Double Overtime: 29th October

And so we come to another Monday, and thus another Double Overtime. Off we go...in a weekend which saw great comebacks, more injury woes and a few high-scoring games...

Basingstoke: The Bison continue to make friends around the league as they play without a top-line centre and a starting goalie. This weekend they scared third-placed Newcastle at the Silverdome by going two goals up before eventually losing 6-4 in a game which, judging by the penalty count and the types of penalties given, was more than a little "tasty". Then came an epic comeback up in Edinburgh on the Sunday, as they came back from 4-0 down after the first period, scoring eight goals in forty minutes while only conceding one to win 8-5 at Murrayfield. With an import goalie expected to sign this week, and three extra days to rest and recuperate with the Halloween game against the Blaze cancelled, the Bison appear to be out of the woods after their recent financial problems, and they also have possibly the best young forward in the league in Danny Stewart, who is creeping up the scoring charts thanks to his current hot-streak. Mainly due to their comeback in Edinburgh, the battling Bison earn themselves a...
Grade: B

Belfast: One game, two points. That will do as a weekend for the Northern Irish side...although injuries continue to dog them with Mark Dutiaume and Paul Moran the latest two to be crocked this weekend, both with shoulder injuries, joining Trevor Johnson, Scott Cameron and Roman Gavalier in the physio room. Luckily for the Giants, Peter Campbell has been on an absolute tear since coming over from Basingstoke a few weeks ago, and he continued it by gaining man-of-the-match and another two goals in the Giant's 4-1 win. Apart from the injuries, all is rosy in the land of shamrocks and leprechauns, and so they earn themselves a...
Grade: B

Cardiff: That rumbling is the sound of something stirring in the valleys. While it can't really be said just yet, as the Devils' slogan does, that "all hell's gonna break loose", the boilers are definitely being heated up in South Wales as we speak, after standing idle for the first few weekends of the season. Mike Prpich's competent debut and a four-point weekend against two tough opponents means that things continue to look brighter and brighter by the bay, and they earn the top grade this week with...
Grade: A

Coventry: Sunday was much brighter than Saturday for the current champions-a woeful performance in Nottingham means that the defence of the Challenge Cup hangs in the balance despite only losing 1-0-a score which could have been a lot higher if Trevor Koenig hadn't channelled his inner French Army General and decided that his motto was "they shall not pass". Sunday saw a nervy performance against a Hull side who came to shut the Blaze down, and largely succeeded on the back of Ladislav Kudrna's efforts before succumbing 2-1 to goals from Dan Carlson and Adam Calder. Let's just say that this weekend will not live long in the memory, which is why the Blaze can only earn themselves a
Grade: C

Edinburgh: Definitely a case of "sublime to ridiculous" for the Caps this week. One step forward in beating Hull away on the Saturday night was followed by several steps back on the Sunday as they threw away a 4-0 first-period lead to lose 8-5 to the Bison. All is not well in Murrayfield, with the fans angry at the "shocking" performance on Sunday, the entire team reportedly on their two weeks notice, and coach Doug Christiansen pleading with the fans to stick with the team but already subject to rumblings of discontent. Given that the Caps took a giant step backward on the Sunday, they earn themselves a...
Grade: D

Hull: There's only so many press releases that people will take saying that the team are unified or, as this week, the coach is satisfied with the performances, before people begin to look solely at the results. And the simple fact is-the Stingrays aren't gaining enough points. Worse, they're losing to teams they should at least look like beating, as with Edinburgh (nine losses on the bounce before this weekend) on Saturday. To give them their due, the Humbersiders played their spoiling game well on Sunday at the Skydome, but losing valiantly just doesn't cut it in the EIHL-even if "valiantly" means Ladislav Kudrna gaining a 94% save percentage off 49 shots in defeat on the Sunday. And this is why the Stingrays only earn themselves...
Grade: E

Manchester: The Phoenix Express came off the rails slightly this weekend with two losses. Saturday saw the Phoenix run into a Belfast side on something of a roll, while Sunday saw another odd-goal loss against their cross-Pennine rivals from Sheffield as the charge up the table stuttered slightly. There is no cause to panic yet, but the Phoenix earn their lowest grade yet this week despite their battling losses...
Grade: C-

Newcastle: With apologies to Meatloaf, three out of four ain't bad. The Vipers faced two hard-fought games this weekend, coming out on the right side of a ten-goal thriller in Basingstoke on Saturday, and taking the Devils to a penalty shootout in the Blue Tent on the Sunday. Another two points will do the Vipers no harm at all in the EIHL standings, but their home form will be something of a concern if it continues much longer. The Vipers keeping themselves cruising along means that they earn...
Grade: B-

Nottingham: One game, one win. In a game the Panthers needed desperately. In that respect, the Big Cats will be pleased this Monday evening. One Big Cat does not make a safari, however, and, far from resting on their laurels, Mike Ellis' men must continue to win games if they want to silence the mutterings in the Panthers faithful, many of whom will be aware that catching the league champions on an off-night does not mean things are definitely improving at the NIC. However, a win is a win, and the grade, while it can't really be worse than last week's, is a big improvement at...
Grade: B-

Sheffield: The Steelers keep on keepin' on. A 3-1 loss at home against Cardiff wouldn't have been the greatest Saturday night at the Hallam ever, but the 2-1 victory in Manchester (OK, Altrincham) is a hard-won and useful two points which keeps the Steelers in second place, so the demanding Steel City faithful can rest easy for yet another weekend as their team earn themselves a...
Grade: C+

And so there you go. There's only one midweek game this week, as the Vipers face the Stingrays with both sides coming off a loss. This game won't be pretty, but there'll be bruises on both sides when the final buzzer goes, whatever the scoreline.

That's Double Overtime done for another week. More ramblings tomorrow, but until then, as always...

Keep keeping your eye on the puck...