SWINDON, UK – The important news of the week was the announcement of the EPL Cup Final dates with the first leg in Sheffield on 13th March of which Coach Payette said, ‘With home-ice advantage and our home crowd supporting our Sheffield guys, we are going to be really hard to beat.’ While the remaining leg will take place in Guildford on 28th March.
But the big question of the week had to be: What happened to the Phantoms? From 8-5 win to 9-3 loss in twenty-four hours against two teams roughly of the same calibre and position above them in the league table takes some doing. To say an element of the fan-base was a bit rumpled is like asking if the pope likes Sundays – I should cocoa!
Coach Allen summed it up saying, ‘Everything went wrong really. It made last night (the win against the Bison) feel pointless.’
Mind you, it was not just the height from which the freefall plummet was accomplished but the manner in which it was achieved which was akin to throwing all the parachutes out of the window first. And it is that which appears to have stirred emotions. But like all good fans, armchair coaches and witnesses to road accidents there were almost as many differing opinions as commentators.
Take the local press, for instance, while clearly having no scruples about supporting a neighbourhood facility, called it ‘quite pathetic’ and provocatively suggested heads could roll and fans should have the right to their money back as though purchasing a ticket is some guarantee of quality or performance. Conversely, by extension does this mean fans should be charged double for the big win Saturday over the Bison, then? Dear, oh dear, what nonsense.
However, what it all seems to boil down to, regardless of all the permutations and tangential issues, is can all the talk morph into the animal that will survive with its bite longer than one game?
While Phantoms’ captain Jeff Glowa said, ‘It was embarrassing.’ He went on to say he felt it ‘more of a mental thing,’ while a baffled Maris Ziedins added, ‘I could not tell you exactly what went wrong out there…we went in full of confidence.’
Tom Carlon, who missed the slaughter through illness, added, ‘It’s not that nobody cares here. We keep saying the same old things week in, week out. It’s time to actually do it now!’
Exactly, and which brings to mind my old grand-pappy’s party-piece when summing up the situation in his famous Murray Walker impression, quoted the great man thus: ‘Its lap 26 of 58 which, unless I am very much mistaken, is half way.’ Which kind of sums up the situation.
Another side suffering from injury problems are the Tigers where it was announced Marek Hornak, following a dislocated shoulder, is likely to be out for at least two weeks, while the good news was Daniel Croft was back in training. But despite their battering, Coach Watkins pointed out, ‘We have already equalled last season’s win-total. That means we have the ability, but it is a lack of consistency. You get that with a young team.’
It is also worth mentioning that this improvement comes with a big chunk of the season still to go, and has been achieved in a much tougher environment than last season. The remarkable feature, though, is the Tigers’ penalty shoot-out record. While it is the Bees who have entered this neck of the woods on the most occasions, it is the Tigers who have a penalty shoot-out win-record that is not only perfect at 7 from 7, but more than twice the second placed Lightning on 3 from 3. So on that basis, if all games could be decided on penalties, the Tigers would be leading the league table by a mile!
Also leading by a mile is netminder Tom Murdy at the Wildcats, not because he recently returned from injury but for having re-signed for the Swindon club for next season in what is a most unusual manoeuvre and way ahead of anything else reported. Murdy, currently sitting in third place in the Netminding Top Ten Chart, has to be on anyone’s wish-list but having recently been faced with having to compete for the top spot with his replacement Dean Skinns, the move has the smell of politics about it. Or, as Coach Ryan Aldridge put it: ‘Thomas is a real asset for the club and he has a bright future in the game. It was important to get Tom signed up early.’
Aldridge also praised his Swedish forward Jonus Hoog for his four goals against the Tigers. ‘He has done well for us again this season, even if he did have a bit of a slow start,’ he said. ‘ He knows that and responded well.’ In fact so well he has climbed to just outside the top ten points; scorers in the EPL.
Also doing well, but in a different way, is Phoenix player-coach Tony Hand who has at last returned to his side after the ankle injury which has cost him almost three months on the sidelines. ‘The team has been playing very well since I have been out and I intend to ease myself back into the side,’ he said. ‘It will take a few weeks to get up to speed.’ Sunday’s game against the Wildcats was the anticipated big return.
In the middle of the week and the match between the Steeldogs at home to the Bison.
Steeldogs 2 – Bison 1
The record for these two is a home win each and an away win for the Steeldogs. The Bison’s last game was the 8-5 loss at home to the Phantoms, which was something of an aberration, while the Steeldogs lost to the Flames, so this encounter was anyone’s guess.
The home side were full strength while the Bison were still short but it was still only 1-0 to the Steeldogs going into the first break, and how it stayed until the final eight minutes. Then, Pavel Gomeniuk made it two for the Steeldogs but Jacob Heron pulled it back shortly after leaving everyone wondering if the visitors could sneak a point from overtime. But it was not to be and the Steeldogs added to their home-winning ways for the tenth successive time.
