Match Night Live

Welcome to a lunchtime edition of MNL asd we bring you the 1st semi-final of the EIHL Play Offs at Nottingham

Score predictions as usual to me (OJ) at matchnightlive.gmail.com

A spot of early lunch as I will be back with you as warmup ends in 30 or so minutes

Michael Hicks has the whistle for this semi-final

Warmup underway at NIC

Ruth predicts a 4-3 win for the Steelers after penalties

Warmup drawing to a close

Just warned my texters to conserve their batteries if possible

Paul so organised he has brought 2 mobiles

Rebecca in Penarth predicts a 4-3 win fot the Panthers in O/T

Sue Matzka joins us from Port Huron where it is 7:30 am

Warmup over

Chris S says hes feeling nervous for our game already, Chris it doesn't start for 4 hours so concentrate on texting me on this game

My last play off weekend was when we won the Superleague Play Offs in Manchester

Nothing will replace those Finals at Wembley, believe or not I didn't have time to get nervous as I was busy getting the team ready

Awesome atmosphere Panthers have produced a block size banner

I suppose it will come in handy if the roof leaks or beer is thrown

Ladies Day at Chepstow races today and friends are calling me for tips

Ice done

Danette and Kevin Macrae have joined us Sydney, Nova Scotia

Probably as nervous as Chris

Panthers are out on the ice

The one thing I enjoyed about Play Off Finals was I got less stick from the players, they would sit there all quiet, why couldn't they do that all season

Steelers take to the ice

National Anthem

We are about ready

WE are off

Panthers offside @ 0:50

Blaze fans cheering for Steelers, Devils fans cheering for Panthers

Kwall save @ 1:27

Kwall for Kowalski; Moose for Mustikovs

GOAL Steelers

@ 2:06

Penalty Steelers @ 2:06

Simon was the scorer

A bit of a rumpus after goal scored to penalty for Clark - slashing

Assists Clark & Phillips

David Clarke was penalised, Neil Clark got assist

Panthers back to full strength

Penalty at 2:06 was against Panthers not Steelers

A Clark(e) on both teams threw me

Steelers goal

Panthers are playing terrible

Steelers 2nd goal @ 5:02 scored by Dowd, assists Campbell & Globke

Game now getting physical

A lot of pushing led to handbags

Big hit by Simon on Lepine

Steelers icing @ 6:13

Obviuosly referee Hicks is on the lookout for a new handbag as hes having a good look on what is on offer but not making a call.

Panthers goal

Levers unassisted @ 7:26

Sarich nails Galbraith

Bellamy nails 2 Steelers so Munn nails Bellamy

Let them hit hell out of each other for 60 minutes

Penalties coming

@ 9:26 Clark slashed hard to stomach and goes straight to dressing room

now told Clark called for slashing- he's back anyway

Checking for far is mental

10 minutes gone

I am now totally confused the 2 penalties to date on EIHL are against Steelers Clark

Panthers goal

@ 12:15

Wrister from Beauregard, assists Heerema

Moose save @ 12:54 followed by more handbags

2nd assist on Panthers 2nd goal went to Thaczuk

I am beginning to think the penalties, especially the 2nd one were against Steelers Neil Clark as Panthers were on PP

Panthers penalty @ 13:35 Meyers - holding

Steelers offside @ 14:17

Steelers go offside again whilst on pp

That said Steelers pp looks better that Panthers model

Panthers return to full strength

Gametime 16:04

press F5 ruth

Gametime 17:02

Moose makes up for his earlier failures on Panthers soft goals with a big save

Net off mooring @ 18:03

End of First period Panthers 2 Steelers 2

After a poor start Panthers are back in this game and it is now pretty even

That sais it will not take much to blow the lid off this game

My wife just made me back a 100/1 runner in the 2:15 at Chepstow

She also fancies Big Knickers in the 5:00 - well that says something doesn't it

Chris says that there are lots of empty seats for what was reported as a sell out

