The Official British Hockey Thread 2012-2013

[grazza]

This is the Elite Ice Hockey League / English Premier Ice Hockey League / National Ice Hockey League UK / etc thread for 2012/13 - Archi


ORIGINAL POST:

Was at the Edinburgh Capitals v Braehead Clan here in Edinburgh tonight. Great game of hockey indeed. Caps who have struggled the last couple of season particualry and Clan who are only in their third season but have always been a good midtable team. Caps took the lead with the first shot of the game which riled the Clan goalie who played for Caps local rivals Fife Flyers last season. Despite Clan enjoying more of the puck Caps doubled their lead and the Caps goalie was solid all the way in the first 2 periods oh and Caps got a third goal in the 2nd, though this period didn't have a lot of chances as it seemed both teams were catching their breath from the fast 1st period. Caps did a good job drawing a number of tripping penalties from Braehead. While there were no powerplay goals in the whole match this restricted Clan and tired them out. This was a challenge cup game and this year they are trialing two referees so really no one got away with anything which suited caps finesse style better than Braehead's physical edge. They have probably wanted to have 2 refs for ages but they are struggling for enough quality officials and the cost of paying more on them and their development but looks like they are hoping to make it work eventually which is good. Anyway back to the game and Braehead produced an excellent comeback scoring 3 goals and totally swinging the momentum of the game with Caps holding out for overtime. Edinburgh prevailed though with a breakaway in OT with and two men and so a simple tap in secured the win. Next week Edinburgh's big rivals Fife Flyers visit so hopefully another good game of hockey.

[archibalduk]

Braehead are fast becoming a decent team. Krestanovich and Galbraith are pretty darn good and IIRC they also have Zemlak this season. How did you find their fans? I sat with them during the playoff weekend earlier this year and they were absolutely mental! There was only a small group of them, but they were by far the noisiest and they spent the weekend throwing purple balloons everywhere!!

How do you find the seating in Edinburgh? I spent a weekend there a couple of years ago when the Toronto Marlies and Hamilton Bulldogs visited. I was incredibly sore after watching four games sat on those wooden seats!!

I've been going to all of the home Invicta games this season. As mentioned above, I gave up watching them previously because they were so dominant and would win by huge margins. This season is definitely closer, but they still have the edge over the other teams in the league. However, the games against the likes of Streatham, Wightlink and Chelmsford should be very good.

[grazza]

Interesting you mention Zemlak he didn't have the best on nights. In fairness he made some good saves especially with the glove but with Caps scoring the first shot of the game after 25 seconds it clearly riled him and he would definetly want that goal back. He played with Fife last year who are Edinburgh's big rivals so the Caps fans were giving hima fair amount of stick trying to put him off and calling him a sieve. he left the ice just before the man of the match awards in a huff. I can see why he is a good goalie but is still pretty young in a position you peak in a bit later than others. The Caps new goalie Tomas Hiadlovsky had a great game and got his 2nd man of the match in 2 nights, Clan in the 3rd basically had to run at him to get anywhere. Caps recruitment policy seems to pretty sensible with such a limited budget they have only 1 north american on the team who is jsut out of college hockey but captained his team there, other than the Scottish lads the rest is central European with mostly Slovak, a couple of Czech and a Latvian. These countries are in the EU so work permits and Visa's are not an issue thus saving money and in Scotland they don't need to pay tuition fees being an EU student so another selling point for a low budget team like Caps. The Scottish guys had a great game on Sunday and they seemed to have improved a lot over the summer despite the loss of Bari Mackenzie to Cardiff. I do think though they could use what import slots left to build on the depth as at the top end they look pretty decent. Home games are vital and the bigger ice will suit their European style though playing in smaller rinks e.g. Cardiff it will be very hard for them to get into rhythm.

