Another weekend of Spring Cup action has been and gone and it looks like we might be starting to see who the contenders will be for this short form competition.
There were goals galore in all four games as the players appear to have blown the cobwebs off and are finding their rhythm gradually.
So let’s see how they line-up in the British Ice Hockey Power Rankings as we measure each team’s progress so far.
1. Telford Tigers (no move)
Still at the top and leading the way are the Tigers who followed up two wins over Raiders with another two wins over the Bees, both in regulation time.
Defensively, they have the best record so far, conceding only six while eight players have at least three points to their name so depth is clearly a positive for Tom Watkins’ men.
It’s been a great start for them so far and you could argue, getting the opponents they’ve had may have helped, but a stern test awaits in Swindon Wildcats this weekend.
2. Sheffield Steeldogs (up 1 place)
Greg Wood’s side returned from a week off with two impressive wins, scoring 14 goals in their two games against Raiders and very much showing their credentials.
They’re another team with plenty of depth and experience in their ranks and while the wins at the weekend wouldn’t have been a surprise, they seem to be in great form.
They share the top spot in the Spring Cup standings with the Tigers, but you wouldn’t bet against them taking maximum points from the Bees this weekend.
3. Swindon Wildcats (down 1 place)
It was a weekend off for Aaron Nell and his men and it’s only right they take up the middle spot in the Power Rankings – the same position they have in the table.
Two wins and two losses from four games puts them dead centre in the standings and the small matter of a couple of games against Telford is quite the way to return to action.
Undoubtedly this weekend could serve as a real indicator of Wildcats’ hopes of winning the competition, but they’ll certainly want to be in a better position next week.
Raiders have had a tough couple of weekends since returning to action (PHOTO: John Scott)
4. Bees (no move)
That one point in their four games overall is the reason why they’ve remained in the second spot of the Power Rankings after a tough weekend.
They scored only two goals from the two games they had against the Tigers, but they were unlucky not to be able to claw them back in Sunday’s game where they went down 2-1.
There were positives to take for Doug Sheppard’s side in some respects, but they’ll already be looking at full points in Romford on Friday night.
5. Raiders (no move)
A young, energetic team coming up against the experience embedded in the Steeldogs was always going to be tough and there was nothing in the form book pre-game to suggest Raiders were going to cause an upset.
It will have given Sean Easton plenty to look at before they host Bees on Friday and as a gap opens up, they’ll fancy getting a much needed win.
Having taken on the current top two in their opening couple of weekends, Raiders have one game this week before a three in three so points are definitely a must on Friday night.
