EIHL Play-off Weekend Review – Chapter 2

Originally published on http://www.ukamericansportsfans.com/ on 12th April 2012

Semi-Final 2: Nottingham Panthers v Hull Stingrays

There are some sporting occasions that demand the attention of the media types writing about them in the same way an arresting landscape demands to be captured by an avid photographer. Some games where the keyboard thrills to the touch of the intrepid journalist as it experiences through their frenetic fingers the passion, the tension, the drama and the excitement of said contest, and the reader devours the resulting report like a favourite meal, savouring each well-phrased memory like a tasty morsel as they relive a spectacle that they were privileged to be a part of.

Sadly, this was not one of those games.

There was no doubting the allegiance of the many neutral fans in the building: everyone loves a plucky underdog and they don’t come any more plucky than Hull, whose win over the Sheffield Steelers was one of the biggest surprises of the Elite League season. I hoped against hope that they would show up against the Panthers and take the game to them; the second semi-final had a lot to live up to after the first one and there was no denying the feeling around the NIC was one of vague anti-climax.

The opening exchanges between the sides were scrappy but the crowd were in fine voice. Hull flailed early on but netminder Christian Boucher made an assured save from a Brandon Benedict breakaway effort and settled the jangling nerves. The early signs were worrying for the ‘Rays fans. The Panthers looked up for it and were playing their fluid, attacking style of hockey with aplomb. Hull weren’t rolling over however, and despite the nerves showed some guts, throwing some big hits and getting involved when their hosts allowed them to.

They were like rabbits in the headlights going forward however, unable to make any impression on the Nottingham goal, and soon Nottingham were off the mark, the goal coming from a delayed penalty 6-on-5 situation, David Clarke the scorer. Boucher made a great save to deny the Panthers a second and it looked for a moment as if we may have a tied game on our hands as Jereme Tendler broke away up the ice but he was stopped by Craig Kowalski. Boucher once again came up big for Hull making an outstanding double save and Hull killed a Nottingham powerplay, before a spot of roughing between David-Alexandre Beauregard and Sylvain Cloutier resulted in some 4-on-4 action. The first period closed with Panthers just one goal to the good and it seemed as though Hull might be in this game for the long haul.

This theory was quickly disproved as the second period opened however, Nottingham scoring two goals in the space of thirty seconds from Marc Levers and Sami Ryhanen to knock the wind out of Hull. It was clear who’d had their Weetabix in the period break. Boucher looked like a different netminder, his confidence rocked, and it felt as though all the life had been completely sucked out of the game, Hull deflated, the Panthers fans jubilant.

There was life in the old dog yet however, as despite all members of the crowd to a person admitting this one was 99.9% decided, Hull had a powerplay and were unlucky not to score, Boucher getting his act together once again and blocking a few shots, and finally, after a successful penalty kill, Hull scored, Jason Silverthorn sending the Stingrays fans crazy, and neutrals asking the hockey gods if perhaps we could have ourselves a game now, thank you very much?

Apparently not. Just over a minute later David Clarke struck to make it 4-1 and restore the 3-goal cushion, and completing another killer double blow to the ‘Rays chances of staying competitive in the game, Rhett Gordon made it 5-1 less than a minute after that. The Panthers were more than dominant and were stabbing the already flailing corpse of this poor, battered game without sympathy. It was clinical. Just in case we were in any doubt they scored yet again just before the end of the period to compound Hull’s misery, and surrounded by Nottingham’s celebrating fans I felt something of the pain of being the ‘little club’, head in hands, the cold hand of inevitably gaining a creeping hold on the pit of my stomach.

Nobody felt much like a third period, but something or other, perhaps the ‘nothing to lose’ factor had given Hull a boost, and Boucher settled the ship before they scored a second goal from Derek Campbell. It would not lift the spirits for long however, a cruel bounce seeing the puck skip over Boucher’s head from an attempted glove save to make it 8-2. Hull bit back, nailing Panthers to boards. Dan Green came into the net for Nottingham. They scored again. I didn’t win the 50/50. To add insult to already massive injury, Jordan Fox clinically despatched a tenth goal. I worried for the Devils in the final with Nottingham in this form. I worried for the Hull fans in the pubs of Nottingham after this game. There were five minutes left but I had lost my mojo. The embarrassing scoreline became mildly less so as Cloutier scored a third for Hull and gallows humour prevailed: ‘We’re going to win 11-10.’ It didn’t even sound right. I needed a pint. So did everyone else.

