Tuesday Morning Skate...

Welcome to another November day in the hockey world. On we go with the daily round-up, including more NHL dirtyness, a prospective Panther, a potential new arrival in Hull and one more new arena in London...

Panthers looking at another returnee: Brandin Cote, who was a huge hit for the Panthers three seasons ago, is the latest Panthers rumoured target to replace PC Drouin after the Canadian was reported yesterday as leaving SG Cortina in Italy. The gritty centre would be an ideal fit on this years roster, and with Mike Ellis appearing to prefer players who have worn Panthers shirts before over newbies in his recruiting this season, he could be a very likely option if not wishing to return to North America...

Stingrays looking for inspiration: Hull are another team looking to inject some new blood into their lineup, with one likely candidate being ex-London Racer Trevor Baker, who spent last year in the Central Hockey League. Firstly, though, the Stingers need to release an import...

Banzai-Swedish style!: Another week, another controversy in the NHL. This time it's the Vancouver Canucks Mattias Ohlund, who channels his inner samurai in this vicious slash on the Minnesota Wild's Mikko Koivu, which has left the Finn with a broken leg. Ohlund earned himself...four games, or about a week's suspension. Hardly a deterrent, really.

Sixty Second Preview: Challenge Cup Semi Final First Leg (tonight)
Why the Panthers will win: Sean McAslan. If Johan Molin or indeed any other Panthers player can feed him, the Panthers captain will score for fun-particularly as this weekend Ryan MacDonald has finally been shown to be mortal in conceding twelve goals. Vipers are coming into this game while not in the best of form, so if Panthers get at them early and force penalty trouble, the high-powered forward line can win it on the powerplay.

Why the Vipers will win: Nottingham, in the words of Corporal Jones, "don't like it up 'em". And up 'em is just where the Vipers like to play, throwing hits around like confetti, snarling and spitting on the forecheck, and bullying their way into the ascendancy. The Vipers also have a fairly strong back line (when it's on form) so denying the fast-skating Panthers the space to play will also be a priority.

Prediction: I'm absolutely awful at predicting scores, and indeed have made a running joke this season out of just how bad I've been. However, I can see the Panthers nicking this in front of their home crowd, but the tie will still be very much alive either way at the end of the first sixty minutes.

And still on the Vipers...: After my weekend review yesterday, "greenfox" commented "A nightmare for Newcastle who need to turn up for big games against the Blaze. It was a poor show this weekend and we were out played in every aspect of the game. Sunday saw another very sorry looking Vipers team playing the dump and chase style hockey."
This does surprise me-in the times I've seen the Vips this season they've played anything but dump-and-chase, preferring to carry it across the blue-line and then put all sorts of pressure on the nettie with people in front of him. It's interesting also as an indication the different reactions shown by different fan-bases, though-this was a very reasoned criticism, whereas Blaze's weekend last week was met with comments like "what's the point of (insert player here)" or "shocking show-not a single player turned up". This after winning 16 of seventeen? Some people are just never satisfied-maybe those who criticise the Blaze should take a leaf out of the North East's book...

London's new home-in Croydon?: Plans have been announced for a new 12,500-seat arena in Croydon, and as usual there is the wondering whether a new hockey team can be set up to resuscitate the London EIHL franchise. However, with work not even having begun on the site, this is very much a work in progress.

And that's you up to date this Tuesday...more tomorrow, and keep keeping your eye on the puck...

The Magic Puck...

Just a side note to Sunday's games-it's amazing how people can change their views depending on whether its their side affected by an incident or not-Blaze's fifth goal on Saturday has seen the debut of a new phenomenon-the shot which defies the laws of physics, as produced by Adam Calder. The goal can be seen here (you will need Realplayer to view it)-it's the fifth Blaze goal. Watch the way the puck comes away from the goal in the slow-motion replay...quite impressive, really. Those who claim a goal say that the puck went in at the right post, round the rim at the bottom and back out-some feat considering the puck was rising and managed to miss the protruding back-bar on the way round, and managed to turn itself through nearly ninety degrees coming back across the line.
Others say it pinged off the right post, into the back bar, and back off the left post. Either way, this is what could have happened...

Either the puck has:
a) managed to hit the right post, curve through the air behind the line, hit the inside of the left post without dropping or losing speed and come back out (in which case the goal-judge at that end is in the wrong job, cause he has the eyes and 3D spatial vision of a fighter pilot and the reactions of a bullet-catcher to see all that from directly behind, through the plexi, and react, which with the best will in the world I doubt, given that I usually stand just to his left),

b) the puck has somehow managed to hit the right post at just the right angle to reflect perfectly onto the back bar (even more impressive given that physics tells us Calder would need to be about four feet to the left of where he was when the shot came in for the puck to approach at the correct angle), defy a 45 degree downward deflection to rise off the back pipe and hit the inside of the left post on its way back out on a perfect angle with the goal-line (which is physically impossible given the angle it would be approaching at off the back bar),
or c) it never went in in the first place.

When you look at it like that, you've got to take c, really...:) I very much doubt that would have been given if it had been a shot on Koenig's net, somehow...

Anyway..enough of the science bit..:)

Double Overtime, 19th November

Another Monday, another team-by-team review of a weekend which saw climbers, fallers and one of the goals of the season in Coventry...let's get straight on with it...

Basingstoke: The Swedish Surge stuttered a bit this weekend, as Bison threw away leads in both of their games to emerge with just the one point, losing in overtime to Hull before scaring the pants off the Blaze with three goals in the first eight minutes on Sunday night. Unfortunately, the Midlanders then scored six without reply, although one was, in that euphemistic way commentators have of describing such blatant wrong calls, surprisingly awarded. David Vychodil and Mikko Purontakanen have both settled in quickly, so it's not all bad news for the Herd, but one point from four despite leading in both games earns them, sadly...
Grade: C

Belfast: Just the one game for the Giants this weekend, and they did their rivals in Coventry and Cardiff a huge favour, beating Newcastle 6-3 in the North East. The Northern Irish eyes, while not smiling openly just yet, will no doubt take a huge boost from this, and with players coming off the treatment table slowly their team can only get stronger-but have they left it too late already to challenge for honours? Putting 6 past the Vipers, however, earns them a high grade of...
Grade: B+

Cardiff: This is getting a little monotonous. Two games, four more points for the Devils as they move up to second and show no signs of stopping their charge up the table. Manchester and Edinburgh were the sacrificial lambs this week, and unbelievably (at least based on their form in September) the Welsh can now go top, at least for three days, if they win the return v Edinburgh on Wednesday. I know that being a Blaze fan I should find some way to reduce the success of our friendly rivals from South Wales (it being the law in Coventry and all) but I simply can't-they're on one hell of a run at the moment. Once again, the Devils earn themselves:
Grade: A

Coventry: Hell hath no fury...like a champion scorned. The Blaze took revenge in some style for last weeks defeats, potting twelve goals (six in each weekend game) as the dragon gracing the Blaze shirts showed its teeth. Putting six past your nearest rival at the top is one way to show anger, but all is not quite perfect in the Sky Blue City, as three goals in eight minutes conceded against Basingstoke will show. However, if the trend for taking no prisoners continues, then next Saturdays meeting with Cardiff will be the hottest ticket in town, bar none.
Grade: A

Edinburgh: "Life is a wretched quarter of an hour enlivened with exquisite moments". Oscar Wilde could have had the Capitals in mind when he came out with this pearl of wisdom. Unfortunately, after the "exquisite" defeat of Coventry last weekend, this weekend saw a return to the wretched quarter of an hour which has been the Caps' season thus far...two more defeats, only two goals scored, and six points adrift at the bottom of the table mean that a lot will rest on the shoulders of new signing Mark Wires when he joins the team on Wednesday...The Caps sit once again near the bottom of the class this week, though, with an all-too familiar...
Grade: D

Hull: Meanwhile, on Humberside...the tree of hope sprouts eternal. Or at least until, once again, it gets brutally chopped down. The team wielding the axe this week were Sheffield, who stuck seven past Hull at home after the Stingrays fought out an overtime win in Basingstoke on the Saturday. The problems on Humberside are real, and need solving fast. Let's be fair despite the whipping on Sunday, though-actually earning a win this weekend gets the Stingrays from truly awful to the dizzy heights of lower mediocrity. Now there is a quote you won't see in a Stingrays PR any time soon...
Grade: C-

Manchester: As the season progresses it is becoming more and more obvious that as Joe Tallari goes, so do the Phoenix. Unfortunately, he was injured this weekend, with predictable results. Three goals in two games this weekend is the same as the Canadian sniper got in one last weekend, and losses to Cardiff and Nottingham were the results. The Northerners aren't conceding many, but they're scoring even less. Someone in Altrincham should start stockpiling the parachute silk, because at the moment the Phoenix are in freefall and it doesn't look like they can pull themselves out of it anytime soon. Unless they start getting goals from more than one source, that is...
Grade: D

Newcastle: Ryan Macdonald will not be happy this week. Twelve goals conceded in 120 minutes mean that the young Canadian will doubtless be staring at himself in the mirror a fair amount in his solitary moments, while his team-mates try and work out just why they haven't been defending like they should. Rob Wilson said before the weekend that the Vipers deserve to be where they are. Presumably, then, he will have no trouble admitting that the fall from first to third in the table is also fully deserved-as is the bad grade that goes with it...
Grade: C-

Nottingham: One game, one win, four goals. The Panthers are holding the fort nicely. Trouble is, they're also doing nothing more than holding position in mid-table, which is not acceptable to the fans of the Big Cats. A Challenge Cup semi on Tuesday will provide a welcome relief from the grind of the league, especially as the East Midlanders have a good chance against a wounded Newcastle side. You can't argue with a win though, so the Big Cats earn a...
Grade: B

Sheffield: Who woke the Steelers up? Playing against the two basement sides, the Steelers scored ten and let in two on the way to a four-point weekend which just about keeps them in touch with the top three. As a bonus, it also gives them a five-point breathing space over the Panthers behind them. Jeff Legue is looking better and better, and Joey Talbot is also potting the goals, so the Steel City is riding a wave of optimism right about now, earning them a...
Grade: A

Midweek games this week see Nottingham meet Newcastle in the first leg of the Challenge Cup semi-final, and Cardiff meet Edinburgh in the Sky game on Wednesday...

