16th World Junior Hockey Championship - Everything Thread

[Kelssek]

To: Greg Holt <gholt@kirkenesdragons.ks>
Subject: WJHC scouting update

Meredith McCann
Position: centre
Age: 19
Club: Watermeet

Stats at tournament so far: 5 GP, 1G, 4A. Has been playing a defensive 3rd line role, averaging 17:55 ice time per game. McCann has been defensively solid as Kelssek matched her line against top offensive lines. She has also centred the top PK unit.

Existing file notes key weaknesses in getting past defenders with the puck and board play. Little change on these issues since last report. Continues to show strong defensive awareness, has clearly raised her game to the quality of this competition. Currently a fringe player in KHL-1 and probably 2-3 years from developing into a reliable regular.

Played in Ogopogo Valley hockey system. Signed development contract with Watermeet last year, splitting season between KHL-1 and Konoha Premiership team. McCann is under contract for two more seasons and would be highly likely to accept an offer from our club. Watermeet would likely seek up a transfer fee of up to 2 million.

Players to watch further
Cedric Caldwell, RW, Nova Anglicana – sniper with top-class shooting technique, strong KHL potential solely on skill terms.
Leroy Salazar, D, Mapletish - Strong defensive awareness and skills, performed very well in a losing performance for his team.
Zoltan Bondra, RW. Delaclava – Showed excellent hockey sense and an A-grade wrist shot in a 1G 1A match. Has notched 5 goals in tournament so far and is tied for his team lead.

[Delaclava]

DSGN.com Hockey

Delaclava 2–4 New Waldensia

First Star: NWD RW Chip Salinas - 2 goals, +1 -- Well, the Phoenixes were undefeated through four games, but sometimes you just get caught by a team that shows up and plays better than you. New Waldensia did just that, preventing the Phoenixes from their typical early goals, and instead it was Salinas who opened the scoring. His top line with Sid Steffen and Bard Perot fought fire with fire, answering the Phoenixes' aggression with equal pressure, speed, and a bit more physicality. Against the Stars, the Phoenixes' defense imitated a sieve, but that's what happens in a track meet like that. Tonight, Salinas was just in the right spots before Bohdan Kirilenko or Ambrose Parra could be. His first goal was a rebound on the power play and Salinas was just more attentive and urgent to it. Then he gave New Waldensia the lead for good in the third period with a beautiful deke around Parra and then Bradley Konta. He was the game changer, he took control, and he can take much of the credit for dealing the hosts their first loss.

Second Star: NWD D Haakon Olsen - 1 assist, +2 -- The alternate captain and top defenseman has played in two World Cups of Hockey - yes, the big boys' championship - and he showed that actually playing in the tournaments, logging minutes on the ice, is more significant than hosting them. Both teams understood that they were jockeying for position as potential favorites for a podium run, and relative veterans like Olsen and the captain Perot led their team on like they knew where they were going. For his individual play, Olsen was reading and breaking up passes, fighting around the boards and getting in the shooting lanes, in short stopping everything that the Coburns or the Bondras tried to do. His empty-netter to ice the game is a nice finishing touch, but it's the tip of the iceberg that was his contributions to the game, even if they don't appear in the stat sheet.

Third Star: DEL C Peter Požgaj - 1 goal, 1 assist, +1 -- The captain's line with Sevanov was the only forward unit that merely bent instead of broke under the pressure tonight - he showed his impressive but rarely-seen stickhandling in beating two defenseman to get through to Herman Dunn for a goal that gave Delaclava their only lead. In the third, he seemed at wit's end to fire up his teammates in the ending stages, and indeed came on as an extra attacker hit the crossbar with a slap shot just seconds before Olsen iced the game with an empty-netter. In the end, players have to take personal responsibility in working towards the win - but Požgaj's leadership is admirable for just 19 years of age, and you can't blame a guy for trying to will his team on.

Next up: Defending champions Anthor, who move to 3-1-1 after a tight 2-1 victory over BohemiaIV. This game has been circled on the calendar since the group draw, as this program posed the stiffest possible test for the Phoenixes, and it's unfortunate that Delaclava comes into this game off a loss. But this is the taste of the real competition - soon the win-or-die phase of the tournament will begin. The good news is, we aren't there yet - so the Ashlings just need to dust themselves off and get ready for battle.

Delaclava          1 - 1 - 0 -- 2
New Waldensia      1 - 1 - 2 -- 4

1st Period
NWD - Salinas (Steffen, Perot) (pp) 5:42.
DEL - Sevanov (Požgaj, Quentin) 8:09.
2nd Period
DEL - Požgaj (Sevanov, L. Bullard) 26:58.
NWD - Gibb (Sheppard, Gorman) 38:03.
3rd Period
NWD - Salinas (Perot, Wieck) 45:46.
NWD - Olsen (en) 59:21.

Saves: DEL, Konta 6-7-12--25 of 28; NWD, Dunn 10-9-11--30 of 32.

[Mapletish]

Fire on Head Coach Darryl Richardson

The young Dragons were dragged into another fiery encounter as Grey County's coaches responded to Head Coach's Richardson's comments aggressively, citing the impolite nature of Richardson's comments to be the trigger for their response. The Mapletish Board of Sports Organisation's (MBSO) top man, Winfred Chin, criticised RIchardson for his unprofessional behaviour. The top man also stated that, the unprofessionalism of Richardson could only further deteriorate the reputation of the national sports scene in Mapletish. Considering the current situation in the Maplish sports scene, the MBSO retained their position of sanctions against the national sports organisation by reinstating their refusal to send club players to represent the national teams. "A true professional is judged by how he handles defeat," Chin reiterated in the MBSO's press conference on the state of sports organisations in Mapletish.

The young Dragons drew Crystalline Caverns in a lackluster game as they collected only 2 points in 5 games in the WJHC. The Buio'Dzz lit up the arena as the young Maplish side welcomed their opponents for the upcoming game. It was not the easiest of games as the young side were unable to break open the deadlock early in the game despite the spontaneous and careful link up between star man Trevor Hunt and his fellow attacker, Curtis Singleton. The Caverns however were not to be missed as they looked to threaten early in the game.

The puck never left the Maplish half as the Caverns looked to dominate the offensive front against a Maplish side which was less adept with their offence. "We were outpaced once again as we did against the Grey County side today but it was not a bad game against the Caverns, despite having to come from behind to draw the game. We were not at our best as well but we learn from all of these games. We will have to bring back these lessons and re-evaluate," explained skipper Leroy Salazar in the post match conference.

With just 2 more games to go, the young Dragons' chances to progress has diminished but the team looked to play for pride in the following games.

[Graintfjall]

Posted on the In Brief section of the GTV Sports website.

Junior Ice Wolves face toughest challenge yet after HCL blowouts

Another truly dismal round of HCL participation that saw every Græntfjaller entry demolished in the preliminary rounds has once again highlighted the gulf in class between the GHL and leagues like the KHL, putting into sharp focus what could be the decisive game of the Group D qualifying phase, when the Junior Ice Wolves play Kelssek at the Rilke-Duino Adriangelo rink. The match comes hot off the heels of a 2 – 0 win over Croblade at the Lake Pesca arena; Lukas Jalmarisson, who leads the Junior Ice Wolves in scoring, added his 5th of the tournament against Croblade after Hálfdan Akselsson’s wrap-around opened an early lead, and Jason Bensson earned his second game MVP (Most Violent Presence) award for checking a Croblade wing through the plexiglass arena siding, but Kelssek are likely to pose a significantly tougher proposition.

The continued failure of Græntfjaller hockey teams to make any kind of progress in organized international club play, compared to measured success in football and basketball, has once again raised the question of whether young players are better off trying to earn contracts overseas. Junior Ice Wolves captain Christian Sofusson caused controversy when he attempted to gain a team overseas, but so far no Græntfjaller player has succeeded in being drafted or signed to a team in a stronger foreign league. If the WJHC is to act as an audition of such, Græntfjall’s team – the majority of whom are now ineligible to continue junior hockey and will be forced to move up to senior level – know that it will be the big games against teams such as Kelssek that give them the opportunity to prove themselves.

[Srednjaci]

16TH WORLD JUNIOR HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIP-DELACLAVA



Today is an important day for Ice Cubs.
They have to win to keep their chances of playing off.
The composition is complete. These are the players who will be looking for a win against St.Saratoga today !

Idemoooo Ice Cubs - Let's Goooo Ice Cubs


Starter: Dominik Patković (18)
Backup: Ivana Jakobušić (18)
Third Goalie: Elibora Tatarovska (17)

Left Wingers
First Line LW: Zhuo Wei (19)-
Second Line LW: Jelena Ivezić (17)-
hird Line LW: Zoran Hlebić (18)
Fourth Line LW: Željko Žic (17)
Not Dressed LW: Branko Otegović (16)

Centers
First Line Center: Goran Tuđman (19) -
Second Line Center: Ai Toyotama (17) -
Third Line Center: Danijela Vrgorac (17)
Fourth Line Centre: Ilya Menkov (17)
Other Forward DRESSED: Eva Hulikova (16)

Right Winger
First Line RW: Petra Jurešić (18) Assistan Captain
Second Line RW: Mirko Buvač (18) - 1 assist
Third Line RW: Ozren Tirić (16)
Fourth Line RW: Julija Hretušić 2(17)
Not Dressed RW: Donald Otto Preus (18)

Right Defencemen
First Line RD: Marija Velić (19)
Second Line RD: Ivan Turešić (17)
Third Line RD: Valentina de Grazi (18)
Not Dressed RD: Viktor Jutre (17)

Left Defensemen:
First Line LD: Jakov Kotreški (19) Captain
Second Line LD: Ivona Filipović (19)
Third Line LD: Su Weiling (18)
Not Dressed : Jana Ušić (16)

[Atheara]

Patience Is What We Needed To Hold On

Now, after interviewing the Coach, we interview some Northern Guards with one Question, Why did they Lose against Sainterris 4 - 3?

