Midweek Musings

"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...

Tuesday Thoughts: Cup Fever!

"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...

Double Overtime, March 16th

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...

Round the Rinks, Friday 13th March...

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.

Fair Warning....

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...

Tuesday Thoughts: Sparks of Inspiration

"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....

Double Overtime, March 9th...

On we go into another skate round the weeks EIHL action, including one race in the EIHL that came to a sputtering stop and another that's suddenly accelerated dramatically...

"You're too much...(too much)

I take it that it's over.

Should we even care at all?

You're too much (too much)

Shake hands and say goodbye"

Friendly Fires: "Skeleton Boy"

Congratulations to Sheffield Steelers, EIHL League Champions 2008/09

God, that stung to write....:) The title race, which has been hanging around like a dying horse forgotten in the back garden of a knacker's yard, has finally been laid to rest, with Sheffield clinching the title on Sunday night thanks to a 4-1 win in Newcastle, and Coventry losing by the same score at home to Hull...to a surprising lack of fanfare from all concerned...well, unless you were outside Sheffield Arena around midnight (thank you, Steelers TV-may be distressing footage if you're a Panther fan) However, the race at the bottom of the league is still very, very much alive...so, let's congratulate the Steelers (by far the best team over the season) and move on to the rest of the league...

Final word, though...was it just me, or had the odd stray Blaze fan snuck into the Hallam car-park to be mickey-taken by Andrew Sharp (last twenty seconds of the clip)...

And yes, I'm a Blaze fan myself...I just thought I'd make that joke before anyone else did...:)

Scientists believe that this proves that being involved in a car-crash is not ideal pre-game preparation: On Saturday night, Andrew Verner was apparently involved in a minor car-crash on the way to the Telewest Arena for the Newcastle v Edinburgh game-despite this he declared himself fit to play...a decision which could have an impact on more than just his GAA average as he let in seven in the first twenty minutes in an eventual 9-2 win for Edinburgh. He didn't do too badly on Sunday, though, keeping Sheffield out for nearly 40 minutes and defending a one-goal lead valiantly before succumbing to the Steelers attack late in the second...

A very fitting memorial: The night before in Nottingham, meanwhile, had seen the Steelers not exactly in party mood as the Panthers beat them 4-2 in a pulsating game, full of incident. The tone was set even before face-off, as a packed NIC raised the roof with a minute's applause in remembrance of Dave Page and Owen Grant, who passed away last week as mentioned in Friday's weekend preview-then the teams got down to it with three fights, six goals and a ton of commitment...the Panthers clearly motivated by "win it for Dave" and the Steelers equally so by "win it for Owen". Goals for Johan Molin (twice), Brendan Cook and James Ferrara ensured that the Panthers did so...but British hockey was, by all accounts, the real winner...

One wonders whether they'll arrange to share-that would be the gentlemanly thing to do. But then, gentlemen don't play hockey: Belfast ensured that they will battle out both of the Elite League cup competitions with Manchester after easing through 4-1 in Cardiff on Saturday night to leave the Devils once again ruing the old truth "so close, yet so far". adage....

That rumoured cash injection can't come soon enough: Basingstoke are now the losingest team in British ice hockey, with their streak of losses extended by two more over the weekend as first Coventry (4-2) and then Nottingham (7-2) overturned their Hampshire rivals. With rumours now coming out that the Bison are being offered financial aid by the EIHL to not jump ship to the English Premier League, the future of the Hampshire club is still not cut-and-dried...

Cry havoc, and let loose the dogs of Hull!: Has someone woken up the Stingrays? After a 6-1 loss to Manchester on Saturday night, the Humbersiders, despite being delayed over an hour on the way into Coventry, played arguably the best game I've seen a Stingrays side play at the Skydome and were rewarded with a fairly comfortable 4-1 win. If you read anything Blaze-related regarding the game it will emphasis the lack of ideas of the home side, the seeming disinterestedness of many players and the many perceived failings of the Skydome-based team. And, up to a (small) point, these are decent summaries of the game. However, to emphasise the bad points (of which there were several) of Blaze's performance is to unfairly belittle the effort and skill put in by every player in a Stingrays shirt-Curtis Cruickshank was superb in goal, Antii Turunen was calm and assured in front of him and Matt Reynolds and Jason Kostadine worked tirelessly and very effectively indeed up front, never giving the Blaze defence any time and hurrying the forwards with their relentless back-checking-a theme replicated throughout the away side....

That's a brief Blaze view...for a pespective from Yorkshire, have a gander at the F-Block Blog...

"Fighting tooth-and-nail" doesn't begin to cover it...: Meanwhile, as Hull were winning down in Coventry to end their slim hopes of a title. Edinburgh were nicking a vital two points and adding to Cardiff's misery at the Bay, edging them 4-3 thanks to Sean Perkins' goal with 65 seconds remaining. Jason Cassells was the real architect of victory, however, scoring two of the Caps' four goals and assisting the winner, after appearing to find a willing and able compliment on his line in Brad Bonello, who joined the Caps at the same time in January...this means that Hull are now three points out of a playoff spot, with one game still to come between the two...which, by the way, is the last one of the regular season for both teams.

Winner takes all, anyone?

There you go...that's your weekend reviewed...

Round the Rinks, March 6th

Here we are again with the weekend preview, with the weekend including a semi and a final...NOW we're really getting to the business end of the season...I am aware that Cardiff and Belfast played the first leg of their KO Cup semi on Wednesday and Manchester faced Edinburgh on Thursday, but we'll deal with that below...

