LONDON, UK – As the UK continued to endure the tedious and predictable build up to the General Election, thankfully hockey was on hand to provide some light relief and distraction – for some.
Huskies howl with joy (Phil Hutchinson)
Invicta were hit by a big blow as it was revealed that star sniper Juraj Huska would serve a whopping six game suspension following a review of a checking from behind call in Cardiff the previous week.
The Kent club had only just released fellow import Filip Sedivy a few days earlier and are now left without much needed firepower until pretty much the New Year.
The pressure certainly now increases on Mo’s coach Anthony Leone to bring in a new face sooner rather than later.
With results picking up in recent weeks for Cardiff Fire, Josh Haslam unveiled his Spotify play list in an interview with the club website.
Jax Jones, Endor and Camelphat all made the cut with Haslam seemingly keen to turn the Welsh capital’s airwaves into Cardiff del Mar at any given opportunity. In the interview Haslam also revealed he enjoys steak and mash.
No Goldie Lookin Chain for Haslam
Geordie blue liner Andrew Cook reflected on Streatham’s close win over title rivals Chelmsford Chieftains and the upcoming home game against the table topping Devils in an interview with the South London Press.
“Solent at home is a game we are all looking forward to and is likely to provide us with another hard test. The atmosphere in the room before these big games is always buzzing and I hope the fans provide the same energy as they did last weekend.”
On a quiet news week across the league, an article on a Swiss sports website caught the eye as it was revealed that 83 people have been banned from attending all hockey arenas and football stadiums in Switzerland following disorder before, during and after an NLA game between Friborg-Gotteron and Rapperswil.
The disorder included food throwing during the game and then a ruck in a motorway service station. The location of the service station was not revealed however the noted Migrol services near the Wankdorf Center in Bern appears to have escaped any ruckus by all accounts.
Whether Wankdorf was the setting or not, we all know the mood darkens when you see Burger King charging a third more for a whopper meal so there are mitigating circumstances for that incident at least.
Saturday review
Perhaps surprisingly, the dead rubber cup fixture between Haringey Huskies and Invicta Dynamos grabbed the headlines of the evening.
Now we know what you are thinking… just what headlines are we talking about?
Did Petr Cech turn up at the Palace again after recently appearing alongside footballer Jan Koller and a host of ex NHLers in a Czech charity game at the venue? Nope.
Did Huskies player Lee Mercer celebrate St Andrews Day by wearing a kilt to the game, subsequently baring his backside to innocent bystanders while stretching? Nope.
Did 90’s anthemic rock band Embrace come in and do a sound check ahead of their upcoming gig at Ally Pally by performing “All you Good Good people” in the foyer? Nope.
None of the above. In fact the Huskies beat the Dynamos 7-4 on a night to remember for the Haringey hard-core. It’s rare that a team from a lower league beats one from above in any British hockey competition so worthy of the praise.
Gheorge Dragomir bagged a hat trick for the Huskies with James Pentecost scoring two and both Ryan Payne and Captain Stuart Appleby getting one each. Invicta player coach Anthony Leone led from the front with a hat trick, while Arran Strawson got the other.
The result means that the Huskies can still qualify for the final if they can get at least a point from Streatham in South London next Sunday.
From a Kent perspective, Invicta owner Kev Parrish was less than happy with the result and made his thoughts crystal clear in a post-game tweet:
“Very, very bad night tonight, we as a club and as owners need to identify the issues and make this team good again. And I promise we will take action.”
Solent Devils made it 12 win in a row as they overcame a tricky home tie against Slough Jets on the South Coast. The Devils were 5-1 up early on before surviving a Jets comeback attempt in the third period.
Bracknell v Streatham (Kev Slyfield)
The three amigos Richard Facey, Ralfs Circenis and Alex Trendall continued their good form with two goals each to seal another impressive win. For the Jets, Sam Talbot scored twice with Juha Lindgren and Christian Mohr also on target. It was Mohr’s first senior goal for the Jets so well done to him.
“We started well and never looked back” said Devils coach Alex Murray after the game. “We had a short bench and they came at us hard with four lines but we did enough to win in the end.”
Raiders Junior bounced back from 3-1 down to fire in an impressive nine unanswered goals in Cardiff against the Fire. Five of the goals came in a devastating five minute spell in the third.
Jan Marcelis top scored for Ben Pitchley’s men with four goals and Ewan Hill got two. Other scorers were Ross Cowan, George Gell, Tommy Huggett and Vilius Krakauskas.
Reed Sayers bagged a brace for Cardiff with Lewis Stevens also on target.
Bracknell Hornets held a collection for the local foodbank ahead of their game against Streatham at the Hive. The match itself was a close affair despite the hosts putting just 15 shots on RedHawks goalie Damien King over the sixty minutes.
Two goals for Vanya Antonov and solo efforts from Adam Carr and Scott Bailey sealed a 4-2 win for Streatham, with Adam Bicknell and Steven Osman.
Brandon Miles dropped the gloves with Matt Foord to add to the drama.
Sunday review
The billed game of the night was in South London as unbeaten pair Streatham and Solent faced each other knowing that one would lose their 100% record.
Despite being under siege for much of the game the Devils came away with a 3-2 road win thanks to a strong and organised defensive display by goalie Chico Cole and his team mates. Cole turned away an impressive 64 shots altogether.
More Solent smiles as streak goes on (James Assinder)
A brace from Ralfs Circenis and a lone goal from Richard Facey made it a memorable evening for the Devils. For Streatham it was Adam Carr and Brandon Miles on target on a night that also saw the returning Ryan Watt sent for an early shower for slashing.
The table topping Devils host Bracknell Hornets next weekend, while Streatham face the long trip west to Cardiff del Mar.
Invicta Dynamos continued their good work collecting for the Medway Foodbank with another promotional drive before their home game against Oxford City Stars.
On the ice, things didn’t get any easier for the Dynamos, as Oxford skated off with a 5-2 win – their second on the road this season.
A David Manning brace and goals from Josh Oliver, Dax Hedges and Joe Edwards sent the two points back to Oxpens Road, with Harrison Lillis and Anthony Leone getting the goals for Invicta.
Fists flew in the final minutes as Brandon Webster and Dale Buckland squared off with Olly Shone and Jack Hayes.
As a result Invicta stay in 6th position in league with Oxford in 7th and two points behind.
Results
Saturday 30 November
Solent Devils 6-4 Slough Jets
Cardiff Fire 3 Raiders Jnr 10
Haringey Huskies 7-4 Invicta Dynamos (Cup)
Bracknell Hornets 2-4 Streatham IHC
Sunday 1 December
Invicta Dynamos 2-5 Oxford City Stars
Streatham IHC 2-3 Solent Devils
Contact the author davidcarr_2@hotmail.com
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