Big Match Preview - Fife (Home)

After Saturday night in Shakespeare's County, Warwickshire for those who are not geographically challenged, the Steelers return home to the House Of Steel and we get our first look at the 2015-16 Fife Flyers this season. It's also a dress rehearsal for next Saturday's trip to Kirkcaldy and the impending Challenge Cup quarter final encounter which sees the two teams lock horns for a place in the Final Four of that particular competition. 

First of all, an apology. We were supposed to this game previewed by our friend from Fife Miss Laura Duff or @hockey_laura as she is known in the Twitterverse. She simply forgot to send us her replies to the questions we asked her. But we're kind here in FSB Towers and have forgiven her completely. We will hear from her in some point of the season that's for sure.

So what can expect from Sunday's game? Most people think this is a certain home banker as they say in the football world, and with Flyers having a .200 away win percentage then this looks to be true. But then again we were expected to beat Edinburgh at Ice Sheffield weren't we, and we all know how that flipping well turned out! The egg on our faces has just about come off. So please no repeat of that.

Fife don't have a star studded roster, but what they will bring is a work ethic and look to frustrate us so much so that tension builds up amongst us all and hit us on the break. They have shutout Braehead and that takes some doing so we can ill afford to take them lightly. If this game was across the car park then they might have a slight chance but I just can't see anything beyond a regulation home win to be honest.

Depending how the game goes, I can also seeing Thommo giving both netminders some ice time. If we are winning, and pretty comfortably, I would not be shocked if Pinc is given a rest and Brad Day comes on. This could be the perfect game in which to do it. But then that is purely a decision for Thommo to make and not me.

Time for a score prediction then. I think we will have too much for Fife especially on the much larger ice of the Arena. Will it be settled in regulation? Of course it will. I'm going for a 5-1 home win, and should seal the deal on another four point weekend. Do you think the same? 

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Big Match Preview - Coventry (Away)

Tonight, Saturday, Steelers make a trip to Coventry to face the Blaze and hopefully continue their recent good form. Last weekend was a good weekend in Steelerland with the rarity of a four point weekend and it is genuinely possible this could be repeated.

However Blaze are scrapping and that does pose problems especially if we are not focused from the first puck drop as the Sky Dome can be a tough place to win, but equally enough we have had reasonable success there in recent times. The team needs to play like it did in Nottingham last Sunday, and if that's repeated then you can expect us to have a nice road win under our collective belts.

Blaze though will hope though that they can repeat their good performance of their own last Sunday when they took apart Cardiff 4-1. Four different scorers, and possibly this could be the turning point of their season. Of course, we will hopefully have different ideas. We are, at the time of publishing this preview, just five points off the leaders - those puddycats from Nottingham - and this could be reduced to just three after tonight's respective encounters in Coventry and Belfast.

It won't be an easy game far from it, it will be close and at times not the most spectacular. Expect a few niggles here and there especially if Cale Tanaka is in the vicinity. He is the archetypal rink rat and loves to get under opponents skins. However we are sure that Chris Lawrence will have a point to prove himself after being released from the Blaze roster earlier in the season - if he plays like many praised him to be on Sunday - then he will have a big contribution to make for us. That's if Thommo returns him in the starting line up though.

So do we have score prediction? Of course we do. I'm going for a 3-1 Steelers road win, that's how tight it will be and it will take my favourite empty netter to seal the deal for us. Do you think the same? Tell us.

 

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:-

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Hockey Soapbox - Edition 3

Here’s our third week’s Frozen Steel blog take on the ‘EIHL Question Time’ format, where we take the views of a number of fans on four or five hot topic items. Hopefully this will become a regular thing and we’ll rotate the fans so it doesn’t get stale.

If you’d like to get involved, it’s pretty simple you only have to be able to string two sentences together, then please contact Mark @frozensteelblog or Tony @DISGU15ED, or find us at the game. Also get in touch if you have ideas for questions, or feedback on what you're about to read.

Contributors this week are: Mark Duell, Robert Newbolt, Eric Green and Edited by Tony.

An easy one to start with – what was this week's main talking point in the EIHL?

