UPDATE FROM THE IIHF
Well, it is international hockey season again, so let's have a look at what has come of the Challenge Cups' lower divisions, first and foremost:
Asia-Pacific Division I
Starting with the big dog of the foursome, the recently-renamed Challenge Cup of Asia-Pacific, where neither of last year's two relegated teams from the Cup Proper - Hawaii or Bharat - were able to climb their way back up, having both lost in the playoffs. Babylon didn't do too poorly on home ice but got slapped around by eventual tournament winners Vietnam, who were absolutely lethal in this tournament. First, let's look back at the standings from the round robin:
GROUP A - Polynesian Union, Babylon, Tibet, Bharat, Pashmenish
You'd be a bit surprised by a couple of things here - first, that Babylon didn't win their group on home ice, instead finishing second, barely, and second, that Pashmenish didn't finish last in their first tournament, which will undoubtedly help their cause at gaining the associate membership they desire. They really played with heart and managed both an upset victory over Tibet and to take the hometown Babylonians to overtime. I must admit, too, that I was very impressed by the Polynesians. In just three seasons they've gone from almost finishing last in the CCA in 2019 to finishing first in the group in the round robin and eventually making it to the tournament finals.
1. Polynesian Union - 4-0-0-0 (12)
2. Babylon - 1-2-0-1 (8)
3. Bharat - 2-0-1-1 (7)
4. Pashmenish - 0-1-1-2 (3)
5. Tibet - 0-0-1-3 (1)
After looking decent their first season, Tibet has not had the best win-loss records in spite of keeping their games close. Perhaps they need new coaching.
GROUP B - Vietnam, Kashmir, Oman, Hawaii, United States of Melanesia
Holy moly. Vietnam was on an absolute tear in this tournament, beating even Oman, who returned to the Cup system after skipping the tournament last year. Of course, because of the skip they realised they had to restart at the bottom, and to their credit, they did end up doing quite well, but Vietnam... just... dayum. The pluck Melanesians finished last, but not without giving a couple of "better" teams a scare, only losing to Hawaii or Kashmir in OT. They kept it close against everyone save Vietnam, who steamrolled them 12-0. But what would you expect when they also beat Oman 5-0? They didn't allow a single goal until the semifinals!
1. Vietnam - 4-0-0-0 (12)
2. Oman - 3-0-0-1 (9)
3. Hawaii - 1-1-0-2 (5)
4. Kashmir - 0-1-0-3 (2)
5. Melanesian Union - 0-0-2-2 (2)
Hawaii didn't look too bad even though they lost to Oman and got taken to OT by the Melanesians. The bottom three were surprisingly close, and I think part of Kashmir's improved play can be factored down to better equipment, which they have been getting from hockey's sugar daddies like the North American giants, Uralica, Nordland, Russia, or Siberia. It wouldn't surprise me if they improved next season.
Of course, the knockouts saw everyone except the two group-bottom teams lace 'em up.
Quarterfinals
Vietnam 14 Pashmenish 0
Oman 4 Bharat 2
Babylon 5 Hawaii 2
Polynesian Union 6 Kashmir 1
Of course, Vietnam absolutely ran rout over Pashmenish. Kashmir didn't really implode until the third period of the match against the Polynesians, while Babylon was consistently a step ahead of Hawaii and Oman ousted Bharat with a late empty-netter.
Repechage Round (5-8)
Bharat 4 Kashmir 3 (OT)
Hawaii 4 Pashmenish 1
Oh man. Things got ugly in the Bharat-Kashmir match with a post-game line brawl - not a bench-clearer, mercifully, but enough to have both teams missing a few players for their following matches due to various degrees of suspension, and one Bharati player - defenceman Apurva Nagarkar - being hit with a ten-game international suspension for a blatant headshot on Kashmir's Rafik Mohammed Karim. With added security in the Babylonian stands, that thankfully didn't extend to the two fanbases, but it's obvious these two countries despise each other. Both federations were also fined.
Hawaii vs. Pashmenish was a lot more laid back, obviously, although the Hawaiians, led by a Jarvis Nishi hat-trick, had control of the play for most of the game.
Semifinals
Vietnam 10 Babylon 1
Polynesian Union 4 Oman 2
What did I tell you? The Vietnamese were utterly unstoppable. Canadian-born Markus Tran continued his reign of terror over the group with another six goals and two assists. Things got a little chippy late when Babylon's Raghib Mukhtar stuck his knee out on the same, and he ended up missing the bronze-medal game as a result - he will miss three further tournament games. In any case, this means that the Vietnamese and the Polynesians will play the Cup proper in 2022.
7th-place match
Kashmir 4 Pashmenish 2
A nice, friendly closing for both teams, since the neighbouring nations get along fairly well, especially after their alliance in the Nuristan War and the subsequent establishment of expanded trade relations between the two. Kashmir did end up ending this one with an empty-netter.
5th-place match
Hawaii 5 Bharat 1
Kinda hard to win when your best players are suspended, amirite? Even though three of the six suspended Bharati players were only out for the one match, one of them happened to be the starting goalie and two happened to be two of their better scoring players. So Hawaii ended up winning this one rather easily.
Bronze medal match
Oman 3 Babylon 2 (OT)
Fakih al-Dosari's second goal ended up being an overtime winner. Now is this a sign that they might have a shot at doing better in the actual Worlds this season? Probably not, especially since their (and Kuwait's) request to be dropped an extra division was denied by the IIHF, even after both teams lost to Div XII teams for this year in friendlies! Still, Oman vs. Kuwait at least ought to be interesting.
Gold medal match
Vietnam 5 Polynesian Union 2
The one and only game where Vietnam actually broke a sweat... not that it was much though! The "Vietnamese Lemieux," Markus Tran, worked his hockey magic yet again, scoring twice and adding an assist in the winning cause.
