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.

Moles claim the championship!

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Vicky Li once again scored the deciding goal to wrap up the final game of ISMO’s exhibition hockey with a definitive win for the Moles!

The 19 year-old San Olympian fired off the winning goal in overtime after scooping up a stray puck and taking a slapshot from the left circle. The puck ripped by an unprepared Arquette as he belatedly reached to stop it.

“I never would have imagined that I would get this chance!”, exclaimed Li, “I’m thankful to ISMO for bringing us together to experience this incredible game. I’m not entirely sure how to return to normal live on Mars after this.”

The energy from from the fans for the final game in the special championship series was palpable. Fans exploded in cheers from the very start as the players skated down the ramps onto the ice.

The game swung in the Wildcards favor early on, with Marquez converting a backhanded pass from Halvorsen into a goal high into the right corner of the Moles’ net. Moles forwards, Mattila and Bello really put the pressure on the Wildcards tonight as they kept a strong offensive and multiple attempts on the goal.

The Wildcards retaliated by getting physical.

Not long into second period, Phan was penalized for cross-checking after being clipped by Mattila in a scramble for the puck. Within a minute of Phan getting back on the ice, Lehmann took his place in the penalty box for hooking.

Arquette was able to fend off the Moles power plays, making 9 stops over the back-to-back penalties.

“She’s been our rock over all these games,” says defenceman, Brandon Phan, “She held on and kept us in the game even when we weren’t pulling our weight.”

The Moles pour onto the ice to celebrate after Li's winning goal.

The Wildcards, however, couldn’t hold on for the distance.

Taylor was able to finally break through the Wildcard defense and swoop around the back of the net to tip the puck into the goal right at the end of the 3rd period with less than 3 minutes remaining.

“We almost didn’t make it,” grins Taylor after the game, “a hair slower or if the puck missed, that could have been the end for us. It was too close for comfort.”

The Moles returned to the ice for overtime, determined to make up for the first two periods. Moles captain Campbell was pulled from play for tripping and the defense put on a spectacular play as the Hall and Li guarded their house.

At 6 minutes into overtime, Li put her speed to good use as she flew wide around the ramp to gain control of a loose puck and fire it into the net. The entire stadium erupted into a frenzy of cheering as Li’s exuberant teammates poured onto the ice to celebrate the victory.

“This is a groundbreaking moment for Martian history,” said Seulovik, “The desire for sports and recreation on Mars is not just growing, it’s flourishing. ISMO is going to continue with the mission to foster and drive the evolution of sport on Mars.  I almost made the biggest mistake by not supporting the players on their request for a championship match. This incredible series was because of their passion.”

Wildcards strike back!

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In another edge-of-your-seat game, the Wildcards and Moles proved they were worthy adversaries.  Playing to a full house with over 1,200 spectators, it was do or die for the Wildcards as the Moles were hunting for the series sweep after yesterday’s shutout victory in overtime.

2 minutes into the game, the Wildcards had a scare as Kara Okeke plowed into the Wildcard net after a rush, taking down Jules Arquette, the goaltender. Okeke was sent to the box, but for a few moments, Arquette seemed down for the count.  An ISMO medic came on the ice to examine Arquette and, fortunately, giving her the thumbs up to stay in the game. Without a strong back-up player capable of playing goal, the Wildcards averted what could have signaled a quick end to their championship intentions.

Arquette was tested immediately after with a blistering shot from Fredrick Mattila, followed by a dangerous rebound shot by Captain Janice Campbell on the opposite angle.  Arquette prevailed.

This game was, indeed, a battle of the goaltenders.  Despite the aggressive play and numerous scoring chances, both Bailey and  Arquette locked the doors, fending off 15 shots-on-goals apiece over the 3 periods.

The game was to be decided in overtime.

While both teams were evenly matched during regulation play, the Wildcards must have had an epic pep talk over the 5 minute intermission because they absolutely exploded onto the ice.  They controlled possession of the puck forcing the Moles on defence, holding them to only one shot on goal before Okeke was sent to the penalty box for tripping 12 minutes into overtime.

lehmann converts a pass from phan into the winning goal

With the advantage, the Wildcards seized their moment.  After winning the faceoff in the Moles’ zone, the Wildcards sent a volley of shots at Bailey, whose luck eventually ran out. Brandon Phan looped along the left ramp, faked a shot that sent Bailey the wrong way, and connected a cross ice pass to Peter Lehmann who easily tipped it into the wide open net.

