This weeks Ice Chips and Player of the Week.. . Yet another good week for Belfast Giants, winning twice on their travels to move four points clear at the top of the league standings, with Dundee Stars leading the pack behind having played the same number of games (16). Sheffield Steelers are still third, a further three points in arrears but with a game in hand but it’s Braehead Clan who look to be in an interesting position – nine points behind Belfast but with no fewer than five games in hand. Injury hit Nottingham Panthers are mid table right now and face a tough home and away series against Sheffield this weekend. Coventry Blaze remain very inconsistent and will be looking over their shoulder at an improving Hull Stingrays outfit, while Fife Flyers will surely have gained confidence from their win over Nottingham last weekend. Cardiff Devils still continue to have a start to the season that they certainly did not expect and although Edinburgh Capitals continue to occupy the bottom spot it will be worth watching how they react to that home win against Nottingham on Sunday, snapping that horror thirteen game losing run. In the Gardiner Conference it’s Dundee, Hull and Braehead pulling clear of Edinburgh and Fife at this point but Flyers have barely started that campaign and have plenty of games in which to catch up with the pack, while in the Erhardt Conference Belfast’s lead remains – eight points clear but having played a lop-sided number of games compared to the others in the conference. To the action now and Saturday’s three game schedule. We start at the Skydome, where Coventry took on Sheffield and fell 3-0 in arrears before the current EIHL top points scorer Adam Henrich got his side on the board in the 30th minute. Steelers always had enough of an advantage however and skipper Steven Goertzen’s strike in the 32nd minute knocked most of the stuffing out of the hosts. A 4-2 win in the end was a good welcome back for Steelers coach Doug Christiansen. Fife against Nottingham was a treat for the Kirkcaldy faithful with a big crowd there to see the Scots shock Panthers, hitting two without reply in the second period to turn a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 lead and eventually adding an empty net goal from Bobby Chaumont for a 4-2 win. Three scraps in this one – the first of the season in the Fife barn and an all round good night for Todd Dutiaume’s men. Hull versus Belfast was a low scoring encounter which Giants won 2-0 with Stephen Murphy posting 19 saves for his second shutout of the season. It was only low scoring however due to the superb form of Ben Bowns between the home pipes as he made 60 saves to keep his team in the game throughout. Even his efforts could not stop Dustin Whitecotton and Calvin Elfring finding the net to give Paul Adey’s side the win. On to Sunday now and first up its Cardiff v Hull. It has been a traumatic start to the season for the Welsh side on and off the ice and this game did not improve any of the moods in Devils’ camp as despite a confident debut by new signing Tomas Kurka, including a penalty shot goal in the 33rd minute it was a late scoring burst by Stingrays with Jereme Tendler’s goal at 57.36 turning out to be the game winner with Omar Pacha adding an insurance into the empty net as the visitors prevailed 5-3. Dundee against Fife saw the home side too strong for a Flyers side that had put so much into the night before against Nottingham. Flyers kept it pretty tight until the second half of the contest, when Stars pulled away, hitting three straight to win 6-3. A hat trick for Brock McPherson was a welcome site for Stars as they remain nearest challengers to Belfast at the top of the standings. Nottingham’s weekend in Scotland saw them fall to a second straight loss, this time 7-6 in overtime in a goal fest. Capitals skated to a 4-0 lead by the 33rd minute but great credit to Panthers as panic set in within the home ranks. Capitals still led 5-2 after two periods but for goals by Panthers in the third ended up in the teams tied at 6-6 and going into overtime. Mighty relief in Murrayfield when Jade Portwood ended it with a penalty shot at 61.44 but under the circumstances a very good point for Corey Neilson’s men. Finally this week it was Sheffield up against Belfast and once again a very professional display by the Giants saw them pick up a 4-2 win. A couple of powerplay goals by Colin Shields and Robby Sandrock set the tone and Steelers were never able to get close enough to cause any real stress to the visitors after that. The game winner came as early as 14.19 with Colin Shields scoring shot being the cushion that allowed Paul Adey’s side to keep up a hot pace at the top of the table. MILESTONES Dundee’s third goal v Fife was their 600th EIHL goal in all competitions. Sam McCluskey of Dundee played in his 200th EIHL game in all competitions v Fife. Brock McPherson of Dundee recorded his 100th career EIHL point in all games when he scored his team’s fifth goal v Fife. Belfast’s win @ Sheffield was their 400th EIHL win in all competitions. Jonathan Weaver of Nottingham recorded his 500th EIHL career point in all competitive games when he scored his team’s sixth goal @ Edinburgh. Robert Lachowicz of Nottingham notched his 100th career EIHL assist in all games when he assisted on his team’s fourth goal @ Edinburgh. PLAYER OF THE WEEK This week it’s a forward that is an integral part of the team ethic of Belfast Giants that has played a big part in their impressive start to the season, seeing his side lead in league and conference. This week he also chipped in with 1+1 performances in both his teams wins over Hull and Sheffield. Skate forward to accept your applause Dustin Whitecotton of the Belfast Giants.
Posted on: Wed, 13 Nov 2013 15:13:11 +0000
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