Monday 16 January 2012

Flames Subside as Jets are Turned On








Hopperational details
Date & Venue
Sunday 15 January 2012 at Spectrum, Guildford
Result
Guildford Flames 3 Slough Jets 4
Competition
English Premier League
Hopping
This is venue #3 on my new Rinkhopping list, after MK and Slough.
This match in one sentence
A turnround in the third period gave Slough a great victory in an anti-climax of a game for Guildford.
So what?
Flames lead MK Lightning by three points, who lead Jets & Manchester Phoenix by one.  Phoenix have played one game more.
Something random
I am pleased to confirm that the Guildford zamboni goes in a clockwise pattern (see previous posts for my Northern Hemisphere theory).  The Spectrum is a well-appointed arena, part of a large leisure complex in which people can follow both healthy and unhealthy pursuits.



The drama unfolds
After their 6-5 road win at MK Lightning the day before, the Guildford faithful were hoping for a home win to increase the gap at the top of the table.  Indeed, when they started well and took an early lead through Greg Chambers on a powerplay, all was well with the world.  1-0

My scene-setting clips, while I was getting used to the camera movement and angles needed from my perspex position, show the other powerplays of the period, one for each side but neither converted into a goal.





Almost nine minutes into the second period Doug Sheppard equalised.  1-1

The lead lasted only ninety seconds, before Andrew Hemmings restored the Flames’ advantage, and then Branislav Kvetan scored a powerplay goal (caught in my fourth clip) to give a two-goal margin at the end of the second.  It has to be said that things were looking all hunky-dory for Flames at that point.  Jets had had a reasonable amount of territory without looking particularly dangerous, and neither the game nor the arena had the passion and intensity of the game I was at yesterday.  1-3





I don’t know the technicalities of this sport well enough to explain what happened in the third.  There were no penalties for a start.  Joe Greener scored after three minutes or so, and then Adam Calder and Adam Greener scored in quick succession to give Slough the lead for the first time.  3-4

We all anticipated a vigorous Flames response, with over seven minutes left, but as my final clip shows, Slough managed to keep the puck up at the other end for a large proportion of those final minutes and the inevitability of an away win gradually settled over Surrey.  No roughing, interference, cross-checking, slashing or weeing in an opponent's Powerade.  Shocking.  Other polluted energy drinks are available.  Final score 3-4



What Next?
Another change of direction on Thursday evening with a new sporting tangent for the blog!  I hope you are all shivering with anticipation.

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