The Elite Report - November reviewed

It's that time of the month again when we present those quirky and totally unofficial EIHL monthly gongs. Who's gonna scoop the awards that everybody wants to win? Time to strike up the band, get your gladrags on and see who is being recognised this month. Remember not too take them too serious please.

Team of the Month: A few teams have played well this month, but I'm handing this month's Team of the Month gong out to the Caerdydd Gythreuliaid (Cardiff Devils to our non Welsh speaking readers). Why Cardiff? I'm basing the decision on their superb home form, which stands at 13 wins consecutive going into the Panthers game on Saturday. You need to be something extra special to win in the BBT: it's certainly been a fortress. One can only wonder will this continue when mid January comes and they move to their new home.

Flops of the Month: As much as this pains me, I'm giving this out to the Steelers which makes them the first team to win both the Team and Flops of the Month awards this season. Save for the odd result here and there, my own team have been pretty abject this month (courting controversy here) and the wheels have come off far too often. They are in a position they should not be in, and need a hot streak of form to get back in that race for the Monteith Bowl.

Coach of the Month: Again I'm going to be controversial once more and send this award down the M1 to the one and only Corey Neilson. Whilst the guy has a massive ego, believing he is the best hockey coach to walk this earth, there is no doubt he has changed the fortunes around of our nearest and dearest. He's been good for them after so many had failed before him. Well done Corey!

Player of the Month: Finding a replacement for Craig Kowalski in the summer must have been the hardest task that Neilson faced, after K-Wall is probably the best Panthers netminder of the modern day and that's a massive compliment. But he picks up this kid Miika Wiikman, and what a signing he has proved to be. His stats are amazing and he's such a tough nut to crack. If Panthers do win their second title in four seasons, Wiikman will be one of the reasons why. He's that bloody good.

Douchebag(s) of the Month: I know it must be a hard task to work in an airport dealing with hundreds and thousands of passengers and their baggage. But I'm going to give this to SAS (even though they looked after me well during my trip to Estonia) and Heathrow Airport Terminal 2 ground crew. Collectively these people managed to misplace Tom Darnell's stuff on his way back from Denmark, and caused our Tom to miss officiating Steelers and Panthers at the Arena. Hope they sorted it out for you mate, and gave you some decent compensation for this.

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Big Match Preview - Nottingham (Away)

So after taking on the Coventry Blaze on Friday night at the House Of Steel, Steelers have the day off on the Saturday. Then it's back to business again on Sunday afternoon as we make the trip down the M1 to face the Panthers again. This game was supposed to be played on the Saturday but the Lace City venue kindly decided to switch this to accommodate a Mumford and Sons concert. Can we come home with two much needed road points?

Nottingham aren't that bad on home ice are they?

As much it hurts me to say it, then this is a place where getting something out of the Panthers is very hard indeed. Panthers very rarely have off nights in the NIC and that's how much we are against it. It's testament to how well Neilson and Strachan coach the team, and we know we really need to play for 60 minutes (maybe more) to come away with the spoils.

You can't really afford to single out any one player in the Panthers ranks to be honest. Shut down David Clarke, then there's Matt Myers. Close down Evan Mosey, you've got David Ling. They have quality in that roster and we need to go there with no fear and literally take the ice away from them and play like we did for the first 35 minutes last time we were there. Switch off and you will get punished. 

By doing the above, you get the home crowd restless and there's nothing worse for a Panthers player to have the crowd on your back. In fact, that could apply everywhere to be honest. Catch them on a off night and dominate the play, that's the recipe for winning.

Have we got it in us to win?

Of course we have, our roster does stack up as good as Nottingham's and it will be interesting to see how Guilluame Desbiens and Marek Pinc deal with their first ever visit to the Lace City. I hope that Desbiens hits everything that moves in a Panthers jersey and Pinc isn't left out to dry by our defence which is still very porous when on the road. 

Win every battle on the boards, in the face off dot and defend as if your career depends on it - that would be the message I would be drumming into the players if I was Paul Thompson but then again I'm not. Players like Mosienko, Roy and Fretter will carry the main offensive punch and will be backed up by the line of Nelson - Legue - Dowd which has energy and is as decent as any second line in the Elite League.

What we can't afford to do is to go into our shells collectively and let the Panthers dictate proceedings. Do that, and we could be facing a beating that might be worse than our last visit there. It's time to put the record straight and get a much needed win there which would make everyone's confidence levels go up. 

