Championships Finals - Series Preview

The night of game 2's couldn't have concluded in dynamic fashion as it did some time ago. There were broken hearts, glum faces, yet riveting finishes and absolute shock! Emaan cruised to an easy finish and plodded through Shukr in a 5-3 win. Conversely, the aura in the Ihsan-Haya game was of a different telltale. The Red Army shocked the I-Slam fanfare and beat Haya in regulation only to sail through the shootout and reserve their tickets to the finals. Now let's get to the nitty gritty of the finals...

Emaan vs Ihsan

(Head to Head: Emaan wins 1-0-1)

The Orangemen glided past Shukr in round one and didn't show any sign of over indulgence. Emaan held their fort in every department and pounced on Shukr's blunders in sealing the deal. Now that the orange shirts have made it to the promiseland; will they be able to surmount Ihsan's energy? Emaan's ability on drowning the opposition in their own end has sparked wonders. The culprits behind that are the Orangemen's first line of Waqar Khan, Arif Bijabhai and Furqan Salam. Toss in the the prowess of Jibraan Salam and Abdu Sharkaway and you've got a menacing offensive crew that has substance. Equally willful has been Orange's defense. Adeel Awan and Bilal Pervaiz have played pivotal minutes along with Belal Hafeez. However the surprise defender has been Kashif Taqiuddin, whose existence has generated nothing but offense. Can Emaan blanket their sketchy goaltending with robust defense? Let's admit it, and this is no knock on Sadiq Rehman, but he can be better. The Orangemen must prep themselves as Ihsan will pour pure momentum in this series. 

The odds were limp on Ihsan winning the series versus Haya, but astonishingly the Red Army did the deed minus stalwarts Salman Khalid and Nauman Abbasi, which hails accolades to the red shirts on conquering such a feat. Sporting a shriveled bench but playing with bucket's of passion, Ihsan's storybook ending couldn't have finished in such a cinematic style. Since the birth of the spring season, Ihsan has been reputed in making the finals of which they've claimed the cup only once. Can they own the championships for a second time? Ihsan's defensive core has been very stingy on allowing any visas over the blue line. Salman Khalid, Nadeem Qureshi, Nauman Abbasi and Abdul Wahab Mohammad have tolerated the d-man life and will once again provide their hearty services in keeping Emaan's bullheaded forwards outside the boundary. Meanwhile, Ahmad Hathout and the Soliman's (Yousuf & Hany) will try to find their groove as they spear their way through Emaan's defensive core. Netminder Abu Mamooji hasn't been parallel from previous seasons and he knows it. If there's a time to show some value in your game then it's now. 

Burning Questions?

Nadeem Qureshi and Bilal Pervaiz have been vital players in the backend whose perseverance has shouted volumes offensively. Who'll prevail in making an impact?

Players To Watch:

Furqan Salam and Yousuf Soliman will be on both teams's peripheral vision. Both individuals carry oodles of speed and are known for their volatile gameplay. 

Who's Hot?

Beast vs Beast!!! Both Waqar Khan vs Ahmad Hathout have topped the stats in their teams and have repeatedly proved that they got more mileage then a set of Michelin tires. Which player will drive their team to the distance?

Round One Playoffs - Series Previews

Playoff Series Previews:

Shukr vs Emaan 

(Head to Head: Emaan wins 1-0-1)

Shukr is a team that might not be offensively loud like Emaan, but defensively very sound. Captain Ibrahim Hindy has sold the defensive notion to the boys in blue as his team's season long perspiration shadows a team record of 3-1-6. Khalid Mufti has been solid and stingy in net for the blue shirts, while stalwarts Arssal Shahuuddin and Riaz Lasania lead the back end. Shukr must decipher Emaan and neutralizing their speed. Shuaib Hussein has been one of the top guns on the squad and will look to get chum Gehad Al-Hundi into the same rhythm. There many more pieces that have rounded out Shukr's season but with one loss as a blemish to their record, will they be able to counter Emaan's run and gun style?

Emaan has had a flourishing season and only sport two losses to their ten game stretch. The Orangemen's bread and butter has been their first line, tacked with some solid defence. Waqar Khan has been a hulk all season long and has caused too much turmoil for his opponents. Emaan being the only team to beat Shukr anticipates to finish the blue shirts faster than you can blink. The only kink on Emaan is their goaltending. Netminder Sadiq Rehman has seen brighter days but for some reason he's been a tad erratic this season. Nevertheless, with Bilal Pervaiz, Belal Hafeez and Kashif Taqiuddin providing the back end insulation, Rehman should be sufficient. Can Emaan run all over Shukr once again?

Burning Questions?

Which team will win their series? 

Player To Watch:

Arssal Shahabuddin played the entire game versus Haya last week and once again asserted his leadership on Shukr. 

Who's Hot?

Furqan Salam also pulled off a riveting performance last game and also had a big hand in pulling the plug on Sabr's playoff lifeline. Will Furqan be able to forward this momentum versus Shukr.

Ihsan vs Haya

(Head to Head: Haya wins 2-0-0)

Ihsan has had a second lease at life and is headed to the playoffs. A team that was once written off and hibernating near the pit of the standing has recollected their mindset and hasn't gotten off the gas pedal since then. GM Salman Khalid and company are the hottest team headed into the post season with a four game unbeaten streak under their belt and will be keen on trying to upset the 1st seed kingpins. Ahmad Hathout, Farooq Sani and the Soliman's (Yousuf and Hani) have been show stealers here and will be heavily entrusted in making this upset happen. The Red Army have had tough times containing Haya's seasoned players and will need to be cognizant of Naeem Akhtar and company. Will Ihsan make life challenging for the Misty Marauders?

Haya's a team that went straight for their opponent's jugular way back in the Rink City days, winning every game and out-hustling the opponents with their veteran presence. However, something happened then when they made the shift to the larger arena. They still won games, but not as dominantly like the past. Regardless, against Ihsan, Haya will need to interrogate Abu Mamoooji till the cows come home and wear down the red shirt's firm defence. While most of the odds fair well with Haya, only time will dictate whether their first place accomplishment was virtually hard work or utterly luck. Logically, we envision a Haya win, but then again, anything is possible. Can Saleem Malik and Akib Malik lead Haya in winning this series?

Burning Questions?

Which team will win their series? 

Player To Watch:

There's a lot riding on Naeem Akhtar. The giant has played a pivotal role to Haya's stature and is forecasted to log heavy minutes in this series. 

Who's Hot?

Yousuf Soliman notched up a 3 point night while exterminating Ikhlas of their misery. Expect Yousuf to turn the pace up a few notches against Haya.