Round the Rinks, Jan 30th

Hi all.

We're finally up and running again...a little late but it's the thought that counts...

Anything over nine seconds without conceding would have done...:...but Coventry went one better against Belfast on Wednesday, drawing one-all and being denied by several superb saves from Stevie Lyle, notably a stack-the-pads last-ditch effort from Sylvain Deschatelets. This leaves the tie delicately poised going into Wednesday's second leg in Dundonald...

Not quite so tight up north: Meanwhile, in the battle to face Belfast in the KO Cup final, Manchester drew first blood, beating Hull fairly comfortably by four to nothing, in a game you can read about more thoroughly thanks to Mark's report on The Angry Budgie....

Another one jumps ship in Hampshire: And this time it's arguably Basingstoke's top forward, Danny Stewart....that trapdoor is yawning wider down south...

There we are-that's a swift-round up done. Now on to this weekend...

"This is the final call for all destinations
This is where you're in or out
No hesitation-this is not the time for doubt"

The Saturdays: "Up"

This weekend is a big one as far as the rest of the Elite League season goes. Obviously the biggest stand-out on this week's fixture card is, of course, Coventry v Sheffield on Sunday night. However, with a full slate of games this weekend and teams all over the league needing to get some momentum going, restore lost faith or just start winding it up toward playoff time, this is the time people need to go for it. Let's have a look at each game in turn...

Double-headers

Belfast v Newcastle
The Giants and Vipers meet twice at the Odyssey this weekend in a battle of two teams with a bit of bad blood between them. Both games will of course be live on http://www.giantslive.tv for the measly sum of five pounds, should you wish to watch them, and while they won't be the most enthralling of games it'll be worth watching just to see which team is the tougher and better organised...

Nottingham v Manchester
On any other weekend, this game would have a shot at being game of the weekend. It's certainly the game of Saturday night. Two teams who can be dynamite on their day, occasionally have issues defensively and have a nice mix of scoring talent, grit and a bit of drive from the blue-line. And goalies who can stop everything, but frequently seem to give under relentless pressure. It all points to a no-holds-barred shootout on both nights...

Saturday

Hull v Coventry
The last time these two teams met on Humberside, we saw sixteen goals. Sixteen!. There's not likely to be as many this time round, as you can't expect to find a diamond in the same pile of poop twice. However, it's a game the Blaze desperately need to win with Sheffield coming the following day. Hull? They just need to win, period.

Sheffield v Edinburgh
Another game that's something of an appetiser before the main event. The Steelers have made great play all week of the fact that this is the only game they've been talking about, reasoning that if they don't win this, Sunday's game in Coventry isn't important. But it smacks somewhat of psychological warfare, this...the Steelers will be determined to get this game over with early so that they can ease off a little in preparation for Sunday's clash. The Capitals? They would like nothing better than to throw a spanner in the works of the Steel Machine...

Basingstoke v Cardiff
The Devils, boosted by new signing Matt Elich, will be hoping to heap misery on the hapless Bison, who you get the feeling are now slipping into damage-limitation mode with the signing deadline upon us...and even with Kevin Reiter in net, you can't bet against them. Well, unless you've got money to burn, that is.

Sunday

Cardiff v Hull
The Devils got lucky this weekend, playing two teams below them in the table, both with personnel problems and both teams who, while they can run most of the league close, don't have the extra zing to beat them. A four-pointer is definitely on the cards for the Devils...

Edinburgh v Basingstoke
Gone are the days when this ti was a playoff decider-now it's simply a clash between the bottom two with the Capitals heavily favoured to win...especially with their new signings now into their stride...

Coventry v Sheffield:
This is the game of the weekend. A packed Skydome, two teams with a bit of needle between them thanks to the odd barbed comment in the press, and depending on the result, a game which can either see Sheffield take a giant leap toward the title or get reeled ever closer to the chasing pack as the Blaze try and claw their way back up the greasy pole to the top spot....this is where the talking stops and we see if the Steelers can hammer another nail into the coffin of the title race, or whether there's life in the league yet.

There you go-there's your weekend previewed...