Moles claim the championship!

Rishabha 21, 2078, m249

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.”

Moles move into first place tie with Wildcards

Rishabha 1, 22, 2078, m249

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.”

Harris leads Wildcards to 2-1 win against Cosmonauts

Taurus 28, 2078, m249

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.”

Brawls and Boos—Khimik Loses Again

Taurus 22, 2078, m249

Fight Club.

That’s the reputation Khimik has developed.

Fighting with other teams as the losses mount and the frustration grows.

And now fighting with fans outside of the games as relationship between Khimik players and the Europa colony deteriorates.

Local Europa authorities were called in late last night at the Red Moon Pub as a brawl broke out between drunk Khimik players and Europa residents.

“We were just keeping to ourselves until a number of Europa fans started to harass us”, said Khimik player, Mihail Rybar, “We didn’t start it but we will finish it if we have to.”

Europa fans who witnessed the uproar didn’t agree with Rybar’s assessment.

“The Khimik players were loud and boorish,” said one Europan fan. “While my Russian isn’t very good, we could tell the Khimik players were dissing us and our colony so some fans asked them to tone it down and they took offense and before you know it, fists were flying.”

And while authorities continue to investigate the matter, Khimik proceeded to game day against the Cosmonauts as if nothing happened.

Today’s game between the two colonies with deep Russian roots, it was clear there was no love lost between cousins as feisty play and some fighting resulted in six penalties overall.

Fans at Europa jeering at Khimik.

Neither was there any love lost between Khimik and Europa fans.  Freshly aware of the pub brawl the night before, the home crowd was actively cheering for the Cosmonauts all game.

And booing Khimik.

The first instance of jeers occurred with just 2 minutes into the first period.  Khimik’s Alex Yanovna (an alleged participant in the pub brawl) opened up scoring with a quick wrist shot past Cosmonauts goalie, Marius Hansen.

Much to Yanovna’s dismay, he was greeted with a wave of boos, which Yanovna greeted back with an obscene hand gesture.

Sparked by the increasingly enthusiastic chants of  “Go Cosmos Go”, the Cosmonauts responded back at the 9 minute mark as Hugo Milosevic and Anna Fedin played a little give-and-go on a two-on-one rush with Fedin finishing with a shot in the top left corner to tie up the game 1-1.

With less than two minutes left in the 1st period, Cosmonaut’s Yaro Novak deked past a number of Khimik players and put a shot through the pads of Hansen to take the lead with Europa fans erupting into wild applause.

Khimik frustration in the second period continued as the Cosmonauts kept them off the scoreboard while Europa fans goaded Khimik with their taunting.

The Cosmonauts iced the game in the first minute and a half of the third period with their third goal of the game. Katy Fedin delivered a back handed pass from behind the net to Stephen Meyer who slapped a shot past Hansen with the crowd responding with a thunderous ovation.

After the game, Khimik players rushed out of the dressing room and avoided the media throng.

“That was one of the most bizarre and surreal things I’ve ever experienced”, said Cosmonauts Captain Anna Fedin. “The crowd was like an extra attacker for us but I almost feel bad for Khimik. I’m sure this exhibition round can’t end soon enough for them.”

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

Taurus 1, 2078, m249

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

Taurus 1, 2078, m249

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.

Miller sits out Game 3, Cosmonauts win 2-1

Taurus 7, 2078, m249

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

Mesha 28, 2078, m249

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

Mesha 22, 2078, m249

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

Wildcards Dominate

Aries 20, 2078, m249

Lindberg celebrates after scoring a goal.

21 year old Carl Lindberg tipped the scales in overtime today to win the fourth game of the exhibition for the Wildcards. The youngest player on the Wildcards, Lindberg’s scoring record is not too shabby, but had been overshadowed by powerhouse Mateo Martinez.

“I’m ecstatic,” says an exuberant Lindberg, “this is like a dream come true for me. I gotta give credit where it’s due though—I couldn’t have done it without Tia’s assist.”

Korolev rink was rowdy today was fans waited out the first three periods without a single goal in sight. The energy must have spilled over onto the rink, because gameplay was rampant with aggression.

Amongst other penalties, Carl Lindberg (Wildcards) and Denis Ivashkin (Ivashkin) were sent to the box towards the end of the first period for a full out fight. What looked like a accidental elbow to the face turned ugly as Lindberg took offense, threw down his stick, and shoved Ivashkin to the ice. Fisticuffs quickly followed before the two players were pulled apart by their teammates.

