Elite Report: Week 4 Review

Time once more to look back and see how we fared with our predictions. Maybe one day we might get them all correct.  Then when we do so, we will fail to put any money on them at the bookies. Now there's a thought.

Here's how we fared last week.

Saturday night:

Just the one correct scoreline correct, and that was for Cardiff to win in regulation time against the Blaze. We said that Clan would win in overtime against the Storm; they did this in regulation - unfortunately that does not count.

Both Fife and Belfast failed to win their respective matches against Edinburgh and Dundee respectively.

Sunday night: 

Again just a single success to record, thanks to Dundee's home win. We were right with Nottingham winning in Coventry, but it was once a regulation win as opposed to our thought it would be resolved after penalties.

Both Clan and the Storm failed to win for us.

So that brings the current tally to 11 correct out of a possible 27, leaving us with a less than 50 per cent success rate. What will this week's games give us? As the preview has not been published - we're gonna go for a regulation win for the Clan on Friday night against the Stars. How do you see that and the other games panning out? Tell us...

 

Thanks for reading everybody. Remember if you want to be a part of Frozen Steel you can get into touch with us on Twitter or find us on our Facebook Page, remembering to like us and leave a comment. We will then get back in touch:

@FrozenSteelBlog

@FrozenSteelMNL

@hockeybhoy

@DISGU15ED

Don't forget to listen to our weekly podcast  Breaking The Ice

It's available on iTunes to listen and download, also on Soundcloud

Or drop us an email to Frozen Steel Blog

Game highlight links - September 2016

Thought I'd add up a rolling post where we can share links to Steelers highlights from across the league - if you want links, we've got you covered!

Steelers at the Storm - Exhibition game (link)

Steelers home win against the Storm - CC group game (link)

Steelers home win against Red Bull - CHL game (here)

Steelers away win against the Blaze - CC group game (here)

Steelers home win against the Panthers - CC group game (here)

Steelers lose at the NIC - CC group game (here)

Steelers home loss to the Devils - CC group game (here)

I'll add more as they are released.


Thanks for reading guys. If you want to get involved please contact us on Twitter or find us on Facebook and like us and leave a comment:-
@FrozenSteelBlog
@FrozenSteelMNL
@hockeybhoy
@Disgu15ed

Check out Breaking The Ice: Our Podcast
Available on iTunes to listen and download, also on SoundCloud

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

Hockey Soapbox - Season 2 Week 8 - Worrying Weekend?

We’ve had a turnaround in results this week, after four wins, we get two losses, and there’s opinions a plenty this week. Here’s our latest Frozen Steel Soapbox where we’ll bring you some views and thoughts from a selection of Sheffield Steelers hockey fans.

Sourced from @snapperjakeo

It’s time to get on your soapboxes people!

We’ve got contributions from:  Mark Duell, Eric Green, Robert Newbolt, Fergus Wright, Nathan Turner and Bethan.

So let’s get straight into it. Was that a worrying weekend, or just a league warm up against good opposition?

• Bethan (Ying) - I think it's a weekend which can be explained away, either as the other teams getting the right 'bounces', or due to it being early in the season and the team's not been together long. If we continue to fall apart during games it'll start to get worrying, but not just yet. 
• Fergus (Yang) - Very worrying and Thomo needs to do some serious a**e-kicking this week in training before the league starts!
• Mark (suffering from splinters) - It was a bit of both if you have to be honest. Worrying that we made ourselves look bad against a less than impressive Panthers roster (Nikoforuk aside), and we switched off in the second against a Devils side that had just as much as depth as us but got the breaks when needed. You can't afford these kind of mistakes and it basically contributed to our own demise over the two nights. That's something that needs nipping in bud early else it will derail the season completely. Back to the drawing board we go.
• Nathan - Well the dust has settled somewhat and although it would be easy to simply slate the team and repeat what was said in anger on Saturday night and again on Sunday, I prefer to take a more pragmatic view and review our zero point weekend with a bit more clarity. Whilst Nottingham and Cardiff deserved their wins, neither really had to work hard for their points, and the only way is up.

What about the away loss against Nottingham specifically?

• Fergus - Nottingham have nothing to be proud of, they struggled to beat us by 1 goal when we were very off form. Fitzy seemed to be afraid to put hits on anybody recently.
• Mark - Thoughts coming out of the NIC on Saturday night can be summed up in one word - Frustrating. Bad decision making, passes which never found recipients, and nervous defensively saw the wheels come off. That is an average, at most, Panthers team, and we made them look good. What happened to the intensity from the get go and 6 days previous? I felt so annoyed, it was a game we should have won, and well too.
• Nathan - Pre game drinks in Bunkers Hill had us full of confidence - 5 minutes into the 2nd period had me wishing we'd stayed in there. The record books will show a close game won by the odd goal but the Steelers fans who were there will remember it for a defensive horror show made to look less catastrophic by what was to follow the following night.
• Eric - Didn't make Nottingham CC game. But from all accounts we had long periods of dominance inter-woven by moments of sloppy play, with everyone from Moose forward not taking responsibility. With respect we should not have lost this game, against a decidedly average Nottingham side that had been dominated at the arena one week previously. 
• Bethan - I didn't see the game, but it seems that we had issues with our defence, and with falling apart in the second period... Sounds familiar!

