From The Editor's Chair - Edition 46

After a little bit of hiatus, the view from the Editor's chair returns and with it a few thoughts about the incident which caused so much debate and discussion.

Now the dust has apparently settled, I thought I’d write a special piece which details my opinions on the Fretter-Goulakos incident and all that. As I said, it’s my opinion and I don’t expect anyone to wholly agree with what I’ll say but this is just me being me. Got that?

The whole incident has certainly left an indelible mark on hockey over here. One that may take weeks or even longer to remove. I think it will still be talked about by some and they won’t let it lie especially if a Steelers player in the future throws a hit on an opposing player and the opposing fans are in uproar over it. It’s bound to happen, so let’s be realistic here. Mind you, could it be argued that us Steelers fans will feel equally aggrieved if one of our players is subject to something similar? No team it can be said is immune to it.

So onto the incident itself. Prior to it happening, Goulakos had already served a 2 plus 10 checking from behind penalty in the first period for a hit on Steelers winger Levi Nelson. What was missed then was a clear slash by the afore mentioned defenceman on the winger which could have got him in serious hot water if spotted. Fans spotted it, myself included, but the call on the night for that remained just the 2 plus 10. Early signs of a chippy game. Then after Zack Fitzgerald was ejected on 5 plus game misconduct for high sticking on Brendan Connolly, you just knew it was going to get worse unless referee Michael Hicks got a lid on it. Unfortunately, as we all know now, he failed in that respect and in my humble opinion here: that was a contributory factor to it all.

A minute before the “incident” Goulakos had shown the good side to his game, scoring an absolute howitzer of a strike over the glove of Ervins Mustukovs and into the top shelf. A goal that most NHL goalies would have struggled to keep out, it was a peach. Then it happened, Colton Fretter is sent flying into the boards by the Giants defenceman. A clear penalty, right? No, Mr Hicks plays on and allows it to go unpunished. Fretter picks himself up, and looks around for the call but realises it is not going to come so seeks personal retribution on the man who sent him flying. He travels at such speed that Goulakos never sees him coming, and contrary to some description, he (Fretter) didn’t leave the bench. Fretter’s stick is tossed away as he zooms in on his target, and he arrives on scene to dish personal punishment.

Let me make this clear already, in my opinion you can’t do what he (Fretter) did even if the official offered you no protection on a previous clash. Imagine being out on the town and somebody gets your red mist going under the nose of a policeman and nothing gets done, so you decide to take it out on your preparator – you would not expect the policeman to turn a blind eye to it all would you? You’d be arrested, wouldn’t you? That’s how you can possibly see a similarity with this. Anyway, I digress, as Fretter starts to wade into Goulakos, the defenceman’s skates suddenly rise and to me that is as dangerous as being punched if not more. Skate cuts if they pierce the skin can be life threatening, remember Clint Malarchuk in the NHL all those years. With the body position of both Goulakos and Fretter as they were, it could have seen a stray swish of a blade to pierce Fretter’s shorts and meet unprotected skin. Pierce that and you will see blood, and that could have been damaging if not dealt with immediately.

Anyway, after the melee had been brought under control, eventually, Fretter was given a 5 plus game misconduct for checking from behind for his part in the incident and Goulakos was assessed a match penalty for “kicking” but there didn’t seem to be any kicking motion. Dangerous play maybe with the skates in the air. I was convinced there would be more to come from it, and sure enough there was. The so-called Department of Player Safety ruled that Fretter’s part to be upgraded to a single game ban and for Goulakos a three-match suspension due to multiple incidents which had gone on in the game. Cue media meltdown with fans, current EIHL players and former players going mental. I was really surprised that the one game ban was issued, it deserved far much more. Cries of “Steelers run the league and DoPS” were all too often on social media from fans from other clubs which is, and has never been, true. Cardiff Devils GM Todd Kelman had hinted a year ago at a Devils fan forum, that DoPS was just one person (former league referee Simon Kirkham) but nobody knew if this was correct as the league was still not transparent enough to admit it.

