Team Review: Ztec 8cers

Ztec 8cers

Final standing: 1st/6
Goals scored: 53
Goals conceded: 7
League Form: WDWWW

Biggest win: 20-1 against Dalat Eagles
Biggest loses: NA
Highest scoring match: 20-1 against Dalat Eagles

Top scorer: Chiam Ter Min - 12 goals
Top assist: Chiam Ter Min - 10 assists

Point leaders:
1. Chiam Ter Min - 22 points (12+10)
2. Loh Jo-Wyee - 13 points (10+3)
3. Oliver Cedric - 12 points (11-1)


Best player:
To name Ter Min as the Best Player for Ztec 8cers isn't something unexpected. Topping the point chart with 22 points certainly speaks volume. However, it was the consistency of his performance that stands him out amidst the crowded team of star players.

Jeremy came close with a shout but Ter Min got the final nod due to his all round display. Offence or defence, the lad is deadly all over the court. Not only does he have a keen eye on goal, his much improved vision allows him to release his team mates into goal scoring opportunities, making him even harder to contain.


Borak says:
The Champions of PFL '09! Who don't expect them to grab that Gold medal? Even from the beginning, most teams trembled when they hear the name Ztec. With players that they have, it is obviously a threat to all teams who are aiming for the jackpot.

They came in strong crushing their opponents without mercy except for the Mighty Spartans who managed the grab a point and almost a win. Winning the first game against team Contact ('08 Champions) which such a margin has definitely boost their confidence and team spirit which carries through the end of the league.

With their solid team play and technique superiority, they entertained all present with exciting play ups and creative free hits which sometimes makes their opponents look silly. Its hard to play against a team who moves the ball so smoothly and accurately.

However, with the amount of quality and talent they have at disposal, there are times they lack the spark and creativity to open up stubborn defences. This happens especially when they are too eager to attack, the forwards tend to wander too far high and lack mobility rendering the defenders no options to pass to. At the same time, it leaves a huge gap in the centre leading to dangerous counter-attacks by the opponent.

Overall, they were the most entertaining, most threatening, most unwelcome-by-goalies and most consistent throughout the league, and deserving crowned Champions of Penang Floorball League Division 1 2009.

Match Review: Ztec's finishing touch!

Ztec 8cers vs. Minden UniHawks
4th August 2009, Tuesday
18-1 (8-0, 10-1)

0045 1-0 Oliver Cedric (Moy Wei Sern)
0508 2-0 Loh Jo Wyee (Sjaiful Anuar)
0819 3-0 Own goal by Minden UniHawks
1008 4-0 Oliver Cedric
1017 5-0 Moy Wei Sern
1436 6-0 Loh Jo Wyee (Sjaiful Anuar)
1630 7-0 Oliver Cedric
1955 8-0 Oliver Cedric

0013 9-0 Chiam Ter Min (Wong Joon Han)
0249 10-0 Yeoh Jun Wooi
0455 11-0 Daniel Cheah (Wong Ken Wye)
0611 12-0 Chiam Ter Min
0858 12-1 Tan Jia Jian (Christopher Koh)
1027 13-1 Oliver Cedric
1151 14-1 Chiam Ter Min (Sjaiful Anuar)
1519 15-1 Moy Wei Sern
1528 16-1 Chiam Ter Min (Loh Jo Wyee)
1631 17-1 Daniel Cheah
1733 Minden UniHawks' time out
1809 18-1 Moy Wei Sern (Yeoh Jun Wooi)

BBF spoke to Ter Min (TM) of Ztec 8cers for the last time in PFL 2009:

BBF: Your last game in the league! What was the expectation against the Hawks? Based on the league table, the Hawks are the weakest team. With that in mind, what was the objective for this match?

TM: As the coach of the team my talk to the team will always be the same. Treat all opponents the same, go in give your 100% and see what you can get from the match. As for the team's objective, we wanted to reach the 50 goals in total for the whole league. So with 35 in the bag before the match, the team was aiming for 15 more.


BBF: You guys definitely expected to win with a big margin but did you guys expected for the Hawks to score pass your team? What happened?

TM: Like I said we were targeting 15 goals and of course try our best not to concede a goal but to be honest it was a good goal. After watching the video, I think it was our mistake to lose the ball in the middle and Unihawks had a very good counter attack to score. Credit to them.


BBF: What do you think is the strength and weakness of Minden UniHawks? What would you advice them to work on?

TM: Their strength at the moment is their speed. They have fast players in almost all department always ready to give their opponent a run. However, the lack of skills is visible and I think is this area that they need to work on. Their basic. When saying basic it mean ball control to learning how to pass as a team. Once they have a good basic skills, together with their speed they will be a good team. Keep on working on the basics and be more confident when holding the ball. Try not to give the ball away easily. I think they conceded most of their goals because of their own players giving the ball away to easily.


BBF: Looking back at the league, which match would you say was the hardest for Ztec and why?

TM: Frontliners Spartans. They were on form on that day. Every single player from goalie to defender to forwards all were on fire. Besides that, they have very fast players and good fore-checking and they apply very good pressure on their opponents.


BBF: Lastly, who would you vote as the man of the match for Minden UniHawks and why?

TM: A couple of them played very well that game. Sarah had a good game, always running and supplying the balls. Chris was solid in the middle giving me a tough time. haha. But if I had to pick just one if would be Rishvan. He was always on the run and he was the main man for them on that day. All the balls was directed to him and he was constantly keeping our defenders busy. Had a few chances too to score. The most dangerous man on the court for them on that day.

BBF spoke to Christopher Koh (CK) of Minden UniHawks for the last time in PFL 2009:

BBF: This is UniHawks final match and definitely their toughest match. What was the expectation? What was the strategy you set for team?

