22 points in 20 games - not too shabby, Sami

I think all would agree that Sami Ryhanen has been a solid signing for the Nottingham Panthers.

22 points in 20 games isn’t too shabby for a guy who was written off by some before he ever arrived.

(For the record, here was our opinion at the time).

He’s no spring chicken, but the 31-year-old is still looking to the future. And he’d like to be in Nottingham next season too.

“I would like to come back,” said Ryhanen.

“I’ve been enjoying my time here. It’s just my two kids are back home and I miss them and that’s been hard, but we’ll see what happens.

“Last year was a little bit of the same, but it wasn’t for this long. I haven’t seen them for three months now.

“It’s always hard to be apart from them.”

So providing he can find a baby-sitter, Ryhanen wants to be a Panther next season.

Let’s have a look at his numbers.

It’s obvious to all concerned that Sami is a set-up man – his two goals in 20 games underline that point – and the role he’s played in that regard has been exactly what management would have expected when he signed.

Instead, it’s in the assist column that Sami makes his money, and his return of twenty helpers in twenty games has been up there with the best. His point-per-game pace puts him ahead of the likes of Matt Francis, Matthew Myers and Brandon Benedict to name a few.

But we know how deceiving that assists column can be. The finger is often pointed at certain players in particular who chase after officials to enhance their helper-ego.

That isn’t the case with Sami. Of his twenty assists, ten have been primary, while ten have been secondary.  Not bad at all.

Enough stats, now some observations.

Ryhanen seems to be one of those players that makes people around him happier, and better.

(Plus his English is better than most Nottingham natives).

Matt Francis has been incredibly impressive all season but – while the numbers haven’t been properly crunched – there’s been a noticeable increase in his output since he was introduced to Rob Lachowicz and Ryhanen on what you’d be reluctant to call the Panthers’ third line.

When you do an image search for Sami Ryhanen, this photo comes up now - I did that.

Ryhanen also makes the second powerplay unit more effective, because he’s a pure set-up man who can pick a pass. Yes he needs to shoot the puck more, but he’s come from a system where since a young age, he’s had it drilled into him that he’s not a scorer. It’s a tough habit to get out of, but he’s slowly getting there.

And Sami isn’t some out-of-the-catalogue light-weight Euro either. Sure he’s not the biggest, but he’s not afraid to throw a check, get involved in a little chirping, or rough things up when needed (he’s particularly fond of a little face-wash). And he does that without taking penalties –only eight minutes in total so far.

Interesting too, that when Sean McAslan came over for his brief stay – and Nottingham promptly lost to Cardiff and Braehead – Sami Ryhanen wasn’t on the ice. The Panthers beat the same teams the next night on both occasions with the Finn in the line-up.

We’re not saying he was the game-changer (he only one assist in the two games), but it supports the view that the team has a better balance with him in it.

Not only has he got skill, he’s got balls too. The final shot of the shootout against Belfast comes to mind when – to everyone’s surprise – Ryhanen stepped up and attempted to fake out Murphy by stuffing the puck in short side. It didn’t happen (and Matt Francis should have been the one to take it) but how about Sami for wanting to make an impact?

Next season is a long way off, and there’s plenty that’s yet to be decided. But Sami Ryhanen has plenty of desirable qualities. He’s experienced, he knows the game in this country now, and he knows the club. Depending on the price, he’s a great fit for the second/third line who – with the right line-mates – can go point-per-game for the whole season.

The only thing that might mess things up? Those meddling kids;

“They haven’t been to England before”, said Ryhanen.

“They’re six and three so getting on the plane is the big thing for them.

“My son plays hockey and he could play all day and night so when I do get home, I’m sure he’ll keep me busy.”

Make sure your son keeps you in shape over the summer Sami. Nottingham could be needing you again come September.

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Sean McAslan's Nottingham return has sparked debate amongst Panthers fans

As it stands the Panthers are seven points off the league lead, with the Sheffield Steelers lurking just two points behind but with a remarkable six games in hand. Winning the title from this point looks to be a pretty big ask.

For many fans the 3-2 defeat in Braehead was the final nail in the coffin. Cue venting of frustrations across the board, with the now-standard calls for sackings, from the general manager and coach down to the towel boy.

The prospect of the Belfast game alone is enough to spark discussion. That isn’t what’s sparked this one. Instead, it’s a very enjoyable exchange with @JamesPhilly17 on Twitter and a couple of threads on The Cage Forum.

There’s a lot to discuss, but over the next two days, we’ll try to get through it.

