AOHC 7: Northwest Kalactin Everything Thread

[Gyatso-kai]

.:: GAR Camp DAXIANG, Province, United Earth Republics, Gyatso-kai ::.
1825 hours local time, 4 May 2020.2

The sound of a distant rotorcraft was steadily growing louder, as Hosaka Yanli looked back to the long line of men behind him. He could feel the weight of his armor finally setting in after having been in it for near six hours, but so was the joys of "Long Day"; the one day every two weeks where stationed soldiers in the Grand Army of the Republic would go on 20-kilometer marches into the local wilderness and train. Each 'Long Day' focused on a different skill - last time was E&E, the time before was standard OpFor for the rival unit of Hosaka's, the 81st Battalion in the 19th Territorial - and this week had been range time, with Hosaka and his men marching out to various shooting ranges and qualifying on each of them, both there and back. All the weapons needed were carried by the men, as were the ammunition and the observation equipment.

All and all, each soldier was carrying almost 35 kilograms throughout the march... and you felt it by the end...

The rotorcraft - by the sound, a V-44 - was closing in, so Hosaka turned around to his men.

"Come on! If we aren't at that LZ in two it's a even longer walk home!"

"Sir, yes sir!" was the staggered chorus response as the soldiers behind him began to pick up speed. Hosaka, already at a quick jog himself, knew they would reach the LZ in plenty of time just by walking, but he liked to see the soldiers show a little urgency. The unit under his command - River-2 - was attached to the 281st Battalion in the 19th Territorial Army, and was a mixture of clones and regular humans; in GAR slang, 'vats' and 'birthers, and the usual tension between the two types of soldiers was non-existent in shared units. The clones, born in combat and trained since birth, inspired a sense of healthy competition with the recruited men and women, who did everything they could to beat out the clones in any task. Even now, as they advanced to the LZ, the vat squads were just a step or two ahead of the birthers, with Hosaka and his clone first lieutenant right behind him.

Captain, having fun?, the officer spoke over his helmet's vocoder, the digitized voice still maintaining its usual sense of charm.

"Oh, of course, Ought," Hosaka laughed. "I always enjoy a brisk run."

The two men were the first to the clearing, and both men dropped to a crouch, raising their TAR-21 in unison while the first two clone rifle squads broke the line. The eighteen men swept and circled back before giving the 'All Clear' signal. As Hosaka stepped into the field, Ought - CL-14-0001 - was right behind him, and removed his helmet.

"So about that boy of yours," Ought spoke, reaching down to attach his helmet to his belt.

"What about him?"

"He's doing pretty well for himself in the Eh-Oh tournie."

Hosaka sighed, removing his own helmet and looking around as his squads all formed up in the clearing. "Yeah, his mom and I are certainly proud."

"How many goals he have this tournament?"

Hosaka, looked to his wristpad, pulling up his notepad app for him to check. "One against Banija, one against Baker Park, and then a third against Siovani-whatever-it-is."

"Three goals in a tournament? Not bad."

"The best he's done since he left Dro. And then there is that whole Apple thing..."

"Apple?" Ought raised an eyebrow, before realising what Hosaka meant. "Oh, you mean Donnacona."

"That's the name. I knew them as Cotedelapom, and they have a thing for apples."

Ought and Hosaka both laughed as they saw the rotorcraft - yep, a V-44 - and it circled around them. The two men replaced their helmet, with Ought signalling to the squads to move out. As the rotorcraft came down, the wind began to whip around the soldiers' feet, kicking up dirt and gravel that began to pepper their armor and drown out the voices. Hosaka was looking up at the craft as Ought cut into his comm channel.

"You think he'll take the offer?"

"Knowing him... Yeah, he'll jump ship as soon as they send an offer."

[Delaclava]

Edan Bullard was sweating bullets. Ari Sarkisyan had been knocked out of the game against Northwest Kalactin with a lower-body injury, and he wasn't ready to go. The 18-year-old was called into action sooner than he'd anticipated, on the third line with Logan Wynne and Timur Fedorov. He'd felt pretty good in pregame warmups, but as coach Arthur Lemaire gave the final marching orders in the locker room and they made their way back out to the rink at Gold Coast Hockey Arena, it was feeling all too real.

