Fall Previews - Week Eight - November 20th

Ihsan vs Shukr

Ihsan has been star-crossed and continues to face adversity. Last week Ihklas gave the red shirts a run for their money and eventually went straight for Ihsan's jugular in a 2-1 decision. Ihsan, losers of three consecutive need to find a way some to stop the bleeding. How could a team with so much depth be treading for water in the standings is beyond me? Whether it be juggling lines or a tongue lashing, Coach K must resolve this winless drought. Will Ihsan conquer their quest at winning? Can Ihsan's backend neutralize Shukr's offence?

Life isn't always a smooth ride. Shukr's transit this regular season has been fruitful as they still remain an undefeated team. However, last week was a close shave for the blue shirts as they refermed and showed some character in concealing a single point. It was a game that Shukr would regret, mainly broadcasting a lot of sloppiness, but in the end Naeem Akhtar's squad showed some character and avoided any collateral damage. Shukr brushes with Ihsan for their first of a two game series and will have to eclipse their errors from last week. Can Shukr withstand Ihsan's weathered players? Will Atif Mian and Shabil Ahmed prolong their swing of points?

Burning Questions?

Is Ihsan the real deal? Will Shukr be able to penetrate Ihsan's seasoned defence?

Player To Watch:
Humza Chaudhry was torching the points earlier this season. Can Humza Chaudhry help in getting his team out of this depression?

Who's Hot?
Aazar Zafar has been on a mean streak and has provided 7 points in his last 4 games.

Sabr vs Emaan

The basement tenants of the standings will pursuit to avoid a rerun of last week's act. Sabr will once again try to prove their substance in the league after slipping away from Haya last week. The teele shirts failed to clasp a two goal league and consequently succumbed to Haya's pressure, losing the game 3-2. Sabr needs to stay away from the sin bin and concentrate on how to close games. The procrastination has to stop and some dedication needs to start for Sabr. Can Sabr turn over a new leaf and break free from their two game slump? Fans, have your tomatoes ready!

Emaan put up a gallant effort versus Shukr and almost left the arena two points heavier. Unfortunately, the orange shirt's defence went numb and the game resulted in a draw. The same issues plague Emaan weekly and transforming this team into a competitor has been quite an intimidating chore. It's awesome that every team makes the playoff. However, with this regular season acting as a 10 game rehearsal; does Emaan have enough chemistry when it comes to, "showtime?" Can Emaan continue to degrade Sabr? Zuhair Fancy added a profitable layer of defensive presence; will the remainder of the back end be able to echo his efforts?

Burning Questions?

Which team will surge victorious?

Player To Watch:
Osama Soliman etched a stellar 3 point tally last week and needs to relay that same hunger against Sabr.

Who's Hot?
Ahmed Hathout continues to be the poster boy for Sabr with 15 points and clearly leads the scoring race.

Ikhlas vs Haya

Ikhlas went nose to nose with Ihsan in what verified to be the match of the night. Call Ikhlas's performance, "poetry in motion" but the green shirts played a riveting game with Farrukh Khan sealing the deal on a beaming howitzer. Still bullheaded in clinching first place, the green shirts brandish a 2 game win streak and confront Haya in what many may attest this a cakewalk. Waqar Khan continues to be the player this Ikhlas wagon is hitched to while Farooq Sani and Mohammad Hamoud pour in their supporting efforts. Can Ikhlas sustain Haya's persistent forwards? 

Despite missing players and illustrating a baggage of errors, Haya got it's turn in beating up on the league's current rag doll (Sabr) in a 3-2 convening win. All credit to the grey shirts in roaring back into a game they probably had no business winning. Although Salman Syed, Rehan Makhani and Faisal Mehboob catered some pivotal performances, a surplus of credit goes to fill-in goalie Fraz Khan who had big shoes to replace and ultimately delivered. Now the test comes when it'll be Ikhlas's "gung-ho" hockey versus Haya's "wait and see" approach. Will the grey shirts avenge their previous loss to team green?

Burning Questions?

Two teams. Both with hot streaks. Who's the winner?

Player To Watch:
When Waqar ain't racking the points the you know Mohammad Hamoud is always up for the challenge. Hamoud sits comfortably at the higher end of the spectrum in his team's stats.

Who's Hot?
Salman Khalid stepped up his game and provided some much needed offence, sealing a two points night.

