SWINDON, UK – The Top Tens Chart changes this week saw Janis Ozolins return to the top points- scoring spot while Phoenix’s Tony Hand replaces Flames’ David Longstaff as the leading British points’ scorer. The Steeldogs’ Ben Morgan moves to the top D-men position unseating Flames’ Jez Lundin while the Jets’ Ryan Watt became the leading British penalty-taker. And that was about it. In the week the much-burdened Phantoms lost James Spurr. Born and living in Sheffield, although having joined the Peterborough organisation in 2005 where he has played at both ENL and EPL level, the British forward cited travelling problems as the reason for his decision to leave.
While speculation, understandably, has linked his name to the Steeldogs, that of course is not without problems as they seem to be doing very well without him, thank you very much. Spurr, also understandably, has stated he has received no offers but would still like to play hockey at a club closer to home and it does seem a shame his abilities might get wasted particularly when he qualifies for Sheffield’s preference for local talent. The Phantoms quickly replaced Spurr with Robbie Brown from the ENL Invicta Dynamos. Coach Allen said, ‘Robbie is basically a direct replacement for James.’
While Spurr might appear supernumerary to a Steeldogs’ bench, an abundance of forwards isn’t necessarily a problem, especially for the Steeldogs who almost traditionally have accumulated big squads over the season. Take, for instance, last year when a total of thirty-three bodies donned their colours at some point or other, two more than the Phantoms with the next largest crew and way ahead of the Jets on eighteen and Flames and Phoenix in the low twenties.
But perhaps more relevantly, because we are talking of concurrent players rather than over a season, consider the Wildcats who recently signed Adam Bicknell, albeit for ‘injury cover,’ but then also only this week welcomed the return of Aaron Nell from Elite League’s Coventry with Coach Aldridge is insisting no-one will be moving out to make way for the local lad. While it may be a nice problem to have too many quality forwards, it must go against the grain a bit for those players concerned who, after all, become good because they have experience through ice time and are then expected to sit on the bench rather than doing what they want most. Also, in Aldridge’s case, it will be interesting to see how the lines pan out because the last time he was in town, Nell managed over a point a game which would give him a current top ten standing which is higher than Nicky Watt the Wildcats’ present top Brit.
Off in the opposite direction went Andy McKinney who quit the Tigers for the Elite League’s Hull. Coach Watkins was less than happy because of the lack of notice the young Brit gave him saying, ‘Right now I feel very let down. I am very disappointed at the manner of his leaving, with no notice.’ You can sympathise with Watson because while there would be little point in forcing a player to stay with a team against his wishes, it also makes you wonder about loyalty and honour, especially as in this case it was Watson who was greasing the wheels to get McKinney a 2-way contract with the Hull side.
So while Watson plainly has no wish to stand in the way of a player’s progress you can’t help but consider the true value of a contract. Hull apparently refused to agree to a weekend reprieve despite a cup game of no importance to them, so McKinney’s move didn’t sound essential even though he scored a goal for his new masters, and a compulsory notice period might make sense.
On Saturday in a close game the Bison went beyond regular time for the second time in a row, only this time it was against the much-stronger Flames as opposed to a depleted Phantoms. The home side even opened the scoring and held the lead for a few minutes before regaining it just into the second period when Wiggins went off injured again, so it was the Flames who came from behind to force the extra time ten minutes from the end and collected a point in the eventual shoot-out.
In Swindon it wasn’t so much that a wheel fell off early in the game, but more like the wheel couldn’t be found to get the game on the road in the first place as the Lightning went 2-up in as many minutes. Returnee Aaron Nell, however, slapped in a blinding shot to slow the Lightning charge, and went on to a hat-trick and be the main reason the scoreline stayed as close as it did with Blaz Emersic adding a hat-trick of his own for the visitors.
The Tigers in Manchester were always going to find it a challenge with the loss of McKinney in the week, and for a period they executed themselves creditably and were by no means over-powered by the home side. But in the second it was almost a different kind of execution as the Phoenix fired in the goals pausing only for an exchange of handbags in the Tigers net on the half-hour. But the plucky Tigers made something of a comeback with three late goals to conclude with a fourteen-goal game equalling the record for the season.
