Mustangs Fight Back to End Lions Run

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After as stunning comeback victory in Gillingham the week before, Lee Valley were looking to tie the series between themselves and Invicta Mustangs in the final meeting between the two sides.

Returning to the Lions’ side were Captain Nick Alley, James Gosling, Jordan Turner & Oskar Horter. Missing were Chris Fox, Matt Hepburn, Ronnie O’Connor, Sam Awoyemi & Lee Hounslow.

1st Period: The game started at a slow pace with neither team really able to grab control, chances were fairly even with Lee Valley killing an Invicta Power-play when Ollie Glover was called for slashing. As the period wore down the Lions began create more chances against Matt Passmore in the Mustangs’ goal, finally good work from the corner saw Ross Sin-Hidge (16:36, assist Alley) bundle home to get Lee Valley the lead going into the 2nd.

2nd Period: Lee Valley got off to the best possible start when a quick break from their zone saw Hidge return the favour and Nick Alley (21:45, assists Sin-Hidge, Jones) buried the puck for a 2-0 lead. Despite the lead, the Lions’ discipline was waning and a hit from Nick Alley saw him called for Charging. The resulting power-play was the opportunity Invicta needed and Kwame Holt (PP goal 27:22, assists Tyrell, Laming) halved the lead. Invicta now had a grip on the game and put contstant pressure on the Lions, who hadn’t learnt their lesson and saw both Simon Geldart & James Hepburn penalised. Invicta capitalised on both Power-plays, first on the 5-on-3 through Tom Dennis (PP goal 34:06, assist Luton), and despite a timeout being called, after Geldart returned to play Jake Luton (PP goal 35:02, assists Dennis, Laming) gave the visitors the lead. Back to full strength now and Lee Valley began to grind their way back into the game with some big hits being made in the Invicta zone, James Hepburn then chased the puck down behind the Invicta goal and found Nick Alley, who in turn found Ross Sin-Hidge (39:54, assists Alley, Hepburn) to tie the game going into the 3rd.

3rd Period: Although they had the better of this period. Lee Valley struggled to creat clear cut opportunities, not getting to any rebounds or finding Passmore in their way. Instead, it was Invicta again who got their noses in front when a turnover at the Invicta blue line aloowed Jake Luton (50:04, unassisted) to race away to score. The Mustangs soon doubled their lead after a clearance bounced awkwardly in front of the Lions’ defence and Artyom Grzibovskis (51:03, assist Dennis) punished the hosts for their error. Lee Valley attempted to mount a comeback but couldn’t create the chances need to pull the lead back. Invicta ended the game as winners, bringing an end to the Lions’ recent winning streak.

GAME STATS*

*Please note, some stats vary from those on the offical game sheet

Final Score: Lee Valley Lions 3-5 Invicta Mustangs

Period Scores: 1-0/2-3/0.2
Shots: Lee Valley 27-46 Invicta (11-13/8-15/8-18)
Penalties: Lee Valley 10-10
Scorers: Lee Valley – Ross Sin-Hidge (2+1), Nick Alley (1+2), James Hepburn & Simon Jones (0+1)
Invicta – Jake Luton (2+1), Thomas Dennis (1+2), James Laming (0+2), Kwame Holt & Artyom Grzibovskis (1+0), Kyle Tyrell
Goaltenders: Lee Valley – James Andrew 46 shots/5 goals, 89.13%
Invicta – Matthew Passmore 27 shots/3 goals, 88.89%

Man of the Match – James Hepburn

Next Saturday (11/03) sees the first league visit of leaders Peterborough.

Face off is at 5:30pm

Ticket and travel information can be found in the Game Day section of our website.

You can follow the Lions on Facebook & Twitter with #LeeValleyLions for up to date news and live scores.

Twelve Man Lions Stun Mustangs

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After an impressive victory against Chelmsford the previous week, and a challenge win against Wightlink Buccaneers. Lee Valley were looking to keep the momentum going against an Invicta side who had already beaten them twice this season.

