Hockey Christmas! Double Overtime, 25th December

There was no way I was missing December 25th...in honour of the festive season, we shall be rating the teams on a scale of nice to naughty depending on just how good they were this weekend. Yes, it's cheesy, but the Breakaway should at least look like it's in the festive spirit...For those of you who aren't sure where on the scale things are, the grades will also appear beside them. :)

Basingstoke: Poor old Bison. Nine players fit as they travelled up to Sheffield led to the expected tanking on Sunday after a loss by two goals on Saturday...although nine-one is a little harsh on the valiant Herd-the five-three result on Saturday was nearer the mark as far as fairness goes. However, given that I have something of a soft spot for the Hampshire-ites, they don't suffer too much and get the grade of
Lovable Rogues (grade C)

Belfast: Two games in overtime, and the Giants win both, so they come out on top as far as the scales of justices fall this week-given that they gained some valuable ground by gutting out a win against Newcastle and also beat Blaze for the second time in a week, they just about scrape from into...
Postively Angelic (grade A-)

Cardiff: This will not be a Christmas run-in to remember for the Devils, although they haven't suffered too much thanks to the nip-and-tuck nature of the battle for second in recent weeks. This weekend must have seen some fairy dust sprinkled on the goalmouths in both Cardiff and Altrincham, because the Devils and Manchester combined for twenty-four goals in two games, with Devils avenging a six-five loss after OT in Cardiff with a seven-four win in Altrincham. Given the fact that Manchester are becoming tough to play again, they scrape the grade of
Teacher's Pets (grade B-)

Coventry: This is getting monotonous now...one win, one loss for the Blaze also, although the win was a demolition of Nottingham which was summed up in KC Timmons well and truly destroying Corey Neilson in a fight in a Biblical beating, the like of which is only usually seen in Westerns being administered by the hero behind a woodshed, usually with a horsewhip...However, the loss on Friday puts the Blaze back down into Cardiff territory grade-wise, as they also get...
Teacher's Pets (grade B-)

Edinburgh: Four-point weekend! Now there is a Christmas present Caps fans will be overjoyed to receive, even if it is at the expense of Hull. And, just to add the tinsel on the presents, the Sunday night saw JF Perras gain his first EIHL shutout as the Caps won 3-0. Thus, for being one of only two teams to earn the four-point maximum, the Capitals should pinch themselves as, like Belfast, they earn the title...
Postively Angelic (grade A)

Hull: I hope the fires need stoking on Humberside, because there's a lot of lumps of coal coming the Stingrays' way. Two more losses against the only side below them drive another nail into the coffin of the Fishies' season, and earn themselves the dreaded grade, once again, of...
Beyond Redemption (grade U)

Manchester: Credit to the Phoenix...this weekend saw the best and the worst of them at the same time-goals aplenty, but also leaking aplenty. One win and one loss, especially against Cardiff, is a creditable return, but the defensive shambles of conceding twelve in two games will never win them anything. In tribute to their two sides and also to Home Alone, that Christmas staple on TV, they earn the grade of...
Angels with Dirty Faces (Grade D)

Newcastle: Oh, Vipers, Vipers, Vipers. Those heady days of autumn must seem a way away now...Two more losses, to Nottingham and Belfast respectively, mean that they're not quite down in Hull territory, but they could start sliding there if there's not a noticeable improvement fairly quickly...
Naughty, naughty...(Grade E)

Nottingham: Tom Askey had a bad night on Sunday as the Panthers undid all the good work they'd done in winning in Newcastle by simply rolling over against Coventry in their five-two loss. However, revenge could come quickly on Boxing Day, so this second schizophrenic team also go into Christmas as
Angels with Dirty Faces (grade D)

Sheffield: Two wins, fourteen goals. All is well in Steelerville. The question now is, can they maintain it over a tricky Christmas and New Year stretch? No surprises as they go into Christmas Day as...
Positively Angelic (A)

And there you are. All that remains is to say...Merry Christmas to all...