That's your weekend review...more tomorrow. Until then, keep keeping your eye on the puck...

Round The Rinks 16th November

This is a weekend that could see changes at the top of the EIHL, with any one of the top three in with a chance of coming out of the weekend as sole leaders of the UK's top league...so fans of Coventry, Cardiff and Newcastle in particular will be watching their rivals closely as the action gets underway. Here is the team by team preview for Friday 16th November...

Basingstoke: Here's something you won't have heard for a while-the Bison may well be fancying their chances of a four-point weekend. With Hull the visitors to the Silverdome on Saturday and a trip to a faltering Coventry on Sunday, the Southerners, boosted by the signing of David Vychodil to add goals from defence, are on a high after last weekend's four points and will be very tricky opponents for both sides. The stampede may be gathering pace for the Herd...

Belfast: The Giants have come over all warm and cuddly for their games this week, away on Sunday to Newcastle. They raffled off special Children in Need jerseys from yesterday's game against Cardiff in order to raise money for the cause, but the Vipers can expect no charity after the Devils prevailed on Thursday by four goals to two. Injuries are still a problem for the Giants, but with the Vipers also desperate to prove that their position at the top is not a fluke, the islanders will not exactly find it easy making more ground on their mainland rivals...

Cardiff: No-one can stop the Devils at the moment-another win in Belfast yesterday puts the Devils three points off the top with two eminently winnable meetings against Manchester (home) and Edinburgh (away) on the slate for this weekend and an outside chance of going top on Sunday night. With both opposition sides looking to break out of a slump, the Devils will be hoping that the form-book is proved right as they chase the Vipers and Blaze relentlessly...

Coventry: DON'T PANIC! Newcastle are the opponents on Saturday in the North East as Blaze look to gain revenge on the Vipers for their defeat last week which knocked them off the top of the EIHL-but the mood is tense among the Blaze faithful, with Barrie Moore definitely missing both games and several other walking-wounded. There's no let-up on Sunday as Basingstoke bring their revival spirit to the Skydome looking to pull off another big win, while at the same time increase the teeth-grinding among the Blaze crowd. The players will be well aware they have to perform, because the Sky Blue City crowd has got used to winning on the ice after being spoiled the past few years, and many of them don't have much patience when the results take a turn for the worse...

Edinburgh: The Capitals pulled off a huge shock last weekend by beating the league-leading Blaze, and they have the chance to do it again as they face two of the league's powerhouses in Sheffield and Cardiff. The Devils will not relish the trip to Murrayfield, but the Caps in their turn will not be overjoyed at facing the Steelers in their own barn, with both opponents looking to keep in the leading pack and Edinburgh continuing to drag themselves off the bottom. Scottish lionheartedness will be a major requirement for Doug Christiansen's men if they want to take anything from this weekend...

Hull: Jake Riddle survived the axe, but games against Basingstoke and welcoming Sheffield to Humberside promise another lean weekend for the Stingrays unless they can find goals from somewhere. Fast. Interestingly there has been no "we are prepared" PR blitz this week-maybe the Stingrays are now expending their energy in deeds instead of words. This weekend will tell...

Manchester: Cardiff and Nottingham are not ideal opponents to face when your team needs to get out of a slump. Joe Tallari has been carrying the load on his back for the Phoenix, scoring three and assisting the other two of Manchester's five goals last weekend, but now he needs help. With memories of the tight defence which led to such an encouraging start fading faster than the daylight in Manchester, winning either of this games would be an ideal pick-me-up as the cold begins to bite...

Newcastle: Sitting pretty at the top, a win tomorrow against Coventry would see the Vipers stay alone at the top for another week. Sunday sees Belfast visiting the MRA for the second of a home double-header. The Blaze will be hoping that their bitter rivals do them a big favour, particularly if the Vipers can continue their run of home victories at their closest challengers' expense...

Nottingham: It's not been a good week for the Panthers, what with Dwayne Hay, their "amazing disappearing import". They have a chance to build up some momentum going into Tuesday's Challenge Cup semi-final as they face Manchester in Altrincham on Sunday in their only game of the weekend, but with the Phoenix also looking for a morale boost, this game will be nothing short of a fast-paced war on ice...can the East Midlanders show they have the stomach for a fight after all?

Sheffield: The Steelers have lost ground slightly on the leading pack, and will be fired up as they attempt to take advantage of the weaknesses of their opponents this weekend, Edinburgh and Hull, in order to force their way back into the pacemaking group of Coventry, Cardiff and Newcastle. Now would be the ideal time for their offense's spearhead, Jeff Legue, to find the form he had before being injured-the Steelers must get a four-pointer this weekend in order to keep up the pressure..

So, the fixtures this weekend:

Saturday

Basingstoke v Hull

Newcastle v Coventry

Sheffield v Edinburgh

Cardiff v Manchester

Sunday

Newcastle v Belfast

Manchester v Nottingham

Hull v Sheffield

Coventry v Basingstoke

Edinburgh v Cardiff

Let's play hockey! :)

EIHL Daily Roundup...

;Apologies to those of you logging in expecting a Round the Rinks-that will now appear in time for tomorrow morning-I'm just using my break from work to post a few titbits from yet another day in the EIHL...

Vipers go top: In the only midweek game played this week, Newcastle beat Edinburgh 4-2 at the Metro Radio Arena last night, including two goals from local prospect Ben Campbell, in order to go clear top of the Elite League-they are now on 27 points with Coventry on 25 and two games in hand. The two teams face each other in the North East on Saturday in the EIHL game of the weekend...this just adds a little extra spice to what is sure to be a fiercely contested game.

Hay Panthers-we wanna know...where your import's gone?: Ooops. It appears that Panthers will not be welcoming Dwayne Hay to the NIC after all, as a recurrence of the injury that shortened his season last term has forced the Canadian into retirement before he even made it to the UK. This is a huge pity for him, but equally so for the East Midlanders as they now have to play at least a weekend with an import down. Mike Ellis is doubtless frantically searching the waste-paper bins in the Panthers office for Dan Tessier and Donald Maclean's mobile numbers as we speak...

Principles? Isn't that just a clothing store?: Not satisfied with simply saying one thing and doing another, my team the Blaze have now used the local media to slate the Elite League for turning down their appeal to be reinstated in the Challenge Cup-the Coventry Evening Telegraph story is here. As a Blaze fan, the continuing hoo-hah over this is somewhat embarassing-firstly because the Blaze tried to take the moral high-ground by saying that they wouldn't appeal, and then did so anyway, completely removing any sense of morality whatsoever, and secondly because, rather than accept the decision they've now played the "it's just because it's Blaze" card. Read this quote from Andy Buxton in the article...""You can bet if it had been us who had made the infringement, certain people would have been calling for the book to be thrown at us." (Yes, just like loads of Blaze fans have been on forums doing exactly the same thing with Belfast and Cardiff). Don't pretend it's just Coventry who take the flak...it just sounds like the spoilt kid at school complaining because they haven't got their own way.
Meanwhile, Mike Cowley says this...
""We've asked for the rules for the Challenge Cup to be up dated. Both games would have been forfeited if it had happened in the Elite League and it's only fair that the same rules apply for all competitions.". This conveniently fails to mention that, had the same rules applied for all EIHL competitions last season, the Blaze would not have been able to ask Jody Lehman to come in to cover for Trevor Koenig when Koenig's family suffered a major emergency (which thankfully turned out well) during the playoffs last season, and playing Stevie Lyle, who they eventually asked, would also have been somewhat dubious. (Admittedly, Lyle never played for the Blaze, but this was only because the Blaze goalie returned, with the blessing of his family, at the last minute).
For the record, it wasn't Shaun Johnson (Vipers centre) who played for Cardiff-it was the same Shane Johnson who played for Belfast and Sheffield. Nice bit of fact-checking.

And by the way...: Since the EIHL is an owner-run league, and Messrs Buxton and Cowley are both Blaze directors and thus will have at least one seat on the board between them-they had a hand in making the rules in the first place! It's like a gun-maker complaining about someone being shot-this whole thing is slowly descending into farce.

Steelers in trouble with arena: Well, maybe that's a bit alarmist. But there has been friction between the Steelers and the Hallam Arena recently, with the arena management refusing a weekend date for the Steelers and forcing a change to Ice Sheffield for a midweek game. Could a permanent move be on the cards?

That's your lot for today...Round the Rinks to come tomorrow. And don't forget-keep your eye on the puck...

Wednesday Wisdom...

