Streatham safe between the pipes

LONDON, UK – London based Streatham Redskins announce their netminding line up for 2010/11 with one new signing and two returnees.

 
Head Coach Barry Spours was keen to ensure strength in depth for what is a specialised position on the team, and has signed a trio of goalies who are all capable of taking the starter role. Will Sanderson, Shane Kemp and Stefan Nubert are the men tasked with standing between the pipes for the Redskins this coming season.
 
With three strong goalies to choose from, Spours (who was a goalie himself in his heyday) is keen to have options ahead of what will be a gruelling fixture list:
 
“I am pleased to bring back Will and Stefan to the team, and equally happy that we have managed to secure the return of Shane from Invicta” said Spours. “It ensures competition for the starting place along with depth in case of injuries”
 
Will Sanderson began 2009/10 season as number one goalie, and was a revelation for the Skins. The former Slough stopper had his season cruelly cut short through a persistent knee injury, and was ordered to rest up by Spours for the last two months of the campaign. He finished the season with an 88% save average, but this would have been far higher had he not been exposed to so many shots (over a thousand in only 21 games). Only bottom placed Peterborough’s goalie Simon Wren faced more rubber in the year, which is something the Redskins Coach is well aware of:
 
“Last season was a particularly difficult season for us when it came to goalkeeping, as we lost two fantastic goalies due to injury for large parts of the season” said Spours.
 
“When I look back I am still somewhat amazed as to how unlucky we were losing firstly James Tanner to a knee injury, and then watching Will Sanderson struggle through the season with a similar knee injury and then low and behold Sam Bolwell suffering a nasty cartilage injury to her knee in the dying days of the season,
 
“Having suffered a similar knee injury myself in recent times, I have become somewhat of an expert in the field. I do find myself wondering if the current style of Hybrid Butterfly technique is the cause of all the strain on goalies knees, but then this has always been a hazard of the job to some extent along with the obligatory puck damage inflicted on goalies by wild shooting, and if that’s not enough, the crash the net tactics employed by some teams adds to hazard of the position,
 
“We clearly need to do more to protect our goalies this coming season both in respect to numbers of shots conceded but also vitally to protection in front of our own net. “
 
Shane Kemp is no stranger to Redskins fans having iced in Streatham colours in the 2008/09 season. The former Romford junior brings his East London swagger back to the High Road after picking up a league winner’s medal with Invicta Dynamos last season. During his title winning campaign in Kent, Kemp shared duties between the pipes with Joe White and finished with a 91% save average. Spours has nothing but praise for the new arrival:
 
“The return of Shane Kemp is a fantastic coup for the team” admits the Streatham Coach. “He is very much the Butterfly goalie, very quick and agile, and playing on sheer adrenaline he is a very exciting goalie to watch. Shane put up some impressive numbers at Invicta last season, and the fans will remember well his heroics from the 2008/09 season here at Streatham”
 
Stefan Nubert started 2009/10 as the Redskins third choice goalie but got his opportunity to shine towards the end of the season. With Sanderson and James Tanner injured, Nubert featured in 11 games and finished with an 85% save average. Originally a junior at Cardiff, Nubert has had spells with Haringey Greyhounds and Lee Valley Lions, along with a brief appearance in the Elite League with Edinburgh Capitals.
 
“Stefan had a fantastic season last year, and his time in the Bruins (Streatham’s second string) allowed him to gain valuable game time achieving an impressive 91% save average” said Spours. “He faced a staggering 74 shots against per game, which inevitably meant that when called up to the Redskins, he played with great confidence ,and at a time when the team started to come together we had a great deal of success with him in the nets,
 
“Stef’s is a big presence between the pipes, his height and size allows him to play a more positional and upright style which really worked to our advantage in many key games”
 
Streatham are also likely to register the talented GB Inline goalie James Tanner, who has been recovering from injury and is reportedly keen to resume his on ice career with the club.
  Contact the author: david.carr@prohockeynews.com