Wildcards beat Khimik 2-1 in Europa Debut

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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.”

ISMO's Underrated D-List Teams

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Canadicas training drills at korolev rink.

We’re stoked to hear that a second season of ISMO’s Exhibition Hockey has been announced! While the organizers are preparing and finangling away behind the scenes, let’s take a look at the frenetic world of  ISMO hockey.

The spotlight has been on the 6 teams chosen for the first exhibition season, but that’s just the tip of the ISMO iceberg. There are at least 9 other teams (at time of publication) who have been training and playing scrimmages—they’re the so-called “D-Listers”.

Who are these teams and where are these players coming from?

Well, the requirements for forming a team are not strict—as long as the minimum number of co-ed payers are met, any team can be registered with ISMO. Additionally, many companies in the 3 rink-holding settlements are actively encouraging employees to participate in the name of recreation and team-building.

I took it upon myself to see these teams in action and visited Korolev Rink one afternoon to watch a few games and training sessions. Suffice to say, these teams are not pros.

Nevertheless, these D-Listers are putting out some great matches and favourites have definitely emerged amongst the fans of this informal league.

Notable Teams

The Canadicas are headed up by Earth-born Ashton Morin. “I love Earth, and I wanted to bring a little piece of my heritage with me. Everyone know that Canada and hockey go hand-in-hand. So Canadicas it was,” says Morin about his team’s moniker.

When asked about the rest of his team, Morin laughed that everyone else was Mars-born, but went along with his suggestion out of a sense of camaraderie.

I also had a chance to talk to eccentrically-named team SunRa. Members were enthusiastic about the development of sports and recreation on Mars.

“We’re a company team, and most of us work at Soltek, so we thought it’d be fun to include that in our team name somehow.

Other D-List teams include the Super Colliders, Orbiters, Voyagers, and Cosmic Rays. While these teams are currently flying under the radar, I think there will be some up-and-coming players emerging from the shadows before too long.

Keep an eye out for Pete Watkins (currently a forward for the Super Colliders), Leola Ballard (playing goal for the Canadicas), and Anza Kahale (alternately playing forward and defense for the Orbiters).

ISMO Confirms Round 2 of Exhibition Hockey

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After delays in colony permits due to rink safety issues, ISMO has finally confirmed the start date for Round 2 of the Exhibition. Games will start next weekend on Mesha 21 and Mesha 22.

Those expecting the same-old, same-old will be surprised as the new season brings with it some big changes! With the exception of the Cosmonauts, all the teams will be relocated to one of the settlements sporting a brand new rink.

The Moles will be moving to Marineris, the Wildcards will be migrated to Wendland, and Khimik will be moved to Europa. Not only will the fours teams will playing from a new home base—they’ll be expanding each team roster with an additional player.

Each team had their pick of players from the disbanded Phantoms and Sands.

Khimik strategically drafted Jessie Andersen from the Sands to join their team, boosting the number of female players to 2. Andersen had been the main scorer for the Sands and will be joining the likes of Vasiliev and Hryc as a forward on Khimik.

“I’m glad to have another woman on the team,” says Khimik goalie, Veronica Danilenko, about the acquisition, “Jessie really adds a great dynamic to our team.”

Star forward of the Phantoms, Peter Lehmann will be bring his scoring skills to the Wildcards. With Lehmann and Martinez on the same team, the Wildcards are going to be a formidable force next season. Aaron Bello and Hugo Milosevic will be joining the Moles and Cosmonauts respectively.

Fans and settlement officials alike are excited about the relocation of the teams.

“Being able to host an ISMO team really helps to put us on the map,” says Wendland Counciller, Ryt Bohenno, “we’re mostly associated with heavy industry right now, but we’re so excited to host the Wildcards and be part of this next phase in Martian hockey.”

Fans who have been unable to make the expensive and time-consuming trips to Novyimir, Korolev, or Mareotis now have a chance to watch a live game. And the fans are many!

The new rinks have an increased seating capacity of 800-1000 depending on the colony.