And that was that. The sound of the final horn had never been so welcome. The underdogs were just that, the Panthers victorious: they would go on to challenge Cardiff in the 2012 play-off final. It promised to be a thrilling contest. Or at least, that’s what we hoped, after this damp squib of a semi.

Katy’s Elite League Play-off Journal – Week 2, Part 2

Originally published on http://www.ukamericansportsfans.com/ on 6th April 2012

Hey, you! Look at me! I’m about to perform the collected works of Sir Elton John on the spoons whilst wearing a neon pink romper suit and platform trainers!

Sadly, many parts of the above statement are lies. But it got your attention, didn’t it. That’s good. As my voice is drowned out and diminishes to little more than a ripple in the pond of the many clamouring voices you will hear throughout this play-off finals weekend, I will do my best to shout loudest so you can still hear me, even if it means standing on somebody’s shoulders or jumping up and down. Or wearing a neon pink romper suit. I WILL grab your attention. And I will strive to, as always, bring you a different perspective (I don’t see the BBC reporters in pink romper suits. Beige, maybe). And I hope it will be worth the precious time it takes for your eyes to peruse my many lines of wisdom. So, hear me now! This is one hockey nomad’s neutral view of how the play-off semi-finals might come to pass. And how many Hockey Nomad Neutrals do you know. There, I told you I’d be different.

Semi-final 1 – Belfast Giants v Cardiff Devils

Yes, okay, Belfast are very good. We all get it.

Awards and plaudits have been piling up at the Northern Irish side’s doorstep in recent weeks like Valentine gifts in Justin Bieber’s dressing room, and the collective media, myself included, have run dry of superlatives to describe what has been a truly dominant force in UK hockey this season. Although the Steelers ran them fairly close for the title, it was never in doubt and an astonishing (don’t think I’ve used that one yet) away record was one of the many factors that assured the Giants their title.

So they’ve got play-offs in the bag, right? If their 14-0 demolition of the Dundee Stars is anything to go by, they must have. But wait. Not so fast. Doug Christiansen’s side have lost only five games all season in regulation time; but two of those have been to Cardiff. They haven’t always been able to find their way around a notoriously stubborn Devils side who play a determined, physical, attacking style of hockey and don’t fold under any circumstances, even when short-benched and missing key imports as they have been for much of this season.

In front of a loud and proud red army Cardiff will hope to approach the game in the same manner as they did in the corresponding tie last year: like a bulldog with a bone. They will bite down and not let go, and hope that they can contain the Giants’ intimidating attacking force and use their own to penetrate the impenetrable – the Giants defence, and the unerring instrument of their supremacy, Stephen Murphy. That will be the sternest challenge for the Welsh side, but they will look to key forward men Stu Macrae, Phil Hill and Jeff Pierce to use a little of the speed and invention that took them to fourth in the league and the final four weekend. The fitness of defenceman Chris Frank will be vital as they try to match the Giants physically, the American a massive part of the Devils’ hard-edged style.

It’s by no means an impossible task for the Devils and I fancy that the Giants will find it tough, tougher at least than what they have been used to in their recent encounters, as they took care of business, sauntering off with the league trophy at the expense of their hapless competition without so much as breaking a sweat. No biggie.

I envision a low scoring and cagey affair, punctuated with some physical encounters and the merest hint of a goal or two to divide the teams. Prediction: A Giants win, 2-1.

Semi-final 2 – Nottingham Panthers v Hull Stingrays

On paper, things don’t look good for Hull.

They haven’t beaten the Panthers on a single occasion this season, and only twice have they managed to lose by just a one goal margin. But this isn’t the same Hull who slogged their way through the regular season, and as such, you might just as well throw the head-to-head statistics into a waste paper basket and set fire to them than try to analyse them. It’s play-offs. It’s like the FA Cup – anything can happen. And as Hull have proven, it sometimes does. Was their win over Sheffield fluke? Did it come about merely as a result of Sheffield’s failings? Or did they earn it fair and square, by playing the better hockey across the 120 minutes? And even if the latter is the case, will that same Stingrays side show up when facing once of the strongest home sides in the league?

