A tale of two Jans…

HI all, sorry for the week long absence, but this is my final week of University work, and as such time is a little on the short side. My final project is nearly finished though, so I thought I’d get a blog update in before disappearing for a few more days to finish it off.

“There is no doubt in my mind that ‘Big Jan’ is the better player.”

The big news last week was that Slough’s playoff winning defensive rock Jan Melichar had left to sign for Swindon. The Wildcats also announced that Jan Krajicek wouldn’t be returning. Though no official announcement has been made, it is pretty common knowledge at this point that Krajicek will be signing for Slough. A lot of people have very strong views on this, and predictably the fans of each fanbase think they have got the better deal, and I actually agree that both teams are better off.

There is no doubt in my mind that ‘Big Jan’ (Krajicek) is the better player, and on a strong team like Slough he will be

Krajicek is powerless to prevent Bees scoring - Photo: Chris Callaghan

able to share the workload and be a dominating force, while improving their powerplay from last year. Melichar on the other hand is a few years younger, and should have enough left in the tank to play the extra minutes required of him at Swindon. He’s also a very solid player, and will fit in well in what I think will be a steady but unspectacular Cats defence. On a related note Swindon have also re-signed James Griffin for the coming season. This is a huge signing for them, as Griffin was by far their best British Dman last season and the youngster is a top prospect.

“His hands and playmaking will be miles better than most others in the EPL.”

Another huge signing in the EPL is David Longstaff to Guildford. This perhaps didn’t have the impact that the club hoped because, by the time the announcement was made, it was pretty common knowledge. Lobby is a terrific player, and his hands and playmaking will be miles better than most others in the EPL. It’s no secret that he’s not in fantastic shape, but he should still put up a lot of points and the slower pace will suit him I’m sure! One of the more interesting parts of Tony Hand’s book is where he’s talking about making it in America, and he mentions that he considers Lobby to be the only other British player with the talent to have made it to the top level.

Slough have announced the re-signings of Blaz Emersic and Gregg Rockman. I only saw Rockman play twice last season, at the playoff weekend, and he was fantastic, particularly in the final. I don’t know how he did the rest of the

Rockman is a Jet again - Photo: David Steadman

season, but he played almost every minute for the team that finished second so I guess he must have been pretty good! Emersic is great, and is the import that I would sign first and build my team around if I owned a team. Great all-round ability and a great captain.

Manchester have signed their first new signing (to go with the re-signed Boothroyd and Wood) in Dean Holland from Newcastle Vipers. Holland is a gritty young forward who I think will be a big hit in the EPL. He certainly wasn’t afraid of anyone in the EIHL!

Also announced today was Bracknell re-signing Ash Calvert and bringing in Craig Tribe from the Hornets. I like Calvert, big kid with lots of energy, but know nothing about Tribe, so I’ll be interested to see how he manages the step up.

“The Telford Tigers are officially back!”

The final bit of news is that the Telford Tigers are officially back! They’ve been accepted into the EPL and have signed Tom Watkins from the Coventry Blaze as player/coach. I think that’s a great appointment. As a player Tommy works so hard, and his enthusiasm will hopefully be infectious, and while this is his first senior head-coaching position he has been working under the best this country has to offer.

The Tigers are now owned by their fans (Tiger Tracks Supporters Trust). From what I can tell having looked at the Telford website, fans can pay a small fee to join the trust, and then all members get a say on club matters like

Calvert in action against Romford - Photo: Chris Callaghan

promoting etc. It’s an interesting idea and so far it looks to be working for them…perhaps it is something that can be explored by other teams if needed in the future, now that the people at Telford have proved that it can be done. It can’t be a bad thing to have people that truly care about the club in charge!

I’m still hoping that Romford will be joining Telford in the EPL next season, but there has been no news as yet. Then again it’s still April, and Sheffield Scimitars and Peterborough Phantoms are yet to make announcements as well, so there’s still plenty of time.

