Release Millqvist and Goldie

14th October 2009

The Sheffield Scimitars have today confirmed that Swedish forward Joakim Millqvist and young Scottish d-man Fraser Goldie have been released from the Club by Head Coach Jon Rowbotham.

Speaking today Rowbotham said "I have held detailed discussions with both players who knew exactly what I was looking to achieve with this team. They were clear on what was needed and unfortunately things didn't quite go to plan and I needed to change things around. I wish Joakim and Fraser all the very best for their respective futures".

Scimitars' Director, Ian Johnson added, "I know people will be looking closely at our recent results and looking to point fingers of blame for this or that. None of that stuff matters, we are all only as good as our last game or last result. Jon and the boys made a promising start to this season but in the last couple of games we have just missed out on the points and I know that the playing staff are disappointed with the way things have gone. We are looking to strengthen the squad and I know that Jon is holding negotiations with a number of players."

At the time of writing the Scimitars have already announced that young Sheffield-based d-man Chris Wilcox is stepping-up from the ENL side to become the latest young addition to the Scims' roster.

Sheffield Scimitars Vs Sheffield Steelers

game will be played at ice Sheffield on Wednesday 16th September face-off 7:30pm.

Tickets priced at Adults £10 and Child and Concessions £5 are on sale now from the Scimitars "front desk" at ice Sheffield and from the Steelers office.

War Of The Roses 3-3 13.9.09

Twelve hundred hockey fans passed up the Sunday afternoon sunshine to watch the Manchester Phoenix and the Sheffield Scimitars do battle in the second leg of this War of the Roses Challenge series, and they were not disappointed. A see-saw game was well worthy of the title as both sides gave and asked for no quarter, and in a nail-biting finale, it was the Phoenix who held firm to claim their first silverware of the new ice hockey season.

Phoenix had to kill off two early penalties before opening the scoring themselves on their first man advantage, defenceman Andre Mattsson firing home assisted by Robert Lachowicz in the sixth minute.

the game being played at a frenetic pace and with plenty of physical contact from both sides, Phoenix lost Adam Walker with a face injury before the Scimitars drew level on the night through James Archer.


The second period saw Sheffield race out of the blocks to tie the aggregate score with less than a minute played, captain Peter Slamiar beating Fone from a tight angle off the right wing.

The Sheffield Scimitars set about imposing their greater squad numbers on the Phoenix and enjoying more of the possession they kept Phoenix netminder Steve Fone busy. Phoenix re-grouped and regained the lead just before the half-hour mark as Iain Bowie scored from close range assisted by Andre Payette
Seven minutes later and the home side appeared to take a stranglehold on the game as Greg Wood fired home with assists to Jaakko Hagelberg and player coach Tony Hand.

The start of the final period again saw the Scimitars explode out of the traps with Slamiar claiming his second goal of the game to again tie the score on the night. It was now all to play for and the pace of the game barely relented as the Scimitars strove for the goal that would tie the aggregate score while the Phoenix defended doggedly and always looked dangerous on the break. With time running out, Sheffield pulled their goalie in favour of an extra attacker, but the Phoenix held firm and came close to scoring the insurance empty-netter as Greg Woods' long range clearance missed the target by inches.


Manchester Phoenix 3 - 3 Sheffield Scimitars
Phoenix win 6-5 on aggregate

War Of The Roses 2-3 12.9.09

Saturday's game was played in front of a good-sized noisy crowd, which included approximately 200 from Manchester. A full squad iced for the Scimitars but with Manchester were missing Ed Courtenay due to visa problems, the import quota on ice was evened up at three a piece.

The first period was played at a pace and with the physical checks being thrown by both sides ensured the game lived up to the title rather than a 'friendly'. The first casualty of the weekend was Steve Duncombe who was taken hard into the boards by Adam Walker only six minutes in and left the ice and the game with concussion.

Both teams were able to put some good scoring chances on net but Ben Bowns, in net for the Scimitars, and Steve Fone for Manchester made some good saves to keep their sheets clean for a 0-0 first period, despite powerplay opportunities for both teams. The Scimitars had a lucky break when Phoenix missed a sitter as Lachowicz failed to connect on a Tony Hand pass for an open net.

Manchester Phoenix stepped it up more in the 2nd period and had an early chance as the puck slid along the goal line. However, they did capitalise on a short-handed breakaway by Lachowicz at 25.39 for 0-1 whilst Iain Bowie was sitting out a penalty.

The Sheffield Scimitars equalised 1-1 at 34.00 after Daniel Slyk drew Steven Fone to the near post before sending a perfect pass to Stephen Wallace at 34.00.

Manchester took the lead again at 36.52 with Hand lifting the puck up high into the net. Play was getting chippy so Slyk decided to expend extra energy with some physical work on the opposition.

Simon Butterworth levelled the scores at 38.10 for 2-2 going into the 2nd period break.

3rd period, what turned out to be the game-winning goal was scored by Hagelberg at 42.07 despite the Scimitars driving the net in an attempt to at least level the score again. The Phoenix however were determined to defend their lead by preventing the Scimitars from any real scoring chances.