Lindberg and Ivashkin throw punches before being separated and sent to the penalty box.

Rybar was also given two penalties, both on counts of cross-checking.

Khimik played hard and fast today in their attempt to pull ahead in the standings—firing on the Wildcard’s net almost twice as many times.

Wildcard’s goalie Jule Arquette kept Khimik at bay— stopping 21 shots, including a breakaway backhand from Vasiliev in second period.

Both Petrovyh (Khimik) and Phan (Wildcards) played some amazing defense today as they dominated their sides of the rink. Phan, especially doing a stand out job in stealing control of play whenever Khimik ventured over.

Despite Khimik’s best efforts, they were not able to break past the Wildcards defense and the game spilled into overtime with the game tied at 0 and 0.

Fans were finally released from their anguished anticipation as Halvorsen snapped a short pass to Lindberg for the deciding goal.

“Regardless of the results, we’re extremely proud of what we’ve accomplished. Think about it—it's our water extraction facilities in Korolev that gave birth to skating on Mars.  Now we give a glimpse at what could be a new sport.  We are proud” said Khimik captain, Alex Yanovna.

This game leaves Khimik tied with the Sands with one win apiece, while the Wildcards settle in behind the Moles.

Sands Win! Sands Win!

Aries 20, 2078, m249

The Sands finally won their first match of the exhibition season, putting away  the Phantoms 1 – 0 at Mareotis during overtime.

Having played their best match last week in a 5 to 3 loss to Khimik, the Sands were able to translate some of that some momentum into today’s win.

To assist with the Sands’ momentum was the announcement of Phantoms’ defender Alex Gaumond missing the game due to the flu. After 5 exhibition games, his two assists and one goal would be missed.

The Sand’s took advantage of Gaumond’s absence to apply offensive pressure all game, taking 20 shots against their goalie.

“We put a lot of offensive pressure on them today,” said Sands’ Captain Mitchell Cruz. “I think it eventually tired them out which created more concrete scoring chances for us late in the 3rd period and overtime.”

That pressure was evident in the first two periods as  the Phantoms fought off each Sands’ rush but incurred two penalties in the first and two penalties in the second period.

“It felt like all game, we were just fending them off, blocking shots, killing penalties, and fore checking” said Phantoms Captain, Jonathan Moore.  “We only got 7 shots on their goalie so I’m surprised they actually didn’t score more to be honest”.

Phantom’s goalie Vivien Lewis stopped 5 goals today, including a spectacular shut down of Jared Foster’s breakaway during the Sand’s first period power play.

Lewis pulled off another beautiful save as she used her right knee pad to block an attempt by Sand’s Captain, Mitchell Cruz to deflect a feed from Xin into the net.

Mitchell cruz Overtime goal against the Phantoms ends the Sands drought.

A wickedly high shot from Eric Wiliams almost blew past Lewis, but she flashed a quick glove to catch the puck and push the game into overtime.

Fatigue set in for the Phantoms in overtime and gave the Sands the opening they were looking for. Cruz was able to take advantage of a good bounce which led to a wide open side rush where he ripped a quick, short-side shot past Lewis at 2:18 of overtime to give the Sands the win!

“We’re happy to end the exhibition with a win. It’s too bad we couldn’t extend things a bit as I think we’re just starting to hit our stride,” said Cruz.

The win for the Sands and the loss for the Phantoms gives both teams a 1-5 record to end the exhibition season.

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

Aries 14, 2078, m249

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."
 

Cosmonauts Best the Wildcards

Aries 13, 2078, m249

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.

ISMO Hockey Roundup

Mina 22, 2078, m249

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.

Wildcards Dust-off the Sands

Mina 22, 2078, m249

This was a double-header weekend for the ISMO debuted Martian Ice Hockey in Korolev, Noviymir and Mareotis.  The Korolev series featured The Sands versus the Wildcards, playing back-to-back on both Saturni and Solis. The small spectator capacity at K-Rink was sold out with more than 250 curious attendees from across the colonies in attendance.

Game 1

The Saturni game was a showcase of dominance by the Wildcards.  The first goal came at 2 minutes and 30 seconds into the first period by Wildcards forward, Samuel Marquez, who fired a shot through the legs of Sands goaltender, Priya Christensen.

