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.

Team Review: Frontliners Spartans

Frontliners Spartans

Final standing: 2nd/6
Goals scored: 21
Goals conceded: 18
League form: WDWWL

Biggest win: 8-3 against Dalat Eagles
Biggest loses: 2-6 against Contact FireAnts
Highest scoring match: 8-3 against Dalat Eagles

Top scorer: Lee Su Rong - 6 goals
Top assist: Khor Kuan Yang/ Nicholas Teoh - 3 assists

Point leaders:
1. Lee Su Rong - 6 points (6+0)
2. Khor Kuan Yang (2+3);
Nicholas Teoh (2+3);
Kenny Ng (4+1) - 5 points

Best player:
It was so much of a team effort that it’s almost impossible to decide. For each match, different players stepped up, and for each match, different players fumbled. But a decisions have to be made, so at the end of it all, the Best Player goes to Kuan Yang.

In a team that was up one moment and down the next, Kuan Yang stayed steady throughout. It was consistent play in and out from him; something badly needed by this inconsistent team. He had vision, he had strength in tackles, and he still had a mean shot. It was his defensive nous and sacrifice that gave others like Kenny, Nick and Su Rong the chance to bombard forward and win matches.


Borak says:
Brilliant one half, anonymous the next… or is it the other way around?
Anything goes.
Spartans were the masters of the hit-and-run game this year; at least until suffering a major taste of their own medicine in the game against UniHawks.

If driving was an analogy for Division 1 this year, then Spartans would be the drivers who drove at breakneck speed, did death-defying stunts then slammed on the brakes just hard enough to avoid falling over the cliff to a fiery end.

Theirs was hardly a version of joga bonito, but it didn’t matter how they won, any three points gained were gladly welcomed.

It must also be said that the fixtures played a good part in Spartans’ fairytale. They were blessed by good fortune that Ztec were not at full strength, that Innebandy took long enough to get started, and that UniHawks ran out of steam; but it must be said that fortune favours the brave. No one could have seen Spartans achieving silver this year, and no one can possibly see what the see-saw Spartans come up with next year.

Team Review: Innebandy!Co.

Innebandy!Co.

Final standing: 3rd/6
Goals scored: 31
Goals conceded: 11
League form: WWLLW

Biggest win: 11-0 against Dalat Eagles
Biggest loses: 2-5 against Ztec 8cers
Highest scoring match: 11-0 against Dalat Eagles

Top scorer: Deswyn Wan - 1o goals
Top assist: Deswyn Wan - 5 assists

Point leaders:
1. Deswyn Wan - 15 points (10+5)
2. Sam Teoh - 8 points (4+4)
3. Valarie Tan - 5 points (4+1)


Best player:
Sam Teoh, a wise cracking player who is flexible in playing in almost any position, except for goalkeeping of course. One of the senior players who recovered from a bad knee injury. That did not stop him from picking himself up and coming back into the game with a good form.

With the lack of experienced defenders for Innebandy, it is the best decision to place Sam at the fort of the team. And of course he did his job well in minimizing the goal deficits and contributing the balls to the forwards. He is also one of the few defenders who earns 8 points placing him in the top ten spot of the score chart.

He's a defender, a forward, the brainchild behind the club, the coach, the one who assists and the one who scores. He is a multi-purpose guy who deserves to be called 'best player.'

Borak says:
3rd place does seemed to be too bad, for most. But not for Innebandy, who has always been on the top in the past. What went wrong?

Innebandy has always and still is relying on their old guards. They were unstoppable in those days. They still are, but circumstances have changed. The court is bigger, meaning they would not be able to sustain consistent performance for a full match, and with the playing field being levelled out each year, the gap between teams is closing in inch by inch each year where once upon a time, it seemed like a gap that could not be bridged. Well, not any more.

The team's overall experience certainly surpassed most, but the youngsters' lack of experience in actual game play (positioning and anticipation) proved to be a major weak link, hence, they were unable to compete with faster, aggressive teams. In the end, it was the usual suspects that reluctantly run the show. Deswyn often finds his passing options limited, while Sam desperately holds the defence together and like Deswyn, have no one to pass to but amongst themselves, which explains the high percentage of goals scored and assisted between the two.

On the bright side, the team boast quite a number of potential stars all around, such as Rooban and Win Shern in defence. Although technically adequate, they still needs polishing in terms of aggression and positioning. Young kids like Darien and Jason Chew too, caught the eye with their impressive display of technique and skill considering their age. When all these "Work-in-progress" become complete, do not be surprise if you find them back on top. Definitely a force to be reckon with in the near future.

Team Review:Contact FireAnts

Contact FireAnts.

Final standing: 4th/6
Goals scored: 26
Goals conceded: 17
League form: LLWWW

Biggest win: 12-0 against Minden UniHawks
Biggest loses: 0-7 against Ztec 8cers
Highest scoring match: 12-0 against Minden Unihawks

Top scorer: Bryan Looi - 12 goals
Top assist: Bryan Looi - 7 assists

Point leaders:
1. Bryan Looi - 19 points (12+7)
2. Edward Lim - 10 points (4+6)
3. Nicholas Yeoh - 8 points (5+3)


Best player:
It was a choice between the master(Edward Lim) and the disciple(Bryan Looi). Both equal deadly but deadliest when combine. But to pick one, Borak when for the one with more potential and more flair of the two, Bryan Looi.

