Power Rankings Spring Season - Week Ten

2016 SPRING SEASON POWER RANKINGS
RANK	TEAM	RECORD	UP/DOWN	COMMENTS
1	Emaan	6-2-1		Emaan has already clinched first to the loss last week to Ikhlas doesn't do much to impact where they finish.  They finish the season with another game against Ikhlas which will be more tuning than anything and likely an effort to lock up the top three spots in the scoring leaders table.
2	Haya	5-4-0		A win last week over Sabr broke their four game losing streak and gave them some confidence after a tough slide of late.  The surprise return of Captain Waqar Khan was certainly a boost.  Haya finishes the season against Sabr and will want to iron out any bad habits before the playoffs.
3	Shukr	5-4-0		Shukr took a surprise loss to Ihsan last week but considering that they were missing a number of players and before the game learned that Kashif Taqiuddin was lost for the season a letdown makes sense.  A rematch with Ihsan closes out the season and Shukr will want to end the season healthy more than anything.
4	Ikhlas	3-4-2		A win against first place Emaan was impressive as Ikhlas used their speed and veteran guile to take down the league leaders.  Some thought Emaan let this one get away so the rematch this week will be a good test for Ikhlas and their playoff prospects.
5	Ihsan	2-3-4		Ihsan continued their strong play of late with a gritty 1-0 win over second place Shukr.  The goaltending of Zaid Majoo has been the difference of late as he picks up another shutout for Ihsan.
6	Sabr	1-5-3		Going into their game against Haya, Sabr knew that they had to win to keep their playoff hopes alive but a short bench more than anything was too much to overcome.  Sabr lost players to injuries and had key players miss games which is why they will not be advancing to the post-season.

Power Rankings Spring Season - Week Nine

2016 SPRING SEASON POWER RANKINGS
RANK	TEAM	RECORD	UP/DOWN	COMMENTS
1	Emaan	6-1-1		Emaan gave up a late goal to Ihsan to end in a 4-4 tie but with a playoff spot locked up and a solid hold on first its easy to see why this team may be taking things easy over the remaining games in the regular season.
2	Shukr	5-3-0		Despite missing key players, Shukr did enough to defeat Haya and take sole possession of 2nd place.  They end the season with a pair of games against Ihsan where Coach K will want to get everyone healthy and on the same page going into the playoffs.
3	Haya	4-4-0		Haya has now lost four in a row and while they showed some life in the final minutes of their game against Shukr it wasn't enough.  Missing their captain and reports of injuries have this team in a tailspin and they end their season with a pair of games against Sabr who are battling for their playoff lives.  Haya needs just a point to clinch a playoff spot but nothing' has been easy for this team as of late.
4	Ikhlas	2-4-2		A last minute goal gave Ikhlas a tie which keeps them in fourth place.  A tough pair of games against Emaan are left and Ikhlas needs at least a win to position themselves for a playoff spot.
5	Ihsan	1-3-4		Ihsan continued their strong play of late with a last minute goal against 1st place Emaan to salvage a tie.  Ihsan is clinging to 5th place but are undefeated in their last three games so they are moving in the right direction.
6	Sabr	1-4-3		Sabr ends their season against Haya who are on a four game losing streak so both teams will be desperate to get a win.  Sabr needs to win and get some help to jump back into the playoff picture.

Power Rankings Spring Season - Week Eight

2016 SPRING SEASON POWER RANKINGS
RANK	TEAM	RECORD	UP/DOWN	COMMENTS
1	Emaan	6-1-0		Emaan defeated Shukr to tighten their grip on first place, they have clinched a playoff spot and can drop no further than 3rd place.  They face Ihsan next who are coming off their first win of the season and are in a struggle for a playoff spot.
2	Shukr	4-3-0		Shukr came up with a bit short against Emaan last week but showed great poise as they worked to limit their opponents top line.  A date with struggling Haya is up next and a win puts either team in a great position for a top two finish.
3	Haya	4-3-0		Haya lost their third game in a row, a humbling 3-0 loss to Ihsan who got their first win of the season.  Haya is struggling to generate offense and have spent far too much time in their own end over their last three games.  A chance to right the ship presents itself next week against Shukr where a win jumps Haya back into second place.
4	Ikhlas	2-4-1		A huge 3-1 win over Sabr jumped Ikhlas into fourth place.  A rematch is on the schedule right away so while things could get chippy, its a chance for Ikhlas to build a nice cushion over one of the teams chasing them in the standings.
5	Ihsan	1-3-3		Ihsan got their first win of the season with a strong 3-0 win over Haya.  Ahmad Hathout is finally producing and the result is a critical win.  A tough game against Emaan is up next but with their roster starting to click they are hoping to surprise their first place opponent.
6	Sabr	1-4-2		Sabr came out a bit flat against Ikhlas and the result was them on the wrong side of a 3-1 score.  They get a rare chance for redemption right away and is almost a must win game as a win puts them back into a playoff spot.

