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.

Week Eight - November 20th

- With the trade deadline now passed and rosters frozen, many players on Ikhlas are breathing a bit easier knowing that GM Ahmad Ibrahim won’t be able to make any more deals.  He was by far the most active GM this season in working the phone lines.

- Another week and the same problems for Emaan and Sabr contributed to their losses.  For Emaan another short bench while for Sabr it was being forced to put in a back-up goalie - in this case Umer Buksh who took one for the team and filled in admirably.

- Shukr got a bit of a scare falling behind to Emaan 3-1 last week but stuck with the game plan and managed to grind out a 3-3 tie to keep them alone in first place and undefeated for the season.

- Shukr was without Sulayman Azmat and Salman Alvi but have done a great job in getting production from all players, the opening goal was put in by Mohamed Sattaur who has scored in back to back games.  As for Alvi, the veteran has been out of the lineup with an injury to his wrist since the start of the season and as he nears a return will be a great boost for an already deep team.

- The challenges Ihsan has had with staying out of the penalty box this season (well really only Rayhan Malik) were noted last week and the team decided to try him on forward - which seemed to pay off where his hustle helped to create chances on the forecheck and perhaps more importantly he didn’t hurt the team with careless penalties.

- Back to Shukr for a moment, as great as the team has been performing it has to be a concern that they are getting nothing from Fahad Mallik as he still has yet to register a point.  We’ll give him another week before his face appears on the milk carton that Furqan Salam made famous.

- Haya is hoping for some good news on the health front as goalie Rizwan Ali is currently out after a collision a couple of weeks ago.  We all hope for a speedy recovery for the veteran goalie who will be counted on by Haya to backstop them for a championship run.

- Ahmad Hathout of Sabr potted a pair of goals in a losing effort last week and while his team may be in last place with only one win, Hathout has been strong this season thus far and leads the league in Points, Goals and Assists.  In each category he is just ahead of “frenemy” Waqar Khan.  There has been some grumbling that Hathout seems to always have great games against weak opponents and empty nets but those comments are sounding more like sour grapes.  Hathout has a point in all seven games this season for 15 points in total while being the only consistent source of offense for his team.

- Umair Ashraf of Ikhlas sought to clarify something from the recent Spring Season, the issue in question was his comments during the celebrations for winning the championship.  News and Rumours from that season noted the following comment, “During celebrations after the game, Umair Ashraf can clearly be heard proclaiming that with the win he is now ready for marriage (don’t believe me - click here).”  Ashraf is now stating that his comment was misconstrued and his full statement as he was hugging Waqar Khan was “Waqar you are now ready to get married” the video does not seem to fully support that claim so feel free to view it and judge for yourself.  That said he is single so if you know someone…

- Despite being replaced, Zahid Merchant showed up to coach his former team Ikhlas.  No word if he wants to be referred to as “Coach Z” going forward but he surely had a positive influence in his teams win last week as they keep in the hunt to take first place.

Week Seven - November 13th

- "Don't call it a comeback, I been here for years!” well maybe not but due to the demand of a few current players along with Amir Multani who while he isn't playing this year indicated that he missed reading about himself on a weekly basis.

- The scoring leaders have the usual suspects with Ahmad Hathout and Waqar Khan but some were surprised to see Atif Mian there in 3rd.  Mian has come a long way since his debut in the league.  Well known for his speed and offensive potential, Mian has put things together this season in a big way averaging two points per game and is currently tied for the league lead in goals.

- Ihsan has had plenty of struggles this season, primarily with attendance but it is still a surprise to see them struggle considering the team has Coach K behind the bench.  In a way it may be Coach K who is at fault as he put this team together and after he claimed successes with building up Waseem Bangash and Waqar Khan over the past two seasons he may have bitten off more than he could chew with the selection of Rayhan Malik.  Malik has the tools to be an impact player but not the discipline.  Coach K seemed to think he could turn Malik into an all-around star but so far things have not worked out.

- Ikhlas was forced to replace Zahid Merchant and though the waiver process ended up with Firasath Ali, a rugged defenseman who will give them another experienced player on the blue line although he is not as offensively gifted as Merchant.  Emaan also fits into this picture as they nabbed Zuhair Fancy off the waiver wire in perhaps a risky gamble, hoping the aging defenseman has something left to help them turn things around - the experts don't see that happening but anything is possible.

- A common challenge for the teams in the bottom half of the standings has been attendance, missing key players and for more times this season than ever before missing the goalie.  There have been a pair of instances where another player was forced to step in to play goalie for the first time (Umer Buksh for Sabr and Baseer Khan for Emaan) or the team just went with an empty net the entire game.

- Yasser Malik is trying his hand at becoming a two-sport star in I-Slam, playing in both Hockey and Basketball currently and in an interesting factoid, playing on Team Ikhlas in both leagues.