First we ask rising Athearan Star Alexander Kurov, he answers:
"Probably our Impatience. We were leading 3 - 2 and we blundered many positions due to our feeling of superiority, i want to make sure we won't let it happen again. I myself held back my impatience, yet the others were not. Honestly, only me, Carla, and Richofen held up. The others still need training in their Mentality. I guess this is what happens when you go almighty. I promise to try my best next game, but no guarantees though."

Then, we ask the Captain, Tohan Harilyawski. His answer was interesting:
"Probably the fact we went too imbalanced with offense and defense. We had like 5 people attacking in the match, including me. Well that was only one moment and we scored a goal. But like, two Forwards and the Goalie on our side to defend while one Forward and Two Defenders attack probably was a bad idea. I do have a short temper, and we might just jinxed ourselves on getting disqualified. But no worries, we will try our best. The game is not over yet. We still have to go against Flekkefjord and New Waldensia. We will persevere."

Last is the currently most recent player to play, Carla Koshinori:
"I feel like we messed up. We had sort of bad communication and signaling throughout the match. Pre match up we also were badly prepared. But we held our ground. Truly, we were playing like soldiers. Know what to do yet have little experience to execute it. I hope this won't happen again. Good Luck for us to get to the Round of 16. We have two more games to go."

Good Luck for Match Day 5, where Atheara will be facing off against Flekkefjord!

[Savojarna]

Hockey in Savojarna

Savojarna plays a game that is mostly depending on tactical discipline and puck possession. While the Savojars do value a good deflection or rebound goal, and certainly have many players who can do such things, they usually prefer a pass to a shot from a desperate position hoping for a lucky bounce. Their players think fast rather than move exceptionally fast (but they are not slow either!), with a few exceptions on the attack since the coaching changed and the team is a bit more aggressive. While they don't have to hide from anyone, they are usually not physically superior.

In terms of tactics, they play an aggressive forechecking with one or two men, trying to force puck losses, and drop back to their own blue line once the opponent has reached the neutral zone. They attempt to keep the opponent away from their own side, and defend usually quite solid. On the attack, Savojarna's top lines work with a lot of passing and cycling the puck to find an open lane while the third and fourth line play deeper and with more drive to the net. Especially the fourth line often crowds the slot, while the third is more likely to go deep and play behind the net. Usually, the Savojars play with 13 forwards and 7 defenders. On the men's team, Glukov can be expected to barely play outside special teams.

The Savojar team plays a powerplay focused mainly on shooting from the point and the circle. The two defenders play both in the area between the blue line and the top of the circle, but occasionally advance to the circle. The winger on the side of the puck moves to the circle to be open and get a shot off, the other winger moves towards the goal to assist the center in screening and opening shooting lanes. The center remains in front of the goal. In penalty killing, Savojarna lets the opponent play around the boards, but intervenes quickly if the puck moves inside the box. They play a PK with relatively little pressure.

Style Mod: +2

Coach: Fridtjof Ragnarsson (55)
Assistant coaches: Denis Patrishin (44), Alexander Litmanen (39)
Medical and physio staff: Dr. Pyotr Alexandrov (65), Dr. Valtteri Naumanen (48), Lisa Andersson (37), Kari Litmanen (35)

Savojar National Team (U20)

Pos	Nr.	Name			Age	Club				Style
GK	35	Petter Lundqvist	19	Thorsborgs Technik Akademien	HYB
GK	30	Pekka Suntamäki		20	HK Orjalahti Dragons		BFY
GK	1	Johan Forsberg		19	Sjoedrhavn SHK			HYB
1st Line
D	8	Janne Suhonen		20	Army Academy Team		OFD
D	45	Juhamatti Sirkulainen	20	PT Hovikkära			DFD
LW	7	Boris Aljekhin		20	SK Torpedo Pawlograd		PLM
C	14	Roman Kasajev		20	SK Torpedo Pawlograd		PLM -- C
RW	18	Sergei Vetrayev		20	Traktor St. Andrei		SNP
2nd Line
D	40	Ilja Sakachev		20	Savojars Vinge Virkaja		TWD
D	21	Mikael Jansson		20	HK Rotor Värstjö		OFD -- A
LW	22	Lauri Santala		18	Young PT Hovikkära		SNP
C	78	Jussi Parvaniemi	19	Savojars Vinge Virkaja		PLM
RW	13	Ilari Brythén		19	Young PT Hovikkära		PWF
3rd Line
D	3	Grigori Matrjakhin	19	SK Torpedo Pawlograd		TWD
D	5	Lars Holmgren		20	Sjoedrhavn SHK			OFD
LW	24	Olafur Jotansson	20	Kjefla Vulkan			PWF -- A
C	26	Eirikur Ingmarsson	20	ESK Storevik Youth		PWF
RW	45	Erik Karlsson		19	Thorsborgs Technik Akademien	SNP
4th Line
D	2	Calle Nejgaard		18	HK Rotor Värstjö		TWD
D	38	Tuukka Gränqvist	20	Young PT Hovikkära		TWD
LW	39	Brynfinnur Arnholmsson	19	ESK Storevik Youth		GRN
C	19	Linus Jetarainen	18	Savojars Vinge Virkaja		TWA
RW	10	Vitali Namestnikov	20	RHK Savojagrad			TWA
Reserves
D	9	Ole Randmark		18	Akademien Dynamo		DFD
LW	19	Mattias Djurbergen	19	Army Academy Team		PLM
C	66	Rjurik Flygsted		18	Army Academy Team		GRN

Special Teams:
PP1: Suhonen - Vetrayev - Aljekhin - Kasajev - Jotansson
PP2: Jansson - Holmgren - Santala - Brythén - Ingmarsson
PK1: Sirkulainen - Sakachev - Ingmarsson - Namestnikov
PK2: Matrjakhin - Gränqvist - Arnholmsson - Jetarainen

Jerseys



(Displayed is the Olympic version. For the WCoH version, the Olympic Estoile is replaced with the Savojar flag)

[Gergary]

Two shutouts against Suimede and Sannyamathland have allowed the Junior Vultures to keep the solo lead in Group C of the current World Junior Hockey Championships in Delaclava, and the threat of making changes by head coach Doma Orczy have allowed the Gergarians to focus on their games at hand. The players were on their toes in the warmups as Doma waited at the least time possible to reveal the lineup he prepared against the Eneshege whle watching his players take warmups very seriously. When he was satisfied at what he saw, he announced the same lineup that was upended by NPC West Florida late in the third period due to the complacency exhibited by the players.

In their match against Suimede, their stellar defensive play started a set of moves that took advantage of a poor pass by Gabe Stui that culminated to Elise Reiher adding another goal to her collection this tournament, while the provider of the goal, Hanna Koszegi, also added one to her name, as they were able to close the game without Izabella Kun conceding a goal in the entire match. She was intended to be rested in the match against Sannyamathland in favor of Ramin Unterbrink, and the latter did well to keep the opponents empty handed for the duration of the match despite forward Xavier Zinchencko tormenting his goal for virtually the entirety of the game.

Henrik Karpati scored the lone goal for the Junior Vultures late in the second period to break the deadlock between the two teams, and from then on, Gergary never looked back as they hanged on to the win, despite a late scare in the dying moments of the game as Zinchencko nearly scored for their opponents but he unluckily struck the frame of the goal.

Their next opponents, Savojarna, has been one of the strongest hockey participants in senior play, and a loss here for Gergary would make the players and coaching staff uncomfortable for their last match against Alaska Hawaii and the Aleutes, who prop up the rear and are already eliminated from playoff contention.

[Delaclava]

Who else will seal their fates today? Day 6 cutoff!

---

Group A
Sainterris 6–4 BohemiaIV
Delaclava 3–2 Anthor
Sarzonia 0–1 New Waldensia
Atheara 6–2 Flekkefjord

# Group A                          Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Delaclava                          6   5  0  1   28  18 +10   10 Q
2 New Waldensia                      6   4  0  2   15  11  +4    8 Q
3 Atheara                            6   3  1  2   20  12  +8    7 Q
4 Anthor                             6   3  1  2   21  17  +4    7 Q
5 Sainterris                         6   3  0  3   22  26  −4    6
6 Sarzonia                           6   2  0  4   16  20  −4    4
7 BohemiaIV                          6   1  1  4    9  18  −9    3 E
  Flekkefjord                        6   1  1  4    8  17  −9    3 E

Sainterris qualifies with a win or draw, or if Sarzonia does not win.
Sarzonia qualifies with a win and a Sainterris loss; because they are equal on goal differential now, Sarzonia would have a superior goal differential afterward.

