GB hoping to pull off the Italian Job

It is a big day for Great Britain as they face-off in their third match of the Division 1A World Championships; against tough opposition.

Italy is the team in the way today and GB will be hoping to turn their fortunes around against the 16th seed country.
Italy has been in good form so far in the tournament and has been the early leaders, alongside Kazakhstan, having won their opening two games.

It is a case of missed opportunities for GB however as they lost 4-2 to Hungary on the opening night and were blanked 5-0 by Kazakhstan a day later. However the results do not reflect the performance on the ice, with GB holding their own against two countries that are ranked well above them in the IIHF World Ranking order; but with the round robin style tournaments such as these the world rankings count for nothing and it goes down to how you play on the day.

Italy have comfortably beaten Korea (4-0) and Japan (4-1) so far in the tournament but GB will be hoping to put up a better fight in this afternoon’s game.

Belfast Giants’ netminder Stephen Murphy told the Ice Hockey UK website; “We are used to the pressure, we are used to the tough games, so we are well prepared for this. We need to keep our energy levels up and we have a lot of positives to take forward.

“Italy are a good team, they are an A pool team and tough opposition for sure. Our aim is to get something from the game and take it forward into our last two games.”

Penalty trouble was something that blighted GB during the final Olympic qualification round in Latvia earlier this year and was something that Assistant Coach Doug Christiansen hoped they could improve on in this tournament.

In Latvia GB was the highest ranked country in terms of penalties taken having registered 54PIM over the three games. So far in this tournament, improvements have been made, and GB are ranked 5th overall with 22PIM from their first two games.

Further improvements have also been seen in terms of scoring opportunities however luck has not bounced our way with those chances being converted into actual goals.

Both teams will feel a little refreshed having had a day off yesterday and GB will go into the game in high spirits and full of confidence. An early goal would give them a great boost which could lead them to victory; however they must not let their heads drop should Italy take the lead.

GB’s game will once again be shown live on Premier Sports (Sky channel 428) with the face-off at 3pm.

Elite League Play-off Finals Weekend

So as well as the EPL play-off finals this past weekend we were also treated to the Elite League finals at the National Ice Centre in Nottingham. Belfast Giants, Cardiff Devils, Coventry Blaze and the League Champions Nottingham Panthers were all hoping to take the Play-off crown.

Saturday got underway with the Panthers facing the Devils in the first fixture of the day. The Devils hit the ground running and took an early lead in the opening period with Max Birbraer’s shot giving the Devils the advantage in the opening minute of play.

The Panthers were back in the contest just over five minutes later when Bruce Graham found the net. Before the end of the period Graham netted again to put the Panthers into the lead.

With the second period underway the Panthers extended their lead further before the mid-way point, with Matthew Myers slotting home a well worked phase of play assisted by Robert Lachowicz. The Devils pulled one back in the 31st minute on the powerplay; with the scores remaining at 3-2 to end the second period.

The Panthers came out eager to put the game to bed in the third period and an early goal by Myers restored the two goal lead. Graham bagged his hat-trick marker in the 52nd minute to give the Panthers a buffer going into the final stage of the game.

The Devils pulled their netminder in the final minute of the period and bagged themselves a third, but an empty net hat-trick strike by Myers sealed the win for the Panthers who progressed to their third consecutive play-off final.

The second semi-final saw the Belfast Giants take on the Coventry Blaze; with Coach Paul Thompson hoping for one final hurrah before leaving in the summer.

The game started evenly for both sides who both had early powerplay opportunities; however neither could convert for the opening goal. But when Josh Bruce was called for hooking, the Giants took advantage when Daymen Rycroft took the puck around Peter Hirsch to open the scoring in the 13th minute.

The Blaze ran into more penalty trouble with both Mike Egener and Benn Olson called for minors, and the Giants’ powerplay team made them pay. A one timer by Colin Shields in the 17th minute double the lead and a strike by Craig Peacock 26 second later gave the Giants a 3 goal lead to end the opening period.

The middle stanza saw the teams evenly matched with the Giants unable to add to their impressive tally, but a sole marker by James Griffin boosted the Blaze going into the final period.

With the score at 3-1 it was an uphill battle for the Blaze to come back into it; but stranger things have happened. An early strike by Noah Clarke restored the 3 goal lead for the Giants who looked comfortable both on and off the puck.
With the game all but over, the Giants were able to extend their lead further and add to the misery of the Blaze when Peacock added his second of the evening with just over a minute remaining.

