Telford Tigers weekend 16/17th October

A real testing weekend for the Tigers just gone, facing teams at the top and bottom of the table. The Tigers faced the Guidlford Flames saturday night and I doubt you would find many Tigers fans who expected two points from this game. Sadly for the Tigers the table doesnt lie and the Flames ran out 8-3 victors.

The sunday home game against the Sheffield Steeldogs would be a game where the Tigers should pick up a win and two points. Sadly some defensive frailties exposed the Tigers and the Steeldogs were able to claim a 7-5 win.

So a tough weekend for the Tigers, and a weekend that will make the team re-focus and concentrate and ironing out any silly mistakes. The Tigers must start getting results against those sides around them in the table if they want to make a playoff push.

The weekends don't get much easier for Telford, with this weekend (the 23rd/24th October) bringing a trip to Milton Keynes saturday night, before hosting the Phoenix, and their large following to Telford Ice Rink for the first time this season! The ice rink will be rocking sunday night!



Telford Tigers weekend reports.

EPL Playoff Finals Weekend - Coventry

So last weekend saw EPl fans from across the country descend upon Coventry for the 2009/10 season finale. This would be the Bison and Phoenix fans first visit to the Sky Dome for the showpiece event. Luckily for the Phoenix faithful their team were to come along for the festivities too, having overcome the Peterborough Phantoms. Bison fans, unfortunately had no team to support, having been knocked out by the Guildford Flames. Despite this fans of the other ex EIHL team turned out in force and filled a block next to the Phoenix fans. Themselves filling three blocks and having the largest fan base at the finals. In fact the Phoenix had pretty much all four block's you see in the above picture!

Not bad for first time visitors!The first semi-final saw Lightning slayers Swindon take on the Guildford Flames. An obvious candidate for a walkover, but lest we forget who the Wildcats knocked out to get to Coventry! The Phoenix would be up next in the evening semi against the Slough Jets. A team who have had the better of the Phoenix over the course of the season!

Semi Final 1 - Swindon v Guildford
This semi final had the potential for a surprise! Sadly the team that knocked out the Lightning did not turn up. The Flames totally dominated this game, the extra skill on the Guildford bench pinning the Wildcats into their own zone for most of the game. Swindon, despite having the support of most of the arena, could not get through centre ice. Resorting to icing the puck and trying to help Douglass out in the Swindon goal. On a separate note, what a goaltender! He single handedly kept the Wildcats in the game. So despite the early optimism held by fans other than Flames fans, Swindon could not pull off another shock and the Flames won through to the final with a 5-2 victory.


Semi Final 2 - Slough v Manchester
This was the moment Phoenix fans had long waited for. The appearance of a team from Manchester at a league playoff finals weekend. The test for the Phoenix the Slough Jets. It would take nothing but the best from the Phoenix to play Guildford in the final. The Phoenix made a great start and more than held their own against the Jets. The Phoenix even took the lead, sending most of the arena into delirium. The Jets did, however, continue to press the Phoenix, Blaz Emersic tormenting the Phoenix defence. Stephen Fone was called into action and was standing on his head. Sadly for the Phoenix the Jets would take the lead over the course of the game, with that man Emersic doing the damage. In the end the Jets won 2-1, however the Phoenix had more than held their own. I don't think you could find one Phoenix fan who was not proud of their team!

EPL Playoff Final - Slough v Guildford
The irresistible force meets the immovable object, and the final no one, other than Flames/Jets fans really wanted. The Final would be a tense affair for two sets of fans, and a tad boring for the rest! The Flames had all the attacking flair, however just could not break down the well organised defence of the Slough Jets. Chances were limited, and even when a chance did appear Lee and Rockman in the goals were in outstanding form. The game was 1-1 heading into overtime after a very close 60minutes of play. In the period of overtime, the Jets were presented with a gold opportunity to win the game. Greener was sent clean through on Lee, when he was brought down by the Flames defence. Penalty shot! A perfectly valid one, despite what any Flames fan will tell you! Blaz Emersic, that man again! Stepped up and took a wonderful penalty shot! Shelving the puck past Lee to win the cup for the Jets. Final score 2-1 after overtime.