The majority of the Steelers fan base were amazed at the decision, and had to field so much vitriol and at times, it felt like, pure hatred from the fans from around the country. Makes you wonder what kind of kick these people get from this, and certainly defies the logic of a hockey family sticking together. Steelers were public enemy even though the club had nothing to do with it, it was just a Molotov cocktail of Hicks, Fretter, Goulakos and DoPS as far as I was, and still am, concerned. Obviously with this outcry, the league had to act because the good name of the league was being besmirched through plenty of mudslinging. Thankfully, they did in 24 hours and organised an independent review which involved former NHL linesman Lyle Seltz. The outcome was greeted with relief but still contentious all the same, Fretter’s ban was upgraded to six games but Goulakos downgraded to two.

Whilst personally I welcomed the increase of Fretter’s ban, I can only feel that Goulakos can count himself a bit lucky with the downgrade of his suspension. For the independent opinion saying that Goulakos might have been concussed when he raised his skates, that’s something I ain’t buying. Sorry but I am not. There are rumoured reports that he was laughing and joking about at all with a team-mate post game, and if that’s right: you certainly don’t do that if you’re suffering from concussion type symptoms. Yet it is what it is now, and I hope that this whole sorry tale is now done and dusted bar some people on social media who seem hell bent on not letting it lie down quietly. The cynic in me just feels like that the blue touch paper has been lit now, and we could be witnesses to more controversy when the Steelers and Giants play each other next. There’s definitely a bit of bad blood going on, which makes for an interesting rivalry, but hopefully common sense will prevail. We can only wish and dream, can we?

Yours in hockey,

Mark

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
@FrozenSteelMNL
@FrozenSteelJr
@BTI_Podcast
@hockeybhoy
@Disgu15ed
@SedgyFergus
@georgefbarber

Check out Breaking The Ice Available to listen and download on iTunes and SoundCloud.
Or Email the team at Frozen Steel

You can also get involved in Steelers related discussions by joining the forums at Steel Talk

The Junior Report - Edition 3

The Steelers had a gruelling 3 games this weekend, but managed to get 5 points out of a possible 6. In Challenge Cup action, the Steelers beat Braehead on Friday night, 3-2 with the winner coming in overtime. However, on Saturday in league play they failed to beat the Fife Flyers by not holding out long enough in regulation, and then slipping to a 2-1 overtime loss. 

Sunday’s game at a sold-out ice Sheffield was always going to be a good one. With Braehead in free fall and the Steelers full of confidence, there was realistically only going to be one winner. Liam Kirk managed to set up the opening goal with excellent skating down the right-hand side, setting up Andreas Jämtin with the redirect. The second goal was courtesy of Joonas Ronnberg, his piledriver from the blue line made it two. Then the Steelers made it three, a goal mouth scramble resulted in a John Armstrong tap in. Braehead were now out of sight, and were not coming back from the three-goal deficit. 

A further three goals from the Steelers in the third period was forthcoming. They were rampant, and opening the scoring in the third was John Armstrong who slammed home just outside the crease to make it four with his second strike of the night. Then almost immediately Marquardt followed up with the Steelers fifth thanks to great work out in front which resulted in a tap in for him. However, the goal of the night probably came from Deveaux, with great skating from Kieran Brown as he set up Deveaux who slammed in, and the Steelers were now six goals to the good. 

The Eddy was completed by the man of the match which was Armstrong, however another Eddy was due to be completed, by Joonas Ronnberg. Joonas is the Steelers leading goalscorer in defence, and now he departs Sheffield to go back to his family in Finland. Personally; I thought Joonas added a lot to the Steelers, toughness, solid on the penalty kill, and was great at scoring goals. No one wanted to mess with him, since he towers above most. Yet the replacement needs to happen quickly, and I’m hoping for a good player. There are a lot of free agents out there. Or just bring back Rod Sarich. 

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
@FrozenSteelMNL
@FrozenSteelJr
@BTI_Podcast
@hockeybhoy
@Disgu15ed
@SedgyFergus
@georgefbarber

Check out Breaking The Ice Available to listen and download on iTunes and SoundCloud.
Or Email the team at Frozen Steel

You can also get involved in Steelers related discussions by joining the forums at Steel Talk

Rink Round-Up: Week 8

Welcome once more to another Rink Round-Up, your weekly look back at the remainder of the Elite League action that didn't feature the Steelers.

