I-Slam Ball Hockey News and Rumours

Friday, 7 December 2018

Fall Season - Week Thirteen - December 7th - Playoffs

News And Rumours:

- The Quarterfinals started the night off and what a way to begin the evening as the Quarters were full of upsets which were sure to have broken everyones playoff brackets. Shukr opened the night by surprising the league with their most complete game of the season as the 6th seeded team defeated heavily favoured Taqwa by a 4-1 final score, Sabr followed with a 5-2 upset of 4th ranked Ihsan as both lower seeded teams came out with a jump in their game and caught the higher seeded teams offguard. The Semi-Finals had Game One played the same night with Haya dominating Shukr who seemed to revert back to their regular season style of play in a 4-1 loss while Yaqeen was held in check the first half but broke Sabr down in the second half on the way to a 5-0 win.

Three Stars of the Week for November 30^th:

1^st Star: Arif Bijabhai (Yaqeen): 2 Goals
2^nd Star: Yasin Admani (Haya): 2 Goals
3^rd Star: Ahmar Wasif (Sabr): 1 Goal and 1 Assist

- Haya seemed pleased with the result of the QuarterFinal on their bracket with Samad Hamidi commenting that Shukr was the easier path to the finals as he had watched many of their games and took his scouting notes back to his team to let them know how to shut Shukr down - the proof is in the pudding as Haya easily won by a 4-1 score and look to be on their way to the finals after tonight.

- Yaqeen Star Maaz Haq sat out part of the first half of his Semi-Final game while finishing up a paper for school, his dedication to school while playing hockey is something to marvel and appreciate. He joined his team in time for the second half with no warm-up but sparked Yaqeen from a scoreless game to score five goals in a row to take the win. He did comment afterwards that he expects Sabr to be a big challenge tonight with their full roster available.

- The Taqwa upset was a shocker to open the night, they were missing Humza Hussain on the back end and crafty centre Ibrahim Hindy who surely would have helped win some face-offs and help anchor the middle but with the players they had available they still should have defeated Shukr who has been inconsistent all season.

Shout out to the students of Gibraltar Leadership Academy (www.gibraltarleads.ca). The students of Gibraltar Leadership Academy were happy to design and print t-shirts for the 3 division champions of the I-Slam Hockeyleague. It was a great learning experience for our students; from material sourcing, to graphic design, to cost analysis, to quality control, our students saw all aspects of this project through!

There are more awards and accolades to be handed out! Below is the ballot for the 2018-Fall I-slam Hockey Awards. First the GMs nominated players from their own team to represent their team on the ballot. Afterwards GMs (or a team representative) from each team (1 vote per team) voted on the awards. GMs were not allowed to vote for their own teammates. Lastly using this point system: 1^st choice= 5 points; 2^nd choice= 3 points and 3^rd choice= 1 point the winner will be determined.

REGULAR SEASON MVP(select 1=1^st Choice; 2=2^nd Choice; 3=3^rd Choice)

Mohammad Bilal (Sabr): _______
Kaunain Saiyed (Ikhlas): _______
Huzaifa Panchbhaya (Taqwa):_____
Ajmal Esmatyar (Ihsan): ______
Zubair Wahid (Emaan): _____
Maaz Haq (Yaqeen): ______
Yasin Admani (Haya): _____
Sufyan Kazi (Shukr): _____
Yusuf Ingar (Ridha): ______

BEST DEFENSIVE-FORWARD
(select 1=1^st Choice; 2=2^nd Choice; 3=3^rd Choice)

Ali Murtaza (Sabr): _______
Salman Syed (Ikhlas): _______
Ibrahim Hindy (Taqwa):_____
Faraaz Alvi (Ihsan): ______
Rizwan Hassan (Emaan): _____
Farooq Sani (Yaqeen): ______
Yasin Admani (Haya): _____
Arslan Mian (Shukr): _____
Mohamed Kazi (Ridha): ______

BEST DEFENSEMAN

(select 1=1^st Choice; 2=2^nd Choice; 3=3^rd Choice)

Razi Ahmed (Sabr): _______
Emmad Khawaja (Ikhlas): _______
Humza Hussain (Taqwa):_____
Huzaifa Manjra (Ihsan): ______
Zubair Wahid (Emaan): _____
Arssal Shahabuddin (Yaqeen): ______
Sadat Malik (Haya): _____
Belal Hafeez (Shukr): _____
Umair Ingar (Ridha): ______

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
(select 1=1^st Choice; 2=2^nd Choice; 3=3^rd Choice)

Ahmar Wasif (Sabr): _______
Huzaifa Panchbhaya (Taqwa):_____
Abdur Nafea Zuberi (Ihsan): ______
Emran Singh (Emaan): _____
Suleman Bhatti (Yaqeen): ______
Mohamed Ahmed Quraishi (Haya): _____
Yahya Ingar (Ridha): ______

BROTHERHOOD AWARD
(select 1=1^st Choice; 2=2^nd Choice; 3=3^rd Choice)

