Tonight’s games that will effect the title race are as follows:
(All times by the British clock)

Belfast Giants v Edinburgh Capitals @ 5 p.m.
Coventry Blaze v Sheffield Steelers @ 6 p.m.
Cardiff Devils v Nottingham Panthers @ 6 p.m.

5:45 p.m. The Giants have finished the first period and lead 2-0 with two big goals by Jeff Szwez. One text I have gotten from the game tells me that this guy is by far the best player on the team. No surprise there, the guy is clutch.

5:49 p.m. Coventry and Nottingham are yet to get underway but as of right now the table looks as follows:

1 Belfast 54gp 71pts
2 Coventry 52gp 70pts
3 Nottingham 52gp 68pts

5:55 p.m. Second period underway again for the Giants and the other two games will be getting underway any moment now.

6:05 p.m. Coventry leading Sheffield 2-1 already after just a few minutes of action. No score in Cardiff.

6:17 p.m. Awada scores with four left in the second period to make it 3-0 Giants. Surely they don’t blow this game now? It’s the second goal tonight for the Giants on the PP and they are now 2-3 tonight with the man advantage – rare.

6:35 p.m. Craig Peacock makes it 4-0 Giants with just over a minute to go in the 2nd period but Sheffield are 4-1 down to Coventry after just one period so it looks like Coventry will retain their league lead tonight. The good news is that Nottingham are being beat 1-0 in Cardiff.

7:05 p.m. Having never had it so easy the Giants take the win, 4-0, outshooting the Capitals 59-16. Unfortunately though the Blaze are beating the Steelers 4-1 in the second though the Panthers are losing 1-0 to Cardiff.

7:13 p.m. League standings at the minute:

1 Coventry 53gp 72pts
2 Belfast 54gp 71pts
3 Nottingham 53gp 68pts

7:38 p.m. Cardiff now two up on Nottingham but no change in the score at Coventry.

9:09 p.m. Coventry now 5-2 up in the third, Nottingham still 2-0 down.

9:25 p.m. Coventry squeak it 5-4 in the end. Sheffield ran them close it seems but they got the two points that matters.

9:53 p.m. Cardiff beat Nottingham 3-0 and put them far enough behind that even if they win their game in hand they will still trail the Giants. They need Coventry to fall apart to have any chance and the Giants have got to feel good about finishing second now.

TABLE:

1 Coventry 53gp 72pts
2 Belfast 54gp 71pts
3 Nottingham 53gp 68pts

All the Giants can do is win their final two games to move to 75 points which would include beating Coventry and hope that they take no more than two points from their other two games.

With only a handful of games remaining the title fight really is on and all three teams are in action tonight. Below is a look at the top 3 with games played out of the 56 in all and points in total along with a look at their remaining games including tonight’s. Edinburgh look like they will have a big factor in the title hunt and if the Giants are to win, having already played a game more than the other two, they’ll require each of them to slip up once and for the Giants to beat Coventry in the final game of the season, in Coventry. No easy task but it’s all up for grabs…

1 Coventry – 52gp – 70pts
2 Belfast – 53gp – 69pts
3 Nottingham – 52gp – 68pts

Coventry games remaining:
14 Mar v Sheffield
18 Mar v Edinburgh
20 Mar @ Edinburgh
21 Mar v Belfast

Giants games remaining:
14 Mar v Edinburgh
20 Mar v Newcastle
21 Mar @ Coventry

Panthers games remaining:
14 Mar @ Cardiff
17 Mar v Edinburgh
20 Mar @ Sheffield
21 Mar @ Newcastle

It’s not looking good for the Giants now following a 3-2 defeat to Edinburgh were they split a two game series against the Capitals on the road. A game misconduct to Jeff Szwez put the Giants down a man and with Shane Johnson and Sean McMorrow already out, what must have been tired legs, could not come through with the victory. That isn’t to blame Szwez however, he’s a player that plays on the edge and sometimes you know he’ll go over it. Still, it’s a disappointing result.

Those that seen the game – that is both sets of fans – were extremely critical of the referee who botched a number of calls including one where a Edinburgh powerplay goal was ruled out when the referee realised he had given the Caps a two man advantage when it should have been a 5-on-4 powerplay.

It’s easy to be very critical of some referee’s at the Elite League level who sometimes seem a little out of their depth, but then the same could be said for some players. Of course fans have a right to vent their fury towards the referee after coughing up their hard earned money. It’s always worth remembering though that the EIHL hasn’t got a back log of people wanting to referee in it’s league and without some of these guys you mightn’t have a league. It’s unfortunate there isn’t more refereeing talent in which to be critical of, but that’s the league we’re in.

The title isn’t officially gone for the Giants yet but they are going to need Coventry to fall apart soon. Coventry haven’t taken massive advantage of the Giants defeats in the run-in to the title and the same could be said for the Giants, but while the gap isn’t too huge there is always a chance.

And if now? Well, there’s always the playoffs.

Todd Kelman, GM of the Giants, has spoke for the first time since news broke this weekend of an indictment from the United States out against team enforcer Sean McMorrow for trafficking drugs across the Canadian/US border between 2005 and not surprisingly the Giants are backing their player.

