A fun filled weekend of hockey!

This weekend was one that will stay in most Sheffield Steelers and Cardiff Devils fans hearts for ever! This weekend these two fantastic teams got together to celebrate their 20th (Steelers) and 25th (Devils) anniversery.

It all started on Friday night for me when I sat to watch the England Men battle against the Germans in the Eurohockey Championships (field hockey). The first half showed solid defence work from the likes of hard working Rob Moore and Richard Alexander who both put their body on the line and are probally some of the best in the world when it comes to it. The English defence tryed hard but failed to keep the Germans away as Zeller managed to score on a powerplay.

The 2nd half started strong but the wet conditions made it very hard to keep ball speed up and the control accurate. The result of the heavy downpour led to the game being delayed 12mins into the half. Players from both teams joined volunteers in an attempt to clear some of the water from the pitch - thats dedication to the game! Credit to the people as the game continued 45mins later.

The end result was not what us English fans wanted as the Germans won 3-0 with last minute goals from Deecker and Korn. However all is not lost as we now battle Belguim for the Bronze medal!

Now back to the Ice to celebrate the 20th anniversary of my Sheffield Steelers. Things got to a great start with the Juniors U15 team - Sheffield dominated the Devils juniors and by the end of the game the score was an impressive 12-0 lead. When it came to the Juniors U16/18 squad's turn on the ice they did not let us down as once again the Sheffield team won with a stunning 11-0.

At 3pm things started to change, you could feel the excitement building as the Legends took to the ice. I was amazed at being in the presence of such great players, all of whom I had heard great tales of from my Dad and Grandad so it was great to finally see the players that were before my time. The game itself was magnificent I have never seen anything like it, the arena had this feel to it that can only be decribed as an air of greatness.

The game started of well for the Steelers Legends as 2mins into the 1st half a goal came from the one and only #6 Neil Abel. The Devils fought back minutes later with a goal from #28 Vezio Sacratini. Sheffield refused to let this bother them as they scored 3 more goals in the 1st. They were scored by legendary players #15 David Longstaff, #93 Rick Brebant and the already mentioned Neil Abel.

The 2nd half also got off to a great start as 'The Duke' Tommy Plommer #11 managed to find the back of the net followed by Mike Blaisdell #21 giving the Steelers Legends a 6-1 lead. Once again the Devils bounced back with goals from #28 Vezio Sacratini and #23 Merv Priest but Steelers legend #22 Andre Malo close the game with a stunning goal leading the Steelers Legends into a 7-3 victory.

The Legends from both teams

After the game the Legends were on the concourse greeting fans and auctioning off their shirts. I managed to meet a few of them including, Sir Alex Dampier, Mike Peron, Tommy Plommer, Tim Cranston, Ron Shudra, Chris Kelland and Mike Blaisdell. I have to say they were all really nice and I got complimented about my height a few times, Chris Kelland stood on his tip toes so he would be taller then me!



Me with Tommy Plommer



Me and Ron Shudra





Me and Tim Cranston

Before the 2011/12 squad stepped onto the ice I witnessed what is the greatest honour any Ice hockey player can get: his shirt number being retired, raised to the raters to hang and remined others that they should play hard, work hard and one day they will be rewarded. Tommy Plommer was that player we were honouring and thanking. I thought it was touching that he got given his Captin's shirt that was raffled off to a fan and that she kindly offered to give it back to its owner. Was a very touching moment for us all.

When the current squad entered you could tell that this season we has a rougher, tougher, bigger roster. I would not like to mess with any of the team as they looked like they ment buisness. The first goal of the match was scored by young Tom Squires who I have to say has stepped up and is doing more pushing and shoving on the boards! The 1st period showed us all how the teams were pretty much evenly matched in strenth and skill.

The 2nd period showed continued strengh for the Steelers as new enforcer Colt King scored on a powerplay and na-na-na-nineteen Rod Sarich scored a shorthanded goal giving them a 3-0 lead. You could tell that the Devils were nervous with the new tough Steelers as even Brad Voth would not mess with them even after he got taken down in the middle of the ice.

The Devils did not give up during the 3rd period and scored 2 goals. Jeff Pierce started the puck rolling giving team mate Kenton Smith the courage to score minutes after he did. despite the good start by the Devils they didnt manage to get any more past DeCaro who I have to say did a fine job today and I trust him to shut out the opposition in the future!