And the Cardiff loss at home on Sunday?

• Eric - The CC game against Cardiff I did make. And I had commented on other forums that this fixture would be the fixture of the weekend. Unfortunately the Steelers team never got my memo! You only have to look at the Cardiff roster to realise they have as much, if not more, depth than us. So if any of our players were not playing at full tilt would automatically give the Devils an extra man.
• Fergus - Utterly embarrassing honestly, no physicality at all, moose was shocking and again Fitzy seemed to be afraid of putting hits in.
• Eric (continued) -  And so it proved, after the first 20 minutes, where we did match them, another poor second and third period of missed opportunities with very poor coverage by our D. Proved to me that the Devils are the team to beat this season, if we are to go on for a third championship. 
• Bethan - We seemed pretty dominant in the first period, and I had little doubt we'd win until we came out for the second period! Pucks were bouncing all over the place and we had very little control, and we didn't seem to really have many good chances on net. All in all, one to leave behind us, and hope Franzon is ok!
• Eric (like the Energiser bunny) - They gave us an object lesson in clinical finishing taking advantage of our Defensive and netminder frailties. They gave us an object lesson in changing your game to gain advantage, they gave us a lesson of how to clog up the neutral zone, forecheck and collapse to your own goal line. All of which made them a much better side and us chasing the puck in our own zone. 
• Robert - Didn’t see away game but did visit Arena. It was a game of thirds - like in 2 halves in soccer! In the first period Cardiff could not live with Steelers but then they took their foot off the ice and three Cardiff goals effectively killed the game. There was no hitting of any kind from Sheffield, who were obviously disjointed because of the lack of Nelson. This, however does not make up for defensive frailties and it’s not because they’re bad defenders just maybe incorrect pairings. 
• Nathan - Cardiff rolled into town probably expecting to play a hard road game and to perhaps take us to O/T or maybe edge out a tight win. Instead after a cracking start to the game we simply rolled over and had our pants pulled down. Thing is, it's only the Challenge Cup and as long as these problems are eradicated before the league games start I'll be happy.
• Eric (In conclusion) - But all is not lost, we do have a group of players that can beat these guys or any team in this league, we have to learn lessons, be adaptable to changing circumstances DURING the game be responsible for individual actions. On a final note our face off wins was abysmal which also hurt us.
• Robert (now he’s at it too) - Everyone is having a go at Moose, and he was at fault for at least two of the goals, but he is not helped by a defence who insist on passing across goal instead of clearing the zone: bet he wishes he had the defence of six years ago. He hasn’t seemed tip top for a while, since something happened to make him ditch twitter so quickly. It did make me wonder though, with two losses this week Steelers are still top of the group and do they think ‘job done’. I’m sure Thompson would deny this but what other reason can you give for playing Liam Kirk for one shift a period?
• Mark - Not once did I believe we would repeat the same against Cardiff. Bar the first period and late flurries at the end - we were flatter than a can of Diet Coke that had been open for a couple of weeks. No fizz against a Devils team whose shirts look like a can of that particular refreshment. We went away from the game plan and as a result lost the game. I came away feeling very unhappy again, and rightly so.
• Eric (one final thought) - Even the top NHL teams cannot win every game, but we need to minimise what chances we allow the opposition to have. 

Looking at the positives, who was the best player of the weekend?

• Eric - Best player this weekend, must be Mike Ratchuk, from all accounts he had a blinder in Nottingham and against Cardiff offered some form of potency going forward. One wish I have is to be at the game he finally goes coast to coast, down the middle of the ice and plants the biscuit into the twine. And believe me it's going to happen this season. 
• Nathan - Mike Ratchuck is the weekends MVP by a country mile. I don't think everyone had a stinker but nobody really stood out apart from number 44. He's gonna be a good un.
• Bethan - Valdix has been impressing me lately, seems often to be in good space, and passes the puck between people and through narrow gaps pretty well.
• Robert - Difficult to pick a stand out but Armstrong always looked dangerous.
• Fergus - Ratchuk and Armstrong both played very well, with Ratchuk scoring a stunner.
• Mark - For us - Mosi as he kept battling away from his first shift to his last in both games. Some could look at him, and learn. Opponent - Jake "Alanis" Morissette of Cardiff. Always at heartbeat for the Devils, he seldom has a bad game against us. Isn't it ironic don't ya think? (Editor groans)

How much did Levi’s absence hurt us?

