Round the Rinks 30th November

You know the drill by now-team by team preview for the weekend coming up...

Basingstoke: Cardiff and Newcastle are the opponents for the Bison this week, in what is sure to be a tricky weekend for the Hampshire side. Kyle Peto is still out, but with Mikko Purontakanen and David Vychodil competing for his place the Bison need have no fear of any slacking on defence. Both players will need to play to the limits of their considerable abilities, however, against two attacks who, for different reasons, will be fired up-the Devils as they attempt to stay top and the Vipers as they try to reverse the mini-slump the North-Easterners have been in over the past week or two...

Belfast: Coventry are the visitors to the Odyssey tonight, in a game which will be covered by the Belfast webcast team (details here and here) before the Giants travel to Sheffield on Sunday in two games which will be hotly contested. The Northern Irish faithful will be hopeful of a result in at least one of these games now that the team are finally back at full strength (defenceman Trevor Johnson is the last to come off the injury list and should be in the lineup this weekend), and with one import having to be cut in order to comply with league rules, the players will be giving it their all in one last chance to impress coach Ed Courtenay.

Cardiff: The Devils face Basingstoke and Nottingham as they bid to stay top of the EIHL for a third week, and will be watching tonight's game in Belfast closely in the hope the Giants can do them an early favour. With two opponents who are both desperate for points themselves in the battle for playoff places, the Welsh will need to play somewhere near the level they reached in Coventry last Saturday in order to achieve their goal...

Coventry: The Blaze will be up for this weekend as they face rivals Belfast away tonight before looking to gain revenge for their shock defeat last time they met Edinburgh when the Caps visit the Skydome on Sunday. With a question-mark over just how long Sylvain Cloutier can keep going, the Blaze need every point they can get at the moment in order to keep in touch with Cardiff at the top, despite their games in hand, so expect no let-up no matter how much the players may be hurting..

Edinburgh: Manchester and Coventry beckon for the league's bottom club this time out-the Caps will be hoping for a miracle at the Skydome on Sunday, but their best chance of points comes against the Phoenix at Murrayfield tomorrow night. As we've seen so far this season, however, miracles are few and far between in the Scottish capital, so another lean weekend looks on the cards.

Hull: The Stingrays will be hoping new signing Marlon Joseph provides enough of a boost to see them out of their epic losing streak as they take on Sheffield and Manchester. However, despite all the good intentions in the world, the Stingrays look locked into a losing mentality if their results are anything to go by, and I can't see one player changing things on Humberside...

Manchester: The Phoenix come off a win into games against Edinburgh and Hull, both of which are certainly winnable, particularly now Luke Stauffacher is sharing the goalscoring load with Joe Tallari. This weekend could come at an ideal time to inject some confidence back into the Angry Budgies as they look to gain some ground on the teams above them...

Newcastle: The Challenge Cup is the priority for the Vipers as they take on Nottingham tonight in the second leg of their semi-final before welcoming Basingstoke on Sunday. After a recent loss of form in the league the cup is a welcome distraction-but there is the danger that a loss tonight could set the tone for the rest of their season if it's followed up with a loss to the Bison...

Nottingham: Tom Askey gets thrown into the deep end tonight as the Panthers travel to Newcastle with a one-goal advantage in their Challenge Cup semi final, before they return to league action against Cardiff on Sunday. With Mike Ellis lacing up the skates as a stopgap until the new import arrives, the Panthers aren't short of bodies any more, but will the addition of Askey be the last piece to help them close out the Vipers and do the Blaze a favour in the league?

Sheffield: Another two chances for the Steelers to get their league campaign back on track as they face Hull and Belfast this time out. With no injuries to speak of the game against the Stingrays should yield two points, but the Giants, even away from home, should be a much tougher proposition. Still, there will be high hopes that the Steelers can take four crucial points in the league race...

The fixtures, then.

