Saturday night was a rare game for the Solent Devils, as it was worth double points in the league, however to get the points they had to defeat last weekend’s rivals, Streatham Redskins.
Unlike last weekend, Devils net minder, Christian Cole, was back in goal, and after missing two weeks he was clearly raring to go
Ralfs Circenis receiving his Man of the Match award, from young fan Corey – courtesy of Jennie Fitzpatrick
The referees, right from the start of the game caused confusion for everyone in the rink. First, contradicting each other with an icing call, then having a role reversal and contradicting each other with an icing call the other way, then for making the players retake a face off in the Devils zone for no apparent reason than they could.
All of this within the first three minutes of the game, and the strange behaviour from the men in stripes didn’t get any better from there.
Devils, managed to get over the odd and inconsistent refereeing, and managed to fight their way through the Streatham defence, with a long pass from the middle of the rink in to the Redskins zone, which was picked up by Alex Trendall, whose shot was deflected by keeper, Will Sanderson, but Richard Brown was there to pick up the rebound, and with Sanderson on the floor, Brown was able to lift the puck over him and flick it in to the net.
Less than a minute later, Richard Facey was against the boards just inside the Redskins end, fighting the tremendous pressure from three Streatham players, when Facey managed to flick the puck out towards the waiting George Norcliffe. Norcliffe, who had his back to the goal, managed to spin on the spot and use his momentum to shoot the puck past Sanderson’s shoulder.
Streatham went on the attack, and were obviously upset about being two down in under five minutes, but there was a turnover in the Devils zone and the puck was taken back to the Redskins zone. Devils, however, couldn’t keep control of the puck and as it was being passed back out towards centre ice, Facey intercepted the pass and a quick wrist shot made the score 3-0.
The Devils first – and only – penalty of the game, came as Ralfs Circenis was invited to the penalty box for delay of game, as his clearance back out across the Devils blue line bounced off the netting and over the side of the rink.
Having the extra man on the ice was clearly the boost the Redskins needed, and they were firing shot after shot at the Devils goal, and while Alex Cole was picking himself up after a big knock against the boards, David Savage managed to finally give the away fans something to cheer about.
Play resumed, and the action moved to behind the Redskins goal, Ralfs Circenis battling to keep a pair of defenders off the puck, as he came out from behind the goal, he spotted Mitch Murray, poised in front of the net. A quick pass, and a one timer from Murray shot under Sanderson’s outstretched arm.
Heading towards the end of the period, Callum Best was sent to the visitor’s side of the sin bin, for holding Shaun Rudkin. Devils couldn’t capitalise though, and the period ended 4-1.
Best made it back on to the ice, just after the start of the second period, but it wasn’t long before Steven Fisher was sent to the penalty box for boarding Alex Murray, and Joe Johnston obviously let the referee know what he felt about it, and he was given ten minutes to rest in the penalty box too.
It took the Devils fifty nine seconds to make use of this power play, Facey taking the puck behind the Redskins goal, and Mitch Murray once again parked in front ready to drive the puck home.
Christopher Wiggins earned himself two penalty minutes, for tripping while attacking, but the visitors managed to hold the score at 5-1 until he returned to the ice.
Just a minute and a half after Wiggins returned to the ice, there was a face off in the Devils zone. Kamil Kinkor won the face off, and a quick pass to Johnston was sent on to Dominic Hopkins, and Cole was beaten for the second time of the evening.
Two and a half minutes before the end of the period, Alex Murray was flying down the wing, heading for the Streatham goal, when he met 6’5” Dominic Hopkins. With a high check, which some have called an illegal cross check, that caused Murray’s feet to carry on, while, from the shoulder up, he lost all momentum, which resulted in him landing hard on his back. Clearly something was wrong, as the Devils bench coach and Streatham physio were across the ice and at Murray’s side in seconds.
Play was stopped as they tried to pick him up, and he spent several minutes sat where he had landed, and then on his hands and knees, blood freely flowing from his mouth and covering the ice.
The blood on the floor was so much, it took the ice resurfacer two passes to clear it and the remaining time from the period had to be added to the start of the third.
Richard Facey having some trouble in the Oxford goal from Joe Oliver with Tom Annetts behind him – courtesy of Jennie Fitzpatrick
Referees Blaine Evans and Ryan Thrower had apparently missed the incident, or felt that nothing untoward had happened, and no penalty was given.
Murray was taken to hospital, where he was kept overnight and received an operation Sunday morning, on a jaw that was broken in two places.
