(1) SABR vs (2) HAYA – 9:00PM
The Top 2 seeds advanced to the Summer 2019 Championship and
will face each other in a winner take all one game elimination.
Sabr rolls in to the finals with a 5-0 massacre of Ihsan.
The goals came early and often. Fahad Panchbaya stepped up infront of the
bright lights and delivered the first goal of the season with the help of Arif
“Kaptain” Khan. The veteran right hander who is all too familiar with the
bright lights took it upon himself and scored the second goal just 3 minutes
later. In the second period, the goal that sealed Ihsan’s fate was scored by
none other than MVP runner up Arslan Mian. Arslan has posted a fine
season this year and all that’s missing for this young GM is the illusive i-Slam
Championship. He came oh sooooo close last season in winning the championship with
his sidekick Humza Chaudhry but ultimately came up short. Well this is Arslan’s
team and has his imprints written all over it, as he craftily drafted the Top Goalie,
Top Rookie, Top Forward Runner up and Top Defenceman Runner Up. Goalie Ahmad
Mobin had another fine game as he shutout 10 shots from Ihsan en route to his
3rd(!!!!!) shutout of the season. But Mobin faces his toughest test
in Haya as he has a 1-2 record against them. Granted, Sabr suffered a huge loss
in defenceman Farhan Saleh, who’s play was severely missed in the 5-3
loss against Haya in week 9. Saleh missed the playoff game against Ihsan as
well and is a game time decision for the finals. This team has been blessed
with offense from top to bottom, as everyone has pitched in throughout the
season. The offense needs to continue to show its power in order to beat Haya.
Arslan Mian, Omar Husain, Arif Khan and Farhan Saleh all need to play their
best games to not only cement their place as Summer 2019 Champions but also
their spots in the Tier 1 Draft. This will be a back and forth battle that will
be close, but with Farhan Saleh back and the rumours of Saqib Khokhar making
his return, Sabr has an awfully compelling chance to take the finals.
Haya barely scraped by Yaqeen last week as they Tied 1-1. In
what was billed “the game of the night”, there were no shortages of spectacular
moments. Mo Hamoud started the game off as he sniped one top shelf to open the
scoring, but with all the firepower that Haya has, this lead was not going to
last. Dawood Ciombar and Farooq Sani were not to be denied as the
duo executed a beautiful give and go to tie the game up and ultimately keep it
like that. Yaqeen poured the pressure on, in the dying minutes of the game but
Haya’s strong defence led by Omar Essawi was too much for Yaqeen to
handle. Omar has been a steady part of Dawood’s team as he picked up the Top
Scorer and Goal Scoring awards and will be counted on heavily in the championship
game. Goalie Yusuf Kapoor has had another fine season and finds himself
back in the championship game yet again. Kapoor, who has been counted out many
times in the past due to his size has always performed when the time arises and
seems to find himself either winning the championship or being the runner up.
The secondary scoring consisting of Muhammed Ubaid Khan, Rizwan Malik and
Ibrahim Khan have been present all season long and giving the opposition the
fits with their style of play. These guys play their hearts out each and every
shift and are the heart and soul of this team. This is a matchup of two evenly
matched teams that can line match all day and night. A true 1 vs 2 seed.
We know the big boys will score. Omar Husain. Omar Essawi. Arslan Mian. Dawood Ciombar. Arif Khan. Farooq Sani. But where this game will truly be won is from the secondary scoring. Those shifts where the grinders play their hearts out. That’s where this game will be won. Haya has firepower up and down this lineup, but Sabr does too. This will be a matchup closer than last week’s “game of the night”. I tip the edge to Sabr as they will be crowned Summer 2019 Champions.