World Cup of Hockey 42: Life, the Universe & Everything

by **Graintfjall** » Fri Mar 26, 2021 4:11 pm

In the beginning the Universe was created.
This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move.

As per the bid, each day I will be offering a small piece of information about Græntfjaller life and offering a related prompt. These prompts are not required and there is no extra bonus for doing them compared with doing a match report or any other type of RP; they’re simply there because this long tournament format may lead to ideas running dry, and I’m well aware there are many other competitions currently ongoing. Feel free to respond in whatever format you like – or ignore them entirely.

MD1 cutoff

Græntfjall’s creation myth involves the arrival of the Vikings. They are portrayed in legends as a savage race of plunderers from the frozen north, although modern archaeological finds of grave goods suggest a trading people with an artistic side. According to Græntfjaller lore, the country was at the time a barren wasteland ruled over by evil frost giants. The Viking warriors slew the frost giants, and sowed their bones in the field, causing a verdant summit – or “green mountain”, grænt fjall – to rise up. But the curse of the frost giants lingered, returning every year with the bitter winters that give the White Winter Queendom the other part of its name. (Scientists suggest it’s just something to do with air currents bouncing off the mountains.) What is your country’s creation myth, or do you even have one?

Because there are no head-to-head tiebreakers to use, the groups are not sorted by tiebreakers yet. The tables are manual, so if you see any problems please alert me ASAP.

Group of Wands
Iba Dwa 2–2 Delaclava (2–3 OT)
Valanora 4–2 Poafmersia
Pluvie 0–7 North Alezia
Sannyamathland 3–3 Elejamie (3–4 OT)
Sarzonia 6–1 Pius Desurongcrandis
Ko-oren 3–0 Kelssek

   Group of Wands                 Pld    W  OTW  OTL    L   GF   GA   GD  Pts 
 1 Ko-oren                          1    1    0    0    0    3    0   +3    3
   North Alezia                     1    1    0    0    0    7    0   +7    3
   Sarzonia                         1    1    0    0    0    6    1   +5    3
   Valanora                         1    1    0    0    0    4    2   +2    3
 5 Delaclava                        1    0    1    0    0    3    2   +1    2
   Elejamie                         1    0    1    0    0    4    3   +1    2
 7 Iba Dwa                          1    0    0    1    0    2    3   –1    1
   Sannyamathland                   1    0    0    1    0    3    4   –1    1
 9 Kelssek                          1    0    0    0    1    0    3   –3    0
   Pius Desurongcrandis             1    0    0    0    1    1    6   –5    0
   Pluvie                           1    0    0    0    1    0    7   –7    0
   Poafmersia                       1    0    0    0    1    2    4   –2    0

Group of Pentacles
Le Choix 6–2 Islands of Ventro
Grey County 1–2 Nova Anglicana
Suimede 2–5 Gyatso-Kai
Gergary 1–4 Fluvannia
Anthor 1–7 Mercedini
United States of Devonta 4–1 Salzcovia

   Group of Pentacles             Pld    W  OTW  OTL    L   GF   GA   GD  Pts 
 1 Fluvannia                        1    1    0    0    0    4    1   +3    3
   Gyatso-Kai                       1    1    0    0    0    5    2   +3    3
   Le Choix                         1    1    0    0    0    6    2   +4    3
   Mercedini                        1    1    0    0    0    7    1   +6    3
   Nova Anglicana                   1    1    0    0    0    2    1   +1    3
   United States of Devonta         1    1    0    0    0    4    1   +3    3
 7 Anthor                           1    0    0    0    1    1    7   –6    0
   Gergary                          1    0    0    0    1    1    4   –3    0
   Grey County                      1    0    0    0    1    1    2   –1    0
   Islands of Ventro                1    0    0    0    1    2    6   –4    0
   Salzcovia                        1    0    0    0    1    1    4   –3    0
   Suimede                          1    0    0    0    1    2    5   –3    0

Group of Cups
St. Saratoga 3–2 Ranoria
BohemiaIV 1–1 Omerica (5–4 SO)
Banija 1–2 HUElavia
Siovanija & Teusland 5–3 Quebec & Shingoryeo
Waisnor 4–5 Flekkefjord
Srednjaci 3–4 Kriegiersien

   Group of Cups                  Pld    W  OTW  OTL    L   GF   GA   GD  Pts 
 1 Flekkefjord                      1    1    0    0    0    5    4   +1    3
   HUElavia                         1    1    0    0    0    2    1   +1    3
   Kriegiersien                     1    1    0    0    0    4    3   +1    3
   Siovanija & Teusland             1    1    0    0    0    5    3   +2    3
   St. Saratoga                     1    1    0    0    0    3    2   +1    3
 6 BohemiaIV                        1    0    1    0    0    2    1   +1    2
 7 Omerica                          1    0    0    1    0    1    2   –1    1
 8 Banija                           1    0    0    0    1    1    2   –1    0
   Quebec & Shingoryeo              1    0    0    0    1    3    5   –2    0
   Ranoria                          1    0    0    0    1    2    3   –1    0
   Srednjaci                        1    0    0    0    1    3    4   –1    0
   Waisnor                          1    0    0    0    1    4    5   –1    0

Group of Swords
Græntfjall 2–2 Savojarna (2–3 OT)
The Grandest Empire 5–4 People’s Republic of Xabia
Mapletish 1–1 Reçueçn (7–6 SO)
Kohnhead 3–6 Lǜ Shān
Taeshan 4–1 Xanneria
Chromatika 2–7 Cassadaigua

   Group of Swords                Pld    W  OTW  OTL    L   GF   GA   GD  Pts 
 1 Cassadaigua                      1    1    0    0    0    7    2   +5    3
   Lǜ Shān                          1    1    0    0    0    6    3   +3    3
   Taeshan                          1    1    0    0    0    4    1   +3    3   
   The Grandest Empire              1    1    0    0    0    5    4   +1    3
 5 Mapletish                        1    0    1    0    0    2    1   +1    2
   Savojarna                        1    0    1    0    0    3    2   +1    2
 7 Græntfjall                       1    0    0    1    0    2    3   –1    1
   Reçueçn                          1    0    0    1    0    1    2   –1    1
 9 Chromatika                       1    0    0    0    1    2    7   –5    0
   Kohnhead                         1    0    0    0    1    3    6   –3    0
   People’s Republic of Xabia       1    0    0    0    1    4    5   –1    0
   Xanneria                         1    0    0    0    1    1    4   –3    0

by **Mapletish** » Sat Mar 27, 2021 5:28 am

Mapletish 1-1 Reçueçn (7–6 SO)

Dragons seal shootout victory against Reçueçn. Head coach Darryl Richardson was the happier man in the arena after the evening's game. The Dragon began the game as the more reactive team. They were not as proactive enough in the attack and were pressured right from the get go. Line 1 defensive pair, Leroy Salazar and Malcolm Hawkins tried their best in countering the attacks from the attacking players from Reçueçn's starting offensive players like Berthe Arceneaux and Marleen Heilbronn against the Dragons. The ladies team of Reçueçn were effective in their attacks and that was to be expected for the gold medal winning side of the XIV Winter Olympics. The first period was for both teams to settle into the momentum and play.

The Dragons however, were finding it a little harder to settle in the Group of Swords. The group has 12 teams and features the largest number of competitor in the group stages the Dragons have been participated in in recent competitions. Although the Dragons found it difficult to build their momentum in the game, they were fortunate that their fellow competitors were facing the same predicament. Following 3 shot attempts on goal, the Dragons were finding it hard to break open the deadlock much to the frustrations of Trevor Hunt and Curtis Singleton. The duo had earlier proven their worth in the World Junior Hockey Championship, delivering decent performance to cement their spot in the team. The first period ended goalless.

The second period saw Reçueçn toughen up their grip on the match as they were determined to break the deadlock. After a fumble with the puck earlier on in the period, left defenseman Gabriel Cox singlehandedly handed the puck to his opponents, only to see the offensive center Berthe Arceneaux pounced on that opportunity to pass the puck to her attacking partner Marleen Heilbronn for the latter to slot the puck past the Dragons' shot stopper, Robert Armstrong. The Dragons were not to be underestimated as they were quick to hit back. The Line 2's right wing, Jerome Bailey got into action following a through pass from Guy Hanson. Bailey controlled the puck confidently before slotting it past Elea Lörtscher to bring the score to 1-1.

The period was goalless and the subsequent overtimes too got both teams on the deadlock. The Dragons however were composed in the Shootouts as they were able to edge Reçueçn by a goal to seal an overtime victory against their opponents, taking on 2 points while gifting one point to Reçueçn.

by **TJUN-ia** » Sat Mar 27, 2021 8:43 am

Name: TJUN-ia
Trigram: TJU
Governing Body: Ice Hockey TJUN-ia (IHT/IH-TJUN-ia)
Nickname: Ice Jaguars/Jaguars
Colours: Home - Blue/Orange, Away - White/Blue, Third - Black/Dark Orange

And here we are, with another World Cup of Hockey sneaking up on TJUN-ia. Compared to the other major Amerikan sports (Gridiron, Baseball and Basketball), it's always been Ice Hockey that is TJUN-ia's weakest link in the chain, a sport where our team cannot seem to find success no matter what they do. Ølson Rasmussen knows this more than most and the IHT wants to see improvements fast, sending him a warning that if he cannot qualify for the knockouts here in Graintfjall then he will be out of a job, becoming the first TJUN-ian head coach to ever be terminated in the history of U3 sports. Aurora Shadowsoul drew everyone into 4 groups based on a Tarot Card reading, with the top 4 after 12 games advancing to the knockouts on neutral ice. We were drawn as the 9 of Swords into the Group of Swords, facing opposition both old and new, and many will be hoping that our team is a ruthless as 9 Swords can be in a pivotal WCoH for us all.

COACHING STAFF
Head Coach: Ølson Rasmussen (43)
Assistant Coach: Pytor Petrov (40)
Assistant Coach: Yakov Blykovsky (39)
Style Modifier: +0.5

PLAYERS
OFFENCE
Line 1
LW: #2 Julian Visipils (26)
C: #1 Christian Kalsters (27) (C)
RW: #3 Teemu Pukaninen (26)

Line 2
LW: #8 Vasil Cherysezsky (26)
C: #7 Viktor Orban (26)
RW: #9 Ryan Pericic (25) (2nd C)

Line 3
LW: #13 Danil Svengren (23)
C: #12 John Gallagher (22)
RW: #14 Chris Jeeves (24)

Line 4
LW: #18 Callum Sorento-Lineker (26)
C: #17 Thorgan Annursson (25)
RW: #19 Kisei Nawakami (26)

DEFENCE
Line 1
LD: #4 Li Chei (28)
RD: #5 David Stewart (26) (3rd C)

Line 2
LD: #10 Ki Hwa-Na (25)
RD: #11 Peotyr Markelovsky (23)

Line 3
LD: #15 John Le Pont (22)
RD: #16 Kristian van Oosteren (23)

GOALKEEPERS
GK (Starter): #6 Jakob Vaduz (27) (4th C)
GK (Backup): #99 Chulalonnkorn "Chula" Shinawatra (21)

SCHEDULE (Group of Swords)
MD1: BYE
MD2: vs Graintfjall (22, 8 of Swords) - Eisstadion Háttmark, Haderhavn
MD3: vs The Grandest Empire (UR, 4 of Swords) - Grand National Arena, Gunzlach
MD4: vs Mapletish (UR, 5 of Swords) - SuperBangMunchVöllur, Zevogur
MD5: vs Kohnhead (26, 7 of Swords)- Elínmundur Heiðreksson Halle, Steinaux
MD6: vs Taeshan (14, 10 of Swords) - Hofvinger Community Arena
MD7: vs Chromatika (29, 6 of Swords) - Hagejoki Play Park
MD8: vs Cassadaigua (8, Queen of Swords) - Hagejoki Play Park
MD9: vs Xanneria (UR, 3 of Swords) - Hofvinger Community Arena
MD10: vs Lu Shan (UR, Ace of Swords) - Elínmundur Heiðreksson Halle, Steinaux
MD11: vs Recuecn (12, Trickster of Swords) - SuperBangMunchVöllur, Zevogur
MD12: vs Peoples Republic of Xabia (UR, 4 of Swords) - Grand National Arena, Gunzlach
MD13: vs Savojarna (3, King of Swords) - Eisstadion Háttmark, Haderhavn

Permissions
Choose my Scorers: Yes
Choose Scoring Events: Yes
Godmod Scoring Events: No
RP Injuries to my Players: Yes
Godmod Injuries to my Players: No
Godmod Other Events: Yes

by **Waisnor** » Sat Mar 27, 2021 8:46 am

We start with defeat, but with a worthy one

Waisnor played their first match in World Cup of Hockey 42 with Flekkefjord. It was expected that this team will not cause any special problems, but soon it quickly turned out that it could well cause serious inconvenience.

