PREVIEWS

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PREVIEWS

4/21/2012

9:00 pm -Game 1 Sharks VS Hawks - Regular Season

The first game of the night will be the last regular season game of this inaugural MMGL season. The outcome of this game will determine the match-ups of the first ever MMGL playoffs. With everyone heading into the playoffs, this game will also determine who will be the top team in the league. The winner will most likely end up clinching first overall. The Hawks, after coming off an unpredictable win over the Falcons, playing with no goalie the entire game; will look to try to beat the Sharks, who seem to have their number as they have not beaten them in the last two meetings. A whole team effort will be required from Adil Patel and his squad in order to triumph over Syed Ahmed and his Sharks. Key components of this game will be the goalies, with Ridwan Khanji and his stellar performance on one side and Kaleem Mirza and his dramatically improved goaltending on the other. There is no lack of leadership either, with Adil Patel, Syed Ahmed and Rizwan Hassan in the mix. Defensive ends look sharp as well with the dynamic duo of Deepak Bhangu and Atif Bokhari facing off against the Shaikh Brothers. Not to mention the superstar young guns on both teams, with the likes of Fayaz Kazi and Fahad Panchbhaya playing against one another, this game will be the perfect way to end off the regular season. With assets on both sides of the floor on both teams, this game will be a close one, just in time to kick off the 2012 MMGL Post-Season

Week 6 Results

Falcons Def Sharks 7-5

Sharks Def Nordiques 4-1

Falcons Def Nordiques 15-3

Hawks Def Falcons 9-5

Week 5 Results

Falcons Def Sharks 6-5 OT

Hawks Def Nordiques 6-4

Falcons Def Hawks 14-5

Sharks Def Nordiques 14-2

Week 4 Results

Sharks def Hawks 7-5

The last time these two teams met, the Sharks looked to win their first game of the season, winning by a mere 3-2 score. This time around, these teams were battling for first spot in the league. Just in time, Rizwan Hassan also made his debut, and it turned out he was technically playing goalie for the first couple of minutes in. Even then, the Sharks did not let up, playing a power play type of game since the Hawks were a man-short to start with. However, Mohammed Kazi was able to put in 2 goals quickly, but youngster Fayaz Kazi, cut the lead in 1 in no time. The Hawks were able to put 1 more into the gapping net before their substitute, Falcons’ goalie Abbas Shaikh, came in to play goal. With stability restored, Syed Ahmed and his troops went on a tear, scoring 6 in a row, from the likes of Sabir Shaikh, Rizwan Hassan and the GM himself, scoring a natural hat-trick. The short-handed Hawks looked to have drained out until Adil Patel came into the play and helped in getting two more from Sufyaan Shaikh and Mohammed Kazi, completing the hat-trick of his own. The Hawks tried making a late push, but stellar play by the Shaikh Brothers on the defensive end held them back. Great defensive play shown by Atif Bokhari, and Hawks’ goalie Ridwaan Khanji looked a bit rusty, favoring his left shoulder at times. With the win, the Sharks tied the Hawks for first in the league, now winning 4-straight.

Falcons def Nordiques 7-3

Coming off the first trade in MMGL history, the new looked Falcons lead by recently named captain, Shoaib Rangrez, and new acquisition Ricky Saili, had their sight on the sole goal of winning their first of the season. Facing his old team, Suhaib Shaikh knew he had to make an early impact if his team wanted to come out with a win. This game started out to be a back and forth affair as both teams traded 2 goals each, coming from Shoaib Khan, Ml.Huzaifa Patel, Umar Mohammed, and Shoaib Rangrez’s first as Falcon. Without star defenseman Shahir Shaikh in the line-up, the Nordiques defensive woes continued as the game went on. Captain Ranger’s shuffle in the lineup saw himself on defense and Zubair Patel playing forward. The big body in front proved to cause havoc, as the Falcons went on to put in 4 straight from the likes of Haran Karunakaran, dominant ML.Huzaifa Patel, and 2 from the latest Falcon, Ricky Saili. However, up by 4, Ml.Huzaifa Patel was called for tripping, giving the Nordiques some hope for a comeback. Shoaib Khan and his squad could not muster up anything during the 3 minute power play as Shoaib Rangrez, Zubair Patel, and Ricky Saili, lead by their net minder Abbas Shaikh, held it down, assuring their first win. This new Falcons team looks to have turned things around. With the shake-up and GM Zakaria Manjra yet to join the team, the Falcons are back in the hunt. As for the Nordiques, GM Shoaib Khan was shut down this game, and the defense had many mishaps, resulting in their third straight loss. Yet to play one more on the night, this team desperately needs to change things up and come out of this slump.