CK: The expectation for the team was to play our hearts out. Like you said, it was our last game of the league and we'll be relegated to division 2 next year. I told my team to just let it all out in this game. We want to end the league with a bang! But of course, it wasn't easy to do that against a team like Ztec (laughs). It was all in good spirit and we're happy to give our best as a team.

The strategy was to play 3-1-1. We wanted to play tight in defence while gambling with just 1 forward up front. However, looking back at the game, we played way too deep in defence allowing many of the Ztec players to take shots from every corner with their own sweet time. Aside from that, I honestly think we did pretty well against the eventual champions!


BBF: Was it hard to keep up physically and mentally against a team like Ztec? What was the main challenge you face as a coach and player in this match?

CK: Honestly, the match was really slow. Physically, we weren't tired at all. The challenge was more mental than anything else. The facts show that we've lost every other matches in the league and with that in mind, it definitely pulled the morale down for the team. Even before the game against Ztec started, I could see from the faces of my players that they weren't pretty tensed up. My job as a coach for this match or for this league for that matter, honestly speaking , isn't so much about getting the right strategy, but more so in encouraging my players, getting their confidence up and to push them to play their hearts out no matter what the outcome may be. That was the challenge to me as a coach.


BBF: It has been a tough league for you this year. What do you have to say about the league?

CK: It is a tough league for us this year. We've lost all our matches (laughs). I'm glad that in spite of that, we are all still in good spirit.

The standard of the league has definitely progressed to a higher level. Teams in Penang are improving rapidly. Take for instance, Frontliners Spartan, a team that has grown tremendously since the last league! Bravo to them! And I believe PFA has achieved another milestone this year with another job well done in organizing the league and we can see that gradually the league is shaping its way to being more 'professional' and that's a positive direction to be heading at if we really want floorball to grow. Great job guys!


BBF: As a coach, how do you think you team fare in this year's league and what do you have to say to them?

CK: As a coach, yes, I think we could have done better in some of the games but some how we didn't/couldn't. Yes, it was, to a certain extent, our own doing but if it requires us to fare the way we did in this league to improve ourselves as a team, then I believe it will be worth while.

Honestly, I'm proud of my team. I wouldn't trade Minden UniHawks with any other team in the league. I see tremendous potential in Minden UniHawks and in my players, hence, I made a decision to stay back in this club. What do I have to say to them?

Just this - We are here to build a team! Let's do it guys!


BBF: Lastly, who would you vote as the man of the match for Minden UniHawks and why?

CK: Hmmm.. Not sure.. I think I'd vote for Ter Min. He made some good runs, scored some good goals and assisted a handful as well.

********************************

Borak says:
Bendy:
Final match for PFL 2009, Ztec ending it with a bang against the helpless UniHawks; whose deep lying 3 man wall crumble to non-existence. Minden start off with an obvious intent - Shut Them Out! The 3-1-1 formation was a master piece, placing 3 defensive players, with a defensive centre, leaving a lone defensive forward up there. Logical, but much more harder when it comes to application. UniHawks literally stood still, watching 8cers run the show, which they did without second invitation.

The second half was a much better display as UniHawks came out with an improve version, a more energetic and driven one. The correct one I would say. The forwards ran like beast released form its cage and ran on 8cers defenders, applying some intensive pressure on the relax back line, the kind of pressing which was sorely lacking in the first. Although they conceded more, but there were much more encourage moments to shout for and even got themselves a bit of consolation. 18-1 in the end, not a big fuss considering playing against the Champions, but the change in attitude and game play of UniHawks, deserves much praise. Great job. And Congrats to the newly crown Champions. =)


MoMs:
Its hard to pick ONE best player form a team of good players and with everyone scoring, but after much tinkering, Borak is going for Oliver. Not much of a fancy player, but the lad works his socks off! He doesn't mind chasing for lost causes, as long as he sees the white and shiny Precision Ball rolling around. Harassing the defenders, forcing them to make mistakes; pouncing onto rebounds, charging in for 50/50s; he ignore Minden's 3 men wall and fire his shots all around, with 5 landing in the net.

Although Minden started of with a defensive mindset, Borak was impressed with their lone forward Rish, whom like Oliver, did a whole lot of running for the night. Especially well documented in the second half, the boy caused the 8cers a few headaches as he forechecked the ball handler, which created a few opportunities. The forward must have covered more miles then all his team mates' total and deserves a pat on the back for his effort.

(Big thanks to Ter Min and Christopher for their time. And 3 Cheers for Ztec 8cers for winning the league!!!)

***p/s: Much more to come form Borak, stay tune. Sorry for the delay. ^^***

Match Review: Match of the League!

Innebandy! Co. vs. Ztec 8cers
23rd July 2009, Thursday
2-5 (1-3, 1-2)

0323 0-1 Loh Jo-Wyee (Chiam Ter Min)
0844 1-1 Rooban Chand (Andrew Yeap)
1828 1-2 Wong Ken Wye (Yeoh Jun Wooi)
1847 1-3 Yeoh Jun Wooi (Wong Ken Wye)

0733 1-4 Chiam Ter Min
1003 2-4 Sam Teoh Jin Haur
1427 Innebandy! Co's time out
1519 2-5 Loh Jo-Wyee (Chiam Ter Min)



BBF had a chat with Chiam Termin (TM) of Ztec 8cers who shared his insight of the match:

BBF: BBF reckon this is one of your biggest game. But seems like you had an easy win in the end. What was the strategy and what did you expect out of Inne?

TM: Yeah we knew it was a big game as they have some quality players and an experience goalie. As for the strategy, we wanted to start early and get the goals. We also planned to play a tight game and move the ball around. I think after watching the team video, the passing was good just that the pace was terrible. haha.. The slowest game in the league so far I would say.


