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

[Gyatso-kai]

.:: From the ASPN Blog After Thoughts in a Blip ::.
0211 hours, 10 April 2021.2

You know what they say... there are only THREE things in this life that are inescapeable.

Death.

Taxes.

And Gyatso-kai vs Ko-oren

To say this a team our nation fasces regularly is an understatement. Ever since the opening game of World Cup of Hockey XXI, all the way back in 2013.2, Ko-oren has been a staple of Avatarian hockey and, most recently, football tournaments in the multiverse; including the most interesting group draw in recent memory, World Cup XXXIX held in Kelssek, During that group draw, which became known as "The Oriental Group" in which three of the four nations in our group - Kita-Hinode, Imperial Joseon, and Ko-oren - all had names derived from a similar Asian root.

Of course, that tournament saw us completely embarassed... So let's move onto the current tournament.

The Ice Bisons took on the Dragonflies today... er, yesterday... and managed to hold the fourth-best team in the tournament to a campaign-low zero goals on net. Having shut down the team from the Charming Islands is no easy task, and for Shu Piandao to record his fifth career-perfect game (the first of this tournament) and one that Shu was more than happy to celebrate on centre ice with his teammates following the defeat. The Ice Bisons - wearing their third jersey as they do against any regional partners - sought to earn some redepmtion after being the only team to lose to second-to-last-place, 0-0-1-10 Grey County...

Sure Shu sat out to rest in the hopes the team would make it into the Universe Stage. Sure, I didn't actually sacrifice an animal to Margaret... though maybe I should have. Doesn't mean it was any less embarrassing...

Regardless, the Ice Bisons have advanced into the Quarterfinals, where they await a date with the one, the only Quebec, though now they are officially known as "Quebec & Shingoryeo". While we do not have the most in-depth playing history with them, we do have a bit of shared firsts; Quebec is home to World Cup of Hockey Federation, and a Quebecoise served as the first President of the World Hockey Federation, while at the same time, an Avatarian woman served as the first Vice President. Having been invited to a few hosted invitationals, as well as World Cups hosted there, many of Gyatso-kai's citizens and players hold a fondness for the Royal Kingdom, or as they are often referred to in Avatarian as zhāihé (given the love of lingustics and etemology, this word related to the origin of the word Quebec from an ancient language meaning "where the rivers narrow").

To have our first two playoff games in this World Cup campaign against two of our most favorite opponents as well as regional relatives is quite pleasent treat.

Given the fondness and camaraderie between Gyatso-kai and these two nations, we can only hope that with future advancement in this World Cup we will continue to face fellow Altantian Oceanian nations.

Two AO nations, in a Quarterfinal where six out of the available EIGHT spots in the tournament... Guess we are a dominant region in this sport after all..

[Kriegiersien]

Sport & Games
for all Gamers and players

Oh no, it is Cassadaigua.




There are different shades of crazy opponents for Kriegiersien in the world of Sports. Some, like Sarzonia, Valanora or TJUN-ia who we often lose to, but beat from time to time. Others, who we continuously meet at the Olympics, like Kelssek, Ko-oren, Quebec or Liventia and win some and lose some more.
Nemesis like Abanhfleflt or HUElavia who we meet at non Olympic sport events where they destroy our dreams out of nothing.

And then there is the old guard, who nearly always beat us at big sports, like Banija or Cassadaigua, close to the goal, in the play-offs and later win the thing.

This time at least we got rid of Banija in the group stage, but now we face Cassadaigua in the quarter-final. So close to a medal, closer to the dream of a big title.
Sure, Kriegiersien already won the World Championships in the big five:
Bandy, Arena Football, Elderly Soccer, Water Polo and Sepak Takraw.
But a title in one of the sports the rest of the world seem to think to be more important, is missing.

So can this team now break the curse and beat Cassadaigua? Do the thinkable? Reach the semis in the World Cup of hockey? I really hope they do.

Destroy the next sword. Take the fish, guys!

[Siovanija and Teusland]

Kirsche’s Corner

With Ronald Mensing and Oskar Kirsche

“Good evening Siovanija & Teusland, and welcome here to Graintfjall and the Universe stage of World Cup of Hockey 42, we’re back for the Quarterfinal as our Goldhorns take on Huelavia tonight. Oskar, great atmosphere here!”

“Amazing, Ron. I’ve got my gold tie on, of course - I’ve worn it for the last 43 games and we haven’t lost any of them, so it’s definitely a good luck charm I tell ya! Lots of fans in the building tonight, both teams represented well - I was talking to a fine group of good Teus boys from Stelburg before the game, you love that dedication from the fans! Let’s go!”

“We’re getting shots here now of the players walking in for this, the Quarterfinal. What do you make of tonight, Oskar?”

“Well first of all, most, uh, importantly - look kids, look at those suits! Looking sharp, right? There’s, uh, Radim Tarakov-”

“Razvigor Tsvetanov”

“Tanakov, sure, anyways, he’s looking first class! What do I always say, you dress first class you play first class!”

“Let’s take it back to the playoff game, against Kelssek. You’re thinking, you come into that one undefeated, you have to make sure you’re ready to go and not getting complacent. What does Aaron Kuhn do to start the game that you loved, Oskar?”

“You’re right, the focus has to stay on that game - and I loved him putting the fourth line out there to start the game. Calling them the fourth line is a bit disrespectful, ya know - Gunter Pfenning and Christian Hasselberger, there’s nobody more valuable than those guys. But either way, that’s a big sign to the team - we trust these guys, we trust you. And of course, everybody knows I love Hasselberger, big hits! He gets a good one early on, uh, Chara-”

“Roch-Olivier Charron”

“Sure, Chariot, anyways, you have to set the tone early in a game like that, Aaron Kuhn knows that, and that’s exactly what they did.”

“Looking at the opening goal of the game - it was great work by that second line, Aleksej Knejz working hard in the corner to win it and of course, a great shot by Edwin Ranger as that line continues to take over games in this tournament. What did you make of the goal?”

“Well Edwin Ranger, boy, what a tournament he’s having! He’s probably been the best player on this team so far, you look and he just can take over the game, and he does it here. Kayakov, Knelov, whatever, he gets a good play on the boards to win it, and the pass out is good - but it’s not a great opportunity, really. You look, the Kelssek goalie positions really well. But Ranger, that wrist shot… he could thread a needle, I tell ya. 1-0, and with little time left in the first that’s a tough one to give up, you hate that as a coach!”

“What do you say in the room when a goal like that happens?”

“It’s really tough, you’re always deflated. When I was coaching Eisbaren, I’d always remind them of the chances they had already in the game, and that there’s still time to make one of those count. That goal will mean nothing if you go out there and turn it around right away.”

“Instead, however, it was the Goldhorns who would add onto the advantage with a goal just 2 minutes into the second period. What did you make of that one, Oskar?”

“They needed it, because Kelssek’s first shift in that period looked really good, getting a few chances going. But Tom Malikov-”

“Toni Mihelic”

“Sure, Marianov, anyways, what a great skater he is I tell ya! And he just starts the rush, and when he gets going like that he’s tough to stop. A pass over to Heider, and Heider and Schlager, boy, those two could find each other in the middle of the ocean I tell ya! Schlager gets a good shot right under the goalie’s pad, 2-0.”

“It seemed like Kelssek might break through late in the period with a good spell of chances - but some great goaltending kept the two goal lead. What did you make of Robert Schock’s performance in this one, and really throughout the tournament?”