He was easily Contact FireAnts' most outstanding player throughout the league and was in the class of his own. First an unnoticed charge down the channels to receive a pass; then going inward pass his maker with his a piece for brilliant ball control and finally sealing the move with a shot which often lands inside the net. How often have the opponents see that trademark move and yet unable to stop him? Finishing 2nd in the point chart with 12 goals and 7 assist and landing himself a slot in the All Star team is just shows how good the boy is. And the best is yet to come from the teenager, every season his going to get stronger and better, bad news for the rest, good news for Malaysia Floorball. Bet the National Coach can wait for him to come of age!


Borak says:
It was never easy to defend a title in to start with. Contact FireAnts getting off with to a slow start again certainly didn't help, especially when the first two fixtures was against Ztec 8cers and Innebandy!Co..

The two losts really dim their hopes in retaining the title but as they picked themselves up with their own brand of floorball. Plenty of great movement from the forwards and good play ups caused tonnes of problems for their next three opponents which none survived, most notable victim: eventual runners-up, Spartans.

With the gain of maximum points of 6 saw them levelled with Innebandy!Co., but the earlier defeat against meant that they will end up empty handed this season.

Team Review: Dalat Eagles

Dalat Eagles.

Final standing: 5th/6
Goals scored: 11
Goals conceded: 44
League form: LWLLL

Biggest win: 5-0 against Minden UniHawks
Biggest loses: 1-20 against Ztec 8cers
Highest scoring match: 1-20 against Ztec 8cers

Top scorer: Norman Arno Kiehl - 4 goals
Top assist: Jason Mark Selvanayagam/ Robert Nollen/Brian Richard Merusi - 1 assists

Point leaders:
1. Norman Arno Kiehl - 4 points (4+0)
2. Jason Mark Selvanayagam - 3 points (2+1)
3. Robert Thorne (2+0);
Robert Nollen (1+1) - 2 points


Best player:
Being one of the very few players with experience of the team, Edwin Ooi was easily one of the better performer. In front of a near non-existence defences, the goalie was arguably one of the two busier players in the league(the other beeing Minden's goalie) Time and again, he was called upon and performed unconventional-football-like style acrobatic saves.

Any decent goalie would have shake their heads, but it matter not, as long as the objective of keeping the ball out is acheive, who cares. In fact, Edwin, often beeming with confidence and drive, constantly barking at his defender, and doing his best to get the job done earn him a few votes as a contender for the All Star.


Borak says:
Dalat Eagles did pretty well considering that majority of their players are new to the game. And they even pulled off a surprised victory by beating a more experience Minden UniHawks with a convincing 5 goal margin, keeping their Division 1 hopes alive.

It was a pity they were unable to field their strongest side in Div 1 this year as it clashes with Dalat's summer break, but if the trend of the floorball schedule continues, do not be surprised to see a completely different line up in Division 1 next season. Their unpredictably might not work twice.

Team Review: Minden UniHawks

Minden UniHawks

Final standing: 6th/6
Goals scored: 5
Goals conceded: 50
League form: LLLLL

Biggest win: NA
Biggest loses: 1-18 against Ztec 8cers
Highest scoring match: 1-18 against Ztec 8cers

Top scorer: Sarah Ng/ Rishvan Sasidaran - 2 goals
Top assist: Christopher Koh - 2 assist

Point leaders:
1. Sarah Ng - 3 points (2+1)
2. Rishavan Sasidaran (2+0)
Christopher Koh (1+1) - 2 points


Best player:

Against big giants, Sarah Ng stood out. Against bigger giants, Chris Koh stood out. Neither of them deserved not to be named best player—not these two pillars of UniHawks’ team. Yet it must be said that when it mattered most, against the giants—Chris was the one who shone brighter.

Give Sarah the ball and she can do wonderful things with it, blindfolded. But Chris, with or without the ball, makes his presence felt.

Technically, he was as good as anyone could be. Physically too, Chris was right up there with the best. With better teammates, he could have led the team much further — but UniHawks is where his heart is. Look forward to a better, meaner Chris Koh next year.

Borak says:
Perhaps UniHawks’ last game against Ztec 8cers was a fitting end that summed up their campaign this year. Packed defensively — always playing with no less than three in their own half; a single hustler up front — most of the time chasing shadows. But somehow still have the knack of stinging you from behind if you drop your guard.
Weak?

No way. Their match against Spartans proved anything but weak.
UniHawks just missed that one jigsaw piece that would complement the dynamic duo of Chris and Sarah. These two are creators and playmakers, who would rather create an opening and watch another slam it in than to ram their way in and win the glory.
UniHawks lacked a finisher. Nonetheless, great spirit from this team, as always!

PFL'09 Div 1 Review: All Star Team

And so, PFL Division 1 2009 has finally come to an end, and what else other than the revelation the All Star Team as the perfect closure. There were plenty who made their mark this year and stood a chance to be named—but these are the best of the best; the cream of the crop; the match winners—the ones who stood out and lit up the league this year with their goals, their vision, their tackles, and their flair.