Before the end of the first 15 minute period, Carl Lindberg extended the Wildcards lead to 2-0 after a intercepting the puck from Sand's captain, Mitchell Cruz.

By the 2nd period, Sands seemed to lose composure and Mateo Martinez stole the show.  Martinez, scored 5 consecutive goals against the Christensen who received little defensive support from her teammates.

In the 3rd, the Sands tightened their defences, but not enough to stop Martinez from netting his 6th and 7th goal before the end buzzer.

Of game 1, Martinez said, "We're very confident.  Based on our practise games against Mareotis based teams, we know there is huge range in skill and competency, but having not played against the teams from the other home rinks, we just wanted to come out strong.  We are, I am, very happy with the results." 

Jules Arquette earned her first shutout stopping 12 shots from the Sands.  Christensen faced 26 shots in the 9-0 loss.

Game 2

On day 2, the Sands had hoped to forget Saturni's game.  They came out aggressive in the first half of the period and were able to draw first blood.  Forward Jared Foster snuck around Wildcard defender, AmeliaHarris, by arcing around the ramp.  His first shot was blocked by Arquette, but was able to quickly flip the rebound under her pads.

The Sands, however, were not able to hold the lead long.  Carl Linberg responded with 2 goals before end of period taking the wind out of the Sands offense.

Martinez made a repeat of his game 1 performance with a hat trick over the course of the 2nd period.

Jesse Andersen would get another goal on the board for the Sands in the 3rd, but Martinez would get the final word in the game.  With 7 minutes remaining, Amelia Harris made a beautiful pass for Martinez to tip passed Christensen.

Wildcards win the game 6-2 and sweep the Sands on their home rink.

Over the two games, the Sands were clearly outplayed.  They made a combined 24 shots on goal compared with 46 by the Wildcards.

"We were outplayed on both days by the Wildcards," said #28 Mitchell Cruz, Captain of the Sands, "When Carl (Lindberg) got that shorthanded goal in the first, we lost our momentum.  We are just going to keep at it and do our best in our next game against the Cosmonauts."

Comets Claim MAFL Championship!

San Olympus – Saturni, Kumbha 7, 2077, m249

Over 5,000 football fans descended on Olympus Park for the largest single gathering ever for a Mars event to witness the Marineris Comets stun the favoured San Olympus Titans with a decisive 4-1 victory to capture the first ever MAFL championship.

Residents from across the colonies congregated at San Olympus, inflating the usual 12,000 population to almost 18,000 these past days. This unforeseen population spike had officials panicking all week on whether they could keep the colony afloat.

So crews worked around the clock to transform public areas and even cargo bays into event facilities.

Surplus air, water and other supplies were ordered weeks in advance in anticipation of this potential final. However, the sheer onslaught of visitors moved the other colonies to offer their support to help San Olympus breathe more easily. 

The inter-colony audience overflowed the parkade at Olympus Park, which was bursting at the seams. Never had so many Spectator transports been packed so closely before as 5,128 fans watched and proudly displayed their favourite MAFL colours.

And no two colours shined more brightly than the Titans’ Purple and the Comets’ Blue as the two teams put on a scintillating classic that delivered drama and action throughout the match.

While San Olympus A-list socialite Sasha Bayley made her appearance with her rendition of the national anthem, her boyfriend would not.  Readale Nash, the Titans leading scorer, reinjured himself during practice and was not suited for the match. Also missing in action, MAFL goalkeeper of the year, Icilio De Sisto of the Titans who suffered a shoulder injury in the semi-final match against the Immortals.

This made for a naturally frenetic match and the Comets poured on the offense to take advantage of the Titans’ key absences.

The genesis of a chance emerged with pressure from Stephen Liu on a loose ball that ultimately opened an opportunity for team-mate Luz Obregón, who sought the far right corner with a low drive from an acute angle, but dragged the effort a bit wide of the net.

Titans’ defender Alberto Rubio went down with injury in his feverish pursuit of Obregón on the play.

One less Titan allowed for the Comets to dominate possession for the better half of the quarter-hour as in succession: Liu and Liddell Bradley had reachable targets inside the danger zone but were left bemoaning their efforts as Titan goalkeeper Usian Busara was looking sharp.

After narrowly holding off the early burst of Comets’ intensity, the Titans finally rallied back.

