Bison sign Rand for second year

The Basingstoke Bison have confirmed the re-signing of 26 year old Canadian forward Joe Rand for a second year in the English Premier League (EPL). He joins Player/Coach Doug Sheppard as the only other confirmed signing for the 2013-14 season.

Rand was somewhat of a revelation this past season, having made the jump to the EPL from the Wightlink Raiders of the National Ice Hockey League (NIHL) South 1 division. The gritty forward scored 20 goals on his way to a 50 point haul for the season.

Joining the Herd from the Raiders Rand had “something to prove” with many a fan (both Bison and other) questioning his ability at a higher level than the NIHL. However he went on to prove his ability in abundance and claimed the Player’s Player and Supporters Player awards at the end of season party.

Rand began his junior hockey career playing in his home province of Ontario with the Hamilton Red Wings in 2002-03 and Vaughan Vipers in the Ontario Provisional Junior A League in 2003-04, as well as being called up to the OHL’s Toronto St. Michael’s Majors for two games. Rand played a season and a half in the OHL with Toronto before leaving to head back to University.

For the next 5 seasons Rand iced for the University of Toronto Varsity Blues and was a consistent and well developed player; being named the team’s most improved player for the 06-07 season. In 2010-11 Rand made his first trip across the Atlantic and joined the Deggendorf Fire in the Oberliga Süd (south), the German 3^rd tier.

After his season in Germany, Rand was seletced by ex-Bison and Wightlink Player/Coach Jermey Cornish for the 2011-12 season; as the final import on their roster. Rand was one of the league’s most consistent and highest scorers during the season; having scored 47 goals and 46 assists for 93 points in 36 games. Rand finished the season as second highest scorer behind Invicta’s import Ryan Ellis.

For the past season with the Bison, Rand has been a well rounded third liner. However with their injury troubles during the season he has found himself being moved about depending on what lines Sheppard wanted to run with given the players at his disposal. That can sometimes lead to disruption in a players productivity and his ability to connect and gel with his linemates. But for Rand he went out every single night and gave it 100% and still put the points up on the board. I don’t think anyone was expecting him to set the world alite and put up the same numbers as he did with the Raiders the season before, but just under a point per game production is still not something to be sniffed at. Joe was the fourth highest scorer on the team last season behind Greg Chambers, Sheppard, Greg Owen and just finished a point ahead of Joe Miller and Joe Greener.

Point production wasn’t the reason why Rand was bought in by Sheppard; there are plenty of other imports throughout the league that can and have put up more points than he has during the season. But a player that can hit and is commited to taking the body, works hard and disrupts the flow of play for the opposition and someone that gives his all for the team and can create chances is exactly what he was first signed for.

The re-signing shows Sheppards content for the next season, despite losing Greg Owen (retirement) and Stevie Lyle (Swindon) he is showing that the team he puts together will still be hard hitting and gritty which is what the fans love. How Rand will fall into the grand scheme of things will depend on the other signings Sheppard makes. Is there better import forwards out there; well absolutely! Is Rand the right fit for the Bison and Sheppard; I’d say at this moment in time 100% yes.

Lyle switches Bison for Wildcats

Lyle joins the Wildcats for the 2013-14 season. Photo by David Steadman

The Swindon Wildcats have announced what could arguably be their best signing for the 2013-14 season with the capture of Basingstoke Bison talisman netminder, Stevie Lyle just weeks after the play-off finals. The 33 year-old Cardiff born netminder joined the Bison last season, as they looked to over-turn their fortunes in the English Premier League, following three consecutive seasons with the Cardiff Devils in the Elite League.

Lyle, pulled out all the stops in his first season in the EPL with some huge performances during the season and was one of the reasons the Bison finished in their highest league position since dropping to the EPL from the Elite League. Despite finishing behind Milton Keynes’ Stephen Wall in the stats charts, Lyle was arguably the best netminder in the league and was voted in the EPL All-star first team. Lyle iced in 52 league games, which would have been 54 had he not been selected by Tony Hand to represent Great Britain in their 2014 Winter Olympic qualification tournament in Latvia in February, and faced 1,678 shots. He put up impressive numbers for the season; included a 2.43 goals against average and a 92.43 save percentage.

A huge, huge blow for the Bison and Doug Sheppard with very big skates to fill, and a fantastic pick up and first signing for Aldridge in his 6th season in charge of the Wildcats. He said in the announcement of his return for next season that he wanted to move the club forwards and upwards and what better way to start. Although the pairing of Skinns and Murdy is not a bad one, last season the Wildcats recorded 214 goals against whilst the Bison had the league’s lowest of 138; with only the Lightning and league champions Guildford coming close.

