Dustin Kohn suspended for 3 games - Hmm...

News has broken this evening that Dustin Kohn has been suspended for 3 games for what has been stated by the Elite League as cross-checking.

That in itself is poor wording from the EIHL. I don't see how you can get a ban for cross-checking. I'll explain why in this case.

The suspension has been handed out for a 3rd period incident between Kohn and Nottingham Panthers forward Robert Farmer.

After a whistle, Farmer was in the vicinity of the Steelers goal, as was Kohn and for whatever reason, Kohn started to cross-check Farmer, 3 or 4 times and during one of those post whistle cross checks, his stick got high and caught Farmer in the face/head area.

In my opinion, this incident was always going to be reviewed, because of the area in which impact was made.

That being said, it is not a simple cross-checking penalty. It surely has to be checking to the head because that is what Kohn actually did, albeit accidentally. He was cross-checking Farmer to start with to rough him up a bit. That's what most defencemen do, especially if an opposition player has done something to warrant getting shoved around!

That is why the wording on the EIHL press release is very poor, because it only states cross-checking. It is either excessive cross-checking (seeing as Kohn cross-checked Farmer multiple times) or it is checking to the head, which as I've said before is actually what he did. He accidentally cross-checked Farmer in the face/head.

Now, as for the ban itself, it is said that the offense carries an automatic 3 match ban. Fair enough, but I think that it should be appealed, for two reasons.

Firstly, being that the wording by the league on it's press release is very poor. They have stated that the ban is for cross-checking, not checking to the head, which is the correct call.

Secondly, would be because the impact itself was accidental, not in any way shape or form malicious and also didn't cause any injury to Farmer. It was actually no different to one player roughing another after a whistle, only Kohn caught Farmer with his stick instead of the glove.

At most, upon review the offense should have warranted a 2+10 being added to Kohn's record, not a 3 game suspension.

Common sense should really be used at times...

Speaking of things being added to records...at the same time as the Kohn suspension being announced, it was also announced that Robert Dowd was having a 5+game for charging to his record for the 1st period incident with Boxhill, in which he was initially assessed a 2 minute minor for elbowing.

I'll say that again...ELBOWING.

It can't be both elbowing and charging. It's one or the other, and it certainly wasn't charging! Boxhill had his head down as he played the puck and Dowd came across the ice, finished his check and cleaned house in doing so.

Both of these incidents of supplementary discipline are somewhat baffling, for very different reasons.

Also, for the record, I'm not saying this as a Steelers fan, I'm saying this as a hockey fan, and those that know me personally will know that I mean it when I say it.

Whilst the Dowd part cannot be appealed, I fully expect the Steelers to appeal the Kohn suspension. I will be staggered if the league uphold the suspension.

Hanson has done well so far this season with his suspensions and supplementary reviews (apart from the Henley incident with Fulton and then the Henley incident with Spencer), but he's got these two wrong in my eyes.

Also, just another quick point. Nickerson of the Flyers had his 12 game suspension reduced from 12 games to 9. WHY?! It was an offense worthy of 12 games for the reasons first stated by the league when the original suspension was handed out! You can't help but wander who overturns these decisions sometimes because if it's not Hanson then his work is being undermined.

Incidents like this are partly why at times this league is seen as a bit of a bush league. It could be so much better than what it is if common sense was used more often with regards to suspensions/discipline and if some officials didn't carry egos with them onto the ice.

Oh well, it'll all come good in time...I hope...

You know what to do guys.

@IAmMcCausland
@TomWalkeden
@AwkwardGinge
@FrozenSteelBlog

Cheers!

Alan
@AwkwardGinge

Happy New Year From Frozen Steel

We've only been around 6 weeks, which sounds ridiculous when you look at the site traffic, and the over 300 followers we now have on Twitter, and the fact we have our own forum...its all gone a bit quick to be honest.

I'm sure I can speak for Tom and Alan, as well as myself, when I say a huge thank you to everyone who has read anything on the site, anybody who has contributed to an article, anyone who has commented about something on the Facebook page or replied to us on Twitter, anyone who has submitted an article, anyone who has shared a post, anyone who has retweeted us, anyone who has helped us become what we are.

I don't know about the other guys, but I love the Steelers, and I love writing about the Steelers. I love interacting with Steelers fans, and I love the banter with other clubs' fans.

Lets hope that 2014 is a good one.

Cheers

Liam

Fans Of Steel: Tom Walkeden

In this new feature we profile the people who really matter at the Sheffield Steelers: the fans. This time around, Frozen Steel match reporter Tom Walkeden fill us in.

Brand New: Frozen Steel Forum

Due to public request, I have started a new forum, for us all to talk Sheffield Steelers.

Visit us at http://frozensteel.proboards.com/

Cheers

Twitter Takeover: Colt King Takes Over Steelers Banter

Following on from the success of their Q&A takeover with Tom Squires, our friends at Steelers Banter thought they'd do it again. And they got a corker. Ladies and gentlemen, Colt King.

Stefan Meyer fires overtime winner v Nottingham: Match Report

Saturday 28th December 2013 - Nottingham Panthers (13-8-2) v Sheffield Steelers (14-10-2) @ National Ice Center. Face off: 7pm

An overtime winner by forward Stefan Meyer gave Sheffield the win in Nottingham and secured a four point Christmas over arch rivals the Nottingham Panthers while Nottingham had to settle for just one point over the two games.

Quick Recap: Panthers 2-3 Steelers (28/12/13)

A Stefan Meyer goal - that in fairness he knew sod all about - 2 minutes into overtime gave the Steelers a big victory in the NIC and ensured that we took all the spoils from the festive double header.

Fans Of Steel - Get Involved

One of the old cliches about sports teams is that a team is nothing without it's fans. And this is true - with no audience to play to, there'd be no point in playing (plus the financial implications of such things). And a fansite is the same. If we don't have the input of fans of the Steelers, and fans of the blog, whats the point?

So we want to involve you. We always want your opinions and input on what we write, and encourage you to write yourselves. But here's a new thing. Have a look at this sample, and send us your versions.

The View From On High - Vs Panthers (26/12/13)

The views of Liam McCausland, from his perch at the top of block 204 at the Motorpoint Arena.

The first time I've really been able to do a proper analysis on a game, and it was a cracker to start with.

Personally, a great evening for me. Leading the block in chanting, being given a bottle of champagne for being gobby (thank you Steelers Org), and getting to meet Max Lacroix as part of my sponsorship afterwards. Oh aye, we won 2-0 as well.

Max is Back!!

Maxime Lacroix In Action For The Steelers
(Image Courtesy of the Sheffield Steelers)

Anyone who was at the game against the Nottingham Panthers on Boxing Day were in for a big surprise! Not only did we defeat the Panthers 2-0 and keep a shut out but we had a nice surprise during the pre-game warm ups and that was that Maxime Lacroix was on the Ice warming up with his team mates however he didn't feature in the boxing day game but it was a sight that the players loved to see.

Steelers and Doyle Shutout Panthers:Match Report

Thursday 26th December 2013 - Sheffield Steelers (13-10-2) v Nottingham Panthers (13-7-2) @ Motorpoint Arena. Face off: 5:15pm

We're back to that time of the year the Christmas series between the Sheffield Steelers and the Nottingham Panthers, fans have been saying there is no passion in the team and the boys answered their critics fantastically with a great 2-0 win in the annual boxing day clash.

Thoughts on tonights game - Jingle bells jingle bells jingle all the way...

...oh what fun it is to see the Panthers lose away HEY!

Feels good doesn't it? I feel so good I might bust out into a James Brown "I feel good" dance!

Best performance of the season in my eyes. We showed up and played 60 minute hockey. That being said, we still looked a little off though with one or two moments here or there but generally we did the job and beat what was put in front of us.

Passion or No Passion by the Sheffield Steelers Players

Hey everybody, this is a little different compared to the Match Reports I've been doing. But anyway I'm writing this because for the past few weeks I've been getting more and more annoyed with Sheffield fans slating the players. A lot of fans have been saying that there is no commitment or passion from the lads this year! Well if you want my opinion you are so "WRONG". A big reason why the players are proving commitments and passion is what David Simms wrote in Saturday match program against the Cardiff Devils on the 21st December and if you bought the programme and read his programme notes you will know exactly what I'm on about.

A Call To Arms

Tonight, the old enemy enter our home, with intentions of embarrassing and defeating us.

There is no denying it, they are a good team. They have some good players and are more than capable of beating any team in the league, on their day.

But we should remember who we are. We are the Sheffield Steelers. We have league winners on our team. We have players who have performed in The Show. We have players who have represented their country. We have players who are more than capable of beating anybody in this league, and if they're not up for it tonight, they never will be.

But they need our support. We cannot expect them to simply walk in and, unsupported, put on a performance. Some people of late have sat back and waited to be entertained before making some noise. We cannot afford to do that tonight.