Ali Khwaja (Sabr): _______
Umair Ashraf (Ikhlas): _______
Usamah Rao (Taqwa):_____
Farhan Siddiqui (Ihsan): ______
Khizer Lakhanpal (Emaan): _____
Maaz Haq (Yaqeen): ______
Samad Hamidi (Haya): _____
Kashif Taqiuddin (Shukr): _____
Mohsin Mehboob (Ridha): ______

TOP GOALTENDER
(select 1=1^st Choice; 2=2^nd Choice; 3=3^rd Choice)

Ali Khwaja (Sabr): _______
Kaunain Saiyed (Ikhlas): _______
Ahmad Mobin Taqwa):_____
Mohammad Kasuji (Ihsan): ______
Yasir Hussain (Emaan): _____
Fahad Mohammad (Yaqeen): ______
Yusuf Kapoor (Haya): _____
Zaid Majoo (Shukr): _____
Mohammed Patel (Ridha): ______

TOP GMs
(select 1=1^st Choice; 2=2^nd Choice; 3=3^rd Choice)

Yellow-(Sabr): _______
Green- (Ikhlas): _______
Black- (Taqwa):_____
Teal- (Ihsan): ______
Orange- (Emaan): _____
White- (Yaqeen): ______
Grey-(Haya): _____
Red-(Shukr): _____
Dark Blue (Ridha): ______

Details for Registration for the Winter Season starting in January - spots are filling up so do not wait!

2019 I-Slam Hockey Spring Season Registration

Registration Begins Today!
Registration ends once all spots are filled!

Please secure your spot immediately as spots are extremely limited.

Cost:
Register as an Individual Player: $155

Location: The Hanger
(75 Carl Hall Rd, North York, ON M3K 2B9)

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 January 11th, 2019
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:

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!)
Email hockey@i-slam.ca with your e-transfer password
Please fill out the registration form by clicking here.

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!

Thank you and Assalamu Alaikum.
I-Slam Hockey

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:

- Live Draft

- Post-Draft Analysis
- Draft Behind the Scenes

- 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

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

Monday, 3 December 2018

Fall Season - Week Twelve - November 30th - Playoffs!

- The last week of the regular season firmed up the playoff picture with three teams in play for one final playoff spot. Yaqeen opened the night with a 3-1 defeat of eliminated Ikhlas, Haya rolled over short benched Taqwa 4-1, Emaan easily handled Shukr in a must win game 3-1 and Ihsan defeated Ridha 3-0 eliminating both Ridha and Emaan with the result and jumping into 4th place in the standings.

Three Stars of the Week for November 23rd:
1st Star: Mudasser Hussain (Emaan) - Two Goals
2nd Star: Tayyib Khan (Ihsan) - Two Goals
3rd Star: Yasin Admani (Haya) - Two Goals and One Assist

- With the Regular Season over we can announce some of the Award Winners as the following are based only upon Regular Season statistics:

Scoring Champion (most points): Maaz Haq (Yaqeen) 20 Points
Goal-Scoring Champion (most goals): A Three-Way tie between Yusuf Ingar (Ridha) 7 Goals
Lowest GAA: current leader: Yusuf Kapoor 1.33

- The playoff picture finally firmed up but it went right down to the final game between Ridha and Ihsan to figure it out. With Emaan defeating Shukr they were temporarily in the final playoff spot and needed a tie between Ridha and Ihsan in order to qualify. To that effect many of their players hung around with the awkward role of cheering each team to end their game in a draw. Ihsan built a lead and the turning point was a shorthanded breakaway for Ridha where Abdul Manjra and Yusuf Ingar screamed in on net but Ihsan keeper Mohammad Kasuji was up to the task with a brilliant save and saw his team score less than a minute later to lock up the game.

- Highly unusual to have three teams in play on the final night but that's what makes the game fun - anything is possible!

- Some quick reflections on the now departed teams as we move to the playoffs:

Emaan - Look no further than the five ties to see why they missed the playoffs. The team was talented with a number of decorated veterans and had a top player in Zuhair Waheed lining up for them on D and he made an impact despite missing games with a hamstring injury

Ridha - A terrible start to the season did them in as they lost their first four games of the season and only managed a tie in four divisional games. The team had chemistry on their top line and Yusuf Ingar was a scoring threat all season but the bounces didn't go their way.

Ikhlas - A tough season for sure where they set a dubious record for ending the season with no wins. That said their record of seven ties and three losses is a bit misleading as the team was competitive for almost every game. Of the seven losses, three were by a goal, three were by two goals and one was by three goals. They also managed to turn wins or ties into losses with late breakdowns so the team had the pieces to compete but just couldn't put it together for a full 30 minutes each week.

- Now looking to the first round of the playoffs, the night opens with Taqwa facing Shukr with the winner advancing to play Haya. The Hamidi report is picking Taqwa to advance despite their struggles of late. The other bracket sees Ihsan face Sabr with the winner meeting Yaqeen. Hamidi report favours Sabr to pull off the upset here in a game that should be filled with end to end offense.

- The winner of the quarterfinal games will have a tough night facing a rested opponent in game one of the Semis but being a top-two seed has its privileges.

