LONDON, UK – The puck dropped on the new NIHL South 1 season with ten teams ready to do battle over the next nine months. After a summer of political upheaval and noise across the country all we can say is thank the lord hockey is back!
Repeat after me.. DARK HORSE DYNASTY (David Trevallion)
After eight years of publishing preview pieces for this league then being burnt with a late flurry of signings changing the landscape, this year we went for something a little different.
Our article predicted some of the things that could go wrong rather than who will win what. The fence is a comfortable place to sit for sure.
If like most sensible people you’ve been avoiding hockey (and political) news this summer and have instead opted to spend the summer taking in a bit of Love Island and enjoying the UK’s numerous beer gardens, then you may have missed some interesting NIHL stories.
Oxford back in yellow, back in yellow, back in yellow
To briefly summarise the main headlines. The Invicta Dynamos have had a rebrand and the horse on their logo has red eyes now, after new owner Kevin Parrish asked the graphics people to give him a stallion with “fricking laser beams for eyes”.
Oxford City Stars have changed their colour scheme back to yellow after a fan vote thus having to repaint their dressing room yet again. The yellow links the hockey team with the city football team who famously play in the same colours and recently time wasted for a considerable part of their own opening fixture.
Chelmsford Chieftains have to play in a reduced capacity Riverside due to fire regulations, despite a recent multi million pound refurb a few years ago and an additional closure last season that forced them to play at Lee Valley. A pain in the backside for Chelmsford fans and a headache for their management who are now faced with turning fans away each week!
Finally the Raiders from Romford have launched a game night food menu that includes on it a mysterious “Hot slice” and “Pasta King”.
What is Pasta King we hear you say? Well the truth is nobody knows and the Pro Hockey News budget is not sufficient for a correspondent to travel to a game just to review it. If any fan attending a game at the Sapphire would like to shell out £4 and let us know just how royal the pasta is, we’d be much obliged.
Stepanek stinger for James
If you’ve got ten minutes on the can and time to kill you can also read the recent PHN interviews with Team Jamaica’s Marlon Williams, Streatham’s Rupe Quiney, Basingstoke’s Ashley Tait, Invicta’s Ryan Giles, Bracknell’s Danny Hughes and MK’s Jordan Lawday.
They are all helpfully listed here.
Long-time readers will be aware of our popular feature bruise of the week and we start off 2019/20 with a banger. Step forward MK Thunder’s Ryan James who sadly got in the way of a Petr Stepanek cannon in the pre-season challenge against Peterborough the other week. Don’t forget to send any bruises across to the address below.
Saturday review
The Junior Raiders and Cardiff Fire had the honour of opening the new season at the Sapphire with two old hands on the respective benches for another year.
On the home bench Ben Pitchley was the happiest as his team raced out of the blocks and were 4-0 up within 13 minutes, before Fire coach Mark Cuddihy could even stretch off the bus legs with some lunges behind the bench.
A late rally by the Welsh side made the score a little more respectable however the Raiders took the win with a 9-6 score line.
Raiders v Fire (Nicola Day)
Lithuanian Vilius Krakauskas took home a Pasta King and the man of the match beers with a four goal salvo for the hosts. Ewan Hill and the in-form Tommy Huggett bagged two each to add to a lone goal by George Gell.
For the Fire, highly rated youngster Deaken Fielder and Reed Sayers scored a brace each with Jason Warren and Sam Bryant also on target.
Cardiff’s Elliott Murdoch bagged four minutes early shower time after being ejected towards the end for abuse of official.
The other game of the evening took place in Slough where the Jets backed up their impressive pre-season wins over Invicta with another eye catching 4-1 win over Bracknell Hornets.
The impressive Sam Talbot scored two for the Jets to add to goals from Sean Norris and Harry Harcup. The Hornets’ consolation came from Steven Osman on a night to forget for new coach Mark Saunders.
The Hornets racked up an impressive 129 penalty minutes over the duration with Michael Stratford ejected on a match penalty early on. Referee Deana Cuglietta is no doubt already crossed off the Hornets Christmas card list, after assessing their bench with a game penalty on the final buzzer.
Sunday review
The dark horse dynasty ™ got off to a winning start on home ice with a hard fought 5-4 win over the Junior Raiders at the Gillingham Ice Bowl. It all looked so easy for the Mo’s early on as they skated into a 5-1 lead before nerves took hold and the young Raiders nearly pulled off a shock comeback.
Stedman gets the belt
Jake Stedman bagged a brace for the Mo’s and the man of the match award to boot. Ryan Morgan, Filip Sedivy and Elliot Farrell also lit the lamp for the home team.
Raiders’ goals came from Ross Cowan, Callum Burnett, Alan Lack and Vilius Krakauskas.
Game of the evening took place in Oxford where the Stars stunk out their own rink in the first twenty minutes trailing 5-0 against the Hornets, only to turn things round miraculously and win 6-5.
David Manning scored the Stars winner before being ejected for a check to the head of Hornets’ Adam Bicknell. Josh Oliver bagged a hat trick and new captain Josh Florey and Mike Whillock also scored a goal each.
For the Hornets Steve Osman scored two to add to efforts from Ben Ealey-Newman, Matt Foord and Carl Graham.
To add to the drama, Dax Hedges and Adam Bicknell dropped the gloves, as did Manning and Ealey-Newman.
Streatham downed the high flying Jets 8-2 in South London with a convincing display and statement of intent.
The Londoners star summer signing Vanya Antonov bagged a hat trick to add to a brace from Danny Ingoldsby and goals from Adam Carr, Rupe Quiney and Scott Bailey.
Slough scorers were Sean Norris and Juha Lindgren.
Chieftains back in their barn
Streatham’s Adam Wood was ejected for fighting in the second and warmed up the showers for his team mates as a result.
The final game of the night took place at the Riverside where Chelmsford Chieftains beat the MK Thunder 4-1
The mercurial Matt Turner, Grant Bartlett, TJ Fillery and Julian Smith all scored to take the win for the hosts, with Sam Prosser getting the Thunder consolation.
The crowd got a bit more for their money as Thunder’s Zac Chamberlain dropped the gloves not once but twice, facing off against Cameron Bartlett and Elliott Dervish. Before Niall Simpson and Grant Bartlett danced again in the third period.
Most concerning from a Thunder perspective will be the 51 shots they gave up, on a busy night for netminder Graham Laverick.
Results
Saturday 14 September
Raiders Juniors 9-6 Cardiff Fire
Slough Jets 4-1 Bracknell Hornets
Sunday 15 September
Streatham IHC 8-2 Slough Jets
Oxford City Stars 6-5 Bracknell Hornets
Chelmsford Chieftains 4-1 MK Thunder
Invicta Dynamos 5-4 Raiders Juniors
Contact the author davidcarr_2@hotmail.com
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