Robert - Surely the Elite league record making 11-9 win by Dundee Stars must take some beating if only for novelty value. The Dundee coach said after “I hope I don’t see another game like that this season” he must have his work cut out to shore up his defence.  It should be noted this was also a shirt retirement for Tony Hand, a fact overshadowed by the game.

Mark - Cardiff's home unbeaten record being ended at last. Or should that read shattered into pieces by the Panthers. 13 games without a defeat in the BBT before last Saturday, that got blown away. Proof that the Devils are beatable on home ice, you've just got to get the tactics spot on and Neilson certainly did that.

Tony – The closeness of the league at the top – Notts beat Cardiff, Sheff beat Notts, Man beat Belfast, Fife beat Clan, even Coventry won. This weekend more than most shows that a 2 win weekend can now be seen as a ‘hot streak’ rather than expecting to go 5 or 6 straight!

Editor – In lieu of Eric answering this one, I’ll step in again! Good goals being waved off. Jono against the Clan, Roy against the Blaze and now Fretter at the NIC – they weren’t all obvious at real speed, but wouldn’t it be nice if something that important could be reviewed in slo-mo straight away rather than via highlight programmes and rants from the coaches?

It’s always an interesting week in the EIHL isn’t it, next topic is your Player of the week.

Mark - Colton Fretter for me. Absolutely fantastic in a dull as ditch water game against the Blaze and an annoying pest against the Panthers. So glad we have him.

Robert - Brett Switzer for his five goal weekend, a hat trick against Manchester and weighing in with two of the eleven that Dundee scored on Sunday.

Eric - Any player that can wear a Tartan “KILT”, complete with sporran as a uniform to play ice hockey, earns my ultimate respect. That has got to be cold around the nether-regions. So my player of the week is everyone at The Braehead Clan.

Tony - Tommy Marchin, who was named tournament MVP for his four goals and two assists for the Brown Bears at the Friendship Four in Belfast. A man who won’t stay in the NCAA for long as he’s on his way up the hockey ladder at pace. Probably the only time we’ll see him over here ever!

Now a follow on question from last week. Is Marek Pinc the problem, and is Tyler Plante the answer?

Mark - No. Pinc is not the problem. It's that mindset thing which Eric alluded to last week. Although having Plante will lift the team; he is a goalie and a half.

Robert - Problem? What problem? But seriously: he isn't the problem although the defence are more comfortable in the knowledge that when they are caught out of position a netminder of Plante's positioning and movement could save a goal.

Eric - Marek's contract has been extended. So PT must think he is a "SHORT" term fix, therefore he ain't the problem. Is Plante the answer? Don't know but Steelers obviously see him as the "BIGGER" answer. I still blame "Mind Set" guy from last week.

Tony - Much as I used to love Jody Lehman when he came out to challenge the puck carrier, I'm less convinced when Pinc does it. Maybe age has got to him and isn't as athletic as he used to be but I'd prefer a big body who sits back in the net like Bownsy or a fit-again Plante.

Looking further afield, and into the future, who do you think will win the league this year

Robert - This sounds like a trivia question. At this stage, and after this weekend, it is much tighter. No one in their right mind could predict a champion. But I think anyone from sixth upward could challenge, it is really too early to say.

Mark - Still too close to call for me. Panthers might have the advantage at the moment but if they crack and someone goes on a streak then that's game on. If we can do the latter; don't ever rule us out.

(Editor: Careful of those splinters on that fence guys!)

Eric - Well pre-season everyone was betting on the Clan. But I think this "KILT" business see them off. The team to beat is the Welsh side in my opinion; they seem to make everyone step up to beat them. Oh dear! That's a Scottish side and a Welsh side: what's happened in England?

 

Tony - It's a beauty of a league again this year and the run up to Christmas will be key. Notts have a long away run and Clan have a long home run - whoever comes out of that the best will win the league IMO. Maybe another team will go on a streak but there's very little evidence to support that idea in the results so far.

Finally, after a glorious away day victory, what’s the favourite away rink you've visited, inside or outside the EIHL.

Robert - I have not visited many away rinks recently but I like the NIC. The sight lines from everywhere are brilliant, the seating is good, but the concourse is too small. Heaven help them if they had to evacuate people in an emergency.

