World Cup of Hockey XL - Everything Thread

[Savojarna]

SavojarSports.sj - inside reports from all Savojarna
Victory over Lovisa secures Savojarna’s qualification

By Lars Jotansson
Savojarna were entering their home game against Lovisa knowing that it could already secure their qualification for the Northlights. As Abanhfleft and TJUN-ia are scheduled to play each other in the second-last round, they cannot both match Savojarna anymore as they would require full points from both matches. TJUN-ia are also still scheduled to meet the Savojars in the final game of the group stage at the Stadsstadion, giving Savojarna another path to the knockouts.

Thanks to two goals of Bryzhnev and one by Victor Troels, Savojarna won their match 3-0 to put themselves to the top of the pack with near certainty. A single point in the remaining games against La Florita or TJUN-ia would be sufficient to give Savojarna the group victory. Under these circumstances, Ville Kerjanen will get a shot in goal, and the Savojars are going to try to push hard to score the necessary point as early as possible and net themselves a good starting position in Quebec.

The big question is how the Savojars will hold up against the strongest teams in the world. With Abanhfleft clearly not being in top form, and having to battle for their space in the knockouts, observers are doubting if the world’s nominal number two can be counted as a great team in this edition, whereas TJUN-ia are putting in a great performance, but lack the individual skill of the international best teams. So, unlike last time, we have barely any idea what to expect out of a game against a team like Siovanija and Teusland, Valanora, or Neu Engollon.

Few believe that this Savojar squad, with little professional experience in the past few years as the Savojar league system came tumbling down, can hold up for more than maybe the quarterfinals with a bit of luck. But crazier things have happened, and so far, they are on track to secure an early qualification - leaving everything possible.

[The Royal Kingdom of Quebec]

Auld Lang Syne
Part 1 : Closer

Perhaps too perfect of a day.

The interview went very well. Perhaps too well, as Asher thought to himself. After how awkward they greeted for the first time in five years, and how both sides briefly tried to make things formal (with little success), things went as expectedly so. Eileen, or should we say Plongeon in this case, said to him that this album, titled Summerlea, was a 16-track album that she had been working on for past four years, and had hoped that this album’s going to culminate in a good balancing point between various genres of interest, from indie pop and indie folk to country and slight elements of traditional Quebecois music.

Could be a smash hit or just a minor whimper that gets remembered as an underrated album of the decade when we all get old. Asher thought, as he wrote it out.

After the interview, and the dinner at a nearby restaurant, it was already seven in the evening. Eileen wanted him to walk back to her place just down the corner, the offer of which Asher unfortunately had to decline. He knew he had to go, stay another night, and then head back to Quebec City. Instead, they decided to take a walk along the old Port, and just let the feeling slowly seep into the night.

So they walked, walked and walked like in the old days, ‘til they could barely do so. The next thing they saw, they were right at the lakeshore, separated by several levels of the breakwater structures that had been around in various forms since the 1600s. Located at the heart of Downtown Montreal, the old Pier was somewhat packed for a Maytime evening, but just enough to the point where Eileen and Asher could just get by fine enough without ending up on a tabloid. Even so, Asher made sure to wear a dark mask, with his right arm tied with her left arm. They were smiling, half tired, half delightful, as they just enjoyed the view of the Fleuve Saint-Henri along the Old Port. The night was cool and charming enough, with every other tree shining with night lights installed by the Port Authority of Montreal. They were just smiling along, enjoying each other’s presence as if nothing had happened before.

This is comforting, however soon I have to wake up from it… He thought, as they decided to sit on a bench. Facing against the water, and with all the nerves in the world, he slowly inhaled. By this point, he had long let go of all the restraints and the medicaments he had held until the previous night. The entire evening, all he could try to get himself to think was to push himself to man up, to kiss her. He knew the thought itself shouldn’t be too hard, especially with how many times he had kissed her before, and then lots of other girls too. He knew that only the past and non-existent sense of commitment were the only ones drawing him back from it all, and so were a little bit of alcohol that they both had over dinner.

Right next to Asher, Eileen was somewhat thinking along the same lines. But then, tthere too stood nerves for her, as too was coming from an unfamiliar situation. What if I fuck it up? was something that she had in mind, as she just looked at him, somewhat fatter and lot bleaker since they had first met in high school. Growing up in her country town, on famed Coxwell Park and its estates, she had been trying to find her own self and directions within a career. A minor breakup after a couple of years dating had been on her mind. It was somewhat of a factor, and they were both feeling tired, but she could hear the buzz in the sky. Like a swallow gliding down the sky, it progressively grew louder, louder and louder until she closed her eyes and he kissed her.

Oh no…

What am I doing?

That’s what both sides thought, as they closed their eyes trying not to look at one another. As with any kiss involving two ex-partners who had little bit of alcohol two hours earlier, it started awkwardly on a bench. Then they, ignoring the presence of bystanders, just went along and tasted the alcohol and the tears of years apart. Slowly struggling to find the right angle, they just went along with however awkward the situation they were, before they realised that they should leave.

---

I wish I could stay…

Now, they were standing in front of Eileen’s flat, located just north of St-Laurent station and south of the Koreana West District that had been known as the artisans’ workplaces and homes, but since been taken up by art businesses along with the booming economy in the 1990s and 2000s. There, Asher and Eileen had one last minute to themselves before he were to head back to his hotel room for the night.

‘Stay safe, Eileen.’ He said, looking into her eyes as they stood two metres apart from each other. ‘Don’t worry about the cover story. I’ll send you a copy when I’m home.’

‘It’s all good! Please text me when you get home, Ash.’ Eileen said, trying to remind him not to forget. One of the downsides in being busy professionals off to their own thing in their lives is that people forget when to text, when to call and when to just think of one another. ‘Sleep well before you head back home.’ Eileen said with a small grin on a Friday night.

Asher thought for a second, before gathering his thoughts together. He was unsure but couldn’t bear to just head back. ‘I’m sorry...about that.’ He said, before slowing down. ‘I know I shouldn’t have kissed you, when we are on the pier-’

‘No, it’s all good.’ She responded. ‘We get affected by place or where we are and sometimes, it happens like that.’ Then she opened the door to her flat, trying to signal him to go back to the hotel and sleep it off for the night. ‘Sleep well.’

Don’t go...Don’t go...Don’t Go…

Then like that, she was out of his life again, and Asher started to walk back.

---

Asher Lundrigan looked out the window of his hotel room, his mind transfixed upon what had just happened today. On the surface, he was happy to be back in Montreal, and his conversations, which were safely transcribed to his interview piece for next edition's cover, and now all's going to be more than just fine. He had done the job that his boss at Landslide International had asked, was going to get an extra few thousands for all the pain that was gone through to go through with the interview, and gonna have a happy walk to the bank in a month's time.

With everything coming along as expectedly so, and with him not really telling people why he was heading back, he had the rest of the night and early tomorrow to spare, before he were to head back to Quebec City. At least this had meant that he would be having a bit of gentler sleep, hopefully filled with loftier and sweeter of dreams, as if they were made of cotton candy.

But then, what had happened inside him did strike clearly enough. In such a short time, he had gone from just denying the fifteen months Eileen had spent inside his heart, bent on not seeing her again, to breaking down inside his hotel room thinking about the kiss.

How did this all happen?

He thought of how they had first met, and found himself thinking back to the very afternoon they had met once again. It was on a magical Friday afternoon, where the nation's capital was struck with an odd dose of freezing March rain. For the city that's known for its words of snow and ice, it was an unusual occurrence, where everything just felt eerie, freezing and, all in all, out of sync. The famous words, to quote dozens of royal historians across the multiverse, say that this was around when Jacques IX, whose monarchical strength was largely spent in the military glories of his twenties, caught a severe cold from a night of polo. That escalated quickly into pneumonia followed by a series of serious illnesses that limited the late monarch's life for much of the last 5 yrs of his reign. But to Asher, this was the spring they had first met, almost as if they themselves were the symbol of a new age. The Catherinian Era that would be remembered in future as the era of neo-romanticism, and the elegance and passion that came up with each other.

[Recuecn]

Lynn Kern swooshed to a stop just in front of her team bench, spraying up ice.

"Lynn! What are you doing!?" The coach screamed at her. "Go take your spot!" The rest of the team was already lined up for the faceoff against Quebec.

"Sorry coach!" Lynn flashed her eternal grin, and reached down over the wall to grab something with a bare hand.

"Go!"

Lynn skated back towards her spot on the edge of the circle, but as she did so, quickly stuck her hand under her helmet once on each side. What is she doing, the coach muttered to herself. Then Lynn put her glove back on, the whistle blew, and the game began.

---

It took a minute for Lynn to hear anything. And of course, for anyone who knew Lynn, it wasn't a surprise that she had almost forgotten her own plan, the one she had coordinated with her teammate Dietlind Frank. But she had remembered just in the nick of time and skated back to grab her airpods, and now, back on the bench, Dietlind was hitting 'play' on Lynn's in-match playlist. Lynn closed her eyes for a moment, and when she opened them, everything was a montage.

A juke past Pierre-Luc Gibson. A tap to Audrey Lecerfe. A drive up the ice, a breathless rush, skate blades flung every direction in the quest for speed. A heavy block from Lynn. Audrey to Berth—GOAL! Two minutes down, 58 to go.

Hip check. Stick down. Heel caught. Whistle. Two minutes in the box. A roaring crowd as Quebec scored a power-play goal. Tie game. But with her music in her ears, Lynn's mood didn't shift at all.

Panting. Sweating. Shoot, pass, block. Keep the puck across the line. Offsides. Icing. Buzzer. Locker room. Lynn took a drink of cold water. But she kept the music playing.

Second period, Quebec on the attack. Big, burly bois with even bigger pads on. So what? Here comes Ray McMillan, get ready, hip chec—oof, that was a hit. Get 'im next time. Go down, get back up, catch up! No, wait, shit! Goal... for Quebec. 'Come on girls!' 'Why are you screaming, Lynn?' 'What!?' 'Does she have earbuds in?' 'I can't hear you!'

Leg over the wall, sit on the bench. Yell for your teammates. 'LET'S GO RAMONA! COME ON MAREI!' One, two, pass. Three, four, is it? Yes! Goal, goal goal!

Skating again, here comes McMillan. 'How you feel now, Fucker?' Hip-check, knock 'im over. Whistle. Okay, come on ref, that was a clean hit. Two minutes in the box. Buzzer. More cold water. Coach's speech. Skate to the box again. Buzzer; door opens. Back to the bench. Skate, skate, skate.

There's McMillan! That dirty, no-good... goal! Quebec, three-two. Damn it all. We're still so close! We can do it. 'Come on, Ladies, what did I say!?' 'What got into Lynn tonight?' 'She's always like this.' 'Not this much like this.' 'I CAN'T HEAR YOU!'

Final minutes! Clock counting tenths of second now. One last breakaway, go for goal—

