An enthralling first leg of the EIHL 2010/2012 Play Off Quarter Final saw Nottingham Panthers gain the upper hand with a win by the odd goal in 9.

In front of a packed Braehead crowd, both teams set their intent to go for the jugular early on. Buoyed by the noisy spectators, both teams created half chances in the opening exchanges before Nottingham drew first blood.

Meyers scored the all important first goal of the game, bringing cheers from their travelling support and jeers from the Purple Army. Clan dominated most of the period as indiscipline by the Panthers left them men down on more than one occasion. However, Braehead huffed and puffed but couldn’t break Kowalski, until Chaumont finished from Cook’s lay off to tie the game.

Soon after, a 3 on 3 brawl ensued, spilling over to Clarke and Noel having a joust. Noel was at disadvantage for most of the spar as Clarke pulled on his visor as refs failed to attend the 2. All 6 men picked up penalty minutes, allowing Panthers coach Corey Neilson to score from distance. The period ended with some more argy bargy, setting up a tense 2nd 20.

Within 22 seconds of the restart, Panthers increased their lead in fortuitous circumstances. A high shot from Bellamy should have been comfortable for Perras, but the puck spun off his glove, over his head and slid over the line. 3-1 and Panthers were cruising. The game of hockey is a fickle mistress though and 2 penalties 10 seconds apart swung the game in Braeheads favour.

Clan made no mistake on making the PPs count in the 2nd as with 5v3, Cook pulled it back to 3-2, before Krestanovich had the home fans on their feet with Clan’s second leveller of the night. Momentum was now with the home side as Richardson tried to play mind games with Beauregard as the clock ticked down.

The final period could have swung either way as both teams looked to get a foothold on this quarter final. Just when it seemed each side would cancel each other out, Richardson was put through on Kowalski after Panthers lost the puck on their blue line. The Coach of The Year Nominee made no mistake as Braehead Arena erupted. Chants of Richardson’s Purple Army and You’re Not Singing Anymore echoed around as the Clan lapped up their comeback efforts. But, just as Panthers capitulated in the second, the same fate befell Braehead.

Phillips and Bruce were binned for holding and slashing respectively, giving Nottingham a 5 on 3 then 5 on 4 advantage where Clarke and Ryan contributed a goal a piece.

5-4 Panthers with just over 10 minutes left, and only some heroics from Perras, making up for his earlier gaffe, kept it at that. At the opposite end, Kowalski and his D- Men did well to shut Clan out on the powerplay. Both coaches called time outs but no masterplans were hatched by either team.

In the end, Panthers ran out 5-4 victors, taking a 1 goal lead in to tomorrows crucial second leg. Neilson and Wedderburn picked up the MOTMs.

Upon leaving the Arena, fans trooped past Braehead’s newly acquired Aladdin Cup. Upon entering the arena next season, there may be 2 shiny trophies greeting the supporters.

Nottingham were only just worthy of their win, (at times their bullying of the Clan and some strange reffing decisions would possibly argue otherwise) but if Braehead can play to their potential, they should make it to next weekends Play Off Finals.

Sheffield put one hand firmly on the Elite League Championship with a competent and powerful display against Braehead. After a tight opening period, Steelers took control and delivered a 5-1 victory for their large travelling support.

Before the match, both teams were recognised for having players in the League All Star team and Bruce Richardson picked up Hockey Journalist UK Coach of the Year award, to a rapturous ovation.

Play raged from end to end in the first 5 minutes, with neither Mustukovs or Perras being tested too much. Clan were the first to get a decent chance when Richardson’s shot cannoned back to Bruce, whose follow up went wide. Tait had an effort that went in to the Clan’s side netting before Mustukovs prevented Cook from opening the scoring.

Perras became the busier of the 2 minders as he stopped Legue on a 1 on 1 and then stopped Thomas and 2 efforts from Hewitt to keep Braehead in it. Munn then served 2 penalties in quick succession, giving the ref absolute pelters for the second. It would soon become a game full of bewildering ref’s decisions that incensed both teams.

Cook then had a great chance to put Clan ahead but hit the side net from Chaumont’s cut back. Much like the previous meeting at Braehead, the game showcased a lot of niggle. Kyle Bruce spent the first of a few penalty minutes in the bin for roughing, after a tussle with Simon. Simon was sat atop Bruce and wouldn’t let him up, getting the expected response that Clan’s EIHL Entertainer of the Year nominee would give.

