ENL South Round-up week 12

LONDON, UK – An unexpected return puts the Dynamos back in contention and Romford lift the first trophy of the season as the English National League South continues to excite.
 
Regular readers may be starting to wonder if this column should be renamed the Invicta Dynamos round-up, but I am sure we can be excused for devoting a number of column inches to the Kent club given their eventful start to the season.

 
After bitter departures, unexpected arrivals and an injury list that has given Coach Kevin Parrish countless headaches, one would assume that he would be popping a couple of Nurofen and hoping things calm down a little.
 
With Parrish recently appearing to lament his clubs fortune of late in the local press he clearly decided that sticking with Nurofen was not the answer and in fact he would bite the bullet, take a box of Nurofen Plus Max Strength liquid tablets and bring back a player who played a big part in messing up the Mo’s season last year.
 
Breezing back into Medway on Parrish’s invitation as if he had never been away was none other than last season’s problem child Callum Fowler. The man with more natural ability than virtually any other player in the league, but with a seemingly woeful persona that split the Mo’s locker room last year and arguably derailed any hopes of silverware.
 
“Callum said last year he couldn’t give a monkey’s and that’s why his attitude stank” explained Parrish candidly when announcing the talented forward in the Kent News.
 
“I have a lot to lose bringing him back; if it backfires it would put a lot of pressure on me. He’s got a lot to prove to the dressing room as well because he upset a few guys last year, but if his attitude is better it would be some signing for us”
 
Indeed, Fowlers ability is not in question and whilst I have never spoken to the lad I have seen enough of him to suggest that he should not be playing in the ENL and is only here due to his much reported attitude problems.
 
Whilst I have no personal interest in Invicta’s fortunes I do think it is a crying shame that Mr Fowler is not displaying his talents at a higher level of hockey and who knows, maybe his time away will give him the impetus to put in a good season in Gillingham and then move up the ladder.
 
The latest edition of the Ice Hockey Annual came out last week and it was pleasing to see that both ENL South and North have full colour spreads. Our leagues have not always had such exposure in the ‘Bible of British Hockey’ so it is good that we appear to have cemented a position in the history books.
 
Chelmsford’s former import Kyle Jones makes ‘Quotes of the Year’ thanks to his interview with Pro Hockey News at the end of last season, and to continue the theme we will be posting a selection of quotes not used by the Annual in the coming days on Pro Hockey News.
 
With little else of note happening elsewhere around the league during the week, I had the pleasure of visiting Iceland for a few days and took my kit along.
 
Funnily enough, this was not a mission to bag a few Findus Crispy Pancakes at the frozen food emporium, but actually a visit to the beautiful country to the North West of the UK, and a skate with the Bjorninn hockey club of Reykjavik.
 
One thing I would tell any junior player who is considering quitting the game is to hang on, stick with it and it will open doors and experiences in life that otherwise would be closed. Now that may sound dramatic but I have a lot to thank hockey for despite how much it gets me down at times.
 
To sit in a locker room with a team from another country is not only a privileged insight into their world but it is also a comfort to know that hockey players are the same wherever you are.
 
Whether it’s the late night training while everyone is in bed, the laughing and joking in the showers or the practical jokes on each other, it was comforting to see them stuffing stuff in each other’s shoes and putting layers of leg tape on unsuspecting team mates skate blades just like their fellow players across the globe.
 
The fact they allowed me to skate with them and greeted me with wide smiles and banter is something I am very grateful for. I was especially impressed with their rink though. Based within a massive sporting and cinema complex the rink had great ice, good plexi-glass and also little bonuses like good locker rooms, steaming hot showers and most pleasingly a basket of vintage Jofa helmets for hire sat unattended in a corridor beneath the seating.
 
They wouldn’t last five minutes in any British rink!
 
This warm fuzzy feeling was replaced however by cold fear as I drove down the wrong carriageway upon leaving the rink after the session, damn right hand driving, but overall I hit the pillow with a smile on my face.
 
 
Saturday
 
Romford became the first club in the ENL and possibly the country as they lifted the South East Cup thanks to a comeback win over rivals Chelmsford Chieftains.
 
The Raiders came back from 5-2 down to beat the Chieftains 7-5 with goals coming from JJ Mcgrath, Juraj Huska, Danny Marshall, Grant Taylor, Matt Turner, Jason Buckman and Billy Phillips.
 
Chelmsford scorers were Danny Hammond with two goals and Gary Clarke, Jakub Klima and Tom Long with one each.
 
Congratulations to Romford on their trophy, however it does sadly leave a few meaningless fixtures for other clubs still to play all their cup games. Time for a rethink on this one by the EIHA.
 
Oxford City Stars Player Coach Ken Forshee told the Oxford Mail that his teams’ weekend was ‘massive’ however it got off to the worst possible start as they were unexpectedly thumped by Bracknell Hornets at the Hive.
 