“Schock was incredible, you know, there was so much talk beforehand about him maybe not being the starter, the guy won you the Cup last time! Triple overtime, shut out! How could he not be the starter! Some of these media types, you know, they just love a good story. But Schock has been excellent, that save on the breakaway against, uh, Hesse-”

“Riley Hesselboe”

“Roland Heller, yeah, that was a big one I tell ya! Schock has just been so consistent, they talk about sometimes a team starts the game 1-0 through momentum, with Schock sometimes it feels like you’re starting the game 0 - -1, honestly.”

“That’s a bit bold, I mean, this was his first shutout of the tournament.”

“You look at the guys in front of him, they’re playing with complete trust in their goaltender, and that’s worth a lot in my opinion.”

“The Goldhorns’ defence was also excellent tonight, limiting chances. Do you think this was their best showing of the tournament so far?”

“I think so, yeah - they played playoff hockey for the first time. You get through 12 games in the group stage, and some games you’re thinking ‘just get me to the playoffs,’ it’s like the last little bit of the regular season, you know. But they really turned it up tonight - the defence was outstanding, on both sides of the puck.”

“So tonight against Huelavia, a team the Goldhorns already met in the group stage. What makes them a tricky opponent?”

“They never give up, they always fight hard. You saw how they beat Banija in the group stage, and that win over Quebec - 5-1 shows they are a team you can’t underestimate. The Goldhorns are going to need to pick up right where they left off here if they are going to go through to the semis, and really, they need that intensity for the next 3 games if they want to win the Cup.”

“Who would you look for tonight to maybe step up for the team?”

“This is a team that has been led by the top two lines a lot in this tournament, but now that playoff hockey is here I’m expecting to see a lot more out of Erhard Lasker and that third unit. He’s a defensive specialist for a reason, and he does have 7 points so far, but I’m excited to see him in that shutdown role again against the best the other countries have. It’s going to be an exciting game, Ron.”

“Well here we are, the Quarterfinals of World Cup of Hockey 42. This is where the dream really starts to be born - you start thinking you’re just 2 wins away from the grand final. Two teams who have met in the playoffs before, and met in the group stages of this very tournament, reunited now both chasing that dream again. Siovanija & Teusland vs Huelavia, puck drop next!”

[Sarzonia]

The last time the Sarzonian national ice hockey team took part in the World Cup of Hockey in the 40th edition, they were a No. 16 seed, where they fell to eventual finalists Valanora.

It was going to be the swan song for a collection of aging veterans who fell short of leading Sarzonia to the promised land and allowed their country to beat Cassadaigua as the first to win every major championship.

However, when Taeshan were named hosts of World Cup of Hockey 41, the Incorporated Ice Hockey Federation withdrew from the competition in protest, citing "irregularities" in Taeshan's hosting of the Quidditch World Cup. The players who had decided to hang up their skates decided they needed one final hurrah after all, and so players like Sylvan Turcotte and Cameron Granato came back.

That veteran team earned a victory over No. 7 seeded Abanhfleft 3-2 with Turcotte scoring twice and Granato netting the third goal. Their reward? Valanora again. The second seeded Calcuttas knocked out TJUN-ia 5-2 to set up the third meeting between themselves and the Stars in the last two editions that Sarzonia have competed in.

"We had to take care of business against Abanhfleft first," said Turcotte. "Everything else is just distraction."

After the Stars dispatched one multi-sport rival, this Sarzonian team will now reckon with a much older rival across a variety of sports. The Calcuttas defeated the Stars 5-2 in the Round of Sixteen in World Cup 40, and knocked off Sarzonia 6-5 in the Life phase of this edition.

Now, the rivalry adds another chapter as the Calcuttas seek to advance to the Everything phase and hoist a trophy. As for the Stars, they say they're already playing with house money after an upset of the Fleftics.

"We've already advanced beyond where anyone expected us to," Granato said. "We're going to fight as hard as we can against them, but we're proud of how we've done in this tournament."

[TJUN-ia]

The Fate of TJUN-ia has finally been sealed: killed by the King of Wands as revenge for the King of Swords.

The Calcuttas of Valanora was the 2nd seeds for a reason and they proved that tonight, their play too quick for the Ice Jags to handle.

But unlike other demises in this universe we call home, this one is a death filled with hope: hope for the future of this sport and hope for the future Ølson Rasmussen will forge for us all.

The future was bleak after our fall to the Queen, but he kept going and that determination saw us make the promised land for the very first time.

So thus, TJUN-ia is out, but mark our words: The ice shall be our kingdom in a future near to us all...

---

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 W 1-0 (T-5th)
MD5: vs Kohnhead (26, 7 of Swords)- Elínmundur Heiðreksson Halle, Steinaux W 8-5 (T-4th)
MD6: vs Taeshan (14, 10 of Swords) - Hofvinger Community Arena L 4-6 (T-6th)
MD7: vs Chromatika (29, 6 of Swords) - Hagejoki Play Park W 4-3 (6th)
MD8: vs Cassadaigua (8, Queen of Swords) - Hagejoki Play Park L 2-14 (T-6th)
MD9: vs Xanneria (UR, 3 of Swords) - Hofvinger Community Arena W 6-0 (6th)
MD10: vs Lu Shan (UR, Ace of Swords) - Elínmundur Heiðreksson Halle, Steinaux W 6-0 (5th)
MD11: vs Recuecn (12, Trickster of Swords) - SuperBangMunchVöllur, Zevogur L 4-5 (5th)
MD12: vs Peoples Republic of Xabia (UR, 4 of Swords) - Grand National Arena, Gunzlach W 6-0 (5th)
MD13: vs Savojarna (3, King of Swords) - Eisstadion Háttmark, Haderhavn W 4-2 (4th/W8-L4/+10GD)
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Ro16 vs Valanora (5, Queen of Wands) - Arena 3, Segulmagnaðirborg L 2-5

[Valanora]

Speed kills, period, stop flat. There is no teaching it, there is no getting around it, there is nothing that is within your control if the other team is just flat out faster than you in almost ever single team sport imaginable save a few odd ones like curling. What is the primary attribute of Vanorian athletes? Oh that is right, it is their lithe, athletic bodies and natural born speed that is significantly higher than any other average person around them. This gets even more dangerous for the opposition when head coaches of teams then get those among the Vanorian who are considered to have good to elite speed, meaning they look like natural born sprinters to any of their opposition in comparison. That is what happened when the Calcuttas took to the ice against TJUN-ia in the Round of Sixteen fixture to open up their knockout schedule, the Calcuttas elite level speed on their entire line up blazed a trail past the TJUN-ia forwards and blue line alike to score a very impressive five to two victory in the first knockout round, booking passage to the quarterfinals and giving the side that much more confidence to build off of for the next round.

Eva Strömberg continues to have her star shine brightly in this competition, having taken the failures of the tournament in Taeshan to heart and came out swinging in the Winter Queendom, adding a hattrick against TJUN-ia to continue her impressive scoring streak. She was marked as one of the players that the side was going to need to play her game and well if they were going to have success in the tournament, and she has delivered in quite a large fashion being the leading goalscorer for the team in the tournament thus far. She has been far from alone from having an impressive tournament but it is always good for a team when their best players are playing at a high level as it had a tendency to bring everyone else up a level or two to try and follow the example that their best players are giving them. With the team only having the single loss in the Winter Queeendom thus far, it is quite fair to say that the winger is having that effect not just on her line but the entire team as they have played quite well for the most part to get to the Quarterfinals.