The match began when Flekkefjord quickly seizing the initiative and very quickly began to dominate the match. This resulted in the fact that it was they who opened the scoring in the match - on the 4th minute of the 1st period, the striker of this team broke through the Waisnorian defense and sent the puck into the goal with one powerful and sharp throw.
After this goal, the Waisnorian team perked up and began to look for opportunities to level the score. On the 10th minute of the same 1st period, such an opportunity fell out, and the newcomer Stanisłav Bednarek team managed to take advantage of it, quickly throwing the puck into the bottom corner of the goal and making the score 1-1.
After his first goal, Waisnor began to play more confidently, showing their attacking hockey in all its glory, taking advantage of the moments for sharp attacks. At the 17th minute of the 1st period, such a moment appeared for Artur Mamaev, when a gap appeared in the defense of Flekkefjord. Arthur was able to get into it, reach the gate and send the puck into the gate with one light throw, bringing Waisnor forward.
However, Flekkefjord clearly did not like this turn of events, and this team began to play more energetically in order to regain the lost advantage. The 6th minute of the 2nd period was an excellent moment to return the balance to the game, and another striker of this team was able to realize it by sending the puck behind Denis Dementiev and for the second time the score was leveled.
Whoever was the dominant team at the rink was like a pendulum, no team could take the lead for a long period of time. And this time it swung in the direction of Waisnor, who in the 13th minute of the 2nd period scored Mikhail Belov - thanks to the passage through the entire rink from the flank and competent bypassing the defenders, he made his way to the goalkeeper of Flekkefjord and threw the puck straight into the center.
Waisnor already lost one goal advantage, so it was necessary to score another puck for complete confidence in their leadership. This puck was scored in the 16th minute of the 2nd period - David Bloch continued an excellent pass from Mikhail Belov, also, with one touch, sent the puck into the bottom corner of the Flekkefjord goal, completing this lightning-fast attack.
At the beginning of the third period, Waisnor began to play more calmly, already apparently thinking that the victory was in their pocket. However, Flekkefjord clearly thought differently and began to play much more aggressively in order to snatch victory. On the 7th minute of the 3rd period, the Flekkefjord defender went to the goal of Denis Dementyev and threw the puck right between his legs, reducing the gap to a minimum.
Waisnor, after a missed goal, began to return to their own rut somewhat again, but it was too late and Flekkefjord continued their attacks. At the 13th minute of the 3rd period, the striker, who scored the first goal in this meeting, received a pass from the flanks and instantly sent the puck to the center of the goal, comparing the score and concerning the Waisnor fans.
The last minutes of the match were really tense, both teams tried to turn the situation in their favor and snatch victory in their first match. In the penultimate minute of the match, the Flekkefjord striker was able to break through the Waisnor defense and send the puck straight to the bottom left corner of the goal, earning 3 points for the Flekkefjord and leaving Waisnor defeated in his first group stage game.

by **Kriegiersien** » Sat Mar 27, 2021 9:20 am

The Schoenwetter Herald

Sport – Icehockey

World Cup of Hockey 42

Srednjaci 3–4 Kriegiersien

Against the young team from Srednjaci, who ended up Top 8 in the last Junior World Cup, the former Olympic silver medallists won after a hard fight. The physical advantage of the older team from Kriegiersien made it possible for them to equalize the lead of the Ice Cubs and come back multiple times.

“In the end it was the bit more of experience that got us the win”, said Coach Niobe Ferrero, while others said it was the foul from Patrik Parrrrker against the opponents goalie, that should have been penalized, but instead let him score the 4-3.
The game didn’t end in mutual consent.

“Like taking away candy from a baby”, grinned newcomer Parrrker after the match in the cameras.

Next up is Ranking number 30 Flekkefjord, who haven’t shown their real squad yet, but still were able to beat Waisnor 5-4.

by **Cassadaigua** » Sat Mar 27, 2021 9:40 am

After all those goals, let’s rest,
By Chelsea Dufresne, Concord Heights Times

If you ask all thirteen managers in the Group of Swords when they would prefer to have their off day, they would pick a spot right in the middle of the schedule. I’m sure that the answer would be the same in all of the groups, as it is the perfect time for the off day. Team Cassadaigua will not have that opportunity, as they are off now, on matchday two. Is there a benefit to this in any way? Well, probably not. Teams are not at the point now where having one less game played will make a significant difference in terms of rest, so that theory can be thrown out the window. Perhaps, it might be good for the mental aspect that we will have one less game played then mostly everyone early on, there will always be a few teams ahead of us in the standings since they will have had more opportunities to pick up wins and points. Not that our team should need that form of mental boost, but I like that better than having our bye day late and perhaps getting a false sense of security about where we are in the standings.

The Fillies looked real good in the opening game against Chromatika, scoring on the first shift of the game as Cassidy Conti nudged a rebound of a Brittany Gomes shot past goalie Dorothy Belmont (no relation to our coach, Rachel Belmont), just 22 seconds into the game. If the plan was to jump on the Ice Storm, who scouts had as a greatly defensive minded team, early, then they were certainly successful. That is the best way to play a team that wants to be all defense, all the time, and the second shot of the game going in the net is a good way to achieve that. It was not too long later as to when the second goal was scored, as a slapper from Courtney Burnett was deflected in front by Jacob Thomas to make it 2-0 at the 3:58 mark. Rachel Belmont had a big smile on her face as her team got to her Belmont namesake early in the game, and the credit goes to the up tempo style of play early on. Cassadaigua scored two more times in the first period: Samantha Dryden on the power play (from Cassidy Conti and Jennifer Everson) at 13:04, and Lauren Potvin (from Meghann Carmello and Courtney Burnett) at 17:55. “The first period could not have been any better for us,” Rachel Belmont said after the game, “we felt that The Ice Storm wanted to sit back and get us in some sort of trap system, and we prepared for it well. Execution is key, and we did just that.” Cassadaigua outshot Chromatika 13-4 in the period.

In the second, Chromatika’s national team showed the kind of heart and fight that is to be expected from their nation as they chipped away at the lead to make it 4-2. Loren Basalter scored on a nice backhand at 7:13, and Shannon Mieux followed it up with a goal of her own at 10:22, and suddenly they were back in the game. It was in this period where we saw the Ice Storm defense play at the level that we felt they would be at, and the Fillies may have been guilty of taking their foot off the gas way too early. At the time of the Mieux goal, Chromatika had been outshooting us 9-2 in the period. Rachel Belmont used her timeout following the goal, not saving it for later, as her team needed to get back in the game. Gradually, they began to get back in the game, and Ashley LaPointe’s goal (assisted by Kristina Petit and Jessica Hoover at 15:32) allowed us to breathe a little easier. The second period ended with a 5-2 lead. We were outshot 13-10 in the frame.

Chromatika’s team tried to push in the third to get back in the game, but they are not set up to be the type of team that is going to score a bunch of goals. They also inserted Dustin Mast into the goal as the “other” Belmont needs to live to fight another day for her team. As such, as they could not maintain their defensive system, Cassadaigua took advantage of a couple mistakes that were made. Shelby Coufal, our defensive center on the third line, thrived in this situation and scored both goals in the third, at 8:44 and 12:01, to make it 7-2. Her first goal was unassisted, and the second was assisted by Jacob Thomas and Natalie Edmonds. The Fillies outshot Chromatika 8-7 in the third, giving a 31-24 edge for the game. We were 1-for-2 on the power play, while Chromatika was 0-for-2. Now, we rest.

by **Sarzonia** » Sat Mar 27, 2021 9:50 am

One of the benefits of having an experienced hockey club is that it can sometimes be easy to motivate a team.

That certainly was the case for Sarzonian national ice hockey team manager Paul Bremerton. He walked into the team dressing room before their first match of World Cup of Hockey 42 against unranked Pius Desurongcrandis.

"I took one look at the team and I knew they were ready," Bremerton said after the team wrapped up a 6-1 victory to open group play in the Group of Wands. Sylvan Turcotte played a vintage Turcotte game with a hat trick, an assist and vicious forechecking in the Pius Desurongcrandis end during much of his 16:42 of ice time.

"It felt great to get back on the ice," Turcotte said. "After we didn't send a team to the last World Cup, I missed [playing a lot more than I thought I would. I was back to having fun. I just wish Bremer didn't sit me out after the second period."

"I wanted to conserve his minutes on ice," Bremerton said. "There will be plenty of minutes against the Delaclavas, the Valanoras and the Kelsseks in this group. No need to wear out against PD."

Against Elejamie, Bremerton said backup goaltender Yuri Evgenikov will start the match and former Under 20 national ice hockey team goalie Owen Franks will likely get called up to the senior team. Starter Jacob Parsons stopped 26 Pius Desurongcrandis shots, only allowing a fluke goal by centre and team captain Brian Arma.

"Jake was solid in goal for us," Turcotte said. "If he gets in good form, we'll be in great shape."

by **Le Choix** » Sat Mar 27, 2021 1:41 pm

Partie 1
Partie 2

Le Sanctum (The Sanctum)
Espoir du Ciel (Heaven's Hope), Le Choix

"Les quelques élus vous guideront. Suivez-les comme vous me suivriez. - Le Livre de la Loi, Chapitre 1, Verset 15 "
(The chosen few will guide you. Follow them like you would follow me. - The Book of Law, Chapter 1, Verse 15)

Four hours after the ceremony, Grand Évéque Caterine Chaudoir stepped out of her official Theocracy vehicle at Le Sanctum, the Headquarters of The Chosen. Seventy-one souls had entered the Portal to Hell that she's overseen, a decent clip. According to Headquarters, the last day of the month had seen 1,031 souls be sent through the Gates, which was above average. Maybe it was time they pulled back a little?

Thankfully, that wasn't for her to decide by herself. No, it was time for The Five to meet.

Awaiting for her in the sub-basement chamber of metal and steel, always kept at 40 degrees, was the Grand Bishop of the Military, Julian Burdette. One of the youngest of the five, Burdette was a looker - tall, astute, handsome, with a playful glint in his eyes. He was the Grand Bishop in charge of The Chosen's military and the "volunteers" that were so crucial in keeping up the morale and the façade of The Chosen. He was also in charge of La Société de Réécriture (The Rewritten Society) that made sure that such peoples who were volunteering themselves to go through the Portal wouldn't betray The Chosen's secrets.

Stepping in directly after Caterine Chaudoir was Grand Bishop Hélène Malle, the Grand Bishop in charge of Communications and Propaganda. She was very thin and looked ill almost all the time, but had an edge to her that put anyone else in the room on notice. She oozed confidence and demanded attention at every turn. She appeared to have been in conversation with Grand Bishop Paul LaGrande, a man in his forties with a robust stomach and a relaxed demeanor to boot. Malle and LaGrande were almost always at odds due to his lax behavior, but LaGrande was absolutely needed as the Grand Bishop of Infrastructure, which included food, lodging, and all the things that determined the Theocracy's standard of living.

Alongside Caterine Chaudoir, who was the Grand Bishop of The Church, the four of them took care of the Faith, the military, the infrastructure, and the propaganda. As per usual, they awaited their leader.

