This weeks Ice Chips...and a player of the week award for a Braehead Clan star... . Ice Chips – Week 9 . A very busy week of Rapid Solicitors Elite League action has just passed us by with midweek and weekend match up’s providing us with 11 games to summarise, with some really interesting results and news along the way. The league standings now show a bit of a split, with the top six teams skating some five points clear of the others. It is of course worth stating that both leaders Belfast and second placed Dundee have played more games than any other team but nothing is better than points in the bank and the chasing pack led by Hull will want to start adding points to their totals as soon as possible. It really has been a miserable start to the season for Edinburgh; a side who finished last season strongly but who simply have not got going at all this term yet. Only 3 points from 13 games with a solitary win on the road in Hull and a shootout loss at Braehead to show for their efforts. Capitals are 5 points adrift of ninth placed Fife, having played a couple of games more. Capitals need some inspiration very soon in order to try and snap a losing run which now extends to 13 games but have a tough schedule coming up. Okay, as we mentioned earlier, lot’s of games to get through this past week, so let’s get down to it. We start last Thursday in the league where Sheffield hosted Coventry and produced one of their better displays in a very inconsistent start for the Steel City side. Steelers took control in this one after a 1-1 opening period and a double by Robert Dowd helped them along to a 5-2 win in the end with Drew Fata firing in the game winner as early as the 36th minute. Thursdays other game was a Challenge Cup Group B clash between Cardiff and Hull and produced 10 goals shared equally between the sides before Devils grabbed the extra point in the shootout. Devils looked home and dry when leading 5-2 in the 36th minute but led by a 4-goal haul from Guillaume Doucet, Stingrays scored twice in the final 10 minutes of regulation to force the tie. It was Jake Morissette who claimed the winner for Devils but Stingrays point was vital as it ensured a regulation win at home to Coventry in their next game would see them oust Blaze to claim the final quarter final spot from Group B. On to Friday now where Nottingham took on the early season shock troops Dundee. By the midpoint of the game Panthers led 3-0 but Stars showed just what they are made of these days as they fought back in great style to hit three straight to force overtime. Panthers Leigh Salters, with his second of the game saw his side claim the extra point but this was another statement by the Scots that they are not going to be an easy team to play for anyone this season. On to Saturday now and it the first of two Belfast v Cardiff games at the Odyssey. A very defensive game plan by a Devils side led by new coach Brent Pope paid off as after the teams were tied at 1-1 after regulation and overtime it was a penalty shot by Jake Morissette for the second time in three days that saw his side pick up two points and consign leaders Giants to their second home loss of the season. Not good news for Devils however, as they saw forward Andrew Conboy ejected on a match penalty which subsequently cost him a 12 match ban for an attempted eye gouge on Giants defenceman Jeff Mason. A Braehead side still injury hit and with 13 skater to start but only 11 to end the match against Edinburgh, still managed to post a 3-1 win against slumping Capitals. Joel Champagne led Clan with 1+2 but Capitals were well below par and had player/coach Richard Hartmann ejected on a 10+game for abuse late on. Fife v Sheffield saw Steelers post their second win in three days, blanking the home side 3-0 with Frank Doyle only having to make 21 saves for his shutout against a home side coming in to this one having won their last three but who never managing to hit those heights a team they had neaten on the road only last Sundays. A quick first period double strike from Steven Goertzen and Jeff Legue had the visitors in control and they never looked back. On to Sunday now and Belfast v Cardiff game two. Once again the Devils game plan frustrated the home side but in another low scoring contest it was Giants who scraped through by the odd goal in three with Colin Shields third period goal at 44.08 proving the decider. Giants welcomed back skipper Adam Keefe after suspension and he wasted little time in reminding everyone of his feistiness as a first period bout against Devils Brad Plumpton proved. Coventry v Hull at the Skydome saw Matt Soderstom’s men blow away Stingrays with a 4-0 opening period that effectively won them the game. Ashley Tait scored 2+3 on the night and was involved in every one of his sides goals in their final 5-2 win, proving there is plenty life yet in this ‘old dog’. Edinburgh faced off at Murrayfield against Dundee and found their scoring touch for a rare time this season. Unfortunately it cost them at the other end as Stars still came away with a 6-4 win. Richard Hartmann scored twice for his side in the losing cause but the star of the night was Nikita Kashirsky of Stars with 3+1 in an impressive display of finishing. Sam McCluskey also made his mark from Stars blue line and his 2+2 haul was his best ever in the Elite League. Nottingham got back to scoring form with a vengeance, hammering a lacklustre Fife side 7-1 at the NIC. Brandon Benedict picked up a hat trick along with an assist and it was only at 56.43 when new goaltender Neil Conway’s shutout hopes were ended by Euan Forsyth. Finally on Sunday it was Ryan Finnerty taking his injury blighted Braehead side to Sheffield for the second time this season and in what must be the result of the week the former Steelers coach was smiling as Clan won for a second time, taking this one 4-2. Clan had the luxury of welcoming back Ed McGrane to their line-up, giving them 12 skaters but after falling behind early it was three straight Clan goals that saw them survive a late Robert Dowd shorthanded strike to clinch it with Neil Trimm’s empty netter. STOP PRESS We managed to delay sending this week’s ‘Chips’ to take in the vital Hull v Coventry Challenge Cup Group B game tonight (Wednesday) and it was Stingrays who got the regulation time win they needed to knock Blaze out of the competition, the hosts taking the final Group B quarter final spot after a 5-2 win. It had been Blaze who took the lead through Ryan Ginand but Matt Davies and Jereme Tendler saw Stingrays ahead before Ginand’s second had the teams tied at 2-2 going into the third period. It was then that Stingrays took control of the game, scoring three straight to skate to victory. Tendler ended up with 2+1 on the night, including the final goal into the empty Blaze net with 26 seconds remaining. MILESTONES Dundee’s opening goal @ Edinburgh was their 500th league goal in EIHL play. PLAYER of the WEEK Player of the Week this time around is a defenceman who perhaps slipped under the radar when he was signed during the Summer but who has hardly put a foot wrong in any game this season, logging long minutes of ice time to help his injury hit side continue to win games. Starring in wins over Edinburgh and Sheffield this week, please skate forward Scott Aarssen of the Braehead Clan.
Posted on: Wed, 06 Nov 2013 23:45:58 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015