Saturday, 17th October saw Solent Devils travel across the Solent to visit their neighbours on the Isle of Wight, for what turned out to be a memorable evening for everyone there, in the second cup game this season.
Unfortunately for the Devils, several players were missing from the line-up, with Ralfs Circenis and Domink Hegyi both out injured, the dozen skaters looked small compared to the Raiders seventeen. 
Right from the start it was evident that this was going to be a physical game, as players from both sides were going in hard and several players ended up against the boards, referees Blain Evans and Rene Ross seemed content to allow this type of play, but didn’t want the players thinking they could get away with everything, which is how eight and a half minutes in to the first, the Devils found themselves with two men in the sin-bin but still facing a full Raiders line. With a tremendous effort, the Devils managed to survive the 23 second 5 on 3 unscathed, and killed off the rest of the penalty with the game still 0-0.
Shortly after this, the fire alarm in the rink was triggered and everyone was forced outside for an investigation. By the time the supporters made it back in, the game was over a minute more advanced than when they had left, however, it didn’t seem that much had happened in that time.
Everyone had made it back to their seats, to see a couple of players collide in the middle of the rink, which ref Ross believed was a deliberate trip from Mitch Murray and the Raiders were once again given a power play, which the Devils again managed to kill off, despite the huge pressure put on them. This was in no small part, down to Sam Calder – his second start of 2015/16. Calder was probably the main reason that when the buzzer heralded the first break, the score remained 0-0.
Obviously, with these two teams and the tempo of this game, it can’t have gone on scoreless all night, and just over a minute in to the second period while the puck was going end to end, Calder made a save but couldn’t freeze the puck, the rebound was picked up by Craig Tribe who managed to beat the Devils netminder for the first time in the game.
The Devils did not let this one goal get them down, and as soon as the ref restarted the game, the pressure was put straight back on the Raiders. In one of their treks down the ice, the Raiders had position behind the Devils goal line, when Danny Ingoldsby saw head coach Jeremy Cornish available, a quick pass and a perfectly aimed wrist shot put the Raiders ahead by two.
Less than a minute later, the puck was once again dangerously close to the Devils goal when Alex Murray cleared it out of the area, for Norcliffe to follow it down the ice, picking it up in one of the face off circles deep in the Raiders end, and shot it past Matthew Colclough, making the water bottle on top of the goal fly in to the air.
Trying to get their two point lead back, Tribe sprayed Calder in the face after Calder made a save, which obviously got the Devils – especially Mitch Murray – a bit hot under the collar. The ref stepped in and told a few people off, but no one was sent to the sin-bin this time.  Shortly after, the ref was obviously keeping a good eye on the game, but the Devils fans were a bit upset that he didn’t see Ben Paynter holding Shaun Rudkin down, by the helmet, for almost 10 seconds. It seemed there was some confusion too, when Raider Robert Streetly pulled off his helmet and held his face to stop a nose bleed. The refs did see the blood on the ice, so stopped the game to call out a man with a spade to clear it up.
Further physical action followed, when Corey Watkins had an altercation with Norcliffe, which resulted in all ten skaters in the middle of the ice, and the refs trying to restore peace. Watkins was sent for 2+2 (the first two minutes for “clipping”, the second two for roughing), and Norcliffe was given two minutes (for roughing too). With Jordan Gregory already in the Raiders sin-bin, this gave the Devils a 5 on 3 for 24 seconds.
It took 23 seconds, for the Devils to fully take advantage of this, when, Richard Brown and Alex Murray with some beautiful passing got the puck through to Mitch Murray, who managed to tie the game.
Twenty seconds later, Richard Facey from out near the blue line sent a huge shot in to the Raiders goal, the force of which made the puck bounce back out again. Despite the goal judge lighting the signal light behind the goal, and Colclough standing up and moving out of the goal, the refs waved it off saying it hadn’t actually gone in.
Seconds before the break, with the score still tied 2-2, there was some pushing and shoving between Mitch Murray and Cornish. When the ref put his hand up to signal a delayed penalty against Cornish (charging), the Raider obviously decided that if he was going to the sin-bin it would be for a worthwhile reason, dropped his gloves and stick, chased Murray across the ice and started a fight, which ended up with Murray needing a clean-up.
Cornish seemed very upset, when he found out that he was getting a total of 18 minutes (two for charging, 2+2+2 for roughing, and 10 for misconduct). Murray ended up with 2+2 for roughing.
Sixteen seconds after returning to the ice, just over three minutes in to the third, Mitch Murray was again in a fight, this time with Watkins. Watkins was given 2+2 for roughing, Murray got 2+2 for roughing and an additional 10 for incitement.
These penalties didn’t seem to dissuade further excitement on the ice, and the refs had to give out another 2+10, this time to Matthew Lawday for a check from behind on Richard Facey.
Trying to get the game back under control, Norcliffe was sent to the sin-bin for two minutes. A call that caused much debate, as it seemed that Norcliffe was nowhere near Tribe, and that Tribe tripped by standing on the puck.
While on the power play, the Raiders were sending the puck round and around the Devils zone, when Jaroslav Cesky saw a gap he could fit the puck through, and put the Raiders ahead 3-2.
Responding almost immediately, the Devils went straight on the attack, and with 5 players in front of the Raiders goal and the puck shooting around the crease, Colclough went down to freeze the puck but it was moving too quick. Once again the light behind the net came on, and all the Devils were celebrating, until they realised the ref was not pointing at the goal, he was waving his hands. While attempting to make the save, Colclough’s right boot had connected with the post and knocked the goal off its moorings.
The Devils were clearly affected by this, but kept battling. The Raiders were obviously spurred on, as they managed to get two more goals, both of which starting deep in their own zone.
One more fight, this time between Devils captain, Alex Cole, and Cesky saw both players receive 2+2, and with Mitch Murray voicing his opinion about it to the ref, Murray was awarded his second 10 minute misconduct of the evening, and sent for an early shower.
Speaking after the 5-2 loss, Devils head coach Alex Murray said, “It was a disappointing result, where we were too involved with niggles in the game, which slowed the game and benefited the Raiders, as we lost our focus. Going in to the third, with the game tied at two all, we should have done better with the four minute power play, killing that helped the Raiders momentum and their third goal caused us to struggle, which allowed them the chance for the pair of breakaway goals. Moving forward, we need to find some consistency, we played well for the first two periods but let ourselves down in the third.”
The coming weekend, sees the Devils head to Cardiff on Saturday 24th October, and host the visiting Chelmsford Chieftains, Sunday 25th October.
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