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

[Ranoria]

Krauts Earn First Win of the Isenbrand Era in Dramatic Fashion:
Prepare To Test Their Mettle Against The Kingdom of Banija

Look: Our offense was completely inept in this one. Frederick Vrabel couldn't get anything going, and he and Augustin Khan got just one shot on goal apiece before this thing went into overtime.

On the other hand, our defense was spectacular. Just as Isenbrand promised, the Krauts tight and disciplined unit was more than able to lock down any attempts to get any offense going, and Ezekiel Huber's speed on the back end was a very apparent upgrade to last season's unit. Flying around on the back end, he forced several turnovers and appeared more than willing to lay down the wood any time he saw an opportunity.

Of course, the shootout was the highlight of this game. After overtime resulted in a continuation of the gridlock between the two squads, with Frederick Vrabel getting his aforementioned shot on goal during this period, the two squads readied up for the deciding period.

Frederick Vrabel opened it up with a score, and BohemiaIV's squad was able to match up with us initially. Joel Weidnman missed his opportunity, but the Krauts new goalie, Dareus Burnett, never flinched after that initial slip up. Consecutive scores by veteran Augustin Khan and youngster Ezekiel Huber would seal the deal, as BohemiaIV proved unable to notch another goal.

The Krauts, after Dareus Burnett deflected the final shot of the game

It had to happen sooner or later: No more tangling with the more mediocre teams in the Group of Cups: we'd have to clash with one of the heavyweights, and here they are. Banija, ranked ninth in the tournament, are coming in 1-1 after dropping an early, and important, bout against HUElavia. Remember kids: HUElavia is a heck of a lot better than Saint Saratoga, who we dropped our opener against.

What are our chances? Slim to none. Head coach Alram Isenbrand has made it clear that he's confident his squad can beat whoever's in front of them, but the rest of the Ranorian media seems to be looking at this as a measuring stick game. If we can hang in there with Banija, give them a push and force them to show their teeth a bit, we'll be in a good spot going forward. A position to enter the knockout stages? Likely not, but surely we'll have gathered enough momentum to make a statement in the coming years.

[Siovanija and Teusland]

Hockey Today Magazine

Hockey History

The Heavyweight Champions of Hockey
Part II - The Belt Begins

’Hockey Today’ magazine is excited to bring a new feature series on the history of hockey in Siovanija & Teusland, with a focus on one of the most controversial sides of the game: fighting. We have poured over historical reports and data to determine a lineal championship belt for fighters in the Ehrenliga, as well as piece together the history - and future - of fighting in the Ehrenliga.

In the early days of the Ehrenliga, the game looked quite different than it does today: no helmets, pure wooden sticks, very old equipment, and of course, much slower than the games today. Some things never change, however: you still want to put the puck in the net, and in some cases, put your fist through the other guy’s face.

For Ladislav Kresniac, that was his main job in the Ehrenliga as the designated fighter-of-choice for Energija Chernovets. Within a few games of his taking the belt after the first-ever Ehrenliga fight, against Fyodor Petrov, Chernovets realized that Kresniac wasn’t quite cut out for the Ehrenliga. Frankly, when he was on the ice the club were basically playing with 4.5 players. He could make a hit here and there, if he could catch someone, but with the puck on his stick he was a liability.

Kresniac was quickly becoming, however, a fan-favourite amongst Chernovets fans. The team was terrible anyways - 3-17 through the first 20 games of the 1921 season - and Kresniac’s exploits became the only reason some fans attended games. So, the club agreed a new contract with him - he would play all the home games in Chernovets, and when the club went on the road, he would return to train with his former amateur team, Atomska Chernovets. Teams knew coming into Chernovets that they would have to face a fierce, hard-hitting team: it was the only way to keep the club afloat, literally. And so, in this era, we saw many teams began to sign pests to form part of their ‘black aces’ practice squad and also be ready to go into the game against Chernovets and keep players like Kresniac off their stars.

As a brief aside, the other man involved in the league’s first-ever fight, Fyodor Petrov, was quickly in the doghouse at Olympia Borograd after the club realized he was not, in fact, a skilled fighter. But Petrov’s punishment at the hands of Kresniac would have a silver lining. Contracted for the rest of the season to Olympia, he trained with them, and when the club faced injuries late in the campaign, he was brought into the main team. He did well as a skilled middle-six winger, and ended up playing 447 Ehrenliga games, recording 207 points and winning the Strauss Cup once with Olympia.

Ladislav Kresniac recorded just 9 points in an Ehrenliga career that spanned 112 games, 106 of them home games for Chernovets across 3 seasons. His only Ehrenliga goal was described in the Chernovets Daily newspaper as ‘a deflection that Kresniac was perhaps lucky to get a stick on’. Instead, however, he fought 47 times in the Ehrenliga, and became renowned as its first true heavyweight king.

Standing at just over 6’6, Kresniac was a big man who could not be taken lightly by any opponent. Contemporary reports describe him ‘ragdolling’ other players around if he got into a fight. When he was on the ice, you usually tried to simply avoid him, and most players could, as he was one of the slowest players in the league. Kresniac won fight after fight against players who may have been big, but weren’t used to fighting as he was - including a stretch of 15 in a row in that first season in the league.

The next year, however, many teams began to wise up to what was going on, and that they could no longer expose their better players to risk injuries playing against him. Kapitala Borograd signed a player who was considered the best fighter in the amateur leagues at that particular moment, Jan Krawic, and the Krawic-Kresniac showdown had as much hype to it as the game itself. Kresniac won again, however, and with Krawic losing the one thing he had going for him, he was out of pro hockey 4 games later.

At this era in Siovanija & Teusland, the most popular individual sport - and it still retains a great deal of popularity to this day - was boxing. Fighters of the era were some of the most popular athletes in the country, and in cities everywhere fight night at the local arena - often shared with local hockey teams - was a much-anticipated event in the community. Each area had its own fighter it claimed to be the best, but in the time period, Arthur Koster was considered the best, renowned for his technique. When Koster defended his heavyweight belt in Stelburg the same night Kresniac did on the ice in Chernovets, there was an article the next morning questioning what would happen if the two faced off.

The real answer is, Koster would’ve destroyed him. Koster was a trained fighter, Kresniac was simply big. Not to take anything away from him, because he was good in his role, but he could be beaten by someone who did have that talent in addition to size. Would such a person be found in the world of hockey? At the time, the top boxers were certainly paid more than the average hockey player, but at the amateur levels, perhaps someone would be found. St. Jakob Saints coach Erich Kreilsdorf was taking in a local amateur game when he saw a fighter that impressed him, but could also play the game, too: not just a pure goon. Kreilsdorf immediately grabbed the player after the game, and asked if he’d like to attend the Saints’ practice the next day.

And so, Elias Weizel got his shot. He was skilled enough to make it, but with his background as a boxer in his youth before deciding to quit the sport for hockey, which was his first love, he was a good tough guy as well. Weizel played his first game for the Saints two nights later against the Stelburg Kaisers, and was a +1, before scoring his first goal at the start of a three-game road trip in Siovanija against Olympia Borograd. The next night, the Saints rolled into Chernovets.

Erich Kreilsdorf had forbidden Weizel from fighting prior to this game, to avoid building a reputation before stepping into the arena. There was no hype for this game as there normally was when Kresniac faced a top-tier opponent, because nobody outside of St. Jakob had ever heard of Elias Weizel. Weizel didn’t even see the ice in the first period of the game against Chernovets. But, with 4 minutes remaining in the second period and Kresniac on the ice for a defensive zone faceoff after an icing, Weizel was sent out to line up beside him.

There was, one can assume, the usual jostling between two players beside each other, and when Kresniac offered a fight, Weizel was quick to accept the challenge. Chernovets fans prepared to watch Kresniac work his magic again. Instead, they were left in shock as this young kid made rather quick work of their hero, and skated off to the penalty box as if he’d barely broken a sweat.

There were loud boos, and in some circles there were even questions of whether the fight had been thrown due to gambling issues. But at the end of the day, there was a new heavyweight champion of the Ehrenliga.

Ladislav Kresniac would play 45 more games in the Ehrenliga after that, fighting 20 more times. He would go another long winning streak, but lost to Weizel again the next season. By that point, it was becoming clear that he’d perhaps lost his touch - or simply grown tired of fighting so often - and he lost several more bouts afterwards. His early-career heroics were mostly forgotten by fans outside of Chernovets by the time of his retirement, but in his hometown, he remained a legend.

Kresniac would be a common fixture at Chernovets games for years, and appeared often on local television broadcasts. It was said he never had to pay for a drink at any bar in the city. His name has gone down in the record books as one of the first, and greatest, fighters of the era in which paying the local tough guy to lace up for a night was a common tactic. But his retirement, and loss to Weizel, marked a new era for fighting in the league: players who could play the game, and were also skilled fighters.

Next time, we’ll pick up with Elias Weizel and this ‘new generation’ of fighters in the Ehrenliga, as the league headed towards the golden days of Original 6 hockey.

[Delaclava]

Excerpts from Jehiel Abreu's post-game press teleconference following Delaclava's 2-0 loss to Valanora

Jehiel, obviously not the result you were looking for today, but the team did seem to have its moments. Can you walk us through from your perspective what went right and wrong today, and what seemed to make the difference?

"Honestly, I don't think today was too bad of a performance. They're a very good team, and because we play kind of similar I think they bring out the best in us too. We're both clean, fast teams who can move the puck well. It just seemed like today we couldn't find any spaces, they clogged up our passing lanes really we. Our own defensive pressure was pretty good, and if you'd told me we'd only give up two goals, I'd think we'd have a shot. But they're tough to score on. Their guy Noel Norberg doesn't miss anything. I think we even outshot them in that third period? It just wasn't good enough."

Delaclava did outshoot Valanora in the third period, 14 to 11. It doesn't seem like you'll get a chance to rematch the Calcuttas here - so what do you take away from this game going forward?

"I think, more than anything, that we're ready to go. They're an elite team and we're a pretty good squad ourselves, and we're both going to improve, but I think we were both at the level we needed for such an early stage of the tournament. In a long format like this, you don't want to lose a mental or physical edge early or it's going to be a rough tournament. Having good moments and overall holding our own, I think it gives us confidence that we can match up well and beat some teams we need to get past if we want to make the Round of 16."

Jehiel, you're someone who's always very aware of what's going on in the rest of the competition. You take things one game at a time but really seem to know how that's fitting into the tournament as a whole. How closely are you monitoring what the rest of the Group of Wands is doing so far?

