The Finishing Touches: Part 2 – Gardiner Conference

First published on 31/08/2012 on http://www.ukamericansportsfans.com/

Yesterday I considered the completed squads of the Erhardt Conference. Today I will be moving metaphorically north of the border (and also popping eastward-bound to Hull) to weigh up the most recent additions to the sides of The Gardiner Conference, where it could be said that in general, perhaps unsurprisingly due a comparative lack of funds, things have moved a little more slowly in terms of getting bums on benches. But teams have been building slowly but surely as the coaches have taken their time assessing who’s available and at what cost, and particularly in recent weeks, the sides who were lagging behind have finally been nailing down new blood in addition to securing familiar faces. 

Braehead Clan

Braehead’s bid to top the Gardiner conference has been strengthened with the addition of prolific sniper Ash Goldie from the Las Vegas Wranglers of the ECHL and the surprise signing of Garrett Zemlak, who last season tended goal for rivals the Fife Flyers. Zemlak will undoubtedly be as popular in Glasgow as he was in Fife, and another rival team member in Steelers’ Steve Birnstill bolsters the Clan’s defensive ranks; basically a straight switch by coach Jordan Krestanovich for the departing Jim Jorgenson.

The signings of Bobby Chaumont, who returns having played in the Clan’s inaugural season, and Canadian defenceman Matt Hanson from the CHL, were followed by the signing last week of tough Brit Rob Farmer. Farmer, who had been linked with a move to Kazakhstan earlier in the summer, comes to the Clan after talks turned sour with former club Coventry Blaze, and will provide some much-needed grit.

Despite some decent-looking signings, I think too many people are assuming the conference title is Braehead’s to lose. I don’t think they will have it all their own way, as their rivals are picking up some good signings and may have some surprises in store for the Glasgow side. However, lest we forget, the Clan do still boast arguably the most talented player to have graced the league in recent years in Jade Galbraith, and with the mantle of assistant coach furthering his responsibility with the club, there’s no doubt Galbraith will hope to have a season as strong as his last for Braehead.

THE SQUAD:

New: Ryan Watt (Slough Jets), Mitch Maunu (US College), Ash Goldie, Garrett Zemlak, Bobby Chaumont, Steve Birnstill, Matt Hanson, Rob Farmer

Returning: Krestanovich, McPherson, Galbraith, Campbell, Walker, Zajac, Haywood, Will, K Phillips, Russell, Fulton

Dundee Stars 

All seems fairly rosy on Tayside as new player-coach Jeff Hutchins has been progressing his squad at a decent pace, making a number of new signings as well as securing a number of British players already familiar with the Stars set-up. Netminding looked to be a problem as Chris Whitley re-signed, then swiftly changed his mind after securing a move to the CHL. Into his place steps Nic Riopel, a young French Canadian goaltender, drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers and with a few AHL games under his belt, who looks to be an interesting prospect between the sticks for the Stars.

A large number of local lads have committed their futures to the Stars giving Hutchins some depth, and most recently the signing of Finnish forward Sami Ryhanen, who ended last season with the Nottingham Panthers, will give the Stars fans hope about things to come. A clutch of lower league North Americans will look to improve on the efforts of last season’s squad, led by Brent Hughes, who struggled to make an impression in the league. Replacing the outgoing Jarrett Konkle and Mark Kolanos up front, the experience of American forward Billy Bagron and Braehead’s Mike Wirll, who showed promise last season, signing late on for the Clan, but will look to become a key part of the Stars set-up from day one this season. In defence, Pat Bowen and Doug Krantz will seek to improve on the disappointing efforts of the likes of Brennan Turner and Chris Zarb.

THE SQUAD:

New: Greg Moore, Jack Watkins, Vince Connon, Billy Bagron, Pat Bowen, Mike Wirll, Matt Baxter, Nic Riopel, Doug Krantz, Sami Ryhanen

Returning: Hutchins, McIntosh, McGill, MacLean, McCluskey, Harper, Forsyth, Smith, Topping, Hogan, Holland

Edinburgh Capitals

Richard Hartmann’s side were worryingly quiet during the early part of the summer but have picked up their heels in recent weeks and have begun to construct a team for the season ahead. As with last season, there is a heavy presence of Eastern European players; fresh in from the Slovakian league comes the Caps’ starting netminder for the season, young Slovakian national under 20 player Tomas Hiadlovsky, who has been playing in his home country for his entire playing career, and their most recent signing, the more experienced defenceman Michal Dobron, who played last season for Bratislava, although he spent most of his earlier career in the competitive Czech leagues. He has also played for the Czech Republic national side. Slovakian forward Peter Holecko also re-signs for the season.