MVP - Markus Tran (VIE) (duh. )
Scoring Leader - Tran (41 points)
Goals leader - Tran (29 goals)
Best goalie - Mataeula 'Ahonima (PNU)
Best defenceman - Pham Ngoc Tu (VIE)
All-tournament team:
GK - 'Ahonima
DF - Pham N.T.
DF - Richard Nguyen (VIE)
LW - Salofa Tamasese (PNU)
RW - Markus Tran
C - Fakih Al-Dosari (OMA)
Africa Division I - Akan Empire, Ethiopia, Igbolandia, Lesotho, Réunion, and Yorubaland
A smaller tournament with just the one group, and to nobody's great surprise, Lesotho, who had barely been pushed down into the lower division in the first place, ran away with this one, scoring a total of 49 goals in the five round-robin games and allowing just two goals in the entire tournament. The two-up-two-down system in Africa did render a bit of a surprise in the end - a few people had speculated that Réunion might have a shot at going up eventually, but few if any expected them to do it quite this soon. Juste Henry, who plays professionally in the lower levels in France, led the Réunionais to a couple of surprise victories, over hosts Igbolandia and the Akan Empire, the former in OT and the latter in a thrilling 6-4 effort that saw them pot a late empty-netter as insurance.
1. Lesotho - 15 (5-0-0-0)
2. Réunion - 11 (3-1-0-1)
3. Igbolandia - 10 (3-0-1-1)
4. Akan Empire - 6 (2-0-0-3)
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5. Ethiopia - 3 (1-0-0-4)
6. Yorubaland - 0 (0-0-0-5)
Yorubaland didn't do quite as poorly as its five-loss record would imply, although they did get slapped around pretty good by Lesotho.
The playoffs really didn't change anything as Réunion again beat the Igbos in overtime (4-3 this time as opposed to 3-2) and the Akans lost against Lesotho, meaning that the top two from the round robin ended up promoted anyway. Igbolandia suffered a massive heartbreak on home ice in the bronze medal game though, as the Akans paid them back for their earlier loss by beating them in a close shootout (3-2, final score 2-1).
MVP: Abishai Seturumane (LES)
Scoring Leader: Seturumane (25 points)
Goals Leader: Juste Henry (REU, 15 goals)
Best Defenceman: Lichaba Tsie (LES)
Best Goalie: Philippe Lebeau (REU)
All-Star Team:
GK - Lebeau
DF - Tsie
DF - Jean-Marc Annan (AKN)
LW - Henry
RW - Stephen Bekker (LES)
C - Seturumane
Europe Division I - Albania, Abkhazia, Cyprus, Gibraltar, Kosovo, Malta, and North Macedonia
If you're wondering about the goofy numbers of teams, it's because literally every country in Europe except the Vatican is now an IIHF member and as such nobody else can apply! But only the top four teams get playoff hockey, so it adds to the excitement somewhat. It was originally going to be six teams, but the last-minute addition of Malta added a bit more to the mix.
1. Albania - 16 (4-2-0-0)
2. Kosovo - 16 (5-0-1-0)
3. North Macedonia - 12 (3-1-1-1)
4. Abkhazia - 9 (2-1-1-2)
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5. Cyprus - 7 (2-0-1-3)
6. Malta - 2 (0-1-0-5)
7. Gibraltar - 1 (0-0-1-5)
I have to admit I was a little surprised when Kosovo took Albania to OT, even more so than home-icers North Macedonia. But Kosovo played very well in the round-robin. In the playoffs, on the other hand, they kinda choked.
Semifinals
Albania (promoted) 5 Abkhazia 2
North Macedonia (promoted) 4 Kosovo 1
I have no idea what happened with Kosovo, but even with their ability to pull wins out of thin air in the round robin, they cracked under playoff pressure, squandering a perfect opportunity for promotion. On the other hand, North Macedonia looked better in this than they did in their 5-3 round robin loss to the Kosovars.
Bronze medal match: Kosovo 4 Abkhazia 0
Kosovo took their frustrations out on Abkhazia, who really didn't stand a chance.
Championship: Albania 4 North Macedonia 2
Slightly stronger than in their round robin match, the Albanians locked up the championship against the hometown heroes, and they were kind of favoured to do so.
MVP: Bashkim Kallaku (ALB)
Top Scorer: Fadil Bardhi (ALB, 20 points)
Top Goalscorer: Skënder Kapllani (ALB) and Evtim Jovanovski (MKD) (12 goals each)
Top Goalie: Kallaku
Top Defenceman: Bardhyl Mripa (ALB)
All-Star Team
GK: Kallaku
DF: Mripa
DF: Nikolle Krasniqi (KOS)
LW: Kapllani
RW: Jovanovski
C: Bardhi
Americas Division I
This one was big enough that the organisers in Santo Domingo decided to reorganise it as a two-grouper.
GROUP A - Cuba, Hispaniola, Mayan Republic, Dutch Antilles
1. Hispaniola - 18 (6-0-0-0)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
2. Cuba - 12 (4-0-0-2)
3. Mayan Republic - 6 (2-0-0-4)
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4. Dutch Antilles - 0 (0-0-0-6)
This could not possibly have been more cut-and-dry. In spite of the fact that Hispaniola and Cuba both finished last in their groups, the anticipation of a huge mass of diasporic Haitians from Canada, the New USA, the New Confederacy, and Cascadia joining the ranks of Hispaniola's hockey team was anticipated, and rightly so. Even though Anthony Duclair - eligible through his father - instead opted to represent Canada (can't say we blame him - he'd make even his teammates look like amateurs!), players like Jean-Pascal Zéphir and Martin Auclair tore it up for the "Franco-Latin Connection," who made taking this group look like child's play. Even Cuba dropped both matches to them by a minimum of five goals each.
