Rose-Tinted...

You believe what you want
And you said what's been said
And i do hope you learn a lesson
I... do hope you learn a lesson
What's your problem?
Can't you see it?

New Found Glory: "Failure's Not Flattering"

It's not often you read an interview and wonder whether the person being interviewed really means what they're saying, but this rare event has happened to me thanks to Neil Chiplen's continuing interview with Andy French on Elite Hockey Today, the first part of which spawned the rivalry debates of a week or two ago on here. The subject has now moved on to the playoff weekend, and while I appreciate the need to remain positive and promote at all costs, some of the quotes in this interview have left me questioning whether those running British ice-hockey are seeing the same things as the vast majority of the fans...so here's my reply. Call it an open letter, if you will, responding to the quotes point by point...All the words in italics are from Neil's article...the bits in speechmarks are a direct quote of Mr French:

Elite League Director of Hockey Andy French has told skysports.com that the playoff finals are the spectacle of European ice hockey.

Honestly? 7,000 people in an arena in the NIC is a bigger event with a better atmosphere than, say, Slavia Prague v Sparta or Cologne v Dusseldorf?

I disagree strongly. And here is one of the reasons why-the greatest ice-hockey moment and loudest roar I've ever seen live. Cologne's Bill Lindsay scoring against hated rivals Dusseldorf, in Cologne, in overtime, to keep them in the playoff semi-finals. Watch, imagine being in that crowd, and tell me how it's worse than a game for which half the people at the weekend have no real interest and a good thousand of the seven-thousand seats may be empty (if Nottingham have been knocked out).

Or, if you want an arena with similar capacity, here's the noise in Berlin's "Wellblechpalast" after they score the winner in the deciding game of the "best-of-five" DEL finals (sadly against "my" Cologne...:))

That's just two events that are bigger-the playoff weekend, however "uniting" it is, just isn't in the same league...

Moving on...

The playoff finals at Nottingham get huge crowds and always have,” French told skysports.com.
“It’s a big success. It’s very difficult to get tickets for it year in, year out and it’s very successful. It’s hard work but it is good. I enjoy it after doing a few playoff final weekends behind the scenes.”


Firstly...with ten teams represented you're not going to get a "small" crowd by British hockey standards...especially when Sheffield and Nottingham are given a third of the tickets by themselves. However, is there a single Elite League fan that's ever found it tricky to get tickets? In fact, has the EIHL finals weekend ever sold out, even in the year Nottingham won it?

I'm not sure that's the case...especially as, if either Sheffield or Nottingham go out, the arena is dramatically emptier for the Sunday...indeed, perhaps the major reason it is so full is purely because many people buy tickets while being unsure their team is actually going to be there...and in a lot of cases sell their tickets if they're not.

Then, of course, you have the fact that the average attendance of seventeen teams in Europe is higher than the attendance at British hockey's "showpiece", with only two teams represented...presumably this makes them on some stratospheric scale of importance to European hockey which hasn't even been measured yet-or at least it does if you're using the attendance as an argument...

Then, we move on to the playoff format, to whit the "knockout" two-leg quarter finals...

“I think we went to this new format and it’s created, in my opinion, a situation that’s way better than when we used to have the groups,” French added.

If "way better..." was replaced by "considered to be diminished massively in importance to the fans" then that might be right...

“I think it creates more interest for the fans and each club should get full houses (for the home playoff quarter final) especially if the first game is close."

If the playoff KO's were run like those in Europe, a best-of-three or -five, then I might agree in the "more interest" bit. And what happens to the crowds if the first leg sees one club win heavily?

“The next week (in Nottingham) you’re at what’s become the spectacle of Europe.”

Sorry, but no, just...no. The playoff weekend is considered by most fans to be a nice social way to round off the year while watching some decent hockey and supporting their team. Winning is a bonus. But seriously, it's an event which, in the past few years, has consisted of three EIHL games, a junior game that few people really "get into" on the Sunday morning and many skip in favour of nursing their hangovers before the final, and little to no fanfare outside the rink (i.e no "fan-parade" area, no social hub on site (the arena empties between games on the Saturday as everyone disappears into the Castle or other Nottingham pubs, simply because the area around the NIC is dead-you barely know there's a big event on from the outside)-to compare that to, say, the Stockholm-Gothenburg derby or any "big" game in Scandinavia, Germany or Switzerland just will not wash with anyone who knows about hockey...

It may bring a few interested newbies in, but is attempting to draw in those who don't even know there's a team in their local town to such an event as the Playoff Weekend really the best way to go?

Feel free to comment...

In other news, there are two EIHL games tonight as Belfast face Manchester and Nottingham face Coventry-reaction to those games will appear tomorrow but you can keep up with events at the Odyssey, as always, by watching the Giants Webcast...

Keep keeping your eye on the puck...

Double Overtime, Feb 16th

Be warned...this one is a bit long..hence why it's a day late. I've had to do three drafts of it to tone it down to the version you now see...I thought the other two descended too much into ranting. However, I eventually decided to post that on Tuesday afternoon-thanks to a bit of Blogspot magic that is already written and will be going up on here at three pm exactly on Tuesday.

Anyway...on to the weekend review...

Well, that's me told, then: Remember my musings on how the Steelers/Panthers rivalry was, perhaps, a little tamer than it was made out to be and perhaps wasn't considered hugely important by those outside the fan-bases involved (and even that was dwindling)

Well, Saturday proved me wrong...seven goals, a game only won after nine rounds of penalty shots, the horrific sight of Jade Galbraith removing his kit (luckily he stopped with elbow pads) as he challenged the Steelers bench and was rather amusingly ignored, although the ladies in the crowd may sue for cruel and unusual punishment of their eyes. Add a decent scrap between Steve Munn and Kevin Bergin and Dan Tessier getting the smacking some would say is long overdue, all of which you can see courtesy of Steelers TV here, and I'm willing to admit that, on this evidence at least, the rivalry is still very much alive...

It's beginning to get a little...well, embarassing now: Poor old Basingstoke. Three goals scored, fourteen conceded...and well and truly rooted to the bottom with their fans hoping the season just ends as quick as possible. As if that wasn't bad enough, they starred in the latest Mark Haddon novel:

The Curious Incident Of The Twenty-Two Minute Period: This, which happened on Saturday night against Coventry, came as a result of an Adam Calder shot which appeared to go in, wasn't given as a goal, and play continuing. So far, so samey. However, the officials managed to do something truly special, deciding after the end of the second period two minutes later that yes, this was in fact a goal, and thus the second period needed to be replayed from the point the puck had "hit the net", which saw the surreal situation of teams play a 20 minute second period, then come back out after a normal period break, play the last two minutes or so of the second period again, and swap ends for the third. You really couldn't make it up...

Cup Crazy: Remember I've predicted from the start of the season that Manchester will win a trophy? They took a giant leap closer this weekend, passing safely into both the KO Cup Semi-final and Challenge Cup final, where they will face Newcastle and Belfast respectively after beating Hull and Basingstoke. The chase for silverware (and proof that I may actually have some ability at this prediction game) gathers pace...

So, lads, I guess that's training sorted this week: Nottingham played two games against their biggest rivals for position this weekend (Belfast and Sheffield) and lost both games in true English-team fashion, on penalties...

Cue much shooting practice this week at the end of training, especially with Dan Tessier now injured and off the roster for the rest of the season...

