BRACKNELL, UK – As the final buzzer sounded on Saturday evening at the Hive, one man in particular breathed a sigh of relief.
Without a win in their previous six fixtures, the Bracknell Hornets went into their game against Milton Keynes Thunder last weekend knowing that they could write the whole month of October off as a one point episode if they failed to take anything from the game.
Hornets before Movember (Photo by Lewis Cleveland)
The run of poor form has been a far cry from the play-off glory of last season, but the team finally managed to get the two points against a Thunder side placed just below them in the standings.
“The league has moved up a gear since last season, and we are a young team” admitted Head Coach Ben Pitchley. “We always knew it was going to be tough to repeat last year’s heroics, what with losing all the players we did over the summer. But of course after the weekend we are glad to have another win on the board”
The 7-4 win over Milton Keynes came at a cost, with defenseman Gareth Wheeler ruled out for up to 14 weeks with a broken collar bone. More bad news came in the form of forward Danny House announcing that this would be his last appearance for the club, having taken a job offer in France. Despite these setbacks, Pitchley remains resolute and says that he is pleased with some aspects of the season so far, and that he has options moving forward.
Wheeler heartbreak
“We won’t be looking for a replacement defenseman” said Pitchley, who patrolled the blue line himself in his playing days. ”Michael Plenty is back from his four week work break, so that brings the squad numbers back up. My under 18’s Captain, Lewis Turner has stepped up his game over the last five weeks, and he will only improve with the extra ice time”
“The deal Danny (House) has been offered in France is just too good to pass up, so now I am on the look out for another forward should the right guy become available”
“Our kids are playing on a regular basis now, which is something that I’m pretty pleased with. I’ve only cut the bench down to two lines once all season, and have rolled three lines throughout all the other games, so we are working to a plan”
This weekend the Hornets take on a Cardiff ENL Devils side who sit one place above them in the league, albeit having played three more games. The Devils and Hornets have not clashed so far this season so it will be a new experience for both sides on Saturday.
Simicek scores (Photo Lewis Cleveland)
“Cardiff are a good hockey club and like us, are made up of local players that can play the game” said Pitchley. “So it should be a good game all round. We know what they can do to teams that underestimate them, so we need to be ready to play our systems and not let them dictate the game”
With so many young players in the Hornets’ squad, the clubs participation in the Prostate Cancer Awareness charity ‘Movember’ should be interesting. Much like many hockey teams in the league, the Hornets squad will be attempting to grow a moustache throughout the month of November for the charitable cause.
“We have a couple of players that have some quick growing facial hair” said Pitchley. “So I’m expecting some wicked ‘Movember’ photos as the month draws to an end. We will have a bucket going round all of our home games in Movember as well, plus the management team are also joining in, so there will be some grey in the photos too”
Onlookers will be checking to see if Pitchley’s moustache gets greyer as the month wears on, depending on results for his side. The Hornets face Romford twice, Chelmsford, Wightlink and Bristol all in that four week period following the Cardiff game, so the stress levels have a good chance of increasing for the Hornet’s Coach, should his team not perform.
Contact the author david.carr@prohockeynews.com
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