The McAslan ‘distraction’                                                              

Let’s start with the return of former Panthers star Sean McAslan.

Mac has been brought back (couldn’t resist) as Nottingham’s 11^th import. He’ll compete with the other imports for a place on the team, creates competition in the squad and crucially, provides cover for any injuries.

That’s where things start to get a little complicated.

When McAslan signed, the club made it clear that he’d have to pop back to Canada a couple of times to sort out issues at home. The exact timetable for this isn’t clear, but I understand he won’t miss much playing time and will be available for the final stretch of the season and the playoffs.

It’s a matter of player availability. World-beaters aren’t sitting on a supermarket shelf waiting to be thrown into a trolley. They have to be available, and willing to come.

That’s fine, so long as everyone stays healthy.

Right now, Jeff Heerema isn’t healthy, so Nottingham could be faced with the situation of playing an import down with the season on the line already.

We’ll address a couple of issues here.

In response to the statement, “why are we paying him when he’s not even going to be here the whole time, AND we have to pay for his flights”, do you really think the club would be stupid enough to do that? McAslan will be paid for the time he’s in Nottingham, with the money saved being used to pay for his flights.

Simple.

Now the bigger issue – if Nottingham are serious about winning the league, why are they getting a former-player out of retirement when they could throw big money at a top quality star?

It’s a matter of player availability. World-beaters aren’t sitting on a supermarket shelf waiting to be thrown into a trolley. They have to be available, and willing to come.

Around the same time as McAslan’s arrival, Sheffield have brought in Nick Duff. It’s early days, but he doesn’t look like a world-beater on paper. Elsewhere, Paul Deniset has rejoined Belfast – “well he’s available, why couldn’t we sign THAT guy?!”.

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This is not Sean McAslan. Or Rick Strachan.

Well, Nottingham couldn’t sign that guy because he’s Paul Deniset, and Paul Deniset has played in Belfast before. He obviously liked it there too, else he wouldn’t have agreed to go back.

Swap the word ‘Belfast’ for ‘Nottingham’, and the name ‘Paul Deniset’ for ‘Sean McAslan’, and you understand why Mac is back.

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It’s partly availability, it’s partly because there’s an established relationship between club and player.

Don’t think for one moment that Nottingham aren’t trying to strengthen the team, but it’s about finding the right player, and the right player that’s available.

(It’s also about the right price, but more of that tomorrow).

Look the other way

So why ‘the McAslan distraction’? It’s inspiration taken from a thread on the Cage, claiming that McAslan’s signing is just another move made by Panthers’ management to distract from the real problems at the club.

Interesting idea. Or at least it would be, if the example of hiring Rick Strachan as bench coach hadn’t immediately been offered up as evidence. Cast your mind back to last season: Nottingham were struggling, Strachan was hired, Nottingham improved and went on to win two trophies.

a distraction isn’t a distraction unless it’s diverting attention from something, and it seems pretty clear that these mid-season moves aren’t causing supporters to miss the so-called ‘real’ issues at the club.

That isn’t a distraction. That’s admitting there’s a problem, doing something about it, and getting results.

Sean McAslan has only played four games so far, in which he’s scored two points. He hasn’t set the league alight, but he hasn’t done badly for a man who’s been retired for 18 months. Yes there was a lot of hype and excitement about his return – there’s bound to be, he’s a former captain and fan favourite – but should that mean the club doesn’t sign him, even if he’s the best option available? Of course not.

Something else here; by definition, a distraction isn’t a distraction unless it’s diverting attention from something, and it seems pretty clear that these mid-season moves aren’t causing supporters to miss the so-called ‘real’ issues at the club.

So stop looking for a distraction when there isn’t one. Unless of course the fact there isn’t a distraction is the distraction, there to distract you from the real issue?

Now my head hurts. Thanks.

That’s it for part one – tomorrow, we’ll look at why Nottingham don’t break the bank to win the league, and discuss the issue of winning mentality: “would this current Nottingham Panthers team win the league if they were wearing Steelers jerseys?”. 

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Neilson played in the 4-2 home defeat to the Devils, but with Nottingham carrying an extra import in the form of Sean McAslan, decided to sit himself the next night in Wales.

Neilson is 20th in Elite League scoring with 39 points.

Before Sunday, Neilson hadn’t missed a game in six seasons as a player and four as coach. He admitted watching from the bench was a surprisingly good experience.

“It was a lot of fun, especially with the way our team played,” Neilson said. “They played like warriors, they worked so hard, and this team already traditionally competes pretty well. All season long they’ve done a good job but last game against Cardiff they really stepped it up.