Not with a bang, but with a whimper: Similar to last season, some of the most intriguing action in the coming weeks will be to see who plays who in the playoff weekend, and particularly who will take the last playoff spot since Edinburgh and Hull are currently tied. The table is clearly split into three divisions, though, with a big gap between Coventry in fourth and Manchester in fifth (seventeen points) and between Hull and Edinburgh fighting for eighth and Basingstoke in tenth (ten points). It seems that all that is really left to decide is who plays who in the playoff quarters now-the jostle for position will be intriguing but hardly compares with the excitement of either a genuine title race (which has all but disappeared from this season as Sheffield march on) or the tooth and nail scrap which Edinburgh and Hull will hopefully provide...

With that in mind: It seems the Capitals are gearing up for their usual late charge-an impressive 7-4 win against Cardiff on Sunday shows that finally, something is stirring in the Bravehearts of the north...

It may be nicer looking up at the stars, but for the rest of this season, those looking for excitement in the EIHL may do better to find it in the basement...

Vipers lose their bite: However, it wasn't the best weekend for one of the others in the mid-table pack, with Newcastle (who look so far away from my prediction of a big year that it's untrue) coming out of the weekend point-less, including a loss to their nearest rivals in Cardiff. A respectable performance in Sheffield goes some way to redeeming the weekend, but you get the sense that some teams in the league are already focusing on the playoffs now...

Not with a bang but a whimper II: Coventry's performance against Belfast on Sunday was a microcosm of the Blaze's season...early promise, a bit of hope, problems against superior opposition, a brief resurgence and then simply being beaten by the same old frailties over and over again. This is the first season I've heard genuine mutterings of discontent at the Skydome directed at the organisation as a whole-even the Valentine's shirts for breast cancer were cynically being dismissed by many as "a moneymaking scheme" with the belief that not all of the money was going to reach the charity it was promoting...

These are not good times at the Skydome...despite the league position. If the Blaze ever genuinely do have a bad season, they could become hockey's version of Leeds United..

There you go...that's the weekend reviewed...check back around five for Tuesday's offering...
.

Insomniatic...

Morning all...

Yes, it's stupidly early, but I'm somewhat sleepless, not least because of the nightmares caused by yesterday's game at the Skydome...if you were a Blaze fan it was not the most pleasant of viewings...

However, given that I have work in four hours, Double Overtime will be appearing this evening around 7pm or so, looking back on quite an eventful weekend, especially if you're from either Sheffield or Nottingham...

Round the Rinks, February 13th...

Simple...all the games, one by one...in a tasty bite-size (i.e short) format...

Friday

Belfast v Nottingham
It's the battle of the Last Chance Saloon! The team that loses this game may as well start focusing on the playoffs, because their chances of the title will be well and truly gone. And with Belfast hit by the injury bug, the Panthers will fancy their chances...

And, with either a live feed from Five Minute Major (see left) or the Belfast webcast, you're spoilt for ways to watch it...

Saturday

Hull v Manchester. Given that there are two perspectives already out there on this game, I'm not going to add a third, but simply point you to the other two and let you judge for yourself...

For the Stingrays view, have a gander at the view from F Block

And for Manchester, there's the tweetings of The Angry Budgie , which is also the place to go if you want an in-depth preview of Manchester's welcoming of Basingstoke on Sunday...a game for which the PR machine is in high (and very well-running) gear...have a look at Five Minute Major for the story...

Newcastle v Cardiff

A quick referral back to Tuesday's post...Devils fan Stanley comments disputing my rejection of Phil Hill's all-star credentials, pointing out that he has a return of 16+17 on the season so far. Much as this amazes me, I have to give credit to him...perhaps my rejection of him as a "third-line plodder" was harsh. Although personally I'd consider Matt Towe the real British star on the Devils and (on skill level at least, which is what the All-Star game is supposed to be about)ahead of Hill. However, this is based purely on his performances against Coventry in a Devils and Steelers shirt this season...Towe and even Ben Davies have really caught my eye while, impressive figures or not, Phil Hill is just not a player I can ever imagine fans getting excited about seeing...

In that respect, with the exception of Devils and Vipers fans, he's similar to this game-they're always a good standard of play, but with Rob Wilson and friends suffocating the life out of inventive hockey and the Devils a team who are always enjoyable to watch but seeming to save their best hockey for games against Coventry, this game is a perfectly good watch, but just seems to be one that'll pass in relative anonymity despite the characters on both sides...

Basingstoke v Coventry..
I can sum up my predictions for this game in three words and a gratuitous reference to arguably one of the the most infamous shootings in American history...those words are: "Valentine's Day Massacre."

Continuing the tenuous link...

Sheffield v Nottingham
Love is in the air? My backside it is...this will likely turn out to be a typical Steelers/Panthers derby...all sound and fury...and that's just Ryan Finnerty.

Sunday

For Manchester v Basingstoke, have a gander at the Angry Budgie as mentioned earlier...there's a semi-final place resting on it too...

Coventry v Belfast
Always worth watching, this is perhaps the best chance Coventry will have to get a big win over the Giants thanks to their injury issues...for the Giants' part, they'll be hoping to send a message that their wins over the Blaze in both the Challenge Cup semi and KO Cup were a sign that, this season at least, they well and truly have the Blaze's number...

The other two games can be dispensed with fairly quickly...

Sheffield v Newcastle
Brains v brawn at its finest. Expect Andrew Verner to have a busy night and the Steelers to take another two-point-sized step towards the league title...

Meanwhile, at the other end, there's Edinburgh v Cardiff-can the Capitals finally get their late-season charge going or will the Devils just make their job harder?

I know it's a bit sketchy this week...I do apologise if you feel this post is a bit..well, rushed...but there's your weekend previewed. Eventually. :)

Thursday Quickie...

Hi all...

Apologies I've missed the last two days...starting a new, if temporary job (in a hospital and involving regular visits to the morgue, no less) has somewhat driven hockey out of my mind...however, it is back and Round the Rinks will be up for around 7 tomorrow evening...

Tuesday Thoughts: The Almost-All-Star Game

Just a quickie before we begin here...Kyle points out that, contrary to what I put yesterday, Belfast did gain a point from the weekend, as their loss to Sheffield was in OT. I'm not quite sure how I got that wrong, and it's even more embarassing since last week I was a little scornful of the Blaze press-machine for forgetting that Steve Thornton hadn't played for Cardiff in eight years in a release to the mailing-list.

I reckon that was karma, somehow...so thanks to Kyle and apologies for my muppetry...

