Fall 2012 Quarter Finals December 15
**WARNING: Any foul language and behaviour directed towards MMGL referees will NOT be tolerated during the playoffs. Players are reminded to play a clean game and keep a strict adherence towards the rules of the game. Any foul play and/or behaviour will result in an automatic ejection from the game.**
Hawks defeat Jets 9-8
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the MMGL Playoffs! The first game of the playoffs goes to the surging Hawks and the resilient Jets. You could bet this was a close one and there's no other way I'd have rather seen this game played. The Hawks put one on the scoresheet 4 minutes into the game, with a sweet goal from Baba Khan (got the right stick this time I suppose). But this is the playoffs, and one early goal is about as important as Nicki Minaj. The Jets would prove to be a worthy opponent as they scored 3 straight goals in a 5 minute time frame, with GM Ricky Saili having a say in two of them. The Hawks would respond with a trifecta set of their own, bringing them up 4-3. This is pretty much the set pattern for the rest of the night, with each team responding to opposition scoring with a goal of their own. Hawks are up 5-4 at the half, and it's quite obvious the 25-minute periods are taking a physical toll. With the Hawks up 7-6 in the second, Baba Khan puts his team up one more with a controversial penalty shot. Infuriated, Jaspreet Brar and Arwinder Banwait tied the game up with 2 minutes to go. And then Hawks' GM Shakir Shaikh put the whole season on the line, taking a penalty with just under 2 minutes to go. Ladies and gentlemen, this game could have gone either way...but the scoresheet tells me Sufyaan Shaikh scored the short-handed goal to send his team to the semi-finals. With the season behind them, the Jets can hold their heads (and jets) up high, knowing they gave the fans bang for their buck. The amazing play and leadership of Ricky Saili will be witnessed again next season, as he will co-GM with his older brother. With all sentiment aside, the Hawks knew how to celebrate and gave the Sharks one clear message, "Let's go fishing" (having a real hard time thinking of a good Shark pun here). If a Hawks-Sharks match up sounds familiar, let me take this opportunity to remind MMGL fans that this was the last regular season matchup between these two teams, with the Sharks winning the President's Trophy on a VERY controversial SO win. Word of advice: Don't miss this semifinal game.
- Captain Maverick
Jets Vs Hawks @ 9:00pm
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the MMGL playoffs! The first game of the playoffs goes to the juggernaut Jets and stealthy Hawks. The last time the Jets played, they routed the Kings for 17 goals. A word of caution though, this Hawks team are no Kings. The last time the Hawks played they seemed to be the only team capable of humbling the 1st place Sharks. Without a doubt the Hawks will be relying on the magic of Parmeet Uppal, Baba Khan, and Sufyaan Shaikh to break Jets' goalie Deepinder Brar, who did not play the last game of the season. The Jets, unfathomed by the stealthy Hawks offence will rely on GM Ricky Saili, Jaspreet Brar, and Arwinder Banwait to beat Adil Mirza, who coincidentally also didn't play the last game of the season. The winner of this match up will go on to the semifinals to face the 1st place Sharks. It's hard for anyone to confidently call this game, as both teams seem equally matched for what will be a tense close game. As with any successful playoff team, the goaltenders will need to be on the top of their game. Parmeet Uppal has been known to fake goalies in the crease, and Ricky Saili is all too comfortable walking in with a quick wrist-er. May the best team win, and then work on figuring out how to shut down the Sharks.
- MMGL Admin
Bruins defeat Falcons 9-7
And to think, the Falcons were about to stroll into the semifinals because the majority of the Bruins team didn't show up until the very last minute. The Falcons, furious that they had to work for a win now, opened the scoring with two quick goals from Manjot Bhatti. The Bruins would counter with a goal from Fahim Shaikh (remember this name, it's relevant). Much like the last game, these two teams would trade goals back and forth, with the Bruins taking a 6-5 lead going into the half. The surprising part, 4 goals came from Fahim Shaikh (I told you to remember this name) and 2 from Shahrukh Shah, two figures who were generally overlooked during the regular season by the stellar play of Muddy Hussain and Rizwan Hassan. Not to be taken lightly, the Falcons responded with another quick goal to start the second, with a goal from Dalvinder Kang. And that's when the young stars of the Bruins took a backseat and let Riz Hassan and Muddy Hussain finish the game off. Final score, 9-7 for the Bruins in what was a very entertaining game. In the battle of goalies, Stephen Corradino of the Falcons was superb, but Bruins' Kaleem Mirza had an extensive artillery to make up for any defensive shortcomings. Falcons' GM Zakaria Manjra should take pride in building a solid team, and then trading it away to Faiz Vaid. Hindsight is 20/20. Looks like this is gonna be a Bruins-Nordiques semis...wait this also sounds very familiar. Oh that's right, these two teams also played in the very last regular season game, with the Nordiques scraping by on a Bruins defensive meltdown. All I can tell MMGL fans is, if you've got Justin Beiber tickets for the 5th of January, this is the ONE time you can sell them for something even more entertaining. Hard to believe I know, but it's true. Shoaib Khan vs Rizwan Hassan, Yusuf Ingar vs Muddy Hussain, a Bruin bear vs a Nordique (Google it, the translation will surprise you).