Like clockwork, five minutes before the meeting was supposed to start, the elevator chimed one last time. Out stepped a white-haired, tall woman, standing at six feet, eight inches tall, with her hair cut neatly right above her shoulders. She had piercing blue eyes, an angular chin, and a pointed nose. She had an air of superiority and elegance about her, but more importantly, she had a soul-piercing gaze that nobody dared match for more than a few seconds. This was Pontifax Jacqueline de Feu, and she made up the fifth member of The Five. (Notably absent was Grand Évêque Jacques du Crépuscule, the "Head of State" of The Theocracy who was no more than a glorified mouthpiece for the Pontifax.)

"Now, now, Ladies and Gentlemen, where were we?" asked Jacqueline in her singsong voice. The pitch and tone of The Chosen's leader often caught people off guard, leading for them to lower their guard, which was their biggest mistake. She was the shrewdest, calculating, ambitious one of them all, and the story of how she ended up becoming the Pontifax without ever becoming a Grand Bishop first was legendary within The Chosen's upper echelons. No, this was definitely not a woman to be crossed.

"With the other four's assistance," began Hélène, "We totaled 1,031 souls that went through the Portal this month, with about 200 of them scheduled to make it out after thirty days. Our success rate is at 90% in recent months, so 180 of them should make it out as the Elite." As the Grand Bishop of Communications and Propaganda, it was Hélène's job to report on how each month ended.

Jacqueline du Feu nodded curtly, and then shot a glance at Paul LaGrande, of which he was ready for. "Population is holding at slightly over 1 million, Pontifax," he reported, "We had 40,918 births last month, 15,399 turn over the age of 18, and 38,291 deaths, most of them due to natural causes."

Jacqueline's eyes turned to Julian, who continued their usual reporting cadence. "The Military is holding strong, Pontifax. La Reine Rouge reports fully operational, and La Société de Réécriture reports we can substitute as many people needed going through the portal with the previously selected as needed."

"Now how many," the Pontifax stated, her eyes moving to Caterine, "Of the thousand souls we committed to the Portal were these dissenters, Caterine?"

A chill ran down Caterine's spine. "Twelve," she answered, trying to remain calm, "It's down from the last month's total of fifteen, and we're almost done weeding them all out."

"Don't you know," said Jacqueline, the edginess in her tone coming back in, "That even one of them existing is a threat against us all? How difficult could it be to stomp them all out at the source?"

The four others hung their heads. They knew better than to provide any sort of excuse.

Then, Jacqueline du Feu's demeanor changed, and she became pleasant again. "Well, I suppose it'll take some time to get all those that received that infernal message not five months ago. Let's make sure we do that. Next month, we are christening a new arms factory, a new textiles factory, and a new school. I trust you all will make sure everything is running smoothly." She held her gaze with each of them in turn for a few seconds to get the point across that failure wasn't an option.

Taking out a device from her pocket, Jacqueline du Feu checked a few things before putting it back.

"Otherwise, Les Anges (The Angels) will pay you all a visit, and we wouldn't want that, would we?" With a smile, the Pontifax of Le Choix got up, nodded to each of them in turn, and left in stunned silence.

"I thought that Les Anges was a scare tactic that you came up with," stated Paul LaGrande to Hélène Malle.

"I thought that, too," agreed Hélène, looking at Julian.

"Don't look at me," stated the Grand Bishop of the Military, "That's not an operation I'm aware of."

The three of them looked at Caterine, who sighed.

"Les Anges," she said, her voice trembling a bit, "Are five people in charge of La Reine Rouge. If she sticks them on us..."

Hélène looked shocked. Paul looked as if he'd have a heart attack. Julian raised a hand for her to stop.

"Let's get back to work," he said, his voice grim.

So, the four Grand Bishops of the Theocracy of Le Choix left the chamber, significantly tenser than when they had gone in.

by **Nova Anglicana** » Sat Mar 27, 2021 3:13 pm

Hall causes minor stir with endorsement of Gordon

Lauren Christian, Staff Writer

You might be forgiven for thinking that World Cup of Hockey 42 in Græntfjall might be all about hockey, but it appears that Nova Anglican politics reaches even to Rushmore and the White Winter Queendom. The national hockey team took care of business in their first game, against Grey County, winning 2-1. However, the real story happened after the game, when Labrador Caribou center Victor Hall seemingly endorsed Sheila Gordon, a deputy from Labrador, in the Progressive Justice Party leadership race.

Hall was named the first star of the game after the Lions' victory, scoring a goal in the first period, and assisting on the eventual game-winning goal scored by linemate Owen Jones early in the third period. His two points led the Lions to victory over Grey County. It wasn't the cleanest of wins, with the Lions pulling ahead early, then conceding in the second period to allow the game to be tied. Jones' goal at 3:27 proved to the game winner, a snap shot that Jones rifled past the Grey County netminder with incredible speed and accuracy. The Lions pressed hard for an extra goal, but none was forthcoming.

Reporters clustered around Hall after the game to get his thoughts on his performance. Hall answered multiple questions about his play before one reporter ventured to ask about how he thought the team would do going forward. Hall said he wasn't a prognosticator, but he hoped they would be in contention for the playoffs. An Eboracum Sun reporter asked if he had any predictions for the PJP leadership race and Hall replied, "I can't say who'll win there. Josephine Clark's in the lead of course, but for my money, Sheila Gordon's one to watch. She's spent a lot of time fighting for First Nations people here in Labrador, and I don't think that's something people should take lightly. I've spent a lot of time in community events to support different groups over my time with the Caribou, and I've seen how much investment we need in these communities." Asked to elaborate, Hall declined to do so, made his excuses, and got out of range of reporters.

Several groups and people released their own statements afterwards. Gordon said, "This campaign has always been about what's best for the people of our nation, including First Nations people. We're happy to see that Victor Hall shares our views on the importance of what Sheila's talking about and we remain confident we can win this leadership race and continue fighting until everyone in our nation has what they need to flourish."

The other PJP campaigns offered no comment or said they were committed to winning the race and that they supported the right of all citizens to express their opinions and participate in politics. The Prime Minister's office refused comment, but Deputy Prime Minister and National Party leader King Voss said, "Athletes should focus on athletics, not politics. Victor Hall needs to focus on playing an excellent center for the national team, and keep his commentary about politics to a minimum. No matter who the PJP choose in their election, the Nova Anglican people have rejected their left-wing identity politics and corruption. This incident and the participation of two ethnic or language-focused candidates in the PJP race only shows that the left is narrowly focused on special interests and ignoring the interests of all hard-working Nova Anglicans." The Caribou, Hall's club team, said "We support and encourage our athletes when they express their opinions on social or political issues. Freedom of expression is a core value of our nation and we want all people to stand up and participate in the political process, no matter which party or issue they want to focus on. We remain committed to helping our First Nations partners here in Labrador through our many community outreach programs."

Asked later what he thought of his second-line center's comments, head coach Sherm Willis said, "Victor's entitled to his views. We don't want to muzzle anyone on this team. We want our views and our conduct on and off the ice to support the flourishing of our people and our nation and to set a good example for people. I don't have a problem with anyone on this team talking politics or about societal issues or what their favorite TV show is, as long as it doesn't affect our on-ice performance. I spoke with Victor about this, and he told me he's 100% committed to helping this team make the playoffs and that he won't be letting this distract him. As far as I'm concerned, that's the end of it. We're going to be trying our best to succeed in this competition and represent all Nova Anglicans along the way."

The Lions take on Suimede next, an unranked nation who lost 5-2 to the Ice Bison of Gyatso-Kai. The Lions are favored to win, but we'll see how this extra attention affects Hall and the rest of the team's play. A second win over an unranked team to begin the competition would go a long way towards helping this team achieve the goals Willis set out in his comments above.

by **Mercedini** » Sat Mar 27, 2021 3:21 pm

World Cup of Hockey MD1
Anthor vs. Mercedini: Match In-Review
@ Róska-Friðrún-Íþróttshús - Laafjörður, Graintfjall

Explosive Start As Eagles Stretch Their Wings

FINAL
WCOH | MD1
ANTHOR 1
MERCEDINI 7
(0-2) (1-3) (0-2)
Laafjörður, Graintfjall

Mercedini came out fighting in their first game at the 42nd World Cup of Hockey, with the Kingfishers starting out from where they left off in Taeshan, as they swept aside Anthor by seven goals to one in front of packed crowd in Laafjörður. The win sees them go joint top of the group on goal difference, thanks to the slightly different ranking method for this tournament, but they have seen off one of the more established nations rather easily. With Mercedini making their way to Graintfjall with a week to spare before the tournament officially commences, the Kingfishers had an extra couple of days of preparation for their opening match in Laafjörður. This extra prep time meant all the pieces were falling into place for the Kingfishers, and that came up for them in the end result. It was the second biggest result of the round and the largest win in the group, even if goal difference isn't a massive play in the groups for now. It's the perfect way to kick off your campaign, and sends a statement of intent to the rest of the group.

The Kingfishers entered the cauldron of the Róska-Friðrún-Íþróttshús for their opening game, which is easy for me to say. They went in knowing full well that the tournament and the group was well underway with a full list of fixtures taking place across the country just with Pentacles up and down the world rankings. The stadium was still littered with flags from from both nation in contention, plus the odd Graintfjall flag from the locals. This was a big match for many hockey fans, domestic and abroad, with million tuning in from Mercedini, and thousands travelling to Graintfjall to support their players at the beginning for their latest endeavour. As would be expected, the match took on prime-time viewing in Mercedini, while it was rivalled by Gyatso-Kai's game for the first choice pick for many international channels. It wasn't the most watched match of the listings, but the game drew upward of 200,000 viewers watching live during the game's peak, midway through the third period, and #ANTMRC briefly appeared as a multiverse-wide trend throughout the game. It was another 'where were you when...' kind of game, and the action certainly lived up to the pre-match hype.

A capacity crowd inside the Róska-Friðrún-Íþróttshús greeted the two sides who came out to a big atmosphere created by the Mercedinians, the Anthorians and the locals who treated like a Laafjörður home game in the GHL. The first period pucked off with little in the way of furore or animosity between the two teams as Anthor returned to the WCOH with their usual game featuring clean fast breaks and tricky play. Meanwhile, Dini started off slow as they normally do, conserving their energy for later in the period due to their enduring style of play which isn't seen anywhere else in the multiverse. The first major chance went the way of Anthor, with a driving shot from the front line pinging off the near post, off the goalkeeper and back into clear ice. That was immediately pounced upon by Matteo Vranida who took that as an opportunity to counter and race up the ice in pursuit of the opening goal after that narrow miss from his opposition. Vranida took a swipe, but it was well smothered by the opposition goaltender in the first big chance of the game. We had to wait nearly eleven minutes in the first period for the opening goal in the game, with Mercedini scoring through Zoloroni City Icers front-man Bernard Santo after a spell of intense pressure on the Anthor goal. It was a simple pass-and-move play between the front three attackers which opened up enough space between the defender and the goaltender to squeeze the puck through the middle for the opener. Things got better with less than a minute to go in the first period, Anthor couldn't hold out for the buzzer as Vranida, ever the threat, tapped home following a piercing move from Fabio Kelodon down the middle. It allowed the Arkenton Rams attacker to square the puck over to Vranida, who was waiting in space to tuck it neatly into the open side of the net for the second. When the buzzer rang out, it was only the Mercedinians who could make themselves heard, 2-0 as the teams went in the for the interval.

The second period came around not too long after, with Dini holding hat two goal lead which may have seemed a little harsh on the opponents, as both teams put together very good moves to forge chances from pretty much nothing. Nevertheless, it was Mercedini's clinical edge which gave them their lead. Play left off where it ended with Anthor on the front foot once again, but this time the outcome was different as they hit back straight after the break. The Anthor team made up for their earlier misses by delicately lifting the puck over the head of Malinsky to halve the deficit with only a couple of minutes gone on the second-period clock. That seemed to spur on Anthor and their fans, who were riding a wave of momentum following that goal, and with a power play awarded to them after a silly tackle by Giorgio Gagliano, it looked as if it would be they would be the ones to equalise and undo the good work that Dini had done in during the first period. However, a conservative approach to hog the puck gave the team in blue and black the chance to retreat, reset and kill the power play that Anthor rightfully deserved. The clock ran out with Gagliano allowed to re-join the ice. With both teams back to full strength, it was anyone's game.