"Not at all, really. It's just too early. We know what everyone's ranked and what we expect teams to do, but honestly, I don't think we're going to really know who's come to play until we're five, six games in. It's so easy to look better or worse depending on how your schedule turns out. And I never concern myself with what other teams are doing until I know we actually fit into it somehow. If we're out of contention immediately, it doesn't really matter to us what else is going on, right? So hopefully we have some wins in the next few days, and we'll know what has to happen to move forward."

What's your experience been so far playing in Græntfjall? It's your first trip here, correct?

"Yes, it is. It's... is 'charming' the right word? It certainly is a word. I don't know, in our first game we were damn near blinded by their scoreboard. I think it was somewhat of an equaliser for the game, although I don't want to make too many excuses. And I don't think the Asspire Arena was even expecting us to show up. We arrived and some security guards were standing next to exposed wires, trying to light their farts on fire. And everywhere we looked there was some sort of whale bone. Alex Coburn had to sit out the second period getting his arm stitched up from a rib in the wall. Like I said. 'Charming'."

And your thoughts on Altendalur in general?

"It's so damn cold. All these guys on our team from Valhalla love it. They'll go fishing with their shirts off, drinking iced coffee, they really like the more industrial feel of things because it's very similar. I've been in Cleopatrana for years now, I prefer my water to be warm so I can surf and swim in it. So overall, I think it's actually pretty good for team morale because a lot of guys feel comfortable here. Me, I've got to go put on another coat. Excuse me..."

[Fluvannia]

Fluvannia, as a nation with a prodigious amount of coastline along the Sarasta Ocean, has had a long and (usually) healthy relationship with the sea, as well as with bodies of water in general. For starters, the name of the country itself is believed to come from a reference to the "populus qui colunt fluvium annum" ("the people who cultivate the yearly river"), referring to the yearly river floods that sustained agriculture in the general area of Charlottesville, Palmyra, and Scottsville in antiquity. For millennia, Fluvannians have worked the waters, both fresh and salty, for food. From the sea came tuna, smelt, cod, shrimp, and lobster. To this day, seafood is one of, if not the, primary animal source of protein in the Fluvannian diet.

One major reason for that permanence is the arrival of the Umitaku people, who themselves came from over the sea. A culture built on nomadic sailing, the Umitaku would sometimes build coastal colonies; evidence for these have been found all around the Sarastan coast, from the western coast of Lansi, to the northeastern coast of Kagu, and even some of the Lounas Islands on the ocean's southeastern edges. Some of these colonies were eventually abandoned, others are believed to have been destroyed, or even assimilated to the native population, but those who arrived on the eastern coasts of Poyoinen between the ninth and tenth centuries not only decided to put down roots, but prospered in their new home. This is not to say that their arrival was met with arms that were always open; the medieval Fluvans and Burgwieser peoples that lived closer to the coast sometimes fought back violently against their new neighbors; others simply shunned them. Only in some places were they really treated simply as fellow men, and it is in these places today we find their highest populations.

Quite possibly the Umitaku's greatest (or at least most well-known) contributions to the Fluvannian diet (and later to the world at large as cultures spread and intermingled more rapidly as the 20th century progressed) are two closely-related seafood dishes, which in the native and very well-preserved Umitaku language are known as sashimi and sushi. The former is essentially thin slices of fish (or occasionally beef), either uncooked or very lightly seared, sometimes served with a garnish of pickled ginger and a light amount of soy sauce. The latter is much more varied, and consists of several ingredients formed in any of several shapes made of rice and dried seaweed. The most common form is what the Umitaku call maki, a long, cylindrical, spiraled roll cut into roughly square slices. In addition to some form of fish, shellfish, or beef as a main raw ingredient, other components are extremely varied and depend on both local appetites and foods, the aims of the chef, and even the time of year. Anything from avocado to cream cheese to cucumbers or carrots and even shrimp tempura and sweet omelette have found their way into these rolls, but the main ingredient almost always comes from the waters of the nearby Sarasta.

---

Bradley --- Cleary --- Chekovich
Barrett --- O'Doyle --- Hamilton
Ingram --- Grabowski --- Wells
Breton --- Peräjärvi --- Stephens

Francis --- Todd
Cooper --- Gutierrez
Tanaka --- Gill

Salama
Knight
Snyder

[Valanora]

They say that heartaches are fixed by the sea, for Vanorians however, there is no major allure to the sea besides the call of the tasty fish that can be caught in the deep waters of the oceans. With a diet that consists mostly of breads, wine, and fish, Vanorians have always had a modicum of reverence for the ocean and the bounty that she provides, it being one of the staples of their diet after all. While the various rivers, lakes, and ponds that dot the entirety of the Vanorian mainland are all filled with a variety of different breeds of fish, it is the deep blue seas that provide much larger bounties that would provide for more than just a person or two. Given that one of the major ports of the old kingdoms of the elven security alliance was notoriously hit often by storms, the port of Port Swell, it also kept the elves from developing to large of a bond with the sea, instead developing the harmonious nature with their forests and woods that are plentiful across the Arrosia continent. Even to this day, the Eternal Empire's Navy is quite small compared to its Imperial Navy, which is actually an air and space force.

The Calcuttas for their part have started off quite well, defeating two of the difficult teams in the group with a four to two win over Poafmersia in the opening matchday before putting two past Delaclava and keeping a shutout in the process, having them tied with Sarzonia for the top of the group through the first two matches. It is interesting to see Sarzonia doing so well early on, given that they had opted to forego entry into the last edition of the tournament, yet with an impressive four to one victory over the former champions and powerhouses of Elejamie, it is clear as day that the time off did them no harm as they seem to have not missed a beat. Interestingly enough however the runners' up of last edition and currently second ranked team in the WCoHF rankings Ko-oren have had a bit of a poor start, needing overtime to defeat newcomers Pius Desurongcrandis, keeping the side a point behind both the Calcuttas and the team from Sarzonia to start of the tournament.

It does not get any easier for the Calcuttas though as they get to take on the third best team in the group, if you are to go off of the rankings, and their southwestern neighbors of Equestria. In fact, Equestria is narrowly the closest nation to the Eternal Empire, with a few of their outlying islands just a few miles off the northwest coast of the Arrosia mainland, while Siovanija & Teusland is a handful of miles off of the southeast of Sabine and Caddonia, while Farfadillis is slightly farther than that off one of the northeast coast of one of the Arrosian Isles. Ferries travel between the nations on at least a two day basis, connected the various islands and Empires to one another, though calling Farfadillis an empire is a bit of a stretch, given it is more of a collective of regions at this point. The Equestrians had a bye to open up the the group stage and then where defeated in an eleven goal thriller against Iba Dwa, another new team to the competition, on the previous last day. The Calcuttas traditionally have the edge in this southwestern rivalry, especially in hockey compared to football or basketball, and will be looking to make the start all that more poorer for their neighbors across the narrow sears.

[Quebec and Shingoryeo]

[OOC: For this WCoH, I'm going to try something different from what I have been mostly roleplaying for last year or so. This series, to be compiled into a super-long article by the end of the tournament, will be about the Ice Knights' time in Graintfjall for this World Cup of Hockey. Still, since we are already entering third matchday, I think it's going to be safe to assume that the article starts after the MD3 results are out.

The Taegukgi - The Korean-language Newspaper of the Shingyeoites

Bus. Streets. Arena. Hotel. LET'S GET IT: THE ICE KNIGHTS' TWO-WEEK (OR HOPEFULLY LONGER) ADVENTURE ON WORLD CUP OF HOCKEY.

Sir. Alexandre Browne-Hahm, the Ice Knights' head coach, in post-game media conference after the Quebecois' 3-5 loss to Siovanija and Teusland on the opening match.

By Asher Lundrigan, live from Græntfjall

AUGUST 24, 2048
> 6:50 A.M. SOMEWHERE IN HATTMARK-SOUTH, GRAINTFJALL.

So here they are, at the very heart of Háttmark, participating in one of the greatest sports competitions in the world. The first-timer's grabbing a quick saeujam ('shrimp nap' if directly translated from Korean), with his hockey equipment bags on the other seat of his aisle, and a MyPhone on his pocket and a blanket draped over him. He's dreaming about the day will come. He's making the best out of what's a short hour of sleep from his hotel, Hvarfheim Háttmark. On the other side of the aisle, the thirty-five year near-retiree follows, who is listening to a Græntfjaller documentary about the history of Græntfjaller whaling traditions, which has mostly died out but continues in some parts of the country. The team's coach, sitting at the very front, is a legend, who has singlehandedly beaten the likes of Gregoryisgodistan, Gyatso-Kai and Valanora in order to win the national team's only World Cup of Hockey championship thirty-two years ago. Another is on a phone back to Quebec, where his wife is a week away from giving birth. Another is phoning back to Siovanija and Teusland. A charming Capitolien is dancing to some disco, while his buddy drowns the music with Tikariotian metal.

While the team bus is not marked with their colours, everybody seem to know that this is the bus where the rowdiest hockey national team in the Multiverse, the Ice Knights of Quebec and Shingoryeo, are on board. Players, coaches, the entire national team staff, and the driver board the bus and they are slowly heading towards various arenas of Háttmark, where the full-strength national team is looking to save face. It's a mission many want to see, especially after an embarrassing tournament last time around when the dispute between World Cup of Hockey Federation and Hockey Quebec have caused latter to send mostly second-teamers and reserve players for the Ice Knights. Ranked thirteenth in the world, they are neither champions nor doormats, but for one they know the calibre of this team is good enough to make noise with right bounce off the puck. They do not necessarily have the starpower some have, or the teamwork of the Siovanijans and the Teus, but this may be the right time to see what these guys are made of, in the wintry wonderland of Græntfjall.

For 5 of these guys, this is all new. The experience of being part of the Grim Reapers experience. As for the rest, this is nothing- they've gone through more exhausting home-and-away schedules before, whether they were included for 40 or 41. They've made their peace with how they only had to travel a little from their team hotel to elsewhere. They also know that the team has not really kept up with the natural expectations back home, minimum quarterfinals finish or disappointment, and hope not to disappoint by the end of two weeks in Háttmark.

Placed in what's a difficult Group of Cups, they take consolation in the fact that they could have ended up in a more difficult group. Let's see how their adventure goes.....

[Graintfjall]

Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so.