Two goals given up is not the worst fate in the world either for the Calcuttas blue line and goaltender as we knew coming into this game that TJUN-ia was going to be able to score given that they were the second leading scoring team through the group phase of the competition. It is not a matter of if you are able to keep them off the scoreboard as that is truly a folly to even attempt such a feat unless you happen to be a team like Ko-oren, the goal was always about mitigating the damage that their forwards were going to do to the squad. While giving up only a single goal or even keeping a clean sheet would have obviously been a more preferred outcome for the team and the defensive unit as a whole, they can quite proud to have kept the talented TJUN-ia attack to just a pair of goals. It all calls back around to speed though, as the blueliners were able to track back and outhustle the TJUN-ia attack in most circumstances and whatever ghosts of the Sarzonia game that were hanging over the team's defense seem to have been purged with this sort of effort against such a quality attacking team.

That is a good thing as it is none other than those same Stars of Sarzonia that the Calcuttas will be facing off against in the Quarterfinals of the competition, a rematch of what was a very sweaty and heady game from the group stage that needed quite the fightback from the team in order to pull off the victory. So let us take what we know, Sarzonia is a highly capable and attacking side that knows how to put up goals and by the bunches, they are going to be very difficult to even attempt to slow down on the defensive end as we have already been witness to once during this tournament. They are a lower ranked team coming into the competition and a lower seed in the knockouts, so getting here is just icing on an already wonderful cake for them, they will be able to play with no pressure on them compared to the Calcuttas who do have that legacy to uphold. What the Empire side has going for them is the knowledge that they have indeed already defeated this team once before in the tournament and have seemingly gotten quite more cohesive as a team since that encounter. They also have one of the most prolific scorers in the competition thus far and a team that looks in form. It is going to be a difficult battle to be sure, but the Calcuttas have the talent and drive to get another victory and be into the semifinals, where a bit of luck is all that is needed to go even further beyond.

[HUElavia]

HUElavia Grabs Advance over Graentfjall!

Græntfjall 0–2 HUElavia
(Arena 4, Bay of Blood)

For the 4th consecutive time in the World Cup of Hockey, HUElavia was participating in another Round-of-16 appearance, coming in HUElavia's 5th appearance in the tournament itself. This time around, for the 3rd time in HUElavian Hockey history, Los Amarillos/Os Amarelos were taking on the Host Nation, with it being Graentfjall. In the prior two instances, HUElavia has a 1-1 record against the hosts, gaving a loss in their debut against Savojarna and a victory against Quebec and Shingoryeo. Although, Graentfjall were no strangers, given that these two teams met in the Group Stage for WCoH 41, where the series was split, and in WCoH 40, HUElavia swept the series. Thus, for the 3rd consecutive time, these two were facing off against one another. The match was set to be played at the Bay of Blood in Arena 4, where it was sold out and was very much a Pro-Graentfjall crowd, although there was small pockets of HUElavians present in the arena. Graentfjall were with their Home Uniforms and HUElavia had their Away Uniforms. Finngeirsson started in goal for the hosts, and Vasilevskiy started in goal for Los Amarillos/Os Amarelos. Once the players went onto the ice rink, the anthems were played and the face off was set, the puck dropped and the 4th Round-of-16 Match was under way!

The game as a whole was very physical from start to finish. While HUElavia has strong and muscular players, they were not the kind to be getting physical with opponents, and boy did Graentfjall give the team difficulties. Checks left and right among the boards, where whenever a player was pushed to the boards, the crowd would cheer loudly in support. Despite this, both teams went on each other for shots after shots after shots. Despite these chances, Finngeirsson and Vasilevskiy mades saves with ease and strength to not only keep the scoreline at 0-0 throughout the 1st period, but to prove why they were the #1 Choice in Goal for their respective teams. At the end of the period, the score was 0-0, and the crowd was wanting something to happen.

The 2nd Period had both teams continue playing hard on one another, with HUElavia attacking through fineness, and Graentfjall through brute force. With 7 minutes left in the period, Ilchenko sent the puck to Giroux, who got covered by Christian and Bjarni. Pinned to the boards, Giroux gave a pass back towards a free Carmo, who began to skate towards goal. Covered by Bjarnleifur, he gave a pass to Castilho to give a one-time shot, where it slid past the grasp of Finngeirsson and into the goal to make it 1-0. The sparce HUElavian crowd jumped up and cheered with joy, while Castilho was hugged and given fist bumps from his teammates, all while Kernkraft 400 blasted in the arena. At the end of the period, it was 1-0 for HUElavia, with the advance in reach.

In the 3rd Period, it was still a physical game, with HUElavians still being treated hasrshly, all while Graentfjall tried to get the goal to tie the match. Despite shots being taken, Vasilevskiy made saves left and right to keep the goal at 0. In the final 2 minutes, Finngeirsson was pulled, and it was an empty net, with the Main Line playing for both teams. In the final minute, a shot was taken by Jack, where it was blocked by Garcon-Chevalier, with Brousseau passing the puck to Bourgeois, who was covered by Ben, passing it to Dominguez-Garcia, who gave a shot from the blue line to slide into the goal, making it the definitive 2-0. Dominguez-Garcia celebrated with his teammates, while the crowd was silenced and the sparse HUElavians were singing and cheering in joy. Shortly after, the match ended and the players shook hands and HUElavia advanced to the Quarter-Finals once more.

For the 3rd consecutive time, HUElavia are in the Quarter-Finals, and get a rematch once again. They meet the back-to-back Champions and the #1 team in the Multiverse, Siovanija and Teusland, who come off a 3-0 victory over Kelssek. This is the 2nd time they meet in the tournament, and HUElavia hopes to pull an upset in what has been a great tournament by the team up to now. Vasilevskiy will start once again and the Away Uniform will be worn once again. The fans will be flocking in droves to support the team, praying and cheering for the team, all while the team practices and studies film to be able to go toe-to-toe with the Champs once again. Here's to what can be a historic advance.

FORCA HUELAVIA! VAMOS HUELAVIA! GO HUELAVIA!

[Cassadaigua]

A lot of work left,
By Cassidy Conti, Alternate Captain

This World Cup of Hockey has been a lot of fun. We’ve won a lot of games, so that is a big reason why it has been so enjoyable, but there is a lot more that needs to go into it. I love the group of players that I am able to play with. Everyone could probably say how fun it is to play with people that you are usually playing against, but we’ve been past that point as a team. Many of us have played together for a couple of these World Cups now, so we are comfortable with one another on the ice. This has shown in our games, as we have been able to score goals and keep the puck out of our own net more often than not. The recent win over Fluvannia, that was especially sweet, since we got at least one goal from each of our lines. That is where our team is special, I think, because any of us can hurt you.

A lot of you have come to Graintfjall to watch us, and we hope to keep playing so you can stay here. I have to run because warmups are starting soon. Let’s go Fillies!

[Quebec and Shingoryeo]

In the middle of the celebrations, it was a mix of five hundred different feelings for the Quebecois. Most of the national team, who haven't made it deep since the round-of-sixteen finish in Equestrian States eight years ago, were doing their best to enjoy a convincing 4-3 round of sixteen win over Mercedini, and the smell of champagne was more than enough to explain that. There were exceptions, however, with their head coach, Sir. Alexandre Browne-Hahm being the key example. To those not on the very top of the Quebecois hockey world in the Hockey Quebec Technical Board, the decision to hire a hall-of-fame goaltender was widely considered a controversial move that made little sense. This was followed by a horrible finish two years ago, where Hockey Quebec's dispute with QHLPA had meant that the national team would consist mostly of second-stringers and few junior-rank players, and Sir. Alexandre was more often than not criticised for it.