BBF: What do you think is the strength of Innebandy and what do you think is their weakness?

TM: Personally and honestly, their strength lies in their goalie.(no offence to anyone). Goalie have a good game, the team have a good game, goalie has a bad game the team has a bad game. We could see that their goalie(Lin Ken) was on top form on that day and the forwards find it hard to score. The more saves he made, the more confident their team got. As for their weaknesses, they do not press high enough. Our defence was barely test that evening.


BBF: You guys have considerably the best defensive line in the league, yet you guys let in a couple of goals. What went wrong?

TM: Hmmm a strong defence line doesn't mean you wont concede goals. The first goal that evening by them was a very good goal. Simple passes, one touch and simple finish. Our forwards failed to fall back to defence causing a big gap in the middle to allow them to pass neatly. The second goal was an error during a change. One of our center make a changed when they had the ball and before his sub could enter to cover the center, their forward(Sam) dribbled th ball in the center and took a shot.


BBF: The league is drawing to a close and you'll be facing the Hawks in your final match. What's your expectation of the game?

TM: We will take that match like any other match. Going in full heartedly and coming out with what ever we can get from it. It should be a nice game to watch as both team has fast players. As for my expectations, a win would be good.


BBF: Lastly, who would you vote as the man of the match for Inne and why?

TM: Without a doubt, Lin Ken their goalie. It would have been double the scoreline without him. However, credit also given to Sam and Des for playing almost 85% of the game.


BBF managed to get hold of Deswyn Wan(DW) of Innebandy!Co. for his views for the match:

BBF: Ztec, presumably the most lethal team in the league. Going up against a team like that, what were your concerns and what were the strategies used?

DW: I think the main concern about playing a team like Ztec is to minimize the scoreline gap at the end of the period. And in order to do that, we have to take their shooters out or at least put some pressure on them. This requires a lot of running, endurance and physical contact, which we may be lacking of. Playing against Ztec is like playing against Japan in the APAC tournament.haha. The strategy for the first period is to not let in any goals, play defensively and to be discipline in our positions. I thought we did pretty well in the first few minutes until some careless mistakes were made. That kinda give them the upper hand to 'climb all over us.' Second period's strategy was just to have fun. Not. Joking joking. Obviously we tried to come back in the second period with more pressure at the top but Ztec's turnover is really fast thus capitalising on the counter attacks. I think our players did their best but they (Ztec) were just better.


BBF: What do you think is the strength of Ztec and what do you think is their weakness?

DW: The strength of the team is pretty obvious, they have individual skills and that contributed a lot to such a performance. What you see is a reflection of our National team. (or at least 60%-70% whether you want to believe it or not) They have good play ups, very creative up front plays and the drive is just there. Wooosshh! Having said that, no team is without a flaw, I guess one of their weakness is sometimes they fumble in their own defensive zone which may cost them some precious goal(s) deficits.


BBF: Relatively speaking, you guys weren't as strong as last year. Is there disappointment or frustration as a team to know that to a certain extent, the standard of the team has dropped? What will be the focus after the league as a team?

Haha!I like this question. I admit we weren't as strong as we were last year. I guess this is much affected by the individual players we have in Innebandy!Co. We have a bunch of skillful and experience players which left the club (with our blessings) and not much exposure were given to the newer players. I guess they do not know what to expect when they stepped onto a 40x20 rink. No teams can escape from feeling frustration and disappointed but I'm really proud that every member in our team played with Insane Courage on court without letting their emotions take over. The focus will never change, it is to keep improving, to be better than who we are today. =)


BBF: Your final match against Dalat. What are your expectations?

DW: To win? haha. I hope to see good plays by our team members and really hope they would have learned from their mistakes from previous games. No more silly goals, to have fun, and hopefully scoring many goals.


BBF: Lastly, who would you vote as the man of the match for team Ztec and why?

DW: In my opinion, the man of the match for this game would be Sjaiful. He was the strong shield in their defensive line. And in addition, he was quick in intercepting and stealing all our balls away and also made a couple of good runs towards our goal.


Borak says:
Bendy:
8cers was on a fly coming into the game hitting 20 a week before while Inne on recovery after a tripped by Spartans. Welcoming back Sjaiful and Hadfiz, it seems that a win and nothing less is expected of them. Inne on the other hand, seems to expected the worst even before the match was played as they started their key men, Des and Sam in defence, and eventually for the whole game.

8cers did dominate the game in terms of possession, shots and passes for both half's, yet they were some what unconvincing. 8cers played literally in Inne's half as they opted to sit back, but the positioning of the forwards were often too high and parallel at times ,which limited the passing options for the defenders with the ball. It was more like a couple passing exercise between defenders, penetrative Floorball that pumped in 20 was no where to be seen!

Considering the difference in strength, Inne played reasonably well, keeping 8cers at bay most of the time. Defence was hugely reinforced the presence of Sam and Des, not to mention they looked threatening on the break as 8cers' libero often caught of guard. In the end, it took a few mistake, a brilliant back pass and two pair of tired legs for Ztec to seal the match.

With the amount of talent at their disposal, much was expected from the Z-lacticos, beautiful Floorball they played but not as clinical and deadly as we would have expected. Yet, a win for 8cers nevertheless and a step closer to the podium. As for Inne, they did put up a good fight but 3 excellent players is not enough to last a league, the team is still unfinished business.

MoMs:
Mind you, we did tried and tried hard we did in trying not to pick Sam but...
Although his team mates efforts were nonetheless significant as well, like his partner, Des forays which lifted some pressure off their half and Lin Ken's tipping off the near goals. But how can we not the defender who ran tireless all around, intercepting and blocking shots, laying passes and lobbing long balls initiating counters, not mentioning lasting the whole 40 mins!! The defensive lynch pin for Innebandy was ever present, minimising 8cers's damage to a mere 5 when 15 was predicted.