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

MD3 cutoff

Græntfjallers have traditionally been a rather closed off people (which is probably why, despite the nation existing for over a millennium, the people of Rushmore only seem to have noticed its existence a couple years ago). While the nation’s economy may have been built on the sea trade, rarely were those who brought exotic foreign wares to the ice-fringed shores actually invited to stay, but rather hurried off at the pointy end of a sword. Barriers both physical – the climate and mountains – and linguistic – the Græntfjaller language being difficult for even Græntfjallers themselves to pronounce – added to the long isolation. Even in the 20th century and an age of mass communications, bleak decades of communist repression meant isolation was the norm. Only in recent years has Græntfjall begun opening up to the world – which is how all of you come to be here! Has your nation been open to the world and influenced by events from around the multiverse for a long time, or has it only recently emerged onto the global scene?

Tiebreakers are still not fully implemented at this stage.

Group of Wands
Valanora 5–1 Equestria
Pluvie 0–2 Delaclava
Sannyamathland 1–6 Poafmersia
Sarzonia 3–2 North Alezia
Ko-oren 1–0 Elejamie
Kelssek 3–1 Pius Desurongcrandis

   Group of Wands                 Pld    W  OTW  OTL    L   GF   GA   GD  Pts 
 1 Sarzonia                         3    3    0    0    0   13    4   +9    9
   Valanora                         3    3    0    0    0   11    3   +8    9
 3 Ko-oren                          3    2    1    0    0    5    0   +5    8
 4 Poafmersia                       3    2    0    0    1   12    6   +6    6
 5 Delaclava                        3    1    1    0    1    5    4   +1    5
   North Alezia                     3    1    1    0    1   12    5   +7    5
 7 Iba Dwa                          2    1    0    1    0    8    8    0    4
 8 Kelssek                          2    1    0    0    1    3    4   –1    3
 9 Elejamie                         3    0    1    0    2    5    8   –3    2
10 Sannyamathland                   3    0    0    2    1    6   13   –7    2
11 Pius Desurongcrandis             3    0    0    1    2    2   10   –8    1
12 Equestria                        2    0    0    0    2    6   11   –5    0
   Pluvie                           3    0    0    0    3    1   13  –12    0

Group of Pentacles
Grey County 2–6 Abanhfleft
Suimede 5–2 Islands of Ventro
Gergary 0–2 Nova Anglicana
Anthor 4–6 Gyatso-Kai
United States of Devonta 4–3 Fluvannia
Salzcovia 0–2 Mercedini

   Group of Pentacles             Pld    W  OTW  OTL    L   GF   GA   GD  Pts 
 1 Nova Anglicana                   3    3    0    0    0    5    1   +4    9
 2 United States of Devonta         3    2    1    0    0   10    5   +5    8
 3 Gyatso-Kai                       3    2    0    1    0   11    7   +4    7
   Mercedini                        3    2    0    1    0   10    3   +7    7
 5 Abanhfleft                       2    2    0    0    0    7    2   +5    6
   Fluvannia                        3    2    0    0    1   15    7   +8    6
 7 Le Choix                         2    1    0    0    1    6    3   +3    3
   Suimede                          3    1    0    0    2    7    8   –1    3
 9 Islands of Ventro                3    1    0    0    2    6   11   –5    3
10 Gergary                          3    0    1    0    2    2    6   –4    2
11 Anthor                           3    0    0    0    3    7   21  –14    0
   Grey County                      3    0    0    0    3    3   10   –7    0
   Salzcovia                        2    0    0    0    2    1    6   –5    0

Group of Cups
BohemiaIV 2–2 New Waldensia (2–3 OT)
Banija 4–1 Ranoria
Siovanija & Teusland 5–1 Omerica
Waisnor 1–3 HUElavia
Srednjaci 2–3 Quebec & Shingoryeo
Kriegiersien 5–0 Flekkefjord

   Group of Cups                  Pld    W  OTW  OTL    L   GF   GA   GD  Pts 
 1 Siovanija & Teusland             3    3    0    0    0   12    5   +7    9
 2 HUElavia                         3    2    0    0    1    6    4   +2    6
 3 Banija                           3    2    0    0    1   12    5   +7    6
   Kriegiersien                     2    2    0    0    0    9    3   +6    6
   Quebec & Shingoryeo              3    2    0    0    1    9    7   +2    6
 6 Flekkefjord                      3    1    1    0    1    9   12   –3    5
   New Waldensia                    2    1    1    0    0    7    4   +3    5
 8 BohemiaIV                        3    0    1    2    0    4    5   –1    4
 9 St. Saratoga                     2    1    0    0    1    5    6   –1    3
10 Ranoria                          3    0    1    0    2    4    7   –3    2
11 Omerica                          3    0    0    1    2    4   14  –10    1
   Srednjaci                        3    0    0    1    2    8   11   –3    1
13 Waisnor                          3    0    0    0    3    5   11   –6    0

Group of Swords
The Grandest Empire 2–3 TJUN-ia
Mapletish 0–1 Savojarna
Kohnhead 4–2 People’s Republic of Xabia
Taeshan 2–2 Reçueçn (3–2 OT)
Chromatika 1–0 Lǜ Shān
Cassadaigua 2–0 Xanneria

   Group of Swords                Pld    W  OTW  OTL    L   GF   GA   GD  Pts 
 1 Savojarna                        3    2    1    0    0    7    4   +3    8
   Taeshan                          3    2    1    0    0   13    4   +9    8
 3 Cassadaigua                      2    2    0    0    0    9    2   +7    6
 4 Chromatika                       3    2    0    0    1    6    9   –3    6
 5 Mapletish                        3    1    1    0    1    4    2   +2    5
 6 Reçueçn                          3    1    0    2    0   13    7   +6    5
 7 Græntfjall                       2    1    0    1    0    7    7    0    4
 8 Lǜ Shān                          3    1    0    0    2    7   10   –3    3
   TJUN-ia                          2    1    0    0    1    7    7    0    3
 9 Kohnhead                         3    1    0    0    2    9   18   –9    3
   The Grandest Empire              3    1    0    0    2    9   10   –1    3
11 People’s Republic of Xabia       3    0    0    0    3    6   11   –5    0
   Xanneria                         3    0    0    0    3    3    9   –6    0

Edit: Minor error corrected. Please flag up any errors you spot!

[Kelssek]

Pieter Ostend watched and waited as Eamon Coady stared at the equipment rack, puzzled by the absence of his sticks, until he looked at the names the equipment managers had written on the tape and realized the manufacturer had slightly changed the colours and design.

“You see, the stick chooses the player. And it is most curious that this particular WarpSpeed Xflite Pro, 5.5 lie and 60 flex, has chosen you...” Pieter said theatrically.

“This is one of those pop culture references I don’t get, right?”

“We play in the group of wands, Harry.”

“Okay brah,” said Eamon.

* * *

Since the current generation of Kelssek players returned to the international hockey stage, the results have been unspectacular. In comparison with the other major sports for Kelssek, like soccer where the team clambered back to its previous heights, a second World Cup of Hockey win seems further away than ever.

Some of that is pressure. The weight of the entire country is on the hockey team’s shoulders and the sweater can be a pretty heavy thing. Everyone vociferously thinks they know better than the professionals. And when the standard expected is to challenge for the title, it all adds up to a much longer road with much greater impatience to make progress down it. The past, like the whale skeletons that seems the favoured architectural flourish in Altendalur, looms mightily in the background.

Some of it, which everyone associated with the game in Kelssek knows but which I have to publically pretend is a vicious lie, is the godawful management of Kelssek Hockey. I’m the first head coach since the revamp to have been given a multi-year contract. Why they ever thought picking a new coach each tournament was a good idea, I can’t imagine. Some other things are done just because they worked in the past. For the U20 team to win a world championship despite all this cargo cult behaviour upstairs, well, if it can eventually get sorted out, the future is bright.

The opening game against Ko-oren, though, gives us much to ponder. I thought we had a real chance, and didn’t deserve that fate. We forechecked them hard, and made it hard to get through the neutral zone. Defence always starts in the offensive zone, I think. Had our first goal not been disallowed on an incredibly narrow offside, it could have been a very different game. As it was, Ko-oren scored the first goal that counted, and against a team that’s able to shut down the game defensively, that was a blow we just couldn’t recover from.

The players have to keep things loose. They have to keep their confidence up and remember they’re here because they’re the best at what they do – hockey. Tune out the noise and do the basics right, that’s the recipe for success.

[Le Choix]

Partie 1
Partie 2
Partie 3

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

"Mes anges choisis vous protégeront jusqu'au jour de ma venue. - Le Livre de la Protection, Chapitre 1, Verset 23
(My chosen angels will protect you until the day of my coming. - The Book of Protection, Chapter 1, Verse 23)

So who were these angels that the members of The Five were so afraid of? What was La Reine Rouge (The Red Queen)? Why did Jacqueline du Feu think that she had a trump card on all of the rest of the ruling council of the Theocracy of the Chosen?

The answer to that question would get the one who asked it a one-way ticket to the Portal to Hell, with the guarantee of certain death within twenty-four hours. How could the Theocracy guarantee that? The answer to that question was also a part of the package.

Located a half mile underground below Le Sanctum was a facility that housed the real, actual infrastructure that made The Chosen possible. Only six people had access to this facility - Jacqueline du Feu, Marian Lafayette, Desmond Lapoulet, Clarice DuPont, Edith Muir, and Marseid Aragorn. As previously seen, Jacqueline du Feu was the Pontifax of Le Choix. Who were these other four?

All four of them had been chosen from a very young age into a special education program based on how they'd tested in school. They'd been sent to a Top Secret training facility where they were taught by the one being that had watched over The Chosen from the very beginning of their inception: La Reine Rouge. The Red Queen.

The origins of La Reine Rouge isn't known in Chosen history. It was La Reine Rouge that supposedly caused the Jump from 17th century France to the land that the Chosen now called home. La Reine Rouge somehow caused an entire countryside of people to be displaced and whisked away to the land that the Chosen occupied. La Reine Rouge helped the populace gain its footing and slowly informed them on how to become more technically advanced.

What La Reine Rouge was was an enigma - nobody really knew. In colloquial terms, it was a supercomputer, with power banks and data banks that went beyond anything else in the Theocracy. However, it had a personality with mannerisms to boot. It had emotions, it expressed things in complete thoughts, and it was behind the idea of the Theocracy as much as the ruling council.

La Reine Rouge always allowed five people from the Chosen to know if its existence. Only five, ever. When those five died, five more were chosen. So it had been from the Jump, and so it was now.

