Carlon makes the switch to the Lightning

The MK Lightning has confirmed the signing of British forward Tom Carlon for the 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons; as they continue to show their intent on challenging for EPL honours next season.

It is a great pick-up for Head Coach Nick Poole, as he adds the highly-rated forward to his British contingent. He said that the chance to sign Tom for the Lightning on a two year deal was an opportunity not to be missed. “I’ve spoken with Tom over the past few summers about him coming to play in MK, and I’m very pleased that we have finally captured his signature. He is a big strong player that I’ve admired since I saw him play junior hockey. Over the last few years he has gained confidence and become one of our league’s best British forwards.

“Tom is ambitious, he wants to win trophies and we know he’ll fit right in with our style of play. He’s a very good skater with an excellent shot and will immediately improve our offence, and he brings a lot of experience at international level and also from his time in the Elite league. His size and strength will add to our forecheck and he will be a real thorn in the side of opposition defences.”

Carlon makes the switch to MK for 2013-14.

Carlon makes the switch from the Lightning’s local rivals; the Peterborough Phantoms after three and a half seasons with the Cambridgeshire club.

The Telford born forward began his junior development with the Telford Wildfoxes aged 14 and began to progress through the clubs rankings, with his skill and ability earning him call ups to the Great Britain Under 18 and Under 20 selection between 2003 and 2005. He has captained the GB U18’s and has won several gold medals at international level.

Icing full-time for Telford, Tom also enjoyed guest appearances with the Coventry Blaze in the Elite League and was signed on a permanent basis in 2006; when the club took the League Championship.

In 2007 he made the switch back to the English Premier League and headed south to join the Bracknell Bees. 2008 marked a switch back to his home-town team; however with the Tigers unable to compete in 2009 due to financial reasons he made the switch to join the new league champions for his first spell with the Phantoms. After two seasons he made the switch to join the Jets, but financial difficulties saw him released mid-season and he made a return to the Phantoms.

Tom is very capable in the forward position and has good positioning and awareness on the ice. He is also able to score and will give the Lightning added fire power across their forward lines. However he is not a player that will score 50 goals a season and his abilities are utilised elsewhere. A player that is not afraid to put his body on the line or through a hit when needed; he is a great addition to Poole’s team.

He is coming off the back of his second best season in the EPL in terms of point production having scored 54pts from 21 goals and 33 assists. It will be interesting to see if Tom can once again be part of a championship winning side and what role he will play in MK depending on the further signings made by Poole.

London and why an ice hockey franchise is needed (part 1)

There have been many rumours, thoughts and speculation regarding an ice hockey franchise returning to London.
It is not a bad shout given how things are progressing within the British ice hockey scene and the steady rise in popularity of the sport. But 10 years on is it the right time to see a proper franchise back in the capital?

The last “London” team was the London Racers; however there are smaller more localised teams such as the Lee Valley Lions and Romford Raiders which could be considered as London teams given their location.
If we take a look at the most recent history of ice hockey in London we’ll start with what I would regard as the last proper London team, the London Knights.

The Knights were founded in 1998 and played within the Ice Hockey Superleague (ISL); the top flight in British ice hockey at the time. The Knights had limited success during their time in the ISL, winning the play-off championship in 1999-2000 and coming runners-up the following season. The Knights almost completed a double in 99-00 reaching the final of the Benson and Hedges Cup only to lose out to the Manchester Storm. In their final season in the ISL the Knights once again reached the play-off finals but lost out to the Belfast Giants.

When the ISL collapsed at the end of 2002-03, it also marked the end of the Knights. Their home, the London Arena, was sold to be later demolished and they announced that they would not be icing in 2003-04. The Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL) was formed and replaced the ISL as the top flight of British ice hockey from the 2003-04 season. With it looking likely that a London team would be absent from the inaugural EIHL season, the London Racers were formed in a matter of weeks and started the new season playing their home games from Alexandra Palace. The following season saw a move to the Lee Valley Ice Centre in Leyton; the home of the Lee Valley Lions.

