World Cup of Hockey XL - Everything Thread

[The Royal Kingdom of Quebec]

World Cup of Hockey XL - MD7 Results!

A lot of times, being a national team hockey player means dancing on [their] own.

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Group A
Taeshan 3–0 Quakmybush
Reçueçn 6–3 Wack-i
St. Saratoga 0–4 Royal Kingdom of Quebec

Group A                        Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Royal Kingdom of Quebec        7    7   0   0    32   13  +19    14
2 Reçueçn                        7    4   1   2    23   18   +5     9
3 Taeshan                        7    3   2   2    15   16   −1     8
4 St. Saratoga                   7    3   0   4    11   13   −2     6
5 Wack-i                         7    1   2   4    12   20   −8     4
6 Quakmybush                     7    0   1   6     8   21  −13     1

Group B
Trolleborg 2–2 Kohnhead
Gyatso-Kai 3–0 Megistos
Kelssek 2–4 Neu Engollon

Group B                        Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Gyatso-Kai                     7    7   0   0    34   17  +17    14
2 Neu Engollon                   7    6   0   1    39   15  +24    12
3 Kelssek                        7    3   1   3    17   16   +1     7
4 Kohnhead                       7    1   2   4    14   24  −10     4
5 Megistos                       7    1   1   5     7   18  −11     3
6 Trolleborg                     7    0   2   5     9   30  −21     2

Group C
Sarzonia 4–2 New Waldensia
Terre Septentrionale 5–3 Sylestone
Ko-oren 1–0 Mercedini

Group C                        Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Ko-oren                        7    6   1   0    14    4  +10    13
2 Mercedini                      7    4   1   2    24   15   +9     9
3 Terre Septentrionale           7    4   0   3    25   21   +4     8
4 Sarzonia                       7    4   0   3    19   17   +2     8
5 Sylestone                      7    1   1   5    12   19   −7     3
6 New Waldensia                  7    0   1   6    12   30  −18     1

Group D
Logon 2–0 Solarampa
Ranoria 4–4 The Jovannic
Vilita and Turori 1–1 Cassadaigua

Group D                        Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Vilita and Turori              7    5   2   0    24    9  +15    12
2 Cassadaigua                    7    5   1   1    26    8  +18    11
3 Ranoria                        7    3   3   1    14   14    0     9
4 Solarampa                      7    2   0   5     9   19  −10     4
5 Logon                          7    1   1   5     7   16   −9     3
6 The Jovannic                   7    0   3   4     8   22  −14     3

Group E
Poafmersia 3–1 Chromatika
Fluvannia 4–2 Fiekkefjord
Banija 1–0 Equestria

Group E                        Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Banija                         7    6   1   0    23    7  +16    13
2 Equestria                      7    4   2   1    17   12   +5    10
3 Poafmersia                     7    4   1   2    18   16   +2     9
4 Fluvannia                      7    2   3   2    17   16   +1     7
5 Chromatika                     7    1   0   6     6   17  −11     2
6 Fiekkefjord                    7    0   1   6    16   29  −13     1

Group F
The Sherpa Empire 3–3 Natanians and Nosts
Gergary 0–4 Delaclava
United States of Devonta 1–2 Valanora

Group F                        Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Valanora                       7    7   0   0    28   10  +18    14
2 Delaclava                      7    4   1   2    12    6   +6     9
3 The Sherpa Empire              7    3   1   3    17   21   −4     7
4 United States of Devonta       7    1   3   3    14   16   −2     5
5 Natanians and Nosts            7    1   2   4    16   23   −7     4
6 Gergary                        7    1   1   5     9   20  −11     3

Group G
TJUN-ia 6–4 Lovisa
La Florita 1–0 Jeckland
Savojarna 2–1 Abanhfleft

Group G                        Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Savojarna                      7    6   1   0    28   11  +17    13
2 Abanhfleft                     7    3   3   1    21   13   +8     9
3 TJUN-ia                        7    4   1   2    24   19   +5     9
4 La Florita                     7    3   0   4    11   16   −5     6
5 Jeckland                       7    1   1   5    11   23  −12     3
6 Lovisa                         7    1   0   6     8   21  −13     2

Group H
Adyatin 0–1 Graintfjall
Lorenthia 2–3 Kayangan
HUElavia 3–4 Siovanija and Teusland

Group H                        Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Siovanija and Teusland         7    7   0   0    31   12  +19    14
2 HUElavia                       7    4   0   3    15   14   +1     8
3 Kayangan                       7    3   2   2     9    9    0     8
4 Adyatin                        7    2   1   4     7   10   −3     5
5 Graintfjall                    7    2   1   4     5   11   −6     5
6 Lorenthia                      7    0   2   5     8   19  −11     2

[TJUN-ia]

After getting our first home win yesterday, the Ice Jags were looking to get another on the books in order to keep up the pace with the top 2 in the standings. La Florita gave us hope that TJUN-ia could actually make it to Quebec, but Lovisa was next. While they have only won 1 game thus far, no opponent (especially unranked ones) should be underestimated at all.

That was a mistake Ølson Rasmussen made in the first period and it showed. Lovisa, returning from an extended absence in U3 sports, wee looking to prove that they still got. Scoring 2 goals in the space of the opening 7 minutes will certainly give that impression. Chris Jeeves scored TJUN-ia's first just before the break, but 2-1 down after the 1st is not a great way to start. The 2nd period was a back and forth affair, with goals being alternated. Lovisa scored their 3rd, then Teemu Pukaninen replying with TJUN-ia's second. Lovisa's 4th was replied by Kisei Nawakami of all people, but it was still advantage Lovisa when the 2nd break came. Then TJUN-ia finally came alive. Ki Hwa-Na, a 2nd-line defenceman, managed to shoot from a long way off and find the back of the net to tie up the game. Captain Christian Kalsters then took the lead before the use of the goalie by Lovisa in the final minute allowed Jakob Vaduz to shoot the ball into the opposition net from his own just before the end of the game. A defender and a goalie scored for TJUN-ia on the same night.

So we keep up the pace, and good news arrived from Savojarna. They managed to beat Abanhfleft 2-1, meaning they take a big step towards wining this group. But it also means that the Fleftics are only ahead if the Ice Jaguars on goal differential, so TJUN-ia is now firmly in the hunt for 2nd now. This means that our road game in Jeckland has new importance - it will be a chance for revenge after our loss to them at home, but it will also be a chance to keep pace with the Fleftics now matter how they get on in their game. To keep ourselves in the hunt, we must beat the Spuds. GO JAGS!

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SCHEDULE (Group G)
MD1: @La Florita (27) W 1-0
MD2: @Lovisa (UR) W 2-1 (1st)
MD3: vs Jeckland (UR) - The Rink in The Gardens, New Washington L 4-5 (3rd)
MD4: @Abanhfleft (2) D 5-5 (3rd)
MD5: vs Savojarna (11) - The Rink in The Gardens, New Washington L 2-3 (3rd/2W-1D-2L)
------------------------OFF DAY------------------------
MD6: vs La Florita (27) - The Rink in The Gardens, New Washington W 4-1 (3rd)
MD7: vs Lovisa (UR) - The Rink in The Gardens, New Washington W 6-4 (3rd)
MD8: @Jeckland (UR)
MD9: vs Abanhfleft (2) - The Rink in The Gardens, New Washington
MD10: @Savojarna (11)

[Fluvannia]

DIVISION STREET JOURNAL

Thursday, August 6, 2020

1 Mark

NATIONAL TEAM DELIVERS IN MUST-WIN WC GAME

ROCHESTER, Co. Monroe -- If the reports of Fluvannia hockey team coach Wayne Cassidy's tirade and late-night "training session" are true, then whatever he said and/or put his players through certainly appears to have been effective. The Bears, hosting their penultimate home game of the tournament, displayed a physicality and defensive effort that could only be described as smothering. The visiting Flekkefjord squad managed just twelve shots on goal the entire game -- less than half of what one would expect to see. From puck drop, a raucous, even desperate crowd at War Memorial Arena helped to provide the players with the energy they had been sorely lacking on their last few outings.

They didn't have to wait long, either. Whether or not this was Cassidy's strategy -- he was pretty mum on it post-game -- the Bears succeeded in getting inside the heads of their opponents, over-responding to Fluvannian physicality with play that was less than successful at remaining within the rules. A hit from behind by Arvid Dan on Alberto Barrett was called for boarding at 3:03, and the Bears went on the man advantage. They put it to good use, with Patrick Cleary doing what he does best: winning faceoffs. Cleary won the puck back to Fred Rice, who faked a move forward along the boards before passing along the blue line to Kurt Phillips, whose one-timer slap shot found the roof of the net and sent goaltender Johannes Alfred's water bottle careening through the air, only nine seconds after the power play began. After this, the visitors were seen to tighten up in terms of risky play, as to avoid giving up another penalty. Sure enough though, by the end of the period they had managed a trip, two slashes, and a pair of roughing penalties. These last two were matched by a pair assigned to Matt Grabowsky and Frank Wells, after a bit of a brouhaha in front of the Bears' net appeared to include some unwelcome talk towards Fluvannian netminder Teukka Salama.

After the intermission, things picked right back up where they left off, with hit after hit directed from the team in blue to the team in red. As in the first period, this eventually led to a penalty against the visitors. While the Flekkefjordian team benefits from the explosive speed and stamina of their youth (this essentially being their team from the last World Juniors), there is something to be said for experience and the level head that comes with it. Unfortunately for the Flekkefjordians, they once again allowed their hosts to dictate the tempo and style of play, and eventually they let it get to them, with Gabriel Birger called for a slash that appeared to many as being retaliation for being stood up at the blue line by Miggy Gutierrez. Unfortunately for Birger, the slash was not delivered to Gutierrez, but rather to the left hand of star right wing David Chekovich, who had to head to the locker room for an examination of that hand. With Birger in the box, the Fluvannian power play unit once again delivered on the opportunity afforded them: later in the penalty, Chuck O'Doyle was able establish a position in front of the crease, from which he was able to collect the puck and deposit it past Alfred after Harvey Todd's initial shot rattled around in front off of several bodies. Released from the sin bin, Birger's atonement was not yet complete in the eyes of his hosts, as no fewer than three hits were laid on him by the time the period had expired. This was hard-bodied, northern Winnebago-style hockey at its finest, where messages are sent in no uncertain terms and often repeated for emphasis. The thunderous cheers of the crowd indicated that they too had not yet felt their Bears had collected a full pound of flesh for Chekovich's injury. Once again, however, Alfred managed to right his ship and prevent more than a single goal in the period, and the teams returned to their locker rooms for the second time with the score 2-0 in favor of the hosts.

As may be unsurprising given this game's narrative, the third period was no less forgiving to the visiting squad. Though Alfred prevented any further scoring -- and Salama across from him prevented any whatsoever, notching his second shutout of the tournament -- the physicality was exemplified when halfway through the third the game was paused for roughly fifteen minutes to replace one of the protective sheets of plexiglass after Rice put a masterful body check on Kay Njord. It was at this point the Bears appeared to feel they had successfully made an impact, and the remainder of the game, while not a coasting by any means, was significantly less taxing on their visitors.

Things post-game were relieved but focused. "We really needed these two points," said Cleary. "Ideally this gives us a boost, some momentum going into tomorrow's game against Equestria." His statement is accurate; had the Bears lost this game, while they would not have yet been eliminated, their fate would have functionally been sealed. This win puts them three points behind second-place Equestria with three games remaining. That game too is essential: if the Bears lose, they will be five points back with two games remaining, putting second place out of their reach. This momentum gained is crucial; we in the audience can only hope for tomorrow.

The schedule for Fluvannia's group play is as follows:

Wed., July 29: vs. ur. Poafmersia, T 2-2
Thu., July 30: @ ur. Flekkefjord, T 4-4
Fri., July 31: vs. #7 Equestria, T 3-3
Sat., Aug. 1: @ #8 Banija, L 1-2
Sun., Aug. 2: vs. ur. Chromatika, W 1-0

Tue., Aug. 4: @ ur. Poafmersia, L 2-3
Wed., Aug. 5: vs. ur. Flekkefjord, W 2-0
Thu., Aug. 6: @ #7 Equestria
Fri., Aug. 7: vs. #8 Banija
Sat., Aug. 8: @ ur. Chromatika

(ur.: unranked)

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[Terre Septentrionale]

Terre Septentrionale beats Sylestone

Ostrzeszow, Silesia - Terre Septentrionale won their 3rd game in a row when they beat Sylestone 5-3 at home in Ostrzeszow. Because our hotels aren't suited for animals, especially elephants and hippopotamuses, the Sylestone team rested at the Uszczyn Zoo located in a suburb of Trzeszczyn, 50 miles away from Ostrzeszow. Nico Eggenberger was once again the starting goalie for Terre Septentrionale and Elephant was in net for Sylestone. The Nordiques opened up the score midway in the 1st period when Emilia Zyskowska's wrist shot went through the five hole and the score was 1-0. Quokka tied the game with 3 minutes remaining after deflecting Tarantula's shot into the net and the score was 1-1 after one period.

We saw lots of action in the 2nd period. First, Sylestone took the lead when Springbok had the puck on a two on one with Cheetah. He passed the puck to Cheetah who shoots and scores. 2-1 Sylestone. 4 minutes later, Ladybug was penalised for high sticking and Jenny Hockey scored on the power play, the game was tied at 2-2. With 9 minutes remaining in the period, Günther Schützenauer cross checked Lion and started chirping at him (if you remember game 2, Lion pushed Schützenauer into the boards and he missed 2 games following the incident). Then a Swarm of bees dropped the gloves and attacked Schützenauer to defend their teammate. Schützenauer tried to defend himself without much success. Günther Schützenauer was penalised 2 minutes for cross checking and 5 minutes for fighting. A Swarm of bees was penalised 2 minutes for instigating, 5 minutes for fighting and received a 10 minutes misconduct. However they didn't recieve a game misconduct and they can come back after serving all of their penalties. Lion wasn't penalised at all. Günther Schützenauer went straight to the locker room and has been rushed to the hospital to treat his multiple stings. Finally, Terre Septentrionale added another goal in the final minutes of the period when Fryderyka Krzyszczyk accepted Pierre Sanschagrin's pass and shot into the net. The Reprezentacja Nordycki took a 3-2 lead after 40 minutes.

