Hope, Faith and a little Charity...Playoff Preview Part II

"I believe that there's hope, buried beneath it all and
Hiding beneath it all, and growing beneath it all
And...
This is how we'll dance
When they try to take us down"
Paramore: "Let The Flames Begin"

Right then...as mentioned yesterday, the Breakaway is sharing the playoff preview duties with Five Minute Major, and will be swapping posts back and forth throughout the next week or so in the build-up to the playoffs, as a kind of precursor to the big meet/booze-up of British hockey fans that is the Elite League weekend. Click the link above to see them discuss the reasons for optimism if you're a fan of Manchester, Cardiff, Newcastle or Sheffield, or read on as we pick 5 reasons each why Coventry, Belfast, Nottingham or Edinburgh can win the playoffs...

In alphabetical order, here we go, in short and pithy fashion:

BELFAST GIANTS

"FIRE IN THE HOLE!":: The Giants attack is lethal. With players like Paul Deniset, Colin Shields and Mike Burgoyne driving their team forward, the Northern Irish side will always be difficult to stop going forward. And when you score more goals than the opposition, you win games, more often than not...

THAT WINNING FEELING: Belfast have two trophies already this season...and have the taste of success in their mouths. And once you've sampled sweetness like that, you only want more.

ROLEPLAYERS RULE!: In Malcolm MacMillan, Graeme Walton, Paul Sample and friends, the Giants have a very good supporting cast indeed to back up the much-heralded stars of the top line-their play may be questionable at times but there's no denying it's horrendously effective at throwing other teams off their game...

ROCKING THE RINKS: They may not be the largest in number, but the Northern Irish support are among the best in the league for getting behind their team, particularly when trophies are on the line. It may be a cliché about fans being the "sixth man" but it's only become a cliché because those saying it have proven to be right so often...

"NOT THIS TIME!": The Giants, in the Elite League era, have traditionally been a team who've disappeared when the chips are down in playoff time. With the Odyssey crowd having seen already this season that this incarnation can hang with the best (and fight back from seemingly desperate positions to win), the players will believe that no situation is insurmountable right now...and that mental toughness is what wins playoff titles...

COVENTRY BLAZE

BEEN THERE, DONE THAT: The Blaze squad contains several who've won everything there is to win in British hockey already with them, including players like Barrie Moore, Tom Watkins, and Russ Cowley. Not only that, but players like Jon Weaver and Leigh Jamieson have won trophies with other teams-the Blaze team is full of individuals who know what it takes to win come playoff time...

DEADLY DUO: Not only that, but two of those individuals are also arguably the most lethal duo in the the league. Dan Carlson and Adam Calder first played together in the treble-winning year of 2004/05, and from their first game you could see a beautiful friendship had been born. When these two are firing, a goal is always on the horizon unless your goalie is pretty damn special...

POINTS MEAN PRIZES: Continuing on the attacking theme, the Blaze have five players who have broken the fifty-point barrier in the league this season, and two of the top-ten. The offensive power is there for all to see.

CULTURE SHOCK: Paul Thompson is a coach who will accept nothing less than the best from his players. Any who don't give every last sinew to the cause will be held accountable, both by their coaches and their team-mates. And there's nothing like fear of disappointing your friends in big games to drive players on...

SECOND STINGS: Last season the Blaze made it all the way to the playoff finals, but failed to defend their title as they were shut out in the final by Sheffield. After losing out in the league chase this season, the Blaze will be wounded, knowing that ending a season silverware-less is a state of affairs that has only happened twice since 2002 in Coventry...they intend to keep the next time as far away in the future as they can, or for one more year at least...

NOTTINGHAM PANTHERS

HOME ICE ADVANTAGE: The playoffs are being held at the Panthers' home rink, in front of a large number of their own fans. Not being there is simply not an option-anything less then getting there and winning it will still be considered a failure...a powerful motivational tool, the disappointment of your home crowd...

THESE CATS HAVE CLAWS: One thing about the Panthers...for a team considered to rely on finesse rather than power, they're not afraid of the odd ruck. Rumun Ndur, Bruce Richardson and Kevin Bergin are all more than willing to dish out some punches where required, and a team that fights together, wins together...

CLARKE HAS CLOUT: David Clarke has been lost somewhat this season among the trumpeted feats of his team-mates, but that'll suit him just fine...with opposition players fixating on Johan Molin and friends, this Brit forward is perfectly placed and skilful enough to come to the fore...

CREATIVITY CONQUERS ALL: You may think Dan Tessier is a money-grabbing, diving toe-rag (copyright Sheffield Steelers) or you may believe he's the second coming of Wayne Gretzky (copyright certain sections of the NIC crowd). Either way, you can't deny he is arguably the best playmaker in the EIHL...if he and fellow artist Johan Molin can unlock defences, then others on the Panthers roster will profit...and he could be all the difference in a tight game...

BRIT PACK: The Panthers have several of the best British players around...we've already mentioned Dave Clarke but the defensive skills of Danny Meyers and the never-say-die attitude of Matt Myers and Marc Levers will also play a big part if the trophy comes to Nottingham-few teams in the league have a better crop of home-grown talent, with the exception, perhaps, of Coventry and Sheffield...

EDINBURGH CAPITALS

UNDER THE RADAR: The Scots are coming into this tournament with no expectation resting on them whatsoever...and teams with the freedom to simply go out and play without any fears of letting anyone down are the ones who often come from nowhere...it's why "giant-killing" is seen so often in sport.

DRIVEN BY YOU: Doug Christiansen is a perfectionist-if his team are losing then he will lead by example on the ice as well as from the bench. That's the kind of coach and player that becomes a playoff legend. Or makes a few of his own.

SKILL TO BURN: You can never overlook a team which contains a player who's the second-top point-scorer in the EIHL...and given that we've raved about the creative talents of Dan Tessier as a reason to be optimistic for Nottingham, we couldn't leave the seen-by-some-as-even-better Mark Hurtubise out...

THE LITTLE TEAM THAT COULD: The Capitals have faced an epic fight just to be here-and have been playing playoff hockey since late January, effectively, in their battle with Hull, pulling off some impressive results along the way. If any team has momentum going into the playoffs apart from Belfast, it's them...

EVERYONE LOVES CINDERELLA STORIES: Finally, the Capitals start their playoff campaign against reigning champions Sheffield, with few giving them any chance of progressing, but many hoping they will. Sometimes, even the hockey gods enjoy giving Cinderella teams their chance to go to the ball...maybe, this time round, it's just the Capitals' turn...

There you go...keep smiling...