EPL Roundup – Soap and Ice

SWINDON , UK –  As you would expect the Scimitars’ saga continued with Jon Rowbotham finally speaking out in an impassioned statement. ‘False rumours’ and certain elements associated with the club inciting others to ‘clannish behaviour’ was the reason he gave for quitting hockey, and which he felt was destroying the sport in Sheffield. By all accounts his outburst and action was a bit of a surprise too with the likes of assistant coach Matt Darlow saying, ‘He is a good friend and this news is terrible for me, Sheffield and GB hockey.’ Apparently, so miffed was Rowbotham he resisted all pleas to rethink his decision.
 
But there was more. At the end of the week Scimitars’ owners Ian Johnson and Gary Aspley informed the EPL management they would not be entering a team in the league this season, and resigned! The good news is the talking continues, although no mention of the Steelers now, and an unnamed person associated with the Sheffield Academy is being referred to as the new ‘potential’ owner.
 
One thing that was clear coming out of the Sheffield camp, however, was Elite League Hull announced they had finally managed lure James Archer from the Scimitars. The young GB forward played seven games for the Stingrays last season on a two-way deal and had turned down two previous requests to make the move in toto, so third time lucky. Or unlucky, I suppose, if you are in the Scimitars’ corner.
 
And so onto another soap. Phoenix coach Tony Hand said he had spoken to Robert Farmer, who was still in North America, and somewhat paradoxically stated he wasn’t sure what the young British forward was doing having failed to sign for US team Dubuque. With a Phoenix contract already in the bag you might have thought his future was clear, but with Farmer not home yet and Hand’s sympathetic support it all suggested something else was in the air. And in the air, that something was.
 
Hand had gone on to reiterate he wouldn’t be signing any imports in a hurry, even saying, ‘I’m surprised…other teams have moved as early as they have.’ Hmmm. So far thirty-two foreign players are signed up for the season with at least one placed in every team other than the Phoenix, so can it really be that nine teams have not just ‘moved’ but almost completed their import signings ‘early’?
 
Anyway, days later Farmer phoned home with the news the thing in the air had roosted and he was moving to Canada having signed for the Ottawa 67’s of the Ontario Hockey League. And then, blow me, the Phoenix announced a ‘hard-hitting European D-man’ was about to sign. Don’t you just love all this intrigue?
 
As an amusing footnote I smiled when I read in the US press that Farmer, had he been signed by one of the NHL teams reportedly having shown an interest in him, would have become the first British player to be drafted into the NHL. Wrong! I think his boss has that distinction and Colin Shields of EIHL Belfast Giants was the second of still only two players in that position; both Scots. So, while Farmer would have been the first Englishman to be drafted, he would have been the third Brit. Ain’t geography education marvellous?
 
Meanwhile, after last week’s pop at Bees’ Coach Gareth Cox about whether or not his ENL signees were up to it physically, in what sounded like another jab Bees Slovakian forward Peter Jasik was asked to explain his injury problems of last season. ‘My knee was fine by the end of the season… and my back is better since I’ve had a break and is fine as well.’ That’s great, of course, but you can’t help wonder where this is going, if anywhere and reminded me of a proverb my old grand-pappy used to quote: A bird can sing with a broken wing, but you can’t pluck feathers off a frog. OK, so I have no idea what he was on about either.
 
Now back to the real world and the Tigers, however, do seem to know what they are on about and made a triple signing of interesting GB Under-18 players. Luke Brittle (F), youngest brother of the four hockeying Brittle boys and who was the second highest scorer in the ENL last season when he played with the Titans, was one. Then there was D-man Daniel Scott who was captain of the GB team in Poland recently who signed on a 2-way deal with EIHL Coventry, and last but not least netminder Declan Ryan from ENL Metros of whom Coach Watkins said, ‘Declan is a future number one goalie.’
 
Phantoms’ long-serving D-man Julian Smith, with nearly ten years under his skates, signed for the ENL Romford Raiders, while Jets signed British forward Scott Spearing from the Bison where he’d had an injury hit season that dented his knee and his form but which now looks to be behind him.
The Bison signed Carl Graham (GBR) from the Bees completing their defensive line up. Boss Steve Moria said of Graham: ‘He will add a little bit of grit to the defence.’
 
Backup netminder Glen Jackson left the Wildcats for ENL Romford where he will receive more ice time. Jackson was a product of the Raiders junior programme and had played backup to Carl Ambler before joining Swindon. Also on the move from the Wildcats was forward Gareth Endicott (GBR), who coached ex-EPL Wightlink a couple of years ago. Endicott said he wanted to pursue that side of his game so he joined Oxford Stars in the ENL as player and assistant coach to former Wildcats’ coach Ken Forshee. Joining him was former Wildcats’ captain and stalwart D-man Wayne Fiddes who lost nearly a complete season two years ago through injury. Coach Ryan Aldridge said he had played with both ‘Fidds’ and ‘Axa’ since the age of ten, so the split must have had a touch of poignancy about it.
 
Nothing poignant or otherwise from Milton Keyes, though, because once again there was nothing to report playerwise, so that’s another week wrapped up.  
   
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Contact the author Bill.Collins@Prohockeynews.com