When he returned to the ice, he almost instantly gave Clan the lead, but Mustukovs again stood firm. Perras then made a great one handed save from Globke, before Steelers took the lead. Phillips prodded home from close range after good net work from Globke at 19:08

The second period descended in to a farce for Clan as Steelers spent much of the 20 on the powerplay. The numerical advantages were too strong for Braehead as Legue, Talbot, Clark and Tait put Sheffield 5-0 up. However the turning point of the game were Darnells penalty calls.

Firstly, Jon Landry decked Ben Simon after Steelers number 8 had been slashing at him. He pounced like a tiger, almost giving him a Lou Thesz Press ( one for the wrestling fans), resulting in a bit of a rammy in the Clan goalmouth. The antagonising Munn then got involved but was soon contained. Both Landry and Simon were given penalties.However, Steelers already had Phillips in the box for hooking, but were allowed to still have 4 v4 on the ice.

Munn then took out Richardson’s legs from under him on a break, which Kyle Bruce didn’t take too kindly to. An epic brawl erupted at the boards between the 2, with both men landing some heavy blows before Munn hit the deck first. As they skated away, Bruce threw up his arms in celebration at getting 5 for fighting plus 2 for charging. Richardson also got box time and Munn was called for roughing. Again, Steelers were allowed their full compliment of players on the ice as Clan were down to 3, conceding twice as a result.

If Richardson’s men want to play with the big boys next season, then they need to work on their discipline. Too many times this year, games have been thrown away for silly penalties and players guilty of losing the head. As entertaining as it is to see the fisticuffs, and as good as Sheffield were at instigating indiscipline, keeping the head could be the difference between 5th and 1st next year.

Both Richardson and Bruce had words with the ref as they left the ice, with Munn again winding up Bruce at the close of the period. The 3rd began with Sheffield content to sit back and absorb pressure, while attacking on the break.Clan had more urgency in the 3rd, but found it hard to break down the Steelers backline. Bruce and Noel both had half chances stopped, while Hewitt forced a blind save from Perras.

Mustukovs then plucked a rifled shot from Krestanovich out of the air before Noel hit the post. Bolibruck then received a penalty for holding, which Clan finally took advantage of. Chaumont pulled 1 back from Cook’s set up at 51:15, but Steelers held out til the end.

Legue and Krestanovich picked up the Man of the Match awards in what was a fast paced, entertaining game. The performance of Darnell in the stripes played a major part in the outcome, but Sheffield deserved their win. Unless Braehead can stop their momentum, Steelers will be league champions come Sunday evening.

Clan’s season isn’t over just yet though, as the playoffs begin next week. Their first match is against Challenge Cup winners Nottingham. Discipline will be key in progressing.

Final score at Braehead Arena, Steelers 5-1 Clan.

Around The League: 19/03/2011

Nottingham Panthers 2 – Belfast Giants 6

Giants keep up the pressure on Sheffield going in to the final game of the season with revenge for their Challenge Cup loss to the Panthers. Goals from Peacock, Jacobsen and Hemingway in the 3rd finished the game as a contest and leave Belfast hoping for a Braehead win tonight if they are to win the League.

Newcastle Vipers 3 – Dundee Stars 4

Stars win out with the odd goal in 7, 3 of their 4 coming on the PP. Newcastle came form 3-1 down to 3-3 but couldn’t salvage the win after Maclean’s second of the game for Dundee.

Hull Stingrays 8 – Edinburgh Capitals 1

Caps recorded their 29th straight loss of the season, despite going a goal ahead in this match. Stingrays bounced back form their midweek defeat at Braehead by putting 8 past van Poucke.

Cardiff Devils 7 – Coventry Blaze 4

Devils threw away a 3 goal lead before blitzing the Blaze with goals on the powerplay in the 3rd. They again went 3 goals to the good after Blaze’s fightback, with Gerad Adams putting the game to bed on 53:02.

Braehead stretched their unbeaten run to 5 games with a thumping 7-1 win over Edinburgh. Had it not been for Jens van Poucke (wearing Reid 33) in the Caps goal, a repeat of February’s 15-0 embarrassment or last nights 16-0 mauling at Nottingham would have been likely.