With the Giants overcoming the Blaze it set up a grand-final that would surely keep all fans on the edge of their seats on Sunday afternoon; with the league champions facing their closest rivals for the play-off title.

Craig Peacock celebrates his goal in the semi-final against Coventry.

On Sunday, the first game of the day was between the Coventry Blaze and Cardiff Devils for the bronze medal. Thompson ended his Blaze career on a winning note with the Blaze comfortably beating the Devils 11-5.

In the afternoon it was the one they had all been waiting for, the Panthers versus the Giants. The opening period was a tight and tense affair as neither team could break the deadlock; despite numerous chances at both ends of the rink.

The break-through goal came mid-way through the second period with Lachowicz firing the Panthers in front with a powerplay goal. Jonathan Weaver bagged another powerplay goal in the final minute of the period to give them a 2-0 lead heading into the final period.

Belfast were not down and out however and an early powerplay goal of their own halved the lead to one. Three minutes later and the game was tied at 2-2 with it all to play for. Despite a late powerplay opportunity the Panthers could not find a go ahead goal and the third period ended with the scores level. The Panthers had to kill off an early Belfast powerplay early in the overtime period, but came back with Captain Jordan Fox scored a third powerplay goal of the night to seal with win for the Panthers.

The play-off victory sealed off a fantastic year for Nottingham; with the Panthers having won their first league title in 57 years, their fourth consecutive Challenge Cup title and their third successive Play-off title to record a magical treble. A feat that has only been achieved once before in EIHL history by the Coventry Blaze in 2004/05.

Nottingham Panthers Captain Jordan Fox lifts the Play-off trophy aloft. Photo by Katie Chadburn

Elite League Play-off Finals Just Around the Corner

Not only are the EPL play-off finals being held this weekend but also the Elite League as well at the National Ice Centre in Nottingham. It is an exciting point of the season for every ice hockey fan concerned. Thousands of fans will be packing out the Skydome Arena in Coventry for the EPL finals and also at the National Ice Centre for the Elite finals.

We have already had a look at the EPL quarter-finals so now time to take a quick look at the Elite league’s winners and losers from last weekend and who is in contention for the play-off title.

Now having been adrift of the EIHL this season and their new conference system I am not too sure as to how the play-off quarter-finals are decided, as it is not simply a 1 to 8 in the league standings as in the EPL.

The league champions, Nottingham, took on the Fife Flyers in the first match-up in Kirkcaldy. Despite their good fortunes against the Flyers in the league campaign, the Panthers would head into the return leg on Sunday 2 goals behind. However a 3-0 blanking of the Flyers on home ice secured their spot in the semi-finals and kept up hopes of the grand slam this season.

The Belfast Giants took on the Edinburgh Capitals and a 3-1 victory at the Odyssey Arena on Saturday set up and exciting return leg in Scotland on Sunday. The Capitals took the lead in the first period, but by the end of the second period the scores were level at 2. An early goal in the third period by Colin Shields almost guaranteed the Giants a place in the semi-finals. A goal 5 minutes from time by the Capitals set up a thrilling end to the game but the Giants were able to take it 7-4 on aggregate.

The Cardiff Devils would go to battle with Gardiner Conference winners the Braehead Clan. In one of the more thrilling quarter-finals the Clan took a 7-5 advantage on home ice into the second leg at the Cardiff Bay Arena on Sunday. Gerad Adams’ men were hoping to overturn the two goal deficit. By the end of the opening period the teams were level on aggregate scoring with Blight and Jones getting the goals. An early second period strike put the Devils ahead in the contest a lead they would not give up for the remainder of the match. Running away 7-2 victors on the night, secured the Devils of their 10th consecutive appearance at the finals weekend in the Elite League.

The final match-up of the quarter finals saw Paul Thompson’s Blaze take on Ryan Finnerty’s Steelers; with it possibly being the final games for both coaches.
The Steelers took the lead on Saturday at the Skydome Arena. Fata opened the scoring for the visitors in the opening period but a pair of goals split between the two sides saw a one goal game going into the third period. Michel’s strike early in the third gave the Steelers a 2 goal margin but a comeback goal late in the third from Gutherie kept the encounter close going into the second leg in the Steel City. Gutherie continued the second leg as the first ended and bagged the Blaze a equalising goal early in the first. His second of the night just over 10 minutes into the game gave the Blaze a goal lead on aggregate scoring.

The Steelers struck back in the middle frame and took the lead once again; bit a goal from Cameron early in the third period levelled the scores once again and forced the game into overtime. A hat-trick strike with less than two minutes into the extra period from Gutherie secured the victory for the Blaze and ensured Thompson’s stay on the bench would be extended by an extra week.

