World Cup of Hockey 44 - Everything Thread

[Gyatso-kai]

.:: HOME Locker Room, The Rink of Dreams, Rink of Dreams Complex, Quebec & Shingoryeo ::.
2201 hours local time, 27 December 2021.4

The HOME Locker Room had mostly cleared out, save for a few of the equipment staff, a couple players who were just decompressing after a hard-fought game, and one coach who was sitting in disbelief in the hallway.

World Cup Twenty-Six in Quebec. We lost to Quebec in the Finals. And now, here we are in Quebec… Going to the Finals…

That tournament still hung fresh in the mind of Ishii Hakoda, then-Captain of the Ice Bisons and now Head Coach for the team. He could still remember that Finals Series; a Best-of-Five that went the full distance, all five games, which saw the two best teams in the multi-verse battle it out and cement into the history books the greatest rival the Ice Bisons had ever known. Older fans remembered the days of Cotdelapoms and Neu Engollon, but it was the Quebecois team that truly became the Ice Bison’s rival and stayed long after The Silence. Back in that World Cup, there was an ASPN Blog that Ishii remembered reading before the Finals Series started, in which some underpaid intern titled his blog “Bison Fury” and mentioned the thought of some young up-and-coming forward wearing a Nordiques jersey, scoring in front of adoring fans of the multi-verse…

That ‘young’ forward was a 21-year-old Song Unataq… and he had yet to wear anything but an AHL jersey…

That same blog mentioned Ishii playing on the same line as one Maxwell Belmont-Deschamps in Itakawai, bringing multi-verse players to the AHL for the first time since the era of Cotedelapoms. The idea of AHL games being shown throughout the multi-verse, fans travelling to and from each nation and region to witness their favorite players shining on a stage not-of-their-home-nation… The National Sports Council had dreamed of this day since the very first Avatarian appearance in the World Cup of Hockey…

Then came The Silence… And shattered dreams became the norm.

For Ishii, who had been in talks with a team in Quebec, it meant shutting down those talks when the AHL shut down for two years. It meant never wearing the ‘C’ again as an Ice Bison. It meant not watching AHL-caliber players test their mettle throughout the regions of the multi-verse, and instead watch great talent be squandered as time ticked on. Now, so many players who were once the golden children of the NSC to be sent overseas now were pushing for retirement. Hiteki Kia, who Ishii fondly remembered as a third-line grinder back in World Cup XXV, now was 42 and wanting to retire in the next two campaigns. Song, once 21-years-old and full of youthful vigor, was now settling into the twilight of his career as a first-liner and soon was having to accept that, while he may keep the captaincy both on the national team and back home in Itakawai, his time chasing kids on the first line was damn near finished.

I remember when I had to accept that fact… Man, was it a hard pill to swallow…

Ishii sat forward, leaning on his knees as he looked to the aPhone in his hands. He laughed as he saw the first email on his notifications and just smiled. This World Cup had a rather unique charity event going on, and thanks to Quỳnh Ngà – his wonderfully doting and compassionate wife – Ishii had roped himself in for the cause. Just like many leagues around the multi-verse especially around the winter holidays, Quebece & Shingoryeo had decided that every game was going to be a ‘Teddy Bear Toss’-style event; fans would throw onto the ice any stuffed bear or animal they wished to donate at a specific time in the game. For the World Cup, it was the first goal. In an ASPN interview with Akaan Beroya – the guy who runs that damn ‘Blip’ blog that always makes me laugh – if he was going to contribute, Ishii ran with his wife’s idea, and said that should Gyatso-kai score the first goal, he would donate 1,000¥ to five of the top Avatarian children’s charities.

So far… he was in eleven-grand, and he had already man the plans for post-tournament the team to take trips to these local hospitals, sign some pictures and stuffed animals, and just do some charity work…

The notification, from the Community Involvement Director for Hockey Gyatso-kai, simply read, “Another 1k to add” and Ishii just swiped it away. He knew the Director would make good on contacting the right people for his team to visit and where to send any other gifts they had planned. He had even been trying to get a nice charity series together with The Ice Knights of Quebec, but with the tournament in full-swing, he knew it best to focus on the present and worry about sending out the message to Brown-Hahm when the time was right.

Still mad at him for blocking all those shots in Game Five, Ishii thought as he looked back to the locker room, seeing the last of his team dressed and moving out. He could see Degour Niyan and Song standing together, talking about what Ishii was certain was the night’s celebrations. It did his heart well to see Song taking Degour and including him in activities; he was looking more and more like the future of the Ice Bisons, a topic Ishii was always a bit sore on. We have to keep the team growing, Ishii could hear Kad Skirata’s voice in his head saying, and he was right. For the last few campaigns, Ishii had been reluctant to bring younger players in, not wanting to throw off chemistry and ruin what he had been working so hard since The Silence to achieve. The team had struggled a bit to get to this point, but now, here they were. Just two games away from…

Nope. Don’t even think about it… Ishii stopped himself. There will be time for talk like that in the morning. Best to just go back to the inn, have some calming tea before bed and get some much-needed rest before we practice tomorrow…

[Elejamie]

Coach Alex was really feeling the pressure.

Even though the match against Græntfjall had been over for a couple of hours and the match between Gyatso-Kai and Siovanija and Teusland was only a couple of hours away, he just couldn't concentrate on a solid game plan. He couldn't even watch the upcoming game because he was that full of nerves. His side had made it to another final, after all. And, while they had gotten lucky when they played Valanora in the last one, here there were two issues that caused him to think that lightning wouldn't strike twice. The first was that it was against a team his side had also played in Kelssek. The second was that it would be a series instead of just the one game. While that meant that his side could lose one game and still have a chance of winning the Cup, there was still the possibility of them winning that first game but choking away the other games. Much like they did against Valanora in the 30th and 32nd editions.

But let's start from the beginning. Namely pre-match against Græntfjall. Other than the fact that Adrian Lambert started while Serrano was on the bench the game plan against Græntfjall was mostly the same as it was against Ko-oren. A heavy emphasis on defence while having a player or two up front to handle the offence. After all, the Ice Wolves were a mostly defensive team anyway so there was no need to mix too many things up. Fourteen goals allowed in the group stage, again the same as fellow bus-parkers Ko-oren, as well as two in the knock-out stages meant that Coach Alex had to re-use bits and pieces from his last game just so his side could stand a good chance. Not too many bits and pieces, though, as too many and they would twig on.

Unsurprisingly, the last match proved to be like the one before it in many different ways. Both sides were playing a strong defensive game while the offence were a bit hit-or-miss when it came to trying to overcome them. That wasn't to say the offences were bad, there were certain moments where they derped but they were few and far between, it was that the defences were just that little bit better. The Ice Wolves were naturals when it came to it but the way they were playing you could swear that the Ice-a-phants were too. Lupe and Adam Keane had their fair share of blocked shots and kept feeding the puck to each other in an attempt to wear down the opposition. Lambert was able to do a decent job in net by blocking and deflecting every shot fired at him. The Ice Wolves were just as solid, if not more so, with the double team of Ben Espensson and Bjarnleifur Asgeirsson being difficult foes for the Elejamian offensive lines to tackle, Bjarni Daviðsson and Jason Bensson being tough and intimidating opponents and Tom Finngeirsson now has a competent enough forward that he doesn't have to worry about having to constantly bail his side out.

There were a couple of differences between that and the match against Ko-oren however. The first was that this was a lot more physical. There were hits and checks galore, with moments when the rather swift players managed to trick players into colliding with each other or the boards and times where it looked like it was going to boil over from time to time. One moment it actually did when, with 10:08 left in the first, a poorly-timed check from Erlingur Holgeirsson on Harrison Blackburn sent the 22-year-old Mainsborough player onto the ice with an injury. He was out cold. His line-mate, notorious bruiser Francisco "Franny" Solano, immediately dropped the gloves and duked it out with Holgeirsson as a response to the accident. Solano won the fight rather handily and the two even traded words in their separate boxes. Fortunately they were pleasant words as Erlingur apologised for what had happened, Solano accepted the apology and they had a civil conversation that was barely audible over the roar of the crowd. Unfortunately Blackburn had to miss the rest of the match and he is projected to miss the next one, meaning that Felipe Barajas had to do double shift duty. But fortunately Coach Alex still had enough of a plan that it shouldn't affect too much.