GROUP B - Bolivia, Costa Rica, Panama, Paraguay
1. Panama - 14 (4-1-0-1)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
2. Paraguay - 13 (4-0-1-1)
3. Bolivia - 5 (1-1-0-4)
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4. Costa Rica - 1 (0-0-1-5)
Bolivia may have lacked the experience necessary to beat Panama or Paraguay even if their matches against the two weren't blowouts, but they had enough time to practice at a decently low temperature to best the Hieloticos in both games, although one did go to overtime. But if there was one set of matchups that really made hockey fans giddy, it was Panama and Paraguay. Say what you will about the calibre of the hockey played, but their two games were fun to watch, no question about it! Panama got the ever-so-slight edge on Paraguay in the end though.
7th-place match: Costa Rica 5 Dutch Antilles 1
No real surprises here. The Dutch Antilles just don't have the same size of talent pool available. It's that simple.
Quarterfinals (Hispaniola and Panama received byes)
Paraguay 5 Mayan Republic 0
Bolivia 5 Cuba 4 (OT)
Paraguay vs. the Mayans was no real surprise, although Paraguayan goalie Luis Ronaldo Ericson was definitely tested. On the other hand, Bolivia beating Cuba was considered a massive upset for a team with such little experience, and you'd've thought they'd won the tournament by how they celebrated!
5th-place match: Cuba 1 Mayan Republic 0
A rather boring affair. The only real exciting player to watch was Mayan goalie Roberto Perez, who actually made 47 saves in the loss.
Semifinals
Hispaniola 8 Bolivia 0
Paraguay 4 Panama 3 (OT)
Bolivia was not ready for what Hispaniola brought! Their superior skill and physical game plus coaching by former NHLers such as Claude Vilgrain and Georges Laraque was just too much to handle for the Bolivians. On the other hand, Paraguay got to savour some sweet payback as a more-focussed Ericson made 38 saves to carry the outshot Guaranis to victory.
Bronze medal match: Panama 4 Bolivia 1
Perhaps a bit demoralised by getting thwacked by Hispaniola, Bolivia's offence looked a bit subdued. They still managed a goal, but they were on their heels for most of the game.
Championship: Hispaniola 4 Paraguay 1
Nobody expected anything less. Diaspora-boosted Hispaniola was just too good. Literally the only reason they didn't sweep the awards was Ericson.
MVP: Martin Auclair (HSP)
Top Scorer: Auclair (42 points)
Top Goalscorer: Auclair (25 goals)
Top Goalie: Luis Ronaldo Ericson (PAR)
Top Defenceman: Loïc Dumas (HSP)
All-Star Team
GK - Ericson
DF - Dumas
DF - Armando Cristiano Enriquez (HSP)
LW - Jean-Pascal Zéphir (HSP)
RW - Aristide Chrétien (HSP)
C - Auclair
Now shifting focus to the Cups Proper, which are on now. Starting with Africa, who are the farthest along:
Challenge Cup of Africa - Botswana, Calvinia, East African Union, Egypt, Fangland, and Gabon.
One of the big questions coming into this tournament was whether or not defending champs Botswana would be able to perform well off of home ice. Well, we have our answer - a resounding heck yes! Sethunya Tshireletso, who was taken as an eleventh-round pick in last year's NHL draft by the San Jose Sharks and is currently on a two-way contract with their NAMPHA and ECHL affiliates, the Oakland Sharks and the Phoenix Roadrunners respectively, is back up to his old tricks this year, as are Saskatchewan Warriors late-rounder Thabo Molefi (currently with the PPHL's Las Vegas Golden Knights) and Vancouver Giants backup Jakob Kakanyo Machemko, who will be eligible for this year's NHL Draft.
First looking at the round-robin:
1. Botswana - 15 (5-0-0-0)
2. Fangland - 11 (3-1-0-1)
3. Calvinia - 10 (3-0-1-1)
4. Egypt - 5 (1-1-0-3)
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5. East African Union - 3 (0-1-1-3)
6. Gabon - 1 (0-0-1-5)
Don't let the win-loss counts fool you. The highest scoreline was Botswana's 6-2 win over the Egyptians, and most games had a margin of just one or two goals. But the scoring leader is - yet again - Tshireletso, who looks on pace to take his second goalscoring title, and also to claim the overall scoring title, which was taken by Fangland's expert playmaker Marcel Tayot, who went as a twenty-second rounder in the 2020 NHL draft to the Quebec Nordiques, and has since moved from France to metro Quebec City, where he now plays with the LPHQ's Levis Nordiques. But Tayot lacks the lower-skilled teams to pad his stats on this time! Egypt only just managed to beat the EAU, coming back from a 4-2 deficit on closing day to win the match 5-4 in overtime. They had a similar bit of chokeage against the Gabonese but ended up winning in OT 4-3.
But onto the playoffs.
SEMIFINALS
Botswana 4 Egypt 0
Calvinia 4 Fangland 3 (OT)
In a reversal of fortunes for Calvinia, they paid Fangland back for their overtime loss by the same score on home ice and will now play Botswana for the Challenge Cup on Wednesday the 10th. Fangland and Egypt play for bronze tomorrow. But it is expected that next year's Challenge Cup of Africa Division I will be quite lopsided, especially with the EAU coming down.
Challenge Cup of Asia
The one that started them all, the Challenge Cup of Asia just finished its round robin. Twelve teams descended on Persia for Asian glory.
GROUP A - Chukotka, Tyva, Jordan, Uyghurstan, Bahrain, Nepal
I must say, I am very impressed by the Chukotkans. They made this group look easy, even with an improved Tyva side in there with them. Nepal lucked out in the sense that the IIHF decided to expand the CCAs to 12 teams from 10, but they made it pay off by scoring a payback victory over Bahrain (who beat them in OT last year) and an upset win over Uyghurstan to make the playoffs. I'm also kind of impressed by Jordan - a country with only a single hockey rink in Amman, yet they are able to pull themselves together a pretty decent hockey team for this level. They did better against the Uyghurs this year, improving on an overtime win from last year with a comfy 4-2 win, with Uyghurstan's second goal only coming with fifteen seconds left in the game.
