Red Wings 4, Black Stones 3 (SO)
Game Played: Wednesday, April 22nd

The Black Stones, learning their lessons from Monday's match would come out playing with intensity and hustle, taking their game to their opponents and would be rewarded with a power-play goal off the stick of Ahmad Hassan after strong ball distribution from Alhundi, Alvi and Hindy.

The Red Wings would respond however, as they have all series long. Still, the Stones would push hard and on a delayed penalty call, Shuaib Hussien would quickly release a shot which would beat the goaltender's glove side and give the Stones a 2-1 lead.

But once again, the Red Wings would respond. Then, in a twisting fashion, the Wings would go up 3-2 - their first lead of the game. Feeling the pressure, the Stones would completely dominate the game until Shuaib Hussein would notch his second of the game and tie it all up with less than 5 minutes remaining in the game.

The Stones would dominate the last five minutes and the over-time period including brilliant chances in over-time for Naiem Malik who was setup on a partial breakaway by an amazing individual effort by Saqib Ali - as well as Ahmad Hassan who would fan on a rebound in front of an empty net. Hassan would pull his hamstring on the play and be unable to play his final shift.

After all their hard-work and effort, the Stones found themselves facing the Red Wings in a shootout to determine who would advance to the semi-finals.

Gehad Alhundi, Yousuf Sowdagar and Shuaib Hussein would be the shooters for the Stones. Alhundi would hit the side of the post on the first shot. Hussein would try his patented toe-drag (ala Forsberg) move, but the Red Wings goaltender would make a toe-save. Finally Sowdagar would shoot, and as he did, the Red Wings shooter would slowly tip-toe towards Stones goaltender Kamran Alvi. Sowdagar would ring his shot off the crossbar and the ball would bounce out.

As soon as the referee would wave off Sowdagar's attempt, the Red Wings shooter would begin running at full pace and deke to his backhand, just getting the ball underneath Alvi's glove and would score the goal to give the Red Wings their shootout victory.

"We all played hard today..losing in shootouts is the worst way to lose..but at least we left it all on the floor today", Hindy would say later to the club as a final thought to a team with so much promise and will hopefully learn from this experience in their next seasons.

Black Stones 3, Red Wings 3
Game Played: Monday, April 20

The Black Stones sluggishly started their first quarter-final game versus the Red Wings and quickly fell behind 2-0 on the score. The dressing room prior to the game had been joyful, loose and almost unconcerned with the playoff game at hand. The demenour showed through their efforts to start the game as the Red Wings played hungry, playoff hockey and the Stones did not show the effort to match.

Matters would get worse as Faraaz Alvi would draw 3 penalties, giving the Stones an all-important 5-on-3 power-play which they would be unable to score on despite countless chances and despite distributing the ball well. The Stones would go into the second half down 2-0, and Hindy would remind the team that it's still early in the game and that there's enough time to score 3 or 4 more goals.

The second half would be markedly different from the first half as finally the Stones would begin using their speed and hustle to their advantage. Gehad Alhundi would score first for the team. Khalil Khokar would add another and Sowdagar would add a third giving the Stones a 3-2 lead with just under 5 minutes left in the game.

The Red Wings would still press and just seconds later tie the game up, and the game would end in a draw leaving both teams to match up in a very important do-or-die game 2.

Black Stones 1, Outlaws 0
Game Played: Saturday, April 11th

Playing their last game of the regular season, the Black Stones inched out a sloppy 1-0 win. The game was - for the second consecutive week - played in the absense of players such as Faraaz Alvi, Gehad Alhundi and Yousuf Sowdagar.

In this absense, the team turned for renowned All-Star goaltender Ibad Khan to play...as a winger. Khan would take a while to adapt to the playing outside of the blue paint, but eventually would get the hang of it and even breakaway but was unable to beat the opposing goaltender.