Dini restored their lead and then some with two goals in as many minutes with five or so minutes to go in the second period. Much like the first period, it was the final ten minutes where Dini came into their own and started to pull the strings. First, second-period change Merlo opened his account at the tournament with a simple slap-shot which evaded the glove of the Anthor goaltender to wriggle into the net for 3-1. Then Ivan Pirelli, a second-line defender, popped up at the right time to convert from a deflection which took it away from the glove of the goaltender to give Pirelli a chance to sweep it from under his feet and into the Anthor net. A glimmer of hope had been cruelly snuffed out by the clinical movement of the Mercedinians. They are unbeatable on a good day, and today was just one of those. It was nearly 5-1 before the buzzer when Kelodon returned to the pitch to cause havoc once again, but an appeal for icing was upheld by the officials, meaning it was chalked of right at the death. The buzzer sounded on what looked to be a good night for Dini, they held a comfortable 4-1 lead heading into the final period.

It was beginning to move away from the competitive dogfight many had expected it to be, with Anthor now needing nothing short of a miracle to turn the game around with Mercedini looking this good on the ice. The third period began, with Dini expected to wrap up the game in front of a capacity crowd in Laafjörður and millions watching on from the comfort of their own home. In the end, it ended up being a wash as Mercedini's front line was on full form. First, Vranida netted his second and Dini's fifth of the game with another tap-in worked by Supsai who found the space to take out his marker and send a puck in for Vranida to connect with, after he lost his man in the movement to tip the puck into the roof of the net. Barely a minute later, Dini were at it again with the Anthor goaltender powerless to stop another slap-shot, this time from Dolocic. It deflected off the glove of the Anthor goalkeeper, but couldn't deter the puck from pinging in off the underside of the crossbar.

At this point, with the score being 6-1, some fans had seen enough and departed the arena, either to avoid watching anymore of what they were seeing, or to beat the terrible traffic which would inevitably ensue upon the full-time buzzer. What looked to be a tight contest between two nations with established hockey communities had turned into a blowout, with Dini out for blood following their disappointment in last edition's lower bracket final. They hit seventh heaven with eight minutes to go in the game when Vranida completed his hat-trick with a lovely dribbling move to battle past two players before slotting the puck in from close range. Cheers from one side and jeers from the other become immediately apparent, a 7-1 score line featuring two ranked sides was certainly not of the cards here in Laafjörður. A night which left team one team battered and bruised, and it wasn't the team in black and blue. A complete blowout of a match which not many were expecting. Dini have swept their first opponents aside by seven goals to one, to kick off their campaign in style.

by **Elejamie** » Sat Mar 27, 2021 3:23 pm

Coach Alex stared up at the clock. OT was about to begin after the match had ended 3-3. It wasn't a bad opener, not the best but he's definitely had worse. For a start Ivan Svidler opened up the scoring for the home team 16:43 into the match thanks to a well-timed snapshot from the point with some assistance from line-mate Boris Mikhutin and defeceman Alexei Kasparov. It seemed like Ricardo Bejarano was about to save it but he wasn't able to reach it in time so it ended up sailing into the back of his net. Fortunately his side managed to bounce back from that with 5:31 left, when Elejamie had to kill their first penalty of the evening (after James Han had to be sent to the box for two minutes after hooking Park Jong Ho). Not only did they manage to do that but they went one better and score a short-handed goal; Stacy Saunders scored his first of the evening after the face-off with some help from Cerin Meloten and Adam Keane. Saunders would get an assist of his own in the second period (with 15:10 left on the clock) when he and he alone helped Bill Harrison give Elejamie the lead and, with 7:11 remaining, Ethan Swinburne would make it 3-1 thanks to a well-timed one-timer and assists from the Barajas brothers, Felipe and Danilo.

However, much like the match against the ENIHL Foreign team in what was essentially a glorified all-star game, his side had choked away a 3-1 lead going into the third period. With 13:10 left on the clock, Denis Khurov managed to pull one back for his side when the puck managed to slide its way into the Elejamian net after a mad scramble to either put it in or get it out of there. And, indeed, upon closer analysis it turned out that Khurov managed to tip it in just before Elejamian defenceman Diego Pinto was able to get his stick on it. And then, with 13.2 seconds left on the clock and his side's net empty, Svidler managed to level the scores when he didn't just intercept a pass from Bejarano to Lupe but he managed to turn it into a one-timer thanks to a well-timed slapshot that Bejarano was just unable to get a blocker to. Aided by some stalwart defending, Sannyamathland managed to shut Elejamie out for the period and, by the time the klaxon went again, the match had ended 3-3. Back during the silver era, when they were the team to beat, this would've been an unacceptable result and there would've been a litany of changes in both players and tactics. But, as a team trying to rebuild themselves, it was good enough. Plus it helped that overtime would be played in the group stage so they could consider it a consolation win.

Fortunately, it wasn't really that tense of a game. There were a few penalties every now and then but they weren't anything major or even misconducting. Apart from the aforementioned hooking by Han, there was a bit of slashing from Oleksander Shevchenco on Lucas Madgwick and a delay of game penalty when Vladimir Lushakin accidentally fired the puck into the bench to close out the first period. The second period saw Rafinho get two penalties, one for high-stickings and another for holding, but no other Elejamian players received one. And, indeed, there were no Sannyamathlandian penalties throughout this period or the next one. Furthermore, the third period was a clean affair for Elejamie as well. There were a few moments where it seemed like the clock would have to stop and a player would have to sit out for a couple of minutes but fortunately something came along to relieve everyone, where it be a player just catching themselves in the nick of time or, in one case, a player getting the puck back so a potential interference call instead became a normal check.

Now he had to watch his side try and get a goal before their opponent does. If they do then it means they're able to scrape a couple of points. If not then they'll have to settle for just the one. If neither side were able to score then it was down to the shootout, which could go anywhere. It didn't help that it was 3-on-3, so he was hoping that his defence would be more on point than his forward; Saunders can easily handle himself alright and Madgwick wouldn't have that much trouble but he needed to make sure that Lupe, Keane, Neil Cuevas and Rafinho were fit for the task. He gave the standard motivational speech during the intermission and gave a game plan for the period. It was mostly a defensive game where if Saunders had the puck then he had the ice. If he didn't then he was to pull back and give his defenders a hand. The same applied to Madgwick. The majority of the team then made their way back to their bench. Saunders skated to centre ice, Lupe and Keane skated to their spots and Bejarano made himself at home between the pipes.

The referee skated between Saunders and Svidler with the puck in his and put it down on the ice. After eyeing the two players to make sure they were both ready, he took his hand off and skated backwards so the face-off could commence. Svidler won and Saunders got to work on what he needed to do. He immediately pulled back and helped his defenders with what they needed to do. Svidler moved up the ice and shot the puck. It seemed like it was going to go in stick-side but Lupe managed to move into the right place to block it with his shin. He winced in pain, as expected from being hit by vulcanised rubber going at about 60km/h, but it wasn't anything that required him to be taken off the ice and it wasn't the first time he had been hit like that. He quickly passed it to Adam Keane who, in turn, passed it up to Saunders so he could have a go. His shot was caught by Nikita Karpov, who froze the puck to force another face-off. Saunders could have another crack at a shot or Kasparov and Lushakin could try and get it out of there.

The period was a hard-fought one. Both sides trying desperately to best their opponent but always coming up short. Shots were caught, frozen or blocked. Face-offs were taken and it was split down the middle regarding who won it. A couple of times it was tied and it was up to the defenders to break it. It was like a well-played game of chess, with each move trying to gain an advantage only for the opponent to put them back to square one. However, it wasn't exactly perfect and, halfway through the period, it seemed like Sannyamathland would be the lucky one to get the goal only for Khurov to accidentally lose control of the puck. It then slid over to Bejarano who was able to get his stick to it and, instead of freezing it for a face-off, decided to poke it away. Cuevas managed to scoop it up and begin the Elejamian counter-attack. Alex breathed a sigh of relief and carried on watching the match.

In the end, it was Elejamie who would prove to be the lucky winners. With 1:43 left on the clock Saunders had the puck. He barrelled down the ice with puck in hand. James Richardson tried to poke the stick away but Stacy managed to slide it between his opponent's legs. He was separated from the puck but he was still able to get back to it to carry on his attack. After seeing Keane skating his way up, given that it was now free for him to do so with Lupe holding the fort, Saunders passed the puck around the back wall and over to Keane. He had a shot but it bounced off of Karpov's stick. Saunders had a go on the rebound. He fired it through the five hole and, while the Soviet goalie was able to stop most of it, he wasn't able to stop all of it. The puck trickled into the back of the net and the lights went up. Elejamie had won their opener 4-3 after a tense overtime.

Players spilled over the boards and onto the ice to congratulate the winners. Gloved fist-bumps and other affectionate celebratory gestures were performed by the winning team, the losers shaking their heads and consoling each other. But that wasn't to say they were down and out just yet, they had another game to play tomorrow so anything could happen. And they had put up a good showing which could give them a bit of a boost going into that game. But, for now, the spotlight was on the winning Elejamian squad. Once the cheers were over both sides lined up to show hands, congratulate each other or offer their consolations and then headed to their respective locker rooms. That wouldn't be the last of that, though, as Saunders, Svidler and Keane returned to the ice shortly afterwards because they were the three stars of that game. But, once they had finished giving the crowd one last show they headed back to get changed and to prepare for tomorrow's game.

Next up was Sarzonia. Back in the early-mid WCoH30s they wouldn't have been a problem. Maybe they would've conceded a goal or two but they would've scored enough to turn it into a win. But at the moment they were in the middle of a rebuild at the minute so that seems less likely. Another overtime win quite possibly but hopes weren't really that high. Besides, with ten more games against ten different opponents after that, it seemed like there'd be plenty of ups and downs. Even more so as only the top four go through with the remaining nine have to take the first flight home. Winning the group's out of the question but finishing mid-table or, even better, nabbing fourth place wouldn't be a bad target to have. But it was just a question of whether or not they'd be able to get it done or if they'll end up faltering again. For now, that was of little concern. What was on their mind was the upcoming game. And they were hoping they'd be able to pull off a win.

Period			P1	P2	P3	OT	FS
Sannyamathland		1	0	2	0	3
Elejamie		1	2	0	1	4

Three Stars:
Stacy Saunders (EJM) (2G, 1A, 3 points)
Ivan Svidler (SML) (2G, 0A, 2 points)
Adam Keane (EJM) (0G, 2A, 2 points)

by **Delaclava** » Sat Mar 27, 2021 3:28 pm

DSGN.com Hockey

Phoenixes hit OT bump in opener, Strnad brace wins it

Medard Strnad scored two goals in his international debut to lead the Delaclava national team to a 3-2 overtime victory over unranked Iba Dwa, despite the Phoenixes surrendering a 2-0 lead that they held with ten minutes to play in regulation.

"A win is a win," said captain Jehiel Abreu, "but it sucks to lose focus like that. Getting two points instead of three, we can't afford to fall behind like this so early. We'll have to clean our act up quickly." Abreu assisted on both of his Owls teammate's goals, including the opening score 11:42 into the game, as he set up behind the Iba Dwa net and eventually found Strnad beating his man down the slot for the easy putaway. Logan Wynne made the score 2-0 after deflecting a slap shot from Evan Ryan 2:09 into the second period.

Iba Dwa managed to score two 5 on 3 goals in the third period following a string of unsportsmanlike conduct penalties for taunting, as the Phoenixes were making fun of their opponents for not having names, faces, or descript bodily characteristics. However, the Phoenixes managed to get their act together in overtime as Alex Coburn intercepted the pass and led a 3-on-1 with his linemates, which ended in Abreu sending the puck over to Strnad facing an open net to put the finishing touches on the goal.