Braehead well I am actually originally from Ayrshire so supported Ayr Scottish Eagles who played in the old Superleague 1996 - 2002. Those were some times they won the league and played in Europe beating the Russian champions Kazan home and away though that was guys straight out the AHL/IHL and the team was pretty much just all imports and for 2 seasons they had the legend that is Tony Hand. The superleague costs got out of hand so Ayr was seen as too small a market so the Eagles moved to Braehead in 2002 going out of business after just a couple of months about the same time as Manchester Storm. The move to Braehead was clearly a rushed job and no real thought was put into marketing the team and so all attempts in Glasgow of a pro or even semi pro team had failed. Though 2 years ago Neil Black who own the Nottingham Panthers came in and set up the Clan. Nottingham have done a lot of things well in getting in fans particuarly females and familys and so has used this in Braehead Clan. I was staying in Ayrshire in Clan's first season so went along to a few of the games and even in year 1 things seemed to be looking good. They managed to connect with the hardcore eagles fans of the past but now have built up a strong fanbase throughout the Greater Glasgow area. Many of the fans therefore are no stranger to top league hockey and not having it for 8 years built up a lot of excitement when the Clan started though this was initially mixed with cautiousness as Glasgow was never seen as a ice hockey city a bit like London or Birmingham. their fans make a lot of noise and cheer the team well even when they were 3-0 down in Edinburgh.

I stay in Edinburgh these days. Ayr Scottish Eagles will always be my first love in ice hockey but they are no more but I still love the sport so will put my support behind my local team which at the moment is the Caps. The Caps fans deserve a lot of credit after the horrendous season 2 years ago they have stuck by the team and while they are pretty low in numbers very loud and come up with some great chants and songs (probably one for each player just about) and they do a good job at taunting the opponents goalie or making noise to put off the away team when they are on the powerplay. Was good to see Martin Cingel back he is a fans favourite he had been with the team 9 seasons before playing at Manchester last season but his family were still in Edinburgh so understandably he is back they were singing a song for him and he was conducting it as the teams left the ice so some great banter. The rink itself is pretty old, I am a tall guy so seating wise maybe not perfect but not as bad as it looks. The rink had a bit of maintenace over the summer on the roof and lighting etc so is a bit brighter and wasn't as cold as it used to be (though ask me that again around christmas time). Great to have 4 Scottish teams in the league now especially with the new conference system, that was the only bad thing with Ayr we didn't really get that rivalry though maybe a wee bit with Belfast towards the end as they used to bring a lot of fans over as the ferry ports weren't that far away.

The NIHL looks pretty decent these days. In the north Solway Sharks joined (the northern section) they are from Dumfries in Scotland but pretty near the border so logistically made sense to play against the northern English teams especially as Dundee and Fife went to the elite league the SNL was just poor a level. They played Peterborough of the EPL and got a draw and Sharks had no imports though just a friendly there probably is not that massive a gap between the bottom end EPL teams and top NIHL teams. I think if say manchester, Guildford, Basingstoke and MK ever left and joined the elite then you could probably have promotion/relegation between EPL and NIHL.

[archibalduk]

I think the NIHL South 1 is going to be really exciting this season (like it was last season). It's nice to see Chelmsford, Romford and Wightlink vying for the top places in addition to Invicta. After Cardiff this weekend, the next six games are going to be pretty darn good: Wightlink x2, (Streatham), Chelmsford and Romford x2.

[Manimal]

Any rumours of NHLers going to Britain?

[archibalduk]

Any rumours of NHLers going to Britain?

None that I've seen. It'd be neat to see one or two NHL players come over. Not that I'll get to see any EIHL games this season - I live too far away from any of the teams and I guess they wouldn't still be here come the playoff final weekend (which hopefully I'll be able to go to).