A penalty was given, two minutes in to the third, when Wiggins was on the attack and he appeared to kick Rudkin’s legs out from under him.
The Redskins then had an icing call against them, which is usually an odd occurrence when a team have a penalty against them, but it was just another way the referees found to keep the fans confused.
Ten seconds after Wiggins returned to the ice, Jack Tarczycki got up close and personal with Rudkin, getting hold of him from behind so forcefully, they both ended up on the ice.
As play continued, the man who operates the sin bin door received a scornful look from the referees, as Wiggins hit Richard Brown so hard, Brown hit the door and it popped open. Fortunately, the door was closed quickly, and Wiggins and Brown both skated off still in the game.
Redskins had now built some momentum, and with the puck being moved around the Devils zone, Wiggins and Savage managed to get assists, as Fisher knocked the puck under Cole’s leg.
Less than two minutes later, James Warman passed to Savage, who was on the Devils blue line, and his huge shot flew past Cole in to the net, bringing them to within one goal of the Devils.
Minutes later, Savage was again on the blue line, but as he struck the puck at the goal, Best collided with Cole, and the referees waved the goal off due to net minder interference.
Fisher, obviously upset by this, let the referees know, and managed to get a two plus ten plus game penalty.
After a shot was stopped by Cole, the puck was taken to the face off circle. Obviously, Kinkor said something that the referees disagreed with, and he was given a ten minute penalty, with less than three minutes left in the game.
Somehow, as the final buzzer went, Best was given a two minute penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct. This didn’t alter the fact, that the Devils had won this important game 5-4.
Sunday, the Devils were also in Gosport, and this time played host to the Oxford City Stars.
Head Coach, Alex Murray, was still in hospital, recovering from his operation that morning, and the Devils were obviously tired from the strenuous night before, and the game ahead proved it was going to be a physical game from the start.
Nearly half way through the first period, the Devils made a breakaway out of their zone, with a pass from Mason Wild to Mitch Murray. Murray was tackled on the centre line, but somehow managed to steal the puck back, and took it all the way to the Stars goal. A quick cross to Andrew Magee who seemed to appear from nowhere, managed to get the Devils off to a good start.
They followed this up just before the break, as Richard Facey passed to Murray deep in the Oxford zone. Murray’s shot was knocked away by Tom Annetts in goal, but Wild was out at the blue line, and with a one timer as the puck fell to him, smashed it straight in to the net.
Just forty four seconds in to the second period, the Stars managed to claw a goal back. The play all happening in the centre of the rink, the puck was passed out to Ondrej Pekarik on the Devils blue line, and he managed to beat Cole at range.
Devils responded however, as Rudkin passed out to Facey, who went on a huge run down the wing, and Magee was found in front of goal again, ready to flick in the oncoming cross, making the score 3-1
Oxford came back with a response of their own, Boris Ruzicka’s shot from a tight angle was slowed by the leg pads of Cole, who thought the puck was frozen under him, but the puck was still loose and managed to slide over the line.
Jamie Fitzpatrick managed to get a gasp of despair from the crowd, as his shot from range went high and rang the crossbar of the Stars goal, like a bell being struck, to echo around the rink.
While Murray was sat out following a cross check in the corner, Tom Avery and Pekarik went on a rush down the wing, Pekarik once again beating Cole and putting the puck in to the Devils goal.
Minutes later, Pekarik scored his hat trick goal, and pushed the Stars in to the lead for the first time in the game, his shot first hitting the post but getting a rebound of Cole’s skate to be knocked in to the goal.
Coming out in to the third period, Alex Cole’s pass to Murray was scored so quick, it left people asking what had happened, but just twelve seconds in to the period the score board read 4-4.
The third period saw the two teams trading penalties, with both teams having someone in there for almost the entire period, but with less than ten minutes left in play, while on a power play and following a face off in the Oxford zone, Facey won the puck from the drop, and flicked it out to Circenis. Circenis backed his way across the ice, in space, until he saw a gap open up between Annetts and the post, which he used to put the Devils back in to the lead.
Following this, the Devils lost two players for penalties, leaving three Devils on the ice against five Stars for well over a minute.
Devils managed to hold on to their one goal lead, for the rest of the time, despite Annetts being pulled for most of the last two minutes of the game, resulting in them winning for the second night in a row, and picking up the six points available to them this weekend.
Devils last game of the season, is at home in Gosport, Sunday 20th March, when they will play hosts to the Cardiff Devils.
You must be logged in to post a comment.