The second was that the only goal of the match was scored in regulation time, compared to the overtime one from the last game. With over four minutes left Diego Pinto delivered a check that separated Christian Sofusson from the puck, with Carlos Sierra sneaking in to steal it. The two of them passed the puck back and forth between each other to stall for time while the entire first line was switched out in favour of the second. Once they were, Pinto passed it up to Lucas Madgwick who began travelling up the wing. He then passed it over to Rafael Espinosa who then fired a one-timer. The bad news was that the shot harmlessly bounced off Finngeirsson's pad. The good news was that Espinosa's second attempt made it in, as there was enough of a gap and enough time for him to get it in. Not to mention he was close enough that accuracy wouldn't be an issue. A playmaker turned sniper and he looked good while doing it.

Eventually, when it came to an end, the Ice-a-phants celebrated. They had made it to their second consecutive final. Players and fans let out collective sighs of relief when they had realised what had happened. The team on the ice essentially mobbed each other as they cheered. Hugs were shared, fists were bumped and chants were sang. The gloves came off shortly afterwards but it wasn't to share blows but rather to shake hands. Everyone wished each other well and Solano and Holgeirsson even reiterated that there was no beef with each other over what had happened to Blackburn earlier in the match; it was poor timing, Harrison didn't prepare himself in time and Erlingur had already committed to the already-legal hit which was why he didn't face any further punishment, but Franny was still obligated to stick up for his team-mate rather than let it slide, especially when it came to that and there was some mutual respect between the two players. Once the celebrations on the ice had come to an end, it was time for the obligatory interview. Something Alex was dreading but he was still obliged to do, although fortunately he was limited to four questions and was allowed to relieve some tension before he was called up to give it.

How did you think you did in that last game? We've done relatively alright. The problem is that we had back to back games against ultra defensive teams and if you keep repeating the same plan again and again you start to become predictable. Fortunately, both Siovana [sic] and Teusland and Gyatso-Kai are a lot more offensively inclined so I don't have to worry about that. Still, our defence was solid, Lambo was a brick wall between the pipes and Espinosa completely wowed me with that goal earlier. A good job all round, really good.

Harrison Blackburn took a nasty tumble earlier, will that have much of an effect on your side? The good news is that it's not a concussion so he won't be out for the rest of the tournament. The bad news is that he's still shaken up enough that he'll have to miss game one of the finals. While it will definitely mean re-configuring the fourth line just to fit a replacement in, I'm confident that we'll be able to get it done and the new line will have enough chemistry that they'll work wonders. Who knows, maybe it'll be a permanent change if it works well enough.

Who do you think you'll be playing in the final? Ah, that's a bit of a tough one. On the one hand, I'm inclined to say Siovana- sorry, Siovanija, I didn't catch my slip earlier. Siovanija and Teusland because they're one of the highest-ranked teams out there and, even though they've been slipping pretty badly as of late, there's no denying that the Goldhorns have plenty of gas left in the tank. On the other hand, Gyatso-Kai are a more consistent team and I have a good feeling that they will give their opposition a run for their money. Not to mention that the Ice Bisons played us in the last one, lost to us and would probably want to get some revenge on us. I'm still picking the first team but it should be a fun game either way.

Do you think you'll be able to win it all? I have some severe doubts but I won't rule it out. We got lucky against Valanora in Kelssek. And the last time we were in Quebec we were lucky to beat Gregoryisgodistan, especially when they managed to grab that win in game two to force a third one. Unfortunately the last time we had a series in the final we won the first game agains Valanora before choking away the other three so that's going to be something we're going to have to work on. But then again this is a team that's had to claw their way back up here and, if some Quebecois sources are correct, have a bit of a history of messing up when they get here so it might not be as bad. So yeah, severe doubts but overall we should be solid enough to go the distance. Who knows, maybe we'll get a dynasty going again.

We now rejoin him, walking around the grounds of the Rink of Dreams with his girlfriend Barbara. It could've been the amount of caffeine in his system, as the coffee he was drinking wasn't decaf for a change, or the tenseness of the upcoming game but his heart was absolutely pounding. He couldn't really think of a solid game plan and, while it was still a bit away, he couldn't really watch the other semi-final either to take notes or to get his mind off of everything. Hence the impromptu date. It was something to do and, if they were able to get permission, they could even use one of the practice rinks for a private skating session together. The downside is that the zamboni driver would probably not be pleased that they'd have a bit more work for them but hopefully it wouldn't be anything deal-breaking.

A few hours had passed since then. It was now 10:30pm and the other semi-final had been over for some time. Looking up the result of it, Alex's face raised a little bit, partly out of relief and partly out of intrigue. It turned out that Gyatso-Kai were the actual winners of that match, not Siovanija and Teusland, with a scoreline of 4-3. As a result, he decided to look up their stats so far so he could know what he would be in for. They finished top of their group with eight wins, three draws (all 3-3 draws against the Taxonomic Kingdoms, Poafmersia and Eshialand) and a single loss (3-2 against Delaclava). They then won 5-4 in overtime against HUElavia, edged out Valanora 7-6 and won the aforementioned game in what Alex then realised was a rematch from the group stage. A small improvement over a team who were shut out by the minnows of Le Choix, of all teams, but that didn't change the fact that their progress this tournament was more "topping up a bucket of water that was already nearly full".

Another reason Alex was pleased was because it meant that he could finally do something new. Finally he could employ a little bit of an offence. He could get the forward line to do their job more often than they did over the past few games. Sure he wasn't expecting another 10-1 blow-out like his side gave Abanhfleft earlier in the tournament but if there were two or three then he'd be perfectly satisfied. And, although having Mike Keller on the fourth line instead of Harrison Blackburn, again due to the aforementioned injury, was still a bit of a question mark to him re whether or not it'd work he was still feeling a bit confident that it'd pan out. Don't get him wrong, he was still nervous, he was still under pressure, but here he was feeling a bit better. Presumably because he had finally done a bit of research on his opponent so he could mentally prepare himself. As he picked up his pencil and got ready to start jotting down some notes, he muttered one thing to himself:

"Here's hoping this game isn't another defensive snooze-fest."

[Graintfjall]

Selection of articles from Græntfjaller news media.

Ice Wolves’ run ended by tough Ice-a-Phants

So, it was not to be: any dreams of an Ice Wolves’ World Cup will have to wait for, fittingly, a venue other than the Rink of Dreams, after Elejamie knocked Græntfjall out with a late, well worked goal that handsomely reflected their team’s patience and discipline. Græntfjall battled hard on the boards but the physical game may have left defenders tired late in the third period, when Rafael Espinosa poached the game-winning chance off a rare Christian Sofusson turnover. Græntfjall had their chances, registering 26 shots on goal, while Tom Finngeirsson saved 29 of 30 – but that 30th the crucial one. The defending champions will progress to play Gyatso-kai in the final, while Siovanija & Teusland’s Goldhorns lie in the way of the Ice Wolves’ chances at leaving Quebec with at least a bronze medal. “They’re a tough side, and we were never really in it,” admitted captain Bjarnleifur Asgeirsson after the Elejamie game. “They had the right game plan to neutralize our offence and we probably weren’t creative enough in response. But this has been a great run, I feel like this team has broken through at long last after what’s been a disappointing stretch, and I hope this is something we can build on in future tournaments.”

Goldhorns clash offers a chance at assessing team progress

Græntfjall’s first ever international hockey game of the modern era occurred at the 40th World Cup of Hockey, also hosted by Quebec, and was against Siovanija & Teusland; the result, a 4 – 1 thrashing at the hands of Erwin Ranger, with a sole Jack Jokulsson consolation goal in response. 6 years on, a team with many of the same players – though not Jokulsson himself, who has missed this tournament through injury – has a chance to measure their state of progress as they take on the Goldhorns once more. “Not a grudge match, certainly no bad blood,” said Christian Sofusson, who at one time declared his interest in trying to play in Siovanija and Teusland, but received no interest in the draft from Ehrenliga teams and returned home to Græntfjall. “But just out of a question of history, it’s an interesting match-up.” Goalkeeper Tom Finngeirsson played in the previous match and remembers: “We were very green, still getting used to international rules, international ice. It was a bit of an embarrassment. Win or lose tomorrow, we’ve certainly come a long way.”

