tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43922443567277011992024-03-13T16:00:28.116+00:00Blog From Block 15!This Nottingham Panthers fan share his views from Block 15 of the NIC on the Panthers, Elite League and Ice Hockey in general!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14358464296381769014noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4392244356727701199.post-37614480336356767072013-12-02T08:42:00.001+00:002013-12-02T08:42:07.875+00:00It's good to talk!So this weekend was quite an eventful one if you were a Panthers fan. Not all of it in a good way. A shut out defeat in Cardiff, a delightful Robert Farmer goal, a signing session with the players and Henley missing Sunday's game which at the time was without explanation.<br />
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Ice Hockey isn't the most popular sport in the country, it gets little, if any media coverage nationally, there is never any team news on Sky Sports News although it is covered well by regional media, so in order to find information you sometimes need to dig a little deeper.<br />
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Now Gary Moran is quick enough to tell us that as Panthers fans 'we are the best in the league' so then why aren't we treated as such? We live in an age of social media and a large percentage of fans are constantly able to access information online, information that the Panthers can be quite frustrating in giving out.<br />
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Let's take Friday for example, I was sat at my desk at work, beginning to look forward to the weekend's hockey action and I spot a tweet from the Panthers. 'Big Game Preview' was the tweet. Excellent I thought, now I can check on whether Lacho, K-Wall, Werner, Wren or Loyns had recovered from their injuries or whether they were making progress. So I followed the link, still fully expecting a preview of the big game. However, I was greeted with the following information....<br />
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1. Game is being played in the NIC on Sunday at 4pm, sponsored by Bricks for kids - fair enough.<br />
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2. This game comes on the back of a trip to Cardiff the night before - fair enough, although your title didn't really indicate which game you were previewing so I probably would have assumed it was the Saturday fixture.<br />
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3. The demand for the beefcake calenders exceeded all expectations - Well that's ok then, 2 points in the bag surely?!<br />
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4. Tickets for the upcoming Christmas quiz on 12 December will be available - Good news for all involved, that'll be worth a couple of goals.<br />
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5. The Panthers have partnered with Nottingham City Transport to get reduced fares on match nights - Again, brilliant news, now I can catch the tram cheaper to watch the game where I don't know who is playing!<br />
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6. We have also partnered with Pizza Express - Good because I didn't really want to watch hockey, I am hungry!<br />
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I apologise for the sarcasm, but to say I was annoyed was an understatement. If I am being told I am reading a big game preview, then that is what I expect, not an excuse to re-iterate things which are told to us at least once a period during games. I understand the Panthers are also running a business, but as their customers, I want information on the playing squad and while I am at it, comments by the coach wouldn't go amiss either.<br />
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Three hours later, the Panthers did finally put an extensive injury update on the website, so many of you will be wondering what my issue is. The issue is just a lack of detail in the information provided. In the weekend's game reports, would it be a hardship to detail who had scored for the Devils? In the match report for the Sunday game there was absolutely no mention as to why Henley hadn't returned as his suspension was now over, same with Makela. The fans didn't know, Twitter, Facebook and the forums didn't know. With Makela, the rumours had circulated that he hadn't travelled back from Asiago, which is understandable as he was only ever here short term, but the feeling amongst some fans was that he could have done a job for the rest of the season. Why not have some comments as to why he has gone, was it never an option for him to stay for the remainder of the season or was it that he hadn't done enough in Neilson's opinion to warrant an extended contract.<br />
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As for Henley, the lack of information provided meant that the friends we sit with were of the opinion that actually he was going to be released and that Corey hadn't played him as a result (it does seem that you are wrong on this one Mr Cooke!!) <br />
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So it was left to the match report by Mick Holland of the Evening Post to provide us with the information the fans were after. Henley had suffered a re-occurrence of a previous injury and was unable to ice. Simple wasn't it? So why was this information not relayed by the Panthers at any point? Don't get me wrong, it is fantastic the club and the local press have a good relationship but the club need to be telling us this.<br />
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After looking into this however, it seems like this just isn't a problem the Panthers suffer with. The Clan website have a game day news article which is all about off ice activity. The injury updates are in a separate article, but they do at least name the opposition scorers. The Stars didn't even have a weekend preview on their site, neither do the Flyers, Steelers, Capitals or Giants. The Blaze did provide an injury update before their Scotland weekend with comments from the coach as do the Stingrays. Don't get me wrong, the Giants had an article with Murphy looking forward to the Dundee game but it isn't the same.<br />
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So what I am trying to get at, is the Panthers and possibly the rest of the league need to be more forthcoming with information on their websites. They are frequently used sources of information that as fans we rely on. I am not suggesting we give away trade secrets, but just have a little honesty.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14358464296381769014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4392244356727701199.post-60373564258235751682013-11-17T23:03:00.000+00:002013-11-17T23:03:04.917+00:00The cracks are covered...... for now!!The talk before this weekends games from the Steelers camp was all about the how the so called 'biggest rivalry' in sport had lost its edge. To be honest, I agreed with the comments by Lefevbre, the games had lost that spark, that nastiness and that games against the Blaze or Giants were more highly anticipated.<br />
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I didn't see the game in Sheffield on Saturday night, however I was a keen spectator this evening as the game dished out all the nastiness it needed. However after reading some of the comments on the forums and on twitter, it got me wondering whether I was watching the same game as everyone else!!<br />
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Usually I will try and blame any missed events in conversations between friends on my two year old boy and having to attend to his every whim, however this afternoon he managed to sleep for the first 30 minutes of play (don't ask me how with all that noise!) and that meant I could concentrate fully on the action unfolding.<br />
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Firstly was the Henley incident. It came as no surprise to me at the time he was thrown out. From where I was sat Spencer was no willing participant in that fight. He may of thrown a jab at Henley but there was no dropping of gloves by Spencer and Henley fell for the bait given to him. I am not condoning the fact that Spencer may well have been overstating the situation for staying down on the ice too long, but Henley gave Spencer a battering that many Panthers fans would have enjoyed but in reality was misplaced and could have cost the Panthers 2 points.<br />
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Twitter was full of praise for Henley, I understand why, even if these games don't have the physical edge they once did, emotions will have been running high as it was a niggly game and people will have enjoyed watching Spencer getting a beating, but for me I would have preferred to see Henley give him a beating in a fair fight with the gloves being dropped from the following face off.<br />
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Even though we scored a short handed goal to take the lead, Steelers were the better team and Hewitt was doing a fantastic job of winding our players up. We seem to have a problem with this, as we did last week in Fife when Fulton did a brilliant job of winding Stevie Lee up. I look at the make up of our team and we seem to go from one extreme to another. We have the hard guys such as Henley and Salters and possibly Makela who can throw a punch and then the rest of our team is made up of more finesse players. We miss a Matty Myers type of player, or at least we did until the third period.<br />
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I am going to very quickly overlook the second period, because we were awful. Passes were sloppy and we seemed to have gone into namby pamby mode in terms of aggression, the complete opposite from the previous period. Steelers deserved their equaliser and after Makela was also thrown from the game, many Panthers fans must have wondered what was in store for the final 20 minutes.<br />
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To coin a phrase, cometh the hour and cometh the man, and for me that man was Joe Jensen. Suddenly Hewitt and the rest of the Steelers were rattled because Jensen was dishing out the kind of torment that we were seeing from Hewitt previously. The Panthers had found that element of aggression again, but not too much and the Steelers were a mess. They took silly penalty after silly penalty and we capitalised and took the game away from them. So much to the point that Hewitt couldn't help himself and got kicked out for having a pop at Jensen.<br />
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So the fans left the arena happy and why wouldn't they? We have just beaten the Steelers 6-1, Spencer had taken a beating and the three (but felt like a lot longer) game losing streak was over. However for me it was a result that has only papered over the cracks.<br />
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We continue to rely on the Francis-Salters-Lacho line and this was evident again. They scored 4 of the 6 goals. There are no other consistent scorers in the team with the exception of Clarke who seems to score in batches. We are missing K-Wall but I think that Conway has done a decent job and was arguably the man of the match this evening. Then there is talk about Werner's return. Yes he is a highly skilled d-man but due to his attacking instincts he's not going to solve the leaks we have at the back. We have conceded 10 more goals than Coventry and 14 more than Braehead in the same amount of league games.<br />
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It was further announced that Farmer has been released by the Alaska Aces and I think we should sign him. In fact, I think it could have been part of the arrangement that allowed him to train with us that if he was released he would sign a contract with us. I am not a huge fan of Farmer, mainly because of his attempts to play the hard man, but he can score goals and more importantly he is British.<br />
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But bigger changes are needed at Panthers before I think we will look like a side that is capable of retaining the league title. We need to keep Jensen and Makela and I suspect we will see Wren and Capraro released but Ryan should also be worried. In fact I would be more than happy to see Ryan go if it means we sign another stay at home import d-man.<br />
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Lastly I just want to add that I thought that Hicks had a good game today. It is never easy controlling a game like this and the large majority of his calls were correct. Him, along with Spencer and Fata got their fair share of abuse from the spectators in Block 15 and where as I can't disagree with giving the Steelers players a bit of grief, I thought that Hicks didn't deserve it!! Roll on the 26th December!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14358464296381769014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4392244356727701199.post-5691743928519910572013-11-12T13:03:00.001+00:002013-11-12T13:25:40.053+00:00Tales from Scotland <div dir="ltr">
This weekend was a first Scottish weekend following the Panthers for me. It didn't disappoint, even if certain aspects of the performances did. </div>
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Kirkcaldy was a little quiet during a visit during the afternoon but as soon as it was hockey time the place became electric. We were greeted by bagpipe players outside the stadium and inside the atmosphere was electric, the closeness to the ice certainly helped with that. </div>
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There had been a lot of press before the game about packing the barn and it had worked. The Flyers had also made a point of identifying this game as the one that could change their season and their intent was clear from the first whistle. I enjoyed seeing a more physical game of hockey and also witnessed the first fight of the season for Leigh Salters who was a match for Nickerson!</div>