Nevertheless, tickets for the opening games of the Exhibition sold out within a minutes of the release. Those lucky fans will be able to see Khimik play the Wildcards at Europa on Mesha 21, and Moles play the Cosmonauts at Marineris on the 22.

Spotlight on the Fedins

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Anna and Katy Fedin of the Cosmonauts exhibition team.

As the ISMO exhibition Hockey continues, few other players have captured Martian imagination like the Fedin sisters, Anna and Katy. We’re here today with an exclusive interview with the two sisters! Read on to find out why they joined the league, their thoughts on ISMO, and where they see hockey going on Mars.

Tell us a little about your background.

Anna: Well, we’re originally from Earth and still relatively new to Mars. We arrived in 247, so it's only been 2 and a half years.

What brought the two of you to Mars?

Katy: I came as part of an engineering scholarship program—I was accepted to the Noviymir program and I this helped Anna fast track her application as well.

Anna: Katy is the smart one. I was lucky to get my 5 year work visa to work at IKKERON-Organics. Both of us have dreamed of space and spending time off-world. Now, it’s hard to believe that we are living on Mars and playing ice hockey.

What has the transition from Earth to Mars been like?

Anna: It’s been pretty intense both physically and mentally. The gravity on Mars makes physical conditioning necessary.  It's mandatory in Noviymir and many of the other major colonies.  

Katy: I think the most difficult part for me was settling into a completely different society. It took a long time to get used to the how things are run here. Everything is so regimented, which you expect from the immigration process, but when you are actually here, you realize how regulated colony life has to be.

What has it been like being test players in ISMO? 

Katy: It’s been amazing. Anna and I both skated and played shinny when we were little, but neither of us had any professional hockey experience, so this is a real adventure.

Anna: I participated in team sports through high school, but the accelerated training program at ISMO is like nothing I've seen before.  The physical and mental conditioning has been intense, but the results are really satisfying.  We spend a lot of time watching old archival hockey too.

Katy: That’s right!

Anna: What I love most about participating in the ISMO program is being part of something familiar, together. When you’re on a brand new planet, it’s nice to have something that reminds you of where you’re from, even when the physics of skating and everything else is so wildly different.

What is it like playing on the same team as your sister?

Katy: It’s been so great. I think when you’re playing on the same team as someone you grew up with, there’s a level of trust there that will take other players a long time to build.

Where do you see hockey going on Mars?

Anna: I think there’s lots and lots of opportunity here. The exhibition games have been doing so well—the turnout for the games shows there is curiosity and interest. I think Mars is ready and hungry for more events like ISMO Hockey and the MAFL.

Katy: It’s still early for the sport, so there are definitely some growing pains. I personally hope it becomes something.  Anna and I have serious talks about staying on Mars after I graduate and complete the contracted work-term.  Hockey could really be the fork in our road.

Tales From the Pitch: Ice #4

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When the Mars Aero Football league began its inaugural season there was already buy-in from across Mars, with each settlement fielding a team. It was a huge risk starting something like soccer on Mars, but it started big. ISMO took a very different strategy and decided to build their fan-base slowly from a small number of intimate exhibition games.

These games would allow the organizers to work out any kinks in the sport, and (hopefully) generate some sort of interest in the sports-watching populace of the red planet. I’m not sure that they’ve fully succeeded on either front, but the ISMO has decided to take the sport to other colonies. Born in Korolev, it is now time for ice hockey to leave the nest and go on the road.

The exhibition game period has been extended and Martian hockey is coming to Marineris, Wendland, Europa, and Noviymir. And just like a bird leaving the nest we are about to see if this sport can fly on its own.

MAFL’s success has proven that there is interest in competitive sport on Mars. But there is always a chance that the interest lies in only that specific sport; there has always been something more relatable about football than hockey. Even a century ago on Earth, football was the dominant and most played game in the world, whereas hockey, while popular, was restricted to far fewer countries. Some of this is due to the age of the respective sports: ice hockey as we know it is only about three hundred years old while football (or some variation) is thousands.

