star game would be put into place beginning with this season, and that secondly the AIHF draft inclusion rules had been edited so that any foreigner of any nationality, and gender, may enter the draft, so long as they meet the age minimum of 16 and met the other basic entry rules. The rule expansion was done at the behest of Commissioner Nicholas Jones, who hopes that the inclusion of foreign talent will help boost the abilities of the various teams considerably and help them perform better, especially in the Hockey Champion's League, which Anthoran teams started entering in 601 and have performed dreadful against stiff international competition.
Without further ado, here is a recap of the first round of this year's Amateur Draft:
With that first round recap, I'm also presenting our official best pick, worst pick, and best overall draft choices for the 603 Amateur Draft:
Best Pick: Micah Mallinson This native of the capital Vaumort already looks impressive, and he is still very raw in terms of developed, professional skills. His time on Wintervale Academy's hockey team during his secondary years helped showcase his surprisingly deep understanding of the game, possessing incredible passing, puckhandling and reading abilities for someone of his age, as well as just sheer athletic talent; he's the fastest on ice in this year's draft and if it continues to grow with him he will be one of the fastest skaters in the Federation. Combine that speed with an agility he developed over many years in his youth by practice and dance classes, and upon fruition, he may surpass Albert Kersey in terms of athletic ability. If they can develop right, and possibly even quickly, he would definitely be a nice partner with Kersey in the latter's twilight years and could even provide a foundation for Kerveguen to build a dynasty around.
Worst Pick: Charlie Skerret, Toussard Toussard had a decent season so they didn't get a Top 10 pick this year, but they did land just outside with #11 and they went and tossed it straight into the dumpster with this selection; they picked this guy when you still had solid choices such as Simon Jorgensen, Mark Callaghan and Neil Jesty available; Jesty and Jorgensen especially would have been much better selections so they could have finally gotten Michael Brice some decent fellow defenders that are younger then 31. Instead, they chose to pick a goalie, despite already having two Top 5 goalies on their active roster.
Best Draft Class: Kerveguen HC Besides Micah Mallinson who if they train right will turn out to be at worst, a good player and at best, a future Hall of Famer, they also scored with Martin Waddingham in the second round who will one day bloom into a solid second line forward and Taddesse Megia, who can help plug the holes that may soon open up on their aging defender lineup. If they can get these three the proper instructional and mentoring they need, Kerveguen will easily challenge Avon and Yarmouth for playoff spots, and control over the North Division.
Worst Draft Class: Ancinnes Rangers They had the first overall pick, and they took Joel Brenton; a thoroughly average defender, who does possess the ability to be a good defender, but never a massive first line presence like Erhardt Muller and Roderick Deschamps. The trainwreck that is the Rangers seems to continue into this offseason and the decision to not resign Graham Robertson continues to haunt them. It will be interesting to see what owner Stephen Farleigh will do with GM Frazer Higman and head coach Derek Sercombe if this is the third season they finish dead last in the division.
With the draft coverage finished, here are mine and ABC's official predictions for this upcoming season:
North Division Champion: Yarmouth Five championships in five years, they're on an unstoppable conquest and I truly don't see a team in the Federation that could stop them. Maybe if Avon picked up a few pieces to support Poindexter they could, but I doubt they could get the high grade quality players they need without emptying the clubhouse. I think Yarmouth's domination on the sport and the division will continue this season, and for many more to come.
South Division Champion: Furness I think the Hammers have the quality to win this recently competitive division; Rannoch won it last year, but only by a single game and despite resigning Scott Bebbington, the rest of their stars have an average age of 34 and I'm not convinced they can repeat their performance this season with a refreshed Penshurst, who is also aging but brought on some younger offensive guns, and a Furness who has Graham freaking Robertson and an emerging star in Bert Tabor. If Robertson can continue to quell Father Time and Tabor can continue to blossom, I think Furness can overcome the pack and win the Division outright.
Finals Contestants: Yarmouth and Avon I'm calling a three-peat here; there were three fifty win teams in the Federation last season, and these two were 2/3rds of that equation. Avon continues to have a solid, mature core around Poindexter, Johnson and Morissette and I think Louie Amery is going to have his team in overdrive this season to try and avoid a third straight loss to Yarmouth in the finals; and I think the teams are more evenly matched this year as the Ducks lines continue to age and I have yet to see Gerald Hampton find replacements for some key veteran players who are closer to the end of their careers such as Ross Bacon, Dane Shipway and Roderick Deschamps. I think letting Jewels go two seasons ago will come back to haunt them in a few years when these three sign off and Alderson is left trying to hold the weight.
^ - Dressed * - First Line C - Captain A - Assistant
Ancinnes Rangers Arena: Leifscott Complex, Ancinnes, Anthor (Capacity: 27,564) Sweaters:Link Head Coach: Derek Sercombe (171-180) Captain: Lennart Ahman Championships: None.
Furness Hammers Arena: Marshall City Forum, Furness (Capacity: 29,455) Sweaters:Link Head Coach: Neno Decespedes (190-161) Captain: Graham Robertson Championships: None.
Kerveguen HC Arena: Prince Daniel Stadium, Kerveguen (Capacity: 51,000) Sweaters:Link Head Coach: Josh Lucott (129-116) Captain: Alberty Kersey Championships: None.
Anthoran International Hockey Federation Season 603 Preseason Review/Season Kickoff
The remainder of the offseason has seen us remain in the frigid silence that filled the first half of it, though there was a few surprises, but all of them were in the front office terms of things. The sixty year old master of the Militia, head coach Carlton Lovering announced his retirement from coaching, and hockey. During his three year period, the Militia developed a dark horse reputation and became a defensive powerhouse, however they also failed to qualify for the playoffs each year. The team has announced they have hired Inverness' now former assistant head coach, 42 year old Justin Ryan as the Militia's latest head coach. Ryan has developed quite a reputation for being an remarkable trainer, and clearly Mers is hoping here that he can help youngsters such as Howard Chaundy, Glen Waddingham, Ben Herrod and Kieron Buddle develop into their full potential.
In a perhaps the most talked about event of this offseason, Kerveguen HC announced last month that they had signed Louie Amery, the now ex-head coach of the two time finalists Avon Knights, to a four year deal as their new GM, replacing Richard Ridgley who had served in that role for five years and was retiring. The announcement came as a complete shock to the AIHF as a whole, fans, players and staff alike, as Amery was expected to be ramping up for a third go at the championship with Avon this year and instead, he's jumped ship to Kerveguen who is coming off of a great draft and looks set to have a bright future blossom in a few seasons. What's even more interesting is who Avon team owner Marcus Mansell and GM Moana Iverson have brought on as head coach, recently retired center Carl Hermann, who retired from Kerveguen just three weeks before Avon brought him on as head coach. He spent four seasons as a center in the AIHF, playing in 154 games, scoring 32 goals and lodging 77 assists and 109 points in his short career; he has absolutely zero professional coaching experience. His selection has confused and angered the fans of Avon, who are upset that IIverson didn't hire an veteran coach, such as Nick Sandall who is an assistant at Yarmouth who has long been rumored to be searching for a head coaching post. It will be very interesting to see how Avon does this year under such undeveloped leadership, or if GM Iverson is going to be taking on a much more hands on approach, contrary to AIHF tradition around the GM role.
Additionally, it appeared that Ancinnes team owner did not want to wait to see if Derek Sercombe could salvage this season, as it was announced that Sercombe had been fired just last week, and replaced with Louie Lanyon, formerly a member of the Kinloch Bards front office. This is Lanyon's first head coach job and the onus is most definitely on him as he seeks to bring the Rangers out of the cellar for the first time in two seasons.
With those updates out of the way, here are your finalized rosters heading into the season.
^ - Dressed * - First Line C - Captain A - Assistant
Ancinnes Rangers Arena: Leifscott Complex, Ancinnes, Anthor (Capacity: 27,564) Sweaters:Link Head Coach: Derek Sercombe (171-180) Captain: Lennart Ahman Championships: None.
Furness Hammers Arena: Marshall City Forum, Furness (Capacity: 29,455) Sweaters:Link Head Coach: Neno Decespedes (190-161) Captain: Graham Robertson Championships: None.
Kerveguen HC Arena: Prince Daniel Stadium, Kerveguen (Capacity: 51,000) Sweaters:Link Head Coach: Josh Lucott (129-116) Captain: Alberty Kersey Championships: None.
Anthoran International Hockey Federation Season 603 Part II
Tanner Sorenson, coming to you in your homes, pubs, ale houses and places of debauchery and hockey consumption all over the kingdom for ASBN! We're approximately one month through the new season and boy, have we already been in for some thorough treats. First off, let's speak in broad terms here, we have more then a few upstart surprises currently, Ancinnes being the main one. Louie Lanyon has wasted absolutely no time whipping the Rangers into shape, and despite lacking a true franchise player to rally around Lennart Ahman has done an amazing job trying to fill the still empty shoes that Graham Robertson left behind, and he's been helped a lot by some stud level defense from Michael Furse, Armistead, Duffield and Pulis; the four of them have combined with the other two Ranger lines to post the third best defense in the division and if they can keep it up, they may be in contention for a decent playoff seed, though they have a long ways to go if they want to win the division, as they're just two points ahead of Avon and 11 points behind the ever dominant Yarmouth. Avon has continued to be an aggressive, offensive powerhouse, with Austin Poindexter getting Trevor Biddle to bloom a little and getting Denis Lokshin to etch out a little more and combine for a current league best of 50 goals, Austin contributing with approximately 14 of those and if he keeps it up, he will most definitely win another Top Scorer and be in contention for MVP. The keys here for the Northern Division teams will be to try and crack Yarmouth's defense, which has surprisingly come together in an incredibly cohesive form around the ever dominant Roderick Deschamps and is tied with Mers for best defense in the Federation. You can be Avon and try to overwhelm and beat your opponents into submission with a high octane offense, Norton is doing it and getting similar results, or you can be Ancinnes and Aviemore and try to weather the storm. Ancinnes is making it work, Aviemore needs to pick up the offense and goal scoring if it wants to follow in the Ranger's wake. Cheshnut, Wythcombe and Girvan all need to focus and work hard if they want to climb out of the gutters, my specific and obvious analysis would be focusing on the defense as all three of them are just bleeding goals left, right and center. Another factor of note is injuries, specifically that of Alexander Blackman who has been out since the third game of the season with a slipped disc; he's projected to return in a week or two, but it will be curious to see if his return can spark a revival, and or if he can stay healthy, as this is the third back related injury he's sustained in the last five seasons and he is set to turn 30 in just a few months.
Turning towards our second division, our pre-season predictions were a tad bit off; Kerveguen has come up with an early division lead, earning a respectable 36 points off of 10 wins and a league low (only bested by Yarmouth's 2) 4 losses, and in addition to that, they're maintaining the best goal difference with a +12, and the best offense in the division with 48 goals; that mark makes them second best in the league, just 2 goals behind Avon and putting them surprisingly ahead of noteworthy teams such as Yarmouth, Norton, Furness and Toussard. Continuing with prediction analysis, I stand accurate so far with my prediction around Rannoch being unable to replicate it's Cinderella run from last season; they're off to a pathetic start of 4-6-10 and are dead last in the Federation, though they get a small consolation of being just a point behind Girvan, which is another middle power that has absolutely lost it's way as they dropped fully into the "pathetic place" and have yet to figure a way out. Collapses have surprised many of us, perhaps the most shocking being that of Wythcombe, who after finishing third in the ND last year and reaching the playoffs sit in the third-to-last place in the Federation and are only beat in terms of worst offense by Aviemore, who have managed to use their defensive power found in Anthony Pearson, Glen Greene, Joel Karlin and Kenneth Thorpe to battle towards a bottom-middle position. They're going to have to get their forwards, namely youngster Brenden Tancock, Kieran Dobson and Finlay Almond producing at their projected skill levels or Aviemore risks losing postion, and momentum and returning to a bad outlook. As we move forward, it will be interesting to see if the teams continue the wanton offensive onslaught and not really focus on defense; four teams have 40+ goals and a further three are just one shy of it. However, every team in the division except Kerveguen and Mers have given up more then 40 goals, and only those two plus Furness have a positive goal difference. Its possible the massive drive towards out-scoring the other team could continue, but if they want to overcome the defensive minded Furness, or even get to the playoffs and win against Yarmouth, or Ancinnes if they make it, they're going to have to at least try and make some saves on goals, otherwise they risk getting shredded when it comes to the post season. Much like how Cheshnut has lost national team staple and AIHF star Alexander Blackman early on, Rannoch got hit hard when it lost Pelle Califrnia and Ashley Felton to serious, but not lengthy, injuries. Both are projected to return within the next month, and Sean Bebbington is more then likely sorely looking forward to it as the youngster as had to carry the team pretty much squarely and solely on his shoulders, and it showed when he missed a week's worth of games with a strained shoulder. Hopefully the trainers and head coach can try and manage the players more effectively and mitigate injuries, else Rannoch is in for an even bumpier road then the one they find themselves on.
Anthoran International Hockey Federation Season 603 Part III
We're here through yet another exciting period of hockey from our favorites, and I Tanner am here to help you digest all of this amazing action we've gotten over the last few weeks! From thrilling victories, and disappointing turnouts and even the many shock upsets, we're here to walk you through it!
