The playoff season in the EIHL is short and sweet but there is no lack of intensity in this weekend's games. Flyers will face-off with the Clan for the 11th time tonight and will hope to build on a favourable 6-4-0 record this year. While the Clan finished higher in the league, Flyers have an excellent chance to reach a second Playoff Finals Weekend. Having won four of the final five matches against the Clan spirits are high in the Fife camp. Clan fans will point to the relative form in the final weekends of the season. Braehead have won their final 7 games and are certainly on-form but the Flyers match up well against the Clan and will cause them constant problems.
Prior to this weekend's game, Todd Dutiaume spoke to Ross Cunningham of Flyers TV:
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Dutiaume and his team are team are full of confidence and rightly so. Todd commented on the noise that can be made at the Fife Ice Arena and the onus is on all Fife fans to create a formidable atmosphere tonight. If the fans are with the team from the first minute and don't let up, truthfully, the Clan do not stand a chance. You know what to do, Flyers fans!
Former Clan player, Chris Frank has expressed his wishes to return for this game:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en-gb"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">GAME DAY: I would love to come back for this one - Frank <a href="https://t.co/PdpfbA4Mn3">https://t.co/PdpfbA4Mn3</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/JoinTheClan?src=hash">#JoinTheClan</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Glasgow?src=hash">#Glasgow</a> <a href="https://t.co/FDdbhAsnNV">pic.twitter.com/FDdbhAsnNV</a></p>— Braehead Clan (@BraeheadClan) <a href="https://twitter.com/BraeheadClan/status/713663387876663296">26 March 2016</a></blockquote>
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Given the way both teams have played this season, I think he would add very little to this tie.
The Murdoch and Frame Podcast joined our friends over at the Purple Army Podcast to discuss this weekend's games. You can listen here:
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Great to talk with the guys, but I wish them every disappointment with the games!
For coverage of tonight's game, check out Laura Duff (@hockey_laura), Colin Gourlay (@colingourlay84) and the Fife Free Press team (@fifefreepressed and @mattelder_ffp).
I leave you with a reminder of the atmosphere that can be created in the old barn, courtesy once again of Ross Cunningham and Flyers TV:
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#packthebarn
Saturday, 26 March 2016
Sunday, 18 October 2015
Murdoch and Frame - Episode 12
Here's the latest offering from Andrew and I. Today we were joined by our good friend Laura Duff. We discussed the disappointing showing this weekend and how the Flyers improve from here:
This was a difficult subject to discuss, I always look on the positive side of things. By all means there is room for a dissenting voice, I'm just not sure it's my voice. Andrew and Laura certainly didn't have the same issues!
You can also download the show on iTunes here
Do you agree with what we said? Let us know on twitter (@murdochhockey, @aframe88, @hockey_laura) on facebook (facebook.com/murdochhockeyblog) or on email (murdochhockeyblog@gmail.com)
This was a difficult subject to discuss, I always look on the positive side of things. By all means there is room for a dissenting voice, I'm just not sure it's my voice. Andrew and Laura certainly didn't have the same issues!
You can also download the show on iTunes here
Do you agree with what we said? Let us know on twitter (@murdochhockey, @aframe88, @hockey_laura) on facebook (facebook.com/murdochhockeyblog) or on email (murdochhockeyblog@gmail.com)
Monday, 10 August 2015
Who's Your Money On? - Part 4
By Andrew Birrell
The bottom four team the past 4 season have been
virtually the same Hull, Fife, Dundee and Edinburgh will that happen again this
year? Well, Hull are gone replaced by the Manchester Storm, many people will
feel this is a learning year for them and I guess most think they will finish
bottom who could really argue with that? However, hockey is mad and anything
can happen. As for Dundee well their horrendous season last year will want to
be forgotten by all at the club hence a new coach and only a few brit
returnee’s. The rest of the squad are a mixture of youth and experience and I
think coach Lefebvre has built a good team for the season how good no one knows,
yet. Then we have the caps now under the guidance of player/ coach Riley
Emmerson, tough hard - but fair - he looks to have also built what looks like
the best caps squad in the Elite League for some time. His attitude towards the
game will help the caps no end, Emmo’s caps are the tallest and heaviest in the
Gardner conference will that help them will his style help them, who knows?
Finally our Fife Flyers, well we will playing
against Bobby, Ned and Nicker this year all new imports apart from “Mr Reliable”
Kyle Haines same Brits so far. Can make the jump to the 5th or 6th
place, can we win the conference it’s gonna be a dog fight down the bottom of
the league this year it’s all gonna come down to consistency and toughness who
wants it the most could just sneak a place in the top 5.
For me I think Belfast or Nottingham or Coventry for
the league, Clan for the Gardner conference unless they get injuries and
suspensions and are tired due to CHL, then it’s up for grabs if Clan falter.
I’ll say one of the 3 above for the other conference and I think the Panther or
the Giants for the Playoffs, I will more than likely get this all wrong lol.
Let’s just hope for another great season of hockey the ups and downs twists and
turns are what keep up going keep us on the edge of our seats not long to go
now folks are you ready for ice hockey.
So, who is your money on?
Comment below, or join the discussion on Facebook or Twitter
You can still read Andrew's first part here
You can still read Andrew's second part here
You can still read Andrew's first part here
You can still read Andrew's second part here
Don't forget to follow Andrew on Twitter: @coloradoflyer
Patrick Cullen Joins the Flyers
Today, the Fife Flyers announced the signing of Irish American forward, Patrick Cullen and with this signing have completed the recruitment of their forwards. It was intriguing that Associate Coach, Danny Stewart had this to say on the signing “He will start on our third line this season but we have no doubt that he will push our top 6 consistently and even find some time on those lines." On the face of it his stats look like a third line player, but is that a fair assessment?
Splitting time between two ECHL teams last season, Cullen put up 41 points in 69 games at a points per game ratio of 0.59. Having scored at this rate in a league that is comparable to the Elite League and indeed has a rich history of players coming across to this league and putting up impressive numbers, Cullen does not immediately strike me as a third line player. Those of you that have read my assesment of the signing of Justin Fox will recall the points per game ratio of all Flyers players recruited directly from ECHL. Fox, and now TJ Caig, have the best rates the Flyers have ever recruited. Where does Cullen rank? Above Casey Haines, Mike Hamilton and Matt Reber, right in the middle of the pack. The standard and quantity of imports may have increased in recent years, but if any of those players were put in to this year's EIHL season, would they be third line wingers?
Having played on three separate occasions with Michael Dorr, what is certain is that Cullen will fit in with the team this year. Recruiting players that have previously played together with has been an effective tool for the Flyers in past years. What the Flyers have done well is recruiting import forwards that seem interchangeable up and down the line up. There are perhaps no superstars (although Dingle and Caig do excite me) but there is real depth in the line up this year. One of my favourite phrases is organisational depth, and this is the first season that the Flyers have really had this depth. Both Caig and Jeff Lee are listed as a winger and center. While they immediately strike me as wingers the fact that they can play down the middle gives the team an opportunity to change lines when chasing a lead.
One opportunity that the Flyers have with this depth is to play Danny Stewart on the wing. While Stewart is an effective center, playing with less defensive responsibility on the wing would allow him to play with his trademark grit and hitting ability. There could also be a case to be made that his offensive numbers would be increased playing on someone else's wing without having to force the play as he has in the last few seasons.
In signing Cullen, the Flyers have made their second EU passport signing (that is mandatory to sign a full import quota). The first being the signing of netminder David Brown, something that I omitted from my assessment of his signing, his Italian passport by no means changes my opinion on his signing though. The commitment from the club to go with the full quota of imports from the beginning of the season is the first time such a commitment has been made and it does bode well for competing from the opening weekend. There is little doubt that the league as a whole has recruited well, but the Flyers do not look like a team that are planning to finish in the bottom half of the table.
Tuesday, 28 July 2015
Who's your money on? - Part 3
By Andrew Birrell
This year’s mid-table race could be very interesting indeed. Most people will be thinking your Giants, Steelers, Clan, Devils and Panthers will be fighting it out for the top 4 but one will definitely miss out on the top 4. It’s who comes forward from the other teams that will make the challenge for that 5th spot so interesting.
This year’s mid-table race could be very interesting indeed. Most people will be thinking your Giants, Steelers, Clan, Devils and Panthers will be fighting it out for the top 4 but one will definitely miss out on the top 4. It’s who comes forward from the other teams that will make the challenge for that 5th spot so interesting.
So, if we say Belfast, Nottingham and Sheffield are
certs for the top 3 places, that leaves Clan and Devils and I would put Blaze
in there too, fighting for the 4th and 5th spots. For me
I think, on paper, Blaze look a top 4 side this year so Clan and Devils will be
fighting for 5th. Who from the remaining teams could challenge Braehead
and Cardiff for that spot? Well, the Caps have bought well so far in the
transfer market and look a much improved side. Are they capable of fighting the
Devils or Clan for the 5th spot? I don’t think they are. The same applies
with Dundee, on paper they look a much better well balanced team, again I don’t
think they will be a match night in, night out for likes of the Devils and the
Clan.
Manchester? Well, they look not bad on paper but first
year back in the big time might be too much or a shock to the system, but they
also might come in with a “we’re gonna fight” attitude and surprise us all no
way this year though they will fight for the 5th spot. That leaves
the Flyers, have Todd and Danny bought well enough to see us up there in that 5th
spot? Only if the team are consistent and play as a team and work hard
for 60 minutes every night, then you know what we just might be able to nick
that 5th spot - but only time will tell.
So, who is your money on?
Comment below, or join the discussion on Facebook or Twitter
You can still read Andrew's first part here
You can still read Andrew's second part here
You can still read Andrew's first part here
You can still read Andrew's second part here
Don't forget to follow Andrew on Twitter: @coloradoflyer
Monday, 27 July 2015
Quick take: the signing of David Brown
Today, the Fife Flyers announced the signing of netminder David Brown. It would be fair to say that this signing came with mixed reviews. The mixed response is entirely understandable, Brown posted a 3.49 GAA and a save percentage of 0.902* which saw him ranked 10th of 12 netminders who played a minimum of 1260 minutes in the Elite League last season. At the same time though, for all their recruitment is heavily scrutinised, the Flyers don't sign bad goaltenders.
How does Brown compare to our previous backstop? The much loved Kevin Regan posted a 3.07 GAA and a save percentage of 0.901 and 3.14 GAA and 0.900 S% in 2014/15 and 2013/14 respectively. So the save percentage is effectively the same, what about the goals against average? Well pure and simple, Brown faced more shots than Regan. In fact, Brown faced more shots than any goalie last season, with the exception of Brian Stewart.
Alas, the fairy tale return of Bryan Pitton never materialised but the addition of Brown is a solid addition. While on the face of it, Brown may not fill you with confidence, do you know what should? Our defence. Brown is used to facing a lot of rubber and with our well organised d-corps this should drop considerably (Brown faced almost 400 more shots than Regan). Something to consider is the relative performance of Ben Bowns when he moved to Cardiff from Hull. In his final season on Humberside, Bowns posted 3.53 GAA and 0.907 S% while putting up 0.909 S% and 2.56 GAA in his year in Cardiff. Brown could also benefit from playing in a system that limits the shots that he faces.