Right then. Now onto the not-so-highly-anticipated Elite League Allstar game, which takes place next Thursday. I've been waiting for the rosters to be finalised before giving judgement on this up until now, but now they are...so let's have a look at them...:

North (coach: Dave Matsos, Sheffield)
Goalies:
Andrew Verner (Newcastle Vipers)
Jody Lehman (Sheffield Steelers)

Defence:
Rod Sarich (Sheffield Steelers)
Kenton Smith (Manchester Phoenix)
David Phillips (Belfast Giants)
Jez Lundin (Newcastle Vipers)
Kyle Horne (Edinburgh Capitals)
Taylor Christie (Edinburgh Capitals)

Forwards
George Awada (Belfast Giants, replacing the injured Bobby Robins)
David Longstaff (Newcastle Vipers)
David Beauregard (Manchester Phoenix)
Mark Hurtubise (Edinburgh Capitals)
Paul Deniset (Belfast Giants)
Adam Walker (Manchester Phoenix)
Colin Shields (Belfast Giants)
Ed Courtenay (Newcastle Vipers)
Jonathan Phillips (Sheffield Steelers)
Rob Dowd (Sheffield Steelers) replacing Tony Hand (withdrawn)
Mark Garside (Edinburgh Capitals)


South (coach, Paul Thompson, Coventry)

Goalies
Kevin Reiter (Basingstoke Bison)
Curtis Cruickshank (Hull Stingrays)

Defence
Corey Neilson (Nottingham Panthers)
Tyson Teplitsky (Cardiff Devils)
Jason Stone (Cardiff Devils)
Danny Meyers (Nottingham Panthers)
Kurt Reynolds (Basingstoke Bison)
Jon Weaver (Coventry Blaze)

Forwards
Brad Voth (Cardiff Devils) (C)
Adam Calder (Coventry Blaze) (A)
Matt Myers (Nottingham Panthers)
Lee Mitchell (Hull Stingrays)
Jeff Glowa (Hull Stingrays)
Russ Cowley (Coventry Blaze)
Shaun Thompson (Basingstoke Bison)
Phil Hill (Cardiff Devils)
Bruce Richardson (Nottingham Panthers)
Greg Chambers (Basingstoke Bison)
Slava Koulikov (Hull Stingrays)
Dan Carlson (Coventry Blaze)

So there you go.

Leaving aside the seeming stupidity of classing Hull as a Southern team when it's north-east of Sheffield (as we can fairly safely assume that that's to even the sides up a little-if the line were drawn through South Yorkshire than the Southern team would have something of an advantage given that three of the top four teams in the country would be included-this way it's two-and-two), here's my major issue...

Isn't the whole point of an All-Star team that you can pick the best players from that season? The Elite League putting a rule of "two imports and two Brits from each team) is putting a double hurdle in the way of legitimately calling this an All-star game. Firstly, because it must be just about the only all-star game in history in which every team in the league is definitely going to be represented, and secondly, it must be the only one in which there's a definite limit on the number of players on the roster from each single team.

This limit has meant that, amongst others, we're missing Sylvain Deschatelets (fourth in the league on points), Dan Tessier and Johan Molin (110 points between them for Nottingham), Brent Hughes (one bright spot on an awful Basingstoke team apart from Reiter), Mike Prpich (one of the best forwards in the league, but not noticed that much because he plays for Cardiff)...and for the North, Tony Hand has already withdrawn, Steve Thornton wasn't picked, neither was Josh Garbutt or Luke Fulghum...you could go on...

It's also meant that somehow, some players have made it in when there is no way the was majority of fans would have picked them given free-rein. I mean, seriously...Phil Hill (that's right, third-line plodder Phil Hill) now has the right to call himself an All-Star, but Joey Talbot (one of the scariest forwards in the league) and Jeff Legue do not? In the South, the situation is similar...would you seriously, for example, even entertain the fact of watching Slava Koulikov over, say, Johan Molin?

Then there's the goalies-the South goalies have a GAA of 4.57 (Reiter) and 4.00 (Cruickshank). I appreciate that these may be down to the fact (particularly in Reiter's case) that the teams in front are absolutely dire defensively, but is it just me or has Reiter gone the whole of this season riding the wave of this performance in Coventry...he's generally viewed as a good goalie but as good as someone like Lehman? If nothing else, the All-Star rosters show a massive disparity between the quality of the goalies as a whole in the South and in the North...

It seems to me that the Elite League are so concerned with presenting the league as "all-fair-and-equal" that it's led to the All-Star game being nowhere near one-just a collection of some of the "better" players in the league as opposed to what the game should be...all the best, all in one place.

FWIW, here's my Allstar teams, under unrestricted rules and with more realistic geographical boundaries, and based on my personal view of the league this season)

North (Edinburgh, Belfast, Manchester, Hull, Newcastle)

Goalies
Andrew Verner (Newcastle)
Stephen Murphy (Manchester)

Defence
Mike Burgoyne (Belfast)
Josh Garbutt (Manchester)
Mark Gouett (Newcastle)
Taylor Christie (Edinburgh)
Kyle Horne (Edinburgh)
Kenton Smith (Manchester)

Forwards
David Beauregard (Manchester)
Paul Deniset (Belfast)
Bobby Robins (Belfast)
David Longstaff (Newcastle)
Tony Hand (Manchester)
Mark Hurtubise (Edinburgh)
Mark Garside (Edinburgh)
Steve Thornton (Belfast)
Derek Campbell (Newcastle)
Luke Fulghum
Bruce Mulherin (both Manchester)
Lee Mitchell (Hull)

South (Sheffield, Nottingham, Cardiff, Coventry, Basingstoke)

Goalies
Jody Lehman (Sheffield)
Peter Aubry (Cardiff)

Jason Stone (Cardiff)
Tyson Teplitsky (Cardiff)
Jon Weaver (Coventry)
Corey Neilson (Nottingham)
Rod Sarich (Sheffield)
Blake Forsyth (Coventry) But since he's arguably ineligible, Steve Munn (Sheffield)

Forwards
Johan Molin (Nottingham)
Dan Carlson (Coventry)
Joey Talbot (Sheffield)
Rob Dowd (Sheffield)
Brent Hughes (Basingstoke)
Dan Tessier (Nottingham)
Brad Voth (Cardiff)
Adam Calder (Coventry)
Greg Chambers (Basingstoke)
Jeff Legue (Sheffield)
Sylvain Deschatelets (Coventry)
Danny Stewart (Coventry)
Carlyle Lewis (Coventry)

Now, which pair of teams, given the choice, would you rather watch? For me, it'd be the second every time-and who cares who they play for or whether they're Brit or import...

It's a nice idea, Elite League, and I shall be there on Thursday, but next year, forget the restrictions, forget the rules and just let the best players in the league play no matter what nationality they may be or what shirt they pull on week-to-week...you might get more people interested that way.

Double Overtime, Feb 9th...

On we go then, looking back at a weekend which had a pair of see-saw games and a cure for insomnia on the same night...

Next time, Vipers fans, just buy some sleeping tablets: Newcastle v Hull is never going to be one of the glamour fixtures in the league, but by all accounts Saturday's meeting at the MRA was a spectacularly boring example of the fixture. The Stingrays ground out a 2-1 win with Jeff Glowa scoring with five minutes to go, but perhaps the true measure of the game are the comments made on THF along the lines of "I'm a Vipers fan, but when Glowa scored I cheered as loud as anyone. Why? Because it meant there was no chance of overtime and we could get out of there"

Ouch.

No danger of falling asleep in Sheffield, though...: The Hallam Arena was one of the places to be on Sunday night as Sheffield and Belfast fought out an enthralling 4-3 OT win for the Steelers, with the Giants earning a point despite being without their entire top line due to injury. I was being updated while watching Coventry-Cardiff, and the texts were coming thick and fast as the momentum swung back and forth-in fact, no team managed to pull more than a goal ahead in the match, with scoring alternating all the way up to Scott Basiuk's winner as first Belfast went to 1-0 and 2-1, then Steelers scored twice, and looked comfortable until Evan Cheverie ensured the game would go to overtime. Stevie Lyle is possibly the first player to earn his team's MoM and then be ejected from the game, as he received a game penalty post-game for abuse of an official, continuing to vehemently dispute Basiuk's goal after the awards...

