IRELAND PROMOTED FOR SECOND CONSECUTIVE YEAR
Eoin Hewson's late third-period goal lifted Ireland to a hard-fought 5-4 win over favoured Bosnia and Hercegovina in Dun Laoghaire earlier today, securing for them a second consecutive promotion. They will play in Division VII next season.
"That was a fun matchup to watch," said former Detroit Red Wing and hockey analyst Pavel Datsyuk. "The quality of hockey was surprisingly good for this low level, it was close, there were a lot of goals, there were a few big hits, and just all-around a good atmosphere. Ireland should be proud of themselves."
Most of Ireland's outings were rather one-sided. The only other close match they had was a 4-2 win over Vojvodina in last Saturday's opener, but injury-hampered Mongolia lost 6-1 to them, the Bosnians lost 5-0, and Buryatia and Thailand both lost 7-0. Not the double-figures you often see in these lower levels, but still considered blowouts.
In other news, in the Battle of the Mongols, Mongolia defeated Buryatia 5-1, while Vojvodina secured bronze with a 4-0 win over Thailand, who, after having lost in overtime to the Buryats, is relegated to Division IX.
1. Ireland - 15 (5-0-0-0, promoted)
2. Bosnia and Hercegovina - 11 (3-1-0-1)
3. Vojvodina - 10 (3-0-1-1)
4. Mongolia - 6 (2-0-0-3)
5. Buryatia - 2 (0-1-0-4)
6. Thailand - 1 (0-0-1-4, relegated)
KYRGYZSTAN PROMOTED ON HOME ICE; XHOSAS RELEGATED
Taiwan's inconsistency came back to haunt them in the closer against gritty Kyrgyzstan. Even after having a player ejected for a vicious cross-check in the second period, Kyrgyzstan was able to rally for a 7-6 overtime win in a wild outing in Bishkek after having been down 5-2; Davranbek Kydyrov scored the winning goal three minutes into the extra period.
As expected by the pundits, the Xhosa Republic ended up relegated, but they went down fighting, losing 5-4 in overtime against archrivals KwaZulu in what lower-level pundit Miikko Eloranta called "a beast of a game to watch."
There was an overtime match for bronze as well, and in fact, that one went to a shootout! The Maghreb Union exceeded expectations by besting Greece, as Noureddine Amzine proved to be a shootout expert in goal, Morocco winning that 2-0 to take the game 4-3.
Looking at the standings:
1. Kyrgyzstan - 13 (3-2-0-0)
2. Taiwan - 12 (3-1-1-0)
3. Maghreb Union - 9 (2-1-1-1)
4. Greece - 8 (2-0-2-1)
5. KwaZulu - 2 (0-1-0-4)
6. Xhosa Republic - 1 (0-0-1-4)
And just so you don't get confused, here were the overtime-plus games:
Kyrgyzstan 4 Greece 3 (OT)
Kyrgyzstan 7 Taiwan 6 (OT)
Taiwan 3 Maghreb Union 2 (SO)
Maghreb Union 4 Greece 3 (SO)
KwaZulu 5 Xhosa Republic 4
NEW ASSOCIATE MEMBERS ARISING, CURRENT ONES LOOKING GOOD AT CHALLENGE CUP OF AFRICA
"There's no way Fangland won't become an associate member after that game!"
That was Nikita Alexeyev's parting comment as Fangland absolutely slaughtered Yorubaland earlier today, to the tune of 39-0, which is actually a world record for a non-IIHF member since the foundation of the IIHF. The ex-Nigerian state has simply been trying to find their footing in this first-ever tournament, and faithfully watches the tape of its matches to find out its errors, but nothing would have prepared them for this kind of beating, but they know why it happened.
"We kept taking needless penalties," said Yorubaland coach Japheth Kolawole. "And they scored on every last one. Of course they are a better team. We just need to keep improving and hope that such a massacre never occurs again." Indeed, Fangland went 28 for 28 on the power play. Minor penalties abounded. There were no majors.