What happened next was a little unsavoury. As the goal light lit, the Flames team immediately skated over and started abusing the referee. This was totally uncalled for, it was a perfectly legal call by the referee! Even us Phoenix fans at the far end of the arena could tell it was a penalty shot! Sadly some Flames fans were no better! With the Slough coach over at their bench, there were a fair few unsavoury gestures aimed in his direction! Along with a few bottles too! I know the Slough coach is not totally blameless, however Hockey prides itself on being a family friendly sport, and the actions of a few tarred the Flames support in general!

Anyway, a great weekend was had by us Phoenix fans and im sure the Phoenix will be back in 2011 in the final! This team have come so far, and if you had offered me, 3rd place, a Cup Semi-final and a Playoff Final weekend appearance, I would have taken your arm off!

Well done Phoenix and well done Phoenix fans!

Ive added a few pictures below, just some of my favourites from the weekend.

Various Phoenix banners:

Pucky:

EPL 2009/10 Season Playoff Final's Preview

Well well well well well!!!!

Do you remember my playoff quarter final weekend preview post? I'll claim a 50% success rate is pretty darn good!
My predicted winners from last weekend's games were:

Milton Keynes Lightning
Slough Jets
Manchester Phoenix
Basingstoke Bison

Thankfully the Phoenix managed to see off the Peterborough Phantoms, so the only other team I got correct was the Slough Jets!
Of the other two games, one was a shoick and the other less so! Anyway here's a quick look see at the results from the Quarter Finals!

MK vs Swindon (Swindon win 10-8 on aggregate)
What a shocker! I think the vast majority of fans (excluding those Swindon fan's) thought the Lightning would see off the Wildcats. While I thought the Cats could do it, i'll admit to not really thinking they could! Especially after the Lightning came away from the first leg with a 3-3 tie, so, like the Phoenix it was all hanging on their home game in the thunderdome. But you could argue, because of that fact, a tie could go either way. Its one game, one game either team can win. From all that I have read, MK did not really turn up to play at their usual best, and in playoff hockey, that is not good enough! Swindon are in some good form at the moment, while MK have eased off since winning the league. In a way im glad the Phoenix will not be playing the Wildcats in the semi-finals!

Slough v Sheffield (Slough win 7-2 on aggregate)
This one was less of a shock, the Scimitar's form heading into the playoffs really didnt show they were going to cause an upset. Which was a real shame, every visit of the Scimitar's to the Ice Dome has seen some fast paced and free flowing hockey from both teams. However it seems the Scims really ran out of juice! So in the end, a fairly routine pair of wins for the Jets.

Manchester v Peterborough (Manchester win 6-5 on aggregate)
Phew what a corker, after a tense first leg which ended 3-3 in Peterborough it all headed back to the Ice Dome for a winner takes all game, much like the MK v Swindon game. 60 minutes to earn the right to go to Coventry. I didnt go to the away leg, but I believe Matt & Becky off of Five Minute Major did. So you may see a review of that game on their pages some time soon. The home leg at the Dome was a corker! You can read all about it in my previous game review post. What an atmosphere, the Ice Dome really is becoming a great rink for a fantastic night of hockey. In the end, and Phoenix tinted specs off, the Phoenix did deserve to win. Thus ending 6 odd years of finals weekend disappointment for Phoenix fans!!!! If you want to hear/see what it meant to the team and the fans, take a look at the video in this posting just a couple of days ago!

Guildford v Basingstoke (Guildford win 8-2 on aggregate)
How wrong could I have been, I picked this tie to be the tightest and most difficult to predict! But Guildford well and truly blew that out of the water after the first leg in Basingstoke, with a 6-0 win. So in front of a sell out crowd, the Flames tied the game 2-2 with Basingstoke salvaging some pride. This gives the Flames a playoff semi-final against the Swindon Wildcats. Not as easy as you may think for the Flames, given they dumped MK out, and beat the Phoenix 10-2 in the final weekend of regular season play!

So anyway, that was playoff Quarter Final time, this is Playoff Semi Final time!!!!

