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*CptSquall* · 11-11-2020, 04:22 PM

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1. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)

Reflection on your season - how did your player fare on the ice this season? Did you meet or surpass your individual player goals or did you come up short? Whether you excelled or disappointed - what can you attribute that to? What will you try to do better next season?

After a step back in his sophomore season, Ruslan made HUGE strides to get back to the kind of player he came up as. Notching yet another 30 point season on the top line of the up and coming Toronto North Stars. This was helped both by an increased shooting percentage (5.88% in S55 vs 12.40% in S56) and fewer penalty minutes (41 in S55 vs 24 in S56). He had a career high 121 Shots and his 3rd straight 100 hit season as the power forward in the combo. With more young, gifted players and a massive trade that brought in top end defenceman Adam Barron from Winnipeg, Toronto, and by extension Ruslan, can expect to have a MUCH better season. As the defence gets better one can expect the plus minus to improve. As it improves, i could see Ruslan and the Stars notching more points as they spend less time hemmed into their own zone to allow them to really shine.

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2. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)

Of the 10 most recent finals series, which do you think is the most memorable and why? Which will be remembered in history as the best/most important/most memorable series or victory? S46: BUF over NOLA, S47: WKP over CGY, S48: BUF over WPG, S49: EDM over NEW, S50: CGY over TBB, S51: HAM over EDM, S52: MAN over SFP, S53: HAM over EDM, S54: NOLA over HAM, S55: BUF over NOLA.

It should come as no surprise that, will all the options out there, it comes down to two for me. When you think about it, who are the common denominators over this last decade of SHL Hockey? Buffalo is there three times, with their three cups. Edmonton is up there three times as well. Hamilton is there three times in the last five years alone. New Orleans is up there thrice as well including back to back these last two seasons. While seeing the same top teams up there gives hope that one can build successful contenders, to a neutral fan it can get boring. Calgary vs Tampa Bay was exciting because it was the Barracuda's first big run and felt like a big deal. My pick though, is S52's Clash between the Manhattan Rage and San Francisco Pride. Why? I'll tell ya, you had a solid team in New York that looked and played like they could go, but werent odds on favorites at the beginning of the playoffs. On the other side you had a STRONG San Fran team that had never won a playoff series powering their way into the finals. It was shiny, it was new, it was refeshing, and i loved every minute of it.

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4. Written/Graphic, 3 TPE (150 words min.)

If the SHL needed to set up a playoff bubble (like the NHL did in Edmonton/Toronto or the NBA in Orlando), which city would be the best candidate to host as the hub city? What would the players do during their time in a playoff bubble? (For graphic option, make an advertisement [like a pamphlet/brochure] in support of a specific city as the hub city and highlighting the reasons why.)

When it comes picking out hub cities, we want a few things. You want somewhere where the cases are not spiraling out of control. You want a popular, big money location, and finally the players would want somewhere where there are the best amenities. Now we have the same cities as the NHL used and they do fit many of the bills. But honestly, SHL Toronto is not the same as NHL Toronto. I also have the benefit of being able to use theoretical Covid figures to pick my cities. So where do we go? In my opinion we want places with fantastic food, not too expensive, moderate weather, and SHL Playoff relevant. My picks are Manhattan and Texas in the west. Why? Texas Barbecue, large amount of space, showcasing a young playoff team that doesnt get the light that Calgary, Edmonton, and New Orleans tend to get. The Rage get the nod because its New York FREAKING City! They get upstaged as a team by Buffalo and Hamilton in the east. Sure its expensive but how can you be bored in the Big Apple?

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13. Written, up to 4 TPE - Pick up to 4 Challenge Cup related topics to write about! Each topic is worth 1 TPE. Each answer must be 50+ words.

a. Both of these teams have an impressive set of skaters - without factoring in any coaching or tactical strategies, which team do you think has the better roster of skaters on paper?

b. Do you foresee the teams making any strategic adjustments during the course of the series? Should the teams be quick to switch tactics or stick with what they've been using?

c. These two teams hail from the Great Lakes Division. Which of the Great Lakes (Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, Superior) do you think is the Greatest and why?

d. If, once it is safe to do so, you had to go hang out in person with one of the users on Buffalo/Hamilton, who would you hang out with and what would you do? (if you pick gabe you get -1 tpe)

A. This is a difficult question to answer as both the Buffalo Stampede and Hamilton Steelhawks boast an amazing array of time tested skaters and very deep lineups. One one hand, Hammy has more 2000 TPE players, on the other BUF has more TPE overall. The Steelhawks are a well oiled machine that has been powering through the season. The defending champs are more of a rugged and tenacious bunch that always find ways to make it through. For this season, i like Hamilton's roster more as it has been winning a lot more often this season and i think has what it takes. Overall though, and it has shown this last decade, the Stamps have one constantly powerful roster that never seems to dip in quality.

B. Any coach/GM/strategist worth their salt has to be flexible during a series to look to match what they can do. It's not as simple as find ways to improve each of your team's stats and skills on the fly. Things that can be done with weekly updates as much as tactics. In the playoffs its all about beating who your matched up to. You are shuffling line combos, tactics, player's roles at times just to give you the higher odds to win the one or two games per sim. Adjusting and re adjusting to each change. Think of it like a dance. Each group looking to predict what the other will do next and how to offset it.

C. You know, they say save the best for last. Out of all the lakes, which one never gets name dropped. Well lets dive in a bit. Americans will talk up Lake Michigan like its the only one, and Lake Erie is their other favorite. Canadians focus on Lake Ontario and neither group neglects the always popular, large, and well known Lake Superior. She never gives up her dead you know. But i'll wager the most interesting, and therefore Greatest lake, is Lake Huron. She would be a researcher's dream as it is almost never talked about and i bet has fantastic stories just lurking in those murky waters.

D. Honestly, i'd like to shoot the shit with @WannabeFinn guy who has been around for a while and, in our short interactions both on site and discord is a cool enough guy to hang around with. What we would do? I dont know, probably grab a beer, maybe wings and shit. Talk about hockey, OSRS and whatever else seems to flow.

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16. CW TRIVIA, 3 TPE max - 1 TPE for participation, 0.5 TPE for each correct answer. This is now 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.

SUBMIT TRIVIA ANSWERS HERE

Verification word: Squally

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