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Baptism of fire for Dundee
Blog from Door 19
Dundee have had...um... well let’s just put it this way: they’ve had a baptism of fire into the 2010-2011 Elite League going 0-9-0 before facing Belfast, the current team at the top of the league on Thursday. Although the Stars seem to be the league whipping boys this season and I expected a high scoring game that was somewhat hampered by the reports of a further two injuries, Belfast started four players short. Not only were we missing Benny and Mason, we were now down Mark Garside and Colin Hemingway, a big blow going up against the wannabe hard men of Dundee. We got to the Odyssey in good time, grabbed a match pint and headed to the bridge to watch the warm-up. I believed that we were going to be lucky to leave the match without another injury, Hoffman had been told not to fight and with Makway and Nebus with an over abundance of testosterone they’d be looking for a punching bag. Little did I know that I was going to be (sort of) right.
It was surprising to see that Sean McMorrow was skating in the warm-up with his team when it was reported on Radio Ulster (not Cool FM!) that he had a knee injury and that he wouldn’t be playing against his former team. It was however surprising to see the LBM McMorrow jerseys out in force on Thursday after the glee and utter delight of some Giants fans that he wouldn’t be returning to Belfast this season. Anyway I digress... settling into my seat I waited as the clock ticked down and for the teams to take to their benches. It was quite funny to see McMorrow suited and booted with his play sheets having a go at being coach for the night. There’s always a sinking feeling to see the number nine referee shirt on the ice and there’s always the thought that ‘maybe Darnell will be fair and not screw the match up for Belfast,’ then I remember the fiasco that is every single match that Darnell referees.
Kaufmann, the Star’s goalie, has been incredibly leaky and I was hoping he would be true to form...boy, did he pull it out of the bag on Thursday. He had a man of the match winning performance in front of the lone Stars fan in the away block. It was great to see the utter loyalty that man showed to his team. The free webcast allowed the Dundee fans to enjoy the match from the comfort of their own home, although they’d probably be watching it from the edge of their seats. The Giants hit the ice with all guns blazing and a rookie on the bench; 18 year old Belfast lad Jordan Scott-Brown. The crowd were expecting a huge score margin and they believed they wouldn’t be disappointed. There was big pressure on the Giants to win the match, no team wanted to concede a match to the Stars or hand them their first point.
The first period was one of intense frustration with neither team scoring.... well I say that but some incredibly questionable calls from Darnell left the period scoreless. The Stars didn’t wait long earning an interference minor penalty after two minutes, Zarb was locked up tight in the penalty box and the Giants tried in vain to put the puck past Kaufmann. He was pulling off some great saves, like a brick wall in front of the net. Ten minutes in Bayrack took a shot at goal resulting in a heart breaking ping as it bounced off the post. It looked dire, neither team could score. Then came another crushing blow after sixteen minutes Rich Seeley injured himself and had to leave the ice, we were now five players down and playing two line hockey, compared to the full bench of the Dundee Stars we were at a (putting it nicely) clear disadvantage.
Coming to the end of the period there were a few shots against each net minder and Craig Peacock thought he had ultimately beaten Kaufmann, the crowd were on their feet and celebrating the deadlock had been broken. Then came another, let’s just say ‘special’ call from Darnell, saying that the puck had been kicked into the net. It had either been ‘kicked’ into the net by Kaufmann or by an invisible foot. This was another terrible call which ultimately handed the Stars a lifeline and didn’t allow the Giants to take the lead. So...the goal was waved off and the period ended with neither team on the scoreboard.
The second period started the same way as the first had played out with both teams shooting hard at their respective goalies. Four minutes in Wishart saw a gap in the Belfast defence and put the puck past Stephen Murphy. It was unexpected and a shock to say the least. The Dundee bench were loving it and Big Sean was audibly proud of his team. The rest of the period was backwards and forwards shots against Kaufmann and Murph with neither conceding any goals. McMorrow was very vocal throughout the match with his over exaggerated hand gestures and his over exuberant protests at Darnell’s calls he wound the crowd up well, for a minute I disliked him then I remembered how he had done that for us last year. He is a class act, playing on his persona and his huge personality, Sean McMorrow is a great addition to any team, sure the guy isn’t a great skater and he doesn’t put up the points but he’s fun and entertaining, he’s just Sean and I love him for that.
The third period was a turning point for the entire match, once again Brett Hemingway out performed expectations and scored two minutes in. Kauffman made his first goof of the game coughing up a rebound and leaving a practically empty net for Brett. It was looking as if the Stars would get another goal or it would go to overtime because there was little to no chance that the Giants would score again in regulation time - they were all wrecked, sweat was pouring off them and they were flagging, playing continuous shifts and getting no return on their efforts. Thirteen minutes into the third period Brett Hemmingway was skating back to the bench when Cartwright blocked his path and knocked him onto the ice, Nebus showed his cave-man tendencies by getting laid into him as he lay there. Darnell again showed his stellar lack of refereeing prowess by making another rubbish call putting Hemingway in the penalty box along with the two neanderthals.
The penalty ended and the inevitable happened - Dundee got their first point and the Giants were forced into sudden death overtime. Prudden who had been poked and prodded all night finally lost it 37 seconds in, and had a scuffle with Zarb. They both received 2+2 penalties for roughing. The overtime ended and it all came down to penalty shots. Hughes stepped up for the Stars, with resounding boos he missed the shot. Shieldsy however pushed through the mental and exhaustive barrier and scored. Ceman couldn’t handle the pressure and also missed from close range. A clearly knackered Brad Smyth also missed against Kaufmann, giving him a slight reprieve. Wishart had the pressure well and truly resting on his shoulders for the Stars and luckily for the Giants Murph denied his shot as well. The Giants long and tenuous battle paid off and we grabbed two vital points. With the addition of Dalgliesh to the roster at least the bench will look a bit healthier. This has already paid off as on Sunday night against the Stars as the young Scot put up an assist on his ‘debut’ setting up Dan Welch for the game opener. The Giants struggled again to break down the Stars in the first two periods going down 2-1 and 3-2. Three unanswered goals in the third from Bayrack, Shields and Smyth spared the Giants blushes. I’m looking forward to seeing the DVD from that one.
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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