It was disappoint however for Finnerty’s men who had failed to reach the play-off finals weekend for the second season in a row.

So with the quarter-finals all done and dusted there is just the matter of the semi-finals on Saturday before the final on Sunday.

The Panthers take on the Devils and will be hoping to secure their place in the play-off final, to have any hope of becoming only the second team in EIHL history to complete the season grand-slam of league, cup and play-off titles.

The second semi-final sees the Giants and Blaze go toe-to-toe. Thompson will be hoping for one final piece of silverware to add to his tally with the Blaze before heading to Sweden in the summer. The Giants will be looking to end the season on a high having missed out on the league title they so desperately wanted to keep.

Semi-final one – 13:00pm
Panthers v Devils

Semi-final two – 17:00pm
Blaze v Giants

Nottingham end their 57 year drought by winning the 2012-13 EIHL league title

The GMB Nottingham Panthers were celebrating their first league title since 1956 last weekend after defeating the reigning champions and their closest rivals the Belfast Giants 5-3 at the Odyssey Arena; to become the 2012-13 Rapid Solicitors Elite League Champions.

It was a close encounter between the two sides in which neither were able to get the upper hand in the opening 40 minutes as the scores were level at three a piece going into the final period. However strikes from Pat Galivan and Matt Francis with an empty net goal sealed the victory for the visiting side.

The Panthers sealed the league title with 6 fixtures remaining, including a return game against the Giants the following night at the Odyssey Arena, from the weekend’s away double-header.
From the 50 league games already played the Panthers have recorded 40 victories and just 10 losses including one shoot-out loss.
Following a disappointing 2011-12 season in which the Panthers missed out on the title by just 4 points to the Belfast Giants, Coach Corey Neilson went about restructuring the team for the current campaign. Notable casualties of this action was long serving Panther defenceman Danny Myers being shown the door, only to end up at their closest rivals across the Midlands in Sheffield.
Other departed players were Sami Ryhanen (Dundee Stars), Rhett Gordon (Retired), Scott Champagne (Belfast Giants), Brock Wilson (Missouri Mavericks), Marcus Maynard (Telford Tigers) and fans favourite David-Alexandre Beauregard (Tulsa Oliers).

One of the notable acquisitions for the 2012-13 season was that of ex-Coventry Blaze captain Jonathan Weaver. Other arrivals were Oliver Betteridge, Pat Galivan, Eric Werner and David Ling.
Following an early season injury to Neilson, replacement was found in the form of Guy Lepine, who returned to the club for a third successive season.
The Panthers were also one of the EIHL clubs to benefit by the NHL lockout in America and signed a star of their own in September. Anthony Stewart of the Carolina Hurricanes arrived on a short term contract for the Panthers. The right winger eventually iced in 19 games and scored 11 points from 6 goals and 5 assists.

With the lock-out coming to an end and the departure of Stewart in December, Neilson moved quickly and signed Kelsey Wilson, a former Nashville Predator signing in 2006, however had been icing for the Trenton Titans in the ECHL.
In the New Year it was announced that Beauregard would be returning to the Panthers from the States to help with their title push and last third of the season. It was a timely arrival by the Canadian as Galivan was setback with injury.
The Panthers faced an early February set back as a number of its star players; David Clarke, Robert Lachowicz, Matt Myers and Steve Lee, were selected as part of Tony Hand’s GB roster to travel to Latvia for the 2014 Winter Olympic qualification round.

Despite recovering from his early season injury, Neilson made the brave decision to hang up his skates for the season ahead and coach the team from the bench. Some will say it was the right decision to make after seeing the Panthers hold off the charge from the Giants throughout the season to top the league standings. However the champions remain on level terms with the Giants in the Erhardt Conference standings.
So what is next for the Panthers….

Well firstly they will face the Sheffield Steelers in the first leg of the Challenge Cup final on Wednesday, before the return fixture at home on 2nd April; and will definitely look to retain the cup for a fourth consecutive season. The Panthers have dominated the Challenge Cup competition since its formation in the 2003-04 season and have won it on 5 occasions.
Following the completion of the regular season the Panthers will turn their attention to the Play-offs, again a competition they have done well in, having won the championship on three occasions including the past two seasons.
So can the Panthers really dominate the final two competitions that they have a long standing success in and become only the second team, in EIHL history, to complete the coveted grand slam of all three competitions…..

2012-13 EIHL League Champions – Nottingham Panthers

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.