Ztec were uninspired for the night but one player in particular caught the eye. Sjaiful.
The defender was top notch playing the libero and was the heart beat of 8cers for the night. With the whole team pushing up high, he was the main man with the ball, dictating Ztec's offensive flow. At the same time, he was the last man against Innebandy's counter attack, using his experience and skills to neutralise most of the threats, other than the odd 2.

Match Review: Ztec too high-tec for Eagles.

Ztec 8cers vs. Dalat Eagles
9th July 2009, Thursday
20-1(6-0, 14-1)

0214 1-0 Oliver Cedric (Chiam Ter Min)
0856 2-0 Daniel Cheah (Chiam Ter Min)
1144 3-0 Oliver Cedric
1200 4-0 Jason Mark Selvanayagam (Own goal)
1324 5-0 Chiam Ter Min
1726 6-0 Chiam Ter Min
1827 2mins for roughing: Robert Thorne(DLE)

0131 7-0 Jeremy Yeap
0146 8-0 Chiam Ter Min
0229 9-0 Loh Jo-Wyee
0312 10-0 Yeoh Jun Wooi
0345 Dalat Eagles' Time Out
0454 11-0 Oliver Cedric (Chiam Ter Min)
0505 11-1 Jason Mark Selvanayagam
0610 12-1 Jeremy Yeap (Loh Jo-Wyee)
1037 2mins for incorrect hit: Robert Thorne (DLE)
1103 13-1 Daniel Cheah
1103 Ztec 8cers' time out
1240 14-1 Chiam Ter Min (Daniel Cheah)
1426 15-1 Daniel Cheah (Chiam Ter Min)
1538 16-1 Chiam Ter Min (Yeoh Jun Wooi)
1605 17-1 Jeremy Yeap
1649 18-1 Wong Ken Wye
1852 19-1 Daniel Cheah (Yeoh Jun Wooi)
1943 20-1 Oliver Cedric (Wong Ken Wye)

What a score line!
BBF had a hard time listing down the goalscorer and assists in this match.

..............

Hmmm....


Really, if you think about it, the score pretty much sums it up! Nonetheless, we caught up with Jeremy Yeap of Ztec 8cers to talk a little about the game and how his team performed.

BBF intervew with Jeremy Yeap (JY) of Ztec 8cers:

BBF: The biggest win in the league. Did you guys expect to win this big? What was the strategy?

JY: Indeed it is the biggest win in the league. We were actually hoping to get about 12 goals only, so 20 goals is really a blessing to us. We want to win big, but we really did not expect to win this big, 20-1. Especially when we only manage to get 6 goals in the first period. Our strategy was simple, to play as a unit and have a fast paced game.


BBF: I'm sure you guys were aiming to keep a clean sheet for the keeper. What happened to the first goal?

JY: We wanted to try our best to keep a clean sheet. That's for sure, but we also know that it's a tough job to do especially when we are focusing hard on scoring. The goal was really unexpected. It came from nowhere. Nevertheless, it was a superb shot taken by Jason. It was actually a defensive error caused by me as I was asking Daniel to fall back to mark a running man which eventually caused an opening in the wall. Jason saw that opening and took that shot which then resulted to the goal. All in all, it was a good shot and quick thinking by Jason.


BBF: After the draw against Frontliners, this game would surely boost your team spirit. 2 more games to go. As far as a team is concern, do you think you guys are improving after each match? Is Ztec consistent in its performance? If so, why?

JY: Yes, it did boost our team spirit. It gave us a lot of confident to perform better, but it might be a stumbling block for us as well. This is partly because our players might get too comfortable and be too confident in themselves. Being confident is not a bad thing, but it could risk our players into playing individually with the aim for self glory. This is what happen to our previous games. We manage to win big in our game against Contact and then the following game we messed things up as a unit when we played against Frontliners. We really do hope that we have all learned our lessons well and that history will not repeat itself again. Our players have been improving a lot, not as an individual, but as a team. So far, we have been very consistent in having an up and down performance. I hope the up and down trend will end in our following games. We want to continue to give our very best in the remaining games until the very end. I believe that if we try hard enough we could break that see-saw jinx soon.


BBF: Surely to have a squad with the most national players in it is a threat to the other teams. And you guys have proven that by staying unbeaten so far. Personally and honestly, do you feel Ztec may be a little too strong for the rest?

JY: I personally do not think that having a "National Player" tag on most of our players play an important role in winning games nor do they provide a threat to the other teams. Yes, mentally it might scare some other teams off, but if every player truly believes in himself and his team, I'm pretty sure that particular team will go a distance. We might have been unbeaten so far, but we're not unbeatable and Frontliners have proven that point to all of us. Therefore, I seriously do not believe that we are too strong for the rest. We are where we are right now because we strive to play as a team. More often than never, our captain will remind our players will shed their "National Player" label and "I'm The Best" mentally when we play together because we truly believe that everyone of us plays an important role on court. National or not national, we need each another's help and services when we step onto the court. I really believe that no man is an island, but I do believe that Together Everyone Achieve More.


BBF: Lastly, who do you think is the man of the match for Dalat and why?

JY: This is a very hard question for me as I have two players in mind, Jason and Edwin. I thought about Jason not because of his goal against us, but because of the way he led the team and guided them through the entire game. As for Edwin, he was really brave and he gave his all in the game. If it wasn't for him I believe we could have gotten a few more goals. I think personally I would go for Edwin because of his bravery and also because he was left open many times by his defenders to handle our hard hitting forwards alone.