• Bethan - I don't think it's the reason we lost the game, we've got far too much depth to be dependent on one player. I think the loss of any player tends to throw things out of balance, and perhaps having another slightly more physical guy out there would have been useful against the Devils.
• Mark - They say there's no "I" in team (Editor – but there is one in Levi) and nine times out of ten it's true, However we did miss Levi this weekend just gone. The hits, the lack of fear he displays and the chemistry that second line brings to the table. We re-shuffled the second and fourth lines and that contributed to a zero weekend. If anything, we should have had Kirky on 2nd line LW, used him sparingly, and spotted others in. The reshuffled lines were a tactic that backfired on Thomo. Can only hope the spell on the sidelines is short, Dowdy seemed lost without his sidekick.
• Fergus - His constant fight really was missed but it worries me that losing one player maybe cost us two games as the team should be able to play without him. Thomo messed up with his tactics, he shouldn't have interfered with the 4th line and just out Kirk in the 3rd - that way only disturbing one line instead of two.
• Eric - Obviously a player of Nelsons capability will hurt when he's not in the line-up, but quite simply others will need to step up. We will take injuries, imagine Mosienko or Roy getting a knock, because it could happen, what do you do?  The other guys have to play more minutes, they have to play harder, they have to make that difference up. They know that, it's a matter of them applying it.
• Robert - It was definitely a loss because the team was totally disorganised but this cannot be an excuse as throughout the season injuries will happen and it’s up to the ‘ best coach in the land’ to sort it.
• Nathan - The loss of Nelson for the weekend was a blow and who knows, maybe we could have won the game in Nottingham had he been playing, but the fact of the matter is our D is garbage at the moment and I doubt had Nelson been playing it would have made the difference .

The goals against keep stacking up – any observations?

• Mark – Yes we are conceding a few but that's the problem when you do not "talk". We end up making elementary errors, such as leaving the back door open (something which has definitely haunted us for at least the last three seasons), or committing too far forward and expecting the nettie to bail us out. We need to tighten this up; especially with the league campaign about to start. Basic and responsible defence skills, even a newbie could spot that one. Of the four new blueliners, Scooby Doo (Davey) is being targeted as being weak; they might be right.
• Bethan - They do seem to be mounting up don't they! The D don't seem to be working quite right - obviously Franzon was hurt tonight, but we didn't see a lot of Davey Phillips out there either. We were all excited to have Moose back, but maybe we've pinned a few too many hopes on him as the league’s moved on?
• Fergus - Just think how you all treated Pinc last season ... now tell me moose is better? 5 goals per game he is conceding, that's disgusting and he needs telling big time. He's loved for his past, so he gets away with everything, he makes a few really good saves yeah but that doesn't make up for the countless mistakes he makes and for his non-existent cover of the back door - he might have a quick glove, but his pads and movement on the ice is bloody slow! (And leave big holes top glove side!)
• Eric - Shipping goals is nothing new, we did last season. It's left to the coaching staff to instill the systems into the players, to be 6 D, with the forwards tracking back. They need to be smart, pick up the player lurking at the back stick, because we all know that's a real weakness at the moment, and to win those one to one battles. Surely it's not rocket science, you pick your man, you beat him one to one, you minimise his capability of a scoring chance. As someone said "you win games from the back, everything starts from the back" and it's true...
• Robert - Defence must be a massive headache for the coaching staff. They need to tinker around with pairings and see who is best suited to play together as they are all good players.
• Nathan - We attack as a team, and we defend as a team, and whilst I'm by no way singling out our current custodian as the solitary reason for our defence having more holes in it than an East-Enders storyline Mr Moose is starting to frighten the bloody life out of me! He looks indecisive, erratic and at times disinterested. His body language at times is of a man whose mind is elsewhere. I hope I'm wrong and reading far too much into these 2 games and that it's simply a brief sticky patch but I am far from convinced by his performances. Pinc got hounded for far less.

 

That’s all folks. Hope you enjoyed reading our thoughts, and we’d love you to get involved too.

Help set the agenda for next week with your questions, or even better get involved and give your views as one of the panel. We would love different views and different participants each week. Please contact Mark @frozensteelblog or Tony @Disgu15ed, or find us at the game.

