£250 (approx) Inclusive of:
Full Board 4* accommodation Vierumaki - Int. Ice Hockey Centre of Excellence;
9.5 hours ice time (including scrimmage time, pro coaching and game);
Visit to discount hockey store;
Floor Ball;
Airport transfers (in Finland);

Other costs:

1 night in Dublin (accommodation TBC)
Purchase your own flights (details available from Simon);

Further Options:
Swimming (€5 per person, per swim);
Snowmobile / ATV Safari or Ice Karting (weather permitting);

Contact simon.hopkins@nottingham.ac.uk if you would like to join us.

The news you have all been waiting for (perhaps??)… Stand by for mega info - read carefully!!

I have tried and tested a new route to Vierumaki. Basically, we fly from the UK (East Mids or Stansted) to Dublin (Sat 13th Dec 08), stay 1 night in a Dublin hotel (approx £30 per person), take in the sights during the evening and then fly out early morning on Sun (14th Dec 08) to Tampere. There are pros and cons re this route. However, you will see from the schedule (attached), that we arrive in Vierumaki mid-afternoon on 14th. We go to the hockey shop (for discount kit etc) en route to Vierumaki, so that you can make full use of what you have just bought. We can also stock-up in the CityMarket. No trip to the Ski Jumps or Pelicans Arena, though. We also get an hour scrimmage too, followed by a hearty meal in the Country Club and an actual first evening! The obvious negative is forking out for 1 nights accommodation in Dublin. However, I am working on discount in a Dublin hotel for us all.

It will make life MUCH easier for me if you book your own flights this year. I have just booked mine for £111. Notably, I have already paid for the sticks. Personally, I have not opted to board the plane first (cost option), or purchase Ryanair travel insurance (another cost option) - the Post Office is much better for this. You will need to pay for Check-In and 1 piece of Luggage (ie your hockey kit). However, some of you (goalies) might also wish to pay for 1 item of Bulk Sports Equipment (approx £25 per sector). You are all responsible for your own weight limit or any excess payments!! A good tip is to buddy-up with 2 or 3 mates to pay for 1 piece of Bulk Sports Equipment. You will obviously need to take a spare kit bag, but it could save you a pot of cash. Ryanair now charge £12 per kilo over 15kg!!

Personally, I am flying East Mids to Dublin, simply because it’s easier for me. I would suggest that it’s easier for those living in the South to fly from Stansted. We will aim to meet at Dublin Airport at 3pm, on Sat 13th Dec 08. Please note, we are all flying back to Stansted, so take this into account when deciding how you will be getting home in the wee hours of Thurs 18th Dec 08… There may well be transport for approx 8 people travelling from Stansted to Nottingham. However, there will NOT be any transport arranged to the airport on Sat 13th.

Basically, the cost of the trip includes: full board accommodation in Vierumaki for 3 nights; 9.5 hours ice time (see schedule); airport transfers in Finland, all sports hall / gym sessions and stick carriage on all 3 flights. This equates to approx £250 each (based on 20 people).

Other points to note… To save money, we won’t be making use of the Lakeside Sauna / Restaurant this year. In addition, swimming is an optional extra (€5 per person per swim). As mentioned above, the Lahti trip is incorporated into the bus ride from Tampere airport to Vierumaki, on Sun 14th. The Snowmobile / ATV Safari or Ice Karting (weather permitting) is also an additional cost option (approx €75 per person). We will also be taking the bold move away from the lakeside cabins to newer, more centrally located (no massive hill) apartments, in-between the Country Club and the Swimming Pools.

Flight I have booked from East Midlands to Dublin (info only):

East Midlands (EMA) to Dublin (DUB)
Sat, 13Dec08 Flight FR 539
Depart EMA at 13:05 and arrive DUB at 14:05

Flights you MUST book:

From Dublin (DUB) to Tampere (TMP)
Sun, 14Dec08 Flight FR 852
Depart DUB at 07:30 and arrive TMP at 12:45

AND

From Tampere (TMP) to London Stansted (STN) Wed, 17Dec08 Flight FR2195 Depart TMP at 22:55 and arrive STN at 23:45

If you would like to come along I will need £50 (non-refundable deposit) from you ASAP. Please make cheques payable to: Simon Hopkins. Post them to me at the address below. I will also need an email with your flight confirmation codes for my records.