Bullard was excited to play, but was hoping he'd have a couple of minutes to take in the game before he got in himself. His wish was not granted. The top line of Jehiel Abreu, Alex Coburn, and Daryl Walmsley was only on for twenty seconds before an out-of-play stoppage, and Lemaire wanted a fresh look. "Bullard!" he shouted, looking at the new center.

Bullard damn near fell off the bench trying to get on the ice. Here we go, don't screw up. He lined up for the faceoff opposite the Quebecois center, the ref blew the whistle and they were off. Bullard was still half-stunned and didn't get good contact on the puck. The Quebecois center pushed it forward and it went back to Marco Van Houten.

Van Houten brought it back behind the blue line, passed it off to Kosta Karras, then got it right back. He looked up the ice and fired a cross-ice pass to Fedorov just as the right wing entered the offensive zone. In a trance, Bullard followed the play into the offensive third as Fedorov crossed the ice again to Logan Wynne, Wynne made the move around one defender and flicked it back. Bullard saw the puck coming and felt his hands move independently to line up for the snap shot, and fired.

Bullard was vaguely aware that his teammates were skating towards him, shouting, "Yeah Edan!" and came fully to. He'd scored 39 seconds into his first game and had barely been aware enough to know it. He finally broke out of his stupor and grinned, then skated over to greet the rest of the bench. Edan took a seat and was positively buzzing. He was fully in this game now.

Suddenly, Karras turned around to the Quebec end and yelled, "Goalie!" He made a motion with his hand, and a second later waved the puck in Bullard's face. "Sorry," the big, amiable defenseman said with a smile, "almost forgot that." Bullard nodded as if with his whole body, really loving the moment.

A minute later and Abreu took a leading pass from Antoine Clement, came in from the side, deked around two defensemen and slung the puck into the top right corner. The Phoenixes cheered and banged their sticks on the boards. As the Coburn line came back, Lemaire again shouted "Bullard!".

This time, the teenager was ready and feeling it. He won the faceoff back to Van Houten, who zipped the puck back up the wing to Wynne. Wynne entered the zone and led Bullard forward. Bullard was seeing things in slow motion as he stepped around the defender, came through the slot, then found a trailing Van Houten for the slap shot. 3-0 after 94 seconds.

The players and the smattering of Delaclav fans in the stands were going absolutely mad now. The roars and chants echoed from the crowd for several minutes even as play continued on. The rest of the game was smooth sailing - Quebec was hardly playing badly, but they had been soundly defeated and it had taken less than two minutes. Not shockingly, Bullard immensely enjoyed every minute of it.

The Phoenixes had started a tradition that after a win, they would pass the rainbow Kappe on to the player of the game. They'd actually started the previous game with their draw against Northern Kalactin. Jehiel Abreu, captain and the lone goalscorer, had gotten the Kappe from the team.

The captain Abreu got in front of his team in the locker room. "Okay, great game boys. Pedal to the metal the whole game, that's how we should do it every single game. Now," he took the Kappe off his head, "this one's easy. Edan, you stepped in late, and stepped up big tonight. Welcome to the show!"

---

Delaclava 5-0 Quebec

1st: Bullard (Wynne, Fedorov) 0:39. Abreu 2 (Clement) 1:27. Van Houten (Bullard, Wynne 2) 1:34.
2nd: Garrard (Sexton, Voss) 33:35.
3rd: Němec (Garrard, Walmsley) (PP) 41:40.

Saves: DEL, Sutton, 8-7-10--25. QUE, 11-8-12--31.

---

Arthur Lemaire was impressed with his team. They were firing on all cylinders now. They had handed the eight-seeded Royal Kingdom of Quebec a ruthless 5-0 beating. Now they'd leveled up to the fourth-seeded Ko-oren and they didn't do much better against the Phoenixes.