“And they beat a very good Cardiff team in Cardiff, so I was thrilled.”

This cost of Neilson sitting was that Nottingham were left with just four recognised defencemen, plus Marc Levers filling in. That’s part of the reason the coach will be back on the blue line for the Challenge Cup meeting with Braehead. It’s also partly because the boss feels he earned it.

“To go with four defencemen over a weekend is very tough,” Neilson said. “But I’ve done a pretty decent job all year so I deserve my chance to get back in the line-up as well, and that will be the case the whole time, we’ll be rotating guys around.

“If a guy has a bad game we’re not going to bury him for the rest of year because that’s just not fair. We’ll always re-look and re-vamp and see what we need for the next game. Definitely I want to work my way back and do a job for us this weekend and help us win. With five ‘D’ I think we’re a little bit stronger so we’ll go through it that way.”

I’ve done a pretty decent job all year so I deserve my chance to get back in the line-up as well.

The sensible decision to bring Neilson back in will likely mean forward Sami Ryhanen missing out in Glasgow (the Finnish forward was the one to make way for Sean McAslan’s return against the Devils). Neilson insists that isn’t a foregone conclusion, and says the decision to bench himself shows the rest of the squad that no one’s ice time is safe.

“We discussed before the Saturday game (against Cardiff) how we were going to roll the 11th import – it could be injuries, it could be a whole bunch of stuff,” Neilson said. “But part of it was going to be accountability in terms of who is playing the best, the best ten will play.

“I felt I didn’t do a good enough job on Saturday, therefore I didn’t play (on Sunday). It’s a precedent that’s going to be set early: it doesn’t matter who you are, if you’re not doing your job to the best of your ability then you’re not going to play.”

No fear of first leg league complication

Nottingham already own a piece of Elite League history by being the first team to win the Challenge Cup in consecutive seasons. Before they can make it three triumphs in three years, they’ll have to get through a dangerous Braehead Clan team.

Drew Bannister’s outfit beat Nottingham 6-3 just ten days ago in Glasgow. The Clan jumped out to a 5-0 lead before the Panthers could respond, in an effort that included four power play goals.

Neilson has led Nottingham to back-to-back Challenge Cup titles

“They’ve got a good side,” Neilson said. “We’ve been working on our penalty kill a little bit this week so that we’re ready for them.”

The first leg on Saturday also counts towards the league standings, with Nottingham in desperate need of the points. Neilson is clear that the complication won’t affect his team’s approach.

“It won’t change anything until the last little bit of the tie, I don’t think it changes anything in the first game anyway,” he said. “We’ll play a game, win a game – we’re on the road, we’re not there to entertain anyone – we’re just there to get two points in both competitions.

“We’re a pretty confident club. We’ve proven this year we’ve got a lot to offer in all situations. We’ve got all the basic elements of a great hockey team and we expect to continue to string wins together.

“I love winning it. The fans love winning it, the guys love winning it, I think it’s a pretty prestigious trophy, we enjoy it. Obviously we do have three goals this year but come Saturday our primary target is this Challenge Cup.”

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The Nottingham Panthers have started well, with wins over Belfast (in a shootout), Coventry, Cardiff and Dundee. Corey Neilson’s team have scored 24 goals, but they’ve been doing so an import forward short.

Jay Henderson hasn’t played, suffering with a back injury he brought with him from the off-season.

Nottingham make the sensible decision to let the Canadian go, and are in the market for a replacement.

Robert Liscak signed for the Boston Bruins in 2003

Enter Robert Liscak.

At 32-years-old the Slovakian boasts a career that includes four years at the University of Maine and – even more impressively – a free agent contract that was signed with the Boston Bruins in 2003. He never played a shift in the show, after the NHL lock-out wiped out the following season.

Liscak had four points in 28 career AHL games. He registered 15 points in 30 ECHL games. He played over 200 times in Slovakia’s top league.

He came with a good reputation. The same coach who recommended Billy Ryan, recommended Robert Liscak.

The Slovak made his debut at the NIC against the Coventry Blaze on Saturday 18^th September. He registered a point too, an assist as Nottingham won 6-4 to extend their 5-0 start (Billy Ryan got the game-winning-goal).

(For the record, Alex Penner also had an assist in that game. Ian McDonald scored a hat-trick).

Liscak went on to skate in a 3-3 Challenge Cup tie in Coventry the next night, a surprise 4-3 home defeat to the Clan the following weekend, and a 5-3 loss in Belfast at the start of October.

