World Cup of Hockey 51 - Everything Thread

[Srednjaci]

World Cup of Hockey 51

ICE BEARS IN THE PLAYOFFS !

Finally, that happened. The best performance of our hockey at the WCoH was crowned by the passage to the playoffs! Although we were free in the last round, our players and professional team were experiencing real agony...but we were with them... living and fNamely, Srednjaci left on the day off as the leading team in the group. Ko-oren, Kamijiro, Kimi-Suomi and Darkmania were close in points. All the mentioned teams needed a win and then all of them would have a chance to go to the playoffs. From match to match, the tension in the air around our team could be cut with a knife. A loss to Ko-oren in the first round and a 3-3 against Kamijiro could cost us dearly. But even if they didn't make it to the playoffs, the Ice Bears did their best.
Ko-oren and Kamijiro was the first match "to be or not to be". Ko-oren had 6 points, 2 less than us, they only need to win the game to advance to the playoffs. The fantastic unranked team Kamijiro has 7 points, just 1 less than us. They need a win or possibly a draw. However, the calculations went over the heads of newcomers. Ko-oren played a fantastic match. Their team knew exactly what they wanted, what they needed and how to get it. A convincing victory of the Ko-oren team of 4-1 sent Kamijiro home and dropped us from the first place in the group to the second. We are still in the game for additional qualifications if Darkmania beats Lisander. Kimi-Suomi won their match, but their victory has no effect on us. With this victory, Kimi-Suomi takes third place in the group with 7 points. The decision match follows...Darkmania vs Lisander. Darkmania is the absolute favorite in the match. Lisander is the last team in our group...will they play relaxed because it's all over for them a long time ago? Or will they still play for victory in order to say goodbye with honor? The Darkmania players obviously counted on the first one...but the Lisander players played the best game of this edition of WCoH and made a sensation, beating Darkmania 2-1!
A big celebration reigned on the streets of cities throughout our country. Sredjanci are in the playoffs for the first time in their hockey history. But already in the playoffs we get one of the favorites for the gold, the mighty team Kelssek! It's probably the end of the road for our Ice Bears! But already at the next WCoH we will come for a great experience richer. Thank you Ice Bears for all the joy you gave us! Do your best against Kelssek !

GO ICE BEARS!!!

[Squornshelan Remnant States]

As expected, the Black-and-Reds went into their final pair of matches with a strong record. Perhaps it was even a little stronger than expected, as not only did they take four wins from their first four, but also refused to allow a single goal in that span. Things came precipitously back down to earth, after that, however, as run-ins with the group's two highest ranked teams, Dod Rava and Osterhalten, saw them outscored 1-5 and left sitting in third place. The excellent defensive play early on paid dividends though, as the Black-and-Reds just barely made the cut to advance to the second round on goal differential. Their reward for making the knockouts will be a date with their hosts, third-ranked Valanora, in Raynor City of course. The Calcuttas play a much different style from the low-event hockey favored by the SRS under Aidan Gough, and are among the highest scoring teams of the tournament thus far. The Black-and-Reds, on the other hand, have scored 6 fewer goals than the next-lowest scoring round of sixteen teams and are one of just seven teams to record fewer than 10 goals during the six matches of the group stage.

The Black-and-Reds have been led on the score sheet by top line left wing Aydan Jarpen, who got off to a hot start with two goals in the opener against Anthor, and got another against Pluvia and the Saxean Isles for a total of three. Six other players have one goal apiece, and top line center Urve Hakanpaa leads the team with four assists and five points. Still, while the top line has most of the points, it's been a solid performance of team defense and stifling neutral zone play up and down the lineup that's propelled this team into the knockouts. In stark contrast to their relative lack of scoring prowess, the Black-and-Reds stand among the tournament leaders in hits and blocked shots, and have worked hard to cultivate a reputation for being thoroughly unpleasant to play against. Hopefully that grinding, physical playstyle will prove frustrating enough to keep the game close, and provoke some mistakes from the Calcuttas that the SRS can take advantage of.

[Kelssek]

Highlights from Rory Kirkland’s post-match interview

General comments on the match: “Well, I think you saw the final standings are right there, these are the two best teams in the group, and it was a close match. I do think we had to be better, some things were not right in the moment, and we got caught puck-watching a few times needing Ewan to bail us out. It’s a matter of cleaning up a few things in our game.”

Was this the hardest match of the tournament for Kelssek? “We’re probably a bit lucky that we played Huayramarca at this point in the tournament and not earlier. Going forward I want to see us get a lot more clinical and carry forward the good things we’ve been doing. All respect to them, this won't be the hardest one that we will play, so we have to step up our levels from here.”

What does he expect from Srednajci? “I expect a tough battle, they’ll make it difficult for us. It’s a very talented group and a young and hungry team. We’ve got to play our game, and if we can impose that and control possession we can come out on top.”

3.2 thoughts:

• Our eighth-final/octo-final/round of sixteen opponents had a significant gap since their last game because of the way the schedule works. Sometimes this leads a team to not be as sharp as they could be, sometimes it gives an advantage against tired legs. We were all thinking it would be difficult against Huayramarca and it was indeed the match that saw Kelssek fail to win for the first time in the tournament. A lot of variables about mentality, fitness, and fatigue in play here.
• Octo-final actually sounds like what we should call this stage from now on. It’s such a strange thing that we have so many different names for this round of a competition and none of them sound particularly good. Octo-final does sound a bit like you have to fight a monster octopus to advance so maybe that’s why I like it.
• Hearing that the Kelssek coaching staff ran out of coffee pods in their hotel room, and repeatedly called the front desk for more. Of course you’re going to take tactical planning for a knockout match in the World Cup seriously, but does this level of caffine-ation become detrimental at some point? Any white-collar worker has made the mistake of trying to force productivity with a seventh cup of coffee at 3pm and instead having some horrible combination of getting wired and hyperactive and needing excessive bathroom breaks. Just me?
• Srednajci’s Goran Tuđman seems like a nice guy, definitely a Kelssek Premiership team should give him a go.

[Elejamie]

Simón was clearly not happy with what had gone on.

He had told them to actually put some effort in, simply because if they won they would ultimately get a better opponent and thus an easier path in the elimination stage. After all, it'd be a lot less stressful for them when it came to getting their sixth star and it'd mean he wouldn't need to wrack his brains trying to come up with solid game plans, at least not so early on. And what did they do instead? They shat the bed like Amber Heard and allowed Nova Calania to get that final match day win, a 2-1 win that saw them finish top of the group table. Worst of all, it wasn't due to any refpuck or anything like that, nor were the Tapirs playing dirty. They were just simply the better team. What the hell happened there? Did they get too complacent? Did he or his team slack off at any part? Did he pick the wrong players or dump them onto the ice at the wrong time? Were the fans chanting "We want Nova Calania"? Were his team finally getting tired of his schtick and were willing to tank if it means getting a new coach? Or does Margaret simply hate him and his team, presumably for not offering good enough sacrifices?

Whatever, his team still made it through. They were still making the journey over to whichever part of Valanora that was hosting their next match. It was just that they were in a less favourable position as a result of them now being in second place in their group thanks to that head-to-head. It's why he didn't want to remember that match, because he just wanted to move on and concentrate on what was coming up next. Learn from your mistakes, don't dwell on them. New Rotterdam made it through as one of the best third-placed team thanks to them beating the Canadian Dominion 5-4. And the East Leaf Republic and Crpostran seemed to have realised their match ultimately didn't matter so they just played to a 1-1 draw. At least that's how it looked on the surface, the reality was probably a lot different and a reporter from either nation could probably prove the last sentence wrong. And last but not least Imporia remained in dead last with their 1-0-5 record, thanks to their bye day making it impossible to move up.

What about the other groups? Who were the lucky teams that would be joining the Tapirs, the Ice-a-phants and the NRC in Valanora? Group A and B had already decided who was going through, although TJUN-ia was one of the unlucky third placers who didn't make it through, so they can be ignored. Group C saw Patriotlandia get a lucky 5-1 win against Abanhfleft, which was enough to catapult them into second place. Over in Group D, Kelssek's perfect run ended in a 4-4 draw against Huayramarca, while Zenic beat Fantier by a single goal to sneak into the elimination stage. And finally, in Group E, Ko-oren rounded things off with a 4-1 win over Kamijiro, Srednjaci enjoyed their bye day, and Kimi-Suomi beat the Gatchingerrak Union 3-2 to take the top three spots. Unfortunately KS was the other third placed team who failed to make it through, which must come as a massive disappointment.

There were a few interesting match-ups in the Round of 16. Matches like Kelssek vs Srednjaci, Valanora vs the SRS, Sarzonia vs Patriotlandia. And who were Elejamie playing? Cassadaigua. At the last competition, they finished top of their group (which they hosted) with a 5-0-1-0 record, only to lose 4-1 to the Independent Athletes from Quebec in the Round of 16. Here? They didn't get off to the best of starts when they lost 3-2 to Patriotlandia, though they managed to bounce back thanks to a 3-0 win over Equestria. Unfortunately, that was then followed by a 4-1 loss to a Sarzonia team enjoying the streak that they were going on. After a disappointing first half they managed to snag a 6-1 victory over Delaclava, a 6-2 win over Raspotchje and a narrow 1-0 win over Abanhfleft before going into their bye day. However, they weren't out of the woods just yet, as Equestria winning but Patriotlandia losing would mean they'd have a comfortable second place finish. That never happened thanks to the Mountaineers getting the aforementioned win and the Ponies drawing 2-2 with Raspotochje, meaning that Cassadaigua had to hope that they were one of the lucky third placers. As they're now the Ice-a-phants' next opponents, it's obvious that they were.

