Keeley's Korner - Hockey Hotties for the Ladies in the UK

The response on my first two columns has been amazing.  I am all over this hockey hotties things and the shout outs from the readers really got me thinking.

While the NHL is all well and good for hockey hotties, there is no harm in looking elsewhere too – particularly in the Elite Hockey League, way over in the UK. After all, there’s nothing quite like a hot guy with an accent.

Here are some of the best looking lads to play the beautiful game across the pond.

Name: Craig Peacock

DOB: 8^th August 1988
Team: Belfast Giants

Why?: A standout player on the Giants, it’s hard not to notice Peacock – especially without all his uniform and equipment on. It’s unfortunate that there’s not nearly enough photos to show this (no shirtless shots, boo! L), but let’s face it – Peacock doesn’t really need them. With his gorgeous blue-grey eyes and curly dark hair, there’s no doubt that he falls into the hottie category. Even more unfortunate? It seems he’s off the market. But hey, maybe twitter’s not that reliable of a source… a girl can only hope.

Name: Tim Burrows

DOB: 22^nd March 1990
Team: Cardiff Devils

Why?: Again – it’s unfortunate that there’s no shirtless pictures. Maybe it’s an NHL thing? But oh well, it doesn’t really matter – the photos that are around are more then enough proof for why he’s on the list. The fact is, Burrows is just amazing. There’s no doubt that he’s talented – afterall, that’s why the Devils have kept him for so long – but with his not-quite-hockey hair and dimpled grin, it’s easy to see why he’s made the list. Plus, he watches ‘Take Me Out’ – perfect, or what?

Name: Josh Batch

DOB: 15^th January 1991
Team: Cardiff Devils

Why?: Of the three guys on the list, Batch is the baby of the group, yet has played the farthest away from home – and if the Devils brought him back from the US specifically to play, it’s really no question that he’s talented. Just like how with his blonde hair, blue eyes and nice smile, there’s no question that he’s just completely gorgeous. As a bonus, for those who like a guy with tattoos – I know I do - Batch’s got a shoulder piece on his right arm, which only adds to his hottness.

Anyways ladies, have to dash out now for some food.  Stay in touch and let me know what you think of my boys I think you will love them.  I know I did.

- Keeley Ryan

Neil Tucker and Blueliner are the UK Hockey Connection for GetRealHockey

Neil Tucker is a British hockey fan based just outside of England’s third largest city, Manchester. A fan of all sports including Rugby League, Speedway and archery but it is ice hockey that has been his first love since first watching the Manchester Storm play the Ayr Scottish Eagles in 1996 at the age of 9.

A graduate of the Manchester Metropolitan University Neil started writing about ice hockey in 2010 following a trip to see the Winter Classic for the Manchester Phoenix newsletter. Shortly afterwards the Blueliner Hockey Blog was started with the goal to highlight British ice hockey and hockey travel.

Today the Blueliner Hockey Tour has taken in places from Blackpool to Prague to Stockholm and Toronto and promotes hockey travel in association with online agent Nickes.com. In the coming months the Blueliner Hockey Blog is looking to complete its transition to Blueliner Hockey with its own domain which will continue to provide all hockey fans taking in games in new cities or countries with all the information they will need such as how to get tickets, how to get the rink, where to eat, drink and stay. As well as this Blueliner Hockey will continue to offer information and opinions on British ice hockey.

Away from his own site Neil Tucker writes regularly for Get Real Hockey where he covers British ice hockey and as a guest writer for other hockey sites as well as product describer for online golf store Scottsdalegolf.co.uk.

Neil Tucker

www.bluelinehockeyblog.wordpress.com

Cardiff Devils @ the Center of UK Hockey News ( UK Round Up 3rd – 5th February)

The big news of the ice in the UK was literally big as the Cardiff Devil’s forward and character and tough guy Brad Voth hung up his skates for the last time. The 6ft5 forward from Calgary has been out with a nerve injury since late December and has decided that in order to protect his future health he could not continue his playing career.

It is a big blow for the Cardiff Devils who now cannot sign another import player due to the end of the IIHF transfer window and a big blow for the sport. Voth had a proven record for the physical play and had provided plenty of talking points both good and bad during his time in the Welsh Capital.

