Harris leads Wildcards to 2-1 win against Cosmonauts

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Novyimir was teeming with excited crowds as fans made their way to the rink, and those that couldn’t get a seat made their way to their local establishment to watch the last game of this exhibition round.

Tonight the Cosmonauts faced-off against the Wildcards. The two teams were tied in the standings with 3 wins and 2 losses each as of Taurus 22.

The game was a nail-biter as the two teams battled for control of the puck. Anna Fedin tipped a goal into the net 2 minutes into first period for the first goal of the night.

“I think we were on fire tonight!” says Fedin of tonight’s game, “ And knowing that this might be the last game we’d be able to play as a team. Well, we better make it a good one. Right?”

And this is indeed the last game that has been announced by ISMO for their exhibition round of hockey. The past 12 weeks have been an amazing run for the athletes involved and also the fans. The participating settlements have also been pleased and excited with the turnout.

“Being able to host these games have been great for our settlement,” says Wendland city councillor, Verity Nichol, “It really helps Martians to look past the stereotype of Wendland being a bunch of engineers hiding behind machines all day.

Cosmonaut defender, Vitalia Burian was sent to the box for tripping, just a few seconds after Novak had been penalized for holding. Play was stopped and Martinez escorted from the ice after he hit the ice particularly hard and injured a knee.

cosmonauts celebrate with the wildcards post-game 

With a one-man advantage, the Wildcards were able to rush the stunned Cosmonaut defenders and Harris smashed the puck home from the right corner at 10:20 of first period—ending it with a score of 1-1.

The Wildcards really ramped up their offence in second and third period. Opening up scoring chances, and starting plays, but were unable to complete them.

“Fedin and Meyer  was really on the ball tonight,” says Wildcards captain, Marquez, “they coordinated their defensive strategy really well and frustrated a lot of our plays tonight. We have a lot of respect for that.”

As the game spilled into overtime, it was clear that the Cosmonauts were losing steam. 12 minutes of overtime puts tonight’s game at one of the longest times on-ice.

Harris scored the winning goal when the Cosmonauts lost control of puck in their corner and Harris was able to laser it past Hansen to end the game 2-1. The Wildcards rushed onto the ice to celebrate their win and congratulate Harris while fans cheered exuberantly.

The celebration didn’t end on the ice as both teams partied it up to wrap up Round 2 of exhibition hockey. For most of the players, this means an end of their voluntary training contracts with ISMO.

“I can’t believe we're all going back to work,” says Tia Halvorsen, “it’s been a crazy ride and I’m honoured I had this chance to be part of the exhibition, but I guess it time to return to reality now.”

Miller MIA. Moles defeat the Cosmonauts 3-0

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Undeniable team chemistry shines through for the Moles as they overwhelmed the Cosmonauts and defeated them 3-0.

Li and Campbell snagged the first goal of the game at 3:54 into first period when some great offensive maneuvering by Li allowed her to slip the puck past the Cosmonaut defenders to find Campbell open at the left corner. The opportunity was golden, and Campbell efficiently converted the pass into a neat backhand high into the net.

Miller was conspicuously absent from the team benches today despite being cleared to play. While inconclusive, rumours have emerged that the 34-year-old Korolevian has returned to his home-settlement with little warning or explanation.

“He’s been unhappy with the way ISMO organizes the the exhibitions and rounds for a while now,” says an acquaintance of Miller who chose to remain anonymous.

Team morale was low for the Cosmonauts today as they struggled to rally past the abrupt departure of their forward.

“We knew Miller didn’t the decisions Seulovik was making about the exhibition rounds. Especially they way he handled the Phantoms and Sands,” says Cosmonaut captain, Anna Fedin, “but this isn’t like him, and we’ll try to pull through this together.”

Other teammates were not so charitable, “Look, Miller was deadweight. All you have to do is look at his scoring record.”

disappointment all around as the cosmonauts are defeated at novyimir

The Moles were quick to take advantage of the Cosmonaut’s team tension.

Third period opened with a concerted effort by the Cosmonauts to get on the offensive, but their plays were sluggish and lacked the focus and energy needed to get past the Moles defenders.

The second goal by the Moles was claimed by Moles forward Laura Hall. 2 minutes into third period, Hall gained control of the puck after intercepting an airborne puck. The Cosmonaut defenders were caught unprepared as Hall barreled towards the net and sniped it over Hansen’s shoulder.

Cosmonaut forwards attempted to turn the tides in third period with Novak and Fedin setting plays multiple times. But the setups were fruitless as Okeke was right on top of them every time, and not a single play was converted to a goal.

