Greenbirds Lose Second Straight Game, Squander More Scoring Chances

The Greenbirds dropped a 4-1 decision versus the Leafs Reloaded and making it a second straight defeat. The Greenbirds seemed flat and didnt match the Leafs' energy in the opening half. Without their speed game going, the 'Birds gave up ball control to the Leafs who seemed to dominate much of the possession in the first half, which ultimately led to their first goal. Up 1-0, and a couple of bad calls from an inexperienced referee, the 'Birds found themselves down on a 5 on 3 penalty kill, where the Leafs made them pay and scored two more goals with the man advantage to close the first half. It would be a daunting task to come back from such a deficit.

The second half saw a different strategy and a different mindset from the Greenbirds forwards, who ran a relentess forecheck with help from an aggressive defence and it started to create turnovers in the neutral zone and within the Leafs' defensive zone. They were reward with one goal from Osman Buttar and with almost half of the second half to play, the Greenbirds still had life in this game. They continued to pound the opposition with their forecheck and began peppering shots on the goalkeeper who made some silly saves and for the second straight week got some unthinkable luck. The Greenbirds created some amazing scoring opportunities near the end of the game and at the very minimum struck the posts atleast three times.

In the end, the 'Birds started slow again, but still found ways to create numerours scoring opportunities without capitalizing. It has been a theme for many years for this hockey club, but if it is serious about contending for the Tier 2 Championship in this division, they need to get that scoring touch fast and start finishing any and all chances.

Lack of a Finishing Touch on Offense Ultimately Does Greenbirds In

Fresh off of their season opening victory, the Greenbirds were looking to make it two in a row to start the season. The Titans were also short benched, so a win looked promising from the outset. However a few bad bounces defensively and poor coverage led to the Titas getting the lead on a bang bang play. The Greenbirds were able to respond in the second half with a nice snipe from Bilal Buttar off of a sweet pass from Ahmed Chaudhry. Throughout the game and second half, the 'Birds continued to create chance after chance and realistically had three separate breakaways, but the Titans' goalie made some great stops and also had some great luck in the crease, guessing right on a few point blank chances. If the Greenbirds simply buried 1 or 2 chances, this game would have been over early, but their lack of finishing, simply kept the Titans in the game and kept them confident for win.

Finally, the Titans scored on a flukey rap around which fooled Raza Zaidi. Zaidi played lights out at times and made some big saves, but definitely wanted that one back after the game. Down 2-1 and with less than three minutes to pay, the 'Birds got a powerplay and looked to even the scored, but only a few seconds into the man advantage, there was an awful turnover at their own blue line which would result in an insurance marker for the Titans and sealed the win.

After the game, the talk in the dressing room was the numerous scoring chances that were squandered in the game, a game that should have been resulted in a win. It is something the team has constantly had issues with, a true finishing and goal scoring touch, a threat night in and night out. The team always plays a sound team-first defensive system, but will have to start capitalizing on scoring chances to finish the season at the top of the division.

2012 Season Starts With Win Over Rivals ML Warriors

The Greenbirds got their latest Tier 2 campaign off to a good start with a 3-1 victory over their well known rivals the ML Warriors. It is the first season for ML in Tier 2, and in the opening five minutes they didnt look out of place, using their speed and skill to create chances in the Greenbirds offensive zone. However they were only able to capitalize on their very first opportunity making the score 1-0 after only 26 seconds into the game.

The Greenbirds players seemed as if they were looking for their running legs in order to keep up. However after the initial five minutes, the team seemed to get their gear and started doing what they do best: working the corners, grinding it down low and then looking for chances in front. They physical game took its tool on ML as they were unable to keep their cool and ran into penalty trouble. A few of the calls could be seen as questionable, but many others were simply through frustation, and the inability to penetrate the Greenbirds defense corps.

On one of those early powerplays, the Greenbirds tied the score at 1-1 with a point shot from, who other than Captain Ijaz Chaudhry.

The second half is were the game was pretty much one-sided in terms of opportunites as ML just couldnt stay out of the box. The Greenbirds created many point blank chances with the man advantage, and used one nice passing play from Mohammed Bilal to Safi Ahmed to take the lead for good. With the clock winding down and the end of the game near, Usama Mahmood sealed the deal after a great individual effort to make the final score 3-1.

Raza Zaidi did his job and was solid in net, making 19 saves in the win.

NEXT GAME: Friday January 13th versus Titans @ The Hangar

Off-Season Begins With Motivation Towards Winter Tier 2 Success

Everyone knows there is still quite some time until January comes around, bringing with it the new Winter Tier 2 season, however the Greenbirds have been active in the off-season trying to put together a strong roster for the upcoming season. The team lacked committment last season, along with a combination of injuries, which left the squad depleted and looking for help.

The goal continues to stay the same, another Tier 2 Championship, but the team is also looking to develop some its younger talent, while signing a few key free agents. Familiar names such as Emmad Khawaja, Ibad Khan and Ammer Askary, have been thrown around, as General Manager Osman Buttar trying to put pen to paper and sign them long term. Other rumours have very recently come to light, but still need to be verified before reported on.

In the end, whoever ends up wearing the Green and White, the team will be made up of players that exude committment, dedication, work ethic and skill, attributes that are required for any team looking to win a Championship at any level.

Frustrating Season Ends, Setting A Time for Reflection

One of the more frustrating seasons has come to an end for the Greenbirds, a campaign marred with injuries, lack of commitment and growing pains. The team always takes pride in putting together a great product on the floor which usually corresponds to a great dressing room and fantastic leadership and teammates. This season is done and complete and many lessons have been learned by Greenbird management.

Its a bitter-sweet ending to the season, as the completion actually marks the 10-year anniversary for the club. Although the entire roster hasnt been together for the entire ten year period, there is a main core that has been through all the failures and succeses, and its' this group that looks to revitalize the club next season. Ijaz Chaudhry, Ahmed Chaudhry, Osman Buttar, Bilal Buttar, Ali Wadee, Rizwan Kalair, Azhar Kalair, Junaid Mohammad, have all been there from the very start. They have all seen the club go from Tier 5 all the way to the top to Tier 1. No other franchise has been together for such a long period of time and progressed to the pinnacle of the sport, while keeping the main core of players intact. Along the way came many bumps and bruises, but also came great achievements including a Tier 2 Championship, Provincial birth and 5 Salaam Cup Championships, labelling the team the best Muslim Ball hockey franchise in the country.

With ten years in the books, the team looks to breed new talent and continue the franchise for as long as it can. Many youngsters are in the system and the veterans hope to teach them how to play the sport the right way, which includes: honesty, dedication, commitment and preserverance.

Game Summary/Home Page Archives