He failed to trouble the scorers again.

And then like that – with a Nottingham Panthers record of four games, no goals, one assist and six PIMs – he was gone.

Present day

What does any of this have to do with the here and now, I hear you cry.

Well, it has to do with the reaction to the signing of new Finnish forward Sami Ryhanen. It has been mixed to say the least.

A few comments have been positive. Some have been fair, urging that the new guy be given a fair chance. Plenty have been anything but: “Not sure I’m happy about this”, “We have signed a no-hoper”, or my personal favourite, “Here comes another Liscak”.

For the sake of argument, let’s make the comparison.

Both are European. Ryhanen is 31. Liscak was 32. Ryhanen had three teams and only played 32 games last season. Liscak had five teams and 37 games the season before he signed in Nottingham.

Liscak played four games for Nottingham, registering just one assist.

After that, it gets pretty difficult, considering Ryhanen is yet to even set foot in the country.

So why the negativity towards little Sami? (I say little, he’s still 5’10”).

It may have something to do with the disappointment of losing Scott Champagne, though I’ve discussed elsewhere why I don’t think that will be the blow some perceive his departure to be.

Perhaps it’s in part because of the nature and timing of Champagne’s move away. Perhaps it’s because the possible return of Sean McAslan is also being teased.

But it certainly has something to do with the legacy of Liscak, a signing that was seen as rushed by many and didn’t turn out well at all.

Some fans are pointing at this piece of business and claiming the same thing – that it’s been rushed, that Ryhanen is a short-term signing to appease the masses over a very important Christmas period.

Even if that is true, it isn’t fair to assume Sami isn’t up to the job just because the last mid-season European signing turned out to be such a disappointment.

So forget Robert. It’s time for Ryhanen to shine.

In 29 games the 28-year-old had nine goals and 28 assists for 37 points, good for 11^th in Elite League scoring.

News of his departure was broken by his new team, the Ravensburg Towerstars of the German second division. In was later confirmed by the Panthers, who explained it was the player himself who forced the move by handing in his notice.

It’s worth noting that Champagne has been out of the line-up for the last two matches after taking a stick to the eye in warm-up ahead of the game against Edinburgh.

Scott Champagne departs after 29 games.

Personally, I’m not too devastated by his decision. My over-riding Champagne memories of the season are firstly, him missing a sitter in the overtime defeat in Sheffield, and secondly, expressing surprise at just how high up the scoring charts he was.

In terms of team chemistry, I doubt this well be a massive blow either.

His replacement – for the short term at least – is Finnish forward Sami Ryhanen.

The 31-year-old has had spells in Austria, Norway and Italy, and 100 career points in Finland’s top league, where he last played in 2009 for Tappara, though that was only a six-game spell.

He has five points in 13 games with AaB of Denmark this season.

Subject to international clearance, Ryhanen will make his Panthers debut on Friday in Dundee.

The most exciting news of the night by far however, is that Nottingham are in talks to sign former captain Sean McAslan as an 11^thimport.

Sean McAslan has 224 points as a Panther

The legend of McAslan is well known to the Nottingham faithful. In three seasons, he scored 160 goals for 224 points in 160 games, as well as leading Nottingham to a Challenge Cup.

How close is McAslan to signing? I don’t know. But I don’t think Panthers would have gone public unless they were reasonably confident of getting him.

The other question is, how close to the old McAslan will he be? Expectation will certainly be high – and rightly so – but his arrival could be huge for Nottingham’s season. A proven performer who knows the club, city and fans, who knows the expectation he’ll be placing upon himself.

Panthers captain Danny Meyers has already said that if McAslan returns it’ll be the greatest Christmas present of all time.

Let us hope that Santa delivers.

Could Robert Lachowicz be Panthers diamond in the rough?

Many seem to think that the signing of Robert Lachowicz from Manchester Phoenix would lead to the local youngster spending much of his time riding the pine. Personally I don’t see it that way at all. What I’ve seen of Lachowicz in his career so far has impressed me greatly. In Sheffield at Christmas last season he was outstanding playing on a line with Cameron Mann and Sean McAslan, whenever he as iced for Panthers he has never looked out of place in my opinion.
I asked for some opinions on Lachowicz from fans of his former club Manchester. Some of the comments were:

“Good hard working young man who is still learning his trade. Never slow to jump into play and I suspect he learned a lot working with TH last season”
“Has the talent and the work ethic to go very far”
“Good hands, good shot, good speed, good work ethic”
“Showed great potential with Phoenix last year and I think he will become a great player in the future. Hope he gets a decent amount of ice time at Panthers to continue his development.”
“Great young talent, who will be one to watch in the future just hope Neilson gives him enough ice time to develop. Lacho’s weakness is his ability to play the body and take the checks but that will come.”