Lehmann, a Chariton resident originally from Germany,  said, “I felt like I was playing to a home crowd. I love this colony for making this series possible. I want to thank everyone who supported us, even when it looked like the season was over. Bring on game 3!”

The Wildcard win extends the series to a third game to decide the championship.  As an ‘unofficial’ final to the ISMO exhibition tournament, there won’t be a trophy or cup at stake, though you would hardly notice with the passion and intensity radiating from the teams and fans.

“This is the best thing to happen to ISMO,” said a fan, “This is the first time the games felt like they were for the people instead of a lab experiment on the voluntary players.”

The deciding game will be played next Saturni on Rishabha the 21st.

Moles hit hard to take first win against Wildcards

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The Moles and the Wildcards made history on Mars tonight playing the first match of the Martian Hockey finals!

It’s been hours since Vicky Li of the Moles smashed the puck into the right-corner of the net to win the game 1-0 for the Moles. But Europa is still abuzz with triumphant Moles’ fans and dejected supporters of the Wildcards.

The rink was packed to the roof tonight as the Moles and Wildcards faced off for the first game of the playoffs, where the champion will be decided by a best-of-3 series. Europa officials have coordinated with ISMO organizers to host up to three games as a finale to cap off the 12 weeks of exhibition games.

“ISMO is definitely milking this for all it’s worth, but who wouldn’t? I’m just glad I got a ticket to the second game!” said one excited fan.

vicky li of the moles celebrates after scoring the winning goal in overtime

Game 1 of the finale was a tense, drawn-out affair as the three regulation periods flew by without a single goal scored.

Samuel Marquez of the Wildcards made several breakaways down the ice, but each attempt was thwarted by Moles’ goalie Sam Bailey. Both goalies, Bailey and Arquette were on fire tonight as they shuffled, dived, and snatched pucks out of the air to defend their nets.

Moles forward, Bryan Taylor was sent to the box twice in second period for cross-checking. Vicky Li and Laura Hall really dominated as they took complete control of their zone to kill the two consecutive penalties. The dynamic duo played a tight defense—shutting down attempts by Harris and Lindberg to rush their offense during their powerplays.

“The Moles really wore us down physically. No one was injured, but when you’re taking multiple hits every period, it starts to show,” said Lindberg of the Wildcards.

Even so, the Wildcards gave a good as they got, with Lehmann and Lindberg hitting back hard during the longest overtime of ISMO’s history.

Unfortunately, the Wildcards were not able to kill their penalties as effectively as the Moles. With almost 4 minutes of powerplay in overtime, the Moles were able to wear down the Wildcard’s defense.

The one-man-advantage allowed Vicky Li to breakaway from the defense and slip the puck right between Halvorsen’s legs before flipping the puck past Arquette’s shoulder into the net for the deciding goal.

With game 1 of the finale wrapped-up, the results will be determined tomorrow. Should the Moles be able to snag another victory, the title of ‘champion’ will be theirs for the taking.

Game on! ISMO approves official playoffs in Europa

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ISMO officials have released a statement early today recanting their original decision not to support a finale to tie-break the Wildcards and Moles after the 2nd round of exhibition hockey.

“We value the support fans have shown since ISMO launched this series of exhibition hockey games,” read the official announcement released by ISMO CEO, Seulovik. “We are proud of the community that we have built. And as a sign of respect for our fans and athletes, we will officially participate with a play-off match between the two leaders from Round 2.”

Though this is great news, allowing the players to officially play with the actual team names and regulation equipment owned by ISMO, it is an equally awkward predicament.  The unsanctioned match was already going to happen with or without ISMO's involvement.  Donations from fans had already covered costs for producing equipment and uniforms.  The teams had already come up with alternative team names to avoid copyright infringement. 

When asked about the development, Janice Campbell of the Moles said, “It is a step in the right direction for ISMO. The success of Martian Ice Hockey is dependent on the athletes and the fans after all. They shouldn’t forget that.”

Regardless of whether ISMO was genuinely acquiescing to their fans or not, it was the only move to save face. Seulovik’s original decision had painted him as a “party-pooper”, so this change in heart is a not-too-subtle effort to salvage his own image.  In many ways, the damage has already been done and closing the rift may not come easy.  Europa organizers are said to be 'deflated' as they preferred to run the event independent of ISMO.