“We’re backing him 100 per cent until we find out otherwise,” said Kelman, who had yet to speak directly to McMorrow as of Sunday afternoon.

“He’s innocent until proven guilty in my eyes, and until I hear differently then I’ll back Sean. I know him well enough to know he’s an outstanding guy and has been great for us in the community.

“He’s been an outstanding individual and a great part of the team. I’m sure it’s been a shock to him as well, it came out of nowhere from our end.”

— Todd Kelman talking to Sky Sports

I’m glad to hear this and I hope McMorrow is able to clear his name sooner than later and get back to playing though at this late stage in the season, who knows if he’ll make it back in time for the playoffs or not?

Whether McMorrow has flown back to the States already or whether he is in communication with his lawyer from Northern Ireland is not known though Kelman did seem to hit that McMorrow was talking to his lawyer from Belfast.

Amidst the distraction that must surely have been lingering over the Giants dressing room this afternoon on some scale or another, the team went out and put up a fine victory over the Edinburgh Capitals 3-1. The game which didn’t feature McMorrow or Shane Johnson who is out with a concussion, were able to pick up the two points that keeps them in the title race. Unfortunately Coventry themselves picked up a victory. Without McMorrow to do their fighting the Giants enforcer-elect Mark Morrison stepped up to do the fighting duties!

With the Breahead Clan joining the EIHL and the number of teams going to nine for the first time since the Giants first ever season in 2000/01 the League has decided to re-format the league set-up and the playoff format. The following is their statement for next season:

NEW FORMAT REVEALED FOR 2010/11 ELITE LEAGUE SEASON
An exciting new format for the 2010/11 Elite League season has been revealed with changes to both the league and play-offs.

The Braehead Clan have just been announced as the latest side to enter the Elite League, and they will join Belfast Giants, Cardiff Devils, Coventry Blaze, Edinburgh Capitals, Hull Stingrays, Newcastle Vipers, Nottingham Panthers and Sheffield Steelers in a nine-team league.

Each side will play three home and three away against the other teams in the league for a 48-game season. The Elite League campaign will begin on the weekend of 4th/5th September 2010 and end on 12th/13th March 2011.

The top six teams will qualify for the 2010/11 play-offs and will face each other in the round robin format. This will see the sides finishing first, second and third having the incentive of playing three home games and two away, with teams in fourth, fifth and six playing two homes games and three away. Matches will take place between the 14th and 27th March.

The top four will meet in the traditional play-off finals weekend on 2nd and 3rd April 2011, with the two semi-finals on the Saturday and the play-off final taking place on the Sunday.

Elite League chairman, Eamon Convery, said: “We are very excited by the new format for the 2010/11 season. The addition of Braehead is great for the sport and I am sure supporters will be thrilled with the changes we’ve made.

“Play-offs are always one of the most important and exciting times in the season and this new longer format is sure to excite every hockey fan. There’s now added emphasis on the league season with nine teams battling it out for six spots and then jostling for position in the top three, to claim that all important extra home game.”

A further press release will be issued in due course with regards to the 20-20 HockeyFest and the Challenge Cup.

I like it. Especially the playoff format though to be fair it couldn’t have gotten much worse than the format for the past few years were you could effectively win the playoffs without winning a game (tie you two leg qualifier game and go through in a shootout, tie your semi-final and win in a shootout and do the same in the final!). Hopefully the Giants finish better in the standings though than the last time it was a nine team league when they came 6th – their worst ever league finish, though granted in their first ever year.

Reports have suggested that Sean McMorrow has flown back to the States to try clear his name after news broke yesterday that he had a criminal indictment out against him, accusing him of trafficking drugs. McMorrow who activly interacts with his fans on Facebook, had the following message this morning:

Sean McMorrow is accused of nasty, untrue allegations – number one priority is to clear my family name – I am shocked and very upset about this…thanks to everyone for their support and patience for me to clear my name of this

No word as of yet from the Belfast Giants though I would assume they will stand beside him while he is still innocent until proven guilty. When or if we seen McMorrow again I would assume will come down to how quickly this process runs.

I wish him well and hope he does indeed clear his name. It just seems so strange that allegations from over five years ago have suddenly come out now.

I got a link to a news story coming out of Rochester, USA on the WHEC.com website today and after picking my jaw up off the floor I have decided to copy it here and let you make of it what you will. I will go back and read it a few more times and make sure my eyes are not playing some kind of crazy trick on me.

He was known as an enforcer during his time with the Rochester Amerks. Now, I-Team 10 has learned of a criminal indictment against Sean McMorrow, accusing him of trafficking drugs.

McMorrow was a popular player and active in the community during his four seasons with the Amerks but during that same time period, the FBI says he was bringing significant shipments of marijuana across the border from Canada.

Now there is a warrant for the arrest of Sean McMorrow.

This week, a federal grand jury handed up a two count indictment, accusing the former Amerk of peddling drugs he brought across the border.

McMorrow knew how to electrify the crowd. As an Amerk from 2002 to 2006, he never backed down from a fight. But I-Team 10 has obtained a federal indictment handed up this week in Rochester. It accuses the 28-year-old of conspiring with others to distribute marijuana.

