World Junior Hockey Championship 17 - Everything Thread

[Graintfjall]

Posted on the GS SuperSports+ website.

Coach frustrated by limited playing time for young prospects

The lack of serious playing time for youth players in Græntfjall is a “problem”, according to national junior team head coach Guðleikur Petersson. Speaking after the Junior Ice Wolves’ defeat to Eshialand at the World Junior Hockey Championship in Quebec & Shingoryeo, Petersson said: “Credit must first go to Eshialand, who played a strong game. But I do think a concern is that some of our young guys are not seeing that much serious ice time, and not being exposed to the kind of game situations we saw there.” With the game tied in the third period, defenseman Bjarni Flarkisson was hit with a cross-checking penalty that led to the crucial powerplay, in which Eshialand’s Hunter Ulman scored the game decider.

Compared to some nations, Græntfjall does not have an organized system for junior hockey. University sports in Græntfjall are for the most part treated as no more than hobbies and do not have the cachet of systems where they are run as revenue-generating enterprises with serious media attention. Most junior ice hockey players do not attend university, instead signing with senior ice hockey clubs. Junior games are irregularly organized, not televised, and receive little attendance. This leads most junior players either receiving limited minutes on GHL teams, or being loaned out to lower division clubs, with a consequent exposure to only a lower standard of play. There is consequent concern that the young players who make up the Junior Ice Wolves squad lack experience of important matchplay.

“In GHL games, you don’t often see the young guys being kept in during the third period, in the powerplay or penalty kill scenarios, given the really tough assignments,” says hockey journalist Lenny Spjällesson, who is in Quebec covering the WJHC for Puck The System!! magazine. “Most of the players on this roster have thus not really been tested in the kinds of situations they’re being thrown into here, with the glare of cameras, journalists shoving microphones in their face after every mistake, fans watching every mistake.” Spjällesson admitted that other nations at the WJHC may be in a similar situation, but said that “it’s been something that’s been noted before about Græntfjall and it’s frustrating nothing has changed”.

For his part, Petersson stopped short of any specific recommendations, whether for a new domestic junior hockey league or to attempting to post more youth talents overseas, to college or junior hockey systems in other countries with better organization and more exposure. “I’m not about to rewrite the development pathway in the middle of the tournament,” he said, “When right now priority is just getting the team’s heads back in it for the next game.” The Junior Ice Wolves will now play Atheara, before the much anticipated final matchday clash with the young Goldhorns of Siovanija & Teusland, whose senior team last year* won their third straight World Cup title, in Græntfjall.

* OOC: In Græntfjaller time.

[Srednjaci]

WORLD JUNIOR HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIP 17 - Quebec and Shingoryeo

VIDEO REPORT: EVERYONE WANTS TO BE THE NEW STAR HOCKEY STAR!

The young hockey players from Srednjaci, the Ice Cubs, have driven the whole country crazy with their hockey performances.
At the World Championships in Quebec and Shingoryeo, our hockey players hold the first place in the group for now.
Of course, broadcasts from matches, newspaper articles, articles in portals are raising the popularity of these young men and women. The popularity of hockey has reached a great level. Younger ages want to be some new Goran Tudjman, Jelena Ivezić or Zhuo! But what do the protagonists of that story say?

CHILDREN JUST LOVE HOCKEY

JELENA IVEZIĆ



"I read our internet portals and watch sports news. I am aware that we are popular. So it was in Delaclava same thing when we played in the quarterfinals. Now that is a different story. Now they are already expecting a minimal new quarterfinal from us."

REPORTER: How do you comment on the fact that you woke up hockey among children? More and more kids want to play hockey.

"I am glad that we are finding our popularity in the right way. It is very important for the nation that children play sports. Not everyone will be successful but they will have a richer life. They will learn that life is made up of ups and downs, victories and defeats. to know how to deal with both. They will hang out with their peers, make many friendships. Sport is an important segment of our upbringing. Hockey is a beautiful and dynamic sport. I'm not surprised that children quickly fall in love with hockey. "

GORAN TUĐMAN


"Yes, it's wonderful when we positively impact our community. Kids are always better at school and sports than on the street. They have a sense of existence. Some will stay in sports, some in science, still others elsewhere but it's important to go through that growing up in clubs with other children. "

REPORTER: How was it for you growing up with hockey?

"It was great for me. First I trained football then a friend brought me to the hall, then there was only one ice hall with ice. I wanted to try skating. The first time when I started to skating, I forgot about football. I knew that I wanted to be a hockey player. It was fantastic to travel with my peers, they lived the same life as me. We had the same dreams and we all wanted to get to the Olympics or the World Cup. "

[Quebec and Shingoryeo]

World Junior Hockey Championship 17 - Quebec & Shingoryeo

Matchday Four Cutoff

Group A - Tanuchulk Angutingurniq Arena
Balaslandia 1–1 Banija
Raspotochje 3–1 Republique Mariannoise
Quebec and Shingoryeo 4–4 Nova Anglicana

P Group A - Tanuchulk Angutingurniq Arena Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Quebec and Shingoryeo                     4   3  1  0   19   9 +10    7  QUALIFIED
2 Nova Anglicana                            4   3  1  0    7   4  +3    7  QUALIFIED
3 Raspotochje                               4   2  0  2    7   9  −2    4
4 Balaslandia                               4   1  1  2    7  11  −4    3
5 Banija                                    4   0  2  2    2   5  −3    2
6 Republique Mariannoise                    4   0  1  3    2   6  −4    1

Group B - Mary Wie Arena
HUElavia 2–2 Fluvannia
Gergary 3–0 The Jovannic
Malandrin 1–2 Gatchingerrak Union

P Group B - Mary Wie Arena  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Fluvannia                   4   3  1  0   11   7  +4    7  QUALIFIED
2 Gatchingerrak Union         4   3  0  1   12   2 +10    6  QUALIFIED
3 HUElavia                    4   2  2  0   14   7  +7    6  QUALIFIED
4 Gergary                     4   1  1  2    5   6  −1    3
5 Malandrin                   4   0  2  2    8  11  −3    2
6 The Jovannic                4   0  0  4    5  22 −17    0

Group C - Leonora Bertram Arena
Atheara 1–6 Græntfjall
Siovanija and Teusland 4–3 Eshialand
Abanhfleft 4–4 Pratapgadh

P Group C - Leonora Bertram Arena Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Græntfjall                        4   3  0  1   16   6 +10    6  QUALIFIED
2 Siovanija and Teusland            4   3  0  1   13   8  +5    6  QUALIFIED
3 Eshialand                         4   3  0  1   12  10  +2    6  QUALIFIED
4 Abanhfleft                        4   1  1  2    8  14  −6    3
5 Atheara                           4   1  0  3    6  11  −5    2
6 Pratapgadh                        4   0  1  3   10  16  −6    1

Group D - Douglas Ootoova Arena
Sarzonia 0–1 Le Choix
Kelssek 2–4 Delaclava
Srednjaci 3–0 Pascafia

P Group D - Douglas Ootoova Arena Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Srednjaci                         4   3  1  0   10   2  +8    7  QUALIFIED
2 Le Choix                          4   2  2  0    5   2  +3    6  QUALIFIED
3 Delaclava                         4   2  1  1    8   6  +2    5
4 Pascafia                          4   2  0  2    6   6   0    4
5 Kelssek                           4   1  0  3   11  16  −5    2
6 Sarzonia                          4   0  0  4    4  12  −8    0

[Eshialand]

NOOOOO!!!
Siovanija and Teusland 4-3 Eshialand

"It's the final minute of play in the third period!" a booming voice yelled over the PA system.

The score was 3-3, with Eshialand's goals having been from Peter Gerard, Andrew DuMont, and Penelope Raleigh, and Siovanija and Teusland's goals being scored by Hanus Kral, Nico Ottoberg, and Bastian Ehrenreich. It looked like Eshialand was set for a solid draw... until things went awry.

With just 45 seconds left, Jaromir Misalko sped down the ice and took a slapshot from the blue line, deflected by Dustin Banks. Ehrenreich was right on top of it though, and he took the puck right to the net, barreling through Vincent Havern as he did so. Vincent would be fine, he was just a little shaken up.