Politics aside, this upcoming game is going to be an all-stops-pulled out one-nighter of an event! The match was planned by the respective teams and Europa officials for Rishabha 14.  It has been confirmed that this date will not change with the sudden involvement of ISMO.

To accommodate the massive number of fans, the game will be broadcast live across the settlements, but that won’t stop fans from travelling to Europa to participate in the excitement first-hand. 

“We are expecting a sharp spike in the number of inhabitants we will need to sustain during this time,” explains Europa officials, “We’ll be diverting resources leading up to the event to make sure that we’ll have enough capacity up to 3 days.”

In Europa, public spectator-spaces will include the: The Daedelus Sports Hall, Schiaperelli Centre, Greeley’s and The Dusty Pig. So if you’re planning to be in Europa for the game, these are the places to be!

Ice time at Europa Rink has been equally divided and both teams will be training hard this week as they prepare for their face-off. 

“We’re going to bring everything we’ve got. We’re going to train hard, stay focused, and go for the win,” says Samuel Marquez, captain of the Wildcards.

Moles and Wildcards plan to face-off in Europa

Marquez of the Wilcards and Campbell of the Moles, both attempted to secure a final face-off for their teams.

Earlier this week, team captains, Janice Campbell and Samuel Marquez, failed in their attempt to petition ISMO for a special winner-takes-all match between their respective teams, the Moles and Wildcards.

According to Fredrick Seulovik, president of the RD organization, “The rules of the exhibition and the training program were clear when they signed up. I appreciate the enthusiasm, but this phase is complete and we will not endorse an unsanctioned game that uses our brands, equipment, or facilities.”

“They introduced us to something we love to play!” said Campbell, “I think we owe it to the game, and the fans, to have a definitive closure to the exhibition and not just points on a leaderboard.”

With ISMO’s outright refusal to allow the match, you’d think this would stop it in its tracks. However, nothing bars the teams from playing the sport on their own free time.  

They just can’t do it with anything owned by ISMO.  

It is relatively straightforward to have equipment manufactured, so long as it doesn’t infringe on any of ISMO’s particular patents, so the real barrier is accessing a rink and as fate would have it a back door presented itself.

The temporary rinks that were built in Marineris, Europa and Wendland are not official property of ISMO. Although, the Mariners and Wendland facilities have already been dismantled, the ice in Europa is still installed in Hangar Bay 16.

Barring any complications, the teams plan on traveling to Europa next weekend to have a winner-takes-all unofficial match.  Even though they are paying out of their own pockets, everyone is excited for this opportunity.

“You bet we’re going all in,” says Wildcards goalie, Arquette, “even though we’ll need to cover the cost of our own equipment. It’s worth it!”

For Europa, this may be the hometown game they had hope for, but just didn’t get from their adopted Khimik team.

Word of the unofficial match has been spreading like wildfire amongst hockey fans. After the initial chaos, Europa officials implemented a lottery system to release tickets. There’s been no word so far on where the money will be going—but some fans have suggested diverting some of the ticket sales toward covering the cost of manufacturing new equipment.

“I can’t wait for this!” says a lucky fan after snagging on of the coveted tickets, “I’ve been following hockey since it started in Korolev and I’m so happy to see it take on a life of its own!”

If this were a marketing ploy masterminded by Seulovik, it would be a testament to his brilliance, but sadly this really looks like they’ve taken the eye off the puck on this one.

Moles move into first place tie with Wildcards

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The Moles disposed of Khimik 3 – 0 led by Kara Okeke’s 2 assists and a goal and another Sam Bailey shutout.

For Bailey, it was another brilliant day, as he made 14 saves to record his third shutout in six exhibition games in the second round.

For Okeke, who is mostly known for her defence, it was her best offensive game of the season.

“As the exhibition round progressed, I felt more comfortable in taking more chances in leading the rush and being creative on the offensive,” said the 23-year-old San Olympian.

And that she did as she opened up scoring in the second period with an end to end rush that drew two defenders her way before she deftly dropped the puck to a trailing Aaron Bello who snapped a shot past Khimik goalie Veronica Danilenko.

Just four minutes later, Okeke led another rush down the ice, waited for a few teammates to screen Danilenko, before slapping a shot from the point past a blinded Danilenko to make the score 2 – 0.