Brown's major issue is, through no fault of his own, he has played in the Elite League for another team. Fans have formed an opinion on him based on him playing for a rival. That's always going to happen, but if the Flyers recruit a further defenceman they will have as strong a group as they've ever had. The potential return of fan favourite, Scott Fleming bodes for a strong core of centers and defensively responsible forward lines. Don't look at this signing as just a solitary addition but look at the whole roster make up.
*while Elite Prospects lists his save percentage as 0.899, the accompanying link to the EIHL website quotes a save percentage of 0.902.
Update: As pointed out by Bill Brisbane on Twitter:
How does Brown compare to our previous backstop? The much loved Kevin Regan posted a 3.07 GAA and a save percentage of 0.901 and 3.14 GAA and 0.900 S% in 2014/15 and 2013/14 respectively. So the save percentage is effectively the same, what about the goals against average? Well pure and simple, Brown faced more shots than Regan. In fact, Brown faced more shots than any goalie last season, with the exception of Brian Stewart.
Alas, the fairy tale return of Bryan Pitton never materialised but the addition of Brown is a solid addition. While on the face of it, Brown may not fill you with confidence, do you know what should? Our defence. Brown is used to facing a lot of rubber and with our well organised d-corps this should drop considerably (Brown faced almost 400 more shots than Regan). Something to consider is the relative performance of Ben Bowns when he moved to Cardiff from Hull. In his final season on Humberside, Bowns posted 3.53 GAA and 0.907 S% while putting up 0.909 S% and 2.56 GAA in his year in Cardiff. Brown could also benefit from playing in a system that limits the shots that he faces.
Brown's major issue is, through no fault of his own, he has played in the Elite League for another team. Fans have formed an opinion on him based on him playing for a rival. That's always going to happen, but if the Flyers recruit a further defenceman they will have as strong a group as they've ever had. The potential return of fan favourite, Scott Fleming bodes for a strong core of centers and defensively responsible forward lines. Don't look at this signing as just a solitary addition but look at the whole roster make up.
*while Elite Prospects lists his save percentage as 0.899, the accompanying link to the EIHL website quotes a save percentage of 0.902.
Update: As pointed out by Bill Brisbane on Twitter:
@murdochhockey * Eliteprospects lists his 4 PO games, where he had a .935 save%, separately. Add those to the regular season to get .902%.
— Bill Brisbane (@Billbrisb) July 27, 2015
Saturday, 25 July 2015
Who's your money on? - Part 2
By Andrew Birrell
Now on to the third and fourth placed teams from last year, firstly the Cardiff Devils. Last year everyone thought at the start of the season thought the Devils could win the league with the squad they had but they managed 3rd and they also won the Challenge Cup, they have managed to retain a good few guys from last year, both net minders form last year are back as are defence men Josh Batch , Callum Buglass, Trevor Hendrix, Carl Hudson and Mark Richardson and finally the fantastic devils captain from last year Tyson Marsh. In the forward ranks the Devils have retained Joey Haddad, player Coach Andrew Lord, Chris Jones, Joey Martin, Jake Morissette and Luke Piggott, and Brent Walton. The boys are joined by former Clan and Panthers player Leigh Salters, former Hull and Panthers player Guillaume Doucet. The Devils this year will be the same average height and weight so yet again a force to reckon with and the additions up top they’ve made, they will be even more dangerous can they mount a challenge for the title. I think on paper they have another good looking squad and could make the top 3, well what do think?
Now on to the third and fourth placed teams from last year, firstly the Cardiff Devils. Last year everyone thought at the start of the season thought the Devils could win the league with the squad they had but they managed 3rd and they also won the Challenge Cup, they have managed to retain a good few guys from last year, both net minders form last year are back as are defence men Josh Batch , Callum Buglass, Trevor Hendrix, Carl Hudson and Mark Richardson and finally the fantastic devils captain from last year Tyson Marsh. In the forward ranks the Devils have retained Joey Haddad, player Coach Andrew Lord, Chris Jones, Joey Martin, Jake Morissette and Luke Piggott, and Brent Walton. The boys are joined by former Clan and Panthers player Leigh Salters, former Hull and Panthers player Guillaume Doucet. The Devils this year will be the same average height and weight so yet again a force to reckon with and the additions up top they’ve made, they will be even more dangerous can they mount a challenge for the title. I think on paper they have another good looking squad and could make the top 3, well what do think?
On to the fourth placed team last year the big, bad,
black cats from Nottingham - the Panthers. The previous two season they have
finished in fourth place, and until last year they had won the challenge cup
something crazy like 5 years in a row. This year’s team will be slightly
different again as the panthers stalwart K-wall is finally away and the
panthers have a new number 1 netminder he is Miika Wiikman, and back for
another season is back up Dan Green, at the back they have kept Steve Lee and
Sam Oakford. The new guys so far are, from Dundee Paul Swindlehurst has signed,
Bryan Schmidt, Jeff Dimmen, Geoff Waugh and Former NHL player Theo Peckham, up
front the Panthers have kept hold of Betteridge, David “Mr Nottingham “ Clarke,
Robert Farmer, Robert Lackowicz and Evan Mosey. The new recruits are Andy
Bohmback, Jurak Kolnik, Erick Lizon and Logan McMillan and GB forward Matt
Myers. The Panthers this year will be a little bit taller and have more weight
to push teams around as I think a lot of teams managed to bully the panthers
last year at times, with the guys they have this year I can’t see many teams
bullying them but the question is can they make it in to the top 3 we will have
to wait and see.
So, who is your money on?
Comment below, or join the discussion on Facebook or Twitter
You can still read Andrew's first part here
You can still read Andrew's first part here
Don't forget to follow Andrew on Twitter: @coloradoflyer
Thursday, 23 July 2015
Who's your money on? - Part 1
By Andrew Birrell
So far this year last year’s league champions
have already completed their squad and last year’s runners up the Braehead Clan
are not far behind. The Panthers, Devils, Belfast and Blaze are also not far of
completion. So the
question for today is based on who everyone has signed who is your money on? Firstly let’s look at the champions and 2nd placed teams the
Steelers and the Clan, well the champs now have two new netminders firstly
Tyler Plante he is 28 years old, for the USA and has bags of experience 164
games in the WHL, almost 40 games in the ECHL, has played in the Allsvenskan
and also sometime in Norway and Italy and his back up this year will be 21 year
old Brad Day, he is a Sheffield lad, and played in most of their junior set ups
he has also played for the Sheffield ENL team and the EPL Steeldogs, on defence
they have retained Cullen Eddy, Ben O’Conner and Rod Sarich, the new boys are
Jace Coyle who Paul Thompson coached last year in Aalborg, former Clan player
Zach Fitzgerald, Darrell Hay and finally another former Aalborg player Russ
Moyer. The Forwards Steelers have
managed to retain most of last year’s guys then new additions are Mike Duco,
Levi Nelson and Fredrik Vestberg. Also this year’s Steelers team will be
shorter and lighter in weight so do we think they will be good enough to hold
on to the title.
Now last year’s runners up the Braehead Clan, they also have
new netminders in Chris Holt the guy has played at the highest levels of the
game and will bring a wealth of experience he has played in ECHL, AHL, NHL,
KHL, 2 games for team USA and a few other places to, his back up will be former
Northern league goalie from the Solway Sharks Gary Russell or "Rusty" as most
know him he is a very good goalie and will serve the Clan well. The Clans
defence? Well, 3 guys back from last year so far in Scott Aarssen, Jamie Fritsch
and Zach Sullivan and there new import D man is Ric Jackman and what a great
signing this could be as he has 231 NHL games under his belt. Going forward so
far the Clan have retained seven of last year’s guys including the captain Matt
Keith, Scott Pitt and Stefan Meyer, there new forwards that have been announced
so far are Brendan Brooks Jordan Cownie who is a GB under 20 player, Alex
Leavitt and they also acquired Bari Mckenzie from the Dundee Stars. So far this
year the Clan are 2 inches shorter and about 5KG’s lighter will this make a
difference to how they play as we know Finner likes to play physical so can
they maintain their conference form and win it again for a third time , and can
they win the league.
So, who is your money on?
Don't forget to follow Andrew on Twitter: @coloradoflyer
Monday, 20 July 2015
Fantastic Mr Fox?
Today, the Flyers announced the signing of Canadian forward Justin Fox. Fox comes to the UK off the back of a strong ECHL campaign with the Quad City Mallards. Given that EIHL teams are now looking for players with AHL experience and even NHL playing time, how does this signing measure up? This is a question that I posed this morning upon hearing the announcement:
However, is this a depth signing? How does he compare to other players who have followed this same recruitment path to the EIHL? Don't worry, I'm not going to got through every signing from the ECHL from every team, ever - mainly because I don't care - what I will do is see how he compares to the previous signings that the Flyers have made since joining the Elite League for the 2011/12 season.
In the ensuing 5 off-seasons, the Flyers have signed 6 forwards who played in the ECHL in their previous season. Those players are: Matt Siddall, Mike Hamilton, Casey Haines, Matt Reber, Chris Auger and Scott Fleming. Based on their season in North America's third tier it may be difficult to straight up make an assumption on how they would fare in the UK's top league. For example, Casey Haines scored 34 points in 54 games for Norfolk Admirals in the 2011/12 season and would put up a remarkable 64 points in only 45 games. This perfectly shows the perils of assumptions in the recruiting process, the ice time for Haines was increased and given his small stature the wider ice pad may have benefited him.
Judging a player on their previous season is difficult, especially when they have played in another league but here goes:
Flyers new signing looks good, the only thing is when a player only has ECHL/CHL experience coming to EIHL it's seen as depth/safe signing.
— Murdoch Hockey Blog (@murdochhockey) July 20, 2015
This season in particular, teams have signed players with decent NHL experience, demand for minimum AHL experience is high now.
— Murdoch Hockey Blog (@murdochhockey) July 20, 2015
However, is this a depth signing? How does he compare to other players who have followed this same recruitment path to the EIHL? Don't worry, I'm not going to got through every signing from the ECHL from every team, ever - mainly because I don't care - what I will do is see how he compares to the previous signings that the Flyers have made since joining the Elite League for the 2011/12 season.
In the ensuing 5 off-seasons, the Flyers have signed 6 forwards who played in the ECHL in their previous season. Those players are: Matt Siddall, Mike Hamilton, Casey Haines, Matt Reber, Chris Auger and Scott Fleming. Based on their season in North America's third tier it may be difficult to straight up make an assumption on how they would fare in the UK's top league. For example, Casey Haines scored 34 points in 54 games for Norfolk Admirals in the 2011/12 season and would put up a remarkable 64 points in only 45 games. This perfectly shows the perils of assumptions in the recruiting process, the ice time for Haines was increased and given his small stature the wider ice pad may have benefited him.
Judging a player on their previous season is difficult, especially when they have played in another league but here goes:
On the face of it, Fox has the best points per game ratio so may well be coming here with the highest pedigree from that league. His numbers are similar to that of Fleming and Auger, who for a variety of reasons did not put up incredible numbers. One thing that is important is that Fox is not a center, he's winger. A winger who - the hope is - with increased ice time could well put up great numbers. A great example comparable could be Matt Reber. Reber scored just 35 points in 55 games for the Stockton Thunder and would go on to score 126 points in just 113 games for the Flyers.
Have the Flyers signed a superstar for the league? They haven't, but what they have signed is a solid scorer from a comparable league, who with the right linemates could very well put up great numbers in the Old Barn. I, for one, am looking forward to seeing him donning the white, gold and blue.