In a game that resembled a drill practice more than a league match, Clan rested EIHL Player of the Week JF Perras and Dominic Noel for the visit of their Scottish rivals, the kind of luxury Edinburgh could only dream of.

Van Poucke’s goal took a battering from the off and made some stunning reflex saves from Cook, Krestanovich and Chaumont, who seemed to have an ongoing battle with the Caps’ keeper for the duration.

Some lapses at the back almost caught out Clan in the early exchanges but Michael Will stood firm. At 11:19, Tim Wedderburn scored the first of the night and his first of the season after good net work by Bruce and Richardson.

Clan looked to build on the 1 goal advantage but van Poucke made a double save from Chaumont and kept out Cook after the speedy number 18, sprinted through. A fizzer from Cook was also well stopped by the badly exposed minder.

To the Capitals’ credit, they plugged away but most attempts on Will were well blocked by Bostock and Wedderburn. With just over a minute left in the first, Wathier succeeded where the front line couldn’t, smacking a shot through Reid from the point. 2-0 at the end of the first and It could have been so much more.

The second period followed the same pattern, Clan teasing and toying with their opponents. Richardson thought he’d extended the lead to 3 but had his close range goal disallowed. McKenzie then had a gilt edged chance to pull 1 back but Will’s pad stop roused a chant in his honour.

Landry then had 2 shots on Will, before Chalmers brought yet another reflex stop from the Caps star man. A quick break carved open the Clan defence, but Hutchins couldn’t connect at the back pipe from Cingel’s delivery.

Haywood then made it 3-0 from close in just before the halfway point. Cingel and Bowie tried in vain to pull 1 back but couldn’t beat Will. The subdued Krestanovich then brought out a tremendous split legged stop from Reid, his best of the night. It was to be the last reprieve for Edinburgh as Campbell made it 4-0 from Cook’s rebound. At the buzzer, Clan had outshot Caps 40-15.

Cook added a 5th after great individual play on the right and it seemed like Clan would go on to get double figures. The Capitals D started to pack itself tighter, but couldn’t stop Campbell and Cook getting their 2nd of the night, making it a magnificent 7. Edinburgh pulled 1 back with 44 seconds remaining, Hutchins netting through a crowd of bodies, denying Will the shutout.

Van Poucke rightfully earned the MOTM while Cook picked up the gong for Clan. Edinburgh skated off without acknowledging the half dozen or so fans who had travelled through, which seemed harsh on their support, as the game ended Edinburgh Capitals 1 Braehead Clan 7.

Blaze looked to bounce back from defeat at Nottingham against an on form Clan, looking for another 4 point weekend. The gruelling EHIL fixture schedule did not take effect on either team as both teams started the game at pace.

Selmzer was first to test Perras, who set the tone for the game with the first of many game saving stops. Russ Cowley then went close before Weaver and Robinson found the bin in quick succession. Much like last night’s Braehead game, the 5 on 3 power play didn’t bring the desired goal, despite Cook hitting the bar when it would have been easier to net. Matty Haywood also went close.

A penalty for high sticking was called on Lee shortly before the game’s first goal. Cook worked the puck on the left and fed Landry, whose laser blasted past Brett Jaeger. First blood to the Clan. A flurry of action resulted in both Walker and Richardson earning some box time. Perras then had to look sharp to deny Weaver twice in the lead up to Blaze’s equaliser.

Blaze worked the PP well as Fulghum struck a distance shot through a ruck of players. Owen looked to have got the final touch, but the goal was credited to Fulghum at 13:34. Cook earned himself a penalty as the period ran it’s course.

If Perras was the Clan hero in the first, Jaeger took the spoils in the second. Great stops from Krestanovich, Chaumont and Landry kept the score down, while JFP kept out Crowley and Selmser.Clan soon regained the lead on 26:59 when Adam walker’s shot rebounded to Saturday night’s Man of the Match, Matthew Wathier. The defenceman slotted home to silence the home crowd.

Farmer tried to hit back instantly but was shut out by Perras once more before Fulghum almost doubled his tally with a shot that smacked the bar. More penalties led to more chances with Campbell, Landry and Soderstrom looking to get on the scoresheet. However the next name to be added was that of Bruce Richardson.

Good net work by Richardson and Kyle Bruce found the Coach go round the back unchallenged to slot under the despairing Jaeger. 3-1 Clan at the end of the second, despite being outshot by the hosts.

