A Glaswegian Odyssey: Part 2

Originally published on http://www.ukamericansportsfans.com/ on 30th January 2012

The second instalment of action in the Braehead home double header had a lot to live up to after a gripping clash with Belfast the previous night, but I had my doubts. It was to be my third encounter with the Dundee Stars this season and they had been less than impressive on the first two occasions. But with a play-off place at stake and a sizeable group of travelling fans in tow, it had the potential to surpass their prior efforts to impress me, so I kept an open mind.

I had barely made myself comfortable before the first goal had been scored, and it seemed neither had Stars netminder Chris Whitley (as in Bay – Simmsey, take note!) as Brock McPherson netted within two minutes to give the Clan an immediate advantage. I wondered for a moment if this would be a rout, like the last time I had seen these two sides square off. The thought was barely formed before it was swiftly dismissed: Dundee equalised. Jaakko Suomalainen was caught napping by Mark Kolanos, and despite kicking out a foot it was too late. 1-1. I rubbed my hands together at the prospect of a potential goal-fest. And I wasn’t disappointed. Still with less than 10 minutes on the clock the home side scored again, Whitley making a decent save but unable to repeat the feat on the rebound, Mike Bayrack with a clinical finish to make it 2-1. At that point Clan looked the stronger of the two sides, with more about them going forward, but the pendulum of fortune was once again to swing the way of the Stars, Jeff Hutchins poaching a goal from a Jarrett Konkle pass from behind the net. 2-2.

Jarrett Konkle. My current favourite Elite League player name. Konkle. Say it out loud. Don’t be afraid. It will make your mouth happy.

Anyway! Moving swiftly on…

Undeterred, the Clan continued to press. Jade Galbraith fluffed a breakaway solo effort, and on the powerplay Bayrack was unlucky not to improve his side’s lead after a stinging shot was dealt with confidently by Whitley. It was a fruitless powerplay, the Clan unable to convert any chances, their attractive passing build-up play no more than just that, and we reverted to 5-on-5, the game opening up, the action end to end. In the dying seconds of the first period Jade Galbraith picked up the puck and tore away down the centre, passed out left to James Jorgensen who made no mistake; Whitley had no chance, and the Clan went into the break with the slenderest of advantages.

The atmosphere and indeed the game itself belied the 5-goal scoreline; it was strangely flat. The travelling Vipers got a shout out from the Braehead announcer which was jolly nice. The second period began and the Clan were quickly back in business, not wasting their time in scoring a fourth, the incendiary line of McPherson, Bayrack and Mike Wirll combining once again – I’d love to tell you what happened but sadly Brock McPherson’s sizeable frame was blocking my view of the net. It was a goal, anyway.

The game seemed to lose any remaining fizz after that. This was a sparkle-free zone. Dundee had a powerplay but there was nothing doing. Some time passed. At this point, the scoreline exactly matched my prediction – I was gunning for two from two but as that would have meant no more goals I was somewhat torn. Meanwhile, Dan McGoff was having a good period for Dundee, a sparky and forward-thinking defenceman who brought some much-needed life to the ranks. However it was to no avail; Braehead washed over Dundee in wave after wave of sustained attack that could only end in one way – a fifth goal, bringing up Mike Bayrack’s hat-trick, and surely the end of Dundee’s chances of taking anything away from the game.

Into the third period and it was becoming clear that not all of the Stars players were on the same page. There were a few still trying but as in Sheffield a couple of weeks ago, most seemed all too content to accept defeat. The Clan’s top two lines continued to look threatening but with a three goal cushion there was less incentive to exert themselves and the game died a death, even a 5-on-3 opportunity proving unsuccessful for the home side who had entered cruise control. However, halfway through the third period they were forced to wake up again as Konkle picked out a spot in the top corner and fired home cleanly to bring the margin back to two.

Could there be a twist at the end of a rather drab tale? The Stars pulled their netminder and for the final minute and a half the intensity ramped up, the Clan suddenly under pressure. The crowd were stunned – finally some pulsating action. It had only taken 58 and a half minutes. Another goal came from the stick of AJ Maclean with 4.9 seconds left on the clock, but the time out wasn’t enough to inspire the visitors to a last gasp equaliser and the game was over.