A player like Lyle gives you confidence at the back, however he cannot be relied upon totally to win you games. He can definitely give you an edge, which showed with the Bison this season, however you also need a strong defence and forward set-up so that you also score goals whilst not conceding them. The Wildcats had the best offensive line in the league last season with Jonas Hoog and Aaron Nell and these will be the next signatures Aldridge will be desperate to capture to ensure that once again the Wildcats have a strong squad, not only on paper, but also on the ice as well.

For Sheppard back in Basingstoke, he’ll surely be scratching his head as another key Brit he would have surely been hoping to keep has slipped through his grasp, less than two weeks into the summer recruitment period. He showed a year ago that he can recruit well on, and sign top players, whilst being on a medium sized “budget” and he will already have a feeling as to who could fill the void that has now been left by Lyle’s departure.

We’ve still got weeks and months ahead of us before the season re-starts in September and it is already getting interesting and exciting as to who will sign where.

The full Swindon Wildcats press release is available here.

 

Bison’s Owen calls it a day

Greg Owen retires from ice hockey after 12 seasons.

Basingstoke Bison’s British star, Greg Owen, has announced his retirement from professional ice hockey, just over a week after the conclusion 2012-13 EPL season.

The 31 year old centre, is currently with the national squad ahead of their Division 1A World Championship in Hungary this coming week, however has advised that following the completion of the tournament on 20th April he will be hanging the skates up for good.

Owen got his first taste of ice hockey in 1996-97 icing for the Oxford City Stars in the English Division 1 for only 3 games. Over the next 4 years Owen represented both the GB under 18 and under 20 sides in the World Junior Championships; whilst also registered with the Notre Dame Hounds in the Junior A Saskatchewan Junior Ice Hockey League.

2001-02 saw Owen ice in his first full season for the Hounds, registering 70 points from 63 appearances. The following season saw a return to British shores when he joined the Bracknell Bees in the Ice Hockey Superleague. He split his time between the Bees and Milton Keynes Lightning in the 3rd tier English Premier League. Owen went on to score 63 points from 40 goals and 23 assists during 36 games for the Lightning whilst also helping them to capture the play-off title.

2003-04 saw a return to the Bees in the newly formed British National League (BNL). Owen went on to win the double with the Bees in 2004-05 as they claimed the BNL title and the Challenge Cup in only their second season in the league.

The 2005-06 season marked the first appearance that Owen would make for the Basingstoke Bison, during two separate spells with the Hampshire squad, having been signed from the champions by coach Mark Bernard. With Bernard’s departure in 2006, current Player/Coach Doug Sheppard took over the helm and with Owen back for a second season he formed the infamous partnership with line mates Brad Cruickshank and Greg Chambers. As part of the “Bison Line” Owen went on to have a break-out year in senior hockey scoring 54 points from 53 starts.

Despite the departure of Sheppard, following the appointment of Ryan Aldridge as player/coach of the Bison, Owen returned to the Herd for a third season in 07-08, registering almost a point per game as he racked up 52 points in 54 appearances.

France came a-calling in 2008 as Owen made his first move abroad since his early career to join Briançon in the French Ligue Magnus. A more competitive league than the EIHL saw Owen score just 21 points during the 25 starts. He was also called up to represent GB during their 2010 pre-Olympic qualifying rounds in Poland. However GB finished 3rd in their group and missed out on qualifying for the final Winter Olympic selection.

A year later marked the return back to the UK and the EIHL as Owen joined the Coventry Blaze. He was reunited with former line-mate Chambers and with Head Coach Paul Thompson adding Cruickshank at the 2010 trade deadline, the former “Bison Line” was once again together however this time causing terror for the Blaze. The Blaze tasted success with the capture of the EIHL league title and Owen’s first title in the top flight league.

Despite returning for a further two seasons with the Blaze, they could not reach the same heights as in previous years, and following the conclusion of the 2011-12 season he announced that he would prefer to move closer to home (Reading); sparking a many rumours as to his intended destination.

With Sheppard returning to lead the Bison for the 2012-13 season, he looked to put a competitive team together to launch a full challenge in the EPL. Turning to previous team-mates Sheppard announced that former Bison and 06-7 team-mate, Owen had signed for the season ahead alongside his former line-mate Chambers.

Sheppard lead the Bison to their best ever league finish in the EPL with 2nd and also taking them to their first play-off finals weekend, reaching the semi-finals where they lost to eventual winners Manchester.

