The Breakaway British Hockey Blog

First of all...you may have noticed that the page has changed slightly...this is due to the fact that the Breakaway has now joined the Twitter age...and will be live from Nottingham throughout the weekend, so keep checking back every few hours to follow just what I'm getting up to, as well as updates on the matches themselves, unedited and (almost) live...

Yes, I know that all the games take place in one place, but here we go, team-by-team, previewing the Nottingham weekend...straight into the Playoff Preview (the Sheffield section was written by Dave Chaston of Steelers TV)...

CARDIFF DEVILS

Gameplan: The Devils are a team for all seasons. Don’t let the size of players like Brad Voth and Doug MacIver fool you into thinking this team is all about brawn-granted they are built with a fair dose of grit and hard work, but there is also a deceptively high level of skill sprinkled into the mix which has seen the Devils surprise teams on many occasions this season as they switch styles mid-game. Built on solid, uncompromisingly physical defence and speed coupled with relentless pressure on the forecheck, their default gameplan is not a complicated one, and sometimes lacks the glamour of, say, a run-and-gun offence like their opponent in the semis, Sheffield’s. No-one, least of all the opposition, can deny that it’s very effective indeed when the parts of the Devils machine are all working in sync, however...the Devils are a nightmare to play against for those players who play best given a little time on the puck, like many of the Sheffield forwards...as their opponents in the quarter finals, Belfast, found out to their cost.

Three To Watch:

1) Brad Voth (forward): The 6’5 Albertan is a player you simply can’t miss when you watch the Devils-whether it be for his distinctive blond locks, his sheer size or the fact that he is usually in the middle of everything the Devils do. Add to that the notion that if you looked up the term “fan favourite” in the dictionary it would likely say “see: Brad Voth’s relationship with Cardiff” and you begin to get a sense of how important the big number 26 is to his adopted home town. Voth is one of the few players in the league who provokes the phrase “I hate him, but only because he’s not playing for my team” to pass the lips of many opposition fans…the heartbeat of his team and a player who can hit, score (usually at vital moments) and will never back away when needing to stand up and be counted, the Calgary native gives the impression that he’d willingly sacrifice a limb to give the Devils that vital advantage that will win a game…

2) Wes Jarvis (defence): A player having a career year is always worth watching, and with eighteen goals and eighteen assists from defence this season, this big, 29-year-old blueliner from Toronto, signed for his defensive capabilities, has become one of the Devils’ two offensive d-men, although when placed alongside Tyson Teplitsky his offensive capabilities remain relatively unnoticed by many. Not bad for a player who was cut by Basingstoke last season after scoring only one goal and three assists in 28 games…

However, Jarvis is not all about attack-the 6’4, 230-pounder can take care of business pretty effectively in his own end, being surprising mobile for his size-although size itself is a useful intimidation factor for the Devils, particularly as he’s often paired with the equally massive Doug MacIver in front of Peter Aubry. Don’t expect any end-to-end rushes from this guy, but if you like d-men who do the simple things, are always willing to stand up for their team (154 PiMs should be an indication that Jarvis can more than take care of himself if necessary) and have a booming shot, then you’ll like Jarvis a lot…

3) Mike Prpich (forward): This season, Prpich has shown the Cardiff faithful just how good a player they were denied by injury problems last season, becoming the main offensive producer alongside Jason Silverthorn. His work-ethic and hard-nosed approach have won him many friends in South Wales, while his eye for goal was seemingly the only thing that won the Devils points in the early part of the season as he was hotter than a sauna in the desert. He leads the Devils in scoring with 35 goals and 32 assists, nine ahead of Jay Latulippe in second place, and fifteen scores ahead of the much-more-heralded (at least based on his previous record) Jason Silverthorn. The 26-year-old native of Kenaston, Saskatchewan can fairly be considered the Devils’ main danger-man, and will be the main focus of the Giants defensive efforts along with fellow forward Latulippe…

COVENTRY BLAZE

GAMEPLAN The Blaze of this season, it is generally agreed, have not been the terrifying juggernaut built on the perfect proportion of grit to skill that they have become known for being over the past few years..despite this, they still play a forward-looking style of hockey looking to beat teams with eighty percent skill and twenty percent grit. Like all Paul Thompson teams, they rely on excellent organisation (which, sadly, has been lacking on the ice occasionally this season, to their coach's evident frustration) and the offensive skills of stars Sylvain Deschatelets, Dan Carlson and Adam Calder amongst others. Erik Hjalmarsson, Carlyle Lewis and Danny Stewart provide the grit, while Tom Watkins and Greg Wood will never, ever be outworked...although they were given a scare by Newcastle in the quarter-finals

THREE TO WATCH

1. Dan Carlson (centre): The speedy, smallish American centre from Edina, Minnesota is arguably the best two-way centre in the EIHL, and the player many Blaze fans would pick to build their team around. His partnership with fellow forward Adam Calder has won the Midlands side countless games in their time together, but his play at both ends of the ice is equally strong. As his play goes, so does that of the Blaze.

2.Sylvain Deschatelets (centre): The other half of the two-headed centre monster along with Carlson, the ex-Cardiff Devil from Blainville, Quebec is the Blaze's second-top point scorer this season behind Calder-which may surprise those Blaze fans who have criticised him for laziness this season. Deschatelets can drift in and out of games but there are few better passers in the league, and at 6'2 and 195lbs he has the size to create some problems in front of the net too where necessary...

3. Jonathan Weaver (defence): The Sunderland-born defenceman, who converted from forward during his time with Newcastle, is so crucial to the Blaze that he's spawned a running joke...the Blaze powerplay tactic is described by some fans as "take puck into zone, pass to "Weaves", shoot. Repeat until goal is scored". That is possibly overstating the case somewhat, but it cannot be denied that the GB captain is a crucial part of the Blaze both offensively (23+46 this season) and defensively...his smooth skating and ability to find a team-mate with a pass from anywhere to anywhere on the rink means that, like Dan Carlson, he'll be at the heart of everything Blaze do, at both ends of the ice...

NOTTINGHAM PANTHERS

GAMEPLAN

The Panthers are perennially a team who flatter to deceive-a team who many feel have earned the derisive “Team Hollywood” nickname pinned on them by Blaze coach Paul Thompson earlier this season. They are traditionally a fast-skating team who prefer to play with finesse over power, although this season they have reached the best balance of the two seen at the NIC for some years as Corey Neilson has finally begun to place his coaching stamp on the East Midlanders, assembling a team of small, skilful forwards like Johan Molin and Dan Tessier, some of which, like Bruce Richardson, have more than their fair share of attitude to go with it. The Panthers are most dangerous coming forward, with lingering question-marks over their defence and goalie Michel Robinson after the latter’s atrocious start to the season with Edinburgh. They are very similar to the team they beat in the quarters, Manchester Phoenix, in liking to pass the puck around and attack with speed and lots of movement, but are slightly less happy with getting involved in a physical battle, preferring to try and win with brains and intelligent play (even when indulging in more questionable practices off the puck) than outright brawn…

THREE TO WATCH

1. Johan Molin (centre): The little Swede, known as much around the league for his silver skates as his quicksilver skating, is a superb creative player, who burst onto the EIHL scene with Manchester two seasons ago and has won admirers around the league with his hawk-eyed vision, lightning-fast puck-handling and effortless skating, allowing him to blow by defensemen as if they weren’t there…along with Dan Tessier, he will definitely be looked to to create as many chances as possible for the Panthers this weekend against his former club…

2.Jade Galbraith (wing): Much-derided for looking like he often overindulges slightly in the fine restaurants (well, chip-shops) around the NIC, Galbraith is not the quickest of wingers but is deadly around the net, as he has shown more than once against the top teams this season, becoming one of the Panthers’ top five scorers in the process. Mainly, however, he’s been picked in this list because of his shot…if given time in front of the net, much like his linemate Brendan Cook, Galbraith will punish you…

3. Kevin Bergin (centre): The only genuine power-forward on the Panthers roster, the big Montreal-born forward can score goals, set them up, defend and, where necessary, drop the gloves, to surprisingly good effect (although one fight against Carlyle Lewis earlier this season could have gone a lot better for the Panther). One of the Panthers’ most important players, he, along with Molin, Brendan Cook, Galbraith and Dan Tessier, forms the core of the Panthers attack this season, with Dave Clarke flying the flag for the British…

h4>SHEFFIELD STEELERS

GAMEPLAN
On the back of winning the league Sheffield have had a few weeks off, resting star agitator Ryan Finnerty (ribs) and giving Dan Green the nod in goal ahead of Jody Lehman for 3 out of 4 games. The last weekend of the season was officially the one that saw their rested players "get back into game-shape", but with all respect to a Bison team who lost heart around a dozen games into their record-breaking losing streak, there was only going to be one winner of that weekend...as was the case with the quarter-final after the Steelers built an 8-2 lead in the first leg...
The Steelers are a team built around some of the best players in the league, with Jody Lehman in goal, Rod Sarich and Steve Munn in front of him and Joey Talbot the leader among a host of forwards who can put the puck in the net. Able to play any style effectively, but arguably at their best when picking teams apart with speed and guile, the Steelers were deservedly league champions and have to be among the favourites for playoff glory and being the first team to repeat winning the playoffs in the EIHL era. Although this patient style has often seen the Steelers have accused of playing 'boring' hockey, usually by teams they've just beaten, no one can deny that Sarich and co's ability to neutralise a team's offense works wonders, even against such pairings as Hand/Beauregard and Calder/Carlson. Even should you manage to break through their defensive barrier, there's still the small matter of beating Lehman, who has had bad days better than some netminders' best...

