1984/85 Season - Heineken Division 1

Lee Valley Lions' first season had started with plenty of action off the ice when a meeting of Division 1 clubs, chaired by BIHA President, Fred Meredith, was held at Solihull in June to discuss the format for the upcoming season. There was a move to upgrade the 11-team 1983-84 division by removing the weaker sides and those without 'proper' facilities. But this foundered as the majority agreed to accept all the teams back.

They also agreed to expansion after applications had been submitted by Lee Valley, Rochdale and Sheffield. In the end, only Lee Valley made it to the face-off circle as plans to convert an old cotton mill in Rochdale fell through, and Mecca were not able to give Sheffield the backing the club felt it needed to make the jump from Division 2.

A gentle opening to their schedule saw the Lions win their first four games and set all the early pace. But on December 16 a visit from Solihull, billed as a 'top of the table clash,' turned into a rout as Barons shattered Lions 17-2 behind Chuck Taylor's score of 6+6. The Lions went on to win only four of their remaining ten games. Nevertheless, it was a satisfactory first season for the Lions, the key to which was undoubtedly outstanding Finnish netminder, Vesa Pennanen, who finished as the division's leading goalie. Overall it wasn't a good year for Division 1. The disparity between the leading and lesser sides was much in evidence throughout, and many of the scorelines were ridiculous, with the 20-goal mark being reached on 20 occasions - 18 per cent of the total schedule!

Thanks goes to Martin Isaac at eurohockey.net for the info used on this page.

GP = Games played
W = Won
L = Lost
T = Tie
GF = Goals For
GA = Goals Against
PTS = Points