Our eighth look back started on Wednesday night when a short benched Edinburgh Capitals played the first of two successive away games in as many nights. Their first stop was the Sky Dome in Coventry, and it ended up with a comprehensive win for the home side as they skated away to a 7-1 win. Seven different players tallied for Danny Stewart's men, whilst Callum Boyd was the sole Capitals scorer. The biggest talking point of the night came late in the first period when Blaze's Danick Paquette and Capitals netminder (yes we said that correctly) Pavel Shegalo traded a few shots after the former had clashed with a Capitals outskater; Paquette also picking up a match penalty for his troubles.

The following night things didn't improve much for the Scottish club as they shipped another seven goals; this time at Milton Keynes. The game started positively for the visitors as Marek Tvrdon scored his third of the season at 4:37 but this was the only time that they managed to lead. With the game entering it's final twenty minutes, it was delicately poised with the home side 4-2 ahead but they then kicked on to score three times in that final period with both Christian Isackson and Francois Verreault-Paul both completing doubles for Pete Russell's men.

Onto Saturday now, the Capitals completed a depressing three games in four nights as they were shut out 9-0 by leaders Manchester Storm. Former New York Ranger Dane Byers led the way with a hat-trick whilst there were doubles for Mike Hammond and captain Jay Rosehill; Luke Moffatt and Matt Stanisz also lit the lamp for Ryan Finnerty's men. Despite losing Sebastian Sylvestre to a match penalty for apparent head butting, Belfast Giants recovered from a 3-0 deficit to defeat Braehead in Renfrew with Jonathan Ferland scoring the game winning goal just 41 seconds before the end of overtime and causing Clan coach John Tripp to lose his temper with the officials; picking up a misconduct and game misconduct at the conclusion.

Also winning 4-3 in overtime were the Nottingham Panthers against Milton Keynes. Lightning, featuring former Panthers netminder Miika Wiikman in between the pipes, led 3-1 with 29:49 played and it looked like a winning return for the Swede. Yet Corey Neilson's men bounced back, and Matt Phillips' second of the night with 1:31 played in the extra time secured the points for the home side. Guildford made their long trip to Dundee worthwhile too, as Rhett Rachinski scored at 60:59 for a 3-2 win on Tayside. Finally Saturday saw the Cardiff Devils all but secure their place in the Challenge Cup quarter final stage with a 7-2 win over the visiting Coventry Blaze at Ice Arena Wales; Joey Martin scoring twice as the Devils netted four powerplay goals from seven attempts.

Sunday's action saw Manchester slip to a 3-2 loss at Milton Keynes; Lightning new signing Tommy Mele scoring what turned out to be the game winner 16 seconds from the end of the second period. Belfast had to work hard for the points at Murrayfield with Jim Vandermeer's powerplay strike at 53:15 for a 4-3 win which broke the Capitals' stubborn resistance who also featured 18 year old Jordan McLaughlin in between the pipes. Also having to work hard for a win were Cardiff in Kirkcaldy as they edged past the Flyers, 5-3. Paul Crowder's second of the night with 76 seconds left finally seeing off the Fife challenge.

In the Midlands derby, two Brett Perlini strikes in the second period were enough to see the Panthers see off the Blaze by the odd goal in five and new Danish netminder Patrick Galbraith (yes we know that Galbraith sounds more Scottish than it does Danish) made 43 saves from 45 shots as Danny Stewart will be scratching his bald head to wonder why his team finished pointless that Sunday. Yet in the other game, we had a rare non-result as Guildford and their visitors Dundee saw their game be called off after one period of action with the teams locked at 2-2 when referee Michael Hicks ruled that due to an ice fault, particularly concentrated near the team benches, the game had to be abandoned.

And that's your round-up.

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
@FrozenSteelMNL
@FrozenSteelJr
@BTI_Podcast
@hockeybhoy
@Disgu15ed
@SedgyFergus
@georgefbarber

Check out Breaking The Ice Available to listen and download on iTunes and SoundCloud.
Or Email the team at Frozen Steel

You can also get involved in Steelers related discussions by joining the forums at Steel Talk

Steelers shutout Clan and send them for six

Time for the match report from Sunday's game against the Clan.