Hawks def Nordiques 7-4

After playing a game each already, and losing, both teams wanted to split their record for the night with a win. Recently, the tides look to have turned as going into this game, the Hawks do not have sole position of first anymore and the Nordiques have dropped to second last in the league. The game was held to a deadlock for quite some time, but Adil Patel did breakthrough with a sweet wrister, with Ridwaan Khanji getting his first assist of the season while playing in net. Both teams began to trade goals quick, leaving the game at a 4-4 tie at half. Dominant play shown by Umar Mohammed kept his team in the game and Suhaib Shaikh did score his first goal as a Nordique. The Hawks defensive play in the lather portions of the half had began to fall apart, but Ridwaan Khanji did come through for them. Harsh words from the Hawks’ GM could be well heard, and his team responded. Taking over the game in the second half, Fahad Panchbhaya, Atif Bokhari, and Adil Patel gave the Hawks a 7-4 lead. Once again, the Nordiques’ defensive play left their goalie, Deepinder Brar, hanging, giving no chance for a comeback victory. Great effort and commitment shown by Umar Mohammed as well as honorable mention goes out to Sufyaan Shaikh for his 4-point game. The Hawks now have regained first in the league, but the Sharks do have one game in hand. The Nordiques, with this loss, have now lost four straight, and continue to plummet down the standings. Don’t be surprised to see any changes as the trade deadline has been extended.

Week 4 Previews

Game 1: Sharks vs Hawks @ 9:00pm

Last time these two teams went head to head, the desperate Sharks looked to gain their first win of the season against the Adil-less Hawks, and boy did they come clutch. Led by star forward Syed Ahmed and power forward Shakir Shaikh, that win seemed to have sparked this Sharks team into full gear. Ever since, they have been winning every game and are now riding a 3-game winning streak. Their next task at hand will be a much more stronger Hawks team than before, and this game will tell us whether the Sharks are capable of being the top team in the league. The Hawks will look to veterans Deepak Bhanghu and Atif Bokahri to shut down the Sharks offense, and of course, with the help of the highly reliable Ridwaan Khanji between the pipes. Adil Patel and his young offensive core will have to be able to get around the Shaikh brothers on defense, as they will look to play the body on almost anyone that comes in their way. With a win, the Sharks will look to shock everyone and become tied for first place, something which looked nearly impossible after their first couple of games, but without a doubt, they deserve the credit.

Game 2: Falcons Vs Nordiqus @ 9:50pm

You all probably know this saying, "Well, something’s got to give!" In fact, that is exactly what is being said about this match-up. The Nordiques and Falcons will look to end the slumps that they have been in for the last couple of weeks, and turn their games around in order to earn the 'W' for this meeting. The Nordiques, after losing a tough game to the Hawks two weeks before, have not won since, and really need to improve on their defensive side of the game if they want to regain the status of being a dominant force in the league. Offense has recently been coming from Shahir Shaikh and Umar Mohammed, however, Shoaib Khan has to level back up to where he started at the beginning of the season. With the addition of Suhaib Shaikh up front, it looks like the team's veterans can focus more on the d-side of the plays. As for the Falcons, with the other addition of Shoaib Rangrez through the trade and replacement for Divesh Sharma, Ricky Saili, they look to be in a much better position to quickly turn their season around, with the possible first win this game. They will also need young gun Zakaria Manjra to step up his game and lead this Falcon team to victory, and with the addition of fellow Maverick, it won't be that hard. Otherwise, they will probably have to rely heavily on the outstanding performances shown so far from both Ml. Huzaifa Patel & Haran Karunakaran. At this point in the season, every game begins to count more and more, and with the stakes becoming greater and greater, nothing can really be said about the outcome of this game. But for starters, one thing's for certain, something's got to give!