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It was difficult to argue against Fife taking the points, far too many of our forward line had failed to turn up and the Flyers were well organised and determined. Also, it was bad enough that we had to suffer the pain of conceding an empty net goal (the decision to pull Conway was one that had our travelling party arguing amongst ourselves for quite a while afterwards!), I still cannot understand the logic behind Stevie Lee's decision to fight Fulton. </div>
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Fulton had been under Lee's skin all game and the game before that in the NIC, but it was clear he didn't want to drop the gloves. The game was lost at this point and all it served to do was make the Panthers even more short benched the following night against the Capitals. Then after that, the less said about the Makela fight the better!</div>
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But despite the defeat, I have to say that without a doubt a visit to Kirkcaldy is now my favourite away game. The fans were knowledgeable and friendly and it only served to remind me why we love this sport. It was certainly great chatting to Flyers fans in the hotel bar afterwards and hearing their views on the game.</div>
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When I was thinking about what to write in this blog I was going to comment on why we see very little in the way of fighting at the NIC but have on a number of occasions done so at away fixtures. However the Lee incident has gone some way to answering that, but I would still like to see our guys defend the home ice in the same way Nickerson was doing for the Flyers.</div>
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On Sunday, with some renewed optimism that we couldn't possibly get beat a second night in a row, we headed to Edinburgh. It was my first time there and it was a beautiful city which was enhanced by a cheeky trip to the Scotch Whisky Experience!</div>
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I not going to comment too much on the game, we were very short benched and the Capitals played well. The penalty shot was a clear cut decision from me.</div>
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However on the way home it got me thinking about why the Panthers aren't performing as well as some people, myself included, would like. </div>
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I know that it is still early days in terms of the league but last season we would have left Scotland with at least 3 points if not all 4. For me there is just a little spark missing at the moment. I know that we are suffering from our fair share of injuries and that means the lines aren't settled, but I think the problem is we are missing leadership on the ice. Corey knows how to win titles so I struggling to see that he would be sending teams out, especially at the NIC, to play without any physicality.</div>
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Last season Jordan Fox led by example. He produced special moments and he could be relied on to give maximum effort every shift. This season I feel like Clarke is struggling with the weight of captaincy and that is having an effect on his scoring endeavours. He is behind Salters, Ryan and Lachowicz in the points scoring charts and this is made worse by the fact that some fans are calling for Matt Ryan to be gassed.</div>
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Although I felt like the appointment of Clarke as captain was a sentimental one, I am not suggesting he be replaced at this stage. I was a critic of Clarke but last season he won me round when he became more physical in his play and some of his penalty killing shifts were brilliant. I am looking forward to his testimonial game this evening and I hope he gets the support his efforts with the club deserve.</div>
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On a separate note, I know I am not blogging as much as I was earlier in the season. As some of you might be aware, I am trying to set up a new fans website (small plug: <a href="http://www.icehockeyfans.co.uk/">www.icehockeyfans.co.uk</a>) and this is taking a fair chunk of my time. I am still looking for contributors from all 10 teams and if you know anyone who would be interested please get them to contact me at <a href="mailto:admin@icehockeyfans.co.uk">admin@icehockeyfans.co.uk</a></div>
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This weeks Blog From Block 15 award goes to none other than Matt Nickerson of the Flyers. He was possibly spared being named bawbag of the week again by the Caps Banter Army due to the activities down in Cardiff, but he influenced the game well on Saturday night. It was also surprising to see that once he stops 'trying to be a goon' as one Fife supporter called it, he had some decent skills on the puck and it was clear to see that on his night, he has a very positive effect on the Flyers team.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14358464296381769014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4392244356727701199.post-72216137765858956592013-10-29T13:38:00.000+00:002013-10-29T14:06:56.496+00:00Is this the right time to start a revolution?When I woke up this morning I was greeted with the news on Twitter that Premier Sports has picked up the option to show live EIHL games starting with Blaze Vs Giants on 23 November 2013 from the Skydome. Happy days especially as Virgin Media were nice enough to give me and many others Premier Sports free until January. Now I am able to watch NHL and EIHL, this is great for feeding my love of hockey. Although there are no immediate plans to show a highlights programme, I can't see how anyone can be negative about this news? It's not like anyone else has picked up the coverage and there are sites out there such as KOTG who show match highlights from across the league and that's not to mention the increasing number of teams who have their own TV channel which is easily available on You Tube.<br />
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Followed by this was the news that Aaron Murphy was to front the coverage each week along with a local expert. This is a significant step in what could be considered a revolution for British Ice Hockey. <br />
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Fans took to many social outlets to express their pleasure that this might well mean no more David Simms from a broadcasting perspective. Now I am not going to talk about Simms, whatever your thoughts are on him, you can't argue with his passion and desire for the sport and in particularly the Sheffield Steelers.<br />
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But this is the time for media coverage to take a step forward in the country, especially if you want to try and increase the fan base. So for anyone who follows me on Twitter, you will have already seen my desire to see the boys who run Cats Whiskers TV get an opportunity to be a local expert for the Panthers. <br />
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Every week during the season, they take the time and effort to record a knowledgeable, informative show which isn't afraid to discuss issues surrounding the support. They do this off their own backs with no financial reward and they do it for the love of the game and the Panthers. Jono Bullard, Aaron Lord and Paul Balm are guys I want to see as a fan discuss live action and analysis from a Panthers perspective.<br />
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They are not the only guys out there and there are a number of equally talented and knowledgeable people who deserve to be given a chance to front the new television coverage. Paul Wheeler does this job well for the Blaze, Dave Sweetin and David Rennie do this for the Stars and there are other guys out there doing the same job for Braehead, Cardiff, Hull and Belfast. This doesn't even begin to cover a long list of other people such as Slapshot Scotland, Patrick Symth and other fan services such as Battle In The Bay, NPHockeyLive, EIHL magazine and many other fan run Twitter accounts all aimed at providing information for the fans.<br />
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So I ask Premier Sports, please can we start this revolution on 23rd November 2013. Can we get Ice Hockey coverage for the fans by those fans who dedicate their time and effort to promote and better a sport which we all love....<br />
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I hope we can......Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14358464296381769014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4392244356727701199.post-43716370526328039922013-10-18T23:13:00.000+01:002013-10-18T23:13:14.433+01:00It was all right but then it became so wrong.I, like many Panthers fans I should imagine, were overjoyed when it was announced the NIC were going to host the 2nd round of the Continental Cup for their group. As much as we love hockey, the opportunity to see some European teams play in the arena in competitive competition was a new experience, or at least it is for me having only been attending matches for the past 4 seasons.<br />
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The Panthers organisation did a great job of promoting the event, making the games accessible by ensuring the Panthers were playing the second fixture each day and the price of the tickets were also fantastic. Who can argue with 6 games of hockey for £47? I acknowledge that the turn out in the arena today was partly due to the fact that Panthers fans have had a lot to shell out for recently with the run of Challenge Cup games and Clarkes testimonial.<br />
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In fact, even when the competition threatened to be derailed because the Estonian team were unable to participate, a solution was found and plans for 3 days of hockey were back on track.<br />
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Then today came. Excited didn't begin to cover it. Having to sit at my desk at work waiting for 4pm was a difficult task! Twitter was full of messages of support from teams throughout the country and it felt brilliant to be part of the hockey family. You certainly don't see this so much within football.<br />
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Then when it all finally started, we were treated to a good game of hockey between The Hague and Riga. The Hague were slow and their nettie made Doyle look good. Riga were quick and efficient and the 8-3 scoreline was well deserved. In my opinion, Hague didn't do enough to counter act the speed of Riga and they were made to look like slow old men.<br />
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Next up were the Panthers against Spanish side Vitoria who to their credit battled hard and remained fairly disciplined despite only having their place in the competition confirmed a few days earlier. This is where is started to go wrong for me.<br />
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Now there will be those of you that will read this and think that I am overreacting. Maybe I am, the job was done, the points gained and we move on to the next challenge. But it was the manner of the way the job was completed that left me a little annoyed.<br />
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No disrespect intended but however hard they worked, Vitoria weren't a good side. It felt at times like we were watching Hull or Edinburgh. However in the first period we showed them far too much respect and we finished the period level at 1-1. The second period was different only as much as we showed glimpses of quality and finished the period 4-1 in front. But the effort didn't quite seem to be there, Panthers never really got out of second gear.<br />
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Then in third period Kowalski was replaced in net by Green. Corey was sending out the message that the game was over. But it wasn't. Although we won 5-3, putting Green in nets sent out the message to Vitoria that we weren't taking it quite as seriously as we should be. There will be those of you that think it was good for Green to get some vital experience and also some will be of the opinion, as Corey was, that the game was as good as over and we needed to save ourselves for bigger battles this weekend.<br />
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But let me explain why I am frustrated.<br />
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We had an opportunity to set down a marker not only for the group but for British Ice Hockey. How many Panthers fans are now wondering whether or not we can beat Riga over the weekend? Why are we thinking that? It's because in hammering the Hague they have set the marker. We had an opportunity to come out and beat Vitoria well, send the message to Riga and The Hague that they should be worried about us. I am the kind of person who wants to win and win well when the opportunity presents itself, because when playing one off games against unknown teams there is a mental advantage to be gained and tonight I honestly believe we handed it to Riga.<br />
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On a separate note, those of us that complain about the officiating in this country should have seen tonight's games. There was one incident in the early game where a 2+2 penalty was given for little more than handbags. I don't think any of our officials would have given a penalty like that and you almost have to appreciate the way that our league is allowed to express themselves in a more physical manner.<br />
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Lastly, I want to say thank you to those that take the time to read my blog and to those of you on Twitter who have banter and opinions throughout the week. You all help make my working day pass a little quicker and certainly helped build my anticipation for today's games!!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14358464296381769014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4392244356727701199.post-81026260095417748762013-10-08T12:41:00.000+01:002013-10-08T14:17:54.945+01:00Oh dear Derek!!This season so far has been full of shocks. Dundee sitting at the top of the Elite League standings, Sheffield being unable to string two results together and Cardiff under performing to name but a few. However Saturday evening saw an event which I don't think that many people were surprised about.<br />