The real goaltending story, however, was the play of Kamran Alvi who made 16 saves for his first shutout of the season. Alvi came up big both early in the game s well as late in the game when the Stones were holding on to their slim lead.

The only goal came in the first period off a nice pass by Khalil Khokar which found Mohamad Khattab open in the slot who simply shoveled it home. With the win, the Black Stones close out the season with a 7-2-1 record will face their currently unknown rivals in the quarter-finals on Monday April 20th.

Black Stones 3, Vikings 2
Game Played: Sunday, April 5th

The Black Stones swept their weekend double-header with an intense, high-energy matchup against the Vikings with a make-shift roster.

Missing star players such as Gehad Alhundi, Yousuf Sowdagar, Faraaz Alvi, and Nauman Abbasi to the Crescent Knights game, the Stones had three different players make their debut with the team. Abbas Amarshi played his first game of the season with the Stones, as well as Waseem Bangash and goaltender Zayd Agjee. Agjee is the fifth player to play goalie for the Stones this season.

The young goaltender - who is accustomed to gym hockey - played one of his first games in an arena and after a rusty start, shut the door on the Vikings. Agjee made an amazing glove save late in the first period which not only robbed the Vikings of a goal, but robbed them of their self-confidence for the duration of the match.

Yousuf Soliman was also the story of this game as he scored two highlight reel goals in the first period to keep the Stones in the match as the new players tried to find rhythm with the team. On his first, Khokar chipped a long pass which most players would have given up on, but Soliman outraced the goaltender to the ball, deked the sprawling goaltender and deposited his second of the season in exciting fashion.

On his second, Bangash threw a knee-high pass Soliman's way which he one-timed like a baseball swing to deposit his second of the game and third of the season. Though he did not complete his hat-trick, Soliman was a force throughout the game, leading the rush on nearly every shift and driving to the net.

Shuaib Hussein who, like Ibrahim Hindy, missed the Crescent Knights game in favour of the Black Stones game would score the game winner on the power-play after Khokar would dish out a pass in front of the net which Hussein would gather then backhand over the goaltender's shoulder to give the Stones the 3-2 lead which they would not surrender.

Only one game remains on the season, as the Stones play the Outlaws who they defeated in the first game of the season by a score of 5-2. Should they win, the Stones would be guarenteed to place at least 2nd overall, but a loss could sink them to third overall. Look for the Stones to push for an easier first-round matchup.

Black Stones 6, Underdogs 1
Game Played: Saturday, April 4th

The Black Stones, powered by an unprecedented four short-handed goals, downed the Underdogs by a score of 6-1.

Gehad Alhundi scored his first goal as a BlackStone and added a second one as the Black Stones pulled away from the Underdogs after going down 1-0 in the first period. Goaltender Rizwan Ali made 18 saves on 19 shots and provided support throughout the game as the Stones were sentenced to kill stupid penalty after stupid penalty.

The Stones dominated the play against the winless Underdogs - who have stayed true to their name throughout the season - even when short-handed. In the second period, Faraaz Alvi finally broke the streak of short-handed goals by scoring a power-play goal off a strong point shot.

Naiem Malik would finish the scoring with the only even-strength goal of the game in Naiem Malik fashion - by crashing the net.

The game would live in certain infamy for two players - Ibrahim Hindy and Yousuf Soliman.

Hindy broke out on a clear short-handed breakaway - deked to the forehand and somehow did not score. Meanwhile on the bench Soliman noted to his teammates that given the opportunity he'd go for the famous Peter Forsberg one-handed drag move. The next shift Soliman would breakaway and try that move only to fail as well.

Still, it was an important two points for the Stones and a solid way to start off their weekend double-header.

Black Stones 5, Sauga Snipers 1
Game Played: Sunday, March 29th

The Black Stones, despite the plethora of penalty minutes they took, established their game on the floor and gained a decisive 5-1 victory over the Sauga Snipers.