Firstly, and perhaps the most pressing thing everyone is clamoring to chit away about is Yarmouth's absolutely god awful month. After the first month or so of our beloved national sport, Gerald Hampton's Ducks were sitting pretty with a leading North Division record of 13-5-2 that netted them a solid 11 point lead over the next closest opponent, which at the time was the surprisingly competent Ancinnes Rangers, and I doubted it would be too long they staid there before Avon or Norton came knocking but even then, 11 points would take a solid streak to overcome and your opponent to completely lose their focus - a month ago, that seemed impossible, hell if you've followed the Federation for the last half decade you would think that too. But then the impossible happened and for the first two weeks and seven matches of the new month, Yarmouth lost every match; and they weren't hard fought losses always either, including some rather embarrassing ones such as an 8-5 loss against bloody Ancinnes, like how the freak did Lennart Ahman who just came back from an wrist injury manage to nearly a team record by scoring not one but four goals! And it didn't end there for Yarmouth, they drew with Cheshnut four days later at 3-3 and then inked out a meager 1-0 win over Aviemore before they dropped or drew the next ten matches; that's a team worst record in the last five years by the way. On top of this they certainly have been influenced with a surprising amount of injuries as Ross Bacon went down with a strained ligament, Bryan Sheldrake with a dislocated shoulder and Colin Craze with a torn MCL. While that certainly dinged their lines and really tested the rather shallow Yarmouth roster depth, it did allow some chances for their prospects to shine, such as young defender Simon Jorgenson who has battled his way onto the Duck's second line this season as he's currently sitting at an AGR (average game rating) of 76, which is pretty dang good for such a young player and with the terrible streak his team as been on. However those injures and the accompanying atrocious slide has allowed the North Division to be thrown completely into disarray as the other teams rightfully pounced on the golden chance to climb up in the rankings. Avon has battled its way up to pole position in the Northern Division, though a recent recovery from Yarmouth means the two rivals are tied and Avon takes the winners split by sheer goal difference which isn't surprising with Avon's potent offense. Layton's boys at Ancinnes have remembered that while defense can win games, you also still need to score some goals and despite dropping down into third they're still just four points behind Yarmouth and looking to consolidate and move forward. Right behind them is Norton who is eager to qualify for the playoffs under the new qualification rules
Some other thrillers was the annual Jousting Game, a special match designated by the Cheshnut and Avon fans as a poke at how both of them share the same team nickname/mascot. Traditionally, Avon has dominated in it, especially for the last 8 years that they've had Austin Poindexter and this year was no exception to this rule of thumb as they went on to pommel Cheshnut 8-2, which is a Federation mark this year for the highest scoring game. Poindexter contributed three of those goals, as well as three assists, and he was also joined with noteworthy performances by Trevor Biddle, who also scored three goals, and Simon Morissette. Timothy McLeish has really come into his own as a solid forward this year, leading the Riders with 25 goals, and he's gotten a good amount of help as Tyler Mossop has turned into an assist and passing spirit this season, and Edson Misiejuk helps give those two scrapper some firepower as he tends to lend his large frame towards overcoming stiff defenses, such as Girvan or Ancinnes.
Turning towards the southernly ice arena's, they weren't sparred of their own abysmal collapse, as Mers has tumbled out of the Top 4 spots into a rocky fifth, hit hard by serious injuries to core players such as Marvin Stähl (9 weeks, slipped disc), Lane Hunter (5 weeks, pulled hamstring) and Morgan Kilmister (Injury Reserve, Undisclosed Neck Injury). Stähl and Hunter in particular hit the Militia hard as despite Lane's age, he was still their leading offensive producer and Stähl was also one of the core components to the staunch defense, which has struggled to maintain it's prior levels of performance in his absence. Toussard and Penshurst have both taken advantage of the slump and drop in starpower and moved ahead in the rankings, with Toussard just a few points behind Furness and Kerveguen in the playoff qualification spots and Kerveguen looks poised to win the division this year, especially with how they already have all three of their top draftee's from this year's draft playing, and playing large amounts of time and putting out solid production. Surprisingly, Martin Waddingham is outscoring Micah Mallinson, possessing 13 goals to Micah's 9 but Micah is the second best assister in the team right now, behind only Albert Kersey. If Micah keeps it up, I'd be surprised if Josh Lucott didn't replace Scott Corner on the first line with Micah and then keep Waddingham on the second line for a solid one two combination available to him, especially because Lucott enjoys longer shifts with his first two "main" lines.
Also as a new addition this season, the Federation's first All-Star week is upon us, as fans of every team alike swarm towards Kerveguen who was selected to host the first All-Star week; the first few days are mostly fan events and parties, but the Game will take place over the weekend. Here is your 603, and first Federation ever, All-Stars:
603 AIHF All-Star Team (North) F Austin Poindexter [Avon Knights] F Simon Morissette [Avon Knights] F Adam Bohatec [Yarmouth Ducks] F Ross Bacon [Yarmouth Ducks] F Dane Shipway [Yarmouth Ducks] F Timothy McLeish [Norton Riders] D Micah Furse [Ancinnes Rangers] D Jason Durtnell [Ancinnes Rangers] D Koddey Stoddard [Yarmouth Ducks] D Roderick Deschamps [Yarmouth Ducks] D Blair Johnson [Avon Knights] D Jason Lay [Wythcombe Hornets] G Chris Cullimore [Wythcombe Hornets] G Petr Beran [Yarmouth Hornets]
Reserve: F Michael Travnicek [Wythcombe Hornets] F Alexander Blackman [Cheshnut Knights] F Archie Deeley [Cheshnut Knights] F Ondrej Houska [Aviemore Pioneers] G Michael Turry [Ancinnes Rangers] D Kian Wilday [Cheshnut Knights]
603 AIHF All-Star Team (South) F Mark Juhasz [Inverness Lions] F Albert Kersey [Kerveguen HC] F Graham Robertson [Furness Hammers] F Bert Tabor [Furness Hammers] F Tyler Jubb [Penshurst Earls] F Pelle Califrnia [Rannoch Masters] D Erhardt Müller [Mers Militia] D Francis Carless [Mers Militia] D Glenn Waddingham [Mers Militia] D Steve Hakin [Furness Hammers] D Peter Janda [Kerveguen HC] G Lester Brandon [Rannoch Masters] G Aric Langely [Kerveguen HC]
Reserve: D Brenden Mainwaring [Toussard Daemons] D Brian Canham [Penshurst Earls] D Kian Hewer [Rannoch Masters] F Abdusalom Jenner [Kinloch Bards] F Scott Bebbington [Rannoch Masters] G Shimson Clinton [Inverness Lions]
Anthoran International Hockey Federation Season 603 Part IV/Finale
Well, at long last, our season that we always seem to keep looking for more from is coming to a close, as we have wrapped up the final month. 84 hard fought games, and this season has proven to be one of the most action packed, and surprising ones, in recent memory and the sixteen teams have truly put on a show for us here this year. Surprisingly, the last month or so of hockey saw the north division remain relatively predictable; aside from Ancinnes continuing their cinderella year and flip-flop with Avon for a few weeks for the top seed position, the bottom four teams proved to be completely noncompetitive against the top four, as evidenced by the nearly twenty point gap in between Norton and Girvan.
However, the southernly teams took up the traditional cue the northern ones like to follow, and the South Division for the last six weeks were just trading blows back to back to back as Furness struggled to remain in the pole position, Kerveguen trying to combat nagging injuries and stiff opposition to regain it, and Toussard, Mers, and Kinloch all fighting to solidfy themselves into a playoff contention seed. In the end, Furness could not overcome the assault on all sides and Toussard becomes the first truly southern team to win the Division, the decisive moment coming in the second to last match for the teams when Logan Postlethwaite completely out-skilled the Furness defense, including making the usually well composed Graham Robertson look absolutely silly, and scored the two goals that would end up winning Toussard the game, and ultimately the division.
This final month and these playoffs represent alot of new, and or fresh realities for us. After chasing it for so long, having been thirteen long seasons since the last time they made it to any portion of the playoffs, Justin Ryan in just his debutant season as a head coach in the AIHF has guided the Militia to their much overdue playoff qualification spot; they finished with the league's by far best defense for the third year in a row, allowing the fewest goals in the Federation by more then fifty from the next closest team (Furness), and they're going to need it as they're going to be facing divisional champion Toussard right away in the playoffs and they will have to do there what they couldn't do all season if they have any wish to continue this dream of advancing further. In addition to that, Ancinnes had one of the most surprising seasons of anyone in modern Federation history. They were already projected to finish at the bottom of the ladder, if not dead last, and that was before they fired head coach Derek Sercombe six weeks before the regular season kicked off, opting to bring on Louie Lanyon. Everyone was skeptical, he had been an assistant coach at Kinloch with not much of any form of reputation or advertised skills but he has gotten what had been the worst team in the Federation for two straight seasons to be highly competitive, in a division that includes Avon and Yarmouth! In addition to that, he got their defense and their offense to be more productive then ever, and that's with not really any franchise player. Micah Furse is a surefire star and potentially future Hall of Famer, but his role is limited with the way Ancinnes deploys their defensive tactics and on the offense, they have a few promises but nothing franchise player worthy. They're going to have to continue to bit down and battle hard, because they're taking on Albert Kersey and Kerveguen in the first stage in what I'd normally say would be too much for them to overcome, but then, I would have never seen the Rangers finishing ahead of the Ducks this season.
Speaking of the Ducks, for the first time in five years, not only did they not win the division, they're seeded for the fourth slot in the playoffs, the lowest they've been since 593. They do have everyone healthy going into the post-season but they've really struggled to perform at the high levels as they have in years past, perhaps its the age finally getting to them, after all both their defensive stars in Stoddard and Deschamps are 32 and 35, or perhaps they need more depth as they were sorely tested at that this year, either way, they're going up against a refreshed Graham Robertson who is desperately seeking that championship he hasn't been able to find in 15 years of playing; it will be interesting to see if the Hammers can be the dynasty killers so early in the playoffs.
Below, you will find the official final result table for this AIHF season.
Heading into the playoffs, here are your seeds and matchups for the Inter-Divisional Round, which is played to the best of 3 games:
#1 Avon Knights v. #8 Norton Riders #2 Ancinnes Rangers v. #7 Kerveguen HC #3 Toussard Daemons v. #6 Mers Militia #4 Yarmouth Ducks v. #5 Furness Hammers
Pld W L GF GA GD Pts 1 Furness Hammers 3 2 0 12 8 +4 7 2 Yarmouth Ducks 3 0 2 8 12 −4 1
The only thing that went normal about this round was that Avon predictably kicked Norton's can around the rink after a little overtime scare in Game 1, and it was nice to see Austin Poindexter sweep the first round and build up some momentum for later. However, normality ended here, hell I think we just all broke; first Lennart Ahman and Theo Hewson dump all over Kerveguen's party in game 1 with their biggest playoff victory in a decade to the tune of 6-3; then they travel all the way to the Hockey God's Palace for Game 2 and some how, some how, manage to limit Kerveguen to a single goal and that was from Nico Luoma; meanwhile Micah Furse and Jason Durtnell somehow manage to not just play lockdown defense, but also score the two goals for their side, allowing Ancinnes to sweep the heavily favored Kerveguen and move on; talk about the favor of the Hockey Gods.
Mer's sweep was surprising, I figured Toussard had enough fight to win at least one of the matches, but they absolutely stalled out against the steel-strong defense imposed by Mers; in two matches, they only managed to score a single goal, let that sink in. That's no joke against a team that's qualified for eight straight playoffs, even if you do have the league's best defense. It will very curious to see how Mers performs for the rest of the post-season. And then, in perhaps the most shocking of them all, so shocking it caused riots in Yarmouth and even caused blackouts, Furness and Graham Robertson overcome the Ducks for the first time in post season history between the two, becoming the first team to beat the Ducks in a post season series in eight years; despite winning it in Yarmouth, I believe the reaction on Graham Robertson's face when the final whistle blew was one of the most precious things I've ever seen, full stop. Between them and Ancinness, the rest of the playoffs is going to prove to be very curious.
Semi-Finals Match-Ups: #1 Avon Knights v. Mers Militia #2 Ancinnes Rangers v. Furness Hammers
The semi finals and the championship are played to a best-of-5 series, with the home arena swapping between teams for each game.
G1: Avon Knights 4–1 Mers Militia G2: Mers Militia 5–7 Avon Knights G3: Avon Knights 1–1 Mers Militia (2–1 SO) G4: Mers Militia 3–5 Avon Knights
Pld W L GF GA GD Pts 1 Avon Knights 4 3 0 17 10 +7 10 2 Mers Militia 4 0 3 10 17 −7 1
Pld W L GF GA GD Pts 1 Furness Hammers 4 3 1 18 15 +3 9 2 Ancinnes Rangers 4 1 3 15 18 −3 3
At face value, these match-ups were highly intriguing; you had the Federation's best offense in Avon going up against Erhardt Muller and the Federation's best defense, a classic test of which will win games, and which wins championships. Then, perhaps the more dramatic of the two, you had the legendary Graham Robertson going up against the team he played for 13 seasons for, the team who he walked away from two years ago and it completely collapsed without him, and the team that has sought to prove it doesn't need him to win; both are burning to advance and the matches lived up to every expectation. Mers did the best it could against the potent Knights offensive assault, and to their credit, they forced it to Game 4 and avoided a sweep narrowly, but in the end the Poindexter-Biddle-Morissette combination proved far too much for even Muller to overcome and the Knights advance to their third final in as many years, with a hope burning in their soul that with them not having to face the Ducks, they may actually win it all this time.
In Ancinnes, the defenses melted away to just a pure scoring slam-fest, at some points it looked like shooting practice; the teams combined for a total of 33 goals in 4 games and their 8-4 scoreline in game one was the highest scoring Federation playoff game in 6 years, and the offense just kept rolling in after that. I give Ancinnes alot of credit, despite not having a true franchise caliber offensive star, they managed to force a 4th game and held Robertson and Tabor to their own, but in the end, Robertson led his team literally to his first finals as he scored the winning goal in the fourth minute off of a clinical pass from Tabor to seal the deal with 2:11 left to go. In the finals, we are getting what many of us have dreamed for, the two goal scorers in the Federation, Austin Poindexter and Graham Robertson going head to head with their teams, each looking to lift the Lyonwrit for the first time. Robertson probably looking to cement the last bit of his legacy and then ride off into the sunset, Poindexter eager to do the same before he gets to an advanced age like Robertson. I can see why tickets have already sold out.
Pld W L GF GA GD Pts 1 Furness Hammers 4 3 1 12 12 0 9 2 Avon Knights 4 1 3 12 12 0 3
We were told this is everything we had ever wanted; Legend versus Legend, the New versus the Old. New chances for both with the previously insurmountable dynasty that had killed both before now out of the way; and boy, did they ever deliver. By the way, Game 1 broke Anthoran television ratings records, at least until Game 3 and then Game 4 broke it again; it was the most watched event, ever, on Anthoran television. It even topped the bloody royal coronation! Two over-times in this series, and four games, but Graham Robertson finally found the thing he had been chasing for 15 seasons, the Lyonwrit Cup. Austin Poindexter and his Knights battled it out for as long as they could, but they were finally overcome just a few minutes after half time in Game 4 and they were never able to answer; alot of fans are angry at GM Moana Iverson for hiring Carl Hermann, but I'm going to defend him here; it was his first coaching gig ever, just a few weeks out of being a player himself, and not only did he do well, but he guided them to a Finals appearance, for the third straight year for the team and honestly? They performed far better here then they have in the last two years against the Ducks; they were nearly swept both times, but they fought tooth and nail here and both sides deserve a hearty congratulations!