Ehrenreich's shot was stopped by Dustin, and no amount of digging for the puck would stop the play from being whistled down. 29.3 seconds were left on the clock, and there would be a faceoff in the Eshian zone.

Torsten Becken would win the faceoff and pass it back to Matz Springborn, who would pass it back and forth with Mark Holzer, waiting for the right moment... with 12.1 seconds left, Holzer rushed towards the net, as if to shoot, but he instead passed it to Misalko, who was easily able to shoot since nobody expected him to get the puck!

7.4 seconds left, and Misalko scored to make the game 4-3 for the Goldhorns. A collective "NOOOOO!!!" could be heard among the Eshians who had shown up that day, even drowning out the cheering from Siovanijan and Teus supporters, as it looked like this tournament, like so many others the nation had participated in, was falling apart right in front of their eyes.

Since Graintfjall absolutely destroyed Atheara earlier that day, it looked like the list that Josh gave on Tournament Report, the one that outlined how the Junior Owls could still go home after the group stage, was playing out to the letter. Needless to say, the team was scared to death of what could still happen.

Coach Maran tried to reassure them that their loss to Siovanija and Teusland wasn't their fault and that the Goldhorns were just an amazing team, saying that even coming within 8 seconds of drawing was a miracle.

That didn't help though, and that night, the team watched the Abanhfleft-Pratapgadh game on their hotel TVs with baited breath, hoping that Pratapgadh would pull through and be the spoilers that they needed to ease their ever-mounting stress about their own upcoming game against Abanhfleft. The final score in that game? 4-4. Eshialand was guaranteed to make it to the knockouts.

[Srednjaci]

WORLD JUNIOR HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIP 17 - Quebec and Shingoryeo

ICE CUBS TAKE A CRUCIAL MATCH AND WIN ! FOR THE SECOND TIME ICE CUBS ARE IN PLAYOFFS !

Srednjaci 3–0 Pascafia

Srednjaci-1-0-2
Pascafia -0-0-0

Unbelievable that the Ice Cubs kicked 22 shots on goal of Pascafia and scored only three. This is a worrying inefficiency in the attack. The defense worked great but the attack was poor and inaccurate.
It all started in the first period when Goran Tuđman shot on goal, the goalkeeper managed to block the puck and fortunately Petra Jurešić was in the right place and put the puck in the closer corner of the goal.Petra scores for lead of 1:0!
It was the only goal in two thirds.
In last third, Ice Cubs finally scored twice! Excellent pass by Mirko Buvač to Jelena Ivezić who scored from the left wing.
Soon after that, Pascafia's defence krack again. Zhuo Wei and Goran Tuđman are creators of that score. Those two players are machines for scoring goals! Zhuo find himself infron of two Pascafia defenders. With such elegance he pass the puck to Goran Tuđman. Tuđman scores for 3:0!
Could more goals have been scored? Yes, but all those shots hit the frame of the goal or the goalkeeper took them off. We are happy to make it to the playoffs but the attack has to be more effective.
There is a lot of pressure on Tatjana Đureković and her staff.


"Despite all this this was a great match for us. The defense played brilliantly. Defence brilliantly followed the game and closed all Pascafia's options. Opponents had their chances too, but we successfully managed everything to defend. Something with knowledge and skill and something with luck. However, there is a lot of room for attack. The attack should be more effective. We will certainly work on that. We need to celebrate the passage to the playoffs. Great moment for hockey in Srednjaci. Second appearance at the World Junior Championships and second passage to the playoffs in a row! This is an amazing result! "said the coach at a press conference.

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

Left Wingers
First Line LW: Zhuo Wei (19)  1 Assist
Second Line LW: Jelena Ivezić (17)  1 Goal 
Third Line LW: Zoran Hlebić (18)
Fourth Line LW: Željko Žic (17)
Not Dressed LW: Branko Otegović (16)

Centers
First Line Center: Goran Tuđman (19) 1 GOAL
Second Line Center: Ai Toyotama (17) 
Third Line Center: Danijela Vrgorac (18)
Fourth Line Centre: Ilya Menkov (17)
Other Forward DRESSED: Eva Hulikova (16)

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

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

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

Group D - Douglas Ootoova Arena
Sarzonia 0–1 Le Choix
Kelssek 2–4 Delaclava
Srednjaci 3–0 Pascafia

P Group D - Douglas Ootoova Arena Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Srednjaci                         4   3  1  0   10   2  +8    7  QUALIFIED
2 Le Choix                          4   2  2  0    5   2  +3    6  QUALIFIED
3 Delaclava                         4   2  1  1    8   6  +2    5
4 Pascafia                          4   2  0  2    6   6   0    4
5 Kelssek                           4   1  0  3   11  16  −5    2
6 Sarzonia                          4   0  0  4    4  12  −8    0

DELACLAVA NEXT

We know Delaclava hockey players very well. We played with them one of the best matches of the whole 16WJHC tournament! The Phoenixes then advanced to the semifinals. Here the situation is a little different. Delaclava started the competition badly, but that must not deceive us. it is still a quality team and their results showes that. Ice Cubs will facing another new difficult exam. Pascafia was the hit of the championship with a victory against Delaclava. But since then, the Phoenixes has progressed. We believe in our team. A win would secure first place in the group. This generation of Ice Cubs has matured better though and they play great hockey. We are sure that the next game will be extremely interesting.

[Delaclava]

DSGN.com Hockey

Ashlings topple defending champions Kelssek to bolster medal hopes

There were plenty of excuses to be made for this game. This squad's missing too much scoring talent from last year. The team's further decimated from four drug-related suspensions. They're offensively out of sorts, and carry a middling 1-1-1 record. They have to face the defending champions, the same Kelssek squad who crushed their souls in Valhalla and wrested the gold medals from their grasp.

Champions don't make any of those excuses, and neither did Delaclava, who entered a crucial fixture of the World Junior Hockey Championship in Iqaluit, Quebec with renewed energy and jumped to a 3-0 lead en route to a 4-2 defeat of defending champions Kelssek. Breakout star left wing Danny Ballac scored the first two goals within the opening ten minutes, with Zoltan Bondra adding another tally before the end of the first frame. Jesse Baker, playing for the first time as a result of his teammates' suspensions, and on a line with twin brother Lido and Esau Charles, finished the scoring in the third period. David Hauser kept matters tidy on the opposite end by stopping 27 of 29 shots, including all ten in the third period.

"There was a little extra juice on the game for those of us around last year,'' said captain Peter Požgaj, who added an assist on Bondra's goal, "but mainly we're thrilled to have such good chemistry and puck movement in a big game. One of us was going to book our plane ticket home tonight, and we weren't ready to do that yet."

The win gives Delaclava the inside track on the third qualifying spot out of Group D, with Srednjaci (3-0-1) and Le Choix (2-0-2) clinching the first two spots with their own victories. It is Srednjaci that the Ashlings must face in their final game, and a win sends Delaclava into the playoffs with two consecutive victories over high-quality opponents; a draw or loss opens the door for Pascafia to take the spot with a win against Sarzonia.

Hauser assured that the Ashlings aren't concerned with what Pascafia does in their own game: "The time to worry about them was when we actually played them. Are we regretting that loss now? Big time. Losing the first game always gives you a hill to climb, but we've done a good job coming back... Now each game is a must-win, and we're ready for it."

Delaclava and Srednjaci memorably squared off in the quarterfinals of last year's championship, with the Ashlings taking a 7-6 overtime victory in Kalinin. The Ashlings blew 5-1 and 6-4 leads in that game, and were troubled by the likes of Goran Tudman and Mirko Buvac, who return this year along with most of the squad.

But Liam Bullard, a member of Delaclava's junior team last year, believes that certain performances demonstrate their readiness to come out victorious once again. "We don't want to come out in a barnburner like that, and we won't have to. We always look to score, but I really think this team is better at deliberately controlling possession and dictating the tempo... We showed that in our Sarzonia games. Last year that game nearly got away from us, even though the score says we won by three. But this year, we were dominant in a much closer game, more committed to physicality. We're ready to do the same thing to the Ice Cubs."