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The Dundee Stars were the visitors to the most versatile arena in sports history, or Hull in simpler terms. The game was poised at 2-1 to the Stars in the third period when Derek Campbell bought shame not only on himself, but the Hull Stringrays and British Ice Hockey.<br />
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After being checked against the boards by Dundee's Nico Sacchetti, Campbell decided that he would take retribution. Fair enough, I don't have a problem with that. Hockey is a physical sport and I am one of those people who enjoys that side of things, however what I do have a problem with is how Campbell went about it.<br />
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Firstly after looking at the video several times, Campbell is third or fourth man in. A team mate had already decided to take a pop at Sacchetti and as such would Campbell not have been better waiting and dropping the gloves at some point during the rest of the period? However where things become completely unacceptable is when Campbell decides to continue his grievance off the ice. The sheer stupidity of this cannot be put into words especially as the Stringrays fans were in close attendance. What if there had been small children about?<br />
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So Campbell was given a match penalty and sat out the return game in Dundee the next evening. As of writing this, the off the ice incident is still being reviewed and no formal punishment has been handed out. In my opinion, I think an example needs to be made of Campbell here and a 10 game ban would be sufficient. I know some people may read this and that Andrew Conboy of the Devils only got a 6 game ban for abuse of an official, however a marker has got to be laid about how players behave once they've left the ice.<br />
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I have just read that the Stingrays have released Campbell with immediate effect. Although they haven't at this stage disclosed why, one would assume it is following his behaviour at the weekend. I just want to congratulate whoever it was in the Stingrays organisation for making this decision. This is what sending the right message is all about!!<br />
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But then it got me thinking about the officiating this season when it comes to the physical aspect of the sport and whether fighting has a place in the game still. I read a great blog by Murph On Ice last week on whether there is a place for it and I thought I would share my views.<br />
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Staged fighting is a no no. When we had signed Alex Penner a few seasons back, the first time he dropped his gloves pretty much straight from the opening whistle was almost entertaining, but mainly because of all the hype he attracted and I wanted to see what he was capable of. However when this became almost a regular occurrence it became tiresome and boring. It had no impact on the game at all.<br />
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However fighting to either settle an on ice incident or perhaps change the momentum of the game is something I think belongs in hockey. One of the most frustrating things I have found is when an incident is not settled straight away. For example when player 'a' checks player 'b' into the boards and player 'b' takes exception, let them settle the matter by dropping the gloves. It is tedious watching player 'b' chase player 'a' around the ice for the next few shifts aiming to get some sort of revenge, it detracts from the strategies of the team as a whole. Obviously if player a doesn't want to back it up with his fists then there is nothing that can be done. Although this brings me on to my next problem, the officiating...<br />
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Am I the only one who thinks that this season the officials are far too quick to get in between players and break things up? You take the incident between Henley and Zajac at the weekend. I am not condoning Henley's actions one bit, I think he deserved the 10 minute misconduct penalty. My argument is that would we have got to that point had Zajac and Henley been allowed to drop the gloves long before that? I don't know for sure whether Zajac was prepared to fight Henley but in my view they weren't really given the opportunity to find out due to over zealous officiating.<br />
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Separately, I wanted to congratulate the Clan for a battling performance on Saturday night. I felt they were a little unlucky to lose and I really enjoyed watching their netminder Kyle Jones. His movement around the crease was fantastic and he looks like a great pick up for the Clan this season. I have been quick to berate Ryan Finnerty for what I perceived to be 'goon squad' tactics whilst in charge at Sheffield, but on Saturday night his side were well drilled, hustled well and by and large avoided unnecessary penalties. Despite the loss of Nathan Moon today, I can understand that the opportunity he has cannot be missed but still would have liked him to show some respect by seeing out a notice period, I think the Clan fans can be positive of the prospects for the upcoming season.<br />
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My 'Blog From Block 15' award of the week goes to Ryan Finnerty. As mentioned above, he has learnt from his mistakes in Sheffield and had his side been a little more clinical in front of net on Saturday night then the Clan would have almost certainly left with the 2 points. Going forward he will almost certainly want to see a greater return than 2 goals from 42 shots. Finnerty was a player and coach that I used to love to hate, but this season so far the hate is subsiding to a quiet respect.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14358464296381769014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4392244356727701199.post-3255321262553717322013-10-02T09:57:00.002+01:002013-10-02T09:57:43.865+01:00Seriously Ragan..... Seriously?!I have to be honest, I was a little short on inspiration this week when it came to writing my blog. This is why is has taken until Wednesday for me to write it. Panthers beat the Giants 3-2 on Saturday night but the game certainly wasn't one for the highlights reel.<br />
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However this morning whilst reading the Cage Forum instead of working, a new post was created about a piece published yesterday on the Wales Online website which first nothing short of ridiculous and secondly so ridiculous that it inspired me to get cracking with this weeks blog!<br />
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So for those of you that haven't read the article, Paul Ragan has given Cardiff head coach Gerad Adams one month to improve the teams position from 8th to 4th. The link to the article is:<br />
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<a href="http://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/ice-hockey/gerad-adams-given-ultimatum-over-6120867">http://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/ice-hockey/gerad-adams-given-ultimatum-over-6120867</a><br />
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So when October 31st rolls around and assuming that Cardiff aren't in the top 4 then what is going to happen? Although the article doesn't state, it pretty much eludes to the fact that Adams will no longer be in employment.<br />
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To be honest, I am completely flabbergasted at this. It makes me feel a little like we are turning into a mentality only seen within football and if you look a little closer and what has happened in Cardiff this season it makes such a statement even more ridiculous.<br />
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Firstly as everybody will no doubt know, they lost their first choice netminder La Costa in the opening game of the season at Fife, a game which they won 5-2 in a arena which is difficult for any team to get a result. Since then they have only played 3 other league games all without LaCosta. Don't get me wrong, two of these results have been heavy defeats but they have been playing with Hull's reserve nettie so the drop in standard is there for all to see. In the Challenge Cup they have been more competitive and picked up a win in Sheffield this weekend.<br />
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So Ragan wants them to be 4th. LaCosta is set to return this weekend which is good news and the Devils have 6 league fixtures this month. They play Belfast twice at home, Fife at home, Sheffield away and the Capitals both home and away. <br />
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Assuming that Cardiff win all 6 fixtures they would then sit on 14 points. That's all well and good but then there is no guarantee that either they will win all those fixtures or that this will even be good enough for the top four. At this time, Dundee, Belfast, Nottingham and Coventry occupy the top 4 positions.<br />
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Dundee have 6 league fixtures in October and would only need to win 3 to stay above Cardiff. Belfast also have 6 league fixtures (2 against Cardiff) and would only need 3 wins to stay above Cardiff as long as one of those victories is against the Devils. The Panthers only have 3 league fixtures in October due to their Continental Cup participation and so could be caught. But this was a quick look without predicting results and doesn't even take into account Sheffield or Braehead who are also sat above the Devils.<br />
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So what am I trying to say?<br />
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Actually I am saying that I find the article and the timing of Ragan's comments to be poorly judged at best. I am not disputing that the owner of an ice hockey club wants to see better, I am sure that all owners feel that way, but the markers set down are unrealistic and badly timed. Either this chat should have remained private or the owner should have asked for an improvement in results and league position but something a little more realistic than 4th.<br />
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Gerad has been a great servant to the club and although he hasn't been helped by injuries or Conboy's lunacy, his comments in the article are full of class. I hope that he doesn't find himself out of work.<br />
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This weeks 'Blog From Block 15' award goes to Ryan Ginand of the Blaze. A hat-trick against Bakala and the Stars at the weekend takes his goals tally this season to 12. A very dangerous player who is so far helping the Blaze be very competitive this season.<br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14358464296381769014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4392244356727701199.post-37650358300556795062013-09-24T17:58:00.000+01:002013-09-24T17:58:56.978+01:00It isn't all bad Sheffield......no wait, it is!Ten minutes into the first period of the challenge cup match between Steelers and Panthers on Saturday night my thoughts about what to write in this weeks blog were very different to those you are about to read.<br />
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The Steelers had taken the lead and they looked good value for it, very good value. Panthers for me were looking defensively like a side that were conceding an average of 3 goals a game. Despite going in at the end of the first period 3-1 in front, I still thought the Steelers were the better side. Maybe the press release earlier that week stating that the Steelers 'were not on the same page' had done the job.<br />
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However, that's when it all changed. Despite an even second period with a goal a piece which was dominated by Hicks blowing his whistle, there was one standout moment which changed the face of the game and ultimately the thoughts contained within this weeks blog. <br />
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It was during a 5 on 3 powerplay to Sheffield and a shift by Brett Henley. We were under the cosh, no doubt about it, the Steelers were looking for a way into the game and this was their chance. However Henley was a warrior, he threw himself in front of everything the Steelers power play unit were throwing at us. It was immense. His team mates sensed it was immense and the crowd sensed it was too and it was there for me that the game changed and highlighted one of what now turns out to be numerous problems for Sheffield. When things got tough, they didn't seem to be playing for each other.<br />
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The game finished 7-3 to Panthers, our 6th goal in particular was for me a fantastic one. Anderson (who deserves credit for being so committed only hours after arriving in the country) found Salters in acres of space who in turn laid it on a plate for Lachowicz to score at the back door. <br />
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The Steelers were reeling, suffering the further blow that Lacroix will be out for 3 months with a broken ankle. I am going to join the many wishing him a speedy recovery as I thought he was one of the highlights for me on Saturday evening. Although he seemed to spend too much of the first period on his backside, he took his two goals well and I think he would have put up some fantastic numbers this season.<br />
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Rather understandably the inquest on Steeltalk started and it sure as hell won't have helped when they suffered a defeat on Sunday night on penalties to Braehead and their former coach Ryan Finnerty. Nothing seems right at the moment, Doyle can't keep net, defence leakier than a sieve, can't park in the car park, food is overpriced and awful and Simms not being the club official he ought to be.<br />
