Lee Valley Lions -v- Bracknell Hornets
08/10/05 (Lose 2-6)

Stefan Nubert (G)
Owen Murphy
Billy Whitney
Daniel Sampson
Ian Courtney
Graham Bellamy
Scott Beeson
Kevin Murphy
Nick Braithwaite (A)
Richard Hodge
Mark Swaine
Jack Coyston
Romanas Fedotovas (I)
Paul O'Neill
Ben Osborne
Darren Wakeling (C)
James Scott-Joseph
Rob Courtman

James Skaife (G)
Tim Stead
Tony Barclay
Matt Ovenen
Dan Cox
Gavin Jackson
Brian Clark
Chris Beauclerk
Michael Doble
Craig Tribe
Ian Clark
Lee Hardy (G)
Carl Graham

Additional Comments:

The first period saw a gutsy performance from the Lions with evidence of better passing and more confidence than in recent weeks. Making his debut for the team was Rob Courtman, an ex-Haringey Greyhound with speed on his side. Nonetheless, it was the Bracknell Hornets who set up an early lead with a goal at 07:40 from Carl Graham, assisted by Craig Tribe. James Skaife made a superb save a few minutes later and denied the Lions a chance of equalising before the end of the first period.

The second period began with the Lions benefiting from two Hornets languishing in the sin bin. One shot fired went wide and the opportunity of being five on three was wasted. Stefan Nubert soon faced a frenzy of Hornets' shots, all of which were rapidly deflected. Something had to give and 32:52 marked the time of Bracknell's second goal, scored by Tony Barclay from a seemingly impossible angle.

The Lions hit back less than a minute later by scoring their first goal, courtesy of Dan Sampson (assisted by Ben Osborne and Darren Wakeling). To the fans' delight this was swiftly followed by a power play goal at 36:46, again scored by Dan and assisted by Ben. At 2-2 the Lions were no longer playing catch-up and optimism for the first win of the season was definitely in the air.

The Hornets, however, were quick to seek revenge. They scored a weak third goal at 39:10, taking advantage of Kevin Murphy's visit to the sin bin by opening a hole in the Lions' defence. Netminder Stefan Nubert fell, allowing the puck to trickle into the net, but it transpired that he'd actually sustained an injury.

The second period continued with the Lions and the Hornets equally determined to stamp their authority on the game. With a minute left the Hornets broke away and looked certain to score but Stefan held his ground and their opportunity was thwarted. The period ended with the Hornets' Brian Clark receiving a penalty for Interference at 40:00, allowing the Lions to head into the last period with a power play advantage.

The Lions did not take advantage of the situation, so it was left to the Bracknell Hornets to show how it's done. With Mark Swaine and Romanas Fedotovas in the penalty box the Hornets were left to run rings round the remaining Lions and a cracking slapshot from Ian Clark secured their fourth goal at 46:29.

By now the Lions' heads seemed to have dropped along with their stamina, leaving the Hornets to score a rather soft fifth goal at 47:58 and a messy sixth less than a minute later. By this time Stefan Nubert's injury became apparent, but with back-up netminder George Alley playing away with the Under 19s Stefan opted to continue, players and fans of both teams applauding as he returned to his feet.

The dying minutes of the game saw Nick Braithwaite and James Scott-Joseph make great attempts to score for the Lions, but both efforts were followed by penalties called against other team members. Trouble had been brewing in the last period and tempers finally got the better of both teams just one second from the end of the match. Two sets of opposing players engaged in fisticuffs, resulting in 2+2 Roughing penalties handed out to everyone involved.

Netminder Stefan said of the Lions' performance, "We can play together and we can play well. We did play well for two periods on Saturday and have done so in past games too, it's just going to take time for things to work and lines to gel fully."

Referee was Szucs, Linesmen were Holtham and Hiscock.