Image (C) Jo Loat
By Anthony Russell
13th-15th January
The weekend was a tough one for the Herd but one that saw the team come out smiling. However what about the rest of the NIHL National Division?
Friday:
The Friday Night Lights were on at The Hanger as the Bees took on Swindon in Slough. The Bees’ top players were firing on all cylinders early as the hosts raced to a 3-0 lead by the end of the opening frame as Brendan Walkom, Dominik Gabaj and Juha Lindgren all found the net. The Bees would extend the lead in the second as Harvey Stead would find the net to make it 4-0 by the 40 minute mark. With time ticking away in the third, it looked like the Bees were cruising to victory when out of nowhere, the Wildcats sprung to life. At 53.32, it was still 4-0 and by 57.07 it was 4-3 thanks to two goals from Colby Tower and a goal from Russell Cowley. The visitors smelt blood but an empty net goal from Walkom in the last minute made it 5-3 and kept the points with the Bees.
Saturday:
The following night saw the Bees try to build on Friday as they travelled to Milton Keynes. The Lightning scored first through Deivids Sarkanis before Brendan Walkom restored parity. Tom Carlon put the Lightning back in front and Hallden Barnes-Garner made it 3-1 before a late goal from Josh Smith made it 3-2 to end the first. Carlon made it 4-2 just seconds into the second but Will Stead’s goal made it 4-3 and again had the Lightning thinking they might not get away from the Bees. Sean Norris, fresh off his debut EIHL goal for Belfast the night before, made it 5-3. Alan Lack made it 5-4 and at that point, the Lightning had had enough. Zaine McKenzie, Ross Green and Sam Talbot made it 8-4 by the end of the middle frame and that was the game done. The teams played out the third with no additional scoring and the points firmly sitting with the Lightning.
Swindon meanwhile had a tough home tie with Sheffield to deal with. The scores were level at 2-2 after twenty minutes. Vlads Vulkanovs gave Sheffield an early lead, Russ Cowley and Chris Jones put the Wildcats ahead before Alex Graham netted. The Wildcats took the lead back in the second as Colby Tower and Aaron Nell made it 4-2 before things went mad in the third. Vulkanovs second of the night followed by goals for Tomasz Malasinski and a second from Tower made it 6-3 with just under 10 minutes to play. Then just like Swindon had done the night before, Sheffield did it to Swindon. Jordan Buesa and two goals from Alex Graham inside the last 8 minutes tied the game at 6-6. The game went all the to the shootout where Renny Marr did the business in net as Malasinski, Jones and Tower all found the net to see the game finish 7-6 to the Wildcats.
There were more goals in the South West as Bristol and Romford met in BS10. The Raiders had the better start as Alex Roberts and Blahoslav Novak helped them to a 2-0 lead. Nik Coric got one back before the end of the first and then goals in the second from Caly Robertson and Owen Sobchak had the Pitbulls ahead 3-2 after 40 mins. The third saw momentum swing back and forth. Roberts’ second of the night tied the game at 3-3 before goals from Coric, Sylvester, Sobchak and Roberts’ hatrick goal made it 5-5 with 5.17 to play. Coric’s hattirck goal and a goal from Bayley Harewood made it 7-5 to the Pitbulls which may thought would be enough but a goal from Matthieu Gomercic made it 7-6 with 3.41 left on the clock. However the Raiders could find no way back and the Pitbulls won the gunfight 7-6.
It was first vs second in Leeds as they welcomed the Phantoms. Brad Bowering gave Peterborough the early lead and though Cole Shudra got Leeds on the board, Martins Susters made it 2-1. In the second the Phantoms pulled away from the Knights as two more goals from Susters and a goal from Duncan Speirs made it 5-1. However Leeds are top for a reason. Mac Howlett, Zack Brooks and Kieran Brown found the net in the third making it 5-4 with 34 seconds to go but it wasn’t enough as the Phantoms took the points.
Sunday:
The Phantoms and the Knights took their battle to Peterborough and the first saw a reverse of the night before. Leeds had the lead at the end of the first as Kieran Brown and Grant Cooper, in his final game for the Knights had the hosts in front over a goal from Tom Norton. However Peterborough when focussed are deadly. Martins Susters tied the game in the second and in the third the Phantoms ground the game out. Ralfs Circenis scored with 9.43 to go and the Phantoms held the Knights at bay to take maximum points from the weekend.
To finish their home and home series, the Raiders and Pitbulls did battle in Romford. Mikey Power and Morgan Clarke-Pizzo traded goals in the first before the teams traded goals again in the second. Alex Roberts’ two goals were cancelled out by Caly Robertson and Nik Coric to have the game at 3-3 with 20 minutes to play. In the third, Brandon Ayliffe and a second from Clarke-Pizzo had the game at 4-4 but goals from Blahoslav Novak and a second of the night from Power say the Raiders take the 6-4 win and a split of the points across the weekend.
After their penalty shot close encounter in Swindon, the Steeldogs hoped for better as the Wildcats visited Ice Sheffield. It wasn’t to be for the hosts as they got stung by a Tomasz Malasinski hattrick opposite a lone goal from Jon Kirk. Jordan Buesa got the Dogs within one in the second but two goals from Aaron Nell made it 5-2 to Swindon by the end of the second. There was no letting up from the Wildcats in the third as Reed Sayers and Chris Jones compounded the misery and the points headed back to Swindon thanks to the 7-2 win.
After losing in Basingstoke, the Telford Tigers need a win at home against the MK Lightning. Liam Stewart put the visitors ahead in the first. Vladimir Luka responded in the second to make it 1-1. Bobby Chamberlain made it 2-1 and though a shorthander from Luka made it 2-2, Ross Green’s powerplay strike gave the Lightning back their lead. Stewart’s third period goal was enough to push the Lightning over the line and condemn the Tigers to a zero point weekend.
Anthony Russell is the writer of Banners On The Wall (http://bannersonthewall.wordpress.com) which has covered the Bison and British hockey for the last 11 years. He hosts the BOTW What’s Current Stream, the NIHL’s live show for news and views, Wednesday night at 8pm at Twitter.com/BannersOTW
