Ben Callaghan: Why Ice Hockey is Better

Last Sunday the Wildcats faced a long trip to Deeside to take on the Manchester Phoenix. For the game the Wildcats took a coach which was opened up to fans to travel alongside the team and the kit to the game.

The club deserve massive credit for putting the coaches on, sponsored by Cardwave, and hopefully it’s something that continues for fans in the coming seasons.

Ice Hockey is different to every other sport, and providing these coaches is another reason why it’s better than every other sport.

There are very few teams/clubs who provide such access to the team than the Wildcats do and the away travel is just another area they succeed in doing so. You can’t travel with the players at Swindon Town, you can’t travel with the riders at the Swindon Robins. Yet on a Sunday afternoon you can hop on a coach, mingle with the players and go to an ice hockey match.

The long journey does have its drawbacks however, the term bus legs is mentioned in the world of ice hockey. With it being such a physical game, it’s easy to tighten up on a bus and be incredibly stiff when it comes to the opening shift of a match.

Even for a fan, the three hours on a coach can be tiring work, I’ll always have sympathy with the players who then have to step out on the ice and play the way they do. It was hard work to get off the bus  and hit the drum let alone play a game of EPL Ice Hockey!

For the Cats fans who couldn’t make the trip, the guys did us proud. They played their hearts out and gave it everything they had.

It was an incredibly tough weekend and they were only three minutes away from another three point weekend, which would have a been a brilliant achievement. I would also urge anyone reading this, next time the Cats put a coach offer on, do it.

It’s a great laugh, it’s a relaxed journey, you certainly won’t miss the game if there is any traffic and it’s brilliant value. Fifteen pounds for a trip to Manchester and back is a bargain, for what you get. I’m certainly going to be looking at going to the next trip on the coach if my calendar allows it.

Guildford and Basingstoke this weekend for the Wildcats will prove another challenge, we need to get some revenge after losing 6-0 against Guildford last month and Basingstoke are flying near the top of the league table at the moment.

We do always seem to play well in Hampshire, and with the first meeting between the sides this season it’ll be good so see how we match up against them.