The four programmers and Jacqueline du Feu had the only communication available with the supercomputer/nonhuman entity that controlled the information within Le Choix, the flow of technology in Le Choix, the actual power in Le Choix.

And that wasn't even counting The Truth. The four programmers were responsible for that portion of La Reine Rouge as well. That part needed human oversight to make sure that La Reine Rouge wouldn't go too overboard.

That was why they were Les Anges, or the Angels. 'Cause they helped decide who lived and who died. And that made them some of the most powerful people in the Theocracy.

There was an underlying worry in every member of the five who knew the truth, though:

What would they do if La Reine Rouge one day decided that nobody deserved to live?

The fact that nobody knew the answer to that was an answer all in itself.

[Kriegiersien]

The Schoenwetter Herald

Sport – Hockey


World Cup of Hockey 42


Kriegiersien 5–0 Flekkefjord


Kriegiersien team with a dominant victory over the 30 ranked. But while the team was celebrating, the coach jammed on the brakes.

“Flekkefjord played as if they weren’t there, so we should have won even higher. Others won’t make it so easy for us. I am already looking forward to how we can beat Quebec. That is a much, much harder game against a colourful opponent and important match if we want to hope to reach the next round.”

If the synergy of the lines stays on this level, that may be even possible.

[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: +0.75

Coach: Fridtjof Ragnarsson (57)
Assistant coaches: Denis Patrishin (46), Alexander Litmanen (41)
Medical and physio staff: Dr. Pyotr Alexandrov (67), Dr. Valtteri Naumanen (50), Lisa Andersson (39), Kari Litmanen (37)

Savojarna Elite National Team
Pos	Nr.	Name			Age	Club			Style
Goalkeepers (order of preference)
GK	30	Niklas Hoyman		32	CASK Thorsborg		BFY
GK	70	Ville Kerjanen		27	Savojars Vinge Virkaja	BFY
GK	1	Alexander Persson	24	ESK Storevik		HYB
First line
D	5	Jon Asgeirsson		33	ESK Storevik		DFD
D	21	Soren Falborg		30	SK Torpedo Pawlograd	OFD
LW	17	Johan Bryzhnev		26	PT Hovikkära		SNP
C	92	Anders Hejman		31	ESK Storevik		SNP
RW	41	Jonas Gulbrandsson	28	ESK Storevik		PLM
Second line
D	8	Mikael Ingerman		25	CASK Thorsborg		DFD
D	4	Viktor Anjushkin	28	RHK Savojagrad		OFD
LW	7	Boris Aljekhin		21	SK Torpedo Pawlograd	PLM
C	14	Roman Kasajev		21	SK Torpedo Pawlograd	PLM
RW	28	Denis Elegin		31	RHK Savojagrad		SNP
Third line
D	87	Evgeni Vetrayev		31	PT Hovikkära		OFD
D	88	Victor Troels		29	Dynamo Sjoedrhavn	TWD
LW	91	Valeri Taranin		29	CASK Thorsborg		SNP
C	47	Eythor Malinsson	25	ESK Storevik		PLM
RW	53	Yuri Elyagin		26	RHK Savojagrad		PWF
Fourth line
D	6	Roman Arjonenko		28	Dynamo Sjoedrhavn	DFD
D	44	Tuukka Lajanen		25	Traktor St. Andrei	TWD
LW	55	Dominik Gränlund	30	CASK Thorsborg		GRN
C	10	Slavoj Andropov		25	Dynamo Sjoedrhavn	TWA
RW	19	Tuomas Jaskinen		30	PT Hovikkära		TWA
Reserves
D	38	Tuukka Gränqvist	21	PT Hovikkära		TWD
C	12	Kirill Shkuryanov	27	RHK Savojagrad		PWF
RW	18	Sergei Vetrayev		21	Traktor St. Andrei	SNP

Special Teams:
PP1: Falborg - Gulbrandsson - Taranin - Hejman - Bryzhnev
PP2: Anjushkin - Elegin - Aljekhin - Kasajev - Elyagin
PK1: Asgeirsson - Falborg - Hejman - Jaskinen
PK2: Ingerman - Arjonenko - Andropov - Gränlund

Jerseys



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

[Sarzonia]

Yuri Evgenikov was dejected after he skated off the ice following the Sarzonian national ice hockey team's 3-2 victory over North Alezia.

He made 14 saves on 16 shots, but he felt like he let himself and his team down, as the Stars barely scraped by against an unranked side.

"I played a piss poor game, as you say," Evgenikov said through a translator, although he said "piss poor game" in English to emphasise the point. "I wasn't seeing the puck well enough and even some of my saves looked shaky. I very nearly let our team down."

For manager Paul Bremerton, Evgenikov wasn't the only issue on a day when the Stars played down to their competition. He thought about warning his team about trap matches, but decided against it when he saw how much energy his team played with against Pius Desurongcrandis and how well the team played against Elejamie. He said afterward he wished he had admonished his charges.

"We just played with very little motivation or energy against North Alezia," he said. "It damn near cost us the match."

The Stars, who are currently 3-0-0-0 and in first place in the Group of Wands with nine points, started off with a quick 2-0 hole courtesy of two quick goals by left wing Ishaq Matta and right wing Bacqueles Zalleilesouis at the 5:37 mark of the first period. Following Zalleilesouis's marker, Evgenikov looked at the players' bench expecting Bremerton to pull him for Jacob Parsons. Bremerton called timeout, but it was to settle his veteran netminder.

"I saw his body language," Bremerton said. "He wasn't feeling confident in his game or in himself. I wanted him to know we have every confidence in him. We're going to need both our guys in goal."

Sarzonia got goals from left wing Sylvan Turcotte, centre Alyssa Hannigan and right winger Calan Leftwich, with Leftwich's tally coming at the 18:36 mark of the third period just before Evgenikov started to skate to the players' bench for a sixth attacker. Turcotte was poised at the top of the bench to jump onto the ice, but then leapt in the air to celebrate Leftwich's goal.

The Stars will return Parsons to the net for the matches against No. 15 Poafmersia, No. 25 Delaclava and No. 11 Equestria. Bremerton said he would return Evgenikov to the crease when the Stars face unranked Iba Dwa.

"I was going to play it by ear, but I felt we needed to show Yuri we have confidence in him to start the match after we face Equestria," Bremerton said.

Notes: Bremerton said the Stars added goalie Owen Franks to the roster in the event of an injury to either Parsons or Evgenikov. He also added right winger Brett Hancock, Jr. as a possible injury replacement to what may amount to a taxi squad of sorts.

"We wanted to make sure we added some depth, some young depth," he said. "Tanguay is a once-in-a-generation talent and we need to figure out a way to get him on the ice. And Franks was so huge for the Junior Stars, it would be a sin to not include him here."

[Savojarna]

SavojarSports.sj - inside reports from all Savojarna
Longer breath decisive against Mapletish

By Lasse Mikaelsson

Savojarna are still unbeaten after three games at the 42nd World Cup of Hockey in Graintfjall as they won last night’s clash with unranked Mapletish with 1-0. The Northlights previously beat the hosts in overtime thanks to a goal by Jonas Gulbrandsson, and celebrated a surprisingly hard fought 3-2 over The Grandest Empire. They were sharing second place with Mapletish before their clash, which they entered as favourites despite the strong pedigree of their opposition. Mapletish had won multiple WCoH medals in the 20s but were absent for a long time; now, their return is characterised (among other things) by a surprisingly small roster.

Although Mapletish’s players proved strong, Savojarna could take advantage of them only fielding three lines compared to the Northlights’ four complete sets of players. Although Mapletish’s highly defensive setup proved to be difficult to break for the Savojars - only eight shots were recorded in the first period, and three until the halfway mark of the second - they could not break through the Northlights’ defence and ran into a strong Ville Kerjanen on the occasions that they did get through. On the other end, it seemed that the third line of Savojarna actually posed the most danger, with the first two often being shut down by the more physical defence of their opponents that did not give them space. Roman Kasajev came closest to scoring in the second period as he deflected a shot by Ingerman, but set the puck next to the goal.

In the second half of the game, however; and especially in the third period, the Savojars gained more advantages. With Mapletish’s players getting shorter rests, they increasingly struggled to keep up with Savojarna’s speed and increasingly were forced to take penalties, leading to a first long 5v3 after 46 minutes after a cross-check by Estrada and a hooking by Salazar. In 58 seconds of two-man-advantage, Savojarna almost took the lead, but had their goal rightfully disallowed as Hejman deflected the puck above the crossbar. Still, the sequence served to wear out Mapletish even more and lead to more penalty trouble. After 53 minutes, a tripping penalty on the unlucky Salazar almost led to a goal again, but Soren Falborg’s shot from the blue line rebounded over the stick of Bryzhnev, who was lurking at the post. Had it connected with the stick properly, it would almost certainly have been a goal.

Three minutes later, Savojarna got another double powerplay as 35 seconds before a penalty against Rodolfo Shaw was over, Anthony Mendez’ clearing attempt went a tad too high and flew over the plexi, leading to a penalty for delay of game. This time, Savojarna won the initial face-off and immediately could install themselves, circulating the puck well. A cross-ice pass by Elyagin found Denis Elegin perfectly for a one-timer, which Mapletish keeper Robert Armstrong could not react to. With the 1-0 secured, Savojarna did not take any more risks, although they almost scored a second when Mapletish were chasing the equaliser with an empty net. However, Jaskinen’s clearance from the neutral zone missed the goal by about five centimetres; nonetheless, Savojarna managed to maintain their lead all the way to the end of the match and shoot up to the top as Taeshan (previously the only team in the group with a perfect record) beat Reçueçn in overtime.

Next up, Savojarna are playing Kohnhead, the number 26 in the world and currently shared 9th with 3 points. The Brains collected their first victory in their most recent game, beating Xabia with 4-2 after two defeats in the beginning of the tournament. There are few changes to a well-working Savojar team expected, but the preference in goal is likely to return to Niklas Hoyman after Kerjanen played against Mapletish.

[Mapletish]

Settle
Settling in the snow
Cold as the fields of light.
Walking through those fields
Looking at the on waiting woman
Watching the earth again in some fresh shade
Her eyes drawn to the oncoming figure
Her voice, upon its heart a light surprise.
She caught the old sorrow and turned her face,
It was him
Sunken, dull and quiet
He brought in her the treasure of love
Gave her an treasure without measure;
warming the cool of the field
Brought me to the field of life!