[Le Choix]

Fabrice Poullain, Nicolette Fournier Combine to lead Les Élus to another Victory as Le Choix Continue Unbeaten Streak

Fabrice Poullain pitched a complete-game shutout, Nicolette Fournier scored the game's lone goal in the second period, and Le Choix continued their unbeaten form, defeating Sarzonia by a goal and securing a spot in the Playoffs.

Poullian has been brilliant in the tournament, only conceding two goals - both to Delaclava - while Fournier has emerged as a secondary scoring threat to help out the team on the other end of the rink. It's a far better showing from the squad than anybody had deemed possible, and a good sign for the country's future in hockey.

They'll try to cap it off with a victory over Kelssek, a squad that has been struggling since their victory in the previous edition. Despite scoring eleven goals, they've conceded sixteen, which has the Chosen chomping at the bits to bang some more goals home.

All before the very first postseason game in youth hockey history.

[Graintfjall]

Posted on the GS SuperSports+ website.

Lax attitude to concussion safety slammed at WJHC

Græntfjaller ice hockey has a “serious problem” with its attitude towards the treatment of head injuries and concussions, according to Left-slate politician Sara Ríkharðsdóttir, who spoke out after watching the Junior Ice Wolves’ group stage game against Atheara. Græntfjall won 6–1 behind a hat-trick for Karl Húnnsson and two goals for captain Kyrri Árgeirsson, but more concering for Ríkharðsdóttir – a medical doctor by training who worked as a neurologist before entering politics – was that Járngrímur Sigridsson played despite having picked up a suspected concussion during an earlier group stage game, and that both Dufþakur Reimarsson and Pétur Vilhelmsson were kept in the game despite receiving blows to the head.

“At a junior hockey tournament, it’s frankly a bit disgusting to see young men whose brains are still developing being applauded for trooping back onto the ice, dizzy and disoriented,” said Ríkharðsdóttir. She called scenes of players crowding Reimarsson to congratulate him on scoring a goal, after being put back in following his helmet-to-helmet clash with teammate Vilhelmsson, “very disappointing”. “I don’t blame the players, they’re young men who want to prove themselves,” she said. “But the coach has a responsibility in that situation to take him out of the game for good until he can be properly evaluated.”

Sigridsson, who received a “sickening” blow to the head during the clash with Abanhfleft, was back on the ice for the Junior Ice Wolves against Atheara, something Ríkharðsdóttir said “should never have happened in a million years”. “Just watch the replays from Abanhfleft, he was out cold,” she fumed. “His tournament should have been over and if I were his doctor I’d have been telling him that after a blow like that he should be reconsidering his career. Instead he’s back on the ice getting hit just a few days later. The machismo culture of hockey is gambling with these boys’ futures.” She pointed to the examples of Sindri Petersson, former GHL journeyman who donated his brain to science after dying by suicide at the age of 46 having exhibited symptoms of CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy), and Bogi Lásson, a retired GHL winger who now campaigns for better awareness of concussion issues following admitting at his retirement that he could no longer remember most of his career.

The GHP players’ union has taken a soft touch approach on the issue of concussion safety, and Ríkharðsdóttir pointed out that players who raise the issue are sometimes bullied into silence. Aigsvinger enforcer Werner Hólmsson lost his GHL contract after protesting being medically cleared to play following a severe concussion; he now works at a hardware store, having been denied medical compensation for post-concussion symptoms. “The players’ union is in the pocket of the teams, and there’s this brutal culture of toxic masculinity that prevents anyone speaking out,” asserted Ríkharðsdóttir. “It has to come from the top-down, from the officials and coaches proactively taking measures to ensure player safety.”

Junior Ice Wolves head coach Guðleikur Petersson did not respond to Ríkharðsdóttir, but assistant coach Håkon Bergmundursson dismissed her complaints. “She doesn’t know what she’s talking about, it was perfectly safe for them to play,” said Bergmundursson, who is not a neurologist by training. Sigridsson defended his decision to dress for the game, saying he “wouldn’t let two broken legs” stand between him and taking the ice for his country. Lásson said the players’ attitude “proved Sara’s point” that players could not make these decisions themselves and joined her in calling for a serious reevaluation of current medical guidance, which he said is “virtually guaranteed” to clear players in almost every case except for serious spinal injury, major blood loss, or kraken-related wounding.

[Srednjaci]

WORLD JUNIOR HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIP 17 - Quebec and Shingoryeo

INTERVIEW WITH PRESIDENT OF HOCKEY ASSOCIATION OF SREDNJACI

GORAN MUSTAČ : dear viewers welcome to the hockey show. Of course, we will talk about the World Hockey Championship. We have a match against Delaclav ahead of us. And with us in the studio is the president of the hockey association, Mr. Borislav Gregorović.
Welcome.

BORISLAV: Thank you and greetings to the viewers.

REPORTER: expansion of hockey in the country. The popularity these kids carry is immeasurable. Can you explain the phenomenon?

BORISLAV: I really can't. Srednjaci have only a few clubs. We don't have a senior A national team. If you remember correctly, we sent this particular national team to fight the big boys and girls at the World Cup in Græntfjall.

REPORTER: As far as I remember they had as many as three victories and one was after OT?

BORISLAV: That's right. Although none of them expected it, they managed to win.

REPORTER: Let's look at the statistics from that championship...

 P     W   wot   D    L   GOAL DEF.	Pts.
 12    2    1    2    7   32   46  –14   10

REPORTER : Here we can see it best.
So out of 12 matches, they won three and two draws. The rest are defeats.

BORISLAV: This is a great result for young kids. Remember that some of them were only 16 years old.

REPORTER: In their competition, of course, they are much more dangerous. With these games in this championship, the Ice Cubs have far better statistics.

P     W   wot   D    L  LOT      GOAL DEF.	
10    4    0    3    2   1       22 : 15 + 7

BORISLAV: Yes, they are far better in their competition. This national team is a pledge for the future.

REPORTER: What are the next steps of the association?

BORISLAV: This year the new united first league begins. The league will have 10 clubs in the strongest division and eight in the second division. Given the growing popularity of hockey, we expect the league to expand to more clubs soon. Clubs are being set up all over the country. Professionally trained coaches and staff are required. The hockey association helps financially and logistically.

REPORTER: So we can expect better results in the A selection in a couple of years?

BORISLAV: By strengthening the league, the playing staff will also strengthen. Soon our selection will be talked about only in superlatives.

REPORTER: We hope so. Thank you for your visit.
Dear viewers. Stay tuned to our program. After the commercials, we join the broadcast of the match Delaclava vs Srednjaci in Quebec and Shingoryeo.

[Raspotochje]

Kotiga Daily - Sports

ONE STEP TO PLAYOFFS!!
report by Saša Gilić

Raspotochje 3–1 Republique Mariannoise

The history of our sport is written in Quebec and Shingoryeo. Never before has any of our hockey teams done such a miracle. In fact, the truth is, we never even performed. Young Raspotochje hockey players are one step away from the playoffs! In a great match, they dominated against Republique Mariannoise. After a heavy defeat against the home players and then in that tied game against the New Anglicans, but still lose 1:0, our players are on the winning tracks again. Raspotochje has the greatest success of team sports in basketball. The women's national team won the Genia Cup. Raspotochje has the greatest success at the world championships with the women's national football team. Hockey might be able to surpass that. For a safe passage further, we need a victory against Banija.
From our group Quebec and Shingoryeo and Nova Anglicana have already qualified for the playoffs.

