Game Winner: Season's End Double Overtime

Congratulations to the 2008 EIHL playoff champions-the Sheffield Steelers. Unlike Coventry, they not only turned up for the final in full force but continued the speed and aggression you need to win in playoff hockey (and up until now had been the hallmarks of Blaze play) for the full sixty minutes. Despite the score only being 2-0, there was only ever one winner once Jonathan Phillips had fought his way from the left-hand boards to the crease and jammed the puck through Koenig's legs from all of six inches out-Dan Tessier's instinctive wrister in the second period broke the back of the league champions, but even before then the Steelers were dominant in all aspects of the game. Rather than just running through bog-standard match-reports and reactions (which you can find pretty much anywhere) we'll just run through a few "best ofs"...

Best goal: Even though his team lost, Max Birbraer's spin-and-shot for Cardiff against Sheffield breathed life back into a game which had become...well, a little dead after the early Sheffield goal.

Best save: Jody Lehman in the final's second period-with Sheffield 1-0 up the puck breaks to Adam Calder in front of the net with some space. With the Blaze blocks already rising in anticipation as he wound up, Lehman somehow manages to drop and slide sideways at the same time to get a pad on the shot, and control the rebound well enough that it flew off into the corner rather than coming right back out to a lurking Curtis Huppe...

Best hit: First semi final, Tom Watkins on Todd Jackson. As the puck bobbles across the middle, Jackson stretches with his head down for the loose puck and is absolutely destroyed by an onrushing Watkins with a sweet shoulder-to-chest hit that sends the Viper flying through the air for a good few feet. However, despite the puck being barely a foot away and already having been played, Watkins is called for interference. Runner up is Ryan Finnerty walloping Jonathan Weaver in the final's second period and sending him spinning like a top into the boards down in front of the Steelers fans.

Best fans: Of the teams there, Sheffield. However, Manchester fans did themselves proud throughout the weekend, in company with the Giants fans next to them.

Best chant: The Panthers fans try and get into the act in the final by chanting "show us your trophies" at the Steelers fans, who respond with "show us your mascot" (Paws being absent). Panthers then desperately try and respond with "Where's Steeler Dan?" as the Sheffield mascot has also failed to put in an appearance. They're then shot down in mid flight as Steelers drop the hammer blow, instantly responding with "Where's your team?!". Steelers 1, Panthers zero...It was, however, run very close by the Phoenix fans showing their liking for Stephen Fone by asking where he was during the final after Blaze conceded the first goal.

Best confirmation of a rumour: Todd Kelman spending a large part of the weekend talking to Steve Thornton, followed up by the Belfast fans serenading the Bison player during the final...which has made the announcement that he's joining the Giants as coach almost irrelevant in hockey circles after the rumour broke last week...

Best gossip moments of the PO weekend (judge for yourself whether for rumour value or comedy): Phil Osaer nearly joining Blaze before being tempted away by a team in Norway...John Craighead returning not just to watch the playoffs, but because he's being courted as a replacement for Mike Ellis...Lee Jinman negotiating with Coventry as a replacement for Dan Carlson...Dan Cloutier searching for a house in Coventry because he's being bought out by the LA Kings...Nottingham also chasing Sylvain Deschatelets...

That's your playoff weekend in thirty seconds or so...and so the EIHL season ends for another year. This doesn't mean that the Breakaway will go onto its summer schedule just yet though, as we've still got the end-of-term reports to write for the EIHL (they'll probably appear midweek) and the EPL playoffs to get through...a preview of those will appear later this week. Then there's the Stanley Cup, the DEL playoffs (which are currently in full swing with "my" Cologne team in the semis)...

Perhaps one of the most relevant events to come for British fans in general, however, is the World Championships in Innsbruck later this month. Tomorrow we'll turn our attention to the International scene with a look at each of Great Britain's opponents in Austria, as well as your usual mix of rumours and news which tends to build up this time of year...

Keep keeping your eye on the puck...