From the moment the Thunderbirds countdown kicks in, we need to raise the roof. We need to be the extra skater on the ice. Imagine we've pulled the goalie with 30 seconds left in the playoff final - thats how important we can be, and how influential we need to be. Don't wait for the first opportunity to slag off your favourite scapegoat - even today, Gord Baldwin is a loved and respected member of the Steelers family. Support them from puck drop to hand shake. Not in a happy-clapper sense, but wait until things go majorly wrong before you slate them. Chant, sing, clap, bang drums, blow trumpets, scream, make it loud Steelers fans.

We need to give the Panthers hell as soon as they step on the ice. We may have friends in their fanbase. We may be related to some of them. From the moment the lights drop, forget that. They are the enemy. Boo them when they come on the ice. If they score, boo, If they get a powerplay, boo. When they're on the puck, boo. Don't clap them onto the ice. They should not be made to feel welcome. Mr Simms, adapt a monotonous tone when announcing positive things for them. We should not let them settle for one second. Those in 104 behind Kermit and the Panthers players - bang the plexi, shout at them, make them feel really uncomfortable.

Today could be the start of the rest of the season. The league looks unlikely - but not impossible. Until it is mathematically out of reach, believe. It starts today. Lets beat the filth, and remind everybody just who the Sheffield Steelers are.

Liam
@IAmMcCausland

Get in touch:
@IAmMcCausland
@AwkwardGinge
@TomWalkeden
@FrozenSteelBlog

Merry Christmas from all the Frozen Steel Team

I'm going to keep this short but I just want to wish Everyone a very Merry Christmas and hope everyone has a fantastic day with loved ones and got everything they asked for as it's a very special day :). And I think I speak for everyone in the Frozen Steel a team when I say Merry Christmas.

Thank you for reading the Articles by the team and hope you enjoy them as we do try our very best. We look forward to carry on writing after Christmas and into the new year and hope to hear from you all soon :)

Merry Christmas Everyone from Everyone at Frozen Steel Blog

@IAmMcCausland

@TomWalkeden

@AwkwardGinge

@JoshBritton94

@FrozenSteelBlog

You can email the team at frozen.steel.91@gmail.com

Have a Great Day

Tom

@TomWalkeden

Cardiff v Sheffield Double Header Part 2: Game Recap

Sunday 22nd December 2013 - Cardiff Devils (9-13-1) v Sheffield Steelers (13-9-2) @ Cardiff Arena. Face off: 6pm

So it wasn't the result everyone would have wanted just before Christmas,in fact it was a far from it. After defeating the Devils the previous night 4-3 the Steelers went to Cardiff only to return with just another two point weekend and a 5-1 defeat to level this year series at 3-3-0.

Phil Cook and Frank Doyle was in goal for their respective teams and Tom Darnell was the man in the middle. It was Cardiff who struck first in the 1st period and this was after the fans were treated to a fight between Plumton and Fata in the very early stages but it would be the Steelers who were on the power play at 9:59 in the game but it would be the Cardiff Devils that would strike shorthanded with a goal from Jake Morrisette with the help of Ben Davies and Brad Plumton. That attending fans had to wait till the start of the second period for another goal and again it would be the Devils who would take a two goal lead just like they did the night before and the goal came through Tomas Kurka with the help of Brad Plumton and Max Birbraer on 23:47. The Third Period of the game got going with the Steelers two goals down and knowing that they need a big last session if they was to take the points home and the fans thought the come back on when on 47:58 Drew Fata would bring the visitors within one goal but it wasn't meant to be when a mistake from Steelers defenseman Gord Baldwin allowed Matthew Myers to score a fantastic goal at 51:06. The next two minutes for the visitors wouldn't improve with another fight breaking out again it would be Drew Fata with his second fight of the night but this time he had dropped the gloves with Tyson Marsh who myself I didn't think would be the sort of player to go toe to toe with Fata. Then with Cardiff on the power play and only a minute after the third goal the always impressive Mac Faulker would make it 4-1 on 52:06 and the scoring would be finished 41 seconds later and again it would be the home side and Ben Davies would score to finish the scoring at 5-1. With just under 8 minutes remaining in the game there would be another fight and it would be Stefan Meyer against Brad Plumton who was also having his second fight of the night, that would be it for the game and it would finish 5-1 to the Devils as both teams would have to settle for just a two point weekend.

FINAL SCORE: Cardiff Devils 5-1 Sheffield Steelers

Boxscore (1st-2nd-3rd-[PIM]-{PP}-S)
Cardiff -    1-1-3-[35]-{1/4}-22
Sheffield - 0-0-1-[27]-{0/8}-41

Cardiff Man of the Match: #30 Phil Cook
Sheffield Man of the Match: #44 Mark Thomas

The question in Sheffield at the moment is what is needed to help them get to where they should be as going into Christmas the Steelers have got a record of 13-10-2 with 28 points and their next to games are against arch rivals the Nottingham Panthers in the Christmas series and it could be an interesting couple of games as one game both the Sheffield Steelers and the Nottingham Panthers seem to turn up and play extremely well and then the next game both seem to be diabolical so what sort of games are we going to be in for?? Now when I go back to the question of what is needed to improve the squad personally I'm not sure myself and I'll support the team no matter what but the way things are going at the moment its not acceptable; take last night for instance Cardiff had 22 shots all game and scored 5 goals going 1 for 4 on the power play but the Sheffield had 41 shots but only managed 1 goal and failing on all 8 power play attempts, when having that many shots but still a defenseman who has been part of a defensive line that has conceded 5 goals in the game and still gets man of the match there is definitely something not right.

Thanks for reading guys. Any questions or comments please get in contact with the Frozen Steel Team via Twitter:-
@IAmMcCausland
@TomWalkeden
@AwkwardGinge
@JoshBritton94
@FrozenSteelBlog

or Email the team at frozen.steel.91@gmail.com

Much Appreciated

Tom
@TomWalkeden

Frozen Steel Live! Details of our Christmas Week Coverage

This week sees the rare event of me being able to attend a game! What's more, I don't need a satnav to pick people up on the way, so I will have phone battery to be able to live tweet.

There will be three of us updating from the Motorpoint Arena on Thursday:-

Editor and author - Liam McCausland - @IAmMcCausland
Match reporter - Tom Walkeden - @TomWalkeden
Game updater - Josh Britton - @JoshBritton94

Josh and Tom will be providing more in-depth updates, while I will be providing analysis from my perch at the top of 204 (in between hitting a drum very loudly - I apologise in advance.)

To follow the action, follow us all on Twitter.

To join the conversation, use the hashtag #FSL - Frozen Steel Live, yeah? I'll try not to be too biased on account of some Panthers fans may pay attention - but it is against them lot so I can't promise too much.

As for Saturday's game - I will be updating from the comfort of my living room, watching it live on TV. If either of the gentlemen are going to the game, I'm sure they'll let you know if they are updating.

Remember to keep checking the blog, and the Twitter, for updates throughout the week - Wednesday may (understandably) be a bit quiet.

To all our readers, have a good, safe Christmas, and see you all on the other side.

Thank you for keeping us going.

Liam

Christmas Preview: Double Header vs The Unwashed

One win in 4. No away win in December. Only two 4-point weekends all season. There's a multitude of stats that say that something is wrong in Sheffield, but we don't need it on paper. We can see it with our own eyes. So what do we need to reboost the confidence and get a winning run going? The festive Home/Away with the Panthers? Well of course....

Weekend Roundup 22nd December 2013

Wednesday 18th December
(EL/GC) Braehead Clan 4 - 6 Dundee Stars

Saturday 21st December
(EL) Hull Stingrays 7 - 5 Nottingham Panthers 5
(EL/EC) Belfast Giants 5 -1 Coventry Blaze
(EL/EC) Sheffield Steelers 4-3 Cardiff Devils
(EL/GC) Braehead Clan 5 - 0 Fife Flyers

Sunday 22nd December
(EL) Coventry Blaze 2 - 4 Braehead Clan
(EL) Dundee Stars 2 - 4 Belfast Giants
(EL/EC) Cardiff Devils 5 - 1 Sheffield Steelers
(EL/GC) Fife Flyers 5 - 3 Hull Stingrays

Elite League Standings

 

Erhardt Conference Standings

Gardiner Conference Standings

The Opposition Bench - N********m P******s - Christmas Double Header 2013

This week, we renew our festive rivalry with last season's League winners. Thursday, we welcome our 'good friends from down the M1' to the Motorpoint Arena, while we make the return trip on Saturday, with the Premier Sports cameras entering the NIC. Jono Bullard (@TCWfanzine), of The Cat's Whiskers fanzine and Cat's Whiskers TV, helped us to preview the double-header. Quite frankly, I was a little gobsmacked when he agreed.

How do you feel the season has gone for the Panthers?

It's been gloriously inconsistent. We look like world beaters one night then clueless the next. Our incredible home form is the only reason why we are where we are in the league.

Have the Continental Cup exploits damaged your domestic chances?

I would say yes, but it's a competition we had to enter, especially as we had the first round at the NIC. However the injuries that have resulted from the CC have seriously damaged us this season so far.

This week continues the tradition of Steelers/Panthers games over the festive period. Do the Steelers/Panthers games still mean as much to you? 

