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.