The Racers started the 2005-06 season, however never completed it after the team folded in November 2005, following a series of safety concerns with the ice rink. Unable to find a new venue or secure agreement on improving safety at Lee Valley; the club withdrew its team from all competitions and folded. It is suspected the concerns with the rink were a smoke screen for financial issues which resulted in the club’s failure.

So why is a franchise needed for London and why now?
It could be seen that for any sport to be successful, especially a minority sport such as ice hockey, that the capital city of the country should have a professional team to raise its profile.

London has seen a good crop of teams based within the city, ever since the creation of the English National League in 1935. The Earls Court Rangers, Wembley Lions, Harringay Racers/Greyhounds, Streatham Redskins and the Wembley Monarchs were just a few that competed from the Capital prior to the Second World War.

The first team to be based in London however dates back to 1896 and was the Princes Ice Hockey Club, based at the Prices Skating Club in Hammersmith. They were followed by the London Canadians in 1902 and played from the same rink. The Princes Skating club closed, following the outbreak of World War I, and the ice hockey team with it.

The boom of ice hockey in the 1970s saw the creation of two further teams in London. Firstly the London Lions were started by the owner of the Detroit Red Wings in the NHL and played their games out of Wembley Arena. The team was named after the Wembley Lions that competed in the 1930s.

In 1977 the London Phoenix Flyers were formed, later to become the Richmond Flyers in 1980. They played in the British Hockey League between 1982 and 1989 and joined the new English League in 1989. The club ceased to exists from 1992 when their home, the Richmond Ice Rink, was demolished to make way for residential flats overlooking the River Thames.

The next team to use the London moniker in their name was the London Knights from 1998 who were then replaced with the London Racers from 2003 to 2005. Since November 2005 there has not been a professional ice hockey team based within the city.

History shows that London has had a long affiliation with ice hockey and teams based in the capital; therefore why would it not work in the modern era?

Come back for part 2 shortly when we take a further look at the possibility and future of a London ice hockey team.

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!!!

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

Panthers defeat Steelers to win Challenge Cup

With all the excitement of the play-off quarter finals and the Under 18 World Championships this past week, I had forgotten to report on fact that the Nottingham Panthers defeated the Sheffield Steelers in the EIHL Challenge Cup on Tuesday.

Having won their first Elite league title last month, the Panthers entered the second leg of the Challenge Cup with a 4-1 lead over the Steelers; but a 2-1 loss on the night earned them a 5-3 aggregate victory over the Steel city.

It means that Coach Corey Neilsen has mirrored the accomplishments of the Guildford Flames in the English Premier League, to become the 2012-13 Double-double champions. More impressively the victory sees the Panthers secure their fourth consecutive Challenge Cup crown and sixth overall in the Elite League era.

It was the visitors that broke the deadlock first when Lee Esders goal gave the Steelers a 1-0 lead shortly before the end of the first period.

Early in the second and it became a one goal game as Steven Goertzen double the lead in the 23rd minute. With the Panthers trying to find a rhythm to the game it was Bruce Graham that steadied the ship pulling a goal back just over the mid-way mark.

The Panthers’ only goal of the game was enough to see out the final 30 minutes and kill of any chance of a Steelers comeback in the third period. Despite losing 2-1 on the night, only their fifth loss on home ice this season, the 4-1 lead taken from the first leg of the final was enough to ran away 5-3 winners on aggregate.

It will have come as huge relief for the Panthers who battled their way through the Play-off quarter finals against the Fife Flyers the weekend before.

With the double secured; who can stop the Panthers from becoming only the second team in EIHL history to complete the season grand-slam. On Saturday the Panthers take on the Cardiff Devils in the first semi-final match and will hold home-ice advantage with the play-off finals weekend being played out of the National Ice Centre.