YES!!

~~~

Her teammates dog-piled her, screaming, as Lynn's buzzer-beating tying goal went in. And at the bottom of the pile, Lynn was singing: You make my dreams come true.

[Taeshan]

“Certainly the team is doing better than you would have expected coming into the tournament coach?”

“Well yes and no. I didn’t expect a win against St Saratoga, but we’ve also been less than respectable against Recuecn and failed masterfully against Wacki”.

“But still you lacked in The last world cups losing embarrassingly in Savojarna and before. This must be a great return to form?”

“We know these players are good. We have a top 3 league in the world, it’s just getting them to play for the nation has been interesting. A few players have balked and a few players have just not played at the level we know they are capable of, there are a lot of steps until we’re competitive at the level we once were”.

“What made you take this job with the national team after two relatively bad tournaments?”

“I saw a chance, a hope. The team is good they just haven’t figured out how to play at the international level. The rules are different than club hockey, the opponents are different, you’re not paid as much to play for your country as your club. I played a little Olympic hockey in my youth, and I saw a chance to help these guys”.

“What is your limit?”

“I’m not sure we have one. We haven’t looked good against Quebec but there is hope. This may not be the tournament we advance, but we’ve put ourselves in with a chance. That’s more than I hoped for. We likely don’t advance, but this will help our ranking, help us into a better group the next tournament. The nation will notice is get better and maybe start watching hockey outside of the Olympics, a few more dollars here or there and maybe were more competitive moving forward. That is what I hope for”.

[The Royal Kingdom of Quebec]

World Cup of Hockey XL - MD9 Results!

And here's a satanic song fuelled by irrational paranoia.

---

Group A
Wack-i 1–0 Quakmybush
Taeshan 1–4 Royal Kingdom of Quebec
Reçueçn 5–3 St. Saratoga

Group A                         Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts
1 Royal Kingdom of Quebec         9    8   1   0    39   17  +22    17
2 Reçueçn                         9    5   2   2    31   24   +7    12
3 Taeshan                         9    4   2   3    18   21   −3    10
4 St. Saratoga                    9    4   0   5    16   18   −2     8
5 Wack-i                          9    2   2   5    14   22   −8     6
6 Quakmybush                      9    0   1   8     8   24  −16     1

Group B
Megistos 0–2 Kohnhead
Trolleborg 2–5 Neu Engollon
Gyatso-Kai 3–0 Kelssek

Group B                        Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Neu Engollon                   9    8   0   1    48   19  +29    16
2 Gyatso-Kai                     9    8   0   1    39   21  +18    16
3 Kelssek                        9    4   1   4    23   23    0     9
4 Kohnhead                       9    2   2   5    20   30  −10     6
5 Megistos                       9    1   2   6     7   20  −13     4
6 Trolleborg                     9    0   3   6    11   35  −24     3

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

Group C                        Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Ko-oren                        9    8   1   0    17    5  +12    17
2 Sarzonia                       9    5   1   3    24   20   +4    11
3 Mercedini                      9    4   2   3    30   22   +8    10
4 Terre Septentrionale           9    5   0   4    29   25   +4    10
5 New Waldensia                  9    1   1   7    16   34  −18     3
6 Sylestone                      9    1   1   7    14   24  −10     3

Group D
The Jovannic 2–1 Solarampa
Logon 2–6 Cassadaigua
Ranoria 0–2 Vilita and Turori

Group D                        Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Vilita and Turori              9    7   2   0    31   11  +20    16
2 Cassadaigua                    9    7   1   1    36   13  +23    15
3 Ranoria                        9    3   3   3    17   20   −3     9
4 Logon                          9    2   1   6    14   25  −11     5
5 The Jovannic                   9    1   3   5    13   28  −15     5
6 Solarampa                      9    2   0   7    12   26  −14     4

Group E
Fiekkefjord 6–5 Chromatika
Poafmersia 4–4 Equestria
Fluvannia 2–1 Banija

Group E                        Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Banija                         9    7   1   1    25    9  +16    15
2 Poafmersia                     9    5   2   2    29   25   +4    12
3 Fluvannia                      9    4   3   2    23   20   +3    11
4 Equestria                      9    4   3   2    24   20   +4    11
5 Fiekkefjord                    9    1   1   7    27   41  −14     3
6 Chromatika                     9    1   0   8    11   24  −13     2

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

Group F                        Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Valanora                       9    9   0   0    40   14  +26    18
2 Delaclava                      9    5   2   2    15    8   +7    12
3 United States of Devonta       9    3   3   3    22   20   +2     9
4 The Sherpa Empire              9    3   1   5    20   27   −7     7
5 Natanians and Nosts            9    1   3   5    21   29   −8     5
6 Gergary                        9    1   1   7    11   31  −20     3

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

Group G                        Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Savojarna                      9    8   1   0    36   12  +24    17
2 Abanhfleft                     9    5   3   1    27   16  +11    13
3 TJUN-ia                        9    5   1   3    26   21   +5    11
4 La Florita                     9    3   0   6    15   26  −11     6
5 Lovisa                         9    2   0   7    11   26  −15     4
6 Jeckland                       9    1   1   7    14   28  −14     3

Group H
Kayangan 0–0 Graintfjall
Adyatin 1–3 Siovanija and Teusland
Lorenthia 0–7 HUElavia

Group H                        Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Siovanija and Teusland         9    9   0   0    39   13  +26    18
2 HUElavia                       9    6   0   3    24   15   +9    12
3 Kayangan                       9    4   3   2    12   10   +2    11
4 Graintfjall                    9    2   2   5     6   13   −7     6
5 Adyatin                        9    2   1   6     9   16   −7     5
6 Lorenthia                      9    0   2   7     8   31  −23     2

[Terre Septentrionale]

Terre Septentrionale loses but are still hoping

Ville Jacques-Cartier, DC - Terre Septentrionale lost 1-0 against Ko-oren in an epic goaltending duel between Nico Eggenberger and Aiane Alacia. Krzysztof Klepczynski left the game in the 2nd period after blocking a shot on the penalty kill, he'll likely miss game 10 against New Waldensia. The score was still 0-0 after 40 minutes. Midway in the 3rd period, Kasandra Wojcinowicz was penalised for tripping and Ko-oren ent on the power play. 30 seconds later, Hallady Buck scored from a wrist shot to give a 1-0 lead to Ko-oren. The Nordiques pulled their goalie with 1 minute and a half remaining but were unable to score.

BOXSCORE

1st period
No goal

2nd period
No goal

3rd period
11:38 - Hallady Buck assisted by Jowdah Wamallu and Izan Aiamalod (PPG)

Still hoping

Terre Septentrionale is still hoping to make the playoffs. Game 10 against New Waldensia is a must win and Sarzonia has to tie or lose and Mercedini also have to tie or lose. If Sarzonia ties we'll have the tie break since they'll still be at +4 and the Reprezentacja Nordycki will be at +5 or higher. If Mercedini wins, they have the tie break, unless we win by a lot of goal and they win by just one goal. A triple tie is still possible if Terre Septentrionale and Mercedini wins and Sarzonia draws, then Sarzonia have the tie break on head to head results.

Krzysztof Klepczynski will miss game 10 against New Waldensia. Urszula Zolnierczyk will replace him on the 1st pairing and Wlodzimierz Wawrzynkiewicz will take Zolnierczyk's spot on the 3rd pairing. Coach Georges Grondin also announced Jennifer Ciccarelli will be in net for this game against New Waldensia.

Germain Coutu,
La tribune Septentrionale

[Sarzonia]

Most Sarzonian national ice hockey team fans would have penciled in two losses against Mercedini when the World Cup of Hockey groups were drawn.

After all, Sarzonia were level with multiple teams for the 44th ranking in the multiverse while Mercedini are ranked third. On paper, the match should have been little more than a tune up for the expected juggernaut of Group C.

However, they don't play these matches on paper, much to Mercedini's chagrin. Sarzonia earned a 3-3 draw at their final match at Bank of Sarzonia Arena, being serenaded with a wild ovation that stood in sharp contrast to the boos that greeted them after their loss to Sylestone at the grand opening of the new rink.

Cameron Granato scored twice and added a helper on the tying goal by a double-shifting Sylvan Turcotte. Turcotte's market came at the 18:46 mark of the third period and sent a tense crowd of Navy sweater-clad Stars supporters into delirium.

Here's Dave Rawling's call from the radio broadcast:

"The loose puck picked up in the corner by Hannigan. She passes across ice toward Granato. Granato turns fires a shot! Save by Malinsky, the rebound! TURCOTTE! HE SCORES! WE'RE LEVEL AT THREE! Parsons had just started to skate to the bench for a sixth attacker! It is Sarzonia 3, Mercedini 3!"

Sarzonia goaltender Jacob Parsons made 26 saves to 21 for Mercedini goalie Erik Malinsky. Parsons was most active in the second period as Sarzonia entered the frame with a 1-0 lead on a slap shot from Granato from the point with the Stars on the power play. Mercedini fired 14 of their 29 shots on Parsons during the frame, only getting a goal from Matteo Vranida despite the pressure.

The Kingfishers would take the lead at the 3:12 mark of the third period courtesy of a giveaway by defenceman Erik Weinert as he tried to clear the puck out of the zone with Mercedini on the power play. Bernard Santo capitalised on the error just as centre Alyssa Hannigan was skating out of the penalty box after being called for hooking.

The visitors would extend their lead to 3-1 at the 7:28 mark of the period as Vranida found the range with a blistering shot as defenceman Roberto Signale screened Parsons. Turcotte gathered thr team at centre ice and barked out, "we're not fucking losing this match!" He'd skated over to Coach Paul Bremerton and said, "double me!"

Bremerton saw the look in Turcotte's eyes and agreed. Turcotte would join the Granato-Hannigan line even though he was playing right wing on the second line whilst playing left wing on the first line with Nate Barnes and Matt Davies. However, the Stars quickly cut the Kingfishers lead in half as Turcotte drew the defence's attention on the next shift.

That would set the stage for the real drama.

As Terre Septentrionale media reported, Sarzonia remain in a three-way battle for the second and final knockout round berth out of Group C. They play away to Ko-oren for the final match, while the Nordiques play New Waldensia. The Kingfishers host Sylestone in their group stage finale.

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

Group C                        Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Ko-oren                        9    8   1   0    17    5  +12    17
2 Sarzonia                       9    5   1   3    24   20   +4    11
3 Mercedini                      9    4   2   3    30   22   +8    10
4 Terre Septentrionale           9    5   0   4    29   25   +4    10
5 New Waldensia                  9    1   1   7    16   34  −18     3
6 Sylestone                      9    1   1   7    14   24  −10     3

[Ko-oren]

Part I: Selpernim 1, WBC
Part II: Selpernim 2, RLWC
Part III: Selpernim 3, WBC
Part IV: Selpernim 3, RLWC
Part V: Selpernim 4, RLWC
Part VI: Selpernim 5, WCOH
Part VII: Selpernim 6, WCOH
Part VIII: Selpernim 8, RLWC
Part IX: Selpernim 10, AOCAF
Part X: Selpernim 11, RLWC
Part XI: Selpernim 11, WCOH

A summer of sports with Leligun Thernasthen

Selpernim 14/Sweltersky 14

Egevea
With the WCOH running on, I'm finally getting closer to the epicentre of Ko-orenite ice hockey. First, however, I'm stopping in Egevea. Don't tell the Egeveans I didn't name their city the epicentre, though. Egevea has an interesting ice hockey history of its own, as devoted to the sport as that city further north, Aevanna, and even has two clubs in the highest league of the nation. The Egevea Islanders, and the Egevea Northerners. That last team is constantly reminded that Aevanna is further north, and so the Egevea Northerners are the 7th most northern club in the competition of only 12 clubs (given that the Islanders have their offices a few blocks north of the Northerners).

From Narkas, I took a ferry here, semi-directly. There's an entire island between Narkas and here, where most of Aerellen's towns are located. None of them grew out larger than about 50,000 souls, given the hilly terrain and how little there's possible there in terms of construction, agriculture, and so on. Stopping at Azuren, Avimoren, Arboren, all located on that intermediate island, took quite a bit of time. I forgot to take that into account, and I thought we were well under way until we had to stop three times, navigate to the terminal, etcetera. Egevea has few of the restrictions that Arboren and the other towns have, located on a larger plain, and as such grew out to be Aerellen's second largest town.

Town, because there aren't exactly large cities here. That said, these places are still growing and Aerellen notched the highest population growth percentage of two decades ago, giving rise to Aevanna's status as regional capital and its airport. Sudaefjoll is the quicker grower now, actually.

Egevea is also the town with a university campus - again, formally registered in Aevanna, but it's all Egevean through and through - namely Ko-oren's only ecological university. In this town, the effects of climate change have been noticeable: melting ice further inland has made floods more freqent, while fewer trees are eroding the coastline and several other banks along the river. To study these effects, which have been observed decades ago, Ko-oren's 43rd university was granted. Currently, the university has its own grounds with miniature versions of the coastline, studying various effects on erosion, caused by all kinds of different circumstances. Going even further than that, in the glaciers further inland, the university has started its own seed vault programmes, as well as all kinds of ice layer experiments, finding out what the atmosphere was like when those layers were formed. The town's size, how easy it is to get there, as well as the subpolar climate, has made it a tremendously respected institute in its short history.

When Ko-oren opened up to foreign business, the government also made sure to sign treaties to protect whatever needs to be protected, be it markets, be it the environment. One of these has been the Environmental Conservation Organization (mind the Z), with its regional offices located in Egevea. While Sudaefjoll is leading the country in the technology revolution, our national - instrumental - programmes in studying and maintaining the environment are led from here. And with current trends, we will be sure to hear more and more from Egevea.

The ECO, with its associated Jobe Protocol, has nine specialist groups, for amphibians to fungi, from reptiles to plants... and an insect division, led from Furune. Not in Egevea, where insects are naturally less visible. Still, professor Eiko Suehira (teacher at Furune and the official ECO chairperson) makes frequent (virtual) visits to Egevea to hold lectures there.

[Delaclava]

DSGN.com Hockey

Qualified Phoenixes coast to draw, rest up for Valanora clash

Quinniville, ST -- Michael Garrard scored his first goal of the tournament and Jonathan Bagley stopped 36 of 37 shots in his international debut as Delaclava drew Natanians and Nosts 1-1 in front of an appreciative crowd of 10,234 gathered around Lake Preston.

The game was initially expected to have a bit more heat, but Arthur Lemaire had previously alerted his team and the public that several key players would be resting, should The Sherpa Empire fail to defeat Valanora in the earlier game. A watch party was held at the venue, and when the Calcuttas continued their perfect run with a 4-2 victory, the players and fans could finally celebrate Delaclava's official qualification for the Round of 16. Lemaire then opted to scratch his top lines of Jehiel Abreu, Evan Sexton, Alex Coburn, Antoine Clement, Radovan Nemec, and Tom Sutton. Bagley thus got his first start, while Janne Laaksonen suited up as backup goalie for the first time, and Bronson Kyle, Josh Chalmers, and Matt Malone saw their first action of the tournament. Garrard served as captain with Jaroslav Hlavacek as an alternate captain.

