SWINDON, UK – We start with last week’s situation in the EPL Top Tens Charts, that’s Week 6.
Points Scoring
No change at the top of the over all points scoring with Wildcats’ Jonas H öö g still ruling the EPL, and the Flames’ David Longstaff leading the Brit chart. While it is always good to see British players in the EPL top ten, week 6 saw the Phoenix’s Tony Hand and team mate Michal Psurney drop out to be replaced by the Jets’ Darius Pliskauskas and the Flames’ Jozef Kohut. The Jets and Lightning also made further appearances in the British players chart with Adam Carr, Dan Davies, Slava Koulikov and Tom Carlon for the Phantoms at the expense of the Flames, Steeldogs and Bison.
As far as points by game average goes Longstaff heads both EPL and the Brit chart taking over from the Steeldogs’ Greg Wood who held both slots last week.
Goal Scoring
When it comes to scoring goals H öö g still leads the EPL but Longstaff has replaced Wood as the leading British player. The Bees, who last week had three top ten entries have slunk to just Martin Masa, while Adam Carr has entered for the Lightning
On game average, though, the Flames’ Curtis Huppe has ousted Wood, although Wood still heads the British players’ chart.
Assist Scoring
Tony Hand also dropped lower in both the assists charts, an area where he is almost traditionally strong, and was replaced at the top of the EPL by the Bees’ Lukas Smital while Longstaff is now top Brit. This means the Flames and Bees both have three players in the EPL chart while the Brit chart has become quite cosmopolitan with unusually eight teams represented.
By game average the Jets with three players have now been equalled by the Flames, while the Brit chart is also a mixed bag.
D-Men
While the Bees’ Marcel Petran is still the highest scoring D-man, it is the Flames which dominate the defensive chart with four players in the top ten. Both the Bees and Steeldogs have two players present, plus Mindy Kieras from the Jets and James Hutchinson from the Phantoms.
In the Brit chart it is also the Flames who again have the most top ten players, but the Steeldogs’ Ben Morgan who still leads.
Netminding
While there is no change at the top of the netminding chart with the Bison’s Stevie Lyle, things are churning around below him. Greg Rockman from the Jets is still in second place but the gap between these two has closed and is currently at less than 1% when it comes to their save rates. Not only that, but the Lightning’s Alex Mettam has moved up, as has the Bees’ Tom Annetts.
Penalties
No change at the tops of the penalties charts with the Steeldogs’ Derek Campbell the most prolific EPL penalty-taker and the Bees’ Scott Spearing the leading Brit. The Phoenix’s Ciaran Long has entered the top ten along with the Lightning’s Grant McPherson, while the Steeldogs lost Steve Duncombe although with Greg Wood it make them the only side with four players between the two charts.
Another weekend gone and only one injury above the neck as Dan Harris at the Lighting took a check to the head. I say ‘only’ not in the sense of frustration at a lapse in performance, but more with a sense of relief. That was the sixth injury involving a head, so last October’s total has been surpassed. I mention the issue again because Hockey Canada, the national governing body of hockey in that country, has released a free application for Smartphone’s and tablets aimed at parents, coaches, players and officials which includes information on prevention, rules, symptoms and, most importantly, a ‘return to play’ protocol. There is even a children’s version, so for anyone interested just take a look at the Hockey Canada website.
Closer to home and the GB squad was announced for the Olympic pre-qualifying tournament in Japan with four EPL players getting a mention. The Flames’ David Longstaff makes the senior squad, as you would expect, while Leigh Jamieson of the Lightning, Aaron Nell of the Wildcats and Greg Owen from the Bison are all on the reserve list.
So on to Saturday and Week 7 games.
Wildcats 2 – Bison 4
The last time these two met the Bison lost at home to the Wildcats with a 2-goal shut-out but more than made up for it in Swindon. The big difference was the home side didn’t get into double figures in any period with shots on the Bison goal and were eventually outshot by a 2-1 ratio with Jonas Hoog being unusually stifled. The Wildcats were always having to come from behind, partly through a depleted defence, and might have had a chance in a tense final period, but a second from Greg Owen with ten minutes to go pretty much put paid to that and moved the Bison back into second place in the league.
Bees 4 – Tigers 5 after PSO
The Bees seemed to take a while to get up to speed by which time the visiting Tigers were already a goal up and then added a second early in P2. It took two goals from young Lewis Turner around the half way mark plus a third from Shaun Thompson, all in the space of nine minutes, for the Bees to finally get on board and snatch the helm. But it was the Tigers’ Jaroslav Cesky who made sure the final period was going to be worth a watch by equalising going into the second break. And worth a watch it was as this free-flowing game was hindered by only a single penalty all the way to the penalty shoot-out for a Tigers’ first time this season where they collected the two points. Not surprising, really, when you remember as last season’s bottom placed team the Tigers won eight from eight after sixty-minutes.
Flames 5 – Phantoms 2
Last time, in fact last week, the Phantoms got a 7-3 plastering by the Flames in Peterborough, but despite the scoreline it was a much improved performance particularly as Ondrej Lauko hits form. It didn’t start that way, though, as the Flames snapped up two quick goals just seconds apart after nine minutes and then exchanged players just before the break. The Phantoms gave up Captain Jeff Glowa to the local hospital for a mouth repair, and the Flames lost Branislav Kvetan for the high stick which necessitated it. But although the Flames rarely looked seriously threatened, the Phantoms did keep them on a leash until Nathan Rempel and David Longstaff made sure it was out of reach with two goals in the dying minutes.