With 20 minutes on the clock, it looked like Jube Terrell opened scoring as she controlled a Raenia Ware delivery and quickly blasted it past Zaida Agre. But luck would desert her as the officials rightly adjudged her offside to keep the match goalless.

A minute later, Terrell collected a pass from Baja Avdi just inside the penalty box and tried to guide home the ball with a side-foot past Agre who managed to poke the ball out of harm’s way.

And just as it looked like Ware would put her team on top with a rush down the right flank, the Comets Vitor Vargas Medina played her a snug too tight causing both players to crash to the ground.

While Medina got up, Ware did not. Ware’s ankle, injured for a significant portion of the season, couldn't hold up. Ware refused to go to the locker room and demanded to remain on the sidelines to give her teammates ongoing encouragement.

But the Titans’ injuries continued to piled on.  Backup goalkeeper Usian Busara was taken out at the 27th minute, forcing Titan manager, Paulo Salgado, to insert unproven defender, Satsaroop Saprai, into an unbelievably high stake, high pressure situation.

In efforts to protect their untested goalkeeper, the Titans overcompensated which led to defender Terry Park overexerting and becoming the next victim to injury with 3 minutes remaining in the half.

With Rubio, Ware, Busara and now Park all gone (in addition to Nash and De Sisto being out), the Comets could smell blood.

Despite this, Titans’ Tarik Lema Girma fought back with a well-timed boost that propelled a stunning strike that flew into the top left corner from just inside the penalty area for the 1st goal of the match.

Titans 1 Comets 0.

Unfortunately, this momentum would not last as the Titans would display a slew of uncharacteristic mistakes.

The first came in the final minute of the half as a weak clearing attempt from Saprai was intercepted by Liu who fed a pass to Amanda Coronel who thundered a header precisely into the right post corner as a hesitant Saprai watched.

Titans 1 Comets 1.

The pace from the outset of the second half was relentless.

On the sidelines, Ware encouraged her teammates on.  Despite the Comets focus on containing Terrell, she caused some alarm by galloping along the right touchline and to the near post before finally getting crowded out by a combination of defence and goalkeeper.

With each passing minute, the match became increasingly stretched, with neither team yielding in their attacking ambitions.

Then at the 74th minute, the decisive moment arrived. Liu intercepted an errant pass from the Titans, dribbled from the halfway line past three Titans defenders and then clipped the ball to Luz Obregón. The 24-year-old used exquisite technique to cushion the ball on his chest and then watch his cool side-foot drift over Saprai and into the top right corner. 

Comets 2 Titans 1.

That goal would open the flood gates as the Comets rushed through with another goal two minutes later.  Another misplayed pass from the Titans landed onto Bradley’s foot where he sent a cross from the right, which was met by Jonathan Elliot with a sliding volley into the lower left corner.

Comets 3 Titans 1.

The Titans tried to mount an attack, but were met by a swarm of Comets.  A series of crisp pass combinations would allow Alessandro Ferraz to finish with a low shot that easily beat the hapless Saprai.

Comets 4 Titans 1.

The tired and crippled Titans valiantly fought to the end, but the final whistle marked a stunning ending to their season and redemption for the Comets.

“They said we couldn’t beat them but we did when it counted most,” said Bradley as he was showered with champagne by his jubilant teammates in the locker room. “They can have the MAFL Team of the Year Award – I’d rather be hoisting the Championship!”

“We’ve developed a team spirit which has been unbelievable based on the tumultuous season we’ve had with Warren’s death,” said Comets Manager Gordan J. Pryce, “I think it’s just fitting that the first Mars colony would also be home to the first ever MAFL championship.”  

“My players were warriors and I congratulated them afterwards because, beyond the disappointment of the result, they played their hearts out”, said a dejected but composed Titans Manager, Salgado. “When you lose key players, you know it's difficult to turn it around but it's clear they gave everything for the Titans jersey today. However, I congratulate Marineris on winning the title.”

As would Commissioner Aiger Masing during the championship trophy ceremony.

“First off I would like to thank San Olympus for a fabulous job in hosting this week of festivities. However, this could not have happened without the help of all the colonies pitching in. We started this project ten years ago and what has happened today is the result of many years' of planning and failed attempts, but we never gave up. Today was a shining example of what we can all achieve here on Mars. Join me in celebrating your first ever MAFL champions, the Marineris Comets!”