But to those who have seen success in the era of Jacques IX and not Christine II, they knew what was the certain appeal behind Browne-Hahm that others did not have. Alexandre Browne-Hahm, while almost reaching sixty, was a hall of fame goaltender during the heydays of the Quebecois national hockey team and the QHL. And not only did the Kingston Knights, his hometown team and the second-winningest team in all of QHL (though the gap with the third-most, CSKA Quebec, is increasingly narrowing at a consistent pace), win four Prenneau Cups in six years with him, he was the best player and the most recognisable star on the national team that did not know how to lose to most opponents. Period.

Of course, for the Knights fans, that's how they remembered him for- the greatest goaltender the franchise had since Marius Power of the 1960s dynasty. But the others, mostly those whose dislike the Knights for how huge and overconfident their fans have been, Browne-Hahm was best known for his prowess on the international stage. Since his debut as the goaltender at age twenty-three in the World Cup of Hockey Twenty, he had recorded victories after victories, with consistency at his peak. Aside from notorious absence during the World Cup of Hockey Twenty-three, he had rarely missed the calls when Hockey Quebec came to call for him, and he would be rewarded with even more love from home.

Of course, Browne-Hahm knew how high the stakes were, for his finest international moment came against their next opponent. In the World Cup of Hockey twenty-six, exactly thirty-two years ago, Alexandre was at the very centre of criticism after losing the first two games of the finals at home. It was against the very same guys the younger ones were bound to play tomorrow, in Gyatso-Kai, and the sheer drubbing Browne had received after losing 4-5 and 1-5 were enough to suggest that he be dropped.

7-5, 1-0, and then 3-0.

Then 'The Reverse Sweep' came when they had needed the most. We all know what happened to them since, because we all know what happened. We've all seen the picture of Alexandre, celebrating his second consecutive shutout and the dramatic turnaround of the Finals he had orchestrated, as one of the greatest moments of Quebecois sporting history. Of course, we all know what happened since then, as well, with his international career last for three more World Cups before finishing its trails at home, with a fourth-place finish on World Cup of Hockey twenty-nine that was widely marked by many as end of the beginning of the Golden Age of Quebecois Hockey.

With the current national team, Sir. Alexandre remained an universally revered figure, to the point where his slightly underwhelming resume as a decade-long manager of major junior team Cornwall Cavaliers (though he did win two junior championships), and the players did their best not to fall out of favour with the old man. The players and their coach maintained healthy distance away from each other, mostly because Sir. Alexandre, even as a coach with long coaching career in the juniors, had slightly short leashes on his players, and also because his assistants were simply better than him in strategies. Still, the players knew when and where to find him whenever his advice were needed, and kept that in their minds.

Back in the team video room at Hvarfeim Hattmark, Brianne Kigatilik was on a private video session with Browne-Hahm, ahead of her start in tomorrow's match against Gyatso-Kai. With Kim Gyeong-Hoon suffering a nasty injury in the 4-3 win over Mercedini, Kigatilik was the next on line with the head coach's radar after gradual improvement in form in her three starts with the Ice Knights.

The session was straightforward- first half an hour would consist of covering the Avatarian goaltender, Shu Pianhuo, while the next half an hour would be covering the details from the very morning's practice. Since Kigatilik had last started in a win over St. Saratoga, with 21 out of 22 saves to count, there weren't much to say. As a result, Brianne decided to ask Alexandre more about the matchup.

'Coach Alex,' Brianne asked after the session ended. 'If you were the Avatarians, how would you handle the matchup?'

'Be more specific please.' Coach Alexandre responded, trying to get more out of his goaltender's question.

'Well, Avatarians are Avatarians, let's start with that.' Coach Browne commented by starting with the basic point of contention. 'If you look at the clips from Hockey Nations League and Coupe Jacques IX, you'll clearly see that the Avatarians aren't the opponents we can really outmatch or abuse their weaknesses mostly because they play like us.'

'So they play both physically, offence on their firebrand and whatnot?' Brianne asked. 'I've noticed that they do play quite alike the Siovanijans and the Teus from earlier- would that be an accurate analogy?'

'I think that's actually a very good comparison.' Browne-Hahm nodded. 'Like you know, the Vanorians and the Savojars are driven by skill and finesse, so you would gameplan around outrunning them or just crashing the boards, especially when we have the QHL-regulation ice. It's not as easy with the other two you mentioned because those players, they play exactly like how you'd expect from CSKA or Acadiens. You see what I'm saying?'

'Certainly.' Kigatilik nodded. 'And what would be the best way to deal with those situations? With the Mercedini game, it was really easy to point out that they ran an entirely different system, the one driven by short benches and player-to-player changes, as opposed to line-by-line. That's easy to exploit especially if you wear them down. I assume that's not really doable against the Avatarians.'

'Not at all. This isn't one of those drastic matchups where top two lines of Goldhorns would smoke alive the balanced Kelssekians or the offensive showcase the Dagans put on the Fluvannians.' Browne-Hahm responded with all seriousness. 'It's the Match of the Fate that has taken thirty-two years in making since that final. Nothing's going to be easy, both teams will do their best to crash the glass and you better play well because Shu Pianhuo will. He has really stepped up nicely in his grandfather's legacy, and nobody can deny that fact. I wasn't around to watch him play but back in the days, when Zhao Hokata and I were two of the bet, it was helluva ride. Nowadays, while the neither team doesn't have that bonafide no. 1, both defences will rely heavily on their goalies.'

'Sounds good to me.' Brianne responded.

'Also, don't worry too much about the old wolf, Song Unataq. Rather, be careful with Hosaka Severi instead. From what we saw earlier, his speed clearly burned alive those Dragonflies into grills last night...'

[Graintfjall]

Nothing travels faster than the speed of light, with the possible exception of bad news, which obeys its own special laws.

QF cutoff

Quarterfinals
Siovanija & Teusland 2–1 HUElavia
Valanora 5–3 Sarzonia
Cassadaigua 3–2 Kriegiersien
Quebec & Shingoryeo 4–4 Gyatso-Kai (1–0 SO)

Semifinals

(1) Siovanija & Teusland v Quebec & Shingoryeo (13) @ Arena 2
(2) Valanora v Cassadaigua (3) @ Arena 1

Tomorrow is an off-day. Scorination of the semifinals will return to 2300 UTC on 12 April.

[Valanora]

Usually having to play the same opponent that you have beat in the group stage later in the knockout stage is something of a bad situation, as the team that has been defeated has that little extra motivation for taking your team down in the process of trying to secure their own advancement. When that team is a regional rival and perhaps gave you your most difficult game, even when considering that another team actually beat you, makes that task even that much more difficult. Sarzonia had all the tools and strengths to capitalize on the weaknesses of the team in their quarterfinal tie, they also had absolutely no pressure on them to do anything as they were playing with house money in having made this stage of the competition in the first place. All the pieces where in place for the Stars to find a way to not only give the Calcuttas yet another difficult game, but to find a way to defeat them and advance into the Semifinals of the tournament themselves. That was not to be the case, with the Calcuttas having steeled themselves against their opposition and showed the quality of the team and why Vanorian hockey is considered to be among the best in the sport.

