Week Eleven - December 18th - Playoffs

- The final week of the regular season gave us some highlights and cleared up the final playoff picture.

• Shukr had already clinched first but their win last week saw them finish the regular season undefeated.  An impressive accomplishment for them to enjoy as they now get a first round bye for the playoffs.
• Ikhlas lost their game to Ihsan but still managed to cling onto second place by virtue of Haya losing, they get a first round bye where they will need to figure out what is happening for this talented team that has lost their last three games.
• Haya lost to Shukr so lost their chance to jump into second place with the recent struggles from Ikhlas, the benefit of the tie-breaker saw them hold onto third place and gets them the match-up they wanted against Sabr
• Emaan finished the season strong with a three game winning streak but it wasn’t enough to overcome their poor start to the season and by virtue of the tie breaker they end in fourth.
• Ihsan ended the season with a gritty win over Ikhlas to ensure they didn’t risk dropping into last.
• Sabr suffered a 5-0 loss but considering they had only one sub the players that did show up demonstrated a lot of heart to keep this game as close as they did.

- Ikhlas has struggled mightily down the stretch and almost suffered a catastrophic loss as near the end of their finale against Ihsan, had Waqar Khan go awkwardly into the net and take a knock to his knee.  Khan stayed down for a while with both teams showing concern for his status as he seemed in significant pain.  After a quick check from one of the doctors watching he was helped off the floor and after missing a few shifts came out for the final minute with his team desperate to break their losing streak.  Khan is admired as a tenacious player by all, but his team may have been better served letting him sit the rest of the game and avoid a more serious injury.

- Sabr has faced many obstacles this season with injuries and absences and it happened again in their finale as they had only one sub for their game but despite this put up a great effort with Ahmad Hathout never stepping off the floor.  Zaid Majoo made some great saves in the first half to keep it a 1-0 game.

- Shukr has had a great season, they are solid across their lineup and have benefited from some great seasons from key players, once such breakout season was from Atif Mian.  Mian has long been viewed as a raw talent and this season he put together a great season.  He finished third in scoring this season and was just three points away from winning the scoring title.  His blend of speed and agility combined with a growing touch around the net has seen him blossom into a constant scoring threat.

- Ahmad Hathout won the scoring title despite being shutout against Emaan, breaking his scoring streak.  He had many chances but was shut down each time by Sadiq Rehman who was more than equal to the task.  Hathout bested rival Waqar Khan who fell just a point behind Hathout.

- Ihsan goes into their playoff game hoping to have a full lineup, reports indicate that Rayhan Malik has been battling a bug and Ihsan will need his fore check to set the tone in their game against Emaan.

- Fahad Mallik was shut out once again as his terrible season continues.  It's a testemant to the depth of Shukr that they have been able to put together such a strong regular season while getting nothing from their GM.  Co-GM Naeem Akhtar has circulated this image in hope of finding Mallik.

- Umair Ashraf of Ikhlas was excited to have his team retain a top two seed, saying that he has opening night tickets for the new Star Wars movie - he stated that he has been working on his Chewbacca costume for a while in anticipation of the new movie.

Week Ten - December 11th

- Week Ten was about empty nets, absent players and upsets as the playoff picture starts to get a bit clearer.

- First the empty nets, despite scrambling to get a last minute fill in goalie Ihsan went into this game with an empty net and paid a heavy price losing by a 9-2 score.  They reportedly thought that they had locked up Sheraz Mahmood to fill in but he never confirmed and Ihsan was left to scramble against top ranked Shukr who showed no mercy as they ran up the score, potting four goals in less than three minutes near the end of first half and then another two goals within the first two minutes of the second half to drive the point home.

- Absent players, forgetting Ihsan's adventures with an empty net, Haya came into a key game with Emaan missing goalie Rizwan Ali, forward Salman Syed and defenceman Salman Khalid and Samad Hamidi.  The result was Nadeem Qureshi having to log more minutes on defense to start the game and it wasn't pretty for the veteran.  Emaan scored three goals in just over two minutes early in the first half with the third goal being a shorthanded shot from the blueline that a Haya defenseman deflected in-front of the net trying to block it which demoralized the squad.

- Finally upsets, Ikhlas came into their game as the presumed favourite to win, especially considering how Sabr has struggled this season but someone forgot to tell them as the team that has been in last from the beginning of the season came up with big plays when they needed it and came away with a 3-2 upset win.

- Haya had designs on jumping into second place but while last weeks loss to Emaan certainly hurt, it did not close the door as a Haya win over Shukr in Week Ten combined with an Ikhlas loss or tie to Ihsan would see Haya take the second seed.

- Ihsan has struggled as of late, currently mired in a five-game win less streak which has seen them plummet to fifth and conceivably could even drop into last if they lose their finale to Ikhlas while Sabr wins their last game to take fifth.  With all of the skilled offensive players it is a surprise to see Ihsan with the least goals scored this season - pundits are whispering that the magic touch of Coach K may be gone as he has not been able to get much going for his team this year.  Combined with rumours of their goalie being injured put this team in a precarious position heading into the playoffs.

- The Waqar Khan vs Ahmad Hathout game within a game from the Sabr vs Ikhlas match-up gave many fans what they were hoping for.  Hathout finished with a goal and an assist while Khan was limited to an assist.  The net result has Hathout still leading the league in Points and Assists while tied for goals with Aazar Zafar from Shukr who jumped up with his hat-trick on an empty net.  It should be noted that Hathout scored his goal on an empty netter which became the game winner when Farrukh Khan ripped a laser shot from the point with one second left in the game.  Going into the final week it will be interesting to see if Hathout can pad his lead to seal his second straight scoring title while Khan faces Ihsan and his former mentor in Coach K who believes the can shut the power-forward down.