Goalkeeper: Kao Lin Ken (Innebandy!Co.)
He might not be the most worked goalie in terms of work load but the National No. 1 definitely streets ahead in terms of technique, agility and experience compared to the rest. For a title aspiring team, Innebandy's defence seems relatively inexperience for a title aspiring team, and often caught ball watching. When breach, Lin Ken will be the final hope and the goalie rarely failed to respond when called upon. He did have his off days, like the Spartan game, conceding some soft goals but other than that, he had been solid throughout the league and was exceptionaly superb when they faced 8cers, keeping the score line to a minimal 5. Next stop, APAC All Star? ^^

Right Defender: Jeremy Yeap (Ztec 8cers)
Speed, anticipation blend with flair abundance, the flamboyant defender dazzle and mazzle through defences throughout the league, just the kind of entertainment to lighten up the stadium. Unlike most, this one is no show pony, he possess not only style but also quality, as he dictated most of the teams play form the back, supply array of passes up front as well as providing support in offence. The only negative would be the fumbles that comes when the trickery fails, although he often manages to cover up with his speed and experience. No complains as long as the team wins.

Left Defender: Sam Teoh (Innebandy!Co.)
Like his All Star partner, Sam is also a true example of how a defender should be play. Decisive and brave in defence, possessing great vision and accurate passes, and not shy to take a shot when the opportunity falls on his blade. Less fancy than Jeremy and far more solid at back, the versatile Sam place himself at the back and was the Great Wall of Innebandy. The blocks and interception must have made Lin Ken boring between the post, while his forays definitely lifted some pressure of Deswyn who was fighting a tough battle at the center. There were no contenders whatsoever for his spot, best defender of the league, period.


Centre: Deswyn Wan (Innebandy!Co.)
People must be dead tired seeing "Innebandy!Co." for the third time in the list, but what to do when you have 3 National regulars in your team. And the best of the best is this one here. Pools of words had gone dry trying to describe Deswyn, the most complete player ever produced in Malaysia, so Far.(Hoping more to see more in the future) Although the centre did not shine as expected,he was the heartbeat of Innebandy, there is nothing that doesn't involve him when his on court. He and Sam, deadly duo up front, tearing defenses apart while rock solid behind, shutting up the most lethal strike force of the league, Ztec 8cers to a mere 5 by playing the full 40 mins! However, the teams over reliance on him made him an easy target as he often find himself surround, and yet he still manages to sit 3rd on the point chart underlines his superiority and ability to bring others around him into the play.

Right Forward: Chiam Ter Min (Ztec 8cers)
It is not a coincidence Team Malaysia's APAC 2009 Point Leader is also PFL Div 1 2009's Point Leader, plus joint Top Scorer and Top Assists. He is one of the best players in Malaysia, if not the best. One would question if the lad is not in the All Star Team. Although he opted to play a more forward role, Ter Min style of player differs form a typical forward, he tends to drop back slightly and that is why he is most deadly. The prefect range for his outrageous shots; in a flash it turns into a deadly pass to one of his mate; also the perfect spot to link up the forwards and the defense. And at times, when desperate time calls for desperate measures, he would step up the plate and produce a little bit of magic. The talisman of 8cers is an absolute pick for the All Star will his all round performance throughout the league.


Left Forward: Bryan Looi (Contact FireAnts)
Trailing Ter Min behind the point chart for a U-15 seems like mission impossible, not when you have Bryan Looi in your team. The boy is another undisputed pick, as there is no other better left forward in Malaysia let alone the league than the up and rising star of FireAnats. He has grown tremendously since his debut few years back, and this year, with his build up in terms of physique(meaning more endurance in body checks) and refinement in techniques. Together with his Mentor, Edward Lim, they struck fear to defences throughout the league, as they often slice through defense with some marvelous exchanges of passes. Once in awhile, the boy would also crack up a skill or two, going solo and scoring some great goals.

PFL'09 Div 1: An Overview

Final League Standings:

TEAMS	GP	W	D	L	GF-GA		P
Z8C	5	4	1	0	53-7		9
FLS	5	3	1	1	21-18		7
INC	5	3	0	2	31-11		6
CFA	5	3	0	2	26-17		6
DLE	5	1	0	4	11-44		2
MDU	5	0	0	5	5-50		0

Fixtures & Results:
16 Jun 2009: Contact FireAnts v Ztec 8cers 0-7 (0-4, 0-3)
18 Jun 2009: Minden UniHawks v Innebandy!Co. 0-10 (0-2, 0-8)
23 Jun 2009: Frontliners Spartans v Dalat Eagles 8-3 (5-2, 3-1)
25 Jun 2009: Innebandy!Co. v Contact FireAnts 6-3 (2-2, 4-1)
30 Jun 2009 Ztec 8cers v Frontliners Spartans 3-3 (1-1, 2-2)
02 Jul 2009 Dalat Eagles v Minden UniHawks 5-0 (3-0, 2-0)
07 Jul 2009 Frontliners Spartans v Innebandy!Co. 3-2 (3-0, 0-2)
09 Jul 2009 Ztec 8cers v Dalat Eagles 20-1 (6-0, 14-1)
14 Jul 2009 Contact FireAnts v Minden UniHawks 12-0 (7-0, 5-0)
16 Jul 2009 Dalat Eagles v Contact FireAnts 2-5 (0-4, 2-1)
21 Jul 2009 Minden UniHawks v Frontliners Spartans 4-5 (3-2, 1-3)
23 Jul 2009 Innebandy!Co. v Ztec 8cers 2-5 (1-3, 1-2)
28 Jul 2009 Contact FireAnts v Frontliners Spartans 6-2 (4-2, 2-0)
30 Jul 2009 Innebandy!Co. v Dalat Eagles 11-0 (5-0, 6-0)
04 Aug 2009 Ztec 8cers v Minden UniHawks 18-1 (8-0, 10-1)

