5 Things...We Could Take From Other Sports

We Could Take From Other Sports

It does come across sometimes that there is a certain elitism in the UK hockey community about our fair sport. We all think our sport is fantastic - indeed, I now tell people I'm a hockey fan first, football fan second. Some people, though, show a pure loathing for other sports.

Football, cricket, golf (guilty), rugby: all sports that I've seen naysayed by the hockey community. Some with good reason (I still stand by the golf is a walk wasted argument), others just seemingly out of pure spite ("football is s***, never watched a game, but it's s***").

However, many sports do a far better job of promoting themselves, and creating a welcoming atmosphere that hockey has great difficulty in doing. What are these lessons, and how easy would they be to implement?

Match Report: 28.9.2014 - Blaze v Steelers CC

Sunday 28^th September 2014 – Coventry Blaze (1-1-0) v Sheffield Steelers (1-1-1) @ SkyDome Arena. Face-off: 5:15pm, Challenge Cup

Coventry Blaze – 2
Kyle Bochek
Jereme Tendler

Sheffield Steelers – 3
Gord Baldwin
Michael Forney
Tyler Mosienko

5 Things We Learnt This Weekend - 28/9/14

Another mixed bag this weekend, and a few trends were learnt. But what did I take away from it?

Match Report: 27.9.2014 - Steelers v Devils CC

Saturday 27^th September 2014 – Sheffield Steelers (1-1-0) v Cardiff Devils (1-2-0) @ Motorpoint Arena. Face-off: 7pm, Challenge Cup

Sheffield Steelers – 2
Darrell Hay
Michael Forney

Cardiff Devils – 2
Matthew Myers (2)

Cullen Eddy - 26/09/14

Quick Editor's Note: Cullen's had a really busy week, with lots of personal stuff to sort out, so a big thank you to him for taking the time out to write for us.

Its been about a month since I have arrived in Sheffield, and things are starting to become customary each and everyday. Driving on the left side of the road, using the stick shift and playing on the big ice.

Weekend Preview - Cardiff (ARENA OMG), Coventry (a)

This weekend sees the Steelers begin a run of 6 successive Challenge Cup games, where it will complete our group stage fixtures and hopefully see us safely through to the next round.

No chicken-counting on Frozen Steel though, and each game needs to be taken seriously.

Oh aye, we're coming home too.

The Duell Report - Week 3 Review

THREE weeks into the season and we are finding more and more about the class of 2014-15. G’s own team, so meticulously put together with a great deal of patience over the summer. This is what I have to say over the weekend just gone.

Again I didn’t attend either the games, circumstances dictating this but I will be there this weekend. Which therefore gets me to pose the question: does the fact I didn’t go make a lesser fan than those who went to one or both games last weekend? Probably not. But there are doubters that may think the actual polar opposite. I’ll always be a Steeler even when I, at some point, probably move out of the City when personal circumstances state so.

Match Report: 21.9.2014 - Steelers v Giants EC/EIHL

Sunday 21^st September 2014 – Sheffield Steelers (2-0-0) v Belfast Giants (3-0-0) @ Ice Sheffield. Face-off: 5pm, Erhardt Conference/Elite League

Sheffield Steelers – 3
Jason Hewitt
Cullen Eddy
Colton Fretter

Belfast Giants – 2
Adam Keefe
Robby Sandrock

With the four man system in play, Steelers started the game with their 2^nd line with Doyle in goal for the Steelers and Murphy in goal for the Giants this is the first time these teams had met since the playoff final in April and it was the Steelers who had the first shot of the period as Darrel Hay saw his wrist shot from the blue line comfortably saved by Murphy but Giants were still looking for payback from that final defeat and took the lead on 2:21 when Giants forward Evan Cheverie had possession of the puck to the right of Doyle’s goal before turning and making a pass for Giants captain Adam Keefe to pick up near the face-off circle to fire it through Doyle for a 1-0 lead. Sawada should have made it 2-0 not long after but Doyle was able to make the save for his defence to then clear the zone then Murphy kept his side in the lead as he made a diving save from a shot on the point but on 5:17 there was nothing he could do to prevent Jason Hewitt levelling the score as J. Phillips broke up the left hand side and passed to Hewitt in front of Murphy’s goal for the British bulldog to take a touch and slot past Murphy on the delayed penalty. The game wouldn’t be level for too long with Shields sitting for interference Sheffield made their powerplay count as Mathieu Roy was on the attack in the Belfast zone attempting to get a shot away the puck fell to Eddy who took his chance and to give his side the first lead of the game on 11:22. Former Steeler Shields then tried to make up for his penalty when he tried his luck on goal but only saw his shot padded wide by Doyle, then a couple of minutes later Mike Kompon found himself in Sheffield’s zone and somehow managed to hit the crossbar through traffic followed by a poor turnover by the Steelers let in Cheverie at the top of the face-off circle but couldn’t get the puck past Doyle. Sheffield almost made it 3-1 when Fretter skated coast to coast to pass to Roy in front of goal but he couldn’t get it past the pads of Murphy and then Brookwell took a shot from the blue line but saw it tipped by McCutcheon onto the post.