Game 3: Hawks VS Nordiques @ 10:40pm

It's funny how things work out sometimes. Let me explain. Re-call from the last time these two power-houses met. Ring a bell, probably not. To get more specific, the last time these two met, the Hawks had just played a game and were restless. With the schedule being made, the Hawks were set to face the Nordiques right after, and that's when the Hawks handed the Nordiques their first loss of the season, and now haven’t won since. Does it hit you now? It's kind of simple really, the Nordiques will have the perfect opportunity to take revenge against the Hawks because as luck has it, they will actually be in the exact same position as the Hawks two weeks before. With that being said, the Hawks will have already played their first game and will be well rested, ready for their double-header game. As for the Nordiques, they will have just played a game and will have a mere 5 minutes to prepare themselves for probably their toughest game yet. Adil Patel and his crew will look to stall the Nordiques' push back towards the top of the league while Shoaib Khan and his squad will be focused on not letting the Sharks take over by trying to de-rail the Hawks' dominant play. Just like before, both goalies will have to be top notch or else this game could turn out to be one of those unforgettable Flyers-Penguins games not long ago. With such a dramatic script, will the Nordiques be able to pull off a win and let the hockey gods take over to leave the Hawks in a "struggle phase," similar to what the Nordiques have been going through? You'll have to be at the MCC and see for yourself what this crazy night will really have in store.

Week 3 Results

Game 1: Hawks def Falcons 7-4

The first game of the night featured the battle of the birds for the second time this season. It also marked the second time that GM and Captain, Yusuf Ingar and Divesh Sharma, have not showed up for their games. The Falcons’ struggles looked to continue on as they have not won a game this season. However, big defenseman Zubair Patel did make his MMGL debut. As for the game, the Hawks had pressure on for majority of the first half as they did not let any Falcon muster any sort of chance on Ridwaan Khanji. The Hawks offense came from almost everyone, and their 4-0 lead at the end of the first came from Sufyaan Shaikh, Deepak Bhangu, Fahad Panchbhaya, & Adil Patel. This game also looked like it was going to become a drought; however the Falcons did not give up. Led by the continuous stunning play of Ml. Huzaifa Patel and break through night for Haran Karunakaran, the Falcons were able to cut the lead down to 2. The laid back Hawks seemed to be watching the Falcons slowly take over the game, however with a little spark, in the form of a goal from Atif Bokhari, the Hawks got back on track and continued to pour it on and came away with a 8-4 win in their only game of the night. The Falcons, showing some sort of life, are really missing the play of their young guns, and would have to do without them as they still had one more to go before the night was over. Key Note: Hawks’ forward Mohammed Kazi looked to have injured one of his legs during the lather portions of the game, and was favouring it afterwards as well.

Game 2: Sharks def Nordiques 6-5

The Sharks, coming off their first win of the season against the Hawks, were set to take on the next best team in the Nordiques. Missing their goalie Kaleem Mirza, replacement Mohammed Bashir was called up from the Sharks. Also, the clash of star power was held off to another day because Rizwan Hassan was not in the lineup. Even yet, this game was still an interesting one with many questionable plays deciding the game. The game started off quite slow, with both teams sharing chances on net, until GM Syed Ahmed broke the dead lock and came through to give the Sharks the 1-0 lead. Not long after, other GM Shoaib Khan put one of his own into the back of the net to tie up the game. That’s when something must’ve hit the Sharks’ GM. Realizing their captain was not present, Syed Ahmed began on his tear. After Fayaz Kazi gave them the lead, the relentless GM scored a natural hat-trick giving his team the 4-goal lead. The game continued on with controversial calls being made, and most of them were going in favor of the Sharks, but the Nordiques did not let that bother them at all. After trading a pair of goals, tremendous chemistry was shown between the duo and honorable play of Shoaib Rangrez and Shahir Shaikh as they were able to find each other effectively, combining for a total of 3 late goals. The Nordiques had momentum on their side and looked like they had the tying goal up their sleeves, however the impenetrable play of Goalie Mohammed Bashir denied the Nordiques a chance to gain any points out of this game and took the win with a 6-5 final score.