Posted: Fri Aug 24, 2018 1:58 am
by -Anthor-
Royal Tennis Association Oakhurst Open
The Oakhurst Open is the third major tournament held by the Royal Tennis Association every year, and is colloquially referred to as the Leaf Slam or the fall event as it is typically hosted on the second or third week of September at the Judith Samson Complex, a large sports facility consisting of more then ten tennis courts, all with a "hard" or acrylic surface. The courts are not named after individuals, and are instead referred to by numbers (for example, the largest is One Court, and the smallest is Seven Court). The Open is traditionally viewed as one that is the most anticipated amongst RTA fans and followers, as it's timing in the fall and the fact it comes after the high paced Moorden and the endurance-testing Tylheath means that potentially some of the higher seeded players may be fatigued, allowing for upsets. In the RTA's three hundred year history, the Oakhurst is the longest established top tier Open that has the most amount of upsets of Top 15 seeds by Under 30 Seeds (71 as of last year). The current champion of the Open is Damion Kester Dunn, who won it in five sets last year after upsetting the prior champion, and the individual with the most Oakhurst medals, Donovan MacBride.
The top seeds for this year's Open are: Hammon Lauren Géroux Damion Kester Dunn Donovan MacBride David Branson Sean Walters Murdo Kavanaugh Philip Barclay Hopson Antonin Gwenaël Mac an tSagairt Martin Lyon Arvel Gladwin
The remaining participants are: Deasún Gabriels Irwin Seward James Robertson Kenyon Ern Shaw Lars Bonney Lovell O'Connor Orla Monaghan Osmond Gavin Chandler Owen McNeill Paul Rogerson Trevelyan Nathan Leigh Zack Reed Balbus Botwright Dell MacCance
In an unusual bit of rarity, both Lovell O'Connor and Phillip Hopson withdraw from the Open due to injuries; O'Connor suffered a car accident on his way home from his match against Branson and broke an arm and a number of ribs, while Hopson has not disclosed his reasonings. Due to this, the tournament is shortened a stage, as the Third Round is now the semifinals.
Hammon Lauren Géroux manages to overcome a solid challenge from Donovan MacBride, but in the end is able to defeat him 7-6 in the fourth set to claim his fourth Oakhurst Open victory, bringing his total Anthoran majors wins up to 8, extending his lead over all other Anthoran professional tennis players as the one with the most domestic major wins.
Posted: Sat Feb 22, 2020 5:51 pm
by -Anthor-
Anthoran International Hockey Federation Season 604 Offseason Review
Welcome back avid Anthoran and international fans, as I, Tanner Sorenson, guide you through our first offseason broadcast for the 604 AIHF season!
It's been a very long offseason, especially after the conclusion of the wild, unpredictable and explosive playoffs we got last season where we witnessed Avon make a fourth-straight appearance in the Lyonwright Cup Finals, only to be upset by the Graham Robertson led Hammers who not only made it their first Final appearance, but also their first win. The series was a hard fought one, and it surely has left Carl Hermann and his Knights with an appetite for only more Final appearances. The previous season also introduced some new concepts to the Federation, such as an All-Star team, game and week, the selection done by selection based on stats and voting done by any fan of the sport. Furthermore, the Federation announced a few weeks ago that it had successfully negotiated and given the rights to a new expansion franchise to Neil Shaji, the heir to a family whose made their fortunes by being very successful owners of a number of football (association) clubs domestically. The team's name, and city it would play in, has yet to be announced with Federation President Valois stating it was now up to Neil Shaji to discuss the team's future and details, and more news is expected to develop over the season's course, as the team will presumably debut at the start of the 605 season, but may even be delayed until 606 or 607 if Valois cannot find a second expansion team, which would be ideal as it would allow the divisions to remain balanced.
Free agency throughout this offseason, which concluded at the beginning of this week, was much more active then the prior season, with a number of key players, solid depth pieces and healthy scratches available through the market. Leading the free agency class was, of course, reigning Finals MVP Graham Robertson, who was re-signed to Furness on a tidy single year, £8.3 million pounds; many expected him to retire, having just won the Finals and leaving not much else to prove, however Robertson stated he loved the game and would continue playing as long as his body allowed him to. A number of high profile trades also took place, perhaps the biggest was Aviemore's fire sale, they clearly stated they are in a firm rebuild mode for the foreseeable future. Here's a consolidated table, displaying all notable trades and FA acquisitions:
Trades Anthony Pearson [D] (AVI) ----> Glenn Greene [D], Anthony Cawston [C/W] (NOR) Joel Karlin [D] (AVI) --> 2nd round pick (KIN) Frazer Jowett (NOR) ---> 2nd round pick (PENS) Joey Chornley (WYTH) -----> Reece Hyling, Arthur Annetts (KIN) Rainer Gustafsson (INV) -----> Jason Durtnell (ANC) Marcus Murray [W, 32](CHES) -----> Damien Hurt [W, 27] (FUR) Marek Vorlicek [C, 23] (CHES) ----> Daniel Svennsson [D, 27] (NOR) Joshua Hyatt [D, 23] (KIN) -----> Neil Jesty [D, 19] (RAN)
Despite some pretty good offerings via free agencies, teams with significant troubles elected to shore things up through trades; salary dumps and fire sales from Aviemore have let Norton really increase and build its team up, while Kinloch snapped up absolute steals such as Joel Karlin, one of the best up and coming defenders, for nothing more then a second round pick this year, and also grabbing Chornley for the offense, for a few under-performing defenders. Avon resigned Morissette and Lester Carmichael to 5 and 3 year deals, helping ensure the stability and continued production on their team for the foreseeable future; Morissette especially is an important part of their offensive pairings and depth, helps share the load with Austin Poindexter. Yarmouth was also incredibly helped out when former teammember Harold Jewel, who was allowed to leave to pursue a foreign contract worth 6 million at SHAKHTER ULYANOVSK, has let that contract lapse and has elected to return home. Through that deal worked out four years ago, if Jewel ever returned to play in the Federation, the Ducks would have full rights so it was no surprise that Jewel entered negotiations, which shouldn't take long. His return will be a tremendous boost, he was already a high level caliber forward before he left and in his four years overseas, making the playoffs twice and winning the league in his final year as well as making the league All-Star team that year. The refinement of his skills could lead him to upsetting Poindexter, Blackman and others as the Federation's best two-way forward.
Another prime way to rebuild or improve one's team is through the Draft; here is the list of where each time will be picking:
Our experts here at ABSN have narrowed down the draft class of over 100 players into the Top 20-25, whom we believe based on their performances in their academic playing years or tournaments, as well as pre-draft workouts, will be the most prized recruits. This year's draft is mostly unique for being fairly balanced in the Top 25, with 7 forwards, and then 6 defenders, centers and goalies; the sheer talent, and developed skills in this year's draft class is much improved over last years, with the consesus first overall pick well deserved towards Bård Casimir, a 21-year old forward who has the most dominant and accurate slapshot I've ever seen out of a potential draftee, and has solid strength to tussle with the hardiest of defenders which is a by-product of being raised in the harsh northern hinterlands, his build and skills harken back to the days of tough Northern forwards, something that hasn't been seen in a decade since the league shifted towards more speed-dominated playsets. Despite this, I think his capability for offensive performance, backed up by his four years of play at the collegiate level, will translate well and entice teams into an very early pick. Right behind him is an unusually strong group of goalies, all 6 have a average talent rating of 2.9 which is remarkable when compared to historical averages pre-draft. The highest rated is Kenneth Ewart, who if Casimir isn't first overall, should be the next one up; he only has a full season of college under his belt but he's been playing since junior high days and has always been on the most dominant teams, typically anchored by a strong defense which he only serves to bolster. A number of teams could do well with him, I think the most ideal fit would be Mers if he falls that far or they trade up. Now, here is a recap of the first round of the draft:
Pick 1: C, Emil McCaig, Inverness Lions (Talent Rating: 2/3) Pick 2: D, Julian Nichols, Cheshnut Knights (Talent Rating: 2/4) Pick 3: G, Kenneth Ewart, Aviemore Pioneers (Talent Rating: 4/5) Pick 4: G, Ralph Falk, Wythcombe Hornets (Talent Rating: 3/3.5 ) Pick 5: D, Will Leonard, Rannoch Masters (Talent Rating: 3/5 ) Pick 6: G, Daniel Thurstan, Girvan Highlanders (Talent Rating: 3/4) Pick 7: C, Valerian Franklin, Penshurst Earls (Talent Rating: 3/5) Pick 8: F, Bård Casimir, Rannoch Masters (Talent Rating: 4/5) **Traded, from KIN, for Theo Homer, Roman Houdek and a 3rd round pick** Pick 9: F, Ethan Cleve, Norton Riders (Talent Rating: 3/3.5) Pick 10: F, Ralph McKowen, Kerveguen HC (Talent Rating: 2/4) Pick 11: F, Milo Crew, Mers Militia (Talent Rating: 1/5) Pick 12: D, Maximilian Sawyer, Furness Hammers (Talent Rating: 2/3) Pick 13: C, Daniel Anselm, Yarmouth Ducks (Talent Rating: 3.5/4.5) Pick 14: D, Kai Danell, Toussard Daemons (Talent Rating: 2/5) Pick 15: G, Hamilton Granville, Ancinnes Rangers (Talent Rating: 3/4) Pick 15: C, Kaj Ellar Mathers, Avon Knights (Talent Rating: 2/5)
With that first round recap, I'm also presenting our official best pick, worst pick, and best overall draft choices for the 604 Amateur Draft:
Best Pick: Bård Casimir As mentioned in our pre-draft coverage, Casimir was the most ready forward for the professional level of play, he's been overwhelming goaltenders and defenders for the past three years with his slapshot and his four years in college really helped him to hone his craft, improving his skating, game awareness and IQ in general; he even served as captain for his senior year of play. The fact that somehow he wasn't the #1 pick, and slipped all the way to the 8th pick is absolutely unbelieveable, and Rannoch agreed because they moved mountains and traded for the pick; sending longtime Assistant and team forward Theo Homer, solid depth piece Roman Houdek and a third round pick to Kinloch, so they could pick Casimir. Between Scott Bebbington and Pelle Califrnia, the Masters three-front lines are going to look incredibly solid now with Casimir in there and he'll have time to learn from Bebbington and others and potentially make his way into a starting first-line role within a year or two of being in the Federation.
Worst Pick: Emil McCaig When President Valois announced this pick, I think I nearly broke the television I was watching; Inverness, you finally got as first overall pick after playing bridesmaid to Aviemore, Wythcombe and others for so so long, and you finally had a shot to get that generational talent to build around, someone Mark Juhasz could teach and maybe even play with before he hit the wrong side of 30, but instead you take Emil McCaig?! Don't get me wrong, McCaig has potential to develop into a solid piece of anyone's two or three line, but as a first overall pick? With Bård Casimir, Kenneth Ewart or Valerian Franklin still available? Fankhouser should be shot for this decision, I can only hope he see's something no one else does and Emil develops beyond into some superstar quickly, or it could cost him his job.
Best Draft Class: Rannoch Masters They had two Top 10 picks in the first round, and they played it extremely smart. Trading Theo Homer could be risky if Casimir needs time adjusting to the AIHF, and they could have potentially depleted their pool of experienced wingers too quickly, but they netted a generational talent in Bård Casimir, who in potentially a season or two will prove to be a better scorer then Scott Bebbington or Pelle Califrnia, and Will Leonard was the perfect selection for their defensive woes; an aging core with lackluster skill and speed, Leonard's particular talent of being able to transition quickly and read the puck very well for someone his age will help them tremendously, and he could also be potentially joined by last year's first round pick Neil Jesty as well.
Worst Draft Class: Aviemore Pioneers Ironically enough, my pick for this last year managed to carry off a cinderella run of a season so maybe I can jinx the Pioneers into something successful to. Blunt story, the Pioneers showed themselves to the rest of the Federation to be in pure "sell everything, burn it to the ground" mode when they slashed off those two major trades, dumping their two best defenders and completely neutering their defensive corp for draft picks and loads of potential, nothing concrete. Yet despite all of that, their draft selections were particularly poor; granted, Kenneth Ewart in the first round was a neccesary selection, Richard Mitchell retired at the end of last season and Stephen Allison is 36, and Ewart's ability is already an improvement over his, even if Allison was in his prime. However, not only will their defense have no soul and probably no positive production, their offense remains largely unchanged and we saw how well they performed with the 2nd lost scoring output in the Federation last season. Their fans will have to buckle up, I imagine the ride is going to be very hard, for very long for Aviemore.
With the draft coverage finished, here are mine and ABC's official predictions for this upcoming season:
North Division Champion: Avon Knights I think the race for the Northern division this year is going to be a three horse race between Avon, Ancinnes assuming they can return to the same level they performed at last season, and Norton. For the first time in a while, I just don't think Yarmouth is in the picture. I won't go as bold to say they'll miss the playoffs, but they are clearly starting to regress and I have a gut feeling it is going to come hard and fast, despite Harold Jewel's return. Avon has all the major pieces they had last year, and they are rearing to go at it again and get into the Finals again, and I think they can get there, and their first stop along the way will be winning this Division.
South Division Champion: Furness Won their first division in a few years, and managed to bring the Lyonwrit Cup back to Furness for the first time in franchise history, and even though he's approaching 40 Graham Robertson shows no signs of slowing down; as long as he and Bret Tabor stay healthy, I think they got the stuff to make the long run again this year. The division was extremely close last year, their lead was a meager single win and Furness and Mers were tied for second place with Kerveguen HC right behind them. I think all four of them will be back at it again, however I think Kerveguen needs to watch out the most for the greatly improved Rannoch and improved Kinloch, I think both have the pieces to potentially pull off some major upsets.
Dark Horse Pick: Rannoch Masters I'll admit, I'm a fan of the potential of these guys. Pelle Califrnia is just barely on the wrong side of 30 and even though he's had a few injury scares, if he stays on his feet this season he can be an extremely strong scorer, and the tremendous two-way threat of Scott Bebbington is a major boost for their offensive production and they have only the direction to improve this year. I think alot of their potential success is going to depend on their organizational depth, which I think is going to be tested greatly by the departure of Theo Homer and Roman Houdek, also how long it takes Casimir to be ready to perform at 100 percent, and also if their draftees from recent years past can also step up. If they can, and get producing in what their talent is fully capable of, I think Rannoch could potentially challenge Furness for the divisional title and maybe even make a dark horse run into the playoffs.
^ - Dressed * - First Line C - Captain A - Assistant
Ancinnes Rangers Arena: Leifscott Complex, Ancinnes, Anthor (Capacity: 27,564) Sweaters:Link Head Coach: Louie Lanyton (42-15-28) Captain: Lennart Ahman Championships: None.
Avon Knights Arena: Rottery Sports Complex, Avon (Capacity: 34,589) Sweaters:Link Head Coach: Carl Hermann (42-23) Captain: Pete Smith Championships: None.
Furness Hammers Arena: Marshall City Forum, Furness (Capacity: 29,455) Sweaters:Link Head Coach: Neno Decespedes (190-161) Captain: Graham Robertson Championships: 603
Kerveguen HC Arena: Prince Daniel Stadium, Kerveguen (Capacity: 51,000) Sweaters:Link Head Coach: Josh Lucott (129-116) Captain: Alberty Kersey Championships: None.