Nottingham are ordinarily more susceptible to the whims of fortune than the other ‘big’ clubs – could Hull’s new-found vim and vigour along with the confidence drawn from beating the league runners-up be enough to overturn the Panthers? It’s possible, however it cannot be forgotten, the National Ice Centre is the Panthers’ lair and they will be looking to make the most of what they will of course see as a home ice advantage. This could potentially undermine Hull’s confidence and coming into the game as underdogs, the threat of a Panthers’ side in their comfort zone could prove unsettling.

On the other hand, Hull have absolutely nothing to lose. Their fans will be in fine voice, and every single person associated with the club will be enjoying what is their first appearance in an Elite League play-off finals weekend. The team will be buoyant and hopefully boisterous, possibly even rambunctious. If they can bring these and other adjectives into play against Nottingham they stand a chance of exacting some revenge, as long as they can keep their defences tight and have netminder Christian Boucher play a similar blinder to the one that he pulled out of the bag against Sheffield.

Nottingham have one of the most formidable attacking forces in the league with a  host of striking options, the heavy artillery of Jordan Fox and Matt Francis complemented by the style and grace of David-Alexandre Beauregard and Sami Ryhanen. They need to focus on the job at hand and if Corey Neilson can keep a tight ship against Hull, I foresee them going on to challenge Belfast for their second piece of silverware of the 2011/12 campaign. Prediction – 3-1 Panthers.

—

I’m off folks. Tomorrow morning I wend my merry way southwards to the district of Nottinghamshire armed only with my trusty pen and paper, ready to bring you news of all the weekend’s drama. (Well, I may also have a laptop, camera, and that pink romper suit). Stay tuned here for match reports, idle gossip and beards, and check me out on Twitter (@ktdude) for real time updates, hashtag #POFW. Yes, yes, I know - I’m achingly hip. See you on the flip side!

Katy’s Elite League Playoff Journal – Week 1 Finale

Originally posted on http://www.ukamericansportsfans.com/ on 2nd April 2012

Sunday 1st April

It might be April Fools Day but there’s no joking about the importance of today in the world of British Ice Hockey. Who will join the Nottingham Panthers in the final four? There’s no questioning which team have their game faces on, the Hull Stingrays players bigging up their David v Goliath clash in Sheffield via the medium of Twitter and clearly up for the tough challenge ahead of them. Max Birbraer sets a few of the less astute Cardiff Devils fans’ hearts racing claiming he’s been given the all clear to play in the second leg against the Blaze that evening; hopes are dashed later on when it’s realised that Max was merely getting into the spirit of the occasion and pulling an April Fool’s prank.

I spend the day doing normal people things and trying not to let my every second thought be about hockey. I fail.

By the time I reach my computer around five minutes have passed in the first period of both 6:00pm face-offs and both homes sides are already one goal to the good. On paper it doesn’t bode well for the Stingrays; the Blaze I feel can still make a decent fist of it and I wait to watch the action unfold. Cardiff are still without hard-hitting defenceman Chris Frank. Would it matter? Possibly: within minutes of each other, both games are tied, Blaze equalising through Rob Farmer on the powerplay and Hull through Jason Silverthorn, the East Yorkshire team seemingly ready to shut me right up – they really are up for this after all. Goliath 1 – 1 David.

Then, a triple hit of action and the statuses on Twitter come flooding in. First, a goal in Dundee, Belfast going up within just 27 seconds through Tom Dignard (yay!) although this is later altered to Aaron Clarke (aw). At IceSheffield Hull go ahead in both the game and on aggregate, and in Cardiff there’s drama as the Devils are awarded a penalty shot, which is subsequently taken and missed by Jeff Pierce, Peter Hirsch pulling a huge save out of the bag to keep the Blaze’s hopes alive – Cardiff and penalty shots go together about as well as politics and trifle.

Then Belfast score again. It’s now 7-0 on aggregate – can Dundee muster up some dignity and at least take the rest of the game to the Giants? Hmm, apparently not. A third goal for Belfast. Aaand then a fourth. Oh dear. What the hell Dundee? Dig in, dudes. Nobody wants to see a rout. But it’s surely already a case of lights out, all out on Tayside (anyone who gets that reference – high five).

