SWINDON, UK – Well the season may be over and the memories slipping away to be filed along with the highlights of previous years, but it wasn’t as though things went quiet.
It doesn’t seem possible it was only a week ago that Jets’ coach Doug Sheppard failed to agree terms for another year and handed in his notice, stuffed his kit into his saddlebags and cycled over to Basingstoke to fill the vacancy left by Steve Moria. Sheppard signed on with the Bison for a year, fulfilling what was not the best kept secret in the world with even the char lady on the railway station passing on the rumour to boarding commuters. Sheppard declared it to be his intention to, ‘establish a substantial programme that contributes to the development of hockey in the UK.’ Exciting stuff, so a place to watch with interest.
But as Sheppard walked in the front door, three players walked out the back. Last season’s captain Nicky Chinn along with fellow British forward Chris Wiggins were both tipped to be on the bus to Milton Keynes, where Canadian forward Nick Poole was announced as staying at the helm for another season, his eleventh. In EPL terms such longevity makes him eligible for a long-service medal, but at least he returned in time to greet Wiggins who arrived later in the day bringing with him the suggestion he would bring an ‘edge’ to the side. Presumably that means something to do with his average of almost four penalty minutes per game, second only to Adam Greener of the Jets, which makes team mate Grant McPherson’s 3 minutes per game look like he isn’t trying. The third to depart was netminder Matt Colclough who signed for the Wightlink Raiders in the ENL despite ending the season as the forth highest netminder to concede a goal by frequency rate and seventh by save rate.
Meanwhile in Slough the gap left by Sheppard was filled, at least temporarily, by Craig Moran, an assistant coach with the ENL side, and player Adam Greener. Jets’ director Steve English explained their task was to identify new personnel who would strengthen the side and to, ‘broker deals with the members of last year’s team that we want to retain.’
Another club considering their head coach options was Peterborough where Chris Allen had made it clear he was prepared to return even if it meant purely as a player. In the event the club rooted around and came up with Jon Kynaston who was actually on the doorstep and already heavily involved with the sport including at GB level. It is actually the second time Kynaston has been called to the Phantoms’ bench having had a spell in 2005, and more recently assisted Allen as a bench coach during some latter home games last season when he advocated a more physical approach by the Bretton crew.
Kynaston commented: ‘There are players that we would like to re-sign for next season and there are other targets we are looking at out there too, so the sooner we act the better.’
And he meant it because almost before the ink was dry on his contract he had the exciting Ferrara boys on board, plus top British D-man Joe Graham, top-scoring Brit Tom Carlon and top-scoring import Ondrej Lauko. Quite a shopping bag full of talent which just goes to show it pays to get up early when the sales are on. But, no mention of Allen as yet, so does that mean he has been left on the shelf?
Not on the shelf is British D-man Shane Moore who was re-signed by the Wildcats for what will be his fifth campaign.
Sadly for the Tigers, though, another player to leave his club was Scott McKenzie one of the league’s top British goal scorers. Coach Watkins was full of praise for the triple award winner and wished him well, but he will be sorely missed. Well, maybe he won’t in one sense because he was reported to be moving to another EPL side, so will be playing against his old team mates in a few months.
Also out went British forward Josh Ward who iced for the Nottingham Panthers seven times last season while with the Phoenix, and has now signed on for the EIHL side full time. Also en-route to the EIHL is Lightning’s British D-man Tom Norton who signed for Nottingham.
Staying with the Elite League the saga of the Hull Stingrays continued with a management statement issued by the club stating they were committed to remaining in the EIHL. All well and good, but with three potential owners and some disagreement over costs and, most importantly, the council who own the rink having yet to establish how the ice contract will be decided, it is a matter of watch this space.
And while we are watching this space we had the almost bizarre case of the signing by the Steeldogs of Tom Squires from the EIHL Steelers after turning down a 2-way deal with the Tigers. While his ex-boss briefly called it ‘the wrong decision’ his new boss Andre Payette said Squires, ‘needs to play and score goals, and he’ll do all that here.’ So, presumably as far as the head coaches go, that was it.
OK, so it may well be Squires has turned down, ‘the best 2-way contract you can get at this level.’ True or not, obviously Squires and the Steeldogs were happy to do so, and that doesn’t mean it was the only option available, which clearly it wasn’t, but that really should have been the end of the matter.
Sadly it wasn’t and someone best not mentioned had to have a tantrum which was levelled at Squires and the Steeldogs. ‘We have seen players before who want to take the easy option,’ came the rant, ‘staying in their home town and playing with their pals.’ So there you go, Tom, your going to get an easy ride with Payette and the Steeldogs next season while you swan around with your buddies. Ummm, then maybe not. Wasn’t it the Steeldogs who were the only EPL side to play two games against the EIHL in last year’s pre-season games when they put five past the Stingrays for a draw and lost by only a goal to the Steelers?
Unfortunately things got even more pathetic as the drivel went on to include netminder Ben Bowns who last season also iced for the EIHL Stingrays, which despite what had been improving relations between the two Sheffield clubs, was regurgitated in what appeared an attempt to cause friction. The Steeldogs, it was claimed, ‘seem to have made their decision on where they stand when they tied up with Hull.’
What nonsense and no wonder the Steeldogs felt forced to ‘set the record straight’ with their own more level-headed response. ‘We have no affiliation with the Hull Stingrays,’ it stated, which everyone knew anyway, but then added what all clubs and head coaches subscribe to: ‘our main obligation is to all our players to help them as hockey players to the best level possible.’
So let’s have no more of the sour grapes. I’m in favour of controversy as much as the next fan but these comments were naïve, provocative and did nothing for the sport, let alone Sheffield hockey relations. So there!
But to finish on a brighter note, and what better than to know we won’t have to wait quite as long for our hockey? English Ice Hockey Chairman Ken Taggart advised the Coventry finals will be moved forward next year to relieve pressure on the international games, which means the whole shebang must start a week earlier.
Can’t wait!
For more EPL facts and figures, stats, news and more take a look at www.iceman-epl.com
Bill.Collins@prohockeynews.com
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