End of the 1st Period: Sheffield Steelers 2–1 Belfast Giants

Shots on Goal: Steelers 11–15 Giants

Second period got underway with Belfast on the power play after an incident at the end of the 1^st involving Sandrock, Eddy and Fretter, Keefe was also involved but received nothing, Dowd also soon followed into the box but Sheffield showed some fantastic penalty killing as they defended as a team giving Doyle all the help he needed and if they couldn’t clear the zone they didn’t give up till they did though Doyle was seeing plenty of rubber but wasn’t taking any risks and was dealing with anything thrown at him, Dowd jumped out of the box and suddenly Sheffield had a 2 on 1 break but the pass to Roy was too far behind him and then in the next shift Colton Fretter came very close to scoring as he tipped Eddy’s slap shot just wide of Murphy’s goal. The scores were soon back level on 24:44 Sandrock was assisted by Darryl Lloyd to slot the puck past Doyle a nice move by the Giants but one where Steelers feel they should have been further ahead already but now found themselves level at 2-2. Dowd then had the next best chance to put the Steelers ahead again after Latulippe played to Dowd on the man advantage but fired his shot straight at the body of Doyle. Murphy almost had a head in hands moment when Roy skated into the Belfast zone and fired a wrist shot on goal that found its way under Murphy but the British netminder managed to turn around and get it covered up before it crossed the line then Latulippe skated into the zone and then turned and played a backhanded pass to Robert Dowd who fired one timer into the mask of Murphy, Doyle then had to make two catches of shots from the Giants 1^st line but couldn’t level the game before the buzzer.
End of the 2nd Period: Sheffield Steelers 2–2 Belfast Giants

Shots on Goal: Steelers 15–16 Giants

Third period started slowly with both team not wanting to take any risks in case of making any mistakes and the first real attack of the third came on 43:52 as Colton Fretter put the Steelers back ahead after a good play for Mike Forney the Steelers forward showed his quick hands to score his third goal for the club. Steelers were soon on the man advantage again and a spinorama move by Fretter saw him leave the puck for Forney to take into the zone but Cullen Eddy isn’t able to finish it off as Murphy was in the way. Belfast started to pile on the pressure was keeping Doyle busy especially when Doyle made a great reaction save as Saurette’s shot was deflected but Belfast were moving the puck well and looking for that one timer every time but Sheffield were putting bodies on the line or Frank Doyle was standing tall to what Belfast could conjure up. Some poor defensive play by the Steelers almost let Keefe in for his second of the game but Doyle was able to smother the puck into the body and then on the blue line David Phillips fired a slap shot through traffic to force a magnificent glove save out of Doyle but Sheffield didn’t make it easy for themselves on when on 58:02 Latulippe had to sit for holding and Belfast would finish the game on the power play and they was looking to level the game as a Sandrock slap shot went straight into the mask of Doyle before Sawada saw his re-directed shot covered up and with 90 seconds left Belfast pulled Stephen Murphy for the extra attacker but the best the Giants could do was when Cheverie sniped one against the post but the Steelers held on for the win.
Shots on Goal: Steelers 8-20 Giants

FINAL SCORE: Sheffield Steelers 3–2 Belfast Giants

Boxscore (1st-2nd-3rd-OT-[PIM]-{PP}-S)