P Group A - Tanuchulk Angutingurniq Arena Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Quebec and Shingoryeo                     4   3  1  0   19   9 +10    7  QUALIFIED
2 Nova Anglicana                            4   3  1  0    7   4  +3    7  QUALIFIED
3 Raspotochje                               4   2  0  2    7   9  −2    4
4 Balaslandia                               4   1  1  2    7  11  −4    3
5 Banija                                    4   0  2  2    2   5  −3    2
6 Republique Mariannoise                    4   0  1  3    2   6  −4    1

[Quebec and Shingoryeo]

World Junior Hockey Championship 17 - Quebec & Shingoryeo

Matchday Five Cutoff

Group A - Tanuchulk Angutingurniq Arena
Nova Anglicana 4–3 Balaslandia
Republique Mariannoise 0–5 Quebec and Shingoryeo
Banija 2–3 Raspotochje

P Group A - Tanuchulk Angutingurniq Arena Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Quebec and Shingoryeo                     5   4  1  0   24   9 +15    9  QUALIFIED
2 Nova Anglicana                            5   4  1  0   11   7  +4    9  QUALIFIED
3 Raspotochje                               5   3  0  2   10  11  −1    6  QUALIFIED
4 Balaslandia                               5   1  1  3   10  15  −5    3
5 Banija                                    5   0  2  3    4   8  −4    2
6 Republique Mariannoise                    5   0  1  4    2  11  −9    1

Group B - Mary Wie Arena
Gatchingerrak Union 3–0 HUElavia
The Jovannic 1–4 Malandrin
Fluvannia 3–0 Gergary

Group B - Mary Wie Arena  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Fluvannia                   5   4  1  0   14   7  +7    9  QUALIFIED
2 Gatchingerrak Union         5   4  0  1   15   2 +13    8  QUALIFIED
3 HUElavia                    5   2  2  1   14  10  +4    6  QUALIFIED
4 Malandrin                   5   1  2  2   12  12   0    4
5 Gergary                     5   1  1  3    5   9  −4    3
6 The Jovannic                5   0  0  5    6  26 −20    0

Group C - Leonora Bertram Arena
Pratapgadh 0–1 Atheara
Eshialand 5–1 Abanhfleft
Græntfjall 1–0 Siovanija and Teusland

P Group C - Leonora Bertram Arena Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Eshialand                         5   4  0  1   17  11  +6    8  QUALIFIED
2 Græntfjall                        5   4  0  1   17   6 +11    8  QUALIFIED
3 Siovanija and Teusland            5   3  0  2   13   9  +4    6  QUALIFIED
4 Atheara                           5   2  0  3    7  11  −4    4
5 Abanhfleft                        5   1  1  3    9  19 −10    3
6 Pratapgadh                        5   0  1  4   10  17  −7    1

Group D - Douglas Ootoova Arena
Pascafia 3–0 Sarzonia
Delaclava 3–0 Srednjaci
Le Choix 1–0 Kelssek

P Group D - Douglas Ootoova Arena Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Le Choix                          5   3  2  0    6   2  +4    8  QUALIFIED
2 Delaclava                         5   3  1  1   11   6  +5    7  QUALIFIED
3 Srednjaci                         5   3  1  1   10   5  +5    7  QUALIFIED
4 Pascafia                          5   3  0  2    9   6  +3    6
5 Kelssek                           5   1  0  4   11  17  −6    2
6 Sarzonia                          5   0  0  5    4  15 −11    0

---

Now, the group stage is over. As I have said on my bid post, there will be 12 teams who qualify for the elimination rounds. All 4 group winners, who have gained the 1-4 seed, will be given a bye to the Quarterfinals. As for the rest, they will be playing in the Play-Off Round, set to be held in 4 days' time.

1 Quebec and Shingoryeo             5   4  1  0   24   9 +15    9  QUALIFIED
 2 Fluvannia                         5   4  1  0   14   7  +7    9  QUALIFIED
 3 Eshialand                         5   4  0  1   17  11  +6    8  QUALIFIED
 4 Le Choix                          5   3  2  0    6   2  +4    8  QUALIFIED
~~~


 5 Nova Anglicana                    5   4  1  0   11   7  +4    9  QUALIFIED
 6 Gatchingerrak Union               5   4  0  1   15   2 +13    8  QUALIFIED
 7 Græntfjall                        5   4  0  1   17   6 +11    8  QUALIFIED
 8 Delaclava                         5   3  1  1   11   6  +5    7  QUALIFIED
~~~

 9 Srednjaci                         5   3  1  1   10   5  +5    7  QUALIFIED
10 HUElavia                          5   2  2  1   14  10  +4    6  QUALIFIED
11 Siovanija and Teusland            5   3  0  2   13   9  +4    6  QUALIFIED
12 Raspotochje                       5   3  0  2   10  11  −1    6  QUALIFIED

Play-Off Round Matchups

#5 Nova Anglicana vs. #12 Siovanija and Teusland
@ Tanuchulk Angutingurniq Arena

#6 Gatchingerrak Union vs. #11 Raspotochje
@ Mary Wie Arena

#7 Delaclava vs. #10 HUElavia
@ Leonora Bertram Arena

#8 Græntfjall vs. #9 Srednjaci
@ Douglas Ootoova Arena

Note: I have noticed that there would be two possible cases of group stage rematches. To prevent it from happening, the #7-8 and #11-12 were swapped.

[Fluvannia]

---

July 16, 2021

ℳ 1

Election Leaves No Clear Paths

The electoral results of the Popular Assembly have been finalized, and no faction is a clear winner. While the National Liberal Party retains a plurality, they did lose eight seats, finishing now with 93. The only other party to lose seats were the Custodians, who dropped from 36 to 30. Traditionally, of course, the largest party is the one most capable of forming a coalition and electing a Speaker, getting ministerial appointments to the Lord Governor without fear of removal votes, and generally enacting its legislative agenda. However, when one factors in the alliances that have been kept -- and the new ones made -- two main caucuses emerge. On the right, the increasingly-friendly alliance between the National Liberals and the Minarchists, likely born of their cooperation at the national level in the House of Delegates. On the left, the bond between Justice & Democracy and the Custodians appears reinvigorated, and as the Bergesvolksverband and Southern Advocacy Party have both thrown their lot in with J&D in the hopes of getting a major party to back their respective bid to partition the Duchy in the hopes of having greater control over their regional happenings.

Here is where the math -- and for that matter, the politicking -- get difficult. The right-wing caucus may include the party with plurality, but it only accounts for 114 members, leaving it 37 shy of the 151 needed for a majority. The left-wing caucus, or rather the "reform" caucus as the BVV and SAP are single-issue parties, accounts for 134. This does not leave them with a majority, either, but being closer always helps. Neither side could buck long-standing tradition and turn to their extreme wings; while Popular Syndicate and the Ursine Monarchist Union each gained a seat, that still leaves them with six and four, respectively. As such, the role of kingmaker falls to the Center Party, as it so often does. They have been partnered with the NLP-MP caucus these last two years, and have held several important ministerial posts as a result, but several factors have combined to bring the possibility that Center may slide into the other camp. One, last year's House of Delegates election saw the NLP select the Minarchists as their junior partner for the next term, spurning the Center, who had been their junior partner the previous four. Two, at both the national and provincial level, there are occasional grumblings that the NLP is governing a bit too much like the Minarchists would want them to -- less classically liberal and more minarchistic than would be expected. Three, Center has expressed approval of both electoral reforms proposed by J&D, though they have expressed that they would only support enacting one or the other. If Anna Steinmeier avoids overplaying her hand, were she elected as Speaker, then she could likely count Center as an important ally these next two years.

2021 Duchy of Piedmont Popular Assembly Election - Results

   Party                         Leader             Seats     Change

 -National Liberal-            Kei Tsunoda           93         -8

 -Justice & Democracy-         Anna Steinmeier       69         +1

 -Center-                      Gerhardt Adenauer     42         +5

 -Custodian-                   Eva Harlowe           30         -6

 -Bergesvolksverband-          Bernd Schäfer         27         +1

 -Minarchist-                  Hugh Joiner           21         +1

 -Southern Advocacy-           Bill Kapanen           8         +4

 -Popular Syndicate-           Michael Berry          6         +1

 -Ursine Monarchist Union-     Tim Bernard            4         +1

 Independents                  N/A                    0         --

[Atheara]

In The End, It Didn't Matter

Type: -
Time: Just after returning to Atheara.

---

FULL TIME RESULTS
Atheara 1 - 6 Graintfjall
Karl Húnnsson (1st, 5')
Asbjørn Niklasson (1st, 10')
Kyrri Árgeirsson (1st, 19')
(2nd, 2') Gruber Holben
Karl Húnnsson (2nd, 7')
Karl Húnnsson (2nd, 16')
Asbjørn Niklasson (3rd, 9')

FULL TIME RESULTS
Atheara 1 - 0 Pratapgadh
(2nd, 10') Alexander Kurov

That was it. Those were the two final matches for the Northern Guards, as they return home to Atheara with a 2 - 0 - 3 record. The stars once again aligned for Atheara to crash out in the Group Stage. And in the end, it didn't even matter, to some. The team then returned to Atheara once the match against Pratapgadh had ended. Everyone had went back home, back to their clubs, but some stayed at the airport, talking about how the tournament went for themselves. And it was fine, at least they say. Kurov and Arthelia both knew that they would end up not seeing eachother for a while, as Arthelia had to return to the Confederation, in North America.