Encouraging, but there were a few negative comments, mainly relating to inconsistency and being ‘overrated’. Another common theme was the Phoenix fans saying he should have spent another season in the EPL, a valid opinion and one I shared when he was signed, but having thought about it I feel he is good enough to play at Elite League level if given the ice time.

Even coach Corey Neilson was praising him after the challenge game with Tilburg, describing his performance as ‘excellent’ and adding “He has that first-step speed and took a good spot on the power-play.” His power play was something I was discussing with another fan earlier this week, something he reckoned could be a permanent fixture throughout the season.

Keep an eye on Lachowicz throughout the season, I have a feeling he could be a key player.

Better late than never!

Panthers continued squad building for next season with the re-signing of winger Jay Henderson and the signing of netminder Dan Green from Sheffield Steelers.

Henderson is another player who splits the fan base. Some are delighted to see him return, others didn’t want him back as they feel he failed to impress last term. I’m indifferent if I’m honest, I thought he showed flashes of his NHL pedigree at times last term, but I didn’t see the gritty ‘Bruce’ upgrade we were promised. With no Richardson, McAslan or Mann next season he has to up his game and show us the gritty side of his game. He obviously has talent, 33 games in the NHL prove that, I hope he can be next season’s Jade Galbraith.

The signing of Dan Green as back-up to KSP is a surprise, as many rate Green as the best back-up in the country. To me this says that KSP is going to get a few nights off this coming season. Green is more than capable of starting a few games and almost won Sheffield the Hockeyfest title single-handed. I see him as a very welcome addition to the team.

Panthers added to their squad and increased their British contingent after announcing that Tom Norton will return on the blue line and Robert Lachowicz will return after a season playing for Manchester Phoenix in the EPL.

Norton enjoyed regular ice time during his first full season. Scoring 0+2 over the season, he overcame personal tragedy to ice in the play-offs. Not looking out of place at all in defence, he was given a few shifts in both legs of the Challenge Cup final and was often used to give the more established blue line corps a rest. He should continue to progress under coach Corey Neilson’s tutelage, however I believe he should be looking to move to an EPL team at the end of 2010/11 if he is to progress further and gain more ice time.

Lachowicz returns from a season with the Manchester Phoenix where he gained impressive figures of 29+27 from 54 games. Looking at the various forums, the Phoenix fans are very sorry to see him leave, but as we saw in his handful of Panthers appearances his time at Phoenix has seen him grow as a player and his superb performance at Sheffield at Christmas was proof of that. It could be argued that Lachowicz would have benefited more from a second season with the Phoenix, but after performing so well with the likes of Cameron Mann and Sean McAslan he deserves his chance at the top level.

The hottest hockey ticket on Sunday will not be at the Olympic final in Vancouver, but at a sold out Big Blue Tent as Cardiff Devils take on Nottingham Panthers in the first leg of the Challenge Cup Final (I may have lied a little there, especially if it is a USA v Canada final!)
If this match wasn’t intriguing enough, both teams will play at the NIC the night before in a league encounter. This makes Sunday’s game almost impossible to predict from my point of view, as I believe that the game on Saturday will have a huge bearing on Sunday’s outcome. The thing is with Panthers still in the title race and Devils fighting for third spot, Saturday isn’t a straight forward one to call either, especially when you consider that Panthers have the best home record in the league and Devils have won their last five games!
The Devils don’t have a too shabby home record themselves, they have lost six times in the tent this season, however two of those losses have been against the Panthers. The key to a Panthers victory will be to nullify Devils home advantage. I’ve only been to Cardiff once this season and I saw the Devils destroy us 6-2, where the Panthers were a distant second best, so I’ve seen first hand how awesome Devils can be at home. Panthers will have to keep it tight and not get intimidated by the sell-out crowd, who will no doubt create an electric atmosphere in an effort to be Devils extra man.
As for the players themselves, the pressure will be on both netminders to limit the goals against (pretty bloody obvious I know!) so the performance of both Stevie Lyle and KSP will be critical. I feel that the Devils shade the defence, with three imports to two if Nick Toneys is omitted, with the Brit defencemen cancelling each other out.
Where the Panthers are superior to the Devils is in attack, with the point scoring prowess of David Clarke, Sean McAslan, Jade Galbraith, Cameron Mann and Kevin Bergin. I’m not saying that the Devils can’t hurt us, Brad Voth is the perfectly built hockey player for a rink like the tent and irritating little shit Ryan Finnerty loves games like this. However, the Panthers can beat the Devils by firepower alone, so that’s why the performances of both defences and netminders will be key.
I really can’t call it, it’s that close. I think Panthers have to leave the tent no more than two goals behind to still be in it. Any more than that and Devils will shut us down in the return, which they are very capable of doing. So roll on Sunday, can’t wait, it should be a cracker.

