Panthers between the pipes

 

#31 Kevin ST.PIERRE (NM)

 

'The Saint' had a shaky start, including 'the one that got lost in the lights' at the skydome in the very early throws of the season. I do think, however, that more can be taken from the way he performed after he settled into his role, especially in the latter half of the season. I should probably justify why I think it's acceptable to base the bulk of my review of KSP on a subset of the season, so I'll do my best….

 

Playing in Nottingham comes with pressure beyond that of any other EIHL club. Add to that the fact that it's been several seasons since any goalie has started and finished the season with the title 'Nottingham Panthers starting netminder' and you get an idea of just what a mantle (some would say poisoned chalice?) a guy takes up by leading the Panthers onto the ice week in week out. For that reason I think that some leeway needs to be afforded when assessing Kevin's start to the season. I also think it's fair to say that he improved throughout the season, culminating in a solid latter half of the campaign including several stellar performances bailing out an at times nonexistent defence. I don't think, based on this season, you can point to any area of KSP's game that you would rate as a 'major concern' and for a big guy he is incredibly mobile moving across the crease.

 

There have been some cries from certain sections of the fanbase for Panthers to try and tempt Cody Rudkowsky down from the Caps to replace KSP next season however I can't say I'd welcome such a move for a couple of reasons. Firstly, as much as I think Cody is an outstanding nettie, I'd point to my earlier point about playing in Nottingham. Whilst playing in front of smaller home crowds who, I think it's fair to say, have far lower expectation levels than the Panthers faithful doesn't lessen Cody's ability at all it doesn't mean he'd be able to slot into the Panthers roster and reproduce the same consistent showing of that ability week in week out when under a spotlight that is markedly more intense. Secondly I'd ask one question, quite simply 'Is Kevin St.Pierre the reason, or even a large part of the reason, that the 2009/10 Nottingham Panthers did not win that elusive EIHL Championship?' My answer to that is no, he isn't. If it aint broke, don't fix it. KSP is a keeper who, in my opinion, has shown himself more than good enough to backstop a Panthers side to a Championship and, personally, I think the fact that he's been through the 'settling' period and understands what playing hockey in Nottingham is about should be a fairly large factor in deciding whether or not to retain his services for 2010/11.

 

#33 Mark HARTLEY (NM)

 

There's little evidence on which to judge young Mark and my personal experience is limited to his cameo appearances where Panthers had games safely wrapped up. Nevertheless it's worth noting that, until the latter stages of the season, Mark had a save percentage of 100% and behind that statistic were several solid saves. It was during the Panthers' final outing of the campaign that Hartley was thrust into the spotlight as he completed the full sixty minutes in a 5-3 loss against the Vipers at Whitley Bay. In a game where Panthers lineup was heavily depleted through illness and injury (Jade Galbraith, of all people, played alongside his coach on the blueline) all reports from fans who attended the game were of an impressive display from Hartley. As well as showing a few people that he's got the ability to put in such a performance it probably also increased Mark's own confidence exponentially.

 

#20 Geoff WOOLHOUSE (NM)

 

A late season injury to Kevin St.Pierre led to the return of 'House' between the pipes for the Panthers. The fact that he'd not logged significant competitive ice time since leaving EPL side Swindon Wildcats part-way through the season didn't show as he collected several man of the match performances including a very solid performance in the 8-3 victory over eventual EIHL Champions the Coventry Blaze at the NIC. Geoff had always shown flashes of clear ability in previous seasons as the Panthers back up but had turned his back on that position in favour of some consistent ice time in Swindon in 2009/10. Sadly that time was cut short when Woolhouse was given 2-weeks’ notice by the Wiltshire outfit after he ‘clashed’ with Slough Jets forward Ryan Watt in a regular season game in January. Where Geoff will end up for the 2010/11 season is unclear however his end of season performances for the Panthers suggest he may not be too far short of joining the likes of Lyle and Murphy as a genuine number one netminder for an EIHL team.

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