Midweek Musings...

Rather than the long introduction, we'll just go straight in today...

The first section of the post today has been changed slightly in response to the comment on the post-as it read that I was belittling the efforts of the Blaze players on the night rather than referring to the financial situation that made it possible to sign players of their ability in the first place...



In real life, the underdog never wins...Unfortunately for excitement in British hockey, as well as the rabid Basingstoke faithful, there was no Cinderella story last night as Coventry finally won themselves the KO Cup by simply overwhelming the Bison on Skydome ice. It's the first time a title victory has actually left me faintly depressed...sure, the Blaze fan side of me is pleased, but the UK hockey fan side of me saw more evidence of a sport in which money, more than anything, is becoming the dominating factor in winning trophies. Now, people will no doubt turn round to me and say "no it isn't, Sheffield haven't won anything, and they're one of the biggest budgets in the league". But the whole point is that they're always in the race. And the reason that so many (non-Coventry) fans wanted Bison to win was that, just once, it would prove that heart, desire and hard work is more important to success in British hockey than how many people you get through the door (and thus dictates just how good a roster you can sign), just like we're always told. Unfortunately for the sport in the UK, last night's result can be seen as just more proof that it isn't.



And now for a short musical interlude to introduce the next item:



"I didn't wanna know the things I knew...

It wasn't till I looked into the mirror...

Denial"

Sugababes: Denial



With the Sky TV coverage this season, once again the hope is flying around that hockey can become a mainstream sport in the UK-there's widespread optimism everywhere, hard work being done behind the scenes and some people are even claiming that hockey could one day become as mainstream as rugby or football, surpassing its media heyday in the mid-and-late 90's...



Sorry, but, with the sport the way it is in this country and following the trends it currently is, it won't. In fact, unless there's changes in the way things are done, it could go back the other way...just like the "new dawn" that was the Superleague.



I want to believe things are improving. I look at the Sky TV coverage and think "yes...", I look at the strides made at clubs like Basingstoke, Manchester, and Edinburgh in the EIHL and Slough in the EPL and think "yes...". And then I look at some of the actions of the league, and dig a little deeper, and think "no"....



Let me explain. Firstly we have the KO Cup-a competition originally brought in to fill time left open thanks to the unexpected demise of London Racers in the 05/06 season. A competition which two teams don't even enter thanks to ice-time issues. And yet this is pushed by the EIHL as important as the other three competitions. It's a waste of time-and I say that as someone whose team won it. Yes, this season there was some interest brought into it thanks to the Bison's run and some fine performances, but as a competition? Scrap it-or it'll just be a blight on the hockey landscape when trying to explain just why one of the "elite" trophies on offer is a KO competition which two teams have to stay out of in order to actually make it work...If you want a KO Cup competition, forget the Challenge Cup group stage and turn it into a straight knockout starting at Christmas, with the last two teams in the league by a set deadline being eliminated and the other eight going into a series of 1st v 8th, 2nd v 7th etc. The key, however, is that this deadline is at, say, the end of November. That means you don't have the pointless situation of playing the same team twice in a weekend but the points counting for different competitions, and also means that the KO rounds aren't decided based on who happens to win the first six games of the season, but who is more consistent over two months. And no-one is guaranteed participation. Certainly it would make those early-season games a LOT more interesting than just "finding their stride" as teams have to perform right off the bat.

But wait...that chops three home games from the schedule...which means less money coming into the big clubs. That's that idea vetoed then...

Secondly, we have the issue of two different governing bodies, and two competing leagues (not to mention the confusion of the "lower" leagues) all with different rules and regulations, and their own competitions. You could drop a plate from a third-floor window and it would end up less fragmented than the organisation of British hockey.

Thirdly-how do you sell a sport to the media when there are two leagues claiming to be the "real" top division in British hockey, or where rules are made up by the owners of the teams themselves in order to suit a particular situation? Or where some clubs say one thing and do another? Where there are some owners actively holding the sport back, or seemingly lying to their customers (ref: the Taylors at Basingstoke).

I know I'm beginning to sound just like every other disaffected columnist out there, and it's probably boring to those of you who've read this all before.

But to me, the facts are simple. Unless those running British hockey stop treating their leagues like their own personal playthings and actually see the people who come through the rink doors as fans rather than walking wallets, and find a way to stop the ever-escalating abuse of the wage-cap (EIHL) and seeming incompetence and double-standards when it comes to the rules (both leagues) people will start to think their hard-earned money may be better spent elsewhere, particularly, in the current economic climate, if ticket prices rise much over the £15 level (a level already reached by Manchester and now Coventry) without a noticeable improvement in league standards from where we are now, both on and off the ice...

And on that sobering thought, we end.

Keep keeping your eye in the puck..

Tuesday Thoughts. Or KA-CHING!

Apologies this has appeared slightly later than usual...have been out earning myself some extra money in order to put by for next season's first game ticket. Although a decision on the mortgage it looks like I'll need in the near future for them will take a while...

I warned that this post was going to be quite long...and be warned now-if you don't like opinions which may be slightly controversial to some, or are involved in running a UK hockey club and have a sensitive disposition, you may not like what you're about to read. I've been mulling this issue over for a while, but this post was finally sparked into life by two things-one, a email asking why I had "stopped being controversial" (I never thought I had, as anyone who's seen Omar Ennaffati play (apart from me) may testify, but hey ho...:)) and two....

Disclaimer: I apologise for making this post very-Blaze centric, but if you remove the "Blaze" name, it could easily be your club this off-season. Furthermore, this is not a personal attack at any person, nor are the statements anything other than my own opinion. All figures (with the exception of this and next season's Blaze ticket prices, are approximate.

"2 minutes for a vicious slash to fan's wallets": So, the Blaze are the first club to announce next season's ticket prices, apart from Newcastle who are already offering theirs on sale. For comparison, the (adult) price for my first game of hockey, in the BNL, versus the late-lamented (BNL version) of the Paisley Pirates, was £8.50 in 2000, and a season ticket was seemingly unreachable luxury for me at £200 or so.

In 2004/05 that same ticket was £12.50 or £280. After the treble year, the expected price hike never really materialised-50p or so on a matchnight, £25 quid (ish) on a season ticket. Not bad, considering inflation and all-especially as a huge thing had been made of how the team were sustaining themselves perfectly well and thus the price stayed stable...in fact, it even stayed the same the year after thanks to a mediocre season (by Blaze standard)-and almost offset the grumbling about the chopping of NUS discount due to "operational reasons and abuse". Almost. This season, it went up to £13 and £300. Not bad...

Now, comes the hammer blow that has been inevitable since the team became successful. To watch a Blaze game next season, you'll shell out £15 a game, or £335 for a season ticket.

Erm...what?!

That means, if the Blaze PR of "needing to stay competitive" as a reason for the raises is to be believed, that expenses have risen, in one season, by two pounds per 1500 paying customers (3000) plus 35x500 season ticket holders (1675)=4675 pounds per week. Or nearly 20 percent.

And I'm sorry, but that is, and I apologise for the one instance of swearing you'll ever see in this blog, bullshit.

On the surface 35 quid for a eason ticket (or 50 quid if you pay after May) doesn't seem like much more, particularly when you bear in mind the improvement that this ticket will actually cover all the league home games. Hwever, miss two league games (30 quid) due to other commitments, and that saving all but goes down the toilet.

OK, so student tickets return. But that essentially means that some will be paying the same price as they did this year. So bye bye saving.

Then consider where these expenses will rise.

Wages? Nope. Wage cap tightening means that the cap goes up by 300 quid a week. Or, 50 quid per player. So, 500 season tickets, and that's wiped out.

Rent? Maybe. But given that the Blaze are not likely to be paying anywhere near as much to rent the Skydome as the arena teams (who will no doubt have similar prices) do, you can offset that.

Merchandise? Come on. What do you think profit margins are for? If you really believe that that horn (tube with a Blaze sticker) cost that much to make, then I've got a bridge to sell you might be interested in.

Staff wages? Given that the majority of matchnight staff are unpaid and most hockey teams double up when it comes to off-ice personnel roles the numbers ain't high in terms of people to pay. But they're getting a 15% rise in pay this season, with the recession looming? You believe that? Cause I don't. If they are, then we're all in the wrong jobs...

Interestingly, through a friend I was able to see a (very basic) summary of the Blaze's accounts for the year 2005 and also the year 2006-the company made a fairly hefty loss. If you look at the tickets for Blaze games, the name of the company presenting the team is different to two seasons ago (Coventry Blaze Ltd as opposed to Ice Cold Promotions). That tells me one company has been wound up and another created to run the team...and you don't close a successful company.

Draw your own conclusions.

I apologise for making this post very-Blaze centric, but if you remove the "Blaze" name, it could easily be your club hiking the prices-and you have to wonder just how far they'll go, particularly with a recession looming, before even the diehard hockey fans start spending their money elsewhere, particularly if the results on the ice aren't as good as expected. Has hockey pricing in this country eached its peak for a while now-and just how would you react if your team bring in a similar price price hike this season?

I guess the simple question is What's your love of hockey worth to you?

I shall be following on from this tomorrow as well as reviewing the BKO final-apologies for the lack of One Minute Preview, but this issue has dominated my hockey-related thoughts, and I simply thought it needed treating in depth...

Keep keeping your eye on the puck...

Double Overtime, 17th March...

Happy St. Patrick's Day to all the Belfast fans who read this blog, and indeed anyone else of Irish descent. Slainte!...as they say in the Emerald Isle...

Anyway, on to the review of a weekend which in some ways summed up why it's best not to have a team dominate the league and have everything over early...as mentioned in Round the Rinks on Friday, there were a fair few games where only pride was on the line and not really much effort put in beyond fixture fulfilment (example: Sheffield-Belfast on Saturday night, a game which is normally pretty feisty, went thirty minutes before a penalty of any kind. Meanwhile, Omar Ennaffati must have been galvanised by his selection in my All-Under-rated team last Tuesday (which surprised just about everybody) as he answered his (many) critics (or at least began to, perhaps) by scoring twice and earning himself MoM honours on Sunday night in Manchester's win against the Capitals...