Prediction then?

Can we win? Yes. Will we win? Probably not. That's the task that faces us on Sunday. We will need a strong stripey to deal with the little niggles and that includes keeping a beady eye on Mr Ling who is prone to his little cheap shots from time to time (remember the slash on the back of Freddie Vestberg's legs at the Arena which went unpunished). This means someone like Darnsy or Hicksy even.

Hopefully Panthers will be too exhausted after what might be a bruising encounter in the BBT 24 hours before, but that's just me being pessimistic. Panthers to continue their winning ways I hate to say, I'm going for a 5-2 home win.

  

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:-

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Hockey Soapbox - Edition 2

Here’s our second week’s Frozen Steel blog take on the ‘EIHL Question Time’ format, where we take the views of a number of fans on four or five hot topic items. Hopefully this will become a regular thing and we’ll rotate the fans so it doesn’t get stale. 

If you’d like to get involved, it’s pretty simple you only have to be able to string two sentences together, then please contact Mark @frozensteelblog or Tony @DISGU15ED, or find us at the game. Also get in touch if you have ideas for questions, or feedback on what you're about to read.

Contributors this week are: Mark Duell, Robert Newbolt, Eric Green and Bethan.

So, to this week’s first question – what was this week’s main talking point in the EIHL?

Mark - Thommo's reaction after the loss in the BBT. There was a man whose patience had snapped, he was angry and had every right to be. He had realised what we were seeing was what he was seeing. I am sure he read the riot act in that locker room after that interview post game with Simmsey.

Robert - Think this depends on where in the UK you live. Not sure there was a main one. Almost everyone had split weekend. Only Belfast did the double in challenge cup and in doing so go top. However, if you live in Sheffield you are scratching your head wondering what’s wrong but if you live in Coventry you are probably contemplating suicide.

Eric - The EIHL Video Technology Statement. “Tested on Saturday night during the Cardiff Devils v Sheffield Steelers game at the BBT”. The biggest surprise to me was that we have already tested it at the Sheffield Arena, the incident was replayed on the Tron centre ice, and guess what? Yep you guessed it, the Referee “Still took no notice”  Next…….

Bethan - Oh probably still that the Steelers are 'in charge' of DOPS or something like that which is starting to get pretty old imho. I get that the lack of transparency is annoying, but the constant grumbles that clearly the Steelers are cheating are starting to annoy me!

A mixed bag a replies there, so looking from a wider perspective what has been the biggest surprise this season? 

Bethan - I know I mentioned them last week but for me it's gotta be Edinburgh - they've really impressed me this season with how they've been getting on, and I really like how they're constantly trying to improve rather than settling for last place and blaming their budget etc. 

Robert - The Edinburgh Capitals. We are now well into November and their relentless pace, not just in their conference, has continued. They have beaten everyone in their conference, stand 3rd overall, and only Belfast of the opposite conference seem to have their measure. Murrayfield is almost as feared as the Big Blue Tent for most opposing sides.

Mark - Dundee's win over Cardiff for me. I fully expected the red juggernaut to win in Tayside but the Stars proved me wrong. Certainly the Gardiner Conference sides are being very difficult to beat this season. Just look at the Edinburgh Capitals if you need any further clarification.

Eric - That Premier Sports and the EIHL are coming together. Sources tell me, Aaron Murphy, Premier sports front man will host a new TV programme and that two of the original programme’s presenters will be axed. Namely Jane Torvill and Christopher Dean. And the name of this new programme “DANCING ON ICE……….. Erm I think that’s right?!?!   (editor : think you mean "EIHL ON ICE” Eric!)

Turning to look at recent news from the Steelers camp, first question of two : Was Mike Duco the problem? 

Bethan - I don't think we can pin our problems on a specific player. I wasn't ever that impressed with him, and after it was pointed out to me that he was one of our top 5 earners I'm really not surprised he's been released, but I don't think he was ever the cause of any problems.

Robert - No he wasn’t the problem he was a scapegoat. PT was, in my opinion forced to act. He had to show he was doing something and Duco was an easy third line option.

Mark - No, the problem was and still is the defence or the lack at times. I liked Duco's work ethic but it seems that Steelers and Duco weren't the fit that each other wanted. Someone was unfortunately going to get axed, Mike was that one. But unless things improve, he might not be the only one.

