MAHLEN Struggles to Begin

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The much anticipated amateur hockey league, MAHLEN, has had a difficult go at getting started. Of the chapters that have signed on, only 2 colonies, Marineris and Wendland, have been able to form teams, secure the facilities and actually play the game.

The Marineris chapter of MAHLEN has 3 active teams with a 4th expected to come online before the Christmas holidays.

“It hasn’t been easy figuring things out as the founding members still haven’t finalized the details on intracolony activites.”, says Cab Leonard, of the Europa Chapter, “On our end, we are frustrated because we have the equipment and rink, but haven’t been able to make schedules work, so we’re still reshuffling teams.”

Leonard also admits that Aero Football has been a major distraction, as they haven’t been able to reach quorum in their weekend meetings to make necessary decisions.

For obvious reasons, Marineris hasn’t had the same problem. With the Comets out of contention, even practice games are drawing in local spectators.

Sam Baily, former goaltender of the ISMO Moles, now plays for the Shooting Stars. Happy to be between the pipes again, he shows little concern over the slow start to an official season.

“We are getting out on the ice and getting to play with the Orbiters and yet to be named Canadian team," he says, “I didn’t think we’d have a chance to play again after ISMO disbanded us, so what more can I ask for? “

The rest of the Moles haven’t been fairing as well. Janice Campbell, who has been instrumental in building MAHLEN has reincarnated the Moles club in San Olympus, but with only 1 team so far, they are still in a mode of teaching people to skate.

Novyimir and Korolev have opted out of MALHEN entirely and has, instead, booted up their own Russian Hockey Association. Boasting a total of 10 teams between the two colonies.

So, even though Hockey has been able to stay alive post ISMO, it’s going to be restricted to local colony activities in the near future.

Going Nowhere Fast

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Now that the final adrenaline rush for ISMO hockey has come to an close, little is actually known of what is in store for the experimental sport.   

Beyond the drama prior to the championship series, ISMO has been tight lipped regarding next steps, only announcing the training program and exhibition to be a 'success'. With all of the test players now released from their temporary contracts, it is unclear what, if anything, will come of the skills they have developed over the last several months.  And without any follow-up plans for the 75 test players, what does ISMO have to build on?

Vicki Li and Laura Hall clear out their personal effects from their Europa locker room.  Their hockey future is unknown as they return to their respective colonies, San Olympus and Chariton. An emotional Li vows that they will play together again.

Despite a rough start in the first round of exhibitions and the amateur quality of play due to inexperienced players, the sport did capture the imagination of fans.  With no follow through, however, even the initial participating colonies are skeptical that ISMO have the capability of forming a league anytime soon.

"It's a shame," according to Marp Unigeny, a planner at Europa, "We were ready to talk about the future possibilities of hockey, but there isn't a lot of faith in the Ice Sport Organization from a business partner perspective."

Many, including Mr. Unigeny, think this is a byproduct of the 'trust-fund' start-ups and non-profits that come and go across the colonies.  The challenge for the significant ultra-wealthy segment of population is, there's little they can spend on, limited local investment options, and it is incredibly difficult to influence colony policies.

Sports have become a new investment option and play-thing that, it turns out, not only is it proving to be a viable venture, but a back door to shaping Mars culturally, making it that much more enticing for would-be entrepreneurs and investors.

It may not be entirely fair to question the motives of ISMO president, Fredrick Seulovik, and others like him, as their contribution to Martian sports cannot dismissed.  What Seulovik lacks, however, is commitment.  With no outlook for a next stage, no indications on upcoming seasons or exhibitions, the momentum is sure to evaporate.  It's fine for ISMO to concentrate their efforts on research and development and leave it to others to find a way to make it work.  There is nothing wrong with others shepherding the ice sport experiments and take it to the next level. As we've seen with the hockey finals, perhaps it will be the players themselves that will take up the mantle.

After getting our first appetizer of Martian Hockey, we have to accept that there isn't a main course, at least, not yet.  With that said, we all know that things can happen very quickly here on Mars, so anything is possible.

Until then, we can rest assured that Martian Aero Football is sticking and just around the corner with a season 2.

Sands Bite The Dust, Again

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It’s been a tough exhibition for the Sands so far as they’ve been shut out of almost every game they’ve played so far. They were not able to break the losing streak today. In fact, they were utterly crushed by the Moles 4 to 0.

It is becoming obvious that poor planning on ISMO’s part has entered a team into the exhibition that is way out their league (so to speak). The Sands just have not been remotely competitive and that has got to be demoralizing.

Half way through the exhibition schedule, Sands can't catch a break losing their 4th in a row.  Right-to-Left: Mitchell Cruz (Captain/Defenceman), Priya Christensen (Goaltender) and Jessie Andersen  (Forward)

“We’re trying our best out there, but something is just not coming together,” says Sands captain, Mitchell Cruz.

The Moles were extremely aggressive today and clearly stunned the hapless Sands.  The Moles earned a total of 5 penalties by the end of the game. 5 minutes into the game, Vicky Li was sent to the box for  highsticking. Not 30 seconds after, Campbell was penalized for cross-checking a Sands defender while scrambling for the puck.

Even a 2-player advantage of a minute and a half, was not enough to give the Sands the break they needed to score a goal. The Moles played a tight defense to kill the penalty—with forward Bryan Taylor sticking close to the net to protect Sam Bailey from the barrage of shots coming from the Sands.

Hall was swapped in for Campbell while she waited out her penalty.

The Moles aggressive strategy was evident in the stats. They kept the pressure on the poor Sands the whole game, leading to twice as many scoring chances as the Sands.

“We came out hot,” said Campbell of the Mole’s performance today, “we never got over confident, and we kept the heat and pressure on them for the entire game.”

Moles forward Vicky Li gets a little air in front of the Sands box.  Li had 2 goals in the game. 

An early breakaway by Taylor got him past the Sands defense line as he scored the first goal of the game at 1:50 minutes into second period. Taylor’s goal would be followed by a beautiful shot by Vicky Li as she swooped around behind the net and tipped the puck right past Christensen’s left skate. 

The third period would be sung to a similar tune as Campbell broke away from the pack and charged Sand’s goalie down the mid-right, and faking a shot before firing it true to the top-right corner of the net. With 5 minutes to spare, Vicky Li scored her second goal to bring the final score to 4-0. 

Sand’s forward, Jessie Andersen, made a valiant effort today—intercepting and breaking the Mole’s plays multiple times today. But she just was not able to hang on the puck long enough to make a difference.

Spirits were low in the Sands locker room after the game as players were largely silent after their fourth defeat. 

“I know this is just an exhibition game,” says Andersen, “ but it still smarts, you know? I mean, no one likes losing.”

Today’s win puts the Moles at 3-1 while the Sands remain at 0-4