Individual News
11th of January 2008
I hope you've all had a good Xmas and have come back refreshed . It's a busy time for most professional sportspeople - I seemed to have spent most of my "break" playing hockey or falling asleep. And now I'm just checking travel arrangements for Belfast on Thursday and Newcastle on Sunday, with a home game in between against Edinburgh. We're going to need lots of energy from the fans on Saturday night. I know you won't disappoint us.
We've played a lot of hockey since I last spoke to you. As I write this, we're in contention for a play-off place in the league. Where we finish in the league will determine who we meet in the play-offs so we're looking for a four point weekend. Steve Thornton's rehab continues. He's the best judge of how he can best contribute on a game by game basis. Fortunately Greg Wood has recovered quickly from the concussion he received in the first game against Sheffield. We were angered by the check which took our smallest and lightest player out of the game.
When you're playing short-benched and that kind of incident occurs, it places even more pressure on the rest of the squad. By the time we got to Sheffield for the return game, we were already tired. That was the heaviest defeat I've ever been involved in but I could not have asked for more from the team.
I think the real character of the team showed itself in the final game of 2007. When Brad Cruikshank makes a mistake, he's the first to hold his hand up. You know he's going to get straight back on the ice to get it back. This he did, and more, in the closing minutes of the game against Manchester. Two goals in sixteen seconds to defeat Manchester was a great way to close out the game and the year.
We're looking forward to seeing who our semi-final opponents in the cup will be. The first leg had everything - a great shutout, great goals, killing two 5 on 3 penalties. Wherever you looked on the ice, it was just a great team performance. Obviously the Devils were going to throw everything at us the following day but overall we deserved to win the tie.
Looks like Basingstoke has more great Hockey Nights to look forward to.
See you Saturday
Ryan Writes appears on the Follow the Herd Page in Thursday's Basingstoke Gazette.
We've played a lot of hockey since I last spoke to you. As I write this, we're in contention for a play-off place in the league. Where we finish in the league will determine who we meet in the play-offs so we're looking for a four point weekend. Steve Thornton's rehab continues. He's the best judge of how he can best contribute on a game by game basis. Fortunately Greg Wood has recovered quickly from the concussion he received in the first game against Sheffield. We were angered by the check which took our smallest and lightest player out of the game.
When you're playing short-benched and that kind of incident occurs, it places even more pressure on the rest of the squad. By the time we got to Sheffield for the return game, we were already tired. That was the heaviest defeat I've ever been involved in but I could not have asked for more from the team.
I think the real character of the team showed itself in the final game of 2007. When Brad Cruikshank makes a mistake, he's the first to hold his hand up. You know he's going to get straight back on the ice to get it back. This he did, and more, in the closing minutes of the game against Manchester. Two goals in sixteen seconds to defeat Manchester was a great way to close out the game and the year.
We're looking forward to seeing who our semi-final opponents in the cup will be. The first leg had everything - a great shutout, great goals, killing two 5 on 3 penalties. Wherever you looked on the ice, it was just a great team performance. Obviously the Devils were going to throw everything at us the following day but overall we deserved to win the tie.
Looks like Basingstoke has more great Hockey Nights to look forward to.
See you Saturday
Ryan Writes appears on the Follow the Herd Page in Thursday's Basingstoke Gazette.