An entertaining and physical game was enjoyed by all, and although the Scimitars may have lost the game, they gained a lot of respect from their fans, fuelling anticipation and expectations for the upcoming season.

Game Details 12.9.09
Period Scores
Sheffield 0 - 2 - 0 = 2
Manchester 0 - 0 - 2 - 1 = 3
Penalty Mins
Sheffield 4 - 0 - 2 = 6
Manchester 4 - 4 - 2 = 10
SOG
Bowns 10 - 13 - 9 = 32/3
Fone 12 - 7 - 10 = 29/2
Scoring Details
Sheffield: Wallace & Butterworth 1+0, Archer, Slyk, Strawson & Millqvist 0+1
MOM: Lee Haywood
Manchester: Hand, Lachowicz & Hagelberg1+1, Neil 0+1
MOM: J. Hagelberg
Referee: D. Goodwin Linesmen: J. Liptrott and L. Sewell
Attendance: 633
Penalties: Archer, M. Haywood and Slamiar
Not icing: P Jones

Scimitars Win Fife Tournament

The Sheffield Scimitars were invited by tournament organiser, Barrie Grieg (Fife Flyers), to attend this weekend's tournament, along with the Dundee Stars, Fife Flyers and the Solway Sharks. Head Coach, Jon Rowbothom, jumped at the opportunity of a pre-season tournament in Fife as a good team bonding opportunity and for the incoming imports of returnees Joakim Millqvist and Peter Slamiar plus new defenceman Daniel Slyk to get some game ice under their belts. This was a close run thing for Peter Slamiar who landed in Edinburgh just 3 hours prior to the first game.
Not travelling were Pasi Raitanen, Paul Jones, Lloyd Gibson and Stephen Wallace.

Sheffield Scimitars took on Solway for the opener game and Slamiar scored within the first minute. Solway were straight back at the Scims with an equalising goal just ahead of 6 mins, but is was the Scimitars who were clearly the stronger team and Steve Duncombe re-instated the lead with a bullet from the blue line on 9 mins.

After that the Scims out-hustled, out-shot and out-skated the Sharks with additional goals from Robert Farmer and two more from Slamiar to bring up his hat trick and complete the 5-1 win. The young guns showed they couldn't be pushed around as James Archer and local returnee Fraser Goldie showed they would stand up for their team mates.

Coach Jon Rowbothm was very pleased with his team and he said "the guys were awesome, still plenty to work on but we dominated the game from start to finish. Slamiar looked sharp and well up for it, that said they all did".

The Sheffield Scimitars went straight on into Game 2 against hosts Fife Flyers, who must have fancied the advantage. Dutiame said that the Scims against Solway 'gave as good as they got in the physical battles but were clearly a much stronger, fitter and talented side'. And added that "That said I'm sure my boys will give them a hard game this time around."

The Scims then went on to beat his team 2-0, albeit in a tighter game, with Slamiar again on target, taking the water bottle off the net. The Scimitars, with some slick passing made the Flyers look pretty ordinary and it wasn't long before Archer was given the opportunity to stretch his legs from the neutral zone, going inside, then outside, passing Fife's defencemen with pace and control to hit what was probably going to be the goal of the season after the 2-0 final score, Coach Jon Rowbothm spoke after the game saying how pleased he was with the work rate, cohesion and clear ability of his young team.

Speaking after the game, Ops Director Ian Johnson had this to say " JR and the guys have worked really hard pre-season, and with the arrival of Slamiar, Millqvist and Slyk they are starting to gel and display passion, skill and ability. I was really pleased with the young guns too, Strawson, Goldie, Bowns, M Haywood, Squires and Bell were all magnificent, that said they all were.

Things get interesting next weekend when the Scimitars play host on Saturday at iceSheffield Face off 7.30pm, in a pre-season warm-up with back to back games against Tony Hand and the Manchester Phoenix.

Great value tickets of £6.00 Adults, £4.00 Child and Concession and £15 Family are obtainable from iceSheffield reception and on matchnights.

Daniel Slyk To Complete Roster

Scimitars Head Coach is delighted to announce that he has secured the signature of the 4th import player. Jon Rowbotham has endured a summer that has been long and hard, trying to find the right players to fit into the system the team will be utilising.

He said today, "On a daily basis, I have been battling with many agents, trying to negotiate deals, as well as doing back-ground research on the players I was interested in signing. I've read many cv's over the months, trying to piece together the best players possible. Now I've made my final selection".

The Scimitars have signed another young player with great promise. A young 18 year old defenseman, Daniel Slyk has been on trial with the Scims' team and has impressed the Coach as well as Scimitars Director Ian Johnson. Standing at just over 6 ft, weighing in at 200 pounds, Slyk comes from a quality outfit, HC Kosice in Slovakia, and he might prove to be one of the signings of the summer.

There is not much information surrounding Slyk and his playing career. Coach Rowbotham had to work really hard to identify the lad's capabilities to be sure that he was the right man for the job. Rowbotham said "Everyone I communicated with spoke very highly of him. With all the positive comments, this made my mind up that he was the correct person for the final defensive spot on the team. Slyk has a bright future and is a tremendous prospect."