Having assembled a competitive team, Sheppard would have surely been hoping to keep the core of his players for the next season, with Owen being one of huge experience and influential to their title challenge.

The loss for the Bison will prove a huge void to fill ahead of the 2013-14 EPL season with Owen still one of the top Brit centres in both the EPL and EIHL. Many expected him to be re-signed by Sheppard for a further season as they continue to lead the Herd charge back to success; however you cannot fault or be angry against a guy that wants to give up a huge part of his life and passion for his family.

Owen is one of those players that can frustrate the hell out of an opposition. He plays a clean, fast and clinical game on the ice. He can create plays and act as a set-up man which was evident during the seasons he spent alongside Cruickshank and Chambers; but he can also hit the net himself when required. His first season in the EPL saw him amass a season high points total from 30 goals and 37 assists for 67 points. He was the second highest point scorer for the Bison, behind only Chambers; and he was also 6th highest British point scorer for the whole league.

Owen played with a level or maturity and experience, which would on some occasions, make him oblivious to the watching fan, as he went about his business on the ice and did it well! He was also a leader and respected by both his team-mates and fellow players.

Sheppard commented to the Basingstoke Gazette, “I am so glad to have played with Greg and he was a great leader for the team. I can understand that he now wants to spend time with his family.”

So what is next for Owen and the Bison? Well I am sure Owen will continue to be involved in ice hockey in some capacity whether it is watching and cheering on the Herd next season or in another way. For Sheppard the search now starts for a replacement and what big shoes they’ll have to fill.

Good luck in everything you do in your future Greg!!!

Aldridge set to lead Wildcats for 6th year running

The Swindon Wildcats have announced that head coach Ryan Aldridge will be returning to the club for a sixth successive campaign in 2013-14, and will be available to play as in previous seasons. Despite the disappointment of missing the play-off semi-finals for a third season running the club have moved quickly to start making the preperations for next season as early as possible.

Aldridge returns for a sixth season in charge of the Wildcats.

Aldridge returned to his home town club in 2008 after less than two months in charge of the Basingstoke Bison in the Elite League (EIHL); following on and off ice issues with the Hampshire side. He joined Head Coach Pete Russell as a player/coach for the remainder of the season leading the club to 8th place in the league standings.

The 2009-10 season saw Aldridge return to the club as player/coach with the club finishing in 8th place in the league standings for a second successive season. The Wildcats faced the league champions, the Milton Keynes Lightning, in the play-off quarter finals and an 10-8 aggregate score saw them proceed to the semi-finals in Coventry where they faced Guildford, but their path to the final was halted by a 5-2 loss.

The following season, Aldridge was once again back to lead the Wildcats charge in the EPL and a 7th place league finished marked a slight improvement over the previous two seasons, however was no where near where the club wanted to be. For 2011-12 Aldridge showed his clout in the recruiting department as he signed the entire top line of the Bracknell Bees; consisting of Jaroslav Cesky, Nicky Watt and Michal Pinc to the Link Centre. Jonas Höög made a return for a second season, whilst local boy Aaron Nell split his time between the Coventry Blaze and Wildcats. At the back Tom Murdy signed full time from the Blaze and he was joined mid season by Dean Skinns who had been released by the Bison. Despite a strong team on paper the Wildcats could only manage a 7th place finish for a second year running, whilst losing out to the Manchester Phoenix in the play-off quarter finals.

For this past season, it was all change again in the Wildcats squad. Aldridge announced before the season started that he’d prefer to coach from the bench, but would play if required. He eventually iced in 37 games due to injuries within the team and scored 26 points. Returning for a third season was Höög, joined on the top-line by Nell who retired full-time to the EPL squad.

Skinns and Murdy also returned for a second season, however a serious injury to Murdy would see Skinns take the number 1 mantle during the season.

The Wildcats started the season with Matias Perkkiö, Michal Kapicka, Jan Melichar alongside Höög in the import set-up. However a mid-season move for giant defenceman, Tomas Fojtik from the Telford Tigers, saw the departure of Kapicka after only 19 starts.

The Wildcats, had a less successful year than the last, in terms of overall victories however finished in a third successive 7th place in the league standings. In the play-offs they faced the Bison and after an initial 3-3 in the first leg of the play-off quarter finals; were eventually edged out in overtime in the return leg in Basingstoke, losing 2-1 to once again miss out on the finals weekend.