The Jets’ machine was back on track after last week’s home loss to the Wildcats with six different scorers as they rumbled over the Phantoms who, to be fair, twice managed to get within a goal deficit in the first half with James Spurr scoring what might be his farewell goal. But then the Jets cruised on wrapping up the game with a period to spare.
The highlight of the evening had to be in Sheffield where the Bees took the lead, lost it, won it and so on for an exciting first period when the home side were helped by power-plays. The Bees then dug in and opened up daylight between the two but with two late goals the Steeldogs forced the game into overtime and then won the darn thing in the penalty shot-out in another terrific effort.
On to Sunday and the Phantoms faced the Steeldogs in need of a win to achieve Coach Allen’s demand for a two-point weekend. Spurr this time did add his final goal to the proceedings when he started the scoring, and in a five-minute flurry of exchanges early in the second bracketed by a pair from Janis Ozolins the Phantoms found themselves still in the lead from where two further goals from Luke Ferrara completed the 2-point weekend Coach Allen wanted.
The second half of the Lightning Wildcats double-header started almost identically with the home side a goal-up in under a minute and 2-1 after eight. And then it all changed with an unassisted goal by Nicky Watt followed by two more quick goals early in the second, one short-handed, leaving the Lightning unable to do anything about it in the third. The win meant the Wildcats duplicated their previous two double-headers, versus the Bees and Jets, by losing at home and gaining revenge the night after.
Sunday, and after last nights drubbing by the Phoenix the Tigers bounced back well putting two goals past the visiting Bison thanks to the ever-improving pair of Josh Bruce and Andy McKinney. Even when the home side recovered the deficit the Tigers were not overwhelmed although the Bison goal a minute from the end sealed it and Coach Moria being rightly disappointed his full team were unable to do more against a depleted Tigers. But a win is a win, and all that.
In Bracknell the Jets took early control and a minute’s burst of goals around the quarter-hour saw them increase their lead. But in a close second period it was far from decided as the Bees reduced the deficit and drew level again seconds into the final period. Ten minutes from time and a further Jets’ lead was wiped out and the following overtime four-on-four keeping it equal so that the Bees claimed a point after losing it in the shoot-out.
In 1726 Dr John Arbuthnot said, ‘It cannot rain but it pours,’ which has since entered common usage, but what people don’t generally know is that when that quote came to life he was thinking about the Phoenix. Ha, you cry, the Phoenix weren’t even born then, so what is even more mysterious is that being a polymath with a strong bent towards mathematics he had calculated that in this very weekend it would absolutely hammer down in Guildford where the visiting Phoenix were not just sloppy and made to look damp, but were drowned by the Flames and sent home wrapped in bin-liners.
This on top of what Hand called a ‘tough’ win against the Steeldogs the weekend before, which slots in nicely with the return match mid-week when a rampaging Sheffield side wrecked revenge against a visiting Phoenix that didn’t look like it had an answer in their game book. Two-up in four minutes the Steeldogs looked in control throughout and a missed penalty shot by the Phoenix really did rub salt into the wound.
So back to Sunday and while it is true Jaroslav Spelda is still sidelined and Tony Hand was on crutches from a hit on the ankle the night before, while he is clearly the top British point’s scorer in the league can his absence, huge as it is, really make so much difference? OK, so Steve Wallace was also out with a fractured wrist but to come home soppy from an encounter with the Steeldogs, concede five goals to the Tigers and then be soaped-up almost effortlessly by the Flames all in one week shows that old Doctor Arbuthnot really was quite a clever stick.
So where does this leave the league table? The Jets, with another four-point weekend remain top still three points clear of second placed Steeldogs and now a point further afield from the Flames who have a game in hand. Everyone below with the exception of the Bison has also slipped slightly further away from the top although the fourth-placed Lightning still have two games in hand.
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Contact Bill.Collins@prohockeynews.com
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