SWINDON, UK – The Tigers started the week with what must be a tremendous boost to their moral and future prospects as an EPL club having completed their first four-point weekend. In fact, their first two wins on the trot. Having shown well against the Bison the previous weekend Coach Watkins said, ‘We carried a good performance from last weekend over to this, so we’ve had four really good games in a row.’ He went on to say, ‘At this point in the season I’m pleased to see how the players are sticking together.’
As a result of the weekend’s games Andre Payette jumped another three minutes per game in penalty minutes to an average of ten per game some 2.5 times more than his closest rival. With great things expected of Andrew Sharp in the chart he is at last bordering a top ten place on game average while Chris Wiggins returns to second place.
Phantoms’ Jeff Glowa entered EPL Top Ten Points Scorers’ Chart while Wildcats’ Lee Richardson entered the Top Ten British Players’ Goal Scorers Chart for the first time.
Mid-week saw the first leg of the EPL Cup final with the Bison hosting the Jets. Home-side coach Steve Moria said, ‘We are definitely the underdogs, but that is a tag this team thrives on. It is going to be a war…it’s going to be a battle. We know that and we will be prepared.’
Coach Russell’s stance, on the other hand, was, ‘In my view the Cup Finals are down to the team who comes out and plays the smartest, controls emotions and wins the battle. We will be aiming to be that team.’
In the event, both coaches were right because the Jets did come out and control the game with Adam Calder starting the scoring off after ten seconds and the Bison not equalising until the third period, although Ondrej Lauko did manage to clip the post twice. In the end it was the Jets that took a 3-2 win so a one goal lead to their own ice.
After the game Moria said he felt the Basingstoke fans would help decide the leg. ‘They will give us a good chance, they will spur us on and we need that inspiration,’ he said. Coach Russell understandably confident said his dressing room has, ‘a real professional mentality…full of winners.’
No so fortunate were the Bees who announced the loss of both their captain Terry Miles, who sustained a broken hand against the Steeldogs, and forward Scott Spearing, who received a leg injury a few weeks before against the Bison. Apparently that is the end of the season for both players, so the Bees really do look, well, stuffed.
With little else coming from the clubs this week it was onto Saturday’s games and the Bison were at home to the Flames and having to shore up a recent shaky home-ice run. Nathan Rempel started the whole thing off with a blitzing shot after a minute and for forty-five minutes the Flames were in control. But even with top EPL netminder Miro Hala missing from the visitor’s goal and a spirited recovery in the final fifteen minutes which saw the Bison leap from 1-5 down to within a goal, it just wasn’t enough to force the overtime, making that one win from six league games taking their worst losing run to four games.
In Slough the Jets faced the Bees and were ahead through Darius Pliskauskas just after a minute. But Michael Pinc not only replied but took the Bees into the lead, which must have been a bit of a shock for the Jets, but not for long as Pliskauskas made it 2-2 by period’s end. The Jets then settled into what has become their devastating recent form and took the middle stint easily but not quite so the third. Pinc was still fighting and claimed his hat-trick and then James Galazzi made it a single goal difference which was when Adam Calder stuck in two and effectively ended the matter.
The Tigers, hosting the Phantoms, must have been feeling quietly optimistic after their improved play and recent success over the Bison, and that must have been enhanced when Josh Bruce put them into the lead. But half way though the first came ten minutes of turmoil for the Tigers as James Hutchinson collected ten minutes and James Ferrara brought things level followed by three more goals in just over a minute. But despite this devastation the plucky Tigers fought back to within a goal with Scott McKenzie eventually making it 4-5, which might have been more with the resulting pressure which saw Lelenas collect ten minutes, but not quite.
In Milton Keynes the Lightning seemed to be in complete control of the visiting Steeldogs and what is beginning to look like a bit of a circus with Andre Payette seemingly more intent on searching out fighting partners than actually playing hockey. And, after last week’s refusal to shake Andrew Sharp’s hand at the end of the Phoenix game there were more antics according to some fans who claimed snubbing of supporters and even the Ozolins man-of-the-match award. Although it was Lightning’s Monir Kalgoum who picked up a fourteen minute penalty package as they raced along to a comfortable win, it does make you wonder how long the Steeldogs can continue in this vein which undoubtedly has produced benefits, but at a cost.