And so here we are midweek, with more fun happening in the EIHL. Although we begin this round up with a mea culpa...

In my defence, I don't watch much TV...: I'm informed by Iowerth Jenkins that Rob Brydon, contrary to what I said yesterday in the lookalikes section, was not in fact involved in writing Gavin and Stacey-for some reason I was convinced he did have some part in it. But many thanks for the correction-if you spot any other factual errors on here (or indeed just want to debate any opinions I have) then feel free to let me know through the comments button or the email address at left...

...except when it's hockey: NHL hockey is back on our (terrestrial) screens-which means more late nights for me. Although I still gripe that they don't show my Pens enough, except if I get in from my traditional Wednesday night out early enough to catch the pre-game round-up.

Vychodil joins Basingstoke: Another change at the Silverdome, as David Vychodil makes the Bison (rather than the Capitals as rumoured) his third EIHL club in two seasons, replacing the concussed Dean Melanson, who leaves after playing injured the past few weeks. This is a good signing-Vych was just starting to find his feet in Coventry before being (unluckily) released for KC Timmons, and will get an almost immediate chance to prove he shouldn't have been when the Bison come to the Skydome this Sunday. If he gets that Biblically powerful shot of his on target, there'll be the odd anxious moment for the Blaze defence...

In Coventry, the end of the world is always just a loss away: Tonight's EIHL game sees Newcastle facing Edinburgh, both of whom beat Coventry last weekend despite being at opposite ends of the table. A Caps win and they pull off their second shock in three days-the Vipers win and they go top on their own with the chance to cement that lead as the Blaze make the return trip to the MRA on Saturday. Either way-if you read the reactions of some Blaze fans to the weekend, you'd think that the team were in serious trouble rather than having finally lost a game (or two) in regulation two-and-a-half months into the season. After, by the way, riding high at the top almost unchallenged since September. If Blaze suffer another winless weekend (or even if they only win one) then you get the feeling some fans with short memories will give themselves RSI from jabbing the panic button...

In other news, Blaze still have "no plans" to milk every cash cow for all its worth and then some: Despite saying they had no plans to appeal, the Blaze have today lost their attempt to be reinstated into the Challenge Cup at the expense of Belfast and Cardiff, both of who iced cup-tied players during the group stages, for which they were both fined. Thank heaven. The Blaze are unpopular enough already-had they gone on to win the cup despite being knocked out because they played badly, it would have really taken the gloss off the victory, and left a giant asterisk in the minds of many...

Hoch, hoher, Haie!: Just a quick DEL update-my Cologne team are doing a Belfast at the moment injury-wise...they always seem to have someone missing. Still, they're nicely settled in fourth, five points off the lead, despite losing to Mannheim 3-1 on Sunday.

In other news, press releases are just so much paper: If I were a Stingrays fan I'd begin to wonder about just where priorities lie in Hull...every day brings yet another player saying "we're nearly there" or "last weeks loss showed that there was something to build on", and yet still the team lose, and there's no real evidence of improvement out on the ice. If the league were decided on effort expended on PR then the Stingrays would be well up near the top, but it isn't...at the moment the Humbersiders can well be summed up just like Macbeth viewed life...
"It is tales told by an idiot-(they are) full of sound and fury, yet signifying nothing".
Although, saying that...having read a few of the Blaze press releases or views over the past few seasons, one could equally say that, at least in the game of getting your team noticed in the EIHL, the Witches had it right, or at least Macbeth did when commenting on them..."Fair is foul, and foul is fair"...
We will see this weekend, yet again, if the talking finally stops and the doing starts in the north-east...

And that's your Wednesday...I am working again tomorrow, so Round the Rinks will appear in time for Friday morning...

Keep keeping your eye on the puck...

Swings, Roundabouts and odds and ends...

It seems I was a bit hasty with the earlier post-there's more news, including proof in the first item that you shouldn't believe all you hear...Oh, and all the links are now working-I didn't manage to copy the URL for the Steve Pelletier pic properly, which ruined one of the lookalikes somewhat. :)

Panthers new player announced: And, as seems to be the law in Nottingham these days, he isn't a centre (that would be far too logical with the Cats currently only having one natural centre on their roster in Matt Myers), but a left wing. Dwayne Hay comes to the East Midlands after being cut by the Fresno Falcons of the ECHL. The 6'1, 203lb Canadian isn't exactly an inspiring signing after all the rumours of Don Maclean, particularly as his much-trumpeted (in the Panthers press release) "NHL pedigree" amounts to two goals and four assists with five different teams in 79 games, and his career season was comparable to that of most decent imports in the UK (29+30 in 62 ECHL games with the Pensacola Ice Pilots four years ago). Compare that with Adam Calder's career ECHL season (29+42 one season earlier), and bear in mind that many see Calder as a pure sniper rather than a creator, and you begin to wonder whether Hay will need to be fed the puck to be effective rather than be the feeder the Big Cats desperately need. Of course, he could prove me wrong and absolutely tear up the league, but let's just say this signing hasn't really been greeted with the anticipation MacLean or even Tessier would have been. Oh, and he's coming back from a season cut short by injury. Can you say "underwhelming?", Nottingham?

Capitals release Jeff State: Anyone need a big crease-clearing d-man? (Panthers and to a lesser extent Blaze, I'm looking at you in particular here). The Edinburgh Capitals have parted ways with their biggest (well, in height, anyway) asset by releasing the 6'7, 244lb monster that is Jeff State (press release here). In the few occasions I've seen him this season he didn't really do much wrong-yes, he didn't look too special but could probably do a job as a defensive d-man in this league if anyone's desperately looking for one until they find the one they really want. It's likely he'll be off back to North America, though. This of course opens the door for the recently-released David Vychodil to play for his third EIHL club in two seasons after being released by Blaze...

Elite League in lookalike frenzy!: Lookalikes (except those forced on you) are few and far between in the EIHL, but here's a couple that'll just about work...the first not so much facially but in the marriage of large shoulders with a waist that can only be produced by forcing it into a corset on a nightly basis...Firstly we have the Panther and ex-Bison Kevin Bergin, seen in a somewhat compromising position with the shirt flying free around his waist as per usual...and second, here we have him in cartoon form....

Meanwhile, it appears that Welsh comedian Rob Brydon, here in an off-ice pose, is also moonlighting as a defenceman for Nottingham. Not wanting to be bothered by autograph hunters (seriously, how many people would want a Panther's autograph? :)), he simply adopts a Canadian accent and calls himself Steve Pelletier. For proof, click here and then click on the second-to-last pic in the album. This would explain why the Big Cats faithful moan about his complete lack of defensive positional sense-you can't write comedy like Gavin and Stacey and play EIHL hockey to a high standard...

Up in Newcastle, the current fashion appears to be "a haircut you can polish shoes with", if Andre Payette (the one in black, for those of you unfamiliar with his "distinctive" look) is anything to go by. Still, I suppose it beats David Longstaff's single-handed attempt to make this kiddy TV legend (Pat Sharp, for those of you under the age of 20 or so) look like a fashion icon, simply by using a ton of chip-fat to slick the haircut down. It's always Fun at the Viper's House...

Finally for today, we have Roman Gavalier of the Giants, who appears to be taking inspiration from a famous German. Strangely, he also tends to launch himself into the air quite regularly with little provocation...it's a strange way to hit but he's been sorely missed by Belfast this season.

And so there you are in our brief burst of Tuesday randomness...keep keeping your eye on the puck...

Locker Room Chatter: Rosters, They Are A-Changin'

With apologies to Bob Dylan for that mutilation of his song title, here's your daily burst of Tuesday rumours, updates and general strangeness...

Panthers to announce Donald Maclean as new signing: No, not the aging singer of that karaoke classic American Pie, but the high-scoring centre who in recent years has torn up the AHL for Grand Rapids and made occasional appearances in the NHL for Detroit and Columbus. I mentioned his name as an outside chance when it appeared that Dan Tessier was the front-runner, but now all the talk in the East Midlands has the 6'3, 216lb centre as their man, after the Canadian left Zurich (Swiss Elite League) last week. On paper, Maclean looks scarily good-it'll be interesting to see how he'll fit in if he is indeed the man Nottingham are looking to to resolve their woes on the forward lines.

Changes imminent in Hull: Now, it seems, the patience of Rick Strachan is finally running out. With power-forward Jake Riddle missing last weekend after being involved in an "off-ice incident" which left him with a "facial injury" (draw your own conclusions), he would seem to be on slightly shaky ground, and indeed, according to some on Humberside has already been released. The Hull Daily Mail has published an article all but stating that changes are due, blaming injuries, but surely poor performance will be a factor. We shall see.

Panic in Bracknell: With David Taylor narrowly averting a wholesale strike by the Bees squad last weekend, one wonders just how deep the problems have sunk in the off-ice management of the EPL powerhouse. The events going on are eerily similar to the whole Basingstoke saga, so with statements being released almost daily, and conflicting reports of just who's been paid and how much depending on who you listen to, it'll be a while working out just what is going on in Berkshire...

Dagenais and Matsos under pressure?: Sheffield, you'd think, are cruising along nicely. But with Dave Matsos reportedly saying that he fears for his job, Steelers fans are looking for scapegoats, and much-hyped d-man Randy Dagenais is the name coming up again and again on the forums...perhaps a situation to keep an eye on rather than an immediate change, but interesting nevertheless...