THREE TO WATCH

Robert Dowd (centre): The 'Golden Child' has managed 49 points (24+25) so far in his first full season with Steelers, and can no doubt be expected to expand on that this weekend. Small and fast with an eye for the pass that'll set up an open team-mate for an easy tap in as well as a lethal shot himself, he brings to mind players of the calibre of Tony Hand with his outstanding natural ability. Although comparisons with British hockey's greatest ever homegrown player are perhaps a little overblown at this stage (after all, Dowd hasn't been drafted to the NHL and will likely not be due to the changes in the game since Hand's youth) it cannot be denied that he is the most exciting young player in British hockey by a clear margin...

Jody Lehman (netminder): Crucial to the Steelers EIHL title win, and in immaculate form for the majority of the season, setting a British Ice Hockey record in the process with no less than NINE shutouts, Lehman is almost universally acknowledged to be the best goalie in the EIHL. Last season saw him shut the door on his former club Coventry Blaze (with whom he won the Triple Crown of league, playoff and Challenge Cup title in 2004/05) to lead the Steelers to the playoff trophy, and the native of North Battleford, Saskatchewan could well be the key to ensuring the Steelers get that far again.

Brad Cruikshank (wing): Signed from the struggling Bison earlier this season, where he was captain, the 5'10, 180lb power forward from Kelowna, British Columbia has become a favourite of the Steelers fanbase for exactly the same reason he was so loved in Basingstoke-he plays the game like a mad-dog released in a junkyard, hunting down opposition defencemen, and is always willing to turn round and bite anyone who attempts to take liberties with either him or his team-mates. Players who are willing to do the dirty work in the corners and put their bodies where few would place a stick as well are immensely valuable at playoff time, and in Cruikshank the Steelers have arguably the most valuable such player in the league...he will play a big part in neutralising any efforts to throw the Steelers off their game this weekend...

So, that's your four teams...here's the matches...with Breakaway's predictions of who'll win in bold...

First semi: Coventry v Nottingham

Second semi: Sheffield v Cardiff...

Final: Sorry, Blaze fans...Sheffield do the double...

"Declare this an emergency
Come on and spread a sense of urgency
and pull us through...
This is the end
This is the end...of the world"

Muse: "Apocalypse Please"

"The horror...the horror..."
Marlon Brando as Col. Kurtz in "Apocalypse Now"

For my day job, I currently work in a hospital, delivering supplies, portering and sometimes, cleaning up some very unpleasant messes (there's a reason that no-one ever wants to go into a mortuary through choice)...and during the day, being on the wards, I occasionally see and hear stuff that I'd probably rather not.

The other day, I was walking along a corridor on a ward when I passed a bed coming the other way with someone who had had a seriously bad time very recently on it. You could tell he'd had a bad time because both his legs were bandaged and bloody. They also ended in stumps just above the knee. Despite this, he was smiling and joking with the nurses, and something he said stayed with me that day...

"I'll be better off and have more fun now-they only ever caused me problems anyway"

With today's events in the EIHL (see here for Edinburgh's perspective, here for Manchester, or, in the interests of balance, here from the EIHL and here from Nottingham-the last two of which appears to be completely at odds with the first two and the NEP piece in particular so unbelievably optimistic and full of conjecture it gets to the point where you wonder whether they're living on the same planet as the one with a global recession and ice-hockey being a minority sport in the UK), that man seems to summarise the attitude in some areas of British hockey. However, rather than the original sense of admiration for the way this guy reacted to such an earthshattering event, that statemenr rings with an air of denial when applied to British hockey...mainly because the EIHL, by appearing to cut Manchester, Edinburgh and Newcastle out and running with a six team league this season, has, in my eyes,will slit its own throat, and possibly that of at least one club (Hull) within it.

That is if the "EIHL Six" are the ones at fault...because no-one really knows what's going on. But here's what we do know....

To summarise...the EIHL clubs have had many meetings, which may or may not have had input from all the teams (depending on which side you ask) and six teams (one of which, Hull, is generally believed by many to be more-than-slightly-influenced by Nottingham due, EIHL wisdom has it, to the relationship between Neil Black, Panthers' owner, and the Stingrays' continuing ability to fund top league hockey), to wit Sheffield, Nottingham, Cardiff, Coventry, and Hull, have agreed to continue hockey on its current path, or indeed bring it closer to the old ISL path of all-import hockey, at a time when many are drifting away from the sport due to the rising costs. They appear to believe that a six-team league on this model is sustainable in the current economic climate, and have frozen out any team that has argued otherwise, effectively leaving them to find their own path...

Or, the other three remaining EIHL teams (Manchester, Newcastle, and Edinburgh) have been behaving unreasonably despite being offered every chance to survive by the other six, and are now throwing their toys out of the pram.

All this, obviously, is written with no more knowledge of the inner workings of the EIHL than the above articles and posts on various forums.

I genuinely don't know what to believe.

The only thing I do know, however, is that this is the latest example of a situation where those who actually pay to go through the doors of a rink on a match night need to be united in telling the clubs.."for Christ's sake...can you please just cut the mud-slinging, bland-worded nothing-filled official league press releases appealing for calm or advising "information in due course", the spin, the petty quarrels over influence, and God only knows what else...and tell us pure and simply what is going on with the teams we invest time, money and emotion in to watch, without running them as your own personal warring factions?"

British hockey is a closed shop at the moment. If you're not an owner, you know nothing beyond the fact that the teams step onto the ice each week, until one day, eventually, they do not, with very little explanation as to why beyond "money".

If the league is going to be a six-team league next year because three teams can no longer afford to commit to it, say so. If it's going to be a six-team league because there was a terminal disagreement between owners on how to run the league, say that too. But don't blame each other or try to one-up each other in the process while using the fans as a captive audience...because that just makes people think you don't care about them. And if those running the teams don't care about those who pour their soul into supporting them, then why should we care about the teams at all?

The next instalment of this saga will see a statement released by Manchester at 7am tomorrow...

Until then, the EIHL sits at a crossroads. And its fans hold their breath to see what comes next...

By now you'll all be aware of the fact that the EIHL, not to put too fine a point on it, could be in serious trouble. I've already written one post on this and then re-written it because I went off on one and ended up repeating everything I'd hinted at when reacting to the news of Basingstoke leaving the league during Monday's Double Overtime...

So, the re-written post should be up at some point this evening...hopefully around seven as usual. In the meantime, have a gander at the "recommended reading" panel for the reactions of the F Block Blog, the Cat's Whiskers and the Pyre amongst others...and see you again later today...

A quick correction to yesterday's post first of all...as Yotes points out, Newcastle were the only team beginning with "N" to be present at last years playoff finals...Nottingham didn't make it. That was something I should have caught in the re-read if not the original type...it's duly been edited, with thanks to Yotes for pointing it out in such a polite fashion (as a Panthers fan, a slightly sarky comment would have been more than justified :)) and apologies to both Vipers and Panthers...

Onwards...as promised yesterday, the Breakaway is continuing its playoff link with Five Minute Major, this time round creating the ultimate playoff playlist. The way this works is simple...I do ten over here, and then Becky and Matt over at FMM do their ten, and between us we create the ultimate soundtrack CD to playoff weekend...(well, an alternative one, obviously-being the NIC we're likely to get the ruddy Clap Clap Song, Chelsea Dagger, or, if we're really unlucky, Sandstorm on repeat, given that most British hockey music has to either be family-friendly clappiness or bad techno nowadays, it seems. Or, if you're lucky, a few of the same rock songs that get played in the NHL, such as Sweet Child O'Mine...

Anyway...a quick caveat before my ten...

Most of them are going to be alternative/rock, and fairly heavy at that (with one notable exception). This is because rock music is the only one that really fits hockey properly, in my opinion.

They're intended to excite anticipation in the hockey to come, or put you in the mood. If you can imagine a montage of hits, goals and fights to it, there's a good chance I considered it...

And, obviously, this is not a definitive list, feel free to suggest what you'll be firing up on the iPod on the way to Nottingham, and we'll see about building a "Now That's What I Call British Hockey!" if by some fluke there are more than one or two comments...

These songs will probably work best in the order they're given...

The reasons given are mine and mine alone, and there'll be one for each track, just to keep you interested...or otherwise...

