World Cup of Hockey 39 - Everything thread

[Savojarna]

SavojarSports.sj - inside reports from all Savojarna
Awaiting the Showdown: Do we need to beat the Goldhorns?

By Johan Nyström
Savojarna have passed their bye day without the luck the side would have needed in order to stay in pole position for the KO games. The Northlights have not expected to miss the knock-out games at all, but the group shook out to a difficult state thanks to their surprising loss to Vangaziland off the back of an individual mistake by first Ville Kerjanen, and then Victor Troels, to allow two late goals - you have probably seen the match and recall the horror, so I shall no longer torture you with it. However, as Vangaziland have lost their opener to Trolleborg and received the expected zero from their match against Siovanija and Teusland, hope had returned to the Savojars that they might just have managed to lose the exact right game, the one that would not matter for their final standings if the decisive opponent would be Trolleborg rather than the Vangazis. For that to happen, however, Vangaziland would have had to lose to Sarzonia, as their victory against the Stars put them tied with Savojarna, with the head-to-head advantage falling to Vangaziland. However, the Northlights have all the power in their own hands as the Vangazis will rest today, leaving Savojarna to close out the job in their final match against the so far unbeaten Goldhorns of S&T.

On face, the way to the octofinals is simple for Savojarna: If they get a single point, they will have overcome Vangaziland and have pushed themselves into second place, with Trolleborg mathematically unable to catch up. A victory in regulation would even see them take the group on account of winning the head-to-head with S&T, with each team having collected nine points. Any overtime would see Savojarna come second behind the Goldhorns - but if they lose, it gets more complicated. In that event, Savojarna come in with six points, just like Vangaziland. If Sarzonia win their closer against Trolleborg, the tie remains between the Northlights and the purple and red, in which case Vangaziland qualify on head-to-head. But it gets truly interesting if Trolleborg win their game, leading to a three-way-tie at six points each, and a three-way-tie in the head-to-head among the trio. In this case, we would have to look at the results between the three affected teams. Vangaziland lost their opener to Trolleborg 5-3, and beat the Savojars 4-3, leaving them at -1. With Savojarna beating Trolleborg only 0-1, the Trolls would actually take this one on a +1 differential, while the Northlights would come in third with a goal differential of 0 against Vangaziland and Trolleborg. On the bottom line, that means: Points against S&T are required to qualify.

How easy, or rather how hard, will it be then to beat the Goldhorns and take this required point? On the plus side, the Savojars will go into this clash with their tournament life on the line. We will see them play on the intensity of a knockout match, and they will not hold back even in the slightest. On the other hand, S&T are already qualified and while they may want to secure group victory and an unbeaten group stage, it’s always easy to subconsciously take back the intensity a little bit and to shy away from the most aggressive plays from a fear to get hurt in the process, or simply from a little bit of good, old, human laziness. But this is not a side where we can expect to see much of that, and while there is definitely a chance that they will not be putting in their very last bit, the Savojars will probably still struggle with a side that is known for their valour and intensity of play.

[Banija]

World Cup of Hockey- Crusaders goalie Dewa Bangè carrying Banijan national ice hockey team to second straight knockout stage appearance

CLAYQUOT, ETNIER, KELSSEK- The World Cup of Hockey is well underway, and the Banijans find themselves, with a game remaining, having clinched a berth in the knockout stages of the tournament with a game remaining. The national team has competed fiercely in this tournament, which was always going to be difficult for them. WE all know the difficulties that surround Banijan ice hockey- and yet, the Banijan Hockey Federation has managed to put together a consistently competitive team. WCoH 34, in Savojarna, was the first highlight for Banijan ice hockey, as they made a stunning trip to the quarterfinals of that tournament before being eliminated in an extremely close matchup by Savojarna. But the Cinderella nature of that trip to the quarterfinals was confirmed at the next couple of tournaments- the Banijan teams didn't do anything following that up, just quietly fading into the background.

But the allure of a Cinderella trip to the quarterfinals was fading. Going further and further back in time, it was getting hard to remember. Banijan ice hockey fans needed new memories to build around. They needed a team that they could get behind that was reasonably competitive. It is possible for Banija to climb all the way to the top of that mountain. Technically, of course- any team that is in this tournament could theoretically reach the top. But for the Banijans to win the actual World Cup of Hockey, there are more mountains that must be climbed. But the BHF has been doing this- they have built a strong base of places to pull Banijan hockey players from, and Banijan migrant communities seem to be enthusiastic about Banijan hockey.

When the World Cup of Hockey returned to Savojarna, Banijan ice hockey made a strong return to the fold, fielding yet another competitive team and getting to the quarterfinals, whiskers away from advancing to their fist ever semifinal, falling in an overtime 11 goal thriller with Mercedini. It was a tough way to be eliminated, but it showed- Banija's Cinderella run from all those years ago could be replicated. It wasn't simply about one miracle- but about building a bench, a solid base of players. Could the expectation for Banijan hockey eventually become the Round of 16? We're not just for sightseeing, of course- you compete in these sports to do well, and win games. Even if championships aren't a realistic expectation yet, nobody just wants to get eliminated repeatedly in the group stages.

The pressure was on this side, then, as they arrived in Kelssek. Could they, for the first time, have success outside of Savojarna? Could they make the knockout stages in back to back tournaments for the first time ever? They have done so, clinching a spot in the Round of 16 with a game left, and therefore cementing themselves as a solid ice hockey team. Not great, but good. Good enough to get to this stage in back to back tournaments, good enough where teams must be wary of them. But man, how different could this tournament be from the last one? Last time around, we rode an explosive offense to the knockout stages, living and dying by it, as even five goals against Mercedini was not enough to get past them into the semifinals. An 8 goal performance against BOLGANO and a 6 goal performance against HUElavia showed their team's skill level.

But this time around, everything has changed. It isn't about the offense, but about this team's suffocating defense. Or, specifically, the stellar play of the team's goaltender, Dewa Bangè. He was the team's third-string goalie last time around, and didn't' get any playing time as the much older veterans in front of him split time in net. But he's waited patiently and got his chance. Heading into camp, it wasn't clear that Dewa Bangè would be named the starter, even though he was the only returning goaltender, but Odongo named him the team's starting goaltender just a couple of days before the start of the tournament. And he has not looked back, as Dewa Bangè has quickly emerged as Banija's star player. Banija has only allowed one goal throughout this whole tournament, and that was in an overtime powerplay situation to Abanhfleft.

Dewa Bangè has been dominant in net. In the Banijans first game, a relatively easy 3-0 win against group cellar dwellars New Moreessia Ban, Dewa Bangè made 17 saves against 17 shots faced, having an absolutely fantastic game, although the Banijans were simply generally dominant in all facets of the game. It got more interesting in their second game. A goal on the power play saw the Banijans take a 1-0 lead in the second period, and that was it for the scoring, as the Banijans held on for the 1-0 victory. Look at the challenge faced and presented by Fluvannia. For the entire game, people were on a razor's edge, as the Banijans struggled to generate offense. But the back lines, and especially Dewa Bangè, were on top of their games. It was a high-wire act, but he was able to do it, making 26 saves in their tight, 1-0 win. The fact that they were able to get that win in regulation was key- another 3 points, instead of 2.

The schedule, of course, did them favors. First two games both against unranked teams making their WCoH debuts, and all the nerves that come with that. And then, of course, a bye before they face Abanhfleft, the team's top ranked group. And lastly, of course, still having a match left after Abanhfleft, just in case they need points. If the Banijans could have made themselves the schedule after getting this group, it is basically the exact schedule Odongo would have asked for. All winning teams need a little bit of luck, eh? Against Abanhfleft, Dewa Bangè had the game of his life. He made a Banijan record 37 saves, not conceding during regulation and the game getting to overtime at 0-0. A poorly timed foul by Kausu Faye, with a minute left in the 3v3 overtime period, saw the Banijans outmanned, 4 to 3. The Banijans were not going to be successful on that penalty kill, and with just 15 seconds left before a shootout was required, Abanhfleft became the first team to beat Dewa Bangè this whole tournament. Broke his streak of 184+ scoreless minutes, and got Abanhfleft two points and the win. However, the fact that Dewa Bangè even got them to overtime gave them a singular point, and put them into the knockout stages.

Martial Odongo spoke about his goaltender after the game. "You know, when you have a superstar, you got to ride him. And Dewa Bangè? Absolutely a star. Look at what he's done. He's single-handedly kept us in games at points. The Crusaders are very fortunate to have him, because he's simply unstoppable." And Odongo certainly is not wrong. Dewa Bangè has lightning quick reactions. Odongo credits it to his upbringing in St.Jakob. "He's been playing in a serious hockey culture for a long time, and that benefits him. He doesn't worry about the pressure, he doesn't let success get to his head. He'll make a fantastic save, and he'll just high-five his teammates and be ready for the next one. That's the kind of steady hand you need if you are going to ride your goalie through a major tournament- never gets too high, never gets too low, always gets locked in. We're blessed to have him."

Of course, with a berth in the knockout stages already clinched, they expect for Dewa Bangè to be benched and the Blue Thunder goaltender, Adama Singateh, to get his first taste of the World Cup of Hockey. Terre Septentrionale will certainly be a tough opponent, so the Banijans are fortunate that they are already in the next round. The table in Group C is decided- Abanhfleft cannot be caught, since they are 4 points ahead of Banija. Banija cannot be caught, as we are 4 points ahead of everyone else. We'll see if giving Dewa Bangè a chance to rest up will pay some dividends, as the goal for Martial Odongo's side has to be to reach our 2nd consecutive quarterfinal.

GBHL Update
- While this magazine will surely have more to say on this before the Round of 16 commences, GBHL officials, who requested anonymity, have described Schemerdrecht, in Ko-oren, as their 'ideal' place for a 14th franchise. One official said that discussions with Schemerdrecht have put them on the top of their wishlist, and another went so far to say that, barring anything truly shocking, the 14th franchise tender would almost 'certainly' be awarded to Schemerdrecht.

[Siovanija and Teusland]

Kirsche’s Corner
With Oskar Kirsche and Ronald Mensing

“Good evening Siovanija & Teusland, I’m Ronald Mensing and beside me is Oskar Kirsche. Oskar, the Goldhorns are up 3-0 here at the first intermission over Trolleborg, what was the key to that big opening frame?”

“Well, boy, they were just coming forward wave after wave, weren’t they? There was some rust in the last couple games, the guys are getting to know each other again, catching up to each other, but they’re flying now I tell ya! That top line, Pfenning was just dominant out there.”

“Gunter Pfenning had a great period indeed, Oskar, getting an assist on the opening goal. What did you make of the sequence around Alex Schnyder’s opener?”

“Kids, watch what Schiele does here! I tell ya, that Schiele, good Teus boy, he just flies out there! Watch, he goes up and hits, uh, Lindelkov-

“Limburn.”
“Same thing, and he hits him, finishes his check, then picks up the puck. Then he resets behind the net, fakes the pass and flies up the right side to start the rush. 3-on-2, Schiele to Pfenning, Pfenning to Schynder, not a chance for the goalie there I tell ya!”

