Rink Round-Up: Week 15

Welcome to your Elite League Rink Round-Up; the look at the EIHL action which doesn't feature the Steelers.

The fifteenth week of the EIHL season began with a sole game on Friday as the two basement dwellers played each other in the Dundee Ice Arena. Come the end, it was the home supporters who were going home the happier as the Stars defeated the Caps 4-2. Former Fife Flyer Justin Fox proved to be the difference, scoring a hat-trick for his new employers including the insurance fourth goal with just under two minutes left to play.

Into Saturday night now, and whilst the Steelers were crumbling in South Wales: there were three other Elite League games and a first leg of a Challenge Cup quarter-final. We'll start with the latter and the second leg is very finely poised after Fife were held to a 3-3 tie by visitors Belfast. The Giants though will be seething as they had led this 3-1 after just twenty minutes play but Fife are a good hockey team this season and deservedly got parity with two second period strikes. Neither side could grab an advantage so it's all to play for.

League games saw Nottingham suffer another loss but this time they got their first point in three games. The Meerkat, Robert Farmer to the uneducated, had given them the lead early in the second but goals from Dallas Ehrhardt and in overtime, Matt Beca saw the Storm take the honours. Milton Keynes took the honours in their "derby" with the Blaze, scorching to a 6-1 home win with Tommy Mele scoring twice for Pete Russell's men. Whilst there was also another impressive win for Guildford as they recovered from a 3-1 second period deficit to score four answered in the third and defeat Braehead 5-3 with Ian Watters scoring two of them.

Sunday saw more misery for the Panthers who seem to have a bit of a rough patch this month as fellow title hopefuls Belfast mauled them 6-2 in the NIC. Giants top scorer Sebastian Sylvestre scored a hat-trick for Adam Keefe's men who dominated the middle period with a three goal blast that put daylight between the sides. Cardiff are still leading the pack but they had to battle for the points against Braehead, 6-4 being the final score. Clan looked well set for the points as they led 3-1 at one stage with Craig Peacock on target twice, yet Devils then replied with five goals without reply with Layne Ulmer and captain Jake Morissette scoring doubles. 

Guildford are still riding high in the top half of the table as they saw off bottom placed Edinburgh 7-2 in Murrayfield. Liam Stewart scored twice as did Brett Ferguson for the Flames who now move into an impressive fourth place in the table. Whilst an ill-tempered game in the Sky Dome saw some relief for the under-fire (apologies for the pun) Danny Stewart as a five goal first period helped propel the Blaze to a 7-2 home win over the visiting Storm; the league's leading scorer Marc-Olivier Vallerand scored a treble to take him onto 26 goals in all competitions before Christmas.

So endeth this week's Rink 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

Rink Round-Up: Weeks 13 and 14

Welcome to a double header of the Rink Round-Up.

We will start matters with week number 13, and that began on the Wednesday night. Whilst the Steelers were dismantling the Stars on Tayside, the current EIHL champions were in Murrayfield against the Caps. It certainly didn't look good after one period as Edinburgh led 2-0 but Devils rallied in the second to lead 4-2 abetted by a Matt Pope brace. Callum Boyd made it 4-3 but Drew Paris sealed the points for the Devils at 45:18 and the Caps had no way back in a game that had just one minor penalty called all night.

Onto the Saturday of that week now. We will start this day with the Devils trip to Manchester, and what a game this was. Physical and full of action, meaning the crowd were not short on entertainment. Devils managed to edge it by the odd goal in seven and it took an overtime strike from Sean Bentivoglio to ensure the points went to South Wales. Another competitive game was in Milton Keynes as the home side took on Belfast which meant Matt Nickerson faced his former employers. Nickerson, believe it or not, opened the scoring but Giants stepped onto the gas after that and eventually ran out 6-3 winners in Buckinghamshire with Darcy Murphy and Steve Saviano both scoring twice.