Game 3: Sharks def Falcons 6-3

What was said to be the match between the basement dwellers in the league could not be named that anymore. The Sharks, coming off their second straight win, looked to tie the Nordiques for second place in the league with a win over the Falcons, who seem to have not found their wings just yet. Without their captain, GM Syed Ahmed has perfected his play, and has filled the large hole that has been noticeably present so far. Not only that, with Abdul-Hamid Kazi out of the picture for this night, leadership roles have been taken by the Shaikh Brothers. The Falcons, looking to avoid going down 0-5 to start the season, had to look upon the Patel Brothers to give them some sort of boost they have been looking for. The Sharks came out hard and it was worth it. With the break out play from Zahid Panchbhaya alongside Syed Ahmed, the team jumped out to a 4-0 lead early and maintained the lead into the half. Again, the play of Mohammed Bashir was solid, as he was on pace for the first shut out ever in MMGL history. The break turned out positive for the Falcons as young gun Suhaib Shaikh potted 2 of his own and Ml. Huzaifa Patel’s single were able to cut the lead in half. Just when the Falcons looked to finally turn the boat around, Sabir Shaikh found the back of the net, putting the nail in the coffin and setting the game to rest, tying the Nordiques for second in the league with their 6-3 victory. Key Note: The Falcons were also missing forward Zakaria Manjra for the night. With him in the lineup, these games could’ve been told in completely different fashions.

Week 3 Previews

Game 1: Falcons VS. Hawks
The last time these two teams faced off was the first game in the history of the MMGL. It did not start off as hyped, but look for this week's match-up to be consistent right from the start. For the Falcons, they have to get their game back together and hopefully with the return of GM Yusuf Ingar and Captain Divesh Sharma, they will be able to earn their first win of the season. As for now, great play has been shown by Ml. Huzaifa Patel & Suhaib Shaikh, and the team looks like they will need Zubair Patel to play his first game as well. For the Hawks, they will look to have GM Adil Patel and Deepak Bhangu back in the line-up for their only game of the night. There is no doubt that their level of confidence is their biggest asset, but no one can forget the play of defenseman Atif Bokahri and forwards Fahad Panchbhaya & Sufyaan Shaikh, look for them to continue on their roll. All in all, this game will be intense as the Falcons will look to fly past their opponents after they suffered from a come from behind win at the hands of the Hawks in their season opener.

Game 2: Nordiques VS. Sharks
This game features two teams that just came off games with unexpected fate. The Sharks came through without Captain Rizwan Hassan in their last game to rally back from a 2-0 deficit against the Hawks. That ended up being their first win of the season, and look for them to continue on with their boost in momentum and take down another powerhouse in the Nordiques. GM Syed Ahmed and youngstar Fayaz Kazi are leading the way in points for their team, and the brothers, Shakir Shaikh and Sabir Shaikh, look to have ignited their play after their last game. With their captain back from Calgary, it very much looks like Rizwan Hassan will make his MMGL debut and their is no doubt, this input in the line-up will change the look of this team and make them a dominant force. As for the Nordiques, their dominant play looked to have disappeared during their last game, and will have to turn things around quickly if they intend to stay on top of the league. GM Shoaib Khan continuously leads the way and his team has fed off his energy with balanced scoring coming from both ends of the ice. One thing is for sure, the pre-determined highlight of the night looks to be the clash of star-power between forwards Rizwan Hassan and Shoaib Khan, you don't want to miss this one folks, it's going to be a dandy!

Game 3: Sharks VS. Falcons
What currently looks to be a match-up between the so-called bottom feeders of the league, will feature two teams going to play their second game of the night. The somewhat surprising thing is, this match-up will also mark the first time these two teams will face each other and with that, the outcome is truly unpredictable. However, the Falcons will want to get ahead early and take full advantage of the Sharks who will just have played a game prior to this one. Their offense has been coming through so far, but their defense and goaltending will need to be top notch in order to come out with a win. The Sharks will have to be able to keep pace with the young Falcons as they boast a lot of speed through the middle and do take shots from almost everywhere possible. Goalie Kaleem Mirza will have to stay focus and prevent fatigue as he will need to be able to move quick within his crease and predict potential threats before they occur. The stakes look to be high as this game could decide which team will come out on top and leave the other squad behind to bite the dust.