Group B
Crystalline Caverns 0–4 HUElavia
Fluvannia 2–0 Banija
Grey County 7–1 Quakmybush
Mapletish 1–1 Abanhfleft

# Group A                          Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 HUElavia                           6   4  2  0   22  11 +11   10 Q
2 Fluvannia                          6   4  1  1   18  13  +5    9 Q
3 Banija                             6   4  0  2   16   6 +10    8 Q
4 Grey County                        6   3  2  1   27  14 +13    8 Q
5 Abanhfleft                         6   2  2  2   15  17  −2    6 Q
6 Quakmybush                         6   1  1  4   19  27  −8    3
7 Mapletish                          6   0  3  3    4  10  −6    3
8 Crystalline Caverns                6   0  1  5    6  29 −23    1

Group C
NPC West Florida 3–6 Siovanija and Teusland
Saint-Domingues 2–1 Alaska Hawaii and the Aleutes
Gergary 2–0 Savojarna
Suimede 3–1 Sannyamathland

# Group A                          Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Gergary                            6   5  0  1   14   5  +9   10 Q
2 Suimede                            6   4  0  2   18  16  +2    8 Q
3 Siovanija and Teusland             6   3  1  2   31  22  +9    7
4 Savojarna                          6   3  1  2   20  12  +8    7
5 NPC West Florida                   6   3  0  3   14  14   0    6
  Sannyamathland                     6   3  0  3   13  13   0    6
7 Saint-Domingues                    6   2  0  4    7  18 −11    4 E
8 Alaska Hawaii and the Aleutes      6   0  0  6    9  26 −17    0 E

Siovanija and Teusland qualify unless they lose by more than nine goals and NPC West Florida and Sannyamathland draw.
Savojarna qualify unless they lose by more than eight goals and NPC West Florida and Sannyamathland draw.
Saint-Domingues are eliminated because NPC West Florida and Sannyamathland play tomorrow; therefore, Saint-Domingues cannot equal both on points.
NPC West Florida and Sannyamathland are tied on all relevant criteria, and would remain so if they draw tomorrow. Assuming Siovanija and Teusland and/or Savojarna do not suffer crushing defeats, an additional game would then be scorinated to determine which one advances to the Round of 20.

Group D
Srednjaci 1–0 St. Saratoga
Quebec 1–3 Nova Anglicana
Croblade 0–3 Hebitaka
Kelssek 1–4 Græntfjall

# Group A                          Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Græntfjall                         6   4  1  1   18   9  +9    9 Q
2 Kelssek                            6   3  2  1   21  14  +7    8 Q
3 Srednjaci                          6   3  2  1   11   7  +4    8 Q
4 Nova Anglicana                     6   2  4  0   12   7  +5    8 Q
5 St. Saratoga                       6   3  0  3   10  12  −2    6
6 Quebec                             6   2  1  3   19  22  −3    5
7 Hebitaka                           6   1  2  3   14  16  −2    4 E
8 Croblade                           6   0  0  6    5  23 −18    0 E

St. Saratoga and Quebec play tomorrow. The winner qualifies; if they draw, St. Saratoga qualifies.
Hebitaka are eliminated even if they win and reach six points, as one of St. Saratoga or Quebec will have at least seven points.

[Suimede]

Late Game Drama in Delaclava

After a narrow loss to current group C leaders Gergary, Suimede were to face their highest ranked opponent yet in NPC West Florida. The Floridians came into this tournament 3 pot places above the Jaguars, and had only lost once heading into this matchup. The 1st period displayed the Floridians' experience, overwhelming the Suimeder defense, nearly scoring 3 goals during this time, forcing WJHC debutant Eres am-Ivau (replacing the food poisoned Afif Kanien) to make multiple spectacular reads to keep the game even. Just as the 1st period was coming to a close with the teams looking to head into the dressing room of a scoreless game, West Florida hit a shot from range that should've been easy pickings for Eres am-Ivau, but was unfortunately spilled and narrowly crossed the goal line.
This was unusual for Suimede, who aren't accustomed to acting so pedestrian, especially in such an offensively expansive game as this. Head Coach Feliks Heshejl evidently game a rousing team talk, however, as the team that came out in the 2nd period looked absolutely polar to the one in the first. The game started to pick up; both teams had sizable shots in the match, it was just a matter of getting them on target. End to end action wasn't going to leave the game with a 1-0 scoreline, as proven by the all too recognizable duo of Rashto am-Apana and, of course, Kapuej am-Ofamlok. Taking advantage of an overly attacking West Floridian left defenseman with about 6 minutes left in the 2nd, first-time starter in this tournament Kap Sechǎ delivered a clever pass to am-Apana, who then used the 1v1 chance to deke the last defenseman back, slide the puck to am-Ofamlok, resulting in a one-time shot and a one-one game. That score held throughout the period, and mentalities were very opposing on each side. Suimede were looking to capitalize on that ever so typical goal, while NPC West Florida were trying to just keep their heads up.
The third saw the North American side sit back more, in an attempt to let the Red and Purple make their own mistakes. It seemingly worked for a bit; Suimede were initially content with just trying to hit shots from deep, as NPCWF did earlier today. West Florida couldn't hold on for too long though, as with a couple minutes left in the match (oh no, this sounds familiar), after Suimede began trying to break the opposition down late with their signature quick, short passing, the puck landed on the stick of Eresi Leshprąm. It was an interesting decision to even have Leshprąm, third-line right winger, over Jonatan Ujakede or even Luis Ángel Ventura at such an immensely critical point in the game. Feliks Heshejl and Temis Calakh were feeling ballsy regardless, clearly, as he is the one with the puck. Having received the puck on an inside cut, Leshprąm went for the one-timer. The defenseman bit hard on the shot though, allowing Leshprąm to fake it, take a slapshot in front of goal, hit the puck off the left post and win the game.

"Coach Heshejl, what went through your mind when you told Eresi to get out there for Ujakede at that pivotal point in the game? Furthermore, Eresi, what was going through your mind when you got the call?"

Leshprąm: "Umm, I don't really know. Honestly, getting out there I was ready to throw up, but coach assured me before the match about how what I was doing in practice wasn't being overlooked and once you're out there for a bit, it's just hockey."

Heshejl: "My genius is unparalleled, I'm so proud of the boys and my wife certainly will be proud of me tonight."

[Srednjaci]

16TH WORLD JUNIOR HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIP-DELACLAVA

ICE CUBS TAKE A CRUCIAL MATCH AND WINN

Srednjaci 1–0 St. Saratoga

Unbelievable that the Ice Cubs kicked 39 shots on goal from St. Saratoga and scored only once. This is a worrying inefficiency in the attack. The defense worked great but the attack was poor and inaccurate.
It all started in the first period when Goran Tuđman shot on goal, the goalkeeper managed to block the puck and fortunately Petra Jurešić was in the right place and put the puck in the closer corner of the goal.
It was the only goal and remained until the end of the match. Could more goals have been scored? Yes, but all those shots hit the frame of the goal or the goalkeeper took them off. We are happy to make it to the playoffs but the attack has to be more effective.
There is a lot of pressure on Tatjana Đureković and her staff. Fans and the public are looking for more goals.

"Remember that before the Winter Olympics in Kelssek we didn't have a team to send to the games. In the regional competition, the senior-junior team we sent didn't beat anyone. We didn't have a cadre of players at all. On regional Championships we made up players from only four league clubs. When we came to this championship, no one believed we would beat anyone, we came to the playoffs.The Hockey league in Srednjaci is evolving now, these young people here play top level hockey.We have nothing to complain about even the professional staff.Most teams playing at WJHC have hockey traditions. Some are multiple hockey champions. The media and the public put a heavy burden on our backs. Please let us work. Everything that we misses will start coming in one day." Tatjana Đureković

Placement in the playoffs is the greatest success of hockey in DR Srednjaci in history.
The biggest team result was made by the junior baseball team Neptun Taru when they played the semifinals in Banija. Can Ice Cubs Make More?

