Double Overtime, 22nd October

So, another weekend in the EIHL is in the books, and it's time for the team-by-team weekend review:

Basingstoke: On the face of it, it's only been a weekend of more misery for the Hampshire side. Three games in four days for a team who've just lost their starting goalie and number one centre isn't the ideal weekend slate, not to mention something of a baptism of fire for Dan Green, as the back-up goalie-turned-emergency-starter. I briefly refer to the Thursday night game here, but things didn't get much better results-wise for either the Bison's temporary starter or his team at the weekend. The young Brit more than earned the adulation of his notorious "Appreciation Society" however, facing 84 shots over the two weekend games and only letting in five goals for a stellar 94 percent save percentage. Unfortunately, the Bison's weakened attack could only score three goals in the two games, losing 2-1 and 3-2. Which means the Bison come out of this weekend pointless, but with a huge amount of respect earned from both their fans and the opposition.
Grade: B-

Belfast: The Giants, a team who were somewhat in need of a lift themselves before this weekend, lucked out by facing a Basingstoke side in turmoil for their only two games of the weekend. After Peter Campbell's dream (2 goals, 2 assists) debut on the Thursday night, he and the Giants found the Bison a much tougher proposition in their home rink, but still managed to grind out a hard-fought two-one win thanks to goals from Shaun Sutter and Carlyle Lewis (who seems to be finally finding his feet after being heavily criticised by his own fans earlier on in the season). Another improvement for the Giants this weekend-let's just see how long they can continue...
Grade: B

Cardiff: It was an up-and-down weekend for the Devils, coming out on opposite sides of the same 3-2 scoreline on Saturday and Sunday. Against Sheffield on Saturday, they were on the wrong side, as the Steelers fought hard to keep their climb up the table going. Sylvain Deschatelets continues to provide rich pickings for the irony hunters among us, though, earning another man-of-the-match award in what is surely his last weekend. More fodder was provided on Sunday, as Deschatelets scored another two goals and assisted on the the other as the Devils ground out a three-two result against a high-flying Newcastle. With the Devils still looking for a forward and Gerard Adams able to move back and play on defence, coupled with a growing "Sly must stay" movement among the fans, the big Quebec-native centre is finally proving his worth-but is it too late?
Grade: B

Coventry: Two more games, two more wins in which the Blaze didn't really look like they got out of third gear. A professional performance against Edinburgh on the Saturday was followed by a surprisingly easy 4-0 win against a lacklustre Panthers side on the Sunday. The league leaders didn't do too badly in avoiding the dreaded Continental Cup Curse for the first week back at least. There are several small clouds on the horizon, however, in the injuries suffered by Neal Martin and Michael Tasker on the Saturday night. They were missing for Sunday's game at least, so it remains to be seen whether they'll be out for longer, and whether Martin's loss in paticular will affect the rhythm of the team. However, based purely on the results on the ice, four points and two professional performances gets them a...
Grade: B+

Edinburgh: The Caps fans must be wondering when this losing streak is going to end. Just the one game this weekend saw them lose five-two to the Blaze in a game during which they never really troubled the Midlands side. Doug Christiansen's men started the season with a lot of hope, but so far it hasn't even come close to being realised. Much more of this and there may be changes north of the border...
Grade: D-

Hull: Another rollercoaster weekend on Humberside saw the Stingrays split their home-and-away games with Manchester, although the loss on the Sunday was perhaps more important as it officially confimed the Rays' exit from the Challenge Cup, the home side prevailing 5-2 and gaining revenge for their 5-3 defeat in the league the previous night. Paul Cabana finally got some help in the scoring stakes from Jake Riddle and Rob Rankin, the three combining for five goals at home on the Saturday, but the defeat on Sunday shows there may still be some way to go before the Stingrays can breathe easier-they're not out of the woods yet after their nightmare recent run...
Grade: C+

Manchester: This team is nothing if not resilient. After losing 5-3 in Hull, the Phoenix simply came back out on Sunday in their own rink and quietly went about gaining revenge, which they duly did with a 5-2 scoreline in their favour, moving themselves a step closer to the Challenge Cup Finals in the process. Once again their goal difference came out positive despite the loss-the Angry Budgies forwards scoring eight goals over the weekend while their defence conceded only five. The Northerners are continuing to be a thorn in the side of the top teams, and as long as Joe Tallari continues to score and the defence continue to block shots, they look like being there or thereabouts...
Grade: B

Newcastle: From the sublime....to the slightly less sublime. The Vipers piled on the woe for Nottingham on Saturday with a somewhat surprising 4-1 win at the NIC as brawn prevailed over skill, before being outmuscled by the Devils on Sunday in their own rink, in a performance described variously as "disinterested", "lacklustre", and "very poor". The North Easterners dropped from second to third on this weekends results, and will be looking to bounce back next weekend after the Cardiff loss in order to continue their decent start to the season. Based on this weekend (with slightly extra weighting for tanking Nottingham in their own rink) they get
Grade: B

Nottingham: Oh, dear. The Panthers fans are really not happy. Shaky on defence and toothless in attack this weekend, the Big Cats were more like Little Kittens-with Robert Stancok and Rastislav Rovnianek in particular drawing the fans' ire. New signing Kevin Bergin has shown no sign so far of replicating last seasons' form in Basingstoke, and after only four games the Panthers faithful are already beginning to get on his back. Mike Ellis has said that there will be changes shortly and that players are effectively on their last chance this weekend-it remains to be seen whether this will put the claws back on the feet and sticks of the Panthers, however. Facing Coventry again, but this time in the NIC, is a game that's looking bigger and bigger, particularly with the impact it could have on both sides' Challenge Cup campaigns. However, a nightmare weekend for the Panthers means that this week they earn...
Grade: F

Sheffield: And finally, the Steelers, who will not be complaining at all after gaining a hard-fought four-point weekend, winning both their games by the same 3-2 scoreline. The Hallam Arena tenants will certainly be feeling the effects today after meetings with Cardiff and Basingstoke, both of who will fight like demons for the full sixty minutes and can beat any team on any day, no matter how highly-touted their forward line is. However, you only have to score one more than the opponents in order to win, and the Steelers managed that to perfection this weekend as their defence held firm long enough for the forwards to get the needed breakthrough at the other end. A good weekend for the perennial title hopefuls gains them the best grade of this week with a
Grade: A

Midweek action this week sees the struggling Edinburgh Capitals take on the stuttering Newcastle Vipers in a cross-border Battle of the North. Who will prevail-Doug Christiansen's Bravehearts or Rob Wilson's bruisers? I shall be watching this one closely...