“Alex Schnyder does have a great shot, Oskar, and he hits the crossbar a few minutes later on a Goldhorns powerplay.”

“I was a little worried when that happened, Ron, I can’t lie, it looked like the puck luck was going their way a little bit. Credit to Trolleborg, they killed that penalty, Niuewetenko-

“Niuewenburg, Oskar, I swear you do it intentionally sometimes”

“Nieuwens, he blocks the shot from Schwarzmann - takes some courage to do that I tell ya! Hardest shot in the Ehrenliga! Maybe he didn’t know that, I don’t know, but it was a nice play.”

“The next powerplay, however, would see the Goldhorns extend their lead off a great shot from Edwin Ranger.”

“Didn’t I tell ya he would rebound from that period against Vangaland the other night? Kid scored the winning goal in that one, and this was a big goal here too. How do you stop a shot like that? Just picks his corner, bam! 2-0.”

“Trolleborg came close to cutting the Goldhorns’ advantage in half with just a few minutes to go in the period, as a shot from Drake Drakeson hit the post after being deflected. Oskar, you wanted to show the clip here.”

“How many times do I have to say it: don’t put your stick down in front of the shot! Schwarzmann, he knows better than that! Puck just ramps off his stick, and if it’s an inch lower it’s in the net. Kids, this is what not to do.”

“Schwarzmann overall had a good period, though, Oskar.”

“Well, he did, yeah, he had a big hit on Strow there and you love to see that! I like him, he’s a good player, and I already gave him credit on the hard shot there, so I’m OK to criticize him on that one!”

“Siovanija & Teusland made the score 3-0 with a goal in the final minute of the first period, Razvigor Tsvetanov getting his 4th of the tournament on a one-timer. Anything to say here?”

“Tsvetikanov, he’s having himself a tournament boy I tell ya! Pfenning gets the pass across, and it’s in the net before the goalie even sees it! That’s the way to play the game.”

“So, Oskar, if the Goldhorns hold on here-”

“Stop giving me ‘if.’ Trolleborg might get one or two here, but this game’s over. They’ve played well, but we’re playing better.”

“Still 40 minutes to go, Oskar, and if the Goldhorns hold onto the lead their game with Savojarna on the final day of group play will determine the final group standings. The Goldhorns have already qualified for the knockout round, but a win would secure 1st seed from the group. Anything to say on this game?”

“I’m looking forward to it, Savo-uh, Savjarnia-”

“Oskar, we’ve been there before. It’s Savojarna.”

“Savojarna, yeah, they love their hockey I tell ya, and it’s going to be a good game! They’ll be playing for their lives, and our guys are gonna want that 1st spot. This is a game I think you’ll see a lot of from now on, these teams both have bright futures I tell ya! It's gonna be a good one, we’re gonna win, though, I think.”

“Looking forward to the final 40 minutes here and then a big game with Savojarna, I’m Ronald Mensing, this is Oskar Kirsche and that was Kirsche’s Corner. Back to the action now at the Portage Centre.”

Siovanija & Teusland 5-2 Trolleborg
Portage Centre, Clayquot, Kelssek - World Cup of Hockey 39, Game 3

Goals: Schnyder, Ranger, Tsvetanov, Gottschall, Hasselberger

[-Anthor-]

Ducks Drop Crucial Shoutout, Need Final Win
Despite a strong start, the Ducks losing a 2-1 shootout with Free Republics highlights a less-than ideal campaign

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Gnaeus Tanicius Vopiscus (@Gnaeus Tanicius Vopiscus)(TH)
^{Beltra 3, 605AE 91:00 AM | Vaumort, Anthor}

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Vaumort, Anthor(Herald) — This year's campaign for Horn and the Ducks began with such promise, having trumped the reigning champions in Neu Engollon in a thrilling 11 goal match, 6-5. However, everything after that was downhill, and while there may have been contributing factors such as injuries to Alexander Blackman (lower back), Adam Bohatec (left knee, out for rest of World Cup), and what appeared to be some miscommunication between Lucius Horn and Justin Ryan, evident most clearly in last minute changes to shootout takers in the Free Republics match last night, a match that went to shootout after remaining tied 1-1 in regular time and saw the Republicans take home the victory after a 2-1 shootout win. This is now the second time that the Ducks failed to win a shootout, the first time coming against international newcomer TJUN-ia, with either side failing to break the 3-3 tie but the relative rookies taking the shootout 1-0.

With the absence of two of their stronger, most consistent scorers, it was evident that the Ducks were suffering, particularly when it came to scoring under high pressure, needed to win situations; see both the Free Republican and TJUN games for further evidence. Petre Califrnia was brought up to fill in Blackman's hole on the second line but struggled to establish a consistent play, displaying moments of great skill but often found himself out of line, he was flagged offside too frequently, or just out of position which may have something to do with the other members of his line more suited for higher speed plays than he is used to, he's much more of a power forward than a speedster.

With the loss to the Free Republics, Anthor's ability to advance into the knockout stages is in deep peril. Their final match for this World Cup will be this evening against Gregary, a side that has certainly performed to a higher level than the Ducks have, narrowly losing to Neu Engollon 1-0 and recently coming off of an equally close victory over TJUN-ia 1-0, the Ducks will have to certainly be careful if they want to trounce Gregary, which would give them two wins, but even that would not secure an advancement, for Neu Engollon already has 2 wins, and Free Republic can also secure a 2nd win easily. Both of those teams would need to lose in order for the Ducks to advance, for Free Republics would beat the Ducks on tiebreakers, though the Ducks hold it over the current World Cup champions. Regardless of the precarious situation, Horn seems keen on keeping any pressure on his team and the players down, stating to media sources that he acknowledges it's a high pressure game,but was more than confident of the ability of his players to overcome, and secure the victory.

He also announced some notable lineup changes, with Blackman and Bohatec still out to injury, Hugo Edlund also listed out due to an wrist injury in practice. The first line will remain with Austin Poindexter, Graham Robertson, however Harold Jewel will swap with Kersey up to the second line, Kersey moving to wing on the 2nd. He will be joined on the second line by wingers Micah Mallinson ,and centered by Scott Bebbington. Third line will consist of Bert Tabor and Timothy McLeish, centered by Simon Morisette, and the fourth line will be tenatively formed by Dylan Haddon, Petr Califrnia, and Aidan Trendall, though Horn did state that players who see time in the third or fourth time will be selected based on their performance in practices that the team holds.

Gnaeus Tanicus Vopiscus contributed to this article.

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[Trolleborg]

Greetings!
This is TTV crew from Ulyanof, pretty city with almost pastoral feel.

Alas, our team also lost the last game. Despite the support of local fans, Trolleborg was not up to the task of standing up to the level of the group's favorite. However, we should be comforted that our opponents - whatever you say, it’s the fourth most powerful team of multiverse - recognized us as a worthy opponent. However, this cannot be said, if you take only a final score into account. Already by the first break we concede three goals, but, however, then our players managed to sharpen the game, twice shortened the gap to two goals, our goalkeeper make a valiant effort and put away fourty-four of the shots, but in the end we experienced heavy defeat, 2:5.

Ruud Hallgren and Drake Drakesson find the net for Trolleborg, at 24:14 and 37:17 respectively.

Today we are waiting for the final match of the group stage, and there will be a meeting with our old friends from Sarzonia, to whom we lost one of the pre-tournament friendlies. Morten Gould announced, that for the in the interests of further development of the national team he intends to make serious changes in the squad for this game, reassigning players between lines. It’s interesting to see which way he takes: concentrate of sharpest and best players or prefers to create four roughly equal lines.

Of course, you not see right now such festivities like that followed after a victory over Vangaziland, but our fans are clearly visible and heard in transport on the way to the city and everywhere on its streets.
As always, at the end of the major tournament - if the hosts organized it well - a grateful procession of Trolleborg fans was arranged: they marched with a huge banner “Thank you, Kelssek!” and tied ribbons with the colors of the national flag of the hosts to their scarves.

Although this game does not matter in terms of tournament prospects, both national leader and king arrived to support our team. The king visited the team’s locker room and tried to find the most soulful words for players.

Due to advanced age he will watch the match from the rostrum for honored guests, while the national leader chose himself a place among the fans, wearing a national team T-shirt and a scarf in the colors of the national flag, presented to him by the young talents of Trolleborg last year at the hockey tournament for U17.

[Kelssek]

Coach Dennis Emberly was pleased to go into the first period leading 1-0. “Great period fellas, great period. We gotta keep pushin. OK? These guys are gonna come right back at us. Remember, it takes three goals to win a hockey game. This is it, alright? This is it. This is the game we make a statement. Let’s go.”

He was also pleased to be leading 2-1 at the second intermission. This called for a team talk that would be a bit more steely.

“How many goals do we need to win a hockey game?”

“Three?” a few players said.

“How fucking many?” Dennis yelled.

“Three!”

Dennis stormed out for emphasis.

“...no tactical adjustments?” muttered Julien Lescarbeau in French when the coast was clear.

* * *
“What’s that call for, stripes?” Dennis yelled.

“Your player got his stick in the hands. Easy one to make.”

“Seriously? Filiao slashed our guy’s stick right out his hands three minutes ago. And you call that one. Fine. Fine!” he said, in the tone of voice that meant it was certainly not fine.

A vital penalty kill here for Kelssek with 11:23 remaining in the game. Scramble draw... Oh, and did that puck go straight out? Torrhen’s saying it went off the glass, the Vilita and Turori players want a delay of game... The officials are conferring here. It’s a penalty! Vilita and Turori are going to have nearly two minutes of 5-on-3...

The fans braced for the worst.

Suzgar... to the half wall... pass across to Chiate, one-timer, SCORES!! Vilita and Turori tie it up! The crowd doesn’t like it, Dennis Emberly doesn’t like it...

No one talked in the locker room afterwards. The wind had gone right out of Kelssek’s sails and the winning goal had the feeling of inevitability about it. Vilita and Turori had just been too strong once they’d gotten the tying goal.

[Recuecn]

"Here, take a look at this." Berthe Arcenaux handed Elea Lörtscher her phone. The browser, into which Berthe had typed "wcoh standings", was open, and she'd scrolled down to where Google was showing the current standings for group H.

Elea squinted and zoomed in with her thumb and forefinger.



"It's not as bad as it looks though, just because we're almost at the bottom... right?"

"Well... what do you mean?"

"Like, it's us versus Saint Saratoga and La Fiorita for the second spot in the group, but La Fiorita's played all their games, and our last game is against Saint Saratoga. Normally even that'd look pretty grim but the group's not ranked by goal difference—well, I mean, it is here, but the tie-breaker is head-to-head, not goal differential. So it's win and in."

"That's what I thought. But that's then I saw this," Berthe said, leaning over to point at the table.

"What?"

"Look, Taeshan is grayed out, 'cause they can't advance. But La Fiorita's not. So it can't be that simple."

"Ohh..." Elea's face fell, and Berthe knew exactly what was going through her head, because it was the first thing she'd thought too, when she'd realized. La Fiorita beat us head-to-head. Does that mean we can't get in?

"Ok, no, it's fine. It just means it would be a three-way tie if we won. So they use a different tie-breaker."

"What do they use?"