Starter: Dominik Patković (18)
Backup: Ivana Jakobušić (18)
Third Goalie: Elibora Tatarovska (17)

Left Wingers
First Line LW: Zhuo Wei (19)-
Second Line LW: Jelena Ivezić (17)-
hird Line LW: Zoran Hlebić (18)
Fourth Line LW: Željko Žic (17)
Not Dressed LW: Branko Otegović (16)

Centers
First Line Center: Goran Tuđman (19) -
Second Line Center: Ai Toyotama (17) -
Third Line Center: Danijela Vrgorac (17)
Fourth Line Centre: Ilya Menkov (17)
Other Forward DRESSED: Eva Hulikova (16)

Right Winger
First Line RW: Petra Jurešić (18) Assistan Captain - 1 goal
Second Line RW: Mirko Buvač (18) -
Third Line RW: Ozren Tirić (16)
Fourth Line RW: Julija Hretušić 2(17)
Not Dressed RW: Donald Otto Preus (18)

Right Defencemen
First Line RD: Marija Velić (19)
Second Line RD: Ivan Turešić (17)
Third Line RD: Valentina de Grazi (18)
Not Dressed RD: Viktor Jutre (17)

Left Defensemen:
First Line LD: Jakov Kotreški (19) Captain
Second Line LD: Ivona Filipović (19)
Third Line LD: Su Weiling (18)
Not Dressed : Jana Ušić (16)

# Group A                          Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Græntfjall                         6   4  1  1   18   9  +9    9 Q
2 Kelssek                            6   3  2  1   21  14  +7    8 Q
3 Srednjaci                          6   3  2  1   11   7  +4    8 Q
4 Nova Anglicana                     6   2  4  0   12   7  +5    8 Q
5 St. Saratoga                       6   3  0  3   10  12  −2    6
6 Quebec                             6   2  1  3   19  22  −3    5
7 Hebitaka                           6   1  2  3   14  16  −2    4 E
8 Croblade                           6   0  0  6    5  23 −18    0 E

[Grey County]

Grey County Defeated Quackmybush in dominat fashion 7-1 to qualify for the Play in round. the question is now, WIll they get an automatic qualification for the round of 16. Grey County has improved to 3-1-2 in their debut tournament but an auto Ro16 placement is what there eyeing for now. There original goal was for the Play in round and they were succesful but who knows whats next, Grey Countys Coach had this to say post match.... "well we have done what we came here to do but were not done yet, We want to make the top 3 and get into Ro16 and do some damage in the playoffs. Also Mapletish's Coach should hear this our "Pathetic" team has guaranteed ourselves to finish better then yours. You have a good team but obviusly not as good as ours. WOOP"

[Nova Anglicana]

Young Lions earn spot in WJHC playoffs

Yes, it's happened. What Young Lions head coach Tom Benson predicted when he said there was "plenty of time" for his team to make the World Junior Hockey Championship playoffs has come true: the Young Lions will be moving on. Now, granted, 20 of a total of 28 teams in the competition will be moving on, but still, when the U20 hockey team opened with four consecutive draws, there was some understandable consternation. When was this team going to win a game and stop relying on simply not losing?

The Young Lions have silenced their critics, though, with consecutive multi-goal wins over St. Saratoga and now the nation of Quebec and Shingoryeo. In their 5-2 win over the Junior Saints, it was the offense leading the way, with five different players scoring and the Young Lions picking up a substantial victory, their first. Against the Ice Knights of Quebec, it was a different story. The vaunted offense of Quebec, which was averaging 3.6 goals per game, was held to a single goal. Benson credits this to the determination of his squad after an early goal: "I think after we surrendered the opening goal early in the first period, the guys were frustrated. They'd trained hard to shut them down, and created a sense of, I think, 'we're not going to be beaten so easily,' which motivated our defense the rest of the way."

Indeed, the Young Lions conceded just 19 shots from then on, completely smothering their opponents. This commitment to defense was matched by a similar determination on the attack. The U-20 side picked up 36 shots for the game, with three of them finding the net, one in each period. Cedric Caldwell added to his tally, while Ricky McCoy and Pascal Clevenger scored their first goals of the tournament. Each player found the back of the net in different ways: Caldwell via a snap wrister, McCoy on a rebound, and Clevenger winding up a slap shot. But regardless of how it happened, the commitment to both offense and defense snuffed out the Ice Knights' chance at a victory, and the Young Lions took the game, 3-1.

The win qualifies the team for a spot in the Round of 20, at least. But their game against winless Croblade will be far more important than simply win, lose, or draw. It's true that Croblade poses little threat, having lost all six games and currently sporting a -18 goal differential. They lost handily, 3-0, to a previously winless Hebitaka team yesterday as the Young Lions were defeating Quebec. But the game is important for the Lions' playoff seeding. Nations that finish first, second, or third in their group are assured of avoiding the preliminary Round of 20. If the Young Lions hope to win the tournament, that day of rest versus an extra game could be the difference in having enough stamina to power through to victory in the end. They are currently tied with Srednjaci for third place on eight points. Although the Young Lions have the edge in goal differential, the Ice Cubs have three wins to their two. This means they would finish in third if the standings remained the same. The Young Lions can finish in front of Srednjaci by defeating Croblade and having the Ice Cubs lose or draw to Græntfjall, or with a draw and a loss by Srednjaci. A loss or the Young Lions remaining level on points would mean that they would finish behind Srednjaci. Of course, if the Young Lions won and Græntfjall lost, then the Junior Ice Wolves would finish in fourth, or if the Lions drew and Kelssek somehow lost against already-eliminated Hebitaka, then they wouldn't finish in fourth or worse. But that is unlikely to happen, given the skill of both of those teams. The best path forward is for the Young Lions to win. A win means they can't finish worse than fourth, and could very well put them in third or better. So root 'em home as they hope to secure an easier path forward in the playoffs!

[Atheara]

The One Victory That We Needed

Atheara wins the Match against Flekkefjord with an Astounding Score of 6 - 2 in the Most Desperate Moments of the Group Bracket, and Seals a Qualifying.

Before The Game
The Coach, Sczornav Krawilyawski says to the Goalies "Richofen, you will be on bench for this match. Osteran wll be playing. He needs at least one match experience so that everyone has played in at least one match. You also need a break, you carried the Goalie Position until now, so sit back and relax." "Alright sir, thank you."

Right before the match started, Atheara prepared a strategy based around Tohan. Since Tohan is a Pro at Passing and Accuracy, they decided to put him as a Center, replacing Michael Harris. Replacing Tohan's Position as a Defender is Ward. Also because of this Kurov decided to once again, do a dab to piss off the Flekkefjord players.

Flekkefjord decides to use Line Up 2 for This Match. They want to play as solid as possible against another team that has been playing well and being a fellow Pot 6 team. But, they were sort of pissed about Kurov dabbing on them before the match started, so that might throw them off their game.

Period 1
2 Minutes in and Tohan is on the Attack, with Kurov and Erik, beside him. Erik advances way further from the intended position, and Tohan makes a pass. Flekkefjord Defenders Donar Iomhar and Jenson Osbourne were shocked and without realizing Erik has the Puck and passes instantly to Kurov, whom was skating fast, and takes the puck with great precision. He makes the shot as it narrowly enters the Goal, with Flekkefjord Goalie Janse Stefanos almost catching it. Goal 1 for Atheara.

7 Minutes, Flekkefjord does not want to lose. LW and Center, Johan Erling and Boden Espen make quick passes, skating through Defenders Ward Bevon-Roshan and Corros Von Alekheer with slight difficulty. They were passing to eachother at great speeds and Espen made the shot. Osteran thought that Erling was going to make the shot and his position was not enought to block it. Goal 1 for Flekkefjord.

14 Minutes in, Ward passes the Puck to the Center, he planned for Alekheer to advance and pass to Tohan. But Erling was rushing to the Puck and Alekheer was a bit slow on his advance. He hits Erling by accident trying to get the Puck to someone else. 2 Minute Penalty for Alekheer.

19 Minutes in, Flekkefjord Power Play had ended on Minute 16, but they are still going on an Attack. The Forwards, and attacking RW Dyre Ericson was attacking with Erling and Espen. Easily breezing through Ward and Alekheer wom were positioned well. Erling has the Puck, fakes the shot and passes to Ericson whom makes the shot. Goal 2 for Flekkefjord.

Current Score: Atheara 1 - 2 Flekkefjord

Period 2
Just One Minute in, Atheara is going nuts. Erik Gledden is replaced by Carla Koshinori. Corros Von Alekheer is replaced by Joshua Hannover.
Tohan picks up the Puck and dashes quickly. Donar and Jenson was suprised at a quick dash from Tohan, so they were not able to block him. He instantly makes a shot at the Goal, which Stefanos deflects, but Kurov was there, out of nowhere. He shoots it back and scores Goal 2 for Atheara.

Minute 9, Atheara is going full tryhard at this point. Once again, Flekkefjord is attacking, Erling skates up alone. Joshua challenges the Puck. He wins the Puck with difficulty and passes it to Tohan. He then passes it immediately through the Center to Carla. Carla sees the net with ease, makes the shot onto the Top Right, and scores Goal 3 for Atheara.

Minute 11, Flekkefjord switches to Line Up 1. After that, Tohan has the Puck, he does a Back Pass to Ward, and he skates up the ring. Breezily passing through Bjorne Len and Valdmar Kelsey whom just entered the Ice and got to Position. Kurov catches up with him and goes Left. Ward immediately passes to Kurov whom takes the Puck with his Signature Precision and Takes a shot. Goal 4 for Atheara and Hat Trick for Kurov.

Minute 16, Flekkefjord RW Joron Halfdan has the puck, and he meets against Tohan Harilyawski. He skates past him, but his hand hits Tohan on the side by accident. 2 Minute penalty for Joron as Tohan is replaced by Kladin Hannaris. Richofen is back, swapped with Osteran as he is currently suffering from Asthma and cannot stay on the field for more than half of the match.

Minute 18, Kladin has the Puck, passes to Carla and then she passes it to Kurov. Stefanos is ready for a shot, but what he did not expect is for Carla to rush up again and Kurov makes a pass to her. She shoots the Puck and it hits the Post. Stefanos would be happy if Kladin was not in front of him. He gets the puck and shoots. Goal 5 for Atheara.

Current Score: Atheara 5 - 2 Flekkefjord

Period 3
Minute 17, Joshua has the puck, he passes it to Richofen without own goaling (because that would be stupidly embarassing) and he shoots it to the Center. Kladin picks up the Puck before Eigil Iomhar could and passes it straight to Carla. She is being blocked by Len and Valdemar, but she receives and breaks free to an open net. She shoots for Bottom Right, and as we see the final Goal of the Match, Atheara seals their fate.