Fall Previews - Week Seven - November 13th

Ihsan vs Ikhlas

At first blush when I filtered through Ihsan's roster I was convinced that these guys had the juices to pack a huge punch. Well, things haven't materialized properly. Goalie missing, players missing, foolish penalties and the inconsistency to just delivery has many perplexed. Truthfully, Ihsan's record is contradictory to who they really are. Last week, the red shirts were forced to dance to Haya's tunes as playing with a yawning was equivalent to walking the plank. Ihsan will tango with Ikhlas who've clearly been at the higher end of the food chain. Will Ihsan become the prey for another week? It'll be Shuaib Hussein versus Waqar Khan, which of the brawny players will get their team the win? 

Electric. That's how I depict these guys and their devotion! There's more currents flowing in this team then Hydro One! Either Ikhlas's brass was beaten with brilliance or simply fluked it off when drafting this squad. The green shirts dug deep and thwarted Emaan last week in a 3-1 thumping. Ikhlas's newest hardware, the weathered Junaid Mohammad didn't disappoint as he got his team on the board, after that the onslaught started. If surprises like Nadeem Faqiri can keep sweating their guts out then Ikhlas is going to be a team that everyone will be afraid to play. Can the green shirts keep things rolling in the win column?

Burning Questions?

Will Ihsan be able to march their way to victory?

Player To Watch:

It's only fitting to match beast with beast. Known for his booming shot and determination, Shuaib Hussein will attempt to get his team amped up for this tilt.

Who's Hot?
Who else? Waqar Khan obviously. Khan picked up a three point night last Friday and scored a beauty of a breakaway goal after outpacing an Emaan defenceman.

Haya vs Sabr

Winning an open net game perhaps isn't the best avenue to building character. Unfortunately when that's the best the opposition has to offer, then what do you do? Simple, you take the win and run. Despite Haya beating a struggling Ihsan, there's still items on their bucket list that require attention. Eliminating the solo efforts and minimizing the unnecessary penalties, then watch your fate inshallah. Haya sits comfy in the standings but has yet to convince the critics on their stature in the league. Umar Muhammad and Imran Lakhanpal have been the maestros of the offensive cohort while Salman Syed and Nadeem Qureshi have yet to hit the twine. What will be Haya's fate this week against Sabr? The grey shirts squeezed by Sabr last time but with Sabr coming into this this match hungrier than a 17 hour fast, anything is possible.

Everyone forgets about Sabr in this league, and realistically they've been ignored like that red headed stepchild. Teams are beating this squad time after time and basically passing them around like currency. Last week, Shukr handed Sabr their fifth loss and let's just say the score was beyond humiliating. Either Huzaifa Manjara's team needs to pull up their socks and get their hands dirty or it'll be a washout when it comes to the post season. Ahmad Hathout has been the only saving grace for Sabr, but how much can he do? Is anyone there? The Siddiqui's brother's (Farhan & Kamran) have been at the forefront on defence and need to step up their d-game and lead this squad to a monumental win. Will Sabr make a splash or continue drowning?

Burning Questions?

Has Haya met their match versus Sabr?

Player To Watch:

Imran Lakhanpal has been soaring with 6 points in his last 3 games.

Who's Hot?
If there's one person who truly has Sabr with his team is Ahmad Hathout. The crafty forward sits warmly on top of the league with a mammoth 13 points. 

Emaan vs Shukr

They say what hurts you is always good for you. If that's the case then these baffling losses must be building blocks for something really positive to come, at least we hope. Emaan has been plagued with short benches and is mostly arrested in their own zone. The orange shirts suffered another blow and succumbed to Ikhlas's stubborn henchmen, hence losing 3-1. The Soliman's are going to have to push the right buttons this week and hopefully get back into mix with a big win, cause after them the depth just ceases from what we see. The injection of Naiem Malik proved to have tamed some defensive lapses but unfortunately the remainder of the cast seem to be loose bricks. Can Emaan turn the tides on Shukr and get the ball rolling? 