Watkins returns to lead Tigers in 2013-14

The TRS Telford Tigers have confirmed that player/coach Tom Watkins will be returning to the club for a fourth year to head the club’s EPL campaign for the 2013-14 season.

Player/Coach Tom Watkins has agreed to return to the Telford Tigers for 2013-14.

The announcement comes despite recent rumours linking Watkins with the coaching job at his former EIHL employers, Coventry Blaze, to replace the Sweden bound Paul Thompson.

Watkins re-joined the newly formed Supporters Trust owned Tigers team as player/coach, following the end of 10 year relationship with the Coventry Blaze in the Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL).

The Telford Tigers were formed and iced in their first full season in 1985-86 and were granted permission to join the first division of the British Hockey League. In 1987-88 the Tigers won the Southern Division by two points, before beating the Northern conference champions, Cleveland Bombers to take the overall title. Despite their success, the Tigers eventually folded in the summer of 1990 after the team was put into liquidation.

A new organisation was formed, Telford Tigers Ice Hockey Club (1990) and returned to the ice for the 1990-91 season. However the troubles were far from over and after ending up runners up in the 1994-95 season, the club was issued with an order to fold owing £30,000 in unpaid VAT. Once again the team was reformed and returned for the 1995-96 season.

In December 1996, the Tigers once again ran into money troubles however were saved by Ken Crickmore, who listed the club on the OFEX Stock market.

The Tigers remained competitive, however unsuccessful in the following seasons, but the troubles were far from over as the Telford Tigers Ice Hockey Plc went bankrupt and ending up being wound up by the High Court in Spring 1999; still owing monies to both the coach and players.

This resulted in a period of time with no Tigers team in Telford, however the Telford Wildfoxes being established in 2001 playing in the amateur English National League. In 2003 the Tigers named once again returned to Telford as the Wildfoxes evolved and joined the English Premier League.

The Tigers struggled to find their previous competitive form, shown in their different guises and ended up at the wrong end of the standings for a number of seasons. In 2008-09 the Tigers announced a major new sponsorship deal with Eurologix, however after just a few weeks the Cannock based company pulled out of the agreement leaving a huge dent in the Tigers’ finances for the season ahead.

Once again financial difficulties hit the club hard in 2009-10 and after missing the registration deadline for the EPL were unable to ice for the season. A return to the EPL was hoped for the following season following a change in management of the organisation. A Supporters Club (Tiger Tracks) was established to take over ownership of the team. In April 2010 it was confirmed that the team’s application for the EPL had been approved and they would return for the 2010-11 season.

And so started the current chapter in the Telford Tigers’ troubled history.

A five year plan had been set by the Trust to see first and foremost stability for the team and secondly competitive hockey return to the Shropshire side. The first appointment for the new owners was that of former Tigers defenceman, Watkins in the role of player/coach. Watkins had just earned his fourth EIHL League Championship with the Coventry Blaze having joined them in 2000-01. After 10 seasons with the midlands side it was time for Watkins to turn his attention to a new challenge and that was to see the Tigers become a competitive franchise once again.

Despite some promising results in the initial season the Tigers finished a respectable 9th place in the standings, beating the Bracknell Bees by just one point at the bottom of the table. In the second season, 2011-12, the Tigers finished at the bottom of the league standings, 19 points off the final play-off position.

At the end of the current season, once again the Tigers have finished bottom of the league standings with 13 victories and 28 points; however this time were 21 points off the play-off positions. However the Tigers have shown glimpses of their potential that has been three years in the making, ending the regular season with a four point weekend and victories over the Bracknell Bees and Manchester Phoenix.

It is excellent news for the Tigers that Watkins has agreed a return for the 2013-14 season as he looks to build on the foundations he has set over the previous three seasons. Watkins approach to coaching the Tigers has been to nurture and develop local talent, adding in a mixture of experienced Brits and skilful imports; all on a very tight and small budget, compared to some of their league rivals.