Then there is also the specific equipment and area needed to play ice hockey. Yes, MAFL needs quite a large area, state of the art stadium, and specific equipment, but ISMO games need even more (technology, not physical space). Similarly, hundreds of years ago the sport was mostly popular in countries and settlements were you actually had ice for a good chunk of the year. And, in many cases in Earth’s not so distant past, for soccer all you needed was a ball to kick and a patch of grass to kick it on. Boom, you have a football match.

The other obstacle that ice hockey will need to conquer is that interest in a sport tends to develop faster when spectators can learn the sport themselves and play a variation with their friends. Now, it won’t be played at the same professional and competitive level, but they at least get to put the rules into practice firsthand.

The average Martian isn’t going to be able to get ice time and just play with their buddies whenever they feel like. I’m not trying to be a downer; I just want to paint a clear picture of what an uphill battle ice hockey faces, and how the stakes are pretty high if they want to move past exhibition games and develop a real, professional league.

So, travelling to new settlements is about showing off the sport and attracting new fans, but it is also about showing off to those investors who may share the same vision as the ISMO and think that it can grow beyond its humble origins.

I hope it works out for them.

Experts Weigh in on ISMO Hockey

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What a 5 week whirlwind it’s been for ISMO Hockey! Our Panel of Martian sports experts weigh in today on ISMO’s hockey experiment. They discuss their thoughts on the new sport and how the reception may change after the next round of exhibition games.

Compared with classic hockey, one of the most visible difference of ISMO Hockey is the construction of the arena. Any thoughts on that?

Ion Miranda - Sports Writer and Analyst

Let’s talk about those ramped walls! ISMO officials made a big deal about the design of the sport and the rink, but it is no coincidence that there are similarities to the Aero Football, where players also play off the walls. Right now, the circular ramps are a blessing and a curse – They add a dynamic dimension to the game and reducing the roughhousing. When players are able to take to the air, it is like watching a Starskimmer performance, but the curse continues to be there aren’t enough skilled players to use it that way, so it amplifies the amateur quality of the sport.

Tsam Tiger Wiskle - Former Coach in Earth's East Americas Junior’s club

Don’t get me wrong, it’s cool—but I still think it feels gimmicky. I come from a Hockey purist point of view. I don’t see a point in messing with a setup that’s had so many years of success on Earth. Leave the fancy halfpipe to the trick skaters…when you actually have trick skaters.

Louise Pengilfinter - Analyst and Adjuct Professor at University of Marineris

One of the aspects of ISMO hockey that has come up again and again is the speed of the game. It actually isn’t faster rather it is more fluid.  The rink design is a practical solution to the conditions of Mars. I think ISMO’s hockey prototype is by no means perfect, perhaps it is even silly, but as these players learn to use the environment, we will see the game evolve far beyond what we see today.

What do you think about the team dynamics and gameplay?

Tsam Tiger Wiskle

I definitely find the 3 on 3 a good choice. It leaves room for so much interpretation of play by the players during the game. This has been the smartest aspect of the game so far.  I commend ISMO for making the effort to put this out there so soon. I wish they were able to invest more in skill development and waited longer before public exposure. It would have saved these test players a lot of embarrassment and present a more baked product for people like me to evaluate.

Ion Miranda

The fun part of watching an exhibition sport, especially one as novel as ISMO hockey, is that sense of trial and error. You watch these teams try new plays, formations, and strategies each game and it’s never, ever, boring. Traditional roles and positions are all out the window! Each of the players have specific strengths, but they need to be able to flow into different roles at the drop of a pin. This is what really weeded out the Sands and Phantoms in round one.

Louise Pengilfinter

Co-ed teams seem to be a defining aspect of Martian sports so far.  Many continue to scoff at the idea, but we’re at the tailend of the 21st century. Even in the MAFL we still see discrimination. In ISMO’s defence, according to  Evgeni Stolbova, VP of Skill Development at ISMO, they didn’t receive an equal proportion of women applicants to the program, resulting in the ‘minimum 1’ gender representation rule. No representation equals disqualification, which is why we see so many women goalies. We should be beyond these kinds of rule. As we’ve seen with the Titans and now the Moles, diversity makes for more dynamic teams.