Or in Coventry...: At the Skydome, meanwhile, the Blaze-Devils game delivered its usual high-drama, particularly in a crazy six-goals-in-six-minutes spell at the end of the second period (look at the ih-update page if you don't believe me) which also saw Brad Voth thrown out for a nasty-looking check on Dan Carlson as he attempted to get the Devils back in the game. The score went from 2-0 Devils to 6-4 Blaze in one period, which must see some sort of EIHL record for the number of goals scored in a period....
After the madness of the second, the third period saw the Blaze settle down and do what they had failed to do in Manchester the previous night in making a comeback stick...

That's the monkey off your backs, lads: Which brings me nicely on to Manchester's weekend. In their only game the Phoenix finally came out on the right side of a close game against Coventry, avenging Blaze's Great Escape the week before with a hard-fought overtime win of their own to get themselves back on the league winning trail...

Giants cut down to size by injuries: Meanwhile, it seems that the injury curse which afflicted Cardiff last year has moved across the Irish Sea. Belfast have once again lost their top line of Andrew Martin, Paul Deniset and Bobby Robins to injury, and it shows as they came pointless out of the weekend, being shut out in Cardiff on Saturday and, as mentioned above, losing to Sheffield on Sunday.

Panthers pounce on opportunities: The injury problems in Belfast have opened the door to Nottingham in the race for second, with the East Midlanders taking four points from their weekend against Edinburgh and Hull. The Edinburgh game on Saturday is notable for the extraordinary disparity in the penalties called, with the Panthers only going to the box once all night at 59:44-I'm not sure but I think they would have been the first team in the EIHL and possibly one of the very few in the world (for games in pro or semi-pro leagues) to go through a game without having a single penaly minute called on them had it not been for Matt Myers being binned for slashing. Edinburgh weren't so lucky, giving the Panthers eight powerplays and conceding on four of them in the 5-2 loss-coupled with a professional 5-1 win in Hull on Sunday, this means that they leapfrog Belfast and Coventry into second place...

Sorry Bison now just marking time: Meanwhile, it's another miserable two-loss weekend in Hampshire despite the return of Kevin Reiter between the pipes...there are strong rumours floating around the league that the Bison have already applied to move to the EPL next season-surely this season can't be over soon enough if you're a hockey fan in Basingstoke...

There you go-that's your weekend reviewed-tomorrow we'll start the build-up to the Elite League All-Star game as well as round up any happenings in the league...

Keep keeping your eye on the puck...

Round the Rinks Rivalry-Related Extra...

Given that we've been discussing British hockey rivalries this week, and I said yesterday that I couldn't work out why teams didn't play them up a little more or wind things up a little more often when promoting games without resorting to name-calling, thought I'd share this with you...this was posted by Blaze Chairman Andy Buxton on the Blaze mailing list earlier today, regarding the Blaze/Devils game on Sunday:

Big Bad Brad brings his Devils to the Skydome on Sunday - get ready for fireworks

This Sunday 6pm. Coventry Skydome Arena. Coventry Blaze v Cardiff Devils. Be there.

Last time out, 8 seconds to go. Voth fights Perras. Naughty.

Our fans haven't forgotten that. Our players haven't forgotten that.

Doors open at 5pm. We go to war at 6pm.

For the best seats, tickets on sale NOW from the box office on 02476 630693, book online via the Blaze website or pay on the door on the night of the game.

Now, Elite League...THAT's more like it...how can you read that and not think "hello...this could be a game worth watching...". There's a real hint of rivalry in there now...and doubtless it'll make anyone from Cardiff reading it think "right, we'll show 'em, then"...

Good on you, Andy...and if other teams follow suit in a similar manner for "their" rivalries and do it consistently well, then suddenly, the Panthers/Steelers rivalry might have some counterparts in terms of notoriety in other hockey-towns...

Game on. :)

Round the Rinks, Feb 7th...and some exciting news

You know the drill by now-straight in we go...although just for this week I'm trying a slightly different way of doing things...doing it by day and not each individual game..

Saturday

The first half of the weekend fixtures see Newcastle and Hull renew acquaintances yet again in a short space of time, Basingstoke preparing for the visit of Sheffield, which is just about the perfect game for the Steelers to start the weekend off (more on them later) and Nottingham commencing a home-double weekend with the easier leg, the visit of slowly-improving Edinburgh (who have announced a new main sponsor this week).

Meanwhile, Cardiff are the opponents for a Belfast team facing a crucial weekend away from the Odyssey. The Giants are something of a resurgent force after fading somewhat from early December onward, but last weekend were the latest to prove that the hockey gods often give with one hand and take away with the other, as Bobby Robins fell victim to a shoulder injury only a short time after Andrew Martin had finally returned from a long-term injury (Robins has been replaced in the Elite All-Star game by team-mate George Awada). The Devils, meanwhile, need a scalp just to prove to themselves that they can, in fact, still score against teams other than Basingstoke....

Up in Altrincham, meanwhile, Manchester face Coventry for the first time since the game known to Blaze fans now as "The Great Escape" (incidentally, can you believe that Blaze TV get paid for slightly grainy coverage with bad music like this while Steelers TV people do not even though they're both produced by teams mostly made up of university students-which would you rather watch?). And revenge is the only thought on their minds...although with both teams now scrapping for the best position going into the playoffs this could be crucial in determining how the rest of the season goes for both of them...if Manchester finally pull out a result the psychological benefits will far outweigh the league benefit of a mere two points at this stage...after all, success breeds success...

Sunday

Newcastle take on Basingstoke as they complete a weekend facing teams from the lower end of the table, while Edinburgh, who don't play tonight, will be hoping that the Hull Stingrays' seeming hold over Nottingham in their own rink will slacken after the Stingrays won there on their last meeting. Meanwhile, a major EIHL rivalry is renewed again as Coventry face Cardiff at the Skydome.

Game of the night by some distance, however, is that at the Hallam Arena as Sheffield take on Belfast. With the Steelers arguably having the easier game the night before (Basingstoke as opposed to Cardiff) the Giants will be hoping that they can travel with relatively little effort expended-especially as a win will likely all but remove the Giants from the league race even at this relatively early stage. Even a loss will not be greeted with panic in South Yorkshire-the Steelers really are in that strong a position at the moment. However, Giants fans, don't get hopeful..this team just doesn't slack off...

I know it's somewhat shorter than usual...this weekend preview...

I have an excuse, though...and it's a big one.

The EIHL playoff weekend this year will see, for the first time, a collaborative effort by the UK blogs out there to produce content by fans, for fans, rather than simply team-specific coverage from the "official" team sources. It's in the process of being set up now, and already having expressed an interest in joining forces for the weekend are...

The Breakaway (Coventry)
Five Minute Major and the Angry Budgie (Manchester)
The Cat's Whiskers (Nottingham)
Kingdom of the Giants (Belfast)

That, already, is half the league (almost) covered...but we still need people from Hull, Basingstoke, Newcastle, Sheffield, and Edinburgh.

The idea is to have a central site we all contribute to with postings, podcasts, (hopefully) video and blog articles, intended to give this "festival of hockey) the coverage it deserves-with every team represented...it's still in the very early stages, and if you fancy joining in, then feel free to join in at www.playoffweekend.co.uk (details are on there of how to sign up or even just keep up to date-it looks a bit rough-and-ready but the foundation is there)...

Details of the original idea can be found on this thread on the Phoenix forum if you fancy a read...as well as a way to mention what you'd want in such coverage...after all, the whole point of this is that this will be by the fans, for the fans, and the more ideas or help, the more chance there is of it becoming something special...so go have a read.

