STORM BLITZ ISSUE #8 Thursday 2 January 1997 HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE FROM INTER THE STORM! Lets hope 1997 sees us STORM up the league! If you have any comments on Storm Blitz, please feel free to e-mail inter.the.storm@poboxes.com any time. In this issue : * Leeds to get Superleague team? * GB U-21 win final two games * Steelers win in Ayr and Bees sting Bison * Latest Superleague table * Who's next at the Nynex? * Forthcoming Storm fixtures * Next on TV & Radio * Photos are coming to Inter The Storm * ThunderFlash has moved * Get back issues of Storm Blitz * How to unsubscribe to Storm Blitz ------------------------- > LEEDS TO GET SUPERLEAGUE TEAM? The following story was on the front page of the Leeds edition of the Yorkshire Evening Post on Saturday 28 December. It is the lead story in a prominent position at the top of the page. The headline is : UNITED SWOOP FOR ICE STADIUM DEAL with a sub-headline CASPIAN SUPER-CLUB PLAN TAKES SHAPE. There is a picture of a game involving Sheffield Steelers next to the text, and the main passage is as follows: Leeds United owners Caspian are set to announce a major ice hockey deal. The company has had detailed discussions with Sheffield Steelers, who are considering an offer to sell half their Yorkshire franchise, meaning a new team could be set up in Leeds. If the plans go ahead, a new 15,000 capacity indoor arena, capable of holding major pop concerts and possibly a top British basketball side, would be built on land next to United's Elland Road home. Indications are that the site would be behind the huge 18,000 seat East stand, land which is used for parking and match-day buses. Caspian boss Chris Akers today refused to comment, but said his company would make a major announcement in the new year. If the bid were to be successful, it would be the start of a new sporting rivalry between Leeds and Sheffield to match the passions of soccer. Ice hockey is one of the fastest growing sports in the UK. The Steelers, who missed a chance to go joint top of the Superleague on Boxing Day, are one of the most successful teams in the country, regularly attracting crowds of 9000 to Sheffield Arena. When Caspian, a London-based media group, took control at Elland Road during the summer, Mr Akers declared his intention to bring the sport to Leeds. The company has been involved in negotiations with Leeds City Council with a view to buying more land near the ground. With the old Fullerton Park training ground and the site of the former Leeds Greyhound Stadium providing ample parking, the council is likely to look favourably on a project which will bring both money and jobs to the city. The British Ice Hockey Superleague would have to approve the separation of its Yorkshire franchise. Providing it gives the green light, the development would mark the first steps towards Caspian's creation of a sporting club in Leeds. In October they were rebuffed in their attempts to move Leeds Rugby League club to Elland Road. But London financiers have recognised the potential of Leeds as a sporting city. Caspian's share price has risen from 18p during the Leeds United takeover to its current level of 45.5p. > GB U-21s BEAT AUSTRIA U-21 After their 7-2 defeat by Belarus, Great Britain's U-21s improved to beat Austria 4-2 in the World Junior Champions in Romania on Tuesday. The improvement continued on Thursday with a 7-0 win over Croatia. It hasn't yet been established whether GB have reached the play-offs to take place on Friday 3 January. > STEELERS WIN IN AYR AND BEES STING BISON On Thursday night, Sheffield Steelers beat Ayr Scottish Eagles 5-4 at the Centrum Arena. The score was 3-3, but Steelers went on to win a close game. Meanwhile, Bracknell Bees seem to have hit on a good run with a victory over Basingstoke Bison 6-3 after the score was 2-2 earlier in the game. > LATEST SUPERLEAGUE TABLE Pl W D OL NL +/- Points Cardiff Devils 24 16 2 0 6 +32 34 Sheffield Steelers 23 14 3 2 4 +27 33 Newcastle Cobras 23 12 2 3 6 +16 29 Nottingham Panths 24 10 1 2 11 -6 23 Ayr Scottish E 22 8 6 0 8 -7 22 Basingstoke Bison 24 8 2 1 13 -13 19 Bracknell Bees 23 8 2 0 13 -19 18 Manchester Storm 21 6 2 1 12 -24 15 Up to and including games on 2 January > WHO'S NEXT AT THE NYNEX? Manchester Storm v Ayr Scottish Eagles - Sunday 5 January 1997 - Superleague. AGAIN! Yes the Scottish will be back in Manchester as Ayr play Storm for the seventh time this season - the fourth at home! Overall the teams are fairly even with Storm having lost to Ayr home and away as well as having won home and away. Kummu will most probably be back but I can predict only a re-run of the the most recent game, except with Storm not conceding a last minute equaliser this time. The prediction for this game is...Manchester Storm 5 - 4 Ayr Scottish Eagles. Manchester Storm v Basingstoke Bison - Sunday 12 January 1997 - Superleague. Basingstoke are Storm's bogey team, as Storm are always expected to do well against them but rarely do. Bison humiliated Storm at the Nynex 8-3 in November after having lost away after overtime. The third meeting was away and that was also a Bison win, this time 6-4. I can see a storm victory at last, although it will be close. The prediction for this game is...Manchester Storm 4 - 3 Basingstoke Bison. > FORTHCOMING STORM FIXTURES SAT 04 JAN - Nottingham Panthers v Manchester Storm, Superleague, 7.00 face off. SUN 05 JAN - Manchester Storm v Ayr Scottish Eagles, Superleague, 6.00 face off. WED 15 JAN - Ayr Scottish Eagles v Manchester Storm, Superleague, 7.30 face off. THU 16 JAN - Manchester Storm v Cardiff Devils, Superleague, 7.30 face off. TUE 21 JAN - Sheffield Steelers v Manchester Storm, Superleague, 7.30 face off. THU 23 JAN - Manchester Storm v Bracknell Bees, Superleague, 7.30 face off. SAT 25 JAN - Newcastle Cobras v Manchester Storm, Superleague, 6.30 face off. SUN 26 JAN - Manchester Storm v Basingstoke Bison, Superleague, 6.00 face off. WED 29 JAN - Manchester Storm v Newcastle Cobras, Superleague, 7.30 face off. FRI 31 JAN - Sheffield Steelers v Manchester Storm, Superleague, 7.30 face off. > NEXT ON TV & RADIO SAT 04 JAN - SKY SPORTS - Nottingham Panthers v Manchester Storm - LIVE - 6.30 - 9.30pm THU 09 JAN - SKY SPORTS - Cardiff Devils v Sheffield Steelers - LIVE - 7.00 - 10.00pm WED 15 JAN - BBC RADIO SHEFFIELD - Sheffield Steelers v Nottingham Panthers - LIVE - 7.00 - 10.00pm (*TO BE CONFIRMED*) THU 16 JAN - SKY SPORTS - Manchester Storm v Cardiff Devils - LIVE - 7.00 - 10.00pm > PHOTOS ARE COMING TO INTER THE STORM Roger Cook (no, not that one!) in Sheffield is the supplier of some new photos that will adorn Inter The Storm over the coming weeks. > THUNDERFLASH HAS MOVED ThunderFlash, Manchester Storm's excellent Internet fanzine written and produced by Mark Jones has moved URLs. You can now find it at : http://members.aol.com/Thunflash > GET BACK ISSUES OF STORM BLITZ Issues 1 - 7 are still available. If you didn't get them, or want them again, send an e-mail to inter.the.storm@poboxes.com and let me know which you want and I'll forward them on to you. > 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 #8 *** INTER THE STORM can be accessed at: http://www.geocities.com/Colosseum/3859/storm.html