STORM BLITZ ISSUE #31 Friday 14 March 1997 This issue is sponsored by W.H. Davies Private Investigations. For more details see foot of message. If you have any comments on Storm Blitz, please feel free to e-mail inter.the.storm@poboxes.com any time. --------------------------------------------------- In this issue : * Last minute goal gives Devils victory at Nynex * Bison & Bees fight out 5-5 draw * 1997/98 season ticket details announced * GMR Sport's ice hockey coverage * Latest ISL Play-Offs Group A table * Forthcoming Storm fixtures * Next on TV & Radio * Get back issues of Storm Blitz * How to unsubscribe to Storm Blitz --------------------------------------------------- > LAST MINUTE GOAL GIVES DEVILS VICTORY AT NYNEX In front of about 5600 fans at the Nynex Arena, Cardiff Devils won a close game in the final minute by 4 goals to 3. Yewchuk opened the scoring after 9 minutes for the only goal of the first period. Storm had some chances but you could see early on that winning this game was not exactly top priority for Cardiff Devils. The second period was not 3 minutes old before Shannon Hope extended Cardiff's lead and it looked all over for Storm. Finally though Storm got their act together. They had chances poorly taken from the offense but eventually one of the biggest culprits Nick Poole pulled a goal back on 33 minutes. Less than a minute later Brad Zavisha to the delight of the crowd equalised and the score remained the same until the end of the period. Five minutes into the third it was Mike Morin who scored the goal that put Storm into the lead for the first time in the game. But the lead didn't last long as Sacratini equalised just a munite later. It was odds on for overtime when Devils called a timeout and with 30 seconds remaining Matulik scored the winner in dramatic fashion. The game might have been meaningless for both sides, but a win in front of the Granada cameras would have looked good for the fans wavering about attending on the final game on Sunday night, but it wasn't to be. > BISON & BEES FIGHT OUT 5-5 DRAW In Group B on Thursday night, Basingstoke Bison came back from being 2-1 down to draw 5-5 in the last Southern derby of the season. The result keeps Basingstoke's hopes alive of qualifying for the semi-finals - they will need to beat Sheffield Steelers twice this weekend, the second game of which you can hear live on Radio Sheffield (face off 6.00). > 1997/98 SEASON TICKET DETAILS ANNOUNCED There are some changes to the season tickets for next season. This season you had to pay extra for games not in the Superleague, but next season the season ticket includes all Superleague fixtures, THREE Benson & hedges Cup Group Games (NOT the quarter-finals onwards), THREE Superleague Play-Off games (NOT the semis or final) and THREE of the exhibition games (which there could be many of). Season ticket holders also qualify for priority booking at reduced prices for all home games not covered by the season ticket. You can pay for the ticket over 6 months with a payment plan (although this costs you more in the long run!) Adult season tickets will cost 185.00 (or 199.50 if you are paying 6 monthly payments of 33.25). A consessionary season ticket will cost 125.00 (or 134.82 if you are paying 6 monthly payments of 22.47). Season tickets are available in all lower tier blocks with the exception of blocks 113 and 114 as the away supporters are offered these tickets. If you are paying for your season ticket by credit or debit card, you are subject to a 3% surcharge, so draw the money out of the bank before you pay! > GMR SPORT'S ICE HOCKEY COVERAGE I phoned GMR on Thursday afternoon and spoke to Jack Dearden, presenter of GMR's Friday night sports programme and asked him about GMR's sports coverage this weekend and in the future, particularly with respect to Manchester Storm. He said that I was speaking to the converted and that he himself was disappointed at the small amount of coverage given to the games. He said that if Sunday's game at the Nynex was more important in terms of play-offs then there would be more upbeat coverage of it on Sunday. He said that Andy Costigan would be reporting from the Nynex between 7.00 and 8.15 during GMR's rugby league programme featuring London Broncos and St Helens. The rugby programming starts at 2.30pm and runs throughout the afternoon, but between 6.00 and 7.00 there is an Irish programme on and so the rugby resumes after that. I asked him if Andy Costigan was the new regular reporter on the Storm and he said not really and that he was doing this match after having done some earlier in the season. I pointed out that Radio Sheffield did countless full commentary matches especially away and that Radio 5 will (hopefully) be starting Saturday night commentaries of ice hcokey games. I asked if they had the right people at GMR that understand ice hockey enough to be able to do commentary and expert analysis. He said that the commentating would not be a problem as if they didn't have anyone there they would go out and get someone to do commentaries. I