There was more positive news however as the Edinburgh Capitals captured the signing of their free scoring forward Rene Jarolin for next season.

Elite League

Friday 3^rd January

Hull and Coventry started the weekends on ice action at the Hull Arena. It turned out to be a very bad start for the Hull Stingrays as the Blaze turned on the style. Goals from Owen, Fussey and new signing Nylander ended the game as a contest by the end of the first period.

Fussey completed his hat trick and Nylander and Kralj added a brace to complete the rout before the game was over. Cloutier and MacKinney did add 2 consolation goals but it was poor night at the office for the Stingrays.

Saturday 4^th January

The weekend then got worse for the Stingrays as they faced the Steelers in the Yorkshire derby at the Motorpoint. Despite putting up some good shot numbers the Stingrays could not make a break through. The Steelers however without the suspended spare import Neil Clark did take their chances and goals from Stephenson, Legue and Fulgham ensured the 2 points stayed in Sheffield.

Coventry on the other hand showed no signs of fatigue from their game the night before as they continued their free scoring in Fife. However the Blaze had to come from behind as Hartmanis put the Flyers ahead. It was goals from Cowley and Weaver who put the Blaze back in front before Owen Fussey added another 2 to his tally for the weekend to seal the win.

The Flyers though remain above the Stars at the foot of the table as the Stars lost in the NIC. The Panthers found their game legs early and the back of the net, as they did not look back. A David Clarke hat trick was the highlight of the game.

The nights other game was at the Odyssey as the Giants and the Devils faced off in the league and Challenge Cup second leg. The Devils had enjoyed a one-goal lead in the cup tie and that was doubled inside the first minute as MacRae put the Devils one up. However that was as good as it got for the Welsh side. The Giants were ahead on the night and level on aggregate by the end of the first period thanks to former Devils forward Jon Pelle and Craig Peacok. Dowd and Aaron Clarke added to that lead as the Giants progress to face the Panthers in the final and take 2 more league points.

Sunday 5^th February

The weather caused some chaos to start times in the EIHL and to the Belfast Giants in particular. The Giants arrived late for their top of table clash with the champions and their bus legs showed as the Steelers took a first period lead.

Former Steeler Robert Dowd then levelled the scores in the second before King put the Steelers ahead again. The Giants then got into their stride as Mason levelled the scores going into the third before Pelle and new signing Hoffman sealed an important victory for the Giants.

At the bottom of table the Stars leap frogged the Flyers as the two sides faced off in Dundee. 2 goals in the first minute but the Stars up but a brace from former Stars player coach Dan Ceman kept the Flyers in the tie. However it was a brace from Ceman’s successor in Dundee Brent Hughes and goals from Kolanos and McIntosh that sealed a key 2 points for the Stars.

Cardiff and Braehead met in the nights final game and the Devils difficult trip home from Belfast seemed to have hurt them as the Clan took a first period 3 goal lead. A second period goal from Pierce gave the Devils hope however and 3 third period goals from the Devils seemed to sealed the victory but Jade Galbraith completed his hat trick with 30 seconds left to take the game to overtime.

There were no goals in the extra period but the Clan salvaged the win on penalties.

English Premier League

Saturday 4^th February

It was a big weekend of action in the EPL as the top-sides face off against each other. On Saturday night the joint second placed Manchester Phoenix travelled to Milton Keynes and got one up on the Lightning to leave the hosts adrift of the rest of the title chasers in fifth place. Slough had the opportunity to close the gap at the top but the Flames stole the game in overtime to move another point ahead of the Jets.

Fellow title contenders Sheffield had easer game against the Phantoms as they ran out 3 – 0 winners to move level on points with the Jets. Whilst Bracknell moved 2 points further ahead of the Phantoms in the playoff race with 1 – 0 victory over Telford.

Sunday 5^th February

On Sunday the title race probably ended for the Lightning as they lost to the Flames at the Spectrum. Manchester kept up their challenge though as they beat the Wildcats in an icey Altrincham. The Jets also kept their title hopes alive with a 3 goal win over Basingstoke. Whilst Peterborough took the 2 points in a 15 goal thriller at Telford to move within 4 points of the playoffs.