Delaclava's next test will be far stiffer - fifth-ranked Valanora, who pulled out a 4-2 victory against Poafmersia to open their title chase. Delaclava lost 1-0 and 3-2 to the Calcuttas in World Cup of Hockey 40, a respectful showing given that Valanora went through the group stage undefeated and eventually finished runners-up to Siovanija and Teusland. "They're a good litmus test for us," Abreu said. "We have a lot of new players and tactics since the last time we've played. We think they're the better team, but we should at least be able to hold our own... But it's Game 2, it's still early. Maybe it's a chance for us to find a win, that's what we always play for."

by **Ranoria** » Sat Mar 27, 2021 3:54 pm

*This was supposed to be yesterday’s didn’t get my wifi up in time to use it though. Enjoy!

Krauts Locked and Loaded for Rebound Season:
Set for Opener Against Saint Saratoga

With Alram Isenbrand and his crew flying out to Graentjfall last night, where they will be staying for the duration of the Cup, the opening matchup is suddenly upon us. We didn’t get any favors in the group draw, and were thrust into a group absolutely loaded with talent. This includes our gridiron rivals in the Kingdom of Banija, a beast of a squad in HUElavia, and the perennial powerhouse Quebec and Shingeyero, and, perhaps worst of all, the top ranked team in the tournament: Siovanija & Teusland. We’ll go a little more in depth for each of those teams, who are undoubtedly are most important opponents, later on, but for now, let’s talk about our prospects here.

So, in a field with a whopping 52 entrants this season, the playoffs will be extremely selective with just sixteen teams getting in, less than a third of the original participants. As such, every squad that makes it in will have earned their place. As a matter of fact, there will likely be a few teams that deserve a shot, but won’t make it in. We’ll have to place top four in our group, no small task with who we’ve been put up against.

With that being sad: These games against squads that come in ranked under our own are going to be vitally important. What, you think HUElavia’s going to slip up? No, of course not. As such, every single matchup is going to carry some serious weight to it. Make no mistake: we are not considered contenders in this Cup. Our Krauts are an afterthought in a loaded field that will only afford an opportunity at a championship to the very best.

We’ll be heading into WMM arena with our 21st ranked, and very much revamped, squad to take on a 28th ranked Saint Saratoga. As the favorites in the competition, we’re in a favorable position to come out on top, and we’d like to think -with the changes the Krauts organization has gone through - that our rank is deceptively low. Going in there and getting a win in the opener would be a nice start, but it isn’t going to make a ton of noise. However, there are going to be some serious heavyweights going at it in the opener for any of you who’d rather tune in to primetime.

HUElavia’s (7) opener will come against Banija (9) where Quebec and Shingoryeo (13) will take on Siovanija & Teusland (1). Because all four of the favorites to take the top four slots in the conference playing with one another, our Krauts, assuming they win, could potentially start this thing on the right foot with a spot in the top three of the bracket. That won’t mean much until we get a chance to cut our teeth against those Group of Cups heavyweights, but until then we’ll take what we can get, and Alram Isenbrand made his stance on such considerations pretty clear.

“We’re not worried about Quebec, Banija, S and T, or HUElavia. Let them do what they want. We’re worried about our Krauts. As long as we take care of our business and handle who we have in front of us, all those other teams are just outside noise. And I don’t like outside noise.

Watching those games, keeping tabs on those teams, that means we’re going in with a mindset of having to get more wins than these guys, or maybe we’ll need help from those guys to get in. And I’m not that kind of coach. I don’t trust other coaches, I don’t trust players who aren’t in our building. I’d rather bank my season on the guys in this locker room than sacrifice a child to Margaret and a goat to Violet in hopes that Quebec ties with S and T, Banija loses to HUElavia, by less than one, and somewherelandia scores two or more goals in order for us to get into the playoffs come matchday 13.” When reporters paused after his answer, he sighed, “You know how ridiculous playoff scenarios can get in the last couple games of a group stage or regular season. It’s an example, people.”

He isn’t wrong, but that kind of stance can disappear in a heartbeat when a team starts to lose games. And come matchday thirteen, if we get knocked out after some scenario could have gotten us in, it’ll be interesting to hear what Isenbrand has to say about it. For now? We’re going to hope that his addition, along with that of young, speedy studs like Frederick Vrabel, will be enough to get us over the hump and make Ranoria a force in the World Cup of Hockey.

And hell, if there’s a year that doing so would make a statement to the rest of the world, this is the one, given the format.

by **Valanora** » Sat Mar 27, 2021 4:10 pm

The story of Valanora's creation is a long one and it all starts with seven elves who were searching the world for a place to call their home. No one is quite sure where they came from, but they were searching for what had been a prophesized place of prosperity for them, where a tree with golden fruit sprung had been foretold to the group that would be a land of plenty and prosperity for the group of seven. Among these seven elves was the elf we now know to be Elune, the only one of the seven who would not partner up after the discovery of the place that the prophecy had told them about, even when her companions had, including her sister Melikki. During the events that lead to the founding the Eternal Empire, Elune would be elevated to that of a Goddess, said to have been chosen by one of the elder gods, the Lady Gladerial, while her sister suffered a far worse fate and was captured by demons after her curiosity had her end up in the Seven Elven Hells and warped into a Goddess of treachery, becoming the source for the elves that would later become called dark elves or Drow.

Legends and the clergy say the Elune was elevated to a different plane of existence upon being made a divine being and somewhere in time partially merged the two different planes of existence so that from time to time she could come and walk once more among her kin. It is said that the Lady Gladerial tasked her with being the protector of the elven lands and all of the planet which they resided, a planet that the Elders Gods had labeled Silverymoon. As time wore on, Elune was seen as a motherly figure by those who came to worship her, perhaps because of this supposed guardian task, and some even said that she came to collect the spirits of the great heroes of the land upon them perishing and guiding them to the Gray Havens where she was said to reside, letting them forever be able to come to the aid of their kin should ever the need arise, feasting and training during the times between their summoning. Due to recent events, there has been rumors afoot that the elves themselves were children of the Elder Gods, of the Lady Gladerial herself, though we might never know the truth about their origins or who spoke the prophecy that had them settle at what would become Gladerial. Yet this is the story that has been told for thousands of years on how Valanora came to be.

by **Graintfjall** » Sat Mar 27, 2021 4:16 pm

I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.

Each day I will be offering a small piece of information about Græntfjaller life and offering a related prompt. These prompts are not required and there is no extra bonus for doing them compared with doing a match report or any other type of RP; they’re simply there because this long tournament format may lead to ideas running dry, and I’m well aware there are many other competitions currently ongoing. Feel free to respond in whatever format you like – or ignore them entirely.

MD2 cutoff

Græntfjallers come from the sea, and the sea retains a strong importance in national life. Over 50% of the population lives in a narrow band across the northern coast of the country. Traditional industries include fishing, including whaling, and trading via boat; today, off-shore oil and gas exploration might have a more dominant market share, but the sea remains central to the country’s trading strategy, as the mountainous territory to the south and lakes to the east make overland traffic difficult. The Græntfjaller Navy is the pride of the Armed Forces, a genuine blue water force that maintains foreign colonial interests. Whaling has largely been abandoned but images of harpoons and whale bones still adorn many national monuments. What is your country’s relationship to the sea?

Tiebreakers are still not fully implemented at this stage.

Group of Wands
Pius Desurongcrandis 0–0 Ko-oren (0–1 OT)
Elejamie 1–4 Sarzonia
North Alezia 2–2 Sannyamathland (3–2 SO)
Poafmersia 4–1 Pluvie
Delaclava 0–2 Valanora
Equestria 5–6 Iba Dwa

   Group of Wands                 Pld    W  OTW  OTL    L   GF   GA   GD  Pts 
 1 Sarzonia                         2    2    0    0    0   10    2   +8    6
   Valanora                         2    2    0    0    0    6    2   +4    6
 3 Ko-oren                          2    1    1    0    0    4    0   +4    5
   North Alezia                     2    1    1    0    0   10    2   +8    5
 5 Iba Dwa                          2    1    0    1    0    8    8    0    4
 6 Poafmersia                       2    1    0    0    1    6    5   +1    3
 7 Elejamie                         2    0    1    0    1    5    7   –2    2
 8 Delaclava                        2    0    1    0    1    3    4   –1    2
   Sannyamathland                   2    0    0    2    0    5    7   –2    2
10 Pius Desurongcrandis             2    0    0    1    1    1    7   –6    1
11 Equestria                        1    0    0    0    1    5    6   –1    0
   Kelssek                          1    0    0    0    1    0    3   –3    0
   Pluvie                           2    0    0    0    2    1   11  –10    0

Group of Pentacles
Mercedini 1–1 United States of Devonta (2–3 SO)
Fluvannia 8–2 Anthor
Gyatso-Kai 0–0 Gergary (0–1 OT)
Nova Anglicana 1–0 Suimede
Islands of Ventro 2–0 Grey County
Abanhfleft 1–0 Le Choix

   Group of Pentacles             Pld    W  OTW  OTL    L   GF   GA   GD  Pts 
 1 Fluvannia                        2    2    0    0    0   12    3   +9    6
   Nova Anglicana                   2    2    0    0    0    3    1   +2    6
 3 United States of Devonta         2    1    1    0    0    6    2   +4    5
 4 Gyatso-Kai                       2    1    0    1    0    5    3   +2    4
   Mercedini                        2    1    0    1    0    8    3   +5    4
 6 Abanhfleft                       1    1    0    0    0    1    0   +1    3
 7 Le Choix                         2    1    0    0    1    6    3   +3    3
 8 Islands of Ventro                2    1    0    0    1    4    6   –2    3
 9 Gergary                          2    0    1    0    1    2    4   –2    2
10 Anthor                           2    0    0    0    2    3   15  –12    0
   Grey County                      2    0    0    0    2    1    4   –3    0
   Salzcovia                        1    0    0    0    1    1    4   –3    0
   Suimede                          2    0    0    0    2    2    6   –4    0

Group of Cups
Flekkefjord 3–3 Srednjaci (3–2 SO)
Quebec & Shingoryeo 3–0 Waisnor
HUElavia 1–2 Siovanija & Teusland
Omerica 2–7 Banija
Ranoria 0–0 BohemiaIV (3–1 SO)
New Waldensia 4–2 St. Saratoga

   Group of Cups                  Pld    W  OTW  OTL    L   GF   GA   GD  Pts 
 1 Siovanija & Teusland             2    2    0    0    0    7    4   +3    6
 2 Flekkefjord                      2    1    1    0    0    9    7   +2    5
 3 HUElavia                         2    1    0    0    1    3    3    0    3
   New Waldensia                    1    1    0    0    0    4    2   +2    3
 5 Banija                           2    1    0    0    1    8    4   +4    3
   BohemiaIV                        2    0    1    1    0    2    2    0    3
   Kriegiersien                     1    1    0    0    0    4    3   +1    3
   Quebec & Shingoryeo              2    1    0    0    1    6    5   +1    3
   St. Saratoga                     2    1    0    0    1    5    6   –1    3
10 Ranoria                          2    0    1    0    1    3    3    0    2
11 Omerica                          2    0    0    1    1    3    9   –6    1
   Srednjaci                        2    0    0    1    1    6    8   –2    1
   Waisnor                          2    0    0    0    2    4    8   –4    0

Group of Swords
Xanneria 2–3 Chromatika
Lǜ Shān 1–6 Taeshan
Reçueçn 10–2 Kohnhead
People’s Republic of Xabia 0–2 Mapletish
Savojarna 3–2 The Grandest Empire
TJUN-ia 4–5 Græntfjall

   Group of Swords                Pld    W  OTW  OTL    L   GF   GA   GD  Pts 
 1 Taeshan                          2    2    0    0    0   10    2   +8    6
 2 Mapletish                        2    1    1    0    0    4    1   +3    5
   Savojarna                        2    1    1    0    0    6    4   +2    5
 4 Græntfjall                       2    1    0    1    0    7    7    0    4
   Reçueçn                          2    1    0    1    0   11    4   +7    4
 6 Cassadaigua                      1    1    0    0    0    7    2   +5    3
 7 Chromatika                       2    1    0    0    1    5    9   –4    3
   Lǜ Shān                          2    1    0    0    1    7    9   –2    3
   The Grandest Empire              2    1    0    0    1    7    7    0    3
10 Kohnhead                         2    0    0    0    2    5   16  –11    0
   People’s Republic of Xabia       2    0    0    0    2    4    7   –3    0
   TJUN-ia                          1    0    0    0    1    4    5   –1    0
   Xanneria                         2    0    0    0    2    3    7   –4    0

by **Gyatso-kai** » Sat Mar 27, 2021 10:05 pm

THE ICE BISONS RETURN TO THE WORLD CUP!!!

