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?
Friday 29 September 2017
Friday 22 September 2017
Fall Season - Week Two - September 22nd
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.
Friday 15 September 2017
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.
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.
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