Normally Simón wouldn't have to worry about a thing but now he had to actually put some effort into it. After all, Cassadaigua were a team that had world class stretches (with their trophy at the 39th WCoH being a massive highlight) or a team that would just end up being disappointing (like the last competition). But even if they were in disappointing mode, they were still a viable threat and thus should be taken seriously. He had to come up with an original, solid game plan. And he wanted to come up with one by himself, just in case him asking around for the last one was the reason why everything completely fell apart in the match against Nova Calania. On paper, that seemed like a feasible idea. Just come up with a good plan and hope that his team would follow it with little to no problems.

In practice, he was just hitting dead ends. He had seeds of an idea but they weren't sprouting no matter how hard he tried. Could he just re-use an idea he used in a past game? He could but he was hesitant to, just in case Cassadaigua did their homework and ended up getting a victory out of it. Could he just take a plan he already had in mind and just add to it? He could but he tried that with Nova Calania and, again, look at what happened. He could play a bit of chess just to get the juices flowing but he didn't really have anyone online, he didn't want to chance it with a random and he was just ultimately not in the mood. He could play some games since Andy Bailey had set him up with a few turn-based strategy games and RPGs to help him pass the time, but chances are that he'd probably get too into Persona or Civilization that he'd just end up completely forgetting everything.

Instead, he just settled on a walk. It'd give him time to explore this neck of Valanora, it'd give him time to relax and clear his head and perhaps the world around him could inspire him to come up with something. And indeed it did, as the fresh air and wondrous sights as he walked off the beaten path seemed to have put his mind to rest. The ground didn't really seem like it was suitable for his blades, as the surface seemed a bit too pebbly, so it probably wouldn't be a good idea to go running unless he found something a bit more suitable to run on. But for simply walking on with his usual prosthetic legs, there didn't seem to be any problems. At least he could just snap them back into place if something did go wrong.

Not long later, he headed back to his hotel room and finally got back to work on his game plan. Now with a clearer head and inspired by nature, he was able to figure out how to fill in any gaps. He was able to know what to do, what players should do that, and rough times for when they should be on the ice. He even had a good idea of what goalie he should start with, it was more than likely going to be Serrano between the pipes and Lambert on the bench. Bejarano would probably be rested since Simón was having some doubts about his performances lately and, if he stayed on as the coach going into WCoH52, there was no doubt that the Edgebaston goalie wouldn't be selected. Everything seemed to be falling into place and the stars seemed to be aligning properly, which helped put his mind at rest and helped him feel a bit more confident about this next match

But that was on paper; on the ice, it very well could be a different story.

[Valanora]

Valanora Times
Into the Frontier

The Calcuttas have ended group play in this fifty-first World Cup of Hockey that is taking place here in the Eternal Empire and finished it off with a nice three to one win over Oclea, who still finish in fifth with both Spartan Dominion and Placely Placington losing in the other two games to end the group phase. It has been a fairly good performance from the host side, winning the group despite failing to beat second seed Nova Anglicana, after they had an unexpected loss heading into their bye on the final matchday. It had been neck and neck between the two teams through the entire group stage, none the least helped out by the fact that the two sides failed to find a winner in their encounter, but their trip at the penultimate hurdle ultimately cost them a chance at the group title and a better seeding for the knockouts. The Calcuttas were in play with two or three other squads heading into the final matchday at winning the number one overall seed as well as the comforts of playing in the historic Stormvalen Arena but their lack of killer instinct in a few games allowed Kelssek to snag it with a five better goal difference and the hosts having to content themselves with the second seed.

Sigurd Monsen has shone brighter here in a second cycle in charge of the Calcuttas, though he has definitely benefitted from the side getting to play the game in front of the home fans. The home support has been loud for the Vanorian team and the banners and pennants have been seen across a sea of dark green sweaters that have been in attendance for all the team's games in the Stormvalen Arena. The side will be a bit gutted that they will not be able to continue to play in the historic arena as the fans have been absolutely amazing hosts for the national team during the group stage team, instead they are heading to Raynor City and the home of the Raptors for their Round of Sixteen tilt. The team has had some decent scoring depth, getting goals from all four lines through the group stage while the defense has been mostly fine but has let in one or two goals that they would have loved to take back. Nikolai Stenstad centering the top line has been one of the big contributors, getting eleven assists and a handful of goals, having their hands in nearly half of the sides' offensive output. As the stage gets bigger, his importance will grow, as you need your best players to be your best players when push comes to shove.

He will get a huge welcome from the fans in the empire's capital, as Stenstad plays for the Raptors domestically and is likely to have a large amount of friends and family in attendance for the game. It is going to be a bitter regional rivalry match against the Squornshelan Remnant States, who were one of the four best third placed sides to earn a spot into the knockout rounds thanks in large part to a very defensive setup that allowed the fewest goals in all of the group stage. They are going to be a tough nut to crack for the high-flying and usual high scoring Calcuttas and it will be a clash of styles as the Black-and-Reds are going to posture themselves to make it an absolute nightmare for the Calcuttas to try and score, though it comes at the expense of their own attack which was six goals worse than the second worst offense that made it into the knockouts. It is a game that the Calcuttas will believe they are going to win but they need to execute for the whole of the sixty minutes in order to turn that into reality, as not showing up for the whole game is what ultimately cost them against Nova Anglicana. Win this game and there is a potential easy path to the Semifinals with the winner playing the winner of Dod Rava and New Rotterdam City. We all know that the goal of the team is to try and add to their historic six titles and this would be a huge opportunity to do, first a bitter regional matchup needs to be addressed.

[-Anthor-]

Ducks Eliminated, Horn is Fired!
In a shocking move, the AIHF has fired the WCOH-winning coach who has led the Ducks for the last 2 decades

^{SHARE THIS:}

Nicole A Solberg (@NickiASolberg)(TH)
^{Beltra 28, 609AE 12:00 PM | Vaumort, Anthor}

---

---

Vaumort, Anthor(Herald) — It ends in perhaps the way it began, with a whimper, and nothing more. After more than 20 years of leadership, guiding the Ducks both into modern international hockey play, and also a WCOH trophy, and getting them into the top 20, and currently 50, of international rankings, Federation President Léandre Valois has announced that Lucius Horn has been terminated, effective immediately, from his position as head coach of the Anthoran national ice hockey team.

What will go down as the last match in Horn's tenure was an absolute embarrassment; frankly, the whole campaign had been. 1 win out of the total 5 matchdays is a shameful performance from a Top 35 team, an position that is surely to worsen after the performance here; a fact that probably played into the decision to let Horn go. The Ducks final match for the 51st Cup was played against Osterhalten, and were soundly routed as the team that was the team to beat, went out to shut them out 3 nil, and secure the group title, something the Ducks have been chasing, but failing at, since their entry this year.

The pressure was on to secure qualification by the 4th Match Day, and then when the Ducks dropped a pivotal match 4-2 against Huelavia, it was pretty much down to the final game against Osterhalten to try and secure some kind of placement, but as much as their fate this year, they failed to put forward a consistent product. Perhaps the most alarming stat when one looks under the hood is the meager 9 goals scored this year; many were concerned when Horn announced the initial roster, and was keeping burgeoning young stars of the AHPL such as Valerian Franklin, Bard Casimir, and Micah Furse, on back lines or as healthy scratches, while keeping aging stars such as Austin Poindexter on the forefront - that name in particular will carry much scorn in pubs and clubs across the nation, as despite being the Federation's leading goal scorer, he didn't score once this Cup.

The poor performance from the Ducks has come at a pivotal time for ice hockey within Anthor - under Federation Valois' leadership, the scale of the sport has expanded drastically, with the formation of the Premier Hockey League, and the junior Cammoran League, within the last five years, and the addition of many new teams to the sport, such as Bathgate, Dunwich, and others. These additions have proved vital to the sport's continued growth, as they've had near-immediate success and have driven the sport's popularity; Seyning joined the league five years ago and has made the playoffs each year, even making a semi-finals appearance, whereas Toussard, the first expansion ever 20 years ago, as yet to make a semi-finals. Combined with these Anthoran clubs pushing for success in international team hockey play, the Federation was undoubtedly looking for the Ducks to solidly perform to further the growth of the Anthoran name in hockey discussions globally; and their failure to do so this year is undoubtedly what led to Horn's sacking.

No immediate announcements were made as to his replacement, but speculations are rife, and much of the word going around the federation is that they are actively considering both domestic and international options - the latter having never been done before for the national team. Time will only tell who will take over, and what the Ducks will look like next Cup, but there is much work to be done for whomever wins the post.

Nicole Solberg contributed to this article.

---

---

MORE IN GLOBIS MUNDI

• International maritime fishing compact in the works? [ 348194 ]
• Regional Cup Time: Your best Coverage Here [ 65013 ]
• Vauxhall Motors opens 3 new assembly plants abroad [ 846183 ]

MORE FROM TH

• Clothing retailers across the kingdom post near-record sales numbers for Q1 [ 54136 ]
• Parliament passes Resmeyer Statue, removing any gender discrimination from draft laws, military enlistments and commissions [ 911546 ]
• MP Alvena gathers parliamentary support for national religion bill [ 115987 ]

Comments [ 415643 ]
E-mail
© Tharsius Herald Ltd

---

415643 comments

^{FAVORITE THIS DISCUSSION}

---

[Valanora]

Round of Sixteen
Kelssek 2–4 Srednjaci
Huayramarca 0–3 Nova Anglicana
Sarzonia 2–1 Patriotlandia
Nova Calania 5–6 Ko-oren
Valanora 5–2 Squornshelan Remnant States*
Dod Rava 2–3 New Rotterdam City
Osterhalten 1–2 Zenic
Elejamie 6–5 Cassadaigua
*Scorinated by Farfadillis

Quarterfinal Fixtures
(16) Srednjaci v (9) Nova Anglicana @ Stormvalen Arena, Stormguard
(4) Sarzonia v (12) Ko-oren @ Valanari
(2) Valanora v (10) New Rotterdam City @ Raynor City
(14) Zenic v (6) Elejamie @ Longview

[Sarzonia]

Alyssa Hannigan damn near threw the television remote control at the tele.