The lineup deviated somewhat from the more deliberate style usually practiced, but nevertheless looked effective in moving the puck and generating scoring chances. While the Natanian goalie was equally impressive to Bagley throughout the game, with 38 saves on 39 shots, the Phoenixes finally opened the scoring by establishing possession in the offensive area. Chalmers came down the middle from the point to draw defenders, then kicked out to Nicolas Mahut on the left wing. Mahut's shot was deflected by Garrard in front, past the goalie's blocker and in. The small but enthusiastic crowd tried to rally their team to extending their lead, but the next goal instead came on a Natanian breakaway after a broken connection between Drew Ellis and Marco van Houten. The winger was poorly controlled in his drive to the net and in the end he, Bagley, and the puck crashed into the net at about the same time. Despite Lemaire's protestations for interference, and that the net had been knocked off its moorings, the goal stood, with eighteen seconds remaining in the second period.

The Phoenixes pressed forward in the third, to the delight of the home crowd, but the opposing goalie turned aside all 15 shots in the period, Bagley held firm with nine saves and the match ended in the stalemate. The Delaclava national team then greeted and acknowledged the fans, focusing less on the day's result than the distinction of having officially qualified for the next phase of the competition. As Garrard explained, "We wish we'd gotten the official call on our rink instead of someone else's, but we got our moment in Kalinin, we got the applause and the support today, so it's all worth it. We have some big challenges remaining and we're absolutely ready to take those on."

Lemaire alleviated any concerns about rust heading into the playoffs, promising that the team would be playing at full strength to take on their final group stage challenge: a road game in Valanora. While Valanora sits firmly in first and Delaclava firmly in second, Valanora will hope to close out a perfect 10-0 group stage, and both squads will be jockeying for position in hopes of getting a favorable draw when the playoff seedings are announced. Should Delaclava fail to earn a point, they may very well be facing Siovanija and Teusland, who is also working on a perfect record in Group H. If Delaclava can draw or even defeat Valanora, they would be looking at a more favorable opponent, the likes of Quebec, Savojarna, or fellow defensive powerhouse Ko-oren.

Delaclava 1–1 Natanians and Nosts

1st: None.
2nd: DEL, Garrard 1 (Mahut 3, Chalmers 1) 32:04. NTN 39:42.
3rd: None.

Saves: DEL, Bagley 13-14-9--36. NTN 14-9-15--38.

[Valanora]

"The Calcuttas have been utterly dominant this World Cup of Hockey, a bit of a shame that the media is not covering the tournament as heavily as they usually cover sports. Though with everything that is going on in the empire, I suppose it is natural that some things would get overlooked. However at least the games are still on the television even if the news outlets were not covering them much with reports or highlight packages."

"Everything has its priorities and with the death of the Emperor, it is as your say a bit natural for things to fall behind in the priorities. In the grand scope of things, how the Calcuttas are doing in the tournament pales in comparison to how the nation is handling itself following the death of our leader and what is going to be done about that. Watching the matches for the Calcuttas as well as the entire tournament as a whole actually is a nice little distraction from all the things going on in our everyday lives. The national teams could be seen as something as a rallying or unifying force in this time of tension and despair and confusion for the nation. With so much uncertainty in the air with the nation, this moments of being able to push it aside and focus on something as simple as a sports match are quite welcomed."

"Quite right but I would quite like it if the Valanora Times would produce match reports for the games for the Calcuttas at least, if not for the entire tournament itself. Perhaps once the political situation is a bit more stable, everything will return to something resembling normalcy and we can get back to things as they were."

"Everyone knows that is likely not going to happen and even if it is the way it does happen, it will definitely not be as easy as a new Emperor or Empress being named and everyone will just go back to what they were doing before the death of Hector. The Empire has been changing for quite awhile and we have been reluctant to acknowledge it, yet our ignorance or pretending of its lack of existence does not make it so. While some of the changes might be subtle, they are there and we have to adjust to them. I suppose you could say that we have to change to the dynamic world around us the same way that the Calcuttas have to change to the dynamic situation of their games, changing the lines on the ice or even the line configurations to suit the situation."

"Funny thing that, the way we can see the way the life works and how lessons of sports can be applied to our everyday lives."

[Siovanija and Teusland]

Hockey Today Magazine

Ehrenliga’s Finest

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

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 continue to look at the career of Oskar Kirsche, after his playing days were done.

Oskar Kirsche had been looking for something to do ever since his retirement, and that opportunity came to him through a job coaching his old team, the Shoringen Penguins. The Penguins were quickly on the ups under Kirsche, going from out of the playoffs in his first year to second in the league by his final year. He put together a tough, physical squad that just bullied other teams, and wore them down. Kirsche’s Penguins would reach a Stockmann Cup Final in his last year as coach, but it wasn’t to be, as they lost to the Krakovo Cardinals in 6 games.

Kirsche would win the 2. Ehrenliga’s Coach of the Year Award, however, and his name was consistently being linked with various Ehrenliga clubs. While Kirsche’s Penguins played for the Stockmann Cup, the team Kirsche played his only Ehrenliga game with, Eisbaren Stelburg, were struggling. They hadn’t made the playoffs in 4 seasons, and had finished second-last in the league last season. Needing change, and wanting to make a move, GM Rupert Hafer fired coach Willy Klemme. Just two weeks later, Oskar Kirsche was appointed the head coach of Eisbaren Stelburg ahead of season 61 of the Ehrenliga.

This was a very interesting era for the league. The Republic Hockey League (RHL), which had been formed as a competitor to the Ehrenliga, had been struggling for years now. It started as 8 clubs, went down to 6, back up to 8, and was now at 12 in its final years - but was struggling for attendance, finances and quality of play for many teams. At the end of season 60, the league folded, and some of its better clubs were absorbed into the Ehrenliga as the league went from 12 to 18 teams. The Stahlberg Steelers, Teufelsberg Devils, Pinguine Ternau, EHC Kosmopolit, Raketa Bukovets and Admirala Pomorie joined the league at this time. Pomorie had been the most successful club in the RHL, but none of these teams was predicted to do much. Before the year, the old Teus Division and Siovanijan Divisions were eliminated, and the league changed to a format with no divisions, and the top 8 of the 18 teams would make the playoffs. Already, there were major changes coming.

The biggest signal of the new era, however, was a certain star player entering his second season in the league in season 61. Anatol Weisz had been drafted first overall by the Kaiserhaven Knights, an absolute phenom coming out of junior, and he had begun to make an impact already, coming 3rd in scoring during his rookie year. The Knights had a strong cast of characters around him, including RW Marcel Erlbaum, C Richard Ganz, D Horst Weider and G Arnold Leiner. They looked to be the team to beat, although they had not proven themselves as winners yet: a great run through the playoffs in Weisz’s rookie year came to a halt in the Teus Division final as the Knights were swept by the Stelburg Kaisers, who shut him down completely. There were clear questions to answer, then, for Weisz.

Oskar Kirsche and Eisbaren Stelburg, meanwhile, had questions of their own. The club had had various high draft picks over the last few years, and combined with some decent signings, looked to be on the way up. C Gunter Potthast was the star of the team, a smooth-skating, disciplined forward, while LW Malte Baumer and RW Mario Kromer provided some size. At the back end, D Bruno Oberhausen and Heinz Kott were big, scary players who would get tougher as the years went by. In net, it was Wenzel Grabner, a very athletic goalie who had just been acquired in a trade from the Saints.

Kirsche’s first year with Eisbaren wasn’t lights-out, but it showed great promise for the future. The club went 32-9-27, finishing 10th in the league and just missing out on the playoffs. Potthast had a strong year, but Baumer was quickly rising in stock. Kirsche hadn’t really implanted his style on them, however, and decided to make some moves to better his team. A big trade was made to acquire C Gerwald Falkenberg, a physical shutdown centre, while young LW Jannick Voight had a great year in the minors with Kischfeld and earned a role on the team for the next season. While all of this was going on, the Kaiserhaven Knights and Anatol Weisz advanced to the Strauss Cup Final, but were defeated 4-2 by Rudar Trkev.

Kirsche and Eisbaren meant business in his second year with the club. They posted a 43-7-18 record, good enough for 5th in the league, and if it wasn’t for a midseason injury to Grabner could’ve been even higher. That meant an appearance in the Strauss Cup playoffs for the first time in Kirsche’s coaching career. In the first round, Eisbaren faced a good Energija Chernovets team and pulled out a character win in 7 games, Gerwald Falkenberg showing his value to the team. In the second round, however, they would run into Anatol Weisz and the Kaiserhaven Knights.

The Knights had toughened up a bit, combining a system of high-octane offence with what was called the ‘Bodyguards,’ protecting Weisz from some of the game’s heavy hitters. Former Seelowe Marlesee defenceman Elmo Stieler was a big part of this, as was defender Horst Weider. The intention of Eisbaren was made clear in game one: pound Weisz as much as possible. They would shut the star down in that game, but it was his supporting cast that secured the game, Richard Ganz getting the winner. Kaiserhaven would also take games two and three, before Eisbaren Stelburg fought back with a big win in game 4 and then saving their season in game 5 overtime thanks to a goal from Potthast. Anatol Weisz, however, dominated game 6, scoring 4 points, and Kaiserhaven took the series and advanced to the Strauss Cup Final. There, they would win their first Cup.

Kirsche’s club improved the next season, setting an Ehrenliga record with 9 players scoring 20 or more goals in the season. Eisbaren recorded a 49-6-13 record to finish 3rd place in the league, the club’s best finish in several years. In the first round, they faced the club’s crosstown rival, the Stelburg Kaisers, in a battle for civic pride. The Kaisers gave them a tougher series than most expected, but Eisbaren pulled out the win in 6 games. The second round saw Eisbaren defeat Rudar Trkev in 5 games, as they advanced to the Strauss Cup Final for the first time. Who would they meet in that final?

Who else but the Kaiserhaven Knights. Weisz had set Ehrenliga records that year with 77 goals and 192 points in 68 games - a goalscoring record that still stands in the league today. The Knights were far and away the best team in the Ehrenliga that year, and they would prove it as they dispatched Eisbaren Stelburg 4-1 in the Finals series to lift their second straight Strauss Cup.

Eisbaren clearly needed to make some changes in the offseason, to try and do something to lift their chances of taking home a Strauss Cup. The big move came in a huge offseason trade that sent Malte Baumer and Heinz Kott to the Stahlberg Steelers in exchange for star LW Dieter Grasshoff. Grasshoff had scored 50 goals the year prior, and was a great player to add alongside Gunter Potthast. At the back end, Kott’s minutes were eaten up by two young defenders coming up, Niels Bendel and Tim Henlein.

Eisbaren’s season didn’t go exactly as planned, however. Grasshoff struggled with injuries throughout the year, and wasn’t his best. Bendel and Henlein struggled to take the next step. As a result, the club slumped to a 39-8-21 record, good enough for 6th in the league. In the playoffs, however, they experienced renewed energy and in a first round series with Kapitala Borograd, came back from a 3-2 deficit to win the series in 7 games. That set them up for a second round series against, of course, Anatol Weisz and the Kaiserhaven Knights.

Weisz had a ‘down’ year by his standards, only leading the league in points for the fourth straight year with 157. The Knights perhaps underestimated Eisbaren a bit, especially what Dieter Grasshoff would add to the team, and Eisbaren were able to sneak a win in game 1. The Knights roared to a 7-2 win in game 2, but it was against Eisbaren Stelburg winning in game 3 overtime to take a 2-1 series lead. That would be the last game that they’d win in the series, however, Kaiserhaven sorted things out en route to a third straight Cup.

Eisbaren’s next season was another one that didn’t really go as planned, with key injuries to several players. The club finished 7th in the league, and lost out in the first round of the playoffs against the Stelburg Kaisers. The Kaisers would go on to be the first team to break up the Kaiserhaven dynasty, defeating the Knights in a 7-game Finals series to win the club’s 18th Strauss Cup title. You had to wonder, then, if this was a huge opportunity missed for Eisbaren - if they’d been healthy, could it have been them, finally, standing at the top?

Healthy and rested up, the club were back with a vengeance the next season. Dieter Grasshoff scored 56, Gunter Potthast was third in points scoring, and Eisbaren finished first in the league with a 51-7-10 record. It was the first time the club had won the Avramov Bowl since the end of the Original 6 era, and with things up in the air made them favourites in the playoffs. Kirsche won the Michael Alnter Trophy as coach of the year. The first round was easy, with Eisbaren sweeping Energija Chernovets. In the second round, they got some revenge on the Stelburg Kaisers in a 4-3 series win, setting up a Strauss Cup Final against their enemies, the Kaiserhaven Knights.

It was supposed to be their year, until it wasn’t. The teams played a back-and-forth series through the first 6 games, each side getting key moments to take momentum from into the final game. In that decisive game 7, however, it was the Anatol Weisz show: 2 goals and an assist in a 4-3 win for the Kaiserhaven Knights, as they won their fourth Strauss Cup in 5 years. The game was tied late in the third before Weisz scored on a power-play to take the lead. Eisbaren were beaten again, and you’d have to wonder if they would ever beat the Kaiserhaven Knights.

That offseason, the Ehrenliga was changed in an instant when Anatol Weisz was traded from the Knights to the Stelburg Kaisers. It took the hockey world by surprise, and turned the Kaisers into league favourites instantly. Why did the trade happen? There are endless theories - mafia, forced by the league, forced by Weisz’s wife, etc. At the end of the day, however, the best player in the league was now suiting up in Stelburg - but not for Kirsche and Eisbaren.

You got the sense that this was a do-or-die year for Kirsche at Eisbaren. His relationship with GM Rupert Hafer had been declining throughout the years, and the team’s failure to overcome their Knights demons had taken a further toll. There was very much an atmosphere around the team that the club needed to win the Strauss Cup that season.

Eisbaren played well all year, finishing 3rd in the league and setting up a date in the first round with Rudar Trkev. They’d win that series in 5, setting them up with a date with the Kaiserhaven Knights once again in the second round. Despite the loss of Weisz, the Knights were still a good team - Richard Ganz was now the leader, and Horst Weider had just won his 4th Defenceman of the Year Award in a row - the trophy would soon be renamed the Stanislav Slezak Trophy. Finally, however, they would get past the nights - in 6 games. Dieter Grossman scored in double overtime to ‘slay the dragon’. Waiting for them in the Strauss Cup Final, however, were the neighbours - and Anatol Weisz.

It was a classic all-Stelburg Cup Final matchup - one that had happened so often in the Original 6 days, but not once since then. It was hyped, every possible storyline discussed, was it finally Eisbaren’s year or would the Kaisers take the Cup? In the end, Anatol Weisz stepped up, and brought the Kaisers a Cup win in 5 games. After the season, Oskar Kirsche’s contract with Eisbaren Stelburg was not renewed. He was once again a free agent.