Naeem Akhtar and Fahad Malik continue to enjoy their team's fortunes. Though it was unorthodox for them to be hunting earlier in the game versus Sabr last week, the blue shirts buried their foes in a 8-2 destruction. Shukr is on a roll and has been hotter than a five alarm blaze. Can Emaan cool them down this week? Dangling sensations; Aazar Zafar and Mehmed Rizwanovic have been big time shareholders in churning out goals. Conversely, nimble forwards like Shabil Ahmed and Atif Mian will make defenders go bonkers just from their grit and determination. Rookie Danish Qureshi has played some strong defence and has garnered quite some attention. Will the blue shirts be able to prolong their unbeaten swing or have they met their match this week?

Burning Questions?
Will Emaan be able to rebound after only pocketing 1 point in their last 5 games? Zuhair Fancy has been claimed on waivers for the orange shirts; can Fancy turn this team around?

Player To Watch:
Abdur-Rahman Butter leads his team with 7 points but the Soliman's must turn it up a few notches.

Who's Hot?

Atif Mian had an unforgettable 4 game night versus Sabr. 

Fall Previews - Week Six - November 6th

7:45PM Shukr v. Sabr

Sabr! True to their name, Sabr has been patient and persevered! At exactly the half-way point through the season, Sabr has won their game!

And they did it in dramatic fashion. Ahmad Hathout, who has been producing all year and currently leads the league in points, rolled of the half-boards and deposited the game winner with 30 seconds left in the game.

Wow! Sabr with a full bench and scoring goals? Shukr might be in for a bigger test than they thought. The same guys who are sitting on top of the league standings and undefeated, are going to have their hands full dealing with the tank-like Ahmad Hathout and the maniacal rover Huzaifa Manjra (does he play forward? Defense? “Forence”?)

Burning Question?

Will Shukr keep chugging along and remain undefeated?

Players To Watch: You gotta watch Ahmad Hathout. Why? He’s just fun to watch man.

Who’s Hot? For the fourth mention in this game preview (and yes I’m totally his cheerleader at this point): Ahmad Hathout with 12 points in 5 games including SEVEN(!!!) in his last TWO(!!!!)

8:45PM Haya v. Ihsan

Oh Ihsan. Ihsan, Ihsan, Ihsan. How far are you from your namesake (Ihsan means excellence). This team has the most blown leads/ties in the last minute of a game than any other team in the league. That’s far from excellent.

There’s some kind of mental toughness that this team needs to conjure otherwise they’re in for a rough season. And coach K? He’s gotta do some coaching and get this team ready for closing out 1 goal games. This stuff can’t happen for a team with that much talent.

On the brighter side, Haya finally scored goals! Four of them! This after scoring only two goals in their last three games. What’s even more impressive is that they did it with a short bench and with almost all their better players as no-shows.

Not to worry. Faisal Mehboob and Imran Lakhanpal both picked up the slack and scored two goals apiece.

But to give credit where it’s due, Rizwan Ali basically stood on his head for Haya in that game. And he had to because Haya was dominated possession-wise throughout that game. He might have to do that more often!

Burning Questions? Both teams are middlingly average. Which team is getting back on the road to decency?

Who’s Hot? Imran Lakhanpal had 3 points last week including 2 goals and he can really score goals if he’s ignored.

Player to Watch: I’m giving this to Humza Chaudhry because he deserves some attention. He has 5 points this season and scored a highlight reel goal where he split the defense and scored an incredible goal.

9:45PM Emaan v. Ikhlas

Hard luck. Both teams just suffered some terrible luck last week.

Emaan totally dominated Haya last week and poured it on for the entire second period and couldn’t buy a goal. The better team, ran into a hot goalie, and lost. That’s hockey. It happens.

Ikhlas had a tighter game but also probably outplayed their opponents but also lost 1-0 and suffered their first loss of the year.

Captain, and perennial player-of-the-game winner, Ahmad Ibrahim needs to grab his team by the collar and get them refocused on this game. Ahmad Ibrahim will also need to engage some of his minor depth players like Waqar Khan, and get him scoring goals again.

Meanwhile, the Solimans need to tell Yousuf Soliman that it’s a good idea to shoot the ball from time to time – especially if he’s playing defense. Might help them get on track.

Burning Questions? Will Ikhlas return to dominance? Will Emaan finally start scoring the way they can?

Who’s Hot? Kaunain Saiyed has a 1.60 GAA and a league leading .860 SV%. Great stats for him!

Player to Watch: Hani Soliman’s is starting to heat up (3 pts in last 2 games), and he’s the playmaker that makes his team tick, so watch out for him.