Despite the limited success Aldridge has enjoyed with Swindon it is a smart move by the Berkshire side. Consistency in terms of coaching and players is sometimes key to success on the ice. Having finished in the bottom 5 of the league standings for the past 5 years they will surely be looking to overturn their fortunes next season and despite the debate about what Aldridge has won with the Wildcats, there is not dispute that he is a decent coach in the EPL. Having had a strong squad on paper for the past two seasons and only reaching 7th in the league standings will be a bitter pill to swallow; however lessons will hopefully have been learnt at the Link Centre and next season they will be able to compete consistently on the ice week in and week out.

It will now just be interesting to see who will return and who Aldridge can capture to lead the Wildcats to a better finished than 7th in 2013-14.

 

EPL Play-off Semi-final Scores

The first game of the day featured the EPL League and Cup (Double) Champions the Guildford Flames, who took on the Milton Keynes Lightning. Always thrilling encounters, today was no different as the Flames came from behind in the third to take victory in dramatic fashion.

Despite taking an early powerplay, the Flames could not capitalise and it was the Lightning who found themselves in front when Captain Adam Carr fired past Mark Lee to give the Lightning a one goal lead in the first period. However the Flames were able to re-group and took advantage of the additional man as Nathan Rempel fired them back into contention with the equalising goal just over a minute later. Neither team could find the net for the remainder of the period as the scores remained level after 20 minutes.

A sole marker in the middle stanza saw the Lightning take the lead once again in the game with Michael Farn’s 27th minute strike. A tense final period was in store and when David Longstaff levelled the scores in the opening two minutes of the final session the Flames were once again back into contention.

Despite their chances neither team could find the go ahead goal, but with just under three minutes remaining in the period, Rempel was able to break the deadlock and put the Flames ahead with his second of the evening. Even after pulling netminder Stephen Wall for the extra skater the Lightning were unable to level the game and so the Flames secured their place in Sunday’s final; to keep up their hopes of securing the EPL Grand-slam.

In the second match of the evening, it was a first for the Basingstoke Bison who were visiting the Skydome Arena for the first time since dropping to the EPL in 2009. Despite being short benched the Herd were fired up for the occasion and player/coach Doug Sheppard was leading his men in search of the club’s first silverware in 13 years. Having lead the Slough Jets to victory over the Manchester Phoenix a year ago he was well placed to deal with the pressure the play-off finals weekend can sometimes throw at teams. Tony Hand was looking to end the season on a high after failing to match up to both the Bison and Flames during the regular season.

Despite their early chances, including a powerplay opportunity, the first goal swung in favour of the Phoenix as James Neil’s shot beat Stevie Lyle to make it 1-0 to Manchester. Just over three minutes later and the Herd were back in the game as Greg Owen levelled the scores. With the Phoenix killing off another powerplay chance in the final stages of the period, it was to no avail as Sheppard fired the Bison into the lead before the close of the period.

With the second period underway, netminder Stephen Fone was a rock at the back for Phoenix, stopping a huge chance for Joe Greener to extend the lead further. Moments later and the Phoenix were back into the game, with Hand finding the net. With both teams running into penalty trouble neither were able to find the upper hand in the middle phase of play. Fone once again kept the Phoenix in the game with a big stop on a one-on-one break against Joe Miller before Lyle repeated the action at the other end of the rink against Michal Psurny. With the period drawing to a close the Phoenix were able to find the go ahead goal with Flaten’s powerplay strike beating Lyle.

With momentum swinging in favour of the Phoenix, it appeared that the Bison had got an early equaliser in the second period only for Jaroslav Cesky’s shot to be wiped off and no goal given. In a sign of frustration Cesky slashed his stick across the glass at the goal judge and earned himself a misconduct penalty. Moments later and the equalising goal did come when Greg Chambers found the bet in the 43rd minute; leaving it all to play for.

It appeared it was a session of tic-tac-toe on the score board. Just over a minute after Chambers levelled the scores Psurny grabbed his second of the game to put the Phoenix back in front. A further minute on and the scores were once again level with over 10 minutes remaining. A period of 5-on-3 was gifted to the Bison but they couldn’t take advantage to take the lead once more. With the game drawing to a conclusion overtime was needed to find a difference between the two evenly matched sides.

With the extra five minutes unable to find a winner, the dreaded penalty shots were called upon. First up were the Phoenix and Psurny who bagged his hat-trick marker to put the Phoenix ahead.

Next up was Cesky for the Bison, who made no mistake in making up for his earlier disallowed goal, firing past Fone to level the scores. Captain Luke Boothroyd was next but his effort just missed. Joe Rand put the Bison ahead with his well taken penalty and it was all down to Miller to win it for the Bison; but his shot missed extending the tension further.