Anyway, on with the other interesting events of the weekend (of which there are a few). Sunday night in Coventry saw a game where, by all accounts, the playoff race may have hinged on, as Basingstoke's nine men pulled out an amazing 4-1 win thanks to another rearguard action worthy of Rourke's Drift, with Curtis Cruickshank stopping fifty shots, including twenty in the final period. With Edinburgh losing their game away to Manchester, the only real interest in the league for the final weekend is the epic battle for the final playoff place, with Bison and Edinburgh facing each other in what could be a winner-takes-all clash next Sunday.

In other games, Hull won! The Stingrays beat Cardiff by five goals to three in order to gain a little respect and prove they weren't just "going through the motions" although there's a chance Devils might have been. Belfast are winding their league season down with a whimper, losing twice, while the Devils, Newcastle, Coventry, Manchester and Nottingham all won one, lost one. In fact, only Sheffield came out of the weekend with four points, beating the Giants and the Panthers in the penultimate two games of their home league campaign.

Does anyone else get the feeling that, with the exception of Basingstoke and Edinburgh, no-one (at least from the clubs themselves) really gives a puck about these last few league games? With the playoff matches not for another week or so and yet already decided in most cases (the only question left involves whether Coventry face the Bison or the Capitals), do the players have the right to just go "sod it, we'll go through the motions because, after all, people will still come and watch us" as certain Coventry players appeared to be doing at times last night? Is it any wonder that attendances drop before the playoffs when not even the players seem to want to be there?

This week, however, sees the interest go back up (a little) thanks to the second leg of the KO Cup final tomorrow night-a game which I have a sneaking suspicion (and no doubt many a neutral fan a hope) that Basingstoke will be rewarded for their struggles this season with a trophy-that is if they can defencd their two-goal league from the first leg. Check back tomorrow for a One Minute Preview of that game, as well as a rambling answer to the question that many hockey fans bring up whenever anything media-related is mentioned:

"Can hockey in this country ever grow beyond the level it's at now?"

And of course, keep keeping your eye on the puck...

Round the Rinks...with a difference...

Welcome, one and all, to the last-but-one "normal" Round the Rinks of the season (the playoff quarters will see previews of each match-up rather than team-by-team) and it's a tricky one for me to write, because for several teams, the season is effectively dead until playoff time, at least as far as league play is concerned. At the top, Coventry are champions and Sheffield are, if not nailed-on, at least well in the driving seat for second. In the middle, Cardiff, Manchester and Newcastle are all in the playoffs, with the only question remaining being who their opponents will be (and even those are fairly cut and dried in the case of all but Cardiff and Newcastle, who could face either Nottingham or Belfast depending on results) and at the bottom Hull's season is over, and quite frankly I'm following a fair few Hull fans in simply not being willing to waste my time with them for much longer this season-there's only so many times you can write "Hull are only playing for pride...oh, wait, they've lost twice/they've won and restored a little pride (which we'll no doubt hear about ad nauseam in press releases leading up until next week)" before getting heartily sick of it.

What all this is leading up to is the fact that things change this week-the way I see it there's no point in doing a "team-by-team" breakdown, as the vast majority would read some variety of "team x play team y and team z. With the league position all but decided, team x will be looking to keep a good run going and build up some momentum before the playoffs"

And quite frankly, that's boring, and I'd feel a bit of a cheat were I to simply bang one of those columns out on autopilot...so I decided to focus on the issues that are still undecided and give them their own Round the Rinks in "newspaper article" style...

So what interest is left in the league season beyond the final shakedown of positions (which is all but settled apart from the cases detailed from now on anyway). Well, there's the fast-becoming-epic battle between Basingstoke and Edinburgh for the last playoff place, which took another twist on Wednesday as the Capitals lost 3-0 in Cardiff to keep the Bison in the race. The battle for third is another intriguing one-Nottingham and Belfast keep switching places in the battle for the bronze medal...Manchester also have an outside chance of sixth should they beat Cardiff and win all their remaining games, with the Devils losing theirs. However, with apologies to the Phoenix and Devils fans, due to the unlikeliness of this happening (Phoenix could win all their remaining games but I can't see the Devils losing all theirs), we're leaving that battle on one side...

Let's deal with the playoff race first. The Bison Nine only have one league game this weekend (Saturday night is reserved for a challenge game against Bracknell which seems to be nothing more than an excuse for both teams to relax and take a night off their respective league action). It's away at the same Coventry team who they beat in the BKO Cup final on Wednesday, and with the Blaze aiming to avenge the defeat they suffered and definitely not fancying being beaten on home ice (which would give the Bison a massive psychological boost going into Tuesday's second leg of the final). Meanwhile, the Capitals face a tough weekend trip to Manchester in their only game of the weekend as 7th and 8th (at the moment) face each other. With the Phoenix uncatchable in 7th and three games left, a win is vital, and will all but put the nail in the coffin of the Bison's playoff hopes should the Caps win and the Bison lose in Coventry.

Meanwhile...

In the battle for third place (subtitled-the battle for Mike Ellis's future if Neil Black is stupid enough to let his control-freakery rob him of the best coach the Panthers have had in a long while...) Nottingham face Hull and Sheffield, while Belfast also face the Steelers as well as Newcastle, both away. At first glance, Nottingham have the better weekend. However, now that Hull have seemingly finally decided to play a little and actually try and win games, the Giants would like nothing better than the "not-so-deadly" Stingrays to actually find themselves some offence in the same way they did against Manchester last week, and Steelers would fancy nothing better than putting the boot into their rivals one last time at the Hallam Arena...With the Vipers having nothing more to play for than personal pride and their paychecks (the second of which they receive win or lose, whether they try and avoid injury or not), the Giants have two games in which they can go a long way to give Ed Courtenay a decent leaving present in his last league campaign in Britain...

So there you have it-the games to keep an eye on are...

Saturday:
Sheffield v Belfast
Nottingham v Hull

Sunday:
Manchester v Edinburgh
Coventry v Basingstoke
Belfast v Newcastle

All of the others are, if I'm honest, little more than dead rubbers of no interest unless you happen to be a fan of the team involved (and, in the case of Newcastle/Coventry, even that's pushing it a little).

So there you are...a Round the Rinks with a difference. As always, keep keeping your eye on the puck...

Thursday Thoughts and IceTunes...

And so on we go this Thursday evening with another skate around the British hockey world...and in the spirit of IceTunes we begin...with a song (or two).

"Just for tonight...just maybe we've made it..."
One Night Only: "Just For Tonight"
or...
"I...I can be king. And you...you can be queen. We can be heroes...just for one day"
David Bowie: "Heroes"

Both songs are, of course, dedicated to the Basingstoke Bison, who did what no-one (perhaps even their own fans) expected them to do last night and outplayed the recently-crowned league champions (sorry-had to get that in there. :)) Coventry Blaze to take a two-goal lead into the second leg of the BKO Cup final. When you bear in mind that their starting goalie (Curtis Cruickshank) and several of the nine outskaters who did ice were carrying injuries, that achievement becomes even more impressive. The final score was 4-2 to Basingstoke, but that doesn't give the full story of a game which the Blaze apparently dominated, but were held out by a rear-guard action worthy of Spartan legend. More serious from the Blaze perspective than the score (two goals is a difficult, but still just-about-surmountable deficit if luck goes their way at the Skydome) is the news that top defenceman (and possibly best-in-the-league) Neal Martin is finished for the season after injuring his shoulder taking a massive (but by all accounts perfectly legal) hit from Derek Campbell...could make the Blaze a slightly more attractive proposition in the playoff campaign for the teams fighting it out for eighth...

Order of humble pie, table two: Adding to the gloss of the victory for Bison fans was the presence of Dave Simms in his capacity as Sky commentator, only a few days after his comments in Powerplay magazine about the Bison "cheating" other teams by only turning up with half a roster. To his credit, Simmsy has said he is willing to discuss his opinion with any Bison (or indeed any other) fan who wishes to-but you can't deny that allowing the Bison Nine to see his comments before the game would have been one hell of a way to produce the epic performance that resulted-particularly if told the man himself was in the building...

Another EPL team...in Oxford?!: Rumours floating around the Internet say that there could be a new team playing out of Oxford (joining the ENL Stars, the women and university teams, and several armed-services and other recreational teams) in the EPL shortly-the rumour has all sourced from a post on the Stars ENL forum. Trouble is, this would make for an odd number of teams in the league, and we all know what havoc that plays with fixtures. However, with many students (some who aren't exactly strapped for cash) in the city and an established tradition of ice-hockey, it could work if someone is willing to lose a fair bit of money in start-up costs...and would certainly be good for the sport...

Crank up the carousel...: It's the time of the year when re-signings start to happen, and two big ones have been announced today with Dave Matsos returning as Sheffield coach for two more years and Brad Cruikshank committing to play in Basingstoke for the same period. Both are good signings-Matsos is improving all the time as a coach in Sheffield, and appears to have found his feet and settled into the role, while down in Hampshire, Cruikshank is the embodiment of everything which has seen the Bison through this season, as well as being a huge part of their success himself as captain-he's a hard-working, hard-hitting, hard-as-nails player who fits the Bison style of play perfectly and has led by example since being given the "C"...Expect to see more of these in the near future as the transfer merry-go-round shakes off the dust and prepares to turn as wildly as ever in the off-season...

And ending as we began...it's IceTunes! The weekly list of recommendations of songs to turn up loud whenrocking your ears on the way to hockey returns...with a few more gems...

The Slip: Even Rats: This is an modern American prog-rock stomper, so good it was judged good enough to be a hidden song on Guitar Hero. At six minutes long it's perhaps a little lengthy..but will do for a pre-game song just to set the tone for the rest of the evening (or as a warning of heavier stuff to come...

Silbermond: Verschwende deine Zeit (Throw Your Time Away): Don't let the fact it's in German put you off-this is a fast-paced pump-up song par excellence...

