Revitalised Wren a plus point for Peterborough

PETERBOROUGH, UK – Aside from negative results there has been one constant in any review of Peterborough Islander’s games this season. The form of veteran goalie Simon Wren has been a noted plus point of an otherwise dismal season for the team.
 
Goalies are a rare breed and this is no surprise given their penchant for standing in front of vulcanised rubber heading at up to one hundred miles per hour towards them. Wren has faced more shots than any other goalie in the league this season but he confesses he actually likes it:
 
“I love being a goalie, people always say you must be nuts to be a goalie, especially facing that many shots. I love it, I have always preferred being busy. Goalie can be a lonely position sometimes and being busy is the best way to be”

Busy is one way of describing Wren’s comeback season after eleven years away from the game. With the Islanders finishing in last place, the former England junior international could be forgiven for thinking his timing for a return to the game could have been better. Wren however believes a combination of factors has worked against the Islanders this year:
 
“We lost a lot of players to Milton Keynes this year and it has been tough to replace them. We have had a small squad this year and when the under 18’s are playing we are usually down to two lines at a push. This hasn’t allowed us to be competitive. As the season has progressed we have added to the squad with the return of Steve Maile and later on we managed to regain the talents of Fraser Hendry and the non stop workmanship of Dan Needham,
 
“These have all helped, but with no consistency in our squad we have not been able to get into any sort of form. We have played some good hockey this season but only seem to manage it for one period per game. We have held all the top teams for one period but then partly due to a small squad and players getting tired, we have fallen to pieces. The other reason for falling apart is the strength and depth of some of the teams this year. I think there has been a huge gap between us and the top six this year,
 
“There are some really good imports in the league this year and they are backed up by some great British guys too. That is why Invicta, Cardiff and Bracknell have done so well. They are all well balanced sides with a great mix of talent and experience. I think we could have performed a little better this year. We had a great opening game against MK at home where I think we were unlucky to lose,
 
“We also dropped points at Haringey when I think we really should’ve won. We were two goals ahead against Oxford at home on the last period, then managed to fall apart in the last losing by the odd goal. I think we should definitely have been in a three way fight with MK and Haringey for the relegation spots, rather than it being a guaranteed”

Despite the obvious doom and gloom for any club suffering relegation, there were positives from the Islanders season. Development of a number of young players has been the primary benefit of the 2009/10 season, along with a much needed balancing of the books financially. Wren believes that these factors plus the opportunity to rebuild will stand the team in good stead:
 
“We have a good core of young players that we can build on for next season. If we can manage to hold onto the guys we finished the season with, this is a good place to start. The younger players are another year older and have learnt a lot this year, it shows great character for young inexperienced guys to take some of the beatings we have this year and still keep coming back wanting to turn things around. Dropping to ENL 2 may yet be a blessing for us. It will allow us to rebuild and hopefully get some wins under our belt, it’s always difficult to attract players, fans and sponsors to a losing team. Hopefully some of the guys leaving the under 18’s will look at the Islanders as a stepping stone to the Phantoms, or maybe just the EPL in general”
 
For any player returning to hockey after such a long break it can be difficult to replicate the standard attained previously. Coached as a junior by Peterborough legend John Lawless, Wren developed a good pedigree in British Hockey, making his senior debut at the tender age of sixteen for the Rocky Saganiuk-led Peterborough Pirates against Bracknell Bees in 1992. The Pirates famously reached the Heineken Play Off semi finals that year losing to the Nottingham Panthers in front of the BBC Grandstand cameras at Wembley Arena. A brief sabbatical with the Lee Valley Lions the following season gave him much needed experience, before the late Heavy Evason brought him back home to star in Pirates colours. A youthful Wren stood between the pipes for the Pirates in a difficult period of their history. Financial issues dogged the club along with doubts regarding the future of the Peterborough rink. With the glory days faded, Wren grew disillusioned with hockey and walked away from the game in his early twenties. Now 34 years old he admits he always missed the game but it was only by chance that he found the motivation to put the pads back on:
 
“It was a combination of things that brought me back to hockey. I stopped playing years ago because I stopped enjoying the game. Pirates were going through a really tough time financially and the great atmosphere that had always been at the club had gone. I was at a time where I’d lost enthusiasm and I didn’t want to travel to play anywhere else. I have missed the game ever since then but after a few years away it’s not that easy to get back into,
 
“Last year an opportunity came up to play roller hockey in the BIPHA veteran’s league with the Flintstone Flyers. These are a group of guys, who mainly used to play Pirates such as John and Alan Walker and John Tague. We also had Brian Wilkie and the Islanders very own Ross Mackintosh. That season really got me wanting to skate again and after having a few sessions in the summer I had a chat with Ross and we agreed I would come back and help out a bit with coaching and bringing on Ryan Bainborough and Kelly Herring, maybe even playing a few games and allowing us to have three goalies competing for ice time,
 
“Just before the start of the season Ross told me that due to personal reasons, Kelly wouldn’t be able to play this season and would I be ok for a full season. Ryan is a very talented goalie and unfortunately due to his under 18 commitments we haven’t seen more of him this year, hence my minutes”
 
So with all the experience and a desire to return, Wren admits that despite being thrown in at the deep end, he wasn’t happy with his start to the season in the English National league:
 
“I was putting so much pressure on myself to perform, I stopped playing hockey at a young age and was playing a good standard and for some reason I thought half a dozen training sessions would get me back there after eleven years away. This was so frustrating and I was making myself play worse. I’ve had a lot of ups and downs this year, but all in all I’ve been pleased with the way I finished the season. The game has changed quite a bit; when I retired we were still using the two line pass and the touch rule for icing,

“The new rules allow teams to be a lot faster breaking out and I have faced a lot more breakaways than in the past. I don’t think goaltending has changed too much, there is a lot more butterfly nowadays, but there were always goalies that played that way. My saviour this year has got to be the pad stack, I was told by some forwards they hadn’t seen one in years and it got me out of trouble many times this season”
 
Looking to the ENL play offs, Wren is well placed to comment on the prowess of the six qualifying teams. Most players and fans around the league have tipped Invicta to make it a league and play off double but Wren is sticking his neck out with an alternative prediction:
 
“It is very tough to call. Invicta have been strong all year, but wobbled a bit lately. They have had a couple of losses against Cardiff, who are very hard to play against in their own barn. Cardiff also have some great goal scorers and some experienced Brits. Isle of Wight again, maybe underperformed during the season, but in their own rink are a force to be reckoned with and with Jeremy Cornish’s experience leading them I’m sure have a lot more to offer,
 
“Chelmsford have a coach with a lot of experience but I’m not sure they have enough firepower or depth in the squad. Oxford have put together some good results lately and are my bet to throw a spanner in the works for someone. But my favourites have to be Bracknell. They are a well balanced team, they have got better as the season has gone on and as they proved against us on Sunday they have an abundance of goal scorers. They are well disciplined and move the puck around really well”
 
Now that Wren has made his prediction for the play offs and reviewed his season, does he feel a love for the game returning, or does he wish he had never stepped back on the ice?
 
“Give me a few weeks for my groin and knees to recover and I’ll see. I’m sure I have at least one more year in me”
 
Thanks for reading and stay safe.
 
Carrsy
 
Contact the author david.carr@prohockeynews.com