Elite Ice Hockey League Play Off Quarter Final Preview: Nottingham Panthers v Braehead Clan

Elite Ice Hockey League Play Off Quarter Final Preview: Nottingham Panthers v Braehead Clan

Braehead clan were given a boost ahead of tonight's EIHL Play Off Quarter Final first leg away to Nottingham Panthers, as head coach Ryan Finnerty committed to leading the Purple Army in next season's battles.

He confirmed he would return for a second season at the Clan's Player of the Year awards dinner on Tuesday night. The announcement was the ideal appetiser ahead of their tasty, two legged clash with last year's Play Off champions.

 "I'm excited to be returning for next season and I think we've brought through some good hockey players and exceeded everyone's expectations," the former Sheffield Steelers coach said.

"We're looking to build on that and it's not something we want to gut and cut up then have to bring in a new raft of imports and British players.

"I'm looking forward to getting back some of my guys that we want and build on something here."

A victory in Nottingham tonight, would go some way to helping him with the foundations of building his side for next season, more so if they can follow that up with a victory in Saturday night's second leg at Braehead Arena. A swell in the Clan's support this season has seen the four year old side average crowds of around the 3000 mark all term, which Finnerty says has been instrumental and indicative of the Clan's performances on and off the ice this year.

"The support from the fans has been tremendous all season, even when things haven't gone well and you won't find that in many places," he said.

"For the guys it's been great to play in front of and for me, it's been great to coach in front of it as the crowds have grown each week.

"It's putting pressure on us to compete and give something back and my aim is to bring a trophy to Braehead.  We're knocking on the door, but there are steps we have to take.

"It's going to take time, but we've taken a massive leap already this year both on and off the ice and I want to continue that."

The Clan know that reaching the Play Off final weekend next Saturday and Sunday won't be an easy task, as the Panthers have got great pedigree in the competition. Indeed, they showed great battling qualities on Tuesday night to claim the Challenge Cup in dramatic style against Belfast Giants.

Having lost the first leg of the cup final 5-2 in Northern Ireland, a 4-1 regulation time victory in the midlands took the game to a goalless round of overtime, with Petre Kalus netting the winner in the penalty shootout.

The Clan will be hoping those exertions will have tired the Panthers out for their first leg encounter, but having been bitten by Corey Neilson's team at the same stage two seasons ago, the players and fans are wary of their rivals.

Regardless of the outcome of the first leg, Braehead Arena is set to be rocking again on Saturday for the return game, as another sell out is expected for the Clan's final home game of the season, in the hope that they'll travel back to Nottingham next weekend for their first ever Play Off finals weekend. 

EIHL GARDINER CONFERENCE FINAL WEEKEND PREVIEW

This weekend is the final weekend of the inaugural Gardiner Conference in the Elite Ice Hockey League and it is all set to go right to the wire, to determine the winner of the Division. It has been a hard fought season, with plenty of drama, goals and controversy and has provided much more entertainment than the rival Erhardt division. Despite the Scottish sides making up the bottom half of the big league, the local rivalries have intensified throughout the year and have built up to this last round of games.

Last weekend saw the end of season picture become a little bit clearer in terms of how the efforts of Braehead Clan, Fife Flyers, Dundee Stars, Edinburgh Capitals and Hull Stingrays will be rewarded come this Sunday evening. With The Clan and The Stars in pole position for the Gardiner title, they faced off at Braehead Arena last Saturday, knowing that the victor would gain a slender advantage in the battle for the first Conference trophy.

Despite having held a 3-1 lead, Jeff Hutchins' side capitulated to an Ash Goldie inspired Clan, who romped to a 6-3 victory, earning the Purple Army back to back wins for the first time since arresting their recent winless slump. It was Braehead's only game of the weekend, which took them two points clear of the Stars, albeit for 24 hours. The Tayside club took on Hull Stingrays on Sunday, shutting them out 5-0 to draw themselves back to level pegging at the top of the Conference.

A Hull win would have been the ideal way to end their Conference season, as it would have pushed them ahead by two points atop the Gardiner, but it wasn't to be as Sylvain Cloutier's side now must concentrate on their final big league weekend to earn a Play Off quarter final berth. With matches against Sheffield Steelers and Coventry Blaze on the radar, two wins may still not be enough to see them rise off the foot of the EIHL table.