Sheffield - 2-0-1-0-[8]-{1/5}-0

Belfast    - 1-1-0-0-[12]-{0/3}-0

Sheffield Man of the Match: #1 Frank Doyle
Belfast Man of the Match: #6 Robby Sandrock

A massively important win for the Steeler as they don’t play a league game now till the 18^th October when they take on the Cardiff Devils at the Motorpoint Arena as Sheffield now play the rest of their challenge cup group games

Sheffield Points Round Up:- 8 Points
Cullen Eddy (1+0), Michael Forney (0+1), Mathieu Roy (0+1), Jason Hewitt (1+0), Rodney Sarich (0+1), Jonathan Phillips (0+1), Colton Fretter (1+1)

Belfast Points Round Up:- 6 Points

Robby Sandrock (1+0), Evan Cheverie (0+1), Mike Kompon (0+1), Adam Keefe (1+0), Darryl Lloyd (0+2)

Referee: #9 Tom Darnell

Referee: #27 Mike Hicks

Linesman: #23 Lee Young

Linesman: #22 Paul Staniforth

Thanks for reading guys. Any questions or comments please get in contact with the Frozen Steel Team on this article or via Twitter:-
@IAmMcCausland

@TomWalkeden
@AwkwardGinge
@FrozenSteelBlog

Check out the Frozen Steel Forum

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

Let's Go Steelers!

Tom
@TomWalkeden
(Follow me on Twitter for Live Updates on Games)

5 Things We Learnt This Weekend - 21/9/14

We had to lose at some point. But there? Ehhh.

Here's what I took away from this weekend.

Match Report: 20.9.2014 - Panthers v Steelers CC

Saturday 20^th September 2014 – Nottingham Panthers (1-0-0) v Sheffield Steelers (1-0-0) @ National Ice Centre. Face-off: 7pm, Challenge Cup

Nottingham Panthers – 2
Chris Lawrence
Brandon Benedict

Sheffield Steelers – 1
Jonathan Phillips

The first derby of the season, Kowalski in goal for the Panthers and Doyle in goal for the Steelers, Dean Smith was the referee for the night and what an interesting night he was going to have.

The game got underway and Nottingham got going the quicker with Jacina having the first shot of the night as he shot into the body of Doyle after some good puck possession by Nottingham in the Steelers zone but then not long after Steelers were on the penalty kill as Baldwin was called two minutes for cross checking and a great chance would fall to Cody Wild but he would only be able to shoot high and wide, Dowd would keep the pressure on in the Nottingham zone and would force a mistake out of the Panthers D and he would play the puck to Fretter who could only shoot into the body of Kowalski before Stevie Lee was next to try his luck from the blue line but Doyle padded it wide as Steelers returned to full strength before Doyle up to his old tricks again performing a fantastic save of Lawrence left all alone at the back door. Steelers would go close after a Thomas mistakes let in Nottingham some good defensive play stole the puck back for Sarich to play in Latulippe who shot into the body of Kowalski just before Fretter tipped wide from a Roy pass. Then the decisions started as Latulippe was called two minutes for holding when it was clearly interference on the Steelers forward but it was soon levelled up as Graham was thrown in the box as well. Both teams back to full strength Dowd would break down the right to play to Latulippe skating in on goal but couldn’t re-direct the puck on target before the Steelers third line started putting pressure on the Nottingham goal but came up against a persistent Kowalski. Sheffield’s best opportunity of the 1^st period came on the power play when Cullen Eddy skates into the zone before passing to Forney on the left hand side who’s backhand pass found Mathieu Roy who just put his shot wide.

