SWINDON, UK – The Top Ten Charts show a couple of changes this week with Neil Liddiard of the Flames taking over as the leading penalty-taker. This is partly because of a change in the way the charts are compiled. For instance, Thomas Jeffery had held the spot for some weeks but having left the Steeldogs after only five games but a relatively high penalty average, it seemed pointless to continue including him in the accounting when the rest of the EPL are still accumulating figures which amend their positioning weekly. So he’s gone, as will any other player leaving without a sizeable chunk of ice time. This policy has been applied to netminders pretty much since the Charts started, and will now be across the board.
For anyone who hasn’t noticed, a player transferring teams has his stats amalgamated like, for instance, Sam Waller who shows in the Points Average Chart under Jets/Bees. Also in the Points Average Chart Phoenix’s Tony Hand reoccupies his now familiar spot at the top, while the only other change occurs in the British D-men Chart where the Flames Jez Lundin swaps places with team mate Paul Dixon. In the Netminders’ Chart the Lightning’s Alex Mettam still rules with the Flames Mark Lee displacing Wildcats’ Tom Murdy in third. So some strengthening all round for the Flames, which is to be expected considering the outcome of last weekend’s results left them in the number one spot two points ahead of the Jets. Also gaining from the weekend were the Bees, who vacated their seventh place for the Wildcats, the weekend’s big losers, and the Bison who leapfrogged the Phoenix into fifth place.
The Tigers, who also fared badly at the weekend, raised the ire of their coach Tom Watkins. ‘I hate to lose,’ he said, and went on to explain his side was not good enough on the power-play which he feels is costing them points. ‘Not enough passion,’ he grieved, saying he was going to look at his squad and make changes to ensure ‘the right players in right spots.’ The good news for the Phoenix, though, was the announcement from Coach Hand that he expects both himself and long-term injured Jaroslav Spelda to return this coming weekend. News that came as a bit of a shock was the mid-week announcement Shaun Yardley had been released by the Phantoms having returned to the club a couple of weeks ago after a long-term injury which had at one stage ruled him out for the season. A disgruntled Yardley said the club sought his return to help ease its manning crises. Apparently he was on a temporary contract that offered him his old place back subject to regaining full fitness but after just three games he received the bullet.
Understandably he was miffed declaring he was ‘furious’ at the treatment he had received by the club and that he felt they hadn’t given him enough time at full pace to regain his peak. The club, on the other hand, released a statement saying, ‘Shaun has acknowledged that his fitness levels are not up to the required levels.’ The club say they suggested a further period of trial while Yardley continued to work on his fitness, but the player wanted a contract in place first, which was unacceptable.
Yardley, who has played almost 400 times in Phantoms’ colours in his ten years with the club, said he ‘might continue with his playing career, but one thing is for sure, it will never be with the Phantoms.’
All this invective unfortunately raises memories of the Phantoms’ mid-season crisis last season when owner Phil Wing threatened to pull the plug and then-head coach Curtis Cruickshank who was ordered to make cuts within 24 hours, but hopefully the Yardley incident is not a resurrection of anything deeper although you have to wonder why he added, ‘There are so many things I could mention, but I need to hold my tongue.’
To be fair to Yardley he later denied some of the accusations accredited to him in the press saying, ‘I understand that I wouldn’t be where I am without them (the club).’ And while in this fair mood, the Phantoms also stated they would like to give Yardley the recognition he deserves, eventually.
In the meantime, the Phantoms signed former GB junior Richard Slater, still only nineteen, from ENL Solihull Barons on a 2-way arrangement Coach Allen says he would like to see permanent. Allen explained for the time being the Phantoms would claim him when not employed by the Barons where last season he averaged around three-and-a-half points per game.
Saturday’s four games saw he Jets came back from their awful weekend last week with a vengeance which they duly inflicted on the visiting Bees with a first goal coming after ten minutes. Sadly the Bees didn’t have a lot to offer after a spirited first period and had salt rubbed into the wound with a Dan Davies short-handed goal in the second. The third saw a change of goalies with Tom Annetts replacing Carl Ambler but although the flow was dammed, the Bees suffered their worst defeat of the season.