Week 2 Results

Nordiques defeat Falcons 5-4:

The first game of the night marked the second meeting between these two franchises, and it turned out to be a dandy. Despite not having both the GM and Captain, Yusuf Ingar & Divesh Sharma, the Falcons put up a tough fight. The Nordiques did strike first with a goal from Shoaib Rangrez, but the Falcons wasted no time getting it back and taking the lead. The Falcons put up 3 straight goals from the likes of Haran Karunakaran, Zakaria Manjra, & Ml. Huzaifa Patel and took a 3-1 lead into the half. During the break, GM Shoaib Khan must have said something to his crew to muster up some offense, and it did pay dividends. Umar Mohammed took full advantage of what looked to be a laid back defensive style of hockey from the Falcons as he was able to pot 2 goals to tie the game. With relentless pressure put on by the Nordiques, Falcons barely came up with any offense down the stretch, and were held to stay back in their defensive moods. Shoaib Rangrez’s second of the night and another from Faiz Vaid helped gain the Nordiques a 5-3 lead. With couple minutes to go, Ml. Huzaifa Patel was able to cut the lead to 1 with his second, but with a solid effort from the Nordiques’ replacement goalie Deepinder Brar, that was all she wrote for the Falcons, as they would fall with a final score of 5-4 and remain winless. Honourable mention goes out to Shahir Shaikh for his 3-assist game playing from the “blue line”.

Sharks defeat Hawks 3-2:

From what has been written in history, this game was bound to turn out to be another game with a lot of goal sirens going off. The last meeting between these two clubs ended up recording the most goals ever in MMGL history with 22 finding the back of the net. However, this game was turned out to be on the other side of the spectrum. The Hawks, looking to continue where they left off, were without GM Adil Patel and key offensive defenseman Deepak Bhangu. The Sharks, seeking their first win, were also missing the play of their Captain Rizwan Hassan. The game started off at a slow pace, with both teams sharing chances on net, but none going through. However, Fahad Panchbhaya was able to break the dead lock by stealing off the Sharks’ defenseman and wristing it over the goalies shoulder for the 1-0 lead. Not long after, a great play set up by Mohammed Kazi for Sufyaan Shaikh led to another for the Hawks. The Sharks wasted no time afterwards, as Fayaz Kazi countered to cut the lead in half before the intermission. Having no players on the bench, the Hawks remained laid back for the second session, and it back fired rather quickly. Not much into the next period, a sweet shot from Shakir Shaikh turned out to be the game-tying goal. With momentum on their side, the Sharks looked to ground the Hawks by shooting from all cylinders. Eventually, although it looked to be controversial, Shakir Shaikh poked one through the short side past Ridwaan Khanji for his second of the night, The Hawks did turn their game around, and had many glorious chances to tie the game up, but a stellar performance from Sharks’ Goalie Kaleem Mirza stole the game for the Sharks, winning it by a score of 3-2. Interesting note: First game between the two tallied highest goal total at 22, this game, the lowest goal total at 5. “Coincident? I think not!”

Hawks defeat Nordiques 5-4:

“There’s the drop of the puck, he shoots and he scores!” Yes folks, this is exactly how this game started. Thanks to a bomb of a shot from Faiz Vaid, the Nordiques took a 1-0 lead in less than 6 seconds into the game. Coming off their first loss of the season, the Hawks were off to a terrible start. Everyone took this game to become a drought, but fate had it otherwise. Staying with the Nordiques, they took full advantage of the restless and GM-less Hawks. Peppering Hawks’ Goalie Ridwaan Khanji looked to be their main priority and their storm did cause significant damage. Goals coming from Umar Mohammed and Shahir Shaikh would give the Nordiques a commanding 3-0 lead, but the Hawks would not go down without a fight. A little before the intermission, a miscue on a change on the Nordiques bench resulted in a “gimme” goal for Sufyaan Shaikh. Showing some signs of life, the apparent Captain of the Hawks, Atif Bokhari, must had some keen words to say for his young Hawks teammates before going into the second half. However, Umar Mohammed was quick to spoil the mood as he scored his second of the night to regain their 3 goal lead. That is when the unthinkable started. For some reason or another, the Nordiques took their foot of the pedal and the Hawks came flying back. The youngster trio of the Hawks found a way to crawl back into the game. Hawks forwards Sufyaan Shaikh cut the lead to 1 with his hat-trick and Mohammed Kazi’s rolling slap shot found a route to the back of the net for the tie. With less than 4 minutes left, Sufyaan Shaikh came through scoring his 4^th of the game and giving the Hawks the lead. The dying minutes consisted of non-stop Nordiques offense, led by the duo of Shoaib’s, trying to stop the bleeding and get the game back to a tie,but stellar defense from Atif Bokhari and solid goaltending from Ridwaan Khanji sealed the deal for the Hawks, upsetting the Nordiques by score of 5-4. Honorable mention goes out to Fahad Panchbhaya for his 4-assist game.

