SWINDON, UK – In the EPL Top Ten Charts last week there were a couple of changes with the big one involving netminders where Steeldogs’ Ben Bowns, who has been threatening all season, for the first time unseated Alex Mettam by a puck’s breath, a position Mettam has occupied forever. Steeldogs’ Coach Payette said after the weekend, ‘’The points haul is a tremendous achievement…The defence have been superb…as has Ben Bowns with his shut-out on Saturday.’
Adam Calder stayed top EPL points’ scorer but David Longstaff is no longer the top Brit having been replaced by Leigh Jamieson, although Longstaff and Jamieson top the Points Average Chart. Janis Ozolins is now the top goal scorer and no longer Martin Cingel, although Jamieson stays the top Brit Goal Scoring Chart. Longstaff, however, does stay top assist scorer of both EPL and the Brit chart.
Top EPL D-man is Chris Allen for another week, although Ben Morgan for the first time rose to the top of the British D-men Chart replacing Paul Dixon.
Ryan Watt displaced brother Nicky at the top of the Penalty-Takers Chart, but despite his absence Andrew Sharp remains top on game average. Jets take over from the Steeldogs as the most penalised team.
On to club news and the Wildcats in a controversial move going by the number of opinions expressed in opposition, released British forward James Knight. The reason given was that having lost netminder Tom Murdy to injury and acquired Dean Skinns, recently released by the Bison, as temporary cover, it was considered prudent to now offer Skinns a contract until the end of the year.
Coach Aldridge explained that when Murdy returns, with Skinns’ recent excellent performances he would have two netminders who he wanted competing for the number one slot.
What appears to have upset, and indeed confused, some people seems to be a multi-layered matter going back to the return of Aaron Nell in November. As we all know Nell is a player worth having back and immediately made an impact with his scoring average, but his return, while not appearing to cause any budgetary concerns did cause problems with the lines in that, basically, there was a forward too many. So, truth be known, the writing was on the wall.
However, since November there has been little change in the Wildcats’ league table position, so while something was clearly lacking many seemed to feel it was a defensive rather than scoring matter. Certainly with Michal Pinc, Jaroslav Cesky Jonus Höög, Nicky Watt and Nell in the higher echelons of the points chart, there is an argument in favour of that opinion.
And then things took a brow-creasing turn when it was decided Skinns was to be a permanent fixture and, according to the club, someone had to go to fund it, and that someone was Knight presumably deemed the surplus forward. Murdy, who has consistently hovered within one percent of third place in the EPL top ten netminders, so around 91%, is without doubt a worthy netminder. Skinns, on the other hand, edged into the top ten in the season’s first month and has not appeared there since. So although he had three excellent games for the Wildcats, not including the 7-2 loss to the Jets, you can see why some are confused why Aldridge would want him to compete for the starting slot when Murdy is fit again even if he, Skinns, should eventually become a top ten netminder. And of course this isn’t taking into account existing back-up Grahame Bird who is never used.
After some of the initial criticism the club added the rider Knight was not performing as hoped, and it is understandable if a forward has to go the least productive should be the one. Of course, we can only hope the change of club for Skinns is the new lease of life he needs and he must welcome the chance to prove his worth, but for Murdy, an established high-ranking netminder, it makes you wonder about his future.
So, as one fan put it, and here I try and put it more politely, the Wildcats have released one forward to accommodate another, claimed it is to fund a netminder they don’t need, and ignored the problem with defence. Well, maybe, maybe not, and I am not suggesting a club should pander to their supporters, but it does all look a bit bizarre.
Interestingly, following their third defeat in a row, lastly at the hands, or should that be paws, of the Wildcats, Flames coach Paul Dixon said, ‘Frankly, it was one of our better games in the last four or five including some of the ones we won.’ So to the Wildcats credit, they must have got something right.
But all was not quite as positive after the weekend. Coach Gareth Cox at the Bees was furious about the officiating of his sides defeat by the Bison. With the score 3-each and seconds away from the end of the middle period Bees’ netminder Carl Ambler left his crease to intercept a puck dumped into the high-slot but was obstructed by Bison’s Chris Wiggins when trying to return to his goal. Craig Tribe picked up the puck and filled the gaping empty net. To make matters worse, Bee’s captain Rob Lamey, in trying to argue the case with referee Anthony Decaux, picked up ten minutes for his trouble. The consequent disruption unsettled the Bees and they conceded two goals on power-plays in the third, and that was all she wrote. But not so Cox because he said, ‘It was the worst refereeing performance, from all three officials, that I have seen in a long time – it was terrible.’
On a less controversial note the Tigers signed British forward Tom Castle from the Hartford Junior Wolfpack in the Atlantic Junior Hockey League in the USA. Castle played a game for the Lightning back in 2004 and has played for the GB team at Under 19 level.
So on to the weekend, and Saturday.
Bison 0 – Phoenix 5
This was the final game between these two with the tally standing at three wins for the Phoenix, including two in Basingstoke, while the Bison can claim the last game and an earlier season 3-0 shut-out. What made this game more interesting was the Bison were on a five-game roll while the Phoenix were on a 6-game streak and, of course, the points are crucial for league position.