The other two games are on period breaks. Can Hull hang onto their ever-so-slim lead? And just who will prevail in the as ever finely poised Cardiff v Coventry battle? It’s still all to play for, it’s a game of three thirds, and other such footballing clichés. Going into the first period break in Dundee, the Stars have interestingly had 12 shots on goal to Belfast’s 15, proving that however close a game might seem, it’s all about taking your chances, and the Giants are absolutely deadly in front of goal.

The second period begins in Sheffield and the home side quickly equalise but few minutes later the Stingrays re-take the lead. I was wrong to doubt them. There’s no denying they have the bit between their teeth, but can they hold out against a side that are notoriously good at coming back from deficits? They are leading despite apparently being backs to the wall throughout the second. Do they have the mettle to see it through? (There’s a metal/Steelers pun in there somewhere. I’m ever so droll).

What about the hapless Stars? Happily for them there have been no further goals in Dundee, but this is mainly because it’s the first period break, whilst in Cardiff the home side take the lead through Stuuuuuu Macrae (complete with the requisite number of u’s) and Blaze seem to be losing their grip on a semi-final berth as momentum swings in favour of the Devils.

Into the final period in Sheffield and Hull are still leading. Belfast put back-up netminder Andrew Dickson in goal and proceed to score a 5th and 6th goal, and Dundee players and fans alike must be counting down the seconds until this painful encounter, along with their season, is over. I am momentarily distracted as I discover last season’s Vipers favourite, netminder Charlie Effinger, has joined Twitter, and I proceed to harass him.

At the Big Blue Tent it sounds as though Blaze just don’t have enough invention or energy in the tank. In Dundee Brennan Turner has his second fight in as many nights, squaring up to Nick Kuiper. Hull add a fourth goal to their tally – this is looking majorly ominous for Sheffield. Could Ryan Finnerty’s big decision be coming back to bite him in the behind? Or are Hull just that motivated? Their defence and netminder Christian Boucher are playing a proverbial blinder. It will make for a great underdog story if they can make the final four. Two seconds after the first fight in Dundee comes the second, Jeff Hutchins dropping the gloves with Darryl Lloyd. The latter is an agitator not an enforcer by trade so I’m keen to see how he fared with the gloves off.

Hull continue to hang on. Lord knows their fans must have no nails left. Cardiff give themselves a two goal cushion, the man of many u’s Macrae scoring once again. Blaze look to be out of this one. Hull score again to go 5-2 up, former Steeler Derek Campbell completing an unlikely hat-trick to become the hero of the day. Wow. Sheffield, you’ve officially scuppered this one.

And then it’s over. People, we have an upset. It was so nearly Braehead Clan, but in the end it was the Hull Stingrays who defied the history books to win through, and richly deserved it is too. The final four weekend will be a little more interesting than expected due to the presence of a true underdog, and will also be largely devoid of orange shirts. Colt King, you are clearly a god amongst men. Cutting off noses to spite faces is a thought that crosses my mind but still not knowing the full picture, I clearly can’t speculate. Oops, I just did. My bad. Needless to say, Ryan Finnerty has to be feeling sick as a parrot, and being as that this was his last competitive hockey game, it has to hurt.

Cardiff put a cherry on top of their successful quarter final challenge with a fourth goal, Jeff Pierce making up for his earlier penalty miss with less than two minutes remaining. Belfast score three more goals to compound Dundee’s misery. An aggregate score of 14-0 does not make for easy reading.

I go to bed to prepare for another working week with my mind still buzzing with hockey action and reaction. The Easter weekend is going to be a good one quite apart from any mention of bunnies, chicks or chocolate eggs. And I shall be there to deliver you full coverage of the action!

The Bel-fast and the… Not So Furious

Originally posted on http://www.ukamericansportsfans.com/ on 19/02/2012

Despite my misgivings with regard to the potential quality of the hockey on offer at Friday night’s meeting of the Belfast Giants and the Hull Stingrays, my spirits couldn’t be dampened: nothing ever takes the edge, for me, from walking into an ice rink just as a hockey game is about to start.

And the Giants know how to do entrances: the lights, the music, the drama. Nothing beats it. With the exception of one thing: when it’s actually your team. The merry band of travelling Vipers once again took their seats in the neutral zone, between the home faithful and a group of travelling Stingrays fans who were in fine voice from the word go. Was I jealous? You bet I was.

