ENL South Round-up Week 12

LONDON, UK – It was the late great Freddie Mercury who told us that pain was so close to pleasure, and who would argue with the Queen front man.
 
Less than 48 hours after masterminding a shock 4-2 victory over a highly rated Chelmsford Chieftains side, Bracknell Hornets Coach Ben Pitchley tenure was cut short as the club announced he would no longer be in charge of team affairs.

 
On the face of it, this would appear a strange decision given the transitional stage the Hornets currently find themselves in, but hockey can throw up surprises at any level and we hope that Mr Pitchley bounces back, and does not let this setback stop him striving for senior coaching positions in the future.
 
Pitchley was not the only hockey casualty of the week however as former ENL hot shot Steve Fisher was released by Swindon Wildcats of the English Premier League. Whilst a massive shame on a personal level for Fisher, he found solace in the arms of former coach Mark Cuddihy, who wasted no time in securing the services of his former goal machine to add to the Cardiff ENL Devils front line.
 
It is sometimes disappointing to see the reaction ENL players get from critics when they step up a level and whilst there is always the adage that the cream rises to the top, it is also fair to say that circumstance plays a part. Stick a player alongside two imports and they can rack up the points and get the acclaim that follows, alternatively stick them on a checking line or as part of a struggling team and the criticism soon arrives.
 
The EPL and the ENL are two very different beasts and all of the ENL sides would be beaten by their EPL equivalents should a match up take place, however that is not to discount the individual talent in the ENL nor the improving standard. Let’s hope a few more guys get the call up soon, because a number in the ENL are capable of making an impact at a higher level.
 
Also boosting their forward line was another side who have struggled with goals this year. Milton Keynes Thunder added 19 year old Slovakian forward Maros Stefanco to their roster and noted that he had previously skated alongside NHL draftees during his formative years in his home country. Skating with players of such calibre is all well and good, however it is doubtful young Stefanco will have seen the poke checking skills of Paul Gore or the infamous hip checking of Matt Roberts before his move to the UK.
 
Saturday
 
After last week’s deep thaw, Chelmsford ice plant was firing on all cylinders to enable the Chieftains to host Swindon ENL Wildcats at the Riverside. After a bad slip up in Bracknell the week before, Chieftains Coach Dean Birrell was in no mood to allow any further dropped points.
 
If the Wildcats expected a slightly easier ride following the previous weekends 17-6 hiding in Invicta, they were sadly mistaken. A rampant Chieftains’ side fired 13 goals past the Wiltshire based side conceding only 2 in reply in a one sided affair.
 
Danny Hammond top scored with five goals and he was ably supported by Blaho Novak, Matt Turner and Jerry Pavlus who got a brace each. Ross Brears and Aaron Connolly got the other Chieftains goals with Brian Clark and Jamie Newton on target for Swindon.
 
A trip to Wightlink would probably not have been the preferred fixture for Bracknell after such a turbulent week, however that is what faced the Hornets on the other side of the Solent.
 
After a lovely November ferry crossing, the Hornets found Wightlink a predictable tough nut to crack and the Raiders secured two points with a solid 6-2 victory.
 
Richard Facey, Brad Watchorn , Andrew Robinson, Robbie Brown all scored with big defenseman Dom Hopkins firing in two goals against his former club. Tom Carroll capped a good personal display with two goals for the Hornets.
 
All eyes will now be on the Berkshire club this week to see who they bring in to steady the ship.
 
Sunday
 
If I am perfectly honest, I have never enjoyed good fortunes on visits to Romford. Previous visits have seen me break a freakish number of sticks (at personal cost to myself), lose most games and have the p*ss taken out of me over the public address system when I kicked a goal in a few years ago.
 
It is a venue that haunts me and has done since I was carried off the ice there as an under 14 with a dead leg after a seven hour bus journey from Durham. The fact that this was caused by me taping my leg pad on too tightly with industrial parcel tape should have been an early sign not to return.
 
Nonetheless, I have to say all of the lads travelled to Rom Valley Way in determined mood ahead of the game against the Raiders. The Redskins had been hammered 10-1 seven days previously, so we needed to restore some pride for both ourselves and our fans.
 