Cold was mad at his own performance. He knew he didn't perform to his best, and according to Athearan standards, the Goalkeeper was the most vital role in any sport. While the more younger players had been satisfied. They visited another country, played some International Hockey, despite the three losses, they were fine. The coach himself, Sczornav Krawilyawski, was completely neutral about the experience. Sure, they got knocked out and flushed off in the Group Stage, but the hidden objective of the tournament was to give the youngsters a bit more International experience, so they can be ready to be called to the senior squad when once ready.

"Don't worry! You have my number, plus, you can visit when you want." Arthelia assuring Kurov, since he was worried sick about what would happen next. "It's just... i am worried about you. You know what usually happens in mo-" And then, it happened. Arthelia kisses Kurov on the cheek, then just says, "No need. Now, the plane is here. Ja ne." as she walks off. Meanwhile, Senetdien and William were hiding behind a pillar, holding a camera. "Did we just?" William asked, Senetdien says "Yes. We just did."

OOC: The reason i wrote this is because i needed an end arc or something by the lines of that.

[Eshialand]

An Explosive Finish
Eshialand 5-1 Abanhfleft

Nobody expected this.

Eshialand's team in the World Junior Hockey Championship had, up to this point, only played one-goal games. 4-3. 2-1. 3-2. Even when they lost, it was 4-3. It seemed like the Junior Owls were incapable of playing a game that was lopsided in any way, whether it was in their favor or not.

So what was this? In short, ridiculousness.

It all started with 16:47 left in the first period, when Jonas Degle scored with a simple flick of the wrist, assisted by Michael Kausy. 1-0. Then, with 5:44 left, it was Danica Joseph who struck for the Owls with a beautiful unassisted five-hole that made it 2-0, which would remain the score during the first intermission.

The second period would give the Fleftic team somewhat of a break, with REDACTED even adding a goal for them with 11:25 left in the period to make it 2-1... but the game was far from over.

Just 52 seconds into the third, Chris Gray proved that the Owls still had a lot of fight left in them as he shot one straight past the Fleftic goalie to make it 3-1, but the team wasn't celebrating yet... because the fun in the third was only just beginning.

With 5:23 left, a Fleftic defender received a two minute penalty for tripping Amy Inden, but they wouldn't even serve one of those minutes, since Amy got right back up and scored just 37 seconds into the ensuing power play. 4-1!

Then, with 1:28 left, Tommy Grandia stole the puck from REDACTED, and Jonas signaled for it. Tommy passed it, and Jonas got on a breakaway, one which inevitably ended with Jonas turning what was an unusual blowout into ironic sports revenge in just ten seconds.

You see, the first time these two nations had faced each other in a sporting competition was on a frozen soccer pitch in Hattmark, Graintfjall, during the 80th Cup of Harmony, an encounter, or rather a bloodbath, that ended in a 5-1 victory for Abanhfleft. What Jonas and Tommy had just done made the score in this hockey game, so seemingly unrelated to that match apart from the nations and perhaps the temperature of the playing surface, end in the exact same score, but with the 5 going to Eshialand this time. For the team, it was just another goal in a completely meaningless game, but for sports fans across the country, it was a poetic cherry on top of a beautiful game.

After this explosive ending to the group stage, Coach Maran looked back on his team and how they got to where they were, coming from such a mish-mashed mess. They had done it. Not only had they avoided a complete disaster, but, thanks to Siovanija and Teusland failing to defeat Graintfjall, they had won their group and guaranteed their passage into the quarterfinals. Just two weeks ago, this would've been considered a rise dream.

Now, it was a reality.

[Delaclava]

DSGN.com Hockey

Delaclava tops Srednjaci to advance to WJHC knockouts

Delaclava stepped into their group stage finale of the World Junior Hockey Championship with already-qualified Srednjaci, and with Pascafia already recording a 3-0 victory over Sarzonia, there was no room for error. The situation was simple; win or go home.

Forty-five seconds into the game, Zoltan Bondra made his team's choice quite clear, taking a short pass from Christian Quentin, moving up the right side, and unleashing a wrist shot that flew past Dominik Patkovic's left shoulder and gave Delaclava a lead they would never relinquish. The Phoenixes eventually put together a 3-0 victory with a second-period goal from Danny Ballac and a third-period goal from Liam Bullard. David Hauser held steady behind a sharp defense for a 17-save shutout, his second of the tournament.

"That was the most complete game we've played this tournament," captain Peter Požgaj said. "The Ice Cubs look great, and I think they have a shot to win the whole thing. Now, so do we."

The two teams previously played at last year's tournament in Kalinin, with the Ashlings eventually prevailing 7-6 in overtime. Given the nature of the game, Bullard professed his team's desire to better control the possession and flow of the game. The mindset paid off, as the Ice Cubs' offense led by Goran Tudman appeared utterly baffled throughout the game, at a loss to beat the Ashlings around the red line.

Although Delaclava was aiming just to qualify, the win put them in second place ahead of Srednjaci, and behind Le Choix, who sewed up the group and a bye to the quarterfinals with a 1-0 win over Kelssek. While the Phoenixes still must enter at the Round of 16, their #8 seed should give them some relatively favorable matchups in their first two rounds - and after a shocking opening-day loss to debutants Pascafia, simply making the knockouts is sure to elicit a sigh of relief.

The draw gives the Phoenixes the tenth seed of HUElavia, who fields a top-10 senior side. The HUElavian juniors opened the eyes of WJHC observers with a 8-2 drubbing of THe Jovannic on Matchday 2, but have been in precarious form, following that performance with two consecutive draws and a 3-0 loss to Gatchingerak Union, backing their way into the third spot out of Group B. Conversely, Delaclava stand on a four-game unbeaten run, including victories over defending champions Kelssek, promising contenders Srednjaci, and Sarzonia, while drawing Group D winners Le Choix and tallying the only two goals L'Élu have conceded in the tournament. Indeed, several bookmakers currently have the Ashlings installed as the third favorite to win the title despite their 8 seed. Regardless, this team doesn't seem likely to get ahead of themselves.

"Last year, I don't think we got ahead ourselves," Tomas Bondra said. "We took it game by game and made it to the final. But at some point I think we felt invincible, and we weren't quite ready to respond when Kelssek got us down. I don't think it's good, necessarily, that we lost the way we did, but it did give us a sense of urgency. It made every game matter. And now we know we can recover when the game gets tough."

[Graintfjall]

Article from the news magazine The New Week National Atlantic News Spectating Economist Time Man.

Far From A Snow-Blanketed Queendom, Hard Truths Are Learned

The breakfast club at Canberra Primary School in Straton, Tumbra, serves a filling breakfast – scrambled eggs with buttered rolls – to a group of children. Most are from low-income households, their families grateful for the school filling in to provide a nutritional start to the day. The Tumbran welfare system finances the breakfast club country in similar schools across the country, though nowhere is it more needed than in the working-class district of Canberra. Schools are recompensed for providing the breakfast club, which also serve as a much-needed drop-off childcare facility for working parents. Older children help younger ones fit straws into their milk cartons or peel the locally sourced fruit that follows the hot meal. And it is all watched attentively by Kaija Michaelsdóttir. A child presents her with a drawing of a dinosaur. Afterwards, teachers tell her the boy had been malnourished when he began at the school, but since attending the breakfast club has become hale and healthy. She tucks the drawing into her notebook, filled with observations about a dozen similar projects she has visited.

Welfare is not ordinarily Ms Michaelsdóttir’s brief: this is her second stint serving as Foreign Minister of Græntfjall, the first as junior partner to a Blue-Green government, this time in coalition with Prime Minister Zóphonías Juliusson’s Left-slate. But for the past two weeks she has been on a fact-finding mission in Esportiva, visiting countries such as Nova Anglicana, South Newlandia and Tumbra, to find out how their welfare systems work, as her government gears up to unveil its potentially gargantuan Omnibus Welfare Reform Bill – a spending bill aimed at heavily redressing the austerity measures enacted under the prior government. And for Ms Michaelsdóttir, her trip – which has seen her eschew the usual diplomatic champagne receptions and black-tie dinners, to instead sit at a paint-stained table and share apple pieces with a little girl who tells her that without the breakfast club, she would go to school hungry and struggle to concentrate through the day – has revealed a single, recurring motif: other countries do it much, much better than Græntfjall.