Friday

Belfast v Coventry

Newcastle v Nottingham (Challenge Cup)

Saturday

Edinburgh v Manchester

Hull v Sheffield

Basingstoke v Cardiff

Sunday

Manchester v Hull

Newcastle v Basingstoke

Sheffield v Belfast

Coventry v Edinburgh

Cardiff v Nottingham

Let's play hockey....:)

Round the Rinks, 23rd November

It's your weekly skate round the EIHL as we preview a weekend which, even this early in the season, is going to have a major influence on the standings at the end of the season...

Team-by-team...

Basingstoke: The Bison play twice at home this weekend, in tricky ties against Newcastle followed by Belfast at the Silverdome. The Southerners are finally building something substantial after their early-season problems, but this weekend will be a big measure of the new imports-the Vipers are a very good team indeed despite their recent stutters in form-something which can also be said for the Giants. But then, the Bison themselves went 3-0 up in eight minutes away in Coventry last week, so they're not too bad themselves...it could be a very close pair of games that could go either way in the South...

Belfast: The Giants have two games they will consider eminently winnable, with Hull visiting on Saturday before the trip to Basingstoke on Sunday. With players coming back from injury the Giants should be too powerful for the sorry Stingrays, but will not be looking forward to the Basingstoke tie, especially as every point is precious as they seek to get back into the race for the top tier of the league...

Cardiff: If the Devils had to choose the biggest threat to their winning run, then facing Coventry away followed by Newcastle at home would probably be the nightmare weekend-the trouble is that this weekend contains those exact fixtures for the South Wales side. The message Gerard Adams will be giving to his team is simple: "Every player must turn up, every player must play to their absolute best-these games are ours to win". With Mike Prpich missing, the Devils are slightly weakenend-but you can guarantee there'll be little evidence of that as they come out determined to gain a huge psychological victory over both of their rivals. If you're anywhere near the Skydome tomorrow night, then get in any way you can-Saturday's game in particular has the potential to be an absolute classic.

Coventry: The Blaze make a trip to Hull on Sunday to face the stuttering Stingrays aiming to get themselves back into the winning groove for good after bouncing back last weekend...but that game is hardly getting a mention on the forums-to many this weekend is all about the most passionate rivalry in British hockey as Cardiff come intending to raise hell at the Skydome tomorrow night. I know I've been hyping this game for the past week, but anyone who's seen some of the near-legendary meetings between these two teams in the past will know that such treatment is justified. Barrie Moore is back in the line-up, so Blaze are only missing Michael Tasker in a game both the players and the fans would simply love to win-if it puts Blaze back on top that will just be an additional bonus.

Edinburgh: Sheffield and Nottingham will be hoping to pile on the misery for the luckless Scots after their 8-3 tanking at the hands of Cardiff on Wednesday...new signing Mark Wires will be after a good home debut, but one player does not make a team, and if I'm honest I can see it being yet another pointless weekend for the Caps as the Panthers and Steelers brush them aside in the chase for points.

Hull: Belfast and Coventry promise another lean weekend for the Stingrays faithful-with crowds dropping and increasing pressure on Rick Strachan, these are tense times on Humberside, with nothing seeming to go right-even the PR reports seem to be formulaic and predictable now. Sorry, Hull-but this is going to be another long weekend...

Manchester: Just the one game for the Phoenix this weekend, and it's a War of the Roses as Sheffield visit Altrincham on Sunday. The major question for the Phoenix is, as always, goals...Joe Tallari has scored double the amount of his closest team-mate (Tony Hand), and they're the only two players in double figures after 22 league games as the team as a whole has only scored 50 goals. Sheffield are another team who tend to rely more on one area than another to win games-however, unlike the Phoenix it's their high-powered attack. scoring 57 while conceding only 48. The Phoenix will be hoping that the Steelers can't shut down Tallari (assuming he plays) otherwise they'll start to look a very one-dimensional team..