Yes. I hate losing to the Steelers, I love winning against them. Thankfully I've had more happier days than bad in the last few seasons ;-)

Personally, when I first started going to Steelers games, it was drummed into me that these games mattered, and that we hated the Panthers. Is there still that from your end? 

We despise the Steelers, but since we started winning trophies on a regular basis the wider fan base perhaps don't see you as the huge rivals that we once did. I'd happily lose every game against the Steelers if it meant we won the league.

Other than Steeler Slayer Matt Francis, who should we be particularly wary of?

David Clarke is having an excellent season. Absolute goal machine. Leigh Salters also has everything, including toughness.

Anyone on the Steelers team that gives you cause for concern?

Only Legue to be honest. Always capable of scoring an important goal. On paper the Steelers should have destroyed this league but have very much flattered to deceive. I think Dowd, although a very good player, is overrated.

Any predictions for the two games? For some reason, I don't see a repeat of the 9-4...

Neither do I. I expect Steelers to win at the tin shed with Panthers winning handsomely at the NIC.

What about the rest of the season? Still have hopes for the title, or are the knockouts a more realistic aim? 

Belfast looked nailed on for the league, we've been saying it on the show for a while now. We're always dangerous in the knock-outs so I wouldn't bet against us for either trophy.

Belfast for the league?

Yes

A massive thank you to Jono for answering our questions. You can catch Cat's Whiskers TV every week - keep up to date by following them on Twitter HERE

Thoughts on the weekend - Calm down folks...

So it's Sunday night and the Steelers have come out of the weekend with just 2 points. Is it disappointing? Of course it is, but there were massive positives out of this weekend for the club.

On Saturday we didn't get out of the blocks very well. We made a slow start. Taking over 5 minutes to have our first shot on goal at a goalie that was playing in only his 4th professional game and going 2-0 down to the visiting side really wasn't what I'd wanted to see.

That being said though, the boys dug deep and worked extremely hard and got themselves back into the game at 2-2. Even at 3-2 down, they still plugged away and in the end came out of the game with a much deserved 4-3 win and 2 valuable points.

A much needed morale and confidence boost for everyone one the ice, especially with it being a Steelers team that finally had a full quota of players dressed for the game for only the 3rd time this season!

Now, whilst I'll admit I didn't catch the first 10-15 minutes of tonights game, what I saw of the last 45-50 minutes gave me some confidence.

Even at 2-0 down we were never out of the game. We had some good chances but the new Cardiff netminder made one or two good stops. We looked more dangerous going forward than we had in recent weeks, but while some shots were still not of a threatening quality, we were at least looking to take those shots at goal rather than try and pass and overplay the puck, especially in the 3rd period.

We got ourselves back into the game thanks to a goal from Drew Fata, but the rest of the period was all about Phil Cook.

On a number of occasions he looked to be out of position but recovered to make some very good stops, some he had no right in making. We were all over the Devils at 2-1 down yet we just couldn't find a way past him to tie the game up.

Unfortunately for us, the Devils got a few lucky breaks and favourable bounces just after the halfway point of the third period and blew the game wide open at 5-1 in the space of a few minutes. They were able to make the most of what little chances they had.

Sadly, these things happen in hockey. The scoreline tonight really doesn't reflect the game at all in my view. The Steelers were very much the better side and 9 times out of 10 would have come away with the 2 points tonight. I honestly think that we could have had 6 or 7 goals ourselves.

It's not all doom and gloom just because we didn't get 4 points out of the weekend. We were just unfortunate to run into a night where we didn't get the breaks in front of the goal when we really didn't want one of those nights at all.

Let's just hope that despite the loss tonight, confidence and moral hasn't been lost. There are positives to take out of tonight, especially in terms of looking to take the shot at goal. Hopefully come Boxing Day and the 28th in Nottingham we'll be taking a better quality of shot at goal and make the most of those quality scoring chances and have a few good bounces come our way as well.

Besides, wouldn't it just be lovely to have two wins over Nottingham? Especially at this time of year.

I personally wouldn't mind a little bit of redemption on the 28th and embarrass them on TV in their own barn considering the way the games have gone so far this season in the NIC...here's hoping eh?

That's probably it from me now before Christmas, so I'd like to wish you all a Merry Christmas, or if you don't celebrate Christmas, I hope you have a joyful festive period in whichever way you do celebrate this time of year.

You know the drill by now folks...

@IAmMcCausland
@TomWalkeden
@AwkwardGinge
@FrozenSteelBlog

Cheers!

Alan
@AwkwardGinge

The Steelers an improved team but some way to go: From a Premier Sport angle

Contributor Roland Hurt returns with another blog post, this written after last night's game against Cardiff.

Sheffield v Cardiff Double Header Part 1: Match Report

Saturday 21st December 2013 - Sheffield Steelers (12-9-2) v Cardiff Devils (9-12-1) @ Motorpoint Arena. Face off: 7pm

The Steelers take on Cardiff this weekend home and away and will be looking for four points after a dreadful weekend last week against Belfast and Coventry, Cardiff will also be looking for the points to move them further up the table. Jeff Legue and Robert Dowd return for the Steelers and Dustin Kohn is a match time decision on whether he plays and if he does it will be only the third time all season the Sheffield Steelers have been at full strength. Cardiff's new goaltender Phil Cook will be making his debut tonight after Dan Lacosta had to announce his retirement during the week after medical advice.

Legue, Dowd and Kohn all back in the line-up with Frank Doyle in goal for the Steelers and Phil Cook making his Elite League debut for the Cardiff Devils. Mike Hicks was the man in the middle and the game live on Premier Sports got underway and Frank Doyle would be the first person called upon when he'd make a sprawling save across his goal crease to deny a Devils goal scoring opportunity and just before that Dustin Kohn who was making his return to the team would be putting up a few block shots. Steven Geortzen would be next to try his luck but after skating through the Devils defencive line but it would result in the puck being poked of his stick, Drew Fata would take the first penalty of the game as he was called for tripping on 2:14 which on first sight seemed a harsh call but the Steelers would kill that penalty and not even 20 seconds later Fata would be back in the box as he was called for interference next to the benches. Cardiff would win the draw and 6 seconds in the power play on 4:33 Tomas Kurka would send a slap shot which would defect of Legue's stick and beat Doyle to open the scoring. Sheffield would try and get themselves back on the front foot and Robert Dowd would put some pressure in on goal and Phil Cook would be called upon and make a good puck catch. On 8:30 things would get worse for Sheffield as Frank Doyle would poke the puck away and find himself caught out of goal but would still get a pad onto the shot of Matthew Myers in front of goal but it wouldn't be enough and Cardiff would lead 2-0. Phil Cook would make two fantastic saves just before the Steelers got their first power play chance of the night as Quiney went for tripping and of the draw Baldwin would receive the puck on the boards before sending a big wrist shot and would beat Phil Cook to score a power play goal on 12:08. Sheffield wouldn't stop their and 13:46 Sirianni would link up with DiCasmirro who would send a back hand pass in front of goal and Rob Dowd would connect and beat Cook through the right arm to level the game at 2-2. The momentum had suddenly swung in the way of the home team and would get another to opportunities and Legue and Geortzen would go close and the slightest touch on the puck would have most definitely put Steelers in the lead. Devils would take a 3-2 lead into the break when on 17:44 a bad bounce of the pad of Doyle would hit the skate of Fata and before the Steelers knew Mac Faulkner had stole the puck and easily slotted it into the goal.

Sheffield would start the second period with 1:03 remaining on the power play and two big opportunities would fall for Meyer and Dowd as they was looking for the equaliser but Cook would stand big in his crease and deny both scoring chances. Cardiff were having to work hard on their own blue line when Spencer skated into the Devils zone and attempted to hold the puck up for Geortzen to shoot over the glass. Sheffield would bring themselves back into the game when on 28:14 a pass from Dustin Kohn would find the British Bulldog who would rifle the puck towards goal and would go in of Jonathan Phillips and beat Phil Cook over the left shoulder to level the game at 3-3. The game wouldn't be tied for long as Drew Fata would receive the puck of Geortzen and would skate around the goal all the way round to the blue line before sending a snap shot towards goal and would beat Cook after a deflection of Richardson and the Steelers would lead for the first time of the night at the score at 4-3 on 30:18. Cardiff would then call a time out and it seemed to help the Devils as Doyle had to make a good save as Birbraer took a shot at him as well as Ben Davies forcing a big glove save out of Doyle which then resulted in a bit of pushing and shoving between players but before that the Sheffield fans were treated to the best shift of the night as it looked like the Steelers had iced the puck, Rob Dowd put the accelerator on from his own zone to beat the Devils defender to the puck which was met with a big cheer from the home fans. The game started to heat up as Ben Davies would put on his back by Mark Thomas and it looked like Davies was looking for a fight but Thomas wasn't interested. Doyle would be called upon one last time in the 2nd just as a Steelers power play was killed the Devils broke 3 on 1 but wouldn't be able to beat the always improving Frank Doyle.