"They just played very sloppily," said Fangland captain Marcel Tayot, who had four goals and a ridiculous thirteen assists in the game. "In particular they seemed to be prone to hooking and tripping penalties. They need to suppress the urge to use their sticks to impede the opposition, unless it's stick-on-stick."
But the Fanglanders have more than just this game that went well. They lead the group, having won all four games thus far, out of five total, including a more modest 5-3 win over Lesotho. Their big test will be Egypt, which is their last group game. Already guaranteed inclusion in the cup proper next year, they aren't content with resting on their laurels, wanting to win the Challenge Cup of Africa outright! There is still a chance of the East Africans avoiding relegation, but they have to beat Lesotho in regulation - even an overtime victory would be insufficient.
Current Group A standings:
1. Fangland - 12 (4-0-0-0, +52, assured of remaining)
2. Egypt - 12 (4-0-0-0, +38, assured of remaining)
3. Lesotho - 9 (3-0-0-1)
------------------------------------------------
4. East African Union - 6 (2-0-0-2)
5. Akan Empire - 0 (0-0-0-4, -40, relegated to Division 1 CCAf)
6. Yorubaland -0 (0-0-0-4, -78, relegated to Division 1 CCAf)
To group B, and Ethiopia has surprised a few teams by not going down as easily as they thought. They are expected to finish last, but they were expected to get blown out in every game, and as both Réunion and Calvinia found out, they are battlers! They even took the Réunionais to overtime, losing by the mind-boggling score of 11-10!
To nobody's great surprise, Botswana leads the group, having had the easiest time with Ethiopia, winning 18-0. It's a bit of a surprise, though, that Calvinia, rather than Gabon, currently sits second. But Calvinia plays Gabon in their closer tomorrow, so that would be put-up-or-shut-up time for them! Botswana has clinched the group, with its last game being against Réunion and (even if they lose outright, which is unthinkable) they have head-to-head advantage on Calvinia. Igbolandian hearts were broken earlier today as, in spite of coming back from a 4-2 deficit, Gabon's Richard Raoumbé scored in the first minute of sudden-death overtime to seal a 5-4 OT victory and condemn the Igbolandians to assured relegation. Tomorrow's closer between Calvinia and Gabon is little more than a placement match, with both having made the QFs.
Current Group B standings:
1. Botswana - 12 (4-0-0-0, assured of remaining, clinched playoff bye)
2. Calvinia - 9 (3-0-0-1, assured of remaining)
3. Gabon - 8 (2-1-0-1, assured of remaining)
------------------------------------
4. Igbolandia - 4 (1-0-1-2, relegated to Division I CCAf)
5. Réunion - 2 (0-1-0-3, relegated to Division I CCAf)
6. Ethiopia - 1 (0-0-1-3, relegated to Division I CCAf)
THREE DIVISIONS START, ONE WITH A BANG!
JT: Hello hockey fans, this is Justin Toews with Pavel Datsyuk, Nikita Alexeyev, and Antti Tormanen, and we're here to go over the next three divisions to start in the Worlds ladder!
PD: Division VII sure started with a bang!
JT: Didn't it, though? For those who didn't hear, the promoted United Arab Emirates stunned relegated Euskadi with a 4-3 overtime win, and Turkmenistan got levelled by Ngunia, to the tune of 21-2! *NA winces*
AT: It'll be a while before they recover from that one! What happened out there? It was an absolute disgrace! Their worst match last year didn't even come close to that! I mean sure, losing 9-1 probably feels like a kick in the crotch too - as they did against the Afrikaners - but 21-2?
PD: I can tell you why that happened. Their usual starting goalie was injured, and their current starter, who is usually their backup, how is it the Anglos say it? "Blew a tire..." in the first period. The poor kid that is this year's second-stringer got absolutely shelled.
JT: Of course, rounding out this year's crop was Wales, led by goalie Rhys Penwith, who shut out Luxembourg 3-0. Two goals from Owen Glyndwr.