Newcastle: Basingstoke and Cardiff are the opponents as the Vipers spend the weekend away from home hoping to bounce back from the nightmarish weekend they had last time out-but any slack play will definitely be punished by both opponents. With Rob Wilson's "we deserve to be where we are" comment coming under question based on last week's performances, this is a vital weekend for the Vipers as they look to prove that last weekend was not them finally being found out...

Nottingham: The Panthers have another one-game weekend, and it's the one they would have picked as they face the league's basement side in Edinburgh. Even one import down, the East Midlanders will be expecting a victory, and the Capitals will have to work very hard indeed in the hope of running them close. But with Nottingham determined to copy Cardiff and rise up the table quickly, they too will be taking no prisoners...

Sheffield: The Steelers face Edinburgh and Manchester this weekend, in one of those weekends short on glamour but long on importance. The Yorkshiremen have lost a little ground on the top three recently, and these two eminently winnable games will be seen as major opportunities to muscle their way back into contention after being slightly forgotten in the talk of honours as the attention fell on Cardiff's charge up the table.

So, the fixtures this weekend...

Saturday

Basingstoke v Newcastle

Belfast v Hull

Sheffield v Edinburgh

Coventry v Cardiff

Sunday

Manchester v Sheffield

Hull v Coventry

Cardiff v Newcastle

Edinburgh v Nottingham

Basingstoke v Belfast

Let's play hockey...

Round the Rinks, 9th November

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Saturday

Basingstoke v Edinburgh

Manchester v Cardiff

Belfast v Sheffield

Coventry v Newcastle

Nottingham v Hull

Sunday
Manchester v Basingstoke

Sheffield v Newcastle (Challenge Cup)

Hull v Belfast

Cardiff v Nottingham

Edinburgh v Coventry

Let's play hockey...:)

Round the Rinks 2nd November

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

So then, the fixtures in full...


Friday
Belfast v Coventry (Challenge Cup)

Saturday
Hull v Nottingham

Sheffield v Manchester (Challenge Cup)

Cardiff v Basingstoke

Sunday
Nottingham v Cardiff

Manchester v Hull

Edinburgh v Newcastle

Coventry v Sheffield

Basingstoke v Belfast (Challenge Cup)

Let's play hockey...:)

Round the Rinks 25th October

Mea culpa, everyone. Due to job-searching taking up the vast majority of my time (and by the way, if you know anyone who needs a hockey journalist, let me know...:)) I've only got up to get back onto writing Round the Rinks now, and completely missed the midweek games, so this post will be the one that makes reference to them There's a lot to cover so we'll get straight on with it...

Basingstoke: Another week in Hampshire, another midweek loss, 5-2 to the Panthers away. But despite this hope springs eternal in the land of the pink buses-after a fans' forum in which Ryan Aldridge apparently stressed the need for everyone to move forward as one now the financial concerns have been at least eased, and the signs are that things could be looking up as the Bison head into weekend action against a wounded Newcastle and a struggling Edinburgh. The Vipers, despite holding third in the EIHL, can be up-and-down in their level of play, and with the home crowd roaring them on at the Silverdome a point at least is a definite possibility, before the long trip north of the border gives possibly the Bison's best chance for a win in some time. If Dan Green can stop the shots like he has been doing, then don't bet against the Herd nicking a few much-needed morale-boosting points...

Belfast: In the words of Corporal Jones..."don't panic!". Have the Giants finally broken out of their slump? This weekend will go a long way to showing it if they have, as they face a tricky Manchester side in Dundalk-a team who have already won in Northern Ireland this season and will not be intimidated by the supposed star-power of the Giant's offense, and has the scorers to take advantage of the gaps in the Giant's d should they appear like they have done all too frequently this season. Certainly with this being the only game of the weekend for those across the Irish sea, anything less then a win will not be considered as an option by the Giants fanbase, organised Phoenix defence or not.

