UPDATES FROM THE ICE

With Pete Lewis

Chelmsford senior ice hockey made it a double winning weekend over the teams from Streatham as the Chieftains won 12-3 at home, while the Warriors picked up a 7-4 win in South London over the Bruins.

In a bad tempered match at the Riverside, Chieftains fell behind to the Redskins when Peter Molnar scored after 16 seconds. The Chieftains battled hard back into the game and 3 goals in the second half of the period ensured the Chieftains went into the first break 2 goals ahead.

The main talking point of the period though was the on-ice fracas between Ed Koral and Will Sanderson of the Redskins and Chieftains tough guys Andy Moffat and BT Williams after the period had ended. Williams ended up with a 2 min penalty for roughing, as did Sanderson who also picked up 10minute misconduct. Moffat took straight 10 minute misconduct for coming off the bench to join in the fracas which almost ended with a mass brawl between all the players on the ice. Moffat then spent the rest of the game eyeballing Sanderson from the bench who was clearly knocked off his game.

The second period began the same way the first one did with the Redskins scoring first, although this time round there was just a hint of controversy to the goal. The referee decided that the puck had gone in when the only thing that did was netminder Ben Clements. Clement was shoved into his goal up the on-rushing Louis Lockwood who ironically was credited with the goal.

What followed was a dominant display from the Chieftains who racked up 5 unanswered goals. During the period referee Ian Hayden began to lose control of the game and tried to stamp his authority on the game by sending Sean Easton and Alex Green to the penalty box on straight 10 minute penalties on the half hour mark.

This did little to calm things and as the third period began, the game turned into a fiery affair with incidents happening all over the ice with Williams being the main target for the Redskins. The game was over as contest, as the score had now reached 9-2 to the Essex side, when Williams finally snapped and lashed out with his stick at a Redskins player which warranted a straight match penalty. He later aimed his stick at the Redskins bench and had to be restrained by his fellow team mates.

Controversy then ensued as both him and Chieftains coach Dean Birrell tried to argue the call with the referee who then added on a 5+game penalty for refusing to leave the box. This meant the Chieftains would have to kill off a 10minute penalty and they did so with relative ease, while also picking up another goal including Danny Hammond’s first goal of a “natural hat trick” in the closing stages. That achievement rightly won Hammond his first man of the match award this season. After the game Birrell said that he didn’t condone the action of Williams, but said that the officials were partly to blame for letting the situation get out of hand.

Meanwhile in south London in Streatham the Warriors continued their good away form as they picked up a 7-4 win with under-18s star Henry Barnes picking up the man of the match award. Both sides return to action this Sunday as the Warriors welcome the Invicta Mustangs to the Riverside which faces off at 6:30, while the Chieftains go on a tricky away game to Oxford City Stars.