Big Match Preview: Cardiff (Away)

After the big game on Saturday night against the Panthers, the boys take the long bus trip to South Wales and Cardiff at the Big Blue Tent. It's the first of four league encounters with the Devils down here and promises to be another hard fought game.

Andrew Lord has assembled a very good roster indeed this season, again. He might have lost Matthew Myers back to Nottingham and Doug Clarkson to Dundee. However, he has brought in power forward Leigh Salters from Braehead and sniper Gui Doucet from Nottingham. With Ben Bowns backstopping a defence that still includes Tyson Marsh, once a Sheffield target, this is a very solid team. And notoriously hard to beat on their own ice.

Last Meeting: The last time the two sides met was on the first Sunday of the new season, just like it was 12 months previous. A Challenge Cup game saw the Devils jump into a 2-0 lead by the 10 minutes and every time that Steelers got within one goal, the home side immediately extended that two goal margin back. A late empty net goal from Jake Morrisette secured a 5-3 win on the night and sent the majority home very happy indeed.

Links Between The Sides: Many players have worn both the uniforms of the Devils and the Steelers. In fact Panthers aside, by my reckoning, the Devils and Steelers have shared a lot of players contracts over the years. Names that come to mind immediately include Vezio Sacratini, Tylor Michel, Gerad Adams (who has played and coached both teams), Phil Hill. GB and Steelers captain Jonathan Phillips is also in this list of names.

Jonathan Phillips (in GB colours here) has played for both clubs

Overall Record: The first encounter of these famous clubs took place in Cardiff as a Challenge game in November 1992. Devils won that one 16-5, somehow I can't see that score getting replicated on Sunday or at all. Since then the two teams faced off 179 more times, second only to the number of games played against the Panthers.

Steelers currently hold the advantage in those 180 games with 91 wins to their name whilst the South Wales outfit have 74 victories recorded. There have been 15 tied encounters and you have to go back to a pre-season game before the 2011-12 season to see that and that was also in Cardiff, a 2-2 draw.

The Players To Watch: Tyler Mosienko (Steelers) - The grandson of NHL Hall of Famer Bill has had a blistering start to his second season in Steelers colours. Prior to this Saturday night against Nottingham, "Mosi" has already lit the opposing team's lamp nine times and assisted on four. If that is not a sign of a player on top of his game then I do wonder what is. He is certainly proving to be a fan favourite and his "Eddys" are certainly worth watching, from paddling a canoe to moonwalking like Michael Jackson.

Gui Doucet (Devils) - Signed on a two year deal from Nottingham in the summer, the 29 year old sniper is one man you don't want to give chances to. Scorer of 50 goals in his dèbut EIHL with the sadly departed Hull Stingrays, Gui added a further 19 (including 2 in the post season) during a short spell in Pantherland. He certainly knows where the net is so will be a player we will need to keep a close eye on.

Game Prediction: Devils, as stated at the start, are very hard to beat in the BBT. We have had some success there in the past so it is not beyond us to win there. However with their passionate "Red Army" support behind them, and the small confines of the rink there, I expect Cardiff to come out on top Sunday night but we will push them hard. Devils to win 4-3 after overtime. Let's hope the "ice" is better and resembles a decent playing surface this time too. 

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Big Match Preview - Nottingham (Home)

Apologies for the missing interview with an opposing fan this time for the first encounter with the Panthers, I am still waiting on him to get back to me. If he does after this one is published then I will take this particular preview down and replace accordingly.

Well Saturday night hockey again and this time the first look at the Panthers for the new season ahead. After by their own admission, a very bad season, last term Corey Neilson has again shuffled his pack to get back on track. Some fans in the Lace City have been reserved to question why he continued but Neil Black/Gary Moran obviously believe in the Oromocto (sounds like a character from He-Man or was that Orko) born native. Should there be another trophy-less season, will the heat get to Corey?

Last Meeting: This is the first encounter of the two sides in 2015-16, and he first of three games in October between us both. Panthers last game at the House Of Steel saw the Steelers come out on top in 4-2 win in regulation. Mathieu Roy scored twice that night, his second being an empty netter after K-Wall had been sacrificed for an extra skater for the last 46 seconds. He will be hoping to continue this Saturday night. Panthers goals in this game came from Greg "Juice" Jacina and Charles Landry. Jeff Legue and Mike Forney were Steelers scorers.

Links Between The Sides: Links between the sides? Where do we start with that? There have been so many players who have dressed in both Steelers and Panthers colours since the rivalry began. We've even shared some coaches too in Alex Dampier and Michael Walter Blaisdell. Just to mention a few then, how about Robert Farmer, Paul Moran (yes the son of Gary), Calle Carlsson and Stefan Sjögren.

