Hockey Soapbox - Season 2 Week 21 - Laying huge Christmas eggs

We were way too generous with our post-Christmas presents to our Erdhart chums last week, so let’s hope that’s the end of our festive give-away as we hunker down against the oncoming Storm.

There’s only a few sober bloggers available this week, so it’s Nathan, Amanda, Mark and myself chipping in this week - now with bonus material from Bethan too!

Thoughts on Boxing Day:

Steelers Lay Big Orange Egg.

Petulant under-performers disappoint masses.

Big crowd, big let-down.
Where did our confidence go?

Teddy bear toss best bit!  

Thanks to Amanda for the fan photos

Thoughts on Boxing Day’s Boxing Day.

Better Performance, but Something Lacking.

Petulance plot-losers chuck game. 

Better performance than Boxing Day.

A much more spirited performance.
Why is it always 3-2?!

So, let’s start by reminding ourselves about what happened on the 26th, have we stepped back, or have Nottingham stepped forward?

• Bethan - I'd say Nottingham have definitely improved from when we've last seen them - they seem to finally be paying as more of a team, and Williams has clearly been a great signing for them! I'd agree with Thommo when he says we've had a bit of a wobble, we didn't play our best hockey consistently over the two games and those little lapses are what cost us. 
• Mark - It's not that Nottingham has stepped forward, even though they got a couple of results against us, we are the ones who have stepped backwards and put our title charge back into reverse. They were playing with just 3 recognised defencemen and had 2 forwards in Lindhagen and MacMillan acting as makeshift D just so they could be a wee bit more competitive defensively. We all know that Panthers D is shakier than Shakin' Stevens but we didn't do what we know we can do it, that being put it under pressure that it wobbles and offers no protection to the starting nettie.
• Amanda - We have stepped back for sure which makes Nottingham look good!   
• Mark - Wiikman started both games and proved again what a quality goalie he is. He is like their version of Moose: gives his team a chance to win every night when he plays well. If he'd not been injured as much as he has been this season, then he would have been at the higher echelons of the goalie charts. But in the two biggest games of the season, we failed to deliver to the high standards we have had so far in one and then gotten undone by more weird decisions. All in all, we left a chink in our armour and Panthers found a way to expose it. Jason Williams is their new hero, yeah let's see how good he is when they have another blip which is bound to happen for sure. One player does not make a team, Williams is being touted as the new saviour (taking into account his pedigree) down the M1; the sticking plaster is holding firm there for now.
• Nathan - Boy did we lay an egg on Boxing Day?!?! - a huge 50/50, creepy kiss cam, hyped up style egg. An egg so big it could make an omelette the size of a large inflatable yellow and black bear. Massive disappointment in terms of result and performance, (let's be honest here, Panthers hardly play 'Lights Out Hockey' do they?) but the thing that bugs me the most is we seem to have forgotten everything we've improved upon in the last month. OK it's not all doom and gloom and a lot of the reaction is due to it being Boxing Day, again, but we can get back on track so... Stepped back? Yes, slightly, maybe. Have Nottingham stepped it up? Yes, slightly. We made them look better than they actually were. Again.

Why is our team struggling with goals, and keep losing by one goal to the top teams?

• Nathan - Lack of concentration may be the key to our one goal losses but that's not to blame Mr Moose. He's been fantastic recently and goal tending is only 50% of the game. Going forward there are another 5 guys to cover the other 50% and we seem to have resorted to the tippy-tappy stuff that was apparent in the early stages of the season. Also the PP is looking a bit shoddy again. It's a worry as our PK is pretty damn good. I don't think there is an awful lot wrong tbh, we were the better side in the NIC but we need to find that killer instinct and kill teams off.
• Bethan - As much as I hate 'shoot!' being shouted every time we're in the offensive zone, those shouting it do have a point! We seem to have good possession, get set up in the zone with lots of passing about to get around the defence, then...  not a right lot! I'd like to see more shots on net, even if not every one is a stellar opportunity, you never know where you might get a lucky bounce!
• Tony – We’ve began to see-saw between “scoring loads, and leaving Moose out-to-dry”, and then switching back to “playing well in our end, and not pinching forward”. These results were coming as we’ve been relying on the newly re-united Fretter & Roy pairing, and our defence for goals recently. I think the lack of consistent lines, and alternating the centres through the lines has taken away lots of our forward’s chemistry.
• Amanda - We have more shots at the goal than our opponents, but we need to make sure they go in!!  

Does Thommo need to find new blood, if so what type of player, and who makes way.