Signings galore!

WITHOUT looking it up I’m honestly not sure, but it seems like the first news of player signings is coming early this year. Several teams have made announcements already, and some have made a really solid start in building their teams for the next campaign.

I usually really look forward to this time of year. I like listening to the rumours swirling around about certain players and where they might end up. However, with Romford’s future still up in the air it’s hard to get as excited as I normally would. When I know one way or another what’s happening with the Raiders, I should be able to enjoy the wild speculation and various announcements much more!

The biggest news so far has to be the return of Jaroslav Cesky and Michal Pinc to Bracknell for next season, along with captain Terry Miles and new coach Gareth Cox. Securing the return of Cesky and Pinc is huge for Bracknell – those two are the only reason the Bees even got near a playoff spot last season, combining for a huge 228 points. They also scored about 48% of Bracknell’s goals between them. Securing them for another season gives the Bees an excellent base

Michal Pinc scores v Romford - Photo: Chris Callaghan

from which to build, and if they can sign a few better supporting players then they should be set for a much better season. I don’t know much about Cox but he’s off to a really good start here.

“It’s great to see a player stay loyal to his club.”

I interviewed Jaro Cesky not that long ago, and he has nothing but great things to say about the whole Bees organisation. He wouldn’t tell me where he was signing for the new season but from what he said a return to Bracknell was a fair guess. At a time when we often see foreigners come to the UK, have a good season and then leave to follow the money, it’s great to see a player stay loyal to his club.

Aside from Bracknell, Milton Keynes have made a solid start by re-signing no fewer than eight of last season’s championship winning team. The announcement was made at their end-of-season party that Lukas Zatopek, Leigh Jamieson, Lewis Christie, Michael Farn, Adam Carr, Matt Towalski, Adam Brittle and player/coach Nick Poole will all be returning.

“Lukas Zatopek is the best defenceman in the EPL.”

I’ve mentioned many a time that I think Lukas Zatopek is the best defenceman in the EPL, and Leigh Jamieson showed last season that he was one of, if not the best British defenceman. Christie and Farn are both very solid, and by signing those four they have kept most of the best defence in the league intact. Captain Adam Carr provides strong two-way play and puts up a decent number of points, as does Brittle, while Towalski is a valuable checker, and excellent on the PK. If they can add to this solid core the Lightning look in good shape to defend their title.

Martin Masa circles the net

A couple of other early re-signings to be announced are the return of Martin Masa to Guildford and Sam Oakford signing a new two-year deal with Basingstoke. Import forward Masa topped the Guildford charts in goals and points last season, meaning it was vital for the Flames to secure him for another season. At 36 he is past his peak, but still a very effective player at EPL level. Oakford on the other hand is a very promising defenceman who looks to have a great future. He was one of Basingstoke’s unsung heroes last season, and his two-year deal takes him up to the end of his degree at Southampton uni, after which it seems likely that he will make the jump to play in the Elite League.

Assemble your all-star team!

WITH the season finished now, I thought I’d spend a little time looking at the best players from the last year. I know some of the members of this blog are also THF members, so you guys might already have seen this game. For those that

Player-of-the-year Cesky on the verge of scoring v Romford - Photo: Chris Callaghan

haven’t or are not THF members, it’s pretty simple. Make your ideal EPL team from the rosters of last season, including two netminders, six defencemen and nine forwards. You’re only allowed four imports and your team has to include at least one player from each EPL side. Check out the team pages on the right-hand side which contain the complete rosters for each team if you need help.