Plain White T's: Hate: It's a penalty song for the...shall we say...more colourful opposition players when they come to the Skydome. And there are few that fit better when the crowd are jeering and there's a frank exchange of views flying back and forth between the benches and the crowd...

Arch Enemy: Revolution Begins: Possibly too heavy for most tastes, but if you're in a bad mood, stick this on. It works..:)

Pantera: Cowboys From Hell: Just because.

Strata: Cocaine (We're All Going to Hell): It rollicks along nicely in a kind of emo-metal-electronic crossover-this tale of a drug-fuelled hook-up which ends badly (read-very badly) is dark and angry. Perfect for hockey, really...

She Wants Revenge: Tear You Apart: Not quite as bloodthirsty as it sounds, but still as dark in its own way as the one above...

Girls Aloud: Teenage Dirtbag: With all the heaviness going on above, you need a bit of lighter stuff just to cheer people up-and the five popstrel's cover of the Wheatus classic will do nicely. It sounds so wrong...until you actually hear it...

And there you go-there's your Thursday Thoughts. Check back tomorrow for the last-but-two Round the Rinks of the season, and, as always, keep keeping your eye on the puck...

Midweek Musings...

On we go, wasting little time, into another burst of Midweek Musings..

At least now we know what that annoying buzzing in the North East is:...it's the long-awaited return of one of the greatest names in British hockey, the Big Blue Machine that was the Durham Wasps. Despite being out of existence for over ten years after being "stolen" from Durham and moved to form the Newcastle club which, despite several name changes, is the one that competes today, there is still a hardcore of supporters in the North East who consider Durham the "true" hockey town of the North-East (although Whitley Bay and possibly Sunderland would no doubt argue), and have campaigned ceaselessly for a new rink in Durham after the "historic" (read: old) rink was torn down. Finally, their efforts have born some fruit, as for one night only the Wasps will return, facing Whitley Bay in a game to publicise the campaign and strength of feeling. The game is planned for Sunday May 4th, with more details to follow...

More fuel for the Flames: Following on from yesterday, I notice, looking at attendances, that Guildford regularly get far more fans than several EIHL sides-and yet they still claim they don't want to compete at the top level? As someone who fondly remembers trips to the Spectrum back in the days where Blaze-Flames was a huge rivalry, and the way the place tended to rock (although the incessant scream of "Guild-ford!", which was the only chant the crowd seemed to know, tended to get right up your nose) I'd love 'em back. If nothing else it would add a bit more variety to the EIHL, which might bring a few who are drifting away from the game back...

One man's "under-rated" is another's "bloody useless": Amusingly, the Phoenix readers of this blog appear to disagree with my categorising Omar Ennaffati as under-rated-this has forced me to reconsider somewhat as I'm only basing my views on the times I've seen them play-which is obviously a lot less than those who see him week out. Although it does raise the issue of perception-personally I think that players such as Troy Neumeier are far, far over-rated by many, but the human supertanker seems to be quite popular among Blaze fans. Although there's a little mea culpa in here-I'm somewhat embarrassed to admit that I really wasn't sure about the KC Timmons signing earlier in the season, but watching him every week has really opened my eyes to his ability...so, sorry, K.C...And as for Mr Ennaffati...please prove me right...:)

Tanking it? Surely not...: Sometimes, I just get the feeling the hockey gods enjoy making me look silly. And last night was another such case: the Bison lost 7-0 to Nottingham in a game in which they were also missing Curtis Cruickshank. This is somewhat uncharacteristic for the Bison to lose so heavily...but with one eye on the final tonight, perhaps understandable...If Cruickshank plays tonight, then the Bison have a chance. If he doesn't, it gets a little harder, but, as I said last night, nothing brings the best out of a beleagured team like everyone writing them off, and most people have already done that with the Hampshire side...

And finally...
He's getting married in the morning...: Well, not quite-more the summer, but George Awada and his other half Andrea are up for the "Bride of the Year" award in Ireland (the whole of Ireland) and are now into the "public vote" section. It could make for some decent hockey exposure if they win (plus, you get proof that, aside from his hockey abilities, the big Belfast forward also has good taste in womenfolk...You can vote for them here, should you be so inclined...

And that's your Midweek Musings...tomorrow will definitely see IceTunes as well as a ramble or two...until then, keep keeping your eye on the puck...

Tuesday Thoughts, or Credit Where It's Due

On we go with some Tuesday thoughts in which we recognise the champions of the "other" top league in Britain and pass out some awards to the All-Under-Rated All-Stars...

Now, you can do the decent thing and join the EIHL: Guildford clinched the EPL title this weekend, making it yet another time that the title in the "second" league in British hockey has been won by either Guildford, Bracknell or MK Lightning in the past few years, although it's the first title the Flames have won since the demise of the British National League. There is something of a gap between the group of Guildford, Bracknell, Slough and the other teams in the EPL, thanks to money-it appears that the Flames, Jets and (to a lesser extent) Bees prefer to be big fish in a slightly smaller pond rather than give their fans the standard of hockey they deserve (and could probably afford, judging by the calibre of players they attract)-Jan Krajicek (Slough), Lukas Smital (Guildford) and Joe Watkins (also Guildford) are examples of players who can't be on peanuts and could command an equal or better wage in the EIHL (at least for playing hockey)...Surely the "it's not financially viable" excuse we've been hearing from these teams is no longer a valid one-come on, Flames...come back to the top league. You know you want to...

"This is blasphemy! This is madness! Madness...? THIS... IS... BASINGSTOKE!": With apologies to "300", tonight and tomorrow will see more epic tales of a small band of warriors taking on an evil empire and fighting for their (hockey) lives at tremendous odds. Bison take on Nottingham tonight and Coventry tomorrow in two games which could decide their season-lose to the Panthers tonight and the playoff chase suddenly gets a whole lot harder, lose to the Blaze heavily tomorrow and the chance of silverware is all but dead and gone. There have even been suggestions from a few Basingstoke fans that the Bison should take tonight off in the hope of being fully ready for the Blaze tomorrow, as the KO Cup is worth winning at the expense of a playoff place. However, I very much doubt they'll do so and, while the Panthers will win tonight, the game will be a lot closer than the score would perhaps suggest. As for tomorrow night-home crowd, silverware on the line, Blaze possibly suffering a title-celebration hangover...anything could happen.

The Alternative All-Stars: With it now getting towards the time All-Star teams are made and debated, it's fairly certain that the usual mix of top-scoring forwards and d-men will be put together and the same old names, such as Neal Martin, Adam Calder and (this season) Joe Tallari will receive the honours. However, there are many players in the league who are way, way under-rated by the average hockey fan. This may be due to the fact that their contributions can't be seen on the scoreboard, or they're overshadowed by the "stars" on their team, or perhaps they're simply just not "flashy" enough in the way they rack up points. Anyway...I've been considering this for a while, so here, at least, is where the All-Under-rated-Stars finally get their moment in the sun...

First Team:
Goalie: Dan Green (Basingstoke): Possibly the easiest choice on the board for his heroics earlier in the season-Green proved he could carry the load as a starter in this league, earning rave reviews everywhere he played.

Defence: Jason Stone (Cardiff) and Jeff MacMillan (Manchester): Two players who you never really notice unless you're looking for them, these two are steady, unhurried d-men who do the simple things well and are willing to sacrifice their bodies for the team while not caring two much about their individual points. They don't take that many penalties either, so play with their heads as well as their hearts...

Forwards: Sylvain Deschatelets (Cardiff), KC Timmons (Coventry), Greg Chambers (Basingstoke): Perhaps the ideal mix of grit (Timmons), creativity (Deschatelets-21 goals and fifty-five assists on a sixth-place team) and a pure sniper (Chambers)-these three would make a good second line at the vast majority of EIHL teams...in keeping with the theme, they are all perhaps not the first players you notice on their teams but are all vital to a successful campaign in their different ways...

Second Team
Goalie: J-F Perras (Edinburgh)

Defence: Omar Ennaffati (Manchester) and Eric Braff (Basingstoke)

Forwards: Brian Passmore (Manchester), Greg Owen (Basingstoke) and Warren Tait (Sheffield)

There you go-that's your Tuesday Thoughts...tomorrow will see the usual Midweek Musings and maybe even an IceTune or two...keep keeping your eye on the puck...

Double Overtime, 10th March

(picture courtesy of Mark Tredgold, www.tredders.com)

Game over. Coventry are now Elite League Champions after a four-point weekend ensured that, even if Sheffield match them on points, there's no way they can go above them, thanks to the Elite League's system for separating teams on equal points. The picture above is the one that sums up the on-ice action-Curtis Huppe celebrating the game- (and league-)winning goal, which incidentally he scored against his former club, who he left somewhat acrimoniously over the summer...I reckon you could say he's enjoying the moment...:)

Anyway...despite what the odd success-drunk Blaze fan would have you believe, there are nine other clubs in the league, and there are still issues remaining to be settled at the bottom end of the playoff race, so on we go for the other teams...

Basingstoke: A loss to Cardiff isn't the greatest preparation for the KO Cup final this week, not least because it puts Edinburgh in the driving seat for the last playoff spot despite the two teams being on level on points. With the squad still decimated by injuries, the playoffs will take something special now-although Dave Simms' comments in Powerplay this week about the team short-changing the rest of the league by turning up and playing despite being down to the bare bones will no doubt provide some serious motivation...

Belfast: Another team who are simply marking time until the playoffs, the Giants started the weekend on the wrong foot with a 6-3 loss to Nottingham, before being spectators at the Blaze's party on Sunday. With two more weekends to go, the onus is now on Ed Courtenay to gee up his squad with the fight for third place still on between them and Nottingham...

Cardiff: The Devils have now won four on the bounce as they show something of what might have been but for the crippling injuries suffered earlier in the season. Manchester are still chasing them for sixth place, so the Welsh side can't let up just yet-especially with a playoff meeting with either Belfast or Nottingham on the horizon...

