In the Corners Podcast

Welcome to another edition of the In the Corners podcast!

Metcalf is enjoying some R & R, so Harding heads to the bullpen and calls on Joe Rozycki to co-host the podcast this time. They are joined by Doyle Woody from the Alaska Dispatch News.

In this edition, recorded on Monday, June 12, 2017, the panel discusses:

* The major surprises and storylines of the Kelly Cup Playoffs, including Parker Milner's run, and the Toledo Walleye CEO whining about his team not winning the Kelly Cup.

* The Eagles' run through the playoffs

* Major offseason dates coming up; some affiliations have already been announced & coaching jobs for 2017-18 have been filled

* ECHL plans on expanding it's Northeast United States footprint in 2018-19. Is another team in the Northeast good or bad for an "east heavy" ECHL? Will Reno jump into the fray in 2018-19?

* Doyle's thoughts on winning the ECHL Outstanding Media award for the fourth time. What are his thoughts on the award and is it time to expand the award to the online world?

PROGRAMMING NOTE: Now that the playoffs have concluded, the In the Corners podcast will shift to monthly through the summer.

You can now hear previous episodes of the In the Corners podcast, Inside the SPHL podcast and Into the Sin Bin Interviews through a number of podcast sharing platforms. Click on your favorite platform on the right side of this page and be sure to subscribe!

Welcome to the In the Corners podcast with Matthew Harding and Bobby Metcalf!

In this episode, recorded on Sunday, May 21, 2017, the guys discuss the Conference Finals, plus:

* Whether Colorado is the prohibitive favorite to win the Kelly Cup

* Is Toledo's season a disappointment?

* Discuss the East Final between South Carolina and Manchester

* Allen's dynasty being temporarily interrupted

* Chad Costello leaving Allen and how the Americans' roster will look next season

* Harding's predictions on who will fill out the ECHL affiliations: https://thesinbin.net/filling-out-the-echl-affiliation-dance-card/

* Anna Headley's piece on why an affiliation between the Vegas Golden Knights and Quad City Mallards could work: https://thesinbin.net/why-the-vegas-golden-knights-should-affiliate-with-an-illinois-based-team/

* Do you care? "The Great One" will be at the ECHL ASC in Indy next January: https://thesinbin.net/wayne-gretzky-will-return-to-indy-for-2018-ccmechl-all-star-classic/

PROGRAMMING NOTE: In the Corners will be with you throughout the Kelly Cup Playoffs, with shows during each round. After the playoffs have concluded, the podcast will shift to bi-weekly through the summer.

You can now hear previous episodes of the In the Corners podcast, Inside the SPHL podcast and Into the Sin Bin Interviews through a number of podcast sharing platforms. Click on your favorite platform on the right side of this page and be sure to subscribe!

Welcome to the In the Corners podcast with Matthew Harding and Bobby Metcalf!

In this episode, recorded on Monday, May 1, 2017, the guys recap each of the first round matchups, and breakdown what has happened so far in the division final series.

In addition, the guys discuss:

* Their round one predictions...here's how they did:

Series

Harding's Prediction

Metcalf's Prediction

Series Result

Adirondack/Manchester

Adirondack in 6

Adirondack in 5

Manchester in 6

Brampton/Reading

Brampton in 6

Brampton in 6

Brampton in 6

Toledo/Kalamazoo

Toledo in 6

Toledo in 7

Toledo in 7

Fort Wayne/Quad City

Fort Wayne in 7

Fort Wayne in 6

Fort Wayne in 5

Florida/Orlando

Florida in 5

Florida in 5

Florida in 7

Greenville/South Carolina

South Carolina in 6

South Carolina in 5

South Carolina in 6

Allen/Utah

Allen in 4

Allen in 4

Allen in 5

Colorado/Idaho

Idaho in 7

Idaho in 5

Colorado in 5

Both Harding and Metcalf went 2-8 in the first round. Creskins they are not.

* The guys discuss the situation at ESPN & what it means for sports reporting

* Why hockey will remain a niche sport in America

* Lukas Hafner is the story of the playoffs. Cris Tiller has a profile of him: https://www.reporterherald.com/sports/ci_30949879/through-loss-father-and-bounce-around-pro-hockey

* The Quad City Mallards name Phil Axtell the head coach for next season

* Indy keeps Bernie John as their bench boss, for now

* Mark DeSantis is looking for a new gig, should Joe Ferras have gone with him?