Coventry needed to come out of the blocks to get anything from the game, but could not break down a resolute Clan defence.Nell, Cowley, Carlson and Lee had the best of the chances of the period but could not find a way through. Another Clan powerplay gave Cook and Landry some shots on Jaeger, before Carlson went 1 on 1 with Perras to no avail. Cook then smacked a shot off Jaeger’s helmet with around 5 minutes left.

The complexion of the game briefly changed with 90 seconds remaining. Cruickshank netted again through a ruck of players after some great blocking form Bostock and Wedderburn.
Jon Landry then incurred a delay of game penalty, leaving Clan with a powerplay kill for the remainder of the match. Blaze called a time out, pulling Jaeger for the 2 man advantage.

The Clan defence thwarted all attempts and as the pressure mounted, Richardson made a ground block, got up, swivelled and shot in one fluid movement, finding the empty net in the process. 4-2 Clan with 2 seconds remaining. The Braehead fans that travelled to Coventry stood proud at the end as Weaver and Wedderburn received their MOTM awards.

Coventry fall a further 2 points behind Braehead in the race for 5th place in a game won by a team very much on form. Final Score at the Coventry SkyDome, Clan 4- Blaze 2.

Richardson Celebrates

The Clan took to the ice for the first time at home on a Sunday when the Nottingham Panthers came to town. The boys came out of the gates firing and were in the lead just 1:17 in, with Krestanovich putting one past Kowalski. Just over a minute later and the Clan netted again, Cook netting at 2:56. Neilson’s timeout was to no avail and the Clan made it 3 on the power play 9 minutes in, this time Chaumont getting the goal. Nottingham were in even more trouble as just 25 seconds before the first break, Kyle Bruce made it 4-0. The second period however, was all Panthers as they brought the game back within 2, Lachowicz and Bellamy with the goals. Into the third and it looked as if it was a one goal game, but Clarkes goal was rightly written off as the puck was kicked in. The Clan then made it 5 with Richardson going down the wing and slotting the puck past the Panthers netminder. The game wasn’t over and it was Corey Neilson who got the next goal for the Panthers with just over 3 minute left on the clock. There were still two goals in it when Nottingham pulled Kowalski, but the 6th man did no good as Cook got the empty netter, eradicating any hopes of a comeback. Jubliation in Braehead Arena as the Panthers are sent home with their tails between their legs.

Signings and Departures

In Clan news this week Brit John Connolly left Braehead for EPL side Slough Jets. Connolly left to gain more ice time and improve his game. We wish him all the best for the future. In other signing news Nottingham completed a deal to secure first round NHL draft pick Daniel Tkaczuk. Daniel, who iced against the Clan on Sunday night, is the highest ever draft pick to play in the Elite League, drafted 6th overall. Matt Davies has also been released from Hull Stingrays after a fallout with the club. Giants player Mike Bayrack has also left to play ice hockey in Austria.

Results

Wed 19th January

Cardiff Devils 3 – 3 Nottingham Panthers (CC)

Sheffield Steelers 9 – 0 Newcastle Vipers

Sat 22nd January

Coventry Blaze 15 – 0 Edinburgh Capitals

Cardiff Devils 4 – 0 Braehead Clan

Nottingham Panthers 3 – 1 Hull Stingrays

Sheffield Steelers 5 – 4 Belfast Giants

Newcastle Vipers 2 – 3 Dundee Stars

Sun 23rd January

Belfast Giants 8 – 1 Newcastle Vipers

Braehead Clan 6 – 3 Nottingham Panthers

Dundee Stars 0 – 7 Sheffield Steelers

Edinburgh Capitals 2 – 12 Coverntry Blaze

Hull Stingrays 1 – 3 Cardiff Devils

Next weekend the Clan have a double header against the Belfast Giants. The Clan play away on Saturday night before returning to Braehead Sunday. Should be a great weekend of hockey, so get yourself out to Braehead, face-off 4pm!!!

