EIHL Play-off Weekend Review – The Final Chapters

Originally published on http://www.ukamericansportsfans.com/ on 14th April 2012

III. The Final: Nottingham Panthers v Cardiff Devils

I love a great ending to a great story. And let’s be brutally honest: for everyone in attendance at the NIC last Sunday (well, those not wearing Panthers jerseys at least), the perfect ending would have seen Gerad Adams and his men lift the play-off trophy and write themselves into the history books as champions for the first time.

The ‘always the bridesmaids’ refrain was used in relation to Cardiff several times throughout the weekend and I didn’t think it would have been unreasonable for the Devils to rock up in wedding dresses as a statement of intent if nothing else, but my helpful suggestion went unheeded and despite turning up in boring old regular hockey kit, Cardiff and their fans were ready to try and change their fate once again, the Devils having taken part in every play-off finals weekend since the inception of the Elite League but never having lifted the trophy. The Nottingham team entrance received a hilariously disaffected reaction from the full complement of Belfast Giants fans, all opening their newspapers on cue, and there was another main man in the spotlight, referee Moray Hanson taking charge of his last ever Elite League hockey game. He was given a rockstar send-off, skating laps acknowledging all of the fans who have been proud to give him abuse for his considerable time in the black and white stripes.

And so we were off: neutrals adopted the Devils as their own for the day and the strong home crowd settled down ready for a battle. The game started with a few good hits and an early scare for Cardiff as a defensive fumble left Lyle with work to do, but he pulled off the save to give his side a confidence boost and prompt some spirited pushing and shoving in front of goal which resulted in a generous dishing out of penalties on both sides. Both teams had chances but Nottingham looked the stronger on the attack, and they were throwing hits so big the plexi-glass cowered in fear. Not to be outdone, Jamie Vanderveeken made a brilliant open ice hit and Cardiff had a period of pressure – were the Panthers rattled? Rhett Gordon and Kenton Smith chirped amongst themselves, but despite a shot or two either way, the game seemed to quieten down. Nottingham couldn’t put their fluid passing game into practice as Cardiff broke up the play and possession chopped and changed. They hustled Panthers on their powerplay and didn’t allow them any room, and Panthers returned the favour to close out the first period. It had been a period rather lacking in invention and we hoped for better in the second.

But it continued in a similar vein, the sparkle and fizz we had hoped for absent, typical nervy play-off final stuff evident in its place, neither side wanting to make what could be a fatal mistake. Nottingham had some early pressure and there was concern for Cardiff as Adams appeared to hurt himself in a tussle with Neilson but he bounced back shortly afterwards. Lyle was toughing it out in the Cardiff goal and had everything that Panthers threw at him covered. As the period wore on Panthers started to dominate possession; were yesterday’s exertions catching up with the weary Devils? The odd chance fell to them, Scotts Dobben and Matzka both having good shots saved, and Lyle still looked assured in his net; it seemed we had ourselves a stalemate situation on ours hands.

Aside from a rather athletic attempt to prevent an offside decision by one of the Devils players, the game in general had lost some of its intensity and the crowd had gone quiet; Nottingham’s defence seemed to be the only ones in the game, Gui Lepine winning all the battles in the corners, hustling Devils off the puck time and time again. The Panthers almost broke the deadlock when a long shot took Lyle by surprise but after 40 minutes, we were still goal-less.

Let’s face it, what we needed here was a bit of urgency. And there’s nothing like the final period of the final game of the season with a hefty chunk of silverware on the line to inject that urgency into two sets of players. None seemed to be feeling it more than Lepine, who delivered a massive check to the head of Cardiff’s Adam Harding for which he received 2+10. On review it looked like a good hit but it sent the player sprawling into the boards and prompted the blood-cleaning folk to come and have a look at the ice. The resultant powerplay was poor from the Devils, there was no real build-up and a careless turnover almost led to a goal for the Panthers. The momentum was one-sided, a breakaway chance for Nottingham should have been a nailed on opening goal but Danny Meyers fluffed the tap-in and went careering into the boards.

The Devils were under the cosh as they gave up a penalty and shots rained in from Clarke, Myers and Beauregeard, and it was squeaky bum time as a Lyle save gave a Panther a rebound shot but it was cleared in the nick of time. The game started to open up – after 50-odd minutes, we finally had ourselves a contest. It was lively, end-to-end stuff with shots on both nets, both teams trying to stretch the other, the netminders still proving the difference, Stevie Lyle displaying brilliant reflexes to dive on a loose puck that would surely have been an easy finish for a  prowling Panther just inches in front of his line. The Devils were defending doggedly, in particular Jamie Vanderveeken who ranks as my top player of the play-off weekend overall. Give that man a prize.

Something had to give, and give it did, with 7 minutes remaining, a gift of a chance falling to David Beauregard who made no mistake. With the Panthers on the scoresheet the NIC lifted, the crowd noise was immense and Nottingham were brimming with confidence, piling the pressure on Cardiff and coming close to doubling their lead, hitting the post. The Devils had nothing left in the tank and despite pulling Lyle they could not make the man advantage tell and their defeat was sealed in the dying seconds as David Clarke neatly delivered the puck into the empty net. Heartbreak once again for the Welsh side, jubilation once again for the Panthers and their fans.

It wasn’t the fairytale ending that neutrals had been hoping for; but as much as we all love to hate the Panthers there was no arguing with the fact that they deserved to lift to play-off trophy once again. That being said, we didn’t hang around to watch them celebrate.

IV. The Fallout

There’s nothing quite like the giant rumour mill that is playoff weekend. When the fans, players and management of ten Elite League teams (plus an ex-team) and the associated media circus come together in one place it’s inevitable that news will travel fast, and a juicy bit of gossip will travel faster, and this year was no exception. It would be entirely unprofessional of me to repeat even half of even the more credible rumours that I heard through the legendary play-off Chinese Whispers communication system and needless to say the ones which are true will come to light in good time, but it was all in the best possible taste.

Things that did come to light via the medium of Twitter were announcements of player retirement, Belfast’s Jon Pelle and Cardiff’s Scott Matzka both using the social network to deliver the news to their fans, the Giants’ Ryan Crane also hinting that it may be the end for him. Another player, Phil Osaer, announced his return to former team Cardiff, validating one of the rumours: that Stevie Lyle will be taking leave of the Devils next season. Debates sprung up about the format of the play-offs in general and the perceived problem of the event taking place on Nottingham’s home ice. It was quickly revealed that the format would in fact change for the 2012/13 season. The issue of venue remained unclear but it seems unlikely that the weekend will go anywhere.

I suffered from a bad case of ‘play-off throat’ brought about by too many late nights and too much singing. It developed quickly into full-blown play-off flu. And I suffered from an even worse case of Elite League withdrawal, mildly soothed by a spot of NHL but still prevalent, as I contemplated the end of the season, my second as an Elite League fan, my first without a team. There was much to reflect on: had my season of neutrality dulled my passion? Not a bit of it, but it had proven to me how much of an uphill struggle being an outsider in a world of tribes and affiliations really is. Will I continue my nomadic trails next season, in the hope that there might be some light at the end of the tunnel, and that in the meantime there will be more excitement, battles, fights, beards, skills, thrills and spills to keep me entertained? Abso-bloody-lutely. So it’s farewell from me for now, but fear not, I will be back with news, all in good time. Over and out.

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!