Panthers took the lead while short-handed. Kevin Bolibruck fell over on half-way while carrying the puck, Johan Molin and Kevin Bergin played ‘to me, to you’ a few times before Bergin buried the puck, the NIC erupted and Panthers went into the break leading 1-0.
Panthers ran into penalty trouble early in the second, and Steelers took advantage. Doug Sheppard claiming a scrappy goal. The Panthers procession to the penalty box continued, however the penalty killing unit was excellent and managed to keep Steelers at bay for two minutes of five on three over two separate penalties. After the Panthers procession, referee Andy Carson began the Steelers procession to the sin-bin. The Panthers made no mistake and re-took the lead, David Clarke scoring with a rocket that I doubt Andrew Verner even saw. Panthers ended the period with a five on three powerplay. With Jeff Legue in the box, Verner thought it would be a good idea to pin Sean McAslan to the ice in his crease. Stupid, stupid holding penalty to give away, I’m sure Mike O’Conn… Dave Matsos gave he a right royal rollicking in the 2nd interval!

Nothing came from the five on three that Panthers started the period with, however for a team down by one, the Steelers didn’t come at us like I expected. In fact the team looking most likely to score were the Panthers. Steelers only managed six shots on goal in the final period, if that’s all you can manage when chasing the game then you don’t deserve to win.

In fairness, this was a better Steelers performance from their last game at the NIC, but overall they still weren’t good enough. Hostilities resumed tomorrow at the empty tin shack, however for tonight Panthers win and Belfast & Coventry lose. Couldn’t really be any better for the Panthers this evening, with or without our Brucie Bonus.

The fun & games started from the opening face-off as Bruce Richardson and Jason Hewitt dropped the gloves. Hewitt got the take down (probably to save himself from further punishment) while Bruce got the better shots in, including putting Hewitt down and dragging him back up again. Maybe that will teach Hewitt to keep his mouth shut after games in future, but I doubt it!
Panthers opened the scoring when a mistake by Ben Morgan allowed David Clarke to fire a bullet of a shot past Andrew Verner. Steelers equalised through Matt Hubbauer who find the tiniest of gaps at KSP’s near post. Panthers re-took the lead later in the period after a sustained spell of Steelers pressure was broken up, Sean McAslan skated along the wing and centered the puck for Ross Dalgleish to poke home. Verner complained but there was absolutely nothing wrong with it.
Robert Dowd earned a 10 minute misconduct for firing the puck after the whistle, which lead to a coming together between all the players on the ice, the only penalty being a 2 minute roughing penalty for Bruce Richardson. From the resulting powerplay Steelers equalised, Brad Cruikshank scoring. The period ended 2-2, Steelers would be the happier team as Panthers dominated for long spells and out shot the visitors 20-10 in the period. Nothing could have prepared us for what was to come in the second!

The middle period was quite scrappy for the first five minutes, but Panthers regained the lead when a fabulous pass sent Danny Meyers clear and he made no mistake to chalk up his first goal of the season. Soon after it was 4-2, great passing across the zone saw Jade Galbraith produce an unstoppable one time shot that I doubt Verner even saw! Worse was to follow for the hapless Steelers, while on a powerplay the puck found its way to Richardson, who skated in unopposed on Verner and slotted the puck into the net for a short handed fifth. The Steelers were now totally outmatched, outfought and outplayed, but what was worse is the showed no fire to get back in it. Too many of their player went missing, including so-called hard man Brad Cruikshank, who was nowhere to be seen. As I said in last night’s commentary, I don’t think I have ever seen such a weak, powder-puff Steelers team!

