After their most successful year since gaining promotion to NIHL 1, the Solent Devils were matched against the 2015 play-off champions, the Wightlink Raiders.
These two teams had met six times over the 2015/16 season due to being paired for the NIHL south cup, in addition to the four regular season matches. All six of these matches were hard fought, physical battles, and the two games this weekend were no different.
of Richard Brown, Ben Lock, and Andrew Magee after the game
It started Saturday, in the Ryde arena, and the first penalty was called inside the first minute.  As the Devils were having their first line change, the puck passed through the melee in front of the Devils bench, and with all the confusion it appeared that there were to many men on the ice. This gave the Raiders the advantage early on, and they used it to put themselves in to the lead, with Damon Larter setting up Craig Tribe.
The Devils persisted, and within a few minutes, Mason Wild and Ralfs Circenis provided all the help George Norcliffe needed to tie things back up.
It only took a minute more, for Canadian import Richard Brown to provide the needed assist to Richard Facey, who pushed the Devils in to the lead.
Corey Watkins earned himself a roughing penalty, but the Raiders managed to kill off this penalty and Watkins returned to the ice with the Devils in the lead by one.
Shaun Rudkin’s check to Jaroslav Cesky, put Cesky on his back, but the referees said it was a good check and allowed the play to carry on. Watkins felt differently, and came flying across the ice to let Rudkin know. For this, he earned himself two plus two for roughing and was taken to the penalty box. Rudkin, despite taking several blows to the face, remained calm and kept his hands at his sides, feeling it was better to allow the referees to sort things out.
While Watkins was being taken to the penalty box, Tribe and Steve Gosset started to have a chat, which ended in them trading blows too. Tribe received his own two minute penalty, with Gosset getting two plus two for his efforts. Unfortunately, Gosset also hurt his hand on Tribe, and had to retire from the game.
Raiders managed to tie things up just before the break, Robert Streetly passing to Tribe, who sent the puck on to Raiders Captain, Nick Compton who beat Christian Cole in the Devils goal.
The second period, had just one penalty. Raiders head coach, Jeremy Cornish getting picked up for tripping Mason Wild late in the period.
Goals, however, there were three, all to the home team. Ryan Webb getting one, Danny Ingoldsby the second, and Alex Sampford getting the third.
The third period started, and the Devils were still fighting despite now b
Mason Wild receiving his Man of the Match award from young fan, Skye
eing the wrong side of a five two score line. Unfortunately, trying to attack left them open defensively, and just over half way through the period, the Raiders broke through, and Larter received a goal to go with his earlier assist.
A minute later, Devils still reeling from Raiders sixth, Watkins put goal number seven on the board.
Devils rallied, and Monty Gailer sent the puck to Andrew Magee. Magee, in turn, found Richard Facey, who went flying down the wing, and put the puck past Matthew Colclough.
The game ended, and the final score was seven – four to the Raiders, meaning if they Devils wanted to progress to the Semi Finals they needed to win by at least five goals the following night. So despite being tired, and with the ever growing injury list, the Devils suited back up to face the Raiders in Gosport on Sunday.
Once again, this was a physical battle, the Raiders trying to use their size advantage to prevent the Devils getting a foothold on the game. The Devils managed to play a clean game for the first period, whereas the Raiders picked up four penalties, Ingoldsby starting things off with a roughing call, Compton following him to the box a minute later for slashing, and Cesky just over a minute later for hooking.
Despite having several chances when playing 5 on 3, the Devils didn’t manage to capitalise, and they also failed to get past Colclough later in the period when Ben Paynter was sent to the sin bin for his slash against Alex Trendall.
With just three seconds left in the period, Raiders managed to get their twelfth shot of the game past Cole, once again in between the pipes for the Devils. The goal, being scored by Larter, assisted by Streetly.
Despite the Raiders receiving five penalties the second period, and the Devils receiving one of their own, the score remained 1-0.
Three minutes in to the third, Paynter was set up by Cornish and Brendan Baird, doubling the Raiders lead.
It took three more minutes, for an unassisted Trendall to finally beat Colclough and get the Devils scoring.
The Raiders only received one penalty in the third period, as Paynter was picked up for interference, but the Devils found players in the sin bin twice.
Unfortunately for the Devils, it was while Facey was in the penalty box for slashing that Compton knocked in the Raiders third goal.
Raiders then sat back, and defended so tightly that the Devils didn’t manage to break through again, and the 3-1 score line saw and end to their post season activities.
The Devils will be celebrating their great season, with their fans at their awards night on Friday 15th April.
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