WINTER 2011 SEASON:


 

Semi Finals

 

Game 1 - Malton Mavericks lose to Palace Panthers 3-2
Game 2 - Mavericks defeat Panthers in OT 2-1
Game 3 - Panthers defeat Mavericks 1-0
Panthers win series 2-1

The last time these two clubs met in the playoffs was this very rink at this very time when the Panthers fell to the Mavs in the Makkah Cup Final. Revenge is sweet if you are a Palace Panther as they suffered a little scare in game 2, but nothing can feel better than a old-time overtime winner that clinches a series. The Mavs did their utmost to stretch this thing as long as they could as they were the ones making the Panther players run for the ball and executing some fine plays. Syed Ahmed who is an underrated player on this Mavs squad potted both goals that would be enough to force game 3 while Akib and his crew were left trying to find answers in not having history repeat itself. In game 3, with the faceoff deep, Nabil Hathiyani won the faceoff to Naeem Shah who started dangling in the Malton zone totally untouched. As he then decided to cut in front of the Malton goal, he coolly dished it off to a waiting Uzair Limbada - another underrated player - who fired it past Riaz Parekh to cause an eruption on the Milliken floor. The top-seeded Panthers now find themselves fittingly back into the finals and will face off against a surprising Snipers squad for the rights to the Makkah Cup.

Semi Finals Preview:

 

Palace Panthers vs Malton Mavericks

The Palace Panthers are a series away from playing for and possibly hoisting the Makkah Cup, a feat they were so close to achieving three short seasons ago, but came up short at the hands of the Mavericks. Returning to the Palace lineup after a stint in the big leagues are Akib Patel, Sohel Ingar, Omair Malam, Shahbaz Patel, Shahid Bulbulia and Arif Sufi.  The Mavericks lost their size to the Malton Slappers, but have substituted size for speed and skill. The newest addition to the Mavericks has been Mohammed Saleh, a sniper who put up dazzling numbers in the regular season (6G, 2A) and is shining in the playoffs with 3G and 1A in the series against the Hitmen. Other notables for the Mavericks include Adil Patel (7G, 7A) and Shoaib Rangrez (3G, 9A). When Rizwan Hassan left this team, he left these two individuals in charge. Come this weekend, we will see if Adil and Shoaib are up to the task of keeping this franchise alive. If the Panthers can overcome their mental block that is the Mavericks, they will be in the clear to take home the coveted trophy of the Makkah conference.

Quarterfinals

Malton Mavericks eliminate Hitmen
Mavs win series 2-1

Game 1 - Mavs def Hitmen: 3-2
Game 2 - Hitmen def Mavs: 3-2
Game 3 - Mavs def Hitmen: 1-0 SO

Always a bridesmaid, never a bride. The Hitmen once again have felt the wrath and destruction of a game 3 shootout. Just as the had against the Tpark Knights last season, the Hitmen were again victimized once again by the high-flyers of Malton in a shootout after a hard fought victory in game 2. This was by far the most exciting game of the night as both teams fought tooth and nail and had some glorious chances equalled by some beautiful saves at either end. Steve Devekos was the story in game 2 as he took away some for-sure goals by some of the Mavs players. Tied at ones after the first frame on goals by Mohammed Saleh and Zafer Sami, the 2nd period was a flurry of activity. Zafer scored his 2nd of the game to go up 2-1, but Saleh again who is proving to be a marquis player scored to tie it up. The Hitmen were buzzing around the Mavs net when the ball somehow found the stick blade of spunky Ubaid Khan who found a way to bulge the twine to go up 3-2. The Mavs were relentless and charged back, but Devekos and his defence came up huge to preserve the win and force game 3. The 5minutes came and went as Devekos was spectacular turning aside 4 shots, but the shootouts was always his achilles heel. While the Malton goalie gave up no goals, the Mavs popped 2 by the Hitmen to claw their way to the semifinals against the old rivals Palace Panthers.

The Hitmen seem to be getting better and better and you could almost sense they were ready to make a move to the 2nd round for the first time in their franchise history. It was not to be however as the shootouts once again reminded them that more improvement is needed to get by some of the younger and hungrier opponents they face. All in all, the Hitmen are making positive strides and a playoff round win (or maybe even 2) is coming closer and closer.
 

 Quarterfinals:

 
[6]Malton Mavericks 3 vs [3]Hitmen 2 OT
Mavs lead series 1-0  
Game 1 - Mavs def Hitmen: 3-2
 

The biggest difference between these two clubs Saturday night was the sheer speed the Mavericks unleashed upon the Hitmen. The youngsters from Morningstar Dr lead by Mohammed Saleh and Syed Ahmed were the difference downing the higher seeded Hitmen in OT to take game 1. The Mavs jumped out to a 2-zip lead in the 1st on a great breakaway goal by Ahmed who chipped it by the Hitmen defender, outran him and fired one past Steve Devekos. Shoaib Rangrez then gave them the two goal cushion as he received a feed from Adil Patel to make no mistake. While the Mavs have the youth and energy, the poise and experience asserted by the Hitmen came into fruition. As they successfully neutralized Adil's movements throughout the 2nd, both Afzal Siddiqui and Mehran Khan through some hard work around the crease area beat Riaz Parekh to force OT. With just 2 minutes gone in OT however, Saleh stripped a Hitmen defender and beat Devekos on a shot he wish he could have back to score the winning goal to go up in the series.