Eric - No!!!! the blame falls fairly and squarely at the door of a player called “Mind Set”. Now for the life of me, I’ve looked several times on the official Steelers site and I cannot find this “SET” guy, “What’s his stat’s like? Is he an offensive or defensive player? 

..and the follow up, is Guillaume Desbiens the answer? 

Eric - I don’t know!!!!! If I were coach I would gas the SET guy. As for Desbiens, beats me - Ask him if he’s seen this SET guy first!

Mark - We will soon know. He comes with a record of almost 1000 PIMs in 451 AHL games which says he is not afraid of dropping the mitts but then again we thought Danny Bois was the power forward we had been craving since Colt King was here. I just hope he does not turn into a goon and proves to be a team player who entertains me.

Robert - I think he became available after PT stated Duco is a ‘team player’. It cannot hurt to bring someone new in. Same sort of player, probably tougher, main concern is that he’s only played 25% of the allotted games in the EBEL (6 in all) due to a head injury. Don’t think we should expect a lot of offense from him. It may fire the team up but I doubt it, I wonder if PT has lost the faith of the dressing room. Hope not!

Bethan - Just as I don't think we can pin all our problems on one player, we also can't pin all our hopes on one. I just hope he can do something to lift the mood and the confidence of the team, and maybe a new face is what the team needs to build up to bigger changes. 

To finish, let’s look at brighter things and finish with a history Question. Nice and easy, who’s your all-time favourite Steeler - you're only allowed one!

Robert - Ken Priestlay. As a long-time supporter no-one has come close to him for his unerring accuracy in front of goal. Nowadays a one on one favours the netminder, but not with the messiah. I could go on and on but I’m mindful of only two sentences.

Mark - I can have only one? I'll go for the less predictable answer then i.e. not Ken Priestlay! I'm going for Joey Talbot, sniper supreme of the modern era. Wish we still had him.

Bethan - Erm well I can only really speak for fairly modern teams, and Ash Tait was my favourite for a long time, but currently I'm thinking he might have been replaced by our Mosi - he's just great to watch with the amount of effort he always seems to put in. He can also turn back and forth so quickly, which is always funny when the opposing player shoots off in the wrong direction!

Eric - In their history the Steelers have had a number of greats inducted into the British Ice Hockey’s hall of fame. (EIGHT, I believe) But for me the number one must be Rocket Ron. He is a hero, supporter, coach and long time campaigner for the Steelers organisation and infrastructure. And guess what? His lad “Cole” is now coming along. If Cole keeps improving, then we, the humble supporters may one day see the second generation of the Shudra family dress for the Steelers.

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. 

Brief Bios of those panellists you’ve just been listening to :

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

Robert is chief architect of steelers-stats.co.uk, 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.

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

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

Bethan represents the younger end of the fan base, after being dragged along to her first Steelers game in 2007 and has loved the team ever since. Follow her on Twitter at @bethan_4


Many thanks to Richard Renshaw for the graphic again.

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

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Big Match Preview - Coventry (Home)

It's Friday night hockey at the House Of Steel this weekend as the Steelers take on Erhardt Conference rivals Coventry Blaze. Steelers will be keen to get back on the winning trail after a pointless weekend, and Blaze: well, they just need to get their season started. Can we heap more misery on them?

So what of the Blaze?

When Chuck Weber won the Play-Offs for Coventry last season, few could have bet against this being the resurgence of the four times Elite League Champions. Sure the roster which won in Nottingham against us was much changed from the one that started the season but Blaze find themselves at the foot of the Elite League table with 11 points from 13 games played. Granted all those above them have played more games but it's still a very uncomfortable position that Weber's men find themselves in.

Blaze have struggled it as to be said, to develop any kind of consistency and have suffered both at home in the Sky Dome and on the road. This inconsistency has cost them a place in the knockout stages of the Challenge Cup and it seems already that the play-offs might be their best chance of winning something this season and we still are in November. That's how bad this reads for their fans.

Despite having the league's best goalie from last season Brian Stewart back on year one of a two year deal, Blaze have shipped goals left, right and centre and also not scored many at the other end of the ice. Their tally of 36 goals is easily the worst in the Elite League and in a hope to change their fortunes: Weber has this week released Serbian winger Ned Lukacevic who joined the team in the summer from Fife.

Things are not that pleasant reading are they?

