ENL week 21 Round-up

LONDON, UK –  Horns were tooting, people were dancing in the streets and flags were being waved in Streatham High Road on Sunday evening as I drove out of the rink car park. Sadly it was not the Streatham Redskins supporters club, but a large group of Algerians celebrating their national team’s win over Ivory Coast in the African Cup of Nations.
 
Our fans were in more sombre mood, after a 9-0 whitewash in our own barn against Chelmsford rounded off a disappointing weekend for the Redskins. Our goalie Will Sanderson got injured at the end of the first period and with his mobility restricted (and no back up goalie on the bench), the Chieftains ran riot. I suppose it shows just how much we have relied upon him to keep us in games and it will be an anxious wait to see if he recovers.
 

That’s to take nothing away from the Chieftains who played well in front of the larger than usual crowd. A hat trick for Ross Brears did most of the damage and Ben Clements earned the shut out in goal. Richard Hardy was a rare bright spark for us, as he rolled back the years with some fantastic hits and picked up man of the match deservedly.
 
The previous night had been even worse for us as we lost heavily in Bracknell to the in form Hornets. The 11-2 score line was really as convincing as it reads, with another second period collapse taking its toll. One man who was smiling was youngster Alan Lack who along with James Galazzi bagged a hat trick for the Hornets. Lack was unsurprisingly delighted with his own performance:
 
“The game was great for me on so many levels. Obviously the hat trick was nice but I thought we played with great passion throughout the game and Streatham never gave up either, which made me all the more pleased with my performance,
 
“The senior players and Coxy (Coach Gareth Cox) have really supported me this year and if I can pay them back with good performances I will be happy. I thought tonight (Saturday) was my best performance of the year so far and it was good to play against my former team mate Remy Boprey and also see Mark Petch given a shot in goal”
 
The Hornets had received bad news during the week that defenseman Graham Bellamy requires surgery on his ankle that effectively ends his season. I am sure all within the ENL wish him a speedy recovery.
 
As for the Redskins, well we are not too disheartened. It’s important to remember how far we have come since the start of the season, but we obviously need to tighten up at the back. I thought we really missed Peter Molnar in both games, which is no disrespect to the other imports on the team, but he really makes the first line tick when he plays. Captain Ed Koral injured his shoulder on Saturday so he could be out for a while, which is obviously a big blow not only for the team but also Mr Intensity himself.
 
Also on Saturday, the Isle of Wight was the stage for one of the best deals ENL fans have seen this year. Wightlink Raiders teamed up with sponsors Roddas Cornish Clotted Cream to bring fans a great promotional giveaway at Ryde Arena. The first 300 fans through the door wearing a Hockey Jersey received a free Clotted Cream promotional pack, much to the delight of both Stars and Raiders support. I can only assume they were attracted to the Raiders by player coach Jeremy Cornish’s surname.
 
Well done to the Raiders for offering such a deal and I can guarantee that if I resided on the Island, I would have certainly been tempted to darken their doorstep at the prospect of a free scone, not too mention a hockey game.
 
Unfortunately it was the home side that ended up getting creamed, as the resurgent Stars snatched an unusually low scoring game 2-1. Wightlink handed a debut to young defenseman Niall Bound, but goals from Alan Green and Andrew Shurmer did the damage for the Stars.  Dan Hughes got the consolation for the Raiders.
 
After weeks of speculation (ok only from me), Norm Pinnington finally pulled on a Haringey Greyhounds jersey. Sadly nobody could read about Haringey’s biggest signing in years as their website is down again, after previously being attacked by an online Brazilian protest group. Other news which escaped the public’s attention was the release of goalie Laura Saunders and her brother Mark who plays defence. A bold move from Messrs Smollenko and Rothwell, given the fact their only other option is the talented but very young James Tipple in goal, and a defence that isn’t exactly overflowing with bodies. I did see two people in balaclavas leaving an internet café in Wood Green when I drove past on Thursday so maybe the Saunders siblings have brought down Haringey Greyhounds.co.uk in retaliation? Seriously though, I hope both manage to find roster spots on other teams before the deadline.
 
With Stormin Norman in tow, the North Londoners travelled to Peterborough in confident mood of beating the bottom placed Islanders. As I have said many times before on this column, the Islanders do not give up lightly and so it proved. They were even leading 4-3 until Haringey pulled the keeper and Alastair Band scored to tie the game. Maile, Jowett, Lazenby and Brammall scored for the Islanders, and a brace from Micheal Ranby, along with a debut goal from Pinnington added to Band’s last gasp effort for the Greyhounds.
 