After winning in overtime at Braehead on the Friday but slipping to an overtime loss in Fife on the Saturday night, Steelers played their third game in as many nights on Sunday when they hosted the Clan at Ice Sheffield. Steelers were unchanged from the team that iced against Fife, which meant a home "debut" for Andre Deveaux and also marked game three of the six match suspension for Colton Fretter. Clan, who also were playing their third in three nights, were without Craig Peacock and Adam Brace but gave the start in between the pipes to Gary Russell with Ryan Nie backing him up.

The home team were in control from the very start, forcing Russell into a number of saves and short benched Clan onto the back foot. What was a surprise though, was that it took deep into the first period for the deadlock to be broken. At 14:13, Liam Kirk produced a brilliant pass across the goal and Andreas Jämtin had the simple task of tapping the puck into the Clan goal - Mark Matheson getting the secondary assist. Two goals in the space of 31 seconds then put the game beyond all manner of doubt, and the Steelers firmly in control. At 17:09, Joonas Ronnberg marked his final appearance in a Steelers uniform with a blast from the blueline, and then at 17:40 it became 3-0 when Mathieu Roy and Matt Marquardt teed up John Armstrong for the finish.

Steelers had outshot Clan 18-3 in that opening period, and also certainly laid down a marker that they were not just reliant on one player. The kids were enthusiastic as always, and showing their undoubted talents against players with much more experience. Kieran Brown was most impressive, playing with no fear whatsoever which has become staple for him whenever we have seen him in action. As it was though, the second period was scoreless but eventful nevertheless; defenceman Zack Fitzgerald picking up a 2+10 checking to the head from referee Steve Brown after an incident involving Clan's own precoicus talent Jordan Buesa.

A fourth goal had to come, and it did with 48:27 played in the game. Deveaux and Brown setting up Armstrong for his second goal of the night, and twelfth goal of the Elite League season so far. Brown's assist being just reward for an outstanding personal performance. Did the Steelers have more goals in their locker? The answer was a yes, as the fifth goal came at 50:21 on the game clock. Matt Marquardt back on the scoresheet after being set up by Mathieu Roy and Armstrong; a bit of a reversal of the third goal so to say. The scoring was finished at 53:11 when the Steelers supporters saw Deveaux score his first goal for the team albeit at the third attempt past Russell whilst Armstrong and Roy picked up their third assists of the evening; Armstrong's helper taking him to a remarkable 2+3 on the night.

Time for the statistics:

Goals: Steelers 6 Clan 0

Steelers Scoring: Armstrong 2+3, Roy 0+3, Marquardt 1+1, Deveaux 1+1, Matheson 0+2, Jämtin 1+0, Ronnberg 1+0, Kirk 0+1, Brown 0+1.

Clan Scoring: Erm, nobody.

Shots On Goal:  Steelers 35 Clan 20

Powerplay: Steelers 1 from 4 (25% conversion), Clan 0 from 2 (0% conversion)

Penalty Minutes called: Steelers 14 Clan 8

Steelers Goaltender Stats: Mustukovs 20 Saves (396), GAA: 0.00 (2.56), Save Percentage 100% (92.30%)

Man of the Match: John Armstrong (Steelers), Brendan Brooks (Clan)

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
@FrozenSteelMNL
@FrozenSteelJr
@BTI_Podcast
@hockeybhoy
@Disgu15ed
@SedgyFergus
@georgefbarber

Check out Breaking The Ice Available to listen and download on iTunes and SoundCloud.
Or Email the team at Frozen Steel

You can also get involved in Steelers related discussions by joining the forums at Steel Talk

Bloodoff sees off Steelers

Welcome to the match report from Saturday night's trip to the Fife Flyers.

After winning on the West Coast of Scotland on Friday evening, Steelers played their second of their mini-Scottish tour with an Elite League game at "The Auld Barn" in Kirkcaldy, Fife. Steelers made three changes from the side that won in Braehead on Friday evening, Ervins Mustukovs replaced Brad Day in between the pipes and on the forward lines Mathieu Roy and Andreas Valdix came in for Brady Ramsay and Jonas Westerling. Davey Phillips returned to the blue line after missing almost four weeks with injury, whilst it was game two of Colton Fretter's suspension. Flyers were without both Chris Wands and Chad Smith, but iced former Steelers defencemen James Jorgensen and Russ Moyer as part of their blue line.