More ramblings to come tomorrow-until then, keep your eye on the puck...

Playing Catch-Up...again.

Believe it or not it's actually been a fairly quiet Friday and first half of Saturday-as noted by the fact that for once I didn't have to make five posts in the space of twenty-four hours just in order to keep up with the speed of information coming out onto the Internet. However, several things of note have happened in both the EIHL and the EPL, so here's a brief summary before I take a few hours off to watch the rugby this evening (come on England!) :)...

Hiking for Hockey is called off: See this post (scroll to the bottom) for the original idea from Rick Strang. He's now called it off, however, saying in a statement on the Hockey Forum that it just wouldn't be right to do now that Basingstoke are safe. Which is his decision...When I find a text of the full statement to link to, I shall place it on here.

Thornton to Sweden?: The rumours around players leaving the Bison just won't die-the latest one going around sees Steve Thornton wanting away from the Bison, with Sweden being quoted as the destination. At the moment, the 34 year-old centre is staying put, but there will no doubt be a queue of EIHL teams looking to go after the skilful ex-Belfast and Cardiff forward should the slightest hint of his becoming available surface.

Changes at Romford: Moving down to the EPL, Norm Pinnington has moved from the Isle of Wight to Romford in one of a raft of player changes this week in Essex. Mark Williams is said to be on his way out due to the well-known personal animosity between the two big bruisers, and there is much discussion as to just exactly where the Raiders will go from here threading through the EPL forums.

Meanwhile, back in Basingstoke...The statement from the Taylors which I analysed in detail here has not gone down well amongst the Bison fans, with more questions than answers (some of which I mention in the analysis) being raised ahead of tonight's game against the Bison. While the immediate survival of the Bison is by all accounts assured, there is a fast-developing rift between the ownership and fans. David Taylor was interviewed last night on BBC Radio Berkshire, available here. It's an interesting listen if you're a Bison fan...

And across the pond...First NHL mention-mainly just to check on how my Pens are doing...especially after their 6-4 come-from-behind win against the Leafs last Saturday, they do Carolina 4-3 again last night...Things are looking good in Steeltown for us long-suffering (well, ever since I've been watching, anyway) Pens fans...:)

And finally, a bit of blatant self-promotion: This site has been up and running properly for a week, after a few months or so of preparation, working out of format, etc. When I set it up I expected maybe 150 hits in the first week. As of today, there've been nearly 600. I'm overjoyed that people are coming to read what, at the moment, is essentially the ramblings of one hockey fan, and I thank every single visitor. If you've got any ideas for features etc that I've missed out or have an idea for something that I can discuss in a blog post which I may not be touching on, then feel free to use the email link at the side of the page...and keep coming back, cause I shall keep trying to improve the coverage of British hockey now that I know there is clearly a fair few people out there who want to read it.

And, as always, keep your eye on the puck...

Press Statements are like buses...

You get none for weeks, and then two come along at once...

This post sees me mention the possible danger to the Bracknell Bees due to the finance issues in Basingstoke-the Taylors have obviously seen this mentioned on several forums and have moved quickly to soothe and reassure Bees fans with this statement. The key part of it for me is here...

The financially stability of the club is secure and rumours that suggest otherwise are unfounded. We wish to make it clear that the Bracknell Bees and Basingstoke Bison (apart from a brief period when the Bison were acquired), are being run entirely separately and again any talk to the contrary is inaccurate.

So there you go.

Problems settling? Not really...

In the midst of all the recent talk of events off the ice, it's perhaps a relief to some that the players who've already left the Bison finally played their first game with their new team this evening, and it appears they've had no great problems adjusting to their new circumstances-Peter Campbell had a dream debut against his former club and instantly endeared himself to the Bison faithful, being involved in four of the Giants' five goals (2 goals, two assists) while Stevie Lyle stopped 26 of 29 shots at the other end to earn the home side a five-three victory. The Bison certainly showed that, on the ice at least, they're determined to continue fighting, with Dan Green stopping 27 shots and Danny Stewart, Brad Cruikshank and player coach Ryan Aldridge replying for the Bison.

Now on to the weekend-with the return leg at the Silverdome this Saturday, the Bison will now be even more determined to get revenge in what is sure to be an emotion-charged event in Hampshire...

Bison Problems: The Taylors Hit Back

Well, it appears that something has finally stirred down south, and the Bison fans' constant calls for answers from the management have borne fruit. The Taylors have released a long statement through the forums which can be found in full here. However, if I were a Bison fan there would be several quotes in that statement which I'd be questioning...The Taylors' statement is quoted in italics from now on...

At this moment we are sitting 1 point off the bottom of the Elite league, if we lose to Belfast tonight we will be bottom, we have put together a high profile team with one of the highest wage bills in the league, we were the only Elite team to reveal our wage bill to the board at the July meeting, hence the comments from some of the teams via their websites and local press.

Fair enough. So far, so standard "put the blame on the players for not performing"

It goes on to what will be the meat of the statement for many Bison fans-the financial questions...