A double header between Fife Flyers and Edinburgh Capitals saw a minor upset, as the much improved Caps suffered two losses to their Kirkcaldy rivals, losing out 5-1 in Fife on Saturday and 4-2 on home ice the following night. With the Flyers two points clear of the rest of the Scottish sides in the big league, those wins mean they are in the best of the PlayOff positions of the Gardiner sides.


With the destination of the Gardiner Conference title being Braehead or Dundee, Fife Flyers are ending the season in the best PlayOff position of the Scottish sides. With Nottingham Panthers having secured the Elite League title last week after beating Belfast Giants on their own patch, the Playoffs are the Flyers last chance of grabbing some silverware in what has been an up and down season for the Kirkcaldy club.

Assistant Coach Danny Stewart too some time to talk to STV abut how the Conference system has been received in its debut season and what the focus for the Flyers is going in to their last regulation season game this weekend, as well as their PlayOff hopes.

"I thought the conference system was a good idea when they implemented it last summer," says the experienced forward, "I don't think anybody could have predicted it would be this successful".

"The conference standings, especially the Gardiner, have been so tight. I think last season there was close to a 35 point gap between between 6th-7th place and to compare that to now its obvious it has worked."

"I also think some of the credit has to go to the so called "smaller" clubs in the fact that each team improved dramatically in the calibre of players they brought in, the depth they have, and definitely the goaltending which has helped everyone be more competitive."

"It's exceeded my expectations!"

With the Conference being so closely fought, with positions in the division changing on a weekly basis, the close proximity of the sides involved, bar Hull, have created more I tense rivalries, which Stewart feels has benefitted the players and the fans.

"There has always been the rivalries between clubs but due to the conference system, and putting that added importance on games,  there has been much more to play for. "

"The fans definitely play their part with intensifying the rivalries, as the away travel has been great from all local clubs and increased the atmosphere in most buildings."

In their own barn, the Flyers have had a pretty good term, having been. Beaten there for a good chunk of the early part of the season, scoring some decent wins over the EIHL's bigger teams in the process. These performances have been key in Stewart's eyes for the success of the Flyers second season in the Elite League set up.

"I think the high point of our season so far has been our home form and being able to turn over some of the big clubs and beating everybody except Nottingham. We have made it a tough place to play in for away teams and that is essential to success."

"Last weekend against Edinburgh were highlights as well solely because of how well we played in those two games that were "must win" games."

Where the home for, has been their bedrock, the Flyers away for,particularly since the turn of the year, has perhaps hindered their season, costing them Gardiner glory.

"On the flip side I think our away results have hurt us big time. We have played many good games on the road but have just found ways to lose games. I think we had a stretch in the first couple months where we lost four or five games in the last five minutes, two of those in the last minute, which may have been a big factor on our confidence playing on the road."

While Braehead Clan have the opportunity to win the Conference in Fife on Saturday night if they beat Dundee Stars on Friday, Stewart and his team mates have their own agenda and will be looking to spoil the party while focussing on finishing their own season as best they can. A last eight game against the Panthers or the Giants may await depending on their standing after Saturday night,

"Being realistic, if we can win on Saturday and get that 7th spot I believe we have a great chance to progress to the Play Off Quarter Finals. If we get an 8th seed, or face a Belfast or Nottingham then we need to really up our game. They are fantastic teams but by no means unbeatable!"

"To be honest though I along with our squad are not looking anywhere past Saturday night against Braehead, as a win there would put us in the best position possible going forward. Whatever happens such as placement or who we play is out of our control so that's what we must focus on."

"We are a very motivated team right now. We proved that last weekend but need to continue and find that consistency heading into playoffs. Our goal is to beat Braehead to put ourselves in the best position possible. We can't win the conference now so to me it doesn't matter who wins it."

"Our main concern is just beating Braehead to ensure we definitely advance to the playoffs."

A home win for Danny Stewart's side on Saturday could see them safely in to those quarter finals and would also see the title fight reach fever pitch as if Dundee Stars get a in over Braehead tonight (Friday) they could win the Conference with a regulation time win at home to Edinburgh at the same time as Flyers v Clan. If Braehead get the W in 60 tonight but lose to Fife on Saturday, the Stars earning a Saturday win, Sami Ryhanen and co can win the the Conference at Murrayfield on Sunday with a victory. However, two Braehead wins in regulation would see the title go to the Clan, even if Dundee win both games against Edinburgh, based on having had more was in regulation time.

These games will also have Play Off position permutations, meaning that every side will be going at it to earn those extra games. For some, their season will end this weekend, for others, they have a further shot at glory in the coming weeks, but each side in the Gardiner has put up a great fight in an entertaining first ever Conference set up, ensuring a nail biting end to the season.

