Locker Room Chatter, November 26th

There hasn't been one of these for a week or so, but rumours continue to fly around the EIHL, especially in the vicinity of Nottingham...

Askey, and ye shall receive: You'd think, having cut a high-scoring forward, that a team's priority would be to replace them. But not if you're Mike Ellis. Huge rumours coming out of the East Midlands name Tom Askey as the incoming replacement for...Rastislav Rovnianek. Yes, that's the goalie Rastislav Rovnianek. Fuelling this rumour is the fact that "Rasto" didn't play last night against Edinburgh (back-up Geoff Woolhouse played instead in the Panthers' six-four win). It's a bit left-field but maybe Ellis has realised that Panthers aren't losing all those games just because they can't score goals...

Stancok delivered: And it doesn't stop there for the Panthers-Robert Stancok is rumoured to be on his way out with his countryman in order to bring another d-man in as Ellis realises that signing a slow, knackered-kneed Slovak who wields his stick like a lumberjack's axe and has the turning circle of the Jahre Viking to anchor his defence may not have been the best idea...

Van der Gulik unlikely: Finally in this Panthers fest, Matt informs me that Dave van der Gulik, who was mentioned last week as a possible forward signing to replace Dwayne Hay, still has an NHL contract with the Calgary Flames. Sorry, Nottingham, but I somehow think that'll take precedence over the delights of Sherwood Forest in winter...

That's your lot...keep keeping your eye on the puck...

Double Overtime, 26th November

Oh my. What a weekend that was...with the Devils being involved in a pair of barn-burners, changes back and forth at the top of the league, and Lord only knows what else. Here we go, team-by-team...

Basingstoke: Another successful weekend this time out, with the Bison earning themselves three out of four points as both games went to overtime. Firstly came the overtime win against the Vipers thanks to Danny Stewart nicking a goal seven seconds before the end, followed by the loss to Belfast on penalty shots as they dragged themselves up from ninth to eighth, so they earn themselves a...
Grade: B

Belfast: Four points for the Giants, even if two of them came via the penalty-shot win on Sunday, mean that the revival continues apace in Northern Ireland. They managed it in more ways than one, as well, showing defiance as well as skill by withstanding a barrage of shots from the Bison on Sunday in order to pull out the overtime win, meaning the Giants are now up to fifth. Can they "do a Devils" and go on a run now? On this weekend's indication nothing is impossible...they earn themselves a passing...
Grade: B

Cardiff: The Devils are still top....just. They may have come out on the losing side on Saturday night but they scared the living hell out of the Blaze doing it, before pushing the Vipers further over the edge of freefall on Sunday, to earn themselves three out of four points, and, despite what Blaze fans may claim, they're worried now-this is the first serious challenge to their supremacy this season, and based on the evidence of Saturday night, it's not one that'll go away soon. The grade drops slightly due to the loss on Saturday night, but the Devils will still be the envy of many teams in the league with a...
Grade: B+

Coventry: Four more points gets the Blaze back on the bandwagon and over the huge stumbling block of facing the Devils. After Saturday's epic a professional and unhurried performance against the abject Stingrays was just what was needed, and the 5-1 win on Sunday night duly delivered. The Blaze now enter a run of relatively low-pressure games which give them the chance to go on a Cardiff-like run, but their four points this weekend earn them...
Grade: A

Edinburgh: What do the Caps have to do to get themselves a win? Another pointless weekend despite taking the lead against both Sheffield and Nottingham doesn't bode well. The Scots have tried new tactics, new personnel, and even hired a psychological coach in order to solve the problems, but nothing seems to be working. Sorry, Capitals, but once again all you can get is...
Grade: D

Hull: I'm running out of nice things to say about the Stingrays. They just can't drag themselves out of this slump for love nor money-probably becaue neither commodity is much in evidence on Humberside at the moment. Rick Strachan is desperately trying to remain upbeat but the act simply isn't working any more for the Hull faithful. And nine goals conceded for only two scored this weekend will just make things worse.
Grade: F

Manchester: The Phoenix have another goalscorer! Luke Stauffacher was the only one to hit the twine this weekend for the Altrincham side-and he "only" managed it twice. But the defence and Scott Fankhouser's man-of-the-match performance in goal were enough to only concede one and thus win hockey's War of the Roses against Sheffield in the Phoenix's only game of the weekend. Maybe the Mancunians aren't going to win any trophies any time soon, but at least they've earned themselves bragging rights for this week and two more points, so for that, they earn themselves...
Grade: B

Newcastle: "We deserve to be where we are". Those words are coming back to haunt Rob Wilson. Two more losses and only one point mean that the Vipers are dropping like a stone, with a gap of five points now opening up between them in third place and Coventry and Cardiff at the top. Sheffield are reeling them in from behind as well, now only one point behind. There will definitely be some harsh words said on Tyneside this week, and there need to be, otherwise the only place the Vipers will deserve to be is in the lower reaches of the table...
Grade: D

Nottingham: One game, one big scare, but a six-four win in Edinburgh means they just about come out of the weekend with their reputation intact. But all is not well, with rumours of major changes on the horizon, not only in the forwards but also in net. With the Challenge Cup semi coming up on Friday, this could be a turbulent week in the East Midlands-but the grades are only based on results, so the Panthers earn...
Grade: B

Sheffield: The Steelers can't get any consistency going lately, and this weekend was just another example...a win against the Capitals was followed by a loss away in Manchester. Oh, and Ashley Tait still needs two points to reach 800 after being held without a goal or assist in both games. If the Yorkshiremen are serious about mounting a title challenge, they'd better start stringing together a win or two to make up the six-point gap between them and the top two...
Grade: C

That's your lot. The second Challenge Cup semi-final is the only midweek game this week as Cardiff welcome Sheffield...

More ramblings to come tomorrow, but until then, keep keeping your eye on the puck...