For the first two periods, the two teams were inseparable with no goals scored. Both netminders were playing, and coming up big when their sides depended on them. However it was the impressive Andy Iles (the latest in a string of great netminder pick ups by the Flyers) who had his goal breached first, as Steelers opened the scoring at 41:26. An angled shot from Levi Nelson evaded Iles for the Canadian winger's second goal in as many nights, Andreas Valdix and Ben O'Connor being credited with the helpers. Matt Marquardt then hit the pipework as Steelers pushed for a second goal which would help put some daylight between them and their hosts.

Flyers pushed for an equaliser, and as the clock counted down, sacrificed Iles for an extra skater. They got their reward with 83 seconds. Shayne Stockton, who had missed a large chunk of last season, opening his account for the new campaign with the decisive touch past Mustukovs. That was the last of the scoring in normal time, so we went to overtime for the second successive night. However unlike Friday night, we didn't have to wait too long for the game to be decided. Eight seconds was all it needed as the Flyers scooped the extra point, the impressive Evan Bloodoff scoring his 11th of the season in all competitions. And that was that.

Time for the statistics:

Goals: Flyers 2 Steelers 1 

Steelers Scoring: Nelson 1+0, Valdix 0+1, O'Connor 0+1.

Flyers Scoring: Bloodoff 1+1, Stockton 1+1, Young 0+1, Moyer 0+1.

Shots On Goal:  Flyers 21 Steelers 26

Powerplay: Steelers 1 from 1 (100% conversion), Flyers 1 from 1 (100% conversion)

Penalty Minutes called: Flyers 6 Steelers 14

Steelers Goaltender Stats: Mustukovs 19 Saves (376), GAA: 1.97 (2.56), Save Percentage 90.50% (91.50%)

Man of the Match: Matt Marquardt (Steelers), Andy Iles (Flyers)

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
@FrozenSteelMNL
@FrozenSteelJr
@BTI_Podcast
@hockeybhoy
@Disgu15ed
@SedgyFergus
@georgefbarber

Check out Breaking The Ice Available to listen and download on iTunes and SoundCloud.
Or Email the team at Frozen Steel

You can also get involved in Steelers related discussions by joining the forums at Steel Talk

Nelson wins it again in overtime

Time for the match report from Friday's visit to the Braehead Clan.

After the week that was, Steelers were back in action on a rare Friday night game. They made the trip north to the West Coast of Scotland to visit the Braehead Clan in a Challenge Cup group game. Steelers had secured their place in the quarter final stage, and knew a win in either regulation or non-regulation time would ensure they would finish top of their qualifying group with a game to spare. With three games in three nights, Paul Thompson took the opportunity to play some of the younger members of the roster which meant starts and increased ice time for netminder Brad Day, plus outskaters Cole Shudra, Liam Kirk and Kieran Brown.

New import Andre Deveaux made his Steelers debut whilst Mathieu Roy, Davey Phillips (despite taking part in warm up) were rested. Colton Fretter served game one of his six game suspension but Brady Ramsay also returned to the line-up. Clan were still without Adam Brace but otherwise at full strength which meant Christoffer Bjorklund and Matt Haywood iced against their former side likewise Scott Aarssen was in his first game back in Renfrew as a Steeler since switching in the summer.

Both sides had chances in the opening stages, but it was the Steelers who opened the scoring with 8:34 played. A bullet shot from the blue line from Joonas Ronnberg lit the lamp on his farewell weekend of action in a Steelers jersey; the helpers going to John Armstrong and newcomer Deveaux. The score stayed that way until the end of the first but Braehead levelled matters just 37 seconds after the resumption thanks to a powerplay goal from Tyler Scofield as Jämtin was sitting a holding minor. Both teams had chances after this goal but it was Steelers who scored the next goal; a Ben O'Connor rocket that gave Ryan Nie no chance at 27:41; it was the defenceman's first league but third overall goal of the season.