[TJUN-ia]

After a tight loss to hosts Graintfjall in Haderhavn kicked off the gauntlet known as WCoH 42, you could feel the pressure around Ølson Rasmussen right now even despite the strong performance against the hosts on their home ice. The pressure to succeed has never been greater on a TJUN-ian head coach to win some games and you could feel that if things didn't go his way soon, he would become a dead man walking.

The 2nd game for the Ice Jags would be at the Grand National Arena in Gunzlach against an unranked nation in The Grandest Empire, a team who had a previous win on the board entering this contest against us. This game, just like the first one we played, would be a back and forth affair in the first 2 periods with the game only being decided in the 3rd. The first period would see Chris Jeeves open the scoring for us with some superb possession play but TGE would fight straight back with a goal of their own. They even took the lead to kick off the 2nd period but TJUN-ia would just keep coming at them until the eventual equaliser was found, 2nd-line defenceman Ki Hwa-Na deciding to take matters into his own stick and it actually worked out for what is his 2nd goal for the national team. That went we were tied at 2-2 entering the 3rd but unlike Græntfjall, this one would be decided with much time left to spare as Julian Visipils got his 2nd of this tournament, a defensive stand by our lines and by goalie Jakob Vaduz made sure that our first win was secured...thank goodness for that.

GGs to The Grandest Empire for a cracking game, but we still needed to work hard for a spot in the knockouts. Up next is another unranked opponent, this time Mapletish in Zevogur as the long road to potential glory continues. GO JAGS!

---

SCHEDULE (Group of Swords)
MD1: BYE
MD2: vs Graintfjall (22, 8 of Swords) - Eisstadion Háttmark, Haderhavn L 4-5 (T-10th)
MD3: vs The Grandest Empire (UR, 4 of Swords) - Grand National Arena, Gunzlach W 3-2 (T-8th)
MD4: vs Mapletish (UR, 5 of Swords) - SuperBangMunchVöllur, Zevogur
MD5: vs Kohnhead (26, 7 of Swords)- Elínmundur Heiðreksson Halle, Steinaux
MD6: vs Taeshan (14, 10 of Swords) - Hofvinger Community Arena
MD7: vs Chromatika (29, 6 of Swords) - Hagejoki Play Park
MD8: vs Cassadaigua (8, Queen of Swords) - Hagejoki Play Park
MD9: vs Xanneria (UR, 3 of Swords) - Hofvinger Community Arena
MD10: vs Lu Shan (UR, Ace of Swords) - Elínmundur Heiðreksson Halle, Steinaux
MD11: vs Recuecn (12, Trickster of Swords) - SuperBangMunchVöllur, Zevogur
MD12: vs Peoples Republic of Xabia (UR, 4 of Swords) - Grand National Arena, Gunzlach
MD13: vs Savojarna (3, King of Swords) - Eisstadion Háttmark, Haderhavn

[Srednjaci]

WORLD ARENA SPORT
WORLD CUP OF HOCKEY 42

ANICA BOŠNJAKOVIĆ : After the athletic excitement, dear spectators, it’s time for hockey. As it is known, the hockey championship is being held. The midfielders do not have an adult team, so in the championship the juniors are better known as the Ice Cubs.
Our boys and girls after three matches have two defeats and one draw. With us in the studio are Mr. Slaven Anić, a former member of the national team and today the coach of the Sokol Kula hockey club. And the other interlocutor is the president of the hockey association, Mr. Smiljan Ivičić. Gentlemen, welcome to our studio.
First of all, let's analyze our performances so far. We lost the last match 2: 3. [nation]Quebec & Shingoryeo[/nation]. Mr. Anić, where are we wrong?

ANIĆ: We are not wrong at all. In fact, we play great. At the recently concluded junior championship we had a great defense but the attack was somehow futile. However, we played a great tournament and lost in the quarterfinals to host Delaclav. I would say it was the most beautiful game we played and one of the most beautiful in the tournament. It was 6: 6 in the regular part of the game. But now the situation is different and our coach Tatjana understands that very well. Our players are juniors and they cannot physically cope in duels with stronger players. Therefore, our tactic is attack, our boys and girls scored 7 goals, which is not a small number.

REPORTER: Do you think this is quite decent for now?

ANIĆ: And more than decent. There will come a time when we will win. This shows how talented this team is.

REPORTER: You think the Ice Cubs will win.

ANIĆ: Definitely they will. Watch how many accidents they have had against Kriegiersien. They conceded a goal and the goalkeeper was under offense. But that was the first game, we lost it against a renowned opponent with 2:4. Since that game, our team has quickly adapted to the style of play and has already raised the level of their game.

REPORTER: Who do you think stands out in the game?

ANIĆ: Well, five or six names are often imposed here. Definitely Goran Tuđman is like from another planet, Zhuo Wei is great, Dominik Patković is a real octopus on goal, Jelena Ivezić with her fast skates. At the same time, she has the most accurate passes. Toyotama is great from the second line ...

REPORTER: Mr. Ivičić. Do you agree with Mr. Anić or would you add something?

IVICIC: I agree with everything that Mr. Anić said. I think the Ice Cubs will get their first win soon.

REPORTER: The alliance has launched major infrastructure works across the country. Apart from the infrastructure, what else have you started?

IVIČIĆ: so we are working on popularizing the sport. We help as much as we can. We have made a deal with your television company about broadcasting domestic championship matches. The deal is worth 3.2 million Dalats. We have also initiated a reconstruction of the competition system. We also started the second junior league. We brought another big sponsor to the hockey scene and that is Jumbo Fly lines. The airline that will be the general sponsor of the national team. And Dalat Bank with its investment of 10 million dalats is the general sponsor of the league for next season. These cash prizes will help the clubs help themselves financially. Other things about sponsorship are up to the clubs themselves.

REPORTER: Magnificent buildings and halls are springing up in the cities. We believe this will be a pledge for the future. Thank you for visiting and dear viewers, see you with the new broadcast of the Ice Cubs game.

[Waisnor]

We suffer another defeat

Waisnorian fans didn't have many hopes before match with HUElavia - this team much more stronger than Waisnor and is one of the favourites of Group of Cups. The only hope was that the loss would be at least not devastating. And it probably worked out to do it:

HUElavia from the very beginning of the match began to establish its dominance on the rink thanks to the rather frequent attacks and the relatively weak defense of Waisnor. In turn, Waisnor immediately began to defend himself, so as not to repeat the results of the match with Quebec & Shingoryeo, where the defense showed itself not in the best way.
For most of the first period, equality in the score remained - Waisnor defended, HUElavia attacked, but for the time being unsuccessful. However, in the 18th minute of the 1st period, they managed to open an account - William Bourgeois was able to bypass the Waisnor defense and with one quick and accurate throw sent the puck into the lower right corner of the goal, taking HUElavia forward.
However, if in the last match the Waisnorian team went into defense, trying not to miss again, this time Waisnor went into the attack, trying to level the score. At this moment, the attacking nature of the team was perfectly manifested - the defense of HUElavia had problems with it.
Waisnor was not going to calm down until the score was leveled and the balance returned to the game nominally. At the 12th minute of the 2nd period, it happened - after Mikhail Belov's pass, David Blokha bypassed the defense of HUElavia from the flank and with a quick throw sent the puck to the same place where Denis Dementyev was scored - to the lower right corner of the goal, making the score 1-1.
It would seem that it was possible to return to their positions in order to keep the draw result, but Waisnor decided otherwise - he wanted to assert his advantage and continued his attacks, trying to come out ahead. However, this had its drawbacks - the defense became weakened.
HUElavia clearly began to try to take advantage of this, but the pressure of Waisnor's attacks prevented him from doing it. But at the last minute of the second period, Pyotr Gachev managed to break through the Waisnor attackers alone, and after that it was not difficult to bypass the defenders. It remained only to score a goal, which happened - the puck was in the center of the goal net and HUElavia again took the lead.
After the second conceded puck, Waisnor returned to defensive tactics, but the defense was not so serious - it and the attack were divided approximately equally. The Waisnorian team did not want to miss, and wanted to recoup again and clearly did not intend to choose only one option.
But in the end, not a single option was performed - it was impossible to throw the puck due to the increased defense of HUElavia, and yet another puck was still missed - at the 7th minute of the 3rd period, Pyotr Gachev went for a double, having received a pass from William Bourgeois and at one point threw the puck into the goal, setting the final score 4-1 in favor of HUElavia.

Waisnor is still on the last place in Group of Cups with 0 points, but in the next match they'll have chance for points - their next rival will be Omerica, unranked, such as Waisnor.

[Valanora]

Vanorians are a bit of stoic people and tend to keep to themselves and rarely upon up to those outside their family and friends, something that comes down from a national culture with the Empire itself not looking to get vastly involved in the ongoings of other nations. Despite being an imperial power at points in the last thousand years or so and maintaining a very ominous and capable military, the Eternal Empire instead looks to be more regional peacekeepers than agitators or aggressors. Even when they were a colonial and imperial power, the moment that their former subjects hinted at wanting to be out of the Empire, the nation allowed them their independence once more. An avoidance of conflict and a tendency to keep to themselves has been the overriding them that has been foreign affairs for centuries now and has worked to great effect, with the Empire only officially having one ally in the form of Starblaydia in the northeast of the region.

This likely came about due to being the sole inhabitants of the lands that are now known as Valanora, or the Arrosia continent, besides some temporary colonies that were vacated after only a few years and before the Empire decided to colonize the entirety of the continent that they were located. A failed invasion by a human kingdom did not impress the elven population that they should go out seeking other cultures and peoples either, though some years later a more peaceful human delegation came to the Vanorian homeland. However despite not being a military invasion force, they were attempting to convert the elves from Elunism to that of a branch of Christianity. The leaders at that time politely but sternly asked their visitors to leave the lands for attempting to proselytize in their lands, although a few groups of the elves found the teachings of the humans to be interesting and built the Donna Cathedral in their honor, though it would later being bought by Mar Sara FC and converted into a football stadium, it still retains its name.

These conditions and events no doubt have played a large part of becoming part of the national psyche and the disposition towards those outside the lands of Valanora, which when combined with elven excellence through the ages, has no doubt lead to the standoff-ish nature of Vanorians, even if they are polite to visitors. Even without a majority elven population in these times, that feeling of not wanting to deal with the outside world beyond what is necessary lingers on, even if sport does bring the Empire into constant exposure with others. It seems a delicate balancing act but one that seems to have been navigated quite well by both the nations and her citizens for quite some time now and looks to continue to be the motus operandi of all of those who call themselves Vanorians for the foreseeable future.