Brief Bios of those panellists you’ve just been listening to in the series so far :

• Alan is @frozensteelmnl for match night updates and @AwkwardGinge for everything else. Has been watching Hockey for many years, and given half a chance will regale you with tales of the London Knights. Catch him on the Breaking the Ice podcast too.
• Andy is the big man with the big horn (or VuVuzela if you prefer) who can be found at most home and away games, and propping the bar up afterwards. Andy is @ic3creamman.
• Bethan represents the younger end of the fan base, and has loved the team ever since being dragged along to her first Steelers game in 2007. Follow her on Twitter at @bethan_4
• Eric is a season ticket holder and can be found shouting encouragement to our players and scorn at the zebras alongside three generations of his family in block 115. Views can be found @greenbunch257
• Glynn can be found @glynnm76 has been watching the Steelers on and off since ‘91. Massive Ron Shudra fan and owner of an EIHL League Championship medal.
• Kevin and Fergus are a Father-Son duo that grew up watching and playing ice hockey in Europe (mainly Germany) who are both very opinionated and can be heard from block 115. Twitters are @SedgyFergus and @KevWright65
• Mark is one of the main men behind the Frozen Steel blog, being the Editor and Podcast pundit, and has watched the club since its inception. Find him at @hockeybhoy
• Nathan and his Mrs have been going to games since Feb 2014 after getting fed up with football. Another season ticket holder in 115 who tries to get to away games and refuses steadfastly to join in with Sweet Caroline. He’s @NJT75Owl
• Robert is chief architect of http://steelers-stats.com/ the go-to guy for Steelers history from days gone by, and the man behind one of the big White House spotlights! Robert is @steelersstats.
• Tony has been watching the Steelers on and off since Tony Hand arrived, and has been a regular for the last eight years or so. Enjoys contributing to the blog with his weekly five things and can be found @Disgu15ed

Mr 85% - Five things from w/e 25 September

It was back to earth with a bump this weekend, as our mini-winning streak was brought to a crashing end, but there’s always a lot to learn from defeat, so here’s the top five things I have learnt from the weekend.

Another Image from @snapperjakeo - just as well he doesn't read this blog or he'd want royalties ;)

1. The results didn’t matter – Going into two Challenge Cup games against two top teams could have provided a big morale boosting sweep, or more evidence that this year will be tight again but no harm done. Losing by a couple in either game didn’t cause me too much concern, nor to hit any panic button.
2. The injuries did matter – We can reflect on the hit on Franzon later, but with Davey only being spotted in towards the end of Sunday’s game, it seems we are down to rotating only four D. With our goal against racking up, our Defence already looked shaky, so we’ve got a tough week of adjustment ahead. City Taxi for Sarich anyone?
3. Those GAA stats are poor reading – If we exclude the CHL games we’re conceding 4.3 goals a game (4.6 if you include those four games too). That’s not going to be good enough to win anything, and compares to a figure of circa 3 last year. Paul Thompson’s “Mr 92%” is currently more like “Mr 85%”.
4. That refereeing decision – Rule 85 of the IIHF rulebook seems to state that unless it’s an obviously serious injury requiring immediate medical attention then the Stripes should expect the player to make his own way off the ice, and only stop play when the ‘injured team’ has possession. So did the three officials not see Franzon’s apparent concussion, or assess it as not serious enough? In hindsight they should have blown up earlier, but Franzon was doing the normal ‘Hockey hard-man’ approach of just getting on with it, so I can see the call either way. Maybe DOPS – that’s Player Safety remember – should look into it, as surely you should err on the side of caution?
5. Those Hyped up enforcers – On first glance Brian McGrattan and Patrick Bordeleau looked more Kevin Westgarth than Paul Bissonnette, and that’s cool with me. Let’s hope they are both import slots wasted, rather than just jet lagged and rusty.

I’ll leave you with one final thought about the Hockey World Cup, just in case it’s passed you by. Our boys (i.e. Team Europe except for those from Sweden, Finland and the Czech Republic – catchy title heh) are in the first game of the final tonight. It’ll need to be another miracle on ice to beat a very deep Team Canada over three games, but maybe just maybe…  World Cup Final games  are September 27, 29 & Oct.

Thanks for reading everybody. Remember if you want to be a part of Frozen Steel you can get into touch with us on Twitter or find us on our Facebook Page, remembering to like us and leave a comment. We will then get back in touch:

@FrozenSteelBlog

@FrozenSteelMNL

@hockeybhoy

@DISGU15ED

Don't forget to listen to our weekly podcast  Breaking The Ice

It's available on iTunes to listen and download, also on Soundcloud

Or drop us an email to Frozen Steel Blog

From The Editor's Chair - Edition 5

It's a case of after the proverbial Lord Mayor's show this week. Last week we were all happy and were enjoying the four point weekend cake. This week, we feel depressed and like we are sucking lemons like it's end of the world.

