Week 1 Summaries

 

 

Jets defeat Bruins 8-5 

 

The 8th season took off with the Jets and Bruins going at it in a very entertaining game. The Bruins were without Erfan Bhanapatel who was serving up a suspension, but that didn't stop them from taking a 3-1 lead that saw Suhaib Shaikh (2) and Mohammed Kazi score. The Jets would not take this lightly and fought back hard with three goals to end the first period, seeing goals from Abu Patel, Joe Bruno and GM Ricky Saili. The second period saw the Jets' Adil Patel take control of the game as he dominated alongside Saili. The Bruins' netminder Abbas Shaikh played amazingly to keep the team in the game but the undermanned team fell short 8-5 to a Jets team that came ready to win.

 

 

Hawks defeat Nordiques 5-4 

 

The young star Hawks championed by Musa Bhoola took on the experienced Nordiques in the second game of the night. This was easily the most nerve-wracking game of the night as both teams traded goals back and forth. The Nords scored first with a goal from Moose Khan only to be met with an equalizer from Zabir Khannat, the mystery man who all anticipated would break out and have an amazing season. The Nords scored a pair thanks to Sufyaan Shaikh and young star Ammar Panchbhaya, but the Hawks were persistent and came back within one thanks to a goal from Aziz Patel. With a pair of goals from GM Musa Bhoola to start the second, the Hawks would hold on to win this one 5-4. Captain Khan seemed to have his hands full against a team that had their legs ready to run all night.

 

 

Sharks defeat Falcons 9-7

And finally the Sharks and Falcons faced off in a game that was easily the most entertaining. The Sharks dominated the early minutes of the game with Syed Ahmed's squad taking a 4-0 lead thanks to contributions from Hafejee, Persaud, GM, and Umar Panchbhaya. Once the Falcons had regained composure they fought back with 5 straight goals of their own, which featured a hat trick from GM Abdul Manjra himself.  With a 6-5 lead going into the second, the Falcons were feeling good and the Sharks needed to recoup. The Sharks capitalized on the Falcons penalties and scored on every PP to gun out a 4 goal second period which featured a pair of goals from GM Syed Ahmed himself. This would be enough to keep the Falcons at bay and win this one 9-7.

 

Week 1 Previews

 

 

Bruins Vs Jets @ 8:45 pm 

 

The first game of the 8th season of MMGL kicks off at 8:45PM with the Bruins taking on the Jets. The Bruin gang boasts a very strong physical presence and will be looking to body their way to victory against a team that will be utilizing Ricky Saili and Adil Patel concurrently. The Jets will also have Sadik Patel and Joe Bruno to bring secondary scoring to the table. The Bruins' plan for victory should be lockdown defense, giving goalie Abbas Shaikh the luxury of focusing on what matters. Too early in the season to call anything, let's see how this one plays out.

 

 

Hawks Vs Nordiques @ 9:45 pm 

 

Next up, the Nordiques take on the young star Hawks. The breadth of experience and size the Nords bring seems shockingly overwhelming for this brand new Hawks squad. That being said, I have faith GM Musa Bhoola will string together a solid offensive plan that relies on speed and fancy stick handling to win this one. The Hawks should be on the lookout for the physical enduring play of both Khans and Rizwan Hassan. More so for the fans, the play of Ali Khwaja will be under close inspection.

 

 

Falcons Vs Sharks @ 10:45 pm 

And finally the Falcons and Sharks close things off for the night. Abu Manjra will be looking to show off his team's offense against the Sharks and the experience they bring to the table. The Sharks should be aiming to penetrate through the Falcon's defense quite easily and go one-on-one with goalie Kaleem Mirza if they want to win this one. As for the Falcons, shoot high and low and keep goalie Mohamed Bashir on his toes as there is enough firepower on this team to last both periods.

FALL 2015 TEAM PREVIEWS
 

 

  The Nordiques led by Shoaib Khan seem to be an offensive powerhouse to say the least. With the likes of both Khan brothers, Rizwan Hassan and young star Ammar Panchbhaya this team will be putting up the points. The backbone of this team will no doubt be Ali Khwaja, who is by far the most experienced goalie Khan is to have played with. A surprising draft pick order has led to a very strong team for the Nords; the pressure is on them to produce this season.

