Rink Round-Up: Week 11

Welcome once to your Elite League Rink Round-Up; the look at the rest of the Elite League action which doesn't involve the Steelers.

The week began last Wednesday with three games scheduled. The standout game of these came in the "O" when the Giants played host to the Panthers. And the two teams didn't disappoint the sparse 3158  midweek crowd inside as Corey Neilson's men edged it by the odd goal in nine after overtime. It was a game that ebbed and flowed with the Giants taking the first period, the Panthers coming back to lead 4-2 after 40 minutes and then the home team coming back into it to force overtime. Dan Spang was the overtime hero at 62:49, and Michael Garnett made 53 saves. Giants cause wasn't helped by frequent trips to the box, allowing three goals on the powerplay.

League Champions Cardiff had a bump in the road when they came back from Tayside having lost 3-1 to the Dundee Stars. Despite outshooting their hosts 39-25, Andrew Lord's team could only break through the home rearguard just the once, and Travis Fullerton recorded an impressive 38 saves. So well done there Omar Pacha, and an unhappy return for former Stars captain Justin Faryna. In the other game, it took a penalty shootout to separate Guildford and Milton Keynes after the sides were locked at 2-2 after overtime. Tommy Mele scored the decisive shot in the third round to hand Pete Russell's men the extra points.

Onto Saturday and another loss in regulation for Cardiff, this time on home ice to the visiting Fife Flyers. With the clock showing just 28:13 played, Devils led the Flyers 5-1: helped by two Andrew Hotham goals. Fife then replaced starting goalie Andy Iles with back-up Jordan Marr. What happened next was remarkable. By the end of the second, it was 5-4. Come the game end, Flyers had recorded an impressive 8-6 win with Danick Gauthier helping himself to four goals. Six of the eight came on the powerplay, and a shorthanded strike plus an empty netter completed the amazing scoreline and comeback. Probably the result of the season so far.

Leaders Manchester Storm comfortably overcame basement club Edinburgh Capitals 7-1 at the Storm Shelter. Former Clan marksman Scott Pitt continued his good run of form with a brace as did former NHLer Dane Byers and Swede Gerard Hanson. Sergei Banashkov was the Capitals sole scorer. Pitt's former employers gained a much needed home win as they overcame the Stars 3-2 in Braehead; Tyler Scofield's marker midway through the second period standing up as the game winner as Clan overturned a 2-1 first period deficit. Five unanswered goals for the Blaze ensured Liam Stewart would not have a winning return to the SkyDome in Saturday's final game, Coventry triumphing 5-2 with captain Jordan Pietrus scoring a hat-trick and top scorer Marc-Olivier Vallerand twice.

Into Sunday and yet another loss for the Devils, their third in a row. With one period to play they led the Panthers 3-2 in the NIC but the home side turned the screw to turn it around and record a 7-4 home win with seven different scorers. It all got too much for Hotham as he picked up a misconduct and game misconduct for abuse of officials with twenty seconds left to play. Guess Andrew doesn't like losing much. That result was good enough to propel Neilson's men to the top of the table as the Storm crashed to the Giants in Northern Ireland, 9-3. Veteran Steve Saviano was the man of the moment for Adam Keefe's team, scoring four and assisting on two as the Giants ran riot. Storm captain Jay Rosehill will certainly want to forget it too, picking up 27 minutes in penalties and an early shower at 52:25 following an altercation with Kevin Raine.

Braehead enjoyed a rarity that is a four point weekend for them as another goal from Tyler Scofield proved to be the difference between them and Milton Keynes in Buckinghamshire. Gary Russell recording his first EIHL shutout with a 25 save performance, backed up by his brother John. After success in Cardiff on Saturday, Fife made an excellent start at Guildford scoring inside the first three minutes through Shayne Stockton. Alas that was as good as it got, as the Flames scored six without reply to which this time the Flyers had no response to; Kruise Reddick scoring twice. Then Coventry's inconsistencies showed in Sunday's remaining game as the Capitals defeated them 5-2 to record only their second win of the season with Marek Tvrdon and Pavel Vorobyev both at the double in front of only 647 supporters inside Murrayfield.

And that's the Rink Round-Up for another week.

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