PROGRAMMING NOTE: In the Corners will be with you throughout the Kelly Cup Playoffs, with shows during each round. After the playoffs have concluded, the podcast will shift to bi-weekly through the summer.

You can now hear previous episodes of the In the Corners podcast, Inside the SPHL podcast and Into the Sin Bin Interviews through a number of podcast sharing platforms. Click on your favorite platform on the right side of this page and be sure to subscribe!

Welcome to the In the Corners podcast with Matthew Harding and Bobby Metcalf!

In this episode, recorded on Sunday, April 9, 2017, the guys break down each of the eight opening round playoff matchups in the ECHL. They also discussed the league awards (currently in the process of being awarded,) the league's first and second teams and will give you their picks for the Kelly Cup Finals & champion.

PROGRAMMING NOTE: In the Corners will be with you throughout the Kelly Cup Playoffs, with preview shows prior to the beginning of each round. After the playoffs have concluded, the podcast will shift to bi-weekly through the summer.

You can now hear previous episodes of the In the Corners podcast, Inside the SPHL podcast and Into the Sin Bin Interviews through a number of podcast sharing platforms. Click on your favorite platform on the right side of this page and be sure to subscribe!

Welcome to the In the Corners podcast with Matthew Harding and Bobby Metcalf!

In this episode, recorded on Monday, April 3, 2017, the guys are joined by the beat writer for the Alaska Aces, Doyle Woody:

The guys discuss several topics, including:

* The reasons for the Aces folding, did the AHL westward expansion play a role?

* What is the atmosphere like around the team as the season enters it's final week? Resignation or determination to get into the Kelly Cup Playoffs?

* What would it mean to the fans for the Aces to get into the playoffs?

* The atmosphere inside Sullivan Arena

* Memories of covering the beat

* The small world of hockey

* The art of "bar scouting" and the beauty of dive bars

* Playoff chatter

* Who wins the Brabham Cup? Toledo or Allen?

* Can Adirondack be considered as one of the contenders in the Eastern Conference?

* Who wants the final spot in the South?

* Race for the 4-seed in the mountain

* Hot topics in the ECHL:

* Larry Courville getting the boot in Reading, Kirk McDonald takes over

* Why Steve Martinson will likely not go to Reading

* Several good coaches on the market this summer

* Finally, the guys discuss team name changes...

You can now hear previous episodes of the In the Corners podcast, Inside the SPHL podcast and Into the Sin Bin Interviews through a number of podcast sharing platforms. Click on your favorite platform on the right side of this page and be sure to subscribe!

Welcome to the In the Corners podcast with Matthew Harding and Bobby Metcalf!

In this episode, recorded on Monday, March 13, 2017, the guys discuss the hot topics around the ECHL, including:

* Quad City/Fort Wayne puts on a thrilling first-round playoff preview Friday night

* What is left to play for after you've clinched all that you can clinch

* Fort Wayne head coach Gary Graham calls his team out for lacking a killer instinct. Is this Fort Wayne's fatal flaw?

* Florida went 1-4 during their swing through the Central Division and allowed 5.25 goals per game during that stretch...can anyone from the East beat a Western Conference team?

* If Wheeling misses the playoffs, does Jeff Christian deserve a second season in The Wheel?

* Examine the race for spots 2-5 in the South & offer up who will be the odd team out

* We also handicap the race for the 4-seed in the Mountain division

* Thunder head coach Malcolm Cameron calls team "bums" after Friday night's loss to Missouri. Were the remarks Kick in the pants for his team or a relief valve of frustration?

* Alaska Aces head coach Rob Murray enters the stands to confront a fan. Who was right & wrong and was the ECHL correct in their lack of discipline to Murray?

* We discuss who will win the league's Rookie of the Year, Most Outstanding Goaltender, Most Outstanding Netminder, MVP & Coach of the Year awards.

You can now hear previous episodes of the In the Corners podcast, Inside the SPHL podcast and Into the Sin Bin Interviews through a number of podcast sharing platforms. Click on your favorite platform on the right side of this page and be sure to subscribe!