Myself (@krisjack85) and Andy Alston (@andyalstonf1) will be live tweeting from Braehead Clan v Dundee Stars tonight and Fife Flyers v Braehead Clan tomorrow night, to keep you enthralled with every pass of the puck as the Gardiner Conference reaches its destination.

Fixtures:


Fri, Mar 22, 2013 7:30 pm GMT Dundee at   Braehead 7:30 pm GMT

Sat, Mar 23, 2013 7:00 pm GMT Edinburgh at   Dundee 7:00 pm GMT
Sat, Mar 23, 2013 7:15 pm GMT Braehead at   Fife 7:15 pm GMT

Sun, Mar 24, 2013 6:00 pm GMT Dundee at   Edinburgh 6:00 pm GMT

Clan 3.0

With the disappointing final loss to Fife in the Autumn Cup,  a week ahead of the first proper competitive Challenge Cup games, Clan fans looked to the opening night tie against Belfast with much excitement. They weren't let down thanks to a cohesive 3-2 victory over the Elite League Champions, showing that the conference split for this season won't be the dominant and the diddies. With impressive displays from the other Scottish sides against their southern rivals, the opening weekend looked to prove that the Gardiner section will be a close division to call.

This was typified for Braehead on Sunday night when they managed a third period three goal blitz to force overtime against Rene Jarolin inspired Edinburgh Capitals. However, it would be Jarolin to break those brave Clan hearts with his OT winner, to frustrate the Purple Army within 24 hours of a confidence and morale boosting defeat of the Giants. Frustration mainly borne from the previous season, where inconsistency on the road saw some stumbles in the side's second season.

Still missing Ryan Campbell and the game changing Jade Galbraith, confined to Canada under Visa issues, Jordan Krestanovich knows that this weekend's games will go a bit of a way to proving the Clan's mettle early on in this 2012-13 campaign. The Belfast victory showed plenty of positives in the attack with Ash Goldie and Robert Farmer's goals not their only contributions to a forward thinking front line, and at the back, Mitch Maunu looked solid and dependable enough to earn the right to his Man of the Match award. The third period showed the players to tire a little though, which is probably expected given the first gung ho game of the calendar.

It seemed to carry over to Sunday, and with the Caps 3 goals to the good going in to the third, a herculean effort was needed and was produced, before Jarolin beat Zemlak for the W. With three games in three nights the week before and then two in two, JK's side will need to pull focus on the whole weekends to prevent any slip ups in a season where silverwear is an expected bare minimum, be it the Gardiner trophy, the overall league title or the Playoffs.

With no home games for the next month, Krestanovich must kae sure his side are well equipped for the road. it will give the side more time to bond on their travels, with this season's imports hoping to bed in as quickly as possible to make the season memorable. A look to Twitter shows that Steve Birnstill and Bobby Chaumont are bonding fairly well with the Brit Twits of Adam Walker, Sammy Zajac and Matty Haywood, while I'm sure once Jade Galbraith is back, much ten pin bowling will ensue to help the team adhere.

The summer arrivals of the above, along with Zemlak, Hansen,Watt, Maunu and Captain Ash Goldie, will do well to fill the void of some of the lads who opted not to return this year. As still a relative newbie to the sport, being weaned on football up until 2010, you get used to players coming and going after maybe 2 or 3 years, but in hockey the turnovers are much quicker, resulting in fan favourites making an impact and then leaving in the space of 9 months. Jim Jorgensen, who many seen as a staright swop for now NHL man Jon Landry had a great seaosn at the arena, but has gone south to Sheffield for the bigger money. Mike Wirll has moved to Dundee, Mike Bayrack has not returned, Tim Wedderburn has put his time at Clan on hold, Jaako Suomolainen has been ousted from between the sticks and, rather acrimonously, Drew Bannister took another option after re-signing.

Guys who put up a solid number of points last term needed to be replaced and JK moved quickly to do so. These are the men charged with bringing some silverware to Braehead, the men who most believe will be the Premier Scottish team in the EIHl yet again, but this year with something tangible in place of just the loftiest league standing. I was impressed with my first viewing of Clan 3.0 last weekend and with an expectedly hostile visit to Fife before journeying to Cardiff on the cards this weekend, it will not be an easy two games. However, a continuation from last week's Giant's win and the comeback against the Capital's may see two wins from two for JK's men.

