Coming off a ridiculous loss against the Brampton Red Wings, the Crescent Knights were looking for a better effort and outing against the Mississauga Stars. They got a better outing and the effort was definitely much-improved but the result was nearly the same. The Stars destroyed the Knights by a score of 10-0 despite the best efforts of those who took part.

"It was just 3-0 at the half but we ran out of steam in the second half and the Stars just took it to us," said defenseman Nauman Abbasi who returned to the lineup after a two-game absence due to the flu. Abbasi and the rest of the team played relatively well in terms of their effort but the final result did not indicate that. Goaltender Khalid Mufti was again lit up despite the fact that he made several big saves to keep his team in it. "Khalid has been out MVP every game, mashallah," said forward Abdul-Aziz Rasoul.

The Crescent Knights now get a week to regroup before taking part against the Ramrods. Hopefully a win comes across so that the Knights can end their team-record winless streak.

Just when things couldn't get worse, they did. The Crescent Knights lost their worst game ever on the strength of an 8-point game by Omar Sabri of the Brampton Red Wings in an 11-1 shellacking. The loss, the eighth of the season for the Knights in nine games, set a new record for futility leading to questions whether the Knights have any business playing Tier-3 hockey. Some have even suggested that the Crescent Knights should be so ashamed that they should fold the team and never speak a word about it again though most agree that that would be a bit extreme.

"It's sad, really sad," said forward Mohamed Khattab who was one of the few who managed to make it out for the game. Other players echoed that sentiment and were visibly annoyed with both the outcome and the play of their teammates. More importantly, frustration from several players missing games due to various reasons was being felt by many.

Hopefully things change when the Crescent Knights play their next game on Monday night against the first-place Mississauga Stars. However, it's unlikely that'll be the case because the Stars have, historically, had the Knights' number and with the present incarnation of the team, that's unlikely to change.

Milton Young Guns 6, Crescent Knights 2

Playing yet again with a depleted lineup, the Crescent Knights fell at the hands of the Milton Young Guns by a 6-2 margin. The Knights, only dressing eight players in addition to goaltender Khalid Mufti, were outplayed by a superior team who took advantage of the lack of cohesion emanating from the Knights roster.

However, the Crescent Knights did manage to score two goals in the game which matches their season-high. My how times have changed when one of the better offensive teams in the league based on history can only manage to score two goals in a game. The lack of offensive output has been deplorable though not as bad as the inability of the team to field a decent number of players in order to effectively compete.

The goals came from Ajmal Esmatyar and Sadegh Rasoul. Esmatyar also earned an assist on Rasoul's goal giving him a team-leading five points this season while playing defense. The first-year player has been one of the few bright lights in a dark and dismal season. The resurgence of Rasoul as an offensive threat is also positive for a Knights team woefully-inept at scoring goals.

The Crescent Knights next face the Brampton Red Wings who defeated the Knights by a score of 5-2 earlier in the season. Hopefully the outcome is different this time around though the first challenge for the Knights will be to field a roster that can play. Otherwise, the battle will have been lost before the game even begins.

Crescent Knights 0, Gladiators 0

Despite starting the game with just five players in addition to goaltender Khalid Mufti, the Crescent Knights earned themselves a hard-fought 0-0 tie against the Gladiators. Mufti stood on his head at times making several big stops while the return of defenseman Nauman Abbasi to the lineup was noticed with his strong defensive play.

As the game progressed, several players made their way to the arena bolstering the Crescent Knights lineup. The additional foot soldiers, led by forward Ihtisham Qureshi, were solid in their efforts despite the fact that the Knights were outshot 16-5 by the Gladiators.

The next game for the Crescent Knights presents the Milton Young Guns who took them to town in the first game of the season. Hopefully, for the Knights, they can continue to get the strong goaltending that they have courtesy of Mufti and the solid defensive play they got against the Gladiators.

The Crescent Knights were felled yet again, this time at the hands of the Bearded Axewounds, by a score of 2-0. A chippy affair between the two saw the Knights spend more time in the penalty box than at any point this season. Roughing-minors littered the box score as the referees did not hesitate to send unruly offenders to the sin-bin. However, the final outcome was the same unfortunately despite the solid play in goal of Khalid Mufti.

In six games this season, the Crescent Knights have only scored six goals and have failed to score in their last two games. The defense has struggled as well yielding a 26 goals in six games despite the heroics of Mufti in goal.

The next game for the Crescent Knights sees them take on the Gladiators in a battle between the two basement-dwellers of the league. Hopefully the Knights can earn themselves a win and end their ugly six-game losing streak to start the season.

Spread Eagles 8, Crescent Knights 0

Just when things seemed to be getting better after some improved play in the past two games, the Crescent Knights put forth one of their worst efforts in team history leading to a trouncing at the hands of the Spread Eagles. The final score, 8-0 in favour of the league-leading Eagles, was generous thanks to the solid play of goaltender Khalid Mufti who made several big stops. "Khalid probably faces 70 shots a game or something," said forward Sadegh Rasoul. Were it not for Mufti's play, the score would definitely have been worse.