Wednesday, 1 July 2015
Murdoch and Frame - Episode 6
Here's this week's episode of the Murdoch and Frame Podcast, delighted to have been joined by Flyers legend Frank Morris.
If you would like to contribute to future shows, please contact us at murdochhockeyblog@gmail.com
If you would like to contribute to future shows, please contact us at murdochhockeyblog@gmail.com
Thursday, 21 May 2015
Flyers Year in Review: Players by the Numbers - Ned Lukacevic
Ned Lukacevic was announced recently as joining the Coventry Blaze and the revolution that Chuck Weber is creating in the Midlands. In just 94 games, Ned would make his mark on Fife Ice Arena with his electrifying skill and scoring 43 goals in the process. With a disappointing season for the Flyers a change was naturally on the cards, and Lukacevic was the first of (probably) many to move on to pastures new. A total of 110 points in his 18 months will be a hard task for Todd Dutiaume and Danny Stewart to replace, but does a point a game really tell the whole picture?
In his 94 games, Ned would go pointless in a total of 29 matches - so if a player goes scoreless in a third of his games is he as good as his stats would suggest? Or is he merely the victim of a system? What we'll do here is present the numbers from his time with the Flyers, it will be up to you to decide which category this falls in to. Of the 29 games without a point Fife would hold a 5-19-1-4 record. This immediately suggests that the Flyers are successful when Lukacevic is playing well and scoring. Of the five matches that the Flyers won all were against Gardiner Conference opposition (2 against Edinburgh, 1 apiece over the other three). Remarkably there are is only one team in the EIHL that Lukacevic has never gone scoreless, Nottingham! His 7 points in 6 games in last season gave the Flyers an incredible 3-3-0-0 record against the EIHL big boys. This is the first time that Fife have come anywhere near to having a successful record over Corey Nielsen's team.
Those of you that have listened to the first episode of the Murdoch and Frame Podcast will be aware that Ned's real success came against our Gardiner counterparts: 15 points in as many games against the Braehead Clan, 18 points in 16 games over Dundee, Hull yielded 20 points in 14 matches and finally Edinburgh were the leakiest with 30 points in 17 meetings (including a remarkable 24 assists). In total, this makes up a total of 83 points in 62 games - 1.33 points per game which means a rate of 0.84 when playing against the Erhardt teams. To put that in to perspective, a rate of 1.33 points per game over an entire season would put Ned ahead of Mike Forney (1.26) in league scoring, leaving only Matthieu Roy (1.49) as the player who would have scored at a greater rate.
Even purely limiting the analysis to the Erhardt teams as a bulk shields the full picture. In addition to 8 points in 7 games over Nottingham (2013-15), Ned also put up 11 points against Belfast in the league and cup. So really, only Coventry (1 goal in 4 games), Sheffield (2 goals in 6 games) and Cardiff (5 points in 7 games) have managed to successfully close down Lukacevic.
Key to Lukacevic's totals during his time with the Flyers is points in consecutive games. On nine occasions Lukacevic has scored in 3 or more consecutive games. In fact the much lauded 'run' from the 2013-14 season where the Flyers won 13 of their final 17 games to reach the playoffs coincided with a 17 match point streak where Ned put up 10 goals and 19 assists for 29 points from 1/2/14-22/3/14. Equally, periods where Ned failed to put up points also coincided with poor form for the team as whole. Zero goals (3 assists) between 16/11/14 and 14/12/14 contributed, no doubt, to a torrid 7 match losing streak - which was the worst run the Flyers would endure when they lost 13 in a row from 31/01/2012 to 11/03/2012 in their inaugural EIHL season.
So, with 110 points in 94 games Ned Lukacevic has created a lot of memories, how he will manage in the Erhardt Conference remains to be seen, but at least he doesn't have to play against Coventry anymore!
To read Mark Parter's take on the last season click here.
To listen to the first episode of the Murdoch and Frame Podcast click here.
If you are interested in contributing to Murdoch's Hockey Blog, you can contact us at murdochhockeyblog@gmail.com
In his 94 games, Ned would go pointless in a total of 29 matches - so if a player goes scoreless in a third of his games is he as good as his stats would suggest? Or is he merely the victim of a system? What we'll do here is present the numbers from his time with the Flyers, it will be up to you to decide which category this falls in to. Of the 29 games without a point Fife would hold a 5-19-1-4 record. This immediately suggests that the Flyers are successful when Lukacevic is playing well and scoring. Of the five matches that the Flyers won all were against Gardiner Conference opposition (2 against Edinburgh, 1 apiece over the other three). Remarkably there are is only one team in the EIHL that Lukacevic has never gone scoreless, Nottingham! His 7 points in 6 games in last season gave the Flyers an incredible 3-3-0-0 record against the EIHL big boys. This is the first time that Fife have come anywhere near to having a successful record over Corey Nielsen's team.
Those of you that have listened to the first episode of the Murdoch and Frame Podcast will be aware that Ned's real success came against our Gardiner counterparts: 15 points in as many games against the Braehead Clan, 18 points in 16 games over Dundee, Hull yielded 20 points in 14 matches and finally Edinburgh were the leakiest with 30 points in 17 meetings (including a remarkable 24 assists). In total, this makes up a total of 83 points in 62 games - 1.33 points per game which means a rate of 0.84 when playing against the Erhardt teams. To put that in to perspective, a rate of 1.33 points per game over an entire season would put Ned ahead of Mike Forney (1.26) in league scoring, leaving only Matthieu Roy (1.49) as the player who would have scored at a greater rate.
Even purely limiting the analysis to the Erhardt teams as a bulk shields the full picture. In addition to 8 points in 7 games over Nottingham (2013-15), Ned also put up 11 points against Belfast in the league and cup. So really, only Coventry (1 goal in 4 games), Sheffield (2 goals in 6 games) and Cardiff (5 points in 7 games) have managed to successfully close down Lukacevic.
Key to Lukacevic's totals during his time with the Flyers is points in consecutive games. On nine occasions Lukacevic has scored in 3 or more consecutive games. In fact the much lauded 'run' from the 2013-14 season where the Flyers won 13 of their final 17 games to reach the playoffs coincided with a 17 match point streak where Ned put up 10 goals and 19 assists for 29 points from 1/2/14-22/3/14. Equally, periods where Ned failed to put up points also coincided with poor form for the team as whole. Zero goals (3 assists) between 16/11/14 and 14/12/14 contributed, no doubt, to a torrid 7 match losing streak - which was the worst run the Flyers would endure when they lost 13 in a row from 31/01/2012 to 11/03/2012 in their inaugural EIHL season.
So, with 110 points in 94 games Ned Lukacevic has created a lot of memories, how he will manage in the Erhardt Conference remains to be seen, but at least he doesn't have to play against Coventry anymore!
To read Mark Parter's take on the last season click here.
To listen to the first episode of the Murdoch and Frame Podcast click here.
If you are interested in contributing to Murdoch's Hockey Blog, you can contact us at murdochhockeyblog@gmail.com
Murdoch and Frame Podcast - Episode 1
Here's the first episode of the Murdoch and Frame Podcast:
Kyle Haines' signing hadn't been announced, although you will note that he was top of Andrew's list for re-joining. If you would like to contribute to the Murdoch and Frame Podcast or Murdoch's Hockey Blog contact us at murdochhockeyblog@gmail.com
Kyle Haines' signing hadn't been announced, although you will note that he was top of Andrew's list for re-joining. If you would like to contribute to the Murdoch and Frame Podcast or Murdoch's Hockey Blog contact us at murdochhockeyblog@gmail.com
Tuesday, 19 May 2015
Flyers Year in Review: Fans Thoughts
Recently, Flyers fan Mark Parter (@fifeflyersfan on Twitter) shared with me his thoughts on the past season. Here is his opinion on the last 12 months.
********************************************************************************************************
So, the sun has set on another Flyers season. While imports head back home, the fans have to now endure whatever delights Saturday night television throws at us.
I'm sure if you asked most Flyers fans, the 2014/15 season was a disappointment. Every season prior, Flyers had improved in some manner on the ice. This season, we took a step backwards. The one shining light in another wise poor season was our special teams. Ranked third on the power-play and second on the penalty kill.
In theory, signing much the same team as the prior season, with a couple of upgrades on paper, should have seen us hit the ground running. It was not to be however, as we started the way we always seem to start the season, poorly. Players turned up out of shape. Over the next few months, we went from highs of beating Belfast 6-1 in their own barn to losing 8-2 in our own barn to Braehead.
We had the same inconsistency issues in the 2013/14 season. That season however, we managed to find some of that much sought after consistency and put together a good series of wins.
This season, when we lost Chris Auger (who was our top scorer at the time) to injury, we should have sought out a replacement. We didn't. Guys double shifted and did an admirable job but that along with other injuries and suspensions, it meant that guys were playing a tremendous amount of minutes per game. And it took it's toll. Come the end of the season there was nothing left in the tank.
Off the ice, this season has seen an increase in the average attendance, 35% up on the previous season. I hope that this will mean an increase in the budget available to the coaching staff which should be used to bring in some new British faces. The imports Fife sign are usually of a good standard, however we rely on them to do too much.
What hurts us is the lack of depth. Our third line gets regular ice time in 5 on 5 situations but if it's a tight game we have a tendency to drop to 2 lines. Meaning even more ice time for our imports.
Todd in a recent interview stated that lessons will be learnt. What we don't know is what these are? Once the roster has been assembled, we may get our first glimpse of whether or not lessons have been learned. How many new faces will we see? Will there be any new Brits in the squad to provide much needed depth?
To have any hope of success next season, we need to move away from the flash and flair and move toward a more blue collar team.
********************************************************************************************************
Huge thanks to Mark for his contribution, you can follow Mark on Twitter: @fifeflyersfan
Flyers fans what do you think? Is Mark correct in his assessment? If you would like to give your view on the past season or the crucial pre-season ahead please email me murdochhockeyblog@gmail.com
********************************************************************************************************
So, the sun has set on another Flyers season. While imports head back home, the fans have to now endure whatever delights Saturday night television throws at us.
I'm sure if you asked most Flyers fans, the 2014/15 season was a disappointment. Every season prior, Flyers had improved in some manner on the ice. This season, we took a step backwards. The one shining light in another wise poor season was our special teams. Ranked third on the power-play and second on the penalty kill.
In theory, signing much the same team as the prior season, with a couple of upgrades on paper, should have seen us hit the ground running. It was not to be however, as we started the way we always seem to start the season, poorly. Players turned up out of shape. Over the next few months, we went from highs of beating Belfast 6-1 in their own barn to losing 8-2 in our own barn to Braehead.
We had the same inconsistency issues in the 2013/14 season. That season however, we managed to find some of that much sought after consistency and put together a good series of wins.
This season, when we lost Chris Auger (who was our top scorer at the time) to injury, we should have sought out a replacement. We didn't. Guys double shifted and did an admirable job but that along with other injuries and suspensions, it meant that guys were playing a tremendous amount of minutes per game. And it took it's toll. Come the end of the season there was nothing left in the tank.
Off the ice, this season has seen an increase in the average attendance, 35% up on the previous season. I hope that this will mean an increase in the budget available to the coaching staff which should be used to bring in some new British faces. The imports Fife sign are usually of a good standard, however we rely on them to do too much.