Danny Meyers: Has been both a Panther and a Steeler

Overall Record: Saturday night marks the 216th game between these two sides which shows how far we have come since that first ever game back in August 1992 which Panthers won 4-3. Both sides have dished out some beatings in terms of results to each other it has to be said, Steelers 10-1 hammering of Nottingham days after sacking Don McKee in 1999 sticks in the memory banks, as does Panthers trouncing us 9-1 in November 1997 in the Express Cup. We've never conceded double figures in the Lace City mind you..

The Players To Watch: Tyler Plante (Steelers) - New to the netminding duty this season, the son of Cam Plante has done an incredible job so far. With a GAA of a meagre 1.62 (his opposing number in the Panthers cage has 1.58) and a couple of shut outs banked - he's not done too bad so far. A tall goalie, he certainly does fill a lot of the net and will need to be on the top of his game if he is to keep the Steelers winning run going and record his first win over the visitors.

David Ling (Nottingham) - No stranger to the EIHL, the former 93 game NHLer's re-arrival in Nottingham has got the Panthers supporters excited. And is it any wonder too? Ling was a pivotal figure in 2013 as Neilson's men finally broke the team's league hoodoo after 57 seasons of nothing, and helped them to a treble that season. Panthers will be hoping that his return will have a similar effect, and despite being 40 years old these days, it will be interesting to see if he has another stellar campaign as his career draws to a close.

Game Prediction: Panthers vs Steelers games are notoriously difficult to call. Basically whichever team settles the better first, usually will go on and win the game. Panthers have an excellent powerplay, something that you have to give Neilson credit for, and in David Clarke have one of the best snipers on the man advantage. Steelers penalty kill needs to be sharp to deny him space. That said, the home defence have been - bar that crazy game in Dundee - very tight and have not given much up. Offensively, both sides have goals in them and could run riot given half the chance. 

With Panthers defensive core stretched, they only had five defencemen ice last Sunday in Altrincham, a lot of these are gonna log up some serious minutes on the big ice in Sheffield. I'm taking Sheffield to win 3-1 with an empty netter to seal the deal and make it another happy Saturday for Paul Thompson. 

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5 Things we learned from the week ending 4 October

Thank you to Tony once more for his contribution to FSB, All Credit for this piece goes to him so any queries you can contact Tony on Twitter @DISGU15ED.

 

Another 7 days and another 5 things we learnt this week:

1> Big tests + Big Answers - Many said that Belfast, who were on seven game winning streak, would be our first big test this year. I think a 5-0 demolition in the first 30 minutes of Saturday's game gave them the answers. 

2> Mosi Moonwalking - Ty certainly takes his victory celebrations seriously. Loved his canoe last year, and now he's moonwalking. Looking forward to his next Eddy already.

3> Fretter Coast to Coast - Almost forgotten in the Saturday blitz was the highlight reel effort for goal number six. He couldn't have been any closer to the end boards when he picked up the puck, he then rounded one, went between another two, held of the first D, tucked it past Murphy, leaving Nickerson just staring. More here: https://youtu.be/vp7071-XV5k

4> Special Teams - Did you notice that Belfast's only goals came when we only had three outskaters on the ice? Awesome D this year! Just as well as our PP is only firing at 11.1% which leaves us 8th in the league. Imagine when we get that going!

5> It's Jeff Legue - Looking sharp after a focused pre-season, and now hitting the 100 goals in the Arena milestone before it became a millstone. Cheers Jeff, and that leaves him third in all-time Elite league point scoring behind Tait and Clarke, and still the best semi-naked banjo player we've ever seen at the Steelers!

Storm watch - so close this weekend, with a SO away loss in Fife, and then leading the Panthers at the start of the third before losing 4-2. Some clouds appear to be gathering. 

The final thought for tonight is how much to look forward to this weekend's Panthers game - both teams on hot form, both teams wanting an early season marker, but it's only a cup game and we've both already qualified. Dare we back off, or go full bore? Saturday will tell.

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The Elite Report - September reviewed

Well then folks, the season is now officially one month old. Doesn't seem two minutes since we were all waiting for the puck to drop on the season start. Some teams have made excellent starts, some haven't whilst a few have blown hot and cold. With that in mind, here's my winners and losers awards for the first month's action.

 

If you don't agree then I quite frankly couldn't give a hoot, this is just a bit of fun. Got that? Well onto the monthly awards.

 

Team of the Month: Skate forward the Sheffield Steelers, and I'm not being biased at all here. New coach, new players and new ideas. Despite a loss in Cardiff, Steelers have swept all before them since. Up to last Saturday, they had conceded a misery single goal in 180 minutes, scoring 17 times at the other end. The players are buying certainly into Paul Thompson's philosophy and it's certainly working.

 

Flops of the Month: It has to be Chuck Weber and his Coventry Blaze team. Save for a single goal win over Nottingham, the season start has mirrored the pre-season campaign. Heavy beatings and already blanked out three times, these are troubled times for the West Midlands side especially after the euphoria of last season's superb Play-Off Final win. Players will soon be playing for their jobs (if they aren't already) and that's not good.