And that's your lot this Tuesday...keep keeping your eye on the puck..

Double Overtime, 12th November

This week we look back on a weekend which saw the title race get closer, form teams keep going and the return of the Bison...here's the team-by-team review for the 12th November:

Basingstoke: What a difference a new owner makes. Nine goals (including a shutout win on the Saturday), a win away in Manchester and a new mood of optimism at the Silverdome. The Bison, if not likely to challenge for the title just yet, have at least turned the corner. With Curtis Cruickshank returning, Mikko Puntorakanen making what was by all accounts an impressive debut weekend, and Danny Stewart and Steve Thornton carrying the goalscoring load, coach Ryan Aldridge can now show what he can do with a team of settled and happy players-it will certainly be fun for the Bison faithful...A four-pointer this weekend earns them...
Grade: A

Belfast: Here's another team whose fortunes are on the turn for the better. A win against the Steelers in the Odyssey was followed by a gutsy win in Hull, with the Stingrays taking them to a penaly shoot-out before falling in the tenth round of shots. With Scott Cameron the first to return from the Giants long injury list and playing well in his return to action, there is finally optimism in the Northern Irish camp. As for the grade, you can't argue with four points, even if two of them are against the slumping Stingrays, so the Giants earn..
Grade: B+

Cardiff: The Devils are seriously hot right now. 12 wins from 13 games after another two this weekend makes them the team to fear at the moment, and the two this weekend were good ones, beating Manchester away before dismantling the Panthers with six goals at home on the Sunday. Mike Prpich opened his account, and Max Birbraer is finding the scoring form of last season, so it's hard to bet against this run continuing, which is bad news for the three teams above them...The Devils continue to be among the top grades with...
Grade: A

Coventry: It's amazing what two losses can do...sections of the Blaze fanbase (maybe those with short memories) are now in outright mourning because their team has been proven to be mortal this weekend. Summing up their reactions-the home loss against Newcastle on Saturday was greeted with "OK, we can just about accept that" but losing up in Edinburgh on the Sunday has seen the big red PANIC! button pressed by some as they look for a scapegoat. Admittedly it wasn't the most pleasant weekend of hockey ever from a Sky Blue City perspective, but already players are being lined up for the chop by some fans-notably Barrie Moore. The Blaze will have an immediate chance to bounce back as they face Newcastle away next Saturday-doubtless there will be some harsh words spoken in training this week after two listless performances, which combined earn the Blaze a...
Grade: C-

Edinburgh: Meanwhile, north of the border, there are calls for a public holiday after the Caps finally broke their losing streak. And what a way to do so-beating the league leaders 3-1 after a shutout loss in Basingstoke the night before. They are still anchored to the bottom of the table, but the Capitals will take a huge boost from last night's result as they look to get their league campaign off the ground after a nightmare start. The win against the league leaders bumps up their grade to a...
Grade: B-

Hull: On the other hand, Hull would love a boost from somewhere. Two more defeats mean the Stingrays are still in free-fall as the nights darken...the one positive is the point gained in Belfast. More press releases are flowing from Rick Strachan this week saying that things will have to change soon, but is anyone reading them any more? The Stingrays, I'm afraid, are still down at the bottom with a grade...
Grade: D

Manchester: What has gone wrong in Altrincham recently? The Phoenix lost both this weekend despite Joe Tallari having a five-goal weekend-trouble is he still isn't getting any real help putting the puck in the net, at leasy not on a regular basis, and while this state of affairs continues the Phoenix will always be beatable. Losing to the Bison and the Devils, both at home, is not the best way to cement your playoff ambitions...thus, they earn themselves a...
Grade: C

Newcastle: An up-and-down weekend for the Vipers as a superb and well-earned win in Coventry on Saturday was followed by a 4-1 loss in Sheffield which dented their chase for the Challenge Cup and mean they'll face Nottingham in the semis. Actually, that's not such a bad thing at the moment, given the teams respective records...The Vipers can go top by themselves if they beat the Capitals on Wednesday, before returning to face the Blaze at home next Saturday. The win against the Blaze alone, however, is enough to earn the Vipers a...
Grade: B

Nottingham: Just when is the Panthers' title challenge going to start? Seriously? A win against a slumping Stingrays (fairly predictable) was followed by a tanking down in Cardiff (also fairly predictable). The Panthers aren't really the best side if you're looking for consistency, but then, if you've watched ice-hockey in the UK for any length of time, then you'd know that already. Admittedly, the Panthers have an import forward to come in to replace the temporary measure that is Mike Ellis, and should that be Dan Tessier (or someone equally creative) then things may change for the better, but at the moment the inconsistent Panthers get...
Grade: C

Sheffield: At least the Steelers have confirmed their Challenge Cup qualification after beating Newcastle on Sunday-a fact which will be some consolation after their loss in Belfast saw them drop to third in the league. There's some in Sheffield who are caling for changes-and Dave Matsos was apparently seriously unhappy with the result and indeed the performance in Belfast-could changes be on the horizon? The qualification for the CC Cup bumps up their grade a little, but the Steelers still only earn themselves...
Grade: C

This week, the midweek game is Vipers vs Capitals, as Newcastle have a chance to go top by themselves...It could be interesting to see if there are any changes in any other teams this week-it's not exactly been quiet on the player-movement front so far...

Check back tomorrow evening for more hockey chat, and keep keeping your eye on the puck...

More Music Fun...

Following on from this and this, I'm passing this Sunday afternoon with a few more music recommendations for rinks around the UK...On with another ten top tracks first of all..

Evanescence - Going Under: Amy Lee's soaring voice, the crunching guitars and general energy of this song make it perfect for a warm-up-there's a few other Evanescence songs that could have made the cut, including the worldwide hit that was Bring Me to Life, but this one is an absolute gem.

Rancid - Time Bomb: It's just happy...the chorus is infectious and you can just generally enjoy the rock-party dancealongness of it.

Nightwish - Wish I Had An Angel: Gothic rock at its finest...fast, heavy and yet melodic enough not to scare those who may not be used to this "proper" hockey music. And of course you have the opera-trained Tarja Turunen to well and truly test the speakers with her amazing voice...

Kittie: Run Like Hell: A metal cover of the Pink Floyd song, worth it just for the chorus of "run...run...run...run...like hell!" And they're four Canadian girls as well...:) I would have picked Brackish or Spit ahead of these two when picking Kittie songs, but we don't really want to scare people too much...:)

Skid Row: Youth Gone Wild: Just because.

Pantera: Walk: Oh, yes. Fight song par excellence, this one-particularly if one of the players has bottled it at the last minute. It's worth having because it's the ultimate "come on then" song to ratchet up the hostile atmosphere somewhat. You could also use Cowboys from Hell, or, if you're not worried about the complaints, then there's always Fucking Hostile...
"Re! Spect! Walk! Are you talkin' to me?!"

30 Seconds to Mars: Attack: Another one that is on there just because of the words in the chorus. ("run away, run away...")

Cobra Starship: Snakes on a Plane: Rattling along for three minutes, this one is for all the emo kids (of which I am one)...:)

Enter Shikari: Anything Can Happen in the Next Half Hour: And this one is for the new-ravers...:)

Rage Against the Machine: Wake Up: For that intro...Some would pick Killing in the Name Of or Bullet in the Head, but I'd have this one...

Weekend review coming tomorrow...

Round the Rinks, 9th November

Once again, it's time for the weekly race round the EIHL rinks of the UK as we preview the weekends' action, team-by-team...

Basingstoke: This weekend, for the first time in ages, the Bison come into the weekend on a high. With a new owner attending his first weekend in charge, the players will be wanting to impress as they take on Edinburgh at home on Saturday, and Manchester away on Sunday. These games are both eminently winnable (the Phoenix away game on will likely be the trickier one, however), and with Curtis Cruickshank making his long-awaited debut, along with new signing Mikko Purontakanen, there is a real sense of optimism in Hampshire for the first time since the first few weekends of the season, which will make an already hard-working team formidable opponents for the two northern sides...

Belfast: The games keep coming for the injury-ridden Northern Irish-Sheffield and Hull are not teams you want to face when your players are hurting. The Steelers visit the Odyssey with only victory being an option in order to keep them in the title race, while the Stingrays, meanwhile, need to win in order to keep them from slipping into the basement battle with Edinburgh. Two points from this weekend would be a bonus, four would be a lot to ask from this Giants side. But with Peter Campbell on fire recently, if the Belfast defence can hold out, there may be a shock for the confident Steelers, and/or more misery in store for the Humbersiders...

Cardiff: Manchester and Nottingham are the opponents for the Devils this week-with the trip to Altrincham on the Saturday followed by the visit of the Panthers to the rink by the Bay. With the Welsh side now up to fourth and hoping to continue that rise up the table, neither opponent will be relishing the meetings-especially as they are immediately below the Devils in the standings and desperately need the points themselves. After their excellent four-point weekend last time out, the Devils will be fired up and ready for the different tests posed by both sides. A four-pointer for the second week in succession is a definite possibility...

Coventry: Saturday's home date against second-placed Newcastle is another huge game for the Blaze, with the Vipers poised immediately below them in the table. With Adam Calder joining the list of the walking wounded this week, the Blaze will not be relishing the Vipers physical style, and there may be more than a few aching limbs on the trip up to Edinburgh on the Sunday...Even allowing for the debut of new signing K.C Timmons, neither game will be a pushover (the Vipers game will be a physical and vicious battle in itself)-could this be the weekend where the Blaze's unbeaten home record (in competitive games this season) finally falls?

