Race for the ENL Play-Offs heats up

LONDON, UK – The race for the final four remaining ENL South Play-Off places enters its final phase this weekend with five teams all in with a shout of extending their season. Pro Hockey News looks at the teams and their prospects.
 
Invicta Dynamos, Romford Raiders, Chelmsford Chieftains and Wightlink Raiders are all guaranteed of playing in the knockout stages come the second weekend of April, but who will join them? Four spots are available and five teams all have a good chance of qualification, but one set of players will be resting after the final weekend of the regular season. Who will it be…?
 
Oxford City Stars

 
Early league leaders after a strong start to the season, Oxford did well to accumulate enough points to put them in contention for the play-offs, considering their poor form in the latter half of the season.
 
With only three wins since the end of November, Oxford have arguably the toughest run of fixtures remaining, compared with the others as they face both Romford and Chelmsford on the road in between home games against Swindon and Bracknell.
 
The Stars have yet to beat either the Raiders or the Chieftains so far this season, so that makes their two home fixtures all the more important.
 
“I think we have a good chance of making the play-offs” said Stars goalie Jamie Thompson.
 
“We are playing well at the moment, but we need to tighten up a few key aspects of our game. The biggest being in front of the net, we need some confidence and composure to get a few more goals”
 
“Only scoring two or three goals a game in this league is not enough to win, but we are taking on this challenge as a team”
 
Oxford haven’t had the best of times against the top four sides in the league campaign this season, however Thompson knows who he would prefer to face in the knockout stages, should his side qualify.
 
“Out of the top four I think we would like to face either Wightlink or Invicta, simply because our last few meetings have been very close games”
 
Oxford have recently welcomed back key defence man Andrew Shurmer however Polish utility man Damien Matla is unlikely to appear again for the Stars this season.
 
Form guide (Last five games): L W L D L
 
Remaining fixtures: Swindon (H), Chelmsford (A), Romford (A), Bracknell (H)
 
Key Man: Alan Green
 
Returning to form with a hat trick against Streatham Redskins a fortnight ago, the speedy Green will need to keep up his output in front of goal if the Stars want to have any chance of qualification. Oxford have scored less goals than any other club in the league aside from bottom placed Swindon, so Green and Darren Elliott will have to add to their seventeen goals each so far this season.
 
Green has played in the EPL with both Swindon and Wightlink, and he will have to bring that higher league nous to the table and give Oxford a much needed catalyst in the closing stages.
 
 
Cardiff ENL Devils
 
After a stuttering start to the season Cardiff’s post new-year form has catapulted them up into the play-off spots courtesy of solid wins over Streatham, Bristol, Milton Keynes and Swindon.
 
Last year’s runners up in the league, the ENL Devils have games in hand over their rivals, however with tough road trips to Wightlink and Romford, the Devils will probably rely on home fixtures against Swindon, Milton Keynes and Bracknell to ensure qualification.
 
Mark Cuddihy’s men are a match for anyone on their own ice, and hopes are high that they can make an impact come the business end of the season.
 
“We’ve been playing some great hockey lately” explained gritty winger Steve Maile.
 
“We have come together as a team and are getting back to playing the typical ‘Cardiff’ way just at the perfect time, when it matters”
 
Cardiff have taken points from Romford and Chelmsford this season in the league, however they are yet to trouble Invicta or Wightlink despite close games. Regardless of this, Maile is adamant that should play-off qualification be confirmed, the Welsh side aren’t fussy who they face from the top four.
 
“We’re really confident for the playoffs” explained the former Peterborough forward.
 
“We don’t care who out of the top four we face. I’ve been on the other side of the Bay rink, and I wouldn’t want to be a top budget team coming here as we’ve got nothing to lose and we can’t wait to get it going”
 
Form guide (last 5 games): L L L L W
 
Remaining fixtures: Wightlink (A), Swindon (H), Bracknell (H), Romford (A), Milton Keynes (H)
 
Key man: Gareth Dixon
 
In a side with a number of goal scorers, Dixon has been a regular on the blue line this season often with different partners. A key part of special teams and a solid presence at the back, Dixon and his fellow power play and shorthanded defensive corps Neil Browning and Chris Hart need to be alert to the scoring threats of MK, Swindon and Bracknell if they want to avoid any slip ups.
 
This will be especially important given the amount of minor penalties Cardiff tend to take, so discipline in defence will be vital.
 
Milton Keynes Thunder
 
Milton Keynes looked dead and buried in the early stages of the season with pundits giving them little chance of making the play-offs. After failing to get a win in their opening 11 games, Milton Keynes have bounced back and are now arguably one of the form teams going into the final league fixtures.
 
Strong form at home combined with a recent four consecutive game winning streak has made the Thunder a tricky proposition for any side in the league; however the recent defeat to Bracknell leaves them just outside the qualification zone.
 
“I’m very confident that we will qualify as we’ve come a long way since the start of the season” admitted power forward Paul Jamieson.
 
“We have had some good solid results and also some unexpected ones against some of the more fancied teams”
 
Indeed Milton Keynes shocked Invicta 3-2 at the Thunder dome in November, and prior to that grabbed a shock tie on the island against Wightlink. With that in mind it is no surprise who Jamieson would prefer to face if they manage to qualify for the play-offs.
 
“To be honest I think we’d rather get Wightlink or Invicta if we had a choice” admitted the twenty seven year old front man.
 
