Elite League round-up January 14/15
11:41pm Monday 16th January 2012 in Other sport By Nigel McFarlane
Elite League round-up January 14/15
ELITE LEAGUE ICE HOCKEY:
Round up of the games from Saturday January 14 and Sunday January 15 in the Elite Ice Hockey League.
Saturday January 14
Belfast Giants 4 Coventry Blaze 3
Giants made it two wins in two nights over the Blaze to effectively kill off any chances the visitors had of picking up the league title. In addition, they strengthened their position in pole position with Nottingham losing in Scotland and with Sheffield having no game tonight.
At the midsession point in the first period, the Giants looked to be well on their way to an easy two points as they took a three-goal lead with the goals coming in 133 seconds the first came on the powerplay from Darryl Lloyd at 9.44. Then there were two goals 24 seconds apart as Jeremy Rebek at 11.33 and then Robert Dowd at 11.57.
The goals kept coming but unfortunately, it was not for the home side. The visitors made a recovery as Mike McLean pulled one back at 12.16. Then on a shorthanded play, Shea Guthrie made it a one-goal game. At 18.41 it was all square as Owen Fussey netted on the powerplay.
The second period was a bit of an anti-climax compared to the first as neither team could bulge the net after doing it six times in the first session.
The third period looked to be heading for stalemate, as it was the goaltenders who were pulling out all the stops. However, at 51.07 Aaron Clark netted the game winner for the hosts.
Fife Flyers 1 Cardiff Devils 3
Devils made it two wins in their triple venture to Scotland this weekend after beating Dundee last night, they were never really troubled against Fife and will head to Edinburgh tomorrow looking to take six points home to the Welsh Capital.
Despite outshooting their opponents in the opening period, the Flyers found themselves trailing by the only goal scored in the period from Devils Stuart MacRae at 15.07.
The Devils were more dominant in the second period but all they had to show was a single strike that saw them doubled their lead with a shorthanded strike from Scott Matzka at 25.05.Just previous to this Devils lost the services of Kenton Smith as he was assessed a game penalty for leaving the bench.
It looked as though were easing their way to the points when Kyle Horne on the powerplay at 58.33 netted to make it an interesting finish. However, Cardiff killed any chance the Flyers had stone dead 17 seconds later as Scott Dobben scored a third goal for the visitors.
Hull Stingrays 3 Edinburgh Capitals 0
Hull moved to within two points of seventh placed Edinburgh as they won for the first time in five and at the same time recorded their first shutout of the season. As for Edinburgh, they have only one win in their last ten. Their night was summed up with the ten-powerplay opportunities that came their way without success and they gave up a shorthanded goal on one of them. It really was not going to be their night.
Despite a shot count of two to one in their favour, the Capitals found themselves behind at the end of the first period as Stingrays player/coach Sylvain Cloutier netted the only goal at 7.04.
The home team doubled their advantage at the start of the second period as Martin Ondrej found the net at 22.07.Despite having long spells of dominance the hosts could not add to their tally.
The home side had the better of the third period despite being a man short for part of it but they just couldent find the goal that would kill the game off. Well that was until 56.40 Jereme Tendeler struck home the third much to the delight of the home support.
Challenge Cup Semi Final first leg
Braehead Clan 3 Nottingham Panthers 2
The Clan General Manager Kirsty Longmuir and Neil Black, owner of both teams, were delighted with the record attendance of 2850 that witnessed an epic game that the Clan won by the odd goal in five. The home side also created a club record of six straight wins with two of these coming against the Panthers.
The home side will take a one-goal lead into the 2nd leg of the Semi Final of the Challenge Cup tomorrow in Nottingham. With tonight's game also doubling up for the league the home side picked up valuable points.
The game was tight throughout with it going one way then the other before Clan secured the win with two goals just over two minutes apart.
Panthers had the better of the opening period with the Clan goaltender facing 17 shots. However, putting the puck in the net is what counts and at 18.15 ex-Panther, Jade Galbraith put the home side in front.
After a goalless second period, the game was turned upside down at the star of the third period as the visitors hit two in 71 seconds to take a one-goal lead. The first of these came at 41.44 from the stick of David Clarke. Quickly followed by a strike from Matt Francis at 42.55.