Kirsche considered retirement, again, and in fact spent some time in the summer as an RBC Sports commentator for the Alumni Cup tournament. When a call came from Seelowe Marlesee GM Johan Greiss, however, Kirsche had to listen. Greiss had built the famous ‘Mean Marlesee Machine’ that had taken 2 Cups, and had built a new team more adjusted to the times: Lothar Weinwurm was still there, and now was flanked by names such as LW Kunz Bendel, RW Patrik Welker, D Stefan Lieber and G Victor Grassel. It was a feisty team, and one perfectly suited for Kirsche’s style: a hard-working, tough team with an us against the world mentality.

Marlesee would reach the second round of the playoffs in year one, losing to the eventual champions Olympia Borograd. In Kirsche’s second year, however, the team was rejuvenated with a midseason trade for one of Kirsche’s old Eisbaren Stelburg favourites: Gerwald Falkenberg was acquired for future considerations. Though Falkenberg was now old and past his best, he along with Weinwurm provided an excellent veteran presence. The club finished 4th in the league, setting up a first round series with Admirala Pomorie.

Pomorie looked good in game 1, beating Marlesee 4-1, but failed to match that intensity the rest of the way: Marlesee would win the series in 5 games. Shockingly, the #1 seed Stelburg Kaisers were defeated in the first round by a young Stahlberg Steelers squad led by goaltender Sebastien Seitz. With Anatol Weisz out of the playoffs, things were opening up. Marlesee faced Olympia Borograd in their semifinal series, winning it in 6 games to advance to the Strauss Cup Final. In the other semifinal, the Steelers again pulled out an upset, defeating Eisbaren Stelburg in 7 games. Kirsche just missed a date with destiny against his old team, but was now facing the surprise package of the playoffs.

Seitz would ensure the series was close, but Marlesee dominated Stahlberg all series: the Steelers offence was shut down by the centres Weinwurm and Falkenberg, while Kunz Bendel scored in each of the first 3 games. Seelowe Marlesee won the series in 6 games to win the Strauss Cup title, the first of Oskar Kirsche’s career. With his contract up for renewal at the end of the year, Kirsche decided it would be best to end on a high note. Alongside both Weinwurm and Falkenberg, Oskar Kirsche retired as a coach after season 69.

Again, Kirsche was questioning what he should do next. Was it finally time to ride off into the sunset, Strauss Cup ring on hand? Of course not - that would never be an option for the coach whose name was synonymous with loud suits, loud post-game quotes, and losing to Anatol Weisz in the playoffs. He was offered a position with RBC Sports as a commentator for Hockey Night in Siovanija & Teusland the next season, and accepted the job.

Kirsche struggled, however, as a commentator. Working as the colour man, he found it hard to get his points across quick enough. What was worse, from RBC’s perspective, was his propensity to openly cheer for Eisbaren Stelburg, Seelowe Marlesee and the Stelburg Kaisers. It was clear that Kirsche as a commentator would not work - but RBC felt he could be something special in a different role.

RBC Sports Producer Alfons Adelmann decided to create a new first-intermission segment, called ‘Kirsche’s Corner,’ featuring Kirsche and HNiST’s at the time host, Nils Remensberger. The Kirsche/Remensberger duo lacked a bit of chemistry, however, and when Remensberger quit Hockey Night at the end of season 71, he was replaced with Ronald Mensing.

Mensing was younger blood, and quickly became a fan-favourite as host of Hockey Night’s coverage throughout the day. Even better, he hit it off with Kirsche immediately. Despite having seriously different backgrounds - Mensing had never played hockey, and represented the newer generation, against Kirsche’s years of experience in the game and old-school style - the two became close friends and had great on-screen chemistry.

Kirsche rose to popularity quickly in his new role as a proponent of physical play in the Ehrenliga. A particular instance saw him criticize Olympia Borograd RW Silvester Marek for ‘being a coward out there’, which earned the agreement of many fans - particularly in Teusland - but also the furor of Olympia Borograd, whose GM Ctibor Svenek called for Kirsche to be fired. Kirsche rapidly became a cultural figure in Teusland - the good Teus boy who worked hard to get to his stardom and represented the fast, physical game of hockey loved by Teus fans. In Siovanija, he was viewed as angry and not willing to accept the changes in the game.

Over the years, Kirsche’s character on Hockey Night became well-known for his flamboyant suits, his predictions for the Strauss Cup each year, and his love of various players. He would make reference to specific plays that kids playing the game should take note of - ‘keep your head up, kids’ was a common phrase.

Of course, there was also controversy. Kirsche’s tendency to rant made plenty of fans, but also plenty of enemies - particularly in Siovanija, as he often targeted their teams and players for being ‘weak’ or ‘cowards’. At Game 1 of the Strauss Cup Finals in Borograd during season 90, he was booed by the home Olympia Borograd fans. In response, at Game 3 in Stelburg, Eisbaren Stelburg fans gave him a hero’s welcome and hung a banner depicting Kirsche giving his famous thumbs-up gesture. This represented his duality: beloved in Teusland, mixed feelings in Siovanija.

This tension came to a boiling point in season 94. During a ‘Kirsche’s Corner’ segment during a Hockey Night game between Kapitala Borograd and Olympia Borograd, Kirsche commentated on visors becoming more popular on players’ helmets by saying ‘it’s mostly Siovanijan guys that wear them anyways.’ There was immediately an outcry in Siovanija, with many people calling for his removal from Hockey Night. In Teusland, on the other hand, Kirsche enjoyed public support, with many pointing to statistics showing his comment was factually correct. Kirsche was not fired, and refused to apologize at the time. For the rest of season 94, Kirsche’s Corner segments were not shown on Siovanijan-language broadcasts of the game.

Over time, however, Kirsche has significantly softened. “I realized that what I was saying might not be good for the country as a whole - all of us,” he said during one Kirsche’s Corner segment, and added that “I made some mistakes in the way I talked about Siovanija in the past, and while I’ll never get the names correct, I’m hoping to move forwards.” Many in Siovanija accepted the admission, while many also did not change their opinion on Kirsche. In the years since, Kirsche has still had some minor controversies relating to Siovanijan players and teams, but is no longer such a source of contention.

A typical ‘Kirsche’s Corner’ segment involves Ronald Mensing asking Kirsche’s thoughts on the Hockey Night game of the week, as well as various other headlines around the league. Kirsche will usually comment specifically on fights and big hits, both of which he is a major advocate for. Kirsche’s suits, tendency to mispronounce names of Siovanijan players (and, since the beginning of Siovanija & Teusland’s participation in international hockey, foreign players as well), and catchphrases such as ‘I tell ya!’ have become famous in national hockey culture.

Oskar Kirsche has become a staple of Hockey Night in Siovanija & Teusland, the most popular television program in the country - and given his history in hockey in this country, one of many storied names in our game. Despite all those losses to Anatol Weisz, his name will forever be on the Strauss Cup. And while ‘Kirsche’s Corner’ will surely someday end - Kirsche himself predicts it’ll go down ‘in a ball of flames, no doubt’ - for now, we’ll sit back and enjoy the show.

Oskar Kirsche’s Coaching Career Highlights

• Strauss Cup Winner (Seelowe Marlesee, season 69)
• 2. Ehrenliga Coach of the Year x1 (Season 59)
• Michael Alnter Trophy (Ehrenliga CotY) x2 (Season 66, 69)
• Ehrenliga Coaching Record: 322-80-210
• Coached 3 seasons in 2. Ehrenliga, 9 in Ehrenliga
• Coached Eisbaren Stelburg, Seelowe Marlesee

World Cup of Hockey Matchday 9
Adyatin vs Siovanija & Teusland
@ Adyatin

Scoring Summary

First Period

No scoring

Second Period

8:44: Goldhorns goal scored by Timo Schlager (PP), assisted by Heider, Mihelic (0-1)
13:20: Goldhorns goal scored by Timo Schlager (2), assisted by Heider, Tsvetanov (0-2)
18:53: Adyatin goal scored by Pavel Katorenko, assisted by Volkov, Andreyev (1-2)

Third Period

19:06: Goldhorns goal scored by Erhard Lasker (EN), assisted by Knejz, Schwarzmann (1-3)

End of Game: Adyatin 1-3 Siovanija & Teusland

[Fluvannia]

[ARENA SPORTSZONE TRANSCRIPT]

(A pair of men are seated behind a newsdesk in a television studio.)

"Good evening everyone, and welcome to Sportszone! Stuart van Pelt with my longtime co-host Taro Tsujimoto, and if you haven't heard it by now, we don't know where you've been. Fluvannian national hockey team gets a huge win against Banija, the undefeated first-place team in Group E going into the ninth game of the World Cup of Hockey. This puts them in third with one game left, and boy is there a logjam in the standings now. Poafmersia sit in second with twelve points, the Bears in third with eleven, and Equestria in fourth, also with eleven; the Bears hold the tiebreaker against Equestria, but not against Poafmersia if they end up tied. Things are looking pretty good for them, too -- they play their final game tomorrow on the road against last-place Chromatika. Meanwhile, Poafmersia plays Banija, and Equestria plays Flekkefjord, so they're likely to earn at least a point. Now though, we go to Rochester, where Fluvannia national coach Wayne Cassidy is joining us by video chat. Coach, thanks for joining us."

(Video feed cuts to a mug shot of a different man, standing in an empty hockey arena.)

WC: "Stuart, thanks for having me."

SVP: "First, coach, let's talk the team's performance today. Your thoughts post-game?"

WC: "Well, we played a pretty complete game, first and foremost. Puck possession was pretty evenly-split, but when we had the puck we did a good job of both keeping it and making opportunities for ourselves. Granted, only two of those went in, but full credit to their goaltender, he was lights-out all night."

SVP: "Now both Fluvannian goals came courtesy of special teams in one form or another. Banija's goal game at even strength, known to sort of be their specialty. Did the knowledge of their weaknesses on special teams factor into your game plan at all?"

WC: "Well, to a point, yeah. Obviously the first one makes sense, we succeeded in drawing a penalty for a trip and then did well with the opportunity that we had as a result. Nice cycle-goal, get the puck moving and then shoot and clean up whatever happens in front of the net. Anybody who's watched the FHL over the years know Pat's a master at picking pucks out of scrums, whether those be faceoffs or net-mouth scrambles, and he delivered here again. Second one, though, that's one of those that always feel nice. With Chuck in the box for a hook, Henry picks the d-man's pocket in our end and walks it down for a shorty. It's never one of those things you tell him to try, because obviously if it fails it's a big hole you've created, but I'm totally fine with him picking his spots and acting on them."

SVP: "You guys go to Chromatika tomorrow and try to punch your ticket. Is it getting difficult to keep the focus, knowing that you have a chance but it's not entirely in your hands?"

WC: "Honestly, I think it's been getting easier to focus. We know what we need to do, and the better we do it, the less we need to worry about whatever else is going on in our group."

SVP: "That's good to hear for a big chunk of our viewers, I'm sure." (chuckles) "Fluvannia national hockey coach Wayne Cassidy, coach, thanks for being here, good luck tomorrow."

WC: "Thanks for having me Stuart, always a pleasure."

(Video feed cuts back to the studio.)

SVP: "Since I'm sure many of you out there will be keeping tabs on some of the scores -- as will I, honestly -- here are some things to keep in mind. Fluvannia advances if one of two scenarios occur. Scenario one: Bears win and Poafmersia does not beat Banija -- they don't have to lose, they just can't win. Scenario two: Bears tie Chromatika, Banija beats Poafmersia, and Equestria ties or loses against Flekkefjord. Obviously, the former is the easier path, but either way -- if they're in, they're in! Alright, after the break, we get some more analysis, plus Union Cup Playoffs talk, hurling, and some national soccer team news."

(Cuts to commercial.)

[PotatoFarmers]

Suddenly 2 high-scoring matches is what is going to propel Poafmersia to 2nd place. A 2 rather interesting high-scoring matches, for that matter.
First it was an away match against Fiekkefjord. Though they were lingering at the bottom without a single win, their team's morale remained interestingly high. Though they had a small population size of around 19 thousand, the home stadium was packed to the brim, stacked with over 3 thousand home fans. The home fans were wildly supportive of their home side, and considering that ice hockey is a big thing within Flekkefjord, it is not a surprise to see such a large crowd. It would be Gabriel Birger that helped the home side score first, scoring a really nice slap shot that got the defence. The Golden Phoenixes got 1 back before the end of the 1st period, with Kwaku Hermansson being the saviour as Hermansson took a nice pass from Diogo Aita and forced it past the goalkeeper. A high power shot that saw quite a huge rebound as it left the goalpost (How it happened, we don't know).
The second half saw the attack getting romped up. 3 minutes in, Soner Elzinga did a nice check against the wall, forcing it towards the corner. Øyvind Reidar came over to fight for the puck, and won it. Just as he passed it straight in front towards Konrad Lukas, Hulderic Schindler intercepted it and went straight for goal. Johannes Alfred blocked it in time to return the puck to Reidar, but Reidar messed up and the puck went back to Yuriy Sokoll. When Sokoll got hold of the puck, that was it as he did a flick of the wrist to get it past Alfred and give Poafmersia a 2-1 lead. However, the opposition pressed and attacked really hard, forcing the play to within the Poafmersian's defensive half. Dempsey and Sharma came on at the back, but they weren't able to stop Verner Aksel, who brought in a really nice decoy to fool the defenders and get in the equaliser just 2 minutes later. With 8 minutes towards the end of the clock, the lead changed hands again, with Gustav Torgils and Aksel making really good link-up plays to allow Aksel to score again. The hosts barely held the lead for 3 minutes, and lost it again after Cóemgein Baird scores his 2nd goal after getting a nice check against the wall, getting to the other side of it, and then bouncing the puck off the goalposts to get it in. Just when you thought we had enough goals, it would be Dempsey who makes another long-range shot, finding a defence who wasn't prepared for it, and gets it past the line to allow Poafmersia to lead 4-3 going into the 3rd period.
Third period came, and as the opposition brought in their first line once again to stack the firepower, Poafmersia switched to the 4th line and 3rd pair to stall the game. Unexpectedly, Poafmersia got a goal in the most bizarre of manners. Boreas McGee wanted to make a rear check and hope Rama McDevitt gets it, but an error by the opposition defence saw Truls Olaf kick the puck backwards towards goal. It was ruled as a goal by McGee, but the weirdness of the goal meant that nothing was at play. Then Sabri Colquhoun got sent off for making a terrible foul, and Fiekkefjord got hold of a penalty. With the penalty kill unit, it was Birger who scored a goal first for Fiekkefjord, before Sharma also managed to get in a long-range shot in to much cheers from the away fans. Switching back to the main lines, Diogo Aita managed to steal another goal after sneaking it in, before Julius Johannes completes the night with a nice slapshot to give the hosts some consolation.

Then we go on with the match against Equestria. A really hard fought draw is what we could say. The match was completely bonkers with plays up and down the field. The opposition performed in a manner which was not human-like (I mean they are our equestrian counterparts, right), but the home fans cheered them on and on. The first 2 lines rotated really hard, each taking turns to break the opposition defence and ensuring that the team doesn't lag behind a lot. After a long battle including 8 goals, Poafmersia managed to secure a draw, though the players were disapointed they were not able to mesh in a win.

Group E                        Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Banija                         9    7   1   1    25    9  +16    15
2 Poafmersia                     9    5   2   2    29   25   +4    12
3 Fluvannia                      9    4   3   2    23   20   +3    11
4 Equestria                      9    4   3   2    24   20   +4    11
5 Fiekkefjord                    9    1   1   7    27   41  −14     3
6 Chromatika                     9    1   0   8    11   24  −13     2