Cosmonaut fans groaned as 13 minutes into third period, Okeke flicked a cross-ice pass to Mattila who snapped it into the left corner as it Hansen made an unsuccessful grab at the puck. With 2 minutes left in the game, the Moles focused on keeping the Cosmonauts at bay as the timer ran down to a 3-0 win for the Moles.

“Obviously the Cosmonauts were hurting today, and we respect that they came out and played their best,” says Moles captain, Janice Campbell of today’s game.

The Cosmonauts still have enough players to participate in the exhibition rounds but the future seems uncertain as they try to sort out their team dynamics.

With today's victory, the Moles grab the lead with a 3-1 standing overall. They will be up against the Wildcards next week at Marineris, while the Cosmonauts will be meeting Khimik in Europa.

Miller sits out Game 3, Cosmonauts win 2-1

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Cosmonaut forward, Stephen Meyer, stepped up his game today as he scored the deciding goal in overtime, winning the Cosmonauts their second game of Round 2.

Wendland hosted again this week, as the two team battled for dominance on the ice—and what a battle it was. The Wildcards played aggressively, drawing the outrage of Cosmonaut players and fans alike.

“Come on, this is a sport, not a brawl,” exclaimed Burien after being on the receiving end of an elbow to side in period 1. Samuel Marquez of the Wildcards was awarded a minute in the box for the infraction.

The first period ended with a stalemate as both teams tested each other’s defenses.

Marquez scored the first goal of the game for the Wildcards after Halvorsen found him at the right-circle with a beautiful cross-ice pass.

Two additional penalties were awarded to the Wildcards in second. Phan was called out on tripping a Cosmonaut forward as she made a race for a loose puck. The whistle was blown at Lehmann as the period was wrapping up for cross-checking Novak sending him careening against the ramped walls.

Outraged fans screamed foul as the downed Cosmonaut was given a quick check by medical staff and Lehmann was awarded 1 minute
“That was clearly deliberate,” said Cosmonaut captain, Anna Fedin of the referee’s decision.

Lehmann pulls Milosevich short and send him tumbling to the ice as Milosevich made a rush for a loose puck.

The frustration only mounted as the Wildcards continued to push the aggression into third period. At 1:02, Lehmann was sent to the box again for holding onto Milosevic's jersey, sending the Cosmonaut defenseman crashing to the ice. Lehmann's second infraction came with a threat of suspension from the rest of the game should he continue.

With three minutes left in third, Meyer was able to snap a wrist shot past Arquette after scooping up a cross-ice pass from Katy Fedin.

Third period ended with a 1-1 tie between the Cosmonauts and Wildcards.

The winning goal was claimed by Meyer again 10 minutes into overtime. He picked up a wide pass from Novak to tip the pick into the corner of the net, nabbing a 2-1 win for the Cosmonauts over the Wildcards.

Miller was absent from the ice as he continued to recover from his upper body injury.

“I’m just focusing on resting and letting my body heal,” says Miller from the Novyimir Medicenter, “there’s no point in rushing the recovery, the best I can do is take care of myself and provide some moral support for my crew!”

The Cosmonauts are doing well this round, having won 2 out of the 3 games so far. They will be travelling to Novyimir next week to take on the Moles on the 15th of Taurus.

Yanovna almost scores a hat trick, Khimik beats Cosmonauts 3-1 in Round 2

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Khimik takes the win in today’s in a 3-1 victory over the Cosmonauts. The two teams battled it out in Europa’s brand new rink in front of a sold-out audience.

Despite a strong offensive push by the Cosmonauts throughout the game, they were only able to get one shot past Khimik goalie, Veronica Danilenko.

Anna Fedin collected a loose puck that slipped past defenseman Rybar and put it high into the net to give Cosmonauts the lead in first period. That lead didn’t last long though.

Alex Yanovna stole the spotlight today with an unexpected play during a two-man advantage while the Cosmonauts were waiting out their double-penalty—scoring two consecutive goals in 4 minutes!

With Novak and Burien in the box and an extra Cosmonaut on the ice, Cosmonaut defender Rybar was able to slip down the left to feed a pass to Yanovna who fired a shot over Hansen’s shoulder

hundreds of fans look on today at europa's sold-out rink

“Alex really blew us away today,” says teammate, Ruslan Vasiliev, “even though he’s our captain, he usually takes a supporting role on the ice. But today he was so dynamic—I’d say he was the best player on the ice today.”

