Weekend 16-18th September
By Anthony Russell
The Planet Ice National Division officially got itself underway under the bright lights of Peterborough last Friday night as the Phantoms welcomed the Bees. Lukas Sladkovsky scored the first goal of the 2022/23 season to make it 1-0 before Brendan Walkom tied the scores. Glenn Billing made it 2-1 on the powerplay and his second of the night made it 3-1 in the 13th minute but a strike from Juha Lindgren made it 3-2 at the first break. The Bees levelled things up in the second through Stuart Mogg but an unassisted powerplay goal from Will Weldon gave the hosts the lead heading into the third. Austin Mitchell-King scored on the man advantage then repeated the feat with just over 10 minutes to go to made it 6-3 and despite losing Joe Gretton to a match penalty, the hosts took the first win of the season.
Champions Telford faced a tough opening night as they travelled to the highly fancied Leeds Knights. The free scoring Yorkshire side were up to their tricks early as Kieran Brown scored after 63 seconds and Grant Cooper doubled the lead in the third minutes. Not to be outdone, the Tigers were level by the 10 minute mark as Vladimir Luka and Brodie Jesson found the net but a second of the night from Cooper and a first Knights goal for Matt Haywood made it 4-2 at the first break. Cooper completed his hattrick in the 24th minute to make it 5-2 before a second for Luka made it 5-3 after two periods. Dan Mulcahy brought the visitors to within one as he tipped home a Luka shot but goals from Cole Shudra and Browns’ second of the night rounded off a 7-4 win for the Knights to start their season.
It was a repeat of the 2022 playoff final to start the season in Milton Keynes as the Lightning welcomed the Sheffield Steeldogs. It was the playoff winners who had the lead first as Jason Hewitt opened the scoring. Jordan Hedley saved a penalty shot before Liam Stewart tied the score late in the first and the former WHL player would get his second just 12 seconds into the middle frame. The Dogs rarely go quietly and Lee Bonner restored parity at 2-2 just over a minute later. The teams kept up the battle and the intensity through the second and into the third. The Dogs would take the lead as Matt Bissonnette fed Bonner for his second of the night but with a late powerplay and the goalie pulled, Sean Norris tied the score at 3-3. The game headed into overtime and the home fans would have a celebratory disco as Stewart completed his hattrick to claim the extra point for MK.
In their first game at National Division level, Bristol welcomed the Raiders to the Dog Pen in BS10. Having missed all of pre-season, Canadian Owen Sobchak wasted no time getting into action putting the Pitbulls in front but his opener was cancelled out by Adam Laishram’s strike. Reece Kelly scored his first goal on his return to British hockey to give the hosts a lead early in the second but again Laishram would cancel out the Pitbulls lead to make it 2-2. The Raiders would get their first lead of the night just before the halfway mark through Blahoslav Novak but a second of the night from Sobchak less than two minutes later made it 3-3. With time running down in the middle frame, Erik Piatak would find the net at 39.56 to give the visitors a lead heading into the break. Bristol looked for an answer in the third but the Raiders stood resolute. Will Kerlin was pulled for the extra attacker but Sean Easton’s men held on to take the points back to Essex.
Hull were faced with the unenviable task of a first game in Seahawks’ history being away at Swindon. It did not go well. A goal on his senior debut for Jamie Smith opened the floodgates. Floyd Taylor and Chris Jones made it 3-0 by the end of the first and the Wildcats didn’t lift their foot off the gas. Reed Sayers, Tomasz Malasinski and Balint Pakodzi all scored in the second period to make it 6-0 after 40 minutes before the indignity really set in during the final frame. Colby Tower got his first goal in British hockey before Edgars Bebris added a shorthanded goal to make it 8-0. A second of the night from Malasinski, a second of the night from Jones and two from Jack Goodchild rounded out the scoring. The final buzzer sounded on a 12-0 win for Swindon, leaving the Seahawks with a long flight home.
Hull would look to rebound on Sunday evening, retiring the jersey of popular former Hull player Jereme Tendler to open a new era of National Division hockey in the East Riding. The visitors were the MK Lightning who were in no mood to allow their hosts an enjoyable night. Sam Talbot got the first for MK before Hull born forward Bobby Chamberlain made it 2-0 and goals from Leigh Jamieson and Sean Norris made it 4-0 at the first buzzer. Liam Stewart tapped in on the powerplay to make it 5-0 before a second of the night from Chamberlain made it 6-0. Callum Field added the Lightning’s 7th in the third period before two goals in quick succession from Stewart secured his hattrick and a 9-0 away win.
If the above game was a free scoring affair, this one was a much closer run thing. Sheffield welcomed Swindon to Ice Sheffield and the teams went toe to toe for nearly two periods before the puck hit the net. It was the visitors who got the go ahead goal through Tomasz Malasinski with just 61 seconds left in the second. Chris Jones got a powerplay goal with about seven minutes gone in the third to double the lead, an assist on the goal tallying Aaron Nell’s 1000th point as a Wildcat. We can only congratulate him on that. Jones’ second of the night put the game beyond the Steeldogs and gave Swindon a 3-0 and a perfect start to the season with back to back shutouts and 15 goals in two games.
Telford looked to get back on track against the Raiders at home and Rhodes Mitchell-King helped them on their way, scoring after just 18 seconds with Vladimiar Luka doubling the lead inside 8 minutes. Caly Robertson got the Pitbulls on the scoreboard before Finley Howells restored the Tigers’ two goal lead in the 11th minute. The teams would trade goals early in the second; Howells would get his second of the night, Owen Sobchak would find the net before Luka scored twice to complete his hattrick and make it 6-2 at the halfway stage of the game. Robertson would then score on the powerplay for Bristol to make it 6-3 but a Nick Oliver goal inside the last minute of the frae made it 7-3 at the second buzzer. The game was ill tempered in the third with numerous skirmishes and a first goal in Bristol colours for Alex Roberts but that was all she wrote, meaning Telford hung on for the 7-4 victory.
In Essex, the Raiders and Knights met knowing one of the sides who won on Saturday would have a perfect weekend. The hosts took the lead in the 12th minute through Blahoslav Novak but a goal from Cole Shudra had the score level at 1-1 at the break. Grant Cooper scored just moments into the second period to give the Knights the lead and a Matt Haywood goal in the 36th minute made it 3-1 to the visitors. Shudra added his second of the night with a powerplay goal 12 minutes from time and the Knights pressed on. Archie Hazeldine and Kieran Brown found the net to make it 6-1. Jake Sylvester’s goal would take some gloss off the scoreline but it was a comfortable 6-2 win for Leeds as the final buzzer sounded.