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:

- Live Draft

- Post-Draft Analysis
- Draft Behind the Scenes

- Listen in on our First League Podcast! Belal Hafeez of Shukr drops in with some health and fitness tips.

Friday, 23 November 2018

Fall Season - Week Eleven - November 23rd

- Week Eleven started off with Emaan and Ihsan ending in a 1-1 tie in a must win for both teams, Yaqeen defeated Sabr 4-2 with a big second half, Ridha kept their playoff hopes alive by defeating Ikhlas 4-1 and Shukr pulled off an upset by defeating Taqwa 2-1.

Three Stars of The Week for November 16:
1st Star: Yusuf Ingar - Ridha (2 Goals, GWG)
2nd Star: Maaz Haq - Yaqeen (1 Goal, 1 Assist)
3rd Star: Yousuf Chatha - Shukr (1 Goal, GWG)

- With the regular season coming to an end it is time to start thinking about awards. The following awards is solely based on regular season statistics:

Scoring Champion (most points): current leader - Maaz Haq (Yaqeen) 18 points
Goal-Scoring Champion (most goals): current leader - Yusuf Ingar (Ridha) 7 Goals
Lowest GAA: current leader: Yusuf Kapoor 1.33

-The following awards are voted on by the gms:
Regular Season MVP
Best-Defensive Forward
Best-Defenseman
Rookie of the Year
Brotherhood Award
Naseem Buttar General Manager of the Year
Top Goaltender
Playoff MVP

- Kashif Taqiuddin finally guided Shukr to a win last week as Coach K kept his team organized in the system he wants them to play and they defeated Jerusalem division leader Taqwa by a 2-1 score. The fact that Taqwa was missing some of their key players surely helped Shukr's cause as well.

- The Haya vs Taqwa game gives observers an interesting sideshow as Saqib Khokhar will face his old team as he was traded from Taqwa earlier in the season. He has found some rhythm as he is averaging a point a game for Haya and given them a huge boost on their second line.

- Sabr finished their regular season last week and left their game, a 4-2 loss to Yaqeen, with the uneasy feeling that while they were likely to make the playoffs they had no control over their own fate and needed other teams to drop points to get a good seeding - a big fall from the perch they held as the core of the team is the Spring Season Champions.

- Taqwa is in the midst of a four-game winless streak, a stark contrast to the start of their season where they opened up undefeated in their first five games. It isn't obviously clear what is contributing to their slump but with the playoffs around the corner they need to get things back on track and face a tough game against undefeated Haya to close out the regular season.

- Week Ten gives us some key games where each one will impact the final standings, either to lock up a playoff or division title or move up the table to get a better seeding before the playoffs kick off next week:

Yaqeen vs Ikhlas - While Ikhlas is eliminated they can play spoiler as Yaqeen is in need of a win to lock down the first place, no matter what though they have locked up a top-two seed so will get a bye in the first round
Taqwa vs Haya - Haya is looking to lock up first overall, Taqwa is looking to lock up the Jerusalem Division title. A few weeks ago this game was billed as a potential battle of undefeated teams but Taqwa has stumbled of late while Haya has remained undefeated.
Emaan vs Shukr - The path for Emaan to make the playoffs is a bit convoluted with them needing to win this game and get help with Ridha/Ihsan ending in a tie where Emaan has a better goal differential than the teams they are chasing. Shukr is in the playoffs despite their anemic offense and a win combined with a Taqwa defeat will mean it goes to goal differential to determine the Jerusalem division winner
Ridha vs Ihsan - The game of the night as the winner of this game goes to the playoffs, a tie will likely see Ihsan advance unless Emaan wins their game and ends up with a better goal differential. Ridha is undefeated in their last five games so they are heating up at the right time while Ihsan is winless in four games.

With the race to the playoffs intensifying, only Ikhlas has been officially eliminated. Here is a look at the overall standings (top 6 of 9 teams qualify):

RANK	TEAM	GP	WINS	LOSSES	TIES	POINTS	GF	GA	GD
x-M-b	Yaqeen	9	6	1	2	14	32	17	15
x-Me-b	Haya	9	5	0	4	14	21	12	9
x	Taqwa	9	4	2	3	11	20	16	4
x	Sabr	10	3	4	3	9	19	23	-4
x	Shukr	9	3	3	3	9	13	14	-1
	Ihsan	9	2	3	4	8	21	26	-5
	Ridha	9	2	4	3	7	22	24	-2
	Emaan	9	1	3	5	7	21	27	-6
e	Ikhlas	9	0	6	3	3	17	27	-10

x-clinched a playoff spot
Me- clinched Mecca Division
M-clinched Medina Division
J-clinched Jerusalem Division
b- clinched bye to the semi-finals
e-eliminated

Here are the tie-breaker rules:
1. Points
2. Number of Wins
3. Head to Head matchups
4. Goal Differential
5. Fewest Goals allowed

- Registration Details for the next season will be published soon so keep an eye out for the email and make sure to sign up early to guarantee a spot and take advantage of the early-bird rate.

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:

- Live Draft

- Post-Draft Analysis
- Draft Behind the Scenes

- Listen in on our First League Podcast! Belal Hafeez of Shukr drops in with some health and fitness tips.