The youngsters were certainly having a good game, with Shudra getting some decent shots on goal and Brown belying his tender years with some tremendous hits on more experienced opponents. Jämtin almost made it 3-1 but saw his effort find the pipework before Clan hauled themselves back level at 42:14; Mike Embach scoring his fourth goal of the season in all competitions. Brad Day was then next to shine for the Steelers as he made a series of great saves as the home side ramped up their intensity to look to appease the home crowd who have been so critical of them this season. No further scoring resulted so we went to overtime, and halfway through it we got a game winner and it was that overtime specialist Levi Nelson who took advantage of a Clan mistake to score.

That win now makes it five out of five in the Challenge Cup qualifiers for Paul Thompson's men, and assures them as being the winners of their particular group. Clan on the other hand, despite getting a point, look out of it and will only qualify for the quarter-finals if certain other results go their way.

Time for the statistics:

Goals: Clan 2 Steelers 3

Steelers Scoring: Armstrong 0+2, Ronnberg 1+0, Nelson 1+0, O'Connor 1+0, Jämtin 0+1, Deveaux 0+1 .

Clan Scoring: Scofield 1+0, Embach 1+0.

Shots On Goal:  Clan 34 Steelers 27

Powerplay: Steelers 1 from 1 (100% conversion), Clan 1 from 1 (100% conversion)

Penalty Minutes called: Clan 2 Steelers 2

Steelers Goaltender Stats: Day 32 Saves, GAA: 1.92, Save Percentage 94.10%

Man of the Match: Brad Day (Steelers), Ryan Poutlny (Clan)

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
@FrozenSteelMNL
@FrozenSteelJr
@BTI_Podcast
@hockeybhoy
@Disgu15ed
@SedgyFergus
@georgefbarber

Check out Breaking The Ice Available to listen and download on iTunes and SoundCloud.
Or Email the team at Frozen Steel

You can also get involved in Steelers related discussions by joining the forums at Steel Talk

Big Match Preview: Braehead and Fife

Welcome to this week's preview of the games ahead. It's a hectic one.

After the "interesting" game against the Giants and the subsequent fall out from it, Steelers face three games in as many nights. Two are against the same opponent, and one is another potential banana skin on the road. Can they put the Belfast loss behind them and get back on an even keel? Well, we would like to hope so wouldn't we?

Tomorrow night, Friday, and Sunday back in Sheffield albeit in the en-suite that is otherwise known as Ice Sheffield - the Steelers take on this merry bunch:

Yes it's our purple friends from the West Coast of Scotland, the Clan. The teams have already played each other in the Challenge Cup at the Arena, yes I'm still trying to get the logic around this particular group make up, with us taking the spoils 3-2 thanks to Andreas Valdix's game winner in the final seconds of the middle period. Friday night is also a Challenge Cup game, the return game in the group stage. Steelers have however, already qualified for the knockout stages as they possess a 100% record with four wins out of four and are destined to top the group as only the Panthers can catch them on points but Steelers will have the better head-to-head countback. Therefore, it's a bit of a dead rubber game if you want to call it that way.

Because of this, Paul Thompson has already said on record that this game on Friday will be a game to give the younger members of the roster some increased ice-time. Brad Day will start in goal and players like Kieran Brown and Cole Shudra will be given the opportunity to impress and showcase their undoubted talents. A smart decision all round. Andre Deveaux will have had a full week's training under his belt and is also liable to feature as we get him up to match fitness. Colton Fretter will be missing Friday for obvious reasons. Don't be shocked if Clan take the points.

Sunday will be totally as the big guns will be back at Ice Sheffield, Mustukovs back between the pipes etc. It will be a closer encounter than Friday we feel, and probably on similar lines to that in the Arena match up a few weeks ago. Don't forget the Ice Sheffield factor too, and be warned that Braehead have won there a few times in the past. It could be tricky.

Sandwiched in between the Clan matches is a hard road task, a trip to this place:

A visit to "The Auld Barn" beckons and with it, a reunion with former Steeler Russ Moyer. Yet, that's where the pleasantries end. It's a rink that if you are off your game, then you're gonna get punished for it. Fife are capable of beating anyone in their own place, and we need to execute the same game plan that saw us go to Dundee and Edinburgh and skate away with a regulation win. I'm sure that's the way that Thommo would see it too. Another banana skin on the road to swerve and avoid if we want to keep up with the pacesetters. It's not beyond us, we need to have the belief we can take the game away from Fife there and do the job expected. Focus and communication will be paramount.

