game believed to have originated in Canada was called off just because the weather got a bit Canadian!! I had visions of Nick, Monir, Smults and Lukas, looking out of their respective front windows at what must’ve seemed to them like a mere dusting of snow, and probably wondering what all the fuss was about! Peterborough import Chris Allen said recently if it snows overnight before a game in Canada, the team will go out in the wee small hours and shift what they can of the snow around the rink...hmmm, an idea for next time this happens?!!
I went back to the north east for a few days during the break to catch up with family and enjoy a sporting fix. Firstly, an EIHL game, Newcastle Vipers v Hull Stingrays. We’d seen them in October and it was absolutely dire...neither side particularly impressed, a very scrappy match, little in the way of atmosphere or support. I wore the same layers this time that keep me toasty warm at Lightning games, and even a hat. But I could’ve done with another few layers, another pair each of gloves and socks, a balaclava and probably a water bottle and electric blanket. Not to put too fine a point on it, it was feckin freezing in there...took me literally HOURS to warm up again properly afterwards!
The Vipers’ recent appeal for supporters to turn out in numbers had obviously hit a chord as there was a much bigger, more vocal crowd than when we last went. And the team themselves had much more about them because this certainly wasn’t the bore-fest it was last time. The Stingrays’ bus suffered a puncture en route and they’d arrived late, getting only 10 minutes on the ice to warm up, and I wondered if it would work against them. The home team put up a fight and for the first two periods they stayed in contention – but far from the lack of warm up time being a hindrance, it didn’t seem to bother the Stingrays; in the final period they put their foot on the gas and left with all the points.
pointed out it was relatively poor for their league. And I admit he had a good point. One of the things I love about watching Lightning is the skill you see from our players – selling oppo players a dummy pass, the lightning-fast turns and flicks to get away from your oppo, etc – and it was fair to say there was nowhere near as much in the Vipers game. So while it was good to get a hockey fix, it was frustrating not to enjoy it anywhere near as much as I enjoy going to Lightning games. And I suppose it’s never as good when it’s not your ‘home’ team.
The following day, I had a catch-up with Sunderland AFC at their home game against Premiership newbies Blackpool. The omens weren’t good, post Christmas shopping traffic giving us a parking nightmare even though we’d set off in good time, and a mix-up when booking the seats meant we were on row 1, so you don’t get a fantastic perspective of the whole pitch. Sunderland came out firing on all cylinders and it looked like it’d be a case of when, not IF, the first goal came. Shot after shot was fired at the Blackpool goal but none went in – I was convinced there was an invisible forcefield around their goal. Blackpool succeeded where Bent, Gyan and Co couldn’t....we couldn’t lose to this lot, surely...??? How could I show my face at work having lost to bloody Blackpool??! Blackpool scored again at the end of normal time....and that was that. Four minutes of extra time was awarded, but we didn’t look like scoring if we’d played for another four days. We left, cold and frustrated for the second day in a row.
While I’d been away I’d kept a ‘weather eye’ on press coverage of Lightning as part of my new role, and it was great to see some profile-boosting stuff for the club. One of the papers in Swindon even picked up on our view that the near three week lay-off between games was a good thing as it gave our guys more time to rest and heal from injuries – and they’d countered it with Swindon coach Ryan Aldridge’s view that Lightning might be a little rusty so they'd take advantage if we were. Fighting talk! We’d see who was right, soon enough.
It was fantastic to get back to the rink after such a long mid-season gap –
and what a fantastic, really noisy crowd had turned out for both sides!! It was a real pleasure to be there with such a great atmosphere which kept up all through the game – a real credit to both sets of supporters, and long may it continue. Having read on the MKIH forums that Grant wasn’t expected back until mid-January earliest, it was a lovely surprise to see him on the ice and ready for action again.
Certainly at first, it seemed like Ryan Aldridge just might’ve been right – Swindon looked determined not to be a pushover despite some dodgy recent results, and pushed Lightning every step of the way - punishing missed passes and any hint of hesitation, plus their keeper Disco Douglas was on top form, determined not to let anything past him. And for the first period he succeeded, as did Mettsey – 0-0 after 20 minutes.
The frustration continued in the second period when Swindon scored early - but Lukas evened it up only four minutes later with a powerplay goal, stoking up the atmosphere even more! Lightning came back more and more in the final period and played an increasingly physical game, but at the end of 60 minutes it was still a stalemate and overtime beckoned. Thankfully high-scoring Smults was the hero of the hour, ending the evening’s frustration and sending the home fans away very, very happy!
The following evening at Manchester wasn’t a good result for the boys; Monir was out injured so our strikeforce wasn’t as potent – and to be fair, last season Lightning were the team on form – this season it’s the Mancs, and better teams than us will lose to them before the season’s out. But the only way to deal with nights like that is look firmly forward: this Saturday we face local rivals Peterborough, and the bragging rights are up for grabs. Here’s hoping none of us leave the Thunderdome frustrated after that match!!
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