McKenzie stepped up for the Phoenix and his shot got the better of Lyle as he levelled the scores at two a-piece. James Archer was next up for the Phoenix who fired them straight into the play-off final with a well worked penalty shot. Sheppard was next for the Bison but his missed shot ensured the Phoenix would make the final for a second year in a row.

EPL Semi-final Contenders Confirmed

Last weekend saw four quarter final match-ups take place on Saturday and Sunday and after 480 minutes and a few seconds of tense hockey action, the contenders for the EPL semi-finals have been decided.

The Guildford Flames took their 4-1 advantage from Saturday and extended it further for an 11-3 aggregate score against the Peterborough Phantoms.

The Basingstoke Bison secured their place at the finals weekend in Coventry for the first time since they dropped to the EPL with an overtime winner on Sunday against the Swindon Wildcats.

The Manchester Phoenix overturned a one goal deficit on Saturday to beat the Bracknell Bees 7-2 on Sunday to secure their place for the fourth year running.

The Slough Jets come back from 4-2 down on Saturday to force the game into overtime but Milton Keynes’ overtime strike fired them into the final 4.

Here is a game-by-game summary of the quarter finals.

Guildford Flames [11] v [3] Peterborough Phantoms
The Double-double champions went into the quarter final the favourites to progress to Coventry. Having secured the EPL Cup and league titles in the weeks preceding the fixture the team was full of confidence, whilst the Phantoms would be hoping for an upset as in 2011. On Saturday the Flames travelled to Peterborough for the first game and after a feisty affair took a comfortable 4-1 advantage into their home leg on Sunday; with a brace of goals from Curtis Huppe and individual efforts from Rick Plant and Paul Dixon.

On Sunday there was a vibrant atmosphere at the Spectrum, with the Kids go free offer packing the rafters to capacity. Despite early chances the first goal did not come until the 13th minute. Damien King seeing the better of Dean Holland’s wrap around attempt; however the rebound fell straight back to Holland who fired the puck from an acute angle past the post. The Phantoms struck back quickly as Maris Ziedins found the net to equal the scores; however the Flames advantage was re-stored before the end of the period with Nathan Rempel finding the net to make it 2-1.

A pair of goals from Curtis Huppe and Branislav Kvetan in the second period stretched the Flames lead to three going into the final period.

The Phantoms job of a comeback was made even harder early in the third period when Ben Campbell found the net. With the game entering the final 10 minutes Jez Lundin comfortably put the Flames five goals in front with a blueline strike. Minutes later and James Ferrara was able to grab a consolation goal for the Phantoms only for Huppe to add his second of the evening with just over a minute remaining in the game. A game very much subdued than the previous night was brought to life in the dying seconds as Scott Greenfield and Greg Pick dropped the gloves to round up the final period.

A 7-2 victory on the night secured a 11-3 aggregate win for the champions who will be keeping their fingers crossed they can secure the grand slam they were so close to winning last season.

Basingstoke Bison [5] v [4] Swindon Wildcats (after overtime)
The Bison went into the quarter final short benched through injuries and with two of their junior players on international duty in Estonia; but they were hoping for some luck. Having never reached the finals weekend in their three previous seasons, the pressure was on player/coach Doug Sheppard who led the Slough Jets to the Play-off crown in 2011-12.

A very tight opening game at the Link Centre saw both teams’ level terms after 60 minutes. The Bison opened the scoring through Joe Greener but the Wildcats responded in the second period with Aaron Nell grabbing the first of his hat-trick. By the mid-way point of the game ex-Wildcat Jaroslav Cesky’s pair extended the Bison’s lead to two. But Nell added a second before the period was over. A final strike in the final 5 minutes earned Nell a well-earned hat-trick and set up an epic battle in Sunday’s game back at the Basingstoke Arena.

There was not much two split the two sides as the opening period got underway, but Joe Rand put the Bison ahead at 14:51. It took some time but the Wildcats were able to respond and Sam Bullas brought the game level once again at 22:23. Neither side could find the go ahead go with both netminders on top form and with the game drawing to an end it was clear that overtime or penalties would have to settle this tie.

With the Wildcats penalised for too many men just before the final buzzer the extra period was 4-on-3 in favour of the Bison. Taking full advantage straight away Cesky wound up a slap shot from the point only to be denied by the post. However the puck bounced across the crease to a waiting Greener who fired home to seal the victory for the Bison and secure their place in Coventry.

