ENL South Round-up Week 31

LONDON, UK – The knockout stage and grand finale of the campaign began this weekend with eight teams hoping to go all the way and lift the English National League South Play-Off Championship.
 
The main talking point of the days leading up to the weekend fixtures was the news out of Chelmsford that current Chieftains Head Coach Dean Birrell would be moving upstairs at the end of the season to become Director of Coaching at the club. This would mean overall control of both the Chieftains and ENL 2 side the Warriors.

 
“My decision has not been made lightly, and I have had three great years with our close knit squad” admitted the Scotsman, when speaking to the clubs official website.
 
“The time input required now from hockey is such that I need to slow down a little to let me concentrate on other things and to give me more flexibility. I will however oversee the replacement coach appointment for the Chieftains and continue an overall co-ordinating effort for both senior teams”
 
“In this way I am still fully involved and will continue to talk to the existing squad around registering for next year’s team”
 
“My effort and concentration will now be to try and do as best in the play offs as possible. My decision will not affect the player’s performance, as they have known about this now for some considerable time; however it is important to announce this now so that I can gather interest from possible coaches and help the team owner make a selection”
 
I suspect that Birrell will not be the only ENL 1 figure to reduce his commitment next season. A number of senior players and coaching staff across the league will be evaluating their positions ahead of the 2011/12 season, taking into consideration the required time needed in a 40+ game season.
 
The other major news was that Invicta Dynamos star forward Callum Fowler had been released by the club. Rumours of unrest in the locker room in recent weeks appear to be attributed to the influence of the former Peterborough man, and he now gets an early summer vacation.
 
This is a bold decision by Dynamos coach Kevin Parrish and a refreshing one at that. Fowler has the talent some of us can only dream of and I would guess that nearly every coach in the ENL would love to have on their roster. However if the team is suffering (which has clearly been the case), then the coach has to make the big call as to whether the greater good is more important.
 
For young Fowler, hopefully he can take a break and bounce back a stronger player from the experience.
 
So with the play-off quarter finals just days away, a number of players readied themselves for the most anticipated part of their season. Even the most miserable player’s come to life as the chance to wipe out a season of frustration presents itself over just a handful of games.
 
The popular ‘play-off beard’ hails, unsurprisingly from the shores of our cousins in North America, with the New York Islanders claiming it’s invention in the 1980’s. For those new to hockey or perhaps those of you who hadn’t noticed your team looking like extras from the movie Teen-Wolf every Spring, the players will grow a beard until elimination or in the best case, overall victory and a championship.
 
For some of us the beard will provide a few weeks of irritation, for others it doesn’t even get past the stubble stage if our team drops at the first hurdle.
 
In the English National League, we grow our beards with pride, drawing inspiration from popular bearded figures from history, including Mr Miyagi and General Zod. Beards are not the only play-off craze however and more recently the Mohawk haircut has become popular with many players and teams.
 
So much so, that upon qualification last week, the Milton Keynes Thunder spent the long bus trip back from their win in Cardiff shaving each other’s heads. Don’t bother asking questions about why they had hair clippers on their bus, nor what the poor bus driver thought of human hair polluting his pride and joy. This is the play-offs and everyone is excited, that’s all you need to know.
 
And so a personal dilemma arises for your thirty odd year old correspondent that throws up another reminder of the advancing years, as if another was needed.
 
I must confess that shaving has never been a favourite activity of mine and aside from an ingrown hair in my neck that had me Google-ing neck cancer in an irrational hypochondriacally manner for a week or so, stubble has almost always been my friend and companion since I hit 19.
 
The sands of time have recently blessed me with the nightmare scenario of a white beard on my chin should I forget to shave. So the play-off beard is no longer a cool option and the only solace is that Streatham no longer wear a red kit, otherwise I would have kids writing me letters and shouting for an XBOX over the plexi at games.
 
The alternative is of course the Mohawk.   Another option that fills me with dread partly due to an experience last year at my local hair dressers. A few of us were preparing to take on Kilimanjaro and I thought the best way to get into the spirit of the occasion was to ask the not unattractive Brazilian girl for a ‘funky haircut with tramlines’.
 