Oh, and keep keeping your eye on the puck...

Thursday Thoughts...

...from a freezing Coventry...

And so we're set, then: Both Challenge Cup semis went (just about) as one would have expected. with Coventry unable to sustain their challenge against Belfast over 120 minutes, mainly due to a combination of cruel luck (how on earth do you manage to hit the iron four times in a game and not have any of them go in?) and simply being beaten by the better team, as the Giants won the tie with two unanswered goals and then hung on for dear life as Erik Hjalmarsson threatened to lead a Blaze comeback, before Steve Thornton made the tie safe and George Awada's ENG rubbed salt into the wound. Meanwhile, down in Basingstoke, the Bison lost again, as Manchester eased their way through to the final, winning the first leg of the second semi by 5 goals to two in a game which you can read more about on Five Minute Major here...

Rivalry Redux: And so onto the main point of this post...following up on Tuesday's Rivalry Ruminations....

Wow. That post was definitely the one that generated the most feedback for a while. Interestingly, though, there was a clear split between those who said "yes, the Panthers/Steelers thing isn't as important as it was" and those who disagreed-admittedly this is a somewhat small sample but it appears that even within the Panthers fan-base there are different views of things-for example Jono from the Cat's Whiskers says:

"If there is to be a change in leagues I hope Steelers and Panthers are split up, less games against each other in a season might make them more of an event once again."

While Yotes disagrees that the rivalry has diminished with familiarity, for them at least:
"I dunno Paul, while I do (to go all Romford for a minute) f-in hate losing to your lot, I really f-in hate losing to those Squealers.

And Panthers Kim makes an interesting point regarding the rivalry in a wider context than just Panthers and Steelers fans:

"The thing about the Panthers-Steelers rivalry is that if you were to ask someone in Nottingham who doesn't really follow the sport to tell you one thing about the Panthers their answer will likely be that we don't like the Steelers. It's something that seems to transcend the support of the club. I think it's the Panthers' most marketable asset and we would struggle to 'sell' a game against another opponent to the same extent, which makes the reluctance that some might have to us being in different sections of a divided league understandable."

This got me wondering, particularly with the comments from Becky, Mark and Kyle regarding the "War of the Roses" rivalry between Manchester and Sheffield (which incidentally, seems very under-marketed compared to the Nottingham/Sheffield one, by both sides-amazing when you used to get stuff like this happening when they met)- why aren't teams apart from Sheffield and Nottingham making a bigger play to foster such rivalries, at least off the ice? I don't mean by sniping, cheap digs or comments that just portray people in a bad light (for example the Team Hollywood rumpus earlier this season, or the Sheffield/Cardiff back-and-forths) but by simply getting out there and telling people "look, this is THE game-these are the ones we really want to beat above all others". In Coventry, every game is marketed as a "really important" one, which means that they tend to blur together over a season, particularly when you get similar language used for each PR. After all, one thing that can't be denied is everyone knows about Panthers/Steelers...but how many are aware of, say Phoenix v Devils as mentioned? Or, unless you know your history, the Lancashire/Yorkshire divide as applied to sports?

Sadly, with the dropping of Chelmsford from the EPL to the ENL, the cross-Essex rivalry mentioned has withered, at least in hockey terms. However, one thing that has come out of this season is the fact that new rivalries have been created-and although any re-alignment of the leagues could potentially split up some "current" ones, the potential is always there for new ones...

There you go..Round the Rinks to come tomorrow...

Midweek Musings...or lack of them

Hi all...

There was going to be a Midweek Musings today, but got sidetracked in possibly setting up a playoff-weekend related project-more news to come if and when it happens...

Tomorrow there will be a posting, though, reviewing tonight's matches and taking a quick skate around the league...

Oh, and to those who've commented on yesterday's rivalry post-I have read them-there'll be another mini-rant on it contained in tomorrow's posting...:)

Tuesday Thoughts: Rivalry Rumination

Warning-there is a rude word or two later on in this post)
Hear that buzzing? It's a hornet's nest, and it's been stirred up by Andy French in an interview with Sky Sports' Neil Chiplen (see yesterday's post for the link). What one of the top men in British hockey has said in that interview flies in the face of what British ice-hockey fans have been told pretty much every season for the past ten years. Summed up in one sentence it goes thus...

There are more important rivalries in the league than Sheffield v Nottingham.

At last, someone with a bit of influence in British hockey has finally said it. For many years we've had to suffer the preaching and winding-up in either the Nottingham Evening Post or the Sheffield Star at least four times a year, the rhetoric of Dave Simms and Gary Moran, the digs in Powerplay columns every time another rivalry is born. Now, rumoured plans to expand the EIHL into northern and southern conferences, incorporating teams from the EPL, a more sustainable import limit and arguably a much healthier and more competitive league, are being dismissed by many. Not because it's unworkable, not because there are egos that simply cannot be got around, but because a North/South split would likely involve the Panthers and Steelers being placed in different conferences. This means that they're instantly complaining as apparently they are the only two clubs that take sizeable away crowds to each others' rinks.

This is arrogant in the extreme.

Now, having been to a few Nottingham/Sheffield games over the years, you can't deny that there is something of a buzz around the arena, one that you just don't get when, say, Edinburgh come to town (no picking on Edinburgh-I just picked them as they're one of the clubs that don't take a huge away support to many places due to the travel difficulties and, perhaps, having a smaller pool of fans who will travel). However, it's not a game I go to and think "wow, this is far and away bigger than any other in Britain). Personally, that used to be reserved for Coventry v Cardiff...a quiet rivalry which doesn't really get talked about as a big one except by Devils and Blaze fans but has consistently produced storming games played in front of packed-out rinks, including two epic Challenge Cup Finals. Despite this, there's still a healthy respect between the two fanbases...this rivalry is built more on the close games on the ice and the battles the clubs have had in the past more than the "manufactured" hype of Panthers/Steelers...you won't see press releases hyping the fact there is a rivalry from either club beforehand-both sides just know this is a big one. And so does any neutral who turns up, just by the electricity in the air.

Then there's Coventry/Nottingham. Sheffield fans may think there's still dislike between them and those down the road but come to the Skydome or the NIC for a Panthers/Blaze game...there is genuine hate between the two fanbases. Not the kind of hate that is the "negative" kind-that which leads to violence at every game (despite what a few misguided souls on the Cage Forum say when the Panthers come off worse) but the "good" kind that gives a genuine edge to the yells of the supporters and the hits flying in on the ice. Every goal is celebrated just that little but more loudly, the banter is a bit more vicious, and the crowd chants and interactions stay just this side of open warfare. Ask Panthers fans and they'll say the same-both sets of fanbases despise losing to the other. It's what the Panthers/Steelers rivalry wishes it still was, back in the heights of the Boxing Day bench clearance...

For a similar feel, what about Belfast Newcastle? You only have to look at the games this season to see those teams hate each other-this one is in its early days but even so, there is the potential for some serious legs on that one...

People talk about Belfast/Coventry also. Born out of the Theo Fleury year, this one has calmed somewhat, but can still provide the odd firecracker on occasion, just to let people know they're still around...