- Captain Maverick
Bruins Vs Falcons @ 10:15pm
Our last game of the night goes to the Falcons and Bruins. The Bruins were so close to getting a bye week, and one can be confident that they will be venting their aggression this game. The Falcons, who started the season off 3-0 know that it is do or die when it comes to finding that magic spark once again. Falcons' man in the pipes Stephen Corradino will need to be on his toes, as a dual-powered Bruins offense of Rizwan Hassan and Mudassar Hussain will be looking to shoot one when given the chance. Bruins' goalie Kaleem Mirza will need to worry about a combined balanced offensive output from the Falcons. What the Falcons lack in offense, they make up in defense. A key to a Falcons win will be Navdeep Virdi sticking to, and shutting down, the Bruins' loose cannons. Bruins GM Faiz Vaid is also recommended to make a quick roll call before the game, as attendance has been a key concern throughout different points in the season. Although both teams will be bringing their best, popular opinion sees the Bruins taking this one and moving on to seek revenge on the Nordiques in the semis.
Who will move on? Who will go home? Don't miss the MMGL playoffs Saturday night at MCC. This playoff series is brought to you by the colour purple.
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WEEK 12 SUMMARY
Jets Defeat Kings 17-4
What a way to end the season! The first game of the night went to the Jets and Kings, both teams without their original goalies (Mohamed Bashir Jets, Ridwaan Khanji Kings). The Kings came out with the first goal of the night by sub Mazzar, perhaps setting the scene that they will be walking out with a win. And that's when it all went downhill for the Kings. The Jets responded with 5 straight goals, with GM Ricky Saili having a point in 4 of them. He would finish the night with an astounding 5 goals and 7 assists, temporarily holding 1st place in league points. The Kings Mazzar responded with 30 seconds left to go in the period to bring the tally to 5-2. If the first period was the entree, the Jets fed the Kings the main course in the second. The Jets added another 12 goals to rout the winless Kings 17-4. Jets' forward Arwinder Banwait finished the night with 7 goals and 1 assist. Special mention goes to the Kings' Yasir Habib and Fahad Panchbhaya for putting the Kings up on the scoreboard. Shoaib Rangrez, subbing in for the Jets absent Senti Rasa added a goal of his own and 3 assists. In setting up an attitude for the playoffs, the Jets sent a resounding message to all teams. They came to play and dominated while doing so. All eyes will be on Jets' GM Ricky Saili and goalie Deepinder Brar to see if they can produce the same magic in the playoffs. As for the Kings, hey there's always next season guys. A poor attendance record, alternating goalie issues, and close 1 goal losses plagued the Kings this season. Take note future GMs; smart people learn from their mistakes, wise people learn from other people's mistakes.
- GSP
Sharks defeat Hawks 5-4 SO
The second, and by far the most exciting game of this season went to the Hawks and Sharks. Just about everyone in MMGL was rooting for a Hawks win, that could see the Sharks end their run at the President's Trophy. This was a close game, with each team trading goals back and forth. The Hawks were without Adil Mirza in net, and took a risk with sub Ridwaan Khanji. The Sharks were without beloved Captain Bilal Hafeez. The Hawks took advantage and scored first with a goal from Parmeet Uppal. The Sharks added in two of their own with goals from Mohammed and Fayaz Kazi on two different powerplays. And onto the second period, where the Hawks struck two quick ones in to regain the lead, once again thanks to Parmeet Uppal. The Sharks managed to grab a momentary hold on the game as it was 5-4 with a minute to go. With 45 seconds left, Hawks' Baba Khan (who claimed he could not play the same without his original stick) managed to squeak one in past Uzair Baig to send this game to SO. All one can say is Hawks' sub goali Ridwaan Khanji kept them in this game that saw the Hawks take 3 different penalties. The first round was scoreless, and Sharks' Fayaz Kazi managed to get one past Ridwaan Khanji to force the Hawks to score or go home. Baba Khan could not score, and it was all up to young star Sufyaan Shaikh to keep his team in for a 4th round. He scored, on what was an extremely controversial goal, which was disallowed after video review. Perhaps the Hawks deserved this one, perhaps the Sharks showed they can win without Bilal Hafeez; nonetheless the score is what it is. Sharks win and reclaim the President's Trophy for the second year in a row 6-5 SO. For those disappointed, take faith in the chance that these two teams can meet once again in the semifinals.
Frank Mir
Nordiques defeat Bruins 10-8
The last game of the night goes to the Bruins and Nordiques, fighting to get a bye week and second place. Yusuf Ingar and Mudassar Hussain were also fighting for top scorer, a position held ever so shortly by Ricky Saili. Both teams traded goals back and forth in the first, with a 5-3 Bruins lead after 20 minutes. It seemed clear that Mudassar Hussain and Rizwan Hassan came to play, as per GM Faiz Vaid's orders. Mudassar Hussain recorded 2 points that period, and with that, Ricky was knocked off his perch. Nordiques' goaltender Yasir Hussain was beat one too many times off a long range shot. Thanks to Nordique's GM Shoaib Khan and star forward Jason Gogna, they were still in the game. The Nordique's came out strong in the second with three straight goals, two from superstar Yusuf Ingar, now pushing Ricky Saili back to third in scoring (just isn't your day is it Ricky). It seemed that the Nordique's changed their game plan to play a tight defense on Mudassar Hussain and Rizwan Hassan, barring them from taking any long range shots. With two minutes left in the game, both teams were at par tied at 8 goals a piece. What unfolded next would be mentioned for an hour at least after the game was over, the Bruins had a catastrophic breakdown that resulted in Yusuf Ingar sealing the deal 10-8 with two goals of his own on Kaleem Mirza who held it together until the final two. With that the Nordique's took second and a bye week, Yasir Hussain put down all his critics, and Yusuf Ingar toppled all league scorers for the season. Rest assured, these two teams can once again face in the semifinals.
- Bruce Wayne
