Power Rankings - Spring Season - Week Nine

2017 SPRING SEASON POWER RANKINGS
RANK	TEAM	RECORD	UP/DOWN	COMMENTS
1	Emaan	7-1-2		Emaan defeated Sabr in Week Eight to seal first place in the regular season.  They've been at the top of the table since early in the season and despite some inconsistent play have always done enough to get the job done.  They will enter the playoffs waiting for the winner of the Wildcard game earlier in the night to determine their opponent.  If it is Haya they swept the season series winning both meetings; if it is Ihsan than they face a team who they tied twice this season and were unable to defeat last season where the cores of both teams were relatively the same.
2	Sabr	6-3-1		Sabr came up short against Emaan in their regular season finale, losing 3-1 which kept them in second place for the regular season and a match-up against Taqwa in the playoffs.  Sabr boasts the best offense in the league and second best defense so they have positioned themselves well for a deep playoff run.
3	Taqwa	5-4-1		Taqwa went into their season finale playing a double header with the knowledge that winning one of the two games would lock up the third seed and game one was against Haya who decided to rest key players - the result was a slaughter where Taqwa led 7-1 after the first half and coasted to a 9-3 win.  Their second game against Ihsan didn't matter to where the team finished in the standings having already clinched third so an obvious letdown resulted in a 3-1 loss.  They enter the playoffs facing Sabr with a chance to get to the finals.
4	Ihsan	4-4-2		Ihsan entered the night in fourth place with two games on the slate, first against winless Yaqeen and then Taqwa who they were chasing for third.  The night came to a crashing halt as with their sights set on the second game Ihsan was caught offguard by Yaqeen who roared out to a 3-0 lead and held on for a 4-1 win essentially ending the teams hope for a higher seed.  That said they regrouped before their second game and came out with more passion against Taqwa and earned a 3-1 win to end their season on a high note.  Now they move into the playoffs in the wildcard game against Haya, the teams split their two regular season meetings and the winner will get an hour to rest before playing first place Emaan.  Ihsan would feel confident with that Semi-Final match-up considering they have not lost to Emaan in their past four meetings but they need to get by Haya first.
5	Haya	2-6-2		Haya clinched the final playoff spot last week so their finale against Taqwa was nothing more than a tune-up for the playoffs.  The team was missing regular goalie Khalid Mufti and chose to rest some of their veterans - the result was not what they would have expected.  Unable to get a replacement goalie they put one of their defenseman in goal with little success as they were losing 4-0 just seven minutes into the game and down 7-1 at half.  The game ended in a 9-3 hammering.  Not the best way to enter the playoffs but they knew this would be a tough game to play while missing players.  The sour ending to the regular season aside, Haya faces Ihsan in the Wildcard game with a chance to make the Semi-Finals at stake so expect them to bounce back from this debacle with a solid effort.
6	Yaqeen	1-7-2		Yaqeen entered the last week of the regular season looking for their first win and facing last seasons champions Ihsan who seemed to come into this game assuming it was going to be a cakewalk.  Yaqeen was playing without their regular goalie and were forced to put Tanseer Khawaja in net while also only having three subs on the bench.  What happened in this game seemed to be a script for a Disney movie as Yaqeen held their ground and took an unlikely 3-0 lead into halftime.  A late goal from Ihsan ruined the storybook ending of a shutout win, but Yaqeen got a 4-1 win, their first of the season.  They are still eliminated from the post season but at least end their season on a positive note.

Power Rankings - Spring Season - Week Eight

2017 SPRING SEASON POWER RANKINGS
RANK	TEAM	RECORD	UP/DOWN	COMMENTS
1	Emaan	6-1-2		Emaan worked for a 3-1 win over Haya which keeps them in first by just a point over red-hot Sabr.  They haven't dominated games but have done enough to get the win.  Their finale of the season is against Sabr in a battle for first place so lots at stake right down to the end of the season.
2	Sabr	6-2-1		Sabr beat up a shorthanded Ihsan for a 4-0 win where Ihsan was without two of their top players and had to put one of their defensemen in net so this game was theirs to lose.  That said their top players performed as Saleem Malik and Dawood Ciombar each put up three points.  Some observers were unimpressed with Sabr scoring with 12 seconds left in a game that was clearly over as Ihsan was gassed with a short bench.
3	Taqwa	4-3-1		Taqwa was a bit short benched but worked for a 2-2 tie against a desperate Yaqeen.  The tie puts them into third place, a point up on Ihsan.  Week Nine will have Taqwa play two games including the last game of the night against Ihsan in a likely battle for third place.
4	Ihsan	3-3-2		Ihsan dropped their second game in a row, this time by a score of 4-0 and combined 9-1 over the past two.  Short benches and foolish penalties are becoming too frequent for the defending champions but they have clinched a playoff spot and with two games on the schedule in Week Nine they have a chance to grab third place going into the playoffs.
5	Haya	2-5-2		Haya started their Week Eight double header with a 3-1 loss to Emaan before going into a critical game against Yaqeen which they won 3-2.  It wasn't pretty but they did just enough to win and clinch the final playoff spot.
6	Yaqeen	0-7-2		Yaqeen started their Week Eight double header with a 2-2 tie against Taqwa and knew that a win would put them into a tie for fifth place.  Alas it was not to be as despite some great efforts they were not able to get the win - or even a tie - against Haya which eliminates them from the post season.  An unexpected result for this team that was in the finals last season but attendance issues and a number of bad breaks cost them points early in the season and has them without a win this season.  Something that they hope to correct with their last game of the season.

Power Rankings - Spring Season - Week Seven

2017 SPRING SEASON POWER RANKINGS
RANK	TEAM	RECORD	UP/DOWN	COMMENTS
1	Emaan	5-1-2		Emaan exacted some revenge on Taqwa in Week Seven with a 3-1 win.  The win also keeps Emaan at the top of the standings just a point ahead of Sabr.  In their first game without injured captain Adeel Awan their defense looked shaky but Yusuf Kapoor was solid once again - the only goal he let up was going wide and deflected in by his own defenseman.
2	Sabr	5-2-1		Sabr started slow against Yaqeen but their league best offense cannot be contained and rallied for a 6-4 win.  The win keeps Sabr at pace with Emaan as the teams jockey for first overall.  Saleem Malik broke out with a 4-goal game while Luqman Arshad finished with 4-assists.  Their powerplay was 2/3 and looked unstoppable.
3	Ihsan	3-2-2		Ihsan got roughed up for a 5-1 loss against Haya but it's worth noting that the team was missing all four Soliman brothers for this game.  An observer likened it to the Power Rangers missing four members and than wondering why they kept losing to villains.  Ihsan has a big game against Sabr in Week Eight as they hope to make a run to a top two finish with first place still within reach.
4	Taqwa	4-2-0		Taqwa split their double header in Week Seven, dropping game one against Emaan 3-1 while playing without some key players (particularly Adil Patel).  Their reinforcements arrived for the second game against Haya which ended as a 4-1 win.  Three games left for Taqwa and a chance for a top two finish starts with a game against desperate Yaqeen in Week Eight.
5	Haya	1-4-2		Haya got their first taste of a double header and the result was a split.  A big 5-1 win over Ihsan was followed by a 4-1 loss to Taqwa.  The win is critical as it puts them three points clear of last place Yaqeen as the teams battle for the final playoff spot.  Week Eight is make or break for Haya as they have another double header on the menu.  First a game against Emaan followed by what essentially amounts to a playoff game against Yaqeen.
6	Yaqeen	0-6-1		Poor Yaqeen, they have encountered a tough run of it this season.  They have come up against hot goalies and great individual efforts from opponents all season.  Against Sabr it was Saleem Malik who broke their hearts with a 4-goal effort.  Yaqeen has to feel particularly burned after holding a 3-1 lead just six minutes into the game only to see it slip away.  Despite the struggles they have a double header in Week Eight that will determine their fate.  First a game against Taqwa followed by a match with Haya whom they are chasing for the final playoff spot.  The Haya game is a must win or their playoff hopes will end this night.

Power Rankings - Spring Season - Week Six

2017 SPRING SEASON POWER RANKINGS
RANK	TEAM	RECORD	UP/DOWN	COMMENTS
1	Emaan	4-1-2		Emaan defeated last place Yaqeen 4-2 in a game where their goalie had to bail them out as Yusuf Kapoor faced 21-shots in the half as his team was disorganized in front of him.  Part of that chaos was due to Emaan losing Captain Adeel Awan early in the game to an injury that takes him out for the season.
2	Sabr	4-2-1		Sabr was held in check for the almost the entire game against Haya until the final 30 seconds where they took advantage of a breakdown to get a 2-on-1 which they converted for the goal to steal a 1-0 win.
3	Ihsan	3-1-2		Ihsan had a big second half with four goals to get a 5-2 win over Taqwa and as a result leapfrog them to go into 3rd place.  Ihsan had a rough start but are now on a three game winning streak and undefeated in four games.  The defending champions took a while to get into form but are on a roll since.
4	Taqwa	3-2-0		Taqwa came into their game on back to back 2-0 wins but a terrible stretch against Ihsan saw a key game slip away.  The loss puts Taqwa in 4th place but a game in hand means they still have a chance at a top three finish.  A big double header is on the docket for Taqwa in Week Seven.
5	Haya	0-3-2		Haya played a great game against Sabr up until the end.  A late power play saw them put out their top line to try and get the win with four minutes left but they were not able to get the goal and then did not change meaning that when Sabr broke out of their zone in the final minute they were facing Haya defenders that were tired from a long shift.  The result was a goal with 21 seconds left and a terrible loss for Haya.  A win would have given them a bit of a cushion as they cling to the final playoff spot but now they remain just a point ahead of Yaqeen.
6	Yaqeen	0-5-1		Yaqeen gave a great effort against Emaan last week only to run up against Yusuf Kapoor who made some spectacular saves to deny Yaqeen a win they desperately needed.  Post game, Yaqeen lamented that despite peppering Kapoor with 30 shots (and 21 in the 2nd half) they were not able to defeat him.  An irony not lost on observers who noted that Yaqeen benefited from Kapoor's play last season in a run to the finals only to choose to go in a different direction this season.