The Black and Gold Wire

After a turbulent Christmas period that saw Tim Wallace's Panthers tenure come crashing down, Mark Matheson has made an instant impact as interim head coach as he looks to steady the ship. Sunday night's point in Dundee makes it 6 straight games without a regulation loss, which sees the Panthers on their best form of the season.  The last week and a bit has given fans plenty of reasons to be optimistic. Positive results have seen the club move up two places in the standings and take a two goal advantage into the second leg of the cup quarters. These wins have come from noticeably sharper performances, giving you a sense that confidence has been restored in the team.  This could very well be a honeymoon period though, and it's important that the Panthers aren't blinded by that. It's very common in any sport for a change in leadership to spark a temporary mentality change that soon wares off. It's easy to be reactionary, whether that be positively or negatively. I...

Yikes. Having only seen a handful of Panthers games this season, all of which were victories (I was a lucky charm pre-Christmas I guess), I hadn't got a first hand look at how disjointed the team really is at the moment. Our Christmas series with the Sheffield Steelers, along with declining results, shows just how far off we are from being a title challenger.  The Yorkshire side have become the benchmark for success, as they sit rather comfortably at the top of the standings, and will do going into the new year. If that's the standard we have to reach, then we are lightyears away right now.  Although possession seemed pretty even, and Aaron Fox's side were heavily outshot in the home game, the efficiency levels were polar opposites. Players such as Marc-Oliver Vallerand, Martin Latal and (ugh) Evan Mosey, were cruising through the Panthers defence like a hot knife through butter, even when killing penalties.  As for our offence, again, mainly in the home game, were w...

As a Panthers fan, some of my fondest memories have come from the Challenge Cup, in which the club have historically thrived in.  I started supporting the club in the 2010/11 season, when the Panthers were in the thick of an all out domination of the competition. Between 2010 and 2016, Corey Neilson would guide the club to winning it 6 times in 7 attempts, a remarkable feat however you look at it.  That's what makes the current state of the competition even more frustrating.  Whilst there has been backlash for the joke of a format the league have opted for this season, I don't think it's to the extent it should be. Those who gave a group stage where 8 out of 9 teams qualify the green light, where the majority of the games meant nothing, have made a mockery of the fans.  Of course, Glasgow Clan abruptly pulling out (a completely understandable decision given their circumstances) wasn't ideal, but neither is playing 3+ dead rubber games.  It's reall...

As important as ability is, good leadership is also essential for success. Having endured seven successive failed title challenges as a Panthers fan, it has often been the case where mentality has lacked rather than ability. That's why it's reassuring that the club have taken their time when selecting a captain and an unusually high 4 alternates.  The most important piece of this mini puzzle is quite obviously the captain, who has been confirmed as defenceman Steve Lee. This will be his second time captaining the club after he did so in 2017/18. Although it was an underwhelming domestic season, Panthers European campaign was sensational as they became the first British team to qualify for the CHL knockouts.  Lee as a player is a bit of a marmite figure amongst Panthers fans, but it is quite telling that he will have captained the club under two different head coaches.  At the end of the day though, it's hard to give an accurate verdict because captaincy com...

As someone who can be somewhat indecisive, forming a prediction for the EIHL table was, lets say, a process.  Time after time I changed my mind on certain picks, and some will come across as more controversial than a certain club statement on Kieran Brown.  That’s what makes it exciting though, and doing my research has raised my optimism for another closely contested season. Every team has quality in some form, although I’ve tried to consider more than just some Elite Prospects profiles, because hockey is played on ice, not the internet.      10th - Fife Flyers I'm going with what many will deem an obvious choice for my last place pick. Fife Flyers overall are looking very 'meh'. There is no real depth and a lack of well established top level quality.  Greg Chase could prove to be an outstanding addition, and Shane Owen is a well established EIHL netminder, but it's tough to see where else the quality will come from. Isak Stenlund Adelgran has great s...

  With all 10 rosters almost complete, the buzz of a long awaited return to a full EIHL campaign is in full swing. I've been very pleasantly surprised at the quality, at least on paper, that teams have been able to sign in a post pandemic market.   I've picked out one new signing from each roster who I think will be a standout this season, with a few honourable mentions too. To clarify, these are players who didn't play for their clubs in 2019/20 or the Elite Series, hence why some of the honourable mentions have previously worn their clubs colours but have gone elsewhere since. Belfast Giants - Griffin Reinhart Belfast have made some seriously impressive additions this offseason and there's about 4-5 players I could have chosen. Getting a player who's last 3 seasons consist of KHL, DEL and AHL experience is impossible to ignore though.  Defenceman Griffin Reinhart has only played in top league's throughout his career, not least in the NHL where he has 37 games ...