What hurts us is the lack of depth. Our third line gets regular ice time in 5 on 5 situations but if it's a tight game we have a tendency to drop to 2 lines. Meaning even more ice time for our imports.
Todd in a recent interview stated that lessons will be learnt. What we don't know is what these are? Once the roster has been assembled, we may get our first glimpse of whether or not lessons have been learned. How many new faces will we see? Will there be any new Brits in the squad to provide much needed depth?
To have any hope of success next season, we need to move away from the flash and flair and move toward a more blue collar team.
********************************************************************************************************
Huge thanks to Mark for his contribution, you can follow Mark on Twitter: @fifeflyersfan
Flyers fans what do you think? Is Mark correct in his assessment? If you would like to give your view on the past season or the crucial pre-season ahead please email me murdochhockeyblog@gmail.com
Thursday, 16 April 2015
NHL: The Magic Number
Hockey is a game of numbers, in the NHL the numbers mean
everything. The most famous number is 99, 'the Great One' Wayne Gretzky adorned
these double digits through 21 NHL seasons, before retiring in 1999. His 1487
regular season games, 894 goals and 1963 assists totalling a remarkable 2857
points remains the benchmark for every player to ever grace the ice. There are
so many incredible numbers in the NHL, but what is the magic number?
1917 marked the inaugural season of the
NHL, in the 98 years that have followed the number of teams have chopped and
changed. From 1917-1935, long before the 'Original 6' franchises, 9 additional
teams (5 franchises) would compete in the league alongside New York Rangers,
Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings, Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens
and Boston Bruins.
1967 would mark the expansion of the NHL
and the introduction of 6 new franchises: California Seals and Minnesota North
Stars (who, through a series of relocations and a merger would both eventually
become the Dallas Stars), Los Angeles Kings, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh
Penguins and St Louis Blues. 1967 would also mark the final year that the
Toronto Maple Leafs would win the Stanley Cup. A shame for a fan base that the Hockey News ranked as number
1 in a 2014 poll. It would also mark the first season that the
NHL would see a man by the name of William Scott 'Scotty' Bowman - we'll get to
him later.
From 1970-1992 the league would grow from
12 to 22 franchises merging with the WHA for the beginning of the 1979 season.
51 year old Gordie Howe would adorn his famous number 9 jersey in the NHL for
the final time that season, while an 18 year old Wayne Gretzky would embark on
his first season. Both would play 80 games, Howe scored 15 goals finishing his
career with 801, Gretzky would score 51 goals - well on his way to surpassing
Howe and all that stood before him.
From 1992 through to the present day the
team count would rise from 22 to the 30 that we all know now. This era is
perhaps most marred by the 2004-05 lockout season that lead to the NHL missing
an entire season for the first time in 88 years - even World War 2 didn't halt
the league. All in, the lockout would last 10 months and 6 days. At this point
a new set of numbers would be introduced to NHL fandom, namely the Salary Cap.
Linked to league revenue, the cap was designed to protect teams from losing
money (a reported $273million lost in 2002-03 season) and also to prevent
players being overpaid. Remember that, the Cap was to prevent salaries getting
out of hand - the compliance buyouts allowed after the partial lockout in
2012-13 (in which the 82 game season was reduced to 48) may say otherwise!
Numbers like cap-hit and annual average (AAV) became so important. The idea
that teams hire 'capologists' to balance the books and to be a General Manager
you are better to be a lawyer or an accountant than ex-player or a scout. Ilya
Kovalchuk, Henrik Zetterberg, Johan Franzen and Marian Hossa (among others)
signed long term deals in order for the team to factor in a lower cap hit to
allow them to remain competitive. Sidney Crosby born 7th August 1987 (8/7/87 in
American date nomenclature) wears the 87 jersey with pride, guess what his cap
hit is..... that's right $8.7million.
In recent years, the study of the game
have ramped up. The introduction of analytics to game have revolutionized the
way that the game is looked at. The numbers are being crunched to break down
the performance of teams and individuals alike. The Corsi numbers are a measure
of shots for and against a team while a player is on the ice, it is used as a
guide for puck possession. A player with a high Corsi number will indicate that
his team is possession more often than not when he is on the ice. The use of
such data allows scouts, general managers and coaches to better use their
roster. Numbers rule in the NHL, but some coaches will say that you can't
measure heart, desire and stick-to-itiveness (whatever that is).
The thing is: goals and games; shots and
salaries mean nothing, there is only 1 thing that matters in the NHL that is
the Stanley Cup. First awarded in 1893, the Stanley Cup was originally rewarded
to the winner of challenge matches. The annual award of the cup did not start
until 1915, with multiple challenges occurring the 22 years that preceded this.
Indeed in 1908, the cup was awarded on 5 occasions - each time the Montreal
Wanderers were victorious. In the NHL era, the Montreal Canadiens lead the way
having won the cup on 23 occasions - having also won in 1916, in the National
Hockey Association - their 24 cups are far and away the most won. With 24 finals
appearances and 11 cup wins the Detroit Red Wings rank second, although the
Toronto Maple Leafs have won 13 in 21 final appearances. The Leafs have 1
season if they do not wish to match the 49 years that the Chicago Blackhawks
went between cup wins (1961-2010). With 17 wins, Jean Beliveau has won the most
cups individually - 10 as a player and 7 as an executive with the Montreal
Canadiens. From 1973 to 1979, the Canadiens would win 5 cups, their coach was
Scotty Bowman. Bowman would win a further 2 with the Pittsburgh Penguins, a
further four with the Red Wings and two with the Blackhawks - totalling 13 cups
over 40 years.
If the Stanley Cup is the Holy Grail and
reigns supreme, then what is the NHL's magic number? 30 teams start the season
with 82 games ahead of them. Of the 30 teams 16 teams will embark on a playoff
run. 8 of 16 teams from the East and 8 of 14 in the West will vie for Lord
Stanley's Cup. At the beginning of the playoffs all 16 teams look eagerly at
the prospect of 4 best of 7 series. A slog that will only end when a team
reaches 4 wins. After the 1st round the victorious team's reward is that they
get to do it all again. All in, a team will need to win 16 times through 4
rounds in order to reach the euphoria of lifting the greatest trophy in sports.
So, 30 times battle to be one of 16 to chase the cup through the playoffs. First
to 16 wins will taste glory? What is the NHL's magic number? It's 16.
Tuesday, 14 April 2015
GB against Estonia: Post-match
With the late drama of yesterday's victory over Croatia still sinking in, Team GB were once again in action in Eindhoven. Today's opposition were the lowest ranked Estonia - fresh from a 7:3 defeat at the hands of ex-Panther, Jim Paek's South Korea. Estonia were keen to eliminate the memories of this loss and Team GB were hoping to build on the impressive victory over the loaded Croatian team.
The first period started in a frenetic manner with both teams looking to assert their authority. The Estonians would have the better of the opening minutes going on the powerplay twice in quick succession. Robert Dowd called for a weak hooking call and Matt Haywood being called for interference, for what at first glance looked like a clean hit. The transition from EIHL play to IIHF refs is not something that GB have coped with so far. Team GB would see some powerplay time, moving the puck around the zone well but - in what is seeming a flaw in powerplay system - Estonia's Robert Rooba got a breakaway. The defense tried admirably to disrupt the huge body of Rooba, the referee would rule that this disruption was unfair and a penalty shot was awarded. Rooba would pull an excellent move, however, Ben Bowns stood tall and kept the game even.
Shortly after this, Team GB opened the scoring through Davey Phillips. A quick transition from end to end resulted in a deserved lead. The ageless Jonathan Weaver playing the cross-ice pass for Phillips to rocket passed the netminder from the right-hand side. The opening four goals from GB all going to defensmen, but this was not through a lack of trying from the forward corps. The line of Robert Dowd, Matthew Myers and Robert Farmer putting immense pressure on the net of Roman Shumukhin. The first period ended with a too many men call against GB, which thankfully did not yield a goal from the man advantage for Estonia. While Team GB played a physical game that the Estonians cowered from, goalscorer Davey Phillips was lucky not to get called on a check to the head on Roman Andrejev.
The second period would continue with Team GB playing heavy on the forecheck. The energy line of Prince, Garside and Boxill were effective as they piled chances on Roman Shumukhin's net in the early moments of the period. This pressure would continue as Pete Russell's men looked for an insurance marker. The Andrei Makrov breakaway served as a reminder of the danger of the Estonian top line, although despite the high energy Team GB couldn't make their territory count. In the final 10 minutes of the period a Ben O'Connor turnover lead to Robert Rooba finishing through a screen from the high slot as the Estonian top line were rewarded with a goal for their efforts.
With a 20 minute game and all to play for, Team GB redoubled their efforts to get the three points that they deserved. The top line of Robert Dowd, Matthew Myers and Robert Farmer were involved in almost every good chance in the final stanza, as the excellent Jonathan Weaver and Ben O'Connor continued to be influential on the blue line. At 54:10 the top line's effort would pay off with Robert Farmer shovelling home the rebound from Weaver's shot. The goal came on a delayed penalty and GB with the sixth attacker took full advantage. The desire that Pete Russell has talked about shone through as the players dug deep to take advantage of the extra skater. The final minutes would play out with Estonia desperately looking for an equaliser in the same manner that GB did in the game before against Croatia. Alas, there were no late heroics from the men from the Baltics. Team GB played an aggressive high fore-check forcing the Estonians in to their zone. Indeed, they may have added another if icing had not been called late on as Jonathan Boxill raced all alone in to the zone chasing the loose puck. Not perhaps the goal-fest that some expected but a vital and well deserved 3 points.
The first period started in a frenetic manner with both teams looking to assert their authority. The Estonians would have the better of the opening minutes going on the powerplay twice in quick succession. Robert Dowd called for a weak hooking call and Matt Haywood being called for interference, for what at first glance looked like a clean hit. The transition from EIHL play to IIHF refs is not something that GB have coped with so far. Team GB would see some powerplay time, moving the puck around the zone well but - in what is seeming a flaw in powerplay system - Estonia's Robert Rooba got a breakaway. The defense tried admirably to disrupt the huge body of Rooba, the referee would rule that this disruption was unfair and a penalty shot was awarded. Rooba would pull an excellent move, however, Ben Bowns stood tall and kept the game even.
Shortly after this, Team GB opened the scoring through Davey Phillips. A quick transition from end to end resulted in a deserved lead. The ageless Jonathan Weaver playing the cross-ice pass for Phillips to rocket passed the netminder from the right-hand side. The opening four goals from GB all going to defensmen, but this was not through a lack of trying from the forward corps. The line of Robert Dowd, Matthew Myers and Robert Farmer putting immense pressure on the net of Roman Shumukhin. The first period ended with a too many men call against GB, which thankfully did not yield a goal from the man advantage for Estonia. While Team GB played a physical game that the Estonians cowered from, goalscorer Davey Phillips was lucky not to get called on a check to the head on Roman Andrejev.
The second period would continue with Team GB playing heavy on the forecheck. The energy line of Prince, Garside and Boxill were effective as they piled chances on Roman Shumukhin's net in the early moments of the period. This pressure would continue as Pete Russell's men looked for an insurance marker. The Andrei Makrov breakaway served as a reminder of the danger of the Estonian top line, although despite the high energy Team GB couldn't make their territory count. In the final 10 minutes of the period a Ben O'Connor turnover lead to Robert Rooba finishing through a screen from the high slot as the Estonian top line were rewarded with a goal for their efforts.