How was the spectator response been? What do you see in ISMO Hockey’s future?

Tsam Tiger Wiskle

ISMO is no MAFL, but it’s garnered curiosity. I would say the fan base should be traditional hockey fans—people like me who emigrated from Earth––but most are still on the fence. They love the familiarity it brings, but unsure of what they are seeing.  I expect that someone will take the ISMO experiment and try to productize it into a league, but not because of its actual merits, rather because of the sport fever that has swept the planet.

Louise Pengilfinter

I think a large part of the draw is that ISMO hockey feels much more accessible to the average Martian than MAFL—simply because you don’t need to leave the colony to play. In MAFL, only the best athletes who passed the indoor tryouts are given a chance even step outside into the outdoor arenas in EV suits. If indoor rinks become more common across settlements, anyone can put on a pair of skates. In this manner, the exhibition hockey has also been a plus. That the players are not super athletes that have trained for years adds that notion of accessibility. The “I can do better” can motivate players of the future.

Ion Miranda

Yep. I think ISMO hockey is here to stay. There’s still lots of kinks to work out, but the fan reception has been overwhelming so far, so I cannot see round 2 being any different. Suffice it to say—Martians are hungry for entertainment. This is the golden opportunity for sports, and I say there’s big void to fill.

Wildcards Dominate

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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!

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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!

Tales From The Pitch - Ice #3

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Hockey offers a much more intimate live experience than aero football.

The Intimacy of the Rink

Last week I was one the fortunate few who had the chance to get actual ice-time with Phantom's Captain, Jonathan Moore. As long-time readers know the concept sport is not without its problems, and there has been a great deal of discussion on the skating ability of the test players, but today I want to tell you about my latest experience after viewing week 4 of ISMO's exhibition series. 

The popularity of sports doesn't rest solely on the excitement of seeing athletes compete for a prize. Sport also creates a sense of shared experience and community. If everyone in your pod is following the Mars Aero Football League you always have something to talk about, and whether or not you or a colleague support the same team is irrelevant. You can speak the same coded lingo, appreciate the same brilliant plays, and gasp at the same crushing defeats. Even while watching the matches live from spectator vehicles one feels a sense of community.

Everyone in that arena is experiencing the match as a unified whole, despite the fact that we are all in small groups housed in vehicles designed to protect us from the harsh climate. 

So, you'll imagine my surprise when I experienced an even more visceral shared moment with my fellow spectators at the latest ISMO game. First, I should explain: the rink used for each match is much smaller than a football pitch. Surrounding the rink is a small amount of stadium style seating, which mostly can't fit more than 250-300 people. And unlike a MAFL match you are close to all the action! I had front row seats and was right behind the glass at centre ice. I could see every play, every facial expression, and even the icy breath of the players. 

I also had 249 newfound friends that viewed and game with me, and more or less gasped when I did, cheered when I did, and grumbled when I did. The solitary act of viewing a sporting event was now a team effort and the reaction of such a crowd in close proximity completely changed the experience for me. 

The small spectator area has its disadvantages too, or it will have if the sport really takes off. While it was no problem for me to get tickets now, it will be a huge problem if popularity increases. This might mean that seeing a hockey game live would only be available to the very rich. And while some sports have historically survived on unnecessary elitism, I would suggest that ISMO will need to put any first-year profits directly into building larger arenas, which the engineers tell me is a logistical nightmare. 

I might be jumping the gun here but I'd strongly recommend that ISMO have a plan for this sooner rather than later. The incredible intimacy of the sport won't be lost if they figure out how to double or triple the size of the spectator area; however, removing that intimacy or making it available to only a select few would cause the loss of something that makes this sport special. 
 