Fortunately for her, in her blind rage, the remote harmlessly landed on her hotel bed and bounced into her pile of laundry. She leant over, fumbled with the buttons and turned off the set.

The TV showed Owen Franks, the now-persona non grata former goaltender on the Sarzonian national ice hockey team. He was in a bar in Truxtun to watch Sarzonia face Patriotlandia in their Round of Sixteen matchup in the 51st World Cup of Hockey.

The network had decided to do a human interest piece on Franks and get a sense for how he was approaching his post-national team life. Hannigan fumed at what she perceived to be a fluff piece that chose to portray Franks as a sympathetic figure, a hero to the disabled community, as a victim of a cruel managerial and administrative staff involved with Sarzonian hockey.

Had she watched more than the 20 seconds she witnessed, she would have seen Walt Bamber, the reporter interviewing Franks, asking the tough questions, like why he chose to potentially alienate his now-former mates by filing a lawsuit instead of training hard in an attempt to make it back to the team on merit. Bamber asked why Franks thought wrongful termination and/or a Sarzonians With Disabilities Act lawsuit against the Incorporated Ice Hockey Federation and Stars manager Brett Tanguay, Sr. had any merit.

Hannigan stormed into the barn for her team's second meeting against Patriotlandia not speaking to anyone. She dressed in silence, only breaking that monotony with clipped one-word answers until she hurled a three-word sentence containing four syllables, 12 letters and a lifetime supply of vitriol.

"Bygones, my ass!" she intoned bitterly, staring straight ahead to the door that opened out to the tunnel. She was a woman on a mission. She wanted to deliver brutal forechecks. She wanted to make Patriotlandia pay for Franks's misdeeds and earn minor revenge for stealing an all-important point in the Group C table in their first encounter.

Finally, it was go time. Hannigan marched down the tunnel, eyes fixed directly ahead. With one graceful stab, she hit the ice ready to crumble a few Mountaineers. Through the first 58 minutes of the match, centre Jeremy Faraday's goal at the 5:36 mark of the first period seemed it would be all it took for Sarzonia to become the fourth top five side to trudge off the ice defeated by.a lower seed.

However, that was when Tanguay sent on his son Brett, Jr. as a sixth attacker to join Hannigan's line and sent goalie Jacob Parsons to the bench. Brett Tanguay, Jr. somehow found an opening and slammed home a rebound of a Hannigan shot to draw the match level at the 18:17 mark of the third period. Parsons returned to the ice, but so, too did right wing Calan Leftwich. The Stars seemingly appeared content to take their chances in overtime.

However, after Hannigan won the faceoff at centre ice, defenceman Benji Thomas saw the Mountaineers send a second player to mark Junior. He wristed a pass to Hannigan, who received it in stride and buried it past Erin Cullen at the 18:41 mark of the third. All of a sudden, Sarzonia had scored twice in a span of 24 seconds and grabbed a one-goal lead of their own.

The Mountaineers tried desperately to send on their own sixth attacker, but Parsons was equal to the task. Sarzonia prevailed 2-1, becoming the second highest seed remaining after top seeded Kelssek and third seed Osterhalten both lost their first, now only knockout round matches. The Stars would get 12th seeded Ko-oren in the next round, a familiar foe, as the Stars faced the Dragonflies in the same round in World Cup 50, advancing on a 2-0 shootout after regulation ended 2-2.

Hannigan was relieved to hear questions about the team's victory over Patriotlandia and the impending battle with Ko-oren and not be asked about Franks, the lawsuit or his comments on the broadcast. So we're the rest of the team.

The trial in the courtroom may be over, but the one on the ice was beginning in earnest.

[New Rotterdam City]

Two old men sat on the Hesloot, a butt of land that sloped into the sea, on the eastern bank of New Rotterdam's port, and they sat in an aged manner, upon perhaps barrels, or perhaps crates, perhaps left by fishermen, who perhaps had recently visited said Hesloot bank, and as they looked upon the gray sky, (for cloudiness at this time of year was not uncommon), these two old men, who both hailed from the Netherlands—one old man, we'll consider him the Man on the Right, whose spherical head was clung to by wispy hairs, was in fact from the original Rotterdam, the Netherlands' Rotterdam, and he ended up in New Rotterdam—how funny!—but the other man, heretofore the Man on the Left—(the Man on the Left was in fact Aernout Blick, whose father was Aernout Blick, whose own father was likewise Aernout Blick, and in fact whose lineage was wholly comprised of further Aernout Blicks preceding unto the Middle Ages, when Jan Jonkers, a serf, was promised a fief by an asexual local lord, vrijheer Aernout Blick (no relation), if poor serf Jan Jonkers would change his name as well as the names of all his sons to Aernout Blick, so that the asexual vassal's name and therefore legacy could be passed on even if he were too repulsed by the consummation of romance to have heirs of his own)—the Man on the Left, (or, as newly established, known officially, such as by the tax forms, as Aernout Blick and known by his friends as "Aert" or alternatively "Big Dick Blick" which is, as a matter of fact, just as catchy in Dutch) hailed from a little hut on the banks of the Zaan river of the Netherlands, where his family grew flax (flax growers ever since the former Jan Jonkers recieved his fiefdom), and the Man on the Left had left the Netherlands as a youth to be a maker of spoons (a silversmith) in the New World, and he built himself a lovely house on Fish Street and had quite considerable business; this was the Man on the Left, who was sitting besides the Man on the Right, both old men, both on barrels or perhaps crates, and as the two looked up upon the overcast sky the smells of herring wafted into the Hesloot and perhaps clouded their judgement, (for all Dutch colonists love herring), (and these two old men likely were hungry too, for all Dutch colonists are hungry), so therefore take into consideration that the following events are not reflections of all humanity but rather the herring-clouded misjudgments of the Man on the Right and the Man on the Left.

"Fuck you!" the Man on the Right said. "Fuck you and fuck that!"

The Man on the Left shrugged. "It's just the rumor going around, Karl. I don't have anything to do with it."

"Fuck you!"

"In honesty, it's a bit flattering. Not many men of your age..." the Man on the Left paused to giggle. "...Even have the opportunity to contract syphillis!"

The Man on the Right stared angry bullets into the inky black sea.

"Regardless—"

"Who started the rumor, Blick?"

"Well, I heard it from Robbert Blaauw—"

"Snake."

"—and I laughed uncontrollably when he told me. But apparently he heard it from Lars Bleeker—"

"Toad."

"—who was told of course by Hilbert Bleeker—"

"Old, fat toad."

"And Hilbert Bleeker apparently got it from Mrs. Knoopelman your nosy neighbor. Who in likelihood probably also told Robbert Blaauw directly."

The Man on the Right buried his head in his hands.

"Oh, it's not that bad."

The Man on the Right threw up his hands and wailed.

Somewhere, meters underwater off the bank of the Hesloot, the fish suddenly began to seize up and die. Horrifying. From their place emerged a cloud of bubbles, and then bubbles begat bubbles, and this cloud became a storm of white foam that rose to the surface.

"Whoa."

The Man on the Left, who had worse eyesight, did not know what the Man on the Right was surprised by.

"What?"

"Look, Blick." The Man on the Right pointed at the expanding white foam.

The foam grew bigger and bigger, until both of the old men could see even with their poor eyesight this swelling mass on the surface of the sea.

"That's the way I feel when I eat butter," said the Man on the Left.

Then this mass began to contort—jets of water spurted from it, and the ripples became frothing waves, then the sea seemed to peel away for the emptiest of black voids. The void became bigger than a horse, and sat perched on the top of the Bay of New Rotterdam. The two old men stared at it.

"Do you think it's—"

"GREETINGS." This voice came from the black void.

The old men turned to each other simultaneously. Yes, they both had heard the voice.

"Greetings," said the Man on the Right.

"I MUST PREFACE. I AM AN EXTRADIMENSIONAL REALITY. I DO NOT EXPECT YOU TO UNDERSTAND."

"No, it's alright, we get it."

"I REPRESENT THE WARPS BETWEEN TIME AND SPACE. I REPRESENT THE LIMITS OF YOUR COMPREHENSION."

"Well, that bar varies," said the Man on the Left, gesturing to the Man on the Right. "Counting, too, represents the limits of his comprehension."

"NEEDLESS CRUELTY IS ONE THING THAT I GREATLY ADMIRE ABOUT YOUR SPECIES." The void chuckled, a wracking sound that made both mens' stomachs uneasy. "NOW." the void's voice darkened. "I HAVE COME TO YOUR WORLD AT THIS TIME FOR A REASON."

They looked at each other.

"I ASSUME THAT YOU ARE XOCH'TEM'TOC AND AZCALXOCHIPALLI, HUMBLE AZTEC SOLDIERS."

"You assume we're what."

"XOCH'TEM'TOC AND AZCALXOCHIPALLI."

"No, sorry, that is not us."

"THAT IS NOT WHAT."

"No, I'm Aernout Blick, and that's Karl Peijnenburg," said the Man on the Left.

"BUT."

"If you would like to verify," said Karl Peijnenburg, "the name 'Karl Peijnenburg' is being discussed in many circles right now."

The black void shrunk a little, as if it was unsure.

"BUT I'M SUPPOSED TO FIND XOCH'TEM'TOC AND AZCALXOCHIPALLI AND SHOW THEM THE MYSTERIES OF THE DOZEN DIMENSIONS."

"If it helps, I can find almost anybody in New Rotterdam in only two days," said Aernout Blick.

"I DON'T UNDERSTAND."

"A-ha!" said Blick. "We have found the limits to your comprehension!"

