Four teams left in the ENL South Play-Offs but only two can progress

LONDON, UK – The ENL South play-offs reach the semi-final stage this weekend, as the Chelmsford Chieftains, Romford Raiders, Invicta Dynamos and Wightlink Raiders all   take to the ice in what should be an exciting two days of British ice hockey.
 
The four teams are so well matched that it is impossible to make any predictions with certainty, and by Monday only two will remain in contention for the play-off crown.
 
Pro Hockey News looks at the match ups that will define this coming weekend.
 
Romford Raiders v Chelmsford Chieftains
 
The battle of Essex or the A12 derby, call it what you will, but these two teams are so evenly matched they could only be separated by one point at the end of the regular season.

 
In the four games they faced each other, two were tied and the other two saw each side grab a win each. Despite how close they are on paper, both sides play a slightly different style of hockey with the Raiders relying on two scoring lines and a checking line, whereas the Chieftains prefer three balanced lines.
 
Romford have managed to keep up some excellent form in the latter half of the season, despite a ravaging injury list that has denied them of a number of top players. In addition to this they are also missing top scorer Juraj Huska for the first leg of this clash after he received a one match suspension for his ejection at Cardiff in the play-off quarter final.
 
Chelmsford also had a tough quarter final as they edged a dogged Milton Keynes side, however the Chieftains should be at pretty much full strength aside from the missing Aaron Connolly who is away with GB Under 18’s. The league runners up are on an incredible 22 game unbeaten run that has been going since their loss against Wightlink Raiders on the 15^th January.
 
The Coaches:
 
Danny Marshall – Romford Raiders
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Super Danny Marshall is a Raiders legend and all-time top point’s scorer for the club. With 35 goals and 66 assists in the regular season, Marshall has combined his coaching with a key role on the first line and powerplay units. A playmaker in the mould of Tony Hand MBE, Marshall will be hoping to lead his side by example in the two legs. Marshall’s biggest challenge will be to compensate for the loss of Huska in the first leg of the tie, which unfortunately will be the home fixture for the Raiders.
 
Dean Birrell – Chelmsford Chieftains
 
Highly rated coach Birrell could be making his last appearance on the Chieftains bench this season as he recently accepted a position as Director of Coaching at the Essex club. The former Streatham Redskins coach has become part of the furniture at the newly refurbished Chelmsford Ice Arena and has built a well organised, hardworking outfit with speed and an element of toughness. Birrell has a chance to go out in style and will not want to waste it.
 
The Prospects:
 
Frankie Harvey – Romford Raiders
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After bursting into public view in 2009/10 in the English Premier League with the Raiders, the teenage sensation went from prospect to key player as Romford secured his signature for 2010/11 despite dropping to the ENL. Hampered by niggling injuries this campaign, Harvey has still managed to be the Raiders most productive Brit after Marshall, hitting 30 goals and 48 assists in the regular season.
 
Ross Brears – Chelmsford Chieftains
 
The highly rated youngster has had a breakout year with 26 goals and 33 assists for his side. Along with Danny Hammond, James Ayling and Aaron Connolly, Brears is one of a number of exciting prospects at the Riverside. Brears is tipped for a bright future in the game and the speedy winger will cause the Raiders defence issues if he hits form at the weekend. 
 
The Loaded fist:
 
JJ McGrath – Romford Raiders
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McGrath has been a revelation this season for the Raiders and has chipped in a number of goals, along with some big fights along the way. A regular on the third line, the former Lee Valley and London man has dropped the gloves with Invicta’s Jack Tarczycki and Wightlinks Jeremy Cornish amongst others this year to the delight of the Rom Valley Way faithful.
 
Danny Cox – Chelmsford Chieftains
 
The former Romford, Lee Valley and Haringey blue liner has been in good form this season for the Chieftains, and is not afraid to drop the gloves with any player in the ENL. Cox has filled in as team tough guy in the absence of BT Williams and   before the arrival of experienced slugger Mark Williams. Aside from fighting, Cox is actually a highly mobile hard hitting defence man.
 
The Import:
 
Juraj Huska – Romford Raiders
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The Slovak sniper may be missing for the first encounter between the two sides but he will still have a big impact in whether the Raiders progress through to the final. 56 goals and 34 assists in only 29 games tells you all you need to know about Huska’s ability, however his temperament will be in question after he snapped against Cardiff in the quarter finals.
 
Kyle Jones – Chelmsford Chieftains
 
Jones is a strong, solid Canadian who has popped up with some vital goals for Chelmsford this season. With 24 goals in as many games, Jones appears to have won over the Chelmsford support after replacing the popular Jerry Pavlus in the line-up. Although not a stand out scorer in the mould of Huska, Jones also offers North American toughness and has dropped the gloves a number of times in the regular season.
 