PD: The Welsh play such a complete game for this low level. They really belong higher. The only reason they aren't is that the Afrikaners were better offensively last year. They only lost 2-1!
JT: Truth. I do expect that they'll bounce back. I mean, we weren't expecting the UAE to be the relegation odds-on, but we weren't exactly expecting them to beat the Euskadians, either! Wow!
NA: And they played really well, too. Good enough that only Marko Garrastazu was able to actually get through them - which he did twice - but how about Akbar Haddad? The man is a giant among men, easily the best skater in the entire group.
PD: And for those who don't know, he's in the North American system with the Toronto Marlies of the AHL. So he is that good. Now if the rest of the country could catch up to him! That... could take a while.
AT: Turkmenistan needs to pray that their goalies heal up, or else they're going down. It's as simple as that. Luxembourg and Ngunia look quite well-matched, and that was about the closest to normal any of the matches - Luxembourg won 5-4 in a shootout. So the question is, can Turkmenistan stay up? It's obvious that the Emirates are superior, Euskadi is still superior, all the other teams look superior... I think they're hooped.
JT: On to Div VI now. Yes, the Afrikaners got relegated last time they were in the group. It is more or less written in stone that this will not happen this year without Utah going Super Saiyan, considering the Utahans lost 5-2 against them. What is going on with Utah, anyway? They played much better than this two years ago at this level!
PD: I think the Afrikaners have improved that much. I wouldn't be too worried about Utah dropping.
NA: What would really seal the deal would be the Afrikaners beating Mexico. They lost today as well. 4-1 against Castille.
PD: And then there's Dagestan beating Turkey 4-2.
JT: I know our president will like that. Even if it's only because he thinks the ruling government are a bunch of gimboids. *the others laugh*
PD: Yes, but there's a bigger problem for Turkish hockey in play here. They are slipping relative to last year, when they only beat Euskadi by a goal and lost in overtime against Dagestan.
NA: With all due respect, it was a logjam at the bottom and Castille seemed stuck in that "twilight zone" between being good enough to go up and being bad enough to potentially go down. If Utah can bounce back from this early setback and maybe beat Castille, they still have a shot of going back up. But none of Turkey, Mexico, or even Dagestan really have the oomph to go up. The Afrikaners just might after what they pulled on opening day.
JT: How about Division V?
PD: Bulgaria realised very early on that this is a whole different level of talent, but they still did halfways-decently in their opening loss against Aragon. It was 4-3.
AT: Northern Ireland is also trying to improve, so as not to drop for the second year in a row. They're actually not off to too bad a start, beating Iceland 3-0!
PD: Yeah, but Iceland had a few players retire last year, and Alengaard is still recovering from that beefy hit he took from Kevin Biggs last year! They still have Dennis Hedström, which is good news for them, but their best defenceman retired, Ingvar Jónsson.
JT: And speaking of Mr. Big, New Zealand beat Georgia pretty easily, 6-1.
AT: I'd favour the Ice Blacks to win this year. The only reason they didn't last year is because Israel-Palestine was on a whole different level than them.
NA: Who's dropping, though? Iceland, Georgia, Aragon, or someone else?
JT: I'd actually suggest Iceland isn't really in danger in spite of their losses of players. If anyone, I'd be most concerned about Aragon. Georgia, in spite of getting decked by the Kiwis, has actually improved a little this year.
PD: But then again, Aragon did beat Bulgaria. Maybe they're improving too. I do agree that Iceland probably won't drop, but they certainly won't go up, either.
AT: Twilight zone.
NA: *In tune of the Twilight Zone theme* Doo-doo-doo-doo doo-doo-doo-doo doo-doo-doo-doo doo-doo-doo-doo *all laugh*
JT: Indeed. I favour New Zealand to win, and I don't think any of the other teams can challenge them. Even if Northern Ireland has improved enough to stay up this time. *others nod*
PD: If not for the missing players, I'd've given Iceland an outside shot. But they don't have the same finish without Alengaard.