Coventry: The Blaze clinched the league title this weekend...there's not much more successful a weekend than that...

Edinburgh: Meanwhile, down at the other end of the table, the Capitals drive for the playoffs hit a bump on Saturday with a surprising loss to the Hull Stingrays on Humberside...however, they got back on form on returning to Murrayfield, beating Manchester in a tight game to go two points ahead of Basingstoke. It seems the Caps are now beginning to believe that they can extend their season for at least another two games...

Hull: ...meanwhile, despite their fine win on Saturday, the Stingrays' season is all over bar the shouting, with only three games left of their nightmare season. With crowds falling and a general feeling of apathy towards the team, judging by the forums at least, that 180 minutes of hockey can't pass quickly enough. Don't expect to see many of the current Hull team back on Humberside next season...

Manchester: The Phoenix lose twice in a damp squib of a weekend. However, with playoff qualification all but sealed, the remaining Phoenix games are all about deciding who the Altrincham side will play in the playoffs, as they still have an outside chance of catching Cardiff for sixth place...

Newcastle: Losing to Sheffield and beating Hull is an average weekend for the Vipers-with 5th place all but secured, the Vipers may just be marking time as they prepare for a meeting with either Belfast or Nottingham in the playoffs...

Nottingham: The Panthers, meanwhile, can still take third place from Belfast before the season's out, which will mean they face Cardiff as opposed to Newcastle. However, compared to the playoff race it's a fairly minor issue, although one place higher in the league may go some way to pacify Neil Black when it comes to retaining his coach...

Sheffield: The Steelers did their part, winning twice over the weekend in order to leave themselves in with a chance if the Blaze slipped up. Unfortunately for the Yorkshire side, they didn't. Still, second place is no disgrace...and there's always the playoffs...

That's your weekend review over and done with-check back tomorrow for a preview of Nottingham-Basingstoke, as well as your usual bunch of thoughts, ramblings and observations...

Round the Rinks, 9th March

Before we begin...

Sheffield call in the movers...Not just yet, admittedly, but it's been announced today that the Steelers are moving just up the road to Rotherham, into their own purpose-built 5000 seat arena in time for the 2011/2012 season. What makes this particularly special is that the club themselves will control the arena, and thus be the first club in Britain to do so-and this includes receiving the revenue...not a bad thing by any stretch of the imagination. It will most likely make the Steelers the richest club in Britain once all is said and done...

Anyway, now that's out of the way...on to the Round the Rinks...

Basingstoke: Just the one game for the Bison this weekend, and it's Cardiff at the Silverdome. Having now lost their game in hand and with Edinburgh playing Hull that night, it's vital the Hampshire side keep winning to even have a chance at the playoff places. With the Devils now marking time until the end of the season, the Bison Nine must come out hard if they're to have any hope of sneaking back into eighth place...

Belfast: The Giants have two tough opponents in Nottingham tonight (covered, as usual, by the Giants webcast team) and Coventry on Sunday. The game at the Skydome is perhaps the more important, with the Giants having the chance to keep the championship race open for at least another week if they take a victory (and spoil their rivals' party to boot). However, the points are important as everyone settles into their final positions-the Giants still have an outside chance at second place if the Steelers falter, and so have their own goals to play for...

Cardiff: The Devils, too, can have an influence on events at both ends of the table as they face Basingstoke and Sheffield. With the team slowly returning to full fitness, a win on at least one of those nights is not out of the question, with several teams keeping an eye on the South Wales sides' progress and (in the case of Coventry and Edinburgh) cheering them on lustily on Sunday and Saturday respectively...

Coventry: The title can be won this weekend if the Blaze take maximum points from both Manchester and Belfast-a situation set up by the fine win in Sheffield on Wednesday. However, even if one of the games are lost, the title's destiny is still in the Midlanders' hands-it seems only a matter of time now before the EIHL title returns to the Sky Blue City...

Edinburgh: Mission Impossible gets slightly easier on Saturday as the Capitals face Hull on Humberside-however, the home tie against a Manchester side who can still improve their place in the table will be a test of the Scots' mettle-with Basingstoke only playing the one game this weekend they have the chance to go four points ahead of their rivals for the last playoff place, and you wouldn't bet against them doing it if they can stop the Phoenix's top scorer and his friends...

Hull: Edinburgh and Newcastle are the next two opponents for the Stingrays in their quest for pride-after doing the Capitals a favour on Wednesday night by beating Basingstoke, the Bison will be hoping that the Stingrays extend the same courtesy to them by beating the Capitals. Sunday night is a dead-rubber game, however, with the Vipers simply looking to consolidate their position and the Stingrays, again, playing for little more than ninth place..

Manchester: Coventry and Edinburgh are the opponents as the Phoenix, like the Devils, enjoy their moment as a potential influence on both season-end battles. Beat the Blaze and the title race is still (just about) open, beat the Capitals and the same can be said of the playoff race. There will be more than just the eyes of Greater Manchester on the Phoenix this weekend...

Newcastle: Consolidation is the order of the day for the Vipers, with the game against Hull nothing more than fixture fulfilment. However, Saturday's game against Sheffield is another one which could influence the title race, so the Vipers had best prepare themselves for a real battle...

Nottingham: Belfast are the sole opponents this weekend-with the Panthers needing a win in the chase for third place-the right result will bring them within a point of the Giants. It's probably little more than window-dressing, but while the East Midlanders can still influence who they will face as playoff opponents themselves, every point counts...

Sheffield: The Steelers have to win, and keep winning. It's as simple as that. Lose to either Newcastle or Cardiff and the title dream is gone. With their last away game coming in South Wales, the Yorkshiremen need maximum points to give them the best possible chance of catching the Blaze and maximising the advantage of their last three games being at the Hallam Arena. Then, it's all in the hands of Coventry and their opponents...

That's your weekend preview...keep keeping your eye on the puck...

Thursday Thoughts and IceTunes...

And on we go...doing exactly what it says on the tin...

They think it's all over...but it isn't, yet. Despite Coventry pulling off a 5-4 win in Sheffield last night, a win which has had many handing the title over to the Midlanders, the Steelers refuse to give up and remain upbeat. The Blaze, meanwhile, could now claim the title against Belfast this Sunday, as the Steelers can now only get 80 points, while the Blaze are already on 76...

Meanwhile, down in the cellar...Hull win a game! And they didn't half pick an important one-beating Basingstoke 4-3 last night has put the cat right in amongst the pigeons in the playoff chase-Basingstoke's game in hand has now gone, and with Edinburgh on a tear and the Bison down to nine fit players, the momentum has swung right back in the Capitals' favour. Amazingly, Rick Strachan is still talking about making the playoffs, even though he admits "it's a long shot",in the same way that aliens landing in my back garden in the next thirty seconds is "a bit unlikely", presumably...

Hockey Night in Coventry: On the 18th March, a hockey night is being organised involving all the Coventry teams, from the Chargers and Chaos (my team) rec sides and the Phoenix women's team, through the juniors to the Blaze, in order to support the Beth Davis Appeal, which is in aid of a junior player who suffered a broken neck during a game in Coventry a few weeks ago and is currently being treated in Walsgrave Hospital. The details, or at least the press release talking about it, is here. I presume I'll be hearing more about this in the near future, so I'll keep you updated...

Calder's Century: Lost in amongst the hype of last night was Adam Calder getting his hundreth point of the season, thus being the first player to score a hundred points in a season, in the British league, since 1996...not a bad accolade...

And finally...IceTunes!:
It wouldn't be a Thursday without a few sounds-of-the-rink recommendations-it goes a little more indie this week but these tracks are still well worth putting on your iPod as a warmup for a hockey night...

The Black Kids: I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance With You: It's an absolute mouthful of a title, but the song itself is worth playing if you're looking for something nice and upbeat to accompany watching the Zamboni in a period-break...

Gnarls Barkley: Run: Best. Chorus. For a Fight Song. Ever.

The Guillemots: Get Over It: Although it sounds worryingly like the old Going For Gold quiz theme, it's still another song worth sticking on to fill in the gaps between periods...

Fightstar: Deathcar: Just because.

Brigade: Meet Me At My Funeral: This has been one of my hockey warm-up songs for years...it's perfect if you're going to play or watch a game that could get a little tasty...

And there you go...tomorrow sees Round the Rinks as we preview a weekend in which the league title could be decided...keep keeping your eye on the puck...

Midweek Musings and a One Minute Preview

On we go, then...this should not be quite as long as yesterdays epic but hopefully there'll be enough to keep you entertained as always...

Take that, Neil Black: Following on from last Friday's post about Neil Black's criticism of Panthers coach Mike Ellis just before a big weekend, it appears that the Panthers fans have teeth after all, with a demonstration of sorts being organised almost on the fly through the Cage Forum at last nights Newcastle game (which, by the way, the Panthers won 6-2). The arena stood and chanted in support of Ellis early in the second period, which received a reaction from the bench-here's a description of the events from the Cage Forum...

Well, I was given word that we should go for it at the first break in play in the 2nd session. So, I stood up, turned to face the Pandas and the rest of Block 11 and started to chant "Stand Up..." motioning with my arms, to get folk on their feet. Block 11 didn't let me down and within 5 or 6 seconds the whole block was up. Then I turned to face the ice, I looked around the Arena and watched Block 12 stand up, then 10, 13, 9, 8, 7, 14, 15, 6, 5, 4. Every damn block. The noise was fantastic.The guys at the face-off stood up and away from the linesman, a couple of the players were banging their sticks on the boards, one (maybe Pelts, I'm not sure) even stood up for his coach.The applause for us from the coach and his players spoke volumes, although I think some of them were a little surprised, perhaps, at the level of volume and support for Ellis.

Fan power at its best, I think...will be interesting to see how this continues...