Missing from the Lions’ line-up were Captain Nick Alley, Lee Hounslow, Chris Fox, Jordan Turner, James Gosling, Oskar Horter & Joe Weare. This left the Lions with 12 skaters and goalie James Andrew, whilst the Mustangs featured a full squad of players.

1st Period: Both sides were quick out of the blocks but the game lacked in clear cut chances early on. Lee Valley were first to find a rhythm but were unable to beat Matt Passmore in the Invicta net, Simon Geldart twice coming close with tips in front of net. The game turned in Invicta’s favour when Simon Jones was called for high sticks, then Matt Hepburn was penalised for cross-checking, giving the hosts a 5-on-3 advantage and Thomas Dennis (PP goal 8:57, assists Ferris, Terry) duly obliged to give Invicta the lead. Once back to even strength, Lee Valley went back on the offensive but, were unable to a tying goal.

2nd Period: Invicta were quick out of the blocks and doubled their lead 59 seconds in through Jake Luton (20:59, assist Holt). They maintained a constant threat for the first half of the period as Lions struggled to keep possession of the puck, even on the powerplay. As the period wore on, the Mustangs found a break from their blue line and James Laming ( 32:29, assist Holt) drove hard to the net to score. The result of the drive left James Andrew dazed and hurt, which gave Lee Valley a couple of minutes to recover and they began to find a way back into game, helped by some important saves from the netminder. Geldart continued to be a nuisance in front of goal and Sam Awoyemi went close with a drive to net but it wasn’t until late in the when James Hepburn (38:26, assists Sin-Hidge, Matt Hepburn) first fanned on a shot before received a pass from behind the net to get the Lions on the board. With the period winding down, Greg Hales was given a penalty for cross-checking and Lee Valley pounced immediately when Henry Aiken (PP goal 38:59, assist Hepburn) blasted a slap-shot past Passmore to bring the game within one goal going into the 3rd.

3rd Period: With renewed optimism, Lee Valley pressed ahead and began to keep constant pressure on Invicta. Their efforts bore fruit early into the period after hard work in front of net saw Simon Geldart (44:04, assist SIn-Hidge) bundle the puck in to tie the game. The Lions didn’t hold back, continuing to go forward, a turnover in the neutral zone seeing Invicta’s Lucy Gruber called for tripping. Despite the man advantage, the Lions struggled to get the puck out of their zone, but a pass from Henry Aiken saw Simon Geldart (PP goal 52:19, assists Aiken, Glover) race free and calmly slot the puck by Passmore to complete the comeback. Lee Valley then had to withstand an Invicta fight-back, James Andrew making more big saves and a small scrap in front of goal that saw Ollie Glover and Aaron Ferris thrown out for Roughing. Both teams called timeouts in the last two minutes, Invicta also pulling their goalie but Lee Valley stole the puck in the dying seconds to see out the win, their second in succession.

GAME STATS

Final Score: Invicta Mustangs 3-4 Lee Valley Lions

Period Scores: 1-0/2-2/0-2
Shots: Invicta 49-44 Lee Valley (17-16/21-12/11-16)
Penalties: Invicta 24-12 Lee Valley
Scorers: Lee Valley – Simon Geldart (2+0), James Hepburn & Henry Aiken (1+1), Ross Sin-Hidge (0+2), Oliver Glover & Matt Hepburn (0+1)
Invicta – Kwame Holt (0+2), Thomas Dennis, Jake Luton & James Laming (1+0), Aaron Ferris & Danny Terry (0+1)
Goaltenders: Lee Valley – James Andrew 49 shots/3 goals, 93.88%
Invicta – Matthew Passmore 44 shots/4 goals, 90.91%

Man of the Match: Lee Valley – Simon Geldart

Next Saturday (04/02) sees the fourth and final encounter between the two sides this season at Lee Valley Ice Centre.

Face off is at 5:30pm

Ticket and travel information can be found in the Game Day section of our website.

You can follow the Lions on Facebook & Twitter with #LeeValleyLions for up to date news and live scores.

Lions Defeat Champions Chelmsford

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After starting 2017 with a disappointing loss to Bristol, Lee Valley welcomed Chelmsford Warriors to East London for the second time this season. The first game ended in a 7-3 win for the Champions.