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My personal thoughts are that despite how bad the defence might have been on Saturday, Doyle was shocking. Some of his positioning was terrible and I don't think Cardiff are too upset right now about him walking away. But I think a little perspective is also needed. DC had some success at Belfast and it is always going to take time to implement new systems and ideas. Lets face it, it took Corey a while didn't it?! The two defeats to Nottingham, yes you NEVER want to lose against your rivals, but they were challenge cup fixtures and it seems like Hull have already staked their claim for the one team who aren't all the bothered about getting out of the group stage. <br />
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As for the league defeat to Breahead, if they win their 3 games in hand on Dundee they will only be a point behind them which is easily reversed in the next fixture between the pair. I think with the appointment of DC, Tony Smith was perhaps looking a little more long term, potentially trying to emulate the stability and subsequent success we have had at the Panthers under Nielson. I think perhaps if you ask Steelers fans whether the would take a season or so of transition followed by 7 trophies out of 9 then they might well jump at the chance. As for the food, car parking and Mr Simms, that's for someone else to deal with!<br />
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My 'Blog from Block 15' award of the weekend is goes to Dan Bakala of the Dundee Stars. 58 shots faced this weekend with no goals conceded and Dundee keep rolling on at sit proudly onto of the Elite League. 36 of those shots were against the Devils and Mr Bakala I tip my hat to you. <br />
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Against the norm, I also have a second award of the weekend and it goes to the NIC. For the first game that I can remember I was not subject to that awful Hillbilly Rock. Long may it continue as for most of us know, #hillbillyrocksucks #justsaynotohillbillyrockAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14358464296381769014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4392244356727701199.post-26100658413791391292013-09-16T12:32:00.000+01:002013-09-16T12:32:06.455+01:00The goal that wasn't in Fife!Last week the main topic for my thoughts was about how really we didn't learn anything of any massive significance during the opening weekend of the new Elite League season. This weekend backed those sentiments up for me..... on the whole!<br />
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After a disappointing opening weekend the Coventry Blaze bounced back with a fantastic shutout victory in Belfast on Saturday followed by a thumping 6-1 victory against the Flyers on Sunday in a game which was delayed for almost 2 hours after the Flyers' coach broke down. Braehead Clan who had also suffered two defeats the previous weekend bounced back with a hard fought victory in Cardiff who themselves were 3-0 down in Hull on Sunday before coming back to win 4-3.<br />
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Results like this is showing how competitive the league is becoming as clearly nothing can be taken for granted. Based on last weekends results you would never have expected Coventry to go to Belfast and get that result. This in my view just makes for a more interesting season as at the moment you don't know which way results are going to go.<br />
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From a Panthers perspective, this weekend's triple header north of the border wasn't without its fair share of incidents and controversy...<br />
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First up on Friday night was the Stars and a 5-2 defeat. Many would have perhaps predicted a narrow win for the Panthers in this one and although the performance wasn't without endeavour, Dundee had a game plan which they executed perfectly.<br />
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Then on Saturday was a visit to Fife in what turned out to be the most controversial game of the weekend. This game had everything, including the 'sucker punch' and 'the goal that wasn't given'. I am not going to comment on the sucker punch by Henley as the video released by Fife didn't really show what had led up to the incident. Henley was thrown out of the game at the time followed by a one match suspension following a review of the incident on the request of the Flyers. However I do want to speak about the final penalty shot and the goal that wasn't given.<br />
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I have watched the footage of the penalty shot taken by Justin DaCosta several times and in my opinion it was a goal and as some have suggest it denied Fife the opportunity to <strong><em>possibly</em></strong> win the game. However I cannot stress the word possibly strongly enough. It wasn't a game winning penalty shot, it was a game levelling penalty shot. It seems though in the furore of the event, many fans, particularly those who don't support the Flyers or the Panthers seem to have forgotten that. The outrage that followed on Twitter was ridiculous as many either claimed that it has cost Fife 2 points or that the Panthers had somehow paid off the referee. Now I am not going to argue that the ref had a stinker that night, but to suggest it was done purposely to give the Panthers the win is nothing short of ridiculous. These people need to get out more. I can understand the emotions of fans shortly after the game, had the shoe been on the other foot then no doubt there would have uproar amongst our own supporters, however there are pundits representing other teams in the league who have stoked the fire with pathetic comments in respect of an incident that didn't even directly affect them. <br />
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Lastly on Saturday the Panthers received a further blow when Werner broke his leg. He is likely to miss 8 weeks of action. Panthers officials were quick to announce they are looking for a replacement, which is good news. However I hope that we avoid the situation where Corey puts his stakes back on as we are a far better team with him behind the bench than we were with him on the ice. It was pleasing to see however that fans from all teams sending messages of support to Werner and despite all the 'chips on shoulders' it shows that we can come together as a league when the situation calls for it.<br />
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My 'Blog From Block 15' award this weekend goes to the Dundee Stars. Still unbeaten and quite rightly getting the plaudits after a weekend that saw them beat both the Panthers and the Steelers. Jeff Hutchins' squad may have looked a little underwhelming to many but he and the Stars have shown some real quality and grit in their opening games. I sincerely hope that they can keep up the fine form they are showing as it will make for a more interesting league and conference this season.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14358464296381769014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4392244356727701199.post-30007197636472837422013-09-09T13:25:00.000+01:002013-09-09T13:25:12.090+01:00Hockey is back, but what did we learn this weekend.....I was going to say after the results on Saturday night, not very much. As many would have anticipated, the Panthers beat the Stingrays at the NIC (although the 9-3 scoreline was perhaps a little flattering by some accounts), Cardiff won at Fife despite losing Dan LaCosta with injury at the end of the second period, Sheffield won a narrow cup game at Coventry, Belfast convincingly beat the Capitals while Dundee went to Braehead and got a result.<br />
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However on Sunday, things started to surprise me a little.....<br />
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Firstly Belfast on the back of a Keefe double, won convincingly in Cardiff (LaCosta was still injured for this game), Coventry lost 3-1 in Dundee who picked up their second win of the weekend, Fife picked up 2 cup points in Edinburgh, Hull beat Breahead 5-2 in Humberside whilst the Panthers won 4-1 in Sheffield, also in the cup.<br />
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I was surprised for a few reasons. I didn't expect the Panthers to win in Sheffield. I expected them to be competitive but I also expected DC's side to lay down a little marker here and let the rest of the league know that they were able to compete with the league champions, but they didn't. In fact, there are several pages on Steeltalk of unhappy fans who are seemingly most disappointed that their team weren't competitive and largely predictable. At the moment it looks like Corey has found a good balance to the Panthers side with goal scorers, players who aren't afraid to throw hits and players who can find the space in the passing lanes. People can easily say we don't look as good as we did last season, but you can only beat what is put in front of you and judging by the reaction of the Steelers fans, that wasn't very much at all.<br />
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I was also a little taken aback to see both Coventry and Braehead lose both their opening games. I laugh at the tweets suggesting Finnerty is going to lose his job already, they are still missing Macais and Frank and apparently Bergin was filling in on defence and he may have lost a yard or two pace since he was last with us! Coventry are still needing to replace Egener and perhaps the result on Sunday in Dundee was just one of those nights. If nothing else, Rory Rawlyk is certainly letting the rest of the league know he has arrived!<br />
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But the reality is, whilst the Blaze, Clan, Capitals and Steelers may be a bit disappointed with their weekend endeavours, nothing is won in September. Some of these fixtures were Challenge Cup only and it is easier to get out of the group stages of this competition than getting drunk in a brewery!<br />
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My 'Blog From Block 15' award of the weekend goes to Derek Campbell of the Hull Stingrays. I remember in my season preview I called Campbell a waste of an import slot. However he has taken no time in proving me wrong (for now!) by getting a goal and 2 assists in the game against Braehead. Credit where credit is due to both him and the Stingrays for a great result!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14358464296381769014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4392244356727701199.post-49827174885740120122013-08-20T10:03:00.001+01:002013-08-21T16:32:40.643+01:00Blog From Block 15's Erhardt Conference Preview for the 2013/14 Season.With the new season less than 3 weeks away, I share with you my predictions for the Erhardt Conference for the upcoming season. This is easily the hardest blog I have wrote as I think you could make an argument for all of these teams for conference and league glory this season, however this is how I think these 5 will fare during the new season.<br />
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Belfast Giants</h3>
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Coach: Paul Adey<br />
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Last Season: Despite turmoil surrounding the ownership of the club, under Doug Christiansen the Giants were competitive on all fronts last year. They won the Erhardt conference, narrowly lost out on the league title and reached the Semi-Finals of the Challenge Cup and the final of the Play-Offs where they were beat by the Panthers on both occasions.<br />
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Blog From Block 15's player to watch: Calvin Elfring - This veteran Canadian D Man has a wealth of experience on his CVL including over 300 games in the DEL and over 150 games in the ECHL which will add strength to what was the 2nd meanest defence last season. He is capable of achieving over 30 points this season and with only a few fights to his name over his career he doesn't look a liability. In my opinion the Giants have got a quality player with a great pedigree who was reportedly a target for a number of Elite League teams.<br />
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2013/14 Comments: Despite Adey being a more than capable replacement for DC, the players Belfast have signed this season in comparison with the other conference teams gives the impression that they have had a budget cut. I expect, as with any Giants side, that they will be competitive throughout the season however alot will be riding on the returning Adam Keefe and Kevin Saurette. Keefe is a player I love to hate, which means he does his job well for the Giants however the other conference teams have recruited some big guys and Keefe will have his work cut out this season. Ultimately unless their final signings are proven snipers, the Giants biggest downfall will be a lack of goals.<br />
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2013/14 Blog From Block 15's Predictions:<br />
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<strong>Erhardt Conference</strong>: 4th<br />
<strong>League Position</strong>: 5th<br />
<strong>Challenge Cup</strong>: Quarter-Finals<br />
<strong>Play-Offs</strong>: Quarter-Finals<br />
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Cardiff Devils</h3>
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Coach: Gerad Adams<br />
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Last Season: Last year was difficult for the Devils as they underperformed throughout. They failed to make the knockout stages of the Challenge Cup, were 5th in the league, 35 points behind the Panthers. After beating Braehead to make the Play-Off finals weekend again, they were beat in the Semi-Finals.<br />
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Blog From Block 15's player to watch: Matty Myers - Nothing new in this selection however as the song goes 'You don't know what you've got till it's gone' and this signing was huge for Cardiff. As a Panthers fan I loved the intensity with which Matty played as well as the fact he wasn't afraid to do the dirty work every shift. This sort of positive energy will a boost to the rest of the Devils squad and that is only a good thing!<br />
