An Awkward Analysis - The Air Is Starting To Smell

Oh, that'll be why, it's a shower of utter $%!&£ out there.

Where the hell has this team gone? Like, seriously, where? Have they all gone off to Jamaica with Raheem Sterling or something?

I'm getting rather sick and tired of what I am beginning to witness week in and week out right now.

Don't get me wrong, I don't think the wheels have come off. I think the suspension has collapsed, there's a couple of flat tyres, the springs are knackered and the engine just doesn't want to even turn over anymore.

There is no get up and go from a lot of people out there it seems. No spark, no drive, no gear change, no passion, no leadership, no nothing. The lines have become null and void. The plays are far too easy to read. We can't even string a decent series of passes together to even look like we're about to cut open a defence for a good goal scoring opportunity. Speaking of those, when we get half a sniff at goal, we're either trying to play a cute pass that never works, taking too long to make our minds up what to do with the puck, or even when we do decide to shoot, it's straight at the goalies chest!

I've decided to go through the entire roster player by player, so let's break this down.

Frank Doyle - Fantastic netminder. Deserves better from those in front of him. Those clothes pegs that are being used to hang him up to dry must be pretty worn and rusty by now. Eventually Gerad will send a message to the players by getting Doyle then hell out of there in a game and put the back up in to wake his team up.

Andy Jaszczyk/Geoff Woolhouse - Can't fault these guys. The issues are nothing to do with them. By all means carry on doing a sterling job of opening the bench door for line changes.

Gord Baldwin - The only criticism I have of him is he doesn't use his size in front of the net. Partly his own doing, partly not. He needs to use it at his own end to clear the opposition away from Doyle. At the other end, he needs to be stuck in front of the net on the second powerplay unit to give the powerplay a different dynamic, seeing as the whole thing has become completely stale yet again.

Cullen Eddy - Sheffield's new found cult hero for this season seems to have come off the rails a little bit. The odd risky pass here or there hasn't done him any favours, but he still plays with pride. I partly wish he had gone after Schmidt tonight when Schmidt boarded Fretter. By that point the game was lost, but I can see why he thought better of it and took the powerplay option instead.

Jeff Legue - None of these issues are Jeff's fault whatsoever. It's unfortunate that upon him stepping back into the Steelers dressing room that everything has collapsed around him. We'll struggle to see the best of Legue while the lines don't suit him and while he is totally absent from the powerplay units.

Mike Forney - Am I horny for Forney? Christ no. To be honest with you, with his current play he needs benching. Maybe even a plane ticket out of Sheffield. He just isn't good enough at the moment. Opposing teams have worked him out already. Put him under pressure and he'll lose the puck or cough it up cheaply by trying to make a ridiculous pass or just trying to be too clever with the puck when trying to escape from the pressure on him. Not only that, he has been kicked out of goodness knows how many faceoffs this season (good job Roy is his linemate) and has thus cost us chances at winning a draw and getting puck posession, especially when we're having to chase a game.

Mathieu Roy - Quite frankly, he and Doyle are the MVP's of this team right now. He's our leading scorer for a reason. He puts his body on the line every night. He goes to the dirty areas. He battles hard. He even wins his fair share of faceoffs as well when he has to take them when Forney gets kicked out of the circle. This man is a leader in all areas of the game. This man should be wearing the C.

Jason Hewitt - I can't really fault Hewitt either to be honest. He was playing like the real Jason Hewitt before his untimely injury earlier on in the season. Since his return, he's got himself back into match fitness and is carrying on the way he started the season. The one thing I want to see him do though is quite frankly crush someone with an open ice hit. He did too much talking and whatnot with Farmer tonight. Just clear house on him when he has his head down. Send a message to the rest of the team to wake up.

Jay Latulippe - Well, he isn't here now and to be honest he was a disappointment in his time here. What I'd give to have the number 18 from the last 2 seasons though.

Rod Sarich - I'm scratching my head with this one. The marmite of the club. Some fans love him. The rest hate him. For me, he has done a decent enough job defensively, but he has been far better when used up front this season. There is still plenty of life left in those legs and when he was on a line with Hill and Bois, it was a real energy line that had size and speed and was able to establish a good physical presence. He was signed as depth and has done more than his fair share of the workload.

Jono Phillips - I feel quite sorry for Jono to be honest. He gets himself into good positions and the puck tends to find him, but he just can't find a way to bury the flipping puck. He's still got great speed and is an effective penalty killer. The trouble is, for me he lacks a physical presence and the ability to change a game by doing something to give his team a lift. I'm not saying he's too soft, I just think that he hasn't got all the tools to be a difference maker as a captain when the team needs it. Something that last years captain had.