This is mine: (* import)

NM: Barry Hollyhead (Milton Keynes Lightning)
NM: Mark Lee (Guildford Flames)

D: Lukas Zatopek* (Milton Keynes Lightning)
D: Leigh Jamieson (Milton Keynes Lightning)
D: Paddy Ward (Slough Jets)
D: James Morgan (Peterborough Phantoms)
D: Sam Oakford (Basingstoke Bison)
D: Tyrone Miller (Romford Raiders)

F: Ondrej Lauko* (Basingstoke Bison)
F: Jaroslav Cesky* (Bracknell Bees)
F: Blaz Emersic* (Slough Jets)
F: Tony Hand (Manchester Phoenix)
F: Adam Walker (Manchester Phoenix)
F: Joe Miller (Peterborough Phantoms)
F: James Archer (Sheffield Scimitars)
F: Joe Greener (Slough Jets)
F: Aaron Nell (Swindon Wildcats)

And I would probably line them up like this:

Lauko   –   Hand   –   Cesky
Miller   –   Emersic  –  Walker
Nell   –   Greener   –   Archer

Zatopek   –   Ward
Jamieson   –   Morgan
Oakford   –   Miller

For me Zatopek is the best Dman in the league, so he would anchor my first pairing with Ward. Jamieson and Morgan both take high penalty minutes but they provide a great blend of size, composure and offensive ability. On the third pairing Miller and Oakford are both solid in defence, while Miller’s speed and skill will help the transition of the team.

My starting netminder Mark Lee saves v MK Lightning - Photo: Chris Callaghan

For the forwards, Lauko has easily been the best goalscorer in the league this season (63 goals in 56 games!), while Cesky is a great all-rounder. To utilise their scoring ability I would put Tony Hand between them – still the best passer in the UK, he finished with 101 assists for the season.

On the second line, Emersic is the anchor at centre due to his fantastic all-round ability, and he has two of the best British goalscorers on his wings. Walker and Miller finished with 89 goals between them this season, with Walker breaking 100 points as well.

The third line is centred by Joe Greener, both because of his passing ability (55 assists in 55 games) and bacause of his grit and size. My sole Sheffield representative James Archer is also a gritty forward with a decent scoring touch (51 points in 54 games), while Nell is a left-shooter with great size and has a talent for finding the net.

So that’s my team. Leave a comment with yours, or just tell me why you think I’m right or wrong!

A great weekend in Coventry…

I DON’T want to go all ‘Dave Simms’ on everyone, but every now and then it’s nice to be right! I’m pleased to say that I got the results at Coventry bang on, and for anyone who doesn’t already know, the results were:

Semi-finals

Guildford Flames   5-2 Swindon Wildcats
Manchester Phoenix   1-2 Slough Jets

Final

Guildford Flames   1-2 Slough Jets

For anyone that wants to read my reports of the games, they are up on Prohockeynews.com now. You can read

Slough's Gregg Rockman dives to make the save in the final - Photo: David Steadman

about the semi-finals by following this link, and the final by following this one.

I’m really pleased that Slough won in the end, mainly because the have a few ex-Romford guys playing for them. It’s great to see young Billy Phillips win a medal, and hopefully he’ll be back at Romford one day, while Munroe and Myers both deserve a bit of success after enduring a good portion of an awful season with the Raiders. I think the Jets deserved it overall as well.

“Gregg Rockman deserves a lot of credit.”

For periods of both games they were under heavy pressure, but Pete Russell has them really well-drilled. Their defencemen use the boards really well to clear and rarely make mistakes. Melichar in particular was superb, and logged a lot of minutes alongside Adam Greener and Billy Phillips, while Paddy Ward anchored the second pairing with Munroe. Gregg Rockman also deserves a lot of credit. I thought he was solid against Manchester and absolutely superb in the final, and he was definately deserving of his man-of-the-match award.

Slough captain Blaz Emersic scores the final-winning penalty shot - Photo: David Steadman

“Emersic was superb, as he has been all season.”