Borak Says:
Jose:
Ztec 8cers showed exactly why they are the best team in the league by crushing Dalat Eagles with such a huge scoreline. From start to finish, there was never a moment of doubt who was going to win this match as they totally dominate every single department on the court. Goal after goal and there was just no stopping them.

Dalat tried to hang on in there by playing abit more defensive in the second period, but just couldn't control the game as they were getting tired of the 8cers constantly 'zooming' around them. The final stats for the shot on target was 57 against 15. Ztec 8cers will be hoping that they will continue their good run of form when they meet Innebandy in one and a half weeks time.

MoMs:
Termin Chiam for 8cers. He was on 'fire' in this game has he managed to get 10 points (5+5) out of this game, which puts him on top of the point chart. The Ztec's line 1 attacks were mostly started by him and Jeremy and they were very effective in opening the Dalat defence time after time. Scored 3 superb slap shots against Edwin, which he couldn't do much about.

The Eagles top performer for the night would be Edwin. The goalie had TOO much to do on the receiving end. Hardly a moment to rest for him as he tried his very best in stopping every shot that came his way. Managed to make a few spectacular looking saves for the spectators to cheer about. It is quite often that a goalie receives the MOM title, when a team gets hits by a huge goal margin.

(A big thank you to Jeremy for taking time out with BBF!)

Match Review: Spartans 'whoosh-ed' out Ztec.

Ztec 8cers vs Frontliners Spartan
30th June 2009, Tuesday
3-3(1-1, 2-2)

0636 Hands - Chan Ming Hwee(FLS)
1112 0-1 Kenny Ng
1551 1-1 Ter Min
1902 Incorrect pushing - Chong Wei Jian(FLS)

0352 1-2 Su Rong
0529 1-3 Algin Tan
0649 2-3 Oliver Cedric
0931 Lying play - Kenny Ng(FLS)
1148 Incorrect hit - Kuan Yang(FLS)
1354 Incorrect entering of the rink - Sanjanvan(FLS)
1409 3-3 Jo-Wyee(Oliver Cedric)
1655 Incorrect hit - Stevan Tay(FLS)

SOTs 16-15

Definitely the most entertaining match so far.
The story of the underdog rising up to the occasion against the best team in the league almost came true for Frontliners Spartan.
But it just wasn't meant to be. So near yet so far. We shall leave the reviews to both the teams. BBF caught up with Ztec's captain of the night, Oliver, and Frontliners Spartan's coach, Khor Kuan Yang, for further insights on the match.

The following is the interview between BBF and Ztec's captain, Oliver (O):
BBF: Frontliners came out hard with a point to prove. Did you guys expected them to play that hard offensively or did you guys expected them to go for the defense instead? What were the expectations prior to the match?

O: We did expect a tough match as we knew they had hard hitting and fast players. We also knew that it would have been a challenge for us as we did not have our full squad there that night and that we would be tired out. We have speed that can match theirs, however, how long can one keep running like that? It was obvious that we were tired out. We knew that they had their runners like Nicholas and Kenny back with them, so we expected a tiring and tough match ahead.


BBF: You guys were without the presence of Sjaiful and Hafiz. Did that actually affected the team's spirit, performance and game play?

O: Well, first and foremost, Ztec is a TEAM. Not having just one of its players there would mean a lot. In this case, two of our players were not able to make it. I would say yes, the team was affected. However, the spirit of Ztec was still alive. We did what we could, played with all our hearts. WE also definitely had to come up with a new game play that would suit our situation. So the answer is yes, Ztec was really affected without the presence of two of our players.


BBF: Frontliners pulled a surprise by hitting in the first goal. Obviously that affected your team's confidence. But they didn't stop there. They extended their lead by 3-1 later on in the game. Did you and your boys dropped mentally after that? And if so, what were the strategies or steps taken to counteract those situations?

O: Well, every team dreams of scoring the first goal. In this case, Frontliners had that dream come true. Kudos to them. It was obvious that our mental dropped as we were already tired. And you know that when you're exhausted, your mind and your thinking would not be working well. The match against Frontliners was not Ztec's best game. We were going too fast and playing not as a team. After the half time, Jeremy, our coach, gave a few words, that really boosted us up. And that was when we made a comeback. We started playing as a team again. Movement, flow, that's what Floorball is all about. We played with our heads and also our hearts.


BBF: Much has been said regarding Ztec's capability of winning every match in the league. However, you guys almost lost in this particular match but in the end, emerged strong and manage to grab a point a piece. Is it right for BBF to say that the confidence that you guys have as a team has, to a certain level, been dampened after this match? How will this draw affect your team?

O: Well, it is true that the morale of the players after this match has been a little dampened. Which team wouldn't feel that way? But this will NEVER keep us down. We may feel down for awhile, but I know my guys, and I believe in them. This is just a wake up call and a trigger that would make us come back roaring louder than ever. Ztec will never want a repeat of what happened. And we will NOT allow it to repeat itself. Individual players in Ztec are good, but put us together and Ztec becomes a team that is a force to reckon with. We will perform again. This will not hold us down.


BBF: Last but not least, who do you think should be voted as the man of the match for team Frontliners? And why?

O: Man of the Match would definitely, in my opinion got to Kenny. I believe He was the one running the most. His speed and Good positioning was reason of Ztec having a hard time due to fatigue. His presence was truly felt. Great job Kenny. Awesome runs.


The following is the interview between BBF and Frontliners Spartan's coach, Khor Kuan Yang (KY):

BBF: Going up against a team like Ztec is never easy. What more when the odds are against you. What was the strategy that you came up with to play against a team like that?

KY: One word, Gamble (laughs). Gamble with some tight defending from the first line, with one lone forward harassing their defender; gamble with counter attacks by supplying long ball; gamble again with the second line with our speedy forwards to get some goals.