Panthers coasted the third after Clarke notched his second and Panthers sixth early in the period. Steelers did score a consolation goal through Hubbauer, but the result was never in doubt, and Panthers skated to an easy 6-3 victory.
While Panthers were good they weren’t exceptional. I felt the result was more to do with how bad the Steelers are, and believe me they are bad, quite easily the worst Elite League team I’ve seen this year. It really is no coincidence that they find themselves at the bottom of the Elite league.
As for Panthers, well we return to the top, but to stay there wins against Newcastle tonight and Edinburgh on Tuesday are vital, and that will be a tough ask with injuries and a reported illness in the camp. There could be tough times ahead.

After a scrappy start  the Panthers took a two goal lead. Clever line changing left McAslan through one on one for the first, while Kevin Bergin grabbed the second on the powerplay with a blast from the right. Devils pulled one back late on in the period, Matt Miller scoring on the backhand.
The second saw the Devils equalise early on. Mark Smith pulled off a dive of Tessier-esque quality right in front of Hicks, who promptly called David Clarke for a hook when he had barely touched Smith! Of course the Devils equalised from the subsequent powerplay, Phil Hill’s deflected shot beating KSP. Panthers re-took the lead through David Clarke on the powerplay with a nice finish from an angle, then made it 4-2 with a trademark D’Amour point blast. Rather than extend the lead Panthers let the Devils right back into it almost straight away, as Jay Latulippe found the net. Panthers should have made it 5-3, but Stevie Lyle pulled of a quite astonishing point blank save from Steve Lee.
Panthers made the game safe early in the third, first David Clarke grabbed his second of the night, poking the loose puck through Lyle’s five-hole. less than two minutes later it was 6-3 as Panthers scored the goal of the game. Bruce drop passed to Galbraith who one timed the pass in front of the net where Cameron Mann made no mistake, an absolutely perfectly executed goal. Still the Devils came back, as Latulippe made it 6-4 with a blast into the top corner. A late powerplay gave Devils another sniff, but a Smith goal at 59.42 was too little, too late and the game finished with 6-5 scoreline.

The biggest surprise for me tonight was the lack of impact of Brad Voth on the game. He got a boat load of ice time, but never really made his presence felt, especially at 6-4 down when a hit or a fight could have given Devils the momentum to get something out of the game. I thought he was largely anonymous, which is unusual as he is normally immense against us.

So Panthers go back to the top, but wins against Newcastle and Edinburgh this week are essential to keep up the momentum. As for the Devils, they’ll be up there at season’s end, of that I have no doubt.

Panthers dominated the first, out-shooting the hosts 18-8 and hitting the bar twice, however Tommy Sandahl in the Rays net was in excellent form. It was Hull who took the lead late in the first as Kalmikov got the last touch to beat KSP. The second continued in a similar vein to the first, Panthers were still outshooting the Rays, but the hosts defence were restricting the Panthers to long shots. The equaliser finally came on the powerplay, David Clarke converting from the blue line. Clarke was on hand again as Panthers took the lead on a 5 on 3 powerplay towards the end of the period, and the visitors went into the final break with a 2-1 lead.

With only 11 skaters we expected the tiring Stingrays to capitulate in the 3rd, but it didn’t happen. Showing a great battling spirit they managed to equalise on their own 5 on 3 chance, Player/Coach Sylvain Cloutier scoring the goal. At this point, past Panthers teams would have capitulated. Not this one! The go ahead goal was a prime example of why every team needs a Bruce Richardson, not giving up on an iced puck, Bruce got to the puck first and pulled it back for Kevin Bergin to open his account for the season. The sheer determination and will to win of Bruce never ceases to amaze me. His infectious desire is quite obviously rubbing off on his team mates. As the clock ticked down, the Rays lifted Sandahl for the extra attacker, but while Clarke missed a glorious chance for his hat-trick, Sean McAslan made no mistake to seal a 4-2 win and 2 more Challenge Cup points.

This wasn’t the best game or best performance, but it was a win and that’s all that really matters. With another 100% weekend, Panthers are playing .875 hockey, I’ll take that for the rest of the season.

The second started at a similar pace to the first. Fight number two of the night saw Ross Dalgliesh tangle with Luke Fulghum both threw some good punches, but Dalgliesh got the take down when Fulghum was threatening to get on top. Difficult to call a winner from this win so I’ll go for the draw! Panthers took the lead shortly after on the powerplay, Sean McAslan playing across the crease to find Marc Levers who had an easy tap-in. Panthers could have gone further ahead but Hirsch made two excellent saves from Nick Toneys and Neilson who both had shots destined for the top corner. Panthers took the one goal lead into the final period.