It appears that, despite the tough results earlier in the season, his mixture is finally starting to set and gel together as the Tigers look to the new season and mounting a probable charge on the top 8 in the league. Of course there will be personnel changes during the summer, not every team can do a Guildford and keep the same roster bar two changes, for consecutive seasons. However the changes will need to take the team in the right direction and give them that extra step needed to challenge week in and week out for the play-off positions.

The highlight for the team and Watkins, of the current season, will surely be the 8-2 thrashing they handed the third placed Phoenix earlier in March, a performance and team that showed they can still compete with the teams at the top end of the standings.

Now we just have the summer of anticipation as we wait to see who stays, who goes and who joins the Tigers for next year’s challenge.

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

A History Lesson – Thompson and the Blaze

EIHL Coventry Blaze head coach, for the past 18 years, Paul Thompson is set to quit the UK scene and take up a position in Sweden with Troja-Ljungby in the Swedish Second division for the 2013/14 season.

The announcement came earlier this week and will be a massive blow for both the EIHL Blaze and the UK as a whole. Seen as a stand out coach in British Ice Hockey, Thompson started his coaching career in Solihull, a rink he knew well from his playing days. Despite icing for four games for the Solihull Barons in the 1987-88 season, his playing career kicked off in 1990-91 dressing for 29 games with the Barons and registering four points. For the 1991-93 seasons Thompson saw a switch to the Sheffield Steelers, before returning to the Barons for the 1993-94 season.

From coaching at Under 14 level, Thompson progressed through the ranks taking charge of the Solihull Knights for the 94-95 season (the Barons reserve team). The following season saw Thompson return to coach the Knights before a mid-season switch to coaching the Barons. For the start of the 1996-97 season the Barons evolved into the Solihull Blaze, finishing second in the Premier Ice Hockey League.

The 1997–98 season was one of the most successful on record as Blaze were victorious in the English National League and the ED1 North League. An eighteen goal thriller in the play-off final against Chelmsford Chieftains gave Blaze their third trophy of the season; and so started the trophy collection for Thompson’s coaching career.

Thompson remained with the Solihull Blaze until the end of the 1999-2000 season. That season saw Thompson add to his ever growing cabinet of success with the English Premier League play-off crown and the English Premier League championship.

May 2000 marked the next chapter in the successful story of Thompson and the Blaze, as they headed to the new surroundings of the SkyDome Arena in Coventry, and so transformed into the Coventry Blaze for the start of the 2000-01 British National League season.

After near-misses and runners up slots coming in the following seasons, the Blaze returned to glory in 2002-03 lifting the league title and play-off crown by the narrowest of margins against the Cardiff Devils. Following their success in the BNL and shortly after lifting the play-off crown the Blaze announced their second evolution as they set to enter the newly formed Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL) which replaced the defunct Superleague as the top flight of British Ice Hockey.

Since the move and change to Coventry in 2000, Thompsons’ philosophy to coaching was evolution and not revolution when it came to the team. Small, minor changes were made to the team rosters year on year and this continued into their first season in the EIHL, with him staying true to the team that won the double in their final season of the BNL.

Despite early success in the season, the New Year marked a turning point for the Blaze in their first season in the top flight. The Blaze fell back in the league standings and wins were hard to come by, but they still finished third in their first year. The playoffs however, got off to an awful start as they lost in Cardiff, minus Thompson, who was serving a one match ban following a bench clearance against the Devils the weekend before. With only four games in the group stage, Blaze were unable to get going after that loss and ended the season by finishing winless in the post-season.

With disappointment of the previous season looming large, gone was the approach of making minor changes to the team and Thompson set to overhaul his roster ready to compete for the 2004-05 season; one that would become significant in the Blaze’s and EIHL’s history.

