Infosport.cdp (Cotdelapomais Sport Newswire)

by **Cotdelapoms** » Fri Apr 13, 2012 12:27 pm

SQUADS! Apologies for the sort of annoying format- I'll clean it up in the future.

(Position-Name-Nationality)

Atlético Elisabetano(Cafundéu)

CB Hugo Robles CAF
GK Joseph Clayton - 33 y/o SNO
LB Dmitry Kubitsky, 20, PIS
LW Gilles Janneteau CDP
P Ligeirinho CAF
RB Fabrice Kokot SAU
RW Olivier Hedner, 27 PIS
LW Getúlio Macabal CAF
P Demétrio CAF
RW Augusto Dremont CAF
LB Sedgleigh Trowbridge CC
CB Fabrício CAF
RB Eric Després CDP
GK Klébão CAF
LW Wendell CAF
RB Lucas Machado CAF

Barsteeg Albionpool(Greater Cotswalds)

CB Cian Mc Peake - 24 KC
GK Jari Beerens GC
LB Jon Gallio, 27 MAN
LW Bertrand Belleville CDP
P Finn O'Hannagan - 33 y/o SNO
RW Chanokh Pavlov SAU
LW Jens Zuidmann GC
P Berni var der Dekker GC
RW François Xavier Roy CDP
LB Marc-Olivier Bérubé CDP
CB Nilceu Fragoso CAF
RB Viktor Fleming CDP
GK Templeton Rudyard CC
LW Davey McAllister NC
P Jesper Leduc CDP
RB Denton-Hobson Massing CC

Portsmouth Black Tails(Wight)

GK Marcos Murchid CAF
LB Sein Ocasio, 18 Kukulaya
LW Benildo Lomeli, 18 Kukulaya
LW Brian Clay LW, 23 MAN
P Damhnán Ó Bogaigh -27 y/o SNO
RB Antoine Brouillette CDP
LW Thiago Borges CAF
P Borden Wythe CC
RW Marlow Brockleigh CC
LB Marco De Rossi OCA
CB Ruud Proulx GC
RB Pauleg Verzhon PBI
GK Vikar Lavallée CDP
LB Jón Lambert CDP
CB Isaiah Kazantsev MYT
RW Tristan Garon CDP

US Charlevoix(Baltskandio)

CB Thomas Sinclair TBI
GK Mark Whitfield CDP
LB Renatinho CAF
LB Martin Jenkins, 24 MAN
LW Consuelo Lucio, 21 TBI
P Amadeus Strand, 23 PIS
RB Mauricio Briones TBI
RB Robert Therrien CDP
RW Victor Frank 21 MAN
LW Yegor Anisimov MYT
P Louis-Jean Arthur CDP
RW Palmer Woodville-Harper CIT
LB Denis Demidov MYT
CB Matt Aubé CDP
RB Einar Arnoldsson HAR
GK Scott Ducharme CDP

Kingston Griffins(Zwangzug)

CB Grímur Steingrímsson TBI
GK Christopher Collins, 22 MAN
LW Gareth Cadogan 18 y/o ANC
P Charlie Taylor - 22 KC
LB Iago Barbeiro CAF
RB Finn Mullaney - 21 y/o ANC
RW Jason Terrier 23 MAN
LW Alexandre Poole CDP
P François Bédard CDP
RW Zakary Lauzier CDP
LB Edsel Rockleigh CC
GK David Richard CDP
RB Maxandre Laprise CDP
CB Kingsleigh Ardleigh CC
LW Markko Lautenbach GC
RW Pierre Tremblay CDP

Saint-Urbain Guerriers(Valladares)

CB Iulian Koch, 25 PIS
GK Ivan Larson, 25 MAN
LB Timothy Gregg, 26 MAN
LW Sacha Winnerstrand, 25 PIS
P Jarlath O'Flaherty 25 y/o ANC
RW HR - Dominik Enberg, 24 PIS
LB Luis Fonce VLD
CB Paulo Arango VLD
RB Jack Rogers VLD
LW Loik Collier CDP
P Henri Mister Clay MWE
RW Samuel Bissonnette CDP
RB Torpedo CAF
GK Cedrick Hansen CDP
GK Plato Ozerov MYT
LW Cabeção CAF

Cap Nordique Guillemots(Polar Islandstates)

CB Miroslav Gaustad, 29 PIS
GK Benoît D’Aoust CDP
LB Arthur Pilotte CDP
LW Pol Martinek, 27 PIS
P Vojta Zjukovski, 21 PIS
RB Matteus Nygard, 22 PIS
RW Bastien Dubois, age 26 TBI
LW Loic Franklin CDP
P Kyle Stuart - 26 KC
LB Felix Salvati CDP
CB Trifon Pokrovski MYT
RB Alain Merchan VLD
GK Hilton Diamond CC
LB Yoan Carroll CDP
RB Malik Ozerov MYT
LW Ruben Glazkov MYT

Outremont Kodiaks(Civil Citizenry)

CB Baptiste Sokolofsky SAU
GK Martijn Gulbrandsen, 25 PIS
LW Erik Kalberg, 29 PIS
P Oddgeir Finnson 22 TBI
RB Logan Harris 23 MAN
RW David Carufel CDP
LB Bastien Cormier CDP
LB Xavier Proulx CDP
CB Nicolas Giroux CDP
RB Pierrick Desjardins CDP
LW Locke Rover CIT
P Hewson Devon CIT
RW Marat Aksyonov MYT
P Ismael Pellegrino CDP
LW Edson Houle CDP
GK Olle Lundberg CDP

Montréal Pomhommes(Cotdelapoms)

CB Michel Robitaille CDP
GK Adam Heikkila-Laakso, 27 PIS
LB Luc Rodrigues CDP
LW Elmo Baggio SAU
P Kama Pandev SAU
RW François Carbonneau CDP
RB João Pedro Rocha CAF
LB Erik Desharnais CDP
LW Reginaldo Antunes CAF
P Bruno Schneider CAF
RB Maxime Jensen-Panetta CDP
GK Rudolph Voronoff MYT
RW Timo Roodermand GC
LW Lazarus Uvarov MYT
RB Anders Runstrom CDP
CB Julien Renaud-Augustin CDP

Cap Nordique Predateurs(Mytannion/Harjeland)

CB Einar Hjálmtýsson CDP
GK Gavin Deasy - 28 KC
LB Oscar Cino SAU
LW Alex Murray - 25 KC
P James Neville CDP
RB Louis David CDP
RW Paul Nevil 26 MAN
LW Friðberg Jónmundsson- 23 HAR
LB Skarphéðinn Þorláksson- 21 HAR
CB Ignat Nekrasov MYT
P Xenophon Tretiakov MYT
RW Kai Upat MYT
RB Bastian Verville CDP
GK Antonio Di Bianci OCA
LB Yoan Nguyen CDP
CB Mika var der Knaapen GC

Worcester Rushmoréens(K&P/Mantwenic)

GK Gustaf Macleod SAU
LW Gorka Jasso -30 y/o SNO
P Frédéric Desbiens CDP
RW Nico Wallen, 24 PIS
LB Noah Charbonneau CDP
CB Gaelig Daigneault CDP
RW Eli Pouliot CDP
GK Daniele Picard CDP
LW Ludovic Rioux CDP
P Petter Valois CDP
RW Kristján Svensson-Deslauriers CDP
LB Charles-Antoine Robert CDP
RB Renaud St-Onge CDP
CB Porphyry Yevdokimov MYT
CB Tyler Whitaker CDP
LW Audleigh Carver CIT

Montréal Sasanachs(Ancharmunn)

GK Fergus O'Ryan - 24 y/o ANC
GK Artur Denis - 30 y/o SNO
LB Rádhulbh Mac Giolla Domhaigh - 27 y/o SNO
LW Maelíosa Nic Rhaith - Winger - 25 y/o SNO
P Sigbjörn Eymundsson TBI
RB Domhnall Ó Nuallain - 30 y/o SNO
LB Guillaume Côté CDP
CB Thorne Kenton CC
P Ernest Balabanov MYT
RB Cinzeiro CAF
LW Djibril Bourassa CDP
RW Gary Laville VLD
LW Fabrice Grimaldo CDP
RW Markus Engström CDP
RB Gísli Forsberg CDP
CB Hans Boosman GC

I'm going to try to start the matches this coming week- Mondays and Thursdays. I'll probably skip Monday and have the first scorination on Thursday. If you want to be rid of any of the players on your team, you can swap them in an RP.

by **Cotdelapoms** » Fri Apr 13, 2012 12:49 pm

TO BE SCORINATED ON 19 APRIL:

ROUND 1
Atlético Elisabetano x US Charlevoix
Montréal Pomhommes x Saint-Urbain Guerriers
Kingston Griffins x Barsteeg Albionpool
Cap Nordique Guillemots x Montréal Sasanachs
Cap Nordique Predateurs x Portsmouth Black Tails
Worcester Rushmoréens x Outremont Kodiaks

ROUND 2
US Charlevoix x Outremont Kodiaks
Portsmouth Black Tails x Worcester Rushmoréens
Montréal Sasanachs x Cap Nordique Predateurs
Barsteeg Albionpool x Cap Nordique Guillemots
Saint-Urbain Guerriers x Kingston Griffins
Atlético Elisabetano x Montréal Pomhommes

by **Cotdelapoms** » Fri Apr 13, 2012 5:02 pm

Pomhommes Set For Early Season Test

The first season of any new sports league is an interesting time- pro athletes who have likely not spent much time playing together need time to build chemistry. Montréal Pomhommes manager Christian Leblanc knows that well, and has made the first goal for his club getting to know each other- on and off the court. After the allocation draft, Leblanc sent out an invitation to all 16 of his players to come to the team's training centre in Laval and get ready for the season. In a surprising turn, all 16 showed up. In a more surprising turn, they didn't touch a handball for four days.