It looked dicey from the beginning as Daniel Statham took an early penalty and the Phoenixes went on the penalty kill. But this was a team that was going to capitalize on every opening, and apparently that meant even while short-handed. Michael Garrard jumped on a pass from Jowdah Wamallu at just the right time and took it all the way to the other end before beating Aiane Alacia. Even though Ko-oren managed to equalise seconds later with a deflection from Yaller Nyan, the Phoenixes had sent the message that they were looking for every chance to run away with the game.

That popped up again at the start of the third period. Delaclava carried a 3-1 lead. Not insurmountable by any means. A side like Ko-oren could overcome it in a flash. But Alex Coburn won the opening faceoff back to Antoine Clement, who slung it forward to Jehiel Abreu, who swept from the left side through the middle and lined up a perfect wrister that beat Alacia just over the glove. The Dragonflies were utterly deflated: in six seconds, Ko-oren's chances of victory had gone from almost likely to non-existent.

Lemaire could hardly sleep at night, he was so giddy at his team's prospects. The Phoenixes had come in totally unheralded, yet they were the form team of the tournament. They had a rematch against Quebec next, and while Lemaire didn't want to get ahead of himself, the Quebecois had shown no signs that they could hang with the high-octane Delaclav offense. Yet he stayed up at night, imagining further set plays and strategies to annihilate Quebec, then anyone else who planned on standing between the Phoenixes and a title of which they had no designs just a week prior.

Still, Lemaire thought with humility to the time he had spent in Spaulding. He had gotten here by building up a new community from the ground, and in a way, he was doing the same all over again. Even if he couldn't come through with his title, he had derived a whole life of meaning over the past few decades from loving and cherishing his neighbors, contributing his skills, and always giving back. I don't need this, he assured himself. I want this, but I don't need this.

And that thought put him at ease. He knew what had brought him fulfillment in the last thirty-odd years of his life. This tournament, and any other tournament he may coach, put forth everything to gain, and nothing to lose.

---

Delaclava 5-2 Ko-oren
1st: DEL, Garrard 2 (SH) 3:36. KOR, Nyan (Curumbah, Mirre) (PP) 4:07. DEL, Sexton (Walmsley 2, Abreu) 17:35.
2nd: DEL, Bullard 2 (Statham, Roy) 27:02.
3rd: DEL, Abreu 3 (Clement 2, Coburn) 40:06. KOR, Autibel (Nyan) 5 7:25. DEL, Garrard 3 (Abreu 2, Němec) (EN) 58:41.

Saves: DEL, Sutton, 8-12-15--35. KOR, Alacia, 13-6-10--29.

[Vilita and Turori]

The Vilita and Turori Ice Cats smashed the Qasden Hockey Cats by a 5-0 scoreline on a decisive final group stage matchday that saw two lopsided results upend the Group B table. Qasden, who had entered the day atop the Table in first place would fall to third with the result as Vilita and Turori propelled themselves to the top, winning the group with the Sarzonia Stars in second place. Sarzonia also recorded a 5-0 victory on the day knocking Equestria out of the competition in the process.

For Qasden it was nervous times as only two third place teams would advance to the Knockout Rounds but despite Banija's 3-2 victory over the Commonwealth of Baker Park it was not enough to save the season for Martial Odongo's Banija men.

Now the tournament will progress to the quarter final stage which will see two Group Stage re-matches. In the case of Vilita and Turori it is their final matchday group stage opponents Qasden who will also be their Quarter Final opponents. This is a good break for the Ice Cats who will have confidence following their 5-0 blowout victory in the prior matchday over the same time. Qasden were the host nation of the 6th Atlantian Oceania Hockey Championships which were won by Vilita and Turori. Elsewhere in the tournament, the biggest Knockout Round clash will take place between Gyatso-Kai and Sarzonia, two nations that have proven to be some of the strongest in the field thus far. Sarzonia having proved their mettle with a 5-0 victory over Equestria on the final matchday of group stage competition, and Gyatso-Kai having impressively defeated Group C's highest ranked team Siovanija & Teusland on the final matchday in order to advance to the Knockout Rounds.

