Power Rankings - Spring Season - Week Five

2017 SPRING SEASON POWER RANKINGS
RANK	TEAM	RECORD	UP/DOWN	COMMENTS
1	Sabr	4-1-0		Sabr is just on a roll right now as they were in a tight game with Ikhlas but scored late to take the lead and despite being on the wrong end of a 5-on-3 powerplay in the final minute clinched the game with an empty netter.  They now move onto to face Emaan in a battle of division leaders.  The team has made a series of surprising trades so it will be interesting to see if their chemistry is impacted going into this game.
2	Emaan	3-2-0		Emaan has won back to back games and if you take away their opening game blowout loss and a divisional loss where they had two subs the team has been performing well.  Their biggest challenge is attendance as you need a magic 8-Ball to guess if they will have their star players at the game but when they do - this team will make opponents work hard to earn anything.
3	Shukr	2-1-2		Shukr has now been shutout in back to back games, they may have taken a point in the 0-0 tie with Haya last week but they cannot escape the reality that they are not scoring goals.  Good news is that their team defense has been strong and Fahad Mohammad has bailed them out with big saves.  A big test against Ridha is up next where Shukr will want to show that they can score goals in what may be a wide open game.
4	Haya	2-1-2		Haya has tied their past two games but are unbeaten in four.  Missing some players last week, GM Abdul Wahab Mohammad came up with a gameplan to neutralize Shukr's offense and try to hit them on the counter.  His plan worked to perfection in shutting down Shukr but getting a goal in transition did not materialize.  With his teams offense struggling a bit of late, Mohammad made some big moves this week to give his team a boost which if it works out gives them a great chance to make a deep playoff run.
5	Yaqeen	2-2-1		Yaqeen was almost run out of the building last week as Ridha hammered them to a tune of a 6-1 score.  Their offense has been struggling of late as after breaking out for six in their first game and has just four goals in the four games since.  Yaqeen has made some big moves since hoping to shake things up and time will tell if that makes a difference.  A game against struggling Ihsan is up next
6	Ihsan	2-3-0		Ihsan has been nothing but inconsistent this season, flipping between a win and a loss week after week.  They have struggled with injuries but some good news on the horizon as Ahmad Mobin is expected to return within the next week or two which will be a big help for them.  A game against new-look Yaqeen is up next and a chance to get back in the win column.
7	Ridha	2-3-0		Ridha hammered Yaqeen last week, blowing them out by a 6-1 score which showed what this team can do if they have all their players in the lineup - and that's been the catch as they have not been getting good attendance on a consistent basis this season which has hurt them.  A game against struggling Shukr is up next where their high flying offense will face off against the top defense this season.
8	Ikhlas	0-4-1		Another week and another surprising loss from Ikhlas.  They made a big trade to try and shake things up and one would expect them to look to make more moves to try and tweak the lineup to find a way to get more out of their talented roster.

Power Rankings - Spring Season - Week Four

2017 SPRING SEASON POWER RANKINGS
RANK	TEAM	RECORD	UP/DOWN	COMMENTS
1	Sabr	3-1-0		Sabr went into their game against Shukr last week and showed that they are the team to beat this season.  A strong defensive effort shut down Shukr's league leading offense and a great goal generated by their two stars got them the win.  They move on to face last place Ikhlas with an eye on solidifying their place at the top of the table.
2	Yaqeen	2-1-1		Yaqeen played a great game against Haya despite missing some of their key players and had the lead going into the final minutes but penalty trouble resulted in them walking away with a tie instead of the win.  Emmad Khawaja continues to lead this team with endless hustle and Yaqeen looks to their Week Five game against struggling Ridha as an opportunity to take hold of first place in the Mecca Conference.
3	Shukr	2-1-1		Shukr went into their Week Four game at the top of the table but a poor performance saw them drop the game, drop out of first place and drop off many pundits list of elite teams.  After scraping by shortbenched Emaan the week before more was expected but their offense failed to produce anything against Sabr.  Shukr moves onto a tough game against veteran Haya who have been playing well of late.
4	Haya	2-1-1		Haya continues to roll along and while they came away with a tie in their Week Four game, are undefeated in their last three games.  They were down early to Yaqeen but continued to push hard and it was their superstar Farooq Sani who created the equalizer.  The team has showed good chemistry and a game against Shukr is up next with a chance to jump further up in the standings.
5	Ihsan	2-2-0		Ihsan has been battered by injuries but has shown great resolve to compete in games.  Last week they defeated Ikhlas 3-0 where Tayyab Kalair broke out for a pair of goals to lead his team.  Ihsan still has injury issues to deal with so they cannot take anything for granted as they face Emaan next week.
6	Emaan	2-2-0		Emaan shocked many last week with a strong balanced game against Ridha where they found themselves in a 3-3 tie in the final minute - but that wasn't enough and they stunningly turned a faceoff deep in their own zone into a partial breakaway and goal from Osama Soliman.  The team showed resolve in a loss to Shukr and even greater heart against Ridha.  A tough game against a resurgent Ihsan is up next.
7	Ridha	1-3-0		After a hot start to open the season with a blowout win, Ridha has been cold since with three straight losses.  The team has had attendance issues with key players missing but the rest of their squad needs to step up as right now Ridha is shockingly in fourth place in the Medina Conference and outside of a playoff spot.
8	Ikhlas	0-3-1		Another week and another surprising loss from Ikhlas.  A squad as talented as this one continues to shock observers with losses piling up.  They have the leagues lowest scoring offense with just three goals in four games and have been shutout in back to back games.  Their next chance to get their first win of the season has them facing first place Sabr so a great challenge but this team is bound to turn things around at some point.