Anthoran International Hockey Federation Season 604 Preseason Review/Season Kickoff
The contentious build up to what is so for so many of you the best sporting time of the year, the Federation's offseason is finally wrapping up as the pre-season training camps have concluded, the franchises have debated, argued and solidified their twenty starters, and who to include on their professional rosters, and there are some notable items that chose to prove interesting, notably that Baird Casimir, Valerian Franklin and Kenneth Ewart have all won not just roster positions, but will also be starting in (the highest) second line for their teams. Can Casimir or Franklin make a gambit and try to prove youth can lead their franchises to glory? Both of their teams could use the revitalization.
With those updates out of the way, here are your finalized rosters heading into the season, and the first games of our season
Avon Knights Arena: Rottery Sports Complex, Avon (Capacity: 34,589) Sweaters:Link Head Coach: Carl Hermann (42-23) Captain: Pete Smith Championships: None.
Furness Hammers Arena: Marshall City Forum, Furness (Capacity: 29,455) Sweaters:Link Head Coach: Neno Decespedes (190-161) Captain: Graham Robertson Championships: 603
Kerveguen HC Arena: Prince Daniel Stadium, Kerveguen (Capacity: 51,000) Sweaters:Link Head Coach: Josh Lucott (129-116) Captain: Alberty Kersey Championships: None.
Anthoran International Hockey Federation Season 604 Regular Season Part I
A happy Sunday afternoon to you all has the Federation's regular season play has passed its midway point, and we conclude our 56th match day as the Federation takes a week off to honor the best performing players in the Federation in the first iteration of All-Star Week, which will be hosted this year at the Prince Daniel Stadium in Kerveguen, oft considered the hockey capital of the kingdom as the Federation Hall of Fame lies just two city blocks down 83rd Avenue from it and some of the finest hockey players from Anthor have come from, or played in, this city. It's been a tough competition to get the All-Star selection, which was pre-determined to be one team of 20 players each, selected by fan voting conducted by the Federation's Commissioner for Scheduling office. The teams will play on Wednesday this week, with a series of fan-oriented events held at the stadium before that time and after, such as shootout contests, amateur skate tryouts, and other such events. The selection this year, not much of a surprise they are largely based on each of the club's performances; for the North, the traditional powerhouses in Avon and Yarmouth have a pretty good representation, though it's nice to see only 2 Yarmouth forwards get selected and free up some room for other upcomers in the Federation like Albert Musgrave (Girvan) and Trevor Biddle (Avon). Despite Aviemore's atrocious season, Thrope and Hemus rightly get defender nods as they are the one bright spot on that otherwise floundering team, otherwise Louie Lanyton's Ancinne heft the majority of the defense, with young Joel Brenton being the youngest named All-Star in the Federation and a surprise at that as he was rather poorly graded at the time of his drafting two years ago, evidently in such a short time the Rangers have been able to hone his strengths and improve his skills.
The play so far this season has been absolutely phenomenal, with Mers absolutely dominating the Southern Division with a good seven win lead on the next closest, Toussard, which is a streak of brilliance from their head coach - and the race to dethrone Mers has been absolutely vicious, two potential contenders in Penshurst and the defending Federation champions Furness are just lagging behind. Penshurst's struggles started early back in the 10th week when they lost team captain and starting center Tyler Jubb to an catastrophic MCL tear that will see him out for the remainder of the season. Brandon Lester has also missed significant time due to a series of injuries, from 8 weeks with a contusion on his cervical spine to recurrent concussions that have left him sidelined and the Earls have not been able to adjust and find success with the "next man up" strategy. Furness too has been hampered by injuries, Alvin Rounds was lost for two months due to an ankle ligament issue, as well as Bill Truswell and Steve Hakin but I think it's been more of a chemistry issue, Robertson's play has been horribly streaky and inconsistent. He'll go on a 8 match tear and then go as cold as the ice for two months, and Brent Tabor may still be working through some developmental issues despite all of his potential. Regardless of this, with a more then 30 point deficient to the top of the division I'd say it's very unlikely that Furness captures the division title for a second year in a row and I'd say the chances of even making the playoffs to defend their championship are even slimmer. If the Militia can remain consistent, I think they'll clinch the division in a few short weeks and the remaining three playoff spots will be hot potatoes between Toussard, Kinloch, Kerveguen and Rannoch all of whom are only separated by 1-3 points.
In the north, I must say I'm shocked at Norton's complete and total collapse - I didn't have them pegged for a playoff spot but I figured they would at least remain competitve but the wheels have completely come off of the bus for them, only a meager 12 wins in 57 weeks so far and they possess both the worst offense and defense in the Federation. Kane Goater is going to have to really reach deep in his bag of tricks, otherwise I predict another firesale ala Aviemore's from the preseason by the time this season is over for Norton. Moving around, Yarmouth has managed to spite me and have pulled it together perhaps buoyed by the return of Harold Jewels and despite a week start in the first quarter of the season (15-10), they have been on a incredible performance streak dropping just 4 losses in the last quarter of play, and winning a remarkable 16, 13 of which were consecutive (ironically, their streak was snapped by Aviemore in a 2 nil shootout back in Week 49). Avon isn't far behind them, just four wins in the hole and Austin Poindexter has done an enviable job of rallying his team into catching up with Yarmouth but I think we'll see these two trade blows back and forth for the divisional title for the remainder of the season. Girvan and Wythcombe surprisingly hold the remaining two playoff spots, I think the Hornets are the biggest surprise, but they are tenuous holds at best as Ancinnes is just 6 points back. The rest of the teams are quite a ways off, and with Aviemore leading the bunch I don't really foresee any upsets coming in here.
Anthoran International Hockey Federation Season 604 Regular Season Finale
Many, many months of play, drama, and tension coupled with gallons of ale, both consumed and spilled, have brought us to this point as the Federation concludes the 604 regular season. Opportunity was rampant this season as teams you didn't expect (looking at you Norton) had the floor completely disintegrate underneath them and open up the way for a newcomer to earn their way into the playoffs, and a chance to earn the Lyonwrit Cup. The Northern division saw the clash that I predicted between Avon and Yarmouth as the two split head to head series evenly this year and spent the rest of the time trying to catch up with the other, but ultimately Avon ended up overtaking Yarmouth back in Week 75 for the division lead and they never looked back, marking the first time that Avon has been able to win consecutive divisional titles in the past 20 years. Lanyton managed to rally his Rangers and form a very powerful defensive core bolstered by consistent solid offensive unit led by particularly stepped up performances from Anand Ghuman and Kai Bird, which led the youngsters in the Rangers in total points and shots on target. Wythcombe in the wildest shock of them all has managed to score a playoff return for the first time since they last won the Cup, back in 597, perhaps Jason Lay can manage to set up some cornerstones for Lois Ångström to build around.
In the south, Toussard completely lost their feet in the last quarter of matches; they lost Mainwaring to a 6 week knee contusion but I really don't think that was the main reason for their collapse - personally, I think Toussard's inability to pick up a blue chip offensive forward really harmed them here. Logan Postlethwaite is a very solid first line hybrid winger/center, but outside of him the Daemons have really been juggling back and forth between whomever can be most effective, and consistent and the best of them, Josh Mutton is on the wrong side of 30 and I'd rate him mediocre at best. Regardless, Mers has managed as predicted to win the divisional title, and with Toussard's collapse and persisent dogged performances from Rannoch, the South will see Kinloch, Kerveguen, and Rannoch qualify for the playoffs - notable here, Furness failed by just 4 points and they become the first team in 30 years to fail to qualify for the playoffs after winning the Lyonwrit Cup the year prior.
Moving into the playoff contenders themselves, my dark horses here are Rannoch and Wythcombe. Rannoch has the skill to belong here, they pulled off that major trade at the draft and Bård Casimir has proved to be every bit of the Top 5 recruit that he was billed to be and will be a very strong contender for Rookie of the Year. Wythcombe however, shock performance after multiple seasons at the bottom-end of the divison and I'm not sure they'll be able to sustain it as they will need to advance further in the playoffs.
Interdivisional Playoff Round Matchups Avon Knights v. Mers Militia Yarmouth Ducks v. Kinloch Bards Ancinnes Rangers v. Kerveguen HC Wythcombe Hornets v. Rannoch Masters
Anthoran International Hockey Federation Season 604 Playoffs
Months of regular season play and drama later, this is the part of hockey most of us look forward to; we spend the year hoping, praying and shouting that our team makes it this far, into the vaunted final playoff hunt for the Lyonwrit Cup; this year we've had alot of unanticipated excitement, as some of the usual playoff contenders fell totallyt flat in the regular season which cleared the way for newer clubs to earn their time to shine, such as Pelle Califrnia's Masters who are hunting their first tangible success in decades, or the very unexpected Jason Lay's Hornets who are perhaps finally turning a corner on an abysmal chapter in the team's history. In addition to these, you have the usual narrative of Yarmouth and Avon, the two most successful clubs within the last twenty years once again soldiering in both looking to hoist the Cup once more, Yarmouth for the fifth time in less then ten years, Avon having yet to win it but have appeared in the Finals four times all but one of them against the Ducks. Will Austin Poindexter help led his Knights deep into the playoffs yet again? Will Yarmouth continue to silence critiques about their age and lack of recent roster development by winning it all yet again?
Interdivisional Playoff Round Matchups Avon Knights v. Mers Militia Yarmouth Ducks v. Kinloch Bards Ancinnes Rangers v. Kerveguen HC Wythcombe Hornets v. Rannoch Masters
Avon Knights 2–5 Mers Militia Yarmouth Ducks 4–3 Kinloch Bards Ancinnes Rangers 2–4 Kerveguen HC Wythcombe Hornets 3–4 Rannoch Masters
Series 1: Mers 1, Avon 0 Series 2: Yarmouth 1, Kinloch 0 Series 3: Ancinnes 0, Kerveguen HC 1 Series 4: Wythcombe 0, Rannoch 1
Avon Knights 0–4 Mers Militia Yarmouth Ducks 0–4 Kinloch Bards Ancinnes Rangers 5–4 Kerveguen HC Wythcombe Hornets 5–3 Rannoch Masters
Series 1: Mers 2, Avon 0 Series 2: Yarmouth 1, Kinloch 1 Series 3: Ancinnes 1, Kerveguen HC 1 Series 4: Wythcombe 1, Rannoch 1
The biggest surprise of this round was the Militia absolutely stepping up to take down Avon- we all knew this first stage would be interesting, the two division champions facing the other down but I personally had Avon bagged to advance, I figured the Poindexter-Morisette-Biddle first line would just overwhelm with offensive power as they have done all season as they racked up enough goals to be the top rated offense in the Federation (for the 4th time in 6 years) and while Mers' defenses is good, I didn't think it had the capability to win or rather, I didn't think they had the offensive punch to be able to keep up and man, was I wrong. Sure, Avon scored a bunch of goals but they let Mers score as whopping 17 in five games! Barring Avon's 7-goal performance in the third game, Mers dominated on offense just as much as Avon did which is not something anyone was expecting, but for the first time in the Hermann and Poindexter era, the Knights are sent packing in round 1 after a brilliant showing by Carlton Lovering's team.
Kerveguen advancing over Ancinnes in four, I had long expected - Louie Lanyton has been trying to turn the Rangers into a northern Mers since he took over two seasons ago to try and compensate for their downgrade in offensive production with Robertson's departure back in 602, and while it works well enough to earn them some surprising victories that they've strung together for two straight years of playoff hockey, I did not think it was anywhere close to being as good as Mers, which is what you need to win against a dominant force like Kerveguen, and boy did Kersey show me right. Moreover, I think even Kerveguen wasn't expecting such brilliant production from their youth as they got, Micah Mallinson at just 19 years of age had more points across those four games than half of the players on the Rangers - in fact, only Micah Furse and captain Lennart Ahman did better. Scott Corner, a surprise young addition to Kerveguen's first line at the low age of 20 has proven his elders wrong all season long and continued it here, had a hat trick in Game 3 and near equal performances throughout, it's going to be alot of fun watching Kerveguen as they move on.
Yarmouth over Kinloch, I don't think anyone was surprised there - I've thought the Bards were punching above their weight all season long, especially when they scored such a high seeding into the playoffs and Yarmouth looked like their selves from four seasons ago, handily winning the series and doing so with heavy use of their lower lines, surely in an effort to save their best for what's to come and now the Militia will have to face the best of Jewels, Bohatec, Bacon, Shipway, Ansley and more with more rest then their own key contributors. The Hornets taking down the Masters, I think was a series that should and could have been rated better had it not been spoiled by so many injuries. Califrnia and Bebbington two of the best contributors both went down early in the series to some mild injuries that ended up being strong enough to keep them out for the rest of the match-up and although it went to the wire, Jason Lay ended up pulling his Hornets on top of them. Although this is Rannoch's first playoff spot in 9 years, I don't think they should take this first-stage loss as a morale blow, but rather as a sign of success in the future. They were dark horse favorites coming into the regular season and I think brillantly outplayed many's expectations and made it further than alot of so-called experts would have had them go, and they have a solid core that Oscar Epp has shown to be very adept at building around. If they can continue to shore up with good youth prospects, I think they'll be a playoff name for years to come. Wythecombe on the other hand, while I'm excited to see Jason Lay back in the playoffs for the first time since 599, I can't see them winning it all like they did back then. They're going to have to overcome Kerveguen, and with what? More then 60% of their lines are north of the age of 30, and many of them were not the highest performers before that age; Haag-Travnicek-Wilson as your first line is middle of the back at best, and I seriously doubt it will carry them much further.
Quarterfinals Mers Militia v. Yarmouth Ducks Wythcombe v. Kerveguen HC
Mers Militia 3–0 Yarmouth Ducks Wythcombe Hornets 3–5 Kerveguen HC
Mers Militia 1–0 Yarmouth Ducks Wythcombe Hornets 3–1 Kerveguen HC
Mers Militia 2–3 Yarmouth Ducks Wythcombe Hornets 2–4 Kerveguen HC
Mers Militia 0–0 Yarmouth Ducks (2–3 SO) Wythcombe Hornets 1–4 Kerveguen HC *Kerveguen clinches, moves on*
Mers Militia 1–3 Yarmouth Ducks *Yarmouth clinches, moves on*
Kerveguen as predicted managed to disassemble Lois Ångström's Hornets, the only mild shock being that it wasn't clean sweep like so many of the northern betkeepers were gunning for; they performed well on all avenues both offense and defense, and for the first time in Josh Lucott's young career and for a very long time in the club's case, the Old Guard will be back in the Lyonwrit Cup Finals, eager I'm sure to prove the best of the Federation and to hang yet another banner from the rafters in Prince Daniel's Stadium. I think some key foci for them will be how well their youth and under-linemen can step up and perform, team assistant and top defender Grégoire Pepebano went down in Game 3 and it is reported he will not return in time for the Finals, which potentially means we could see a 19 year old Taddesse Megia their first round pick from this year's draft make some appearances on their third or fourth line as depth chart gets reshuffled. So far, many of their youth have performed very well given their age and how little they've played in the Federation, Micah Mallinson and Martin Waddingham both living up to their blue chip draft prospects and will need to continue to do so as they move to the final stage.
