Big Match Preview - Coventry Double Header

Games are coming thicker and faster than ever more now as we start to kick on the business end of the season; where trophies are won and lost. I'm typing this on the Sunday after losing AGAIN to those Cardiff Devils. The very same Cardiff Devils that just have been beaten by an understrength Bears team in the NIC.

Anyway we have a couple of games before the Christmas games against them Bears, sorry I mean Panthers. We face a team that is starting to click and have found a bit of form in the last few weeks, we present to you:

Yes it's the Coventry Blaze, and that means Briaaaaaannnnnn!  The very same that loves to chuck his proverbial teddies out of the pram when things ain't going his or the Blaze's way. Forget the teddy toss on Boxing Day, teddies really go in the air when Mr Stewart is not on his game - we've seen many a meltdown in his three years in the Midlands. And it's bloody entertaining to watch as well. Believe me, if you haven't seen one yet then you're in for a treat if he does go bananas.

Blaze are under the coaching these days of Danny Stewart, a man who as a player was in the truest sense, a rink rat. He loved to wind up opponents and get under their proverbial skin, and we have seen it ourselves a few times. After a sloppy start, Blaze have started to go through the gears and are playing a Stewart type game: not giving a moment's peace and quiet to those in opposition.

They also have another Stewart, no relation to Brian, but in Liam - the son of Rodney and the Kiwi babe herself Rachel Hunter. Imagine stood behind her in the snack bar, guys would just drool. Mind you my good friend Ronnie Mitchell of Braehead has actually done that, lucky guy you Ronnie! Stewart Jr is proving to be useful especially when the Blaze are shorthanded, he scored a brace in Braehead this way just 24 hours ago. That's something we need to be wary of, as well as the Blaze team which are captained by Jordan Pietrus who is a bit of a thorn shall we say when it comes to facing us.

Forewarned is definitely forearmed as they say.

But can we get a maximum haul from the Blaze before the Christmas break? Indisputably, why not. We are more than a match for Danny's guys, in fact I'd go along and say we're a lot better than them in most areas. Prediction: Steelers to win 4-2 at the Arena and 3-2 in overtime at the SkyDome the following night. Sets us up for Boxing Day, now remind me who we are playing then...
 

Thanks for reading everybody. Remember if you want to be a part of Frozen Steel you can get into touch with us on Twitter or find us on our Facebook Page, remembering to like us and leave a comment. We will then get back in touch:

@FrozenSteelBlog

@FrozenSteelMNL

@hockeybhoy

@DISGU15ED

Don't forget to listen to our weekly podcast  Breaking The Ice

It's available on iTunes to listen and download, also on Soundcloud

Or drop us an email to Frozen Steel Blog

From the Editor's Chair: Edition 17

Normally I round up a daft post for Christmas. Something on the lines of what presents members of the hockey community should get for Christmas. Daft things like for example, Moose getting some superglue for his catcher so the puck stays in there and enables him to get his well deserved shutout.

However, as in previous editions, I've kinda strayed from talking about the Steelers and done a few different things such my trip to Jönköping to watch our good friends HV71 (yes, I plan to go back) or the statistics last week. This week will be a different one too, as I talk about five players from other teams who have caught my eye this season for one way or other. Hope you enjoy...

Number one on this list is a netminder, Shane Owen of Fife:

I'll go along and say it right now, Shane Owen has been exceptional pick up for Todd Dutiaume and Fife this season. The guy is only 26 and, to be honest, got his better years ahead of him. Look what happened to Dan Bakala who came to Dundee, he's now the starting netminder for Frölunda in SHL and CHL. The same thing can happen to Owen, he's damn good. He's played with Steelers' own Mathieu Roy and Braehead's Matt Beca at Florida, in fact a number of players that have played on or are playing on these shores. Owen gives Fife a chance to win every night, and that's the sign of a good 'tender.

Number two, Pavel Voroybev of Edinburgh:

Run this past me first of all, how did the hell did the Caps acquire this guy? He's played in "The Show" for the 'Hawks, he's also played in the KHL and 98 points in 168 regular season AHL games. Want me to list any more statistics at you? He's good, and despite being 34 now, he's still damn good. Despite the Caps position, he has averaged over a point a game and that's not to be sniffed it. Never mind Jared Staal, this man is the Caps go-to guy this season. He's got to be the unsung signing of the season for a new forward, and if he was any younger: the big clubs would be looking at him as a definite signing for 17-18. Definitely!

