Week 1 Summaries
~Brought to you by Captain Maverick~
Islanders defeat Sharks 15-5
And off we go to the first game of the season. The Sharks took on the Islanders in a thriller that ended in a blowout. Waseem Kalair scored the first goal of the season off a Saajid Bhayat pass, only to be equalized by a goal from Sharks’ Muzammil Khan. Both teams traded goals back and forth, with the Islanders leading 5-4 with four minutes to go. Sharks’ Abraham Iqbal tied the game up with two minutes to go, and this would be the last goal the Sharks scored on the night. The Islanders blew the game wide open in the second half with nine unanswered goals, finishing the game with a final score of 15-5. Waseem Kalair finished with five goals on the night, and Fahad Panchbhaya was on fire with four goals of his own. The star of the night nonetheless was Mohamed Bashir, with an amazing second half that propelled his team to a decisive win. Perhaps we’ve taken this Islanders team too lightly, as they showed a very organized form of play. As far as the Sharks are concerned, Stephen Corradino will have to regroup his squad and try to get their first W next week.
Jets defeat Nordiques 9-8
Next up the Nordiques took on the reigning champion Jets. Shoaib Rangrez put his team up on the board with a slick pass from Omar Hussain, only to be met with a goal from Syed Ahmed. Both teams traded goals back and forth, with Sufyaan Shaikh tying the game at 3 a piece before breaking for the half. GM Ricky Saili opened scoring in the second half, followed up by a goal from teammate Omar Husain. Jason Gogna responded with a rocket of his own, but the Jets began to take a strong hold of the game. With just over six minutes left to play, the Jets led the Nordiques 8-5 in what seemed like a done deal. Within a span of three minutes, the Nordiques’ Syed Ahmed and Sufyaan Shaikh (hat trick) responded with three goals to bring the game to a tie. Despite their best efforts, the Jets managed to stave off a Nordiques comeback and won the game 9-8 with a last minute goal from GM Ricky Saili.
Falcons defeat Bruins 8-5
To cap the night off, the Falcons took on the Bruins. Insisting on making a statement, the Falcons got to work early and put up three goals courtest of Abdul Manjra (2) and Suhaib Shaikh. The Bruins responded with goals from Abu Bakr Hafejee and Zakaria Manjra. To start the second, the Falcons got goals from Erfan Bhanapatel and Zahid Panchbaya to lead the game 5-2. Abu Bakr Hafejee tapped in his second of the night to bring the game within two, but the next goal by Falcons’ Joe Bruno was all that was needed to win the game. The Bruins fought hard but to no avail as the Falcons got scoring from five different players to finish the night with a decisive 8-5 win. Credit to Abu Bakr Hafejee for finishing the night with a hat trick. In terms of goaltending, special mention goes to the Falcons’ secret weapon Afzal Vepari who is proving to be a threat.
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Week 1 Previews
~Brought to you by Captain Maverick~
Islanders Vs Sharks @ 8:45 pm
To kick off the season we have the Islanders taking on the Sharks. The Islanders will most likely start with goalie Mohamed Bashir. The Sharks GM Stephen Corradino will take his shot at a first win with Muddy Hussain taking the offensive lead. The Islanders have already been shot down, but many fail to realize the offensive threats of Deepak Bhangu and Saajid Bhayat, not to mention all the talk surrounding alleged sleeper pick Suhayl Patel. The Sharks will need to combat this with the advantage of speed and endurance, consistently pushing the Islanders to a defensive form. From my experience, the first week games generally seem to be the hardest played with lots of goals scored. Don't miss out September 6th at 8:45pm!
Jets Vs Nordiques @ 9:45 pm
Shoaib Khan and his new Nordiques team will take on championship GM Ricky Saili and his Jets. With Syed Ahmed and Jason Gogna as his first picks, there is no shortage of firepower on this team. Nonetheless this has never stopped the Jets before, and you can be sure they will take advantage of firing shots at goalie Kaleem Mirza. This will be an exciting game no doubt, but the team that comes out on top will be the one that can play better defense.
Bruins Vs Falcons @ 10:45 pm
To cap off the night, the Bruins and Falcons will go head to head. Abdul Manjra seems confident in his selection of the squad, with the likes of Zahid Panchbhaya, Erfan Bhana Patel, and Suhaib Shaikh taking the offensive role. Afzal Vepari will be the man in net, and you can bet everyone is itching to see how the rookie performs. Rizwan Hassan along with captain Faiz Vaid will look to combat that with a defensive shutdown featuring Zakaria Manjra, Shahrukh Shah, and Abu Bakr Hafejee. With Deepinder Brar in net, this seems like an even affair with an unexpected outcome
