The Bel-fast and the Furious: A Weekend in Preview

Originally posted http://www.ukamericansportsfans.com/ on 16/02/2012

Belfast again, eh. I can’t deny it’s become a favourite destination for the discerning hockey traveller, and by that I of course mean me. It’s my second of three planned trips to the Northern Irish capital this season, the Giants being granted the pleasure of the lion’s share of my attentions partially due to me actually liking them as a team and partially because it’s just a great place to have a drink or six.

This weekend I will take in another two live hockey games in an attempt to convince myself that the Elite League really is as thrilling live as it looks on paper. I have to admit though, I harbour more than a little trepidation about the chances of this coming to pass, given this particular pair of fixtures. Let’s be brazenly up front about this: we haven’t picked the best weekend for it.

On paper it has the potential to be about as exciting as a bag of spanners (and for those of you unsure as to my meaning – I’m a girl. And I hate DIY. And plumbing and stuff). Belfast will face two sides in the Hull Stingrays and the Fife Flyers who, in ten attempts between them, have not taken a single point from the league leaders this season. Not a sausage.

Now don’t get me wrong, it’s a daunting prospect for any team. The stats don’t lie: the Giants have not lost a league game in 2012, their only defeat of the year so far coming in the first leg of the Challenge Cup semi-final in Cardiff, and their last league defeat the arguably freak, probably turkey and mince pie-induced result against Braehead on 27th December. In the same period this time last season, by comparison, they lost five whole games, against a variety of opposition, including none other than the little old Newcastle Vipers. And they were still contenders for the title at that point. The contrast is marked. This is a team on a mission.

Their last three games have seen them take all available points against their two main rivals for the league title, winning their double header against the Panthers in dramatic fashion last weekend to dash the Nottingham side’s hopes of challenging for the top spot, and beating the Steelers the weekend before. And all of those on the road. They are a formidable prospect and have thrown down the gauntlet to all those around them – they want this, badly. And what Giants want, Giants usually get.

The question remains as to whether or not either of their bottom half opponents can mount any sort of challenge on Belfast this weekend and be potential Davids to their Goliath. In their comfort zone, at the Odyssey, it seems highly unlikely. The Giants fans, on a high from recent successes, will be in good spirits and will expect two sound beatings. I’m doing my best to come up with reasons why these games may not be as easy as they should be, but to be honest, I’m struggling.

First up are Hull, who, whilst experiencing a mini-resurgence, enjoying a four-point weekend last weekend in their double-header against Dundee, have not been setting the world alight. They were rocked this week by the news that star goalscorer Jereme Tendler has failed a drugs test (he has since been suspended), and despite their success last weekend, I don’t see Sylvain Cloutier’s men causing the Giants any real problems. They sides have only met four times in the league and the results have to date not been too shameful for the Stingrays, however I fear this may change on Friday night. Prediction: a good thrashing. Probably 6-2.

Next up the stumbling Fife Flyers, who despite pulling some key results out of the bag a couple of weeks back have been suffering from a bit of a slump in recent weeks. Like the Vipers last season, they are plucky and fearless on home ice, but in the expanse of the Odyssey they have not fared well, and I predict a similar result this weekend. In the six meetings between the sides this season, the Giants have won by an average margin of more than four goals, dishing out some sound beatings along the way. Prediction: a good thrashing. Probably 8-2.

It gives me no pleasure to bring you this news. I love a good underdog story as much as the next man. I was a Vipers fan after all. And I’m a Watford FC fan. And a Calgary Flames fan. It’s old hat to me. But the quandary I find myself in is that I actually want Belfast to win the league. So despite it being a distinctly un-British thing to do, I’m cheering for the favourites. Boring, aren’t I. This must be what it feels like to support Manchester United.

That being said, in my capacity as Chief Nomad of the Elite League, I will as usual be supporting the sport of ice hockey, and as such, am hoping and praying to the icy gods that the games aren’t as straightforward as I’ve predicted. I genuinely hope one of these two underdogs can make a decent fist of it, rather than being mere also-rans in the story of the Giants’ dominance. Belfast may be fast and furious, but there’s no reason why with a similarly feisty attitude and a temporary suspension of fear, any team might not be able to at least scare them a little bit. And I’m hoping it will be Fife. I can’t deny that with the Vipers connections in Danny Stewart and Toms Hartmanis, and the similarities with our situation last season, I do have a soft spot for the Kirkcaldy outfit, and I hope they can shake up the Giants on Saturday, even if only for a period. I’m not expecting miracles. Just a little magic.

Anyway! I will be back throughout the course of the weekend with thrilling match reports, so prepare yourselves. I hope the games exceed my expectations. If not, I will as usual attempt to entertain you in other ways. By describing my breakfast for example. And not writing about bags of spanners. ‘Bye then!

Eat, drink and be merry! Oh, and watch some hockey.

So, how was everyone’s Christmas? Full of festive fun, yet barren and hockey-less? Mine was. It seemed for a while like I wouldn’t make it to this side of the silly season, but I got through, with the help of what I think equalled about two wheelbarrows full of chocolate and cheese, and clinging for dear life to anything vaguely hockey-related to try and keep myself sane. For example, just prior to Christmas they showed a decent fight from the NHL on Sky Sports News, Bruins against Thrashers, I think. So rare is their coverage of hockey of any kind, usually isolated to a few ‘blink and you’ll miss it’ results scrolling across the bottom of the screen, that I actually moved from the sofa onto the floor, to get a better view, and when the clip came on I started salivating and clapping like a seal. I even watched the repeat of it and wondered where the evil laughter was coming from, until I realised it was me. On Boxing Day morning I sat through a rare gem of a film entitled ‘Jack Frost’, despite it being desperate dross, just because the kid played hockey. Might I point out that this was a picture whose key plot device is a boy’s dead father being reincarnated as a snowman. A freaking snowman. I wish I was joking.