So what are my predictions? I'm going for a 4-1 loss in Braehead on Friday night and it won't concern me in the slightest if it happened. A win would always be nice but this time it won't happen. As for the Fife game, I reckon we will win 4-2 with an empty netter there after a tough and testing game. Braehead at Ice Sheffield; I'm expecting another 4-2 win for the boys but without the empty netter this time. So four points out of six. How do you see them unfolding?

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
@FrozenSteelMNL
@FrozenSteelJr
@BTI_Podcast
@hockeybhoy
@Disgu15ed
@SedgyFergus
@georgefbarber

Check out Breaking The Ice Available to listen and download on iTunes and SoundCloud.
Or Email the team at Frozen Steel

You can also get involved in Steelers related discussions by joining the forums at Steel Talk

Hocley Soapbox - Season 3 Week 6 - Tale Of Two Cities

Welcome to this week's soapbox. It was a very eventful weekend just gone wasn't it? A definite tale of two cities. On the soapbox this week are your co-editors Mark and Tony, Steel Talk co-owner Jay, Andy Roberts, Nathan and the glamour that is provided by Sarah and Fay.

Time to get on your soapboxes then everyone...

1. Five words on Saturday

Much better stronger team work
Devils totally lacked any passion
Dominant, passionate, top quality performance

Good Win Against Lacklustre Opponents 

Shutout Steelers, Bownsy has 'mare

Matt Marquardt is on fire

Who the heck are Cardiff?

2. Five words on Sunday

Hicks influenced result. Bans coming
Am I allowed to swear?

Familiar Problems All Too Apparent

Fretter/Fitzy bans, lost points 

Retaliation cost us the game

Thanks for nothing Michael Hicks
We need to replace Ronnberg

3. What are your thoughts on the Deveaux signing?

Fay: Hard to say when he’s not played yet. Don’t know much about him apart from the 2 reported incidents in the media. Think the guys really brave to come back to a sport that caused him such a scary injury. 

Nathan: Don't know an awful lot about him so I'll have to wait until I see him play before I can make an opinion on him. Saw the warm up on Sunday though and he looks like a big unit so hopefully he won't get pushed around the ice easily and won't be shy in sticking up for his line mates. Something that was glaringly omitting from the game.

Andy:  The Deveaux signing (much like the Mosienko signing a couple of seasons back) is a bit of a risk bearing in mind his injuries over past couple of seasons. That said I think he could be a great addition if he is hungry to play (which you hope he will be after such a lengthy layoff) and has a chance of not being a type player. With his rep, fights will be inevitable. With us being down to 5 D at the minute he gives Fitzy a chance to not fight and not put us down to 4 D for 5 minutes. He has scored double digit goals in a season several times at a high level so I hope he can find the net here in a similar amount to Desbiens. As with all signings I guess we will have to see when he gets his chance to play.

Sarah: Honestly I didn’t think he was the type of player we needed. I thought the player would be a D man. Thompson (hopefully) knows best though and we haven’t even seen him play yet. I hope I’m wrong in my doubts. After Sunday’s game though, I wish he had been on the ice. 

Mark: Much needed, we have lacked an enforcer of sorts and can't rely upon on Fitzy to do the job all the time. He comes with a similar reputation to Guillaume Desbiens in terms of age and CV, and I hope he becomes as good as Desi. Picking up a player of his calibre is testament to the Club and its name. He won't be the last change.

Jay: Great addition to the team, he has done his time and served any punishment and you can then only wait and see how good a player is, but if he has a point to prove could be a real good pick up and I do prefer players that have that edge about them.

Tony: Let's wait and see as he seems to be a gamble.. I think we're a club that can take a punt and see if he can return to the form that saw him at the show, and a bit more physicality might have helped in Sunday night.  

4. Which player, if anyone, will make way for him?

Nathan: Ramsay? He's been a healthy scratch for a couple if weeks now so obviously out of favour although Westerling and Wallace have hardly been playing lights out since their arrival so who knows?