Saturday:

Hull v Manchester: Before the fireworks of Sunday's Challenge Cup Final first leg, the Phoenix must take on Hull, with the Stingrays viewing every game between now and the end of the season as a cup final as they chase the last playoff spot in a battle with Edinburgh. Paradoxically, Manchester have already done Hull a favour by nicking a four-two win on Thursday night against their Scottish rivals (with David Beauregard scoring his 54th and 55th goals and moving within touching distance of being only the second player in the EIHL era to have a 100-point season-Adam Calder being the other with his record 105-point haul last season, including a record 58 goals, both records which are now under serious threat from the French-Canadian goal-machine). The Stingrays will be hoping Manchester have one eye on Sunday's game as they chase a vital two points, but I wouldn't be too hopeful for them...

Edinburgh v Newcastle: Meanwhile, the Capitals face the Vipers, with the Scottish faithful urged to be as loud as possible to help Mark Hurtubise (83 points on a ninth-placed team is simply phenomenal, by the way-he's outscored most of the "top" players in the EIHL by some distance-even more amazing when you consider that many of his competition have far more prolific linemates) and company gain another two vital points in their battle with Hull. With the Vipers settled in seventh with a ten point gap to the teams both above and below them, the Capitals will be hoping their opponents are in cruising mode for the playoffs. The Vipers, however, won't make it easy...

Basingstoke v Coventry: This is a game for two teams whose regular seasons have somewhat run out of steam, and despite there still being three weekends to go still has something of an "end of term" feel to it. With Corey Leclair facing one of his former teams there may be a bit of needle running under the surface, especially with Carlyle Lewis and Jeremy Cornish renewing acquaintances-however, it's not a game that stands out by any stretch of the imagination, especially with the Bison already looking towards next season in the eyes of many...

Nottingham v Sheffield: This one, however, is a game that practically leaps out and grabs you, although the hype machine has been absent this time round. The reasons for the relatively quiet buildup to this instalment of the "EIHL's premier rivalry" are tragic-both teams have seen well-respected figures at their respective rinks pass away this week, with the Panthers losing official photographer Dave Page to illness and the Steelers losing Owen Grant, the social secretary of the Sheffield Supporter's Club and a very well-known fan of the Steelers, within a day of each other. This means that this game will see something of a more reflective and sombre mood in the build-up than usual, with the Panthers planning commemorations for both men, and both sets of fans and all of British ice-hockey hoping that the game will be a fitting memorial to two stalwart supporters of the British game.
On the ice, Sheffield can bring themselves within one game of the league title with a win, but you can bet the Panthers would like nothing more than to delay the party a little longer...

Cardiff v Belfast: This KO Cup semi stands delicately poised at 3-3 after Wednesday's first leg in Northern Ireland, as the Giants begin a weekend dominated by Cup fever. The Devils will be heartened by a very good result in the first leg, and roared on by a sea of red, will hope to ensure passage through to face Manchester in the final. However, with the Giants proving to be something of cup specialists this season, this one is way too close to call...

Sunday

Newcastle v Sheffield: This, depending on Saturday's result, could be the title-clincher for the Steelers, and South Yorkshire is reportedly travelling en masse in anticipation. The Vipers have already publicly said, in the persona of Rob Wilson, that they intend to spoil the party, so this game could well be worth a watch if you're up that way...

Manchester v Belfast: The first of Manchester's two cracks at a Cup begins here, as the Challenge Cup is on the line. The Phoenix will want to take a lead over to Northern Ireland for the second leg on the 17th March, and with Altrincham likely to be packed out and roaring them on, David Beauregard, Tony Hand and co need no motivation. However, Paul Deniset, with an amazing record of three hat-tricks in three games in Altrincham, will be hoping to continue his scorching run and give his team the ideal cushion to take back to their home rink...

Coventry v Hull: The Stingrays need two points, desperately. Coventry, on the other hand, need a win just in case Sheffield start to panic and lose twice-if the Blaze lose, the title-race is definitely, unarguably over. Hull traditionally have not done that well at the Skydome-a trend they urgently need to reverse this weekend. The Blaze, on the other hand, just need to keep momentum up and keep giving their fans reasons to believe that the playoffs are a genuine title possibility-a faith which has been tested in recent weeks despite the team continuing to win...

Cardiff v Edinburgh: After the fireworks of the night before, a return to league action for the Devils against another opponent going hell-for-leather for points is probably not what the doctor ordered. Much will depend here on the result of the night before-if the Devils fail against Belfast, then the Capitals could be best placed to take advantage. Then again, they could also suffer a vicious backlash...

Basingstoke v Nottingham: Yet another in a long line of torrid nights could be in store for the Silverdome faithful, as Nottingham come to town either on a high from denying Sheffield their title celebrations or wounded, angry and eager to make amends. Either way, they are not an enticing opponent for a Bison team which, more and more, looks like they are simply marking time despite a few flashes of life sparked by Brent Hughes and Greg Chambers (Chambers leads the league in assists with 62, which tells you just how important a player he is in Hampshire)...

There you go-that's your weekend previewed...and good luck Manchester...

Midweek Musings...International Edition,,,

Evening all...a few things to look at in our lap of the British hockey world this evening...

The commentary alone should be worth it: The Giants webcast team will be broadcasting live from Dundonald this evening for their KO semi final against Cardiff, with Jason Rushton co-commentating, apparently. Even in these credit-crunch times, that's got to be worth at least thinking about spending a fiver for...you can find all the details here...

Born (well, selected) Torun: Yes, it's an awful, awful pun, but GB now has a preliminary squad for the World Championships this April, which will take place in this town in Poland...a town which is twinned with Swindon, no less.

The full squad is here, but rather than print it out fully, let's take a quick look by position, bearing in mind that seven of the thirty players will not be making the trip...the final squad will be announced in a few weeks.