The extradimensional void seemed to turn towards Aernout Blick.

"IT IS A SINCERELY BAD IDEA TO MOCK ME."

"Right, I understand that, I'm sorry."

Then there was a very long pause. The void suddenly went deathly silent. After waiting for so long, the two men sat down again and began to gossip with one another. Eventually, there was a gurgling sound—and the void shrank and closed.

"I was having fun." The two men missed their extradimensional reality. But it was only a few moments before suddenly the process repeated itself; the bubbles turned into froth, the froth grew to the size of a carriage, and then a gaping black void emerged again.

"GREETINGS."

"It's back!"

"CONGRATULATIONS MORTALS." the men couldn't help but smile from ear to ear at the black void's return. "XOCH'TEM'TOC AND AZCALXOCHIPALLI ARE NOW MEANINGLESS FOOTNOTES. I HAVE RETURNED SEEKING YOU."

The portal floated even closer to the beach, resting just a couple feet off the shore.

"ART BLICK AND KYLE PEJNOWITZKY, OR WHOEVER YOU ARE..." the frothing at the surface of the water stopped; all turned calm. "...STEP INTO THIS BLACK ABYSS...AND SEE THE LIMITS OF YOUR COMPREHENSION...DESTROYED."

"Ah, what the hell," said Karl. "New Rotterdam thinks that I have syphillis anyway." Karl schlepped into the water, and with a look back at the Hesloot, he entered the portal.

Aernout Blick took a second longer. He considered his son, Aernout Blick the Younger, and his new grandchildren. He thought back to his sizable lot by the Calvinist church and his pepper garden. But after only another beat of hesitation, Aernout Blick too dove into the void.

---

To be continued...!!

[Zenic]

“Okay, so run it by me one more time.”

“Gotcha. Entering the 51st World Cup of Hockey tournament, there were 4 Rushmori nations participating: ourselves, Cassadaigua, Darmen, and the Gatchingerrak Union. Essentially, half from Terramidia and half from The Vatmark but neighbors separated only by an imaginary line and some small bodies of water. Darmen and the Gatchingerrak Union got knocked out in the group stage despite their valiant efforts,” explained Heung.

“So, that left Rushmore with two: Us and Cassadaigua,” the Emperor added.

“Correct. Cassadaigua, a top 15 team, got drawn with Elejamie, the second best nation in the multiverse, and had an incredible back and forth match that they unfortunately lost 6-5 in regulation. Meanwhile, we went up against high scoring Osterhalten, another matchup between top 15 ranked teams, and with some inspired play managed to defeat them 2-1 to advance to the Quarterfinals.”

The Emperor rubbed his temples in a vain attempt to lessen the strain. “So, we went to the World Cup of Hockey. We did well in the group stage and advanced to the knockout rounds. Then, we beat a team that was one of the highest scoring teams in the group stage in the Round of 16. Now, we are Rushmore’s only hope for a championship and we’re facing title contenders Elejamie in the Quarterfinals. Why do I feel like I’ve had this conversation with you before? Oh my god, is this deja vu? Am I in a time loop? I think I heard about this at one of the Rushmore regional talks.”

Deputy Sporting Minister Heung could only nod in understanding. “No need to worry, I can assure you that you’re NOT stuck in a time loop. It definitely FEELS like it because well, we kinda did have this one already. It’s actually pretty similar to the last World Cup of Hockey that took place two years ago in Quebec and Shingoryeo.” The Emperor looked at Heung. “I’ve been so busy with the reconstruction and networking my whole reign that I barely remember what I did earlier this WEEK.”

“Of course, the position of Emperor is one only taken by those with a strong will and endurance: such as yourself,” Heung stated. The Emperor smiled and nodded his head in appreciation. “Basically, we had a better group stage in the previous edition but not TOO far off from what we had in this edition. We met the country now known as Nova Calania in the Round of 16 after they had drawn for the most goals in the group stage alongside the Independent Athletes of Quebec and Valanora. We proceeded to beat them 3-1 in a shootout after finishing level at 5 goals apiece in regulation and extra time.”

The Emperor raised his hand to interject himself into Heung’s talking. “Didn’t one of our guys get in some serious trouble? I remember something like that hitting the news. I think I even had to answer a question regarding that incident.”

“Indeed. Azazel Vanna, our fourth line center, has a reputation for being a ‘bouncer’ and roughing up the opposition with well timed and extremely hard hits. Essentially, our fourth line and third defensive pairing all have similar reputations but none as extreme as Azazel’s. The game between now Nova Calania and us got a bit out of hand and we lost him for the Quarterfinals as a result.”

“Which wasn’t a problem considering we won and eventually went on to finish fourth.”

“Correct. We managed to beat our Quarterfinal opponent before losing to eventual runner up Sarzonia in the semifinals and losing to Valanora in the third place playoff.”

The Emperor sighed. “I hesitate to ask but I must: and who was the Quarterfinal opponent for the Frozen Survivors last go around?”

Heung chuckled. “The Ice-a-phants of Elejamie.”

[Ko-oren]

Era 1, 2 (prehistory to 2500 years ago)
Era 3 (2500-2000 years ago)
Era 4 (2000-1700 years ago)

After the last era, that of confederacies and explorers, we're off to a much more mundane story this time around. Where the second era - states and chiefdoms - laid the philosophical and ideological groundwork for the dominant city states down to the modern era, the third era connected most of the archipelago. And when city states band together into confederacies, confederacies tie down their hinterlands for food and security, and people from those places travel across the islands to find if they've missed anything, trade happens.

In the years before, we see Ko-oren broadly come together in two camps. The Bay confederacy - with our modern capitals - and their rich philosophical history, with associated harbours and cities all along the bay and even on the outer coasts of the main island, and the Amahne-controlled Democratic Union. Not that people at the time called it that: they would have called it the Amahnean lands, or something similar, but in recent years educators have opted for the name 'Democratic Union' to clarify that it wasn't all Amahne leaders calling the shots.

In this era, we will see that both camps start to rely on one another. While they both have all useful resources within their 'borders', certain areas of Ko-oren obviously have their advantages and disadvantages. From 'bulk' in the unbeatable agriculture in the southwestern breadbasket to rarer spices in the southwest. From the readily available lumber along the central rivers to artisans and manufacturing on the northern end of the bay. Trade routes start off as incidental missions, but before long, a network of routes and roads is established. This network stretches out over water, with shipping across the bay becoming cheaper and cheaper with innovations and experience. Even the eastern islands are incorporated, and the families in Katahshi become filthy rich with their monopoly on the islands' unique fruits and herbs. The shortest way from the islands to the mainland is across the northeast, which in turn profits from the economic corridor. Not only that, but trapping and metals from there are added to the package and that area also starts to see riches.

Administration starts out concentrated in the capitals and Amahne, but the real financial geniuses work their magic closer to where the goods are produced and loaded onto carts - and where the prices are established and communicated. Agricultural towns like Azahndhil grow out to market cities, and local markets like Zhegoranna, Riberish, and Maruhnudu are becoming much better places to live. But the city that really flourishes under this way of doing business is Monrama. Situated on the river Argahr, which connects the huge harbours and workforce of Garihnkatar - whose growth starts here until it's the largest city of Ko-oren within a few centuries all the way to today - to cheap lumber on the Ahungoren hills, and is located right at the point where all the breadbasket's routes converge into one big road straight to Ilohbonu, Amahne, and the Bay confederacy. It's a perfect mix and this is where the merchants come together for the best deals.

Both camps obviously have to station some people in Monrama, both to keep an eye on the competition and to get the best deals for themselves. And with this mix of financial and political knowledge, it's here where plenty of documents are drawn up and signed - how to handle the 'unincorporated' hinterland, joint tax codes, treaties and agreements. At some point, other city states have their leaders come to Monrama once a year to directly get involved, and within a few years, there's a few weeks in summer where the political elite descends on the city for their gossip and decisionmaking.

Judging themselves to be of a better class than the merchants and the labourers, the political leaders retreat to the hills outside Monrama, have summer residences built there - each one obviously a little more ostentatious than their neighbours' - and the caravan travels from the cities on the bay. That's where most money is still made, the population still lives, and which is still the place to be, but money is handled in the southwest, but the leaders go through Monrama and go straight to regions like Orental - which literally means 'many lands' for reasons soon clear - Galadaur, and Duzerhan. Each delegation claims a hill or a valley and judges it a part of the city state hundreds of kilometres away, hence (land of) many lands. This leads to Ko-oren's first 'court culture' (outside of the eastern islands, who have their own history that largely plays out separate from mainlander antics) with ambassadors, merchants, and other officials touring the residences, and the same goes for entertainers, playwrights and actors, and a lot of followers who just want to be around people with power. Outside of summer, it's an empty place of maintenance, and where playwrights and composers prepare for the arrival of their patrons next year, but in summer, it's a who's who of people who would have otherwise plied their trade on the bay itself.

While the city states are busy vertically integrating economies, rival cities soon depend on one another. Price gouging, monopolies, bubbles, and a revolving door of charlatans, swindlers and grafters necessitate some common policies. Some people become incredibly rich, others lose it all, but one bad harvest, one strike, or any kind of shortage makes everyone realise they're in this zero-sum game together. And in the end, most leaders are just there to be catered to in their mansions out west and otherwise hopefully see their terms play out without big issues.

Resentment in the bay cities among people who should see their interests represented grows: any issue directly negatively impacts the standard of living there, and whenever they make the trek southwest all they see is a class of merchants disconnected with the importance of the goods they handle. Barns and sheds full of goods that could have been useful, but are simply collecting dust. And when they look for their leaders they appointed - on merit, in case of one camp, or on popularity, in the other camp - they're living a life of comfort outside the public eye, tucked away in their residences with their servants, a luxury they weren't supposed to enjoy when otherwise they would - or should - have been hard at work. Playwrights recognise that their real clientele still lives on the bay, and satirical plays outnumber other productions.

