TCW Live – Nottingham Panthers v Sheffield Steelers – CC Semi-Final 2nd Leg 10th February

TCW Live will be providing live text updates from the second leg of the Challenge Cup semi-final where Panthers lead the Steelers 4-2 after the 1st leg. Join me at the NIC from 7.30pm on the link below.

TCW Live – CC Semi 2nd leg – Panthers (4) v Steelers (2)

Challenge Cup Semi-Final 2nd leg preview

Wednesday sees the biggest night of Panthers season, coming so soon after the last one! With a league title victory now requiring nothing short of a miracle after defeat in Coventry, Panthers can slightly make up for it by securing their passage into the Challenge Cup final and with a two goal lead from the first leg we have to fancy our chances.
The Steelers will have some confidence after splitting their games with Belfast at the weekend, however they still languish in seventh place in the league and were quite dreadful in the first leg of the tie. Having lost all six league and cup games against the Panthers this season the Steelers face an uphill task, especially as they have to win the game by three clear goals, something they haven’t done at the NIC since the 7-0 play-off thrashing in 2006!
I expect the game to be much better than the fare that was dealt up last week and the crowd to be hopefully much bigger, but I can’t see anything other than a Panthers win, we have the best home record in the league and have proven beyond doubt that this season we are a much better side than the Steelers. I guess at around 10pm on Wednesday night we’ll know the answer.

TCW Live – Coventry Blaze v Nottingham Panthers 7th February

TCW Live will be providing live text updates from tonight’s crucial, must win game. Join me at the Skydome on the link below from 6pm.

TCW Live – Blaze v Panthers

Note: Last time I did TCW Live from the Skydome the signal was poor meaning that the updates were slow at times. Please bear this in mind this evening

TCW Live – Nottingham Panthers v Hull Stingrays 6th February

TCW Live will be providing live text updates from this game. Join Iain Dilley at the NIC from 7pm on the link below.

TCW Live – Panthers v Stingrays

Going the way of all flesh

Regular TCW contributor Paul Balm gives his own view on the situation in Sheffield

I really don’t get what is going on up the road, we’re in the middle of four games with them, OK the two league games aren’t hugely important in the grand scheme of things to them, but the two cup games are so where’s the hype? Where’s the stupid comments from their players? They need to get people in through the door so where’s the effort? OK, they’re shite but have our crowds dropped so precipitously when we’ve been less than impressive? Are their fans so used to winning stuff “with style” that if the scorer isn’t riding a dolphin doing a backflip whilst threading a camel through the eye of the needle it isn’t worth watching? This isn’t really a new thing, let’s not forget they had to give away a load of tickets to schools for the Challenge Cup Final against us a couple of years ago (that’s a final against their “biggest rivals”) and yet the Nottingham leg was a sell out (those back row seats definitely aren’t as comfortable as the rest)!

Where did it go wrong, and more or less importantly (it depends on how you think) where are the attempts to get people in through the door? Reading between the lines Mike Sgroi has been brought in as an attempt to bring back the crowds, so why aren’t they bigging his clash with Sean McMorrow up? If he has got an injury fair enough but at least get him talking a good game. OK, if people don’t want to come you can’t stop them but can anyone tell me are the Steelers doing anything to get people in? The old fans are disillusioned by the product (be it on ice or off ice) but new fans aren’t. Where are the free ticket giveaways of old? Where are the tins of beans for students with a voucher for a ticket wrapped around the outside? Steelers’ relationship with the arena isn’t as good as it could be (if what we’re told is true) but does the arena seriously want empty seats? Get some freebies out there and bring people back in. They won’t pay to get in but they’ll probably put their hand in their pocket while they’re inside. The great thing about new fans is they don’t know the difference between good and bad. I’ve taken newbies to games I was on the verge of nodding off in the middle of that they thought were great. If you cast your bread upon the water it’ll get eaten by ducks and some of them will come back, and then they’ll pay. You’ve got to give them something to want to come back and see but that’s a different story.

If Sheffield are going the way of all flesh then, frankly, I’m not that bothered. More teams need to appreciate that they have to cut their cloth accordingly and Sheffield going belly up would have an effect on crowds. Our average would drop (a bit) the same as everyone else’s. After all, Ice hockey existed in Britain before the Steelers and it would exist after.