With a 20 minute game and all to play for, Team GB redoubled their efforts to get the three points that they deserved. The top line of Robert Dowd, Matthew Myers and Robert Farmer were involved in almost every good chance in the final stanza, as the excellent Jonathan Weaver and Ben O'Connor continued to be influential on the blue line. At 54:10 the top line's effort would pay off with Robert Farmer shovelling home the rebound from Weaver's shot. The goal came on a delayed penalty and GB with the sixth attacker took full advantage. The desire that Pete Russell has talked about shone through as the players dug deep to take advantage of the extra skater. The final minutes would play out with Estonia desperately looking for an equaliser in the same manner that GB did in the game before against Croatia. Alas, there were no late heroics from the men from the Baltics. Team GB played an aggressive high fore-check forcing the Estonians in to their zone. Indeed, they may have added another if icing had not been called late on as Jonathan Boxill raced all alone in to the zone chasing the loose puck. Not perhaps the goal-fest that some expected but a vital and well deserved 3 points.
Friday, 27 March 2015
Flyers Year in Review: October
Patrick Modiano won the Nobel Prize for Literature in October 2014, and as you continue to read this article you will realise the selection committee probably made the correct decision. October would prove to be a mixed bag of results, with both some incredible wins and agonizingly close losses. In total, the Flyers would play nine games in this month - including a rare three game weekend.
The month began with a Challenge Cup double header against the Edinburgh Capitals. The first encounter resulted in a 5-1 victory at Fife Ice Arena:
This is a great opening win in the series between the long-time rivals. This would be a perfect example of what is a quintessential meeting of the two teams in Kirkcaldy. Flyers had a swagger and carefree nature to their game, and the Capitals showed that self-destruct nature that they possess. The second period of the game shows this in abundance conceding 3 goals in the space of three minutes. This is something the Flyers are adept at taking advantage of at home, Hiadlovsky looks like a world beater one moment and then loses his focus when he concedes. Josh Scoon picked up another goal in the absence of Matt Reber, clearly taking advantage of the extra ice-time he has been afforded. A number of fans will argue that someone like Stephen Gunn or Allan Anderson deserved more ice time but the fact is that during this spell Scoon put numbers on the board. Incidentally, please leave your comments below if you wish to weigh in on this.
This game was also the first time Fife fans got a look at Riley Emmerson, his unique frame and skating style certainly made him stick out. Although, he certainly wasn't the player I had expected him to be, or rather his phantom ten match ban at the start of the season created an image that he didn't live up to. One player who came with a reputation and lived up it was Josh Grimaldi - we'll get to him in more detail later in the series. Ned Lukacevic chirping him was a great example of getting someone to bite and he really coaxed Grimaldi in to the game misconduct - this would have been perfect if Ned hadn't talked himself in to a 10 minute misconduct and then another 10 on his next shift. Ned has coaxed players in to throwing punches at him before, most notably Jonathan Phillips in March last season:
The video doesn't show it, but it did happened - honest. Finally, I said in the Flyers Year in Review: September that I'm not a fan of fighting but being a sponsor of Kyle Haines' stick if someone breaks it - they need to answer for that.
The following night in Murrayfield the game would be a completely different animal, with the Flyers grinding out a 2-1 shootout win and this would afford the Flyers the first shootout win. Bobby Chaumont converted his 6th shootout goal which tied Tim Hartung with most goals in the shootout. Since joining the Elite League, the Flyers and Capitals have met 8 times. Edinburgh won the first 4 encounters but have not yielded a victory since October 2012.
The following week, the Flyers would first head to Braehead on the Friday and one of the few 3 game weekends. In order to cope with the extra workload, the Flyers were lucky to welcome back wounded pair Kyle Horne and Matt Reber. The game in Glasgow finished with a narrow 4-3 defeat:
A really close game, that for a while looked to have given Jamie Milam his first goal as a Flyer, although the goal was rightly given to Danny Stewart. The Flyers have played 3 of their 34 matches against the Clan in October losing all 3. In the process the Flyers have scored 10 and conceded 15. The last two meetings have acted both league and cup games (20/10/2012 and 10/10/2014). I know that these games are due to scheduling issues and given Braehead's attendances this year they don't necessarily need another game, but I often feel too much ride on these games. Especially when you consider the weekend that this game fell on, in essence the Flyers are playing for 8 points in the space of three days.
This was the second meeting of the season between the two Gardiner rivals, and although there was zero points gained the result was largely positive. Given the dominant win in September and the close game here, there was a wave of optimism throughout the Fife Ice Arena. As the weekend would continue this wave would continue to gather pace.
Saturday's match was a trip down to Nottingham and an incredible shootout victory:
Not for the first time, the Flyers allowed goals through failure to clear the zone, although there was nothing they could do about the powerplay goal. The three goals the Flyers scored in the regulation showed great perseverance and the two penalty shots showed the class that this roster possesses. In scoring the decisive goal in the shootout, Ned Lukacevic would embark on a remarkable run of success in the shootout. While Bobby Chaumont became the Flyers the all-time top scorer in the shootout - a title he briefly held in 2013 before Tim Hartung got on a bit of roll:
The addition of Ned Lukacevic a week later would make the the Flyers a formidable force in the shootout.
Anyway, back to October 2014 Fife would close off their weekend with a home game against the opposition from the previous night, the Nottingham Panthers:
The Flyers lost narrowly, as they just ran out of steam after the 125 minutes of hockey the previous nights. The opening goal from Matt Reber was exceptional, the weighted pass from Lukacevic was perfect and shows the real chemistry that the two players possess. The equalising goal from the Panthers was another example of failing to clear the zone, and the credit for the winning goal must go to Matt Nickerson who proved to be an excellent screen in front on Kevin Regan. You hear the calls from the fans insulting Greg Jacina but he scored on that play - goals are more important than fights.
The long weekend coming to an end and three points to show for it against very strong opposition was an undoubted success. Todd's post match comments summed up the weekend, the effort of the players was huge. Once again though, Todd talked about the team clicking and settling in, bear in mind that only 3 members of the roster had not played together last season. The issue with allowing breakaways will continue to haunt the club in the coming weeks, although Kevin Regan will stand tall for most of them With the exception of the two games over this weekend, the Flyers and the Panthers have only met once in October - a 5-3 defeat at the Fife Ice Arena in 2012.
The following Friday, Fife would play their third of four meetings with the Coventry Blaze. Despite Blaze conceding 91 goals away from home in two meetings the Flyers only managed a solitary marker. This time the game would go to overtime, and guess who scored the winner? That guy again, Rory Rawlyk. Rawlyk in his 18 months in the UK was a true thorn in the side of the Flyers. At the time of him scoring he had two goals, both against Fife:
You'll notice that the Flyers had some different attire, this was all in aid of Cancer Research UK raising an incredible amount of money:
The root cause of this awesome amount is the jersey auction, the star attraction at the auction was naturally that of Matt Nickerson's:
The following night, the Flyers would made the short journey north over the Tay to face the Dundee Stars. Although, this is the third time the clubs had met, it was the first league game of the year:
An early contender for goal of the season from Danny Stewart as he ghosts through 4 Dundee players and slots passed Marc Cheverie to make it 2-1. Stars then score two impressive powerplay goals through Rob Ricci to gain the lead in the third period. Just after the Flyers make it 3-3, Tommy Muir is assessed 2+10 for checking to the head. The subsequent penalty kill would once again produce a goal of the season contender. Captain Kyle Haines blocks a shot in his own end and then skates the full length of the ice to score to make it 4-3. Although Haines admits the shot was a mis-hit it was a remarkable effort.
Muir's hit would incur further action from the Department of Player Safety (DoPS). A further example of the Flyers inability to clear the zone. Muir extends his elbow and catches Chris Blight in a reckless manner and is deserving of his punishment:
Muir would miss three games through suspension.
The following weekend, the Stars (minus the injured Blight) would face off against the Flyers (minus Muir) in Kirkcaldy. For the second time this season, the Flyers would lay down a marker to their Gardiner Conference opposition. A second shutout of the season for Kevin Regan, produced a 5-0 win and would breed confidence for the upcoming games:
The Flyers open the scoring through the resilience of Danny Stewart and then in an incredible sequence that lasts 30 seconds - where no Dundee player touches the puck - Ned Lukacevic makes it two. Both goals come on the powerplay after an awful hit by Brad Plumpton on Josh Sccon. Further goals from Chaumont and Lukacevic showed the impeccable ability to score on the counter attack.
Once again, the Flyers would feel the wrath of DoPS, this time Jordan Fulton's foolish cross-check earns him a 2 match ban:
There really is no argument here, the loss of Fulton would prove costly.
Post match, Todd praised the team for getting the win and reserved special praise for man of the match Euan Forsyth who stepped up in the absence of Thomas Muir:
The Flyers and the Stars have met on 4 occasions in October, Fife winning three of these contests at a score differential of 11-6.
The final game of the month saw the Flyers travel to Humberside to play the Hull Stingrays for the first time this season. Those of you who read my article in the Flyers Matchnight Programme will know that I am obsessed with the record between the Flyers and Stingrays. Prior to this game, the Flyers had played each other 16 times in the Gardiner Conference (since 2012/13 season), of these game both Hull and Fife won 8 games (7 at home, 1 away from home). With that in mind, guess what happened this time? Yep, a home win for Hull in a closely fought contest:
This was the fourth meeting between the two sides in October, Hull winning on every occasion.
This is the second in the series of Flyers Year in Review, you can still read the first in the series Flyers Year in Review: September clicking here
Read the final Flyers Weekend Update of the season here.
Please leave your comments below on your memories of the Flyers in October.
Follow us twitter: @murdochhockey
The month began with a Challenge Cup double header against the Edinburgh Capitals. The first encounter resulted in a 5-1 victory at Fife Ice Arena:
This is a great opening win in the series between the long-time rivals. This would be a perfect example of what is a quintessential meeting of the two teams in Kirkcaldy. Flyers had a swagger and carefree nature to their game, and the Capitals showed that self-destruct nature that they possess. The second period of the game shows this in abundance conceding 3 goals in the space of three minutes. This is something the Flyers are adept at taking advantage of at home, Hiadlovsky looks like a world beater one moment and then loses his focus when he concedes. Josh Scoon picked up another goal in the absence of Matt Reber, clearly taking advantage of the extra ice-time he has been afforded. A number of fans will argue that someone like Stephen Gunn or Allan Anderson deserved more ice time but the fact is that during this spell Scoon put numbers on the board. Incidentally, please leave your comments below if you wish to weigh in on this.
This game was also the first time Fife fans got a look at Riley Emmerson, his unique frame and skating style certainly made him stick out. Although, he certainly wasn't the player I had expected him to be, or rather his phantom ten match ban at the start of the season created an image that he didn't live up to. One player who came with a reputation and lived up it was Josh Grimaldi - we'll get to him in more detail later in the series. Ned Lukacevic chirping him was a great example of getting someone to bite and he really coaxed Grimaldi in to the game misconduct - this would have been perfect if Ned hadn't talked himself in to a 10 minute misconduct and then another 10 on his next shift. Ned has coaxed players in to throwing punches at him before, most notably Jonathan Phillips in March last season:
The video doesn't show it, but it did happened - honest. Finally, I said in the Flyers Year in Review: September that I'm not a fan of fighting but being a sponsor of Kyle Haines' stick if someone breaks it - they need to answer for that.