The game started out briskly but little of consequence occurred until around three and a half minutes in, when the Giants opened the scoring, short-handed, a breakaway effort resulting in a neat pass from Paul Deniset in the centre to right of goal, Rob Dowd able to slot home with ease. Hull wanted to make it a game of it though and had a chance or two or their own in the first period, a good effort from a sprawling Jason Silverthorn probably the best to speak of, along with a decent shot from Sam McCluskey following a rare moment of poor defending from the Giants, and a solo effort from Dominic Osman providing a further gasp of frustration from the travelling fans.

The first period was fairly lively all around without a great deal of end product, however, in any area of the ice. Shots on goal were few and far between, and the atmosphere in the Odyssey was decidedly flat despite a sizeable crowd, the Hull fans providing the lion’s share of the noise. They finally had something to cheer about with 1:50 left on the clock, a tidy pass from Derek Campbell connecting with the stick of Andrew McKinney who finished the chance to level the scores. The 1-1 scoreline reflected the lack of real fizz on display in the first period, and it stayed that way into the period break thanks to a solid glove save from Hull netminder Christian Boucher from a Belfast powerplay.


The second period had a different flavour to it, and that flavour was distinctly Giant-y. It was all Belfast. They sieged the Stingrays’ goal for almost the entire 20 minutes, but with frustratingly little impact. Hull defended resolutely and kept the score level for nearly three quarters of the period, a sterling effort although at the expense of any attacking pressure, having just one shot on goal themselves all period. It was only a matter of time until the home side pressed home their advantage, although it took a lot more time than expected. Jeff Mason finally broke through Boucher’s defences from Mike Hoffman, who had been key in the steadily mounting pressure during the build-up to the goal. It was my first time seeing Hoffman back in action for the Giants since his last-gasp end of transfer window return to the club. His presence is as formidable as ever, perhaps more so this season, his size conspicuous amongst a fairly diminutive team, and his impact working as a forward more daunting to an opposing team than he ever was in defence. He was one of the Giants’ main impact players on the night.

I’m sorry. I’m not making this exciting for you at all, am I. You know I don’t want to be one of ‘those’ reporters. You know, the ones who just tell you stuff that happened. I want to entertain you, regale you with tales of breathtaking excitement, but sadly this particular game was lacking in well, any of that at all. It seemed my curse had returned. To add insult to injury there was a lengthy gap to the beginning of the third period as the officials tried to make the ice game-worthy once again, the temporary distraction of clouds of CO2 floating artistically across the ice more entertaining than the 20 minutes of hockey that followed.

Let’s be fair to Hull for a minute. They were a couple of imports short, young Brits bolstering their numbers, and only 13 skaters in their ranks, their top goal scorer not among them. But the Giants were nothing special either. They did just enough; no more. Come back Darryl Lloyd, all is forgiven. They sorely miss him, and so do I. Lloyd’s balls-out feisty attitude and physical play was what was glaringly absent from the Giants on Friday. There wasn’t a player willing to finish a check, and there was no bite to the game whatsoever. Even the cheerleaders were lacklustre, failing to provide a coordinated routine throughout the entire third period. Oops, sorry, I appear to have made the inevitable but disappointing switch from hockey writer to Strictly Come Dancing judge. I do apologise.

No matter, the GIants continued to exert pressure throughout the third period and with only one goal in it, all Hull would need to tie things up would be a lucky breakaway goal. But it wasn’t to be. The defensive pairing of Tom Dignard and Nick Kuiper effortlessly mopped up the minimal chances Hull had, and the tired Rays were forced to resort to taking long shots, without the legs to muster any decent build-up play. Mike Hoffman and Jeff Mason were the men of the night, adding two goals each in the final period, Mason abandoning his defensive post to become a forward for the night. The goals came thick and fast and Hull had no response; they were nowhere to be seen.

And that was that. Day one, game one, result within one goal of my prediction and the excitement non-existent as feared. Saturday’s game against Fife promised more. It at least promised Danny Stewart, who alone possesses the ability to niggle and shake up the Giants, and hopefully rouse the crowd from their slumber. It couldn’t be much worse. Could it? Check back to find out shortly.