In the third period, Okeke played a little give and go with teammate Bryan Taylor who slid the puck between Danilenko’s legs to ice the game 3 – 0.

With the win, the Moles moved into a first place tie with the Wildcards to end the second round of exhibition for ISMO hockey. Both the Wildcards and Moles ended with a 4 – 2 record.

“I’m not sure what happens next but it would be nice to see if we could have a tiebreaker to see who the top team really is,” said Moles Captain Janice Campbell. “I believe we were both the best teams in round 1 and round 2 so I think the fans deserve a definitive champion.”

In his address to the media afterwards, ISMO President Fredrick Seulovik was a bit coy on a potential final match.

“I’ll talk to each of the teams and colonies to see where we go from here but based on the positive feedback we’ve been getting so far, I believe exhibition hockey has been a success. Overall, we’re pleased with the participation.”

However, when asked about the format complaints Khimik issued to ISMO about the Europa colony, Seulovik responded, “We’ll take a look into that and talk with both parties. Lots of lessons learned in this exhibition, but overall the needle is pointing upwards.

For Khimik, that needle was pointing straight back to Korolev as players immediately left after the game.  In a prepared media statement, Khimik expressed discontent with the Exhibition format, “We never should have left Korolev. As the pioneers of hockey, it was a mistake for us to leave such a supportive colony for one that was indifferent.”

Wildcards defeat Moles 2-1 as fans speculate about the possibility of playoffs

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The last time the Wildcards and Moles met at Wendland, the Wildcards were defeated by a hair with an overtime goal. Today they returned the favour, besting the Moles in overtime as they battled in Marineris.

The turnout in Marineris was magnificent and the fans were enthusiastic as the Moles played in their host stadium.

Vicky Li and Laura Hall moved together like freshly-oiled clockwork today—swooping across ice to defend the goal against the Wildcard’s attempts.

Too bad it wasn’t enough to keep them at bay. Tia Halvorsen smashed the puck from the left circle straight to the back of the net in the last 3 minutes of first period.

“I just had that perfect opening,” says Halvorsen, “ And I knew this was my opportunity.” The 26-year-old defender is one of the speediest skaters on the team, making her a defensive force to be reckoned with. Today she leveraged that speed to break away down to the ice after stripping the puck off Mattila.

Taylor tied up the game 1-1 in third period by tipping the puck into the net after fishing it out of a scramble.

Marquez celebrates the winning overtime goal as the WIldcards defeat the Moles 2-1.

As the second round of exhibition is drawing to a close, teams are eager to face off against each other. But as of publication, there has been no talks of an official playoff, nor any announcement concerning the future of ISMO hockey exhibition games. Fans and players alike have been kept in the dark about what will be happening once the final games of Round 2 are played on Rishabha 1.

“ISMO should be more transparent. It’s only fair to the fans and the players—we all love hockey and would definitely support them even if they’re going through rough patches.” says Gideron Sanderman, an avid hockey fan and Wildcards supporter, “We just want to know what’s going on!”

This isn’t the first time ISMO has been criticized for their organizational gaffs. In Round 1, poor team management and player distribution led to wildly uneven games.

Hockey fans have not been dissuaded by the lack of organization, as every game in Round 2 has been sold out across Mars. Despite what the future of hockey might be, the fans lived completely in the moment tonight as Marquez fired a backhand in overtime that deflected high off of Bailey’s kneepads to tip the victory straight into the Wildcard’s pocket.

This ties up the Moles, Wildcards, and Cosmonauts each at 3 wins and 2 losses apiece. A look at the points standings show that the Moles are ahead slightly with a 2 point lead over the Cosmonauts.

Teams are evenly matched so far and this demands some kind of resolution. Both fans and players alike are clamouring for a final face-off between the top 2 teams. Will ISMO reveal a hidden playoff at the last minute? We can only wait and see.

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.

Moles shut down Khimik 2-0 at Marineris

Playing in front of their home crowd at Marineris, the Moles provided a balanced attack that blanked Khimik 2 – 0 and moved the Moles to the top of the standings alongside the Cosmonauts.

Despite Khimik having more scoring chances, goalie Sam Bailey was lights out again making 17 saves to record the shutout.  It was his first of the second exhibition round and so far in three matches, Bailey has a sparking goals against average (GAA) of 1.00.

