ENL South Round-up Week 18

LONDON, UK – Last week Pro Hockey News predicted a flurry of transfer activity in the ENL, and so it proved as a few new faces graced the weekend’s fixtures.
 
Romford fans were the first to receive a new arrival in 2011 as talented youngster Billy Phillips rejoined the club, following a move from Slough Jets of the English Premier League. The signing of Phillips gives Danny Marshall another solid option on the Raiders’ blue line, however it is rumoured that he will still ice for Slough when possible.

 
Oxford was a hive of activity during the week, as City Stars Coach Ken Forshee surprised everyone by releasing Swedish goalie Robin Lindva. The Stockholm stopper had been in good form this year, but the City Stars have big issues scoring goals, so the club have gone for a change in tact. Forshee now laces up the skates again as a forward and has also added another import; however clearance was not obtained from the EIHA in time for him to play at the weekend.
 
Replacing Lindva between the pipes is the highly experienced Jamie Thompson, who has been snapped up from bottom placed Swindon ENL Wildcats.   Thompson is no stranger to Oxpens Road having been the Stars first choice goalie previously between 2003 and 2006.
 
It is understandable that Oxford fans may be a little upset at the departure of Lindva given his performances and popularity but Forshee has to do what he thinks is right to turn things round. It will be the coach who has his head on the block if the Stars drop out of the play-off positions, so sometimes difficult decisions have to be made.   One thing that is apparent about Forshee and many of our young coaches in the ENL is that they are all ambitious, not afraid to make changes and want to progress in the game. That has to be a positive thing if nothing else.
 
The one thing that both the events in Romford and Oxford had in common was that the news was leaked on the internet ahead of the official statements by the clubs. Not a major issue, but certainly a sign of the times. There is virtually no chance of an exclusive signing announcement for the club’s official websites with the infamous loose lips within British Hockey.
 
Speaking of the wonderful world of the internet, Chelmsford defenseman Danny Cox responded to stinging criticism of the team on the fans online forum, following defeat in the Essex derby last week, by posting an impassioned plea online. Cox was clearly riled by what he saw as ‘personal attacks’ on certain players and asked those individuals responsible to get behind the team. A bold move by the former Romford, Lee Valley and Haringey man, especially following a derby defeat that would have undoubtedly left some Chieftains fans rather raw.
 
Online responses by players   to fan criticism is nothing new in British hockey and Mr Cox will certainly not be the last to type his defence. Last season, experienced Invicta Dynamos defenseman Mark Williams took to his keyboard to defend his team mates following criticism on the UK’s biggest and most popular online forum The Hockey Forum.com.
 
My opinion is that people pay their money; they voice their opinion as long as it isn’t offensive or personal. I was once described as ‘skating around like a fairy’ on a message board a few years ago which I did find quite amusing. The fact that it referred to a game in which I had been benched and only got on twice in the whole game did leave me a little exasperated though. I suspect a bitter ex girlfriend may have been behind it on that occasion, however I cannot hold my hand on my heart and say I haven’t skated like a fairy since then (see Sunday section below).
 
Prior to our game in Wales we had the pleasure of viewing Cardiff Juniors playing against Slough Juniors. It is always good to see a bit of junior hockey now and again. Slough were convincing winners and it was amusing to see the kids’ fist pumping celebrations after each goal. Both teams had some pretty good youngsters playing and I often wonder when watching the kids how many will feature in UK senior hockey in the future – not many unfortunately.
 
Apart from the action on the ice, it was fascinating to watch the crowd. The grand-parents sitting with their flasks of tea and coffee, the players’ teenage sisters gossiping and pouting, the glamorous mum’s in heels dressing up for the rink and of course the loud dad’s shouting and bawling instructions from the stands. Junior hockey hasn’t changed one bit since I was skating around with my little Jofa cage covering my spotty teenage face and it did make me smile observing a scenario that is repeated in most rinks of the UK every weekend.
 