ONLINE EDITION

24 MARCH 2021.

TOURNAMENT – WORLD CUP OF HOCKEY

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Written by SHEN Ning Lee

REPUBLIC CITY --- After an embarrassing dismissal in Taeshan during the Forty-First Edition of the World Cup of Hockey, the Ice Bisons seek redemption as they travel to Græntfjaller to compete in the Forty-Second Edition of the World Cup.

It was a hard tournament in Taeshan, as not only was a new format introduced – complete with two brackets that proved ranking teams post-tournament difficult for the beancounters – but the Ice Bisons suffered one of the teams worse defeats and prompt exit from the tournament; a bone-chilling 8-3 beating at the hands of Mercendini. Three loses in the entire tournament was somewhat of a refreshing change of pace in Avatarian sports, and after a Third Place finish in World Cup XL, many had hoped to see the Ice Bisons push to the top in Taeshan.

But it just wasn’t meant to be…

”After such an incredible run in Quebec, we had really hoped to take the team to the top in Taeshan. And we should have. We were averaging almost four goals a game and allowing less than two until Abanhfleft and, obviously, Mercendini, where it seemed like Margaret flipped the stats on us. But hey, that’s the nature of multi-verse play. ”

Ishii Hakoda, Head Coach, Gyatso-kai National Team

Of course, Ishii had a busy time between the Campaigns of the World Cup; his college team, The University of Adirolf took home the Golin Shield as the champion of collegiate ice hockey in Gyatso-kai, and Ishii spent some time travelling with the national football team to both the Eighty-Seventh Edition of the World Cup as well as the Seventy-Ninth Cup of Harmony Invitational as a ‘cultural advisor’ in an attempt to help long-time friend and Avatarian sports legend Kad’e Tay’haai turn a perennial struggle of a team into a somewhat competitive team that posed a threat to teams out there in the multi-verse.

”It was an exciting off-season, to say the least. Getting out into the multi-verse really cleared my head a bit. Of course, the wife wanted me at home more, but how can I pass up the opportunity to travel and spread Mandalorian culture, both within a national team, as well as to the world. Is not ‘education’ one of the Resol’nare?”

Ishii Hakoda, Head Coach, Gyatso-kai National Team

While we always want to see the men and women in the national teams focus on ice hockey, we also understand how important it is to diversify and see the success other teams have, and adapt it to the rink. We want the team to succeed, and in order to do so, we must take skills from across the multi-verse, and apply them to the our own game. The Ice Bisons have seen victory once before, and with the hopes of repeating it, the team surely has a great deal to learn from other successful hockey dynasties and even sports giants around the multi-verse.

As has become expected, GyatsoAir --- in partnership with the AHL and the National Sports Council --- have promised to offer reduced-pricing on airline tickets to the White Winter Queendom of Græntfjaller. Also, each game the Ice Bisons play in shall be aired on the entire ASPN family of networks (ASPN Prime, ASPN2, AVS, ASPN3, UASPN): All other games shall air on the World Sports Nation and World Sports Nation PLUS, which are being made available on all television and internet-provider services at NO COST from now until the conclusion of the World Cup of Hockey.

Roster

Position #	Name		Age	Hand	College				Current Team
GK	30	SHU Pianhuo	26	R	Republic City State Univ.	Omashu Badgermoles
DEF	32	WATANG Kouji	27	R	Univ. of Kibago			Omashu Badgermoles
DEF	77	HED Torvik	29	L	Univ. of the Northern Tribes	Itakawai Lighting
OFF	87	KOBUSHI Kaede	31	L	Royal Earth Univ – Dongjiang	Omashu Badgermoles
OFF	21 	HOSAKA Severi	23	R	Drotenfao College		Gaoling Bears
OFF	49	SONG Unataq (C)	35	R	University of Adirolf		Gaoling Bears

After making his debut in WCoH XL, Shu Pianhuo[/i] returns to his place between the pipes for the third straight tournament; jumping over the two perennial backups for the National Team – Ming Zhanshi and Dang Mun-Hee – and securing his place in net. A younger goalie, who managed to win his first Kuruk Cup within his first three seasons at Omashu. Shu has proven his family proud, developing into a fine starting goalie whose style continues to evolve over time.

The defensive pair for the first line remains the same from WCoH XLI, with Omashu-fan-favorite [b]Watang Kouji paired with Hed Torvik of Itakawai fame. A defensive line with over 200 kilos is somewhat of an Avatarian tradition, however, with Kuang Deniigi being sent down to the second line, the youthful vigor behind such weight cannot be matched. Watang, out of the Fire Nation, is known for powerful forechecks and his insane speed on the backskate; while Hed, otherwise known as the “Mandalorian Shield”, is just as impressive at generating offence as he is pushing another player into the boards.

The forward line, albeit a bit old, was shaken in World Cup XL a bit with the removal of Nestori Huan from center, and bringing Hosaka Severi up from the second line; a fact that Ishii kept going into the Forty-Second Edition. While Hosaka’s style of play is more fitting for a second line, Head Coach Ishii believes that his blinding speed on the ice would greatly assist the wings’ and their passing ability. Cheung Sepi, of Kelita fame, found himself on the left side, where his impressive hockey vision and passing ability paired well with the strong bodied and defensively-minded play style of team captain Song Unataq.

However, after both the Thirty-Ninth World Cup and the Atlantian Oceanian tournament, it was clear that Cheung was not bringing to the line what was needed most. Ishii has moved Cheung back to the second line and brought up Kobushi Kaede from the third line. An impressive left-winger from Omashu – who managed a hat-trick in the tournament-winning game against Seelowe Marlesee of Siovanija and Teusland which saw the Badgermoles victorious with NINE goals against Marlesee’s five – he had been playing center for the last three tournaments. Given such a strong performance with Omashu, Head Coach Ishii deemed it only fair to put him into a position he is well versed in.

It worked out well last year… so let’s see if it continues to improve us.

Position #	Name		Age	Hand	College				Current Team
DEF	26	HITEKI Kia (A)	41	R	Uni. of the Southern Tribes	Southern Polar Leopards
DEF	81	Ero’ki NACER	22	R	Hatsu University	Omashu Badgermoles
OFF	18	WANG Torsti	27	L	Adirolf State University	Si Wong Beetles
OFF	86	Nestori HUAN	30	R	Ba Sing Se Univ.		Shu Jing Dragons
OFF	19	CHEUNG Sepi	29	L	Saigon City College	Kelita Riverhounds

With Hiteki Kia having 92 caps on the Ice Bisons under his belt, he is the most seasoned player on the team, and rightfully wears the first A. With age and skill, Hiteki is renowned for his ability as "damage control" through the last four World Cups he played in. Having changed up his usual pairing from Hed Torvik to Ero’ki Nacer, the young right defensemen from Hatsu University and second year Badgermole finds himself yet again beneath the wings of “Sifu Hiteki” as many of the younger players respectfully refer to him as such. Nacer, who graduated right out of Hatsu University to sign an entry-level contract with the Badgermoles, found his number being called in the final games of the 2020.2 Regular Season, when last season’s first pick Hu Jiaozi was taken out of the season with a bad trip that saw him slide skate-first into the boards and break his tibia in two places. With an impressive season in the Republic Hockey League underway with the Humoki Huangdogs, he made the transition to AHL-level play with ease, and scored his first AHL goal against the Itakawai Lightning in Game One of the Finals.

On offense, Wang Torsti from Si Wong finds himself on the left side of the ice, and after an early playoff exit for the Beetles in a seven-game series against the Keldabe Strills, Wang may just be looking to show his worth as his contract is set to expire in 2020.3. Opposite him we find Cheung Sepi who has continued to carve his name in the banks of the Kelita River. Even though he has been moved from the first line, Cheung is not taking it as an insult, and instead, viewing it as a chance to sharpen his own skills on the off-handed plays. In the middle, another once-first-liner Nestori Huan finds his return to the line better known for damage control rather than scoring. However, with his impressive knowledge and vision that had earned him his spot on the first line last World Cup, Huan may very well prove his doubters wrong and bring some glory to the second line.

 Position #	Name			Age	Hand	College			Current Team    
DEF	91	KUANG Deniigi		39	R	Republic City State Uni.	Kyrimorut Ramikade	
DEF	92	Ki'an LOSOW (A)	35	R	University of Keldabe	Outer Ring RabbiRoos
OFF	71	RELICYC Tho-An	22	24	L	Republic City State Uni.	Itakawai Lightning
OFF	33	SOUMA Shichiro	28	R	Yokoua State Uni.	Senlin Archers
OFF	17	KIL’OR Alecyc		26	L	University of Kom’rk	Itakawai Lighting

With Ki'an Losow, who was last seen on the National Team's Travelling Corps back in WCoH XXVI, serving as the veteran pillar of the third line, you can be sure that this line is the true "clean-up crew" of the Ice Bisons. A strong defenceman who once played solely on offense, Losow has no fear in leaving his zone and pushing in for a quick goal from one of the most unlikely players. Sure, his form is a bit on the unrefined side of the spectrum, but for what he lacks in technical mastery, he makes up in the psychological.

Pairing with Losow is former-first-liner Kuang Deniigi who, at 39-years-of-age, is not long for the multi-verse stage. In what many are expecting to be one of his final seasons, Kuang has been sent to the lower lines to better shape younger players as they work their way through the ranks. His defensive skills are still impressive for his age, though you are certain to see that they are nowhere near as sharp as they were back in WCoH XXIV when Kuang made his official debut on the team after coming in a couple of games in WCoH XXIII to help the Ice Bisons bring home the World Cup. Ironically, where he started his multi-verse career is likely where he will end it as well; a staple of the third line.

Offensively, the third line is filled with strong passers and even stronger shooters. Both Relicyc Tho-An and Souma Shichiro have done amazingly well in skills competitions involving accuracy and shot speeds; both players are younger and wanting to make a name for themselves. However, what is unique on the third line is the arrival of Kil’or Alecyc, an impressive power forward who saw his name behind many a goals in both previous tournaments as well as in the Lightning’s defeat in the Kuruk Cup Finals. Given the emphasis that Coach Ishii has put on slotting Badgermole players into prime spots, someone like Kil’or – a second-line Lightning player who has been with the team since their return – was bound to find himself in the lower lines. However, ever the professional, Kil’or has enjoyed player with Relicyc, a teammate and good friend of his in Itakawai, and the two of them have been working with Souma to fully connect the offense on the third line… Do not be surprised if you start seeing goals being made from this far back in the depth chart.