Goalies:

The glaring name in this group is, of course, Sheffield's Jody Lehman, who is now GB-eligible after playing in Britain since the 02/03 season. There is no question after his performances this season (and indeed his whole tenure in Britain) that he is the best goaltender on the roster, and his being available for selection instantly strengthens the GB squad. Nathan Craze has played himself into contention this season, impressing in games against Coventry in particular-so really the "other" goalies in the squad could be any two from Murphy, Craze or Lyle, without really changing GB's overall strength at the position...certainly, this season at least, Craze and Lyle are comparable, with Murphy possibly slightly ahead.

Defence

The usual suspects here, although the inclusion of Mark Richardson, who has only recently moved back from forward, raises an eyebrow, especially over players like Luke Boothroyd and (to a lesser degree given his advancing years) Jason Stone. Leigh Jamieson also seems to be something of a golden boy, being selected despite a less-than-stellar couple of seasons in domestic play. Mark Thomas is a welcome addition, while Ben O'Connor should consider himself very hard done by if his name is not already in the final 23 after his performances for Coventry, Edinburgh and Basingstoke over the past season or two. Graeme Walton is also another who should expect to travel however the rest of the pack is shuffled...

Forwards

No Matt Towe? Not even in the preliminary thirty? This one earns the highest raise of eyebrows from me, given that the rest of the crop of forwards can all justify their reasons for being there...however, given a choice between Jason Hewitt and the Cardiff Devil, the "British Bulldog" as Dave Simms and no-one else knows him, would be the one forced out. Rob Dowd continues his meteoric rise this season by becoming the first player in that crop you look at and say "he simply has to be picked"-quite an achievement in the company of such GB stalwarts as David Longstaff, Colin Shields and Ashley Tait, as well as dual-nationals like Steve Thornton and Greg Chambers.

Overall, it's not much of a departure, with most names being predictable despite there arguably being several youngsters who have really pushed themselves forward this year and perhaps should feel aggrieved at not even being considered...definitely a case of evolution not revolution...

However, as any gardener will tell you, sometimes you just have to turn round and chop down a rotten tree, as there's only so much pruning and modifying you can do to it before it reaches a level where it will no longer improve or may even decay. Paul Thompson and his team have spent the past year or so desperately cutting back the dead branches and trying to keep the GB tree looking as good as possible despite the ailments at its roots and its aging trunk and backbone...maybe, after this World Championships, it's time to chop the whole thing down nd start again from the ground up...and if that means ending the international careers of a few who until now were considered almost sure picks, every time, then so be it...

And on that thought...here ends this week's Midweek Musings...

Double Overtime, March 2nd.

Two things to get out the way first...including some very sad news indeed for British hockey,

Dave Page, Nottingham Panthers' official photographer for many years, and a well-known figure in British hockey, has passed away suddenly, having been admitted to hospital nine days ago. The Panthers have announced it officially here, with the Cardiff Devils posting a tribute on their site also. Mr Page's photo's are arguably the best ever produced of British hockey, and the sport has lost a true friend...condolences go to his family...

Hold on, I'm not done yet...

I need to apologize to the city of Manchester...

For some obscure reason last week I thought that the Phoenix still had the semi of the Challenge Cup to play...they are of course in two finals, not one, halving the odds against my prediction coming true...which is one I still hold to despite them falling victim to Coventry in their only game of the weekend...

Anyway, onto the weekend...beginning with a defence of one of the league's premier misunderstood geniuses...

"You got a piece of me....and, honestly...
My life (my life) would suck (would suck) without you..."
Kelly Clarkson: My Life (Would Suck Without You)

Ryan Finnerty isn't one of those players who thrives on the roar of the crowd. Well, not roars of adulation, anyway...when EIHL fans are asked which player in their league they hate the most, the name of the Lethbridge, Alberta native always comes at or very near the top of the list. This may well be due to the fact that he's a past-master at being a wind-up merchant, is never averse to getting his nose dirty, or simply because he seems to cause more irritation to opposition fans and players than a sandpaper suppository, without seemingly trying.

Here in Coventry he's particularly unpopular, mainly due to the fact that he always seems to play well against the Blaze, as well as an infamous (well, in Coventry anyway) Youtube clip in which he ( mildly) mocks Blaze fan favourite Adam Calder after Sheffield's playoff win last season...

At this point you'd expect me, as a Coventrian, to toe the party line of "Finner is a muppet"-and I freely admit that sometimes, as with the ridiculous Cardiff feud with Jay Latulippe earlier this season, which I commented about at length, he's the kind of player that can make even his team's most fervent fan wince...

I've never liked being predictable, though...

Ryan Finnerty is one of the best players in the league...and one of my favourites...

Not only that, but (and we'll leave aside the debates on whether the chance should have arisen for later) he finished beautifully to win Steelers the game.

But aside from this-he's a player that the league needs desperately, precisely because he divides opinion so massively. If you're looking for a forward to never be out-worked, play with a fair bit of skill to go with a gift for irrating the opposition and score your team goals when they most need them, then Finnerty is probably one of the first names on the hypothetical team-sheet-he's proof that pure skill is good, but a few ragged edges combined with a genius for irritation and a fearless attitude is just as good as pure skill, if not better...

And that's why he's become the franchise player of arguably the biggest club in the league, and will be so sought after if and when he decides that he may fancy a change from Sheffield...

Now onto the rest of the league weekend...

Well, we wanted a barn-burner, and we got one...: Coventry v Sheffield on Sunday saw three fights, a coach ejected for hurling sticks onto the ice in his best Ed Courtenay impersonation, and Sheffield setting themselves up for a high-point in Steelers hockey, the likes of which hasn't been seen for several years-they could, potentially, win the title in Nottingham this coming Saturday. I'd try and describe the game, but it's probably better just to watch the highlights, courtesy of BlazeTV, and make up your own mind about the highly controversial second and third Steelers goals and also Michael Hicks' refereeing performance...