Tyler Mosienko - You could actually throw this guy into the mix with Doyle and Roy as the teams MVP. The little guy gets absolutely chuffing everywhere and uses his low centre of gravity to great effect. He has a great ability to turn on a dime and fool the opposition. His skill set is crying out for a natural finisher to join him on his line. This is where pairing him up with Fretter could be a real match made in heaven. We're lucky to have this guy in our team.

Dustin Kohn - All the ability in the world, especially skating wise, but the poor sod just can't escape that injury bug. When he is in the line up, he holds the defence together and is also very capable on all aspects of special teams. I still don't think we have truly seen the best of him because of the injuries he has had in Sheffield.

Phil Hill - Feel so sorry for this soul. The addition of Bois really woke him up in the lead up to Christmas and gave Phil a new lease of life. The constant shift on the third line gave Hilly confidence and brought him back to the Phil Hill of old. Now he finds himself back on the bench most nights and taking the odd shift. He really caught the short straw in recent weeks.

Luke Ferrara - Has gotten better game by game every time I've seen him play in a Steelers uniform. Bags of potential and really starting to grow as a player. Really hope we see more of him next year.

Mark Thomas - Mr Testimonial FINALLY broke his scoring drought midweek in Dundee. I still have my reservations about some aspects of his game, BUT, he does show up every night, which is more than can be said for some of the players at the moment. He knows his role, he plays it. Team guy.

Danny Bois - I like the look of this guy. Clearly has some hockey IQ and comes with a tidy CV. He brought out the best in Phil Hill when he joined the club. Be interesting to see how he plays through the rest of the season. Only criticism is he doesn't play the body enough.

Pascal Morency - Again a player no longer with us. Sucked that he was forced to retire through injury. His outlook on life though is something we could all learn from. Certainly a man of great character. Something the team is currently seeming to be lacking.

Colton Fretter - The man has a fab CV like Bois. He has the ability to put the puck in the net, and does so. He also has some silky moves as well that creates chances for himself and his teammates. The trouble is lately, it has been he that has been trying to establish a physical presence to try and get the team going. When the guy that is meant to be doing most of the scoring for your team, is the one having to try and get something going, it shows there are issues elsewhere.

Darryl Hay - A player signed with a very experienced CV (on two year Uni deal that to be honest with you is kinda no longer making any sense with me) who has gone from playing a decent number of minutes early season to playing significantly less. He does the basics right and plays his part but his recent lack of ice time has me wondering if he fits in much now for some reason. He no longer features on a powerplay unit which has in recent weeks become more and more stale. Coincidence? I think not. I think he needs to be paired back up with Kohn in terms of 5 on 5 hockey and be given some of his ice time back.

Robert Dowd - Like Mosienko, he doesn't stop all night. I do wish he'd play the puck more at times, but maybe that is where his line mates should call to him for the puck when they have got themselves into some space. Has talent, don't get me wrong, he does, but a lack of goal scoring is really starting to grind my gears. He is someone that needs a shake up in terms of who his line mates are in order to get the best out of him.

Ben O'Connor - What a signing he was for us. Amazingly skilled player who can do all sorts at both ends of the ice. Sometimes gets caught out trying one or two things but more often than not makes it work. The kid is a serious talent and I am very happy we have him locked down to a decent contract.

Devin Didiomete - Who?

Now, having broken it down player by player, there is something just leaping out at me. The lines. We're not seeing the best of some players because they're not playing with players that can help get the best out of each other or some lines have just become far too predictable and are thus now easy to shut down and are no longer effective, and when the lines become predictable, some players will start to feel like we've lost before the battle has even begun, and thus they start to lose form or even interest in what they are doing, and that leads to putting in less effort.

This is where we need a bit of a shake up and this is what I'd like to see us do. Firstly, the forward lines.

Forney/Mosienko/Fretter - This one is quite simple to explain. I really don't like Forney at centre with how things are. Mosienko wins a decent number of faceoffs and his ability is crying out for a natural finisher like Fretter. Likewise Fretter is crying out for a linemate that wins faceoffs so as we get puck posession in order to be able to create some goal scoring chances. The switch of Forney from centre to left wing would also give Forney a different thing to think about and could also be the kick up the backside he needs, especially when playing with a creative workhorse like Mosienko.

Roy/Legue/Phillips - We all harped on about how Joey and Jeff was one of the best partnerships in the EIHL era for the Steelers when those two played together. We've also said that Jeff hasn't really been the same player at times since Joey called it a day. Well, another key element for me to that partnership was the other piece of the puzzle, that being Phillips. Jono's best hockey came when playing with Legue. Their speed was a perfect match and the hardworking, gritty, leader like play from Talbot finished it all off nicely. Mathieu Roy is the current day Joey Talbot. He plays hard, never gives up and he goes to the dirty areas. He sticks up for himself and his teammates. He battles in every single part of the ice and can also win a faceoff or two as well. I actually think Roy is a better version of Talbot.

