MAFL Week 5 Roundup

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Comets - Dynamo

Cancer 9 • Marineris Stadium

despite liu's brilliant aerial Maneuvers and goal, the dynamos easily ran circles around the comets in today's match

Dynamos dynamite as they school the Season 1 champions!

The Comets are left licking their wounds yet again as the Dynamos ran circles around them to take an early lead in the match. Though the Comets were able to net two goals in the second half—including an amazing aerial kick that spun the ball right past Dynamos Danilovich—they were unable to keep up the momentum in the second half..

"We've had a hard time getting the team to click this season," says Comet's captain Liddell Bradley, "We had a huge shuffle in positions, and I think everyone is still trying to figure out their spot."

Comet's manager Gordan Pryce is increasingly taking more heat as the team's performance so far has many shaking their heads and asking questions. Loyal fans however, are quick to recall that the Comets also took a while to build up the momentum that ultimately lead to their win in Season 1.

SHOTS ON GOAL
22	29

POSSESSION
45%	55%

FOULS
4	3

GOALS

• 1ST 17' Nikitovna scores for Dynamos
• 2ND 12' Liu scores for Comets
• 2ND 14' Petrovich scores for Dynamos 
• 2ND 16' Samrend scores for Dynamos
• 2ND 20' Marsh scores for Comets
• 2ND 26' Petrovich scores for Dynamos

NOTABLE SUBSTITUTIONS

• 1ST 28' Ramirez (Comets) subbed out due to injury
• 2ND 3' Karaaria (Dynamos) out due to suit malfunction
• 2ND 14' Kyrlyuk (Dynamos) out with a sprained wrist

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Dongji - Europa United

Cancer 9 • Dongji Field

attitude from the dongji captain resulted in a red cards and suspension for 2 matches

Dongji is thoroughly gutted by Europa United in their encounter at Dongji Field. 

Ekberg and the Dongji forwards are shut down in all their offensive plays as United inexorably took total control of the field. Dongji goalkeep, Xue Su was left to deal with a increasingly leaky defence as the Dongji team started to lose their rhythm.

The field was not pretty today as Dongji players expressed their frustration, earning themselves 5 bookings—two of which resulted in ejections from the match. Zheng is ejected from today's match after his second yellow card while Dongji captain Ekberg is suspended for 2 matches for unsportsmanlike conduct after repeatedly directing offensive gestures at officials and United players. 

United extend their winning streak to 3, sharing top spot in the league with Dynamo and Al'amal.

GOALS

SHOTS ON GOAL
9	37

POSSESSION
27%	73%

FOULS
5	2

• 1ST 4' Dennis scores for United
• 1ST 18' Fuchs scores for United 
• 2ND 7' Barnato scores for United
• 2ND 15' Khosla scores for United
• 2ND 22' Dennis scores a penalty kick for United

FOULS

• Zheng is ejected from the game after his second yellow card, leaving Dongji a player short in the last 10 minutes.
• Ekberg suspended after unsportsmanlike conduct.

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Titans - Immortals

Cancer 10 • San Olympus Park

The One-Man-Lanka show continues as the Immortals' losing streak becomes legendary. 

Seemingly the butt of every MAFL joke across the colonies, the Immortals have got to step up their team game or Lanka will have to score more. Ware scores the first goal of the match as she nails a free kick—a good sign for the Titans forward as her detractors were getting loud.

Nash and Lanka went head-to-head today as Nash chases Lanka for the title of top scorer. Carballel is out with a twisted ankle after scrambling for the ball and ending up tumbling into Kaafi. Naik is ejected for the rest of the match after her second yellow card.

GOALS

• 1ST 19' Ware scores for Titans on a freekick
• 1ST 27' Lanka scores for Immortals
• 2ND 6' Nash scores for Titans

NOTABLE SUBSTITUTIONS

• 1ST 19' Carballel replaced by Girma due to injury
• 2ND 15' Fox is out due to suit malfunctions

FOULS

• Naik ejected in second half after being awarded two yellow cards

SHOTS ON GOAL
27	22

POSSESSION
61%	39%

FOULS
3	5

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Al'amal Sports Club - Wuji

Cancer 10 • Al'amal Stadium

Al'amal keeps the momentum going with another win at home.

Al'amal hit hard and fast today as they built up a large lead of 3 goals early in the game. Wuji mounted a comeback in the second half but it was unfortunately too late to make a difference. Farra proves she can perform under pressure as she calmly scores on a penalty kick in the first half. 

A late game scramble to find a sub for Al'amal goalkeeper (Pour) put defender Naaila Amer in the net for the first time. Wuji capitalizes on the changeup to score two goals. After an inspection and testing, officials determined the alert had been a false warning—much to the dismay of Pour.

GOALS

• 1ST 13' Farra scores a penalty for Al'amal
• 1ST 23' Sodhi scores for Al'amal
• 2ND 11' Baddour scores for Al'amal
• 2ND 21' Repsas scores for Wuji
• 2ND 27' Lian scores for Wuji

NOTABLE SUBSTITUTIONS

• 2ND 20' Goalkeeper Pour subbed with Naaila Amer due to "equipment malfunction".

SHOTS ON GOAL
17	19

POSSESSION
52%	48%

FOULS
3	3

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Stats & Standings

Rankings

Team	M	W	L	Goals
Dynamo	5	4	1	16
United	5	4	1	14
Al'Amal Sports Club	5	4	1	13
Titans	5	3	2	12
Wuji Sports Club	5	2	3	11
Dongji	5	2	3	9
Comets	5	1	4	13
Immortals	5	0	5	7

Top Scorers
	Uday Lanka	7
	Readale Nash	6
	Ilya Petrovich	5
	Darkeem Dennis	5
	Yvonne Barnato	4
	Marcus Ekberg	4
	Sergey Samrend	3
	Zhou Geng	3
	Husain el Guler	3
	Mariya Nikitovna	3

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.

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!