LONDON, UK – As storm Ciara battered the UK, the Britton Conference did its best to keep the show rolling.
The joy of winning a first game in 24 for MK (Nicola Day)
Midweek there was plenty to talk about as the EIHA made more statements, and both MK Thunder and Streatham IHC boosted their squads with signings.
The Oddballs Britton Conference Player of the Month was announced as Streatham’s Rupe Quiney with goalie Damien King and Invicta’s Juraj Huska also on the shortlist.
Streatham’s defence has been a key part of their success so far this season and before the weekend they’d conceded only 39 goals all year, significantly less than most.
There was more good news in South London as the signing of former Telford star Luke Britton was announced to offset in part, the departure of Vanya Antonov.
“I’m really pleased we have managed to sign Luke, it’s not often a player of his ability is available at this time of year” said Coach Adam Carr.
“When I found out he was living in London I was straight in touch with him. I’ve known Luke for a while and played with him in MK and he is a quality player and a great lad who will fit right in with the team.”
MK Thunder unveiled a blast from the past as they announced the return of forward Harrison Goode. The winger has already played over 200 times for the club and certainly adds to their attacking threat.
Another old Thunder face popped up during the week as former goalie Villem-Henrik Koitmaa appeared between the pipes for Estonia in the Olympic Qualifiers in Nottingham. Koitmaa played 17 times in the NIHL in the 2015/16 season and started against GB in a 7-1 loss on Saturday.
Bracknell Hornets upped the stakes on their period break “Chuck a Duck” with possibly the best prize the NIHL has ever seen for the effort of lobbing a plastic duck towards a cone. Not only can Papa Johns pizzas be won, but, thanks to a sponsorship deal with LM Equine, duck throwers had the chance to win a 30 minute horse riding lesson from the weekend onwards.
Hockey players across the NIHL (and beyond) were left green eyed with envy after the world’s cosiest locker room was revealed in a Reuters article on hockey in the remote Kyrgyzstan village of Otradnoye.
No whiteboard??? Photo: Reuters
The piece was focused on the first all-female hockey team in Central Asia, but eagle eyed readers noticed a gallery of images from a training session, one of which revealed a locker room with a clay stove, carpets and a fleece throw over the benches.
No mouldy shower curtain, no weak single hose shower for 18 players, no suspicious spiders or a whiteboard with a penis drawn on it with permanent marker. Just a lovely cosy place to lace up the skates in a remote mountain village. Bliss.
The article also featured a quote that raised a smile in PHN towers from one of the player’s mothers.
“I was against it at the beginning, only recently I forbade her from playing,” Aynura Zhasyrkeeva, said. “A puck hit her in the eye and she received a concussion, but she’s better now. Now she’s come to play again.”
That’s the spirit!
In other news, the President of Russia Vladimir Putin took to the ice with the President of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko in what appeared to be a scrimmage session.
The whole session made the website of the Daily Mail who featured a highlight reel of Mr Putin’s best moments (on the ice).
Could we see Boris Johnson take to the ice in the near future on a late night scrimmage at Alexandra Palace? Unlikely.
Saturday review
Result of the night came in Milton Keynes as the resident Thunder won their first game of the season with a 7-4 victory over Raiders Juniors.
Netminder Graham Laverick was the hero for the home side turning away 46 shots, while at the other end Captain Alex Whyte bagged two goals to add to efforts from Julien Baeumin, Sam Prosser, Sam Chandler, Harrison Goode and Ryan Gadeke.
Raiders’ goals came from Matt Brown, Don Campbell, Jan Marcilis and Ross Cowan.
Pitch papped (Nicola Day)
To add to the drama Gadeke and Stevie Dunnage dropped the gloves at the end of the second and Raiders’ Ross Cowan was handed a game misconduct for abuse of official on the final buzzer.
