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!











News, updates and events! What more could you ask for?

To start thing off I would like to give you all a festival of hockey update as Tony Smith (Steelers owner) has made the decision to reduce the ticket prices. This is great news as it makes the event more affordable, allowing more people to come along! So please put this in your calendar as is going to be a day to remember!
The ticket prices now stand as :

Tickets purchased prior to the 27th August:

Children: £5.00
Concessions: Season  Ticket holders £14 – Non Season Ticket Holders £16
Adults: Season Ticket Holders £18 – Non Season Ticket Holders £22.50 

Tickets purchased on the day of the Festival:

Children: £7
Concessions: Season Ticket Holders £16 – Non Season Ticket Holders £18
Adults: Season Ticket Holders £20 – Non Season Ticket Holders £24.50

Hull Stingrays announced this week that they have signed Derek Campbell from the Sheffield Steelers. Campbell aka Soupy played with emotion last season and would do anything to to help his fellow team mates on the ice. Campbell has accumulated 253 points (90 goals and 163 assists) and 1089 penalty minutes in 264 regular-season and play-off games in the 5 years he played in the Elite League. I wish you luck Soupy and look forward to see you play against us!

Another loss now as Steelers forward Joey Talbot has announced that he will be retiring from the game. Joey has been with us for 4 seasons and brought total of 278 points to the team. This season he raked in 90 points, helping the Steelers win the Elite League title once again. Joey was a great asset to the team and will be missed by all!! Best of luck in the future Joey, be sure to come back and visit us!

Joey Talbot during warm up

I would like to talk about my NHL team the Pittsburgh Penguins for a minute as news has been announced that Super Star Max Talbot has left the Pens for the Philadelphia Flyers. Last season Talbot gained 21 points in 82 games and has an over point tally of 100 with the Pens. Max brought alot of character and charisma to the team and his personality will be missed by all in the Igloo. Good luck with the Flyers Max!

To end I would like to leave you with another date for your calendar!
On 15th - 17th July there is a charity hockey event at Ice Sheffield. 5 teams battle it out on the ice each playing to raise money for different charities; Breast Cancer Care, Dreams Come True, Help For Heroes, Sheffield Children's Hospital and Prostate Cancer Charity. Please come along and show your support.
For more information visit: http://www.ukfallstars.co.uk/schedule.html

Thanks x