The Shaolin Monks were crowned the 2010 Salaam Cup Champions winning a thrilling game by a score of 3-1. The Greenbirds were attempting to win their fifth straight Salaam Cup, but the dynasty had to come to an end eventually. The Greenbirds were the team to beat at this tournament, as year in and year out they have boasted a spectacular roster of offensive brilliance and defensive grit. However, the Greenbirds were not able to compete with the Monks on this night, as the speed of the Monk offense wore out the aging Greenbird defense. When the Greenbirds did have chances, Salaam Cup MVP Mohammed “Sibtain” Hussain literally flashed his glove to get the whistle. Nayyar Razvi was the other finals MVP and he certainly deserved it after backstopping the Greenbirds to the finals. The game’s momentum certainly changed in the last ten minutes of the game where the Monks were relentless on the attack. They kept pouring it on and the Greenbirds made one too many mistakes and let the game slip away from their claws.

The road to the finals was difficult for both finalists. The Greenbirds went a perfect 3-0 in the round robin and were awarded the first bye into the semi-final. Coincidentally, the Shaolin Monks went undefeated with a 1-0-2 record earning the second bye into the semi-final. With the tournament this year being bracketed, the Greenbirds defeated the Rexdale Dragons in their semi-final bout by a score of 1-0 and as they have in every Salaam Cup, reached the finals. The Shaolin Monks were anticipating a battle with the ML Warriors, but after a surprise OT Shootout, it was the Malton Slappers who advanced to the semi-final. The Monks defeated Malton by a score of 3-1 and advanced quite convincingly to the finals.

The Monks as the tournament progressed got better. Their defense was terrific, their offense had finally begun to click, and Sibtain in his Salaam Cup debut was looking like a veteran. The Greenbirds also marched into the finals all guns blazing, with a perfect 5-0 record looked to further their dynasty with a fifth straight Salaam Cup. Nayyar looked to be on top of his game and the offense could be a game changer at any moment. However, the final was an intense game, and every single player who participated gave everything they had and amazed the crowd.

The first goal of the game came from none other than off the stick of Taha Ali. With less than 12 minutes remaining, Taha was able to pick the ball off the blue line and turn on the jets. With both Greenbirds defensemen on his tail, he was able to deke through one but got tripped. With the referee’s hand in the air signaling a penalty, from his knees Taha wristed a shot top corner. It may have been the goal of the tournament, as the Monks bench erupted.  Nayyar looked completely stunned and the defense was shocked that no matter what they could have done in that moment, Taha would have still scored.

The Monk lead didn’t last for too long as on the power play the Greenbirds would strike. The ball was tossed in by Ijaz Chaudhry and completely fooled Sibtain on the other side. Sajjid Ayubi quietly waited until it popped out and he quietly snuck in under Sibtain to tie the game at 1-1. The Greenbirds crowd stood in unison and applauded as the defending champions once again had pulled back into the game.

It would be none other than Naveed Sheraly, Captain of the Monks who would seal the deal in the second half.  After a beautiful chip on the side boards by Mustafa Alam, Sheraly would pick up the ball and take one look at the net before winding up and taking a shot. The ball found the twine and the Monks pulled ahead once again leading by a score of 2-1. Sheraly had been quite all tournament, but finally when the Monks needed their leader he was there to finish in Shaolin fashion.

With the clock ticking, the Greenbirds continued to press harder than they had in the first. They put together a 24 shot effort in the second period, all 24 shots stopped by Sibtain. He was incredible, with his flashy glove saves and acrobatic dives. He moved quickly between the pipes, made critical stops and covered the ball as he needed to. A large reason to the Monks being so dominant in this game was because of Sibtain and he truly did deserve the MVP.  The Greenbirds put 38 shots on Sibtain and only one was able to find the back of the net, his performance was nothing short of spectacular.

With the clock trickling into the seconds, with the Greenbird cage open, Aadil Khan buried a wrist shot into the empty net sending every Monk off the bench and onto Sibtain. The pile grew as member after member of the Monk bench poured into the celebration. With a score of 3-1 the Monks dethroned the Greenbirds as Salaam Cup champions.