The position with regard to the long term viability of the club is as follows, we believe that professional Ice Hockey is viable from the Basingstoke Arena, we gave our assurances to the board last week and stand by those assurances, Sharon and I have been financially supporting the club to the tune of £6,000 per week together with a pre season investment of £10,000, the reason for the wage cut of £1,500 per week was to firstly secure the long term financial viability of the club and to bring down the costs to a manageable level for us as owners, which at the same time allow us to develop the product,

So on the one hand, "developing the product" meant signing an expensive, highly-skilled team, but on the other hand the wages now need to be cut in order that this "developing the product" didn't cost the owners more than they can afford? Notice also that there's no mention of them putting money into the Bees-are we talking about the Bison as a team here or are we talking about putting money into the company? The obvious question here is, how exactly is making the product poorer by losing two of its top players developing it?

we are currently working with 2 corporate agencies specialising in sports sponsorship with the outcome being realised during this season,

Fair enough. But why, if this is going on, was nothing said about it earlier when fans were questioning the lack of marketing? All you have to do is say "the Bison are working with XYZ plc in order to explore new avenues of sponsorship", and people go "fair enough". I freely admit that you can't release details of actual sponsors until the deal is done, but why not at least say something to this effect earlier, rather than waiting until matters well and truly come to a head and it can easily be read as "telling the people what they want to hear?" I know if it were my team in the same position, I'd be asking a question or two about just why the owners saw the need to pay two consultancy agencies in order to find sponsorship rather than simply having employees of the club go out and do it themselves-or indeed simply by inviting companies along to a game or two and saying "look, here's a market"

the second reason was due to the performance of the team in recent games, it doesn’t take a genius to work out that changes have to be made to the team to return us to winning ways and to do justice to the Basingstoke Bison name, the new wage level is just below the wage cap and will allow Ryan (Aldridge, the Bison coach) to get the team back on track.

Read the bit I've highlighted again. Is this the owners effectively admitting they've broken the wage cap and thus league rules? Not the smartest thing to do in a press release.

The article from Ryan was based upon his request that if he can raise x amount per week from various fund raising concepts can he be allowed to spend that directly on strengthening the squad, my answer was yes he can, hence his comments about the money going to him.

So, effectively they're now making it sound like the fans are being asked to pay even more for a better team and to replace the two imports, by the coach, because the owners are putting in all the money they can. It seems a strange way to run a hockey club (I am aware that the Blaze have done it before by getting a small group of fans to subsidise the wages of certain players, but never thought it would be done in public...

As the owners we have expressed our concerns to and have been met with agreement from Ryan that 3 wins from 11 games is unacceptable, Ryan and I met Monday evening to decide the best way forward, the first instance was to look at our current squad to identify where the problems was, the decision was taken to release Peter Campbell and allow him to accept the offer he received from Belfast last week (whilst under contract to Basingstoke) and look immediately to replace him with a new playing partner to Steve Thornton, the players met on Monday evening again to confirm their commitment to the club, Tuesday morning Ryan woke to Stevie Lyle packing his suitcase (they share a flat together to keep the costs down) Stevie requested his release so he too can accept the offer and contract again put onto the table to him by Belfast last week.

This smacks of something of a smear campaign against both Peter Campbell and Stevie Lyle, particularly the "coach waking to find his starting goalie packing a suitcase" line. If the players wanted to leave then fair enough, but there is no need to make them out to be some sort of villains of the piece. Presumably, also, it is a coincidence that the two players who decided to leave were two of the highest-paid, and that Belfast only made approaches to them AFTER the rumours of financial trouble in the Silverdome came out, even according to the article, which quotes "last week" as when the offers were made.

The statement then makes reference to "vicious and uncalled-for personal attacks" which has made the Taylors decide not to appear at any public event for fear of it being turned into a witch-hunt. This is a fair decision-although their attempt to take the moral high-ground is somewhat harmed by this next section, referring to the Bison fans discussions of the issue on forums...

much of it is complete rubbish mixed in with some extremely un pleasant personal attacks on me by a large number of supposed supporters of the team, because of the vicious nature of this comments we will not be entering into any off ice event which runs the risk of being turned into a witch hunt against Sharon and I.What is required now is for all the persons who clearly seem intent on driving us from the club to shut up, get off our backs and get behind the team, we are in much better position financially now than we were at the start of the season and fully intend to build upon our current league position.

So, you're basically telling the people you need to get on your side to "shut up, stop behaving like idiots and sit down, children"-the language used is guaranteed to inflame the situation rather than calm it. No-one in any of the forums that I've read (THF and the Elite Forum) has openly made threats against the owners-a few have strongly expressed their dis-satisfaction but there is certainly no movement to "drive the Taylors from the club"

Finally...

Ryan was informed once our Accountants were able to confirm our exact income and outgoings we informed Ryan of the trading position, who in turn appraised the players hence the calls from some players to other clubs to possibly line up other options, with hindsight this may not have been the best course to take.I have raised the fact that 3 clubs have made offers to a couple of our players whilst they remain under contract to Basingstoke with the Elite League Board, we do not hold the players responsible for that but we are very disappointed with the clubs for not only negotiating with the players involved but also making offers to them, at the end of the day the players must do what they feel is best for them and their families.

Paraphrased as "we told the players what was going on, they did what they thought best, but our Elite League rivals behaved unfairly". How on the one hand can you not hold the players responsible for telling other clubs they could be available, but then criticise them for making offers? Either you criticise both or neither...

I have a feeling that this debate has some way to run yet, somehow-it will be interesting to see what effect this statement (even if it is somewhat contradictory and can be reads as covering of backs/blame-shifting in parts) will have on the situation. I shall keep monitoring things from up here in Coventry...

Keep keeping your eye on the puck...

Round the Rinks 18th October: Weekend Preview

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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

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

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

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

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

Thursday
Belfast v Basingstoke

Saturday

Nottingham v Newcastle

Hull v Manchester

Edinburgh v Coventry

Basingstoke v Belfast

Cardiff v Sheffield

Sunday

Manchester v Hull (Challenge Cup)

Newcastle v Cardiff

Sheffield v Basingstoke

Coventry v Nottingham

Let's play hockey...:D

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

More Bison news, player rumours and a great idea.

Well, things are moving fast in Basingstoke-and not just for the Bison-I've received several messages from email and on the forums telling me that there could be more than one club affected by this-details below...

The Bison cat is now right out of the bag, with coach Ryan Aldridge officially appealing to the Bison fans to help fundraise via the official website, on this page. This has given rise to almost an atmosphere of relief around the forums, with Bison fans beginning to band together and fans from around the league offering to help out through bucket collections etc, starting at the Odyssey tonight when the Bison play Belfast Giants.

