As I write this im still exhausted from
a roller coaster weekend in Coventry! The weekend truly had it all, the
high's and low's, great times and not so great times. For me the weekend
has been one of the best finals weekends ive had in hockey. Great games
to watch, great banter and great friends to share the experiences with.
So, without much further delay, here's my spiel and guff covering the four
days of finals weekend!
Friday
Myself, my better half and parents arrived
in a sunny Coventry just after 3pm and quickly settled into our hotel.
After grabbing some food a quick run round Coventry's finest (cough cough)
shopping establishments we descended on the Old Windmill pub which, for
the weekend, would become the Phoenix pub! It was great catching up with
fellow Phoenix fan's and discussing how we thought saturday would pan out,
and chatting with rival fans trying to decided who they would support.
That night in the Windmill truly shows why hockey is a sport unique in
this country.
Saturday
After filling up on the hotel's all
you can eat breakfast it was a short walk down to the Windmill for the
first Phoenix Podcast live show. Taking over the front room Ben, ably assisted
by producer Alex took to the helm for the show. Broadcasting across the
world to over 250 people apparently, the show was well put together and
good fun to be on. Myself, My Russell (off of Banners on the Wall), Tambo
and others chatted through nearly 2hrs of show discussing the EPL and the
showpiece finals weekend. With the show finally done and dusted it was
time for everyone to decamp to the SkyDome for semi final number one.
Flames v Jets
In my finals pre-view blog last week
I picked the Flames to win this.
With the SkyDome packed to the rafters
EPL finals weekend got off to a noisy bang. During the first 30seconds
an incident happened that would, ultimately, affect the Flames and their
chances in this semi-final. With a Slough attack Mark Lee made a save from
the advancing Jets attacker. As the attacker skated across Lee, Lee seemed
to twist and fall down injured. A long period of treatment followed, but
it was clear Lee could take no further part in the game. He was stretcher
off and Hadfield was in the play the game. Quite an introduction for the
backup netminder! This change didn't seem to hurt the Flames as they settled
into their game and finished the first period 2-0 up.
From the second period onwards the Flames
sat back and invited the Jets to come into the game, this would be their
undoing. As the Jets confidence grew so did their goal threat. It felt
like the Flames switched off and the Jets got right back into the game
and took the lead and never looked back. i remember thinking, if I were
a Flames fan, I would be so disappointed at how my team lost that game.
Well on top but then completely switching off, obviously losing Lee so
early didn't help, the Flames are good enough to cope! So, Slough through
to the final, who would join them?
Phoenix v Steeldogs
With nerves rising through the first
semi-final it was time for the Phoenix to take on the Steeldogs. In my
preview blog I couldn't call this as games between us have been tight feisty
affairs. The game lived up to the hype and was a fantastic barn burner
and a great one for the neutral. The Phoenix opened up the first period
with a lot of physicality which surprised the Steeldogs. For the first
and second period the Phoenix were on top and, at one point, were 5-2 up.
The end of the second period saw the flashpoint which unleashed the pent
up frustration in the game. A slash by Cingel on Morgan started the bench
clearance with numerous scuffles. Payette was trying to start on everyone,
Ciran Long bit and took on the big making taking him to the ice, much to
the pleasure of most in the stands.
Sadly after the scuffle and going into
the third period the lead didn't last and in the final period the Steeldogs
score twice in 30seconds to tie the game and force overtime. The extra
session couldn't produce a winner with both Fone and Bowns pulling off superb
saves to keep their teams in the game. This semi final would be decided
by a penalty shootout and, this is where Payette's ego lost the tie for
me. The Phoenix went with Faith, Koulikov and Long the Dogs, Ozolins, G
Wood and Payette. For me, G Wood and Payette are not good enough for penalty
shots, Ozolins is a no brainer but, I think, G Wood and Payette's selection
smacks of 'I want to score the winner against my old club'. Ozolins scored
for Sheffield, Faith for Phoenix and, predictably G Wood and Payette failed
to convert. Sudden death penalty shots followed and Bebris missed for Sheffield
and Wallace, attacking the goal in front of the 520 strong Phoenix faithful
roofed the puck to send the fans into jubilation and the Phoenix into their
first final in their history.
Saturday night was party night! After
grabbing some food the Phoenix fans descended on the Windmill and packed
it full. Much drinking, banter and singing was had until the wee small
hours where those fans headed for bed in anticipation for the big day that
lay ahead.
