This summer may already feel like winter but it’s not quite hockey time yet.  However, with the season only a few weeks four days away and without knowing how much blogging time I will have I guess it’s about time to look into the season and preview each of the teams with as much knowledge as I actually have of them anyway!  Next up it’s the Stingrays: MORE »

I’ve took part in a debate article over on the Kingdom of the Giants website about whether Jason Ruff was the greatest Giant ever or just one of the greats.  Debating for him being the greatest was myself and debating against him being the greatest was Patrick Smyth.  To view the article click here and to debate the points made log into the KotG forum.

This summer may already feel like winter but it’s not quite hockey time yet.  However, with the season only a few weeks one week away and without knowing how much blogging time I will have I guess it’s about time to look into the season and preview each of the teams with as much knowledge as I actually have of them anyway!  Next up it’s the Caps: MORE »

Huddinge 3, Giants 3

The Giants put on a much better showing last night and tied with Huddinge 3-3.  Unfortunately yet again the referee was penalty happy handing out a number of calls for what otherwise in British hockey would have been let go.  I guess it allowed the Giants to work on their penalty kill.  It’ll give the team a lot of confidence going into the new season that probably without them penalties they may well have taken the game.  Still the main aim has been achieved; Ed Courtenay can now head back to Belfast knowing what exactly he wants to work on in the coming five days before the season opener with Edinburgh.  With George Awada still come into the line-up things are very promising for a solid season indeed.

Notes: Troy Neumeier played in his first game and by all reports had a very solid game.  Paul Moran sat out the game with an injury and Mark Dutiaume didn’t play their third period after taking a knock in the game.

Giants 3, Huddinge 5

Here is my view from the game.  Don’t worry he moved after the first period!

The Giants got their pre-season off to a start last night in Dundalk to a 5-3 defeat to Swedish side Huddinge.  It was a game that will have left Ed Courtney with plenty to think about but also plenty of positive points to take from the first proper run out for the Giants team.  The Huddinge side were slick and fast and punished the Giants for the mistakes they made.  The first two periods the Giants were slack taking a handful of penalties from a referee who certainly wasn’t shy to hand them out at the first sign of contact but they really picked it up in the third playing good attacking hockey.  Ed appeared to be playing around with line combinations and different systems the first two periods before settling down and playing some hockey in the third.

I’ll not give a real in-depth view of the game, just twenty thoughts on what I see from some of our players, the arena and anything else …  MORE »