Katy’s Elite League Play-off Journal – Week 2, Part 2
Hey, you! Look at me! I’m about to perform the collected works of Sir Elton John on the spoons whilst wearing a neon pink romper suit and platform trainers!
Sadly, many parts of the above statement are lies. But it got your attention, didn’t it. That’s good. As my voice is drowned out and diminishes to little more than a ripple in the pond of the many clamouring voices you will hear throughout this play-off finals weekend, I will do my best to shout loudest so you can still hear me, even if it means standing on somebody’s shoulders or jumping up and down. Or wearing a neon pink romper suit. I WILL grab your attention. And I will strive to, as always, bring you a different perspective (I don’t see the BBC reporters in pink romper suits. Beige, maybe). And I hope it will be worth the precious time it takes for your eyes to peruse my many lines of wisdom. So, hear me now! This is one hockey nomad’s neutral view of how the play-off semi-finals might come to pass. And how many Hockey Nomad Neutrals do you know. There, I told you I’d be different.
Semi-final 1 – Belfast Giants v Cardiff Devils
Yes, okay, Belfast are very good. We all get it.
Awards and plaudits have been piling up at the Northern Irish side’s doorstep in recent weeks like Valentine gifts in Justin Bieber’s dressing room, and the collective media, myself included, have run dry of superlatives to describe what has been a truly dominant force in UK hockey this season. Although the Steelers ran them fairly close for the title, it was never in doubt and an astonishing (don’t think I’ve used that one yet) away record was one of the many factors that assured the Giants their title.
So they’ve got play-offs in the bag, right? If their 14-0 demolition of the Dundee Stars is anything to go by, they must have. But wait. Not so fast. Doug Christiansen’s side have lost only five games all season in regulation time; but two of those have been to Cardiff. They haven’t always been able to find their way around a notoriously stubborn Devils side who play a determined, physical, attacking style of hockey and don’t fold under any circumstances, even when short-benched and missing key imports as they have been for much of this season.
In front of a loud and proud red army Cardiff will hope to approach the game in the same manner as they did in the corresponding tie last year: like a bulldog with a bone. They will bite down and not let go, and hope that they can contain the Giants’ intimidating attacking force and use their own to penetrate the impenetrable – the Giants defence, and the unerring instrument of their supremacy, Stephen Murphy. That will be the sternest challenge for the Welsh side, but they will look to key forward men Stu Macrae, Phil Hill and Jeff Pierce to use a little of the speed and invention that took them to fourth in the league and the final four weekend. The fitness of defenceman Chris Frank will be vital as they try to match the Giants physically, the American a massive part of the Devils’ hard-edged style.
It’s by no means an impossible task for the Devils and I fancy that the Giants will find it tough, tougher at least than what they have been used to in their recent encounters, as they took care of business, sauntering off with the league trophy at the expense of their hapless competition without so much as breaking a sweat. No biggie.
I envision a low scoring and cagey affair, punctuated with some physical encounters and the merest hint of a goal or two to divide the teams. Prediction: A Giants win, 2-1.
Semi-final 2 – Nottingham Panthers v Hull Stingrays
On paper, things don’t look good for Hull.
They haven’t beaten the Panthers on a single occasion this season, and only twice have they managed to lose by just a one goal margin. But this isn’t the same Hull who slogged their way through the regular season, and as such, you might just as well throw the head-to-head statistics into a waste paper basket and set fire to them than try to analyse them. It’s play-offs. It’s like the FA Cup – anything can happen. And as Hull have proven, it sometimes does. Was their win over Sheffield fluke? Did it come about merely as a result of Sheffield’s failings? Or did they earn it fair and square, by playing the better hockey across the 120 minutes? And even if the latter is the case, will that same Stingrays side show up when facing once of the strongest home sides in the league?
Nottingham are ordinarily more susceptible to the whims of fortune than the other ‘big’ clubs – could Hull’s new-found vim and vigour along with the confidence drawn from beating the league runners-up be enough to overturn the Panthers? It’s possible, however it cannot be forgotten, the National Ice Centre is the Panthers’ lair and they will be looking to make the most of what they will of course see as a home ice advantage. This could potentially undermine Hull’s confidence and coming into the game as underdogs, the threat of a Panthers’ side in their comfort zone could prove unsettling.
On the other hand, Hull have absolutely nothing to lose. Their fans will be in fine voice, and every single person associated with the club will be enjoying what is their first appearance in an Elite League play-off finals weekend. The team will be buoyant and hopefully boisterous, possibly even rambunctious. If they can bring these and other adjectives into play against Nottingham they stand a chance of exacting some revenge, as long as they can keep their defences tight and have netminder Christian Boucher play a similar blinder to the one that he pulled out of the bag against Sheffield.
Nottingham have one of the most formidable attacking forces in the league with a host of striking options, the heavy artillery of Jordan Fox and Matt Francis complemented by the style and grace of David-Alexandre Beauregard and Sami Ryhanen. They need to focus on the job at hand and if Corey Neilson can keep a tight ship against Hull, I foresee them going on to challenge Belfast for their second piece of silverware of the 2011/12 campaign. Prediction – 3-1 Panthers.
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I’m off folks. Tomorrow morning I wend my merry way southwards to the district of Nottinghamshire armed only with my trusty pen and paper, ready to bring you news of all the weekend’s drama. (Well, I may also have a laptop, camera, and that pink romper suit). Stay tuned here for match reports, idle gossip and beards, and check me out on Twitter (@ktdude) for real time updates, hashtag #POFW. Yes, yes, I know – I’m achingly hip. See you on the flip side!
