Solent Devils welcomed the Chelmsford Chieftains to Gosport on Saturday evening, for the two sides first meeting of the season.
Dan Shire dancing round Matt France – Photo courtesy of Dave Chapman
Devils had only suffered one overtime loss so far this year, and despite having played only two games, Chelmsford had totally dominated both.
Both teams were clearly taking this game seriously, and from a turnover in the Chelmsford zone and a breakaway down the wing, the Chieftains thought they were going to get an early lead, the first shot being deflected but the rebound being buried.
The referee waved off the goal though, as he had blown his whistle after the first shot due to the puck hitting netminder, Aaron Taylor in the face mask,
A few minutes later though, and Chieftains managed to successfully put the puck in the net, Ross Brears passing back from a crowd deep in the Devils zone to Robert Veares out by the blue line, who sent it between the pipes before Taylor could position himself after the scramble seconds before.
Less than a minute later, the puck had been stopped in the Chieftains zone, and the ref took it for a face off. The puck was dropped, Sam Rudkin knocked it clear to Daniel Shier, who beat Sonny Phillips and levelled the score.
Almost half way through the second, Devils captain, Alex Cole, received two minutes for cross checking, and while he sat in the box Chelmsford sent the puck round and around the Devils zone, looking for an opening. Finally, Filip Supa knocked the puck between Taylor and the post, assists coming from Matt France, and Brears getting his second of the game.
Alex Trendall on his break between the Chelmsford defence on his way to score – Photo courtesy of Dave Chapman
Chelmsford struck once more, moments later, when Brears received a third assist, passing to Darren Brown. Brown took the puck over the Devils blue line, and took a shot while on the move. Taylor thought he had caught it, but the puck had slipped just over the top of his glove, and the dismay on the netminder’s face was evident as the referee pointed at the puck in the goal.
As the Devils tried to fight back, Chris Hocquigny ended up in the corner behind the Chieftains goal, when Vaeres crashed in to him. Vaeres earned himself a five minute penalty, plus game, and headed to the showers. Hocquigny was helped from the ice, and taken to the first aid room, where he deemed unfit to re-join the game, although it was confirmed there was no lasting damage and he would be fit to return by the next training session.
Chelmsford looked dangerous again just before the second break, controlling the play in the Devils zone, but the puck was knocked out by Rudkin, and went past Alex Trendall out at the Devils blue line. Trendall chased, closely pursued by the Chieftains defence, who couldn’t match Trendall’s speed, and as he crossed in to the Chelmsford zone, he took control of the puck, and slipped it under Phillips’ outstretched leg.
Just over a minute after the break, Brears finally got a goal of his own, unassisted, after a turnover in the Chelmsford zone, taking the puck deep in to the Devils zone, before putting it under Taylor as he dived to stop the puck.
The Devils pulled Taylor from the goal three minutes before the end of the game, hoping the extra man on the ice would help them take control and claw back the points, pushing the game in to overtime.
Unfortunately for the Devils, Gary Brown caught a pass between Devils, and sent it across to Brears, who knocked it out of the Chelmsford zone, where it was picked up in centre ice by Supa, who knocked it straight from the centre line, directly in to the unguarded Devils goal.
Taylor came back for the last couple of minutes of the game, but the Devils couldn’t close the 5-2 gap, resulting in Chelmsford’s third win of the season, and giving the Devils their first lost in regulation time.
The Devils are on the road for the next game, as they head for their second match against the Lee Valley Lions, Saturday 4thNovember.
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