1. Chukotka - 15 (5-0-0-0)
2. Tyva - 12 (4-0-0-1)
3. Jordan - 9 (3-0-0-2)
4. Nepal - 4 (0-2-0-3)
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5. Uyghurstan - 3 (0-1-1-3)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
6. Bahrain - 2 (0-0-2-3)
GROUP B - Punjab, Persia, Qatar, Tajikistan, Libnan, Kuwait
A bit of foreshadowing, perhaps? Kuwait had been in the main system for a couple years and decided to drop back into the Challenge Cup system, and were for whatever reason granted the right to play at this level rather than in the first division, unlike Oman, who ended by winning bronze in Division 1. But Kuwait only barely dodged relegation as Tajikistan's luck ran out. A much improved Libnan beat the same Tajikistan that consigned them to relegation just two years ago... Ed Hatoum has been doing wonders with that lot! They even took home team Persia to overtime, but were rather overwhelmed by diasporic-loaded Punjab, who beat them 6-2.
1. Punjab - 15 (5-0-0-0)
2. Persia - 11 (3-1-0-1)
3. Libnan - 10 (3-0-1-1)
4. Qatar - 5 (1-1-0-3)
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5. Kuwait - 2 (0-1-0-4)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
6. Tajikistan - 2 (0-0-2-4)
So Bahrain and Tajikistan are relegated and play a final placement match on Wednesday; Kuwait and Uyghurstan butt heads the same day. But it's important to note, at least they can actually win games at this level, if only barely!
QFs are as follows:
Chukotka vs. Qatar
Tyva vs. Libnan
Punjab vs. Nepal
Persia vs. Jordan
Challenge Cup of Europe
I get the feeling that this will be the third CCE in a row that will see its winner become a full member, after Ireland did in 2019 and Montenegro last season, but only to give Division I a nice round number with six teams. If it does happen, Kosovo will get promoted on the strength of their bronze medal win, to join Albania and North Macedonia. But it was a two-grouper, obviously:
Group A - Portugal, Asturias, Nokhchynya, and Alania
1. Nokhchynya - 16 (4-2-0-0)
- - - - - - - - - - -
2. Portugal - 13 (3-1-2-0)
3. Asturias - 7 (2-0-1-3)
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4. Alania - 0 (0-0-0-6)
Alania barely stayed afloat last year with seven teams in their group before the split, with all three of their victories - including one in overtime - coming against inferior opposition. The big surprise was just how well Nokhchynya fared against favoured Portugal, and how gutsy hometown Asturias was against the Portuguese, getting them to a shootout before finally losing in their second outing, and only losing the first go 5-3.
Group B - Armenia, Crimea, Faroe Islands, Galicia
1. Crimea - 17 (5-1-0-0)
- - - - - - - - - - -
2. Armenia - 13 (4-0-1-1)
3. Galicia - 3 (1-0-0-5, +1 in head-to-head vs. Faroes)
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4. Faeroe Islands - 3 (1-0-0-5)
Crimea was one of last year's biggest head-scratchers, having finished ahead of Armenia in the round-robin only to unceremoniously crash out in the quarters while Armenia ended up with bronze. It is painfully obvious here, though, that Crimea is out for redemption this year, and apart from a small hiccup against Armenia, they are looking very good. The relegation battle was equally fiery as the two teams traded wins, but the Faeroes won their win by one and Galicia won theirs by two, consigning the former to relegation. They'll be back, though, if not in 2022 then at least in 2023. I couldn't see them not beating most of the crop in the lower division.
Quarters:
Nokhchynya and Crimea have byes
Portugal vs. Galicia - battle of the close ethnic cousins!
Armenia vs. Asturias
Challenge Cup of the Americas
GROUP A - Inca Republic, Brazil, Puerto Rico, Antillean Union
1. Inca Republic - 18 (6-0-0-0)
- - - - - - - - - - -
2. Brazil - 12 (4-0-0-2)
3. Puerto Rico - 5 (1-1-0-4)
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4. Antillean Union - 1 (0-0-1-5)
Even new coach Anson Carter and a few diasporics playing for NAMPHA teams couldn't prevent the Antilleans from dropping, because the others were just too good, especially the Incas, featuring smooth-skating iceman Stanislao Valenzuela, whose play at the NAMPHA level early this season made him a permanent ECHLer by the end of 2020 - a prospect of the St. Louis Blues, he is currently with the Florida Everblades after a two-point-per-game start with the Eugene Blues of the PPHL. Puerto Rico had a bit of a hiccup with the Antilleans but came out on top.
GROUP B - Argentina, Trinidad and Tobago, Colombia, Jamaica
1. Jamaica - 18 (6-0-0-0)
- - - - - - - - - - -
2. Argentina - 10 (1-3-1-2)
3. Trinidad and Tobago - 8 (2-0-2-2)
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4. Colombia - 2 (0-0-2-4)
Jamaica could not have possibly gotten a bigger boost from last season than to acquire not one, but two of the famed Subban brothers! NHL backup Malcolm and career AHLer Jordan opted to play for Jamaica as Canada's goalie glut has kept the former from joining oldest brother PK with the Big Red Machine, and the latter hasn't had any NHL action yet. But combine these brothers with improvements from a whole host of other players and you've had a winning team that has yet to allow a single goal!
Argentina does have this nasty habit this year of not being able to finish games without extra time. That could bite them in the butt in knockouts.
QFs
Jamaica and the Incas have byes
Brazil vs. Trinidad and Tobago
Argentina vs. Puerto Rico
And that's it for the IIHF catchup!
