Lee Valley Lions

After six matches of this season’s NIHL South 2 (Wilkinson) campaign, the Lee Valley Lions were still looking for their first win as they welcomed the Solent Devils to the Den. The corresponding fixture in Gosport last month was won 13-4 by a Devils side that played the last five seasons in NIHL South 1 before moving down in the summer, so the Lions could expect yet another tough game in what has been a difficult season so far.

The Lions welcomed back Samuel Awoyemi and Brett Shepherd, the latter making his first senior start between the pipes in this game after playing 30 minutes in the away fixture against the same opponents. Lee Valley were missing injured trio Ben Duffy, Michael Crosse and Jordan Turner, as well as Ben Gillingham, Lee Hounslow and Robyn Maby, making a total of 13 skaters plus netminding duo Shepherd and James Andrew. Solent brought 14 skaters to Lee Valley as well as netminders Christian Cole and Aaron Taylor.

1st Period: One of Lee Valley’s issues this season has been starting games slowly, and this reared its ugly head again as Drew Campbell (2:56, assisted Alex Murray and William Crossley) put Solent ahead inside the first three minutes with Lions captain Nick Alley sitting two minutes for kneeing. Less than two minutes later, the Devils doubled their advantage with Rhys McCormick (4:39, assisted Daniel Shier) finishing past Shepherd in the Lee Valley net. The next ten minutes or so saw the Lions defending somewhat better, but unable to exert much sustained pressure on Taylor in the Solent net.

The Devils then made the Lions pay for a defensive breakdown as Richard Facey (13:19, assisted Alexander Cole) batted down a wayward lofted pass out of the Lee Valley zone and raced in on the breakaway to finish past Shepherd. And two more goals were to follow in the period as the Devils started to show their superior quality; first Christopher Hocquigny (17:47, assisted Mark Pitts) scored past Shepherd from a tight angle, and then McCormick (19:28, assisted Campbell and Facey) grabbed his second of the night with just 32 seconds left in the period. As the buzzer sounded, the Devils were leading 5-0 and had put 25 shots on young Shepherd, compared to the six that the Lions managed at the other end.

2nd Period: Solent captain Alex Cole had taken a holding penalty right on the buzzer at the end of period one, so the Lions started the second period on the powerplay. The home side were not able to capitalise on this, however, as the Devils smartly killed the penalty. A few minutes later saw the Lions scoring their first goal of the game, bringing the scoreline back to 5-1; Matthew Hamilton (24:21, assisted Chris Fox) ghosted into the Devils zone to follow up on a rebound after Chris Fox had shot, and the defenceman managed to fire the puck past Taylor in the Solent net.

The following six minutes then saw Shepherd making several fantastic saves in the Lions net to prevent Solent from grabbing a goal, while the Lions once again struggled to create concrete chances at the other end of the ice. The 31^st minute saw Solent’s Daniel Shier sit two for tripping, but this was cancelled but 44 seconds later as Robin Young was called for holding. No goals came from either of these penalties, and it looked like possibly being a goalless period for Solent until Facey (37:14, assisted Murray) scored his second of the night with 2:46 left in the period. The second period ended with the Devils 6-1 up, and again dominating the shot count: they put 27 on Shepherd, while the Lions could only manage seven on Taylor.

3rd Period: The final period started off with the Devils yet again pressuring Shepherd in the Lions net, but the 17 year old continued to frustrate them, flashing the leather to deny them on several occasions. However in the 45^th minute, Lions forward Matt Brown was called for tripping, and the Devils made it 7-1 on the resultant powerplay, Alexander Trendall (45:09, assisted A. Cole) breaking the Lions’ resistance. The next few minutes saw Solent show some poor discipline, with first Pitts and then A. Cole sitting two minutes each for holding. This gave the Lions over a minute of 5-on-3 powerplay time, but they were unable to convert – and indeed not long after Pitts had left the box to make it 5-on-4, Solent scored a shorthanded goal as Kieran Annis (51:16, assisted Pitts and Facey) made it 8-1.