Cardiff: In a reverse of last week's fixtures, the Devils travel up to Sheffield on Saturday before welcoming Newcastle on Sunday. With new signing Mike Prpich looking to make an impact instantly and Sylvain Deschatelets wanting to prove the Devils management's faith in returning his job after his recent form is justified, the rapidly-improving Devils will be a very tough proposition, particularly since last week they narrowly lost to Sheffield at home before taking the points away from Newcastle. Sheffield will not be relishing welcoming the Welshmen, but Newcastle will be relishing the trip south even less, although revenge for last week's defeat, particularly with their need to keep up with the leading pack, will be at the top of their thoughts. Sunday in particular could be a barn-burner at the Big Blue Tent..

Coventry: My team have a make-or-break Challenge Cup game against a smarting Nottingham on the Saturday in the NIC, before welcoming Hull on the Sunday. With injuries throughout the camp in Weaver, Martin, Tasker, and Koenig (and that's just the ones we know about) this weekend will be a true physical test for the champions, particularly with the result of Saturday's game crucial in the race for the Challenge Cup semi finals. The game on the Sunday will not be the most scintillating ever seen, but the Stingray's abrasive forwards will be the last sights the recovering Neal Martin and hurting Jonny Weaver will want to see bearing down on them on the fore-check. It's weekends like these which the Blaze managed to gut out last year in their run to the title, and this one will be yet another one where the results are more important than how you get there.

Edinburgh: What do the Caps have to do to get a win? Another narrow loss to the Vipers in midweek means that the Scots are still anchored to the bottom of the table, and face two teams immediately above them this weekend in Hull and Basingstoke. Neither game will be pretty, but all teams involved will be looking to gain some ground on those around them, and for that reason alone they'll be some of the most hard-fought matches of the season. Can the Caps turn things around, or will they slide further towards an early long, dark winter even before the clocks go back?

Hull: Another week, another raft of "Stingrays ready for the challenge" press releases on Humberside. This week it's Paul Cabana and Dave Phillips stressing their commitment to the team and their readiness. But they'll need to be ready with games against a seriously hurting (in pride at least) Edinburgh on Humberside and the trip no-one wants to make (down the M1 to Coventry) on the Sunday. Stingrays might fancy their chances of at least one win after splitting a tough home-and-away with Manchester last weekend-but the question is whether they can find more scoring than just Paul Cabana, including some from defence. If they can, it could be a win on Saturday and at the very least a tension-filled night for the home Skydome crowd on the Sunday. If they can't, then it will be a long trip home on both the Saturday and the Sunday...

Manchester: It's not just the music that's surprisingly good in Manchester-the team are cruising along nicely at the moment. However, Altrincham Arena will be tense this weekend as the Phoenix take double-act of tight defence and potent forwards on the road to Belfast before returning home on Sunday to face Sheffield-two teams who will provide them with a stern examination of their trophy-aspirant credentials. With injuries yet to rear their ugly head in the North, the team will be at full strength and looking to do some damage against two of the league's traditional powerhouses. And don't bet against them doing so. It's strange-you never see anyone mention the Phoenix in the "best team in the league" discussion, yet every week they keep piling up points and making teams play VERY well indeed to beat them. At the moment, the Phoenix are soaring just under the radar of most fans in the league. And that seems fine with them...

Newcastle: "Vipers in "we're not that bad" shocker!". The Vipers are the hockey team's equivalent of a schizophrenic...one moment they're sublime, all sweetness and light, and then suddenly they lose control and it all goes out of the window. With two away games this weekend in Basingstoke and Cardiff, the Snakes will face a severe test of both their mettle and their tempers against two niggly teams who are very tough to break down. Can they keep their heads? If so, it could be a successful weekend on Tyneside.