Welcome to the In the Corners podcast with Matthew Harding and Bobby Metcalf!

In this episode, recorded on Monday, March 20, 2017, the guys are joined by the host of ECHL Week, Barry Schickling:

* The Mallards clinch a playoff berth

* What impact will the AHL & NHL playoffs have on the Mallards & other ECHL playoff teams

* Breaking down the first round matchups in the midwest division

* Which one of the playoff teams is least favored to win an opening round series?

* The impact of Elmira & Alaska leaving the ECHL

* Will the 31-31-31 alignment that had been sought for many years, happen in the next five to 10 years? What are some roadblocks to making that happen?

* Breaking down the Coach of the Year candidates

* How would Jeff Christian's first year in Wheeling be viewed if Nailers don't make playoffs?

* The improvement by the Cincinnati Cyclones in the second half of the season

* Steve Martinson to test free agent market; Does he stay in Allen or jump ship? If so, where? And why hasn't Martinson worked at a higher level?

* Larry Courville's moving on from Reading. Where might he be a good fit?

You can now hear previous episodes of the In the Corners podcast, Inside the SPHL podcast and Into the Sin Bin Interviews through a number of podcast sharing platforms. Click on your favorite platform on the right side of this page and be sure to subscribe!

Welcome to the In the Corners podcast with Matthew Harding and Bobby Metcalf!

In this episode, recorded on Monday, March 13, 2017, the guys recap the ECHL Trade Deadline, plus:

* Talk about the winners & losers from the deadline

* Biggest surprises from last Thursday's roster shuffling

* How the moves might impact the playoff races

* What our teams at the trade deadline, planning for the playoffs, and what tact Wichita may take in recruiting in the offseason

* Discuss Elmira folding & another looming divisional realignment

* Give our views on players not reporting to teams they have been traded to

You can now hear previous episodes of the In the Corners podcast, Inside the SPHL podcast and Into the Sin Bin Interviews through a number of podcast sharing platforms. Click on your favorite platform on the right side of this page and be sure to subscribe!

Welcome to the In the Corners podcast with Matthew Harding and Bobby Metcalf!

In this episode, recorded on Monday, March 6, 2017, the guys breakdown the upcoming ECHL Trade Deadline, plus:

* Reveal the guest list for Thursday's ECHL Trade Deadline show

* Discuss the trades that happened on Monday

* Share whether they think the deadline will be busy or slow

* Teams who need to make a move at the deadline

* Breaking down plans for Quad City and Wichita at the trade deadline

* Discuss the Wade MacLeod signing in Allen & if it could be the end for a stalwart in the land of Red.

* Could Elmira end up being the big sellers at the deadline?

* Wichita's plans for the offseason

* We put on our prognostication hats on and offer up the finishing order for each division in the ECHL?

You can now hear previous episodes of the In the Corners podcast, Inside the SPHL podcast and Into the Sin Bin Interviews through a number of podcast sharing platforms. Click on your favorite platform on the right side of this page and be sure to subscribe!

Welcome to the In the Corners podcast with Matthew Harding and Bobby Metcalf!

In this episode, recorded on Monday, February 28, 2017, the guys discuss:

* Recap of the media & minor pro hockey podcast

* Our coverage plan for the upcoming ECHL Trade Deadline on March 9

* A recap of our teams in the last week

* Quad is meh, while Wichita throws a parade for snapping the longest losing streak since the 22-gamer in 2009-10 (only to lose three more games last week)

* Alaska will close their doors at the end of the season

* Team projected to lose $1 million this year, on track with last year's losses

* Did the fact they fly everywhere play a role?

* What is the future of the Aces franchise after the last game is played?

* Should the ECHL step in and streamline ticket prices for teams in an effort to make attendance improve?

* Ticket prices, plus food and drink for a family of four in Wichita next year is projected to be $150.

* ECHL projected to have 10-year low on attendance this year.

* Allen sold to "a group controlled by Reading Royals owner Jack Gulati," but it's really Jack Gulati

* The reaction by Americans players when they were told they were getting all their equipment

You can now hear previous episodes of the In the Corners podcast, Inside the SPHL podcast and Into the Sin Bin Interviews through a number of podcast sharing platforms. Click on your favorite platform on the right side of this page and be sure to subscribe!