Me and the boy have been getting withdrawal symptoms from not watching hockey and as there are only so many times we can watch the Mighty Ducks we decided to take a trip to Cardiff for the second leg of the Festival of Hockey to start off our season. The Festival of Hockey was arranged to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of Sheffield Steelers and the 25th Anniversary of Cardiff Devils which involved the legends of both teams playing against each other, followed by the current teams playing a friendly.
The Legends Game
As the name suggests, this game involved some to the legends of both teams, including Hilton Ruggles for Cardiff Devils and Rick Brebrant for Sheffield Steelers who both made an appearance for Storm all those years ago. Player/coach for Cardiff was John Lawless who was the first coach for Storm. It was an easy choice to support Cardiff Devils due to my hatred for Steelers and Rick Brebrant when I was a Storm fan!
Anyway the game was obviously at a slower pace then we are used to but everyone looked like they were having a great time and there was lots of laughing and joking going on. Hilton Ruggles and Rick Brebrant had a slight clash which ended up with them both on the ice, in a bit of a tangle and helping each other up which made me and the boy laugh. Priest, Sacratini and Moria were the stars of the show with Priest scoring 4 out of the 6 goals. There were some great passing and moves between the three of them and it seemed to work every time. The Steelers' netminder, Cowley, was unbelievable. Before he took a knock and had to go off the ice he made some amazing saves and he proved difficult to get past.
I throughly enjoyed watching some of the legends of the Storm era back on the ice and to be reminded of the good old days when Storm still existed. Cardiff had organised the event really well and managed to get most of their top players throughout the years back on the ice which is a great achievement.
Final Score - Cardiff Devils 6 Sheffield Steelers 4
The Current Team Game
First Period
Both teams looked ready for this one and even though only a friendly it didn't look like they were going to give anything away. The first 3 minutes were pretty uneventful until a penalty was called on the Steelers for interference. The Devils tried to make the most of the power play with numerous attempts on goal. Mark Smith's attempt from the blue line was the closest they came to talking the lead which flew over the netminder's head and just missed the cross bar. At 10:48, the Steelers got a chance on the power play as the Devils got a penalty for hooking. They didn't make the most of it and the Devils broke away but a great save by DeCaro denied the Devils taking the lead shorthanded. Following this the Devils started to get physical and a hard hit by Batch on Hewitt saw a few handbags which was broken up by the linesmen before it could get started. At 15:34 we saw the first goal of the game, Voth made a great pass to Dobben who backhanded the puck into the back of the net just past DeCaro's right leg. From then on the Devils dominated the period making numerous shots on goal. The best chance came from Hill but DeCaro made another great save, making himself big and stopping the puck with his blocker to deny the Devils a two goal lead.
At the end of the first period, the Devils were leading by 1-0 and dominated most of the period with creative passing and numerous attempts on goal. The Steelers never seemed to get going and when they did couldn't deliver. DeCaro was keeping them in the game but I didn't think they would be giving up that easily.
Goals - Devils 15:34 - Dobben, Assist - Voth, Davies
Second Period
It was all about the Steelers at the beginning of the second period and a positive start was just what they needed. Unfortunately for them every attempt they had was stopped by Stevie Lyle and the Devils' defence. After the positive start from the Steelers, the Devils took control of the game and at 24:59 a fantastic slap shot from the blue line by Mark Smith went straight into the back of the net and extended the Devils' lead. Following this a penalty was called on the Steelers for holding and the Steelers made a netminder change. At 36:28, Macrae broke away and had a great chance to extend the lead further, however Woolhouse made a great save to keep them in the game.
End of second period and it was 2-0 to the Devils. The Steelers had made a bright start but yet again the Devils took control and dominated the period. The Devils' defence was on top form so any chances that the Steelers got were stopped before Lyle had to touch them. The Devils had some great breakaways and had kept chipping away at the net which has resulted in the goals. The Steelers had some good chances but they need to up their game in the third to be within a chance of winning.