Returning to the line-up were netminder Jody Lehman and new captain Ashley Tait from the double winning BNL team. However Thompson changed many, bringing in more size, more speed and more quality. His greatest coup was signing former-Superleague defenceman Neal Martin, who went on to become the league’s Player of the Year and selected to the EIHL All-Star Team.  Thompson’s heavy recruitment also saw the Blaze’s brand-new first line of Dan Carlson, Adam Calder and Andre Payette come together proving their potent skill throughout the season. The season started well as they qualified from their group for the semi-finals of the Challenge Cup, kept with the early pace-setters at the top of the league and even got over the disappointment of losing out on NHL forward Eric Beaudoin on a lock-out deal; by bringing in high-scoring centreman Chris McNamara.

Showing the true marks of a top Coach, the turning point in Blaze’s season came in November, as Thompson cut Slovak Michal Vrabel and brought in Toronto Maple Leafs’ NHL defenceman Wade Belak, sparking a run to the end of the regular season where they only lost once in regulation time.  Victory over the Nottingham Panthers sent Coventry to their first Challenge Cup final, beating the Cardiff Devils 11-5 on aggregate; to secure their first trophy of the season.  

As Cardiff faltered, the league eventually became a two-horse race between Coventry and Belfast. Blaze eventually wrapping up the title with three games to go with a 5-1 victory over the London Knights to secure their place as the number one team in Britain.

Now the bid was on to add the Play-off crown to their trophy cabinet. After qualifying from their playoff group for their first finals weekend, a Jody Lehman shutout helped Blaze beat Sheffield Steelers 3–0 in their semi-final. Facing the Nottingham Panthers in the final the game was a close affair and eventually won by an overtime goal by Tait to gift the Blaze the play-off crown and to secure Blaze’s place in British Ice Hockey history as winners of the elusive Grand-Slam (cup, league and play-offs).

If the 2004-05 season was a high point in the career of Thompson and history of the Blaze, then the 2005-06 season was definitely a low point. After seeing his entire top line and netminder leave, and a number of other key players retiring, Thompson once again had to overhaul his roster for the year ahead.

Unfortunately the Blaze were on the losing end of the Challenge Cup final against the Devils and eventually finished fourth in the league. The biggest upset was failing to make the play-off semi-finals. Their last chance of success came in the newly formed Knock-Out Cup competition, but resulted in a shutout loss to the Steelers.

As was becoming the norm for Thompson in the EIHL era, a wholesale revamp of his team was required for the 2006-07 season. A key signing, it would seem, was that of League All-Star netminder Trevor Koenig. Returning after a year away where the grand-slam duo of Adam Calder and Dan Carlson. They were combined with proven past winners like Sylvain Cloutier, Samy Nasreddine, former NHL player Rumun Ndur, Reid Simonton and Danny Stewart.

The Blaze quietly went about their business and qualified for both cup finals, without defeat, whilst keeping a steady pace to the reigning champions, the Belfast Giants in the league. By February the Blaze had cut Belfast’s 11 point lead they held at Christmas and when the two sides met, an 8-0 victory in favour of Coventry was a turning point of the season. Despite being pushed all the way, a home win against the Edinburgh Capitals secured the league title with a few games remaining. A week later a second trophy was in the cabinet; a 5–1 win in Sheffield brought the Challenge Cup back to Coventry. The other two trophies eluded them thanks to the Cardiff Devils, with a 3–0 shutout on SkyDome ice in the Knockout Cup final followed up by a 3–2 success in the playoff semi-finals.

With the majority of the championship team remaining the Blaze set about the defence of their crowns for 2007-08. Despite relinquishing the Challenge Cup, the Blaze when on to secure the second successive, and third overall league title, whilst coming from behind in the Knock Out Cup final against the Basingstoke Bison in the second leg, to ensure a second trophy would be returning to the SkyDome Arena.

The 2008–09 season resulted in the Blaze and Thompson winning no major silverware for the first time in three years.

