Malton Mavericks Team Pictures 2010 WIN
Malton Mavericks
(Muslim Ball HockeyTeam)
The Makkah Cup Championship
WEST SIDE SWEEP!
Both Saracens and Malton down their Scarboarough opponents to capture the Madina and Makkah respectively.
The Palace Panthers and Malton Mavericks ended up in the finals as the top high-octane offence squads in the Makkah Conference. Both
teams scored 33 goals for and possess the defence as well to get the job done. The leg up on the Panthers squad was little known Zaid Memon who went 9 and 0 in the regular season and after game one, was on a 10-game win streak. Game one was a defensive gem for both teams as Palace's Naeem Shah scored the lone goal of that game with just a few minutes remaining to lead the series 1-0.
Switch back to Milliken as the fans came out in droves from all across the Greater Toronto Area to cheer on the formidable Palace Panthers and the underdog Malton Mavericks. Palace was set on capturing the Makkah Cup by just needing one win and they had the talent and the support of Yusuf Bangee to do it. Malton on the other hand just wanted to compete and at their bench, captain Rizwan Hassan was stressing the point that defence comes first and no mistakes in the neutral zone.
Palace had their chances in the early going but goalie Riaz Parekh and his unorthodox style shut the door down. The ever dangerous Hasanji Patel was the victim as he was robbed on not only a one-time off a 2-on-1, but also on a breakaway. Malton got the ball rolling 10 minutes in as Mudassar Hussain fired a crisp laser pass from one corner of the rink to a waiting Syed Ahmed on the doorstep to be beat Memon. The Panthers deficiency's start to show as they just couldn't contain the Mavs in their own zone. With that, one trip to the penalty box after another. On the powerplay and right after a draw, super sniper Abdul Rahim Manjra whacked a backhand that found net to make it 2-0. The Panthers need to reach deep to get something going and they did. Uzair Limbada's scoring prowess was on display as he used Akib Patel as a decoy and fired it past Parekh to cut the lead to one. But the over-enthusiasm of the Panthers got the best of them once again as Riyaz Shaikh was sent off for tripping. On the ensuing powerplay, Rizwan Hassan held the ball and creeped closer and closer to Memon and fired a wrister to make the score 3-1. Malton stood their ground and really gave the Panthers fits in not only in their zone, but also in the Mavs zone. Parekh was standing tall, the defence of Mazhar Hussain and Adil Patel were making all the right decisions as well. With just 28 seconds remaining however, Naeem Shah found an open Omair Malam and he went top shelf to cut the deficit to just one. But it was too little too late as Overtime Game 3 loomed.
The jitters were clearly evident on the players faces. Abdul-Hamid Kazi was resorting to Dhikr on the bench as the next goal was the be all and end all for the season. Both teams have not been on a bigger stage before and both teams definitely were not in such a pressure-packed situation before either. Palace and Malton both traded chances but Zaid Memon was nothing short of spectacular as he had to turn aside 14 Malton shots in the previous game and was pelted once again. But, with 4:04 remaining, Mudassar Hussain who was a super-pest in and around the net all night, got a pass from Abdul-Rahim Manjra and not just swiped at it once, not twice, but three times to bury it to give the Mavericks the 2010 Spring Makkah Cup. The players mobbed Hussain on the floor and then proceeded to mob goalie Riaz Parekh. Kazi, Hassan and Yasser Habib did a spectacular job for their Malton community and you can see the results of that as they now take the Makkah Cup home for all the inhabitants of this northern village of Mississauga to see. Adil Patel was named the Conn Smythe trophy winner for not his offensive ability, but for defensive achievements. Patel blocked shots, had confident in his shot from the point and never really made a mistake in the series. Also, it was his quarterbacking on the blueline that lead to the championship clinching goal.
Akib and Hasanji Patel and their Palace Panthers look to be main fixtures in Madina Hockey for years to come. This young and classy group competed every night and they possess one of the most sought after goaltending prospects in Muslim hockey in Zaid Memon. This team will be back and definitely hungry to get back what slipped through their fingers.
Spring 2010 Makkah Cup Champions: Malton Mavericks
Season 1 / October Fall 2009
Season 2 / February Winter 2010
Previous page: Malton Muslim Youth Team Pictures 2010
Next page: Malton Muslim Youth Hockey Program 2011
