Double Overtime, October 19th: Rumours of War

"How long can you hold your breath?
While you hold mine again and wait
Just to watch you perform the great escape..."
Moby ft. Azure Ray: "The Great Escape"

We're not even out of October yet, and already the EIHL is in trouble. I should have known it would be a bad weekend from the moment my computer failed on Friday just as I tried to post Round the Rinks...hence the lack of it for a second successive week...

Well, that might be something of an overstatement-after all, there are still eight teams in it and even those paragons of virtue in the EPL aren't exactly raking it in-as perhaps evidenced by Manchester's raising of their own walk-up ticket prices by one pound recently. However, the latest whispers going around have Newcastle struggling again, and rumours of trouble in Edinburgh are made at least semi-official by a downbeat statement from Scott Neil, which you can read and draw your own conclusions from here.

Anyway...that is perhaps a topic for another post-we're here to look back at the weekend, and so we shall...

"Best" d-man in the Elite? Maybe "mouthiest" was the adjective you were looking for: James Sanford, brought in to steady the ship in Hull and expected to play a big role in Saturday's game in Coventry, particularly with Pavel Gomenyuk missing, was a shining example of how not to do so as he managed to earn himself a misconduct barely five minutes into the game-by disputing an off-side call. Poor, James, poor. At least sit for ten minutes for something worthwhile, like a goal...

Speaking of goals...or more accurately goal-judges, aren't they supposed to be neutral? We had a bizarre incident in the same game (which Blaze won 5-4, by the way) where a centering pass went right across the net, Tommy Sandahl appeared to collide with the goalpost sliding across to block the resulting shot, was piled into by James Hutchinson and the net went flying about half-a-second before the shot was released (wide). No goal. And no goal-light. The whistle goes, the home crowd roar, thinking the puck has hit the net...and, after a pause of at least two full seconds...on comes the light. It was quite rightly disallowed, but that was possibly the finest example of twitchy-finger-syndrome in a long line of examples at that particular end of the Skydome-it's bad when referees tell you they're specifically told NOT to ask that particular judge's opinion at dicey moments...

...and should-have-been-goals: On to Sunday now, and a bad-tempered yet spirited game in Nottingham which saw the Panthers come out on top against Coventry, regaining pride after being absolutely mullered 6-2 in Cardiff the night before. However, but for a bizarre Luke Fulghum miss, in which he received a pass from maybe a foot away with Kevin St.Pierre hopelessly out of position and somehow scuffed his shot wide, or an unbelievable Peter Hirsch glove-save on Saturday night in the final seconds, a Coventry team who won one and lost one could have either been celebrating four points or ruing getting none. It was that kind of weekend in the Midlands...

But, just to show that it happens to everyone: Nottingham, who were woeful by all accounts against a silky-smooth Devils team on Saturday, thus creating the perfect storm for a tanking, played like genuine title contenders on Sunday night-it appears "backlash" is not just a word but almost a motivational tool in Corey Neilson's world...

It's not a bad way to make a debut, really: Steelers had two new players in their line-up this weekend, as Matt Hubbauer registered goals on each night and an MOM on Sunday, and Stephen Wood, who looks to be the next Steve Munn, only a bit bigger, landed from America and was immediately given the responsibility of leading the defensive unit. He didn't do too badly as the Steelers won twice against Newcastle, and picked himself up an assist in the process...

Welcome, Belfast...we were wondering when your stars would turn up:...and they duly did against a luckless Hull, who were hammered 8-2 on Sunday night. The Giants completed a goal-fest of a four-point weekend which began with a 9-2 hammering of Edinburgh on Friday night...which was the cause of much joy over on the GiantsTV webcast...

Although, I'm not sure which is stranger....Me watching part of the cast but somehow completely failing to miss being mentioned (well, the Breakaway was, anyway-and even though I missed it it made my Friday when I found out, so thank you to both the GiantsTV bunch and those who are now possibly reading as a result) or Sean McMorrow getting MoM despite failing to get on the scoresheet in any way, shape or form...I've heard of "doing the things that don't get noticed", but come on, that's ridiculous. Maybe he just makes REALLY good period-break oranges...

(and yes, I am fully expecting him to beat the hell out of at least one Blaze player before scoring a hat-trick on his first visit to the Skydome now-peace, hockey gods, it is but gentle mockery...).

And how about those Devils, anyway?: Like their New Jersey namesakes, they appear to be revelling in a style of play that's ugly but, seemingly, very effective-the aforementioned beating of Nottingham was followed by a win against Edinburgh on Sunday...and yet no-one appears to have really noticed that they're quietly becoming a very effective hockey team...

I know it's a bit short...but there's your weekend review...