Power Rankings - Spring Season - Week Three

2017 SPRING SEASON POWER RANKINGS
RANK	TEAM	RECORD	UP/DOWN	COMMENTS
1	Shukr	2-0-1		Shukr stays at the top but were unimpressive in theri 3-1 win over Emaan last week considering their opponent had only two subs.  Emaan played a very defensive game which made it difficult to generate offense but observers were expecting a blowout so Shukr takes a hit for not delivering.  A big test against a strong Sabr squad is up next and a better measure for this team.
2	Yaqeen	2-1-0		Yaqeen played a complete game to grind out a 2-0 win over Ikhlas.  They took an early lead and suffocated the Ikhlas offense the rest of the way not allowing them much space to create.  A cross divisional game against veteran Haya is up next.
3	Sabr	2-1-0		Sabr pulled out a key win over shorthanded Ridha in Week Three, Ridha may have been missing some of their top players but Sabr built up an early lead and despite a pair of late goals from Ridha they did not panic and sealed the win with an empty netter from their third line.
4	Haya	2-1-0		Haya pulled out a big win over Ihsan in Week Three but must feel a bit concerned about how the win played out.  A dominant first half saw them leading 4-0 only to have Ihsan score three straight goals in the second to make the win a lot closer than they wanted.  A tough test against Yaqeen is up next.
5	Ridha	1-2-0		Ridha has struggled in their past two games and no coincidence that Shaukat Khan was away for both losses.  The team needs him along with their other top players in the lineup to have a chance.  That said they have been getting good performances from Abdu Sharkawy and Ahmad Ibrahim who are the teams top two scorers.  A game against struggling Emaan is up next along with a chance to get back into the win column.
6	Ihsan	1-2-0		Ihsan may have lost their game last week to Haya but showed some great effort in the second half to turn what seemed to be a Haya blowout into a one-goal loss.  The team has been ravaged by injuries which is what has hurt their chances to be higher in the standings this season.  They face last place Ikhlas in Week Four so a chance for them to even their record.
7	Emaan	1-2-0		Emaan dropped their game last week against Shukr but put out a great effort considering they only had two subs.  A tight defensive game was the strategy and for the most part it worked as they kept the game bottled up but a chance to tie the game with a penalty shot was missed and an empty netter sealed their fate.  A game against injury riddled Ihsan is up next.
8	Ikhlas	0-2-1		Ikhlas dropped another game, this time losing to Yaqeen 2-0.  They solved their issues from the first two games of the season as they only took one penalty but their offense was not able to get on the same page as Yaqeen took an early lead and settled back into a defensive position to hold it the rest of the way.  Ikhlas is a talented team so only a matter of time before they turn things around.