Andy: The obvious choice for who Deveaux will be replacing is probably Ramsey. It would be nice if we can keep two spare imports and rotate players to keep them fresh. I don't feel that after the Conti cup round in November we will be carrying two spares. Well not two spare forwards anyways. A spare D man and a spare forward would be a more idea situation.

Sarah: If the budget is available then run with 2 extra imports. Rest any players that have had a knock and/or injured or healthy scratch players that aren’t performing well. Nothing like a bit of healthy competition. 

Mark: I think it will be Ramsay if we don't decide on the spare import option. Like for like but with more experience. Not that Brady has let the side down, he's been unlucky with team selection. Would like the spare import option in case of injuries/suspensions.
Jay: None at this stage i suspect, but for me it has to be Westerling, came in as a so-called 1st Line centre and is hardly good enough in my opinion on the 4th line. So it will probably be Ramsay, what do I know, not that he is a great deal better...

Tony: If the budget allows then release Ramsay and carry a spare. I'd also consider dropping another forward for some defensive cover as we're more exposed at the back that up front. 

Fay: Potentially Ramsay or Westerling. Don’t want either to go mind.

5. What do you think to the new conference set ups now the season is almost 2 months old?

Andy: Not a fan of the conference system. Like most I would prefer a straight up league. Unfortunately that is unlikely to happen again anytime soon. I would rather have a straight up league and have conferences to sort seedings for playoffs. The conference system may be better if the fixtures were spread out more. We seem to play same teams week in week out. The out of conference teams games seem to be clumped together. Perfect example of this is we play Braehead three times in October! 

Sarah: It is what it is. It’s obviously going to benefit certain clubs but that’s always been the case. (not necessarily taken advantage of it though)

Mark: Would love to see the league to be one league, as I am not a massive fan of the conference system as it is now and as it was before. One league, bin the CC, that's the way forward.
Jay: I absolutely hate it...give me a straight fight between 12 teams!
Tony: Too early to saw still as so many variations in number of games played. I like the sound of the set up but don't have any evidence either way.. Manchester, Milton Keynes and Guildford are all surprises so far and I think the Patton conference have every chance to fill places 5-8 in the final reckoning above Fife and Braehead. 

Fay: Don’t like nor dislike it. Seems kinda pointless to me.

Nathan: Not a fan of the conference set up at all. Not if the ultimate prize at the end of the season is a league championship in which case it should be a basic league format. Seems to be a bit of an albatross that the EIHL are stuck with now.

6. Jonathan Phillips, a modern day legend and inspirational captain. Thoughts?

Sarah: Every single coach and player that has played with Jono say nothing but good things about him. He never gives up on the ice, he always gives it 100%. He’s got the experience and respect in the dressing room. He’s the GB captain, enough said. 

Mark: The best captain we have had in the modern day EIHL. Absolutely underrated, Jono never lets his standards slip and always gives 100% every shift. The fact he is captain for club and country, shows how highly rated people have him in their thoughts. We're privileged to have such a player on our roster.

Jay: Probably the best captain we have ever had in terms of longevity.

Tony: He must be great in the room because he's not been a top line player for a few years. Enough coaches have selected him for club and country so he must be doing something right. 

Fay: He’s on another level. Heart and soul into every performance, the man bleeds orange. So glad he has spent the majority of his career with us. 

Nathan: Not sure about the 'Legend' part but certainly an inspiration to us all. He may be the wrong side of 30 but can outskate many 10 years younger than him. To be at one club for the duration he has and to amass the amount of games he has then; I doubt we'll see anyone like him again for a good long while.

Andy: 700 games after the weekend speaks for itself. Jono may not be the flash harry guy of the team but he is one of the first names you enter on the team sheet. He keeps it sensible, simple and I can't think of many I would have on the ice when we are on the PK ahead of him. Hopefully he will get to lift some more silverware before he retires in the next couple of seasons.

And that's this week's soapbox.

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
@FrozenSteelMNL
@FrozenSteelJr
@BTI_Podcast
@hockeybhoy
@Disgu15ed
@SedgyFergus
@georgefbarber

Check out Breaking The Ice Available to listen and download on iTunes and SoundCloud.
Or Email the team at Frozen Steel

You can also get involved in Steelers related discussions by joining the forums at Steel Talk