But after a painful Christmas-punctured hiatus of a whole 20 days, I finally got my hockey back (cue choir of angels sound effect). In the first of five matches to be played over the holiday season, in the space of seven days (can you imagine the reaction if footballers were asked to do that – Alex Ferguson would choke on his own pompous disbelief), we were taking on one of the in-form sides in the league, Hull Stingrays. I deemed myself to be a Very Important Person for the day (ie someone who had an extra £2.50 to spend in return for the opportunity to keep warm and paw hockey players at will – they really didn’t think the pricing structure through when any old psycho can get close enough to lick them. I must say I did have nightmarish visions of me, prostrate on the ground, curled around Mike Prpich's leg murmuring incoherently about facial hair whilst being dragged towards the exit – thankfully on the night I just stood in the corner drinking cider and swaying. Still, you never know. There's always next week).

Hull’s team bus suffered a puncture on the way to Whitley Bay so they arrived late, which threw me momentarily into confusion and regrettably allowed an extra half an hour of enjoying the VIP bar’s special brand of Christmas cheer (=Bulmer’s cider) prior to the match, but on the plus side, it did appear to have deflated the ‘Rays confidence somewhat, as they started the match sluggishly. (Do you see what I did there? Flat tyre? Deflated? Stay with me, I have every confidence the jokes will remain of a similarly sub-par quality. They may even get worse. I have had nothing but crackers for inspiration for the last week). Vipers took advantage of their unsettled opponents and scored three goals in the first period, the best of which was a well-taken individual effort from Whitley Warriors captain Adam Reynolds. We were always in the lead but by the first period break Hull had us pegged back to 3-2. The theme of losing the lead continued in the second period and we went into the period break with the score tied at a mouth-watering 4-4. However we reverted to type in the third, quickly going two down as arguably one of the league’s top forwards, Jereme Tendler, struck twice in a few minutes to seal his hat-trick, and to put the game to bed.

*BREATHE* I am totally getting there with the summaries and junk, right? Apologies for the lack of detail, but I was feeling a bit, well, festive, and some of the finer points of the match escaped my attention. I can tell you that a Hull player of unknown origin (postscript following footage review: it was Esders) was checked all the way to Rake Lane Hospital by John Schwarz, who seemed to be a bit of a moving target throughout the game, as he obviously had been in last week’s match against Sheffield also. He attracts the attention of some of the more aggressive guys on other teams, despite the fact that on the face of it, he doesn’t appear to be antagonising anyone. Unless he’s whispering ‘yo momma’ jokes in their ears. Just an occupational hazard I guess, when you’re the biggest/strongest guy in a team. He doesn't need to fight, anyway. He’s well 'ard, innit. I wouldn’t mess.

John Schwarz: 'Yo momma so fat, she on both sides of the family!'

Hair Loss Weekly: news update! I've had to expand my 'Mike Prpich Beard Watch' as there’s been a severe spate of hair loss that seems to have afflicted a number of Vipers over the Christmas period. Most notable in joining Prpich’s beard on the march for freedom was Patrik Forsbacka’s inimitable mullet, but also joining the Hair Exodus was Charlie Effinger’s beard. Unconfirmed rumours suggest that Danny Stewart may be tempting the various hair features to a secret location in order to construct a convincing toupe, as his ears are getting a bit cold in this arctic British winter (it’s basically tropical in Canada at this time of year by comparison), but to be honest the real truth can only be that the other players became jealous over the amount of attention I was paying to Mike Prpich and resorted to drastic moulting in a desperate bid to be name-checked on the Hockey Novice blog. I’m flattered guys, really. And you’ve got your wish – this time. I must say though, Prpich seems to be dealing best with his follically-challenged status (it must have been an amicable split), as he was the stand-out player on the night, for me. He seemed to be everywhere, always involved in the action, ditto Man of the Match Kyle Sibley and Skipper Danny - so good on them!

Hey, Hull dude! Mike Prpich is chasing you! Did you steal his beard, perchance?

So it’s my last post of 2010 and the New Year is upon us – out with the old and in with the new and all that, and it was nice to see Vipers starting early with the return fixture at Hull on Wednesday, when it was out with third period collapses, and in with away wins – our first of the season!! Good news as we have two more tough games on the road coming up in the next few days, before Whitley Bay sees the return of the Nottingham Panthers on Monday, which promises to be a feisty encounter. Let’s hope it’s out with no money and in with new owners very soon so we can enjoy the New Year in the knowledge that our club will be around for the rest of the season.

Phew. Thank goodness I scraped together enough material to fill a blog post there, and didn’t have to accurately recollect anything that actually happened in the game. Right. To quote a wrinkly and sweary TV chef, 2010 – done. It’s been a pleasure folks and I bid you farewell until, well, probably about this time next week, but it will be a whole new year so it feels somehow significant. Thanks for your support thus far, Happy New Year to one and all, and I’ll see you in the bar on Monday. I’ll be much more coherent this time. Or possibly not.

STOP PRESS: Since this post was originally penned, on Thursday 30th, Vipers continued with their storming run on the road, beating Belfast Giants in the Northern Irish capital. I will not elaborate on it as I wasn't there but I felt it necessary to acknowledge what an awesome achievement it was and congratulate the team on their success in the face of adversity. I'm a very proud Vipers fan indeed today and I dearly hope that someone, somewhere sits up and takes notice of the amazing spirit being shown by this group of individuals, despite the continued uncertainty surrounding the club. The New Year really deserves to be a good one, for all of them. And my New Year's resolution will be to win the lottery so I can rescue them from financial peril. Not that hard, right? Easier than going on a diet, I'm certain. Well done lads!