Yanovna flicked a wrist shot clean past Hansen’s left 4 minutes after his first goal.

Cosmonauts forward, Lawrence Miller, received medical attention today after an awkward landing sent him down hard at the end of first period. It’s uncertain exactly how extensive injuries to the 34-year-old Korolevian are, but medical staff have confirmed that his ribs have been fractured.

We can be sure that Miller will be out of the picture for a few weeks as he recovers.

Illya Hryc converted a play from the left circle into a goal-resulting breakaway, bringing the score to 3-1 for Khimik five minutes into second period.

Penalties were awarded to Andrej Petrovyh at 4:13 of the second period for cross checking to Ivan Vasiliev for highsticking at the end of the third period.

Cosmonauts were unable to take advantage of the penalty to close the gap in third period, closing game 2 of Exhibition Hockey Round 2 at Cosmonauts 1-Khimik-3.

Cosmonauts take the game in 2-1 win over Moles

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Despite losing to the Cosmonauts 2-1 today, today’s game tells you something about the Moles’ excellent defensive skill and strategy. Today’s game pitted the Cosmonauts against the Moles, who were playing a game at their new home rink in Marineris. The Moles were the champions of Round 1, having lost only a single game out of 6.

Anna Fedin of the Cosmonauts scored the first goal of the game at the 6 minute mark. Fedin burned past the Moles defenders and was able to intercept an errant pass by Okeke to snap a backhand into the left corner of the net.

“I’m glad to be back on the ice,” says Fedin of the Exhibition’s Round 2, “I’m excited that more rinks are being built and I hope to play in every settlement at least once!”

Katy fedin delivers a slapshot straight down center ice, brings the score to 2-0 for the wildcards

The first period also saw Vitalia Burian of the Cosmonauts sent to the penalty box not once, but twice! She was awarded a penalty for cross-checking a Moles defender during a scramble for the puck. And a second penalty for high-sticking

Bailey worked hard today defending the goal from the Cosmonauts, deflecting shots and snatching pucks as they pressed the attack relentlessly in the first and second period.

Katy Fedin brings the score to 2-0 for the Cosmonauts early in the second period. After fishing the puck out of scramble at mid-rink, the younger Fedin barreled down the center to slap the puck directly past Bailey’s glove.

The Moles’ first goal was scored by their new teammate, Aaron Bello. Previously of the Phantoms, the 31 year-old Marineris native had been added to the Moles as a forward.

Bello’s goal 13 minutes into the second period sent Moles’ fans into a frenzy as they cheered exuberantly.

Third period was a stalemate as the teams battled over control of the game. The Cosmonaut’s doggedly continued to press their attack while the Moles’ rebuffed each attempt.

“We were quite evenly matched out there tonight,” says the Moles Captain, “ but we played defensively for too long this game. We were able to shut down most of their plays, but we needed to get on the attack more.”

Third period wrapped up with no additional goals on either side and a final score of Cosmonauts 2, and Moles 1

Battle of Noviymir

Fredrik Mattila beats Cosmonaut Goaltender Marius Hansen late in the 3rd, closing the Moles first round exhibition with 5 wins and a single loss.

Noviymir fans were treated to a rare battle between the two Noviymir-based teams, with the Moles’ Fredrick Mattila delivering the difference as the Moles won 1 – 0 over the Cosmonauts.  

Mattila picked up the goal when he deflected Kara Okeke’s point shot past Cosmonauts’ goalie Marius Hansen at 13:47 of the 3rd period.

“We are are all out-of-colony guests for the program”, said Moles Captain Janice Campbell. "Noviymir has been a wonderful host to all of us, but the Cosmos are clearly the hometown team.”

In a tightly contested game between the Moles’ Campbell, Okeke, and Hall Trifecta, and the Cosmonaut’s Fedin Sisters, both teams battled hard. The Moles ran a tight team-oriented defence today, steering away 40 attempts, and limiting the Cosmonauts to just 13 direct shots at the net.

“They played solid defence as all of their players pitched in to shut us down,” said Anna Fedin. “Looking forward to facing them again and hopefully getting a different result”.

And it is likely both teams will meet again as they both qualify for the next exhibition stage.

This win propels the Moles to the top spot for the first exhibition season with a 5-1 record.

The Cosmonauts dropped to 3 - 3 for the season but good enough for third place.

There is speculation that the Moles will relocate to one of the target colonies for the stage 2 exhibition (experts are pegging Marineris as a likely choice as two players are native residents).  The two teams are developing the makings of a good rivalry which would be amplified  with the move.