Mon The Clan

The KJ WellCast 1801

The KJ WellCast 1801

THE BRAEHEAD BLOG: FRUSTRATION IS NOT JUST A BOARD GAME.

As a man in his mid 20s, with the mindset still of an adolescent, many things frustrate me. Not having a job where I can use my degree. Having a job, which I know could pay better. Having the same conversations with people's voices on a daily basis. Having to commute on the world's warmest bus. Council Tax and many more. All affectations of being an adult that you don't think about when you are a student. These are all constants, and I'm pretty sure most people have the same or similar gripes. However, inconsistency gives just as much frustration to me as consistency.

On Boxing Day, Elaine and I bounded in to Braehead so she could do some shopping and I could carry said shopping, before going to watch the Clan v Belfast Giants. Regular readers will know the tie in, with my fiancee being from outside Belfast and formerly a Giants fan. The last match between the 2 at Braehead had ended in a 4-1 win for the Clan, which was followed up by much nose rubbing from myself in the direction of the in laws. Then, when Clan played giants at the Odyssey a few weeks ago, despite running them close, the Giants got revenge. Add in to this mix the Doucet/Zajac issues, and it set up Boxing days game to be a pretty tasty affair. It wasn't.

Belfast ran out 7-2 winners and barely had to try for their goals, with a number of them being gifted to them on a Christmas day leftovers sized plate. Clan just did not get going. Whether they were harboring food babies or whatnot, I do not know, but it was as toothless a display as I have seen the Purple Army (Richardson's or Bannister's) put on. The much lauded Krestanovich - Galbraith - Bayrack line just didn't put in the graft. The usually reliable Jade, looke dlike he was using someone else's stick, as time and again he couldn't get the puck out from under him, same with Mike Bayrack, whose skates saw more of the puck than his stick.

The D didn't fare much better, with Suoma exposed time after time. The second line with Haywood, McPherson and Campbell in attack were just as inept,and Giants were deserving of the win. The only one looking interested in fighting was wee Sammy, but that was more for his own sake than for the good of the team. As we filed out, Elaine and myself were baffled as to how Soupy could get MOM, as we'd agreed that purely for his assist and goal that Jim Jorgensen was the only worthy recipient. It summed up a rather frustrating night.

Fast forward 24 hours, and I'm sitting eating a big dirty burger in my living room, reading @ClanFans Twitter updates flood in and read on as Clan run out 4-1 winners at the Odyssey! A few expletives were uttered mid chew as I saw Bayrack had got goals 3 and 4, adding to Brocks first and Campbell's penalty shot. Where was this performance the night before? How could there be such a radical change in fortunes in the space of a day? As has been the want of Bannister's team this season, Clan are supposed to be poor on their travels and fairly unbeatable at home. Why did this change in the last 2 days?

Having been to every Motherwell FC game this season, I have seen the Well look shaky at home, but majestic everywhere else, which I know is frustrating for the season ticket holders at Fir Park. They are not getting the value for money that those who go to the away games seem to be getting, and unfortunately when the Club managed to incentivise them to travel through to Tynecastle at the weekend, they saw the team outplayed by Hearts. Those who journeyed through to Edinburgh who wouldn't normally, must be have been thinking that the away form was a myth.

This is sort of how I felt reading Twitter last night. Due to the holiday season, there was a bumper crowd at Braehead on Monday night. I'd imagine a fair few first timers went along, whether as an after shopping treat or were given tickets as Christmas presents, or maybe even regulars bringing their families along for a good night out. While the atmosphere was quite good (not as good as the last game v Belfast), the game was a bit of a damp squib as outlined above. With a larger home audience than normal, I suppose it would have been nice if the boys could have switched their performances around. A win would maybe have seen a swell in numbers for the Dundee game on Friday, which should still get a decent crowd due to folk still having Christmas money to burn.

Looking at the EIHL table, it perfectly highlights the inconsistency that has dogged this season. 14 wins and 12 losses, for every game won, we are losing another pretty much. Yes, we are top of the Scots (and Hull) and trying closing the gap on Cardiff, but if we could cut out the inconsistency and find a level or standard to play at in each game, Clan could be pushing for 4th or even 3rd. Wins over Belfast and the upper teams, as great as they are, don't mean anything if the team struggle against the likes of Hull and Fife. That is no disrespect to those teams, but the defeats the Clan have had to them this season are probably ranked as the worst in the Club's short history.