With 16 minutes remaining in the 3rd period, Krzysztof Klepczynski carried the puck out of his own zone and shot from center ice. The puck went into the net for a goal! The score was 4-2 Terre Septentrionale. The Northmen increased their lead 8 minutes later when Pierre Sanschagrin accepted Kasandra Wojcinowicz's pass and shot in the top corner of the net. With 6 minutes remaining, Caribou scored with a wrist shot and the score was 5-3 Terre Septentrionale. This is the final score.

BOXSCORE

1st period
11:25 - Emilia Zyskowska assisted by Jenny Hockey and Kévin Beauregard
3:21 - Quokka assisted by Tarantula and Howler Monkey

2nd period
17:48 - Springbok assisted by Cheetah and Zebra
13:06 - Jenny Hockey assisted by Melania Zyskowska and Krzysztof Klepczynski
2:24 - Fryderyka Krzyszczyk assisted by Pierre Sanschagrin and Joanna Katarzynska-Goj

3rd period
15:54 - Krzysztof Klepczynski assisted by Nico Eggenberger
8:38 - Pierre Sanschagrin assisted by Kasandra Wojcinowicz and Fryderyka Krzyszczyk
6:03 - Caribou assisted by Wombat and Quetzal

1 point away from 2nd place

That's something you wouldn't believe after matchday 4 when Terre Septentrionale lost back to back games against Mercedini and Ko-oren: After matchday 7, the team is now one point away from Mercedini in 2nd place. But the Nordiques still have a lot of bumps on the road to the playoffs and these bumps are Mercedini and Ko-oren, our next two opponents. There's also the fact that Antoine Lusignan is still on the injury report with a shoulder injury. Günther Schützenauer's life isn't in danger and he didn't suffer an allergic reaction to he stings but he's still in observation at Centralny Szpital w Ostrzeszowie. He will likely miss the game against Mercedini either. Nicolas Guertin will replace him in the line up if he can't play.

Expected lines against Mercedini

Zyskowska-Gaudreault-Zyskowska
Krzyszczyk-Sanschagrin-Wojcinowicz
Lainé-Woodbury-Guertin
Zurkowski-Niemczynowicz-Zawistowski

Defensemen remains the same.
Nico Eggenberger in goal.

Germain Coutu,
La tribune Septentrionale

[Neu Engollon]

“Hello to our viewers in Neu Engollon and also to our international viewers. I’m Karl Demais, on the NETV 7 Sports Update. We’re back on the 40th World Cup of Hockey. Neu Engollon seems like they have the second spot in the group clinched, but I don’t want to jinx it. We’ve seen plenty go wrong before, and it still can tomorrow up against the Ice Bisons, and even the last game of the group against Megistos. We have gotten a lot of great responses on our series with foreign players and management from other national teams in the Hockey World Cup, so we continue on tonight with another in the series. I have on remotely from Fluvannia, where they played their most recent game, the coach of the Flekkefjordian national team, Olsen Njord.
Olsen, thank you for joining us here on the NETV 7 Sports Update.”

“Thank you for having me on here, Karl.”

“Of course, it’s a pleasure, Coach Njord. So, tell us about yourself. You just started as the head coach for the national team. How did you get to here in your career? It’s a big step for any coach to be at the helm of a national team, after all.”

“Well, I started out my hockey career playing for the National Team of Flekkefjord for 2 cycles, 37 and 38. The nation has grown rapidly since then, and has been able to send their second ever squad to the World Cup. Back when I played for the National team, I was a second line Right Wing, I was a small but speedy player with some of the best knowledge of the game you could find. After I retired from NT play, I became the coach of one of the most successful clubs in the nation, Kopara HC. I would go on to coach them to a league title, and was awarded a chance at becoming an NT coach. After Flekkefjord announced their joining of the 40th WCoH, me and 2 other coaches scrambled to put a team together of the best players in the nation. I won the vote of the Flekkefjord Sporting Committee, and I am now the Head Coach of the National team.”

“Seems like a pretty logical progression. Not that we would have thought they just snatched some guy off the bench or off the street, even. Haha! So...Small country, you have a small pool of players to pick from...or maybe not? Do you think it hinders you and your staff from putting together a top caliber national team to compete, and what experience are these players bringing to the table?”

“Well, having a small pool of players can definitely hurt the quality of the team. Even though hockey is the most popular sport in the nation, we only have so many fit people to choose from. A very nice thing about a small player pool is, we know these guys inside and out. We have known about every player since they were 13 or 14 years old, so we are very confident that we will put up the best players in the nation to the team. Many of these players have been playing the game since they were 3 or 4 years old, the nation is frozen over 8 months of the year, so there is no shortage of ice time for these kids.”

“So, then would you say that most kids that take up hockey in your nation are being groomed at the earliest ages to either go on in selection to top club teams or the national team?”

“Many kids do try to become the best players in the nation at very early ages. The FHPL (Flekkefjord High Performance League) starts at ages 8 and up, so these kids get to play at high levels very early. We also try to get these kids out playing internationally, especially in hockey nations across Rushmore and Atlantian Oceania. The more high level playing time they get, the better.”

“Understandable. There’s a lot of top Nordic nations out there. They need to get as much experience as possible. So, I hate to bring it up, Olsen, but tonight’s game against Fluvannia had to be a bit of a downer for your team? I think that was the final chance, wasn’t it?”

“Yea, it is very disappointing to see us go out like that, especially coming into the game feeling like we could put on a good performance and beat them. We are out right now, but we hope to use the remaining games as a learning experience for our team, and build up some more chemistry between the boys so we can come back here later and start seeing some success.”

“Sure, that is a good plan. So, are there any Flekkefjordian players you would mention by name whose performance really stood out during this group stage?”

“I would really like to give props to our goalie, Karsten Benjamin, he was left out to dry many times by the defense, and was able to help stop a lot of the chances for him during the game. Gabe Birger is another young star that has looked great out there so far, and we hope that he can use his talent to help take this team to the next level.”

“Do you think any Flekkefjordian players will be going out into the international club market this next year or two, either as transfers or free agents?”

“It is very much a possibility, many of these players have jobs back in Flekkefjord right now, but with the nation growing and less need for each individual person, some players are starting to play hockey full time, and may start to break across the international scene soon.”

“I see. So they haven’t been quite up to that stage until now, which makes sense since this is their first World Cup, or possibly large scale international tournament of any size...Olsen, what do you think of the other teams and groups from this Cup? Anything to take after, anything to avoid...By that I mean both teams and strategies.”

“My frontrunner for this World Cup is Siovanija and Tuesland, they have put up a perfect performance in a relatively tough group. They are a rising force across the world and we should look to take after how they play. Quebec is also one of the best teams in this Cup, and they have a chance at going very far in the near future.”

“Fair enough. If Quebec and Siovanija and Tuesland were to go up against each other in the playoffs coming up, maybe even in the final, who do you think would win and why?”

“Siovanija all the way, they have played the best offense I have seen so far, and they have much more experience than Quebec.”

“To be honest, I haven’t done an indepth look, but I know that the Quebec national organization sat the last few World Cups out, much like Avataria (Gyatso-Kai) did during what they call ‘The Silence’. So not sure how many of those experienced players still stayed on during their absence from international play to now. It can certainly cause a disruption and set a national team back. Neu Engollon missed one Cup in recent memory, but it did cause quite a hiccup to get back on track and remain in the top 20 to 10. Well, anyway, Coach Njord, did you have any parting words for the Sports Update viewers out there?”

“Go Flekkefjord.”

“There you have it. Thanks for remoting into the show, Coach Njord, and talking with us. We wish you the best and hope to see you next year at Cup 41.”

“Thanks for having me, Karl.”

“Good man. Alright. So...we have a few minutes before the first break. I think we need to seriously look at this do or die game tomorrow night with Avataria. This has become the major rivalry of the group, not to throw any shade at Kelssek, but it’s the matches with a resurgent Avataria that have given our Ibex the most consternation, shall we say? Pain...To put it more bluntly. To put it any more bluntly about where that pain was felt, I’d have to be censored.

They haven’t lost a single group game, although Ibex fans hope tomorrow night will break that streak. The Ice Bisons’ points difference and goals given up lags behind the Ibex, but in every other aspect, they have really shocked the hockey world stage with how on fire they were after so long in hibernation...away from the Cup ice. Shots on goal, checks, hat tricks, solid passing...You can check off every category. In comparison, at times, the Ibex can look downright sloppy lined up with the Ice Bisons impressive stats, not to mention their smooth grace on the ice.

The Ibex need to get it together for this game like no other one so far in this Cup. Yes, they might still go forward technically even if they lose...by a little, but it could also start quite a downward spiral that they won’t recover from. This travel schedule has beat up every team, so the Ibex are no different in that regard. I mean that as in they don’t have any excuses here. It’s going to be a ballbuster, that is for sure. We’ll talk more about it after the sponsor break and take a look at how some of the Ibex players have held up. I hope to have a surprise guest on before the end of the show. Magda will be taking the rugby league coverage on to a later edition of the show tonight, as developments continue to unfold there in Copper Cuprum. Stay tuned right here to NETV 7 Sports Update…”

Please be sure to give equal RP credit to Flekkefjord. Thanks to them for a great interview!

[Sarzonia]

It took four tries, but the Sarzonian national hockey team finally won its first home match in Bank of Sarzonia Arena in Nicksia, getting a vital 4-2 victory over New Waldensia that kept the Stars in a three-team log jam for the second and final knockout round berth from Group C.

World No. 9 Ko-oren lead the Group C table with 13 points from seven matches. No. 3 Mercedini are second with nine points. Terre Septentrionale and Sarzonia are level with eight points each and each team have a win apiece and scored five goals in the battle between the Nordiques and the Stars.

Before the match, Sarzonia held a ceremony where they retired the No. 1 sweater worn by former starting goaltender Matt Peterson. Current starter Jacob Parsons presented the framed sweater to Peterson as video highlights of his career showed on the screens around the arena.

"It was cool, but a win tonight would make things even better," Peterson said. "We need this to stay in contention."

Sylvan Turcotte broke out of a slump with a hat trick and assisted on a goal by linemate Matt Barnes, Parsons made 21 saves, and Sarzonia capitalised on a five-on-three power play to take a 3-1 lead midway through the second period that they would never relinquish.

The Stars travel to Sylestone to take on the team that dealt Sarzonia their first loss of the World Cup of Hockey in their Bank of Sarzonia Arena debut. Parsons said the Stars wouldn't take the two points for granted this time.

"They came to our barn and beat us," he said. "Now we have to be motivated to play them at their rink."

Coach Paul Bremerton warned that the match against Sylestone was a "trap" match with Sarzonia set to play their home finale against Mercedini.

"There's a tendency to look past a match you expect to win to a match against a major opponent," Bremerton said. "We need as many points as we can get since we're playing Mercedini and Ko-oren back-to-back."

[Kelssek]

The most dangerous game – part 2
[Connor Harrington: Plaid-wearing interviewer/presenter] “Strangely, the one thing that Rangers and Dragons fans can... kind of... agree on is something called the Jean-Claude Haineux incident. It took place shortly after confederation in the early years of the new Kelssek Hockey League.”

They are standing on an overpass with the skyline of Kirkenes visible in the background. The bespectacled man in the red and blue Kirkenes Dragons T-shirt says, “It could all have been avoided if Haineux had stood up and fought like a man, but the guy turtled instead and just refused to engage. It was completely cowardly.”

[The plaid shirt-wearing presenter narrates, standing beneath a road sign pointing towards the onramp to the Torbett River Parkway] “The revolution has triumphed and confederation is upon us. The Kirkenes Rangers and the Kirkenes Red Dragons meet in league play of the new Kelssek-wide hockey championship, which would later be named after the first president of the federation, Louis Desjardins.

Late in the first period, Jean-Claude Haineux’s high stick leaves a Kirkenes Rangers player with a broken nose. Referees don’t catch it. But on Haineux’s next shift, he’s tagged by James Horwath and drops the gloves. Haineux doesn’t try to throw any punches, he just grabs on to Horwath and tries to shield himself the best he can.

[A black-and-white photograph of Haineux being carried on a stretcher is shown]
“Rangers defenceman Raymond Draper decides Haineux hasn’t answered enough for the crime, so he sets out to make sure he pays the price. In the second period, Draper catches Haineux behind the net and crunches him hard into the boards. Haineux suffers a broken leg and is out for the rest of the season. The Red Dragons players immediately jump on Draper and a bench-clearing brawl ensues. The fight is taken up in the stands as well. Fortunately there are no deaths this time.”

[Interviewer] “You’re a Dragons fan, and you think he was in the wrong?”
“If he had just taken a couple shots, just show that okay, I accept it. In the end he got his own leg broken.”
[Interviewer] “It’s his own fault he got creamed and was hurt for months?”
“Cause when he does that, now his teammates end up in the firing line. It’s a lack of honour. Especially when we’re playing against our rivals, to just decline a fight... A lot of the... well, a lot of players they don’t seem to get that.”
[Interviewer] “But why did he even have to fight in the first place? Why do people still get heated about that?”
“In hockey there’s all kinds of dirty plays that you can do to really hurt a player. The code is all about keeping players honest. So fighting is necessary to prevent things like that, so players know if they take any liberties, they’ll answer for it with a punch in the face. Just last year, Nate Truman slashing Krister’s Achilles with his skate blade? Because who did Wynleth have that was gonna make Truman answer the bell? It’s shameful they let him get away with it, everyone takes liberties with them now...”
[Interviewer] “Well, fighting isn’t tolerated in rugby, and rugby fans will say there’s plenty of dirty, dangerous things you can do in a ruck, you know, stamping on players, ‘tickling’ a guy with your studs...”
“You can’t compare it like that. Hockey is a much tougher sport.” [Interviewer is visibly about to interrupt] “Yes, it is. Twenty years ago no one would dare do something like that. No one will do that if you know you’re gonna answer for it. So if you take those kinds of traditions away, the accountability breaks down. Now in the KHL it’s become that you can’t even defend your teammates any more.”

[Narrating] “It’s an opinion that’s shared among the Dragons fanbase – that Haineux has shamed the team. In the time that’s passed, some think differently.”

[Different person in a Dragons jersey] “Total bullshit people say that. Oh, so it was to preserve the team’s honour. Maybe if you want to talk about honour you just shouldn’t cheap shot a guy at all?”

“But not at the time. On Haineux’s return to the ice, a contingent of the Dragons fans boo him. Despite the support of his coach and teammates, it keeps happening. Haineux is transferred mid-season.”