Despite taking a second period lead at Braehead through the prolific Marc-Olivier Vallerand, it wasn't to be the Blaze's night as the home side bounced back to score three unanswered and secure a 3-1 home win in Renfrewshire. The two clubs at the bottom of the table had no luck either, Fife seeing off Edinburgh 6-2 helped by braces from Danick Gauthier and Shayne Stockton whilst Dundee were defeated 7-3 at Guildford for whom impressive defenceman Calle Ackered had another multi-point night.

Into Sunday, and it was the Neil Black derby at Braehead as the Panthers took on the Clan and it proved to be a success for Corey Neilson as they defeated their hosts 3-0. Patrick Galbraith had a 43 save shutout for the Panthers as Clan did everything but score. Dundee had been beaten comprehensively on Saturday but on Sunday in IAW; they slipped to an unlucky 3-2 loss with Joey Haddad scoring that all-important winner in the second period but Joey DeConcilys made them sweat for it. Guildford also completed a four point weekend as they overcame the visiting Giants 5-3 in an ill tempered game that really kicked off in the last four seconds.

Another game which had its fair share of penalty minutes came in the Sky Dome and it was the visiting Storm who left the happier, as they recorded a 4-2 road win with former Clan centre Mike Hammond scoring that all important security goal. Whilst Sunday's final game saw more misery for the hapless Caps as they were defeated at home by Fife by 5-1. Carlo Finucci scored a hat-trick for Todd Dutiaume's men who took the game away from their hosts with a third period blast and completed a successful home and home in as many nights.

Time for week 14's round up now and that began on the same Friday evening as the Steelers travelled to and won in Braehead. The other game came in Ice Arena Wales as Guildford travelled to Cardiff, and the home side were three goals to the good before the 24 minute mark. However, Flames scored twice in the closing stages of the second period to reduce it to a one goal game. Cardiff secured the points though with an empty netter from captain Jake Morissette with just 24 seconds left, leaving the Flames pointless and rueing the six other power play chances they were given on the night.

Saturday saw Cardiff win again, and inflict a rare defeat on the Panthers. Andrew Lord's outshot their hosts 37-21 and fully deserved their win thanks to goals from Paul Crowder and Joey Martin; making Zack Phillips' third period strike for Panthers a consolation. Signs then that the current champions are starting to get into a groove and won't relinquish their title without a fight. In another huge game, Belfast overcame Manchester 6-4 in the Storm Shelter thanks to two goals in the last 76 seconds after the teams had traded goals with frequent regularity.

Coventry got a much needed win, seeing off Braehead 4-3 after overtime in the Sky Dome. Captain Jordan Pietrus scoring the winner exactly 60 seconds into the extra period, and completing a three point personal haul on the night in question. Also getting a much needed win in the other game were Milton Keynes as they saw off Dundee 5-1 in Buckinghamshire; a four goal first period saw to that with three of them coming in the opening five minutes. Brian Hart reduced the margin midway through the third but Tommy Mele ensured Pete Russell's men would go nap.

Finally we have Sunday and it ended being a zero point weekend for the Panthers as they slipped to a 5-2 loss in Guildford. Jesse Craige scored twice for Paul Dixon's men as they put a question mark against the title credentials of Corey Neilson's men whilst former Steeler Geoff Walker was also on target for the Flames. Danny Stewart will be feeling a lot happier as his Blaze side completed a rare four point weekend as they recovered from a 2-0 deficit to win 4-2 in Edinburgh, captain Pietrus scoring twice in the comeback.

Manchester seem to be slipping away from the title race as Omar Pacha enjoyed a victory against his old club, 5-3 the score. Three unanswered goals in the final period changed the outcome of the game with the deal being completely sealed by another former Storm player in Adam Harding. A much needed win for the short benched Stars. And to finish with, it was a good Sunday for the impressive Fife Flyers as they saw off the visiting Lightning 5-2 in the Auld Barn: helped by a brace from one game NHLer Peter LeBlanc.

And that's the double header of a Rink Round-Up 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
@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 12

Our look back at the rest of the Elite League action that didn't involve the Steelers. Games up to and including Sunday 26 November 2017.