Semia Final 1 - Guildford Flames v Swindon Wildcats (Head to head, Guildford with 5 wins, Swindon with 1)
Not the forgone conclusion you would have thought, 4th plays 8th, Giant plays GIant Killer.......again any more?
The season head to head is heavily in the Flames favour, but the same could have been said for the Cats against MK, and look what happened there! League form and results really does go out of the window come playoff time. Swindon really will have the underdog tag in this game, and, probably, the support of nearly everyone in the SkyDome come saturday. As for the game, it will be tense, and the first period will be key. The Flames have the ability to kill off the game early on, but if it is still tight after the opening 20mins the Wildcats could well do it. The heart wants the Wildcats fairy tail story to continue, but the head cannot see past the Flames advancing. Ive been critical of their inconstancy in recent games, however the Bison quarter final really blew away those cobwebs.
Prediction: Flames to make it to the final.

Semi Final 2 - Slough Jets v Manchester Phoenix (Head to head, Slough with 5 wins, Manchester with 1)
Set up to be a great game, against the Jets the Phoenix have played a good game, just never really got the puck in the net. The problem the Phoenix have had has been shutting the top line of the Jets down. Messers Emersic et al. The time we did do that, on the last visit to the hangar in Slough, the Phoenix got the win, and made the Jets look ordinary. The same can be said for this semi-final, if the Phoenix can look after that top line I can see the Phoenix making it to the final. Plus, I think the tougher opposition in the Phantoms the Phoenix had will stand them on good ground. The Phoenix had to be sharp and work hard, which they will against the Jets. It will be tough for the Phoenix, but they can do it!
Prediction: Phoenix to make it to the final!

I won't bother with an indepth prediction of how the final will go, but I will give a quick one line prediction based on the various final possibilities:

Final 1 - Slough - Guildford: Guildford to win.
Final 2 - Slough - Swindon: Slough to win.
Final 3 - Manchester - Guildford: Heart says Phoenix, head says Guidlford
Final 4 - Manchester - Swindon: Manchester to win.
Final 5 - Swindon - Slough: Slough to win.

So there you have it, the first EPL finals weekend preview on these pages!
Keep an eye on the twitter feed as, battery permitting, I will be tweeting from Coventry. Also keep an eye on all the other hockey blogs for various types of coverage. Plus the Phoenix podcast will be coming, as-live, from the weekend including an EPL fan's forum type set up, which should be interesting!

EPL 2009/10 Season Final Weekend Preview

Yes as promised this is the first weekend preview The Angry Budgie has done all season! Right at the end of the season too! Its a worthwhile weekend to look ahead to though, the Phoenix battling both Guildford and Basingstoke for 3rd place in the league, and a probably playoff quarter final against the Peterborough Phantoms. Currently the placings in the race for third are as follows:

3rd Manchester Phoenix 70 points
4th Guildford Flames 69 points
5th Basingstoke Bison 69 points

So its as tight as a......well very tight thing going into the final weekend!

First off lets look at the Basingstoke Bison, the Bison finished the 2008/09 season, with the Phoenix in the EIHL. For very similar reasons to the Phoenix they chose to move to the EPL, and are lead by an older statesmen of the league in Steve Moria. As I have mentioned on the Phoenix podcast before, Steve Moria is much like our own Tony Hand, you do not leave him alone in and around the net, he will punish you! Personally I like the Bison, they are a team I like to use as a yard stick for the Phoenix progress in a season. Out of the 6 regular season meetings between the two sides the Phoenix enjoy a W4 L2 record against the Bison. Every game being very entertaining affairs! In the Race for Fourth the Bison's remaining two games are away to league winners MK Lightning and then home to the Swindon Wildcats. For differing reasons I can see the Bison securing either a full four point weekend or getting nothing! Against the Lightning, that result could depend on how bothered MKL are. They could either take it easy as they have won the league already, or wish to end their home season on a high, and get a good result before the playoff's start! Their home game against the Wildcats will be no walk in the park either, the Cat's are in the hunt for the final playoff spot and will want the two points as much as the Bison do!

Next, the Guildford Flames, the richest team in the EPL, arguably, and probably the only team who can sign more than the required 4 imports and be able to 'rest' them as required. Having said that they are a very good team, one that the Phoenix have struggled against all season. A regular, for many years in the EPL, and a team that is regularly linked with a step up to the EIHL. Standout players for the Flames this season for me have been Adrian Saul and Lukas Smital, both very skillful players, and both who seem to enjoy scoring against the Phoenix! The Flames have held onto 3rd place for most of the season, but, through a little inconsistency have fallen a place to 4th. Like against the Bison, games against the Flames have always been great adverts for EPL hockey. If I have got my results correct, the 6 game set with the Flames ended up split with both teams winning 3 games each. Guildford's final week is a little more congested than either the Phoenix or Bison, as they have a second leg of the Cup Final against MK Lightning to fit in. The Flames taking a 6-1 lead back to the Thunder Dome in MK. Their final two league games see them face, last year's all conquering Peterborough Phantoms, and then a, supposedly, easy trip away to the Romford Raiders. Lets get the Raiders game done with, that should be an easy two points for the Flames, but you never know! The Phantom's game is a little more interesting. They have become a very difficult team to beat in the final months of the season, plus they could also have a big say in who they want to face in the playoff's! So I may go for a potential upset in this one!