Through the magic of youtube, there's a link to the best version of each song I could find, also.

Anyway...on we go. Crank that stereo up and let's drop the puck!

1. Gustav Holst: "Mars, the Bringer of War" (from "The Planets"): Yes, it's classical. But a piece originally written intended to reflect the coming of mechanised warfare, the rattle of machine guns and the roar of exploding bombs is possibly the ideal, if somewhat left-field way to open this CD...the ebb and flow of the music and the pounding, menacing thump of the main theme is almost as unsettling as the snarl of Brett Clouthier dropping the gloves or the sight of two heavyweights circling each other like a pair of fighting grizzlies....but the high point of the whole thing occurs around 4 minutes in, as the music builds to a crescendo, higher and higher, before the main theme kicks back in with the sound and fury that even a packed Panthers/Steelers playoff final can only dream of...if hockey is legalised war on ice, then this is its soundtrack...
David Bowie: "Heroes": Yes, it's a fairly obvious choice what with the themes of heroism and game-winners that come ready-made with semi-finals, finals, winning and losing...But that isn't the reason it fits hockey so well. This is...and this is what I think of whenever I hear Bowie's voice...Bill Clement's commentary and all. For some, the greatest moment of this marriage of sublime hockey commentary and great music is right at the beginning, as skates are tied and players glide in slow motion through the mist. For others it's "GRRRRRREEEEAAAAT SAVE JOS-EPH!". For still others, it might be Bowie's distinctive voice soaring over the image of a leaping Matthew Barnaby as Clement yells that most hallowed of hockey phrases to mark the moment Barnaby "shoots....and SCORES!" Either way, it's one minute of hockey heaven-and that's why the song that goes with it makes this list.
Garbage: "Push It":
Like "Heroes" this one perhaps makes it in more by association with hockey imagery rather than with the game itself. However, while "Heroes" and the images with it are notable for showcasing the grace and beauty that can be found in all aspects of hockey, this song, and the images it was used with (from the first NHL game I actually owned) are all about the intensity and power. The fact that I happen to find Shirley Manson's drawl among the sexiest singing voices on the planet doesn't hinder the song much either. From the puck dropping in the empty rink, to the animated player taking a burning stick from on high as the song builds, to the game footage (including the awesome "slide-along-the-bench" check (watch the video to see which I mean) means that hearing this song always, always fires me up for some hockey...it makes the violence of hockey look beautiful...
Prodigy: "Smack My Bitch Up: Self-explanatory, this song...it's just an absolutely awesome hockey tune to thump out loud on the way to a game. If, like me, you like to imagine it as some sort of audio ode to Dan Tessier getting a kicking from Rob Dowd, Jay Latulippe pointing out the error of Ryan Finnerty's ways, or the same Finnerty dealing with Bruce Richardson once and twice in the way every non-Panthers player would have probably liked to at some point this season, then that's just extra.
Hammerfall: "Any Means Necessary":

by any means necessary"

should be a mantra ringing in your team's head by now...

Judas Priest: "Painkiller"
"Faster than a bullet-terrifying scream. Enraged and full of anger, he's half man and half machine". Believe it or not, this song wasn't written about an angry Brad Voth, nor for Steve Munn when he's on the warpath. What it was written for is unashamed hell-for-leather (and being Judas Priest, leather was never in short supply) headbanging. Breakneck speed, Rob Halford's barely-human scream and more potential for making angry faces while singing along than you can shake a Rbk 9k stick at...it's just pure bloody fun to have on on the way to a hockey game...
Turisas: "Battle Metal":
...as is this, from Finland...granted, Viking Metal may not be to everyone's taste but the clue's in the title, really...sing along, yell your fan war-cries out of the window if you're on the motorway and generally have a whale of a time pretending to be rampaging barbarians invading the wilds of Nottingham, aiming to drink the Castle dry and roar your team to victory in the company of your warrior brethren as they quest for British hockey's Holy Grail (well, one of them)..."BAT-TLE! BAT-TLE! MET-AL!"
Korn: "Here To Stay:
...This, meanwhile, is music to make pure, unadulterated war by. Like "Mars" which opened this ten, it's uncompromisingly aggressive and all business...this is the brutality of playoff hockey summed up in aural form.
Hanson Brothers: "The Hockey Song"

The Pogues: "Love You Til The End":

PS, I Love You

Mystery, Alaska.

Five Minute Major

You lucky people...you get a double burst of song to sum up the post this time round...with a rude word or two included...

For the on-ice action...

"here I am, a poster-board pin-up for you to hate"
Walls of Jericho: "There's No "I" In "F*** You!"...

Yup...playoff quarter-finals weekend is now over, and the teams still playing in the EIHL have been cut from eight to four. The EIHL hierarchy will be breathing a quiet sigh of relief this evening, as the form-book and league position held true for all of the quarter-finals bar one (that of Belfast v Cardiff, which was the most-closely matched by league position going into the weekend) and the "biggest rivalry in Europe" (nope, we're not going to let that one go) has a chance of one more meeting this season in the playoff final. Unfortunately, for every other British hockey fan the big Nottingham weekend smacks of déja vu, as once againt it's Sheffield, Nottingham, Coventry and Cardiff who will play for the playoff trophy, with only Nottingham being different from last season's line-up (as Yotes correctly points out, Newcastle were there last season along with the other three teams) with the rest of the league spectating...

Now, far be it from me to pour, if not cold water, than at least lukewarm water on British ice-hockey's premier even at the start of the build-up, but I can't shake the feeling that this is...well, somewhat of a let-down for many, particularly fans of, say, Manchester. Obviously, the fans of the four teams present at the weekend are happy, the EIHL are happy because the arena is likely to be the most full it was going to be with both Nottingham and Sheffield present, but looking at the line-up, are the four most exciting (not best, you'll notice) or even the four most deserving teams there?

Sheffield we can instantly discount from this conversation...they have clearly been the best team in the league this season by some distance, as shown by their somewhat relaxed stroll to the title. Cardiff, traditionally stronger in the latter part of the season, have once again demonstrated their knack of hitting their stride at just the right moment...plus they provide the compelling storyline of "will the traditional bridesmaids finally shake their playoff curse this year"?

You can make convincing arguments for both Coventry and Nottingham-the Blaze have battled confidence issues in certain areas this season (and, arguably, have rode their luck like a rented donkey in order to get through to the final, down to the point where Newcastle were the width of JF Perras' left butt-cheek from equalising and forcing overtime on Sunday night after being the better side for five out of the six periods) but are still a team built of hard-working, skilful players who have battled criticism from all sides (including their own fans), signings that didn't turn out and still finished second in the league. As for Nottingham-when they're on form they're one of the most exciting teams in the league to watch-trouble is they very rarely turn on the skill they can, particularly when it comes to PO time...

Look at who's missing-Belfast (dynamos going forward-even if they've resorted more and more to rough-housing at times recently, meaning that Cardiff were heavily supported by neutrals in the quarter finals) and Manchester, who have had the kind of luck recently that can only be caused by smashing a mirror over the head of a black cat while walking under a ladder, as well as a horrific schedule, not all of which was due to poor planning on their part. Then we have Edinburgh, who had the misfortune to meet an imperious Steelers when you'd have at least put a couple of quid on them against any other side in the league.

I reckon that what I'm trying to say is that, even though the league has been the most-evenly matched for some seasons (well, behind Sheffield) and there was genuine hope that any one of the eight teams could have made it to Nottingham and provided the "biggest spectacle of European hockey" with something new and genuinely exciting to watch in a time when British hockey really needs something new both on and off the ice to restore many fans' faith, it's ended up being a case of "same old, same old".

And this is fine...but watching the EIHL playoffs this weekend, many will not be able to shake a slight twinge of déja vu. And that's slightly sad.

To sum up-this year's EIHL playoff experience will, at least for some, be like winning the lottery and buying a new VW Golf GTi when you could have a Bugatti Veyron...you know you'll still get a lot of enjoyment out of it, but there'll always be this little thought that it could be so much better...

And now for the second burst of song as we move off-ice...

"I always say how I don't need you
But it's always gonna come right back to this
Please don't leave me"

Pink: "Please Don't Leave Me"

With Basingstoke already an EPL team as announced last week, Newcastle rumoured to be in trouble (this press release implies that the decision over whether or not they'll be around next season is still not complete with the talk of needing "further commitment from fans and partners") and Manchester also rumoured to be considering jumping ship from the EIHL in order to ensure the long-term survival of hockey in the North West (owner Neil Morris has said in an interview with the Phoenix podcast that they are looking at "all options") the EIHL is fast reaching a crisis point in its history. Much has been made by those who follow the sport of the perceived "arrogance" of the "Big Four" (Sheffield, Nottingham, Belfast, and Coventry) with claims and counter-claims flying back and forth over who holds sway in decisions about the league's future-the latest discussion is once again over import limits, as some teams argue for a drop to the BNL days of eight imports and others reportedly resist. Depending on who you talk to, it's the "Big Four" resisting change from the smaller teams in order to protect their dominance of the league or the other six doing their best to undermine whatever strides the other teams attempt to make by refusing to compromise.