Starting first with the Challenge Cup, and a dead rubber game in Steelers qualifying group as Manchester Storm hosted the Nottingham Panthers. Panthers gave rare ice time to third choice netminder Sam Gospel, defencemen Josh Tetlow and Joseph Hazeldine and highly rated forward Jordan Kelsall. However the youngsters were to taste defeat as a second period Luke Moffatt hat-trick helped propel the Storm to a 5-3 win, with Storm defenceman Linden Springer having a couple of fights too.

Fife had beaten Cardiff a few weeks ago in Ice Arena Wales, but this time the Elite League Champions didn't let a lead slip as they recovered from a 2-0 deficit to see off their hosts 4-3. Paul Crowder's goal midway through the final period clinched the points for the Devils, and despite Danick Gauthier making it a one goal hockey game with 55 seconds left: Fife couldn't force overtime. 

Belfast's away run of games began with a win by the odd goal in nine at Coventry. Brendan Connolly scoring the game winner just 20 seconds into overtime, with John Kurtz and Brett Robinson picking braces for their respective sides. Braehead took the M8 derby against the visiting Edinburgh Capitals by an 8-2 scoreline; player-assistant coach Brendan Brooks picking up 3+2 against the league's basement side. Whilst Guildford's trip to Tayside was a fruitful one as they blanked out the Stars 5-0; former Steeler Geoff Walker on target for the Flames who also had a 22 save shutout for netminder Chris Carrozzi - his second of the season.

Moving into Sunday now, and it looked again like the writing was on the proverbial wall for Fife as they trailed the Panthers 3-0 with only 11:12 gone and then 4-1 midway through the second. But once more Fife fought back and took the maximum point haul thanks to Ian Young's second of the game just 36 seconds into the overtime period. Belfast enjoyed another successful raid at IAW as they won 4-3 after a shootout. Cardiff looked set for a win until Connolly scored a leveller with just five seconds left and then in the shootout; it was left to the returning David Rutherford to beat Ben Bowns in the fifth round to secure another win for Adam Keefe's men.

Guildford also secured a four point weekend as they saw off the visiting Milton Keynes Lightning 7-3 at the Spectrum. GB internationalist Ben Davies scored twice for Paul Dixon's men and Swedish defenceman Calle Ackered had yet another multi point night; adding to his ever increasing profile. Finally, in the basement battle Edinburgh Capitals enjoyed just only their second league win of the season as they defeated Dundee 5-3 at Murrayfield. Experienced Kazakhstani forward Sergei Banashkov led by example with 1+2, including the strike that stood up as the eventual game winner.

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

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 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.

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 10

Welcome once more to your latest Rink Round-Up, a look back on the rest of the Elite League action not involving the Steelers.

There were no other midweek games other than the Steelers and Dundee one so we will fast forward the review onto Saturday night. Like Steelers and Manchester, the Panthers and the Clan were also in Challenge Cup action and faced off against each other in the NIC. Panthers were the ones smiling at the end as they secured their place in the quarter finals of the aforementioned competition with a 5-1 win on home ice. A scoreless first period was broken early in the second when Dan Spang netted for the home side, and although Ryan Potulny levelled matters within 53 seconds, Panthers then scored four without reply to advance.

Into league action now, Cardiff continued their excellent form as they shutout the Giants in the O by virtue of a 3-0 scoreline. Jackson Whistle made 43 saves for the Giants but they were second best to Andrew Lord's men who netted through Justin Faryna, Gleason Fournier and Joey Martin. Also continuing their good form are Fife as they brushed Dundee aside 5-1 with Peter LeBlanc starring with a 1+2 night and the Flyers special teams contributing in three of the five goals that found its way past Travis Fullerton.

Milton Keynes and Coventry shared nine goals in their encounter, with the former coming out on top thanks to an overtime winner from former Storm defenceman Paul Phillips. Blaze outshot their hosts 48 to 32, but Lightning were indebted to another stellar performance by netminder Miika Wiikman and a brace from captain Kevin King as they picked up two more EIHL points. Finally and predictably so, Edinburgh's trip to Guildford was a losing as the Flames skated away with a 7-0 win with Brett Ferguson scoring twice and netminder Chris Carrozzi recording a 19 save shutout.