The third period was delayed as the officials had to wait for the game to back on the air and when we got going its safe to say that the Steelers comfortably dominated the final sessions as Sirianni was played in by Dowd and would be denied to Cook, it would then be Dowds turn to try his luck but his shot was padded wide by the Devils Goaltender who probably hadn't had the best debut in Sheffield. Cardiff would get a power play attempt and wouldn't get any clear cut goal scoring chances in fact it would be the short handed team that would get the best opportunity as former Devil Phil Hill would steal the puck and would eventually have his shot saved on the breakaway to the left of the goal. On 45:11 Mac Faulkner would be put in the box for 2+2 for accidental high sticks on Nate DiCasmirro but the Steelers would only be on the power play for 3:10 of the four minutes as Kohn was already in the box for tripping a decision which added to the poor ones made by Mike Hicks through out the game and one would soon be added to that with just over 8 minutes remaining in the game Jason Hewitt found himself on a breakaway before being cross checked from behind and instead of giving the obvious choice of a penalty shot Liimatainen received two minutes in the penalty box a decision that baffled all the home fans in attendance at the game and probably all watching on Premier Sports. Cardiff would pull Phil Cook with just over 40 seconds remaining in the game with the hope that the extra skater would help level the game but Frank Doyle, Gord Baldwin and the Sheffield Steelers would see out the game to win their final home game before Christmas.

FINAL SCORE: Sheffield Steelers 4-3 Cardiff Devils

Boxscore (1st-2nd-3rd-[PIM]-{PP}-S)
Sheffield - 2-2-0-[8]-{1/7}-28
Cardiff   - 3-0-0-[14]-{1/4}-34

Sheffield Man of the Match: #75 Robert Dowd
Cardiff Man of the Match: #11 Mac Faulkner

A big win for the Sheffield Steelers after two defeats last weekend and it also sees them move up to fourth as Nottingham would lose 7-5 in Hull. Sheffield would improve to 13-9-2 and will meet Cardiff on the Sunday evening in the Big Blue Tent in Cardiff before the Christmas Series with Nottingham on Boxing Day and the 28th.

Thanks for reading guys. Any questions or comments please get in contact with the Frozen Steal Team via Twitter:-
@IAmMcCausland
@TomWalkeden
@AwkwardGinge
@FrozenSteelBlog

or Email the team at frozen.steel.91@gmail.com

Much Appreciated

Tom
@TomWalkeden

Weekend Preview: Better The Devil You Know

Apologies for the headline

This weekend sees the Steelers play a home/away double header against our former glorious owner's playthings, and everyone's favourite Elite League club from Wales.

Team News
Great news for the Sheffield Steelers, as both Robert Dowd and Jeff Legue return from injury - Legue has only missed Sunday's defeat in Coventry with an ankle problem, while Dowd has been absent since gaining a concussion from the boards in the NIC in November. There is also an outside chance that Dustin Kohn will return, having also been ruled out with concussion, although his return may take a little longer.

Even better news is the return to the ice of Max Lacroix. This week, he skated for the first time since breaking his ankle at the end of September. Elite Prospects tentatively has his return date as December 24th. While I find this highly unlikely, and a return date of February is being thrown about as more likely, the fact he has returned to the ice should give us all some hope.

As for the Devils, the only confirmed news I am aware of is that 'wildcard signing' Phil Cook - with questionable numbers in college hockey - has been brought in to replace the retiring Dan Lacosta, who has had to call it a day due to repeated concussions.

Steelers This Weekend
Saturday - vs Cardiff Devils (Motorpoint Arena)
Saturday sees the Steelers face the cameras, as Aaron Murphy brings the Premier Sports wagon into Sheffield. Each game so far on TV has been a veritable goalfest, and I expect this to be no diff...no sorry I couldn't say it. It won't be the gung ho that some of the other games have been, but I expect goals from both teams.

By the way, the christmas shirts. Sorry not sorry.

Sheffield Steelers 5-3 Cardiff Devils

Sunday - @ Cardiff Devils (BBT)
Sunday sees the return fixture, as the Steelers visit the Welsh capital. The smaller rink, the lack of tv cameras, our poor record in Cardiff...I see a different result on Sunday. Depends how much momentum we carry from Saturday I guess. Personally, I don't see a 4 point weekend.

Cardiff Devils 3-2 Sheffield Steelers

For a Devils's perspective, check out Mark Johncock's Opposition Bench feature HERE.

Cardiff sign a new netminder - How will the Steelers react on the ice?

The big, but unsurprising, news out of Cardiff this week was the announcement of Dan LaCosta's retirement due to three concussions he has suffered this season.

At times like this you do have to feel for a guy that has had his career ended at just 27 years of age. If you read this Dan, I think I can speak for the entire Steelers fanbase and the EIHL fanbase, when I say that I wish you all the best for the future and that hopefully you get better again soon.

Now, roll forward to today and the Cardiff Devils have announced their new import goalie, Phil Cook, all 6'3 and 195lbs of him. A decent sized netminder, similar to that of former Steelers Netminder John DeCaro.

Cook is fairly new to the professional ranks, having spent the previous 4 seasons in the NCAA and having played only 3 games so far this season as a professional, with the Peoria Rivermen of the SPHL. His stats however can't help but make you think this is a budget signing. A goals against average of 4.83 and a mere 83.3% save percentage are not very inspiring at all. Cardiff however, are seemingly very much aware of that, having stated in their press release that he is a wildcard recruit.

That being said, good luck to the guy and welcome to the league.

This news though, should have the Steelers licking their lips and chomping at the bit to get on the ice against the Devils this weekend. If Cook arrives in the UK in time and is ready to play and starts, then the Steelers really should come out all guns blazing and pepper him early doors. Get him rattled early and put a few pucks past him into the back of the net.

However, there is also the new (I use the word new loosely) dark horse, Joe Myers. Myers has been the back up in Cardiff for several seasons now and in LaCostas absence last weekend got one of, if not thee, biggest highlights and wins of his career. A 4-2 win at home to the defending league, challenge cup and playoff champions, the Nottingham Panthers.

In case you weren't aware, the Panthers like to think it's a grand slam, but it's not. It's a treble. They didn't win every trophy and/or title on offer last season, isn't that right Belfast? Some of you may think that's petty and sour grapes, but hey, who cares? It's the Christmas season and I feel like scrooge.

Now, if Myers plays in goal instead of Cook, again I feel that the Steelers should come out hard and fast early doors, pepper him with shots and get him rattled.

The Steelers are a team seemingly low on confidence in front of goal right now so they should be relishing the chance of playing the Devils this weekend with how their goaltending situation has been.

There have been some positives for the Steelers within the last week as well with regards to their go to guys for goals. Firstly, Rob Dowd taking part in pre-game warm ups last weekend, so may hopefully he feature this weekend. Secondly, add to that the news that Jeff Legue is no longer feeling any effects of the knock he picked up in Belfast on Saturday but the bigger news has been that Max Lacroix has finally taken to the ice again this week after breaking/dislocating his ankle back in Nottingham in September. It will be good to have him back at some point, although I wouldn't expect that to be for maybe another month yet.

All of this said, this weekend sees the start of the Christmas period of games for the Steelers. A period of games in which could very well make or break their title challenge this season. With the recent scoring issues, this weekend is a perfect chance for the boys to find their scoring touch again and to regain some much needed confidence, especially with two games against the Panthers around the corner.

Comments and feedback as always are more than welcome, at the usual locations.

@IAmMcCausland
@TomWalkeden
@AwkwardGinge
@FrozenSteelBlog

Thanks for reading!

Alan
@AwkwardGinge

The Opposition Bench: Cardiff Devils Double Header 21/22 December

We spoke to Cardiff Devils fan Mark Johncock about this weekend's double header.

So, a Steelers/Devils Home/Away weekend. Games between the two have historically gotten a little fruity. Do you enjoy the games with the Steelers more than, say, Nottingham or Belfast games?

Being my first year back with the Devils, it has been interesting seeing how the rivalries with various teams have developed over the past few seasons. As a kid, Steelers were always the team we loved to hate. I think this is still apparent but to a lesser extent. With the 'arena teams' coming to prominence (and picking up the vast majority of trophies), I think the rivalry between Steelers and Devils has dilluted a little. This is perhaps due to a new generation of fans and also the development of our battles with Coventry Blaze. Devils seem to have a lot of needle with Belfast right now and, as we move into a new arena soon, this can only be a good thing. However, for me, having grown up with the Steelers v Devils rivalry, it will always be the game I look forward to the most - particularly as most Devils fans (and ice hockey fans in general) love to hate Mr. Simms!

What's your view of Brent Pope, and the start he has made as coach? 

The recent changes have been well documented so I think ice hockey fans can form their own opinions. I've worked with both Brent and 'G', and have massive respect for both of them. Brent has coached me on the ice (I'm a netminder) and, from a personal point of view, he is a thorough coach. He is extremely knowledgeable, evaluates every area of the game and is very adept at motivating players. Brent cares about ice hockey and, in particular, the Devils. In terms of his start as a coach with the Devils, I think a bright start has been made. The style of play has changed and I think the additions of Tomas (Kurka) and Joonas (Liimatainen) have helped to develop this style. We are carrying the puck more and this suits the smaller ice pad we have. I believe the win percentage is around 53% and I can see this increasing over the coming weeks (hopefully with 2 wins this weekend!). 