[grazza]

Read a rumour that Nottingham were in line to get 2 NHLers who wanted to play together but then found out the cost of insurance for the two was $104,000. With it being a lockout they presumably would want a get out clause and so unclear how long they would remain. Shawn Thornton apparantly linked with Belfast (his mother was born there) and a team in Finland. I think it is maybe possible we see a couple of NHLers but tricky for teams with a full quota of imports with not knowing how long it is going to be so for the bigger teams I think it will need to be a recognisable name that can put more bums on seats and probably not play for a wage if insurance needs to be handled. Apparantly agents are certainly offering players out to teams in Europe so we might seem some deals done. From an Edinburgh perspective I hope they can sign someone as a result of this, obviously not likely to be an NHLer but maybe a minor league player or even a European player that has lost a spot or ice time due to the influx and knockon effect from NHL. Interestingly Braehead have signed a defenceman that spent the last 2 years in the Dutch league though he did get many points there so maybe they are looking for someone to contribute from the blueline but would have thought they would maybe get an AHL misplaced player.

[Primis]

Honestly the NHL lockout is more likely to drive AHLers and ECHLers not on NHL contracts over, as there will be fewer slots for them as NHL teams send down more youngsters than usual.

How is Belfast not better? I know so many of those names on the roster as guys that were important/impact ECHLers when they jumped over. Is the EIHL not a good skating league with tighter checking or something?

[archibalduk]

The EIHL is bit of a weird league in some ways (particularly with regards to the rules and the weird league structure introduced this season). Each team has a limit of 11 imports (essentially this means 11 non-British players) and so, generally speaking, we end up with teams consisting of 11 strong players and then the remainder a variety of good and weak players. With the exception of some British talent, there is quite a gulf between the skilled imports and the lesser skilled British players. It does sometimes feel that the British players are just filling the spare slots in the rosters.

All three levels of the British league are arguably improving each season. The EIHL has this season attracted some pretty big names - Mike Danton (if he ever gets a visa), the Leeb brothers, Noah Clarke and Corey Pecker to name a few. I haven't seen ECHL teams play, but in comparison to the AHL teams I've seen, the EIHL style is slower and the checking isn't so tight. Perhaps that's the same as the ECHL, I don't know. However, I think the key difference is the gulf in skill between the imports and many of the UK players.

Having said that, a couple of years ago the Boston Bruins played a British all star team at Belfast. The Bruins played their full strength team (it was awesome to see the likes of Seguin and Lucic play right in front of me!!). Granted the Bruins were treating the game as an exhibition, but the British team did extremely well. I can't remember the score, but they really stepped up the faster pace and tighter style of the Bruins.

[Primis]

All three levels of the British league are arguably improving each season. The EIHL has this season attracted some pretty big names - Mike Danton (if he ever gets a visa), the Leeb brothers, Noah Clarke and Corey Pecker to name a few. I haven't seen ECHL teams play, but in comparison to the AHL teams I've seen, the EIHL style is slower and the checking isn't so tight. Perhaps that's the same as the ECHL, I don't know. However, I think the key difference is the gulf in skill between the imports and many of the UK players.

I ask because a few years ago my minor team I follow changed form the UHL/IHL2.0 to the ECHL and the difference was night and day in terms of speed, pace, etc. The ECHL is a fast, almost frantic, league. Lots of youngsters with young legs, and honestly more mistakes because they are young so you end up with more odd-man rushes and turnover breakaways, and a few more goals generally. The UHL/IHL was a more veteran league with tighter checking, and maybe a few less mistakes, but less skating overall not as much fun of a pace to watch. Most everyone instantly preferred the ECHL pace of play for watching.

I look at EIHL rosters and see some of these guys that I watched in the ECHL where they were effective, and I can't figure out why they aren't producing more there. No offense, but I can't believe the EIHL is necessarily somehow a higher caliber than NHL-affiliated minor pro here... I do know that guys that were enforcers over here often eventually end up there because it extends their careers a bits. Thus why I wondered if it isn't just a lower-tempo game there. What are roster sizes? Do they roll 18? 20?