Hill/Hewitt/Bois - As I said previously, Hill played his best hockey when on a line with Bois and to be honest I think he deserves to playing in the main three lines rather than being mostly used as a 10th forward and penalty killer. Bois brought out the very best in him and Bois himself is starting to come into his own. With Hewitt looking this season like the Hewitt from a few years ago, this could be a match made in heaven, especially if Bois gets his physical side going when playing with a tenacious Hewitt and an in form and full of confidence Phil Hill.

Now due to some of these players being special teams players as well, this is where having Ferrara as a full time Steeler would be a smart play, as he can then become the 10th forward and take shifts here and there after the conclusion of powerplays and penalty kills so as the lines can reset themselves.

You'll also notice that I haven't slotted Dowd in anywhere. Allow me to explain.

One or two of the forwards need a wake up call and need to perform. Having such quality sat on the bench should also be something that puts a rocket up their backsides. When we've had a spare import in the past, I don't think they necessarily had the quality to have some struggling players worried. That's one reason for not slotting Dowd into the forward lines straight away. Not only that, as Dowd can literally play anywhere in the main three lines, he is the perfect cover for an injury or ejection etc. Also, it gives Dowd a bit more time to re-focus on his game and this is my main reasoning. His goal scoring touch has somewhat vanished yet again and he just can't get it going. I'm starting to feel like this is because he is trying to do too much on every shift and is then burning himself out both physically and mentally. How are you meant to get the best out of someone like Dowd when this is happening? The answer I think is you're not going to. The other reason for having suddenly having a lack of regular ice time is this. It gives him time to re-assess his game and get himself focused on a couple of basics, one being team play and the other being communication. As a result of doing far too much out there he's ended up not passing as much as he should and has worked himself into a habit of trying to do a lot all by himself. This I feel is where his game needs tweaking. He needs to sit back and watch how others play 5 on 5, in particular Mosienko. Mosienko is the perfect example of someone that can work a puck and turn on a dime like Dowd does, the only difference is Mosienko passes the puck whereas Dowd tries that one step too many to shake off his man. This is where sitting back and assessing the communication of others is where Dowd can and would learn from his mistakes and get out of the habits he has gotten himself into. That would naturally lead to better team play. We would start the see the benefits of this on the second powerplay unit and that is something that can eventually be worked into more regular 5 on 5 hockey. The final point to make, is seeing as Ferrara is not yet a full time Steelers player, it means that at the end of the powerplay (if the second unit is the one that is out there when the powerplay ends) Dowd could double shift when Hill and Hewitt hit the ice while the 5 on 5 lines reset. I wouldn't have a problem with him double shifting here because due to a lack of 5 on 5 ice time, he'd have the energy levels to be able to double shift like that if necessary.

Now for the back end.

Baldwin/O'Connor - O'Connor is an elite Brit d-man with bags of skill at both ends of the ice. He also has the speed to get back if caught up ice, but with Baldwin as his partner, it would allow Ben to plays to the best of his ability and be a threat going forward. He is more than capable in his own end of the ice as well, so I have no reservations about him whatsoever. In pairing him up with Baldwin, it also means Baldwin can focus a bit more on his own end of the ice rather than jumping up into the play himself. With Baldwin not being the fastest of skaters, and with his size as well, he would be a more complete partner for O'Connor as he can play as more of a defensive defenceman role, while O'Connor can be the one that jumps into the play and adds an extra offensive punch when going forward. I also have Baldwin as the left side of the pairing because I feel O'Connor has the far superior skating ability to be able to cope with playing as a right sided d-man, despite being left handed.

Kohn/Hay - Like O'Connor, Kohn can be effective at both ends of the ice. He is a guy with stacks of ability that as said before we haven't been able to see the best of yet because of the injury bug that has plagued him in his Steelers career. Hay does the simple things right and has unfairly seemed to have had a reduction in his ice time. He'd be the perfect partner for Kohn. Whilst he doesn't have the same size as Baldwin, his positional sense makes up for that and allows him to be in the right place at the right time when needed.

Sarich/Eddy - This pretty simple to explain. They both have good size and strength and both are able to jump into the play at times should the situation require it. Sarich was a shrewd signing by Gerad as a depth player and this is where we will see the best of Sarich. As we have also seen this season, when playing up front he was able to use his size and speed to help cause some havoc on the third line. This is key as he would be the one that jumps into the forward lines if an injury occurred seeing as how we don't have Ferrara up full time. As for Eddy, he has a good CV for a young guy and I think he would make a good partner for the experienced Sarich. I think he would play a bit more disciplined than what he has done at odd times as a result of playing with Sarich, but the other big draw for me with this pairing is we have already seen it tonight, and to be honest with you, I didn't think it was too bad.