Current Score: Atheara 6 - 2 Flekkefjord

The Northern Guards won 6 - 2 with pressure from back home. The Northern Guards will be partying for Tonight, but not going crazy or anything. Last Match is against New Waldensia whom also will Qualify. Stay Tuned for that Match Up.

Atheara 1 - 4 - 1 -- 6
Flekkefjord 2 - 0 - 0 -- 2

[Delaclava]

DSGN.com Hockey

Delaclava 3–2 Anthor

First Star: DEL RW Zoltan Bondra - 2 goals, +1 -- Bondra now has seven goals in this tournament - but no two more crucial than his tallies tonight. Down 2-1 with 20 minutes to play, the Ashlings and the crowd at Panthers Arena were looking for someone, anyone, to come alive. Maybe it was the occasion, maybe it was the Panthers home fans who spurred on their young prospect, but Zoltan stepped up, and Bondra's line with Tomas Bondra and Liam Bullard seized the moment. They got aggressive, they got urgent, they even got a little chippy, and it caused enough chaos that they were able to blow through the Anthor forecheck and swing the puck across from Liam to Tomas to Zoltan, just as they've done many times in Breton Valley and Kalinin. In the third period, it was that line continuing to make Ewan Thorvil and Norton Halvdan and the other defensemen uncomfortable, enough so for Zoltan to draw a hooking penalty from Halvdan. On the late power play, Grayson Condon's powerful shot was saved by Jacob Brigham but slid to Zoltan's blade - one of the worst places a puck can go in this WJHC. The rest is history, and the Phoenixes took down the defending champions.

Second Star: ANT C Kaj Ellar Matters - 1 goal, 1 assist, +1 -- The defending champions really did bring it, and until the Phoenixes managed to catch up to them, the Wardens truly showed the strength of their program. And that came through Matters, young at 18 for a captain and first-line center, but well up to the task, giving the Phoenixes defense fits with his stick-handling, drawing the penalty from Ambrose Parra that led to a power play, and then finishing the job himself by boxing out Peter Požgaj in the middle to get the tip-in. In the run of play, his bursts of speed led to a odd-man rush where he set up linemate Algar Kasen for the goal. Even though the Ashlings eventually figured out the Wardens for the day, momentum changes happen, and it's still just the group stage. Anthor is a very strong program, the defending champions, and they're headed to the Round of 16. Once there, they can be a problem for anyone - including Delaclava.

Third Star: DEL G Bradley Konta - 32 SV, 34 S, .941 SV% -- If a team wants to go far and win titles, at some point they're going to need the goalie to stand on his head. Not ideal, but it's going to happen. Tonight was that night, the first period in that particular was that time, and Konta was simply outstanding. Even as Matters scored the opening goal, he could be seen wondering just how he was going to get pucks past Konta. Thanks to his courage under fire, Delaclava trailed just 1-0 after one period. And on one breakaway just after Kasen's goal, Matters deked Konta and had him completely pantsed, only for Konta to somehow reach back with his stick to knock the shot away harmlessly. With the score already 2-0, that highlight-reel save was enough for the Phoenixes to return fire almost immediately and take care to hold up their end. There's no denying it - Konta is the young man to backstop this team, and there's no limit on how far the Phoenixes can go.

Honorable Mention: We needed to at least show some appreciation for RW Maxim Sevanov, who's been a prolific goalscorer but whose playmaking abilities have perhaps gone unnoticed. Sevanov showed that even in selflessness he is brilliant, using his own individual effort in the second period to feed Patrick Domenici for the goal, then showed his versatility on the power play as a left winger. He and Zoltan Bondra took it in turns to occupy the minds of the Anthor penalty kill, and when they were more worried about Sevanov, he set up Grayson Condon for a shot from the point and the eventual game-winning goal.

Next up: BohemiaIV. Delaclava is first place, and has clinched Group A barring a big GD swing between them and New Waldensia; BohemiaIV is last and eliminated. On paper, this game is meaningless, and coach Jacob Hines will definitely be rolling out the reserves to get them some minutes. That said, you never want to go into the business end of a tournament off a loss, especially with the Phoenixes looking at a bye before they play the Round of 16. So whoever suits up will be expected to give their 100% effort... Hines did indeed release a tentative lineup: Suša to start, Nissen on bench; Kirilenko-A. Parra, Carter-Robinson, Falla-Kazan; Mi. Coburn - Sexton - Ma. Coburn, Domenici - Požgaj - L. Bullard, Kimmich - Tevez - Sevanov, M. Hughes - Harris - K. Hughes.

Other Notes: The Delaclava Hockey Federation is investigating BohemiaIV for identity theft, as they claim to have a player named "Michael Coburn". This follows the International Baseball Slam, where BohemiaIV claimed to have a player named "Owen Clark", who is actually a left fielder on the Breton Valley Bangers... The DHF has also issued a Sportsmanship Statement, stating: "We expect all participants of the WJHC to show respect for their fellow competitors, coaches, officials, and fans. This tournament, and this sport, has no room for sore losers, and more pertinently, for sore winners."

Anthor          1 - 1 - 0 -- 2
Delaclava       0 - 1 - 2 -- 3

1st Period
ANT - Matters (Kasen, Halvdan) (pp) 6:08.
2nd Period
ANT - Kasen (Matters) 24:39.
DEL - Domenici (Sevanov, Kirilenko) 25:18.
3rd Period
DEL - Z. Bondra (T. Bondra, L. Bullard) 43:55.
DEL - Z. Bondra (Condon, Sevanov) (pp) 58:34.

Saves: DEL, Konta 15-10-7--32 of 34; ANT, Brigham 6-9-10--25 of 28.

[Savojarna]

SavojarSports.sj - inside reports from all Savojarna
WJHC 16: Lessons from the Group Stage

By Lasse Mikaelsson

Savojarna are one game away from qualification for the knockout stage at the World Junior Hockey Championships in Delaclava. With the situation being such that the Northlights youth would have to lose by eight goals in their final match, we can conclude that for all intents and purposes, the qualification is secured. We take this opportunity to look back at the last games and find out which players stood out in the fight for the title, and which games are particularly memorable.

Lesson 1: The Goldhorns are a formidable opponent at any stage
This is not exactly surprising to the hockey experts of the world, but it remained a spectacular game as Savojarna clashed with Siovanija & Teusland. The duel is always a heated one, with there being some hockey history between the duo (some nasty knockout losses come to mind that we would rather not further dwell on) as well as some history in the actual world, as Savojarna and the Teus Empire have locked their armies multiple times in the 19th century. In their last clash at the senior stage, the memories had returned briefly as some Savojar fans were raising cardboard cutouts or wearing masks of Emperor Johan II. who had presided over the conquest of St. Konrad. Add in a somewhat different hockey philosophy - direct, rough Siovanijan and Teus hockey against the intricately tactical and intense game the Savojars play - and you end up with a rivalry for the ages. The two clashed in their fourth matchday and held each other to a massive 5-5 draw, a spectacle to behold with four different scorers on the Savojar side, only their captain Roman Kasajev scoring twice. Things looked dire towards the end, but a late goal in powerplay by Ilari Brythén managed to pull the game back to Savojarna’s side, making for an important victory.

Lesson 2: The Golden Duo of Pawlograd is in shape
There was some discussion on whether it was useful to bring the duo of Boris Aljekhin and Roman Kasajev given their full integration into the senior team. Critics believed their spots would have been better suited to less established players, but their chemistry proved to be crucial to the squad. It was them who had brought the game back against Alaska, Hawaii and the Aleutes with two goals in the third period; and Boris Aljekhin was the leader of the squad when he scored three points against Saint-Domingues. The duo has shown that they can take leadership when required, and make for an immense threat. Sergei Vetrayev has been a strong addition to their line, showing his cold-blooded scoring abilities when he was the one to score two goals in that Saint-Domingues game, both on an assist by Aljekhin.

Lesson 3: The powerplay is strong
A traditional weakness of Savojarna, the powerplay is finally good. Vetrayev and Suhonen in particular make for fearsome gunners at the blue line, working well with Aljekhin and Kasajev, but the second line is no slouch either. Lauri Santala in particular is a surprising standout; the highly talented 18 year old showed he packs a big shot and works well with his winger Ilari Brythén. The Young PT right winger scores many points by being a nuisance in front of the goal and a relentless digger for pucks, and this is how he scored two goals in the tournament so far, both of them fairly important.

Overall, the Savojars are in strong shape with some breakout players, and a strong core of highly established forwards around the Golden Duo of Pawlograd. However, this is a team where everyone works together well, and multiple players have had individual strong games even in the defeats, such as Grigori Matrjakhin’s strong defensive showing against Gergary and the relentless forechecking of Brynfinnur Arnholmsson that netted his team multiple important turnovers. Tonight, anything but qualification would be disappointing, but as the tournament continues, the tasks will only get harder. Thankfully, Savojarna are well positioned to withstand these challenges.

[Graintfjall]

Posted on the winter sports blog Icy Dead People.

Alternative Hitstory 3: The Signing of the Proclamation of Rights

Further pursuing the Alternative Hitstory series, in which we consider how different Græntfjaller history would be if Júlíus Lukasson had been there to put in a spine-tingling hit at various key moments.