Leblanc instead set up different challenges for the players- fixing cars, building furniture, rock climbing, karaoke, in an effort to get them comfortable with one another. The latter was a huge success- "Adam Heikkila-Laakso is from Polar Islandstates, so he immediately thought he knew more about music than anyone else. Some of the local boys took him up on the challenge and were giving each other really ridiculous songs to sing. Adam knew the words to most of them and really did a killer job. I think everyone had a lot of fun."

Luc Rodrigues, the local boy and a member of Cotdelapoms' national team for the last four years, was inclined to agree. "Adam should sing in a band- he's not very good but he's got stage presence and half the bands that play out could do worse than wind up with him. He should give up on trying to be the guy from Yeah Sapphire! though." That Rodrigues, appointed captain of his hometown team, is in a good mood is a good sign for the season ahead. He will be called upon to lead the Pomhommes, who featured a couple Cotdelapoms national teamers on the backline in he and Michel Robitaille, along with Polarian national team keeper Adam Heikkila-Laakso, Saugeais pair Elmo Baggio and Kama Pandev and Cafundelense favourite João Pedro Rocha.

The Rodrigues, Robitaille and Rocha backline will be expected to do great things and score many goals, and if they get firing early on, it may be lights out for the Pomhommes' first opponent, Saint-Urbain. The Guerriers will be a difficult round one task, as they feature a strong Polarian pair up front in Sacha Winnerstrand and Dominik Enberg. Said Rodrigues, "Adam has also been telling us a lot about those two, and we've been watching a lot of video. Defensively they are going to be a very sturdy team, and we may need to be willing to pass the ball out to the wings. We've been working on a lot of wing plays in training, and I know Elmo and Frankie (Carbonneau) are up for it."

Defensively, the Pomhommes will be tasked with shutting down the Guerriers' delightfully named Torpedo, a Cafundelense who many are talking about- and not just for his powerful name. Torpedo looks impressive in highlights, and along with Valladar pair Luis Fonce and Paulo Arango and Mantwenic's Timothy Gregg, will likely be counted on to do much of the scoring. Said Leblanc about the Guerrier backs, "They love to cycle and pass the ball around, our goal is going to be to show discipline and keep them from getting easy shots. They are very quick, so our discipline will be especially important, if we don't cede our ground they can't take it from us with their speed."

Cafundelense pivot Bruno Schneider is a hardman who may be called upon if things get out of hand, or if the Guerriers are scoring too easily. He has first hand experience in playing with and against Torpedo, and will likely be a crucial piece in pregame discussions. Whether or not he can sing is anyone's guess, though.

Montréal Pomhommes Starting Lineup vs. Saint-Urbain

GK Adam Heikkila-Laakso
CB Michel Robitaille
LB Luc Rodrigues
RB João Pedro Rocha
P Kama Pandev
LW Elmo Baggio
RW François Carbonneau

by **Ancharmunn** » Sat Apr 14, 2012 5:36 pm

As dusk crept to night the sky revealed it's secrets. Flickers of lights going on here and there, even the pretty lights on the ferris wheel in the centre of town were visible from 1093 Young Street. Albionpool was neither the that exciting or attractive a city but a skyline of lit up skyscrapers had a certain beauty about.

“If you'd like to come with me, they're ready to see you know.”

Maelíosa Nic Rhaith gaze across the Albionpool skyline was broken by the young secretary in the SuperLigue's headquarters. How old was she? Eighteen perhaps, oh to be eighteen again the Corcaigh woman wondered. To have the world at your feet and your dreams ahead of you, yet to be broken.

That wasn't to say that the now twenty-five year Nic Rhaith had had it at all bad. She'd been an Olympian at the age of eighteen, in no less than three sports. She'd gone on to become a tennis professional, as was he dream for that was her first sport. The lack of regular professional tennis in the world and though had meant she'd been unable to make a career of that. That then left her here, in the headquarters of the newly established SuperLigue about to start a new career. Walking into the room she thanked the secretary for holding the door open, on the other side of a large table were three men. One of them familiar.

“Maelíosa! Absolute pleasure to see you again, it's been so long.”

“Cole? I didn't know you'd got away.”

“You know me Maelíosa, always was a survivor.”

Cole McCleary, a fellow native of Corcaigh in Sorthern Northland, was a couple of years older than Nic Rhaith but the pair had known each whilst growing up and had briefly dated. That relationship however ended when McCleary had moved away from Corcaigh in an effort to further his business interests. Nic Rhaith hadn't heard from him since and had half-assumed he'd died in Sorthern Northland's disintegration.

He had in fact done the opposite and like many a Sortherner in the months following the civil war found himself making a new home in Ancharmunn. Quickly he'd established himself as one of the richest people in the newly fledged nation, no one was quite sure how, but rich he certainly was. Now here he was looking to establish links in Cotdelapoms by setting up and backing a handball team. Not just any handball team either, but on determined to make a splash.

“Maelíosa” McCleary announced, “I'd like you to meet two very good friends of mine, David Martin, founder and backer of the SuperLigue, and Alain Du Maurier, commissioner of the SuperLigue.”

She'd didn't need telling that, those were the two very people she'd expected to meet. Nonetheless she extended the courtesy of a greeting before McCleary continued.

“Maelíosa, I'm here to sign a deal to put Montréal Sasanachs in the league. You're here because I want to build the team around you.”

She was a very good sportswomen, and an excellent handball player in particular, but still the idea of turning professional didn't go down quite as easily as McCleary had anticipated.

“Thanks, but I'm a tennis player.” she eventually replied hesitantly.

“That you are. But where's that got you so far? You're a good tennis player, but you're a world class handballer. Handball can give you the career tennis won't. You're young, you're beautiful, most of you're talented. You sign and we build this team around you. There's going to be two Montréal clubs right? We'll make you the best paid SuperLigue player in the city. Hell, we'll make you the best paid athlete in the city.”

by **Baltskandio** » Sat Apr 14, 2012 8:43 pm

Marko Kivi smiled his best business smile at the beautiful woman walking his way. "Buenos días, señorita," he said.

Carmela Vizcaino, for her part, knew Kivi's reputation as entrepreneur, sports investor, and ladies' man. Three times voted Sporting magazine's Hottest Female Athlete at the height of her handball career, she also knew the effect she generally had on men. Kivi was no exception. "Tere hommikust."

Kivi flushed. "I didn't know you spoke Estonian."

"Phrasebooks are wonderful. You never know what will help."

He decided to play this straight up. I could go for her in a heartbeat, he thought. But I need her skills more than I want anything else. "Miss Vizcaino, I appreciate the effort, and I'm glad to meet you face-to-face at last. The arrangements were satisfactory, I trust?"

"Most definitely." The best room in the city. He spared no expense, and didn't worry about meeting up with me until after a night to relax and catch up from the flight.

"Are you ready to meet the team?"

"No time like now. Lead the way, sir."

Kivi couldn't resist a hint of a gallant bow as he opened the door for the future manager of US Charlevoix handball. They made their way back to a meeting room where sixteen people were gathered. Fifteen men and one woman dropped conversations to turn to the door as it opened.

"Did everyone make it?" Nods of assent and a jumble of affirmative noises ensued. "Good."

"You players all know me, of course, as we met together personally to sign contracts. I have invited all of you here so that I might introduce you to your new manager." He paused. "I have the honor to present former world champion and two-time Olympic medalist Carmela Vizcaino of The Babbage Islands. She has agreed to manage the handball squad of Union Sportive Charlevoix, and I expect her leadership will raise your gifts to the next level. Carmela?"

The woman seated among the players beamed. Consuelo Lucio, former captain at St. Valentine's University before skipping her senior season to sign here, knew full well who Vizcaino was. Nobody plays serious handball in The Babbage Islands without knowing about her. Nobody. She's an icon. And if all these guys accept her, then I don't have to worry so much.

(to be continued)

by **Cotdelapoms** » Sun Apr 15, 2012 6:10 pm

I've been gone for quite a long time from this stuff, but I suppose it's time to bring some leagues back, eh?