Some questions needed answering. Why had a game with 9 goals not been more exciting? Why did the Clan not win by a far more convincing margin? Why can Dundee not put together a full 60 minutes? Was Mike Bayrack the signing of the season? Was he in fact an even bigger coup than Jade Galbraith? And could Mike Wirll potentially grow a beard of Mike Prpich proportions? All signs point to yes.

Conclusion

Things learned: the Vipers live! In spirit if not in flesh. A great weekend was had by all. I re-discovered my love for live action photography. Friday’s game was a whole world better than Saturdays. I kept almost all of my promises (sorry, I still can’t help dancing during stoppages). I am pretty amazing at predicting scorelines, half the time. Braehead is my favourite rink of any I’ve been to so far, and the fans and organisation are fantastic. And Dundee and I are so over. Three chances to impress me have gone begging, and I can no longer give them the benefit of the doubt and call a poor performance ‘an off day’. They are missing something.

I’m no expert of course, but I will speculate nonetheless. A combination of carrying too many passengers and missing the mark with their coaching choices has to cover it. Despite a couple of handy imports they lack depth, and the appointment of Brent Hughes to the coaching role left vacant by Dan Ceman clearly hasn’t had the impact that they would have hoped. There’s a distinct lack of fight in the ranks; they seem content to lay down and submit to a beating – then a flash of brilliance will galvanise them and they rally – but too little too late. This afternoon’s breaking news was that they will trade Lee Mitchell for Braehead’s Kyle Bruce; I feel this may help the collective attitude problem they seem to be up against, as Bruce is a fiery, full-on character who should bring some much-needed oomph to the dressing room.

On the positive side Konkle, Kolanos and McGoff are talented and committed, and Chris Whitley is a good netminder who, with a better support system in front of him, could be even better. He reminds me of Charlie Effinger, Vipers’ heroic netminder of last season, the unique psyche of a netminder easily recognisable in Whitley’s seemingly schizophrenic nature, self-deprecating and self-motivating in equal measure, he prowls back and forth psyching himself up, and seems to take every opposition goal to heart. Most importantly, he really seems to care about winning, and Brent Hughes could do with harnessing a little of that will to win if his side have any hope of challenging for the final play-off spot. I hope it comes together for them.

So – that’s a lot of words from me in a short space of time! My next fix of live action is in three weeks time; I will return in the meantime to spout forth my opinion on all things Elite League. Because you just can’t get enough of me, can you. TTFN my lovelies!

On the Road Again…

Written for http://www.ukamericansportsfans.com/

My first match of the season involved a trip to Glasgow, home of the Braehead Clan, to view THEIR first match of the season, against the Dundee Stars. My partner is crime and I proudly wore our Vipers jerseys and garnered a fair few double takes around Braehead Arena as we took our seats, as Clan fans presumably wondered for a second if they had gone back in time to last season. However they couldn’t have been nicer to us. Hands were shaken, regrets expressed, and welcomes extended, and for that I would like to thank them. It reminded me once again of what a great community British ice hockey fans have built.

I was anticipating a close run game; of the four Scottish sides active in the Elite League this year, with the best will in the world, these are the only two who are likely to be really competitive in the league. Could one of the two step it up to compete with the big boys, rather than scrapping for seventh or eighth place? It was time to find out what they had in their respective tanks. Having played two games already I expected Dundee to be the more organised of the two sides, and more disciplined. I was quickly proven wrong.

Ooh look at the lovely shiny ice! And those proud moments just prior to face-off, on your first game of the season. Doesn’t it just get you right there (tap yourself near the heart now, please).

Bosh!

Wow. What a start to a season! The Clan boys had clearly had their spinach prior to the game – the phrase ‘all guns blazing’ barely covers it. Dundee simply weren’t ready and they bore the brunt of the fire that was burning under the Clan’s rear ends, players scattered left, right and centre by returner Kyle Bruce who was baying for blood. Bosh! The crowd flinched collectively in sympathy for his hapless victims before nodding, impressed. What a dude. New import Brock McPherson and Ryan Campbell also came out fighting and Braehead instantly put themselves on the map, their physicality too much for Dundee and surely enough to compete with the likes of Cardiff and Nottingham.

New boys and old combined to form some seriously strong attacking lines and Clan kept their shape well, the skill level not sacrificed for the sake of high intensity, and the goals came, two of them in the first period, the first from the stick of Vince Connon following a piece of incredible individual skill from former Panther Jade Galbraith, and the second scored on the breakaway by captain Jordan Krestanovich, who looks as though he is going to show his quality right from the off this season.