Well, it is international hockey season again, so let's have a look at what has come of the Challenge Cups' lower divisions, first and foremost:
Asia-Pacific Division I
Starting with the big dog of the foursome, the recently-renamed Challenge Cup of Asia-Pacific, where neither of last year's two relegated teams from the Cup Proper - Hawaii or Bharat - were able to climb their way back up, having both lost in the playoffs. Babylon didn't do too poorly on home ice but got slapped around by eventual tournament winners Vietnam, who were absolutely lethal in this tournament. First, let's look back at the standings from the round robin:
GROUP A - Polynesian Union, Babylon, Tibet, Bharat, Pashmenish
You'd be a bit surprised by a couple of things here - first, that Babylon didn't win their group on home ice, instead finishing second, barely, and second, that Pashmenish didn't finish last in their first tournament, which will undoubtedly help their cause at gaining the associate membership they desire. They really played with heart and managed both an upset victory over Tibet and to take the hometown Babylonians to overtime. I must admit, too, that I was very impressed by the Polynesians. In just three seasons they've gone from almost finishing last in the CCA in 2019 to finishing first in the group in the round robin and eventually making it to the tournament finals.
1. Polynesian Union - 4-0-0-0 (12)
2. Babylon - 1-2-0-1 (8)
3. Bharat - 2-0-1-1 (7)
4. Pashmenish - 0-1-1-2 (3)
5. Tibet - 0-0-1-3 (1)
After looking decent their first season, Tibet has not had the best win-loss records in spite of keeping their games close. Perhaps they need new coaching.
GROUP B - Vietnam, Kashmir, Oman, Hawaii, United States of Melanesia
Holy moly. Vietnam was on an absolute tear in this tournament, beating even Oman, who returned to the Cup system after skipping the tournament last year. Of course, because of the skip they realised they had to restart at the bottom, and to their credit, they did end up doing quite well, but Vietnam... just... dayum. The pluck Melanesians finished last, but not without giving a couple of "better" teams a scare, only losing to Hawaii or Kashmir in OT. They kept it close against everyone save Vietnam, who steamrolled them 12-0. But what would you expect when they also beat Oman 5-0? They didn't allow a single goal until the semifinals!
1. Vietnam - 4-0-0-0 (12)
2. Oman - 3-0-0-1 (9)
3. Hawaii - 1-1-0-2 (5)
4. Kashmir - 0-1-0-3 (2)
5. Melanesian Union - 0-0-2-2 (2)
Hawaii didn't look too bad even though they lost to Oman and got taken to OT by the Melanesians. The bottom three were surprisingly close, and I think part of Kashmir's improved play can be factored down to better equipment, which they have been getting from hockey's sugar daddies like the North American giants, Uralica, Nordland, Russia, or Siberia. It wouldn't surprise me if they improved next season.
Of course, the knockouts saw everyone except the two group-bottom teams lace 'em up.
Quarterfinals
Vietnam 14 Pashmenish 0
Oman 4 Bharat 2
Babylon 5 Hawaii 2
Polynesian Union 6 Kashmir 1
Of course, Vietnam absolutely ran rout over Pashmenish. Kashmir didn't really implode until the third period of the match against the Polynesians, while Babylon was consistently a step ahead of Hawaii and Oman ousted Bharat with a late empty-netter.
Repechage Round (5-8)
Bharat 4 Kashmir 3 (OT)
Hawaii 4 Pashmenish 1
Oh man. Things got ugly in the Bharat-Kashmir match with a post-game line brawl - not a bench-clearer, mercifully, but enough to have both teams missing a few players for their following matches due to various degrees of suspension, and one Bharati player - defenceman Apurva Nagarkar - being hit with a ten-game international suspension for a blatant headshot on Kashmir's Rafik Mohammed Karim. With added security in the Babylonian stands, that thankfully didn't extend to the two fanbases, but it's obvious these two countries despise each other. Both federations were also fined.
Hawaii vs. Pashmenish was a lot more laid back, obviously, although the Hawaiians, led by a Jarvis Nishi hat-trick, had control of the play for most of the game.
Semifinals
Vietnam 10 Babylon 1
Polynesian Union 4 Oman 2
What did I tell you? The Vietnamese were utterly unstoppable. Canadian-born Markus Tran continued his reign of terror over the group with another six goals and two assists. Things got a little chippy late when Babylon's Raghib Mukhtar stuck his knee out on the same, and he ended up missing the bronze-medal game as a result - he will miss three further tournament games. In any case, this means that the Vietnamese and the Polynesians will play the Cup proper in 2022.
7th-place match
Kashmir 4 Pashmenish 2
A nice, friendly closing for both teams, since the neighbouring nations get along fairly well, especially after their alliance in the Nuristan War and the subsequent establishment of expanded trade relations between the two. Kashmir did end up ending this one with an empty-netter.
5th-place match
Hawaii 5 Bharat 1
Kinda hard to win when your best players are suspended, amirite? Even though three of the six suspended Bharati players were only out for the one match, one of them happened to be the starting goalie and two happened to be two of their better scoring players. So Hawaii ended up winning this one rather easily.
Bronze medal match
Oman 3 Babylon 2 (OT)
Fakih al-Dosari's second goal ended up being an overtime winner. Now is this a sign that they might have a shot at doing better in the actual Worlds this season? Probably not, especially since their (and Kuwait's) request to be dropped an extra division was denied by the IIHF, even after both teams lost to Div XII teams for this year in friendlies! Still, Oman vs. Kuwait at least ought to be interesting.
Gold medal match
Vietnam 5 Polynesian Union 2
The one and only game where Vietnam actually broke a sweat... not that it was much though! The "Vietnamese Lemieux," Markus Tran, worked his hockey magic yet again, scoring twice and adding an assist in the winning cause.