...and finally the Manchester Phoenix. An up and down season for the Phoenix first attempt at EPL hockey! Leading the league for much of the first half of the season, then a very iffy spell over Dec/Jan and Feb as the Phoenix lost Stephen Fone to injury and four young lads to the GB championships. This dropped the Phoenix to 5th in the table, thankfully since the middle of Feb, the Phoenix have lead a revival, playing much better hockey, and in much improved form. Some Phoenix fan's will also say, myself included, that the Phoenix have played more as a team when Ed Courtenay has not been on the ice. The revival has also coincided, it must be said, with a bit more of a favorable run in terms of fixtures. That dark period over Christmas and the New Year, the Phoenix seemed to come up against the Lightning/Flames and Jets every other game! Even so, the Phoenix have re-grouped and have now hit some great form right when it matters. Hauling themselves back up to third and looking good for it! The final league games for the Phoenix are away to Swindon and home to Bracknell. In many cases, that should be an easy 4 point weekend, but its complicated by both the Wildcats and Bee's fighting it out for the last playoff spot. Personally, as we are going for 3rd place I do not see the home game against the Bee's causing an upset. The Phoenix just seem to go up a gear and go out of sight, when ever the Bees threaten. The away game in Swindon, saturday night, could be tricky! The Wildcats have hit some good form and will be no pushovers! Results against the two teams are as follows:

Phoenix against the Wildcats, won 5 of 5.
Phoenix against the Bees, won 5 of 5.

Both games will be tough, even though I have the Phoenix down to win the Bee's game, our last two games against the Bees have been closer 5-4 victories. This final weekend will be so tight, the Phoenix could end up either in 3rd/4th or 5th and play either the Flames/Bison or Phantoms in the quarter final. Personally, I do think the Phoenix have hit form just right, and I don't see the table positioning changing after this weekends games.

So that's it, your weekend preview, I think the Phoenix will get a four point weekend! There should be a good travelling support going down to Swindon to cheer the boys on. And the Dome should be rocking with a great crowd against the Bee's on sunday. With nearly 400 Scouts in attendance, and a fair few friends of mine coming to either their first or second Phoenix games, it should be a busy Ice Dome! Bring it on!!!

Phoenix v Guildford Flames 14th February Game Review

After the great win in Slough saturday night, the Phoenix faced Guildford in the sunday night valentines day fixture at the Ice Dome. Some on the Phoenix forum were calling this the make or break for the Phoenix title chances. To be honest I thought those died a while ago, but to stay in the hunt and get a good playoff position its games like these the Phoenix need to win. It would be a tough game, as Guildford are a quality side, and lets face it, they do have 7 or so imports on the books!

First Period: Off we go, and what an amazing advert for EPL hockey, I know those words have been mentioned on this blog before but it really was. Two top sides in full flowing hockey, it was a thing of beauty to watch! Anyway sadly it was Guildford who lit the lamp first. After 12min 54sec Tom Duggan scoring from Lubomir Hurtaj. Thankfully the Phoenix brought themselves level just about 5 minutes later. Stephen Wallace scoring after 17min 49sec.

Second Period: Well what a difference an interval can make! The Flames began to dominate the game in the second period and the Phoenix started to find scoring opportunities hard to come by! The Flames raced to a 3-1 lead, scoring next at 22min 18sec through Lubomir Hurtaj and then at 24min 16sec through Nathan Rempel. The Phoenix a bit shell shocked called a time out which managed to stem the tide a little. The Phoenix even managing to pull a goal back after 33min 47sec through Ed Courtenay. It should be mentioned that Guildford's third goal came due to the apparent lack of effort from Courtenay, so just as well he made up for it! Sadly the Flames more or less ended the game by scoring the last goal of the period, to make the scores 4-2. Martin Masa scoring after 36min 45sec.