JT: Indeed. So what are your thoughts on the Challenge Cup of Africa so far?
NA: Igbolandia's been a colossal disappointment. But, as I said in the show with Pavel, I was torn on whether to cheer for or against them because of their religious policies. *under his breath* Stupid prosperetics...
PD: And with every disappointment is sure to come a surprise. The surprise has been Calvinia! How fitting that the prosperetics go down and the Reformed go up to take their place... why can't it be like this in churches too? Anyway, religious talk aside, Calvinia has played surprisingly well, and although they didn't really have a chance against Botswana, losing 3-0, they have been quite solid in their other matches, even beating Ethiopia by double figures. 11-0, I believe. *AT nods*
AT: That's exactly what it was. I was at that game. Téko Ayassou scored four goals in that one.
NA: I still favour Botswana to win the tournament.
JT: Lemme ask you something. Other than pundits from their closest rivals in the tournament, who flipping doesn't?
NA: Point conceded. But they are that good relative to the rest. I would be a bit disappointed to not see them in the Worlds ladder next year. That's something I can't say even about Egypt or East Africa. Fangland, as good as they've been playing, won't be either.
PD: Of course they won't! They're only an applicant!
JT: That reminds me. All of this year's applicants have been blanket-accepted into IIHF associate membership. *AT claps, PD nods in approval* That includes a few that didn't even play this year - Costa Rica, the Dutch Antilles, Bolivia, the Mayan Republic, Cyprus, Malta...
PD and NA in unison: Malta???
JT: Yes, Malta. Their rink is in Siġġiewi. It's right near the international airport, and was really the only place they had room. It has the latest in Canadian ice-making technology, which it needed because it gets flipping hot there. Anyways... one other too, Melanesia.
PD: Well congratulations to those countries!
JT: And we'll be back with another round in six days, when Divisions IV and III kick off! Until next time...
Eoin Hewson's late third-period goal lifted Ireland to a hard-fought 5-4 win over favoured Bosnia and Hercegovina in Dun Laoghaire earlier today, securing for them a second consecutive promotion. They will play in Division VII next season.
"That was a fun matchup to watch," said former Detroit Red Wing and hockey analyst Pavel Datsyuk. "The quality of hockey was surprisingly good for this low level, it was close, there were a lot of goals, there were a few big hits, and just all-around a good atmosphere. Ireland should be proud of themselves."
Most of Ireland's outings were rather one-sided. The only other close match they had was a 4-2 win over Vojvodina in last Saturday's opener, but injury-hampered Mongolia lost 6-1 to them, the Bosnians lost 5-0, and Buryatia and Thailand both lost 7-0. Not the double-figures you often see in these lower levels, but still considered blowouts.
In other news, in the Battle of the Mongols, Mongolia defeated Buryatia 5-1, while Vojvodina secured bronze with a 4-0 win over Thailand, who, after having lost in overtime to the Buryats, is relegated to Division IX.
1. Ireland - 15 (5-0-0-0, promoted)
2. Bosnia and Hercegovina - 11 (3-1-0-1)
3. Vojvodina - 10 (3-0-1-1)
4. Mongolia - 6 (2-0-0-3)
5. Buryatia - 2 (0-1-0-4)
6. Thailand - 1 (0-0-1-4, relegated)
KYRGYZSTAN PROMOTED ON HOME ICE; XHOSAS RELEGATED
Taiwan's inconsistency came back to haunt them in the closer against gritty Kyrgyzstan. Even after having a player ejected for a vicious cross-check in the second period, Kyrgyzstan was able to rally for a 7-6 overtime win in a wild outing in Bishkek after having been down 5-2; Davranbek Kydyrov scored the winning goal three minutes into the extra period.
As expected by the pundits, the Xhosa Republic ended up relegated, but they went down fighting, losing 5-4 in overtime against archrivals KwaZulu in what lower-level pundit Miikko Eloranta called "a beast of a game to watch."