Worryingly for British hockey as a whole, the company that runs the Bison is inextricably tied to the EPL's Bracknell Bees also, as the company nominally running both clubs (Berkshire Sports Management) is that set up by the Taylors in order to run the two teams as separate entities but under the same company umbrella and owners, if that makes sense-thus leading to the one simple point, known to any economics student, that should the company over-commit itself financially in one area, it will inevitably affect the other. In simple terms, if the unthinkable happens and the Bison go down because of the company being insolvent, then the Bees could go with them through no fault of their own. I should stress that there are no rumours of the Bees being in any trouble whatsoever around at the moment, and that this is, at the moment, nothing more than theoretical. However, anyone who is thinking "Bison aren't in my league-I support an EPL team, so this doesn't affect me directly" is wrong. Obviously, as shown by the numerous offers of support by fans of teams in all leagues across the country which have come flooding in on the forums, this is not a widely-held view-however, it's worth considering.

Meanwhile, in player movement, it appears, hearing from locals through email, that the Bison are looking to sign an import nettie in order to replace Stevie Lyle (possibly even Phillipe deRouville), with a British forward stepping up to fill Peter Campbell's spot, possibly from the Bees. Favourites for this role locally are Tom Carlon (EIHL experience with Coventry), Shaun Thompson (ex-Bison) and Ryan Watt (who I believe was a Basingstoke junior, and is travelling with the team to Belfast). As you can imagine, this will likely not make the Bees fans happy, particularly if they are used as nothing more than a farm team for the Taylors' EIHL franchise.

Now onto the good news: things are already happening in order to help the Bison out, as well as promote ice hockey in this country. Earlier today, Rick Strang, who was instrumental in the London Racers organisation before they folded and is well known around the forums and rinks of the UK, posted this on The Hockey Forum:

I think we all need a bit of a lift so, inspired by Simmsy (Dave Simms, Sheffield's PR manager), how's this for an idea ...I'll walk in full hockey kit from centre ice at the House of Steel after
the Sheffield Edinburgh game (24/11) all the way to Basingstoke's centre ice for the game against Sheffield (9/12).I make that about 200 miles in two weeks.Along the way I'll tell every single person I bump into to go to their local rink and go to a hockey game. I'll advertise the sport at every step. I'll do a blog and contact media outlets en route.If 100 people post on this thread pledging their support and sponsorship for this walk then I'll do it.I should stand out in full hockey gear and hopefully with all of our media connections on here we'll get some attention.If anyone can think of a good strap line (walking for hockey?) that'd be cool.Just an idea but I bet I could raise the profile of the sport and
raise a few bob for the Bison on the way. Anyone willing to help would be welcome. I may need some floors to sleep on en route to keep the hotel bills
down!Of course - 100 of you need to show your support first so I may yet get myself off the hook.Hockey community? Hmmm ... let's see.

A truly insane thing to do-but it just might work...as well as being an EXCELLENT way to get some much-needed media coverage...At the moment this looks like happening, but just to make sure-if you haven't already done so get on either the Hockey Forum or your local teams' forum in order to rally support for this-and show how big the hockey community in the UK really is...

Bison Problems Begin to Surface: Campbell and Lyle leave

Remember this post yesterday, and this one last week? It appears that all the rumblings about the Bison problems are true-BelfasatGiants have officially announced today that sniper Peter Campbell and starting goalie Stevie Lyle have left the Basingstoke Bison and signed for them, and all hell has broken loose on the forums around the EIHL.



Personally I feel a bit confused by this-both the destination of the two players and the fact that there are indeed problems at the Bison in the first place. Firstly, the pressing issue-the problems at the Bison: As I mentioned last week, Bison are traditionally a well-run club, and although not having the biggest crowds in the league are one of the best-supported-you can always guarantee that their rink will be pretty full when you travel down there, especially for the Saturday night games. As recently as two weeks ago, owner David Taylor released a statement via the official website in response to the original story in the South Wales Echo, in which he was quoted as saying:



"Nothing has changed full-stop, financially or team-wise. Our team remains the same, we are still 100 per cent behind our Coach Ryan Aldridge in bringing success to Basingstoke in the Elite League. It's a shame these sort of rumours are allowed to be bounded around."



This was then followed up by the Elite League meeting this month being told that Bison would be around until at least the end of the season in their current form, again, allegedly by Mr Taylor himself.



Do they sound like the words of an owner whose team is losing (allegedly) two thousand pounds a week? Not to me they don't...and many Bison fans were reassured by this. However, two weeks down the line this argument is blown out of the water by his team releasing two of its highest-paid players, who immediately sign for another EIHL team, which says to me that either the club owners have been aware of this and monitoring the situation closely, or that the players are unsettled and have actively been looking for new jobs, in which case there is nothing to say that we won't see more players leave the Bison in the near future. Either way, it doesn't look good for either Bison or, by extension, the other teams in the league-not so much because of the money problems themselves (those, we can at least hope, are isolated in Hampshire and easily solvable) but because the clubs actively sought to keep this quiet and keep taking money from a very loyal and long-standing fanbase who, as has been shown by their reaction, will do anything to help save the hockey team they love.



The problem with this situation is that it's followed the classic path taken by Ayr, Manchester and the London Racers when they folded-unfounded rumours which were then denied by the club and indeed the league right up to the point where players were suddenly leaving and an entire fan-base were going "oh, s...., we've got problems here". Why do owners seemingly not learn from other mistakes?



This couldn't have come at a worse time, with the Elite League making inroads into mainstream media with the Sky coverage, awareness of British hockey being helped no end by the NHL games which took place in late September in London, and a league which has reached its most competitive since being founded four years ago.

Like me, every British hockey fan is looking at the events in Basingstoke thinking "there but for the grace of God goes my team", and it's not a pleasant feeling for any of us...

Needless to say, the Breakaway's best wishes go out to the Bison, along with an offer to help publicise any fund-raising efforts...

Tomorrow comes Round the Rinks, where we'll assess what impact these changes will have on both the Bison and the Giants as far as the matches this weekend go, so check back then-especially as the Giants play Cardiff with both Lyle and Campbell slated to make their debuts tomorrow night...

Bison fans especially, I hope you'll keep keeping your eye on the puck...

Locker Room Chatter Update: They've had Tait-could Lyle be next?