Yarmouth over Mers, we've had this matchup before but I feel like this one has been the best of the bunch - Gerald Hampton has managed to prove every critic wrong and squeeze a resurgence out of most of his team, while the Militia have finally evolved potentially into the defensive storm we've long awaited, and barring the first game where Yarmouth just fell entirely flat and fell 3-0, every one of the remaining four games was decided by less then 2 goals, and 1 went into a shootout. Even though the Ducks triumphed in the end and will now have the chance to hoist the Cup once more, I can't help but fail to pick a favorite in the upcoming Clash in the North as many of the media are already calling it.
Yarmouth Ducks v.Kerveguen HC
Game 1: Yarmouth Ducks 3–3 Kerveguen HC (2–1 SO) Game 2: Yarmouth Ducks 2–4 Kerveguen HC Yarmouth Ducks 5–6 Kerveguen HC Yarmouth Ducks 4–2 Kerveguen HC Yarmouth Ducks 3–4 Kerveguen HC
Kerveguen HC wins the Lyonwrit Cup
Who needs defense? Wouldn't you rather to watch an all-out check and hit feast as each of the sides scramble to out-shoot the other? You better have, because that's what we got in this gunfight of a Final, as perhaps two of the most successful Northern clubs duked it out (literally and figuratively) as the Kersey-led Kerveguen managed to do something no one has managed to do in the last 10 years - beat the Ducks in the Cup finals, which they did after incredible offensive efforts from both sides. The two of them combined to rack up 36 total goals in five games, 19 of those going to Kerveguen and almost half came in that explosive Game 3. Prince Daniel Stadium, which hosted the final, set record ticket-gate sales with each succeeding game, and after five games, Josh Lucott can finally silence all of the naysayers who doubted he was a good enough fit when he was brought on seven years ago. Glory has been returned to the Heart of the North, and I will enjoy watching them celebrate their win for a long, long time; moreover, I will be curious to see how Hampton's Ducks handle themselves this offseason with this fresh experience, they have never lost a Finale they appeared in and I'm curious to see how they rebound.
Posted: Thu Feb 09, 2023 1:20 pm
by -Anthor-
Anthoran International Hockey Federation Season 607 Offseason Review
Good day fellow hockey fans, and welcome back to another series of pre-season coverage, as we look forward to the soon-to-start 607 season of the AIHF! As I'm sure many of my fellow viewers are aware, some additional hype will be built as this will be the first season where players will be eligible for international play and competitions, following the end of the Ministry of Sport's two year moratorium which was issued in 605 and had it's sunset clause triggered a few months ago. For our foreign viewers and those abroad, who maybe had their coverage impacted by this policy, we'll do our best to get you caught up, so lace up, and let's get skating! The 605 Season saw the first of what would begin a period of transformations in the Federation, with the first expansion teams debuting, the Dunwell HA (Hockey Association), which are owned by Neil Shaji; the development was kept mostly secret, as the Shaji family had to fight for the rights to the Dunwell name, as it was a historic team that was one of the keystone clubs in the last iteration of professional hockey in the kingdom. The family, successor organizations and the city came to an agreement quickly, and the club will debut, paired with it's CJHC team Obran. In addition, they are joined by the central Harchem Foxes, which was founded by an investment group of 11 local investors, the Harchem will play out of Reenede County, which straddles the central band of the kingdom and could prove to be a quite attractive market in a previously untouched region, assuming it can find some success. In addition to these two clubs debuting, last year saw two other clubs entering the Federation, Seyning and Bathgate, bringing the professional scene to 20 total and the federation as a whole will be re-organized, breaking from the two divisional format that has been around since the Federation was formed, and will be replaced with four divisions of five, with playoff qualification being straightforward as the divisional champion and runner-up will advance, with each series still remaining the best of five. To help form each of these clubs, the Federation has agreed to hold a talent draft from among the CJHL, with current clubs being given financial or draft compensation in return. The 605 season, with the first two expansions, proved to be Avon's moment finally; Yarmouth collapsed for the first half of the season, cursed with the injury demon that struck a large chuck of their roster, and although they were able to battle back to a playoff spot they ultimately wasted, Avon spent most of the season competing with Ancinnes, a surging Wythcombe, Norton and Girvan before Poindexter was able to beat out Robertson's Hammers for his first Cup victory, solidifying his spot in the glory that he and the Knights have been chasing for a decade.
Heading into last season, the anticipation for the 606 campaign was mostly centered around if Avon could defend their title, as they had a weak offseason and did little to address their aging core, whereas teams that had profited around good development and wise offseason strategy, such as Mers, Wythcombe and Rannoch were hotly debated if they would begin to elevate their status in the Federation and overcome the traditional dynasties. It was also the first year of the new five-team divisional structure, and with 9 playoff spots to contend for, it seemed like the promise of the playoff glory was more obtainable than ever before. The Federation did make the controversial move of trying to "mix" their divisions with northern and southern teams, such as Division 1 which features Yarmouth and Girvan, as well as 3 southern teams, or Division 3 which has all but 1 northern team. Despite the distances involved with half of the games, the season featured electric play; for the first time in a number of years, all but three teams got past 30 wins, and 9 teams scored 200+ goals; Toussard, Kinloch and Avon were the teams that everyone competed with throughout the season as everyone tried to get the best playoff seed; the fact that Kinloch was upset in the first stage of the playoffs was just the beginning of the playoff drama, Avon's title defense died in the quarterfinals, and Toussard's dream was nearly fulfilled before Wythcombe beat them in 6 games to claim their second Cup victory in a decade, righting the shaky ship they had been leading since their last victory, which for the record was the final Cup played in the last century, and the last non-Yarmouth team to win for the next half decade; perhaps fittingly, as their last win precipitated the rise of the Yarmouth's recent success, this win may announce the end of a chapter - Yarmouth flamed out in the first stages of the playoff, and now have gone three years without advancing past the quarterfinals. A large number of long-time dominant players have retired or left the Federation this year, including Yarmouth's defensive wizard Koddey Stoddard, Norton's Anthony Pearson, Kerveguen's longtime goaltender Aric Langely, and Aviemore's Kenneth Thorpe; but as those storied careers end, many more are beginning to come in full speed; Rannoch, all four of the expansion teams, Girvan, Wythcombe and Ancinnes have rosters with an average age of 25 or less, leaving plenty of room for many youngsters looking to make their mark to appear.
Something that will certainly be at the forefront of the discussion this season is the performance of the expansion franchises', Harchem, Seyning, Dunwell and Bathgate. Out of all of them, Seyning has had the most success having not only won their division in their inaugural season, also nabbing the #3 playoff seed, but fell shy of advancement after loosing in a full-series shootout against Avon; the other three have been cellar dwellers, though Bathgate has shown signs of competitiveness to build upon. In addition to these, it will be interesting to see how the traditional powerhouses continue to adjust to the shift realities of the hockey landscape. Other fronts for fans to keep their eyes on will be the Cammoran Junior Hockey League, the Federation's official professional minor league since 604. The CJHL was formed in an attempt to produce better talent from across the country, as well as adding a more formal pathway for athletes to continue in the sport after their student-athlete days end; the current structure of the League has it mirroring the Federation in terms of size and divisional format, and the Federation maintains a number of continuity agreements with other semi-professional independent clubs in case there is a need for rapid expansion. All of the current 20 CJHL teams were the foundational group, and all were originally semi-professional or professional amateur organizations from across the nation.
^ - Dressed * - First Line C - Captain A - Assistant
Aviemore Pioneers Arena: Lyans Arena, Aviemore, Anthor (Capacity: 31,000) Sweaters:Link Head Coach: Ian Cumberledge (259-234) Captain: Finlay Almond Championships: None. Notable Finishes: Hasn't had a winning season since 593
Dunwell Hockey Association (HA) Arena: Ruby Street Stadium, City of Dunwell (Capacity: 42,500) Sweaters:Home Head Coach: Aglaé E. Goddard (28-48) Captain: Malcolm Ellington Championships: Notable Finishes:
DEFENSEMEN 3 Deschamps, Roderick, 40 y/o*^ (4x Defender of the Year, 603 All-Star) 4 Alderson, Iestyn, 23 y/o^* (x1 Rookie of the Year, x1 Defender of the Year, x1 All-Star) 5 Letheren, Connor, 34 y/o^ 6 Iosif, Jericho, 34 y/o 20 Myers, Logan, 31 y/o^ 21 Barden, Brett, 23 y/o 22 Sunderland, Rio, 23 y/o^ 30 Jorgenson, Simon, 25 y/o 40 Sheldrake, Bryan, 25 y/o^ GOALIES 1 Moore, Dickson, 36 y/o^* (600 Goalie of the Year, x3 Goals Against Award) 30 Beran, Petr, 26 y/o^ (601 Goals Against Award, 603 All-Star) NOTABLE PROSPECTS
Posted: Sun Apr 02, 2023 2:26 pm
by -Anthor-
Anthoran International Hockey Federation Season 607 Preseason Review
Welcome back to the ASBN's continual coverage of the AIHF, and thank you for joining us as we review the last bits of action before the new season gets underway. The Amateur Draft took place two weeks ago, allowing our less than successful teams first claim at some of the top youth talent in the nation through the draft. For what seems to becoming an annual tradition sadly, Girvan takes the top pick, followed by Inverness, Dunwell, Aviemore and Penshurst to round out the top 5. Before we cover how the teams performed with their selections, let's cover a quick analysis of the prospects available; out of the leading blue chips, or the Top 25 rated available, there's a discernable balance with 10 forwards, 7 defenders, and 3 goalies. With the forwards, this will be obvious to those who follow the youth circuits, but the leading name is undoubtedly Laurence Riley, the 21 year old from Tharsius is well known for his uncanny passing ability and powerful forehand which have seen him perform at elite levels within the CJHL; this two-tone ability probably all but ensures a Top 3 selection, though Craig Hadley and Keegan Aodh are probably competing with him to see who goes first. For the bruisers, I'd keep my eye on Brendon Mattis and Oliver Merrill, two epitomes of the modern two-way defender, but if your a traditionalist who prefers the defender whose domain stops at the blue line, Moses Curtis will be sure to delight you.
Out of the Top 5 draft picks, I think Inverness has the most at play; the entire coaching staff was let go in the offseason, and owner Clarence Duncan recently announced the hiring of Alsadair Ramsey, an former assistant coach with Kerveguen, as the new man at the helm for the struggling franchise. He has a few tools to build around, namely around All-Star forwards Ethan Waddingham and Mark Juhasz, as well as All-Star defender Jason Durtnell, however Juhasz is on the wrong side of 30 and Durtnell's contract lapses this year. Ramsey's selection in this year's draft will be critical to whether this franchise starts to rise up from the depths they've found themselves at recently, or whether they continue to be bottom feeders in the league.
In a slightly better position, at least on paper, is Girvan; they have a solid offensive core led by captain Aiden Trendall, Bhaltair Cameron is overdue for a selection as an All-Star forward and Glen Arundale is proving to be a very capable bottom-liner with the potential to easily make the top line one day. Their defense is in great shape, young players with alot of potential and room to only grow, so if Sam Hutley can get an electric offensive prospect, I'd say at least a Top 6 Forward, then this franchise should be in a good spot to return to winning form in a few years.
Without further ado, let's review those selections:
Best Pick: Laurence Riley, forward, Penshurst Earls Although I think there were similarly other fantastic picks throughout the draft, Penshurst's absolute steal of Riley has to be the best - Girvan's selection of Hadley with the top pick is fine, with his 6'5 frame he probably fits their system of play better than Riley's more agile nature, but the fact he dropped to 5th, past Dunwell, Inverness and Aviemore who could have all used a elite forward such as this is incredible. He's going to fit in well with the budding perennial MVP candidate Valerian Franklin, and I wouldn't be surprised at all to see him starting out on the second line immediately.
Worst Pick: Jostein Benson, 6th Pick Furness Hammers Undoubtedly, Furness was looking to add some young offensive power to help cushion Robertson and Tabor, and try and learn a bit from the Old Center before he retires, despite continuing to play at a top level, he turns 41 this year and I'm be surprised if they get three more years out of him. His departure will leave a gaping hole in their team, and I don't think Benson in any way has the potential to fill it. He's a bottom 6 forward at best, and they would have been much better served with a far different selection.
Wrapping up our draft coverage, let's conclude this final bit of offseason business with some divisional predictions as to who we'll see in the playoffs:
Division 1 Champion: Yarmouth Ducks Despite having dropped off considerably, Yarmouth is till in the top 3 best franchises in the Federation. I think Wythcombe got exceptionally luckly, and most of Yarmouth's play last year was compromised thanks to a rash of injuries. While they haven't done much to inject youth, I think they have enough to capture the divisional title, but I bet Wythcombe will be on their heels the entire year.
Division 2 Champion: Kerveguen HC Josh Lucott got his appetite started with that Cup lifting in 604, but they've had to enjoy bittersweetness ever since with consecutive quarterfinal exits; I know Kersey wants one more shot at another Cup, and Martin Waddingham and Micah Mallinson have refined into very effective Top 3 forwards; I'll make the prediction here that if Mallinson can replicate his 80 point season from last year, he's going to be in this year's race for MVP. Toussard and Furness may offer stiff competition for the divisional title, but I think they can see them off, though look for Rannoch to potentially be a dark horse candidate for playoff runnerup spot.
Division 3 Champion: Avon Knights This shouldn't even be a question; they led the Federation in points for a third season in a row, and were more than 20 points clear of the next closest team; the real question for Avon is, can they overcome that playoff bug that keeps nabbing them throughout the last decade? Poindexter and Morissette are all getting closer to that 35-year old mark, and while they have an okay amount of youth waiting in the wings, particularly Kaj Mathers and Trevor Biddle, I think the sunset is coming for their franchise without a stellar you addition; Anciness has been particularly resurgent in the last three years, and I don't see that stopping here, so if Avon wants to get back-to-back divisional titles they will have to perform at the best level all year long.