The Clan need every point they can get just now to fend off Hull’s attempt to secure 6th place and take advantage of Coventry’s poor form to jump into the top 5. This weekend saw the Clan play Newcastle Vipers both home and away. Newcastle are short benched at the moment but that didn’t stop them defeating Coventry at the Skydome last weekend. Saturday night didn’t start to plan for the Clan, with Mike Prpich putting one past Perras 15 minutes in. Chaumont levelled 3 minutes later netting a rebound from Dominic Noel’s shot. Braehead turned it on early in the third when Heywood got hold of a Krestanovich rebound to make it 2-1 at 26 minutes, before Noel netted a nice feed from Kyle Bruce just a minute later. The Vipers battled on however and got one back before the end of the period, Jaro Rzeszutko scoring on a 2 on 1 at 38:19. The third period was closely fought but it was Braehead who got the next goal, with Player/Coach Bruce Richardson getting the Clan’s 4th at 56:50. Newcastle pulled their goalie to no avail as Richardson broke away with the puck and selflessly fed it to Kyle Bruce for the empty netter. Bruce was to get the Man of the Match award in a good 5-2 win for the Clan.
Sunday night saw the Clan travel to Whitley Bay to take on the Vipers for the second night in a row. Jon Landry got the first marker as a turnover resulted in a 3 on 1 breakaway just 4 minutes in. New signing Callum Davies netted for the Vipers at 17:36 to make it 1 apiece. It looked like it would be tied going into the second but Bruce Richardson sneaked one in with 33 seconds left in the period. The Clan’s lead wouldn’t last long as Rzeszutko fired one home just 41 seconds into the second period. At 25:22 Toms Hartmanis put the home side in front for the first time all weekend, breaking away and giving Perras no chance of a save. Newcastle were not to be on top for long and just 5 minutes later Kyle Bruce and Cody Bostock netted 36 seconds apart to give the Clan a 4-3 lead. Rzeszutko got one back at 33:44 to make it all square going into the final period. Kyle Bruce was to score the only goal of the third at 52:14 to give the Clan maximum points for the weekend. Both Kyle Bruce and Dominic Noel had 6 point weekends, each netting a game winning goal respectively.The Clan are now in 5th place in the league although Coventry have 3 games in hand and are just one point behind.

In other hockey results, Sheffield surpassed the Elite League record for goals in a game by 6 as they defeated an extremely weakened Edinburgh Capitals 18-1. Hull also defeated the Caps 10-2. The other big result of the weekend was the game between Cardiff and Dundee at the Dundee Ice Arena Sunday night. Cardiff’s 22 game winning streak came to an end as former Devil Jay Latulippe was the only one to score in the shootout, handing Dundee the extra point. Ironically, the Stars were the last team to defeat Cardiff, defeating them 7-3 on the 28th of October.

This weekend sees Braehead play at Cardiff on Saturday night before returning to Braehead on Sunday to play the Nottingham Panthers. Face-off is at 4pm so make sure you’re there!!

Until next week, GO CLAN!!!

This weekend saw the Clan play hosts to the Nottingham Panthers on Saturday before travelling to Coventry on Sunday to take on the Blaze. It was a good weekend of hockey despite the Clan coming away without any points. Saturday was round three of Braehead versus Nottingham, both teams having one win apiece so far this season. The first period was one of exemplary goaltending as both keepers made big saves to keep their respective slates clean. A dramatic second was to follow and just 53 seconds in Cody Bostock netted on the power play. Two minutes later, Dominic Noel broke away shorthanded and slotted the puck past Kowalski. The net was knocked loose however and instead Noel was awarded a penalty shot. Justice was done when Noel slotted the puck home. 11 seconds later and with the Panthers still on the power play, Player/Coach Corey Neilson got one back for the Panthers. The plexi glass would be called into question again in Braehead Arena as a light check on Bruce Richardson in the corner caused some drama by shattering the glass and showering both players and fans alike with fragments. The second break was taken there with 4:30 still to go in the middle period. This would turn out to be a big turning point in the game as the Clan seemed to lose focus on returning to the ice. After an entirely incorrect tripping call on Tim Wedderburn, where the Panthers player missed a check on him and then fell over, Matthew Myers slotted home on the power play at 37:53. More controversy followed suit as the Clan were convinced they had put the puck over the line. The goal judge kept the light on for half a minute but the referee signalled for play to continue, leaving the score tied at two after 40 minutes of play. Goals from Clarke and Mat Myers gave the Panthers a 4-2 lead just after halfway into the third, meaning the Clan had an uphill struggle in the final 10 minutes. Brendan Cook broke away to score the goal of the night at 53:21, going backhand to forehand and slotting the puck in the top corner to make it 4-3. More dubious penalty calls followed however and Beauregard would net two on the power play late on to give the Panthers a 6-3 lead at the end of the game. A deserved win for Nottingham netting 4 in the third. The Clan played well but were perhaps disheartened with the way the game had went.