Manchester Phoenix [10] v [6] Bracknell Bees
With both teams enjoying a strong end to the regular season it was always going to be hard to pick a winner from this quarter final. With a comeback win against the Sheffield Steeldogs in the final game of the season the Bees secured 6th place and had made the play-off quarter finals for the first time since 2009-10.

On Saturday the Phoenix made their way to the Hive for the first leg; however it was not to go their way and the homeside took the opening victory 4-3 with goals from Shaun Thompson x2, Scott Spearing, and Grant Rounding. It was, as they would say, a proper play-off encounter and a very close game right to the final buzzer.

On Sunday the Phoenix were back in their own barn and hoping to give the home fans something to cheer about. Unlike the previous night the Phoenix took a first period lead which they would not give up for the remainder of the game. With the Bees hitting penalty trouble early in the encounter goals from Flaten and Psurny gave the Phoenix the aggregate lead at 5-4.

The homeside started the second period as the first ended and extended their lead further when James Archer set up Robert Schnabel for the game winning goal in the 26th minute. With the game at 4-on-4 following an altercation between Spearing and Pozivil, Andy McKinney made it 4-0 on the night just before the mid-way point.

Going into the third and final period the Phoenix held a 3-0 aggregate lead over the Bees. However hopes of a sparks of a comeback were made when Oliver Bronniman found the net at 42:01. But a second goal by Schnabel killed of any hopes of a Bees comeback. Lukas Smital did grab the Bees a consolation goal on the powerplay, but their inability to keep out the penalty box lead to their downfall as Boothroyd made it 6-2 with less than 10 minutes to play. With the game drawing to an end the Phoenix were able to grab a final marker at 57:04 with McKinney grabbing his second of the game.

Milton Keynes Lightning [5] v [4] Slough Jets (after overtime)
Neither team could be seen as the favourites going into the weekend, but the Lightning took the advantage in Slough on Saturday. The Jets opened the scoring through Ciaran Long but ex-Jet Blaz Emersic was on hand to grab an equaliser for the Lightning before the end of the opening period.

The Lightning seemed to be firing on all cylinders for the second period and peppered Greg Rockman with 21 shots in the Jets goal however only a single marker found the net as Kamil Tvrdek scored on the powerplay giving the visitors a one goal lead heading into the third period.

The Jets seemed to overturn their own performance and dominated for much of the final period, but it was the Lightning to get on the board first as Chris Wiggins netted their third at 50:11. Just over a minute later and Nicky Chinn scored on the powerplay to extend the Lightning’s lead to three with less than 8 minutes remaining. But the Jets kept up the pressure and Dan Davies kept the deficit to just two scoring at 54:14.

On Sunday and back in MK the Lightning only had to hold the two goal lead and bag a couple of early goals to extend their advantage but it was Slough that were calling the shots. The Jets took an early lead in the opening two minutes to make it 4-3 on aggregate score. Before the period was up, Blaz Emersic was called for checking from behind and ejected from the game.

It was the Jets that were having the better of the chances and they levelled the game at 28:47 with Long grabbing his second of the weekend with a powerplay strike. Both teams were able to hold on for the final 30 minutes and neither could grab a go ahead goal, forcing the tie into overtime. With the 5 minute overtime period underway it was Captain Adam Carr that was able to fire the Lightning into the semi-finals with a well-placed strike past Rockman.

On Saturday the semi-finals kick off at the Skydome Arena in Coventry. The first game will see the double champions Guildford take on the MK Lightning at 3pm before the Bison and Phoenix go toe-to-toe at 7pm.

EPL 2012-13 season draws to a close.

The English Premier League (EPL) 2012-13 regular season campaign came to a close on Sunday, following the final games for eight of the teams. With the league title already decided by Guildford, there was not much to play for, except the final play-off positions for two of teams. The Bracknell Bees and Swindon Wildcats were separated by just two points going into their final matches.

The final weekend was split over three days, with the final instalment of the War of the Roses, between the Manchester Phoenix and Sheffield Steeldogs kicking off proceedings on Friday night.
The Phoenix got the better start of the team sides, as Tom Duggan hit twice in the opening period and followed up with his hat-trick strike early in the second. With Bari McKenzie adding a fourth the Phoenix took command of the game after 40 minutes.