Nottingham: Perhaps the best summary of the state in Nottingham is this anecdote. In my Double Overtime review last week, I gave the Panthers an F, and got a comment saying "good column, but you were too generous with the Panthers' grade". There are problems at the NIC, and they don't even have the Conti Cup Curse to blame it on. With just the one game this weekend and (reputedly) jobs on the line, it's time for the talk to stop and the hockey to begin in the Lace City...

Sheffield: Last but (rarely) least, the Steelers face Cardiff and Manchester as they bid to continue their quiet renaissance and pull away from the rest of the pack, while at the same time catch the Blaze at the top of the table.With no injuries the potent Steelers attack is at full strength, but will find it tricky against the solid Devils and Phoenix defences. Another four-point weekend is not out of the question, however...it just may be the most hard-fought four points you'll see for a while.

So, this weekend's games in full...(Elite League unless stated)


Saturday

Hull v Edinburgh (Challenge Cup)

Basingstoke v Newcastle

Belfast v Manchester (in Dundalk Ice Arena)

Sheffield v Cardiff

Nottingham v Coventry (Challenge Cup)

Sunday

Manchester v Sheffield

Coventry v Hull

Cardiff v Newcastle

Edinburgh v Basingstoke

Drop the puck, and let's play hockey...

Round the Rinks 18th October: Weekend Preview

So, we're back for another weekend of EIHL hockey, which starts early as Bison face Giants at the Odyssey this evening. Let's get straight on with the team-by-team weekend preview...

Basingstoke commence a weekend of three games in four days as they face Belfast at the Odyssey tonight (Thursday), before playing the return leg at the Silverdome on Saturday and Sheffield away on Sunday. The Bison will have been rocked by the loss of their number-one centre and starting goalie, but will no doubt put up a rare old fight, particularly with Ryan Aldridge due to resume playing duties in his usual combative style on the third line.



Belfast, meanwhile, will have new signings Peter Campbell and Stevie Lyle in their line-up against their former team, joined by the returning Shane Johnson. It remains to be seen how Campbell will slot in, although it is likely he will move straight into the number one centre slot with Scott Cameron the latest Giant to be injured, a broken foot ruling him out for four to six weeks. Lyle replaces Phillippe deRouville as mentioned in the "Locker-Room Chatter" threads, although the carousel hasn't stopped moving at the Odyssey with Ryan Smith leaving in order to play in Germany this week, which means the Giants effectively have lost no import slots despite signing two this week (Shane Johnson being the other). With Roman Gavalier and Trevor Johnson also on the sidelines, the Giants look light on d despite S. Johnson's reinforcing of the blue-line corps, but strong on firepower with their seven import forwards (Campbell, Dutiaume, Awada, Courtenay, Cameron, Lewis, Sutter). However, with only one ITC card available from now until the end of the season, the Odyssey crowd will have to pray that this is their injury crisis for the year...



Cardiff face a tough pair of games, facing Sheffield away on the Saturday and Newcastle at home on the Sunday. The Devils will be looking to continue their recent good form against two of the high-flying teams in the league, and will see this weekend as a way to send a message to the rest of the EIHL that they intend to be back challenging for honours very shortly. Beating the second- and third-placed teams in the table consecutively over the weekend will go a long way to showing that...



Coventry come back from Continental Cup action this weekend with two tough games, away against Edinburgh, who are always tricky at Murrayfield, followed by Nottingham at home on the Sunday. With Trevor Koenig having rested after apparently carrying a slight groin injury all season, and Blaze on a high after their exploits against Salzburg, they will be hoping to continue their EIHL winning streak which has seen them only lose a couple of games so far this season. But will the dreaded Conti Cup Curse strike again? Having been victims of it twice in the past three seasons, Nottingham will certainly be hoping so...



Edinburgh, on the other hand, have the opposite problem. After losing the last eight games on the bounce, the Capitals are anchored to the bottom of the league, despite high hopes for the team this season. They only have one game this weekend, against the Blaze, before facing the Vipers away from home on Wednesday. Having run the Blaze close last season and again at the Skydome in this one, they'll certainly be a threat on their own ice this Saturday.