Zelda Hellström knew that it was a fast start and good first period that had been the reason why Sarzonia had been so comfortable in the fix match between the team and had allowed them to play her team hard for the entirety. That's why she made the decision to send the checking line out to start the game, not to rough up the opposition but because they were the most defensively adept of her four lines and they were able to instead keep the puck in the Sarzonia end for the whole shift with battles along the boards. Hard work and grit was the fourth line's key and they set the tone for the whole game, a tone that was followed up three minutes later when Kristian Simonsen lazered a shot from the slot in the high corner to give the Empire an early lead. The lead was doubled with four and some change left in the period on the power play with Erik Weinert sitting in the box for a delay of game after firing the puck into the stands on a clear. Aleksander Olsen would tap in a rebound off the crossbar that caught Jacob Parsons poorly positioned and a two goal lead was established and kept to the first intermission.

Matt Davies showed some good stickwork to poke the puck loose in the neutral zone, picking it up and deking around the Calcuttas' defensemen before slotting it above Norberg's glove hand to cut the deficit in half three minutes into the second period. The Sarzonia team was showing that if they were going to lose this game, they were not going to do it without a fight and pressed hard to get an equalizer against the Vanorian team. A poor change lead to a breakaway for the Stars and Sylvan Turcotte showed why he lead the Sarzonia domestic league with goals with a finish that you would expect from a veteran goal scorer, as the score became level with nine minutes left in the second period. It would be a tie that would only last a dozen seconds, with Gill winning the faceoff to Zahl, the winger deking out of an oncoming hip check and then shooting as she crossed the blue line, a shot the knuckled on its approach and bounced over the glove of Parsons and into the net. There was no time for the Calcuttas to have that emotional let down thanks to Zahl's efforts and the team kept churning as the two sides were unable to score again in the rest of the period.

Then in the third period, it became the Eva Strömberg show, as the superstar winger performed what looked like magic out there on the ice, putting in two goals before five minutes had even been played in the third period, effectively sealing the game for the Empire with a five to two lead. Sarzonia is a proud team and one that has offensive talent, keeping them from scoring against was going to be a difficult challenge and eventually Turcotte scored once more to cut the lead to five to three with three and a half minutes left to go. It was a case of too little too late, as the Calcuttas were able to escape the rest of the period with no other goals even as Sarzonia brought on the extra attacker, with the final score ending with five goals for the Vanorians and three goals for Sarzonia. The gambit of putting out the checking line to start the game paid of quite well for Zelda, as it set the tone and expected level of commitment for the entire squad in the game and told Sarzonia their would be no easy goals, a gambit that now had her team in the semifinals once more.

In the semifinals the team will be facing a former champion of the competition and the third seed of the knockouts in the form of Cassadaigua, with the Dagans having to fight against a difficult to put to bed Kriegiersien team that surprised many with their abilities in the tournament. Current holders and regional rivals Siovanija & Teusland will be taking on the thirteen seed of Quebec, a former great team looking to get back into the elite end of the competition. With three quarters of the semifinalists from Atlantian Oceania, it shows the growth of the sport in the region and how good the sportspeople are from the region as well. However that is to take nothing away from the Dagans, as they are an excellent sporting nation themselves, their trophy cabinet does most of the talking for them with championships in a variety of sports. It will be a difficult match, one that will only be surpassed in difficult in the championship game itself, as four teams look to add to their trophy cabinet. The Calcuttas are desperate to add another star to their record six trophies, but so are all the rest, and it will need its best players to be its best players against a quality side like Cassadaigua if they wish to make that title game for such an opportunity.

[Siovanija and Teusland]

Kirsche’s Corner

With Ronald Mensing and Oskar Kirsche

“Good evening Siovanija & Teusland, welcome back to our live coverage of the World Cup of Hockey 42 Playoffs with myself, Ron Mensing, and Oskar Kirsche on Hockey Night in Siovanija & Teusland. Well Oskar, here we are - it’s semifinal day. How are you feeling ahead of this one?”

“Always very exciting in the playoffs, especially this late in the game and with everything on the line. You can just feel the tension in this building - so many fans here from back home, so many from Quebec, and they’re all hoping that their team will pull it off tonight.”

“We saw a great, tight contest in the Quarterfinal to get the Goldhorns here. Let’s go back to that one for a second - a 2-1 win over Huelavia, and definitely some nervous moments. Oskar, what did you think of that one overall?”

“It wasn’t quite the performance they gave against Kelssek - but it’s the type of game you win through experience. Huelavia weren’t giving anything up, they played near-perfect hockey - and the Goldhorns responded by matching them, and using their experience - think of the amount of playoff games they’ve played in the last few years - to get past that challenge.”

“That playoff mentality has really shown in the physical department, and one of your new favourites has been really stepping up.”

“Yeah, Afani Tomisov-”

“Just to be clear, he means Evgeni Tomic.”

“Anton Mic, yeah, he is a force I tell ya! Look at what he’s done this tournament, I think you have to say he’s been the best defender for this team so far. Putting up points - he had a goal in this one too, we’ll get to that - and really bringing that presence. Look at the hit he got on, um, Overenko-”

“Ovechkin”

“Otikov, he just rams him into the boards! That’s playoff hockey kids! Keep your head up!”

“You mentioned Tomic also got a goal, let’s have a look at that one - the Goldhorns’ power play has been strong in this tournament, and they really got to work in the first period. What has been the key to the special teams success so far?”

“They’re a real well-oiled machine, I tell ya, and when you’ve got that level of talent on the ice, it’s hard not to score. On this one, it’s a really simple drawn-up play, Schlager gets it out to the perimeter and he’s got the big body of Tsvetikov in front to screen. Once Tomic sees a little space, it’s almost in the net before you can say goal, with that cannon of a slap shot he has.”

“It wasn’t just Tomic contributing from the blueline, though - both goals for Siovanija & Teusland in this one came from the back end. Start of the third period, it’s still 1-0, and someone you maybe don’t expect to get in on the scoring makes a big impact.”

“Yeah, so we have the third unit out here forcing pressure in the offensive zone, and Erhard Lasker makes a good play to get the puck out. From here it’s kind of a weird goal, honestly - I think Halak, Hasek, whoever, he just kinda throws it at the net hoping for a deflection. He gets a bit lucky with it going off the defender, but hey, they don’t ask how they ask how many!”

“And for Ladislav Hlavac, the answer to ‘how many’ is one, his first career goal for the national team. You may have been forgiven for thinking the game was over at 2-0, but Huelavia fought desperately at the end - what did you make of their late rally?”

“They showed a lot of spirit, that’s for sure, and they took away all the Goldhorns’ momentum getting one back like they did. Usually when you score you get a big boost for a few shifts after, you want to get out and grab another one. This time, the Huelavians come out and Petov, he scores a good one to get them on the board. Smart goal, and that fires you up, makes you believe in the comeback.”

“Robert Petit’s goal for Huelavia broke a 232 minute shutout streak for Robert Schock in the playoff rounds of the World Cup of Hockey, going back to last year’s Semifinal against Savojarna. How good was he in the later stages of this one, and how good does he have to be tonight against Quebec?”

“He was brilliant - tracking the puck really well, being aggressive when he had to be, and the save he made at the end there, well, that’ll be on his career highlight reel for sure. He just doesn’t crack under anything this guy, you can count on him in any situation. Tonight he’s got to be perfect again, this is a Quebec team that have scored 8 so far in the playoffs, 4 in each, and they’re going to be hoping to make this a high-scoring one as well.”

“We’re coming down to the final games of the tournament now - Oskar, who would you say have been the Goldhorns’s best players overall?”