[grazza]

Roster sizes can vary the smaller teams at times can be running with 2 lines, maybe have a third line of young local guys that don't see much time if it is a tight game. The bigger teams recently have stocked up most of the top British talent so they have more depth. Nottingham, Sheffield and Belfast probably could compete at ECHL level, Braehead, Cardiff and Coventry maybe comparable with low end ECHL top end CHL,. Dundee, Edinburgh, Hull and Fife probably average CHL. What helps is that some good players like Jon Landry (just signed a two way contract with New York Islanders) came over to Scotland as he could also do his masters and universitys here are well regarded. The same for other players coming to the UK and so you do get anomalys of players who could and should be at a higher level but factors off the ice come into play. Also most teams here run with a player-coach so that is a way of keeping a top player give him the coach job and experience that goes along with it. Guys that have been giving their first taste of coach have went onto better things e.g. Mike Babcock, Kurt Kleinendorst, Mark Bernard, Mark Morrison etc. Over here we don't really have GM's in the way they do in North America, a GM here would be the person that deals with stuff like admin, marketing, accounting etc So a head coach who is often also a player does the recruitment of players and sets up tactics. They might have a bench coach on match nights but's thats about it even their assistant coach is sometimes also a player. So a lot of experience gained. It is rare that a coach is sacked during the season usually such changes are made at the end.

[Jypfan92]

Any rumours of NHLers going to Britain?

Anthony Stewart has signed with Nottingham.

[archibalduk]

Any rumours of NHLers going to Britain?

Anthony Stewart has signed with Nottingham.

That's right! I'll be going to see Nottingham at Coventry next month, so hopefully I'll see him in action.

Last weekend I saw the most physical game I've ever seen at any level in British hockey. At their last meeting, Invicta were accused of not being physical enough against Cardiff - so this time Invicta upped their physicality to quite an extreme. Players were chasing the players rather than the puck. There were so many big hits - many of which could have easily been called for roughing, boarding, charging and elbowing. Two of Invicta's players tried to start fights with Cardiff's players, but they weren't having any of it. Invicta's Brad Watchorn was given a misconduct for trying to pummel a player prone on the ice.

Invicta ended up losing 6-3 and only have their tactics to blame. Cardiff remained disciplined throughout (their American import, Sean Scarbrough, was phenomenal). Needless to say the Invicta fans weren't impressed.

Btw, the last time the two teams met at Invicta, the game was abandoned after some of the Invicta fans brawled with the Cardiff players. So there's a bit of history between the two!

[nino33]

Players were chasing the players rather than the puck. There were so many big hits - many of which could have easily been called for roughing, boarding, charging and elbowing

the last time the two teams met at Invicta, the game was abandoned after some of the Invicta fans brawled with the Cardiff players

As I was reading this I could hear Slapshot's Hanson brothers in my head - "Old time hockey!" HaHa

[MWE]

Steelers just beat Hull 6-3 in our first Challenge Cup game of this season

[archibalduk]

Players were chasing the players rather than the puck. There were so many big hits - many of which could have easily been called for roughing, boarding, charging and elbowing

the last time the two teams met at Invicta, the game was abandoned after some of the Invicta fans brawled with the Cardiff players

As I was reading this I could hear Slapshot's Hanson brothers in my head - "Old time hockey!" HaHa

So true!

Steelers just beat Hull 6-3 in our first Challenge Cup game of this season

You're most definitely the team to beat this season!

[MWE]

I'am hoping this result is just the warm up to the thrashing we are going to give Nottingham on Saturday night

[Primis]

Are these games streamed online anywhere?

And if I wanted to "adopt" a team (like I did with Dinamo Riga in the KHL several years ago), which one should I adopt and why?

[MWE]

I'm not sure if Sky SPorts are showing live games this season if they are then they would probably be streamed on firstrowsports.eu

What sort of team would you want to 'adopt'?

[Primis]

I dunno'. Don't want to be a front-runner and just adopt the best team if I did it. Is there a perennial doormat that might break through? Or a mediocre team with a rabid fanbase anyways? Or a squad that just operates differently than everyone else in the league?