Final Point Charts:

PLAYER	TEAM	G	A	P
Chiam Ter Min	Z8C	12	10	22
Bryan Looi	CFA	12	7	19
Deswyn Wan	INC	10	5	15
Loh Jo-Wyee	Z8C	10	3	13
Oliver Cedric	Z8C	11	1	12
Edward Lim	CFA	4	6	10
Nicholas Yeoh	CFA	5	3	8
Sam Teoh	INC	4	4	8
Daniel Cheah	Z8C	6	1	7
Lee Su Rong	FLS	6	0	6
Yeoh Jun Wooi	Z8C	3	3	6
Wong Ken Wye	Z8C	2	4	6
Kenny Ng	FLS	4	1	5
Valerie Tan	INC	4	1	5
Khor Kuan Yang	FLS	2	3	5
Nicholas Teoh	FLS	2	3	5
Norman Arno Kiehl	DLE	4	0	4
Jeremy Yeap	Z8C	3	1	4
Moy Wei Sern	Z8C	3	1	4
Nicholas Ong	INC	3	0	3
Jason Mark Selvanayagam	DLE	2	1	3
Algin Tan	FLS	2	1	3
Ephraim Teh	INC	2	1	3
Sarah Ng Sue Yen	MDU	2	1	3
Rooban Chand	INC	1	2	3
Sjaiful Anuar	Z8C	0	3	3
Robert Thorne	DLE	2	0	2
Joerel Marcus	CFA	2	0	2
Chung Wei Jian	FLS	2	0	2
Darien Loh	INC	2	0	2
Rishvan Sasidaran	MDU	2	0	2
Robert Nollen	DLE	1	1	2
Kew Pei Li	FLS	1	1	2
Joshua Yam	INC	0	2	2
Christopher Koh	MDU	0	2	2
Henry Cheang	CFA	1	0	1
Serene Tan	CFA	1	0	1
Mats Nordberg	DLE	1	0	1
David Alain Thomas	DLE	1	0	1
Chan Ming Hwee	FLS	1	0	1
Andrew Yeap	INC	1	0	1
Jason Chew	INC	1	0	1
Tan Jia Jian	MDU	1	0	1
Benjamin Ong	CFA	0	1	1
Brian Richard Merusi	DLE	0	1	1
Gary Chong	MDU	0	1	1
Wong Joon Han	Z8C	0	1	1

Top Scorers:
1. Chiam Ter Min(Ztec 8cers)/
Bryan Looi (Contact FireAnts) - 12 goals

3. Oliver Cedric (Ztec 8cers) - 11 goals

4. Deswyn Wan (Innebandy!Co.)/
Loh Jo-Wyee (Ztec 8cers) - 10 goals

6. Daniel Cheah (Ztec 8cers)/
Lee Su Rong (Frontliners Spartans) - 6 goals

8. Nicholas Yeoh (Contact FireAnts) - 5 goals

9. Edward Lim (Contact FireAnts/
Kenny Ng (Frontliners Spartans)/
Norman Arno Kiehl (Dalat Eagles)/
Sam Teoh (Innebandy!Co.)/
Valerie Tan (Innebandy!Co.) - 4 goals


Top Assisters:
1. Chiam Ter Min (Ztec 8cers) - 10 assists

2. Bryan Looi (Contact FireAnts) - 7 assists

3. Edward Lim (Contact FireAnts) - 6 assists

4. Deswyn Wan (Innebandy!Co.) - 5 assists

5. Sam Teoh (Innebandy!Co.)/
Wong Ken Wye (Ztec 8cers) - 4 assists

7. Khor Kuan Yang (Frontliners Spartans)/
Loh Jo-Wyee (Ztec 8cers)/
Nicholas Teoh (Frontliners Spartans)/
Nicholas Yeoh (Contact FireAnts)/
Sjaiful Anuar (Ztec 8cers)/
Yeoh Jun Wooi (Ztec 8cers) - 3 assists

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: Innebandy too hot for Eagles!

Innebandy! Co. vs. Dalat Eagles
30th July 2009, Thursday
11-0 (5-0, 6-0)

0022 1-0 Deswyn Wan
0157 2-0 Deswyn Wan (Valerie Yentl Tan)
0500 3-0 Valerie Yentl Tan (Joshua Yam)
1230 4-0 Sam Teoh (Joshua Yam)
1658 5-0 Sam Teoh (Deswyn Wan)

0404 6-0 Valerie Yentl Tan
0509 7-0 Darien Loh (Ephraim Teh)
0558 8-0 Own Goal by Edwin Ooi
1150 9-0 Jason Chew (Deswyn Wan)
1553 10-0 Deswyn Wan
1942 11-0 Deswyn Wan

What else can we say.
The score line speaks for itself.

BBF talked to Sam Teoh (ST) of Innebandy:

BBF: This is your final match of the league. What was the primary objective that you have set for your team? Did you guys achieve it?