The Signing of the Proclamation of Rights began the Græntfjaller Enlightenment and set in motion the Long Nineteenth Century of culture and reform. But what if Jules had been there at the Thing?



The crunching hit knocks the pen from Jarfi Snæhólmsson's hand. The presiding officer having failed to affix his name, the document is ruled null and void. Freedom of press and freedom of worship are not introduced, the Empire does not end the practice of slave-trading, and Jarfi's wig falls off. Græntfjall remains a semi-feudal, barely post-medieval fiefdom, creaking at the seams with the weight of history. An unemancipated middle class seeth at the restrictions put on them and instead of peaceful transition to a democratic monarchy, violent revolution sweeps the country in 1848. Similarly, relations with Imperial holdings worsen as the world turns against slavery. Græntfjall becomes a backwards, isolated rock, the Sick Old Man of Rushmore. The new republic fails to last as borders crumble. Græntfjall today is no more. Or, Jarfi just picks up the pen (and his wig) and signs it, like, two minutes later.

Also on the blog:

• Two goals for Alexander Steinsson as Junior Ice Wolves thrash Kelssek 4 - 1.
• Fabian Chandler goal in vain as Lukas Jalmarisson, Víkingur Gunnólfursson also score.
• Jason Bensson's third game MVP award sets him up for shot at tournament Most Violent Presence.

[Srednjaci]

The Hockey Federation Srednjaci, in cooperation with the Ministry of Sports, proposed to the Government of DR Srednjaci that several hockey centers be opened in the country.
The economy of DR Srednjaci is excellent, investments in infrastructure projects are one of the largest in the region. Reconstruction of railways, highways, ports and airports are major strategic national projects all of which will benefit.
Sports halls, stadiums and playgrounds are essential to include as many children as possible in the education and sports program.

The proposed hockey centers, except in Catania as the capital, the Kula where the hall is being built, Melarit and Taru where the first work permits began, would be the cities of Dormatisi, Raduč and Bistua Nuova.

[Mapletish]

Mapletish 1–1 Abanhfleft - Feisty young Abanhfleft left Young Dragons wanting more

The pandora box opened up for the young Dragons side as they drew their 3rd game of the 16th World Junior Hockey Championship (WJHC). Coming away from a 1-1 draw previously to Crystalline Caverns and gifting the later their 1st point of the whole campaign, head coach Darryl Richardson was about to face some heat without a doubt. Media reports from Grey County were harsh on Richardson's leadership and made their unhappiness known through their media outlets. Richardson too is facing similar media backlash in his home country as major Maplish media outlets did not fare too well to his arrogance and vocabulary when discussing his opponents. The encounter with Abanhfleft thus kicked off under such a tense atmosphere.

Both sides were unwilling to settle but it was Abanhfleft who were the first to control the match proceedings right up in the first period. Their two forwards were relentless in attack as they tore past the first line of the Maplish defence at the drop of the puck as they tussled aggressively for the puck. Marked by the back chasing Rodolfo Shaw and Trevor Hunt from the front, the two front men failed to cut off the attack in the 1st minute. The defensive pairing of Leroy Salazar and Malcom Hawkins came to the rescue as they were able to cut off the Abanhfleft's forwards as they attempted to put the puck in the middle for a slap shot attempt by their centre. This plan was immediately foiled with Hawkins' quick reactions in the defence. The young Dragons put an effective response starting with a quick counterattack following Hawkins' interception. His quick back handed pass found the blade of Trevor Hunt who spared no effort in making a long range attempt from the right flank of the rink, only to see his attempt sail past Abanhfleft's goaltender. Abanhfleft's goaltender could be seen pointing out to his defensive pairing, seemingly quite aggressively as a sign of protest.

The first period proved to be too much for the Dragons as they were the first to concede in the game. That attempt came by Abanhfleft came right in the middle of the first period. At the 10th minute mark, the Abanhfleft's attack finally marginalised. A quick one two pass between the forwards found the onrunning centre in the center of the rink once again as he feinted a quick left feint to force Robert Armstrong to shift his bodyweight too much before making his shot in the opposite direction much to Armstrong's frustrations. The evening was going to be long for the young Maplish side as Abanhfleft had built their confidence in their recently successful offensive attempt against the Maplish.

The young Dragons put together a quick response but their first of such responses was cut short by the diligent Abanhfleftf's defence which were on their skates and were quick to react. Curtis Singleton who had found himself much of a chance to shine in the tournament was chasing a loose puck after a misplaced pass from the Abanhfleft side failed to reach their forwards in time before being tipped away by Singleton. Singleton was certain that the chance was his to seize. A quick turn of his body saw him getting heavily body checked by an on skating Abanhfleft player. Singleton was composed as he wriggled his way out of the situation before unleashing a pass straight to Shaw. Shaw took the puck confidently before passing the puck over to the star man Hunt. Hunt was unable to convert the chance given to him as his shot went haywire and smashed the protective glass behind the goal.

The second opportunity came late in the first period. This time round, it was Salazar who was the catalyst for the offensive. After tackling the on skating Abanhfleft player, he was able to keep control of the puck and managed to dribble himself towards the Abanhfleft half of the rink before attempting a quick pass to the left flank to the on coming Singleton who made a quick acceleration towards the pass into space. Singleton would take the puck and pass it between the legs of the on skating Abanhfleft defender who could only slap his stick in frustration. The puck missed the blade of Shaw by a few inches as Shaw struck his stick into thin air missing the puck by another few centimetres. The puck was allowed to continue gliding through the ice before being picked up by the Abanhfleft defender. The first period saw Abanhfleft leading the game 1-0.

The second period saw Line 2 put to the challenge. Line 2 was led by the ambitious Enrique Watkins and his outstanding partnership with fellow forward Guy Hanson. A cohesive line was indeed the solution for the young Dragons side as they successful held Abanhfleft to a goalless period. It was not to be seen as a "success" per say as the game had not call its conclusion yet. The young Maplish side pulled together a patient approach towards their offensive exploits as they sort to find the spaces between the defences in Abanhfleft's half. The game almost went into a standstill as Abanhfleft sort to tighten up their formation and were not aggressively hunting the puck down as the young Dragons held onto the puck, hogging the possession.

Patience was key as the Maplish side literally waited out for their attacking opportunity. A quick one two back and forth between the attack and defence, Gabriel Cox, the defender and Guy Hanson saw Hanson taking the puck and side skating the other guy from Abanhfleft before passing the puck over to the on skating Jerome Bailey who leashed a quick wrist shot but the puck was well held by the Abanhfleft goaltender. Bailey could only slam his stick on the ice as he squatted down and touch the ice on the rink in an act of self-pity. Head coach Richardson could be seen signaling for his players to calm down and control the tempo, taking chances in their stride and to be patient.

The Maplish side welcomed another attacking opportunity from a slashing foul by Abanhfleft, which was awarded with a free hit for the Maplish side. Watkins stood confidently behind the puck and was highly focused. He knew he was ready to make the free hit count. He exchanged the puck with Hanson before taking on the oncoming defenders who attempted to block his shot attempt and to snatch the puck from him. Watkins passed the puck snappily towards Bailey who faltered in front of goal. His shot went way out wide from the goal, missing another brilliant opportunity for the Maplish side to level. Watkins could only take out his helmet and vent his frustrations as he swept his hair with his hands. The end of the second period saw Abanhfleft ahead 1-0.

Despite being under fire for his poor performance in the WJHC and the Winter Games, Richardson was calm and collected in front of his players as he briefed them ahead of the third period. "Keep it simple boys, we just need one goal and that is all we need to bring back the confidence to take Abanhfleft on. No worries, we have already done our best, and we bring back valuable lessons. Take it a game at a time now. Lets go out there and give Abanhfleft a run for their money. We are not allowing them to qualify that easily, am I right guys," Richardson was overheard as saying to his players.

"Richardson is a fatherly figure to all of us, and we are keen to play the game for him. We are all grateful for his guidance and the opportunity to represent the nation at the multiverse stage," goaltender Robert Armstrong remarked in the post match interview when asked about the impact head coach Richardson had on the young team.

Line 3 took on the important role to keep the game running for the Maplish side, led by the charismatic leader of the pack, Anthony Mendez, the left defense man for the defensive pairing of Anthony Mendez and Jose Brady. Line 3 was a confident group with compatible pairings including the offensive pairing of Ken Bowers and Brandon Perez. Starting keeper Robert Armstrong remained the goaltender for the match as he was determined to take the full 60 minutes of the game on. The third and the last period was an unlikely blessing though for the Maplish side as they managed to cling onto the deadlock by scoring the equalising goal via Brandon Perez in the 6th minute of the 3rd period. Perez set at the top of the formation for the young Dragons. Jose Brady won the puck back from the Abanhfleft forward on the left side of the goalpost.

Bringing the puck to safety to the corner of the rink, Brady attempted a long pass overhead towards Ken Bowers who was ready to take the puck from the middle of the rink. Bowers controlled the puck comfortably before overcoming an on skating defender from Abanhfleft. He would then make a snappy pass towards Perez who attempted a quick drag shot. Much to Perez's delight, it went past the Abanhfleft goaltender. The bench on the Maplish side could not remained seated as they celebrated at their area as if they have advanced through the group stages.