 Who should the Steelers be worried about from the Devils' roster?

I'm not sure I should give out too much information! Everyone knows about Tomas Kurka but I think the Steelers fans will see the contribution across each of our lines. Every line has stepped up in recent weeks and the points have been shared out. As a result, it has been difficult for the opposition to tie down a consistent strategy. A major plus for the Devils is our Brit-pack. Fans will be aware of what Matthew Myers, Mark Richardson and Ben Davies can bring to the ice, but the likes of Rupert Quiney and Chris Jones are growing by the game. So in answer to the question.....Steelers should worry about every line! :)

Anyone from the Steelers give you cause for concern?

Nope, not really! Sorry, couldn't resist it!From the games I've seen (both home and away), Steelers appear to be a confidence team this year. Therefore, I think the important job for the Devils to shut down the likes of Siriani and Legue early on. Like the Devils, Steelers have a strong Brit-pack - I've always been a big fan of Jono (Phillips) and Dowd is naturally a big threat. Particularly at the motorpoint arena, I think concentration and work ethic are going to decide the game. I've written an article (which you can see in both the Steelers' and Devils' programmes this weekend) and selected an 'all-star squad', consisting of 2 players from each Elite League team. My Steeler choices were Legue and Dowd - so I'll pick those as the 'ones to watch'.

Any predictions?

Whenever any team is an import down, it makes any game a difficult proposition. However, Joe (Myers) would have gained alot of confidence from his performance versus Nottingham last weekend. I think the Devils' defensive performance is going to decide both games. We have confidence in the team and are scoring goals. Without predicting, I think both games will be close and it could be a 1-goal game on both nights. 

 What are your hopes for the rest of the season? 

I've always had a feeling the Devils will pick up the Challenge Cup this season. The draw has been fairly kind to us and, if we manage to see off Fife, I think we are capable of beating either Hull or Belfast over 2 legs. We have consistently qualified for the playoff weekend and I'd love us to finally break the finals hoo-doo.In terms of the club, I hope the rest of the season is an opportunity for development of a feel good factor. We have a quality set of players and I hope the majority are retained for next season. Most of the players seem to love Cardiff, and their team-mates, so retaining the main core of the team can only be a good thing. 

 Anything you'd like to promote?

I'd like to encourage everyone to come along to G's testimonial match at the Big Blue Tent on Sunday 23 February. Regardless of which side of the fence you sit on, it is an opportunity to show your appreciation for his contribution to British Ice Hockey. Players like Brad Voth and Chris Frank have confirmed their attendance and it should be an evening of great entertainment. Final word.....I'd like to take the opportunity to say thanks to Dan LaCosta (Devils' netminder) who has had to retire this week. Everyone at the organisation is heartbroken for Dan but his health is paramount. I'm sure Dan will successfully complete his MBA and excel at whatever he decides to do next. 

Big thanks to Mark for helping us with this. We are looking for regular contributions from other teams around the league, as we build towards giving a full insight towards the Elite League. Get in touch at frozen.steel.91@gmail.com for more details. Remember, the Steelers host the Devils at the Motorpoint on Saturday, in the live game on Premier Sports this week. The return game, in the BBT, in on Sunday.

Christmas Jerseys - Are the club possibly going to miss out on revenue?

The Sheffield Steelers unveiled this years Christmas jersey earlier on today, and as normal, it was to a mixed reaction from fans.

Personally speaking, I think the jerseys are hilariously awful, exactly how a Christmas jersey should be. Whoever within Rhino Sports designed this years Christmas jersey has done a great job with it.

That being said though, the decision to raffle them off this Saturday instead of Boxing Day seems a very strange thing to do for several reasons, especially from a business perspective. In my view anyway. I'll explain why.

Firstly, Saturday is a TV game. Chances are the attendance may/will be slightly down for a few reasons. The Steelers inconsistent form, it's the lead up to Christmas so people will have less money to hand at this point, plus some people may opt to stay at home and watch the game on TV if they have a Premier Sports subscription. There are a lot of factors that could see the attendance being lower than usual for a Steelers/Devils game or any home game for that matter. If we get say 3500-4000 people in the building on Saturday then the club will have done well in my view.

Compare that to Boxing day where you will almost certainly have in excess of 6000 people in attendance (maybe pushing 7000). People will generally have more money on them as it was Christmas Day the day before (so some will have got extra money in the form of Christmas cards etc), they will still put in towards the 50/50 which is the biggest in the league so that will barely take much of a hit, as I'd expect it to still easily surpass £3500 and maybe even tip past £4000 again, especially with plenty of Panthers fans in town (a Panthers fan has won the 50/50 before after all).

Secondly, there is also the whole point of a Christmas jersey. In my opinion, it's to be worn on the Christmas game. Saturdays game against Cardiff is not a Christmas game. Boxing Day is the Christmas game. You wouldn't wear a Halloween jersey in mid October, or a Valentines jersey at the start of February, would you?

Thirdly, the club went to orange jerseys a few seasons ago to help give the club some renewed identity and it's own colour. Something that could be marketed and sold to the wider audience. This will be the first time this season that the club has played in front of the live TV cameras, so to not play in your usual teams colours quite frankly baffles me. Plus not all the sponsors that the club has on it's normal home jersey appear to be getting the exposure that they normally would if the club wore the home jersey. Judging by the released images, it appears that the sleeves of the jerseys won't have any sponsors logos etc on it at all. So they're not getting all the exposure that they have necessarily paid for and would have expected to get on a TV game. That could possibly upset one or two sponsors.

Now, I have had a very good argument against the above from one of the 50/50 sellers. He has said that when the club had the Halloween shirts, the 50/50 took a small hit in terms of sales and he was asked during the night to switch from selling the 50/50 to help selling the shirt raffle tickets due to the increase in demand and a demand that was higher than expected. Apparently 4000 shirt raffle tickets were sold that night!

That to me though, would have taught the club something about what to expect on Boxing Day. That would have told me that both the 50/50 AND the shirt raffle would be in very high demand that night. The 50/50 is typically in high demand because on the Christmas game it is a notoriously big prize at stake, especially when it is a game against the Panthers. Plus people are always going to be attracted towards the big prize money, especially in the current economic climate.

To counter against the much higher demand and workload with the shirt raffle sales though, all the club surely would have had to do is put in an appeal to fans that they would like to have some extra volunteers to help out on that game. Say maybe an extra dozen people, half of which would help sell the tickets. That way you account for the extra demand for tickets, and you also account for the extra workload behind the scenes, where they count up all the number of tickets sold so as to ensure it matches up against the money brought in. It all has to tie up and balance after all.

Let me give you a quick example of my argument.

Scenario one: Christmas jersey raffled off on Saturday.

Sales of shirt raffle of 3000 tickets = £3000. Sales of 50/50 on Boxing Day of 8000 tickets = £4000.

Total revenue = £7000.

Scenario two: Christmas jersey raffled off on Boxing Day.

Sales of shirt raffle of 4000 tickets = £4000. Sales of 50/50 on Boxing Day of 7500 tickets = £3750.

Total revenue = £7750.

Now, what that second scenario accounts for is the higher crowd in attendance on Boxing Day, thus a higher volume of shirt raffle sales, but it also accounts for the argument that the 50/50 sales would take a small hit. Based on those EXAMPLE figures, it shows that with the way the club has elected to go, they would miss out on revenue of £750. Some may argue that that is a small difference, but it is still a difference and would still be lost revenue.

The only thing those scenarios don't account for is the typical/average shirt raffle sales/revenue produced on a standard home game and a Boxing Day game.

Again, this is all just speculation and is in no way a dig at the club or anything like that, but I just can't help but think that the club are making a mistake by raffling off the jerseys on Saturday instead of Boxing Day.

As always, I hope you've enjoyed the read and any feedback or comments or questions are more than welcome on our Twitter accounts.

@IAmMcCausland
@TomWalkeden
@AwkwardGinge
@FrozenSteelBlog

Cheers!

Alan
@AwkwardGinge

Weekend Roundup - 12-15th December 2013

A few days to get through this week, and it's not going to be pretty I'm afraid.

Thursday 12th December
(EL/GC) Dundee Stars 3-2 Hull Stingrays (AOT)

Friday 13th December
(EL/CC) Belfast Giants 3-2 Fife Flyers (AOT)

Saturday 14th December
(EL/GC)
Fife Flyers 7-6 Braehead Clan
Hull Stingrays 7-1 Edinburgh Capitals
(EL/EC)
Belfast Giants 5-2 Sheffield Steelers
Cardiff Devils 4-2 Nottingham Panthers

Sunday 15th December
(EL/ CC 1/4 Final 1st Leg) Nottingham Panthers 8-0 Braehead Clan
(EL/GC) Edinburgh Capitals 3-2 Dundee Stars
(EL/EC) Coventry Blaze 4-2 Sheffield Steelers

STANDINGS

Elite League

Erhardt Conference

Gardiner Conference

Challenge Cup

Ignore the teams who have played 9, the Elite League website is being silly.