First turn of the rumour mill: This has been going round for a while but with it getting nearer and nearer to the off-season, the rumour mill is beginning to turn faster with the news that the Panthers could try and re-sign David Clarke for the playoffs after the Brit forward spent the year in Italy. There are all manner of obstacles to this, however, not least the fact that Clarke would be classed as an ITC card holder this season by the IIHF, and thus subject to the transfer deadline, even though he wouldn't be counted as an import in the British league, being a native. This time last year it was Trevor Gallant who came in as a playoff "rental", and that worked pretty well. Clarke would certainly be an excellent signing for the Panthers, but I'm not sure this one will happen, personally.

PR Wars: Meanwhile, the hype has been wound up another notch ahead of tonight's Blaze-Steelers clash, with a seeming attempt to cause unrest in the Midlanders' dressing room thanks to the Star adding this little titbit in an interview with Joey Talbot...
Meanwhile, Coventry could be set to lose two of their best players in the summer. While coach Paul Thompson is likely to resist a recent invitation to join a German club, Dan Carlson and Neal Martin could be on their to European teams.
While nothing more than idle speculation, it's still a nice little pop...and makes a chance from the whole "We Believe" campaign which the Steelers have started to run...
Moving on seamlessly-there are two big games at opposite ends of the table this evening-Hull take on Basingstoke in a game which both teams have a chance of winning...and of course, there's the subject of tonight's One Minute Preview...

One Minute Preview: Sheffield v Coventry
Why Sheffield will win: Momentum cannot be underestimated, and at the moment the Steelers have that in spades. A rabid home crowd, stoked up further by the rabble-rousing ability of Dave Simms, will make for a hostile atmosphere which can't be underestimated in its potential effect on both sides...
On the ice, meanwhile, the Steelers have a team which has hit form at just the right moment, with Jeff Legue finally showing the offensive ability claimed for him at the start of the season, Joey Talbot in lethal form, and of course Dan Tessier. Tonight this lot will need to be at their best against a Blaze defence which is weakened by injuries to Jon Weaver and Neal Martin. The Blaze are beatable if you play them right, however-the Steelers need to be willing to close down every player the moment they get the puck and simply not give them the space to play, much as Edinburgh did on Sunday. Steve Munn and Mark Thomas are key-they have to hit everything in a blue shirt hard and often and win every physical battle in their own zone-that way the Blaze can be knocked off their game. Speaking of which, the high-powered Steelers attack need to forsake the pretty plays and get their noses dirty in front of Trevor Koenig-the Blaze goalie doesn't like traffic in front of him or anything that forces him to move out of his comfort zone, which bodies in front of him will certainly do. Get into Koenig's head and the goals will come...
Why Coventry will win: Like them or not, you can't deny the Blaze have a habit of turning up when it really matters. However, missing two important players in Jon Weaver and (possibly) Neal Martin to injury, and with other players walking wounded, they need to turn up more than ever tonight, prepared for a battle. Danny Stewart will be required to be on his best agitating form in the attempt to draw powerplays from the Steelers defence, and the remaining Blaze D, like their Steelers counterparts, need to deny space to the Steelers forwards, something they've done fairly successfully against most teams this season. If they can, and get their opponents frustrated, it gives the creative Blaze players a chance to use the extra space given by the powerplay-this game could be won and lost on special teams.
Verdict: Who knows? But if I were pushed hard, I'd pick the Steelers to keep their title hopes alive with a one-goal win this evening...

Call it a 30 Second Preview...
Meanwhile, on Humberside Basingstoke face Hull in their game in hand in a game which has major ramifications for the playoff race. With the two teams about even (Basingstoke's lack of numbers could be the key reason if Hull win) I'm thinking that the Bison's extra motivation and proven record for heroics when short of players could just give them the edge in a close game...

There yoi go...that's your Midweek Musings done for today. Tomorrow will see reaction to today's games and the return of IceTunes...keep keeping your eye on the puck...

Tuesday Thoughts...

Be warned...today's post is a long one...

"We love this exaltation (woh oh, o-o-o-oh)
We want the new temptations (woh oh, o-o-o-oh)
It's like a revelation (woh oh, o-o-o-oh)
We live on fascination..."
Alphabeat: "Fascination"

I couldn't really think of a pithy one-liner to open this column in the usual style, so thought I'd just use the lyrics of a song which, if there's any justice, will be number one in the next few weeks as an opener...after all, it sums up how the events of the weekend just gone have suddenly made the EIHL interesting again-I have received email criticism in some quarters (mostly from my home town) for appearing to revel just a bit too much yesterday in the fact that suddenly there's a title race on again, after all. I could go on, as some have, about how these type of results prove that the EIHL is working, etc, etc, but the simple fact is...it's not interesting when a team is already being crowned champions by everyone else when there's still a few weeks to go and a chance of an upset. I like my hockey unpredictable, I like it to go down to the final day, and I like going to a game thinking "there's a chance there could be an upset here"-and now this is all set up nicely, I'm looking forward to the race to the end of the league season. After all, when it comes to hockey, it's far more fun when you "live on fascination", even if the soundtrack annoys some...:)

GB Preliminary Squad Announced: The GB team have announced the players who are in with a chance of travelling to the World Championships this time out, and, as expected, there's a change or two from the Mont Blanc squad-here comes the analysis...players in red are the ones I expect to get cut, and why...

Some rules I'm using, however, before things kick off and I'm accused of favouritism.

• As far as the EPL players go, it is assumed that no allowances will be made by their clubs-it is also assumed that all EPL clubs involved will make the finals weekend and thus there will be a conflict.
• A player's club has no influence on whether they're cut or not...there is a weighting in the squad in favour of certain clubs, and this may be reflected in the final squad. This isn't favouritism-it's based on my judgement.
• Age has no bearing on who gets picked.

GOALIES (2 from 3)

Steve Fone (Coventry Blaze)
Stevie Lyle (Belfast Giants)
Stephen Murphy (Stjernen, Norway)

Fairly easy on this one-although it's a surprise that Steve Fone made it into this company ahead of the more experienced Joe Watkins-perhaps his heroics for Manchester earlier in the season, plus having the slight advantage of playing in front of the GB coach and proving himself as a capable young goalie day in and day out helped a little. The smart move, however, is to keep Fone in the squad for the experience but, when it comes down to the games themselves, go with international experience and proven ability over youthful promise-hence Murphy and Lyle. So far, so safe...

DEFENCEMEN (7 from 12)
Kyle Horne (Edinburgh Capitals)
Shane Johnson (Belfast Giants)
Jez Lundin (Newcastle Vipers)
Danny Meyers (Nottingham Panthers)
Graeme Walton (Belfast Giants)
Tom Watkins (Coventry Blaze)
Jonathan Weaver (Coventry Blaze)
James Pease (Coventry Blaze)
Dave Phillips (Hull Stingrays)
Leigh Jamieson (Belfast Giants)
Luke Boothroyd (Hull Stingrays)
Paul Dixon (Guildford Flames)

If Guildford, as expected, make it through the playoffs to the EPL finals weekend, which occurs on the same weekend as GB fly out, then Paul Dixon could face immense pressure to assume his player-coach responsibilities-a situation which is similarly faced (without the coaching side) by Nathan Rempel and Gary Clarke. Assuming that Guildford make it to the playoff finals, he goes. Jon Weaver (injury permitting) is in as the prime offensive d-man. Tom Watkins stays in due to his versatility, and Kyle Horne as a steadying and calming, no-nonsense defensive influence...however, then it gets a lot harder to choose among the young-guns. Shane Johnson, to me, is in as a fail-safe should Dixon be otherwise engaged, so, using the rules we've set up, is in, along with Danny Meyers. So there are two spots left. Graeme Walton gets one over his clubmate Leigh Jamieson, based on the fact that he has become a major part of Belfast's D this season, outplaying his more heralded partner. And so to the last spot. The players in the running for this, in my view, are Dave Phillips (good performances on a bad team, slightly better than Luke Boothroyd, not the worst going forward), James Pease (solid, adds some size) and Jez Lundin (adds some offensive punch). This is one I had to agonize over, but the player that sneaks in (just, and I have a feeling I'll catch flak for this one) is Jez Lundin-he's a compromise between Pease's size and Phillip's offensive ability. The major thing about this is the difficulty I had in picking the seven-something which shows that, unlike the teams of yesteryear where some players were picked almost regardless of form, simply because they were the best available, all seven places are still up for grabs...

FORWARDS (13 from 19)
Greg Chambers (Basingstoke Bison)
David Clarke (HC Alleghe, Italy)
Russell Cowley (Coventry Blaze)
Jason Hewitt (Sheffield Steelers)
Shaun Johnson (Newcastle Vipers)
Marc Levers (Nottingham Panthers)
David Longstaff (Newcastle Vipers)
Matt Myers (Nottingham Panthers)
Greg Owen (Basingstoke Bison)
Jonathan Phillips (Sheffield Steelers)
Colin Shields (Newcastle Vipers)
Ashley Tait (Sheffield Steelers)
Warren Tait (Sheffield Steelers)
Matt Towe (Cardiff Devils)
Greg Wood (Basingstoke Bison)
Nathan Rempel (Peterborough Phantoms)
Mark Richardson (Nottingham Panthers)
Paul Sample (Cardiff Devils)
Gary Clarke (Milton Keynes Lightning)

For the forwards, it's probably easier to justify who goes rather than who stays. Unlike the d-men, however, players slip far more easily into these slots, with Ashley Tait, Dave Longstaff, Colin Shields, Dave Clarke and Greg Chambers going straight in. Using the rules of "EPL teams make the finals" is tricky...both Gary Clarke and Nathan Rempel would have a good chance of making the squad. However, given that, unlike Paul Dixon, they have no coaching responsibilities and thus may have more chance...however, under the rules we've laid down, they both go. Warren Tait goes in due to his undying work-rate and perfect suitedness for a third/fourth line role, Greg Owen for his scoring, and Matt Towe is told "almost, but not quite" and just misses a surprise inclusion based on his breakout season in Cardiff. Greg Wood just misses out to Matt Myers, while Russ Cowley and Jonathan Phillips add more scoring. Which leaves three spots for the fourth line. Marc Levers takes one, while Mark Richardson misses out this time thanks to his (relatively) poor and injury-disrupted Panthers season. The last two spots are down to a three-way fight between Shaun Johnson (the sentimental choice, in his last season), Jason Hewitt (grinds all day) and Paul Sample (does the same while adding a bit of scoring touch also). Sample hasn't had the greatest of seasons, being disrupted by injury. Jason Hewitt and Johnson are the ones who make it in my squad, thanks to Sample's injury and Hewitt's career-high in goals. However, it's a toss-up between the Devil and the Viper for that last spot-I picked Johnson simply because of the experienced head...