Third on the list, Félix-Antoine Poulin of Dundee:

Another player from the Gardiner Conference. Getting to be a bit of a feature in itself isn't it haha... Only in his third season of professional hockey and he's putting up some decent numbers. Acquired from Joey Talbot's old ECHL side Alaska Aces, old Furby seems to have a found a bit of gem in this 26 year old French-Canadian. Félix is averaging almost a point a game and is the Stars' main man when on the point for the powerplay. He could be one to watch out for next season, especially if teams are looking seriously at an offensive defenceman especially on special teams.

Fourth, Manchester's Captain Fantastic himself Trevor Johnson:

I do apologise but the fourth of the list is also a Gardiner Conference player. This guy is the opposite to Mr Poulin, but one that plays a similar type of role. After over 400 games in Italy, and points almost equivalent to that - I bring you Trevor Johnson. He's the kind of powerplay defenceman I would have had in Sheffield. He makes things happen, and commands respect too: that's what Pach had no hesitation in handing him the "C". Quality never leaves you, and Trevor Johnson is just that.

And finally, Patrick Asselin of Cardiff:

I've finally picked an Erhardt Conference player, and to be honest had to choose a Cardiff player due to the fact they've been the dominant the force in this Conference as well as the league too. Of the newcomers that Andrew Lord has brought in, Patrick Asselin to me is the one that stands out the most. For a player that didn't play at all last season, this guy is seriously good. He knows where the net is and also supply the dinner for his line-mates. Imagine him on a line that had Mathieu Roy and say Matt Beca of Braehead (whom I also rate) then you have some serious firepower. I would not be surprised if he features in the All-Star teams this season.
 

I honestly could list a few more players, but have selected those five. Which five non-Steelers players would make a similar list of your own choosing. I'll be interested to hear them. So what's stopping you? Nothing. Go ahead and start thinking then..

Thanks for reading everybody. Remember if you want to be a part of Frozen Steel you can get into touch with us on Twitter or find us on our Facebook Page, remembering to like us and leave a comment. We will then get back in touch:

@FrozenSteelBlog

@FrozenSteelMNL

@hockeybhoy

@DISGU15ED

Don't forget to listen to our weekly podcast  Breaking The Ice

It's available on iTunes to listen and download, also on Soundcloud

Or drop us an email to Frozen Steel Blog

Time to pray to the hockey gods - Five things I learnt w/e 18 December

It’s time to start praying to the hockey gods Steelers fans, as otherwise we might have to do a Nottingham and make do with a Cup or Play-off win this year. Despite playing some of the best hockey we’ve seen in recent years we’ve now followed up a one-point weekend, with a nil-point weekend. Although it’s only mid-December, it’s now crunch-time as we’ve lost our league series against the Devils already, and to claw some lost ground we now need to beat the red-hot Blaze in mid-week.

Fearing a £100 fine from the EIHL, or abuse from Cardiff fans, if I moan about the referees missing penalties on them (interference on Roy / Armstrong before their second goal anyone) or being overly harsh against us (insert your own Levi losing teeth / Lord getting pushed over comparison here) here’s a more stats based five things to give us some historical perspective:

• Two years ago – We led the league with 35 points, six ahead of the Devils on the same games played. Those six points had evaporated by early March.
• One year ago – Cardiff led the league with 35 points, four ahead of us although we had a game in hand. Those four points had evaporated by March.
• This year – Cardiff lead the league with 39 points, twelve points ahead, with us having four games in hand. IF we win those four games, we end up four points behind – and we’ve seen league leads of that many points evaporate in each of the last two years.
• So it’s not all over then – Maybe not, but the big concern for me is that Cardiff are much stronger this year, and hoovering up the points, whilst we are only slightly better. Cardiff are running at over three points per week-end (it’s actually 3.25 - a 0.813 points won percentage), which is well up on last year (0.700) and the previous year (0.630) – so we need them to start losing form quickly to grab back that run-rate. We’re running at 0.675 by the way – 6.75 points from every ten games, about 1.5 short of the Devils every four weeks – and with about twelve weeks to go we need an exact reversal of those stats to catch them.
• Little things with big consequences – When the coach see’s something he hasn’t seen in 25 years of coaching you know something really odd has happened – and that own-goal from Ben and Davey was certainly very odd. You can google and see lots of delayed penalty own-goals, but none where the n/m was still in position. I guess that’s why the n/m must be alert at all times – unfortunate, and maybe another sign that the hockey gods are against us this year.