The Blaze equaliser was a great goal. Jade Galbraith had just gone close for Panthers, Jonathan Weaver played a superb pass to Greg Chambers who scored a great goal into the corner of the net. You can’t really argue with goals like that, there was nothing the Panthers defence or KSP could have done to prevent it, it was so well worked.
The stage was then set for the returning Molin. Neilson called a time out before a powerplay, just 20 seconds into the man advantage Marty Gascon found Molin in front of the net and the Swede made no mistake. The NIC went ballistic as 4,000 Panthers supporters cheered through pleasure and relief! Despite pulling Hirsch for the extra man the Blaze couldn’t level the game up and Panthers took the points.

Man of the match went to Chambers for the Blaze, but I thought Hirsch had a better case, especially as he stopped 37 of the 39 shots on him. There were several candidates for Panthers man of the match, the excellent Marc Levers and KSP to name two, however it was only ever going to go to Molin, I’m sure I’m not the only one who wishes he could stay the season!

The second followed a similar path. McAslan extended Panthers lead to 3-0 on the powerplay, only for Giants to get on the board less than a minute later through Colin Shields. 3-1 going into the third and Panthers scored early on the powerplay, Mann netting his second of the night. The crowd were lifted once again as Stephen Lee and Mark Morrison dropped the gloves, with Lee laying the smackdown on his fellow Brit!

I expected to see more of Giants hardman enforcer Sean McMorrow (apparently playing through injury) but he had probably two shifts in the first, none in the second and when he tried to cause some chaos at the Panthers bench in his one shift in the third he got a six minute penalty for his trouble! I know it’s early days but you do look at that and think why? What’s the point of having Murphy for the extra skating import and then waste it on one who hardly ices? Time will tell on that I guess.

As for the Panthers this was a good but not great performance, some of the passing was sloppy but I expect this is more to do with a new set of players trying to work each other out, I expect this will improve greatly over the coming weeks. Another pleasing aspect was the performance of the much maligned Jade Galbraith, who has come back slim and hungry. His two way play was excellent and it looks like we have have the Galbraith we all wanted last season. The defence looked solid and St. Pierre kept his critics from Wednesday night quiet with a confident display in the nets.

All in all nothing much to complain about, hockey is back which means Guinness, kebabs and hopefully a league title to go with the mild chilli sauce. Happy days.

You would think the return of McAslan would be treated with as much enthusiasm as a paying crowd at Sheffield Arena, but looking at the McAslan signing thread on The Cage the signing has been met with more of a whimper! I really can’t understand this, McAslan score in excess of 80 goals for Panthers in two seasons and was part of two trophy winning squads. I cannot see how his signing can be seen as anything but a positive move. personally I think it is an excellent signing, we know he will bring goals and maybe an improvement of his all round game after a year on the continent. The main question now will be who will Panthers sign to provide him with the opportunities to score?

In other Panthers news, it has been announced that both Johan Molin and Brendan Cook will not be returning to the club next season. Cook has taken an assistant coach position for an as yet unnamed team in the States, while Molin will remain in Sweden for family reasons. Both departures leave Corey Neilson with a lot of points to find in their replacements.

Another question for his critics would be who exactly do you replace him with? Top quality British defenceman aren’t exactly in abundance, Jonathan Weaver and that’s about it! Meyers does need to up his game though and recapture the form of his first two seasons in Nottingham. I’m sure his critics will be watching closely.

Meyers is the first of what is expected to be four signing announcements from the Panthers this week. Speculation is rife as to who the next three will be, with the strongest rumours surrounding a return from Denmark for Sean McAslan, the return of Welsh centre Matt Myers and perhaps best of all former Blaze & Vipers netminder Trevor Koenig to don the black & gold (& red!) next season. Watch this space as they say!

Other signing news from around the Elite League recently. Belfast Giants have announced that Stephen Murphy will be their number one netminder next season and also announced that ECHL defenceman Pat Bateman has joined from the fantastically named Gwinnett Gladiators. The Edinburgh Capitals made their first capture of the close season with the return of Doug Christiansen as player coach. Cardiff announced the return of Phil Hill (His parents really couldn’t have liked him, just like Neville Neville’s mum & dad!) As rumoured previously, Blaze pulled of a great signing with GB centre Greg Owen returning to the UK from France. Hull continued their recruitment drive by re-signing Lee Mitchell and signing his brother Craig from the Caps. Finally everyone’s favourite bunch of douchebags the Sheffield Steelers announced the return of wannabe hard man Brad Cruikshank. Belfast’s Sean McMorrow was reported to be delighted that he’ll have someone to treat as his bitch this season!