Round the Rinks: 5th September

Season opener time! Some would say it's pointless trying to do a team-by-team preview when you haven't seen seven of the ten teams yet, and I agree. So rather than doing team-by-team for this time out, let's look at the weekend as a whole...

Miracle Men: And we start with the Basingstoke Bison v Coventry Blaze double-header. Few know that it is now actually written into the EIHL constitution that the first two weekends of the league season must involve Coventry playing Basingstoke, ideally at the Silverdome but sometimes in Coventry too, just to add a bit of variety. Two teams equally blessed with size and speed should make for a pair of intriguing games, especially as they are two of the few teams actually at full strength. And Jason Goulet meeting Carlyle Lewis should make for some pitched battles in front of Kevin Reiter, too...

Meanwhile: The rest of the teams are more difficult to preview, and it will be difficult to assess this early on just how they match up, since Nottingham and Newcastle, two of the pre-season strong teams, are both missing some of their top imports. Manchester and Nottingham can make an early physical mark as they meet two of the "power" teams in the league in Newcastle and Hull-the Phoenix in that order and Nottingham in reverse order. Cardiff have the toughest opening weekend with games against the mercurial-looking Belfast Giants and the known excellence of the Sheffield Steelers. Edinburgh can expect nothing more than a shooting gallery in their opening two games-they're still missing half a roster as they take on the same two teams in reverse order. to round out the fixtures.

I know that's a relatively short post, but the Double Overtime on Monday will be a bit longer...and there may be apost earlier in the weekend if anything particularly notable happens...

Oh yes, and just to make it perfectly clear...

Yes, I do hate Marek Ivan. With a burning passion...:)

Keep keeping your eye on the puck...

Sweet Charity...

Charity is something of a theme of today's bumper post-beginning with the news that the Cardiff Devils were a part of the massive fundraising effort to save Bison this week, in the persona of owner Matt Burge. Here's part of the press release:

The Cardiff Devils are proud to have provided substantial, immediate five figure cash injection that will enable the Basingstoke Bison to compete in the BMI Baby Elite League next season.Cardiff Devils owner Matt Burge commented: “I am delighted to be able to help Basingstoke out in this way. We need to look at the bigger picture and the impact of no Bison team in the Elite League would have been severe; it would have not only been terrible news for Bison fans, but the league as a whole.”


There's not really much else you can say other than "fair play to the man"...

Following that, Coventry are due to play the Telford Tigers in a fundraising game later this month...I'm feeling quite warm and fuzzy now...

Charity Shield: Thirty Second Review: Cracking game, this, although the somewhat sparse crowd may be a worry at the Skydome if it continues (1300 or so by my estimate is very low for a curtain-raiser)...

Belfast Webcast is back: Starting this weekend, the much-praised Belfast webcast team will be broadcasting all Giants games at the Odyssey-this Saturday against Cardiff is free to listen to, so give 'em a try, you won't regret it. The new address is here: http://www.giantslive.tv

Round the Rinks to (hopefully) appear later tonight (around 9pm), assuming the Internet problems at my house are fixed (bloody lightning)...

If not, it'll be tomorrow afternoon. Which I appreciate is a bit late, but I'm doing my best with a rubbish BT phoneline...:)