The kitchen sink survived only due to being bolted down: However, one thing that highlight package does omit is the fusillade of equipment thrown from the Coventry bench as Paul Thompson did his best Steve Backley impression in disgust at the play being allowed to continue as long as it did (in fairness, he has a point-the incident is at 7 minutes into the highlights and Doug Sheppard is so close to Erik Hjalmarsson as he goes round the back of the net and falls to lose the puck and give the chance in the first place, that the Steeler would probably be arrested for lewd behaviour in several American states)...

Scoring is all very well, lads...but you may need to play some defence occasionally: Belfast appear to be making a habit out of big scores...after recently scoring eight yet conceding five against Basingstoke, this weekend it was the Hull Stingrays' turn to have a superb offensive night and still lose, as the Giants beat them 8-6 at the Odyssey.

Even Giants need rest occasionally: However, it wasn't all rosy for Belfast as their run of four games in five nights finally took its toll on them in Edinburgh, with the Capitals nicking a 4-2 win for a crucial two points in their chase of Hull for the last playoff spot...

"Anything you can do..." is actually a Hull proverb, you know...: Well, it isn't (at least as far as I'm aware) but it might as well be-the Stingrays reacted to their rivals' win against a top four team at home by...well, winning against a top four team at home. Nottingham were the unwilling victims this time round, as the Stingrays conceded four at Hull Ice Arena but put six past Michel Robinson at the other end (technically, five and an empty-netter, but let's not split hairs)...and made the battle at the bottom of the table, as it was last season, far more interesting going into the final month of the season than that at the top...

Two points is better than none: Manchester, meanwhile, as mentioned above, lost their only game of the weekend in Altrincham, thanks to the Blaze hitting form and (we thought then) giving themselves a springboard into Sunday's game...

We'll call that one even, then...: Meanwhile, Cardiff and Newcastle split their double-header, each winning their home legs. Quite what you'd expect from two teams who, seemingly, are stronger at home than on their travels this season...

There you go...that's your weekend reviewed and a little bit of opinion thrown in for free...

Round the Rinks, February 27th

Before we charge into the weekend preview, let's have a few stream of consciousness thoughts on last night's action...with a bit of a lyric first...

"A little gambling is fun when you're with me...
Russian Roulette is not the same without a gun
And baby, when it's love, if its not rough it isn't fun"
Lady Gaga: "Poker Face"

Granted, the title may have only been slightly delayed in being awarded to Sheffield by Coventry's win last night, but it seems there may be a way to get to the Steelers early...involve them in a scrap. The first period of last night's game reportedly saw Rod Sarich get called for sticking a Blaze player in the mouth, JF Perras get away with trying to remove Jeff Legue's head with a blocker, and all manner of more humdrum nastiness (slashing, hooking and the like) that appeared to throw the Steelers off their game sufficiently for the Blaze to eke out a three-two win. Highlights, by the way, are here...

With the varying standards of refereeing in the EIHL, and the fact that a lot seems to get let go in this league, surely it's worth teams trying to beat the Steelers in the trenches more, rather than trying to hold off their powerful attack and hope to get one through Lehman-a tactic which has seen the Steelers victorious on all but four occasions in regulation time this season...and, when employed, has won them at least a point on all but those same four occasions-had a few more of those OT losses been regulation losses, then the title race would be a hell of a lot closer...
Anyway, enough of my half-baked tactical reflections-on to last night's games and thence, the preview...

Granted, it's a lump of silver and not one of America's greatest poets, but even so...:...if the Elite League title were Mark Twain, right now would doubtless be the point where it said (with apologies to Huck Finn's creator) "The reports of my being won...have been greatly exaggerated".

They're not going without at least the pretence of a fight. We'll give them that: Basingstoke, meanwhile, scored five against Belfast last night. Unfortunately, even with Kevin Reiter in goal, they allowed the rampant Giants to score eight...

The prediction still holds...: Manchester, meanwhile, are now in their first final as the Phoenix (yes, I know they were at the finals weekend, but that doesn't count unless they played on the Sunday) after beating Newcastle in the KO Cup semi. Which means my prediction of "the Phoenix will win a trophy this season, way back in late August, is still looking good...

And now on to the weekend preview...

Double-headers:

Cardiff v Newcastle: Expect nothing less than a dogfight both by the Bay and on the banks of the Tyne. Points are more important to both teams than entertaining the crowds at the moment, and with neither team setting the scoring charts on fire (both as teams are little more than above-average, which isn't bad but by no means a threat to Sheffield's stellar attack, and due to concentrating most of their goalscoring eggs in a few players' baskets) grit and ugly goals will be the order of the day...

Friday

Belfast v Basingstoke: Live on the webcast at www.giantslive.tv for those of you who wish to watch it, this game has already produced thirteen goals this week back at the Silverdome. There will likely not be as many tonight, and Belfast will be expecting a fairly handsome win to capitalise on Sheffield slipping up last night, but you can always hope...whether you hope simply for a good game and a Belfast win or a good game and a Basingstoke shock depends on whether you support Sheffield or not...

Saturday:

Manchester v Coventry: Could be a cracker. Now the Phoenix have finally shaken the monkey off their back when it comes to beating Coventry with their last win in Altrincham, they will fancy another two points, not least because it could take them above Cardiff if results go their way, and in theory give them a chance of an easier playoff game...

Belfast v Hull: Someone wants to give the Giants every chance of taking maximum points from a gruelling four games in four nights schedule-they face each one of the bottom three, with Basingstoke twice...This one is arguably the toughest game of the four, and with one to come in Edinburgh on Sunday, the Giants will be hoping their opponents have an off-night...