As far as forwards go, the Jets are able to send out three really strong lines. I was more impressed with Jasik than I was expecting – he has good speed and loves to take players on, beating them the vast majority of the time, which takes a lot of pressure off his D. Emersic was superb, as he has been all season, and he scored three quarters of Slough’s goals at Coventry, including his slick penalty shot when under enormous pressure to win the final. Also, while all the brits played well, I have to say I was very impressed with Ryan Watt. I’ve never met the Watt brothers but I’ve heard from a few people that they are troublemakers and disruptive at times, which outweighs their skill on the ice. I don’t know what he’s like in the dressing room but Ryan Watt played two good games at Coventry, and the fans and his teammates all seemed to love him.

Swindon never really looked like beating the Flames in their semi, but they brought a lot of fans and they were excellent throughout, very noisy. I should know having sat behind them! Guildford looked pretty good in both games and could easily have won it. I also loved their fans’ ‘moneybags Guildford’ t-shirts. The rest of us might not like it but the reason they can spend so much money is that they’re a well run club that put a lot of money into promoting a few years back, so while I don’t particularly like them as a team, they’re a great business model for an EPL club.

Manchester brought a lot of fans, and along with the Basingstoke fans made the arena a lot busier than it was last year. Though I’m sure they were disappointed not to beat Slough after going ahead, most came back to watch the final and

Swindon's Chris Douglas earns himself the man-of-the-match award with one of many saves - Photo: David Steadman

that helped to create a great atmosphere. The MKL Barmy Army was also brilliant, and probably the loudest set of fans, despite their team not even being there!

Overall it was a great weekend. I spent far too much money, and failed to win the 50/50 yet again, but it was really enjoyable, and I’ll definately be there next year even if Romford are no longer in the league. So that’s it for the EPL season! Keep reading the blog, as I’ll still be doing at least one post a week throughout the summer. I’ll look at player signings as they are announced, as well as having the odd interview with players and coaches. I’ll also follow the NHL playoffs on here for anyone that watches that.

Finally, playoff time!

THIS weekend is the culmination of the EPL season, with the playoff finals weekend in Coventry. Last season was my first playoff weekend and I absolutely loved it, despite my Raiders not making it. After such a depressing season results-wise for Romford this year I’m really looking forward to sitting back as a neutral and seeing some great hockey.

The first semi-final on Saturday will be Guildford Flames v Swindon Wildcats. Guildford have had a season of ups

Guildford v MK at last year's playoff weekend

and downs. They have an excellent squad and really under-achieved in the league with a 4th place finish, but they did secure some silverware by beating MK Lightning over two legs in the EPL Cup final. Swindon on the other hand are the surprise package at the finals weekend. The eighth seeded Wildcats shocked many by beating league champions Milton Keynes to secure their place in Coventry, and have been excellent in the last few weeks of the season.

On paper, there should be only one winner in this game. In their six meetings this season, Guildford have won five. The Flames have beaten Swindon 4-2, 5-2, 9-2, 3-1 and 5-2 again. However, this doesn’t tell the whole story. Swindon’s solitary victory came in the last game between the sides, and the Wildcats have only lost two of their last eight games. Guildford’s form has been just as good though.

“I can’t see Guildford losing.”

The Flames have only lost one of their last eight, making them one of the EPL’s most in-form teams. If anyone’s interested, I’ll be supporting Swindon in this one, because I usually support the underdog. A symptom of supporting largely unsuccessful sports teams perhaps. Despite this I really can’t see Guildford losing. They have the experience and the quality, but Swindon’s run-and-gun approach has been working, so you never know.

Slough v Peterborough at Coventry 08/09

The second semi is Manchester Phoenix v Slough Jets. This should be a really excellent game, and one that I’m really looking forward to. Manchester have had a patchy first EPL season, but they have shown moments of brilliance and some excellent form at the end of the season saw them finish third. Meanwhile, Slough had a terrific season, finishing second in the league and displaying some excellent attacking hockey.

