SWINDON, UK – At last, after the fourth week, we now have enough results to produce our Top Tens Charts with a spread in the figures wide enough to thin the overcrowding in the lower positions. This is not normally an issue with netminders, and it is perhaps unsurprising it is the Lightning’s Alex Mettam who has displaced Tigers’ Martin Clarkson for that top slot. For the rest of the pack, the Jets’ Adam Calder is clearly leading the EPL in points scored, as he also does in goals. The top Brits, however, are Guildford’s David Longstaff heading the points’ chart, Wildcats’ Nicky Watt on goals and Phoenix’s Tony Hand on assists. So all taking shape nicely.
Into the week five and in common with some other teams the Phoenix are suffering from ill-afforded injuries. Most worrying for them is the ankle injury plaguing Czech D-man Jaroslav Spelda which has now resulted in his hospitalisation for an infection which is likely to keep his sense of humour in a sling and a leg in hock for an indefinite period. But as Coach Tony Hand pointed out, ‘These are things you have to contend with in this game,’ adding wistfully, ‘but it would be nice to get some healthy bodies back.’
The Phoenix, though, aren’t the only ones after a healthy body because the Wildcats lost captain Joe Baird a number of weeks ago and recently the Tigers gave up Juraj Senko to a dislocated shoulder while the Lightning lost Juraj Gracik with a similar injury. But most unhappy of all must be the Phantoms who before the season even started lost Shaun Yardley with an already long-term back problem which has since ruled him out for the whole campaign.
Clearly also missing something from their start to the season are the Bison who sought to make changes and announced the release of Slovakian forward Marek Dubec following this weekend’s games. Coach Steve Moria explained it was not particularly his less than a point a game that was the issue and even that, ‘…he is an incredibly skilful player, but we need more physicality and size.’ So did that mean he had failed to live up to his contractual obligation to grow during the initial phase of the season, or perhaps it was his six feet and thirteen-and-a-half stones just didn’t quite cut it? (For those of you of a metric disposition, I am sure you can work it out for yourself.)
Probably the latter because days later it was announced Slovakian forward Viktor Kubenko, who quit the club in May to play in his homeland with HK Detva, was back on board with his extra three inches in height and stone-and-a-half in weight. Oh yes, and the little matter of an extra point a game.
However, it was a few days before this when Slovakian forward Erik Bochna became the first casualty of the season when he received his marching orders from the Phantoms, who made no promise of an immediate replacement. Coach Allen insisted the release was not because of a lack of entries on the scoresheet, ‘…but I just don’t think he had the work-rate I need from my team.’ Captain Jeff Glowa added, ‘We are trying to boost the squad and not just bring people in for the sake of it. I think there are better things to come.’ Could one of those better things be in the shape of Ondrej Lauko, who also quit the Bison in May to play in his Slovakian homeland? The club are saying nothing, so make of that what you will but remember: We Didn’t Start the Rumour. Oh no, that was Billy Joel, wasn’t it?
Definitely not a rumour was the Tigers also having a bit of a spring-clean which included the news that Jiri Hanzal had been told to pack his mop and bucket. ‘Releasing Jiri has not been an easy decision,’ said Coach Watkins of the Czech forward, who, apparently, ‘for whatever reason he has not found the scoring touch.’
Also on the move from the Tigers was British forward Dean Holland who asked to leave the club due to travelling difficulties. He almost immediately signed on with Dundee in the Elite League and, a few days later, Whitley Warriors in the ENL, while Andy McKinney stayed home and signed a 2-way with EIHL Hull. Coach Watkins didn’t express great concern at the double loss saying he felt his squad could take up the slack and there were no immediate plans for replacements.
After last weekend’s defeat of the Bees Coach Payette at the Steeldogs said, ‘The players played their hearts out and this was one of the best games I’ve been part of with the Steeldogs.’ This inspired some ‘vigorous’ gym and ice training sessions this week which probable involved more raw meat and whippings with birch twigs in sub-zero temperatures up in the Parkwood Springs ski village. But the gentle caring approach must work because Steeldogs’ tails are up and cold, healthy noses are pointed towards Telford and Peterborough for the coming weekend’s points. Payette added his squad was, ‘starting to believe this could be a really special season.’ The question mark, however, must be a missing a head coach, as was the case last weekend, which cannot be a good thing even if he is currently the most productive D-man in the league. Oh, and the biggest penalty-taker.
Meanwhile Coach Cox, now also more buoyant said, ‘The league is so tight at the moment a couple of wins can move you right up the table, so we will be going all-out this weekend.’ While Jets’ Coach Sheppard concurred with, ‘It’s so tight at the top of the board that every point is crucial, so it’d be good to get a run and play the way we can.’
Which brings us nicely on to Saturday once again which proved all the statements to be correct, if not actually becoming the norm.
In Swindon a positive Coach Aldridge said of the coming clashes with the Phoenix and Flames, ‘We know both teams are definitely beatable.’
Well, yes and no because the Wildcats, who in seven games have only managed to wrest a point from a penalty win and a penalty loss from the Phoenix, comfortably showed them the door in Swindon with four decent goals, including a deft cameo from Michal Pinc around the Manchester defence and a neat interception by Jaroslav Cesky for his second and the empty-net killer. Coach Hand, however, had commented after the previous weekend’s loss against the Jets: ‘We’ll regroup and get our campaign back on track next weekend.’ Well, after this result, that’s a maybe.