• Nathan – (Before the news) I've thought long and hard about this and initially was reluctant to name names and make a list of players to be shown the door but I have concerns about the following. Schultz, Dowd, Armstrong. None of the above are showing enough for me. Schultz and Dowd should be scoring more regular and Armstrong doesn't look like the sort of player we were told he was when we signed him. Shoot me down if you so choose but I'd take Chris Lawrence over him any day. 
• Amanda – (Before the news) Not sure we need new blood we just need to sort out the bunch we have. I am confident the lads will get back to winning ways, let's not panic just yet.
• Tony – Sport is a tough results-orientated business, they all know that, and in leagues like ours where the budget is always stretched, then the coach needs to get the best bang for his buck. I was surprised when people were waxing lyrical about Schultz earlier in the year, as he seemed to coast far too much for my liking – that’s fine when he’s knocking in the goals, but it also makes him an easy target when he dries up. If he’s taking up too much of the budget, then thanks for your time, but here’s the door… We’ve got a ready-made replacement on the top line in Fretter, and we can find a different type of forward to slot in further down the lines.
• Mark - Obviously we didn't know what was going to happen with Schultz but I am sure that our coaching duo had identified where things were going wrong after the pointless Christmas period. That's why they made a decision which has split the fanbase again. Every coach will look at where he feels his team is weak and make adjustments accordingly. That way it keeps the team fresh and keeps it evolving, you can't really afford to stand still in the hockey world. If you do then, you get left behind in the starting blocks whilst others are racing towards the finish line. 
• Bethan - Well it seems he is doing so! Schultz had some brilliant moments for us, and hopefully will have plenty of success elsewhere, but to be honest I haven't noticed him out there recently! If we could get ourselves a Jason Williams I think we'd all be pretty happy. 
• Mark - For a club of our rich heritage, we have to be there or thereabouts. Failing to acknowledge our own problems is an issue that eventually becomes a huge one to deal with, and both the on and off ice products suffer as a consequence: on ice: you slip in mediocrity and off ice: the crowds dwindle down to levels that would cause the owner to question whether he/she wants to be a part of it anymore.

Finally, any other business? 

• Nathan - On the 28th we ventured over to Ice Sheffield to watch Steeldogs vs Pirates and without sounding snobbish, if that's the standard that MK are going to bring to the EIHL then I fear for them. Awful standard. Liam Kirk was head and shoulders the best player for Dogs even at his tender age and Jason Hewitt was coasting it. Barely got out of 2nd gear. And don't get me started on the officiating. Beer league? Mine's a pint.
• Mark -  So yesterday we announced that Jesse Schultz was to be released. Given his most recent form, something like 2 goals in his last 11 games, I can understand why this call has had to be made. Jesse has looked a shadow of his usual self in the last few weeks and certainly wasn't sniping the goals that we were seeing earlier in the season. Something mentally isn't right, so perhaps the decision is right. However I have again to laugh my ass off at some of the opinions on social media about what some of our "fans" gave as an explanation. One blamed the officials and another astonishingly blamed, wait for it, Moose! Both of these guys are not on the right page and whilst every man, woman and his dog (no, not Tom Darnell's dog Eric) is allowed an opinion: some of these reasons are plain laughable.
• For some reason, Jesse went colder than the temperature in Murrayfield and just couldn't pick the baton up again and heat up back to being league's most pure sniper. All players have dips in form and whilst some of them bounce back, you get some who just lose that confidence and it becomes shot to pieces where you cannot recover from the damage inflicted. It's a shame because we did the best goalscorer on paper at our disposal but it went horribly sour and maybe a decision to freshen up matters by releasing someone who isn't producing what he is expected to do, is the only call you make. That's what Paul and Jerry did, they looked at the big picture and made the ballsy call to release Jesse to keep the club evolving and getting back on form. It might be a decision that won't please all and sundry, but you gotta be ruthless in hockey world otherwise you're gonna achieve absolutely nada, nothing, zilch. Good luck in whatever you do next Mr Schultz, sorry it didn't end up turning out the way we all wanted.
• Tony - This team is still playing good enjoyable hockey, and with a few bounces (or lack of bounces off Davey's skates) then December could easily have been better, but the coach is there to make decisions, and I applaud him for making one. Sorry Jesse, it may not have been all down to you, but with your experience I'm sure it's not come as too huge a surprise - thanks for the goals, and all the best.

Thanks for reading, and feel free to get in touch if you want to contribute too.

Tony.