Sunday
Finals day! A day the Phoenix faithful
had not experienced before! The big game was at 4pm and was preceded by
the under 18's final between the Guildford Phoenix and Sheffield Steelhawks.
Unfortunately I missed most of this game, getting into the SkyDome for
the start of the third period. From what I saw Sheffield were the better
team, they seemed better drilled and just had the extra skill. They won
the cup but I cant remember the score! There wasn't much time before the
final so most stayed in the SkyDome to drink in the pre game buildup!
Phoenix v Jets
The final, the biggest game of the season
for the Phoenix and a chance to end the season with some silverware. The
game got underway and, even from a Phoenix fan perspective, the Phoenix
were struggling. I imagine it was a cocktail of nerves and the semi final
against Sheffield, but the Phoenix looked off the pace and things were
just not clicking straight away. Passes were off and we just couldn't set
up in the Slough zone. The Jets, looking more refreshed and used to the
situation, were quickly 2-0 up. Credit to the Phoenix the end of the first
period saw the score at 2-1 Slough.
As the game continued the Jets continued
to have the upper hand, through the second into the third period it was
obvious the Phoenix tank was dry. We couldn't match Slough at all. As the
clock wound down to the Jets eventual win the Phoenix faithful made one
last push to salute their club and the fans sung their hearts out. The
final buzzer went and the dream was over, it would be runners up medals
this time! One final salute between the players and fans followed as the
curtain fell on the 2011/12 EPL season. Disappointed but proud the Phoenix
faithful left the stands to contemplate the off season.
A group of around 50 Phoenix fans waited
outside the SkyDome to give each and every Phoenix player a heartfelt send
off, it was only what was deserved. Having given their all during the season
and for it to come up short this time, they deserved our thanks. Each one
was sang onto the bus and many a tear was shed. After grabbing some food
there was time for one more question, To the Windmill?
For one last time a group of us took
up a table in the Windmill to reflect on the weekend and the season and,
with pride, salute our team for one last time.
Monday
All that was left to do was have one
last breakfast and pack up to head north on the M6 back to Cheshire and
turn our attention to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Hockey in the UK was done
and dusted, but the 2011/12 hockey season still has a few twists and turns
left. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed the Coventry weekend as much as I
did, it was one of the best yet!
Here's to a quick summer and the 2012/13
season!
Showing posts with label Playoff Finals Weekend. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Playoff Finals Weekend. Show all posts
Tuesday, 17 April 2012
Tuesday, 31 March 2009
Playoff Finals Weekend Preview
8 has now become 4, and the season is reaching its climax! I think I did pretty well with my predictions for the quarters! 3 out of the 4 correct with my heart ruling my head on the Phoenix v Panthers result!
So the league champions Sheffield made it through relatively unscathed against the Capitals. This tie was more or less dead and buried at Ice Sheffield Friday night when the Steelers ran out 8-2 winners. An already tough situation was made worse for the Caps in their return game in Edinburgh. However the Caps were not to be outdone on home ice and won their last game of the season by the score of 5-4.
Now onto my beloved Phoenix, the army travelled over to Nottingham Saturday night with some Steeler/Bison and Hull fans in attendance too! My thoughts on this game were, keep it close and we have a chance! Well for two period we did! Going into the third and the scores were level at 3-3. However the Phoenix March Madness™ took its toll and the team ran out of steam. At the end of the first leg the Panthers were in front 6-3. So a difficult second leg was made worse, but all the Phoenix needed to do was to win each period by a clear goal to go to OT. At the end of the first it was going to plan and the Phoenix lead 1-0. The second was to be our downfall, a lucky bounce for the Panthers left Murphy stranded out his net with the puck on a Panthers stick in front of an empty net. A second goal squeeze through Murphy’s pads more or less sealed the tie. The Phoenix looked downhearted and exhausted. But the boys kept fighting and won the final period 1-0. Loosing the game on the night 3-2 and tie 9-5 overall. I think the relevant statistic for the end to our season is this – For the month of March 15 games in 27 nights!!!!
Next up was Coventry versus Newcastle, if you remember from my quarterfinal preview post I said this one was possibly the easiest to predict. But how I was wrong, this tie goes to show nothing is easy and league placement counts for nowt come playoff time! The Vipers travelled to Coventry Saturday night and scared the bejeebuz out of the Blaze to get a 2-2 tie. So off to Newcastle with everything to play for! It looked to be going the way of the Vipers in the second leg, then with 2min 20sec left on the clock Sylvian Deschatelets scored the go ahead goal for the Blaze and Barrie Moore scored the empty netter. I fancied the Vipers to get a result after the first leg, but the Blaze obviously dug deep and ground out the win.