Where did those 3 points net us? Well, Poafmersia is currently 2nd with a nice 5-2-2 record, but Fluvannia and Equestria are both a point behind. With Head-to-Head Points being ahead of Overall Goal Difference in terms of tiebreaker, a win over top-side Banija is necessary to qualify for the Round of 16. That would mean that our Golden Phoenixes need to cause an upset to get an upset qualification into the Round of 16. (Needing an upset to cause another upset. Nice.) Meanwhile, Fluvannia plays Chromatika and Equestria plays Fiekkefjord, which are 2 easy matchups for both Fiekkefjord and Equestria. A draw against Banija and wins for both Fluvannia and Equestria brings it to Head-to-Head. For your information, these has been how the matchups have went thus far:

H2H between Poafmersia and Fluvannia
MD1: Fluvannia 2–2 Poafmersia
MD6: Poafmersia 3–2 Fluvannia
H2H Points: Poafmersia 3, Fluvannia 1

H2H between Equestria and Fluvannia
MD3: Fluvannia 3–3 Equestria
MD8: Equestria 3–4 Fluvannia
H2H Points: Fluvannia 3, Equestria 1

H2H between Poafmersia and Fluvannia
MD4: Equestria 5–3 Poafmersia
MD9: Poafmersia 4–4 Equestria
H2H Points: Equestria 3, Poafmersia 1

Combined H2H Points (all 3): Poafmersia 4, Fluvannia 4, Equestria 4
Combined H2H GD (all 3): Equestria 1, Fluvannia 0, Poafmersia -1

You can tell the problem - unless Equestria loses, Poafmersia doesn't stand an advantage in H2H. A draw for us and a win for Equestria means that Equestria has better overall GD as compared to us. Similar things can be said about Fluvannia if they score a big win, which is why the Golden Phoenixes will aim for an upset win to get that upset knockout stage qualification they need. TL;DR? If Poafmersia wins, Poafmersia qualifies. If Poafmersia loses instead, Poafmersia needs Equestria to lose and Fluvannia to not win so as to qualify. If Poafmersia draws, we just need Equestria to not win.

Box Score:
Fiekkefjord 5
Gabriel Birger 7:44, 47:24
Verner Aksel 28:10, 31:53
Julius Johannes 59:48

Poafmersia 7
Kwaku Hermansson 16:49
Yuriy Sokoll 23:17
Cóemgein Baird 35:12
Bartholomaios Dempsey 38:02
Boreas McGee 44:29
Dan Sharma 48:38
Diogo Aita 53:59

---

Poafmersia 4
Simon Pesti 6:14
Soner Elzinga 33:12
Jada Esposito 38:57
Kwaku Hermansson 49:00

Equestria 4
Some Pony 18:12, 27:49, 44:36, 55:11

[TJUN-ia]

It was tight, but the Ice Jags fell in The Rink. Abanhfleft were just too good and they won 1-0, via a goal with 5 minutes to play in the 3rd period. The draw was within reach, but it wasn't to be.

But we have certainly done better than the last WCoH - 5 wins and a draw is better than 1 OT win. The Ice Jags, like the Jaguars of Gridiron, played their hearts out to unbelievable highs but are just short of the playoffs.

We will end our campaign against group-winners Savojarna - let's see if we can give them a little scare before they fly to Quebec. 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 L 0-1 (3rd)/ELIMINATED
MD10: @Savojarna (11)

[Gyatso-kai]

.:: Main Ice, Tribal Saddledome, Augnuook, Southern Water Tribes, Gyatso-kai::.
0720 hours local time, 9 August 2020.3

I cannot believe it… My second multi-verse shutout…

As Shu Pianhuo stood in-between the pipes for their last morning skate of the Group Stage, his mind was wondering a bit. Just ten matchdays ago, he was a successful netminder out of Republic City State University and only a year into his entry level contract with the AHL team that had drafted him, and now, he was just the third goaltender in Avatarian history to have a win streak of more than six, as well as the first goaltender since The Silence to have multiple shutouts during a tournament.

And against Top-20 Kelssek…Wow.

He slide on the ice, shifting his weight and dropping to a knee in that ever-robotic manner that most goalies tended to do before standing back up. Coming towards him, Hosaka Severii was pushing into the offensive zone with the puck, and sweeping to Shu’s left side. So predictable, Shu thought as he took his stance. Behind Hosaka, Kil’or Alecyc was chasing down the team’s leading scorer as of late, and Shu began to run the numbers as it were in his head. He tends to go glove high, but he has been trying to improve his deeks. Maybe he’ll shift the puck infront as I post and see if he can go over the glove. Right as Shu put down one leg, Hosaka fired the puck, and the goalie moved before he could think, and felt the slap of a puck right into his glove. He closed his hand, swatting the glove through the air as if he were beating a bolofly away. Shu always admired how hockey worked – how he would often move before he could even think about it, how often times he couldn’t even track the puck once it had been fired, and how his body just instinctively knew where to put itself to keep that little rubber disk from going into the net.

”Damn it,” Hosaka swore as he flew past Shu, tapping the netminder’s leg pad with his stick as a sign of respect.

”Better luck next shot,” Shu joked as he stood back up. The sound of the coach’s whistle ended the scrimmage, and Shu joined the other players at center ice. Head Coach Ishii Hakoda stood in the middle, and as each player filled in the circle, they all took a knee and rested.

”Alright vode, excellent job out there today. Good practice.” Ishii spoke as he fiddle with something in his pant’s pocket. Shu found many of Ishii’s mannerisms to be a bit different compared to previous coaches he had played under, a fact he often chalked up to the fact of Ishii being so much younger than the others; He was just 47-years-old, where as most of Shu’s previous coaches were well into their 70s and had simply grown up in a different time. Back at Omashu, Coach Liu Qiang An always favored addressing the team from the bench; he would stand as regal as possible, looking down on the kneeling players as though they were soldiers, and he their general. At RCSU, Head Coach Jiang Sho would not address the team until they were in the locker room after a practice. However, Ishii always addressed the players right on the ice, to which Shu attributed it to the fact that he was once a player just like them, and the Captain of the National Team. Whatever the reason, Shu admired it.

”Today’s the last game before we advance, and as you know, we are currently tied for first with Neu Engollon in the group. We’ll advance, and after today’s match, Quebec will announce our opponent.

“With that being said,” Ishii shifted his weight. ”Starting lines have been posted in the locker room, so make sure you check the list before heading back to the hotel for rest. I want everyone to stick to their pre-game habits today, and let us make sure to not simply glide through this game. Obviously, we will be resting some key players today, and a few of the reserve guys will be getting their first starts in as we get ready for the next round of the tournament. I’ll see you all in a couple hours.”

Ishii tapped his stick on the ice, signaling the team to break up and head to the locker room to clean up and get to the bus. It was a short ten-minute trip to the Talooksa Inn where the team was staying, and Shu was looking forward to that breakfast buffet when he returned. As Shu skated off the ice, he could not help but wonder if he would be one of the players being rested tonight; obviously it made since to give other players some ice time on the national level, and he knew that tonight would be his tenth start, which was unusual as by now, most coaches would have started alternating the goalies in an effort to keep them both as fresh and ready as possible.

The blue and silver hues of the hallway to the locker room were always a bit off-putting for Shu; he had grown so used to the green and gold of Omashu that, walking through hallways with sayings such as “They’re The Thunder. We’re The Lightning” and “Capitals TAKE” and, here in Augnuook, the words “Feel the Cold!” and the ever-menacing view of a PolarLeopard brought back memories of Shu’s games against the Southern PolarLeopards last season. Shu wondered why the arenas didn’t redecorate the halls for the National Team, seeing as the AHL season had yet to begin, but he figured it was probably a budget issue or work load… taking too much time to customize the halls just for the National Teams.

I’m sure if we won the World Cup, they’d change their tune there…

Just as Ishii had said, the starting line-ups were posted right outside the door. Partly so that the players would look at before going in, partly to give the media access to it without having to interrupt the routines of the players and coaches in the locker room. As Shu walked towards the postings, the first thing he noticed was the starting line. Hed Torvik and Watang Kouji were off the first line, with Kuang Denigii moved from the third and Arpad Roku – a younger guy out of Ba Sing Se University – brought to his first appearance. Forwards, Sato Unataq – team’s captain – was resting, and Kil’or Alecyc had been brought up. When he looked to the bottom, where goaltenders were listed, he took a small breath when he didn’t see his own name there.

”Rest up, Shushu,” one of the players behind him uttered as they walked by the board. Shu didn’t catch who it was, but he still laughed at the nickname that seemed to have caught on. Makes sense… Give the starter a break so the other goalie can get up to speed. Especially considering Zhanshi hasn’t gotten in the net yet this tournament, Shu thought as he went into the locker room.

Who knows if we’ll need him in later games. Who knows if we’ll even have later games…

[Graintfjall]

Posted on the winter sports blog Icy Dead People.

Christian Sofusson To Attempt To Enter Ehrenliga Draft
Posted by ScrapingTheBarrel

Christian Sofusson, former youth prospect with Gunzlach, has made the surprising announcement that he intends to try to become the first Græntfjaller player to enter the Ehrenliga Draft and played for an ice hockey team in the United Republics. Despite their championship football side and traditional strength in handball, the multi-sports-club’s ice hockey hockey side remains mediocre and is not challenging in the GHL top division. After securing a release from his contract with Gunzlach, the 19 year old wing forward will arrange a workout for scouts and, if all goes well, submit his name to the draft for the upcoming season.

Listed at 1.93 m and 98 kg, he has mainly played on the left wing this season with Gunzlach, after spending time at center in his rookie season. Scouts have already noted his strong skating skills compared, admittedly, to the weak Græntfjaller standard. “At this stage of his development he’s a little raw and tries to win everything using his upper body strength,” said Florentina Joonatansdóttir, HockeyBjlörp writer. “Finesse and awareness will need to improve to be competitive in a league like the Ehrenliga, but he definitely has the strength not to be knocked off balance and to win some board battles.”

Laurin Kimosson, coach of the Græntfjall junior ice hockey team, was enthusiastic about his protégé and enthusiastic about the career decision. “Christian has a very good wrist-shot, very quick. His strength is his defensive work, his passing is … improving every day, let’s say. I am excited that he’s taking this step as I think he’ll get far better experience in a high quality league than playing in the third division here. He scored a lot of easy goals this season that didn’t really test him; in Siovanija his stats might go down but it’ll be to the benefit of his development.”

But the prospect of young players heading overseas doesn’t excite everyone. Former national team player Anton Johannesson was critical: “We hear all this fuss about improving the GHL, big TV deals, and then exciting talents are going abroad? I don’t like it.” He laid the blame, not with Christian, but with his club. “Gunzlach would rather have him go abroad than sell him to another MSK. It’s the worst kind of petty rivalry, and I’m worried what it says about the future of sports development here.” Nonetheless, he wished Christian the best on his decision and said he would monitor his progress closely.

[HUElavia]

HUElavia Put a Foot into Knockouts with Emphatic Victory!

Lorenthia 0–7 HUElavia

HUElavia returned to the Ice Rink on Matchday 9 still in control of their destiny. This time around, they were facing off against Lorenthia, a team that has floundered throughout this tournament, despite being the direct competition for 2nd Place based on rankings. Regardless, the arena was very much Pro-HUElavia, as the fans looked to support their team in possibly clinching their spot into the Round-of-16 for the second consecutive time. Both teams came in with their squads fully healthy, although Rodriguez-Gomez was given the nod to start once again. The puck was dropped and the match was underway!

The match was one for the HUElavian history books, with Los Amarillos/Os Amarelos dominating the match. The 1st Period saw three early goals fall in within the first 90 seconds. An attack led by Ovechkin had him going against the two starting defenders, where he passed to his right, which Dominguez-Garcia shot the puck and it blasted past REDACTED and into the goal to score within 22 seconds, making it 0-1. The crowd went crazy with the goal while Dominguez-Garcia celebrated with his teammates and the bench. Then, in the ensuing attack 20 seconds later, Chevchenko got the puck from REDACTED, sending a long pass that went past a defender, only for Giroux to get the puck, go one-on-one with REDACTED, and chip the puck over REDACTED's head into the goal to make it 0-2. The teams switched to their 2nd line, and Lorenthia tried to attack, only to get stopped by Martinez-Herrera, who sent the puck to Kariya, who passed it to Petit, where he got in front of REDACTED and tapped it into the goal to make it 0-3, making the crowd applaud the quick effort to take the lead. Nothing else would really happen for the rest of the period.

The 2nd Period saw the goals fall halfway into the period, as a counterattack from Rossi allowed him to pass to Carvalho, who passed it back to Ben Youseff, where he gave a blistering shot from the blue line, past 3 players and past REDACTED to go into the goal to make it 0-4. Two minutes later, another counter attack was led by Petit, who gave a shot only to be blocked by REDACTED, where it went off to the stick of Roux, where he shot it into the goal to make it 0-5. HUElavia played well after that to end the period.

In the 3rd Period, the goals would fall in the final 2 minutes of the match, where Lorenthia looked exhausted from the goals, but they wanted to score, and it led to Leite getting the puck, and passing it to Pavluchenko, who sped past the two defenders and chipped it over REDACTED to make it 0-6 with 1:15 left in play. Shortly after that, another attack came, and Dominguez-Garcia passed the puck to Carvalho, who blasted it past REDACTED to make it the definitive 0-7 with 28.4 seconds left on the clock. HUElavia held out and got a vital 2 points along with a foot into the knockouts in their largest-ever victory.

In the end, HUElavia is still in 2nd Place with 12 points (6-0-3) as they are to face off against Adyatin for Matchday 10. Kanyagan drew their match with Graintfjall 0-0, and will play against Group Winners Siovanija and Teusland. HUElavia just needs a point to advance to the Round-of-16, or they could advance if Kanyagan does not win their match. Vasilevskiy will start once again in order to secure the advancement, with fans feeling optimistic that they can make it through to the knockouts, which would be the 2nd time ever the team goes through. The team looks to focus and secure their place.

FORCA HUELAVIA! VAMOS HUELAVIA! GO HUELAVIA!

[Neu Engollon]

“Hello to our viewers in Neu Engollon and also to our international viewers. Karl Demais with you here on the NETV 7 Sports Update. Magda is still covering rugby, which you will see following our broadcast. We’re here in our studio overlooking downtown Burgunden, a city that truly never sleeps. We have broadcast and recorded at all hours depending on events in the sports world, and I always see some activity down there, even at wee hours of the morning and late into the night…
So, unto the business at hand, the last group games of this year’s Hockey World Cup. Coming off a crucial win against Avataria’s Ice Bisons, the Ibex went into their last group match pretty confident. They faced Trolleborg,

The game final scoreline was 5-2 with a victory to the Ibex, but the two goals for Trolleborg were troubling for sure, as we could see on Coach Manon’s face. While the mass amount of goals in the scored column continue to climb, those in the ‘given up’ column are also alarming, especially to very under-experienced teams in their first Cup. We’ll talk about that later in the show and go over some highlights of the game, but first, let’s move onto another popular segment of the show...

Most of our regular viewers know about our series now, where we interview a player or coach from one of the many teams that are competing in this Cup. We have had some very interesting interviews that have gotten a lot of response and attention, both from viewers and other media networks and sites. We continue on again tonight, this time with someone who has been very requested by our viewership and online commenters...Ishii Hakoda, the head coach of the Ice Bisons of Gyatso-kai. Aside from the national team, he is also the head coach of the University of Adirolf’s hockey team, when not traveling with the Bisons...Coach Hakoda, or should I say Ishii? Welcome to the program!”

