There were a lot of drawn faces and tired bodies in the bar last Saturday after the game against Sheffield. It had been an exhausting evening with emotions running high for what seemed like ages. According to Shanker, even the Sheffield team were amazed by the effort you fans put in on Saturday night. You must have been running on pure adrenaline in the third period. How you got through the penalty shoot-out I'll never know. It clearly took its toll.

It will come as no surprise to you that I've never been one of the guys called upon to step up for a shoot-out. As a player, I'm always interested in watching the moves different players will make. It was also fascinating for me to compare the techniques of the two goaltenders. Kevin talked in an interview after the game about how he has learned from studying tapes of NHL goalies - that interview is one you would all find interesting. We were all certain that he would come up big for us as he has done so often this season even though he had little knowledge of what to expect from the Sheffield penalty-takers.

Choosing who should take our penalties was straightforward. Danny was still buzzing from his short-handed goal in the third period. Chubbs can always be relied upon in a one on one play. Brent may be one of the smallest guys in the League but he has grown into becoming a real leader since taking over the captaincy. For me, he stood tall all night and showed he has nerves of steel.

Those guys know that it had been a tremendous team effort to put ourselves in the position of winning through a shoot-out. It was a tremendously disciplined team performance to blunt the Sheffield offence and avoid taking penalties in the first two periods. And, of course, coming from 3 - 1 down was a massive achievement, one that every player should take pride in. Never underestimate the Herd in the Third.

It would be good if this team were given the praise it deserves. Yet so often when a "small" team wins, it is explained away by saying the "big" team had a bad night, or it had underestimated the strength of the opposition.

It was a great showcase for Elite League Hockey and we deserved our win. Thank you, as always, for your support.