Summer Season - Week Two - June 21st

Opening Week of the 2019 Summer Season saw Sabr (yellow) leveling the match with Yaqeen (white) with 2:18 left in the second half and subsequently scoring the go-ahead goal with 1:52 remaining (score 3-2).  In the other game, Haya (grey) looked poised for a certain victory, but credit Ihsan (red) for their resiliency and ending the game in a tie with a goal at 1:42 in the second half (score: 3-3)

Three Stars of Week One:

1^st Star: Arslan Mian (Sabr): 1 G, 2 A
2^nd Star: Ali Murtaza (Yaqeen): 2 G
3^rd Star: Ommar Din (Haya) 1 G, 1 A

- Ommar Din (Haya) making GMs regret their decision on passing him up in the draft. The Analysts at the draft were shocked that he ended up being the last pick of the draft. Literally started from the bottom (of the draft) and now he’s here (third best player in the league for Week 1). We have video of Din’s current mood here.

- Health Benefits of Fasting: Observers were quick to note the massive transformation of the physical appearance and fitness level of Haya’s Omar Essawi. “He’s flying out there”, noted by one spectator. The off-the-board surprise first round pick of Haya paid immediate dividends as he blasted his patented slap-shot into the back of Ihsan’s net.

- Many were impressed with Haya’s 3-3 tie versus Ihsan, as they held their own despite key absences: Ibrahim Hindy and Naem Malik

- The immortal Malton Maverick/Jet Erfan Bhanapatel AKA EBP has never played with his Malton boys will participating in I-Slam.  He came close this season as Abraar Gangat was drafted on his team only to be dealt soon after the draft in a package deal to acquire the Commish Ahmad Ibrahim

- Yaqeen’s GM, Mohammed Hamoud remains committed in allowing his players to grow and developed their games. One player in particular is Samad Hamidi, who had several key blocks in Week 1. Hamoud intends on playing Hamidi to have him gain some confidence and belief in his game. 

- Speaking of confidence in one’s game, during the warmups members of Sabr saw that Saqib Khokhar has all the tools to emerge as one of the league’s top superstars. He possess a deadly slap-shot easily in the top 5% in the league. However he plays the game a bit to passively and does not get an opportunity to deliver those bombs. Sabr’s gm Arslan Mian is hoping Khokhar can break-out of his shell and has paired him up with teammate Arif Khan serve as his mentor and help take his game to the next level.          

- Staying on the topic of Sabr, Arslan Mian was the best player in the league in Week 1 and in the process is slowly escaping from the label that “he needs to play with Humza Chaudhry in order to be successful”.  During his time with Ikhlas last season he was a star as under the guidance of Coach K and hopes to find that form again.

- This season the roster sizes are smaller which gives everyone more playing time. So cardio and attendance will play a pivotal role in teams’ success. We already saw late game fatigue be an issue where Haya failed to back-check late in their game and allowing Ihsan to tie the game. Points are at a premium as the importance of finishing either first or second overall is huge for the playoffs (see point below). With this in mind GMs are encouraging their players to ensure they are doing cardio throughout the week and come be ready for the grind Friday nights.   

Playoff Format: All four teams make the playoffs!

Here is the general format of the playoffs:

Playoff Week 1:  Semi-Finals
i) 1^st vs 4^th 

ii) 2^nd vs 3^rd 

Playoff Week 2:  Championship Game
(Winner of 1^st vs 4^th ) versus (Winner of  2^nd vs 3^rd  )

The regular season has great significance especially for the semi-finals. The semifinals will be a “best of two”, where the 1^st and 2^nd seed respectively will start their series with a one game lead. That means the 3^rd and 4^th seed must win (not tie) in Playoff Week 1 to force a sudden death overtime and if still tied after that a shootout to determine who advances to the Championship Series.

For the finals it is a single game winner-take all. Also for the Finals if the game is tied after regulation we will be piloting multiple overtimes to crown the championship. 

- Vasim Kagzi has been challenged by his Sabr teammates to bring the heat this season and play like its 2012 when he was more informally known as “Koko”.  If those who are unaware Koko was a bad man from Scarborough with a blistering slapshot from the point. 

- Ali Murtaza (Yaqeen) scored both goals for his team in a losing effort versus Sabr. He will undoubtedly need help from others to step out. Expect to see Erfan Bhanapatel and Abdu Sharkway chipping in as the season progresses as the duo were creating high quality chances for their team in Week 1.  

- Another player with a pair of goals in Week 1 was Mehmed Rizvanovic of Sabr. Rizvanovic was a waiver replacement that is providing a high return on invest for Sabr. 

- Abraar Gangat  (Ihsan) started the season off strong with recording 2 points. Playing with Yusuf Ingar, look for him to be in contention for MVP this season.   Gangat will be looking for redemption after finishing a close second for Rookie of the Year last season.

- Sabr is expected to be a bit short-handed as Emad Hussain is a game time decision as his flight from Egypt lands hours before puck drop. Budding super-star Saqib Khokhar is not expected to be in the lineup either. 

- Did you know Egypt is well represented on Yaqeen: Abdu Sharkawy, Ahmad Ibrahim, Mohammed Hamoud

- Sabr was the only team to win in Week 1. For Arif Khan and Ahmad Mobin it was a long time coming as both players failed to win a game last season in the winter. After the victory Khan was shouting “I like my chips with dip.”

- There were several reports that Ahmad Ibrahim (Yaqeen) put his Black Panther trainings to use and climbed a city of Toronto truck to get a better view during the Raptors Parade.  He could be heard yeling at Drake, “Chips with Humus… Chips with more Humus”

- Arif Khan was named as Sabr's Captain, a fitting role for the veteran forward who was debating being a GM this season.

- By his standards, Yusuf Ingar (Ihsan) is having a slow start to the season. Projected to be lead the league in goals expect Ingar to start filling the net soon. 

- The H Report will be going on a hiatus for the Summer Season despite the great reviews and positive feedback from players, to attempt to fill the void the Hamidi Report will be returning on a weekly basis

- We received a lot of positive feedback in Week 1 on how much fun this season is going to be because of getting more playing time. In addition it was noted how competitive this season will be because with only 4 teams talent is more concentrated on each team. 

Heads up, the remaining schedule is now available on our website. 

- Also we usually have stats updated consistency. We apologize for the delay this week. Moving forward to ensure you get credit for your goals and assist please write your name clearly on the game sheet and do not switch jersey numbers during the season. Also if the scoresheet has any errors please notify your GM and they will bring it to the Organizing Committee. 

Reminder: For those new to the league gloves and a helmet are mandatory. In light of the numerous facial and eye injuries over the past few seasons and after consulting with players and GMs, I-Slam Hockey has decided to implement a new player safety rule. All players registered in the Summer (and future) seasons must wear some form of protective eyewear. Protective eyewear includes a visor, cage or goggles. As this rule is new for the Summer season, players have up until Week Five to have this equipment in place - players who do not have protective eyewear for their Week Five game are not eligible to play until they have this equipment in place.

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