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2013/14 Comments: As the rest of the league seems to have improved on the quality of their signings, the Devils have certainly not been left behind. Recovering from the loss of Doyle in net they have signed LaCosta who looks like he can do a good job at this level. Upfront they have retained the services of 35 goal Mac Faulkner, with Birbraer and Blight good for another 40 goals between them. When I look at the Devils squad, it looks like one that has got the right balance and I think the Devils will be competitive on all fronts this season. I don't think they'll win the league, although they'll be in the hunt for the majority of the season, I fancy Cardiff to win the Play-Offs this year and should they do so, it is no more than their fans deserve.<br />
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2013/14 Blog From Block 15's Predictions:<br />
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<strong>Erhardt Conference</strong>: 3rd<br />
<strong>League Position</strong>: 4th<br />
<strong>Challenge Cup</strong>: Quarter-Finals<br />
<strong>Play-Offs</strong>: Winners<br />
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<h3>
Coventry Blaze</h3>
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Coach: Matt Soderstrom<br />
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Last Season: Last season was difficult for the Blaze as they under performed following recent financial troubles. A 4th place finish in the league doesn't look terrible but the fact they were 31 points behind the champions tells another story. A narrow Quarter-Final exit in the Challenge Cup at the hands of the Clan will have been disappointing however they managed to make the Semi-Finals off the Play-Offs before being beat heavily by Belfast in what was Paul Thompson's last game in charge.<br />
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Blog From Block 15's player to watch: Michael Henrich - Michael joins his brother Adam at the Blaze for a pairing that would comfortably get into any other team in the league. 3 seasons in Italy with Asiago yielded 73 regular season goals and as such he should be scoring plenty of goals in the Elite League. <br />
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2013/14 Comments: There is no doubting that the Blaze have signed some talented players. A forward line including the Henrich brothers and McMillin will give opposition defences plenty to think about this year. Zacharias is a definite improvement in net on Peter Hirsch who I felt was a liability at times last season. Egener and Olson in defence will ensure that the Blaze aren't bullied during games. However despite the signings on ice, the biggest question mark for the Blaze this season will be how new head coach Matt Soderstrom fares. Many would agree that under the stewardship of Thompson the Blaze were become a little stale so this is fantastic opportunity for the Blaze to move in a new direction, hopefully a silverware winning direction. Although I have predicted the Blaze to finish bottom of the conference, it isn't as bad as it sounds. All the Erhardt teams will take points off each other this season and I can realistically see only 10-15 points between the conference champions and the team who finishes bottom. I think all the Erhardt teams have the potential to win the league and the Blaze fans should be entering the season with a renewed sense of confidence, however I think this will be a season too early for Soderstrom and they will fall just short.<br />
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2013/14 Blog From Block 15's Predictions:<br />
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<strong>Erhardt Conference</strong>: 5th<br />
<strong>League Position</strong>: 6th<br />
<strong>Challenge Cup</strong>: Finalists<br />
<strong>Play-Offs</strong>: Quarter-Finals<br />
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<h3>
Nottingham Panthers</h3>
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Coach: Corey Neilson<br />
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Last Season: I am not going to spend time debating whether the Panthers won the 'grand slam' or not but last year was a historic one as far as the team went. A long awaited league title was added to the Challenge Cup and Play-Off trophies that were already residing in our trophy cabinet.<br />
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Blog From Block 15's player to watch: Leigh Salters - This left winger is the one player I am the most looking forward to seeing in action. I think he has the potential to do the job left by Matty Myers and get dirty along the boards and in the opposition's end. In addition to that he has shown an ability to score goals at ECHL level with the Florida Everblades and if that scoring ability continues then he could contribute some good numbers.<br />
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2013/14 Comments: It will be interesting to see whether now that Corey has broken his duck so to speak he is able to coach the Panthers to another league title. However given so few imports from last years squad have been retained, it's going to be like starting from scratch for the Panthers. Last year Ling and Graham contributed over 70 goals between them and as of yet it's hard to see who is going to replace them in terms of goals scored. Robert Farmer is training with the Panthers at the moment ahead of a move to Alaska and as much as I want to see him do well, part of me hopes that he ends up back with the Panthers at some point during the season in order to boost our fire power. Ultimately, unless a spare import is signed, with the potential distraction of a Continental Cup campaign, I feel that although we will be competitive, the league title will just be one step too far.<br />
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2013/14 Blog From Block 15's Predictions:<br />
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<strong>Erhardt Conference</strong>: 2nd<br />
<strong>League Position</strong>: 2nd<br />
<strong>Challenge Cup</strong>: Winners<br />
<strong>Play-Offs</strong>: Semi-Finals<br />
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<h3>
Sheffield Steelers</h3>
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Coach: Doug Christiansen<br />
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Last Season: Despite an appearance in the Challenge Cup final, the Steelers underachieved last season under Finnerty. They finished 12 points behind Panthers in the league and were knocked out of the Play-Offs at the Quarter-Final stage by the Blaze, the 2nd year in a row they had failed to make the finals weekend.<br />
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Blog From Block 15's player to watch: Maxime Lacroix - The centre joins the Steelers from Odense in Denmark in a season where he scored a point a game during the regular season. In the 2008/09 season he managed 33 goals and 31 assists during the regular season with the South Carolina Stingrays in the ECHL. If Doug can get the best out of this guy I think he has the potential to be one of the best in the league, if not the best and that can only be a good thing for the Steelers.<br />
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2013/14 Comments: After being surprised by the signing of Tim Spencer, you have to give credit to Doug and the Steelers for some great signings. Defensively they have one of the best units in the league with the signings of Dustin Kohn and Gord Baldwin only serving to underline that. In Rob Dowd they have a player easily capable of scoring 30 goals this season. My only concern is the perceived lack of balance in their forward lines, but make no mistake about it, if Doug can get these players to gel, they could well be the team to beat this season.<br />
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2013/14 Blog From Block 15's Predictions:<br />
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<strong>Erhardt Conference</strong>: 1st<br />
<strong>League Position</strong>: 1st<br />
<strong>Challenge Cup</strong>: Semi-Finals<br />
<strong>Play-Offs</strong>: FinalistsAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14358464296381769014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4392244356727701199.post-87066553569095532502013-08-15T14:34:00.000+01:002013-08-16T20:19:59.287+01:00Blog From Block 15's Gardiner Conference Preview for the 2013/14 Season.With the new season less than 4 weeks away, I share with you my predictions for the Gardiner Conference for the upcoming season....<br />
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<h3>
Braehead Clan</h3>
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Coach: Ryan Finnerty<br />
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Last Season: Last season was a difficult one for the Clan with coach Drew Bannister accepting a job in Canada just 2 weeks after agreeing to stay on for the 2012/13 season. Then in January, they suffered another blow when Krestanovich decided to leave shortly replaced by Paul Gardner. Although they narrowly won the Gardiner conference, they failed to make any real impression in league finishing only 8th after being tipped as outsiders to win. They fared better in the Challenge Cup, beating Coventry in the Quarter Finals before losing to Sheffield in the Semi Finals. However their play-off ambitions were dented at the Quarter Final Stage by Cardiff after losing heavily in Cardiff.<br />
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Blog From Block 15's player to watch: Ed McGrane - This veteran forwards career is far from shabby. He has averaged a point a game in the regular season every year since 2005 including 5 years in the CHL with the Colorado Eagles and last year with Grenoble in France. I can see him doing a job for the Clan very similar to that of Ling at the Panthers last season and it makes him an exciting proposition.<br />
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2013/14 Comments: Many people had tipped the Clan for an outside shot at the league title last season on the basis that they would take points off their conference rivals easily, a prediction that never came to fruition. However it seems like Finnerty has learned something from his spell in Sheffield and has signed a roster that can play as opposed to being the proverbial 'Goon Squad.' The additions of Kevin Bergin, Julien Corriveau and Ray Macais will please fans whilst they have a top quality forward in Ash Goldie who is capable of repeating his 34 goals from last season. New nettie Kyle Jones feels like an upgrade on Daren Machesney who I felt had some issues with his temperament last season.<br />
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2013/14 Blog From Block 15's Predictions: Braehead under Finnerty will be a stronger outfit and it is hard to look past them for the Gardiner conference title. They will also be challengers for the league and I expect a decent showing in the cup competitions although the increase in quality in the Erhardt conference will make any challenges for silverware that little bit more tricky.<br />
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<b>Gardiner Conference</b>: Winners.<br />
<b>League Position</b>: 3rd.<br />
<b>Challenge Cup</b>: Semi-Finals<br />
<b>Play-Offs</b>: Semi-Finals<br />
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<h3>
Dundee Stars</h3>
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Coach: Jeff Hutchins<br />
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Last Season: Dundee remained competitive within their conference and were close to taking the honours before a late rally by Braehead pipped them at the post. However they only managed a ninth place finish in the league showing that they hadn't really moved forward when taking points from teams in the Erhardt conference. Their Challenge Cup dreams ended in the Quarter-Finals after a huge defeat to Sheffield and they failed to qualify for the Play-Offs.<br />
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Blog From Block 15's player to watch: Rory Rawlyk - This tall Canadian D Man has predominantly plied his trade in the ECHL but has been in Europe for the last 4 seasons. He scored 14 goals in Germany's 2nd division in the 2010/11 season which means the Stars will be able to count on him for a few this season. With roughly 1,000 PIM's to his name throughout his career he will also be able to provide his team mates some protection in what has certainly become a tougher league.<br />
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2013/14 Comments: It's difficult to comment on exactly how Dundee will fare this season as they have a number of import slots left and they will be looking for some extra quality to join the team. Francis Meilleur's recent decision to join a club in France as opposed to the Stars will have also been a big blow. Alot will also be resting on Canadian Netminder Dan Bakala who had a difficult time in the 12 games he played in the CHL last season with a 4.04 GAA.<br />
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2013/14 Blog From Block 15's Predictions:<br />
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<b>Gardiner Conference: </b>3rd<br />
<b>League Position: </b>8th<br />
<b>Challenge Cup:</b> Quarter-Finals<br />
<b>Play-Offs:</b> Quarter-Finals<br />
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<h3>
Edinburgh Capitals</h3>
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Coach: Richard Hartmann<br />
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Last Season: The Caps finished bottom of the conference however they were only 5 points back from Braehead due to some good results against Erhardt conference teams. They also managed a 6th place finish in the league. However they were eliminated in the group stages of the Challenge Cup and were defeated by Belfast in the Quarter-Finals of the play-offs.<br />
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Blog From Block 15's player to watch: Martin Cingel - The Caps captain netted 15 goals and contributed with 31 assists in the league last season and alot of pressure will be on his shoulders to carry the team in the new season. However with 29 goals in the 2008/09 season he has shown he can find the net at this level.<br />