Scores

Friday 4^th February

Elite League

Coventry Blaze 8 Hull Stingrays 2

Saturday 5^th February

Elite League

Dundee Stars 2 Nottingham Panthers 6

Hull Stingrays 0 Sheffield Steelers 3

Coventry Blaze 5 Fife Flyers 1

Elite League/ Challenge Cup

Cardiff Devils (3) 1 Belfast Giants 4 (5)

EPL

Manchester Phoenix 3 Milton Keynes Lightning 1

Guildford Flames 5 Slough Jets 4 (AOT)

Swindon Wildcats 4 Basingstoke 5

Telford Tigers 0 Bracknell Bees 1

Peterborough Phantoms 0 Sheffield Steeldogs 3

Sunday 5^th February

Elite League

Breahead Clan 5 Cardiff Devils 4 (APS)

Belfast Giants 4 Sheffield Steelers 2

Fife Flyers 2 Dundee Stars 6

EPL

Swindon Wildcats 3 Manchester Phoenix 6

Milton Keynes Lightning 2 Guildford Flames 4

Basingstoke Bison 0 Slough Jets 3

Peterborough Phantoms 6 Telford Tigers 8

Neil Tucker

www.bluelinehockeyblog.wordpress.com

UK Round Up on EIHL and EPL Action (28th – 29th January)

It was a case of who would blink first in the title races and in the EIHL it was also a case of who would make one of the top three blink.

Elite League

Friday 27^th January

Belfast avoided the first slip up of the weekend as they went into the Braehead Arena to face the Clan. It was a ding-dong battle as the Giants first took the lead but then fell behind to goals from Bannister and Wrill before Paul Deniset’s goal sent the game to overtime and penalties. It was GB international Robert Dowd who added the deciding penalty to keep the Giants on track. Belfast 3 Braehead 2 (APS)

Saturday 28^th January

The top 3 were in action on Saturday night and each team knew that they could not be the one missing out on a point.

Belfast especially knew this as they endured a tormenting night in the Fife Ice Arena. Despite outshooting the Flyers 40 – 14 the game wasn’t decided until the third period when George Awada and Aarron Clarke scored followed by the empty night from Robert Dowd. Belfast 3 Fife 0

It was an easier night in the NIC for the Panthers as they took advantage of every chance they got to put up 6 against the Blaze. A brace from Frances and goal’s from Myers, Clarke, Fox and Beauregard assisting the Panthers to a win that looks more comfortable on the scoreboard than in reality. Griffin did get a late consolation for the Blaze. Coventry 1 Nottingham 6

Back up in Scotland the Steelers produced a solid team display to cruise to victory over the Capitals at Murrayfield. Ramsay, Hewitt, King and Jonathan Philips all got on the score sheet, as did a brace from Zembergs to make the score look respectable. Sheffield 4 Edinburgh 2

In Glasgow the Clan’s double-header continued as they hosted the Stars. It was a rapid first period as McPherson got the scoring underway in less then two minutes. The scores looked to be even at 2 a piece at the end of the first but Jorgensen’s goal in the last 60 seconds of the period ensured the home side had the lead and the momentum going into the second. It was that momentum that looked to have given the Clan a commanding lead when Bayrack completed his hat trick. However there was a grandstand finish as the Stars scored through Konkle and with the extra attacker to bring them to within 1 at the finish. Dundee 4 Braehead 5

The final game of the night was a goal fest in the Cardiff Bay Arena between the Devils and the Stingrays. After a slow first period that saw the Devils take 1 goal first period lead the floodgates opened. The second period saw the Devils hit Hull for 5 goals to 1 as they looked to have a commanding lead. However the Devils were left grateful for 2 more goals from Pierce and Adams as first Tendler got his second then Osman hit his hat trick. Hull 5 Cardiff 8.

