New coach announced

The Lee Valley Lions are pleased to announce the return of former net-minder George Alley as Head Coach this season. A founder member of both the junior club and the current Lions team, George has spent the last two seasons playing for London Raiders, having previously spent his entire playing career in Lee Valley colours. He also coached Chelmsford Cobras through their 2015/16 season.

Alongside playing, George has been in charge of the club’s goalie development since 2010, also coaching the club’s under 18s from 2013-15 and overseeing Lee Valley’s first conference and junior international goalies.

Alley said, “It’s great to be back with Lee Valley, although I haven’t really gone far, having been in the same rink with the Raiders the last two years. With (brother and captain) Nick being involved, I’ve always kept an eye on the team’s progress, but to be offered the opportunity to carry on where Gary Dodds left off is a real honour. I was brought up nearby and spent more time than I probably should have at the rink. I can’t wait to get started. The team has a good core of players and a great camaraderie on and off the ice and it’s so important to maintain that.”

The Lions will be hosting open scrimmages at Lee Valley Ice Centre every Tuesday from the 7th of June until July.

Cost is £10 per player and each session starts at 8:15pm.

We will be announcing more player signings in the near future.

Gary Dodds bids us farewell

After coaching the Lions for the past three seasons Gary Dodds has announced that he is making a return to Alexandra Palace, where he will be mainly playing rec hockey. Gary lives only a mile away and spent ten seasons playing for Haringey, so his departure is understandable. He said, “I’m proud to have been part of the Lions’ team collective and have fond memories, even being swept away 16-0 by Peterborough with a 7-man team!”  We wish Gary all the best for the future and thank him for all the time and hard work he’s spent developing the Lions.

Discussions are currently taking place with a potential new coach and any news will be posted as soon as we have it.

Help your team and watch games for free

We are looking for volunteers to help on game days for the following:

Announcer
Scorer
Penalty box
Goal judge x 2

No experience necessary as you’ll be shown the ropes. If you volunteer as announcer, scorer or help in the penalty box you get a great view of the game. In return for helping the Lions you’ll get free entry to every game. If you’re interested please contact Eddie Joseph on 07958 743680 or send an email via the Contact Us page.