The Stones would strike on their first shift, 51 seconds into the game as Saqib Ali capitalized on behind the net pass after some good work down-low by Hindy and Naeim Malik - the newly formed SIN line (Saqib - Ibrahim - Naeim). Shuaib Hussein would later call it "the twin tower line" because of the size of both wingers, Saqib Ali and Naeim Malik.

The Stones would waste no time and score on the second shift of the game with Mohamed Khattab finishing off a nice pass from Nauman Abbasi. Yousuf Sowdagar would have 3 point-black chances on the next shift but would be unable to capitalize and would hit the post once. "Who keeps moving the net? Every time Yousuf shoots someone moves the net!" Hindy complained afterwards.

The Stones would control the game, even during short-handed moments as Khalil Khokar would finish the game with a short-handed marker - his second of the game and 6th on the season.

The Stones now look forward to a double-header next weekend, playing games both Saturday and Sunday nights.

Vipers 2, Black Stones 1
Game Played: Sunday, March 22nd

The game began slow and disoriented for the Stones as they struggled to develop any chemistry against a hard-forechecking Vipers team. Goaltender Rahil Ahmed kept the team in the game for much of the game as the Stones tried to gain their footing on the game. The Vipers would score quickly in the second half on a screen shot and then again a few minutes later on a play that would highlight the bad defensive zone coverage by the Stones.

Finally mid-way through the second half the Stones would begin taking the play to the Vipers on one of their many powerplay opportunities including a 5-on-3 as Yousuf Sowdagar would finally score. The Stones would pull their goaltender in the dying minutes of the game and with just seconds on the clock, Faraaz Alvi would swing a pass towards Ibrahim Hindy only to have the pass deflected away from him at the last second, causing him to redirect the shot just wide of the post.

The Stones would decide after the game to put the experience behind them and look forward recognizing they faced a team they would probably beat on any other given night.

Black Stones 2, Red Army 2
Game Played: Sunday, March 15th

In a highly intense, highly physical matchup, the Black Stones tied arch-rivals Red Army by a score of 2-2. Ibrahim Hindy, back from missing his first ever Black Stones game, scored the opening goal of the game by wiring a wrist shot from the slot past the Red Army goaltender.

Hindy was the only player to have played every single Stones game from its first season, often doing so at severe costs such as missing 2 (two) of his close friend's weddings in order to do so. Alas, he had to miss one game because of his own wedding.

Red Army would tie the game up quickly, but forward Ahmad Hassan would score his first of the year and put the Stones ahead by a goal once more. However the Stones would forfiet the lead for the second time in the game due to poor defensive coverage. The game was very physical from the start as the referee's seemed unwilling to make any calls until things turned towards the nasty.

The game served as a good reminder of the level of effort the Stones would need in order to claim stake to this year's championship.

Black Stones 3, Pro-Image Knights 2
Game Played: Sunday, March 8th

Playing a tough foe with a patchwork roster, the Black Stones defeated the Pro Image Knights by a score of 3-2. The two teams traded chances all game long but the Stones prevailed thanks to goaltender Rizwan Ali's stellar play in net and timely goal-scoring by forward Khalil Khokhar. The team played without several key players including captain Ibrahim Hindy who got married earlier in the day.

The Stones opened the scoring on Khokhar's first goal of the game on the powerplay. The goal came courtesy of some solid powerplay work by the Stones with defensemen Faraaz Alvi and Nauman Abbasi dictating the play. The Knights would tie the game up at one before Khokhar would give the team the lead again to make it 2-1.

In the second half, the Stones would secure a two-goal lead after forward Naiem Malik put the ball past the Pro Image Knights' goaltender. The lead would stand for a while before the Knights would make it 3-2 but that's as far as things would go as Stones goaltender Ali would hold down the fort.

The Black Stones, now 3-1-0 on the season, move on to play rivals Red Army. The two teams played each other last season only for Red Army to defeat the Stones in the playoffs on route to a Tier-5 championship. The game, highly-anticipated by many members of the Stones, should be a great game and a chance at redemption for the Stones.