ST: Our primary objective playing against Dalat was to maintain ball possession throughout the game by moving the ball around with good passes and eventually take lots of shots to score as many goals as possible. And of course to have fun. After all, it's our last game for this campaign. Obviously we did! 61 shots on target. How much more can I ask from the Innebandiens? They really surprised me and surpassed all my expectations. If I'm not mistaken this is the most shots on target for this league. I'm proud of my team!


BBF: Frankly speaking, Dalat did manage to hold up a good defence against the likes of Deswyn and yourself several times. What are some of the challenges faced playing against a team like Dalat Eagles?

ST: Honestly, we didn't feel much pressure from our opponents. But it is common for them to pressure us more as we are the most threatening players to them. However, the pressure were felt mostly by both of our younger forwards Darien Loh and Jason Chew as they are playing against "goliath" that is 3 or 4 times their size. But that did not stop them from playing their game. Both of them earned the goal they deserved for playing in such a high level game that is meant for the big boys only. Well done to both Darien and Jason.


BBF: Looking back at the league as a whole, which match do you think was the hardest for the team?

ST: Ztec 8cer for sure. Simply because they have more experience players and played to their best potential.


BBF: How do you think your team fare as a whole and what do you have to say to your players?

ST: The whole team grew tighter and stronger during the span of this league. That is what matters the most to me as a coach. Each innebandiens played their hearts out and also giving their very best to this club and to floorball. I'm really proud of each of them and I'm priviledge to have them in my team. It is my honour. However, there are always rooms for improvement. I will continue to develop the whole team and I look forward to see the younger ones to rise up in their skills and character.


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

ST: Norman. He stands out among his team mates and he was quite hardworking on court as compared to the rest.

BBF also spoke to Jason Selva (JS) of team Dalat Eagles:

BBF: Coming in for your final match of the league against a team like Innebandy, what was the primary objective that you set for your team?

JS: Play hard, have fun and watch out for Deswyn (smiles).


BBF: Although a newly assembled team, through this league, BBF have noticed some up and rising players that Dalat have. Who do you think in Dalat Eagles have made a crucial contribution and possess great potential in floorball?

JS: I think everyone on the team had a lot to do with the success. There are a few new players that stuck out but because it was such a brand new team the credit has to go to everyone . It was a team effort, it had to be.


BBF: Looking back at the league as a whole, which match do you think was the hardest for the team?

JS: I think the one against Ztec. The "old men" were just no match for the young guns with speed and skill, deadly combo.


BBF: This was your final match of the league. How do you think your team fared as a whole and what do you have to say to your players?

JS: It was great having them as team mates. I think they did an awesome job for beginners and I think they can go really far if they continue playing. Three cheers for all of them from me!


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

JS: Deswyn Wan, everyone on my team voted for him. Excellent moves!


Borak says:
Spritzer:
A lob-sided match from the beginning to the end.
There really wasn't much the Eagles could do against a team like Innebandy. It was all about courage and spirit for the Eagles.

For Innebandy, their fire power up front came from the usual suspects, Deswyn and occasionally Sam. With Deswyn playing in the centre, that whole area was practically owned by him with his swift moves and speedy runs. Dalat could not keep up with this lad. However, Innebandy's line two looked pretty shaky at times, especially in their defence. Dalat had a couple of chances up front against their line two but they just could not convert them to goals.

For Dalat, it was a match that really tested their mental strength and obviously their goalkeeper. Edwin had a lot of work at goal and BBF must give him credit for his outstanding performance and his ability to keep calm even though the score line was a big one. Keep it up!

MoMs:
Innebandy relied a lot on Deswyn to bank in the goals. And he did.
However, it was Darien Loh, the little young gun who stood out the most in BBF's eyes. This young lad may look young but his floorball sense and movement on court speaks otherwise. Well attuned to the game of floorball at such an age, he is the next kid to look out for!

For Dalat, Norman played the crucial role with his tireless run. This young lad also worked really hard both up front and in defence. He's work rate is exceptional! Then again, aren't all Dalat's players work rate like that? ;)

Match Review: Stinging the Spartans!

Contact FireAnts vs. Frontliners Spartans
28th July 2009, Tuesday
6-2 (4-2, 2-0)

0358 0-1 Own goal by Nicholas Yeoh (CFA)
0548 2 mins bench penalty for Header: Joerel Marcus(CFA)
1040 0-2 Lee Su Rong (Khor Kuan Yang)
1208 1-2 Nicholas Yeoh (Bryan Looi)
1402 2-2 Bryan Looi (Nicholas Yeoh)
1422 3-2 Nicholas Yeoh (Edward Lim)
1640 4-2 Bryan Looi (Nicholas Yeoh)

0457 2 mins bench penalty plus 10 mins personal penalty for Unsportsmanlike Behaviour: Henry Cheang (CFA)
0551 5-2 Nicholas Yeoh (Bryan Looi)
0836 Time out by Frontliners Spartans
1434 6-2 Bryan Looi
1746 2 mins bench penalty plus 10 mins personal penalty for Unsportsmanlike Behaviour: Henry Cheang (CFA)

It looked like a case of the culmination of two trends: one upward and another downward. Contact FireAnts reached their peak. Frontliners Spartans hit their bottom.

Contact FireAnts, after starting poor and slow, hit jackpot that day. Frontliners Spartans, after starting on turbo boosters and having had all cylinders firing, finally grinded to a rude stop.

Too bad this game counted for nothing.
Let’s look at the different reactions from the team managers.