[Northwest Kalactin]

Cutoff

Delaclava 4–1 Quebec
Vilita and Turori 4–2 Qasden
Baker Park 3–2 Northwest Kalactin (scorinated by Vilita)
Gyasto Kai 1–2 Sarzonia


Semifinal Matchups
Delaclava Vs. Sarzonia
Vilita and Turori Vs. Baker Park

[Sarzonia]

With so much attention deservedly paid to Sarzonia national ice hockey left wingers Sylvan Turcotte and Cameron Granato, the rest of Sarzonia's offensive players often get overlooked.

This time, both of Sarzonia's goals came from the lesser-known Stars players, and centre Alyssa Hannigan's slap shot from the point with just 1.4 seconds remaining in regulation proved to be the winning goal as the Stars defeated Gyatso-kai 2-1 in the quarterfinals of the Atlantian Oceania Hockey Cup.

Right wing Calan Leftwich scored Sarzonia's other goal at the 17:13 mark of the third period with Stars coach Paul Bremerton entertaining notions of sending a sixth attacker onto the ice to replace goaltender Matt Peterson. He kept that idea in his back pocket after Leftwich's dramatic tally on Sarzonia's 43rd shot on goal of the match.

Ice Bisons goalie Bao Lin was more than equal to the task for the first 42 shots he faced of Sarzonia's, and he finished with 46 saves overall as the Stars continued to apply pressure. However, enforcer Alan Donald was on the ice in an unusual role: As a screen to prevent Lin from seeing Hannigan's last second shot.

"Their goalie was spectacular," Turcotte said after the match. "I've played against some great goalies and they would have allowed at least two more goals with all the pressure we put on them."

Bremerton said the Stars were "beyond frustrated" they couldn't score until the waning moments of the third period, especially after Hosaka Severi drew first blood at 18:22 of the first period with a rising shot on a five-on-three power play that Peterson said afterward he wished he could have had back.

"That's a shot I grab with my catching glove nine times out of 10," Peterson said. "The way things went, I was worried that would be the only goal of the match."

Bao's heroics overshadowed a 28-save effort from Peterson, who robbed Ice Bison captain Song Unataq on a point blank bid after he'd already stoned Song on a shorthanded breakaway attempt. The Stars were 0-for-5 on the power play and were 1-for-6 killing off penalties.

Sarzonia's reward for its late-match heroics? A date with regional neighbours Delaclava, which dominated Quebec 4-1 in their quarterfinal. Vilita and Turori defeated fellow group rival Qasden 4-2, while Baker Park sent th he host nation Northwest Kalactin packing with a 3-2 victory.

For Peterson, the time to be excited about facing Delaclava is "right fucking now."

"I wish we'd played them in a friendly, but our hockey federation dropped the ball," he said. "They're a great team and greater friends. I can't wait to see how we measure up."

[Commonwealth of Baker Park]

Paula Zimmer: "Back here on CommSport 1 Nightline, and we welcome in our CHA analyst Johnny Huston to talk about the Blues at the AO Hockey Championships. Johnny, who is more shocked that we are here talking about the semi-finals, you or Russell Brody?"

JH: (laughs) "I'd say me, because I had to come down to Belle Haven and miss a day of golf. But I don't think anyone in their wildest imagination saw a scenario where the power play, the penalty kill, the fourth line, all coming together to narrow whatever talent gap there might've been between us and the countries we've faced so far.

PZ: "Let's talk about the special teams for the moment, because normally in a situation where you bring in a bunch of players from different teams, wouldn't the power play be the one area where a national team might struggle?"

JH: "Absolutely, but if you tell guys to not overthink, just get the puck into the zone and maintain possession, sometimes the unit doesn't have to be perfect if you've got natural scorers, which the Blues do."

PZ: "And the other element you mentioned that probably wouldn't get as much notice, the fourth line, they've really played superbly."

JH: "If your fourth line forwards are in plus at the end of the night, you're gonna win a lot of hockey games. I think Russ bringing Owen Clayton in to center the fourth line might end up being the smartest move he's made. Russ was a journeyman defensive centerman, so I think he appreciates having a veteran like Clayton to bring the energy from further down the bench."