The Blaze celebrated their 10th anniversary season in 2009–10 with a third Elite League title in four seasons, making it 10 trophies in 10 seasons since their transformation from the Solihull Blaze in the summer of 2000. Once again Thompson made some key signings to his roster to bolster the team that missed out on all trophies the previous season. Peter Hirsh was installed in net, whilst Greg Chambers and Luke Fulghum provided the goals up front. The League became the priority for the coach as the cups become second priorities for success.

Once again the rollercoaster ride the Blaze were firmly seated on took another dip and the 2010-11 season once again resulted in no silverware for the team. As with previous times there were not many changes made to the team that had just won the league championship. Brett Jaeger replaced Peter Hirsh in goal whilst Canadian blueliners Brad Zanon and Jeff Smith were signed in place of long-time defenceman Tom Watkins, who moved to Telford Tigers as player-coach, and the retiring Jason Robinson. Up-front Owen Fussey was signed from rivals Edinburgh Capitals to replace the team’s highest goal scorer Adam Calder.

With early form eluding them the Blaze went on to finish 6th in the league, their worst finishing position of the 11 year history.

The 2011-12 season would become the team and coaches’ most troubling since their formation in 2000. In December 2011 it was announced that the club was hit by financial difficulties due to the economic climate and events outside of their control. The Blaze issued a press statement announcing Blaze Action Month, asking the fans to get behind the club by purchasing game tickets and buying merchandise in order to raise funds. One man at the head of the rescue plan was the coach himself. With a huge Twitter following Thompson turned to social media to get the word out and to help spread the word in hope that the Blaze could be rescued.

With weeks on uncertainty, it was announced in the New Year that the team would be continuing on for the remainder of the season and would fulfil their obligation to play the remaining league games. Once again the Blaze finished in 6th place in the league behind the newcomers Braehead Clan.

For the current season, 2012-13, once again Thompson looked to make a drastic overhaul of his squad. With what would have been a coup of the season Thompson looked to bring in ex-NHLer Mike Danton; to much controversy and raised eyebrows. Danton played for the New Jersey Devils and St Louis Blues between 2000 and 2004 before being imprisoned for conspiracy to commit murder. He was released on parole in September 2009 and set about reforming his life.

Danton returned to ice hockey action in September 2011 with IFK Ore in the Swedish Division one league.  In May 2012 the Blaze confirmed the signing of Danton for the coming season, only for his first foray in British Ice Hockey to be brought to an abrupt end when the UK Border Agency rejected his application for a UK visa on two occasions.

Thompson was very vocal during this period; offering is public support of Danton, whilst also assisting in trying to have the decision over-turned, however to no avail.

The Blaze have struggled to find consistent form this season and currently sit in 4^th place in the league standings 25 points off Nottingham at the top. They are also in fourth place of the newly formed Erhardt Conference inter-league.

However current and recent results should not be blamed for the decision by one of the best British Ice Hockey coaches to have graced these shores. Since taking the helm of the Coventry Blaze, through their different guises, 18 years ago, Thompson has guided the organisation to 15 major trophies in all competitions.

He has also coached the Blaze to a record four Elite League titles, more than any other team, and is the only team to have achieved the elusive grand slam from the 2004-05 season.

In an affiliation to rival that of Sir Alex Ferguson and Manchester United, Thompson has been the driving force behind the Blaze’s success right from day one. Although 2009-10 was the last time the team won a trophy this should not be attributed to Thompson’s ability as a coach, as every team will and has been through a period of austerity, only to flourish once more and achieve more success.

Now for a player to stay at a club for multiple seasons can been seen as a land mark and an achievement. However to stay at a club for multiple seasons as a coach, when the successes and failures lie at your feet is truly remarkable; and something that football could learn a lot from. Thompson’s reign at the Blaze is not only the longest in Britain but he is also the longest serving head coach in Europe.

Speaking to the club’s official website, Thompson said “This isn’t a decision that’s been made at the drop of a hat.”