- With just four games left the race to the playoffs is heating up, Shukr and Ikhlas and both still vying for first place but both are in great shape for a top-two finish leaving the rest to grind it out for a better position going into the playoffs.

Week Fifteen - Spring Season Wrap-Up

- Game Two was winner take all and Emaan came up with some great individual performances and some luck to take the title.  Emaan roared out to an early 2-0 lead thanks to their top line and while Ihsan made it interesting with an early goal in the second period it was a Waqar Khan empty netter that iced the game for a 3-1 final score.

- But before the game was played an important reminder about the larger goal as both teams prayed together, opponents on the floor but brothers before, during and after the game.

Here are your 2015 Spring Season Champions, Emaan:

- The Video Recap for Game Two is up and can be viewed here.

- It was no secret who the playoff MVP was going to be if Emaan won and it came to pass as Waqar Khan earned the honours with a strong playoff showing with 10 points (five goals and five assists) in four games.  He scored when his team needed to and shut down opposing players while out there while leading his team as Captain.  Khan also picked up the Regular Season MVP, finishing with 18 points (8 goals and 10 assists) in 10 games.

- Ahmad Hathout of Emaan was also in the running for both awards that Waqar Khan won, while Hathout was gracious during the presentation, he later released his frustration with this epic yell.

- During celebrations after the game, Umair Ashraf can clearly be heard proclaiming that with the win he is now ready for marriage (don’t believe me - click here).  His statement also adds a new layer to those that witnessed his last shift of the game where he danced humming “Put a Ring on it” and pointed to his finger - many assumed he was celebrating a championship ring (even though he received a medal) but he was likely letting everyone know he was looking forward to his next challenge and is on the market.

- He described himself as a stabilising force all season for Emaan and with a championship it is hard to argue but Coach K picks up his first championship ring in his third trip to the finals (twice as a player and once as a coach).

- Some controversy during the Medal Presentation as with the exception of three players, the rest of Ihsan left the floor as this video shows  - with some commenting that it seemed fitting that a team in Red Jerseys would leave the floor rather than watch their opponents celebrate as Russia did recently in the World Hockey Championships.  In this case it seemed to be a misunderstanding and Ihsan had their full team return to the floor to participate in the trophy presentation.

- During the same Medal Presentation there was a touching moment as Furqan Salam insisted that he be allowed to put the medal around Waqar Khan.  This was the first championship for Salam who sobbed as he showed respect to Khan who finally got him a ‘chip.

- Emaan also got a strong performance from Sadiq Rehman in the playoffs who had a GAA of 2.00 and in the final game made some spectacular saves to hold his teams lead.  Rehman also got some help from the post as Ihsan hit the post or crossbar a total of five times in the game - a mind boggling statistic which shows how close this series could have gone the other way.

- One of the story lines of the finals was the “I Quit” retirement challenge between Nadeem Qureshi and Kashif Taqiuddin with the latter winning the title and forcing the former to hang it up.  Qureshi had an awkward moment in the post game ceremonies waving goodbye to players that did not seem to recognise that this was his swan song and then running around an empty arena.  Things only got more awkward when Rayhan Taqiuddin came out of the stands to sing “End of the Road” to Qureshi as he walked off the floor.  In the post game press conference, Qureshi stated that he never shook hands on the deal and would be discussing the future of his career with his family in the off-season; that said he still seemed stunned with the loss and said after defeating Shoaib Bhatti in a retirement game last year he never thought it would happen to him.

- When the playoffs finish teams tend to disclose injuries that players have been playing through, Ihsan noted that Hany Soliman still has discomfort with his injured ankle and his loss in the final game was a huge blow to his team.  Emaan lost Abdu Sharkawy for the final game with a dislocated jaw and concussion after colliding with Nauman Abbasi in Game One, a loss that Waqar Khan was able to offset with his strong play at Centre.  Emaan also reported that Furqan Salam was playing hurt but was unclear as to what his injury was as they initially reported it as a conditioning problem then indicated that he pulled a muscle trying to lift at the gym.

- For all of the success that Waqar Khan had this season, Kashif “Coach K” Taqiuddin stepped in to take some of the credit as he seemed to be channelling his inner “Skip Bayless” when he claimed that he called out Khan towards the middle of the season to step up which resulted in his MVP season.  A dubious claim considering Khan was leading the league in scoring at the halfway mark but anything is possible.  Taqiuddin is reportedly working on an autobiography titled, “The long road from Behar to the Championship"

- Emaan went into the final game missing players and needed to make adjustments, the absence of Wahhaj Salam (who was reportedly up north attending an Arts & Craft camp) was big but despite being short on the blue line Emaan refused to move Bilal Perviaz back.  It isn’t clear whether it was because there was a lack of confidence in Pervaiz on D or they felt that his three goals on forward during the regular season was too good to pass up.