PZ: "So, this next game against the winners of the last AOHC and former world champions Vilita & Turori, can the Blues continue their outstanding form?"

JH: (laughs) "Wish I knew! But they've played a solid style, a playoff series type of gameplan that is pretty adaptable from game to game. Everyone says that defense wins championships, but the four teams left were the highest scorers in the group stage. I think if they can get a plus game out of the fourth line again, they'll win...3-1."

PZ: "As always, it's been a pleasure Johnny, see you again soon enough."
JH: "What's your handicap these days Paula, we should get a round in..."

PZ: (laughs) "We'll see, I'm still on budget lockdown from the last time we played. Andy?"

[Delaclava]

Arthur Lemaire did not like what he saw on the ice for warm-ups. The Phoenixes were going about their business quite casually. The shooters were more focused on trying between-the-legs shots than really getting dialed into the range. Three-on-two drills weren't dialed in, but instead accompanied with giggles and mock frustration at missed shots or blown passes. They looked like a team waiting for their coach to show up for morning practice, not getting ready for the biggest game of their brief international careers. He grew tired of the borderline grab-ass from his side and looked to the opposite end of the rink. The Quebecois looked slower and less confident, yet sharper and more focused. To Lemaire, they looked as if they were already beat, but they were going to give it their best shot. Which is more than Lemaire could say for the Delaclav team.

If Lemaire were a betting man, he'd still put money on his own guys. But he had to be sure.

The chatter was loud in the locker room as the players re-entered to get their final marching order. Lemaire walked in and slammed the door, then threw shut a nearby locker that was also open. The Delaclav squad looked at him with innocent interest, wondering what could have caused this reaction.

Lemaire stared at his team. "Do you know who we're playing?" The players, not sure how to answer that, didn't. "That team across from you, they have a real history. They're former world champions. They have six world podiums. We don't have squat, you hear me?"

No one was smiling now. "If you go out and start the game the same way you've been acting the last fifteen minutes, this team is going to punish you. Do you understand me?" The players muttered their assent. "Good. Because when we get back in this locker room a couple of hours later, I'm not going to give a fuck—" he emphasized by hitting the whiteboard behind him with his fist, "—about how you beat them five to nothing in the damn group stage! We're gonna talk about what you did in these sixty minutes here, and you better be damn sure it's a performance you're happy with! Got it?"

"Yes, Coach!" the players shouted, fully attentive now.

"We've been planning for this game the last three days. You know exactly what to do. Time to wake up and get it done! Now let's get out there and send these guys home!"

The players cheered and met in the middle of the locker room for their pre-game chant:

"Fire!" captain Jehiel Abreu yelled.

"Fly!" the rest of the team replied.

"Ash!"

"Fly!"

"Rise UP!"

"Fly, fly, fly!"

"Let's go—"

"PHOENIXES!"

The team ran out of the room, banging their sticks against the wall. Lemaire had gotten his team going again, and now they'd do the rest. The score was 2-0 after 10 minutes. As the second line gathered around Evan Sexton to celebrate the second goal, the Quebecois looked on in confusion and frustration, trying to figure out how these young upstarts were doing this to them again. And no, they never did figure it out.

And so the Delaclav hockey team went back into the locker room after 60 minutes, not to talk about a letdown performance, but a comprehensive 4-1 win. Lemaire told his team how proud he was of them for stepping up. But he had a new message to send: he needed them to play like underdogs against Quebec, whom they were rematching after a blowout. Now, in the next round, he needed them to play like favorites.

After all - Lemaire pondered all of this as he watched the Sarzonia Stars take on Gyatso-kai - these men were not fluke novices, but a team that had outscored opposition 14-3 in the last three games, and had shown no doubt over the outcome of the game for any of the previous 180 minutes. He had to admit, he was impressed by the moxie of the Stars as they put up two goals in the final three minutes, including the game-winner in the dying seconds. The Stars were a great team, and they and the Phoenixes were already friendly off the ice. But he didn't want them to respect Sarzonia too much. Lemaire was going to make it quite clear to his own team it was now their tournament to lose. If they stepped out on the ice and imposed their will for the next 120 minutes, no one else had a chance.