Election tightens as budget hawks criticize parties’ plans

Every major party in the election is offering “unfunded or underfunded plans”, according to the well respected Institute for Fiscal Probity, whose regular report on election campaign pledge funding is something of an institution in the White Winter Queendom. Criticizing all sides for “neglecting deficit control” and “failing to be honest about the state of public finances”. According to the IFB report, tax rises would “certainly be needed” despite insistences to the contrary by both Left-slate and Progressive Liberals in order to meet their proposed new policies including increased health and education funding and a reform of the social welfare system. The Blue-Greens were taken to task for claiming “efficiency and economy savings” and “a crackdown on welfare fraud” would be enough to offset their proposed “massive tax cuts”, while the NDF’s proposed budget was dismissed as a “fantasy written by people who seem to fail to understand basic economics”. The Liberal-Conservative Alliance rump led by Aríaðna Fjölvarsdóttir are, according to the IFP, the only party offering clarity of deficit reduction, with the report wryly noting that this may explain why the party is running comfortably behind the leading contenders in the polls.

Prospect of royal marriage increases with Cardinal’s blessing

Cardinal Jannik Eyjarsson, the most influential churchman in Græntfjall and widely seen as the gatekeeper of conservative reaction, has seemingly given his blessing to the prospect of a remarriage by Crown Princess Kassandra, heir to the throne. The widower has in recent months been increasingly publicly linked with controversial former Navy officer Gunnlaugur Rikharðsson. Revered in the special forces community and among anti-communist hardliners, but reviled by rights groups who have accused him of torture and war crimes, Rikharðsson is identified with ultra-reactionary tendencies on the nationalist right.* He and the Crown Princess have attended various functions together and she accompanied him on a recent trip to the Zionist Republic of Ha’Yarok, marking their first public holiday together, but the Höll has been unwilling to comment on their relationship. The two attended Mass at the Basilika of Sankt Jakob the Badass this Sunday and received communion from Cardinal Eyjarsson.

3rd period
15:08 Espinosa (Madgwick, Pinto)

* Which still makes him a vacillating liberal compared with Princess Kassandra.

[Quebec and Shingoryeo]

Cutoff, 3rd Place Match & Finals Game 1

---

World Cup of Hockey 44 Finals & Third-Place Match - Rink of Dreams, Quebec & Shingoryeo

Day 11 - Finals - Game 1 (Dec 29)
#3 Gyatso-Kai 6–6 Elejamie (7–6 OT) #5 @ 20:00

Day 12 - Third-Place Match (Dec 29)

#8 Graintfjall 6–3 Siovanija and Teusland #10 @ 19:00

Congratulations and Commiserations for those at the third place match.

As for those in the finals, I'll see you all in 24 hours for Game 2. Good luck!

[Elejamie]

"Just do what comes naturally."

That was pretty much what Alex had instructed his team in the locker room before the match. After all, they were about to play one of the biggest games of their lives and they had to make sure they were on top form. They didn't have to be perfect, he was willing to forgive minor blemishes, but they all had to play to the best of their abilities. There was no coasting off their miraculous success from last time, no "she'll be right"-ness that was prevalent during the first half of their group stage run. They instead had to play in the form they had showed during most of the second half and the 10-1 win over Abanhfleft. And, fortunately for him, he was able to come up with a relatively OK game plan that took advantage of that. He didn't do much training with it but it should hopefully work OK, right?

The plan somewhat worked. The offence had finally woken up from the slumber that the last two games had stuck them in. After all, no tough stonewall defence to try and lure the offence into a trap so they could sneak a goal in unawares, just a standard albeit slightly weak defence but a superpowered offence instead. But more on that later. But there was no denying that they were on fire. Stacy Saunders opened up the scoring with a close range shot on net with 16:03 left in the first, a goal that was assisted by Cerin Meloten and Lupe. Sure an unassisted wrister from Song Unataq levelled things off with 14:50 left but fortunately it didn't seem like the end of the world. Especially when, with 7:08 left, Wang Torsti tripped up Felipe Barajas and, as a result, had to sit out for a couple of minutes. This then lead to a second goal on the power play when, twenty-eight seconds into it, Saunders scored his second with a low shot from a pass by Adam Keane. And a third goal came just before time when, with 10.6 seconds left, James Han's snap shot (which was assisted by linemates Rafael Espinosa and Lucas Madgwick) sailed smoothly into the net to give his side a 3-1 lead going into the first intermission.

The downside was that the defence completely fell apart at various points during the match. Maybe it was because they were so goddamned tired of playing the same two sorts of teams twice in a row that, when they were finally playing someone different, they simply got greedy, complacent or just tired. Maybe the Ice Bisons had spotted some holes and flaws and took advantage of them. Maybe it was because Margaret hated Elejamie in the same way the fates hate the country when it comes to the WorldVision Song Contest. Either way, they were completely cooked. Alex thought so because when Adrian Lambert let in goal number five he was swiftly pulled in favour of Cristian Serrano. Lambert wasn't really sure what was going on with him and his defence either but he was clearly not happy with the way things were going as he smashed his stick over the side of the goal and threw it down the ice. Followed by his gloves which fortunately just slid past everyone instead of hitting them. He was about to throw his helmet but he decided not to, as not to desecrate the ninety-seven names on it.

Either way, despite being 4-3 down going into the third, the Ice-a-phants rallied and got their stuff together. Ethan Swinburne scored the first goal with 15:55 left with a one-timer off a pass from Felipe Barajas, while his twin brother Danilo got the other assist. The Ice-a-phants regained their lead when Neil Cuevas intercepted a pass from Kobushi Kaede and passed it up to Bill Harrison, who moved up past the blue line before fired in a slapper that managed to knock Shu Pianhuo's bottle off the top of the net. Song completed his hat-trick (his second being the goal that gave his side the lead with 1:12 left) to level the scores, a simple blocker-side shot that was not only assisted by Kobushi and Hosaka Severi but also saw the aforementioned instance of Lambert getting switched out and him not reacting well to his night. On the upside, Madgwick brought his side out in front yet again with a backhander that just managed to scrape its way off the post and into the back of the net, with a bit of help from Han and Carlos Sierra with 6:29 left in the match.

With the score now 6-5 going into the final minute, it seemed like the Ice-a-phants had this incredibly tense game and, therefore, the first win of a best-of-three in the bag. Unfortunately, that would prove not to be the case. With the end of the match getting closer, Gyatso-Kai were trying desperately to get the scores level. Not desperate enough to pull Shu but rather being a bit more aggressive with the puck and trying to minimise any scoring chance the opposition was taking. A plan that somewhat worked when Cheung Sepi (who had previously scored a goal and assisted Nestori Huan with his goal, both in the second period) managed to deke it in past Serrano to level the scores with 32.3 seconds left. No more goals were scored and, eventually it went into overtime. An overtime that came to an end with 7:23 left in the first period of it thanks to some peak passing from Relicyc Tho-An and Souma Shichiro that helped set up a snapper from Kil'or Alecyc to make the score 7-6 and, with that, give the Ice Bisons the first win of the series.

To put it bluntly, Alex was not very happy. He could handle losing, that was fine with him. After all, you can't win everything. But he was more disappointed with his team. What the hell happened out there? Why did his defence completely fall apart? How cooked was Lambert out there? How the hell did he get like that? How did his side blow their lead not once but twice? Why the hell is it snowing in what is apparently Summer? Whatever, it was time to slog through the obligatory post-match interview and try not to let out his frustration at any of the reporters or the surroundings. He has the huge amount of video games each lodge has for that instead. Hopefully there'll be some shooters among them. First or third person, it didn't matter just as long as he was able to find a way to get some catharsis out of them.

Fortunately. he had calmed down enough to go back to the drawing board. Maybe go tabula rasa and get something out there that's completely new, completely unexpected. But should hopefully work, especially since he was at a point where he was willing to try anything to avoid disappointment. But then again, there was the possibility that the plan wouldn't be cohesive and would lead to a massive embarrassment in the second game. And, given the nation's inability to actually win the aforementioned WorldVision Song Contest despite three incredibly close calls or get back to back trophies in tournaments leading to some citizens calling the country "cursed", he was really hoping that the second game would go a lot better than the first. It can still be a loss but nothing too majorly disappointing. Which meant that there were only two things he could do.

