1. CW TRIVIA, 3 TPE max - 1 TPE for participation, 0.5 TPE for each correct answer. This is completed through a Google form linked below. Make sure to spell your answers correctly or you will not get credit. Post your verification word in your CW post.

Evok


CW TRIVIA LINK



2. Written, up to 4 TPE - Grab Bag: Pick up to 4 Challenge Cup related topics to write about! Each topic is worth 1 TPE. Each answer must be 50+ words.
a. Atlanta is a recent expansion team reaching it's first finals appearance. Chicago has been a dominant force in the league for a long time now, with their last cup win only seven seasons ago in Season 57. If you're betting on these finals, do you go for the experienced vets in Chicago, or the hungry Atlanta first-timers?

I want to give a lot of props to Atlanta for making it into the finals. It isn’t easy with how dominant a few teams have been over the FHM era but I am going to have to give it to Chicago if I were a betting man. They just have a higher TPE average than Atlanta and are just overall the better team.


b. Chicago's lineup much more active with their sticks than Atlanta's, racking up 97 takeaways to Atlanta's 79. This late in the playoffs, how do you adjust to a team that's so adept at picking your pocket?

With Chicago having a lot more takeaways than Atlanta, if I was Atlanta I would try and play a clean game. What I mean is I would not try any fancy tricks. Just stick with the basics and hope for the best. By doing this the risk of error would be lower which would reduce the chances of the Chicago Syndicate from picking their pockets.

c. Atlanta has only 32 penalty minutes in these playoffs compared to Chicago's 45. With emotions high and the Challenge Cup on the line, do you think discipline will play a big role in this series?

I think discipline plays a huge role in the outcome of any game, not just the finals. You cannot score a lot of goals if you are constantly trying to kill off a power play. So I think with Atlanta having a better discipline track record these playoffs compared to Chicago it does play a big role and Atlanta can use that to their advantage.

d. Similar to last season's finals, we see Chicago running a balanced ice-time attack against Atlanta's targeted approach that has some players seeing sheltered minutes. Last season the more balanced attack won out. Do you think we'll see the same again? Why or why not?

The Chicago syndicate seem to understand what they need to do to win but so does the Atlanta Inferno. With that being said I do think it will play out in similar fashion. Chicago just seems like they know what they are doing more than Atlanta does. And like the prompt said that has already worked in the past.



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3. Written, up to 4 TPE - Grab Bag: Pick up to 4 Four Star Cup related topics to write about! Each topic is worth 1 TPE. Each answer must be 50+ words.
a. Newfoundland has gotten 25 points in 11 games from two of their top D, Rand al'Thor and Mikko Rashford. If you're Quebec's coach, how do you adjust to Newfoundland having guys on the blue line that are just as offensively dangerous as the wingers?

Quebec is in an incredibly tough spot when they have 5 guys all capable of scoring on you. It is hard to say what you can do to stop that. One thing that Quebec can do is use guys who are not afraid to put their body in between the Newfoundland defender and their goalie and hope the blocked shot creates a chance for Quebec.

b. Quebec has three players shooting 20% or better in Bertrand, Utah, and Kidd. If you're the Newfoundland defense, how do you find a way to bottle up three forwards that can't seem to miss the back of the net?

Having three players with such a high shooting percentage can be problematic but that does not always paint the whole picture. They could be just lucky. However, to stop them from hitting the back of the net you need a solid goalie and also crowding the forward can help which would prevent them from getting a good shooting lane.

c. Looking at each teams' PDO, we see that Quebec is riding a bit of a hot streak while Newfoundland has actually been a bit unlucky. Do you think this a is a good thing for either team? Is Newfoundland bound to find some luck, or are they going to get stuck in a rut? Is Quebec going to come back down to Earth, or did they get hot at the right time?

PDO is always a tricky thing. At any point it can swing in any which way it wants. To say it is a good or bad thing if a team is lucky or unlucky is not always straightforward. Also Newfoundland was not really stuck in a rut they were still beating teams so even if their PDO was still on the unlucky side that doesn’t mean Quebec is going to have an easy time battling them in the finals.


d. Newfoundland has appeared in all 4 of the last SMJHL finals and won 3 of them. Quebec, a consistently strong presence in the SMJHL, has a lot of playoff success behind them as well, having won several series since their last 4 Star in S58. How do you approach this series mentally on either side? If you're Newfoundland, are you worried your streak can't last forever? If you're Quebec, do you fear that you can't take down a goliath?


If I was Newfoundland I would approach this series as calmly and collected  as I can. They have been here numerous times recently and have come out as victorious in the finals every time so I would just approach this series like it is any other game. That way my nerves would not get the best of me.



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7. Milestones, up to 3 TPE
Milestones are folded in with CW. Just link your Milestone claim below this task for up to 3 TPE towards your 16 total.

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Post your claim in the milestones thread for tpe earned per stat, and then link that post in your CW submission. This is done because the person who grades CW will be a different person than double-checks milestones.


MILESTONES ARE HERE
Graphics and Podcasts

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22. Written, 2 TPE, Be Nice (100 words min.)
I’ve seen this prompt used from time to time and I think the end of my first full season as PT director is as good of a time as any. Use this 100 words to give a compliment to someone in the community that you appreciate! Whether it’s a friend, a GM, a PT director, or one of those amazing folks that designed the card website– try to make someone smile with some kind words!

I would like to take the time to write about my good friend @Kalakar even though he refuses to watch Star Wars The Clone Wars. >:( He is a good guy who always seems to be in a good mood whenever we talk in the Buffalo Locker Room. He did a lot for the league in regards to the way we sim. I would also like to mention that He also mailed me Maple Syrup from Quebec which was an incredibly nice thing for him to do. I thoroughly enjoy his presence in the Buffalo Stampede Locker room and hope to see him with a new player at some point!


Total: +16