It isn't really as you know, we had a bad weekend just gone. Let's see what I have managed to see from it. Remember the disclaimer, these are my own personal opinions and not of Sheffield Steelers Ice Hockey Club. Got that? Right let's start...

• Ticket scanners: This came to my attention on Sunday afternoon. Like normal I was at the blue entrance doors reading to go into the House Of Steel. Presented my season ticket as usual, and the minion (face it, the majority of them act like as if they own the damn building)'s scanner told her "This ticket is not valid for today's performance." - what the actual? Same thing happened for Mike and Simon, so we were directed down to Entrance B. Issue explained to Shaun (Smith) who was hardly impressed by the episode but knew it was nothing we'd done wrong. Apparently this has been happened at the Panthers home game; Sunday before. To paraphrase NASA: "Sheffield Arena, we have a problem."
• Weekend of frustration: It certainly was one of those. From heroes to zeroes in the space of seven days. It wasn't as if we were beaten by teams who destroyed us, we actually beat ourselves looking at it. Misplaced passes, especially in own zone, and unnecessarily putting pressure on each other. We went off the map of success, and paid a heavy price for it. It really should have been a three or four point weekend.
• Happy clappers at it again: Yes we under-performed last weekend, but the happy clappers were quick to moan and demand changes. One suggested we drop Frets and push Okey Jr. onto the wing. Right that means we would need a new import D, and Roddy's not coming back anyway, so where does this make sense. Sure #67 looked a bit disjointed against Panthers and Devils; but he's not that bad. Guess if he has a great weekend this week, you'll be singing praise. Sorry but that's not the solution, getting back to basics is.
• Nelson was missed: One man does not make a team, and there's no "I" in team they say. But we didn't half miss our powerhouse #76 against Panthers and Devils. Nelson brings intensity, a never say quit attitude and makes things happen. He must be a living hell for a defenceman to play against. So glad we have him for this and next season, he's an important piece of the puzzle. Hoping that the absence is nothing that's gonna keep him out long term.
• Injuries: Last topic to mention this week, is injuries and whilst we know it's part and parcel of this game we all adore - it can have a serious effect. I've already touched on Nelson but Fitzy picked up a knock in the NIC which appeared to reduce his mobility allegedly looking at. Then Franzon was hurt, but with no penalty on the play, and Moose got run once or twice from what I could determine a bit by some over exuberant Devils forwards. That had an effect on both of them too. One of these days, somebody will get seriously hurt and that's not what we want to see. Is it? 

There concludes my thoughts. I don't expect everyone to agree but it's just me telling you how it is as seen through my eyes.

Thanks for reading everybody. Remember if you want to be a part of Frozen Steel you can get into touch with us on Twitter or find us on our Facebook Page, remembering to like us and leave a comment. We will then get back in touch:

@FrozenSteelBlog

@FrozenSteelMNL

@hockeybhoy

@DISGU15ED

Don't forget to listen to our weekly podcast  Breaking The Ice

It's available on iTunes to listen and download, also on Soundcloud

Or drop us an email to Frozen Steel Blog

Big Match Preview - Nottingham and Cardiff

Another massive weekend of hockey on the menu as the Steelers complete games four and five of the Challenge Cup group qualifying phase. With three wins out of three at the moment, I believe that just three points from our other five games will see us make the quarter-finals. It's then down to how we finish in the group to see whom we'd play next.

Without further ado, let's preview the weekend ahead.

Saturday night, and we're on the road to these people:

Yes folks, we're off to the NIC for the first of at least five trips there this season! That's not including any potential semi-final or play-off game either. Panthers were far from impressive in the House Of Steel on Sunday, but we expect them to come out smarting on Saturday evening in their own barn. New signing Brian "Big Ern" McGrattan is set to make his Panthers dèbut, so that adds extra spice to proceedings. The message is clear though, don't be afraid.

We need to take the ice literally away from them and silence the building from the get go. Do all the simple things and don't let them get any momentum. Because if we don't, it could be a long, hard night.

Verdict: Panthers to win 5-2 (sorry boys)

Sunday evening, and we have the first visit of this lot:

Many people's favourites for the team to beat this season, and that's in all competitions folks. Cardiff have built an impressive roster which surpasses what they have had before. They have really pushed the boat out financially, despite "Killer" Kelman playing it down. Signings such as Patrick Bordeleau (former NHL enforcer) and Italian internationalist Sean Bentivoglio stand out as well as seasoned campaigners such as Joey's Martin and Haddad plus new captain Jake "Alanis" Morissette who always seems to do well against us. That and Bownsy will be a barrier in goals. 

This isn't going to be easy peasy, lemon squeezy.

Verdict: Steelers to overcome Devils 4-3 in overtime.

How do you see it?  Let us know..