 

Coach of the Month: I'm gonna surprise you all here and not award it to Paul Thompson. Bet you were all expecting that. No the winners, yes it's a joint award for this inaugural month, are Marc LeFebvre and Omar Pacha. LeFebvre had a torrid time at Coventry 12 months ago but has returned to these shores and already is making a great impression on Tayside. Wins over both highly fancied Belfast and Braehead, and points taken from both Nottingham and Sheffield. That's damn good.

 

Pacha earns his vote for the brilliant job that he and his back room have done in Manchester. A roster assembled in double quick time, and they haven't done too bad really. A much deserved first win last Saturday night, they are proving to be a tough cookie for whoever faces in them in opposition. Take a decent round of applause Mr Pacha.

 

Player of the Month: A fair few candidates for this one. Ryan Hayes has proved to the Capitals fans that there is definitely life after Renè Jarolin, Tyler Mosienko is having an excellent start to his second season in Sheffield and Gui Doucet is already proving to be a hit in the Principality for Andrew Lord's Devils. Yet I am going to go for a player than is new to these shores and has already notched a hat-trick this season. He also impressed me on Sunday night in the Arena too. My player of the month is Luke Salazar of the Manchester Storm.

 

Douchebag of the Month: One winner of this and it was decided even before the season started. It's Theo Peckham (see I like being controversial) who didn't join the Nottingham Panthers. The official word has it that it was Visa issues but I am sure there's more to it that than. I feel he was playing a game with Gary Moron and Corey, wanting to have another shot in "The Show" rather than playing over here. Hasn't stopped Cam Janssen though..

 

And that's that. In the week that sees David Ling come back to Nottingham, even though he's a handy player at 40 still, I am sure that you won't get anyone outside NG1 whooping with excitement. Jamie Black (son of Neil) was like a kid at Xmas with his tweet about, he probably wet himself when he found out. Time will tell if this signing is a good one or not. Enjoy your hockey weekend where you watch it, I'll be back next week with more musings.  

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Big Match Preview - Belfast Home Double Header

This weekend promises to be huge in every sense of the word. Two massive home games and two games which will definitely tell us how good we are, it's the archetypal yardstick games. Visiting the House of Steel are the Belfast Giants and with them are former Steelers Mike Forney and Colin Shields. Giants are now under the control of veteran defenceman Derrick Walser, and whilst he won't be playing or coaching due to a two game suspension, they promise to give us our sternest test so far.

 

Helping FSB set the scene for this cracking weekend is Giants supporter John Tregaskis. This is what John had to say:

FSB: So how would you describe last season for the Giants?

 

JT: Well if I was allowed to tell you the truth, I would be probably banned. It was in a single word, crap.

 

FSB: Do you think that the appointment of Derrick Walser was a sign that Steve Thornton had taken too much on last season, and what are you expecting from Walser as a player-coach?

 

JT: No, Thorney (Steve Thornton) was purely brought in as Director of Hockey Operations not as General Manager. Your man (Todd) Kelman knew exactly what he was doing and knew all along that the whole package was too much for a single person.

 

As regards Derrick Walser's appointment, it's great to have a breath of fresh air so to speak. A clean sweep in other words. He's kept the Brit Pack bar two, but overall I think we have better players this season.

 

FSB: Was the signing of Kevin Westgarth last season regarded as a success or a big let down?

 

JT: Westgarth was a great player. It was clear that he was a NHL standard player in the way he read the game and with his passing. Personally I think there was a fall out between Thornton and him, hence why would you see an ex-NHLer on the bench during the play-off finals. But that's how I see it.

 

FSB: Which of your new players are you most excited about?

 

JT: What new players, where do I start here? Wilson is a very strong player, Ganzac is just great and Forney is starting to show us now why we brought him in. Benny is superb here playing purely as office cover but playing his proverbial socks off, Radja possesses great hands and Beech is a fantastic skater. Up to his upper body injury Higgins was doing just great too.

 

FSB: You have had a look at some of your rivals already this season. Which of them actually impressed you and which ones, if any, didn't?

 

JT: To be honest, all of the teams have stepped up to the plate and improved. Manchester look very strong, the Caps have recruited well but I can see them fading away. Dundee I think need a bit of an improvement, and as for the Devils - ask me in January after they are firmly in place at their new rink.

Clan are like Manchester, very strong but seem to run out of steam. Haven't seen anything of the Blaze yet this season, but we beat the Panthers ;)
 

FSB: And finally, who are the key players for both sides this weekend? Would you consider a split series as a decent haul from the two games, and what do you reckon the scores in each game will be?

JT: For you I'd say Legue, Hewitt and Fretter but I don't know much else about your team. For us there's a few, for example: Ganzac, Edjepalm, Forney, Desmarais and even Boxill has been playing very well indeed for us.

The Saturday game will go to overtime with Craig Peacock scoring the game winner after it ends 2-2 in regulation. On Sunday I can see us skating away with a 5-3 win so I've given you a point from both games lol.

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