"How the hell am I supposed to know? Who even looks up tie-breakers past the first one?" Elea handed Berthe her phone back.

"Well presumably, people who know it's gonna matter for them. So, us. Like, we should definitely know that."

Elea pulled her own phone out and started typing something into it. Berthe was still peering at the Group H table. "This is weird," she said.

"What?"

"They show the record for each team's last five games, but we haven't had five games."

Elea leaned over to take a look. "Not as part of the World Cup of Hockey Federation," she said. "Those are probably our olympic games. All wins."

"So then why does it link to games from the last World Cup for the other teams? Or look, in La Fiorita's case, there's just no data there."

"Who knows man," said Elea. "Hey, here's the tie-breaker list. It says the next tiebreaker is head-to-head goal differential."

"Is that a thing?" asked Berthe.

"I literally didn't think it was. Hang on let me do some math."

"La Fiorita beat us by four goals. There's no way they're not first."

"No, you're right. They lost to Saint Saratoga by one so their goal differential is three to our negative three."

"Bordel," said Berthe. So it's not 'win and in'. We have to beat Saint Saratoga by six goals."

"Ja."

"Bordel, putain."

[Sarzonia]

The alarm at 6 a.m. Kelssek time wasn't what woke up Erik Weinert. It was the sound of sobbing.

It was 4:26 a.m. and Weinert woke up when he heard Jacob Parsons in the midst of a crying jag. He got out of bed and turned on the light on the nightstand next to his bed and walked over to the outside of the bathroom.

"Jake?"

Weinert heard more sobs, then a quiet "come in, Erik," then he tentatively walked in. He saw Parsons stand up, then stretched out both arms and embraced Parsons in a hug. The two players stood there as Parsons lowered his head onto Weinert's shoulder and the tears flowed onto Weinert's T-shirt. For his part, Weinert simply put his right hand on the back of Parson's head, first barely grazing it, then gradually a little more firmly. About 10 minutes later, Parsons finally stopped crying and the two men finally broke contact. He looked at Weinert, smiled and said, "thank you, Erik."

"Anytime," Weinert whispered back, then he hugged Parsons again.

Later that day, Parsons and Weinert approached manager Paul Bremerton and Parsons admitted he was having a bad day. He couldn't pinpoint anything specific, but he was just feeling like shit.

Bremerton nodded. He'd learned a considerable amount of information about mental health in the days since Parsons struggled to just get out of bed prior to the Siovanija and Teusland match. He learned that depression isn't necessarily being bummed out about anything specific, like Parsons giving up a goal he wished he'd have back or a romantic partner cheating on you. It sometimes included amazingly great days when you feel like everything you do is touched with gold and it included bad days when even getting out of bed to use the bathroom was a chore the sufferer felt was too much.

Bremerton had already told Matt Peterson to get ready to start the match against Vangaziland, and he played a great game, notching 27 saves and only giving up a goal to Rashard Lee at 18:21 of the third period. Right wing and team captain Jonas Sundstrom had the other goal that came 36 seconds after Peterson skated off for a sixth attacker. The result was yet another shutout defeat for the Stars, one that leaves them as one of only three teams without a goal in the World Cup of Hockey, along with the Royal Kingdom of Quebec and Taeshan. All three teams have been eliminated from knockout round contention.

With the Stars now playing merely for pride, Bremerton said he would still play the starting lineup against Trolleborg, calling it "a matter of pride.

"We don't want to leave here without at least scoring a goal and hopefully we can get a result," Bremerton said. "We know we're looking to build on something for the future of Sarzonian hockey, and we expected to take some lumps here in this current World Cup.

As for the starter in goal, Bremerton said he wouldn't commit to any of the three netminders.

"We want to see where Jacob's at tomorrow night before we decide if he's going to play against Trolleborg. Otherwise, I might want to see what [third choice goalkeeper] Yuri [Evgenikov] can do in a game that counts. Bremerton realised that Evgenikov already played against Trolleborg in the pre-World Cup friendly, but added that the stakes would be different since Trolleborg still had an outside chance at qualifying for the proper whilst the Stars are beginning to pack their bags to return home.

"We owe it to ourselves to play our best hockey and see where that takes us," Bremerton said. As for Peterson, he was non-committal about whether or not he'd try to lace up his skates for one more go after coming back from retirement to compete in the World Cup of Hockey.

"I haven't made that decision yet," he said. "Right now, my focus is on doing well in this tournament and making sure Jake is OK."

[Kelssek]

Group A
Gergary 0–1 Anthor
Neu Engollon 11–5 TJUN-ia

  Group A                 Pld   W OTW OTL   L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Neu Engollon              4   3   0   0   1   19  11  +8    9 Q
2 Anthor                    4   2   0   2   0    8   8   0    8 Q
3 Free Republics            4   1   2   0   1    8   5  +3    7
4 Gergary                   4   1   0   1   2    3   5  -2    4
5 TJUN-ia                   4   0   1   0   3    8  18 -10    2 


Group B
Bolgano 2–1 Vdara
Cassadaigua 2–0 Mercedini

  Group B                 Pld   W OTW OTL   L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Cassadaigua               4   3   1   0   0   11   1 +10   11 Q
2 Mercedini                 4   2   0   0   2    7   7   0    6 Q
3 Bolgano                   4   2   0   0   2    4   7  -3    6
4 Qasden                    4   1   0   1   2    5   4  -1    4
5 Vdara                     4   1   0   0   3    4  12  −8    3

Mercedini over Bolgano on head-to-head result (3-1, MD4).

Group C
Terre Septentrionale 4–4 Banija (4–5 OT)
New Moreessia Ban 1–2 Fluvannia

  Group C                 Pld   W OTW OTL   L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Abanhfleft                4   3   1   0   0   19   8 +11   11 Q
2 Banija                    4   2   1   1   0    9   5  +4    9 Q
3 Fluvannia                 4   2   0   0   2    9  14  −5    6 
4 Terre Septentrionale      4   1   0   1   2   12  12   0    4 
5 New Moreessia Ban         4   0   0   0   4    4  14 −10    0 

Group D
Trolleborg 0–1 Sarzonia
Savojarna 2–1 Siovanija and Teusland

  Group D                 Pld   W OTW OTL   L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Savojarna                 4   3   0   0   1    7   5  +2    9 Q
2 Siovanija and Teusland    4   3   0   0   1   14   8  +6    9 Q
3 Vangaziland               4   2   0   0   2   13  13   0    6
4 Sarzonia                  4   1   0   0   3    1   6  −5    3 
5 Trolleborg                4   1   0   0   3    7  10  -3    3 

Savojarna over Siovanija and Teusland on head-to-head result, Sarzonia over Trolleborg on head-to-head result

Group E
Vilita and Turori 1–0 Adyatin
Royal Kingdom of Quebec 1–0 Kelssek

  Group E                 Pld   W OTW OTL   L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Vilita and Turori         4   4   0   0   0   11   3  +8   12 Q
2 Kelssek                   4   2   0   0   2    6   4  +2    6 Q
3 Swiaji                    4   1   1   0   2    6   7  −1    5
4 Royal Kingdom of Quebec   4   1   0   1   2    1   7  −6    4
5 Adyatin                   4   1   0   0   3    3   6  -3    3


Group F
HUElavia 2–2 Devonta (2–3 OT)
Nikaton 2–1 Oscioru

  Group F                 Pld   W OTW OTL   L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Equestria                 4   4   0   0   0   12   5  +7   12 Q
2 HUElavia                  4   2   0   1   1    9   8  +1    7 Q
3 Devonta                   4   1   1   0   2    5   5   0    5
4 Nikaton                   4   1   0   0   3    5   9  −4    3 
5 Oscioru                   4   1   0   0   3    5   9  -4    3

Nikaton over Oscioru on head-to-head result.

Group G
Gyatso-kai 0–1 Imperial Joseon
Ko-oren 0–0 Kita-Hinode (1–0 SO)

  Group G                 Pld   W OTW OTL   L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
1 Ko-oren                   4   3   1   0   0    8   1  +7   11 Q
2 Kita-Hinode               4   2   1   1   0    9   3  +6    9 Q
3 Imperial Joseon           4   2   0   0   2    4   9  −5    6 
4 Gyatso-kai                4   1   0   1   2    5   5   0    4 
5 Kandonica                 4   0   0   0   4    1   9  −8    0 

Group H
Reçueçn 0–0 St. Saratoga (1–0 OT)
Taeshan 3–3 Valanora (3–4 OT)

  Group H                 Pld   W OTW OTL   L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Valanora                  4   3   1   0   0   11   3  +8   11 Q
2 St. Saratoga              4   2   1   0   1    3   2  +1    7 Q
3 La Fiorita                4   2   0   0   2    8   6  +2    6
4 Reçueçn                   4   1   1   0   2    5  10  −5    5
5 Taeshan                   4   0   0   1   3    3   7  −4    1

Seeding                    Pld   W OTW OTL   L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
 1 Vilita and Turori         4   4   0   0   0   11   3  +8   12
 2 Equestria                 4   4   0   0   0   12   5  +7   12
 3 Abanhfleft                4   3   1   0   0   19   8 +11   11
 4 Cassadaigua               4   3   1   0   0   11   1 +10   11 
 5 Valanora                  4   3   1   0   0   11   3  +8   11
 6 Ko-oren                   4   3   1   0   0    8   1  +7   11
 7 Neu Engollon              4   3   0   0   1   19  11  +8    9 
 8 Savojarna                 4   3   0   0   1    7   5  +2    9
--- Second place teams----
 9 Siovanija and Teusland    4   3   0   0   1   14   8  +6    9
10 Kita-Hinode               4   2   1   1   0    9   3  +6    9
11 Banija                    4   2   1   1   0    9   5  +4    9
12 Anthor                    4   2   0   2   0    8   8   0    8
13 HUElavia                  4   2   0   1   1    9   8  +1    7
14 St. Saratoga              4   2   1   0   1    3   2  +1    7
15 Kelssek                   4   2   0   0   2    6   4  +2    6
16 Mercedini                 4   2   0   0   2    7   7   0    6

Round of 16 fixtures
Vilita and Turori vs. Mercedini - Salmonwynd Arena, Redswyth
Savojarna vs. Siovanija and Teusland - Harbourside Gardens, Kirkenes
Valanora vs. Anthor - Bantam Yard, Latrobe
Cassadaigua vs. HUElavia - Laineá Arena, Alavaria
Abanhfleft vs. St. Saratoga - Northlands Coliseum, Vickery
Ko-oren vs. Banija - Aréna Olympique, Langlois
Neu Engollon vs. Kita-Hinode - Portage Centre, Clayquot
Equestria vs. Kelssek - Eolienne Dome, Mazinaw

[Ko-oren]

It's Them Again

Protests as the Dragonflies play their final group stage game in the Atlantian Oceanian 'third' jersey, the face off was delayed for several minutes during which only the Hinodejin players were on the ice to stay warm. A group stage game between some of the highest ranked teams to compete during said group stage, at least, that was supposed to be the main draw for the game. Instead, it was about Dragonfly antics, players rebelling against the GBHL's decision to put a team in domestic ice hockey's promised land, the city of Schemerdrecht. Once play was under way, it turned out that this was indeed a game between two similar teams. There was nothing really to compete for, both teams were sure to go to the second round even before the game. Ko-oren's bye on the same day as Kita-Hinode's win over Gyatso-kai put this group to bed one round before the end. Other groups were a lot tighter, though in most cases at least one team was sure to go to the round of 16. Vilita and Turori, Equestria, Valanora, Ko-oren and Kita-Hinode, the usual suspects. The only other group that was locked up before play was through was Group C involving Abanhfleft and Banija.

