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.
Just the one game for Steelers on opening weekend just gone. As you aware the “leak” put paid to the home opener and banner raising (and still isn’t fixed for this weekend sadly) so we just had the small matter of a tough Challenge Cup tie in the BBT to deal with. Steelers iced former Devil Devin Didomete (or Didiot to some) as part of his short-term deal and had Colton Fretter in the line-up for the first time. By all accounts, Frank Doyle was in solid form, continuing where he left off in the Final, with a series of good saves.
The team showed resilience, and I think that this is a trait in a Gerad Adams team which we will see a lot of this season, to bounce back from an early second period Devils goal to lead 2-1 courtesy of Team Beard (namely Mathieu Roy and stand-in skipper Jason Hewitt). Things got a bit heated naturally, and wasn’t nice to see Mark Thomas (the 10 year Steeler) standing up for the team when Mychan tried to stir it. Cardiff scored a shorthanded effort (I don’t reckon G will be happy about that) but Roy tapped in the game winner after a Cullen Eddy slapper trickled its way through Ben Bowns. Pascal had a nice tussle with Trevor Hendrix (unfortunately slipping as he prepared to throw a punch) but generally the team did the job as a whole. Two welcome road points in the Challenge Cup.
Now to summarise the rest of the league.
It wasn’t a bad three games in three days for the current champions Belfast, couple of wins and just a loss on penalties to take back home. Steve Thornton will be very happy with that indeed. Cardiff started with a home double header; a win thanks to Alanis (sorry Jake) Morissette’s overtime penalty shots was enough to see off a dogged Hull before Steelers came and snatched two Challenge Cup points on the Sunday in the Big Blue Tent. The Blaze started off with a home and home against Fife, and took maximum points from them but the scorelines show it wasn’t as easy as some might have thought.
Of the Gardiner Conference teams; Braehead had the best start of them all. First of all, edging out Belfast on penalties in front of another amazing 3000 plus crowd - Derek Roehl becoming an instant favourite with his nicely taken winner. Then it was a trip to Hull, and the “Purple Steelers” came out on top in a 14-goal festival of entertainment (8-6). Dundee were missing two imports (one being the one that isn’t coming now) and Blackhawks bound Paul Swindlehurst, and it was the Giants who had the more depth to see them home. However, Brad Plumton marked his arrival in the City of Discovery with a goal and a fight with Adam Keefe so not too bad.
Elsewhere, Hull battled hard in Cardiff and gained a point after losing to the afore mentioned overtime winner there before the goal fest with their Conference rivals on the Sunday. Edinburgh had just the one game and with 6’8 giant Riley Emmerson making his début and an immediate impact (just ask Davey Phillips); they made it difficult for Belfast at time although two Kevin Saurette goals saw the Northern Irish team home.
Fife had two games against Coventry, and a single goal from former Star Rory Rawlyk saw the Blaze win in Kirkcaldy and it took an empty netter from the evergreen Russ Cowley to ensure that the Flyers went the long way back up the road without a single point. But I am sure Todd will draw a lot of positives from the games.
So that’s how week one ended to be honest, and already Dundee are being forced into a change: Jade Galbraith (yes, the one whom I picked out as the one to watch up there) has encountered visa problems and won’t be joining them. Player-Coach Jeff Hutchins is already scouring for replacements.
I’ll be back next week with more analysis.
Yours in hockey,
Mark
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