Ligue Baseball Élite Cotdelapomais

Regular Season

Code: Select all: Pld W L Pts 1 Montréal Alouettes 84 66 18 66 2 Outremont Festivals 84 59 25 59 3 Cap Nordique NorthStars 84 48 36 48 4 Albionpool AppleSox 84 47 37 47 5 Worcester Timbers 84 36 48 36 6 Saint-Urbain National 84 32 52 32 7 Pirates d'Hochelaga 84 26 58 26 8 Baltimore Carrier Pigeons 84 22 62 22

Playoffs
Semi Finals
Montréal Alouettes 4–5 Albionpool AppleSox
Montréal Alouettes 5–2 Albionpool AppleSox
Albionpool AppleSox 8–1 Montréal Alouettes
Albionpool AppleSox 2–5 Montréal Alouettes
Montréal Alouettes 1–5 Albionpool AppleSox
Albionpool AppleSox 4–5 Montréal Alouettes
Montréal Alouettes 3–2 Albionpool AppleSox

(Montréal Alouettes win 4-3)

Outremont Festivals 5–0 Cap Nordique NorthStars
Outremont Festivals 5–1 Cap Nordique NorthStars
Cap Nordique NorthStars 4–2 Outremont Festivals
Cap Nordique NorthStars 4–3 Outremont Festivals
Outremont Festivals 5–4 Cap Nordique NorthStars
Cap Nordique NorthStars 3–5 Outremont Festivals

(Outremont Festivals win 4-2)

COTDELAPOMS SERIES
Montréal Alouettes 4–1 Outremont Festivals
Montréal Alouettes 16–5 Outremont Festivals
Outremont Festivals 0–2 Montréal Alouettes
Outremont Festivals 1–7 Montréal Alouettes

Considering that the playoff semi finals featured two hard-fought series between seemingly evenly matched teams, pundits and boffins all over predicted a 6 or 7 game Cotdelapoms Series- they couldn't have been more wrong. There were a pair of intense pitching duels (including game 3's historic Randy Blackman vs. Jean-Baptiste Gagné clash), but the series is perhaps more noteable for the Als' bats blowing up in game 2. Historically mediocre second baseman Alain Duberry will go down in Cotdelapomais baseball history for putting in perhaps the greatest performance in Cotdelapoms Series history, going 6-6 at the plate, hitting for a cycle and also stealing a base.

-------------

Cotdelapomais Basketball Championship

Code: Select all: Pld W L Pts 1 Worcester Jackals 54 42 12 42 2 Hamilton Lions 54 37 17 37 3 Albionpool Capitals 54 36 18 36 4 Laval Geais Bleu 54 28 26 28 5 Montréal Huskies 54 28 26 28 6 Portsmouth Pike 54 27 27 27 7 Outremont Tours 54 27 27 27 8 Gradiel Bûcherons 54 23 31 23 9 Kingston Celtics 54 14 40 14 10 Sherbrooke Armada 54 8 46 8

-----------

Code: Select all: Pld W D L Pts 1 Portsmouth Sea Dogs 16 13 0 3 26 2 Charlevoix Bataillon Vert 16 11 1 4 23 3 Kingston Roughriders 16 9 0 7 18 4 Hamilton Galaxy 16 9 0 7 18 5 Albionpool Rangers 16 8 0 8 16 6 Montréal Saints 16 8 0 8 16 7 Cap Nordique Argonauts 16 5 2 9 12 8 Outremont Aigles 16 5 1 10 11 9 Worcester Ibex 16 2 0 14 4

Playoffs

Quarter-Finals
Kingston Roughriders 26–22 Montréal Saints
Hamilton Galaxy 39–30 Albionpool Rangers

Semi-Finals
Portsmouth Sea Dogs 26–34 Hamilton Galaxy
Charlevoix Bataillon Vert 51–24 Kingston Roughriders

COUPE DARJEELING
Charlevoix Bataillon Vert 28–36 Hamilton Galaxy

Congrats to the Hamilton Galaxy on winning the Coupe Darjeeling, always the most puzzling television event in Cotdelapomais sport. The Galaxy were led this season by quarter-back Mathieu Gilbert, who threw for 3730 yards, and also ran for 1039 yards. Gilbert is considered the most mobile quarter-back in CFL history, and is perhaps the closest thing to a legitimate sporting star that the CFL has ever produced.

by **Cotdelapoms** » Sun Apr 15, 2012 6:35 pm

Kind of a reset season for the CHL in order to re-enter the world of international tournaments.

Code: Select all: Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts 1 Rouen Caribou 76 39 16 21 194 163 +31 94 2 Montréal Royals 76 35 22 19 213 185 +28 92 3 Outremont Owls 76 36 18 22 176 157 +19 90 4 Albionpool Oak Leafs 76 33 23 20 208 188 +20 89 5 Xavier Ours Polaires 76 34 20 22 190 161 +29 88 6 Charlevoix Montagnards 76 34 19 23 208 185 +23 87 7 Montréal Cotdelapomais 76 33 20 23 193 177 +16 86 8 Hamilton Tigers 76 34 17 25 187 167 +20 85 9 Cap Nordique Drakkar 76 29 26 21 213 199 +14 84 10 Portsmouth Mallards 76 28 24 24 216 199 +17 80 11 PBI Rangers 76 31 17 28 172 186 −14 79 12 Worcester Snowbirds 76 31 16 29 192 191 +1 78 13 Baltimore Gulls 76 27 18 31 175 177 −2 72 14 Kingston Musketeers 76 23 19 34 184 205 −21 65 15 Saint-Urbain Citadelles 76 25 14 37 191 206 −15 64 16 Île d'Elisabeth Osprey 76 21 18 37 187 219 −32 60 17 Sorel Pomhommes 76 21 18 37 162 188 −26 60 18 St-Fortunat Saints 76 18 22 36 156 193 −37 58 19 Chambly Brasseurs 76 18 19 39 170 205 −35 55 20 Côte-Est Mariners 76 18 18 40 163 199 −36 54

CHL PLAYOFFS:
Quarter-Finals
Rouen Caribou 1–4 Hamilton Tigers
Hamilton Tigers 2–1 Rouen Caribou
Rouen Caribou 3–2 Hamilton Tigers
Hamilton Tigers 2–2 Rouen Caribou (3–2 OT)
Rouen Caribou 4–3 Hamilton Tigers
Hamilton Tigers 1–0 Rouen Caribou
(Hamilton wins 4-2)

Montréal Royals 2–0 Montréal Cotdelapomais
Montréal Cotdelapomais 2–0 Montréal Royals
Montréal Royals 3–3 Montréal Cotdelapomais (3–4 OT)
Montréal Cotdelapomais 3–5 Montréal Royals
Montréal Royals 1–2 Montréal Cotdelapomais
Montréal Cotdelapomais 5–3 Montréal Royals
(Cotdelapomais wins 4-2)

Outremont Owls 6–3 Charlevoix Montagnards
Charlevoix Montagnards 0–1 Outremont Owls
Outremont Owls 4–3 Charlevoix Montagnards
Charlevoix Montagnards 2–4 Outremont Owls
(Outremont win 4-0)

Albionpool Oak Leafs 1–0 Xavier Ours Polaires
Xavier Ours Polaires 5–5 Albionpool Oak Leafs (5–6 OT)
Albionpool Oak Leafs 1–0 Xavier Ours Polaires
Xavier Ours Polaires 4–3 Albionpool Oak Leafs
Albionpool Oak Leafs 0–2 Xavier Ours Polaires
Xavier Ours Polaires 0–1 Albionpool Oak Leafs
(Albionpool win 4-2)

Maxime O'Bagels put together an all-time season during the regular season wherein he scored 61 goals for the Royals, and he came to play in the playoffs, scoring 6 goals against the hated Citoyens, but his teammates came up short, and unfortunately Gyatso-kai netminder Shu fell apart in the playoffs. Rouen had a strong year behind Benoît Cohen's great year, but much the same we saw playoff experience trump regular season glory in the playoffs. Outremont's sweep over Charlevoix was unsurprising- many feel this is the Owls' last chance at winning a Dumas Cup, and they seem committed. Albionpool's win over surprising Xavier sets up an Oak Leafs-Citoyens semi-final, meaning that fans in Montréal once again get to face their two most hated clubs in the playoffs, something which happens so often.

Semi-Finals
Outremont Owls 1–1 Hamilton Tigers (1–2 OT)
Hamilton Tigers 1–3 Outremont Owls
Outremont Owls 1–1 Hamilton Tigers (1–2 OT)
Hamilton Tigers 1–0 Outremont Owls
Outremont Owls 2–2 Hamilton Tigers (3–2 OT)
Hamilton Tigers 3–3 Outremont Owls (3–4 OT)
Outremont Owls 2–2 Hamilton Tigers (2–3 OT)
(Hamilton win 4-3)

Albionpool Oak Leafs 0–3 Montréal Cotdelapomais
Montréal Cotdelapomais 0–2 Albionpool Oak Leafs
Albionpool Oak Leafs 2–1 Montréal Cotdelapomais
Montréal Cotdelapomais 3–2 Albionpool Oak Leafs
Albionpool Oak Leafs 0–0 Montréal Cotdelapomais (1–0 OT)
Montréal Cotdelapomais 3–4 Albionpool Oak Leafs
(Albionpool win 4-2)

Two classic semi-final series, the Oak Leafs took out Les Citoyens in 6 games, including four straight one-goal affairs. The Oak Leafs got some fantastic netminding from trade deadline acquisition Maxime Deslauriers, who is likely nearing the end of his career. The Oak Leafs are an old team, and so are the Owls- and so in a league that is oriented towards youth it was interesting to imagine two of the league's oldest teams meeting in the Dumas Cup final...except Hamilton spoiled the party by winning perhaps the closest series in CHL history- 7 games, 5 of which went to OT. J-L Barr and the Tigers won a wild game 7 to lead to a youth vs. experience Dumas Cup that has the potential to be one for the ages.

DUMAS CUP FINALS
Albionpool Oak Leafs 3–3 Hamilton Tigers (3-4 OT)
Hamilton Tigers 1–1 Albionpool Oak Leafs (1–2 OT)
Albionpool Oak Leafs 0–0 Hamilton Tigers (0-1 OT)
Hamilton Tigers 1–0 Albionpool Oak Leafs
Albionpool Oak Leafs 4–2 Hamilton Tigers
Hamilton Tigers 4–3 Albionpool Oak Leafs
(Hamilton win 4-2)

Jean-Luc Barr wins playoff MVP and solidifies his case as perhaps the CHL's best player with a fantastic Dumas Cup finals, scoring 7 goals- nearly half of his team's total. The Oak Leafs put up a fight early on, but seemed worn out by game 5, and in all likelihood the Tigers shut the window on the Oak Leafs by winning the series.

