LONDON, UK – After a difficult season in 2009/10, the Streatham Bruins have revamped their roster in a bid to change their fortunes.
With only one win last year, the Bruins management have worked hard over the summer to bring in fresh faces to the development team of the Streatham Hockey club.
The roster has undoubtedly been boosted by a number of Streatham Redskins players from last season dropping down to ENL 2. The lively Chris Wittenberg and battering ram Remy Boprey have switched to the Bruins, as has feisty defenseman Joe Weare and goalie James Tanner. Add in former Slough and Haringey player Alan Graichen, GB Women’s international Laura Price and defenseman Dan Botting and the team are at the very least more competitive.
The Bruins faced off their opening fixture at home to the Cardiff ENL 2 Devils this weekend in a fixture they comfortably lost last year. Boosted by current Redskins youngsters Casimir Madren-Britton and Rupe Quiney, the home side looked threatening from the first face off, but it was Cardiff who took the first period 1-0 through former Bristol forward Sam Hayman.
Wittenberg (Photo by Dave West)
The Bruins didn’t let their heads drop however and in the second period they came alive with Quiney latching onto a Madren-Britton pass to fire past Luke Takel on the power play. Quiney, who lined up alongside his father Pete in this game as the only father-son partnership in British League Hockey, scored his second to give the Bruins the lead with a smart finish from an acute angle after good work from Boprey.
The third period was always going to be close, but Quiney gave the Bruins some breathing space as he drifted through three Devils players before scoring and sealing his hat trick. Cardiff hit back and the game developed an edge, to the delight of the crowd. Devils forward Ben Brown and Bruins defenseman Weare dropped the gloves but the linesmen were quick to diffuse the situation and no real punches were thrown.
Joe Weare (Photo by Dave West)
The rest of the game passed without incident although it was heart warming to see hat trick hero Quiney step in to protect his father, after Quiney Senior took a particularly bad hit on the boards. The Bruins held on for a famous win that already equals their win record of last season.
One Bruins official described his team’s opener as the best possible start and a gutsy physical performance. Hat trick hero Quiney, who will be icing for the Redskins this weekend against Invicta, believes that every member of the team deserves credit:
“It is a common cliché, but it really was a team effort” said Quiney, who spent last season playing for Toronto Moose in Canada.
“Obviously I was thrilled to get a hat-trick but the real key to the victory was our defense” he added. “James Tanner was fantastic between the pipes and we kept our discipline in our own end, which was needed”
Streatham Bruins line-up: James Tanner (N/M), Sam Bolwell (N/M), Chris Wittenberg, Alan Graichen-Cunningham, Remy Boprey, Tom Aitken, Mark Fryer, Dan Botting, Joe Weare, Andre Ward, Tom Weare, Rupe Quiney, Laura Price, Casimir Madren-Britton, Alex Wegrzynek, Nick Templeman, Peter Quiney.
Contact the author david.carr@prohockeynews.com
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