A four minute powerplay would follow for the Lions not long after, as Alexander Trendall received a 2+2+10 for butt-ending. The Lions bagged their second goal of the evening on this man advantage, Fox (53:18, assisted Oliver Glover and Robin Young) firing past Taylor to bring the game back to 2-8. Yet things went sour again for the home side soon after, as both Facey (54:13, assisted Campbell) and Murray (54:29, unassisted) scored shorthanded goals 16 seconds apart to put the Devils 10-2 up. And the Devils put two more past a tired Lions side in the last 1:26 of the game, Hocquigny (58:34, assisted Facey and A. Cole) completing his brace and Facey (59:41, assisted Shier) getting his fourth of the night, as the Devils won the game with a final score of 12-2.

It was yet another tough game for the Lions against a strong team, as the more experienced Devils overwhelmed the East London side and ran out deserved winners. As in many Lions games this season, one positive to take from the game was between the pipes; while it is usually James Andrew’s heroics keeping Lee Valley in games, this time it was 17 year old Brett Shepherd who made 60 saves on his first senior start and kept the scoreline from being even higher. Opposite number Aaron Taylor faced 22 shots in total. The Man of the Match award for the Lions went to Chris Fox, who had 1+1 on the night, while Solent’s Rhys McCormick took home the award for his side.

GAME STATS

Final Score: Lee Valley Lions 2-12 Solent Devils

Period Scores: 0-5/1-1/1-6

Shots: Lee Valley 22-72 Solent (6-25/7-27/9-20)

Penalty Minutes: Lee Valley 6-22 Solent

Scorers: Lee Valley – Chris Fox (1+1), Matthew Hamilton (1+0), Oliver Glover (0+1), Robin Young (0+1)

Solent – Richard Facey (4+3), Drew Campbell (1+2), Alex Murray (1+2), Alexander Cole (0+3), Rhys McCormick (2+0), Christopher Hocquigny (2+0), Mark Pitts (0+2), Daniel Shier (0+2), Alexander Trendall (1+0), Kieran Annis (1+0), William Crossley (0+1)

Goaltenders: Solent – Aaron Taylor (60:00 played, 22 shots/2 goals against)

Lee Valley – Brett Shepherd (60:00 played, 72 shots/12 goals against)

Man of the Match – Chris Fox (Lee Valley), Rhys McCormick (Solent)

The Lions’ next game is away to the Slough Jets on Saturday 11^th November, followed by a home game the very next day against the Haringey Huskies on Sunday 12^th November.

Face off in Berkshire is at 6:00pm, whilst face at Lea Bridge Road is at 5:30pm.

You can keep up to date with the Lions on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag #LeeValleyLions.

Lions Overpowered in Cardiff

The Lee Valley Lions travelled to Wales still in search of their first win of the season, as they took on the Cardiff Fire at Ice Arena Wales. It was the Lions’ first trip to Cardiff since September 2013.

The Lions welcomed back Ben Gillingham and Oliver Glover, and gave a debut to new signing Matthew Hamilton. Missing were Ben Duffy, Brett Shepherd, Lee Hounslow, Matt Brown, Robin Young and Robyn Maby. That gave Lee Valley 14 skaters plus netminder James Andrew. The Fire were able to ice a full roster of 20 skaters and two netminders. Nine of their roster had won the NIHL South 2 (West) league title with the Fire last campaign.

1st Period: Cardiff started the game quickly, playing an aggressive brand of hockey and using their size well. They took an early lead as Ben Smith (2:02, assisted Jordan Baber and Robert Sedlak) put them ahead with just over two minutes played. The Lions were then unable to capitalise on an elbowing penalty against Cardiff captain Alan Armour, but were able to get back into the game just shy of the ten minute mark. Michael Crosse (9:44, assisted Nick Alley) buried a rebound to tie the game at 1-1 after Lions captain Nick Alley drove down the left flank and released a shot that Fire netminder Lewis Davies could only parry into Crosse’s path.

Cardiff regained the lead with just under five minutes left in the period, Rhys Harding (15:36, assisted Sedlak and Armour) putting the puck past James Andrew. The rest of the period saw the Lions successfully kill their first penalty of the game, as Simon Jones sat for hooking, and the two sides went into the first break with the Welsh side leading 2-1. The Lions outshot their hosts 12-9 in the period.