Those Basingstoke money rumours just won't go away. Now it seems that Stevie Lyle is on his way, if you believe the chat on forums. People just can't seem to agree on where he's ending up though-in this post I mention the rumour that he's Emerald-Isle bound to play for the Giants, but now Nottingham have thrown their hat into the ring, according to this thread on the Cage Forum, with the two sides being involved in a bidding war for his services. Meanwhile, the latest to come from the Bison rumour mill is that the club needs to chop two thousand pounds or two players from the weekly wage-bill in order to ensure their future, with Lyle being one to go and Peter Campbell the other.

This is a strange one for me-only a few weeks ago, the Panthers re-signed Rastislav Rovnianek as their starter, and have given no indication that they're particularly unhappy with his performances. Now, anyone who's seen "Rasto" play will admit that at times he can be a little, shall we say, unconventional, but unlike Phillipe deRouville in Belfast, he hasn't been letting in goals left right and centre, and thus is somewhat less likely to be cut based on his performance. About the only reason I can see for this one is that it'll free up an import spot for the Big Cats to either add more firepower (although this seems a bit greedy given that they've got three of the top forwards in the league in McAslan, Molin and Drouin, and that's just the top line-Bergin and Wallenberg on the second are no slouches either), or, more likely, bring in a steadying hand at the back, where their d does look somewhat light compared to, say, Newcastle's.

As far as other rumours go, there's nothing happening-rumbles continue to float around about changes at Belfast, but so far only Shane Johnson has resolved things, joining the Giants in time to be in the line-up tomorrow when they face the Bison. It will be interesting to see if Lyle and Campbell play, and if they do, whether they give any clues as to what's going on. Certainly the Bison fans want answers...

Meanwhile-I shall be trying to make this site more user-friendly in terms of being able to see when it's been updated, so you may notice the odd layout change or a few tweaks in the sidebars...

Still-Keep your eye on the puck...

Incoming! Devils sign new centre.

Well, Steve Thornton is still a Bison for now. The Devils say they're still hunting for a forward, despite signing one this morning who, according to the South Wales Echo, will be making his debut on the weekend of the 27th-28th October. Mike Prpich is 25, and has played one professional season so far with the New Mexico Scorpions of the Central Hockey League (before you think that that's a bit lowly, remember that Adam Calder came from that league, Blaze fans). The 6', 180lb winger didn't do too badly, either, scoring 23 goals and 22 assists for an average of nearly a point a game, before scoring 14 goals in 16 games in the Scorpion's playoff run. However, it appears that the Devils are not yet finished, with the article ending...
The Devils continue to actively pursue other suitable options to help improve their offensive firepower. However, rushing in to sign just any player is not an option, says Adams. “If it takes an extra week or two to find the right guy then that’s what it takes.”
Sounds like Prpich may not be the last new face in the "big blue tent"...

Help! Calling all EPL fans...

A quick non-hockey post here-I've just been looking at where visitors come from to this site, and noticed there's a fair few from areas near EIHL teams, but also a sizeable number who, going by location alone, could equally be EPL and SNL fans. Now, given that this is supposed to be a British hockey blog rather than just an EIHL one, I'm very conscious that I need more than just Elite League news on here-but I'm not hugely au fait with the goings on in those leagues-and thus I reckon I may need help. If you'd be willing to volunteer to write maybe one or two posts a week giving a round-up of the EPL news, views and and other league action, or you've got any suggestions in general for the blog and features to include in it (or you just fancy a rant) then The Breakaway now has its own dedicated email address at:



breakawayblog@hotmail.co.uk



The name in the replies will be "The Breakaway Staff" but at the moment, that's just me, so you can guarantee it'll be me replying, for now at least. If it takes off, I might even do a weekly "Chirping" feature where I pick some of the emails and reply to them-that way this thing becomes more interactive, and hopefully, combined with the EPL reports, this blog can appeal to more than just a section of the British hockey fan-base...



In the meantime, I will try to get more EPL mentions in here...



Keep your eye on the puck...

Locker Room Chatter Extra: Bison release two?

Just goes to show how much I know. Trawling the forums today in search of news, I find out the following:

Shane Johnson signs for Belfast: Not really the most surprising move in the world, given that he wasn't in Cardiff long term (although, as I say below, that was looking more and more likely), but still seems like the equivalent of a sticking plaster on the hull of the Titanic for the problems it'll solve.
No doubt Todd Kelman will use his usual PR skills to spin this signing, which, if we extent the Titanic metaphor, will be the equivalent of the captain saying to his crew: "yes, the ship's damaged, yes, we're going down because we can't fix it, and yes, you'll all die a horrible freezing death. But look-at least you won't have to refill the ice-machines!"
Not to say that this puts the Tessier rumour to bed just yet, but it's looking a sight less likely...

Basingstoke in trouble: Depressing rumours from Hampshire say that they've released goalie Stevie Lyle and top goalscorer Peter Campbell, according to the Elite Forum. At the moment this is still very much "friend of a friend" stuff, which unlike the Johnson signing isn't confirmed by the club, but coming hard on the heels of more and more questions from Bison fans, this could be an uncertain time at the Silverdome. Campbell and Lyle are reportedly both on their way to Belfast, who have been linked with more new men than Lindsay Lohan recently. It makes slightly more sense now given that Shane Johnson could fill in on their blue-line, but still is confusing given that it would still leave Troy Neumeier as a big part of the defence, despite most fans in the league seeing him as an absolute cart-horse of a player. Although carthorses are probably quicker.

Cardiff to sign new centre shortly: Surely, surely it can't be Steve Thornton? If it is then that will be confirmation that there is indeed something seriously wrong down south, but bearing in mind that ECHL and European teams release players almost every day, the chances of it actually being Thornton are just as good as any other...the South Wales Echo says
"The Devils know the player they want on their first line and (Gerard) Adams is ready to step up negotiations.It has been a tough start to the new season for Cardiff, but those hard-earned back-to-back wins against Basingstoke Bison last weekend have lifted the team."

With Shane Johnson moving to Belfast and Sylvain Deschatelets now gone, there's room for two new faces at the Bay-interesting times ahead.