Moles Chemistry

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

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

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

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

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

Their familiarity was evident in the 1st goal.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sands Go Down, Fighting

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Sand's goalie Priya Christensen and Captain Jared Foster - Despite lose their 5th in a row, they played their best match yet.

In a highly spirited match, Ruslan Vasiliev scored a hat trick to lead Khimik past the Sands 5 to 3 at Korolev.

With the win, Khimik moves to 3 and 2 and secure a spot in the 2nd stage exhibition that ISMO officials announced earlier in the week.

For the Sands, another loss, but it was their best performance yet.

Early in the game, it looked like the same old Sands.  Alex Yanovna easily netted Khimik's 1st goal from a bounce off the body of the Sands' Mitchell Cruz who was jockeying for net-front position. 

To the Sands' credit, they didn't fold. They responded at the 7 minute mark, and short-handed nonetheless. 

Khimik's power play unit fanned on a shot allowing the Sands' Jared Foster to take the puck and rush up ice and deliver a top shelf goal to tie up the game.  

The Sands continued to push and were eventually rewarded just 5 minutes later as Anthony Xin buried a rebound off an initial save by Khimik goalie Veronica Danilenko to give the Sands the lead 2 -1. 

As the 2nd period started, Khimik's Denis Ivashkin was tagged with a slashing penalty giving the Sands another opportunity, but despite some a few chances, the Sands were unable close the deal.

With just seconds left in that power play, Foster made a last ditch effort by boldly skating up the ramp before the Khimik blue line in an attempt to deliver an aerial pass to teammate, Jessie Andersen. 

Unfortunately, the pass failed to connect with Andersen's outreached stick and was picked up by Khimik's Andrej Petrovyh, as Foster made an awkward crash landing.  This gifted Kihimk with an odd person rush the other way that Ilya Hryc finished with a shot from the point to tie up the game 2-2. 

For the next seven minutes, both teams fought to get the go ahead goal until finally the Rusian Vasiliev show got underway.

At the 24th minute, the Sands' Eric Williams failed to clear the puck in front of the net, instead sending it right to Rusian Vasiliev for a shot past goalie Priya Christensen to put Khimik ahead. 

Just two minutes later, Vasiliev scored again on a redirect of an Andrej Petrovyh shot to make it 4-2. 

With less than a minute before the end of the 2nd period, Vasiliev completed his hat trick when he ripped a wrist shot from the top of the right circle through Christensen's legs to put Khimik up 5 - 2 over the Sands.

With a three goal lead to start the third period, Khimik played to protect the lead using strong puck movement to dominate time of possession which helped neutralize much of the Sands chances.  

At the 41st minute, the Sands finally found an opening as Xin's pass from behind the net found Andersen who banked it in past Veronica Danilenko to narrow the lead to two goals.  

With a few minutes remaining, the Sands deployed all three forwards at once in an attempt to tie up the game. This led to a mad scramble for the Sands.

With under two minutes left, it looked like the Sands would narrow the gap but a Foster shot from the slot rang off the post and that would be as close as the Sands would get. 

"They really pressed us hard at the end," said Khimik Captain Alex Yanovna. "Everyone keeps talking about how bad the Sands were but they were quite good today. If not for Ruslan's hat trick, the outcome may have been different."

"I'm proud of our effort today," said Sands Captain Mitchell Cruz. "We didn't give up and kept the game really close.  Next week will be the last exhibition game for us, so we plan to make the most of it."
 

Cosmonauts Best the Wildcards

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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.

Extended Exhibition Plans

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Seulovik will take the top 4 teams to Marineris, Noviymir, Wendland, and Europa in a 2nd round Exhibition.

Martian ice hockey has gained enough momentum at the midpoint of it’s 5 week schedule for organizers to announce the next stage of exhibition play.

Until now, unless you live in one of the hockey prototype settlements or purchased one of the weekend vacation packages, more likely than not, you’ve seen very little of this sport.  This announcement by the ISMO will change all of that as extended exhibition dates are in the works and are expected to be played in Marineris, Europa, Noviymir and Wendland.