Group A

Group B

Quarter Finals

Belfast Giants vs Hull Stingrays

Dundee Stars vs Sheffield Steelers

Fife Flyers vs Cardiff Devils

Braehead Clan vs Nottingham Panthers (0+0) (8+0)

Coventry Blaze vs Sheffield Steelers - Sunday 15th December

The Steelers went into Coventry on Sunday evening having been on the receiving end of a 5-2 defeat to the Belfast Giants the night before. A win became a must for Steelers to at least get something out of the weekends action. Sadly though, it wasn't to be, as the Blaze ended up winning the game 4-1.

Before the game started the teams were announced and whilst Kohn and Dowd were still out, even though Dowd took warm up again, the Steelers were also missing Jeff Legue. That made the nights work all the more difficult for the visiting side.

The opening period saw a fairly even affair. The first few minutes of the game were a bit scrappy as teams tried to find their feet and get going in the game. Steelers went onto the powerplay in the 6th minute and within seconds the puck found its way to Drew Fata who riffled a one timer off the crossbar and up over the netting out of play. The Blaze netminder had zero chance with it but then again that is why they say the pipes are a goalies best friend.

On the same powerplay DiCasmirro was cross checked hard in the back, winding him and knocking his helmet off in the process, resulting in a stoppage in play, however there was no call on the play. Something that seemed to surprise both the players and the travelling fans.

A few minutes later though, the Blaze were in front. With Doyle slightly out of position, the puck took a favourable bounce off the boards in Kallstroms direction and he let off a terrific shot that was in and out of the back of the net within a split second. That resulted in a bit of confusion as the goal judge never saw it. After a brief moment of consultation between referee and linesman the goal was awarded and the Blaze were a goal up. That was how it remained for the rest of period which didn't see much other action take place.

Early into the second period, Doyle was called into action on a shot that looked to be going into the top corner short side, but he got his arm up quickly to prevent it, and seconds later we finally saw what many Steelers fans had been waiting all season for from Stefan Meyer, as he drilled Ginand out of his skates just inside the blueline. Finally a glimpse of the physical side to his game which seemed to give the rest of the players a little extra kick to their game. Steelers then had good possession of the puck for the next several minutes and eventually got their reward.

A great pinch along the boards by Langlais to keep the puck in the Blaze zone started it all off, before the puck soon found its way back to him, and with a great heads up play, he fed the puck across the ice to the stick of DiCasmirro who had time and space to pick his spot, before firing it over the glove of Zacharias and into the back of the net.

The scores were level, but as has been the case so many times this season, the Steelers looked vulnerable right after scoring and the Blaze were soon back in the lead.

Some great offensive zone pressure from the Blaze saw the Steelers defensive unit getting themselves into a bit of a tangle and Cale Tanaka pounced on a rebound in front of the goal after Doyle had made a good stop on an awkward shot.

Before the end of the period Doyle was called into action again, making made a great save, as right from a face-off the puck fell kindly to the stick of a Blaze player who fired it at goal, but Doyle was up to the challenge flashing the leather and snagging it out of the air with the glove.

As the period approached the final minute, the players came together after Sirianni boarded a Blaze player, earning him a penalty, which sparked a reaction from Ginand, who seemingly lept onto the back of Sirianni and threw him down to the ice, which earned him a seat in the penalty box for roughing.

That wasn't the last the Steelers saw of Ginand as you will soon find out.

At the end of the period though, the Blaze still led 2-1. A lead which they had still deserved.

Early into the 3rd period the Steelers found themselves on the penalty kill. DiCasmirro took a trip to the box for roughing after throwing a couple of punches at Olson, who had caught him high up as he finished a hit, which was a missed call by referee Tom Darnell. The Steelers killed he penalty off very well, but were soon on the penalty kill again as Sirianni went to the box for interference. A strange call from the referee as it appeared that Sirianni was the one who had been interfered with. Whilst on the resulting penalty kill, Jason Hewitt forechecked hard and was able to kill some time off in the Blaze zone, before he was cross checked by Ginand headfirst into the boards, who miraculously got away with just a 2 minute minor. It was a clear 2+10 for checking from behind. Three consecutive bizarre calls from Darnell, which you don't see all that often from the highly rated referee.

The game started to open up after those penalties had elapsed and in the 54th minute the Blaze extended their lead. Guthrie finding some space along the right wing before feeding a nicely weighted pass over to Chalmers, who dispatched the puck away nicely into the back of the net over Doyle's blocker. A terrific finish that even the best netminders in the World would have struggled to stop.

That forced the Steelers to go on the attack who managed to get some offensive zone pressure but just couldn't find a way to get the puck over the line. Zacharias standing tall in the Blaze goal and some great team defense keeping the score at 3-1.

That all led though to a very interesting series of events as the game went into the final few minutes.

First up was Cale Tanaka losing his balance whilst on the forecheck, which saw him bump into Frank Doyle as he regained his footing ,which also knocked the net off its moorings. It was a completely accidental and gentle collision that didn't phase the Steelers keeper one bit. It did however spark a reaction from Jason Hewitt, who proceeded to go after Tanaka and throw some punches in his direction. Doyle then managed to half get in the way to break up what was going on as the officials intervened but Hewitt was not done there. He again managed to find his way towards Tanaka and threw another punch which earned him yet another penalty.

After all was said and done Hewitt was in the box on a 2+2 for roughing. At 3-1 down with just over a couple of minutes left in the game it was complete and utter ill discipline from the Steelers veteran. His actions effectively putting the Steelers on the backfoot for the rest of the game, something which you simply don't want when you are chasing a game.

Fortunately, the Blaze were not able to capitalise straight away, which led to the next turn of events.

At 3-1 down, with just over a minute and half remaining in the game, and while shorthanded, Doug Christiansen, to the dismay of the travelling fans, pulled Frank Doyle for the extra attacker. A ludicrous decision in several peoples eyes as all it did was level up the number of outskaters yet give the Blaze an open goal to shoot at should they get half a chance to shoot at goal.

Luckily for Doug Christiansen, as the puck suddenly found its way towards the empty Steelers goal and into the back of the net, referee Tom Darnell waved the goal off due to a delayed penalty, as a Blaze player had taken a penalty for elbowing. The teams were back at 4 on 4 with 1:33 remaining in the game and Doyle remained on the bench so as the Steelers kept the extra attacker.

Just like the previous night though, the Steelers couldn't make it count and the puck found it's way to Russ Cowley who slotted the puck into the empty net for a 4-1 lead for the home side.

Soon after though is when it all got really tasty.

As the game approached the dying seconds, Phillips and Ginand collided. It appeared that they were simply going to the same area of ice without realising one another was going there, until Phillips seemed to brace himself at the last second, catching Ginand up high. A totally accidental collision but a collision that saw Ginand see red.

Within a split second he made a direct line for Phillips and tackled him to the ice forcefully along the boards and whilst Phillips was effectively facing the ice, Ginand proceeded to throw punch after punch at Phillips and then also started to cross check Phillips in the back of the neck/head area. Disgraceful and dangerous actions from the Blaze player. That sparked a mass reaction from the other Steelers players on the ice, as it appeared Danny Meyers (I could be wrong) was the first on the scene to take Ginand off of the back of Phillips. The rest of the players then collided. Soon after though things started to cool down once some players had been separated until Phillips tried to go back after Ginand. The linesman doing a great job of restraining the former Steelers captain who looked very irate at what had happened. Both Ginand and Phillips were then escorted off the ice by the officials.

Shortly afterwards, the clock ran out on the period and the game was over. A gutting 4-1 loss for the Steelers and a 0 point weekend in what has been thus far a fairly disappointing season. Chad Langlais picked up the Man of the Match for the visiting side.

As for my own personal views of the game, I feel that the right team won on the night, but again the scoreline looks worse than what the performance suggests thanks again to the empty net goal. I cannot fault the team for effort tonight as they did put in a very good effort, but it sadly wasn't enough as the clinical finishing ended up being the difference between the two sides.

However, there are a few things that have bothered me tonight.

Firstly, Jason Hewitt. He had played fairly well all night up until his moment of ill discipline late on, which is where I take issue. When you are chasing a game and you take a ridiculous penalty like that late on it seriously impacts your teams chances of getting back into the game. As a veteran player on this Steelers side he should have known better and he should have had more awareness of the game situation, and by that I mean how late it was in the game and that he simply could not afford to take a penalty at that time of the game. It was clear that Doyle was not all that bothered by the collision with Tanaka as he tried to stop Hewitt from doing something stupid. Hewitt then further compounded the problem by going after Tanaka again and taking another roughing minor, putting his team shorthanded for the rest of the game. I hope Doug Christiansen holds him accountable in some way for those actions as quite frankly they were bad penalties to take.