“Bailey is our rock”, said Moles Captain Janice Campbell. “He led the first round with 3 shutouts, so we’re no stranger to his brilliance.”

Asked if he had extra motivation to shine in front of his home colony, Bailey replied, “Actually, I was a bit nervous in the home opener when we lost to the Cosmonauts. So this time, I was able to relax and just play my game. Also props to my teammates for their solid defense once again.”  

sam bailey snatches for a puck as he guards the net for the moles.

That defense was anchored by Kara Okeke, Vicky Li and Laura Hall as they fore-checked, trapped, and steered away a number of Khimik chances to support Bailey’s shutout.

The first goal of the game occurred at 7:28 of the first period as Hall drew two defenders her way and then spun around with a backhanded pass down towards a streaking Campbell for the breakaway. Campbell deked left and then shot right as goalie Veronica Danilenko was caught off guard.  

1 – 0 Moles.

The follow-up was delivered in the second period at 9:40 as Hall skated behind the Khimik net drawing attention from the defenders and then throwing it in front to a ready Campbell who fired the puck past Danilenko.

Moles 2 – Khimik 0.

And with a comfortable lead heading into the third period, the Moles, again, pulled together a brilliant defense to frustrate a pressing Khimik into three straight penalties. Khimik was forced to exhaust all their energy killing the penalties, leaving little else for offensive plays.

“Laura just makes it so easy for me. It’s like she has eyes in the back of her head,” said Campbell. “From her to Bailey’s brilliance to our defenders’ strong play, I’m really proud of everyone’s overall effort. Now we need to bring that against the Cosmonauts next week.”

And it was the Cosmonauts who handed the Moles their only loss in this second exhibition round – in Marineris no less!  Will the Fedin sisters shine again in their home rink at Noviymir? Or will the Dynamic Duo of Hall and Campbell prevail? We’ll find out next week.

Rivalry Renewed. Moles beat out Wildcards 2-1

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The best two teams in Round 1 faced-off today.

The Moles with 5 wins mostly thanks to the powerhouse that was Fredrick Mattila (with 9 goals), and the strong team chemistry led by the San Olympus female trifecta: Janice Campbell, Kara Okeke, and Vicky Li.

Right on their tails, are the Wildcards with 4 wins. Their success was largely powered by the oneman goal-machine, Martinez, who scored a mind-blowing 17 goals in the first exhibition round! That’s double that of his nearest competition – Fredrick Mattila of the Moles.  

“I’ve had this date circled for a while”, said Martinez leading up to this match. “Payback is coming. We’re ready for them”

In this highly anticipated rematch of the two powerhouses, the sold out Wendland crowd was treated to a tense and tightly contested battle with the Moles narrowly edging out the Wildcards in a thrilling 2 to 1 overtime win.

Goalie Sam Bailey was brilliant with 17 saves today. Defenders Kara Okeke and Laura Hall provided the rest as they tag-teamed the defense.

“It’s like they had three goalies out there,” said Wildcards Captain Samuel Marquez.  

martinez's breakaway play down the ice with vicky li in hot pursuit

A loose puck that deflected from the net by Arquette lead to a mad scramble for possession in front of the Wildcard’s net. Laura Hall was able to fish out the puck and rip it into the top corner to give the Moles the lead.

The Moles held on to the lead with air-tight defence. Constantly frustrating the Wildcards’ offensive attempts until Martinez finally broke through after 2 minutes into third period.

Martinez was able to drive in from the red line towards the net, dragging the Moles defender Vicky Li the whole way, as he froze Bailey for a slight moment before firing over Bailey’s outstretched glove to tie up the score.

Moles defenders stayed on top of Martinez for the remainder of the period—he was constantly forchecked by multiple players and what few shots he was able to get off were easily overturned.
As the game spilled into overtime, anticipation rose as both teams battled through quick-fire offensives and plays.

Vicky Li of the Moles was penalized for highsticking, giving the Wildcards a one-man advantage

A Marquez to Martinez one timer almost sent fans home but the shot clanged off the post wide.

The Moles were slapped with their own penalties after Harris was called for tripping Mattila at 7:23 of OT and poor Martinez was taken down by a forceful check from Li again at 11:09.

With seconds remaining in the power play, Martinez rushed the Wildcard net and was met by a stiff set of elbows from defender Kara Okeke. No penalty called.

