No, you haven’t accidentally selected a music review blog - as the major talking point from last Saturday’s game was a certain Joy and the split views of supporters, the title above seemed apt. Some MKL supporters were very anti the calls she made, some said the calls were right but she just missed too many against Slough.
I couldn’t get to last Saturday’s home game as I was in the north-east - and I now hate it if I can’t be at a game. If I’m up north I sometimes go to Vipers games for a hockey fix, but on Saturday the choice was either Vipers v Stingrays (again), or a meal with hubs at a restaurant by Durham riverside – and the hot date won...just couldn’t face another evening in Whitley Bay, and it was lovely to have some ‘time out’ (Ha! See what I did there? Hockey terminology I can use pretty much in context!!)
But time to ‘fess up: my iphone was on the table all evening, MKIH forums page loaded, refreshing every 5-10 minutes for updates – and knowing the guys were struggling isn’t good for your digestion! Yes I know I’m sad – and that I have an incredibly understanding husband. As soon as I saw that Joy was reffing I could practically hear the cursing from 200 miles away, not least from The Boy. Unless an infringement happens almost under my nose, I’m still getting my head around realising it’s happened in the first place, let alone know what the penalty for it is - but I know Joy’s not a Lightning favourite. I’ve stuck up for her in the past on the basis that us girls have got to stick together in a male dominated sport, and I’m proud there’s a high profile female ref - but she takes a lot of stick and you start to think that it can’t ALL be unjustified whinging, surely....?
I’m not going to do a Dave Slimes and make a judgement from what I’ve heard rather than seen, so I’ll settle for saying that the general consensus of opinion suggests Lightning were on the back foot in the first period, before coming back in the second and third, giving the oppo a right ding-dong battle in the end, and unlucky not to take a point. The major talking points seemed to revolve around apparently debatable penalties Joy gave against Monir for high sticks and against Nick for slashing. Surely if a player sustains a facial injury then surely that was evidence there’d been some sort of stick/fist – face interaction, and it’s unlikely he did it to himself!! Even as a relative newcomer that makes sense to me, unless I really AM missing something basic...(answers on a postcard please!!) Did Slough take the term “face off” a bit too literally?!
Travelling back from the north-east on Sunday we broke our journey at iceSheffield for the
Steeldogs v Lightning game. The only sport I've seen in Sheffield previously was a United vs Sunderland pre-season friendly, and until now I thought the best thing about the place was Meadowhall (I have a 2:1 in Retail Therapy from the University of Life), but iceSheffield isn’t half bad either. Two ice pads! Two zambonis! But only seven fans. Or was it eight? They kept moving around... Either way, until just before the game started, MKL fans weren't far off outnumbering Steeldogs supporters. Something else missing until face off was atmosphere – we get music during the warm-up, but in Sheffield, nothing – it only started when the teams skated out. So given my inexperience of away games, is that par for the course? Are we spoilt brats, with our fancy dan pre-game music, or are Sheffield just ice hockey paupers?
But onto the game. No Grant or Baz again, but we did have Mettsy 
back netminding and little Archie Hollyhead up in the stands, I’m told! Given that Lightning have spanked Steeldogs in their last two meetings back in MK so far this season, I don’t think anyone was expecting anything different this time – even in the Steeldogs’ own nice plush kennel. Despite Sheffield scoring early on a powerplay, Lightning equalised shorthanded 20 seconds later thanks to a brilliant second liners’ goal scored by Carrsy, aided and abetted by Nick and Smults.
See, I now know who our lines are! (Well, thanks to a fellow forum-er, anyway, heheh!) But what I don’t know are tactics you can use the lines for. Errr, if that’s what happens?? Incidentally I confess to buying ‘Powerplay’ to pass a bit of time at Sheffield (I won’t make a habit of it, I promise, I was just curious.) On the plus side it does have an interview with our very own Mr Poole about coaching, where it mentions MKL doing so well by playing the game “the hard-nosed ‘North American way’” – what’s THAT all about? Is there a softy British way to play? Is that anything to do with how you use your lines? Or am I just analysing this waaaaaay too much?!!
Two more goals followed in the first period courtesy of Matty and Clarkey, and Lightning looked firmly in control without having to exert themselves too much. Radders ‘the shorts thief’ helped the ‘Dogs to a second, but Smults gave us a fourth soon afterwards. Towards the end of the third, Sheffield called a time-out (which always makes me think the team calling the time out are panicking!) then briefly pulled their netminder...paving the way for our final goal of the evening, courtesy of Jamo. Final score Steeldogs 2, Lightning 5 – and a fantastic remedy for the previous evening’s defeat.
Some MKL supporters have commented that it was SO easy for our boys that it wasn’t exactly riveting, but as I’m still in the first flush of love with ice hockey, I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed it, and was on a little post-match high for the two hour journey back to MK!! Admittedly though it was SO one-sided in the third period that "one way traffic" was an understatement, and unless I’m mistaken I saw Mettsey doing a crossword, taunting Sheffield’s mascot about the answer to three down (geddit?? Three down?!)
This Saturday sees us host bottom of the league Bees – so fingers crossed the guys can lock out complacency and get a convincing win. Yes, it might make for another less than riveting game for the hardcore supporters, but if we can end the night with two points and the lads full of confidence to carry through to Swindon on Sunday, that’ll do for me!
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