Week Three - September 26th

• After getting smacked 5-0 in a very dismal performance, look for Yaqeen to gather themselves and rebound versus Coach K's troops in Haya
• Shukr's "bread and butter" player Talib Contractor proved that his endurance and physicality can't be matched.  Let's see what assets can he contract out versus the Purple Platoons
• After a quiet Week Two on the trade market there were some moves made already, the big one in Tier-1 is Sabr acquiring Luqman Arshad from Taqwa.  Arshad will be asked to step into the line-up right away and help turn Sabr's season around against high flying Ihsan
• Taqwa faces Emaan this week in a rematch of last seasons semi-final that saw Taqwa win and advance to the finals
• Shukr looked like a powerhouse in their mauling of Yaqeen in Week Two, they have strong forwards with size, solid D and a good goalie, they have a test this week against Zuhd who gave Ikhlas a run in Week One despite being shorthanded
• Ihsan is expected to be shorthanded this week due to a wedding, depending upon how many players are away it could open a door for struggling Sabr to steal a win
• Last week, the Ikhlas win over Ridha included an interesting subplot as it featured two players involved in the first three-team trade in league history earlier this season.  Amad Khan scored first for Ridha much to the chagrin of Ikhlas who have been criticized for giving him up.  Their mood changed when Atif Mian popped in a pair of goals using his speed to jump on loose balls and pop them in
• Speaking of Atif Mian, he was reportedly talking about his hard shot after the game and led to some confusion as to whether one of his shots broke the stick of linemate Azim Siddique 
• Ali Khwaja was the last goalie selected for Tier-1 but thus far he has been the best goalie, posting a GAA of 2.0 and a save percentage of .902%, his strong play is the reason that Ihsan is tied for first right now

Week Two - September 19th

- The season got off to a great start last week and was highlighted by a number of trades in Tier-2, this week the trade wire was quiet which is probably a reflection of teams wanting to let the dust settle to see what all the collected parts amount to.

·       - That said, a few items to consider about trades:

o   It’s been one week and Saqib Sheikh hasn’t been traded yet. According to sources from Vegas it’s inevitable that the amiable player will be moved to another team as he is the most traded player in I-Slam history. The only question is when?

o   Prior to the draft Ikhlas had a vision of the players they wanted playing on their team. With a series of trades they’ve managed to land everyone they wanted except for league MVP Waseem Bangash. If GM Multani pulls that off he should automatically receive the GM of the Year award.

·       - Haya and Ikhlas players should steer far away from any buckets/garbage cans they find in the team bench.  Apparently both teams have players who have a habit of filling it during the game with the aftermath of their dinner!

·       - Ihsan is reported to be short on D this coming week due to planned player absences as well as injuries, the question is that after the strong showing from their forwards last week will they push someone back or try to call up a Defenseman from Tier-2.  The do have players with some versatility to drop back and with the performance from their second line last week they have options so it will be interesting to see what they do

·       - Taqwa got a measure of revenge on Sabr in Week One, the two met in the finals last season where Sabr took the title with an OT win (Video Recaps are coming eventually...we promise) however Taqwa managed to snag to key players from Sabr in the draft.  Farooq Khan who put up a hat-trick in the Championship game including the OT winner and Luqman Arshad who was a thorn in their side with his play.  Despite the assumed animosity with Arshad, Taqwa recognized his skill and grabbed him in the draft to give their defense core a boost

      - Emaan had their trademark pedal to the metal approach in their first game but this style is likely to burn them as much as boost them over the season as their fast physical approach will put them in a PK position more often if they aren't careful

·       -  Back to Taqwa, Shaukat Khan got his season off to a strong start with a goal and two assists, the young forward has blossomed into an offensive threat every time he's on the floor

·        - Ikhlas got a surprising boost from their second line last week as their speed and tenacity kept Zuhd trapped deep and Azim Siddique put up two goals and an assist in the win.  Early pundits have thrown his name out there for Most Improved Player – an early assessment considering we are only a week into the season

·       -  Ridha was missing some key players last week and it showed as the players forced into unfamiliar positions seemed to struggle with their new roles, that said Abdul Wahab Mohammad seemed to give their back end some speed on the attack so it will be interesting to see if he remains there for Ridha's next game

·       -  In his first ever shift of organized ball hockey, Haya defenseman Omar Khalifa was left with a shiner after being hit in the face with the ball.  He proved his competitiveness by completing his shift and playing through the pain for the remainder of the game – let's hope he invested in a visor for his next game

·       -  Haya seemed to benefit from the coaching of Kashif Taqiuddin, or "Coach K" as he insists his players call him, Taqiuddin is rumored to be looking to knock off Ibrahim Hindy as the best coach in Muslim Ball Hockey but he has his work cut out for him as Hindy has successfully coached his team to successive Salaam Cup Titles.  Taqiuddin did draft a strong team and the draft selection of Mehmed Rizvanovic seemed to already pay dividends and puts Haya as one of the strongest teams in Tier-2 this season