Third Period: With the game effectively gone it was left for the Phoenix to salvage some pride. Sadly their play did not help, in another pretty poor period the Flames buried the Phoenix. Stuart Potts scoring the Flames 5th of the game after 46min 12sec. The game finished with the Flames netting again to make it 6-2 after 52min 36sec.

Verdict: In the end a poor show from the Phoenix, which was a real shame after a great and dominating performance in Slough the previous night. Alot will be made about the lack of effort shown from Ed Courtenay, however that is something we have to live with, as he does often pull out some real class moves! More worryingly for me, and other Phoenix fan's by the sounds of things is Tony Hand's reluctance to give Ben Wood ice time. This is terrible as their is no player on the Phoenix bench who work's his nuts off more. The lad works hard every shift, skates well and finishes every check he makes! Come on Tony, play the lad!!

Attendance: Apparently another Rock Radio promotion for last nights game, mean a delayed face off due to crowds! Rock Radio are a great sponsor to have, as it seems they really work hard for the Phoenix. Ill say a crowd of 1,400 in the Ice Dome.

Phoenix TV Highlights:


Phoenix Weekend Results - Phoenix Official

Phoenix 2 Guildford 6 - MEN Article

Phoenix v Guildford Flames 17th January Game Review

Hoping to build on the OT win against the Phantoms the Phoenix had the home stand of a pair of games against the Flames. Confidence will have been nocked however as the Flames handed the Phoenix a pasting 9-2! The game also saw Payette chucked on a match penalty, meaning the Phoenix would be down an import in this home game! The game also saw the first 'Rock the Rink' promotion with Rock Radio. Face painting, competitions and a live band were set to entertain a good turn out at the Dome!

First Period: With a big crowd in the Phoenix set about the Flames nice and early and after initially being pegged back in their own zone managed to assert more and more pressure. Maybe down to the lack of confidence but the finishing touch was not as sharp as it should be, as a succession of chances came and went for the Phoenix. In a tight period it was Guildford who scored the only goal of the period, coming at the 13min 13sec mark through Gary Clarke.

Second Period: The Phoenix came out and looked flat at the start of the second, the defence disintegrated and Guilford took a commanding lead. They made the scores 2-0 after 21min 56sec through Lukas Smital, it was then 3-0 after 25min 38sec on the powerplay when Martin Masa scored. The Phoenix fightback began and it was Mr Tony Hand who would get the home team on the board at 30min 39sec. The second came after 35min 17sec when Greg Wood got on the scoresheet. The improbable comeback came about a minute later, at 36min 19sec. Ed Courtenay providing the game tying goal. Phoenix hearts were set to explode when Adam Walker put the home team ahead at 37min 10sec. With just 35sec left in the period Jaakko Hagelberg would take, what would prove to be a pivotal penalty. Assessed a match penalty for 'accidental high sticks' he was gone from the game. The Phoenix down to two import players for a tense final period!

Third Period: So the Phoenix were ahead, but with a 5min penalty kill would they stay ahead? Simple answer was no! The same defensive frailties emerged and Guildford would hit right back with 2 goals on that powerplay. The first coming at 41min 31sec through Jez Lundin, and the second at 44min 21sec through Martin Saba. So from being 4-3 up, the Phoenix now found themselves 5-4 down. What came next would break most hearts, the Phoenix on the powerplay lost the puck in the Guildford zone, and Adrian Saul broke up centre ice with Tony Hand in hot pursuit. Saul would fire the puck past Steve Fone. Scores now 6-4 after 46min 44sec. The Flames would restore their 3 goal lead after 49min 48sec through Lukas Smital. This would leave just 10mins for the Phoenix to try and come back, and, just like in the second period, they did! The fightback began on 51min 09sec when James Neil fired a looping shot from the blue line to score. The next goal came at 53min 02sec through Robert Lachowicz, and the game tying goal came at 56min exactly with that man, Ed Courtenay scoring the equalizer!

Overtime: For the third game in a row the Phoenix went to overtime! Four on four the action went from end to end, but no score!

Penalties: The teams were tied one a piece after the initial rotation of 3 shot takers, however it would be the Flames would would take the game, and a four point weekend against the Phoenix!