Secondly...speaking of Doug Christiansen...why oh why did you pull Frank Doyle again?! Don't get me wrong, I can understand pulling him at 2 goals down with over a minute left in the game, as that is fairly normal in hockey...but to do it whilst shorthanded? Really?! You can count yourself lucky that the Blaze took a penalty as Frank was pulled otherwise it would have made the situation look a hell of a lot worse for you, especially after last nights two empty net goals. Near enough all of the travelling support was screaming in disbelief at how Doyle had been pulled while shorthanded. That being said though, personally speaking, I don't have an issue with Frank being pulled after the Blaze penalty as we then did have more outskaters than the Blaze on the ice as the 4 on 4 effectively became a 5 on 4, but to do it while shorthanded was somewhat staggering.

Lastly though, Ryan Ginand. I had rated this guy all season long. The way he played the game reminded me a lot of Vezio Sacratini. A skilled player that loved to get under the opposition skin and could do it well. Ginand though, can also play hard and tough hockey, something that Vezio couldn't do as well.

After his actions tonight though, I no longer rate him or respect him.

His actions were flat out disgraceful. He near enough attacked and assaulted an opposition player with seemingly no remorse. I hope that the Steelers ask for the incident to be reviewed and that Moray Hanson hands him a suspension for his actions because quite frankly, he deserves to be suspended.

I honestly hope that the next time the two teams meet, some of our guys step up to the plate and hit him ten times harder than what Stefan Meyer did tonight and crush him into the middle of next week. Again, he deserves it. If that doesn't happen and instead one or two of our guys elect to challenge him, then he had better do the right thing and answer the bell and fight and be held accountable for his actions tonight, otherwise he will be nothing but a complete and utter coward. He disgraced himself and the Coventry Blaze hockey club tonight. He absolutely must be held accountable.

That's it from me for tonight folks. I hope you've enjoyed the read. As always, feel free to get in touch with any of us with any comments or questions on our respective Twitter accounts.

@IAmMcCausland
@TomWalkeden
@AwkwardGinge
@FrozenSteelBlog

Cheers!

Alan
@AwkwardGinge

What's the missing piece at the Steelers

After last night's game in Belfast, reader Roland Hurt wrote the following.

Thoughts after the Belfast game - Call to arms!

Are there issues within the squad that are starting to rear their ugly head? After tonight's performance and initial reports from fans from both teams in attendance you can't help but think that things really aren't rosy in the locker room right now, especially with the coach apparently not hanging around for the post game handshakes.

A scoreline of 5-2 in the Giants favour that reports suggest somewhat flatters the opposition. Frank Doyle picked up another Man of the Match in what is rapidly becoming a stellar season from the netminder, who in my opinion gives his all every night and is quickly becoming more and more of a fans favourite in Sheffield.

That being said, there are a few stand out points for me from tonight's game.

The first point would be a report suggesting that during the 3rd period, at 3-1 down, we looked a beaten side. Looked like a team that just didn't think we would get back into the game. A team that looked like it didn't believe in itself and/or each other and/or the systems being used. If fans from both sides can see that, surely the coaching staff can see that too? The issue with the above is that this isn't the first time this season that that view has been expressed by the people in attendance. It's something I myself have even eluded too before. There are times when we are behind in games that we just look like we've given up hope and very few players then take it upon themselves to give the team a lift because once again reports seem to suggest that Doug Christiansen didn't. The body language just looks off. That's something myself and seemingly an increasing number of Steelers fans are starting to take more of an issue with. If the coach doesn;t do something, then a player needs to do something and if nobody does something, then what hope do we have?

Secondly, is the issue over pulling the netminder when trailing in the game towards the end. Whilst the Steelers haven't had much success with that this year, in a one goal game with over a minute to go, it's the norm in hockey for that to be done, so at 3-2 down I can understand Doyle being pulled in an effort to get the game tied up. The issue for me though is pulling Doyle for a second time at 4-2 down with 30 odd seconds left in the game. To score 2 goals with such little time left in my view takes a lot of luck and is a very big ask and to me is near impossible. Sure it has been done before, but the chances of it happening in my view are slim, very slim. That essentially to me gifted the Giants another goal and makes the scoreline worse than what reports of the teams performance suggests. That situation though is what leads me to the third and final point.

After the 5-2 goal, there have been reports emerging from fans of both teams that there was a bit of an incident on the Steelers bench, with Steelers fans suggesting that the team captain was having a go at Doug Christiansen. Now whilst that isn't necessarily what you want to see between player and coach, it does however potentially shed light on one or two things. What cannot be argued though is the passion it shows from Goertzen and I for one applaud that. It's good to see that somebody on that team actually cares about what is going on out there, but at the same time it again begs the question, are some of the players actually happy? Are they enjoying their hockey? If they're not enjoying it, then surely that then hinders their ability to perform. If they're not happy, that then makes you wonder why. Is it the results? Is it the systems they're being asked to play to? Is it the coach? Is it a mix of 2 or 3 or more things?

Granted all we can do is speculate but I don't see how based on what most of us have witnessed this year that things are ok because they're simply not. With the team we have on paper, we should be playing better than what we have done thus far. Yes any team can win on any given night nowadays in this league and no we don't have a right to win every game but the manner in which we have lost some of those games so far this season has become an issue for some people.

In closing, I'll make two more quick points.

Firstly regarding Tim Spencer. I've had it confirmed by fans from both sides that during his fight earlier with Adam Keefe that he stopped the fight when he saw that Keefe was badly cut. That to me is playing the game to the players code. Well done Tim. Good on you. It shows the class that you have.

The other point is basically to the whole team with regards to tomorrows game. I'll be in attendance tomorrow along with several other Steelers fans. Tomorrow is a chance for you to answer back and get something out of this weekend. The last time we played there we played very well and got a deserved 2 points. Tomorrow we need to do the same again.

Go out there and give it your all. Whatever frustrations you've got, take it out on the Blaze tomorrow. Run up that scoreboard just like you did up in Edinburgh and absolutely embarrass the opposition. Make them feel the wrath for what has gone on so far this season. Beat them on that scoreboard where it really hurts and if they start taking liberties, answer back. Show some team toughness, some team togetherness. Fight for yourselves and each other. Go into Coventry looking for vengeance for tonight's defeat and come out of there with 2 points on the board and your heads held well and truly high.

It's time to stand up and be counted. It's time to turn the corner.

You're more than capable of doing it, so go out there and do it.

Thank you for taking the time to read this folks. As always, feel free to get in touch with us if you have any questions or comments. You can find us on our respective Twitter accounts.

@IAmMcCausland
@TomWalkeden
@AwkwardGinge
@FrozenSteelBlog

Thanks again.

Alan
@AwkwardGinge

Steelers Host Caps on a Wednesday Night: Match Report

Wednesday 11th December 2013 - Sheffield Steelers (11-7-2) v Edinburgh Capitals (6-15-1) @ Ice Sheffield. Face off: 7.30pm

Steelers take on an Edinburgh side who currently sit bottom of the table and are desperate for the points. You would like to think Edinburgh will come to Ice Sheffield full of confidence after winning in Sheffield both times last season. Both sides have already met this season up at Murrayfield when Sheffield came away as 10-3 winners. I think the game will be closer this time but Sheffield will be looking to keep the current run going and keep them in contention for the title and Capitals need to try and move off the bottom of the table.

The game got underway with Frank Doyle and the Sheffield Steelers against the extremely short benched Tomas Hiadlovsky and the Edinburgh Capitals. Sheffield was still without Lacroix, Woolhouse, Dowd and Kohn but Robert Sirianni was playing despite rumours coming out that he had apparently already signed for a team back in Italy. It would be Capitals who would get the first shot of the game as Doyle would spill the rebound which as quickly cleared by the Sheffield defence followed by Legue skating his way through the neutral zone and laying one of Langlais but was padded away by Hiadlovsky. Edinburgh would take the first penalty of the game as David Beatson took two minutes for hooking on 2:42. A lapse in concentration would put the Caps on a breakaway but would choose to shoot from distance and Doyle would catch it comfortably and playing it straight away to put Sheffield straight back on the attack. Edinburgh found it hard to break through and were seen passing it along the D several times during the game. Sheffield would control the puck in the offencive zone and it would be Stefan Meyer that would draw a hooking penalty on 7:58 as Holecko was thrown in the box. Hiadlovsky would make three saves in a row of Meyer and Legue and as the puck was cleared Horna took the puck down brilliant but couldn't get it past the shoulder of Doyle. Safar would then go on to shoot high on a 3 on 1 chance for Edinburgh. Sheffield would start throwing the hits in as Hewitt and Fata would take out Hay and Fowley. Legue got himself through on goal but Hiadlovsky would wipe him out and put Steelers back on the power play. Sheffield would open the scoring with a power play goal on 13:50 as good plays from Baldwin and Geortzen would drop the puck for Stefan Meyer to slot in at close range. Hiadlovsky would make a few more saves but Edinburgh would get two great opportunities one which was blocked by Spencer which looked goal bound and the second would be a shot from the right as Doyle spilled a rebound for Capitals to shoot into an empty net but it would go through the legs of the Caps Player. The buzzer would sound as Steelers would take the lead after the 1st.