There was an overtime match for bronze as well, and in fact, that one went to a shootout! The Maghreb Union exceeded expectations by besting Greece, as Noureddine Amzine proved to be a shootout expert in goal, Morocco winning that 2-0 to take the game 4-3.
Looking at the standings:
1. Kyrgyzstan - 13 (3-2-0-0)
2. Taiwan - 12 (3-1-1-0)
3. Maghreb Union - 9 (2-1-1-1)
4. Greece - 8 (2-0-2-1)
5. KwaZulu - 2 (0-1-0-4)
6. Xhosa Republic - 1 (0-0-1-4)
And just so you don't get confused, here were the overtime-plus games:
Kyrgyzstan 4 Greece 3 (OT)
Kyrgyzstan 7 Taiwan 6 (OT)
Taiwan 3 Maghreb Union 2 (SO)
Maghreb Union 4 Greece 3 (SO)
KwaZulu 5 Xhosa Republic 4
NEW ASSOCIATE MEMBERS ARISING, CURRENT ONES LOOKING GOOD AT CHALLENGE CUP OF AFRICA
"There's no way Fangland won't become an associate member after that game!"
That was Nikita Alexeyev's parting comment as Fangland absolutely slaughtered Yorubaland earlier today, to the tune of 39-0, which is actually a world record for a non-IIHF member since the foundation of the IIHF. The ex-Nigerian state has simply been trying to find their footing in this first-ever tournament, and faithfully watches the tape of its matches to find out its errors, but nothing would have prepared them for this kind of beating, but they know why it happened.
"We kept taking needless penalties," said Yorubaland coach Japheth Kolawole. "And they scored on every last one. Of course they are a better team. We just need to keep improving and hope that such a massacre never occurs again." Indeed, Fangland went 28 for 28 on the power play. Minor penalties abounded. There were no majors.
"They just played very sloppily," said Fangland captain Marcel Tayot, who had four goals and a ridiculous thirteen assists in the game. "In particular they seemed to be prone to hooking and tripping penalties. They need to suppress the urge to use their sticks to impede the opposition, unless it's stick-on-stick."
But the Fanglanders have more than just this game that went well. They lead the group, having won all four games thus far, out of five total, including a more modest 5-3 win over Lesotho. Their big test will be Egypt, which is their last group game. Already guaranteed inclusion in the cup proper next year, they aren't content with resting on their laurels, wanting to win the Challenge Cup of Africa outright! There is still a chance of the East Africans avoiding relegation, but they have to beat Lesotho in regulation - even an overtime victory would be insufficient.
Current Group A standings:
1. Fangland - 12 (4-0-0-0, +52, assured of remaining)
2. Egypt - 12 (4-0-0-0, +38, assured of remaining)
3. Lesotho - 9 (3-0-0-1)
------------------------------------------------
4. East African Union - 6 (2-0-0-2)
5. Akan Empire - 0 (0-0-0-4, -40, relegated to Division 1 CCAf)
6. Yorubaland -0 (0-0-0-4, -78, relegated to Division 1 CCAf)
To group B, and Ethiopia has surprised a few teams by not going down as easily as they thought. They are expected to finish last, but they were expected to get blown out in every game, and as both Réunion and Calvinia found out, they are battlers! They even took the Réunionais to overtime, losing by the mind-boggling score of 11-10!
To nobody's great surprise, Botswana leads the group, having had the easiest time with Ethiopia, winning 18-0. It's a bit of a surprise, though, that Calvinia, rather than Gabon, currently sits second. But Calvinia plays Gabon in their closer tomorrow, so that would be put-up-or-shut-up time for them! Botswana has clinched the group, with its last game being against Réunion and (even if they lose outright, which is unthinkable) they have head-to-head advantage on Calvinia. Igbolandian hearts were broken earlier today as, in spite of coming back from a 4-2 deficit, Gabon's Richard Raoumbé scored in the first minute of sudden-death overtime to seal a 5-4 OT victory and condemn the Igbolandians to assured relegation. Tomorrow's closer between Calvinia and Gabon is little more than a placement match, with both having made the QFs.