[The same different person in Dragons jersey continues] “The guy’s from Dragons territory, grew up on Belerine Road, around the corner from Mallort Park. Only team he’d ever played for, from the age of 8, through the youth system. Red and blue all the way. Packed out just like that. I guess for some you’re less of a local boy because of the language you speak, which is an insane attitude for our fanbase and our history.”

[Rangers fan who has evidently put a frightening amount of pomade in his hair] “That’s the one thing I can give them credit for. They uphold the code.”
[Interviewer] “Why’s that so important? You people literally hate each other for everything else. Politics, profession, religion, language, what neighbourhood you live in...”
[Rangers fan] “Because it’s about... the bigger thing, about what hockey is, and how you have outsiders and media people and people on Honkr trying to change a sport and a culture they’ve never been part of.”
[Interviewer] “This is is issue of fighting and physicality you’re talking about?”
“Absolutely. It’s a mirror of society how you now force the hitter to back off, or you suspend people because the guy turns away when you’re already committed to the hit. So don’t put yourself in a vulnerable position in the first place. Isn’t that just personal responsibility? The way the world is now, you play an honest game and you get punished for it.”

[The different person in a Dragons jersey] “It doesn’t work like that in real life, does it? I don’t get to hit a guy with my car because that dude robbed my mum. I mean, that’d be nice, but it’s not the right way to do things.”

[Pomade-head Rangers fan] “It’s a shame that there’s no place in the KHL for enforcers now. We’re this close from fighting being banned completely. It’ll be a sad day.”
“Why is that so important?”
“It’s about the spirit of the game. It’s about the team, it’s about solidarity and sacrifice. But it’s also like we’re trying to kill off the warrior spirit in society, you know? We have centuries of a warrior tradition, honour in battle and so on, and that’s been lost, and the code in hockey is one of the last major places where that part of our culture is still alive.”
[Cut to interview with a male Dragons supporter turning sausages at a hot dog cart as he talks.]
“So for you it’s about the culture?”
“Yeah, and I fear for where our culture is going in Kelssek. I mean, nowadays we want everything in our country to be safe and wrapped up in... you know. You got safe playgrounds, safe spaces, safe everything. But the world outside’s not like that. Like you heard about how massive new nuclear bombs are being tested in Atlantian Oceania? What’s gonna happen to our soft and safe country in another world war? So it’s more than just hockey, we’re losing the spirit of the knights and bladesmasters, and that sense of honour, that’s our legacy.”
“You know, you said earlier this is linked to Dragons fandom, but I’ve met a lot of Rangers people who might say the exact same thing.”
“Theirs is a perversion of those ideals, though. For them solidarity and community have nothing to do with it, it’s just a front to excuse their violent thuggery.”

---

“Must construct additional pylons” - Mockery ensues after Emberly video leak

Team Kelssek head coach Dennis Emberly has become a butt of worldwide Honkr ridicule after video of him “practicing” an angry team talk in an empty locker room emerged online.

While officials refused to confirm the video’s authenticity, the time stamps and metadata correspond to surveillance camera footage from Maritime Life Arena in Breton, two hours prior to puck drop of Kelssek’s match against Neu Engollon there in the preliminary round of the World Cup of Hockey.

In the video, a man who strongly resembles the Burnaby Ravens and Kelssek national team coach enters the empty room, and is seen pacing, waving his arms and jabbing fingers at the player stalls, before upending a box of plastic training cones and kicking a plastic garbage can across the room. #AdditionalPylons has been the number one trending topic in Kelssek since the video appeared.

"If he'd just constructed additional pylons Kelssek wouldn't be in this mess," said noted hockey expert PM_ME_PARAKEETS.

“IT’S FUCKING EMBARRASSING!” another commenter concluded.

Emberly has already been under withering criticism amid reports of a divided locker room and dissent in the ranks, as well as controversy over the omission of Internationale Latrobe forward Riley Hesselboe over tactical disagreements at the last World Cup.

[Ranoria]

Ranorian National Team Continues Floundering with World Cup High Three Draws

Augustin Kahn celebrating with his teammates in a 2-1 win over Logon

Disclaimer: To be fair, there are two other squads with three ties on their record, but that's not what's important. What's happening is that, in crunch time, Ranoria's Krauts just can't finish the job. They've only lost one match at 3-3-1. On that front, we're actually tied with Cassadaigua, who is currently second in the group. But that's the difference: They're finishing games, we aren't. Cassadaigua actually just suffered their first tie of the season this week, in a 1-1, chippy game with Vilita and Turori. Against a team that was previously untied and unbeaten, they get a pass for that one.

Augustin Kahn, for one, has to step up. He's been electric, leading the team in goals overall, but he has yet to score in the third period while making himself into a turnover machine. Richart Mathens spears to slow down as the game goes on as well, needing subbed out for most of the final period. His aging body may be starting to catch up with him, but the coaches are discussing playing the veteran for fewer minutes at a time. The rest of this team, ranging from below average starters or high end backups to a guy with one all star in 8 years, cannot be expected to carry the load, even as a collective.

So, in a sport where Ranoria is certainly more respected than they are in baseball or basketball, how can we turn this around and make the knockout stages?

Long story short, it probably won't happen this season. Even if the Krauts managed to win out, and knock off both of the teams on top of the standings chart, we would end up 6-3-1. If Cassadaigua wins two games after that, they're 7-1-2. Cassadaigua also has a two point lead on us in terms of the standings, a tough mountain to climb with just three weeks left in the season. (Ranoria has 9 points in 7 weeks, if that is a good reference). Just earning 4 more points would be a change of pace for the team, and we would have to hope that Cassadaigua can't earn three of their own to keep their lead.

But on the bright side, Ranoria has at least nearly clinched a winning record. With one more win or draw, our losses will not be able to overtake our wins on the season, a strong accomplishment against the often stacked rosters of international competition.

[Delaclava]

DSGN.com Hockey

Phoenixes on fire in first period for road rout

Antoine Clement and Jehiel Abreu scored a goal and an assist in the first period alone, and Delaclava rolled through a three-goal first period to dominate Gergary 4-0, setting up a decisive clash with The Sherpa Empire for a playoff spot.

Delaclava's offense applied pressure immediately, enough so that Evan Sexton drew a penalty less than two minutes in the game. Clement then opened the scoring on the early power play with a clean shot from the right point. Just 48 seconds later. Timur Fedorov scored his first point of the tournament on a counterattack give-and-go with Michael Garrard. Armed with a 2-0 lead, the Phoenixes continued to implement a more conservative, possession-based game, yet limited the Gergary offense considerably. Abreu got his goal in the closing stages of the first period when Clement won a puck in the neutral zone and found the pass to Alex Coburn, who dropped it off to Abreu for the deke and wrist-shot goal.

The Phoenixes continued to dominate play through the middle and control the pace of the game, and extended the lead early in the third period as Logan Wynne picked up his second goal in as many games. At the end of the game, it turned out to be easy work for Tom Sutton to pick up his third shutout in four games and fourth overall. Sutton extended an already impressive stat line to 4-1-2, .968 save percentage and 0.86 GAA.

Delaclava remains in second place in Group F with nine points, and gained a little breathing room from The Sherpa Empire, who could only manage a 3-3 tie against Natanians and Nosts. The Phoenixes are now two points ahead of Sherpaland and still five points behind Valanora, who remain perfect with a 2-1 victory over Devonta and have officially qualified for the round of 16. Delaclava's next game against Sherpaland therefore holds a lot of significance: a Phoenixes win would make them virtually a lock to advance in second place, and even a draw would keep Sherpaland two points away, with both teams still needing to face the mighty Calcuttas. However, a Sherpa win would tie the two teams at nine points, tightening the race and giving Delaclava a disadvantageous head-to-head tiebreaker, while also potentially prolonging the playoff chances of slumping Devonta.

It is a virtual certainty that Domara Square in Kalinin will be rocking off its foundations when the Phoenixes take on Sherpaland for the possibly group-deciding game. The hockey Phoenixes will be seeking in the upcoming games to become the third Delaclav team in short succession to make the final 16 in their premier international competition - after the gridiron and baseball teams.

Gergary 0-4 Delaclava

1st: DEL, Clement 2 (Mahut 2, Abreu 2) (pp) 2:14. DEL, Fedorov 1 (Garrard 2) 3:02. DEL, Abreu 3 (Coburn 3, Clement 2) 15:36.
2nd: None
3rd: DEL, Wynne 2 (Van Houten 1, Bullard 2) 43:48.

Saves: GER 11-7-8--26. DEL, Sutton 5-8-7--20.

[Siovanija and Teusland]

Kirsche’s Corner

With Oskar Kirsche and Ronald Mensing

“Good eve-”

“Now hold on a minute here, before we get started, I just wanna say, what was going on on that opening goal! Terrible defending, Ron! Tom Mahavec pinches in, OK, that’s fine - but someone’s gotta cover the point! The forward needs to cover the point! Heider - he’s just standing there! And then, HUElavia gets a break, sets up in the zone, bam! Goal. Get your head in the game!”

“Well Oskar, clearly not too happy about that opening goal by HUElavia. Toni Mihelic, as you mentioned, pinched up, and it was Igor Ovechkin who managed to get the puck up ice and chipped it into the Goldhorns zone. What did you see on the build-up to the goal in the zone?”

“Now kids, watch what Ovekov does here, dumps it in, chases after it, and wins it back. Then he gets it back up to the point for, uh, Felix Lawsum-Tossum-

“You mean Felix Garcon-Chevalier, Oskar.”

“Close enough. Anyways, uh, Garchevier, he puts a great shot on net - and Overdin is back in front blocking the goalie’s path! Wagner can’t see it! It’s a great play by HUElavia, but if I was coach Aaron Kuhn, I’d be furious!”

“It was a bad way to start the period for sure, Oskar, and what would you have liked to see after that from the Goldhorns?”

“Well, you get down by 1 early, especially on the road, you let the home crowd get into it - and there was a lot of noise in that building for sure I tell ya! So you need to get your big boys out there next, your energy guys - something to fire the boys up on the bench. I loved him putting that Hasselberger line out there right after and seeing him just go right after Pavlu, uh, Palchenko with a big hit!”

“It was the first time the Goldhorns had trailed in the tournament, Oskar. What is that like as a coach, what’s Aaron Kuhn saying to his guys on the bench?”

“Keep your heads up, and get back in the game! Somebody’s got to want to make the difference out there. You haven’t had to face adversity yet, now’s the time to show what you’re really made of. I’m looking up that bench, I’ve got Strauss Cup winners, scoring champions - I’m telling somebody to find his heart and get out there and change things for us.”

“It was tough going for the Goldhorns through most of that period though, Oskar - what did HUElavia do to shut down the high-octane Goldhorns attack out there?”

“They weren’t giving up any space, Ron, and guys like Schlager, Ranger - they weren’t able to get anything going. I thought Edwin Ranger was the most positive player during that time, he hit the post, got a few shots away. They clogged up the neutral zone too, didn’t let anything get by - and that’s always frustrating for a team that relies on carrying the puck.”

“The Goldhorns turned it around in the final few minutes, though, Oskar. It seemed like such a sudden shift in the flow of play - what exactly changed for Siovanija & Teusland?”

“They started dumping the puck in! You’ve got big guys like Torsten Bohm, Hasselberger, guys who want to get in deep and fight for the puck. I thought Heider did a better job of that too on the top line, using his speed to get by guys and win races for the puck. And also, just wearing down that defence by hitting them hard every time in the corners. Finish your check, all you kids out there watching!”

“The tying goal would come from Erhard Lasker, as the Goldhorns fourth line got involved in things.”

“I’ve been a big fan of Lasker for a long time, he’s a good Stelburg boy, won the Lothar Weinwurm Trophy as defensive forward of the year, not bad! And he’s been so good in this tournament at going up against the other team’s top lines and shutting them down - that’s been a big part of why the Goldhorns have been great defensively so far. So it’s a good reward for him here, his linemate Alex Kenterkin-

“Aleksej Knejz, Oskar”

“Sure, Karakov, anyways, he gets in deep and wins the puck out, finds Lasker out front, and it’s a good shot from him that beats the goalie, 1-1.”

“What will you be wanting to see from the Goldhorns in the second period to pull out a win tonight?”

“You have to figure Kuhn’s in there telling them the stakes, how big winning this game is - qualifies you for the playoff round if you make it, and gives you a good chance at taking the group as a whole. So get out there, play a full 60 minute game, and get the win!”

“By the way, Oskar, you wanted to touch on David Wagner’s performance in net tonight.”

“Well Wagner, he’s been great throughout this tournament so far I tell ya! Not much gets by him, he was screened on that opening goal which is tough for a goalie. And it’s hard to find rhythm when you give that up early in the game. But Wagner comes back, he’s so cool and confident out there, just takes a drink from his water bottle, carries on. Then when it was still 1-0 he makes a huge save with the glove on Petit - looked like he had the whole net to shoot at, but Wagner got there quick! Big save, kept us in, let’s go!

“A big second period coming up in HUElavia as the Goldhorns look to pull out an important character win after a rough start to this one. I’m Ron Mensing, he’s Oskar Kirsche, thank you for watching Kirsche’s Corner.”

World Cup of Hockey Matchday 7
HUElavia vs Siovanija & Teusland
@ HUElavia

Scoring Summary

First Period

3:36: HUElavia goal scored by Felix Garcon-Chevalier, assisted by Ovechkin (1-0)
15:50: Goldhorns goal scored by Erhard Lasker, assisted by Knejz (1-1)


Second Period

7:18: Goldhorns goal scored by Timo Schlager (PP), assisted by Ranger, Mihelic (1-2)
9:01: Goldhorns goal scored by Edwin Ranger, assisted by Bohm (1-3)

Third Period

1:58: HUElavia goal scored by Pierre Giroux, assisted by Dominguez-Garcia (2-3)
12:04: Goldhorns goal scored by Torsten Bohm, assisted by Schnyder, Schiele (2-4)
19:35: HUElavia goal scored by Igor Ovechkin, assisted by Giroux (3-4)

End of Game: HUElavia 3-4 Siovanija & Teusland

[Gyatso-kai]

.:: On-board GyatsoAir Flight 3486, In-Bound to Roku Capital International Airport (GKRC) ::.
0230 hours local time, 7 August 2020.3

At times, it is hard to be a fan of the National Team…

The hum and drone of an airplane in flight usually relaxed most people, lulling them into a sense of serenity that often accompanied slumber for the duration of their flight, but for Relicyc Tho-An, it kept him on an adrenaline rush he never quite could ‘enjoy’. Sure, the young man loved his thrills just as much as any 22-year-old did, but flying… he just never did get used to.