Whether the prototype game can be a viable sport is still in question.

The first stage of exhibition games has shown some promise but with the exception of the Moles, Cosmonauts and the Wildcards (powered by the Magical Mateo Martinez), the skill level and athleticism of the other teams is significant problem .

The awkwardness and criticism of the first few games has diminished somewhat over the exhibition period. Whether this has diminished enough to generate the interest and more importantly the investment to propel ISMO to becoming a full-fledged league, remains to be seen.

While moving the Moles to Marineris would surely be a key step in accessing that market’s extensive resources to expand ISMO to the next level, it’s all about the on-ice product after all.

So here’s to strong reception in the next stage and the promise that something will germinate!

Cosmonauts Best the Wildcards

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Captains Marquez and Fedin face-off in a wildly satisfying contest that thrilled spectators.

The Cosmonauts rally back from their flop last week with a stronger offensive strategy to beat back the Wildcards 4-3.

Martinez scored 3 goals on his own for the Wildcards today and Arquette made 27 saves, but that wasn’t enough to bring the Wildcards out on top.

Captain Anna Fedin came out hot in the first period with Novak and Burien on her wings to whip past the stunned Wildcards and snap a goal past Arquette’s right pad at the 1:19 mark. Before the Wildcards were able to rally themselves, Fedin scored a second goal for the Cosmonauts.

“I had great support out there today, “ says Fedin of her teammates, “The Wildcards have a huge offense, with Martinez being such an elite scorer. So our strategy today was to hit early and to hit hard.”

A blazing backhand from Vitaliza Burien ended the first period with Cosmonauts-3, and Wildcards-0.

After the first period massacre, Martinez tried to rally. A tighter defense line from the Wildcards pushed the game into long swooping plays as both teams struggled for possession.

Wildcards finally nab their first goal of the game as Martinez broke through the Cosmonaut defenders to fire a lucky wrist shot that pinged the crossbar and down into the net.

Meyer chipped in a fourth goal for the Cosmonauts with a beautiful assist from Katy Fedin that took advantage of the rink’s sloped walls to bend a pass around the two Wildcards defensemen.

“The newness of ISMO hockey means that we’re constantly inventing new ways to play. New strategies to score. That was a nice one by the Cosmos today, “ said Wildcards Captain, Marquez, of today’s unexpected play.

Martinez claimed two more goals for the Wildcards in the third period, completely dominating the rink and continuing his burning streak of multi-goal games. He is currently the lead scorer in the league with 17 goals over a 4 game stretch.

“Martinez is definitely the star of the Wildcards. Heck, he’s the star of ISMO right now. But they [the Wildcards] can’t continue to lean on his scoring ability so heavily,” says commentators, “Everybody on the team’s gotta pull their weight.”

For the remainder of the third period, the Cosmonauts desperately battle the Wildcards to keep their lead and stall the efforts of Martinez. The Cosmonauts pull through the final moments to win the game 4-3.

This brings both the Wildcards and Cosmonauts to even ground with Khimik in the standings. Each with 3 wins and 2 losses so far. The Wildcards slip from first place in the overall standings with their loss today.

Khimik - Checkmate

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Today’s 2 to 0 Khimik win over the Cosmonauts resembled, in many ways, a tightly contested chess match. This should come as no surprise for the two heavily rostered Russian teams.
 
The game was peppered with shrewd moves, crafty counters, and secure defence, which prevented very few openings—not unlike the many chess-match games we saw during the MAFL season.
 
While ISMO hockey and MAFL Football are similar in their use of chess-like strategies and tactics to generate openings, the pace of the matches are a sharp contrast.  they vary quite significantly in pace of match.
 
MAFL football have more stop and go motion, leading to more broken plays and turnovers. ISMO hockey is more fluid and distinctive in its smoother puck movement, transitions and longer possessions.
 
The unbroken plays of ISMO hockey naturally leads to more scoring chances. This has created an ever-changing dynamic between the defenders and forwards as they support their goalies in protecting the net. Suffice to say, this interplay is becoming one of the most exciting and defining aspects of ISMO hockey.
In today’s match, Khimik goalie, Veronica Danilenko, was shielded from 21 of the 27 shots the Cosmonauts attempted, by the coordinated efforts of the Khimik forwards and defenders. The Cosmonauts were equally focused on protection as their defenders and forwards blocked 28 shots.