All that, to me, is immaterial-there are two truths, and only two, staring us in the face here:

Unless something changes, then the EIHL will lose, at a minimum, two more teams.

If that happens, the league is screwed.

All the arguments about who or what is responsible for the situation need to stop. Right now.

The EIHL has been a brave experiment in its current format, but it's failed. It's gone as far as it can go with 10-import hockey.
The fact that one team is already gone and two more are having to consider dropping a level just to survive, because they can't compete, must show something to the "big four". The ticket prices are too high-driven by the arena teams needing to pay the best players, success automatically being considered a licence to print money, and the change at some clubs (even in these credit crunch times) seemingly deciding to openly exploit and make as much money as those coming into the building as possible without realising that this will drive fans away (and the prices will be ridiculously too high to attract newbies to what is still a relatively small-time sport-people will simply not pay them for an unknown quantity, and free tickets don't equal automatic returns). And, as is always the case, it's the smaller teams, who are forced to spend far more of their budget just to compete with, never mind beat, the big teams who suffer first.

And yet it seems, from rumblings I've heard about the treatment of certain of these smaller clubs at EIHL board meetings, that the "big" teams care little as long as they survive themselves, and indeed are doing everything they can to keep control of the league in their own image. The head-in-the-sand mentality of some fans on both sides is breathtaking, as every club in the league depends on every other...and if Manchester and Newcastle decide that the EIHL is no longer workable, then change will no longer be an option to considered and be dismissed by those few clubs making a decent fist of things as they are now...it'll be a necessity in order to survive.

And on that sobering thought, we'll finish for today
Tomorrow, the Breakaway joins up with Five Minute Major to begin the countdown to Nottingham by creating the ultimate Playoff Playlist CD...ideal for listening to in your cars/trains or buses (or, in one epic Sheffieldian's case, taxi followed by plane followed by train on the way to the NIC this weekend...or even just to get you in the mood...check back tomorrow evening...

"I believe that there's hope, buried beneath it all and
Hiding beneath it all, and growing beneath it all
And...
This is how we'll dance
When they try to take us down"
Paramore: "Let The Flames Begin"

Right then...as mentioned yesterday, the Breakaway is sharing the playoff preview duties with Five Minute Major, and will be swapping posts back and forth throughout the next week or so in the build-up to the playoffs, as a kind of precursor to the big meet/booze-up of British hockey fans that is the Elite League weekend. Click the link above to see them discuss the reasons for optimism if you're a fan of Manchester, Cardiff, Newcastle or Sheffield, or read on as we pick 5 reasons each why Coventry, Belfast, Nottingham or Edinburgh can win the playoffs...

In alphabetical order, here we go, in short and pithy fashion:

BELFAST GIANTS

"FIRE IN THE HOLE!":: The Giants attack is lethal. With players like Paul Deniset, Colin Shields and Mike Burgoyne driving their team forward, the Northern Irish side will always be difficult to stop going forward. And when you score more goals than the opposition, you win games, more often than not...

THAT WINNING FEELING: Belfast have two trophies already this season...and have the taste of success in their mouths. And once you've sampled sweetness like that, you only want more.

ROLEPLAYERS RULE!: In Malcolm MacMillan, Graeme Walton, Paul Sample and friends, the Giants have a very good supporting cast indeed to back up the much-heralded stars of the top line-their play may be questionable at times but there's no denying it's horrendously effective at throwing other teams off their game...

ROCKING THE RINKS: They may not be the largest in number, but the Northern Irish support are among the best in the league for getting behind their team, particularly when trophies are on the line. It may be a cliché about fans being the "sixth man" but it's only become a cliché because those saying it have proven to be right so often...

"NOT THIS TIME!": The Giants, in the Elite League era, have traditionally been a team who've disappeared when the chips are down in playoff time. With the Odyssey crowd having seen already this season that this incarnation can hang with the best (and fight back from seemingly desperate positions to win), the players will believe that no situation is insurmountable right now...and that mental toughness is what wins playoff titles...

COVENTRY BLAZE

BEEN THERE, DONE THAT: The Blaze squad contains several who've won everything there is to win in British hockey already with them, including players like Barrie Moore, Tom Watkins, and Russ Cowley. Not only that, but players like Jon Weaver and Leigh Jamieson have won trophies with other teams-the Blaze team is full of individuals who know what it takes to win come playoff time...

DEADLY DUO: Not only that, but two of those individuals are also arguably the most lethal duo in the the league. Dan Carlson and Adam Calder first played together in the treble-winning year of 2004/05, and from their first game you could see a beautiful friendship had been born. When these two are firing, a goal is always on the horizon unless your goalie is pretty damn special...

POINTS MEAN PRIZES: Continuing on the attacking theme, the Blaze have five players who have broken the fifty-point barrier in the league this season, and two of the top-ten. The offensive power is there for all to see.

CULTURE SHOCK: Paul Thompson is a coach who will accept nothing less than the best from his players. Any who don't give every last sinew to the cause will be held accountable, both by their coaches and their team-mates. And there's nothing like fear of disappointing your friends in big games to drive players on...

SECOND STINGS: Last season the Blaze made it all the way to the playoff finals, but failed to defend their title as they were shut out in the final by Sheffield. After losing out in the league chase this season, the Blaze will be wounded, knowing that ending a season silverware-less is a state of affairs that has only happened twice since 2002 in Coventry...they intend to keep the next time as far away in the future as they can, or for one more year at least...

NOTTINGHAM PANTHERS

HOME ICE ADVANTAGE: The playoffs are being held at the Panthers' home rink, in front of a large number of their own fans. Not being there is simply not an option-anything less then getting there and winning it will still be considered a failure...a powerful motivational tool, the disappointment of your home crowd...

THESE CATS HAVE CLAWS: One thing about the Panthers...for a team considered to rely on finesse rather than power, they're not afraid of the odd ruck. Rumun Ndur, Bruce Richardson and Kevin Bergin are all more than willing to dish out some punches where required, and a team that fights together, wins together...

CLARKE HAS CLOUT: David Clarke has been lost somewhat this season among the trumpeted feats of his team-mates, but that'll suit him just fine...with opposition players fixating on Johan Molin and friends, this Brit forward is perfectly placed and skilful enough to come to the fore...

CREATIVITY CONQUERS ALL: You may think Dan Tessier is a money-grabbing, diving toe-rag (copyright Sheffield Steelers) or you may believe he's the second coming of Wayne Gretzky (copyright certain sections of the NIC crowd). Either way, you can't deny he is arguably the best playmaker in the EIHL...if he and fellow artist Johan Molin can unlock defences, then others on the Panthers roster will profit...and he could be all the difference in a tight game...

BRIT PACK: The Panthers have several of the best British players around...we've already mentioned Dave Clarke but the defensive skills of Danny Meyers and the never-say-die attitude of Matt Myers and Marc Levers will also play a big part if the trophy comes to Nottingham-few teams in the league have a better crop of home-grown talent, with the exception, perhaps, of Coventry and Sheffield...

EDINBURGH CAPITALS

UNDER THE RADAR: The Scots are coming into this tournament with no expectation resting on them whatsoever...and teams with the freedom to simply go out and play without any fears of letting anyone down are the ones who often come from nowhere...it's why "giant-killing" is seen so often in sport.

DRIVEN BY YOU: Doug Christiansen is a perfectionist-if his team are losing then he will lead by example on the ice as well as from the bench. That's the kind of coach and player that becomes a playoff legend. Or makes a few of his own.

SKILL TO BURN: You can never overlook a team which contains a player who's the second-top point-scorer in the EIHL...and given that we've raved about the creative talents of Dan Tessier as a reason to be optimistic for Nottingham, we couldn't leave the seen-by-some-as-even-better Mark Hurtubise out...

THE LITTLE TEAM THAT COULD: The Capitals have faced an epic fight just to be here-and have been playing playoff hockey since late January, effectively, in their battle with Hull, pulling off some impressive results along the way. If any team has momentum going into the playoffs apart from Belfast, it's them...

EVERYONE LOVES CINDERELLA STORIES: Finally, the Capitals start their playoff campaign against reigning champions Sheffield, with few giving them any chance of progressing, but many hoping they will. Sometimes, even the hockey gods enjoy giving Cinderella teams their chance to go to the ball...maybe, this time round, it's just the Capitals' turn...

There you go...keep smiling...

Hi all...

Apologies for the lack of activity this week, but have been rather busy elsewhere...and the blog has slipped below sleep in my priorities as I'm not getting that much of it. Tomorrow will see the Breakaway share playoff preview duties with Five Minute Major, as the two blogs attempt to find five reasons why each team will win the playoffs. Why? Well, because it's better when everyone feels optimistic going into a competition...:)

My half of the draw, featuring Coventry, Belfast, Nottingham and Edinburgh, will appear round about 7pm on Friday evening...until then, keep keeping your eye on the puck...