As the players had a guys' night in at the hotel, Lemaire took a trip around Gold Coast that evening - he hadn't gotten much of a chance yet - and particularly enjoyed Banija Town and the city parks. But he ended up where he'd really meant to go: the Coastal Arena. His team would get to stay in the same city, but they'd played their first four games at Gold Coast Hockey Arena, and Lemaire was superstitious enough that he wanted to get his bearings at the new venue. He was fortunate to run into one of the arena crew, and explained who he was. The man chuckled, said, "Knock yourself out", and gave Lemaire a few minutes to head inside.

Lemaire stood towards the back of the center ice section, looking down at the rink. The city had been bustling, but this was quiet, and his mind was finally clear. He began to fantasize, visualize how the game would proceed. Beautiful puck movement from Abreu, Walmsley, and Coburn... Clement and Němec, solid as rocks... Sutton stands tall, stopping everything coming his way... Lemaire takes the puck up the wing —

Huh? Lemaire interrupted himself. After a second, he tried to continue. Power play... move it around the zone. That's it! Coburn, to Sexton, to Voss at the point, across to Lemaire — wait, that's not right...

Lemaire didn't bother to ask himself what was going on: he knew full well, and now he allowed himself to think it. Lemaire rushes down the ice, he's got one man to beat.... he goes left then right, dekes around Shane Nolan, he's in all alone. He fakes - he's got Richard Miller beat - he shoots - off the post! The net was open, the goal was there, Lemaire can't punch it in! And that's the game, Mohawk Clans 1, Delaclava 0!

Lemaire stood there, fully accepting why he'd come back to coach this team, why it was hockey he brought to his new hometown of Spaulding, why he'd gone through portions of his life unsatisfied before he packed up and moved. Hockey was his life, and he'd had to put his unfinished business for decades before he could pick it back up now.

But it's not my business anymore. I have to let them settle their own. The best Lemaire could do was advise his team through this process, but it wouldn't be fair if he was living through them, or if he thought they could finish his business. In a way, they were - picking up a nation's story where it'd been left off. But they were kids, really - still trying to navigate their own stories, not yet experienced enough to be saddled with the burdens of previous generations. Lemaire knew full well everyone on that team had seen film of that Mohawk Clans semifinal. He knew they knew why he was so motivated. But that was done - he wasn't going to concern them with it, wouldn't mention it when they convened in the locker room to take on Sarzonia. He was happy to be a part of this new squad, and he'd use all the experience at his disposal to help them, but that story was done.

Lemaire turned around and walked up the stairs to exit the arena. He'd be back tomorrow with a new story to write.

---

Delaclava 4-1 Quebec
1st: DEL, Wynne (Bullard 2, Haarmajärvi) 4:25. Sexton 2 (Voss 2, Garrard 2) 9:50.
2nd: DEL, Abreu 4 (Coburn 2, Němec 2) 23:41. QUE, 32:09.
3rd: DEL, Roy (Karras, Sutton) 42:37.

Saves: DEL, Sutton, 10-10-12--32. QUE, 15-7-11--33.

[Northwest Kalactin]

Cutoff

Delaclava 3–1 Sarzonia
Vilita and Turori 4–3 Baker Park

3PPO
Baker Park Vs. Sarzonia

Finals
Vilita and Turori Vs. Delaclava

[Delaclava]

After the Phoenixes spent some time looking over film of the Sarzonia Stars, taking in their style of play and examining ways to match up with them, Arthur Lemaire had one more bit of game tape left to show his squad.

The players were wondering which game they would be looking at, and were dumbfounded to suddenly watch ten men in sleeveless jerseys running around a wooden floor. Indeed, it was a basketball game.