The focus on keeping their goalies fresh, has enabled players to be more involved in the play—frequently making passes to start an offensive rush, something not so common in MAFL yet.  
Today’s game was also light on penalties, quite unlike the MAFL matches we’ve grown used to.
Without the luxury of numbers, penalties mean a razor-thin margin of error for the offending team. 

For a tense two periods, there were no mistakes as both teams countered each other’s offence and kept the scores at nil. Not until the third period did an opportunity present itself.

Khimik #50, Ruslan Vasiliev score twice in the 3rd to beat Cosmonauts 2-0.

Four minutes after the start of the third period, Khimik forward, Ruslan Vasiliev’s shot deflected off the well-intended stick of Cosmonauts’ defender Katy Fedin, and into the net for the game’s first goal!
 
Three minutes of scrambling back and forth. And Vasiliev scores again!
 
In his second goal of the game, Vasiliev redirected a long pass from Petrovyh, to bounce the puck off the skate of Cosmonaut defender Vitalia Bruian, and past Cosmonaut goalie Marius Hansen.
 
“We had very few chances as their whole team played solid defence,” said Cosmonauts’ Anna Fedin. 
 
Khimik goes to 2 and 2 with this win while the Cosmonauts drop to 2 and 2 with their loss.
 

Lessons From Today's Match

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Sands Lack Hands

Their 4 – 0 loss to the Cosmonauts at Noviymir was the second time the Sands have been blanked this season. Overall, they’ve lost all three of their exhibition games games, and have been outscored 19 – 2; which includes their season debut bloodbath, a 9 - 0 loss to the Wildcards.

They’ve mustered up a paltry 37 shots in total for all three games – the lowest of all the teams.

“Their players look like they have hands of stone out there”, said one fan after the game.

Sands’ Captain Mitchell Cruz was unable to dispute the fan’s assessment of their play.  “Things just aren't clicking for it yet,” said Cruz, “But we won't give up.  Even though this is an exhibition, we really want to give the new fans a good show.”

Some are wondering if the team’s poor play can actually be attributed to bad planning on the part of ISMO.  With all the teams assembled by the organization over the last 8 months, the exhibition teams represented the 'best' from the 15 teams in the program.  The Sands may be better than the teams that didn't make it, but simply be uncompetitive in this pool.

Blood Thicker Than Water

Meanwhile, Cosmonauts Captain Anna Fedin and her sister Kate may represent the future for the sport.

“We have photos of us skating when we were little back on Earth,” said Anna Fedin, the older of the two sisters. “According to our parents, we loved it.” 

Even though they haven't done it for years prior to signing up to the ISMO training camp, both women have a strong affinity for skating.  According to Dr. Elisna Katrine, a member of the ISMO training program, "Both Fedins are highly receptive to induction techniques, so are expected to continue to improve at an accelerated rate."

Their skating ability has, no doubt contributed to their early success.  Anna debuted the season with a hat trick that led the way to a 4-1 win over the Phantoms. She leads the team in points with 4 goals where Katy has 1 goal and 4 assists.  
 
“We are just having fun out there,” said Anna. “Happy that ISMO has given us a stage to play on.”
 

More Space, More Skills, More Speed.

The prototype rinks of ISMO are giving the players a spacious canvas to push their athletic artistry.
 
“All that open ice makes a difference”, said Katy Fedin. “It seems like night and day when compared to the footage of Earth hockey we've studied . I'm not sure that game would even work under our conditions here.  If you have the speed and stick handling skills to control the puck, there are lots of scoring opportunities as odd-person situations happen more frequently.”
 
This was clearly demonstrated in the Cosmonauts 4-0 win as they frequently ran well-timed and well-executed line changes which are paramount in 3-on-3 play. On the flip side, poor execution plagued the Sands throughout the match leading to many an odd-person rush for the Cosmonauts who converted for a few goals.
 
Speed plays an important role in all aspects of the 3-on-3 game. The Cosmonauts have the edge in this aspect, chasing down the Sands and steal control on multiple occasions. 

Less obvious, but just as important is the mental speed of the players and the team. Having this speed allows individuals to make snap decisions on an almost instinctual level, and allows the entire team to alter their point of attack or defense on the drop of a pin.

Defenders as Goalies, Goalies as Playmakers

Marius Hansen, Cosmonaut Goaltender.

“Smaller teams means more flexible roles.” This fact is quickly becoming the maxim, especially in the interplay between goalies and defenders.
 
Teams have already begun to incorporate their goalies into hybrid roles. And those with superior puck handling skills will help their offence either through a breakout pass or as the receiver of a pass when the team needs to regroup or make a line change.
 