Verdict: A big crowd in the Ice Dome were treated to a right hum dinger! Back and forth, back and forth, and two 3 goal come backs for the Phoenix! In truth the Phoenix defense still worries me, and on balance the Phoenix were quite poor for long stretches of the game. Confidence is still lacking in the Phoenix camp, however the two comebacks will hopefully have instilled some confidence in the team! As any sports fan will tell you, to loose a game on penalties hurts bad! Yours truly is still recovering!

Attendance: As mentioned a big crowd in the Ice Dome, and, if the Guildford Flames website is to be believed an attendance of 1,473 in!

Phoenix TV Highlights:


Phoenix 7 Guildford 8 (After Overtime) MEN Article

Phoenix v Guilford Flames 12th December Game Review

Phoenix were at home on Saturday night this past weekend, entertaining the Guilford Flames for the first time this season! The fixture gremlins had really thrown up something strange already this season. This being the first visit of the Flames to the Ice Dome, comes after the Phoenix playing all their home games against the MK Lightning!

Going into this game I was not too hopeful, the Phoenix squad had already lost Steve Fone to a shoulder injury. This weekend and next would see the squad loose 4 further players to the GB Under 21 squad away in Hungary. Though this was tempered slightly as the Phoenix had called up four Trafford Metro’s players. These guys would have to get some ice time, or the existing Phoenix squad would be dead on its feet! All this, and a Thursday night heavy defeat away to Peterborough, did not fill me with confidence! All the reports of Guilford heading into this game were off a good and improving team. So almost a perfect storm for the Phoenix!

First Period: Despite all the worries outlined above the Phoenix came out and played hard from the beginning. Some great early chances were created, but a little worryingly, the defence hadn’t quite caught up with the hectic offence. Tony had jiggled with the lines for this came, for obvious reasons! Ben Wood being promoted up to the second line along with Adre Payette! Adam Summerfield was called into action early and, thankfully, showed he was up to the task! The Phoenix were first on the board after 6min 19sec through Jaakko Hagelberg scoring from Tony Hand and Ed Courtenay. Guilford hit back around 5 minutes later, with Martin Masa scoring after 11min 37sec. The Phoenix then scored two goals in two minutes to effectively win the game in the first period. Adam Walker got another goal after 14min 20sec as the top line clicked once again. Then, after 17min 27sec Tony Hand would score. This followed at least two or three scoring attempts by Mr Hand, finally his resolve snapping and rocketing a slapshot from the hash marks past Mark Lee in goal.

Second Period: The most surprising thing about this game, was how poor Guilford were! Im not saying the Phoenix were amazing, but after hearing other comment on the Flames, maybe I was expecting more from them. But, as mentioned above, the game was really won in the first period. The second period carried on as the first had ended, the Phoenix creating chances and Guilford not really doing a lot. Only two goals were scored in the second period, the first at 23min 12sec through Ryan Johnson. His first of the season capped off a great performance from him. In my eyes and of others, the man of the match. He broke down the left wing and ripped a shot past Lee, only to hit the post with a loud ‘ping’. The puck ricocheting off the post, onto the back of Lee and finally resting up in the net. The next, and subsequent final goal of the game fell to Mr Tony Hand! I know two goals in the game! Another unfortunate one for Lee in goal. Tony Hand centred the puck across the face of the goal, only for it to be deflected into the goal by a Flames defenseman. So the natural order of things restored, Tony Hand only ‘assisted’ that goal!!

Third Period: With the scores at 5-1 and the Flames not really turning up, we could have ended the game there and gone home. But the third period was played out and not much happened! As the Flames did not press, the Phoenix just had to contain them and finish off the game, which they duly did.

Verdict: A very strange game, and really because the Flames did not turn up! Which is a shame as a decent crowd from Guilford turned up to support their team. They did try, but even the drummer had really given up by the third period! Even the home support had sort of given up by the third, this lead to a very strange atmosphere at the Dome. Maybe we have been spoilt by some rip-roaring games in the past, but I think most people were shocked by the non-event on the ice! But hey you still have to beat the team in front of you! The Phoenix did that and avoided a potential banana skin!

Attendance: A bit lower than normal due to the Saturday night staging of the game. Ill guess at around 800 in the Ice Dome.

Highlights:


As you may have see in today's post we have a few pictures too! Think of it as an early Christmas present!