Here’s our eighth week’s Frozen Steel blog fan view on four or five hot topic items. It’s time to get on your soapboxes people! Contributors this week are: Mark Duell, Robert Newbolt, Tony (your editor), Eric Green and Phil Beddoe.
An easy one to start with – what was this week's main talking point in the EIHL? (Mostly written before the Hayes trade by the way)
Mark - Our destruction; and it was one too; of one of the teams that are challenging for this season's title on their own ice. It made a statement and proved that we are getting back to a bit of form. If we can continue with this then who knows what this team is capable of. Long may that winning feeling be with us.
Robert – Grant Toulmin’s hat trick at the weekend and how well Manchester and the whole off ice team are doing at the moment. The statement of thanks to all Manchester supporters from Neil Russell sent waves of envy to every corner of the country.
Phil - I would imagine our signing of Ryan Hayes to bolster our goal scoring will cause some debate around the league. Looking forward to seeing the full announcement and no doubt we'll be accused of poaching by some quarters but I for one am happy with this as I said in an earlier article he would be my choice of signing from another EIHL team. Let's see if he can bring that early season form to help us win some trophies.
Tony – The Devils, Steelers and Clan all having four point week-ends as it’s been a pretty rare occurrence this season, and then three come along all together… but the breaking news of poaching Hayes will be big news. For the other 9 teams it’s unfair poaching, and money talking, but for us it’s whoop whoop and hoping that his early season form doesn’t turn out to be his career high
.
Eric - or me it has to be the shock news of today's signing, that of Ryan Hayes! There's no doubt, given his league standing in the EIHL for goal scoring, that he's a capable guy. My talking point is more the questions that this raises: How bad is Fretter? Do we need another import? Who do the Steelers leave out? Lots to ponder
How important are those four points gained in Belfast?
Mark - Huge, absolutely huge. Besides putting a little bit of daylight between us and the Giants, it also helps us in the Conference standings. We just have to maintain this now. Even if we don't retain the title, winning the Conference would be better for seeding purposes.
Tony – Awesome results, and really dented Belfast’s title hopes (especially with a tough weekend for them against the Devils and Panthers coming up). We needed that to keep in the ‘top-three’ as I see it, matching the rampaging Devils, and also the Clan team who have many easy in-conference games ahead of them.
Robert - Very important! It did three things: it gave great momentum, and with a difficult weekend coming up we need that; it keeps up the pressure on Cardiff, whist putting Belfast on the back foot; and it helped get Mathieu Roy back into the swing as well as easing new man Stromberg onto the powerplay.
Phil - At this time of the year all points are crucial especially with the top half of the league table being so tight. We need to make sure we continue to take points away from the likes of Nottingham, Belfast, Braehead and particularly Cardiff as competition is so high this year.
Eric - Absolutely huge! To me the 4 points in Belfast, put us right back in the mix. Now we have to do the job this weekend. Especially as the so called big 4 play each other. Results this weekend could be a defining moment in this year’s league title challenge.
How many points would be an acceptable return from the upcoming week-end?
Mark – Three. Two points from Saturday's game against the Dark Side and an overtime/PS loss in Cardiff. However play in the BBT like we did the SSE Arena then who knows? We are due a decent result down there before they move to the IAW. Sunday could be that time; would be awesome if it happened.
Robert – As I was only a point out last week I’ll go for a win against Panthers but I cannot see us getting anything from the BBT (didn’t think we’d see this place again)
Tony – We would love another four, as that would really send a message across the league, but providing we match the Devils and Clan results I’ll be happy enough. Beating the Panthers would keep them sulking, and nicking a point at the BBT would be awesome (although unexpected given our recent performances down there!). But after last weekend, even if we lose both then we’re still not too far away.
Phil - Nottingham and Cardiff are both must win games if we are going to keep going for the league title. Neither game will be easy though, particularly with Cardiff still being in the BBT awaiting the move to their new Arena. Fingers (and toes) crossed!
Eric - There is nothing more acceptable to me than another 4 points, Nottingham is always going to be tough, but I believe we can win that one. Against Cardiff at the BBT is another matter, somehow, some way we need to find a way to win that one.
Interested in the Challenge Cup at all?
Mark - Yes, I am keen for us to take every trophy we compete for it. We haven't won the CC for a while and should have won it last season but didn't turn up for the Final until it was too late. It's about time we added this trophy to Uncle Tony's trophy cabinet.
Robert – Always interested in any competition, would be great to win it for the first time in the EIHL, if only to shut Gary Moran up. Not so interested in the quarters as they seem a let-down somehow. Found it difficult last year to be neutral at the Final (Editor : You should have joined us in the fans blocks then – there was no-one neutral at rinkside!), but that doesn’t mean I don’t want Steelers to get there.
Tony – I think the general consensus is that the format of this competition sucks. We are now so far into the season it’s a distraction from the league title race, and although it provides a chance for silverware, I’d still trade-in a quarter-final exit in exchange for a four point weekend. If you made this a mid-season cup-final game then I’d have kept my enthusiasm going.
Phil - Absolutely, it's a trophy! After all that effort we put into topping our group with those fantastic performances at the start of the season it would be a shame to drop out now.
Eric - Absolutely... It is silverware, for goodness sake. Great win mid-week up in Fife, win the return, and grab the reward. Probably face the Panthers in the semi's, which is one we can win. Then the big reward, the final on home ice. Come on! Interested. You bet I am.
Finally, any other business whilst you are on your hockey soapbox?
Mark - Not really no, but if I see anyone having a go on Social Media at our Czech #97 then I'll be out to get ya! He deserved his man of the match award in Belfast Game 2, and looks like he's really settled now. Velmi Dobrè Marek!
Tony – I can’t wait for the new Ice Arena Wales to open – we were told that this would be early season, then early January, and we’re all banking on the larger ice to hurt the Devils home record. Everyone outside Cardiff hates the BBT, and cynics might say that Todd is trying to extend the build schedule a little!
That’s all folks. Hope you enjoyed reading our thoughts, and we’d love you to get involved too. Help set the agenda for next week with your questions, or even better get involved and give your views as one of the panel.
We would love different views and different participants each week. Please contact Mark @frozensteelblog or Tony @Disgu15ed, or find us at the game.
Brief Bios of those panellists you’ve just been listening to in the series so far :
- Alan is @frozensteelmnl for match night updates and @AwkwardGinge for everything else. Has been watching Hockey for many years, and given half a chance will regale you with tales of the London Knights. Catch him on the Breaking the Ice podcast too.
- 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
- 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
- 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
- Phil has been a fan since watching the final game of the London Racers at the Sheffield Arena back in 2005 and has adopted block 106 as his second home. He now wishes he had listened to Elliott Hall and had started watching earlier! Find him on @pbeeodd
- Richard is the big man with the big drum who until recently was to be found leading both the Rock the Block choir and his family in 218. Now looking for a new block to call home, his views, and invites to come join you, can be directed to @CaVaLiEr666
- 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.
- 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
No comments:
Post a Comment