Double Overtime, 10th November

So here we go-GB’s great Olympic adventure is over for another year, the weekend as a whole didn’t suffer hugely due to missing players (although certain teams, Manchester especially, did) and there were even a few departures and returns. In true rambling style, let’s plunge into a review of the weekend, GB and all.

It’s not often an 11-1 win is described as “too little, too late” but in this case…: GB have finally made us proud. With nothing on the line they cut loose, played like tigers and found the net eleven times against a Romanian side who didn’t even have pride to play for, having already been tanked by Japan and Poland (two teams who, irrespective of the fact that the games against “our boys” were a lot closer and, if you’re of the rose-tinted opinion, “GB were unlucky to lose” beat GB too).
I can’t help feeling that the British national side have just about reached their level for the moment, at least until the current crop of youngsters (who in Rob Dowd, Ben O’Connor and others show some players who could actually become genuinely great British players, examples of which are, in my eyes, Tony Hand, the Coopers, possibly Ronnie Wood and…erm, that’s about it) mature properly, dual-nationals or no dual nationals. There has been much hand-wringing recently over the perceived lack of interest in GB from UK hockey fans. This is probably going to be an unpopular view-but with British hockey in the state it’s currently in, why should anyone seriously expect anything more than the “gallant losers” tag currently hanging over the team-the GB press office can keep churning out those optimistic press releases about how great the mood is and how happy people are to be involved until hell freezes over, but the results on the ice still see GB lose to teams who, realistically, have a similar hockey pedigree as far as their international teams go. even supposed “second-tier” European nations like France, Austria and Italy would, at the moment, slaughter our national side.
Aye well. At least they tried.

If you need a scapegoat, then an import you hyped to the skies is as good as any: Newcastle have released Tyler Willis after the Vipers’ double-header loss to Coventry this weekend. Which makes the person who picked him as MoM on Saturday look like they either have a spectacular sense of irony or, more likely, saw something in his huffing, puffing but consistently ineffective efforts to do something worthwhile and justify his hype that no-one else did.
The last time someone failed this spectacularly to do the job they were brought in for, the words “Northern Rock” or “One True Voice” (for you pop culture addicts) were involved…

Meanwhile, Rob Wilson’s attempts to annoy every single Viper fan before the end of the season continued as planned: And so, naturally, the Vipers have a replacement for Tyler Willis lined up. With the decision to release Willis already being heavily questioned, Rob Wilson adds to his signing of Ed Courtenay (a player known for not having the greatest attitude towards referees, and being hated by opposition fans for that almost as much as his scoring skills) by asking Jeff Hutchins to return (a player known for having something of a cocky attitude, being released by several coaches (including Wilson himself) because of it, and being hated by...erm, everybody. Good work, Rob.

And, just to confirm, I am now officially off the "Vipers can win the title" bandwagon. The wheels have come off it in a big way.

Somewhere, it's "one of those nights" every night, Rick: Rick Strachan has put Edinburgh's 6-1 thumping of his team on their home ice down to the fact that "it was just one of those nights" in the Hull Daily Mail. Which is perhaps a fair point, until you bear in mind that, whatever players he has in front of him, Rick Strachan teams seem to have more than their fair share of "those nights". On Wednesday they come to Coventry. We can but hope for yet another one of those "Strachan nights"...


Crash...: Kyle Bruce destroys Randy Dagenais at the end of Sheffield-Manchester on Sunday...

Bang...: While Brett Clouthier does the same to Andrew Sharp...

...and wallop:...and Brad Cruikshank also gets involved in a bit of a ruck at the end of the game. Who said the Wars of the Roses were history?

And yes, I still think the Phoenix are the real thing this season...

Disturbing Quote of the Week: From a mature, normal, intelligent lady (the mother of one of my friends, in fact) comes this absolute diamond of disturbia: "That Marek Ivan-he's quite hot, isn't he?" Yes. If you like cold, unfeeling zombies, maybe he is. I can guarantee there will not be a more mystifying comment in the Skydome this season...and if you stand listening to some of the stuff people who supposedly "know the game" post on forums or shout at their own players during the game, you'll know there's some competition for that honour...
But each to their own...

What's that rumbling noise?: It might be the Cardiff Devils finally waking up...demolishing Basingstoke away from home isn't going to set the league alight by a long shot, but it's like a rumble of thunder in a clear sky-you start wondering how long the storm will take to break.

What's Swiss French for "taking the piss?": Just to make Nottingham fans feel really good about losing to Geneva by some distance in their friendly (5-2), here's the last sentence of the Geneva match report...


"To note, the second Panther goal was scored into an empty net as the Eagles were practising their 6 on 5 playmaking!"


So, to get this straight, in the middle of a game against Nottingham, the Genevans felt so comfortably on top that they pulled their goalie on purpose while leading, just in order to practice playing 6 on 5? I'm sorry, but that just made me giggle. And should burst the bubbles of a Panthers fan or two...:)

There you go then-the weekend summarised in five minutes or less...

Keep keeping your eye on the puck...