End of the 1st Period: Nottingham Panthers 0–0 Sheffield Steelers

Shots on Goal: Panthers 13-13 Steelers

The second period got underway and it started in a physical manner as Di Diomete hit Stevie Lee into the boards hard to the amusement of the travelling support but Nottingham would continue to put pressure on when Mosey saw his shot just go wide followed by Kowalski denying Hewitt and Roy but on 24:32 Nottingham took the lead as the Panthers were putting on the pressure eventually the puck dropped to the left of Doyle and Lawrence skates on goal it looked like it went in off his skate but it happened that fast I think he was just trying to stop and there was no distinct kicking motion and Nottingham seem to kick on from there as Doyle had to perform some heroics to keep Sheffield in this game. Mid-way through the second Kowalski showed what such a good netminder he is when somehow he denied Dowd not one but twice with an open goal and there could have possibly been a third. Nottingham would soon be back on the power play and would be looking to score a second as Cody Wild fired a slap shot from the blue but Doyle managed to save it with the blocker before the Nottingham fans thought they’d scored again only to realise the puck was in the side netting of the goal and Bruce Graham would also see an attempt go through the crease as Sheffield successfully killed the penalty, one again the third line was performing this time Hewitt putting on pressure and showing a fair bit of speed which I wasn’t use to seeing Steelers would have another powerplay as Jacina was given two minutes for boarding on Fretter but Nottingham would kill it and then on 37:48 assisted by Hewitt and Dowd, Kowalski made a save of the British bulldog and the puck would bounce in front of goal for Jonathan Phillips to slot it past Kowalski and level the score.
End of the 2nd Period: Nottingham Panthers 1–1 Sheffield Steelers

Shots on Goal: Panthers 17–8 Steelers

Third period got underway and Sheffield attempted to get on the front foot as Fretter shot straight into the body of Kowalski from just inside the neutral zone and then a poor giveaway by Baldwin let Lachowicz in but Steelers defended well and then Forney saw his back hand go just wide of Kowalski’s goal and then at the other end Doyle was making a glove save of Robinson. Some fantastic work by Dowd behind Kowalski’s goal saw him pass to Baldwin on the left hand board but his wrist shot only went as far as the glove of Kowalski. Nottingham would start piling on the pressure and eventually would be rewarded after missing several chances Panthers took the lead again on 45:56 when Doyle made a save the puck fell to Brandon Benedict to shoot into the open goal. There would be a lot of one way traffic with Nottingham controlling the majority of the third period having long periods of pressure in the Sheffield zone in which the Steelers struggled to clear their zone at times and brought even more pressure on themselves. It was almost 3-1 when Doyle had to make a diving save to deny Jacina at the back door. Sheffield were trying to create some offence but couldn’t break down a resilient Nottingham defence and ended up giving up 2 challenge cup points as Sheffield tasted their first defeat of the season.
Shots on Goal: Panthers 21–6 Steelers

FINAL SCORE: Nottingham Panthers 2–1 Sheffield Steelers

Boxscore (1st-2nd-3rd-OT-[PIM]-{PP}-S)

Nottingham - 0-1-1-0-[8]-{0/10}-51

Sheffield       - 0-1-0-0-[30]-{0/4}-27

Nottingham Man of the Match: #26 Brandon Benedict
Sheffield Man of the Match: #1 Frank Doyle

Nottingham Points Round Up:- 5 Points
Evan Mosey (0+1), Chris Lawrence (1+0), Bruce Graham (0+1), Brandon Benedict (1+0), Greg Jacina (0+1)

Sheffield Points Round Up:- 3 Points

Jason Hewitt (0+1), Jonathan Phillips (1+0), Phil Hill (0+1)

Referee: #26 Dean Smith

Referee:

Linesman: #22 Paul Staniforth

Linesman: #15 Sam Motton

Thanks for reading guys. Any questions or comments please get in contact with the Frozen Steel Team on this article or via Twitter:-
@IAmMcCausland

@TomWalkeden
@AwkwardGinge
@FrozenSteelBlog

Check out the Frozen Steel Forum

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

Let's Go Steelers!

Tom
@TomWalkeden
(Follow me on Twitter for Live Updates on Games)

The Duell Report - Week 2 Review

Change of format from now as part of “The Duell Report”. Instead of covering the Steelers first and then a summary of the other nine Elite League clubs, we are going to change it around.

As of this week, the weekly reports will be based on the Steelers and the Steelers alone; the end of the month one will concentrate on the Elite League itself and the Steelers. I think it’s better for me to compile and hopefully you will carry on reading.

Now for the Steelers analysis, seen through my eyes.

The Walkeden Review: The End Is Near

The end is near guys - don’t worry we’re going to be back in the arena next week!

The Ice is going in over the weekend after the leak and plant has now been repaired!

Weekend Preview - Panthers (a) (CC), Giants (h) (EL)

Cullen Eddy - 16/9/14

Cullen returns with week two of his exclusive diary for Frozen Steel. Big thanks to the big guy.