Coach Ryan Finnerty and Mike Ramsay

Both teams 2011/12 roster on the ice

To end a good weekend of Steeler wins I sat down on Sunday to watch the Eurohockey bronze medal game between England and Belguim (as mentioned above)

The game started strong for the England squad with an early goal by Richard Mantell from a short corner/penalty corner. Belguim eqaualised soon after with a Goal from Da Paeuw. Da Paeuw's goal was put under review after a challange from England over  dangerous ball, the goal was allowed when reviewed as the ref saw no problem.

The 2nd half shows Belguim playing well, their fast paced play makes it hard for us to keep up however it does not stop Alexander or Tindall from giving it their all. One thing I have noticed is that England are not looning as dangerous and Belguim today and teh Belguims deserved that goal to get them back into the game.

The whistle blew and the result was 1-1 so it goes down to 7 mins extra time each way. England have a mountain to climb to get back into the game mentally and physically as Belguim have been frustating the squad and using that anger to aid them.

England conquerd their anger and managed to win the game 2-1 with a stunning back handed goal from Tindal - ENGLAND GET THE BRONZE MEDAL!!!!!

All in all what a great weekend it has been!

To say that this week has been a relativly hockey free one it has been probally the best week of my summer holiday so far!

It all started on Tuesday when a group of close friends came over to take part in an air hockey tournament loosely based around the Stanley cup games. I played for the team named 'Fleury's Quebec Penguins' and it does not take much to figure out why I named the team after who in my opinion is the best netminder in the NHL (go Pens!). You wouldnt think that air hockey was a dangerous game to play but it was! I resorted in wearing a helmet while playing as the puck managed to fly off the table many times and hit me. I also decided that I would make an awesome netminder seeing as I managed to catch one of the pucks that flew my way!

Now the week got even better on Wednesday when we all went to Ice Sheffield to do some skating. For me the journey down was torture as walking through sheffield resulted in me seeing alot advertising for the up coming Steelers season, it also didnt help that I had to walk straight past Motorpoint arena. I think my friends had to drag me away in the end!

Ice skating for hilarious! Whizzing round the rink, weaving in and out of the other skaters and just generally feeling free from the outside world. Skating comes natural to me and I have only really been skating 4 times in my life and I can still go on the ice with speed and grace. The only problem I have with my skating is the art of stopping. My idea of stopping is slamming myself into the boards - probally not the best way to stop.

Also I am going to point out that toepicks on the front of figure skates are pointless and dangerous! I had a near death experiance on the ice thanks to them! Skating along at a decent pace then all of a sudden one of the toepicks gets stuck in a hole (not blaming anyone but I'm betting it was made by a figure skater doing some fancy move). Now out of 10 my fall was probally a 9 of the goofy scale, the only reason that I managed to stay on my feet was due to me grabbing my friends arm by accident. He stopped laughing when that happened as I could have taken him down with me!

Wednesday evening resulted in a trip to the cinema to watch Mr Poppers Penguins. The movie is about a non stop buisness man Mr Popper (Jim Carrey) inheriting 6 cute penguins from his dad. The penguins transform Mr Poppers life as he falls in love with the creatures and they show him how family comes first. They even featured the NHL team Pittsburg Penguins as Carrey skates around with his new friends in a Sidney Crosby Shirt (#87). If you are a fan of Jim Carrey or just love a tale of friendship and love then I recommend you watch this movie as im sure it will bring a smile to you face. Hopefully you will enjoy the movie as much as I did!

Jim Carrey as Mr Popper shows some NHL spirit - GO PENS!

Hockey and Hedgehogs, two things close to my heart

This week there has been some huge news from across the pond regarding ex-Steelers coach and player Ben Simon. The NHL team Chicago Blackhawks have hired Simon to coach their AHL feeder team Rockford IceHogs after they saw him lead the Steelers to Elite league victory last season. This is great news for Simon and being an ex-NHLer (he played for Atlanta Thrashers and Columbus Blue Jackets) he has plenty of experiance on the ice to bring to the IceHogs, hopefully he will become one of the best coaches in the league and who knows we might just see him coaching in the NHL in years to come.

However being a fan of the Steelers and a huge fan of Ben Simon and his work I feel an overwhelming sadness that Paul Ragan let Simon go. Ben did a great job last season for us as he was thrown in at the deep end with no past coaching experiance, his determination and patience with the entire team made them strong and his work paid off, we have the silverware to prove it! Still I wish Ben all the best in the future as he is one guy who really has inspired me.

Ben Simon on the ice for Sheffield (photo by me)

Now going of the topic for hockey for a bit to talk about another thing that is close to my heart, Hedgehogs. You may or may not know that I do charity work for Hegehugs a Hedgehog charity that takes in ill, injured hedgehogs in yorkshire and nurses them back to health ready for release.