Born and raised in Zhongyang, a district of Republic City, Relicyc had a rather metropolitan lifestyle; playing in the Republic Development League system from the time he was eight until he graduated high school and moved to the Avatarian Collegiate Sports Association, or ASCA. He then went to school at Republic City State University, making the top-level team in his first year, and played in the ASCA Small Nine conference for the three years he was in college. After graduating, and signing an entry level contract with the Itakawai Lighting, Relicyc boarded his first plane ever the day he was flown down to Itakawai to sign that contract; no one could understand why he was so nervous.

Even if my uncle is a monk at the Southern Air Temple, and my brother an airbender… Doesn’t mean I have to like flying… If humans were meant to fly, we’d have wings.

Even though his family was one of the more unusual in the Avatarian Republics – His father a former monk from the Southern Temple, his mother a nomadic Mandalorian whose clan held no fortress like so many – he still held the same outlook that so many in the Mandalorian culture held; bending, as it were, was unnatural and should be shuned. Odd for Relicyc as both his father and brother were airbenders, and his mother never once showed any distaste in the antics the two would get into around the house. Even as a kid, when Relicyc would race his brother up a hill, he would continue to try his best to beat his brother who would simply use bending to change the air resistance and effortlessly fly up a hill on foot while Relicyc would be digging his hands and boots into the dirt.

No matter. I’ll get stronger and beat him one day, was all the young Relicyc thought.

Haran… maybe my distaste in airbending could be the root of my hatred of flying, Relicyc thought as he looked to his phone. He had been watching the highlights of the World Cup, and decided it best to check on the other National Team for Gyatso-kai – the Bisons in football – who were currently beginning the Group Stage of the regional confederation tournament; the AOCAF Cup. Just like their ice brethren, the Bisons football team had been struggling since their return from The Silence, and Relicyc had a unique view on those struggles. One of his best friends from college, Guanyu Jun, was a midfielder on the Bisons, and spent most of the off-season training in Itakawai where he and Relicyc would hang out and talk about their national exploits.

*********

Man, you don’t understand what it’s like being under a coach so many players cannot stand, Guanyu had lameneted the last time the two hoisted ales at the local tavern.

I don’t? In case you don’t know, we all aren’t exactly fond of Ishii, Relicyc had said before the tournament had begun. After the CeeJay-Nine, there was talk he’d be replaced.

Oh really? Guanyu had looked around the tavern, as if such talk was paramount to treason. There hasn’t been anything about Tay getting the stiff boot.

Oh yeah, Ishii is in the hotseat, especially with how Omashu did in the league tournie, Relicyc had said, finishing his ale and motioning to a bar maid. There are talks that none of us will be going to the Cup, and that they – the National Sports Council – will send the Badgermoles in our stay.

I cant imagine that going over too well with Ishii, Guanyu put down an empty tankard as the young bar maid brought two more over. She gave them a smile, and walked away, and Guanyu kept his eyes on her a bit longer than one should. You know you Mandos are all hard-headed.

Speak for yourself, you damn flameboy, Relicyc made the joke stick with a firm hit to Guanyu’s shoulder. Besides… Tay’haai isn’t long for the team anyways. Isn’t his contract almost up?

Yeah, the Council only gave him five tournaments when they signed him on. This is number five.

What happens should he drop?

Eh, Guanyu laughed as he took a massive swig from the stone tankard. They’ll probably bring up some other Premier coach and swap the team around.

Haran, swore Relicyc, his own tankard calling to him. I wonder how long Ishii has left…

***************

Looking back, with the Ice Bisons having just shut out Mestigos and on their seventh consecutive victory, Relicyc felt rather foolish for doubting Ishii. He never would have guessed the man would have united the team behind some silly Mandalorian traditional dance. Relicyc still felt foolish stepping forward on matchday two, as he had not performed that dance since he was a child at those ridiculous “Journey Camps” his mother sent him to every summer right before school began. “Journey Camps”… as if being Mandalorian was some glorious gift from forsaken gods and to follow the culture and its rules was some spiritual journey.

But when Hed looked at me, I couldn’t help but feel drawn to perform it. Even if I barely knew the words…

Relicyc unlocked his phone, and looked at the top two notifications with a bit of remorse.

After draw with West Pocono, Bisons get BLANKED by Mriin 2-nil.

Unlike the World Cup of Hockey, AOCAF only had five matchdays before the group stage would end, and with the Bisons pulling a draw and a loss, they’d be damn in the middle and likely to be eliminated. Their group was a bit rough; two unranked teams, and the rest all outranked Gyatso-kai. To draw an unranked team, and then be silenced by the third-best team in the world was not much for a ‘morale boost’, and he could only hope that the team could turn it around and maybe qualify… The Bisons had yet to qualify out of the group stage, and in their third regional tournament, and the first time ranked in the Top 30 of the region, it would be expected to see a bit of fight from the perennial losers.

I’ll text Yun…

Relicyc swiped to open his Messenger App, and begin to type out a message to his friend, unsure of what to say.

Definitely don’t brag about the victories…

[HUElavia]

HUElavia Falls Short in Thrilling 7-Goal Match!

HUElavia 3-4 Siovanija & Teusland

HUElavia returned to play in the WCoH looking to continue building on their 4-Game win streak. This time, they were facing off against the group leaders, Siovanija & Teusland, who had defeated Los Amarillos/Os Amarelos in Matchday 2 with the scoreline reading 3-0. The arena was filled at 50-50 with HUElavians and Siovanijans flocking to have the arena at full capacity to support their team. Both squads came fully healthy and fit to play, as they looked to get something good out of the match. The referee dropped the puck and the match was underway!

The 1st Period saw a great surprise, as an early attack from Los Amarillos/Os Amarelos had the Teus deep towards their own net. A pass from Ovechkin by the net to Garcon-Chevalier allowed the Franc-HUElavian defender to slot it past Wagner to make it 1-0. The crowd jumped up and roared in celebration, making the arena rumble, while Kernkraft 400 played in the arena. Despite this, it would become a match of ebb and flow, as waves of attack came towards HUElavians and Siovanijans, culminating to Karakov going in deep towards the HUElavian goal and sending a pass to Lasker, who shot the puck past Vasilevskiy and into the goal to make it 1-1 with less than 5 minutes left in the period. The Siovanijan crowd jumped up and celebrated with passion as the game was tied up. The 2nd Period saw dominance by the Siovanijans, as during a Power Play, Mihelic passed the puck to Ranger, who found an open space to pass towards Schlager, who slotted it past Vasilevskiy into the goal to make it 1-2. Lightning would strike twice shortly after, as Bohm would go around the net to pass it to Ranger, who ripped a strong shot into the goal, making it 1-3. In the 3rd Period, an early attack saw Dominguez-Garcia pass the puck to Giroux, who had Wagner off his mark and shot it into the open space to make it 2-3, with the HUElavian crowd feeling hopeful for a comeback. Although, time ticked away, and halfway into the period, a pass from Schiele to Schnyder, allowed the Siovanijan to find another opening and pass it to Bohm, who slotted the puck with ease into the goal to make it 2-4. All seemed lost, when the final 90 seconds came in, where Vasilevskiy was pulled for Roux to come in and a pass by Giroux to Ovechkin, allowed the Rus-HUElavian winger to shoot the puck violently against Wagner, to put it into the goal to make it 3-4. HUElavia once again went on the attack, but it was too little, too late as Siovanija & Teusland held out to end the match at 3-4, giving HUElavia their 3rd Loss in the WCoH.

In the end, despite the loss, HUElavia still retain 2nd Place after Kanyagan defeated Lorenthia 3-2, but could not overcome the goal difference, which HUElavia leads +1 to 0. Siovanija and Teusland clinched their spot to the Round-of-16 with their victory, but HUElavia needs to win their remaining 3 matches to keep pace and to assure their spot to the knockouts. Their next match will be against Graintfjall, who HUElavia defeated in Matchday 3 by the scoreline of 2-0. Currently, they are in 5th place with 5 points and a record of 2-1-4, where a loss for them may very likely eliminate them from the WCoH. HUElavia once again has their players fit to play, but Rodriguez-Gomez will be starting once again to give Vasilevskiy some rest. HUElavians will flock to the arena once again as they look to support their them in their run to improve and to grow as a Hockey nation. Regardless of what happens, the fans abroad and at home will be rooting for this team, where they strive to improve and continue giving strong and impressive performances.

FORCA HUELAVIA! VAMOS HUELAVIA! GO HUELAVIA!

[Kohnhead]

Another tie against Trolleborg eliminates us



Last time against Trolleborg the score was 2-2. This time against them the score was still 2-2. Coming into this match we were seven points off of second place Neu Engollon. After they defeated Kelssek, they moved eight points ahead with just three games left to play thus eliminating us. Even if we had beaten Trolleborg we couldn't have made it due to the Neu Engollon game. But again hockey is not a strong suit of The Brains and we are an unranked team.

Martijn Limburn struck early against us as Brendon Sears couldn't keep up with his pace and he sent a nice wrist shot right past Nelson Calhoun who has been playing okay I guess during this tournament. We would have liked to see more out of Calhoun as against the big teams he has sort of faded but who can blame him?

Ruud Halgren would double the score late in the first period with a last second shot the managed to go right through the legs of Calhoun to make it 2-0,

It didn't take long for us to get one of the scores back as Miriam Robertson scored for the first time this tournament off of a deflection. She was there to finish it and bring us within one.

Although we got close a few more times in the second period, in particular Judy Duncan almost scored one, we were unable to score for the second time and tie the game at 2. That's when in the middle of the third, the aging Gavin Horne struck. Horne who has a powerful yet inaccurate shot scored this one beautifully and the comeback was complete, we had once again tied Trolleborg at 2.

Group B                        Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Gyatso-Kai                     7    7   0   0    34   17  +17    14
2 Neu Engollon                   7    6   0   1    39   15  +24    12
3 Kelssek                        7    3   1   3    17   16   +1     7
4 Kohnhead                       7    1   2   4    14   24  −10     4
5 Megistos                       7    1   1   5     7   18  −11     3
6 Trolleborg                     7    0   2   5     9   30  −21     2

[PotatoFarmers]

Group E                        Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Banija                         7    6   1   0    23    7  +16    13
2 Equestria                      7    4   2   1    17   12   +5    10
3 Poafmersia                     7    4   1   2    18   16   +2     9
4 Fluvannia                      7    2   3   2    17   16   +1     7
5 Chromatika                     7    1   0   6     6   17  −11     2
6 Fiekkefjord                    7    0   1   6    16   29  −13     1

4 wins, 1 draw. 3rd place. 9 points. By now, Bosco only gets even more and more surprised. Coupled with Equestria's 0-1 loss to Banija, it means that 2nd place is once again within Poafmersia's reach, which should give the Golden Phoenixes even more motivation to do well against Fiekkefjord away.
Poafmersia started out really strongly against Chromatika. Learning from the last match away, the players decided to race for 2 early goals, and Yuriy Sokoll's funny-angled strikes struck again. Getting the puck after Pesti made a nasty fight in the corner, Sokoll skated away with the puck towards the right. Making the players think that he was going to pass to Elzinga, he instead bounced the puck off Josephine Galmont to allow Poafmersia to grab the lead in the 14th minute. The first period was otherwise a tight-knitted affair with Poafmersia gaining a slight advantage through Sokoll's really nice shot. Both Samuel Lomm and Noach Salamanca, the goaltenders for Chromatika and Poafmersia respectively, put in lots of effort as the puck went from end-to-end, something which probably signals the similar levels both sides has.
Cóemgein Baird had helped Poafmersia get their 2nd goal of the night, putting a high-speed shot after receiving the puck from Pan Baghdasaryan. Baird's abilities at scoring hasn't really been shown throughout the tournament thus far, having been dropped to the 3rd line which is not his best position. However, Baird is known to be able to make shots at the best situations, and has done it again. The play significantly slowed down, and Wiles Roman caught the Poafmersian defence sleeping by making in a really nice goal 3 minutes from the end of the 2nd period.
Bosco admitted that his hopes have became much higher, and now he is "aiming for better things". "That is it man. Our players are actually better than we thought. When we compare to top nations like Banija, Savojarna, Quebec or Neu Engollon, we would look at their performance and wonder how bad our players at are. Our PIHL standards can't compare to their Ice Hockey standards - surely they would wreck us, just as Banija had shown in Matchday 5. However, we can say that we are good in relation to the remainder of the populace. Getting to the Round of 16 this time round, if we do beat Equestria, would mean that we got really lucky, but hopefully the players can grab maximum points away against bottom side Fiekkefjord."

Box Score:
Poafmersia 2
Yuriy Sokoll 13:37
Cóemgein Baird 36:08

Chromatika 1
Wiles Roman 36:57

[The Royal Kingdom of Quebec]

World Cup of Hockey XL - MD8 Results!

And you know we're on each other's team.