BBF talked to Kuan Yang (KY) of team Frontliners Spartan about the match and the league:

BBF: Your first big loss in the league. Tell us, what was the primary objective in this particular match, and do you think your team achieved it?

KY: Yes, our first loss. To some it might mean no chance for gold; a halt in our unbeaten run, but coming into this match, as a team, we have already exceeded our own expectations. Plus, realistically, I don't see Ztec throwing away their last game (laughs). Because of that, I have decided to tweak the team a little for the final match. First, is to give some of the players who have sat with the team throughout the league and yet had played little time extra game time; and also to expose certain players to different positions as it is important for me, as a coach to understand my players more and so hopefully to improve the team as a whole in the future. Did we achieve it? I would yes, to a certain extent, but as the result suggests, there's a whole lot of areas to work on.


BBF: As a coach for your team, what do you think is the biggest hurdle against a team like Contact FireAnts with the types of players you have currently?

KY: Contact strength has always been their team play. Their movement as a team, with or without the balls and their team synergy is their main weapon. Compared to Spartans, well, we have always build the team based on physical fitness and speed but we always have big headaches tactically. We often pressed up to high and failed to dropped back quickly enough or we would run around, headlessly as the ball is being move around. Which I thought was well proven in the match. FireAnts capitalised on us pressing high, and hit us hard at the counter.


BBF: Looking back at the league as a whole, which match do you think was the hardest one for the team?

KY: Hmmm.. I would like to say all games are hard (laughs). But to pick one, I would have to go for the match against UniHawks. Boy did they make us sweat. In truth, I was well aware of Minden's ability to hit us at the counter but not with that kind of effectiveness. Down by 3 goals within the first 10 minutes and crawling back up and win by a goal, it was the craziest match ever!


BBF: This is your last game of the league and it's safe to say that Frontliners, without a doubt, has been one of the few teams that have risen to the occasion. As a coach, how do you feel your team fare and what do you have to say to them?

KY: It seemed to be a trend for Frontliners to struggle and fight for our life in Penang League, and if things go too well, normally we would fall at the very end when it matters most, like last year. This year, the team faced a lot of setbacks in preparation and personally, we were expecting the worst. However, with the Spartan spirit burning and raging, it kind of gave the team an extra kick during matches, and with a few calculated gambles, it brought us unexpected results. Getting a medal was never in the plan, so looking at where the team is on the league table, I would say we have way way surpassed expectation.

As for players, congratulations and see you in training! (Laughs)


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

KY: I would have to go for Nicholas Yeoh. He together with Bryan was sizzling throughout the match and had a hand in all the goals, but I though Nick was sharp that day, getting into the danger zone, hitting rebounds and often speeding towards over goal on the counter, a real trouble maker for us that day.

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

(BBF could not get Contact FireAnts representative for a chat about the match, hence, the exclusion of their interview)

Borak says:
Carrard:
Contact FireAnts made Spartans look like a very ordinary, schoolboy team. Spartans simply had no answer to the attacking trio of Bryan, Edward and Nicholas, and more importantly, FireAnts’ overall teamplay.

And there’s the word-- FireAnts simply outplayed Spartans that day.
Even with not one, but two, 10-minutes penalties for FireAnts, it never looked likely that Spartans could summon up another miracle.

Why?
Maybe if there was still something to play for, things would have been very different. But with nothing to play for, FireAnts really unleashed all their potential upon the hapless Spartans, and Spartans… well, they’d already won the silver, hadn’t they?

Yet even circumstances cannot change the flavors of the game, for victory tastes as sweet, and defeat just as bitter.But for the neutrals that day, true floorball triumphed over hit-and-run floorball.And that is how it should be.

MoMs
It’s been Bryan Looi who’s been hogging the spotlight since day one, and rightfully so, but this time Nicholas Yeoh just edges him out. Take nothing away from Bryan—it was his playmaking and vision that created holes for Nick the poacher to take advantage of. However, Nick was chosen because of, strangely, his own goal in the opening minutes. Most players would not be able to pick themselves up and move on, but Nick rebounded quickly and scored three and assisted in two, making him FireAnts’ man of the match.

It was Nicholas Yeoh for FireAnts, now, it’s Nicholas Teoh for Spartans. Always willing to run, always willing to cook some trick up then try it, always willing to do the unorthodox—that’s Nick Teoh for you. Not as perfect a game as Nick Yeoh, but a good one, if held up to his team’s standards.

(A big thank you to KY for the interview!)

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: The Come Back Spartans

Minden UniHawks vs. Frontliners Spartans
21th July 2009, Tuesday
4-5 (3-2, 1-3)

0255 1-0 Rishvan Sasidaran (Gary Chong)
0622 2-0 Sarah Ng Sue Yen (Christopher Koh)
1452 2 mins for incorrect substituition: Sanjeevan A/L Sivaraj(FLS)
1536 3-0 Sarah Ng Sue Yen
1558 3-1 Kenny Ng Yew Leng (Nicholas Teoh Ping Hooi)
1808 3-2 Khor Kuan Yang

0054 4-2 Rishvan Sasidaran (Sarah Ng Sue Yen )
0507 4-3 Nicholas Teoh Ping Hooi
0811 2 mins for incorrect hit: Lim Chin Jeck(MDU)
1043 4-4 Nicholas Teoh Ping Hooi (Kenny Ng Yew Leng)
1553 5-4 Lee Su Rong


In the matches before this, Frontliners Spartans had walked into the court holding the title of underdogs and relegation candidates.