Week 2 Previews

Falcons vs Nordiques @ 9:00pm

This first game will be a rematch of one of the games with lesser goals being scored, in which the Nordiques would hold on for a tight win. This game shouldn't be much different, however Nordiques' goalie Ahmed Mobin will not guard the pipes in net, as he is out of the country. The back-up goalie at this point looks to be very much a surprise and people are anxious to find out who GM Shoaib Khan will "call-up" to fill the hole. Look for Yusuf Ingar and his Falcon snipers, alongside with their size and skill, to take advantage of the possibly inexperienced goalie they will be put against and bounce back from losing two games, both by giving up the lead in the lather portions of games.

Hawks vs Sharks @ 9:50 pm

After a devastating start to their season, GM Syed Ahmed and his Sharks will look to turn their early season flaws into winning ways. The task on hand: A rematch with the high-flying Hawks. Having been outscored by a huge margin, the Sharks will have to redeem themselves with their only match of the night against the Hawks. Keys to their game will include activating their offense efficiently without having any holes in the defense or in goal, and the presence of their captain Rizwan Hassan. With him in the line-up, the Sharks will have the full capacity to do exactly what was expected, to be dominant in the MMGL. The Hawks, on the other hand, will look to continue on doing what they have and prevent the Sharks to gain any sort of momentum. Can the Sharks put a stop to their losing streak? Or will the Hawks remain sky high?

Hawks vs Nordiques @ 10:40pm

What looks to be the game of the night, features the battle of the currently top 2 teams in the MMGL. This will mark the first time these 2 teams will face each other this season and it will be a marquee matchup, which will most likely determine who will have the sole position of first in the league. Having had played their first game prior to this, don't be surprised to see the Hawks a bit laid back, not forcing the ball and looking for the golden chances to exploit the Nordiques. Look for the Nordiques to jump on the play right away to take full advantage of the restless Hawks and give minimal chances for the Hawks to muster any sort of offense. Both superstars and GM's of their teams, Adil Patel & Shoaib Khan, will look to keep their team on top, taking hold of the so-called "bragging rights" for the week.

Week 1 Results

Hawks defeat Falcons: 9-8

And let the games begin! The first ever Malton Gym League season game featured the Hawks and Falcons and much hype was expected. One problem, the goalies were not there to begin with. However, the game continued and the Hawks, lacking their GM Adil Patel, were grounded while the Falcons took flight. With the help of Huzaifa Patel and Zakaria Manjra, they jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in less than 3 minutes, right before the goalies had entered the game. With stability maintained with Ridwaan Khanji in net, the Hawks were able to crawl back into the game with a couple of goals from Sufyaan Shaikh, Fahad Panchbhaya, and Deepak Bhangu. The Falcons however continued to pour it on scoring 3 more from the likes of Divesh Sharma and Yusuf Ingar making it a 6-4 game at the half. Second period marked the debut of GM Adil Patel, but it did not turn out so well as he was assessed a minor penalty for not wearing gloves. The Falcons took advantage of the situation as the power play was able to find the back of the net in no time. This did not let the Hawks down. With the confidence of their GM, the Hawks were able to rally back as both Adil Patel and Sufyaan Shaikh, with the help of Mohammed Kazi, beat Abbas Shaikh twice giving them a one-goal lead. With time running down, Divesh Sharma was able to wrist one pass a screened Ridwaan Khanji and tie up the game. Just 7.5 seconds left on the clock and both teams looking to go into shootouts, Adil Patel came through and scored the game winning goal to give his team the win.