2nd Period: The second period started with a bang as Cardiff’s Elliott Murdoch and Lee Valley’s Chris Fox both sat 2+2+2 for slashing and roughing at 21:48. The Fire then managed to extend their lead to 3-1 as Ryan Banwell (26:37, assisted Baber and Morgan Evans) fired past Andrew in the Lions net. The next ten minutes mostly passed without incident before Michael Hutchings of the Fire sat 2 minutes for boarding. The Lions were unable to use the resultant powerplay and, as Hutchings returned to the ice, he set up Sedlak (39:27, assisted Hutchings) who made it 4-1 to the home side.

With just one second remaining in the second period, Fire forward Elliott Murdoch was tossed from the game on a match penalty, meaning the Lions would have almost five minutes of powerplay time to start the final period. The second period ended 4-1 to the hosts, with the shots equal at 17 apiece.

3rd Period: Starting period 3 on the powerplay, the Lions were unable to find their way past a disciplined Fire penalty kill; and a bench minor for too many men at 42:58 killed the Lions’ momentum. On the resulting 4-on-4 period of play, Fire extended their lead to 5-1 as Hutchings (44:25, assisted Harding and Stephen Deacon) scored past Andrew.

The last ten minutes saw the Fire adding two more goals to win the game 7-1; first Banwell (53:16, assisted Ross Wilkinson) bagged his second of the game and then Baber (58:45, assisted Morgan Evans) completed the scoring just over a minute from time. Sandwiched in between was a cross-checking penalty to Lions captain Nick Alley which was successfully killed off.

As the final buzzer sounded, the hosts could celebrate a 7-1 win over a Lions side that once again gave a good account of themselves but fell short against bigger, more physical opponents with a larger bench. For the Lions, Michael Crosse created several good chances before having to leave the game with a concussion following a hit. Jordan Turner also re-aggravated an injury to complete a tough night for the East London side. One positive for the Lions was in net, as James Andrew once again put in a strong performance, earning the man of the match award – already his third such award this season.

GAME STATS

Final Score: Cardiff Fire 7-1 Lee Valley Lions

Period Scores: 2-1/2-0/3-0

Shots: Cardiff 41-40 Lee Valley (9-12/17-17/15-11)

Penalty Minutes: Cardiff 35-12 Lee Valley

Scorers: Cardiff – Robert Sedlak (1+2), Jordan Baber (1+2), Ryan Banwell (2+0), Michael Hutchings (1+1), Rhys Harding (1+1), Morgan Evans (0+2), Ben Smith (1+0), Stephen Deacon (0+1), Alan Armour (0+1), Ross Wilkinson (0+1)

Lee Valley – Michael Crosse (1+0), Nick Alley (0+1)

Goaltenders: Cardiff – Lewis Davies (60:00 played, 40 shots/1 goal against)

Lee Valley – James Andrew (60:00 played, 41 shots/7 goals against)

Man of the Match – James Andrew (Lee Valley)

Courageous Lions Downed by Peterborough

Less than 24 hours after defeat in Cardiff, the Lee Valley Lions hosted the Peterborough Phantoms on home ice on Sunday. Peterborough – previously known as the Islanders – dominated the league last season, winning the “Treble” of the NIHL South 2 (East) league title, NIHL South 2 Cup and NIHL South 2 Playoffs. So it was sure to be another difficult game for coach George Alley’s side.

The Lions welcomed back Matt Brown and Robin Young who missed the trip to Cardiff, while new signing Matthew Hamilton made his home debut. Missing for Lee Valley were Ben Duffy, Brett Shepherd, Jordan Turner, Lee Hounslow, Michael Crosse and Samuel Awoyemi – with both Turner and Crosse having been injured the previous night. That gave Lee Valley 13 skaters plus netminding duo James Andrew and Robyn Maby. The Phantoms brought a full roster of 20 skaters plus netminder Dan Lane – an almost identical lineup to the all-conquering Islanders side of the previous season.

1st Period: The Phantoms came out quickly and aggressively, as was to be expected from a team riding high in the league, and tested Lions netminder James Andrew several times early on. But they struggled to find a way through Lee Valley’s defenses despite a lot of pressure. The Lions were able to counter a few times but could not create any concrete chances of their own. The game turned on one penalty against Peterborough; with Jack Sansby in the box for slashing, Peterborough achieved the rare feat of scoring three shorthanded goals on the same Lions powerplay, to put themselves 3-0 up. Nathan Pollard (7:59, assisted Craig Wallis), a second for N. Pollard (8:13, assisted Conor Pollard) and a further goal for James Pentecost (8:53, assisted Shaun Yardley) did the damage.