16-Sept 2014

So after a full week of the regular season we have 3 games under our belts and have showcased a number of different characteristics a team needs to win.

The View From Block 105...ish - Fife 14/9/14

Finally, we’re here, the season. I am pleased to bring you the first of many article of The View from Block 105. In this case though, it is the view from Block 10 in Ice Sheffield.

Unfortunately we had to spend our Sunday evening in our “en suite” to quote the voice of the white house. Let’s ignore where we were though, let’s look at the game!

Match Report: 14.9.14 - Steelers v Flyers EIHL

Sunday 14^th September 2014 – Sheffield Steelers (1-0-0) v Fife Flyers (0-2-1) @ Ice Sheffield. Face-off: 5pm, Elite League

Sheffield Steelers – 8
Colton Fretter (2)
Mike Forney (2)
Phil Hill
Devin Di Diomete
Jay Latulippe
Gord Baldwin

Fife Flyers – 1
Bobby Chaumont

The game got underway and it started nice and physical with Di Diomete laying a big hit on the Flyers #4, Steelers started fast and on the offensive after a great move resulting in a Fife defencemen stealing the puck of the stick before Wilson tried to test Doyle but saw his shot blocked by Hay. Just over 2 minutes into the game Sheffield broke the deadlock as Colton Fretter scored his first for the club as Fretter showcased a nicely moved toe-draw and played a one-two with Forney to finish top shelf. Steelers didn’t leave it at that and got straight back on the attack with Dowd tipping a Sarich shot into the body of Regan before Forney showed his speed and skill to turn out in front of goal straight onto the blocker of Regan. Sheffield would get the first powerplay of the night as Jamie Milam was called for delay of the game but it would soon be evened up after a terrible call by referee Matt Thompson as he called Dowd for tripping after a fantastic defensive play to disposes Stuart but that wouldn’t put the Steelers down as they broke up the left hand side with Cullen Eddy and eventually the puck came to Dustin Kohn who forced a save out of Regan but the puck was loose for Mike Forney to eventually tap into the empty net on 10:49 to make it 2-0 to the home side. As Milam left the box it put Fife onto the power play and would pull a goal back through it as Kyle Haines fired a wrist shot from the blue for Bobby Chaumont to tip it past Doyle on 11:21. Sheffield soon had a great chance for a third goal as Hay fired a shot from the blue line that was rebounded out in front and it was a Steeler that got to it first to fire one onto the post but then soon after they did score a third goal and it was Colton Fretter on 18:35 with his second of the night with Mathieu Roy picking Fretter up all alone in front of Regan to fire a wrist shot in off the post. Sheffield would have one final chance in the 1^st as Roy tried to tip in for a fourth but couldn’t put it past the body of Regan.

End of the 1st Period: Sheffield Steelers 3–1 Fife Flyers

Shots on Goal: Steelers 15-5 Flyers

Sheffield carried on the 2^nd period where they left off in the 1^st on the front foot when captain Jonathan Phillips tried to tip in from Forney but sees it blocked before a dirty hit by Haines on Latulippe which he received a two minute minor for, Sheffield had a great opportunity for another goal as Latulippe was denied twice Dowd eventually shot over an open goal when he should be hitting the back of that net, Fretter was then having an attempt for his hat-trick but couldn’t get it past the pads of Regan. Then with Fulton and Di Diomete in the box, Cullen Eddy continued to impress after he stole the puck straight of the stick of Fleming to skate into the Flyers zone to fire a wrist shot on goal that was saved by Regan and after a slight touch by Roy, Forney picked up the loose puck and shot it into an open goal on 31:27. Not long after Kevin Regan made the save of the weekend as Colton Fretter who was on a hat-trick skated from the side in front of Regan’s goal on the forehand but saw the shot fantastically gloved down by the Flyers netminder. Di Diomete would finally exit the box and within sexy had put Haines on the ice. Forney had a great chance to score his hat-trick at the back door but saw the puck bounce over his stick then on 36:07 Phil Hill joined in the scoring tipping a Dustin Kohn shot past Regan for 5-1, then a fantastically passing move by the Steelers saw Sarich to Latulippe to Phillips to Fretter but saw his shot go straight into the body of Regan. Sheffield would end the period a man down after Baldwin was penalized for tripping and that saw a Fife player try a slap shot from the blue line that just went wide before a back handed attempt was send through the crease as the clock ticked down.
End of the 2nd Period: Sheffield Steelers 5–1 Fife Flyers