The connections that were created in the southeast, live on and become stronger than ever among, and because of, the citizens that were once so divided - and they realise it's not necessarily due to strong and decisive leadership. A new consciousness awakens.

[TJUN-ia]

We won.
We finished 3rd.
But for both us and Kimi-Suomi, it wasn't enough.
On GD, we both crashed out.
We did even know that we needed more goals...but I guess we did.

What now?
What do we do now?

I guess it's time to say goodbye and prepare for next time.

So Long...
Saffron Allen (C/C)
Lan Yih-Wen (LW)
Luis Olivares (RW)
Christiaan Venter (LD/2nd C)
Julie Smith (RD)

---

SCHEDULE (Group A)
MD1: vs Placely Placington (UR) L 1-3
MD2: vs Valanora (3) L 1-2 (T-6th)
MD3: vs Oclea (49) W 3-2 (6th)
MD4: vs United Hawkland (20) W 5-4 (3rd)
MD5: vs BYE (3rd)
MD6: vs Nova Anglicana (28) W 4-2 (3rd)
MD7: vs The Spartan Dominion (78) W 2-1 (3rd)

[Kimi-Suomi]

We gave it our all.
But this was one step too far, even though we did finish 3rd.

We will be back.
But for now, we must say goodbye.

So Long...
Felizia Bouveng (C)
Marcus Rosenqvist (LW)
Noora Tulus (RW/C)

---

SCHEDULE (Group E)
MD1: vs Kamijiro (UR) W 7-0
MD2: vs Srednjaci (44) L 3-4 (3rd)
MD3: vs Ko-oren (4) L 1-2 (5th)
MD4: BYE (5th)
MD5: vs Pimeämaninen [Darkmania] (14) D 1-1 (5th)
MD6: vs Lisander (83) W 4-2 (5th)
MD7: vs Gatchingerrakliitto [Gatchingerrak Union] (29) W 3-2 (3rd)

[Sarzonia]

Amid the din of loud cheers, feet stomping the ground and jubilant fists pounding bars and tables at the Nicksia bar where Owen Franks decided to watch his former mates defeat Patriotlandia 2-1 in the Round of Sixteen match during the 51st World Cup of Hockey, he sat in silence.

Pats on the back and attempts to high-five or fist-bump Franks went unacknowledged. It wasn't that he wasn't happy to see a Sarzonia victory in the World Cup of Hockey, but he was sitting at a bar watching instead of being on the ice. He wasn't even kitted out on the players bench as a backup to Jacob Parsons. He was in street clothes, not even daring to dig out his sweater lest he call even more attention to his plight.

He thought about training camp when he was told that he would have a chance to compete for his old job. A chance to compete," he seethed. He thought the job should've been his from break, especially when Parsons had mental health issues that actually resulted in his missing a match early in his national team career.

He thought he did a "great" job, but when he had a chance to study his performance during the exhibition schedule more closely, he saw several mistakes he made that Parsons hadn't. He saw Parsons handle himself well on the ice.

His performance during the group stage alone was conclusive enough. He held six opponents to a total of nine goals and was a major factor in a team that struggled to score goals was able to avoid even a single loss. Franks also thought about how Parsons backstopped the Stars to the final, marking just the second finals trip in programme history.

Jake earned it, he thought. Then he remembered his agent Matt Crotty talking him into filing that stupid lawsuit and Courtney Badgley not actually telling him how difficult it would be to actually prove he had a case for either wrongful termination or violating the Sarzonians With Disabilities Act.

Even if he were told those things, he also thought about his own objection that proved to be absolutely true. He expressed concern about burning his bridges with his now-former mates, whom he figured wouldn't exactly welcome him back. He figured that he might be able to buy a ticket and slip by unnoticed, but the dressing room was out of the question.

Little did he know even being in the same rink wouldn't have worked. He'd seen public comments by both Alyssa Hannigan and Brett Tanguay, Jr. and anonymous comments he knew were Hannigan and Tanguay deciding the better of being publicly caught in the crossfire. None of Franks's former teammates saw fit to stick up for him. He was not welcome.

He saw the caller ID bearing Crotty's name. He rolled his eyes, still upset over the bad advice Crotty had given him and the fact that he'd been naive enough to actually take it.

"What is it?" he answered.

"I'm afraid I have more bad news," Crotty said. "Nicksia just terminated your contract. I tried contacting a couple other SHL teams and none of them are interested. Portland needs a goalie, but..."

"But they won't sign me because they have national team folks and they don't want me to be a 'distraction'," Franks interrupted.

"'Disruptive element' were their exact words, but basically that," Crotty said. "And it's not like we can exactly try playing in Delaclava since they're no longer our neighbours," he said. Franks opened his mouth and breathed in slowly, then exhaled. No Delaclava. No Pacitalian league. He doubted he'd even get a tryout in Valanora.

He knew he had only one option. He'd pondered it for a while, but the latest turn of events made it the only way he could begin to piece something together. He still had plenty left in the tank as a goalie, but he was fast running out of places to play without potentially pissed off teammates.

"Matt, you're fired." He dragged the display on his phone to disconnect the call. In another time, he would've angrily slammed a phone onto the receiver, but modern technology deprived Franks of that small bit of consolation.

Franks didn't know what his future held, but the present was bleak.

[Elejamie]

They had survived, albeit just.

Cassadaigua had taken them to the brink in a hard-fought game. One game that saw them concede nearly as many goals as they did in the entire group stage. It was a stressful match, one that saw the lead change many times, saw game plans getting scrapped and replaced on the fly, saw both sets of players having to deal with displeased. But in the end the Ice-a-phants had managed to pull ahead and get a 6-5 victory. It wasn't a good look for a team that was priding itself on a defensive play, perhaps he or his successor should just bite the bullet and go back to a full-on "equal parts attacking and defending" tactic that had already saw them lift five trophies, but just as long as his side was able to score more than the opposition then it'd be tolerable.

So how did the first period go? Not that well. Cassadaigua opened up the scoring relatively early on with 18:09 left in the period, thanks to Amanda Norton firing a lucky shot that had just made it over Cristian Serrano's glove. Her linemates Brianne Deschamps and Hailee Cortez were credited with assists. Not exactly the best of starts but hey, at least it wasn't a quick goal. And Elejamie were quick to level the scores with a power play goal and 15:05 left in the period, all thanks to Darrell Wesley getting sent to the box for two minutes for interference, Stacy Saunders for managing to turn Ashley Christian the wrong way, and Cerin Meloten and Adam Keane for feeding him the puck and setting the whole thing in motion. Elejamie would score again with 9:44 left thanks to a bit of slipshod defending resulting in Adrian Backer finding himself on the breakaway and deking the puck past Christian; Harrison Blackburn and Rafael Espinosa were credited with assists. It seemed like the Ice-a-phants would enjoy a nice, easy lead going into the first intermission but Cassadaigua managed to get a buzzer beater in, with Cayla Wade being the only teammate to feed Tori Davis a lucky shot that went in with 0.9 seconds remaining. As a result, it was 2-2 going into the break.

And Elejamie's struggles would continue throughout the second. Cassadaigua regained their lead with 15:45 left in the period. Elejamie found themselves a man down when Kiko Carpio was given two minutes for slashing Rylie Sutton, and then a short while later Diego Pinto was sent to the box as well for hooking Emily Barton; fortunately both incidents were treated as the accidents that they were and, while there were raised voices, things eventually simmered down and players were sent to the box. With three skaters plus Serrano on the ice, the Ice-a-phants couldn't really do much except defend for dear life, and even then that proved to be impossible when Barton was fed the puck by Wade (and to an extent Addie Mitchell) and perfectly shot a well-timed snapper that made its way through Serrano's legs. Fortunately for Simón, his side would kill off the other penalty alright. However, with 8:22 left, Cassadaigua scored again thanks to a second goal from Norton, with Deschamps and Jessica Barnett receiving points for assisting her. At least his side managed to pull one back with 2:56 left, thanks to Saunders doubling up thanks to a well-timed slapshot and assistance from Meloten and Bill Harrison. Speaking of Bill, he also managed to go the distance in a fight against Darrell Wesley despite the Rosetta winger being nearly a foot shorter than his opponent, a bout that would eventually be broken up by the refs. That was something to motivate his teammates. But unfortunately, as they headed into the second intermission 4-3 down, it seemed like they would be getting some serious words from their coach.

Going into the third period, Simón decided to make a little change. Serrano was benched, Lambert was put on. Did that change anything? A little bit, yes, though it'd take a while. And Saunders managed to complete his hat-trick with 14:09 left in the period. It came off the back of sustained pressure and required Bill to pass him the puck after in turn got it from Diego Pinto, but it still managed to do the trick and bring them back level. And then the Ice-a-phants would regain the lead for the first time since the first period when, with 10:11 left in the period, Clayton Walker scored a one-timer after receiving the puck from James Han, while Rui Calderón was the other person credited with the assist. At that point Team Cassadaigua head coach Samantha Hudson also elected to make a goalie change as she took off Ashley Christian and brought Jesse Hall on in her stead. This may or may not have worked because on the one hand they did eventually level the scores, with 7:48 left and Amanda Norton completing a hat-trick of her own with assistance from Mitchell and Natalie Reynolds. But on the other, Elejamie scored their sixth and final goal of the match, a neat wrister from Mike Keller that was assisted by Anthony McLaren and Kiko Carpio, all with 1:15 left. Could the Ice-a-phants have gone for a seventh goal? They could've but they decided not to. They were getting tired of this match already and so they essentially parked the bus and burnt off the clock until everything came to an end. They had won 6-5 and become the last team in the contest to win their quarter-final match-up.