Onto Sunday, Edinburgh faced a daunting trip to Cardiff and shipped seven goals for the second night in succession. However, they did score two of their own through Marek Tvrdon. Justin Faryna scored twice for the Devils who scored five unanswered goals at one stage to put the game beyond the Caps. Current leaders Manchester celebrated the shirt retirement of Mike Morin before the visit of Milton Keynes but couldn't cap it with a win for their assistant coach as Lightning skated to a 5-4 overtime win with Francois Verreault-Paul scoring twice and three powerplay strikes hurting their hosts for whom defenceman Matt Stanisz had a multi-point night.

Belfast's weekend woes continued with a second successive shutout as they were defeated 2-0 by Dundee on Tayside. Travis Fullerton enjoyed a 28 save shutout whilst goals from Johan Andersson and Brian Hart ensured Chris Truehl's Giants debut wouldn't be a winning one. Fife got their hands on another four point weekend as they defeated Coventry 4-3 in the SkyDome, the impressive Evan Bloodoff's third period powerplay strike being the game winner despite Ben Lake scoring twice for the Blaze and Ryan Dingle netting against his old club. To conclude this week's review, Braehead got a much needed confidence boost as they recovered from a two goal deficit to see off Guildford 3-2 thanks to a double from Tyler Scofield.

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 9

Welcome once more to your weekly Rink Round-Up, your look back at the rest of the Elite League action that does not involve the Steelers.

Week number nine began on Friday with a couple of games. First of all the Nottingham Panthers paid host to Guildford Flames; and they didn't have it all their own way. They made the perfect start, Ollie Betteridge scoring less than 3 minutes in. But Guildford equalised late in the second thanks to the son of Rod, aka Liam Stewart. No goals followed in the third but Panthers got the extra point when Zack Phillips fired past Chris Carrozzi 53 seconds into overtime. Panthers were also indebted seriously to Patrick Galbraith who saved 39 Flames efforts.

Belfast made their Friday evening trip to Tayside count, coming away with a 5-2 road win. Colin Shields bagged a couple and Brendan Connolly 1+3 as they picked up two valuable points.

League leaders Manchester Storm weren't so lucky on the Saturday night in the same Tayside building as the Stars shone for Omar Pacha against his old club. Justin Fox's first for the club 44 seconds from the end made it 4-4 on the night, and then Marc Olivier-Mimar scored the crucial penalty shot in the sixth round to secure the points. Despite conceding first, the Panthers scored four unanswered to lead 4-1 by the 29th minute at Milton Keynes. Two powerplay strikes from ex-Panther Guillaume Doucet and ex-Cardiff Devil Carl Hudson hauled the Lightning back to within one but the Meerkat secured a four point haul with an empty netter 19 seconds from the end.

Also having a four point weekend were the Giants as they recorded a 4-2 win at Fife. A third goal blast by 24 minutes had them in control, and although Danick Gauthier and Ian Young made it a single goal hockey game, Cole Jarrett sealed the deal with an empty net goal 33 seconds from the final buzzer. Braehead put their recent woes behind them as they took the M8 derby 5-2 at Murrayfield, player-assistant coach Brendan Brooks scored twice and Ryan Poultny had three assists as the Clan got back to winning ways despite squandering a two goal first period lead.

In Saturday's other game, Guildford hosted the Blaze and it was the visitors who were smiling at the end as they recorded a 4-1 away triumph. Marc Olivier-Vallerand scored twice for a short benched Coventry who certainly made their presence felt in Surrey as they also picked up 53 penalty minutes off referee Tom Darnell whilst the Flames accrued just 6. Vallerand and skipper Jordan Pietrus both scored twice in Sunday's sole game as Coventry beat Milton Keynes 5-3 in the SkyDome; Lightning skipper Kevin King notching a brace for Pete Russell's men.

And that's your Rink 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

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

Rink Round-Up: Week 7

Welcome everyone to this week's Rink Round-Up; your look back at the rest of the Elite League action not featuring the Steelers.