Lemaire paused the tape for a second. "You're all well aware our two nations enjoy a friendly, competitive rivalry, and that goes for all of our athletes. But I don't care if you guys get dinner with their guys on the weekend, or hang out at tournaments, whatever. This is still a rivalry, and as I'm about to show you here, they picked up a win that we have to get back now." He played the tape and showed a room of hockey players as their basketball brethren fought through the last five minutes of their game against Sarzonia, eventually losing a tough 70-66 contest.

Lemaire turned to his team. "So... you guys notice anything? Not the basketball, just generally."

"The Stars basketball team is massive," 5-foot-8 forward Erno Sarkozy said, noting the massive height advantage their rivals had on the court.

"They just totally bullied us around the court," the big defender Kosta Karras added.

Lemaire nodded. "Yes, good. Us. Yup, total physical domination towards the end of the game. Our basketball team is smaller, they had the early lead but eventually couldn't keep up any longer. Now, we have an opportunity to do that. On paper, we're the bigger team. And this is why we're having Taran and Oskar—" he gestured to two of his taller defensemen "—in the lineup for this game. We're going to wear them down and skate out of there with the win."

And that they did. Lemaire dressed six defensemen, all standing between 6 foot 3 and 6 foot 6. Sarkozy and Edan Bullard got benched in favor of Ari Sarkisyan and Jaroslav Hlavacek, and no forward on the Phoenixes bench was shorter than 5 foot 11. The resulting physical difference, on display as the teams stood across from each other for the game's opening ceremony, was not as drastic as the one seen in the recent basketball game, but in a game of inches and milliseconds, the Phoenixes were just a step ahead of the Stars for 60 minutes, just as they'd done to any other team lately.

At the final whistle, the scoreboard at Coastal Arena read DELACLAVA 3, SARZONIA 1, and the Phoenixes first greeted their beaten opponents, then celebrated about a job well done once again. The process of getting an opponent, game planning, and executing to perfection was now as automatic as breathing.

But as the team took the bus to Murwelldobah for the first and last time of the tournament, still upbeat and raucous, Lemaire knew that if winning lately was like breathing, the Phoenixes were about to have an invisible hand cover their nose and mouth. The defending regional champions, regional #1, and former world champions in Vilita and Turori loomed. Vilita was by far the more experienced team, and they had handled their competition in much the same manner Delaclava had done - one game as a draw, the rest as wins put on with clinical efficacy. Lemaire had already checked the behavior of the Delaclav bookmakers - on average, +450 for the upstarts. The books had been relatively bearish on the Ice Phoenixes for the entire tournament, but it certainly seemed justified now.

Lemaire looked back at his players, who at the moment seemed so unconcerned, laughing, bonding in a way he hadn't expected from these strangers a few weeks ago. They certainly had every right to be as cheerful as they were, given what they'd already accomplished. Lemaire knew he'd spent the night studying film, but he wouldn't put that on the players until tomorrow; they should go hit the town instead.

When the bus arrived in Murwelldobah, the players disembarked, fully expecting to get to work immediately. Instead, Lemaire followed them off and delivered the same message he'd deliver right before the suited-up Phoenixes finally took the ice for the AOHC final:

"Enjoy the moment. You've earned it."

---

Delaclava 3-1 Sarzonia

1st: DEL, Voss (Garrard 3) 6:03. DEL, Walmsley (Abreu 3, Němec 3) 11:27.
2nd: None.
3rd. SRZ, Turcotte (Barnes, Weinert) 45:46. DEL, Sexton (Garrard 4, Hightower 2) 46:51.

Saves: DEL, Sutton, 12-9-13--34. SRZ, Peterson, 13-10-15--38.

[Vilita and Turori]

Coastal Arena, Gold Coast, Northwest Kalactin :: It was late in the third period against the Commonwealth of Baker Park and Vilita and Turori were clinging to a narrow 4-3 lead. Baker Park had opened the game with a goal early in the first place, ironically scored by Brent Vallery of the Jacksonville Ice Kats. From there it was Vilita and Turori's Ice Cats that took control, dominating the play in the latter portion of the first period and the bulk of the second amassing four goals and seeming to be well on their way to a fourth consecutive Atlantian Oceania Hockey Championships final.