“Schock has been really good, I already talked about the defenceman Tomikov, up front, it’s hard to look past the impact Timo Schlager and Edwin Ranger have both had. Ranger has really been a monster, he just scores from anywhere, anytime, and it’s really hard to defend against him. Schlager, he’s really been the driver of a lot of offensive production for this team, and crazy thing is I feel like he flies under the radar at times because he isn’t maybe as flashy as some others - but if you get him on a breakaway, watch out, and maybe we’ll see that tonight.”

“So, Siovanija & Teusland vs Quebec & Shingoryeo. It’s the 94th game for the Goldhorns all-time in World Cup of Hockey competition - and a rematch of Game #1, in which Siovanija & Teusland debuted on the international stage with a 1-0 win over Quebec. Watching that game, all those years ago, did you ever think we might see a match-up again in a semifinal just a few tournaments later?”

“I wasn’t thinking it, but if you told me it would happen I’d believe you. Quebec are an international hockey power, that #13 ranking is too low for a team like them, and they really believe that they can get their second title this year. I knew we were always going to end up competitive here, too, maybe not as quick as we did it, but yeah, two great countries with such a passion for hockey going head to head on the biggest stage, you love it!”

“The Goldhorns and the Ice Knights have faced off 7 times at the World Cup of Hockey - the Goldhorns have won 4, the Ice Knights have won 2, and they have tied once. They met at this very tournament, a 5-3 win for the Goldhorns on matchday 1. What is the biggest thing to look out for in this game tonight?”

“Quebec have had their up and downs in this tournament - but they’ve really put it together over the last stretch. They had to fight hard to make it into the playoffs, and then they faced tough challenges from Mercedini and Gyatso-kai, which they won in a shootout. They aren’t going to give up - this is going to be a battle for 60 minutes. Whichever team is more prepared for that is going to take the win tonight.”

“What’s one area the Goldhorns specifically might have the edge in, and one that they might have to work extra hard at?

“I think the Goldhorns play a more structured game, especially at the back - Siovanija & Teusland have given up 1.64 goals per game in this tournament, Quebec & Shingoryeo have given up 2.85. That’s not a critique - because Quebec play a very strong offensive game. In group play, they scored 47 goals - the Goldhorns had 48 in the same group. It’s a lineup stacked with offensive talent coming in tonight, and the one thing the Goldhorns cannot do is get away from their style. Quebec are going to bring everything - you can’t give up the defensive discipline that has made you two-time champions. If you let it become a shooting gallery, you’re giving them exactly what they want. This is also a team that can match you physically, so it’s important to establish that side of things early.”

“I think it’s safe to say we’re in for a brilliant game tonight. The Goldhorns are chasing a third straight trip to the Final, Quebec chasing a first trip since WCoH 33. Two great hockey countries, two teams who have risen to the top at this tournament - one great game ahead of us. Goldhorns, Ice Knights, puck drop next.”

[Cassadaigua]

Third Period Rally Lifts Fillies,
By Chelsea Dufresne, Concord Heights Times

Kriegiersien had a fantastic run during this World Cup of Hockey, and you don’t need a bunch of silly graphics to appreciate the accomplishment of making the quarterfinals as an unranked nation. They appeared to be on the verge of making the semifinals as goaltender Jody Becker was simply incredible. A goalie can steal games when they are hot, and Becker was frustrating the Cassadagan shooters all game long.

Starting with the first period, Cassadaigua outplayed their opponents in nearly all aspects of the game, outshooting them 20-4. The top line of Brittany Gomes, Cassidy Conti, and Samantha Dryden created opportunities every time they were out on the ice, and the other lines performed quite well, too. Unfortunately for them, none of their shots went in as Becker was phenomenal. Kriegiersien struck first in this game, with a goal at 4:02 of the middle stanza when a point shot from Patrick Parrrrker (pronounced exactly as it is spelled) pinballed through traffic in front of the net, and by Travis Anderson, to give Kriegiersien the 1-0 advantage. Thankfully for the Fillies, they were able to respond to this before the end of the period on a one timer from Danielle Turnbull (Meghann Carmello and Lauren Potvin assisting) at 11:19, but a tough goal was conceded very late in the period. Arrrrrgh, not Parrrrker again. He was not the goalscorer, but his nice set up to Josef Kaiser was pretty, and gave Kriegiersien a 2-1 lead at 18:55 of the period. Shots in the second were a little more even, but still favored Cassadaigua, 13-9.

Down by a goal, Cassadaigua did everything they possibly could but Becker was not going to let it be easy as the netminder continued to make great stops after great stops. Finally, at 10:35 of the third, Natalie Edmonds deflected in a shot from Alyssa Peterson (Jacob Thomas also assisting), to make it all even. There was a sense of relief on the Fillies bench following the goal, and at 16:17, Cassadaigua led for the first time, as Lauren Potvin one-timed home a shot from Meghann Carmello (also assisted by Courtney Burnett). At last, they had the lead, and they made sure to hold on to it. The Fillies would outshoot Kriegiersien 17-8 for the period, and 50-21 for the game. Fortunately, they also outscored them, 3-2.

“Their goalie played great, obviously,” coach Rachel Belmont said after the game, “give Becker all the credit for what they did out there on the ice. We had to battle tonight. It was a good effort by us, but it was not easy either. I’m glad that we were able to battle, as the games will only get tougher now.” Cassadaigua takes on Valanora, with the winner moving on to play for the Cup!

[Quebec and Shingoryeo]

QUEBEC CITY

Meanwhile, the slow pace of life continued to ring in the Palais-Vendome, as Her Royal Highness Alice, the youngest sister of Sylvain IV, the great-grandfather of the reigning monarch Christine II, was dying in the palace. While Alice, the woman of the old era of Quebecois monarchy, was rarely in Quebec City following the death of her husband Fabien Hyeon, first Earl of Nakan, her ill health had brought her back to the capitol where her late brother's great-granddaughter, Christine II, was now reigning the country in relative stability.

At the age 103, and after overcoming cancer several months ago, her health has somewhat recovered from the low point, but Princess Alice's still far away from full recovery, as she handled the hot Capitolien summer inside her apartment in Palais-Vendome. Being the oldest (but not the eldest, for that honour was long passed to her sister-in-law's line and now the Queen) lady of the house, the entire Royal Palace was keeping a close watch on her health, and Alice was conscious of it.

Most of her time at the Vendome had involved resting in the suite, with occasional walks on the garden or to see where the Palace, where she had lived a decade-long marriage before the Air Commodore's passing on a fighter crash in year 1981, could see renovations. Aside from the usual company of servants, her grandson the second Earl, and a friend, Princess Alice rarely accepted guests. One day in early September, however, a rare exception had occurred as Christine the Second, who was usually busy with her own duties as the sovereign, had decided to visit the woman.

'I have no right to refuse when the Queen comes to visit a poor woman in me,' said Princess Alice, when she was informed of the sudden visit by her secretary, a man half her age named Rhodri Mason, at eight in the morning. As it turned out, Christine II decided not to attend the playoff stages of World Cup of Hockey in Græntfjall, but had stayed in Quebec City to attend other matters of business her hands were required. It was a practical decision given the age of HRH Alexandre, the Crown Prince, and the Princess nodded along to it when this was explained by Rhodri.

At two in the afternoon, the Queen had arrived at her bedroom, with a servant announcing the arrival seconds before door was opened. The queen was originally going to do the curtesy to the elderly woman, but the Princess refused, stated on the grounds that it was not a right thing for the monarch to 'bow to someone below her'.

