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Was there an NHL team in Belfast?
You’d be forgiven for not realising that one of the biggest teams in the sport of ice hockey are in town as you walked around Belfast city centre this weekend. I was expecting something a little more given that Invest NI are heavily involved in the event which is supposedly being used to promote Belfast and Northern Ireland as well as our sport. Sure there are a few hockey fans milling about but you’d need to stop one of them to find out why they were here. I wont go into the list of reasons that I’ve been disappointed by the way this event has been has been used, or not as the case may be, to further the reach of hockey in NI and the wider sporting community of the UK. Suffice to say it appears to me that it will be another under utilised opportunity that perfectly illustrates the failings of the EIHL to push the sport onto a higher plain.
Anyway, on to the reason I’m here and the biggest game of the weekend. Panthers face a massive test on Sunday against a Giants side who are in form, led in no small part by the points production of Michael Hoffman. I didn’t think he looked great on the opening weekend in Nottingham but since then he’s gone on to led the way for the Belfast Giants and he’s going to need special attention from Corey Neilson’s side to shut down his hot streak.
Panthers first defeat was a strange one to digest. Once I had I was left pondering a couple of takes on the outcome. Has our ‘we’ll score one more than you’ approach been rumbled earlier than ever this term or were we simply unlucky on the night having hit the pipework multiple times and been undone in no small part by a horrendous puck bounce off the back boards for the Clan’s first goal?
There is much to work on, no doubt, but there always is at this stage and I hope that the fans give the boys the time to work on their frailties rather than jump on their backs. That goes for the whole roster, including Craig Kowalski who has come in for the customary rollicking from some sections of the Panthers support.
One thing that stuck out for me on Saturday was that we missed a seasoned grinder out there, a guy who could disrupt the Clan’s approach, get in Bruce Richardson’s face and generally be the guy who pulled us through the mire; in short we missed Jay Henderson. I have a feeling we might be playing through the next couple of months with what we have in the hope that Jay can return as I’m not sure a replacement will be that easy to find and holding out might be the best bet.
A prediction for this weekend’s game in Belfast? I’ll probably have too much Harp. Again. I’ll probably spend the last hours of the night in Rockies telling my Fiancée how ‘a bar like this in Nottingham could really work, lets open one’. Again. And Panthers will probably come up short, again. It’s probably heartening that the last of those three predictions is the one I’m least confident about making.
On form Panthers can take the 2 points here tomorrow, of that there is no doubt, but they need to be quick out of the blocks and quick to get shots in on Murphy. As much as I rate Murphy the one thing which has always been his weakness is the number of rebounds he gives up and it’s taking advantage of those sorts of frailties which win you games in places like Belfast. He knows it’s his weakness and if he knows we’ll try to expose it there is every chance we’ll get the psychological edge.
Panthers need to tighten up on D, no doubt. Corey and Zion specifically need to let the forwards do their job and spend more time doing their own. There is no point having the sort of firepower we have and then sending in the cavalry from the blueline every time there is a sniff of an attack. We’re leaving too many gaps and although you always feel like we’re likely to give a team a real tanking you always feel it’s just as likely we might get the same in return, especially against the bigger teams like Belfast.
Finally, just a quick note of praise for David Simms, Rick Strachan and all the behind the scenes guys who are putting the weekly highlights show together. It’s a much improved way of showcasing the sport and it’s hitting the mark for me so far. I know Dave is trying to get a few new features into the programme which should make it even more of a useful tool for promoting ice hockey to the uneducated masses out there. Great job guys, keep it up.
Enjoy the weekend’s games, wherever you might be watching them. Time for a nice cold Harp.
Cheers!
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| 12th March 2006 19:00 | ||
5-3 |
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| 12th March 2006 19:00 | ||
4-5 |
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| 12th March 2006 19:00 | ||
1-4 |
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| 12th March 2006 19:00 | ||
4-4 |
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| 11th March 2006 19:00 | ||
2-4 |
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| 11th March 2006 19:00 | ||
| Club | GP | W | L | OL | GF | GA | Pts |
|---|
5-8 |
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| 19th March 2006 19:00 | ||
5-1 |
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| 19th March 2006 19:00 | ||
4-1 |
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| 19th March 2006 19:00 | ||
5-2 |
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| 19th March 2006 19:00 | ||
3-7 |
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| 19th March 2006 19:00 | ||
1-1 |
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| 19th March 2006 19:00 | ||
| Club | GP | W | L | OL | GF | GA | Pts |
|---|
- Adam Walker
- Alex Birch
- Andy Pierce
- Chris Gent
- Christopher Beal
- Craig Simpson
- Dave Simms
- Elliott Stanley
- Gareth Chalmers
- James Broughton
- James Gordon
- Katy Madgwick
- Luke Catterson
- Mark Briggs
- Mark Duell
- Mat Young
- Patrick Smyth
- Promotion
- Russ Morrell
- Seanna Murdock
- Stephen Dowson
- Stewart Roberts
- Tom Forster
- Vicki Smart
- William Lyon