Mark - I'll go for Braehead. Fans are awesome, such a feel good factor there. But the one entrance and exit route is a bit of a pain. If I wasn't then I'd be a Clan fan without question.

Eric - I was going to plump for Murrayfield but if I had to wear a "KILT" to be play ice hockey then it's got to be Glasgow. "At least it ain't as cold round the nether regions"

Tony - I've still to go to Giants or Clan away and they're meant to be great. I like the NIC especially when you're sitting centre ice as the steepness of the seating makes for great views. Favourite experience is my single DEL game in the Laxness in Cologne - standing areas behind the goals with blokes chanting and waving flags. Awesome.

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

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Five things, week ending 29 November 2015

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

Four points makes Tony happy, so it's a more upbeat set of five things I learnt this week :)

1> Goals, Goals, Goals - Hands up who thought that our 9-8 beating of the Clan would be the top scoring game this season? Not this year as Edinburgh bagged nine, but still managed to lose by two! Makes our 6:4 at the NIC look a pretty average.

2> Scottish Gretzky - That game in Murrayfield saw the retirement of Tony Hand's number 9 shirt, and made me wonder exactly how many points he would have made in an 11-9 game. A challenge for our history stattos to research. I'd guess about 5 (A handful!)

3> Legue rested - This was one of a very few games where we could rest Jeff, as our two regular dual nationals are virtual certs to start every game - but whilst we have Pinc then Thommo can sit Jeff or Rodders without reducing our total import numbers. No-one is safe.

4> Goal mouth technology - Can't wait until we invest in some technology or replays as it would have given us a goal for Jono in the game against the Clan (and a point at least), another for Roy against the Blaze, and maybe another for Fretter at the NIC - and that's just in the last week or so. It's too important to leave to the current batch of zebras.

5> Desbiens est très bien - Newbie looks pretty tidy doesn't he. A big body who can hit, score and blocks shots. Carry on like that and he'll be carrying us up the table pronto.

One final thought. As Esders follows Cownie out of the door at the Clan to ply their trade in the EPL, have we seen the demise of the fourth line hockey experiment? Have coaches found that they shorten the bench at every clutch moment, which loses player engagement, or that playing the fourth line against the opposition first line just leads to problems. Either was it seems were mainly back to three v three league again.

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

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A very important announcement

On Saturday, Frozen Steel Blog received the news that Tom would be leaving us for the foreseeable future. This is a decision we fully respect and admire Tom for his absolute honesty. We aren't going to try and change his mind because we are not like that. There comes a time in a person's life when you have to make decisions for yourself ahead of others. Saturday was one of the those times.

Tom is one of the "original three" with Alan and Liam, and if you don't know who he is in person then you haven't met such a genuine and fantastic bloke. He exudes a warm personality when you come into contact with him and is the big guy sat at the top of 218 with our friends from Rock the Block.

He first started to write those long match reports which had become a staple for the blog. Goodness knows how he managed to remember all the major incidents in a hockey game, and the reports themselves painted an accurate picture of how the game went on. Many a time we used to sit down and think how did he remember this and that when we were at the same game and can't remember odd parts of it in the slightest. Absolutely incredible.

After the events with Liam had died down so to speak, it was Tom and Alan who rescued the blog from what a shambles it had become, Tom taking most of the control. He settled it down and still continued to write his pieces, and got others more and more involved. It was no longer a blog of one person. Instead it had grown into more of a bit of a community so to speak under his guidance. It was a fantastic turnaround. 

Then at the start of this season, Tom asked us if we would consider taking some more control over from him for personal reasons that are solely for Tom alone. I would like to think that between us we have taken this on and continued with the good work that Tom put in over the last 12 months and added bits to it such as the launch of the podcast and our latest idea: "Hockey Soapbox". 

Tom is, and always will be, part of the FSB family. He is as much responsible for its success as anyone. We wish him all the best in his time outside of the spotlight, and hope he comes back whenever he is ready. The door is always open, so just walk right through. Don't be a stranger, we are there for you if you need us - anytime. 

We would also like to point out that Tom will continue to provide Twitter updates of games on his personal Twitter account. In the meantime, you hope you all join us in wishing him the best in this next chapter of his life. Tom, we'll always be here buddy. 

ALWAYS.

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

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