The first was to pray. Pray for strength, pray for courage, pray for a bit of mercy. Anything to make sure that game two wouldn't be a crushing blow to morale. Maybe God would show a bit of mercy and have what it'd take for them to win. Maybe He would step in and comfort them to make the loss a bit less disappointing. Maybe the prayer will fall on deaf ears and the Ice Bisons would crush the Ice-a-phants for their second trophy. Alex didn't know, he just needed a bit of help, a bit of guidance. The second was to pray but this time to Margaret, the tricksy mistress of sport who seems to punish teams at random. Maybe she didn't like his "defensive snooze-fest" comment and decided to punish his side by having his defence metaphorically shit themselves. If that was the case then he'd need to pray for forgiveness and maybe give out an offering just to show his remorse. Sure there was the fact that God may no approve, after all there was the moment with the Golden Calf, but he was at the point where he just wanted to do anything to spare his side a terrible fate.

The next day came. By then, Alex had a solid game plan. He even had a fully rejuvenated Harrison Blackburn back on the fourth line after he had to miss the last game due to injury. That could've been another reason why they fell completely flat, Alex didn't know or didn't want to care. All he care about was that the practice they had that morning had fully woken them up and gotten rid of any kinks left over from the last match although, just to make sure, Lambert was being rested while Serrano started and Cervantes was on the bench. He had worked out another game plan and, from the looks of it, it was back to the defensive style that the Ko-oren and Graintfjall games saw, although now there was even more of a slight emphasis on offence, in an attempt to wear down the opposition and use their fatigue to try and get in some sneaky goals. The plan also included a short passing game to minimise any and all chances of interception, at least one defenceman in their side of the ice to deal with any potential breakaways and maybe get a bit physical to wear them down a bit more, not necessarily fights but rather some solid hits and body checks should surely minimise any chances for humiliation.

Once everyone was ready and set, they lined up and got ready to skate onto the ice. And, indeed, that's what they did when they were called to come onto the ice. They entertained the crowd with their warm-up sessions by firing pucks at their respective nets while the goalies did their best to try and save them, either by blocking, deflecting or any other such methods. While that was going on, Alex finished his cup of coffee and threw it into the recycling bin on the way out. He and his assistant coaches Akio Shimasaki and Eduardo Carreras then went behind the benches and got themselves fully ready while they looked on. There was no doubt that it was going to be the tensest match of all, where a single mistake could either end it in two or bring about a third. And, as he looked up at the scoreboard, he kept repeating the same four words to himself:

"Just sixty more minutes."

[Gyatso-kai]

.:: HOME Locker Room, The Rink of Dreams, Rink of Dreams Complex, Quebec & Shingoryeo ::.
2315 hours local time, 29 December 2021.4

Another empty locker room after a high scoring game, and Song Unataq sat alone, basking in the glow of a hard-fought game. He himself had netted a hat-trick – his second of the tournament, and tenth overall in the multi-verse – and the Ice Bisons had won in overtime, and yet, he felt… disheveled? Defeated? Deflated?

No idea what… but it isn’t a good feeling…

Song stood, dressed in the traditional garb of the Northern Water Tribe; a heavy blue overtunic was worn over a lighter-colored but equally warm undertunic which comprised the first layer. A tabard was worn over the undertunic, with a brown and tan seal-hide sleeveless overcoat made up the outer layer. The embroidery of the overcoat was meant to be stylish, and for many in the Northern tribes, it served the purpose of neighbours identifying your family from afar, and also to stand out in the snow and ice. Around the waist, an obi was worn, secured in place by a dark brown seal-hide belt with various pouches and a couple of self-defense weapons on his sides. Thick hard-sole leather boots were worn, mid-calf high and covered by a set of dark-grey winingas as a way to stay warm. For many of the players on the Ice Bisons, the Rink of Dreams was a bit frigid, but for Song – the only member of the team from the Northern Water Tribe, it was positively comfortable.

Though… Minus-Six with moderate snow in the summer…

Shaking off the thought of a frozen summer, Song turned to walk out the front of the locker room. Unlike during the Group Stage, when the locker rooms of the multi-verse had been decorated to match the resident teams, this ‘Rink of Dreams’ had no such permanent team; in the center of the locker room, where most teams had their logo or some important symbol that no one dared to walk across, the Rink of Dreams had the logo of the World Cup of Hockey Federation’s logo. While there was no penalty for a team member forgetting to avoid the logo, so far no Ice Bisons had dared to cross it. The Locker Room was decorated with Quebecois hockey royalty – Colm Strojovic, Maxwell Belmont-Deschamps, Alexandre Browne-Hamn (the current Quebec coach) – and pictures of the great dynasties of old – The Montreal Calaniens, infamous CSKA Quebec, and the Kingston Knights. For Song, it was like looking back into the past, and he could only imagine how great it would have been to play during the heydays of the World Cup of Hockey.

Sure, he had heard glory stories from the various coaches for the Ice Bisons; the entire coaching staff for the national team had played in the Skirata Era, with his head coach having been the Captain of the national team all the way back from the fifteenth World Cup until the twenty-sixth. But to see such legends that he had only heard of from former opponents really brought home the gravity of the situation. Song had spoke with Ishii Hakoda a few times this tournament, attempting to gather any advice he could on what to do with the team on this now-historic campaign. The Ice Bisons had not made it to the Finals since World CUP XVI, and had only made it three times before The Silence, and this campaign being their first since. With such experience, Song wanted Ishii to pass onto him some great adage or some sage advice.

Instead… He got three words in Mando’a…

Emuur haar ray’tur’nuhunar… Enjoy the trip.

Ishii made it clear to Song on numerous occasions, that worrying about the next game would not get the team any further than it already was. ‘A soldier does not worry about tomorrow. They only worry about what is right in front of them,” he was fond of saying, and Ishii was fond of ignoring. It was hard to be the Captain of the team and not focus on the next game, the next period; to get the most out of your team, Song thought he had to constantly be on the lookout for any little issue the players had in their form, or what drills they ran, or how every practice went… But that wasn’t necessary according to Ishii. Instead, Song had to focus on the moment and just work with what he had.

’We’ll talk about it tomorrow at practice.’ ‘Well…what happened if there is no practice and we are on a plane flight back to Gyatso-kai?

The common deflection Ishii used on Song was to pose a hypothetical that made his previous point utterly pointless. ‘We can talk tomorrow’ was changed into ‘Get some rest. We’ll talk about it over breakfast’. Ishii always said that there was no benefit to hashing out a game that went south and you were stuck on the river flowing north; just sleep on what happened, and in the morning, shoulder up and try to speak of it as something that happened, and not something that is happening. For Song, that meant getting dressed, maybe hitting up a late-night tavern, and then eventually getting to the hotel by 0400 or so. All the while avoiding talking to any teammates who joined him about what had happened the night prior. Nothing could ruin an evening faster than re-hacking a previous loss over drinks and minimal food. Of course, for Ishii, so few of his men would heed the advice and the minute they sat down, they wanted to talk trash and figure how to beat the other teams.

Emuur haar ray’tur’huhasns… Just keep chanting that… Don’t forget it.

[Quebec and Shingoryeo]

Cutoff, Finals Game 2

---

World Cup of Hockey 44 Finals - Rink of Dreams, Quebec & Shingoryeo

Day 13 - Finals - Game 2 (Dec 29)
#5 Elejamie 4–3 Gyatso-Kai #3 @ 13:00
Series tied, 1-1

Day 14 - Finals - Game 3 (Jan 2)
#3 Gyatso-Kai vs. Elejamie #5 @ 13:00

[Gyatso-kai]

.:: The Ne’tra Ulik Public House & Tavern, Sundari, Southern Mandalorian Provinces, Gyatso-kai ::.
0115 hours local time, 1 January 2022.1

The revelry and celebrations of a ‘New Year’ was often something of a confusing time for the people of Gyatso-kai. Of course, when your culture uses three different calendars interchangeably, it is understandable for there to be a bit of ‘confusion’ on which ‘New Year’ to celebrate. The Gregorian Calendar, in which New Year’s Day falls on 1 January, was used by the general populace for day-to-day affairs; seeing as most of the multi-verse used the same system for date keeping, it only made sense for most of the population to follow it. The Lunar Calendar, with its ever-moving New Year taking place anywhere between 21 January and 20 February in the Gregorian System; used by many of the traditional Avatarian cultures to determine important religious and cultural holidays, the Lunar Calendar was mostly found in local news reports and newspapers. Even though it was 1 January in the Gregorian Calendar, it was the 29th Day of the Month of Nhíyīyuè in the year 4719. Then, for those of a Mandalorian persuasion, there was the Simir’tolase which was based on the equinoxes and solstices as observed in Gyatso-kai; used in the Manda religion as well as by its followers throughout the Mandalorian territories in the Avatarian Republics.