It was at this point that Lions coach George Alley called a timeout, and this seemed to calm his side down. They were able to prevent the Phantoms from scoring any more goals in the period, and with just over two minutes left until the first break, they got themselves back in the game as Ross Sin-Hidge (17:43, assisted Matt Brown) fired past Lane in the Peterborough net. The first period ended with the home side 3-1 down, but still in the game.

2nd Period: It took only six seconds of period 2 for the Lions to score their second goal of the night, Nick Alley (20:06, assisted Sin-Hidge) taking a pass from Ross Sin-Hidge off the opening faceoff, skating across the blue line and catching Lane cold to put the Lions within one. And at 24:04 the home side tied the game up at 3-3, Simon Geldart (24:04, unassisted) stealing the puck and firing past Lane on the breakaway. It took just 44 seconds, however, for Peterborough to retake the lead as Pentecost (24:48, assisted N. Pollard) managed to get one past Andrew. The Phantoms further extended their lead to 6-3 through goals by Kenny Bavin (30:10, assisted Dale Jowett and Yardley) and Pentecost (36:41, assisted Yardley and Robert McDonald). That goal brought up Pentecost’s hat trick.

In between the scoring, there were several feisty moments as the game got physical. Matthew Hepburn (Lee Valley) and Leon Groom (Peterborough) sat two each for charging while Lions forward Simon Geldart and Peterborough defenceman Callum Medcalf each sat 2+2 for roughing. And as in period 1, the Lions also got the last laugh in period 2, as they brought the scoreline back to 6-4 with captain Nick Alley (39:35, assisted Geldart) bagging his second of the night with just 25 seconds until the second period break, right off a face-off from Simon Geldart.

3rd Period: Peterborough came out more aggressively to start period 3, looking to atone for some sloppy play in the first two periods. And just over three minutes in, they went 7-4 ahead, Bavin (43:05, assisted Connor Hunter and Yardley) netting his second of the night. Still the Lions would not give up however, as Nick Alley (45:57, assisted Sin-Hidge) completed his hat-trick and got the hosts back within two goals, at 7-5 behind. The Lions soon ran into penalty trouble, though, and the Phantoms suitably punished them; first Conor Pollard (47:39, assisted Bradley Moore and Jonathan Brammall) made it 8-5 with Robin Young in the box for interference, and the Phantoms then extended their lead to 9-5 as Connor Stokes (50:12, assisted Bavin and Moore) netted with Daniel Tamasauskas sitting two for tripping.

The closing stages of the game saw a tired Lions side shipping three more goals as Peterborough turned on the style. First C. Pollard (55:07, assisted Pentecost and N. Pollard) put the Phantoms into double figures, before Brammall (58:05, assisted Yardley and Jake Samal) and Stokes (58:47, assisted Sam Barlow and Moore) notched up goals 11 and 12 within the last two minutes. Connor Hunter was assessed a match penalty for high sticking on Lions forward Ben Gillingham, although it was later downgraded to a 5 plus game.

The final score was 12-5 to the Phantoms – a scoreline that undoubtedly flattered them. What on paper looks like a convincing win was not always a foregone conclusion, as the home side battled hard and kept creating chances before finally running out of energy late in the game. Lee Valley are in fact the only side to put more than three goals past Peterborough this season, managing five in this game, and the Lions were within two goals as late as the 43^rd minute. Chris Fox was awarded Man of the Match for the Lions after a combative performance, while veteran defenceman Jonathan Brammall took home the beers for the Phantoms.