The Shaolin Monks have battled a hard four years to finally taste the glory that comes with winning the Salaam Cup. A core of young players, with a mix of veterans and a spectacular young goalie was the correct recipe of making a championship team. The Greenbirds have nothing to hang their heads over, what they have done at this tournament year in year out is incredible. A record 4 Salaam Cups is a testament to the dedication of the Greenbirds Hockey Club.  The Shaolin Monks after four years of semi-final defeats hoisted their first ever Salaam Cup. The Shaolin Monks will return in 2011 and will have to continue exactly where they left off and defend their championship. 

Congratulations!

~Erfan Bhanapatel

Scarborough and Donlands have been rivals for a very long time, and it was only fitting that the Pool B Championship game was played between them. With Donlands already having defeated Scarborough 1-0 in the opening game of Pool B it would seem as they were favoured to win. With large amounts of supporters for both teams in the crowd, this may have been the loudest game of the tournament. After a hard fought final Scarborough captured the Pool B Championship and made their way into Pool A for the 2011 Salaam Cup. With both teams finishing a respectable third and fourth at the end of round robin, the road to the finals was long and strenuous.

Donlands opened up the tournament defeating Scarborough, then tied the Rebels and Band of Brothers. The team depended on their defense in the round robin and often at times couldn’t bury chances after beautiful rushes. Sohail Okadia was a brick wall in the back end, making save after save and he would be the heart and soul of this team in the playoffs. He would shut the door against the Band of Brothers and allow only one goal against the Saracens in the semi-finals. The scoring began to roll in the playoffs for the Red Spartans as Taimoor Khan, Imtiaz Manjra, and Vasim Kapadia would carry the offensive load. Nawaz Shaikh really put it on ice for Donlands in the semi-finals with a beautiful deke of Rahil Ahmed scoring and sending the bench into a frenzy. With 6 goals in the playoffs it was evident that the chemistry had been established, the defense was carrying much of the load and Sohail Okadia was being himself turning away shot after shot against two very dynamic teams.

Scarborough’s path to the finals could be summed up as being rough, heart pounding, and nail biting. After losing to Donalnds in the opener, they pounded the Rebels 4-1, lost to the Bladerunners 1-0, and beat the Saracens with a convincing 2-0 performance. Throughout the tournament it was obvious that the scoring was inconsistent, but Afzal Vepari was in true form and was the backbone to this team. Down 3-0 to the lower ranked Rebels in the first round, the Scarborough team was led by Imtiaz Dawood in an incredible come back to take the game 4-3. With young guns Abu Hafejee and Sufyan Memon leading the charge, the team quickly began to gain momentum heading into the semi-finals. With Blitzkrieg awaiting them in the semis, they turned to Mohammed Manjra who scored 2 goals in convincing fashion leading to a 3-0 victory over the top ranked team in Pool B. Afzal Vepari quietly had picked up a shut-out and with Fayaz Sindha getting the other marker with a beautifully timed point shot, Scarborough headed into the finals with a solid lineup top to bottom.

The Finals showcased the breeding of two dominant Ball Hockey areas. The Donlands team had the Red Sea cheering and the Scarborough fans stuck around after their beloved Warriors had been eliminated. It would be a thrilling final with chance after chance being exchanged and the defensive units putting up valiant efforts. With Abbas Amarshi and Shahid Bulbulia locking down the blue line for Scarborough and Feisal Tilly and Aadil Chohan holding their own on the other side of the rink the offenses were denied. Afzal Vepari faced 27 shots and turned each one away in veteran fashion, proving to many that he does not need the best players in front of him to carry a team but that he can carry a team on his back if need be. Sohail Okadia had carried his team to the finals and of the 20 shots he faced one was able to find the back of the net. That decisive goal would come off the stick of Sufyan Memon after a rush started by Hamza Shakil who was able to spot Imtiaz Dawood waiting on the side of the net. After a beautiful pass to Memon, he made no mistake and buried the only goal Scarborough would need to capture the Pool B Championship, and the golden ticket to next year’s Pool A. It was bitter sweet for Donlands as their own Mohammed Manjra would win the MVP honours for Scarborough. Sohail Okadia would earn runner-up MVP, and he deserved it as the Donlands squad was put on his shoulders from game one. 


~Erfan Bhanapatel