As a final thought, welcome back Jace! One highlight from the last week was to see Jace back straight into the swing of things with two goals in two games. He will seemingly be another threat going forward again this year. However his line-matching is vital, and pairing him with Bjӧrklund highlighted the old historic defensive worries, especially during the lead up to the Devil’s third goal. Like the rest of the D he’s got lots of creativity, but he’s occasionally careless and was easily found out-of-position.

Cheers,

Tony.

Hockey Soapbox - Season 2 Week 19 - Ice War losses

So this week-end was always going to be tough playing away in Belfast and Cardiff, but after just the single point taken, and four points given to our title rivals, we’ve got lots to discuss – and here’s this week’s soapboxers: Nicki Blueitt, Andy Roberts, Nathan Turner and Mark Duell to lead the charge this week.

So let’s have your five word summaries from those two games:

Saturday:

Think we missed a trick
Steelers fluff chance to gain

Forney can score against us!

Not much between the sides.

Sunday:

Another case for goal reviews?

Unlucky again in South Wales.

Felt sorry for the lads
First trip to new rink!

After moving back into second place, are the Giants back in it?

• Nathan - Not sure if the Giants were actually out of it tbh. It  is after all only December and all the big teams (and Nottingham) seem to be taking points off of each other - and as they will continue to do so for the entirety of the campaign they are as much in it as they were from week one. Saying that I can't see them lasting the pace though.
• Mark - Are Giants back in it? For second place you mean? That's the only thing that they are chasing at the moment, whilst they might have won a game over us for the first time in the best part of nearly 14 months, there is nothing to suggest to me that they will be title challengers. By all accounts, the wins this weekend were down to one man, Jackson Whistle. But they can't depend on him all the time, just like they have done with Murphy in the past.
• Andy - Don't think at this early stage of the season anyone believes the Belfast Giants (and a couple of other teams) are out of the running yet. They look rejuvenated with recent results. They need (as we do also) for the Devils to go on a bit of a losing run and then win the games in hand.
• Mark (continued) - I'm glad they seem to have found a goalie that looks a ready-made replacement for Murphy when the latter hangs up his skates and blocker, but the rest of the team is the one that underachieved these last two seasons. And that's progress? Sorry but no. They're good enough to finish third and probably make the POFW but that's about it. Roster needs an overhaul - that will get them success.
• Nicki - The Giants have been the quiet dark horse catching up on us. Finally that team seems to be clicking. I had hoped for us getting something over there due to their home form being up and down but not to be... even the n/m seem to be hitting some form. I still think that team hasn’t hit top gear year and they could be in for some silverware come end of the year.

Have the Devils got one hand on the league?

• Nathan - I predicted Cardiff for the title in September and still stand by that claim but that top spot is going to change hands a lot more before anyone clinches it. They are a very strong side and seem to have our number. The collapse against Panthers was a blip, albeit a big blip, and I can't imagine it happening again in their barn at least.
• Mark - Yes I hate to admit it but Devils are comfortably in the driving seat as regards winning the league. They get results home and away, and even when they take a beating, they bounce back next match. Lord has got them ticking over just fine and I still can't see beyond them despite our games in hand.
• Nic - Talk of Devils winning the year has been ongoing from the start of the season and you can see why. That team is huge, all lines can score, and Bowns should never have been let through our fingers- what a slap in the face that is every time we play them since he is awesome for a Brit goalie. They also seem to be doing what we did for the last 2 seasons and find a way to win when they didn’t deserve it. Can I also say when they just play hockey they can play really good hockey and I don’t know why they go for the bully tactics and sly late hits and slashes. Some plays on Sunday night which never got called it just getting beyond a joke now. We can’t afford another broken hand or concussion so when they play that way it needs to start getting picked up by the refs.
• Andy - Would not say that the Devils have one hand on the league just yet. If we win our games in hand we will be two points behind. From games I have seen against the Devils we have been unlucky not to get more points than we have. Sunday was a perfect example. Both keepers made highlight reel saves, Iron was hit and goal line technology may have affected the outcome (or lack of it). You couldn't really split the teams. In some ways the old one point for the draw would have been best. We just have to knuckle down and try and get the win Saturday. IAW is nowhere the fortress that the BBT was
• Mark - The head to head is so crucial here and even if we do manage to haul them in and it sees us level on points and regulation wins come mid-March; we will lose it because we can't find a way to beat Cardiff. Those missed opportunities at IAW and HoS are going to cost us so much. They will handle the heat this time.

What do we need to do to get back the advantage?