Just 48 seconds into the final period and Edgar Bebris pulled one back for the Steeldogs. Joachim Flaten restored the four goal lead minutes later only for Andrew Hirst to pull another back in the 45th minute. Duggan added a fourth to his tally just 30 seconds later as the Phoenix looked to kill off the Steeldogs, but the Dogs had other ideas and came steam rolling back barking aloud. Hirst got his second of the game. Despite losing Ben Morgan to a match penalty for slashing the Steeldogs did not give up their attempts for a comeback and two shorthanded goals with just 63 seconds remaining set up a nail biting finish. Bebris add his hat-trick marker to level the scores and send the game into overtime.

Composure was restored during the extra period and Duggan fired the Phoenix to a dramatic victory, with his fifth of the night.

On Saturday only six teams were in action for their final weekend. The Bracknell Bees made the trip north to face the surprisingly in form Telford Tigers, as they looked to push Swindon for that 6th spot.

However as with many teams in recent months, the Tigers were too strong an opposition on home ice and sent the Bees packing on the wrong side of a 5-2 score-line.

The second team battling for that 6th spot in the league was Swindon Wildcats, who welcomed the League and Cup champions to the Link Centre for their final home game of the season. With Guildford resting a number of their key players for the final weekend, it looked like it could be a walk over for the Cats, however 29 saves by back-up netminder and ex-Wildcat himself; James Hadfield, helped secure a 5-3 win for the Flames, which would result in a final day battle between the Bees and Wildcats for 6th place.

The only other match-up for the night was the Milton Keynes Lightning and Slough Jets. Always a close encounter between the two sides, it proved so again as the Jets bounced back for their mid-week defeat in the cup to win 3-1.

To Sunday and the final day of the regular season for eight teams; with the Lightning and Peterborough Phantoms earning a night off ahead of next weekend’s play-off quarter finals.

The Manchester Phoenix hosted the team of the moment, the Telford Tigers, looking to secure their final four point weekend of the season. Once again the Phoenix raced to an early lead and by the third period were 4-1 up on their Shropshire rivals. However a three goal haul in 39 seconds pulled the Tigers back level with just minutes to spare. The Phoenix nightmare continued as they lost the lead in the 58th minute and the Tigers held on to end their season with a four point weekend.

The Basingstoke Bison hosted the Swindon Wildcats for their final home fixture, with both teams looking to end the season on a high, however it was the homeside that were celebrating after 60minutes. A hat-trick from Player/Coach Doug Sheppard and an EPL first goal for youngster Cameron Wynn, the Bison raced to a 6-3 victory, cementing the Wildcats to 7th place in the league standings.

The Bracknell Bees welcomed the Sheffield Steeldogs to the Hive knowing that a win could see them snatch 6th place in the standings. The Dogs pushed the Bees all the way, but eventually the homeside took the win they needed to jump above the Wildcats.

The final match of the weekend was a repeat of the mid-week Cup Final clash between the Flames and Slough Jets. The Flames were 5-0 in the head-to-head standings against the Jets for the season; as the visitors looked to make it 5-1 and deal out some revenge from losing the cup. As the previous night the Flames were resting some of their regular top line players ahead of next week’s play-off quarter finals, as did the Jets with Dan Milton taking the place of Greg Rockman in the Jets net. Mark Lee started the encounter for the opening period but was replaced by James Hadfield for the remainder of the game.

The Flames opened the scoring with Neil Liddard’s strike finding the net in the opening minutes. However the Jets struck back with two goals of their own, firstly Pavel Gomeniuk levelled the scores 22 seconds after Liddiard’s strike. Then Daniel Rose put the visitors ahead in the 15th minute. Branislav Kvetan got the only marker of the second period on the powerplay following Mindy Kieras being called for slashing; which saw the two sides enter the final period on level terms.

Frantisek Bakrlik put the Jets ahead once more in the 47th minute, but two quick responses from Dean Holland and Nathan Rempel saw the homeside take the lead with just under 10 minutes remaining. The goals kept coming however and Michael Wales pulled the Jets level once more in the 53rd minute, before Gomeniuk bagged his second of the night to put the Jets ahead, seeing the game end 5-4 in favour of the visitors.

So after 54 games, it comes down to one final weekend for the play-off quarter finals, before the final four teams head to Coventry. Who will be there, well make sure you come back and see who makes it and who doesn’t.

Guildford Flames crowned the 2012-13 EPL League Champions

The Guildford Flames were crowned the 2012-13 English Premier League (EPL) League Champions on Saturday, despite a 2-1 overtime loss to the Sheffield Steeldogs, to secure their second successive title. The back-to-back capture of the EPL league crown is the first in the club’s history, thanks to the sole point secured in Sheffield.