And one I missed from the post below:

Rod Hinks to return to Newcastle: Interesting one, this-once again it's nothing more than "friend of a friend" stuff-although the source quoted on the forums is the player himself, who said to a Vipers fan in conversation that he would be returning "sooner than you think" after leaving the Vipers to play in Switzerland. The Vipers fans are well pleased about this, with Sergei Rublivskiy reportedly the man on the hot seat should the speedy playmaker, who carried the Vipers offence on his back at times last season, comeback to the North East.

I shall be keeping an eye on how things develop, and of course, will post it straight on here when anything does...

Keep your eye on the puck...

Locker Room Chatter

It's time for the weekly dose of rumours, as I've trawled Britain's hockey forums so you don't have to, in order to find the mix of the plausible, the possible and the just plain wacky which make up your average week of rumours in the EIHL...we start with the big one...

Dan Tessier to Belfast: You can't deny that everyone who watches their hockey at the Odyssey will be licking their lips at this one-the speedy centre has already proved himself as one of the most prolific scorers of the Elite League era in his stints at Nottingham and Sheffield, and with his ex-Steeler linemate Shaun Sutter already in teal, white and red, the fans screaming for changes, and a less-than-stellar start in Duisburg for the DEL Foxes after his move there this season, "Tess" would certainly be a HUGE boost to the Giants. However. with EIHL teams only allowed to use 15 ITC cards (cards which must be filled in whenever a player moves club internationally) through the season, of which eleven are already used including that of Todd Kelman, and the fact that Giants are at their full quota of imports already (only ten are allowed to ice at any one time), it would mean one of the current imports has to go...and if you listen to the Giants fans, there are many candidates. Trouble is, this would leave the Giants with eight import forwards-at the moment Mark Dutiaume is playing as an offensive defenceman (and doing well, by all accounts), but would Ed Courtenay really gamble on playing him there for a whole season? This is definitely one to keep an eye on...

Speaking of rumours I will keep an eye on-this one for a slightly different reason:

Stevie Lyle to Belfast: I hope this doesn't happen. Not so much because I bear Belfast any particular ill-will, but because it would give substance to the rumours I dealt with last week about financial problems down in Basingstoke. On the surface this is plausible in itself-Phillippe deRouville hasn't made the greatest start to the season after his heroics in the playoffs last time out, and Lyle is the best British goalie out there by some distance now that Joe Watkins is languishing in the EPL and taking Guildford's shilling-not to mention that it would free up the import space needed for the Giants to sign Dan Tessier without Ed Courtenay having to cut one of the current Belfast forwards. However, with everything coming out of Basingstoke pointing to the fact that the Bison will not lose any players and will continue the way they're going, I can't genuinely see this one happening.

Steve Thornton to Cardiff: Another case of an ex-player being linked to the club where he had most success due to the Bison cash rumours, this seems to me more wishful thinking based on hearsay than anything concrete, particularly with the Bison adamant that there is nothing for their fans to worry about. This is not the only rumour involving an ex-Devil, however...

Sylvain Deschatelets to Belfast: Possibly the most plausible of the lot so far. The Quebec native hasn't set the league on fire, and the Devils have decided that they're not prepared to wait and given him his two-week notice, which ended on Sunday, making the big centre a free agent. However, Deschatelets has impressed recently for the Devils with both his attitude and his work-ethic, and has been seen in conversation with Belfast coach Courtenay when the two have met on opposing sides. Much will depend on how true the Dan Tessier rumour is as to whether this goes ahead, but it's not the most far-fetched rumour by any means...

Shane Johnson to Cardiff: Shane Johnson can't make his mind up. After leaving Belfast for Sheffield last season, retiring from the EIHL to return to Belfast as player-coach their newly-formed Irish League side, and then deciding that he missed the EIHL too much and acting as a rent-a-player for Sheffield while Jeff Legue was injured, the utility player is now filling in on the blue-line for the Devils. Originally signed as a temporary measure, Johnson has impressed in his time in South Wales, and with the Devils missing out on David Vychodil (signed here in Coventry, and fast becoming a fan favourite) and ex-Bison Kevin Bergin (signed in Nottingham), there are rumblings they may be asking the #74 to stay on for the rest of the season to bolster their blue-line. But given that Johnson has moved house more often than your average hermit crab, this is by no means a done deal just yet.

And so there we have the locker-room chatter for this week. Interestingly, it involves the two clubs who've been the most disappointing this season so far, and both of them picking the bones of one in supposed financial trouble. Personally, I'm not sure that any of them will come off (with the possible exception of Deschatelets or, at a long shot, Tessier) but hey, it's always nice to speculate...

Keep your eye on the puck until next time...

Shot counts don't matter...honest. :)

Sugar. I owe an apology to Sheffield and Manchester fans, and indeed the Sheffield attack. I managed to misread the shot-counts from their game on Friday night-it turns out it was the Phoenix who took 42 shots and not the Steelers, which makes all my condemnation of the Steelers attack somewhat redundant-(unless you change every reference to "shooting and not scoring" to "not creating enough")-those criticisms could apply to the Manchester attack instead...but does give weight to my theory about peppering Scott Fankhouser in the Phoenix goal early on.

With thanks to "joncurtis" on the Elite League forum for spotting the error and PMing me-I have duly modified several opinions on the posts referring to that game...

Mea culpa, as they say in Latin, and I promise to do better from now on. That's what I rely on you readers for, though...:)

Keep keeping your eye on the puck (and my somewhat dubious interpretation of statistics)...:)

Double Overtime, 15th October: Elite League Weekend Review

Well, here we are after another weekend of Elite League action-the Blaze not involved this weekend but all the Conti Cup action is detailed in the running diaries below, and a brief reflection on Saturday's games is detailed in this post... http://throughtheplexi.blogspot.com/2007/10/hungover-hockeyreflections-on-october.html

So, on to the weekend as a whole, with grades for each team...