I myself have taken in a little hog this week as we are over run with hedgehogs due to the lack of food in the wild. All this dry weather has resulted in the hogs starving as all the worms are too deep in the ground for them to get to and we often find them collapsed unable to move as they are just that weak. The hog I have was found in barnsley weak, starving and covered in fleas. He is now free of fleas but he had so many on him that the RSPCA that found him named him Fleasy Fred.

Fleasy Fred - happy and flea free! (photo by me)

If you want to help these beautifull creatures then please put out some food for them as times are tough for the little critters. They eat Cat food but DO NOT FEED THEM FISH BASED FOOD OR MEAT IN GRAVEY as they are really bad their health. Also DO NOT GIVE THEM MILK as once again this is bad for them and can cause many life threatening problems for hogs.

Please is you see a Hedgehog wanderin around in the daylight taking him/her to you nearist vet as this is an indicator that something is wrong as Hedgehogs are nocturnal animals and tend to be awake during the day when something is wrong with them. Also if you see a injured hedgehog on your travels wrap it up in a towel, coat or some other warm fabric and take it the vet.

Hedgehog numbers are decreasing in the Uk and the need your help! Please help them before its too late! Thankyou

Finner completes Steelers roster

I woke up with excitement today as I came to realise that its less then a month to the start of the 2011/12 hockey season, I dont know about you but I can not wait to sit in the arena seats, the smell of the crisp fresh ice, the tingling of excitement seeing the players warm up to some of the best atmospheric songs and most of all being part of such a great family of fans!

You can tell that the off season is drawing to a close as the Sheffield Steelers a long with many other Elite league teams have completed their 2011/12 roster. We completed the roster with two D-men who I think you will be very happy to see on our Ice.

Matt Stephenson is one of the players that complete the team. Matt is 27 and comes from Midland, Ontario. He has come to Sheffield from the AHL (American hockey league) team Texas Stars. He is a stay at home D-man who handles the game very well no matter what is thrown at him. Matt is also a tough player on the ice and is known to jump to the defence of a fellow team mate many times. I reckon that Matt has what it takes to become a great Steelers player and I'm sure that his personality will make him a favourite with the fans!



Matt Stephenson (from prohockeynews)

 The other player who has graced our arena is Steve Birnstill who for the past three seasons has been playing in Denmark for Frederikshavn and Esbjerg. He is a great offensive D-man so I am sure he will bring a lot to the table for the Sheffield Steelers. 

The patience of coach Ryan Finnerty has payed off as I believe our team this year will be stronger then ever. You look at them all and you can see how they will all fit in and work together on the ice. The teams chemistry on the ice will be unbelievable and the style of play will be very different to that of the Steelers in previous seasons.

Just going off the subject of hockey for a minute as this weekend I have spend four days doing my Gold DofE (Duke of Edinburgh award) expedition in the yorkshire dales. Having to walk about 24k a day with all my camping gear was a killer but it was worth all the pain as the views were stunning and I met so many nice people!

Now if you know me you will know that this will some how relate to hockey and you are correct to think that! When I complete my award I get to go to Edinburgh or London to see the Duke himself to collect my award and well I was thinking that if I finish my award during hockey season and there is an away game in Scotland I might just arrange  it so I get my award at Edinburgh then go and watch a hockey game! I know its a little sad to think that way but I can't help it, hockey is in my blood!

Club FS - better then all the rest?

This week has been a rather distant one for me as I have been in Northampton on a hockey camp, miles away from my beloved house of steel and unable to hear any Steelers related news until I got home.

So before I tell you about my week on camp I will tell you about the news that we have a new forward set to step onto the ice. That forward is Mike Ramsay who scored 64 times in the two seasons that he played for the Jackalopes. Ramsay is set to fill the skates of fan favorite Joey Talbot who recently retired, no pressure Mike!



Mike Ramsay (Photo from eliteprospects)

 Ok so back on track now! For an whole week I have been on a hockey camp with futures sports, improving my hockey and making new friends. When I got there I was delighted that I had my own room as it meant that I would get a good nights sleep - oh how I was wrong! The sound proofing was not great in the rooms so you could hear everything that went on in the building, I solved the problem by sleeping with my Ipod in my ears! On the plus side view from my room was stunning! It over looked the college grounds, I think I spent alot of my free time gazing at the many animals that were frolicing in the fields: llamas, Alpacas, pigs and sheep to name a few!