PLAYER OF THE GAME: ADIL PATEL - HAWKS

Nordiques defeat Sharks: 8-4

The second game of the night was the inaugural game for both the Sharks and the Nordiques. And both teams came out firing even though the Sharks were without their captain Rizwan Hassan. The Nordiques would build up a 4-1 lead with goals from Shahir Shaikh, Aabid Panchbhaya and a pair from Shoaib Khan. The lone goal for Sharks was scored by Syed Ahmed. The second period started off with Nordiques reeling off 3 more goals from Sadik Patel, Shoaib Rangrez and GM Khan completing the hat trick. Both teams had multiple scoring chances with both goalies keeping their ground. Late in the period the Sharks were able to find an answer and pop in 3 goals with Sabir Shaikh assisting on all 3. You would think the Sharks would make a comeback with all that momentum going their way, but Captain Faiz Vaid would blast one from the point to add more insurance and prevent any kind of comeback. The Sharks tried to press in the dying minutes, but the goaltending of Ahmed Mobin would seal the deal for the Nordiques.

PLAYER OF THE GAME : SHOAIB KHAN - NORDIQUES

Nordiques defeat Falcons: 8-7

This was the second game of the night for the Nordiques and the Falcons took full advantage of it as young rookie Suhaib Shaikh scored a pair in the first 10 seconds of the game and then GM Ingar giving them a 3-0 lead. At this point the Nordiques looked flat and it looked like we would be in for scoring frenzy. Half way through the first, Shahir Shaikh and Shoaib Khan would score for the Nordiques cutting the lead to 1. But then sniper Divesh Sharma would find the back of the net and restore their 2 goal lead. However, minutes later Umar Mohammed scored cutting the lead back to one. This was a tough game the whole way and probably one of the best games of the night. It was a back and forth affair. Both goalies were being constantly tested. Abbas Shaikh was pelted with 43 shots and came out big bailing his team out on many occasions. Second period started with both teams scoring and Falcons jumped ahead with a 6-4 lead. Not too sure what was said to the Nordiques bench after, but they came out firing with 4 straight goals and taking the 2 goal lead for the first time in this game. Both Shoaib Khan and Umar Mohammed had hat tricks. Falcons quickly regrouped and came out hard applying tremendous pressure and were rewarded with a goal, as super sniper Divesh Sharma would notch his 3^rd goal to cut the lead to one. In the dying minutes Falcons peppered goalie Ahmed Mobin with shots, but he would come out impressive stopping every shot. This game went to the final seconds and the Nordiques were able to hang on for their second win of the night.

PLAYER OF THE GAME: AHMED MOBIN - NORDIQUES

Hawks defeat Sharks: 15-7

The last game of the night had two teams aiming for different goals. The Sharks, after losing their first game, were trying not to remain winless on their first night, as for the Hawks, their goal was to keep in pace with the Nordiques for first in the league. The Sharks, still without their captain Rizwaan Hassan, struggled to find their game. The Hawks came out strong and were able to find the back of the net on 8 occasions from the likes of Adil Patel, Fahad Panchbhaya, and Deepak Bhangu in the first half. The Sharks’ GM Syed Ahmed proved to come through with 5 goals, however the rest of the team looked to be frustrated and were not able to put the pieces together to stop the bleeding. The Hawks continued with the game and ended up scoring 7 more goals before the game was over with a final score of 15-7. The Sharks, after the disappointing performance, were stunned and changes to their lines or even their team may be looming. However, at this point, all they can hope for is their captain to make his debut and help this Sharks team back on track.

PLAYER OF THE GAME: FAHAD PANCHBHAYA- HAWKS

HAWKS

Led by one of the top players ever in Maverick history, the Hawks can be confident to play when they have Adil Patel as their GM. He has the skills and he has the hockey sense. Expect something big from him as he builds his team around future prospects like Mohammed Kazi and Fahad Panchbhaya. But don’t be too fooled by the newcomers on this team. Atif Bookhari will be anchoring the defense along with the Bhangu Brothers. The Hawks have one of the best men manning the pipes this season: goalie Ridwaan Khanji. Overall, look out for this team’s exceptional goal tending and growing team effort as they learn to work with each other and navigate the team to success.

Player to Look out For: Ridwaan Khanji- He is the only notable on this squad after Adil Patel. He will have to be on his game every night, as not much is known about their defense. If Khanji is on his game, then expect opposing teams to have a hard time getting the ball in the net.