Thanks for reading everybody. Remember if you want to be a part of Frozen Steel you can get into touch with us on Twitter or find us on our Facebook Page, remembering to like us and leave a comment. We will then get back in touch:

@FrozenSteelBlog

@FrozenSteelMNL

@hockeybhoy

@DISGU15ED

Don't forget to listen to our weekly podcast  Breaking The Ice

It's available on iTunes to listen and download, also on Soundcloud

Or drop us an email to Frozen Steel Blog

Hockey Soapbox - Season 2 Week 7 - Can't complain

After four wins on the bounce, we’ve got lots to celebrate, and little to moan about – and that’s probably why we only have a couple of contributors this week! Anyway, here’s our latest Frozen Steel Soapbox where we’ll bring you some views and thoughts from a selection of Sheffield Steelers hockey fans.

Follow Jake here +Snapper JakeO or @snapperjakeo

It’s time to get on your soapboxes people!

We’ve got contributions from:  Mark Duell, and Nathan Turner, with the occasional contribution from Tony your editor...

How were you feeling after the Blaze match on Saturday?

• Mark – We did what we had to do, play a lot better and not let Coventry run riot like they have done in previous visits. Have we broken the curse? One hopes to heck that we have. Smart play by Fitzy not to be goaded by Klotz also stands out for me.
• Nathan - Not a lot I can really say about the Blaze game as I didn't attend but pleased with the win and although I'm not that fussed about the group stage of the CC it’s a good way to get some of the early season creases ironed out before the proper games start, i.e. the league.
• Tony – Are they still separating the away fan blocks and inserting a noisy rabble in between them? Did it nearly kick-off between the fans again? I’m keeping my money in my pocket until they sort out that tinder box of an idea.

I’m guessing Sunday was quite a good night too?

• Mark – The fact we regrouped after Panthers, led and then levelled matters, and then kicked on to record a very impressive win speaks volumes. The Panthers were flattered to score five, they should never have had that many, we took them apart and Chris Lawrence won't want to remember the pounding he took off Desi. Fitzy shut the meerkat up early doors too.
• Nathan - In a game that the Steelers pretty much dominated from start to finish, we saw some great goals some suspect D work, and decent scrap. How Nottingham managed to slot 5 past us I don't know and as Coach said, the score flattered the Panthers somewhat. Although judging by their forum and Twitter, they're not really bothered about the Challenge Cup. Yeah right.
• Tony – Was on holiday, so didn’t attend, and looks like I missed a belter – as did my numpty mate who was going to use my tickets but ducked out at the last minute!

Now that City Taxis sponsor the Steelers, do we have any nominations for someone who needs a quick exit and our first Taxi award?

• Mark - Neilson for me, why did he start Pacl? Surely you start a hot goalie whose just recorded a shutout 24 hours previously. Perhaps there's more this so called injury than meets the eye with Wiikman. Then again Pacl got injured too.
• Nathan - Whoever designed the Challenge Cup shirts! They are utterly hideous. Really disappointed with all 5 shirts this year and as a result, and to no avail, I've been trying to find an old one on eBay. As for the logos on the ice, the vile MacDonalds 'Golden Arch' looks like a golden arse from where I sit. Humbug. 
• (seemingly getting a head of steam up on this one) The Challenge Cup Group stage. Surely a better way of making it more interesting and credible would be to scrap the group stage and have a straight forward k/o system drawn out of a bag. Teams play a 2 legged round against each other and whoever wins moves on to the next round, and if the Steelers are drawn against the Panthers in round 1, so be it. If Fife end up playing Dundee or The Storm in the final, great. Less predictable and generates more interest. Oh and play the final in early December.
• Tony – Is it too early to nominate the league scoring bias that’s been created by the Conference system? That’s been worth about +3 or 4 points in previous years. Conference is great for finances, but scoring your main competition based on those rules too remains an issue. Come and save us from this Milton Keynes!

There has been a bit of chat about Schultz, are you a believer?

• Mark - Had no doubts in the fella, proven scorers don't lose their touch. Funny how his moaners behind me weren't there on Sunday - wonder if Jesse delivered their humble pie himself and they're feeling sick so to speak? He's going to wreak havoc this season, and good on him. Keep it up mate!
• Nathan - Very impressed with Mr Schultz recently. The shuffling of the lines has improved the situation immensely and also seems to have benefitted the team as a whole. I was always certain he'd come good and maybe it takes some players longer to adapt to new surroundings than others. So yes I'm convinced.
• Tony – I’m beginning to see him as the new Mike Forney. He can drift around all he likes providing he’s putting the biscuit in the basket. As soon as he stops scoring, then he needs to contribute more or I reserve the right to start moaning again!