Closing date for the trip is 1st November 08. However, I recommend you book your flights ASAP, as Ryanair currently have a sale on. Don’t wait around assuming the price will come down in a month or two, as they tend not to anymore.

Think that’s all for now. Please email if you have any queries and questions etc.

Open to all, so ask your buddies.

Hope to hear from you all soon.

Si.

Let me know if you have any problems viewing it!

safe

Oldy

I’ve taken over the running of the site from Mark. I’ve got a few changes in store and will hopefully keep this site as up to date as I can. If you have any ideas for it let me know.

safe

Oldy

Bauer Skates – ProTeam25 (size 6) £15

Black socks £5 pair

Mavericks socks £7 pair

Can-Am (shirt (XL) & socks set) Blue £15

Can-Am (shirt (XL) & socks set) Red £15

Easton Air gloves (14”) £10

Mission gloves (15”) £10

Jofa gloves (13”) £8

CCM helmet (small) & cage £10

Nike helmet (large) £10

Compression Jock £3

Box (men’s) £2

Shirt (XL) – yellow £5

Suspender Belt £2

Braces £2

After a string of losses during the season the C team entered this year’s championships with nothing to prove but to play good hockey. Although the weekend started with the news of losing 3 of our forwards to the B team, notably our captain, we came together and managed a respectable 10^th place. 

We didn’t get off to a great start on the opening day with our first match against Manchester. Their overall higher level of experience and better play led them to a 5-0 win over a C team not particularly proud of their performance; although some solace could be taken given the lack of training or playing together over the holidays. We picked ourselves up for our next fixture against a team we only narrowly lost to during the season. Imperial provided a much fairer match and the C team played a much more rounded game. The end score of 1-0 to Imperial showed the C team to be a worthy opponent, especially considering Imperial went on to beat much more experienced teams with far bigger goal margins.

The second half of the day saw the Nottingham Cs come up against another experienced team. We played well against Sheffield and although losing 2-0, we took a lot from it and it provided a good platform to enter our final game of the day and our make-or-break match of the tournament. After a closely fought match against the ULU B team in London earlier this season and after they refused a return match in Nottingham, we came to this year’s championships looking forward to playing them at the ‘match which never happened’. Mentally we were prepared for this match and it showed on the ice as we played well as a team with a drive to win. Our efforts were rewarded with the first goal going to the C team, especially welcome as being our first goal of the tournament. Although we continued to play well ULU refused to give in and we conceded; bringing the game back to a level playing field and creating an obvious feeling of disappointment. But we picked ourselves up and spurred on even more to win we kept our heads up and were delighted to see our 2^nd goal come not long after ULU’s goal. Our drive continued resulting in slotting in a third. Being 2 goals up we didn’t let off but were disappointed to see ULU score their 2^nd and putting the pressure on. The match carried on with both teams having a fair possession of the puck but disaster struck when ULU’s 3^rd came to put the score level at 3 all. The mood was notably dampened after losing a 2 goal lead and we were wondering if a 4^th was possible for us after giving our all and only producing an even result; but only a few minutes later we were amazed to see the puck go in from a shot let off by Rhys from behind the goal line. The ULU goaltender’s skate aided in changing the puck’s course to enter the back of the net putting us ahead 4 goals to 3. We got a new lease of energy and as the game entered the last few minutes we threw everyone into defence. The tension produced an incredible game as the timer counted down through the last minute and ULU piled on last-ditch efforts on attack. Thankfully we held our ground and came out with a well-deserved victory. With the most important game under our belts and a win amongst our results we were pleased to keep alive the now-probable progression to the 2^nd round. 