Nottingham v Basingstoke: Poor Bison. Three of the top four in four nights? It's like the problems Belfast will face with fatigue, only a thousand times worse...Panthers will need to not switch off, and this game is theirs.

Sunday:

Coventry v Sheffield: What's that smell? A barn-burner on the horizon, perhaps? The Skydome will be packed as the Blaze and Steelers renew hostilities, and as mentioned earlier, there may be a bit of animosity still simmering from Thursday's slugfest. This one should be even better than the usual, if Blaze can stop Steelers scoring as early as they have on their last two visits to the West Midlands...

Hull v Nottingham: Panthers beware...the Stingrays have teeth now-and will not make a trip to the North East easy...the cats need a win to set them up for the visit of Sheffield next weekend, but will have to fight hard for it.

Edinburgh v Belfast: The tired Belfast d-men are probably wincing even now at the thought of having to face Adam Stefishen bearing down on them at the end of a four-game stretch, but you can bet the Edinburgh hardman and his pals are licking their lips in anticipation of the Giants' visit this time round. However, they should bear in mind that most animals fight hardest when they are tired and have no other option...

There you go...that's your weekend previewed...

Thursday Thoughts...

I know this week has been somewhat disjointed...I had intended to respond to Rob's post on the Pyre regarding the rumours about changes to next season's EIHL...however, events have overtaken me this week, hence the lack of posts.

This one is just very quick indeed-to point out that Basingstoke did in fact play Belfast last night (and it was a fairly eventful game by the looks of things-check out the ih-update report), not Manchester-the Phoenix play Newcastle tonight while Coventry face Sheffield at the Hallam Arena in a game rearranged from this coming Saturday...reaction to those games and your usual dose of Round the Rinks will appear tomorrow as per usual...

Until then, keep keeping your eye on the puck...

Double Double Overtime...

Sorry this is a very late Double Overtime...mainly thanks to computer problems (plus getting all of about 30 minutes sleep on Sunday night after celebrating a friend's wedding slightly too much...don't ever play poker with Carlyle Lewis because you WILL lose...).

On we go into a look back at an eventful weekend that gave us rumbles, refereeing incompetence and flying equipment...and that was just Coventry v Edinburgh...

So, we can assume this isn't just a "cosmetic" rivalry then: On Sunday night in Newcastle, the Vipers renewed acquaintances with the Giants-and went to war, often literally. Jason Rushton saw the other end of both Chris McAllister and Derek Campbell's fists, while Andre Payette, never one to be left out of any rough stuff, found a willing partner in Malcolm MacMillan...

There was some fairly decent non-pugilistic action as well, as the Vipers won 6-3 including a Jeff Hutchins hat-trick...Paul Deniset and Mark Morrison (twice) replied for the Giants...

It's just a matter of time now...: Sheffield, meanwhile, won their only game of the weekend against Hull, doing what all title-winning teams do and finding another gear after having some serious trouble disposing of a resolute opponent. Hull Stingrays were leading 2-1 thanks to Jamie Thompson going into the final ten minutes, before the Steelers scored three to set themselves up perfectly for a massive game against Coventry on Thursday...

Bouncing back is all very well, but has no-one ever told them not needing to bounce back is better?: It was something of a redemption for Hull after they suffered a home tanking against Cardiff the night before, Jay Latulippe scoring a hat-trick in the Devils' 7-1 win, with Konstantin Kalmikov scoring the lone Stingray's goal when his team were already 3-0 down...

In fairness to him, even the most ice-blooded person would react badly to an unexpected smack in the chops with a lump of carbon-fibre: Mark Hurtubise caused the normally-fairly-dull fixture between Coventry and Edinburgh to liven up a little (although Carlyle Lewis and Adam Stefishen had had something of an endurance-contest fight earlier which was the first instance of gloves hitting ice for some time at the Skydome) when he was sticked (accidentally) in the face by Matty Soderstrom as the Blaze defenceman lifted Hurtubise's own stick full into his jaw while battling for the puck-not because of the incident itself but because of his reaction when, despite dropping gloves and stick and heading for the bench holding his mouth and dripping blood, he somehow failed to attract the attention of referee Matt Thompson.

Clearly following the logic of "if at first you don't succeed", a very racked-off Hurtubise then proceeded to turn his helmet into a ballistic object/"Hey, YOU!" yell, by hurling it onto the ice, for which he was given a game misconduct.

But wait, it gets better:

Because any right-thinking hockey player knows that the best way to win a powerplay is to slam your stick into your own face on purpose: A few Blaze fans near me, who have been there many years, came out with the defence that Thompson had no need to give a penalty as it was Hurtubise's own stick, rather than Soderstrom's, that had done the damage, and thus it was all a blatant and cheating attempt to get a powerplay...

I have a cunning plan...: ...and Jordan Steel, realising that Caps were about to lose their best player, quickly took his helmet off, hid it and claimed he had thrown the offending one...

Which would have worked, had the Caps, like many other teams, not had their numbers emblazoned on the back of their helmets...the sequence of events went roughly thus...

Lee Young skates to the bench as Steel yells that it was his helmet that was thrown:
"So, you threw the helmet?"

"Yep."
Young checks Steel's shirt
"No you didn't...that's a nine on your shirt, not a ten."

You have to give the kid (a founder member of the Corey Spring All-Stars, by the way) points for trying...

