ENL South Round-up week 24

LONDON, UK – The English National League South title race exploded into life again as a familiar party pooper took a surprise win. Add in some controversial decisions, a talented woman and some interesting statistics and it was another exciting week.
 
Bristol coach Richie Hargreaves was in jubilant mood during the week following his sides shock win in Invicta the previous weekend.

 
In fact it was Hargreaves sister Becci, a qualified coach and highly rated player herself in women’s hockey that stole the headlines to become the first woman to coach a team in the ENL1 South (we await any stattos to disprove this), thanks to her brothers suspension.
 
“I’ve been getting it in the ear from a lot of the guys” said Hargreaves in an interview with the Bristol Evening Telegraph.
 
“They’re saying they want Becci to replace me full-time now. It was a fantastic victory and I wasn’t surprised at all really. We have been in good form of late and it was only a matter of time before we registered a victory over a top four side”
 
“I had no worries about Becci taking charge. She’s played for Great Britain and runs her own team over at Swindon, so she’s very experienced and the guys have a lot of respect for her”
 
“I won’t be resigning just yet, but with Becci around maybe I’ll be able to take a few more days off”
 
It was another painful week at Streatham but not only because of the team’s lament at losing in Chelmsford. Step forward defenseman Luke Reynolds, who failed to ice in training due to stitches in his rear. Coach Barry Spours thankfully didn’t ask the former Wightlink and Slough blue liner to prove that stitches were under the big plaster, but Pro Hockey News can confirm that he was limping.
 
Wightlink Coach Jeremy Cornish was another happy coach as he reflected on a weekend that saw his side lift the Raiders cup and then avoid a potential banana skin in Milton Keynes.
 
“Romford is a first place hockey team and we have done extremely well against them the last three times we have faced them. I would like to think we would be very prepared to face them in the play-offs if we get them” said the big Canadian in his Coaches Corner on the Raiders official website.
 
“After the last few results I wonder if things would be different if we had come together right from the start of the year, but after so many changes from last year things take time”
 
“We have said it before that we are always building for the future and by adding key ingredients to the puzzle each year, we should be a competitive side at this level for years to come”
 
Indeed, despite losing the likes of Brown, Bentham, Colclough and Watchorn from their line-up, Wightlink have probably surprised a lot of people this year.
Joe Rand has proved to be a massive signing and Cornish is likely to have to fight off a number of suitors should he choose to stay in the UK for the 2012/13 season.
 
Romford Raiders defenseman David Oliver came out in the press to speak of his delight at getting extra ice time, courtesy of team mate Billy Phillips suspension. The former Invicta man has found himself riding the pine on occasions this season, as the league leaders’ big squad competes for individual game time.
 
“At the end of last season I was bang on form. But then Bomber (Andrius Kaminskas) has come in and I’ve had to keep working to get my chance” explained Oliver in an interview with the Romford Recorder.
 
“There are always injuries and suspensions and it’s come at the best time for me, with the play-offs around the corner”
 
“It is hard, when you’re only getting a few shifts and not even getting on during some games, it does knock your confidence”
 
“But I’m getting a few more shifts now. Bill’s got two more games to sit out and I just hope I can carry on doing a job for the team”
 
Oliver is not the only blue liner struggling for game time, and former Haringey defenseman Liam Doyle has not dressed at all for the Rom Valley way side in recent months, such is the strength of the squad.
 
A quick glance at the stats for this season revealed a bit of a shock as for the first time in at least eight seasons, Andy Smith’s name was not in the league top ten scorers. The Invicta hot shot is usually either top or second of the rankings at this stage of the season however remarkably he was strangely absent prior to this weekend.
 
Smith hasn’t got worse and is still a class player however at present it is Wightlink import Rand leading the scorers with Romford’s Juraj Huska and Chelmsford’s Jakub Klima coming up behind. The top British points scorer prior to the weekend was Danny Hammond, which is no surprise given that he has been excellent this season for Chelmsford.
 
As regular readers of the column know, I am not a big fan of stats, and not just because mine are usually unpleasant reading, however some other interesting numbers stick out.
 
Best goal scorer is Rand with 42 goals, best playmaker is Huska with 47 assists and best goalie is Romford’s Michael Gray with a 92.03% save average.
 
Rather surprisingly Cardiff have the most penalty minutes with a whopping 679 minutes and Slough have the least with 449 minutes.
 
The team with the best jerseys are Streatham, the team with the best music are Invicta (mainly because they skate out to the KLF) and the team most likely to spend the most time in the shower are Chelmsford.
 
Those last few awards are purely subjective for anyone who is now trawling the internet for factual evidence of the time Gary Clarke and gang spend soaping themselves.
 
