SWINNDON, UK – Like the Wildcats, who have already re-signed two, the Tigers have wasted no time in rebuilding for next season and announced that player-coach Tom Watkins will take the helm for a third term with a one-year contract. Watson revealed he was already in discussions with other players, ‘some familiar, some new’ and that there were several he considered still needed to prove themselves in the remaining games of the season.
Meanwhile in Basingstoke there is talk that Canadian forward Joe Rand, currently scoring almost three points per game with the ENL Wightlink Raiders, is in talks with the Bison for a move there next season. But, curiously, as the local press pointed out it was a move dependent on Coach Steve Moria still being in charge at the club, suggesting that might not be the case. While Moria at 51 must be eying his pipe and slippers by his favourite armchair near the fire with increased yearning as each season passes, and who can blames him, we should not be too hasty to see him packing his bags for the flight home to Canada while he is still sitting around twentieth position in the EPL points scoring chart with an average much like last year.
Unfortunately, applying a small degree of rationale to Moria’s future because, let’s be honest, regardless of how fit and skilled he is in such a demanding sport, for a man of his age his playing days are numbered, it is almost inevitable that at this time of the season the rumours will rise. And rising they are. The most intriguing puts Steeldogs’ coach Andre Payette in the Bison hot seat next season. While, I hasten to add, I never create a rumour and merely report what is already out there, and in fact don’t bother mentioning most gossip unless I believe the source is credible, there have been several hints at such an outcome from three completely different origins. There are numerous reasons, of course, why this may be unsettling to many in various camps, but assuming it isn’t a conspiracy of some sort that has prompted the Steeldogs, for example, to refer publicly as this season being Moria’s last as a player, make of it what you will.
On to the EPL Top Tens Charts, and firstly no change in the top penalty-takers. Penalties by game average, though, shows Steeldogs’ Pavel Gomeniuk making a late dash for top ten status
is only the second import in the EPL Chart.
In the Points Scoring Top Ten Chart a big change as the Wildcats’ Jonus Höög leapt to the top after a blistering weekend to unseat Steeldogs’ Janis Ozolins, while in the Brit chart teammate Aaron Nell is also rapidly rising, and even more so in the Points by Game Average Chart where he now has closed so tightly on leader Jozef Kohut at the Flames, there is only a point in it.
It is also worth noting that Nell has also now touched 2-points a game on average, something no other Brit has achieved this season or, in fact, other than Kohut, no import since the figures settled down after the early weeks. This means he also still leads the Brit Top Ten Chart on Game Average by an increasing margin. The Wildcats are also represented in the Game Average Chart by Höög who, should he continue in his current form, is almost certainly going higher.
But the most significant thing is had Nell started the season when everyone else did, he would probably currently be the only player in the EPL in treble figures when it comes to points with the possible exception of Kohut. The Guildford player, however, has played fewer than half the number of games as Nell and his game average has slowly dropped from about 2.5 to 2.00 points per game while the Swindon player’s has been rising.
In the Goal Scorers Top Ten Chart, while it is still Ozolins leading, it is again Höög and Nell who are on the move while in the Brit chart, which Nell also leads, Tigers’ Scott McKenzie has moved up while, surprisingly, the only recent Flames’ representative, Rick Plant, has again disappeared.
The Flames are, however, still amply represented in the Assist Scoring Top Ten Chart at both EPL and Brit level by the reliable David Longstaff, while the Phantoms’ James Ferrara replaces Phoenix’s Slava Koulikov in the EPL chart.
The most stability this week has been in the Top Ten D-men by Points Scored Chart which has been almost static with Phantoms’ Chris Allen still the top D-man and Steeldogs’ Ben Morgan still the top Brit.
So on to Saturday and yet again more crucial games.
Wildcats 4 – Phoenix 5
Despite their league table disparity the Wildcats have a healthy record against the Phoenix having home-wins apiece with the Wildcats gaining an extra point in Manchester last time out. They are also on a bit of a roll at the moment having dropped only one point in seven games. The Phoenix, meanwhile, have a nil-point weekend following a double win over Telford.
As it turned out, it was not alright on the night for the Wildcats who dominated for only about five minutes after a third minute goal was repaid in triplicate by the end of the period. The second period saw an exchange of goals and Swindon’s Paul Swindlehurst exchange an injury for a game penalty with Tom Duggan. Swindlehurst came back for the final period, but not the rest of the Wildcats who ran out of time always chasing and so popped to bed their recent revival.