MVP - Markus Tran (VIE) (duh. )
Scoring Leader - Tran (41 points)
Goals leader - Tran (29 goals)
Best goalie - Mataeula 'Ahonima (PNU)
Best defenceman - Pham Ngoc Tu (VIE)
All-tournament team:
GK - 'Ahonima
DF - Pham N.T.
DF - Richard Nguyen (VIE)
LW - Salofa Tamasese (PNU)
RW - Markus Tran
C - Fakih Al-Dosari (OMA)
Africa Division I - Akan Empire, Ethiopia, Igbolandia, Lesotho, Réunion, and Yorubaland
A smaller tournament with just the one group, and to nobody's great surprise, Lesotho, who had barely been pushed down into the lower division in the first place, ran away with this one, scoring a total of 49 goals in the five round-robin games and allowing just two goals in the entire tournament. The two-up-two-down system in Africa did render a bit of a surprise in the end - a few people had speculated that Réunion might have a shot at going up eventually, but few if any expected them to do it quite this soon. Juste Henry, who plays professionally in the lower levels in France, led the Réunionais to a couple of surprise victories, over hosts Igbolandia and the Akan Empire, the former in OT and the latter in a thrilling 6-4 effort that saw them pot a late empty-netter as insurance.
1. Lesotho - 15 (5-0-0-0)
2. Réunion - 11 (3-1-0-1)
3. Igbolandia - 10 (3-0-1-1)
4. Akan Empire - 6 (2-0-0-3)
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5. Ethiopia - 3 (1-0-0-4)
6. Yorubaland - 0 (0-0-0-5)
Yorubaland didn't do quite as poorly as its five-loss record would imply, although they did get slapped around pretty good by Lesotho.
The playoffs really didn't change anything as Réunion again beat the Igbos in overtime (4-3 this time as opposed to 3-2) and the Akans lost against Lesotho, meaning that the top two from the round robin ended up promoted anyway. Igbolandia suffered a massive heartbreak on home ice in the bronze medal game though, as the Akans paid them back for their earlier loss by beating them in a close shootout (3-2, final score 2-1).
MVP: Abishai Seturumane (LES)
Scoring Leader: Seturumane (25 points)
Goals Leader: Juste Henry (REU, 15 goals)
Best Defenceman: Lichaba Tsie (LES)
Best Goalie: Philippe Lebeau (REU)
All-Star Team:
GK - Lebeau
DF - Tsie
DF - Jean-Marc Annan (AKN)
LW - Henry
RW - Stephen Bekker (LES)
C - Seturumane
Europe Division I - Albania, Abkhazia, Cyprus, Gibraltar, Kosovo, Malta, and North Macedonia
If you're wondering about the goofy numbers of teams, it's because literally every country in Europe except the Vatican is now an IIHF member and as such nobody else can apply! But only the top four teams get playoff hockey, so it adds to the excitement somewhat. It was originally going to be six teams, but the last-minute addition of Malta added a bit more to the mix.
1. Albania - 16 (4-2-0-0)
2. Kosovo - 16 (5-0-1-0)
3. North Macedonia - 12 (3-1-1-1)
4. Abkhazia - 9 (2-1-1-2)
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5. Cyprus - 7 (2-0-1-3)
6. Malta - 2 (0-1-0-5)
7. Gibraltar - 1 (0-0-1-5)
I have to admit I was a little surprised when Kosovo took Albania to OT, even more so than home-icers North Macedonia. But Kosovo played very well in the round-robin. In the playoffs, on the other hand, they kinda choked.
Semifinals
Albania (promoted) 5 Abkhazia 2
North Macedonia (promoted) 4 Kosovo 1
I have no idea what happened with Kosovo, but even with their ability to pull wins out of thin air in the round robin, they cracked under playoff pressure, squandering a perfect opportunity for promotion. On the other hand, North Macedonia looked better in this than they did in their 5-3 round robin loss to the Kosovars.
Bronze medal match: Kosovo 4 Abkhazia 0
Kosovo took their frustrations out on Abkhazia, who really didn't stand a chance.
Championship: Albania 4 North Macedonia 2
Slightly stronger than in their round robin match, the Albanians locked up the championship against the hometown heroes, and they were kind of favoured to do so.
MVP: Bashkim Kallaku (ALB)
Top Scorer: Fadil Bardhi (ALB, 20 points)
Top Goalscorer: Skënder Kapllani (ALB) and Evtim Jovanovski (MKD) (12 goals each)
Top Goalie: Kallaku
Top Defenceman: Bardhyl Mripa (ALB)
All-Star Team
GK: Kallaku
DF: Mripa
DF: Nikolle Krasniqi (KOS)
LW: Kapllani
RW: Jovanovski
C: Bardhi
Americas Division I
This one was big enough that the organisers in Santo Domingo decided to reorganise it as a two-grouper.
GROUP A - Cuba, Hispaniola, Mayan Republic, Dutch Antilles
1. Hispaniola - 18 (6-0-0-0)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
2. Cuba - 12 (4-0-0-2)
3. Mayan Republic - 6 (2-0-0-4)
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4. Dutch Antilles - 0 (0-0-0-6)
This could not possibly have been more cut-and-dry. In spite of the fact that Hispaniola and Cuba both finished last in their groups, the anticipation of a huge mass of diasporic Haitians from Canada, the New USA, the New Confederacy, and Cascadia joining the ranks of Hispaniola's hockey team was anticipated, and rightly so. Even though Anthony Duclair - eligible through his father - instead opted to represent Canada (can't say we blame him - he'd make even his teammates look like amateurs!), players like Jean-Pascal Zéphir and Martin Auclair tore it up for the "Franco-Latin Connection," who made taking this group look like child's play. Even Cuba dropped both matches to them by a minimum of five goals each.