However, for sheer intensity, in my eyes, there are several in the lower-leagues that are very, very rarely mentioned even by those supposedly in the know but make the Steelers/Panthers look like a love-in. How about Fife and Edinburgh in Scotland, or Fife and Dundee (even though the crowds are dropping, the passion is still there). Kirkcaldy is an intimidating rink when in full-flow-I remember a trip up there back in the BNL days and again during the Blaze's "treble" season...look up the word "hostile" in the dictionary and there's a good chance you'll see a picture of Kirkcaldy Ice Arena in full flow. It's one of only two rinks where I've genuinely been slightly fearful of just how intense the place is-you feel like you've earned your stripes as an away fan when you come out of there...

The other place was at the Skydome, but the Blaze weren't playing. It was the EPL final weekend, and I had the dubious pleasure of being placed between Romford and Chelmsford fans. Now, I'd heard stories about the cross-Essex rivalry, but when you're placed between the two sets of fans, you experience it at first-hand. Apart from anything else, the banter being fired back and forth was red-hot, highlighted by this nugget which has stayed with me to this day.

(Romford are playing-and their opposition score. A "large" Chelmsford lady leaps to her feet and yells)
"F**king have that, Moffat (Romford goalie). You're shit!"
This provokes an instant response from the Raiders fans
"Sit down, and shut up, you f-in ugly fat slag!"
By this point I'm wincing. The arena goes quiet as play restarts, just in time for this banshee-like response in the broadest of Essex accents...
"I may be ugly, I may be fat, I may be a slag, but thank God I'm not from f-in Romford like you otherwise I'd fuckin' hang meself!"
Cheers from the whole Chelmsford section.

So much for hockey being a family sport...:)

I'm not saying the Panthers/Steelers rivalry doesn't exist-I'm saying that, like Andy French, I feel it's just not really that relevant any more, even to the fans of at least one of the teams involved. There are many rivalries equally as big in British hockey-the reason the Panthers/Steelers one stands out is purely due to the fact that we're told, over and over again, by the PR machines of the respective clubs, that it is. They may be the two clubs with the biggest fanbases, which guarantees that their games will likely get the biggest crowds, but the most hotly-contested rivalry? Maybe in 2001, but not any more...

If you don't believe me, nip along to a Blaze/Panthers or Belfast/Newcastle game as a neutral, then see how you feel...

Double Overtime, Feb 2nd...

Yes, I know it's a little late. Blame the snow...:) Let's just jump straight in...

Erm, lads...this is not a good habit to be forming...: After the late, late show in Coventry last weekend, Manchester have once again been doing fairly well in games only to throw things away in the later stages-of the seven goals they conceded to Nottingham this weekend, six were scored in the last ten minutes of the game, including four in ten minutes in Altrincham last night to wipe out a two-nil lead. It seems that at the moment the Phoenix are a team who are fine for fifty minutes, and then, somehow, go off the boil.

Which means, obviously, that there's going to be some serious nerves jangling if they go into the final few minutes against Coventry next week with a narrow lead...

Meanwhile, back in the basement: Edinburgh win the battle of the beleaguered, beating Basingstoke four to three in the "who's slightly less likely to finish bottom" contest. Although, saying that, even despite the additions of Corey Leclair and Czech forward Ivo Mocek, the Bison look dead and buried. Also, anyone who's seen Leclair play will no doubt have something of a smile at the Bison press release announcing his signing-the finest work of fiction since War and Peace. You know your team are a little stuck when you consider a "skilful" import scoring 6+12 playing on two of the best offensive teams in the league on the PP and PK "impressive"..."average" is probably the best you can get...

One hand on the trophy: Another two wins for Sheffield, including a game effectively won in the first five minutes at the Skydome last night (Sheffield were 2-0 up after four minutes and then Jody Lehman in the Steelers net took over with a superb performance, only allowing one goal on 41 shots) saw the Steelers take a step closer to the title despite Nottingham doing their best to keep up with a double over Manchester. Many Blaze fans will blame referee Tom Darnell, but he was equally cruel to both sides as he appeared to miss calls all over the place. You can't really fault the Blaze on this performance, apart from a comedy first four minutes-they were simply beaten by the better team.

And, winner of the second annual "F..., that was a bad idea" Award: Sylvain Deschatelets, who finally allowed his frustration at some rough treatment from the Steelers to boil over, dropping the gloves with Steve Munn at the final buzzer on Sunday night. This is one of those scraps that seemed even right up until the first punch, as Munn just unloaded hammering left hands on the French-Canadian. Despite the Blaze man trying to reply, he barely landed a telling punch as both swung and missed-however, the Steelers defender connected with several beauties which will no doubt leave "Des" with a sore head this morning...You can see the highlights by searching "Blaze TV" on youtube...

If you could sum up the weekend in two words, it'd be "late goals": Looking at the scores from the weekend, it's amazing how many goals were scored in the final ten minutes to win close games (empty netters aside). Perhaps the most important was that scored by Pavel Gomenyuk for Hull, in Cardiff, at 59:30, which saw the Stingrays squeak out a surprising two-one win. Jay Latulippe will not be the most popular man on the Devils bench this morning after taking a slashing penalty with 90 seconds to go-Gomenyuk duly took advantage on the ensuing powerplay, having brought the teams level just four minutes earlier after the Devils had held a slender one-goal lead from Wes Jarvis' marker in the fifth minute, in a game which only saw a total of 43 shots...

It was all so different from the night before: When Cardiff disposed of Basingstoke in the second-leg of their KO Cup semi with a thumping 9-1 win, making the final score 17-1 on aggregate. Ouch. If anyone has seen Basingstoke's dignity, which went missing in about late December, could they please hand it back? It's very sadly missed in Hampshire...

Fight night!: Belfast v Newcastle has always had the potential for a flashpoint or two this season, and on Friday night it duly delivered, especially if you enjoy a scrap or two between Jason Rushton and Andre Payette-if you don't believe me, here are the highlights of Friday, courtesy of Giants TV-it all gets a bit tasty...By all accounts, it got a little tasty on Saturday, too.
The Giants, for the record, win both games...

There you go-that's your weekend reviewed. Tomorrow, sometime, we'll have a reaction to Andy French's interview about rivalries with Neil Chiplen over at Elite Hockey Today (read it here, as well as a fine report on the Devils/Stingrays game here) as well as a look at Wednesday's Challenge Cup semi second-leg...

Another fine review of the same game can be found at the F Block Blog here... nice title too...:)

Keep keeping your eye on the puck...

Round the Rinks, Jan 30th

Hi all.

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Saturdays: "Up"

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

Double-headers

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

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

Saturday

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

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

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

Sunday

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

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

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

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

Technology is wonderful...

...unless it's the computers in my house, which decided not to work all day today. Clearly it was "their time of the month" or something,...I do apologise to those of you who were awaiting the promised article today...a consideration of the way forward for British hockey will now appear some time next week (probably Wednesday)...

Aye well-to make up for it there'll be an extra juicy Round the Rinks tomorrow, with a look at both mid-week games and a brief musing on why Sheffield v Nottingham isn't the best rivalry in the EIHL any more. You may wish to have a gander at Elite Hockey Today for a bit of background reading on this also...

All that and a preview of the weekend? Why, yes. Because that's just how we do things here...

Should be up around 3pm tomorrow...promise.

Midweek Musings...

First of all, I know it's a bit lazy, but rather than write a new One Minute Preview for tonights Challenge Cup match, I shall simply link to the breakdown I did the last time Coventry met Belfast...as that's still mostly correct. However, a few modifications to it...