The Crescent Knights now get a week to regroup before playing two games next week. Both come against teams near the bottom of the league which may serve as an opportunity for the Knights to right things. However, players will need to show up to come out and play as the Knights, again, played with a short bench.

Ramrods 2, Crescent Knights 1

Already mired in a team record three-game losing streak to start the season, the Crescent Knights were eager to snap that slide and earn themselves a win. It would have to come against the rival Ramrods who were also seeking their first win of the season.

Unfortunately for the Knights, the Ramrods would open the scoring on route to a 2-1 win. The lone goal for the Knights came from Saqib Ali after a heads-up play in the offensive zone by defenseman Ajmal Esmatyar who is quickly establishing himself as a clever offensive player from the backend. Meanwhile, the goaltending of Khalid Mufti continues to impress as he played a stellar game in goal despite the loss.

The Crescent Knights now move on to a date against the first-place Spread Eagles who spanked the Knights earlier in the season by a score of 7-2. It'll be imperative for the Knights to get out to a good start and contain the high-octane offense of the Spread Eagles.

Brampton Red Wings 5, Crescent Knights 2

Coming off two straight losses, the Crescent Knights were in need of a victory. Unfortunately, they didn't get it against a good Brampton Red Wings team that came from behind to win.

The Red Wings opened the scoring to give themselves the early 1-0 lead. However, the Knights would respond courtesy of forward Abdul-Aziz Rasoul who would find the back of the net. Rasoul would again find the back of the net after a long-shot goal that would elude the Red Wings goaltender.

The Knights would have a 2-1 lead and hold on to that for a while before the wheels fell off the wagon. The Red Wings would score three times to take a 4-2 lead before scoring an empty-net goal to seal the victory.

With that, the Knights fall to a dismal 0-3 record that cements them in last place of the league. Their next matchup comes next week against the rival Ramrods.

Spread Eagles 7, Crescent Knights 2

It was a game that the Crescent Knights will want to forget. In only the second game of the season the Knights were once again in for a rude awakening as they were soundly defeated 7-2. The opening period saw the Spread Eagles jump out to a quick start with a 3-0 lead in the first 7 minutes of the game. The Knights on the powerplay were able to cut the lead down by one with a nice pass from Erfan Bhanapatel to Ihtisham Qureshi who fed Sadegh Rasoul for his first of the season.

The wheels came off immediately as less than 10 seconds later the Spread Eagles would pounce on a defensive breakdown. The first half ended with the score being 5-1. The only reason the score even looked like this was the beautiful play of goaltender Khalid Mufti who played stellar all game and continued his spectacular performance into the second half. Ajmal Esmatyar scored off a hard working defensive rush.

Despite the score being 7-2, Mufti held it down with save after save. His performance should be a wake-up call for all the players, as they definitely have a confident man between the pipes. Looking to the next game with many players not able to come, Mufti will be relied upon heavily. Mohamed Khattab should be back in the lineup and will be looked upon for some much needed scoring. 

Playing in their season opener, the Crescent Knights looked dazed, confused and out-of-sync in a 4-1 loss to the Milton Young Guns. Slipping and falling all over the place and unable to execute crisp passes, the Knights struggled but goaltender Khalid Mufti kept them in it with several big stops.

The game was scoreless in the first half but in the second half, the wheels really fell off the wagon as the Young Guns finally cracked Mufti. Defensive lapses were another problem as the Crescent Knights committed a series of turnovers from both their defensemen and their forwards. Ultimately, the Young Guns would build a 3-0 lead before Ihtisham Qureshi finally responded with a goal. It would prove to be too little as the Young Guns would seal the game with an empty-netter to win by a score of 4-1.

The Knights now get a week to regroup and get themselves back in order. Their next opponent are the Spread Eagles whom the Knights went 1-1 against last season.

After failing to qualify for the playoffs for the first time in team history, the Crescent Knights have much to think about and consider in their efforts to return to the postseason.

First comes the question of whether the team should continue in Tier-3 or not which needs to be answered. With many capable players on the roster, the obvious answer seems like a 'yes' but with so few able to attend games regularly, the answer becomes clouded and murky. The Crescent Knights lost several games in Summer 2009 simply due to not having enough bodies available and the team often played games with shorthanded rosters. That simply cannot continue if the Knights are to be competitive. The abilities of the team were clear in the early part of the season when players were consistently attending games as the Knights flew out of the gate with a 3-0-1 record. However, once players started missing games, the team lost most of its remaining games.

Second comes the question of what kind of roster the team is prepared to put together. Considering that several individuals are playing on multiple teams, it may make sense for management to add new players who are committed to the Crescent Knights first and foremost. On the flipside, the Knights may be better able to field a team by combining with another squad. Suggestions of the Rexdale Dragons and Malton Slappers have been put forth by various parties.

Lastly, the question of whether the team should play in multiple seasons during the year has also come up. Considering that for the past two years the Crescent Knights have played in the summer and winter or spring seasons, it may make sense to trim down their involvement to just one season each year. Summer has traditionally been when the Knights have played but their best success has come in the winter and spring seasons.

With all these questions to answer, the Crescent Knights must use this offseason to find answers for each of the aforementioned questions if the team is to continue moving forward. Otherwise, the possibility of folding the team always exists too.