- Week Eleven featured the two wildcard games as Shukr opened the night with a dominant 4-1 win over Yaqeen in the first semi-final while the second game saw Ikhlas win a thriller in Overtime over Ridha.
Three Stars of the Week for March 29th:
1st Star: Humza Chaudhry (Shukr): 3 Goals,GWG
2nd Star: Akib Malik (Ikhlas): 1 Goal, GWG
3rd Star: Osman Buttar (Shukr): 3 Assists
- A reminder again about Player Health and Safety and the need for players to wear a visor or cage while playing, accidents will happen and we want to ensure that everyone participates in a safe environment.
- Shukr dominated Yaqeen but keep in mind that Yaqeen was missing one of their top players and leading scorer Emmad Khawaja which was too large a whole for the team to fill against Shukr - hence the reminder above about wearing a visor. That said Shukr did get a great performance from young Humza Chaudhry who was a man possessed out there putting up a hat-trick including the game winner. They will need more of that if Shukr wants to advance past first place Ihsan.
- Ikhlas and Ridha was a great back and forth affair with Ikhlas taking the lead twice in regulation only to have Ridha tie it up. The last Ikhlas goal was in Overtime which ended the affair as a breakdown in coverage left Akib Malik all alone in the slot where he finished off the game with a wrist shot to the top corner to the net.
- Shukr finally saw Arslan Mian hit the scoresheet as he had been pointless since being acquired in a big trade during the season. He had been moved to the second line in an attempt to take pressure off him to produce with longtime linemate Humza Chaudhry.
- Kashif "Coach K" Taqiuddin boldly claimed before his game that "he doesn't coach losers" and he was right this past week as his gameplan contained Ridha's top line for most of the game. A tight checking affair that saw his team take the lead multiple times and eventually secure the win in Overtime after some great forechecking against Ridha's best players.
- Ihsan will enter their game against Shukr as the favourite with their high scoring offence. It will be interesting to see these teams match-up considering that they are all teammates in other leagues. Also the family dynamics with some cousins lining up against each other.
- It will be interesting to see how Haya performs this Friday after sitting for the bye week and having some of their key players resting the last week of the season. The time off may make them a bit fresher but also a bit rusty so they will have to be strong right out of the gate against a hungry Ikhlas.
- Looking at the Ihsan vs Shukr match-up in a bit more detail, Ihsan comes in as the heavy favourite after finishing first overall in the league this season but Shukr was one of the few teams that gave them issues. The first meeting saw Shukr win 2-1 while the second meeting ended in a 1-1 tie.
- For Haya vs Ikhlas, it is actually the lower seeded team that many people are predicting to advance from this match-up. Ikhlas has lost only once in their last seven games and while the season series was split with each team winning a game it was Ikhlas who dominated the final meeting of the season between these teams. The trade that Ikhlas made to send Arslan Mian away and acquire Sufyan Shaikh and Zaid Toorawa has paid off greatly as both players have been a great boost for the teams offence.
- Shukr dominated Yaqeen but keep in mind that Yaqeen was missing one of their top players and leading scorer Emmad Khawaja which was too large a whole for the team to fill against Shukr - hence the reminder above about wearing a visor. That said Shukr did get a great performance from young Humza Chaudhry who was a man possessed out there putting up a hat-trick including the game winner. They will need more of that if Shukr wants to advance past first place Ihsan.
- Ikhlas and Ridha was a great back and forth affair with Ikhlas taking the lead twice in regulation only to have Ridha tie it up. The last Ikhlas goal was in Overtime which ended the affair as a breakdown in coverage left Akib Malik all alone in the slot where he finished off the game with a wrist shot to the top corner to the net.
- Shukr finally saw Arslan Mian hit the scoresheet as he had been pointless since being acquired in a big trade during the season. He had been moved to the second line in an attempt to take pressure off him to produce with longtime linemate Humza Chaudhry.
- Kashif "Coach K" Taqiuddin boldly claimed before his game that "he doesn't coach losers" and he was right this past week as his gameplan contained Ridha's top line for most of the game. A tight checking affair that saw his team take the lead multiple times and eventually secure the win in Overtime after some great forechecking against Ridha's best players.
- Ihsan will enter their game against Shukr as the favourite with their high scoring offence. It will be interesting to see these teams match-up considering that they are all teammates in other leagues. Also the family dynamics with some cousins lining up against each other.
- It will be interesting to see how Haya performs this Friday after sitting for the bye week and having some of their key players resting the last week of the season. The time off may make them a bit fresher but also a bit rusty so they will have to be strong right out of the gate against a hungry Ikhlas.
- Looking at the Ihsan vs Shukr match-up in a bit more detail, Ihsan comes in as the heavy favourite after finishing first overall in the league this season but Shukr was one of the few teams that gave them issues. The first meeting saw Shukr win 2-1 while the second meeting ended in a 1-1 tie.
- For Haya vs Ikhlas, it is actually the lower seeded team that many people are predicting to advance from this match-up. Ikhlas has lost only once in their last seven games and while the season series was split with each team winning a game it was Ikhlas who dominated the final meeting of the season between these teams. The trade that Ikhlas made to send Arslan Mian away and acquire Sufyan Shaikh and Zaid Toorawa has paid off greatly as both players have been a great boost for the teams offence.
- Congrats to the following players who based upon statistics locked up Regular Season Awards:
- Razi Ahmed (Ihsan): Points Champion with 20 points
- Emmad Khawaja (Yaqeen): Goal Scoring Leader with 9 goals
- Ali Khwaja (Ridha): Lowest Goals against with a GAA of 1.64
Make sure to follow us and get your friends to follow us as well (this is another way you can help grow the league!):
- If you somehow missed it, here are some of the video clips the league has put up to start the season along with our Podcasts:
- Pre-Draft GM Interviews
- If you somehow missed it, here are some of the video clips the league has put up to start the season along with our Podcasts:
- Pre-Draft GM Interviews
- Listen in on our First League Podcast! Belal Hafeez of Shukr drops in with some health and fitness tips.
- Listen in on Podcast Two featuring Abdu Sharkawy and Ahmad "Black Panther" Ibrahim who weigh in on a number of topics
- Listen in on Podcast Three featuring Arif Khan and Hannan Ghafoor discussing the 2019 Wildcard Playoff games
Make sure to follow us and get your friends to follow us as well (this is another way you can help grow the league!):
Facebook: I-Slam Hockey
Twitter: iSlamHockey
Instagram: IslamHockeyCanada
Youtube: IslamBallHockey
- Listen in on Podcast Two featuring Abdu Sharkawy and Ahmad "Black Panther" Ibrahim who weigh in on a number of topics
- Listen in on Podcast Three featuring Arif Khan and Hannan Ghafoor discussing the 2019 Wildcard Playoff games
Make sure to follow us and get your friends to follow us as well (this is another way you can help grow the league!):
Facebook: I-Slam Hockey
Twitter: iSlamHockey
Instagram: IslamHockeyCanada
Youtube: IslamBallHockey
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