The following night in Murrayfield the game would be a completely different animal, with the Flyers grinding out a 2-1 shootout win and this would afford the Flyers the first shootout win. Bobby Chaumont converted his 6th shootout goal which tied Tim Hartung with most goals in the shootout. Since joining the Elite League, the Flyers and Capitals have met 8 times. Edinburgh won the first 4 encounters but have not yielded a victory since October 2012.
The following week, the Flyers would first head to Braehead on the Friday and one of the few 3 game weekends. In order to cope with the extra workload, the Flyers were lucky to welcome back wounded pair Kyle Horne and Matt Reber. The game in Glasgow finished with a narrow 4-3 defeat:
A really close game, that for a while looked to have given Jamie Milam his first goal as a Flyer, although the goal was rightly given to Danny Stewart. The Flyers have played 3 of their 34 matches against the Clan in October losing all 3. In the process the Flyers have scored 10 and conceded 15. The last two meetings have acted both league and cup games (20/10/2012 and 10/10/2014). I know that these games are due to scheduling issues and given Braehead's attendances this year they don't necessarily need another game, but I often feel too much ride on these games. Especially when you consider the weekend that this game fell on, in essence the Flyers are playing for 8 points in the space of three days.
This was the second meeting of the season between the two Gardiner rivals, and although there was zero points gained the result was largely positive. Given the dominant win in September and the close game here, there was a wave of optimism throughout the Fife Ice Arena. As the weekend would continue this wave would continue to gather pace.
Saturday's match was a trip down to Nottingham and an incredible shootout victory:
Not for the first time, the Flyers allowed goals through failure to clear the zone, although there was nothing they could do about the powerplay goal. The three goals the Flyers scored in the regulation showed great perseverance and the two penalty shots showed the class that this roster possesses. In scoring the decisive goal in the shootout, Ned Lukacevic would embark on a remarkable run of success in the shootout. While Bobby Chaumont became the Flyers the all-time top scorer in the shootout - a title he briefly held in 2013 before Tim Hartung got on a bit of roll:
The addition of Ned Lukacevic a week later would make the the Flyers a formidable force in the shootout.
Anyway, back to October 2014 Fife would close off their weekend with a home game against the opposition from the previous night, the Nottingham Panthers:
The Flyers lost narrowly, as they just ran out of steam after the 125 minutes of hockey the previous nights. The opening goal from Matt Reber was exceptional, the weighted pass from Lukacevic was perfect and shows the real chemistry that the two players possess. The equalising goal from the Panthers was another example of failing to clear the zone, and the credit for the winning goal must go to Matt Nickerson who proved to be an excellent screen in front on Kevin Regan. You hear the calls from the fans insulting Greg Jacina but he scored on that play - goals are more important than fights.
The long weekend coming to an end and three points to show for it against very strong opposition was an undoubted success. Todd's post match comments summed up the weekend, the effort of the players was huge. Once again though, Todd talked about the team clicking and settling in, bear in mind that only 3 members of the roster had not played together last season. The issue with allowing breakaways will continue to haunt the club in the coming weeks, although Kevin Regan will stand tall for most of them With the exception of the two games over this weekend, the Flyers and the Panthers have only met once in October - a 5-3 defeat at the Fife Ice Arena in 2012.
The following Friday, Fife would play their third of four meetings with the Coventry Blaze. Despite Blaze conceding 91 goals away from home in two meetings the Flyers only managed a solitary marker. This time the game would go to overtime, and guess who scored the winner? That guy again, Rory Rawlyk. Rawlyk in his 18 months in the UK was a true thorn in the side of the Flyers. At the time of him scoring he had two goals, both against Fife:
You'll notice that the Flyers had some different attire, this was all in aid of Cancer Research UK raising an incredible amount of money:
Outstanding effort by @fifeflyers fans raising £7000 for breast cancer on #rinkpink night - pics in Thursday's @ffp
— FifeFreePressEd (@FifeFreePressEd) October 19, 2014
The root cause of this awesome amount is the jersey auction, the star attraction at the auction was naturally that of Matt Nickerson's:
The #rinkpink jersey worn by @fifeflyers Matt Nickerson just went for £670 - blew 'em out the ballpark! pic.twitter.com/oKHL5nB4Ga
— FifeFreePressEd (@FifeFreePressEd) October 17, 2014
The following night, the Flyers would made the short journey north over the Tay to face the Dundee Stars. Although, this is the third time the clubs had met, it was the first league game of the year:
An early contender for goal of the season from Danny Stewart as he ghosts through 4 Dundee players and slots passed Marc Cheverie to make it 2-1. Stars then score two impressive powerplay goals through Rob Ricci to gain the lead in the third period. Just after the Flyers make it 3-3, Tommy Muir is assessed 2+10 for checking to the head. The subsequent penalty kill would once again produce a goal of the season contender. Captain Kyle Haines blocks a shot in his own end and then skates the full length of the ice to score to make it 4-3. Although Haines admits the shot was a mis-hit it was a remarkable effort.
Muir's hit would incur further action from the Department of Player Safety (DoPS). A further example of the Flyers inability to clear the zone. Muir extends his elbow and catches Chris Blight in a reckless manner and is deserving of his punishment:
Muir would miss three games through suspension.
The following weekend, the Stars (minus the injured Blight) would face off against the Flyers (minus Muir) in Kirkcaldy. For the second time this season, the Flyers would lay down a marker to their Gardiner Conference opposition. A second shutout of the season for Kevin Regan, produced a 5-0 win and would breed confidence for the upcoming games:
The Flyers open the scoring through the resilience of Danny Stewart and then in an incredible sequence that lasts 30 seconds - where no Dundee player touches the puck - Ned Lukacevic makes it two. Both goals come on the powerplay after an awful hit by Brad Plumpton on Josh Sccon. Further goals from Chaumont and Lukacevic showed the impeccable ability to score on the counter attack.
Once again, the Flyers would feel the wrath of DoPS, this time Jordan Fulton's foolish cross-check earns him a 2 match ban:
There really is no argument here, the loss of Fulton would prove costly.
Post match, Todd praised the team for getting the win and reserved special praise for man of the match Euan Forsyth who stepped up in the absence of Thomas Muir:
The Flyers and the Stars have met on 4 occasions in October, Fife winning three of these contests at a score differential of 11-6.
The final game of the month saw the Flyers travel to Humberside to play the Hull Stingrays for the first time this season. Those of you who read my article in the Flyers Matchnight Programme will know that I am obsessed with the record between the Flyers and Stingrays. Prior to this game, the Flyers had played each other 16 times in the Gardiner Conference (since 2012/13 season), of these game both Hull and Fife won 8 games (7 at home, 1 away from home). With that in mind, guess what happened this time? Yep, a home win for Hull in a closely fought contest:
This was the fourth meeting between the two sides in October, Hull winning on every occasion.
The NHL season opened to much fanfare in October, and if the
EIHL players think they have a tough schedule they should consider their
counterparts across the Atlantic. Using the Flyers as an example, they will
play 60 games (league and cup) between 6th September 2014 and 22nd
March 2015, a total of 198 days meaning a game every 3.3 days. An NHL team will
play 82 games between 8th October 2014 and 11th April
2015, a total of 186 days meaning that
in addition to logging an average of 41,390 airmiles (2013-14 season) they also
have to play a game on average every 2.26 days.
This is the second in the series of Flyers Year in Review, you can still read the first in the series Flyers Year in Review: September clicking here
Read the final Flyers Weekend Update of the season here.
Please leave your comments below on your memories of the Flyers in October.
Follow us twitter: @murdochhockey
Flyers Weekend Update 27/3/2014
So here we are, it's quite possibly the final time this season that I will have the chance to do one of these. Thought I would jump at the chance. At the end of a season that produced 5-1-0-2 record in the Challenge Cup and finished with a 22-27-0-3 record in the league, the Flyers find themselves in the final playoff place. Who are the opposition this weekend? Only the newly crowned league champions who are vying for a playoff win to match what they earned last season.
I know I'm obsessed with this but I posed this question on Twitter the other day:
Since the conference system was introduced, is there a more even match up?
In the 4 games between both sides this season, the Steelers have come out on top on every occasion. The season opener was a tense affair, with the Flyers coming close in a 6-5 shootout loss. The game was notable for Josh Scoon's excellent solo effort to open the scoring:
The following night, the steelers showed their strength running out 8-1 winners in what stands as the biggest defeat of the season:
Mind you the Flyers weren't the only team to fall at the hands of Matthieu Roy and co, look what they did to the excellent Cardiff Devils in what was a title showdown:
The Flyers will hope that their luck at the Motorpoint takes more the form of their visit in the 2013/14 season:
Rather than the final visit this season, which was a 6-1 loss. In two visits to the Steel City the Flyers have been outscored at a rate of 14-2:
First though the Flyers need to perform in Kirkcaldy against opposition that have proven difficult to play against:
The Flyers will only be effective with all players pushing for the win so need to avoid any moments of madness like this:
Todd Dutiaume was in defiant mood in the weeks Fife Free Press:
WE CAN BREAK STEEL - @FifeFlyers look for play-off magic http://t.co/pIQED7xGkN
— Matthew Elder (@mattelder_ffp) March 26, 2015
The Flyers have revelled in the past as the underdog. In fact some of the close results going the wrong way are perhaps the end-product of no longer being the underdog. There has certainly been a change in expectations this season, with potentially just 120 minutes left in the season the siege mentality of previous years may need to make a return. If we need an example of what this mentality can produce, we only need to look at the game in early 2012/13 season where a Kris Hogg hattrick inspired the Flyers to victory:
Allan Crowe of the Fife Free Press has chronicled the history of the Flyers and the Steelers in an excellent read:
ICE HOCKEY: The day @steelershockey first swaggered into @fifeflyers rink - & how we loathed them! http://t.co/9I50VZghXR
— FifeFreePressEd (@FifeFreePressEd) March 26, 2015
They are a team that have winning at their heart and will be a formidable opposition for the Flyers this weekend. Just remember what we did in the playoffs last year! The Steelers are not the only team with winning at their heart!
The Flyers had their annual award ceremony at the Bay Hotel. Congratulations to all the award winners:
An interesting stat was revealed today as the season came to a close:
The Flyers have always been effective on the penalty kill, but the addition of Jamie Milam and Chris Auger has added a great dimension to the powerplay. Special teams are something that requires a lot of attention and coaching, I think congratulations are in order for both Todd Dutiaume and Danny Stewart.
Further congratulaions to Flyers fan, Paul Walker, who suited up in a Carolina Hurricanes Alumni match:
This is very cool.
Check out this team pic from last nights End of Season Awards Night! @Cakehaus thanks for the cake!! http://t.co/xBUkyIVzuB
— Fife Flyers (@FifeFlyers) March 26, 2015
FIFE FLYERS AWARDS WINNERS REVEALED - http://t.co/hlf204xZOx
— Fife Flyers (@FifeFlyers) March 25, 2015
An interesting stat was revealed today as the season came to a close:
STAT: Top in EIHL Special Teams: Fife Flyers (ranked 2 in PP and 2 in PK) @officialEIHL @EIHLstattos
— Fife Flyers (@FifeFlyers) March 25, 2015
The Flyers have always been effective on the penalty kill, but the addition of Jamie Milam and Chris Auger has added a great dimension to the powerplay. Special teams are something that requires a lot of attention and coaching, I think congratulations are in order for both Todd Dutiaume and Danny Stewart.