GAME STATS*
*Please note, some stats vary from those on the official game sheet

Final Score: Lee Valley Lions 5-12 Peterborough Phantoms

Period Scores: 1-3/3-3/1-6

Shots: Lee Valley 22-73 Peterborough (7-27/8-25/7-21)

Penalty Minutes: Lee Valley 18-43 Peterborough

Scorers: Lee Valley – Nick Alley (3+0), Ross Sin-Hidge (1+2), Simon Geldart (1+1), Matt Brown (0+1)

Peterborough – Shaun Yardley (0+5), James Pentecost (3+1), Nathan Pollard (2+2), Kenny Bavin (2+1), Conor Pollard (2+1), Bradley Moore (0+3), Connor Stokes (0+2), Jonathan Brammall (1+1), Dale Jowett (0+1), Craig Wallis (0+1), Sam Barlow (0+1), Robert McDonald (0+1), Connor Hunter (0+1), Jake Samal (0+1)

Goaltenders: Lee Valley – James Andrew (60:00 played, 73 shots/12 goals against)

Peterborough – Dan Lane (60:00 played, 22 shots/5 goals against)

Man of the Match – Chris Fox (Lee Valley), Jonathan Brammall (Peterborough)

The Lions next game is our first rematch of the season, when we welcome Solent Devils to Lee Valley Ice Centre on Saturday 4th November.

Face off at Lea Bridge Road is at 5:30pm.

You can keep up to date with the Lions on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag #LeeValleyLions.

After losing a 15-goal thriller away to Haringey, followed by back to back home defeats, the Lions travelled outside London for the first time this season as they looked to take their first victory of the campaign. Their opponents on the south coast were the Solent Devils, who played in NIHL South 1 last season, so it was sure to be a difficult test.

The Lions welcomed back Michael Crosse, but were missing Ben Duffy, Ben Gillingham, Oliver Glover, Lee Hounslow and Robyn Maby. That gave Lee Valley 13 skaters plus netminding duo James Andrew and Brett Shepherd. The Devils, meanwhile, iced 14 skaters and two netminders. Twelve of the sixteen players on the Solent side were playing in NIHL South 1 last season.

1st Period: Lee Valley got off to a slow start in the game, with the Devils putting early pressure on James Andrew in the Lions net. The first goal of the game came after six and a half minutes, Sam Rudkin (6:25, assisted Richard Facey and Alex Murray) getting on the scoresheet. After Lions defenceman Daniel Tamasauskas took a 2+10 for checking from behind, Solent required just five seconds on the resultant powerplay to double their advantage, former Haringey import Drew Campbell (8:44, assisted Facey and Murray) making it 2-0. The hosts were not done there, and scored three goals within 99 seconds to increase their lead to 5-0: Murray (10:23, assisted Daniel Shier), Mark Pitts (11:03, assisted Alexander Trendall and Alexander Cole) and Rudkin (12:02, assisted Sam Boothroyd) doing the damage as the Lions repeatedly lost track of Solent players in their own zone. After a slashing call on Lions captain Nick Alley, Solent completed the half dozen as Facey (17:03, assisted Daniel Crossley and Campbell) made it 6-0 on the powerplay.

There was finally something to cheer for the Lions with just over a minute remaining in the first period, Matthew Hepburn (18:45, assisted Nick Alley) getting the Lions on the board following some great work behind the Solent net and nice interplay with Simon Geldart & Alley. And just 14 seconds later, Nick Alley (18:59, unassisted) broke down the left hand side and roofed a wrist shot past Christian Cole, smashing the Solent netminder’s bottle. The remaining 1:01 of the period passed without incident, with the Devils leading 6-2 at the break

2nd Period: The second period started off well for the Lions, as they made life difficult for the hosts by showing more aggression and making some big hits. Solent captain Alexander Cole took exception to a hit from Lions forward Jordan Turner, taking 2+2+10 for roughing as he went after the Lee Valley youngster. Turner was assessed 2 minutes for cross checking on the play. The Lions were not able to use the resultant powerplay and, following a slashing call on Chris Fox, found themselves on the penalty kill. The seventh Solent goal soon followed, Campbell (27:32, assisted Facey and Rhys McCormick) getting his second powerplay tally of the evening. And they restored their six goal advantage shortly after, Facey (29:16, assisted Campbell) also bagging his second goal of the evening and making the score 8-2.

