- And here we are, moving onto the second season where now the accomplishments and failures of the regular season do not matter as if you win now - you move on.
- The playoffs open at 8pm with Shukr facing off against Haya, Shukr won both meetings and come in confident with the talent they have available and the leadership of Coach K. Haya started the season strong but then had the wheels come off with attendance issues more than anything as they lost their last five regular season games and are stumbling into the playoffs. Haya does have Khalid Mufti in net so a great goalie always has the chance to steal a win.
- The 9pm game has Emaan meeting Sabr where the teams met twice in the regular season as Emaan won in the first meeting and the teams tied 4-4 last week to end the season. Emaan boasted the best offense and second best defense in the regular season so you would expect them to be favoured but attendance issues and poor discipline have led to them being winless since December 9th. Sabr comes in riding some momentum as they had to fight to make the playoffs down the stretch and played well last week. This may be why the polls have Sabr favoured to complete the upset when the teams meet.
- Playoffs are where heroes are made so it will be interesting to see who will step up tonight with a big performance under the spotlight. In the meantime, Ihsan and Yaqeen rest up and wait for the winners from the First Round to face-off against in the Semi-Finals.
- Shukr comes in confident with the leadership of Coach K who is familiar with many of the stars from Haya having worked with them before, particularly Aazar Zafar and Mehmed Rizvanovic who have played under the tutilage of Coach K. Shukr also has Arif Bijabhai to lead the offense and who tied for the league lead in goals with eight - but there are rumours that he will not be available for tonight with cryptic comments about looking for the best fish pakoras in the world being his focus right now.
- Sabr got a strong game from Saleem Malik last week and will need more of the same from their leading scorer going into the playoffs. The emergence of rookie Dawood Ciombar has been a pleasant surprise for Sabr as the crafty forward if a constant threat offensively.
- Haya has been plagued by attendance problems as the season has gone on, whether its Aazar Zafar showing up late or Huzaifa Manjra not showing up at all it has been a rough stretch for Haya. That said they have a good core and a strong goalie that make them a contender in any match-up.
- Emaan comes into the playoffs on a bit of a slide, strong all season their big issue was discipline early with silly penalties but that has been replaced by weak team play as their passing seems to be off and their intensity stuck in casual. Zaid Toorawa started the season strong but only has one point in his last three games and needs to get back on track. Toorawa offered to hype up the fans by ripping off a Sabr t-shirt prior to the playoff game but his teammates declined this offer.
The Three Stars for Week Thirteen:
1ST STAR:
Mehmed Rizvanovic (Haya)- 3 G
2ND STAR:
Arslan Mian (Yaqeen)- 2 G & 1 A
3RD STAR:
Saleem Malik (Sabr)- 2 G & 1 A
Congratulations to
Waqar Khan (Emaan) on being the '16-'17 Fall Season scoring champion with 19 points in nine games.
Congratulations to
Humza Chaudhry (Yaqeen),
Waqar Khan (Emaan) and
Arif Bijabhai (Shukr) on being the '16-'17 Fall season Goal Leaders as all three scored eight goals.
Here are the Finalist for the Regular Season Awards (alphabetical order):
Regular Season MVP:1)
Akib Malik (Sabr)
2)
Arif Bijabhai (Shukr)
3)
Waqar Khan (Emaan)
Best Defensemen: 1)
Adeel Awan (Emaan)
2)
Salman Khalid (Ikhlas)
3)
Junaid Mohammad (Yaqeen)
Top Goaltender: 1)
Yusuf Kapoor (Yaqeen)
2)
Ahmad Mobin (Emaan)
3)
Khalid Mufti (Haya)
Top Rookie:1)
Sahil Mohammad (Ikhlas)
2)
Dawood Ciombar (Sabr)
3)
Tayyab Kalair (Yaqeen)
GM Award:1)
Furqan Salam (Emaan)
2)
Naeem Akhter (Haya)
3)
Amir Multani (Ihsan)
Thank you to all players for making this season enjoyable, it was a pleasure serving the Muslim Community these past couple of months.
Registration for next season is open. The winter season starts in less than a month and spots are filling up fast! Details below:
Registration ends once all spots are filled!
Please secure your spot immediately as spots are extremely limited (only 6 teams this season).
Cost: Register as an Individual Player: $150 (before January 15th, 2017) or $165 (after January 15th, 2017)
Location: Toronto Rock Practice Facility
(1132 Invicta Dr, Oakville, ON L6H 6G1)
Goaltenders are advised to email hockey@i-slam.ca prior to registering as spots are very limited.
Timings: Games are played on Fridays beginning at 8PM and ending at 11PM
Regular Season Start: Friday February 17th, 2017
Divisions: Only one Tier (Competitive and Recreational)
Registration Includes: League participation and a free ultra-lite hockey jersey for each player!
Want to run a team?: Email hockey@i-slam.ca and submit your duo GM group!
How To Register:
1. Send your registration fee payment via Email Money Transfer to hockey@i-slam.ca (Through your TD, RBC, BMO, CIBC, ING or other Online Banking website!)
2. Email hockey@i-slam.ca with your e-transfer password
3. Please fill out the registration form
Please note that spots will NOT be held through partial payment – registration is deemed complete upon payment of FULL funds AND completion of the registration form!