Sunday 29^th January

With the Belfast Giants not in action the Panthers and Steelers knew they had to take advantage. The Panthers faced the Blaze once again but this time in the Skydome Arena. However the outcome was exactly the same. The Panthers hit the Blaze for 6 goals through 6 different scorers after Owen Fussey had given the home team a lead. Nottingham 6 Coventry 1

Sheffield also didn’t falter in the their second game of the weekend in Edinburgh. The Steelers also posted 6 including a hat trick for Birnstill. The Capitals though did not make it easy for the 2011 Champions as the Jarolin, Hartmann and Holecko kept it a contest till the end. Sheffield 6 Edinburgh 3

Hull and Cardiff also faced each other for the second time this weekend. However it was a tighter cagey affair with both sides struggling to hit the net. There were two goals though in the second period as Kenton Smith gave the visitors the lead before Jason Silverthorn replied just over a minute later. The game ended a tie and it was left to Rodin to score the winning penalty and lift the Stingrays into 7^th place ahead of the Capitals. Cardiff 1 Hull 2 (APS)

The big game of the night however as the bottom of the table as the bottom two played each other with winner moving clear of the other at bottom. Garrett Zemlak was again on inspired form for the Flyers as the Stars threw everything at him in a tight game. At the other end through Bakrlik, Stewart, Samuel and the returning Cohen proved to be difference as the Flyers move off the bottom of the table for the first time this season. Fife 4 Stars 1

So at the end of the weekend the top three are as they were. Belfast, Nottingham and Sheffield whilst it is all change at the bottom as it is now the Flyers who are chasing the Capitals for the last playoff spot.

English Premier League

Saturday 28^th January

Like their Elite League counterparts the EPL title chasers were all watching each other and waiting to see who would blink first. Whilst the league leading Flames were running up a massive win against the Tigers it was a more challenging affair for the rest.

The Lightning were the first to crack as they came away from Basingstoke pointless whilst the Phoenix travelled to Bracknell but missed out on the 2 points thanks to a Smital overtime winner for the Bees. The Steeldogs however did pick up the two points but did need penalties to do so against the Wildcats whilst the Jets returned to action with a regulation victory over the Phantoms.

Sunday 29^th January

The Phoenix and the Lightning were both not in action so it left a good opportunity for the other title chasers to make up some ground. However it did not all go their way.

The Jets faced a quickly improving Bison side that showed they could be the spoiler in the title race for the second night in a row. The Bison taking the win on penalties. The Flames had to battle back from 2 down in Telford to salvage a point as the Tigers took the win on penalties. It was to prove to be a vital point for the Flames though who do now have a 7 point game over the 5^th place Lightning. The Steeldogs though did pick up another two points against the Swindon Wildcats to keep their hopes on track and move up to 4^th in the table level on points with Manchester and Slough 6 behind the Flames.

At the bottom there was a big win for the Phantoms who beat the Bees on penalties to move just 4 points behind them in the hunt for the final playoff spot.

Neil Tucker

www.bluelinehockeyblog.wordpress.com

British Ice Hockey League Season Could Be in Jeopardy

The end of the British league season could be thrown into doubt at all levels as Planet Ice was served with a winding up order by HMRC over unpaid taxes. Planet Ice and its parent company the Arena Group are fighting the decision but the action by Revenue and Customs could close the rinks the company operations. This could leave clubs at all levels of British ice hockey homeless before the end of the season.

Planet Ice is the operator for 7 rinks and arenas that currently house hockey clubs at one level or another in British ice hockey. The rinks in Isle of Wight, Basingstoke, Milton Keynes, Cardiff, Gosport, Coventry and Peterborough could all be closed down following a court hearing in February.

It could be a massive blow to British ice hockey and one that would cause chaos to the league season as there would be little hope of housing all the clubs in other rinks to allow them to at least finish the season.

The Arena Group who owners the Planet Ice brand has said however that it is confident that the issue will be cleared up before the case goes to court and that in the meantime all rinks will remain open as normal. However the news is yet another hit for British hockey clubs trying to attract sponsors, investment and new fans as the negative story will hit confidence at an already low time.

Even if the issue is cleared up the negativity around the story will reflect badly on all clubs even those who do not operate out of those rinks under the Planet Ice banner. This because of the stigma these kinds of stories create and will pass on around all rinks in country making it that much harder for any hockey club to win new sponsors and invest at time when it is much need and also when clubs are looking to next season.

Elsewhere it was business as usual for the Cardiff Devils in their Planet Ice ran rink as they hosted the Sheffield Steelers. The Steelers were icing new signing Nick Duff after the defenseman arrived in time to be on the coach to Cardiff. However it was the Devils who took the lead in the first period before a Colt King double sent the game into overtime. It was then left to Jeff Legue with just 11 seconds left in the extra period to send the Steelers home to Sheffield with 2 points. It is also a win that moves Sheffield level on points with Nottingham in second place in the table.