[Nova Anglicana]

Nova Anglicans pride themselves on being open and inclusive, informed about the world and engaged with problems both at home and abroad. However, Nova Anglicana has only been around since the beginning of the 21st century. So how did Nova Anglicans get this way?

Nova Anglicana: the beginnings

Nova Anglicana was formed out of a desire by Canadian Anglicans for a free, just and religiously motivated state that would represent to the world the power of good Christian government. It started as the Movement for a Just Government, a politico-religious movement by members of the Anglican Church of Canada that sought to introduce true, compassionate, Biblical values based on Anglican beliefs into the Canadian government. Frustrated by both the Canadian government and church, the Bishop of St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, William Kelly, issued a call for members of the Movement across Canada to move to the eastern regions of Canada for "the formation of a new region to bring about the Kingdom of God."

Members of the Movement as well as members of the Anglican Communion from around the world flocked to his call and soon they began discussing political and/or religious secession. Through a referendum, the people of these eastern provinces indicated their desire to leave Canada. After much wrangling in Parliament and in court, it was decided to allow their peaceful exit via the Nova Anglican Concession Act, and Quebec (who had already become independent) sold a little-used strip of territory to them in the Leblanc-Moran Treaty. The state of Nova Anglicana was founded, as well as the Anglican Church of Nova Anglicana, with William Kelly as its first Primate (he took the name of the Apostle Andrew). They petitioned for acceptance into and were received by the Commonwealth of Nations, as well as the Anglican Communion.

Nova Anglicana: the nosy years

Of course, the beginning of the 21st century saw the beginning of the War on Terror in the Terranean world. This worldwide conflict proved to be a formative experience for the new Nova Anglican state. Nova Anglicana steadfastly refused participation in events in the Middle East and sharply criticised acts of violence and oppression by both the Western allies and extremist groups, even going so far as to recall its ambassador to the United States in protest of "enhanced interrogation tactics". During this time, one might have expected Nova Anglicans to withdraw from the world, but people who believe they are building a utopia on earth, to transform and redeem the world as they see it, aren't exactly interested in minding their own business. This willingness to critique the world for its embrace of violence extended to a care for the world abroad and a desire to root out corruption and inhumane behavior at home. Into the void stepped the Nova Anglican press. Seeing themselves as prophetic witnesses, albeit secular ones, they built and enhanced the culture of press freedom and openness and integrity in many facets of Nova Anglican life. The government, pressured by the press, responded by trying their best to be open and honest with the Nova Anglican people, and responded to events abroad with foreign aid. Monetary aid flowed, and the Anglican Service Corps and Nova Anglican charities became incredibly active in developing countries and war-torn areas as Nova Anglicans attempted to succor the afflicted and staunch the torrent of pain and sorrow they saw around the world.

When Nova Anglicana became aware of the multiverse in the mid-2010s, they responded in similar ways. During the Corvidae wave, they aided the Free Felixian government, opened the newly-established Nova Anglican Admin Zone of Esportiva to refugees, and sent members of the Anglican Service Corps to help the wounded and the sick. When Gregoryisgodistan and Hicana went to war, they unsuccessfully made attempts at mediation. During the Great Esportivan War, they again opened the borders of the NAAZE to refugees and used the Anglican Service Corps to help those afflicted by violence. They also aided the nation of Garifunya with Service Corps members and monetary and charitable aid.

Nova Anglicana: Now and going forward

In any number of ways, Nova Anglican foreign policy has been remarkably consistent: help those who need it beyond their borders. They have bolstered the armed forces in recent years, yet no Nova Anglican troops have been deployed other than to safeguard members of national sports teams and the idea of armed intervention is almost unthinkable except among the far-right. Although immigration has placed pressure on Nova Anglican social systems, leading to the rise of the far-right, the temperament of Nova Anglicans and the fact that most Nova Anglicans are immigrants anyway has meant that these issues have not caused as many problems as they have in other nations.

Although much of Nova Anglican outreach in recent years has not been as high-profile, Nova Anglicans like to think that involvement in the international sports community has helped them to fulfill their mission, and there are new problems to address, such as the reconstruction of Chromatika. Where there is aid to be rendered, you can bet a Nova Anglican will be there, both helping and sticking their nose in it.

[Siovanija and Teusland]

Hockey Today Magazine

Hockey History

The Heavyweight Champions of Hockey
Part III - A New Era

The defeat of Ladislav Kresniac by Elias Weizel, and Kresniac’s subsequent retirement, marked a massive change in mentality within the Ehrenliga with regards to fighting. What was most remarkable about Weizel’s accomplishment wasn’t that he defeated Kresniac, it was that he put up 17 points in the remaining games of the season, and looked like a genuinely good hockey player.

Sure, Weizel was a strange case, having dabbled in boxing in his youth before moving on to hockey. But the fact that fighting had been legal in the game for years meant that more and more young players were coming up with experience on that side of the game, as it had also been made legal in the various junior and minor pro levels as well. Most importantly, these players could actually hold their own in professional hockey, too.

Gone were the days of teams going down to the local amateur team and hiring the local goon to lace up for a fight to draw fan interest. In some cases, players were literally dragged out of bars and brought out to practices in the hopes they could cause some excitement. When Elias Weizel beat Ladislav Kresniac, teams sat up and took notice.

Weizel became the first of a generation of players who had grown up on the toughness of the game but could also have the skill to stick in the Ehrenliga. He was never an all-star, and was outshone by several players on his Saints team, but he made a decent career playing on the Saints’ second line. In the end, he played 860 games in the Ehrenliga and scored 550 points, winning a Strauss Cup. And all because he was scouted at a local amateur game.

While Weizel would be one of the first to define the new breed of tough guy in the Ehrenliga, he would be one of the last to make the jump from the amateur ranks to the pros. More and more were players coming up through junior and being signed to professional contracts even before the age of 15. By the year 1930, the amateur route to the Ehrenliga was almost entirely closed off. The number of players signed from amateur teams went from 43 in 1923, to just 5 in 1930, and amateur hockey began to be reserved for players who simply hadn’t been good enough.

The talent of the game was increasing, and stars were beginning to make their mark on the league. The Stelburg Kaisers were the dominant team of the era, led by Helmut Langer, the centre who was considered the best player of the era. They won 5 Strauss Cup titles in the decade, and only by the end of the decade were other teams able to match up with them. The overall competitiveness of the league was also going up, with Energija Chernovets winning their first Strauss Cup finally in 1940.

For the most part, however, in this era, fighting was still considered more extreme than normal physicality. While the amount of hitting in the game increased with all of these new physical and skilled players, the amount of fights stayed pretty much the same - relatively low, particularly once the first generation of fighters left the league. In fact, after defeating Kresniac twice, Elias Weizel would not face a challenger for the Ehrenliga heavyweight belt for 2 full seasons.

It was the opening night of the season when the St. Jakob Saints rolled into Stelburg to take on the Kaisers, a great rivalry between two strong teams from Teusland. Late in the game, a big hit by a Kaisers’ defender on one of the Saints’ forwards led to an altercation in front of the net, with the usual pushing and shoving. A few minutes later, Elias Weizel squared off against the Kaisers’ defender, Stefan Wuhlrich. Weizel defeated Wuhlrich, however, to defend his crown.

Not only was this a title fight, but it marked a seminal moment in the history of fighting in the Ehrenliga. It was one of the first times a fight was used as a way to settle a score from the game, to dish out a response for a hit the Saints did not like earlier in the game. No longer were fights pitched stage battles between two enforcers, they were becoming part of the game more and more.

Elias Weizel would defend his crown two more times, both in similar scenarios of a response to a bad hit or a cheap shot on a star player, before losing it to former teammate and Eisbaren Stelburg defenceman Johann Niedenthal. From Niedenthal, over the next few seasons, the belt would pass around very quickly. This era marks an important one for our belt, as well. When fighting was limited to enforcers, it was very clear to determine a winner and a loser - and all newspaper records of the time say this clearly. Now, however, fights could end by a referee’s intervention, or simply the two fighters could earn a draw. In this case, the belt does not change hands, it remains with the champion. The first title fight draw was between Johann Niedenthal and Olympia Borograd forward Janez Kocelnic, which was described in a Stelburg paper as ‘a poor fight overall, Kocelnic grappling at Niedenthal and the referee separating the two quite quickly.’ A fight that might get boos in the modern day from more raucous fans, but 5 minute majors to both either way.

Over the next decade, as the skill and competitiveness of the Ehrenliga grew, so did its much-renowned physicality. As the physical play grew, fighting became a more and more accepted part of the game. The number of fights per game rose from .28 in 1931 to .45 in 1947, and as more and more players entered the league who had grown up on fighting, the number was certain to increase.

These early years, perhaps a ‘silver era’ of fighting in the league, were quite even to start. Soon enough, however, one man would come to dominate the pugilistic side of the Ehrenliga like no one before, and few since.

[Quebec and Shingoryeo]

[OOC: For this WCoH, I'm going to try something different from what I have been mostly roleplaying for last year or so. This series, to be compiled into a super-long article by the end of the tournament, will be about the Ice Knights' time in Graintfjall for this World Cup of Hockey. Still, since we are already entering third matchday, I think it's going to be safe to assume that the article starts after the MD3 results are out.

Part 1

> 6:45 A.M. BREAKFAST AT HVARFHEIM HATTMARK

The Ice Knights come down for breakfast early, which many of the younger guys on the national team still struggle to get adjusted to. A couple of the young guys who live different lives, 18-year old Hwang Dong-Joon and the 19-year old Chandler Amarilla, both struggle to get up in the bed and nearly miss the breakfast.

> 8:00 A.M. GAME-DAY SKATE AT FORUM HARMERSGRUNN

Assistant captain Henri-Michael Yi, on his first World Cup of Hockey in a leadership role, is finally back on dressing room for the first time - he was kept out of practice for most of he week. The defenceman who's kept up with everybody's expectations on him since about a decade ago, when a VousTube clip of his skating abilities on Bantam level became viral, Yi knows he's always happy to be back on this place and represent the Knights whenever they need him.

To him, it's not about whether you make it or not, just as a member on this team - but whether you can play meaningful minutes with success or not. He's been used to being selected on most of those tournaments that had him pit against the best of the best, but hasn't always had the best time, including the last World Cup of Hockey where an early injury sidelined him fairly quickly. Still, his presence on the locker room's quite evident, with how the guys younger to him seemed to communicate with greater ease with him, and how the veterans didn't have to worry about him having too many pints out on the neighbourhood pub between the games.