- For all of the praise for Emaan, it is amazing to consider that they did not lock in a playoff spot until the season finale and even then it was by the skin of their teeth as they barely fended off Sabr in a game that ended as a 3-3 tie.  A loss would have seen Emaan eliminated and Sabr in so something to keep the Emaan players humble.

The final bit of business is the 2015 Spring Season Awards, the nominees were announced previously and here are the winners:
Scoring Champion - Ahmad Hathout
Goal Scoring Champion - Waqar Khan
Regular Season MVP - Waqar Khan
Brotherhood - Ahmad Ibrahim
Best Defenseman - Naeem Akhtar
Best Defensive Forward - Ibrahim Hindy
Best Goalie - Yusuf Kapoor
GM of the Year - Emaan (Waqar Khan, Furqan Salam, Jibran Salam, Arif Bijabhai, Bilal Pervaiz)
Playoff MVP - Waqar Khan

Congratulations again to Emaan and thank you to everyone who participated this season.
InshAllah we will see everyone back for the fall season so stay tuned for registration details in August/September.

Week Fourteen - June 5th - Spring Finals

- Game One is in the books and it ended a wash as neither side has an advantage going into Game Two.  The first period was scoreless and the four goals scored in the second resulted in a 2-2 tie.

- There were standout performances from a few players, Ihsan goalie Abu Mamooji made some big saves throughout the game to keep his team in it including some spectacular saves in the final minutes to preserve the tie.  The captains for both squads also had a notable performance as Ahmad Hathout put up a pair of goals while Waqar Khan was a force throughout and salvaged a tie for Emaan with his goal.

- Ahmad Hathout wanted a strong performance to rebut the "Martin Gelinas" comparisons of his game made by members of Emaan, it was never clear if the comment was meant as a compliment or not - we suspect not...

- Both teams had their full squads for this one as Salman Khalid (travel) and Nauman Abbasi (AWOL) were back and for Emaan they made sure to give Bilal Pervaiz a wake up call hours before game time to ensure his beauty sleep did not run too late as it did during the Semi-Finals.

- Pregame, there was an interesting moment between Kashif Taqiuddin of Emaan and Nadeem Qureshi of Ihsan, both are in the twilight of their careers and the longtime friends have discussed turning the finals into an "I Quit" match.  Some caution for Taqiuddin as Qureshi had a similar arrangement with Shoaib Bhatti last fall season in which he prevailed.  Qureshi has talked this season of hoping for a sendoff like this one when he finally does retire and take one last lap around the arena.

- Back to Hathout for a moment, he has also been criticized for using a junior sized stick (or child stick as Emaan put it).  It is not clear if this shorter stick give him an advantage but considering all the time he has put into the gym it seems strange that he would be trying to play with as light equipment as possible.

- Speaking of the gym, Furqan Salam was reportedly upset with the gym photo published last week with teammates showing the results of their workouts - or in his case lack of results.  Salam has indicated that he will be skipping all post-game media events in protest.

- Waqar Khan seemed exhausted at the end of the game and actually had to skip a shift, the result of having to penalty kill a long period of time after some undisciplined penalties from his team.

- Emaan was clearly feeling down after the game and stated that they were the better team and allowed Ihsan to escape with a tie.

- Coach K is reportedly preparing a speech to give to his team in the hopes of inspiring them to win the championship, he knows that he is just a win away from his first championship and is desperate to get it.  He talked again of how he has worked to bring his schemes to Emaan and the success they have had to get the team to the finals.

- The Spring Season awards will be presented tonight after the finals, but a pair of winners have already been determined based upon the final regular season statistics.
Scoring Champion is Ahmad Hathout who put up 20 points in 10 games.
Goal Scoring Champion is Waqar Khan who scored 8 goals in 10 games.

Here are the rest of the Nominees:

Regular Season MVP Nominees:
Ahmad Hathout - Ihsan
Naeem Akhtar - Haya
Shuaib Hussein - Shukr
Waqar Khan - Emaan

Brotherhood Award Nominees:
Ahmad Ibrahim - Sabr
Farooq Sani - Ihsan
Rizwan Malik - Haya
Saqib Khokhar - Ikhlas

Best Defenseman Nominees:
Arssal Shahabuddin - Shukr
Naeem Akhtar - Haya
Salman Khalid - Ihsan

Best Defensive Forward Nominees:
Akib Malik - Haya
Ibrahim Hindy - Shukr
Waqar Khan - Emaan

Best Goalie Nominees:
Khalid Mufti - Shukr
Yusuf Kapoor - Haya
Zayd Agjee - Sabr

Best GM Nominees:
Emaan
Ihsan 
Haya 
Sabr

Playoff MVP - To be determined after the Finals

- The Video recap for Game One is up and can be viewed here