“They are teams we have done well against this season and seem to cope with. We have struggled against both Romford and Chelmsford and not really got close to them in the league fixtures”
 
Milton Keynes get a great chance to break their Romford misery early on in their next game as the Raiders come to town this weekend.
 
Form guide (last 5 games): W W W L L
 
Remaining fixtures: Romford (H), Streatham (A), Invicta (H), Streatham (A), Cardiff (A)
 
Key man: Maros Stefanco
 
The young Slovak made an instant impression on his debut weekend by scoring past Invicta, and has not looked back since with 21 goals in 19 games. The youngster is vital to the Thunder’s traditionally shot shy forward line and eases the pressure on top scorer Ross Bowers.
 
Injury doubts over starting goalie Mark Woolf has left rookie goalie David Cassidy holding the team together between the pipes, however if Stefanco, Bowers and the Goode brothers can continue their form up front then that will relieve any pressure on the defence.
 
 
Streatham Redskins
 
Much like Oxford, Streatham can thank their strong start to the season that they are still up in contention for play-off qualification.
 
A dire run of eleven games without a win was halted only last week with a much needed victory over Bristol Pitbulls, however this only tells part of the story for a side that has slowly been turning the corner in recent weeks, earning credible draws with Romford, Chelmsford and Oxford.
 
“I’m very confident that we’ll make the play-offs and we should consolidate our position in fifth spot” explained experienced winger Joe Johnston.
 
“We’ve been in fifth for the majority of the season and although it’s tight at the moment I don’t see why we shouldn’t stay there. There are some big fixtures coming up though and at the end of the day the key word with us is consistency, or lack of it more to the point”
 
“I mean, here’s a team that have beaten Romford and drawn with Invicta, then a few weeks later drawn at Bristol and lost to Swindon. We are unpredictable to say the least”
 
If Streatham can gather a few more points in their upcoming games against play-off rivals Milton Keynes and Bracknell then they should qualify to play against one of the top four sides, three of which they have taken points off already in the regular season.
 
“I’d be very worried if I was one of the teams that get us in the play-offs, simply because we’re almost impossible to prepare for” admitted the former GB junior international Johnston.
 
“You never know what you’re going to get with us, I don’t think we know, so there’s no way opposing teams can. We have the ability to beat any team in this league and because we’re so unpredictable that makes us very dangerous”
 
“For these reasons I’m not fussed at all about who we get out of the top four. They are all good teams in different ways but I view us as a massive wild card and a potential upset waiting to happen. There’s no pressure on us, if we lose it’s probably to be expected by most so that gives us all the motivation we need”
 
Streatham will be aiming to finish the last full season at their 80 year old rink in fitting fashion, and they face Milton Keynes this weekend in a game that could have a big say in whether either side extend their season.
 
Form guide (last 5 games): D L D D W
 
Remaining fixtures: Milton Keynes (H), Bracknell (A), Milton Keynes (H), Bracknell (A)
 
Key man: Peter Molnar
 
With the Redskins other two imports on rotation, the one constant piece of foreign flair on display at the High Road is Slovak centre man Peter Molnar.
 
Popular with the High Road faithful due to his smooth skating and composure, Molnar has had his own flag erected upon the balcony of the ice rink despite only being in his second season with the club.
 
Streatham will be relying on the experienced forward to stimulate their attack and step up a gear, to give the Londoner’s the best possible chance of qualification.
 
 
Bracknell Hornets
 
Last season’s play-off champions have had a turbulent year with changes in personnel and behind the bench not aiding their cause.
 
After a dismal run of eight games without a win, the Hornets have bounced back with three consecutive home victories to sneak into the final play-off qualification spot at the expense of Milton Keynes.
 
The highlight of the Hornets recent revival was a 6-3 win over Invicta however this was soured by a season ending injury for talented scorer Grant Rounding. Despite this setback, sharp shooter Danny Hughes has returned to form at just the right time for the side, and with the likes of Tony Barclay and Alan Lack also finding their goal scoring touch, no one will write off the Hornets chances.
 
“I don’t think we will have any problems making the playoffs” said last season’s top scorer Ben Duggan.
 
“Things are starting to click now, some of the new guys are getting to grips with our systems which are key to our success as a team”
 
Bracknell have beaten Chelmsford and Invicta, as well as tying with Romford in the league so far this season, so they have nothing to fear, should they qualify for the latter stages.
 
“Looking at the top four I don’t think there is one team who is overly dominant this year” explained Duggan, who also played in the EPL with the Bracknell Bees this season.
 
“We have proven that we can compete with the top teams and we are confident we will do this in the play-offs. Although we are not in the same situation as we were last year, I still think there is no reason why we can replay the success we had and win the play-offs”
 
“That is our goal and is achievable. We know what it will take but everyone is focused and ready for the stretch”
 
Bracknell have five games to play this season, starting with a tricky road trip to Chelmsford.
 
Form guide (last 5 games): L L W W W
 
Remaining fixtures: Chelmsford (A), Streatham (H), Cardiff (A), Streatham (H), Oxford (A)
 
Key man: David Wride
 
The former Haringey Greyhounds and Milton Keynes Lightning stopper is a key component of the Hornets’ squad.
 
Capable of winning games with all action displays between the pipes, Wride will need to be on top form in the closing stages of the league, especially with three road trips.
 
Wride will rely on the likes of Tom Avery and Luke Reynolds on his blue line for support, as part of a defence that has let in fewer goals than any of the other four teams hoping to qualify.
 
Contact the author david.carr@prohockeynews.com
 
League table courtesy of EIHA/Malcolm Preen