Going in to the second half of the season, Coach Drew needs to give the team a bit of a rocket in my opinion. Cut ot the mistakes and the inconsistencies and we can only progress. while the League would be a long way off, there is no reason why they can't push for silverware in the Challenge Cup and Playoffs. The guys need to get their eyes on the prize and start committing in every game, not just every other game.

Frustartion's well and truly vented for now...back to work for me!

Mon The Clan!

The Braehead Blog: A Bit of an Overall Round Up

Having been the subject of 2 or 3 Follow Fridays on Twitter this week from various hockey outlets, I feel I should probably get back in to the habit of regularly blogging about my beloved Clan. Work and other things have been piling up, so finding the time to write has been scarce of late. I am also finding that not attending games as much as I would have liked, is putting me in a position whereby my thoughts may not be as insightful as they could be.

Indeed, I had written a full blog about a week and a bti ago, after the glorious Belfast match, about what a great performance it had been in light of the Hull defeat, and that it was maybe down to the cracking Movember mousers that the team had sprouted, injecting some testosterone in to the lads performances. Alas, a bumpy bus and thick thumbs on an iPhone combined to accidentally copy and paste a text message on to my Notes app just as I was finsihing, meaning my work of literary genius ended up as " Sorry for putting the x at the end, force of habit."

The Belfast game itself was an awesome spectacle. It was the first time this season I had seen the elements of Richardson's legacy break through under bannister's stewardship. They had gusto, they were fighting, they were taking and giving big hits and not allowing the Giants in to the game. That's not to say the Giant's were poor, as in the first few minutes, it looked like arguably the best team in the league were going to give us a right good tanking. However, it didn't come about and some cracking goals, particularly the 3rd form Galbraith, gave Braehead a famous victory.

That was the last match I witnessed, so I have missed the 10-1 and 8-2 wins over the Flyers and the Caps, as well as last weekend's 2 defeats, which hurt both pride and momentum. A lot has been said about the Doucet hit on Zajac and the resulting farce of a decision that the league dished out regarding it. Having not seen KB54's check that resulted in a 3 match ban, I don't know how it could have been much worse than the hit on Sammy. I know that The EIHL gave a statement on the reasons for the 3 game ban to our talisman, but the inconsistency of these calls is abominable.

I got in to Ice Hockey at a time when the SPL and football in general was becoming more and more farcical, particularly with last year's referees strike and the contrivedness of the SFA, SPL et al to do anything substantial regarding it. In most sports, fortune falls on the big hitters, but I didn't really expect there to be as much of an issue between the way the "Big 4" are treated in comparison to the rest of the league. It seems almost like they are shutting the door after the horse has bolted, Clan complained about being hard done by, so next time it happened, the league imposed their ruling to the detriment of Bannister's Purple Army. Farcical.

It means Bruce's influence was missed in the 2 Edinburgh games and more importantly this weekend agaisnt Belfast. Having seen Clan win at the Odyssey on Boxing Day last year, I know they have it in them to pull off an upset, but without, Bruce and Krestanovich, hopes will be pinned on Galbraith, Bayrack and McPherson for a repeat performance.

Bayrack's scoring exploits have been noteworthy, having scored almost the same number of goals in his first ten games for us than he managed in the whole of last season. The line with he, Jade and Jordan is very very potent, which is in no small part thanks to former Panther Galbraith's skill and vision. I've said it before, he may not look much of an athelete, but by jove can he handle a puck. I'm enjoying seeing Brock get amongst the goals ona regular basis, as he is a beast of a man, and his size and speed are a great thing for Coach Drew to rely on.

Despite losing to Edinburgh and Sheffield, I still see the Belfast game as somewhat of a turning point. It was a more rough and tumble performance than we had seen all season, and saw a real step up in the strength of the team. If I was beign uber-critical, I'd say the D need to give Suoma a little bit more protection, as as well as he plays, he is having to make saves from plays that the D should be sweeping up. Still on goalies and hard hitting, the stae of Mike Will's face after Voth's bemch check on him was horrific. Players get less beat up on the ice than what Mike got on the sidelines, but coming away with the road win, maybe made the pain hurt a little less.

Aidan Fulton got his first goal for the Clan v Edinburgh, and he took it will with a cheeky backhander past the impressive Craze. I only know this form the Clan TV highlights and the Twitter updates, that have kept my eye on the Clan in my absence. The wonders of technology eh?

With that, I'm out. Clan are way all weekend, which gives me a chance to save for the next home game v Coventry next Wednesday. Hopeful of a repeat of the last time they visited, to stake a claim in progressing up the league.

Mon The Clan!

