It's the penultimate of the end of season assessments. This time we feature a side that were only in their second season of a return to the top echelons of British hockey. Ladies and gentlemen, it's the Manchester Storm.
Season in summary: Not a light drizzle of a season, but given a proper close season behind them - Storm certainly rained on some teams. However the lack of consistency, meant that Storm had to wait until the final weekend of the regular season campaign to secure their place in the play-offs. With many games sold out, Manchester are slowly putting the building blocks in place for what looks to be a promising future.
Performance of the Season: If you had to pick one result out of the 2016-17 season for Manchester season then I'm sure as eggs are eggs that you will pick the same one as me. Yes, it's the game two days before Christmas when Omar Pacha's Storm did a thing that only Belfast, Nottingham, Coventry and Sheffield could only match - it's called a win in Ice Arena Wales. No other Gardiner Conference could achieve it.
Low point of the Season: It's kind of embarrassing when you have to pick the last game of the season. Storm entertained Nottingham in another sell-out crowd at Altrincham, however conditions weren't perfect. The game sheet will show that the Panthers won 3-2 after overtime, but that's because the ice was unplayable. You really couldn't believe it. With challengers for eighth, Coventry, getting humped in the Steel City then Storm didn't mind. Suppose Mr Hicks got a decision right for once..
Player of the Season: Storm had a few players that had decent seasons, but the name that is the cream of the crop is winger Darian Dziurzynski. The fifth round pick by the Arizona (when they were known as Phoenix) Coyotes in 2011 had his best ever season in hockey as a professional. 29 goals and 52 points overall in 50 regular games, and a goal and an assist in the quarter final...definitely a very good season for the 26 year old Sasquatch when it was his first campaign out of North America.
Anything else? During the season it became known that the Storm were up for sale but any doubts were dispelled in the summer when a consortium fronted by Gordon Greig took over the team. Part of that consortium was also then Braehead Clan coach Ryan Finnerty so you can expect what happened as part of it. Pacha left with deepest gratitude, and despite his little tantrums on ice, Finnerty became HC at Storm weeks after leaving the Clan. Three players have joined him South in Rosehill, Beca and Hammond and with the rest of the squad assembled, Storm should make more positive steps with the wise head known as Neil Russell masterminding processes off-ice.
Performance of the Season: If you had to pick one result out of the 2016-17 season for Manchester season then I'm sure as eggs are eggs that you will pick the same one as me. Yes, it's the game two days before Christmas when Omar Pacha's Storm did a thing that only Belfast, Nottingham, Coventry and Sheffield could only match - it's called a win in Ice Arena Wales. No other Gardiner Conference could achieve it.
Low point of the Season: It's kind of embarrassing when you have to pick the last game of the season. Storm entertained Nottingham in another sell-out crowd at Altrincham, however conditions weren't perfect. The game sheet will show that the Panthers won 3-2 after overtime, but that's because the ice was unplayable. You really couldn't believe it. With challengers for eighth, Coventry, getting humped in the Steel City then Storm didn't mind. Suppose Mr Hicks got a decision right for once..
Player of the Season: Storm had a few players that had decent seasons, but the name that is the cream of the crop is winger Darian Dziurzynski. The fifth round pick by the Arizona (when they were known as Phoenix) Coyotes in 2011 had his best ever season in hockey as a professional. 29 goals and 52 points overall in 50 regular games, and a goal and an assist in the quarter final...definitely a very good season for the 26 year old Sasquatch when it was his first campaign out of North America.
Anything else? During the season it became known that the Storm were up for sale but any doubts were dispelled in the summer when a consortium fronted by Gordon Greig took over the team. Part of that consortium was also then Braehead Clan coach Ryan Finnerty so you can expect what happened as part of it. Pacha left with deepest gratitude, and despite his little tantrums on ice, Finnerty became HC at Storm weeks after leaving the Clan. Three players have joined him South in Rosehill, Beca and Hammond and with the rest of the squad assembled, Storm should make more positive steps with the wise head known as Neil Russell masterminding processes off-ice.
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