Shots on Goal: Steelers 15–6 Flyers

Third period got underway and Keven Regan had been replaced by Blair Daly in goal and Fife were also on the power play and Jamie Milam tried his luck for the neutral zone but saw his slap shot saved by Doyle followed by Chaumont picking up the puck at the top of the face-off circle seeing his shot blocked by Cullen Eddy but on 43:09 Sheffield scored a 6^th through Devin Di Diomete as he received a pass from Hewitt and fired a nicely placed wrist shot low past the leg of Daly. Daly was then saving of Latulippe as the Steelers forward re-directed straight into the body of the Flyers netminder then at the end of Doyle was making a comfortable save of Fleming then 47:03 and with the Steelers on the powerplay Latulippe scored his first goal for the club after a pass from Dustin Kohn let Latulippe to fire through the five hole of Daly then the moment Steelers have been waiting over 18 months to see and that was Geoff Woolhouse back on the Ice and with the Steelers leading the game 7-1 Gerad Adams through his back up into the mix and Woolhouse was to see the remaining 12:57 of the game and what a standing ovation he received as well and almost immediately made a save that sent a big cheer around Ice Sheffield. On 52:32 the Steelers wrapped up the scoring as Baldwin from the left of the goal somehow sneaked the puck in at the near post a shot I believe Daly will want back again. There was another power play for both teams but both backups stood up tall to what was thrown at them, a game that was massively controlled by the Steelers should have probably reached double figures as Fretter and Forney wasted several chances for their hat-tricks as well as Dowd missing a golden chance that he would usually tuck away without effort. With everyone on their feet in Ice Sheffield the Steelers would pick up their first four point weekend of the season and send the fans home happy.
Shots on Goal: Steelers 17–7 Flyers

FINAL SCORE: Sheffield Steelers 8–1 Fife Flyers

Boxscore (1st-2nd-3rd-OT-[PIM]-{PP}-S)

Sheffield - 3-2-3-0-[10]-{1/8}-47

Fife          - 1-0-0-0-[16]-{1/5}-18

Sheffield Man of the Match: #14 Michael Forney
Fife Man of the Match: #2 Thomas Muir

Steelers Points Round Up:- 23 Points
Gord Baldwin (1+0), Cullen Eddy (0+3), Michael Forney (2+2), Mathieu Roy (0+3), Jason Hewitt (0+1), Jay Latulippe (1+0), Jonathan Phillips (0+1), Dustin Kohn (0+3), Phil Hill (1+0), Colton Fretter (2+0), Robert Dowd (0+2), Devin Di Diomete (1+0)

Fife Points Round Up:- 3 Points
Bobby Chaumont (1+0), Kyle Haines (0+1), Jamie Milam (0+1)

Referee: #6 Matt Thompson

Referee:

Linesman: #22 Paul Staniforth

Linesman: #30 Luke Palmer

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

Check out the Frozen Steel Forum

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

Let's Go Steelers!

Tom
@TomWalkeden
(Follow me on Twitter for Live Updates on Games)

5 Things We Learnt This Weekend - 14/9/14

4 point weekend. 5 things to take away from it.

Collectors Corner - September 2014

Start of a new feature where we peruse the internet to look for rarities, special items and little snippets of the past that may complete your collections.

Each month I'll look at three items, giving as much detail as I can about them, and how much/where you can find them.

Weekend Preview 13+14/9/14

After opening their Challenge Cup campaign with a win at Cardiff, the Steelers turn their attention to the meat and veg, and begin their pursuit of the Elite League.

We start this by swapping hosting privileges with the Fife Flyers.

The Duell Report - Week One Review

The season is now officially underway, and everyone has had at least one game – whether it be a Conference game or a Challenge Cup encounter.

Well that’s unless you are the Nottingham Panthers who were away on Champions Hockey League and being beaten comprehensively (hey, they are flying the flag for the EIHL though) it has to be said. But the good news is that hockey is certainly now back, and what a good feeling it has to be said saying just that.

I’m going to do a paragraph probably on the Steelers and then discuss the teams in their respective conferences. Think that’ll work, well I hope it does, otherwise it’s back to the drawing board and look at somehow in a different light.