As it turned out, the closely contested first period where the Bison comfortably outshot their opponents but went a goal down, fizzled out and the remainder of the game didn’t live up to expectations as the Phoenix simply ran away with it partly thanks to a terrific effort from Steve Fone in goal, who chalked up his second shutout of the season, and partly from some poor Bison finishing which all went to extending the Phoenix winning run, and ending the Bison’s. Lighting 5 – Flames 6 The Lightning have beaten the Flames at home, in
Jets 11 – Tigers 2
The Tigers took a point off the Jets in their first meeting, but lost the second game in Slough. The Jets had only one win from their last five games, while the Tigers have three points from five games, and someone was going to pay for it. Bish, bash, bosh and the Jets were three goals up in ten minutes. A minute into the second Joe Henry pulled one back for the Tigers but by the half-way mark Adam Calder had his forth hat-trick of the season to lead the EPL, and Darius Pliskauskas had another three in the bag. In the week Tigers’ coach Tom Watkins had said his forwards had been lax in their defensive roll, and that would need to change, so the result is going to do nothing for his headache.
Steeldogs 6 – Bees 1
Meetings between these two have been tight with a one-goal win to the Steeldogs in Bracknell followed by a penalty win in Sheffield and a penalty loss in Bracknell.
Steeldogs have points from their last seven games, while the Bees have come from two losses. Make that three as the Steeldogs were on the scoreboard almost before the puck was cold, and although the first period was hard-fought by the half way they were in control with sustained pressure. The Bees were not helped by Lukas Smital missing some time and Rick Skene going off injured, but the final period belonged to the home-side, no doubts.
Wildcats 7 – Phantoms 3
The first to encounters between these two ended one-each but the second two were clearly the Wildcats, with the last a huge 8-1 in Peterborough. The Wildcats have five points from four games including a win over the Flames, while the Phantoms have just two points from their last six games.
So this was a vital game for the Phantoms as their playoff hopes fade, but the Wildcats had a five-goal unanswered lead after the first period, by which time it was all over. The second saw the Phantoms fight back with a pair, but it did nothing to affect the outcome.
On to Sunday.
Bees 3 – Wildcats 2 after overtime
The Wildcats lost the first game in this pair’s encounters at home and the following night avenged the defeat, and since then have won the two subsequent meetings both in Swindon.
The Bees entered this game with five losses under their belts, while the last away game for the Wildcats was a trouncing by the Jets. On balance the Wildcats should have taken control of the apparently weaker side, but the Bees were having none of it and took the lead through Shaun Thompson half way through the fist period. It was then half an hour before the Wildcats were on the score card with two quick goals by Cesky and Pinc. In the third the Bees were much stronger, grabbed the equaliser and the two points in overtime.
Flames 3 – Jets 4
The Flames and Jets have met twice, with a 4-1 home-win apiece. After last night’s victory the Flames are back into winning mode, but then so were the Jets. And it was the Jets who prevailed coming back from an early goal down on the half hour. Then, although immediately dropping two goals behind the Jets made the third period their own with three unanswered goals thereby dumping the Flames with a bump just when they thought losing was behind them. Or, as my old grand-pappy used to say about bad luck, ‘It is like bending down to pick up a coin you have found on the ground and plunging your hand into a cow pat.’
Phoenix 6 – Lightning 3
Although the Phoenix lost the first game between these two, the Lightning subsequently lost home and away so another battle royal could be expected between these two with everything to play for. Also, the Phoenix are now on their best run while the Lightning sit second in the table so everything to play for.
So off we went and it was Tom Duggan who was back for the Phoenix with a vengeance with two goals, the first within two minutes, and although the Lightning equalised early in the second period, they had to do so again five minutes later. But the third period was too much for the visitors as the Phoenix stuck in three more to continue their resurgence and gallop over the hill into the sunset with banners flying.
Phantoms 5 – Steeldogs 2
The Steeldogs have won three of the four clashes between this pair with the most recent a closely fought 2-0 shut-out. After last night the Phantoms now need some divine intervention as not much else seems to work for them at the moment, but against the Steeldogs, who now have five wins on the bounce, maybe the Incredible Hulk might be a better option.
In the event it was a fired up Phantoms who took the game to the Steeldogs and backed away from nothing in a game punctuated by skirmishes which saw Luke Ferrara go off bleeding and Damien King earn his crust. An opening goal by the Phantoms was overturned twenty minutes later and converted into a Steeldogs lead, but the Phantoms came roaring back with four goals without a reply showing just what they are capable of when their boots are all on the right feet.
Tigers 1 – Bison 3
Of the three meetings between these sides the Bison had a comfortable win, a 1-goal win and a penalty loss. So the Tigers couldn’t be without hope despite last night’s best-forgotten display because the Bison also showed they can be beaten given the right focus even when on form.
In a much better game for the Tigers, the Bison took nearly a period to establish a lead, but it was wiped out half way through the game by Joe Henry although re-establish minutes later. Even then the visitors didn’t get things all their own way and the Tigers pushed them all the way to the wire with only Matt Colclough in the Bison net and an empty net goal seconds from time by Viktor Kubenko finally sealing it.
So an exciting weekend with some important results, although a couple not what you would have put a few shillings on. The Flames, although still at the top of the table, are under siege from not just the Lightning, who had a dismal weekend, but now the Jets and Phoenix who both had four-pointers. The Bison are slipping back into the clutches of the Wildcats, and the Steeldogs although dropping a fraction, are far from being in fear of drifting afloat from the leaders. Meanwhile, the Phantoms and Bees, who both picked up points, are both still in contention for the last playoff place.
For more EPL facts and figures, stats news and more take a look at www.iceman-epl.com
Contact Bill.Collins@prohockeynews.com
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