Double Overtime, 15th October: Elite League Weekend Review

Well, here we are after another weekend of Elite League action-the Blaze not involved this weekend but all the Conti Cup action is detailed in the running diaries below, and a brief reflection on Saturday's games is detailed in this post... http://throughtheplexi.blogspot.com/2007/10/hungover-hockeyreflections-on-october.html

So, on to the weekend as a whole, with grades for each team...

Belfast: Another up-and-down weekend for the Giants, with that 7-1 thumping of Hull away on Saturday being followed with finishing on the wrong end of a 6-1 scoreline in Manchester on Sunday-the Giants fans are well and truly getting sick of this Jekyll-and-Hyde team (although there's been much more Hyde than Jekyll up to now). Ed Courtenay appears to have no way of bringing consistency to this team, and must be wondering what he has to do, although surely now there will be changes made. Troy Neumeier has been taking the brunt of the fans fury along with Courtenay himself, although Giants seemingly have problems at both ends, letting in far more than they're putting away. Expect changes soon...
Grade: C-

Basingstoke: Two games against Cardiff, two close losses. The expected Battle at the Bay didn't materialise after Saturday's game, at least in terms of fisticuffs, but it was more than made up for by the twelve-goal thriller shown on the scoreboard, with the Bison coming out on the losing side by 7-5 after their 4-3 loss on Saturday at the Silverdome. With rumours still hanging around the team, it remains to be seen what'll happen this week, but the league's most Southern-based team are still plugging away, and I have a feeling they'll start causing a stir as long as they can keep their team together.
Grade: C+

Cardiff: Well, there can be no complaints in South Wales. Two games, eleven goals scored, and four points. Possibly the slight cloud on the horizon is that Phil Osaer had to pick the puck out of his net eight times over the two nights-that's one man who will certainly be thanking the hockey gods that his forwards had a productive week. Irony of the week goes to Sylvain Deschatelets, who gained 1+2 in his final game for the Devils, sneaking the insurance goal at the end of Sunday's game. With a new player to come in this week, the Devils will have a huge confidence boost going into next weekend's action-it's taken a while, but the furnace may finally be starting to heat up in the "blue tent on the bay"
Grade: B

Edinburgh: Poor old Capitals. So much hope at the beginning of the season, and once again they're propping up the league after an eight-game losing streak, losing to Nottingham 4-2 in their only game this weekend. The Scots are far better than their league position gives them credit for, but just can't close out games. With their talented young Scots contributing better than expected, the onus is now on the imports to back them up-if this starts happening and the Caps start firing, they will be dangerous, particularly on the big ice of Murrayfield. We shall see. Their grade is perhaps unfairly low, but is based more on results than actual performance, hence:
Grade: D

Hull: Oh, dear. There are problems by the Humber, with starting goalie Ladislav Kudrna only playing for twenty minutes this weekend before suffering a knee injury, leaving young Brit Tom Chamberlain to face the full fury of Belfast and Newcastle's attacks, and they took advantage, putting eleven goals past the Stingrays for a total of only two scored. The Hull Daily Mail has described Saturday's performance as "shambolic" and from all accounts, Sunday's wasn't much better. It remains to be seen whether Kudrna will be out for a while, but all Humberside hockey fans will be hoping that he will be back soon, otherwise it could be a long winter...
Grade: F

Manchester: I discuss their two-one loss in Sheffield on Friday in depth here:
http://throughtheplexi.blogspot.com/2007/10/catching-up-with-eihl.html
but their 6-1 thumping of Belfast on Sunday will have done them no harm at all after a dispiriting game at the Hallam which saw them outshoot the Steelers by over two-to-one and still lose, thanks to Jody Lehman. I've been impressed with the Phoenix so far this season-they're a workmanlike team who have a surprising amount of flair in Joe Tallari and Sean Starke, not to mention the ageless Tony Hand, and will always cause teams problems. Given that they are still holding station in the league and produced a good performance to sink the Giants, they get...
Grade: B+

Newcastle: The Vipers are another team who were only in action once this weekend, against a sorry-looking Hull side riven by injuries. But you can only beat what's in front of you, and the Vipers did that, putting four goals in before reportedly easing off a little against Hull's back-up. Colin Shields is starting to play as expected, newest signing Todd Jackson is settling nicely, and Ryan MacDonald is starting to stake his claim for best goalie in the EIHL. Sitting third in the league, three points off the top with two games in hand on second-placed Sheffield, there are few things to worry about on Tyneside at the moment...
Grade: B

Nottingham: The Panthers eased the pain of a 2-1 derby loss to Sheffield on Saturday with a come-from behind win in Edinburgh on Sunday for yet another two-point weekend. And that's one of the problems-when on fire this team is arguably the best in the league, but they just can't seem to find the consistency...an age-old problem in the Lace City. With a tough weekend coming up against the Vipers and my very own Coventry Blaze, this weekend will be a real test for the big cats as they face two of their big rivals for honours this season. But they will be confident with Sean McAslan on a scoring streak of 16 in only fifteen games, and a raft of other quality forwards yet to find their scoring touch...
Grade: B-

Sheffield: The Steelers came unscathed through two tough games this weekend, winning 2-1 on both Friday and Saturday. While not being the most exciting, these are the weekends that win championships. One slight cloud on the horizon is that their much-touted and high-powered attack were restricted to 17 shots, of which they scored two vs Manchester on Friday-not the kind of efficiency you want from your attack if you have any ambitions of winning trophies. However, their defence (well, more to the point, Jody Lehman) was as stingy as the forwards were wasteful, only conceding two goals on 60+ shots, despite the defence in front of him allowing Manchester 42 attempts on goal on Friday night, so on that basis, they earn the top grade of the week:
Grade: B++

Next weekend sees all teams return to Elite League action-check back on Thursday for the Round the Rinks weekend preview, and throughout the week for updates...

Until next time, keep your eye on the puck...
duly edited, after managing to misread the shot count from Friday night...