Haringey’s Dave Richards was ejected from the game for what was described as ‘Hooking of the Genitals’ on thehockeyforum.com by one poster. I have since browsed the IIHF rulebook but cannot see any mention of that particular call. Stormin Norman finished with an impressive 1+3 for the Greyhounds, but he did miss a penalty shot to blot his copybook. There is no doubt he is a great pick up for the North London side.
 
On Sunday, the Greyhounds entertained table toppers Invicta Dynamos at Alexandra Palace. Mo’s fans seemed rather untroubled by the loss of defenseman David Oliver, who decided to leave the club last week for Romford Raiders in the English Premier league. The well documented bad blood between Mo’s Mark Williams and Greyhounds Norm Pinnington added to the build up for this game, but in the end the score line told a familiar story.
 
Four goals for Nolan Boike, hat tricks for Joe Johnston and Andy Smith along with a brace each for Elliott Andrews and Loyde Fuller, added to one for Nicky Lewis meant a grand total of fifteen goals for the visitors. Haringey replied with four themselves through Stas Prokofiev, Scott Beeson, Michael Ranby and Stuart Appleby. A very one sided affair, that was only broken up by a minor scuffle between Ali Band and Anthony Lennon. The much anticipated Williams v Pinnington clash failed to materialise.
 
Wightlink got the perfect opportunity for revenge on Oxford as they travelled to Oxpens Road in search of two points. Oxford have always been a strong outfit on their home ice and Wightlink are traditionally bad travellers, so most bookies would have predicted a home win.
 
Even the bookies get it wrong sometimes however, and Wightlink pulled out a great performance to win 3-1 in front of a partisan crowd. A brace from Alex Murray and a goal from James Udell secured the two points, however Raiders import John Sarno was kicked out for making obscene gestures towards the end of the second. I know its immature but obscene gestures always tickle me when I see them happening during a game. The middle finger salute is a classic, especially when the player takes his glove off for full effect, but the daddy of them all is simulated sexual acts using a hockey stick towards angry supporters. I have seen both gestures on a few occasions during my career and it baffles me why players lose the plot and do either. It is a guaranteed ejection and one of the most pointless penalties to take, however just like when somebody passes wind in a lift; it can be difficult not to smile. As usual however, I digress.
 
In Milton Keynes, a rare hat trick for Thunder defenseman Michael Knights was not enough to stop his team losing 10-4 to Bracknell. This result capped off a great weekend for the Hornets who seem to be scoring at will recently. Mark Galazzi has proved to be a shrewd mid season pick up for Bracknell, and with Tribe, Duggan and Barker all finding the net on a regular basis, the game against Invicta this Saturday promises to be an absolute classic.
 
This week’s round up finishes in Wales where Cardiff ended Peterborough’s one game unbeaten run with a thumping 12-1 win. The home side gave Ross Piggott a rare start in goal, and James Manson ran the bench in Mark Cuddihy’s absence. Steve ’Fists’ Fisher sat out his suspension after his red mist weekend last week. Hat tricks for Ricky Deacon, Chris Jones and Luke Piggott added to a brace from Tim Burrows and one for Captain David James all added up for the Devils. Alan Armour bagged at least five assists and felt the score line could have been even better:
 
“It wasn’t a bad game actually despite the one sided score line. We really would have slaughtered them had it not been for Simon Wren in nets. He made some unbelievable saves that kept the score down to twelve. I can’t wait to see the highlights later this week”
 
I am sure the Islanders may be avoiding the highlights of the game when they are released on the internet. They can take heart however in securing their first point in a number of weeks the night before.
 
If you thought hockey players could not surprise you anymore with their weird antics, allow me to finish this week’s round-up by describing the Redskins new unofficial off ice warm up drill. If you happen to get down to one of our games early, you are likely to be confronted an image of 5 or 6 players hopping on one leg whilst doing “keepy ups” with a ball on their hockey sticks. This would be odd enough if they were not also making pirate noises at the same time. Apparently the name of the game is unsurprisingly “Pirate” and I am happy to go on record and say that I want no part of it. I am more than happy to warm up with a nice cup of tea and some light stretching before warm up. I don’t know where it has come from, but I suspect Remy Boprey could be behind it. He does have the look of the sea about him, with those strange tattoos in particular being tell tale signs.
 
Thanks for reading and stay safe.
 
Carrsy
Contact the author david.carr@prohockeynews.com