The Lions swapped goaltenders after this, with 17 year old Brett Shepherd relieving James Andrew for his debut. And the young netminder, on a two-way deal with South 1 side Streatham, put in a good performance in the second half of the game as he foiled several Solent attacks. However he could not prevent Solent from reaching double figures before the second period was done; Rudkin (32:22, unassisted) completed his hat-trick with a shorthanded goal as Devils defenceman Ben Lock was in the box for elbowing, and Pitts (35:22, assisted Trendall and Crossley) made it 10-2, which would be the score heading into the second intermission.

3rd Period: The Devils increased their lead to 11-2 just over two minutes into the third period, Facey (42:02, assisted McCormick and Campbell) completing his own hat-trick. The Lions kept playing hard, not letting their heads drop and playing aggressive hockey, and were awarded with two quickfire goals; captain Alley (46:28, assisted Geldart) bagging his second of the game and Ross Sin-Hidge (48:57, assisted Chris Fox and Alley) scoring a well-worked powerplay marker with Facey in the box for hooking.

The visitors continued to work hard in search for more goals; however as the game went on, the short-benched Lions started to tire and ran into penalty trouble. Solent made it 12-4 on one of those penalties, player-coach Murray (51:24, assisted Facey and Campbell) netting with Simon Jones in the box on a hooking call. And the Devils put the icing on the cake just over five minutes from time, Christopher Hocquigny (54:15, assisted Murray and Alexander Cole) bagging the hosts’ 13^th goal. Solent swapped netminders with a few minutes left, giving three and a half minutes of game time to backup goalie Toby Hall, but a tired Lions were unable to score any more, with the game ending at 13-4.

It was another difficult game for a Lions side that are still low on numbers, against an opponent with a lot of higher division experience. After a slow start, the Lions were able to trouble the hosts with some aggressive ice hockey, but were unable to keep it up for the whole game so suffered a tough defeat in the end. Lions captain Nick Alley took the Man of the Match award after having a hand in all four goals for his side, while Sam Rudkin took home the award for Solent.

GAME STATS

Final Score: Solent Devils 13-4 Lee Valley Lions

Period Scores: 6-2/4-0/3-2

Shots: Solent 67-17 Lee Valley (23-8/22-4/22-5)

Penalty Minutes: Solent 22-32 Lee Valley

Scorers: Solent – Richard Facey (3+4), Drew Campbell (2+4), Alex Murray (2+3), Sam Rudkin (3+0), Mark Pitts (2+0), Alexander Cole (0+2), Alexander Trendall (0+2), William Crossley (0+2), Rhys McCormick (0+2), Christopher Hocquigny (1+0), Sam Boothroyd (0+1), Daniel Shier (0+1)

Lee Valley – Nick Alley (2+2), Matthew Hepburn (1+0), Ross Sin-Hidge (1+0), Simon Geldart (0+1), Chris Fox (0+1)

Goaltenders: Solent – Christian Cole (56:24 played, 15 shots/4 goals against), Toby Hall (3:36 played, 2 shots/0 goals against)

Lee Valley – James Andrew (29:24 played, 30 shots/8 goals against), Brett Shepherd (30:36 played, 37 shots/5 goals against)

Man of the Match – Nick Alley (Lee Valley), Sam Rudkin (Solent)

The Lions’ next game is away to the Cardiff Fire on Saturday 21^st October, followed by a home game against the Peterborough Phantoms on Sunday 22^nd October.
Face off at Lee Valley is at 5:30pm.

You can keep up to date with the Lions on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag #LeeValleyLions.

 After defeat in their first two league games of the season, the Lee Valley Lions were back in action as they hosted league newcomers Guildford Phoenix. The Phoenix were also yet to get off the mark, losing their only game so far, so for both teams this was an opportunity to clinch their first win of the campaign.

Lee Valley welcomed back Daniel Tamasauskas, Robin Young and captain Nick Alley, while 17 year old netminder Brett Shepherd backed up James Andrew. Missing were Michael Crosse, Lee Hounslow and Robyn Maby.

Guildford brought 18 skaters as well as netminder Harry Buckingham. Former Lions players Henry Aiken and Bailey Wootton, and former Lee Valley junior Haydn Wootton, all iced for the Phoenix.