Undoubtedly the highlight of this pre-game time filler however, was watching the figure standing on the Cardiff bench coolly and calmly marshalling the troops. Undoubtedly knowledgeable and a great servant of the game, Brent Pope earns respect from many for his dedication to the Cardiff Junior system, however his choice of headwear suggested he would have been better placed down at Cardiff Rail station directing the First Great Western Service to Paddington. Are railway caps back in fashion in Wales? Sadly we couldn’t get hold of a picture to illustrate the point but it did raise a laugh between the travelling Redskins fans.
 
Before we look at this weekends action, I must confess to an error in the mid season review I wrote and address a little housekeeping. It apparently went under my radar that Swindon bench coach Justin Bonello has left the club along with his assistant. In addition to this, joint top scorer Jamie Newton has now taken over the coaching of the side whilst still in a playing capacity and is assisted on the bench by former Whitley Warriors and Sunderland Chiefs coach Peter Winn.
 
Saturday
 
With postponed fixtures due to the weather and a reduced schedule over the last few weeks, it is sometimes hard to fill these column inches however Saturday’s action could probably fill enough space for both days this weekend.
 
Possibly the least eventful game of the day took place in Cardiff, where the out of form Streatham Redskins faced an ENL Devils side that had surprisingly been thrashed in their last home fixture by Bracknell Hornets. The aforementioned Pope did not ice for the home side surprisingly but otherwise they were at pretty much full strength.
 
The game was on a knife edge at 1-1 going into the third period, but the Devils managed a goal just two minutes into the restart and then took complete control. A brace from Luke Piggott and a goal each for Steven Fisher, David James and Ricky Deacon sealed the two points for Cardiff with Streatham’s goal coming from Liam Rasmussen.
 
Aside from the flurry of goals in the final period, it has to be said that the game was not the most exciting of affairs with little incident and some pretty scrappy hockey. It did however mark an important two points for Cardiff and extended our losing streak. I have to say Cardiff Arena is a nice facility to play at and it would be incredible if Streatham’s temporary rink could be half as good as the big blue tent by the bay.
 
Just across the Severn Bridge in Bristol, the action was slightly more intense. What do you get if you cross two teams in a slump, struggling to find a winning formula with a developing local rivalry?
 
Unfortunately it seems unsavoury incidents, injuries and a closely fought game leaving a bit of bad blood between the Bristol Pitbulls and Oxford City Stars. Oxford’s busy week has been highlighted earlier in the article; however Bristol player-coach Richie Hargreaves revealed in the local Bristol media that he and his side are still hopeful of qualifying for the play-offs, highlighting the game against the Stars and also upcoming fixture against Swindon as potential wins. Hargreaves also revealed that he may still add to his squad before the upcoming transfer deadline at the end of January.
 
In a penalty strewn game that was relatively even going into the final period, it was Oxford who finally pulled away to take the points with a 5-3 win. Scorers for Oxford were Dax Hedges with a brace and one goal each for Andy Cox, Darren Elliott and Andrew Shurmer. Bristol’s goals came from Steve Osman, Mike Hargreaves and player-coach Richie Hargreaves.
 
Sadly for all concerned the actual details of the action on the ice were eclipsed by reports of an Oxford fan allegedly confronting a Bristol player in the penalty box and then at least one Bristol player allegedly marching down to the far end of the rink to confront Oxford fans in the stands, meaning a possible EIHA investigation looms. Thankfully neither incident actually came to anything of real note other than verbal jousting but these are not scenes anyone wants to see at a hockey game.
 
Oxford player-coach Ken Forshee may have celebrated gaining two valuable points, however it came at a personal cost as he took a stick to the face midway through the game and didn’t ice again, and his opposite number Hargreaves ended up missing ice time himself courtesy of 12 minutes in penalties.
 