We did'nt just do hockey on camp either we did many other activites! Orienteering, Rock climbing, spinning, stength and conditioning but by far the best was the day spent doing water sports! We built rafts in two teams and raced to see who's was better. My team won by default as the other raft fell to pieces in the finnishing straight, we then started a rescue mission and in the end everyone was standing on one raft (untill the weight got too much and that one broke aswell). We then headed out on kayaks and canoes and played a water version of bulldog!

During the spin session I felt right at home, probally one of the only times I felt really happy over the entire week. The reason may sound a bit silly to you but while I was cycling all the songs that were being played were ones that the Steelers play during their warm ups! I could not hide the smile I had on my face as happy memories of last season came to mind!

Also one of the coaches, Greg, soon became one of my favorite as he was the spitting image of ex-Pens player Max Talbot (now plays for the Flyers).  Yes its a silly reason to like someone but once again he reminded me of home and the hours I spent last season watching the Penguins play!

Another non ice hockey related highlight of the trip was going to watch Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2. The film was amazing and packed with laugh out loud moments! If you have not yet seen it then I suggest you get you arse in gear and go to your local cinema NOW!

I had a great time at camp and met many new friends that I hope to keep in touch with, however I did struggle to cope being so far away from family and my friends back home and would like to thank them for the phone calls when they had to put up with me crying and making very little sense! Thanks for being there for me guys!

Club FS - one big family (photo by Alice Reed)

Rod returns as DeCaro fills Moose's skates

For me the news of canadian defenceman Rod Sarich returning to the Sheffield Steelers for his 7th season was huge!

Sarich is one of the best offensive D-men in the league and is a great on the powerplay. Last season Rod gained 55 points giving him a total of 220 points for the Steelers - he is clearly worth his keep! Critics say that Rod was not his best last season after his injury but how can a guy get a personal record of 55 points and not be at his best?

To me Sarich has the Steelers spirtit, he is full of character and puts the team first every time! You can see the concentration on his face during games as he thinks what pass will ensure that the puck goes into the net. I don't know about you but I sure can't imagine the Steelers without him!


Rod Sarich during warmup (photo by me)





Other good news from coach Ryan Finnerty as he announced this week the name of our new starting netminder. So I would like to welcome 29 year old John DeCaro to the house of steel. Washington born DeCaro helped take his former team Bossier-Shreveport to the top in the Central League championship last season. He has great charater on the ice on fans are sure to love him!

The 2011 London Cup

I may have left school but that did not stop me going on what has become one of my best high school memories!

My best friend, Ana and I got the opportunity to go to watch the London cup in Chiswick with our old school. Watching 4 teams, 2 games and high spirited fans made it a day that we shall never forget! As soon as we got to the tournament the excitement and energy hit us, the players and fans alike were smiling and chatting on their way to the pitch. Having not been before I found it rather overwhelming!

The first match of the day was New Zealand vs Korea. Now being a girl there was one thing I noticed straight away - New Zealand were drop dead gorgeous! As well as being the most attractive team it turned out they were rather good as they beat Korea 2-0. Simon Child scored a great goal, sneaking past two Korean defence men in the first half to give New Zealand an early lead. Korea tried hard to equalize but New Zealand were two strong and scored again with 53 seconds left of the game!

  

New Zealand defending their net. (photo by me)



After the game I became a groupie (so to speak) of the New Zealand team as I was determined to get autographs and have a photo taken with Stephen Jenness (see below)



Me and Stephen Jenness (Photo by Ana)



The second game was the one we had all been waiting for; England vs Belgium. This was Ana's time to shine as she knew the squad off by heart so she couls cheer them on at the top of her voice! The first half showed a very strong start from the England lads as they were soon 2-0 up with stunning goals from Richard Alexander and Glenn Kirkham. Belgium soon fought back and seconds before half time made it 2-1.

The second half showed a whole new game come to life as Belgium got another 3 goals past England's goal keeper James Fair to win the game 4-2. This was an unexpected result but its fair to say I am very proud of the England squad and so were everyone else as a huge cheer erupted from the crowd at the end of the match.


England defending against the Belgium player Thomas Briels (photo by me)





Once again we became groupies after the game as we hung around with the England players getting autographs. Ana even managed to get a photo with her favourite player Simon Mantell (see below), I don't think I had ever seen her so quiet when she made her way back to me!

 


Ana and Simon Mantell (photo by Ana)

  If anyone is thinking about going to the London cup in the future I highly recommend it as you meet so many people; players and fans! So hopefully I will see you all there next year! thank you!