The next day saw us play our last qualifying match against the tier 2 north champions: Northumbria. Considering their season’s achievements we played a very good defensive game, with a few good attacking plays, to leave Northumbria with only a 2-0 win. Notably we also recorded a result with no penalty minutes; a special mention should go to our ‘nouveau’ captain, Yves, for making this possible! 

With ULU losing their last match we came 5^th in our group so we went on to play in the 9^th/10^th playoff. This was against Newcastle and given our previous form of the weekend we played a relatively poor match to lose 2-0 against a team we felt we could have beaten. Although the play was very even we just couldn’t convert especially after an absurdly bad decision to send off Vaughan for a more-than-legal check which resulted in one of Newcastle’s players hitting their head badly on the boards. 

We take from this weekend a well-deserved win over ULU and a 10^th place confirming tier 2 is the place for the C team. With more experience and practice hopefully the C team can add to the strong team-spirit they already have and go on to become a viable contender in years to come. 

Edd Rundell 

The 9 players were: Dave Crowther, Jovana Duvnjak, Darren Ellis, Andy Glisson, Dan Grimes, Adam Occleshaw, Samantha Penny, Keith Smith and Phil Smith (G). Coach Mark Illingworth set his team out to play a counterattacking game, with the speedy Daz Ellis as the outlet player.

In the group stage Nottingham would face Newcastle and Imperial, while the other group contained Northumbria, Sheffield and Cardiff. The top two places would secure a semi-final spot, but Nottingham really wanted to win their group in order to avoid facing favourites Cardiff.

Group Stage

Nottingham D   4 – 1   Newcastle C

In the opening game of the tournament, the D team faced a Newcastle team of obviously mixed ability. Unsurprisingly it took the most of the first of the two 15 minute periods for the new players to get the hang of playing in a game, though a couple of them continued to stand on the wrong side of face-offs for the entire day… As Nottingham got settled down they started releasing players on counterattacks that the Newcastle defenders simply couldn’t keep up with. Two goals  from Daz and one each for Jovana and Occy on breakaways gave Nottingham a confidence-boosting victory.

Nottingham D   7 – 0   Imperial B

For their second game, Nottingham faced the tournament’s other big unknowns. Not only had Imperial not played a game this season, but didn’t play one last year either. In the end it didn’t matter, as Nottingham simply dominated the game in the first period, with Imperial hardly getting into the Nottingham zone. Four goals from Daz and two from Occy  gave Nottingham a huge 6-0 lead at half-time. In the second period complacency understandably crept in, with Imperial getting some decent chances but Phil Smith proved up to the task, recording his first shutout in a Nottingham shirt, whilst Keith added another goal to complete the tournament’s biggest win.

In the group’s other game, Imperial beat Newcastle, leaving the final positions as Nottingham, Imperial, Newcastle. The other group was less clear-cut, with Cardiff and Sheffield drawing and both beating Northumbria. Sheffield ended up winning the group based on a lower number of penalty minutes as Cardiff racked up 14 in the day’s final group game.

Semi-Final: Nottingham D   2 – 6   Cardiff B

As a result of Cardiff’s penalty taking, they had to play Nottingham in the very next game, with just the duration of an ice cut to rest. Nevertheless, it was quickly obvious that this game was a far bigger challenge, with early Nottingham defence which can only be described as ‘scrambled’. It was therefore somewhat against the run of play when some good work down low led to Sam scoring against her old team to give Nottingham the lead. Cardiff weren’t going to stand for that, and levelled just before the end of the first of two twenty minute periods.

The pattern continued in the second, with Cardiff piling on the pressure and Nottingham making counterattacking breaks. Cardiff took the lead after a few minutes, but couldn’t seem to find that elusive two-goal cushion, and Nottingham continued to look capable of scoring on the break. Unfortunately, with ten minutes to go, it all went badly wrong for Nottingham. Pushing to level the scores, they only succeeded in tiring themselves out, whilst Cardiff’s 19 players were far less concerned. No longer able to compete, Nottingham shipped 3 goals in quick succession. A goal from Dave was only a consolation, especially as Cardiff scored their sixth soon after. The scoreline was only fair given Cardiff’s attacking dominance, but Nottingham could have snatched an unlikely victory up until the last 10 minutes.