“That was clearly roughhousing!” explodes Martinez after the match, “I can’t believe the ref didn’t call that.”

With Li exiting the penalty box, Wildcard defender Tia Halvorsen was trapped in an odd person rush. Campbell was able to streak pass Halvorsen after faking her out—and deftly flip the puck over Arquette’s shoulder to claim the game for the Moles!

With the win, both teams joined the entire league at being tied at 1-1 in the standings.

Will the Moles build on this win and streak to dominance as they did in the first exhibition round?  Will the Wildcards recover with Martinez rediscovering his magical scoring touch?

Stay tuned. For now, circle Taurus 22 on your calendar – the rematch at Marineris.







 

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!

Moles Chemistry

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The girls from San Olympus – Moles captain Janice-Campbell (centre) with defensemen Vicky Li and Kara Okeke by her side.

The Moles' Machine continued to hum along smoothly with a convincing 3 - 0 victory over the Phantoms at Noviymir. 

With the win, the Moles moved into sole possession of 1st place with a 4-1 record while The Phantoms dropped to 1-4.  With yesterday's ISMO announcement of a 2nd stage exhibition featuring the top 4 teams, the Phantoms now face elimination while the Moles have earned their spot in the play-off-like exhibition round.

"I know this is a cliché but we just have to focus on one game at a time", said Captain Janice Campbell. 

And that focus has helped turn the Moles into one of the most compelling teams of this experimental game.  That and the strong chemistry among the players, especially with Vicky Li, Kara Okeke, and Janice Campbell who developed their bond in recreational field hockey in San Olympus well before ISMO. 

Their familiarity was evident in the 1st goal.

Li drew the attention of two Phantoms before sneaking a stretch pass to Campbell who raced into the zone, waited until Phantom goaltender Vivien Lewis moved in front of the puck before ripping a snapshot past her to open up scoring. 

"It's like we can read each other's minds", said Li afterwards. 

In addition to the overall team chemistry, could their success also be attributed to the fact the team carries more women than men? 

"I don't know", said Campbell. "Last I checked, our goalie and lead scorer are guys.  Everybody plays their part." 

Indeed, Sam Bailey earned his 2nd shutout with 15 saves and Fredrick Mattila netted two goals in the 3rd period, bringing him to 8 goals, second only to the Wildcards' Mateo Martinez.

As the Moles continue their success, so does interest in the team and the hopes for a possible league.

"I would like to think we're building the foundation for a pro league", said Campbell. "Whether it's us or the next generation, we'll see. But hopefully it's us."
 

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

Moles Upset the Cards

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After 2 convincing victories over the Sands in week 1 of the exhibition games, the Wildcards came into Mareotis the undefeated favourites in their matchup with the 1 and 1 Moles. However, the Wildcard’s dominance last week became a distant memory as the Moles upset the Wildcards 4–2 with a balance of relentless offence and sound defence.

The Moles opened up the match with a flurry of offensive scoring chances which finally broke the Wildcards at just under four minutes of play.

The Moles’, Kara Okeke created a turnover at center-ice and delivered a beautiful cross-ice to a streaking Captain, Janice Campbell—allowing her to break in and blast a shot over the glove of Wildcard goalie, Jules Arquette.

“Kara knows where I like to go since we used to play recreational field hockey before ISMO,” said Campbell. “With all this open space, I was able to get free and she fed it perfectly to my sweet spot where I was able to open the scoring.”

The on-ice chemistry of Campbell, Okeke, and Laura Hall (all friends from San Olympus) is quickly silencing early critics of the Moles for having too many female players. 

After Campbell won the opening faceoff back to Hall, Hall was able to rush up-ice drawing the attention of two defending players who got crossed up, allowing Hall to drop the puck to a freed up Bryan Taylor.

With Campbell taking out the other Wildcards player with a well-timed check, Taylor was able to use his speed to get to the open and fire a wrist shot past Arquette’s glove side to score a second goal for the Moles.

Wildcards Rally

The Wildcards would finally respond with an unique goal at 6:28 that took advantage of the circular ramps encircling the rink. To avoid Okeke’s defense, the Wildcards’ Tia Halvorsen skated up the ramp past center ice and just before the Moles’ blue line to deliver an odd angle shot mid-way up the pike. This caught the Moles’ goalie off-guard for the Wildcards’ first goal of the game.