Goals - Devils 24:59 - Mark Smith, Assist - Birbraer
Third Period
The Devils look confident at the beginning of the third with a 2-0 lead until 43:52 when a penalty was called on them for slashing and the Steelers went on the power play. At 45:42 the Steelers scored their first goal of the game. It was a soft goal but the puck managed to find it's way through Lyle's legs and trickle over the line. After this the Devils made a netminder change and started to fight back, a great attempt by Macrae saw him get past three Steelers players finishing with a cracking shot on goal but was saved well by Woolhouse on his right hand side using his stick and pulling the puck into his body. At 50:41, a penalty was called on the Steelers for tripping but no matter how hard the Devils tried the puck would not go in the back of the net and the Steelers' back-up netminder was keeping them in the game. With one minute left of the game the Steelers pulled their netminder which paid off and with 18 seconds left on the clock, Ramsey managed to get the puck in the back of the net to tie the game.
End of the third and a tied game. Due to it being a friendly no overtime was played. I thought that the Devils deserved the win. They played extremely well and dominated throughout, they scored some great goals and the Defence was one of the best I've seen for a long time. The Steelers never seemed to get going and when they did their goals were a bit scrappy. However both their netminders kept them in the game and made some great saved saved them from a thrashing. The gamble to pull the netminder at the end of the game to get an extra man on the ice was a great move as and it's not very often this pays off.
Goals - Steelers 45:42 - Tait, Assist - Hewitt, Thomas, Steelers 59:42 - Ramsey, Assist Phillips
Final Score - Cardiff Devils 2 Sheffield Steelers 2
31 Aug 2011
2 Aug 2011
Utility players introduced and a twist to the tale!
Sorry about the delay on this one...again! Before I start, this is one of the first slightly negative blogs I have written and I would like to express that THIS IS MY OPINION! I do not want to offend anyone, if you disagree that is your opinion and I respect that and I would appreciate the same respect in relation to my opinion.
A couple of weeks ago brought the news of two British utility players to join the Phoenix line-up next season.
Ryan Johnson returns to Phoenix following a season with the Sheffield Steeldogs. The 27 year old started his career with Hull Thunder and following a 5 year stint with the Sheffield Scimatars, joined Phoenix in the 2009-2010 season. Johnson doubled up as a defender and attacker whilst playing for the Steeldogs and his versatility has proven useful. Tony Hand has said that it is good to have Johnson back and that he will have a utility role within the team. I think Johnson is a good utility player to have within the team but he has never really impressed me on the ice. I am hoping that Johnson has been brought in to give depth to the line up and not as a replacement for Ben Morgan.
Ben Wood returns for his third season with Phoenix and has proved that he is a dedicated player on the ice and a great utility player. He brings energy to the ice but unfortunately is not the greatest hockey player. The 23 year old started his career with Flintshire Freeze and made his first appearance with Phoenix in the 2008-2009 season. Tony Hand has said that he is looking for Wood to increase his points total and is very pleased to have him back in the team. I think that Wood is a useful player but will have to up his game next season. If we were to go with a similar sized squad as last season, in my opinion Wood wouldn't have been one of the players from last years team that I would have had back. If however the plan is to create depth to the line up this season then the signing of both players could work very well.
In my opinion last season saw the team carrying numerous injuries and no-one to replace them on the ice. We played with the least number of players possible which made players skate with injuries and not fulfil their full potential. I think that the introduction of another utility player to the team is just what we need to help in these types of situations, as long as the players are in addition and not a replacement for any of the players we have lost.
In other news, Sunday saw the launch of our new shirts for next season. Unfortunately I couldn't make it but my sources tell me that J Davidson, our headline sponsor have signed a two year deal with us and over ten of our existing sponsors are returning for the new season. This is fantastic news and great to hear that the sponsors are proud to be supporting us. At the shirt launch last season we hardly had any sponsors and it was debatable whether we would for the start of the season so to have this many sponsors already is great.