Rowbotham considers Slyk to be a natural offensive defenseman. He has amazing vision, carries the puck exceedingly well, his speed is phenomenal, and he has a heavy shot. Slyk fits in well with the majority of the Scimitars team, he is still a very young chap, but plays the game over his years due to his tremendous attitude, he is more than willing to learn. Rowbotham added "I am well chuffed and am sure he will add a new dimension to the Scimitars.

Please join with me in welcoming him to our organisation, he is more than competent at playing at the EPL level right now, and I only see him going from strength to strength."

Scimitars and Steelers

the sheffield steelers and sheffield scimitars coachs are working togeather.

both teams have been training with eatch other for 3 weeks
with both coaching training looks like one hell of a team this year




Thanks for the inside info (Wozzer)

Scimitars to face Steelers for the keys to the City

A series of Challenge Games has been agreed with the reigning Elite League and Play-off Champions the Sheffield Steelers.

Speaking today, Scimitars Director of Hockey Jon Rowbotham said "More great news for us today as I've agreed with Mike O'Connor and Dave Matsos that our two teams will meet next month and again in the New Year".

Steelers GM, Mike O'Connor said "Sure we look forward to derby matches because it's great for the fans of both teams and I know the prospect of a Steelers v Scimitars game will get the whole city talking which is great for our clubs and for hockey".

It will be a big occasion for Scimitars' Coach Rowbotham, who will be facing the team he has admired from a distance for quite a few years and an equally big day for former Scimitars Captain Ben Morgan, who will probably be icing for the Steelers for the first time against his former club.

Previous meetings between the two teams have proved to be lively encounters which usually brings the best out of both teams, giving the fans a real treat so early in the season. There's always the banter to keep everyone entertained and with the Elite league just two weeks in and the EPL season just around the corner both teams will be looking to sharpen their performances as we head towards autumn and the real battle of League hockey.

The first game will be played at ice Sheffield on Wednesday 16th September face-off 7:30pm.

Tickets priced at Adults £10 and Child and Concessions £5 are on sale now from the Scimitars "front desk" at ice Sheffield and from the Steelers office.

For the Scimitars this game will be the last game in their pre-season preparations with the league campaign for the 2009/10 season starting on Saturday 19th September when the 2008/9 League and Play-off Champions, the Peterborough Phantoms roll in to Sheffield.

Match Report

19:30 FACE-OFF

Start of First period

09.40 Hull stringrays scored by 73 shaun Thompson 0-1

14.12 Penalty against Hull stringrays 47 Adam Knight 2 minutes for elbowing.

End Of First Period

Start Of second Period

31.32 Sheffield scimitars replaced netminder 32 Pasi Raitanen with 21 Ben Bowns.

31.47 Penalty against Hull Stringrays 93 Curtis Huppe 2 minute for Hooking.

39.99 Penalty against Hull Stringrays 47 Adam Knight 2 minutes for charging

End of second Period

Start Of Third Period

43.09 Penalty against Sheffield Scimtars 24 Graig Eillott 2 minutes for Tripping

44.38 Hull stringrays scored by 9 Jeff Glowa

45.47 penalty against Hull Stringrays 40 Pavel Gomenyuk 10 minutes for personal excitement

51.39 penalty against Hull stringrays 11 Matt Reynolds 2 minutes for charging

21:38 End Of Match

Scimitars M.O.M-Pasi Raitanen Stringrays M.O.M -Jeff Glowa

War Of The Roses

The gauntlet's been thrown down and the challenge has been accepted… with the curtain raiser on Saturday 12th September 7.30pm...

Sheffield hosting the first leg at iceSheffield

Tickets, for what will hopefully become an annual event go on sale August 15th priced:
Adults £6.00, Concessions £4.00 & Family (2+2) £15.00
with £1.00 from every ticket sold donated to the Scimitars Charity Appeal for 2009/10
_____________________________________________________________________

Away game - Sunday 13th September at Altrincham Silver Blades Ice Dome - Face-off 5:30pm

Tickets priced - £6.00 for everyone with £1.00 from every ticket sold benefiting Manchester's junior development programme.

Scimitars and Stingrays in Pre-Season Challenge

Scimitars team will face Hull Stingrays when the Elite League's visit iceSheffield on 26th August.

Johnson said, "Here we go! I'm really excited at the prospect of hosting a game against Elite League opponents.

This will be a very good test for the new team, This will be a good chance for both teams to test themselves for speed and fitness.

Wednesday 26th August 2009, face-off at 7:30pm.

Tickets for the game at ice Sheffield are on sale priced at:
£6.00 for Adults, £4.00 for Concessions (U16's students, the disabled & over 60's) , £15 Family (2+2) ticket.

This game will be covered by Scims live

The New Look For New Scimitars

Hello

This is the first post of the 2009/2010 season of the Sheffield Scimitars.

The New Look for New Scimitars.

Since taking over the reins of the Scimitars from outgoing Chairman Martin Birch back in April, the new owners Gary Apsley and Ian Johnson have been working hard to establish a new business model for the Club.