"Just Hakoda is fine. Ishii is my family name, and I never like it when non-players call me coach, even if I've been a coach on and off for nearly 15 jì"

“Fair enough. Hakoda, as long as we’re on the subject, I should apologize also as I have been calling your nation Avataria and I was told very recently that that is an antiquated name, and maybe a bit...obtuse? I guess along the lines of calling Thailand - Siam, or Asia, the Orient. I meant no offense, and I will use the term Gyatso-kai from here on out. Can you accept my apology? I meant no offense.”

"Oh absolutely! Our nation has been around for quite some time, and with how languages are, with translations from one to another, there are bound to be 'errors' as it were. No harm done. Besides, "Avatarian" puts a little more emphasis on The Avatar, who is after all, both the Head of State and Head of Government for the Avatarian Republics."

“Interesting. I am learning all sorts of new facts, lately. Speaking of naming, and I’m not trying to insist that you be referred to as anything other than Hakoda, but we did have Liu Qiang An here for a few years, beloved by many. He went alternately by Coach Liu and by Coach An, but I don’t know if that was by choice or just because that is what popular media and the fans here in the Confederacy decided he should be called and he just relented. How is Liu Qiang An thought of in your country?”

"Avatarian names are always a bit weird, given the vast number of cultures found in our Republics. Having been my assistant coach when I played for the Ice Bisons all those years ago, I still to this day refer to him as "Coach Liu", though now with him as an advisor to the team, and me technically his boss, he has told me to simply call him "Qiang". It all depends on who were talking with, as many times, for the sake of simplicity, we go with the easiest to pronounce names with the speaker's language in consideration."

“That makes sense. I think it was him being deferential to our culture...or maybe lack of it. So, is he as big of a sports figure there in Gyatso-kai as he is here in Neu Engollon?”

"He definitely carries a bit of mythos here. As of late, and partially the reason for his position as advisor, he was able to take the Omashu Badgermoles - a perennial team always on the cusp of the Avatarian Hockey League Playoffs - and turn them into a championship team. Then, after a championship run for our domestic Kuruk Cup, he coached the team through the Hockey Nation's League and brought home the first piece of tournament hardware since we won the World Cup back in the 23rd Edition."

“I think that some of our viewers who are very big Ibex fans, and also of Coach Liu, will know that, but others might be happy to learn that he is doing so well. As for the Hockey Nations League, that is now catching on as HCL is equally kind of fading into the limelight for Neu Engolllon, so I think many were aware of the Badgermoles victory. Maybe? Still, he is quite a figure that has made an impression and continues to do so in both countries. Now, I feel bad again, as I have taken the focus off you. Let’s talk about you, Hakoda, how did you take the top seat for the Ice Bisons, and how long have you had it?”

"I've been the Head Coach for the National Team since August 2019.2, and I had signed a 10 jì contract initially…. A jì is a unit of time equivalent to three months, and is how Gyatso-kai divides the year. After the Avatarian withdrawal from multi-verse play in what has since become known as 'The Silence', our National Sports Council - the governing body for all international sports teams from the Republics - sought to re-establish Gyatso-kai as a perennial threat to world titles; at the time of The Silence, we had broken into the Quarterfinals of the World Cup of Football, had been a consistent second- or third-place finisher in ice hockey, and had begun to expand to other sports. However… The Silence ended all of that as the NSC sought to snuff out rampant corruption both within Gyatso-kai and within our multi-verse competitive teams. It was a rather tense time for all...

"But how I got the job… I was approached by none other than former Head Coach for the Ice Bisons, Kad Skirata, who had been appointed to the position of Director for Ice Hockey by Avatar Aang, to begin rebuilding the national team. He actually came to my family estate one morning by surprise, and handed me the contract. We had just two months to build that return team for World Cup Thirty-Eight, and it definitely showed in our performances there… It has been a slow process, but I feel as though we are finally beginning to see results from that surprise meeting."

“Well, we’re hitting all the bases here. I meant to ask you about ‘The Silence’, so the whole withdrawal from international competition and interaction was just to stamp out corruption and get your house in order?”

"That it was. At the time, I was still a player for the National team, as well as for the Itakawai Lightning, so I was not exactly aware of what all was going on. Obviously, we all heard rumors of backroom dealings, but nothing ever happened in front of me. It wasn't until the announcement from the Sports Council that all multi-verse play would be suspended that I truly knew something was going on."

“That sounds like an anxious and fearful time, almost like a plague lockdown. So, you’ve been the head man for a bit now so you’re pretty familiar with your team. How do you feel about their performance this Cup now that it’s the Ice Bisons third Cup back since ‘The Silence’?”

"Honestly, I am very proud of the success our team has been able to achieve this cycle. You know, we struggled finding our ground in the first few tournaments back - winning just two games in World Cup 38, a single game in 39, and another two in the Atlantian Oceanian regional tournament - so to see the men finally in their stride is incredible for me. As a coach, you know, you always want the team to be successful, the players happy and healthy, and to represent your country well. Nothing does a team's morale better than winning, and I can say the team is doing great right now, against some incredible opponents that we have enjoyed playing both against at their homes as well as welcoming into our own home ices."

“I would say that your team is doing more than great right now. Up until a couple games ago, you had a perfect win streak. Not sure if you heard the quote from Andre Manon, the Ibex head coach, after the game during a brief press meet, but we’ll play it again…

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

Okay, I can’t help smiling because that’s Andre for you. A little intense on the rivalry there. But point being, Gyatso-kai was on fire for quite a bit there until our Ibex threw a wrench in it…”

"That's the thing about streaks; you never know when they're going to end. You go out every game, play your best, and sometimes Margaret shines down on you. And other times, the other guys just have a better night than you and Margaret rewards them. Thankfully, with the double round robin format Quebec has us in, one loss doesn't sink an entire tournament… something I wish the Federation would standardise for future tournaments. Karl, if we were going to lose a game, at the very least we lost to the Ibex; the best team in the world and one who I have fond memories of playing against back when I was on the ice instead of behind the bench for.
...We'll just have to hope that should we meet in the finals, we can throw a good wrench into the Ibex's hope to hoist any hardware this tournament."

“Haha! Well said. There’s a lot still undecided here, but definitely some fire. I think Coach Manon wasn’t being too serious, but acknowledging the group rivalry, and maybe just in general between the top teams in the Cup. There’s two teams left in the tournament with a perfect win streak going into the last group game...Valanora and Siovanija & Teusland. I don’t really care if I’m jinxing them, to be honest...Hakoda, how do you feel about the Ice Bison’s chances going into the playoffs here? What are the teams, other than the Ibex, who we covered, who are giving you and the team some...well, let’s say hesitation?”

"Obviously, we've faced a few of these teams recently - Banija, SiovanTeus, come to mind - and haven't been very successful. As you mentioned, the undefeated Calcuttas are definitely at the top of my concerned list, given the incredibly long history of Valanora in the World Cup. And of course, Ko-oren… the Dragonflies have a long history of being the team that shows Gyatso-kai the door in multiverse tournaments."

“Interesting that you should mention the Dragonflies. Not too many others acknowledge what they’ve accomplished, or Ko-oren in the sports world in general. We actually had their right winger, Aidaloph Autibel, on the show a few nights ago. Sharp fellow. They are a solid team not to be trifled with, that’s for sure. Valanora...well, I just don’t want to get into the bad press and allegations on all the past Cup domination right now. Not worth it. Siovanija & Teusland...a lot of coaches and players I’ve talked to think they’re going to blindside a lot of teams and dash some hopes, possibly that this is their year to take it.”

"That's one of the best things about hockey, isn't it though? You never know which team will suddenly explode. Look back to Gyatso-kai's first cup way back when in the 15th Edition. We came in unranked and no one thought we could be a threat… and we marched through the opposition and took home third place."

“You absolutely have a point there. Alright, so, we should wrap this up, but I wanted to see if you would shine the spotlight on a couple players on the Ice Bisons who have worked extra hard and are really putting their all into this or maybe sacrificing a lot to be in Quebec. Anyone come to mind?”

"I know it's been mentioned before by our media, but to see Shu Pianhuo come into his own has been something impressive. Here's a guy, just twenty-three, and already he is making big waves in Gyatso-kai; helped his team win the Kuruk Cup with an impressive six shutouts in the post-season, traveled with the team for the Hockey Nations League and brought home first place, and now in the World Cup and ties for third in Avatarian history for netminders with a seven-game win streak. Teams always play better when you have a strong goalie, and to have someone so young step into that role following Bao Lin's retirement right before the Combine began last June and succeed so well… really a testament to the talent in Gyatso-kai for what is arguably our national sport."

“Pianhuo has had some impressive saves, I’ll say. I think any of us who have been watching all the group games to see how things were going to progress noticed his performance and how much of a wall he is when it comes to blunting opponents’ drives, along with a steady defense. Hakoda, I’d like to thank you for talking with us here on the Sports Update. I hope that we can talk again soon. I also thank you for the cultural guidance which will help me in future coverage of Gyatso-kai. We wish you and the Ice Bisons the best of luck...but not too much if you face off against the Ibex again.”

"Thank you so much for having me, Karl! I'll be glad to come back anytime, and I wish the Ibex all the luck in the world… unless we face them, then may Margaret grant all your pucks the most unluckiest of bounces."

“Hehe. We’ll see how that goes, Hakoda. Thanks. Okay, we’re going to roll that sponsor break, and when we come back, more on the Trolleborg game and we’ll show some highlights from other key group games in the Cup. Stay tuned to the NETV 7 Sports Update…”

Please be sure to give Gyatso-kai equal credit for this RP post. Thanks to him for an insightful interview.

[The Royal Kingdom of Quebec]

World Cup of Hockey XL - MD10 Cutoff!

No cutoff music tonight. Let's just keep things focused on the final MD and find out about the seedings!

---

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

Group A                        Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Royal Kingdom of Quebec       10    8   2   0    41   19  +22    18
2 Reçueçn                       10    6   2   2    34   24  +10    14
3 Taeshan                       10    5   2   3    19   21   −2    12
4 St. Saratoga                  10    4   0   6    16   19   −3     8
5 Wack-i                        10    2   3   5    16   24   −8     7
6 Quakmybush                    10    0   1   9     8   27  −19     1

Group B
Kohnhead 3–4 Gyatso-Kai
Kelssek 2–1 Trolleborg
Neu Engollon 2–0 Megistos

Group B                        Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Neu Engollon                  10    9   0   1    50   19  +31    18
2 Gyatso-Kai                    10    9   0   1    43   24  +19    18
3 Kelssek                       10    5   1   4    25   24   +1    11
4 Kohnhead                      10    2   2   6    23   34  −11     6
5 Megistos                      10    1   2   7     7   22  −15     4
6 Trolleborg                    10    0   3   7    12   37  −25     3

Group C
New Waldensia 4–7 Terre Septentrionale
Ko-oren 0–1 Sarzonia
Mercedini 6–2 Sylestone

Group C                        Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Ko-oren                       10    8   1   1    17    6  +11    17
2 Sarzonia                      10    6   1   3    25   20   +5    13
3 Mercedini                     10    5   2   3    36   24  +12    12
4 Terre Septentrionale          10    6   0   4    36   29   +7    12
5 New Waldensia                 10    1   1   8    20   41  −21     3
6 Sylestone                     10    1   1   8    16   30  −14     3

Group D
Solarampa 3–4 Ranoria
Vilita and Turori 3–2 Logon
Cassadaigua 1–0 The Jovannic

Group D                        Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Vilita and Turori             10    8   2   0    34   13  +21    18
2 Cassadaigua                   10    8   1   1    37   13  +24    17
3 Ranoria                       10    4   3   3    21   23   −2    11
4 Logon                         10    2   1   7    16   28  −12     5
5 The Jovannic                  10    1   3   6    13   29  −16     5
6 Solarampa                     10    2   0   8    15   30  −15     4

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

Group E                        Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Banija                        10    7   1   2    25   11  +14    15
2 Poafmersia                    10    6   2   2    31   25   +6    14
3 Fluvannia                     10    5   3   2    24   20   +4    13
4 Equestria                     10    5   3   2    27   20   +7    13
5 Fiekkefjord                   10    1   1   8    27   44  −17     3
6 Chromatika                    10    1   0   9    11   25  −14     2

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

Group F                        Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Valanora                      10   10   0   0    43   16  +27    20
2 Delaclava                     10    5   2   3    17   11   +6    12
3 United States of Devonta      10    3   4   3    23   21   +2    10
4 The Sherpa Empire             10    3   2   5    21   28   −7     8
5 Natanians and Nosts           10    2   3   5    22   29   −7     7
6 Gergary                       10    1   1   8    11   32  −21     3

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

Group G                        Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Savojarna                     10    8   1   1    36   13  +23    17
2 Abanhfleft                    10    6   3   1    29   16  +13    15
3 TJUN-ia                       10    6   1   3    27   21   +6    13
4 Lovisa                        10    3   0   7    16   29  −13     6
5 La Florita                    10    3   0   7    18   31  −13     6
6 Jeckland                      10    1   1   8    14   30  −16     3

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

Group H                        Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Siovanija and Teusland        10    9   1   0    41   15  +26    19
2 HUElavia                      10    7   0   3    28   16  +12    14
3 Kayangan                      10    4   4   2    14   12   +2    12
4 Graintfjall                   10    3   2   5     7   13   −6     8
5 Adyatin                       10    2   1   7    10   20  −10     5
6 Lorenthia                     10    0   2   8     8   32  −24     2

---

PLAYOFFS: (Beginning in ~46 hrs)
(Royal Kingdom of Quebec IC information to be updated either in an hour, or in the morning)

Group Seed                   Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1  Valanora                      10   10   0   0    43   16  +27    20
2  Siovanija and Teusland        10    9   1   0    41   15  +26    19
3  Neu Engollon                  10    9   0   1    50   19  +31    18
4  Royal Kingdom of Quebec       10    8   2   0    41   19  +22    18
5  Vilita and Turori             10    8   2   0    34   13  +21    18
6  Savojarna                     10    8   1   1    36   13  +23    17