The Top Ten Charts this week saw no change in any of the top players in any of the tables, so Steeldogs’ Janis Ozolins and Flames’ David Longstaff head the EPL and Brit Points Charts, respectively, and as far as game average is concerned Flames’ Jozef Kohut seems to have levelled out while Wildcats’ Aaron Nell has improved his average a smidgeon in the Brit Chart.
The only major change is Bison’s Steve Moria moving out of the top ten and Bees’ Martin Masa returning. Amusingly, Phoenix’s Tony Hand has returned to the Top Ten Points’ Scorers Chart on Game Average without touching a puck in anger because Longstaff’s average slipped a tad.
EPL Goal-Scoring is still lead by Ozolins with Lightning’s Leigh Jamieson heading the Brits, and a similar situation pertains in the Assists Top Ten Chart with Longstaff ruling both EPL and Brit Chart.
No change in the D-men Top Ten Chart either with Phantoms’ Chris Allen head of the EPL but a forth Brit enters the top ten in the shape of Flames’ David Savage making that 4 Guildford players, while Steeldogs’ Ben Morgan remains the top Brit.
A little movement occurred in the Top Ten Netminders Chart, but Steeldogs’ Ben Bowns is now clearly in a crease of his own, while Jet’s Greg Rockman and Phoenix’s Steve Fone both inched up.
Finally, the Penalty-Takers Top Ten Charts are still headed by Steeldogs’ Andre Payette and, for the Brits, Jets’ Adam Greener which is the same situation in the Penalty-Takers by Game Average.
So on to Saturday and all eyes had to be on the Phantoms at home to the Flames. Not a good game in which to test your recovery, but that’s all part of the game.
Phantoms 3 – Flames 5
Of the four games these two have played the Flames have won three all quite comfortably, although the Phantoms had a creditable win at home in game two.
After last Sunday’s fiasco the home side would be keen to test their mettle, and they did not come up short. They even opened the scoring after a couple of minutes through returnee Tom Carlon, but the Flames were on top by the first break. That didn’t mean it was all over, because it wasn’t as James Ferrara got the Phantoms back on track, and although the Flames dominated enough to take the win the Phantoms had enough chances and had they been able to show stronger in their six power-plays, the result might have been even more respectable. Now, with the Flames again and at home tomorrow, a strong snifter would probably not be amiss.
Bison 3 – Jets 8
The Jets won in Basingstoke, then the Bison won in Slough followed by a home win each, and that is the record for this pair. So all quite neat and tidy.
But this wasn’t the neatest of games with both sides arriving from losses, missing players, and needing the points.
A quick goal by Joe Miller put the Bison into a lead they held for the first period. But early in the middle stint in a 3-minute burst and the Jets snatched three goals, but Nicky Chinn had the Bison back on even terms by the half-hour. By the time the second break arrived the Bison were struggling as Aaron Connolly completed a hat-trick for a 2-goal advantage.
Steve Wall was brought in to replace Matt Colclough, but it made little difference and with Andrew Melachrino eventually leaving the ice after trying bravely to continue after injury, and Chris Wiggins pocketing a deuce plus a pair and a jack for roughing, while Joe Greener managed to sneak out the back door unnoticed, the Jets added three more in the final period to claim the pot.
Tigers 3 – Bees 4
The four previous games between these two sides have all been close, including the first game which the Tigers won on penalties. The Bees are desperate to pull away from the Phantoms in the league, and although they managed the win, it wasn’t easy. An early Bees’ goal by Shaun Thompson was enhanced minutes into the second period, and shortly after a general uprising ensued which saw Brad Watchorn attract the most attention from the ref with a six-minute ternary and a request he ply his trade elsewhere. The second half saw the Bees stay in charge although two power-play goals in the last ten minutes revived Tigers’ hopes enough to cause a sweat in the Bees’ camp.
Wildcats 6 – Phoenix 3
The Wildcats have not been overwhelmed by the Phoenix this season with a win of their own and the other two of their three games going to the Manchester side. Now, though, with the Wildcats having the makings of some consistency with the promise of a home winning record of four games, they must have been feeling confident.
Nicky Watt boosted that confidence and Aaron Nell added his pinch of promise to put them 2-up after five minutes, and although Tom Duggan pulled one back at the end of the period, seconds after the restart the Wildcats were again 2-up and the Phoenix couldn’t do a lot about it. Even when mid-way through the final twenty minutes when Duggan and Juraj Faith decided to challenge the ref on a matter of philosophy and were given ten minutes apiece because he misunderstood their Greek rhetoric for abuse, all that happened was Nell stuck in his second to give the Phoenix their most surprising defeat since the Wildcats beat them by the same margin a month ago and their worst defeat since before Christmas.