The week began last Wednesday when the two Neil Black owned clubs took on each other at the Braehead Arena whilst the Steelers were winning in Edinburgh. As it was, the Panthers were the ones who were celebrating at the end as they recorded a 5-3 road win thanks to a decisive early third period goal from Josh Shalla. Panthers defenceman Yann Sauvé continued his impressive campaign by bagging a couple of goals whilst Tyler Scofield impressed for the Clan with a brace of his own.

Friday night was the next stop for Elite League action, as newcomers Guildford travelled to Northern Ireland to face the Giants. It proved to be an entertaining game as the hosts edged it by the odd goal in nine. Darcy Murphy's powerplay strike midway through the final period standing up as the game winner after the Flames had drawn level. Both goalies were incredibly busy throughout, Flames Chris Carrozzi facing 51 shots and Jackson Whistle of the Giants, 44. We certainly think the fans had their money's worth.

The following night we had a full complement of fixtures featuring the remaining ten member clubs. Steelers shutout the champions Cardiff as you know, yet it wasn't enough to secure top spot as leaders Manchester overcame Fife 3-2 in the Storm Shelter. It had been a goalless opening period but the second saw the teams share four goals, Fife rallying from a 2-0 deficit. Yet Storm got their game winner at 47:21, former Braehead centre Mike Hammond scoring that all-important goal. Also winning 3-2, albeit in overtime, were Dundee as they made their long trip to Coventry a worthwhile one. Defenceman Riley Stadel scoring a hat-trick in a brilliant personal performance.

With twenty minutes left to play in the NIC, few would have believed that the Panthers and Edinburgh would be locked level at 2-2 but they certainly were. However three goals in just 81 seconds put the game beyond the plucky Capitals for whom Pavel Shegalo made 49 saves. Milton Keynes had five imports missing as they travelled to Braehead but came out of it with credit as the Clan edged past them by the odd strike in seven, former NHLer Ryan Poultny scoring twice for the home team although Francois Verreault-Paul's goal midway through the final period ensured a nervy finish.

Onto Sunday, and all twelve teams were in action. Leaders Manchester suffered a bump in the road as they slipped to a 6-4 loss to a Rhett Rachinski inspired Guildford. The Flames forward netted a treble in two minutes and impressive Swedish defenceman Calle Ackered added two to propel their side to a 5-0 lead before the halfway stage. Storm did rally with two Matt Beca powerplay strikes in their four but they couldn't get any closer than they did. Bouncing back were Cardiff as they defeated the visiting Panthers 6-2, captain Jake Morissette leading by example with a hat-trick despite the visitors outshooting their hosts 33-24.

Fife continued their good form against visitors Braehead and took the spoils with a 5-2 home win thanks to Liam Heelis and Evan Bloodoff who both scored twice for Todd Dutiaume's men. Meanwhile in Dundee, it was a case of role reversal as Coventry defeated the Stars 2-1 thanks to an overtime winner from Adam Courchiane 59 seconds before the game looked set for penalties. Concluding the action, Milton Keynes' trip to Edinburgh proved to be a good one as they recorded a 5-2 road triumph thanks to five different scorers. The two sides had the same amount of shots in the game but the Lightning proved to be that bit more clinical and came away with the points.

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

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 6

It's time again to look back on the week that was around the rest of the Elite League in your "Rink Round-Up". Which result(s) stood out the most, all will be revealed here. Time to read on and find out.

Whilst the Steelers were taking on the Panthers, there were two more Elite League games and the remaining three were in the Challenge Cup as this competition nears the end of the initial group stages. Looking at the two Elite League games first then, it was a good Saturday night for Braehead as they won the M8 derby with the visiting Capitals, 5-3. Clan roared into a 4-1 lead by the end of the second and despite Edinburgh making it a one goal game midway through the final twenty, Brendan Brooks' second of the game into the empty net with 45 seconds left secured the points for John Tripp's men.

Manchester Storm had a real battle on their hands with Dundee Stars as their opponents led 3-0 after the opening period, former Storm players Adam Harding and Taylor Dickin on target against their former employers. However Storm hauled themselves back into and Mike Hammond's shorthanded effort in the final two minutes forced overtime. No further scoring ensued after that so it was left to penalties, and Ciaran Long was the only one to score as Stars failed to convert on their three chances.

