Igor's playoff preparation and mentorship

[Kisslinger 435]

Igor Sokolov is ready to take over in his very first playoff series. 

Igor Sokolov is approaching his very first playoff series with the Halifax 21st. As a waiver player, it has been something that has been on his mind for a while, "Did I choose the right team to sign with?" and to answer Igor's question, he did. Igor and the Halifax 21st are headed to the postseason and are ready to take on any team that stands in their way. Igor has started to generate a little more hype for his play, as he scored goals and found his groove a bit more than usual. Igor is very confident that he will help in any way possible to help the 21st achieve what they failed to do so last season. 

 

The First Round...

The Halifax 21st is set to match up against the Saskatoon Wild. Halifax, on paper, should be able to fend off the Wild no problem, but the Wild have top scorer CJ Daniels on their team, who can turn a favourable match-up into an unfavorable match-up quickly. The Halifax 21st will have to use their players in a way to shut down Daniel's offense, and not sacrifice their offense in the process. Igor believes that the 21st  has what it takes to win this battle and move on to the next round. Igor has had a secret weapon in helping him get ready for the playoffs... 

 

Secret Mentorship??

Igor has gone out and sought out a mentor, someone who once struggled early in their career and eventually flourished, someone who went from the bottom to the top, not by luck but by hard work and dedication. That mentor is none other than back-to-back champion, King Kisslinger. The King told Igor to trust the process and to keep working as hard as he has been because, eventually, the grind does pay off. King told Igor about the times he was never on the stat sheets, always looked over, and felt like he wasn't good enough to help a team contend for a championship. But it all changed when he started betting on himself. King has won back-to-back championships and is looking to earn his third in a row with Seattle this season and ride off into the sunset on top. King has been working with Igor these past couple of weeks on the mental battle of this sport we love. Teaching Igor not to let the little things stay in his mind, but rather to use that as fuel to be better for his team. "Use your mistakes and failures as lessons. If you can learn to do this, nothing is stopping you, Igor, from being the best version of yourself on and off the ice every single day."  Igor has enjoyed his time training with King Kisslinger and is looking forward to putting his teachings into action tomorrow night.

 

Let's bring the cup home!

Igor has been preparing for this season's playoff for what feels like his whole career, and just now is he ready to go into battle with his fellow teammates and bring the cup back home to Halifax!