But this time, the roles were reversed.

UniHawks were now the true underdogs, fighting for a chance to stay up, and Spartans were the high-flyers coming into this match.

UniHawks knew it was win or go down; Spartans knew it was win and exceed all prior expectations.


BBF interviewed Jason Chan Ming Hwee (MH) of Frontliners Spartans:

BBF: The Hawks sure did pull off a surprise by leading the score line for quite some time in the match. What were the strategies given and what were the expectations of the game?

MH: The Unihawks certainly played very well against us. They almost beaten us. I'd say they've beaten us if we weren't that lucky. Coach Kuan Yang said he wanted to try something newer than the usual gamble strategy he had been using. He wanted us to be more aggressive in our attacking against the Unihawks.


BFF: You guys were trailing off for some time and then bounced back, ultimately, winning the game. What do you think contributed to the win?
Unihawks played a very tight game. They counter-attacked us and got the best out of our flimsy defense. You can see the "Great Wall of China" in front of the UniHawks' goal. It was real stubborn defense. I have to give them the credit for that.

MH: I guess we probably had better fitness and slightly better overall skills, coupled with our never ending tries, so eventually that wall had to to be broken. Plus the fact we are more experienced in comebacks in the past. So that's a mental edge. I'm not too sure but they seem to slow down the second half, correct me if I'm wrong.


BBF: The league is coming to a close. Your last game will be against Contact? How do you foresee that game will turn out to be? Prediction?

MH: (Laughs) I'm not too sure about Contact. They're the best tactical team to me. We're probably one of the worst tactically. Winning or losing the next game won't change our fate anyway. Our coach might be thinking of experimenting new stuffs. My guess and prediction... Contact will have an advantage. Historically, we've never beaten them for years even when we tried hard. Of course I hope that we'll beat them this time round and maintain an unbeaten run.


BBF: Another win for the Spartans, looks like you guys are really turning the heat on in the league table this year. How do you feel as a coach/team manager/player so far and what are your hopes for the club?

MH: We're not there yet but we've definitely surpassed all our expectations. Silver in hand. This is the greatest achievement in our club's history so far.

I feel that all the effort, sweat, tears, hard work, and perseverance finally paid off. It was worth the wait. We were hungry and we didn't give up. Every blow is a step forward. I hope that the next generation of Spartans will continue to preserve the Spartan Spirit of never ever giving up till the day they reach the top. We can lose anything but the Spartan Spirit.

We still have lots of work to do. Its a long journey ahead. This is a big encouragement to many people in our club especially for myself and the coach. Finally we get to see some fruits after sowing for many many years :)


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

MH: Who else if its not Sarah Ng. The big sister plays like a man. Now you know why she's the big sister. Scoring 2 important goals for the UniHawks. What else can I say?

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

(Note: BBF could not get hold of UniHawks interviewee, hence, the missing interview from UniHawks.)


Borak Says:
Carrard:
Many times UniHawks sliced through Spartans’ defence like a hot knife through butter. In other words, they bypassed Spartans’ defence with great ease, while Spartans found it hard to break down their compact and disciplined defence.

But hit a shot at goal enough times, and surely, at least one will go in (unless even God has decided to close the goalmouth). This looked to be Spartans’ philosophy that night, so it made a very entertaining, end-to-end, hit-and-run game by both sides.

In truth, UniHawks’ keeper had very little to do in the first half other than to pick the ball out of her net twice. This summed the whole match up for Spartans: lots of shots, but few quality ones. Kuan Yang was kept under close wraps all the way, Nick and Algin were often outmuscled by UniHawks’ tough men, while Sarah, Chris and Rish had a great time in attack, finding holes and channels everywhere to run in.

So what was the deciding factor that gave Spartans, and not UniHawks, the win?
I think it was UniHawks who scored and closed shop too early. Already after scoring the first two goals, all five retreated into defence, clustered around the goal, ready to hang on for the next thirty minutes for the win. Plausible, yes.
This enticed Spartans to attack more and more, and of course, left holes for speedy forwards like Rish to exploit, but the later the game wore on, the slower they ran. And Spartans made them pay.

In conclusion, this game was in no sense an epic, beautiful game. Rather, it was like street football: where it was twenty-a-side and free-for-all. Lots of guts and sweat and effort; beautiful in its own weird, ugly way.
No one deserved to lose that night...

MoMs:
It was Chris and Sarah for UniHawks who did all the behind-the-scenes work to make sure Spartans' charging forwards would not even get near the ball. But it is Sarah’s two goals that tip the balance in her favour, so she gets the pick once more. Her work ethic, willingness to step up to the occasion and all-round game play show why she’s still the top player among Penang’s ladies.

As for Spartans, pacey Nick Teoh gets our nod. Although still not fully converted into a Floorballer, he used his speed and trickery playing like a winger as he bombarded down the flanks. Always on the run, especially on the break when UniHawks' attacks were countered, the boy was not afraid to take on the defender as he penetrated UniHawks defence via sheer pacey or a nutmeg or two. He was the pivotal key that unlocked UniHawks stubborn defence leading Spartans to a narrow victory.

(A big thank you to MH for his time!)