Further congratulaions to Flyers fan, Paul Walker, who suited up in a Carolina Hurricanes Alumni match:
The fourth annual #CanesAlumni Game attracted international participation → STORY: http://t.co/svigLbaQdM pic.twitter.com/IlTcSGGBZR
— Carolina Hurricanes (@NHLCanes) March 23, 2015
This is very cool.
I know I'm obsessed with this but I posed this question on Twitter the other day:
.@FifeFlyers vs @HullStingrays is there a more even matchup in @officialEIHL? Here's record from 2012-15 #flyersfacts pic.twitter.com/pDYG9szNwj
— Murdoch Hockey Blog (@murdochhockey) March 24, 2015
Since the conference system was introduced, is there a more even match up?
And finally...
Ned Lukacevic and Niko Suoraniemi visited St Johnstone Football Club and a familiar face in the form of Ross Cunnigham (former Community Officer for the club):
Both players are excited and happy to be the underdogs, playoff hockey can throw the form book out of the window. The guys have the Playoff Weekend in their sights and want a huge crowd this Saturday! These are exactly the sort of things that has been missing from the club's PR since his departure. It is great that we have managed to get one done before the end of the season.
EDIT: Chris Auger has echoed the confidence that Ned and Niko have shown, the manner of their defeat against Braehead has reinvigorated the team and they are ready for the challenges that the playoffs can bring:
Professional ice hockey players @nedluka and Niko Suoraniemi from @FifeFlyers visited @St_Johnstone_FC this afternoon pic.twitter.com/YOcF0mhjTp
— Official PerthSaints (@St_Johnstone_FC) March 26, 2015
VIDEO | Ned Lukacevic and Nico Suoraniemi 'really excited' ahead of Saturday's play off quarter final vs. Sheffield https://t.co/6m5xLE7NFq
— Ross Cunningham (@RCunninghamSJFC) March 26, 2015
Both players are excited and happy to be the underdogs, playoff hockey can throw the form book out of the window. The guys have the Playoff Weekend in their sights and want a huge crowd this Saturday! These are exactly the sort of things that has been missing from the club's PR since his departure. It is great that we have managed to get one done before the end of the season.
EDIT: Chris Auger has echoed the confidence that Ned and Niko have shown, the manner of their defeat against Braehead has reinvigorated the team and they are ready for the challenges that the playoffs can bring:
PLAY-OFF COUNTDOWN: @fifeflyers Chris Auger confident ahead of Sheffield showdown http://t.co/XJYrfIn7Lo
— FifeFreePressEd (@FifeFreePressEd) March 27, 2015
For live updates on Saturday follow: @hockey_laura, @matthewelder_ffp and @fifefreepressed
For live updates on Sunday follow: @hockey_laura
For live updates on what's happening at Nandos follow: @capsbanterarmy
Check out Flyers Year in Review: September, the first in series of a look at the Flyers season. The next in the series Flyers Year in Review: October will be published later today. Read Laura Duff (@hockey_laura) and Andrew Frames' (@aframe88) reviews of the season next week at Murdoch's Hockey Blog.
Follow us on Twitter: @murdochhockey
Monday, 23 March 2015
Flyers Year in Review: September
After a remarkable run that saw the Fife Flyers win 13 from their last 17 league games and the ensuing playoff run, it was safe to say that hopes were high when entering the 2014/15 season in Kirkcaldy. The playoff quarter final win over longtime rivals, the Dundee Stars and the visit to the Playoff Finals Weekend in Nottingham (or "Scottingham") proved that there was a great deal of talent in the ranks of Fife Ice Arena. As a result, the annual rebuild of the roster, would prove to be easier than in previous seasons for Todd Dutiaume and Danny Stewart. Gone were Tim Hartung, Justin DaCosta and Derek Roehl (who defected west to Braehead) and in came Chris Auger, Scott Fleming and Jamie Milam. On paper, these were strong additions to the roster, with all other players from the 2013/14 campaign returning the EIHL would be trembling at the offensive potential of the boys in gold, white and blue, wouldn't they?
There was certainly a great deal of confidence amongst the ranks preseason:
The visit of Paul Thompson and the Aalborg Pirates was a perfect curtain raiser. Two games in late August prepared the team for the season ahead. A win on the Saturday (4-2), followed by a loss on the Sunday (8-3). After the games though, Todd Dutiaume (despite looking a bit like John Travolta) was happy with the outings from the players:
In the post-match debrief of the game on Sunday, Todd would note it was "good to how these guys losing a game" as September would begin he would get to see this perhaps more than he hoped.
The opening weekend, with promises of a 4-point weekend over the Coventry Blaze would produce zero. With an old foe in the form of Rory Rawlyk scoring the solitary goal on the Saturday. An opening night crowd of 2733 certainly shared a degree of disappointment but at the same time there was some optimism with the team.
Todd noted that the players were a bit rusty and perhaps weren't afforded the space required to be effective. He also pointed out that the crowd was loud when the players came out, this is hardly surprising as the crowd is much larger than previous seasons. In fact there were an extra 1200 fans in stands:
A loss the following night, once again at the hands of the Coventry Blaze would mean that for the third time in four seasons that the Flyers would yield no points. Only the 2012/13 season beat the trend, where a Jason Pitton inspired Flyers would attain the much yearned for 4-point weekend.
Since joining the Elite League, the Flyers have faced the Coventry Blaze 8 times in September. In this time they have won only one match, the shootout victory in 2012. Also, in this spell the Flyers have been blanked on 3 occasions. Although two of these were the opening Elite League contests in 2011.
Moving on from the disappointment of the opening weekend, the Flyers would face up against the Playoff Champions - the Sheffield Steelers. A shootout loss on the Saturday, would offer promise for the season ahead. Josh Scoon scored an excellent goal that would earn him some extra ice time in the weeks that would follow.
Ned Lukacevic once again showed his skills:
Todd Dutiaume was in an upbeat mood, despite the defeat:
In the game, Kyle Horne and Matt Reber would collide resulting in both players missing a large chunk of the season. A "gutsy" performance earned the team a point and they were unlucky to miss out on the win. The game would result in Tommy Muir stepping up and fighting, this would be the first of a number of fighting majors for Muir and Todd made the point to praise him for doing so. Muir was reacting to a hit by Mark Thomas on Danny Stewart, the hit itself would lead to a 1 match ban for Thomas and the Flyers first involvement with the Department of Player Safety (DoPS):
DoPS is something that will discussed at length later in the series, but I would be remiss not to discuss them now. While they are inherently controversial as they are responsible for judging something subjective as an absolute, they have an important role in the game in reducing reckless play in the game. This is something that has been immensely successful in the NHL, however, at this juncture I am not certain that current guise of cloak and daggers is the right set up. Nonetheless, with a few tweaks, there are all the makings for a reputable body.
If the loss at Fife Ice Arena was gutsy, the the loss that followed was gutless. An 8-1 loss stood as a stark reminder that the Sheffield Steelers are formidable opposition and they are relentless - Fife would not be the only team to realise this. These are the only games that Fife and Sheffield have shared in September, the hope is that any future fixtures in this month will have a distinctly different outcome.
Going without a win in the opening four games for the first time since 2011/12 season, the visit of the Dundee Stars proved to be huge blessing. In what would prove to be the only Flyers league game covered by Premier Sports, the Flyers pulled a 4-2 win out of the bag.
With a goal and two assists, the undoubted star of the night was Bobby Chaumont. Although, the entire team attacked admirably forcing EIHL rookie Marc Cheverie to make 31 saves. Cheverie would get his revenge the following night though, back stopping his team to a 2-1 overtime win. The Flyers and Dundee have played one another in 6 contests in September. The record stands as 2-2-1-1, however, three of these contests were friendlies and when it's cut down to the games that matter the Flyers have a 2-0-0-1 record.
The final weekend of September would prove to be the Flyers most successful weekend in their short EIHL history. With the visit of the Braehead Clan, the Flyers would pull off an impressive 4-0 win. Tying Kevin Regan with Bryan Pitton with two EIHL shutouts. The Clan have played at Fife Ice Arena in September on 4 occasions (one friendly and 3 in league/cup), Fife will hope that all matches between the two are scheduled for September in 2015 as they have won every game! In these four game the Flyers have scored 18 and limited the Clan to just 5, of which three of Braehead's goals were in the Autumn Cup of 2012.
The game would be an eventful one, with Matt Nickerson meeting Zack Fitzgerald for the first time.
The final blow from Nickerson appearing to knock Fitzgerald to the ground, but Fitzy cleared it all up for us:
I'm glad we got that sorted. I really don't care about the outcome of the fight. As regular readers may have noticed for a while, I have had an anti-fighting stance. It's always something that I've been uneasy with (granted, I did enjoy it) and as this season has progressed I have drifted further and further away from it.
The visit of Braehead saw the return of Derek Roehl and he had a brief reunion with his comedy partner from last season, Ned Lukacevic:
They also had a message for their most notable victim, Tim Hartung:
Todd Dutiaume would praise a "fantastic team effort" but was also keen to praise his opposite number Ryan Finnerty. Kevin Regan was fully deserving of his shutout and was able to keep the sheet clean despite a few defensive errors. The crowd is noted as being the biggest of the year, but the 2733 from the opening narrowly beats the 2693 in attendance.
The only way to follow up that win against the win at home, would be to beat the reining league champions in their own back yard....
HIGHLIGHTS - Sun 28 Sept - Belfast Giants vs Fife Flyers from Belfast Giants on Vimeo.
Two goals from Stephen Gunn and a remarkable 6-1 win in the Odyssey Arena. This would prove to be the biggest weekend of the year. With the Belfast game counting for both League and Cup points, Fife would win two games, gain 6 points, scoring 10 and conceding 1 in the process. The goal differential of 9 stands as the best in two win weekends, and was their twelfth all-time two win weekend in the EIHL. In 3 September contests between the Giants and the Flyers this resounding win is the first victory that the Flyers have tasted.
The Flyers earned a 3-3-0-2 record in September 2014, only the 5-2-0-0 record in the 2012/13 season stands as a better record. This season, the Flyers would light the lamp on 22 occasions, conceding 23 (if only we could have written off the 8-1 loss in Sheffield). Once again, the 2012/13 season yielded more goals (23) and only the 2011/12 season had more goals conceded (31).
This is the first in the series of Flyers Year in Review, the next in the series will be Flyers Year in Review: October.
There was certainly a great deal of confidence amongst the ranks preseason:
The visit of Paul Thompson and the Aalborg Pirates was a perfect curtain raiser. Two games in late August prepared the team for the season ahead. A win on the Saturday (4-2), followed by a loss on the Sunday (8-3). After the games though, Todd Dutiaume (despite looking a bit like John Travolta) was happy with the outings from the players:
In the post-match debrief of the game on Sunday, Todd would note it was "good to how these guys losing a game" as September would begin he would get to see this perhaps more than he hoped.
The opening weekend, with promises of a 4-point weekend over the Coventry Blaze would produce zero. With an old foe in the form of Rory Rawlyk scoring the solitary goal on the Saturday. An opening night crowd of 2733 certainly shared a degree of disappointment but at the same time there was some optimism with the team.
