Week Nine - November 14th

- The Tier-1 Trade Deadline is this week and it seems as though it will be a quiet one with all the moves made much earlier in the season but with the Tier-2 Deadline being set for next week be ready for some wild moves with all the trade rumours floating around

- Ali Wadee of Ihsan seems to be trying to turn back the clock as he is playing I-Slam Basketball and will try to recapture his past role as a three point specialist.  The fact that he is playing (both I-Slam Hockey and Basketball) with Omar Sabri is a boost as Sabri is a dominant force in both sports.

- While the final standings may not end up like this, the current standings are a mirror opposite of the final standings from last season with Ihsan and Emaan facing each other in a battle for first whereas last season it was a battle for the last playoff spot

- This season has been a forgettable thus far for Sabr superstar Yousuf Sowdagar. In six games played he has yet to register a point; normally you would find him in the race for the scoring title and one wonders if his shoulder injury is worse than he is letting on

- On a positive note for Sabr, Captain Gehad Al-Hundi has been the lone bright star as the veteran star seems to get better as he ages and last game was no exception as he notched a spectacular shorthanded goal with a great solo effort

- Naeem Akhter is putting some serious heat on Waseem Bangash's claim for the scoring title.  His hat-trick now has him just two points behind Bangash.  Both players have this week off but Akhtar has a game in hand to make up for the shortfall.  That said this race will likely go the distance.

- Is there any debate on who will be the Rookie of the Year in Tier-2? That award will likely go to the "Bosnian Wonder" Mehmed Rizvanovic. In just his first season in a ball hockey league, the centreman has racked 11 points in 7 games, good for 3rd in scoring. Clearly Coach K knew something when he drafted him early and has molded him into a solid forward.

- Speaking of Coach K and his great work this season, observers have noted that while Waseem Bangash was always viewed as an offensive dynamo but he is now a solid two way player who is an even bigger threat in games.  Bangash also has his teammates looking out for him as last week Mujeeb Syed of Shukr was thought to have been taking liberties with Bangash but Rayhan Taqiuddin was quick to let Syed know that Haya's star was not a target as Taqiuddin laid the body on Syed.  While he may have been protecting his star, Taqiuddin took a penalty for his efforts and Shukr was quick to score on the power play.

- Zuhd GM Fahad Mallik appears to be having a difficult time managing social medial. Apparently Mr. Popularity can't manage the multiple WhatsApp groups he's associated with as it drains his battery. This explains why he bailed out of the Tier-2 GM chat group. We believe the battery drain is associated with his love for Candy Crush. Folks, show him some love and send him a Candy Crush invite. He'll be thrilled!

- Emaan has tormented Taqwa all season, taking five of a possible six points in their three games but last week they did Taqwa a huge favour with their last minute comeback win over Sabr.  Has Sabr held on they would now be tied with Taqwa in the standings with a game in hand instead of two points out of the last playoff spot.

- The Emaan comeback last week against Sabr was an amazing one to witness, Sabr up 3-1 with less than two minutes left when Emaan pulled their goalie and Hassan Bedreddine scored with 1:40 left to make it 3-2, Hisham Ali scored with 1:05 left to make it 3-3 and Ahmed Hathout scored with 19 seconds left to make it 4-3 for Emaan.  Sabr just came apart at the end and despite controlling most of the game could not get their defensive coverage together in the final minutes.  A large contributing factor was fatigue as playing with a short bench due to injuries and suspensions it seemed like they just ran out of gas.

- This week's game between Taqwa and Sabr will have a playoff atmosphere as a win by Taqwa would deal a near fatal blow to Sabr's hopes to make the playoffs.  Sabr has dealt with injuries all season but still can make the playoffs with a winning streak to end their season – but they have an uphill climb for sure

- The Bangash goal tally versus Yaqeen and Ridha is still going, he has eight goals while Ridha has eight and Yaqeen has seven.  Some tongue in cheek observers suggested that either of those teams should trade whatever Haya wants for Bangash.

- Ikhlas has struggled lately, missing players and injuries have hurt them but they need to turn things around if they want to secure a playoff spot as they are currently mired in a two game losing streak

- Speaking of locking up a playoff spot, the game between Yaqeen and Ridha this week should be played as though it is one.  Both teams only have a win out of their first five games so whoever wins this one will jump up in the standings, the loser isn't out but has surely made their road to the playoffs much harder.