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.”

Wildcards strike back!

Rishabha 15, 2078, m249

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

Rishabha 14, 2078, m249

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

Rishabha 4, 2078, m249

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.

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.”

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.

Chaos with Khimik as they move to bottom of standings

Taurus 1, 2078, m249

In front of a raucous home crowd, the Wildcards escaped with a last minute 1 - 0 over Khimik at Wendland rink. And with the win, the Wildcards move to 2 and 2 for the season while Khimik moves to the bottom of the second exhibition round with a 1 – 3 record.

Despite a barrage of scoring chances from Khimik throughout the game, the Wildcards’ Jules Arquette was brilliant in net and steady defensive play from Amelia Harris and Brandon Phan also helped shut down Khimik attempts.

“Very frustrating,” said Khimik Captain, Alex Yanovna. “I feel like we were the better team as we had so many scoring chances but luck was not on our side.”

Luck was clearly not on Khimik’s side but frustration was, as Khimik exhibited wildly aggressive play throughout the game resulting in four penalties – two in the 1st and 2nd periods respectively.

To Khimik’s fortune, the Wildcards were unable to capitalize on the power play opportunities as Khimik goalie Veronica Danilenko matched Arquette’s brilliance with repeated saves.

And just as all signs pointed to overtime, the Wildcards forward, Mateo Martinez was able to provide a spark of magic. With less than a minute to play in the game, Martinez was able to cut through two defenders and fire a wrist shot just over Veronica Danilenko for the winning goal.

For Martinez, it was his 18th goal in 10 games.

martinez breaksaway down the ice to score the only goal of the game

After the goal, a number of Khimik players smashed their sticks on the ice and refused to speak to members of the press.

Yanovna did offer this statement, “No, we are not happy with our record so far and it does not help that the media is focusing so much on our losses. I think this is fueling all the negative comments we are getting from Europa fans. As pioneers of hockey on Mars, we think Europa colony should give us a bit more credit. All I hear are their complaints.”

Europa resident and Khimik player Peter Lehmann tried to defuse the situation upon hearing his teammate’s comments.

“Look, losing sucks period. For all my Korolev teammates, it’s been a hard adjustment for them in a new colony. They take losing hard and don’t feel like being out so it’s not like they are purposefully trying to insulate themselves from the Europa colony,” said Lehmann.

“I tell my teammates that Europa fans are complaining because they are passionate about sports just like they were with their MAFL team, Europa United. They gave it to them so that’s why they’re also giving it to us. I’d rather they say something than nothing because then, that means they don’t care. The best solution to this is just win.”

Regardless of how they feel, Khimik will be playing at their host colony, Europa. Stay tuned  next week as Khimik takes on the Cosmonauts on Taurus 15.

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.

Rivalry Renewed. Moles beat out Wildcards 2-1

Taurus 1, 2078, m249

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.







 

Wildcards beat Khimik 2-1 in Europa Debut

Mesha 21, 2078, m249

In front of a sold out Europa crowd, the Wildcards came in and beat Khimik 2 to 1, in the opening games of ISMO Exhibition Round 2

To the majority of fans in the new Europa rink, this was their first  experience of ISMO hockey as Exhibition Round 1 was not broadcast aside from news reports. The fan response was positive and enthusiastic.

“I loved it!”, said one fan. “I’m a football gal so I expected this to be somewhat like MAFL but the speed of this game—it felt much faster. Just wished we had won.”

Another fan chimed in after the game, “Some of the moves they did, like going up the ramps were cool. It didn’t always work but admired their guts in trying. I’ll be back to see more.”

And more chances they’ll get, as Round 2 will have five more weeks of play with two more games scheduled in Europa.

This suits Khimik’s new forward, Jessie Andersen (formerly from the Sands), just fine as she’s right at home in Europa.

“I’m really excited to play in front of my family and friends,” said Andersen of her new placement, “I know my new teammates are all from Korolev but I’m happy to show them what a great colony, Europa is.”

The first period saw no goals as both teams tested the waters.

Phan and Lehman celebrate after goal.

The stalemate was broken in second period by a beautiful goal from Lehmann (formerly of the Phantoms), who redirected a short pass from Phan to complete the play.

With less than a minute left before intermission, Phan set up another goal beautifully with a deft backdoor pass to Lindberg from the bottom of the right face-off circle. Lindberg tipped the puck in to give Wildcards a 2-0 lead.

The Europa crowd opened up the third period with a massive surge in support of Khimiks. They responded with a wave of aggressive plays and scoring chances until finally they broke through.

With less than ten minutes remaining in the game, Ilya Hryc narrowed the lead by one goal.  He took a centering feed from Ivashkin and beat Wildcards goalie, Jules Arquette, with a wrist shot to the blocker side.

Khimik aggressively pushed for the remainder of the game, trying to catch up to the Wildcards. But Andersen’s blast from the point clanged off the post wide, allowing the Wildcards to win narrowly with a 2-1 win.

“We’re fortunate to escape with the win,” said Wildcards Captain, Samuel Marquez. “We’re also fortunate for this next exhibition round as interest just keeps building. This new rink is fantastic, the ice was really good, and the fans were really into it today. Look forward to seeing how the other new colonies respond.”

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.

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.

Mateo Magic

Aries 1, 2078, m249

It was a close game for the Wildcards. And it was Mateo Martinez’s day to work his magic.

The 27-year-old San Olympus native continued his whirlwind scoring pace, sinking the two goals that lead to the Wildcard’s victory. After today’s performance, Martinez leads the league with a mind-blowing 14 goals after just three games.

“My teammates are really giving me lots of nice chances, so just doing my part,” said Martinez, laughing. “The Phantoms gave us a really good scare today. So we’re lucky to have come back from behind to win.”

The Wildcards’ comeback capped off a highly entertaining back and forth game which saw both teams snapping off the puck and intercepting plays at an electric pace.
 
Tia Halvorsen for the Wildcards opened up scoring after just 3 minutes of the first period with a sharp angle shot that slipped through the Phantoms goalie, Vivien Lewis.
 
The Wildcards would add to that lead as Carl Lindberg beat Lewis with a one-timer from the left circle just before the end of the first period.
 
Refusing to go quietly, the Phantoms roared back in the second period as Aaron Bello’s lethal snapshot after just 40 seconds of play whizzed past a screened Jules Arquette for the Phantoms’ first goal of the game.

Four minutes later, Phantoms defender Alex Gaumond took possession of play in a surprising breakaway down center ice, deftly dodging an aggressive play by Wildcard defender Arquette, to backhand the puck.

With less than 20 seconds left in second period Peter Lehmann tipped a shot from Gaumond into the net to bring the score to Phantoms-3, Wildcards 2. 

Phantoms took the lead 3-2 in the 2nd period, but were unable to fend of Wildcards #2, Mateo Martinez

And when the third period started, the Mateo Magic Show would begin.
 
Right past the two minute mark, Wildcards’ Amelia Harris delivered a beautiful 180-spin pass that freed up Mateo Martinez for an one-on-one with Lewis. Martinez’s uncanny sense of timing gave him an edge as he faked out Lewis, and slapped the puck between the goalie’s pads to bring the score back to a tie.

A 12 minute stalemate of blocked shots, brilliant saves, and breakneck passes was broken in the final moments of the game.With less than a minute left to play, Martinez sliced through the middle of the ice and between defenders to get a shot off, beating Lewis’ high glove side for the winning goal!
 
With this win, the Wildcards move to 3 and 1 for season while the Phantoms drop to 1 and 3.
 

Moles Upset the Cards

Minas 28, 2078, m249

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

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."