Steelers 2 Panthers 4

Half-time in the Challenge Cup Semi-Final, and Panthers secured a valuable away win against the hapless Sheffield Steelers. However it could have been so much better if Steelers hadn’t scored two late goals! No matter though, I would think all Panthers fans would have quite happily taken a 4-2 win in this game.
The first period started with the Steelers on top for the first few minutes, so much so that I was actually worried that they’d bury us, however a powerplay gave Panthers the opportunity they needed and Jay Henderson scored close in on the backhand on his debut. Just over a minute later and the lead was doubled, Jade Galbraith given loads of time and space by the Steelers defence in the attacking zone to set up Cameron Mann for an easy finish. The Panthers were now on top, but were by no means streets ahead, the Steelers were just that bad! With the period winding down Panthers made it 3-0, Marty Gascon was given the freedom of the right wing, not one Steelers player went near him as he skated on net and roofed his shot past a by now livid Andrew Verner, who was hung out to dry by his defence yet again. So 3-0 Panthers at the period break, beyond anything we expected.
The second was one of the dullest periods of hockey I’ve ever seen, but it didn’t have to be exciting. Panthers contained the play, and Steelers continued to look like they’d never met!
Into the third and Panthers extended the lead further. Galbraith once again given an age of time behind the net without a Steelers D man in sight, he put the pass on David Clarke’s stick in front and it was 4-0. Panthers continued to contain the Steelers, who were by now their own worst enemy, I think they cleared our zone through poor passing more than we did by ourselves. Panthers were continuing to get chances on the break, but couldn’t extend the lead. With 57 minutes gone KSP was denied probably the easiest shut-out of his career when Joey Talbot got the Steelers on the score sheet. Worse was to follow, Dominic D’Amour brought someone down (I didn’t see their number) as they went in on goal. Amazingly referee Dean Smith gave a penalty shot! Tripping yes, no doubt, but a penalty shot? Terrible decision from where I was sitting, but I’ll watch it again on Sky on Friday. Jonathan Zion dispatched the penalty and the deficit was down to two and the game finished 4-2 to the Panthers, a nice lead to take into the home leg next Wednesday.
Now, I should be euphoric at tonight’s result and I’m really pleased we beat them yet again, but contemplating tonight’s experience on the drive home left me feeling as bit sad. To explain, I have been watching Panthers and Steelers clashes for seventeen years, I have been part of 10,000+ crowds for a league game in Sheffield, I have seen Steelers teams look like they’d rather die than be beaten by the Panthers, I have come away hating the place and never wanting to go again, only to be tempted back by the next game. To see such a poor crowd tonight (which the weather had some effect, I accept that) for a Steelers v Panthers clash was quite shocking, there couldn’t have been much more than 3,000 in attendance if that. As the game went on there was virtually zero atmosphere, you could clearly hear the players talking, the officials shouting and the crack of the puck as it landed on the sticks. It just didn’t seem right. For the first time ever tonight I felt that hockey in Sheffield is in its death throws, in less then 12 months the team has become a pathetic, empty shell of what it used to be. I actually began to genuinely pity them as their quite dreadful team skated around looking like they couldn’t give a toss, and they actually let us steamroll them, when we weren’t that great ourselves tonight. The Steelers have a great many problems, it doesn’t look good for them. Sorry to end on a bit of a downer.

TCW Live – Sheffield Steelers v Nottingham Panthers – CC Semi-Final 1st Leg 3rd February

TCW Live will be providing live text updates from the first leg of the Challenge Cup semi-final between the Steelers and the Panthers. Join me at Sheffield Arena from 7.30pm on the link below.

TCW Live – CC Semi 1st Leg – Steelers v Panthers

Challenge Cup Semi-Final Preview

Wednesday will see the Steelers host the Panthers in the first leg of their Challenge Cup Semi-Final, with Cardiff Devils awaiting the overall winners in the final. Go back to last weekend, Panthers had just destroyed the Steelers once again and even the most rabid Steelers fan wouldn’t have  given them a hope. Just a week later and the Steelers have some hope and the Panthers are a little nervous!
Steelers new found vigour has come in the shape of Mike Sgroi, 6 feet and 5 inches of toughness, something they’ve desperately lacked all season. His debut on Friday saw him score the winner just 11 seconds from time, and the Steelers hope that he could be a potential match winner, however a promised new signing hasn’t come off for them.
The Panthers meanwhile have gone from the heights of euphoria to the depths of despair in just seven days. After a fabulous winning weekend beating Steelers and the Blaze to go top of the league, all the hard work was undone with two defeats in Belfast this past weekend. Once again it looks like the Nottingham Panthers are being beaten by the Nottingham Panthers! The good news for the Panthers is that new signing Jay Henderson will make his debut, a player I’m very much looking forward to see play after he was described to a friend by Bruce Richardson as “Like me, but good”!
If you look at the whole season then you have to say that this should be a Panthers victory over two legs, we lead the league series 5-0 and have looked a different class to them all season long, after all the league table doesn’t lie. In the league series the Panthers have out-scored the Steelers 23-11, so even if the Steelers do win, they’d have to look at going to Nottingham with a three goal plus lead to be comfortable. However, this is the cup and league form goes out the window, I guess we’ll see how much or how little on Wednesday night.

TCW Live – Belfast Giants v Nottingham Panthers – Saturday 30th January

TCW Live will be once again providing live text updates from tonight’s second game of the weekend double header in Belfast. Please bare in mind that Iain was having issues with the signal in the Odyssey last night so the updates might not be as quick as usual, but Iain will once again endevour to bring you all the action from 7pm on the link below.

TCW Live – Giants v Panthers Saturday 30th January

TCW Live – Belfast Giants v Nottingham Panthers – Friday 29th January

TCW Live will be covering both games of Panthers Belfast weekend double header. Iain Dilley will be providing the live text updates from both games, starting with the Friday night game. Join a no doubt very merry Iain at the Odyssey Arena from 7.30pm on Friday on the below link.

TCW Live – Giants v Panthers Friday 29th January