Sunday night saw the Clan’s first visit to the Skydome in Coventry. The man of the night was former Eagles player and Blaze Captain Jonathan Weaver, who played in his 1000th professional game. Weaver got a good response from the crowd when he visited Braehead last week and I’m sure that all of the Clanfans wish him congratulations on reaching this milestone. A lot of Clanfans watched this one on the Blaze’ live webcast. The webcast is very good quality and despite his obsession with cakes and tea which were mentioned regularly, David Simms’ commentary was reasonable. The first period again showcased the goaltenders, both Perras and Jaeger making big saves to leave the first period goal-less. The Blaze came out of the blocks skating in the second, with Luke Fulghum netting just 41 seconds in. Good end to end play followed and Dominic Noel scored his 11th of the season to tie up the game on a delayed penalty call at 33:56. Jaeger was on top form on Sunday and he denied the Clan what looked to be a certain goal on at least two occasions in the second. The Blaze took advantage of their excellent goaltending by scoring two of their own before the break, with Soderstrom netting with 5 minutes to play and Fulghum getting his second with just 15 seconds on the clock. Tensions were running high on the Braehead bench and perhaps Coach Bruce Richardson was still smarting from the calls on the previous evening. This accumulated in Richardson dropping the gloves with Brit Farmer of the Blaze with a couple of minutes to go in the second. Brucie came out just better off despite being about a foot shorter, but the Clan probably need their Player Coach on the ice and not in the box. The third saw both teams really go for that important goal, and the Clan managed to beat the Coventry netminder 8 minutes in, with Jon Landry bringing the Clan within 1 goal of the reigning league champions. That would be the end of the scoring however, the Clan unable to get their tying goal despite good pressure. An entertaining game, but no points for Brucie and the boys this weekend.

Injuries:
The only big injury this week was of Coventry D-man Jeff Smith. Smith will be out for 3 months after an operation to repair cartilage in his knee. Smith will now miss Coventry’s fixtures in the Continental Cup.

Signings:
This week saw a few new signings in the Elite league. Following the Blaze theme, Coach Paul Thomson has re-signed former Blaze player Jason Robison (Stats: http://eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=32699). Robsinson is a big D-man who can throw his weight about, and should be a good replacement for injured Jeff Smith. The Cardiff Devils also bolstered their ranks with ex NHL’er Craig Weller (Stats: http://eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=13414). Weller has played 95 games in the NHL with the Phoenix Coyotes and Minnesota Wild. This week’s biggest signing Clan-wise is that of 29 year old Jordan Krestanovich (Stats: http://eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=6606). Bruce Richardson signed Krestanovich to help out after fan favourite Kyle Bruce was injured. He comes to the Clan with NHL experience of his own having played 22 games for the Colorado Avalanche. Jordan looks to be a fantastic signing for the Clan and contributed 2 assists over the weekend.

Departures:
The biggest departure this week is that of Sean McMorrow from the Dundee Stars. McMorrow left the club on mutual terms. The “Sheriff” looks like he will stay in the UK and is rumoured to be close to signing for the Sheffield Steeldogs of the EPL. Going south from Dundee, coach Brad Gratton has resigned from the Edinburgh Capitals. Gratton is rumoured to return to his native Holland. Finally in departures this week, Nottingham Panthers player Dustin Sproat has left the club for North America. Dustin has the chance to play in the AHL and study at Harvard University. A prospect not many players could turn down.

Bans:
There have been two bans this week. Panther Guillaume Lepine originally received a 4 match ban but had it reduced to one match for a hit to the head against Hull on Tuesday. Sheffield Steelers’ Derek Campbell also received a one match ban after getting two 5+Game Misconducts for slashing, in both Saturday and Sunday’s matchups (30th and 31st) against the Edinburgh Capitals.