ISMO has arranged with local councils to set up temporary rinks in each respective colony.  Not only does this increase audience size, it provides a platform for fund raising.

“After this first round of games wraps up,” explained Fredrick Seulovik, President of ISMO, “We’ll take the top 4 teams on tour.  We believe in our mission to develop new sports, so this will our showcase.”

Not all teams were happy to hear this news.  Sands’ captain expressed disappointment that this plan was not shared prior. “Of course we are upset.  We were led to believe that the exhibition was part of the training camp program, not actual competition.  What can I say, we feel we were left in the dark.“

The Sands have had a dismal record thus far, losing all 4 games and having scored only 2 goals over the 3 weeks of play.  It is unlikely that the Sands would have faired any better had they been aware of the second round.   

When asked how the teams would be selected in case of tied records, Seulovik responded that it would come down to points.  Clearly, they are looking for the teams with the greatest skill and capacity to entertain spectators.

In actuality, ISMO hockey training camp currently has 15 test teams, from which only 6 are represented in the current exhibition round.

According to program organizers, many of the test teams may disband as players return back to their home colonies and back to their day-jobs.  It is unclear at this point whether ISMO will broker deals to create rinks and training facilities in more colonies to continue their efforts in developing the sport outside of Mareotis, Noviymir and Korolev. This could very well be dependent on reactions during the 2nd round of exhibition.

Tales From The Pitch - Ice #2

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Skate or Die

My last article touched a bit of a nerve among some of the players in the ISMO. I pointed out, correctly, that their skill at skating was somewhat lacking. I was reminded, correctly, that it is not that critic who counts. It is very easy to point out the shortcomings and failing of others, but much harder to get into the arena yourself and experience difficulty firsthand. In short, I was asked to put my money where my mouth is and try on a pair of skates and see if I could do better. 

So I arrived at the arena in Mareotis and met with team captain Jonathan Moore of the Phantoms. After some awkward introductions I was taken into the makeshift change rooms and showed my gear. I had flashbacks to getting to suited up in a MAFL uniform because the technology is quite similar. Now, I'm not going to re-hash what has already been mentioned about the modifications of Football League EV suits, but let me just confirm for you: I looked amazing. Like a sleek Mercury getting ready to deliver messages for the gods of Olympus, I stepped out onto the ice. And that's where everything went wrong. 

My immediate reaction was one of bewilderment. That was mostly due to the fact that suddenly I was looking up at the ceiling. My first official action on skates was to fall right on my back. The ice was doing its work numbing the pain. I'd need more before this adventure was over. Captain Moore managed to stifle his laughter long enough to help me to my feet. "Isn't as easy as it looks, eh?" 

After several fractured and comically hilarious attempts, I am able to stand on my own two feet. Moving forward though? That would be my next challenge. I gingerly stepped forward in a sliding motion, moving millimeters at the time. I was positive that moving at such a slow pace would keep me upright. I was incorrect, and my hubris was rewarded with severe elbow pain from falling forward onto the hard ice surface. 

Once upright, the mechanics of skating are explained to me. The blades dig into the ice and I propel myself along with the power of my legs. In theory anyway. But I am able to glide across the length of the arena. The rest of the practice goes like this: I skate, I fall. I turn, I fall. I breathe the wrong way, I fall. In short, from what I can see it is nearly impossible to do anything on these infernal contraptions without falling. 

The players in the league might not be graceful on the ice, and they might occasionally fall, but they aren't flat on their keister for ninety percent of the game. So, they have one up on me. Look, for those completely unfamiliar with anything to do with ice skates, this is a really hard sport to perform the most basic skills, let alone master. 

The captain gave me kudos for actually coming out and trying it, so I think I won some brownie points there, but I could also see that they enjoyed making me suffer as they must have for so many of the early practices. 

I have no idea if this sport will catch on with Martians, but I do know that it is hard, and that the athleticism of the players should be acknowledged. Also, my butt is cold and bruised. 