Slough have had Manchester’s number this season, beating the Phoenix in five out of six meetings. Most of the games have been close contests, but Slough did also inflict heavy 6-1 and 7-1 defeats on the ex-Elite side. Manchester have been in excellent form recently though, winning seven of their nine games in March, and grinding out an impressive aggregate victory over Peterborough last weekend. Slough’s form has been a little more erratic recently (lost four of their final eight games) after they showed impressive consistency throughout the season.

“Slough have had Manchester’s number this season.”

It’s worth mentioning that Manchester are playing with just three imports now following the departure of aging star Ed Courtenay, while Slough have been boosted by the return of long-term injury victim Peter Jasik. I haven’t decided who I want to win this yet, but I think the Jets will edge it.

I’m predicting a Guildford v Slough final then, and I think Slough will win it all, but I don’t really mind as long as we see some good hockey this weekend, and I’m sure we will. If anyone wants to come and say hi, I’ll be in block 13 or wandering around, probably in a Romford Lambert #8 shirt, on Saturday at least. Enjoy the weekend!

Half right isn’t too bad…

Saturday

Swindon Wildcats   3-3 Milton Keynes Lightning
Slough Jets   5-1 Sheffield Scimitars
Basingstoke Bison   0-6 Guildford Flames
Peterborough Phantoms   3-3 Manchester Phoenix

Sunday

Milton Keynes Lightning   5-7 Swindon Wildcats
(aggregate: 8-10 Swindon)
Sheffield Scimitars   1-2 Slough Jets
(aggregate: 2-7 Slough)
Guildford Flames   2-2 Basingstoke Bison
(aggregate: 8-2 Guildford)
Manchester Phoenix   3-2 Peterborough Phantoms
(aggregate: 6-5 Manchester)

RIGHT, so we have our Coventry finalists then. If you’re a regular reader of this blog then you’ll know that the results didn’t come out exactly as I thought they would, but I wasn’t completely wrong so I’m happy with that! I’ll start with the biggest upset of the playoff games, league winners MK being beaten by 8th seed Swindon.

MK have been the best side throughout the season, but in recent weeks (after winning the title) they’ve taken their foot off the gas. I can understand why they rested their key players over the last two weekends of the season, but I wouldn’t have done it personally. I understand the need to avoid injuries,

Chris Douglas scrambles to make the save for Swindon - Photo: Chris Callaghan

but consistency was one of their greatest weapons throughout the season, and disrupting that over the final games seems questionable. A winning team finds a way to keep winning, and it almost seems like they threw themselves out of their own rythm and winning mentality. Having said all of that, huge credit has to go to Swindon. A few weeks ago they looked terrible, and were well out of the playoff places, but they’ve been excellent in the last few weeks of the season and just seemed to want it more than the Lightning. They deserve their place at Coventry, and who knows how far they can go? I don’t think they’ll win it, but if they keep up their fearless, attacking style, they will be a real handful.

So my MK/Swindon turned out to be quite wrong, but it wasn’t as bad as my prediction for the Guildford/Basingstoke games. I thought that it would be very close with the Bison edging it, and it went completely the other way!

“The Flames were a class above.”

I thought that Basingstoke’s experience would see them through, with their veterans having been there and done it all. As it turned out, both Basingstoke and I completely underestimated Guildford. The Flames were a

Picture of concentration: Tom Annetts in goal for Basingstoke

class above and strolled to the aggregate win. They have been playing extremely well for the last few weeks, and must fancy their chances in Coventry now. Basingstoke on the other hand…well, several spectators

commented that the veterans looked their age, perhaps tired from their strong end-of-season push in the league, and Steve Moria will have to consider whether he needs to change the formula a little when he builds his side for next season.

Finally I can come to a prediction that I got right! I said that Slough would have too much class for Sheffield in the end, and so it proved. The Jets stepped up a gear from last weekend, and produced some excellent hockey, particularly at home, where they effectively killed off the tie. Peter Jasik being back from injury (finally!) makes a big difference for Slough, and it’s a testament to their strength in depth that they’ve been so good with only three imports. Sheffield will be disappointed that they were beaten so convincingly in the end, but as I have mentioned before, the experience will have been excellent for their youngsters.