However, it must be said this Braehead team are made of stern stuff and did not allow this to faze them and at 51.25 player/coach Drew Bannister had the game level at two apiece. The building was rocking from the rafters at 53.52 as Brock McPherson on the powerplay fired in the game winning goal.
Sunday January 15
Coventry Blaze 5 Hull Stingrays 2
A Blaze side playing their third game in three nights, having travelled home from a couple of tough games in Belfast, were still too good for misfiring Stingrays, with three goals in the second period proving crucial to Paul Thompson’s side.
Only a single loss in their last six home games for Blaze but eight losses on the road on the bounce for Stingrays.
Both sides scored early in this one with Greg Owen firing Blaze ahead on a delayed penalty at 5.12, only for Derek Campbell to level at 6.55, this being the only scoring in a first period that saw Blaze have the majority of the play.
A rash of goals in the middle session saw firstly Owen Fussey shoot the home side ahead again at 25.37 only for Martin Ondrej to make it 2-2 at 28.47. Less than a minute later and Shea Guthrie had Blaze ahead for a 3rd time at 29.20 and this time they added to that lead when Owen scored his second on the powerplay at 36.42.
A single goal in the third session and it saw Blaze go nap as skipper Jonathan Weaver fired in at 50.56 to complete a solid win for a no doubt exhausted home side.
Edinburgh Capitals 1 Cardiff Devils 2 (After overtime)
A late smash and grab act by Devils saw them complete a superb extended weekend in Scotland as they tasted success for the third time in three nights with a last second overtime win in Edinburgh.
Scott Matzka was the hero with his goal timed at 4.59 of overtime; this after the home side had led until inside the final 10 minutes of regulation.
The opening period was tight throughout but produced one goal going the way of the home side when Marcis Zembergs was on hand to score timed at 8.22.
From then on neither side was able to get control of the game and as time ticked on it seemed that one strike could settle it but it was Devils who found extra reserves to tie the game at 51.23 when Jeff Pierce scored, this goal taking the game into the extra five minutes of overtime.
Devils outshot Capitals by four to nil in the extra session but it was with less than a single second remaining that Matzka set the large band of travelling fans into raptures with the last gasp winner.
Sheffield Steelers 3 Dundee Stars 1
Steelers made hard work of overcoming the Stars resistance but in the end took the points with a 3-1 victory that sees them remain very much a team going for the league title, being some nine points behind leaders Belfast but with a mammoth six games in hand.
It’s now five straight wins for Steelers but four reverses in a row for Stars, who saw the debut of new forward Mark Holanos.
The opening period saw somewhat of a barrage on the visitors net with a shot count of 25 to three but all Steelers had to show for it was a single goal scored at 8.44 on the powerplay by Colt King.
When Luke Fulghum doubled the lead after only 97 seconds of the second session it looked like the home side would go on from there but Stars stuck to their task doggedly and at 35.43 were right back in the contest when Jeff Hutchins pulled one back.
Stars gave as much as they got in a pretty even final period but the important goal came the way of the home side at 43.48 when Fulghum scored his 2nd of the night to ensure the points were staying within the home barn.
Challenge Cup Semi Final second leg
Nottingham Panthers 3 Braehead Clan 0
(Nottingham win 5-3 on aggregate)
Panthers' bid for their third successive Challenge Cup win is still on track as they blanked the Clan at the NIC for the 2nd time this season to set up a two-legged final against either Belfast or Cardiff.
Goaltender Craig Kowalski posted 29 saves as he led his side to victory with Clan coming up just short after the emotion of their epic first leg win the previous night.
It was the perfect start for the hosts as Jordan Fox fired them ahead after only 72 seconds and the same player edged his side ahead on aggregate when nabbing his 2nd of the game at 9.15.
Both sides were clearly keen to give nothing away and the score remained that way until a killer 3rd for Panthers on a shorthanded play late in the 2nd period knocked the stuffing out of their visitors – Brandon Benedict breaking clear to beat Jaakko Suomalainen at 36.17. No addition to the score in the final period with Kowalski putting up the shutters against a normally potent Clan offence, leaving the Panthers to celebrate a place in the final once again.
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