Chelmsford Chieftains bounced back from the defeat in Romford last week in emphatic style at the Riverside as they sent a shock wave throughout the league by thumping Invicta Dynamos 7-2 to the delight of the home crowd. The Chieftains showed that they are serious contenders to the Dynamos with a barn storming performance inflicting one of Invicta’s heaviest defeats in the ENL in the last eight years and instantly making everyone of a Chelmsford persuasion forget ‘forum-gate’.
 
How the Riverside faithful revelled as two goals from Danny Hammond, along with goals from Rudi Dzurko, James Ayling, Matt Turner, Aaron Connolly and Kyle Jones handed the Chieftains a vital two points. Invicta man of the match Liam Chong got both goals for the Dynamos.
 
Dynamos goal machine Andy Smith and Chieftains forward Tom Long both dropped the gloves in the first period in an unlikely match up that Dynamos Coach Kevin Parrish would have no doubt been unhappy with. Whilst not unable to handle himself, Smith is not a player the Dynamos will want to see fighting much this season.
 
With Invicta dropping points, Wightlink Raiders had the perfect opportunity to take advantage with a win against Bracknell Hornets. Sadly for Raiders fans the Hornets had other ideas rather than rolling over and taking a loss as would be predicted.
 
The Hive is never an easy place to visit as Romford Raiders have already discovered to their cost and the Wightlink version found things no easier than their namesakes.
 
Despite leading 2-1 at one stage the Raiders just could not hang on and at 3-3 the Hornets could have even sealed a shock win had it not been for Ben Duggan hitting the bar in the dying stages.
 
Duggan had scored earlier in the game and his goal, along with one each from Tony Barclay and Grant Rounding earned Bracknell an unlikely point. Wightlink scorers were Jason Gorrie, Richard Bentham and Dom Hopkins, against his old club.
 
A frustrating result for the Wightlink but not as important thanks to the Chelmsford and Invicta result.
 
Sunday
 
With both sides having miserable Saturdays, Streatham and Invicta faced off on Sunday at the High Road knowing that they could both make Monday morning a little more bearable with a win.
 
The first two periods I thought we (the Redskins) played with more passion, determination and flair than we have in the last month of fixtures put together. The Dynamos pulled away again at the start of the third period gaining a two goal cushion, however we pulled a goal back to make the score 4-3 and put us within reach. At this stage we were in the ascendency, and the fans were really making an atmosphere driving us on.
 
Unfortunately, the last thing that was needed was one of the Redskins most experienced defenseman to get sucked away from his man on the net, fail to block the pass and then allow Callum Fowler all the time and space needed to put the Dynamos back in control.
 
The score finished 6-4 in Invicta’s favour and yours truly was left to apologise to his team mates after the game for a really stupid piece of hockey. It’s those types of moments, which are becoming more common, that make me think I am not for this league much longer. Tripping over the blue line in the first period rounded off a pretty dismal day at the office for Mr Carr – if I could afford a taxi in London I would have called one for myself.
 
Invicta’s goals came from Callum Fowler and Michael Timms with two each and goals from Liam Chong and Nicky Lewis. Streatham scorers were Peter Molnar with two and Michael Ranby and Perry Richardson with one each.
 
Definite signs of improvement from the Redskins who also saw Russell Stevens thrown out for abuse of official following a tussle with Ryan Giles who had taken exception to Stevens hit from behind on Dynamos Captain Karl Lennon. Invicta will be pleased with their win and their second goal in particular was simply brilliant.
 
The spirit in our locker room is certainly returning after a slight lull and our losing streak should be condemned to history sooner rather than later.
 
If Invicta fans had one eye on the game at Streatham, they most certainly had their other eye trained on events unfolding at the Riverside. Wightlink travelled up to take on a jubilant Chelmsford side still on a high from the previous night.
 
