Core Knowledge Exam

On Friday, I will be getting the results of my first test to become a professional accountant. I can honestly say that I am petrified. I feel like garbage, and I really do not want to have to re-write. Re-writing is not the end of my career or anything, but its something I do not want to have to go through.

The recommended number of study hours is 130 for this test. I may have only put in 50-60 in the last week leading up to the exam. Those were some pretty intense study sessions, but I feel like I didn't know enough for the exam. The results are relative as the top 7-8 deciles will pass, but this is little comfort as CA students are often very bright individuals. Firms usually snatch up some of the best students from University, so the competition can be tough enough.

During university, I could fail an exam and it wouldn't bother me. Therefore, I wouldn't be nervous about getting the results of the exam, pass or fail. This time its different. I don't know exactly why, but I don't feel too good. When practicing for the exam, co-workers were scoring higher than me consistently. It wasn't because I was any smarter or dumber than them, but I just hadn't been studying nearly as much.

Oh well... Friday will come and go. I really have no options but to accept the results. Lets just hope its the results I want to see.

Sens in 6

First of all, I want to say that I had predicted the Sens to win against the Penguins and Devils in 5 each time. Some may not believe me, but I thought I would post my predictions on Round 3 to give myself some credibility.

Against the Penguins, I thought the Sens were just too playoff hardened of a team. The Sens had more experience, they had more depth, they simply outmatched the Penguins. I will give credit where credit is due though. Gary Roberts was a very effective player for Pittsburgh, and he would have looked good in a Sens jersey. I just don't believe the asking price from Jacques Martin at the trade deadline was appropriate. I don't blame Jacques for trying to get quality in return for Roberts, but the Sens would have needed the depth later on in the playoffs if someone got hurt. We added Saprikin and he has filled in nicely to replace Eaves.

Next on the credit list, Sidney Crosby was outstanding. He had a broken foot yet he was clearly a leader on that team. The series would have been over in 2 games without him. The Sens would have spanked the Pens so bad that they would have called it quits after 2 (well... maybe not). The Pens have a great core of players and they will be a team that I wouldn't want to play against in the next few years, but right now it's Ottawa's time.

New Jersey is just simply a team that was outworked, outskilled, and outsmarted by the Sens. The Devils wanted John Madden and Jay Pandolfo against the Sens top line and they got their wish. The Sens top line couldn't be shut down. The Devils kept sending their shut-down pair against the Pizza line, but Spezza, Alfredsson, and Dany Heatley kept producing. Clearly, the Devils were outworked, outskilled, and outsmarted by the Sens.

Going into the series, (ie. the basis for my prediction) I believed that Martin Brodeur was not at the top of his game. He did not look good against the Lightning. Also, the Devils defence is not the same as it used to be. Notably, they lacked the presence of the Great Scott's, Scott Niedermayer and Scott Stevens. The Devils had a system; but, ultimately, the Sens were able to break through that system and the Devils couldn't adjust their game plan.

So, what about Buffalo? Last year, they beat the Sens in 5. The Sabres were the President's trophy winners. They are arguably the deepest team in the NHL. They have a great goalie, great-skating defencemen, and explosive forwards. Honestly, they do scare me. With that being said, I like the Sens.

I have an obvious bias, but here's why I think things are different.
*First, our captain, Daniel Alfredsson, is playing like an MVP with a chip on his shoulder. He seems to have something to prove. His sweetest redemption would be to return the favour that Buffalo served the Sens last year.
*Spezza had back surgery last year and he was not 100% when they were playing Buffalo, so he has something to prove. Spezza got hurt earlier in the year and there were grumblings that the team was better off without him. He came back and proved that he wanted to be a winner and became much more defensively conscious. When he wants to prove people wrong, he takes control of the situation.
*Heatley has found his snipe in the playoffs. Whereas last year, he was a playoff virgin that didn't know what he was doing.
*Phillips and Volchenkov have become "lights-out" to opponents top lines. I begin to wonder if they were responsible for the big power-outage in the summer of 2003.
*Joe Corvo and Tom Preissing are our replacements for Zdeno Chara. Although Chara is a monster, Tom and Joe can certainly skate with the best of them. I think the depth of the Sens defence will be able to contain the Buffalo forwards a little bit better. The Sens are a better skating team this year.
*Bryan Murray. I bought him a beer April 30th and I told him how proud I was of the job he was doing. (I may have been drunk) He has everyone buying into his system. The system has been very effective. It has disposed of the Penguins and Devils pretty quickly.
*Christoph Schubert is one of my favourite Sens. He kills penalties as a defenceman and he forchecks as a heavy-hitting forward. Without his versatility, the Sens would have needed extra depth, but he has done his job admirably at both ends of the ice.

I picked 6 games because I think the Sens will win it at home. It could go to 7, but if the Sens have a chance to win it at home, they will. Despite what you might believe, the Sens do have a killer instinct. They are 5-0 in game fives when they have a chance to clinch.

As for the other series, Ducks in 7.