"Basingstoke are like ducks in Britain-Every year, they're fine till about November, then, they head south like bats out of hell":...This random snippet overheard from an Edinburgh fan discussing the merits of next year's Elite League, and who (or not) will play in it, seems a fair comment to put here...Yes, Bison lost again-only this time, they didn't even have to turn up in Manchester to do so, thanks to a broken-down coach...although the 5-2 loss in their own rink the night before can't exactly have been a motivation to fix it...

That's all the events of the weekend covered, apart from Nottingham's (by now routine) win against Newcastle at the NIC (this season, the East Midlands has not been a happy hunting ground for the Geordies)

And, there you go...Basingstoke play Manchester tonight in the re-arranged fixture from Sunday, but for now, you're all up to date on the events of last weekend...

Round the Rinks, February 20th...

As promised, here's your preview of the weekend...

Very quickly, though...and the last word on the All-Star game following my thoughts earlier...for a player's perspective on Thursday night's game, have a look at Steelers TV, who, as well as saving the All-Star Diary below with the loan of a laptop, also spoke to Jeff Legue for his views on the event-it's well worth a look...

Now, onto brief pen-pictures of the games-you know the form by now...

Double-Headers:

Basingstoke v Manchester: It looks like the misery is far from over for Basingstoke, as they face the Phoenix home and away. It's looking more and more likely that this is the Bison's last season in the EIHL, and with a ten point gap (at the time of writing) to ninth place there is only pride left to play for. Rumours, fuelled by his being placed on a line with Dan Carlson and Adam Calder for the whole of the All-Star game while others were switched almost at will, are gathering pace linking club talisman Greg Chambers with a move to Coventry next season, and Manchester have their tails up in the chase for playing position. Couple that with some shaky recent form from Kevin Reiter, and you fear for the goal-judges thumbs on both nights faced with the potent Phoenix attack, tired or not.

Edinburgh v Coventry: The Blaze make the trip to Scotland and then are followed back by the Capitals on Sunday as fourth faces eighth. As recently as last season I'd be confident in predicting a four-point weekend for the Midlanders-however, this time round with the Caps beginning their traditional late-season charge, I'm not so sure...could we see the first Edinburgh win at the Skydome of the EIHL era?

Saturday:

Hull v Cardiff: Could be quite a close game, this one, with both teams needing every point in the scramble for playoff position...and the Stingrays at full strength for the first weekend in some considerable time-one to keep an eye on if not go out of your way to watch...

Nottingham v Newcastle: Corey Neilson looked very assured indeed at the All-Star game without the threat of being checked...however, against the Vipers he may need to look over his shoulder a little more, as the Geordies will be chasing a valuable win at the expense of the Panthers' jostle for second position behind Sheffield...and they'll be chasing very hard indeed.

Sunday:

Sheffield v Hull: This game is Yorkshire's version of the Prince and the Pauper, and will once again see the Stingrays hoping to at least delay Sheffield's title celebrations while at the same time earning themselves valuable points in the playoff dogfight...every non-Steeler fan will be hoping they're successful...

Newcastle v Belfast: This one should be tasty after Vipers coach Rob Wilson has said that the Giants "belong in a circus" after their last meeting...there is some bad-blood which has been built up nicely this season by both teams...expect fireworks...

And that's your EIHL weekend in a nutshell...

Closure on the All-Star Game

Well, now I'm back home safely having enjoyed a pint or two...and am amazed to find that the running diary had over 350 unique visits in three hours during tonight's game period (8-11pm)-to put that into some sort of perspective, the blog usually runs about sixty or seventy visits a day...so many thanks to everyone who stuck with it despite the problems in the second period...

This says to me that the idea of an All-Star game is a very good one and does raise the interest-people are curious as to how such a thing works...however, the fact that the crowd finally only numbered 700 or so (those are ticket-office figures from Planet Ice, not me doing a rough-head count) shows that despite the relatively intense efforts of the Elite League and those involved with it to publicise it, the execution of it (not on the night-the matchnight crew, particularly announcer Bavy from Basingstoke, made the best of very little genuine material) was flawed.

I will say that, reading back on the diary, it probably concentrates slightly too much on the negatives. For what it's worth, there was the germ of a good idea-the skill level was fairly high (notably Corey Neilson, who was much more open and willing to showcase his offensive talent than in games in the regular season-he clearly relished the extra time on the puck) even though players were clearly not skating at anywhere near their full potential and had had absolutely no time to practice with the majority of their team-mates, giving things a very "thrown-together" feel, there were shirts from all over the country and a few teams from other leagues there, while the atmosphere, while not high in intensity, certainly felt pretty-warm hearted and raised some smiles-it seemed that some were there as much for the social side as the hockey itself.

I'm honestly not sure about insisting on picking both imports and Brits from every team in the league, though, still...I appreciate the comment that this will likely give the game a potentially wider appeal, however, one of the recurring comments from people both before the game and in the rink tonight was "it's not an All-Star game, because (insert player here) isn't playing". You need nothing but the best in an All-Star game player-wise, and there were several (both Brits and imports) who would have struggled to make a "proper" All-Star game in the eyes of many...

However, Mark Hurtubise shone in company (on the ice) perhaps better than he is used to up in Edinburgh, as did Rob Dowd, while we saw a preview, perhaps, of next season's Coventry top-line in the trio of Adam Calder, Dan Carlson and Greg Chambers, who played together from the start.

A few tidbits that I missed from the blog and probably should have sneaked in...mostly spawned from shamelessly nicking an idea from Becky at Five Minute Major-she calls it "Overheard at the...(insert event here)" after Overheardinnewyork...Starting with some one-liners..

"You two people at the front of block eight-this is a family sport. Not a "make-a-family" sport"
Announcer Bavy to a pair of Hull Stingrays (I think-was trying not to watch) fans who had chosen an empty block to spend some "couple-time" together and not even looked at the ice for many minutes...