It goes without saying that for the Thunder players and officials the joy of snapping such a long losing streak would have been massive. If only they hadn’t a game the next day, a late night celebratory party ending in Pink Punters would have surely been on the cards, bringing in dawn in style!
In an other shock result, Bracknell Hornets ripped up the form book and stunned the visiting Invicta Dynamos with a 4-3 win at the Hive.
The Hornets had won only one of their last eight games before a David Millner brace and lone goals from Ben Ealey-Newman and Matt Foord gave Coach Mark Saunders a big boost.
The Dynamos had led 2-0 with 18 minutes to go in the game and their goals came from Arran Strawson, Owen Dell and Juraj Huska.
Slough Jets took just 26 seconds to take the lead against Oxford City Stars and never looked back in an eventual 5-2 win at the Hangar.
Millner the Hornets’ hero
Christian Mohr scored twice for the hosts with further goals coming from Liam Underwood, Adam Rosbottom and Timo Lindgren. For Oxford Josh Florey and Dax Hedges got the consolation goals.
The gloves came off at the end of the third as Jets pair Underdown and Lewis English dropped the gloves with Stars’ Jake Williams and Dax Hedges.
Chelmsford travelled to Cardiff with just over two lines of players but still managed to return from South Wales with two points thanks to a 7-3 win.
James Ayling scored twice for the Chieftains with Terry Fillery, Elliot Dervish, Ross Brears, Tom Wilson and Matt Turner also on target. Fire scorers were Reed Sayers, Jay Warren and Morgan Evans.
Sunday review
What’s worse than a Sunday evening road game at Invicta if you’re a Cardiff player? How about a game at Invicta travelling during one of the biggest storms to hit the UK? Worse.
How about a Sunday evening road game in Invicta, with miserable travelling conditions and then your only netminder getting injured in the first period?
Yep, Cardiff Fire were rewarded for their commitment to travel with an injury to netminder Ben Scanlan and ended up on the wrong end of a 19-3 drubbing.
Mo’s signing autographs for fans
Fire player Cedric Racine earns “hero of the week” for donning the pads to make sure the game continued, and the crowd got their 60 minutes of hockey for braving the elements.
It was point night for the Dynamos as Anthony Leone, Juraj Huska and Tom Davis all bagged hat tricks. Elliott Farrell, Brandon Webster, Owen Dell, Tomas Banovsky and Arran Strawson all scored two goals each. For the Fire Kristians Kasjanovs hit a brace with Lewis Stevens getting the other goal.
A virtual doff of the cap goes to the Fire players and Coach Mark Cuddihy for their efforts.
The only other game of the night took place in Milton Keynes where the Thunder were denied a four point weekend, as league leaders Streatham skated away with an 11-0 win.
Wood and Paynter on target
Nate Gregory got the shut out for the Londoners while the scorers spread out across the roster.
Captain Michael Farn, Rhys McCormick and Adam Wood scored two each to add to goals from Adam Carr, Conner Smith, Ben Paynter, Rupe Quiney and debutant Luke Brittle.
The games in Oxford and Chelmsford were postponed due to the Raiders and Slough being unable to travel thanks to the weather conditions. At the time of writing these games are due to be rescheduled but who knows what the final outcomes may be with spare ice slots often in short supply.
The results mean Streatham extend their lead at the top of the league and the Thunder finally snap that 23 game losing streak. Next week… a Cup final and more Britton Conference action.
Results
Saturday 8 February 2020
Bracknell Hornets 4-3 Invicta Dynamos
Slough Jets 5-2 Oxford City Stars
MK Thunder 7-4 Raiders Jnr
Cardiff Fire 3-7 Chelmsford Chieftains
Sunday 9 February 2020
MK Thunder 0-11 Streatham IHC
Chelmsford Chieftains P-P Slough Jets
Oxford City Stars P-P Raiders Jnr
Invicta Dynamos 19-3 Cardiff Fire
Contact the author: davidcarr_2@hotmail.com
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