Lightning 3 – Steeldogs 1
The Lightning would prefer a better record against the Steeldogs having lost twice in Sheffield and suffered a shut-out at home leaving them just one close win on home ice. But both sides have some iffy form recently, so a close game was on the cards.
It was also a close game on the ice with an explosive start which saw Lloyd Gibson put the visitors on the score sheet after sixty-three seconds and the ref put Leigh Jamieson out of the game and the re-run tomorrow for a check to the head which, in turn, put Andre Payette out of the game at the end of the period. He did, however, manage to coach from the bench which raised the question in some cynical minds that had he returned to the ice Jamieson’s Sunday game ban might be have been down-graded, so as it is, the top British goal scorer is effectively out for two games. However, early in the second period Adam Carr got the Lightning level and with two goals in the third, from Blaz Emersic and a blinder from Tuomas Tikkanen, it was a hard-fought win that deserved a nice cold glass of lemonade at the end, especially for netminder Alex Mettam who gave up just one goal from facing almost fifty shots.
On to Sunday and, we enter the Twilight Zone with each pair spookily facing the same side as the night before and do it all again.
Steeldogs 3 – Lightning 1
With this their final pairing and with the edge in the Sheffield camp, after last night’s loss in Milton Keynes the Steeldogs were keen for revenge.
And revenge certainly seemed to be the order of the day with ignition straight after lift-off which, after the ref threw buckets of penalties to quench the spreading inferno, saw Grant McPherson and Lewis Bell conclude their involvement in the game in the dressing room.
Meanwhile on the ice the Steeldogs scored either side of the first break through Lloyd Gibson and Janis Ozolins, and while Michael Farn saved the shut-out Ozolins’s second wrapped it up with time to spare and the points for the weekend shared.
Phoenix 6 – Wildcats 5 after overtime
Who would have thought the Wildcats could go to Manchester and frighten the Phoenix the way they did? It was enough to make the hairs stick up on the back of your frog. With a comfortable home win behind them from the previous night, the visitors for much of the time carried on where they left off with Nell scoring almost before he had his gloves on comfortably. True, the Phoenix went into the lead by the first break, but again seconds after the restart Nell was there again as the Wildcats took control with a 2-goal advantage for the last period. There, however, the Phoenix applied the break, took the game into overtime and squeezed out the two points. But a 3-point weekend for a lower team against the second-placed team in the league looks good on anyone’s CV.
Flames 3 – Phantoms 2
After suffering two more losses, against the Flames, especially on home ice, this wasn’t as bad as it looked. OK, so the lack of points will do nothing to ease the Peterborough position in the table, but the league leaders took nearly half an hour to score and even then Ondrej Lauko grabbed an equaliser less than a minute later. As it turned out, with less than four minutes to go and 2-apiece an even later Melicherik goal was no disgrace for the Phantoms who even managed a power-play goal while netminder Damien King, facing over forty shots, stopped a creditable ninety-two per cent. Next week, facing their nemesis from Milton Keynes, though, will be the true test.
Bees 11 – Tigers 1
On home ice last night and keeping things tight the promise was more of the same from the Tigers in Bracknell, but it was not to be. Once again the inconsistency omen lamented by Coach Watkins reared its ugly head almost from the start. The tragedy is the Tigers managed to impose a respectable number of shots on goal, which would have won it for many sides, but with over fifty in-coming shots in return which, incidentally, was not a league record, the resulting double-digit goal difference was, or at least equalled, the Tigers’ ten goals conceded to the Phantoms which is a league record.
Jets 4 – Bison 3
After coming from behind last night and, it has to be said, winning impressively, the Jets on home ground were having none of that wobbly stuff to start off with. Well, not quite because although Joe Greener had them up after four minutes within three more the Bison were back on terms. Unfortunately Jet’s Adam Calder then took a walk to the naughty boys’ room for depositing his stick in the restricted environs of Kurt Reynolds’s face causing the Bison player most uncooperatively to bleed. By half way the scores were again equal but two more in two minutes shortly after was enough for the home side, and although the Bison weren’t far behind a washed-out goal on the buzzer rubbed out the overtime and a possible point.
So another interesting weekend with probably the biggest surprise coming from the Phoenix/Wildcats’ pairing. But when the fog cleared we still have the Flames comfortably on the summit but the next three climbers are all too close to tell apart. Lower down the Bees crept away from the Phantoms and are now neck-and-neck with the Wildcats for the last play-off place, and while the Phantoms, if their improved performance is not an aberration, are still in the running.
And to think there is lots more next week. Can’t wait.
For more EPL facts and figures, stats news and more take a look at www.iceman-epl.com
Contact Bill.Collins@prohockeynews.com
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