Match Review: When size does not matter

Dalat Eagles vs. Contact FireAnts
16th July 2009, Thursday
2-5 (0-4, 2-1)

0139 0-1 Bryan Looi (Edward Lim)
0541 0-2 Own goal by Joel Steinkamp (DLE)
0700 0-3 Nicholas Yeoh
1319 0-4 Bryan Looi (Edward Lim)

0350 2 mins + 10 mins personal penalty for unsportsmanlike behaviour: Benjamin Ong (CFA)
0454 1-0 Norman Arno Kiehl
0505 1-1 Bryan Looi
0606 1-2 Robert Nollan (Jason Mark Selvanayagam)
0843 2 mins for incorrect pushing: Brian Richard Merusi (DLE)
1002 2 mins for incorrect pushing: Robert Thorne(DLE)
1234 2 mins for incorrect pushing: Mats Nordberg (DLE)

The Eagles against the Ants.
And that almost translated literally on court.
Eagles, huge and robust, while the Ants, small yet quick.
We had a quick chat with Jason Selva from Dalat Eagles and Penny Khoo of Contact FireAnts.

BBF interviewed Jason Selva (JS) of Dalat Eagles:

BBF: Firstly, BBF would like to apologize to Dalat Eagles for the 'missing' interview in the match against Ztec 8cers. We had some miscommunication in sending out the e-mails. Error on our part. Anyhow, looking back at that match, did you guys expect the score line to be that big?

JS: No, but we also weren’t trying after the second half started; it was more practice for us than anything else. I asked the guys not to worry about the score line and just try out some play that we had practiced.


BBF: After the big loss against Ztec, how did the team feel? Were you guys disheartened?

JS: We were a little disheartened but picked ourselves right back up and focused on the coming match. And was it hard to look forward to play this match against Contact or were the expectations the same like any of your previous matches, which was to have fun as a team? No it wasn’t hard. My concept is that my team has time to mourn and think over their loss and mistakes until our next practice time and then it’s all work again on getting down to business of practicing for the upcoming game….. and have fun.


BBF: Apparently, the match was pretty hard and rough out there in the court. What are your thoughts on that?

JS: I think it was as well but, like BBF said in the beginning, our team is made up of a bunch of “old men” and can’t run and if we do start running fast we can’t really stop very well. So sorry to those who were in the way. Unfortunately, because the other team didn’t know this they reacted to it.

BBF: The league is about to end with few more games at hand. How do you feel about your team and the progress that they've made so far?

JS: I think our team has done excellently well and even exceeded their own expectations of being at the bottom of the league and maybe even face relegation but to be starters and have 90% new players come out “on top” is an awesome feeling for me as a coach. I have a great
team that in due time will go places.


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

JS: Bryan Looi; great plays, great runs and great goals.
BBF interviewed Penny Khoo (PK), captain of Contact FireAnts:

BBF: The most talked about issue in this match was the hard and rough play on court. Your player, Benjamin Ong, committed a 10minutes bench penalty. What are your thoughts on the rough play on court and your player, Ben Ong, when he committed that foul?

PK: In the heat of the game there will surely be some rough playing on court. We knew it will be a very physical game based on the built of Dalat’s players and their previous matches. We are constantly reminding our players to play hard but not rough on court and not to retaliate in the heat of the game. I trust that the team has learned a lot from this incident.


BBF: As always, we would like to know your tactical game plan in this match? Were there any specific objectives and instructions given?

PK: As always we just needed to play it the FireAnts style, with lots of passes, control the speed of the game and ENJOY!


BBF: 5-2. Are you satisfied with the score line? Or do you think you guys should have put more goals in and should not have let that 2 goals beaten your keeper?

PK: There weren’t any specific scoreline set for that game though we wanted to win. Of course it will be good to put in a few more goals and not concede any. But overall it was good.


BBF: This is your second straight win after beating Minden UniHawks in the previous match. How do you think Contact is doing in the league so far?

PK: So far so good. Our chances of getting a medal are very slim now. So we just wanted to enjoy every moment of our play, and walked away from the court knowing that we have done our very best.


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

PK: Edwin. He was spectacular in his reflexes and guarded his post very well.

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Borak Says:

Jose:
Contact FireAnts had a flying start in the first period as their quick switches caused the Eagles a lot of problems. They managed to find the net as early as the first minute and attacked the Eagles heavily in the first period, increasing their tally to 4 nothing. FireAnts had most of the possession and used it to great effectiveness, constantly threatening the opponents goal mouth.

The second period saw Dalat Eagles coming out with renewed vigour as they tried their best to look for some goals to close the gap. And their effort paid off as they managed to find the net twice poaching on some defensive errors by the Contact's defenders. As the match went on, the teams were getting more and more physical, which resulted in a few unnecessary 2 minutes bench penalties in the game.


MOMs:
Bryan Looi once again showed great touch and great control as he reaped the Eagles apart. Together with Edward and Nick upfront, they formed a deadly partnership with a lot of understanding and movement, which tend to catch defenders switching off at the most crucial moments. Got himself a hat-trick and showed class above his peers. Definitely a contender for All Star Forward in this coming PFL as the league is coming to an end.

Edwin Ooi, the goalie, showed a few amazing football like diving saves to constantly deny Contact FireAnts from adding on to their lead. Once again, he was called upon many times to help save the blushes for Dalat and he did his job well to keep them in the game. Absolutely spectacular saves that are rarely seen in the floorball scene.