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2013/14 Comments: Losing Rene Jarolin, albeit for family reasons, will hit the Caps hard as they need to replace the 30+ goals a season he provided to them over the last 2 years. At the moment they only have 2 defencemen in their roster and unless they can sign some real quality in the latter stages of the off season it could be a long season for them. The Capitals website has them at the top of the league and realistically this will be the only time you will see this happen!<br />
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2013/14 Blog From Block 15's Predictions:<br />
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<b>Gardiner Conference: </b>5th<br />
<b>League Position: </b>9th<br />
<b>Challenge Cup:</b> Out at group stages<br />
<b>Play-Offs:</b> Fail to qualify<br />
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Fife Flyers</h3>
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Coach: Todd Dutiaume<br />
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Last Season: The Flyers were embroiled in a tussle for the conference title until the final weekend of the season where they missed out by 1 point. They also finished a respectable 7th in the league and lost to the Panthers in the Quarter-Finals of the Challenge Cup and Play-Offs. On a personal note the Flyers earned alot of respect last season for some of their performances and after beating the Panthers 4-2 in the first leg of the play-offs, their will have been one or two fans worried an upset was on the cards.<br />
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Blog From Block 15's player to watch: Andy Contois - The left winger has been playing in Denmark over the last 2 seasons scoring 28 goals in the regular season. Prior to that he has played in Germany and also had a brief spell in the CHL with the Mudbugs scoring 5 goals in 15 games. He has averaged almost a point per game if not a point per game since 2007 and Fife will be looking for a similar output.<br />
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2013/14 Comments: Fife have retained a fair few of last seasons roster and this isn't a bad thing. However they have yet to sign a netminder and this will be crucial to their success. My only other concern is that Contois aside, their other import forwards don't look as if they will bring them 30 goals a season and in order to compete with a stronger Clan side they are going to need to address this.<br />
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2013/14 Blog From Block 15's Predictions:<br />
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<b>Gardiner Conference: </b>2nd<br />
<b>League Position: </b>7th<br />
<b>Challenge Cup:</b> Quarter-Finals<br />
<b>Play-Offs:</b> Quarter-Finals<br />
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Hull Stingrays</h3>
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Coach: Sylvain Cloutier<br />
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Last Season: Whilst it is pleasing that Hull remain in existence after their financial issues back in 2010, I don't really see that they have made any real progress on the ice. They finished 4th in the conference but 10th in the league and as such failed to make the play-offs. Despite managing to get out of the group stages in the Challenge Cup, they lost to Belfast in the Quarter-Finals.<br />
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Blog From Block 15's player to watch: Guillaume Doucet - This right winger joins the Stingrays after 2 years playing in France for Morzine-Avoriaz. He has scored 21 goals in the last 2 league campaigns over 52 games whilst also chalking up 19 assists. <br />
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2013/14 Comments: I can't say that Hull have recruited this badly this off season, yet I can't get too excited either. The signings of Huttel, Suderman and Muncy aren't bad but then I fail to see why they have wasted an import slot on Derek Campbell. Alot will also rest on the shoulders of young nettie Ben Bowns who has shown potential by being picked to play for GB. Don't get me wrong, I like Hull, it is a great away game but part of me wonders whether this is a situation similar to that in Coventry and a change of coach is needed to freshen things up and offer new ideas.<br />
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2013/14 Blog From Block 15's Predictions:<br />
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<b>Gardiner Conference: </b>4th<br />
<b>League Position: </b>10th<br />
<b>Challenge Cup:</b> Out at group stages<br />
<b>Play-Offs:</b> Fail to qualifyAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14358464296381769014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4392244356727701199.post-90252706602084890892013-08-03T11:07:00.001+01:002013-08-03T13:38:34.896+01:00Menei a problem for Sheffield! <div dir="ltr">
It was officially confirmed this morning that Ryan Menei wouldn't be joining the Steelers this season. It came as a surprise to few as Steeltalk had figured this out before it broke, but what may have come as a surprise is the reason for Menei's change of heart. </div>
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According to Steelers owner Tony Smith in The Star, Menei changed his mind because his wife didn't want to come to the UK. </div>
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Now I don't often find myself in the position where I sympathise with the Steelers, however this sort of thing is simply not acceptable and I can understand their frustrations. Surely before Ryan agreed to the contract, he spoke in length with his family and what the implications would be. It's not like I would take a job in the US without speaking with my wife and discussing in great detail what the implications would be for her and our child. </div>
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On the plus side for Sheffield though, should the rumours be true and Tuesdays signing announcement be that of Stefan Meyer then that should go some way to alleviating the disappointment. Although the club have stressed that Tuesdays signing is not a replacement, you have to hope if you're a Steelers fan that Menei's replacement isn't going to be a certain Mr Galbraith. </div>
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However this is as far as my sympathy for those up the road goes as they still can't get someone to proof read a simple press release and Mr Smith couldn't help but point out that apparently the Panthers had offered Mr Menei an extra £200 per week to join us. I bet Corey is gutted right now! </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14358464296381769014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4392244356727701199.post-58806680566460783072013-07-25T13:20:00.000+01:002013-07-25T14:01:29.689+01:00Is London Calling?News has emerged this morning that potentially as early as the 2014/15 season we could have an EIHL team playing out of London following a move by Panthers and Clan owner Neil Black.<br />
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This is fantastic news. There hasn't been top flight Ice Hockey in London since 2006, firstly with the London Knights upto 2003 when the Superleague at that time folded, the Docklands Arena was sold and the team decided not to ice the following season and secondly with the London Racers who ceased playing part way through the 2005/06 season when they could no longer find a suitable venue. The positives of such a move are plentiful. Media coverage is bound to increase with a team in the capital and with that an increase in spectator interest in the sport will follow. It will also help with what I think is a little bit of a ignorance to the sport in the south of the country. I was in Las Vegas a few years back with my wife and we were watching an NHL game in one of the bars in The Bellagio (we were only visiting, couldn't possibly afford to stay there!!) when another British couple from Guildford came into the bar and struck up a conversation with the barman. He politely enquired as to whether there was any Ice Hockey in the UK and the couple said no! Luckily or unluckily for the couple we were on hand to correct them and point out we were Panthers supporters, but they had no idea Guildford even had their own team. What I am trying to get at, with Coventry being the most southerly English Elite League team, it is perhaps no surprise that knowledge of Ice Hockey in this country isn't as far reaching as we'd like as this certainly is an opportunity to change that.<br />
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A team in London would also give the league chance to expand. Assuming that the team in London played out of the Erhardt Conference then in order for stability and balance we need another team to join the Gardiner Conference. There have been many suggestions and the one I would be most interested in is a team playing out of the North East. I never had the opportunity to watch the Vipers whilst they played in the top flight but have read stories and experiences about visits to their compact rink and wish that I had found my love of the sport a few years earlier. If re-introducing a team to the North East isn't feasible then perhaps Manchester could return to the top flight, people have also suggested Leeds, Liverpool or Dublin. Whatever the answer is, personally I would prefer to see a northern based team as I think it is important for the stability of the league as a whole and particularly for teams such as Fife and Dundee.<br />
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I do have one concern though and I don't want to come across as a spoil sport. In my job I deal alot with 'conflicts of interest' and I wonder whether a third organisation owned by Neil Black is one too many. At the moment with Panthers and Braehead playing in different conferences this conflict of interest is diluted a little but should a team in London be formed then Black would have 2 teams playing out of the same conference. I would like to think that the league would undertake due diligence to ensure everything is above board, but the point I am trying to make is that you don't see the same people owning two football clubs in the Championship. <br />
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There is also the financial aspect of Black owning 3 franchises. Should Black decide to run the London team under the umbrella of Sportscape Group Limited who is the ultimate parent company of Aladdin Management Limited (Nottingham Panthers) and Clan Entertainment Limited (Braehead Clan) then should a period of financial instability occur then we could potentially see the demise of three teams. A simple look at the accounts for the year ended 30 June 2012 shows that Clan Entertainment Limited owes Sportscape £280,000 and you have to wonder when the Clan are ever going to be in a position to pay that back? Especially when in the Sportscape accounts for the same period Clan Entertainment Limited made a loss of c£94,000 for the year.<br />
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Notwithstanding this though, a new London team is fantastic news and shows that the Elite League is thinking of moving forward. We are a long way of having a product to compete with Europe but at least getting the sport back in our nations capital is a step in the right direction.<br />
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In other news, the Panthers have this week re-signed Eric Werner for the new season which is a deal which has delighted many fans, myself included. Regarded as one of the best D Men in the league last season, if not the best, this has to be the signing which completes for now a very strong looking Panthers roster. I would have preferred to see one or two more of last seasons players return, if for no other reason than it would have helped the team gel a bit quicker, but understandably they have received more lucrative offers following last seasons success.<br />
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I also want to congratulate Braehead on re-signing Ash Goldie for the upcoming season. I think he is a talented player and with 34 goals and 46 assists last year, a move to a Erhardt side wouldn't have looked out of place.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14358464296381769014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4392244356727701199.post-13241989965746986512013-07-17T17:38:00.001+01:002013-07-17T17:38:35.368+01:00Is it OK USA for Team GB?Today Doug Christiansen, Head Coach of the Sheffield Steelers, was named as Head Coach of the GB Mens Ice Hockey Team. Christiansen who I will refer to as DC for the rest of this blog seemed like the natural and accepted choice of the fans throughout the league. However I ask myself is it the right choice?<br />
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Straight off the bat I have to say I am one of those people who is of the belief that wherever possible a GB coach should be coaching a GB team. This applies to any sport. I don't really care how successful coaches Capello and Ericsson were, in my opinion you cannot substitute the pride of managing your own country and the extra 10% I think you can get out of players as a result. That's why, despite the clear problems, I was happy when Tony Hand was given the job. A Scotsman coaching a GB Team makes good sense. Unfortunately this is where my belief starts to cause a problem. Not one of the 10 Elite League teams has a Head Coach from GB. As far as I can see, the closest we get is Neil Francis, bench coach at the Devils who is Welsh. There are more GB coaches in the Premier League but you could argue that after Hand's display, coaching at that level is not of a good enough standard to take the national team forward.<br />
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So if the selectors have decided that there isn't a good enough GB coach to take the position then regrettably we have had to turn to a foreign coach and DC seems a popular enough choice. I was a fan of DC whilst coaching at the Capitals however it seems to have been overlooked that in the past 3 seasons whilst with the Giants he has only won 1 trophy. In that same period Corey and the Panthers have won 7. The Sheffield Star seem to suggest that DC pipped Corey to the post but to me that can only be on the basis that he was Hand's assistant previously and not much else.<br />