And as Masing presented the Championship trophy to Captain Bradley, the broadcast channel erupted with applause from all the combined feeds including Spectator Transports, public gatherings, and home viewers across the colonies... followed 10 minutes later on Earth.

This concludes Season 1 of the Martian Aero Football League.  Though season 2 is not slated until Mesha, 4 Martian Months away, fans will be eager to see post-season activity within the clubs and follow whether the MAFL will expand with any of the proposals from Wendland, Korolev and Osumi.

Play on, Mars!

Comet's Sail To Finals

Solis, Kumbha 1, 2077, m249

Today' battle for the last ticket to the MAFL finals became a high powered shoot-out between the league’s top two scoring teams.  In the regular season, Al’amal scored 36 goals  vs the Comets’ 34 goals.

It took just one minute of play for the scoring to begin; a deep cross from Mussadiq Baddour from the left flank was met by Hamad Fayad who crushed a volley into the top corner past Zaida Agre. 

Al’amal 1 Comets 0.

Earlier this week, it was unclear if Agre would be fit to return for the semi-final match after sustaining injury in the final regular season match against the Titans.  But before any uncertainty could set in, Comets Kemina De Marco would respond just minutes later with the equalizer.

Al’amal 1 Comets 1.

And the goals kept coming.

Stephen Liu, MAFL Defender of the Year,  won the ball from Mahmood Rahimjust outside the penalty area and unleashed a shot into the top far corner for the go ahead goal.

Comets 2 Al’amal 1.

After such a blistering start to the match with three goals in the first six minutes, the pace slowed down, until the Comets dialled up the offence at the 15th minute mark.  After Liu intercepted a weak clearing attempt from Lana Gonzalez, he moved into the penalty area and hit an powerful low shot into the far corner for his second goal of the match.

Comets 3 Al’amal 1.

Right off the ensuing kickoff, the Comets Aba Samma met a deep cross from Liu and back-heeled it past a hapless al-Pour.

Comets 4 Al’amal 1.

With an endless barrage from the Comets, it was fortunate Al'amal was able to hold the rest of the half with just a three goal deficit.

During the halftime interval, Al’amal manager Haajid Nasr tried to motivate and reinvigorate his squad.  When play resumed, he switched strategy from a balanced attack to a more aggressive strategy, borrowing a page from Paulo Salgado’s move that lead to yesterday's Titans come-from-behind victory. 

But alas, that was yesterday.

Today, that move backfired as the Comets exploited their deficient defensive coverage. It took only 4 minutes for Luz Obregón to surge past the shallow defence and connect with a pass from Bradley, which he finished with an acrobatic bicycle kick over a leaping al-Pour.

Comets 5 Al’amal 1.

9 minutes into the 2nd half, Liu gave the Al’amal defence the runaround and beat al-Pour once more to complete his hat-trick.

Comets 6  Al’amal 1.

The Comets started to tighten their defence, nursing their lead.

Desperate to instill some life in his team, al-Pour boosted a charged kick that sailed across the field, landed just past the Comets’ penalty area where it took a freakish bounce past Agre and into the net.

Comets 6 Al’amal 2.

Just 15 minutes later, Fayad found another opportunity to close the gap.  Dragging the ball behind his planted foot with the inside of his crossing foot, he turned and accelerated away from Liu before slotting home Al’amal’s third goal of the match.

Comets 6 Al’amal 3.

With 20 minutes remaining Al’amal’s  poured on the offense with two near scoring chances – one over the Comets net, and another that went wide.

At the 84th minute, Bradley, Liu and Samma drove in the final dagger to shatter any home for an Al'amal comback.  With intricate passing around the edge of the penalty area, Bradley set up Samma, who placed a clean into the Al’amal goal.

Final: Comets 7 Al’amal 3.

“Titans said they owned us in the regular season,” said Bradley. “But the past is the past. It will only take one win next week for them to eat those words.  Based on today’s match, I like our chances."

Next week, Comet's make the Journey to San Olympus Park for the first MAFL Championship Match!

MAFL Titans vs. Immortals Semi-finals

Saturni, Aquarius 28, 2077, m249

After a festive awards celebration last week, the questions leading up to the first semi-final match began.

Who would prevail? The Best Team or the Team with the Best Player?