“The Phantoms are no pushovers.”

The final series was also the closest. Peterborough matched Manchester goal for goal until the end of the second leg (in Manchester), where the Phoenix finally won it. Despite only finishing in sixth the Phantoms are no pushovers, and beating them will be a huge boost for Manchester ahead of next weekend. With the two best British forwards (statistically) in the league in

Guildford's Rob Lamey

Tony Hand and Adam Walker, as well as a healthy amount of talented, enthusiastic youngsters, Manchester have the depth and talent to make a splash next week. While Peterborough fans will be disappointed, from a purely selfish point-of-view I’m pleased. The only times I’ve seen Manchester play this season are when they’ve been thrashing Romford, so it’ll be nice to see them as a neutral.

So from what I’ve been told, that means that the semi-final match-ups at Coventry will be Guildford v Swindon and Manchester v Slough. Both should be excellent games, and I have my own thoughts on who will win, but I’ll leave that for later in the week! Keep reading and comment if you agree/disagree with what I’ve said!

Playoff Preview…

WITH the regular season behind us, this weekend it’s playoff time. The aggregate winner of each tie will go on to the EPL playoff weekend in Coventry next weekend, so there’s a lot on the line. Although I don’t normally, I could even be tempted to make some predictions for these games.

Basingstoke Bison v Guildford Flames   (6.30pm)
Guildford Flames v Basingstoke Bison   (6.00pm) – Guildford have had the better of the games between these sides, winning four out of six. However, all but one of the games were decided by just one goal. The teams also haven’t played each other since January, so it’s difficult to predict how this match-up will turn out. Basingstoke have won seven of their last ten games, losing only to Slough and Milton Keynes, while the Flames have recovered from a terrible start to the month to win five of their last six. This should be the tightest of the playoff match-ups, but I’m going for Basingstoke to win this.

Peterborough Phantoms v Manchester Phoenix   (7.00pm)
Manchester Phoenix v Peterborough Phantoms   (5.30pm) – In six mettings this season, Manchester have come out on top, winning four. The Phoenix have also recovered from a huge dip in form earlier in the season to win seven of their last ten games. Peterborough on the other hand have won five of their last ten contests, but did win their last game against the Phoenix 2-1 just two weeks ago. I think the result of this match-up depends on which Phantoms team shows up. They have a talented roster but have infuriated their supporters with inconsistency all season, though with their season on the line they should be highly motivated. Peterborough have the experience, but I think Manchester will win.

Slough Jets v Sheffield Scimitars   (6.30pm)
Sheffield Scimitars v Slough Jets   (5.30pm) – A week ago I would’ve had this down as an easy Slough victory…the Jets finished second in the league, pushing for the title all the way. However, last weekend the two sides played each other twice, and the Scimitars came out on top both times, giving them the edge over the season. Before those two wins, Sheffield’s young side had won just two in eight, and have endured a difficult second half of the season. Despite Sheffield winning the two games last week, I think Slough’s quality will shine through, and I think they’ll win this match-up.

Swindon Wildcats v Milton Keynes Lightning   (5.45pm)
Milton Keynes Lightning v Swindon Wildcats   (5.30pm) – MK have won all six games against Swindon this season, however the scorelines suggest that they haven’t been a walkover by any means, with MK’s biggest win being 5-2 much earlier in the season. Since winning the league, the Lightning have let up a little, resting key players, and have subsequently lost two of their last four games. The Wildcats on the other hand are on the up, winning six of their final ten games to force themselves into a playoff spot. Games don’t come much harder than against Milton Keynes, but Swindon will at least take some confidence into the games though, having beaten Slough, Manchester and Guildford recently. In the end I think the Lightning will have too much for them and will progress to Coventry.

Agree or disagree with my predictions? Comment!