Power Rankings Spring Season - Week Seven

2016 SPRING SEASON POWER RANKINGS
RANK	TEAM	RECORD	UP/DOWN	COMMENTS
1	Emaan	5-1-0		Emaan defeated Haya for the second time in two weeks, their strategy of rolling their top line out often worked again and Arif Bijabhai found his scoring touch as he finished with three goals and an assist.  They have the top offense in the league which makes them a tough match-up.  Emaan now faces Shukr who are in hot pursuit for first place.
2	Shukr	4-2-0		Shukr came up with a big win last week over Ikhlas despite missing a number of key players.  Coach K set up the games only goal and with Sadat Malik getting into the groove this team is poised to make a run.  A key game against first place Emaan is up next as they look to make a run for first place.
3	Haya	4-2-0		Haya started the season strong but consecutive losses to Emaan has them reeling.  They showed heart in their last loss, working hard to keep it close but it wasn't enough for a win.  Ozair Naveed was a bright spot in the loss with his hustle and speed and Haya will need more of it as they try to get their first win in April.
4	Sabr	1-3-2		Sabr showed that their offense cannot be contained for long as a 3-0 early deficit to Ihsan last week was slowly chipped away at and a shorthanded goal tied it up late in the game.  Shuaib Hussein looked good in his debut with two goals and an assist as he is tasked with replacing Osama Soliman's offensive output.  The tie keeps them precariously close to the bottom of the table but for now they are hanging onto 4th with a big game against 5th place Ikhlas up next.
5	Ikhlas	1-4-1		Ikhlas gave up a late goal in their game against Shukr and ended up on the wrong side of a 1-0 decision.  While the loss hurts, the team has to be happy with their improved efforts of late and the energy they are playing with now.  A big game against Sabr is up next, a win jumps them into 4th place and in control of their own destiny as the playoffs approach - the two teams face each other in back to back games so Ikhlas will want to set the tone in the first meeting and limit Sabr's offensive punch.
6	Ihsan	0-3-3		Ihsan came roaring out of the gate last week as they quickly built up a 3-0 lead over Sabr.  Things looked like they were all going the teams way but little mistakes allowed Sabr to chip away and eventually tie the game up late.  The tie keeps this team in the hunt for a playoff spot but had to feel like a loss knowing they were so close to their first win.  A big positive was the play of embattled goalie Fraz Khan who made some critical saves to keep his team in it including a pair of spectacular glove saves in the final minute to preserve the tie for his team.

Power Rankings Spring Season - Week Six

2016 SPRING SEASON POWER RANKINGS
RANK	TEAM	RECORD	UP/DOWN	COMMENTS
1	Emaan	4-1-0		Emaan rebounded from a loss to Sabr in Week Five to crush Haya by a 5-1 score.  Their top line carried the load once again as they logged heavy minutes and did all the scoring.  Another game against Haya is on the schedule with Emaan looking to get a firm grip on first place.
2	Haya	4-1-0		Haya came up against their first big test in a game against Emaan and came up short as the top line for Emaan dominated.  Haya gets a chance for redemption as they get an immediate rematch with Emaan in Week Six but they'll need to show better team defense to try and contain the leagues top offense.
3	Shukr	3-2-0		A huge win over Sabr last week gave Shukr a good grip on 3rd place and in position to jump into the top two where they were predicted to finish.  Coach K has been leading this team off the floor with his strategies and on the floor with his scoring touch of late.  Sadat Malik finally made his debut and while a bit rusty looked good so the second half of the season has high expectations for this squad.  A date with Ikhlas is up next.
4	Sabr	1-3-1		Sabr dropped a critical game against Shukr last week which leaves them in fourth and precariously near the bottom of the standings.  A big game against Ihsan is up next which Sabr needs to get something from to hold onto their spot.  Rumours of an injury to a key player are circulating but no word on who the player is or the severity of the injury just yet.
5	Ikhlas	1-3-1		Ikhlas made a bold trade before a critical game against Sabr and the results were positive to say the least.  A blowout 7-0 win over Ihsan pulled this team out of the basement and showed off the high octane offense that many had expected from them.  Humza Chaudhry is coming alive at the right time and will be counted on to lead the offense with the departure of Arif Bijabhai.  A game against 3rd place Shukr who won the previous meeting 4-2 between these two teams is up next.
6	Ihsan	0-3-2		The wheels are close to coming off here for Ihsan who has yet to win a game and have the lowest scoring offense with just three goals in five games.  A 7-0 pounding against Ikhlas dropped Ihsan to last place where they will have to battle out from now.  A trade may be in the works to shake things up but this team has the talent to win games - they just are not performing that way.

