Belfast v Sheffield double header

Devil94

Well-Known Member
Thread starter #1
It's a Giants v Steelers double header weekend. Should be a great couple of games.

I thought at first that the best outcome for us would be 2 points each, meaning they both lose points.

But if Sheffield win both, we have the chance to open a substantial gap over the rest of the pack this weekend.

If Belfast win both, then I think that pretty much knocks Sheffield out of the run and make it a two horse race? If this happens and we can win our very tough two games this weekend, that would open up a 12 point gap between us and Sheffield, and we would still have a game in hand.

I still think maybe 2 points each would an the best outcome, but what we definitely don't want is for either game to go in to overtime.
 

Temme

Well-Known Member
#3
Belfast have a massive run of home games so any points dropped helps us.
Having said that i want Belfast to take all 4 points to bring Paul Thompson closer to sacking.
 

Gough60

Active Member
#5
"If Belfast win both, then I think that pretty much knocks Sheffield out of the run and make it a two horse race?"
Need to keep an eye on Flyers.
 

kettdevil1

Well-Known Member
#6
"If Belfast win both, then I think that pretty much knocks Sheffield out of the run and make it a two horse race?"
Need to keep an eye on Flyers.
They do have a chance but I wonder if they have the depth of squad? They are playing very disciplined hockey at the moment and are excellent at home but.... a few injuries and I can see them slipping back a bit. Even if they win their games in hand, they still trail us and my feeling is still that it will be between the teams in our conference, with Fife being in the mix for the podium but not the top step.
 

Devil94

Well-Known Member
Thread starter #7
"If Belfast win both, then I think that pretty much knocks Sheffield out of the run and make it a two horse race?"
Need to keep an eye on Flyers.
That's a fair point. They have got the games in hand to be a contender, but putting those points on the board is something completely different.

If they do that then I'll consider them to have entered the race, but as KettDevil said, I'm not sure if they have the depth and experience to quite finish the job this year.
 

ASHIPP

Well-Known Member
#10
Would prefer shared points in this double-header. It keeps both at a distance without giving either team any real advantage. And the same for the Belfast-Nottingham weekend the following week.

Flyers have a lot of games in hand. They could make a massive difference to their position if they win those games. Although a fast, multi-goalscoring team with a solid goalie, they have had the advantage of playing poorer Scottish Conference teams more times than others which helps their points. But, on their day, have proved they can really step up having beaten every team above them this season. They cannot be taken for granted.

Our Guys just need to keep winning - focussing one game at a time.
 

Finny

Well-Known Member
#11
Been thinking about this too.
A split weekend in regulation is probably best. We need Belfast to start dropping points but I’m not sure we want Sheffield going on a long winning run either.
 

Ejercito Rojas

Well-Known Member
#12
Flyers can beat every team on their day, and guess what they already have.
You’re absolutely right about that, but let’s be honest we beat ourselves that night!
The Flyers are a decent team, above average in fact but they have the luxury of playing in an appallingly
bad Scottish conference.
They will continue to pile up the points when they play Dundee, Edinburgh and Braehead every other week.
Remembering that Fife is a very difficult place to come away with 2points it’s their away fixtures against Erhardt conference teams will be critical, if they can ‘steal points’ like they did here in November then they are definitely top 3 material.
What really annoys me is that the Scottish teams ‘held a gun to the head’ to the league with their preseason demands and then yet again,(Fife apart) have made a total mockery of the conference system.
Matches against Edinburgh and Dundee are nothing more than training sessions and opportunities to improve your goal difference, with Braehead being little better.
Be honest, Fife are a decent team but when you have a potential 48 points available from very poor opposition, it isn’t a level playing field.
I hope that at the end of this season the conference system as it stands is consigned to the dustbin and we do not allow one or two teams who for whatever reason to dictate the terms to the rest.
MK and Guildford have come into the league and have shown they can be competitive, if Edinburgh and Dundee can’t be competitive at EIHL level they should be looking at playing in the SNL, and at least being competitive there.
 