Lions boasted a near full strength squad, only missing Robin Young, Joe Weare & Jordan Turner. Chelmsford featured former Lion TJ Fillery, former Chelmsford Chieftain Ross Brears & new addition Bailey Chittock from Lions’ co-tenants London Raiders.

1st Period: After a technical difficulty with the Zamboni, the game started without a resurface. Lee Valley took advantage early on as Henry Aiken (2:45, unassisted) shot from a turnover that was deflected past Billy Cook in the Warriors’ goal. The Lions kept the pressure on and were rewarded again for their hard work, an interception led to a 2-on-1 breakaway and Nick Alley found Ross Sin-Hidge (7:13, assist Alley) with a backhand pass. The momentum stayed with the Lions but Chelmsford were creating chances too. Lions tripled their lead through Chris Fox (14:24, assist Jay Hepburn), and from there the momentum swung in Chelmsford’s favour. The Warriors finished the period strongest and were rewarded when Sean Martin (19:39, assist Boolkah) saw his shot fool James Andrew, giving his side a foothold at the close of the period.

2nd Period: The Warriors had come out to play and began to create chance after chance early on, not helped by Ross Sin-Hidge being given a 10 minute penalty for illegal equipment. Chelmsford were forcing mistakes from the Lions and reduced the lead to one after Lee Valley failed to clear the zone, Thomas Wilson (26:43, unassisted) with the solo goal. Smelling blood, Chelmsford continued to pepper Andrew and a turnover in the neutral zone saw a goal from Gary Brown (29:56, assist Polston). Lions called a timeout and began to re-assert themselves into the game, drawing a penalty from Ethan Boolkah for Hooking. The resulting powerplay lasted only 22 seconds when Ross Sin-Hidge (PP goal 33:35, assists Alley, Aiken) fired a wrist shot past Cook from the blue line to give Lions the lead once more. Both teams went close again, Chelmsford hitting the post and Nick Alley having another powerplay goal disallowed for a player in the netminder’s crease. With 8 seconds left, a quick breakaway saw Nick Alley (39:52, assist Geldart) fan on a shot that trickled past Cook to restore the Lions’ two-goal lead going into the 3rd.

3rd Period: Chelmsford were determined to keep themselves in touching distance, and were back within one goal almost immediately, Gary Brown (41:34, assists Campbell, Fillery) the recipient of good play from the visitors. Chelmsford had the better of the possession but they were being reduced to mostly long-range efforts, although they came close on a couple of occasions. With the game finely poised, neither side was able to break through until very late in the game when Chris Fox (56:24, assists James Hepburn, Matt Hepburn) found the net. The resulting celebration saw James Andrew penalised for leaving the blue zone, giving a Chelmsford a powerplay but Lee Valley were able to kill it off. The Warriors then pulled their goalie to keep the man advantage but again, the Lions withstood the pressure to pick up their first win since October.

GAME STATS

Final Score: Lee Valley Lions 6-4 Chelmsford Warriors

Period Scores: 3-1/2-2/1-1
Shots: Lee Valley 32-41 Chelmsford (11-11/10-12/11-18)
Penalties: Lee Valley 14-14 Chelmsford
Scorers: Lee Valley – Nick Alley (1+2), Chris Fox & Ross Sin-Hidge (2+0), Henry Aiken(1+1), James Hepburn (0+2), Simon Geldart & Matt Hepburn (0+1)
Chelmsford – Gary Brown 2+0, Thomas Wilson & Sean Martin (1+0), Donald Campbell, TJ Fillery, Will Polston & Ethan Boolkah (0+1)
Goaltenders: Lee Valley – James Andrew 41 shots/4 goals, 90.24%
Chelmsford – Billy Cook 32 shots/6 goals, 81.25%

The Lions are back in action today against the Wightlink Buccaneers in a challenge match at Lee Valley Ice Centre.

Face off is at 5:30pm and entrance to the game is free.

Ticket and travel information can be found in the Game Day section of our website.

You can follow the Lions on Facebook & Twitter with #LeeValleyLions for up to date news and live scores.

