SWINDON, UK – Monday of the new week started with something of a question: When is a match penalty a game penalty? On the previous Saturday the Flames went to Milton Keynes and during the ensuring battle Czech forward Martin Masa clocked Lightning captain Adam Carr with an accidental high stick which drew blood. Exit Masa with a er, um, ‘gamatche’ penalty; enter Rule 530 High-Sticking which, says essentially a player causing an ‘injury’ with a high stick ‘must’ receive a ‘match penalty’. This, a ‘match’ penalty, according to witnesses, is what the referee Dan Boardman called.
The following evening the Flames hosted the Bison, who they beat 5-3, complete with Masa who obviously was not suspended which presumably meant the call the previous evening had not, in fact, been a high-stick injury penalty. Hmmm. But there was blood and a high-stick call and the witnesses insisted that was what was called. Confusing the issue, as an import, Masa could not be replaced with a non-British trained player meaning the Flames should have three dressed on the bench and not the maximum of four.
The following day, now Monday, and a look at the gamesheet showed a ‘game’ penalty had been entered, which of course Masa served, and hence returned to face the Bison. But hold on a minute. Accidental high-sticks causing an injury MUST attract a match ban, which means the ref and witnesses were correct. A few days later Bison head coach Steve Moria understandably complained not just because his team lost, but, well, it just isn’t cricket. And while he commented that he didn’t expect anything to be done by the league, you have to wonder if that was partly because as head coach he signed the gamesheet, along with the ref who, rumour had it, had been suspended for a couple of weeks.
It goes without saying the Flames can only go by what is on the sheet, and as the league never corrects a mistake on a gamesheet and didn’t get in touch, as you would expect they played things by the book.
However, perhaps the league should have presented Moria with a Flames’ head on a platter, OK, just the 5-0 win for a void game, because on the third of the month the veteran player celebrated his fiftieth birthday.
Now just imagine when you were a nipper and if someone had asked if your old man was still playing football you would have probably said yes, but he has to have ten fags and spend four hours in the pub after to recover. Now what if they had said is your grandfather still playing hockey?
To get a modern perspective, I sent a text to my teenage nephew Kevin, who while a genius at any sport involving a keyboard, screen and an incomprehensible amount of death, has yet to master interaction with non-graphically produced animated bipeds. His response: ‘Yo isz YMBFJ nobde plz sprt tht old. U shr hz stl uliv.’ Of course, I could have put it better myself.
However, I for one admire Moria’s achievement which , as far as I am aware makes him the oldest player in the EPL with Phoenix’s Tony Hand next at 43, and then it is pretty much all young whipper-snappers. Teammates Nicky Chinn weighs in at 38 and Tony Redmond at 36. Paul Dixon at the Flames is 37, and Steeldogs’ Andre Payette is 34, then there is a couple of 32-year olds with Telford’s Tom Watkins and the Wildcats’ Ryan Aldridge.
Anyway, while the Flames might have been a tad lucky not to receive any reprisal for the Masa affair, they did get a surprise to discover their recent signing of less than three weeks, Canadian D-man Jeremy Van Hoof had, according to the Nottingham press, signed for EIHL Panthers. The Flames, while admitting to having been stunned by the news, saw the silver lining in that it solved a problem of ‘excess player management.’ Understandably, following the 11-2 mauling the Tigers received at the paws of the Wildcats last week, Coach Watkins was not a happy cub. He told his players that they either take the opportunities having been presented by the growing injury list and prove themselves on the ice, or face being dropped. He said of the Wildcats’ game, ‘We were outclassed and outsmarted. We made too many critical errors and didn’t get the basics right.’ All this wasn’t helped by the news that young British D-man Ross Hanlon had suffered a concussion, and wasn’t yet right in the head, so to speak. ‘You can’t be too careful’, said Watkins, ‘He’s having a scan and we will see where we go from there.’
Wildcats’ Coach Ryan Aldridge, on the other hand, said that although the Telford team ‘really weren’t very good,’ his Wildcats ‘weren’t that great either. One man who must have had something, though, was recent signing Jonas HÖÖG who is now averaging two points a game, something that isn’t being achieved by any player outside of Manchester.
In the Steeldogs camp, new head coach Andre Payette was happy with his first two games in charge, possibly because it gave the club their first four-point weekend. But it wasn’t all good news with Latvian Kristaps Pete requesting release because he was finding it difficult to meet his travelling and training commitments. This was compounded by the news Peter Vaisenan, who had returned to Canada in November for surgery on an injured shoulder was found to have sustained more damage than previously thought, and there were now doubts about whether or not he would return this season.
While on the subject of bad news it was revealed Canadian Chris Allen, who had been absent from the Phantoms bench for oh, ages, but who made a surprise appearance at the weekend had been signed by Merano in Italy. Or not. It was reported the deal fell through and he was recalled by the Phantoms but had not dotted an ‘i’ somewhere on his ITC form, so was actually ineligible to play although, apparently, the result is to stand.