Henri-Michael Yi knows he has great number of supporters around him. He prides in having a loving, supportive family who has engrained him good work ethics ('never a nine-to-five, keep going until you could hit nine-to-nine consistently', to borrow his father's words) and allowed him to compete with best of equipments, furthest of competitions and whatnot. 'They try their best to come to all my games,' he says. 'Usually it's my mum or sister, but dad also comes when he has an off day from work at Magnus factory not far from where we live nowadays. I've been pretty lucky for sure.'

> 13:00 LUNCH AT AN UNIDENTIFIED DINER
> 19:00 QUEBEC VS. SREDJNACI AT FORUM HARMERSGRUNN

Brianne Kigatilik is watching from the front row of the arena, while his teammates skate in the warm-up. She knows being the third goaltender of any international tournament isn't easy, but there isn't much else to do with a nagging injury. She quietly sits, jots down some notes, and starts thinking about next day's practice. A couple of times, the Ice Knights fans ask for her autograph, all the requests which she graciously accepts.

'It's not easy being the third goalkeeper, but it's inevitable, especially when the coaches and your fellow players want you, especially as a goalie, to rest. We'll get back to it sooner than later,' she says, in regards to an unspoken injury. She does her best to move back and forth, but the slight discomfort is evident.

To be fair to her, Brianne Kigatilik did not deserve some of the criticisms that were hurled at her after the tournament two years ago. Lots of mentions and comparisons were given to Semyon Vorontsov, the Junior national team netminder who lost the starting job that went to her three World Juniors ago, about how she's not mentally adjusted, and that life's certainly gotten easy on her. Of course, she knows the criticism thrown at her, and that's not made her easy, even on the matches she was not playing.

Hours later, the same continues. Kigailik watches as her teammates skate along. Tonight, they were lucky. Some of the shots that should have gone in early did not, and the squad did trail early into the second period with 0-2. But the Ice Knights knew when was the right time to get hot, and with a couple of slapshots by captain Eileen Pellan, they found themselves tied by the end of the period. The kid who phones home to his wife after the final ring is top blueliner Dannick Nam, who was able to play thirty-one minutes with extra duties given to him, picking up a goal, an assist and a +1 in what ended up being a 3-2 win....

> 22:00 DINNER BACK IN HVARFHEIM HATTMARK

The Ice Knights may have won, but it wasn't an impressive win for anybody. Another dinner quietly eaten, the team goes back to bed or outside after half an hour.

[Elejamie]

(OOC: Think of this as something from the archives instead of something that just happened. Also can't wait to see how badly I'll tank this time. I should really retire and stay retired to be honest, I just don't see myself loving this sport again in the near future with all the shit I've been through.)

On 6th March, 2019 it was announced that the Green Hills Stoners of the ENIHL2 were to wind up operations following the 2018-19 season. The club had seen dwindling ticket numbers and a decline in fortunes over the past few seasons, which caused team owners Stoner's Pot Palace to sell the team. However, with no real buyers after a deal with a group of five unnamed businessmen fell through, it was announced that the team would end operations and a dispersal draft would be held to relocate current players. Some had been lucky to make it out of there, as outgoing captain Ian Daltrey was picked up by an unnamed team in Ontorisa and Scott Holland had been picked up by the Fort Checkers Elites just before the start of the season. But, for everyone else, it was like the end of an era.

Outgoing team GM Paul Farrell said "Unfortunately the time as come to wind up operations. With our finances in the toilet and our players unable to get enough good, consistent results to salvage anything we'll have to permanently withdraw from the league. While it's a shame for things to end this way and we'd like to apologise for things having to be like to this, we'd like to thank all of the fans who have stuck with us for the past 25 years and maybe, just maybe, we'll be making a return in the near future."

The team weren't the first ever team in the Green Hills area as, during the 1970s there was the Green Hills Hockeyjockeys in the Coventry Local League, a short lived amateur league that lasted from 1975-1979 as part of the EIHB's drive to not only improve the quality of ice hockey in the nation but also to . The league was essentially your standard beer league consisting of seven teams from all over the city of Coventry and no play-off system. The Hockeyjockeys were a team that did fairly well, they had some decent players (with Carlos Gutierrez Martín even playing minor league ice hockey abroad for a few years before repeated injuries and homesickness forced him into an early retirement) with plenty of depth. But they never really grabbed any silverware, either as a team or for individual performances. Their best overall finish was second place in the 1977 season, just three wins shy of the top position. The team was disbanded when the league ended following the 1979 due to cost issues.

There wouldn't be another team until it was announced that the ENIHL2 was to expand. The league, originally titled the Elejamian Second Ice Hockey League, was formed in time for the 1990-91 season and served as another league for teams who either couldn't afford a license to have a team in the top flight or for as a second option for cities that already had a team in them. Originally it had 8 teams but shortly before the start of the 1993-94 season it was announced they were going to have twelve the following season. And Green Hills was one of those teams, having applied for a team and just getting one, beating out candidates such as Blackport, Fort Checkers and Shiner Beach (although all three teams would end up getting a team of their own when the league expanded again in 2004). With them moving into the newly built Green Hills Rec Arena, which had a league standard ice rink and space for 2,500 people to watch games, things were set for ice hockey in the Green Hills area for the first time in 15 years. If only they had a snappier name than "Green Hills Ice Hockey".

Their first few seasons were a bit rough. They finished 7th place in their first season and eighth for two seasons in a row (9'5-'96 and '96-'97). Their fourth season showed some promise when they managed to finish in a respectable 4th place but things came crashing down in '98-'99 when they ended up finishing in 10th place. They had some solid players during this time span such as Oliver Jost on defence and Bryan Miller as their first captain and their first line centre, along with Miguel Bejarano (no relation to Ricardo) playing left wing for them for a few years but everyone else was too green or too unreliable to get any sort of permanent momentum going.

But come the new millennium, with the league being renamed the ENIHL2, their fortunes seemed to have changed. A series of trades, free agent signings and transfers ended up getting them a solid team. With Rick Autriche, Andy Dewie and Graham Moorhead being picked up for pensin on the sofanc, the team absolutely teared up the league and were even projected to win it a couple of times. The first was partway through the 1999-2000 season when they were leading the league in both types of points after Christmas, although a seven game losing streak knocked them down to third which was where they ended up at the end of the season. The second was going into the 2000-01 season when Gregory Clive was hired as head coach for the team following a few successful years with the Longford University Lightning. Although it was a sluggish start, they picked up the pace and went head to head with the Murgon Huskies for the title. Unfortunately, they ended up losing two of their three last games to end up finishing second.

However, the team would get their biggest break when one Anatoly Kasputin would end up signing for them going into the 2002-03 season. Kasputin, who had turned 18, elected elected to play in the senior leagues early instead of joining a junior team or trying his luck with the University League instead. As the Coventry Puffins, his boyhood team, were hesitant to take a chance on him this early they elected to send him to Green Hills. He completely wowed the scouts and coaches and was given a spot on the first line, which caused some grumblings. However, the gamble soon paid off and the Fuller-Cinimil-Kasputin line became one of the most feared group of attackers in the ENIHL2. Backed up by Steiner-Adamson-Victorino on line two and they became a force to be reckoned with. While the defence still seemed to be a bit creaky and there wasn't much depth on the third and fourth lines, it was still enough to launch them into the inaugural ENIHL2 play-offs. While they still lost in the first round to the Auckhampton Fathers they tried again the following year and won the Eduardo Santos Memorial Cup two years in a row.

Unfortunately, Kapsutin would end up going by the time he turned 21 as he was finally picked up by the Puffins, who had been impressed by his performance and wanted to make up for rejecting him years ago. However, the team would get a new saviour when they were bought by the kitchenware sales company Stoner's Pot Palace. Company owner Tom Stoner, whose brother Robert played on the Hockeyjockeys, invested Ꞅ25million into the team which saw not only them nabbing Esteban Estebanez (an aging Esteban Estebanez who only had two years left in him, mind) in free agency but also expanding the Rec Arena to 4,000 permanent seats. The only downside? The team had to change their name to the Green Hills Stoners. It probably didn't help even more when marijuana was legalised in 2013 and the area became well known for its dispensaries.

The new signings, team name and everything else wasn't really a problem for them, though. They would go on to finish first in the league the following season and even made it to the final for the third year in a row, although they ended up losing their series to Aloc IT 4-1. The rest of the decade were filled with high finishes and playoff appearances but no more silverware. Their best result during this period was them finishing one point behind the Huskies in the 2008-09 season, which also saw them make it to the play-off finals where they were swept by the Renford Armageddon. This included a new worst loss record as they ended up losing game three 6-0. Ouch.

Despite things looking promising for them going into the 2010s, things were going downhill. The first sign of trouble came when Stoner's Pot Palace was bought by a different company, one who didn't particularly care much for ice hockey. As a result, money troubles started to set in. While attendances and product were still good going into the 2010-11 season, there was the first sign of trouble when they ended up losing in the first round of the play-offs for the first time, losing their series 4-3 to Playa del Oitura. While they made the play-offs again the following year and swept PdO in their rematch series, that would be their last play-off appearance. They missed it for the first time in 2013-14 and failed to make it in the years after. Stoner's Pot Palace were having money problems and came close to bankruptcy, which resulted in them selling the team. And fans were turning away in droves. Everything was falling apart.

The last season, the 2018-19 one proved to be a bitter end. A ten game losing streak to start the year. A number of players having to take paycuts or not getting paid at all for a while. Two coaching changes mid-season. And their most recent home game at the time saw them lose 6-0 again in front of 1,440 fans (of which only 440 were fans of the team). While they were fortunate enough not to finish dead last, as well as a campaign that even saw Anatoly Kasputin offering to pay some of the players out of his own pocket, it seemed like too much of an omnishambles to keep things going and the team had began talks to formally disband, the first time a team had left any professional or semi-professional ice hockey league in Elejamie since Fuego del Valledorado disbanded in 1984.

And that was the end of the Green Hills Stoners. From middling futility to middling futility in a new coat of paint, to reaching the heady heights to imploding spectacularly, they had experienced it all in 25 short years. While it was a disappointment for them to go out that way, especially with memorial signs being put in front of the Rec Arena, there's nothing that says the sport can't return to the area soon. And, with Anatoly Kasputin announcing plans to set up a workshop back home in Coventry after he retires, it may seem like there will be a third team to grace the area. One can only hope.

[Graintfjall]

Thor was the God of Thunder and, frankly, acted like it.