Group A saw the Free Republics take a lead before their final round bye - and was then overtaken by Anthor and Neu Engollon, the latter destroying TJUN-ia 11-5. Eleven to five. Bolgano did all it could to surpass Mercedini in Group B, winning 2-1 over Vdara while Mercedini lost 2-0 to Cassadaigua, and even then Bolgano was behind on goal difference. Group D, open until the end, eventually went to Savojarna and Siovanija and Teusland, the final round game between the two qualifiers ending in a 2-1 win for Savojarna. The hosts joined Vilita and Turori as Group E's survivors. St. Saratoga got out of Group H alive despite a sudden loss to Reçueçn in overtime. Taeshan found itself in last place, with a single point, in that group. Unfortunate.

In the end, the Dragonflies are the 6th best group winner on a mediocre goal difference. Eight goals scored, one conceded, which should once again confirm our status as defensive powerhouses. Unfortunately, it also signals that offensively, we're not too special. Any team to get a lead against us has at least a decent chance of holding on to that lead. Forcing goals in the WCoH's later stage has always been a problem, and we're facing a decent defence in the next round.

Sparks will fly. Ice might melt.

It's Ko-oren versus Banija.

Quickly growing into our main all-sports rivalry, the Green and Blue has been on the same field, pitch, rink, diamond, oval as the Green and Orange a lot in the last decade. Usually, these matches dictate quite a bit, appearing in knockout stages more often than not.

Even worse this time is the context and the sport. Remember the upheaval over a certain ice hockey league's team placement? Ko-oren's domestic scene is tied exclusively to the northern coast and has been contemplating putting a team in a bigger market to eventually claim its place as a true national league - the obvious choice being the city of Schemerdrecht - until it was beaten there by the GBHL. The Greater Banijan Hockey League. The very protests coming from the northeastern corner of the country, various league bigwigs, and some emotional players, all directed at Banija in some way, shape, or form, can now be directed even more directly. Especially the Aerellen players, whose names often start with Ao, Ae, Ai, etcetera, will be looking for a fight. Fighting is notoriously rare in Ko-orenite ice hockey, but not completely outlawed more than in most other leagues, and we should see who still has it in them to drop the gloves.

Very little other news has come from the domestic league in light of the final group stage round, awaiting the Round of 16 opponent. Now that it's Banija, we expect more silence from the league's powerful figures. Any comment would only be taken out of context and frankly come across a bit reactionary. No doubt that we'll see the league take a less emotional stance on the GBHL soon, after which we expect the first plans for relocation/expansion to be unfolded.

While internet users in Aerellen are divided and vile Quacks are exchanged over popular social media website Quac.kor, and accounts in Nordoren/Poolrugge are also included, even the national team players are involved in some quiet discussions. No players have publicly voiced their opinion on the matter, but several players have made it clear that the 19-man selection includes opinions of all shapes and sizes. Only Nim Curumbah has dared to name his teammates, saying that most West Coast players are exempt from the debates. Him, Buck, Nyan, and Wamallu steer clear of the issue, while Alacia, Aiaros, Auvia, Aiamalod, and Eriren have discussed the events at length. According to Curumbah, Aiaros and Aiamalod are firm conservatives and want nothing to do with the Schemerdrecht team and any of its potential future players. Alacia and Eriren are fully accepting of the team, as long as it keeps its playerbase fully Banijan. Auvia himself commented that he has nothing against the team, and that he wouldn't outright dismiss the team if it needed his services. At the same time, all remaining players (the ones from Nordoren/Poolrugge and Sudaefjoll) sound very welcoming to the team, and they have previously stated that they are open to expansion on the Ko-orenite mainland - including founding a team in a city like Schemerdrecht.

Ice hockey now stands before the most polarising issue in decades, but let it be clear that they could have seen it coming. Waiting it out has only resulted in the opinions being split in three different ways instead of two. It might just be too late to reconcile the three camps, causing ice hockey to fall further behind on its intention to become a national sport, enjoying the same status (and funding) as soccer, gridiron football, cricket, etcetera.

The issue sure seems to have pushed Quac.kor far. There are very few quacks that we could print without censoring some words - or at least angering our editors.

[HUElavia]

HUElavia Outlast Devonta to Advance to the Knockouts!

HUElavia came into Matchday 5 simply with one objective: To not lose in regular time against Devonta. 7 Points was the magic number to advance, as HUElavia just needed was to not lose in regular time to Devonta, which if that was to happen, Devonta would advance over Head-to-Head result in a tiebreaker. HUElavians knew this and came in droves to fill the arena, with it being much like a HUElavian home game with over 75% of the attendance being HUElavian supporters. Both teams came in fielding their 1st Line of attack and defense in hopes to gaining the advantage over each other.

The match in it's entirety was a back-and-forth display of attack with both teams playing as if they were on a never ending powerplay. The first goal came late in the 1st Period, with 3:23 left, as a pass from Chevchenko sent a pass to Giroux, who slid it between the legs of REDACTED and made it 1-0 for Los Amarillos. Giroux was mobbed by his teammates, while the crowd went crazy and celebrated with passion, all while the arena rumbled and Kernkraft 400 blasted throughout the arena. HUElavia took the advantage into the intermission with confidence that they could make history.

The second period was a microcosm of failure, as two quick goals by REDACTED and REDACTED with 9:08 and 8:30 left in the period saw, Vasilevskiy give up two crucial goals. The HUElavian crowd was stunned as the scoreboard read "HUElavia 1-2 Devonta," and a sense of anxiety grew as they saw themselves staring at elimination.

The third period saw pure attack from all lines by HUElavia, as Devonta was determined to maintain the lead and earn their spot in the Knockouts. Time went along and in the final minute of play, Vasilevskiy was pulled to bring in Roux as the 4th attacker on ice. Time ticked away until a pass by Garcon-Chevalier met the stick of Roux, who tipped it in past REDACTED with 3.1 seconds left. The crowd went into pure frenzy while Roux was mobbed as HUElavia got the tying goal to force into overtime at 2-2. Regular time ended, and HUElavia used their 2nd and 3rd Lines for Overtime, as a shot from REDACTED went in and ended the match at 2-3 for Devonta, but HUElavia got the point to advance.

FORCA HUELAVIA! VAMOS HUELAVIA! GO HUELAVIA!

[TJUN-ia]

CYCLE COMPLETE

17 Goals.....really? We wasn't expecting that....

Anyway, thanks for having us....we might come back next year.

What's next for TJUN-ia? It remains in mystery....

[Sarzonia]

The final match of a World Cup group stage for a team that's already been eliminated from contention for the knockout rounds is usually a chance for the depth players to see more time on the ice.

Most mangers might have started their third choice goaltender in the hopes of ensuring he got experience for a possible future edition.

However, nothing has been typical for the Sarzonian national ice hockey team. Not when their expected starter has been battling severe depression and has only started one match to that point in the competition.

When Jacob Parsons walked up to manager Paul Bremerton and said, "I can go, coach," Bremerton looked quizzically at his young netminder.

"Are you sure?"

"He's having one of his good days," team captain and roommate Erik Weinert said. He looked at Bremerton and said, "giving him a chance to show that he can still contribute and have value to this team would make a world of difference for anyone else battling mental health issues." Bremerton looked at his captain. Even though Weinert wasn't a psychologist, he seemed to get it when it came to mental health. Bremerton looked at his captain and his goalie and said, "Jake, get out there." The smile Parsons returned, along with the glint of gratitude in his eyes told Bremerton he was making the right decision.

Now came the difficult part: Telling both Matt Peterson and third choice goalie Yuri Evgenikov that they wouldn't see ice time in their final act against Trolleborg. However, that turned out a lot better with Peterson than Bremerton thought it would. Peterson seemed to sense the reason being an effort to show Parsons that he was still valued, still included, even though he went through severe mental health challenges that often cause people suffering to become isolated. The team became a band of brothers united in support and love for their teammate and this gesture would reflect that.

As for the game itself, Sylvan Turcotte would get the only goal of the match, and the tournament, and Sarzonia would end up winning the match against Trolleborg 1-0 to earn them a fourth place finish as the teams were level on points. The head-to-head tiebreaker ensured the Stars would not finish last, as their offence only netted the single goal in four matches. Even with the turmoil in net, the Stars only conceded six goals in four matches, with Parsons and his 32-save performance in the final group stage match providing the team's lone shutout.

After the match and after the traditional handshake line between the Stars and Trolleborg, the Stars players gathered around Parsons, who was named the No. 1 star with Turcotte named the second star. The team took turns giving Parsons long bear hugs in congratulations. When they left the ice and arrived in the dressing room, they celebrated with sparkling cider and speeches from Bremerton, Weinert, and Parsons.

The Stars wouldn't qualify for the knockout rounds and there was no Best of the Rest or similar tournament in ice hockey for them to play in. But even though they only tasted victory on ice once, they would later find out they would earn a victory of a different sort back home.

[Fluvannia]

DIVISION STREET JOURNAL

Tuesday, March 3, 2020

1 Mark

FLUVANNIA FINISHES WORLD CUP DEBUT WITH .500 RECORD

CLAYQUOT, KELSSEK -- The Fluvannia national hockey team played their final game of this World Cup Monday night against New Moreessia Ban, and it's safe to bet that a good chunk of the country tuned in for this one, to say nothing of folks overseas. The feeling in the days since the previous game was one of relief, as opposed to the anxiety by which it had been preceded. Hockey fans nationwide knew the team was eliminated from moving on to the round of 16 after Banija scavenged an overtime loss to Abanhfleft Saturday, but with the pressure completely off -- and having managed to avoid the dubious distinction of a winless debut -- the general impression seemed to be that this was a chance for the Bears to simply go out and do their thing.

And do they did -- a pair of goals in the first six minutes from Chekovich and Grabowsky was all the Bears needed, playing a calm, collected -- and smothering -- defensive game for the remaining fifty-four. Dale Knight, normally the backup netminder, made his first World Cup start, with third-string Casey Snyder getting the nod in the third period. Snyder did let one past, but to his credit it came on a 5-on-3 for NMB following a goaltender interference penalty to Ritchie Breton and a hook to Fred Rice. Not exactly a situation to fault the goalie in, as most would tell you.

After the way the first two games went, one would be forgiven for a bit of a gloomy outlook, but the way the team managed to get back on the horse and respond is admirable. Notwithstanding the discussion by countless armchair managers across the nation, these players are our best to offer, and they showed that while they have the talent to skate with the best from around the world, their bountiful character deserves just as much recognition. They've represented us well, and it's safe to presume our allies within the Federation of Conservative Nations would agree. The last bit of business, at least from a Fluvannian perspective, is to see just how the final rankings shake out. If the World Cup of Hockey Federation has a set procedure for determining the rankings, we've yet to see it, but it's presumed the Fluvannian squad would shake out somewhere around the mid-20s.