Whatever day it is… doesn’t matter. What matters is I am off-duty, and I am at my new favorite pub…


The stray thoughts of a lone soldier sitting at the bar interrupted his holiday drinks, and he quickly shook his head before turning back to his drink. He was off for the night, his assignment having been given a day off as the majority of his charges had returned home for one of the three days between matches. The soldier was not just any soldier, and his assignment was not just any assignment.

His designation was CL-23-0192 and his assignment was Chief of Security for the National Ice Hockey Team.

Sure, CL-23-0192 — or as those close to him called him, Beviin — had disagreed with the return home, and had left the other eight men of his detachment back in Quebec to keep the hotel occupied while Head Coach Hakoda Ishii had given the team a day off to be with their families. They had missed a few holidays due to the tournament — Winter Solstice, Avatar Aang’s Birthday, Ta Chiu to name a few — and Ishii had said with the extended break, there was no point in keeping the team locked up in Quebec for the three days between Game Two and Game Three of the World Cup Finals. The team had a solid practice the day after the 4-3 loss on Game Two, got some rest, flew back to Gyatso-kai that evening, and would fly back in the morning today. Thankfully, Quebec & Shingoryeo were a short flight from Gyatso-— three hours or so — thanks to the close ties the two nations had built over the last decade or so, arranging the flight home was as easy as calling the airport and getting a ticket.

As for Beviin, he was simply soaking in the history with the man he had been sworn to protect.

”Beviin, is your drink empty?” The voice from across the bar, from a man who had already had a bit more to drink than he should have, filled the young officer with a feeling of a joy, perhaps more than he should feel on an assignment. But this is a childhood hero… and he calls me by my actual name, thought Beviin as he looked past two barkeeps to the man in the distance holding up an empty glass. Beviin raised his own – not quite empty, maybe a gulp or two left, and he could tell by the smile of his friend that another drink was coming. The barkeep closest to Beviin smiled herself, and as she reached out for his glass, he quickly emptied it and placed it down before she could grab it.

”You know he comes here after every home game,” the barkeep said, placing the empty glass into a dish sink below the counter.

”Oh he’s told me,” Beviin said, smiling as he looked to the barkeep with his ever-charming smile. ”A bit different here than the bars I hang out at.”

“Oh? Where do you GAR-boys go to drink?”

“A little club outside the barracks,” Beviin laughed, appreciating the cute nickname the barkeep had given the soldiers of the Grand Army of the Republic. ”Place called 79’s I usually frequent when I’m in RepCity. Big tank hanging over the door, almost as rough as this place, though more 'industrial', if you know what I mean...”

“I’ve heard of it,” the barkeep exclaimed, leaning on to the bar near Beviin. ”Friend of mine used to serve there. Did you know a Myrgjol. She was there like a year or so ago… Bright red hair?

Beviin thought a bit, and then snapped his fingers. ”Did she have a caduceus tattooed on her forearm?”

“Yeah, bright red with wings and a crown on top?”

“Yep! That’s the one!”

The barkeep laughed as she turned to look down the bar quickly. ”Did she know you well?”

“Next time you see her, tell her Bev says hi and see what her reaction is.”

As the barkeep turned away, Beviin’s partner say next to him, new drinks in hand and he leaned over a bit. ”You should ask her out, Bevi’ika.” the man said, placing one in front of Beviin and keeping the other in his own before reaching for a coaster to slide beneath it. To see this side of the man was a bit of a shock for Beviin; all of his life watching hockey, Ishii Hakoda had seemed like this impenetrable wall of stoicism, an unreadable beast of a man who showed no other emotion besides passion when he was coaching, and subdued fervor when interviewed. Yet, here Beviin was, in the ancient public house known as the Ne’tra Ulik, drinking with his childhood hero, being called ‘Little Bev” and given another round.

I could die tomorrow and be a very happy man, Beviin thought, taking a swig of his drink and looking back to the barkeep.

”Eh, I have no time for all of that,” sighed Beviin, motioning in her direction. ”I’m a career soldier still climbing the ladder. I couldn’t give her enough time to keep her around.”

“Nonsense,” Ishii said aloud, reaching for his glass and taking a heavy sip. Judging by the dark amber hue of the glass, with the significantly lighter lower layer, Ishii had ordered a Yaim’strill which was a mixed drink of cider and a heavier lager to give it a strong start and a mellow sweet finish. ”You’re a good looking man, Trinh is a good looking woman, Sundari is only four hours by plane from Republic City…”

“All the more reason, sir, to not…”

“What have I told you,” exclaimed Ishii, leaning away from the bar and slapping his thigh armor. ”What did I tell you from the first time we met, Bev?”

Beviin sighed and hung his head slightly. ”Never to call you sir when not in uniform.”

“And what are you in?”

“Civilian clo…”

“Civilian nothing! Ishii stood up. ”You stand up right now and face me, Bevi’ika”.

Tilting his head forward, Beviin made brief eye contact with Trinh. For a guy telling him he should talk to her, it was feeling like Ishii is trying to embarrass him a bit. To his credit though, she wasn’t laughing at Beviin yet. Just eyeing him up with a slight smile and a ting of red in her face.

”Yes, Ishii…”

“Again, Beviin!” Ishii held his arms out wide. ”Akaan never had a problem with calling me by my given name, and he had a stick four metres long embedded so far up his shebs the little leaves stuck out the back of his armor.”

“Sorry… Hakoda.”

“Much better,” said the now-moving Ishii. ”You are not a civilian,” he said, pointing a finger towards the clone. ”We never are civilians… what are we?”

“Mandalorian, Hakoda.” Beviin felt like he was about to get schooled by the man who was the authority on Mandalorians in the Avatarian sporting world; a lecture he had heard Akaan talk about on one assignment, when Ishii had been sent with the national football team as an ‘advisor’ to teach the team a bit of cohesion for their tournament. Of course, it did not work out too well, as the next campaign Tay’haai — the former head coach of the football team — was ousted and replaced by his former assistant who still served as ‘Acting Head Coach’ after three campaigns and one haran of a push in the AOCAF tournament last month.

”You better say it with some pride, Bevi’ika. I’ll ask you again,” exclaimed the coach, taking another drink from his now-half-full glass. ”What. Are. We?”

“Mhi Mando’ade, ner vod,” Beviin spoke in Mando’a, hoping to make Ishii smile a bit, seeing as how apparently being called “sir” or by his family name was an insult after seven drinks.

“Serimi, ner vod. Sirbuir ori’korvid, ner vod’ika! Now, the entire bar was looking at the two men. Beviin felt a bit embarrassed by all of this, but he knew not to worry. In Mandalorian culture, it was common for even the best of friends to get into a bit of a scuffle while drinking, especially in a place as proud and ancient as the Ne’tra Ulik; almost 500 years of history was seen within its walls, and once you walked past the patina-adorned brass doors and punched the beskar’namuiit, whatever happened between those walls never left unless you brought it out with you. Sirbuir ori’korvid, “Say it stronger”, and Beviin took a bit deeper of a breath before hitting his left chestplate with a closed fist.

”Mhi Mando’ade!”

“Bal tion'jor ibac jaon'yc?” ‘Why is that important?’ Ishii had asked; why is it important that we are Mandalorians. Beviin wasn’t exactly sure how to answer it, but judging by the tone of his voice, Ishii might headbutt him if he does not answer the question to his liking.

”Mhi cuyi draar dar’mando’ade. Mhi cuyi ratiin akaani, Hakoda.” ‘We are never not Mandalorian. We are always fighting’ was what Beviin thought he said. It had been years since he had spoken any Mando’a outside of field exercises, and even then, he was not the best student in the Bajur’taap when he was growing. As a young cadet, Beviin was more focused on drills and culture classes about Gyatso-kai, and especially the Avatar. Prepared him well for his position on the Avatarian Guard.