In today’s match, both goalies lead their respective teams in passing: Priya Christense with 7 passes (Sands) and Marius Hansen (Cosmonauts) with 8. Overall, 60% of the exhibition games played so far have seen a defender block more shots than the goalie, while goalies have led their respective teams in passing in 50% of games so far.

This is definitely something to keep an eye out for as the team strategies evolve and mature throughout the season.

“I don’t want to just lead my team in passing, I want to lead in scoring,” joked Hansen. “Before this season is over, I’m going to score a goal”. With the breakout play of ISMO so far, Hansen’s playful proclamation could easily become a reality.

ISMO Hockey Roundup

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Fredrick Mattila, of the Moles.

ISMO concluded their first ambitious weekend of ice hockey in the 3 Northern settlements.  With each matchup a 'double header' seeing the paired teams repeat play on Saturni and Solis, the games delivered a taste for the new sport.

The small seating capacity at the prototype rinks ensured a sell-out crowd for the opening weekend.  Largely reserved for media, partners friends, and family, the audiences were enthusiastic and generally encouraging toward the amateur players.

Mareotis

The Cosmonauts delivered a convincing win over the Phantoms in game 1 at Mareotis.  Despite outshooting the Cosmonauts 30 to 20, the Phantoms were only able to beat goaltender Marius Hansen once after a wild scramble in front of the net allowing #75 Peter Lehmann to sneak the puck past him. 

Otherwise, the game was almost entirely carried on the shoulders of Anna Fedin, captain of the Cosmonauts, who netted a hat-trick and an assist.  Vitalia Burian also scored late in the 3rd period to make it a 4-1 game.

Early in game 2, it looked as though the Cosmonauts would repeat the prior day's victory. Goals by Anna Fedin and Yaro Novak allowed them to take an early lead.

The Phantoms held the Cosmonauts off during the 2nd period and closed the gap to 1 after a point shot by Jonathan Moore beat Hansen.

Phantom defenceman Alex Gaumond got the equalizer in the 1st minute of the 3rd period.   

The go-ahead goal came after Peter Lehmann was fed on the wing by Gaumond and snapping a powerful shot Hansen's open side.

Lehmann would add an insurance goal 6 minutes later, ending the game 4-2.

"It was a great start," said Anna Fedin who had a total of 4 goals over the two games, "It is an entirely different game compared with practise games.  We would have liked to sweep the series, but we are not disappointed in our performance as a team."

Noviymir

It was a sleepy start in Noviymir as the Moles and Khimik fumbled for much of game 1.  In fact, both teams looked rather scared at the onset.  There were long stretches of slow, aimless passing mixed in with other cringe-worthy moments.

The first goal by Ruslan Vasiliev in the 2nd period wasn't pretty.  He fanned his shot, slipped, fell, and yet somehow unintentionally got the puck passed Moles goaltender Sam Bailey. 

The following goal by defenceman Andrej Petrovyh was more convincing.  A wrist shot up as Bailey went down gave Khimik a 2-0 lead.

The Moles would eventually get one back in the final minutes of the 2nd period, ending the match with a 2-1 score.

Fortunately for the spectators, the pace of game 2 did not resemble the awkward and sluggish play of the opening game.  

According to Janice Campbell, captain of the Moles, "We psyched ourselves out and, as as result, it wasn't the game we wanted to play.  Today, we promised to play for ourselves and it made a huge difference."

Through much of the game, the Moles were in lock-step with Khimik.  Fredrick Mattila would counter goals by Alex Yanovna and Ruslan Vasiliev to earn a hat-trick and end regular time at 3-3. 

It would be Campbell to score 6 minutes into overtime for the Moles win 4-3.

Korolev

Unlike the Noviymir games, the Sands were heavily outmatched against the Wildcards as they played at the K-rink. Mateo Martinez singled handed scored 11 goals, 7 on Saturni and 4 more on Solis.  

"We were obviously outclassed by the Wildcards," said Sands captain, Mitchell Cruz, "I think we are all new at this, so we'll take this as a learning experience and come back harder next week.

After this weekend's display, the Sands have an obvious skill deficit.  The 5 week round-robin schedule is unlikely to provide the adequate time to further development of skills or team chemistry, so the Sands may endure further humiliation before the exhibition series is complete.

Next Week

Starting next weekend, teams will play just one match a piece.  

Moles will face the Wildcards in Mareotis; Sands will visit Noviymir to take on the Cosmonauts; and the Phantoms will make the trek to tackle Khimik.