ATLASVILLE, SOUTH AFRICA – On Sunday 12th September 2010 the Wildcats took on the Scorpions. The Scorpions were back to full strength for the match with the return of their defensive leader David Watson and forward Damian Cardoso who were both returning from injuries. Watson is still not 100% as the tendons in his arm that were severed in an accident have still to get stronger and there is still some work to do. Cardoso, who broke his leg has recovered a lot quicker than expected and has started playing again; he is also not 100% but still showed that he has the speed and determination to give any defence in the country something to think about when he skates down on them.
Wildcats however, looked a very depleted team for the first time this season with a few of their players out for the this game. Byron Rothquel, their 2nd line defence man injured his shoulder in their last game so he is out for a few weeks.
The first period started out at a good pace with the first opportunity falling to Scorpions. A minute later, Wildcats forward Jack Valadas blasted down the left and with a great move, put the puck under the Scorpions defencemans’ stick and let a wrist shot go which flew into the top corner over the helpless Berger in goal. 5 minutes later and Wildcats strike again, A great one two with Engelbrecht and Valadas ended up with a pass out front to Lyon who calmly put the puck between Bergers’ legs. 2-0 to Wildcats. With 4 minutes left in the period, the Scorpions speedster Cardoso broke down the right wing, as he hit the hash marks he let a slap shot go which beat Bock under arm on the blocker side and flew into the far corner of the net. The period ended 2-1 in favor of the Wildcats.
The second period started with the Wildcats on the power play with 1 minute left of the penalty. It didn’t take long for them to restore their two goal lead as with just 25 seconds gone, Valadas once again beat Berger over the shoulder and blasted the puck in the top shelf; 3-1 Wildcats. Valadas struck again to make the game 4-1 at the end of the second period.
The third period started with a very tired Wildcats team playing defensive hockey. Their small bench made it very difficult to keep up with the Scorpions team when they started skating as they had a full bench. Cardoso who was playing high as a cherry picker got a long pass that beat the zone trap set by the Wildcats. He got the breakaway and beat Bock with a deké to make it 4-2. However this seemed to spur the Wildcats on as they put 2 quick goals past Berger. The Scorpions were applying pressure but Bock was holding firm and making some big saves when it counted. The Wildcats forward powerplay line of Ashworth, Rodgers, Lyon, Valadas and Engelbrecht were caught unaware and Cardoso once again got a breakaway down the right wing. Once again he let a slap shot fly and this time beat Bock at the near post. Wildcats however had one more up their sleeve and the score ended 7-3 including 5 goals for the Wildcats scored by Valadas who finished with 7 points for the game.
Stars of the match went to:
Wildcats : Bruce Rodgers D
Scorpions: Trevor Jones F
Rodgers, who returned from a long lay off from the game proved to be a key player in their win. He has represented South Africa at all levels and was one of the top defenders in the country for a long time. The Wildcats now seem to be playing as a unit since acquiring a coach and a few new players.
Now the build up begins to the much anticipated SA championships. This will be a good test for the teams representing Gauteng (Johannesburg and Pretoria Regions) as the tournament has been won by the Western Province for the last 2 consecutive years. They are normally a strong side as they are represented by a number of foreigners who live and work in Cape Town and by the local contingent of National Team players from the Western Province Region.
We look forward to seeing who will walk away as SA Champs this year.
Contact: gary.bock@prohockeynews.com
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