Here are all of the results from this weeks games:

Tues 2nd:
Nottingham Panthers 5 – 0 Hull Stingrays
Wed 3rd:
Sheffield Steelers 7 – 5 Edinburgh Capitals
Sat 6th:
Braehead Clan 3 – 6 Nottingham Panthers
Hull Stingrays 3 – 6 Sheffield Steelers
Newcastle Vipers 3 – 6 Cardiff Devils
Sun 7th:
Cardiff Devils 3 – 0 Belfast Giants
Dundee Stars 9 – 4 Hull Stingrays
Edinburgh Capitals 4 – 5 Nottingham Panthers
Sheffield Steelers 8 – 0 Newcastle Vipers
Coventry Blaze 3 – 2 Braehead Clan

The most noteworthy games from this weekend are all from Sunday. Cardiff take a huge 2 points from the injury plagued Belfast Giants who seem untouchable at the minute. Dundee won their second of the season in a 13 goal game, 9 of which came from the Stars. And with Coventry’s win over the Clan, the Blaze have won 11 straight league games, a record for the club.

This week sees the Clan take to the ice 3 times. They travel to Hull for the first time this season on Wednesday before returning home to play the Sheffield Steelers on Saturday. Sunday will be interesting as the Clan travel across the Irish Sea to play Belfast for the first time this season. These should be some good games so get yourself to Braehead on Saturday and make some noise for the Clan!!!

8 seconds to go

This weekend saw the reigning league champions, Coventry Blaze, pay their first visit to Braehead Arena. It was the Clan’s only fixture of the weekend but it proved to be a good one. Both teams came out of the blocks fighting and the early action was quite even. It took ten minutes for Coventry to break through the Clan’s defence on a 5 on 3 powerplay, but the goal was disallowed due to the net being dislodged. 30 seconds later though, with the Clan still one man down, Owen Fussey broke away to give the Blaze a 1-0 lead. That would be the only goal of the first two periods but some good hockey was to follow. Coventry just got the better of the first period and the Clan possibly just clinched the second. Some good end to end hockey followed with a fantastic show from both of the goaltenders, especially Brett Jaeger, who made several big saves to keep his sheet clean through 2. The third period saw yet more end to end action as the Clan fought to tie up the game, with more fantastic netminding and some excellent defensive play. Especially from the Clan’s AHL vet Tim Wedderburn who broke up several Blaze attacks to keep the Clan in the game.

It looked as if the Clan’s efforts would be for nothing but with 26 seconds to go, Coach Bruce Richardson called a timeout. With the Clan’s final battle orders, and Perras on the bench, Ryan Campbell slammed the puck behind the Blaze goaltender with just 8 seconds remaining. The Braehead crowd went crazy as the Clan took the game to over time. Unfortunately it wasn’t to be for the home side as after several close calls in the OT period, Greg Owen and Owen Fussey netted in the shootout to give Coventry the extra point.

In other games last week, Sheffield and Nottingham traded midweek games as both teams won in their rival’s own turf Wednesday and Friday. Coventry also won on Sunday to clinch their tenth straight win, and third of the week over a Scottish team. Perhaps the most significant result was Dundee’s 7 – 3 triumph over the Cardiff Devils on Thursday. It was Dundee’s first win of the season. Hopefully it’s a sign of better things to come for the Stars.

Here are all of the results from last weeks games:

Tuesday:
Belfast Giants 5 – 4 Hull Stingrays (AOT)

Wednesday:
Coventry Blaze 6 – 2 Edinburgh Capitals
Cardiff Devils 4 – 3 Newcastle Vipers
Nottingham Panthers 1 – 3 Sheffield Steelers

Thursday:
Dundee Stars 7 – 3 Cardiff Devils

Friday:
Sheffield Steelers 2 – 5 Nottingham Panthers

Saturday:
Braehead Clan 1 – 2 Coventry Blaze (ASO)
Cardiff Devils 7 – 4 Hull Stingrays
Edinburgh Capitals 3 – 4 Sheffield Steelers (ASO)
Newcastle Vipers 4 – 6 Belfast Giants

Sunday:
Coventry Blaze 3 – 2 Dundee Stars
Edinburgh Capitals 1 – 4 Sheffield Steelers
Hull Stingrays 2 – 4 Cardiff Devils
Nottingham Panthers 6 – 2 Newcastle Vipers

This weekend sees the Clan face-off against the Nottingham Panthers in Braehead on Saturday, and then travel to Coventry to face the Blaze on Sunday. It looks like there will be a big turnout from both home and away fans Saturday night, so get your tickets booked and come along to support the UK’s newest Elite Hockey team. Thanks for reading guys, see you next week.