I can't believe I am blogging on MNL on a Saturday afternoon

Racing starts at 2:05 so look at what I am giving up

Saving money says my wife, I didn't get a single winner at Ludlow on Thursday, good day out though

2 minutes to 2nd period

Both team back

SoG 10 on Steelers; 9 on Panthers

2nd period underway

Steelers penalty @ 21:18

Sarich - hooking

Gametime 22:01

Penalty killed by Steelers

Handbags @ 23:24

Steelers offside @ 23:56

Nice play from Steelers but ended with easy save for Kwall

Gametime 24:48

Still a feisty game

Neilson being pushed around by 3 Steelers

Kwall save @ 25:19

yet more handbags

The two netminders must be the agent for these handbags because once they make a save a melee is created

all the better chances are falling to the Steelers

Two players square up, neither will drop the gloves , Myers skates up and pushes them away

Game has gone dead

Thats not what we want, we want them to hit hell out of each other

Gametime 30:03

Panthers had 7 skaters then, not seen

Game has suddenly come alive again

Gametime 33:42

Not many whistles

Panthers penalty @ 33:41 - Beauregard - holding

35 minutes gone

Kwall makes 2 brilliant saves

Panthers back to full strength

Gametime 36:11

Good save Moose

That save was from Neilson @ 37:33

Final minute of 2nd period

Steelers offside @ 39:23

End of 2nd period - Panthers 2 Steelers 2

Campbell and Galbraith exchange words at the buzzer

SoG for 2nd period 12 on Steelers; 7 on Panthers

5 minutes before 3rd period

Both teams are back on the ice

We are off for the 3rd period

We will soon see who wants that place in final

Ellis & Ciaran think Steelers will win this period 2-1

Game needs a goal badly says texter Paul

Save Moose @ 42:34

The longer the game goes on the stronger the Panthers

Another Moose save @ 43:06

Panthers bench penalty @ 44:38 - too many men

Good Kwall save @ 45:09

Steelers Penalty Shot

@ 45:50

Simon has shot

Glove save Kwall

steelers offside @ 46:13

Panthers back to full strength

Gametime 48:04

Panthers goal

Onetimer rocket from face off circle

Scored by Heerema @ 48:38 assist Thaczuk

Steelers goal @ 39:26

PPG after Neilson called for a hooking penalty @ 48:56

Goal was of course at 49:26

Scored by Simon, assits Sarich & Talbot

Steelers penalty @ 50:09 - Globke - holding

Steelers go close whilst sh @ 51:43

Panthers pp is pathetic

Steelers kill penalty

Gametime 53:04

Panthers 2 on 1 , shoot wide

Steelers penalty - Campbell - hooking @ 54:19

Panthers get that pp into gear now

Overdrive preferably

55 minutes gone

All those 4-3 predictions bearing fruit

3 on 2 break by Panthers they mess it up

Then a 2 on 1 sh break for Steelers

Steelers back to full strength

Panthers offside @ 56:17

For a team playing on their home ice Panthers seem to be in a deep sleep most of the time

Panthers penalty @ 57:03 - Clarke - holding

Good save Kwall @ 57:28

Final 2 minutes of game

Penalty killed as we enter last minute of regulation time

End of regulation Panthers 3 Steelers 3

Into O/T we go

Its 10 minutes of O/T

Brilliant that will make the winners elated and tired

4 on 4 in O/T

O/T starts

Good save Moose @ 61:00

SoG for 3rd 13 on Panthers 7 on Steelers

PANTHERS WIN

Moose concedes a soft goal

He spills it race between Neilson & Hewitt, Neilson taps it in

Apologies it wasn't Neilson it was Robert Lachowicz - hes a bit quicker

Our step-brothers go home

WELL DONE RUTH AND OTHERS FOR PREDICTING A 4-3 WIN FOR THE PANTHERS

Steelers MoM - BEN SIMON

Panthers MoM - CRAIG KOWALSKI

Thanks to Paul & Cris S our textes at NIC

A quick look at the racing, will leave this MNL up until I load the 2nd semi-final at around 4pm

Join me later for the Devils v Giants game