---

Group A
Quakmybush 0–2 St. Saratoga
Royal Kingdom of Quebec 3–3 Reçueçn
Wack-i 1–2 Taeshan

Group A                        Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Royal Kingdom of Quebec        8    7   1   0    35   16  +19    15
2 Reçueçn                        8    4   2   2    26   21   +5    10
3 Taeshan                        8    4   2   2    17   17    0    10
4 St. Saratoga                   8    4   0   4    13   13    0     8
5 Wack-i                         8    1   2   5    13   22   −9     4
6 Quakmybush                     8    0   1   7     8   23  −15     1

Group B
Kohnhead 4–6 Kelssek
Neu Engollon 4–2 Gyatso-Kai
Megistos 0–0 Trolleborg

Group B                        Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Neu Engollon                   8    7   0   1    43   17  +26    14
2 Gyatso-Kai                     8    7   0   1    36   21  +15    14
3 Kelssek                        8    4   1   3    23   20   +3     9
4 Kohnhead                       8    1   2   5    18   30  −12     4
5 Megistos                       8    1   2   5     7   18  −11     4
6 Trolleborg                     8    0   3   5     9   30  −21     3

Group C
New Waldensia 1–2 Ko-oren
Mercedini 3–4 Terre Septentrionale
Sylestone 0–2 Sarzonia

Group C                        Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Ko-oren                        8    7   1   0    16    5  +11    15
2 Terre Septentrionale           8    5   0   3    29   24   +5    10
3 Sarzonia                       8    5   0   3    21   17   +4    10
4 Mercedini                      8    4   1   3    27   19   +8     9
5 Sylestone                      8    1   1   6    12   21   −9     3
6 New Waldensia                  8    0   1   7    13   32  −19     1

Group D
Solarampa 2–5 Vilita and Turori
Cassadaigua 4–3 Ranoria
The Jovannic 3–5 Logon

Group D                        Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Vilita and Turori              8    6   2   0    29   11  +18    14
2 Cassadaigua                    8    6   1   1    30   11  +19    13
3 Ranoria                        8    3   3   2    17   18   −1     9
4 Logon                          8    2   1   5    12   19   −7     5
5 Solarampa                      8    2   0   6    11   24  −13     4
6 The Jovannic                   8    0   3   5    11   27  −16     3

Group E
Chromatika 0–1 Banija
Equestria 3–4 Fluvannia
Fiekkefjord 5–7 Poafmersia

Group E                        Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Banija                         8    7   1   0    24    7  +17    15
2 Poafmersia                     8    5   1   2    25   21   +4    11
3 Equestria                      8    4   2   2    20   16   +4    10
4 Fluvannia                      8    3   3   2    21   19   +2     9
5 Chromatika                     8    1   0   7     6   18  −12     2
6 Fiekkefjord                    8    0   1   7    21   36  −15     1

Group F
Natanians and Nosts 4–5 United States of Devonta
Valanora 8–2 Gergary
Delaclava 2–1 The Sherpa Empire

Group F                        Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Valanora                       8    8   0   0    36   12  +24    16
2 Delaclava                      8    5   1   2    14    7   +7    11
3 United States of Devonta       8    2   3   3    19   20   −1     7
4 The Sherpa Empire              8    3   1   4    18   23   −5     7
5 Natanians and Nosts            8    1   2   5    20   28   −8     4
6 Gergary                        8    1   1   6    11   28  −17     3

Group G
Lovisa 0–3 Savojarna
Abanhfleft 5–3 La Florita
Jeckland 1–2 TJUN-ia

Group G                        Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Savojarna                      8    7   1   0    31   11  +20    15
2 Abanhfleft                     8    4   3   1    26   16  +10    11
3 TJUN-ia                        8    5   1   2    26   20   +6    11
4 La Florita                     8    3   0   5    14   21   −7     6
5 Jeckland                       8    1   1   6    12   25  −13     3
6 Lovisa                         8    1   0   7     8   24  −16     2

Group H
Graintfjall 1–2 HUElavia
Siovanija and Teusland 5–0 Lorenthia
Kayangan 3–1 Adyatin

Group H                        Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Siovanija and Teusland         8    8   0   0    36   12  +24    16
2 HUElavia                       8    5   0   3    17   15   +2    10
3 Kayangan                       8    4   2   2    12   10   +2    10
4 Adyatin                        8    2   1   5     8   13   −5     5
5 Graintfjall                    8    2   1   5     6   13   −7     5
6 Lorenthia                      8    0   2   6     8   24  −16     2

[TJUN-ia]

TJUN-ia found itself in the same situation it was in during the first half of this WCoH: back-to-back wins before a match against Jeckland. The last time this happened, many were hoping for more only for the Spuds to come out on top in The Rink via a goal-fest. Now, the tables are turned and the Ice Jags were in Jeckland to try and exact some revenge over that MD3 loss. They needed to get revenge, or else they lose ground in the battle for 2nd spot - a fate Ølson Rasmussen did not want to come to fruition at all.

This game was a defensive effort on both sides, as neither wanted to see the previous goal-fest being repeated in Jeckland. The Spuds, however, had home-ice advantage and the crowd certainly brought it. This allowed the Spuds to score first, the only goal of the first period and the Ice Jags were being played once again. But come period 2, they were ready for a fight and they certainly hold the Spuds off. The game was tied before the break, a 5v4 powerplay being used to perfection by Ryan Pericic. The 3rd period was tight as hell, with both teams trying to find the winner. But it would be John Gallagher with the final say as he silenced the home crowd with a shot under the goalie. And that was how this game ended.

The cycle is broken - 2 straight wins has now become 3. The demon of Jeckland had finally been crushed, but the fight was still on. Abanhfleft won their match over Lovisa meaning, heading into our meeting in New Washington, Ice Jaguars and Fleftics will be tied on points with the 2nd-ranked team having the advantage on point differential. This game will be the most important in the young history of The Rink in The Gardens, the most important in the history of all of TJUN-ian Hockey. The vector will have the advantage entering the final matchday, while the loser will lament on an opportunity missed but still within a shout. The Ice Jaguars are about to come home, to play in the game of their lives. GO JAGS!

---

SCHEDULE (Group G)
MD1: @La Florita (27) W 1-0
MD2: @Lovisa (UR) W 2-1 (1st)
MD3: vs Jeckland (UR) - The Rink in The Gardens, New Washington L 4-5 (3rd)
MD4: @Abanhfleft (2) D 5-5 (3rd)
MD5: vs Savojarna (11) - The Rink in The Gardens, New Washington L 2-3 (3rd/2W-1D-2L)
------------------------OFF DAY------------------------
MD6: vs La Florita (27) - The Rink in The Gardens, New Washington W 4-1 (3rd)
MD7: vs Lovisa (UR) - The Rink in The Gardens, New Washington W 6-4 (3rd)
MD8: @Jeckland (UR) W 2-1 (3rd)
MD9: vs Abanhfleft (2) - The Rink in The Gardens, New Washington
MD10: @Savojarna (11)

[Sarzonia]

All of a sudden, the match between world No. 3 Mercedini and Sarzonia, one of the teams ranked 44th in the World Cup of Hockey rankings at Bank of Sarzonia Arena takes on much more importance than anyone expected when this tournament began.

Sarzonia dealt Sylestone a 2-0 away loss to improve its record to 5-0-3, level in record with Terre Septentrionale for the second and final knockout round berth for Group C. The Nordiques did Sarzonia a huge favour by beating Mercedini 4-3 despite playing away, keeping the highly-ranked team stuck on nine points to Sarzonia's and Terre Septentrionale's 10 points each.

Coach Paul Bremerton said he's expecting to see a fired up and angry Mercedini, especially after the Stars knocked off the projected group favourites in their rink.

"They say a wounded animal is more dangerous," he said. "They're going to be motivated because their knockout round lives are on the line. Ours are too, so we're going to have to ramp up the intensity, especially in front of our fans."

Ninth ranked Ko-oren have already clinched their spot in the knockout rounds, defeating New Waldensia 2-1 away to ensure that neither the Nordiques nor the Stars can surpass them for the top spot out of Group C. If the 20th ranked Nordiques and the Stars remained level on points and record after the 10th match, the tiebreakers that apply would be overall goal differential and total goals for, both of which would favour the Nordiques.

"Our scoring slump hurt us at the worst time," said Sylvan Turcotte, Sarzonia's leading goal scorer, who notched a goal and an assist against Sylestone. "The Nordiques are leading the group in goals scored [29] and we're lagging behind them in that area." The Stars also lag behind Mercedini, which have tallied 27 goals. Sarzonia are third in the group with 21. As for goal differential, Mercedini have a plus-eight margin to Terre Septentrionale's plus-five and Sarzonia's plus-four. If Sarzonia were to somehow pull off an upset of either Mercedini or Ko-oren, it might allow them to squeeze past the Nordiques, but goaltender Jacob Parsons said the team's focused squarely on the task at hand.

"We've got to take care of business ourselves," he said after earning the No. 1 star of the match for a 21-save performance against Sylestone. "Everything else is fun for you in the media to talk about, but we've got work to do."

Group C                        Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Ko-oren                        8    7   1   0    16    5  +11    15
2 Terre Septentrionale           8    5   0   3    29   24   +5    10
3 Sarzonia                       8    5   0   3    21   17   +4    10
4 Mercedini                      8    4   1   3    27   19   +8     9
5 Sylestone                      8    1   1   6    12   21   −9     3
6 New Waldensia                  8    0   1   7    13   32  −19     1

[Terre Septentrionale]

A huge win against Mercedini!

Shebchesik, Mercedini - We couldn't believe it but it happened: Terre Septentrionale beat the 3rd ranked team, Mercedini, by the score of 4-3. It's a pleasant surprise, many in Terre Septentrionale, myself included, didn't expect us to beat Mercedini. So, the Nordiques were the first team to score, early in the 1st period, when Kasandra Wojcinowicz's wrist shot went past Erik Malinsky and the score was 1-0. Then, Mercedini scored two unanswered goal, one when Sergey Dolocic scored on a two on one with Fabio Kelodon and another one 3 minutes on the power play when Roberto Signale's slap shot from the blue line beat Nico Eggenberger. the score was 2-1 Mercedini after 20 minutes.

Terre Septentrionale scored two unanswered goals in the 2nd period. Mario Supsai was penalised for two minutes for hooking and Melania Zyskowska scored on the power play when she deflected Kévin Beauregard's shot from the blue line into the goal. 6 minutes later, Malgorzata Niemczynowicz stole the puck on the forecheck from Ivan Pirelli and passed to Zygfryd Zurkowski who was wide open, he shoots and he scores! The Reprezentacja Nordycki took a 3-2 lead after 40 minutes.

Mercedini tied the game with 14 minutes remaining in the 3rd period when Fabio Kelodon carried the puck on a 3 on 2 with Matteo Vranida and Lambeth Carpic. Kelodon passed to Carpic who made a quick pass to Vranida who puts the puck past Eggenberger to tie the game at 3-3. With 4 minutes remaining in the game, Jenny Hockey carried the puck in Merdedini territory and she passed it to Melania Zyskowska who shoots. Erik Malinsky deflects the puck in the corner on the ice, Emilia Zyskowska and Giorgio Gagliano are battling for the puck, she finally passes backward to Kévin Beauregard who shoots and it's a goal! Terre Septentrionale is leading 4-3! With one minute remaining, Mercedini pulled their goalie but they failed to tie the game and the final score was 4-3 for the Northmen.

BOXSCORE

1st period
16:38 - Kasandra Wojcinowicz assisted by Fryderyka Krzyszczyk and Stanislaw Wojciechowski
8:26 - Sergey Dolocic assisted by Fabio Kelodon and Ivan Pirelli
5:42 - Roberto Signale assisted by Giorgio Gagliano and Fabio Kelodon (PPG)

2nd period
13:20 - Melania Zyskowska assisted by Kévin Beauregard and Jenny Hockey (PPG)
6:52 - Zygfryd Zurkowski assisted by Malgorzata Niemczynowicz

3rd period
14:10 - Matteo Vranida assisted by Lambeth Carpic and Fabio Kelodon
3:59 - Kévin Beauregard assisted by Emilia Zyskowska

2nd place for now but...

With this huge win against Mercedini, Terre Septentrionale is now in 2nd place, still tied with Sarzonia, and one point ahead of Mercedini. Only one of these teams will make the playoffs, while Ko-oren are already qualified with 15 points in 8 games. Let's take a look at everyone's remaining games and my colleagues Émilie-Rose Bourbeau, 11 years old, who'se actually the editor's little niece, Karine Gingras and me will make some predictions.

Terre Septentrionale
Current record: 10 points in 8 games
Remaining games: vs Ko-oren and @ New Waldensia
Germain Coutu's predictions: L-W (12 points)
Karine Gingras's predictions: L-W (12 points)
Émilie-Rose Bourbeau's predictions: W-W (14 points)

Sarzonia
Current record: 10 points in 8 games
Remaining games: vs Mercedini and @ Ko-oren
Germain Coutu's predictions: W-L (12 points)
Karine Gingras's predictions: T-L (11 points)
Émilie-Rose Bourbeau's predictions: L-L (10 points)

Mercedini
Current record: 9 points in 8 games
Remaining games: @ Sarzonia and vs Sylestone
Germain Coutu's predictions: L-W (11 points)
Karine Gingras's predictions: T-W (12 points)
Émilie-Rose Bourbeau's predictions: W-T (12 points)

If my predictions are correct... Both Terre Septentrionale and Sarzonia have 12 points while Mercedini have 11. It will go to the tie break between both teams.
If Karine Gingras's predictions are correct... Both Terre Septentrionale and Mercedini have 12 points while Sarzonia have 11. It will go to the tie break between both teams.
If Émile-Rose Bourbeau's predictions are correct... Terre Septentrionale have 14 points and qualifies.

So let's take a look at the tie break. The information sent by Québec reads as follows:

Tiebreakers

The tiebreakers work according to this order:
-Points
-H2H Points
-Overall Goal Differential
-H2H Goal Differential
-Overall Goals For
-H2H Goals For

Head 2 head, we splitted our games with both Sarzonia and Mercedini, so it will go to overall goal differential. Mercedini currently are at +8, the Nordiques at +5 and Sarzonia at +4. It could change since all teams are pretty close. No one predicted a triple tie but it could happen if we lose and win, if Mercedini has a tie and a win and if sarzonia have two ties. Then on head to head points Sarzonia is the winner since they beat the Kingfishers on matchday 4. There's another way to have a triple tie: if we lose and win, if Mercedini wins and ties and if Sarzonia loses and wins, then every teams have 2 points in head to head points and it will go to overall goal difference.

In other news, both Antoine Lusignan and Günther Schützenauer are expected to come back against Ko-oren, but Georges Grondin still wants Zygfryd Zurkowski in the line up, so Fryderyka Krzyszczyk will move to right wing on line 4 and Slawomir Zawistowski will sit in the stands with reserve players. The game against the Dragonflies will be played at le Forum de Ville Jacques-Cartier.

Germain Coutu,
with collaborations from Karine Gingras and Émilie-Rose Bourbeau
La tribune Septentrionale

[Kayangan]

Cereta 6

Group H
MD6: Kayangan 1–2 HUElavia
MD7: Lorenthia 2–3 Kayangan
MD8: Kayangan 3–1 Adyatin

The battle continue, VVIP Boys beat Lorenthia, and Adyatin but down 1-2 to HUElavia. Jengking Artaruna Raja seem lead in score-chart, and his talent goes to real life when he lead one of a important foundation in Kayangan, Artaruna Raja Foundation.

The Artaruna Raja Charitable and Humanitarian Foundation (Artaruna Raja Foundation) has come to crown the successful advancement of the Kayangan at all levels, and to form a new link in the charitable chain whose values have been deeply-rooted in the spirit of this good people by Dewa Artaruna Raja, President of the Kayangan, backed by his confidence in the principles of Islamic faith and Malayan origins.