"Are you getting paid by the goal, Andrew?"
A yell from block 2 after Andrew Verner let in Greg Chambers' hard wrist-shot, having let in three swift ones before then.

"Goal scored by number ten...we're not sure which one. Assisted by number ten"
Bavy again, announcing a David Beauregard goal for the North (it was assisted by Paul Deniset) and at the same time showing why having two players on the same line wearing the same number is a ruddy stupid idea.

"Nice to see you save your best stuff for the important games..."
A Blaze fan yelling at Messrs Cook, Richardson and Neilson after they combined beautifully for a South goal...

"Andrew Verner? He may as well be Randy Lerner for all the effect he's having"
Who says football fans can't also be ice-hockey fans?

"Incoming...(puck strikes glass)-they're not trying. I didn't wince this time"
Heard at the plexi on the way round to a quiet seat, during the warm-up...

"I'll be hammering on your door to get in!"
"Funny. Don't they hammer on the door to be let OUT at your place?"
Banter between a Basingstoke and Sheffield fan...I'm not sure how the conversation started but this bit struck me as funny.

"...and you should have seen her dress last night. I know it's Ladies Night but you could see EVERYTHING, it was so short...and she wasn't wearing any knickers, I don't think. Imagine ZZ Top in a sombrero..."
Blaze fans bitching about another attendee at the previous night's night of oestrogen-and-alcohol-fuelled mayhem, known to us mere male mortals as Ladies Night. It shouldn't be funny, but it was...

"Go on, South-they've given up and put the backup in! How was it backing up that shower, Jody?"
A slightly inebriated Cardiff fan's reaction to Jody Lehman coming into the game.


"One misplaced skate, and the Sky contract goes right out the window"
A quote during the Fastest Shot competition, with the players participating having to skate round and behind a Sky cameraman who rather unwisely had his data and electrical cable snaking across the ice behind him, as Rod Sarich looked very close indeed to skating over it and totalling some very expensive equipment, as well as possibly becoming the first ice-hockey player to cite "electrocution during a game" as a reason for injury...

"Shouldn't that be (adopts accent which is a mix of bad Coronation Street impression, Hovis advert and Geordie) "Staaaaannnnd ooop, if yeeeerrrrrr luuuuvvvv tuh'north?!"
Nottingham fan reacting to Sheffield fans singing "Stand up if you love the North" at the end of the game.

Also, if you're a stattie...here are the fastest shots in mph from each player in the slapshot comp:

South
Brad Voth 93 (winner)
Adam Calder and Corey Neilson both 73

North
Rod Sarich 87
Taylor Christie 86
Colin Shields 84


Final grade: C+
There's interest there for an All-Star Game, but it needs to be a "proper" one, there needs to be some fan input into the lineups, a la North America, and perhaps a change of venue every year AND making a little space in the schedule to have it happen properly (drop the KO Cup or shorten it, perhaps?) with a bit of a break. Oh, and cut the prices a little while adding more razzmatazz to make it a "proper" fan festival...


Round the Rinks to come around 7pm this evening...

All Star Running Diary

19:45: It's just before faceoff in a barely half-full Skydome, and the players are on the ice...And we're on...keep refreshing the page every few minutes to see the latest update...

19:48: Starting anthems, as announced by our guest announcer from Basingstoke (who I'm informed "sounds like a porn-star"...:

North: Verner, Sarich, Horne, Beauregard, Deniset, Phillips
South: Reiter, O'Connor, Neilson, Carlson, Calder, Chambers.

And we're off...

19:50: Goal South: Verner is beaten as Brendan Cook simply slides a pass across the crease at half-speed and Bruce Richardson taps it in at the back post for the opener. Barely any of the players look interested, however...

19:52: Two goals in quick succession, one at either end. Slava Koulikov pokes in a rebound for the South off a Neilson shot and seconds later, Rob Dowd puts the North on the board.

19:55: A Blaze chant is modified to "Oh When The South Go Skating In"...I'd forgotten there was a crowd here until then...

19:58: Corey Neilson fans on a shot quite spectacularly, setting off a chorus of donkey noises from the North fans. Sheffield Steelers fans: possibly the only fans on the planet who'll heckle at an All-Star game...

19:59: However, revenge is sweet as Phil Hill makes Andrew Verner look a little silly from close range, and at the same time attempts some sort of justiication for being here.

20:01: Andrew Verner may be here in body, but his mind is clearly somewhere else. Like already in the pub...

20:03: Verner's definitely in the pub. Chambers has just fired one top-shelf, and he didn't even move. Nice goal though...

20:05: Believe it or not, despite the 4-1 score, the game is fairly even. The main difference is that Andrew Verner is bloody awful, and as yet, Kevin Reiter isn't.

20:07: And now I look silly. Verner makes a very good save from Chambers, but ruins it by kicking the net off.

20:09: Someone near me has said "the players are here simply because they were told to be. Only to be met with "...nope, they were told there's free cake"...

Northern wit at its finest...

20:10: Goal North...Awada tap-in. It's 4-2 after 15 minutes....

20:12: Northern Wit Part II: Overheard in the crowd..."We know a North v South game that would have sold this place out...Sheffield v Nottingham"

Ouch.

20:14: Cook zings one off Verner's bar...

20:17: Goal for the North. Mark Hurtubise with a beauty of a wrister high past Reiter. I like Hurtubise a lot, not least because (random fact) he plays the same position, wears the same number and was born on exactly the same day as me...

20:20: The North equalise through Mark Garside-Is this a good time to mention that the South All-Star goalies are from the two worst teams in the league?

20:22: Just as I type that, Reiter stacks the pads to deny Awada on a breakaway...