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

MD4 cutoff

Græntfjallers trace their cultural heritage back to their Viking forefathers, but the arrival of Catholicism saw it supplant traditional Norse religion which had been prevalent for the first centuries. Figures like Odin and Thor retained their prominence in statuary art and folk traditions, but ritual worship was relegated to the fringe. There was a tussle for the soul of Græntfjaller Christendom following the Reformation, but the sweeping Counter-Reformation restored Catholic supremacy that endured through decades of communist state atheism and means that today more than 80% of Græntfjallers proclaim Catholic faith. Other Christian denominations and other religions have enjoyed differing levels of acceptance and persecution over the centuries but retain at least theoretical freedom of religion, while the neopagan revival means that perhaps more Græntfjallers now praise Thor’s name than was the case five hundred years ago. What has been the impact of religion and faith on life in your nation?

Tiebreakers are still not fully implemented at this stage.

Group of Wands
Elejamie 1–0 Kelssek
North Alezia 0–3 Ko-oren
Poafmersia 1–4 Sarzonia
Delaclava 4–1 Sannyamathland
Equestria 4–1 Pluvie
Iba Dwa 0–3 Valanora

   Group of Wands                 Pld    W  OTW  OTL    L   GF   GA   GD  Pts 
 1 Sarzonia                         4    4    0    0    0   17    5  +12   12
   Valanora                         4    4    0    0    0   14    3  +11   12
 3 Ko-oren                          4    3    1    0    0    8    0   +8   11
 4 Delaclava                        4    2    1    0    1    9    5   +4    8
 5 Poafmersia                       4    2    0    0    2   13   10   +3    6
 6 Elejamie                         4    1    1    0    2    6    8   –2    5
   North Alezia                     4    1    1    0    2   12    8   +4    5
 8 Iba Dwa                          3    1    0    1    1    8   11   –3    4
 9 Equestria                        3    1    0    0    2   10   12   –2    3
   Kelssek                          3    1    0    0    2    3    5   –2    3
11 Sannyamathland                   4    0    0    2    2    7   17  –10    2
12 Pius Desurongcrandis             3    0    0    1    2    2   10   –8    1
13 Pluvie                           4    0    0    0    4    2   17  –15    0

Group of Pentacles
Fluvannia 3–0 Salzcovia
Gyatso-Kai 3–4 United States of Devonta
Nova Anglicana 2–1 Anthor
Islands of Ventro 6–3 Gergary
Abanhfleft 5–2 Suimede
Le Choix 1–0 Grey County

   Group of Pentacles             Pld    W  OTW  OTL    L   GF   GA   GD  Pts 
 1 Nova Anglicana                   4    4    0    0    0    7    2   +5   12
 2 United States of Devonta         4    3    1    0    0   14    8   +6   11
 3 Abanhfleft                       3    3    0    0    0   12    4   +8    9
   Fluvannia                        4    3    0    0    1   18    7  +11    9
 5 Gyatso-Kai                       4    2    0    1    1   14   11   +3    7
   Mercedini                        3    2    0    1    0   10    3   +7    7
 7 Le Choix                         3    2    0    0    1    7    3   +4    6
 8 Islands of Ventro                4    2    0    0    2   12   14   –2    6
 9 Suimede                          4    1    0    0    3    9   13   –4    3
10 Gergary                          4    0    1    0    3    5   12   –7    2
11 Anthor                           4    0    0    0    4    8   23  –15    0
   Grey County                      4    0    0    0    4    3   11   –8    0
   Salzcovia                        3    0    0    0    3    1    9   –8    0

Group of Cups
Quebec & Shingoryeo 1–1 Kriegiersien (8–7 SO)
HUElavia 6–1 Srednjaci
Omerica 1–2 Waisnor
Ranoria 3–4 Siovanija & Teusland
New Waldensia 0–3 Banija
St. Saratoga 9–1 BohemiaIV

   Group of Cups                  Pld    W  OTW  OTL    L   GF   GA   GD  Pts 
 1 Siovanija & Teusland             4    4    0    0    0   16    8   +8   12
 2 HUElavia                         4    3    0    0    1   12    5   +7    9
 3 Banija                           4    3    0    0    1   15    5  +10    9
 4 Quebec & Shingoryeo              4    2    1    0    1   11    8   +3    8
 5 Kriegiersien                     3    2    0    1    0   10    5   +5    7
 6 St. Saratoga                     3    2    0    0    1   14    7   +7    6
 7 Flekkefjord                      3    1    1    0    1    9   12   –3    5
   New Waldensia                    3    1    1    0    1    7    7    0    5
 9 BohemiaIV                        4    0    1    2    1    5   14   –9    4
10 Waisnor                          4    1    0    0    3    7   12   –5    3
11 Ranoria                          4    0    1    0    3    7   11   –4    2
12 Omerica                          4    0    0    1    3    5   16  –11    1
   Srednjaci                        4    0    0    1    3    9   17   –8    1

Group of Swords
Lǜ Shān 4–2 Cassadaigua
Reçueçn 7–2 Chromatika
People’s Republic of Xabia 1–6 Taeshan
Savojarna 5–2 Kohnhead
TJUN-ia 1–0 Mapletish
Græntfjall 5–0 The Grandest Empire

   Group of Swords                Pld    W  OTW  OTL    L   GF   GA   GD  Pts 
 1 Savojarna                        4    3    1    0    0   12    6   +6   11
   Taeshan                          4    3    1    0    0   19    5  +14   11
 3 Reçueçn                          4    2    0    2    0   20    9  +11    8
 4 Græntfjall                       3    2    0    1    0   12    7   +5    7
 5 Cassadaigua                      3    2    0    0    1   11    6   +5    6
   Chromatika                       4    2    0    0    2    8   16   –8    6
   Lǜ Shān                          4    2    0    0    2   11   12   –1    6
   TJUN-ia                          3    2    0    0    1    8    7   +1    6
 9 Mapletish                        4    1    1    0    2    4    3   +1    5
10 Kohnhead                         4    1    0    0    3   11   23  –12    3
   The Grandest Empire              4    1    0    0    3    9   15   –6    3
12 People’s Republic of Xabia       4    0    0    0    4    7   17  –10    0
   Xanneria                         3    0    0    0    3    3    9   –6    0

[Le Choix]

Partie 1
Partie 2
Partie 3
Partie 4

La Première Église (The First Church)
Espoir du Ciel (Heaven's Hope), Le Choix

"Votre maison d'adoration doit être sacrée." - Le Livre de l'Esprit, Chapitre 3, Verset 8
(Your House of Worship must be sacred." - The Book of Spirit, Chapter 3, Verse 8)

Why had she imagined anything different would occur?

Grand Évéque Caterine Chaudoir sat in her chambers at the First Church of the Chosen, her personal inner sanctum. She hadn't planned on telling the other three of the five about Les Anges, the top-secret group of programmers that helped La Reine Rouge take care of the populace. It was just like the Pontifax, Jacquline du Feu, to ensure that she wouldn't have any card up her sleeve head of her equals.

Not that she considered any of the other three her equals. Julian Burdette was no more than a glorious hound, set on anybody who opposed the Theocracy. Paul LaGrande was an obese fool whose job was to keep track of the books and make sure that the people didn't die before they could serve their purpose. Hélène Malle was the most useful yet the most dangerous of them all, being in charge of the information that was being fed to the populace. Thankfully, she and Hélène were more often than not on the same page.

Jacqueline du Feu. What a character she was. Her rise to power through the Theocracy was legendary. She had been a Bishop in charge of some unknown thing before being declared the Pontifax by the previous Pontifax, Xarille DuPois. Then, Xarille DuPois just disappeared overnight, and everybody knew to not ask any questions since.

It seemed like Jacquline du Feu ran on a different wavelength to the rest of the Theocracy. She was gone all the time in secret missions, unknown to anyone, even her bodyguards. It made no sense just how much her pitch shifted when she was in different moods, or just how moody she was all the time. Something else had to be going on, but she wasn't sure what.

As usual, she was struck out of her reverie by one of the nuns coming over with the week's sermon. It was one of her duties to make sure that she picked out the passage from the Chosen's Book that would be preached to the citizens of the Theocracy every weekend. There were some rules to this. In fifty-two sermons, every verse of the ten books of the Chosen had to be taught on at least once. The Books of Law, Spirit, Purity, and Justice were quite easy to address; Freedom and Hope a bit less so, the Mark and the Future even less than that, and the twelve chapters of the Book of the Lost and the five chapters of the Book of Seeking were the hardest to teach.

The fifty churches of the Chosen all had a Speaker who taught from the Book of the Chosen, and she took turns going to all of them to speak in their stead. It was paramount to the education of The Chosen that they were all taught the same thing, on the same page. This weekend, they would be taught from the Book of Purity, Chapter 3, Verse 8, in order to make sure that the foundation of the populace's belief in the faith was further grounded.

It was not only her job to make sure of the faith, that faith was where her power base came from. As long as she made sure that that got accomplished, she would be too valuable to replace.

Or so she hoped.

With Jacqueline du Feu, one just never knew.

[Pius Desurongcrandis]

Reporter 1: Hello Coach Rosset, my name is Jackson Oscars, the sportswriter for the Fennex Chronicle. Would you share your thoughts on your performance so far?

Bob Rosset: I am disappointed in the guys, this is the worst Hockey I have seen from them. I know playing in this foreign place can be weird for the guys but that doesn't change the fact that this is Hockey. The players need to play better Hockey and I need to coach better.

Reporter 2: Hi Coach, this is Olivia Fenster from the Piesian News Network. We are used to seeing a certain brand of Hockey, what has happened to that brand of Hockey?

Bob Rosset: I know we are used to seeing that particular brand of Hockey, that brand of Hockey I see the guys play during the RNHL Season. These guys are good players and they need to know that if they don't play Hockey they will be benched.

Reporter 3: Hello Mr. Rosset, I am George Hill from the Garrettsville News. Do you feel that you have a morale problem with the team?

Bob Rosset: Yeah I do think we have a morale problem with the team, I have talked to Brian Arma, the Team Captain, about having a Team Outing to have the morale of the guys improve.

Reporter 4: Hey Coach, Ben Killam from Phoenix News, You are going on 3 losses in a row, how are you going to move forward?

Bob Rosset: Obviously our current playing style is not working, we have to change what we are doing. We are trying to play a clean game where we use our skills to win since that didn't work we are going to play a more physical game. Yes, we are going to play a dirtier game but it will be for Piesian Glory.