said how clued up the Radio Sheffield people were and he said that he knew of Bob Ballard. I explained that he had gone to Radio 5 and that Gareth Hampshire did the games with Dave Simms for the away games. He then tried the old one about how there were so many football teams and rugby teams to cover. This annoys me when the say this because it is such rubbish. I am not saying ignore the football and rugby - in fact football and rugby SHOULD get top billing because that is still the most popular sports in the Manchester area. But my point was that when there is nothing or only minor games on, there should be better coverage of Storm and the Giants basketball instead of the boring drivel that they put out - at least reports. In reply he said that GMR were not allowed to report live from Manchester Giants games. I asked if this was to do with the owners of the Giants and he said he couldn't say and that I'd have to take that one up with Manchester Giants. He also confirmed that there would be NO coverage at all of the Paris St Germain v Salford Reds rugby game on Mon 31 March (the one that most Salford fans would want coverage of because they aren't likley to have gone to France to watch it) because they weren't sending a reporter there. I told him how annoying it was to hear full commentaries of Yorkshire and Merseyside teams visits to Paris on BBC Radio Leeds and Merseyside and nothing from GMR and he said that was a good point and that I should write to GMR's head of sport about it. Finally he said that the ice hockey coverage will be reviewed in the summer and decisions made. I said to him that GMR would get queries from supporters next season wanting to know why Radio 5 were doing their games and GMR weren't bothering and it would bad for the station. He finished off by saying that he agreed with just about everything that I said and that I was in effect preaching to the converted but there was no doubt that the coverage should and hopefully will improve. So, the answer must be that if you really want to hear live Storm games on the radio you should write to GMR's head of sport and feel free to use any of the points I made above. > LATEST ISL PLAY-OFFS GROUP A TABLE Pl W D OL NL +/- Points Cardiff Devils 6 6 0 0 0 +15 12 Ayr Scottish E 4 2 0 0 2 +1 4 Newcastle Cobras 5 2 0 0 3 -5 4 Manchester Storm 5 0 0 0 5 -11 0 Up to and including games on 13 March > FORTHCOMING STORM FIXTURES SUN 16 MAR - Manchester Storm v Ayr Scottish E (6.00) - Superleague Play-offs TUE 18 MAR - Altrincham Aces v Manchester Storm (7.30) - Friendly > NEXT ON TV & RADIO SAT 15 MAR - GRANADA TV - Battles On Ice - Hour-long programme featuring highlights of Storm v Cardiff (13/3) - 1.45-2.50pm SAT 15 MAR - SKY SPORTS 1 - Ice Hockey Live - LIVE coverage of Sheffield Steelers v Basingstoke Bison (6.35 face off) - 6.30-9.00pm SAT 15 MAR - BBC RADIO 5 LIVE 693/909AM - Night Extra - results and round-up of the night's games along with all the day's other sports results - 11.30pm-12.00 SUN 16 MAR - SKY SPORTS 1 - Ice Hockey - Recorded coverage of Sheffield Steelers v Basingstoke Bison shown earlier - 2.00-4.30am SUN 16 MAR - BBC RADIO SHEFFIELD 104.1FM - LIVE full commentary of Basingstoke Bison v Sheffield Steelers in the final Group B Play-off game (face off 6.00) - 5.30-8.30pm SUN 16 MAR - KISS 102FM - Reports on Storm v Ayr Scottish Eagles in normal Sunday dance music programmes - 6.00-8.30pm SUN 16 MAR - BBC GMR 95.1/104.6FM - Reports from the Nynex Arena by Andy Costigan of Storm v Ayr Scottish Eagles around coverage of London Broncos v St Helens in the rugby Super League. The programme starts at 7.00 and will be over before the end of the game. (face off 6.00) - 7.00-8.15pm MON 17 MAR - BBC GMR 95.1/104.6FM - Drivetime - Interview with Storm representative - 5.55pm MON 17 MAR - HTV WALES - Ice Hockey Superleague - Extensive highlights of the conclusion of Cardiff Devils play-off group games - 11.35pm-12.35 > DOWNLOAD BACK ISSUES OF STORM BLITZ All previous issues of Storm Blitz are still available. If you didn't get them, or want them again, you can now download them from the Internet in a .zip file. The URL of these will be confirmed soon. If you don't have web access, I can e-mail you the .zip files. > HOW TO UNSUBSCRIBE TO STORM BLITZ Easy! Send an e-mail to inter.the.storm@poboxes.com telling me that you don't want Storm Blitz any more. Also use this address if you wish to change e-mail addresses or if you have any comments. *** END OF STORM BLITZ ISSUE #31 *** INTER THE STORM can be accessed at: http://www.geocities.com/Colosseum/3859/storm.html ------------------------------ This issue of Storm Blitz is sponsored by: W.H. DAVIES PRIVATE INVESTIGATIONS LTD A member of the Association of British Investigators. Based in North Manchester, WH Davies is ideally placed to serve the North West area for private investigations. Summons serving is one of many areas dealt with. For more information, send us an e-mail : wh.davies@poboxes.com ------------------------------ To sponsor Storm Blitz, e-mail simon.sm@zetnet.co.uk