The Jets, who hosted the Flames, took the lead after a minute but Rick Plant restored the balance shortly after in an even first period. Then the home side dug in, snatched a goal thanks to Adam Calder, and after a pause for Jez Lundin and Ryan Watt to discuss the merits of private education which got a tad out of hand, went on to wrap it up with two more goals through Darius Pliskauskas giving the Jets a third win in a row which in this league is something of an endangered species.
Also bordering on extinction were goals, at least in Basingstoke. One was spotted by Leigh Jamieson after thirteen minutes and bagged in a solo effort for the Lightning, but that was about it as a feisty game grew scrappier with all manner of disagreements about how to colour-coordinate accessories. But there was also plenty of exciting stuff like the Bison outshooting the Lighting bigly in the final period and a defence that didn’t leak like the previous two games meaning the Bison were left a little unlucky not to have got more out of it; although I did hear they won the argument that pink simply does not go with red, dahlink.
Talking of red brings to mind the clash between the Steeldogs and visiting Tigers. Coach Watkins had said, ‘There is no reason we can’t play with any of the teams in this league. It just comes down to a bit of belief and confidence.’ This belief was tested when a minute from the end of the first period a dominant home side took the lead through Janis Ozolins with his second half an hour later. The Tigers had had their chances but when Payette made it a three-goal lead Watkins’s comment was looking more like wishful thinking. Huh! Not so. The final period saw Tomas Janak open the Tigers’ account, Scott McKenzie add a second and, with seconds to spare, Andy McKinney ensure a point. But, even that come-back was not enough because it was going to be the two points when in the eventual penalty shoot-out the Tigers hung another serious scalp on their belt.
If one penalty shoot-out wasn’t enough for an evening you only had to look towards Bracknell and the visiting Phantoms for more. Coach Cox had commented in the week on the goal-drought affecting the Bees which had produced just five in four games, so he must have been happy to see a 2-goal lead and a third for the evening were it not for the same number of replies from the visitors which forced the shoot-out and then cost them the game and a third home loss on the trot. Earlier in the week Cox had also lamented: ‘I’ve not got one good memory of playing Peterborough last year. They were definitely a bogey team for us.’ Say no more.
If you want to see a bogey, as in evil spirit, in action turn to Sunday and Guildford and the massive reversal of fortunes which befell the Wildcats. Here was a side that only twenty-four hours earlier parcelled up the Phoenix but against the Flames within eight minutes were three goals down and still looking for the wrapping paper. The half-way proved equally as daunting with a few minutes of mayhem and yet more goals and although there was something of a rearguard action, the assailants had long since disappeared over the hill with the points.
This raises the question of how the Phoenix fared at home to the Bees. Well, Juraj Faith opened the scoring after a minute, but two minutes later the Bees were level. Two minutes after that the Phoenix added a second and, well, a third and a forth, so that going into the half hour it was starting to look like a cruise. But then, coming out of the half hour Peter Jasik and Lukas Smital popped in a pair and it was ‘game on.’ The Bees, however, were massively outshot and as they upped the physical side of things to try and upset the Phoenix, Brad Watchorn ended up ejected so perhaps it wasn’t too surprising it became in the third, ‘game off.’
The re-run of the Lightning Bison weekend encounter in Milton Keynes was always going to be a difficult one for the visitors with the current form of the home side. And difficult it was starting with a goal against in the third minute, and although it was a lot closer than the scoreline suggests, a minute either side of the first break saw Adam Carr grab a pair and the Bison unable to penetrate until Steve Moria snuck a consolation minutes from time.
On the other hand, the Steeldogs went to Peterborough and although going a goal down, by the first break were in the lead. In the second half the visitors penetrated without fear or favour starting when Ben Morgan and Lloyd Gibson each added another, and although the Phantoms had managed to add two to the scoreline, the third period was a tiring experience for them and ended ten minutes from time by Pavel Gomeniuk.
Which just leaves the Tigers at home to the Jets, and what a game of nerves they teased us with on home soil. Doug Sheppard and Dan Davies put the visitors in the lead, but it barely lasted until the end of the period. By the end of the second the Jets were again two goals ahead but two from the Tigers within a minute half- way through the third period and it was down the overtime route we all go again. But although the Jets eventually clinched the two points, the Tigers had an excellent weekend with three of their own. So when Coach Watkins said he was in no hurry to replace the two players lost this week and assured us, ‘I will take my time to see how we perform,’ he now has some positives in his bag to play with. Or, as my old grand-pappy offered: ‘If Murray Walker says a dry line can appear the tunnel, you don’t go and throw water on the track.’
So another exciting weekend that has certainly shifted things in the table with instead of four jointly at the top we now have just the Lightning and Jets while the Steeldogs and Phoenix sit in second. But Swindon, Guildford and Bracknell are all close behind with the Bison slipping into the bottom trio although it would be foolish to guess where it will all end up in a week’s time.
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Contact Bill.Collins@prohockeynews.com
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