7  Ko-oren                       10    8   1   1    17    6  +11    17
8  Banija                        10    7   1   2    25   11  +14    15
--------
9  Gyatso-Kai                    10    9   0   1    43   24  +19    18
10 Cassadaigua                   10    8   1   1    37   13  +24    17
11 Abanhfleft                    10    6   3   1    29   16  +13    15
12 HUElavia                      10    7   0   3    28   16  +12    14
13 Reçueçn                       10    6   2   2    34   24  +10    14
14 Poafmersia                    10    6   2   2    31   25   +6    14
15 Sarzonia                      10    6   1   3    25   20   +5    13
16 Delaclava                     10    5   2   3    17   11   +6    12

Seeds:
#1 Valanora vs. #16 Sarzonia @ Velodrome Royale, Quebec City -- Puckdrop @ Puckdrop @ 22:00
#2 Siovanija and Teusland vs. #15 Delaclava @ Montreal Forum, Montreal -- Puckdrop @ 16:00

#3 Neu Engollon vs. #14 Poafmersia @ Calania Place, Montreal -- Puckdrop @ 18:00
#4 Royal Kingdom of Quebec vs. #13 HUElavia @ Velodrome Royale, Quebec City -- Puckdrop @ 20:00

#5 Vilita and Turori vs. #12 Reçueçn @ Colisee de Levis, Levis -- Puckdrop @ 18:00
#6 Savojarna vs. #11 Cassadaigua @ Montreal Forum, Montreal -- Puckdrop @ 14:00

#7 Ko-oren vs. #10 Abanhfleft @ Calania Place, Montreal -- Puckdrop @ 14:00
#8 Banija vs. #9 Gyatso-Kai @ Velodrome Royale, Quebec City -- 12:00

Three pairings were swapped to avoid group stage rematch : As seen above, #10 would have been Cassadaigua, #11 Abanhfleft, #12 HUElavia, #13 Reçueçn, #15 Sarzonia and #16 Delaclava.

[Sarzonia]

When prognosticators looked at the Sarzonian national ice hockey team's schedule and saw the Stars were playing the third and ninth ranked teams in the multiverse to close out the group stage, some were tempted to tell them, "welp, thanks for playing."

After Sarzonia handed a 1-0 defeat to Ko-oren, who far and away won Group C, but were still in contention for a top three seed in the knockout rounds, the Stars will join Ko-oren in the Round of Sixteen. They will do so after winning three of their last four matches after opening the second half of qualifying with a loss to Terre Septentrionale.

They defeated both unranked sides New Waldensia and Sylestone in must-win matches, and then drew No. 3 Mercedini 3-3 at Bank of Sarzonia Arena. They then faced the hardest part of the gauntlet by playing Ko-oren away.

"We knew going in that a win was going to be the simplest way to get through," said Coach Paul Bremerton. "We would have lost the tiebreakers to Terre Septentrionale and would have won the three-way scenario, but if we took care of business, we'd make it easy."

The match wasn't easy by any stretch. Dragonflies goaltender Aiane Alacia made 23 saves and frequently made breathtaking stops, including denying Sylvan Turcotte twice on a five-on-three power play midway through the second period. Sarzonia's Jacob Parsons was even more effective, stopping 30 Ko-orenite shots.

Sarzonia were looking at a goalless draw until Dragonflies left wing Izan Aiamalod was called for boarding at the 18:21 mark of the third period by the Savorjar referee, despite protesting that he had simply delivered a normal check against Stars right wing Matt Barnes, who left the ice holding his head. He sat out the rest of the match in accordance with Sarzonian team concussion protocols.

Given what even Turcotte himself admitted after the match was a dubious call, he fired a blistering shot from the point that Alacia was able to stick aside, but Cameron Granato lifted the rebound over her with 29.8 seconds remaining in the match for the only goal.

With the Ko-orenites playing six attackers, it would be up to Parsons to seal the deal. He made a spectacular save on a point blank bid by Ainoph Eriren with 3.9 seconds remaining and defenceman Erik Weinert slammed the puck toward the empty net. The puck was wide, but Weinert simply wanted to kill time. When the final horn sounded, the white-sweatered Stars rushed to their end of the ice to mob Parsons and Granato.

The Stars were Group C runners up and had punched their tickets to Quebec City for a Round of Sixteen battle against top overall seeds Valanora, the only team in the World Cup of Hockey with a perfect record of 10-0-0 in Group F. The Calcuttas would be joined by Delaclava, who already clinched their own trip to Montreal to face Siovanija and Teusland, the only other team remaining in the World Cup of Hockey without a loss.

The Stars were facing Valanora, who may be unfamiliar to them in the rink, but are a familiar foe on the basketball court and historically in football, because World Cup organisers chose to reseed to avoid a first round rematch between Delaclava and Valanora.

For their part, Sarzonia aren't intimidated by the tall order that facing the Calcuttas in the knockout rounds will be.

"We faced top-10 teams on back-to-back match nights to get here," Granato said. "We took three of a possible four points against the third ranked team in the multiverse and we beat the group winners at their barn. I'm not saying we're going to win this match because Valanora are a great team, but we're going to give them a battle."

As we look around the rest of the field, Poafmersia join Delaclava as the other unranked side to qualify for the knockout rounds. Besides those teams, Sarzonia are the next lowest ranked side at 44th, but if the Stars play the way they did against the highest ranked teams in Group C, the Stars-Calcuttas match may be one for the ages.

"There are certain countries we have rivalries with in multiple sports," said Turcotte. "Delaclava, Cassadaigua, Banija, to name three. This could well be the catalyst for another such rivalry."

[Neu Engollon]

“Good evening Neu Engollon and to our international viewers. I’m Karl Demais and you are watching the NETV 7 Sports Update. I have a co-host sometimes, Magda Wertauer, but she’s covering the Rugby League World Cup right now, which will follow our broadcast of the regular edition of the Sports Update. The main focus now is the World Cup of Hockey, hosted by the Royal Kingdom of Quebec, and we’re going to see some games finally played there, other than the Group A games. We’re moving on now to the Round of 16 and the playoffs will all be in Quebec. For a few, that is relief after a vigorous road schedule of traveling from their home rinks, to group mates’ rinks and back and forth, again.

The Ibex had locked in their spot for the Round of Sixteen after the 8th Group game, when they bested Gyatso-kai 4 to 2. It was a momentous day in the Confederacy, and just another day in about every other hockey playing nation, except for those who got the devastating news that their teams’ hopes to move on were dashed.

Still, even though Coach Manon was playing the third line almost exclusively in order to rest up the first and second for the playoffs, it might not have been a great time for the Ibex to rest on their laurels, as they say.
This was for Megistos, the last group game, of course. I made a mistake earlier when I thought they would be the ninth, or second to last game for the Ibex, which actually ended up being the Trolleborg game. You think I’d be able to read a schedule by now.
Anyway...they were at home, in Albertville, after a rough flight back from Trolleborg, and maybe feeling it after so long, but they still pulled a win. We’ll get to that in a few.

So, we have our segment, and I think it’s what you’ve all been waiting on, more than hearing about the Megistos game, which most of you probably watched if you’re in Neu Engollon, and if you’re elsewhere, let’s be honest, you might not care as most of the Round of 16 spots have been decided and Group B was going through the motions at this point.
Tonight, we swing it over to another very popular nation for hockey and a lot of winter sports...Savojarna. We have on remotely from the Savojar National Team, Jonas Gulbrandsson, who is the first line right wing, and also alternate captain of the team. Jonas, welcome to the Sports Update show on NETV.”

“Hello Karl, and thank you very much for having me on the show! I’ve been quite looking forward to it”.

“Absolutely, Jonas. I think you’re back home in Savojarna at the moment, after your last game with TJUN-ia, correct?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“So...Tell us a little about yourself. How did you get to be a winger on the first line on the national team? How long have you been with ESK Storevik? When did you start playing hockey?”

“I started, I’m not even sure...around four, I guess? I was born on the outskirts of Storevik. This is the North, there is always a rink somewhere. I mean, we Savojars, we’re famous for liking hockey I think, but Ejana, that’s another level. So when I was four my parents took me to the rink and I’d play with my friends, and then at school we’d go with our teachers. My best friend joined the neighbourhood team when he was five, and I wanted to go too, just to play with my friend really. It all happened very gradually, we were playing all the time because well, that’s what you do in Storevik when you’re a kid. When I was fourteen my coach took me aside after training and said, next week you’ll play for ESK. They kind of share players between Storevik youth teams. And then, it happened more and more, when I was sixteen they offered me an academy contract, and I honestly don’t know. It just blew up. WHJC came, and then shortly after, the real thing. It was pretty crazy, really, I couldn’t quite believe how fast it went. The NZEL wanted me when it was still big, and then it fell apart, so I asked ESK if I could come back. I always said I wouldn’t play for another team in Savojarna. This is my childhood team, and it feels really good to be back home”.

“It’s a rarity to be on the professional team that calls home the city you grew up in, in any sport, really. You are lucky there. Are the rest of your teammates from the Storevik area as well...some of them?”

“Yeah, it’s quite common with ESK really. As a team, we’re really proud of our region, and the club does a lot with the local community, taking in the kids early and all that. I think it’s fantastic work they’re doing, and it means a lot to us. When I was a child it was the best to have those things, have a player come to our club or being allowed to go to the games for cheap every now and then. Now, I’m on the other side, and I love it. We’re sometimes training with local kids and I see their eyes glistening, it’s incredible. It reminds me of myself when I was a child. ESK always have some local youth, and a lot of us stay just because this region, this city, it’s so tied to ESK. It also helps that in Savojarna, we have quite a lot of power in choosing our club too”.

“Now that’s some youth development, for sure. Savojarna has been up there for some time in the top tier of international hockey. What do you think enables your team to compete on that level and is there a general philosophy or strategy when shutting down other top teams?”

“I mean, we’d definitely like to get a bit better at shutting down top teams! But I think that honestly, I think it’s our mix. We have different traditions of hockey in our country, and there’s a bit of everything. It’s also just a mentality thing, we’re all really big on doing your best and fighting for what you want. It’s a Savojar culture thing, the Gods help the strong is what we say. There is this vibe in the national team that when we go out there, even if it’s a top team, you just give it your best and fight it out. Playing your best and losing is not a shame, but if you don’t give it your all, we think that’s not worthy of a warrior and we’re all warriors when we’re wearing a Northlights jersey. Also, of course, it’s more boring but our coaches really drill us with tactics and systems, that helps to have that basis to not give up stupid goals”.

“So then the coaches help to meld those different styles...I’m assuming you mean from different regions around the country, with their tactics and systems?
You had an interesting group. I’m going to assume that Abanhfleft and TJUN-ia gave your team the most trouble, but correct me if I’m wrong here…”

“The coaches help a lot, yes. It’s a thing where we all bring different qualities. Tactics too, but honestly, it’s mixed enough that they’re always gonna go more by what players they have and what they like. But what you learn, that’s definitely different. In Ejana, where I’m from, it’s a lot about skating, being fast, being comfortable in a breakaway, and skill stuff as well. I have friends from other places, who learn things like checking or shooting way earlier. It’s the coach’s challenge to meld all of this into a single system.
I think they did a great job though, and you’re definitely right that we fought most with these two. Overall I think we were lucky with the games to be honest, it could have been a lot worse, but we still needed to struggle to get to where we are. Especially Abanhfleft was really tough, we were happy that we managed to get those points we needed in the away game when we were down two. I had tried my best to get us all back into the game, and the guys were staying calm, which was really important. In the end I am happy that we managed to get a good seed, and we don’t end up playing, I don’t know, you guys!”.

“Ha! Well if the chips fall right both for your team and our Ibex, you still might be facing them in the quarters or further on. Jonas, as an alternate captain, do you feel like you’ve needed to step up to keep spirits strong during some of these challenging matches? How do you feel about the job that Main Captain Erik Kristiansen and the Coaches have done to keep up motivation and encouragement for the team?”

“I think they have done pretty well, but it’s a team effort and I needed to step up as well. As I said, Savojarna as a whole are just really about that fighting spirit and going for it, as good as we can. Obviously, if we face the Ibex, that will be still a tough one, but it’s often really important for us. For instance in Abanhfleft, I remember I got out to the ice with Erik and he just randomly bumped me in the arm and said ‘Jonas, we gotta fight now, we can’t go down without a fight’. These are the moments that are really getting to me, it feels like the team really cares and is one there. We’re here to fight. That’s something I try to do as well whenever I can, to make sure that we’re not slacking. Coaches are more concerned with keeping us calm though, really. In Abanhfleft they told us a lot to keep calm, stick to the game plan. They don’t need to motivate us much, but we as players drive each other further all the time”.

“As it should be. Some level coaches there. Well, I think that has taken care of a lot of my questions. Any last comments about going into the Round of 16 against Cassadaigua and who is going to survive this to the end, Jonas?”

“I think that Cassadaigua are going to be a challenge, but we’re on a pretty good roll right now and they had some troubles in some games. As a group winner, I think you’re always going to be at least a bit favoured. But, I’m not gonna say “oh, we’ll win”. We learned ourselves that the truth is always on the ice, from both sides. I’m not sure who will be the favourites to win, I think there’s a bunch of teams who can do it. The usual suspects, the Ibex, Valanora, Vilita and those, obviously. But also, I think that there are some good dangerous ones, like Siovanija and Teusland, Quebec will also be scary on home ice. I hope we can make a deep run, and I’d like to play Vilita again. The games from earlier, from the 34th in Savojarna, those are still on our minds and we’d love to make some amends there”.

“I see. So you’re feeling like a little redemption is in order. Well, thank you for talking with us, Jonas Gulbrandsson. I appreciate your candor, and we hope to be able to see you again and do well in these next few playoff games. Enjoy a little time back at home there in Savojarna before you have to jet off to Quebec again.”

“Yes, I think so. Thanks again, Karl. Good to be on the show. We have to hop on a plane soon back to Quebec, so I don’t know that we’ll spend much time at home here, other than some quick reunions.”

“Good luck to you all, Jonas.
So, the Ibex got the last game done and won. I think there were few doubts on that, but again...we’ve seen the Ibex flop before at the last minute. In any case, they’d already locked in the Round of Sixteen spot. 2 goals and holding Megistos to zero put in the net.

Megistos were an unknown and unranked going into this. They never submitted a roster to the Hockey Federation for this Cup and honestly, their jerseys were quite indecipherable, so that didn’t help. We saw them play many times in Group B, but still...hard to know what their coherent strategy was or who was trying to do what. So long, Megistos. An interesting introduction to World Cup Hockey from them and I’m curious to see what they will do next time out, if we do see them again in Cup 41.