• Nicki - We need to solve the problem of Jesse being bang out of form - he has been like this for a good month now but is Thomo papering over something? Is he injured or does he need a break. I was really hoping he wouldn’t be on pen shots, and when he stepped up I knew I had a better chance to score than him ha!
• Nicki - The D has been short and they have done a great job. Really hope Jace coming back helps us big time and he hits the ground running. BTW how much has Marcus grown they guy never stops!
• Nicki - Plus a massive respect for Dessi who seems to be the enforcer out there for us, when we’re getting some really bad hits with no calls. Hope his hands are ok but we really need him on the ice more than the box. Same for Fitzy who seems to have a much calmer head on his shoulders this season, and he’s not being a coward like some boring fans say. Plus when he makes a mistake he is the 1st to step up and apologise. They guy is brilliant on and off ice we are lucky to have him.
• Nicki - We have some games coming quick now and we really need to start turning these games in hands in to points and put the heat on Cardiff, because if they have a weak point, we all know it’s not being able to deal with the pressure come end of the season - fingers crossed!
• Mark - What do we need to do? Take the chances when they come and put pressure on the Devils and Bownsy from the get go. That's how the Bears got that convincing win. Take it to them, unsettle them and get the ice taken away so it silences their raucous support. A bit of luck with some decisions would help enormously too. Simple - but a proven formula.
• Nathan - Stay out of the box and close games down. Simple really. Easy for us to say though isn't it? Also, as we seem unstoppable at home, it's on the road where the problem lies. Change hotels?

AOB from around the league this week?

• Nathan - What in the name of Satan's underpants is going on with these horrendous inflatable entrances? I would like to think that we are above such things but you never know.
• Andy - Well I guess I have a couple of comments to make with regards to my trip to IAW. Firstly what a nice pleasant change from the BBT. You can see the game (without a TV screen), I had a seat (which hadn't been sold to someone else) and I enjoyed being back in the noisy atmosphere that is Cardiff but with relaxing welcoming feel in the new bar post game. Oh and who ever put away fans in a block directly in front the concourse bar, what a great idea. I don't like walking too far for beer.  I will be making more trips to Wales in the future instead of finding ways to avoid the trip.
• Andy (having a second bite) - Because I had a view of the game I am convinced that we had a goal waved off that was in. Pictures I have seen post game have not changed my mind on my live view (from a completely different angle). I saw the parallax angle tweets too. So were my eyes deceiving me? I don't think they were as my original view was behind the goal line to side.  Guess if the EIHL got their finger out and sorted the goal technology out and a feed to Toronto (or would that be Tony S's broom cupboard) we wouldn't have to worry (as fans) that we may have been robbed of a goal.

Thanks for reading - please let us know what you think, or get in touch and we'll post up your views too.

Tony.

Big Match Preview - Cardiff (Away)

After facing the Dundee Stars tonight (Wednesday), we have a few days before the next big test comes. What a test it is though...

 

Saturday night on the road, our only game this weekend coming, and in opposition are these chaps:

Yeah we face those Devils again, and will this be the time we finally get the better of them. We've run them close in the last two encounters, losing in overtime and on penalties respectively. Surely it has to be a case of third time lucky hasn't it? The stark reality is that this we cannot afford to drop any further points against them as the head-to-head is against us in a huge way.

Cardiff know in their heart of hearts that the more points they take off us; the more it boosts their title aspirations. They are the team to beat but are beatable too; just ask the Panthers. Nobody really thought they would go into IAW and come away 8-0 winners, did they? If that's not inspiration, what the hell is eh? All we need is for pucks and bounces to go our way and there's no real reason why we can't come away with two valuable points. It would reduce the gap by two points, and with Cardiff facing a difficult game 24 hours later on the road - who knows what might happen?

Believe in yourselves, and take the match to Cardiff so much it unsettles the home crowd. That would be the philosophy I would be instilling into the team. The rewards will be huge especially with a massive period of five games to play before the new year kicks in. 

Can we do it? Heart obviously says yes, head isn't so convinced. But I'm gonna let my heart rule my head again and will plump for a Steelers win at last in IAW; 3-2 in overtime. What do you think yourself? Do you share my optimism? One thing is for sure, Sunday is going to be a day and recuperation for those guys in orange.

Thanks for reading everybody. Remember if you want to be a part of Frozen Steel you can get into touch with us on Twitter or find us on our Facebook Page, remembering to like us and leave a comment. We will then get back in touch:

@FrozenSteelBlog

@FrozenSteelMNL

@hockeybhoy

@DISGU15ED

Don't forget to listen to our weekly podcast  Breaking The Ice

It's available on iTunes to listen and download, also on Soundcloud

Or drop us an email to Frozen Steel Blog