One good thing for the Lightning, though, was Monir Kalgoum managed a full training session in the week, so presumably near return from his injury which put him out of action a month ago, although that didn’t happen this weekend.
Saturday, and just four games with the Phoenix and Flames having a night off.
The Wildcats met the Tigers again, this time on home ice, and apart from a closer twenty-one minutes by which time it was 1-apiece there was another avalanche of goals led by magician Jonus Hoog who bagged another six points. The win gave the Wildcats the biggest home-and-away double headed victory in the EPL this season.
The Jets hosted the Lightning with Blaz Emersic retuning to his old club for the first time. There was talk the Slovakian was banned from the Slough rink, which seems incredibly stupid if true, and further talk Lightning GM Vito Rausa issued his own threat to not play if that occurred. In the end Emersic got a warm reception at the opening line-up from the Slough supporters.
After a mixed first period, the Jets seemed to gain control with Adam Calder grabbing two more early in the second period as the Jets pulled away to a comfortable half way lead. But, seven minutes later it was 4-4 until Sheppard snapped a brace and Slava Koulikov sealed it with an empty net goal, although Joe Greener deserves a mention for his five assists.
The Bees faced the Phantoms and, as tends to happen in Bracknell, things got off to a fiery start with Darius Lelenas being called for a questionable ‘charging’ penalty and disputing it with the ref who promptly gave him ten minutes. Not to be outdone, Lelenas attempted to push home his point and with the ref having a pointier point, he gave him another ten minutes.
With Glowa, Carlon and James Ferrara all back in the Phantoms side, it was a bit of a surprise when Cesky put the visitors ahead at the end of the first period, but it didn’t last long and the Bees were always chasing but never quite matching and at the final buzzer Nicky Watt took a slice out of Phantoms’ guest Rob McDonald and was rewarded with 2+2+10.
What better birthday present than a hat-trick? And that is what Steve Moria found himself with as the Bison took on the Steeldogs in Basingstoke. It was the visitors who opened the scoring through Janis Ozolins, and Moria who equalised. Then the home side went into the lead, and Lloyd Gibson who equalised. Ozolins got his second and again the home side through Bronnimann who played catch-up. And that was only the first period! The second saw the hard-working Steeldogs far from out-played and only Moria who added to the scoreline, sewing it up with his third seconds from the end.
Sunday, and the Phoenix go marching on with a pretty straight forward win over the Bees, although it was their Brits that did most of the damage for a change and especially Tom Duggan who collected a hat-trick early in the second period. The Bees revival seems to be faltering with only wins over the Wildcats and a couple of odd points to shout about since they ground the Bison into mince at the beginning of January.
Meanwhile the Phantoms’ revival appears to be going more according to plan with a four-point weekend, two of which came from a dicing up of the Flames with an almost two-to-one shots-on-goal ratio. Lelenas and Glowa started the damage almost from the off and although the Flames managed to put things on an equal footing half way through the first period, from then on it was all catch-up with Lelenas again proving what a sensible lot of fans support the Phantoms, and the rare sight of Miro Hala not between the Guildford pipes for the final 20.
The Bison charged off at Milton Keynes with Mindy Kieras and Nicky Chinn both scoring within six minutes, but by the first break all was equal. And that is how it stayed in a close-fought battle right up to full time. The overtime period didn’t break the deadlock either, and it was left to the Lightning to sort it out on penalties.
What a great result it was for the Tigers. After two humiliating defeats at the hands of the Wildcats, the Tigers leapt out with claws sharpened as Scott MacKenzie slotted the first one in after ten minutes which, by the first break, could have been more. And it soon was as new-boy Nathan Salem added the second. Calder pulled one back for the Jets around the half hour, and then Daniel Croft shot almost the full length of the rink for Tigers’ third. The Jets fought back and at a goal down with three minutes to go looked like they might force the overtime, but it just wasn’t their night, and you have to wonder what Coach Watkins is putting in the feed.
Which just leaves the Wildcats who went to Sheffield to face Andre Payette at the helm for the first time and conceded an early goal, which the Wildcats are apt to do, but they fought back and with the help of an Egidijus Bauba hat-trick and an outstanding James Hadfield in goal, came away with a rare four-point weekend.
So, a mixed night but the extra point for the Basingstoke side meant they increased their lead over fourth placed Jets, while the Phoenix consolidated their position at the top.
This coming week sees a couple of mid-week fixtures, both of which should be interesting. The Tigers meet the Steeldogs and the Wildcats go to Bracknell, which means there is the possibility of Telford rising from the bottom of the table.
Can’t wait!
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Contact the author Bill.Collins@Prohockeynews.com
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