1st Period: The first period got off to a rapid start, with the visitors showing their speed and skill as they peppered James Andrew with shots early. One of those found its way through, Oliver Denis (2:56, assisted Joshua Abbott) getting one past Andrew for 1-0. Guildford had two powerplay opportunities as the period wore on, but couldn’t find a way past the Lions netminder, while the Lions could not convert on a powerplay of their own as they struggled to get into the game. The interplay between Denis and Abbott in particular was strong for the Phoenix, yet they could not score any more goals in the period despite a lot of chances, as the visitors led 1-0 going into the first break.

2nd Period: The second period got off to a bad start for both sides, as a hit from former Lions defenceman Henry Aiken on Ben Duffy left the Lee Valley forward injured and needing to be helped off the ice, while Aiken was handed a 5 + game for boarding. The Lions could not capitalise on the subsequent five minute powerplay, a hooking call on Matt Brown leading to two minutes of four-on-four action and the Phoenix killing the remaining three minutes. Indeed Guildford doubled their advantage with a shorthanded goal with just 15 seconds left in the penalty, former Lions forward Bailey Wootton (27:10, assisted Nick Minhinnick) racing clear after a pass from his captain Minhinnick to slot past James Andrew on the breakaway for 2-0.

Two more Guildford penalties followed as the second period wore on, including some five-on-three powerplay time for the Lions, but Guildford’s penalty kill was up to the task and their young netminder Harry Buckingham made some fantastic saves when called upon, the best of the lot coming as he flashed the leather to deny Simon Geldart on a breakaway. Try as they might, the Lions could not get one past Guildford’s 17 year old keeper as the second period drew to a close, with the visitors 2-0 ahead.

3rd Period: The third period started off quietly, but it all kicked off five minutes in: after a skirmish in front of the Guildford net, Phoenix defenceman Luke Tull received a 5 + game for checking to the head, while Lions forward Matt Brown received 2+2 for fighting and Lee Valley captain Nick Alley was thrown out of the game for third man in. A few minutes later, Lions forward Chris Fox and Guildford’s Bailey Wootton also sat two each for roughing, as the game descended into chaos. On the ice, the Lions still were not able to get sustained pressure on Buckingham in the Guildford net, while his opposite number James Andrew continued to stand tall when called upon, with the score remaining at 2-0.

With just 4:17 left in the game, another Guildford player was ejected from the game; this time it was Michael Krogh who received a 5 + game for checking from behind after a hit that left Matthew Hepburn down on the ice, although Hepburn was able to continue playing. This meant the Lions were on the powerplay for the rest of regulation time, but yet again were thwarted by Guildford’s strong penalty killing and their impressive young netminder. The Lions even had a five-on-three powerplay for the last 13 seconds of the game, but could not convert as they were shut out at home, the Phoenix running out 2-0 winners on the night.

It was a frustrating evening for the Lions as they were shut out in the league for the first time this season, although the continued strong form of netminder James Andrew – last season’s Most Improved Player has picked up right where he left off – is a positive sign. Andrew picked up a deserved Man of the Match award for the Lions, while his opposite number Buckingham took home the award for Guildford after an impressive shutout.

Update on Ben Duffy

After the game, Ben was seen at the Royal London Hospital, where an X-Ray and ICT scan have revealed that Ben has 2 fractures in 2 vertebrae in his lower back (T11 and T12). They are ‘stable’ in that there’s no damage to the ligament or muscles, so the bones won’t move. Ben is already out of hospital and recovering at home, with the aid of a rather fetching brace.

GAME STATS

Final Score: Lee Valley Lions 0-2 Guildford Phoenix

Period Scores: 0-1/0-1/0-0

Shots: Lee Valley 38-76 Guildford (6-30/21-11/11-35)*

Some discrepancies regarding the shots on target recorded.

Penalty Minutes: Lee Valley 32-87 Guildford

Scorers: Guildford – Bailey Wootton (1+0), Oliver Denis (1+0), Joshua Abbott (0+1), Nick Minhinnick (0+1)

Goaltenders: Lee Valley – James Andrew (60:00 played, 76 shots/2 goals against)

Guildford – Harry Buckingham (60:00 played, 38 shots/0 goals against)

Man of the Match – James Andrew (Lee Valley), Harry Buckingham (Guildford)

The Lions’ next game is away to the Solent Devils on Saturday 7th October. Face off in Hampshire is at 5:00pm

You can keep up to date with the Lions on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag #LeeValleyLions.