Post by newham on Sept 11, 2006 11:54:34 GMT
Well, last night certainly was interesting. For as good as a 9-4 can be, there were some worrying points, some will probably be addressed and some you can only hope will be.
Pros:
- David Clarke - I don't think there's been a bigger turnaround at the NIC for a long, long time. Last year he looked jaded and uninterested. Yesterday he had his pace back, he was hungry for everything and scored a well taken and well deserved hat-trick. Has the captaincy focused him?
- McAslan - (the scottish lion) - Simply put, who needs Tess?
- Kraijcek - Did i spell that right? Not only is he a commanding force at the back, he looks to be a demon from the blue line. His goal was a fluke, he was halfway back to the bench when he realised he'd scored!
- The fans - I may have been in a new place last night but it still looked like it was a much better attendance than usual, even considering it was the first game. The atmosphere was excellent too.
- The hockey - It looks as though Mike Ellis is the Kevin Keegan of the hockey world. I love watching fast exciting attacking hockey and that's what we were playing. It may leave holes in the back but when you score 9 you can afford to.
- Steve Simoes - I really like the look of this guy, especially his ability to constantly find space time and again. A v good signing.
- The cheerleaders - They were finally pretty good weren't they? Amazing what a bit of practicing can do!
Cons:
- Our defence - Not individually but as a collective. Hopefully this will sort out in time but we looked a little porous last night. I lost count of the amount of odd-man rushes the Bison had. We also need to stop allowing so many shots because i don't think Lindsay is as capable of stopping as many as CC (although i'll give him time).
- The new rules - I know i'm not alone in thinking that it was turning into a pantomime by the end of the first? Sit down, stand up, arm up, arm up and arm up. It did mellow out by the end of the match but it was ridiculous to have that many pens in such a calm match. I can only pray that it is akin to the NHL where the players realised what they could get away with after a couple of months and it settled down into an entertaining and fast league. I don't think we have the referee's however of a decent enough quality to enforce the rules properly and if the games are like that, i can see people staying away.
- The announcing - Not the announcer but this new fangled goal thing where he only reads the first name. It isn't really going to work is it? It may work in Toronto or Boston where you have 4 times the crowd and less first-timers but i don't think it's going to catch on here, it just sounded silly last night. Great idea and well worth a try but destined for the bin i'm afraid.
Pros:
- David Clarke - I don't think there's been a bigger turnaround at the NIC for a long, long time. Last year he looked jaded and uninterested. Yesterday he had his pace back, he was hungry for everything and scored a well taken and well deserved hat-trick. Has the captaincy focused him?
- McAslan - (the scottish lion) - Simply put, who needs Tess?
- Kraijcek - Did i spell that right? Not only is he a commanding force at the back, he looks to be a demon from the blue line. His goal was a fluke, he was halfway back to the bench when he realised he'd scored!
- The fans - I may have been in a new place last night but it still looked like it was a much better attendance than usual, even considering it was the first game. The atmosphere was excellent too.
- The hockey - It looks as though Mike Ellis is the Kevin Keegan of the hockey world. I love watching fast exciting attacking hockey and that's what we were playing. It may leave holes in the back but when you score 9 you can afford to.
- Steve Simoes - I really like the look of this guy, especially his ability to constantly find space time and again. A v good signing.
- The cheerleaders - They were finally pretty good weren't they? Amazing what a bit of practicing can do!
Cons:
- Our defence - Not individually but as a collective. Hopefully this will sort out in time but we looked a little porous last night. I lost count of the amount of odd-man rushes the Bison had. We also need to stop allowing so many shots because i don't think Lindsay is as capable of stopping as many as CC (although i'll give him time).
- The new rules - I know i'm not alone in thinking that it was turning into a pantomime by the end of the first? Sit down, stand up, arm up, arm up and arm up. It did mellow out by the end of the match but it was ridiculous to have that many pens in such a calm match. I can only pray that it is akin to the NHL where the players realised what they could get away with after a couple of months and it settled down into an entertaining and fast league. I don't think we have the referee's however of a decent enough quality to enforce the rules properly and if the games are like that, i can see people staying away.
- The announcing - Not the announcer but this new fangled goal thing where he only reads the first name. It isn't really going to work is it? It may work in Toronto or Boston where you have 4 times the crowd and less first-timers but i don't think it's going to catch on here, it just sounded silly last night. Great idea and well worth a try but destined for the bin i'm afraid.