Flames 5 – Bees 6
Although the Flames had two comfortable wins over the Bees at the start of the season, the Bees took them to penalties twice in Bracknell. The Flames had a less than impressive display last weekend with just a point, but the Bees have fared even worse with run that has put them at death’s door.
So what the heck happened here? Could it be the Flames had started to relax with the league title in the bag and the Bees fighting for their play-off life, pulled a death defying performance out of the bag?
The first period was close with the Bees on the board in less than two minutes and the Flames straight back, but the second saw four Bees’ goals and only one in reply. But, no, the Flames were anything but relaxed as they flew out of the gate into a fiery third period with three power-play goals from seven opportunities including two in a minute 5 on 3. Half way through the period Scott Spearing and Milos Melicherik paused for a hokey-cokey demonstration but Neil Liddiard and Jez Lundin got caught up in the party spirit and a bit carried away with Lundin inviting the Bees’ bench to join in. All of which was a bit much for the ref who sent him for a cold shower to calm down as the Bees dug in and hung on for their first win in Guildford in over four years which also moved them back above the Phantoms in the league table.
Bison 2 – Steeldogs 6
The Steeldogs have the edge over the Bison with three wins from their four games so far. The Bison claimed a point from the Flames last weekend, but have not much else to sing about recently with even a defeat by the Tigers to admit to. The Steeldogs, who dropped points to Swindon recently, had a narrow win over the Phoenix coming into this game.
Although it was the Bison which opened the scoring through Steve Moria after just three minutes, the Steeldogs replied with two in a minute shortly after. The middle period was closer with the home side threatening to get right back in it, but the final twenty minutes belonged to the Steeldogs with three more goals including a completed Janis Ozolins hat-trick which took him into joint second place in that table.
Jets 4 – Tigers 1
Of the four times these two have met, the Jets have it only having dropped a point. But the Tigers have their first 4-point weekend behind them coming into this game, while the Jets have a mixed bag over the two previous weekends.
The Jets took the lead with two goals in two minutes in the middle of the first period, but it was not all over for the Tigers who replied ten seconds after with one of their own. The second period remained close with plenty of shots on goal from both sides, but the Tigers weren’t strong enough to pull it right back even with the extra attacker although Declan Ryan in the Telford goal faced another 40-plus shots giving him in excess of 92% save rate.
Lightning 4 – Phantoms 1
The Lightning have three defeats and just a point from the Phantoms from their last four outings, while the Phantoms have that point and a double over the Bees. But between the two the Lightning lost their first match but then picked up eight points while the Phantoms have managed two points from penalty losses.
There was nothing much to separate this pair for almost two periods. James Ferrara took the lead for the visitors although it was Will Weldon who received the most recognition for misconduct around half way, and an in-form Adam Brittle snapped up his second as the buzzer was being wound up to announce the break. The third period carried on in pretty much the same vein until Leigh Jamieson snatched a crucial third goal giving the Lightning a new seven-game home winning record and putting it out of the Phantoms’ reach while another in the empty net finished it. Considering what was at stake with the loss, it was a bit surprising there was not more bite from a Phantoms’ side now back in the red zone along with play-off hopes.
Sunday, and still things to be decided.
Phoenix 5 – Flames 2
The Phoenix have struggled against the flames this season with just one win from five games, but with a victory under their belt and facing a visiting side beaten at home by the Bees, anything was possible.
It was stalemate for almost half an hour until a slightly stronger Phoenix side captured two goals in a minute followed by a third shortly after to which Jozef Kohut replied with a goal deflected off his leg and which sparked a question or two from Juraj Faith. The ref has a reply of his own which was ten minutes in the box for both. In the third period the Flames looked much stronger and pulled a goal back, but the Phoenix were having none of it and ended matters with two more of their own while Kohut, needing an incentive to call it a day, was given that encouragement with a game misconduct penalty on the final buzzer.
Interestingly, with a weekend with nothing to show for their troubles and two games that were punctuated with enough unrest to start a revolution in, say, the Isle of Man with almost treble figures in penalty minutes, Andrew Sharp, who was originally hailed as being the man to keep opponents in order, collected not so much as a stern look from the ref for sniffing out of turn. And what is even more telling is a similar situation pertained the previous weekend when the Flames only managed a point at home to the Bison. Or is there a cunning plan afoot?