Sooner than later, a set of rich, afternoon tea was prepared and set up as ordered by the House earlier today. It was visible from the signs that the Queen, now twenty-six and in fourth year of her reign, was not entirely familiar or relaxed at the setting of Palais-Vendome. Both sides knew why, and it perfectly made sense. Princess Alice, who was born the year Southern Rushmori War had ended in year 1945, was a woman from another time when the Quebecois Empire was still intact (it still is, but as Quebecois Commonwealth), Catherine III was in middle of her reign, and it was still far-fetched thought for a woman of landed gentry to marry into the Royal house. Those differences, even though Princess Alice always held great love and support for Christine all her life, had meant that it was an eerie experience on its own right.

Still, the nature of a rare visit by the Queen had meant that they would be here at the Palace for a couple of hours. Fortunately for both parties, the QBC live broadcast of the World Cup of Hockey quarterfinals between Quebec and Shingoryeo and Gyatso-Kai happened to be on, so they stayed and watched the entire match.

The regulation period went along as expected, with both sides exchanging goals and chockful of penalty minutes to start with. It was a tricky matchup for both parties, with the Knights and the Bisons having a relatively similar playing style, and both Shu and Kigatilik was struggling between the pipes with no clear over the battle. By the end of the third period, they were tied 4-4.

'It seems like we are back to watching the Final series thirty-two years ago,' Princess Alice said in a very dry voice, her pale hair evident enough to show that its colour had not changed since then. The QBC television crew, as the panelists were reviewing the match's details, were talking about both head coaches. 'I remember Hakoda Ishii well. He was a charming player when younger...never did I expect him to stay around long enough and eventually manage that team.'

'Indeed, grand-aunt Alice.' responded Christine II. 'It's clear they have a well-coached team, maybe not as much talent as what they used to have, but it's a good team.'

'I do think the goaltenders need lot more practice though.' said Princess Alice with grave disappointment. 'It amazes me how neither teams, for all their goaltending reputations, have issues stopping the puck. Sure, Song Unataq is indeed a Hall of Famer, but it amazes me how Brianne Kigatilik, even after all her improvements this cycle, have failed to do much on this match.'

Christine II was unsure about it. 'If you get your chance, your majesty,' Princess Alice reminded. 'Please raise Prince Alexandre as a serviceable goaltender.'

The next five minutes had passed quickly, as both sides scrambled for the puck. Unfortunately, they were too gassed to really land crucial shots, and both Shu and Kigatilik had no trouble catching them. The match was now going to go down to the shootouts.

It was around then that Princess Alice had noticed the presence of a Quebecois royal, located on one of the suites on the upper deck of the Arena. HRH Henri IX, known as the Prince Henri, was the youngest brother of Christine the Second, and the Princess Alice was amazed to see that she was in the presence of who she suspected was a Græntfjaller royalty.

'Is that Henri, your majesty?' Princess Alice asked her great-great-niece in amazement, in surprise over how open he was in showing affection. 'I thought he was expected to return to the Northwestern University come this fall.'

'Yes, great-aunt Alice,' the Queen responded. 'I believe that his exchange term's technically over, but he has asked the Palace and the Ministry if the request to extend his stay in the Queendom would be possible.'

'How the times have changed,' Princess Alice said in amazement. 'From what I see, she looks like at least of extended royalty there.'

'From what I have heard, her name is Aurelia Kaspersdóttir. A grand duchess, the Queen's niece by technicality, though the Queendom's rules with the nobility is a complicated one, from what I have heard.'

'In that case, they better be careful.' Princess Alice nodded along. 'You never know with the media these days, your majesty. Please keep this in mind for the Prince Alexandre.'

[Graintfjall]

I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.

SF cutoff

Semifinals
Siovanija & Teusland 8–7 Quebec & Shingoryeo
Valanora 1–1 Cassadaigua (2–1 SO)

The four teams now return to Háttmark for the finals.

3PPO

(13) Quebec & Shingoryeo v Cassadaigua (3) @ WMM Arena

Final

(1) Siovanija & Teusland v Valanora (2) @ Grand National Arena

[Valanora]

"A tale of two semifinals, is it not, yet both are decided by the mere width of a hair in that such is the quality between this quartet that have found their way into the championship stages of the World Cup of Harmony. It was not unsurprising to see Siovanija & Teusland to be in the tournament at this late a stage, but all the others are somewhat of a surprise when given the context of the current state of the game."

"How do you mean, all three of the other teams have won a World Cup of Hockey in their history, what with the Calcuttas holding the record number of trophies in the competition with six. It seems quite an egregious statement to declare that none of the other three teams should have been expected to be able to get to this stage of the competition."

"What I mean is that despite their title credentials in the past, none of these other three teams have quite looked up to being a title challenger in the last few editions, with all the evidence you need for that with the Calcuttas being eliminated in the first knockout stage two years ago in Taeshan. When was the last time that Quebec had been in semifinals, when was the last time the Dagans were a real threat to win a title? Clearly they are talented enough now, but the last few years have not been kind to any of the three teams that were wanting to upstage our subregional neighbors."

"Well I think the fact that Quebec just scored seven goals on the current title holders is quite the statement that they are that good now and have merely been a bit unlucky not to have been in contention in the last few tournaments. The same can be said of the Calcuttas and we saw Zelda address what most people believed to have been the team's poor points from last tournament with a complete roster overhaul leading into this tournament being held in the Wintery Queendom. Younger and hungrier players who can play those many games in a short span of time and we have most definitely seen the results of those change bear fruit for the team."

"I suppose so, they did have quite a bit of moxy and looked determined to find a way to win against the Dagans in the semifinal, but that it was taken to a shootout is something that was not really expected. They are very rare, especially so for the Calcuttas, this is the only occasion that I can remember that the team has had one, although I am sure they must have had one before hand just outside recent memory. Eva Strömberg and Jonas Haugen both scored on their attempts while Noel Norberg saved two of the three efforts from the Dagans, quite a good piece of netminding in order to pull off those two saves and send the Calcuttas into the Final. The Dagans fought hard but the Calcuttas were just that small bit better than their Rushmori counterparts."

"Now for the championship we will have the old guard of our beloved Calcuttas looking showcase their grit and determination against the new kings of the ice in Siovanija & Teusland. Odds would say to back the current holders of the title but the Calcuttas did not earn those six stars on their crest by luck, it came with great skill and winning a few games that they should not have. To get a seventh, they will need to replicate some of that early magic that brought Vanorian hockey to the pinnacle that it had been on for so long."

[Siovanija and Teusland]

Kirsche’s Corner

With Ronald Mensing and Oskar Kirsche

“Goo-”

“Hold it right there, just a minute Ron, play the clip! You know what clip!”

”It’s a lineup stacked with offensive talent coming in tonight, and the one thing the Goldhorns cannot do is get away from their style. Quebec are going to bring everything - you can’t give up the defensive discipline that has made you two-time champions. If you let it become a shooting gallery, you’re giving them exactly what they want.”

“You see kids! I’m pretty smart, huh! What did I tell you, you can’t give up the defensive discipline, you can’t let it become a shooting gallery - and that’s what the Goldhorns did last night! 99 times out of 100 you lose that game! If they do that in the final tonight, they do not take that trophy I tell ya!”

