Ice Hockey Steelers on top, but league wide open

-
Sheffield Steelers moved back to the top of the Elite League this weekend, but the title race remains wide open as the margins between each team narrow with every passing set of fixtures.

Steelers were just one of two teams to enjoy a four-point weekend.

They started with a 5-4 OT win over great rivals Nottingham Panthers, and then posted  a fine 8-3 road win at Coventry Blaze.

That result knocked Clan into second spot, one point behind Steelers, but with two games in hand.

Glasgow Clan, who have made much of the early running, had a one-game weekend and home ice advantage, but still couldn’t cash in, going down 4-2 at home to Guildford Blaze - their second loss of the season at the hands of Paul Dixon’s side.

Belfast Giants, another side which has found consistency elusive - and this week shook up the dressing room by releasing two players, and bringing in forward  David Goodwin from Mora IK of Sweden.

Coach Adam Keefe clearly saw the moves as crucial to kick-starting the club’s 20th anniversary season, stating: “We are still within striking distance of first place though we cannot continue in our current run of form. We are lacking offence right now and it is important for us to address it.”

The changes had an instant effect as Giants scored back to back wins in Wales, defeating Cardiff Devils 4-1 and then 4-3 in OT.

Manchester Storm went to penalty shots to win in Fife, and then went down in overtime on home ice to Nottingham Panthers to ends the weekend at the bottom of the table.

Ryan Finnerty’s team do have two games in hand over Dundee Stars who notched a fine 7-3 victory over Coventry Blaze.

Fife Flyers also enjoyed a three-point weekend, coming up big with a 2-0 win, and a shut out for netminder Adam Morrison, in Guildford after that shoot-out loss on home ice to Storm.


Those results pushed them back into the top five, tied on 18 points with Nottingham and Coventry who have games in hand.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Bruce Springsteen, Sunderland: It's raining ...

-
Image
Where this gig rates on Springsteen’s tour is entirely subjective, but it will go down as one of the wettest, if not THE wettest ... A summer’s night in Sunderland saw the heavens open and the poncho sellers make a quick buck as they huddled in bus stops on the road leading to the rather mis-named Stadium Of Light which was shrouded in low cloud. It made Manchester 2016 feel like nothing more than a light shower, so all credit fo Springsteen and the E Street Band - and their tech team - for turning in a superb 28-song, near  three hour show in the most challenging of conditions. Any time you thought the rain had eased, you only had to look to the lights to see it swirling round the stage and the stadium. Instruments were soaked, and the close ups on the giant screens showed just how wet things really were up there. While the band donned jackets and scarves, Springsteen strolled out dressed as if it was just another day; waistcoat, tie and shirt, took one look at the rainfall and op...
Read more

Bruce Springsteen, Wembley (Part One): A perfect set, an utterly magical gig

-
Image
The list of superlatives to describe a Springsteen gig has been used up. We need to invent new words. If Cardiff was a mesmerising UK tour opener, then the first night in London, which marks his departure from these shores, surpassed it in every possible way. A flawless set delivered with such energy and intensity he didn’t actually pause to formally say hello to the crowd. The Boss had business to attend to - a jaw-dropping, highlight reel show of 31 songs over three and a quarter hours. It’s incredible to think this came on the cusp of the 50th anniversary of his first ever UK gigs - modest affairs at the Hammersmith Odeon which entered Springsteen folklore as he bristled against the hype surrounding the release of Born To Run, and famously tore down a poster from the front of the venue declaring “finally London is ready for Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band." London was more than ready for this first of two Wembley gigs. Standing on the pitch, I’d forgotten just how vast ...
Read more

From Asbury Park to Boucher Park ...

-
Image
  A near ten-hour flight separates Asbury Park, NJ, and Boucher Park, Belfast, but the difference between them is much, much wider. On one hand you have the mesmerising imagery of boardwalks, carnivals and the Stone Pony, on the other, a park that is basically grass and gravel, next to a generic industrial estate and retail park that could be Anywhere, UK. Belfast’s Boucher Park is as far removed from rock ‘n’ roll as you can imagine - only the moving canvas of Springsteen t-shirts gave away the fact something extraordinary was happening close to the tile warehouses and garden furniture outlets. The stop–start early queue which snaked to the gates led to a wristband which led to the front of the stage with tantalising snippets from the end of the soundcheck carrying over the fencing. I’ve never had the urge to do ‘the pit’ or rollcall - turns out you didn’t really need to do either in Belfast as the wristband got me to within half a dozen rows at the front.I suspect I could have go...
Read more