Division 4 Champion: Mers Militia I have to be honest, with the new format of the Federation, I think this is the most open division in terms of predictable champion; Mers is a solid team that is going to be out tough competition, but Kinloch has a fantastic young core that has been growing each year, and Harchem and Seyning are waiting in the wings as well. I think Mer will see Kinloch off, but I think it's going to be close - if there are any upsets this year, look here for them.
Posted: Sun Apr 02, 2023 2:58 pm
by -Anthor-
Anthoran International Hockey Federation Season 607 Season Kickoff/Part I
Without further delay, we shall dive right into the 32nd inaugural season debut for the AIHF, as we all will enjoy the twenty teams compete for the chance to add the Lyonwrit Cup to their trophy cases; through the first part of the season, we've played through twenty plus games for most of the teams, and a quick review of who the top performers are:
Hottest Team: Kerveguen HC Although Avon has performed better in terms of wins and points, Kerveguen has had the hottest start to their season; they dropped their debut game against Rannoch 4-2, and struggled for their first three matches where they picked up those 3 losses they have; they haven't lost since, and went on to strike together an 11-game winning streak that was only stopped last week by a 2-1 shootout loss against Rannoch. Micah Mallinson currently paces the Federation in goals with 8, and has 17 points to his name already; if they can keep this going, I can't wait to see how the rest of the year plays out. Fun fact, they are the only team that has yet to shutout an opponent, and the only team so far to average 4 goals in a game to date.
Slide Watch: Toussard Daemons Right now, they're sitting in an okay position, above Rannoch on goal difference to sit in the other Division 2 playoff spot, but let's talk about that goal difference; +3, on 75 goals against 72 goals allowed - they're tied for worst defense in the league with Norton, and although they've employed Logan Postlethwaite (11 goals, 5 assists), Brenden Mainwaring (6 goals, 12 assists), and Alexander Mogren (12 goals) to elite offensive success, they have to step up that defense or Rannoch is going to overtake them; this division in particular is known for the yo-yo races, and if they continue to leak on defense that could spell disaster for their season goal of reaching the semi-finals.
Aviemore Pioneers Arena: Lyans Arena, Aviemore, Anthor (Capacity: 31,000) Sweaters:Link Head Coach: Ian Cumberledge (259-234) Captain: Finlay Almond Championships: None. Notable Finishes: Hasn't had a winning season since 593
Dunwell Hockey Association (HA) Arena: Ruby Street Stadium, City of Dunwell (Capacity: 42,500) Sweaters:Home Head Coach: Aglaé E. Goddard (28-48) Captain: Malcolm Ellington Championships: Notable Finishes:
Seyning Wolves Arena: Atlen Media Stadium, City of Seyning (Capacity: 39,300) Sweaters: Head Coach: Simon Hartley Captain: Robert Beathan Championships:
DEFENSEMEN 3 Deschamps, Roderick, 40 y/o*^ (4x Defender of the Year, 603 All-Star) 4 Alderson, Iestyn, 23 y/o^* (x1 Rookie of the Year, x1 Defender of the Year, x1 All-Star) 5 Letheren, Connor, 34 y/o^ 6 Iosif, Jericho, 34 y/o 20 Myers, Logan, 31 y/o^ 21 Barden, Brett, 23 y/o 22 Sunderland, Rio, 23 y/o^ 30 Jorgenson, Simon, 25 y/o 40 Sheldrake, Bryan, 25 y/o^ GOALIES 1 Moore, Dickson, 36 y/o^* (600 Goalie of the Year, x3 Goals Against Award) 30 Beran, Petr, 26 y/o^ (601 Goals Against Award, 603 All-Star) NOTABLE PROSPECTS Norton, Max G, 19 y/o (607 First Round Pick)
Posted: Sun Apr 02, 2023 4:43 pm
by -Anthor-
Anthoran International Hockey Federation Season 607 Regular Season Part II
With roughly 40 games played for most of the teams in the Federation, we're pulling into the All-Star break as the teams take the time to rest and recover, as well as enjoy as the Federation celebrates the top performers and most elite players throughout the nation; those leading the charge for divisional titles will take the time to ensure they stay on top, while those contenders hot on their heels will pour over their team and make the adjustments they think necessary once the Federation regular season resumes play to try and overtake those in front of them, while the rest are going to try and find solid ground to stand on, and try to salvage their seasons. Before we cover the All-Star teams, let's take a peak on the divisions and where everyone stands.
Division 1: As predicted at the beginning, Yarmouth currently is pacing the division by a very healthy margin of 11 point lead on the next-closest contender, Wythcombe; talking a bit on Hampton's Ducks, we've seen quite the stepup from some of their newer and younger players; Iain Meade in particular has become the brightest spot on their third line, so much they bumped him up to second as he sits in 4th place on the team's most points list. Harold Jewel currently leads their team in points, and he sits 3rd in the Federation in goals, so he's their MVP candidate so far, and has a pretty solid case for it.
When we resume play, keep an eye on Cheshnut; despite sitting third in the division, Wythcombe's only got a 3-point lead on the them, and Cheshnut currently has the second best offense in the division, just one goal behind Yarmouth. If they can string together some wins, I think they can challenge Wythcombe easily for that runner-up playoff spot.
Division 2: Continuing to dominate since their hot start to the season, Kersey's Keveguen sit on atop the Div2 with a 22 point lead, a Federations best lead and second only to Avon in terms of total points. That plays true with team performance as well, as their offense is second only to Avon as well with 124 goals scored, and 98 goals against. Micah Mallinson continues his banner year as he is second in the Federation in terms of goals scored, as well as for total points, behind only Avon's Austin Poindexter. Youngster defender Taddesse Megia has been a high performer of note, having replaced Griff Hartle in the third pairing, and then replacing Nickey Cracknell on the second after a string of good performances. Notably, he's the leading Kerveguen defender in points (22).
Toussard has improved their play, cleaning up on their penalties and fouls committed, and clamping down the defensive end of things a little - they're still the worst in the division, but have been more consistent although their proclivity for playing in high scoring games remains. Alexander Morgren has overtaken Logan Postlethwaite and currently paces the Daemons for most points, assists, and goals, and is quickly looking like putting together a career-best season despite his young age, and this being just his second year on the first line. Brendan Mainwaring is sharing in similar success, and notably has improved with his endurance - this time last year, he had only played in 65% of available games due to injuries, but he has yet to hit the injured list this year, despite some highlight reel worthy hits. The biggest looming question mark with Daemons is how long do they hang in with Jan Oravec; the 598 Goalie of the Year is but a shadow of his former self, and at 39 years of age is looking every bit of the territory that comes with that number in this sport. Although he is leading the team with 9 wins, he's also leading with losses (10). Last week the team adopted an every other game system for him and Bertrand Heard, but I think we're going to see Charlie Skerrett's debut this year for sure.
Perhaps the most disappointing in this division is Furness's performance; currently a division and Federation worst 11-27 record with just 37 points; perhaps a few keys as to why, Graham Robertson missed the first two months of play thanks to a lower back injury, and although he's back this week, they have a huge amount of catchup to perform.
Division 3: Rather predictably, Avon pulls in here at the All-Star break and midway point leading both their division, and the Federation, with a 29-12 record with a AIHF-best 88 points. Austin Poindexter is currently the favorite for MVP again this year, currently pacing the entire Federation with most goals, and most points; around him however, is plenty of favorable and similar performance. Simon Morrissette and Kaj Ellar Mathers are currently tied in second for the team on the most goals list, and Morissette currently leads them for assists and I think Carl Hermann has assembled the most lethal 1-2 punch with his first line of Biddle-Poindexter-Loskin, and then followed by Morissette-Mathers-Kovac; their fourth line has also been highly successful, mostly thanks to the continued consistent high performance from Mark Callaghan on the wings, he's out-pacing everyone on the fourth and third line for goals, points, and average time on ice.
Elsewhere in the division, Louie Lanyton has been leading Ancinnes quite effectively - everyone knows the Avon is the best in the Federation, and no one is close to touching them in their own division, but Ancinnes has been doing it's best to disprove that; although 15 points sit in between Lanyton getting his first divisional title and the Knights, if they can continue to be consistent in key matchups, I think they could do it, or at least close the distance. Elsewhere, Norton's Timothy McLeish set out when this season began to put behind him the injury-plagued seasons of late that have stopped him from repeating his All-Star performance and fulfilling the expectations set when he won Rookie of the Year eight years ago, and he's doing just that, despite his team sitting a far ways behind playoff hopes, he's currently second in the division and seventh in the Federation for most points.
Division 4: We definitely said this would be the division to watch for some time, and it's certainly proving us correct so far. Kinloch has predicted currently sit as division leaders at the midway point, but that is by no means a guaranteed constant; they hold just a 10-point lead over second place Seyning, who is replicating their Cinderella-esque magic from their debut season just three years ago; when the season started, Seyning was mired in the cellar of the division, and yet over the last month have managed to completely reverse course and overcome Mers to take second place, most notably having played Kinloch seven times in the last month, and won each time, most recently 5-3. Dag McQueen, the 26 year old defender just three years into his professional career, has turned into one of their best defenders - he started the season on their third pairing, but for the last month has been playing on their first with Mitchell Osborn; he's third on the team in points, and is leading the team in assists, narrowly edging out Robert Beathan and Jason Boone.
If Kinloch wants to defend their divisional title, they're going to need to play very well; they've been hit with the injury bug, with Abdusalom, their first line All-Star Winger, missing several weeks thanks to a knee injury, and their top defender Joel Karlin went down last week and has been ruled out for a month with a neck injury; they're going to need up-and-comers such as Joseph Chornley and Neil Jesty to step up and prove themselves as top liners if they retain this divisional lead.
Northern All-Stars Goaltenders: Petr Beran (26 y/o) [Yarmouth], Jacob Brigham (23 y/o) [Bathgate], Daniel Thurstan (26 y/o) [Girvan] First Line: Harold Jewels (W, 29 y/o) [Yarmouth], Albert Kersey (C, 33 y/o) [Kerveguen], Micah Mallinson (W, 23 y/o) [Kerveguen] Second Line: Luke Willison (W, 26 y/o) [Wythcombe], Daniel Anselm (C, 26 y/o) [Yarmouth], Bhaltair Cameron (W, 25 y/o) [Girvan] Third Line: Alexander Mogren (W, 23 y/o) [Toussard], Valerian Franklin (C, 26 y/o) [Penshurst], Martin Waddingham (W, 23 y/o) [Kerveguen] Fourth Line: Alexander Blackman (W, 32 y/o) [Cheshnut], Gladwyn McKenzie (C, 27 y/o) [Bathgate], Ross Bacon (W, 34 y/o) [Yarmouth] Reserves: Bård Casimir (C, 26 y/o) [Rannoch], Bhaltair Cameron (W, 25 y/o) [Girvan], Logan Postlethwaite (W/C, 27 y/o) [Toussard], Nicholas Giruard (D, 31 y/o) [Bathgate], Brendan Mainwaring (D, 31 y/o) [Toussard] Defenders: Roderick Deschamps (40 y/o) [Yarmouth] - Iestyn Alderson (23 y/o) [Yarmouth]; Jason Lay (33 y/o) [Wythcombe] - Nicholas Giraud (31 y/o) [Bathgate]; Taddesse Megia (23 y/o) [Kerveguen] - Brian Canham (27 y/o) [Penshurst]; Dylan McEwan (32 y/o) [Penshurt] - Kai Gelder (24 y/o)[Furness]
Southern All-Stars Goaltenders: Aidan Bryant (30 y/o) [Kinloch], Hugo Edlund (32 y/o) [Avon], Hamilton Granville (G, 23 y/o) First Line: Austin Poindexter (W, 35 y/o) [Avon], Aaron Batho (C, 27 y/o) [Kinloch], Timothy McLeish (W, 30 y/o) [Norton] Second Line: Ondrej Houska (W, 26 y/o) [Norton], Jason Boone (W, 26 y/o) [Seyning], Timo Ruhala (W, 34 y/o) [Kinloch] Third Line: Simon Morrissette (W, 32 y/o) [Avon], Oscar Biddle (C, 24 y/o) [Norton], Lennart Ahman [W, 33 y/o) [Ancinnes] Fourth Line: Kai Bird (W, 26 y/o) [Ancinnes], Ethan Waddingham (C, 24 y/o) [Inverness], Anthony Cawston (W, 25 y/o) [Aviemore] Reserves: Ian Button (C, 26 y/o) [Ancinnes], Kaj Ellar Mathers (C, 21 y/o) [Avon], Taylor Hempsall (W, 26 y/o) [Kinloch], Joel Brenton (D, 22 y/o) [Anciness], Logan Isgar (D, 25 y/o) [Dunwell], Mitchell Osborn (D, 28 y/o) [Seyning] Defenders: Glen Waddingham (26 y/o) [Mers]----Ondrej Zbytovsky (23 y/o) [Norton], Erhardt Müller (35 y/o) [Mers]----Nicholas Entwistle (24 y/o) [Kinloch], Cyril Seamussen (24 y/o) [Kinloch]----Blair Johnson (32 y/o) [Avon], Howard Chaundy (26 y/o)[Mers]----Micah Furse (32 y/o) [Ancinnes]
Anthoran International Hockey Federation Season 607 Regular Season Finale
And with that final whistle, we have the conclusion of the final half of the Federation's regular season, and what a dramatic finish it was for some teams; Toussard rushed to overtake Kerveguen for all season, and then finally managed to with just 6 games to go, and they never looked back as they took their first divisional title in the new format series of play.
Anthoran International Hockey Federation Season 607 Playoffs
Quarterfinals Stage
#1 Avon Knights v. #8 Seyning Crests
The first matchup we get to see this year in the final showdowns on who gets to take home to Lyonwrit Cup, Austin Poindexter lead his Knights as they enter this matchup as heavyweight favorites against Robert Beathan's Wolves; althought on paper they're heavily out-matched, we here at ABSN want to point out just how much magic the Wolves have going on. Since they entered the AIHF in 604 as one of the first expansion teams, they entered one of the toughest divisions and managed to break up the hegemony Mers held on it. They have a winning record against both Mers and Kinloch, who both have more potent offenses on paper. Seynings 169 goals for is the lowest of any playoff-qualified team, but they have the best defensive unit out of all the qualifed; while it's not as potent as Mers, who have led the Federation as the best for five years consecutively, they have a more balanced approach than Mers defense-or-nothing strategy, and it's led them to their second playoff qualification in three seasons. The first match will be at Rottery Sports Complex in Avon, and the Knights have never dropped a round one first home game in a playoff matchup before, but this should be an exciting stage to watch for certain.