Sands Bite The Dust, Again

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

More to Ice Sports than Hockey

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If soaring down a 3 kilometre frozen shaft sounds a little extreme, it is because it is.

ISMO R&D releases footage of Jamie Mulensar, test skier, making  the harrowing high speed descent down a track that has been dubbed “The Abyss”.

Excavators have modified the previous mining vein into a combination downhill and ice track descending more than 5000 meters.

With slopes ranging from 35% to 65%, portions of the course feel like free fall.

Jamie, a drop ship pilot, knows the importance of precision control traversing between ports and orbital cargo transports.  He has been part of the subterranean ski project for more than 6 months.

“No aspect of this is for recreational activity,” he explained after his run, “I trained on the phase 1 track and phase 2 ‘mini-giant’ tracks for months before attempting Abyss. Now there are three of us that can make it down in one piece, so we have started getting serious about time trials.”

What Jamie fails to share is the 5 other testers that have quit the program due to injury.  According to trainers, there have been 2 life-threatening injuries on the mini-giant course.

“To be fair,” said Oslo Drummond, and ISMO engineer, “Only one injury was from the downhill skiing... the other was from a mishap on the sled.”

ISMO claims that skiing will become a recreational activity soon and that their work and research today will directly inform how public facilities will be designed for safety.

Jamie, like many of the other nouveau athletes makes light of the risk, “You’ve got to crack a few eggs to make a new sport.”
 

Mateo Magic

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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.
 

Khimik - Checkmate

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Today’s 2 to 0 Khimik win over the Cosmonauts resembled, in many ways, a tightly contested chess match. This should come as no surprise for the two heavily rostered Russian teams.
 
The game was peppered with shrewd moves, crafty counters, and secure defence, which prevented very few openings—not unlike the many chess-match games we saw during the MAFL season.
 
While ISMO hockey and MAFL Football are similar in their use of chess-like strategies and tactics to generate openings, the pace of the matches are a sharp contrast.  they vary quite significantly in pace of match.
 
MAFL football have more stop and go motion, leading to more broken plays and turnovers. ISMO hockey is more fluid and distinctive in its smoother puck movement, transitions and longer possessions.
 
The unbroken plays of ISMO hockey naturally leads to more scoring chances. This has created an ever-changing dynamic between the defenders and forwards as they support their goalies in protecting the net. Suffice to say, this interplay is becoming one of the most exciting and defining aspects of ISMO hockey.
In today’s match, Khimik goalie, Veronica Danilenko, was shielded from 21 of the 27 shots the Cosmonauts attempted, by the coordinated efforts of the Khimik forwards and defenders. The Cosmonauts were equally focused on protection as their defenders and forwards blocked 28 shots.

The focus on keeping their goalies fresh, has enabled players to be more involved in the play—frequently making passes to start an offensive rush, something not so common in MAFL yet.  
Today’s game was also light on penalties, quite unlike the MAFL matches we’ve grown used to.
Without the luxury of numbers, penalties mean a razor-thin margin of error for the offending team. 

For a tense two periods, there were no mistakes as both teams countered each other’s offence and kept the scores at nil. Not until the third period did an opportunity present itself.

Khimik #50, Ruslan Vasiliev score twice in the 3rd to beat Cosmonauts 2-0.

Four minutes after the start of the third period, Khimik forward, Ruslan Vasiliev’s shot deflected off the well-intended stick of Cosmonauts’ defender Katy Fedin, and into the net for the game’s first goal!
 
Three minutes of scrambling back and forth. And Vasiliev scores again!
 
In his second goal of the game, Vasiliev redirected a long pass from Petrovyh, to bounce the puck off the skate of Cosmonaut defender Vitalia Bruian, and past Cosmonaut goalie Marius Hansen.
 
“We had very few chances as their whole team played solid defence,” said Cosmonauts’ Anna Fedin. 
 
Khimik goes to 2 and 2 with this win while the Cosmonauts drop to 2 and 2 with their loss.
 