Things ain't that sparkling here though

Steelers came out of the CHL playing wonderful hockey that had people lapping it up but over the last month or two, have really drifted away a bit and find themselves in a tie for fifth place in the current standings: seven points off the current pacesetters which are Nottingham (whom they visit on Sunday) and Cardiff. With the roster they have available, this should not be happening and Paul Thompson really lost his cool last Saturday after a 6-2 reverse in Cardiff: calling his side "homers."

The loss of starting netminder Tyler Plante has hit the team hard with the defence now protecting veteran Czech Marek Pinc who has had a rough introduction to EIHL hockey. Former NHLer Mike Duco has been released, and Friday night should see the debut of 451 game AHL winger Guillaume Desbiens (pronounced Guee-ohm Dee-be-hen). Thompson is certainly shuffling his pack, just like his opposite number Weber, to find that winning formula which he hopes will catapult the Steelers back into the title race before it gets really out of hand.

A further injury blow has also arisen with skipper Jonathan Phillips ruled out for 6 weeks with a hernia and muscle injuries. This should open the door for Luke Ferrara who has not disappointed anyone when asked to ice. In addition Steelers will welcome back defenceman Zack Fitzgerald after his two match ban and Levi Nelson is hoping to return after missing the last two games through injury. Nelson has been in excellent form recently, scoring six times in his last six games so will be really chomping at the bit to continue that hot streak of form.

With Colton Fretter improving game by game, Steelers will have a full complement to choose from when it comes to imports.

How will it go?

Coventry do have in them to spring a surprise, especially if Stewart has one of those nights in between the pipes and frustrates the Steelers time and time again. However, I am reckoning that despite this: Steelers should have enough quality to win this one. Score prediction? Steelers to come out on top 4-1.

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

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Five Things - Week Ending 22 November

Thank you to Tony for his contribution to FSB, All Credit for this piece goes to him so any queries you can contact Tony on Twitter @DISGU15ED

After only 2 points from 6 this week I learned more bad things than good in this week: 

1>     Escalating aggression against the Devils – We all love having a team to hate, and it’s not long since the Voth inspired Devils held that crown for me. A hard-nosed, hard-checking Devils game was, and is, something to look forward to. This week’s home game at Ice Sheffield started hard and continued that way, however the unpenalised cross-check from Batch that put Levi into the crossbar after scoring his goal seemed to me to be the first step towards the uncensored escalation that followed...

2>     … and on that subject – Are the stripes worse this year, and if that hit had been given would the charging / roughing / concussion have been avoided? Tough to say, but the zebras do seem to be getting more stick this year than most. Makes me pine after the good ol' Mike Hicks days!

3>     Goodbye to the BBT – Rarely a happy hunting ground for away teams, so we can be glad we’ve no need to go there again. Here’s hoping the new barn will have less advantage to the Homeys – which will save Thommo from blowing so many gaskets on the coach back to Sheffield! 

4>     Clan fans are noisy – Having a double header weekend in Lancs / Yorks certainly attracted many Clan fans to travel down, and they were both welcome and noisy throughout the game on Sunday. I wish you newbies well for the next 20 years – but only then when your fan-base average age is closer to ours, can you truly taunt us for not singing as loudly. I sang a lot more when I was 27 too.

5>     Duco out / Desbiens in – The hockey family boots out a gritty 5’10” family member with 267 AHL and 18 NHL games, chasing an upgrade for another with more size, 451 AHL and 23 NHL games, and some ‘A’s on his shirts. Certainly seems a Top Trumps upgrade, but time will tell, and as always we wish the departed well.

Final thought is to remind ourselves that we’ve never had it so good. Although the departure of Hull is still fresh in the memory - the league seems better funded than ever, with more parity across the teams, and investments being made in rinks and the officials. We have got used to 100% weeks in previous years, and get upset when we can’t do the same now, but I’d swap that for overall league competitiveness – provided someone stops the Panthers from Slamming! 

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

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Big Match Preview - Braehead (Home)

So after the long trip down to the Big Blue Tent, it's back on home "ice" on Sunday and what a potential barn burner this promises to be. Visiting Sheffield are none other than the Braehead Clan, and one can wonder if we are going to get another goal fest like we did in Renfrew last Saturday or a much more closer encounter? The game is being played at Ice Sheffield due to Disney On Ice taking over the Arena but can Steelers make it two home wins on the spin?

Braehead, a tricky opponent right?

Definitely a very tricky opponent in all aspects of the game. They have not had the best starts to the season, and currently lie at the foot of their Conference which they were expected to run away and dominate. That won't please Finner one iota and neither will a position of seventh in the EIHL standings at the moment. Finner demands better and will have made this crystal clear after a bad weekend just gone when the penalty shot point was all that the Clan gained.