And finally, do you have your Jono Testimonial tickets and who are you looking forward to seeing?

• Mark - Not yet but I will plan on being there. Looking forward to seeing Joey Talbot back - particularly as Mam and I sponsored him in his final season. Who would I like to see back too? As goalies, Christian Bronsard and Joel Laing - two quality netminders. Them and Dion "The Daddy" Darling please.
• Nathan - Not got tickets for the testimonial yet. Not sure if I'll be able to make it due to work but enjoyed Hewitt’s last season.
• Tony – We will be going, although haven’t got tickets yet. Love the idea of Joey coming back, and Steeeve Munn.  Maybe we should drag Doug Sheppard up from Basingstoke – but guess he’s getting bored of travelling up to Ice Sheffield already!

That’s all folks. Hope you enjoyed reading our thoughts, and we’d love you to get involved too.

Help set the agenda for next week with your questions, or even better get involved and give your views as one of the panel. We would love different views and different participants each week. Please contact Mark @frozensteelblog or Tony @Disgu15ed, or find us at the game.

Brief Bios of those panellists you’ve just been listening to in the series so far :

• Alan is @frozensteelmnl for match night updates and @AwkwardGinge for everything else. Has been watching Hockey for many years, and given half a chance will regale you with tales of the London Knights. Catch him on the Breaking the Ice podcast too.
• Andy is the big man with the big horn (or VuVuzela if you prefer) who can be found at most home and away games, and propping the bar up afterwards. Andy is @ic3creamman.
• Bethan represents the younger end of the fan base, and has loved the team ever since being dragged along to her first Steelers game in 2007. Follow her on Twitter at @bethan_4
• Eric is a season ticket holder and can be found shouting encouragement to our players and scorn at the zebras alongside three generations of his family in block 115. Views can be found @greenbunch257
• Glynn can be found @glynnm76 has been watching the Steelers on and off since ‘91. Massive Ron Shudra fan and owner of an EIHL League Championship medal.
•  Kevin and Fergus are a Father-Son duo that grew up watching and playing ice hockey in Europe (mainly Germany) who are both very opinionated and can be heard from block 115. Twitters are @SedgyFergus and @KevWright65
• Mark is one of the main men behind the Frozen Steel blog, being the Editor and Podcast pundit, and has watched the club since its inception. Find him at @hockeybhoy
• Nathan and his Mrs have been going to games since Feb 2014 after getting fed up with football. Another season ticket holder in 115 who tries to get to away games and refuses steadfastly to join in with Sweet Caroline. He’s @NJT75Owl
• Robert is chief architect of http://steelers-stats.com/ the go-to guy for Steelers history from days gone by, and the man behind one of the big White House spotlights! Robert is @steelersstats.
• Tony has been watching the Steelers on and off since Tony Hand arrived, and has been a regular for the last eight years or so. Enjoys contributing to the blog with his weekly five things and can be found @Disgu15ed

Thanks for reading everybody. Remember if you want to be a part of Frozen Steel you can get into touch with us on Twitter or find us on our Facebook Page, remembering to like us and leave a comment. We will then get back in touch:

@FrozenSteelBlog

@FrozenSteelMNL

@hockeybhoy

@DISGU15ED

Don't forget to listen to our weekly podcast  Breaking The Ice

It's available on iTunes to listen and download, also on Soundcloud

Or drop us an email to Frozen Steel Blog

Skvělý hokej - Five things from w/c 18 September

It's an usual blog as this week's five things come courtesy of a hockey holiday to Vienna and Prague (or Wien and Praha if you're getting all fancy) where I saw the Capitals, Sparta and Slavia all put on a good show. So I learnt loads and this could easily run to twenty things, but here's the five key things I learnt this week.

Vienna v Linz from the Plexi behind the goal

Slavia v Litoměřice from the posh seats

Sparta v Třinec at the o2

1. Fan organised chanting - The games featured seemingly non-stop singing from one hard-core block, and it created a great atmosphere. Each had one or two guys spending the entire game with his back to the action and conducting his crowd. Not only did they had drums, but they also had numerous flags and each fan also waved their scarf too. Then those blocks did 'call and reply' with the other blocks to get them involved too. How do we get more of that in the EIHL?
2. Player appreciation of the fans - The winners of both Czech games lined up in front of their singing block at the end of the game, and waited patiently for the fans to sing them a song which was 45-60 second long. They then did the stick lifts, and then full length dives towards the dashers. Huge kudos to them recognising the efforts the fans put in too. 
3. Cheap as chips - The top price Sparta tickets for the 17,000 seater Prague O2 were 270Kč which is about £9, and their programmes were 10Kč (33p). Second tier Slavia was only 130Kč or 90Kč (£3) if you wanted standing. Bargain - wish there was a game in every night!
4.  Capitals club logo - When you next think of moaning about the number of advertisers on EIHL shirts, make sure to check out the Vienna Capitals equipment. They have even sold the front of their shirt to two sponsors, so the club logo is demoted to a small spot on the elbow. I'd hate that, but guess € talk and on the bright side, the replica shirts were only €45. 
5. Overtime - It's 4on4 in Austria but 3on3 in the Czech Republic. I expected the 3on3 to be fast paced and chances galore, but in this game the big and heavy Sparta team just camped out in the oppositions zone and man-marked the hell out of the opposition. The smaller and faster players never got a chance to settle - a nice tactic.