"If flesh could crawl
My skin would fall, from
Off my bones and run away from here..."

Garbage: "As Heaven Is Wide""

That weekend was something of a let-down, wasn't it? At least on the ice...off it the Breakaway and Five Minute Major finally met in person, and myself, Matt and Becky spent most of the Coventry-Belfast game conversing on all things hockey...some of the fruits of which you can read in this week's editions...let's get on with the last league Double Overtime of 2008/09...

Could it have been the first game that saw both teams trying to lose?: After Saturday's games, there was a text floating around, allegedly from a fairly senior Hull player with a famous father to a Blaze official, suggesting that the Stingrays were easing off against Edinburgh on Sunday (Edinburgh's win on Saturday against Manchester having ended Hull's season and taken away the potential showdown for eighth place) in order to allow the Caps to win and leapfrog Newcastle into seventh, thus gaining them a match-up against Coventry in the playoffs rather than Sheffield. However, the Vipers had allegedly agreed to this in advance, due to believing they had more chance of beating the Steelers with their style of play.

Meanwhile, Coventry, allegedly, would have preferred to play Newcastle as the Blaze seem to have the Vipers' number somewhat this season, whereas they've struggled recently against the Capitals. And, coincidentally, Blaze and Vipers faced each other on Sunday night.

As it happened, a Vipers win means that the Blaze will be the happiest-however, the very fact that people are openly talking about such "arrangements" in order that teams can effectively pick and choose their playoff matches, however valid the reasons and whether they happen or not (which is something that we'll never know for sure), leaves a little bit of an alarm bell ringing in my mind.

Speaking of alarm bells: Sunday night in Manchester saw the Phoenix finish the game with one fit defenceman after a rash of injuries, many of them caused by hits that it would probably be best to call "questionab;e" from Belfast. Interestingly, the Giants were similarly gritty on Saturday against Coventry, with a VERY questionable check from Dave Phillips (head-high from behind on Dan Carlson-luckily the Blaze forward was unhurt but severely unimpressed) being just one of many borderline plays from the Giants...by all accounts things were far worse up north in a game which doubled as cup-final first leg (with the 3-3 score in regulation counting) and league fixture (which the Phoenix took 4-3 in OT).

Surely there are less disreputable ways to soften up an opposition team in a cup final?

Is it getting warm in here?:...because, with the playoffs looming, Cardiff have suddenly caught fire. A 3-0 win against Nottingham following a 7-1 thumping of Hull was just the latest weekend in a lengthening run of victories and means that the Devils go into the playoffs in top form...the 123 PIM's shared out against Nottingham on Sunday proves that they are not afraid to defend each other either-a quality sorely needed at this time of year...Given their history of being perennial bridesmaids at playoff weekend time, all of South Wales' hockey fraternity will be hoping that this is the year that the Devils finally turn promise into fruition...

So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, goodbye...: to Basingstoke and Hull, who are now done for the season and have no matters more pressing than planning their team end-of-season lash-up to occupy their hockey consciousnesses until the off-season transfers begin. Basingstoke's season died as, for the most part, it had lived-in penury and being outclassed by superior opponents. When you're playing Sheffield on the final weekend of the season, and have lost 25 on the bounce, then you know it's been a bad season...the Bison extending their record to 27 was almost inevitable.
At least Hull made a fight of it...

I appreciate this is a very short post, but with Saturday's results ensuring that there would be no final-day showdown for a playoff spot but simply teams playing out their fixtures (with, of course, the notable exception of Manchester and Belfast's cup final)...it ends like the league season itself..."not with a bang, but a whimper"

Bring on the playoffs...

Double Overtime will be up, as is becoming usual, late this afternoon. Ideally, it'll be around 4 or 5pm, just in time for you when you come home from work, like the written version of a piping-hot hotpot...

However, if not, then it will definitely appear by 7pm at the latest...

"So here I go is my shot.
Feet fail me not
Cause may be the only opportunity that I got"
Eminem: "Lose Yourself"

This Round the Rinks, the last of the regular season, will be somewhat shorter than normal. This isn't meant as disrespect to the other teams playing, or because I'm lazy. It's because that, with the league over and the playoff quarters all but decided (Belfast, Nottingham and Coventry are still scrapping for second place but, unless Nottingham lose and the other two teams both win both their games (which is impossible as Coventry and Belfast play each other), the positions at the start of the weekend will be the positions at the end of it in the EIHL-and so the vast majority of games have little more riding on them than pride, and quite frankly I feel that both you and I would be bored by reading pretty much the same preview with only the team-names changed for six of the nine games this weekend...

However, there are three games (Hull v Cardiff and Edinburgh and Edinburgh v Manchester on Saturday) which are far from meaningless...they will decide which team out of the Caps and Stingrays goes into the playoffs.

The situation is simple. Hull have to win both games in regulation and hope that Edinburgh lose on Saturday in order to qualify outright. If Edinburgh beat Manchester tomorrow, or even, potentially, lose in OT, they're playing on this season. If Hull lose to Cardiff, they go home.

Assuming Hull beat Cardiff and Edinburgh lose to Manchester in regulation, the Crazy Eighth race will come down to a "cup final" between the two teams on Sunday night in Hull. A regulation win for either side means that team are in the playoffs. An OT win for Edinburgh means they're in. An OT win for Hull may still not be enough. However, it'll mean that both teams have won three of their meetings with each other this season, which means that the EIHL then go to some hidden formula which changes every year (I believe it's wins in total this year, in which case the Caps qualify-just).

If you assume that Hull need a four-point weekend, you can't go wrong.

However, all attention is already turning to Sunday on Humberside, which may be the best game in the EIHL this year if results on Saturday give it the chance to be...if things happen to do so on Saturday then I for one will be keeping a close eye on Sunday night's events...if you're in the area, then go. You can be almost certain you won't regret it...

And there is your Crazy Eighth Special...

"Great expectations-we had the greatest expectations

We were always waiting...always waiting.

We were always waiting for something to happen..."

The Gaslight Anthem: "Great Expectations"

And that, I think, sums up the situation Manchester fans are now in-immensely proud of their team (Becky's latest post on Five Minute Major speaks for many judging by the Phoenix forum) after I, seemingly, jinxed their tired team last night...on we go to look back at last night and praise those who may not get enough in the EIHL as we bring back the All-Under-Rated Allstars...

They may be bridesmaids today, but next week could still see them in a white dress and veil: It appears that, after all the hope, the sheer number of games Manchester have played in the last week may have cost them the Challenge Cup. After much hope and coming within five minutes of at least a continuing chance at a trophy, the tiring Phoenix had their hearts broken by a soft Mike Burgoyne shot that snuck past Stephen Murphy and handed Belfast the Challenge Cup...perhaps inevitably after the Giants had pulled away to a 2-0 lead in the first period and pulled back from 4-0 to 4-3 in the first leg...

Congratulations to Belfast, though...this Challenge Cup Final was one of the rare ones where you couldn't really deny either team winning it for any reason...

Now that's out of the way...

"Love is a four letter word
And never spoken here"
Metallica: "The Day That Never Comes"

Yep...it's time for the All-Under-Rated Allstars again...those players that, for whatever reason, just don't get seen as among the genuine stars in the league or even, in many cases, of their team, but perhaps deserve to be...every team has at least one and we're going to run through them now...

Basingstoke: Eric Braff (defence): Yes, picking him may seem a bit unlikely on a team which regularly concedes a high number of goals, but believe me, if it wasn't for the big (6'4, 220lb) lump of Ontarian meat on the blue-line, Bison would have let in a hell of a lot more both last season and this. Forced into an almost impossible situation this season as player-coach of a team stumbling blindly towards the end of the season, Braff has soldiered on with quiet dignity and deserves a much better situation than the one he's currently in...

Belfast: Graeme Walton (defence): Lost sometimes amongst the screams for attention from Belfast's legion of talented forwards and gaudy offensive defense is a player who has quietly settled himself into a position as one of Great Britain's better defensemen. Walton has spent his entire career with his hometown club, and at 27 is entering the prime of his career. Converting from forward to a calm stay-at-home d-man who does the simple things well and plays the game with intelligence, the Belfast lad will never set the scoreboards alight but has stepped confidently into Jason Stone's shoes as GB's premier defensive d-man almost un-noticed. And given the career and respect which the Cardiff Devil has and still does enjoy around the league, that is no mean feat...

Cardiff: Ben Davies (forward): Another player with his hometown club, the young forward is just beginning to make waves on the EIHL scene as a very skilful, speedy winger with an eye for goalscoring opportunities. Often discounted by many because of his youth, the potential to be one of Great Britain's next generation of great forwards, alongside Rob Dowd of Sheffield and team-mate Matt Towe, is clear to anyone who watches him play...