Position #	Name		Age	Hand	College				Current Team    
GK	88	MING Zhanshi	30	R	University of Omashu		Itakawai Lightning	
GK	70	Dang Mun-Hee	22	L	University of Adirolf		Foggy Swamp Catgators
DEF	02	SHAO Lee	34	L	University o9f Omashu		Republic Capitals
DEF	49	ARPAD Roku	20	R	Ba Sing Se University		Ba SIng Se University
DEF	37	DEGOUR Niyan	22	L	Royal Fire Academy		Kyrimorut Ramikade
DEF 	34	Jaster KAL'OKI	21	L	University of Adirolf		Kyoshi Warriors
DEF	42	SHANG Koma	20	R	Ba Sing Se University		Ba Sing Se University
OFF	28	Taneli SANTTU	25	L	University of Kirachu		Whale Tail Whalers
OFF	12	Samuli YANG	28	L	Humoki Tribal Univ.		Crescent Islanders
OFF	35	Rikuto ADORJAN	25	R	Royal Earth Univ.		Ember Redhawks
OFF	48 	FONG Yisheng	21	L	Keldabe State Univ.		Keldabe State Univ.
OFF 	43	HUANG Aatto	20	L	Univ. of Enceri - Keldabe	Univ. of Enceri - Keldabe
OFF 	11	Gyorje KOP'KI	23	R	Kyoshi State Univ.		Crescent Islanders

by **Mapletish** » Sun Mar 28, 2021 6:40 am

People’s Republic of Xabia 0–2 Mapletish

Early tidbits for the Dragons here as they managed to defeat fellow UR side, People's Republic of Xabia (PRX) 2-0 in regular time to seal 3 points. The Dragons side came in from an earlier shootout victory against Reçueçn. Head coach Darryl Richardson was confident that the Dragons were able to pull a good challenge against the PRX. He was quoted in the pre match conference, "I am excited to face the People's Republic of Xabia in the next match day. Although we have never faced them before, I am confident that the lads are all up and ready to go. Preparations are going well and I am sure they are able to pull of something and give PRX a good challenge indeed."

The first period was a lackluster 0-0 for both sides, but it was the Dragons who pulled some exciting attacking opportunities via Line 1. Line 1 was spearheaded by the tailsmanic right wing, Trevor Hunt who have regularly impressed as the starting winger for the Dragons side, and was determined to keep his impressive form which dated back from the recently completed World Junior Hockey Championship. The Winter Olympics earlier was also a good indicator of the team's overall quality and head coach Richardson was not to be missed as he could be seen gesturing to his players and giving instructions. Fortunately, though he did not get into trouble with the press for any insensitive remarks or trigger a diplomatic incident for that matter.

A good opportunity came just 5 minutes in to play as Hunt gel up well with his left winger, Curtis Singleton in a quick one two move against the PRX's defensive pair. Having feinted left to avoid the oncoming defenseman, Singleton was able to add a few more touches on the puck before putting a pass through on goal for Hunt to attempt a shot. However, the resulting shot went over the goal and onto the back glass. PRX was first to recover the shot attempt and attempted a quick counter right away. Hunt was clearly frustrated at the missed opportunity as he slapped his stick on the rink and skated back to defend.

The Dragons were able to put another good opportunity on goal in the 10th minute with a long ball from defenseman Leroy Salazar. Following a quick save from Armstrong, the puck was relayed to Salazar who did not think twice and lobbed the puck over to the sole fellow at the mdway point, Shaw who then sprung into action as quickly as he could and attempted a quick slap shot towards goal before seeing his attempt parried away by the opponent's goalie who was unfazed by the sudden attack. Shaw could only shrugged at his attempt as Singleton patted him in an attempt to comfort the center.

The Dragons ended the first period 0-0 and were also able to fend off the offensive challenge from PRX. Head coach Richardson was clearly animated and excited as he tried to encourage his players on in the intermission period between period 1 and 2. He attempted to talk his players through and they were visibly receptive, nodding as he ran through his analysis of the game from the bench.

The Dragons were clearly ready for the second period as they were relentless in attack too. Line 2 which was headed by Jerome Bailey and Guy Hanson were both increasing their work rate and keeping the attacks coming in order to keep their opponents on their skates. Even if the Dragons were known to play it more defensively than their seniors have had, the development team had a different playing style and were proud of it. Conceding less and still winning games, the players were keen on that approach. With a keen focus on keeping possession, the puck was rallied around the players in an attempt to draw PRX's players out of their positions.

Testing their own passing abilities through through passes, Line 2 was quick to break the deadlock. In the 7th minute of the 2nd period, the opportunity came for right winger Baily. Following a mis-placed pass from the PRX side, Center Watkins was able to intercept the pass and got a few touches on the puck before picking Bailey out who was on his way towards goal via the right flank. Filling up the right flank perfectly, Bailey got the puck on his left side and he attempted a quick drag shot as he cut in via the right flank to open up the angle towards goal. He also managed to outbody one of the defence players as a result of his attempt and it was a goal that broke the deadlock for the Dragons. The Dragons were ahead 1-0.

The third period also saw another goal for the Dragons. This time round, it was Line 3 which played the full duration. Headed by the energetic Brandon Perez on the right wing and a defenceman who so keenly wants to be on the offensive, Jose Brady, the two guys on the right, made an unlikely partnership which crossed offensive and defensive boundaries literally. That partnership came in handy for the Dragons' 2nd goal. Defending against an attack from the PRX side, Brady was able to body check one of the attackers before stealing the puck and was quick to find a quick one two with Bowers before releasing the puck to Perez who took no second look and attempted a slap shot only to see the puck ride past the goalie and into the net.

2-0 to the Maplish side and the Dragons sealed the victory. The Dragons faced multiverse number 3 Savojarna next in the 3rd matchday.

by **Sarzonia** » Sun Mar 28, 2021 7:09 am

Facing an unranked team presents one set of challenges for a team. Some unranked sides have collections of players who have no business playing at the international level. Others may be proverbial diamonds in the rough. Still others may have players talented enough and managerial staffs strong enough to contend almost immediately.

When facing an experienced club, the challenge is much different. Elejamie brought in the 32nd rank into their match against the 23rd ranked Sarzonian national ice hockey team, giving manager Paul Bremerton more of a challenge than their previous opponents Pius Desurongcrandis.

Consider the challenge met. Sarzonia got two goals from Cameron Granato and a goal and an assist each from Sylvan Turcotte and Alyssa Hannigan and a 23-save effort from goaltender Yuri Evgenikov to propel the Stars to a 4-1 victory that leaves the navy and silver level on points with No. 5 Valanora for top in the table for the Group of Wands with six points. Sarzonia have a plus-eight goal differential to Valanora's plus-four. Teams earn three points for regulation victories, two for overtime or shootout wins, and one for overtime or shootout losses.

Don't expect the Stars to get caught up in the tables just yet.

"It's still early," forward Turcotte said. "We've got a long way to go and some tough clubs in our group. We haven't even played Equestria or Valanora yet. And there's still the rivalries with Valanora and Delaclava.

"This isn't the time to celebrate anything. We haven't accomplished anything yet."

Bremerton said he would start Evgenikov against unranked North Alezia, but Jacob Parsons would return to the starting lineup for the next three matches. The Stars face 15th ranked Poafmersia, archrivals Delaclava and 11th ranked Equestria in those matches.

"We're going to want our best players out there against three quality teams," he said. Both Poafmersia and Equestria are top 15 and Delaclava is one of those throw-out-the-rankings-type rivalries. We're going to need Jake for those matches."

by **Kriegiersien** » Sun Mar 28, 2021 7:48 am

While training at the off day in the ACE MultiArena, Thanh Parker and Odell Velez watch the second line of the Schoenwetter Scorpions training. But their attention is bind to Newcomer Patrik Parrrrker.

“He is really good. Where does he come from again?”
“Some of these isles far away in the Ocean. I think it is closer to Græntfjall than to Mainland Kriegiersien.”
“How do they play hockey there? Isn’t that some hot region with beaches and so?”
“No, not all of them. And even in those they started to build expensive ice rinks and ice streets to get more people for ice sports after the last disaster at the Olympics.”
“Don’t remind me.”
“Do you remember when there were more people living in mainland Kriegiersien than on sea?”
“No.”
“Me neither. Crazy pirates, looting and settling everywhere. Oh, they are pausing. Hey, Patrik!”

The addressed slides toward them.

“Yeah?”

“Sing us a pirate song.”

Patrik does some circles, thinking.

“Ok, then drop a beat.”

“What?”

“Some beatboxing.”

„Really?“

„I can do this!“
Jesse Hunter had come from behind, stops close to Patrik and starts to make sounds. Patrik nods with his head and then begins:

As a kid I lived on a ship,
looting and stealing from the elite,
my daddy was captain and he did shout:
you are a great Sailor and I am so proud.
A pirate I was meant to be! Trim the sails and roam the sea!

But when we were at the harbour, making hold,
the streets were icy water and not out of gold,
I loved to play some hockey when we were on land,
instead of burying treasures in the sand.
A pirate I was meant to be! Trim the sails and roam the sea!

My daddy got real angry and tossed me into the sea,
not to drown, but get back my pirate me,
I really loved to steal, to cheat and fight,
but all that is in hockey, am I right?
A pirate I was meant to be! Trim the sails and roam the sea!

Some scouts had seen me scoring,
thought I was not boring,
they approached me bold,
talking of fame and gold,
‘Do you wanna make goals at the world cup?
We need another player, or are you stuck?’

A pirate I was meant to be! Playing hockey whenever I am free!

He turns around, charges to a puck and hammers it into the goal.

Thanh nods.
“Not what I expected, but somehow cool.”

by **Waisnor** » Sun Mar 28, 2021 8:41 am

Now it's more understandable defeat

After defeat fron Flekkefjord, Waisnorian fans wanted a victory over Quebec & Shingoryeo. The trouble is that this team was much more stronger than Flekkefjord and match with them would not be the most pleasant for Waisnor. And it certanily wasn't:

From the very beginning, Quebec & Shingoryeo took the initiative in the match and began to actively push on the goal of Denis Dementyev, but for the time being he held out. On the other hand, Waisnor's attacks were few in number and lacked sharpness and completion. The Q&S defense worked great and blocked the lion's share of Waisnor's breakouts.
Everything looked as if Waisnor was about to fall, there was only one thing missing - a goal. And in the 11th minute of the 1st period, Q&S did it - Judy Duncan received a long pass from defender Brandon Sears and, bypassing the Waisnor defense, sent the puck straight to the lower left corner of the goal, opening the scoring and establishing the full advantage of Quebec on the rink.
After a missed goal, Waisnorian tactics were somewhat rebuilt - in order to allow further collapse, more emphasis was placed on defense. However, such measures did not help much - Quebec & Shingoryeo continued their attacks, intending to increase their advantage.
At some point, even such a defense should have cracked from such a pressure of attacks, and the second goal had to be scored, but the defense held out longer than usual, delaying the inevitable. On the 17th minute of the 2nd period, Judy Duncan went for a brace, this time personally passing through the Waisnor defense and, going one on one with Denis Dementiev, threw the puck past him and doubled the advantage of his team.
After Waisnor completely lost their position on the field, it was decided to change the lines - the second line entered the rink, and defense was the basis of the strategy from the very beginning. Despite such tactical changes, Quebec & Shingoryeo continued their attacking strategy and the defense of Waisnor, even made the center of tactics, had big problems.
Quebec lacked one for the complete defeat of Waisnor - one more goal. However, it became a rather difficult task to score it, the defense of Waisnor held on as best it could. However, at the very end of the meeting, at the last minute, Q&S made the last attack in this match - Elsie Doyle was able to find a gap in the Waisnorian defense, break through it and send the puck to the center of the goal, setting the final score - 3-0 in favor of Quebec & Shingoryeo.

Although, things can become even worse for Waisnorian hockey team, because their next match will be with HUElavia, 7th seeded team and one of the favourites in this group.

by **TJUN-ia** » Sun Mar 28, 2021 8:43 am

Welcome to Græntfjall for the 42nd World Cup of Hockey! This is the fourth such tournament that TJUN-ia has taken part in but this will be the most important that the 18th seeds have ever taken part in, as failure to make the knockouts again could see head coach Ølson Rasmussen become the first TJUN-ian to ever be fired from the hob job of a national sports team. After taking MD1 as a bye, Rasmussen now has 12-straight games to try and keep himself in the role he's been in since WCoH40 with the many games north of Háttmark deciding if this time will be his final time as head coach of the Ice Jaguars.

