Week two of the season and still some strange results coming in. Certain teams are finding a winning groove, others less so. So how did we see it pan out?
Three teams had a four point weekend, Belfast, Braehead and Sheffield and each of will feel happy that they have made a decent start. After the shock defeat to Dundee in week one, Giants came back on the Saturday night to overcome a 2-1 deficit against newcomers Manchester to run out 6-2 winners and then inflict another loss on the Panthers 24 hours later in the fabulous NIC.
Fresh from their CHL adventures, both Braehead and Sheffield started their regular season very well. Clan blitzed both Fife and Edinburgh on successive nights, with Bari McKenzie and Scott Pitt very much to the fore. Steelers were in irrepressible form too, scoring 12 goals and conceding just the one. The 8-1 demolition of Cardiff would have certainly sent a clear message out to the league that Paul Thompson's team are not going to surrender the Montieth Bowl that easily.
Talking about that loss from a Cardiff perspective, they certainly did not see it coming especially after such a reasonable start but that penalty shot miss by Leigh Salters plus the breakaway chance moments later proved crucial. Steelers took control after that and Devils were left disjointed and chasing shadows that evening. They will be happy with the win over Nottingham though, former Panther Gui Doucet getting the game winner.
As for the Panthers, with Cam Janssen now on board, have the alarm bells started ringing already? One can only wonder. A squeaked penalty shots win in week one, and a couple of overtime losses in week two. Is Corey already feeling the heat? One can be only speculative but it's not the start that the Panthers faithful would have wanted. Two of last season's squad coming back to haunt them; Doucet and on the Sunday: Chris Higgins. They need a win or two to start building some confidence.
One team in need of a confidence boost for sure are newcomers Manchester. Two heavy defeats at the weekend with 13 goals conceded isn't a good sign especially when you led both games. However Omar Pacha will take positives from them and move forward. I still don't think they have their full roster in place either. It's gonna take this team some time to gel especially in the sense it was put together so quickly.
Dundee had a topsy turvy weekend as did Edinburgh. The Tayside team led 2-0 against the afore mentioned Caps but conceded four unanswered on home to slip to a 4-2 loss yet did the opposite in Manchester on the Sunday. Stars trailed 2-0 after 14 minutes but a late Riley Wetmore first period goal galvanised Marc LeFebvre's troops and inspired by a Doug Clarkson hat-trick: they ran out convincing winners on the Altrincham ice. Caps buoyed by that road win in Dundee, slipped to being shut out at home by Braehead on Sunday to complete their mixed bag weekend.
Coventry won't be happy with their result last Saturday night either, just like the Caps did on the Sunday - they experienced a similar event 24 hours earlier. A 4-0 home loss to the Steelers will have given Chuck Weber plenty to think about. A 5-1 home loss to Braehead will have equally given Fife some thoughts too, especially in front of a large home crowd and against a club that they relish beating.
So that concludes my review of week two, back with week three soon..
Three teams had a four point weekend, Belfast, Braehead and Sheffield and each of will feel happy that they have made a decent start. After the shock defeat to Dundee in week one, Giants came back on the Saturday night to overcome a 2-1 deficit against newcomers Manchester to run out 6-2 winners and then inflict another loss on the Panthers 24 hours later in the fabulous NIC.
Fresh from their CHL adventures, both Braehead and Sheffield started their regular season very well. Clan blitzed both Fife and Edinburgh on successive nights, with Bari McKenzie and Scott Pitt very much to the fore. Steelers were in irrepressible form too, scoring 12 goals and conceding just the one. The 8-1 demolition of Cardiff would have certainly sent a clear message out to the league that Paul Thompson's team are not going to surrender the Montieth Bowl that easily.
Talking about that loss from a Cardiff perspective, they certainly did not see it coming especially after such a reasonable start but that penalty shot miss by Leigh Salters plus the breakaway chance moments later proved crucial. Steelers took control after that and Devils were left disjointed and chasing shadows that evening. They will be happy with the win over Nottingham though, former Panther Gui Doucet getting the game winner.
As for the Panthers, with Cam Janssen now on board, have the alarm bells started ringing already? One can only wonder. A squeaked penalty shots win in week one, and a couple of overtime losses in week two. Is Corey already feeling the heat? One can be only speculative but it's not the start that the Panthers faithful would have wanted. Two of last season's squad coming back to haunt them; Doucet and on the Sunday: Chris Higgins. They need a win or two to start building some confidence.
One team in need of a confidence boost for sure are newcomers Manchester. Two heavy defeats at the weekend with 13 goals conceded isn't a good sign especially when you led both games. However Omar Pacha will take positives from them and move forward. I still don't think they have their full roster in place either. It's gonna take this team some time to gel especially in the sense it was put together so quickly.
Dundee had a topsy turvy weekend as did Edinburgh. The Tayside team led 2-0 against the afore mentioned Caps but conceded four unanswered on home to slip to a 4-2 loss yet did the opposite in Manchester on the Sunday. Stars trailed 2-0 after 14 minutes but a late Riley Wetmore first period goal galvanised Marc LeFebvre's troops and inspired by a Doug Clarkson hat-trick: they ran out convincing winners on the Altrincham ice. Caps buoyed by that road win in Dundee, slipped to being shut out at home by Braehead on Sunday to complete their mixed bag weekend.
Coventry won't be happy with their result last Saturday night either, just like the Caps did on the Sunday - they experienced a similar event 24 hours earlier. A 4-0 home loss to the Steelers will have given Chuck Weber plenty to think about. A 5-1 home loss to Braehead will have equally given Fife some thoughts too, especially in front of a large home crowd and against a club that they relish beating.
So that concludes my review of week two, back with week three soon..
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