Double Overtime, 10th December

Saturday ran to form, but Sunday saw several shocks including one massive one-on we go with the review of the weekend...there may be a few curious grades this week though as several teams only play one game...

Basingstoke:...and we start with one of them-the Bison nicking a win against the Sheffield Steelers at home this Sunday evening to put a bump in the Yorkshire side's winning run. Ryan Aldridge will be faced with a tough decision soon, with Mikko Purontakanen scoring yet another goal this evening. Three to two was the final score in Hampshire, which does the Bison's playoff chances no harm at all-they really do look like the dark times of September and October are now well behind them.
Grade: B+

Belfast: Two wins in Edinburgh and a seven-goal weekend for Shaun Sutter mean that all is well in Northern Ireland. There was a big scare with enforcer Carlyle Lewis sustaining a suspected sliced femoral artery thanks to a skate blade during the Saturday night game, but thankfully, after treatment the injury was nowhere near as severe as first feared and it is believed he'll be back in three weeks or so. It's amazing what releasing one old, slow millstone of a defender in the shape of Troy Neumeier can do...
Grade: B

Cardiff: What the...South Wales will be in shock this weekend, as the Devils lose their only game of the weekend two-one. To Hull Stingrays. At home. Somehow the worst team in the league has beaten one of the best in their own rink with two very early goals, in what is by far the biggest shock of at least the month if not the season. It must be said, though, that as a result of this, no team will want to be the next to play the Devils because the backlash will be very nasty indeed.
Grade: D-

Coventry: Injuries? What injuries? Despite missing Curtis Huppe, and Sylvain Cloutier playing his final weekend before disappearing for a much-needed operation, the Blaze scored twelve goals this weekend in two games against Manchester, including a KC Timmons hat-trick on Sunday night in Altrincham. Saturday's game will definitely not go down in history...in fact it was dire and the 4-0 scoreline flattered the Blaze insanely-however, their eight goals in Altrincham tonight show what they can do. Staying top with a five-point gap and four games in hand, the Midlanders are well set as they run into a tough month of games...
Grade: B+

Edinburgh: The Capitals ran into a Belfast side who simply wouldn't be denied this weekend, and a Shaun Sutter who was unable to stop scoring, taking the Capitals for an almost unbelievable seven goals by himself in the two games. With Hull actually winning this weekend, the Capitals stay rooted to the bottom and actually lose ground on the team immediately above them, so sadly they only earn..
Grade: D-

Hull: Stingrays win! Stingrays win! Stingrays win! I've said it three times and I still can't quite believe the result in Cardiff on Sunday night. Maybe all the criticism is finally getting through-but being a cynical young-ish sod I refuse to go overboard and start praising them to the skies. However, and much as it hurts to say it...
Grade: A

Manchester: Ouch. Literally and figuratively, this was a painful weekend if you're a Phoenix fan-shipping twelve goals in two games against Coventry including a hat-trick from a player you've released earlier in the season isn't ideal. But there are positives for the Phoenix-they stifled the Blaze on Saturday night for the majority of the game before the floodgates opened, and they're still nicely settled for the playoffs. However, for this weekend I can't see further than a grade...
Grade: E

Newcastle: Panic! What is going on in the North-East? They lose 8-3 in Sheffield, 4-0 at home to Nottingham, and by all accounts look disinterested. Rob Wilson must be haunted by his foolish words, which have seen the Vipers drop like a stone since he said that Vipers deserved to be high in the table three weeks ago. These low grades are becoming all too familiar now...
Grade: F

Nottingham: One game, one win. Nothing more to be said for the Panthers, who appear rejeuvenated since the signing of Tom Askey, the American getting himself a shutout tonight in the North East. I'm sure there''ll be no argument in the East Midlands for this...
Grade: B+

Sheffield: The Steelers get one win, one loss-it appears that they far prefer playing at home to playing away, particularly in Basingstoke, as they lose three-two tonight after their 8-3 demolishing of Newcastle back in Sheffield. They gain another two points in the title race, however, and are now only three points behind Cardiff in second place with a grade...
Grade: B

Midweek games this week see two struggling teams face each other on Wednesday, as Hull face Newcastle...

And that's your weekend review...check back throughout the week for more updates..