Pro Hockey Resume

By Neil Chiplen |Sky Sports

Belfast Giants GM recalls controversial Canadian’s season in Belfast - Theo Fleury
Sean McMorrow might be the Belfast Giant dominating the headlines in the Elite League this season, but what he’s doing this year doesn’t even compare to how Theo Fleury owned the EIHL in 2005/06.

From the minute Fleury landed, he was the biggest thing to hit British Ice Hockey since somebody found a puck. If he was playing in your town you simply had to watch him play. He was the star attraction. He gave his team-mates an armchair ride to the league title and took over the league in a way nobody else could ever do.

However, three years removed from that season, Todd Kelman, the current Giants GM and Fleury’s team-mate at the time, looks back with a slight tinge of regret.
Continue Reading

Newcastle boss Rob Wilson admitted an 8-0 defeat by Belfast represented “the lowest point” of the Vipers’ season.

But he is determined the Vipers‘ will bounce back quickly from the humiliating Elite League reverse.

Wilson said: “We aren’t going to bury our heads in the sand. I’ve told the players this game is history – it’s consigned to the garbage. We move on, learn from it and start work again.”

Results
Sunday, November 15
Elite League
Cardiff 3-5 Nottingham
Edinburgh 2-3 Sheffield
Hull 0-5 Coventry
Newcastle 0-8 Belfast
Elite League

How incredibly tight is it at the top of the Elite League these days!

After the weekend fixtures there are but two points between the top team Nottingham Panthers and the fifth placed Newcastle Vipers, that’s right, two points, with even the sixth placed Edinburgh Capitals having a few games on hand on all of the teams above them and well able to make a run to join that top group on current form.

Indeed although it is still early, it is looking at this stage that Hull Stingrays and unbelievably Sheffield Steelers are in real danger of being cast adrift at the bottom of the table – what a turnaround for Steelers that is after last seasons double success!

Over the weekend there was only one side that tasted victory on both nights with Cardiff Devils icing a Challenge Cup win by 7-5 in Hull on Saturday, including a Matt Miller hat trick but then staying on their travels and coming up with a huge 2-1 win at the Skydome against Coventry Blaze with British skaters Ben Davies and Phil Hill counting for the Welsh side who remain nicely tucked in one point from the top in third spot.

Still top however are Nottingham, after a shared home and away series against Edinburgh Capitals. A 5-3 Panthers win at the NIC on Saturday and a 5-4 Capitals success on Sunday at Murrayfield saw Bruce Richardson of the Panthers involved in a big way in both games as he scored twice including the game winner on Saturday but was ejected the next night for spearing in the opening minute of the second period.

Panthers are a single point ahead of both Belfast Giants and Cardiff with Giants unable to add to their points total over the weekend as they played a couple of Challenge Cup group matches against Sheffield, which were also shared with the Steelers almost ensuring their place in the last four with a 5-3 win at home on Saturday but a 5-4 loss at the Odyssey the next night.

The other league games both involved Newcastle Vipers as they laced up in home games against Coventry, which they lost 3-2 in a penalty shootout with Greg Chambers grabbing the winning shot but bounced back to narrowly defeat Hull by 2-1 on Sunday thanks to a late strike by Mike Berry.

Article by: British EIHL