 
Saturday
 
With many observers looking at an away fixture in Cardiff as one of the few opportunities for the title chasing Romford Raiders to slip up, those wanting the league title race to go down to the wire got their wish as those pesky Devils took a 3-2 win at the Big Blue Tent.
 
Leading 3-0 at one stage the Welsh side were in excellent form as they proved yet again that they can be a thorn in any teams title challenge year after year.
Adam Harding, Jamie Hayes and Robert Sedlak were the heroes for Cardiff, with Andrius Kaminskas and David Oliver getting the goals for Romford.
 
The Raiders finished with more trouble as goalie Michael Gray was ejected for misconduct as referee Stephen Matthews took exception to Gray’s stick swinging frustration just minutes after a few verbal’s were aimed at the man in stripes from the same offender.
 
Wightlink and Bristol faced each other on the island with the Raiders starting as slight favourites. Bristol and their in-form goalie Chris Douglas had other ideas though and the visitors came away with a point thanks to a 4-4 tie.
 
A hat trick from Joe Rand and a lone goal from Dom Hopkins accounted for the Raiders goals, with a brace from Shannon Taylor and a goal each from Martyn Lee and Steven Fisher making up Bristol’s four.
 
A frustrating draw for Wightlink but a welcome point for the Pitbulls all the same.
 
Invicta Dynamos travelled to Slough ENL Jets looking to secure two points and they did so with ease thanks to a 13 -5 thumping.
 
Anthony Lennon returned to the Mo’s blue line after his long term injury problems and man of the match Andy Smith hit a double hat trick to move himself up the stats ladder.
 
Sunday
 
Streatham hosted Wightlink in Brixton, hoping to do what relegation rivals Slough did last month and take a surprise win.
 
In one of our better displays this season, we pushed the Raiders hard but sadly just didn’t have enough to make the game ours. It was 3-3 at one point but we shot ourselves in the foot as struggling sides often do and the Raiders took full advantage to skate off with a 7-4 win.
 
Joe Rand hit a brace for the Raiders with Damon Larter, Dom Hopkins, Nathan Taylor, Conor Pollard and Alex Murray getting one each. For Streatham it was Slovak Tomas Valko with two goals and one each for Norm Pinnington and Adam Mahoney.
 
There is no question Wightlink deserved the win, but we had every chance of getting at least a point out of the game. There was not one player in the room afterwards I could look at and know they hadn’t given everything and that includes the coaching staff.
 
Local rivals Bristol and Cardiff faced each other at Frogmore Street with the Welsh side probably starting as favourites despite Bristol’s home advantage.
 
Cardiff did indeed race into a 5-0 lead only to allow Bristol a magnificent comeback and tie the game 5-5. This was despite the Pitbulls losing top scorer Eggy Bauba after he was given a match penalty for allegedly spitting at a Cardiff player.
 
James Warman hit a brace for Bristol with Steven Osman, Steven Fisher and Jamie Newton getting the other goals. Cameron Birrell hit two for Cardiff with Gareth Dixon, Chris Jones and Jamie Hayes also on target.
 
It was a bad tempered encounter that also saw Cardiff’s Dixon and Jordan Powell both sit ten minute misconduct penalties during a penalty strewn second period.
 
Streatham really needed Bracknell Hornets to beat the visiting Slough ENL Jets to keep the gap to two points at the bottom between the Londoners and the Berkshire outfit.
 
Unfortunately the Hornets could not hold on to a 3-2 lead going into the third period and the Jets snatched a point with a priceless 3-3 tie.
 
Bracknell goals came thanks to a brace from Danny Hughes and a lone goal from former Haringey man Ricky Rutherford.
 
Invicta enjoyed another goal glut as they despatched a travelling Milton Keynes Thunder side 15-3 at the Gillingham Ice Bowl.
 
Ryan Ellis hammered four goals in for the Mo’s with Nicky Lewis and Justin Noble both hitting hat tricks. Callum Best and Andy Smith both got two each and Tim Smith completed the scoring.
 
Jamie Randall, Harrison Goode and Connor Goode got the goals for Milton Keynes.
 
The weekend results leave Streatham now three points off the drop and Slough in a stronger position. At the top Chelmsford now have a sniff thanks to Romford’s dropped points in Wales.
 
Results
 
Saturday 25th February 2012
 
Wightlink Raiders 4 – 4 Bristol Pitbulls  
Cardiff Devils 3 – 2 Romford Raiders  
Slough Jets 5 – 13 Invicta Dynamos  
 
Sunday 26th February 2012
 
Invicta Dynamos 15 – 3 Milton Keynes Thunder  
Bristol Pitbulls 5 – 5    Cardiff Devils  
Bracknell Hornets 3 – 3 Slough Jets  
Streatham Redskins 4 – 7 Wightlink Raiders
 
Contact the author david.carr@prohockeynews.com