To our opponents, we thank you for this newest test. It did not disappoint. To our hosts, your hospitality and passion for the game have been evident from the moment we arrived. Should you ever find yourself in our corner of the globe, you'll always be welcome in the stands. And to those back home -- if you can't wait for World Cup 40, you're not alone. From Kelssek, Mike Alberts of the Division Street Journal.

World Cup of Hockey 39 -- Group C -- Final Standings	GP	W	OTW	OTL	L	GF	GA	Diff	Pts
1 Abanhfleft	4	3	1	0	0	19	8	+11	11 (X)
2 Banija	4	2	1	1	0	9	5	+4	9 (X)
3 Fluvannia	4	2	0	0	2	9	14	−5	6
4 Terre Septentrionale	4	1	0	1	2	12	12	0	4
5 New Moreessia Ban	4	0	0	0	4	4	14	−10	0

X -- Advances to Round of 16

[Cassadaigua]

Knockout Time,
by Stacie Nolan- Defensemen

Good morning everyone from Alavaria, the one city that teams from our qualifying group played in that we never had a chance too. As it was on our bye day, we bypassed the city in order to focus on our game against Mercedini, which I will also touch on here. This is a mountainous city, that is known for a few things, which also includes auto manufacturing. The biggest thing that it is known for, however, was hosting the fourth winter Olympics, something that Kelssek has plenty of experience in doing. Therefore, for our traveling supporters, there may be things to interest you before you head out to the arena. Naturally, the only thing on our mind is the next game, which is against HUElavia.

If you followed the most recent World Cup, then you know something about this nation. They were one of the surprise qualifiers, and played in Cassadaigua once they made it. Furthermore, they hold an interesting distinction of being the only country that defeated the eventual champion, Farfadillis, while in Cassadaigua. They did that in the group stage, but they were not able to advance to the knockouts. I am reminded of the time that we did similar to Vilita in, I think, World Cup 81, but I might be wrong on the Cup number there. It can be a source of pride. Sometimes, you can have what is called the coattails effect. One team in one city does good or exceeds expectations, and it rubs off on another team in the same city. In our example, we can translate to international sports teams. HUElavia entered this tournament ranked only 33rd, and fourth of the five teams in their group, but they did not allow that to get in their way. Somewhere in their locker room, I am sure their were uplifting speeches that mentioned the efforts of the soccer team. Now, those speeches can be focused on knockout games, something their soccer team never had a chance to do, and the parallels will not be hard with their opponent being the nation that hosted that World Cup.

For us, we could make World Cup parallels too, if we needed them. Mainly, doing one better then the soccer team, who lost in the round of 16, ended up doing. It was a sudden and disheartening end to our run, something that we were hoping would last much longer. Look, as a member of one national team, I can feel for our soccer team. I know how much it means for them to represent the country, and can only imagine how extra special it was to play those games at home. You don’t have to be a big soccer fan, though I am, to not be let down from that, but the ability to empathize with them is much greater. However, we want to do this for ourselves, and for our great fans. This is a tournament that we used to be very good in, winning one championship while having many good runs. Several times, we were stifled by the robots of Plutoni, something that I always enjoyed reading about our history as a national hockey team.

This takes me now to the game against Mercedini, a team with a nice and shiny “2" for their rank, but have been using the secret roster strategy for this tournament and have not had any press coverage, that I know of, for their effort. I am not sure why teams opt for the secret roster strategy, but as I have mentioned in the past, it probably has something to do with playing for the logo on your uniform instead of the name on the back of it. From time to time, at least one of us will have an opposing media representative ask a few questions, but we never saw anyone from Mercedini. Their hockey team played hard on the ice, but this was a statement game for us. Winning this would show the world that we are not just competing in this tournament, but have a team that is capable of winning the whole thing. This was a match that did not mean anything for either team other then winning the group. I mentioned that we had already qualified for the playoffs, but with Mercedini having the tiebreaker on Bolgano, they were also assured of advancement regardless of this outcome.

In the first period, we were a little better, outshooting them by a 9-6 margin, and getting the first goal of the game, coming from yours truly on a shot from the point after I was passed the puck from by defense partner, Shannon Fowler. Abby Dayton also picked up an assist on the play. It was not a power play, but we had sustained puck control in our offensive zone as if it were one and wanted to make the most of it. Shannon had the opponents cycling towards here side of the ice, and I saw Maddie McCarthy moving towards the slot to set up a screen. I pinch forward slightly, allowing me to one-time the pass that Shannon gave me with vision of getting it through the screen that Maddie and her big frame was setting up. As a defensemen, you usually feel good about this kind of opportunity, because it will either obstruct the goalie’s vision, get a deflection, or both. It might not result in a goal, but it can result in a good opportunity, and you have to take the shot. It would go five-hole, and at 12:51, we were up 1-0.

There was no scoring in the second period, and according to the shots board, we were outplayed a bit, as Mercedini outshot us 10-8. A few of them were good opportunities, but Heather Stanford made the stops when she needed too. Heather has been outstanding in this tournament, but this would be the toughest opponent that she faced thus far. I know she was particularly excited about this game, because she was confident she’d do well against this opponent. In the third, we took control of the game, and we were not going to sit on the lead. Our second line got the second goal of the match, Cassidy Conti from Cassie Browning and Courtney Burnett at 6:07, to make 2-0. We still put good pressure on them afterwards, and our checking line got a little more ice time in order to wear down Mercedini even more. It paid off, and we picked up the win, putting us at the top of the group. Third period shots were 11-6 in our favor, giving us a 28-22 advantage for the game. Each team was 0-for-1 on the power play, with each of the power plays coming in the third period.

That brings up to this morning. Come see us in Alavaria if you can, or watch us however you choose to watch us. We have a lot more work to do out here.

[-Anthor-]

Ducks Secure Narrow Win, Advance to Playoffs
After a close 1-0 victory, Valanora is the next obstacle in the Ducks path

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Gnaeus Tanicius Vopiscus (@Gnaeus Tanicius Vopiscus)(TH)
^{Beltra 5, 605AE 2:00 PM | Vaumort, Anthor}

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Vaumort, Anthor(Herald) — They certainly made you sweat for it, but after two periods of close hockey against the Gregary darkhorse team, Harold Jewel nudged the puck over for what would be the game's only goal and secured his team an advancement into the 39th World Cup's playoffs, keeping the Ducks dream of an appearance in the championship game alive, all though they will first face a mean foe in the playoffs in Valanora.

Although the Elves haven't won a World Cup in a few editions, they are still an international hockey powerhouse, their clubs that compete in the Hockey Championship League very year are the best in the multiverse, and the national team, the Calcuttas, itself holds no less than six World Cups to it's name, an international record that has yet to even come close to being matched. They cruised through the group stage of play this year, though they had some late anxiety in a narrow overtime win against Taeshan on the last match in that stage, and they will certainly prove to be a tough opponent for the Ducks to overcome, though team captain Graham Robertson is highly confident saying he thinks the team will be bolstered greatly with the pressure of the playoff elimination that a defeat would secure for them.
Speaking to media members, Robertson said "You know I really like Harry (Jewel) and his style of play, he is falling back into a groove and becoming much more intense when he is swapped onto the ice, and his time abroad really honed his natural skills, he is an equal part threat for scoring or providing an assist to fed his team mates. He showed it off in the last match, where he stepped up and gave us the lead thanks to a hole from their defense, but he's also shown all edition he can distribute with great vision, I think two of mine came from him, and I know some of Kersey's and Adam's goals were a byproduct of his work. Micah has also done a great job, very young still but you wouldn't know it with the maturity he is displaying. I think we're well positioned to overcome the Calcuttas and get back to where we belong, the Cup championship."

Gnaeus Tanicus Vopiscus contributed to this article.

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^{FAVORITE THIS DISCUSSION}

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[Neu Engollon]

“Good evening, Neu Engollon and to our great international viewers! You're watching the NETV Sports 7 Update. I'm Karl Demais, my usual co-host, Magda is out on assignment. Our top news is still at the Hockey World Cup in Kelssek.

The Ibex won their last game of the Group against Tjun-ia and clinched a playoff berth in the Round of 16.

Apparently both mine and Magda's math was a bit off as to how crucial this game was to get into the next round, but there was the small chance that they might have tanked the game. In which case for sure, they would have halted their threepeat quest for the Cup.

That being said, it was a little premature to say that the Ibex chances also hung on how Anthor and the Free Republics did...because they didn't. That only mattered to those two respective teams. I just wanted to correct that for the record.

Now...
We've covered the Ibex pretty extensively. We have looked at how hyped the offense has been and the failings of the defense.

Let's talk all things Hinodejin. The next hurdle for the Ibex to get past are the Samurais from this great nation. Like Group A, Group G had three strong contenders fighting and kicking...or should I say sticking?...their way out of the gate.

Ko-oren and Avataria both wanted to claw their way to the top as much as the Hinodejins, which made for an extremely fun group to watch for the fans. Ko-oren took the early lead and kept racking them up, while the Avatarians took the first loss to drop among the 3.

Meanwhile, Imperial Joseon and Kandonica continued to be the punching bags of the Group. The Hinodejins looked like they clinched it by the 3rd game, getting a narrow overtime win against Avataria.

Game 4 for Group G was the perfect storm, with Avataria dashing their hopes of continuing with a shocking loss to Imperial Joseon. The Samurai hit up against the Dragonflies and weren't able to best them in a heavily defensive game and overtime shoot out.

This defense is what the Ibex have to overcome tonight. Manager Kurosawa and Captain Marutsuji will lead the Samurai into battle tonight against Neu Engollon. The Ibex will have to figure out how to get around formidable defenders Mori, Shohoji, Umenaka, and Kikutani and drive home at least one winning goal past Ukoshi if they want to stay in this thing.

We'll come back with curling and rugby highlights after the sponsor break. Stay tuned here to NETV Sports 7."

[Savojarna]

SavojarSports.sj - inside reports from all Savojarna
We’ve Still Got It In Us: Savojarna advance to Goldhorns Rematch

By Johan Nyström
On the face, the story of this decisive game against Siovanija and Teusland is recounted quickly. A 2-1 is not the most spectacular result in international hockey, and while the two goals scored in the final ten minutes promise a dramatic reversal, it wasn’t really all that much - a powerplay goal with quite some time to go, and then the final goal with still enough time to go that our opponents got to call a timeout and pull out Ruslan Ivanov, but couldn’t quite crack Hoyman and his defences. Sounds like a pretty standard close hockey game between to high-level teams, no? But if you follow the journey of the Northlights, which, given you’re reading this article, you probably have been, you can already guess where this is going. It’s not just a win - it’s a big step. Savojarna, perennial chokers in the face of an opportunity to step up at the World Cup of Hockey, have managed to not fuck up a clutch game, but survived even getting down against one of the top teams of the world in order to strike back and win the game in the third period. This may very well be the needed push for the Savojars in order to grow into the team they were five years ago and win a KO game.