Finally was Belfast versus Cardiff, this was probably the tie where one of the top 4 was going to come into trouble. It looked almost a done deal after the first when the Devils skated out of Belfast with a 2-1 lead. This was to prove vital as an epic game in the big blue tent. The Giants managed to fight back and tie the game. Then with 59sec left on the clock the numpty that is Bobby Robins took a penalty. Powerplay to the Devils going in to OT, and who else but Brad Voth scored the winner for Cardiff at 60min 33sec to send the Devils to Nottingham!
So for yours truly another weekend of heartbreak, another great game at the Dome with a big crowd. A big shout out to the travelling Panthers support, probably the biggest away crowd this season. This will now leave me to enjoy the finals weekend, and not having to worry about my teams chances in the final. I always think its nice to enjoy the weekend with no worries about my team. But this season more than any, it’s a case of what could have been! But never mind, onto my semi final predictions and maybe a couple of final predictions too!
Sheffield Steelers vs Cardiff Devils
The Steelers have obviously switched back on for the playoffs, after a potentially tricky tie against the Capitals was pretty much over after the first leg, the Steelers will want to carry on that devastating form into finals weekend. With a large support behind them in the NIC they will fancy a spot in the final. Standing in their way will be the Devils, who came through a great tie against the Giants. The Devils have to fancy their chances, they are playing well and will ‘probably’ have the support of most of the arena against the Seelers. Ill be throwing my support behind them if I can be bothered. If they promise to silence that stupid drummer ill be behind them 100%!
Who will win: My feelings on this are much the same as mine on the Phoenix chances against the Panthers. I want the Devils to win, on behalf of the ‘Little Six’™ and to show the ‘Big four’™ they cant have it all their own way. However with my head switched on, I can see the Steelers winning this. They have shown a ruthless efficiency in winning games this year and have such strength in depth. After missing out last year they will want to win this one! So ill go for a Steeler win in this one.
Nottingham Panthers vs Coventry Blaze
This game will depend on two things, will either team turn up? Its an evenly matched tie, either team can win it. I do worry about the Blaze, they are no longer the dominating force they once were. Plus they were very disappointing in the finals last year. The Panthers can beat any team with ease, however if you knock them early they can wobble and are easily beaten.
Who will win: To stick two fingers up at Elite Towers I hope the Panthers don’t make it to the final. But the Panthers are on home ice, with a huge support, there will be an air of expectation. I fancy this game going the distance and maybe all the way to penalty shots. As to who will win, well that’s a toughie! If the Blaze hit top form they will beat the Panthers, but im pluming for a Panther win on home ice. Sorry Paul, but you’ll have my support of the Blaze in this one!
Final Possibilities:
I think ive listed all possible final permutations, if ive missed one out let me know!
Sheffield versus Nottingham
This is the final Elite towers will be dreaming about! The self-proclaimed ‘biggest rivalry in Europe’. What a load of dogs danglies in my opinion, this final has equal opportunity to go two ways. Live up to the hype and be an awesome final of intense end-to-end action or, turn into a bore fest. With 8 sets of fans quickly loosing interest and starting their own chants and Mexican waves! As for who will win, either team can, however im going for a Steeler win, even though I don’t want them too! Every thing about this Steeler team points to one that is unstoppable at the moment! The famous quote applies more than ever to the team from Sheffield: ‘Offence wins games, defence wins championships’. I think in a final the Steelers will be too strong for the Panthers, however the Panthers will have my support, and could win on home ice!
Sheffield versus Coventry Blaze
Much like their semi-final this game will depend on which Blaze team turn up! They still have quality players who can win games on their own. But they will be coming up against a team with such strength in depth! My support would be with the Blaze but again my head says the Steelers would win through.
Nottingham versus Cardiff
An interesting game to call, the Devils so far have flattered to deceive at finals weekend, having always been the bridesmaids. Will this year be the time they take the cup? I think they have a chance, the type of game the Devils play will needle the Panthers and if they run into penalty trouble the Devils will win it. Plus the Devils will have the large Steeler support behind them and much of the rest of the arena. Im going to stick my head out and go for a Cardiff win in this one!