In a time when the Elite League's approach to junior development is under immense scrutiny , Panthers appear to be building a strong homegrown contingent for the long term. It's a core that's seen quite a decline over the past 5 seasons. Club legend Matt Myers and defenceman Paul Swindlehurst moved on at the end of the 2015/16 season. Two years later, goal machine David Clarke would hang up the skates, before stalwart Robert Farmer got his chance to follow Corey Neilson to Germany.  This summer it's taken an even bigger hit, with established Brits Robert Lachowicz, and likely Brett Perlini on their way out. Goaltenders Jackson Whistle (Belfast), who many had tipped for a starting role, and more expectedly, Sam Gospel (Leeds), have both departed. Prospect Joseph Hazeldine made a somewhat surprise move to Manchester, which, in summary, made the Panthers depth look quite thin compared to some of their competitors.  Replacing these players is no easy task, with a shortage o...

  Import limits and British player development are what seem like a never ending debate throughout the British ice hockey world. It's a topic that I've been keen to delve into for a while, and now seems like a good time, following league chairman Tony Smith's revelation on the roster size for the 2021/22 season.  To summarise, match night rosters can have up to 19 players. A maximum of 14 can be imports (non British trained players). This means, should coaches use all 14 import slots, that only 5 Brits can be on a team's roster.  This has been met with widespread criticism across all fanbases for being a big step back for developing homegrown talent in a league where chances for Brits are becoming harder to come by. Coaches will almost always use the import limit to the maximum, and why shouldn't they? They are hired to win after all.  With hockey being a minority sport in the UK, I do believe the league has a responsibility to grow the sport for aspiring homegrown ...

The Panthers defensive recruitment was capped off on Saturday, with the addition of recent ECHL all star Brady Norrish to complete an intriguing core at the blueline to say the least.  Starting with Norrish himself, and it looks like we could have landed ourselves a gem. Many EIHL team's import additions come from the East Coast, but not many can boast being an all star, suggesting we have landed one of the league's top d-men.  That being said, he didn't play a single game in 2020/21, which is a little concerning, but there many examples of that not being a barrier for high level performances. Jackson Whistle and Ollie Betteridge were outstanding in the Elite Series after not taking to the ice for 14 months. In contrast though, they were playing at lower levels to what they were used to, and therefore there is added risk with signing Norrish. If it pays off though, we could be looking at one of the league's top defenceman.  Staying on the subject of top defenceman, Mark...

Prior to the 2011 playoff semi final, the Panthers had never beaten arch rivals Sheffield at a finals weekend. This was despite having numerous opportunities to do so through the years.  After coming from 2-0 down, a thriller at the NIC was headed to overtime. Youngster Robert Lachowicz, who had experienced a 32 point breakout season, was given the most important shift of his career yet, and would not disappoint.  After a great turn and go to escape the helpless Rod Sarich, he would find Matthew Myers whose backhand on net was fumbled by Ervins Mustukovs. It would be Lachowicz who pounced the loose puck to bury it and send the Panthers faithful into pandemonium. The lad from Beeston had written his place in the history books.  The victory over Cardiff in the final the following day would secure the first multi trophy season in club history and kickstart the clubs golden era. Lachowicz played a massive part in this era, arguably a much bigger one than people give...

The world is slowly returning to normal, as is the EIHL, with signing news rolling in across the country.  Panthers are up there with the most active in the player market as it stands, at least in terms of signings made public. They have the second most confirmed players for next season after Cardiff, with 13, so there's a lot to assess.  I always try to be mostly optimistic when it comes to watching the roster come together, because Elite Prospects only tells part of the story. On the flip side though, I can not help but feel a little concerned when comparing the roster to our rivals.  Take Sheffield for instance. They have retained their 4 top scoring players from 2019/20. Cardiff are continuing to add a range of experience from some of the world's top leagues. As for Belfast, bringing back Beskowarany, Murphy and Raine is outstanding business.  Of course though, Panthers fans know better than anyone that a players CV can be very misleading. Arguably our best playe...

The Panthers quickly kickstarted their plans for next season within a week of winning the Elite Series. Head coach Tim Wallace and director of hockey Guillaume Doucet will continue in their roles, whilst the Brit quota has began to take shape with Ollie Betteridge and Josh Tetlow being confirmed returnees. More surprisingly, experienced defenceman Steve Lee will return to the club after two years away.  It has been an enjoyable week and a bit to be a Panthers fan, with the Elite Series playoff victory and the sudden influx of signing announcements. Despite some debate over just how meaningful a four team tournament is, the 'Covid Cup' could certainly have an influence on how the Panthers roster comes together for 2021/22.  One example of how so, is the case that Jackson Whistle potentially makes to be the starting goaltender. Draft day drama meant that Ben Bowns was the blockbuster addition who surely could not be overtaken. Of course, a tournament centred around Great Britain...