Third Place Playoff: Nottingham D   1 – 1   Imperial B

In the other semi-final, Sheffield comfortably beat Imperial, setting up a rematch of the earlier group game in the third place playoff. However, Imperial had been improving throughout the day whilst Nottingham had tired themselves out against Cardiff. Both teams struggled to find the breakthrough, with both goalies stopping several breakaways. This time it was Imperial who finally found the back of the net, and it started to look like it wasn’t Nottingham’s day as chance after chance went begging.

The final four minutes or so were played as one shift by Nottingham’s top line, who threw everything they had left into the search for an equaliser. The chances kept coming, and finally with a minute to go Dave found the back of the net. It looked like Imperial’s luck had run out, especially when thirty seconds later a ricocheting puck in the Nottingham crease resulted in Keith kicking the puck against his own post. The game finished in a tie, and went to a penalty shootout.

In the shootout, both goalies were on top with none of the first 8 shots scoring. However, Imperial broke the deadlock with their fourth shot, rounding the goalie and placing the puck into an empty net. This left Nottingham’s final shooter, Captain Keith, needing to score to keep them in the game. Despite almost losing the puck on the run in, he evaded the goalie only to see his shot hit the inside of the post and bounce clear.

In the final, Cardiff overpowered a spirited Sheffield performance to win comfortably, taking the trophy.

Summary

Despite finishing fourth, this was an encouraging day for the D team. At the start of the day the only objective was not to come last. Even with a team full of rookies and half as many players as any of the other teams, we had shown we could win games and compete with the best in the division. Particularly encouraging was the fact that six of the eight outfield players had scored goals, whilst Daz finished as the tournament’s second highest scorer. In the end it was tiredness and the best team in the tournament that defeated us. If we can get our veteran players back and put out a full team, we should be looking for nothing less than winning Division 3 this year.

Keith Smith

D team captain

Goals from S Bliss 5, M Davie 3, W Witakorpi 2, S Bates 2 and M Illingworth 1

Further info to follow

After a 10 –2 loss at Oxford the Mavericks were hoping for a closer game this time round. The game started out promising, with the Mavericks playing a good physical game, and action going from end to end. The second period saw the home side taking penalties and the visitors soon took advantage, as a short-benched Nottingham side grew tired. The third period saw more of the same by the Vikings, despite valiant effort by the Nottingham defence.

Despite the loss, the quality of Nottingham’s two goals should be noted – one a well worked move finished with a quality deke from Dave Andersson, and the second a great top corner shot from a sharp angle by Chris Hall.

The score at the end of the game

Oxford Vikings 11 Nottingham Mavericks 2

Rhys Roberts

Imperial College Devils @ Notts C, 7-6 (9/2/07 )

None of the C team will enjoy reading this report. On the face of it, a close contest narrowly won by Imperial, in reality, a very tough loss to take for the team who should have won the game. 6-3 up in the second period and with a real belief that the first win of the season was possible, Notts cracked under the pressure and fear of a comeback. A certain degree of exhaustion can be taken into account following the 11-2 loss to Oxford the night before, but the team know that the real cause of defeat was panic, and with it, a loss of composure, marking, and positional play which allowed Imperial to creep back into the game. Prior to the comeback, the game was excellent, end to end, with good goals at either end. There was no doubting the commitment and intensity of every player to the end.

A horrible lesson and a devastating loss for the team. But one that they will do well to take into Friday’s game against ULU. Otherwise, the game is in the past, and it’s onward to Lea Valley!!

Chris McHugh

Goals From Bliss, Williams, Illingworth, Cannon and Wiitakorpi.

Captains Match Report to follow