One final thought to leave you with Is that I was looking forward to a whole week away from Sweet Caroline! But no such luck, as a Vienna OT goal brought out their victory song, and the crowd were all waving their arms to the air to bloody Neil Diamond - so my top tip for my buddy Nathan is to only go to Prague, as I managed 125 minutes without hearing it once there.

Good luck to the Steelers on Sunday night - someone whoosh for me as we'll only be watching via Twitter updates tonight.

Elite Report: Week 4 Preview

Making an early start this week with the fourth week of action. We start off this week's look ahead with a rare midweek encounter and then move onto the usual ones at weekend. Maybe, just maybe, we might get some right.

Time to dust off that crystal ball and see what we can predict.

Wednesday night:

Braehead Clan v Fife Flyers  - CHALLENGE CUP

Clan are in a bit of a pickle, they can't win a game of hockey at the moment. It reached new heights on Sunday night when the Caps won the M8 derby in Murrayfield. Surely they can find a way past Fife, a nemesis of theirs?

Verdict: Clan regulation.

Saturday night: 

Belfast Giants v Dundee Stars  - CHALLENGE CUP

It wasn't a bad week just gone if you're a member of the Teal Army, 1000 games for the Club and celebrated in style with a four point weekend. Can they continue the good form against a challenging Dundee?

Verdict: Giants regulation

Cardiff Devils v Coventry Blaze  - CHALLENGE CUP

These two sides had a couple of interesting games in pre-season and I don't expect this to be any different. Both teams like to leave it all out on the line so to speak, it could be a real tasty game down in IAW.

Verdict: Devils regulation

Fife Flyers v Edinburgh Capitals  - CHALLENGE CUP

Having overcame Clan on Sunday in their opening home game, confidence is sure to be high in the Caps camp especially now Travis Fullerton is in the country and between the pipes. Fife will want to bounce back however from last weekend's pointless tally.

Verdict: Fife to squeak this one in overtime

Manchester Storm v Braehead Clan  - ELITE LEAGUE

Depending how Clan fare on Wednesday night, will determine how confidence in the purple ranks is. Either way, Storm will be keen as mustard to continue their good form and secure a second win in the space of seven days. Way they are playing, you can't argue with them.

Verdict: Clan will edge this one, probably in overtime

Sunday night:

Coventry Blaze v Nottingham Panthers  - ELITE LEAGUE

There's certainly no love lost between these two, remember the SkyDome bench clearance in 2010? I'm no saying we will get a repeat of that but it's going to be a feisty game. Will Klotz and McGrattan drop the gloves? That could be worth watching.

Verdict: Panthers to win after a penalty shoot-out

Edinburgh Capitals v Manchester Storm  - ELITE LEAGUE

Potentially this one could either way. Caps want to show their fans that they have a decent squad who will compete every time and not fall apart mid-season, Storm want to build on early season momentum and make a statement.

Verdict: Storm to be happy with an overtime win

Braehead Clan v Belfast Giants  - CHALLENGE CUP

Can Clan get a couple of morale boosting home wins to get the Purple Army back on side? We're saying they can get the first tomorrow night, but it will be hard against a Belfast team that seem to have made a decent start. It's always possible though.

Verdict: Clan in overtime

Dundee Stars v Fife Flyers  - CHALLENGE CUP

For the second time in eight days, Stars and Flyers clash. Dundee won convincingly in the first encounter, but can Flyers avenge that? No quarter will be given for sure, whichever team wants it the most is going to be successful here.

Verdict: Stars smiling in regulation again.

So that's how my crystal ball views it. How do you see the games panning out?

                

Thanks for reading everybody. Remember if you want to be a part of Frozen Steel you can get into touch with us on Twitter or find us on our Facebook Page, remembering to like us and leave a comment. We will then get back in touch:

@FrozenSteelBlog

@FrozenSteelMNL

@hockeybhoy

@DISGU15ED

Don't forget to listen to our weekly podcast  Breaking The Ice

It's available on iTunes to listen and download, also on Soundcloud

Or drop us an email to Frozen Steel Blog