That, to me, looks like a nicely-balanced squad-the youth development can be done thanks to tournaments like Mont Blanc, but for the big tournaments, you need people who have already been blooded...

And tonight's entertainment is...The fourth and fifth-placed sides meet tonight as Nottingham face Newcastle. I'm going with the Panthers to win this one...just...

That's your lot for tonight...check back tomorrow around noon for a preview of the huge top-of-the-table clash, along with a few more ramblings. Feel free to comment on my hypothetical GB squad, by the way, and, as always, keep keeping your eye on the puck...

Double Overtime, 3rd March...

Just a quick thing before we begin-I've noticed that a lot of people visit the blog throughout the day-and doubtless many of you get somewhat disappointed when there's been no updates. I tend to update the Breakaway any time in the afternoon-usually towards 4 or 5 pm but sometimes a little earlier, so if you want the latest post hot off the wires, as it were, it's best to check just after then to avoid disappointment. Of course, if you want to check again throughout the day just on the off chance, I won't stop you...:)

Anyway-on to today's post...

Never mind Lincolnshire-if you want some earth-shaking action, then the EIHL this weekend wasn't a bad place to start. This column is channeling its inner Dinah Washington in order to best sum-up the events of the weekend...

"What a difference...a day makes. Twenty-fouuurrrr...little hours..."

On Saturday night the Blaze were cruising after a deserved win in Nottingham and Basingstoke had the consolation of knowing that, after their overtime win at the Silverdome, Edinburgh had to travel to Coventry and win in regulation, in the process doing something only that had been achieved by the away team three times all season in league play, in order to go above them. As for Sunday night...it was dominated by one result.

Coventry Blaze 1, Edinburgh Capitals 3.

Suddenly, the game is back on at both ends of the table...with a vengeance.

Anyway...on to the team by team review of a Lincolnshire-earthquake of a weekend...

Basingstoke: Ouch. An overtime loss to their closest rivals in a must-win game, followed by those same rivals beating the league leaders to go above the Bison and (temporarily at least) put them out of the playoffs. With only nine players and two goalies it will now need some of the "Terrific Ten" magic shown earlier in the season, otherwise the KO Cup will be the only highlight of the next few weeks down south...
Grade: E

Belfast: After getting hammered by Sheffield on Thursday, the Giants earned themselves a little respectability with a 4-1 win against Newcastle as they try for an (unlikely) second place...however, they'll have to hope that both Sheffield and Coventry falter spectacularly in order to be sure of it, and neither of the two clubs above them look like doing that...
Grade: C+

Cardiff: Two wins against Hull, although the Devils were pushed all the way on Humberside, mean that the South Wales side are slowly on the way back, just in time for the playoff run. If we're brutally honest this game was something of a dead rubber for both sides, with the only decider on offer being who the Devils play in the playoffs, although they still have to look over their shoulders at the chasing Manchester Phoenix in the scrap to gain a slightly "easier" playoff opponent. As for Hull...even pride appears to be slipping away...
Grade: B

Coventry: From a much-needed two points in Nottingham to a loss on home ice to Edinburgh, which removes one of their games in hand and means the other one (a home date with Newcastle on the last league weekend of the season) suddenly becomes a factor. Despite firing 40 shots on J-F Perras the Caps netminder and defence stood up much better than the far-more-hyped Panthers did on the Saturday, and earned themselves a spot on Sheffield's Christmas card list while they were at it. Wednesday's game against Sheffield suddenly looks even trickier with an possible injury to Neal Martin and the continuing absence of Jonathan Weaver. But of course, most Blaze fans believe that there's still no way their team can lose the title if they play to their potential...can they? It's going to be a lot of fun finding out over the next few weeks...
Grade: C+

Edinburgh: A dream weekend for the Caps-and, but for Kyle Horne missing an empty net in the closing stages of Saturday night's game, it could have been even better. Despite not registering a single shot in the third period on Sunday (to Blaze's 14) the Scots held out and built on their excellent overtime win in Basingstoke the night before with a result that sent shockwaves up and down the EIHL. The playoff Mission Impossible is suddenly looking a lot more likely...
Grade: A

Hull: With only pride left to play for, the Stingrays couldn't even manage a win to make themselves feel a little better-although they did earn themselves a point on Sunday. Three more weekends and the misery on Humberside will be over, as the Derby County of the EIHL fade, mostly un-mourned, into the sunset, with the hope of better times to come...
Grade: F

Manchester: Two games, two 5-2 scorelines-the Phoenix coming out on top against Newcastle after being beaten by a charging Sheffield on Saturday. And this is the way things have gone all season for the Mancunians-losing away before winning at home-the team have only won seven games (including OT wins) of 23 away but 14 of 25 at home-a record better than, among others, Newcastle and Cardiff. This alone means that they still have hope of getting into sixth place-especially if the double-act of Tallari and Stauffacher don't lose their sights...
Grade: B-

Newcastle: Two losses for the Vipers in their away weekend...not exactly ideal. Still, with their fate pretty much decided (they're settled in fifth with six-point gaps to the teams both above and below them) the Geordies will perhaps already have one eye on a likely playoff meeting with Nottingham...
Grade: E

Nottingham: Like the Vipers, the Panthers are settled into fourth, with only a small hope of improving their position over the next three weekends (assuming Belfast don't slump again, that is). That isn't excusing their 5-1 loss to Coventry this weekend, just (perhaps) explaining it...
Grade: D-

Sheffield: The most important result for the Steelers happened when none of them were on the ice-Sunday's result in Coventry was huge in keeping the title race open after the Hallam Arena side did their part by beating both Belfast and Manchester, but Edinburgh's win on Sunday means that the Panther's capitulation on Saturday didn't help the Blaze open up any more of a gap. And the two teams meet in Sheffield on Wednesday in what is easily the biggest game of the season to date-as a signature on the Steelers Forum says-"failure is not an option" for the Steelers this time round...
Grade: A

It's a busy week this week, with the aforementioned Sheffield-Coventry clash on Wednesday, Nottingham taking on Newcastle and Belfast, and Hull meeting Basingstoke in a battle of the bottom two. Of course I'll be keeping an eye on all those games, so check back tomorrow for more thoughts, ramblings and reaction to the weekend as the dust settles...
Keep keeping your eye on the puck...

Round the Rinks and more...

A few points before we start our trip round the rinks...

Way to motivate your team, Neil: Neil Black has chosen now to come out and have a public go at Mike Ellis in the Nottingham Evening Post, saying effectively that his job is on the line thanks to a few dodgy results against the smaller teams. This has received nothing but condemnation from Panthers fans on the Cage Forum, and I'd probably agree with them-Mike Ellis is probably the best young coach in the league, and is slowly building a strong foundation in Nottingham-winning two trophies in two years isn't the worst return in the world, considering that Belfast have won none, and Sheffield have only won one in the same period. With both Belfast (definitely) and Sheffield (possibly) on the recruitment trail this summer, Ellis will have plenty of options if Black does let him go...

Game on...just: The Steelers did their thing last night, completely making a mockery of my prediction by destroying the Giants 6-1, and moving within four points of the Blaze in the process. If nothing else it means that the title race will go on just a little longer.

Legal Issues: It appears that the issue with Euro law as regards to trades is indeed the "forced movement" side of things-the way round it would, I suppose, provide all contracts with a kind of "no-trade clause", so the move only happens if players are willing to move. Trouble is, that effectively nixes all trades because I really can't see players from top teams willing to move. Maybe it's worth having a look into Euro law...I still think that North American players at least would accept it purely as a hazard of the job, and British players would learn to live with it...it's a pity that an employment law is the only thing stopping the game potentially adding a whole new dimension to the British game...

Right, with that done, it's now back on to Round the Rinks....

Basingstoke: It's a big game at the Silverdome tomorrow night, as the Bison take on their nearest rivals for a playoff place in Edinburgh, in a game which has massive implications-if the Bison win they strike a vital blow to the Caps' playoff aspirations while at the same time doing themselves a huge favour...

Belfast: The Giants face Newcastle tomorrow in the hope of bouncing back from their tanking last night at the hands of Sheffield. However, with morale down amongst the fans after last night's capitulation and the Vipers still holding out hopes of a top three place, this will be no easy task for the reeling Giants...

Cardiff: The Devils have the ideal opportunity to earn themselves four points, with a double-header against a Hull team who are now only playing for pride, as their innumerable press releases this week have told us, and at the same time give themselves a bit of room in the battle for playoff seedings, being level on points with Manchester...

Coventry: Nottingham and Edinburgh are the latest teams hoping to do themselves and Sheffield a favour by halting the Blaze juggernaut. The Blaze have had some trouble getting results at the NIC this season, so the Panthers will be hoping to go one better than their overtime loss last weekend. Edinburgh will be no pushovers on Sunday either, but the Blaze will be eyeing maximum points to take them two wins nearer their third title in four years...

Edinburgh: Basingstoke and Coventry are the games which could see the Caps take a huge step forward in their playoff chase...a win and OT loss (in that order) would see them go above the Bison for the first time...an event which can't be underestimated for its psychological impact...

Hull: In their quest for nothing more than pride, the Stingrays take on Cardiff home and away this weekend. One wonders which Humberside team will turn up-they're not the greatest at winning whether playing for pride or points-their capitulation in the second leg of the KO Cup semi was only the latest example of that. It would be ironic if the Stingrays finally decided to put together a winning run now that all hope of getting something out of this season is gone...