The second period things levelled out and the game became more competitive, Dundee pulling out all the stops to impose themselves on Braehead and interrupt their attacking flow. And it worked, to an extent. The period was scoreless and it looked as though the tides may be turning, Dundee’s two-game advantage starting to show. However going into the third period it was clear that something still needed work in the Stars’ camp. Repeated failed powerplay attempts left them looking completely clueless and it was no real surprise that Braehead took full advantage, scoring not one but two goals short-handed, the first of which an outstanding solo effort from Jim Jorgenson, who looks like a handy attacking defencemen and is definitely one to watch. The wheels came off then for Dundee, gaping holes in their defence exposed, and the game was pretty much over when Adam Walker scored the fifth with just 10 minutes left on the clock; it was something of an anti-climax from that point on.

Finntastic

Both netminders had their moments tonight; Dundee’s Chris Whitley soaked up much of Braehead’s early pressure but tired in the third and was switched out in a bid to halt the Clan’s rampant assault on his goal. On the other hand, brand spanking new goaltender Jaakko Suomalainen shone between the pipes for the Clan, his defences impenetrable, his speed and dexterity matched only by his awesome dress sense and the fact that he resembles the guitarist from a band I used to be in, and the fact his name was just written to be put in a song (think ‘hi ho silver lining’). The Finn vied with Krestanovich, Bruce and Galbraith as the game’s stand-out player and looks set to become a fan favourite in Glasgow.

Team Stripey

Maybe it’s because I’m technically a neutral now so my passions aren’t running as deep, but I genuinely thought the guys in black and white had a good game tonight, keeping a lid on the tensions and only missing one key decision (as far as my fledgling rules knowledge could see) – a case for boarding on Jim Jorgenson early in the third period – but other than that Hanson and his team did a solid job and left us considering our allegiances – perhaps now we don’t have a team we should invest in some black and white striped shirts and support the referees? They don’t get much love now, do they. Okay okay, it was just a thought – please stop throwing things at your screen.

Cuddles

Ah Jade Galbraith. How do I like to gently mock you? Let me count the ways: he has a girl’s name. He is fond of an all-you-can-eat buffet. And he clearly likes to have a good time, possibly to the detriment of his career (these are statements of fact, people, fact). I saw plenty of Mr Galbraith last season – it wasn’t hard, there’s plenty to see, after all – and there was never any denying his skill. He has it in spades, and if Clan fans were in any doubt about his commitment or whether or not he was really worth the money, he silenced them tonight. Well, actually the opposite. I’d say they seemed quite pleased with him, in fact. His part in the first goal was sublime, he had many moments of genius, and he even invented a new check, the figure-skating check, somehow taking out a Stars player with something akin to a triple toe loop. Frankly, he’s pure class. I’ll admit he’s not the most, um, athletic of gentlemen. In fact it could be said that he’s, well, a tad on the rotund side. Diplomatic enough? I think so. But he seems quite unconcerned by his ample abdominal area if truth be told, and I found myself hypnotically drawn to his protruding middle, much the same as I was drawn to a certain man’s beard last season. I have therefore made it my mission to get a Jade cuddle before this season is out.

I don’t intend to ask him for one of course, that would be far too easy. It will instead be a sort of attempted sneak attack. Possibly from behind. I will just have to really hope he appreciates the thought otherwise I might get a punch in the face. Watch this space. It won’t be empty for long.

Impressed, much?

So yeah. Braehead Clan. I am impressed. The test will come of course, when they face the likes of Belfast and Nottingham, but I was very encouraged by what I saw. They still have the not inconsiderable experience of Mike Bayrack to add to their ranks, the Canadian defenceman a late arrival due to visa complications. It was also unusual for us not to see Vipers’ own Sammy Zajac spending a good 30 minutes on the ice based on last season’s experience, but then we remembered that Clan have a full squad – luxury!! He didn’t ice for long on Saturday but made few mistakes and acquitted himself well; the lad should come on a bomb his season with the experience around him.

So that’s me. I told you I write a lot. I hope you found it at least mildly entertaining, and I will attempt to bring you more nuggets of wisdom in the weeks and months to come. As well as detailed reports of my progress in Mission: Cuddle Jade. See you soon!