A week ago, she was visiting Nova Anglicana, and touring a drop-in clinic for new and expectant mothers. A wan young woman receives information on nutrition and vouchers for a food bank. Another smiles as her two small children are guided off to a soft play area where story time is beginning, and then sits down with a health visitor to discuss her third, clearly well on the way. A translator is on hand to help an immigrant who has some questions about her baby, clearly reassured by the answers; when she tries to pay, she’s assured that all pre-natal care is free. She seems as surprised as Ms Michaelsdóttir is. Similar scenes played out a few days before, at a government-run childcare facility in South Newlandia. A steady stream of working parents pick up and drop off their young children at the crèche, where trained staff are on hand to provide the first stages of basic education, check that everyone gets a nutritious lunch, or just offer a kind word and a sticking plaster with a smiling cartoon elephant design when a knee scraped on the playground leads to tears.

Such facilities do exist in Græntfjall, Ms Michaelsdóttir acknowledges; but they are mainly private. Full-time nursery places for two children costs well over 10,000 krónor p.a. in Græntfjall, far beyond the means of all but the upper middle class. State-funded pre-natal healthcare is limited to the most rudimentary basics; even a bottle of pre-natal vitamins doesn’t come free. Some charities, mainly Catholic or Muslim, the latter predominantly catering to immigrant populations, provide scattered services such as soup kitchens or food bundles, but they are not enough in number or extent to patch up what Græntfjall’s Prime Minister, Juliusson, called the “threadbare quilt” of the welfare system he has inherited from his predecessor, David Austmannsson.

Græntfjall is not, by the basic measures of GDP, a poor country. Two years ago it opened an enormous, state-of-the-art cosmodrome amid much fanfare, accompanied by the building from scratch of an entirely new city to staff its operations. In Háttmark and Altendalur, pricey new developments are added every week. During summer, film stars and industry moguls jostle with oil tycoons and Akhdari princes aboard luxury yachts moored in the country’s ports; in winter, the yachts may be gone, but the huge bulk cargo freighters, floating cities in their scale, keep up their steady trade. Græntfjaller nuclear silos bristle with warheads, its aircraft carriers with fifth-generation fighters. Biotech, pharma and computer industries offer lucrative employment to the highly skilled, while at the other end of the wage spectrum, immigrants ignore recurrent nativist grumbling and continue to pour into port cities seeking work.

But welfare delivery remains in a dire state. Some young leftists hark back to a supposed golden era of communism when such services were provided at-need to all; those old enough to actually remember those decades recall lengthy lines queueing knee-deep in snow for stale bread and rotten meat, and chauffeur-driven express routes for senior Party members. Kaija Michaelsdóttir herself was born during the waning days of Græntfjaller communism, and inherited few positive memories of its dying embers. Yet nor was her experience of the early years of the Liberal-Conservative ‘Freedom Government’ a happy one: as neoliberal shock-therapy was introduced to kick-start the economy and biting austerity cut swathes through what was left of the communist-era social payments system, Michaelsdóttir’s went hungry. With bristling anger in her eyes, she recalls rooting through supermarket trash bins for discarded food, and trading in her winter coat so her mother could buy milk and vegetables.

“We can do better with the resources we have,” she says. “Just in the last few days, over one and a half billion krónor [~1.2 billion NS$] have been spent on transfer fees for international football players, including many millions in Græntfjall. The same week that a report came out from Doctors Without Borders that over a quarter of children in Græntfjall now live in poverty.” That number – expected to pass 30% by year end – is up massively after years of Blue-Green government. Troublingly for Michaelsdóttir, a child born to a single mother in Græntfjall is now more likely than not to grow up in poverty. “We are brewing ourselves a generational timebomb of the disaffected and the disenfranchised,” she says. “And we are failing the most vulnerable members of our society when they themselves are most in need of our support.” Michaelsdóttir is a passionate advocate of early intervention. “Every króna we spend on children before they reach 3 does more than 10 or 15 krónor do at senior school level in terms of addressing equality and opportunity,” she claims.

Michaelsdóttir will return to Græntfjall soon, after a brief visit to Quebec to see the World Junior Hockey Championships, where Asbjørn Niklasson’s goal against Siovanija & Teusland ensured a win for the Junior Ice Wolves and a match against Srednjaci in the playoffs. When she does arrive home, she will be armed with facts and figures about her observations overseas, watching how other countries make welfare work. She will have plenty of statistical arguments bolstering the case she will make to Prime Minister Juliusson that they should prioritize early years support in the upcoming welfare bill first. She will bring with her experiences and stories of children fed and mothers healed, of people given opportunities to thrive. And amid all her notes, too, she will – perhaps – have tucked a drawing of a dinosaur.

[Quebec and Shingoryeo]

World Junior Hockey Championship 17 - Quebec & Shingoryeo

Play-Off Round

Nova Anglicana 2–1 Siovanija and Teusland
@ Tanuchulk Angutingurniq Arena

Gatchingerrak Union 6-2 Raspotochje(Scorinated by Tumbra)
@ Mary Wie Arena

Delaclava 5–1 HUElavia
@ Leonora Bertram Arena

Græntfjall 6–3 Srednjaci
@ Douglas Ootoova Arena

---

Quarterfinals

#1 Quebec and Shingoryeo vs. #8 Græntfjall
@ Tanuchulk Angutingurniq Arena

#2 Fluvannia vs. #7 Delaclava
@ Mary Wie Arena

#3 Eshialand vs. #6 Gatchingerrak Union
@ Leonora Bertram Arena

#4 Le Choix vs. #5 Nova Anglicana
@ Douglas Ootoova Arena

[Nova Anglicana]

Young Lions quell defensive struggles in playoff victory over Goldhorns

The Young Lions of the Nova Anglicana U20 hockey team began their World Junior Hockey Championship journey by keeping three clean sheets in a row, all 1-0 victories going into their fourth game of the group stage against Quebec and Shingoryeo. In that game, and in the following game against Balaslandia, the Young Lions' defensive acumen seemingly deserted them, as they conceded seven goals, more than one per period. As they prepared to face off against the multiversally-admired Goldhorns of the Siovanija & Teusland junior hockey team in the playoff round, it was an open question whether their strong group stage run would come to naught. But the Young Lions responded impeccably to the upswing in competition, emerging victorious over the Atlantian squad 2-1.

In the group stage, Nova Anglicana took their perfect and unscored-upon record into a tough matchup with the Ice Knights of Quebec & Shingoryeo. The Ice Knights and Lions have had a long history, with run-ins at both the senior and junior level. They have been fairly evenly matched, which is how this game turned out, despite the pace of play being decidedly in the Ice Knights' favor. They jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period, putting the Young Lions back on their heels. However, Nova Anglicana came out firing in the second period, evening the score on a pair of goals by first-line wing Ricky McCoy. The two sides traded goals in the third period, with the final score coming out 4-4. Head coach Tom Benson appeared relieved after the game, saying, "They hit us in the mouth in the first period, but I'm really proud of the way our boys adjusted to the style of play and came back. We are absolutely going to have to work on the defensive effort, but we'll take a point against a team as skilled as this." In the next game, the Young Lions appeared to have fixed their defensive issues and maintained the scoring pace from the Quebec game. Behind a strong all-Quebecois scoring effort from Marc Broussard, Andre Messier, Emile Tétrault, and Alain Marchand, the Young Lions led 4-1 over unheralded Balaslandia going into the third period. With the game seemingly well in hand, Benson sent in reserve netminder Joey Perry, who had previously started against Raspotochje and turned in a shutout. However, the Young Lions' defense collapsed, with Perry's valiant effort undermined by a sloppy defense in front of him. They ultimately managed to hold on, but the final three minutes and change were incredibly tense after Balaslandia closed to within one goal.