Current Group B standings:
1. Botswana - 12 (4-0-0-0, assured of remaining, clinched playoff bye)
2. Calvinia - 9 (3-0-0-1, assured of remaining)
3. Gabon - 8 (2-1-0-1, assured of remaining)
------------------------------------
4. Igbolandia - 4 (1-0-1-2, relegated to Division I CCAf)
5. Réunion - 2 (0-1-0-3, relegated to Division I CCAf)
6. Ethiopia - 1 (0-0-1-3, relegated to Division I CCAf)
THREE DIVISIONS START, ONE WITH A BANG!
JT: Hello hockey fans, this is Justin Toews with Pavel Datsyuk, Nikita Alexeyev, and Antti Tormanen, and we're here to go over the next three divisions to start in the Worlds ladder!
PD: Division VII sure started with a bang!
JT: Didn't it, though? For those who didn't hear, the promoted United Arab Emirates stunned relegated Euskadi with a 4-3 overtime win, and Turkmenistan got levelled by Ngunia, to the tune of 21-2! *NA winces*
AT: It'll be a while before they recover from that one! What happened out there? It was an absolute disgrace! Their worst match last year didn't even come close to that! I mean sure, losing 9-1 probably feels like a kick in the crotch too - as they did against the Afrikaners - but 21-2?
PD: I can tell you why that happened. Their usual starting goalie was injured, and their current starter, who is usually their backup, how is it the Anglos say it? "Blew a tire..." in the first period. The poor kid that is this year's second-stringer got absolutely shelled.
JT: Of course, rounding out this year's crop was Wales, led by goalie Rhys Penwith, who shut out Luxembourg 3-0. Two goals from Owen Glyndwr.
PD: The Welsh play such a complete game for this low level. They really belong higher. The only reason they aren't is that the Afrikaners were better offensively last year. They only lost 2-1!
JT: Truth. I do expect that they'll bounce back. I mean, we weren't expecting the UAE to be the relegation odds-on, but we weren't exactly expecting them to beat the Euskadians, either! Wow!
NA: And they played really well, too. Good enough that only Marko Garrastazu was able to actually get through them - which he did twice - but how about Akbar Haddad? The man is a giant among men, easily the best skater in the entire group.
PD: And for those who don't know, he's in the North American system with the Toronto Marlies of the AHL. So he is that good. Now if the rest of the country could catch up to him! That... could take a while.
AT: Turkmenistan needs to pray that their goalies heal up, or else they're going down. It's as simple as that. Luxembourg and Ngunia look quite well-matched, and that was about the closest to normal any of the matches - Luxembourg won 5-4 in a shootout. So the question is, can Turkmenistan stay up? It's obvious that the Emirates are superior, Euskadi is still superior, all the other teams look superior... I think they're hooped.
JT: On to Div VI now. Yes, the Afrikaners got relegated last time they were in the group. It is more or less written in stone that this will not happen this year without Utah going Super Saiyan, considering the Utahans lost 5-2 against them. What is going on with Utah, anyway? They played much better than this two years ago at this level!
PD: I think the Afrikaners have improved that much. I wouldn't be too worried about Utah dropping.
NA: What would really seal the deal would be the Afrikaners beating Mexico. They lost today as well. 4-1 against Castille.
PD: And then there's Dagestan beating Turkey 4-2.
JT: I know our president will like that. Even if it's only because he thinks the ruling government are a bunch of gimboids. *the others laugh*
PD: Yes, but there's a bigger problem for Turkish hockey in play here. They are slipping relative to last year, when they only beat Euskadi by a goal and lost in overtime against Dagestan.