Belfast having Stevie Lyle in net makes things far more even in the netminding department this time round-however statistically Perras is still the better goalie despite being roundly criticised this season. With Blake Forsyth performing very well indeed in front of him, the Blaze defence has also improved, and of course we have the psychological effects of a four-point weekend and an epic comeback to consider, putting the Blaze in a far stronger-looking position coming into this game than they were in barely two weeks ago, despite missing Ben O'Connor through injury and possibly Erik Hjalmarsson also.

But the wild-card (and "wild" is the operative word) is the return of Jason Rushton to these shores. After a scrap with Jeremy Cornish after two seconds at the weekend, you can bet that Rushton will be after the Blaze from the opening faceoff, particularly Carlson, Calder and the other "skill players". A lot will rest on how the Blaze deal with him, although with both Carlyle Lewis and Danny Stewart available, the Blaze aren't short of those who will be willing to step in to protect their skill players. Also, with the second leg not until next Wednesday, this game differes from the KO Cup-the Blaze need to put down a marker for what will be a very tough game in Dundonald, particularly with Sheffield coming at the weekend also.

Should be an enthralling match-up...and there'll be a report of sorts on here tomorrow for those of you who can't make it...

Now, on to the rest of the week's news so far...

If you're injured, you ain't much use: Well, that's not strictly true. Marc Fulton and Derek Campbell have both been officially de-registered by Cardiff due to being out until the end of the season, but the Devils are standing by them through their rehabilitation, which is an excellent thing to see. Both Fulton and Campbell will remain part of the club off-ice, according to various sources. As reported on Monday, though, Matt Elich will take their spot on the roster.

I'm thinking of the relationship between "rats" and "sinking ship" right now: Another player has left the beleaguered Basingstoke Bison. Ross Bowers has returned to the EPL, joining Slough Jets for the final stretch of the regular season and the playoffs after impressing having made the step up from MK Lightning at the beginning of the season. There are rumours that Shaun Thompson could be following him from Basingstoke, although it's looking more and more likely that the team will be making the move to the EPL lock, stock and barrel at the end of this season...

That's your round-up done for a Wednesday-tomorrow we'll reflect on tonight's game and also look at rumours of changes in the EIHL set-up for next season.

Keep keping your eye on the puck...

Double Overtime, Jan 26th

Be warned in advance...some of this post may descend into starry-eyed rhetoric. But then, when you've just seen your team score two goals in the last twenty-seven seconds with the goalie pulled and then win in OT, you're allowed that.

On we go...let's get the rest of it out of the way first...

Something to prove, lads?: Belfast were pushed all the way by a battling Basingstoke team on Saturday in the Odyssey, needing overtime after throwing away a seemingly comfortable 4-2 lead at home against the Hampshire side. However, on the return leg there were no such worries, as the Giants seemed to be stung into action and scored 6 unanswered goals in a 7-1 victory down at the Silverdome. There's no wound deeper than those that go to pride, it seems...although the fact that Euan King in the Bison net faced 54 shots on Saturday and stopped 49 of them may also have meant he was simply worn out when the barrage resumed...

Steeling points is becoming a habit: Yes, the spelling mistake is intentional. Sheffield scored nine goals while only conceding two on their Edinburgh weekend, mainly thanks to the efforts of Jody Lehman, who earned himself a 44-shot shutout on Saturday. With Basingstoke gaining a point on the Capitals, the race to avoid the wooden spoon is hotting up, never mind the last playoff place...

Honours even in the North East: The points were shared in the other double-header of the weekend, with Newcastle and Hull both winning their home games of the weekend to keep things close down in the lower reaches of the playoff placings...

To be released once is unlucky...twice, and you start to think that it may just not be working out. Nottingham have announced this morning that defenceman Ed Hill is their new signing, and Corey Leclair (signed from Coventry in early January) and Jurij Golicic have both been released...

While we're on the signings: Cardiff's new forward is Matt Elich.

And, after an up-and-down weekend, maybe it's for the best: The Panthers lost 3-1 to Coventry on home ice after digging out a valuable 5-3 win in Cardiff the night before, in a game which saw Brad Voth and Kevin Bergin exchange pleasantries at the opening face off, and Jay Latulippe get himself thrown out at the end for abuse of an official. Sunday's match against Coventry saw the Blaze finally earn themselves brief bragging rights thanks to a three one win.

On Sunday, the Devils were shut out away to Manchester, as the Phoenix rebounded from the game we shall now look at in somewhat greater detail, with music and all...

"Whoa, it was never my intention to brag
To steal it all away from you now.
But God does it feel so good..."

Paramore: "Misery Business"

Remember a week or so ago, when I said that even in defeat, there were signs of hope if you were a Coventry fan? On Saturday, that hope announced itself well and truly, as the Blaze and the Phoenix graced the Skydome with a game that only usually occurs in a fan's wildest dreams or darkest nightmares. A game that passed into legend the moment that Danny Stewart's angled shot hit the top left corner of Stephen Murphy's net in overtime and a roar of pure, undiluted, primal joy rose from fifteen hundred or so throats, climbing into the heavens to let the hockey gods know that something epic had occurred. A game of which words can only paint an inadequate picture...you simply had to be there.

But I shall try.

Manchester started this game by far the stronger-there was no hint of the drama to come as the first ten minutes saw two Manchester powerplay strikes from Beauregard and Fulghum, followed by a solitary reply from Carlyle Lewis. The Phoenix were in the ascendancy, and looked fairly untroubled at the first break as the mutterings began among the home crowd.

They got louder in the second, as Tony Hand pulled a goal out of nowhere, ghosting into a seemingly harmless position covered by two Blaze d-men before somehow threading the puck between them and over Perras' shoulder. Moments later it was 4-1 as Lucas Burnett finished calmly as he kept his head after a rebounding Cloutier shot to jab the puck home, before the see-saw swung the other way thanks to strikes from Deschatelets and Cowley. When Alex Dunn then fired a bullet from the blue that appeared to be tipped beautifully by Nathan Ward, even though the Phoenix d-man was given the credit, the Phoenix visibly relaxed, and even went 6-3 ahead thanks to a second goal from Hand. At the other end Stephen Murphy was his usual excellent self, denying the busy Hjalmarsson with a well timed poke-check just when it looked like the Swede would equalise, but as the game entered the last ninety seconds with the Blaze only having a solitary Calder goal to show for their efforts, the moans were growing from the home crowd, and the stands were emptying as Perras left his net and the Skydome cringed in anticipation of the empty-netter which David Beauregard was streaking down the left wing to calmly put away...

Then, somewhere in hockey heaven, the gods decided that an already enjoyable game to watch deserved to become legend, and the next two minutes, while seeming to take place on Skydome ice, were in fact on a higher plane (or, if you're a Phoenix fan, lower).

Beauregard missed the empty net. That sentence is hard to believe in itself. But Jon Weaver slid across the ice to block the low shot, and forced the Phoenix sniper to shoot high. He did. Too high. The puck rebounded round the boards, and reached Erik Hjalmarsson by way of Calder and Weaver. The Swede twisted from side to side in the slot like an eel and found the smallest of gaps between Murphy's pads for six-five. The roar that greeted his strike was loud, but still had an element of defeat in it-the Blaze were making a fight of it at least, but surely it was too-little, too late?

Phoenix time-out. A few of the early departures were trickling back in, as messages from friends still watching reached the car park. "Don't go yet, something's happening here"...Return they did, chasing the vain hope of seeing something truly special. Perras stayed on the bench.

