SWINDON, UK – An interesting start to the week as another top EPL player was accounted with the Flames announcing the return, for a third term, of US-born Brit Jez Lundin who ended last season as the most productive D-man in the league with a very respectable point per game average. The Bees edged closer to the completion of their squad with the return of netminder Carl Ambler for a third time, and addition of former Bees’ netminder Tom Annetts who has just spent two seasons with the Bison. Also added to the Bracknell roster was ex-Bees British forward Matt Foord after two seasons with the Wildcats. The Wildcats, meanwhile, have lost their eighteen-year-old GB international netminder James Hadfield, and although unconfirmed by either club it appears it will be to the Flames as backup for Mark Lee, an also unconfirmed signing. Joe Miller, the British forward who left the Phantoms part-way through last season after a disagreement over money and signed on for the Phoenix, signed on with the Bison. The Tigers signed their second import in the shape of Jiri Hazal who arrives from France after nine seasons in his native Czech Republic where he had appearances at both Under 18 and Under 20 national level. The Phoenix named their recent import signing who turned out to be Slovakian forward Martin Cingel who has just spent nine seasons with the Elite League’s Edinburgh Capitals. Also, British netminder Steve Fone re-signed for the Manchester squad complete with his ninety-per-cent-plus save rate which put him near the top of the EPL netminding chart last time out. The Lightning joined a fairly quiet week with the news their British forward and captain Adam Carr was returning for a ninth season, and Czech D-man Lukas Zatopec for his forth. And in the absence of more news with the Lightning being one of the clubs with the least signings so far, we will have to make do with a couple of rumours. One is that Blaz Emersic, their Slovakian forward who joined the team part way through last season from the Jets and Swedish forward Monir Kalgoum are both on the move so will not be returning to Milton Keynes this coming season. Not wishing to end the week with such little news and feeling desperate I rang round the Alternative Awards Committee for snippets and inspiration. My old grand-pappy was too busy fitting new shoes on his pig to stop and talk but I did manage to contact my Uncle Sparky. He was, unsurprisingly, in his local police station for a reason I knew I wouldn’t want to hear about. ‘On balance,’ I asked him, ‘which EPL team do you think is looking strongest so far?’ ‘Don’t talk to me about balance,’ he said. ‘I’m in the nick. I was in the queue at the cashpoint and an old lady in front of me asked if I could help her with her balance. So I pushed her over!’ But, sparse as the week has been, I want, for the second time in two weeks, to thank those who have visited the site which has again broken its daily ‘hits’ record. Not only that, but the linked Facebook site has been running amok, which just goes to show how desperate fans are for EPL news. For more EPL facts and figures, results and news why not try our mailing list by clicking the link on www.iceman-epl.com Contact the author Bill.Collins@Prohockeynews.com
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