GROUP B - Bolivia, Costa Rica, Panama, Paraguay
1. Panama - 14 (4-1-0-1)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
2. Paraguay - 13 (4-0-1-1)
3. Bolivia - 5 (1-1-0-4)
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4. Costa Rica - 1 (0-0-1-5)
Bolivia may have lacked the experience necessary to beat Panama or Paraguay even if their matches against the two weren't blowouts, but they had enough time to practice at a decently low temperature to best the Hieloticos in both games, although one did go to overtime. But if there was one set of matchups that really made hockey fans giddy, it was Panama and Paraguay. Say what you will about the calibre of the hockey played, but their two games were fun to watch, no question about it! Panama got the ever-so-slight edge on Paraguay in the end though.
7th-place match: Costa Rica 5 Dutch Antilles 1
No real surprises here. The Dutch Antilles just don't have the same size of talent pool available. It's that simple.
Quarterfinals (Hispaniola and Panama received byes)
Paraguay 5 Mayan Republic 0
Bolivia 5 Cuba 4 (OT)
Paraguay vs. the Mayans was no real surprise, although Paraguayan goalie Luis Ronaldo Ericson was definitely tested. On the other hand, Bolivia beating Cuba was considered a massive upset for a team with such little experience, and you'd've thought they'd won the tournament by how they celebrated!
5th-place match: Cuba 1 Mayan Republic 0
A rather boring affair. The only real exciting player to watch was Mayan goalie Roberto Perez, who actually made 47 saves in the loss.
Semifinals
Hispaniola 8 Bolivia 0
Paraguay 4 Panama 3 (OT)
Bolivia was not ready for what Hispaniola brought! Their superior skill and physical game plus coaching by former NHLers such as Claude Vilgrain and Georges Laraque was just too much to handle for the Bolivians. On the other hand, Paraguay got to savour some sweet payback as a more-focussed Ericson made 38 saves to carry the outshot Guaranis to victory.
Bronze medal match: Panama 4 Bolivia 1
Perhaps a bit demoralised by getting thwacked by Hispaniola, Bolivia's offence looked a bit subdued. They still managed a goal, but they were on their heels for most of the game.
Championship: Hispaniola 4 Paraguay 1
Nobody expected anything less. Diaspora-boosted Hispaniola was just too good. Literally the only reason they didn't sweep the awards was Ericson.
MVP: Martin Auclair (HSP)
Top Scorer: Auclair (42 points)
Top Goalscorer: Auclair (25 goals)
Top Goalie: Luis Ronaldo Ericson (PAR)
Top Defenceman: Loïc Dumas (HSP)
All-Star Team
GK - Ericson
DF - Dumas
DF - Armando Cristiano Enriquez (HSP)
LW - Jean-Pascal Zéphir (HSP)
RW - Aristide Chrétien (HSP)
C - Auclair
Now shifting focus to the Cups Proper, which are on now. Starting with Africa, who are the farthest along:
Challenge Cup of Africa - Botswana, Calvinia, East African Union, Egypt, Fangland, and Gabon.
One of the big questions coming into this tournament was whether or not defending champs Botswana would be able to perform well off of home ice. Well, we have our answer - a resounding heck yes! Sethunya Tshireletso, who was taken as an eleventh-round pick in last year's NHL draft by the San Jose Sharks and is currently on a two-way contract with their NAMPHA and ECHL affiliates, the Oakland Sharks and the Phoenix Roadrunners respectively, is back up to his old tricks this year, as are Saskatchewan Warriors late-rounder Thabo Molefi (currently with the PPHL's Las Vegas Golden Knights) and Vancouver Giants backup Jakob Kakanyo Machemko, who will be eligible for this year's NHL Draft.
First looking at the round-robin:
1. Botswana - 15 (5-0-0-0)
2. Fangland - 11 (3-1-0-1)
3. Calvinia - 10 (3-0-1-1)
4. Egypt - 5 (1-1-0-3)
-----------------------------------------
5. East African Union - 3 (0-1-1-3)
6. Gabon - 1 (0-0-1-5)
Don't let the win-loss counts fool you. The highest scoreline was Botswana's 6-2 win over the Egyptians, and most games had a margin of just one or two goals. But the scoring leader is - yet again - Tshireletso, who looks on pace to take his second goalscoring title, and also to claim the overall scoring title, which was taken by Fangland's expert playmaker Marcel Tayot, who went as a twenty-second rounder in the 2020 NHL draft to the Quebec Nordiques, and has since moved from France to metro Quebec City, where he now plays with the LPHQ's Levis Nordiques. But Tayot lacks the lower-skilled teams to pad his stats on this time! Egypt only just managed to beat the EAU, coming back from a 4-2 deficit on closing day to win the match 5-4 in overtime. They had a similar bit of chokeage against the Gabonese but ended up winning in OT 4-3.
But onto the playoffs.
SEMIFINALS
Botswana 4 Egypt 0
Calvinia 4 Fangland 3 (OT)
In a reversal of fortunes for Calvinia, they paid Fangland back for their overtime loss by the same score on home ice and will now play Botswana for the Challenge Cup on Wednesday the 10th. Fangland and Egypt play for bronze tomorrow. But it is expected that next year's Challenge Cup of Africa Division I will be quite lopsided, especially with the EAU coming down.
Challenge Cup of Asia
The one that started them all, the Challenge Cup of Asia just finished its round robin. Twelve teams descended on Persia for Asian glory.
GROUP A - Chukotka, Tyva, Jordan, Uyghurstan, Bahrain, Nepal
I must say, I am very impressed by the Chukotkans. They made this group look easy, even with an improved Tyva side in there with them. Nepal lucked out in the sense that the IIHF decided to expand the CCAs to 12 teams from 10, but they made it pay off by scoring a payback victory over Bahrain (who beat them in OT last year) and an upset win over Uyghurstan to make the playoffs. I'm also kind of impressed by Jordan - a country with only a single hockey rink in Amman, yet they are able to pull themselves together a pretty decent hockey team for this level. They did better against the Uyghurs this year, improving on an overtime win from last year with a comfy 4-2 win, with Uyghurstan's second goal only coming with fifteen seconds left in the game.