Coventry: Erik Hjalmarsson (forward): It may seem somewhat strange putting a player who joined the EIHL only in January on this list, but the Swede has been one of the Blaze's best players since he joined, along with fellow new recruit Blake Forsyth. Speedy, feisty, hard-working and with an eye for goal, he's quickly become a favourite of many on the Skydome crowd, while seeming to receive no fanfare whatsoever...

Edinburgh: Brad Bonello (forward): Sean Perkins ran Bonello very close indeed, and Mark Hurtubise was perhaps the obvious choice (even though many are aware of his gaudy points totals, few seem to really talk about the Caps centre as among the best player in the league) but the feisty Bonello, hailing from Brampton, Ontario, has acted like a small, curly-haired sparkplug to the Caps. His 6 goals and 7 assists in 6 weeks of play may seem fairly average, but his mean-as-a-junkyard-dog style of play (more expected from a player much bigger than him) and agitation skills have added a new edge to the Scots team at just the right moment-his style is more bar-room brawl than art gallery, but that's just the kind of style that you need in a dog-fight such as a playoff race...

Hull: Jeff Glowa (forward): Captain Marvel for the Stingrays, Glowa has sometimes been the only player scoring this season, and is having a career year just when his team need it. He's the kind of player you never notice, and then check the statsheet the day after to see his name in the goals and assist columns without quite remembering seeing him get there...anonymity isn't a hindrance but a help for the Stingrays number 9...

Manchester: Lucas Burnett (forward): Have a look at my Challenge Cup preview from yesterday for the reasons why...

Newcastle: Mark Gouett (defence): Another player who has flown almost completely under the radar, the Vipers defence has often consisted of leaning heavily on this ex-London Racer to get the forward rushes going...the 6'1, 195lb native of the fantastically-named town of Waubaushene (Wow-bow-shay-nee? War-baw-sheen? How do you pronouce that?) has been one of the most consistent players in an under-achieving Vipers squad...

Nottingham: Nick Toneys (defence): Toneys has a thankless task on defence-if he plays well, he never gets mentioned, and if he plays badly, he's castigated-but it's a job he sets to with a will each and every night, frequently being one of the outstanding players on the ice...but stopping goals with clever positioning and a calm head at the back isn't the kind of play that gets you talked about, except in tones of quiet respect on the other teams' benches...

Sheffield: Doug Sheppard (forward): It's hard to pick a player as "under-rated" on a squad most people agree is by far the best in the league as a whole, but Sheppard qualifies-as a veteran of several years in the EIHL with first Basingstoke and now Sheffield, the product of Georgetown, Ontario has consistently and quietly been one of the better forwards in the EIHL, and while his offensive numbers may not be as gaudy as some, his contribution to the Steelers cause, his workrate and his professionalism (demonstrated best when he was coach of Basingstoke and left them to go to Sheffield in the classiest of ways) are second to none.

There you go-the best EIHL players you've never noticed...now, keep keeping your eye on the puck...

"There's no tomorrow, just today
Together we will follow, fly away
Never mind tomorrow, just today...
(leave it all behind)
Let's go for a ride..."
Shiny Toy Guns: "Rocketship"

It's time to give the Challenge Cup the attention it deserves, as it kicks off a week where only Friday will see a lack of EIHL action between now and next Monday. Manchester travel to Belfast with a four-three lead from the first leg, as you may remember from last Tuesday's post or the excellent match reports on the Manchester-based blogs. With the cup having to be won tomorrow night and raising the prospect of overtime and even penalties, it's got to be worth (even if you're a neutral) nipping on to the Giants Webcast site to see if they're broadcasting it from Dundonald...you can find all the info you need on there...

Meanwhile, while you're waiting for the game to start, here's all the info you need about the game itself...in a specially extended edition of the One Minute Preview...

Belfast Giants

GAMEPLAN
As has been the case all season, and is even more so with the Giants needing to win in regulation even to take the game into overtime, the Giants will be relying heavily on their forwards to take the game to Manchester early. With Stevie Lyle sometimes being a little shaky they can't rely on two quick goals followed by a rearguard action, particularly with Manchester's prolific forwards, so the instruction to the likes of Colin Shields and Paul Deniset will be "full-steam ahead into the zone, and get shots off as often as possible". With Jason Rushton taking care of any necessary rough-stuff and Malcolm MacMillan also fond of throwing a jab or two where the need arises, the Giants are a team who are far more comfortable when playing a fast, open game, and they'll be looking to charge forward every chance they get...no neutral-zone trapping here...

THREE STARS:

1. Paul Deniset (centre): Everyone knows about the 6'2, 170lb Manitoban by now, and everyone knows that as soon as the puck crosses the opposition blue-line, he becomes more threatening than an angry Rottweiler pointing a machine gun at your head. The true genius in Deniset's style of play is that everyone in the rink knows exactly what he's going to try to do (get himself a yard of space in the slot using his speed, and fire a quick and lethally-accurate shot home), but he's so good at what he does (37 goals this season say so, along with 46 assists) that at times, you still can't stop him doing it...Belfast will be hoping tonight is one of those times...

2. Bobby Robins (right wing): Where Deniset and Colin Shields are the razor-sharp rapiers in the Giants' armoury, Robins, for all his not-inconsiderable skill himself, is more like the battering-ram. He's become one of the most-feared power-forwards in the league despite having his season shortened by niggling injuries, and a return of 26 goals and 33 assists (behind only Deniset, Shields and Evan Cheverie in Giants scoring) means that his crash-and-bang style of play should be taken very seriously indeed-this bloke is so much more than just a blunt instrument-he's the one who makes the yard of space for Deniset and friends to get their shots off. When he's not powering through checks or defenders in front of the net to deflect shots home or pounce on rebounds himself, that is. He may be fairly big already at 6'1 and 220lbs, but when he's on his game, there are times when he looms twice as large in the minds of oppostion fans and players...

3. Mike Burgoyne (defence): Of course, as "Shark" Lavay said in "Any Given Sunday" after slicing an offensive players' car in half with a chainsaw just to make a point..."In football, you have the offense and the defense. You can't have one without the other. Respect will be paid."
Hockey is just the same, and in Burgoyne, standing 6'2 and 200lbs and with 16 goals and 38 assists already this season, there are few defencemen in the EIHL more worthy of being paid such respect. His willingness to jump into the play, his speed and fast hands mean that, along with Rod Sarich and Jon Weaver he is one of the premier offensive d-men in the league and often is the silent partner who allows Deniset and friends to put up the numbers, firing in big shots from the point as easily as supplying a defence-splitting pass. However, with David Beauregard (more on him shortly) facing him, we may see more of his defensive abilities required. That, too, is something at which the big Ontarian is also pretty handy when he needs to be...

And now, for their opponents:

Manchester Phoenix

GAMEPLAN
The Phoenix come into this game in the stronger position, carrying a one-goal lead from the first leg last Sunday in Altrincham. This was a lead earned by a first two periods praised by many as the best ever seen from a Phoenix team, in which they jumped to a 4-0 lead after 31 minutes before being pegged back in the third. Those at the game noted the speed and physicality with which the Phoenix played the game, harrying the Giants relentlessly and hitting everything that moved.
This is the way they need to play tonight. If the Giants are allowed time to set up and given enough time to pick a pass, they will happily zi[ through you all night. However, with the big and ugly Phoenix Bash Brothers (Kyle Bruce and Brett Clouthier) in their faces, they can be knocked off their game (and their skates on some occasions)-which then gives the skill players chance to play Belfast at their own game...a game which they can, and have, won once already...

THREE STARS

1. Tony Hand (centre): The greatest British player ever is seemingly ageless, even at forty-one. He has ability that would shame many import centres, the eyes of a hawk and hands which are as creative as any artist or sculptor. With the kind of passing ability that can land a puck on a penny from the other side of the ice if you so desire, and no mean ability to score himself, he and his sniper partner David "Bullseye" Beauregard are possibly the most feared forward combination in the league. A combined total of 75 goals (56 for Beauregard alone) and 184 points should tell you why.

2. Lucas Burnett (wing): If you've seen Manchester at all this season, dear reader, you'll already know about the Production Line of Beauregard, Hand and Luke Fulghum or the talismanic power of Brett Clouthier, but the contribution of Burnett, the 6'1, 224lb British Columbian, may have passed you by, lost in the razzmatazz of flying fists and huge numbers. This is very unfair on the Rossland, BC native. Joining the Phoenix as an unheralded replacement for Grant Jacobsen, and with relatively little expected of him, he's become a huge part of one of the most prolific third lines in the league alongside Adam Walker and Clouthier. 14+24 in 49 games are numbers that many second-line power forwards would be pleased with, and are better than both his linemates. But what Burnett also brings is something of a physical edge-along with Kyle Bruce and Clouthier he provides the steel fist of the Phoenix attack-his goals will rarely be as pretty as, say, a Mulherin but they'll be the kind of grubby, messy goals that win games. Especially cup finals.