The Braehead Blog: Win Some Lose Some, It's All The Same To Me (to an extent...)

Nine games in to the Clan's Second Season, and it's been as much of a mixed bag as you would get trick or treating at this time of year. Despite the horror show in Hull that seems to have spooked many Clan, can we really have too much of a go at our men on the eve of our Edinburgh double header?

5 wins and 4 defeats, is an average start to the season. Everything given in one game is almost taken away the next. Having lost heavily to Nottingham last week, a bounce back win against Fife was always going to be needed. While not carried out in as impressive a way as many would have liked, it was a big W nonetheless.

Expectations of a win in Hull were extinguished almost immediately after face off, Clan going down to their heaviest defeat in their 2 year history. From reports I've read, the D may as well not have been there, as Suma was swapped for Mike Will for the second time in a week.

To compete with the big boys, the guys know they need to prove themselves better than the bottom feeders. There was ignominy in being turned over by a very good Panthers side, but I don't believe the Stingrays are as good a team Neilson's men.

So what is the issue? Why are Braehead Clan so liable to collapse at the minute. From the games I've been at so far this year, they seem to suffer a second period dip. Maybe they are committing themselves too much in the 1st, before gaining a second wind in the third, which against Fife, Coventry and Edinburgh seems to have been fine, but it won't do against the top 5.

Travelling seems to be an issue too with only one road victory so far. Whether its the journey to blame I do not know, but the away matches need to provide better fare, if not for the points, then at least for the ardent traveling support.

Whatever the issues are, it needs to be fixed. I'm not panicking yet though. November through December was a rough ride last year, with few points picked up in the lead up to Christmas, but Richardson's boys rode the storm out and had a cracking end to the season. I'm confident that Bannister can get the same drive and impetus from this years crew to settle the early season nerves.

We look to have the players to make an impact. A month in to the season and it's clear that theres a solid core of a team, provided game faces are on. For me, Jade Galbraith has been a stand out. Despite his reputation, his range of passing, his vision and his skill set belie his shabby looking frame. That's no disrespect to the man. Tommy Coyne, a Motherwell legend, never looked the most athletic in Claret and Amber, but did wonders for the Well. Galbraith has been integral to the workings of the team this season and his assists and goals are credit to his work rate.

Now that Bayrack is up to speed, he has become part of our import cluster who will make the difference. Jorgensen, McPherson and Suma have been strong players putting up decent numbers and stops respectively. Added to the old guard of Wedderburn, Campbell, Kyle Bruce, Krestanovich and Bannister himself, there is plenty experience on show. The youngsters, Zajac, Walker, Haywood and Connon are putting in fine performances as well.

Despite the win one lose one pattern, I do not see any cause for concern just yet. I don't want to sound like too much of a happy clappy here, but it's still early in the season. The league is so random at the minute, anything could happen. Hull lost to Edinburgh last week, yet horses the Clan. Bannister's men put away Coventry, yet they turned over the Panther's who dispatched Braehead easily. If results continue to be as polarising, then there will be cause for concern. But right now, it's all about backing the boys to the hilt, especially this Halloween weekend. No scares please!

As a side bar, I was a bit dissappointed to see that Jim Jorgensen retired from Twitter today. Whether he had been wound up after the Hull game, was getting too much attention from certain over enthused clan fans or just got bored of it all, who knows?

Seeing how open the players are to fraternising with the fans, social networking allows us to maybe see them more as regular guys and view their team camaraderie. In the past few weeks I've read about Jade's penchant for 10 pin bowling and FIFA, seen Sammy Zajac, Adam Walker and Brock McPherson feeding ducks and Jim himself in drag.

I know that makes me sound like some sort of stalker, but being right in to my social networking stuff, it's cool to see that these Saturday night heroes can be just as mundane as the rest of us.

So, what should you readers take from this blog?

Well, first of all, a heavy defeat does not mean the wheels have come off. Coach Drew has apparently noted the problems and is aiming to rectify them. The 2 Edinburgh games at the weekend will be the proof, as despite lowly status, they have had a decent November. It's up to the Clan to halt their resurgence and get some momentum of their own for the visit of Belfast next weekend.

Unfortunately I'll miss the double header due to a jaunt to Inverness for my other "job" but between 7 and 930ish, I'll be on Twitter to keep up to date with the hopeful tanking of the Caps.

Enjoy the Halloween and Hockey festivities, Clan Fans! My next blog will more than likely be about the Belfast game and the number of folk I have managed to coax along to the Arena for it.

Mon The Clan!!