After Week Four here are the Divisional Standings:
| MECCA | |||||||||
| RANK | TEAM | GP | WINS | LOSSES | TIES | POINTS | GF | GA | GD |
| 1 | Haya | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 14 | 5 | 9 |
| 2 | Ikhlas | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 10 | 3 | 7 |
| 3 | Emaan | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 11 | 10 | 1 |
| 4 | Taqwa | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 14 | -12 |
| MEDINA | |||||||||
| RANK | TEAM | GP | WINS | LOSSES | TIES | POINTS | GF | GA | GD |
| 1 | Sabr | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 5 | 3 |
| 2 | Yaqeen | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 5 | -1 |
| 3 | Ihsan | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 9 | -4 |
| 4 | Ridha | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 8 | -3 |
- Check out the Media Teams review of Week Four and preview of Week Five here.
- The first round of divisional games showed how dominant the Mecca division is this season winning three of the four games over teams from the Medina division.
- Taqwa dropped another game last week, a tough one against Sabr where it was scoreless at the half but some late breakdowns saw Sabr score a pair late and get the win. Taqwa seems to be trying to pull out all the stops as Osman Buttar showed up to help coach the team - sadly to another loss.
- Ihsan tried something new on the powerplay putting one of their larger defensemen in front of the net as a screen, a good strategy if you can control the ball and put it on net but Ikhlas was stronger on the penalty kill to snuff out their chances.
- Observers have pleasantly noted the form of Sufyan Sheikh who has looked strong this season and meshed with the style of play on Haya
- Some questioned Ikhlas brass when they named Abraar Gangat as captain as he is one of the youngest players on a team loaded with veterans. The move has paid off as he scored a natural hat-trick and ripped apart the Ihsan defence despite arriving to the game after it had started. It was noted that the Malton veterans may be doing this to pass the torch to the younger generation of Malton stars.
- The Ridha and Yaqeen offences are in need of something, anything to get on track. Both teams are loaded with offensive players but neither seems to be able to get anything to work, Yaqeen scoring only four goals in four games while Ridha has managed five over their first four games.
- Some familiar faces were noted in the audience last week as Sufyan Kazi and Huzaifah Panchbaya were seen taking in some games. They seemed to be impressed with the offensive explosion from fellow Rising Star Abraar Gangat.
- This was the first week since the season started where there as no trade activity but that can always change with a quick conversation between GMs. Interestingly quite a few GMs were seen in deep discussion in what can only be assumed to be some type of trade talk. In that regard there are some teams like Sabr, Ikhlas, Emaan and Haya that are unlikely to make any changes unless an offer they cannot refuse is put in front of their nose. That leaves four teams that are likely to try and do something to turn their season around.
> Ihsan has made their big move but at a heavy cost, remains to be seen if they need to do something more to turn their season around
> Ridha was one of the top teams on paper coming out of the draft but has failed to generate enough offence to stay in games. They already have a wealth of forwards so switching one out for a fresh face may spark something
> Yaqeen scarified one of their defensemen to obtain Erfan Bhanapatel and they may need to make a move now to shore up the backend
> Taqwa has already made moves but watch in horror as the players going out suddenly found their form. The players coming in have helped to make the team more competitive but it remains to be seen how much time GM Ali Wadee will give his team before making another move
- Ikhlas has been a great surprise this season, a blowout win over Ihsan showed how strong they are but it was their goaltending that has gone without enough recognition. When GM Mazhar Hussain grabbed his brother Yasir Hussain with the 38th overall pick there were murmurs of reaching too early for his elder brother but Yasir has more than paid back on where he was drafted. He leads the league with a sparkling 0.75 GAA and .953 Save percentage.
- Reminder that while Eye Protection is not mandatory this season it is strongly urged that all players ensure to protect themselves. There were some injuries last season where deflected balls hit players in the face and could have resulted in a serious injury to the eye. Please take the time to consider your own personal safety and wear the appropriate eye protection.
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