3. Josh Garbutt (defence): Captain Kenton Smith is the blue-eyed boy of Manchester's defence (and with good reason-he's central to everything the Phoenix do and, dare I say it, reminds me somewhat of Neal Martin) but, as with Beauregard, you already knew of him, dear reader. Alex Dunn provides the terrier of the Phoenix defence, going about his job with much sound and fury and providing the perfect complement of sandpaper to Smith's almost otherworldly smoothness. But there has been much fanfare around the both of them, and sometimes, it's the quiet ones who are the ones you really have to watch.
Enter Josh Garbutt. The 5'10, 205lbs Albertan native has impressed me immensely every time I've seen him in action-he goes about his job with almost superhuman focus, eschewing the flashy passes, end-to-end rushes and stick-handling exhibitions in favour of doing the job of keeping the puck away from his goalie-a task which he performs very well indeed. Particularly of note to me was his awareness-every time you thought an opposition forward had found space in front of the net, the Phoenix #13 would come seemingly from nowhere and dog his steps, occasionally curling his mouth in a snarl and delivering a big hit or well-placed cross-check in order to "encourage" the intruder to find somewhere else to stand. His tally of 33 assists, only two behind the more-heralded Smith, shows that even though he keeps things simple at both ends, sometimes this pays dividends for both him and the players he sets up. Other players on the Phoenix may get more recognition, but few are more committed to the cause...

That's the teams. Now for the result...

PREDICTION

I've said all season that this Manchester team can win a trophy. Now is the time for them to prove it. Half the job is already done, but with the Giants on home ice and the game now in do-or-die territory, both teams will not give an inch...The Giants look like the stronger team, they're higher in the league, and I said as far back as pre-season that they were a team built to win trophies like this.

And yet...and yet...

I hate to think I may be jinxing them, but I genuinely believe this game is Manchester's to lose. The Giants will run them close-very close, but in Beauregard they have a player born to score trophy-winning goals, and in Tony Hand and/or Bruce Mulherin, they have to means to get him the puck when he needs it, despite Belfast's best efforts. Couple that with the fact that Stephen Murphy in the Phoenix goal has shown this season that, where necessary, he can go to the mythical sporting realm of the "other place", in which players win games by themselves whatever the opposition throw at them, and this prediction somehow feels right...

*deep breath*

Manchester to win, possibly in overtime. Beauregard to score the winner.

Good luck to both teams and their fans...

And hang on. As the song says, it's gonna be a wild ride...

And so we go into another week as the league season slowly dies a death...if you're looking for games that mean something this week, then focus your attention on those involving Belfast and Manchester, who contest the second leg of both cup finals in the next ten days, or Edinburgh and Hull, as their Crazy Eighth battle to steal the last playoff place from under the nose of the other reaches a climax this coming weekend. However, that's all to come-for now we look back at a weekend that saw trophies presented, banners raised, and both Crazy Eight teams ramp up the ante...

It seems that the fashion police were on holiday this week: First of all, a quick mention of the Sheffield Steelers fans, who were joined at the Hallam Arena on Sunday with the Monteith Bowl (which, having been presented the night before, was passed round the crowd so every fan got the chance to hold it), and, amongst other things, a living English breakfast, several wizards, a bunch of garden gnomes and possibly even a sheep or two. No, honestly. You can see them after the game highlights, briefly...

This was thanks to their opposition, the Cardiff Devils, whose fans had their annual end-of-season fancy-dress away trip, and, for their sins, were immortalised for posterity by SteelersTV...although personally the funniest bit of that clip for me is Rob Dowd desperately hunting around for a stepladder in an attempt to get high enough to punch Doug MacIver earlier on in the clip...

And so they fade away: Basingstoke are now on one of the longest loss streaks in British hockey history, as another weekend passes without a win, with an aggregate score of 15-2 in the two losses. This weekend it was Hull and Manchester doing the damage, 8-1 and 7-1 respectively, to Kevin Reiter's GAA...the Silverdome deserves far better than this.

Not the best way to give your fans hope, lads: Belfast, meanwhile, ended their home league season with a pair of defeats, as first Nottingham and then Coventry took the points from the Odyssey in the scramble for second spot behind Sheffield-the Giants, too, are a team who appear to be easing off briefly to catch their collective breath for a full-tilt charge at the playoffs...that wouldn't have made the losses any easier to take, though.

Speaking of fans losing hope..: The Skydome is not that nice a place to be at the moment, despite the Blaze appearing to be sitting fairly pretty in the league standings-mainly because the fanbase as a collective appear to have, if not turned against, at least turned slightly away from their team this season-you only have to read the comments on the forums to see that the final horn on next Sunday's game against Newcastle can't come soon enough for many. Even with the playoffs traditionally renewing hope somewhat, there is a consensus of opinion among their own crowd that the Blaze dragon is ripe for slaying by their playoff opponents, whoever they might be-I can't remember the last time a Skydome team was viewed with such a mixture of support underlaid by disappointment. Oh, yes I can-the 05/06 season...

It's crazy to think that a team in the top four could be unpopular with a lot of its own fans, but this, rightly or wrongly, is how things are for many in Coventry...failiure, it seems, is simply not an option...

(for the record, I wish that people would at least wait until the end of the season-after all, however unlikely you may think it is, Blaze fans, the PO trophy is still out there to be won...)

Meanwhile, in the middle of the pile..: ...Cardiff are finishing strongly, taking another four point weekend against Hull and Sheffield, while Newcastle settled for just two after beating Manchester on Sunday night following their loss to Sheffield on Saturday. Some measure of the importance placed on the game by the Steelers, however, can be gathered by the fact that Andrew Sharp was on the top-line all game, while Becky of our friends at Five Minute Major comments that Sunday's game against Manchester was "'ve never seen two teams care so little about the outcome of a game... Dullest. Game. Ever.". Which should tell you something...

They're going up in the world...last year it was just an auction...: In a masterpiece (ahem) of marketing, the Elite League have once again announced that there will be special "playoff" shirts produced for all teams this year, along with auctions of the puck used in every goal scored in the three EIHL games at the playoff weekend. Just like last year. However, clearly someone at EIHL Towers realises that, in these recession-hit times, even selling the same stuff as last year needs to be presented as something special to get people to part with cash...

So, I present to you a fine example of media sleight-of-hand...here's the only EIHL press-release announcing playoff weekend I could find for 2008...note the matter-of-factness...

And here's the one announcing the shirt auction (yes, that's the same format and stuff for sale as they ran for the All-Star Game) for 2009. Whoa, Nelly...did you know that stuff you bought in an auction was a "prize" and not a "purchase"?

Anyway, enough of my cynicism...over to Al Pacino for the final part of today's post...

"The inches we need are everywhere around us. They're in every break of the game, every minute, every second.
On this team we fight for that inch.
On this team we tear ourselves and everyone else around us to pieces for that inch. We claw with our fingernails for that inch.
Because we know when we add up all those inches, that's gonna make the f-ing difference between winning and losing! Between living and dying!"
Coach D'Amato's last speech, from "Any Given Sunday"

Both Hull and Edinburgh are now in the "Any Given Sunday" Zone of the season...and over the weekend both teams won one and lost one, meaning that Edinburgh still hold the advantage going into the final weekend of the season. Judging by the way the Caps played in Coventry on Sunday, it seems that these words were ringing in their heads on every shift-a fact equally true of Hull as they not only beat Basingstoke, but ripped them to shreds, led by Jeff Glowa...Next Sunday's game when the two meet in Hull could be the hottest ticket of the weekend. if not one of the hottest of the season...

Speaking of hot tickets-check back tomorrow, when we'll be running the rule, chapter and verse, over Belfast and Manchester's meeting in the CC Final...

And there you go-that's your weekend previewed...

Here we go with a preview of the weekend, but a bit of miscellany first...

"The writing's on the wall
And it won't go away...
It's an omen..."
Prodigy: "Omen"

In a move copied by...well, none of the other teams in the league (which is a little surprising in itself), and just when you thought you'd seen every special shirt there is to offer this season, the Blaze have announced they're going to be playing in St. Patrick's Day shirts this Sunday (basically, like the Christmas shirt, which was red for Christmas with a few bits of snow on it, they've created this by dyeing a normal one green and putting a few shamrocks on it) in a attempt to once again extract much-needed operating money from cash-strapped fa...

*receives high-voltage electroshock*

Sorry, provide fans with an opportunity to own a unique game-worn shirt, just like all the other "unique" ones out there in Blaze-land (this season alone there's been league, Conti Cup, Christmas, Valentine's Day (although in fairness, that one was presented as being for charity), and the soon-to-come playoff jerseys). Perhaps the cynicism of this ploy can be measured by the fact that even Belfast (last time I looked, the only EIHL team actually based in Ireland), weren't even commemorating their patron saint with one of their own-you'd have thought that one would be a tap-in...especially as it's done by many, many teams round about this period anyway.