With a short bench and facing Manchester you would have thought the Wildcats were in for a rough ride, but in fact it was not so. Ben Morgan had complained, ‘It’s a long trip to Swindon…and while the surface is OK, it is not the greatest building and the dressing rooms are small and pokey.’ Dear, of dear, how do the Wildcats (and a few other clubs in similar circumstances for that matter) cope? No wonder he said he wanted to stay with the Phoenix.
And it must have been the effect of the cramped conditions that let Jonas Hoog take the home side into the lead and control the first period. Early in the second Ben Morgan left dripping in blood to his ‘pokey’ dressing room and James Knight was ejected for high sticks. Fortunately Morgan returned, the locker room conditions simply too much to bear, but sadly Tom Duggan didn’t reappear after a fall causing a shoulder injury. The Wildcats then went further ahead and the Phoenix must have thought they’d finally cracked it when Ben Wood and Steve Wallace scored to put them ahead. But then three amazing things happened: the home team drew level and Phoenix’s Tony Hand was presented with ten minutes for abusing an official! And the third thing was a somewhat fortunate winning goal for Manchester with minutes to spare.
On Sunday the Phoenix stayed home to face the Bison and probably weren’t too happy when once again it was the opposition which took the lead to end the first well in contention. The second was different, though, with Marcus Kristoffersson hitting in three and although the Bison clawed one back they fizzled out in the third and Mr ‘K’ slipped in his forth on the empty net. Still chasing the Phoenix although time is now running out, the Flames at home made short work of the Lightning. When Andy Hemmings claimed the fifth goal against his old club just after the half-way mark with only two in the bank reply it really was all over finally ending 7-3. Bracknell hosting the Tigers was a crucial game at the foot of the league and started in traditional fashion with Nicky Watt taking a personal moment with Andy McKinney on the one second mark. With that out of the way the game went into exciting mode with three goals in the next few minutes which saw the visitors 2-1 up. Early in the second the Bees drew level only for the Tigers to go ahead again, and the Bees draw level again. Gripping stuff. As the clock ticked down things got frenetic and with three minutes to go the Tigers took the lead again and in the dying seconds still managed to hit the framework twice which might have made the win even bigger.
Another important clash involving a team in the table’s red zone saw the Steeldogs at Peterborough with a much depleted bench and just one netminder. Yet surprisingly it was the visitors which took the lead through Janis Ozolins unassisted and short-handed. A minute later the Phantoms were back on terms to end the period, only Ozolins re-established the Steeldogs lead at the end of the second and Edgars Bebris added another five minutes from time. The Phantoms did pull one back with two seconds to spare and eventually put 54 shots on Ben Bowns giving him a dizzying tad over 98% save rate, so you might have thought they’d have come out of the clash a bit better. But fair play to the Steeldogs who worked hard for the win.
The Wildcats, in their second home game of the weekend, faced the Jets of whom Coach Aldridge had said, ‘If Adam Calder had been in Slough’s team all year I think they would be in a different place right now. I think they are probably the best team in the league.’
However, it was ex-Wildcats’ Ryan Watt who quickly put the visitors into the lead although they recovered minutes later thanks to their captain Lee Richardson. Around the half-way stage the wheel began to wobble and in five minutes the Wildcats found themselves three goals down. With a short bench again you might have expected something of a collapse, but instead a fight back ensued bringing the Wildcats tantalisingly close to what would have been a well-deserved point.
So, in the aftermath of the weekend the Bison have extended their worst losing run to four games. But what irony for the Tigers. Sunday started with the eighth play-off place three points away from the Bees with the Steeldogs, and although the Tigers won, which took them above the Bees in the table, so did the Steeldogs so the eight spot is now four points away.
If only ……..
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Contact the author Bill.Collins@Prohockeynews.com
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