Avon Knights 1 – 3 Seyning Wolves Rottery Sports Complex (36,200), City of Avon
Putting that magic that they started their life in the AIHF with, the Wolves showed Avon and it's diehard fanbase why they are to be taken seriously, as for the first time in 20 years they hand Avon an opening playoff game home loss, 3-1, with the Wolves Dag McQueen standing out through the night, scoring the powerplay goal that gave them the win and performing highly. They're going to have to keep this level of defense going if they want to win the series.
Seyning Wolves 2 – 3 Avon Knights Atlen Media Stadium, City of Seyning (Capacity: 39,300)
Avon battles their way back to evening the series and stopping Seyning from gaining some steam, as they fight their way to a 3-2 victory on the back of Denis Lokshin's powerplay goal, just three minutes before the end of the game, thanks to Seyning's Masterman hooking penalty. The Wolves unusually committed two penalties - they had a Top 10 penalty kill team throughout the regular season and were at the bottom of the league for penalties allowed, but they came to haunt them this time around. As they return to Avon for Game 3, it's going to be crucial that they pick up the pace; their third and fourth lines were horribly outmatched against Avon, and that will need to change if they want advance into the next stage, or the Knights will exploit that to their own advantage.
Avon Knights 3 – 6 Seyning Wolves Rottery Sports Complex (36,200), City of Avon
12:47 [Goal]: Austin Poindexter (Mathers, Lokshin) 22:08 [Penalty] Charlie Bragg (Hooking, 2 minutes) 23:56 [Goal] [SH] Kaj Ellar Mathers (Pilgrim, Arkle) 28:41 [Goal] Simon Morrissette (Biddle, Mathers) 28:47 [Penalty] Blair Johnson (Cross-checking, 5 minutes) 29:52 [Penalty] Peter Kovac (Fighting [Major], 10 minutes)
23:01 [Goal] [PP] Hewit Kolton (Boone, Mortensen) 32:41 [Goal] [PP] Robert Beathan (Barrett, Osborn) 38:56 [Goal] [PP] Dag McQueen (Lennon, Boone) 49:54 [Goal] Dag McQueen {2} (Innocent, Arvel) 56:18 [Goal] Dag McQueen {3} (Beathan, Norris)
An sold-out crowd of 36,200 and millions more on televisions across the nation got to watch Simon Hartley's Wolves positively upset Avon, 6-3, delivering to them their worst playoff defeat since Game 2 of the 602 Lyonwrit Finals (They lost 4-1 against Yarmouth) on the back of Dag McQueen's hat-trick, the first Wolf to score a hat-trick in the playoffs, and the first Anthoran defender to score a hat-trick in the playoffs since Roderick Deschamps did it 22 years ago. The game was hard-fought, and started off rampant as Austin Poindexter put his team on top first with an early 12 minute mark goal on a one-timer from the top of the circle. The two teams would struggle evenly, mostly Seyning looking to trap Avon in the neutral zone and trying to keep them on their backfoot, failing when Kaj Mathers slipped the puck by Mitch Bevan for a shorthanded goal; just five minutes later, the game exploded when Blair Johnson cross-checked Richard Barrett from behind as he rushed to get a forward pass from Irwin McKenzie; Beathan won the drop-off and on a saucer pass got the puck up to Jaren Innocent who was called offside but made the shot on Derek Walker anyways - Avon's Peter Kovac took major exception to this and swung on the back of Innocent's head with his stick, for which he was immediately jumped by Jason Boone, Lars Masterman, and Luke Gideon. An all-out brawl ensued that took the match officials more than a few minutes to clear up, and when the dust settled they awarded Kovac, and only him, a 10 minute major fighting penalty. The home crowd, and team, audibly voiced their displeasure at this assessment as Avon was now in a 5-on-3 situation for four minutes, and an powerplay for a further five, knowing it could spell trouble - and trouble did it spell, in the form of McQueen. Robert Beathan was the first to strike, snapping a strong forehand past Walker, and just six minutes later, Dag McQueen managed to pick the puck off of Morrissette and threw it under Walker as well to give the Wolves their first lead of the night. The Wolves wouldn't stop there, and McQueen would go on to score two more goals, the last coming with just 4 minutes to play as he made history, becoming both the first Wolf to score a playoff hat-trick, the first defender to do so ever for them, and the first defender to do in the Federation playoffs since the acclaimed Roderick Deschamps did it 22 years ago. Seyning is returning home high on emotions and platitudes, Avon is going to have an up-hill challenge to fight back into this series, they are at serious risk of an upset.
Seyning Wolves 5 – 4 Avon Knights Atlen Media Stadium, City of Seyning (Capacity: 39,300)
11:23 [Goal]: Maurice Lennon (Mackenzie, McNabb) 17:54 [Penalty] Mitchell Osborn (Boarding, 5 minutes) 20:54 [Goal]: Jason Boone (McQueen, Lennon) 41:13 [Goal]: Irwin Mackenzie (Kolton, Rollins) 51:24 [Goal]: Richard Barrett (Lennon, McQueen) 58:54 [Goal] Sebastien Mortesen (Mitchell, Boone)
One thing can be said definitively; this series did not dissapoint on the entertainment level. Seyning returned home up 2-1 in the best-of-five series, coming up off of an highly charged upset victory on the road against Avon, and were now looking to put the final nail in the carriage of their upset machine. They were going to be a little short-handed, Jaren Innocent was on the injury list with a concussion from the prior game's fight, and so Maurice Lennon was going up to the first line to fill in, with more ice time practically guaranteed from bottom liners like Colin McNabb and Irwin Mackenzie who hadn't seen much ice in the series yet; Dag McQueen was riding high off of his hat-trick earlier in the series and was looking to prove he deserved a spot on the first defensive pairing. Meanwhile, Austin Poindexter and the Knights are looking to prove their franchise can be equally successful in the playoffs as they have been dominant in the regular season, and Carl Hermann is looking to quiet the growing dissent about how he was a bad hire to begin with five years ago - despite just two years removed from winning the Cup, the Avon fanbase is notoriously critical and expects success year in and year out, whereas Avon has been inconsistent with deep playoff runs; can they avoid the upset here? Since 595, they have never not made it to the Cup quarterfinals.
Avon certainly got things got started off well, with Simon Morrissette coming close to a team record when he opened the scoreline in the 10th minute; but Seyning would respond quickly with their own answer from Maurice Lennon. Avon would go on to dominate the remainder of the first and second periods, with Seyning mostly looking to try and keep them out of their zone and employing their usual tactics with offside traps and neutral zone ambushes, but the Seyning was looking a little slow, perhaps fatigue from the prior three games creeping in. A careless mistake resulted in Mitchell Osborn being overly aggressive with Trevor Biddle and got called on boarding, which Austin Poindexter wasted no time in capitalizing on to give his team the lead; he'd go and double this with another when he out-deked Luke Gideon and slipped puck under Mitch Bevan's blocker. The second intermission began with Avon up 3-2, Seyning had clawed one back off of a Jason Boone snapshot that over-powered Edlund, but Simon Hartley must have had some truly prophetic words for them during the break, because the Wolves came back onto the ice with much more vigor than they displayed in the first half. They logged only 6 hits in the first two periods, but quickly tripled that in the third period, playing much more aggressively and pushing their defenders to the red line, Irwin Mackenzie managed to one-time the puck into the net off of a brilliant saucer from Kolton that deflected perfectly off of the skates of Rollins to set up the tying goal; the two sides would go back and forth, longer shifts being used by both teams as they tried to keep their best on the ice for as long as possible to try and get the edge, but Seyning would break through first on a breakaway goal from Richard Barrett, off of the brilliant long feed from Lennon who got it himself off of a hit-and-steal from Dag McQueen; Avon couldn't stand for being in the losing side of things for long, and it took their third line just three minutes to draw even off of an Ian Rushworth goal, and for a moment as the game clock drew closer to the end, we all thought we were in for the first overtime of this series, but with a dramatic 1:17 to go on the clock, Sebastien Mortesen whipped a powerful forehand up high in the net that sent an electric charge through the homecrowd, and the team. In the less than minute that remained, Avon couldn't muster a response, and for the first time in six years, the bottom seed upsets the top seed, and Avon is dismissed from advancing further. Seyning has accomplished the unthinkable, and it is with just wonder we will have to wait and see how far they can carry this magic.
#2 Kinloch Bards v. #7 Kerveguen HC
Kinloch had an incredible year, concluding the season with winning the divisional title for a back-to-back accomplishment, but also following up last years Federation-best team points, with a second-best finish this year, with 148 which are second only to Avon's ridiculous 169. Most of Kinloch's performance is owed to fantastic seasons from Timo Ruhala (43 goals, 32 assists, 75 pts), Joey Chornley (31 goals, 20 assists, 51 pts), and Nicholas Entwistle (25 goals, 51 assists, 76 pts); they successively managed to stay atop one of the most challenging divisions, despite the mad scramble that persisted all season for the runner-up spot; Kerveguen on the other hand, are looking to use this matchup to have a turn-around, they squandered what was a fantastic first-half of the season with lackluster performance in the finale weeks, particularly against Toussard and Rannoch, whom they lost against in all but 3 matchups. Despite this, they had several key performers, notably Micah Mallinson (57 goals, 45 assists, 109 pts) who turned in his first 100-pt season, as well as Martin Waddingham, Albert Kersey, and Peter Janda all getting north of 50 pts. They're going to need to get all lines producing on the level they were at before the All-Star break if they want to upset Kinloch here and advance further into the playoffs
Kinloch Bards 0 – 2 Kerveguen HC Poole Ring, Kinloch (Capacity: 33,400)
If this is the start of Kerveguen just dismantling Kinloch, I think we'll all be a touch sad to see a team that's worked hard in the last five years to cement it's new franchise era dismissed yet again in the first year, especially after they squandered the number one seed last year. Albert Kersey and company marched into Poole Ring and put on a classic display of hockey, as they ensured the Bards staid off the scorecard and shut them out riding on the backs of goals from Mallinson and McKowen to secure the first victory of the series. Of note particularly for Kinloch, they have got to step up on the offensive pressure, Kerveguen is not a team you can try and push around and if you don't apply the pressure, you're going to end up with scorelines such as this.
Kerveguen HC 6 – 5 Kinloch Bards Prince Daniel Stadium, Kerveguen (Capacity: 60,000)
15:08 [Goal] Lucien Douglas (Caesar, Luoma) 29:15 [Goal] Micah Mallinson (Waddingham, Megia) 36:27 [Goal] Scott Corner (Kersey, Derry) 47:17 [Goal] Albert Kersey (Hatherall, Mallinson) 55:01 [Goal] Micah Mallinson (Lindoff, Horsfall) 59:17 [Goal] (Empty Net) Albert Kersey (Douglas, Waddingham)[/size]
If in the years to come, an documentary of the Rio Caldicott era in Kinloch determines that the motto of it should be "Never Going Away", it indeed would be quite fitting. Having been embarrassed with a 2 nil shutout in the first game at home, Kinloch was determined to prove themselves worthy of the regular season success of late, and came to Prince Daniel Stadium with high hopes, and they didn't disappoint. Although they are exiting this game down 2 games in the series, I think they have something to build on to secure a win as they return for Game 3; this game on the other hand, was simply a tale of one team outplaying the other and being better in the long run. It was a quite back and forth game, with scoring starting just half way into the first period off a Lucien Douglas slapshot - it would only take Timo Ruhala four minutes to equalize things, and the two teams would exchange the puck, blows, hits and possession as each shot to break the tie. Ruhala did it first, getting a deflection over the shoulder of William Horsfall off of a powershot from Darden Cullen, but Kerveguen would take the ante back when Micah Mallinson got on the scorecard with a toedrag from behind the net and under the leg of Aidan Bryant. The Kinloch youngster Brandan Albans would break the tie again with just a few minutes to go before the second intermission, but Kerveguen wasn't having any of it and responded within less than a minute off of a neutral zone steal towards Scott Corner who deked his way to even the scoreline as the two ended into the intermission. Josh Lucott got his team ready to come storming back onto the ice as the final period got started, as what had been a pretty even game quickly turned into one where Kinloch turned over possession quicker than one can shout, and Kerveguen was all but too happy to capitalize on those mistakes; almost ten minutes spent in the offensive zone for them in the 3rd period, Albert Kersey scoring first to break the tie, only for Lucas Rebow to steal away a pass from Simon Wolf and dump it forward to a Bert Shackell streaking away, and restoring the tie on a backhand breakaway. Micah Mallinson waited just five minutes to break the tie again for the game's eighth change of victor, but Aaron Batho restored the drama just two minutes later when he won a neutral zone handoff and blitzed his way through Kerveguen's defense, surely sealing the game for an overtime destination with less than two minutes to go - but we all know the playoffs is make it or break it, and perhaps Rio Caldicott was seeking to secure some job security because with less than 50 seconds to go, he pulls his tender to unleash an all-out attack, which would have worked had Martin Waddingham not laid Graham Kenelm out completely, throwing the puck over to Lucien Douglas who scrambled to get across the blue line before dodging an oncoming hit from Joel Karlin and tapped the puck to an open Albert Kersey who from the red line powered the winning shot home.
Kinloch Bards 3 – 2 Kerveguen HC Poole Ring, Kinloch (Capacity: 33,400)
9:58 [Goal][PP] Taylor Hempsall (Entwistle, Chornley) 27:03 [Goal] Denzel Foulkes (Seamussen) 49:15 [Goal] Timo Ruhala (Batho, Karlin)
[size=95]8:28 [Penalty] Dusan Kaspersak (Minor, Tripping) 17:45 [Goal] Martin Waddingham (Hatherall, Douglas) 42:17 [Goal] Ralph McKowen (Caesar, Bartelot)
An very close victory for Kerveguen last time out, literally waiting until the last few moments before they secured the win; can they secure the series here with an away victory, or will Kinloch rise up and prove they're not a team to just roll over. This game certainly continued the theme of the evenly-matched struggle, but an early tripping penalty from Kerveguen's fourth line allowed Kinloch to spin that into an early lead, and followed that up with a Denzel Foulkes backhand-ensured lead just a few minutes before the second intermission. Kerveguen would try to overcome, and partially succeeded when a McKowen goal brought them even, but Timo Ruhala secured the lead in the 49th minute and they never gave it back, as they walk out of Game 3 as with their first playoff victory this year. It appeared in this game that Lucott was trying to rest his first line a little bit and it came back to haunt him, hopefully they'll be more up to the task after two days of rest, and a home return for Game 4.