BBF: Obviously, your strategy worked for you since you guys banked in the first goal and later on, led by 3-1. Do you think the gamble your team took paid off OR do you think Ztec wasn't at their best? What do you think was Ztec main weak link in this particular match that has helped you guys earned the draw?

KY: Weak line? Do they have one (laughs)? I believe there were several elements that determine the result for the match. Sjaiful and Hadfiz's absence certainly played a part as Ztec had less rotation in defence which resulted in offensive players like Ter Min dropping down to fill the void; their finishing was pretty off on that night, fortunate for us, especially the close range ones; and I was banking they would start slow like they did in our previous friendly, and press them early on.

On our side, I tried and get the players' mind set correct and urged them to put on a fight against Ztec. Which they did. Especially in defence, the defending although at times desperate but they showed more discipline in tracking back and keeping it as tight as possible compared to the previous match. All this, adding on to our gamble have contributed to the result.


BBF: You guys led... twice! 1-0 and then 3-1. But eventually, succumbed to Ztec's attacking forces and ended up gaining a draw instead. As a coach, are you upset with the results when you're this close from clinching a win from a team like Ztec? What do you think went wrong?

KY: I would say we led a bit too early. It was just 5 minutes into the second half, and against Ztec, it would be a bit too dangerous to drop down too deep, so we continued to press on, but this time it just didn't work out like the first half. How I wish the game would have ended when we scored the third (laughs).

The consecutive sending offs later on certain didn't help and there were a lot tired legs on the court. Some were pretty dubious and frustrating, but that is the nature of the game, these are things that you cannot control so we move on and thankfullly, we managed to held on for the draw.

Upset? No at all.
It was a gamble from the start. You gain some, you lose some. 3 goals was totally out of the blue and way above expectation. Although it was a bit disappointing, but I am still happy with the draw nevertheless.


BBF: Your team is definitely boosted for the games ahead after this rather unexpected draw. Fancy going for a silver or bronze now?

KY: Its a tough call. It is always a coach's nightmare when expectations are building up fast and high, where players become overconfident and lose focus during the match. And I must say, Frontliners have a long history of crumbling when things go too well (laughs).

Definitely a booster for the team, but I hope they keep their heads down and look forward to the coming matches. The league is still an unfinished marathon. Innebandy, UniHawks, FireAnts, all formidable foes. The highest quality of focus and the same attitude and fighting spirit is much needed for the games ahead, I hope the players would give their best in the remaining matches like how they did on Tuesday, and only by the final whistle, we look back at the result. Let the process determine our final standing.


BBF: Finally, who would you vote as the man of the match for team Ztec? Why?

KY: This is really testing me because there was barely anytime to focus on the opponent during the match.
Jeremy and Oliver did caught my eye in the match. Jeremy with his mazzy runs and threatening distribution up front. Oliver, like always, hard runner and took quite a number of shots.

I would have to go for Oliver. Was continuously on the run, and not afraid to go in for a tussle, a pain for defenders. Moreover, tested Sharron on numerous occasion and scored one pass her.

***********************************************

If you guys missed this match, it's really a blow. Wonderful match and great floorball from both sides.

This draw could well be in favour not just for Frontliners, but also for the rest of the teams in the league to know that, the much talked about Ztec 8cers can be stopped. For Ztec, however, it is a wake up call. And will they wallow in defeat after this draw? We reckon not. Just like their captain said, they will definitely be more cautious and furious than ever from hence forth.


Borak Says:
Carrard:
On paper, it looked like only one side could win.
On court, it was anything but that.

And that’s the whole beauty of it.

Frontliners Spartans took the game to Ztec right from the very start. Throughout the first half, Ztec looked nothing like the team they were against Contact. Lacking imagination and drive through the center, they gave Spartans too much breathing space. The ball was moving very well in Ztec’s own half, but once it crossed the half-way line, there was only one way to go: down the sides. A Ztec onslaught was expected in the second half, but whatever magic Kuan Yang had in him, he certainly turned it on in his half-time talk. In the first few minutes, Spartans hit Ztec with a double, and it looked like Ztec were staring at an embarassing defeat. Yet they slowly but surely gained ascendancy in the game, pressing forward and pushing the Spartans further back, stringing some great cross-court passes together. Inevitably, they levelled the scores, but only after another scare when Kenny of Spartans had the ball in the net only for the goal to be called off.

In a way, it was sad to see Spartans ending up with just one point after an amazing fight where Spartans posed many questions about Ztec’s title credibility. Some might consider this draw as a victory for the Spartans, but it is up to them to hit the ground running and show that this wasn’t a one-off thing. And who better to prove it to than against undefeated Innebandy? Fresh from their great win over Contact, Ztec were brought down hard to the ground and given a dose of humility. They now know what not to do in a match against underdogs. This will help them against Dalat Eagles: another team that plays hard and keeps fighting. Will they have learnt their lesson by then?

MoMs:
Steven Tay. What a day for the captain marvel of Frontliners to roll back the years. Each time he plays, he manages to exude an aura of calmness, bringing a positive feeling to the defence, but in this game, there was something extra. Making block after block, enduring cramp after cramp, and he still managed to do it all with a smile. Perhaps a little at fault for the second goal, giving Oliver too much time and space to shoot. So not a perfect game, but an excellent one, by any standards.

From the opposing end, Jeremy Yeap of team Ztec 8cers seemed to get the nod from everyone else. Spending months in the States without much exposure to floorball, one would wonder if this guy has anything to offer for Ztec. Well, wonder no more. This guy showed how valuable he is with his versatility in the team.