For younger readers this is a lesson in not what to do at the hair dressers and for older readers, well you probably know what happened next. Giving a hair dresser artistic license on your hair is akin to putting your average hockey player in a pool full of jelly with the Playboy bunnies and saying ‘let your hair down’.
 
After minutes of cutting and shaving the mirror appeared and I was asked that question never fails to arrive in such situations; ‘What do you think’? Normally a polite smile, a nod of the head and a knowing look gives the snipper the information that all is ok, however on this occasion normality was out of the window.
 
Shaving one side of my head shorter than the other I could live with; however the clear and disturbingly detailed penis outline drawn into my scalp, was I concede, a little too much, even for a trip up Africa’s biggest hill. An awkward conversation and compromise effort was agreed however I still left the salon in Westminster looking like I had lost a fight with a malicious Edward Scissorhands.
 
The best effort from the Redskins ahead of this weekend’s fixtures was the classic moustache sported by Ed Koral. Notable mentions also go to the MK Thunder for their efforts and a classic Mohawk sported by Wightlink’s Robbie Brown, Chelmsford’s Kyle Jones and Invicta’s Jack Tarczycki, who also bleached his for extra effect.
 
Saturday
 
Old rivals Streatham Redskins and Invicta Dynamos met at the High Road, with Dynamos Head Coach Kevin Parrish returning from his stint observing from afar to stand on the Mo’s bench.
 
In front of a boisterous and noisy crowd, both sides left nothing in the locker room as they battled out an end to end 2-2 tie. I doubt anyone could walk away from that game thinking that they had not received value for money, and it was a great spectacle for what will probably be the last game of such importance in the 80 year old facility.
 
Peter Molnar and Joe Johnston were on target for Streatham, with Anthony Lennon and Andy Smith getting on target for the Mo’s.
 
I could go on about how good this game was for a few more paragraphs but instead I will direct you to a YouTube clip instead. What you are watching is history right there in one of the UK’s oldest venues and with two sides full of local players giving 110%. To me that is what the ENL is all about.
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnUSk53nSo8&feature=player_embedded
 
Milton Keynes Thunder hosted a Chelmsford Chieftains side in a fixture that the Essex side had certainly had the better of during the regular season.
 
Sadly for the Thunder, they lost out yet again but it was a close affair that could have gone either way. Chelmsford won the game 3-2 courtesy of goals from Danny Hammond, Kyle Jones and Blaho Novak. Thunder goals came from Maros Stefanco and Ross Bowers.
 
With forwards Anthony Leone and Jason Buckman both suspended, Romford Raiders were slightly short for the visit of Cardiff ENL Devils. In the end the Raiders did enough to win 6-3 and leave the Devils a four goal mountain to climb the following evening.
 
Hat trick hero Juraj Huska stole the show again for Romford with Danny Marshall hitting a brace and JJ McGrath also scoring. Devils goals came from Ricky Deacon with one and Luke Piggott with a brace. Huska’s haul included his 100^th point of the season.
 
The last game of the evening pitched league champions Wightlink with eighth placed Bracknell Hornets and their league positions told the story of how the game would go. Despite a couple of weeks break the Raiders demolished last season’s play-off champions 7-0 on the island, in the most one sided game of the weekend.
 
Former Whitley Warrior Nathan Taylor hit a brace for Wightlink with Steve Gosset, Stewart Tait, Robbie Brown, Richard Facey and Richard Bentham all getting on the score sheet as well.
 
Sunday
 
Invicta and Streatham faced off at the Gillingham Ice Bowl with both sides hopeful of progressing. The Redskins had a big blow pre-game as Slovak Peter Molnar was ruled out with an injured finger, but the first period was still a close affair with both sides picking up from where they left off the night before.
 
Invicta clicked in the second though and showed glimpses of that confident passing hockey that I guess may have been missing recently. In the end the Mo’s ran out deserved winners with a 7-3 win courtesy of a hat trick from Daniel Borges and one goal each from Chris Borges, Tim Smith, Andy Smith and Nicky Lewis.
 