Lessons From Today's Match

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Sands Lack Hands

Their 4 – 0 loss to the Cosmonauts at Noviymir was the second time the Sands have been blanked this season. Overall, they’ve lost all three of their exhibition games games, and have been outscored 19 – 2; which includes their season debut bloodbath, a 9 - 0 loss to the Wildcards.

They’ve mustered up a paltry 37 shots in total for all three games – the lowest of all the teams.

“Their players look like they have hands of stone out there”, said one fan after the game.

Sands’ Captain Mitchell Cruz was unable to dispute the fan’s assessment of their play.  “Things just aren't clicking for it yet,” said Cruz, “But we won't give up.  Even though this is an exhibition, we really want to give the new fans a good show.”

Some are wondering if the team’s poor play can actually be attributed to bad planning on the part of ISMO.  With all the teams assembled by the organization over the last 8 months, the exhibition teams represented the 'best' from the 15 teams in the program.  The Sands may be better than the teams that didn't make it, but simply be uncompetitive in this pool.

Blood Thicker Than Water

Meanwhile, Cosmonauts Captain Anna Fedin and her sister Kate may represent the future for the sport.

“We have photos of us skating when we were little back on Earth,” said Anna Fedin, the older of the two sisters. “According to our parents, we loved it.” 

Even though they haven't done it for years prior to signing up to the ISMO training camp, both women have a strong affinity for skating.  According to Dr. Elisna Katrine, a member of the ISMO training program, "Both Fedins are highly receptive to induction techniques, so are expected to continue to improve at an accelerated rate."

Their skating ability has, no doubt contributed to their early success.  Anna debuted the season with a hat trick that led the way to a 4-1 win over the Phantoms. She leads the team in points with 4 goals where Katy has 1 goal and 4 assists.  
 
“We are just having fun out there,” said Anna. “Happy that ISMO has given us a stage to play on.”
 

More Space, More Skills, More Speed.

The prototype rinks of ISMO are giving the players a spacious canvas to push their athletic artistry.
 
“All that open ice makes a difference”, said Katy Fedin. “It seems like night and day when compared to the footage of Earth hockey we've studied . I'm not sure that game would even work under our conditions here.  If you have the speed and stick handling skills to control the puck, there are lots of scoring opportunities as odd-person situations happen more frequently.”
 
This was clearly demonstrated in the Cosmonauts 4-0 win as they frequently ran well-timed and well-executed line changes which are paramount in 3-on-3 play. On the flip side, poor execution plagued the Sands throughout the match leading to many an odd-person rush for the Cosmonauts who converted for a few goals.
 
Speed plays an important role in all aspects of the 3-on-3 game. The Cosmonauts have the edge in this aspect, chasing down the Sands and steal control on multiple occasions. 

Less obvious, but just as important is the mental speed of the players and the team. Having this speed allows individuals to make snap decisions on an almost instinctual level, and allows the entire team to alter their point of attack or defense on the drop of a pin.

Defenders as Goalies, Goalies as Playmakers

Marius Hansen, Cosmonaut Goaltender.

“Smaller teams means more flexible roles.” This fact is quickly becoming the maxim, especially in the interplay between goalies and defenders.
 
Teams have already begun to incorporate their goalies into hybrid roles. And those with superior puck handling skills will help their offence either through a breakout pass or as the receiver of a pass when the team needs to regroup or make a line change.
 
In today’s match, both goalies lead their respective teams in passing: Priya Christense with 7 passes (Sands) and Marius Hansen (Cosmonauts) with 8. Overall, 60% of the exhibition games played so far have seen a defender block more shots than the goalie, while goalies have led their respective teams in passing in 50% of games so far.

This is definitely something to keep an eye out for as the team strategies evolve and mature throughout the season.

“I don’t want to just lead my team in passing, I want to lead in scoring,” joked Hansen. “Before this season is over, I’m going to score a goal”. With the breakout play of ISMO so far, Hansen’s playful proclamation could easily become a reality.