Hull, like Basingstoke and Cardiff, only face the one opponent this weekend in a double-header, but it's tough one in the Manchester Phoenix, with the two teams meeting in Humberside on Saturday and in Altrincham on the Sunday. After their nightmare weekend last weekend, and with new Austrian signing Gerhard Gottfried in the line-up and looking to impress on a four-week contract, the Stingrays will be hoping to rebound from their nightmare last weekend, but the Phoenix, particularly in their current state of full-strength and flying high, will not make it easy. One further question mark on the horizon is the fitness of talismanic goalie Ladislav Kudrna, injured against Belfast last week-every single hockey fan on Humberside will be hoping he's back and ready to go for this tough weekend.



Manchester, meanwhile, have no such injury worries as they prepare for the visit of the Stingrays. With Brian Passmore and evergreen Phoenix player-coach Tony Hand laying chances on a plate almost at will, and Sean Starke and Joe Tallari on the other end putting them away for fun, these are fun times if you're a fan of the Angry Budgies. Their defence will be looking to perform in their usual stingy fashion (restricting Sheffield's high-powered attack to 17 shots in 60 minutes, as they did last weekend, is no mean feat), and will relish the physical battle with Hull's abrasive forwards, Jake Riddle and Brad Patterson chief among them.

Newcastle, as mentioned above, face the Devils at the MRA on the Sunday, but will not be looking forward to it after what will be a testing game away at Nottingham on the Saturday. This will truly be a meeting of two opposing styles as the Vipers' physical and gritty approach meets the free-flowing and speedy game preferred by the Panthers-with the Geordies hoping that their style will throw the Panthers fast-skating and skilful forwards off their game long enough to perfect a smash-and-grab raid on the NIC. Sunday will be more of a clash of equals, as both Cardiff and Newcastle will look to win the physical battles and wear the other side down. It'll certainly be interesting for the Vipers fans to watch on both nights as Newcastle look to consolidate second place...

Nottingham are something of an enigma. Firepower to burn hasn't really been matched by defensive efforts this season, as once again the Panthers have underachieved up until now. This weekend will really test their mettle as they face the first and second-placed teams in the league in the same weekend, with a hard physical battle (as mentioned above) in prospect against the Vipers on the Saturday followed by the EIHL's game of the weekend on the Sunday, as they meet Coventry at the Skydome in a game I've been looking forward to for weeks. There is no question that there will be goals in this game with the offensive talent on show, and the "purists" among us will be salivating at the prospect of a fast-moving, open hockey game dominated by skill and fast passing. The question is, which offence will come out on top in the battle of the Elite League sharpshooters?

Sheffield: Last but not least, the Steelers, who face Cardiff in South Wales on Saturday before playing Basingstoke at home on Sunday. The Steelers will no doubt be hoping to take advantage of a tiring Bison side for two points on Sunday, but will be a little nervous at the prospect of an improving Devils side in their own rink on the Saturday, in a game which could bring their winning run to a screeching halt. With confidence high in the Sheffield camp and the team at full strength for only the second weekend since the beginning of the season, coupled with confidence from the hard-fought derby win at Nottingham last weekend, however, it would take a Herculean effort from the Devils to stop the winning run continuing...

So, the fixtures, then (Elite League fixtures unless stated)

Thursday
Belfast v Basingstoke

Saturday

Nottingham v Newcastle

Hull v Manchester

Edinburgh v Coventry

Basingstoke v Belfast

Cardiff v Sheffield

Sunday

Manchester v Hull (Challenge Cup)

Newcastle v Cardiff

Sheffield v Basingstoke

Coventry v Nottingham

Let's play hockey...:D

And remember, don't forget to read about more Bison news below, and keep your eye on the puck....