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I have never fully understood why the GB role has never been a full time position, I can only assume it's a financial thing and if I was a Steelers fan I would be a little worried. I would want my Head Coach giving the job 100% of his attention and focus and the Steelers can gloat about how prestigious having the GB coach on their bench is all they like and how they have 'got one over on us' but I think it could end up backfiring come the end of the season. DC's assistants are to be named tomorrow and I hope that Corey isn't one of them as I want his focus to be on the Panthers all season, all the time.<br />
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So what is the solution to the GB problem? The answer is probably far above my knowledge level but I do have a suggestion. Neil Francis at Cardiff. He ticks alot of the boxes. Firstly he is GB. Secondly he would have gained a great deal of coaching experience from Adams and will have been used to dealing with big players in Cardiff. Thirdly he has come through the ranks as a junior and will have experience in nurturing younger players. My preference would be a full time appointment over a number of years so that the GB team can build a foundation with which to build on throughout the years but if the finance or option isn't in place a dual role would also work. Whether or not this is something that Neil is interested in though is another matter!<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14358464296381769014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4392244356727701199.post-8633027307965684182013-07-15T21:51:00.002+01:002013-07-15T22:02:48.847+01:00C'mon the Clan, Welcoming the Wren & Steelers Still Behind?In my last blog I talked about how I thought the Blaze were recruiting well this summer and another blog written by Paul Wheeler, which can be found at chasingthedragons.wordpress.com highlighted why he thought the Cardiff Devils may also be title challengers this year and I agree with alot comments he made so there would be little point in repeating them. However one team I feel is flying under the radar so far is Braehead.<br />
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Now I will be the first to admit that I love Ryan Finnerty, I love the fact that I despise him! As a player I hated the way he got in everybodys face and I was genuinely disappointed when he retired as the game needs characters like him. So you could argue that when he became head coach at the Steelers it was like Christmas come early, one of my most hated players coaching my most hated team, this is what Saturday night hockey is all about in my opinion as it adds that extra level of spice and excitement.<br />
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Despite that fact that in 2 seasons as coach at the Steelers he was unable to bring them a trophy, last season in particular I always thought that tactically the Steelers had our number and were able to nullify our attacking threat pretty effectively. So from my perspective and I acknowledge this isn't one that had the benefit of watching the Steelers on a regular basis, had they managed to not lose their discipline during key points during games then maybe the Panthers would have had to wait a little longer for their first league title.<br />
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There is a lot of pressure of Finnerty now, which you would think contradicts the fact that he has moved up to Glasgow. But he has a point to prove. No trophies of the 6 available during his time in Sheffield and the playing budget he will have been given in Sheffield won't have been to be sniffed at either. <br />
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However after a slow start, I have to say I am impressed with his recruitment. First Matt Haywood who I think is developing into a decent Brit re-signed and he will hope he can kick on from his 30 point haul last season. When the signing of Chris Frank was announced I was beginning to get a little concerned, almost hoping that this wasn't the start of what I thought was part of the Steelers/Finnerty's 'Goon Squad' from last season. However the only other Steeler to follow Finnerty north to date is Lee Esders and unfortunately I feel that Clan fans are going to find out that his mouth far exceeds his talent.<br />
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Other additions to the Clan squad include Scott Aarssen, Shane Lust and Ed McGrane who looks like a quality player. But the thing that would be pleasing me the most as a Clan fan is that none of these players look like they spend alot of time in the penalty box. I am hoping this means that Finnerty has grown as a coach and is developing a more disciplined and talented squad because with the Erhardt Conference shaping up to be more competitive this season there really is an opportunity for Braehead to mount a serious title challenge. You add to this the addition of Kevin Bergin as player/assistant coach who was one of my first 'favourite' players when I started watching the Panthers 4 years ago just because of his work ethic and tenacity and you have to respect what Braehead are trying to build for next season.<br />
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In other news, this week Panthers announced the signing of Bob Wren. Now I will be the first to admit that at first I wasn't impressed. He will turn 39 shortly after the season starts and despite the success of Ling last season, the Elite League next season seems like it is going to be a more physical place to play and skillful forwards are going to find their time on the puck limited. However after reviewing his career stats I have to say I am starting to warm to him. He doesn't look like he is afraid of spending time in the box and that can only be a good thing. The rest of his stats speak for themselves and we have to trust Neilson not to give him too much ice time. There was a thread started on the Cage Forum offering opinions on how we will line up next season and one recurring suggesting was Ling (assuming he returns), Loyns and Wren would be on the same line. Unfortunately for me this doesn't work for two reasons. Firstly because I don't think Ling will be coming back next season but secondly because if he does, I don't think Ling and Wren should be on the same line. I think they are very similar players and the opposition will find it too tempting to pack their defensive lines with big strong guys to try and neutralise the threat.<br />
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Lastly and probably not a surprise, the Steelers confirmed the signing of Frank Doyle. I don't think the press releases helped the guy as it made him sound more committed to his education so lets hope for all the Steelers fans sakes this isn't the case. However despite Doyle's quality, I think the Steeler's recruitment is still someway behind the rest of their conference rivals so far this summer and this is something I may look at in a future blog. They have another signing announcement tomorrow morning and that might change everything.............Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14358464296381769014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4392244356727701199.post-75571516733969957812013-07-06T22:19:00.000+01:002013-07-07T11:58:00.432+01:00Being Frank, Sorting The Cup & The Blaze Are Getting Hot!<p dir=ltr>I would like to start this blog with some attrition. Following my previous comments about Frank Doyle's move to Cardiff and why I found it unpleasing that he had seemingly reneged on a contract to potentially sign with the Steelers a number of days later, a number of people pointed out to me that it may well have been written into his contract that a free university place was available.</p>
<p dir=ltr>Not wanting to be known as one of those people who can't acknowledge when they are wrong, should it have been part of Doyle's contract that he was entitled to a university place which was subsequently withdrawn then I understand why he would have decided against moving to the Devils. I had a very interesting debate on Twitter the day my last blog was published where I tried to convey that it was a shame that seemingly one of the major lures for players who come over here is the education that can be offered and not necessarily the on ice product. People commented that as a league we are unable to offer the money to players that the European leagues can and that free education goes some way to counter that disparity. Although I understand the logic behind that, it still leads me to question the commitment of players on occasion when maybe they are reaching the end of their careers and the course on offer at the local uni is more of an important factor than the actual team they will be playing for. The Elite League and British Ice Hockey in general needs to raise its stature and importance so that perhaps somewhere down the line teams will firstly remain solvent and stable and secondly be able to afford a higher calibre of player.</p>
<p dir=ltr>Now I will be the first to admit I don't have all the answers as to how we achieve this, the setting up of the conference system has for now made the on ice product more exciting whilst helping some teams maintain financial stability, however I think it is time to look at the cup system.....</p>
<p dir=ltr>Last season as winners the Panthers played 14 games to win the Challenge Cup. Of these 14 games, 3 doubled up as league fixtures so there were essentially 11 additional fixtures added into the domestic league season. I think there is an argument to be made that this is too many and that the initial group stages where only the bottom team gets knocked out is largely a pointless exercise. So I had a couple of suggestions which may freshen up the competition whilst reducing the number of games played and these were:</p>
<p dir=ltr>1. All 10 Elite League Teams are drawn to play against each other from 'the proverbial hat' as they do in football. The initial round consists of a two legged tie. The five winning teams then enter a round robin stage however instead of playing the other four teams home and away, the fixtures are halved by playing home fixtures against half of the group and away fixtures against the other half. Each team in the group will have played four games, two home and two away. Lastly the top two finishing teams then play a two legged final. By the end of the competition, the winning team will have only played 8 games. I think the advantages here are that by the competition being shorter it may eliminate any doubling up of fixtures whilst the excitement will be added by the randomness of the draw.</p>
<p dir=ltr>2. My second idea, although I am unsure how feasible this is, is to open up the cup competition to all professional Ice Hockey teams in the country like the FA Cup. Qualifying could take place early on in the season until there are enough teams to stage a knockout tournament with two legged ties being played throughout the competition. I don't know whether the possibility of getting the Premier League clubs involved has been looked at before but if only they were involved, all that would be needed would be a way to get 20 teams down to 16. Perhaps one way of doing this is by allowing the top 6 finishing teams in the Premier League to qualify.</p>
<p dir=ltr>I don't think anyone would argue that whilst the Blaze enjoyed a fair amount of success under the stewardship of Paul Thompson whilst he was head coach, they had been under a slow decline for the past couple of seasons and a change was needed. I like the guy and what he has done for the sport in this country and I was one of a few who wanted his final send off to be with a play off final appearance. In has come Matt Soderstrom and so far I have been impressed with his recruitment to date this summer despite the recent disappointment of Schutte leaving for an alternative job opportunity back home. Back are Henrich, Egener and Olson from last year whilst Soderstrom has added some further quality in the signings of McMillin, Michael Henrich, Harvey, Ginand and new netminder Mike Zacharias who I suspect will only have to turn up to be more effective that Hirschy! Add to that returning Brit Ashley Tait and I think we could have an interesting 4 way title fight on our hands next season.</p>
<p dir=ltr>I only have one small concern. Thompson has now become Assistant Head Coach of Troja-Ljungby in Sweden but is still part owner and director of hockey operations at the Blaze. As head coach he is not going to be an easy act to follow, similar to that of David Moyes following Alex Ferguson at Manchester United (although I appreciate we are not talking the same scale) but I feel that for Soderstrom to have any sort of success next season and possibly and season afterwards he needs to do what he can to step out of Thompson's shadow. I am not going to comment on exactly what happens behind the scenes at Coventry, because I can't, but I hope that director of hockey operations is where is ends for Thompson and that Soderstrom is left to put his own personality on the Blaze team this season.</p>
<p dir=ltr>Lastly on a side note, I see alot of fans were berating the Steelers a while back for publicising the news that Lee Esders would not be resigning for them and joining Finnerty up in Braehead before Braehead had even announced the deal. It seems this week though that the Panthers may have joined in the acts of a classless nature as Peterborough have confirmed that Marc Levers has signed for them next season. Although I couldn't see anything on Marc's twitter feed to confirm or deny this, I wouldn't have thought that the Phantoms would be publishing this unless it was true. Many of you will have your own thoughts about Marc and his qualities but nobody can deny he has been a great servant to the club and at least deserved a piece on the official website thanking him for his service to the club. But it's ok, there is at least deals with Jurys Inn and Pizza Express.</p>