END OF PERIOD 1

We're now preparing for the Fastest Skater part of the evening...It's basically a slalom relay, people....

Dan Carlson leads Rob Dowd into the first change...

Tyson Teplitsky beats Paul Deniset...

And Mark Hurtubise falls to allow Russ Cowley to skate home for the South to win.

And yes, it really was that boring...

So, as we take a brief break for the first intermission...I have this thought...

It may be boring, but it's still considered more important to win by the players than the KO Cup...

PERIOD 2:

Apologies...battery issues mean that I'm having fun rushng around for a power-point. However, you're not missing much beyond a few run-of-the-mill tap-ins that have now made it 7-5 to the South.

And, judging by the comments, it appears a little light mickey-taking of the players annoys a few people...I wasn't seriously suggesting Andrew Verner was in the pub...it's called gentle mockery...:)

For the record, Verner improved immensely in the second period, and received a warm round of applause when changed for Lehman...Cruickshank is now in goal at the other end...

A more comprehensive look-back to appear, along with the return to the proper running diary format, when I get power back...try again around 9:15 or so...

PERIOD 3:

And we're back, 4 minutes into the final period...thanks to the gentlemen from SteelersTV...

The Fastest Shot was something of a disappointment-Brad Voth winning with a blast of 93 miles an hour-but the radar gun may well have been spectacularly faulty thanks to crediting Rod Sarich with a 31mph shot that seriously bulged the net...

Score is now 9-6 South, with the highlight goal being a blast from the blue-line from Corey Neilson which Jody Lehman barely saw....and as I type that, they make it 9-6...

There has been some confusion when David Beauregard scored for the North...due to the players being allowed to wear their own numbers and there being three number tens on the North squad...the announcer seems unable to pronounce it, causing a frustrated Welsh voice to yell "Who the hell is BOO-GARD?!"

21:23: Now 10-7 South, as first Paul Deniset and then Brendan Cook score, Brad Voth assisting. There still hasn't been a single hit.

21:24: 11-7. Bruce Richardson from Corey Neilson and Brendan Cook. Thankfully, unlike at the NIC, we don't have to suffer Chelsea Dagger as a result, the DJ knowing his audience and, as Richardson celebrates, YMCA rings out to delight the Steelers fans.

21:26: Just to clarify, Andrew Verner is better than Kevin Reiter. Just not tonight. However, he does appear to be posting comments from the bench...

21:28: Did I mention that this game has the atmosphere well and truly appropriate to the league which contains the "greatest spectacle of European hockey?"

21:30: Block 2 are waving at Dave Matsos, having spent the previous three periods trying to get a wave out of every different team's fan in the arena. Highlight of the night "Frolunda, give us a wave!"

21:31: Goal North: Jez Lundin. Assisted by David Beauregard (the announcer gets the name right this time...)

21:33: The North are making a game of this-it's 11-9 now. Paul Deniset. You can safely say that ten appears to be a lucky shirt number for the North...

21:35: Just as I post that, Adam Walker scores the North's tenth, and his second...

21:37: 12-10 as the South score an empty-netter. Cruickshank makes a superb triple-save to deny Paul Deniset...

21:39: Game ends 12-10 to the South. It was never going to be a classic of British hockey, but the players seemed to enjoy themselves...those few that weren't playing in their sleep, that is.

21:40: Just in case you missed it, the announcer is running through the teams again in a desperate attempt to remind us all how much fun it is to see the All-Stars play. He's failing. At least "spoonerdude" didn't do the same when it came to understanding a bit of humour...

21:42: And that's your lot, since I've had to borrow the Steelers TV laptop and they want it back to conduct the post-match interviews...Thanks to them for ensuring this diary didn't end prematurely, and thank you for reading...

Weekend preview to come tomorrow...keep keeping your eye on the puck...

Live and (hopefully) Loud...

Hey all...

Just a quickie to let you all know that, Internet connection permitting, I shall be attempting a live-from-the-Skydome running diary of the All-Star game-the plan is to constantly update the post every few minutes or so from about 7:15 pm onwards this evening, with what's going on, reflections or just simply what's running through my head at the time...the party will hopefully start on here from around 7:30 or so, assuming I can get a laptop running...refresh the page every few minutes to see if there are any new posts, as each line will be tagged with the time...

Hopefully, this'll work...if it does get going and you like it, then pass the word out to those you know who may be interested...and be prepared for randomness and possibly a rude word or off-colour joke or two...

Midweek Musings: Game Reaction and All Star News...

Morning all...

This post is a fairly short one, so let's waste no further time...

Well, that was all very civilised, wasn't it?: Over in Northern Ireland, Belfast and Manchester played out a fairly calm game, with two goals from the returning and resurgent Andrew Martin the difference in a contest which only saw ten penalty minutes and four powerplays handed out in the entire game-a measure of how benign it was can be gained from the fact that nearly hald of those minutes went to Jason Rushton for "accidental high sticks"...For the record, David Beauregard scored for the Phoenix...

Now, if they could just sort out the other 59 minutes then this season could still be interesting: Meanwhile, over in Nottingham, Coventry did their best to throw away their clash against Nottingham but again scored twice in the final minute to go from 5-4 down to 6-5 up, with Erik Hjalmarsson netting another crucial goal-he seems to make a habit of scoring just when the Blaze most need a goal in such games...

Well, if the arena's as empty as rumoured, I've got to find something to do:There is a chance the Breakaway will be providing live updates a la Five Minute Major of the EIHL All-Star game this Thursday from about 7.15 onwards, although given that only 400 tickets have so far been sold, I'm wondering whether there'll be enough interest out there to justify the effort of carrying a laptop into town...

However, I'll let you know on Thursday early evening if this is happening...

Keep keeping your eye on the puck...