Cullen Eddy - 9/9/14

Part of what we hope will be a regular feature, everyone please welcome Mr Cullen Eddy to Frozen Steel.

Sept.-9-2014
At the end of last year I had to make a decision if I wanted to continue to try and pursue my childhood dream of playing in the NHL in North America, or moving to Europe to indulge in a different opportunity that would not only allow me to play hockey, but explore different parts of the world.

Match Report: 7.9.14 - Devils v Steelers CC

Sunday 7^th September 2014 – Cardiff Devils (0-0-0) v Sheffield Steelers (0-0-0) @ BBT. Face-off: 6pm, Challenge Cup

The summer is just about over! The Ice Hockey season is back and the Sheffield Steelers travelled to the Big Blue Tent to take on the Cardiff Devils in a challenge cup match.

March Across The Pond - Season Preview 14/15

2014-2015 EIHL Season Preview

The first few games of the EIHL season are in the bag and I’m going to give you a short and sweet preview of what to expect.

Keep in mind that it’s only been a couple games in so anything could happen and thoughts will obviously change. As of the rosters that are on paper and what I’ve seen, this is where I’m pulling my thoughts from.

5 Things We Learnt This Weekend - 7th September

Well we finally had some competitive hockey this weekend - and I don't just mean in the fact they were league and cup games.

Fantastic efforts all around the league, pretty close games all around, and most importantly for us, the Steelers claimed two points in the Challenge Cup in south Wales. But what do we take away from this weekend?

This Month In Steelers History - September 2014

Visit this thread on the Frozen Steel Forum to catch up on past articles.

Back to reality now after my rant about switching dates, which I felt had to be said. I know a lot of people felt the same.

As I delve into the past for the third time I would like to concentrate on the opening to the season.

The Walkeden Review: Season Preview 2014/2015

Right then who’s missed me? Come on don’t be shy! I’ve missed you guys too!

So the summer is finished, the ice is all frozen and ready to play on (well most of it) and the team is recruited, along with one suspension before the season is underway (but rules are rules and we just have to get on with it).

Hope everyone had a good summer and I hope you’re ready for 6-7 months of brutal Ice Hockey.

So Gerad Adams has recruited the class of 14/15 and I think it’s time to take my look on it, so here it goes:-

The Form Guide - 5th September

Another look at the latest odds from around the league, except they're a bit lacking at present - there are no game odds on any of the bookmakers I can find.

It's the beast that is the Elite League - not even bookies will touch us. Well, apart from one.

Weekend Preview - 7/9/14 (@Devils CC)

Here it is folks, the start of our season, when we finally get to see some arena ho...oh.

Never mind, our season still starts this weekend, as we face a visit to south Wales.

March Across The UK - An Appeal From Ashley

You all know Ashley March by now. She's that Canadian lady who tweets about hockey worldwide, with a particular affection for our own Elite League.

Well, you may not be aware that she's intending on coming over to visit every rink, and wants to write a book about the experience, while recovering from liver surgery.

Over to Ashley to tell you more.

The Duell Report - Season Preview Part 2

We covered the Gardiner Conference in the first part of the preview, now we turn our attentions to the Erhardt Conference.

This is the conference in which five heavyweights do battle over 32 regular season games and looking at the rosters each have assembled this season; it promises to be as competitive as ever. Each of the five have definitely upped their respective game, and stand as good as a chance as their rival.

Enough of the introduction, time to look at the teams:

The Duell Report - Season Preview Part 1

Well then, the new season is almost here, are we getting excitable yet? Exhibition games (or to a football fan it would be called a pre-season friendly) are being played and most teams are just waiting for the puck to drop on 6th September.

That is unless you are fans of the Sheffield Steelers (like my good self) or the Dundee Stars since a technical malfunction has stopped that going ahead…for now – it will be rescheduled obviously! Anyway I thought I’d now do my new season preview as most sides have got their rosters sorted out.

I’m going to do it by conference, and in two parts. At the end of the second part, I will make my prediction on who will be celebrating silverware. Be warned; my record of predicting things is pretty damn rubbish so don’t come running at me when you look at the final roll of honour and say: yep, Mark you got that wrong!

Let’s start with the Gardiner Conference: