Week Seven - October 31st

Ihsan vs Sabr

9PM-10PM

After last week, there seems like a massive distance between Sabr and Ihsan in the standings but on second look, it's only 2 points.

Still, Sabr suffered a tough 2-0 loss to Taqwa last week and seems to have run through a mess of injury issues. First it was Hani Soliman, who scored in his first two games and appeared to be a great fit on the second line, to succumb to the injury bug with a broken ankle. 

Last week, Yousuf Sowdagar dislocated his shoulder (for the umpteenth time) but looks like he's out for a bit. Absences have played another part but Sabr has played largely with less than 3 lines and sometimes only 2. Playing without depth is a losing strategy in a league where each team plays an uptempo game.

The team has commenced the waiver process to replace Hani with Nayu Akbar. There's hope that Nayu with his strong slapshot, can fill the void left by Hani on the second line as Shuaib Hussein and Saleem Malik have been unable to fit on that line.

While Sabr fell 2-0 last week, Ihsan pulled out a 2-0 win against Emaan. For a team that has allowed the most shots against per game, it was encouraging to see that Ihsan had finally taken as many shots as they had allowed last game.

Another massively encouraging sign for Ihsan was that the second line finally found the back of the net. With Yusuf Ingar scoring twice, the combination of Ingar, Ali Wadee and Omar Husain will be critical for the team to find continual success and out-possessing their opponents.

Player To Watch: Kaz Akbar has a league leading GAA and has generally given his team a chance to win, game in and game out.

Who's Hot: Omar Sabri has 8 points on the second, topping both teams in scoring.

Taqwa vs Emaan

10PM - 11PM

With their backs against the walls and sitting at the bottom of the standings, Taqwa pulled out a gritty win against Sabr. It was the type of tight checking game they don't typically like to play as it limits their offensive weapons. But by sitting back and playing a more defensive style, Taqwa was able to score on the PP and eek out an important victory.

But the urgency that Taqwa felt last week will be felt completely by Emaan who now sit on the bottom of the standings and are in desperate need of points. It's unclear whether Waqar Khan will be back in the lineup. While he doesn't wear the C, it's clear that Khan plays a major leadership role on the team. And Khan will need to spur some production out of his teammates, as 1 goal in 6 games out of both Arif Bijabhai and Ahmed Hathout combined is not going to cut it.

While Emaan players have been upset that their games are never considered an I-Slam Hockey Rivalry Game. Well, that's because no one hates them (which is a good thing, right?). But the Taqwa - Emaan matchups are becoming something of a rivalry, as the games between the two teams are always highly contested. The last game was an intense, back and forth, and entertaining 4-4 tie.

Player To Watch: Shaukat Khan came through with a major goal on the PP last week which stood as the game winner. He has that clutch ability.

Who's Hot: Sami Choudhry is on overdrive lately, with a whopping 6 points in his last two games. He'll need to be watched closely.

Week Six - October 24th

Emaan vs. Ihsan

10PM

Emaan is fresh off a spirited game against Taqwa in which they battled back from 2-1, 3-2, and 4-3 deficits and brought the game to a tie with 1:42 left in the game.

Umair Awan and Arif Bijabhai finally came alive and contributed some big goals, along with Hisham Ali who has been the most consistent producer for Emaan. And in more Emaan related news, Emaan has replaced Haseeb Syed (knee injury) with big center Hassan Badreddine who is expected to make his I-Slam Hockey debut this Friday.

While Tier-1 defensemen are relieved that they will no longer have to deal with Syed bearing down on them at full speed, Hassan represents the big center with a lethal shot that Emaan has been missing all season. This replacement might make them contenders as it gives them an element they were sorely missing.

Ihsan is coming off a bye week and playing the high flying Emaan is going to be a struggle. The first 5 minutes are going to be critical as Ihsan will have to find a way to weather the storm.

Player to Watch: Hassan Badreddine's debut will certainly draw attention. He likely has the best wrist/snap shot in Tier-1 and can be deadly if left unattended.

Who's Hot: Sajjid Ayubi has a league leading 5 goals this season and will need to be watched closely by his opposition.

Sabr vs. Taqwa

11PM

For a team that loaded up on a tremendous amount of talent, Taqwa likely didn't envision themselves at the bottom of the standings after 5 games. And here they face their bitter rivals Sabr, who hold a game in hand on them. Not to get ahead of myself, but if Sabr wins, Taqwa will be in a dogfight just to make the playoffs.  

Taqwa kept putting up the goals against Emaan last week but it never seemed enough. Taqwa might need to reach the realization that no matter who their goalie is, there is no substitute for good team defense.

Meanwhile, Sabr's last game was hardly a masterpiece. They were thoroughly outplayed and outpossessed by Emaan and yet pulled out the win on the back of Imran Patel who once again registered a huge goal. In my opinion, this has been Patel's most dominant performance in I-Slam Hockey - and that's saying a lot. His contributions can't be fully appreciated looking at the stats sheet, but he's been impactful in every game and Taqwa will certainly need to stay close to him.

Taqwa has also lost center Camran Baig to a wrist injury and have replaced him with youngster Dani Umar.

Player to Watch: I wouldn't say Ibad Khan has played badly, but he also hasn't stolen a game yet. I'm interested to see his performance in this critical match.

Who's Hot: Sami Choudhry is fresh off a 4 point performance and has 8 on the season already (tied for league lead).

Week Five - October 17th

Emaan vs. Taqwa

11PM

We've reached what I call the Tier-1 split, where two teams sit out with a bye week. It might seem inconsequential but it always skews the standings where teams end up ahead on points but with fewer games in hand. 

And so the intensity turns up a notch. Taqwa appeared to be walking away with a win last week, or at least a tie, only to see it dissipate with 40 seconds left after a point shot from Dilawar Alvi handed them a 4-3 loss.

Emaan completely outplayed, out-shot and out-chanced Sabr only to end up on a losing end of a 2-1 game. The inability to convert on chances and perhaps a weak goal surrendered by their goaltender was all the difference in the match

This game might be just what Emaan needs to get on track. Taqwa has a terrible time keeping up with Emaan's fast paced and crash and bang style of hockey. Taqwa's skilled players prefer to slow the game down and to create their high skill opportunities.

But Taqwa, who clearly have done the most to up the talent on their club, have swung a late Thursday night trade to move veteran Junaid Mohammad for Ihsan speedster Erfan Bhanapatel. Their talent pools keeps building but eventually Taqwa will need to show what's on paper on the floor.

Player to Watch: Hisham Ali has stood out on Emaan as one of the few guys converting on his offensive chances. He'll need to keep scoring until the other shooters on his squad decide to join him.

Who's Hot: Shaukat Khan has points in all his games and 6 altogether this season.

Week Four - October 10th

Ihsan vs. Taqwa

10PM

Both teams suffered their first loss of the season prior to the Eid break, after allowing a brief chance to take sole leadership of first place slip through their fingers.

But this will likely be a statement game for both teams. Both teams are also hoping for a full lineup for the first time this season. For Taqwa, they hope to have all of Osman Buttar, Camran Baig and the newly acquired Nomi Chaudhry all in the lineup at the same time. Meanwhile, Ihsan is hoping to finally see Usama Mahmood’s debut this season. Rumours were abound that Mahmood held a retirement celebration a couple of weeks ago but close friend and co-GM Sajjid Ayubi insisted that was not the case. “I’d kill him if he walked away from the game right now” Ayubi is reported to have said. Mahmood can certainly be a difference maker, so his presence would be a huge boost for the team.

Player to Watch: Yusuf Ingar was a solid contributor for Taqwa last season but he has yet to make his presence felt with Ihsan. He needs to make an impact, and soon, or his stock might start falling around the league.

Who’s Hot: Shaukat Khan and Sajjid Ayubi are tied at the top of the league with 5 points and have both been carrying the mail for their respective teams.

Emaan vs Sabr

11PM

I think we can call this Friday “even Steven”. Firstly, all the teams are tied in points in the standings. Secondly, all the teams playing this Friday have tied each other in their previous matchups. Emaan and Sabr played to a tie the last time they played and so did Ihsan and Taqwa.

So everything is as tied up as it could be.

Based on my expert scouting, I’d say the following were true from the previous Sabr-Emaan showdown:

1.   Sabr had a lot of trouble with Emaan’s speed through the neutral zone. Speed is what breaks the trap and Sabr’s system couldn’t withstand Emaan’s runners.
2. Emaan ran out of gas near the end of the game and Sabr took over.

Emaan also left a number of quality chances on the table, though this seems to be a theme in all of their games. They create many chances but have far too much trouble in the finishing department. If they start finishing, they’ll keep winning.

Player to Watch: Umair Awan has 2 goals already this season but could have had 5. He’s got the shot of a sniper and can really lift this team up.

Who’s Hot: Imran Patel’s goal last week was all kinds of nasty. Patel embarrassed the Ihsan defender and goaltender as he undressed them both and powered towards the net. You can’t ignore that kind of talent.