Would the Titans, recipients of the MAFL Best Team Award, climb another step closer to the mountain top, or would MAFL MVP Uday Lanka, lead his Immortals to a shot at Championship Immortality.

Would MVP Lanka shine as he did in their Week 3 matchup in San Olympus, with a legendary 4 goals that day?

Or would the Titans deploy their league leading team defence to neutralize the Amrita offence and hold them to a single goal like they did in Week 10 and Week 17.

Many questions which were finally answered today; The Titans responded with another 2 – 1 win.

“Sorry to spoil everyone’s expectations but the prevailing wisdom in any team sport, especially in Football, is that the best team usually prevails over the team with the best player,” said a happy Titans manager, Paulo Salgado in the post-game interview.

But Salgado wasn’t always smiling throughout the match.  In fact, Salgado wasn’t smiling for most of the match, as his team narrowly escaped defeat at the last minute.

At the 17th minute, a sliding tackle on the Immortals’ Tia Mancebo from Titans defender María Carballal, led to a Yellow Card given to Carballal and a Free Kick awarded to Mancebo.

And Mancebo delivered a fabulous free kick that whipped over the wall of Titans players, over a leaping IcilioDe Sisto, and into the far top corner to give the Immortals the 1 – 0 lead.

And things got worse for the Titans. Ten minutes later, the Titans’ Tia Shandu was given a Yellow Card for a questionable push against the Immortals’ Uday Lanka. Shandu’s disdain for the call escalated into a heated discussion and nudge of a referee-bot, which led to a full on Red Card and dismissal from the match.

The Titans were unable to gain any control over the 1st half. While Titans’ leading scorer Readale Nash was suited up, he was in the sidelines nursing the injury he suffered two weeks ago.

His absence was missed as the offensive malaise continued into the 2nd half as the Immortals were able to keep the Titans off the scoreboard for the next twenty minutes.

Thirty Minutes.  

Forty Minutes.

Thankfully, the Titans defenders were able to neutralize Lanka and the Immortals offence for an equal period of time.  

With only 6 minutes remaining in the game, disaster struck in front of the Titan goal.  An accidental collision between Titan defender Tarik Girma and goalkeeper, resulted in a dislocated shoulder for De Sisto.  Usian Busara was called in to finish match.

This turned out to be the pivotal moment.  With five minutes left and their season on the line, Salgado made his move as he shifted to an offensive attack formation – 3 forwards, 4 midfielders, and 3 defenders. No risk, no reward.

Titans mounted wave after wave of pressure on a tiring Immortals team in the dying few minutes.

And it paid off as the Immortals’ Jag Parker committed a foul outside of their own penalty area which resulted in a free kick awarded to the Titans.

After a quick team consultation, Jube Terrell took the kick.

Instead of taking the more frequently used inswinger kick, Terrell delivered an outswinger kick that bent away from the goal, out of reach from the startled wall of Immortals players and from the goalkeeper who instinctively lunged after the ball.

Captain Raenia Ware, criticized for not producing goals in the regular season, gets the all-important equalizer to keep Titans alive.

Raenia Ware streaked in from the left side, leaped and connected with a deft header that sent the ball the other direction, top right corner, and away from an overly committed goalkeeper on the left side.  Goal!  And the game was tied 1 -1 at the 89th minute.

Just when it looked like regular time was over, with both teams resigned to Overtime Penalty Kicks to decide their fate, a fantastic long pass out of the Titans defence by Maria Carballal caught the Immortals players off guard, and caught the foot of a rushing Tarik Lema Girma who controlled the ball and dispatched a superb chip over the Immortals goalkeeper from the edge of the penalty area.

For the deciding goal and win! 2 – 1 Titans over Immortals.

And as the Titans players jumped all over Grima to celebrate, the Immortals players and manager rushed the referee to confirm that the game ending whistle and signal had indeed been delivered before the goal.

No whistle, no signal. Goal stands. And then the game ending whistle and signal came shortly afterwards.

“We had control for the majority of the match but we let this one slip away in the final minutes,” said a dejected Lanka afterwards. “I wasn’t the best player today and I will take full blame for our team’s loss.”

“It ain’t over till it’s over,” said a jubilant Ware in the post-match locker room celebration. “In this game, you play hard until the final end. Our team never gave up. The Best Team won today.”

Titans advance to the Finals and await results from tomorrow's Comets vs. Al'Amal Match.