Lions to Play Buccaneers in Challenge Match

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We now can announce that we will play Wightlink Buccaneers in a mixed seniors/juniors match this Sunday at Lee Valley Ice Centre.

The Buccaneers are the Isle of Wight’s sole surviving team after their rink was controversially closed late last year, and are coached by former Lions’ Captain Blair Dubyk.

Both sides won’t meet competitively this season so the game is an opportunity to give the Buccaneers some much needed ice time inbetween games, and the Lions a chance to blood some youngsters in the line-up.

The Lions will feature a majority of players from the current side, as well as some players from our Under 18’s & 20’s teams, with the visitors also featuring some junior players.

Face off is at 5:30 this Sunday and entrance to the game is free.

Lions return to league competition this Saturday when Chelmsford Warriors visit East London

#LeeValleyLions

Early Promise Not Enough for Lions in Cup

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After a long holiday break, Lee Valley were looking to start 2017 with a win as they travelled to Oxford to take on Bristol Pitbulls in their penultimate NIHL 2 Cup group game. Though the Lions were already elimnated from competition, Bristol needed the win to keep themselves in contention to make the finals weekend in April.

Missing from the Lions lineup were Jay Hepburn, Chris Fox, Joe Weare, Simon Geldart & James Gosling.

1st Period: The Pitbulls started the stronger, taking advantage of some stray passes out of the Lions zone and despite some big saves from James Andrew, they capitalised early when Thomas Asprey (08:53, assists Hargreaves, Mcfarlane) found himself open to give them the lead. Lee Valley started began to grow into the game and the line of Nick Alley, Lee Hounslow & Ross Sin-Hidge had several chances but Ross Miller held strong in the Pitbulls’ goal. The game was going back and forth, with the Lions creating the majority of the chances however, it was Bristol who doubled their lead late in the period when another loose pass found Zachary Dolphin (19:20, unassisted). The period ending 2-0 to the home side.

2nd Period: Bristol again started strongest, but couldn’t break through despite some clear cut chances. The pressure led to the Lions calling a time out half way through the period, and soon after Daniel Murrells was called for Charging. The resulting Power-Play proved fruitful, when Oskar Horter (PP goal 36:03, assist Sin-Hidge) found the goal through a screen from the blue line. Despite the goal, they couldn’t maintain the pressure and score remained 2-1 going into the final stanza.

3rd period: Lions never got going in this period and Bristol were 3-1 up early on through Olly Shone (42:41, assist Josh Dolphin), and a few minutes later the same pairing had tripled the hosts’ lead when Shone (47:05, assist Josh Dolphin) pounced on a face off to score. 45 seconds later the favour was returned, Josh Dolphin (47:50 assists Olly Shone, Smith) adding Bristol’s fifth. The had lost it’s spark at this point and though Lee Valley got a few chances to reduce score, it was the Pitbulls who had the final say as Zach Dolphin (54:33, unassisted) broke away to end the game 6-1 to Bristol.

GAME STATS

Final Score: Bristol Pitbulls 6-1 Lee Valley Lions

Period Scores: 2-0/0-1/4-0
Shots on Goal: Bristol 44-28 Lee Valley (7-13/17-7/20-8)
Penalties: Bristol 6-8 Lee Valley
Scorers: Lee Valley – Oskar Horter (1+0), Ross Sin-Hidge (0+1)
Bristol: Olly Shone (2+1), Josh Dolphin (1+2), Zach Dolphin (2+0), Thomas Asprey (1+0), Richard Hargreaves, Ryan Mcfarlane & Adrian Smith (0+1).
Goaltenders: Lee Valley – James Andrew 44 shots/6 goals, 86.36%
Bristol – Ross Miller 28 shots/1 goal, 36.43%

The Lions return to league action next week when they host Chelmsford Warriors at Lee Valley Ice Centre on Saturday 21st.

Face off is at 5:30pm

Ticket and travel information can be found in the Game Day section of our website.

You can follow the Lions on Facebook & Twitter with #LeeValleyLions for up to date news and live scores.