The sole North American signing for Hartmann is Jade Portwood, a college graduate who will bring the enthusiasm of youth as he takes up his first pro position in Edinburgh.

The Capitals still fall a good distance short of the 11 import quota and with time ticking away until the start of the season it seems unlikely they will come close to filling that quota. Instead they will rely on homegrown talent and hope to secure a few late signings to bolster their ranks. If they are unable to do this, with the improvement in the squads around them they may find this a very long season indeed.

THE SQUAD:

New: Tomas Hiadlovsky, Michal Benadik, Jade Portwood, Jay King, Michal Dobron

Returning: Hartmann, Steel, Goldie, Zembergs, McIntyre, Holecko, Nicolson, Holland, Gautschi

Fife Flyers

Last season Fife, like Edinburgh, did not fill their import quota and although they appear to be heading for a similar fate this season, their quality of import has improved, on paper at least, and this promises to be a stronger campaign for the Elite League’s newest members. They have relied solely on North American lower league players to fill their import spots; amongst them some real gems, including young Canadian brothers Bryan and Jason Pitton, who become the second set of brothers in the Elite League this season, joining the Leebs of Coventry (between them making up for the lack of brothers in the league last season, the last set being the Hemingways of Belfast in 2010/11). Older brother Jason brings significant AHL experience which will prove invaluable to Todd Dutiaume’s side, whilst younger brother Bryan, has posted decent numbers in the ECHL for the past few seasons.

The brothers are the jewels in the crown of Dutiaume’s side this season, which has also recently seen the addition of two CHL players in 22 year old defenceman Zach Carriveau, and Canadian winger Kris Hogg, both of whom have plenty to prove in Kirkcaldy. Dutes has also signed Casey Haines, an American forward who played junior hockey with Nottingham Panthers’ Pat Galivan – in Arkansas, of all places (don’t say I don’t ever bring you exciting facts about new imports!). As ever the Flyers are building a family of players who the fans will come to love as they look to build upon a promising first season in the league.

THE SQUAD:

New: Derek Keller, Jeff Caister, Zach Carriveau, Bryan Pitton, Casey Haines, John Dolan, Jason Pitton, Kris Hogg

Returning: Dutiaume, Stewart, Gunn, Wands, Wilson, McAlpine, Scoon, Muir, Horne

Hull Stingrays

With finances stabilised under new ownership, the only English side in the Gardiner conference have made steady progress throughout the summer and laid down the gauntlet to their conference rivals, filling all 11 import spots and bringing back the core of their team from the last two seasons in Silverthorn, Tendler and Captain Kurtis Dulle. Since I last examined Hull’s signing activity, they have added an out-and-out tough guy to their ranks in the shape of 27 year old Canadian Ryan Hand, a young, gutsy fighter who comes in as a replacement for the departing Derek Campbell.

Other new signings include Canadian winger Cale Tanaka, a relatively unknown quantity with mainly college experience and coming in off the back of two seasons curtailed due to injury, and giant defenceman Jeff Smith: most recently playing for the Hague in Holland, he will be known to Elite League fans from the 2010/11 season when he played with Coventry Blaze.

This season will be a good test for Sylvain Cloutier: after the success of last season in which he steered his side to the play-off final weekend, he will be looking to repeat that success as well as challenging for the conference title, as he will look to show the league from the off that Braehead do not have the Gardiner trophy in the bag.

THE SQUAD:

New: Ben Bowns, Janis Ozolins, Chris Sykes, Shane Lovdahl, Tomas Valecko, Ryan Hand, Sam Towner, Andy Ward, Cale Tanaka, Jeff Smith, Scott Robson

Returning: Silverthorn, Cloutier, Tendler, Dulle, Osman, Davies

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.