Benson publicly put his team on notice before the game against Siovanija & Teusland in the playoff round: "If our defense against the Goldhorns looks like the second half of our group stage, we're going to get blown out. I know our guys can and will do better." And it seems as though they reacted positively to that admonition, with the squad holding their opposite numbers to just 24 shots on goal, an excellent number for junior hockey. Special mention must be given to the third and fourth lines, who by their own admission were lackluster against Balaslandia, but rebounded well here. Third line wing Garrett Brock played excellent defense, blocking a handful of shots and generally harassing opponents. After the game, he credited his teammates: "Our whole third line was awesome, just laying some licks and making life hard, but it was a team effort. Special shoutout to Pittsy (fourth-line wing Cary Pittman) for making guys think twice about trying some fancy [expletive]." Indeed, Pittman had some good hits and was a pest to more talented Goldhorn players. Despite a first-period goal from sniper and top prospect Jaromir Misalko, the Young Lions held down their opponents for most of the game. Using a combination of grit, timing, and good passing, David Manning and McCoy scored in the second and third periods, respectively, to give the Young Lions the win.

The Nova Anglican squad will now move on to face the theocratic nation of Le Choix. La Lumière conceded just twice in the group stage, not losing a game, which resulted in them getting a bye into the quarterfinals. It will not be easy, but if the Lions can find their goal-scoring form they had against Quebec and merge that with their excellent performance defensively against Siovanija & Teusland, they could sneak into the semifinals for the second consecutive time.

[Eshialand]

Into the Playoffs

What could happen next?

For Coach Maran, that question was certainly an intriguing one. After that group stage, it seemed like the Junior Owls could do just about anything, but even the coach knew that just about anything could go wrong, and that it all had to end at some point.

The only real question was when.

The play-in round's results allowed him to breathe a huge sigh of relief, as Eshialand would avoid the powerhouses Delaclava and instead play surprise 6th seed Gatchingerrak Union in the quarterfinals, but just because the matchup was easier didn't make it easy. They would have to work to make a semifinals run happen, and Coach Maran just wasn't sure if they were willing to put in enough work.

The day after the play-off round, Coach arrived at the training rink, only to find that his team was already there, eager to get some practice in before the big game. Their work ethic had completely changed since the beginning of the tournament, when working together and even doing much training was far beyond could/wanted to do.

Maybe they could do this.

[Delaclava]

DSGN.com Hockey

Ashlings topple defending champions Kelssek to bolster medal hopes

HUElavia has the 7th-ranked senior hockey team in the world; Delaclava has the 28th - but if their matchup in the first round of the World Junior Hockey Championship in Quebec may well have been a sign of changes to come.

Zoltan Bondra and Danny Ballac scored two goals each and it was the Ashlings who cruised to a 5-1 victory at Leonora Bertram Arena and booked a second consecutive quarterfinal berth in the under-20 championships.

"We're just really feeling it now," Bondra said. "It took a few games, we've had some difficulties with all the player turnover and some guys leaving mid-tournament, but we're all reading each other and communicating really well. Tonight we were nearly at our full power and you saw what that looks like."

Tomas Bondra, Peter Požgaj, and Maxim Sevanov each had two assists, while Carlos Krebs added the other goal. David Hauser stopped 17 of 18 shots, stymied only by a loose rebound that Francis Falla swiped into his own net. Despite missing out on the shutout, it was the most prolific performance for the Ashlings' offense and their widest margin of victory thus far. The result marked Delaclava's third consecutive win and fifth consecutive game without a loss. On the other hand, HUElavia were bundled out of the tournament with their second consecutive defeat, failing to win their last four games after a promising start.

"It's crazy, the momentum swings you can have even in a somewhat brief tournament," coach Jacob Hines noted. "We know they're a quality team. We didn't take anything granted for tonight. But they just have had trouble figuring things and those shifts in form really matter."

Delaclava's quarterfinal opponent will be Fluvannia, a battle of the two previous WJHC hosts, each of whom settled for silver in front of their home faithful. Last year's Cubs impressed with a 5-1-1 record to win Group B in Novick but flopped 6-2 against a surging Nova Anglicana squad in Kalinin. There has been similarly little to fault of Fluvannia's group stage performance this year, their only blemish a draw with HUElavia en route to clinching Group B again. But given the Ashlings' domination of that very same HUElavia team as the Cubs were left to cool their blades, the Ashlings are certainly in position to believe they can put pressure on the #2 seed.

"We know better than to give them anything less than our full respect," Ballac said. "Truth be told, we're not such what that game looks like, what that caliber of opponent looks like yet. But we're supremely confident in what we're going to do. We like a fast, aggressive, high-paced style and this team's learned how to do exactly that, without letting the game get away from us.

"We're not going to lose this game. If they want it, they have to take it themselves."

[Le Choix]

This is written by the Church and State's Paper, and thus can be considered propaganda.

JOURNAL D'ESPOIR DU CIEL
A Call for Youth to be Included on the Senior Team

After five games, Le Choix has won the Group in the WJHC, conceding only two goals in the process - both against Delaclava, the second placed team in the Group. Led by GK Fabrice Poullain, who has pitched four shutouts, C Timothé Robineau, who has assisted on four of the goals, and RW Victoire Baillairgé, the leading scorer with three - the squad will face off against Nova Anglicana next.

However, this brings up a different question: Should these players be allowed to play for the senior squad in the upcoming World Cup of Hockey?

There are two players in the previous WCoH squad in Græntfjall who were aged below twenty: RW Suzanne Dauphin and C Susanne Guiton. Évêque Martin Clements had previously stated that "no player will play in both tournaments because that puts wear and tear on them... and also the possibility of fame going to their heads. Fabrice Poullain isn't likely to overcome Matthias Adnet, nor Robineau and Baillairgé their counterparts.

They deserve a spot. For the travel, for the camaraderie, for the experience.

Meanwhile, the three youths will try to help the team go even further.

[Fluvannia]

RED LIGHT BLUES.fl.net
The Semi-Official Fan Site of Team Fluvannia Hockey

Fan Forum

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The Host with the Most?
nmbr1royalsfan Reply Quote Give Rep Report
21.7.20 at 00:58

Two most recent hosts. Both earned silver, both on home ice. Cubs had a damn good group stage, so...why do I feel like this is a trap game?

+ fhl4stludo Reply Quote Give Rep Report
21.7.20 at 01:00

Shhhhh I've been trying not to think about that. I'm glad the Cubs play confident, it's justified, but...I dunno man, something feels off. You know that feeling you get when a thunderstorm is
on the way in? The animals get a little skittish, that sort of thing. 2spooky4me

+ whodatsudats Reply Quote Give Rep Report
21.7.20 at 01:02

O ye of little faith! I know they can do it. I'm not saying it'll be a cakewalk or anything -- pride cometh before the fall, and Delaclava has been money so far. But I have faith; yeah, you could
point and say we're overrated and won the group because we had opponents like The Jovannic and Gergary, but they had Kelssek and Sarzonia, so it sounds like that argument falls flat.

+ windmotor_fan Reply Quote Give Rep Report
21.7.20 at 01:06

True, but they were also the only team to score on Le Choix. Of course, Le Choix won one fewer game than the Cubs did, so...I dunno. I'm trying to play devil's advocate on myself as I
play devil's advocate on the rest of you, lol. Basically the whole thing is a giant bad-juju-avoidance scheme

[Quebec and Shingoryeo]

World Junior Hockey Championship 17 - Quebec & Shingoryeo

Quarterfinals Cutoff!

Describes my feelings right now.

Quebec and Shingoryeo 2–1 Græntfjall (Scorinated by Bollonich)
@ Tanuchulk Angutingurniq Arena

Fluvannia 2–3 Delaclava
@ Mary Wie Arena

Eshialand 1–1 Gatchingerrak Union (2–1 OT) (Scorinated by Bollonich)
@ Leonora Bertram Arena

Le Choix 1–1 Nova Anglicana (1–2 OT)
@ Douglas Ootoova Arena

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Semifinals Fixture

#1 Quebec and Shingoryeo vs. #7 Delaclava
@ Leonora Bertram Arena

#3 Eshialand vs. #5 Nova Anglicana
@ Douglas Ootoova Arena

[Nova Anglicana]

Young Lions return to semifinals, will face Eshialand

If you told most observers that the Nova Anglicana U20 hockey team would lose its top six forwards and its top three defensemen between the 16th and 17th editions of the World Junior Hockey Championships, they would have pegged the Young Lions to struggle to advance from the group stages or perhaps flame out early in the playoffs. But counter to expectations, a new crop of young players has stepped up and returned the squad to the semifinals of the WJHC. Head coach Tom Benson has a lot of praise for his new guys, saying, "The way our team has come together and blended new and returning players to achieve success is incredible. We have a completely new second and fourth line who have shown us nothing but their future potential, and our returning first and third lines have taken leadership roles that have carried us along so far. We're playing consistently good hockey and that's what gotten us this far."