Manchester: The Phoenix face Newcastle and Sheffield in their chase for sixth place-it could be a tricky weekend for the Altrincham side against two sides who have their own reasons for needing points this weekend. The Phoenix can give anyone a game, though, and will be looking for four points in order to give themselves a potentially "easier" playoff opponent by finishing higher in the league, so both games will be worth watching...

Newcastle: Two away games against Belfast and Manchester are on the agenda for the Vipers as they try and make up a almost-insurmountable ten point gap on the top three. Some may consider these games something of a hindrance in the run to the playoffs, but the Vipers need wins in order to get the MRA crowd behind them-the North East crowd have had a somewhat stormy relationship with their team this season and will need reassurance from their team going into the playoffs...

Nottingham: Coventry are the only opponents for the Panthers this week, coming to the NIC, where they've had considerably less success than elsewhere this season. The Cats will be hoping to continue that trend, and Sheffield in particular will be behind them...

Sheffield: The Steelers are after points at this time of the season, because every one counts in a title chase. They only have the one date this weekend, against Manchester at the Hallam Arena. With Blaze playing two games, this is a weekend where the Steelers can not only make up two points but also come one game closer to the Blaze in terms of games played...there will be as many Steeler eyes on the events in Nottingham tomorrow night as in their own rink, and all Yorkshire hockey fans will be roaring on Edinburgh on Sunday...

That's your Round the Rinks for this week...keep keeping your eye on the puck...

Thursday Thoughts...

Another day, another lazy skate around the events and opinions currently floating around in Brit-hockey world...

One Minute Preview: Belfast Giants v Sheffield Steelers (tonight)
You know a midweek game could be an important one when it merits one of these, and this game could have an impact on the title-race. Steelers win and they go within two points of the Blaze, although with two games more played. Giants win and they still have a shot at second place-so both teams will be going hard at the Odyssey...
Why Belfast will win: This game looks like it could turn into a shootout between two of the top offenses in the league, but don't forget that the Giants have a fair bit of grit too in Carlyle Lewis and (to a lesser extent) Paul Moran (agitator par excellence)-hassle the Steelers D early and park the big Canadian in front of Jody Lehman's net and it could create a little more space and time for players like Mark Dutiaume and Peter Campbell to work their creative and goalscoring spells respectively-especially with the Steelers more of an "agitation" type of team rather than one with an out-and-out physical presence when it comes to the rough-stuff...Physical defence from players like Trevor Johnson (if he turns up) and the nous of Roman Gavalier will also ensure that the Steelers forwards, good though they are, may be bullied out of the game-especially creative hub Dan Tessier. If they can force Rod Sarich to abandon or scale down his usual creative game in order to help Steve Munn and Mark Thomas deal with the physical questions posed by Lewis, George Awada et al, then the offense of the Steelers loses another weapon, and you can only lose so many, even in a team as loaded as Sheffield...
Why Sheffield will win: They arguably have more to play for. Plus, the Steelers are on a streak and have the best creative player in the league in the aforementioned Tessier, as well as one of the most lethal scorers in Joey Talbot. And that's before you mention Ashley Tait and Ryan Finnerty, both of whom are no slouches goalscoring-wise...The D is mobile enough to cope with the fast-skating Giants if they're all on a good night, and in Rod Sarich and Ian Manzano have the players to drive the offense forward. If Mark Thomas and Steve Munn can deal with the physical threat posed by Carlyle Lewis and at the same time keep their cool, then the Steelers will be free to let their creative players play and, on the big ice of the Odyssey, Tessier, Sarich and co will relish the opportunity to run-and-gun...

Verdict: I can see the Steelers winning this one. Just. However, the margin is going to be close either way...and it's definitely worth catching the webcast if you have a hankering for some hockey this evening...

Next they'll be telling us how white our ice has to be: After my post yesterday about how allowing trades could improve the EIHL, it was commented that the North American system could actually be illegal in Europe thanks to European employment laws. Does this mean that two-way contracts are also illegal, as they also are a form of movement between two teams and appear to be pretty well-entrenched in the British system now...I have no legal training whatsoever so am unaware of the ins and outs, but I can't see how a player changing employer (effectively) mid-season could cause such problems under EU laws...unless it's considered a "consensual firing and re-hiring" or some such.

It's not going to happen-but in a perfect world...Continuing with the trade theme begun yesterday, I can see it being made to fit into the system of import restrictions with only a few minor tweaks to the current rules...the ten-import-at-one-time could still be held to, but teams could be allowed an unlimited number of ITC cards throughout the season...this leads to further intrigue because you could have the situation of "surplus imports" who would then have to be traded for Brits in order to keep within the rules or cut. Certainly it would stimulate player movement within the league, which could perhaps level the playing field somewhat-if a "top" team wants a "lower" team's top import or Brit then they'd have to give something of equal value in return.
Trouble is, I suppose that money would be the major factor getting in the way here, even if there are legal loopholes, and that's why news stories like "Panthers and Steelers in blockbuster trade" will only ever appear in the realms of fantasy...

Another step in the journey, at least...The GB team are taking on Sweden before travelling to Austria for the World Championships. Not the full team, before all you NHL fans get excited, but the under-20's, who will still provide a serious test, being one of the top teams in the world with every player drafted to the NHL or considered as a prospect. After my ramblings earlier on this month about the GB team needing to play quality opponents in order to progress, it's fair to say that the powers-that-be in GB hockey have continued, after the participation in the Mont Blanc Tournament, to make progress in breaking the habits the national team has fallen into in recent years and are now actively looking for ways to bring British ice hockey forward. This is excellent preparation and, not only that, a measure of the positive reception by the European community-the Swedes are also using this as preparation for their own u20 Worlds which run at almost the same time as the senior team. This, more than anything recently, will be a measure of just how far the GB programme needs to go in order to compete with the top hockey nations of the world, as well as giving British fans the chance to see some of the top players in the world at their level-a win-win situation if you ask me...

Sheffield will try anything to get around the import limit...but this tactic, while not working in favour of the Steelers' import quota, will benefit British hockey hugely as it consists of Jody Lehman (that well known Canadian goalie) taking a British passport and becoming eligible to play for Great Britain in the near future after playing in the UK for six years...the Steeler has come out and asked Paul Thompson for the chance to be considered as soon as the formalities are completed. While not exactly a spring chicken at 32, there's no denying Lehman's quality, and if nothing else it'll give the current settled three (Lyle, Murphy and Watkins) a reason to step up their play even further now they're competing against one of the best goalies of the EIHL era. However, he'll still be counted as an import for league purposes, given that he was trained in Canada. Now-if we can just convince Adam Calder and Joe Tallari to do the same...

And finally...It's Andre Payette's new instructional video part one...how to check. Enjoy...

That's your Thursday Thoughts...check back tomorrow for Round the Rinks, and, as always...keep your eye on the puck...

Midweek Musings: Trading Places...

On we go with your usual round of Midweek Musings...

Hey, it's some NHL talk on the Breakaway! Hop on and giddy up!: Yesterday was the trade deadline in the NHL, and in amongst the minor deals of the "Cam Janssen to St Louis for Bryce Salvador" variety came a few absolute blockbusters, which we shall analyse below...

Brad Richards (C) and Johan Holmqvist (G) to Dallas for Mike Smith (G), Jussi Jokinen (LW), Jeff Halpern (C) and a fourth-rounder:
Dallas get one of the best goalscoring centres in the league to take some of the load off Mike Modano, and a serviceable back-up to Marty Turco, while Tampa get two third-liners who can do a job and a very good young goalie to solve their possible starting problem. Trouble is, Dallas also get the weight of Richards' $7.8mil contract to renegotiate in the off-season-that is a lot in a $50mil cap...

Pittsburgh get Marian Hossa (RW) and Pascal Dupuis (LW) for Colby Armstrong (RW), Erik Christensen (RW), Angelo Esposito (C) and a fourth-rounder:
One of my Pens-supporting friends was so chuffed about this he rang me moments after the trade happened to discuss it, and we generally agreed we were happy with this one. This is a winner for the Pens-they get yet another offensive weapon for Sidney Crosby to feed, and a serviceable second/third-line winger who's still fairly young. With the monster that is Hal Gill being added in a seperate trade, it's worth losing Amstrong, Christensen, and the hit-or-miss prospect that is Esposito for two players who could push the Pens over the top in the chase for the Stanley Cup...

Cristobal Huet (G) to Washington for a second-round pick: This is a steal for the Caps-they earn themselves another starting goalie for nothing but a second-round draft-pick, and cover/replacement for Olaf Kolzig. It leaves Montreal with two young goalies with little playoff experience, though, which is a brave decision from the Canadiens GM Bob Gainey...

Brian Campbell (D) to SJ (with a 7th-rounder) for Steve Bernier (C) and a first-rounder: Brian Campbell is a damn good d-man. Steve Bernier is a quality young centre. This trade works pretty well for both sides, although Sabres fans will feel somewhat aggrieved that yet another one of their top players has been traded away...

Sergei Fedorov (C) to Washington: Fedorov and Ovechkin on the same line, anyone? The legendary Russian is on the downslope of his career now, but can still play-give him either Ovechkin or Alex Semin to feed and he can add something to the Caps which could push them into the second round of the playoffs if they can just make them...

Phew...wasn't that exciting? And it leads nicely on to the next point...

If the NHL can do it, why not us?: I know the EIHL is not really in the same league as the NHL when it comes to contracts, with the vast majority of players on one-year deals and thus things not really being conducive to it...however, wouldn't allowing trades in the EIHL or EPL make life a lot more interesting? Imagine the furore mid-season if Belfast offer Mark Dutiaume and Paul Moran for, say, Colin Hemingway and Ben O'Connor, and the GM's take it. The imports in particular are used to the trading system as a hazard of the job, and it would add an extra level of intrigue to things...especially for the playoff rentals for the last few games of the season...I'm realistic enough to realise that it's never going to happen, though.


So, that's your midweek musings...Tomorrow sees Belfast take on Sheffield in a game which I assume will be covered by the excellent Belfast webcast...and tomorrow's post will contain one of the famous One Minute Previews of that game, as well as a ramble or two. Keep keeping your eye on the puck...