 

 The Hawks led by Musa Bhoola have undergone an image change. The east end GM boasts the youngest squad in MMGL history with the likes of Aziz and Zahid Patel. The ace up Bhoola's sleeve will be Zabir Khannat, who was the Hawks' first pick. No one has seen the kid play but his GM is very confident in him being able to carry the team. As for the veterans Zak Manjra and Belal Ahmed, they will keep the squad in check.

 The Sharks led by Syed Ahmed boasts a balanced team that has experience. With goalie Mohamed Bashir in between the pipes, Abu Hafejee, Shoaib Rangrez and all-star Zahid Panchbhaya will be the go to guys for this team. Be on the lookout for the young talent that Umar Panchbhaya will be bringing to the team, along with the hustling play of Navdeep Virdi and Andrew Persaud.

 

 The Bruins led by Suhaib Shaikh are as big as bears with a team boasting the likes of Erfan Bhanapatel, Mohammed Kazi and Varish Shaikh. The Bruin gang is back and will be looking to secure a deep playoff run with Abbas Shaikh in between the pipes. Abbas turned heads last season with exceptional play and his GM is counting on bringing that same tenacity this season.
 

 The Falcons led by Abu Manjra boasts an offense that contains the likes of Saajid Bhayat, Muddy Hussain and Shahzad Rana. There is no doubt this team will be putting up the points. The real concern here comes down to the health of players, lack of a formidable defense, and the roller coaster performance of goalie Kaleem Mirza. That being said, this is a team to fear and should not be taken lightly.

 

  The Jets led by most winning GM Ricky Saili look to secure another title. Ricky drafted Adil Patel as first overall pick and these two will be racking up the points like it's nobody's business. Opposing teams should also be on the lookout for Yasir Hussain who will be guarded by the likes of Fahim Limbada and Abu Patel. I'm not saying this is the team to beat, I'm just saying they keep on winning.

 

 

 

 

FALL 2015 GM PREVIEWS
 

 

 

  Shoaib Khan will be at the helm of the Nordiques once again. Khan and the Nords are synonymous, and he will be looking to lead a team to victory once again. Having made the Finals multiple times, there is no questioning his leadership. The question remains though, will all of that time in the gym made any difference? Keep a close eye on the GM that will be aiming to lead with strong legs.

  Abu Manjra will be taking over the Falcons, reminiscent of his other predatory bird team past. There is no doubt in the MMGL world that Abu can lead a team and effectively run a potent offense. The question looms over his commitment to the team and how badly he wants to win it. When all is said and done, the Verdi Cup has been won by the team that wanted it more; not the team that deserved it on paper.

  Ricky Saili will be GM yet another season for his dynasty Jets. With countless medals and trophies racked up over the years, one has to wonder if he can even take the other five teams seriously anymore. A true leader that leads by exemplary procedure, there are no doubts of his team reaching the pinnacles of MMGL glory. That being said, what goes up must eventually come down.

 

  A new face in the mix will be Moosa Bhoola for the Hawks. The Hawks franchise has earned a name for its notoriety and Bhoola is the man to come in and clean up. Many have been witness, and victim, to his magic stick handling skills on the hardwood and are eager to see how this can translate into full team play. An exceptional player may not always be an exceptional leader *cough* Gretzky.

 

  Syed "Sid" "Ovechkin" Ahmed will be returning to take control of the Sharks and revive the name to its former glory. Ahmed has in the past always aimed to build a team around speed and endurance, outworking his opponents in regular season games as if it were his last. With room to grow, it will be interesting to see how the up and coming GM builds his team based on experience over the last few years.

  Suhaib Shaikh might as well be working for the Boston Bruins PR team as his leadership has injected new life into the Bruin name. #Bruingang is now a thing and it's all thanks to the young star Shaikh. While all that is great for MMGL entertainment purposes, the core question surrounding his maturity in leading a team through thick and thin is still up up in the air. This season will either make or break his MMGL reputation.

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