“It’s something I’ve been discussing with my family and fellow directors for a while now. It was just a question of when we all felt the time was right. I’ve coached in the UK all of my life and I feel I now need to test myself and continue to develop as a coach by learning new things in a new country and hockey environment. 

“Sweden is a hockey nation and I’m excited about being able to work in a country where they live and breathe hockey. I also feel my experience will benefit Troja – my experience of over 1200 professional games and international hockey is a big reason I’ve been given this opportunity. Troja is a well-run, established club and is a perfect fit for me right now.

“The Blaze are my club. I’ve put my heart and soul into this team and club my whole career and at some point maybe I will be able to bring the things I learn in Sweden back to the club.” 

What Thompson has done for British Ice Hockey, not only at the Blaze, but also for GB’s national team will ensure that he is seen as one of the all-time greats.

I genuinely believe that the recent successful failure by Team GB at the 2014 Olympic qualifiers can be attributed to the stand out hard work that Thompson and his team put into coach the future stars from the UK. Stepping down from head coach duties last season was once again a big decision to make, but one that was understandable given the pressures and trying times being experienced by the Coventry team. It also gave a perfect opportunity for another of the UK’s greats, Tony Hand, to build on the foundations laid by Thompson.

Despite failing to qualify for next year’s winter Olympics, I truly believe that British Ice Hockey is now entering the next chapter of its history and that we will soon see success for our national team.

I for one would love to see Thompson return to Britain in the coming years to further progress his success and history in our beloved sport, but for now I wish him all the success and happiness he deserves in Sweden.

Team GB beat Import Select in warm-up game

Team GB warmed up in the best possible style, for their Olympic qualification tournament later this week, with a 6-3 victory against the EIHL/EPL Import Selective at Ice Sheffield last night. Team GB were without experienced Ashley Tait, who sat out the game due to a knock, with Head Coach Tony Hand taking the precautionary route to rest one of the important players in the team.

Hand’s men took an early lead inside the opening two minutes when a good move saw Davie Philips and Jonathan Philips set up Cardiff Devil’s Phil Hill to slot the puck home at the doorstep.

The Import Select hit back and got back on level terms in the 15th minute when Ondrej Pozivil (Manchester Phoenix) slotted the puck past fellow EPL select Stevie Lyle. It was all action in the dying minutes of the opening period. David Clarke restored Team GB’s one goal lead at 18:11; however the advantage was short lived as David-Alexandre Beauregard (Panthers) sent his club coach Corey Neilsen clear to skate in on Lyle and slot home for 2-2.

A brace by Braehead Clan’s Robert Farmer either side of the first period interval saw Team GB open up a two goal lead; with goals at 19:53 and 21:15.

At the midway point of the game, Coach Hand made a change between the pipes for Team GB as Ben Bowns replaced Stevie Lyle for the remainder of the game. For the remainder of the period the game was level pegging with neither team able to find the back of the net as Team GB completed the second period with a 4-2 lead.

Team GB were once again deadly at the opening of the period and two quick goals by Craig Peacock and Rob Sarich gave the men a 6-2 lead over the Import Select. However Sheffield Steeldogs Lubomir Korhon was able to get on the score sheet before the final whistle and scored the Import Select’s final goal; which saw Team GB take a well earned 6-3 victory at Ice Sheffield.

Head Coach Tony Hand spoke to Ice Hockey UK, “It was a good workout for the boys and I would like to thank the import side for turning out to take part in the game and help our preparations. “It is all systems go now and no time to rest. We fly to Latvia in the morning and then straight on the ice in the afternoon.

“Ashley Tait has a very minor knock but he is fine. We just want to give him a extra day’s rest.”

The team will now travel to Latvia today (Wednesday 6th) to prepare for the opening match against the hosts tomorrow with face off at 5:30pm UK time. Don’t forget the games are being shown live on ESPN UK and Ireland. We will also be bringing you news of the games as soon as possible after.