As what they say, "I adore simple pleasures. They are the last refuge of the complex." The young Dragons welcomed Quakmybush in their last group stage match before booking their tickets for the flight back home to Mapletish.

[Suimede]

Suimeders on a Roll

Riding the high that came from Eresi Leshprąm's stunning winner against NPC West Florida, the Eneshęge am-Gieloge really needed another win to stay above .500, and more importantly, to seal automatic knockout qualification. Fortunately, Suimede stepped up to the plate, in a somewhat comfortable win over (then) 4th placed Sannyamathland. The game started out brilliantly for the Purples, with Jonatan Ujakede (who, despite many rumors, remained in the starting lineup for this game) launching a backhander in the back of the net about four minutes into the first period. A couple minutes later, Suimede added on to their lead via a long shot from Toni Brofǒde being placed perfectly into that top left corner. Sannyamathland picked up their play to a degree after going down 2-0, nearly finishing off a great passing play involving Xavier Zinchenko and Sergey Petrodov, Petrodov's shot being saved by returning starting goaltender, Afif Kanien.
Sannyamathland turned their play up to 11 in the next period, though. With piles of shots coming Suimede's way, the Jags relied on a monstrous performance from Afif Kanien to see most of them stay out. Kanien saved 37 shots this game, only allowing one rebounded goal past him from second-line left wing Park Jung Ho. Suimede weren't particularly bad in this period, either, as they had a couple of clear cut chances that would've possibly resulted in goals had they occurred in other games.
In the third, Suimede made sure not to succumb to Sannyamathland's aggressive offense, with Gabe Stuį (who was again off the bench) and Toni Brofǒde matching the performances of Sannyamathland's attacking. The partners were all over the rink now, blocking shot after shot and seeing opposing plays unfold even before the opposition did, it seemed. This paid off much, evidently, as a crucial Stuį interception quickly led to a break in the possession of Kapuej (this guy again?) am-Ofamlok, who faked the shot Leshprąm-style and laid it off to Jonatan Ujakede for the brace. This score of 3-1 continued for the Red and Purple, and their face was absolutely priceless at the end of the game, as the realization of auto-qualification came upon them.

There were many people we could've interviewed today, but thankfully our choice was made easier as Afif Kanien, Jonatan Ujakede, and Toni Brofǒde all came skating my way after their post-game huddle (translated).

"Guys, amazing performance today. There were points in this game where it looked like adversity may get the best of you all, but you turned up to make sure you got the job done. Toni, at certain times in this match it was looking pretty scary for you out there, but you rallied back and had a critically stunning performance in the third period alongside Gabe. Do you think that early goal you got contributed to the mentality you maintained there?"

"I'd like to imagine that, but overall I just took coach Feliks and coach Temis's words and absorbed them, calmed down, and did my best."

"Jonatan, you are often described as the "third wheel" in the first line, as I can imagine it's not easy to stand out in a crowd of Rashto am-Apana and Kapuej am-Ofamlok, but two goals today when your team needed them most. What do you have to say to those who've doubted you through this WJHC?"

"Those words are motivation to me. I grew up as a fan, I know what it's like to be in that position, so I'm hesitant to blame anyone. Besides, it's hard to be mad when you're in the knockout round!"

"Afif, 37 saves is absolutely stellar in your MOTM performance, especially considering how the vast majority of them came in one period. Where do you look to take this energy?"

"Man I'm truly elated after this result, I'll keep this brief but I really hope that this is something that we can ride on for the rest of this competition."

[Fluvannia]

DIVISION STREET JOURNAL

Thursday, March 11, 2020

1 Mark

ONCE MORE UNTO THE BRACKET

NOVICK, Delaclava -- For the second consecutive time, the Fluvannia junior hockey team punched their ticket to the knockout round of the World Jr. Hockey Championship. After falling on home ice in the final, the Cubs left over from that tournament are surely hungry for that prize that eluded them: gold. The silver at WJHC 15 was nice -- and represents the first ever international podium finish for any team or athlete from Fluvannia -- but we all know that's not the goal. Of course, after the final games of the group stage later today, that will still be the goal of 19 other teams.

There are some definite positives that can be taken from this tournament so far. The team is still very obviously skilled. Ranked #3 in the world after WJHC 15, they have earned that ranking via some consistent (and consistently improving) performance. The addition of female players to the roster seems to have improved the team as well; Rachel Vernon's speed and puck-handling skills have given the third line a weapon it has not previously had, and we would be very surprised if she did not move up the depth chart for the next tournament. The skill of Fluvannian goaltenders is also obviously worth recognizing; our development programs there are clearly working.

That's not to say everything is perfect; Fluvannia's loss and tie thus far came against competition they really could have beaten. Staying on the gas and not underestimating your opponents has got to be something the Cubs do a better job of in the future. Overall though, the Cubs have put together another outing to be proud of thus far. Not only have they secured a spot in the knockout bracket, they have secured third place at worst in their group, meaning they will skip the play-in games and go straight to the Round of 16. A win today against HUElavia gets them first in the group; a tie second, and a loss either second or third.

The schedule for Fluvannia's group play is as follows, with all games played in the Delaclava city of Novick:

Fri, Mar  5: vs. Crystalline Caverns      W 7 - 3
Sat, Mar  6: vs. Grey County              W 4 - 3
Sun, Mar  7:  @  Mapletish                W 1 - 0
Mon, Mar  8: vs. Abanhfleft               L 4 - 1
Tue, Mar  9:  @  Quakmybush               T 3 - 3
Wed, Mar 10: vs. Banija                   W 2 - 0
Thu, Mar 11:  @  HUElavia

[Delaclava]

Sorry to keep you all waiting - but I'm sure you're all more than ready to kick off the final group stage action, and complete the field of 20 who advance onward! Let's do it!

Day 7 cutoff! (Please be patient as I will not only be getting the scores but also seeding teams and setting up the next fixtures).

---

Group A
Flekkefjord 1–5 Sainterris
New Waldensia 2–1 Atheara
Anthor 5–2 Sarzonia
BohemiaIV 2–2 Delaclava

# Group A                          Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Delaclava                          7   5  1  1   30  20 +10   11 Q
2 New Waldensia                      7   5  0  2   17  12  +5   10 Q
3 Anthor                             7   4  1  2   26  19  +7    9 Q
4 Sainterris                         7   4  0  3   27  27   0    8 Q
5 Atheara                            7   3  1  3   21  14  +7    7 Q
6 Sarzonia                           7   2  0  5   18  25  −7    4
7 BohemiaIV                          7   1  2  4   11  20  −9    4
8 Flekkefjord                        7   1  1  5    9  22 −13    3

Group B
Abanhfleft 1–0 Crystalline Caverns
Quakmybush 0–0 Mapletish
Banija 6–5 Grey County
HUElavia 3–6 Fluvannia

# Group B                          Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Fluvannia                          7   5  1  1   24  16  +8   11 Q
2 Banija                             7   5  0  2   22  11 +11   10 Q
3 HUElavia                           7   4  2  1   25  17  +8   10 Q
4 Grey County                        7   3  2  2   32  20 +12    8 Q
5 Abanhfleft                         7   3  2  2   16  17  −1    8 Q
6 Quakmybush                         7   1  2  4   19  27  −8    4
7 Mapletish                          7   0  4  3    4  10  −6    4
8 Crystalline Caverns                7   0  1  6    6  30 −24    1

Banija ahead of HUElavia on wins.
Grey County ahead of Abanhfleft on goal differential.

Group C
Sannyamathland 3–7 NPC West Florida
Savojarna 7–3 Suimede
Alaska Hawaii and the Aleutes 0–2 Gergary
Siovanija and Teusland 2–3 Saint-Domingues

# Group C                          Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Gergary                            7   6  0  1   16   5 +11   12 Q
2 Savojarna                          7   4  1  2   27  15 +12    9 Q
3 NPC West Florida                   7   4  0  3   21  17  +4    8 Q
4 Suimede                            7   4  0  3   21  23  −2    8 Q
5 Siovanija and Teusland             7   3  1  3   33  25  +8    7 Q
6 Sannyamathland                     7   3  0  4   16  20  −4    6
7 Saint-Domingues                    7   3  0  4   10  20 −10    6
8 Alaska Hawaii and the Aleutes      7   0  0  7    9  28 −19    0

NPC West Florida ahead of Suimede on goal differential.

Group D
Græntfjall 0–0 Srednjaci
Hebitaka 0–4 Kelssek
Nova Anglicana 3–3 Croblade
St. Saratoga 5–6 Quebec

# Group D                          Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Kelssek                            7   4  2  1   25  14 +11   10 Q
2 Græntfjall                         7   4  2  1   18   9  +9   10 Q
3 Srednjaci                          7   3  3  1   11   7  +4    9 Q
4 Nova Anglicana                     7   2  5  0   15  10  +5    9 Q
5 Quebec                             7   3  1  3   25  27  −2    7 Q
6 St. Saratoga                       7   3  0  4   15  18  −3    6
7 Hebitaka                           7   1  2  4   14  20  −6    4
8 Croblade                           7   0  1  6    8  26 −18    1

Kelssek ahead of Græntfjall on goal differential.
Srednjaci ahead of Nova Anglicana on wins.