It seemed like Savojarna would face their common fate of starting out well against a strong team, but being pushed back and losing their cool in the face of adversity. Despite not scoring a goal in the first period after multiple good shots, such as Bryzhnev being denied from the faceoff marks and a shot by Troels being deflected just a little off-target by Schwarzmann in front of the goal, they kept together. But then came the beginning of the second period, and the game - which was equal up to then, with a slight shot advantage for S&T (11:13 in the first period) mostly due to the teams’ strategies - flipped. After advancing on an attack and failing against Ivanov, the Goldhorns countered over his side. Being overtaken by Frank Heider, he reached out and caught him around the waist with the stick, and Heider gladly took the invitation, leaving the referee no other chance than to call a hooking penalty. Tsvetanov scored off a one-timer on the powerplay, and the game seemed to fall onto the side of the Goldhorns. Savojarna’s typical reaction to such events in the past had been to fall back and catch more and more pressure, leading to increasing loss.

But this time was notably different. Savojarna seemed to finally have found their confidence again and continued to apply an increasingly strong forechecking, based out of a strong presence in the neutral zone. Siovanija and Teusland struggled to cross the Savojar blue line without dumping the puck in deep, something that the Savojars were generally well equipped to deal with and could shut down time after time. However, they still struggled to score as Ruslan Ivanov showed a great day in goal. Good chances came by the hand of Elegin, who failed to score from two metres out as he got a pass from behind the net; Gulbrandsson, who got beaten by Ivanov’s desperation save as Bryzhnev passed a sharp puck across the slot; and finally, Gränlund narrowly missed a rebound in front of the goal. While the Goldhorns got the occasional counter in, Hoyberg showed a stable performance and the defenders were good at forcing equal-number situations rather than the odd-man-rush or breakaway that S&T were hoping for. But with goals for Savojarna missing, the fans of the Northlights increasingly got impatient and insecure about whether their team would keep calm.

We don’t know what Fridtjof Ragnarsson was saying in the locker room to get his team on track, but it clearly worked. Savojarna came out aggressively, with a lot of power, but also with a lot of patience and calm play. They managed to stick to the game plan despite further failed chances that eventually tipped the shot balance significantly in Savojarna’s favour, standing at 25-19 after two periods and even higher at the first powerbreak. Their chance would come on the powerplay after the referees called Gregor Herder for a crosscheck in the slot against Andersson. While he was clearly not very happy with the call, the referees had made their decision and sent him off for two minutes, and the Savojars were ready to take advantage. Falborg found Stefansson on the side, who then found a gap in the box of S&T to pass across the slot to Bryzhnev, whose shot rebounded forward onto the stick of Jacob Andersson, scoring from short distance. The goal was celebrated explosively by the Savojars, even though it left a bit under ten minutes for the Northlights to survive in order to secure qualification.

But it was clear that this goal had flipped the momentum totally, and S&T, already qualified to the knockouts, seemed to somewhat give themselves up a bit and save their power for the play-offs. On the other hand, Savojarna were now on fire and pushed back the Goldhorns into their zone, barely allowing any changes without a face-off. And indeed, Savojarna could profit off their push forward, as Gulbrandsson deked past a defender and found a shot to the top near corner, beating Ivanov on the stickhand side. Unfortunately for the goalkeeper the shot was exactly aimed at the corner, which made it near impossible for him to stop the puck. The Goldhorns seriously tried to reverse the score with pulling their goalie and managed to push the Savojars back into their zone, but they held up, even if the Northlights failed to score into the open net themselves. The consequence was group victory - and a rematch against Siovanija and Teusland in the knockout games.

Asked about the match after the game, Jonas Gulbrandsson said that he was very happy with the performance of the team as a whole as well as with his personal play. “I think it may have been my best match in this campaign, really. I have struggled so far, and it’s hard to adjust to international intensity especially against those very tough teams we faced so far. They didn’t all want to play as much as stop us from playing, and wear us down, and that’s really normal and legit but we struggled with it. The Goldhorns, I think that’s what they call them, right, they were really giving us a challenge too but they also let us play. I’m very glad that we could keep together our act and score late, and this is a quality we need to keep”. Fridtjofsson echoed the sentiment, stating that he had asked his team to stick to attacking with passes and technique, not trying to push through the centre in a bid to fight the heavier and stronger players of Siovanija and Teusland. Now, we need to hope that the same holds true in the next game, when tournament life is on the line for both teams.

[Siovanija and Teusland]

Hockey Night in Siovanija & Teusland
Pregame With Oskar Kirsche and Ronald Mensing

“Harbourside Gardens. 19,200 fans packed in to await what is sure to be one of the biggest hockey games played by these two countries. Siovanija & Teusland and Savojarna. 2 nights ago, they met in Ulyanof. The Northlights took that one 2-1. Now, tonight, it’s the rubber match, do-or-die. Oskar, what are you thinking right now?”

“Well Ron, I’m excited for this one. We were at the morning skate today, and they were really buzzing out there. What Kuhn said after was absolutely right, gotta play the full 60 minutes tonight. They lost the other night ‘cause they only played about 20.”

“Who exactly needs to step up for the Goldhorns tonight?”

“The whole team, really. Ivanov was great in net, but Wagner’s the number 1 and they’ll be confident in him tonight. You know I love him, but the Pfenning line didn’t really get much going other than the power play goal.”

“What exactly did the Savojars do that made it so hard for the Goldhorns, and especially that top unit, to get anything going?”

“They were better in all 3 zones, Ron. We couldn’t move the puck the way we wanted to, and that forced us to fall back on dump and chase. They had total control in the neutral zone out there. If you’re going to dump and chase it, you need more of Hasselberger in the game, but he didn’t get enough time to be effective. I thought we should’ve utilized Schiele more, he’s our best puck-mover out of the back.”

“It wasn’t just that they countered our attack, Oskar, they seemed to be perfectly capable of getting possession in our zone as well.”

“We didn’t adapt well to them at all. They kept it off to the perimeter, and moved the puck really well. At times it seemed we had way too much of a gap between the forwards and D as well.”

“Does the fact that the Northlights were able to exploit these weaknesses the other night make you worry a bit for tonight?”

“Not really, Ron, I think our guys know that they have to play this game like it’s game 7 of the Strauss Cup Final. It’s the playoffs, the intensity is a little up from a game that didn’t really affect our qualification. We’re a good enough team that we can bounce back from a game like that and come back firing on all cylinders tonight.”

“Vitomir Glaskov comes into the lineup tonight in place of Gero Radulov, Oskar. Glaskov will centre the fourth unit, Radulov out with an upper body injury.”

“He’s been raring to go all tournament, Glanikov, and we were talking to him the other day and he was telling us how he just wants 1 chance. Fourth line hasn’t been great yet in this tournament for us, so hopefully he can make an impact there. Not many better occasions to make your debut I tell ya!”

“Jonas Gulbrandsson really came alive the other night, scoring the winning goal for Savojarna. He said after the game he felt it was his best game of the tournament. What do the Goldhorns need to do to shut him down?”

“He played a good game I tell ya, but we’ve gotta have Ranger and Hasselberger out there against him, they’re big boys and they take away space. Ranger’s been good on those assignments in the Ehrenliga, and you know how I feel about Hasselberger, and they’ve gotta get the job done tonight!”

“You mention often, Oskar, how it’s important to get off to a quick start in games like these. Last game, the Goldhorns scored first before giving away a lead late. Is that quick start still important?”

“Yes it is, Ron, but that doesn’t necessarily mean scoring. Something to get the energy up, to get everyone into the game. A hit, a fi-, well, maybe not a fight, can even be as simple as a big blocked shot or a big save by Wagner. Something early to ease up the nerves in a game as big as this one.”

“Does the loss the other night help or hurt the Goldhorns going into this one?”

“I think it’ll help, Ron, they needed that I think. They played good but not great hockey through the first 3 games, and so I think the loss the other night should reinvigorate them. I don’t think we were underestimating Savojarna before anyways, but it also ensures that we’re giving 110% no matter what.”

“Any predictions tonight?”

“It’s gonna be a classic, I think. 5-4 for us, maybe in overtime.”

“Thanks Oskar. Second chances don’t always come in life or sports. They usually don’t come 2 days after the first. But that’s the opportunity the Goldhorns have here tonight. Win or go home. Siovanija & Teusland vs Savojarna, coming up after the break. Thank you for watching on Hockey Night.”

[Kelssek]

"...you all think you're hot shit? That was a bunch of unknowns you guys just lost to. And Matej. I told you, pinch in, right? Why didn't you? Four, five, times you had the chance. The hell is wrong with you?"

Riley Hesselboe abruptly spoke up. "That's because I told him not to. I knew they had a winger who was a fast player, and if he pinched in we'd get an odd man rush going the other way. Which is how they got the winning goal."

The players' heads rose. In Kelssek, hockey tended to have a very hierarchical culture and even in that context, Riley was never the type to challenge the coach's authority. Dennis Emberly's face reddened visibly. He strode to stand over Riley.

"Just because you're the captain doesn't mean you get to disrespect me, Hesselboe."

- - -

"Good evening and welcome to the live coverage of the World Cup of Hockey on KBC. It's the knockout rounds getting underway and as Kelssek faces a big test against Equestria, the big news is that Riley Hesselboe is out with a lower body injury. The team won't give more details, but it's not clear how minor or serious this is. It's a big blow to the team as you can imagine, facing a knockout game against one of the top teams in the world."

The journalists in the press box looked up as Riley Hesselboe walked past them towards the seats reserved for team officials. No player would leak information the team wouldn't reveal, but it was a game to try anyway.

"Looking pretty healthy, Riley? Feeling alright?"

"Never felt better." Riley said. "Just a precaution, you know."

A precaution? Missing a knockout match in the World Cup for a precaution?... the journalists thought. "Not too badly hurt, then?" another sportswriter prompted. "Was it during the warm-up?"

"Oh, you know, didn't feel right after the last game. But look, I feel great."

"So was it the doctors? The coaching staff? You could have played tonight?"

"Ah, you know, I talked to the coach, and decided not to risk it." Riley walked off again.

That was odd, more than a few of the journalists thought.

[Kelssek]

Round of 16
Vilita and Turori 4–5 Mercedini
Savojarna 0–1 Siovanija and Teusland
Valanora 0–0 Anthor (1–0 OT)
Cassadaigua 4–4 HUElavia (1–0 SO)
Abanhfleft 1–0 St. Saratoga
Ko-oren 0–0 Banija (0–1 OT)
Neu Engollon 4–0 Kita-Hinode
Equestria 3–0 Kelssek (scorinated by Royal Kingdom of Quebec)

Quarterfinal fixtures
Mercedini vs. Siovanija and Teusland - Lupinissia Place, Ulyanof
Valanora vs. Cassadaigua - Federation Arena, Neorvins
Abanhfleft vs. Banija - Colisée de Saint-Rémy, Saint-Rémy
Neu Engollon vs. Equestria - False Creek Arena, Burnaby

[Cassadaigua]

Not Ideal, But We’ll Take It,
by Stacie Nolan- Defensemen

Through our first four games, goalie Heather Stanford only allowed one goal, and even that goal was rather meaningless, coming in the third period of our 5-1 win over Vdara, scored after we attained the 5-0 lead. We had never trailed in this competition to this point, and never even played with the score tied, other then at 0-0. That was relevant in our game against Qasden, which was 0-0 after three periods, and we needed to win in overtime. I did not speak of Heather’s shutout stretch, because I did not want to jinx it. As a defensemen, you take a lot of pride in the stats of your goaltender, because it is also a reflection of how well you are playing in front of them. In a short tournament like the World Cup of Hockey, a hot goaltender can be all it takes to greatly exceed expectations, if not win the whole thing. Since we had done all of this, a lot of people were surprised to see HUElavia lighting the lamp, and it led to people pondering if Heather was hurt or otherwise not feeling well, or if we had just got complacent while in our own end.

