Fall Season - Week Twelve - December 15th

First Blood Friday: We move from ‘Frantic Friday’ to ‘First Blood Friday’. Either Haya or Shukr will be crowned the Fall-2017 I-Slam Hockey Champions. Congratulations to both of these teams for making it this far. They both managed to build chemistry with other brothers for the most part haven’t had a chance to play with. As a group of strangers, you were forced to go through the grind of the regular season together. These two were the best amongst the four other teams from learning from their failures. Now there is just one step left from attaining what you have been chasing these past four months: The I-Slam Cup. Tonight, you can’t win the championship trophy, in fact it won’t even be at the arena. However, what you can do is improve your odds in this two-week battle and send a message to the last remaining obstacle in your way. You might not be able to win the championship tonight, but with a loss, your team might not be able to recover by ‘Championship Friday’. Who draws first blood?

9:00 PM- Haya (3) vs Shukr (4): Regular Season series tied 1-1.
September 29th, 2017: Haya won 2-1. Furqan Salam (Haya) scored both goals in the first half as Haya held on for dear life being outshot 27 to 11 for the game. Credit for this victory has to go to Kaunain Saiyed (Haya) who only surrender a goal from Dawood Ciombor (Shukr) on a power play.

Notable absences from this game were Nauman Abbasi (Shukr) and Nadeem Faqiri (Haya). Fair questions to mull over: does Salam get those goals if Abbasi there? Faqiri would have had an effect on the outcome of this game…but how much of an impact? Well he is the reason why his team is in the finals (scoring the shootout winner against Emaan last week), so he has shown he can come up clutch in the big moments.

Three stars of this game: 1st: Kaunain Saiyed - 26 saves; 2nd: Furqan Salam - 2 goals; 3rd: Dawood Ciombor - 1 goal.

By the way here is Waqar Khan’s post game interview.

November 10th, 2017: Shukr won 4-3. Again, Shukr outshoots Haya, but this time the spread is by a closer margin, 20-16. Furqan Salam continues his dominance over Shukr and opened the scoring while his team was short-handed. Afterwards, just like he did on September 29th, Dawood Ciombor scored a goal on a powerplay to end the 1st half 1-1. Shukr was able to get to Saiyed this go around as Humza Ali (Shukr) and Kashif Taqiuddin (Shukr) found the back of the net. Haya would reply via an unlikely suspect, Jawad Majeed. As this game moved along both penalty boxes started to fill up. This would be the downfall for Haya as Ibrahim Hindy (Shukr) would make them pay with a power play goal. Waqar Khan (Haya) would respond late for his team, but it was not enough as Shukr emerged victorious this time around.

Notable absences from this game were Khalid Mufti (Shukr), Mohammed Hamoud (Shukr) and Salman Khalid (Haya). Food for thought: you got to think if Salman Khalid played this game his team would have been more disciplined… as a result… does Shukr get those two power play goals and come away with this victory? On the flip side Mufti and Hamoud are significant pieces for Shukr and would have made things more difficult for Haya on this night.

Three stars of this game: 1st: Ibrahim Hindy (Shukr) - 1G 2A; 2nd: Salman Alvi (Haya) - 2A; 3rd: Kashif Taqiuddin (Shukr) - 1G

Assessing these teams:
Goals for: Haya: 24 vs Shukr: 20
Goals Against: Haya: 25 vs Shukr: 15
Shots Allowed: Haya: 195 vs Shukr: 156
Top Goals Scorer: Haya - Furqan Salam (10) vs Shukr - Dawood Ciombor (5)
Points Leader: Haya - Furqan Salam (11) vs Shukr - Humza Ali (11)

Insider Analysis:
Offense: We give the edge to Haya. They have the guy who scored the most goals this season. If he is able to continue to produce and in anticipation of Waqar Khan being able to turn back the clock to the Spring of 2017 where he won the overall scoring title, it will be a long series for Shukr.

Defense: We give the edge to Shukr. Pretty much Nauman Abassi and Salman Khalid cancel each other out. You would think this would suggest that Haya would have the advantage with Junaid Mohammad patrolling the blue-line. However, we feel that the back-checking of Humza Ali will ultimately give Shukr the upper-hand and may very well determine the winner of this serious if Haya as a team cannot match his effort.

Goaltending: This one is a tricky one. Both goalies on Frantic Friday were superb. We are nit-picking here but Kaunain Saiyed did look a bit nervous especially in the early parts of the game last week against Emaan. But hey, give him credit for recovering and playing through the nerves. On the other side Khalid Mufti was a stud for his team, posting back to back shutouts. With this in mind, goaltending is a streaky position, you will have your good moments and you will have your bad moments… right now Mufti is red-hot. Not to mention he sported better numbers than his counterpart during the regular season. We give the edge to Shukr.

Fall Season - Week Eleven - December 8th

Frantic Friday:You start off getting drafted on to a team of brothers for the most part you haven’t had the chance to play with.  You build chemistry as your team goes through the rigors of the regular season. You have some success and you have some failures along the way. Your team earns a playoff spot and takes one step closer to the ultimate goal. But sadly for three teams that is as far as they will get… they will take to the locker room one last time this season… give farewell-Salaams to their teammates, knowing that they will see some of them in different colour uniforms for the upcoming spring season. Only two teams will survive ‘Frantic Friday’.     

8:00 PM - Wildcard: Shukr (4) vs Yaqeen (5)Background: Be careful for what you wish for. In the final week of the regular season Shukr (red) had the chance to send Yaqeen (white) home (and in turn avoid playing in this game). Yaqeen was down to their final breath needing to win last week so they could play in the wildcard game. When you have a chance to finish a team you got to take advantage. Shukr may regret what happened in Week 10 as now Yaqeen has a second life. After going through this war, one of these teams needs to reset and get ready to take on #-1 seed, Sabr (yellow), an hour after.

Yaqeen won season series: 1-0-1
In Game One they teams tied 0-0; Three Stars of that game: 1^st- Ahmad Mobin (Yaqeen); 2^nd Star- Mohammad Hamoud (Shukr); 3^rd Star: Arslan Mian (Yaqeen)

In Game Two, Yaqeen won 2-1:; Three Stars of that game: 1^st- Ahmad Mobin (Yaqeen); 2^nd Star- Jazib Khan (Yaqeen); 3^rd Star: Humza Ali (Shukr)

Goals For: Shukr - 5^th; Yaqeen - 6^th
Goals Against:  Shukr - 3^rd; Yaqeen - 5^th
Shots Allowed: Shukr - 156; Yaqeen - 204
Top Goal Scorer: Shukr - Dawood Ciombar (5); Yaqeen - Farrukh Khan (4)
Points Leader: Shukr - Humza Ali (13); Yaqeen - Farrukh Khan (8)

9:00 PM - Semi-Finals #1: Emaan (2) vs Haya (3)

Background: Last week, both of these teams were looking to avoid playing in the wildcard game. While they both accomplished not having to play an extra game, neither Emaan (orange) or Haya (grey) looked “playoff ready”. This is obvious last week for Haya with their 3-0 lost against Sabr (evening getting serenaded with the “Na-Na-Na-Na-Hey-Hey-Goodbye by the Sabr fanbase from the balcony). Also for Emaan despite winning 4-2 most observers would agree that Ikhlas (green) deserved a better fate. Neither team is riding a wave of momentum heading into this matchup. This will all become minor details for one of these teams, as the winner will be finals bound. Which team is able to recover from their respective (brief) slide and seize the moment?

Emaan won season series: 2-0

In Game One Emaan won 5-1; Three Stars of that game: 1^st- Saleem Malik (Emaan); 2^nd Star- Farooq Sani (Emaan); 3^rd Star: Yusuf Kapoor (Emaan)

In Game Two, Emaan won 2-1; Three Stars of that game: 1^st- Idrees Deen (Emaan); 2^nd Star- Junaid Mohammed (Haya); 3^rd Star: Farooq Sani (Emaan)

Goals For: Emaan - 2^nd ; Haya - 3^rd
Goals Against:  Emaan - 2^nd; Haya - 4th
Shots Allowed: Emaan - 142 ; Haya - 195
Top Goal Scorer: Emaan - Saleem Malik (5); Haya - Furqan Salam (10)
Points Leader: Emaan - Saleem Malik & Farooq Sani (11); Haya - Furqan Salam (12)

10:00 PM- Semi-Finals #2: Shukr(4)/Yaqeen (5) vs Sabr (1)

Background: Sabr should in theory get a tired team. This is the advantage they have earned by way of finishing first in the regular season standings. However, despite their impressive campaign, it is a bit concerning when a team’s main core are rookies to I-Slam Hockey. How do these first-timers handle the pressure? Playing in other leagues where you can sign up a group of your buddies season after season is vastly different than I-Slam Hockey; your teammates become your opponents next season. You can tell this group gets along well, but again it begs the question how do they deal with the pressure of knowing tonight might be their last game of the season?  

Sabr vs Shukr:  Shukr has played Sabr tough in both regular season contest, however Sabr won season series 2-0 (Game One: 1-0 & Game Two: 2-0)

Sabr vs Yaqeen: Sabr had an easier time with Yaqeen during the regular season, however their latest encounter was a close contest that saw Yaqeen have a lead to start the 2^nd half. Sabr won season series 2-0 (Game One: 6-0 & Game Two: 3-1) 

Goals For: Sabr -1st
Goals Against:  Sabr -1st
Shots Allowed: Sabr -124
Top Goal Scorer: Sabr - Maaz Haq (6)
Points Leader: Sabr - Maaz Haq (18)

Fall Season - Week Ten - December 1st

8:00 PM- Emaan vs Ikhlas:
What the heck happened to Emaan (orange) in Week Nine?  They seemed to have everything rolling just in time for the playoffs with big wins against Sabr (yellow) and Haya (grey).  But they took a major step backwards in their last game, losing 2-1 against Shukr (red).  Now this puts them in some hot water!  If they lose again this Friday, Emaan can drop all the way down to fourth (depending if Shukr & Haya win their games).  This would mean they would have to play the extra wildcard game. The wildcard winner will have to find a way to recover and play another do-or-die game against Sabr (yellow) the same night.  For Ikhlas (green), they will gladly take playing in that wildcard game.  All they want is the opportunity to keep their hopes of hoisting the I-Slam Cup alive for at least one more week.  Ikhlas showed a lot of spirit last week against Haya - however, they came up short in the Battle of Cambridge losing 4-2.  If Ikhlas is able to win on Friday, they will send Yaqeen (white) home and can punch their ticket to the big dance.  On the other hand, if Emaan wins this game, team Ikhlas will lose control of their destiny and be forced to nervously watch the outcome of the 10 pm game.

9:00 PM- Sabr vs Haya:
The last time these teams met it was the must-see game of the season (view highlights here).  In their first encounter Haya put an end to Sabr’s undefeated streak.  Since then both teams encountered some rough patches leading up to this game.  Specifically, Emaan was able to defeat both Sabr and Haya. Haya also took a surprising ‘L’ against Shukr (score 4-3) a few weeks back.  So where do we stand now?  On the surface this game has a bit more meaning for Haya (as Sabr has already clinched first overall).  For Haya, they are looking to avoid playing in the wildcard game (which would mean having 2 single elimination games in one night).  A win on Friday for Haya would avoid this scenario.  A loss combined with a Shukr win (at 10 pm) would make Haya’s path to the finals immensely more difficult.  Diving a bit deeper, let’s not over-look the potential psychological warfare.  Think about it… Most feel that these two teams will be in the finals.  With that said, if Sabr loses yet again to Haya, Sabr will enter the playoffs knowing there is one team they haven’t been able to solve.  Don’t kid yourself, this would be on their minds all post-season if Haya comes away with the “W” tonight.  As well, the value of momentum heading into the playoffs often predicts post-season success; likewise, teams heading in the wrong direction at the end of the season typically have a harder time getting things back on track.  On that note, both teams are chomping at the bit to kill their rival’s momentum heading into the second season.

10:00 PM- Shukr vs Yaqeen:
Sorry to be repetitive but if you read the previews for the other two games, you know that Shukr will be looking to avoid the wildcard game next week.  Depending if either Emaan or Haya lose or tie their respective games, Shukr has a chance to avoid this scenario.  From the other perspective, just like Ikhlas, Yaqeen will more than welcome playing in the wildcard game.  The only way this can happen is Yaqeen needs to get one more point than Ikhlas.  Yaqeen is lying on their deathbed needing Emaan to do them a huge favour while at the same time taking care of business on their end.  If the night goes Yaqeen’s way they will set up a rematch with Shukr for the wildcard game.  In Week Nine, Yaqeen showed a lot of heart against the top-ranked Sabr.  They even held a 1-0 lead heading into the 2nd half.  Unfortunately for them, they ended up losing that game 3-1.  While they showed significant improvement in comparison to how their season has been going they don’t have time for moral victories.  They have no other option now…

Fall Season - Week Nine - November 17th

8:00 PM- Haya vs Ikhlas:
Battle of Cambridge Round 2! No need to get into specifics about what happened to Haya-grey (lost 4-3 vs Shukr-red) or Ikhlas-green (lost 5-2 vs Sabr) last week, because all that matters is who is going to run Cambridge tonight? When these teams first met back on October 13th, Haya eased to a 6-2 victory. Furqan Salam (3 pts) and Salman Alvi (4 pts) were too much for Ikhlas to handle in their first matchup. Tonight’s game will be a little bit harder than last time for Haya as they will have to battle for Cambridge without Waqar Khan (see News and Rumours). We expect Ikhlas to put up more of a resistance tonight as this game is crucial in their bid to get into the playoffs. You got to think though, F.Salam (the league’s top goal scorer - 8 goals) is licking his chops at the opportunity to be ruthless and retain the Cambridge throne (Salam’s team won the championship last season) and do Ikhlas no favours for their playoff aspirations. It should be noted that Ikhlas’ late season waiver pickup Asaad Darr did not play in the first game, perhaps Darr can rescue Cambridge B one more time (see here)?

9:00 PM- Emaan vs Shukr:
The new must see team, Emaan-orange just got their second straight shutout last Friday against Yaqeen - white (5-0) and have not lost a game since September 22nd! From their perspective they have their eyes set on finishing the season first overall. For this to happen one would have to assume they need to win out their remaining games and hope Sabr-yellow manages to tie or lose in one of their two games left. As well, tonight’s contest could very well represent a first-round matchup. When these two teams first met, it was actually Shukr-red leading the game late into the second half until Idris Deen (see here) came through for his team in the clutch, resulting in a 2-2 tie. Expect Emaan to come out strong in order to send a message to Shukr. For Shukr, they are coming off a huge victory over Haya last week which all but secured their playoff birth. Now they can shift their efforts in trying to finish at least in the top three (they are currently tied with Haya for third overall, but Haya has the tie breaker with more wins), thereby avoid playing the extra wildcard game.

10:00 PM- Yaqeen vs Sabr:
What can I say about this game that isn’t apparent to everyone else? We know that Sabr is looking to finish the season first overall and besides two hiccups against Haya & Emaan, they have been dominant. As for Yaqeen it has been horrible in the manner in which their season has played out. Their offense has been non-existent, last scoring a goal three games ago against Haya (which was an empty net because Kaunain Saiyed got caught up in traffic). Defensively they have been woeful too, giving up 29 goals (2nd behind Ikhlas). In their first meeting Sabr trounced Yaqeen 6-0. Given these team’s recent performance it is hard to imagine Sabr not winning this game. For Yaqeen, they got to throw away these numbers and just come ready to fight because a loss combined with an Ikhlas wins means they won’t get an invitation to the dance.

Fall Season - Week Eight - November 10

8:00 PM- Shukr vs Haya:
We are in the home stretch of the I-Slam schedule with only three games left to go. This game is huge and will most probably seal the faith of which teams finish top three overall. Why does it matter? If your team ends up finishing either fourth or fifth, the two teams would have to face each other in a single game wild-card elimination, where the winner will only have an hour rest to recover before facing the first overall seed in another single game elimination. So having two playoffs games in one night is without a doubt a treacherous road to the finals. Speaking of playoffs, Shukr (red) was in playoff-mode last week, demolishing Ikhlas (green) 5-0. The line of, Ibrahim Hindy, Dawood Ciombar and Humza Ali showed up in a big way, accounting for four of the five goals. They have given their team the opportunity to catch Haya (grey) in the standings and move up to the third spot. Haya, last Friday showed a lot of resiliency overcoming the challenge of playing with an empty net for the first five minutes (Kaunain Sayed got caught up in traffic).  Furqan Salam notched another goal last week and is making a strong push to win the goal scoring title this season. In fact, the last time these teams met up on September, 29th, he was the difference, scoring both goals in a 2-1 versus Shukr.

9:00 PM Yaqeen vs Emaan:
BOOM! Guess who the new must see team is? Sabr (yellow)? Haya (grey)? Nope and nope! Emaan handled them both in back-to-back weeks (2-1 over Haya; 2-0 over Sabr). Now Emaan finds themselves vying for first overall in the standings. Again the importance as discussed above is finishing first would mean your team faces off against a weary opponent having to play a game one-hour earlier. After dispatching two of the top teams, tonight’s game against dead last Yaqeen (white) should be a breeze right? Well you would be inclined to think so if you look at Yaqeen’s performance last week. They lost against Haya 4-1 in spite of Haya starting off the game with an empty net! However, the outcome of this game might not be as clear cut as initially thought. In their first meeting, the two teams battled tooth and nail to a 0-0 draw. In case you are wondering in that contest both sides had all of their star players present. This might be hard to believe as Yaqeen seemingly seems to get beat by the rest of the league. But perhaps this is the game, versus a team they have showed some potential against that can help turn their season around.

10:00 PM Sabr vs Ikhlas:
Sabr is reeling, losers of two out of their last three games (defeated by Haya and Emaan).  With playoffs right around the corner this isn’t the time for doubt to be creeping in.  The error for margin is razor thin as now Emaan is right on their heels for the battle to finish first overall.  Their opponents for tonight are Ikhlas, who seemingly in theory should not pose much of a threat.  This might be exactly what the doctor order because in their prior meeting Ikhlas put up little resistance (losing 5-0).   It is hard to imagine Sabr not winning this game, but you never know.  This is I-Slam and it’s Friday Night Lights.  Ikhlas comes into this battle desperate to hang on to the final playoff spot and Sabr has been trending in the wrong direction recently.  Sound the alarms?  We might have the right ingredients for an upset alert to conclude Week Eight.

Fall Season - Week Seven - November 3rd

8:00 PM- Haya vs Yaqeen:
What happened to Haya last week? Two weeks ago, they rose to the occasion and handled their business against Sabr. In turn, this sent a message throughout the league who the best team this season really is. Perhaps they invested so much energy and raw emotion against Sabr that they just couldn’t prepare themselves last week against a game with Emaan losing 2-1. Now they will have that uneasy feeling of knowing that Emaan was able to solve them twice this year - but this will only come into play if Haya and Emaan were to meet in the playoffs. What is of more of an immediate concern is Haya needs to be mindful of where they are in the standings. The bottom three teams, Shukr, Ikhlas and Yaqeen are only two points away from catching them in the standings. Tonight, Haya has the chance to at least put down any thoughts of Yaqeen passing them. It is an odd thing to picture (that of Yaqeen passing Haya) considering Yaqeen has only one win and they are coming off a loss in which they gave up six goals for the third time this season. With that said the tides are constantly changing in I-Slam, which is why you play the games. Perhaps it isn’t a farfetched thought as initially perceived; after all, Yaqeen’s lone win this season was against Haya. It is safe to say though that Yaqeen will have a much more difficult time repeating this feat considering Haya will field a full lineup this time around.

9:00 PM- Sabr vs Emaan:
Put some respect on our names! Despite defeating Haya last week to claim second place, Emaan still hasn’t won over Samad Hamidi’s heart. Emaan players must have seen the videos posted on our Facebook account and must be left dumbfounded as to why they are not getting the recognition they deserve. So surely a win over the top ranked team, Sabr will silence all the doubters and more importantly put them in a tie for first overall. For Sabr, last week they have moved on after suffering their first loss and went back to getting shutouts and winning games (defeated Shukr 2-0 in Week 6). You got to think, Sabr will be using this game to send a jab at Haya letting them know that, “Emaan can beat you guys [Haya], but no way they can beat us [Sabr], we will be ready on Dec 1st.” In the first meeting, Sabr defeated Emaan 3-0.

10:00 PM- Ikhlas vs Shukr:
It is obvious what’s at stake here… Both teams have four points and both teams are at the bottom of the standings. Whoever wins this game almost certainly clinches a playoff spot. The losing team will most likely have to battle Yaqeen for the last seed. Keep in mind this scenario is not written in stone and anything can happen. However, given what we have seen up to this point from the three respective teams, it is hard envisioning the end of the season not playing out like this. Ikhlas is coming off a huge 6-4 win against Yaqeen, whereas Shukr is winless in their last four contests (last week lost to Sabr). In Week 2, Shukr defeated Ikhlas 4-1. Strangely enough, this was the last time Shukr won.

Fall Season - Week Six - October 27th

8:00 PM – Shukr vs Sabr
We are half way through this season and from here on teams will be getting a second look at their opponents each week.  Last Friday, Sabr (yellow) had their world come crashing down and tasted defeat courtesy of Haya (grey) - score: 2-1.  The true character of a team is often revealed not when you are winning but rather through adversity.  As well, Sabr better be mindful of Emaan (orange) and Haya as both teams are only two points away from catching them in the standings. This added pressure does add some intrigue near the top of the standings and it will be interesting to see how Sabr is able to deal with it.  Their opponents are Shukr (red) who did everything but win in their last game against Yaqeen (white) - score: 1-1.  As you can tell from the Facebook dialogue, Shukr absolutely deserved a better fate and should be coming into this week riding a one-game winning streak.  Unfortunately for them, a hot goalie was in their path and results in Shukr looking for their first win in four games against Sabr.  This game is crucial for Shukr as they are flirting with the danger of falling out of a playoff spot. When these team met in to open the season, it was a close contest with Basit Sheikh (Sabr) being the difference.

9:00 PM- Ikhlas vs Yaqeen
In both team’s WhatsApp chat you best believe there is a lot of chatter regarding the importance of this game.  Although not officially, but whichever team wins this game will have the advantage on claiming the final playoff spot.  After thrashing Yaqeen to a tune of 6-2 to start their season, Ikhlas has never been close in any of their subsequent games.  The good news for them is they get a rematch against the only team they have defeated.  As for Yaqeen after Week 1, they have scratched and clawed their way in grabbing points. In particular, 1 win (Haya) and 2 ties (Emaan & Shukr). The problem with ties is it makes you move like a sloth up in the standings.  In fact, they don’t seem to be moving at all as a lost on Friday and they will find themselves last in the standings.  Their problem seems to be with the forward group as they have only produced 7 goals (the lowest) through 5 weeks and seem to have difficulties in even getting shots towards the net.  As mentioned above, back in Week 1, Ikhlas won 6-2; the 6 goals was more than the number of shots Yaqeen had on net (5) that night.

10:00 PM- Haya vs Emaan
Despite the standings saying otherwise, the eyeball test showed that Haya is the best team.  They sent that message loud and clear with their recent 2-1 victory over Sabr.  We are still waiting for Waqar Khan to ascend to the top of points leader board despite missing the first few weeks and restore order back to the I-Slam Hockey Universe.  You know who isn’t waiting?  Furqan Salam, who sits fourth overall in points (6) and tied for first in goals (5).  If Khan can pick up the pace like we are accustomed to, then Haya will be an even more scarier team.  Tomorrow, they get a chance for revenge against one of two teams that beat them, Emaan (the other team is Yaqeen).  It should be noted, that both of these loses occurred as a result of Haya’s top-end players being away for those games.  Nonetheless a win is a win and no sympathy gets passed around in I-Slam.  For Emaan, I keep saying they are a hard team to evaluate and I still maintain they are a hard team to evaluate!  Yes, they are tied for second overall in the standings but they just don’t feel like a “second overall team”.  Their two wins have come against a short-benched Haya and last week against last place Ikhlas.  Saleem Malik is having an incredible season for them with 4 goals and 7 points.  Regardless whether or not they care how they are being perceived, this is a pivotal game between these two teams to claim sole possession of the second spot and possible move into a tie for first overall by the end of the night.

Fall Season - Week Five - October 20th

8:00 PM - Ikhlas vs Emaan
After four weeks, Ikhlas (green) finds themselves last overall in the standings - and outside of the final playoff spot.  Last week, in the “All Cambridge” duel, Ikhlas got trounced by their bitter rivals 6-2.  In fact, their last three games they have been outscored 15-3 (4-1 against Shukr, 5-0 against Sabr and 6-2 against Haya).  Perhaps they can find optimism in the fact that Wakaas Khan is second overall in points (8) and Umair Awan, who tallied twice last game is tied with Haya’s, Furqan Salam in goals (5).  However, despite being amongst the best in the league offensively maybe it’s time for Ikhlas to reconsider their strategy and in the process, sacrifice personal stats for the team.  A good starting point might be the defensive end, where they have given up the most goals against so far this season with 17.   Emaan on the other hand is a tough team to analyze. In their last game, Idrees Deen fired a rocket top-shelf to help ensure his team walked away with at least a point (2-2 tie against Shukr).  However which way do you want to look at this team?  One can take the argument that they are winless in their last two games (two weeks ago they tied Yaqeen 0-0) or one can take the position that they have not lost in two games.  In either event as it stands at the moment they occupy the second spot in the standings.  A win tonight might put Ikhlas so far back in their rear-view mirror that Emaan might not have to worry about missing out in the playoffs for the rest of the season. That said a loss to Ikhlas would cause Emaan’s blood pressure to rise as they start to worry about qualifying for the post-season.

9:00 PM - Sabr vs Haya
This match-up also has the tagline of Maaz Haq vs Waqar Khan.  Don’t get me wrong, there are other notable players from both teams that can factor into this game and could very well play a bigger role than either Haq or Khan. But we aren’t interested in that scenario!  We want Haq and Khan matched up and on the same floor trying to show up the other in a “Whatever you can do I can do better!!” show.  Ultimately, the goal is for the two of them to lead their teams to victory which is all nice and dandy.  However, don’t kid yourself, in the end we will all be talking about the box office matchup of Maaz Haq and Waqar Khan.   This may the first real test for Sabr and their defense, observers are eager to see if they come out of this game with another shutout, their fifth in a row.

10:00 PM - Yaqeen vs Shukr
Oh boy, Yaqeen were embarrassed last week, losing to Sabr 6-0.  Nothing went right for them as they only manage to muster seven shots all game (six in the first half and just one in the second half).  This is the second time in this young season in which Ahmad Mobin has given up six goals.  Last time this happened was back in Week One against Ikhlas.  Yaqeen did well to bounce back from that lost, winning their next game against Haya and tying versus Emaan the week after.  They are going to have to lean on whatever methods they used to rebound from their Week One disaster against Shukr tonight.  Funny enough, Shukr is on a bit of a slide similar to Yaqeen.  If you think about it, two weeks ago they lost 2-1 against Haya and as mentioned above they let a point slip away against Emaan late in the second half last week.  Therefore, they are on a 2-game winless streak.  This game is a pivotal game with respect to the standings.  The loser might find themselves at the very worst in dead last or at the very best in the final playoff spot hanging on for dear life.

Fall Season - Week Four - October 13th

8:00 PM- Sabr vs Yaqeen
Welcome Back! After a bye for Thanksgiving I-Slam Hockey starts back up on this auspicious Friday the 13th.  What a fitting way to kick start things again with none other than the team making the most noise throughout the first three games of the season, Sabr (yellow).  In the event you haven’t been following, Sabr is the only remaining undefeated team led by rookie sensation, Maaz Haq.  So far he has taken the league by storm and is tied for the overall scoring lead with Wakaas Khan of Ikhlas (although Khan got five points in one game against woeful Yaqeen), tallying 6 points.  What is equally or even more impressive is his brother, goaltender, Fahad Mohammad (also a rookie) starting off his career with three straight shutouts.  All signs point to a fourth straight shutout as their opponents tonight, Yaqeen (white), have a hard time generating chances.  In fact, if you remove their Week Two game against a short-handed Haya, they have only managed 10 shots against Emaan (orange) and 5 shots against Ikhlas (green).  However… spooky things have happened before on Friday the 13th.

9:00 PM- Ikhlas vs Haya
Are we back in June of 2014?  In the very first installment the Cambridge B team slayed the Cambridge A team enroute to hoisting the I-Slam Championship.  Fast forward three years later, the world continued to rotate; point and case where some of these players went from bachelors to being hitched.  Despite all that has transpired on and off the floor, the rivalry between these two squads burns stronger than ever!  The Cambridge B Team, Ikhlas (green) comes into this contest limping after losing two consecutive games with a combined score of 9-1 (loss to Shukr/red 4-1; loss to Sabr/yellow 5-0). So the bye week couldn’t have come at a better time as it gave them an opportunity to do some internal reflection to try to recapture the magic from Week One in which they put up 6 goals.  Did Ikhlas manage to figure it out?  We finally got a look at the Cambridge A team, Haya (grey) in Week Threeas all of their top-end players were in attendance.  They managed to hold on for the 2-1 victory over a very tough Shukr team.  With all the talk centered around Waqar “Boom Boom” Khan, it was Furqan Salam who put his team on his back, notching both goals.  Also making some noise for Haya is their goaltender, Kaunain Saiyed, who has faced the most shots (84) so far. To help conceptualize this, Saiyed has had to face 28 more shots against than the second highest goaltender in this category (Yaqeen’s Ahmad Mobin).

10:00 PM- Shukr vs Emaan
Shukr (red) and Emaan (orange) is a pickem’ game.  Both of these teams have scored five goals for and both have surrendered four goals each.  This game is a pivotal game early on in the season as the winner will most likely vault into second place or at worst move into third.  The loser of this game ends up with a cluster of four other teams at the bottom of the standings.  Emaan has been shutout for two consecutive games, against Sabr and Yaqeen.  It is not from a lack of trying, as they have managed at least 20 shots in their past two contests.  Go figure, Emaan occupies the second seed, partly because the four teams below them are also trying to gain some consistency.  However, if Emaan’s offensive troubles continue inevitably they will find themselves falling in the standings. For Shukr, the game plan is simple - FIND A WAY TO GET DAWOOD CIOMBAR THE BALL.  The sophomore has 75% of his team’s total goal production.  It looks like what is unfolding for this team is they need to come up with a strategy to get contributions from the other forwards.  Either that or they will live and die by the Ciombar sword

Fall Season - Week Three - September 29

8:00 PM- Emaan (1-1) vs Yaqeen (1-1)
Last week, it was assessed in the previews that it was hard to judge Emaan because up to that point they did not faced off against a full roster and were never really tested.  In Week 2, Emaan squared off against Sabr, in what was their “first” competitive game of the season (they played an undermanned Haya team in Week One).  With that said, Emaan gave us nothing to get excited for, losing last week 3-0.  They have an opportunity to change this perception tonight against Yaqeen, a team that is also a hard to pass a verdict on.  Just like Emaan, Yaqeen took advantage of a short-benched Haya team in Week Two, winning 4-1.  However, the score does not do justice on how close the game was up until the later part of the second half.  So the above assessment on Haya can apply again here for Yaqeen in that their win was against such an undermanned Haya that they were also never really tested.  Both teams did play against Haya, with Emaan looking as the more impressive team, so make of that what you wish.  Tonight should be a better gauge on the evaluation of each team.

9:00 PM- Haya (0-2) vs Shukr (1-1)
Haya went from sheer jubilation since winning the draft lottery (and getting the first pick) to their season unraveling into a nightmare.  Regardless who you draft, you get to be in it to win it and if you don’t show up, your team will be hard to win any game.  It was already known prior to the draft that, Salman Khalid and Waqar Khan would be unavailable for the first few weeks of the season.  However, despite missing almost all their top-end players, Haya showed great resiliency against Yaqeen last week, especially their goaltender, Kaunain Saiyed, who faced over 30 shots!  If players are missing again tonight he is going to be relied on again to bring that same magic.  However, there is only so much he can do and it will be up to Furqan Salam to step up for his team.  This would give an opportunity for Salam to emerge from "Boom-Boom" Khan’s shadow and show that he can be the main superstar to lead a team.  Their opponents are Shukr, who might boast the best first line in the league: Ibrahim Hindy, Dawood Ciombar, and Humza Ali.  This trio accounted for three of the four goals against Ikhlas last week en route to the victory.  Their goaltender took care of his business, as Khalid Mufti swatted away 25 of 26 shots he faced.  This team seems to be rounding into form after stumbling in Week One against Sabr.  This might spell trouble for Haya tonight as Shukr will be looking to catch up to Sabr in the standings or at the very least keep pace.

10:00 PM- Ikhlas (1-1) vs Sabr (2-0)
What happened to Ikhlas last week?  They went from scoring six goals against Yaqeen in Week One to shooting bricks in their 4-1 loss vs Shukr.  It was not from a lack of trying as they did put up 26 shots.  On some nights the ball just doesn’t go into the net, no matter how hard you try. They are going to need to keep grinding tonight and hope they are able to find their offense as their opponents have yet to fish the ball out of their own net this season.  Sabr, is first overall, but how they have won their first two games is a bit surprising.  Most outside observers thought Sabr would be an offensive juggernaut but in reality they have been stifling the opposition with their defense.  How long will Sabr’s goaltender, Fahad Mohammed’s shutout streak last?

Fall Season - Week Two - September 22nd

8:00 PM - Shukr vs Ikhlas
Shukr is coming off a tight 1-0 loss against Sabr and for all the fire power they have (Ibrahim Hindy, Dawood Ciombar, Mohammed Hamoud and Nauman Abassi) they did not look impressive in the offensive zone as they only managed eight shots the entire game.  Maybe another game under their belt will help this group better gel together and get the offense going.  Their goaltender, Khalid Mufti however did show last week to be in mid-season form with a 0.923 save percentage.  Their opponents in Week 2 is Ikhlas and boy was this squad impressive as they absolutely owned Yaqeen in the first game of the season with a 6-2 drubbing.  Them boys were flying out there!  Umair Awan with the hat-trick, Abdu Sharkaway went 1-2 on breakaways and Wakaas Khan needed a heat-check after collecting 5 points!  In fact they were so dominant that you didn’t even notice they were missing their top drafted player, Hany Soliman.  They also got it done on the other end by limiting Yaqeen to only five shots.  I suppose if you want to nit-pick Ikhlas’ Week 1 performance you would have to look at their goaltender, Ahmed Jamal who let in 2 goals that he surely felt he could do better on. Perhaps it was nerves for his I-Slam hockey debut and will get a pass.  Regardless, he should expect a better test tonight.


9:00 PM - Haya vs Yaqeen:
As mentioned above, Yaqeen got embarrassed in Week 1.  There is not much to say as they need to forget about it and move on.  The main thing we will see tonight from Yaqeen is their effort level after such a poor performance.  They are up against Haya, who also had a weak showing in game 1 (losing 5-1 vs Emaan).  Although, unlike Yaqeen, Haya were missing some notable players last week: Junaid Mohammad, Salman Khalid and Waqar Khan.  Word is Khan is back in town and you know he is thinking the right initials “W” & “K” is leading the league in points, just the wrong picture.


10:00 PM - Emaan vs Sabr
Both of these teams won their season opener.  Sabr edged Shukr 1-0 and Emaan took advantage of a short-benched Haya for a 5-1 win.   Although, getting a shutout in your first career game is remarkable, it is hard to fairly judge Fahad Mohammed (Sabr) as he only faced 8 shots.  But hey man, a goaltender can’t control how many shots he faces, but can absolutely control how many saves he makes.  His brother, Maz Haq, also making his I-Slam Hockey debut factored in on the game winning goal last week.  At the other end of the rink is Emaan. It is hard to assess their team because their win was against such a undermanned Haya that they were never really tested.  Tonight will be more competitive for Emaan, let’s see how they do.

Fall Season - Week One - September 15th

8:00 PM - Sabr vs Shukr

The season kicks off with Sabr and Shukr as the first to take the floor.  Sukr’s GM, Umar Mohammed was conservative during the draft and selecting familiar faces including three OGs in Nauman Abassi, Ibrahim Hindy, and Kashif Taqiuddin.   Together this trio is probably the greatest set of hockey minds this league will ever see assembled on one team.  Shukr was also able to grab last Fall Seasons’s Rookie of the Year who broke out on the I-Slam Hockey scene as a proficient goal-scoring machine, Dawood Ciombor.   However this time around, the opposition will be well aware of who he is which begs the question if it is too early in the developmental process to have him serve as your team’s primary scorer?  In net is Khalid Mufti, who consistently puts up solid numbers every season.

Sabr GM, Abdul-Wahab Mohammed took a different approach from his fellow colleagues and built his team with some outside the box thinking.  He went all in with Maaz Haq, selecting him 4th overall. Seems like Mohammed had some inside knowledge because the rest of the league has no idea who this guy is.  Thus, we are all intrigued in seeing how Haq performs in his league debut.  Another player making his debut is Tahir Maarouf; a little bit more is known about him as he has participated in several Salaam Cup tournaments.  He is an all-around player and easily has the potential of finishing in the Top Three in scoring, making him a steal for Sabr.  Oh by the way, Sabr was able to get the dynamic duo of Mehmed Rizvanovic and Aazar Zafar. Their goaltender Fahad Mohammed will also be making his league debut and it will be interesting to see how he stacks up to the rest of the cohort of goaltenders.


9:00 PM - Yaqeen vs Ikhlas

Yaqeen’s GM Arslan Mian is such a boss!  He was able to perform Hajj and draft his team from the comforts of Madina.  The last two seasons Mian’s strategy was to draft a goalie in the later rounds (Yusuf Kapoor & Kaunain Saiyed) and build a stronger team around them.  This time he altered the game plan and after selecting Farrukh Khan in round one, he took the first goaltender in the draft and selected Ahmad Mobin.  Goals might be harder to come by since defense and goaltending seem to be the focal point for Yaqeen.  With that said scoring goals will have to be done by committee with Saqib Khokhar, Rizwan Malik, Aamir Hanif, Usamah Rao and Arslan Mian all counted on to chip in.

Wakaas Khan, the GM for Ikhlas drafted his team from the cottage.  Some critics suggested this might have distracted him during the draft as while the team has some great players it seems to lack balance.  Rayhan Malik and Firasath Ali will likely take 2 spots on the back end which still leaves them with four spots to fill.  Perhaps Kamran Siddiqui fills one spot and maybe Wakaas’ brother, Sajid Khan another (although he is known to be adamant in the past as playing forward).  The critics might be a little bit harsh on Wakaas as he did pickup both Hany Soliman and Umair Awan which could very well be the best 1-2 punch this season. Also Atif Mian joins his Cambridge buddies; In 2015, he was two years away from being two years away, so perhaps 2017 is the year?  As well, goaltender Ahmed Jamal will be making his league debut tonight for Ikhlas.


10:00 PM - Emaan vs Haya:

Haya’s GM, Salman Khalid shocked the world last weekend by selecting Waqar Khan first overall (sarcasm).  Unless you have been living under a rock for the past few years, Khan usually leads the league in points and is one of the goal scoring leaders at the end of the regular season.  No matter what game plan the opposing team tries to slow him down he somehow finds a way to burn you (boom boom Waqar).  Although Samad Hamidi apparently knows how to handle him ;)  This is going to be an interesting year for him because instead of being part of a protected group as in prior seasons, he actually needs to take on a larger role (if that is even possible) as a result of being drafted first overall. Nadeem Faqiri who will probably reach new career highs in points this season as part of being Khan’s line mate.  This team will also have the calming presence of both Salman Khalid and Junaid Mohammed which will be especially helpful to the future stars of this league: Sahil Mohammed and Mustafa Shahbaz. Goaltender, Kaunain Saiyed will be looking to have a bounce back season this year.

Emaan’s GM, Luqman Arshad stated he was trying to build the best possible team during the draft and the Malik’s might have to be broken up (wink wink).  He did have to part ways with Rizwan Malik but he was able to select Saleem Malik and Sadat Malik.  Luqman Arshad and Farooq Sani is probably the best defensive pairing in the entire league.  For this team Idris Deen, Saajid Bhayat and Imran Lakhanpal are going to score majority of the goals.  He also selected the goaltender who spoiled his chance at a championship during the 2017 Spring Season, last season’s Goalie of the Year and Playoff MVP, Yusuf Kapoor.

Spring Season - Week Twelve - May 12th

Championship Night:

8:00pm: Pick-up

8:50pm: Awards Presentation

9:00pm: Emaan vs Sabr - Game Two

Well last week was an unexpected result as Emaan blew Sabr right of the rink - this was the third straight Emaan win against Sabr.  Emaan looked solid throughout the night and might have ripped the soul out of Sabr who had no answer for them, causing frustration to boil over and fighting amongst themselves.  It was a disaster all over as Emaan seemingly scored at will, putting up 6 goals on 11 shots.  Looked at another way, Ahmad Mobin had more goals go into his net than he saved.  It seemed like everyone on Emaan lit the lamp last week with Firasath Ali capping off the offense.  For three straight games Emaan has won on the scoreboard and might have very well broken Sabr mentally.  

For Emaan all they need is a tie and the I-Slam Cup will spend the summer in Cambridge.  Look for Emaan to try to put the final nail in the coffin early in Game Two and not let Sabr develop any sense of hope.  As for Sabr, they have a number of issues they need to correct.  The most important issue they need to address is that they must put their egos aside and deal with their internal team conflict.  If they can figure that out, then Sabr just needs to relax, breathe, take a step backwards and realize what happened in the past is done with.  All they need to do is be better than Emaan in Game Two and the championship will be in their hands.  

Going into Game One the prevailing opinion was that Sabr was the much better team, the polls that were done game Sabr the edge in every category, Better Offense, Better Defense, Better Goaltender and Better Team.  Their team is so deep that there were five different suggestions on which Sabr player would win Playoff MVP.  No doubt they had a bad night in Game One but that result does not matter now as they have every opportunity to win this.  With an unscientific poll when observers were asked they felt Sabr was still the better team and would show it in Game Two.

At the end of the night one team will rise, and one team fill fall… Does Emaan close it out today and bring back the championship to Cambridge?  How much fight does Sabr have left in them and will it be enough?  They have guaranteed the win and go into this game with their confidence seemingly intact so get ready for a great game!

Spring Season - Week Eleven - May 5th

Finals: Game One

8:00pm: Pick-up
Before the finals there is a pickup session. Open to former and current players. Please bring a dark and light jersey. $5/player.

9:00pm: Emaan vs Sabr
We are now down to two teams.  The best two teams all season long will now battle it out over two weeks to determine who gets to take home the I-Slam Cup.  Let’s rewind the tape and look at the evolution of both teams.  First up Emaan (aka TMT), after self-destructing and getting into penalty trouble in the fall semi-finals against Yaqeen, TMT made huge splashes in free agency, grabbing the 2017 Fall Best Defensemen, Salman Khalid and last season’s first overall pick Arif Bijabhai.  The remaining players of the protected list included Waqar Khan, Furqan Salam and Adeel Awan (now replaced by brother Umair Awan due to injury).  Arguably many felt that this was the strongest 5-man core and expected this team to get to the finals.  Throughout this journey, they faced many trials and tribulations with season ending injuries to both Abdu Sharkawy and Adeel Awan.  Also now, Zuhair Fancy is nursing an upper-body injury sustained in TMT’s semi-final win over Ihsan.

After exorcising their demands from the past year, with a convincing 4-0 win over the defending champions in the previous round, they now find themselves the final’s favourites versus Sabr, whom they defeated twice already in the regular season.

Sabr is the feel-good story for this season.  In the fall they were the last team to qualify for the playoffs.  Often, they used to get blown out of games before the start of the second half.  Many questioned why GMs Saleem Malik and Naiem Malik decided, despite these poor results, to retain almost the exact same roster.  Really the only significant change that was made was deciding to address their goaltending issues and draft Ahmad Mobin third overall.  This bold move was opposite to what Sabr did in the fall, electing to select a goalie with their last pick.  Give them credit!  Sabr has ranks number two in the league in stopping goals from entering their net (behind Emaan) but remarkably with the same group of guys from the fall is the most lethal offense.  So far, they have been able to solve every team but Emaan.  They can take comfort in the fact in their most recent encounter they were leading against Emaan at the end of the 1st half.

On paper, logic suggests Emaan will take this series.  However when it comes to playoff games, anything is possible, especially the finals which is a whole different environment.

With that said here is how you guys think the teams match up (as per the results of an online poll):
Better Offense: 55% Sabr; 45% Emaan
Better Defense: 86% Sabr; 14% Emaan
Better Goaltender: 66% Sabr; 34% Emaan
The Better Team: 52% Sabr; 48% Emaan
MVP will be: Waqar Khan (Emaan), Arif Bijabhai (Emaan), Umair Awan (Emaan), Dawood Ciombar (Sabr), Naiem Malik (Sabr), Ahmad Mobin (Sabr), Akib Malik (Sabr), Ali Malik (Sabr)

Other Comments:
“Defense wins championships!  Although Doc, JJ and the Fancy/Hamidi ensemble is a solid defensive corps for green, the M&Ms (Mobin and Malik's) are a daunting challenge in a one game eliminator.  My money is on Mobin getting hot and stoning the green offense on his way to a repeat championship.”

“TMT! TMT! TMT!”

“Emaan has speed for longer duration of the game while the Malik's may not last the whole game.”

Spring Season - Week Ten - April 28th

Playoffs: Round One

8:00pm: Ihsan vs Haya - Wildcard Game

After their stunning lost against Yaqeen last week, Ihsan must do things the hard way in their defense of their championship as they face Haya in the wildcard game.  During the regular season the teams split the season series with each team winning one game.  Ihsan won the first game 3-1 and Haya won the second game 5-1.  From all the teams that qualified for the playoffs these two teams have the lowest offensive production, each only scoring 18 goals.  Yousuf Soliman leads the charge for Ihsan with 5 goals and 5 assists.  The duo of Aazar Zafar and Mehmed Rizvanovic are the bus-drivers for Haya with 6 points each.  Also among the playoff teams these two squads were the worst in keeping the ball out of their net.  Ihsan gave up 26 goals and Haya right behind them with 28 goals. It is hard to predict how this game will go as both teams have been inconsistent throughout the season.  That said, both squads have strong goalies and players who can take over the game - the question is will anyone step up and do that tonight?

An hour after the conclusion of this game, the winner will enter the rink with the league’s top team during the regular season, Emaan.     

9:00pm: Sabr vs Taqwa - Semi-Finals

One of these teams will be heading to the 2017 Spring Finals.  These teams split the season series one game each.  In the first meeting Taqwa won 3-1.  However, the week after, Sabr outclassed Taqwa 6-1.  No one expected either of these teams to be here.  Sabr has made great strides from the Fall.  They have five players that finished in the top ten in scoring: Luqman Arshad (9 points), Saleem Malik (9 points), Ali Malik (10 points), Akib Malik (12 points) and the league’s top goal scorer, Dawood Ciombar (10 goals).  Taqwa are the new kids on the block and at the start of the season were perceived to be one of the weaker teams.  Their main offense weapons are Farooq Sani (7 points), Abu Patel (7 points), Yasser Habib (9 points) and of course the other league’s top goal scorer Adil Patel (17 points).  On paper Sabr has the edge in offense, defense and in goaltending, and come into this match-up as heavy favorites.  However, in a one game elimination things might come down to the head to head match-up of the league’s best goal scorers, Ciombar vs Patel.   

              

10:00pm: Haya/Ihsan vs Emaan - Semi-Finals

Emaan awaits the winner of the 8pm wildcard game.  Emaan (aka TMT) won both games against Haya whereas they haven’t been able to beat Ihsan in the past two seasons.  So it’s obvious who they would rather face.  There is a lot of interesting story lines for both potential opponents.  If they end up facing Haya, Asad Darr has another opportunity to re-kindle some magic from 2014 and slay TMT once more.  Let’s not forget Atif Mian’s motivation of not being redrafted back onto Emaan as he’d be more than happy to send TMT fishing back in Cambridge.  If Emaan ends up facing Ihsan, well I guess to be the man you got to beat the man.  If this scenario does play out then the question becomes can TMT man up against their rivals?

Spring Season - Week Nine - April 21st

8:00pm: Emaan vs Sabr

In most instances the main event happens at the very end of the night after all the undercard fights - but not tonight!  We get right into it with the two heavyweights all season long squaring up against each other.  Boxing out of the left corner is Sabr, a team that most overlooked given their dismal results in the fall season.  The evolution from the Malik Clan (Sabr) has been amazing to witness.  With the emergence of Dawood Ciombar leading the league in goals, along with Akib Malik and Luqman Arshad facilitating the offense, as well as getting contributions from Saleem Malik, Ali Malik and Rizwan Malik has help to make this team the most lethal on the offensive end.  At the same time, Sabr who opposing forwards feasted on in the fall has also been the best team all season long in defending their house, only conceding 11 goals so far.  Tonight, with first place on the line, they get an opportunity to show the rest of the league where Sabr belongs.  Malik means King…Kings sit on thrones above everyone else…So does Sabr claim the throne tonight?

Their opponents, boxing out of the right corner is Emaan, also known as TMT.  TMT is often a sure bet to be the highest scoring team every season with box-office names such as, Arif Bijabhai, Umair Awan, Furqan Salam and finally current points leader Waqar Khan.  However as mentioned above, Sabr ranks number one in that category.  It seems though this version of TMT has found a balance between putting the ball into the net and keeping the ball out of their net.  They have only surrendered 12 goals (again ranked behind Sabr).  A lot of credit here has to go to Salman Khalid, Zuhair Fancy and Firasath Ali who were forced into playing a greater role with the season ending injury to Adeel Awan.  Lost in all of this is the performance of Yusuf Kapoor, who often feels slighted on how people perceive his abilities.  Like Amir Khan searching for a big money fight, tonight is an opportunity for Kapoor to respond to his critics.  Despite all of these big names, go figure it was Rookie, Ibrahim Khan that scored the game winner in the first meeting between these two teams. Now, with greater stakes the stage is set for anyone willing to seize the moment.

9:00pm: Yaqeen vs Ihsan

This season was a nightmare for Yaqeen as they could never get anything going.  After losing to Haya last week they find themselves eliminated from the playoffs, this game for Yaqeen is about pride… no one wants to have the record for the least number of wins in a season - in this case they are still looking for win number one.  They are up against the defending champions who come in needing a big night to avoid playing the wildcard game next week against Haya.  It is expected that Ihsan should have the Soliman brothers and their starting goaltender, Zaid Majoo available tonight.  This is the first of two games Ihsan will be playing.  On paper, this seems like an easy two points Ihsan can bank.  However, keep in mind Yaqeen has nothing to lose and in fact they have a chance to exact some revenge on the team that beat them in last season’s finals.

10:00pm: Haya vs Taqwa

After securing the final playoff spot against Yaqeen last week, Haya can rest easy tonight.  Yet, this game might be a preview of their wildcard opponents.  So it might be more beneficial for them to try to study and dissect Taqwa’s style of play.  Also Haya can use this game to help integrate recent waiver pickup Asaad Darr into their offense.  He did score a clutch goal that got them to the playoffs, so having him become more familiar with his line-mates is a great return on investment with playoffs happening next week.  From Taqwa’s perspective they are trying to lock up 3rd overall and in the process avoid having to play the wildcard game.  At the same time Adil Patel has two games (his team plays a double header) to take over Dawood Ciombar as the league’s top goal scorer.

11:00pm: Ihsan vs Taqwa

For both teams this will be their second game of the night and most likely this game will determine who will have to play in the wildcard game next week against Haya.  In their first meeting, Ihsan won by a 5-2 final score.  In that game, Ihsan was dominant and the outcome was never in doubt. Yousuf Sowdagar and Yousuf Soliman did the most damage that night.  Perhaps if Taqwa has more people show up (they were short benched in their first meeting) then expect to see more of a contest.  As well, remember Adil Patel has the extra motivation to see if he can capture the goal scorer award.

Spring Season - Week Eight - April 14th

8:00pm: Ihsan vs Sabr
The last time these teams met Sabr rolled to a 6-0 win so Ihsan will be hoping for better results this time.  That said they already face an uphill climb as they will reportedly be without goalie Zaid Majoo along with the Soliman brothers.  A short bench is never the way to start a game against the top team in the league.  Sabr comes in confident having won their last four games by a 15-5 combined margin.  They have the best offense and the best defense in the league and are in a battle for first place with Emaan so will come in pumped up for this game.

9:00pm: Emaan vs Haya
The first meeting between these teams saw Emaan grind out a 2-1 win.  Both teams have this as a must win game but for very different reasons, Emaan needs a win to make sure they stay ahead of Sabr who is hot on their heels for first place.  Haya needs this win just to hold onto the final playoff spot.  Atif Mian will be pumped up to play against his friends on Emaan and will be joined by Assad Darr who is making his season debut.  Emaan has seen their top line go a bit cold of late so sustained pressure from them will be needed for their team to do well.

10:00pm: Yaqeen vs Taqwa
When these teams matched up earlier in the season it was a 2-0 win for Taqwa.  Taqwa comes into this game in fourth place so a win gives them a chance to jump into third if Ihsan loses to Sabr.  For Yaqeen they are desperate for their first win of the season and hope that they can jump past Haya for the final playoff spot.  Osman Buttar will be making his debut and will be counted on to spark the leagues worst offense to a win.

11:00pm: Yaqeen vs Haya
A playoff game before the playoffs - always a treat to watch.  Both teams will have played earlier in the night and this is a do or die game for Yaqeen who really must win this game to have any hope of grabbing the final playoff spot.  The first meeting between the teams was a 2-2 tie and you never know what players will no show when Haya is involved so anything is possible here.

Spring Season - Week Seven - April 7th

8:00pm: Yaqeen vs Sabr
Time is running out for Yaqeen.  This season has been a disaster for last year’s finalists.   Win-less in six games and only managing to get one point, Yaqeen has under-performed.  Perhaps, they have never recovered from losing in the Fall Finals and has carried over into this season.  They have scored a league low five goals and given up a league high 21 goals.  Yaqeen needs to figure out things in a hurry, else they will be putting away their hockey equipment early this season.  Yaqeen is up against Sabr who has their eye set on the number one seed.  A few weeks back Sabr got a decisive 4-0 win against Yaqeen.  Mohammed Hamoud (Yaqeen) wasn’t in the lineup for that meeting.  If this season’s first overall pick takes the floor Sabr will have a tougher time this go around.  Will Yaqeen put it all together in time to save their season?

9:00pm: Haya vs Ihsan
Don’t look now but Ihsan is quietly moving up in the standings after a slow start.  Perhaps it was the championship hangover from last season, but two points here can potentially move them all the way up to first (with Emaan and Sabr both losing this Friday).  Looks like Drake (Yousuf Soliman) started from the bottom and now they’re here.  Their opponents are Haya, a team they defeated 3-1 earlier in the year.   Like Yaqeen, Haya’s season isn’t going smooth.  They are barely clinging onto the last playoff spot.  Also like Yaqeen, Haya has scored a league low of five goals.  However, their goaltender, Khalid Mufti has been solid all year, only surrendering nine goals so far (the second lowest).  If Haya can get their goalie some support and defeat Ihsan combined with a Yaqeen loss (at 8 pm) it could very well be game, set and match for the last playoff spot; Haya would have a 3-point spread between them and Yaqeen with a game in hand.  Is this scenario realistic?  The expectation here is for Haya to get their first win against the defending champs!

10:00pm: Taqwa vs Emaan
Emaan lost their captain Adeel Awan to a devastating injury last week and wasted no time getting a replacement in before the deadline. His brother, Umair Awan will take his spot. Umair is more offensive minded compared to his brother who patrols the blue-line. This addition adds another weapon to a lethal offense which already boasts the league leader Waqar Khan and right behind him Furqan Salam.  One must wonder if it was a smart move to load upfront and neglect their glaring weakness, defense.  TMT (Emaan’s adopted nickname) has relied on their goaltender, Yusuf Kapoor, a league high 136 times this season.  I guess TMT’s logic here is live by the sword and die by the sword; Emaan feels they will score their way out of any problem.  Well a good test will be this week against Taqwa. The last time these two teams met, a short-benched Taqwa stunned Emaan by a score of 2-0.  Will Emaan’s new addition help reverse their fortunes this time around?

11:00pm: Taqwa vs Haya
Both teams will be playing their second game of the night.  For Taqwa they are already veterans in this and know what to expect.   The last time Taqwa played their double header, they were blown out in their first game by a score of 6-1 (vs. Sabr) but showed great resiliency the very next game to defeat Yaqeen 2-0.   Taqwa has MVP-candidate, Adil Patel who has managed to score a goal in all his team’s games.  His booming shot can change the complexion of a game in mere seconds.  He will be teeing up against Khalid Mufti (Haya), who is as well having a stellar campaign despite his team’s record.  Haya will get some rest between their games.  An advantage they are more than welcome to embrace as they try to put Yaqeen further in their rear-view mirror.

Spring Season - Week Six - March 31st

8:00pm: Yaqeen vs Emaan
With five games played and no wins to brag about, it's odd to see how things have shaped for Yaqeen thus far.  Last week, the orange shirts absorbed another drubbing to their already dismal record.  Now it's unfortunate that Yaqeen was short benched but the talent that's present on team orange shouldn't reflect their track record, at least that's what we assume.  Idrees Deen, Humza Chaudhry and GM Arsalan Mian need to get things going before time runs out.  A win would be nourishing but that all depends with the type of hunger Yaqeen comes out with. Can Yaqeen overcome Emaan?

Emaan was left shell shocked after falling to Taqwa in a 2-0 defeat, marking the team's first loss of the season. Now it isn't all doom and gloom for the green shirts but if that play persists then Captain Adeel Awan won't be a happy camper.  Emaan is about hustle and smarts, about making 16 guys feel like a hundred, and they've achieved that till last week.  GM Furqan Salam and Waqar Khan need to set the tone and help the orange shirts get back in the win column.  Goaltender Yusuf Kapoor has shined each game and is definitely a part of the discussion for best goaltender. Will Emaan be able to bounce back?

9:00pm: Sabr vs Haya
You gotta love what's going on in Sabr land.  After beating Yaqeen in a 4-0 smacking, GM Naiem Malik's army is riding off a two game win streak and now faces the bottom feeder Haya.  The red shirts are playing their system and most importantly receiving solid net-minding by Ahmad Mobin. Mobin situates himself as the leader of the goalie stats and looks to silence Haya this week.  Dawood Ciombar and Ali Malik have been a bit of a surprise this season.   The Sabr duo have Ali Malik leading the points and Dawood Ciombar leading the goals.  Team red is still pushing pace in trying to finish first place. Will Sabr walk over Haya?

A majority of teams have found their rhythm and left the station, but unfortunately Haya hasn't even gotten on the tracks.  The grey shirts are seeded in the bottom of the food chain with Yaqeen and need to start their engines now.  The only positive thing going for them is the one point cushion on Yaqeen in the standings.  Haya can't treat every loss as "water under the bridge."  As bland as it sounds, they need points. GM Naeem Akhtar needs to recollect and get the team going before time expires. Will Haya upset Sabr and earn their first win? It's conceivable but will it happen?

10:00pm: Taqwa vs Ihsan
A short bench is unbearable but can sometimes work to your advantage.  The blue shirts had a taxing workout but eventually made a statement 2-0 win over first place Emaan.  GM Yasir Hussain notched a shutout and now leads his tribe to tango with the Soliman’s of Ihsan.  Taqwa has had many avenues to their success.  Upfront Farooq Sani and Saqib Khokhar have been merciless to their opponents but the most resilient has been Adil Patel.  Patel has 6 points in his last 4 games and hasn’t looked back.  Saajid Bhayat and Naveed Mohammad will do the heavy lifting defensively as Taqwa tries to climb the standings. Can Taqwa beat Ihsan?

Ihsan is unbeaten in their last three games and are looking to prolong their successful ride.  The white shirts came off a strong 3-1 win against Yaqeen and now confront a sizzling Taqwa team.  Forget about the Soliman's, the Malton posse of Taqwa, this is honestly going to be a goalie showdown between Yasir Hussain and Zaid Majoo.  Both goalies are playing hotter than a tandoor and can crawl higher up the standings with a huge win. The Soliman's continue their offensive bursts while Farrukh Khan and Rayhan Malik dominate the back end.  Will Ihsan be able to solve Taqwa?

Spring Season - Week Five - March 24th

8:00pm: Ihsan vs Haya
A huge part of why Ihsan and Haya find themselves in the position they are in is their struggles’ on the offensive end.  Both teams combined have scored nine goals, to put things in perspective, the top two goal-scorers Salman Alvi (Emaan) and Dawood Ciombar (Sabr) have 10 goals combined.  In Week Four, Ihsan picked up a huge two points against Yaqeen, giving them their first win of the season.  Tonight, they try to build off of this momentum in a pivotal game in the standings with Haya.  A win here can move them closer to the cluster of teams at the top whereas a loss drops them into the final playoff spot.  In the meanwhile, Haya lost a close encounter with Emaan last week with Salman Alvi (Emaan) providing the dagger.  Win-less thus far into the season, this game is crucial for Haya as they are currently hanging onto the last playoff spot by a thread.

9:00pm: Sabr vs Yaqeen
How the strong become weak and the weak become strong!  It is a reversal of last season as Sabr is eyeing this game as an opportunity to close the three-point spread or the very least keep pace with first-place Emaan.  On the other hand, Yaqeen is experiencing what Sabr felt last season having to claw and fight for their playoff lives.  Yaqeen must be mentally beat down after getting shutout twice (first by Ihsan and then by Taqwa) last Friday.  A win for Yaqeen can vault them into the mix of things.  However a loss tonight means they will be without a win through the first half of the season which would be devastating blow to last season’s finalist.

10:00pm: Emaan vs Taqwa
Last week, Taqwa was Jekyll and Hyde.  From getting demolished by Sabr where they surrendered six goals to shutting out Yaqeen the very next game.  Having played the least amount of games, a Taqwa win tonight can put their team in the conversation and make things interesting at the top of the standings.  This game for Emaan completes a circuit (facing the other teams).  Not having a loss through six-games is an impressive feat considered they would have squared up against the rest of the league at least once.

Spring Season - Week Four - March 17th

8:00pm: Emaan vs Haya
Emaan comes off a successful doubleheader after claiming 3 out of 4 points against Ihsan and Sabr. Team green's first line of Waqar Khan, Arif Bijabhai and GM Furqan Salam continue to be the threats upfront and have received solid support by the zealous Abdu Sharkawy. Emaan may not be churning goals out at an alarming rate, but they've managed to batten down the hatches with Salman Khalid and Adeel Awan tending the blue line. Goaltender Yusuf Kapoor has kept his team in all games and has a daunting task of taming a hungry Haya team this week. Can Emaan stay elevated in the standings with a solid win over Haya?

Members of Haya must be in disbelief. Two games have evaporated and the grey shirts have yet to scratch the surface of victory. I mean it's not all doom and gloom for Haya, they do have two equalizers and are still a competitive team. They need to be able to hold on to a lead and complete their defensive assignments. Last week's game versus Yaqeen was a prime example of their defensive breakdowns. GM Naeem Akhtar will have to rally his troops and channel some motivation into the squad. Will Haya be able to tighten up the back end and serve up a big win?

9:00pm: Yaqeen vs Ihsan
After getting roasted (7-1) some time ago by Emaan, Yaqeen was eager for a bounce back and faced Haya. It was the same story for first period, the usual back and forth, but the tale took a sudden twist. Junaid Mohammad's equalizer with 3.5 seconds left on the clock sent the team into a frenzy. Sure it felt like a win but the real question is; what does Yaqeen do with this momentum? Zafar Rashid's return was the injection Yaqeen needed, but can the remaining cast be strong enough against Ihsan. GM Arsalan Mian, Humza Chaudhry and Idrees Deen are expected to give their best while netminder Kaunain Saiyed hopes to remain collected between the pipes. Will Yaqeen be able to get their first win?

Ihsan reels off another tie game with Emaan and look for a rebound into the win column versus Yaqeen. The white shirts, who are winless in three, put up a valiant effort versus Emaan but eventually felt the sting as the win turned into a tie late in the second period. Unlike last season, Ihsan has thus far faced a setback and is still searching for their first win. GM Yousuf Soliman might want to give brother Osama Soliman an ultimatum to play, cause they dearly miss his offensive prowess. Regardless, it's anticipated that Ihsan will come out hungry versus Yaqeen. Which team will get their first win off the season?

10:00pm: Taqwa vs Sabr
Taqwa made their season debut with backup netminder Sheraz Mehmood minding the twine. The game drifted in Sabr's favour but slowly shifted currents with Taqwa hitting the right pressure points late in the game.  Yasir Habib and Farooq Sani scored critical goals with stalwart Adil Patel pocketing a two point night including the game winning goal.  Sheraz Mahmood turned away 21 shots and handed Sabr their first loss of the season. Taqwa gets a rematch with Sabr in their first of a double header and will need buckets of Gatorade during shifts. With last week's dramatic finish, you know this game will have more action than a Michael Bay movie. Can Taqwa thwart off Sabr again?

Sabr had a rough ride last week and need to accumulate some points to their record. Losers of their double header, team red needs to redeem themselves as Taqwa looms for the series sweep. The red shirts have shown signs of life with Dawood Ciombar, Yasir Malik and Akib Malik doing their due diligence. Netminder Ahmad Mobin has given his team a chance to win every game, but this squad just can't make it happen. Defensively Sabr taunts some big names and those big names need to step up to shutdown Taqwa, or else it'll be lights out. Can Sabr silence Taqwa and grab a win?

11:00pm: Taqwa vs Yaqeen
Back to back double headers aren't fun (for some) but they are a reality this season, no matter where you play. Taqwa gets to experience what Sabr endured last week and it might work to their favour. There's a plethora of young guys on team teal that'll challenge their stamina, but the same applies for rivals. Yaqeen is fortunate to have an hour break before they collide with Taqwa. The yellow shirts are in dire need of a win and will need to pace themselves versus Taqwa. It'll be interesting to see which team will go the extra mile to seal the deal.

Spring Season - Week Three - March 10th

8:00 pm: Haya vs Yaqeen
Haya was  off  in  Week  Two; in Week One,  their  goaltender, Khalid  Mufti  stole  the  show earning him the First Star honours of that week.  A lot of members from the Haya team decided to join last week’s pickup session.  Atif Mian, Arssal Shahabuddin, Kashif Siddiqui, Azim Siddique and Naeem Akhtar took part in the optional game.  It was a smart move to get a run in as opposed to being inactive for two weeks.  Taking advantage of the extra playing time will undoubtedly be beneficial in establishing team camaraderie  and chemistry.  They now face Yaqeen, a team coming off an embarrassing performance in Week Two against Emaan.  For Yaqeen it is simple, forget what happened last week and just move on, lots of season left.  This is a prime example where the leadership skills of Junaid Mohammad are needed to help his team regain their confidence.

9:00 pm: Emaan vs Ihsan
In Week Two, Emaan  were  dishing  out  a  beat  down  whereas  Ihsan  were  on  a  receiving end of one.  The defending champions, were blitzed last week resulting  in their goaltender Zaid Majoo to  call  out  his  team  during  the  game.  How  does  Drake  and  company  respond  to  a situation so foreign to them?  Just like Yaqeen, they just need to forget about last week.  Ihsan is probably itching  to  get  back  on  the  floor  to  re-establish  that  they  are  still  the  kings of  I-Slam.  They can take solace in the fact that they tied Emaan in the first week of the season (score: 1-1) without two of  their  top  players in Farrukh  Khan and Osama  Soliman.   However,  Emaan  was without one of their superstars that game as well, Furqan Salam.  Salam adds another threat upfront  with Arif  Bijabhai and Waqar  Khan.   But  what  is  scary  about  this  team  is  the emergence  of  their  secondary  scoring  with Salman  Alvi potting two goals  in  his  last  game.  Nonetheless, the fact remains that in the last three games against Ihsan, Emaan has not been able to beat them.  Is it mental for Emaan or is Ihsan just the better team?  Another story that will develop  later  in  the  night  is  Emaan  will  be  right  back  in  action  an  hour  from  the  conclusion  of this game.

10:00 pm: Sabr vs Taqwa
I  don’t  think  anyone  could  have  predicted  Sabr's 6-0 drubbing  over  the defending  champs  last  week.  Last  season  Sabr  struggled  to  score  goals,  but  had  no  problem finding  twine  last  week  and  got  contributions  from Yasir  Malik  (hat  trick), Akib  Malik, Amir Hanif,  and Ali  Malik.  I  know  the  season  is  young  but  thus  far  Sabr  has  seemed  to  solved  their defensive/goaltending issues that were their Achilles heel last season, only surrendering one goal in  their  past  two  games.  If  Sabr  continues  to  make  improvements in  their  defensive  zone  and keeps generating offensive chances (as shown in  their first two games against Haya and Ihsan) then they will turn a lot of heads and put the rest of the league on notice. Their opponents this week  is  Taqwa,  who  are  making  their  season  debut.  Not  much is  known  about  this  group  as
they  are  the  new  kids  of  the  block.  With  that  said  they  are at  a  clear  disadvantage  as  all  the other teams' core group played together in the fall season. This newly formed group is not only going  to  have  to  figure  out  how  to  play  as  a  unit  but  also  need  to  figure  out  the  other competition  they  are  up  against.  However,  if  last  week's  scores  revealed  anything,  it  is  this season  might  not  go  as  people  predicted  so  before  passing  any  judgement  let's  give  Taqwa  a chance to prove to us what they got.

11:00 pm: Emaan vs Sabr
The first double header of the season features the hottest teams heading into week three.  The team's  stamina  will  be  put  to  the  test  as  for  both  Emaan  and  Sabr  this  will  be  their second game of the night. It will be interesting to see how this plays out and how minutes are distributed  in  their  first  game.  It  is  easier  said  than  done  to  spread  minutes  out  as  much  as possible, but does that actual happen?  Have the 3rd line and last defensive pairing of each team earned  the  trust  of  their  GMs  so  early  on  in  the  season?  For Sabr  in  particular  this  game  has added  significance  as  Emaan  sent  them  packing  in  the  fall  playoffs.  A  huge  change  from  that game to now is that Sabr did draft Emaan's goalie from  last season, Ahmad Mobin. One could make the argument that this might be advantage for Emaan as they had a full season and know how to beat him. On the contrary, one might argue Sabr has the edge as Mobin has the inside scoop on the Emaan's forwards.

Spring Season - Week Two - March 3rd

9:00pm: Emaan vs Yaqeen
Emaan storms into their second game of the season after drawing a 1-1 equalizer with Ihsan. Despite GM Furqan Salam's absence, the green shirts played a sound game with solid forechecking and a balanced defence in the backend. It's expected the action scale will burst once Emaan's Cambridge line of Salam-Khan-Bijabhai start connecting. Goaltender Yusuf Kapoor is familiar with the movers and shakers within Yaqeen and will look to frustrate the his former squad. Will Emaan be able to revive their goal scoring?

Yaqeen trots into their first game with a concoction of youth and vets. GM Arsalan Mian will rally his troops and try to pry through Emaan's defensive layers, the main defenders being Salman Khalid and Adeel Awan. Yaqeen's threats are in the numbers with Humza Chaudhry, Idrees Deen and Azhar Kalair come into the picture.  Zafar Rashid, Junaid Mohammad and Kashif Taqiuddin will play mentors to the yellow shirts and account towards taming the tribe. Can goaltender Kaunain Saiyed silence Emaan?


10:00pm: Sabr vs Ihsan
Despite tying their last game, Sabr showed some promise and also drew to an even 1-1 score with Haya. Besides the multitude of new faces, the red shirt's main face-plant from last season has been goaltending. GM Naiem Malik quickly plucked netminder Ahmad Mobin and might've struck the jackpot, or did he? Only time will dictate that decision. Offence was an issue last season, but this time there's hope that the advertised Malik's can churn out a winner each week. Can Ahmad Mobin silence Ihsan?

Ihsan stood on it's head against Emaan last time and matched the opposition down to the wire. GM Yousuf Soliman will lead the charge vs the Malik's (Sabr) and will rely on Farrukh Khan and Rayhan Malik to thwart off team red's feisty forwards. Out of the box you got the Soliman's who can score, but where will the secondary scoring come from?  Zaid Majoo is reeling off a championship win and is looking at the big picture one game at a time. Will The Soliman's be able to devour the Malik's and win this family feud?

Taqwa and Haya are off this week.

Spring Season - Week One - Feb 17th

8pm: Ihsan vs EmaanWeek One starts off with Ihsan beginning its’ quest of defending their crown. Many believe Ihsan came into the draft with the strongest core. From amongst this group: Yousuf Soliman, Farrukh Khan, Osama Soliman and Hany Soliman are returnees from last season’s championship team. They were able to recruit and further bolster their lineup with the addition of Yusuf Sowdagar. Drake’s strategy was simple, “why fix it if it ain’t broke?”  He made sure to grab as many players from last year’s team as he could.  Rayhan Malik, Humza Hussain, Ahmad Kaiss, Zaid Majoo and Walied Soliman will each have a chance to go back to back. Their opponents Emaan (or TMT as they would like to be called) also has a stacked group. Furqan Salam and Adeel Awan are joined by the reigning MVP, points and goals-leader Waqar Khan, last season’s top defensemen Salman Khalid and also last season’s goals-leader (there was a three way tie) Arif Bhijabhai. GM Furqan Salam seems to be taking a no nonsense approach cutting ties with Cambridge Home Boys Wakas Khan & Atif Mian.  TMT is all about winning and they are on a mission to make the rest of the league look like ants.

9pm: Sabr vs HayaSabr brings back the same core five they had last season with Saleem Malik, Naiem Malik, Akib Malik, Sadat Malik and Luqman Arshad.  Oh, chances are when you face them there will always be a Malik in your face with Faisal Malik, Rizwan Malik, Yasir Malik, and Ali Malik also on the roster.  Sabr felt they could have competed with any team last season only if they had consistent goaltending. Doing a complete 180 they chose to draft last season’s Top Goaltender, Ahmad Mobin with their first pick.  The Sabr brass is hoping that by going all out and securing a goaltender early in the draft they have addressed last season’s biggest weakness and can start exacting some revenge. For Haya their GM pairing consists of best buddies Naeem Akhtar and Fahad Malik. They have brought back Mehmed Rizvanovic, and Khalid Mufti from last year’s squad. Gone is Hisham Ali, but they were able to convince Arssal Shahabuddin to join their crew.  Aazar Zafar gets another opportunity to play on Haya’s first line.  Last season, Haya made it to the semi-finals. Will the addition of Faisal Mehboob, Atif Mian and Azim Siddique be enough to get them to the finals?

10pm: Yaqeen vs TaqwaYaqeen has some youthful exuberance with Arslan Mian and Humza Chaudhry returning. Another pair of young legs and lungs of Idris Deen agreed to join forces. Last year’s finalist also has strong leadership in Zafir Rashid and Junaid Mohammed. With the first pick in the draft, Yaqeen selected Mohammad Hamoud, whom was impressive in helping Ihsan take home the championship. Surprisingly though, Yaqeen passed on Yusuf Kapoor in the draft and instead went with Kaunain Saiyed. Perhaps this shakeup and change of scenery is best for both parties and helps Yaqeen take that next step in winning the I-Slam Cup.  Taqwa is the new kids on the block as this group was formed this season. Yasir Hussain and Saajid Bhayat are a formidable defender-goalie combination. And of course Adil Patel is a game breaker. However the consensus is that Taqwa came into the draft with the weakest five-player core. They were able to snag some solid players in the draft by selecting Farooq Sani, Saqib Khokhar, Naveed Mohamed, and Sahil Mohamed. Before passing any judgement on this team let’s first give them a chance to prove to us what they got.

Fall Season - Week Sixteen - February 3rd

The brand new championship trophy sponsored by www.urgentcarecentre.ca will be at the rink tonight. Either Ihsan or Yaqeen will being taking her home. For Yaqeen to get their names on it they are first going to have to forget last week’s disaster.  Ihsan exposed them in many facets of the game. First their defense without Sajjid Ayubi and Zafir Rashid looked sluggish allowing the crafty Ihsan forwards to constantly test goaltender Yusuf Kapoor. Let’s call a spade a spade, it was a horrible night for him, getting burned three times on the first four shots and twice more in the second half. Once Ihsan broke down Yaqeen’s defensive scheme they had little difficulty in finding the back of the net.  Put in another way, how much of Ihsan’s success last week came because Yaqeen was missing Ayubi and Rashid? However, Ihsan was missing some of their big boys too with Hany Soliman, Sajid Khan, and Mohammed Hamoud all DNPs last week and they still dropped six! The 6ix -1 beat down!  Blah, blah, blah that is all last week and although it is generally better to win the first game really the championship is won in game two.  For Yaqeen they must first forget about last week, get back to their defensive plan that made them successful all year and more importantly not let the pressure of being down a game get to them. For Ihsan, last week was a cake walk but they need to re-focus and not be over confident assuming the championship is theirs already. If Ihsan comes out of the gate on fire than that would probably break the will of Yaqeen.  However if Yaqeen is able to keep the game close or even have a lead then can Ihsan arrive above the challenge?

Fall Season - Week Fifteen - January 27th

Ikhlas, Sabr, Shukr, Emaan and Haya have all fallen. After 16 weeks the two teams left fighting for the championship this season is Yaqeen and Ihsan. This will be a heavy weight battle with the two top dogs from start to finish squaring off. Only separated by one-point during the regular season, one can argue the strength of both of these teams is their commitment to defense. Yaqeen would like to boast they have the best defensive core of Junaid Mohammad, Faraaz Alvi and Zafir Rashid only allowing the opposition to score 13 times (the fewest) and Sajjid Ayubi ensuring the forwards play a strong two-way game. 

But Ihsan also does a solid job shutting down teams with Farrukh Khan, Sajid Khan and Yousuf Soliman (AKA Drizzy) regardless of whether they play as a forward or defense always put in that extra effort to get back to the front of their net.  The goaltending edge goes to Yusuf Kapoor of Yaqeen, but it would be foolish to overlook Zaid Majoo as he has proven this season he has the mental resolve to battle through and win tight games. When it comes to finding twine, Yaqeen probably has the edge in that department by having the league`s top sniper on their roster Humza Chaudhry. However, if you give Hany Soliman a crack of daylight he can thread any needle. Finally, in my opinion when you consider the sum being greater than its individual parts, the overall edge seems to go to Ihsan, this team seems to find a way to win regardless of what challenges they have faced this season, as they did when they defeated Yaqeen 2-1 earlier in the year.

Fall Season - Week Fourteen - January 20th

In the 8 pm game Emaan takes on Yaqeen to book their ticket to the finals. Yaqeen won the only matchup between the teams during the season in a close 2-1 battle. Yaqeen should be weary of Umair Awan (Emaan) who comes in white hot after putting up four goals in the Quarter Final against Sabr last week. Awan has elevated his game despite the recent struggles of Waqar Khan and Zaid Toorawa. With so much at stake, Emaan is hoping that the top two leading point scorers during the regular season are able to get their games back in order. From Yaqeen’s perspective, they have been frustrating opposing with their defensive scheme all season. Sajjid Ayubi, Faraaz Alvi and Junaid Mohammad anchor the defensive efforts for the team. They hope to keep the Emaan offense in-check long enough for their crafty forwards, especially Humza Chaudhry to cash in at the other end.

In the 9 pm game, of tonight's doubleheader Haya goes up against Ihsan. Let’s not sugar coat it, most people feel (as per the votes) that Haya is a massive underdog. But let’s take a step back! The team’s split the regular season series with each team winning one game; Ihsan won the most recent encounter. That said, Haya was the only team able to hand Ihsan a defeat this season. As well, in their second meeting, Haya was sporting a lead going into the 2nd period. So it seems that Haya has some blueprints to be effective against Ihsan. For Ihsan getting a bye and finishing 1st overall is a great accomplishment - however not taking anything away or devaluing the tremendous season they had so far but perhaps the bye will work against them as inactivity can always be a risk. Considering Ihsan is coming off a long layoff, last playing December 16th, them boys will have to quickly adjust to the magnitude of the situation and go from 0 to 100 real quick (Yes this is a Drake reference, for Drake’s team).