In the Challenge Cup, it was an excellent Saturday for Adam Keefe's Belfast Giants as they dispatched the Fife Flyers 5-0 in the O. Former NHLer Jonathan Ferland scored twice for the home side, and Jackson Whistle enjoyed a 18 save shutout. Cardiff's stuttering defence of the Challenge Cup continued with a 3-2 home loss to Guildford, Jesse Craige scoring the game winner 27 seconds into overtime for Paul Dixon's men. Despite being outshot comfortably, Milton Keynes doused the Coventry Blaze 5-1 in Buckinghamshire. Pete Russell's men were indebted to Miika Wiikman who stopped 44 out of 45 Blaze efforts whilst Ben Foster, Paul Phillips and Denny Kearney all had multi point nights in offence.

Onto Sunday, Coventry's miserable Challenge Cup weekend continued when they slipped to a 3-2 loss at home to Cardiff. Devils player-coach Andrew Lord getting what turned out to be the decisive goal early in the second period in a game which leaves Blaze's hopes completely in tatters as they only have one point so far. In the other Challenge Cup game, Milton Keynes recorded a four point CC weekend with a 3-2 win in Guildford. That game was decided on penalty shots and it took five rounds to decide that with Francois Verreault-Paul being the man who netted decisive shot and again Wiikman had another immense game with 40 saves from 42 faced.

Elite League leaders Manchester Storm made the long trip to Edinburgh, and after a scoreless opening period: they recorded a 3-1 away win despite losing captain Jay Rosehill to a 5+Game for a checking to the head penalty in the second period. A fantastic four goal opening period for Corey Neilson's Panthers was the catalyst for them as they defeated the Giants 6-3 in the NIC, two second period strikes from Evan Mosey really the skids under the visitors and made the two third period goals for the Giants be just consolation. Finally, a brace from Chase Schaber was a great help for Fife as they defeated fierce rivals Braehead 5-1 in the "Auld Barn"; a game which saw Clan put just 18 shots on Flyers netminder Andy Iles.

And that was the week just gone...

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 5

Welcome once more everybody for your weekly look back at events in the rest of the Elite League, it's time for Rink Round-Up.

In the standout league game on Saturday, Cardiff Devils entertained the Belfast Giants on the back of a superb 5-1 win in the CHL against Vaxjö Lakers and it looked like they would record another home win when they led 3-1 in the early part of the second period. However, Adam Keefe's team bounced back to skate away with a 5-3 road win, Sebastian Sylvestre getting the all important insurance marker deep in the third which had more than it's fair share of incident; Giants captain Blair Riley being ejected on a Game Misconduct for third man in after an altercation at 47:24.

Braehead Clan received a humiliating 7-1 loss on home to fierce rivals Fife Flyers, a result that did not sit well with either the Purple Army fan base nor coach John Tripp. Evan Bloodoff scored four goals straight as Flyers recorded their biggest away win in Renfrewshire; Tyler Shattock ruined Andy Iles' shutout plan with just over two minutes left in the game but by then most Clan fans had seen enough.

Manchester Storm were looking good at Milton Keynes Lightning as they led 2-0 before eight minutes had been played. However the hosts came bouncing back and a late winner from former Cardiff Devil Denny Kearney saw them edge it by the odd one in five. Edinburgh Capitals enjoyed their trip to Tayside, and reunion with former netminder Travis Fullerton as they recorded a 7-2 road win with Mike Cazzola grabbing 2+2 for them and making Malcolm Gould's brace for the Stars look small beer. Concluding Saturday's action in the Challenge Cup, Guildford and Coventry went to overtime before Brett Ferguson's first ever Flames goal 23 seconds in won it for Paul Dixon's men and ensure Chris Carrozzi had a winning start as injury cover for the sidelined Brian Stewart.