Hockey players do not make excuses, and I am not going to be the one that changes that. Maybe this result did serve as a bit of a wake up call that we are not unbeatable in our end. The most important thing, is that we got the win. In the first period, the game started a lot more in line with how we have played during this competition thus far. We limited HUElavia’s shot opportunities, and controlled the pace of play for the majority of the opening frame. We would score the only goal of the period, coming at 13:19 from Meaghan Albritton, assisted by Holly Linnehan on a well executed give and go to put us in front. Neither team went to the penalty box during the first period, and we headed to the first intermission with the 1-0 lead, outshooting our opponent 12-6. It really was more of the same, and we liked that.

If you watched the game, you’re not reading my blog to hear about the first period, you want to know what the hell happened in the second. This is where I am going to say that there will be no excuses. We were sloppy with the puck, and that led to our demise. Is it complacency? I don’t really know. Maybe you can say it was to a point, and we let down our goaltender. At 3:52, Robert Petit scored the equalizer (from Ricardo Lima-Fernandes and Rafael Dominguez-Garcia) to tie the game at one. It officially ended Heather’s streak of ten consecutive periods of not allowing a goal, and seeing the red light turned on above our net was an unusual sight. We should have responded much better, but we simply did not recover. We took a penalty soon after, then at 5:44, Ricardo Lima-Fernandes deflected in a point shot from Mateo Companioni on the power play, and for the first time, we were now trailing in the World Cup of Hockey. I thought we had begun to collect ourselves pretty well after that goal, but that would not stop our opponents, as Gianluigi Rossi made it 3-1 with an unassisted goal at 10:11, on a shot that Heather Stanford really wanted back. Each of the first two goals in this period were well earned, but Heather knows that was a softie. Maybe it was the sound of stick slamming to the ice after the goal (which she did break and needed to get a replacement) that told us that, but when someone has been so good during the tournament, you have to be able to pick them up when they make a mistake. At that point in the period, we had been outshot 10-2, and that was just not like us. With their traveling supporters starting to get louder, coach Gardner called our timeout and gave us a stern message not to yell us but to remind us that we are a lot better then what we are showing, but we are not going to have anything gifted to us. For the rest of the second period, we started to shift the momentum back in our favor, and just when our opponents thought they might be going into intermission with the lead, things would change. At 18:02, Danielle Cunningham lifted a wrister over the blocker of Marco Vasilevskiy (assisted by Abby Dayton and Shannon Fowler) to make it 3-2. That would not be it, though, as at 19:47 of the period, the dagger to the hearts of the HUElavia fans, at least for the time being, struck as Meghann Carmello (assisted by Cassie Browning and Lexi Hamlin) beat Vasilevskiy with a lightning bolt of a slapper to tie the game back at three. A wild second period was done, and shots ended up being just a 13-11 HUElavia advantage. For the game, we held the 23-19 edge through two.

As the third period began, we hoped to continue the momentum, but our opponents settled in pretty well, and the game was played tied for a little bit. It was evenly played, until they would score the go-ahead goal, the second of the game for Ricardo Lima-Fernandes, from Mateo Companioni and Rafael Dominguez-Garcia at 8:28 to give them the lead. Once again, we had to dig down within ourselves to get the tying goal, but we were not able too. At 13:09, Courtney Burnett was whistled for a hooking penalty, something that we felt was a little cheesy, but it would become a blessing in disguise. We killed the penalty off, but as fate would have it, Courtney was coming right out of the penalty box as the puck was in the corner, and on my stick for what would usually be a defensive zone clear. However, it would be perfectly timed pass, giving Burnett a clear breakaway at Vasilevskiy. In theory, maybe you’d want a forward to be the one with a breakaway, but Courtney has offensive skills, as we all know, and she showed off her hands a little bit before a lifting a wrister up in the toy department to tie the game up at four. Seizing the opportunity, and the momentum from the point, we controlled play until the final buzzer of the period, and ended up outshooting HUElavia 12-9 for the period, and 35-28 through three.

On this day, three periods of hockey would not be enough to determine a winner, and neither would an overtime period, where shots were even at 2. We would head to the skills competition to determine a winner. In Cassadaigua, a playoff game would never be decided like this. (Well, in Cassadaigua, no professional hockey games are decided like this, but if we ever did have them, playoff games definitely would not be!) That doesn’t mean we don’t know what to do, and Heather Stanford stepped up for us in the shootout. It was not her greatest game during the first sixty minutes, but she has been great for this competition, it was a golden opportunity for her to still salvage something out of this game, and she would do exactly that, stoning each of the HUElavia shooters. The lone goal of the shootout game in the fourth round from Cassidy Conti. As HUElavia had gone first, once that puck was in, we were ready to celebrate!

That was exhausting, but a well earned battle, and something that we may have actually needed. Up next, is Valanora, and that’s all that needs to be said. While they are known for prowess in one sport, they are excellent in our sport, and like we are aiming to prove that we are better then the 11th- ranked team in the world, they have the same mission to do so with their own #9 rank. I imagine that fans of sport only need to hear Cassadaigua vs Valanora to get excited. A win here sends us to the semifinals, and that is what we intend on doing!

[Banija]

Amidst major controversy over GBHL squad in Schemerdrecht, Dewa Bangè carries Banijan team into World Cup of Hockey Quarterfinals

LANGLOIS, BEAULAC, KELSSEK- So they say that in hockey, if you got a decent team in front of you, and a red hot goaltender leading your squad in the back, then you can simply go as far as your goaltender can take you. And the Banijans, riding Dewa Bangè, have grabbed this theory and are testing it to its absolute limit. Against all odds, the national ice hockey team has made its second consecutive quarterfinal, as they took down Ko-oren in a style that the Ko-orenites had to be proud of, as excellent goaltending and a ferocious defense took them to a 1-0 win in overtime. This isn't the group stages- an overtime win is no longer worth less. A win is a win is a win- and Dewa Bangè has made a serious case for himself, although maybe not as the best goaltender in the world(a number of goalies from hockey-crazed nations would argue with that), but as the best goaltender in this tournament. It would be hard to argue with the numbers.

But first, before we dive into our newest superstar, let's take a look at why this matchup was so highly anticipated in the first place. Ko-oren is becoming Banija's most consistent opponent to face off with in the late stages of major tournament. Look at the number of important games we've played against each other recently, in various sports? World Bowl XXXVII, spoiling Ko-oren's World Bowl on home soil, we beat the Dragonflies in the tournament's quarterfinals on their home soil. What did they do to respond? In the very next World Bowl, they lifted the trophy in Busukuma, at the Stadium of the Restoration. In the last two World Baseball Classics, they've faced off in important matchups. WBC 46, they played six times in the group stages, with the Banijans having a 4-2 winning record. And in WBC 47, Banija and Ko-oren split their Casaran series matchup, and the rematch in the championship series ended in a 4-0 Banijan series sweep. In AOCAF LIX, however, Ko-oren got the better of the Banijans as they gave us our earliest ever elimination from the AOCAFs, knocking us out in the Round of 16 of Atlantian Oceania's premier footballing tournament. And not to mention, of course, the Salamantic Universities of Ko-oren joining the Celestia Conference in the NSCF, alongside Northern Moravica and the University of Loyola-Istria.

History is what makes rivalry, and since we are largely devoid of true rivals within the sport, having Ko-oren as the opponent is always going to draw in non-hockey fans. And that held true, as both radio and TV ratings said that this was the second highest rated WCoH match in Banija ever, ahead of their WCoH 37 Quarterfinal and right behind their WCoH 34 Quarterfinal. But there was a more immediate pressing concern. The controversy over the Greater Banijan Hockey League. The GBHL, with now 14 teams in 14 different countries, none of them in Banija, is always a venture that was bound to eventually bring controversy. It's probably been quite fortunate that they've avoided this kind of controversy in the past- considering this means that both they and the Banijan Hockey Federation have to have operating agreements with all sorts of different governments, 14 different national hockey governing bodies(or equivalents), and follow all sorts of different laws.

Logistically, it's quite the challenge. But they've managed to get it done. But they finally encountered controversy. They identified Schemerdrecht as a target city early on, and the city, not having an ice hockey team, with professional ice hockey being generally played on the country's northern coast, responded favorably. The local Banijan migrant community within the city was excited, and local officials were very responsive, seeing a path to bring professional hockey to the city for the first time. The stars aligned- the local community wanted the team, Schemerdrecht officials wanted a ice hockey team and had more faith in their ability to get a deal done quickly with the GBHL, as opposed to waiting on the KIHL. it was just before Matchday 5 of the group stages where the GBHL and Schemerdrecht officials officially announced that the GBHL's 14th franchise tender would be granted to Schemerdrecht.

So it makes it that much more interesting that both country's national teams would be immediately drawn to face each other at the World Cup of Hockey, and in a knockout stage match, no less. With the two teams scheduled to meet on the ice, fireworks were sure to shoot into the air. It was a raucous crowd as well. The Ko-orenite fans, perhaps unsurprisingly, outnumbered the Banijan fans, two to one. But even that is probably an improvement. Previous WCoH matches used to have minimal Banijan fans, disappointing when you consider the travelling faithful who pony up and jet across Atlantian Oceania and beyond to watch the Kadongo Kamu or the national gridiron, and nowadays even the national baseball team. But success brings eyeballs. Second straight tournament where we reach this stage, as well as playing a rival like Ko-oren, on top of visa-free travel to Kelssek making the trip significantly easier. And, of course, for the first time in this sport, the Banijans have star power in the form of Dewa Bangè.

Leading into this game, he's played in 3 games. He made 80 saves across three group stage matches, only conceding one goal, in the extra period to Abanhfleft. Considering the Banijans had clinched a berth in the knockout stages, he sat out the last game to rest up for what was sure to be a grueling knockout stage match. Adama Singateh struggled against Terre Septentrionale. He allowed four goals in his one game, although the Banijans did score five, with the fifth in overtime. The one day our offense seemed to wake up, our goaltending was close to terrible. And honestly, hey- it just grew the legend that is now surrounding Dewa Bangè. He's quickly establishing himself as one of the best goaltenders at this tournament.