Regular season fixtures:
 
30 October 2010 – Chelmsford Chieftains 1 Romford Raiders 0
6 November 2010 – Romford Raiders 3 Chelmsford Chieftains 3
2 January 2011 – Romford Raiders 6 Chelmsford Chieftains 3
26 March 2011 – Chelmsford Chieftains 3 Romford Raiders 3
 
 
Wightlink Raiders v Invicta Dynamos
 
The new league champions take on the old title holders as Wightlink and Invicta lock horns again in what should be a fascinating encounter over two legs. After ending Invicta’s domination of the league, Wightlink will be firmly in the Dynamos’ sights as an opportunity of revenge presents itself.
 
The two teams have been closely matched when they have faced each other this season with Wightlink winning two, Invicta one and the other game tied. Despite their fourth placed finish, Invicta bounced back with a quarter final defeat of Streatham to advance, whilst Wightlink brushed aside Bracknell Hornets over two legs.
 
Invicta traditionally have a larger bench than most ENL sides but with the Raiders icing four lines, the island side certainly have the advantage in terms of numbers this season.
 
Wightlink will be at full strength for the game whereas Invicta have doubts over at least one of their goalies and should be without the prolific Callum Fowler, who was reportedly released prior to the Streatham game due to an internal matter.
 
With big attendances expected at both games, the pressure will be on both sides to produce hockey worthy of the attention and spotlight.
 
The Coaches:
 
Jeremy Cornish – Wightlink Raiders
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The Canadian Player-Coach has had a great season in his second term with the island side. Despite a few setbacks at the start of the season, the Raiders have gone from strength to strength as the season progressed. Previously known more for his fighting ability rather than his skills on the ice, Cornish has managed to rack up 19 goals and 30 assists this campaign, along with organising his team to a title. Cornish has built a strong team that has speed, toughness and skill along with a desire to win, and it is these attributes that have made the season so successful so far.
 
Kevin Parrish – Invicta Dynamos
 
The long serving Dynamos Coach has had a trophy-less regular season for the first time in his coaching career. A number of summer signings have either failed to inspire or have brought separate issues to the table and the player turnover at the club mid-season has been the highest in a number of seasons. To his credit, Parrish has taken a step back, assessed his outfit and now returned to the bench for the play-off campaign. A morale boosting win over Streatham could give the Invicta supremo the shot in the arm to go all the way with his side.
 
The Scorers:
 
Robbie Brown – Wightlink Raiders
 
Northern Irish sniper Robbie Brown has been a big hit on the island following his transfer from the Belfast Giants in the summer. With 36 goals and 31 assists in the regular season, Brown has enjoyed his biggest points haul since starring for the Solway Sharks in Scotland. Quick and agile, Brown causes most ENL defences a host of problems when he is on the ice.
 
Andy Smith – Invicta Dynamos
 
Despite the rising standard in players in the ENL, Smith is still regarded as the number one forward in the league. With a smooth natural skating ability, Smith’s speed alone used to be enough to ruffle even the strongest ENL defence, however this season he has had to display a higher level of skill to reach his usual large point’s total. With 47 goals and 52 assists, only Danny Marshall stopped Smith from finishing as top points scorer in the league.
 
The Loaded fist:
 
Brad Watchorn – Wightlink Raiders
 
One of many ‘loaded fists’ in the Raiders line-up, part time cage fighter, Watchorn is more than capable of handling himself on or off the ice, however despite 166 minutes in penalties, he has hit a few important goals throughout the season. The former Bracknell Hornets forward has impressed in his second spell with the Raiders, and he will play a big part in this weekend’s action.
 
Corey Watkins – Invicta Dynamos
 
A summer signing from Cardiff ENL Devils, Watkins has delighted the Ice Bowl faithful with a number of committed performances in a Dynamos jersey this season. Playing as part of the second or third line, Watkins never say die attitude and willingness to stand up for his team mates has been a highlight of the season for many Invicta fans. With a massive 176 penalty minutes this season, Watkins is a good friend of the sin bin assistant’s across the league.
 
The Import:
 
Jason Gorrie – Wightlink Raiders
 
With the Coach taking up the other import slot, all of the pressure was on Gorrie this season to get the goals needed to fire the Raiders to the top. Thankfully for all concerned, the diminutive Canadian has found his scoring touch on the island and has scored 49 goals this season along with 39 assists.
 
Daniel Borges – Invicta Dynamos
 
After a relatively slow start, Borges is now bang in form for the Dynamos and has been scoring goals for fun recently, including a hat trick in the play-off quarter final second leg against Streatham. 34 goals and 55 assists is a good return for the part Portuguese centre man in his first season of hockey in the UK.
 