Edinburgh: The Caps, on the other hand, will be happy with just the two, or indeed any points from their games against Basingstoke and Coventry-both sides on something of an upswing at the moment. However, with the Blaze facing Newcastle the night before, they may not relish dragging their aching bodies on the long trip north, and the Caps will also be looking for revenge after capitulating to the Bison at home last week. Certainly neither side will be taking the Scots lightly...but can the Caps finally reward their staunch support with a win or two?

Hull: Two tricky games for the Stingrays this week-first they make the trip to Nottingham hoping for a slightly better scoreline than the 8-2 reverse suffered on Humberside last week, before welcoming Belfast to the Hull Ice Arena. Forward Rob Rankin plays despite dislocating his shoulder last weekend, and once again the press releases are saying all the right things, but it would still take a shock to get points in the NIC. The home date against the Giants isn't the easiest of games either, injuries or not-it could be another barren weekend in the shadow of the Humber Bridge...

Manchester: The Phoenix, boosted by their new signing Luke Stauffacher, have two games in front of their home crowd, and they should be good ones as Cardiff and the buoyant Basingstoke are the visitors. With the Phoenix able to potentially gain two places this weekend if results go their way, they will want nothing less than the four points-the trouble is, so will the other two sides. Joe Tallari finally has some scoring help-will it be enough to fire the Mancunians up the table this weekend?

Newcastle: The Vipers face a weekend which could define their season-a trip to the team immediately above them in the table, followed by a game to decide Challenge Cup semi-final qualification. Coventry are the opponents on Saturday at the Skydome, and Sheffield welcome the Vipers on the Sunday, in two of the toughest places for opposition sides in the EIHL. Win on Saturday and the Vipers go top, win on Sunday and they leave their chances of silverware wide open. Lose one or both games and their chances of trophy success, even this early in the season, diminish. It's that simple. You can guarantee that Rob Wilson's bruisers will hold absolutely nothing back-the question is, can they keep their discipline? If not, then they will come out of this weekend a lot less optimistic than they are going in.

Nottingham: The Panthers, without one of their talismans in the released PC Drouin, face possibly their easier game on the Saturday as Hull visit the NIC, before they make the trip across the country to face Cardiff in South Wales on Sunday-two games in which wins are vital in order to avoid charges of mid-table mediocrity. With Mike Ellis returning to fill the gap, the Big Cats will at least be at full strength. However, this hasn't automatically translated to wins this season (or indeed ever) so it will be interesting to see if the East Midlanders can finally start to begin their title challenge this weekend...it's better late than never...

Sheffield: And finally the Steelers, who face Belfast away on Saturday in a game they'll probably expect to win, before the massive Challenge Cup game against Newcastle on Sunday at the Hallam Arena. It is a measure of how much the league has changed that the Vipers game is currently considered the tougher one, and indeed the one which at this stage of the season will have the most impact on the chase for silverware. Rest assured that either way, Remembrance Day in the Steel City will provide an absolute feast of a game for hockey fans...

So, a full list of all the fixtures, then (Elite League unless stated)

Saturday

Basingstoke v Edinburgh

Manchester v Cardiff

Belfast v Sheffield

Coventry v Newcastle

Nottingham v Hull

Sunday
Manchester v Basingstoke

Sheffield v Newcastle (Challenge Cup)

Hull v Belfast

Cardiff v Nottingham

Edinburgh v Coventry

Let's play hockey...:)

The Nightmare in Bisonland Is Over...

...but across the county line in Berkshire it may be just beginning. The rumour mentioned yesterday which linked Basingstoke with a Swedish saviour was, it appears, accurate, as David Taylor has been forced out of the Silverdome in favour of Tomas Enerston, a Swedish IT company owner who is new to the UK hockey scene. The news was announced as the man himself addressed around 350 fans at an emergency Fans' Forum in Basingstoke this evening, along with a new arrival for the Herd in Mikko Purontakanen, a defenseman from the Finnish Elite League who is on a 4-week trial to cover for the injured Kyle Peto. The news has been greeted with great joy by Bison fans, and well it should be, as the demise of Bison was looking more and more likely in recent weeks. On a personal note, I'm overjoyed by this, partly for the reasons in this post but mainly due to the fact that the last thing British hockey needed (and still needs), having gained a bit more exposure through the Sky Sports deal, was one of its clubs in the top league to go bankrupt. The new owner has made a positive first impression, with Bison fans praising his forthrightness and honesty when admitting that success would probably not come straight away, as well as his personality. Judge for yourself as BBC Berkshire has coverage of the fan's forum and a short interview with the new owner here-reading it and listening certainly gives a very good impression indeed, particularly with quotes such as...

""If there's bad news, you'll hear it. If there's good news, you'll hear it. It's going to be a very, very straight line."

Now that sounds like a man who intends to keep the fans fully up to date with what's going on-one of the major problems which seem to afflict several UK clubs, particularly when it comes to bad news. And as for marketing-

"If you don't tell anybody you're playing hockey, they don't know you're playing hockey. Marketing is what's needed on every level."

Are you listening, Elite League, and indeed every club within it? It seems that a lot of clubs (yes, including mine in Coventry) do so much and then stop. In this world, push, push, push is what's needed-there have been strides made this season, certainly-but here is a man who knows what is required to make the sport a force in this country.

"Look at the website, it looks pretty good, there's business names and you think oh, good, there must be sponsors. But you've only got one sponsor. An Elite hockey team with one sponsor, and do I need to say it's not even a major sponsor? It's one sponsor."

Ouch. But this is certainly straight-talking of the highest order.

On first impressions (and with Mr Enerston appearing live on BBC Berkshire tomorrow evening, those can be cemented or changed still), it appears that the Bison have a rough diamond. Hockey fans of at least one Southern team will certainly sleep far easier from now on...

But it's not all rosy. With David Taylor's company Berkshire Sports Marketing Ltd now clearly in trouble, fans of his "other" team, the Bracknell Bees, are surely seriously worried by events in Berkshire this week. With the players now in open revolt against the ownership, as detailed here, the Taylors have released a statement which is markedly similar to that released two weeks ago or so regarding the Bison issues-although the language is noticeably friendlier. It appears that the issues may be resolved for this week at least-however, with the current EPL champions facing such uncertainty and an owner who has clearly lost the trust of his players, fans are already wondering if the Bees could face the same uncertain period as the Bison have recently, and if so, who could be found to save them.

One thing is for certain from reading the various forums-the Taylors are now distrusted by a large number of fans of their former and current clubs, and things aren't over in Bracknell. However, for the Bison at least, things are finally starting to really look up...

Keep keeping your eye on the puck...

An apology in advance...

Just to let you all know, I've finally found myself a job of sorts, and given that I'll be working tomorrow (from 6am to 4pm-hurray), the Round the Rinks for this week may not appear until fairly late on Thursday (likely around 7pm)-I've noticed that I get a fair few visits during the day, presumably from people who are also at work, so I'm just warning people in advance not to be disappointed...

Meanwhile, have a read below for the latest round-up of rumours, news and everything else from the EIHL (and some of the EPL)...

Keep keeping your eye on the puck...

Locker Room Chatter: Rumours and Ramblings

Changes continue apace in British hockey, with David Taylor under pressure from both of his clubs, some signings for Manchester, and more names to throw into the pot for Nottingham...

Manchester sign their new sharpshooter: And here he is. Or at least who the strong rumour is according to a poster on the Steeltalk forum-some say PC Drouin will make his way up the M1 after being released by the Panthers, but Luke Stauffacher is the hot tip. With 42 goals in the UHL last season and the fact that he was on the same team with Phoenix's current resident spark-plug, Sean Starke, there is certainly a very good chance this could be the man the Phoenix are looking for as they try to complement their strong defence with lethally-accurate shooting...

Panthers linked with more names: Dan Tessier is still the front-runner as the NIC side look to replace PC Drouin with a scoring centre-more so now that his team Duisburg have signed a Norwegian centre apparently out of the blue. However, with Mike Ellis mentioning in the Nottingham Evening Post that the centre is likely to be new to this country, ex-NHLer Donald Maclean is another name that's been thrown into the pot after being released from his club in Switzerland. A very long shot (yet still possible if the Panthers are looking to save themselves some money in order to fund a top d-man, but only then) is Taras Foremsky, who tore the EPL up last year with Peterborough but was released earlier this week after coaching differences. Finally, the new centre could come from the DEL, but not from Duisburg as expected-with the big Canadian Cam Severson, recently released by Straubing, an option mooted if the Panthers decide to go for power to complement the skill of Sean McAslan and Johan Molin.

Bees in "no pay, no pay" threat: This season just gets worse in the home counties. With David Taylor already up to his neck in fan anger with the problems in Basingstoke, now it comes out that the team he's been running for several years in Bracknell is also under threat, with players going public in the local press about not being paid. Taylor has insisted that the problems are not as large as reported, but given that he said the same thing about Basingstoke (in a long statement which I analyzed here), just how many people will believe him?