In a tight encounter, the goal deadlock was not broken until the middle period, when in the 28th minute Steve Duncombe fired the homeside into the lead. However the advantage was wiped out as Player/Coach Paul Dixon equalled the scores shortly before the end of the period to set up a tense third period.

With neither team able to find a break through the game was dead locked at 1-apiece and the game was forced into overtime. However it did not take long for the Steeldogs to find the winner through Lee Haywood. The victory was also in no small part thanks to their closest rivals, the Basingstoke Bison, falling on the wrong side of a 3-2 score at home against the Milton Keynes Lightning.

Like the Nottingham Panthers in the Elite Ice Hockey League, the Flames secured the title with league games remaining and a comfortable margin over their closest rivals in the league standings.

The following evening the Flames celebrated their success with a homecoming 5-4 shoot-out victory against the Swindon Wildcats; coming from two goals behind to force overtime and the shoot-out.
We will do a full summary of the Flames’ league success following the completion of the final league fixtures this coming weekend, to see how they overcame an early season scare to catch and pull clear of the Basingstoke Bison.

Paul Dixon holds the League Trophy aloft for a second year in a row.

James Hutchinson joins the Herd

The Basingstoke Bison made the announcement yesterday that they had secured the services of the recently gassed British defenceman James Hutchinson for the remainder of the season.

Hutchinson started the season with the Peterborough Phantoms; registering 11 points from 17 starts, however the club were forced to release him due to increasing financial issues which resulted in an emergency fans forum last week to discuss the future of the club.

Hutchinson first iced for the Phantoms during the 2000-01 season; taking part in 4 games and registering 2 points at just 16 years old.

His next appointment was for the Isle of Wight Raiders in 2002-03 before he joined the Bison in 03-04 for their first season in the newly formed Elite League where he scored 2 points from 44 starts whilst also representing the Great Britain Under 20’s team.

In 2004-05 he moved onto the Dundee Stars in the now defunct British National League. The 2005-06 season saw Hutchinson’s first foray into foreign waters after a move to the Morzine-Avoriaz in the French league. The following season he was back in the UK and split the season between the Manchester Phoenix in the EIHL and with the Phantoms in the EPIHL. He spent two further seasons with the Phantoms, securing the treble in 2008-09, before another move back to the EIHL; this time with the Hull Stingrays, for the 2009-10 season. The following season he returned back to the Phantoms.

The 2011-12 season saw Hutchinson back in the EIHL, however not with the initial team he signed for, after being sacked by the Braehead Clan just weeks after agreeing to join them. This saw the Belfast Giants come calling for an experienced British defenceman and is was a dream move which saw him add the Elite crown to his already impressive tally of championships won.

Hutchinson has a wealth of experience both at the EPIHL level and in the EIHL and is an asset for any team. He is a strong defenceman that can hold his ground and break down plays. Although not high scoring at Elite level, he can bring a bag full of points in the EPL and has relatively low PIM’s which is great as he is out on the ice doing his job rather than sitting in the box.

Many questioned the actions and thinking of Coach Sheppard when he announced that the Bison were to go with a full quota of import forwards rather than the traditional 3/1 split which is often seen by EPL clubs. Of course the release of the towering Fojtik in favour of Jaroslav Cesky had many fans up in arms and worrying about the stability at the back; however the Bison have a strong contingent of British defenceman and arguably the best netminder in the league.

However with the likes of Kurt Reynolds, Tony Redmond and now Hutchinson; the Bison have some of the best British defenceman in the EPL currently. He should fit in well with the style of play Sheppard has induced on the Bison and should rack up plenty of points from the blue-line. A four point lead at the top of the standings is surely only going to get larger if the Bison continue as they have been.

Week 9 Round up

Wednesday 7 November

Milton Keynes Lightning (3) vs (2) Slough Jets

 

Saturday 10 November

Swindon Wildcats (4) vs (2) Telford Tigers

Slough Jets (2) vs (0) Milton Keynes Lightning

Basingstoke Bison (3) vs (1) Guildford Flames

Sheffield Steeldogs (6) vs (3) Bracknell Bees

Manchester Phoenix (7) vs (5) Peterborough Phantoms

 

Sunday 11 November

Guildford Flames (3) vs (2) Basingstoke Bison

Bracknell Bees (4) vs (5) Slough Jets

Telford Tigers (4) vs (1) Manchester Phoenix

Sheffield Steeldogs (2) vs (3) Milton Keynes Lightning (ST)

Peterborough Phantoms (4) vs (3) Swindon Wildcats OT