Hungover Hockey...reflections on October 12th in the EIHL,

Ouch.
My head hurts after what was a great day for sport yesterday, internationally and locally. You can read all the Blaze stuff in the running diaries, so I'm not going to say anything more about that-this is the Saturday EIHL review.

Hull v Belfast: Fans in both cities are doubtless asking themselves "where did that come from?!" today-the Giants appear to have kicked their slump with a 7-1 demolition of the Stingrays in their own rink. Several players began to answer their critics, with Carlyle Lewis scoring twice, new boy Shaun Sutter getting one, and Ed Courtenay scoring as well as assisting on four others. Reading the Belfast fan reactions, they can't quite believe it-a worry for Hull is that starting goalie Ladislav Kudrna was pulled out of the game after the fourth goal-whether this was precautionary or due to an injury is uncertain, but given that Hull haven't conceded many this season while Kudrna has been on form, we shall have to see whether he plays tonight.
Nottingham v Sheffield: The Steelers took the ascendancy in this rivalry, coming back from an early Sean McAslan goal (which Steelers fans claim was way offside and should never have stood) to win 2-1 with goals from Ash Tait and Ryan Finnerty. By all accounts it wasn't a classic, but they won't be complaining in the Steel City today...
Basingstoke v Cardiff: The Devils take the points back to the Bay after a 4-3 win, although the main talking point is Max Birbraer assaulting Derek Campbell with a vicious cross-check after the Bison player had reportedly checked Jason Silverthorn to the head. With both teams meeting again this evening, this one will be one I'm keeping an eye on for the round-up tomorrow...

Now on to Blaze's final game in Aalborg, against the underdogs from Ljubljana...the running diary follows...

Round the Rinks 12th October-EIHL Weekend Preview

And so the first weekly Round the Rinks entry kicks in-with a brief preview of the EIHL weekend action. You'll get a separate Blaze preview, obviously, but this one is for the rest...
The Blaze are in Conti Cup action this week, so their preview is the entry below.
Meanwhile, back in the UK, the tired and rusting old bandwagon that is the Sheffield-Nottingham hype machine has rattled back into action, with people still trying to claim it's the biggest game in UK hockey even though few people outside the two cities actually care about Panthers meeting Steelers. The rivals also face surprise package Manchester at home on Friday (Sheffield) and surprise package number II Edinburgh away on Sunday (Nottingham) as well as their meeting in Nottingham on Saturday. I can barely hold the excitement...
Seriously, though, it should be a decent game, with Nottingham on something of a roll and Sheffield still trying to convince us all that they are still the biggest team in Britain, honest. I'm not even going to TRY to predict the results yet, cause I'm always wrong, but maybe the two rivals should stop hyping up the Saturday game and concentrate on their other opponents, both of whom are far more dangerous than they've been given credit for this season, and both of whom have run the Blaze very close at the Skydome.

Hull have released their umpteenth "(insert player name here) says Stingrays can win this weekend" press release (although given that their games this weekend are Belfast and Newcastle there's actually a grain of truth in that), Cardiff and Belfast are both "on their last chances with the current roster" yet again as they face Basingstoke (twice) and Hull and Manchester respectively. The Bison's current off-ice uncertainties are detailed below, but they could forget them by at least splitting the points with the Devils, who are still labouring to get their full team firing after an eventful off-ice summer with rink woes...Newcastle just have the one game with Hull, and will no doubt be hoping that Belfast have tired them out the night before. There could be a few penalties in that one, because both the Stingrays and the Vipers like a bit of rough stuff. The Giants will just be hoping for a win, any win, in order to stave off the growing criticism from the Northern Irish crowd...

The full fixture list, then. All league unless stated...

Friday
Sheffield v Manchester


Saturday
Hull v Belfast

Basingstoke v Cardiff (Challenge Cup)

Nottingham v Sheffield

Sunday
Manchester v Belfast

Newcastle v Hull

Edinburgh v Nottingham

Cardiff v Basingstoke

Game on. :)