At the Braehead Arena there was another come from behind victory as the Fife Flyers moved level on points with Dundee at the foot of the EIHL table. A brace from Hartmanis backed up with goals from Maxwell and a first goal for new signing Kadic were enough despite Jade Galbraith’s late goal.

Results

Wednesday 18^th January

Sheffield Steelers 3 Cardiff Devils 2 (AOT)

Fife Flyers 4 Braehead Clan 3

Neil Tucker

www.bluelinehockeyblog.wordpress.com

The Right Hand For Job? - Was he the right choice for GB Hockey ?

The announcement of Tony Hand as the next Great Britain coach last week as raised many questions. These have ranged from whether it is viable for an EPL coach to be national team coach? Is his record as a coach good enough? Who else is there? Is he tactically sound? And even does he have the passion for it? Added to this outspoken Sheffield Steelers’ spokesperson Dave Simms said after the news that Paul Thompson would be stepping down broke that there was no outstanding candidate for the job.

Putting aside all these questions for a moment it is great that such questions are now being asked. 10 or 15 years ago the national team wasn’t even on the radar of most fans. The Great Britain team was being coached by Chris McSorley was coaching in Switzerland and doing the job without getting paid whilst some duel internationals were being offered large sums of money to play for the side. Today the GB team has gone from this to a Division One promotion possibility and potential host of a world championship as well as rising from outside the top 30 countries to inside the top 20. Fans are also more involved with 2 international games at ‘home’ per year. No longer is the GB job a thankless task for a week a year but a high profile role taken seriously by the players and fans.

Turning to Tony Hand now. His history and experience in the sport does suggest that this is a job he was destined for. His playing career which is still going today has seen Hand score more points than any other British player or any other player in this country, a draftee of the Edmonton Oilers, played in all corners of the British game and was a member of the Great Britain team that last played in the World Championship group in 1994. Behind the bench Hand has built up 10 years worth of experience. Winning the British National League title with Dundee, the EPL title with Manchester and coaching at all ends of the financial scale in the Elite League with Edinburgh, Belfast and Manchester.

Despite this some quarters have asked questions.

Does Hand lack the passion and commitment for the job?

Some people have questioned this based on his actions as a player most based on Hand’s decision to retire from international ice hockey despite still being the most proficient British player in the league. However not only was this decision right for Hand given his age and had prolonged his career it has turned out to be right for the national side. By leaving the national programme Hand gave the powers that be at that time a shake up that was desperately needed. The mismanaged, haphazard way in which duel nationals were ‘employed’ was stifling young British talent and making a mockery of the national squad.

Does Hand have the Tactical Knowledge?

Tony Hand has been deeply criticised at times for his tactics. This has centred on his overuse of his top two lines. This is true however during his time in the Elite League with Edinburgh and Manchester Hand has lacked the depth due to tight financial constraints to roll three lines in tight games. However even during the EPL games Hand has continued this practise. This is an area that Hand will need to improve on although in his defence part of his reasoning behind the two-line system is that one of those lines has included Hand himself. It looks from the outside that in close games Hand feels he is better being on the ice himself and so uses the two-line system to put himself out there more. In international games however against strong line-ups such as the Ukraine or Kazakhstan it is much more important to keep the team fresh but of course Hand will not be icing.

Is it Viable for an EPL Coach?

On time will tell but it would appear to be difficult. Paul Thompson as an Elite League coach saw every team and every player by virtue of the fact he was behind the bench of one of the sides. This allowed Thompson to view players together and watch them play on their lines however as an opposition coach Thompson had a responsibility to beat those players and so at times was difficult for him to be abstract. Hand however does not have that problem for the majority of players. Also with more midweek games in the EIHL Hand will be able to watch games from an outsider viewpoint. It is also true that the EPL has some overlooked British players as well as Longstaff and Bowns who made the last GB squad.

The main sticking point however will be the EPL playoff finals. This playoff weekend comes a weekend before the World Championships start and has seen the Great Britain team play warm up games that weekend. With Manchester a favourite to make the weekend for the third successive year there is an obvious conflict of interest. There are of course rumours about Manchester moving back into the EIHL that would solve this problem for the final 3 years of Hands international contract but that is a matter for a whole other blog.