NA: With all due respect, it was a logjam at the bottom and Castille seemed stuck in that "twilight zone" between being good enough to go up and being bad enough to potentially go down. If Utah can bounce back from this early setback and maybe beat Castille, they still have a shot of going back up. But none of Turkey, Mexico, or even Dagestan really have the oomph to go up. The Afrikaners just might after what they pulled on opening day.
JT: How about Division V?
PD: Bulgaria realised very early on that this is a whole different level of talent, but they still did halfways-decently in their opening loss against Aragon. It was 4-3.
AT: Northern Ireland is also trying to improve, so as not to drop for the second year in a row. They're actually not off to too bad a start, beating Iceland 3-0!
PD: Yeah, but Iceland had a few players retire last year, and Alengaard is still recovering from that beefy hit he took from Kevin Biggs last year! They still have Dennis Hedström, which is good news for them, but their best defenceman retired, Ingvar Jónsson.
JT: And speaking of Mr. Big, New Zealand beat Georgia pretty easily, 6-1.
AT: I'd favour the Ice Blacks to win this year. The only reason they didn't last year is because Israel-Palestine was on a whole different level than them.
NA: Who's dropping, though? Iceland, Georgia, Aragon, or someone else?
JT: I'd actually suggest Iceland isn't really in danger in spite of their losses of players. If anyone, I'd be most concerned about Aragon. Georgia, in spite of getting decked by the Kiwis, has actually improved a little this year.
PD: But then again, Aragon did beat Bulgaria. Maybe they're improving too. I do agree that Iceland probably won't drop, but they certainly won't go up, either.
AT: Twilight zone.
NA: *In tune of the Twilight Zone theme* Doo-doo-doo-doo doo-doo-doo-doo doo-doo-doo-doo doo-doo-doo-doo *all laugh*
JT: Indeed. I favour New Zealand to win, and I don't think any of the other teams can challenge them. Even if Northern Ireland has improved enough to stay up this time. *others nod*
PD: If not for the missing players, I'd've given Iceland an outside shot. But they don't have the same finish without Alengaard.
JT: Indeed. So what are your thoughts on the Challenge Cup of Africa so far?
NA: Igbolandia's been a colossal disappointment. But, as I said in the show with Pavel, I was torn on whether to cheer for or against them because of their religious policies. *under his breath* Stupid prosperetics...
PD: And with every disappointment is sure to come a surprise. The surprise has been Calvinia! How fitting that the prosperetics go down and the Reformed go up to take their place... why can't it be like this in churches too? Anyway, religious talk aside, Calvinia has played surprisingly well, and although they didn't really have a chance against Botswana, losing 3-0, they have been quite solid in their other matches, even beating Ethiopia by double figures. 11-0, I believe. *AT nods*
AT: That's exactly what it was. I was at that game. Téko Ayassou scored four goals in that one.
NA: I still favour Botswana to win the tournament.
JT: Lemme ask you something. Other than pundits from their closest rivals in the tournament, who flipping doesn't?
NA: Point conceded. But they are that good relative to the rest. I would be a bit disappointed to not see them in the Worlds ladder next year. That's something I can't say even about Egypt or East Africa. Fangland, as good as they've been playing, won't be either.
PD: Of course they won't! They're only an applicant!
JT: That reminds me. All of this year's applicants have been blanket-accepted into IIHF associate membership. *AT claps, PD nods in approval* That includes a few that didn't even play this year - Costa Rica, the Dutch Antilles, Bolivia, the Mayan Republic, Cyprus, Malta...
PD and NA in unison: Malta???
JT: Yes, Malta. Their rink is in Siġġiewi. It's right near the international airport, and was really the only place they had room. It has the latest in Canadian ice-making technology, which it needed because it gets flipping hot there. Anyways... one other too, Melanesia.
PD: Well congratulations to those countries!
JT: And we'll be back with another round in six days, when Divisions IV and III kick off! Until next time...
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(06-11-2022, 10:13 PM)Kyng Wrote: I love how [Abacab] has a track with a section named "Lurker", when the album title itself looks like Lurker's attempt to spell "Abacus" or something .
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