Onto Sunday now, Manchester played the return of their home and home series with Milton Keynes and Luke Moffatt took the individual honours with four goals in a 6-0 home win which was secured as early as 29:57. Mike Clementè picking up a 24 save shutout too for Ryan Finnerty's men who had new signing Scott Pitt making a home début. Edinburgh and Dundee also faced off again and it wasn't as convincing as Saturday but the overall result was the same; that being a win for the Caps. Dylan Anderson's goal at 45:20 standing up as the game winner despite Gabriel Lévesque's strike for Stars making it an interesting finish.

Belfast were hoping to make their trip to Coventry a winning one, but Blaze had too much firepower and recorded an impressive 6-1 home win. Marc Olivier-Vallerand scored another brace to set them on the way, and three final period goals secured the points for Danny Stewart's team who also saw Kevin Nastiuk save 29 out of 30 shots the Giants put on him. Fife entertained Guildford in the "Auld Barn" in the league's final game, and the visitors long trip proved to be a worthwhile one as they recorded a 5-3 road win. Kruise Reddick had 2+2 for the Flames in an entertaining game which was only settled by John Dunbar's sixth league goal of the season with 71 seconds left to play.

And that is your latest Rink 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

Rink Round-Up: Week 4

Welcome to the fourth edition this week of Frozen Steel Blog's Rink Round-Up: our look back at the rest of the Elite League.

On Wednesday night whilst Steelers were edging past Milton Keynes in Ice Sheffield, Cardiff made the long trip to Dundee looking to bounce back from a 6-1 loss on home ice to Manchester just three days before. And that's exactly what they did as they shut out their hosts 4-0 in the DIA. Three first period goals did all the damage early doors thanks to former Stars captain Justin Faryna, a powerplay goal from Matthew Myers and one from Patrick Asselin. Layne Ulmer scored a fourth late in the third period as Ben Bowns picked up a 23 shot shutout. 

In the NIC, Belfast Giants took an early lead through Darcy Murphy but three unanswered goals had the Panthers 3-1 ahead after twenty minutes play. The second period saw the scoring continue as the teams were locked at 4-4 going into the final minute of the period. With 41 seconds left on the buzzer, Robert Farmer pocketed Panthers fifth of the night and it was enough to stand up as the game winner as Panthers picked up the points.

There was a surprise on Saturday in the "O" as the visiting Edinburgh Capitals recorded a stunning 6-4 road win on their hosts in the Challenge Cup. Belfast gave a rare start to third choice netminder Andrew Dickson but you can only beat what it's front of you. Marek Tvrdon scoring twice and Sergei Banashkov the empty netter to seal the deal in a game that had just 8 penalty minutes called. Also in the Challenge Cup there were 3-2 wins for both the Panthers and the Lightning over Manchester and Guildford respectively, game winning goals coming from Yann Sauvé and Guillaume Doucet for both home sides. In the same competition, Dundee suffered a heavy 5-1 loss at Fife from whom Charlie Mosey scored twice for in a three goal opening period burst.

In the sole other Elite League game, Cardiff recorded their second successive shutout and win as they defeated Braehead 5-0 in Ice Arena Wales. Mark Richardson netted twice and there were goals also for Josh Batch, Sean Bentivoglio and Justin Faryna; whilst Ben Bowns saved every single one of the 23 efforts that the Clan landed on him.

Going into Sunday, there were three other Elite League games besides Blaze-Steelers and a solitary Challenge Cup one. Looking at the latter first, Dundee bounced back from their two game losing streak with a 5-1 win over the visiting Lightning. Tyler Brickler picked up 2+1 as the visitors were halted and saw both former Steeler Ashley Tait and Francis Verreault-Paul ejected by referee Pavel Halas before the end.

Onto league play, two late third period goals from Paul Swindlehurst and captain Jay Rosehill saw Manchester Storm overturn Jonathan Ferland's goal for Belfast in the Storm Shelter and record a 2-1 win for the hosts. Guildford Flames came out in a 13 goal game at the Spectrum against the Clan 8-5, despite Clan player-assistant coach Brendan Brooks scoring 57 second third period natural hat-trick. Finally, a 3+1 tally from Evan Bloodoff helped Fife complete a four point weekend as they defeated hosts Edinburgh 7-3 at Murrayfield. 

And that's your weekly 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