Coventry versus Sheffield
A clash of two of the most skilful teams in the league, the once dominant Blaze against the currently dominating Steeler machine. The Blaze are another team, like the Devils, who never seem to click on finals weekend. If they do they can match the Steelers and take the game, but anything less than 100% will cost the Blaze the cup! As for a winner, ill go for the Steelers…..just!
Coventry versus Cardiff
This is a final id like to see, and, probably, most of the ‘Little Six’™. If this were to happen I predict a massive coronary at Elite Towers! I really think this could give us the most entertaining final of all the possibilities. The Blaze bring the free flowing skill and the Devils bring the gritty determined work effort. I wouldn’t mind either team winning, as each has had many attempts at it! However as for a winner, ill go for the Blaze!
Phew, sorry for the long post, if you’ve made it this far thanks for reading! I hope you liked it! As mentioned, if you cant make it to Nottingham, keep an eye on the blogs to the right as there will be many that are updating through the weekend. Sadly due to technology issues (ie. I don’t have a laptop) The Angry Budgie will not get updated until next week. However I do plan a fairly in dept review of the weekend, including pics and videos.
I don’t plan on posting again before the weekend (though you never know!) so ill sign off for now! Im off to Nottingham Friday morning, then returning next Monday morning. So for those fans attending the weekends fun and frolics have fun and wave at the Phoenix block. You never know I may wave back! For those who cant make it, keep an eye on the blogs, and remember, support your local team!!
So the league champions Sheffield made it through relatively unscathed against the Capitals. This tie was more or less dead and buried at Ice Sheffield Friday night when the Steelers ran out 8-2 winners. An already tough situation was made worse for the Caps in their return game in Edinburgh. However the Caps were not to be outdone on home ice and won their last game of the season by the score of 5-4.
Now onto my beloved Phoenix, the army travelled over to Nottingham Saturday night with some Steeler/Bison and Hull fans in attendance too! My thoughts on this game were, keep it close and we have a chance! Well for two period we did! Going into the third and the scores were level at 3-3. However the Phoenix March Madness™ took its toll and the team ran out of steam. At the end of the first leg the Panthers were in front 6-3. So a difficult second leg was made worse, but all the Phoenix needed to do was to win each period by a clear goal to go to OT. At the end of the first it was going to plan and the Phoenix lead 1-0. The second was to be our downfall, a lucky bounce for the Panthers left Murphy stranded out his net with the puck on a Panthers stick in front of an empty net. A second goal squeeze through Murphy’s pads more or less sealed the tie. The Phoenix looked downhearted and exhausted. But the boys kept fighting and won the final period 1-0. Loosing the game on the night 3-2 and tie 9-5 overall. I think the relevant statistic for the end to our season is this – For the month of March 15 games in 27 nights!!!!
Next up was Coventry versus Newcastle, if you remember from my quarterfinal preview post I said this one was possibly the easiest to predict. But how I was wrong, this tie goes to show nothing is easy and league placement counts for nowt come playoff time! The Vipers travelled to Coventry Saturday night and scared the bejeebuz out of the Blaze to get a 2-2 tie. So off to Newcastle with everything to play for! It looked to be going the way of the Vipers in the second leg, then with 2min 20sec left on the clock Sylvian Deschatelets scored the go ahead goal for the Blaze and Barrie Moore scored the empty netter. I fancied the Vipers to get a result after the first leg, but the Blaze obviously dug deep and ground out the win.
Finally was Belfast versus Cardiff, this was probably the tie where one of the top 4 was going to come into trouble. It looked almost a done deal after the first when the Devils skated out of Belfast with a 2-1 lead. This was to prove vital as an epic game in the big blue tent. The Giants managed to fight back and tie the game. Then with 59sec left on the clock the numpty that is Bobby Robins took a penalty. Powerplay to the Devils going in to OT, and who else but Brad Voth scored the winner for Cardiff at 60min 33sec to send the Devils to Nottingham!
So for yours truly another weekend of heartbreak, another great game at the Dome with a big crowd. A big shout out to the travelling Panthers support, probably the biggest away crowd this season. This will now leave me to enjoy the finals weekend, and not having to worry about my teams chances in the final. I always think its nice to enjoy the weekend with no worries about my team. But this season more than any, it’s a case of what could have been! But never mind, onto my semi final predictions and maybe a couple of final predictions too!