This then leaves Mark Thomas as the spare d-man. Now this is nothing against Thomas, but he has already played this role this season. We played well defensively with this sort of system in place. He is a perfect team player and will do what is asked of him and then some. His size could also be utilised on the penalty kill instead of Hay when clearing the front of the crease. Again though, being a depth D, he would provide cover after special teams have been used, especially right after a powerplay. Speaking of which...

The powerplay needs a tweak as well. It has become far too stale for a number of weeks now and just doesn't look all that dangerous. The changes to the top line shown above would be sufficient for the first unit, but the second unit is where we could use a couple of extra changes.

This is how I'd have the powerplay lines look.

Unit 1: Forney/Mosienko/Fretter/Kohn/O'Connor - This is self explanatory. Mosienko at centre still to win the draws, but what we would be able to do here is rather than have a set player in front of the net, is we'd be able to rotate the puck around all five players, and all five are capable of moving themselves into space and create chances either for themselves to make or receive a pass for a chance at goal. Both d-men are also capable of jumping down low into space, especially into the slot to give an extra dynamic to this powerplay unit. The key is ensuring that the puck movement is quick with as little hesitation as possible in order to cut open the 3 or 4 players on the opposition. Due to Kohn's current injury this is where Sarich fills in.

Unit 2: Dowd/Bois/Bladwin/Eddy/Legue - This is where is takes a bit more explaining. Firstly, you could use either Dowd or Bois as the centre for this unit. I'd be more tempted to use Bois as the centre as he played that position when he was on the third line with Hill and Sarich. It would also mean Dowd is able to get into space a lot sooner for any chances at shooting on goal. Secondly is using Baldwin as a forward on this unit, in particular his size as a big screen in front of goal for shots from the point, or even his long reach for getting onto rebounds and either putting them away himself or getting enough on the puck to get it across to either Dowd or Bois for a tap in. This BIG key to this is making sure that Baldwin lines up at the side of the faceoff circle that is nearest to the goal. There is no point using a guy for his size as a screen in front of the net and then lining him up on the side boards. The other change would be top put Legue onto the point where he was so effective for several years. The key with that is putting him with a d-man that is either capable of one timers himself (Eddy or Hay - preferably Eddy) or a left handed d-man that can move the puck well and that for me would be Kohn. However, seeing as I'd be looking to use a healthy Kohn as the left sided d-man on the first powerplay unit along with O'Connor on the right side, Eddy gets the nod overall. On the flip side, you could roll the dice here and have (a healthy) Kohn or O'Connor double shift once or twice if ever needed and then utilise Thomas as your depth d-man once the powerplay was over. Also, with Bois playing a role on the second powerplay unit, this is where Ferrara would fill in on the third line alongside Hill and Hewitt while Bois gets his energy back. Also, both Bois and Ferrara are right handed, so it'd be a natural position for Ferrara to jump in to.

What you have above are two powerplay units that have a totally different way of playing the one or two man advantage. It gives the opposition more than one style of play to think about when trying to defend. That makes their job more difficult and gives us a better chance to make the most of having said advantage.

As for the flip side of this, the penalty kill itself I don't really feel like needs much changing. I like what he have out there. The main three PK units I'd go for forward wise are Roy/Bois, Hewitt/Hill, Mosienko/Phillips. The defensive pairings themselves for 5 on 5 hockey are more than capable of working together as pairings for penalty kill, and again Thomas could fill in as cover should there be an injury or say a d-man was in the box for a penalty or even fighting.

With five league defeats in a row, changes need to be made. We've dropped from 1st to 5th in a matter of a few weeks. The slump needs to be stopped and it needs to be stopped now, especially with how tight the top 5 positions are, if all teams currently ranked 2nd to 5th won their games in hand on Braehead. How we play in Coventry tomorrow after a shambles of a performance tonight will speak volumes about the character of the team.

A loss tomorrow would only add more fuel to the fire for changes needing to be made. Personnel changes aren't the answer, not yet. For now, some very simple tweaks to the lines would be sufficient.

Changes like this though need to be made by one man. The coach.

The ball is in your court G. Don't do what Doug did and take far too long to make changes. Do it sooner rather than later. Make it swift, precise and above all else, effective.

Get those boys playing the way we know they are capable of playing.

On paper this is a team that can easily win a championship or two, and earlier on in the season we were looking exactly that. Right now though. We stink. We're not playing like winners. We're looking like losers.

Let's fix the flat tyres, the broken suspension, the knackered springs and let's get that engine roaring again and get ourselves back in the race.

Let me know what you think folks and thanks as always for reading and also for following the match night updates on Twitter.

Until next time.

Alan
@FrozenSteelMNL

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