Tuesday Thoughts...and Summer Hockey Watch...

"Here's to new beginnings
For what it's worth"
Walls of Jericho: "Try, Fail, Repeat"

Let's go off on our usual trip through British hockey, and while we're at it, give some attention to the girls for a change as we look back at a top-of-the-table clash at the Skydome last weekend...

Well, at least there's no pretence that he's here to play: Belfast have been making waves this weekend, deciding, it appears, to follow the news of skilled defenceman Tom Walsh with...well, the signing of the not-so-skilled-but-quite-scary Sean McMorrow. As you'll see from his stats, scoring is not exactly his forte (he's got a grand total of twelve goals in his career), but with 2297 penalty minutes in 427 career games, you'd be right in thinking that he's been signed more for this sort of thing...this is his one and only appearance in the NHL-although if he can do that to Chris Neil then he shouldn't have much trouble with the average EIHL enforcer...

There's a proverb about glass houses and not chucking projectiles that comes to mind here: The past few weeks has seen much discussion on the way forward in British hockey, as per usual, with those on the English Premier League side of the fence very vocal about how their level (4 imports, no wage cap) is the most sustainable way forward and much hay being made about the troubles of the EIHL. However, all is not exactly rosy in the EPL, with Romford officially dead due to all hockey being pulled from their Rom Valley Way home, and Bracknell and Wightlink (Isle of Wight) teetering on the edge of extinction at the moment (although Telford at least are moving forward with new season plans after last season's problems).
It appears that, when it comes to picking a place for your team to rest in British hockey, nowhere is truly safe...it will be interesting to see, with all the changes we've already had in British hockey, whether there are more still to come...

Random "things that make you go "hmm" link: This one, in which one of my favourite sports writers discusses the way that players and teams now "manage" every one of their interactions with us mere mortals who watch them...admittedly comparing American superstars like Lebron James (he plays basketball, for those of you not up on your American sports) with, say, Brad Voth or Adam Calder may be a little overblown, but I found it interesting reading, especially when thinking of the way the Blaze organisation interact with their crowd at public events...

And now, on to some on-ice action...feel free to skip this bit if you've got no interest in women's hockey...

Summer Hockey Watch

Phoenix Rising: Coventry Phoenix 7, Telford Wrekin Raiders 1 (English Women Division 1 (Midlands), 2nd May 2008.

The men may have been on their summer holidays for a month or more, but hostilities are still very much alive for those of the so-called "fairer sex" as the women's season comes to a close-this match at the Skydome, as well as marking the fifth anniversary of the first ever match played by a Coventry women's team, was Telford's last and Coventry's penultimate game of the season-in four meetings so far honours were even, with both sides winning their home dates.. With Milton Keynes having secured the title already, this game was a vital one in the race for second-a Phoenix win would see them still having to go level on points with the second-placed Raiders if they won their game in hand the following week, despite the away side's vastly superior amount of goals scored, as well as keeping their unbeaten home record...so while there may have not been any trophies or position on the line, pride was most definitely at stake, particularly with the Raiders having come out on top by 7-1 and 8-4 in the last two meetings.

A cagey start to the game from both teams saw little goal-mouth action in the first minute or two, with the first genuine chance falling to Hannah Southam of the Phoenix, who chased down a loose puck in the Telford zone and flicked a backhand high past Gill Poxon in the Telford net to give the home side the lead in the third minute. This seemed to rattle the away side, as the Phoenix's top line of Sarah Powell, Hannah Maurice and Jenny Adams began to exert some serious pressure on Poxon's net-pressure that was rewarded when Powell scored twice in as many minutes, first flicking home a rebound off a Maurice shot and then being left with an unmissable chance in front of the net thanks to a pinpoint pass from Adams.

Meanwhile, at the other end the Raiders were doing their best to get back into the game, with their top-line of Kat Lester, Jade Poxon and Heather Metcalfe testing Tam Donoghue in the Phoenix net on several occasions, despite resolute Phoenix defending. The game settled down quickly into a steady ebb-and-flow, with the Phoenix having slightly the better of the game thanks to the combined attacking efforts of the Powell-Maurice-Adams trio, who looked likely to find the net on every shift, and some fine positional play from Jayne Buxton, Southam and Rosie Adey on the second line backing them up.

Into the second period, and we saw more of the same, although the Raiders clearly had had something of a talking-to in the first break while some of the home side seemed tempted to rest on their laurels a little...the game went back and forth as in the first period, with Poxon being alert to deny the speedy Maurice on several coast-to-coast rushes. She could do nothing about Phoenix's fourth, though, as a long clearance out of defence was deflected off Powell's skate and left Maurice in the clear to finish beautifully, high on the glove-side. A remarkably clean game nearly saw a moment of magic moments afterward as a laser of a long pass from Phoenix captain Nicky Blower found Buxton in the clear, but Poxon was again equal to the task. The Raiders, too, were finding their attacking legs as Ann Maclean fired a shot just wide with Donoghue stretching to get across after a superb centering pass. The period ended four-nothing, but this game was by no means won.

The third saw the Phoenix lose their rhythm a little as the lines were shifted around-the passing was noticeably less crisp and the Raiders duly took advantage, the Metcalf-Poxon-Lester line finally being rewarded for their hard work as they cut through a static defence with almost arrogant ease before Poxon finished off a sweeping move. The Phoenix bench seemed stung by this and the lines were restored to those which had been working so effectively-Jayne Buxton benefiting as she finally gained reward for her intelligent play by thumping home a close-range effort after good work from Jenny Carter. Hannah Southam's "shoot first, pass later" approach then gained her a second goal, before Rosie Adey finished off the scoring. There was still time for a flurry of shots at either end, but in the end the home side celebrated their fifth anniversary with a fairly comprehensive 7-1 victory...


That's your Tuesday Thoughts for this week...keep keeping your eye on the puck...