Power Rankings Spring Season - Week Five

2016 SPRING SEASON POWER RANKINGS
RANK	TEAM	RECORD	UP/DOWN	COMMENTS
1	Haya	4-0-0		Haya faced Ihsan who were without two of their top forwards and ground out a slim 2-1 win which puts them in sole possession of first place.  A critical back to back against Emaan looms which could be their first test.
2	Emaan	3-1-0		Emaan had looked untouchable in their first three games, but their game against Sabr last week ended in a rout as they had only two subs available and could not match-up against Sabr's full squad. This is likely still the team to beat with their loaded offense and strong goaltending; their top line cannot be contained with Gehad Alhundi leading the league in Goals and Points while Yousuf Sowdagar leads the league in assists.  Ibrahim Hindy rounds out the line and is fourth in points.
3	Shukr	2-2-0		Injuries continue to plague this team but Coach K keeps finding ways to keep them in each game.  Last game they were without a goalie so Coach K convinced Akib Malik to step in as a replacement goalie, despite missing key players and fielding a non-goalie in net Shukr managed to defeat Ikhlas to break their two-game losing streak.  All season they have been missing players yet have still remained in the top half of the standings but they need to get healthy to really be able to move the top of the table as Coach K expected this team to.
4	Sabr	1-2-1		Sabr was winless in their their first three games but last week everything clicked as they hammered 1st place Emaan by a 7-2 score.  Hany Soliman broke out with 3 goals and two assists while Osama Soliman had 2 goals and 3 assists.  This is the type of offensive production that GM Salman Alvi had expected when he assembled this team and he broke out with two goals and two assists.  Ahmad Kaiss was a pleasant surprise contributing three assists.  If their offense can sustain this pace then Sabr will be fun to watch.
5	Ihsan	0-2-2		Ihsan is still looking for their first win after a tight 2-1 loss last week.  Missing top forwards Nadeem Faqiri and Amir Multani put them in a tough spot and the struggles of Ahmad Hathout continue as he is now pointless in four games.  The pressure is on Multani to get in shape and get Hathout going or Ihsan will struggle to win games as right now they have the lowest scoring offense in the league with just three goals and have been shut out twice.
6	Ikhlas	0-3-1		The struggles for Ikhlas continue, short a few players again they struggled against Shukr last week.  Their talented forwards have not been able to influence games as they have been forced to spend more time in the defensive zone than expected.  Next game against Ihsan is huge as they want to climb back up in the standings and a win there will get them into fifth place.

Power Rankings Spring Season - Week Four

2016 SPRING SEASON POWER RANKINGS
RANK	TEAM	RECORD	UP/DOWN	COMMENTS
1	Emaan	3-0-0		A dominating win over Shukr keeps Emaan at the top.  Gehad Alhundi has been on fire with 12 points in three games while linemates Yousuf Sowdagar has 11 points and Ibrahim Hindy has 7 points.  With a top line that has been unstoppable this is the team to beat.
2	Haya	3-0-0		Haya took advantage of shorthanded Ikhas once again, an early lead turned into a rout when Ikhlas collapsed in the second half.  Their need to beat an opponent at full strength before we can be sure this team is legit.
3	Shukr	1-2-0		Injuries have ravaged this team, as Aazar Zafar missed last week with the flu.  They have missed key players the last two games and paid the price by losing both; the last one coming against League Leading Emaan.  They get a struggling Ikhlas next who has also had issues with missing players.  Despite the struggles Shukr is still in third place and has every chance to move up the table.
4	Ihsan	0-1-2		Ihsan has to be concerned with the lack of offense this season, just two goals in their first three games is not what this team expected with the players in their line-up.  They have Ahmad Hathout who led the league in scoring the past two seasons and added Amir Multani who was expected to give the team a boost but instead Ihsan was shut out last week.  That said they are still in fourth place despite the poor start so all is not lost.
5	Sabr	0-2-1		Sabr is still struggling to find some rhythm this season and all the absences have not helped.  Last week saw them end in a 0-0 tie with struggling Ihsan.but have found themselves short key players - mainly the Soliman's.
6	Ikhlas	0-2-1		Ikhlas comes off an ugly loss to Haya where goalie Yusuf Kapoor kept them in it with amazing saves early but could not steal the win as his team collapsed in front of him in the second half leaving opposing forwards unmarked in front and able to finish on second or third chances.  Once they get everyone in the lineup they can turn this around but may look to shake things up via a trade.  All that said they are just a point out of 3rd place so no need to really panic just yet.