- Sabr surprisingly has the second best offense in the league (mainly carried by Ahmad Hathout) but it is their league worst goals allowed that has been their downfall.  With the players they have this stat is surprising but a combination of players being played out of position and absences have been the source of the problem.

- There is some place to move in the standings are only two teams firmly locked in their place, here is a breakdown of the teams (in order of current standings):

• Shukr: They have locked up first place and their finale is a matter of pride as they look to finish the season undefeated
• Ikhlas: A win/tie or a Haya loss will see them clinch the second seed, they have struggled as of late but face struggling Ihsan in their finale
• Haya: A win combined with a loss by Ikhlas will see Haya leapfrog into second place.  The must rue their loss in Week Nine where a win would have put them in the drivers seat for a top-two finish.  They face first place Shukr in the finale where they will want to prove that they can win as these teams may meet in the playoffs.
• Emaan: Their win last week locked up the fourth seed, because of the tie-breaker rules, even if they win in Week 10 and Haya lose giving the teams 10 points each, Haya has the advantage with more wins and would remain in third while an Emaan loss and Ihsan win would see Emaan hold onto third as they own the head to head tie-breaker.
• Ihsan: A win or a tie against Ikhlas would give them the fifth seed, a loss combined with a Sabr win would see Ihsan drop to sixth.
• Sabr: A win combined with Ihsan loss would have them jump into fifth, an unimaginable thought a couple of weeks ago considering their struggles.  

- The above was not confirmed with the guru of Standings and Tie-Breakers, Ahmad Ibrahim but we are confident in its accuracy.

- The final week will have some excitement as each game can impact the final standings.

Week Nine - December 4th

- Waqar Khan was the story in Week Eight, some good and some bad in a crushing loss to Haya.  Khan was all over the floor playing any and every position his team needed him to, lining up on the point for the power play, killing penalties as a forward - including playing goalie while covering the empty net but more on that later.  Khan’s hustle and forecheck are well known, to teammates and opponents and last game it was his teammates that needed to be on the alert.  A near catastrophe for Ikhlas occurred when Farooq Sani was nearly run over by Khan as both went to collect a loose ball.  Sani seemed to recognize the “search and destroy” look in the eyes of Khan and was forced to do a looping spin jump to get out of the way.  Since losing Zahid Merchant Ikhlas has seemed a bit thin offensively from the blue line so losing Sani would have been a disaster.

- In the same game, Ahmad Ibrahim got caught with an accidental high stick but thankfully the man with more nicknames (“Habibi”, “The Mountain”, “Dirtiest Player in I-Slam”) than goals this season was fine and remained in the game.  A player safety reminder for players that accidents happen so best to have equipment such as a visor to protect you.

- Umair Ashraf has been a frequent source for material in this column and he seems fine with that.  Although he is now trying to change the narrative from his search for a wife to a search for men - specifically for men who are proficient in the world of IT as Ashraf is employed as a recruiter.  So for any guys out there looking for a dinner date, have a chat with Ashraf and let him try to recruit you.

- While Hany Soliman has played well this season, some expected more from the power forward considering he was being united on a line with brothers Osama Soliman and Yousuf Soliman (with Walied Soliman ready to fill in as well).  The trio have been solid but not spectacular, with a fan putting together this video evidence of a penalty shot for Hany Soliman from last years playoffs and last week.

The “evidence” of his struggles as it were are that he no longer sports his picnic table style shorts, his trademark going back many seasons.

- Going back to Waqar Khan, he has been in a struggle to surpass the offensive numbers from Ahmad Hathout of Sabr this season, trailing Hathout in Goals, Assists and Points.  In the final minutes of the Ikhlas vs Haya game, Ikhlas pulled their goalie for the extra forward and left Khan as the safety to prevent an empty net goal.  Umar Muhammad had his first chance at the empty net shut down but just 30 seconds later Salman Khalid threaded a beautiful lob pass over all of Ikhlas to Muhammad (who seemed to be playing a bit too far away from his own net while protecting the lead).  Khan pursued Muhammad as he was about to take a shot at the empty net and his diving defensive play tripped Muhammad and a goal was awarded.  Hathout supporters would later ask if this own goal would count against Khan and have one of his goals subtracted - it will not.

- Haya has made an incredible run as of late having won four in a row and with last weeks win over Ikhlas are now just a point out of second place.  Haya believe that they have a shot at first place which is actually possible as they play Shukr in their last game so if Haya defeats Emaan this week while Shukr lose to Ihsan and that last game could be for first place.

- Shukr are still undefeated for the season but may be concerned as they have tied their last two games, two weeks ago they fought back to tie Emaan and last week they blew a lead as Ihsan scored with just two seconds left as Arsalan Mian snapped in the equalizer.  Shukr face Ihsan again this week and hope to show that last weeks collapse was an aberration rather than a sign of things to come as the playoffs approach.

- Shukr should be concerned about the play of Fahad Mallik who continues to struggle with no points this season.  We’ll give him one last week before we put his face on the milk carton but there are reports that his team is considering sending him on a conditioning stint to get him going.

- As the season winds down with just two games left for all teams in the regular season all games are key but this week will have great impact on the standings as Haya looks to vault into the top two while Shukr hopes to clinch first place and Ikhlas just hopes to fend of Haya and hold onto second.

- All the team match-ups aside, many will be watching Ikhlas vs Sabr for another reason as it pits Waqar Khan and Ahmad Hathout in a head to head meeting which may determine who wins the scoring title this year.  Hathout beat out Khan in the Spring Season, something which we know still burns for Khan so this is his chance to rectify that.