Following a 2-1 overtime win over the theocratic nation of Le Choix, the Young Lions are back in the semifinals, which they reached in WJHC 16. In that competition, the Lions lost to hosts Delaclava to fall into the third-place game, but rebounded to defeat a tough Savojarna squad 2-1 and claim the bronze medal. This time around, they will take on Eshialand and hope to do last edition's team one better by at least making it to the finals. Benson again: "We're on a roll right now. Delaclava did an excellent job of stopping us last time and they went on to finish second. I'd like to do last year's team and Delaclava one better by not only winning our semifinal, but winning the whole thing." Benson's comments about the team's success are spot on; the Young Lions only dropped one game in WJHC 16 and have not lost in WJHC 17 so far, giving them an impressive one loss in their last nineteen games, an eight-game undefeated streak, and an overall record of 12-6-1 in WJHC 16 and 17. Team captain and netminder Darren Gordon expressed optimism when told about his team's remarkable performance: "I didn't realise we'd played quite that well. Obviously, back-to-back semifinals is doing pretty good, but one loss in nineteen games is amazing. With the way we're playing, it would be a shame if we didn't win the whole thing, and I think we can and will."

Bold words from Gordon, but his 28 saves in the quarterfinal victory over Le Choix have to be making him feel pretty good. The Young Lions got on the board early, getting a goal from Andre Messier at 6:42 of the first period when the lithe Acadien put the moves on La Lumière's defensemen and rifled a shot past Fabrice Poullain. This seemingly angered the theocratic side, as they became a little more vicious. Normally a team that likes to choke off opposing offensive opportunities and counterattack through skill, their physicality played up as if they were ashamed to have conceded so early. This is a team that only allowed two goals in the group stage, so allowing one in the first period of their quarterfinal game was uncharacteristic. Over the rest of the first period and much of the second, the Young Lions lost out on time of possession and number of shots. Despite ceding this advantage to La Lumière and playing by their own admission a passive game, they managed to hold on to their 1-0 lead going into the third period. During the third period, both sides opened up a little, as Le Choix pushed forward with their dwindling time and the Young Lions pressed for a second goal to really put the game away. The breakthrough came at 13:09, when Timothé Robineau used his sniping skills to find the smallest opening in Gordon's defense and tie the game. From that point on, it seemed like Le Choix was willing to play for the overtime period and trust their superior defensive skills to stifle the Young Lions' attacking opportunities in the extra period. Sean Harper had a pair of decent opportunities in the last five minutes, but they came to nothing. In the overtime period, the winning goal came from an unlikely source: fourth-line winger Darren Cole. A hothead with a great shot who was on the fourth line to gain more discipline, Cole finally got his first goal of the tournament when he teed up a slap shot off of a pass from René Boutin. He was mobbed by his teammates as a competitive game came to a fitting end.

Up next for the Young Lions is Eshialand, who finished first in Group C, an impressive feat when you consider that their groupmates included Siovanija & Teusland, Graentfjall, and Abanhfleft. They scored 17 goals in five games in the group stage, then showed their defensive chops by edging out the Gatchingerrak Union 2-1 in the quarterfinals. They will not be an easy matchup for the Nova Anglican squad, but in order to avoid wasting this historic run, Eshialand must fall.

[Delaclava]

DSGN.com Hockey

Delaclava holds on to defeat Fluvannia, return to WJHC semis

It took every bit of sixty minutes to get it done, but the Delaclava Ashlings are again in line for a World Junior Hockey Championship medal.

Esau Charles scored what ended as the winning goal early in the third period, and David Hauser recorded four of his 26 saves in the final minute of play as Delaclava finished off a frantic 3-2 victory over Fluvannia to reach a second consecutive WJHC semifinal.

"What a game," Charles said, still breathless at the post-game press call many minutes after the game. "We gave it our all and so did they. You don't get anything easy at this late stage."

For the sixth consecutive game of their unbeaten streak, Delaclava jumped out to a 2-0 lead, this time all in the first period. The scoring started as Danny Ballac was taken down while speeding past Johannes Rojola, and the power play unit made them pay as Maxim Sevanov one-timed a cross-ice pass from Bohdan Kirilenko at the 4:55 mark. Delaclava controlled offensive possession for much of the first period, and at 16:08, Trevin Diamond launched a shot from the point that Willy Bränt could not locate through the screen of Peter Krebs.

Previously, the Ashlings had only surrendered that 2-0 lead to Le Choix; Fluvannia threatened to become the second team to do it. The Ice Cubs that came out for the second period were far more energized, and their pressure paid off as Ballac fumbled a puck just ahead of his blue line; Dennis Martau picked up the loose puck with speed and got Hauser to bite on a fake before centering to Reiji Narusumo for the put-away.

With both teams fully awake, the flow of the third period was far more balanced, but it was the Ashlings who struck again as Charles finished off a deft sequence from Christian Quentin, moving forward and attacking the slot, to Jesse Baker to Charles. But despite carrying a two-goal lead with 13:32 to play, the tide turned sharply in the wrong direction.

"We just started thinking too much," captain Peter Požgaj said. "We knew what was at stake and we tried too hard to hold on to it. It's a mistake that happens, one we won't want to make again."

The Phoenixes' relative passivity in the closing stages allowed Fluvannia to possess and generate chances from the point with ease, and the hot seat got even hotter when Claus Floretz put an uncontested slapshot just over the shoulder of Hauser. The Phoenixes bent still more as the Ice Cubs continued to dominate the final third with Bränt pulled. But Hauser did not break. After stretching all the way across the net for a near-impossible toe save with 40 seconds left, he parried a few more desperate attempts, catching the final shot from Preston Sihvola at the horn as his teammates mobbed him.

"That one was his save of the tournament," Charles proclaimed. Laughing, he added, "We really put him through hell there, didn't we? Nothing he couldn't handle though."

Up next for the Phoenixes? None other than the host nation, Quebec. The Ice Knights have felt right at home in Iqaluit, their high-powered offense in frightening form, winning four games in the group stage by a combined fifteen goals. The only minor stain on their record is a 4-4 draw with Nova Anglicana - a team who has reached the semifinals in their own right after sinking Le Choix 2-1 in overtime. For their own part, Quebec won a quarterfinal by the same scoreline in regulation against Græntfjall. The Ice Knights may well have shown signs of rink rust, but nevertheless managed to take down a notoriously stingy defense with the support of the home crowd.

In analysing the matchup, left winger Liam Bullard said, "They're a really difficult test. We haven't faced anyone yet who can score goals like they can. We have to be controlled and deliberate like we were tonight, because otherwise that puck is coming fast the other way.

"The big factor here is the pressure of playing that home. We know that pressure from last year, and it must be even worse for them. This is a fanbase that really expects their team to win. They've handled themselves really well so far, but I think we're a team that's going to make them feel that pressure. We believe we're the most complete two-way team in this tournament and we present a tough challenge they haven't quite seen yet."

With the medal rounds now in full force, the matchup presents quite a bit of historical scenarios. Quebec seeks a record-extending fourth WJHC title, and to do so they must become the fourth consecutive host to reach their own final, while bucking the trend set by Fluvannia and Delaclava of falling at that final step. Meanwhile Delaclava, as well as Nova Anglicana, hopes to guarantee that they will be the first team with consecutive podiums since Quebec and Vermark of the 8th and 9th editions (with Quebec winning both and also finishing third at the 7th edition). And if Delaclava can find their way to a medal, they will become just the second program, after Sicoutimont in the 4th and 5th editions, to medal in their first two junior tournaments.