Week 17 - Finals for Fall Tier-2 and Spring Season

- In an amazing turn of events, Zuhd came back to win Game Two and then scored in Overtime to take the Tier-2 Title.  Many had expected Haya to steamroll their way to the Championship after a dominant regular season but Zuhd was the only team that Haya didn't defeat in the regular season so the result shouldn't be considered a great upset.

- In the post-game press conference, it was revealed that Waseem Bangash was playing through multiple injuries throughout the playoffs which makes sense considering he won the Scoring title, tied for the Most Goals title and then went pointless in three playoff games.

- Speaking of injuries, Haya goalie Yusuf Kapoor pulled his groin early in the game but with no alternatives available gutted out the rest of the game, seemingly with a few of his teammates unaware that he was not able to move freely.  Despite the pain he hung in there to try and get his team the win and in Overtime made a spectacular save early to rob Zuhd and give his team a chance.

- Haya was also hampered by the absence of "Coach K" who celebrated his teams presumed Championship with a trip to Hawaii.  It was apparent early in Game Two that Haya seemed thrown off by not having him run the bench and an observer noted that the teams body language was all wrong.  This was the match-up that Haya wanted but clearly did not work out as they had planned.  But enough about the losers....

- Here they are, your 2014-2015 Tier-2 Champions - Zuhd

- Zuhd stepped up when it mattered the most as after dropping Game One of the Finals, they stepped up and won Game Two and then scored in Overtime to take the title.  They had a solid mix of veterans and youth and players with winning pedigree.  Fahad Mallik and Naeem Akhtar scored in Game Two resulting in the win but it was Huzaifa Manjra who was the key performer as he set up both goals and then scored in Overtime (cashing in on the hard work by Sulayman Azmat) to win the Title and earn himself Playoff MVP Honours.  Manjra also set up the OT winner in the Semi-Finals against Ikhlas so his impact was critical for Zuhd.  Manjra also picked up the "Mr. Congeniality" Award, in large part thanks to his Bollywood looks:

- Usamah Rao picked up his third championship in a row, post game he simply stated, "I really wanted this one" and walked away.

- Saqib Sheikh was involved in some controversy after skipping Game One however his experience in Finals and notably OT games was a boost for Zuhd.  In the post-game celebrations he was heard yelling, "I'm going to Denny's!" (most people say they want Disney World but to each their own...)

- Thanks to all players for another great season; with that said we are quickly approaching the Spring Season!

- There is a lot of chatter about teams wanting to trade up to acquire Amir Multani.  His speed, size and experience make him an attractive asset to pick up via the draft.

Here is the mock draft preview for the Spring Season:

2015 I-Slam Hockey Spring Season Draft Preview

Below is the draft order, based on the aggregate result of GM rankings by OC members:
 

Zaid, Zayd, Farrukh, Mustafa, Navaz	Akib, Sadat, Saleem, Luqman, Naeem	Salman, Ahmad, Yousuf, Hani, Farooq	Ahmad, Riaz, Arssal, Shuaib, Gehad	Furqan, Arif, Bilal, Jibran, Waqar	Wakaas, Umair, Ibad, Sajjid, Assad
Sabr	Haya	Ihsan	Shukr	Emaan	Ikhlas
#1	#2	#3	#4	#5	#6

So who will pick who? We won't know until Friday night, when the draft officially begins, but here's a mock draft for the players we think will go top 6:

1. Sabr:  Yousuf Sowdagar
Sowdagar  is currently suffering from a fractured ankle which has kept him out of all hockey action since late December. By his own estimation, he's likely going to miss close to half the season as he begins to recuperate. Injury or not, he's the best player in the draft by a fair margin and we expect him to go first overall.

2. Haya: Nauman Abbasi
It's tough to predict who the Haya brass will go with, but they did have decent chemistry with Abbasi last season as he brings some much needed speed to their group. But Abbasi's penchant for missing games might cause him to slide in the draft as the Malik's look to improve on last season's disappointment.

3: Ihsan: Amir Multani
I have no idea which direction Ihsan will go with their first pick. Last season they added a defender in Nadeem Qureshi with their first selection. Qureshi will be available, as will Belal Hafeez if they are looking for defensive help. They could also go with a goalie in Khalid Mufti but goal-scoring is also in short supply and Multani is fresh off last season's Spring Championship where he played a pivotal role. Multani might be the perfect linemate for Yousuf and Hani Soliman as he can bring much needed finish to the group.

4. Shukr: Junaid Mohammad
It's hard to peg the Shukr brass as this collection have never managed a team together before, but I can see this being a toss up between adding the goals that Junaid Mohammad is sure to produce or the goaltending of Khalid Mufti. Most teams err by selecting a goalie too early, so adding some firepower is never a bad way to go. Junaid has been, in my opinion, one of the purest snipers the past decade in the Muslim hockey scene. While his goal totals have dropped in Tier-1, the slower pace of the Spring season will allow Mohammad to feast on goalies.

5. Emaan: Belal Hafeez
I'm going with the friend connection here, plus if they add Hafeez, they are then free to move Jibraan Salaam up to forward if need be. Hafeez brings a big shot and a brash in-your-face style of defense that will help augment the skilled players they have up front in Furqan Salaam and Arif Bijabhai.

6. Ikhlas: Adeel Awan
Ikhlas will be looking to bring back as much as they can from last season's Championship winning core and Awan will definitely be a first round target of theirs. Unless they can pull some trades, the chances that they land Multani are extremely thin. But Awan will strengthen an already strong defensive back situation and he also has the ability to pitch in with goals.

- Make sure to follow us on Twitter as the Draft Results are announced live on Friday February 6th.