Defense attorney Lawrence Kasperek said, “Our position is Sean is innocent of any charges regarding these circumstances. I don’t know what the nature of the government’s proof is yet. We just learned of the indictment ourselves.”

Federal authorities say he smuggled more than 100 kilograms or roughly 220 pounds of marijuana through customs from Canada.

“It was several trips across the border over that time period from 2003 to April 2005. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brett Harvey would not provide details of how the investigation came about or why the charges are being brought now, five years later. He did, however, say that it does not appear McMorrow was trafficking the drugs while travelling across the border with the Amerks. “I have no information that he, in any way, utilized his position as an Amerk to engage in this type of activity. As far as I know, it was separate.”

I-Team 10 contacted the Amerks this afternoon. The front office declined comment as McMorrow played here under different ownership.

But don’t expect McMorrow to appear in federal court right away. He’s currently playing hockey in Belfast, Northern Ireland and may have to be extradited in order to answer to the charges.

Harvey said, “We have to go through a process of trying to locate Mr. McMorrow specifically. Yea, there is an arrest warrant for him and we will pursue that with due speed.”

McMorrow was twice named amerce man of the year in 2003 and 2006, for his service to the community. On his bio page with the Belfast Fiants, he says “I take pride in being a good role model for the kids that come to see us play.”

Kasperek said, “He’s known for his commitment to young people. He’s been a, frankly, liaison for a number of hockey teams he’s belonged to and he’s always acted in the best interest of the children.”

These criminal charges seem to contradict his community good-guy image.

Harvey said, “Well, I don’t know what would be out of character for Mr. McMorrow, I just know what the allegations are in the indictment.”

Currently there is no scheduled court date for McMorrow to appear. His attorney did say they will be in communication with the U.S. Attorney’s office to try to arrange for his appearance.

If convicted, McMorrow could face up to 40 years in prison.

Click here to read the indictment.

Sean McMorrow? Really?

Well all I can say and all I will say is that while this is of course no conviction of guilt, it will be interesting to see how the Giants go forward with it. I suspect they will have to take McMorrow out of the line-up for the time being until he decides what his next step is. It’s unfortunate on many levels this news, but even on the most basic level for Giants fans it’s a shame as McMorrow has been a fan favorite for the Giants this season with his many fights and entertaining style of play. McMorrow has also unofficially been the Giants community rep this season making numerous public appearances and has, in his short spell, gave a lot back and is in the process of arranging an inline skating school for young people and recently said he planned to stay on in Belfast this summer and run a Hockey school. All that though is the least of his worries now and while I don’t know him personally and I certainly cannot condone what he is alleged to have done, as a Giants fan, I can only wish him the best going forward.

The revolving door that is the British Elite League is turning again as teams continue to move through on an annual basis. Teams come and go in this League quicker than a British summer and this summer we’ll see a new team arrive which always makes for more welcoming news than hearing of someone else dropping out. The Breahead Clan, based in Glasgow, Scotland will become the 9th teams in the League and will play out of a neat 4,000 seater stadium.

Top level British Hockey isn’t a new thing to Breahead. The Ayr Scottish Eagles moved their briefly for the 2002/03 season before folding when they couldn’t bring disgruntled Ayr supporters with them. Now, eight years on, someone else is hoping to make it work with a fresh start entirely.

I for one hope it works. An extra team in this league is no bad thing and an extra team so close to Belfast is certainly welcome. It could spark a new rival for ourselves as well as for Edinburgh and Newcastle who are sure to benefit with another team in their vicinity.

Just last year Basingstoke and Manchester dropped out of the League and while teams like Hull have arrived in recent years there was always rumors of someone stepping down a level or folding entirely – see the London Racers. Of course this doesn’t guarantee a 9th team because if this summer is like every single other in Elite League history there will be dark rumors of teams leaving, rumors that will stretch across every single team, but hopefully like with other summers, we weather the storm and open up a new season with a nine team Elite League.

www.braeheadclan.com

As per the Belfast Giants:

The unfortunate abandonment of Saturday’s game against Edinburgh requires the game to be replayed in full. Despite a very congested fixture schedule, the Capitals have agreed to play on Sunday 14th of March with a 5pm face off.

Tickets from the original game on Saturday 27th February will be valid for the replay match on Sunday 14th March. If people did not hold onto the tickets, they should contact the point of purchase to obtain a duplicate ticket.

Odyssey Box Office (028) 9073 9074
Belfast Giants Office (028) 9046 0044

“We would like to apologize to everyone that was in attendance on Saturday Night,” said General Manager Todd Kelman. “Due to problems with the ice, the game could not continue, and although Odyssey Arena staff did all they could, the situation could not be rectified in time. I hope everyone will come along to the rearranged game.”

Re-scheduled Date:
LBM Belfast Giants v Edinburgh Capitals
Sunday 14th March at 5pm (doors open at 4pm)

The Edinburgh Capitals are looking to re-schedule their game on Monday 15th March against the Cardiff Devils. An official announcement from the Capitals will be made later this week