27th September
Bracknell were beaten away at Basingstoke today, with a terrible performance, the final score being 6-2. The loss almost certainly means we will finish 4th in the group, and so face the top team from Group A. More details will appear here soon.
26th September
Bracknell beat Guildford 4-2 last night, in a meaningless challenge match. The Bees were 4-0 up within the first 5 minutes, before they went to cruise mode, with the Flames scoring a goal at the beginning of each of the next two periods. Unfortunately, the Chief collided with a goal, and has been ruled out of this weekend's matches, including the critical game against the Bison on saturday, which could decide Bracknell's final position in the group. As I said, a meaningless game....
25th September
In an historic moment, today, the ISL Board finally got a decision right, when they ruled that Joe's goal against Cardiff should have stood. Bracknell sent out the following press release:
Bracknell Bees Chief Executive Martin Weddell, attended the Ice Hockey Superleague Board meeting yesterday, 24th September, to appeal against the referees decision of diasallowing a game tying goal. Bees playing at home to Superleague Champions Cardiff Devils, leveled the scores through Joe Ferraccioli, but the puck went out the back of the goal through a hole in the net. Weddell stated "Everyone in the arena clearly saw the puck enter the net, the net moved and then the puck hit the plexiglass. It was a classic breakaway goal by Ferraccioli. The referee refused to look at video evidence which clearly showed the goal". Weddell went on to say, "The Superleague Board agree it was a goal and that they will inform the referees about the IIHF Rule which enables referees to check video action replays where there is doubt". Despite this, the game result stays with Bees losing to last seasons Champions by one goal. "I feel sorry for the fans and of course Joe, whilst I knew the Board were unlikely to reverse the decision, I wanted to ensure that referees are fully briefed on Ice Hockey Superleague Rules said Weddell".
However, no mention is made of any action that should be taken against the stripies, whose job it is to check the nets before the beginning of each period. and Bracknell should not totally escape blame, as the rink should check the standards of its equipment regularly. All in all, this has been a very badly handled inncident, and highlights just how unprofessional the ISL really is.
24th September
Bracknell beat National League Peterborough Pirates away tonight, the final score being 14-1 to Bracknell. Apparently, the Chief scored the goal of the decade in the final period. More details will appear on the Fixtures Page if I can get them.
22nd September
Those extra details from this weekend's games can now be found on the Fixtures Page.
21st September
Bees beat Slough 7-0 at the Hangar on Saturday, but were then defeated 3-1 by the Panthers back in the 'Hive tonight. More details will appear tomorrow.
18th September
Yesterday's scorers were Tom Gomes and Dennis Burke. Also, Shayne McCosh badly injured Doug McCarthy with accidentally high sticks, and McCarthy has had to be taken to hospital possibly with a detached retina. The likelihood is that he will be out for a while, and we all wish him well and a speedy recovery. The stats are now on the Fixtures Page.
17th September
Bracknell drew the Devils 2-2 away in Cardiff tonight. Goal scorers were Tom Gomes and one of the Burkes (I don't as yet know which).
16th September
Thanks to Bobblehat for sending this from the "Reading Evening Post"
Jim is quoted as saying "We were ripped off. There was a hole in the back of the net which had been created through wear and tear and the puck went through it. The rink staff should ensure that the nets are maintained, but before the game started the officials should have checked them thoroughly for any loose laces or bits of cord. Obviously that was not done"
The report goes on to say that video evidence proved that the puck went through the net. Jim went on to say, "It was a breakaway but you have to ask where was the leading linesman? And what was the goal judge looking at? And I am disappointed at the condition of the net for a Superleague game" (OK we know it was a B&H game)
Also, both Dale Junkin and Scott Campbell are reported as being out with flu, whilst Greg Burke played when not 100% fit. Strange, considering Dale left during the middle of the Cardiff game, had to be seen by a First Aider, and was reported that night as having a separated shoulder.....
14th September
The Bees beat Guildford 5-3 away tonight, but left it till the last 8 minutes before registering their first goal. Trailing 3-0 Dennis Burke scored the Bees first, with further goals from Johnstone, Shayne and Stewy, before Pelly tucked away an ENG with 14 seconds left. See the Fixtures Page for more details.