[archibalduk]

Following the Braehead Clan could be quite interesting. They are seen as the up and coming team in the EIHL and they have terrific fans (Grazza posted a bit about the history of Braehead a little earlier in this thread). They came fifth the last two seasons. It'd be great to see them make it into the top three or four.

Fife could be another interesting team to follow. They are seen as one of the weakest teams in the league, but they've made a great start - but of course they may well burn out.

The EIHL provides a free online version of their weekly highlights show on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/mediaeliteleague . The online version is published roughly 10 days after it was broadcast on TV. This is probably the best way to follow the league. The presenter is a bit cheesy, but its more than watchable. Oh, and if you do catch an episode, keep an eye out for Dundee's crazy ice rink (the rink has curling markings at each end of the rink ).

Belfast stream their games live here (pay per view I think): http://www.giantslive.tv/login The commentary is hilarious. The colour commentator is Canadian, but doesn't have a clue about hockey (despite apparently following the Giants for a decade)!! He just doesn't get the rule about about when/why an icing is waved off and frequently misreads the referee's hand signals (eg thinking there is a penalty called when there isn't). Sometimes he gets excited and counts the number of icing calls in a row he gets right!! My brother and I think the only reason he's the colour commentator is simply because he's Canadian!

Coventry also broadcast their games (pay per view): http://www.coventryblaze.co.uk/livefeed_offair.php

Hull seem to do some weird pay per click thing (not sure if its live or what): http://www.hullstingrays.net/index-1.html

As for game highlights, several teams upload them onto YouTube for free (but I recommend the aforementioned weekly EIHL show):

Braehead: http://www.youtube.com/user/BraeheadCla ... CAgQwRs%3D
Cardiff (not well maintained): http://www.youtube.com/user/CardiffDevi ... CBAQwRs%3D
Dundee: http://www.youtube.com/user/dundeestarstv
Edinburgh: http://www.youtube.com/user/EdinburghCapsTV
Fife: http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=FIFEFLYERSTV
Nottingham (but they never seem to update their page): http://www.youtube.com/npanthersihc
Sheffield: http://www.youtube.com/sheffieldsteeler ... teelersihc

By the way there is a good interview with Jordan Kretanovic (player/coach of Braehead) which compares the EIHL with North American hockey: http://uknhl.wordpress.com/2012/09/25/u ... stanovich/

[MWE]

I think Fife could be the breakout team this year the best supported teams have to be Sheffield and Nottingham imo

[MWE]

We lost in overtime tonight to Nottingham but we still lead the league by a point

[MWE]

Just got back from the Steelers vs Coventry Blaze we went 2-0 up in the first period but then the second period I think we came back out without our defence and went 3-2 down we got it back to 3-3 before they finally got the winner.

The referee was a joke though.

I thought Belfasts game yesterday was a league match but it was for the challenge cup so we still had a 3 point lead going into tonights match.

[archibalduk]

I went to another cracking game at Invicta today. We were up against Jeremy Cornish and his Wightlink Raiders.

We took an early 2-0 lead but Wightlink scored two within 30 secs of each other. Then in the second, Wightlink scored another two quick goals to make it 2-4. Invicta went to sleep somewhat for a while in the second and there were a lot of poor passes and players really struggling to get a hold of the puck. We became more dominant in the second half of the game, but our passing and puck control continued to let us down. We did however have a lot of decent chances.

3 minutes (IIRC) left to go and we managed to get a goal back. With our goalie pulled, we had a great chance to get a fourth and tie it up. I've no idea how the puck didn't cross the line, but Wightlink ended up taking a penalty. So 6 on 4 and we had a face off in the offensive zone. We won it perfectly, got it to our guy in the slot and he scored with one second to go! In all the excitement, I have no idea who scored! It was such an awesome and exciting end to the game! I was sat by the Wightlink bench - it was so funny to see the smile wiped off their players' faces!!

The game got a bit heated at times and Invicta's Vaisanen dropped the gloves with Jeremy Cornish. Big mistake - Cornish is a beast! In last Saturday's game, Cornish had three fights (and no doubt won them all).