Belfast: Another up-and-down weekend for the Giants, with that 7-1 thumping of Hull away on Saturday being followed with finishing on the wrong end of a 6-1 scoreline in Manchester on Sunday-the Giants fans are well and truly getting sick of this Jekyll-and-Hyde team (although there's been much more Hyde than Jekyll up to now). Ed Courtenay appears to have no way of bringing consistency to this team, and must be wondering what he has to do, although surely now there will be changes made. Troy Neumeier has been taking the brunt of the fans fury along with Courtenay himself, although Giants seemingly have problems at both ends, letting in far more than they're putting away. Expect changes soon...
Grade: C-

Basingstoke: Two games against Cardiff, two close losses. The expected Battle at the Bay didn't materialise after Saturday's game, at least in terms of fisticuffs, but it was more than made up for by the twelve-goal thriller shown on the scoreboard, with the Bison coming out on the losing side by 7-5 after their 4-3 loss on Saturday at the Silverdome. With rumours still hanging around the team, it remains to be seen what'll happen this week, but the league's most Southern-based team are still plugging away, and I have a feeling they'll start causing a stir as long as they can keep their team together.
Grade: C+

Cardiff: Well, there can be no complaints in South Wales. Two games, eleven goals scored, and four points. Possibly the slight cloud on the horizon is that Phil Osaer had to pick the puck out of his net eight times over the two nights-that's one man who will certainly be thanking the hockey gods that his forwards had a productive week. Irony of the week goes to Sylvain Deschatelets, who gained 1+2 in his final game for the Devils, sneaking the insurance goal at the end of Sunday's game. With a new player to come in this week, the Devils will have a huge confidence boost going into next weekend's action-it's taken a while, but the furnace may finally be starting to heat up in the "blue tent on the bay"
Grade: B

Edinburgh: Poor old Capitals. So much hope at the beginning of the season, and once again they're propping up the league after an eight-game losing streak, losing to Nottingham 4-2 in their only game this weekend. The Scots are far better than their league position gives them credit for, but just can't close out games. With their talented young Scots contributing better than expected, the onus is now on the imports to back them up-if this starts happening and the Caps start firing, they will be dangerous, particularly on the big ice of Murrayfield. We shall see. Their grade is perhaps unfairly low, but is based more on results than actual performance, hence:
Grade: D

Hull: Oh, dear. There are problems by the Humber, with starting goalie Ladislav Kudrna only playing for twenty minutes this weekend before suffering a knee injury, leaving young Brit Tom Chamberlain to face the full fury of Belfast and Newcastle's attacks, and they took advantage, putting eleven goals past the Stingrays for a total of only two scored. The Hull Daily Mail has described Saturday's performance as "shambolic" and from all accounts, Sunday's wasn't much better. It remains to be seen whether Kudrna will be out for a while, but all Humberside hockey fans will be hoping that he will be back soon, otherwise it could be a long winter...
Grade: F

Manchester: I discuss their two-one loss in Sheffield on Friday in depth here:
http://throughtheplexi.blogspot.com/2007/10/catching-up-with-eihl.html
but their 6-1 thumping of Belfast on Sunday will have done them no harm at all after a dispiriting game at the Hallam which saw them outshoot the Steelers by over two-to-one and still lose, thanks to Jody Lehman. I've been impressed with the Phoenix so far this season-they're a workmanlike team who have a surprising amount of flair in Joe Tallari and Sean Starke, not to mention the ageless Tony Hand, and will always cause teams problems. Given that they are still holding station in the league and produced a good performance to sink the Giants, they get...
Grade: B+

Newcastle: The Vipers are another team who were only in action once this weekend, against a sorry-looking Hull side riven by injuries. But you can only beat what's in front of you, and the Vipers did that, putting four goals in before reportedly easing off a little against Hull's back-up. Colin Shields is starting to play as expected, newest signing Todd Jackson is settling nicely, and Ryan MacDonald is starting to stake his claim for best goalie in the EIHL. Sitting third in the league, three points off the top with two games in hand on second-placed Sheffield, there are few things to worry about on Tyneside at the moment...
Grade: B

Nottingham: The Panthers eased the pain of a 2-1 derby loss to Sheffield on Saturday with a come-from behind win in Edinburgh on Sunday for yet another two-point weekend. And that's one of the problems-when on fire this team is arguably the best in the league, but they just can't seem to find the consistency...an age-old problem in the Lace City. With a tough weekend coming up against the Vipers and my very own Coventry Blaze, this weekend will be a real test for the big cats as they face two of their big rivals for honours this season. But they will be confident with Sean McAslan on a scoring streak of 16 in only fifteen games, and a raft of other quality forwards yet to find their scoring touch...
Grade: B-

Sheffield: The Steelers came unscathed through two tough games this weekend, winning 2-1 on both Friday and Saturday. While not being the most exciting, these are the weekends that win championships. One slight cloud on the horizon is that their much-touted and high-powered attack were restricted to 17 shots, of which they scored two vs Manchester on Friday-not the kind of efficiency you want from your attack if you have any ambitions of winning trophies. However, their defence (well, more to the point, Jody Lehman) was as stingy as the forwards were wasteful, only conceding two goals on 60+ shots, despite the defence in front of him allowing Manchester 42 attempts on goal on Friday night, so on that basis, they earn the top grade of the week:
Grade: B++

Next weekend sees all teams return to Elite League action-check back on Thursday for the Round the Rinks weekend preview, and throughout the week for updates...

Until next time, keep your eye on the puck...
duly edited, after managing to misread the shot count from Friday night...

Blaze v Slavija Ljubljana running diary

15:00: And we're off...back in Aalborg for Slavija vs the Blaze, and Steve Fone is starting today...the Blaze fans are making a fine amount of noise...

15:02: SCOOOOOORRRRRREEEE BLAZE! Adam Calder! Not the worst start in the world, that...after a pass from Cowley, Cloutier with the second assist. On a side note, that's Cald's 250th point in a Blaze shirt-not bad in two and a half seasons...

15:03: We nearly have the Slovenians score, but the puck is kicked in, and the second referee of the two-ref system spots it, thankfully.

15:06: Cloutier is a "one-man wrecking machine" apparently...having seen him almost every chance you've been able to over the past two years, I've got some sympathy for the Slovenians who are on the receiving end...Meanwhile, Blaze survive another goal scare-high sticks, apparently...

15:08: It's getting somewhat crowded in the Blaze penalty box-Vychodil and Weaver are both in there...and once again the commentary team have proved me wrong-we're now getting the names of the Slovenes also-good work, gentlemen...

15:11: Cloutier nails yet another unlucky Slovenian, as Geoff and Andy have this exchange...