“To be honest, I lost sight of the puck for a brief moment as Tia went up and before I knew it, the puck came past me at such a strange angle”, said Moles’ Goalie, Sam Bailey. “I guess that’s something new to work on in practice.”

The Moles responded to the goal by aggressively taking control of the puck. Utilizing a series of crisp passes which allowed Taylor to score his second goal of the game to give the Moles a 3 -1 lead.

In the aggressive protection of their lead, the Moles inevitably incurred four straight penalties which dominated the 2nd period of play as Vicky Li, Laura Hall and Fredrick Mattila (twice) each spent time in the box. Yet each time, the Moles’ were able to use their superior passing and puck control to mitigate each penalty.

Third Period: The Final Countdown

With the ugliness of the 2nd period over, the 3rd period opened with a beautiful pass from behind the net from Laura Hall to Fredrick Mattila who slapped it through the five-hole for the 4th goal of the game.

The Wildcards were able to squeeze in another goal with Martinez tipping a shot from the side of the net from Harris with 6 minutes left in play, but were ultimately unable to close the gap. 

The buzzer sounded with Moles 4 and Wildcards 2.

“This was a really good confidence booster for us”, said Campbell. ”All of our forwards were able to put the puck in the net.  We made some stupid mistakes in the second, but our defencemen and Sam (Bailey) shut down their powerplay opportunities.”

The Wildcards will look to regroup against the Phantoms in Week 3 at Mareotis while the Moles will take on the Sands at Noviymir.

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.

Moles Visit San Olympus

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Janice Campbell, Captain of the Moles.

The hockey teams of ISMO started a promotional tour this week.  With media events planned in every major colony, this is the first intimate exposure of winter-style sports on Mars.

The event in San Olympus was hosted by the 7 players of the Moles and attracted more than 60 attendees. The curiosity was, in part, fuelled by the fact that 3 of the Mole players are local residents. Though based in Noviymir, the Moles are entirely comprised of outside talent.   

Attendees included media and invited members from the public.  They were treated to a deep immersion experience of Martian Ice Hockey as well as a holographic sneak peeks of half a dozen other sports that are currently under development at ISMO.

Janice Campbell, a San Olympus resident and captain of the Moles, explained the set up, "There are two teams based out of Noviymir that will be playing in the exhibition games, but ISMO actually has created 5 teams in each of the hosting settlements, so we all share the same respective rinks and resources."

ISMO hockey is a mixed gender sport.  The Moles are the only team in the exhibition that feature more female players than men, not unlike the Titans squad of Aero Football fame.  Similarly, the team is already experiencing ridicule by their competitors, driving up the pressure for the Moles.  If the MAFL is any indication, Campbell's team could have an advantage in a game that may favour the nimble, especially under Martian conditions.  Unlike Earth variations of the game, boards are replace with circular ramps that dramatically change contact points.

When asked how the team was assembled, Campbell explained, "When ISMO began recruiting for players, 6 of us who regularly played recreational field hockey decided to apply together.  We all got in, but only 3 of us (Laura Hall, Kara Okeke, and I)  were able to get the extended leave from work to stick with the program.  We easily could have been split up into different teams, but they kept us together, which is a big advantage for us.  We've been able to build on that team chemistry and aim to leverage that."

All of the teams are comprised of only 7 players.  1 goaltender and typically an even split of forwards and defensemen.  Only 3 players per team, in addition to the net minder, are allowed to play at any given time, but teams can rotate players and lineups at their own discretion.

As a non-professional organization, the teams are lean and do not have coaching or support staff, making the role of captain that much more critical.

"We have closed channel communication systems, so it isn't difficult to coordinate changes," said Campbell, "But it does get hard keeping track of what's happening.  We have to be very disciplined or the chatter becomes disruptive, especially late in a game when everyone gets tired."

Games are broken down in to 3 fifteen minute periods.  Infractions are penalized by taking an offender or substitute off the ice for 1 or 2 minute intervals.  In the case of a second penalty, the opposing team is allowed an extra player on the ice.

When asked how the sport compares with Earth-style ice hockey Campbell responded, "I've never played ice hockey on Earth before, but we've studied both historical and modern forms of the game."  After a pause to collect her thoughts, she added, "But if I have to compare, I think the guys at ISMO have cooked up something distinctively Martian.  I can guarantee you that the generations of players that come after us will make this into a legendary game."