Now, in the tradition of British hockey fans I may be putting two and two together and making five, but there were many rumours floating around the Skydome last week (from those connected with Blaze sponsors as well as just your average fan) saying that the credit-crunch and a fall in attendances from the peaks of two-to-four years ago had bitten much more deeply than anticipated at the Skydome already, and there could be "operational problems" going forward. Now, I have absolutely no idea what the finances are like, but I must admit that trying to drag yet more money out of people even as the season draws limply to a close (for all the "people asked for it and it just happened to come right this year" news releases) doesn't exactly fill me with scepticism regarding the rumours...

Onwards now, with another brief musical link...

"Mercy this and mercy that
Let justice prevail
But I just want my trophy back..."
Bat For Lashes: "Trophy"

With the EIHL title decided, this weekend is in danger of looking a little flat in comparison to many...at least if you look at the top, where the only excitement now is in teams playing for position in the playoffs...However, Andy French and the EIHL are wrong if, like Bat For Lashes, they wish the trophy wasn't being handed out this weekend, as it gives the opportunity for fans and bloggers like me to concentrate fully and deservedly on a battle which is far more enthralling than the trophy race ever was-the "Crazy Eighth" race for the last playoff position between Hull and Edinburgh...let's blast through the weekend now...

Friday

Belfast v Nottingham: A battle of the nearly men kicks off the weekend at the Odyssey, with both teams chasing the runner-up spot and the hope of an easier playoff game. It will of course be live on GiantsTV for five of your English pounds...

Saturday

Belfast v Coventry: The second home game of the weekend sees their traditional rivals from Coventry visit in a continuing battle for position which may only be decided on the final weekend of the regular season. For either team, this is a game that needs to be won, as much for psychological impact going into next weeks' showdown at the Skydome as anything else...and will also be on Giants TV on the link above...

Basingstoke v Manchester: After soaring with the eagles last weekend during a pulsating Challenge Cup final first leg, the Phoenix return to earth with a bump, making the fair-sized trip down to Hampshire to face a team dying on its feet in Basingstoke...with one of the Bison talismans, Greg Chambers rumoured strongly to be already on his way to Coventry next season, and Kevin Reiter supposedly close to following him, things don't look good for the Southerners, especially with the Phoenix on a high...

Sheffield v Newcastle: With the title won, this game is the opportunity for the Steelers to ease off slightly and celebrate the awarding of the trophy. However, there may be some mixed feelings in the Sheffield camp, as one of the major architects of their triumph, Jeff Legue, will be absent from now until playoff time at least-he has returned home to Canada to spend some time with his terminally ill father.
Newcastle, meanwhile, have nothing to play for-they are ensconced in seventh place with healthy gaps in both directions (although below them, Edinburgh are chasing hard) and will see this game as another one to get under the belt on the way to the serious business of the playoffs, with a hope of taking two points from the Steelers as they relax...

Cardiff v Hull/Nottingham v Edinburgh: Now for the important stuff. Both the Capitals and the Stingrays face tricky opposition in their first games of the weekend, both are away from home, and both desperately need the points. Of the two, however, Edinburgh are in the slightly better position-a loss in the East Midlands will not affect their league position, although if Hull win in South Wales it will bring the gap to one point and add a new intensity to the respective clubs' Sunday night games-every inch of ground Hull gain is one Edinburgh lose, and vice versa...and at this point in the season, spare inches are few and far between...

Sunday

Manchester v Newcastle: The Phoenix will be wary of the Vipers' physical style just two days before their Challenge Cup showdown in Belfast, but will want to go into that game on a winning footing. The Vipers, meanwhile, just want to make sure they keep the cushion between themselves and the Crazy Eight battle to a similar size...this won't be the most enthralling of games, but the points still matter nonetheless.

Sheffield v Cardiff: Quite honestly, the best you can say for this one is that it will hopefully continue the rivalry that has built up between the two clubs this season-with Cardiff still looking over their shoulders at Manchester in the battle for fourth spot, they perhaps have more to play for, but the Steelers are not going to let anyone spoil their banner-raising party, either. Tonight, though, the major action is elsewhere...

Coventry v Edinburgh: ...and the Skydome is probably the place where most of it can be found. The last meeting between the Blaze and the Capitals was a cracker, with fights, coaches ejected and a Blaze team given a very, very bad scare by a rampant Edinburgh before their mercurial forward Mark Hurtubise was tossed from the game. If the Caps number ten can hold his temper and run the game in the same dominant fashion he did last time, then the Scots could have a very real chance of two much-needed points...

Hull v Basingstoke:...points which are needed much more thanks to Hull facing the league whipping boys, Basingstoke, on their own ice. You have to back the Stingrays to take the points in this one, and turn up the heat on their Northern neighbours as the regular season races to a conclusion next weekend...

There you go-that's your weekend previewed.

Round the Rinks will be up later today...I'm finishing work early (lucky me) so hopefully should have it up by 3.30 or so...maybe 4pm to be safe...

"my capillaries scream, there's nothing left to feed on
my body needs a reason to cross that line
will you carry me there one more time?"
Dashboard Confessional: "Reason to Believe"

The astute among you (including Mark from the Angry Budgie) may have noticed that, during my Double Overtime column yesterday, there was the somewhat glaring omission of Sunday's first leg of the Challenge Cup final, involving Manchester and Belfast. As you will see from the excellent match report on The Angry Budgie, this was something of a large, almost Chris McAllister-sized omission given the circumstances, and clearly shows me up as a somewhat lax blogger...

Or does it?

Regular readers of the blog should know by now that I am something of a closet fan of the team from Altrincham-in fact I'd give them legitimate second-team status-and given that I've been plugging them as winners of a title pretty much all season, there was no way I was leaving their first genuine crack at an Elite League trophy to fall by the wayside in the middle of a weekly review of the weekend...Mainly because I really, really hope that Manchester hold their nerve after their 4-3 win on Sunday night, despite the prospect of Belfast's high-octane attack charging at them full bore...

But you're a Coventry fan-it means you lose another title! I hear you cry. Why? In the name of Brad Voth's hair extensions, why would you care who wins it now?

The reason is simple-Manchester deserve it. Over the past few seasons the Phoenix have been a model example of how to build a franchise from the ground up, and after being one piece away from being title winners last season, this season, everything appears to have clicked-with the sniper skills of David Beauregard allied to the defensive skills of Josh Garbutt, Alex Dunn and company and of course the ageless Tony Hand, the Phoenix this season are the team that most others, particularly those considered of a similar size, desperately want to be.

But why should that make any difference to me?

It's simple. Watching Coventry this season has made me lose just a little of my passion for hockey in Britain. Not for the game itself-I still get just as excited by moments like this as I used to (yes, he does play it off the boards to himself while skating backwards and then breaks away) but for the whole experience of it...this has been covered ad nauseam by me in many postings, so I'll leave that one well alone. Watching the Phoenix this season when they've come to Coventry has provided me with some of my best moments watching hockey from an opposition team, as well as one of the greatest finishes to a game I've ever seen (sorry, Manchester fans, for opening old wounds). And, with this season slowly petering out for Coventry (well, the playoffs are still an option, but they're a month away)-the Phoenix are now a team through which, vicariously at least, I can still experience the pure joy of a first title with.

And for that reason, I'm rooting for them relentlessly for the rest of the regular season...because they remind me of the Blaze five or six years ago, from the well-run organisation off-ice to the passionate family of a fanbase to the (more-or-less) unheralded team just starting their climb to the top. If history repeats itself for Manchester as it did for Coventry fans, then the Phoenix have one hell of a fun ride coming over the next few seasons...

And all the above was far too much to just slip into the middle of a league round-up...which, Mark and others, is why the barn-burner from Altrincham on Sunday barely got a mention yesterday...it gets a post all to itself...

Keep keeping your eye on the puck....

Breakaway Live...

Breakaway Live...

Friday, 3 April 2009

Playoff Fever...Round the Rink...

COVENTRY BLAZE

Wednesday, 1 April 2009

Midweek Musings: Apocalypse Soon?

Delayed Reaction..

Tuesday, 31 March 2009

Playoff Playlist...Breakaway Version

Monday, 30 March 2009

Double Overtime, March 30th...

Friday, 27 March 2009

Hope, Faith and a little Charity...Playoff Preview Part II

Thursday, 26 March 2009

Not Dead, Just Sleeping...

Monday, 23 March 2009

Double Overtime, March 23rd...

A quick heads-up...

Friday, 20 March 2009

Round the Rinks Crazy Eighth Special...

Wednesday, 18 March 2009

Midweek Musings

Tuesday, 17 March 2009

Tuesday Thoughts: Cup Fever!

Monday, 16 March 2009

Double Overtime, March 16th

Friday, 13 March 2009

Round the Rinks, Friday 13th March...

Fair Warning....

Tuesday, 10 March 2009

Tuesday Thoughts: Sparks of Inspiration

About Me

Contact The Breakaway!

Recommended Reading

Blog Archive

Open Ice Hits since 12th October 07

More British Hockey on the Web

The Breakaway Blog's Fan Box