Champions League Entrants
Hamilton Tigers
Albionpool Oak Leafs
Montréal Cotdelapomais
Outremont Owls

(OOC Aside: I've probably shut down football Série A permanently, but I'd like to focus heavily on the CHL and my SuperLigue handball league- if anyone wants to send some players to the CHL, please let me know and I will find them a home!)

by **Zwangzug** » Sun Apr 15, 2012 8:10 pm

The Kingston Crown-Gazette
Redemption quest?
Timmy Rappoport tries to make handball relevant again...somewhere

Timmy Rappoport is first to admit that he himself has lost count of how long ago the thunderstorm cleared. After a one-day delay, Rappoport was the man carrying Zwangzug's flag into the Olympic Tower Stadium for the Games of the IV Olympiad. While the men's team didn't make it out of the group stage, the delegation that followed behind him cleaned up, amassing 55 medals, third-most of the Games. But any enduring pride, to say nothing of handball relevance in Zwangzug or anywhere else, was swept away by the revelations of how exactly some of those medalists were recruited.

At least years, and more probably decades, later for Rappoport, he's getting another shot. This time around, it comes as a manager, and courtesy of a very young Kingston Griffins team. Five of the team's foreign players are definitely younger than twenty-four, and a sixth (Grímur Steingrímsson) is taking time out of college to play professionally. Only US Charlevoix can challenge the Griffins for international youth, but Rappoport insists he's not concerned--yet.

"I mean," he says slowly, "we all have a long way to go, as a team. Certainly myself as a manager, and if...we don't get off to the fastest start, well, hopefully I'll be around here for a while."

Unlike some of the other teams, the Griffins are not gender-integrated. "I'm guessing that will change soon," says Rappoport, "but I don't plan to rush things yet, we'll see how that sorts out. Cotdelapomais--" (you can hear him trip over the French, and stubbornly decline to acknowledge it) "--sports are not on the same...setup that way as some other countries. And that's fine! But I do think we'll eventually have women playing."

I asked him whether his home country's newly official stance on gender equality in sports would influence the Summer Olympics, and he stiffened. "I...that's not my business. My business is to help this team win games." So clearly still a sore point--as he would admit more lightly later, "the only other handballer anyone from Zwangzug remembers is the guy with the fire sponsorship or something, and his country got nuked, so there's really nowhere to go but up."

Still, one leaves his office with the suspicion he doesn't much care if any news makes it back home. Greeting you as you walk out is a shelf full of videos neatly sorted by tournament (he freely admits having "actually no idea" that two international, non-Olympic tournaments in handball had been completed since Aeropag, with six more well before that), a far cry from the notes and doodlings strewn across his desk. Perhaps the mess is there to remind us (or him) that if it is the young players who will lead Kingston forward now and in seasons to come, there is at least some experience he can contribute. He will not settle for being a symbol anymore.

by **Wight** » Mon Apr 16, 2012 4:56 am

by **Polar Islandstates** » Mon Apr 16, 2012 5:30 am

Vojta Zjukovski was a man for whom the limelight always felt like the right place to be. He was only 21, and already he'd played two seasons as the lead pivot for GKGK. Things hadn't gone so well in his first season. He was intended as a replacement for the legendary Nikita Ulvaeus, but without the great man's presence in the squad, GKGK had faltered, and IHK Torshavn had shocked the nation to take the Elitserien title. Much had been made in the press about this, and attention had focused on him, Ulvaeus' replacement, the young Zjukovski, the shoulders on which the future of GKG was being built.

Far from shrinking away from it, Vojta had revelled in it, and like a certain Mr Skye had once done, he let his performances do the talking. GKGK stormed to take the title the next season, and he was hailed as a hero. Since Skye's retirement, Polarian sport was missing a headline grabber, perhaps he could be that person? Alexsandr van Sorensen could be one of the greatest players ever, yeah, and Henning Blonqvist was a CC winning club captain, yeah, but did either of them court the attention and run the papparazzi like Vojta did? He doubted it.

After one particularly wild party, he had ended up at the training ground with some old schoolfriends of his. What they did then, he couldn't remember. All he knew was what he saw in the papers the following morning. It was a mess. He and his friends had trashed the place. GKGK sacked them all, and his name was spoken in hushed tones. The media were rampant. 'The fallen boy of handball'. So much potential, gone to waste.

But then had come the olive branch. Nikita Ulvaeus himself came to his door with a contract. The Superligue, in Cotdelapoms. This was a second chance, offered to him by his hero, and assistant coach at the Cap Nordique Guillemots. He grasped it, he seized it with both hands, and he didn't let it go.

Which meant he was here, lining up in the Guillemots' black and beige against the Montréal Sasanachs for the opening game. He looked at the players around him, his Polarian teammates towering over him. He'd been told at a young age that he'd never make it as a professional footballer, so he changed sport. He'd been told he'd never play for GKGK again, so he changed leagues. This was it, this was his moment to shine.

Vojta Zjukovski, step forward.

by **Cotdelapoms** » Mon Apr 16, 2012 6:10 pm

Top Questions of the CHL Offseason

So another Dumas Cup playoffs has come and gone, and it was a great one filled with one goal games and fantastic rivalries renewed. We saw a surprise regular season champion in Rouen, an eighth seed win the Dumas Cup (albeit one loaded with talent), likely the final runs of Outremont and Albionpool, and a Royals team that apparently can't make it work in the playoffs. With all that, we look at all 20 CHL teams and try to answer the most pressing questions of the offseason.

Rouen Caribou- Was that a misleading season, or are the Caribou finally a championship calibre team?
Sometimes teams take an accidental step forward that misleads an organisation into thinking they are better than they are and they wind up messing with chemistry and shortening the window of success. Rouen fans seem to be split between thinking the team is the real deal and being paranoid that the front office will do just that, and it's hard to say which side is correct. Either way, the Caribou clearly don't have what it takes in the playoffs after the Tigers took them apart. Benoît Cohen is an excellent power forward who is starting to play a more complete game, and Alexandre Labelle has proven himself to be an elite goaltender, but there's still holes all over the roster. They will probably be in the Rick Jones derby, and may be one of the teams looking for elite foreign players to come over and fill some gaps.

Montréal Royals- Can the Royals Ever Win a Cup?
Obviously this is unfair- the Royals' opportunity to win the Cup under Christian Bruneau is still ongoing and should be indefinitely, so long as Maxime O'Bagels is ok with playing for the second team in the biggest hockey market in the world. Still, the Royals were taken out by les Citoyens in the playoffs once again, and it's hard to tell whether they have what it takes to win in the playoffs yet. The Royals are the smartest team about acquiring foreign talent, and they have a great top six, but they seem like they might be the sort of squad that'd benefit from a classic, strong veteran presence who can mix it up every once in a while. Acquiring a player like that would do them a world of good in the offseason.

Outremont Owls- Will Any of These Players Stick Around?
No. It's safe to say one or all of Pierre Drouin, Rick Jones and Henri Beauregard are going to be leaving Outremont this offseason, as it's certainly time to start building a younger team. Drouin is still one of the league's best scorers, even if he has a reputation for not being a big game player, and is in his mid-30's. Jones is similarly talented, and has a similar reputation but is a little bit younger. Jones seems almost certainly headed for a southern team that will market around him, which is probably a smart decision. Henri Beauregard can help out any of the teams that have a goalie problem, perhaps Xavier?

Albionpool Oak Leafs- Is There Any Reason to Believe in a Repeat?
The Oak Leafs got to the Dumas Cup final due to an absolutely fantastic and gusty performance against their hated rivals les Citoyens, but they're pretty clearly an old team who overperformed in the playoffs. Nothing wrong with that- but Cup starved Leaf fans can't pretend like the upcoming season will see them as favourites, no matter how much they want to. The fact that Albionpool has almost infinite money means, however, that they can splash the cash to make themselves the favourite, so long as they are willing to go all in next year and mortgage their future. Signing a Rick Jones, Michel Gingras or Roch Cormier and convincing ageless trade deadline acquisition goaltender Maxime Deslauriers from retiring would go a long way.

Xavier Ours Polaires- Stars? Who Needs 'Em?
Xavier is one of the subtly deepest (and certainly fastest!) teams in the CHL, which seems to always do them well, but until they win a playoff series there is no real reason to think of them as a legitimate Cup contender. The question is- do they bother to try to bring in a game changer to do so, or do they go forward with what they've got, knowing that they can be tricky to beat with the ability to match lines with anyone? Considering Xavier doesn't have the money to really compete with the bigger market clubs, it seems like they will continue to make savvy moves and keep signing speedsters who can outskate other teams.

Charlevoix Montagnards- Is This When They Take the Next Step?
Mallards fans expected Portsmouth to be the team that benefited most from the recent wave of young talent entering the league, but in the end it may wind up being Charlevoix. Snatching Guillaume Dagenais away from the Mariners was a brilliant move, and José Thibodeau seems to be a legitimate goaltender. The smart money might be to keep with the squad they have and progress naturally. A smart foreign or free agent signing would just be icing on the cake.