Streatham goals came from Perry Richardson, Tomas Valko and Joe Johnston and the locker room was an emotional scene at the end of the game. The most gutting thing about the end of any season is that you will probably never all play again as a team together. Some players will move on or retire and the roster is simply a footnote in history, something that you will remember but never be part of as a player again.
 
Invicta now face Wightlink over two legs and they had a confident air about them by the end of the game. Invicta more than any other team in the semis could not wait for the regular season to finish and now they are in with a shout of silverware, which I suppose is the beauty of the play-offs.
 
Cardiff hosted Romford in a feisty affair in Wales. Never a side to take things lying down, the Devils came out hard at the Raiders and even lead 2-1 at one stage before Romford took control and ended up winning 6-3.
 
Steve Maile got two goals for Cardiff with Luke Piggott getting the other; however the home side missed a penalty shot near the start of the game. Romford scorers were Juraj Huska with four goals and Tom Davis and Frankie Harvey with one goal each.
 
Steve Fisher and Billy Phillips were both ejected for fighting, as was Romford’s JJ McGrath for two misconducts. The most worrying incident however was a reported golf swing by Slovak Huska with his stick at Richard Sadlers head, in retaliation for a slash by the Cardiff man. This lead to Huska being ejected along with Sadler and will see the Slovak serve at least a one game ban. This could be a massive blow for an already injury hit Raiders side in the semi-finals.
 
Cardiff now have the summer to take stock and reflect on a decent season. It will be interesting to see if any of their players such as Tim Burrows or Steve Fisher get offered anything at a higher level in 2011/12, if not, then expect another quality side out of the bay next season.
 
Milton Keynes travelled to Chelmsford hoping to overturn the one goal deficit from the previous night. The Chieftains were in no mood to give up their chance of a semi-final spot however and progressed courtesy of a 6-3 win in front of their own fans.
 
Danny Hammond hit a brace for the Chieftains, and Darren Brown, James Ayling, Tom Long and Kyle Jones got one goal each. Thunder scorers were Ross Bowers, Martyn Snape and Maros Stefanco.
 
The result means it is season over for Milton Keynes, but they can look back on the year with good memories. Contrast this season with last year and the year before where they battled relegation and it has to be said that they have made good progress in 2010/11. Chelmsford are still in the hunt, and the league runners-up will be ultra-confident of progressing past bitter rivals Romford Raiders in the semi’s.
 
Wightlink made sure of their semi-final place with a 2-1 win in Bracknell. It was just over a year ago that this exact match-up saw the Hornets win the play-offs against the Raiders at the Hive, but who would bet against the Raiders now going on to take the Hornets crown.
 
For the record, Raiders scorers were Jeremy Cornish and Jason Gorrie, with Bracknell’s goal coming from Ben Duggan.
 
Bracknell have had an incident packed season and all eyes will be on what happens with the EPL Bees over the summer. If the Bees do drop down then expect Bracknell to be in amongst the big boys next season. Even if they don’t, the Hornets still have some exciting talent to call upon in their catchment area regardless.
 
Four teams are left, but there can only be one winner. To the players and fans of Streatham, Milton Keynes, Cardiff and Bracknell we wish a happy summer and thanks for the memories.
 
Play-Off Semi-finals (16/17 April 2011):
 
Wightlink v Invicta
Romford v Chelmsford
 
Results
 
Saturday 9th April
 
Streatham 2 Invicta 2
Romford 6 Cardiff 3
Milton Keynes 2 Chelmsford 3
Wightlink 7 Bracknell 0
 
Sunday 10th April
 
Invicta 7 Streatham 3 (Invicta win 9-5 on aggregate)
Cardiff 3 Romford 6 (Romford win 12-6 on aggregate)
Chelmsford 6 Milton Keynes 3 (Chelmsford win 9-5 on aggregate)
Bracknell 1 Wightlink 2 (Wightlink win 9-1 on aggregate)
 
Contact the author david.carr@prohockeynews.com