Todd noted that the players were a bit rusty and perhaps weren't afforded the space required to be effective. He also pointed out that the crowd was loud when the players came out, this is hardly surprising as the crowd is much larger than previous seasons. In fact there were an extra 1200 fans in stands:
The increased numbers are remarkable, as this series continues the increased attendances will continue to be a trend.
A loss the following night, once again at the hands of the Coventry Blaze would mean that for the third time in four seasons that the Flyers would yield no points. Only the 2012/13 season beat the trend, where a Jason Pitton inspired Flyers would attain the much yearned for 4-point weekend.
Since joining the Elite League, the Flyers have faced the Coventry Blaze 8 times in September. In this time they have won only one match, the shootout victory in 2012. Also, in this spell the Flyers have been blanked on 3 occasions. Although two of these were the opening Elite League contests in 2011.
Moving on from the disappointment of the opening weekend, the Flyers would face up against the Playoff Champions - the Sheffield Steelers. A shootout loss on the Saturday, would offer promise for the season ahead. Josh Scoon scored an excellent goal that would earn him some extra ice time in the weeks that would follow.
Ned Lukacevic once again showed his skills:
Todd Dutiaume was in an upbeat mood, despite the defeat:
In the game, Kyle Horne and Matt Reber would collide resulting in both players missing a large chunk of the season. A "gutsy" performance earned the team a point and they were unlucky to miss out on the win. The game would result in Tommy Muir stepping up and fighting, this would be the first of a number of fighting majors for Muir and Todd made the point to praise him for doing so. Muir was reacting to a hit by Mark Thomas on Danny Stewart, the hit itself would lead to a 1 match ban for Thomas and the Flyers first involvement with the Department of Player Safety (DoPS):
DoPS is something that will discussed at length later in the series, but I would be remiss not to discuss them now. While they are inherently controversial as they are responsible for judging something subjective as an absolute, they have an important role in the game in reducing reckless play in the game. This is something that has been immensely successful in the NHL, however, at this juncture I am not certain that current guise of cloak and daggers is the right set up. Nonetheless, with a few tweaks, there are all the makings for a reputable body.
If the loss at Fife Ice Arena was gutsy, the the loss that followed was gutless. An 8-1 loss stood as a stark reminder that the Sheffield Steelers are formidable opposition and they are relentless - Fife would not be the only team to realise this. These are the only games that Fife and Sheffield have shared in September, the hope is that any future fixtures in this month will have a distinctly different outcome.
Going without a win in the opening four games for the first time since 2011/12 season, the visit of the Dundee Stars proved to be huge blessing. In what would prove to be the only Flyers league game covered by Premier Sports, the Flyers pulled a 4-2 win out of the bag.
With a goal and two assists, the undoubted star of the night was Bobby Chaumont. Although, the entire team attacked admirably forcing EIHL rookie Marc Cheverie to make 31 saves. Cheverie would get his revenge the following night though, back stopping his team to a 2-1 overtime win. The Flyers and Dundee have played one another in 6 contests in September. The record stands as 2-2-1-1, however, three of these contests were friendlies and when it's cut down to the games that matter the Flyers have a 2-0-0-1 record.
The final weekend of September would prove to be the Flyers most successful weekend in their short EIHL history. With the visit of the Braehead Clan, the Flyers would pull off an impressive 4-0 win. Tying Kevin Regan with Bryan Pitton with two EIHL shutouts. The Clan have played at Fife Ice Arena in September on 4 occasions (one friendly and 3 in league/cup), Fife will hope that all matches between the two are scheduled for September in 2015 as they have won every game! In these four game the Flyers have scored 18 and limited the Clan to just 5, of which three of Braehead's goals were in the Autumn Cup of 2012.
The game would be an eventful one, with Matt Nickerson meeting Zack Fitzgerald for the first time.
The final blow from Nickerson appearing to knock Fitzgerald to the ground, but Fitzy cleared it all up for us:
On the road to Hull. Important points tonight. last night behind us. In case you wondering, I slipped at the end wasn't a punch. #purplearmy
— Z FitzGerald (@FitzyG13) September 28, 2014
I'm glad we got that sorted. I really don't care about the outcome of the fight. As regular readers may have noticed for a while, I have had an anti-fighting stance. It's always something that I've been uneasy with (granted, I did enjoy it) and as this season has progressed I have drifted further and further away from it.
The visit of Braehead saw the return of Derek Roehl and he had a brief reunion with his comedy partner from last season, Ned Lukacevic:
They also had a message for their most notable victim, Tim Hartung:
Todd Dutiaume would praise a "fantastic team effort" but was also keen to praise his opposite number Ryan Finnerty. Kevin Regan was fully deserving of his shutout and was able to keep the sheet clean despite a few defensive errors. The crowd is noted as being the biggest of the year, but the 2733 from the opening narrowly beats the 2693 in attendance.
The only way to follow up that win against the win at home, would be to beat the reining league champions in their own back yard....
HIGHLIGHTS - Sun 28 Sept - Belfast Giants vs Fife Flyers from Belfast Giants on Vimeo.
Two goals from Stephen Gunn and a remarkable 6-1 win in the Odyssey Arena. This would prove to be the biggest weekend of the year. With the Belfast game counting for both League and Cup points, Fife would win two games, gain 6 points, scoring 10 and conceding 1 in the process. The goal differential of 9 stands as the best in two win weekends, and was their twelfth all-time two win weekend in the EIHL. In 3 September contests between the Giants and the Flyers this resounding win is the first victory that the Flyers have tasted.
The Flyers earned a 3-3-0-2 record in September 2014, only the 5-2-0-0 record in the 2012/13 season stands as a better record. This season, the Flyers would light the lamp on 22 occasions, conceding 23 (if only we could have written off the 8-1 loss in Sheffield). Once again, the 2012/13 season yielded more goals (23) and only the 2011/12 season had more goals conceded (31).
This is the first in the series of Flyers Year in Review, the next in the series will be Flyers Year in Review: October.
Tuesday, 3 March 2015
Flyers Mid-Week Update 03/03/2015
OK, I've not done one of these for a while but a combination of being off work and being bored beyond recognition I have decided to pull some stuff together. Two games over the weekend for the Flyers and a two completely different results. A 5-1 victory over the Edinburgh Capitals means that the Flyers maintain their record of being unbeaten at home against the Caps since January 2014. Head coach Todd Dutiaume - not for the first time - comments that a lack of concentration meant that the Flyers lost the shutout for Kevin Regan. This has been a consistent theme in the games against Edinburgh but they have been comfortable at home against Richard Hartman's men. This has perhaps been more of an issue when playing some of top teams in the league. Todd Dutiaume and Jordan Fultons' post game comments with Ali McLaren are available on Flyers TV:
It's important to remember that ice hockey is a family sport and foul and abusive language is not permitted. With that in mind, here's eight and half minutes of fans swearing:
To be fair, no-one used the flash on their camera. Five good goals from the Flyers, Niko Suoraniemi with his second goal of the season on a superb rush up the ice. Jordan Fulton once again showing why is among the best agitators in the league getting under the skin of the Capitals defence and worthy of his man of the match purely for that.
Todd mentioned in his post match comments that the Flyers penalty kill has been strong this year and it really has, ranking forth in the league:
Only Cardiff, Nottingham and Sheffield ranking higher than them. Remarkably, the Belfast Giants sit bottom of the table - this no doubt a huge factor in their tumble down the league standings this season.
Sunday, saw a different game entirely. A 5-2 loss against the league leading Braehead Clan. An honest Danny Stewart laments the lack of focus and - just as Todd did the night before - complains about the number of minor penalties that the club has taken. Post match he spoke with Ali McLaren:
Ali asked about Nickerson and Fitzgeralds' fight, to which Danny commented that the outcome didn't have an impact on the game either way. Which really begs the question, what is the point? NIckerson is a solid D-man who is most effective when he is on the ice rather than in the penalty box. When you look at the much maligned DOPS, there job is to punish and ultimately reduce plays that are reckless and can cause serious injury. With that in mind why, is fighting a part of the game?
The fight is at the start of the highlights package from Clan TV:
Who won? I'll tell you who won, Braehead - 5-2. The fight was irrelevant, the 59 minutes that followed impacted the game and the Flyers came up short. I have to disagree with Danny Stewart's "honest" assessment of the game, the Flyers make mistakes in most games but the Clan are among the teams that are good enough to take advantage of these mistakes. The Clan aren't on the brink of a title win because the Flyers make mistakes at the Braehead Arena.
Moving on from last weekend, the Flyers need to win hockey games. Todd Dutiaume was in the Sun this week:
I have no idea what this says, but I imagine from the headline it's something about focusing on the playoff chase. The league table shows how close it really is:
It's important to remember that ice hockey is a family sport and foul and abusive language is not permitted. With that in mind, here's eight and half minutes of fans swearing:
To be fair, no-one used the flash on their camera. Five good goals from the Flyers, Niko Suoraniemi with his second goal of the season on a superb rush up the ice. Jordan Fulton once again showing why is among the best agitators in the league getting under the skin of the Capitals defence and worthy of his man of the match purely for that.
Todd mentioned in his post match comments that the Flyers penalty kill has been strong this year and it really has, ranking forth in the league:
Only Cardiff, Nottingham and Sheffield ranking higher than them. Remarkably, the Belfast Giants sit bottom of the table - this no doubt a huge factor in their tumble down the league standings this season.
Sunday, saw a different game entirely. A 5-2 loss against the league leading Braehead Clan. An honest Danny Stewart laments the lack of focus and - just as Todd did the night before - complains about the number of minor penalties that the club has taken. Post match he spoke with Ali McLaren:
FLYERS TALK: Danny Stewart talks to @niceguyali following the game at Braehead. https://t.co/b8nrXUDHnU
— Fife Flyers (@FifeFlyers) March 1, 2015
Ali asked about Nickerson and Fitzgeralds' fight, to which Danny commented that the outcome didn't have an impact on the game either way. Which really begs the question, what is the point? NIckerson is a solid D-man who is most effective when he is on the ice rather than in the penalty box. When you look at the much maligned DOPS, there job is to punish and ultimately reduce plays that are reckless and can cause serious injury. With that in mind why, is fighting a part of the game?
The fight is at the start of the highlights package from Clan TV:
Who won? I'll tell you who won, Braehead - 5-2. The fight was irrelevant, the 59 minutes that followed impacted the game and the Flyers came up short. I have to disagree with Danny Stewart's "honest" assessment of the game, the Flyers make mistakes in most games but the Clan are among the teams that are good enough to take advantage of these mistakes. The Clan aren't on the brink of a title win because the Flyers make mistakes at the Braehead Arena.
Moving on from last weekend, the Flyers need to win hockey games. Todd Dutiaume was in the Sun this week:
Todd Dutiaume on @FifeFlyers @officialEIHL
play off push in today's @scotsunsport
pic.twitter.com/zD1U0qRAlD
—
The Puck Stops Here (@PuckStopsHere67) March
3, 2015
I have no idea what this says, but I imagine from the headline it's something about focusing on the playoff chase. The league table shows how close it really is:
As both our coaches have said, it's better to have money in the bank than games in hand but it still means that the next 5 games are going to be tense contests.
In case you missed it, the Flyers have released the shortlist for their goal of the season as part of the end of season awards. Here are the finalists:
This is surely a formality, Chris Wands is the clear winner! Ned Lukacevic scores a mean penalty shot, but they aren't goals, so it doesn't count for me.
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