So what about the quarter-finals? Who would be playing who? Nova Anglicana vs Sredjnaci was the first match. The Ice Bears were expected to get smushed by the mighty force of Kelssek, only to somehow scrape together a 4-2 win. Perhaps they'll do well against the Ice Lions and maybe they'll go far into the tournament. Sarzonia vs Ko-oren was the second game and that should be another interesting bout. The Dragonflies were always the bridesmaid but never the bride, but maybe if things go right in their match against the Stars then they shall see their first ever World Cup of Hockey trophy. Valanora vs New Rotterdam City? Obviously the Calcuttas would take this one but, against, NRC was a team that shouldn't be taken so lightly. Even Ricardo Bejarano, who had gotten a shut-out against them when Elejamie beat them 3-0, admitted that they were one of his favourite teams to play against because of how they managed to click together and work well despite all the odds against them. They'll definitely be claiming their first star in a contest or two. And who was Elejamie playing next? Simón checked his phone, only to open his eyes as wide as could be in complete horror and stammer out a swear in his native tongue.

"M-M-Mierda."

It was Zenic. AGAIN. Much like how Elejamie were apparently forbidden from winning the WorldVision Song Contest, this was a team that the Ice-a-phants were apparently forbidden from beating. Hell, they were apparently forbidden from even scoring a single goal against them. The 2-0 loss at WCoH26 was understandable, the then-Icy Elephants were completely new to the competition and Zenic had been around for quite a while. The loss at WCoH50 on the other hand was his side being the reigning champions and Zenic being ranked 50-something and yet the Ice-a-phants still completely screwed up in an incredibly infuriating way. And now having to face the same people again at the exact same stage was kind of a pisstake. Sort of like having to face Gyatso-Kai the last three times in the final and it ended up being a tedious experience that made them wish that they were allowed to face someone else for once.

So how were they doing so far in the competition? They got thumped in their opener for a start, 6-3 to Kelssek, before bouncing back with a 3-1 victory over Juvencus. However they lost 2-1 to Darmen, something that would've been important later on. Fortunately for the Frozen Survivors they were able to shake that off by shutting out A Place Somewhere (yes, that was their actual name) 4-0 and then Huayramarca 3-1. After a bye day, they went on to face Fantier in a match that was definitely important as, if they lost, then their tournament would've ended there because of the head-to-head loss against Darmen earlier. They did win, but only just, as a 1-0 win was enough to leapfrog them into third place, where they were one of the lucky ones to make the trip over to Valanora. There, they managed to rub some salt onto Osterhalten's wounds as they beat the Otters 2-1. And now they were up against his team.

Naturally, he had to win by nearly any means necessary. Obviously he wouldn't tolerate any of his boys intentionally injuring any members of the other team, he had some limits, but at this point he was beyond caring. He was purely in "Just watch me" mode. Start a fight? Yeah, go ahead, drop the gloves. Clear the bench if you have to. Play a long, slow, boring game? Why not? Make them suffer. Make it a dull, boring game that doesn't really make it worth watching. Make it as frustrating for the opposition as it would be for the viewers back home. Then again, he just remembered that he tried that last time and it didn't really work out that well. Whatever. He was sure he could come up with a good game plan. One that'd finally put these demons to rest and allow his side to finally vanquish the Frozen Survivors.

Or at the very least score a single fucking goal against them.

[Srednjaci]

World Cup of Hockey 51

HISTORIC SUCCESS OF OUR HOCKEY!

Srednjaci 4 ( Goran Tuđman, Jelena Ivezić, Petra Jurešić, Goran Tuđman)
Kelssek 2 (Maxime Aumann,Quentin Smith)

A great miracle happened at WCoH! Our Ice Bears beat one of the strongest teams at this edition of WCoH, Team Kelssek! No one but no one could have predicted this development of the situation. In his group, Kelssek was dominant. among the best 16, Kelssek entered from the first position in the group with an incredible 5 wins and one draw. When everything was over in the group, in the last round, they played 4-4 with Huayramarca. That's the only point anyone took from them. They had the most powerful attack in the group. Their players scored 29 goals!
Srednjacian team, on the other hand, are playing in the playoffs for the first time in history. We entered as the worst team among the top 16 or ...least good one.
By comparison, our team is much younger than the Kelssek team.
The first period was dominated by Kelsek. Our players, impressed by the opponent, impressed by the atmosphere but also by the position they were in, failed to organize a single concrete attack. Kelssek ruled the ice and the match. They had 8 shots on goal before the experienced Maxime Aumann scored the first goal. Kelssek has a 1-0 lead! It crossed our minds, that's it, now Kelssek will fill our net.
However, by the end of the first period, the score remained 1-0, luckily for us.
But then in the second half, our team came out much more motivated. The Ice Bears have clearly seen the flaws of Kelssek and in the eyes of our players there is no more fear and no impression of the opponent. Minute by minute, our players take the initiative on the ice. Our attackers alternate in waves. The Kelssek team is trying to settle the game because our young players are much faster. Maxime Aumann asks his team to keep the puck as much as possible, but his colleagues fail to keep the puck because our players attack like wasps.
And then a big celebration for us...Zhuo Wei and Goran Tuđman make a great combination. Kelssek's defense is played, Zhuo instead of shooting leaves the puck to Goran Tuđman who shoots from the second plan and scores a goal! It's 1-1!! Srednjaci equalized!
Shock and disbelief reigned in the Kelssek team. Nervousness crept into their team. They certainly did not expect this development of the situation.
Not long after, ours players again confused the Kelsek df players with quick and accurate passes. This time, Ai Toyotama shoots, but it bounces happily to Jelena Ivezić, who masterfully finds her way to the net! Unbelievable, but our team leads 2-1!! End of the second period! the scoreboard reads unreal Kelssek vs Srednjaci 1-2!
The third period passes again in the sign of our quick counterattacks. Kelssek persistently tries to do something but they get nervous and make mistake after mistake. The Ice Bears apply pressure with their quick counterattacks, so the Kessek players don't dare to take too many risks. This is exactly what our team wanted. To introduce unrest among opponents and break their homogenization and security.
From attack to attack, Kelssek makes mistakes and they have to quickly return to their goal. But in one attack they were too slow and Petra Jurešić scored another goal for our team like lightning! The Ice Bears are 3-1! The part of the hall where the Kessek fans were was silent in disbelief.
But their fears were put to rest by Goran Tuđman with a long-range shot! 4-1!!
Finally, in the last moments of the game, Quentin Smith scores a goal to make it 4-2!
Srednjaci are in the quarter-finals! Top 8 for the first time in history! Rejoice world...rejoice with us!!
The next opponent is Nova Anglicana. A strong team, but if our players did not spend themselves emotionally and physically against Kelsek, Nova Anglicana could have problems.


Fans celebrated the historic result all over our country! In the city squares and streets, people celebrated late into the night!

[Vosko]

Vosko National Ice Hockey Team Roster:
*=star player
Goaltenders:

1. Marek Novotný *
2. Henri Lehtonen

Defensemen:

3. Martin Dubois -
4. Connor MacKenzie
5. Ryan Johnson -
6. Mikko Järvinen -
7. Filip Kováč - *

Forwards:

8. Tomáš Štěpánek - *
9. Henri Lefebvre - *
10. Nathan O'Reilly - *
11. Patrick Smith -
12. Elias Korpela -
13. Antoine Martin -
14. Jakub Novák -
15. Mikaela Johnson -
16. Jesse Thompson -
17. Niklas Kekäläinen -
18. Louis Dubois -
19. Oliver Richards -
20. Ethan Anderson -

Coaching Staff:

Head Coach: Jan Štěpánek -

Assistant Coaches:
- Antti Laaksonen -
- Claude Tremblay -

Goalie Coach: Jean-Pierre Dubois
Team Manager: Sarah Smith

[Valanora]

The arena in the nation's capital was smaller than the historic Stormvalen Arena that had been their home in the group stage, but the support that the team saw from the home fans was none the less enthusiastic for the Calcuttas as they took to the ice. The arena was filled to the brim with the majority of the sweaters in the stands the navy or green of the Calcuttas, though there was some sprinkled red and black ones there in support of their round of sixteen opponents in the Squornshelan Remnant States, a regional rivalry between the two Arrosia affiliated nations. The lack of travel for their regional neighbors did tend to lend to better support for them here in the Empire compared to those who were traveling to the Eternal Empire from outside the region, with perhaps only nations like Banija and Farfadillis finding better support across any sport within the Empire. It probably helped that many of their sportspeople had found their way to the Eternal Empire for employment and were considered quite highly by the home populace, with players like Nursultan Tulyakbay and Tiiu Aaltonen prominent figures at their respective football clubs.

Yet this is not football and that adoration and admiration only goes so far, when the puck was dropped the fans were completely behind the home team and cheering on with every good attack on the opposition net, booing when the refs called a very soft hooking call just a few minutes into the game. Yet the penalty kill was up to the challenge and easily saw off the man advantage opportunity for the Black-and-Reds and used that momentum to start to tilt the ice towards the attacking end. Camilla Berglund took the pass off a offensive faceoff win and took a quick wrister that dinged off the inside of the post as she went top shelf. On the ensueing faceoff, hometown hero Nikolai Stenstad won the faceoff against and Camilla once more snatched the faceoff win and pressed into the offensive zone, stopped and rotating around before throwing another effort on net, where Johannes Utgård was parked in front of the goalie and deftly redirected the shot between the legs of the scrambling netminder. Just like that, the Calcuttas were up two to nil and coasting, hitting the post three times before the first period came to an end.

