ABU DHABI // Ron Murphy, the captain of the Dubai Mighty Camels, knows his league-leading side need to take every game seriously as the teams battle for play-off positions.
Recent results have shown that teams languishing at the bottom of the Emirates Hockey League can get the better of their high-flying rivals and Murphy is determined that his side are not going to be knocked off their stride by any more shock results.
The two bottom clubs have both gone some way to levelling the playing field in the last few rounds, with stunning wins over teams at the top of the standings.
The Al Ain Theebs won a 5-4 thriller against the second-placed Abu Dhabi Storms, a team in which a majority of the players are Emirati internationals, while the Al Ain Vipers beat the Camels 6-3 before the winter break.
And the games are getting closer in every round with the last seven games being decided by a goal or two, with the exception of the Camels' 8-2 triumph over the Theebs.
Four of the sides in the five-team league go though to the play-offs, where home ice advantage is a premium. Murphy said the days of having the luxury of resting key players had long gone.
"In years past we could afford not to play some of our better players against the weaker teams, this year we can't take a night off," the Canadian said.
"All the teams are strong and have gotten better year by year. We were beaten by the Vipers and we won a game in overtime against the Vipers, so it shows you the parity in the league this season."
The Camels have been at the top of the table since the start of the season and Murphy said his team's objective was to finish in first place.
"It is important to finish in first so we get home ice advantage in the play-offs," he said. "Our expectations are to win the championship and solidify our position as the best team in the EHL."
The Storms are equally determined to claim first place after signing a full-time coach, Yuri Faikov, on a two-year contract.
"Second position with seven wins is a good thing, but a few defeats in important games are helping the Camels too much in fight for the first position after the regular season," Matti Fagerstrom, the Storms player, said.
"We have been able to win two games in overtime which gives us confidence in tough and tight games.
"In my opinion, the league is bit more competitive this season.
"I feel the battle for last play-off spot will go all the way to the last games, and we can still challenge Camels for first place."
Ryan Hornblower of the Scorpions added they were circumspect coming into the competition this season.
"We lost five players from our opening season roster which has affected our numbers," he said. "Currently we are sitting in third and trying to secure a play-off spot with five games remaining.
"Camels are again the top of the league but the other four teams have been real tight so far. We ended the season last year in third and strive to keep that position this year. We have not had many new players come into Abu Dhabi this year, so we had to deal with a small turn over in players."
