Tuesday Thoughts...

Be warned...today's post is a long one...

"We love this exaltation (woh oh, o-o-o-oh)
We want the new temptations (woh oh, o-o-o-oh)
It's like a revelation (woh oh, o-o-o-oh)
We live on fascination..."
Alphabeat: "Fascination"

I couldn't really think of a pithy one-liner to open this column in the usual style, so thought I'd just use the lyrics of a song which, if there's any justice, will be number one in the next few weeks as an opener...after all, it sums up how the events of the weekend just gone have suddenly made the EIHL interesting again-I have received email criticism in some quarters (mostly from my home town) for appearing to revel just a bit too much yesterday in the fact that suddenly there's a title race on again, after all. I could go on, as some have, about how these type of results prove that the EIHL is working, etc, etc, but the simple fact is...it's not interesting when a team is already being crowned champions by everyone else when there's still a few weeks to go and a chance of an upset. I like my hockey unpredictable, I like it to go down to the final day, and I like going to a game thinking "there's a chance there could be an upset here"-and now this is all set up nicely, I'm looking forward to the race to the end of the league season. After all, when it comes to hockey, it's far more fun when you "live on fascination", even if the soundtrack annoys some...:)

GB Preliminary Squad Announced: The GB team have announced the players who are in with a chance of travelling to the World Championships this time out, and, as expected, there's a change or two from the Mont Blanc squad-here comes the analysis...players in red are the ones I expect to get cut, and why...

Some rules I'm using, however, before things kick off and I'm accused of favouritism.

• As far as the EPL players go, it is assumed that no allowances will be made by their clubs-it is also assumed that all EPL clubs involved will make the finals weekend and thus there will be a conflict.
• A player's club has no influence on whether they're cut or not...there is a weighting in the squad in favour of certain clubs, and this may be reflected in the final squad. This isn't favouritism-it's based on my judgement.
• Age has no bearing on who gets picked.

GOALIES (2 from 3)

Steve Fone (Coventry Blaze)
Stevie Lyle (Belfast Giants)
Stephen Murphy (Stjernen, Norway)

Fairly easy on this one-although it's a surprise that Steve Fone made it into this company ahead of the more experienced Joe Watkins-perhaps his heroics for Manchester earlier in the season, plus having the slight advantage of playing in front of the GB coach and proving himself as a capable young goalie day in and day out helped a little. The smart move, however, is to keep Fone in the squad for the experience but, when it comes down to the games themselves, go with international experience and proven ability over youthful promise-hence Murphy and Lyle. So far, so safe...

DEFENCEMEN (7 from 12)
Kyle Horne (Edinburgh Capitals)
Shane Johnson (Belfast Giants)
Jez Lundin (Newcastle Vipers)
Danny Meyers (Nottingham Panthers)
Graeme Walton (Belfast Giants)
Tom Watkins (Coventry Blaze)
Jonathan Weaver (Coventry Blaze)
James Pease (Coventry Blaze)
Dave Phillips (Hull Stingrays)
Leigh Jamieson (Belfast Giants)
Luke Boothroyd (Hull Stingrays)
Paul Dixon (Guildford Flames)

If Guildford, as expected, make it through the playoffs to the EPL finals weekend, which occurs on the same weekend as GB fly out, then Paul Dixon could face immense pressure to assume his player-coach responsibilities-a situation which is similarly faced (without the coaching side) by Nathan Rempel and Gary Clarke. Assuming that Guildford make it to the playoff finals, he goes. Jon Weaver (injury permitting) is in as the prime offensive d-man. Tom Watkins stays in due to his versatility, and Kyle Horne as a steadying and calming, no-nonsense defensive influence...however, then it gets a lot harder to choose among the young-guns. Shane Johnson, to me, is in as a fail-safe should Dixon be otherwise engaged, so, using the rules we've set up, is in, along with Danny Meyers. So there are two spots left. Graeme Walton gets one over his clubmate Leigh Jamieson, based on the fact that he has become a major part of Belfast's D this season, outplaying his more heralded partner. And so to the last spot. The players in the running for this, in my view, are Dave Phillips (good performances on a bad team, slightly better than Luke Boothroyd, not the worst going forward), James Pease (solid, adds some size) and Jez Lundin (adds some offensive punch). This is one I had to agonize over, but the player that sneaks in (just, and I have a feeling I'll catch flak for this one) is Jez Lundin-he's a compromise between Pease's size and Phillip's offensive ability. The major thing about this is the difficulty I had in picking the seven-something which shows that, unlike the teams of yesteryear where some players were picked almost regardless of form, simply because they were the best available, all seven places are still up for grabs...

FORWARDS (13 from 19)
Greg Chambers (Basingstoke Bison)
David Clarke (HC Alleghe, Italy)
Russell Cowley (Coventry Blaze)
Jason Hewitt (Sheffield Steelers)
Shaun Johnson (Newcastle Vipers)
Marc Levers (Nottingham Panthers)
David Longstaff (Newcastle Vipers)
Matt Myers (Nottingham Panthers)
Greg Owen (Basingstoke Bison)
Jonathan Phillips (Sheffield Steelers)
Colin Shields (Newcastle Vipers)
Ashley Tait (Sheffield Steelers)
Warren Tait (Sheffield Steelers)
Matt Towe (Cardiff Devils)
Greg Wood (Basingstoke Bison)
Nathan Rempel (Peterborough Phantoms)
Mark Richardson (Nottingham Panthers)
Paul Sample (Cardiff Devils)
Gary Clarke (Milton Keynes Lightning)

For the forwards, it's probably easier to justify who goes rather than who stays. Unlike the d-men, however, players slip far more easily into these slots, with Ashley Tait, Dave Longstaff, Colin Shields, Dave Clarke and Greg Chambers going straight in. Using the rules of "EPL teams make the finals" is tricky...both Gary Clarke and Nathan Rempel would have a good chance of making the squad. However, given that, unlike Paul Dixon, they have no coaching responsibilities and thus may have more chance...however, under the rules we've laid down, they both go. Warren Tait goes in due to his undying work-rate and perfect suitedness for a third/fourth line role, Greg Owen for his scoring, and Matt Towe is told "almost, but not quite" and just misses a surprise inclusion based on his breakout season in Cardiff. Greg Wood just misses out to Matt Myers, while Russ Cowley and Jonathan Phillips add more scoring. Which leaves three spots for the fourth line. Marc Levers takes one, while Mark Richardson misses out this time thanks to his (relatively) poor and injury-disrupted Panthers season. The last two spots are down to a three-way fight between Shaun Johnson (the sentimental choice, in his last season), Jason Hewitt (grinds all day) and Paul Sample (does the same while adding a bit of scoring touch also). Sample hasn't had the greatest of seasons, being disrupted by injury. Jason Hewitt and Johnson are the ones who make it in my squad, thanks to Sample's injury and Hewitt's career-high in goals. However, it's a toss-up between the Devil and the Viper for that last spot-I picked Johnson simply because of the experienced head...

That, to me, looks like a nicely-balanced squad-the youth development can be done thanks to tournaments like Mont Blanc, but for the big tournaments, you need people who have already been blooded...

And tonight's entertainment is...The fourth and fifth-placed sides meet tonight as Nottingham face Newcastle. I'm going with the Panthers to win this one...just...

That's your lot for tonight...check back tomorrow around noon for a preview of the huge top-of-the-table clash, along with a few more ramblings. Feel free to comment on my hypothetical GB squad, by the way, and, as always, keep keeping your eye on the puck...