In the second period, the Calcuttas wanted to press their advantage and open up a large gap between themselves and their foes, but the Squorn side was a stubborn and talented one who was looking to take advantage of the break and the long change in the second period. A few sloppy passes and poor exits out of their zone by the normally quite strong defense for the Calcuttas gifted the opponents their first goal three minutes into the second frame. An acute angle shot five minutes later that was going across the crease instead found its way into the back of the net when it hit the back of the skate of Matthew Lindstad, who had been trying to box out an onrushing forward to the puck. Level halfway through the game and the wind taken out of their sails, the Calcuttas were there for the taking, but Johannes Holand change the momentum of the game with a great forecheck that resulted in a turnover below the goal line and the hometown forward did a daring wrap around attempt that managed to slide between the netminder's blade and the post with sixty-eight seconds left in the second. It was a bit fortunate but good fortune is needed sometimes to get the victory and you will take victories no matter how they come in the knockout rounds.

The third period though was all for the home side, who doubled their lead four minutes into the final frame with a goal from Tone Kleven, as even the fourth line was getting on the scoring. Normally reserved for an energy spark or to matchup against the best offensive threats on the opposition side, getting that sort of depth scoring is quite the luxury for the Calcuttas who will likely want to lean on their depth if they are going to make this a deep run. Magnus Sørli would ice the game with an empty netter with just shy of three minutes left in the game, as the States pulled the goalie to attempt a late comeback, but it was not to be. The side moves on and stays in the city and arena, now taking on surprise package New Rotterdam City, who edged out a close encounter with Dod Rava in their first knockout round tie. It is a fairly unfamiliar foe for the side but they will be feeling confident after a solid victory and the way the side was able to handle the punches the Black-and-Reds threw at them and countered with their own. It was a morale boosting victory and bouyed by the home advantage, there is no reason for the side to think that they shouldn't come out on top.

[Valanora]

Quarterfinals
Srednjaci 4–2 Nova Anglicana
Sarzonia 3–5 Ko-oren
Valanora 8–3 New Rotterdam City*
Zenic 1–1 Elejamie (2–1 OT)
*Scorinated by Farfadillis

Semifinal Fixtures
(16) Srednjaci v (12) Ko-oren @ Stormvalen Arena, Stormguard
(2) Valanora v (14) Zenic @ Raynor City

[Zenic]

Fate could have a cruel sense of humor: a fact the Frozen Survivors learned the hard way.

Dynasties rise and fall. Legends are made before they are broken down. History moves on and history repeats itself. For the second straight tournament, I would be leading the charge in the semifinals of the World Cup of Hockey with a fierce opponent standing in their way. And, of the thousands of nations it could have been, it was Zenic's Frozen White Whale: Valanora.

For us Zenicians, it seemed time immemorial: every time they were about to turn the table and join the upper echelon, there the Elves were. ready to stifle our progress and set us back. A generation or two have left us and failed to see glory that so few have witnessed. Some of the best in the world tried and failed to put a dent in the Vanorian armor, despite all of their effort. For Valanora, it seemed but another slight bump on their long, long trek.

In their bastion of Raynor City, these seemingly ethereal titans loomed over the land as the Frozen Survivors of the Zenic National Ice Hockey Team prepared to march onto the battlefield of ice and cold for a confrontation that will leave many broken, in one way or another. And it would take a raving lunatic to choose to lead this group into such a daunting situation. And that's when I came to the realization:

I wished I could say I was Ishmael the observer but truly, I was Ahab the raving lunatic.

"Isn't this a bit dramatic, even for someone of your disposition?"

"Oh sh......can you not do that, Anat?!," screeched Per, turning around and grabbing the notebook out of his assistant coach's hands. "My apologies but you should not be leaving stuff like that out in the open on a random park bench. ESPECIALLY when there are paparazzi's all around Raynor City," responded Anat, seated on the park bench Per's journal, which she had just been reading, had been resting on. Per wanted to snap back but realized she absolutely was in the right on this subject. Per had begun his usual 'mind-organizing walk' he always takes the day before a match until he had stumbled across a nice lookout that had a wonderful view of the Vanorian capital. Inspiration for his journal had struck and he wrote out how he felt at the moment, eventually putting it down and staring out at the mesmerizing view. The journaling was something he was recommended to do by his psychologist as a means to help (or attempt to help) with his anxiety and stress.

"Ishmael and Ahab? Frozen White Whale? Where did you come up with all this?," she inquired.

"If you must know, they're from a story my parents used to read to my siblings and I. After school, they would read a chapter or two aloud to us every day until the book was done. They would move on to other books but every so often they would return to that book. It was a 'household' favorite so to speak." Per smiled as the memories flooded back and Anat reflexively smiled in turn.

"Anyway, we should get going. I need to get my steps in and then we have to get back to work on our small adjustments for the Calcuttas. I've got a small idea or two I want to workshop with the squad and staff."

Anat stood up from the bench and saluted. "Ay ay, captain! Sounds like a plan." Per groaned in embarrassment before the pair began their final prep for the confrontation with Valanora, another one of presumably many more to come.

[Ko-oren]

We left off after the merchants and tradesmen with a population irritated at its (lack of) leadership, a court culture blossoming far away from the actual citizens and subjects, but also a strangely good economy and increasing standards of living.

Maybe the cities figured out that they don't necessarily need leadership to be present? How exactly did they organise their affairs with the actual mayor out of town? Well, they appointed that mayor, in most cases. Some cities and city states elected that position, which is that meritocracy-democracy split at work very early in Ko-oren's history, and they did have some different problems to resolve, but more on that later. The meritocratic cities learned that they could best appoint a leader who is great at PR and not always great at administration and other 'mundane' things - that mayor would then join the others in the southwest, schmoozing, and hopefully securing some trade deals, regularly briefed by messengers sent over from the city. That left the ones who appointed that mayor in charge in the city, and they generally were a lot better at the day-to-day operations - of course, they were often appointed in that capacity as well, for their exact qualities in administration.

That meant that a lot of politics went on at a distance and at a slight delay, and that might have saved Ko-oren from a few minor skirmishes. Mayors were still asked whether they would consider waging a war - or a battle - against another city, with that city's mayor present at a play or a banquet, and matters were quickly settled, messengers were sent back, as nobody down southwest was willing to risk good times. Treaties were quickly drawn up and signed, the mayors unburdened by knowledge of the actual situation as it went on, and the messengers would return home a few days to a week later, with a solution in hand. The administrators in the cities often knew how to approach one another, cutting out the opulent middlemen, but opted to solve conflicts this way. This would keep their conscience clean, presented a clear solution to the inhabitants of the cities, and provided some checks and balances. And for some reason, it worked.

There were some hiccoughs: some administrators knew how to game the system, by briefing their mayor that a crisis was going on, and asking for funding or goods, and this was sometimes granted with little oversight. There was definitely a game of telephone at work, and by the time the lie was uncovered, enough wires were crossed for it to not matter. There were some towns and cities who went bankrupt over this, recalling their mayors from the southwest, who couldn't possibly uphold their lavish lifestyle using the winnings from trade a few hours away in Monrama.

So far, so good, and definitely a continuation of the previous era.

What sets this era apart is the role of the citizens in the cities, and their local administration, as noted above. Playwrights did get tired of the neverending great vibes at the mayors' parties, musicians felt complacent. And the money still flowed from Monrama to the cities on the bay, with a small trickle of Koronas heading to the southwest to fund the courtiers. As soon as that trickle increased in size, citizens grumbled, and the trickle was reduced. When the trickle got too small, the city's interests weren't represented well enough, and some extra funding went that way - or, in some cases, bankrupted the entire town, trade drying up.

Either way, artists, artisans, teachers, philosophers, scientists found their way back to the bay. A larger audience, new, creative influences, resources and funding, or simply a renewed connection with the actual application of their crafts and smarts with people who were in need of creative solutions and innovation.

In plenty of cases, they were lured with money, creating the same stratification of rich capitals, rich Amahne, middle-class cities, and poorer areas as before.

Shipbuilding and navigation took off; dyes and plants from all over the country were bought and sold in places like Monrama to give painters all over the country a way to attain new colours and pigments; the same went for materials to make the finer things from - minerals, gems, jewels, metals. Writers and thespians enjoyed the difference in lifestyle between the bustling towns and the sleepy, complacent mayors. Philosophers and teachers spotted the same discrepancy and theorised away: were people simply drawn to greed? Where the mayors shipped off so people could just do their jobs in peace? What did it say about good leadership and a 'just' appointment of positions? What did it mean to be a good leader, and was the course of the city the only course that mattered?

Plenty of questions. Not enough answers. But at least, at this point, trade connected the country and plenty of areas pondered the same questions, at the same time, while discussing answers among each other - the democratic cities definitely offered a fresh perspective on the 'lazy leader' stereotype, making it seem like a necessary evil and a natural part of leadership, less preoccupied with merit and what made one a good leader, rather looking at what made one's character good. Either way, a lot of thinking, doing, trading, walking, sailing happened - together.

[Srednjaci]

World Cup of Hockey 51

IN FIGHT FOR THE MEDAL!

Srednjaci 4 ( Ai Toyotama, Zhuo Wei , Petra Jurešić, Goran Tuđman)
Nova Anglicana 2 (Austin Richards,Ken Saunders)

Location Stormguard, Stormvalen Arena, Valanora. Gladiators on ice skates, Srednjaci against Nova Anglicana! The hall was full of spectators, and several thousand of them came from our country!
The history of this sport is being written for our country! Ice Bears take to the ice full of confidence after the victory against Kelssek! They made that high score and come out again hungry for a new success, hungry for a new result! Enthusiastic about winning from the first to the last...hunger for the winn is visible in their eyes ...when they go out on the ice...the opponent's blood is frozed in their veins when they saw our players!
A song from thousands of voices echoes through the hall:

Heya, Heya Sred !
Heya, heya Bears !
Heya, Heya Blues !
Zig - Zag Champions !