23 seconds to either lose with honour, or make a legend. The puck dropped, the clock began to tick, and every pass was greeted with cheers or groans. No-one was sitting anymore as the Blaze crossed the Phoenix blue-line with fifteen seconds left. The puck went round the back of the net, Adam Calder passed out in front under pressure from Josh Garbutt, hoping to find someone, anyone, in a Blaze shirt to get one final shot off.

He found Sylvain Deschatelets, in an inch or two of space, who shrugged off a Beauregard slash, aimed, and fired. The puck slid almost in slow motion below Murphy's stick, through his legs, and into the net.

Bedlam. In nearly ten years of hockey-watching I have honestly never heard a Skydome crowd roar with such joy as it did then. Or seen a team go from calm confidence to looking like its heart had been ripped out as quickly as the visitors. The Phoenix looked beaten then. Stunned. They'd worked so hard, dominated the game. Wanted a victory. Deserved a victory. And someone up there had taken it away from them.

As we prepared for overtime, the departures were streaming back in. "Lose Yourself" thumped over the speakers, and seemed somehow appropriate. Every man, woman and child in the building was lost in the drama. And most of them hoped for a Blaze goal, hard as it would have been on Manchester.

A minute into overtime, it came. Barrie Moore streaked down the left side, fed Danny Stewart in the slot, and the little Blaze forward waited, waited, and waited before firing high past Murphy to send the Skydome into new heights of ecstacy, and plunge a dagger deep into the hearts of the Phoenix players and fans.

It may be a cliché, but this is a game that neither side really deserved to lose...and will be talked about long after this season has been consigned to the history books.

And if you're a Blaze fan, then hope is re-born. Should you be a Sheffield fan, then next Sunday's game suddenly looks a lot more intimidating.

And that's your weekend reviewed...

Round the Rinks, January 23rd

Let's go bombing into another weekend preview, shall we? Apologies it's so late but I have just spent three hours stuck on the M42 on a journey that should have taken 35 minutes. Nice. First of all, though...

That minute could be worth a whole lot more come April: Sheffield beat Belfast two-one in the Odyssey on Wednesday, with Ryan Finnerty scoring the winner on 59:01 after the game had looked set to go to overtime. Two crucial, crucial points which also prevented Belfast going above Coventry into third place while they were at it...

I stand corrected: Robb from the Pyre reminds me after my post on Wednesday that Manchester wore Children in Need special jerseys this season...in which case I apologise for saying no team is doing anything jersey-wise...

And now, on to the weekend...

Double-headers

Edinburgh v Sheffield: Two games at Murrayfield which should, realistically, see the Steelers come out with maximum points, although the Caps will be boosted by new signings Jason Cassells and Brad Bonello. These are games the Steelers will be expecting to win to strengthen their grasp on this years title, and anything less than four points for them would be a bonus for the rest of the league...

Newcastle v Hull: Tyneside on Saturday, and Humberside on Sunday. Two games which won't provide the greatest level of finesse hockey in the world and indeed may be ignored by the greater part of the British hockey community unless a) it all kicks off, b) someone gets a mullering, or c) both. However, even diamonds are sometimes found in piles of...well, nasty stuff, and this game could prove to be well worth watching due to the teams being so evenly matched...

Belfast v Basingstoke: You have to fear for the Bison with the Giants on a hot run, especially after the Panthers brushed them aside last weekend with almost contemptuous ease. I can't see much more than four points for the Giants and the Bison doing their "battling loser" act yet again to stay firmly rooted to the bottom...The Saturday leg will be live at www.giantslive.tv, too...

Now on to the single games...

Saturday

Coventry v Manchester: With all of the games between Blaze and Phoenix being close up until now, this one is guaranteed to be worth watching, particularly with the offensive talent on show. With Blaze's new boys Blake Forsyth and Erik Hjalmarsson now more settled, they will be looking for a chance to show what they can do, while the Phoenix will be hoping to dig themselves out of something of a New Year hole and pull off a morale-boosting win away from home after coming close on several occasions already...This is game of the night, definitely.

Cardiff v Nottingham: But closely behind it comes this meeting in South Wales. Panthers' speed v Devils' power and effort is the order of the day here, and with the Devils finally close to the form of the Devils of old, Coventry in particular will be wishing the Panthers a tough game away from the friendly confines of the NIC...

Sunday

Manchester v Cardiff: It's change-about as the four teams who met last night in the non-double-header games swap opponents. Phoenix v Devils is a fixture that the Welsh side have had the better of so far this season, but with both teams having tough fixtures the night before the result this time round is anyone's guess....

Nottingham v Coventry: Finally, it's the resumption of the Team Hollywood Rivalries. With Corey Leclair playing his first game against the team that brought him to the UK at the start of this season and both sides desperate for points to keep them in touch with Sheffield at the top, no quarter will be asked for and even if it were, one doubts it would be given. This is the game of the weekend by a whisker, and will see 60 minutes of war on the NIC ice...

There you go-it's a little late, but there's your weekend, previewed...

A swift "heads-up"...

Morning all...

Round the Rinks should be up around 3pm today...normally I get it done the night before but was a little busy...

Check back then for your weekend preview...

Midweek Musings...

On we go for a lightning skate around the British hockey world this wintry Wednesday...

Capitals sign another: He may have a surname that sounds like it should be applied to an ice-lolly, but Brad Bonnello is a decent player...he joins Jason Cassells as Edinburgh's second new signing. PR is here, stats are here.

Oh, and he's a feisty little bugger as well...just what the Caps need, really.

In the Pink: Finally, a one-off-shirt that isn't either about celbrating an anniversary by milking it for cash (eg Cardiff's anniversary shirts) or just milking cash (Christmas shirts ad infinitum). Romford have produced a Valentine's Day commemorative shirt, and here it is.

The thing about these are: a) there's no shirt auction so you don't get the same posers with more money than sense enriching their club by pointlessly throwing tons of money at a shirt which will be re-hashed the same time next year-each (game-worn) shirt goes for the same price as a replica, there will only be one set and everyone has the chance to buy one, and b) the money raised goes to the British Heart Foundation. All of it.

The amusement gained from seeing someone as big and mean as Mark Williams in a pink shirt covered with hearts is a fringe benefit, of course.

Fair play, Romford. They join MK :ightning in the charitable stakes, after their "pink shirt for breast cancer" a year or two back. Were they not all sold, I'd want one.

My question is though, as the top league in the country, why are we not seeing more of this sort of thing from the EIHL rather than the parade of one-off moneymakers we're usually subjected to? It's got to help the PR if nothing else...

One Minute Preview: As promised, we're now going to look at tonight's game between Belfast and Sheffield, which is as usual live on http://www.giantslive.tv should you fancy spending a Wednesday night watching hockey...

And you should, patricularly if you're a fan of any of the top four. A Belfast win in tonight's game could make the title race infinitely more interesting, as well as increase the number of runners from three to four. By now both sides will know the opponents' dangermen, who to watch and who to niggle at. There are intriguing battles all over the ice, from the stingy Jody Lehman v the free-scoring Paul Deniset to Rod Sarich v the Belfast forecheckers. These are arguably the two most complete sides in the league doing battle, and the game should reflect that in the closeness of the score.

My verdict? Sheffield to win. Just. But, for the sake of the league as a whole, I'll be hoping the Giants win...

And that's your Midweek Musings...sorry they're a little later than usual...