Black Stones 5, Red Wings 0
Game Played: Saturday, March 7th

The Black Stones bounced back from their first loss of the season with a big 5-0 knock-out of the short-benched Red Wings. Rahil Ahmed turned away 15 shots for his first shutout of the year, and Ibrahim Hindy scored twice as the Stones tallied all their goals in the first period to control the game from the start. Saqib Ali started the scoring with a blistering wrist shot that beat the goaltender. Mohammed Khattab and Yousuf Soliman also scored, both notching their first of the year.

Faraz Alvi played his first game of the season and lead the defense to stiffle the Red Wings attack throughout the night. Naiem Malik also added two assists and provided team 'toughness' when required.

The Stones play again tomorrow as part as their double-header this weekend.

Hitmen 2, Black Stones 1
Game Played: Sunday, March 1st

For the second straight week, missing a plethora of players - especially on defense - the Black Stones lost a tight game against the Hitmen by a score of 2-1. Missing Faraz Alvi, Dave Jalaill and Akbar Jilany for a second straight week, as well as Zuhair Fancy tending to a back injury, the team had to experiment with Yousuf Sowdagar and Ali Murtaza at defense as they tried to counter the disorganized manner which they started the game with.

Outscored 2-0 in the first period, the Stones finally regrounded in the second period and began to take the game to the Hitmen, and were rewarded by a powerplay goal by Yousuf Sowdagar. Late in the game newcomer Yousuf Soliman would hit the post in an attempt to tie the game, but the Stones would be unable to tie the game and would lose their first game of the season.

The Stones play a double-header next week, with games both on Saturday and Sunday nights.

Black Stones 5, Outlaws 2
Game Played: Sunday, February 22nd

Despite missing key players such as Faraaz Alvi, Dave Jalaill, and Akbar Jilany, and despite playing a sloppy first half which included 8 minutes on the penalty kill, the Blackstones prevailed by a score of 5-2 over the Outlaws. Khalil Khokar's two goals, including one with only 0.5 seconds left in the first half, gave the team the lead which they would not relinquish.

The next game will be on March 1st against the rival Hitmen, where hopefully the Stones will field their full roster.

Black Stones Charge into the Spring Season

For the first time in franchise history, the Black Stones will be taking part in a spring season of the OBHA, playing out of Rink City. The team features a revamped roster in order to play at the tier-4 level, featuring many new comers to the team. The new additions to the team are:

Naiem Malik - Captain of the Rexdale Dragons and a veteran ball hockey players will bring size, strength and clutch performance to the Blackstones and should be a key ingredient in helping the team attain post-season success.

Gehad Alhundi - Fresh off both an OBHA championship with the Rexdale Dragons and an I-Slam championship, this captain of the Crescent Knights is sizzling lately and will be looked for to provide expertise in all facets of the game: offensively, defensively, on the powerplay and penalty kill and to provide veteran leadership.

Yousuf Soliman - This young and fast sniper has the game breaking ability the team will need in order to succeed. His talent oozes and has the potential to be a top player in any league. Surrounded by veteran players like Alhundi, Khokar and others, Soliman will only improve on all aspects of his game.

Kashif Taqiuddin - A veteran defenseman with good speed and smarts, Taqiuddin will be looked upon to help solidify the team defense corps and help the teams transitional game throughout the season and into the post-season.

Nauman Abbasi - The former manager of the team, Abbasi is finally taking part as a player with the Stones and will be looked for to play a strong role on this team as one of its top defenders. His play is expected to improve as the season goes on as he continues to recover from his wrist surgery.

These players should help solidify the team and strong seasons from players such as Saqib Ali, Khalil Khokar, Adam Hasanee, Dave Jallail, Faraaz Alvi, Ali Murtaza and Akbar Jilany will be counted on for the teams eventual success.