Rink round-up

Monday, 3rd April 2006

With the Play-Off Finals coming up this weekend in Nottingham, the semi finalists have now been decided after several weeks of intense competition.

Last season's Play-Off Champs Coventry Blaze put on a clinic last Wednesday when they hosted Edinburgh Capitals and defeated them 10-2. A four goal first period set Coventry on the way to the win, with Adam Calder finding the net at the beginning and end of the period, Joel Poirier and Ashley Tait netting the other two goals. Edinburgh got off the mark in the second period through Neil Stevenson-Moore, only for Evan Cheverie to post a solo effort to make it 5-1 and Pavol Mikalik to make it 6-1. In the third period, player-coach Tony Hand got another on the board for the Caps to make it 6-2, but Coventry responded with four more goals to bury the visitors, Calder notching up his hat-trick before Russell Cowley, Dan Welch and Joel Poirier rounded out the scoring.

Belfast hosted Cardiff on Wednesday when the Giants met the Devils at the Odyssey Arena, and a scoreless first period raised the tension before Curtis Huppe opened the scoring for the Giants in the second period. Five minutes later the game was tied through a Jeff Burgoyne solo effort, and it took until the final ten minutes of the goal for the deadlock to be broken, Shawn Skiehar finding the net to take the game 2-1 to Belfast.

Friday night saw Belfast notch up another win, and this time it was over Coventry Blaze, a win which eliminated the reigning champs from the competition. Curtis Huppe got the Giants off to an early start with a second-minute powerplay goal, and Shawn Skiehar added his name to the scoresheet in the sixth minute. Dan Welch got the Blaze off the mark only for Colin Shields to restore the two goal lead. Jeff Hutchins pulled another one back for the Blaze, and at the start of the second period the scores sat at 3-2 to the Giants. Ex-Phoenix captain George Awada made it 4-2 five minutes into the second period, and Huppe posted his second of the night to make it 5-2. Evan Cheverie got Coventry on the scoreboard again just after the halfway point of the game, but the period was rounded off by Shields netting his second one to make it 6-3. Curtis Huppe's hat-trick goal in the third period saw the game end at 7-3, securing a place in the final four for Belfast and a place in the stands for Coventry.

Saturday night saw an April Fools Day that Basingstoke will want to forget in a hurry, with the visiting Nottingham Panthers running away with a 0-10 scoreline. Curtis Cruickshank posted a 34 shot shut-out whilst his outskaters made their mark at the other end, despite a relatively quiet first period, Joe Cardarelli opening the scoring in the 17th minute. In the second period, Curtis Bowen put the lobster in the trap to make it 0-2, and then the Panthers went on a scoring spree, with markers from Jeff Sebastian, Shaun Sutter, another for Cardarelli, and Brandin Cote making it 0-6 before the second break. In the third Dan Ceman made it 0-7, and Mark Bernard pulled himself from the Bison net, Dan Green stepping between the pipes to replace him. Green then let in three goals, with Matt Myers, Shaun Sutter and Dan Ceman making it 0-10, much to the dismay of the home supporters.

With Belfast's place in the final four secured, their home game on Saturday night against Edinburgh Capitals seemed a mere formality to get through on their way to the National Ice Centre. The Caps got themselves on the scoreboard first through Neil McCann after six minutes, but before the end of the period the Giants had equalised through Ed Courtenay on the powerplay. Mike Sandbeck restored the Caps lead in the second, and took the lead into the third period, where Courtenay's second of the night restored the balance. Shawn Skiehar put the Giants ahead three minutes into the period, but with two minutes remaining on the clock Jeff Marshall tied the scores, the game ending 3-3.

Saturday night's hockey action also saw the second leg of the British Knockout Cup Final, with the scores sitting at 0-0 after the first leg. This time Coventry were the home team, with Sheffield Steelers on the visitors bench. Mike Peron put Sheffield in the driving seat just over a minute into the game with a powerplay goal, and Coventry responded just before the end of the second period through Dan Welch. A scoreless third period and overtime couldn't separate the teams, so the final was decided on a penalty shoot-out, where Ken Simpson netted the winner to give the trophy to Sheffield Steelers.

Sunday's on-ice action saw Cardiff Devils finish their campaign with five wins out of six, easing past the Edinburgh Capitals 5-2. Jeff Burgoyne, Louis Goulet and Neil Francis forged a 3-0 lead in the first ten minutes of the game, Goulet netted again in the second, and Rejean Stringer scored in the third, with Mike Kiesman's second period goal and Jeff Marshall's third period being the only scores for the Caps.

Sheffield Steelers lodged a 3-6 win over Newcastle Vipers to secure themselves a Final Four spot, Mark Dutiame opening the scoring in the first period to give Sheffield the lead going into the first interval. Mike Peron extended the lead in the second period before Paul Ferone put the home team on the scoreboard, only for Dutiame to net again and for Kent Simpson to make it 1-4 by the second break. Ferone made it 2-4 early in the third, and Rob Wilson made it 3-4 before Dutiame posted his hat-trick and Martin Masa rounded off the scoring to give Sheffield the 3-6 win.

Despite winning their final Play Off group stage game, Nottingham Panthers have failed to make it to the Final Four. Dion Darling opened the scoring in Sunday night's game against Basingstoke, only for Bison forward Shawn Maltby to equalise. Blaz Emersic gave Nottingham the lead going into the second period, and in the third Darling found the net to make it 3-1.

The Semi-Finals of the Play-Offs will be Cardiff Devils versus Sheffield Steelers and Belfast Giants versus Newcastle Vipers, both games being played at the NIC in Nottingham this Saturday ahead of Sunday's Final.

by Richard Allan

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