Sheffield Steelers vs Cardiff Devils
The Steelers have obviously switched back on for the playoffs, after a potentially tricky tie against the Capitals was pretty much over after the first leg, the Steelers will want to carry on that devastating form into finals weekend. With a large support behind them in the NIC they will fancy a spot in the final. Standing in their way will be the Devils, who came through a great tie against the Giants. The Devils have to fancy their chances, they are playing well and will ‘probably’ have the support of most of the arena against the Seelers. Ill be throwing my support behind them if I can be bothered. If they promise to silence that stupid drummer ill be behind them 100%!
Who will win: My feelings on this are much the same as mine on the Phoenix chances against the Panthers. I want the Devils to win, on behalf of the ‘Little Six’™ and to show the ‘Big four’™ they cant have it all their own way. However with my head switched on, I can see the Steelers winning this. They have shown a ruthless efficiency in winning games this year and have such strength in depth. After missing out last year they will want to win this one! So ill go for a Steeler win in this one.
Nottingham Panthers vs Coventry Blaze
This game will depend on two things, will either team turn up? Its an evenly matched tie, either team can win it. I do worry about the Blaze, they are no longer the dominating force they once were. Plus they were very disappointing in the finals last year. The Panthers can beat any team with ease, however if you knock them early they can wobble and are easily beaten.
Who will win: To stick two fingers up at Elite Towers I hope the Panthers don’t make it to the final. But the Panthers are on home ice, with a huge support, there will be an air of expectation. I fancy this game going the distance and maybe all the way to penalty shots. As to who will win, well that’s a toughie! If the Blaze hit top form they will beat the Panthers, but im pluming for a Panther win on home ice. Sorry Paul, but you’ll have my support of the Blaze in this one!
Final Possibilities:
I think ive listed all possible final permutations, if ive missed one out let me know!
Sheffield versus Nottingham
This is the final Elite towers will be dreaming about! The self-proclaimed ‘biggest rivalry in Europe’. What a load of dogs danglies in my opinion, this final has equal opportunity to go two ways. Live up to the hype and be an awesome final of intense end-to-end action or, turn into a bore fest. With 8 sets of fans quickly loosing interest and starting their own chants and Mexican waves! As for who will win, either team can, however im going for a Steeler win, even though I don’t want them too! Every thing about this Steeler team points to one that is unstoppable at the moment! The famous quote applies more than ever to the team from Sheffield: ‘Offence wins games, defence wins championships’. I think in a final the Steelers will be too strong for the Panthers, however the Panthers will have my support, and could win on home ice!
Sheffield versus Coventry Blaze
Much like their semi-final this game will depend on which Blaze team turn up! They still have quality players who can win games on their own. But they will be coming up against a team with such strength in depth! My support would be with the Blaze but again my head says the Steelers would win through.
Nottingham versus Cardiff
An interesting game to call, the Devils so far have flattered to deceive at finals weekend, having always been the bridesmaids. Will this year be the time they take the cup? I think they have a chance, the type of game the Devils play will needle the Panthers and if they run into penalty trouble the Devils will win it. Plus the Devils will have the large Steeler support behind them and much of the rest of the arena. Im going to stick my head out and go for a Cardiff win in this one!
Coventry versus Sheffield
A clash of two of the most skilful teams in the league, the once dominant Blaze against the currently dominating Steeler machine. The Blaze are another team, like the Devils, who never seem to click on finals weekend. If they do they can match the Steelers and take the game, but anything less than 100% will cost the Blaze the cup! As for a winner, ill go for the Steelers…..just!
Coventry versus Cardiff
This is a final id like to see, and, probably, most of the ‘Little Six’™. If this were to happen I predict a massive coronary at Elite Towers! I really think this could give us the most entertaining final of all the possibilities. The Blaze bring the free flowing skill and the Devils bring the gritty determined work effort. I wouldn’t mind either team winning, as each has had many attempts at it! However as for a winner, ill go for the Blaze!
Phew, sorry for the long post, if you’ve made it this far thanks for reading! I hope you liked it! As mentioned, if you cant make it to Nottingham, keep an eye on the blogs to the right as there will be many that are updating through the weekend. Sadly due to technology issues (ie. I don’t have a laptop) The Angry Budgie will not get updated until next week. However I do plan a fairly in dept review of the weekend, including pics and videos.
I don’t plan on posting again before the weekend (though you never know!) so ill sign off for now! Im off to Nottingham Friday morning, then returning next Monday morning. So for those fans attending the weekends fun and frolics have fun and wave at the Phoenix block. You never know I may wave back! For those who cant make it, keep an eye on the blogs, and remember, support your local team!!
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