Having a verbal fight in Mando’a… That I should have learned more of…

All of a sudden, Ishii gave a hearty laugh and reached out to hug Beviin, to which he gratefully accepted; the dings and clicks of armor touching lightened the mood in the bar as every patron and staff had been watching the two men, expecting a more ‘entertaining affair’ if Beviin had said the wrong thing. Ishii seemed happy, and as he drained his glass, he motioned to the barkeep Trinh. She walked over quickly, reaching her hand out and placing it atop Ishii’s.

”Yes Hak-hak?” she laughed, and Ishii just smiled.

“Get me another, would you please? I am a bit parched,” Ishii said with a laugh as she turned away. ”I’m telling you, Bevi’ika, ask the girl out… Tell her you’ll come back after the tournament and see her.”

“First of all, Hakoda,” leaning in, Beviin lowered his voice. ”You don’t just ask out a pretty barkeep… She’s just being friendly cause it’s her job. And second…”

“Her brother-in-law is telling you to ask her out,” Hakoda said with a stern voice. ”This is what, the fourth time we’ve been here since you got this assignment, and every time, she messages my cyar’ika and asks her about you.”

“What?”

“Why do you think I love this bar so much? My wife’s great-grandfather bought this pub when the founding family got old and had no heirs… Trinh takes care of me and the Itakawai boys after every game; we got the whole second floor to ourselves and a private entrance. Trust me. Tioni kaysh bat cyar’aka.”

Maybe Hakoda is right… What’s the worse that could happen? Beviin thought as he watched Trinh walk back with two drinks. He still had half a glass of his last ne’tra gal, and as she placed the new one before him, Beviin looked up to her.

”I don’t need a new one yet.”

“Oh this isn’t for you, GAR-boy. This is mine,” Trinh said as she walked around the bar and pulled out the stool next to Beviin. ”I’ve got a thirty minute break thanks to ol’Ko there,” she pointed towards the behemoth of a barkeep on the other side, who just looked back and gave a grin that was missing a few teeth and a quick thumbs-up to the clone. ”And I figured I’d join y’all for a bit…”

Maybe Hakoda is right…

---

I have the strangest sense of déjà vu…

The team had just finished practice, and Ishii Hakoda had dismissed them for the afternoon; the Game Three puck drop wasn’t until the afternoon tomorrow, and Ishii never liked to overwork his team before big games. It had paid off for the tournament so far, with several of the biggest scoring games for the Ice Bisons having came off rest days. Ishii had a meeting with the assistant coaches in an hour, so he was debating whether to go back to the hotel and rest, or simply walk around and enjoy the magic that was the Rink of Dreams and its surrounding complex.

He had already gone into the office of the practice facility’s locker room that was assigned to the Ice Bisons, and he had begun changing into his traditional armor. It was an interesting choice for a coach to wear traditional garb as opposed to the usual suit and tie that was often seen on television and streams, and Ishii had a suit that he wore for games, though it was obvious that its styling was inspired by the armor he wore so often outside of the rink. The jackets and pants were both jet black in color, the fabric a sheer wool that gave Ishii the perfect combination of warmth and mobility, while a steel and blue vest that had a pattern reminiscent of the Kar'ta Beskar found at the center of every Mandalorian armor. Though for these last six outdoor games, he had tied together both of his families cultures – his father’s Mandalorian and his mother’s Southern Water Tribe – and had a coaching outfit that he wish he could wear for every game left in his career. The base layer was his beskar’gam; the dark blues and steel of his plates in contrast to the dark black undersuit that he wore. His armor was usually good until about 10 degrees or so, after which he would often add either a heavier underlayer or overcoats. For this tournament, he wore the thicker underlayer, and a long tabard in the traditional style of the Water Tribes. He had taken inspiration from the gameday outfit of Song Unataq, albeit with a more Southern flair to it; given that the Northern Water Tribe was sectioned off into two major communities – Kiwatik and Keewatine, where the capital Angiju’kammak was – as opposed to the Southern Tribes which was spread out over numerous islands both large and small, as well as the southeastern portion of the Banyue landmass, the two tribes had evolved drastically different clothing to combat there vastly different climate. Whereas Kiwatik and Keewatine were kept somewhat more temperate by currents coming off the coast of Salstead, Banyue was kept cooler by the deepwater currents coming from the frigid north seas. In the north, the heavy overcoats made of sealskin were ornately embroidered, partly to identify families and partly to help find people in the more slurry storms that were common during the winter. Meanwhile, in the south, embroidery was reserved for internal layers, with the heavier ulik furs being drapped over the overcoat and incorporated into the boots and lower winingas that were wrapped around the heavy cetare boots worn frequently by Mandalorians. The obi – a pairing of two different thicknesses of belts and waist clothes – was more ornamental than functional for Southern tribesman; in the North, pouches and weapons were carried there to free up hands for the larger hunting weapons used to hunt TigerSeals and caribou on land, while in the South, hunting was less a way of gathering food and more for sport and defending farmlands. Fishing was far more common for Southern Tribes, and the obi was reserved for carrying fishing gear or pouches with treats for dog teams used to drag boats from the shore to the villages. Weapons found their way to holsters or utility belts worn over obis, or carried over the shoulder just in case any wildlife got a bit too comfortable….

Always amazing how much you can tell about a culture by the clothes they wore…

As for his head, Ishii reserved the traditional helmet for only when the weather was a bit more gruesome; for example, during Game One, where the weather dipped into the negative-teens in the second period. His team could hear him perfectly through the vocoder, and it seemed to inspire them a bit as they were able to take the game in overtime from the Ice-a-phants who managed to come back and take the second of three games by a lone goal. He thought to himself as he stepped out into the cold weather from the practice rink, Maybe I should wear it for Game Three…, before closing the outercoat over his chest and tying it down. It was a bit of a long walk to the hotels from the rink – maybe twenty minutes or so, he never really counted – but he wanted to soak up as much of Quebec as possible before he would have to leave. Maybe it was nostalgia, or maybe it was the fact that the last time he was in Quebec for a World Cup Final was the last time he played for the Ice Bisons on the multi-verse stage. Just days after losing the third game in a row to Quebec – 7-5, 1-nil, and 3-nil – he remembered getting the call to fly to Republic City and report to the National Sports Council. When he arrived, Head Coach Kad Skirata gave him a briefing on the entire probe; how many coaches were being indicted in the investigation, how many players were going to get lifetime bans, and just how many of the higher brass in the Sports Council were about to be forcibly retired. He remembered Skirata having a black eye and a swollen face, and after asking him where it came from, finding out that the Cheng Yukstad had been caught embezzling money from the National Team made all the sense to him as to why his coach was bruised up.

Of course, when he saw pictures of Yukstad on the news the next day, it was clear Skirata made it out the winner in that ‘disagreement’…

But now was redemption time, or so it felt to Ishii. The Ice Bisons had certainly fought long and hard to get to where they were now. After several disappointing campaigns – losing 1-nil to Le Choix in World Cup XLIII, 4-3 in overtime to Vilita & Turori in the last Atlantian Oceania tournament for the Semi Finals, then losting to Quebec & Shingoryeo 1-nil in the shootout of the World Cup XLII Quarterinals, and after the absolute embarrassment of an 8-3 defeat by Mercedini in World Cup XLI – the Ice Bisons were finally at the top of the mountain, with only one game left to play. So many great teams had come and gone in the times since Ishii had transition from on-the-ice play caller to head coach… Soviet Canuckistan, Mapletish, Havl, Plutoni, Michael VII, Polar Islandstates, Cotdelapoms … he could only wonder what times will rise and fall between now and the next time the Ice Bisons would make it to the Finals in the World Cup of Hockey again.