---

Congratulations to the twenty teams who are continuing to the Round of 20! To the remaining twelve teams, thank you for making the trip to Delaclava, and we hope to see you around on the international hockey scene - go sign up for the 42nd World Cup of Hockey if you haven't already!

The twenty qualified teams are seeded as follows:

#	Team	                G	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Group	Seed
1	Gergary	                7	6	0	1	16	5	+11	12	C	1
1	Delaclava	        7	5	1	1	30	20	+10	11	A	2
1	Fluvannia	        7	5	1	1	24	16	+8	11	B	3
1	Kelssek	                7	4	2	1	25	14	+11	10	D	4
2	Banija	                7	5	0	2	22	11	+11	10	B	5
2	Græntfjall	        7	4	2	1	18	9	+9	10	D	6
2	New Waldensia	        7	5	0	2	17	12	+5	10	A	7
2	Savojarna	        7	4	1	2	27	15	+12	9	C	8
3	HUElavia	        7	4	2	1	25	17	+8	10	B	9
3	Anthor	                7	4	1	2	26	19	+7	9	A	10
3	Srednjaci	        7	3	3	1	11	7	+4	9	D	11
3	NPC West Florida	7	4	0	3	21	17	+4	8	C	12
4	Nova Anglicana	        7	2	5	0	15	10	+5	9	D	13
4	Sainterris	        7	4	0	3	27	27	0	8	A	14
4	Suimede	                7	4	0	3	21	23	−2	8	C	15
4	Grey County	        7	3	2	2	32	20	+12	8	B	16
5	Abanhfleft	        7	3	2	2	16	17	−1	8	B	17
5	Siovanija and Teusland	7	3	1	3	33	25	+8	7	C	18
5	Atheara	                7	3	1	3	21	14	+7	7	A	19
5	Quebec	                7	3	1	3	25	27	−2	7	D	20

Round of 20
#13 Nova Anglicana vs. #19 Atheara* @ Vespers Yard (9,000), Breton Valley

#14 Sainterris vs. #20 Quebec* @ Lake Mansell (7,500), Kalinin

#15 Suimede vs. #17 Abanhfleft** @ Lake Mansell (7,500), Kalinin

#16 Grey County vs. #18 Siovanija and Teusland** @ Vespers Yard (9,000), Breton Valley

All four games had to be rearranged in the pairs shown to avoid group rematches.

Round of 16
#1 Gergary vs. TBD
Nexus Nordlige (30,000), Arctica

#8 Savojarna vs. #9 HUElavia
Domara Square (25,000), Kalinin

#4 Kelssek vs. TBD
Panthers Arena (16,387), Breton Valley

#5 Banija vs. #12 NPC West Florida
Panthers Arena (16,387), Breton Valley

#6 Græntfjall vs. #10 Anthor*
Lepotuoli (25,000), Narkyla

#3 Fluvannia vs. TBD
Domara Square (25,000), Kalinin

#7 New Waldensia vs. #11 Srednjaci*
Lepotuoli (25,000), Narkyla

#2 Delaclava vs. TBD
Danzig Game Hall (65,000), Solveheim

* Games rearranged to avoid group rematches.

A few reminders:
- After the Round of 16 is completed, no games will be reseeded or rearranged. The bracket will be played through, top to bottom, as shown.
- Tomorrow (Friday, March 12) is an off day for all competitors.
- Saturday, March 13 is the Round of 20, so therefore another off day for the top 12 teams.
- Everyone is back in on Sunday, March 14, and we will play through until we have our winner.

Best of luck to all participants!

[Grey County]

Well Grey County started the tournament with the Goal to make the round of 20 they were hoping heading into the last round of Group Play that they could earn a automatic Round of 16 bid. Grey County looked like they would do that as they were up 5-4 with 20 seconds to go they ended up letting in 2 goals in the last 20 seconds to fail at this task. Well this is disapointing they still have achieved there goal and they arent done yet according to the coach "We have done what we came to do and now its time to cause some damage, we take inspiration from our Arena Bowl team who has knocked out heavyweights and thats what were gonna do too. GO GREY COUNTY".

[Atheara]

A Loss Was Not A Problem For Us

Today we will Analyze Atheara's Statistics From the Group Bracket, The Match Up against Nova Anglicana, and an Announcement.

Atheara has Qualified for the Round of 20, A Monumental Achievement for such a new Team. However, to stay in the Tournament, Atheara must continue on by first of all, beating Nova Anglicana and advancing on from the Hell yet that is the Round of 20. This was because of a 2 - 1 loss against New Waldensia on the Final Match Day of the Group Bracket. The Match between Nova Anglicana and Atheara will be at Vespers Yard, Breton Valley.

Atheara had a statistic of 3 - 1 - 3, meaning 3 Wins, 1 Draw, and 3 Losses. Winning against BohemiaIV 0 - 5, Sarzonia 0 - 1, and against Flekkefjord 6 - 2. Drawing against Anthor at Day 1 with a score of 4 - 4. And Losing to Delaclava 2 - 1, Sainterris 4 - 3, and New Waldensia 2 - 1. This means Atheara had a total of 7 Points in the Group Bracket. This also means that Atheara has conceded a total of 14 Goals and has scored 21 Goals, making a total of +7 Goal difference.

Now for the Announcement, Atheara is changing their playstyle a bit. The Northern Guards have changed their Style from a -2 to a -3,5 meaning that they will play more defensively starting now. Also they decided to change their Starter Line Up a bit.

Forwards:
Michael Harris will be replaced by Kladin Hannaris.
Erik Gledden will be replaced by Farid Nueberg.
Alexander Kurov will stay.

Defenders:
Tohan Harilyawski will stay.
Corros Von Alekheer will be replaced by Erick Norms.

Goalies:
Richofen Graf Spleisher will stay.

Meaning that the main Line Up this time is:
Kladin - Farid - Kurov as Offense.
Tohan - Erick as Defence.
Richofen as Goalie.

High Risk, High Reward. The Team will be training for several Hours straight today. We wish the new Line Up the best for their match against Nova Anglicana soon.

[Nova Anglicana]

Defense betrays Young Lions, leading to Round of 20 matchup

The good news is, the Nova Anglicana U20 hockey team, the Young Lions, are the only team to finish undefeated in the seven-game group stage of the 16th World Junior Hockey Championship in Delaclava. The bad news is, only two of those seven games were wins. The Young Lions entered their final group stage game against Croblade, who hadn't won a game or even picked up a point so far. Expecting a win, a late defensive collapse led to yet another draw, the Young Lions' fifth of the tournament.

The game started out fairly well for the Young Lions; reserve goaltender Joey Perry stopped seven shots in the first period and Cedric Caldwell scored at 5:23 of the same. In the second, they extended their lead with a Peter Frazier goal, and Perry, though he allowed one goal, stopped nine of ten shots, giving him a solid overall performance so far. Armand Calderon found the net at 3:17 of the third, putting the Young Lions up 3-1. But unfortunately, at that point, the Young Lions got a little complacent. Over the next 16 minutes, Croblade looked like the more assertive team, putting fifteen shots on goal and drawing a larger share of possession than they had previously. Perry did his best, but the barrage of shots proved to be too much. Croblade narrowed the lead to 3-2 at 11:47, then found the net again when both Perry and the defense were caught out of position. The 18:57 goal tied the game, and the Young Lions didn't have enough gas to find the winning goal in the remaining minute-plus of play. They surrendered the two-goal lead and settled for a draw against an inferior side.

With the draw against Croblade, Kelssek's 4-0 win over Hebitaka, and Græntfjall's 0–0 draw with Srednjaci, the final Group D standings shook out like this: 1st, Kelssek, 4-2-1, 10 pts, 2nd, Græntfjall, 4-2-1, 10 pts, 3rd, Srednjaci, 3-3-1, 9 pts, 4th, Nova Anglicana, 2-5-0, 9 pts. Kelssek took the top spot over Græntfjall on goal differential, while Srednjaci's three wins to the Young Lions' two made the difference and seeded them third.

For their sins, the Young Lions will now be seeded 13th overall and will have to play in the Round of 20. Originally slated to take on Quebec and Shingoryeo, they will now face Group A's Atheara to avoid a group-stage rematch. Too bad for the Young Lions, as they handled Quebec pretty easily the first time around. Atheara, despite a 2-1 loss to New Waldensia on the final day, finished 5th in their group with a record of 3-1-3. Media reports indicate that the Northern Guards like to play a fairly defensive style, but they scored 21 goals and allowed 14 in the group stage, for an average score of 3-2. Since we wouldn't expect this from a defensive team, it seems likely they got sucked into playing other teams' games. Compare this to the Young Lions, who play a fairly neutral style, but only scored 15 goals and allowed 10. Their defense has been excellent even if it's not the focal point of their play. If Atheara truly has trouble asserting themselves and preventing the other team from playing at their tempo, then the Young Lions could take advantage. The Northern Guards will likely redouble their defensive efforts in a bid to get back to their roots. With both teams playing defensively, this game might be decided by who scores first.

Should the Young Lions win, they would be slated for a Round of 16 matchup with #4 Kelssek, though it's possible that they would be shifted to face #3 Fluvannia to avoid a group-stage rematch. Either way, the Young Lions need to win to make it through, so let's hope they can continue to be undefeated in this WJHC tournament.