He knew that he would have his hands full with the Dragonflies. Ko-oren was not that high-scoring of a team themselves, however, being, well, Ko-oren. They're always willing to grind it out and stuff you into a box- just ask the Kadongo Kamu about that at the last AOCAFs. It makes them an extremely tough out, no matter the sport. But Ko-oren was arguably the more talented team, as they are ranked 8th in the multiverse heading into this tournament, and had actually won their group. And with the controversy already surrounding these two teams, it was certainly a hard-hitting game. The Whalers defender, Kausu Faye, set the tone early when he earned a penalty for a big hit on Izan Aiamalod. And that was the tone of the game. Big hits everywhere, very physical, not many shots. That doesn't mean that Dewa Bangè was anything short of stellar. He went 19 for 19, including making a massive save early in the third period, when a Banijan powerplay went disastrously and Roger Haarstad flew up the ice to go for the shorthanded goal, but Dewa Bangè made the big time save.

And then, of course, they went to overtime. The rules are different now- 10 minutes of 4v4, rather than 5 minutes of 3v3. Although there was a physical game for all of regulation, and it was physical in overtime, the referees seemingly put their whistles in their pocket- they weren't calling anything. The Banijans were fortunate when a rather big hit was delivered in a breakaway opportunity for the Dragonflies, where fans were bellowing for a penalty to be called and none was coming. Dewa Bangè was tested in the extra period, however, having to make 6 saves in those 10 minutes. It would be the Banijans, however, who would break the deadlock. With just 1:50 left to play before a shootout, Yakuba Tiyana was able to successfully screen the goalie and deflect a shot from Kekuta Jawara into the back of the net.

Tiyana's goal was a stunner. The Dragonflies were stunned. The Banijans, of course, celebrated wildly. They were able to hold out at the back end, as their defense refused to budge when the Dragonflies passed the puck around the perimeter. And when the final horn sounded, the team celebrated. What an accomplishment- what a win. A trip to their second straight quarterfinal. A matchup with an old rival, Abanhfleft, who had beaten them once. All off the back of their goalie.

Martial Odongo spoke to reporters after the game, clearly animated. "Well, if you don't think Dewa Bangè is the best goalie in this tournament, I don't know what you're doing with yourself." He told reporters. "Look at him! He's a leader, he's an all-world talent, and he's clearly willing to put this team on his back. And hes' getting all of this extra press, and handles it like a pure professional. Because of Dewa Bangè, this team fears nobody, and we'll be ready for whoever they tell us to play next." And that, of course, will be Abanhfleft. The Glorious Southwest actually has excellent representation here at the World Cup of Hockey, with the GSW making up half of each quarterfinal. Mercedini is taking on Siovanija & Teusland in what is the most tantilizing matchup of the tournament so far for neutrals. Valanora will take on Cassadaigua, we will take on Abanhfleft, and Neu Engollon will take on Equestria.

Which team will advance in Kelssek? We'll find out in just a couple of days who will play in the semifinals.

[St Saratoga]

Rogerbei Times - Sports
"The most reliable news source in Saratoga."
Saints edge into knockout stage.

Cost: K$ 1.50

---

WCOH 39, Kelessk -- The 19th ranked St. Saratoga Saints edge into knock stage stage after an overtime loss to unranked Reçueçn.

The Saints survive a thrilling finish to the final match day which determined if they were to make the knockout stages. With both matches going in overtime, the Saints were spared a heartbreaking elimination by having the overtimes even with experience an frustrating loss to the unranked Reçueçn. The Saints are now looking towards their playoff debut as a way of turning the page on a struggling group stage.

The match up between the Saints and Reçueçn is a match made in heaven. Both of these nations are alpine, snow-loving people who uphold ice hockey on a religious level. This passion for hockey set the stage for one of the most intense games for the Saints in World Cup of Hockey history. The Saints have always played in a defense style, relying heavily on their defensemen to set the pace of the game as well as for game making puck movement. The Saints also are reliant on strong goaltending from experienced goaltending by Storm Ekström. Reçueçn would be bringing a domestic gold metal winning, aggressive all-womens team who is one of the leaders in the tournament in shots on goal.

The Saints and Reçueçn would battle back and forth as the passionate fanbases settled in for a goaltending battle. Both Ekström and Lörtscher would earn the respect of their opposing teams with some acrobatic saves. Throughout the game there was also some tough penalties called on both side like the hooking call the came on Defensemen Mark Miller. Reçueçn would capitalize on the powerplay with a few well placed shots include a goal by Kern which was then called offside for goaltender interference due to the scramble in the crease of the net.

The match would eventually slip into overtime as neither team could get it done. The overtime would not last long as the Saints gave up a bad tripping penalty which turned into a double minor after Micheal Warren had some choice words for the referee about the call on him. Reçueçn wouldn't hesitate for a minute on capitalizing on the four minute penalty kill for the Saints by tic-tak-toeing on Ekström with Kern finally getting that goal she had called back in the second period. Kern would score off of a redirect from Caroline Pernet and Berthe Arceneaux.

The Saints would fall 0 - 1 to Reçueçn but would still celebrate in the locker room once they found out they had survived to move on to the knockoff stages.

JH: “Overall thoughts on your team performance?”

CL: “There a hell of a team. Reçueçn definitely showed they could go deep in this tournament but luckily we held on long enough to protect our knockoff stage qualification. These guys are going to need to straight it up heading into the knockoff stage because they got lucky here tonight. It's on those captains to light a fire in those guys asses.”

The 17th ranked St. Saratoga Saints would finish the group stages in 2nd in Group H. 9th Ranked Valanora would take 1st place in the group to earn the 5th seed over the Saints 14th. Unranked La Fiorita would take 3rd place, Reçueçn would take 4th and 48th ranked Taeshan would finish in 5th place. The last three would not qualify for the knockoff stages. Below is the final group stage standings:

Group H
Reçueçn 0–0 St. Saratoga (1–0 OT)
Taeshan 3–3 Valanora (3–4 OT)

Group H Pld W OTW OTL L GF GA GD Pts
1 Valanora 4 3 1 0 0 11 3 +8 11 Q
2 St. Saratoga 4 2 1 0 1 3 2 +1 7 Q
3 La Fiorita 4 2 0 0 2 8 6 +2 6
4 Reçueçn 4 1 1 0 2 5 10 −5 5
5 Taeshan 4 0 0 1 3 3 7 −4 1

Looking forward, the Saints will take on No. 3 seeded Abanhfleft in Northlands Coliseum, Vickery in their playoff debut. Abanhfleft is coming off of a bye week in the group stage which doesn't bode well for the Saints who are coming off that OT loss. Abanhfleft is currently tied for leading all-team in goals for. This hard checking, goal scoring team is going to put the Saints defense and goaltending to the test. Abanhfleft coming into the group stage wearing the Group C crown, followed up by Banjia, and having a 3 - 1 - 0 - 0 undefeated record.

“We are looking forward to a competitive top 20 battle. The whole team moved on from the loss with Reçueçn and are fired up to take on Abanhfleft. It's going to tough battle but making the knockoff stage was the turning over of a new leaf for this team and we are looking to capitalize on that opportunity. Our D and Ekström are going to have to be on top of their game but they'll be relying on us [Forwards] to actually get some pucks past the goaltender.” said Saints Captain Noak Zwack.

Jim Halpert
Senior Sports Reporter
Rogerbei Times Sports Reporter

[Siovanija and Teusland]

Hockey Night in Siovanija & Teusland
Pregame With Oskar Kirsche and Ronald Mensing

“Good evening hockey fans in Siovanija & Teusland. There’s not much I need to say to introduce this one. Mercedini, the 2nd ranked team in the world. Siovanija & Teusland, the 4th ranked team. A clash of rising hockey powers. 19,600 packed in here at the Lupinissia Palace, and millions more back home on couches or in bars, or in the streets of Stelburg, Borograd, St. Jakob and all the rest. World Cup of Hockey Quarterfinal action. Oskar, how are you feeling about this one?”

“I’m feeling good Ron, they need to just pick right back up from the game against Savojarna the other night and they’ll be fine.”

“It was a great performance by the Goldhorns the other night, Oskar, in that 1-0 victory. What was the key to the win?”

“We didn’t give them an inch of space out there. You saw how they clogged up the neutral zone - we just gave it to them in the first game, but the other night they went out and shut them down. I said before the game that Ranger and Hasselberger were going to have to be a big part of shutting down Gulbrandsson, and they were I tell ya!”

“A complete performance from the Goldhorns, but what about David Wagner in net? 36-save shutout for Wagner, how big was that for the Goldhorns?”

“Well, he made that huge save on Stefansson early to keep it 0-0. When we got into penalty trouble there late in the third, your goalie’s gotta be your best penalty killer and he was I tell ya! But he’s been very good all tournament, was great last night, and they’ll need him great again tonight!”

“Timo Schlager had arguably his best game of the tournament so far, showing off his speed and dynamic skill on the puck. He’d complete that by scoring what would end up as the winning goal 4 minutes into the third period. With Gunter Pfenning’s line quiet again, will we see more of the Schlager unit tonight?”

“I mean, I think they’ll definitely see more ice, but you’d be wrong to suggest that the Pfenning line won’t be a big part of this game! Kuhn’s going to have to get all his guys in the game early, get things going, then we’ll see from there! Gunter Pfenning has always stepped it up when needed and I think he’s going to do it again tonight!”

“So, tonight it’s Mercedini, a hockey team the Goldhorns are somewhat familiar with. 2 times we’ve faced them, and it’s been 2 losses for the Goldhorns. Last tournament, the meeting between these two was in the bronze medal game. Will the third time be the charm for the Goldhorns tonight?”

“It’s going to be a good game, Ron. Our boys are ready to go, they know what they’ve gotta do to win. Play our game, move the puck, grind away, and get pucks on net. I think a lot of it is going to come from the blueline, too. Stefan Schiele, what a player, good Teus boy, and he’s taken on a big role in this tournament I tell ya! Get him involved in the game, get some opportunities for Schwarzmann at the point, and things will be looking good.”

“If there was 1 thing you could say to the Goldhorns locker room right now, Oskar, what would it be?”

“Don’t get into penalty trouble. That’s always a key, and you look, they let Savojarna back into the first game the other night when Herder got the crosscheck, and they almost did it again the other night. Don’t get into the stickwork and after the whistle stuff. You don’t want to be giving them chances on the powerplay. Stay out of the box, stay in the tournament!”

“I’m sure Aaron Kuhn will be repeating that in the locker room tonight. The Goldhorns’ penalty kill has done well overall in this tournament, though, Oskar, the Andersson goal being the only blemish so far. What has been the key to that?”

“Well, we mentioned Wagner, he’s been great for them there. But look, whenever they’ve needed a big faceoff win, Gunter Pfenning has come up big. That whole unit, him and Hasselberger and Gottschall-Ivan, Ivanenko at the back have been great.”

“Lot of hype around this game, Oskar, any predictions tonight?”

“Last time I said 5-4 and it ended up being 1-0. Tonight, I’m going for 4-2 Goldhorns, and I think Gunter Pfenning and Razvigor Tsvetanov are going to be responsible for most of those 4.”

“There you have it, folks. Siovanija & Teusland, Mercedini, World Cup Quarterfinal. A game that’s likely to go down, for one of these countries, as an all-time sporting moment. Will Mercedini make it 3 straight against the Goldhorns, or will Siovanija & Teusland advance to their 2nd straight semifinal? Puck drop is next. Thank you for watching on Hockey Night.”