Who knows… Maybe I’ll replace Kad’buir when he retires by then…

---

Code: Select all

KOBUSHI Kaede   ---    SONG Unataq   ---   HOSAKA Severi
WANG Torsti   ---   Nestori HUAN   ---   CHEUNG Sepi
SOUMA Shichiro   ---   RELICYC Tho-An   ---   KIL'OR Alecyc
Samuli YANG   ---   Barc'ay GORODOW   ---   MANCOLE Kaleb

WATANG Kouji   ---   HED Torvik
Ero'ki NACER   ---   DEGOUR Niyan
HITEKI Kia   ---   Ki'an LOSOW

SHU Pianhuo
MING Zhanshi

There it was. The final line chart for Game Three of the World Cup of Hockey at the Rink of Dreams.

Ming Zhanshi, and most of the players on the Ice Bisons, had never even heard of this supposed Quebecois sports film classic until this edition of the World Cup, and having watched it on the flight to Quebec & Shingoryeo, they could understand why it was such a classic. Father and estranged son moments, heart strings tugged, hockey greats coming back from The Spirit World to play one last game … it was a tear-jerker for some of the more emotional Ice Bisons players.

Not me… Though, I love an outdoor game as much as the next guy.

Ming had been on the Ice Bisons for the last five campaigns, a backup to the “Permacrete Brick” as he had been nicknamed, Shu Pianhuo. Ming was once the backup to Bao Lin, having been on the Reserve Squad since the return of the Ice Bisons to multi-verse play. He had spent years studying various multi-verse goalies, learning styles and weaknesses. He had trained his entire career to eventually replace Bao when the time came, which it surely did as he suffered a dislocated hip that ended his AHL season right before the World Cup break, and would lead to a quick retirement. At the time, Ming was in line to be the next starting goaltender, however, an early departure from the Atlantian Oceania hockey tournament and a stellar performance by the Omashu Badgermoles in the first-ever Hockey Nations League led to many in the National Sports Council calling for the entire National Team to be scrapped and the Badgermoles to simply swap sweaters and represent the Avatarian Republics. Ming honestly expected Ishii to come to the National Team’s defence, and choose them over the shiny and new Badgermoles… But when the time came…

Ishii jumped me for someone with no experience…

It had been a hard pill for Ming to swallow – he was two years younger than Shu, had two Kuruk Cups to Shu’s one, and had been on the team for two campaigns before Shu even caught the Council’s eye. By the spirits, even Dang Mun-Hee deserved a chance at the top spot. And of course, Shu came out and won seven straight games in World Cup 40, and helped the team make it, and win, Third Place in the tournament. Of course, all of that was meaningless as the team continued to go up and down in its performances, and the ‘Permacrete Brick’ had failed to maintain consistency, and soon became more of a “Permacrete Colander” where, from the bench Ming would watch the team bounce from shutouts to spankings, from clinics to being schooled. It was this constant battle of the team depending on Shu and he delivering when they needed him most, or then the next game, Shu missing every cue and rebound…

Of course, the same could be said about me…I mean, I almost cost us Valanora this tournament, and I was in net for Delaclava…

But that was neither here or there, and Ming knew he would likely not see play for Game Three. As a backup, he had accepted the fact that he was not going to start unless Shu was injured or on body maintenance. Even worse, Dang was with the team the entire tournament, and he had not even dressed for a game since World Cup XLI when Ming was starting and Shu was out with a groin strain. Thankfully, it was early in the tournament and Ming only had one loss in three games – of course, Valanora 3-1 in the first part of the group. Damn Elves – so Dang never needed to jump in and bail him out; something the older tender did enough at Itakawai during AHL play. Many had originally wondered why Ishii selected the tandem duo from his own team in the AHL, and after having neither one of them actively start any majority of the campaigns, some wondered if they were just insurance in case Shu went down hard, or if something more ‘fishy’ was going on between the National Sports Council and Ishii.

Ming knew exactly why the two Bolts were kept on the team, and it was that first reason exclusively…

Shu was an AHL-caliber goaltender; impressive to watch, infuriating to face against, and frankly, probably the best of the three goalies travelling with the team when it came to consistency. But, whether that was due to natural talent or simply experience, no one would know, and Ishii was dead-set on not giving either of the other two goalies more than one or two games a campaign to show that they could do better than the prodigal son, Shu Pianhuo. Ming knew he could talk to Dang about this, and that the two of them could sit and talk with Ishii once the tournament completed.

Dang was a more pragmatic man, and he had told Ming several times this tournament that the two just needed to accept their roles and either take the chance at being a backup in a positive light, or simply turn down the invitation next campaign. ’Some players never make it to the multi-verse,’ Dang said after one practice where he had spent the entire time down with Ming practicing simple drills before stepping in for ‘target practice’. ’Some guys make it and shine. We are somewhere in the middle and there is nothing wrong with that’

For Ming… there was more to life than being the second chair in the orchestra. He wanted to be number one.

And as he stood before the line chart, seeing such young names like Degour Niyan, Barc’ay Gorodow, and Mancole Kaleb climbing up the chart, he couldn’t help but see his own name at the very bottom. At least for the skaters, there was more positions to compete for as players aged out. Already, there was talk that at least five of the skaters would not be returning next campaign, including the entire leadership corps who were the last players to have played in the times before The Silence. Ming could not imagine an Ice Bisons without Song Unataq wearing the ‘C’, but he knew it was coming; the man had already mentioned in an interview before the tournament that retirement was on his mind, and he knew the same was true for 42-year-old Hiteki Kia. Ming already knew that Degour Niyan was the one chose to replace Hiteki, as the “Gremlin of Meshrivage” had found himself bouncing this tournament between the first and second defence pairings, and while Ming felt he could keep up with the “Mandalorian Shield”, he knew that a smaller players having to skate equally with a massive beast was simple physics, and he could see in practice just how tired Degour got keeping up with Hed Torvik. As for other potential retirements, Nestori Huan was going into his final year with Shu Jing, and many a speculator did not see him signing a new contract. Then there was Ki’an Losow, who at 36-years-of-age wasn’t exactly a spring fire ferret, but he was definitely showing the mileage. Should it come to it, he likely would retire from multi-verse play and focus on the RabbiRoos of the Outer Ring, seeing as how this season they were looking to be a real contender for the Kuruk Cup; something Ming was all too familiar with his own Itakawai Lightning.

At least at home I contribute to victory. Here, I’m just warming a bench…

Hopefully not much longer… or maybe I do need to turn down that invitation…

Shaking off the thoughts, Ming knew there were more important matters at hand. In just five hours, the final game of the World Cup would begin, and no matter what, this was it. Win or lose, the Ice Bisons would go home… It was just a matter of whether they went home empty-handed, or with an extra star to sew on their jerseys…

I hope Shu is on it tonight…

[Elejamie]

"Back to back like the cover of Lethal Weapon."

That was a line from one of Francisco Solano's songs that was playing while the team was practicing. It was a nice treat that Coach Alex had for them as a little "thank you" for the night before. In fact, it wasn't just him who was allowed to have a song request played but rather everyone was allowed to have a song of their choosing played. There were some exceptions, though, as Bill Judge's original suggestion of "No Love" by DJ Scud (which he chose as a bit of a pisstake despite it being one of his favourite songs) was overruled and they had to settle for the 1988 version of Blue Monday because the original 1983 version was a bit too long, as they had to fit around thirty song requests in about two and a half hours of practice, although Eric Christie (who had originally picked it) didn't mind.

However, it was more than just a random lyric from a song. It was their end goal. They were lucky enough to come away with that win in their second game, setting up the all-important third game. The match that could make or break a team, the match that could decide who'd be coming home victors and who'd be coming home silver medallists. If they won it then it'd mean an illustrious fifth star on their jerseys, meaning they'd be joint second for most wins at the tournament alongside the now-forgotten Plutoni. If they didn't then it actually wouldn't be the end of the world as Alex realised after that match. After all, they didn't get swept, their defence was a lot better in the second game that it didn't warrant a panic and they would still be joint third with former ice hockey powerhouses Havl with four trophies. Win-win.

Either way, he was hoping that his side would be the former out of those two options, especially since they've had a good run at the tournament despite a few notable mishaps. Like the first half of the tournament where they went 2-2-1 and only managed to make it into first place due to luck. Or the bench-clearing brawl against Fluvannia that saw them forfeit that match due to their disagreeing with the refereeing, resulting in a 1-0 loss which was the score anyway going into the fracas. Or the two ultra-defensive games in a row that zapped most of Alex's creativity and probably lead to whatever the fuck that first game was against Gyatso-Kai.