1. Chukotka - 15 (5-0-0-0)
2. Tyva - 12 (4-0-0-1)
3. Jordan - 9 (3-0-0-2)
4. Nepal - 4 (0-2-0-3)
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5. Uyghurstan - 3 (0-1-1-3)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
6. Bahrain - 2 (0-0-2-3)
GROUP B - Punjab, Persia, Qatar, Tajikistan, Libnan, Kuwait
A bit of foreshadowing, perhaps? Kuwait had been in the main system for a couple years and decided to drop back into the Challenge Cup system, and were for whatever reason granted the right to play at this level rather than in the first division, unlike Oman, who ended by winning bronze in Division 1. But Kuwait only barely dodged relegation as Tajikistan's luck ran out. A much improved Libnan beat the same Tajikistan that consigned them to relegation just two years ago... Ed Hatoum has been doing wonders with that lot! They even took home team Persia to overtime, but were rather overwhelmed by diasporic-loaded Punjab, who beat them 6-2.
1. Punjab - 15 (5-0-0-0)
2. Persia - 11 (3-1-0-1)
3. Libnan - 10 (3-0-1-1)
4. Qatar - 5 (1-1-0-3)
---------------------------------
5. Kuwait - 2 (0-1-0-4)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
6. Tajikistan - 2 (0-0-2-4)
So Bahrain and Tajikistan are relegated and play a final placement match on Wednesday; Kuwait and Uyghurstan butt heads the same day. But it's important to note, at least they can actually win games at this level, if only barely!
QFs are as follows:
Chukotka vs. Qatar
Tyva vs. Libnan
Punjab vs. Nepal
Persia vs. Jordan
Challenge Cup of Europe
I get the feeling that this will be the third CCE in a row that will see its winner become a full member, after Ireland did in 2019 and Montenegro last season, but only to give Division I a nice round number with six teams. If it does happen, Kosovo will get promoted on the strength of their bronze medal win, to join Albania and North Macedonia. But it was a two-grouper, obviously:
Group A - Portugal, Asturias, Nokhchynya, and Alania
1. Nokhchynya - 16 (4-2-0-0)
- - - - - - - - - - -
2. Portugal - 13 (3-1-2-0)
3. Asturias - 7 (2-0-1-3)
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4. Alania - 0 (0-0-0-6)
Alania barely stayed afloat last year with seven teams in their group before the split, with all three of their victories - including one in overtime - coming against inferior opposition. The big surprise was just how well Nokhchynya fared against favoured Portugal, and how gutsy hometown Asturias was against the Portuguese, getting them to a shootout before finally losing in their second outing, and only losing the first go 5-3.
Group B - Armenia, Crimea, Faroe Islands, Galicia
1. Crimea - 17 (5-1-0-0)
- - - - - - - - - - -
2. Armenia - 13 (4-0-1-1)
3. Galicia - 3 (1-0-0-5, +1 in head-to-head vs. Faroes)
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4. Faeroe Islands - 3 (1-0-0-5)
Crimea was one of last year's biggest head-scratchers, having finished ahead of Armenia in the round-robin only to unceremoniously crash out in the quarters while Armenia ended up with bronze. It is painfully obvious here, though, that Crimea is out for redemption this year, and apart from a small hiccup against Armenia, they are looking very good. The relegation battle was equally fiery as the two teams traded wins, but the Faeroes won their win by one and Galicia won theirs by two, consigning the former to relegation. They'll be back, though, if not in 2022 then at least in 2023. I couldn't see them not beating most of the crop in the lower division.
Quarters:
Nokhchynya and Crimea have byes
Portugal vs. Galicia - battle of the close ethnic cousins!
Armenia vs. Asturias
Challenge Cup of the Americas
GROUP A - Inca Republic, Brazil, Puerto Rico, Antillean Union
1. Inca Republic - 18 (6-0-0-0)
- - - - - - - - - - -
2. Brazil - 12 (4-0-0-2)
3. Puerto Rico - 5 (1-1-0-4)
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4. Antillean Union - 1 (0-0-1-5)
Even new coach Anson Carter and a few diasporics playing for NAMPHA teams couldn't prevent the Antilleans from dropping, because the others were just too good, especially the Incas, featuring smooth-skating iceman Stanislao Valenzuela, whose play at the NAMPHA level early this season made him a permanent ECHLer by the end of 2020 - a prospect of the St. Louis Blues, he is currently with the Florida Everblades after a two-point-per-game start with the Eugene Blues of the PPHL. Puerto Rico had a bit of a hiccup with the Antilleans but came out on top.
GROUP B - Argentina, Trinidad and Tobago, Colombia, Jamaica
1. Jamaica - 18 (6-0-0-0)
- - - - - - - - - - -
2. Argentina - 10 (1-3-1-2)
3. Trinidad and Tobago - 8 (2-0-2-2)
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4. Colombia - 2 (0-0-2-4)
Jamaica could not have possibly gotten a bigger boost from last season than to acquire not one, but two of the famed Subban brothers! NHL backup Malcolm and career AHLer Jordan opted to play for Jamaica as Canada's goalie glut has kept the former from joining oldest brother PK with the Big Red Machine, and the latter hasn't had any NHL action yet. But combine these brothers with improvements from a whole host of other players and you've had a winning team that has yet to allow a single goal!
Argentina does have this nasty habit this year of not being able to finish games without extra time. That could bite them in the butt in knockouts.
QFs
Jamaica and the Incas have byes
Brazil vs. Trinidad and Tobago
Argentina vs. Puerto Rico
And that's it for the IIHF catchup!
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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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