Round the Rinks, January 3rd

I swear these Fridays seem to come around quicker and quicker as the season passes...we'll get into our weekly trip up and down the country in a moment, but first of all...

He may be a big, ugly sod on the ice, but off it...: it appears Doug MacIver is a little different. Here's a nice story from the Western Mail about the Cardiff enforcer and his fiancée giving up part of their Christmas Day to visit the wards of Cardiff Children's Hospital after he asked if he could do so...

Opposition fans will still likely hate him with a passion, but quite frankly, there's nothing you can say to him but "fair play" for this...well done, ya big lug...

There we are then...with that out of the way, let's look forward to a bumper weekend in the Elite League which sees all ten teams in action twice...something of a rarity so far this season...

Double-headers
The only double-header thie weekend sees the league's two northernmost teams face off home and away, in Newcastle on Saturday and Edinburgh on Sunday. After their comeback win against Hull on the Great Capital Skate on Tuesday, Edinburgh will need to carry that momentum into two tricky games against a Vipers side who, finally, are showing some signs of consistency. However, after losing to Nottingham on Tuesday the Tynesiders will no doubt be looking at these two games as a way to get back onto the winning trail in the least difficult way possible (going purely by league position). Both teams need the points desperately, so there will be no quarter given or asked in either game...

Saturday
Going from South to North this time round....

We start in Hampshire for Basingstoke v Cardiff, a game that will see the return to the ice of Mike Prpich for the Devils, as well as Brad Voth recovered from an injury he's been carrying recently. Both players are huge returnees for the Devils, with Prpich being one of their major offensive threats and Voth being...well, Brad Voth. The Bison, on the other hand, aren't missing any of the players they've managed to retain on their roster up to now...however, there is a doubt over Kevin Reiter. This means that you have to back the Devils in this one...

Travelling north we see the resumption of one of the nastiest little rivalries in the league (at least this season)-Nottingham v Sheffield may get all the press but Nottingham v Coventry has had more than its fair share of flashpoints recently with the ongoing Team Hollywood fiasco and a game that was somewhat tasty to say the least just before Christmas. Panthers won that game 4-0, and will fancy their chances of repeating this time round, given the problems seemingly existing in the Blaze dressing at the moment. It could be a stormer...

Travelling further north still, we arrive in Sheffield, as the Steelers take on The Stingrays in the Yorkshire derby, as Sheffield face Hull. This is a game the Steelers will need to win going intyo Sunday's clash with Coventry (of which more shortly) and with the Stingrays still suffering from injury problems, their fans will expect them to do so quite comfortably. Whether they will, though, is another matter.

And finally, we turn sharp left and travel across the Irish Sea for arguably the highlight game of the night-Belfast v Manchester (which of course you can see courtesy of www.giantslive.tv if you wish). Two of the pretenders to the EIHL throne clash in a meeting which has seen the Phoenix win at the Odyssey already this season, but with the Giants now returning to full strength both sides will fancy their chances of the two points, and both are equally capable of getting them, too. I can see this one only being decided in overtime...

Sunday

Going back from North to South, now, and having already dealt with the second of the Edinburgh/Newcastle double-headers, we start on Humberside as Hull face Basingstoke in a meeting of two of the league's basement clubs. It's fair to say that this game is definitely not the main attraction of the weekend, but both sides desperately need the points in the chase for the last playoff place and the mad scramble for position down there, so if you are up on Humberside, you should be served fayre that isn't the most polished but not lacking in flavour for all that...

Travelling south, we come to Altrincham for Manchester v Nottingham-a game which as recently as last season may not have merited more than a quick look to see if the Panthers could arrest their traditional January slump. How times have changed. This season, this is a clash between two of the league's top sides as they battle for position behind the top spot. Both sides will be fully aware of the threat posed by the other at this stage in the season, and with both teams more comfortable when they try and take the game to the opposition, the goalies could be in for a busy night at both ends,

Onward and downward to the Skydome for a crucial game in deciding, if not the ultimate destiny of the league title, at least who's in the driving seat. Coventry take on Sheffield in first v third. This is a weekend in which the Blaze simply have to perform or risk slipping back into the mire of mid-table, as they face both of the teams above them, with Sheffield being arguably the slightly trickier opponent thanks to being a more rounded team than Nottingham, who they face the night before. The Steelers, meanwhile, will be hoping for two points to drive an early nail into the coffin of the Blaze's title hopes and at the same time maintain the gap between themselves and Nottingham. It should be a storming game.

Finally, we hed West for Cardiff v Belfast. This is another game crucial for both teams if they want to haul themselves out of the mid-table quicksand and get themselves back in touch with the top four-and quite frankly could go either way on Cardiff's small, confined rink, so different to the wide-open spaces of the Odyssey.

There you go-that's your weekend preview-keep keeping your eye on the puck...