Phantoms 4 – Wildcats 3
The Wildcats have three home wins against the Phantoms who have a home win and a serious home defeat. The Phantoms were also going into this game with what could be their last hope for a play-off place with a double-header against the Phoenix awaiting them next week although it was their opponents, the Wildcats, who were beaten at home Saturday by the Manchester side.
The Phantoms will be happy for the two points even though it did nothing to dent the Bees’ lead above them in the table because at least it still leaves them in with a chance. In fact, when they started the scoring early in the first period with two goals in eighteen seconds and completed the first period heavily out-shooting the visitors, it was beginning to look like the Wildcats were slipping back into their old ways. The middle period was much closer as the Wildcats pulled two back, and early in the third period, equalised. But the remainder of the period was a mixture of desperation and panic on both sides as the tension mounted, and while the Wildcats threw much at the Phantoms goal it was Joe Graham who snatched the winner for the home side while there was a significant absence on the score sheet of the usual Swindon top scorers.
Steeldogs 1 – Bison 2 after penalties
The Steeldogs have mastered the Bison three out of four times this season, although all four games have been close. Last night, in the first leg of a double-header, it wasn’t, though, and having been beaten at home the Bison must have been out on the prayer mats early Sunday morning before leaving for Sheffield.
And it worked! Although going a goal down to a Lloyd Gibson goal, it was not until over half way, which shows how close it all was, but then early in the third period it was Steve Moria who put the Bison back on an equal footing which is how it stayed into overtime. Nothing doing there, so it was to the infinity of the penalty shoot-out and beyond in the rarefied atmosphere of sudden-death where Liam Chong at number six for the Bison scored the only goal and got revenge.
As a point of interest, mister chairman: Both Steve Wall and Ben Bowns in goal made three saves, and with five missed shots from the remaining attempts it was Chong, with just five goals to his credit this season, who scored the winner. Well done, son!
Tigers 4 – Jets 3
The Tigers have only a point to show from their four games against the Jets and last night, in the first of a double weekend, didn’t improve that record.
But the memory of their first 4-point weekend of seven days ago must have been incentive enough to overcome Saturday’s defeat because the Tigers played like they were still in contention. And, in fact they are, just for different things to those above them. Everything was tight until around half way when the Jets took the lead, but the Tigers’ reply from Joe Henry came in less than a minute. Ten minutes later the Jets again took the lead and the Tigers with a second from Joe Henry were also back in it a minute after. It wasn’t so much that the Tigers were hanging on to the Jets’ coat tails, more like they were climbing into their pockets when early in the final period they stuffed in two more, fought off a reply from Darius Pliskauskas, and took another 2-points as they head to end their season on a high note.
Bees 4 – Lightning 3 after overtime
The Bees managed three out of four points from this pair’s first two games but then went on to four from eight although only a single game had more than a one goal difference. Last night, having won in Guildford, the Bees’ must have been feeling up for at least a point.
And it was a very determined Bees that ended the first period in the lead in a game which progressively became more hostile. The middle period wasn’t very old when Carl Graham got binned for a check to the head, and while the Bees then added a second, Lightning’s Michael Wales added his own check to the head. In response and being of a generous disposition, the ref, like a traffic warden having found a car on blocks on yellow lines, ripped tickets off his pad and Wales departed in search of a tow truck. The Bees added a third, but a minute later Blaz Emersic snapped one back. Early in the home stretch Lukas Zatopek yelled at the ref and was then also sent off early to find a lift home for whacking the puck after the whistle. But then, well, slap my thigh and call me a taxi, Emersic suddenly grabbed a pair of fresh tyres to complete a hat-trick that looked as unlikely as a sunny day at Silverstone in July just minutes earlier, and off we all went again.
Now you might have thought such a comeback by the Lightning would have been incentive enough for an overtime win, especially having out-gunned your opponents by nearly thirty shots, but it was the Bees who wrapped it up for a 4-point weekend after barely a minute to keep their play-off hopes alive right to the wire.
So while the top of the table may be a done deal despite the Flames not adding to their total this weekend, the Phoenix, Jets, Steeldogs and Lightning have still got things to contend as regards play-off opponents. Lower down things are still bubbling with the Bees jumping the Phantoms on Saturday and remaining there, although technically the final play-off spot is still up for grabs, but the Wildcats’ hopes of catching the Bison are pretty much over.
And to think there is more next week. Can’t wait.
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Contact Bill.Collins@prohockeynews.com