The Artaruna Raja Foundation was founded on July 2012 under the name of Artaruna Raja. The Artaruna Raja Foundation is a general and autonomous foundation dedicated to works of welfare, charity and beneficence both inside and outside the country. The Foundation has its own independent legal identity. Its administrative and organisational powers are laid down in the statutes and, in accordance with the law, it has full legal competence to the right of possession and disposal of movable and immovable properties apportioned to it. The Foundation started with capital of one million US$ and extends help to the needy at local, regional and international levels. This assistance has taken the form of funding projects such as the building of mosques, Islamic cultural centres, scientific research centres and health and educational institutions, in addition to sending relief supplies to disaster stricken areas. The general expenditure of the Foundation from its inception until 2019 was USD18,305,544 million.

The management (administration) of the Foundation seems to be similar to other aid agencies, where members of the ruling family have a dominant role. Although the chairman is Jengking Artaruna Raja (one of the player, and Grandson of Kayangan President) and the deputy chairman Brigadier Kintan Artaruna Raja, the presence of the ruling family is not consistent and is rather limited. The board of trustees consists of eight members; three of them - a chairman and two ‘deputies’ - are from the ruling family. These individuals appoint the other five members. Regarding to decision-making, the board of trustees meets to decide the allocation of aid or any other assistance that the Foundation provides. In addition to these objectives the Foundation dedicates its work to charitable and humanitarian deeds with no discrimination as to sex, nationality, race or religion. However, in reality, the foundation directs more assistance towards people and ‘nations’ of a similar religion; hence religion seems to play significant role in aid distribution. Malayan countries have received almost 20 percent of the total aid, followed by Muslim countries.

MD9
vs. Graintfjall (UR)

[Neu Engollon]

“Hello to our viewers in Neu Engollon and also to our international viewers. I’m Karl Demais, on the NETV 7 Sports Update broadcasting from beautiful Burgunden. We’re back to the 40th World Cup of Hockey. Magda’s doing her rugby thing. I’m doing the hockey thing. Some of you are sad we’ve been split up into different studios or that she’s been out on the road covering rugby and some tennis. Well, tough, you’ll get over it. I have enjoyed the break from her yammering, to be honest. I’m sure she’s been glad to be away from me, as well. We’ll be back together for the Olympics coming up and you can get your fill of that wonderful crap show fun soon enough.

But...You all are screaming out there, as are some of our crew here in the studio, for me to get on with it. Look, we all know by now, the Ibex pulled out a big win when they got over two goals on the Ice Bisons. Four goals to two...Six total in a very intense match on the ice that was crucial for us, but...not so crucial for the Ice Bisons, who had the group clinched the other night after their defeat of Megistos.
While many might say the Ibex had the second spot clinched and the odds were heavily stacked in their favor, there was still that chance that they could flub it, that they would lose first to Kelssek last night, then Avataria tonight, sinking chances of moving on to the playoffs.

Neu Engollians had to knuckle down and will it to happen, or use whatever spiritual energy dwelling inside them. If we’re honest, international viewers, there’s not a lot of that there...We’re not a very religious nation. But they dug deep to tap into something, and they saw Von Roessler and Maurice Terfram grant their wishes as they slammed home the tying and winning goals in the third period after a brutal fight throughout most of the second and the early third of shots, saves, and a lot of time spent on the boards by most of the players on both sides. We will cover more of this epic game later in the program, but I’ll wrap this up with this right now, a message from Ibex Coach Andre Manon directly to Head Coach of the Ice Bisons, Ishii Hakoda:

...You ruined our perfect streak in this group, and now we ruined yours. Now we’re even.

Quite the sound bite, eh? Haha!

So...you all know the drill by now, our regular viewers do, anyway. We have been highlighting a different foreign player or coach in a series of live interviews and the response has been off the charts, especially from our international viewers who I guess are sick of hearing about the Ibex all the time. So we’ve done our best to put the focus on a number of nations, players, coaches and other hockey cultures out there. Tonight, we swing it over to Reçueçn, where we’re going to talk to the amazing and graceful Captain and primary goalie of their National Team, Les Licornes, or ‘The Unicorns’, for you English speakers.
Elea Lörtscher, it’s a pleasure to have you here. Are you in Quebec right now?”

“Yes, that’s right! We just wrapped up our game against them. And what a thriller! I can’t say I’m too disappointed to be coming away with a draw against a team like Quebec. Plus, the nice thing about playing in Quebec is that it gives us a chance to see what it’s like here if we manage to make the knockout rounds, so that might be a little bit of an advantage against teams from the other qualification groups.”

“You have a tough group with Group A. Probably one of the toughest in the Cup. That’s had to take a toll, along with all of the traveling, on the team. Has to be a lot of anxiety about these last couple games because of that, yes?”

“Definitely. Some of us put up with that better than others. We’re especially not used to the home and away format. The last World Cup of Hockey was our first time in the tournament, and—well, it was different in a lot of ways, but there was nowhere near as much travelling. But I think all in all we’re handling it alright. We’ve still got a decent shot at advancing, despite some of the big names in the group, so that’s got to count for something.”

“It’s good to have that confidence. As Team Captain, do you feel like you had to work extra hard to keep spirits up and keep the team’s eyes on the prize, so to speak?”

“Yeah… I’ve definitely felt the extra pressure of being captain lately, but it’s hard to say sometimes how much of that is just myself struggling with stress management. The team’s pretty great, honestly, at keeping each other’s spirits up. Lynn, for example—I don’t think I’ve ever seen Lynn without a smile on her face. My alternate captains have really been pitching in as well to help take some of the load off my back, and I really appreciate that. But yeah, being captain definitely puts you in the spotlight, and that can be tough when sometimes you feel like you should be focusing on your own game.”

“We’re speaking of Lynn Kern, of course, one of your first line defense? Your alternate captains being Center Berthe Arceneaux, Right Wing Marilen Rieder, and Defensive player Ramona Grasshoff. Do you feel like Coach Marianne Blanchard is supportive in the locker room and behind the scenes, or does she just leave that all up to you and the alternate captains? Is she a hands-on coach at all or maybe she feels that would be micromanaging a bit too much?”

“Yeah, sorry, Lynn Kern. No yeah, Coach Blanchard is really supportive, I don’t think we could ask for anyone better. That’s certainly a tough relationship sometimes, the coach-player relationship—I think it’s difficult for coaches to strike that balance between, uh, bad cop and good cop. That’s not a great way to say it. I mean more like, your coach has to be encouraging, but also let you know when you suck at something. She’s not there to be your friend. But she’s there for the team, and she keeps that as her priority, which is awesome. I think Coach hits an okay balance between hands-on and hands-off. It’s tricky with the format this time around, for sure; at the last world cup or the winter Olympics, the team is together the whole time, so everything you do, every moment, you’re being coached. With these games at home and away, there’s more time in between and more time away from the team, so of course there’s going to be less time for direct coaching. I think that’s tough for the coach, so there really is that extra onus on the players to be self-motivated and be responsible for their own training. But Coach makes the best of the situation.”

“So then you don’t have to tell your teammates they suck because the coach does that? Kidding...Elea, there’s been a lot of talk about how your nation’s team is all females. Tell me about that from your perspective and your teammates. How did that come about for your nation. In this day and age, is it even still worth talking about that you have an all female team? What kinds of challenges does that present when you are up against those who identify as male gender from other nations, human or otherwise...Or is it an advantage?”

“It wouldn’t be a Reçuecian Hockey interview if no one asked about it being an all-female team. Is it that big of a deal? There’s plenty of other teams with non-integrated teams, and we do just as well as anyone else—we’re not the best team in the world, but we’re not the worst either, and we’re improving too… I think in the near future you’ll see us being regular contenders. And yeah, I get that it’s a bit weird when there’s so many men’s teams or integrated teams to see a women’s team, but after we won gold at the last Olympics I think our Ministry of Sport realized there was no point tearing the team apart to rebuild an integrated team from scratch when we already had a world-class team. Personally, yeah, I look forward to the day when Reçueçn catches up to the rest of the multiverse and integrates its teams: it’s always a bit rough when World Cup fever—football World Cup fever—strikes the nation and I look at our team on TV and see that I’m not represented there, that there’s no girls at all. So I hope that for now, when little girls tune in to watch the World Cup of Hockey, they can picture themselves out there on the rink with us… because someday they could be. And someday, I hope that there will finally be some equality and all our sports teams will be integrated, football and Hockey. But in the meantime, the girls are doing just fine.”

“Well, maybe it all balances out that way. I will say that it’s been mighty controversial here that the teams that represent Neu Engollon in the international arena are almost always male, unless there’s a specific demand for a women’s team. There’s a big movement for our teams to get more integrated and fast—”

“Let me interrupt to say that I’m glad that’s controversial. And yeah, it’s weird to me that there’s such a big difference between the Olympics and the World Cup. I’m not even sure why it is that way. But sorry, go on...”

“Right...well, I was going to ask if you would see that as backwards at how patriarchal we are, but with an all male football team, maybe I’m judging your nation just off your hockey team without seeing the bigger picture. Still, your nation may be leagues ahead of us when it comes to any female gender representation in international sport. I think I have my answer then, but, maybe you can extrapolate on that...”

“I can’t say I know a ton about Neu Engollian sports… I remember watching Danjiella Zovic at the Hamilton International and being impressed, and the NSTT doesn’t separate the genders either, which I love. So maybe my picture of Neu Engollian sports is too rosy if a little anecdote like that is coloring my perception. But I’d say your view of Reçuecian sports is probably also far too optimistic until integration actually happens.”

“Actually, tennis in Neu Engollon is probably the one sport that women are more dominant than men, or at least allowed to participate on a level playing field, which then gave them that opening...The fact that you caught onto that and that it made an impression on you is just...perfect to me, Elea. Very perceptive. Danjiella Zovic is really probably the top player right now for the NETC, our tennis organization that competes in the NSTT. Marla Gerard used to be in that position, and some years before that was Lizbet Rittenhaus. Karina was seen to be the successor to her sister Marla’s legacy, but that didn’t quite pan out for various reasons. Long story short, the focus is on the women, and while many thought that would translate out to the other sports, we’ve really yet to see that materialize here in the Confederacy…”

“I think as a female athlete, you keep an eye out for that. Maybe my male counterparts wouldn’t notice, but it’s hard for me not to notice when someone breaks the mold like that. It’s inspiring. Reçuecian tennis also happens to be a sport where the women have dominated lately, so while I can’t say I really follow tennis too closely, it does make me really happy.”

“It makes me happy, too. I want to change focus here. This will be difficult, but we mentioned before that your team was in a tough group. The next match is—”

“Well, hang on, Karl, you keep talking about how tough the group is, but I’m not totally sure I agree with you. Being drawn with the hosts is, if anything, an advantage, because like I said, we get a sneak-peek at what the knock-out rounds will be like. On top of that, the hosts got automatic first seeding, but if we were judging purely by their rank on paper, they’re not even ranked as high as the group’s second seed.”

“That’s St. Saratoga, of course.”

“Right. And speaking of them, the draw helps us another way: last World Cup we were drawn with both St. Saratoga and Taeshan, who are both in our group again. Those are definitely two scary names, but Those are the only two teams we managed to beat last World Cup, and now we’ve got some experience with them. Then besides those three and ourselves, the only other nations are both unranked—quack my bush and wacky. So I think it’s not so bad as, say, drawing both Mercedini and Ko-oren as top seeds. For the third seed, we’re doing alright.”

“Okay, yes, in theory that works out, Elea, but how have the Unicorns done in actual practice against Saint Saratoga and Taeshan so far in this group during this Cup?”

“Ok, you got me there. The game against Saint Saratoga was an important one, and we didn’t get the result we wanted. But I don’t feel like we’ve done too badly against Taeshan. An opening victory, and the latest tie, after I let that goal in in the first period, felt like a comeback victory when we scored. If we can beat Saint Saratoga in our next game, that will go a long way. So I don’t know, we’ve done okay, but it could’ve been even better. I think it’s hard to really give a verdict until the group is over.”

“Yeah, sorry, I don’t want to put that pressure on you, but I am trying to prove that your group hasn’t gone like some others where two or three teams are dropping down right away due to their massive amount of losses leaving the contention between the top 3 teams. Hate to be dismissive, but I will have to be, leaving Wack-i and Quakmybush aside for the moment...Three teams were still neck and neck in Group A after Match Day 7. I think only Groups B, D, G, and H were as contentious at that point. That hasn’t really changed for your group after the 8th game now and your tie with Quebec.”

“I guess? But that’s half of the groups. It still sounds average to me. I don’t know, maybe I’m not supposed to be downplaying what we’ve accomplished. Or maybe it’s a tough group if you’re the second seed. In the end, the goal is to try to go into each and every game with the same mindset, and come out with the same result. I think if anything, our team has been too focused on the larger picture. We lost to Saint Saratoga and sort of panicked a bit. Then we rolled over Wack-i and decided we didn’t have to worry anymore. I’m hoping that after this result against Quebec we won’t be so reactionary: just stay the course and give it our best for the two games that are left.”

“That’s fair. Assuming you do make it beyond the group stage, and I think there’s a more than decent chance of that...who do you think you’ll be facing? What teams do you think will give yours the most hell in the playoffs?”

“Well, I don’t know… there’s a decent chance we face your guys, Neu Engollon… or it could be Valanora, who happened to be in our group last time around, or it could be Savojarna, or I don’t know, someone a bit more unexpected like Banija. You obviously can’t predict that. I’ll say that Gyatso-Kai and S & T are both looking particularly scary right now. But I’m excited for us to prove we can punch above our weight.”

“Elea, that’s the best, most confident response that I think anyone can ask of a team captain. I wish you all the best of luck and we do hope to see you in the playoffs. Thank you for talking with us tonight. Do you have any last closing remarks for us that I might not have covered?”

“Well, normally I never know what to say when people give me those open-ended questions, so I just kind of say something generic, but I think, harking back to what we were talking about earlier, I’d like to say something to any Neu Engollian girls who are watching: I know you just see me up here as some Reçuecian you’ve never heard of before, but that doesn’t stop us from having a lot in common. So I hope that if you get a chance to watch us play in the next couple games, you can cheer for us, because we’re there to represent you too. And if that inspires you, and you think that maybe someday, you’d like to play in the World Cup of Hockey—you can! You’ve got a great nation to be proud of. You’re number one in the world, you’ve got a hockey program like no other… so I want you to go out there and fight so that it’s not just dudes on that #1 team anymore. You know, hockey’s all about the fights. For us girls, that fight is even bigger. It’s more difficult, sure, but all that means is that when we win, it’s something we can be even more proud of.”