Danny Hughes continued to be a pain for the Stars as he bagged a hat trick with fellow forward Tony Barclay getting two goals. Hornets other goals came from Alan Lack, Ricky Rutherford and Michael Plenty. Oxford’s lone goal came from Dale White.
 
Invicta travelled to MK to take on a Thunder team rapidly losing the benefits of their solid start to the season. The Dynamos have found past visits to the Thunderdome rather tricky but not this time as they won 10-4 with Ryan Ellis hitting a hat trick and both Fowler and Andy Smith getting a brace each. Ryan Giles, Callum Best and Dan Fudger were also on the score sheet for the visitors.
 
Thunder scorers were Maros Stefanco, Connor Goode, Tom Mboya and Jamie Randall.
 
The main talking point was sadly not the goals but the spear by Jack Robinson to Alistair Band’s face that drew condemnation from both sets of players and fans. Band was apparently unable to eat food afterwards but was cleared to play the following day.
 
Wightlink Raiders recorded another home win as they edged out Slough ENL Jets at the Ryde Arena. This was a close game in the early stages before the Raiders won 4-2.
 
Jets scorers were Andrew Melachrino and Jamie Milton with the Raiders goals coming from Nathan Taylor, Richard Facey, Alex Murray and Joe Rand.
 
Local rivals Cardiff and Bristol met at Frogmore Street with both sides currently in decent form. It was the Welsh side however that headed back over the Severn Bridge with two points thanks to a 6-2 win.
 
On target for Cardiff were James Preece with two goals and one each for Adam Harding, Chris Jones, Jamie Hayes and Jordan Powell. Bristol scorers were Steve Osman and Jamie Newton.
 
 
Sunday
 
Streatham hosted Invicta in an entertaining affair at the High Road. The one sided 12-3 score line tells a story and to be honest we just didn’t have enough to combat the speed and skill of the likes of Smith and Fowler who tore us a proverbial new bum hole on regular occasions.
 
We were especially vulnerable on our own power plays as their speed and agility allowed them to break clear on countless occasions and go down one on one with Shane Kemp in our goal. Best and Fowler elevate the Mo’s to the level of Chelmsford and Romford in my opinion now.
 
Fowler scored four goals and both Ryan Ellis and Justin Noble hit hat tricks combined with lone goals from Best and Smith. Streatham goals came courtesy of a brace from Jerry Pavlus and a goal from Liam Rasmussen.
 
Caz Britton and Ali Band dropped the gloves to spice things up and then Ryan Giles and Dan Botting tangled minutes later. The best thing about the whole night was of course the atmosphere with both sets of fans playing their part. The Redskins fans never stopped making noise and I guess they could see that it was not for the want of trying that we lost so heavily.
 
Oxford made it a weekend to forget as they crumbled to Slough ENL Jets in a 5-2 home loss. Two Slough goals in the opening two minutes probably didn’t help the Stars who are now on a seven game winless run after this result.
 
Zoran Kozic hit two goals for the Jets with Jamie McIlroy, Carl Thompson and Luke Reynolds getting one each. Shannon Taylor scored both goals fort Oxford.
 
Romford arrived by open top bus to hordes of cheering fans at the rink on Sunday for their league fixture with Bracknell Hornets (not really), and they crushed the Hornets 11-3 in a one sided affair at Rom Valley Way.
 
Julian Smith hit his first goal of the season with the Raiders and he was joined by Juraj Huska and Anthony Leone with two goals each and Billy Phillips, Matt Turner, Grant Taylor, AJ Smith, Andrius Kaminskas, JJ Mcgrath and Tom Davis with a goal apiece. Bracknell goals came from Danny Hughes, Tom Carroll and Tom Fisher.
 
Cardiff continued their good form with a solid 3-1 home win over the Wightlink Raiders. Adam Harding hit two goals for the Devils with Jamie Hayes also on target. This result moves the Devils up to fourth in the league level on points with the Raiders.
 
Chelmsford took out the frustrations from the night before with a convincing 9-2 win over Milton Keynes. Two goals each from Michael Ranby, Tom Long, Jakub Klima and Gary Clarke did the majority of damage for the Essex side, with Ross Brears also getting on the score sheet.
 
Goals for MK came from Harrison Goode and Joe Edwards. This result keeps Chelmsford at the top of the league, three points ahead of Romford however the Raiders have two games in hand.
 
 
Results
 
Saturday 19 November 2011
 
Bristol Pitbulls 2 – 6 Cardiff Devils  
Bracknell Hornets 8 – 1 Oxford City Stars  
Wightlink Raiders 4 – 2 Slough Jets  
Milton Keynes Thunder 4 – 10 Invicta Dynamos
 
 
Sunday 20 November 2011
 
Romford Raiders 11 – 3 Bracknell Hornets  
Oxford City Stars 2 – 5 Slough Jets  
Chelmsford Chieftains 9 – 2 Milton Keynes Thunder  
Streatham Redskins 3 – 12 Invicta Dynamos  
Cardiff Devils 3 – 1 Wightlink Raiders
 
Contact the author david.carr@prohockeynews.com