Chris Holt is a goalie with real pedigree but on Saturday night, looked like the proverbial rabbit in headlights. And that was from the first shot fired on him by Steelers, he did not look at all comfortable all evening. It was like he didn't want to be there and would have preferred to have stayed at home to watch that tosh known as The X-Factor with a munchy box and crate of Tennents at the side. Easy saves were made hard and he missed the sight of too many pucks. As for his effort in the shootout, that was just pitiful.

What Braehead do have is offence, and plenty of it. Brendan Brooks really impressed me on Saturday night, that guy has got some serious jets for someone who is 36 years of age, and he knows how to light the lamp too. But there's also former Steeler Stefan Meyer, Scott Pitt and are led by example by Matt Keith. That's just four names, need I go on? They will be equally as tough as anyone we will face this season.

But can we make it two home wins in a row?

Of course we can, that goes without question. But once again we have to play with one import down after DOPS ruled a two game suspension on Fitzy for that contact with Mr Lord. I personally thought it was harsh but then again I'm not the one making the call and I'm certainly not DOPS either. Hopefully those who thought we rule DOPS might want to revise their thoughts now after the Fitzgerald decision. But that's a subject that will never ever go away.

Tyler Mosienko will be back in the line up and with Mike Duco released today, it probably means another shake up the lines for PT. However it does pinpoint that Chris Lawrence will be staying until the end of the season although nothing has yet been officially confirmed as such. Marek Pinc was brilliant Wednesday, and if he can reproduce that kind of stellar performance against Clan (and of course the night before in Cardiff) then even with five defencemen in front of him then we will always stand a chance to win.

But isn't it good to have Colton Fretter back in action? The guy is absolute quality, and just like the afore mentioned Mosienko, he makes things happen around him. We are so honoured to have them. I am sure Mathieu Roy will appreciate having him back too, those two click as if they were twins. Another solid performance is needed.

Prediction Time then?

I seriously don't think we are going to get another goalfest like we did in Braehead, that was just an absolute one off. It's going to be close and Steelers will have to produce another backs to the wall performance to get something out of this particularly with icing just five defencemen. But we didn't think they would get anything on Wednesday night and they delivered two precious points. Can they do this again? Yes is the answer.

Even without Fitzy, we can make this two home wins on the spin. I'm going for Steelers to win this one 4-2. How's about that?

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:-

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Hockey Soapbox - Edition 1

Here’s this week’s Frozen Steel blog take on the ‘EIHL Question Time’ format, where we take the views of a number of fans on four or five hot topic items. Hopefully this will become a regular thing and we’ll rotate the fans so it doesn’t get stale.

If you’d like to get involved, it’s pretty simple you only have to be able to string two sentences together, then please contact Mark @frozensteelblog or Tony @DISGU15ED, or find us at the game. Also get in touch if you have ideas for questions, or feedback on what you're about to read.

Contributors this week are : Mark Duell, Robert Newbolt, Tony and Bethan.

So to the first question : What was the biggest talking point from the weekend?

• Bethan - Did Mosi spit on the Panther? Personally I can't see any way he would, obviously I don't know the guy personally, but from what comes across I can see how he'd lose his temper and hit someone, but not be that unsportsmanlike. From what I've seen it just looks like the Panthers player pulls Mosi towards him by the front of his shirt, hence the head jerk.
• Mark - Probably the way both Thommo and Ryan Finnerty publicly had a go at their respective starting netminders after Saturday's goalfest in Braehead. I'm not the biggest fan of laundering your dirty washing in public; because this is what it feels like, perhaps have a word with the respective players in private. Comments like this seriously could damage a player's confidence and in the case of netminders; they're more sensitive than others.
• Tony - With the Goalie crisis against Braehead, fighting majors against Nottingham, Mosi's spearing, and Tony's negotiations at the board meeting, there's lots to choose from. My favourite however was the news that Premier sports will start to show a highlights package, and the road to the NHL Winter Classic - hopefully top TV moments to look forward to.
• Robert - Off the field everyone seems upset about a little spur of the moment swearing as players left the ice in Braehead. But what do you expect when they’re excited like that and Dave Simms should be applauded for getting the footage in the first place. After all, no-one made people click onto the video. On the ice you could be forgiven for thinking we’d gone back to the nineties on Saturday in Braehead as Steelers came out on top after a seventeen goal thriller.