It is worth noting that Hand will have a team of assistant coaches to help him but it is not reasonable to expect an assistant to take charge of the warm up games and then for Hand to charge for the World Championships.

Is Hand’s Coaching Record Good Enough?

Following in the footsteps of a 4 time Elite League winning British coach is always going to make Hand’s coaching record look poor. However Hand has won 2 championships in the BNL and the EPL. It is also worth noting that Hand didn’t really have the resource to win the Elite League in Manchester or Edinburgh but did get them to the playoffs. Belfast was a different matter but Hand did only spend a season in charge there.

So that puts the jury out on Hand’s credentials to be Great Britain coach. So perhaps the deciding factor is who else is there?

The truth is there are not that many candidates. If you are looking for British born coach then there is only Hand who has a record remotely near that of Paul Thompson. Other duel national candidates are available such as Corey Neilsen from Nottingham. However Neilsen is yet to coach a league winning side and would mean losing a defenseman from the pool of players to pick from. There is also Rob Wilson but Wilson is currently coaching in Italy.

There are of course non-British candidates. Gerard Adams of the Cardiff Devils and Doug Christiansen of the Belfast Giants have both coached in this country for several years but neither have been involved in the international set up before and after a successful couple of years now is not to the time to start changing that.

At the end of day Dave Simms is right. There aren’t a great number of candidates for the job and no one perhaps is as suited to the role as Paul Thompson was. In Tony Hand though there is at least someone with a great hockey sense. All the rest of us can do is cheer him and the boys on.

Neil Tucker

www.bluelinehockeyblog.wordpress.com

Nottingham Panthers and Belfast Giants Win Again - Uk Round Up Friday 23rd December

The Christmas period started in earnest on Friday night. Belfast and Nottingham were both in league action whilst fellow title chasers Sheffield played their final Challenge Cup group stage game in a winner takes all match up with Cardiff.

Challenge Cup

Sheffield Steelers 4 Cardiff Devils 4

Sheffield and Cardiff both knew that this game could be their last in the Challenge Cup. Cardiff however did have the slight advantage of knowing they only had to avoid defeat to be assured of a place in the semi final.

The first period was an edgy affair that ended goalless but the second period saw the game come back to life. First Jeff Legue put the Steelers ahead before Smith and Pierce put the Devils on top. Legue however got his second and Colt King put the York side back on top before the end of the second.

The Devils needed to score in the third and came out firing as Stuart MacRae levelled up the scores. MacRae’s second goal came on the 51^st minute as the Devils lead again and would prove to be crucial as Mike Ramsay equalised for the Steelers with 2 minutes to go but neither he nor the Steelers could break the deadlock.

The draw meant that the Devils go into the semi final and face the Belfast Giants. The second semi final will be between the Nottingham Panthers and the Braehead Clan.

Edinburgh Capitals 0 Belfast Giants 6

Belfast were on top form on Friday and boosted by the signing of fan favourite and home town lad Mark Morrison.

The Giants dominated with a hat trick from Daryl Lloyd and strikes from Keefe, Awada and Pelle in a game that saw the Giants add 15 shots on Nathan Craze in 15 minutes during the second period.

The win keeps the Giants on top in the title race whilst the defeat for the Capitals means they lose ground on Braehead in the race for sixth.

Nottingham Panthers 6 Dundee Stars 4

With the Steelers in action in the Challenge Cup Nottingham knew they could take second spot in the league table with sides due to meet twice over the festive period.

Despite the Panthers building up a 2 goal lead in the first period the Stars were not out of the game as Turner and Konkle levelled the scores. The Panthers however restored their 2 goal advantage going into the third period through Beauregard and David Clarke.

The Stars started lively in the third period and halved the deficit although Benedict’s goal kept the Panthers two ahead. There was a nervy finish though as Konkle made it a one goal game with 30 seconds left. However there was just enough time for Clarke to complete the win with an empty net goal.

With that defeat the Stars are still looking for a first league win under new coach Brent Hughes. However the Panthers move above the Steelers into second in the league table with the win. David Clarke’s two goal night also sees him tied for the Elite League all time goal scoring record with 229 goals equalling Adam Calder.

Neil Tucker

www.bluelinehockeyblog.wordpress.com