WEEK 2 SCHEDULE
Kings Vs Sharks @ 8:45pm
A week without hockey feels like an eternity in the MMGL; if you don't recognize this voice, it's me, Captain Maverick speaking. After a one week forced bye, we are up and running with the corresponding Week 3 schedule. The week that has been missed will be added on at the END of the regular season. Now onto the first game, which features the Kings and Sharks. The Kings will be looking forward to the play of their co-GM Abdul Manjra, as 4 of the Kings 5 goals this season have thus far come from Jason Gogna. Perhaps this addition will be enough to motivate the Kings to grab a W and prevent the same fate that struck this team last season. The Sharks on the other hand will be looking for Win #2, but are not without reason for concern either. Their first game of the season had rookie goalie Mohamed Bashir pitched against rookie goalie Amer Shaikh. This week, the Kings boast seasoned first overall draft pick Stephen Corradino. The Kings will need to get on the scoreboard early, as the Sharks look to be a team that will hustle until the clock hits 00:00. The Sharks will need to beef up their defense as rookie goalie Mohamed Bashir will get his first true taste of a formidable offensive duo (Kings' GMs). All in all, this game can go either way and I can only see the goalie pulling the winning team through.
- Captain Maverick
Falcons Vs Nordiques @ 9:45pm
The game of the night goes to the Falcons and Nordiques, thanks to their Family Feud arrangement of players. Brothers Sabir and Shakir Shaikh will be pitched against each other, and you already know the refs will be giving them dirty looks all game; not to mention brothers Shakil and Shoaib Rangrez going at it for the first time this season. To add to the family drama, cousins Asif and Farhan Saleh will be looking forward to their first ever head-to-head match-up...and I'm sure there's gotta be a relation between Mohammed and Fayaz Kazi and Vasim Ka(g)zi. Expect a physical game from two teams that utilize two completely different styles of play. Word around the league is the Falcons will be stacking up their offense against Nordique's goalie Uzair Baig, while the Nordique's will be going with a defense-first approach by keeping GM Shoaib Khan close to his goaltender. The Falcons will need to bring an explosive offensive punch that will shake the Nordique's preset lineups, while the Nordique's will need to lock down defensively on key Falcons players. Word of advice to the Falcons: keep an eye on Shoaib Khan as he has proved time and time again that he can switch on the offense in an instant. And to the Nordiques I say take caution in the play of Shahzad Rana, who has been quick to adjust to the pace of gym league hockey.
- Captain Maverick
Jets Vs Hawks @ 10:45pm
The final game of February 15 goes to the Jets and Hawks. The Jets had to wait an extra week to play, and are itching to show the league just what they are capable of. Brothers Ricky and Vikram Saili have built a team that can effectively communicate and boast former Vezina goalie Yasir Hussain. The Hawks offense, primarily GMs Adil Patel and Nawaz Shaikh, will not have the luxury of breakaways this game as the Jets boast of an endurance-heavy defense in Navdeep Virdi and Jaskaran Singh. The Jets' kryptonite lies in the mystery the Hawks bring every week with an undeclared goalie. This may work to their advantage though, as neither goalie (Hussain Aswat & Riaz Parekh) has played a single MMGL game this season, and have not yet meshed with the team. It will be interesting to see where this game goes, as it is full of uncertainty. Which goaltender will come out on top? Which offensive superstar GM will take over in the dying minutes of the game? Which defense will prove to be the biggest obstacle? There's only one way to find out folks! This Friday at MCC!*
*Unless there's another Snowmageddon then I sincerely apologize for getting your hopes up
- Captain Maverick
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WEEK 1 RESULTS
Sharks defeat Bruins 8-7
And away we go folks full throttle into the new season. Our first game set the tone for the night with the Bruins and Sharks squaring off. The Sharks sent a strong message by scoring 3 successive goals in under 5 minutes. Bruins GM Rizwan Hassan took full command of his squad and put his team on the scoreboard while setting up Huzeifa Patel for the Bruins second to cut the lead to one. The Sharks, differing from last season, produced potent scoring with Rajin Patel setting up Yusuf Ingar and Senti Rasa to put his team up by three. With just a second left on the clock for the first period, Suhaib Shaikh drove one past Sharks' net minder Mohamed Bashir to set the score at 5-3.
The second half saw the Sharks build a four goal cushion and just about everyone had counted the Bruins out because of what seemed to be a lackluster effort. And that's when we were reminded that this is MMGL. The Bruins scored three consecutive goals and shifted momentum to turn this game into a one goal affair. Goalie Amer Shaikh finally seemed comfortable in net and the Bruins were ready to host a comeback. In the dying minutes each team traded hits and snipes, with Rajin Patel getting the winning goal. Final score 8-7 Bruins, although a lucky bounce could have sent this game to SO.
- Captain Maverick
Falcons defeat Kings 6-5
Onto the next one. The Falcons took on the Kings, with each team missing a key player. The Kings were without GM Abdul Manjra and the Falcons without forward Belal Ahmed. The Kings opened up scoring with none other than Jason Gogna firing a rocket past Kaleem Mirza. The Falcons responded with three goals in five minutes, with Mohsin Mahida and Shoaib Rangrez taking full advantage of the Kings' one-manned defense. Each team would trade a goal before heading into the half, 4-2 for Falcons. The Kings opened up scoring in the second with the hat trick complete by Jason Gogna. The Falcons Vasim Kagzi responded with an off balance shot that snuck through goalie Stephen Corradino. The Kings responded with two straight goals to make this a 5-5 affair. With three minutes to go, the Falcons changed to an all-out shooting strategy and Vasim Kagzi rocketed the winning goal past the Kings net-minder. Both teams seemed to be shaky to start with communication being a clear weak point for the Kings.
- Captain Maverick
Hawks defeat Nordiques 6-5 SO
MMGL prides itself in promoting a fun clean game that supports sportsmanship and teamwork, although a little friendly little competition never hurts anybody. The Hawks and Nordiques (or should I say Faiz Vaid) had a little exchange before the game started. With the drop of the ball, both teams gave it their all and remained scoreless for almost 15 minutes. The Hawks called up reserve goalie Ridwaan Khanji and managed to break the ice with an unassisted beauty by GM Adil Patel. The Nordiques Shakir Shaikh took advantage of a loose ball in front of the Hawks net and evened the score. The most notable play of the period was Faiz Vaid bear hugging Hawks Nawaz Shaikh so violently that the wall mats tore off and the refs had to stop the play.
Up 2-1 thanks to a goal by Nawaz Shaikh, the Hawks added another one with Adil Patel showing he can be a one man team. This was enough to herald the return of Shoaib Khan, who had largely been quiet in the first period. Khan scored two straight to tie it up at three goals apiece. Both teams would trade goals with the Hawks holding onto a one goal lead (5-4) with three minutes to go. Nawaz Shaikh, for whatever odd reason, returned he best hug to none other than Faiz Vaid and got called for holding (yes, hugging is still counted as holding). The Nordiques took advantage and Mohammed Kazi managed to get the tying goal past Ridwaan Khanji. Welcome to the first SO of the 2013 Winter season! Shoaib Khan would trip over the ball on his attempt leaving Nawaz Shaikh to redeem himself and score the winner. Nordiques walk away with a lucky point, and both teams are encouraged to keep interpersonal player hostilities out of the gym.
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- A very amused Captain Maverick