"Something's upset him today, I think"
"Yep, I reckon he's had his three Shredded Wheat for breakfast"
"Judging by that hit, more likely someone nicked his breakfast"...

Brought a smile to a grey Sunday afternoon in Coventry, that did...:)

15:18: Twelve minutes gone, and Joe Henry gets a shift! And then proceeds to throw a big hit, and there's the slightest bit of amusement in Geoff's voice as he mentions it...

15:24: Blaze are dominating after being on the powerplay, but still can't sneak a goal-it appears that Slavija are back in the game somewhat. Geoff has something of a coughing fit, so Andy takes over.

15:26: He's not doing too badly, either-but Slavija sneak one in...so it's now one each. Geoff has had a glass of water or something and resumes his commentary...

15:28: Slavija hit the post...they've got their tails up...

15:32: End of the first-Slavija one, Blaze one. And we have the traditional interview with Rumun...

15:42: We're reviewing the goals from last night. And they still sound just as good...the noise when Calder scores is something special...and then, two minutes later, Jonny Weaver makes history...at the moment there is still a rather large grin on my face...Lord only knows what the reaction of someone who was lucky enough to be there will be...

15:46: We're off for the second period. Meanwhile, back here I've also got the Simpsons on...it's fun, this multimedia stuff.

15:57: As you may have guessed, not much has happened in the past fifteen minutes...highlight, however, is Geoff, from nowhere, pronouncing the name "Blaz Javornik" properly...to Andy's amusement.

16:00: Dear Lord-we've just had the Birdie Song from Magnus the DJ's wife, who is obviously backing him up...I shall never complain about the music in the EIHL again...

16:07: It's still 1-1...unfortunately.

16:09: PANIC! Slavija somehow manage to get three players into the crease, along with four for the Blaze...Fone manages to get his glove on it, however.

16:15: Slavija make it 2-1...Matej Kralj. Surely we can't go from the sublime to the ridiculous?

16:16: The period ends-and Slavija are 2-1 up...

16:32: SCOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRRRRRRREEEEEE BLAZE! Adam Calder's second! He's got 14 this season already...literally about forty seconds into the third period. Excellent...there is hope again. For some reason, Danny Stewart called Geoff "George" and it's now stuck...

16:37: Blaze back on the powerplay...and Calder is after a hat-trick...

16:42: Slavija make it 3-2, past Steve Fone. Both commentators and those interviewed mentioned that today is something of an anti-climax after the great events of yesterday...

16:47: Make that 4-2. Fone lets one past him which Andy Buxton thinks he'll want back. The question is, what do we put this down to?

16:50: The Blaze aren't happy-shots are raining in on the Slavija net. Pity the goalie is on something of a hot-streak at the moment-it's becoming a running theme this weekend. At least the Blaze fans are still trying to lift their team...

16:56: Blaze four-two down and on the powerplay, desperately trying to get back into the game with four minutes left...

17:02: Andy has all but admitted the Blaze are somewhat tanking the game with "From the moment you can't qualify, it's all about making sure no-one gets hurt and you're all fully fit for Elite League action", as it finishes with Slavija winning 4-2. Still-there's always the moment from last night...

And on that note, we leave Denmark. Check back tomorrow for a review of tonights games, and all through the week for various ramblings, news and views, match previews, features and, of course, Round the Rinks on Thursday evening.

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

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

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

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

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

Non-hockey post: ENGLAND IN THE RUGBY WORLD CUP

I said that this was a hockey blog, and that was all I was going to post on, but...It's just one of those days, isn't it?

England beat France 14-9, so you're no doubt watching all the coverage of the English crowd and media going absolutely mental. But I'm listening to the French coverage, just to see what the view is like on the other side of La Manche. And listening to Radio France, the reaction is absolute shock. From TF1, the French equivalent of the BBC, is the simple headline "It's over for the Blues", which they follow up with "the beautiful story of the French team comes to an end in Paris". L'Équipe, the biggest French paper, is coming up with "The shattered dream" as their headline over a picture of the English players celebrating behind a beaten French player...and praise "the extraordinary, unbreakable defence of the England XV"
Then there was the classic shot of the Stade de France audio crew playing "Je ne regrette rien" by Edith Piaf as their exit song...and this was repeated on French radio, along with audio highlights of the French tries throughout the tournament-almost as some sort of memorial . The atmosphere in France is as if someone very near and very dear to the entire country has died. They were so, so sure that this was their year...
On a random note, it's a bit strange that ITV are using a song called "Living is a Problem Cause Everything Dies" as their exit song...I'd have stuck with Edith Piaf, myself...Anyway-back to France.
Chabal has just been interviewed, and said "some of the English players tackled harder than I ever thought possible"
One thing is for sure-the French nation is going to be a very quiet place tonight...

A picture can say a thousand words...

Ladies and gents (And I promise this is the last posting for this evening)
One of the sweetest pictures I've ever seen, courtesy of Mark Tredgold...(link to his superb Blaze picture site is marked on the list of links)

Jonny Weaver celebrating his OT winner against Red Bulls Salzburg, in traditional hockey style...on the night when, after only two months on the team, he became a Blaze legend.

Thanks to Mark for getting it up on the Web so quickly (it was taken...oh, about an hour ago)

Beautiful, isn't it?

Sigmund Freud, Mozart, Kurt Waldheim, Jorg Halder...

Your boys just took a hell of a beating. :D:D:D:D:D:D:D

Blaze have just pulled off something truly special. And I miss it-the first big Coventry Blaze moment in history I've not been present at. Bloody redundancies.

But my god-I've had about ten texts in the past five minutes from people going absolutely mental, and I feel the need to go out and have a drink or two just in order to celebrate this evening...Apologies the diary just cut off, but this really deserves some sort of commerative post. And a moment of silence for Salzburg...

(deep breath-back on topic)....

Meanwhile, in the EIHL, could Belfast be back on a roll after their 7-0 victory? Nottingham are currently beating Shuff 2-0 as well, so that could be an interesting game to follow....

Actually-since it's my blog, I'm signing off early now, and will post reaction to the EIHL games tomorrow-time to go out and celebrate what is an absolutely MASSIVE shock win in the world of ice-hockey...someone ring the BBC!