Sheffield fans got the perfect start to the second period on 21:22 Legue picked up a loose puck and would fire a wrist shot through the arm of Hiadlovsky to give the Steelers a two goal lead. Jeff Legue would then have a second chance but would hit the metal on an open goal. The next opportunity came the way of the Edinburgh Capitals when they would force a great save out of Frank Doyle when it looked like a certain goal. Another chance would get begging for Sheffield as it would be Baldwin that would swing at thing air instead of the puck. 25:39 Sheffield would go back on the power play as Edinburgh's Cingel was called two minutes for hooking then on 26:37 the home fans were treated to a Jeff Legue trademark a one timer slap shot from the point over the shoulder of Hiadlovsky to make it 3-0 after great build up play by DiCasmirro and Sirianni. Edinburgh would get themselves on the board as Zembergs would beat Doyle to the puck to slot past him and bring the Capitals within two. Caps would then get to successive power player attempts but one which seemed strange as Hewitt put in a perfectly good hit and got called for interference. On the second power play a great block shot from Legue would clear the puck and he would chase after it beating Hartmann and Safar and playing it back to Sirianni who would also deke past Hartmann and wrist one straight past Hiadlovsky on 37:08 to score a short handed goal for the Steelers and put them 4-1 up. Doyle would have a few shots to deal including three block shots after one another by Danny Meyers which would take the Steelers into the 2nd intermissions 4-1 up.

Edinburgh started the third period without any flare and spent a lengthy time just passing it along the D Men and when they attempted to create some forward play they wouldn't be able to keep hold of puck possession and Sheffield would take control of the game again keeping Edinburgh defending for lengthy spells. The Third period would be about the goaltenders of both teams as Frank Doyle would make a fantastic diving save along the goal crease followed by Hiadlovsky saved shots from Stefan Meyer on his knees and with his helmet after a Jeff Legue wrist shot. It was a quiet third period in which Sheffield should have really added to the scoreline but couldn't get past Hiadlovsky and wouldn't always go for that shot and look for the extra pass instead. Edinburgh were given one last power play on 58:08 as Langlais was called two minutes for Interference. In the final 1:52 Edinburgh wouldn't pull Hiadlovsky and seemed to settle for the defeat as the Sheffield defence would see out the remainder of the game comfortably blocking shots and taking away the shooting lanes.

FINAL SCORE: Sheffield Steelers 4-1 Edinburgh Capitals

Boxscore (1st-2nd-3rd-[PIM]-{PP}-S)
Sheffield -    1-3-0-[6]-{2/4}-32
Edinburgh - 0-1-0-[8]-{0/3}-18

Sheffield Man of the Match: #11 Jeff Legue
Edinburgh Man of the Match: #29 Martin Cingel

The win would improve Sheffield to 12-7-2 and move them up to third in the league at the time of the win and the defeat would see the Capitals stay at the bottom of the league as were getting close to the half way point of the league season.

Thanks for reading guys. Any questions or comments get in contact with the Frozen Steel team via Twitter:-
@IAmMcCausland
@TomWalkeden
@AwkwardGinge
@FrozenSteelBlog

or Email the team at frozen.steel.91@gmail.com

Tom
@TomWalkeden

The Opposition Bench: @Coventry Blaze - 15/12/13

As part of the now-regular feature, we spoke to Paul Wheeler, author of Chasing Dragons blog, commentator for Blaze webcasts, and part-time rinkside reporter for Premier Sports, about Sunday's game at the Skydome.

Weekend Preview 13/14/15th December 2013

A good, convincing win last night over Edinburgh saw the Steelers stretch their unbeaten run out to 3 games. This weekend sees a tougher test, though, with a two game road trip.

The Opposition Bench - Belfast Giants 14/12/13

We spoke to Twitter fanpage Belfast Giants Banter ahead of this Saturday's game in the Odyssey.

Quick Summary - Sheffield Steelers 4-1 Edinburgh Capitals

2 goals from Jeff Legue helped the Steelers make it 3 wins on the bounce, defeating a short benched Edinburgh Capitals 4-1 in Ice Sheffield last night.

Stefan Meyer opened the scoring with a power play goal at 13:50, with assists from Steve Goertzen and (audible gasp from the cheap seats) Gord Baldwin.

The second became the #11 show. Legue scored an unassisted goal at 21:22, then made it 3 with another power play goal (yes I know) with assists from Nate Dicasmirro and a not-in-Italy Rob Sirianni at 26:37.

Marcis Zembergs pulled one back for the Caps at 30:01, before Sirianni rounded off the scoring with a shorthanded goal, assisted by Legue, at 37:08.

Tom will be back later with a full length in-person match report, for now lets just bask in the 2 points and a job well done.

BOXSCORE
Steelers 1-3-0 (4) [2/4 PPG] {6 PIM}
Capitals 0-1-0 (1) [0/3 PPG] {8 PIM}

Steelers MOTM: Jeff Legue

Midweek Game Preview - Steelers vs Edinburgh Capitals 10/12/13

Tomorrow night, the Steelers take to Ice Sheffield for what has been dubbed 'Added Value Wednesday'. Call me a cynic, but it sounds to me like tickets weren't selling well, so they decided to get sponsors to throw loads of free stuff in to get people there. Expect a big 50/50 prize, lots of freebies, and a few shirt raffle prizes. Or as I call it, bribery.

I'm just kidding, if ticket sales were flagging its a really good idea to get people in.

There is actually an opposition, its not just a big social. We face an Edinburgh Capitals side who have seen a big upturn in fortunes in recent weeks, beating almost everybody put in front of them - this past weekend excluded. We should not simply expect a walkover, as this Caps team seems to have a backbone of sorts.

Team News
Well I'd like to say that we're back to full health. I'd like to bring you the news that everyone will play tomorrow night. I'd like to. But with zero news coming out of the club, I'd have a job. There was a very vague tweet today...

All the Steelers on the ice today at training. We counted them all out and all back in again.

All the Steelers. Hmm. Does that include the injured quartet of Robert Dowd, Dustin Kohn, Max Lacroix and Geoff Woolhouse? I wouldn't expect so. Hopefully the ten days since the victory over Fife have been enough to get Dowd and Kohn recovered from their concussions, as they should in no way be rushed back from concussion. Woolhouse? Maybe, if there was an ETA for his return I missed it, but I'd say with Doyle having played almost every second of the season, this won't be that relevant. Everyone who has spoken to or seen Lacroix has said it will be new year earliest. While I'd love him to be back, I still think it will be a few weeks.

And there's the big elephant in the room that is Rob Sirianni. A German news report last night claimed a deal was pretty much done and dusted for him to return to Italy. Again, nothing coming out of the club. Its all hushed tones, chinese whispers and "I know something you don't know"s at the minute. Will he play? Is he still a Steeler? I suppose you'll find out at warmup tomorrow night.

Prediction
Well it depends. The smaller venue of Ice Sheffield (with its pretty poor ice), a bribed (yes I'm kidding) audience, and what is considered uninspiring hockey...the Caps will fancy their chances, and will give us a hell of a game. Enough to beat us? I reckon not - although it depends how much of a team we have.

Liam's prediction: Sheffield Steelers 4-2 Edinburgh Capitals

Agree/disagree? Get in touch with your prediction

@FrozenSteelBlog
@IAmMcCausland
@TomWalkeden
@AwkwardGinge

The Opposition Bench - Steelers vs Capitals 11/12/13

We spoke to Robert Southwell, of the legendary CapsBanterArmy, to preview Wednesday's 'Added Value' game at Ice Sheffield.

So the season didn't start out too well (to sugar coat it somewhat), then come November 10th, everything changed. What happened?

With a short roster and Capitals playing a different style it  was a slow start. Some changes were made which made a big difference, especially the resigning of Michal Dobron who’s an outstanding Dman.

You had a season of Christiansen hockey in Edinburgh, what's your opinion of Mr Coach?

We weren’t too impressed with Doug's coaching/tactics. His main strengths were recruitment and PR. No doubt he helped raise the clubs image, but we think he’d make a better GM.

Who should we be worried about from the Caps roster?

On offence Leinweber is dangerous with his passes and shots, and Dobron is very strong on D. But Steelers should keep an eye out for Jordan Steel and his Dirty Dangles.

Anyone from the Steelers give you any concern in particular?

Maybe Spencer since he's a former BawbagOfTheWeek contender.

Any predictions?

It will be a tough game, but we’d like to think an 11-2 win for the Mighty Capitals is on the cards.

What about for the rest of the season? What would constitute success for the Caps?

The standard goal is always to make the playoffs, but we'd hope for a little more than that. Failing a Panthers "grandslam" we'd settle for 6/7th? 

Thanks very much, anything you want to plug/spam?

Aye! A wee shameless self plug for @CapsBanterArmy on twitter, and of course any away fans coming to the Rink Of Dreams pop into the Banter HQ, Murrayfield Bar (@Murrayfieldbar), for your pregame drinks!

A huge thanks to Robert, and the CapsBanterArmy for this. Follow them on Twitter and do yourself a huge favour, they will make even the most dour faced hockey fan chuckle.