“Oskar’s a little animated, obviously, so before we go any further: welcome, ladies and gentlemen back home in Siovanija & Teusland, to the Final of the 42nd World Cup of Hockey. Siovanija & Teusland vs Valanora, each nation looking to add to their trophy case tonight. The stars are aligned for a great sh-”

“Anyways, back to what I was saying! You go on your little set-up rants there and take time away from the real hockey talk-”

“Well Oskar, that’s my job”

“Yeah, and I get paid more than you, so let me do my job! Anyways, back to the important stuff! I couldn’t believe that defensive performance, it was terrible! 7 goals against, they had to be sleeping out there!”

“The Goldhorns had never given up more than 6 goals in their history until the semifinal game, but Oskar, do you think it’s signs of defensive trouble or perhaps more the result of a very emotional game for both teams?”

“The emotion plays a big part in it, of course - especially with the amount of penalties that were called in that one, they didn’t let them play at all. But some of the mistakes were just high-pressure, stuff you wouldn’t want to happen. Schock, I guess he was due for a bad game or something, because he didn’t look completely comfortable in there.”

“If you’re Aaron Kuhn, do you start Schock for this final tonight?”

“Absolutely, no question. He’s your number one. I’m willing to bet that he feels as bad as anybody letting in 7 goals out there, especially to go down 4-2 in the first period, and I’ll bet he’s fired up to come out here tonight and give a bounce-back performance - and there’s no better time to tell them.”

“Discipline was an issue for the Goldhorns last night, Oskar.”

“Kids, listen close. When you are using your stick in a tight situation, you always be careful! How many times do you see this penalty come, tripping call, careless with the stick, and you just have to have more discipline than that. They had a few of those last night - I thought it was ridiculous for a playoff game, that many calls, but the only thing you can do about it is not give the ref a chance to make the call!”

“7 power play opportunities for both teams - Quebec & Shingoryeo scored on 4 of them, including 2 in the first period. When the Ice Knights took a 4-2 lead at the end of the first, Oskar, did you think this one might have been the end of the road?”

“I said that it would only be the end if they wanted it to be. That was probably the worst period of hockey they’ve played in a few years, I’d say - they were getting outhit, outskated and outmatched. Quebec wanted it more. I knew Aaron would have something to say in the locker room, and they looked like a totally different team coming out for the second period.”

“Part of that change was the involvement of the fourth line.”

“I don’t know why these guys haven’t got more minutes - Gunter Pfenning, he showed something out there I tell ya, he’s not quite lost all his speed yet. Everybody knows how much I think of Hasselberger, and he was getting into the physical action right away. Quebec can play that game too though - that Lindauer, he had a few good hits too I tell ya!”

“Oskar, did you only mention Lindauer because it’s the only name you can pronounce?”

“Of course not! His linemate, uh, Meunes, Meunikov, she had a few big plays as well! Starter-Jarder too, massive body out there, 6’9, he was just lining guys up all night.”

“Say it with me, Starmer-Jodoin”

“Star-Joker, whatever, it doesn’t matter! What matters is, he was making big hits!”

“You were obviously quite frustrated with much of the performance, Oskar, but what were the good things you can take away from it?”

“They scored 8. On a very good goalie. The top two lines were running the show, of course, you had Telikanov with 2, Schlager with a goal and 3 assists, Ranger with 2 of his own as well, including the go-ahead in the third - they just keep putting the puck in the net. That’s the object of the game, obviously, and right now it just feels that whenever they get a chance, you see that red light go on.”

“4-2 Quebec after 1, 5-5 after 2, and 8-7 for the Goldhorns after 60 minutes - a wildly emotional game. How do you get over the emotional swings of that one and prepare yourself for the Final tonight?”

“It’s really difficult, a game like that in a regular season - the next day you’d probably let them take it off, relax, calm down, get back to normal. But they’re going to be going in hot - and it can be a good thing too, you take that positive energy with you. On the other side - Valanora, they had an emotional win too, in the shootout, so I think it’s something both teams will have to deal with.”

“Valanora, our neighbours in geography, and our opponents in a second World Cup of Hockey Final. These teams played in WCoH 40’s final, the Goldhorns taking the Cup - and many of the players who played in that series are back here tonight. What does the rematch mean to both of these squads?”

“It’s going to be very easy for Valanora’s coach, um, Helestov-”

“Zelda Hellstrom”

“Sure, to get her group motivated for this one - some of the players in that locker room will have been on that ice in Quebec and seen us lift the trophy instead. But at the same time, Aaron - Valanora are the team in international hockey, always will be - 6 world titles. You have a chance to make history tonight - three championships in a row. Don’t let them get in the way.”

“Ironic you mention getting in the way. Only one team in WCoH history have done the threepeat - Havl, in editions 20, 21 and 22. Two other teams have reached three finals in a row - Valanora themselves, winning 30 and 32 and losing 31. And Plutoni - losing 14, winning 15 and 16 before losing the 17 final to… Valanora.”

“Ok Ron.”

“One other number-game - every team that has won the opening tournament of a decade, has also won two tournaments later. Plutoni winning #10 and #12, Havl winning #20 and 22, and Valanora winning #30 and 32. Tonight, the Goldhorns have a chance to continue that streak, with a win in #40 and going for 42-”

“Back to hockey talk, you’re going on about these numbers, none of them have any meaning! What Valanora and Plutoni did 50 years ago doesn’t affect what happens on this ice tonight. This is two great hockey teams, why don’t we talk about them.”

“Haha, alright Oskar - who scares you the most on this Valanora team?”

“We already rolled it back tonight, so I won’t ask anybody to go back to my preview of the WCoH 40 Final when I talked about a girl named Elsa Stromer-”

“Eva Stromberg”

“Right, Stromberg, that actually makes sense. Anyways, Stormgerb, I talked about her as the future of this Valanora team - and look how right I was! Top line, probably one of the best players at this tournament - she’s in her prime, and she’s been on a mission this tournament. If I’m Aaron Kuhn, I’m matching Erhard Lasker’s line with her all night.”

“The Goldhorns do have the last change as the designated home team. In a game between two excellent hockey sides, with contrasting styles, is something as small as that going to be the difference maker?”

“The difference maker is going to be whoever handles all this pressure better. This arena is going to be loud, every moment of this game is going to be analyzed, and both teams are going for history here. Valanora, continuing that proud legacy, Goldhorns, building on our own. Unfortunately, one team has to lose tonight - and it’s going to be a battle all the way to the end.”

“One player to make the difference for Siovanija & Teusland?”

“Robert Schock. If he bounces back, and they keep scoring like they have been, it’ll be tough to beat. Equally, if he looks shaky again, you don’t want to make your forwards score 8 two nights in a row.”

“The time for talking is done, then. Now, just time to leave it all on the ice. When these players, these men and women, they grew up on frozen ponds and rivers, playing from dawn to dusk, and they dreamed about this moment - the World Cup of Hockey Final. Now, here they are. Siovanija & Teusland vs Valanora. Will it be the latest chapter in an ongoing story of glory, or the next addition to a book with fresher ink? Puck drop next.”

[Graintfjall]

“The Answer to the Great Question…”
“Yes…!”
“Of Life, the Universe and Everything…” said Deep Thought.
“Yes…!”
“Is…” said Deep Thought, and paused.
“Yes…!”
“Is…”
“Yes…!!!…?”
“Forty-two,”said Deep Thought, with infinite majesty and calm.

Final cutoff

3PPO
Quebec & Shingoryeo 2–2 Cassadaigua (3–2 SO)

Final
Siovanija & Teusland 4–1 Valanora

I’d far rather be happy than right any day. -- Douglas Adams