Wightlink came out of the blocks flying and were 3-0 up on their hosts with only thirty minutes gone; however the Chieftains mounted a fantastic comeback to tie the game 4-4. The recovery was sealed in dramatic fashion by Canadian new boy Kyle Jones who scored with only 40 seconds remaining in the game. How is that for drama?
 
Chelmsford’s other scorers were BT Williams, Danny Hammond and Ross Brears. Wightlinks goals came from Jason Gorrie, Dom Hopkins, Alex Murray and Richard Bentham.
 
A three point weekend for Chelmsford that keeps them in the hunt, however frustrating times for Wightlink, who must have thought they had salvaged the dropped points at Bracknell with only seconds to go leading against the Chieftains.
 
Oxford hosted Cardiff at Oxpens Road with both teams hoping to register a much needed four point weekend. In the end neither side managed it as they battled out a 3-3 tie.
 
Cardiff were 3-1 up with fifteen minutes left, before the City Stars started their fight back. Dusan Krehlik scored a brace to register his first ever goals in a Cardiff shirt and Neil Browning got the other. For Oxford Yousif Abu-Saada and Dale White got on the score sheet with Alan Green the man getting the equaliser with only five minutes remaining.
 
The frustration got to Cardiff goalie Mike Brabon who was given a match penalty for abuse on the final buzzer. This means the talented, if a little hot headed at times goalie misses at least the game against Romford Raiders next weekend.
 
Given their poor form of late, both Cardiff and Oxford must be applauded for bagging three points each this weekend in fixtures against the teams around them. Oxford’s new import will be revealed this week on their website, so keep an eye out for who it is. I can confirm that it is not the rumoured Robert Sobala; however the new guy does at least have something in common with the former Guildford Flames and Solihull Barons sniper.
 
The final game of the evening took place at the Link Centre in Swindon, where a much happier Bristol side took a massive two points from the home side still reeling from the departure of goalie Jamie Thompson to Oxford.
 
Swedish forward Henrik Sahlin and local boy Steve Osman notched a brace each, whilst the other Pitbulls scorers were Mike Smith, Tom Egerton, Ali Band and Alan Armour. Shannon Taylor scored two goals past his old team whilst player-coach Jamie Newton got Swindon’s other goal. Shannon Long started in goal in place of Thompson and shared duties with Swindon’s other goalie Kevin McGurk.
 
This result leaves Swindon rooted to the bottom, five points adrift of Bristol in second last position. The ENL Wildcats do however have three games in hand over their west country rivals, however they look like facing a very difficult task now to avoid relegation, even at this stage in the season. One familiar face they did include in their line up was former Durham Wasps and Blackburn Hawks forward Robin Davison. Robin could be an important figure to the young Wildcats team if he commits to the rest of the season.
 
Milton Keynes Thunder versus Romford Raiders was a surprisingly friendly affair with no penalty minutes called on either side. Not a particularly interesting or even accurate fact given that the match was abandoned before it even started due to a broken zamboni.
 
So at the end of week 18, we can now all drink legally, get married, sit on a jury, own a house and be legally sued. Has the ENL South come of age? It certainly looks more and more like this season will be the most exciting affair at both ends of the table/play-off qualification ever at this level.
 
On a final note I would like to wish departing Oxford goalie Robin Lindva all the best back in Sweden. Robin was always available and willing to help with interviews and quotes for this website and his excellent English often put our native speakers to shame. Robin still has time on his side and from what I have seen of his talent he should stick with the sport and hopefully carve a long and enjoyable career for himself.    
 
Results

Saturday 8 December
 
Cardiff 5 Streatham 1
Bracknell 3 Wightlink 3
Bristol 3 Oxford 5
Chelmsford 7 Invicta 2
 
Sunday 9 December
 
Streatham 4 Invicta 6
Chelmsford 4 Wightlink 4
Swindon 3 Bristol 8
Oxford 3 Cardiff 3
Milton Keynes P-P Romford
 
Contact the author david.carr@prohockeynews.com