The seedings and games were announced later this evening, right before we went to broadcast. We’ll see some interesting match ups here, with Quebec vs HUElavia, Ko-oren and Abanhfleft, and Banija versus Gyatso-kai. It’s going to be a radically different board after this round. But let’s focus on Poafmersia. I know jack all about this nation or their team, the Golden Phoenixes. They put up some strong performances, obviously, or they wouldn’t have scraped their way into the Round of Sixteen. They got a brick wall in there with Hadi Darby in the net and two solid defensemen in Schindler and Pan Baghdasaryan, not to mention some good performances from their second and third pairs. Kwaku Hermansson is a formidable attacker and had some key plays in the last few group games for the Golden Phoenixes, aided by Esposito, Aita, and Elzinga.

They were unranked going into this Cup, but they certainly showed that they belong at the top of the bracket with the other hockey nations, beating out how many other ranked nations who took some tough losses in their groups and didn’t move on? It’s really going to be do or die now for them, as well as the Ibex. Coach Manon toned down the squad for this last group game, playing mostly benchers and resting up the starting lines. We’ll see if it pays off against the upstart Golden Phoenixes at Calania Place in Montreal.

We’ll go into our first sponsor break, and when we come back, an interview with one of the Ibex. I’m not going to blow the surprise just yet. Stay tuned here to the Sports 7 Update…”

Big thanks to Savojarna! Please give them equal credit for our little interview RP Post here. Thanks!

[Ko-oren]

Part I: Selpernim 1, WBC
Part II: Selpernim 2, RLWC
Part III: Selpernim 3, WBC
Part IV: Selpernim 3, RLWC
Part V: Selpernim 4, RLWC
Part VI: Selpernim 5, WCOH
Part VII: Selpernim 6, WCOH
Part VIII: Selpernim 8, RLWC
Part IX: Selpernim 10, AOCAF
Part X: Selpernim 11, RLWC
Part XI: Selpernim 11, WCOH
Part XII: Selpernim 14, AOCAF
Part XIII: Selpernim 16 AOCAF

A summer of sports with Leligun Thernasthen

Selpernim 16/Sweltersky 16

Willowbourne
Temperatures soar as I move from northeastern Aevanna to central, land-climate-y Willowbourne. Few mentions of ice hockey here, but on the upside, this city is so big that it has folks from all over, including fan clubs for 5 of the 12 top level ice hockey clubs. I looked that fact up earlier, but the WCOH is the least of my worries here as the Middle City is seeing temperatures of 35+ degrees Celcius, a vast difference (and decline) from the nice 19-20 degree afternoons up north. As I'm glancing over to the weather, I notice my coastal Ferrovente has also climbed to 35 degrees, and suddenly the World Cup of Hockey feels like a distant memory. Sure, I don't mind hot climates, else my move to Ferrovente would have been a very misinformed one, but with all the ideas in my head on the small northeastern sport, it's a bit of a slap in the face to be several hundred kilometres and about 18 degrees away from there. I planned to visit this city in order to go back to Ferrovente slowly, making my way further southeast until my Grand Tour is complete, covering the AOCAF as I did, and glancing sideways to whatever is happening in Quebec. Had I known it would be such a success, I might as well have planned a trip to Quebec and tour that instead. Well, maybe next time.

Sitting in the airconditioned hotel lobby, I decide to humour that idea and look for the possibilities. Daily flights to Quebec from Willowbourne International, flights every other day from Sterrenwolde International, and some more intermittent flights from Katashi International (Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, it looks like, for the business folk), with further ferries and cruises between Greencaster, Santa Teresa, Katashi, and our eastern neighbours. Greenjay flies there, as does Manavis, but the Quebecois airlines (Spiritair and Aeroquebec) are also frequently seen here. The airplanes make more sense with the only playing cities lying on the far side as seen from here. Not that it'd be possible to make the next puckdrop, with the national team facing Abanhfleft in an early game, the first to take to Calania Place, before Neu Engollon and Poafmersia play there later on the day as well. The friendly remarks from the Ibex in accordance to our very own Aidaloph Autibel are well made, and it'll be fun to see our interactions with them as they take to the same arena. Maybe wait for the mutual friendliness after they have completed their game as well - assuming both of our national teams get a good result here.

For Ko-oren, a good result is more or less instrumental. The feeling that I've tasted up north is definitely one of stagnation. Rounds of 16 are a fine result for a small ice hockey nation like us, but getting to that same round time and time again - much like the football Dragonflies do in the World Cup - it gets stale, old, and most of all, it's really not conductive for our team to go to higher and higher, well, highs. Winning the group has been amazing, and will do wonders for our ranking, but the real victories still lie ahead of us. A quarterfinal spot maintains our current position, or might even push us up into that coveted Pot 1 next time - and a semifinal spot would be very welcome but likely not very deserved. That said, the tournament is only an hour or so away in Quebec: not very far and with how many Ko-orenites went out there to support our team, it might as well be a home game every single time until we play the hosts themselves. The championship window, if one could call it that, is closing slightly: there's a fantastic generation out there right now, and we don't know what the future holds. If that future doesn't include professional ice hockey in our northeast (or why stop there? Why not in the rest of the country as well?), this current stream of good results could end, and end forgood. Teens in Aerellen have to choose between gridiron, soccer, or ice hockey anyway, and the elite athletes go for one of the former - more money to be made there.

To those that normally don't follow a lot of ice hockey: the national team there is pretty much like all our other ones: seventeen goals scored across ten group stage games (that's not a lot for a group winner) and just six goals conceded - by far the best out of all 48 teams. The second best defence only allowed 11 goals (Delaclava and Banija). So, if you want a good introduction to the sport as a first time watcher, maybe not go for Ko-oren straight away. You might not get the most representative game that way. Neu Engollon versus Poafmersia, or Reçueçn versus Vilita and Turori might be a better choice. At just seventeen goals scored, we're the lowest scoring team of the remaining 16, too.

Paraphrasing what I've heard from my connections in Aerellen, the team will likely roll with the same exact lineup in the knockouts. Alacia has been fantastic, obviously, and the defensive pairings are complementary as well. Some concerns have been raised over Eriren's status as the Line 1 centre, but then again it's not exactly like Buck has had more success with his line. Aiamalod has been good, Autibel has had ups and downs. Hermanszoon is the biggest upside of Line 2, while Aeretina has absolutely not been up to standards. Some surprises to come from the third line are Wamallu, Yallerman, and Aialod.

[TJUN-ia]

TJUN-ia didn't expect to end it's WCoH campaign with a win in Savojarna, but here we are. The only goal of the game was scored by Teemu Pukaninen in the 2nd period in a rather defensive affair.

It's the perfect end to a great campaign by TJUN-ian standards and one that the IHT can be happy with. Ølson Rasmussen dragged his men to within a win from the playoffs, and you can't go wrong with that considering we only achieved 1 win at the last WCoH.

Now, the Ice Jaguars must be refined to be able to push the barriers and make the last 16. Who knows what we may face next, but one thing is certain: TJUN-ian Ice Hockey has potential - it just needs time to grow. 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) W 2-1 (3rd)
MD9: vs Abanhfleft (2) - The Rink in The Gardens, New Washington L 0-1 (3rd)/ELIMINATED
MD10: @Savojarna (11) W 1-0 (3rd/6W-1D-3L)

[Gyatso-kai]

An ASPN Production, Brought to you on ASPN.co.gki
ICE BISONS QUALIFY! FIRST TIME SINCE THE SILENCE!

ONLINE EDITION

9 AUGUST 2020.3

TOURNAMENT – WORLD CUP (Hockey)

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Written by Shay ISHIKAWA

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Group B

MD1 at Trolleborg₄₄ –W 6-4
MD2 vs Megistos_UR –W 6-3
MD3 at Neu Engollon₁ –W 5-4
MD4 vs Kellsek₁₉ –W 4-3
MD5 at Kohnnhead_UR –W 5-2
MD6 vs Trolleborg₄₄ –W 5-1
MD7 at Megistos_UR – W 3-0
MD8 vs Neu Engollon₁ – L 4-5
MD9 at Kellsek₁₉ – W 3-0
MD10 vs Kohnnhead_UR – W 4-3

AUGNUOOK, SWTI – In what is arguably the best performance since our return to the Multi-Verse Stage, the Ice Bisons have secured entry into the Tournament Proper, taking a 9-1-0 record for second in their group and ninth in the tournament.

An impressive showing by the boys to be certain! After the game-winning goal, made by Hed Torvik in the final ten seconds, the Tribal Saddledome – completely sold out and very Gyatso-kai heavy in terms of fans – erupted with excitement! While the Ice Bisons had secured a spot in the Playoffs back with the shutout 3-nil victory over Megistos on Matchday Seven, every game since saw a renewed vigor in the fans of Ice Bison Hockey. Attendance records at all three host stadiums were set for multi-verse events, and separate streaming locations for the games throughout the three host cities – Sundari, Republic City, and Augnuook – were either at capacity or overflowing into local events not hosted by the National Sports Council. For the 3-nil victory over then-ranked-19th Kelssek, the Tribal Saddledome hosted a streaming event where over 24,000 fans poured into the stands to watch the game projected on the ice surface (many thanks to the tech crews who combined feeds of the game to present such a near-holographic vision of the game.

”Such a fantastic tournament! For us to only lose one game – and against the Number One team in the world no less – is incredible! I am just thankful that I was able to take part in this journey and I look forward to where the road leads in the Playoffs!”

Hosaka Severii, Forward, Gyatso-kai National Ice Hockey Team

”I am very proud of what the vode where able to accomplish this tournament. This traat’aliit] has grown so much this tournament, and has truly from an incredible burcyan through ten games! I am proud to be their coach, however, we need to hunker down and really focus on the next stage of the tournament. It isn’t over until we close the cabinet door on a new trophy.”

Ishii Hakoda, Head Coach, Gyatso-kai National Ice Hockey Team

Going into the Playoffs, the Ice Bisons hold the ninth seed and are set to face-off against the eighth-seeded (And ranked #8 in the world) Kingdom of Banija. An Atlantian Oceania neighbour located to the south of Timuria and north of both Farfadillis and Valanora, Banija and Gyatso-kai have met only once before, so it will be exciting to see the Ice Bisons face off against the Orange & Green yet again.

An interesting tidbit of information about the Fortieth Edition of the World Cup of Hockey Playoffs is just how prevalent our region, Atlantian Oceania, is this round. Of the sixteen teams that make up the Bracket, NINE of them hail from AO, the most regional representatives of any region in this tournament. The only other region with more than one team in this tournament – there are one from three of the four Pacific regions – is Rushmore, who have just two teams in the tournament; Cassadaigua and Savojarna.

Here’s to the dominance of the Atlantian Oceania in multi-verse hockey, and congratulations to the eight other AO nations to make the World Cup Playoffs:

• #1 Seed – Valanora
• #2 Seed – Siovanija & Teusland
• #4 Seed – Quebec
• #5 Seed – Vilita & Turori
• #7 Seed – Ko-oren
• #8 Seed – Banija
• #15 Seed – Delaclava
• #16 Seed – Sarzonia

The chances are high the World Cup Trophy will be coming to our region, so we can only hope Margaret is a fan of the sunny shores and welcoming smiles of Atlantian Oceania, THE Home of Sports in the Multi-verse ™.

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THE NEXT MATCH
at #8 Banija₈
Velodrome Royale, Quebec City, Royal Kingdom of Quebec

With a game set between two AO-powerhouses, the capital city of Quebec is sure to be alive with regional pride. There have only been two meetings between the Ice Bison and Banija, with both teams recording a shutout against the other: In the Eighth Edition of the Atlantian Oceania Hockey Championship, the Ice Bisons opened the tournament with a 3-0 shocker over Banija, who then in the Coupe Jacques IX Tournament Group Stage, put a single goal in the net and shutout the Ice Bisons 1-0.

Rated as a +/-0 in style by ASPN, the Banija team had a good group stage; going 7-2-1, with their losses coming against Fluvannia₂₇ and Poafmersia_UR* in the final two matches of the group stage, and a draw against Equestria₇ on Matchday 2. The tournament started well for the Orange & Green, including some great games – 5-nil over Chromatika on MD3, the 4-nil opener over Fiekkefjord – but they seemed to have ran out of steam going into the second half of the tournament. We can only hope they do not find a renewed vigor going into the Playoffs and the Ice Bisons – rated +4.0 in style – can dominate the match and move onto the next round with Margaret’s blessing.

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URL: http://www.aspn.com.gk/articles/ahl/24367652
© 2020 Avatarian Sports Programming Network

[HUElavia]

HUElavia Stages Comeback to Advance to Knockouts!

HUElavia 4–1 Adyatin

HUElavia came into Matchday 10, the Final Matchday of the Group Stage, looking to officially qualify to the Round-of-16 of the World Cup of Hockey. This time around, they were facing off against Adyatin, where HUElavia came in as the heavy favorites to win the match. Fans came to the arena, looking to support their team in their effort to clinch the spot, as fans back home also gathered for watch parties wanting to support the team and their run for the WCoH. Both teams played with their full squad, although Vasilevskiy was picked as starting goalkeeper. The puck was dropped and the final Group Stage match was underway!

The 1st Period would be a series of ebb-and-flow, with both HUElavia and Adyatin going back and forth between attacking and defending. Despite this, Adyatin would capitalize during an attack halfway into the period. Ogonek would go skating towards Vasilevskiy, only to pass it to his right to Volkov, who blasted it past an off-line Vasilevskiy to make it 0-1, with the HUElavians stunned at the attack. Los Amarillos/Os Amarelos would try to make something happen during the period, but to no avail, as the period ended 0-1. The 2nd Period was more of the same, attacks done from all lines of HUElavian Hockey, both attackers and defenders alike, but either shots going wide or getting blocked or saved by Yeranek was frustrating both the players and fans alike. The 2nd Period ended with the scoreline reading 0-1. The 3rd Period came, and there was a sense of momentum growing in favor of HUElavia. Attacks were made and with 6 minutes left in the period, a high stick from Novchenko to Pavluchenko saw the Rus-HUElavian player get a cut in his face, and go to the locker room for treatment, while HUElavia was given a 5-Minute Power Play. In the first 15 seconds, a pass from Companioni to Dominguez-Garcia allowed the captain to rip a violent shot past Yeranek and into the goal to tie it at 1-1, with the crowd jumping up and roaring in cheer. A minute later, a shot from Giroux was blocked by Yeranek, only to be rebounded by Kariya, who caught Yeranek off guard, putting the puck in the goal to make it 2-1, with the crowd jumping for joy. Two minutes later, a pass from Rossi allowed Petit to run alone and one-on-one with Yeranek, taking an easy chip over the goalie and into the goal to make it 3-1. Then, entering the Final minute of play and the final seconds of the power play, HUElavia would try for one more attack, only to have Carvalho taken down by Naryalov, for a penalty shot. Ovechkin took the puck and slid it past Yeranek to make it the definitive 4-1. Los Amarillos/Os Amarelos held out for the remaining final minute and completed a massive comeback to qualify out of Group H with 2nd Place.

HUElavia's next match is against the Host Nation of the Royal Kingdom of Quebec, which will be a historic match between these two nations. It is viewed as "Evens," given that ranking-wise HUElavia is better than Quebec, but Quebec does have the influence and momentum of being the host-nation of the tournament. As a note, originally Quebec was not supposed to be the team drawn for Los Amarillos/Os Amarelos, but HUElavia was put to #13 on the draw in order to prevent other teams from having a rematch against other teams they faced in their groups. Regardless, it will be a passionate and strong matchup, being one of the most attractive draws for the knockout stage. HUElavians will come to the arena looking to support their team and maybe, just maybe, witnessing the team making the Quarter-Finals of the World Cup of Hockey for the first time. The team is motivated and looks to make the most out of the match.

FORCA HUELAVIA! VAMOS HUELAVIA! GO HUELAVIA!