Very good, secondly who was your EIHL player of the week?

• Tony - Miika Wiikman every day, and twice last Sunday. A shutout, and only conceding once away at the Steelers, left him adding more awesome figures to his league leading averages. Mike Radja also had an awesome 4+1 week for the Giants – seems he's coming good.
• Mark - Easy choice here for me, Miika Wiikman of Nottingham. One goal conceded in 120 minutes play, fantastic. Definitely on course for being in the running for MVP if he keeps this season's stats up all campaign. Inspired replacement for K-Wall.
• Robert - The standout for the weekend has to be Mika Wilkman, the Notts. Netminder. He recorded his first shutout on Saturday and only gave up one goal to the Steelers on Sunday after being battered by eleven shots in a hectic third period. But keep an eye on the Czech left winger Tomas Kurka of Cardiff. His three goals at the weekend helped keep Cardiff flying and he is emerging into a strong game player, he’s not top of their standings but we’ll leave that to Joey Martin.
• However we must mention Ryan Hayes of Edinburgh as he scored two to become the first Elite player to twenty goals.
• Bethan - Can't say I've kept in touch with the rest of the league that much this week, and I would have had a cheeky catch up on the EIHL website if it didn't run slower than a herd of turtles through peanut butter, but from what I've seen Miika Wiikman really impressed me this weekend. Seemed comfortably equal to any shots that got through to him, even whilst hurt at the end of the match.

Lots of agreement there then, thirdly given the parity ‘up north’ who will win the Gardiner conference this year?

• Tony - This is much closer than I expected, and the Clan are bottom of their conference, whilst Dundee are top after only losing one regulation time conference game. Clan will have to have great home form to catch-up, but have to agree with Mark that I think their depth will help them do just that. Clan to win it again, but only just.
• Mark - I still think Braehead. Yes they have had a stuttering start and Caps have really shone but once Clan get a run going I think they will be unstoppable like. Caps will run them close but I still think Clan will capture their conference.
• Bethan - I'm going to cheer on the Caps! They seem to have come on a long way from years gone by, from consistent wooden spoon prize winners to being tied for 4th and taking points off the 'big teams'. Would be good for them to see some success, might bring in a few more people to warm up the place!
• Robert - This is a difficult one. At the moment I wouldn’t argue against Edinburgh, but I have to think they will gradually tire and Braehead will eventually put a run together. But I can see Fife running them close.

Will be interesting to see how that develops, but back to Steelers business. Who has been our stand-out player so far this year?

• Robert - I think at the moment Levi Nelson, closely followed by Tyler Mosienko. Roy battles at the front of the net but can only do so much. Look out for Rob Dowd he is just hitting that form we expected. Plante was great until his sudden dip probably through injury. On D well…..Sarich stands out but I’d like to see Hay have some ice time to steady the ship.
• Bethan- Mosi. No doubt about it! One of our best from last season, current top points scorer and one of the very few you can count on to chase every last puck even if the game's going south. No secret about it, he has an incredible work ethic and is just brilliant to watch.
• Tony - Just like last year, I'd still choose Roy or Mosienko - players every team would want. Also I’m Here's hoping that a fully fit Dowd can turn it on again, as we’ve seen flashes of it again recently.
• Mark - Got to be Levi Nelson for me too. For a player who had a horrendous season last year due to injury, there were question marks over whether he would be good enough to last season. He's proven himself to me. The guy can score, assist and hit like a train. I love his intensity. Definitely the best of the new recruits, although Plante runs him a close second.

Lastly, from what we’ve seen in the last twelve games does Chris Lawrence deserve to stay until the end of the season?

• Mark - He's not blessed with pace, we all know that, but once he gets them sights set properly then he can find you the net. He's done that a few times but he's not got the 60 minutes game in him all night - he will drift out of games when he isn't bothered so once we have a full complement of import forwards fit: he has to be gassed. But then again, my name isn't Paul Thompson and I'm not the one who makes the decisions.
• Tony - Depends entirely on budget, but eight goals from twelve games is nothing to be sniffed at, especially as he's still a relatively young man. However, I guess he's a big earner, and as such we might be better reinvesting that in a netminder or stay at home D-man instead.
• Bethan - Yes. I'll admit I was rather unimpressed when we announced we'd signed him as cover, I seem to remember not thinking much of him at Nottingham, but I have no qualms about admitting I was wrong! He's played brilliantly for us, not only putting up points but bringing some valuable size without being a goon. (Looking at you Fitzy...)
• Robert - This is not as difficult a problem as may seem at the outset for Paul Thompson. No I would not keep him, he is not a team player and does not help out on defence, and moreover his languid style does not suit a fast paced side. He can only use his right, Steelers are geared to left, and most importantly he is a spare import. I know he has scored all those goals but none were really spectacular and since his contract was renewed, giving a bit more stability to him, he has scored only once. Everyone else aids the team he was just stocking filler, a temporary fix until Fretter is back.