Power Rankings - Spring Season - Week Two

2017 SPRING SEASON POWER RANKINGS
RANK	TEAM	RECORD	UP/DOWN	COMMENTS
1	Shukr	1-0-1		Shukr surprised Yaqeen last week and escaped with a 3-1 win.  Teams have been keying in on Maaz Haq to start the season and so far he hasn't found the back of the net but Shukr has been getting great support from all three lines they put out there which has been the key for their early success this season.
2	Yaqeen	1-1-0		Yaqeen dominated stretches of their game against Shukr last week but little mistakes came back to haunt them.  Their forwards are strong and deep so look for them to quickly bounce back against Ikhlas in Week Three.
3	Ihsan	1-1-0		Ihsan defeated rival Ridha in Week Two with a gutsy effort with multiple players injured and a short bench.  Without star goalie Ahmad Mobin and top forward Humza Chaudhry in particular things looked down but a great effort from the rest of the team saw Ihsan take the win.  They face Haya in Week Three how had a solid win over Sabr last week.
4	Ridha	1-1-0		Ridha looked unstoppable in Week One but Shaukat Khan was not available and their offense seemed to be limited without him.  Mohammad Bilal created a number of chances but wasn't able to click with his linemates and the result was a 1-0 loss against rivals Ihsan.
5	Haya	1-1-0		Haya bounced back from a Week One humbling with a strong win in Week Two over Sabr.  The were led by Farooq Sani who keyed the offense with his hustle and deft passing as he created the game winning goal and sealed the win with an empty netter.
6	Sabr	1-1-0		Sabr struggled against Haya last week, they created chances but were not able to finish around the net which cost them the game.  A big game against Ridha in Week Three will be another test to see how strong this team is as they will need to come up with a better effort in Week Three.
7	Emaan	1-1-0		Emaan caught Ikhlas for a 3-1 win in Week Two, their hustle created chances and they got the bounces to finish them.  A big test in Week Three against Shukr is up next and will need another great effort.
8	Ikhlas	1-0-1		Ikhlas dropped their game against Emaan despite being heavily favoured before the matchup.  The big challenge for the team was discipline as they gave Emaan six powerplays and right now have four of the top five penalty leaders in the league.  This is a very talented and deep team but if they cannot stop the parade to the penalty box they will have a tough time winning games.

Power Rankings - Spring Season - Week One

2017 SPRING SEASON POWER RANKINGS
RANK	TEAM	RECORD	UP/DOWN	COMMENTS
1	Yaqeen	1-0-0		Yaqeen looked dominant in their opening game of the season with a 6-0 destruction of Emaan.  Their top players performed and with were without a pair of sleeper picks who they are hoping will give the team an even bigger boost.
2	Ridha	1-0-0		Ridha rode a strong second half to an easy 4-0 win over Haya.  Their top line dominated play and despite a flurry of trades that remade their roster after the draft there was clearly some good chemistry.  Their challenge may be that they seem a bit thin on defense so perhaps another trade is in the works to resolve that gap.
3	Sabr	1-0-0		Sabr won their game but their effort is a bit harder to gauge here as while they defeated Ihsan but a 4-2 score the game was closer than you would expect.  Ihsan was hampered with injuries yet kept this game close but that said it is hard to question the core of this team which is comprised of last season's champions.
4	Ikhlas	0-0-1		Ikhlas looked great for most of the game last week but a late penalty cost them as Shukr was able to steal a tie.  Their offense and defense looked strong and Yusuf Kapoor made some spectacular saves.  Expect big things from this team as the season progresses.
5	Shukr	0-0-1		Shukr looked good in week one but seemed to be getting too cute with passing which cost them.  The team looks well balance but may need another sniper to finish opportunities in front of the net.
6	Ihsan	0-1-0		Ihsan was hit with early season injury issues in Week One that is likely to weigh them down early in the season.  Goalie Ahmad Mobin suffered a lower body injury and is week to week while Young Star Humza Chaudhry also suffered a lower body injury but is considered a game time decision.
7	Haya	0-1-0		Haya looked overwhelmed in Week One so the pressure is on to put out a better performance in Week Two against Sabr.  GM Abdul-Wahab Mohammad had to have expected more from the veteran squad that he drafted and will look for them to rebound this week.
8	Emaan	0-1-0		Emaan suffered a humbling 6-0 beatdown in Week One.  They were without Yousuf Soliman who was a late scratch for the game with a lower body injury and took the reigns as coach.  They have to hope that he is able to dress this week and reunite the Soliman brother line (Hany, Yousuf and Osama) who provide size, speed and skill.