Double Overtime, 14th January

It's been a busy news weekend, so there's a lot to catch up on and comment upon this week. Tomorrow (Tuesday) evening, I shall be analysing the GB squad announced for the forthcoming international matches in France, as well as responding to several comments brought up from last week's posts-however, this Monday evening is all about the weekend review. And what an unpredictable weekend it was...unless you were a Coventry or Hull fan...(you may notice that these two teams get treated slightly briefly)...:)

Basingstoke: Saturday was truly epic in Hampshire. 10 skaters scored ten goals to Edinburgh's two (from a full team) as the Bison ran riot. You can forgive them, then, for suffering a seven-three loss away in Newcastle on the Sunday, especially as they caught the Vipers on a good day. Just for the amazing goal-rush on Saturday, the Bison get a...
Grade: B

Belfast: Quietly, the Giants are pushing very hard indeed. Beating Sheffield and Cardiff by a combined total of nine goals over a weekend is pretty damn impressive in anyone's book-especially from a team who couldn't score for toffee earlier in the season. Even more so when you bear in mind that both games were away from the Odyssey. Peter Campbell simply can't miss this season, and the defensive struggles appear to be just a memory. There's really no justification for awarding the Giants anything other than...
Grade: A

Cardiff: There, but for injuries...The Devils misery continues-a fighting loss in Nottingham was followed by...a fighting loss against Belfast. With Phil Osaer still out, and no sign of a return any time soon, should the Devils be looking for a rental goalie for the playoff push? Or maybe just set up their own emergency room in the Tent? This will definitely be remembered as a season of "so near and yet..." unless the luck changes in South Wales pretty quickly. Sorry, Red Army, but your team only earn...
Grade: D

Coventry: Two games against Hull, two un-flashy wins. Michael Tasker retires. Job done. There will be far tougher weekends before the end of the season for the Blaze....
Grade: B+

Edinburgh: I've given up predicting Capitals games. Who on God's green earth would have predicted a weekend where the Caps lose ten-two to Basingstoke before coming back to their own rink and shutting out one of the top teams in the league in Nottingham, all the while missing their leading scorer on the Sunday? Or a weekend where a team could come out with a goal difference of minus five and still be happy? The Scots are truly a pundit's nightmare of a team...but you can't argue with that win against Nottingham pushing up the grade a little...
Grade: B

Hull: Two games, no points. And now the Stingrays are officially bottom. Did you expect anything more?
Grade: E

Manchester:: Now, here's a team who appear to have taken the role of the plucky losers to heart this weekend, losing by the odd goal in both games (and taking Sheffield to a penalty shootout). Despite this, I can't shake the nagging feeling that, come playoff time, the Phoenix will be the last team any other team wants in their group...they're certainly the last team I'd like to see the Blaze facing...particularly if the game must be won for qualification. They're like terriers...they will yap, chase you round and round and not really be taken seriously as a threat by anyone...and then, at the worst possible time, they'll bite. I can't help thinking I'm slightly unfair by giving them...
Grade: D

Newcastle: Four point weekend in Viperland! That gale of a north wind dropping the temperatures today is made up by a thousand Viper fans sighing in relief...their team are not done yet. Certainly the points against Manchester and Basingstoke will be welcome-the onus now is on the team to prove that, in fact, they don't deserve to be where they are right now...
Grade: B

Nottingham: Hmm. What do you say to a team that barely beats a side cripple by injuries, while playing at their own rink, and then gets shut out away from home against a side pretty much everyone would expect them to beat, all things being equal? Simple. Not bad in that there's points on the board...but must do a lot better if you're serious about winning anything this season...
Grade: C+

Sheffield: At this point, I believe I'm justified in saying the Steelers won't win the league this season. And inconsistent weekends like this last one show why. First rule of championship teams is...win your home games, and then think about stealing points on the road. This weekend, Steel City got it backwards-and one of their major rivals (Belfast) gleefully profited from it. You don't win a championship by just beating the teams you know you can, Steelers...
Grade: C+

There you go, then...another Double Overtime in the books. Be warned, tomorrow is likely to be a long post, so have the evening coffee ready...

Keep keeping your eye on the puck...