The third period was a much different story, however. The Commonwealth team had come out firing in the third period. After a hooking penalty against Buffky Oktopi just three minutes into the period, Baker Park wasted little time getting back into the game with Benjy Ndumeke redirecting a shot from the blue line by Niall O'Halloran that went between the pads of Fiko Oreta cutting Vilita and Turori's advantage to just two goals.

Baker Park's coach Russell Brody was energized on the bench and was passing the energy on to his players as they looked to end Vilita and Turori's reign as Atlantian Oceania's regional hockey dynasty. While Vilita and Turori had struggled since their World Cup of Hockey 34 title, they were still defending champions of the Atlantian Oceania Championships as well as reigning Olympic Gold Medalists. To have a chance at remaining Atlantian Oceania Champions, however, they would have to survive a deluge from Baker Park.

Things would be made more nerve wracking at 13:24 of the third when another redirected shot made its way past a screened Fiko Oreta in goal for Vilita and Turori cutting the lead to just a single goal. Baker Park had all the momentum as the clock ticked down but surprisingly left Oceana Zephyrs goalkeeper Robbie Sullivan in goal as the clock ticked away - past three minutes, then two. Then the announcement for the final minute of play in the third. Sullivan was still on the Ice - cheating outside the circle and looking for a call from the bench. Finally, it had come, and Sullivan darted to the bench to be replaced by his domestic teammate Matt Donnenfeld who hopped into play as Baker Park searched for a late tying goal. By the time they were organized in the zone there were just 38 seconds left to play. A couple of blocked shots and one critical save later and Vilita and Turori had survived. The horn would blow at the Coastal Arena and the Ice Cats had held on to advance to their fourth consecutive Atlantian Oceania Hockey Championship final.

Perhaps fittingly, the Final would be contested between the last two unbeaten teams in the tournament. Both Vilita & Turori and Delaclava posted a record of 2 wins and 1 draw to take top spot in their respective Groups, with Delaclava having posted a slightly higher goals differential at +8 compared to Vilita and Turori's +6. Both would then have the chance in the Quarter Finals for a rematch against a team they had already played in the Group stage and neither would have any issues, with Deleclava defeating the Independent Athletes from Quebec by a 4-1 scoreline and Vilita & Turori defeating Qasden for the second time in two matchdays - this time by a much more competitive scoreline of 4-2. Of course with the semi-final results, both teams enter the Final with a record of four wins and one draw in the tournament. With the one off format, one team was going home with five wins, and the other would be leaving Northwest Kalactin with their first defeat and the oft maligned Silver Medal. It will be the first competitive meeting on Ice between Vilita & Turori and Delaclava at the Regional Level.

Tactically, the Ice Cats and Phoenixes share very little in common despite the fact that their tournament records thus far were so similar. Vilita and Turori's head coach Avalan Marcraw is a former winger and bring a heavily offensive approach to the game, often criticized for not putting enough emphasis on strong defense - a criticism still valid after having conceded five goals in the two knockout round matches thus far despite advancing to the Final. For Delaclava, their head coach Arthur Lemaire is also a former player, having been a part of the countries biggest prior accomplishment on Ice as Semi-Finalists at the 16th World Cup of Hockey where they were defeated by another Atlantian Oceania nation, the Mohawk Clans. Lemaire brings a much more defensive minded approach to the game evidenced by the discipline of the Phoenixes having conceded just two goals in the two knockout round matches averaging just a single goal against for the duration of the tournament thus far.

When these two teams step onto the Ice at the Murwelldobah Ice Centre in Northwest Kalactin, one of the two contrasting style will have to prevail. Whether the offensive style of the regional powerhouse Ice Cats or the grinding defense of the upstart Phoenixes, at the end of the night there can be just one champion crowned no matter how many Overtimes or shootout attempts it takes to decide it.

[Northwest Kalactin]

This is your finals cutoff!
3PPO
Baker Park 2–5 Sarzonia

Finals
Vilita and Turori 3–1 Delaclava

Congratulations to the Winners, commiserations to the Runner Up. Thank you for joining us here in Gold Coast and Murwelldobah.