With his team down 1-3, he stepped up his game, playing more forcefully in defense while at the same time daringly pushing himself up front to help the attacking line in some fire power. Although his shots were all over the place, his effort caught our eyes. In addition, he seemed more compose than the rest of his team mates even though they were down by two goals. His presence both in defense and attack was a constant threat to Frontliners. And considering the fact that he's been away for quite a while, not bad at all.
He's got two thumbs up from Borak Borak!

Match Review: The Young Guns Mean Business

CONTACT FIREANTS v ZTEC 8CERS
16th June 2009, Tuesday
0-7 (0-4, 0-3)

0049 0-1 Jo-Wyee (Ter Min)
0058 0-2 Ter Min (Jo-Wyee)
0915 2mins for incorrect distance: Sjaiful (Z8C)
1014 0-3 Jo-Wyee (Ter Min)
1404 0-4 Oliver Cedric (Jeremy Yeap)

1226 0-5 Jo-Wyee (Ter Min)
1454 0-6 Jo-Wyee (Ter Min)
1454 Contact FireAnts Time out
1826 2mins for incorrect hit: Henry Cheang (CFA)
1917 0-7 James Looi (OG)

SOT 5-30

THE GAME IS ON!!

The long awaited Division 1 PFL 2009 finally kick started on Tuesday night at the Balik Pulau Indoor Stadium at 8pm that saw an intense game between team Ztec 8cers and team Contact FireAnts.

What a way to officiate the league with a match such as this - last year's champion, Contact FireAnts, facing this year's much talked about title contender, Ztec 8cers.

BBF has decided come up with a new approach for the match review for Division 1. Instead of the usual summary-type match review by our team of pundits/reviewers (refer to Division 2 match review entries), we decided to let the team managers, coaches and even players to speak for themselves and share their thoughts on their game through our list of interview questions. We want to vary our style of approach this time around just to keep things a little interesting. Also, through the questions and answers, we hope to provide new insights to all avid floorballers to widen their perspective on the game.
We hope that this will benefit you guys in one way or another!

For Tuesday match, we managed to get hold of both the team managers. Representing team Ztec 8cers would be Chiam TerMin (TM) and for team Contact FireAnts, Edward Lim (EL).

The following is the interview between Borak Borak Floorball (BBF) and Chiam TerMin (TM):

BBF: How does it feel to kick start the league against Contact FireAnts?

TM: We already knew way before the league that our opponents were going to be last year's champions due to the format set by IFF. For me and the boys, we feel great to kick start our campaign against a tough opponent (Fireants) as we have now clear one tough hurdle out of the way. Beating a good team at the start will give us the much needed confidence. However we knew it was never going to be easy. What more coming head to head with the genius of Coach Edward's tactics.

BBF: Obviously, Ztec is currently the most feared team due to the number of national as well as capable players they have in the team. Is it hard to come out on court with that kind of expectation, especially on your first game?

TM: Yes, yes it's very hard. The expectation is high, the pressure as well. To be honest, I feel more nervous before yesterday's game than any of my other games I played before (even my games for Malaysia). With a strong and young team like this, I'm sure people expect us to deliver in every game. So once again, the pressure is high.

BBF: The score was 7-0, was it what you'd expected?

TM: We knew it was not going to be an easy game. Because their first line has been playing together for very long time so they know each other's game and they are also a team with good passes and movement. We targeted to score 7 goals but expected to concede a couple.(Thank God we didnt concede)

BBF: What was your strategy against a team such as contact?

TM: The strategy was to go in the court and try to score as early as possible to kill the game off. I think we did score 2 goals in the first minute and it was always hard for them to catch back as the mind will be affected. After that it was mostly passes and controlling by the defenders to frustrate the opponent. We expected them to play tight and go for the counter attack so we started playing rather wide. I think the plan worked pretty well.

BBF: Who would you vote as man of the match for team Contact?

TM: I would say their goalie, Joshua. Although conceding 7 goals, he made a couple of great saves. If it was not for him, it could have been more.


At the opposite end, we got hold of team Contact FireAnts's Captain and Coach, Edward Lim (EL):

BBF: How does it feel to kick start the league against the young, vibrant and much talked about Ztec team?

EL: It was not something that we had hoped for, knowing that our team had a habit of starting slow in every tournament. It was also unfortunate that the system that PFA employed placed Ztec, which was a strong team in Division 2 last year. That sort of messes up with the league format that IFF proposes. Anyway, PFA did warn us about this and that it will take 2 years to rectify, so it should get better next year. We would have loved playing them later in the league. I am sure then that there would be greater Floorball displayed and it would be a better game. That does not mean that we will win the game, but it will definitely be better for Floorball.

BBF: The age difference between Contact and Ztec was obvious. What was Contact's strategy to curb the young Ztec team?

EL: It is obvious that we were no match for their speed. We just needed to play our game, play it harder and hope for the best.

BBF: The score was 7-0, was it what you'd expected?

EL: No, defensive errors on our part as a team created a bigger margin in the score line than we expected. A narrower loss would be a more realistic expectation. We just did not play hard enough.

BBF: What's your take on the disallowed goal by Edward Lim? Was it a good call by the referees or a bad one?

EL: It is always sad when a goal is not allowed. But we have to admit that the whistle did go off just before the shot was taken and it is the responsibility of the referees to make a call. And when such a call is made, there is nothing much you can do about it.

BBF: Who would you vote as man of the match for team Ztec?

EL: Jo-Wyee.

*************************************

And there you have it! Both teams with their head man having a say at the game. What are our thoughts on the game? Below are our personal take on the game.

Borak Says:
Spritzer:
In a game such as this, the separation between these two teams falls heavily on speed. Ztec basically ran all over Contact. No doubt they are a skillfull team but I personally feel that it was speed and the quick change of pace that kept Contact shaky. Also, I felt Contact could have played a little harder physically. They weren't as strong as I thought they'd be.
But overall, still a laudable performance by them.