The Lightning faced the Steeldogs who, despite a bunch of missing players, went ahead through Janis Ozolins after six minutes with a short-handed goal. On the quarter-hour Grant McPherson and Andre Payette paused for a comparison of tattoo photos they are both considering and after a disagreement about the merits of skulls on the forearms both left the ice for ten minutes but McPherson apparently injured. Seconds into the middle slot it was all equal, and it was the home side that had to come from behind to level things on the half-hour. Eight minutes later the Lightning took the lead thanks to Lewis Christie and that’s how it stayed accept for further interruptions about whether or not tattoos above the shoulders should mach the eye colour. So, yes, a physical game.
The Wildcats appeared to be repeating their recent routine of three goals in the first ten minutes only this time the scoring was the reverse and against the Phantoms. Even when a reply came at the end of the period through James Ferrara, it was from a lucky bounce although another for the visitors at the start of the second, made you wonder if the Wildcats were about to all jump on the slide again. But no, they added to their tally with James Knight wrapping it up with time to spare and the win taking them back above the Bees in the table.
It wasn’t perhaps a big surprise after the Bison’s recent winning form that Steve Moria stuck one in the visiting Phoenix’s net after a few seconds, but what was a surprise was the strength of the reply. With Spelda back but Hand and Wallace still missing it was Tom Duggan, five minutes later, who added his first, and in an exciting physical period had a hat-trick a minute after the first break. Just after the half-way mark, by which time it was all over, Chris Wiggins tried to show Ladislav Harabin a quick route to the dressing room via the boards and was himself shown the door for not seeking permission first as the Bison winning run came to an end and the Phoenix jumped them in the table.
And talking of physical games, Sunday saw the Phantoms welcome the Lightning with open jaws. After a Lightning goal in the opening seconds, Blaz Emersic and Jeff Glowa both left early, the former for causing a blood injury on the latter. The Lightning were already missing McPherson through injury, and the Phantoms had Allen playing with an injury he probably should have been at home resting, and then Luke Ferrara picked up a knock. So all a bit of a bun fight in a doctor’s waiting room and had it not been for an awfully unlucky bounce for Damon King in the Phantoms’ goal, who knows what might have happened?
The Flames, on the other hand, knew exactly what was going on as they took the visiting Wildcats apart like a schoolboy pulling the legs off a spider in a first half which also saw Curtis Huppe score a hat-trick in ten minutes. The Wildcats did redeem some pride with a couple of excellent moves by Ryan Aldridge and Aaron Nell, but after a close last game you would be excused for expecting more.
Much more you wouldn’t have got in Telford, though, who faced the visiting Steeldogs. Two goals apiece in the first period set the standard and three each at the end of two periods made for some exciting stuff and a promise of a wonderful finale. The Tigers took the lead early in the third, but then seven minutes from time their ‘wellie’ got stuck in the mud and they didn’t even get a point they deserved with Coach Watkins still blaming the Tigers’ continued poor power-play performance as the deciding factor.
The Bison’s fortunes this weekend seem to have gone awry after a recent impressive run and after taking the lead in Bracknell only held it for a couple of minutes. Then the Bees in a very determined display added two more and for the second half kept the Bison at bay despite an over all staggering difference in shots on goal of more than two-to-one, and two periods in which the Bees managed just four shots leaving the Bison wondering just exactly what they must do to regain their winning ways.
The Phoenix must have also have wondered what happened after a solid performance Saturday and even holding the visiting Jets to a one goal lead after a period didn’t fazed them. But then four Jets’ goals in half a period was a crippling blow, and although the Phoenix made a valiant effort in the third, the reply was too late.
Clearly the league table is beginning to spread with the likes of Telford, Bracknell and Peterborough suffering with performances that a year ago would have been rewarded with points. Even the Wildcats with plenty of talent remind me of my school reports which often complained ‘has the ability……’ But next weekend should see a couple of interesting changes as the Phantoms await Ondrej Lauko and the Flames Andrew Sharp. So now the fun really starts.
Can’t wait.
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Contact Bill.Collins@prohockeynews.com
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