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.

Brief Bios of those panellists you’ve just been listening to :

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

Robert is chief architect of steelers-stats.co.uk, the go-to guy for Steelers history from days gone by, and the man behind one of the big White House spotlights! @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

Bethan represents the younger end of the fan base, after being dragged along to her first Steelers game in 2007 and has loved the team ever since. Follow her on Twitter at @bethan_4

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:-

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@TomWalkeden

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@hockeybhoy

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

Big Match Preview - Cardiff (Home and Away)

Tonight (Wednesday) and Saturday we face off against the same opponents, so I have decided to do a preview for both games inside one post. That opponent is the Cardiff Devils who are riding high in second position, prior to the puck drop tonight, in the Elite League. They trail the Panthers on regulation losses (Panthers have one, Devils two) but are certainly proving that last season was no flash in the pan whatsoever.

So how tough will these games be?

Very tough indeed. Cardiff have the full arsenal needed to win a hockey game, and players are certainly buying to Andrew Lord's systems. When he was first appointed I thought it would be a struggle for him to combine playing and coaching but this guy has certainly got off to a good start for sure. He recruited a good roster last season but this season's one has certainly proven to be even better.

You look at it and it's incredibly good. From the offence provided by players such Jake Morrisette and Joey Martin to solid defending provided on the blue line by one time Sheffield target Tyson Marsh and Trevor Hendrix. Then if somehow you get past them, you have GB internationalist Ben Bowns in between the pipes and he's not easy to beat as we have found out many many times before.

Devils will be missing Brent Walton for another six weeks or so with injury but can rely upon Chris Culligan to fill in his absence. Culligan impressed me last season with his versatility, being able to fill in on defence or play forward, and certainly has a very good hockey brain too. 

Then there's the sniping goal poacher that is Gui Doucet and the hard hitting Leigh Salters. See what I mean about them having the full package? That's how tough it is going to be.

What of our own?

Well we need to start to winning games, and in regulation if we are start to haul back the early pacesetters. Seven points off the pace at present, and having played the same number of games as them tells it's own story. But we too can blow teams offensively if we really click, remember that game back in the Arena in September when we tore into this same Devils side from the get go? We were 4-0 up after 20 and went on to win 8-1; that is what we are capable of.

However the defensive side has kinda slipped, if you pardon the pun, recently and we have been conceding quite a few goals. This is where Cardiff will think they have a chance to win with their offence. Re-tighten this up back to the way it was at the start of the season then we will see the re-surge up the table. It's that simple.

We will on Wednesday be missing Tyler Mosienko for the match penalty he picked up against the Panthers, and at the time of writing this - we still await DOPS to come back and advise if there are going to be further games missed. My feeling is that there will be, and I would not be shocked if it was increased by an extra 3 or 4 as I said on this week's podcast. I don't expect Fitzy to be banned by DOPS following Panthers review on a play on David Ling, if he is then we will be really up against it. We will be playing imports down as you can't replace a suspended one with a new one.

It means a little reshuffle of the lines forwards wise, and I reckon it will be Vestberg on the top line again with Hewy coming in to centre the third line of Jono and Duco. The game on Wednesday might come a bit too soon for Colton Fretter although I would not be surprised if he features this weekend in either or both games. Whom Paul Thompson sacrifices for his inclusion is down to PT. You're the coach who makes these ballsy decisions Paul, and I would have done the same over the netminder issue on Sunday: that was a good call indeed. 

Predictions?

I am personally not expecting much from these games against the Devils. They are a team with confidence running high whilst ours is very much topsy-turvy. If we can get a point out of the game tonight then that will be something as I don't expect our abysmal record in the BBT to change whatsoever. I think we will sadly slip to two defeats, both in regulation too. I reckon it might be something like 3-1 tonight and we will go down by at least 3 down at the BBT.