Montréal Cotdelapomais- How Will The Media Portray Next Season?
There is no more famous song in Cotdelapomais sport than "Allez, Citoyens, Allez!", and certainly no more scrutinised team than the Montréal Cotdelapomais. After a first round upset over hated derby rivals the Royals, les Citoyens fell short last season in a crushing series defeat by Albionpool. Les Citoyens have won the Cups to always be a threat, but it seems now sometimes like this is more a group of talented individuals than an excellent team. Julien Champagne was expected to be the best player in the CHL, but he has been immediately passed by the wave right after him, and at times he is unreliable. Luckily, a lot of the heat is taken off of him by loudmouth defenceman Rezzi Tzar'kr'El, perhaps the CHL's most exciting and least mature player.

Hamilton Tigers- Can They Repeat?
The Tigers are Dumas Cup champs thanks to Jean-Luc Barr being one of the best players in the world. Sure, they got excellent veteran leadership from Roch Cormier. And yes, Pierre Renault may not be a great netminder, but he's never a liability. And oh yeah, Einar Bergsson, Leandre Désilets and Leif Proulx are one of the best second lines in the league. But yeah- Jean-Luc Barr. They can repeat.

Cap Nordique Drakkar- What Will It Take To Break Through?
The Drakkar love to block shots, and are about as defensively competent as any team in the league. It's hard to tell whether the thing they most need in order to be a playoff team is a good goaltender that can combine with the blue liners to make them seemingly impenetrable, or is it some goal scorers who can give the defence the goals they need to shut the game down and get a win?

Portsmouth Mallards- Will They Get a Centre for Louis Periard?
Louis Periard is clearly an elite winger who can score at will, but it seems all too often that for the Mallards he's doing all of his own work. If Portsmouth, rather than Charlevoix, had wound up with Guillaume Dagenais it's hard to imagine this being the case, but the west coast team should try to give their star a fighting chance.

PBI Rangers- At What Stage in the Rebuilding Are the Rangers?
Rangers had a better than expected year last year, finishing 11th. The Rangers are young and skilled, but they are financially strapped due to the foolish Adam Wrentham deal. The Rangers would be well served by a veteran leader, and may make some moves to unload some salary in order to bring in a Pierre Drouin or Rick Jones.

Worcester Snowbirds- Are the Old Killer Snowbirds Back?
A few years ago when Marc Berri was pummeling all of Worcester's opponents, there was perhaps no team harder to play against than the Snowbirds. Whilst it doesn't seem like Worcester will be in the playoffs again for a few years, the seem to be focused once again on putting the hurt on opposing teams. The Craig Falcon and Alexis Landry defensive partnership has already found itself to be a brutal one, with both of them among the CHL's top 10 in hits. Mytanar instigator Marcin Bakunin patrolling the neutral zone reminds opposition players to keep their head up, kid!

Baltimore Gulls- When Will Ian Leblanc Take His Place Among the Best in the CHL?
The expansion survivors are following the plan and slowly but surely improving, and a big part of it is centre Ian Leblanc, certainly one of the most underrated players in the whole league. His hockey IQ must be one of the highest around, and he is one of the best penalty killing forwards in the whole CHL. Polarian netminder Markos de Raek is an excellent backbone of the Gulls who may be a contender to sneak into the playoffs this year. Yes, really.

Kingston Musketeers- Will the Musketeers Always Have the Meanest, Rudest, Worst Fans in the CHL?
Of course. We could talk about their decent top 6, featuring Newmanistan centre Milan Gadzic and the pesty Philippe Desjardins. We could talk about goaltender Johann Sauvé, whose political outspokenness is outshined only by his erraticness in net. Nobody cares about those things though, last year we saw the Musketeers keep their reputation for being a team of dirty rats with dirty rat fans when Musketeer fans tried to climb over the glass and attack Worcester Snowbirds d-man Marc-Étienne Drapeau. As you can imagine, this went poorly for them.

Saint-Urbain Citadelles- How Long Will the Citadelles be a Team in Transition?
Mediocre is the only real way to describe the Citadelles these days- they are the team we were talking about in the Caribou question that had a fluke run to the Dumas Cup finals and then mortgaged their entire future. They are now loaded with moderately talented old players and a second rate but acceptable young goaltender in Jens Froberg. Without a real identity aside from having beautiful sweaters and an old building that may cause a dispute with the Superligue handball team, the Citadelles could use a new star player to inspire the fans, and fast.

Île d'Elisabeth Osprey- How Long Will the Rebuild Last?
The package of picks, cash and prospects that the Osprey got for Maxime Deslauriers means that with some luck, the Osprey will return to the heyday of winning Cups in a few years, but as of right now their cupboard is almost entirely barren, and the Osprey are a real contender for last place in the upcoming season. The real question around this team is whether Marco Trussina goes for a similar package in the offseason or next year at the deadline when some team needs a big defenseman for a Cup run.

Sorel Pomhommes- When Will Things Change?
Sorel is one of the poorest run teams in the CHL, with a constant arena problem, a goaltender issue, a constant stream of replacement level players on their bottom lines and pairings, and the embarrassing situation where a little old lady who had been a season ticket holder for 29 years had her tickets taken away when it was revealed her son ran a blog criticising the team's management. Is there any reason to believe in this team? Probably not so long as Markos Gravel is in charge.

St-Fortunat Saints- Who Will Score Goals?
It's unreasonable to think the Saints are a playoff team, but much like their neighbours the Drakkar, the Saints can play a little bit of D- they are big, intimidating and can kill penalties as well as any team in the CHL. The problem is that there's really nothing else going for them- they scored the fewest goals in the league last season, and leading scorer Julian Windham is more of a "responsible defensive centre" than a sniper. Sacha Courcelles is a premium goaltender, but there's no reason to think they will even be in the mix unless they can add about half a goal a game, seriously.

Chambly Brasseurs- Will There Be Anything to Cheer On the Ice?
The Toussaint Forum is the most fun place to drink in the CHL, and is always packed with friendly hockey fans and hipsters alike looking to have a fun night of hockey. There is seemingly no pressure on the team to ever do better, and there's really no reason since the team has built a unique game day experience. The quiet crowds seem to be beginning to drain on Joseph Powell and Alex var der Kamm, and you may see some of their players starting to get unsettled.

Côte-Est Mariners- They Can't Be That Bad Two Years in a Row, Right?
Mariner fans hope in their heart of hearts that, especially with the Osprey about to be terrible for a while they can turn around their situation rapidly. They still have the skilfull Jean-André Vlemincx and the excellent Newmanistan netminder Ian Tinordi, and the Mariners have the money to make some offseason signings, and do have the first pick in a weak draft class. A speedy recovery is unlikely but not impossible.

by **Cotdelapoms** » Tue Apr 17, 2012 7:52 pm

Allez Citoyens, Allez!

SCOTT CITY, DARMEN- Our Montréal Cotdelapomais may have fallen short for the Dumas Cup in embarrassing fashion when faced with the hated Oak Leafs, but against the New Athens Warriors today in the Champions League final les Citoyens proved their mettle. The roughly 6000 Citoyen fans that traveled to Scott City were in fine voice and were given reason to cheer at 13:19 into the first when Erwan Daniel knocked home a rebound off a Sandro Antonetti shot to give Montréal the lead. They'd never forfeit that lead, never taking the foot off the gas and playing some of the best hockey they've played all year.

Pascal Sévigny was his usual excellent self, making 28 saves and letting in only one goal on a power play by a Camwood forward. Rezzi Tzar'kr'El took a foolish slashing penalty in the second period that created the numeric deficit that led to the Warrior goal, after a Warrior player was repeatedly chirping Tzar'kr'El. The Citoyens defenceman, never known for his high maturity level, retaliated by slashing the Warrior player in the leg, and whilst the New Athens player seemed to exaggerate, it was certainly a penalty and a foolish play.

No matter, les Citoyens regained the lead later on in the third period when Alexandre Briére unleashed a typical Briére slap shot and beat the New Athens goalie. Sévigny was pressed repeatedly early in the third period, but Montréal was able to regain control of the pace of the game near the end of the third period, and just barely failed to add a third goal into an empty net when Julien Champagne's blast was literally centimetres wide. The Montréal players acknowledged the 6000 traveling fans after the awarding on the trophy by waving their sticks in salute, and rumours have come out of Wesley Tuuijkers, Sandro Antonetti, Luca Messina and David Désilets partying with Citoyen fans in some Scott City bars, which is of course a sign of their immaturity. This team can't do anything right, even when they win the biggest international club hockey tournament in the world!

by **Cotdelapoms** » Wed Apr 18, 2012 1:26 pm

Sports News In Brief

Hockey

Citoyens in on Waaldish Defenceman?
Greater Cotswalds international defenceman Alexander Senior and Polarian defenceman Jari von Evenvelde are both likely targets for the Cotdelapomais this offseason as they try to improve upon their bottom pairing from last season. von Evenvelde was impressive in les Citoyens' Champions League contests with Hounds of Juura, and had an excellent +/- for the Hounds. Senior is the type of tall, gritty d-man the club likes, and may be a replacement for Wesley Tuujikers who is rumoured to be leaving in the offseason.

Citadelles in Building Dispute?
The Valladar ownership group behind the Saint-Urbain Guerriers Superligue club are currently in a dispute with the owners of the Saint-Urbain Citadelles and the city of Saint-Urbain over the state of Colisée Fritidien! The penny-pinching owners of the Citadelles are trying to work with local governments to pay for luxury boxes- which presumably may eventually find themselves filled with local government. Although Citadelles' ownership has not thusfar threatened to move the team...the Guerriers, who have yet to play a game, have.

Handball

Rocha Ready For Opener
There had been some panic after RB João Pedro Rocha picked up a knock in practise that he would be unable to play in the Pomhommes' season and league opener against Saint-Urbain, but reports out of Laval suggest that the Cafundelense international will be on the court when the Pomhommes make their debut. The knock was reportedly picked up when Rocha came down awkwardly in a team-building game of Sepak takraw. This has led to some peculiar queries as to why a team handball squad would be using Sepak takraw as a way of preparing anyway, as it involves an almost opposite skill set to team handball.

Football

Zedafski: I'm Not Sure It'll Ever Be the Same
MTLFC manager Zlatko Zedafski told reporters he "was unsure whether or not Série A would ever be the same" after the brutal labour dispute that cost the league two seasons. Many of the league's foreigners went back home rather than re-apply for a work visa in Cotdelapoms to play in a league that was unlikely to play football, but the Tricolore manager has stayed- he is a permanent resident. Whilst it seems certain Série A will start again soon, there is still much uncertainty as to how many teams will participate- rumours swirl suggesting it will not be 20, but rather 16 or perhaps even the original 12 that the league contained during the first 15 years of competition.

by **Cafundeu** » Wed Apr 18, 2012 1:26 pm

THE ELISABETHAN MESSENGER
online version, read it on your tablet!
and, even better, it's free!

The people has welcomed the Cafundelenses to Île d'Elisabeth. The arrival of Atlético Elisabetano to the city has already produced some results. Of course we couldn't think that the presence of Cafundelense entrepeneurs would only be restricted at the running of the team, there was much more to be invested in, especially due to the consumer characteristics of the city. One of the AUGECC directors commented: "Wonderful city. I feel like home. Intelligent people, excellent taste, the nightlife is simply amazing, so great that I haven't slept yet. And, after taking a look at this place I can assure everyone that the Cafundelenses will feel that Île d'Elisabeth is a part of Cafundéu, especially because we are bringing some stores and companies." One of the most discussed possibilities is of clothing brand De Prima, specialized in exclusive clothes for rock stars and many celebrities in Atlantian Oceania, which is now focusing on expansion to Rushmore. One of the marketing directors of the brand has confirmed the interest: "Cotdelapoms, after initial research made by our interim researchers, has shown that it has a consumer base interested in our products. We produce cool clothes to cool people or at least people who think they are cool or know they are not but like other people to think they are. We are also taking opportunity of the music festivals going on here to associate our brand to them... we are in the talks of holding a huge festival dedicated to performance arts in general, you'll hear about it soon!". The population seemed interested, as one woman commented: "Well, it seems good enough, now let me finish my margarita."

But now we need to talk about the team. After making the selection of players to compose the squad, the Cafundelense group responsible for Atlético Elisabetano called coach Olavo Tuta to give his opinions. And he said: "I thought I was in Cotdelapoms, but this seems to be an entirely Cafundelense team... we need some more local strength, people who know well how to play in this place." Therefore, the board of directors of Atlético Elisabetano is looking to transfer some of the Cafundelense players in the team for people from Rushmore, and especially from Cotdelapoms. "A nice guy or girl who lives in Île d'Elisabeth would work even better, this way we wouldn't have to pay for the new house and other stuff." However, even though he made this critic, he praised the talent level inside Atlético and has ambitious plans: "I think this squad is good enough to try to win the title. I say try because we cannot guarantee it, but we can." Since the team has just established itself, the fanbase is still small, but there are plans for an increase. "We'll fill the newspapers and televisions with news from Atlético, and also make some promotions in order to make people want to go to the arenas. Our intent is to try to fill the arena whenever possible."

Current starting line-up of Atlético Elisabetano:
GK - Joseph Clayton
CB - Hugo Robles (captain)
LB - Sedgleigh Trowbridge
RB - Eric Després
P - Ligeirinho
LW - Gilles Janneteau
RW - Olivier Hedner

KITS UNVEILED

In a press conference, team chairman Isadora Borghetti, together with some of the main investors of the AUGECC as Cerva Pinguço, Ana Vergara and Augusto Brown, presented the official kits of Atlético Elisabetano. Even though the first one, with the colours yellow and white, was presented as the home kit, it was announced that the black shirt can be used in practically any match, with the decision being held by the players. "The white is the main shirt, but we won't use the black only in case of conflict of colours... if the players want to wear black in any of the match for some other reason, they are free to do it... there is no such a thing as first or home kit in Atlético Elisabetano. Sponsored by the main Cafundelense companies, the new shirts are already available for sale. See them below:

by **Cotdelapoms** » Thu Apr 19, 2012 8:32 am

SUPERLIGUE RESULTS!

Round 1

Atlético Elisabetano 24–33 US Charlevoix
Montréal Pomhommes 29–21 Saint-Urbain Guerriers
Kingston Griffins 30–22 Barsteeg Albionpool
Cap Nordique Guillemots 29–27 Montréal Sasanachs
Cap Nordique Predateurs 22–27 Portsmouth Black Tails
Worcester Rushmoréens 24–23 Outremont Kodiaks

Round 2

US Charlevoix 27–24 Outremont Kodiaks
Portsmouth Black Tails 30–26 Worcester Rushmoréens
Montréal Sasanachs 29–27 Cap Nordique Predateurs
Barsteeg Albionpool 22–29 Cap Nordique Guillemots
Saint-Urbain Guerriers 33–24 Kingston Griffins
Atlético Elisabetano 27–28 Montréal Pomhommes

League Table After 2 Rounds

Code: Select all: Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts 1 US Charlevoix 2 2 0 0 60 48 +12 4 2 Cap Nordique Guillemots 2 2 0 0 58 49 +9 4 3 Montréal Pomhommes 2 2 0 0 57 48 +9 4 Portsmouth Black Tails 2 2 0 0 57 48 +9 4 5 Saint-Urbain Guerriers 2 1 0 1 54 53 +1 2 6 Montréal Sasanachs 2 1 0 1 56 56 0 2 7 Kingston Griffins 2 1 0 1 54 55 −1 2 8 Worcester Rushmoréens 2 1 0 1 50 53 −3 2 9 Outremont Kodiaks 2 0 0 2 47 51 −4 0 10 Cap Nordique Predateurs 2 0 0 2 49 56 −7 0 11 Atlético Elisabetano 2 0 0 2 51 61 −10 0 12 Barsteeg Albionpool 2 0 0 2 44 59 −15 0

Round 3 and 4 fixtures:

Round 3
Montréal Pomhommes x US Charlevoix
Kingston Griffins x Atlético Elisabetano
Cap Nordique Guillemots x Saint-Urbain Guerriers
Cap Nordique Predateurs x Barsteeg Albionpool
Worcester Rushmoréens x Montréal Sasanachs
Outremont Kodiaks x Portsmouth Black Tails

Round 4
US Charlevoix x Portsmouth Black Tails
Montréal Sasanachs x Outremont Kodiaks
Barsteeg Albionpool x Worcester Rushmoréens
Saint-Urbain Guerriers x Cap Nordique Predateurs
Atlético Elisabetano x Cap Nordique Guillemots
Montréal Pomhommes x Kingston Griffins

by **Cotdelapoms** » Thu Apr 19, 2012 10:00 am

So Far, So Good
Pomhommes Take Two Wins From First Week of Superligue

The lower seats of Centre Télépom Mobilité were mostly filled for the Montréal Pomhommes' début match in Superligue handball, a good sign that the league may be healthy at least in the city of saints. If it'll be on the performance of Christian Leblanc's club to keep the sport healthy, then all signs seem to be positive for handball. The Pomhommes won both of their matches in the first week of the Superligue season, never letting the Saint-Urbain Guerriers get close in the 29-21 victory at home, before a close-fought back and forth encounter on the island in a 28-27 win over Atlético Elisabetano.

The Guerriers, who went on to demolish Kingston in round two, didn't seem to be on the same page with one another in their match against the Pomhommes, making silly passing errors and playing patchy defence. Jarlath O'Flaherty is certainly a competent defender, but he and his teammates seemed far too focused on congesting the centre of the court and allowed Saugeais international Elmo Baggio and François Carbonneau plenty of clear paths at goal. The Pomhommes also scored a fair deal of goals off of breakaways from Guerrier mishandling of the ball, including a beauty from João Pedro Rocha who totally fooled Guerrier keeper Ivan Larson with a behind the back effort.

The second match for the Pomhommes saw them travel to Île d'Elisabeth and face a team that put considerably more chances on Adam Heikkila-Laakso. The Polarian keeper came up huge in the dying minutes of the match when his fingertips brushed away Hugo Robles' potential tying shot, a bit of wizardry that featured the Cafundelense back catching a rebound from a Sedgleigh Trowbridge shot and mark it for the top right corner, only to find Adam Heikkila-Laakso leaping upward like a gazelle to parry it away. The Pomhommes trailed in this match repeatedly, taking only two leads- one at 12-11 and another at what ended up the final score, 28-27. Luc Rodrigues contributed 7 goals, to lead the team in scoring.

Pomhommes Scoring After Two Matches

Luc Rodrigues- 12
Elmo Baggio- 10
João Pedro Rocha- 10
Michel Robitaille- 8
François Carbonneau- 6
Erik Desharnais- 4
Maxime Jensen-Panetta- 2
Julien Renaud-Augustin- 2
Kama Pandev- 1
Reginaldo Antunes- 1
Bruno Schneider- 1

by **Civil Citizenry** » Sat Apr 21, 2012 1:35 pm

Notes from Head Coach Rushford Kendrick

I thought that by 35, Olle Lundberg wouldn't be a top goalie. I'm glad he's proven me wrong. Any other position, he'd be screwed - he doesn't have the agility that a lot of these stupendous athletes have in Cotdelapoms. The thing I like about Gulbrandsen is that he's such a hulk that he can basically block the goal. Phelps Denver [my assistant] told me to go with the safer pick and start Gulbrandsen, but I guess I made a better choice with Lundberg so far. I can see him wearing out at the back end of games as the season progresses, though, so Gulbrandsen will probably get some fair playing time moving forward.
Nicholas Giroux is no Einar Hjálmtýsson, but he's the best offensive threat we've got. Fourteen goals in two games - nearly one-third of our total scoring. But we can't rely on Giroux alone. We've got the second-worst offense in the league right now, and it's because we've got a ton of big, sizable guys who aren't agile or speedy enough to blast past the best defenses. Look at the game with Charlevoix - we were screwed with Louis-Jean Arthur and Mauricio Briones harping on us from the start. Giroux is such a talent, though, certainly one of the best players in the league.
Desjardins rolled his ankle and will be out for a few games, which gives me a chance to try out the young Mangolanan Harris at right back. He's one of the few on our roster who can run with the best of 'em in this league. That's especially important for the backs, who serve not only as the last line of defense but also as prolific goalscorers. Harris is too shy and too passive to score a lot of goals, but he could be a valuable asset if he continues to develop.
Starting eleven versus the Black Tails and the Sasanachs: Lundberg, Proulx, Giroux, Harris, Kalberg, Carufel, Devon.
Goalscorers through two games: Giroux (14), Proulx (9), Kalberg (8), Devon (6), Carufel (4), Cormier (3), Harris (2), Desjardins (1).

by **Zwangzug** » Sat Apr 21, 2012 1:53 pm

Goalscorers for the Griffins: (will continue to edit this if I get around to it, rather than making new posts).

by **Baltskandio** » Sun Apr 22, 2012 1:20 am

US Charlevoix Montagnards Update

You read it here first. The contest to name the new SuperLigue handball club at Union Sportive Charlevoix was won by Mlle Danielle Lafleur, first recorded proposer of Montagnards. Celebrating the natural beauty of the Charlevoix region and the special people native to it, management felt that it captures the flavor of the new team.

Les Montagnards have opened the schedule with two wins over Atlético Elisabetano and Outremont Kodiaks and sit atop the early table. But their next two matches will sort the knot at the top, as both Montréal Pomhommes and Portsmouth Black Tails have also opened with twinned triumphs.

Manager Carmela Vizcaino has settled on her starting seven, an international lot. The surprise team choice as captain is left wing Consuelo Lucio, a collegiate star from The Babbage Islands and the team's sole woman player. She is paired on the other wing with Civil Citizenry standout Palmer Woodville-Harper. Former correspondent-turned-pro-handballer Thomas Sinclair, another Babbagian, runs the attack from centre back with Cafundelense Renatinho on his left and local player Robert Therrien on his right. At pivot is the exciting Polarian Amadeus Strand, and Mark Whitfield seems to be ahead of Scott Ducharme in the battle of Cotdelapomais goalkeepers. So far in the young season Renatinho is the team's scoring leader with Therrien and Lucio equal second.

by **Valladares** » Sun Apr 22, 2012 1:31 pm

Allô!
Votre dernière source de nouvelles réelles en Cotdelapoms!
Your latest source for actual Cotdelapomais news!

Saint-Urbain Guerriers moving to Saint-Raphaël!

Owners disatisfied with Colisée Fritidien!, Citadelles apparently happy with the move

SAINT-URBAIN - And the threat became reality, with newly established handball team Saint-Urbain Guerriers pulling out of Colisée Fritidien! thanks to the Marcel's (the Valladar family which owns the franchise) strong disgust for the facility, which they have repeatedly blasted for being "old, unfit, and lacking of executive boxes. Which respectable sporting arena in the whole world would dare to not have executive/VIP boxes while calling itself "decent"?"

This event obviously opened a controversy between the Guerriers, the local government, and the rightful owners of the facility, CHL team Saint-Urbain Citadelles, who have constantly disagreed about an eventual refurbishment of the arena. Julius Marcel, the family head and main owner of the handball franchise came to the local government with a plan not only limited to built new executive boxes, but also to expand the capacity by a few seats in the middle term, depending on his franchise's gate averages in their first season. And the plan was summarily rejected by the Citadelles, fearing that those "remodeling works" would last longer than six months, therefore forcing them to move to another arena as well. And, given the stiff opposition to the idea, the Guerriers decided to move to another arena (to the hockey team's utter joy) until the remainder of the season or until the Citadelles manage to realize the convenience of the remodeling works proposed, whichever comes first.

And now, where on Earth will this team host their next rivals, the Cap Nordique Predateurs? The answer looks to be some few kilometers away from the city, more exactly the town of Saint-Raphaël, whose small (but with executive boxes) Aréna Georges-Parizeau, with capacity for 8,000 people will host the Guerriers while the Colisée Fritidien! issue is concluded successfully. And the Guerriers will look here to get the points they need to qualify to the playoffs, but first they will have a difficult trip north to Cap Nordique to face the Guillemots, who sit in second place of the Superligue with a 2-0 record after two games.

Will this new team manage to form a faithful following with this move? Time will tell.

by **Cotdelapoms** » Mon Apr 23, 2012 7:56 am

SCORES!

Round 3
Montréal Pomhommes 25–28 US Charlevoix
Kingston Griffins 29–23 Atlético Elisabetano
Cap Nordique Guillemots 26–29 Saint-Urbain Guerriers
Cap Nordique Prédateurs 28–24 Barsteeg Albionpool
Worcester Rushmoréens 29–28 Montréal Sasanachs
Outremont Kodiaks 30–25 Portsmouth Black Tails

Round 4
US Charlevoix 27–23 Portsmouth Black Tails
Montréal Sasanachs 33–28 Outremont Kodiaks
Barsteeg Albionpool 22–35 Worcester Rushmoréens
Saint-Urbain Guerriers 22–29 Cap Nordique Prédateurs
Atlético Elisabetano 31–30 Cap Nordique Guillemots
Montréal Pomhommes 28–23 Kingston Griffins

Table

Code: Select all: Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts 1 US Charlevoix 4 4 0 0 115 96 +19 8 2 Worcester Rushmoréens 4 3 0 1 114 103 +11 6 3 Montréal Pomhommes 4 3 0 1 110 99 +11 6 4 Cap Nordique Guillemots 4 2 0 2 114 109 +5 4 5 Montréal Sasanachs 4 2 0 2 117 113 +4 4 6 Cap Nordique Predateurs 4 2 0 2 106 102 +4 4 7 Kingston Griffins 4 2 0 2 106 106 0 4 8 Portsmouth Black Tails 4 2 0 2 105 105 0 4 9 Saint-Urbain Guerriers 4 2 0 2 105 108 −3 4 10 Outremont Kodiaks 4 1 0 3 105 109 −4 2 11 Atlético Elisabetano 4 1 0 3 105 120 −15 2 12 Barsteeg Albionpool 4 0 0 4 90 122 −32 0

Upcoming fixtures

Round 5
Kingston Griffins x US Charlevoix
Cap Nordique Guillemots x Montréal Pomhommes
Cap Nordique Predateurs x Atlético Elisabetano
Worcester Rushmoréens x Saint-Urbain Guerriers
Outremont Kodiaks x Barsteeg Albionpool
Portsmouth Black Tails x Montréal Sasanachs

Round 6
US Charlevoix x Montréal Sasanachs
Barsteeg Albionpool x Portsmouth Black Tails
Saint-Urbain Guerriers x Outremont Kodiaks
Atlético Elisabetano x Worcester Rushmoréens
Montréal Pomhommes x Cap Nordique Predateurs
Kingston Griffins x Cap Nordique Guillemots

by **Harjeland** » Mon Apr 23, 2012 10:08 am

Predateurs Leapfrog Up the Table

Cap Nordique, Cotdelapoms

The Cap-Nordique Predateurs, operated by a joint Mytanar-Harjelandic cooperation, won two games on the trot to jump up the table to sixth after a poor start to the campaign. The recent good form of defensemen Einar Hjálmtýsson and Ignat Nekrisov led them to vital victories over the Saint-Urbain Guerriers and struggling Barsteeg Albion, while there has been an unexpected bond between internationals Nevil and Upat. Between them, they have scored a remarkable 50 goals, while there have been promising performances from Jónmundsson and Murray off of the bench.

Defensive stalwart Mika var der Knaapen, however, has been in less than fine form, uncharacteristically making elementary errors that helped the Predateurs to defeat in their first two games. If he does hit form again, however, he will have to fight for his place, as players like Nekrisov have been turning in solid performances which have seen him relegated to the bench. When interviewed about his drop in form, however, he only gave a terse reply.

"I am working hard in training right now to cover some ground I have lost, but I think it was hard for me to recover from injury and then go right into the season expected to perform at my best. Now I just have to work extra hard until i gain back my form, which I can't explain exactly why it's been poor. It's not something you can explain very well, is it?

The Predateurs will be looking forward to the future and hope to build on their recent wins to dislodge themselves from the middle of the table, and possibly push on towards a high finishing, or even a title.

by **Cotdelapoms** » Mon Apr 23, 2012 11:55 am

Guerre d'Hiver 3 Announced!

After two successful outdoor CHL games, the first between the Cotdelapomais and the Oak Leafs, and the second between the Musketeers and Snowbirds, the CHL has announced it's third ever outdoor game- le Guerre d'Hiver. This year's contest will feature the two best young stars in the CHL- Maxime O'Bagels and Jean-Luc Barr, as the Montréal Royals will do battle with the Hamilton Tigers at Stade de la rue Acadia, which has never before been used for a hockey game. There are rumblings so far that this matchup has the potential to break many television viewing records for a regular season CHL game, as it is expected to be broadcast around the world.

This will almost certainly be a fantastic matchup- the defending Dumas Cup champions against a controversial team with perhaps the most famous athlete in Cotdelapoms, taking place under the bright lights of our biggest city. Two classic teams with a lot of history, and a rematch of a recent Dumas Cup final.

by **Cotdelapoms** » Tue Apr 24, 2012 5:32 pm

Guerre d'Hiver Sweaters Announced

Fans of hockey sweaters have two new beautiful ones to gawk at with the announcement of the special throwback sweaters to be worn at the third Guerre d'Hiver matchup at Stade de la rue Acadia.

First, your visitors- the defending Dumas Cup champions, the Hamilton Tigers.

This will certainly be a polarising sweater, featuring horizonal stripes alternating white, yellow and black, throwing back to the original Hamilton Tigers, who existed before the CHL.

The Royals will be featuring a simpler design, in an off white with maroon highlights and the word "ROYALS" sprawled across the chest. The Royals won the very first Dumas Cup wearing a sweater that looked quite similar to this one.

by **Cotdelapoms** » Wed Apr 25, 2012 5:41 pm

Notable Offseason Moves
LW- Rick Jones- Owls to Oak Leafs
C- Pierre Drouin- Owls to Montagnards
D- Jari von Evenvelde (Polarian)- Out of CHL to Cotdelapomais
D- Alexander Senior (Waaldish)- Out of CHL to Cotdelapomais
D- Feng Tao (Gyatso-kai)- Osprey to Saints
D- Wesley Tuuijkers (Mytanar)- Cotdelapomais to Pomhommes
D- Marc-Étienne Drapeau- Montagnards to Owls
D- Simon Chapdelaine- Mariners to Royals
D- Joseph Powell- Brasseurs to Snowbirds
G- Stafford Fuller (Citiz)- Out of CHL to Rangers

The Owls' tenure as one of the top teams in the CHL seems to be over, as they have rid themselves of their top two scorers for the last many years, Rick Jones and Pierre Drouin. Rick Jones, a strong power forward who is known for disappearing in the playoffs will be a big cog in the Oak Leafs' last ditch efforts to win the Dumas Cup, as the team is fairly old (even if they are one of the most talented teams). Drouin, once the best player in the CHL, provides big time veteran leadership to Charlevoix who will be looking to break through this season.

One of the main storylines going into the season will be that players are going to want to stand out just that little bit more in order to be in the running for the Cotdelapoms and PBI teams in WCoH 18.

---------------------

RESULTS

Final Table                 Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Montréal Royals           76   35  21  20   191  160  +31    91
 2 Rouen Caribou             76   34  21  21   188  158  +30    89
 3 Albionpool Oak Leafs      76   35  18  23   202  171  +31    88
 4 Baltimore Gulls           76   31  26  19   171  155  +16    88
 5 Sorel Pomhommes           76   31  24  21   173  159  +14    86
 6 Portsmouth Mallards       76   33  19  24   177  158  +19    85
 7 Hamilton Tigers           76   33  18  25   198  183  +15    84
 8 Montréal Cotdelapomais    76   32  18  26   188  176  +12    82
 9 Charlevoix Montagnards    76   31  18  27   176  170   +6    80
10 Cap Nordique Drakkar      76   29  22  25   177  168   +9    80
11 Saint-Urbain Citadelles   76   27  22  27   159  155   +4    76
12 Worcester Snowbirds       76   28  17  31   175  174   +1    73
13 Xavier Ours Polaires      76   26  20  30   165  175  −10    72
14 Kingston Musketeers       76   25  22  29   175  187  −12    72
15 PBI Rangers               76   24  21  31   159  175  −16    69
16 Côte-Est Mariners         76   21  22  33   175  202  −27    64
17 Outremont Owls            76   22  19  35   181  204  −23    63
18 St-Fortunat Saints        76   19  24  33   135  167  −32    62
19 Chambly Brasseurs         76   20  19  37   146  181  −35    59
20 Île d'Elisabeth Osprey    76   21  15  40   161  194  −33    57

Guerre d'Hiver 3
Montréal Royals 1–2 Hamilton Tigers

This year's Guerre d'Hiver matchup saw the two big young stars of the league, Maxime O'Bagels and Jean-Luc Barr fight it out under the lights and pressure of Stade de la rue Acadia in Montréal. The game was mostly forgettable, despite perfect 1 degree temperatures. Much of the first period was spent with the teams feeling each other out and the star players trying to out stickhandle one another. The enormous home crowd was given something to cheer in the 2nd period when Radoslav Invermuir redirected Alek Auclair's shot and beat Tigers' goalie Pierre Renault. They were quieted, however (save for the fairly decent selection of Hamilton Ultras who made their way up north), at the very beginning of the 3rd period, when just 18 seconds in Leandre Désilets gained the zone and blasted a hard, low shot at Shu, who made a save with his pads- but the rebound went right to Jean-Luc Barr, who had an open net for the tying goal. Not even 2 minutes later the Tigers took the lead and scored the eventual game winner when the always underrated Roch Cormier stickhandled through two Royal defencemen and beat Shu backhand, top shelf.

CHL Awards
Governor's Trophy (Most points in the regular season)- Montréal Royals

Lafleur Trophy (MVP)- Maxime O'Bagels, Montréal Royals
Also nominated: Benoît Cohen, Rouen Caribou
Markos de Raek, Baltimore Gulls

Mme. Bolduc Trophy (Gentlemanly Play at a high level)- Louis Saint-Laurent, Albionpool Oak Leafs
Also nominated: Luc Dionne, Montréal Royals
Bleizou Aubut, Saint-Urbain Citadelles

Roy Trophy (Best Goaltender)- Markos De Raek, Baltimore Gulls
Also nominated: Shu Huangguo, Montréal Royals
Sacha Courcelles, Portsmouth Mallards

Lapointe Award (Best Rookie)- Jari von Evenvelde, Montréal Cotdelapomais
Also nominated: Louis-Felix Axelsson, Cap Nordique Drakkar
Pierre-Luc Laflamme, Charlevoix Montagnards

Geoffroy Award (Leading scorer in the regular season)- Benoît Cohen, Rouen Caribou

Robinson Award (Best defensive player)- Alexandre Briére, Montréal Cotdelapomais
Also nominated: Anderson Strathcona, Rouen Caribou
Ko Piandao, St-Fortunat Saints

Carbonneau Cup (Best defensive forward)- Gaston Yelle, Rouen Caribou
Also nominated: Roch Cormier, Hamilton Tigers
Ngo Du, Portsmouth Mallards

Naslund Award (Leading goal scorer)- Maxime O'Bagels, Montréal Royals

----------

PLAYOFFS
₁Montréal Royals vs. ₈ Montréal Cotdelapomais
₂Rouen Caribou vs. ₇ Hamilton Tigers
₃Albionpool Oak Leafs vs. ₆ Portsmouth Mallards
₄Baltimore Gulls vs. ₅ Sorel Pomhommes

Playoff Preview!

Another year, another blood feud in round one between Les Citoyens and the Royals- the current core of the Montréal Royals have never been able to bounce their more popular neighbours out of the playoffs, but conventional wisdom around the CHL says this might be the year- Les Citoyens limped into the playoffs in the last week, and the Royals looked great. All we know is that in this series, there will be blood. This is the most brutal rivalry in the CHL, and perhaps in all of Cotdelapomais sport, and whilst neither team has a big fighter, they both have their share of agitators.

Once again Rouen Caribou had a strong season, and once again they are punished by being made to face the defending Dumas Cup champion Hamilton Tigers in round one. Benoît Cohen would like to gain some measure of vengeance on Jean-Luc Barr, and the Tigers would like to get back at Andrus Alexopopoulus, who left his feet to nail Einar Bergsson midway through the season. Bergsson was injured for two weeks, and the two teams did not meet again.

Albionpool vs. Portsmouth is an interesting matchup, experience against youth, big market against small, et cetera. The Oak Leafs are clearly set up for this to be the year they win the Dumas Cup, and they will stop at nothing to win it. Portsmouth are just happy to be back in the playoffs, but that doesn't mean Louis Periard and company will just roll over. Sacha Courcelles is one of the best goaltenders in the CHL, and is precisely the sort of goalie who can get hot and win a series or two all on his own.

Speaking of goaltending, it'll definitely be on display in the most unexpected series of the playoffs. Nobody picked either Baltimore or Sorel to be here at the beginning of the season, with both teams arriving in the top 8 way ahead of schedule. The Gulls are there largely due to the indomitable goaltending of Markos de Raek, whose sub-2.00 GAA and .940 save percentage were both the best in the league, giving him a runaway Roy Trophy. Sorel are here through a strong team effort, but don't discredit the goaltending of Julian Morris- he got the benefit of a team in front of him that blocked loads of shots, but he made the saves he needed to make all season, and the Pomhommes conceded the 5th fewest goals in the CHL.

Infosport.cdp (Cotdelapomais Sport Newswire)

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