Tuesday Thoughts...

Before I start this post, many thanks to the several people who answered my question on netminder penalties, including Adam who took the time to email, and of course Becky and Matt. It's interesting to note that all three are Phoenix fans...maybe I should whisper this but if the niceness of those three are representative of Phoenix fans as a whole than I just might be building a second EIHL team into my list of "teams supported"...

And as far as Matt's comment about "it depends on the ref" goes-this is sadly true-there would be at least one EIHL ref who'd probably be sleeping on the couch at home for a while if he gave such a penalty against the Steelers...

Anyway...on to some Tuesday Thoughts...

And we begin with some sad news...John Crook, a long-time fan and trainer of the Blaze, has passed away this morning. You may not know the name but if you've ever looked at the Coventry bench during a game you'll have probably seen him in his usual position by the bench doors, usually with a grin on his face. He was an immensely popular figure at the Skydome even with those who didn't know his name-there was outrage a few years back when he took a stray puck to the face on the bench at (I believe) a Panthers game and it was believed people in the NIC were making light of the injury. From then on he wore a half-visored helmet on the bench and was known for having time for just about anyone before, during and after games-his habit of giving random high-fives to any young child who offered made him immensely popular with young and old alike. The Blaze will be holding a minute's silence before the Edinburgh game this Sunday in his memory, but I'm sure all the readers of the Breakaway will join me in passing heartfelt condolences along to the family...requiescat in pace...

Back in the old routine...Finally, I can return to the long running debate about what people want from their hockey teams...don't worry, there's not a rant going on here...however, it's interesting that there is now a long thread on the Elite Forum discussing why crowds, while not falling, are seemingly dropping off just a little. One comment that was very pertinent was this one...
Also, it's become routine. Many people started watching 5,6, 7 years ago, and many have dropped off.

Very true...there are lots of faces missing from when I started watching and indeed got to know-and there's always comments on away trips that most of the people appear to be new. As to why they've dropped off...

There aren't many new players in the league to go and check out. You don't see the players in the bar much - they come in later and mostly go straight round to their area. So you don't feel as involved and therefore don't have that burning tug that you really should be at the Skydome.

This is also true. I consider myself a passionate fan, but recently I've had to spend money on things other than hockey (hazards of the real world) and I've just not felt as bad as I would have done a year or two ago about missing the games-mainly due to the fact that it just doesn't feel as fun as it did even a year or two ago...I consider myself a fan of British hockey as a whole rather than specifically a Blaze fan now...the constant commercialisation and push for profit has alienated me...

Ticket prices increasing by over 50 percent in the 8 years I've been watching (from £8.50 to £13) has to be a factor also...

Also, amusingly...

a friend went to a game with me before he went off to uni and went to one last month after returning home from uni/travelling etc and was appalled at the change in the music from a rock fest to cheesy family stuff. said he enjoyed the overall experience much less than previously even though the hockey was better...

And people say music isn't important at a hockey game? :)

Seamlessly linking onto the next thought...

It's IceTunes! Yes, it's your regular-ish recommendation of more stuff that (should) be rocking the rinks of the UK, and/or be on the iPods of hockey fans everywhere...just because it's been a while...

New Year's Day: I Was Right: This bunch have found the impossible in Ashley Costello, in my view-a lead singer who's even better-looking than Paramore's Hayley Williams. But enough of the visuals and my taste in girls-the song is pretty damn good as well...perfect for keeping the energy up during a period break. Ready Aim Misfire is a nice one as well if you like what you hear...

Paramore: All We Know: I couldn't leave Hayley and friends out, however...most will know this band from the hit Misery Business, which also appears on NHL 08, or perhaps crushcrushcrush. However, this is from their first album, which is just as good if not better-Emergency is a piece of perfection, but this song just trumps it....

Bloc Party: Flux: Yes, it's been around a while...but it's still a tune...

Bullet For My Valentine: Scream, Aim, and Fire: This is a great warm-up song...full-on Welsh metal. The Devils would do well to slip this into the warm-up mix somewhere...if nothing else it gives Brad Voth something to do with his hair while he's standing around...:)

Damone: Out Here All Night: If nothing else it puts into words what it's like queueing at the NIC on a game night...:)

If you turn the tables upside down, the title races would possibly be more interesting: It's a curious statistic this time round that both the Elite League and the EPL are causing more interest at the lower end than the higher end of the table as clubs battle to get into the post-season. With both leagues only realistically having two teams in with a chance of the title (Coventry and Sheffield in the EIHL-and even that's an outside shot) and Guildford and Slough in the EPL..same gap, but less games in hand) attention is turning to the playoff races. In the EIHL Edinburgh and Basingstoke are battling for the final playoff spot, with only three points in it. All other positions are realistically decided. In the EPL things are a little more unclear, with any two from Romford, Chelmsford and Swindon in the running, and three points separating the three teams. It appears that, if you want any real excitement as a neutral in either league, it might be worth your while to keep a close eye on the results lower in the table even if your team seemingly has little more than playoff seeding to play for...

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

Double Overtime-25th February

Interesting point before we begin today's round-up...I'm really not sure about the result in Coventry last night...the scoreboard shows Coventry won on penalties thanks to Curtis Huppe being the only scorer in the shootout after a pulsating game ended three-three. Simple enough, right?
However...
I'm really not sure that Tom Askey didn't "save" the decisive penalty-this is how it unfolded...
Huppe comes in at speed, goes roughly level with the left hand post on the way in and then cuts across goal at the last possible second, dragging Askey with him before finding the smallest of gaps on the right hand side and scoring. Thing is, as he heads in originally and then pulls across (I'm stood behind the goal at that end) there's a distinct "thump" of puck hitting pad, before Huppe switches across to the backhand, finishes pulling the puck across and sticks it in on the forehand. This picture from Mark Tredgold shows the decisive moment, or at least immediately close to it-that puck is bobbling having just clipped a pad, in my view...Speaking to people afterwards, the general consensus even from Blaze fans was that Huppe may well have had two bites of the cherry and got away with it-there's more than reasonable doubt...
My point is-if that's called as a save, then it's a whole new set of three, after Marc Levers misses the next penalty. I'm not saying Blaze wouldn't have won the game, but I am saying there is a very good chance that they got out of jail with that one...

Anyway. On to the review...

Basingstoke: The Bison may have lost to Cardiff on the Saturday, but they managed to win the game they wanted to, putting themselves through to the KO Cup final with a solid performance for a 5-2 win in Hull. The league is now a little tighter after Edinburgh gain two points on them in the playoff race. With the Bison now in a final, however, many will be seeing the glass as half-full rather than half-empty, and the grade reflects this...
Grade: C+

Belfast: Ouch. A 5-1 loss in Nottingham is not what the doctor ordered for the Giants, who appear to be in cruise control on the way to the playoffs now that their brief chance at the league title is gone. This weekend will have hurt the pride of the Northern Irish...
Grade: D

Cardiff: The nightmare is over for the Devils, as their fifteen game winning streak finally comes to an end with a win over Basingstoke away from home on the Saturday. Sure, it was a depleted Bison team, but even so, the win was well-earned-with two more goals from our Best Supporting Player Sylvain Deschatelets, and so the grade is the best the South Wales side have earned for a while...
Grade: B

Coventry: The less said about Saturday's performance against the Steelers, the better. Giving away two points to your closest rivals due to a complete lack of discipline is not the way to go. The discipline was somewhat lacking on Sunday against Nottingham also, with the Panthers given twelve powerplays and scoring all their three goals on them. However, thanks to the lottery of penalty shots (and a slightly dubious winner from Curtis Huppe-see above) they earn a vital two points...
Grade: C+

Edinburgh: One step forward, two steps back. A win on Saturday against Hull was followed by a nasty loss in Manchester as they became the latest side to meet the Joe Tallari Express. However, another two points gained on Basingstoke mean that the playoff dream is still alive as the Capitals lion continues to roar...
Grade: B-

Hull: You can tell it was a bad weekend-we get not one, but two consecutive press releases on the Elite League home page with Rick Strachan talking about his disappointment in the team. Does anyone actually read them anymore? As for the action on the ice-the Stingrays managed once again to throw away the chance to make something of themselves as they didn't turn up in the BKO Semi and lost to Edinburgh, the day before. One of these days, the Stingrays will earn themselves a decent grade, but the season is well and truly over for them now...
Grade: F

Manchester: One loss and one win for the Phoenix in what is becoming a familiar pattern, although if they could have had the powerplay firing against Newcastle it could have been a different story. A 7-4 win against Edinburgh on the Sunday is not to be sniffed at, particularly with the Scots on something of a tear. The Phoenix now look in good shape for a playoff run, but they still need to build some momentum and turn these close losses into wins...
Grade: B-

Newcastle: A win against Manchester and then a loss to Sheffield mean the Vipers, too, enjoyed a mixed weekend. They're still targeting a top three place, but are perhaps too far away from Belfast (ten points) for this to be realistic. Like the Phoenix, though, if they want any chance to get near them they still need to keep turning these narrow losses into wins...
Grade: C+

Nottingham: Beating Belfast and earning a point in Coventry is a good weekend by any standards-the Panthers keep earning themselves vital points in the chase for the top three-they're now only three points behind the slumping Giants and can still influence the league title thanks to their remaining game against Coventry...
Grade: B+

Sheffield: Four points are just what are needed for the Steelers, including two points gained against the Blaze at home perhaps the most vital two points of the season thus far. The Panthers failed to do their rivals a favour on Sunday night, otherwise the league race could be even closer this Monday morning.As it is, six points is not an insurmountable gap by any means, particularly with the Steelers and Blaze due to meet again at the Hallam next Wednesday...
Grade: A

The one midweek game this week sees the streaking Steelers meet the stuttering Giants in Belfast on Thursday in yet another game which could have ramifications on the title race...

That's your Double Overtime for this week...keep keeping your eye on the puck..