Kerveguen HC 2 – 4 Kinloch Bards Prince Daniel Stadium, Kerveguen (Capacity: 60,000)
Kinloch Bards 3 – 3 (3-4 OT) Kerveguen HC Poole Ring, Kinloch (Capacity: 33,400)
12:32 [Goal] Joseph Chornley (Albans, Hempsall) 31:45 [Goal] [PP] Taylor Hempsall (Entwistle, Ruhala) 51:22 [Goal] [PP] Taylor Hempsall (Shackell)
[size=95]17:45 [Goal] Micah Mallinson (Douglas, Janda) 29:54 [Penalty] Albert Kersey (Minor, Hooking) 38:09 [Goal] Martin Waddingham (McKowen, Douglas) 42:34 [Goal] Albert Kersey (Mallinson, Duffield) 50:18 [Penalty] Taddesse Megia (Minor, Cross-checking) 65:17 [Goal][OT] Albert Kersey (Douglas, Gillies)
#3 Yarmouth Ducks v. #6 Wythcombe Hornets
Yarmouth finished the season strong, looking to shake of all of us nay-sayers who were crying the end of their dynasty, and proved us wrong by finishing third in the Federation in team points. Once again eclipsing 200 goals scored (204 total), they were led in the charge by Harold Jewels, whose 101 pt season (61 goals, 40 assists) was only eclipsed by a resurgent Adam Bohatec, who joins Graham Robertson with one of the best season-finishes ever for a 36 year old, wrapping up with a career high and tied for Federation-best 67 goals, 55 assists, 112 pts, scoring his 1,000 point this year as well. Wythcombe isn't to be dismissed outright, they were right on Yarmouth's heels the entire season; while they didn't have the two 100-pt players on their team like Yarmouth, they did have strong seasons from Luke Willison, Isaac Montague, and Cade Roosevelt - those last two are especially notable, they're the Hornets future once the likes of Haag and Lay are gone, and this may be Wythcombe's last chance to get some of their veterans some sweet playoff success.
This matchup is going to be just straight classic playoff hockey here - an overpowering offense in the form of Toussard's forwards, which scored the second most goals in the Federation (228), lining up against Ancinnes defense, which showed down with the likes of Avon's Poindexter all season and still finished with a Top 5 defense. The key performers for Toussard are of course going to be that Mogren-Postlethwaite-Birkedal first line, but also keep your eye on second-liner forward Art Meade, who turned in a respectable 40 pt season, and how Brenden Mainwaring leads the defense; goaltending will be an issue as it was all season, they were very inconsistent. For Ancinnes, what's going to be key for them is if there offense can keep the pressure on all the time; Ahman, Hewson, and Ghuman are some of the most veteran and elite players they have, but all are far closer to 40 than they should be; if youngsters like Ian Button, Kai Bird, and Alistair Jobling can perform better than they have recently, I think Ancinnes can see this through.
G1: Wythcombe Hornets 3–5 Kerveguen HC G2: Kerveguen HC 2–2 Wythcombe Hornets (2–3 OT) G3: Wythcombe Hornets 1–1 Kerveguen HC (1–2 OT) G4: Kerveguen HC 3–6 Wythcombe Hornets G5: Wythcombe Hornets 0–2 Kerveguen HC
Lyonwrit Cup Finals
#4 Toussard Daemons v. #7 Kerveguen HC
G1: Toussard Daemons 4–4 Kerveguen HC (5–4 OT) G2: Kerveguen HC 4–3 Toussard Daemons G3: Toussard Daemons 5–4 Kerveguen HC G4: Kerveguen HC 0–0 Toussard Daemons (0–1 OT) G5: Toussard Daemons 3–4 Kerveguen HC G6: Kerveguen HC 2–1 Toussard Daemons G7: Toussard Daemons 2–5 Kerveguen HC
Posted: Sat Jan 13, 2024 1:05 pm
by -Anthor-
Anthoran International Hockey Federation Season 608 Offseason Review
Grab your ale mugs and favorite snacks, as we draw your attention back to the yearly coverage of the 608 AC Anthoran Ice Federation, and the Premier Hockey League! That's right, during the off-season Federation President Valois announced a series of structural changes that formally created a professional 'premier' league that was distinct from the Federation, which will serve as the governing body of the entire sport. The Premier Hockey League was thusly born, and will feature all the four divisions and same teams that you have become used to in years past, however, you will get additional content to enjoy, as this move also welcomed the Cammoran Hockey League, which will serve as a junior and developmental league to the PHL, which each of the PHL teams owning at least one CHL team for the purpose of it serving as a developmental team for them. Furthermore, in a third tier there is now the regional leagues, the Northern and Southern, which will encompass many of the formerly semi-professional teams that existed in those regions, now given formal structure, rules, and play. It has been stated that if the PHL were to expand, as it has in the past with the additions of Seyning, Dunwell, Bathgate and Harchem in recent years, that the teams will be pulled from the most successful of the CHL teams. With that explained, let's review the PHL's top performers from last year as we go over the 607th Federation Awards winners:
607 Federation Award Winners: Fulke Lynn Trophy (Awarded to the most valuable player, voted on by members of the hockey press writer association): Austin Poindexter, Forward, Avon Knights (102 pts, 81 goals, 21 assists) Lord Brynden Trophy (Awarded to the player who exhibited the best sportsmanship): Suellen Ruskin Trophy (Awarded to the best debutant that year): Lady Carissa Memorial (Awarded to the best goalkeeper): Harley Poole, Mers Militia (41 wins, 17 shutouts) M.H.L. Trophy (Awarded to the player who has the most points): Adam Bohatec, Forward, Yarmouth Ducks (67 goals, 55 assists, 112 pts) Onyx Cup (Awarded to the best defender): Howard Chaundy, Mers Militia Lochlainn Trophy (Awarded to the best player for their team during the playoffs): Dag McQueen, Defender, Seyning Wolves Tollak Rakes Trophy (Awarded to the player with the most goals): Austin Poindexter, Forward, Avon Knights (102 pts, 81 goals, 21 assists) Alden Skjeggestad (Awarded to the goalie with the most saves): Jacob Brigham, Bathgate Swans
Austin Poindexter takes home his second MVP award, perhaps more controversial than his first as he was third in the Federation in total points, behind the Duck's Bohatec and the Earl's Franklin, but perhaps it was the fact he once again ensured the Knights secured the best seed in the Federation playoffs that won him this; though surely, it was a bitter consolation after they were upset by the Wolves in the first round of the playoffs. Adam Bohatec himself had a resurgent season, taking home the MHL Trophy for the first time in his career at the age of 35, and Dag McQueen takes home the Lochlainn Trophy - breaking with tradition that it's handed to a member of the Cup-lifting team, and while many were hoping to see Micah Mallinson take this home, I think it's well deserved with McQueen who helped the Wolves on one of the best playoff runs we've witnessed in a long time.
During the offseason, a number of teams made some moves to try and shore up their positions, or otherwise improve for the upcoming season. Perhaps the largest piece of news was the firing of Avon's head coach Carl Hermann, who despite seeing them to 3 different Finals appearances, and the Cup itself in 605, also was in charge of the embarrassing first round exit against Seyning this year; his replacement took longer to find, having only been revealed last month but the Knight's ended up selecting internally their assistant coach Ethan Noble. The 41 year old is one of the youngest head coaches in the league, and has previously played, having been a forward on that 595 Girvan Highlanders team that took the Lyonwrit Cup home. He left the league as a player in 597, and has been working as an assistant with Girvan (599 - 602), and Rannoch (602 - 606) before coming to Avon and hopefully the pressures of this position don't overload his first chance at a head coach position in a professional league.
We also have seen clubs hiring from not within, but abroad - for the first time in Federation history, there will be foreign players on the ice, and in some pretty notable positions. Elejamian youngster Carlos Archetula, a winger who featured on their WJHC team in previous editions, has been picked up by the Ancinnes Rangers for a 2 year, 2.5 million per contract, and they've immediately slotted him on the starting lines - currently in the 4th line, but Rangers HC Louie Lanyton has not been shy that he's expecting big things from Archetula, and anticipates the kid moving up the lines to the first. We're imaging that Lanyton is hoping that the winger can help the Rangers develop out an offensive prowess they've been previously lacking. Elsewhere, the Earls have signed Elajamian youngster Ethan Swinburne to a 2 year/6.5 million per contract, and the Furness Hammers have signed up Elejamian defender Vicente Benitez for 3 years/4.5 million per; each of this signings are coming on international youth that have proven themselves on the international stage, and each team presumably hoping they can develop into top line potential players if given the right coaching and opportunities. What is interesting as well, each of the teams (Anciness, Furness, Penshurst) typically feature in the bottom of the picks in the Anthoran domestic draft, which may be why they've opted to go the foreign route, figuring they're not going to be able to get that potential elite youth blue chip at home, so go abroad instead.
Notable departures, retirements and trades coming up next; running down the divisions, the 36 year old All-Star forward Theo Hewson, having played for teams like Kinloch, Rannoch and finally Ancinnes for the last four has decided to retire, robbing the Rangers of perhaps their best offensive presence; perhaps the new youth signing in Archetula can replace this, otherwise it will fall on Kai Bird. Cheshnut, which saw many departures this year as many of their pending free agents did not wish to return, pulled off a simple trade for a 3rd round pick this year with Harchem for their backup goalie Brendan Harrison; he had a 17-9 record last year, and a .856 save percentage, so he could hopefully fill in as a tenable backup for the Knights. So far, those are the major moves, though there will be more to come surely as the draft draws closer, which will cover for you in our next coverage piece!
^ - Dressed * - First Line 2nd - Reserve Line Number C - Captain A - Assistant
Dunwell Hockey Association (HA) Arena: Ruby Street Stadium, City of Dunwell (Capacity: 42,500) Sweaters:Home Head Coach: Aglaé E. Goddard (56-96) Captain: Malcolm Ellington Championships: N/A Notable Finishes: N/A
DEFENSEMEN 3 Deschamps, Roderick, 41 y/o*^ (4x Defender of the Year, 603 All-Star) 4 Alderson, Iestyn, 24 y/o^* (x1 Rookie of the Year, x1 Defender of the Year, x1 All-Star) 5 Letheren, Connor, 35 y/o^ 6 Iosif, Jericho, 35 y/o 20 Myers, Logan, 32 y/o^ 21 Barden, Brett, 24 y/o 22 Sunderland, Rio, 24 y/o^ 30 Jorgenson, Simon, 26 y/o 40 Sheldrake, Bryan, 26 y/o^ GOALIES 1 Moore, Dickson, 37 y/o^* (600 Goalie of the Year, x3 Goals Against Award) 30 Beran, Petr, 27 y/o^ (601 Goals Against Award, 603 All-Star) NOTABLE PROSPECTS
Posted: Sun Jan 14, 2024 1:44 pm
by -Anthor-
Anthoran International Hockey Federation Season 608 Offseason Review
Heading back into APHL coverage, we now bring to you the coverage of this year's Amateur Draft, where the best of the youth player across the nation and more hope to get their place in a professional team; and those teams hoping that the youth can either help them head into unknown glory, or reinforce their legacy; for the fourth time in six years, the Inverness Lions have the top pick in the Draft, though perhaps this time they can not squander what they previously have. Last season was head coach Alasdair Ramsey's first year on the job, and despite the losing record saw some positive development from All-Star center Ethan Waddingham, and the prior youngster star Emil McCraig making this debut to decent success; the other Top 5 picks go to Girvan, Dunwell, Aviemore and Penshurst. Elsewhere, pay attention to what Furness and Yarmouth try to do here in the offseason, and may attempt to move up in the draft. Graham Robertson retired last here, bringing in the end of the perhaps best legacy of a center in the Federation, but Furness is now very lacking in the offensive side, while Yarmouth has struggled to achieve much in the playoffs, and many of the their supporting cast is getting quite old and recent youth prospects haven't panned out. Only 8 defenders are in this year's projected Top 20 class, which is an recent all-time low; all those speedy forwards may lend itself to the trending increase in goals and shooting prowess across the league. Without further delay, here's the review of the first round of the Draft:
Giving out grades following the selections, I feel like this draft was a great one for most of the teams; almost all of the picks are good fits into the various systems that the teams use, and many of them are immediately slotted into the dressed roster for Opening Day, like Kinloch's latest forward Adam Kian or the Ducks latest Ross Hagen; keep an eye on the youth this year, they may surprise you, how much they do we will review with the next post covering the first parts of the season!
^ - Dressed * - First Line 2nd - Reserve Line Number C - Captain A - Assistant
Dunwell Hockey Association (HA) Arena: Ruby Street Stadium, City of Dunwell (Capacity: 42,500) Sweaters:Home Head Coach: Aglaé E. Goddard (56-96) Captain: Malcolm Ellington Championships: N/A Notable Finishes: N/A
Seyning Wolves Arena: Atlen Media Stadium, City of Seyning (Capacity: 39,300) Sweaters: Dark Salmon and Grey Head Coach: Simon Hartley (38-35) Captain: Robert Beathan Championships: Notable Finishes: 604 Division 4 Title, Playoff Quarterfinals, 606 Playoff Quarterfinals, 607 Playoff Semifinals
Dunwell Hockey Association (HA) Arena: Ruby Street Stadium, City of Dunwell (Capacity: 42,500) Sweaters:Home Head Coach: Aglaé E. Goddard (56-96) Captain: Malcolm Ellington Championships: N/A Notable Finishes: N/A
Seyning Wolves Arena: Atlen Media Stadium, City of Seyning (Capacity: 39,300) Sweaters: Dark Salmon and Grey Head Coach: Simon Hartley (38-35) Captain: Robert Beathan Championships: Notable Finishes: 604 Division 4 Title, Playoff Quarterfinals, 606 Playoff Quarterfinals, 607 Playoff Semifinals
Dunwell Hockey Association (HA) Arena: Ruby Street Stadium, City of Dunwell (Capacity: 42,500) Sweaters:Home Head Coach: Aglaé E. Goddard (56-96) Captain: Malcolm Ellington Championships: N/A Notable Finishes: N/A
Seyning Wolves Arena: Atlen Media Stadium, City of Seyning (Capacity: 39,300) Sweaters: Dark Salmon and Grey Head Coach: Simon Hartley (38-35) Captain: Robert Beathan Championships: Notable Finishes: 604 Division 4 Title, Playoff Quarterfinals, 606 Playoff Quarterfinals, 607 Playoff Semifinals
Dunwell Hockey Association (HA) Arena: Ruby Street Stadium, City of Dunwell (Capacity: 42,500) Sweaters:Home Head Coach: Aglaé E. Goddard (56-96) Captain: Malcolm Ellington Championships: N/A Notable Finishes: N/A
Seyning Wolves Arena: Atlen Media Stadium, City of Seyning (Capacity: 39,300) Sweaters: Dark Salmon and Grey Head Coach: Simon Hartley (38-35) Captain: Robert Beathan Championships: Notable Finishes: 604 Division 4 Title, Playoff Quarterfinals, 606 Playoff Quarterfinals, 607 Playoff Semifinals