Belfast and Cardiff to be fined: Both teams played cup-tied players in several Challenge Cup group games this season (Belfast with Peter Campbell and Stevie Lyle (ex-Basingstoke), and Shane Johnson for Cardiff (ex-Sheffield). The league appears to be stopping at just paying fines, but the complaints are loud from Blaze fans in particular, some of whom claim that their team should go through with the Giants being excluded, as the two cup-tied players had a direct influence on the 1-1 draw which prevented the Midlands side from qualifying (Peter Campbell scoring the Giants goal). As a Blaze fan myself, it seems to be somewhat clutching at straws-the Blaze were simply not good enough in the vast majority of CC games this season, and to qualify by default seems a bit of a let-off, particularly if they then go on to win it...

Hull injury worries eased: The Stingrays were worried after second-top points scorer Rob Rankin was forced out of Sunday's game against Manchester with a dislocated shoulder. However, the American winger has said he intends to be back this weekend in order to try and help the Humbersiders out of their current slump, which will be a much-needed boost to the north-east club.

Simms all but concedes title: Dave Simms is ruffling feathers again, but this time at his own club, as he has appeared in the Sheffield press stating that, despite his side currently being just four points behind the table-topping Coventry Blaze in third place, the title race is already all but over for the teal-and-orange men...an opinion which is curious even for him. To my mind it's just a bit of reverse-psychology. We shall see what effect, if any, it has over the next week or two...

And that's your daily update of all things EIHL...keep keeping your eye on the puck...

More Swings and Roundabouts...

Quiet week because of no midweek games? It would appear not...

Panthers release P.C Drouin: This one comes right out of left-field...we knew that there was a chance the Cats would make changes, but releasing a returning Panthers legend, one of their top earners and an assistant coach to boot is a drastic change, which has split the Panthers fanbase right down the middle. My thoughts are the same as a lot of others in that it's more a case of needing the money than Drouin himself not performing-there are several players on the Panthers roster that were rumoured to be for the chop ahead of the Quebec native. Of course, this does make the return of Dan Tessier, as mentioned here , a little more likely-although with the Panthers' main woes this season in conceding goals rather than really scoring them, a big d-man is also another possible option. Knowing the Panthers crowd, though, the calls for a natural centre such as Tessier (or indeed Trevor Gallant, who performed so well for them in the playoffs last season) in order to kick-start Sean McAslan and Johan Molin will be growing louder and louder...Drouin himself, meanwhile, is apparently being courted by Manchester, who just happen to be in the market for a speedy goalscorer...

Colin Hemingway to Vipers?: Things continue to look a little less than rosy for the Capitals, with their best player this season linked this week with a move just south of the border to Newcastle. Sergiy Rublivskiy has been taking some heat for not scoring as often as expected, and Hemingway would be an ideal replacement for the Russian. With Caps' prolific centre himself supposedly saying he's prepared to stay and ride out the storm in Scotland, however, this one may be on the back burner.

Bison saved by Swede?: The Bison saga takes another twist, with a fans' forum being called unexpectedly for this Thursday. Rumours are yet flying around of a takeover bid by an owner new to this country-one who is rumouredly also interested in the Cardiff Devils. The weary Bison fanbase are finally allowing themselves to hope for some good news-we shall see on Friday morning whether there will be celebrations or wailing and gnashing of teeth in Hampshire...

That's all for now-keep keeping your eye on the puck...

Double Overtime, 5th November.

As fireworks crackle in the sky and the smell of smoke hangs everywhere on this Bonfire Night, we look back at a weekend that saw at least one barn-burner and plenty of explosive games...here we go with another team-by-team review of the weekend...

Basingstoke: One win, one loss for the beleaguered Hampshire side, as they came out on the wrong side of an 8-4 game in Cardiff on Saturday (complete with a spectacular brawl twenty-three seconds from the end-it seems that these two teams just strike sparks off each other after their brawl in Basingstoke last month) before gutting out a 5-4 win in a dead rubber CC game against the Giants on the Sunday. It really is a testament to the heart of the Bison squad that they continue to play hard each week despite not knowing from week to week whether they'll be paid, or even if the team will exist. Once again the Bison are graded on more than just results, as they earn themselves a
Grade: B-

Belfast: With almost as many walking wounded as your average episode of Casualty on their bench, the Northern Irish side could be forgiven for expecting a tanking at the hands of Coventry on Friday. Instead the Giants played well in order to grind out a 1-1 draw which not only puts the Blaze out of the Challenge Cup, but also makes for some bragging rights in the rivalry between the two sets of fans. A loss in Basingstoke on Sunday isn't the greatest way to finish their cup campaign for another season, but despite this the Giants earn a:
Grade: B-

Cardiff: Someone's lit a fire under the Devils. Two more games, two more wins, including an awesome defensive performance away in Nottingham in order to gut out a 2-1 win after scoring eight past the Bison the night before. The Devils are now up to fourth in the league from 9th a few weekends ago, and making their presence felt as they breathe down the necks of the leading pack. For their 10-goal, 4-point weekend, the Devils earn themselves a coveted:
Grade: A

Coventry: My, was this a nervy weekend for the league leaders. Their fingertip grasp of the Challenge Cup slipped away on Friday as they produced an uninspired performance at the Odyssey in Belfast, before the Steelers pushed them all the way in a 3-2 win at the Skydome on Sunday in what was one of the best games at the Skydome (and will certainly be the best game in front of the Sky cameras to date) this season. Only the width of a post prevented the Steelers from taking the game into overtime as Joey Talbot pinged the pipes twice in the closing stages, but thanks to goals from the electric duo of Adam Calder (2) and Dan Carlson, the Blaze stay on top. There'll be a few sighs of relief around the Sky Blue City this morning, and because of this the Blaze only earn...
Grade: C

Edinburgh: Shut out at home by the Vipers in their only game of the weekend, the Caps have hit rock bottom, with only three wins from fourteen league games. Changes surely have to come soon in the Scottish capital, with pressure growing on Doug Christiansen to turn things around. The bright new dawn in Edinburgh has, so far, only produced a long and rainy day, with no break in the clouds in sight. Sadly for the Caps faithful, their team hit rock bottom in the grading this week (barely) with the dreaded...
Grade: F

Hull: And it isn't much better further south on Humberside. The Stingrays suffered a mauling from a rampant Panthers side on Saturday as Nottingham (8 goals) and Patrik Wallenberg (who got himself four of them) ran completely riot at Hull Ice Arena. The Humbersiders did regain some pride by taking Manchester to overtime before losing 2-1 on Sunday, but the PR machine will have to work even harder in order to cover up this grade...
Grade: E

Manchester: The Phoenix lit up the Steelers for five goals at the Hallam Arena on Saturday, but unfortunately their stingy defence seemed to take the day off as they conceded six. On Sunday, however, it was back in full effect as the Altrincham crowd saw their team eventually break down a dogged Stingrays side for a two-one win. Challenge Cup group B is still wide open, and the Phoenix, who are poised to announce the signing of a goalscorer to complement Joe Tallari this week after the release of KC Timmons, are still in the hunt. Thus they earn themselves a...
Grade: B-

Newcastle: One game, one win for the Vipers-a professional performance saw them notch up the first qualifying spotnfor the semi final from Challenge Cup Group B as they took a 4-0 win away from Edinburgh. With a big weekend coming up, the Vipers are poised to move up a gear in the charge for silverware. A professional performance earns them a...
Grade: B

Nottingham: Weekends like this sum up the frustration of being a Panthers fan. The Big Cats destroyed sorry Hull on the Saturday, notching eight goals while conceding two, but then fell to Cardiff at home by two goals to one in another example of them not being able to beat the good teams often enough-something which has dogged the NIC residents for years. Had they won against the Devils, the East Midlanders would easily have earned the best grade for this week, but their continuing inconsistency only earns them a
Grade: C+

Sheffield: The Steelers fans had a rollercoaster ride with their team this weekend, as they outlasted the Phoenix for a 6-5 win at the Hallam on Saturday before giving the Blaze a huge scare (and indeed being unlucky not to take at least a point) at the Skydome on the Sunday,eventually losing 3-2 (but not before Joey Talbot scared the living hell out of me twice in the final five minutes). Keeping in touch with the leading pack and two vital points in their Challenge Cup campaign means the Steelers earn...
Grade: B

There are no midweek games for a change this week, so it'll be a week of off-ice ramblings on here until the weekend preview on Friday. Keep checking back, and remember, as always: Keep your eye on the puck...

Locker Room Chatter: Swings and Roundabouts...

It's been a weekend for player movement, with several players now appearing in a new uniform for next weekend-here are the moves and some rumours, and reactions to them...

Ben O'Connor to Edinburgh: As predicted last week, the young British defenceman, who has been very impressive so far this season playing for the struggling Basingstoke Bison, has moved north of the border to shore up the Caps blue-line. This is a superb move by the Caps, because O'Connor is big, fast and ridiculously polished for an 18-year old at this level. He may not turn the Scots' season around by himself, but he will be able to step in and add some bite to the defence immediately. And boy, do the Caps need it after a 4-0 loss this weekend...

KC Timmons to Coventry: This is...interesting. The Manchester Phoenix released him after yesterday's meeting with the Hull Stingrays, and he immediately (well, as of this morning) ended up on the Blaze blue-line, at the expense of a former teammate in David Vychodil. Given that he's switched back and forth between forward and d regularly in his time in the UK, he's certainly versatile, but he's never really stood out in the numerous times I've seen him on the opposition. As a fourth d-man who tends to just quietly get on with the job and do it competently but not spectacularly, perhaps he'll prove me wrong and prove a much better fit than the big-shooting Czech. To some degree this seems to be more tinkering for tinkering's sake rather than any urgent need on the Blaze's part, however-certainly Vych never did anything wrong in his time at the Skydome...We shall see.