Jets 5 – Phoenix 7
The Phoenix won in overtime at home against the Jets first time out, so this one was almost guaranteed to be closely fought encounter. To start with it looked anything but as the home side went 2-up quickly and maintained a lead for two cracking periods with the help of two powerplay goals. But going into the final stint and a 2-goal deficit to make up the Phoenix stepped up a gear and dug up an amazing four goals, all unanswered, meaning three of their goals had come from defensive players Ben Wood, Ondrej Pozivil and Robert Schnabel; a pace and depth the Jets found it difficult to keep up with.
Lightning 1 – Steeldogs 0
Having conceded thirteen goals in their last two games and as a result had to train in a tank full of scorpions all week, the expected guerrilla tactics didn’t quite pay off for the Steeldogs. Certainly the Lightning weren’t intimidated and the predicted blood bath between Andre Payette and Chris Wiggins as a result of the, ho-hum, Coventry affair never really happened. So sensible heads on, thank goodness. But while a skirmish did occur between these two, one of many over all which prevented much in the way of skill developing but provided something of a side-show, when both counted their fingers after they found neither had any missing. True, the Steeldogs only conceded one goal this time, but the question arising is whether with the loss of Bowns protecting the net and Ozolins supplying the goals the hit-and-run format is paying off this year.
After Saturday’s games the Phoenix were still top of the league, but the Bison, and now the Flames, are closing with the Bees and Jets only a point further back. The Wildcats and Steeldogs were out of luck, so the Lightning stepped over them with their win.
Sunday, and on to the games.
Steeldogs 3 – Flames 7
The Flames machine rumbles on as they had another weekend of scoring in double figures which meant they now score about two goals for every one conceded which is more than double anyone else. The Steeldogs held an early lead for a few minutes thanks to Greg Wood, and then it was all Flames. Even two pauses while Andre Payette and Andrew Sharp tried to agree on whether it was six or seven purl stitches on their knitting patterns didn’t upset the Flames’ momentum as Curtis Huppe went on to his third hat-trick of the season meaning he leads in that department
Phoenix 7 – Bees 1
Another goal-scoring machine also rode roughshod over their opponents as the Phoenix scored another seven goals this time to the Bees’ cost. Andy McKinney, who improves every game, started things off and by the first period the visitors were struggling. The Bees did manage a short rally on returning to the ice, but Steve Fone in the Phoenix goal wasn’t giving much away. That was about it until well into the final period when both sides changed netminders. Richard Bentham and Jan Bendik took the opportunity to try out some new dance steps they’d seen on ‘Strictly’, but the ref insisted they take a few minutes and practice in the box. That just left Michal Psurny to pick up his Best Phoenix Hat-Trick of the Night award, which he did with time enough left for a speech.
Bison 4 – Wildcats 3 after overtime
After last night’s lopsided first leg against the Bison in a double-header weekend it must have been the memory of shutting them out three weeks ago that spurred the Wildcats on in this replay because without Michal Kapicka and a string of disappointing results behind them, the omens were not looking favourable. But as it turned out there was plenty of action and a much improved performance from the visitors with scrabbling with chances squandered on both sides. The Wildcats even started the scoring and went on to throw away a 2-goal lead, but they got another point for the overtime loss for the sixth time which all suggests a good recovery from the Bison.
Tigers 3 – Lightning 0
Well, for a first home win, and a splendid one at that, you wouldn’t have believed the Tigers could have received such a drubbing from the Phantoms in their inaugural game just a week earlier. Here was a side that meant business coming off the back of a win 24 hours earlier. They defended well, Declan Ryan is riding his crease like a surfboard, and if you’d put a tutu on Cesky you might have mistaken him for Nureyev as he glided around for a hat-trick. So, from the bottom side in the league against a team that had so-say toughened up this season and added more fire power, the Lightning are struggling for goals at times with just three in as many games. The undoubtedly skilful Adam Calder, who suffered a fractured hip, appears to be filling in for a deficit in the brawn department rather than flourishing with the stick. So the Tigers now have two wins against the Lightning, Declan Ryan his first shut-out, and in their last four games have three wins, two of which have been on the road. Spookily, it is life, captain, but not as we know it!
Phantoms 3 – Jets 0
Also scary were the Phantoms, and not just because of their name but in the way they dealt with the Jets after being put in their place by the Flames a night earlier. Their first goal, after five minutes, might have come as a bit of a surprise as Tom Norton whacked the puck from just outside Windsor and to everyone’s surprise, including Greg Rockman in the Slough goal, it was over the line. And that was how it stayed until early into the third period when instead of the visitors being able to get back on even terms, it was Ondrej Lauko and Tom Carlon who bagged two more in four minutes. Even then, with nearly fifteen minutes to go the Jets couldn’t find the right tools to do anything about the malfunction and were shut out for the first time this season giving Damien King a second notch on his pistol.
With another weekend out of the way the Flames goal differential is back over 2 per game; however the Tigers are no longer the worst as far as goal difference is concerned with Steeldogs having fallen below them to concede the most goals per game in the league. As the table slowly spreads so that there are now five sides within a five-point spread, the Lightning are far from out of touch with a game in hand. For the remaining four – Wildcats, Steeldogs, Tigers and Phantoms – things are also exciting as the attempt to keep in touch.
And to think there is more in the week as the Flames host the Wildcats and the Phantoms the Phoenix. Can’t wait.
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