Up first was a crucial match in Haderhavn against the hosts themselves in the Ice Wolves and you knew that the crowd would be against us at Eisstadion Háttmark. The battle between the 5th and 6th seeds in this group would certainly be a fun one, as both teams certainly went for the win in front of the 7,000 capacity crowd. Both the 1st and 2nd periods of this contest would see both teams score 2 goals each in a game that both wanted to win, with Julian Visipils (the team's high scorer from last time) and Teemu Pukaninen getting TJUN-ia's first period goals and Graintfjall's both coming from Þórlaugur Skíðisson. The second period would see Danil Svengren and Ryan Pericic get the goals for the Ice Jags while the Ice Wolves got their goals from Auðunn Friðlaugursson and local player Anakol Maximiliansson (the crowd certainly liked that) and heading into the 3rd, this entertaining contest was level at 4-4. The 3rd and final period would be the one that produced the most drama as everything would be decided with about a minutes left to go. Our defensive lines were certainly trying to keep the scores level for as long as they could, but the wall would come down just before the end as Jack Jokulsson scored what would be the eventual winner. The Ice Wolves took down the Ice Jags 5-4 in a cracking game and no one was happy with that at all.

We certainly showed promise, but home-ice advantage can certainly make things sway in the other direction. 11 games remain for a job to be saved and up next is The Grandest Empire, a team at 1-1 who can always be a wildcard as an unranked team. We may be down right now, but we need to rise up if we are to advance. GO JAGS!

SCHEDULE (Group of Swords)
MD1: BYE
MD2: vs Graintfjall (22, 8 of Swords) - Eisstadion Háttmark, Haderhavn L 4-5 (T-10th)
MD3: vs The Grandest Empire (UR, 4 of Swords) - Grand National Arena, Gunzlach
MD4: vs Mapletish (UR, 5 of Swords) - SuperBangMunchVöllur, Zevogur
MD5: vs Kohnhead (26, 7 of Swords)- Elínmundur Heiðreksson Halle, Steinaux
MD6: vs Taeshan (14, 10 of Swords) - Hofvinger Community Arena
MD7: vs Chromatika (29, 6 of Swords) - Hagejoki Play Park
MD8: vs Cassadaigua (8, Queen of Swords) - Hagejoki Play Park
MD9: vs Xanneria (UR, 3 of Swords) - Hofvinger Community Arena
MD10: vs Lu Shan (UR, Ace of Swords) - Elínmundur Heiðreksson Halle, Steinaux
MD11: vs Recuecn (12, Trickster of Swords) - SuperBangMunchVöllur, Zevogur
MD12: vs Peoples Republic of Xabia (UR, 4 of Swords) - Grand National Arena, Gunzlach
MD13: vs Savojarna (3, King of Swords) - Eisstadion Háttmark, Haderhavn

by **Srednjaci** » Sun Mar 28, 2021 10:12 am

WORLD CUP OF HOCKEY 42

HAVE WE FORGOTTEN HOW TO SKATE?

Ice skating in the areas of today's Republic of Srednjaci dates back to ancient times. As far back as 200 years ago, people in the kingdoms, today’s republics, were skaters on frozen lakes. The people gathered and socialized with songs, fire and ice. Speed skating competitions were held on the ice, as well as Toboe. Toboe is a version of today's hockey, the difference is that 3 players are played against 3 and one goalkeeper each. Toboe was played with a rag ball and the ball was pushed or kicked with sticks.
It’s been a long time since those times, Toboe is still being played in some parts of the country. The popularity of toboe has replaced the popularity of hockey.
The Srednjaci definitely didn’t forget to skate. The young Ice Cubs were great at the junior championships in Delaclava. Big boys and big girls play here though. Ice Cubs have a strong desire to prove themselves. The group is tough but they show incredible speed and technical readiness.
Despite losing in the first match against the big favorite Kriegiersien by 4: 3, in the second match the Ice Cubs played 3: 3 against Flekkefjord.

Kriegiersien 0 - 0 - 4 ( 4
Srednjaci 1 - 0 - 2 (3

The Ice Cubs bravely fell. They were unlucky against more experienced and physically superior opponents. Unbelievable, but the Ice Cubs led the game twice to get the Kriegiersien players back and turning the match around. In addition, Patrik Parrrrker committed a foul on Ice Cubs goalkeeper. The judges did not sanction the move, moreover, they acknowledged the goal.

Srednjaci 0 - 1 - 2 (3
Flekkefjord 0 - 2 - 1 (3

Despite not knowing who we are playing against, we conceded three goals. Unbelievable that the ghosts scored for us. It’s hard to play against ghosts because you can’t see them.

Group of Cups
Flekkefjord 3–3 Srednjaci (3–2 SO)
Quebec & Shingoryeo 3–0 Waisnor
HUElavia 1–2 Siovanija & Teusland
Omerica 2–7 Banija
Ranoria 0–0 BohemiaIV (3–1 SO)
New Waldensia 4–2 St. Saratoga

   Group of Cups                  Pld    W  OTW  OTL    L   GF   GA   GD  Pts 
 1 Siovanija & Teusland             2    2    0    0    0    7    4   +3    6
 2 Flekkefjord                      2    1    1    0    0    9    7   +2    5
 3 HUElavia                         2    1    0    0    1    3    3    0    3
   New Waldensia                    1    1    0    0    0    4    2   +2    3
 5 Banija                           2    1    0    0    1    8    4   +4    3
   BohemiaIV                        2    0    1    1    0    2    2    0    3
   Kriegiersien                     1    1    0    0    0    4    3   +1    3
   Quebec & Shingoryeo              2    1    0    0    1    6    5   +1    3
   St. Saratoga                     2    1    0    0    1    5    6   –1    3
10 Ranoria                          2    0    1    0    1    3    3    0    2
11 Omerica                          2    0    0    1    1    3    9   –6    1
   Srednjaci                        2    0    0    1    1    6    8   –2    1
   Waisnor                          2    0    0    0    2    4    8   –4    0

by **HUElavia** » Sun Mar 28, 2021 12:04 pm

HUElavia Opens WCoH with Promise!

Banija 1-2 HUElavia

HUElavia 1-2 Siovanija & Teusland

Coming into the opening matches of the 42nd World Cup of Hockey, HUElavia was tasked with taking on the two direct opponents for HUElavia in it's opening matches: Pot 3 Banija and Pot 1 (and reigning back-to-back Champion) Siovanija & Teusland. The arena had a strong backing by the thousands of HUElavians that flocked to Graentfjall to support the team, and the squad was looking to use their support to help them get good results.

The matches were a series of attacks from both teams, going from goal to goal, getting shots in left and right. Against Banija, the opening goal came early in the 1st period, when Garcon-Chevalier passed the puck to Gachev, who in turn gave a shot that was blocked by Bange, and Dominguez-Garcia came on the rebound and blasted it past Bange into the goal to make it 1-0. The crowd erupted and celebrated with passion, the players hugged and fist bumped Dominguez-Garcia, while Kernkraft 400 blasted in the arena. In the second period, Banija went on full offensive, giving Vasilevskiy a difficult time. Late in the period, Suso gave a blast that was blocked by Vasilevskiy, and in turn, Soley recovered it, and passed it to Ceesay, who blasted it past Vasilevskiy into the goal to make it 1-1. In the 3rd period, it was going down to the wire, with the game seeing a possible Overtime looming over them. With 1:28 left, Carmo passed it to Giroux, who gave a quick pass to Castilho, who gave a one-time shot to blast past Bange into the goal, making it the definitive 2-1. Shortly after, HUElavia held out and got a historic victory against one of the toughest teams in Ice Hockey.

The second game was another series of attacks from both teams going back and forth. The opening goal came halfway in the 1st period, where Ranger passed the puck to Glaskov, who gave a one-time low shot to blast past Vasilevskiy to give the reigning champs the 1-0 lead. Halfway in the 2nd period, Petit gave a pass to Leite, who in turn passed it to Dubois, where he took a shot that was blocked by Schock, and Kim came up on the rebound to push the puck into the goal to make it 1-1. The crowd jumped with passion and joy once more as Kim got his first official goal with the senior team, which his teammates hugged and fist bumped him in celebration. Early in the 3rd Period, S&T was on the attack and Schiele gave a pass to Lasker, who gave it to Goss, which he gave a one-time shot to slip past Vasilevskiy into the goal, making it 2-1. HUElavia tried to respond throughout the period, but it was too little, too late. They fell 2-1, but felt proud at the effort they did against the best team in Ice Hockey.

The next two matches will be against two unranked opponents: Waisnor and Srednjaci. Caetano and Mayhuasca will start for each game respectively in goal and there will be a good amount of rotation for these matches. Regardless, the fans feel optimistic that the team can play well and get good results in these games. The team continues to study film and train in their practice rink to give it their all in the next two matches. Here's to what can be a great set of matches!

FORCA HUELAVIA! VAMOS HUELAVIA! GO HUELAVIA!

by **Recuecn** » Sun Mar 28, 2021 12:21 pm

10 Things About Reçueçn's Game Against Kohnhead

We w1 this time - after an excruciating shootout loss to Mapletish, it was encouraging to take a full three points from the game.

It was only our 2nd game - there's still plenty of games to go, so we can't draw any conclusions yet.

We had at least twenty shots on goal in all 3 periods - the Reçuecian attack was unrelenting throughout the whole game. We came out of the gate strong and didn't let up.

#4 Berthe Arcenaux scored the most - she had the first goal, had bagged a hat trick by the end of the second period, and scored a buzzer-beating fourth to finish the game.

The win puts Reçueçn in 5th place in the group of swords - not absolutely ideal, but in a nice striking position to continue to win and make it into the top to advance from the group.

6 different players scored in the match - Arcenaux, Heilbronn, Pernet, Kern, Essig, and Zurflüh.

The Reçuecians had 7 power plays - they converted three of them.

"Domin8ed," - the word which appeared the most in Reçuecian sports headlines following the match.

"9." - German-speaking captain Elea Lörtscher's answer when asked if she thought the team should have let up on Kohnhead after establishing a winning margin. "We're here to play our best and show the world what we can do. It would be disrespectful to Kohnhead to go easy on them."

10 - the number of goals Reçueçn scored. Absolutely ridiculous.

by **Cassadaigua** » Sun Mar 28, 2021 1:37 pm

From the Coaches Desk,
By Rachel Belmont, head coach

Hello out there to everyone who will be reading! I want to begin by thanking everyone for all of the support that I have been given as I take the lead job of the national team for the first time. It has been an honor to be with this team for so long, and I am grateful for my time in serving as the assistant to Katherine Gardner. While doing so, I was able to enjoy the greatest accomplishment in international hockey when we won the World Cup of Hockey 39 title. She has moved on, but has told me that I should not hesitate to talk to her about anything. We have had some talks, but I am eager to get started on this right away.

My first decision that I made with this team is not to let the change at the top affect the strong chemistry that we have on our roster. We did well last time, too, and are returning many of the same players from our last roster. That was important to me, as I want to make sure that the players know that I am here for them, but I was not really worried about that. The changes that we have made were the normal changes that would be expected from Cup to Cup, and I am proud to say that we are bringing one heck of a roster to Graintfjall for what is going to be a very challenging qualifying period.

As you know by now, there are 52 teams, and only sixteen that are making the playoffs, and when you do the math, that is less than one third. It is a challenge that we are excited to take on, and that is because we believe that we can get the job done. The road is tough though, but the reason for my confidence is because we are bringing such a veteran team in terms of the experience with several having experience the title in 39 with me. I have been asked in the media how I am going to handle the long schedule, and the first step in that is to bring a large group of players. Not everyone is going to play every day, and in some cases playing time will be quite scarce, but I want to keep everyone fresh. Some national teams go with a very small bench, something that I have never really understood, but to each their own. We are not one of them, and I expect to utilize the depth that we have at varying points during the competition.

Those decisions are not going to come right now, though. We just had our bye day, so for a little while, we will be fresh, and fresher than our opposition without needing to insert new faces into the lineup. Though I have noted spots where I think we will deviate from that lineup. Players have some knowledge of where I am thinking about making those moves, but like I said, we will address that when the time comes. Right now, we have only played one game and are going with the main guns for the next couple games, at least.

Thank you for your support. We have one game in, but now, let’s begin the grind!

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