Temme

Well-Known Member
#13
You’re absolutely right about that, but let’s be honest we beat ourselves that night!
The Flyers are a decent team, above average in fact but they have the luxury of playing in an appallingly
bad Scottish conference.
They will continue to pile up the points when they play Dundee, Edinburgh and Braehead every other week.
Remembering that Fife is a very difficult place to come away with 2points it’s their away fixtures against Erhardt conference teams will be critical, if they can ‘steal points’ like they did here in November then they are definitely
Teams play more games out of conference than they do IN conference don't forget, its x4 in conference and x3 out of conference. (but there's 3 conferences, so really you play 1/3 more times out of conference than you do IN conference.

Fife will play Guildford/us/belfast/sheffield/manchester/nottingham more times than they'll play teams in their conference (as a cumulative figure of course)
 

Gazza272

Well-Known Member
#14
You’re absolutely right about that, but let’s be honest we beat ourselves that night!
The Flyers are a decent team, above average in fact but they have the luxury of playing in an appallingly
bad Scottish conference.
They will continue to pile up the points when they play Dundee, Edinburgh and Braehead every other week.
Remembering that Fife is a very difficult place to come away with 2points it’s their away fixtures against Erhardt conference teams will be critical, if they can ‘steal points’ like they did here in November then they are definitely top 3 material.
What really annoys me is that the Scottish teams ‘held a gun to the head’ to the league with their preseason demands and then yet again,(Fife apart) have made a total mockery of the conference system.
Matches against Edinburgh and Dundee are nothing more than training sessions and opportunities to improve your goal difference, with Braehead being little better.
Be honest, Fife are a decent team but when you have a potential 48 points available from very poor opposition, it isn’t a level playing field.
I hope that at the end of this season the conference system as it stands is consigned to the dustbin and we do not allow one or two teams who for whatever reason to dictate the terms to the rest.
MK and Guildford have come into the league and have shown they can be competitive, if Edinburgh and Dundee can’t be competitive at EIHL level they should be looking at playing in the SNL, and at least being competitive there.
Fife already have wins against Nottingham and Sheffield away this year.
 

Ejercito Rojas

Well-Known Member
#15
I stand to be corrected the amount of ‘in conference’ games, however my main bone of contention is the uncompetitive Scottish teams getting hammered on a regular basis devalues the league as a whole.
Whilst there is always going to be the occasional ‘freak result’ by and large games against Edinburgh and Dundee are a forgone conclusion.
As I said Fife are very strong at home regardless of the opposition.
 

kettdevil1

Well-Known Member
#17
I stand to be corrected the amount of ‘in conference’ games, however my main bone of contention is the uncompetitive Scottish teams getting hammered on a regular basis devalues the league as a whole.
Whilst there is always going to be the occasional ‘freak result’ by and large games against Edinburgh and Dundee are a forgone conclusion.
As I said Fife are very strong at home regardless of the opposition.
I would (partially) agree with you about Edinburgh but both times up at Dundee has been a battle (won one by a flattering score lineand lost one).... I wouldn’t say they were easy....
 

Ejercito Rojas

Well-Known Member
#18
I would (partially) agree with you about Edinburgh but both times up at Dundee has been a battle (won one by a flattering score lineand lost one).... I wouldn’t say they were easy....

Our difficulties at Dundee may have been more to do with our patchy form at that time though as not many teams have had much difficulty beating them since. In fact, Dundee have only managed to win one game against inter conference rivals in their 14 outings since our defeat there!
 

Devil94

Well-Known Member
Thread starter #20
Sounds like a bad hit by Fitzy, should be out for a few games.

Don't say this often but I hope Sheffield can close this one out, and then Belfast to win tomorrow in 60 minutes. Oh, and a few more suspensions would be nice too.
 
Top