The game has started and the Ice bears are leading the game this time. Against Kelsek we were in a subordinate position in the match, now the Ice Bears are the team that dictates the game. We rule the ice hall by playing and cheering. This sounds and looks like we're playing at home. Nova Anglicana fans just aren't as loud or as passionate! A real bear battle takes place on the ice. Ice Bears are fast, passes are accurate and the game ife on our side. We are more and more often in front of the opponent's goal.
Goran Tuđman leaves and Ai Toyotama enters instead. Petra Jelušić shoots from a long distance, the opposing goalkeeper deflects the puck with his foot, but right to Ai Toyotama! Toyotama puts the puck in the goal! Our team leads 1-0!
At the end of the first period, the scoreboard is 1-0!
In the second period, our players are once again the rulers of the ice! Ice Bears play in a trance carried by thousands of voices from the stands!


Heya, Heya Sred !
Heya, heya Bears !
Heya, Heya Blues !
Zig - Zag Champions !

Our players weave a net around the Nova Anglicana goal. Their defense is struggling and they are trying to get the puck, but ours players are very skilled. The puck comes to Zhuo Wei, he shoots but the goalkeeper defends and rejects the puck. Zhuo Wei is in the right place again and at the moment when the defender tried to block the shot, Zhuo Wei finds a small space to shoot, just enough to put the puck through the legs of the goalkeeper! Ice Bears lead 2-0!

THE MOMENT WHEN ZHUO WEI SCORES


It's incredible how our players play today. They dominate a very concentrated game against a very respectable name in this sport.
Ice Bears attack again, Jurešić shoots, hits the defensive player of the opponent. New Anglicana players go on a quick counter attack. Our players left a lot of empty space behind...Austin Richards rushed towards our goal...aaaaand he shots...goal! Nova Anglicana reduced it to 2-1!
Is this a sign that New Anglicana is coming back?!
Already in the next attack, all hopes of the opponent to return to the match are sunk by Petra Jurešić. Right after her failed shot, the Anglicans scored a goal, but now she was accurate! Petraaaaa Jurešiiiić for 3-1!
In the third period, Nova Anglicana is an equal opponent. For the first time in this match, we see that the Anglicans are still very dangerous. They threatened our goal three times in a row but failed. Goran Tuđman enters the game again, Jelena Ivezić also enters.
Matko Heretović changes the direction of the game and replaces Petra Jurešić with Mirko Buvač!
It was this trio that created a great action from which Goran Tuđman scored a goal for 4-1!
His first in this match and 7th in the tournament! Great player! Absolutely great!
Half a minute before the end of the game, Ken Saunders reduces to 4-2! Nova Anglicana is going home!
The Ice Bears are in to the semi-finals!
The fans in the arena are absolutely overjoyed! Thousands came to cheer on our players and emotions are high among them!
The next opponent in this same arena will be Ko-oren!
They beat us in the first round robin match with 6-3! They are absolute favorites in this match as well. However, the Ice Bears now and the Ice Bears in the first game are not the same teams! this is a new, exciting team! Eager for success and will want to take that success. Ko-oren will have much bigger problems this time!

ICE BEARS THANKING TO THE FANS


GO ICE BEARS !!!

[Valanora]

It was a risk of a letdown for the Calcuttas, as the team that they faced in the Quarterfinals on paper was nowhere near as difficult as they faced in the Round of Sixteen, but they were here and the Black-and-Reds were not, that was the way knockout international tournaments went sometimes. Vanorians are not surprised by the more difficult match coming in the first knockout round or even in the group stages, there have been far too many occasions across multiple sports where that sort of incident had transpired, and yet the risk of not taking the upcoming game seriously was still there. Despite all the preparation and the attempts by the coaching staff to ensure that the team is focused and taking the game as seriously as the occasion demanded that they do so, the worry would always be there for the fans and staff that they players simply would not take the advice and preparation to heart. Luckily for the fans and the coaching staff of the Calcuttas, this was a game where the team buckled down and prepared in earnest for a difficult game and to give their best to try to reach the semifinals once more and the energy from the team was top notch from the opening faceoff to the relief of many.

Fear of a letdown quickly turned into fear of a blowout that would turn quite boring for the home crowd as the Calcuttas netted thrice in the opening five minutes as the team fed off the energy of the crowd and showcased their raw talent. The arena was rocking and the navy sweaters were out en masse in support of the home team, especially the few home club players playing for the national team, as the team roared with approval each time one of the Raptors made a play on the puck. The Calcuttas would add a fourth before the end of the first period for a comfortable and impressive four goal lead after the first twenty minutes with the visitors looking a bit shell-shocked and awestruck by having to go up against the host side. The six stars adorned on the crest that lays right above the heart on the sweater is an indication of the prestige and legacy that the team has as well as the sometimes far too lofty expectations and for a side who entered into a round where they maybe had not expected to be in, it looked like it was overwhelming them. If New Rotterdam City had any chance of a comeback or to make the game competitive, their coaching staff was going to need to calm the nerves of the team in between the periods.

If they did, giving another goal to the Vanorians inside the first three minutes of the second period looked like it was about to undo all the work that they might have put into the effort. Yet not even a minute later the visitors got on the board with a deft deflection in front of net and two minutes later after a bad penalty in the offensive zone by the Calcuttas, they were adding a second goal to bring the deficit back down to just three and try to make a real game of it. The Calcuttas were not intent on letting such a large lead slip away though and started to dump and forecheck a little more aggressively, allowing for better line changes for themselves and to try and hem their opponents into their own zone and cause turnovers with giving them less time to think and make a play on the puck. The increase in intensity would pay dividends as just a few moments after the halfway point of the period the Calcuttas would add their sixth goal of the game and then with just thirty-eight seconds left in the period they would add a seventh for a commanding lead going into the final frame of play.

The last period was mostly a formality, the side with a five goal lead and clearly the superior team on paper and on the ice, it was all but a certainty that they were going to advance into the semifinals and have another game at this arena. The visitors though put the smallest amount of doubt into their mind with a goal six minutes into the frame, but the Calcuttas would convert on a powerplay after a delay of game call with eleven minutes and fourteen seconds left. It would end up being the last goal in the eight to three victory and the side would give the victory stick taps and respect to the home crowd who would be seeing them for at least one more match. The penultimate opponent would come in the Rushmori outfit of Zenic, who say that the Calcuttas are something of a bogey team, though the home side might be a bit wary considering that Zenic just came off an overtime victory against the proverbial favorites for the tournament in Elejamie. Clearly on their day Zenic is capable of beating anyone and the defense has not looked as sharp in the knockouts as it was in the group stage, though the offense has flourished. Tighten up things in the defensive end and keep up the pressing attack while feeding off the home fans energy and the team could be going back to Stormguard for a chance at a seventh World Cup of Hockey title.

[Valanora]

Semifinal Cutoff
Srednjaci 0–2 Ko-oren
Valanora 1–1 Zenic (2–1 OT)*
*Scorinated by Quebec

3PPo
Srednjaci v Zenic @ Raynor City

Final
Ko-oren v Valanora @ Stormvalen Arena, Stormguard

[Zenic]

Go for.......Bronze, yet again

Amongst the crowd of Zenicians that shuffle about Raynor City this morning, one common phrase floats over all other conversations. A dreaded but becoming-all-too-common one that haunts all: "Not again." For the second straight edition of the top ice hockey competition in the multiverse, the Frozen Survivors are struck down by the sharp skate edges of the Calcuttas.

In the Vanorian capital, this running clash of offense vs defense entertained one and all once more. Coach Per's squad did a fantastic job of stifling the Calcuttas and getting out of the first period level at zero goals a piece despite some close calls. In the second period, Sigurd Monsen's squad would not be as forgiving. A penalty in Valanora's favor was awarded after Ejvind Jyothi was called for a cross check with about 9 minutes left in the period. After a few line changes and much passing back and forth, an opening for Camilla Berglund appeared and she was able to put a wrist shot past Zenician captain and goaltender Aesop Stevo for the lead.

That lead would hold until the final 120 seconds of the match. By that point, Grover Per took a rare gamble and pulled his captain to replace him with Linda Laxmi. She joined the full first line and pairing to give the Frozen Survivors the best chance possible to equalize. There was some nice passing back and forth and a few shots but the puck just seemed to not want to go into the net. Then, a nice skate around the back of the net gave Ovidia Ellis enough space to pass to Vlastimir Tomislav who brute forced the puck into the net with 33 seconds to spare. It gave neither team enough time to score the game winner so overtime was inevitable.

The overtime period was a back and forth affair as the Frozen Survivors set out to meet the Calcuttas head-on at their own game. Some remarkable chances from both teams that somehow did not go in was topped off with a long shot from Sina Anwar getting deflected in front of the net by Dennis Myhrvold for another in a long list of heartbreaking goals by Valanora against Zenic. With that, the score was 2-1 and it would stay that way until the final whistle blew, sealing the result into the history books.

And yet, Zenic does not have the pleasure of sitting down, wallowing in their despair, and trying to analyze what went wrong. Up next, the theoretically top 10 Frozen Survivors of Zenic get a matchup with the surprising upstart Ice Bears of Srednjaci. Taking place in Raynor City, the third place playoff will have significant importance to both squads. A third place for Zenic turns the 'theoretical top 10' into a 'guaranteed top 10.' Meanwhile, a third place finish would propel Srednjaci even further up the rankings and prove a gracious boost to their excellent growth.

All in all, this consolation prize is one that neither nation will want to, and potentially afford to, lose so expect a fantastic game as we approach the culmination of the 51st World Cup of Hockey.

-- Ligita Pranciškus

Ligita Pranciškus is one of our top sporting writers at The Leinz Herald. Ligita graduated with his Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from Proctor University in Coohen and has been working for the Herald covering domestic and foreign hockey events. We are excited to have him take charge in leading the cover over the Empire of Zenic’s ice hockey adventures.