“Well said, Elea...And I think you don’t give yourself enough credit. In any case, I’m sure you just earned yourself a few new young fans out there. Reçuecian or Neu Engollian, you and your teammates are a lot closer to the ideal that a young lady should and will strive to be like.
Thank you again for being on the show and for sharing all that. Best of luck and maybe we’ll be talking again soon after you possibly go stick to stick with the Ibex.”

“I’m looking forward to it! And thanks for having me on your show!”

“Absolutely. Safe travels, Elea. We’re running just a few minutes late for our first break. When we come back, more about the Ice Bisons game, Trolleborg preview, and Round of 16 talk. Keep it tuned to NETV 7 Sports Update.”

Please be sure to give equal RP credit to Recuecn. Excellent interview session!!

[Siovanija and Teusland]

Hockey Today Magazine

Ehrenliga’s Finest

Keep Your Head Up, Kid: The Oskar Kirsche Story Part I

Hockey Today’s ‘Ehrenliga’s Finest’ section looks back on the long history of hockey in Siovanija & Teusland, focusing on the players, teams, moments and games that have contributed to the culture of the game in our country. Today, we take a look at a man who has served in several roles in the game in our nation’s history: player, coach, and now a commentator. Let’s take a look at Oskar Kirsche, the infamous Hockey Night in Siovanija & Teusland commentator. In the first part, we'll take a look at Kirsche's early life and playing career.

Kirsche was born in the town of Launitz, about an hour’s drive south of Stelburg in Teusland. Launitz is a town that is considered the northern gateway to the Teufelswald forest that covers most of the landscape of central-western Teusland, below the mountains. It’s often cited as one of the most beautiful towns in the country, and it is a student town, its 2 universities among the country’s best.

It also has a strong hockey tradition. The Launitz Lions, the club’s junior hockey team in the Teus Major Junior Hockey League, have a long history of success. The Launitz Ice Kings are the local senior team and also played in the minor leagues for many years historically. It was into this culture that Oskar Kirsche was born, and he grew up loving the game, playing at all levels of the town’s youth hockey program. He was a fan of the Stelburg Kaisers in his youth, like so many young Teus kids. A big, tough defenceman, he was eventually picked up by the Stelburg Edelweiss of the TMJHL.

It would begin the long association between Kirsche and the city of Stelburg throughout his career. Kirsche’s rookie year with the club saw him develop into an important role player on the team, getting third pairing minutes. The Edelweiss’ coach, Horst Albiker, saw great potential in him, however, and when Kirsche returned for his second season with the club he’d developed into a great shutdown defenceman capable of playing top pair minutes. He had an excellent season as the club won the TMJHL championship, before defeating the Marzig Jr. Wolves of the Siovanijan league in the Alumni Cup Final.

After the season, Kirsche was signed to a B-Form contract by Eisbaren Stelburg. At the time, three types of contracts were available for young players: A, B and C forms. The B-Form contract guaranteed his professional rights to the club when he turned 18. Kirsche attended camp with Eisbaren, but was sent back to the Edelweiss, where he and the club would go on to win a second straight Alumni Cup title, this time defeating the Piran Pirates in the final.

That would be the end of Kirsche’s junior career, and quite a successful one it was. It’s difficult for any player to get a shot at winning the Alumni Cup just once, let alone to actually capture the trophy twice. Kirsche wasn’t a star player on that Edelweiss club, but was a fan-favourite and respected for the key role he played for the team. Kirsche was entering a whole new world, however, after it. After a strong camp with Eisbaren Stelburg, the club sent him down to their minor league affiliate, the Kischfeld Bears.

At the time in Siovanija & Teusland, minor professional hockey was not as organized as it is today. There were various leagues across the country, each of different strengths, including the Southern League, the Siovanijan Pro League, to name a few. The most prestigious, however, was the Profiliga, or ‘Pro League’, which had affiliated teams from each of the Ehrenliga’s 6 clubs scattered across the country. Kischfeld was one of the league’s model clubs, the oldest amongst all the teams, and Kirsche would start his pro hockey career here.

He had a somewhat-successful first season, although injuries plagued the year for Kirsche. At the time, the Profiliga was considered by far the toughest league in the country, as most of its players were either veterans looking for one last shot in the Ehrenliga, or young guns coming through. One way to prove yourself was through hard, physical play and fighting, something Kirsche immediately took to. He’d already been a hard-nosed defender in junior, and now he had to step it up even more.

The second season was certainly that step up for Kirsche. He enjoyed a great run of form throughout the closing stages of the season, as the Bears finished second place in the regular season standings. At the same time, the big club, Eisbaren Stelburg, were getting set for an important playoff series against Olympia Borograd. It was season 40 of the Ehrenliga, and Eisbaren were developing a very strong team, with players like C Jonas Schwann, RW Edmund Raabe, and a strong D core including Hugo Felder, Erik Wirth and Gotthard Strobel as a strong trident. They were going up against a very strong Olympia Borograd team, however, who were hungry for a Cup.

On the same night Kirsche and the Bears won game 1 of their first round series against Lipica Konjibor, Eisbaren Stelburg lost against Olympia in their game 1. Eisbaren would make it a series, winning the next game before dropping two to make it 3-1. In that 4th game, however, Gotthard Strobel was injured, meaning that the club needed another defenceman. Looking to the Bears, who had swept that series with Konjibor, they called up Oskar Kirsche for his first chance at the Ehrenliga.

Kirsche enjoyed a solid debut with Eisbaren Stelburg in the playoff game. It was on the road in Borograd, a hostile atmosphere in the playoffs for any player, especially a rookie. Kirsche, however, seemed to thrive in it, and even landed a huge hit on Olympia star winger Matyas Novak. It earned the disgust of the crowd, but the respect of his teammates, and Kirsche was trusted with more ice time the rest of the game. In the end, he played 12:06 in Eisbaren’s 4-2 game 5 win over Olympia, including earning a point after assisting the fourth goal, scored by Jonas Schwann. It was a solid debut for the young player, and he was dressed for game 6, although Strobel returned to the lineup. Kirsche played limited minutes in his home debut, but this time Olympia Borograd won the game 3-2. Olympia would go on to win the Cup that year.

Before returning to his home in Launitz for the summer, Eisbaren coach Anton Kempf told Kirsche that he’d have a great shot at making the team next year, and that he should work hard that summer to earn his place come training camp. Kirsche, however, by his own admission, didn’t take the summer too seriously, instead working a variety of jobs in his home town and playing in a local cricket league. An injury suffered while making a dive to catch the ball in addition to the little focus put on hockey meant that Kirsche turned up for camp a step behind.

He has called this the worst decision of his life several times, as a poor training camp meant Kirsche was sent back down to the Bears. Coach Kempf had been disappointed in his effort, and when the strong defence corp of Eisbaren went on to win the Strauss Cup title that year - the first of four in a row - it became clear that there wasn’t much room for Kirsche on the big club.

He would play out the next two seasons with the Kischfeld Bears, becoming the prototypical player who was too good for the Profiliga, but just not good enough for the Ehrenliga. He was a finalist for the Profiliga’s Defenceman of the Year Trophy twice during this time, as the Bears won the Stockmann Cup title once as champions of the league. It just wasn’t working out for him with Eisbaren, however, due to their depth in his position, and at the end of the 43rd Ehrenliga season, he was traded as part of a bigger deal to the St. Jakob Saints.

The Saints gave Kirsche a look in camp and exhibition games, but found that he wasn’t ready to play on their blueline. It was back to the minors again, then, for him, and the Marnau Millionaires. The Millionaires were the Saints’ affiliate club in the Profiliga, but had traditionally been a poor team, finishing in the basement in each of the last 3 seasons. Furthermore, they were coached by former Saints defenceman Erik Schenk, who had a reputation as a tyrannical coach.

Schenk would turn off the lights at the Marnau Arena during practice to save expenses, and forced various techniques on the players including medical advice and skating advice - much of it not based in reality. Kirsche, with a reputation for not getting along well with authority, didn’t particularly mesh well with Schenk. As a result, by the end of his second season with Millionaires, Kirsche found himself as one of the ‘Black Aces,’ practicing with the team but regularly scratched for games. With the dispute between Kirsche and Schenk growing, however, a move was needed.

After that season, Kirsche was traded from Marnau to the Gabropol Sharks of the Southern League. His rights remained with the Saints, who did not own an affiliate club in the Southern League. The league was made up of 8 clubs, with 6 in Siovanija and 2 in Teusland. For Kirsche, it was a difficult move: he did not speak Siovanijan, and was now going to a town where almost no-one spoke Teus.

The Sharks hadn’t exactly been a model team of the Southern League, but with Kirsche now on the team, they improved quite quickly. For all his misery off-ice, including living in a hotel for most of the season, on-ice Kirsche enjoyed great success. His grit made him a fan-favourite with the club, and the Sharks made it to the playoffs for the first time in several years. The first round saw them defeat the Siovanska Gora Stars before losing to the Vrnovo Islanders in 6 games in the Nistor Cup Final.

Coming back for the next season, Kirsche was desperate to take his chance and try to find his way back up to the Ehrenliga. He had the best year of his career in a variety of categories, scoring 54 points in 68 games from the back end, while retaining the toughness that had gotten him to that point. He won the Southern League’s Defenceman of the Year Trophy, and helped lead the Sharks to the Nistor Cup championship as they got some revenge on the Vrnovo Islanders.

The Southern League folded after the season, however, as the various minor leagues prepared for the new reality. The Ehrenliga had announced it was expanding, and also that it was purchasing several of the minor leagues to eventually create a ‘2. Ehrenliga’ to serve as the main minor pro league in the country. The Gabropol Sharks instead moved to the Siovanijan Pro League, which would after the season become a tier 3 league.

Kirsche played out that final year in Gabropol, but was still struggling with living in the city. The fact that he had two young kids with his wife did not help, and while the Sharks struggled in the SPL that season, Kirsche also struggled off-ice. At the end of the year, he left the Sharks, instead returning to Teusland. His rights were still held by the St. Jakob Saints, and he was thus moved to their new 2. Ehrenliga affiliate club, the Preisfeld Saints. Kirsche was now 28 years old and had played for 4 different minor league clubs.

He’d only spend one year in Preisfeld, a somewhat-successful year as he tried to play good enough to perhaps get noticed by one of the Ehrenliga’s expansion clubs and get one last chance at going up to the top league. His window to make that jump, however, was quickly closing. Preisfeld would miss the playoffs that season, with Kirsche having an average season on a poor team.

After the year, the Saints did not re-sign him, and instead it was Seelowe Marlesee who offered a tryout to Kirsche. He’d had a good relationship with Fritz Kissling, the head coach of the club, who had previously been an assistant coach with the Marnau Millionaires - the good cop to Schenk’s bad cop. Kissling liked Kirsche, and did give him a chance to make the team in camp - however, a big hit by Kirsche on young Marlesee star Lothar Weinwurm in a scrimmage soured the relationship and sent Kirsche back down to the minors again.

Marlesee’s minor league club at the time was the Weissenhal Huskies, Weissenhal being a small Teus-speaking city just over the border in Siovanija, a half hour south of the city of Pomorie/Marzig. The Huskies had played in various minor pro leagues over the years before linking up with the new expansion club, and joining the 2. Ehrenliga. Kirsche felt comfortable with the team, and while he was getting older now, was still a serviceable defender for the team. He’d play three years with Weissenhal, but his contract expired with Seelowe Marlesee at the end of the year and he became a free agent again.

Kirsche, now age 33, considered retirement, but there was still some time left in his playing career. His boyhood club, the Stelburg Kaisers, approached him with a contract offer to play for their minor league affiliate, the Shoringen Penguins, and play in a leadership role. Kirsche accepted, and served as the captain for the Penguins. He finally got the chance to play for his favourite team, saying that the exhibition game he played for the Kaisers, finally getting to wear the famous black and gold, was one of the greatest moments of his career.

Kirsche captained the Penguins for 2 seasons as they were quite successful in the 2. Ehrenliga, winning a Stockmann Cup in his second year with the club. Kirsche was planning on retiring before his final year, but was offered the job of player-assistant coach and decided to stick around. While he only dressed in 25 of the 76 games that final year, it would be a year important to his future career. Kirsche retired from professional hockey after that season, having played 16 seasons with 8 different teams.

After his career, Kirsche and his family continued to live in Stelburg, and Kirsche struggled to find direction in his post-hockey career. He spent some time as a construction worker, but never really found his place anywhere. He received an offer from the Kaiserhaven Knights of the Republic Hockey League to come to their preseason camp during this time. The RHL was an upstart league hoping to compete with the Ehrenliga, but by this time it was on its way out. Kirsche declined the offer. The next offer that came, however, was from the Shoringen Penguins.

The Penguins had fired Kirsche’s old coach with the club, Otto Kandler, and were looking to go in a different direction. As Kirsche had been a strong mentor and well-respected during his time with the team, they decided to offer him the job. Kirsche hesitated, but did accept the job offer, taking over the club during season 58.

Kirsche would coach the club for 3 seasons, his Penguins gaining a reputation for being difficult to play against. He favoured tough players and a team mentality: us against the world. Although his team did not win a Stockmann Cup title, Kirsche was named the 2. Ehrenliga’s Coach of the Year in his second season as coach. At the end of his third season as coach of the club, Kirsche would receive an offer that would change his life, and have a significant impact on the history of hockey in this country.

In Part II of the Oskar Kirsche story, we’ll cover Kirsche’s career as a coach in the Ehrenliga, as well as his time as a broadcaster on Hockey Night in Siovanija & Teusland.