<p dir=ltr>So despite the fact I thought that he probably should have left last summer in order to find more regular playing time, I will do what the official site hasn't.............</p>
<p dir=ltr>Thank you Marc Levers for your professionalism, dedication, hard work and years of service to the Nottingham Panthers. You will be missed by many fans and I for one wish you the very best of luck in Peterborough.</p>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14358464296381769014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4392244356727701199.post-8099941463173594412013-07-03T13:11:00.002+01:002013-07-03T13:11:51.647+01:00Time to talk to Frank?As the rumours surrounding Frank Doyle's proposed move to the Steelers gather pace, I ask myself whether I am the only person outraged by this lack of professionalism?<br />
<br />It was first announced that Doyle had signed for the Devils on 17th May. On 26th June only 40 days later, Doyle has decided he is no longer going to honour his contract because he can no longer study the course he wanted at Cardiff Uni.<br />
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Now don't get me wrong, I understand that for many American/Canadian Ice Hockey players the Elite League probably isn't their first choice and that clubs do need to offer something to entice players of a higher calibre and free education is one of those perks. The Panthers benefit from their link with the University of Derby and that almost certainly went someway to helping us sign Ling and Francis to name but a few. <br />
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But I am struggling to get my head around a few things. Firstly, what has occurred between the Devils and Cardiff Uni or just at Cardiff Uni in those 40 days which means Doyles course is no longer available? Doyle wouldn't have been the only one to suffer and it seems a bit late in the day to be withdrawing courses. Secondly and most importantly to me, Doyle has signed a contract with the Cardiff Devils and that is to play Ice Hockey, simple as that. The free education is just a perk. He therefore has a responsibility to the organisation, his team mates and their supporters and it frustrates the hell out of me when this responsibility is abused is this manner. Ok so the guy is 32 and reaching the end of his hockey career and needs to think about what he is going to do for the next 30 years, I understand that, but what sort of message does this send out to other players looking to sign contracts in our league? That's ok Jimmy D Man why don't you sign for the Devils because if you change your mind next month it won't matter one little bit.<br />
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So he'll probably sign for The Steelers. Not that you can necessarily blame them for this. He is now a free agent and they need a netminder after rightly deciding that Drop It DeCaro isn't the way to go this year. But you have to question Doyle's commitment. Is he here to play Ice Hockey or to get an education? The Devils organisation has conducted themselves with dignity throughout and for that they deserve credit. But something needs to be done to protect the integrity of the league and the contracts that are handed out. Personally I would like some sort of regulation that says he can't sign another contract in England this year but I am guessing that's too much to ask for.......<br />
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On another note, if the rumours are true and Marc Levers is to sign with Peterborough Phantoms for the new season then I want to wish him the best of luck. Whilst he never was the most productive forward in the league, his versatility and energy on the penalty kill were both to be admired. It can't have been easy for him getting so little ice time over the last few seasons and I was surprised he didn't leave last summer. But like any professional athlete, I suspect Marc just wants to play hockey and I wish him the best of luck at his new club should the rumours become reality.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14358464296381769014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4392244356727701199.post-64585920305683756542013-06-27T12:53:00.000+01:002013-06-27T12:53:36.051+01:00The Champions League: Could it work for British Ice Hockey?I read Mick Holland's recent piece in The Evening Post about how Panthers chief Neil Black is targeting a 'Champions League' style tournament for European ice hockey teams. For those of you who haven't read it the link is as follows:<br />
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<a href="http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/Nottingham-Panthers-chief-targets-place-new-Euro/story-19384435-detail/story.html#axzz2XEF9KbJd" target="_blank">http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/Nottingham-Panthers-chief-targets-place-new-Euro/story-19384435-detail/story.html#axzz2XEF9KbJd</a><br />
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This is not the first time a story linking the Panthers and European hockey has been published and it got me thinking about whether this is as good an idea as Neil Black seems to think it is....<br />
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I don't think any Panthers fans or any fans of other Elite League teams for that matter would object to seeing good standard European teams playing on their ice during the season. Midweek games suffer from poorer attendances than those of their weekend counterparts and this would certainly boost revenue in the league in a time when you have to wonder how many of the 10 teams are actually turning a profit throughout the season. However it is all well and good saying that the 'Ice Hockey Champions League' will potentially replace the Continental Cup, the reality is that at this present time we can't even complete our own domestic cup competition without doubling up league and cup fixtures. So assuming that the Elite League takes a position similar to the Premier League and the top 3 or 4 teams qualify for the competition, that means more often than either the Panthers, Giants, Steelers, Blaze or Devils will be the ones involved. You add another 13 fixtures to their calender and there will be no alternative but to have more league and cup fixture doubling up which could mean a loss of income for those teams who really need it.<br />
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The idea isn't without its advantages however. There is no denying that the Elite League struggles to get any mainstream media coverage and this may change that. Additionally, an continual exposure to a better standard of players both as opposition and as team mates due to increased playing budgets, will help the development of GB players in the long term.<br />
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My overall opinion though is that despite the glamour and excitement of a regular European competition, the Panthers, along with the rest of the Elite League need to focus on ensuring we have a sustainable league to compete in next season, 5 or even 10 years time. I would much prefer to see efforts focused on having all participants in the league being on a sound financial footing so that maybe we can begin to operate a league system with promotion and relegation like in football. The adoption of the conference system was a step in the right direction but we still need to sort out the cup competition as it still is a largely over scheduled and not overly valued by fans.<br />
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On some separate notes, news has come through that Frank Doyle won't be joining the Devils for the upcoming season. This is a shame as he looked like a solid netminder and I certainly hope that as the calibre of signings in the league has increased this off season, other players don't follow Doyle's lead and decide to try their luck elsewhere.<br />
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Also Tony Hand has resigned as GB coach. I am not going to say I am disappointed by this news as I thought the team was going backwards a little under his stewardship. Latest rumours have Corey and Paul Adey being touted as joint coaches. Although I think this is a bad idea from a Panthers perspective as I would prefer Corey to concentrate on the Panthers and nothing else, I would like to see GB appoint a coach who is not only British (I still think there is something to be said for the pride of coaching your own country) but doesn't have a club side to manage. I think a full time national coach would benefit the system greatly as the scouting and coaching would improve. However I suspect the budget isn't there for this to happen and I am pretty sure I also saw the job advertised on Twitter!<br />
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Lastly the trend this off season seems to be the recruitment of big, strong defensemen with most Elite League teams bulking up there defensive lines significantly. Not be outdone, the Panthers have signed 6ft7" D Man Brett Henley. I am looking forward to seeing him play and this along with the Salters signing means that Corey has addressed an area of concern I had last year. Whilst Lepine's skills on the puck had certainly improved, many of his fights had become hugging sessions and I felt that towards the end of the season it was left to Beckett to stand up and be counted. As many have commented, the signing of Henley should give Salters a little more freedom to throw is weight around and that isn't such a bad thing when you consider how many in the league like to chirp! <br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14358464296381769014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4392244356727701199.post-57142838554752750732013-06-18T16:58:00.001+01:002013-06-18T16:58:37.128+01:00The 2013/14 fixtures are out but you know it's quiet when there is only cricket to follow!Monday saw the release of the fixtures for the 2013-2014 Elite League season which for some (and myself included!) was a highlight in a pretty slow and painful off season. For myself and many other Panthers fans, two Scottish road trips and a final weekend trip to Belfast were the highlight of the upcoming season. Questions will be asked over the logic of whether a game on New Years Eve is a good idea, but all in all I was happy if for no other reason than we had foolishly booked a holiday for the first week in September and we are going to miss the season opener which thankfully is against Hull as opposed to the Steelers or the Blaze (no disrespect intended Stingrays fans!). In addition, the second Scottish weekend falls the day after my wife's birthday so that's as good as an excuse as any to make our maiden visits to see the Clan, Flyers and Capitals on the road!<br />
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So that got me thinking about Corey Neilsons recruitment strategy this summer.....<br />
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Things have been quiet, just take a look at The Cage Forum, but was it to be expected? Is it that we have signed more players than we are letting on and are simply drip feeding signings throughout the summer? It was always going to be difficult retaining the majority grand slam winning roster as with success comes attention and with attention comes more lucrative offers. However early indications suggest to me that many of last seasons import league winners aren't coming back to Nottingham.<br />
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Captain Jordan Fox has signed up in North America for a player/coach role, Lepine and Wilson are also openly trying to get a contract over there too. Many will have also read the recent news article which indicated that Ling may well have played his last competitive hockey game. Some may be hoping that no news is good news in respect of Beckett, Gallivan, Werner and Graham. This coupled with the fact that Matty Myers has returned to home to Cardiff may be leaving Panthers fans wondering whether last seasons league triumph was just a one off?<br />
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I would say it's too early to judge that yet. We have re-signed Lachowicz, Weaver, Francis, Benedict and Norton whilst Clarke, Lee and Kowalski were on multi-year deals. In addition to that Neilson has added new players in Boxill, Loyns, Caparo and Salters. It is my view that Boxill could be a replacement for Levers who is yet to sign (that I am aware of) but for me the one I am most looking forward to seeing play is Leigh Salters. <br />
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Alot of Panthers fans thought very highly of Kelsey Wilson last season but from where I was sat I just didn't get it. I am all for intimidating the opposition however he was at times a complete liability and didn't put up the numbers to justify it either. Salters looks like a direct replacement and from what I have read can certainly handle himself. However if he can get the balance right we can have edge in the oppositions zone whilst also putting up numbers which benefit the team.<br />
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On a separate note I have to say I have been impressed with the recruitment undertaken by Coventry and Cardiff and expect them to be far more competitive this year which is certainly a good thing for the league and conference. I also think that anyone who thinks that Rob Dowd is the messiah in Sheffield needs to look at themselves seriously and until they have signed a decent net minder they aren't serious contenders in my opinion.<br />
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So lastly I ask the question 'What are most Panthers fans hoping for in next season?'<br />
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Last season was special, extremely special and I am privileged that I got to see them win the three trophies and also that my two year old boy got to witness it, even though he won't remember too much of it!! Next season I hope we remain as competitive, give a proud showing in Europe to help raise the profile of UK hockey and that when we board the flight for that final weekend in Belfast, we are still in with a shout!!!<br />
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