NORDIQUES

Leadership will not be a question for the Nordiques since the team will be led by the experienced and strategic, “Shoaib & Shoaib”. As the GM for this team, Shoaib Khan shouldn’t worry about getting cold feet when he has the experience of Shoaib Rangrez backing him up. The team will rely heavily on these two to perform well this season – offensively, at least. In terms of defence though, opposing teams will probably have a hard time breaking the wall when they see what they’re up against: twin towers, Faiz Vaid and Muzammil Khan. Nordiques will be backstopped by I-Slam goalie Ahmed Mobin. He carried his team to the I-slam finals last season and he is probably the most experienced goalie in this league. This team looks like it will become one of the top contenders this season.

Player to Look out For: Sadik Patel- It will be very interesting to see if this Veteran still has it in him. Last time he played hockey with the Mavericks was back in the Spring 2010 season. He is probably the oldest person in this league. Look for him to come out hard and make a statement to other teams. The question is… does he still have it in him? Or is time for him to retire?

FALCONS

“A bit of both worlds” would be an appropriate statement for this team. Led by Yusuf Ingar – the youngest GM in the league – the Falcons might seem a bit intimidated when they take the floor this season. But that shouldn’t keep them from keeping their heads high, especially since they have sniper Divesh Sharma with them. He was not only the first pick for the Falcons, but he was also the first pick overall – now that’s something. Can his success streak continue through in a team with growing leadership, or will the GM’s learning experience become a reason to slow down for Divesh? Other notables on this team include the likes of Zakaria Manjra and the Patel brothers. Manning the pipes will be Abbas Shaikh. If Abbas can be consistent, then this team can go far in the regular season. He will have to be on top of his game night in and night out.

PLAYER TO LOOK OUT FOR: Suhaib Shaikh – He’s new to the league and he’s new to the game. Or is he really? He may be a young rookie to the Mavericks league, but there was a big buzz about him during the draft. Can he prove his potential and show that he can be the next Maverick in development?

SHARKS

The Sharks will have little to worry about when it comes to leadership this season – Abdul Hamid Kazi and Rizwan Hassan have plenty of experience up their sleeves. Their addition to the team will prove an asset for GM Syed Ahmed as it will allow him to concentrate more on getting the ball in the net. But don’t forget the Sharks’ goalie Kaleem Mirza. The last time he had strapped the pads was during his high school days. Even though he may appear a little rusty, will he be able to live up to his team’s expectations?

PLAYER TO LOOK OUT FOR: Sabir Shaikh – Back in his hockey playing days, he was a quick and aggressive player. Now after coming out of retirement, will he still be able to demonstrate the same stamina and agility?

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GM PREVIEWS

HAWKS: Adil Patel - The only GM who's played with the Mavericks from their inaugural season back in 2009. He's an asset everywhere on the floor. He can be a shut-down defense or a go-to goal scorer. Look for his team to have an extra jump in their game as he builds his team around future prospects. This could be a bold move as experience is key in the playoffs, and the future prospects may have no experience outside the streets of Malton.

SHARKS: Syed Ahmed - His team won't need to worry if the goalie doesn't show up. Syed can play forward or goalie, however his last game between the pipes didn't go well. If you don't know him it won't take you long to figure out why people call him “Ovi “. His team could be drafted based on stamina, rather than goal scoring or defense. This will be Syed’s first time in a leadership role and only time will tell if he is up to the task.

FALCONS: Yusuf Ingar- The last time he lead a team it had all sorts of firepower until they got ahead of themselves. With a one way game like Phil Kessel you can say his team may be built from the back end. Yusuf is the most aggressive of the GMs and I predict it will show on his picks. Despite being the youngest GM he does have a lot more experience than other GMs, and it'll be interesting to see if he can lead his team deep into the playoffs.

NORDIQUES: Shoaib Khan – He can be the hardest working GM out there. But will he be able to play at his level knowing that after the game he has to head down to FedEx? He has everything you look for in a hockey player: size, agility, speed, shot, and of course, hockey sense. The type of player every team would want. It is yet to be seen how Mr. Khan will fit into this role. Look for him to come out hard on the floor!