Ztec has definitely proven their point in that game - they simply mean business. Great job! But can they truly withstand the pressure of expectation and continue their seed of excellence in the league?
We shall see!

Bendy:
Total domination.
It was thought to be a win for the "Champions-in-making", but not in such a one-sided manner. The "Champions" were left chasing shadows throughout the match.

The much built up hype about the mind games were rendered ineffective as the quality of 8cers proved to much for FireAnts to handle. Early goals in quick succession, meant that 8cers took initiative leaving FireAnts for the chase.

There were moments FireAnts looked solid as they fought hard, keeping 8cers at bay, but the Ants barely got out of their half, with Choon Hun, saving 5 shots on goal compared to Joshua's 30. The deep defending didn't help much as their defence was constantly caught ball watching, leading to numerous one on one situations leaving only for Joshua to deny them a bigger margin.

As a neutral, it was a joy to watch; but to the opponents its a strong signal of intent: You are next!!

MOMs:
This is a classic attacking vs defending.
Attacker vs Goalkeeper.

Borak's pick for the match - Jo-Wyee(Z8C) and Joshua(CFA).

The lanky forward of 8cers, improved tremendously since his APAC outing, was the deadliest amongst a team of stars. Without the ball, the forward made intelligent runs deep and wide, distracting the defenders and opening gaps for his team mates. With the ball, he expressed wholeheartedly his array of cheeky skills, and breaking angles with his cunning turns. Combining best with Ter Min, whom supplied him with quality passes, which he did not disappoint, sending 4 past Joshua.

The goalie, Joshua Lim, who was on the receiving end, was much to be blamed for early goals. He did however, responded with a string of superb goalkeeping thereafter. Constantly called upon, he replied almost everything Ztec had to offer (other than the goals), denying shots after shots. There were even moments where he had to make consecutive saves from rebounds and difficult angles. A remarkable come back in terms of form for the young goalie.

(NOTE: A heartfelt thanks to both Chiam TerMin and Edward Lim for giving their time for this interview. )

Team Preview: Ztec 8cers

Ztec 8cers(Ztec 8cers Floorball Club)

Last season: 2nd/4 (Div 2)

The D2 runner-ups were in a class of their own, dominating the league with outrageous score lines.

This season, it was a relief for the D2 teams seeing them promoted, leaving the D1 teams sweating and fearing the worst.

Indeed they should.
The D1 team shows no signs of being weakened despite the fact that some of the original team members were included in the new D2 teams, as they were replaced by some “big name” recruits.

Defence has been severely boosted with the likes of Sjaiful, Hadfiz and Jun Wooi (Dalat Eagles), all national defenders; add on a familiar name who is back for holidays, Jeremy Yeap and sharp shooter Danial Cheah (Innebandy), the mere sight of their names on the match record would send shivers down the spine of their opponents.

The only area that pale in comparison, is the goalkeeper. The GK, Choon Hun will mark his debut on the opening match of PFL, but the sheer fact that the newbie shook of challenges from 2 other more experience team mates surely indicates how highly the coach view him. The “new” tag is mere cover up folks.

Ztec is new to D1 but not new to floorball. Fact.
Ztec was strong, now stronger. Fact.
Their emergence has disrupted the title challenge. Fact.
Their existence has force teams to reshuffle objectives and aims for the league. Fact.

Facts. All is just plain talk for now. The big question is: Can they live up to their billing?
Opponents surely hope not.
But for neutrals, nothing beats a game of entertaining Floorball.
This years’ PFL is surely worth looking forward too!!

Star Player:
Picking a star player has never been such a dreadful task.
The team is just full of stars all over!
Die die pick one? BBF will have to go for Ter Min.
Used to be known for his powerful drag shots, the boy has grown and evolved in many ways, and has to a certain extent, progressed to be a more complete player. Already technically superior than most, now seasoned with experience, topping up with improved vision plus the support of capable team mates, makes him deadlier than ever.

Being Team Malaysia’s point leader from the recent APAC campaign, Ter Min would be hoping his sizzling form will continue in PFL. Penang, expect the worst, this boy would be hard to contained even on a bad day. It would be more less a decent achievement if one can limit him to shots on goals in any game.

Rising Rookie:
With a full team of seasoned players, the only one qualified for the rookie tag would be the goalie, Choon Hun. This being his first outing for PFL.
But do not be fooled, he is certainly not your average rookie. Seeing off competition from two of the club's more experience goalie, a regular in state training, and a few call ups to train with the national players. Rookie? Fake one maybe.

With the cover he has upfront, the goalie would most probably have an easy ride through out the campaign. Yet, never let your guard down, you’ll never know when your opponent is up for a surprise or two.

Prediction:
Bendy:
Title contenders. Period.
It would be utterly insane not to rate them with the players they have.
Although the commitment of the KL fellas are unsure, rendering their full strength unknown, their current crop of players would be more than capable to handle any challenges ahead.

The million dollar question: How do you stop the Ztec Juggernaut?
Some say break their mental, break them.
True. To a certain extend. They do lose ground and lose focus when they lose their mind. Yet mental toughness hardly applies to any team.

My say: if they don't lose their heads, they will have the crown on their heads.

Jose:

Ztec 8cers or otherwise known also as "the Galacticos" of Penang fFoorball should find themselves at the top of the table by the end of the league. On paper, no team can stop them, but games are not won on paper. Therefore, there is every chance of an upset especially in their opening match when they face Contact FireAnts. Another possible threat should be against Innebandy!Co, which are looking to upset the odds against them.

However, if things were to go smoothly, there is absolutely no stopping the mighty Ztec marching forward to clich their first ever Division 1 title. UNLESS, they trigger their own self destruct button by losing their heads especially during the big matches.