Oskar Kirsche’s Playing Career Highlights

• Two-time Alumni Cup winner with Stelburg Edelweiss
• Played 1 playoff game for Eisbaren Stelburg in season 41 (0G, 1A), only career Ehrenliga game
• Played 16 year career across various minor professional leagues
• Won Stockmann Cup (Profiliga, later 2. Ehrenliga) twice, with Kischfeld Bears and Shoringen Penguins
• Won Nistov Cup (Southern League) with Gabropol Sharks
• Southern League Defenceman of the Year x1
• Played for Kischfeld Bears, Marnau Millionaires, Gabropol Sharks, Preisfeld Saints, Weissenhal Huskies and Shoringen Penguins during minor league career

Ehrenliga Stats: 1 GP, 0 G, 1 A, 1 P
Minor League Stats: 882 GP, 67 G, 201 A, 268 P, 1104 PIM

World Cup of Hockey Matchday 8
Siovanija & Teusland vs Lorenthia
@ St. Jakob Forum, St. Jakob, Teusland

Scoring Summary

First Period

15:22: Goldhorns goal scored by Aleksej Knejz, assisted by Lasker, Scherer (1-0)

Second Period

4:01: Goldhorns goal scored by Razvigor Tsvetanov, assisted by Heider (2-0)
10:40: Goldhorns goal scored by Edwin Ranger (PP), assisted by Mihelic, Schlager (3-0)
19:37: Goldhorns goal scored by Alex Schnyder, assisted by Ranger, Bohm (4-0)

Third Period

9:08: Goldhorns goal scored by Jorg Gottschall, assisted by Schwarzmann, Pfenning (5-0)

End of Game: Siovanija & Teusland 5-0 Lorenthia

[Delaclava]

DSGN.com Hockey

Sexton the late hero as Delaclava on brink of qualification

Kalinin, VLH -- Evan Sexton's breakaway goal with 87 seconds remaining secured a thrilling 2-1 win for Delaclava over The Sherpa Empire, as a sell-out home crowd of 25,156 watched the Phoenixes put themselves on the doorstep of qualifying for the World Cup of Hockey knockout stage.

Sexton rose to the occasion after the Phoenixes held a 1-0 lead for most of the game, only to allow the tying goal with four minutes remaining. Pinned in their defensive zone, Alex Coburn managed to rake the puck from their sharpshooter in his windup motion, and found Sexton as the first man to get moving the other direction.

"We had the inside track on qualifying. We would have had more chances to get our spot if we settled for that draw," coach Arthur Lemaire said. "But we wanted to get this done today." Captain Jehiel Abreu also praised his team, particularly his linemates, for recovering from the sudden setback and continuing to fight to the end. "This game wasn't over until we said it was over. Not with our fans cheering us on for 60 minutes, were we going to settle for anything less than win. Coby and Sexy saw an opportunity and found a way to make that happen for us."

Jaroslav Hlavacek opened the scoring eight minutes into a deliberate, possession-oriented first period, as Edan Bullard dominated the middle, taking a pass from Kosta Karras on the right point and pivoting to Marco Van Houten on the left point. Van Houten drifted down the middle and towards the center before finding Hlavacek near the top of the left playoff circle, setting up Hlavacek for a one-timer that was aided by Bullard's move to the front of the net. "What a beautiful goal," Abreu said of the opener. "Absolutely ugly, gritty, clogging up and creating confusion, and moving the puck around that. That's how we've done everything we needed to do the whole tournament."

The pace of the game picked up through the second period, becoming a faster transition game with hard-fought puck battles in the middle of the ice. Tom Sutton, who only faced eight shots in the first period, had to face fifteen in the third period, not including nine blocked shots in the final frame, highlighted by four blocks from Radovan Nemec. It seemed that the chaos would suit the faster and tougher Phoenixes, who seemed to be irking the Sherpas to the point of drawing penalties. But when the Phoenixes failed to convert three power play chances, a tidal shift seemed to be in the making, and the Sherpas got their own power play on a dubious penalty by Abreu, who was simply following the defenseman in the corner when the opponent suddenly fell down at the boards, screaming and holding his leg. The referee awarded the reaction, not the play, and the Sherpas soon converted the power play with a powerful shot from the left point that stumped Sutton.

"That call was brutal," coach Lemaire asserted, "but we could have done better than allowing a chance that they were good enough to take." The goal seemed to spur on the Sherpas, who sensed an opportunity to capitalise and they continued to press forward and let off shots, but Sutton, Nemec, Antoine Clement, and the rest of the defensive corps stood strong. In the end, Sutton stopped 33 of 34 shots, and while the goal broke a shutout streak of 222 minutes, 50 seconds - going back to the first period in Valanora's 1-0 victory over the Phoenixes - Sutton remains one of the outstanding goaltenders of the entire tournament. Eventually, Coburn found his opportunity for the poke check, timed it just right, and led the play up the ice a little bit before connection with Sexton ahead of the play. Sexton faked the shot and deked to his backhand before staying with the puck on his right side and lifted the puck over the keeper's shoulder. The Phoenixes then held firm to kill off the remaining minute and a half before the players flooded the ice to celebrate, to the cheers of the captivated fans who had come to support one of the tournament's breakout squads.

"You couldn't ask for a more thrilling game," the hero Sexton said. "Strong play on both sides of the ice, a worthy opponent, a little bit of adversity, and ultimately being able to come through

Because of Sherpaland's earlier victory over Delaclava, the Phoenixes could not clinch their spot in the round of 16 today, but the home win very nearly shuts the Sherpas out of the picture. Sherpaland's path to qualifying requires that they win their final two games - against Valanora and Devonta - and that Delaclava loses their final two games, all with a total goal differential swing of at least 12. It's a highly unlikely scenario, but with Valanora's 8-2 victory over Gergary and overall dominance of the competition, the Phoenixes do face an ever-so-slight vulnerability on Day 10 should the two massive upsets occur on Day 9.

But while the home crowd could not celebrate an official qualification, they could rejoice in a signature defensive display and a gutsy performance from their debuting national team that places them immediately adjacent to bigger and better things. "This was the kind of game that defines a team's history," Coach Lemaire said. "Down the road, when someday our team's won a championship, fans will look down the road to how it all began, and may well recall that we qualified tonight, that we overcame adversity and continued to pull off the unthinkable...We're not done yet. Not even close."

And with a trip to Lake Preston in Quinniville right around the corner, descending upon the magic of outdoor hockey, at a quaint, snowy communal rink that will nevertheless attract thousands of the nation's most avid supporters, another defining moment is there for the taking.

Delaclava 2–1 The Sherpa Empire

1st: DEL, Hlavacek 1 (Haarmajarvi 1, Bullard 3) 8:42.
2nd: None.
3rd: SHW 56:02 (pp). DEL, Sexton 3 (Coburn 4) 58:33.

Saves: DEL, Sutton 8-11-14--33. SHW 9-10-13--32.

[Gyatso-kai]

Hey Jun. Been watching AOCAF… Rough, eh?
RELICYC, Tho-An (+868 56 885 3244) 01:45

Yeah… Another great tourney. Saw the Ibex Game.
GUANYU, Jun (+868 65 974 4984) 01:50

The streak had to end sometime. Sucks to not be #1 after being there all tournament.
RELICYC, Tho-An (+868 56 885 3244) 01:52

Could climb back...
GUANYU, Jun (+868 65 974 4984)[ 01:52/i]

Not unless the Ibex shit themselves and drop against an unranked and lower 40
[i]RELICYC, Tho-An (+868 56 885 3244) 01:55

>.< Yeah, not sure about that.
GUANYU, Jun (+868 65 974 4984) 01:57

Unless Margaret blesses you.
GUANYU, Jun (+868 65 974 4984) 01:58

And curses them.
RELICYC, Tho-An (+868 56 885 3244) 02:00

No sweat. They are the #1 team in the world.
GUANYU, Jun (+868 65 974 4984) 02:02

Yeah, I know. And we’re 24th.
RELICYC, Tho-An (+868 56 885 3244) 02:05

You took them down once, they take you down once. Fair, eh?
GUANYU, Jun (+868 65 974 4984) 02:06

Lol and here I was trying to pick you up.
RELICYC, Tho-An (+868 56 885 3244) 02:07

Only have to hope we regroup right.
RELICYC, Tho-An (+868 56 885 3244) 02:08

The IBs always do.
GUANYU, Jun (+868 65 974 4984) 02:09

In what multi-verse?
RELICYC, Tho-An (+868 56 885 3244) 02:10

RELICYC, Tho-An (+868 56 885 3244) 02:11

yyy O.O
GUANYU, Jun (+868 65 974 4984), 02:11

So you all at the hotel?
GUANYU, Jun (+868 65 974 4984) 02:12

Yeah. Got to Neorvins an hour or two ago. Been settling in since.
RELICYC, Tho-An (+868 56 885 3244) 02:13

Evening skate?
GUANYU, Jun (+868 65 974 4984) 02:14

Not after a loss. We lick our wounds.
RELICYC, Tho-An (+868 56 885 3244) 02:14

How Mando’a of you!
GUANYU, Jun (+868 65 974 4984) 02:16

Did you dip your plates in blood
GUANYU, Jun (+868 65 974 4984) 02:17

Ha.
RELICYC, Tho-An (+868 56 885 3244) 02:19

Ha.
RELICYC, Tho-An (+868 56 885 3244) 02:19

You Mando’s confuse me….
GUANYU, Jun (+868 65 974 4984) 02:21

Lol Im not even a Trad’Mando. Should see my cousin Terv
RELICYC, Tho-An (+868 56 885 3244) 02:22

?
GUANYU, Jun (+868 65 974 4984) 02:24

Big guy, wears armor all day long, and still says the old prayers over food.
RELICYC, Tho-An (+868 56 885 3244) 02:25

Do you?
GUANYU, Jun (+868 65 974 4984) 02:30

Do I?
RELICYC, Tho-An (+868 56 885 3244) 02:32

Yeah.
GUANYU, Jun (+868 65 974 4984) 02:33

Do you follow the ‘old ways’
GUANYU, Jun (+868 65 974 4984) 02:35

Not truly… but I know about it…
RELICYC, Tho-An (+868 56 885 3244) 02:35

Maybe you need to >.<
GUANYU, Jun (+868 65 974 4984) 02:37

Yeah yeah. We’ll see how tomorrow turns out.
RELICYC, Tho-An (+868 56 885 3244) 02:40

Good luck with Kelssek!
GUANYU, Jun (+868 65 974 4984) 02:41

ty ty Jun. I’ll talk to you after.
RELICYC, Tho-An (+868 56 885 3244) 02:43

np Tho Sleep well!

[Graintfjall]

Posted on the winter sports blog Icy Dead People.

Ice Wolves Continue To Struggle On Offense
Posted by ScrapingTheBarrel

“Officially the worst.” The verdict on Græntfjall’s offense, as carried on the back-page of the Háttmark Harbinger, is damning – and correct. The team now ranks absolute bottom in the entire WCoH field in goals scored, that despite having won twice. Six goals in eight games represent a miserable return after entering with high hopes of the likes of Jack Jokulsson (who has not scored since MD1) or Auðunn Friðlaugursson (currently leading the scoring at a miserable 2) racking up some points.

“Simplistic offensive systems might work in the GHL, where there are enough weak goaltenders for guys with good wrist- or slap-shots to score often off one-timer chances,” opined Lennart Flosisson, writer for HockeyBjlörp magazine. “But at international level, more sophisticated systems are needed and Kolbein Ölversson hasn’t shown an ability to bring that.” It is likely that Kolbein will lose his job at the end of a tournament that has disappointed Græntfjall fans hoping for a strong first showing in the popular sport.

Bjarnleifur Asgeirsson finally got on the scoring charts in the team’s 1 – 0 road win over Adyatin, but has otherwise fallen far short of expectations and the two-way defenseman now looks unlikely to become the first Græntfjaller to play overseas. “I doubt many international scouts will have been impressed,” said Westfjall Daily Mirror sports editor Annalena Federicosdóttir. “They may not even have noticed his existence. And given how he’s played this tournament, that might spare his blushes, if anything.”

Against HUElavia, it was another solitary goal, a first for young Mühlrich winger Noah Skúlisson, who’s attracted good notes for his checking but had shown little offensive spark until he unexpectedly wrapped around after a sharp Luka Gunnersson shot was deflected. But the goal came late on with HUElavia already having scored twice, and Græntfjall closed out the game without troubling the scorers again.

“Someone has to provide some energy on offense,” says veteran GHL player and current GTV pundit Luis Unnbjörnsson. “Jack, Auðunn, whomever. The team has been reasonably solid defensively since that first game shock, especially given how many shots they’ve faced. With more scoring chances they could pick up some points, but while looking so listless on the ice, they’re just waiting for the inevitable.”

[HUElavia]

HUElavia maintains 2nd Place with Decisive Victory over Graintfjall!

Graintfjall 1–2 HUElavia

HUElavia returned to the ice rink in Matchday 8 looking to overcome their 3-4 loss against Sijovanija and Teusland on the previous matchday. This time around, HUElavia was keeping pace with 2nd Place and looked to build on their previous 4 wins. The next match was against Graintfjall, who was essentially eliminated headed into the match. The crowd was mainly Pro-HUElavian, but there was a decent amount of supporters for Graintfjall. Both teams were playing with their squads fully healthy, although for HUElavia, Rodriguez-Gomez was given the nod to start as Goalie in order to give Vasilevskiy some rest. The puck was dropped and the match was underway!

The 1st Period saw strong dominance by Los Amarillos/Os Amarelos, as half way into the first half, Kariya passed back to Costa-Reus, who in turn passed it to Carvalho, who ripped a blistering shot and it went past Finngeirsson into the goal to make it 0-1. The crowd jumped and celebrated with passion as the team had an early lead. Lightning would strike twice 45 seconds later, as Garcon-Chevalier got the puck from Magnþórsson, and slid it to Rossi, who sped past two defenders and chipped the puck over Finngeirsson and into the goal to make it 0-2. The crowd celebrated once more, but applauded Rossi for the spectacular effort to score a wonderful goal. The 1st Period ended 0-2, and the 2nd Period had both Finngeirsson and Rodriguez-Gomez play well to prevent goals. In the 3rd Period, the only goal of the period came for Graintfjall, as Gunnersson shot the puck, but it took a deflection off Skúlisson and into the goal it went past Rodriguez-Gomez, where the youngster claimed the goal. Although, it was too little too late, as Los Amarillos/Os Amarelos took the 2 points and kept pace for a spot in the Round-of-16.

The next match will be against Lorenthia, where Rodriguez-Gomez will also start the match once again. HUElavia hope to clinch their spot in the Round-of-16 with a win and Kanyagan either losing or drawing their match versus Graintfjall. Regardless, here's to us winning our next match and growing as a force in Ice Hockey.

FORCA HUELAVIA! VAMOS HUELAVIA! GO HUELAVIA!