Bison dead in the water?: It gets worse for the situation down south-I've been hearing in chatter round the ice-pads that the Hampshire side will be "lucky to survive two weeks" at the current level of spending, which raises the question of whether the EPL's Bracknell Bees will also be affected, since the two clubs are owned by the same company and thus the same directors. The Basingstoke faithful had something to cheer over the weekend as their team forced out a 5-4 win against the Belfast Giants on Sunday, but this, if true, will certainly put a damper on things...

Blood In The Water...

...and it appears the sharks are circling.

Ben O'Connor (see the rumour post below) is the latest player to leave Basingstoke as confirmed here, which makes two in as many days after Slava Koulikov was released on the signing of Curtis Cruikshank. Panic is beginning to spread in Hampshire as rumours spread of players not being paid for three weeks and refusing to train until they get paid, while posts like this are becoming the norm on fan forums all over the Internet. I cover the ongoing difficulties on Basingstoke in posts here, here, and here, with the Taylors (Bison owners) responding to the concerns here. Over the past few weeks things, while not exactly rosy, have at least looked better in the deep south, but now the silence is deafening from the ownership, and Bison fans everywhere are seemingly bracing themselves for the worst.

Off on a personal tangent here-some of my best memories of watching hockey come from following the Blaze down to Basingstoke-not so much because of the games themselves (although, in the eight years Bison and Blaze have been in the same division, the Silverdome has always been a fairly happy hunting ground) but because of the feel you got from the place. Sure, the rink isn't the best-it's bloody cold, the puck can get lost in the rafters and the view from the away section is only tolerable if you're right down the far end thanks to the siting of the DJ box. But it's a hockey town-the crowd aren't the biggest but they're passionate, the team always work hard, and unlike some teams (Hull, anyone?) you never go to a game thinking "oh, God, it's Basingstoke tonight", no matter how low in the league they may be.

In Coventry we've been pretty lucky-we've watched other teams die slowly and said "oh, how terrible" (although Manchester, one of the teams, has now returned and is running nicely), but for some reason this one has worried me more than all the others, maybe due to the fact that games against the Bison have become a part of mine and others' personal hockey landscape, like that friend who you just get used to having around. They may not be the best, the funniest or the most lively, but even so, when they're not there for whatever reason, everyone notices their absence, and the parties or whatever event is taking place are the poorer for it.

I have the feeling the Bison (along with the Capitals, perhaps) are that "unsung friendship" team for a lot of fans (or will be if they do go bankrupt), whether their team is in the Elite League or used to face them in the old BNL-and that's why it would be such a tragedy if the team were allowed to die.

For now, though, the Bison survive, although few people know for how long. For the sake of hockey in the UK, I hope it will be for many years...

Keep keeping your eye on the puck...

Locker Room Chatter: Big Cats on the prowl...

I should rename my rumours section-the in-season rumours are flying around again after a quiet couple of weeks, and we start with someone making their traditional appearance...

Return of the Prodigal Tess?: Dan Tessier is off to Nottingham. Or Sheffield. Or Belfast. Depending on who you ask. This one comes from no less a source than Dave Simms, who in his usual "mischievous" fashion mentioned that Nottingham have contacted their former star centre as things are not going well for the little speedster in Germany this season, and he's not exactly popular in Duisburg. Panthers fans have reacted to this news with an almost-universal "yes, please!"...with this a flavour of the comments from the Cage Forum...

" any player who can provide Shaun Sutter (!) with a 35 goal season is clearly an expert setup man." (This one made me laugh a little...:))

Some are claiming that he's selfish and only interested in himself, but this comment put that into place, also from the Cage...

"Anyone playing for self-glorification who can post 70+ assists on an average EIHL side is my kind of ego-maniac."

It makes sense as a rumour-Nottingham are crying out for a creative centre, and the prospect of Tessier feeding snipers of the calibre of Sean McAslan and/or PC Drouin will raise the screaming ab-dabs in opposition defences. Money could stop this, though.
Mark it as a "possible"

Ben O'Connor to Edinburgh: Another Bison strays from the Herd? It's possible, especially as Slava Koulikov has also recently been released from the Bison. According to Dave Simms (that man again) this is already a done deal with the young (but very polished already) d-man set to make his debut this weekend...
Mark it "very likely"...

Edinburgh to announce new signings on Monday: Fact, as it's come from the Capitals webmaster. No details on who or who goes, but the changes are finally happening north of the border...

That's the two biggies...admittedly not much of a rumour-fest but rosters are all but settled for many now...

Keep keeping your eye on the puck...

Round the Rinks 2nd November

This lateness is becoming a habit-I might just move the preview day to Friday unless there are any midweek games...This weekend, however, has some pretty important fixtures, so let's get on with the team-by-preview without further excuses from me...

Basingstoke: The Bison finally have a starting goalie. And, somewhat unsurprisingly, it's Curtis Cruickshank, who returns to the rink where he made his reputation in Britain for the third time. He's being thrown in at the deep end with a tricky game against Cardiff on the Saturday, before a meaningless (now that neither team can qualify) Challenge Cup game against injury-ravaged Belfast on the Sunday marks his home debut. Dan Green has performed heroics for Bison recently, so the Canadian has much to live up to, and as if that wasn't enough, he'll have the Bison hopes of a resurgence now they've replaced at least one of the gaping holes in their roster resting on his broad shoulders...

Belfast: Two dead games for Belfast this weekend, at least in terms of their own hopes in the Challenge Cup. However, with the outcome of the group resting on tonight's game against Coventry at the Odyssey, the Giants will be hoping to stir their battered roster into putting one over their bitter rivals. As mentioned above, however, Sunday's game against Basingstoke will be a chance for the British players on Giant's roster to get some ice-time as the walking wounded (not that there are many of them with the Giants only able to ice 12 outskaters) in red, white and teal are given the chance to heal their wounds in anticipation of the league campaign beginning in earnest next weekend.

Cardiff: Two tricky league games for the Devils this week, as they welcome Basingstoke at home before travelling to Nottingham on Sunday in a battle of two of the league's under-achievers. The Welsh side won't be taking the Bison match lightly, and certainly going out with a point to prove against the Panthers, as they look to ride their recent good form further up the table and kickstart their challenge to the top three before they open up too much of a gap...

Coventry: This is a huge weekend for the Blaze this early in the season, as they face a do-or-die game against Belfast tonight in the Challenge Cup, followed by one of their biggest title rivals as Sheffield come to the Skydome on Sunday. As several players are still carrying injuries and playing hurt, it'll take more than just firepower for the Blaze to win this weekend-guts, guile and grind will be the order of the day. With captain Sylvain Cloutier leading by example by continuing to play his hard-hitting game despite carrying a ruptured stomach muscle (!), however, this team is resilient as well as lethal in front of goal, so if any team can take a four-pointer in this situation, they can...

Edinburgh: It's do-or-die time for the Caps this weekend, with the whole team playing for their jobs as they face high-flying Newcastle at Murrayfield. Last time the two teams met, the Vipers edged the Scottish side out by four goals to two-a win in this game will show just how much motivation the two weeks notice has given the leagues basement side...

Hull: Boosted by the return of enforcer Cole Byers to the lineup, the Stingrays try to turn those close losses into wins this weekend, but it won't be easy as they face Nottingham and Manchester, both of whom need the points themselves in order to keep in touch with the leading group. Can the Stingrays suffocating style finally start paying off, or will their lack of firepower tell yet again, particularly against the stern defence of the Phoenix on the Sunday?....

Manchester: With qualification for the Challenge Cup semis still wide open in group B, the Phoenix will look to put themselves in the best possible position with a win against Sheffield on the Saturday, which as a side effect will make the Steelers' qualification much less certain than it is currently-this is a game which the Vipers, as the third team with a chance to qualify from that group, will be watching closely. On Sunday the Phoenix face Hull for the umpteenth time so far this season, and will be hoping for another confident performance in front of their home fans to keep in touch with the title-chasing pack.

Newcastle: The Vipers are joint-top, and will be doing their level best to stay that way as they travel to Edinburgh for their only game of the weekend, hoping that the Caps will still be reeling from their capitulation against Basingstoke last week. With the Blaze also only in action once in the league this weekend, the Vipers could go top by themselves if they win and Sheffield do them a favour against the Blaze on Sunday, so they won't be in the mood to show the Scots any mercy...

Nottingham: The Panthers face Hull and Cardiff this weekend as they hunt for some consistency and some morale-boosting points against two sides immediately below them in the table. The Big Cats faithful finally had something to be pleased about last weekend as the Panthers nicked a 1-0 victory against the Blaze, but these are games that the NIC residents will need to start winning now if they have any serious ambitions of challenging for honours this season.

Sheffield: Just like Coventry, the Steelers face a big weekend and will be hoping to produce offensive fireworks on the ice this weekend, rather than just watching them bursting over the Hallam Arena. Manchester are the visitors on Saturday before the top-of-the-table clash in Coventry on Sunday-a four-point weekend will mean that Monday's celebrations of Bonfire Night will really go with a bang around the Steel City...and it just may light a fire under the rear-ends of their title rivals also. With the Steelers at full-strength and Ashley Tait returning to the club he captained to five trophies, Sunday's game in particular promises to be an absolute barn-burner...