But then again, there's been a few shocks this season already as both sides have been beaten by those Edinburgh Capitals. Wouldn't it be nice, when the chips seem to be down, for us to rip the league form book up and cause one of our own? That would really give the team the belief that they are not to be discounted by others. I hope we can, as ever.

So that concludes my preview, appreciated the time you will have to read this.

 

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This is not a rant but it might be

Look this is not a rant, well actually it is. So sit down with a cup of your choice, whether it be tea or coffee or something else. You might need something a bit more stronger after you've finished reading this piece. If you think I'm flying off the proverbial handle too much then sorry, but as a punter who is there for every home game unless (like this Wednesday) I'm working: I'm allow to say what is off my chest.

Well one thing is becoming more and more apparent, we are in danger in being left behind in the title race and it's only mid-November. Both Nottingham and Cardiff have played around the same number of games as us and at the moment, lie seven points in front of us. That's a fair old gap, and we are even behind the surprise packet known as the Edinburgh Capitals in the league standings. Even the small matter of just eight points separates us from bottom of the table Coventry; and the Blaze have two matches in hand as well. This is alarming reading for us.

Whilst we have the offence to score goals aplenty, it's the defence that is causing the concern and is why our netminding stats are horrible. We cannot simply defend, we have conceded 59 times already and that folks is the 3rd worst in the league behind the Caps and the Storm. Does that have you worried? As a seasoned Steelers fan, it certainly does me. We will be lucky if we finish 5th at this rate unless we start to take our defensive frailties on board and stop the bleeding. It's unravelling everything. Defences win titles, and that's something that the Panthers have sorted. We need to match and exceed that.

I'm not one for pointing the finger, but is Ben (O'Connor) that bit more offensive than this league can handle. I've seen him get caught in possession too many times and out of position when we turn the damn puck over and we are facing an odd man rush and have to rely on either the opposition fluffing it up or the netminder (whoever it is) bailing us out of the crap. I know you like to get forward Ben but for my sanity, and everybody else's too, please remember to not fully neglect your defensive duties. 

So has anyone impressed me this season? Well yes and he's one of the new boys. Skate forward with a deserved round of applause, Levi Nelson. The more I see him, the more I like him. He had an injury wrecked season in the ECHL last season but he's already proving a more than useful addition to the roster. He can do everything from score to assist to finishing his checks off with intensity and fairness. Fitzy's doing what Fitzy does best, the stay at home defenceman who looks after his team-mates. The kids love him, and he's such a character on and off ice.

Say what you want but I am still placing my trust in Thommo. Yes the wheels have come off a few times recently, arguably more times than we all would like, but he's been around this game and the EIHL as a whole for a long time. He's seeing a bump in the road and is trying to repair it as best as he can but we can just hope that this does not become a chasm. Like any team sport, this is a results based business and you have to be constantly be on the top of your game to compete. I've seen this all too many times before in hockey and also in football. 

I don't think Tony Smith is going to dispense with the services of Thommo, after all Paul is also part of the "new vision" for us with him being General Manager - something I don't think we have ever really had. However he will want us to be higher in the table and challenging for it. That's something we all want. I am sure constructive dialogue is ongoing on a daily basis between these two gentlemen. They will be looking at solutions.

It's time to buck the trend and start going on a win streak; and that means playing for 60 minutes. Play half a game, you will not win a carrot. We have had four regulation wins in just 17 games so far, and that is the main thing that I feel needs to change. Regulation wins (or the lack of them) can be that thin line between winning a title and losing it. Remember 2011, just ask anyone in Cardiff. The squad have it in them, they just need to execute the game plan straight off the bat and stop playing catch up hockey - especially against the Caps. But who said it was going to be easy anyway.

I also fear that despite scoring 14 points in the 15 games he has iced for us so far, Chris Lawrence is going to be the odd man out when Colton Fretter is back completely. Some might say that Mike Duco should be the one that should be sacrificed; but I disagree. Like Nelson, I like Duco's energy when he ices. Plus he's a great one to get under the skin of opponents in the rink rat type of role. Lawrence is a very much a different style of player completely. But who's to know what is going through Thommo's mind as he is the one who has to make the final decision. Someone will be left disappointed that's a given.

And so endeth my mini rant. You might agree, you might disagree but hey that's the wonder of having a personal opinion. If you disagree to some extent, then why not put your opinions in writing. I'll publish it on the blog for you.
 

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

@TomWalkeden

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