8:00 PM- Free Pickup! This session is open to anyone, so come out and bring your friends as well! A great opportunity for new players to the league to showcase their talents leading into the draft.
9:00 PM - Yaqeen vs Haya Game Two of Two in the Finals
Context: Haya must defeat Yaqeen in Game Two of this series in order to force a 5-minute sudden death overtime. If neither team scores in the overtime there will be a shootout, 3 shooters aside. If after the three shooters the penalty scores are still tied then we will go to sudden death shooters until a winner is crowned. Alternatively, as winners of Game 1 of this series, Yaqeen can take the I-slam Cup home with either a win or a tie in this game.
Haya’s Perspective:
Last week, Haya did not look like a team that belonged in The Finals. Right from the start, they were not prepared to go to war as they were assessed a two-minute penalty for failing to submit a recap. This ended up being a costly mistake as Yaqeen capitalized on the power play. This mistake ultimately costed them the game and perhaps even the I-Slam Cup. From the start Haya would never recover, suffering their first loss of the season. The fact that Haya lost for the first time is not as concerning as how mentally fragile they looked last week. From complaining about the referees to taking needless penalties, they did not respond well to the first test of adversity they encountered all year.
The first task the Haya leadership group has to do is to get their team to forget about last week. Easier said than done as the main question is if Haya is already mentally defeated stemming from their poor showing last week. Personally and I may be in the minority here, I think their undefeated streak ending is a good thing as now that pressure is no longer weighing them down. Now their focus can solely be on winning the I-Slam Cup. In terms of strategy everything starts and ends with Maaz Haq. The entire Haya team has to make the rink feel small for Haq whenever he has the ball. This means whenever he has the ball whether it be in the offensive, neutral or defensive zone there has to be 1,2, or even 3 grey jerseys pressuring him. The whole idea is to limit the time he has the ball and see if anyone else on Yaqeen can generate the offense.
Yaqeen’s Perspective:
Yaqeen steamrolled Haya last week. Credit to the leaders of Yaqeen for having their crew ready to play right from the opening draw. They drew up a nice tic-tac-toe powerplay goal and never looked back. Yaqeen made things look easy seven days ago and kept their calm and composure especially when Haya tried to engage them in chippy play. My only criticism from their Game 1 victory was perhaps they could have eased up a little nearing the closing minutes of the game as oppose to trying to score a fifth goal. What this might have done is poke a seemingly dead bear and given Haya a little fire in their belly heading into tonight’s action. All in all in was a perfect game for Yaqeen that has positioned them well heading into the finals leg of this series.
My main concern for Yaqeen is how relatively easy their season has been so far. With exception to a loss against Taqwa, Yaqeen has not been under mush pressure-ridden situations. This could play a factor tonight. Consider this, Haya had a week to gather and mentally collect themselves since last Friday. However, if Yaqeen were to fall behind in Game 2 they would have to figure out a way to compose themselves in the heat of the moment. This is not something that is easy to do especially when things have been smooth sailing for such a long period of time. Therefore in my opinion getting the first goal is crucial. In terms of strategy they would want to focus on Waqar Khan and Umair Awan. Shutting these two down long enough for one of their big three (Maaz Haq, Arif Bijabhai and Suleman Bhatti) to find the back of the Haya net will get team Yaqeen’s name on the I-slam Cup.
Prediction:
Most likely outcome: Yaqeen will win the championship at the end of Game Two
If Haya were to win the championship they will do so in the overtime session
If it goes to a shootout Yaqeen will take home the championship
10:00 PM - Awards Ceremony: All finalists and award winners are invited out to celebrate their standout performances of the season.
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