Satisfyingly we did just that with a 5-3 win in what must be the biggest turnaround in seven days by any hockey team so far this year. Tomas Valko, fresh off the plane for Slovakia showed his value with a hat trick, with Streatham’s other goals coming from Liam Rasmussen and Russ Stevens. Romford’s goals came courtesy of Danny Marshall, Joe Allen and Anthony Leone.
 
The star of the show however was Will Sanderson in goal, proving that between him, Stefan Nubert and Shane Kemp we have an enviable depth in talent in goal this year. The problem Coach Barry Spours has is which one to start each week!
 
With Invicta enjoying a weekend relaxing on the Kent Riviera, Wightlink knew that their fixture in Chelmsford was vitally important to ensure they maintained momentum at the top.
 
In the end, the resulting 2-2 draw was probably a frustrating result for both sides. Whilst this is a useful point on the road for Wightlink and not to be sniffed at, this is also another point dropped and the momentum stays with Invicta, albeit just games in hand. The game was a much needed anecdote for the one sided goal fest the previous evening in the Riverside rink, as both sides put on a show for the crowd.
 
Jason Gorrie scored both goals for the Raiders with Ross Brears and Jerry Pavlus getting on the score sheet for the Chieftains. Richard Facey and Danny Cox dropped the gloves in the second period and straight from the restart, Brad Watchorn and BT Williams did likewise to turn up the atmosphere in the rink.
 
Milton Keynes were in confident mood ahead of the visit of Swindon and with good reason. The Thunder posted a much needed 8-3 win over their rivals down at the bottom of the table, however their new Slovakian arrival was welcomed to the UK with a ten minute visor infringement penalty. Welcome to British hockey Maros and don’t forget to sew any rips up on your shorts or the EIHA will be after you as a health and safety hazard.
 
Harrison Goode had a good night as he hit a hat-trick and Ross Bowers got two goals to his name for the Thunder whose other goals came from Aram Todd, Jamie Randall and Connor Goode. Swindon’s scorers were Ali Barrow, Jamie Newton and Ryan Burgess.
 
Bristol Coach Richie Hargreaves had told local newspaper the Evening Post that his side were a very different outfit from the one that had lost 4-2 to the Cardiff ENL Devils earlier in the season. This corresponding fixture saw Hargreaves’ Pitbulls side travel to Wales hoping to build on two recent victories over Swindon and Bracknell. Swedish defenseman Adam Klasa was missing from the Bristol line up with rumours that he has returned to his native Scandinavia.
 
Sadly for Pitbulls fans, their team couldn’t do much better this time round as Cardiff posted a 9-6 win in a high scoring affair. The game marked the return of Alan Armour to Cardiff Bay with his new team, however there was to be no fairy tale return as he was ejected for spearing with only a few minutes gone in the game.
 
Cardiff scorers were man of the match Robert Sedlak and David James with two each and lone goals for the returning Fisher, Alex Madge, Tim Burrows, Luke Piggott and Jamie Dancey. Bristol’s goals came courtesy of a brace each for Richie Hargreaves, Luke Merrick and Jonatan Sherman.

Referee Anthony Decaux nearly needed a second game sheet for this encounter with a whopping 105 penalty minutes dished out on the night. Lee Duance and Luke Merrick also traded blows to provide the crowd with an extra talking point.
 
So after another weekend of action, Wightlink stay top of the league after accumulating three points over the two days. Swindon drop to bottom following a tough weekend on the road and Streatham Redskins stay in fourth position alongside Oxford City Stars.
 
One last word goes to the Romford Raiders match day programme tonight. Aside from the kind words about this column, it has to be said that the production and content of that publication is excellent and for £2 it is an absolute bargain. Little details all add to the game day experience and top marks to whoever is responsible for it.
 
Results
 
Saturday 20 November 2010
 
Chelmsford 13 Swindon 2
Wightlink 6 Bracknell 2
 
Sunday 21 November 2010
 
Milton Keynes 8 Swindon 3
Romford 3 Streatham 5
Chelmsford 2 Wightlink 2
Cardiff 9 Bristol 6
 
Contact the author david.carr@prohockeynews.com