13th September
Bracknell registered their first loss in the B+H Cup, tonight, when they were beaten at home by the Cardiff Devils. The final score was 3-2, but there was much controversy when it appeared Ferras had scored, only to see his puck fly through a hole in the net and out. Once again, the goal judges showed their ineptitude by signalling she had no idea whether it was a goal or not, despite (supposedly) watching the puck constantly, from a diustance of two yards behind the net. If she can't make a decision in that situation, she really shouldn't be goal-judging. More match details will hopefully appear on the Fixtures Page soon.
Dale Junkin will be out for two weeks after taking a shoulder injury against the Devils.
Rumours still abound that Jim is unhappy with the Rink management, and may leave when his contract runs out. Hopefully, this is not true.
10th September
Bracknell got the better of local rivals, the Basingstoke Moo-Moos, when they won 5-2 at the 'Hive in a uneventful match. More details can be found on the Fixtures Page.
Rumours also abound that a new forward will sign soon.
9th September
For those lucky sods who still don't know, Bracknell's first game of the season was a bit of a bummer. Bracknell only just came from behind to draw 3-3 with Premier side Slough, despite having been 2-0 up at one point. More details can be found on the Fixtures Page.
The Bees revealed their new home strip last Thursday, at a Meet the Players evening in Honeys. Here, curtesy of Bobblehat, is a description of the new shirt for those of us who have yet to see it...
New strip I reckon is pretty good. Difficult to describe though. Home strip has a white background with a large V back and front. Inside the V there are black and white zig-zag stripes horizontally, and in the middle of the front there is the Bee. Not much yellow on the home strip. Away strip has a black background but inside the V there are yellow and black zig-zags a little like a rugby shirt. Not much white on the away strip. Not a particularly good description, but its the best I can do. Looks very effective though - let's see what it looks like on the rink on Sunday.
Also, some rumours abound that a new player is about to be signed, although nobody has any more details yet.
3rd September
Bracknell have apparently now signed Scott Campbell, who last year played for the Sheffield Steelers. He will make his debut against the Slough Jets.
Also, due to the funreal of Princess Dianna, the Panthers game this saturday has be re-arranged for the 30th September.
3rd September
OK, more details of the Bracknell series against the Cobras. The away game on the Saturday reulted in a a 3-2 loss for Bracknell. The return game on the Sunday was a 6-2 victory for Bracknell, however, in a very encouraging game. More details can be found here.
28th August
OK, some rumours emerging from the 'Hive. Firstly, the club have denied reports that Paul Holden will be arriving later in the season. He is definitely not playing, full-stop.
Secondly, Bracknell are apparently after the services of another defender and a forward, although it's too early for them to reveal any more details. However, in my opinion, we need more than this. The squad would only be 19 strong, and so we still wouldn't have much cover against injuries, our downfall last season.
Finally, the club did not know anything about reports that Jim had been almost moved to leaving after (alledgedly) money was pulled when Jim was close to signing three Team Canada players.
26th August
Bracknell beat the Bison at home 4-3 on Sunday, to retain the Wella Cup. See the Fixtures Page for more details.
With the news that Paul Holden will now not be signing for the Bees, Jim has rushed through the signing of a replacement. He is Tom Gomes, a Canadian/Portuguese defender previously of the Oklahoma City Blazers. Little else is known about him, as he only flew into Heathrow at 2pm on sunday!
Mike Ellis has been signed by Adendorf of the German 1.Liga Nord.
Finally, another challange series has been announced. Bracknell will play away in Guildford on the 14th September, with the return match on the 25th September.
24th August
The Season finally faced off yesterday, with Bracknell's first match againsty the Bison in the Wella Cup. Bracknell, away, managed a fairly creditable draw in a typical challange match. The Bison drew first blood, when new Bison Shewen put the puck over Bernie's right shoulder, after 28 minutes. However, Bracknell equalised five minutes later witha short-hander from Johnstone, with Pellerin in the box. So, honours even in the first leg, and over to the 'Hive tonight for the decider.