So then, the fixtures in full...


Friday
Belfast v Coventry (Challenge Cup)

Saturday
Hull v Nottingham

Sheffield v Manchester (Challenge Cup)

Cardiff v Basingstoke

Sunday
Nottingham v Cardiff

Manchester v Hull

Edinburgh v Newcastle

Coventry v Sheffield

Basingstoke v Belfast (Challenge Cup)

Let's play hockey...:)

More hockey horrors...

You can tell it's been a slow day at Breakaway HQ, can't you? After the post yesterday about comedy looks in the EIHL this season, Matt pointed out that I'd missed Joe Tallari's effort in the Bad Facial Hair Hall of Fame. Perhaps this is because the shifty forward is always moving too quickly for me to catch it, or maybe I was hypnotised vs the Phoenix by the boy-band refugee that is Brian Passmore, but, as Matt says, that truly is epic-observe the way he's left it bare under the nose just so...

I also forgot this gem-it's Andre Payette rocking the kinda-sorta-mohawk. A long way from his time at the Blaze, where his matinee-idol highlighted hair clashed somewhat with the rugged bruiser underneath...

Making a run at Joe Tallari's "interrupted" image is Patrik Wallenberg of the Panthers. Has someone just drawn on his face with a crayon and forgotten to fill in a bit? The style in itself you can get away with-but at least try and make it all the same length...

Finally, we have the Bison's Steve Thornton. Great, great, player. But awful, awful dentistry...

One addition to the Halloween costumes mentioned below, by the way...and it goes across the Irish Sea.

Zombie: Troy Neumeier (Belfast): If you've seen the Giants' veteran d-man skate, you'll know why. He moves with all the pace and shambling gait of one of the newly-undead attempting to catch a screaming maiden. The difference is, this time she'll get away. Much like the vast majority of opposition forwards do, given a bit of space...

Now I really am done-I have to prepare myself for a night with horrific, scary hooded creatures who hunt in packs, attack without mercy and growl in voices no human can understand. That's right-I'm braving a trip to Coventry City Centre for a night out with my rocker friends, and we're already stocked up on garlic...:)

Back tomorrow with Round the Rinks as per usual-until then, keep keeping your eye on the puck...

Halloween Hockey, or Things That Go Bump On The Ice...

Notice that chill in the air? It is, of course, All Hallows Eve today-a day when traditionally all beings scary, nasty and horrifically ugly are allowed to romp and play for the last time before All Saints' Day breaks the day after. Obviously in recent years a few of those beings have slipped through the net after Halloween though, as the continuing presences of Jeff Legue (scarily good) Brad Voth (big and nasty) and Ed Courtenay (well, this one should be obvious) :) on the rinks of the UK will testify...

One of the major fun parts of the 31st October for many, though, is the excuse to dress up. And those players, referees and club staff we go to watch at the rinks of the UK are no different...So here's some ideas for costumes for them. Picked with the greatest of care, naturally.

A Donkey: Andre Payette (Newcastle): Well, it's only fair-after all, that's what everyone outside of Newcastle (and even some inside) seem to think would be the perfect costume. According to many he wouldn't even need to act.

An Executioner: Robert Stancok (Nottingham): Anyone who's ever seen him swinging that stick of his into the bodies of opposition forwards will know that, when it comes to wielding a weapon, the Panthers' Slovak d-man has no equal. Good job the "blades" of these sticks aren't razor-sharp.

The Grim Reaper: Adam Calder (Coventry): Seriously-has anyone ever seen him smile during a game?

An Angel: Todd Kelman (Belfast): No other costume would suit this paragon of virtue, who never does anything wrong and thus is perfectly entitled to protest violently from the bench at every single penalty given to his team. And if he takes a penalty himself? Better get the earplugs ready...

A Devil: Danny Stewart (Coventry): Stewie just loves to cause trouble-one of the few players I can think of who will be pushing and shoving with a grin on his face. And no-one is better at the cheeky little tap with a stick which is just soft enough not to be called a slash...

Chainsaw Kid: Peter Campbell (Belfast) : Just have a gander at his picture on the Belfast website. That serial-killer stare was last seen on Michael Myers in Halloween, I think...Just try not to make him angry.

Town Crier: Dave Simms (Sheffield): Well, town criers like to shout a lot whether people are listening or not, don't they?

Pinocchio: Simon Mangos (Manchester): Ed Courtenay was the obvious choice here, but given that he's still to come further down, instead we pay tribute to the nasally-advantaged Phoenix defenceman.

The Baby: Ed Courtenay (Belfast): Toys and pram are optional extras-especially since you would be spending half the night picking the toys up from where they'd been thrown. And a grown man spitting out a dummy could really do some damage if he managed to hit someone, so you'd probably have Health and Safety on your back as well.

Damian, The Omen child: Jake Riddle (Hull): Look at him. He looks about twelve years old (although slightly big for his age). But as soon as he gets on the ice, all that innocence disappears.

There you are, for now...don't get too scared this evening, and keep keeping your eye on the puck...

Hearing Things...Odds and Ends

Apologies if this post is somewhat disjointed-it's more to clear up several odds and ends from the last week or so in British hockey than anything else, and ranges from dirty hits to music to idiot footballers-turned-pundits. Also included is a very angry French-Canadian...

Last night the DJ saved my life: Well, nothing so drastic, but surprising nevertheless. It appears that my "hockey music" rants have either struck a chord, or maybe someone was just feeling a bit rebellious, but either way I was amazed and pleased on Sunday night to get a nice long burst of "Master of Puppets" (one of my ten songs every rink must have") during a outbreak of pushing and shoving in the Blaze-Hull game. Not only that, but the rink also rang to "Dressed to Kill" and even a very brief burst of Rammstein. Now, if we could just leave that infernal "Chelsea Dagger" to Nottingham, then things could really start looking up for us rockers at the Skydome. They'd still have a way to go to beat Manchester though-Matt informs me further that even their intro gets a nice burst of Saliva behind the intro video...and for the electro fans there's Depeche Mode amongst others.
Keep flying the flag, Phoenix-and hopefully the other rinks will follow suit...:)

In other news, football involves a lot of overpaid young men chasing a pig's bladder around a glorified park: Or, at least it does if you use the same "only use stereotypes" approach as Talksport DJs Adrian Durham and ex-footballer Ian Wright, who described ice-hockey as "nothing more than men dancing and fighting on ice" amongst other things. Ian Wright's pearl of wisdom was "it's cold in there. Although I guess it has to be otherwise the ice would melt". Aside from the obvious fact that neither of them have been seen around the rinks of the UK, I wouldn't mind seeing them saunter up to, say, Chris Pronger (6'6, 210lbs) and challenge him to a game of "dancing on ice" just to see how long they'd last. It's been mentioned that the EIHL should respond to this by offering the two "experts" concerned tickets-I have a feeling they'd suddenly be too busy watching a Ryman League game to accept. But come on, EIHL-at least try to change this image in the media...

NHL's "crackdown on hits from behind and/or to the head" is working. Honest: After all, there's only been three serious injuries caused by head hits since the NHL announced that they would come down harshly on offenders. The latest one is Patrice Bergeron, who was the victim of this hit three days ago. This follows Dean McAmmond on the end of this atrocity from Steve Downie last month, for which Downie got 25 games, and this assault from Rick Rypien on Mathieu Roy two days afterward, for which Rypien got...nothing, as far as I can tell.
But hey-so long as the sports anchors are talking about the sport on US TV, even if they are all saying that it's dangerously violent, then who cares?

"Hold me back! No, seriously...I'm really angry. Look-I'm making scary faces and everything!": Are there many sights more entertaining than hockey players pretending to be angry? We were treated to just such a sight on Sunday at the Skydome as Sylvain Cloutier went utterly gonzo at Paul Cabana late in the third period, requiring two linesmen to prevent him breaking free after the Hull forward said something. Cabana obviously realised he'd bitten off more than he could chew as he disappeared pretty quickly behind Jake Riddle and then put up only token resistance to being held back on the boards as Cloutier fought to get to him through a scrum of players while Riddle fought to get through to Clouts to back up his team mate. While all this mayhem was going on, involving Cloutier and Riddle exchanging cross-checks before being separated by being bodily dragged away, you could almost see Cabana, a short distance away from the mayhem he'd started, talking to the referee...
"That's it, grab my arm-I'm gonna pretend to shove you now, look startled...that's good...now I'm going to go left-block me-no, look like you're trying hard...there you go..."

And finally, in the spirit of Halloween: Is it just me, or are the players this year some of the most entertaining-looking in a while? Ever since Scott Young's flowing blond locks disappeared from the UK rinks, comedy looks have been few and far between. However, this season at the Skydome we've already had Ryan Smith's (Belfast) lanky serial-killer locks, Scott Fankhouser's (Manchester) natty little "fifties movie villain" 'tache, and, top of the heap, Rob Rankin (Hull) with his 70's porn-star goatee, which led to people round me making "He's come to fix the fridge, not play hockey" jokes every single time he came down our end. It seems the facial hair silly season has started early this year, and almost makes up for Mike Garrow (Cardiff) shaving off the goatee which made him a dead-ringer for Chuck Norris in his last spell in Wales-although, frankly, there's still time for him to grow it back.

Perhaps, some time in the future (i.e tomorrow) I'll come up with "top ten Halloween costumes for hockey players", but until then, keep keeping your eye on the puck...