Regular season fixtures:
 
25 September 2010 – Wightlink Raiders 4 Invicta Dynamos 2
7 November 2010 – Invicta Dynamos 3 Wightlink Raiders 2
22 January 2011 – Wightlink Raiders 3 Invicta Dynamos 3
13 February 2011 – Invicta Dynamos 2 Wightlink Raiders 5
 
 
ENL Players Panel:
 
Numerous ENL players and coaches from across the league put their heads above the parapet and predict who will progress after the weekend’s fixtures. The only rule is no sitting on the fence…
 
Tim Burrows – Cardiff ENL Devils forward
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Wightlink will beat Invicta because they have the discipline to execute their game plans. Although Invicta have good fire power up front, Wightlink have strength in depth and the players to cover the different aspects of the game, not only scoring. If Invicta win they will have to outscore their opponents.
 
Chelmsford will beat Romford because they have 3 to 4 solid lines and are a lot quicker than Romford, playing a more intense game. How many they concede will largely come down to how well they are able to stop Huska, but his one match ban could potentially see Chelmsford win the tie after the first leg. Romford will look to intimidate in their barn but don’t have the all-round team game to stop Chelmsford.
 
Alastair Band – Bristol Pitbulls defenseman
 
I can’t see beyond Wightlink to be honest, they have been a solid force all season long and destroyed Bracknell in the first leg of the playoffs. They haven’t seen a drop in form and every player on their roster will go through brick walls for each other. They’re not most talented team, but they are the best team in the league. In the play-offs it’s all about who will dig the deepest.
 
I think the experience of the Romford players will come through in this one. There are few certainties in life and one of them is that this will be a brilliant series and certainly one that the team’s bank managers will like (the last encounter saw a bumper crowd of over 1000 fans). I think it will be hard fought and often feisty affair with Romford taking the series by one two goals across the two legs.
 
Darryl Morvan – Milton Keynes Thunder Coach
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Wightlink are always a tough team to beat on their own ice, but Invicta have settled of late, and there seems to be more harmony in their room, possibly down to the player changes. Ryan Giles addition to coaching staff also has brought a new perspective.
 
Jeremy Cornish has done a great job keeping his team focussed and relaxed in the run in to get the job done in the league and give themselves good position in the playoff seedings. He has some experienced players around him, and this year has added other players with a physical side to their play which has allowed him to concentrate on contributing with his play rather than his physicality, and it’s easier to coach on the bench/ice than from the penalty box.
 
Invicta need to come away from the island with at least a point – Wightlink aren’t as convincing on the road, and Invicta will be a cauldron for the Dynamo’s home game – and that atmosphere can intimidate even the most experienced players.
 
Having said that the Mo’s cannot afford to play the way they did in 2 and a 1/2 periods against us in the league – they need to be the Dynamo’s that came back in seven   minutes, tied the game and almost nicked the win.
 
However – I still fancy Wightlink to win – they are well drilled and relaxed at the moment, and Invicta may be feeling the pressure of having dominated the league for so many years without contest
 
Romford’s cause has no doubt been helped by Juraj Huska only getting a 1 game suspension for the incident at Cardiff last week. Danny Marshall has assembled a roster with, on the face of it, few weaknesses.
 
Chelmsford had two tough games against MK Thunder last weekend, but showed that, when a team makes errors, as Thunder did in the third period at Riverside, they can quickly capitalise. Again, a well drilled team which is a credit to Dean Birrell, and I’m sure they will want to give him the playoff championship as a going-away present now he’s announced he’s moving upstairs in the organisation. I predict Romford will nick it – I think they just have too much firepower, and Chelmsford weren’t that convincing against Thunder when they weren’t given time to build
 
Yousif Abu-Saada – Oxford City Stars defenseman
 
I think Chelmsford are a better team all round, they have solid netminding, pretty good defence and the best offence in the league – I think their speed and skill will be too much for Romford. I hear Romford have some injuries and suspensions so it will be even more difficult for them, particularly with Huska missing the first leg – he is the best sniper in the league by a long way. Romford’s only chance is to try and bully Chelmsford in my view.
 
In the other tie, it’s got to be Wightlink for me. Invicta rely too heavily on their forwards scoring 6-7 per game and I just don’t think they will be able to do that against Wightlink. It’s no coincidence that Wightlink won the league – they are the most balanced team in the league with great netminding, a good defensive unit and a lot of depth in scoring. They should be too strong all round for Invicta.
 
Ed Koral – Streatham Redskins defenseman
 
Wightlink are my tip to win due to their extra few weeks’ preparation and the physical strength of their squad.
 
Chelmsford v Romford is tough call but I’d probably go Chelmsford as I’ve heard people are missing from Romford and in my opinion they’ll need a full squad to beat Chelmsford.
 
The ENL Play-Off Semi Finals take place this weekend and tickets are available at the respective venues. Please see individual club websites for ticket details and face-off times.
 
Contact the author: david.carr@prohockeynews.com