Tony Hand also revealed that he was very happy with the British players he has signed for the new season and that they are close to signing a deal with a new import forward. He also confirmed that there will be news to follow in relation to the defence...which we now know to be the return of James Neil.
Neil returns to Phoenix for his third season. The 21 year old has spent most of career in Nottingham, playing for the Panthers, Lions and Leopards until 2009 when he signed on a two way contract with Phoenix and the Panthers. Neil has always impressed me on the ice. He is not a physical player (apart from the fight with Sharpy!) but brings a lot of energy onto the ice and is always on the look out for the puck. There is however a twist to the tale. Neil iced as a forward last season but is returning to Phoenix as a defender. He played a couple of games last season as a defender when we were short and had a tendency to return to his forward ways and head off on a breakaway. I think that Neil will do ok in defence, but is he a decent replacement for Morgan? I'm not sure.
On a different note, I don't know about anyone else but I'm really looking forward to watching hockey again...I'm getting withdrawal symptoms...Roll on September!
A couple of weeks ago brought the news of two British utility players to join the Phoenix line-up next season.
Ryan Johnson returns to Phoenix following a season with the Sheffield Steeldogs. The 27 year old started his career with Hull Thunder and following a 5 year stint with the Sheffield Scimatars, joined Phoenix in the 2009-2010 season. Johnson doubled up as a defender and attacker whilst playing for the Steeldogs and his versatility has proven useful. Tony Hand has said that it is good to have Johnson back and that he will have a utility role within the team. I think Johnson is a good utility player to have within the team but he has never really impressed me on the ice. I am hoping that Johnson has been brought in to give depth to the line up and not as a replacement for Ben Morgan.
Ben Wood returns for his third season with Phoenix and has proved that he is a dedicated player on the ice and a great utility player. He brings energy to the ice but unfortunately is not the greatest hockey player. The 23 year old started his career with Flintshire Freeze and made his first appearance with Phoenix in the 2008-2009 season. Tony Hand has said that he is looking for Wood to increase his points total and is very pleased to have him back in the team. I think that Wood is a useful player but will have to up his game next season. If we were to go with a similar sized squad as last season, in my opinion Wood wouldn't have been one of the players from last years team that I would have had back. If however the plan is to create depth to the line up this season then the signing of both players could work very well.
In my opinion last season saw the team carrying numerous injuries and no-one to replace them on the ice. We played with the least number of players possible which made players skate with injuries and not fulfil their full potential. I think that the introduction of another utility player to the team is just what we need to help in these types of situations, as long as the players are in addition and not a replacement for any of the players we have lost.
In other news, Sunday saw the launch of our new shirts for next season. Unfortunately I couldn't make it but my sources tell me that J Davidson, our headline sponsor have signed a two year deal with us and over ten of our existing sponsors are returning for the new season. This is fantastic news and great to hear that the sponsors are proud to be supporting us. At the shirt launch last season we hardly had any sponsors and it was debatable whether we would for the start of the season so to have this many sponsors already is great.
Tony Hand also revealed that he was very happy with the British players he has signed for the new season and that they are close to signing a deal with a new import forward. He also confirmed that there will be news to follow in relation to the defence...which we now know to be the return of James Neil.
Neil returns to Phoenix for his third season. The 21 year old has spent most of career in Nottingham, playing for the Panthers, Lions and Leopards until 2009 when he signed on a two way contract with Phoenix and the Panthers. Neil has always impressed me on the ice. He is not a physical player (apart from the fight with Sharpy!) but brings a lot of energy onto the ice and is always on the look out for the puck. There is however a twist to the tale. Neil iced as a forward last season but is returning to Phoenix as a defender. He played a couple of games last season as a defender when we were short and had a tendency to return to his forward ways and head off on a breakaway. I think that Neil will do ok in defence, but is he a decent replacement for Morgan? I'm not sure.
On a different note, I don't know about anyone else but I'm really looking forward to watching hockey again...I'm getting withdrawal symptoms...Roll on September!
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