But there were some bright spots during the tournament. The first was the 7-0 thrashing of Chromatika, which came off the aforementioned match with Fluvannia. Sure there was the 5-0 shutout against Mapletish but he felt that it was just a standard "big team vs little team" game. Then there was the 4-1 win in the second game against Pius Desurongcrandis, which when combined with Cassadaigua's draw, saw the Ice-a-phants finish top of their group even though he felt that they weren't good enough to finish that high; not to mention that he didn't do himself any favours when, in the post match interview after the first match against them, he said he wish he had played Placely Placington because, in his own words, "they're an easier team to say". Then there was the 10-1 destruction of Abanhfleft, which needs no real reminder. And now there was game two against Gyatso-Kai.

The Ice Bisons scored first, with Song Unataq not only scoring the only goal of the first period but also tipping in the puck with 14:03 left. However, it was much easier said than done for him to score that goal. First of all, he had to contend with the double team of Lucas Madgwick and Rafael Espinosa bearing down on him and his linemates. Then there was Neil Cuevas and Rafinho who were doing their best to block and deflect every shot, with Cuevas even trying to stick it away and doing an admirable job. Every time Song and his linemates attempted a shot, it would be stopped dead in its tracks, either by the defence, the offence having to defend or by Cristian Serrano himself. Serrano would even freeze the puck a couple of times to force a face-off and it was only after he deflected a shot by Kobushi Kaede that Song was able to get to the puck and tip it in to score that goal. There was no doubt that they were all exhausted after that and a couple of line changes for both teams would've had to do just to let them rest and recover.

That wasn't to say the Ice-a-phants didn't try and score during that twenty minutes, it was mostly because the Avatarian defences were much stronger and able to close them down or snatch up the puck after Shu Pianhuo blocked or deflected it. But eventually they got it done with 11:02 left in the second. It wasn't anything special either, just Espinosa skating up the ice and feeding the puck to Madgwick. It seemed like he was going to go for a massive slot but, whether it was because he lost his footing a little bit or because he wanted to trick the opposition, he elected to pass it over to James Han who levelled the scores off the one-timer. Gyatso-Kai went on to regain their lead not long after, courtesy of a snapper from Cheung Sepi and assistance from Hiteki Kia and Wang Torsti with exactly nine minutes remaining. However, this lead would be short-lived when, with 5:05 left, Stacy Saunders fired a slapshot from the point after receiving the puck from Cerin Meloten; Adam Keane would also be credited with the other assist.

Elejamie get back to back goals in the third period. The first came with 15:08 left and was also scored by Saunders, who scored after Meloten won the face-off in the Avatarian side of the ice and passed the puck over to Diego Pinto. Pinto, Meloten and Saunders kept passing the puck back and forth between each other before the latter was able to fire it in just over Shu's glove and into the back of the net to give his side the lead. That lead was extended by two when James Han also scored his second of the night when he managed to find himself on the breakaway and deked the puck past Shu with 7:02 left in the period; Espinosa and Pinto were credited with the assists. The Ice Bisons pulled one back with a well-timed wrist shot from Relicyc Tho-an who was assisted by Souma Shichiro and Degour Niyan, all with 2:33 left, but they were unable to get any more. They still played strong but, at the end of the match, the score was 4-3 in Elejamie's favour, setting up the big one. Game three.

It was a game that Alex wanted to win. But it wasn't because he had any beef with Gyatso-Kai. In fact, he had zero problems with them and genuinely called them a great team on a couple of occasions. He celebrated his side beating them in the last tournament because it was a simple David vs. Goliath affair, he was disappointed by the loss in game one because his defence completely fell apart and he was happy after game two because they had redeemed themselves. It was completely business. But he wanted to win that match just so he could lift the World Cup again and get back to back trophies. He wouldn't mind if it was a small loss like 2-1 or 3-2, however, so he wasn't all "win by any legal means".

Nevertheless, he went back to his room and went to work on formulating a game plan. Sure the plan from yesterday worked out in the end but he was at a bit of a crossroads. He could re-use the same game plan from last time but there was the risk of the opposition twigging on and using that to their advantage. Or there was the option to re-use it with some tweaks but whether or not that'll actually work out and the players would be able to make those tweaks work. After internally debating about it, as well as consulting Barbara and his assistant coaches Akio and Eduardo for extra opinions and what else they could add, Alex decided to go for the last one. It wasn't too radical a change, maybe throw in a neutral zone trap every so often and take advantage of the wings every now and then and then try and feed the puck to the middle of the ice for a one-timer. Whether or not it'll work out is anyone's guess but, of course, he'll have to try it out in training and see it properly in action in the next game. He was also throwing in Pedro Cervantes as a starter with Serrano on the bench, simply because a) he won a World Cup in the New Golden Age and thus might have a bit more of an advantage, b) he's more experienced in general than Serrano or Lambert and c) it was his turn to start.

Eventually they were ready to play. They had finished their training, with the music having helped pumped them up, and they were now ready. It would be hard saying goodbye to the Rink of Dreams, given that it was pretty much one of the best surfaces they've played on, the lodges and what they had in them satisfied them long enough that they couldn't really complain and overall they've had a pretty good tournament. They've definitely rebounded from their disappointments long ago and, regardless of whether or not they win or lose this afternoon's game, there was no doubt that the Ice-a-phants were now a contending team again. There would be a few things they wouldn't miss, like the no alcohol policy (and there was no doubt that the team would crack open a few beers at the airport, whether it be out of celebration or because they felt they needed it) and how it was somehow cold enough to snow in the Summer, but they overall they can't really complain that much.

Coach Alex went over their game plan and capped it off with an inspirational speech. Hopefully that'll push them over the edge a little bit and bring them back to back trophies. And even if they couldn't reach that end goal, at least they proved that they could still go the distance. All the players lined up and headed to the tunnel. They waited patiently in line before they were told to skate onto the ice. As they did that, fans cheered and chanted while the coaches and their assistants made it to their respective benches. The players warmed themselves up by showing their stuff off to the crowd. Goalies made saves whereas skaters fired pucks in an attempt to show off their shooting prowess; they had to find a mixture of both just so one side didn't seem underwhelming. When that came to an end, the starting six from each team lined up, the other lines headed towards their benches and both anthems were played. Eventually, Hosaka Severi and Cerin Meloten faced off against each other as the referee got ready to start the proceedings. After a few seconds, the puck was dropped and game three began.

Sixty more minutes and there will be a champion.

[Quebec and Shingoryeo]

Now that both nations have posted their RPs, it's time for one last cutoff.

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Day 14 - Finals - Game 3 (Jan 2)
#3 Gyatso-Kai 0–0 Elejamie (1–0 OT) #5 @ 13:00

Congratulations and Commiserations.

Thank you all for what has been an excellent tournament as well - hard to believe I have hosted or cohosted this for the sixth time.

I have loved reading everybody's RPs. If you have questions about your roleplays or just the venue, feel free to drop by and ask as well.

[Graintfjall]

Posted on the In Brief section of the GS SuperSports+ website.

Ice Wolves take home bronze

Græntfjall’s national ice hockey team defeated the former world champion Goldhorns of Siovanija & Teusland to claim third place at the 44th World Cup of Hockey. It’s the best ever result for a team that had never previously won a single playoff game, and ties the Bouncy Wolves handball team for the best ever finish at any world championship by a Græntfjaller team. After a tense first period tied 1–1, the Ice Wolves claimed the advantage in the 2nd period with 4 unanswered scores; the Goldhorns briefly threatened a comeback in the 3rd before Christian Sofusson wrapped things up with his second goal of the game. After the game, Auðunn Friðlaugursson announced his retirement from international following an underwhelming tournament. Captain Bjarnleifur Asgeirsson said the result was a “real sign that at long last our hockey program is starting to produce results on the international stage”.

1st period
9:54 PP Kristoffer (Christian, Bjarnleifur)
19:24 SH Schell (Atanasov)
2nd period
0:22 Dýrmundur (Bjarni, Þorkell)
7:31 Þórlaugur (Jason, Lukas)
10:30 Christian (Skorri, Kristoffer)
16:55 PP Lukas (Karim)
3rd period
2:11 Tsvetanov (Mihelic, Schlager)
11:43 Heider (Tomic, Tsvetanov)
12:50 Christian