SATURDAY 24/02/18
STREATHAM REDHAWKS VS CARDIFF FIRE
NIHL SOUTH DIVISION 1
Pregame
The Fire arrived in South London a very different team to the one that had arrived back in September. The bench had shortened since then, but it was a bench that has had a season to gel unlike the team back in September that had only been assembled that week. The Fire have finally begun to click as a team, after finally getting points on the board the previous weekend they would be looking to build on this. With one of the UK's most exciting goalie prospects in Jordan Lawday the Fire had an ace up their sleeves. The key to victory here for them would be Lawday playing a blinder combined with catching the Hawks on the break, and hoping to not get warn out by physical play from the Hawks.
1st Period
The Hawks would win the opening face off, and go on the offensive almost immediately. With the bulk of the possession they would trap the Fire in their own end, early chances would see Siagris and Doughty Lawday, before Farn and Paynter would combine to attempt a tip in. Next the WCW line would take a shot at breaking the deadlock, but Lawday stood strong against their attempts.
The Fire were playing it safe, sitting back defensively and trying to make a play on the break against the run of play. Haslam and Powell would generate a neutral zone turn over that saw Powell in with the puck but he would fire wide. Going back the other way Joe Allen would strike the iron from the hash marks.
With the short bench the Fire were playing a passive fore check, sitting back and trying to conserve their energy, not being aggressive and therefore avoiding taking penalties. At the same time this was allowing the Hawks a lot of time on the puck and it was only a matter of time till the deadlock broke, but with Lawday turning everything away that was thrown at him it was proving difficult.
Michael Farn would eventually help break that deadlock, after Watt and Webb had both gone close Farn pinching down behind the goal was able to get the puck to Webb, who would found Ryan Webb in front of the goal, a quick spinorama and a back hand later and it was 1-0 Redhawks as the puck sailed in to the top of the net.
Trying to even things up Tamas Elias would go past everyone, but a hasstleing Warman would force the puck carrier out wide and away from the net. A recurring theme of the game would be the Hawks Defencemen being allowed to pinch down and this would see Lawday forced in to making a series of amazing saves as passes crossed through the crease area looking for Baird or Warman at the back door
The period would end 1-0 to the Redhawks. It had been a period where the Hawks should have had more, but a combination of Jordan Lawday and an inability to find a finish on shots had lead to the Fire being within 1 goal. As despite the score line, it was more Lawday than the passive defensive approach of the Fire that had kept it this way
2nd Period
The Second period began where the 1st ended, with the Redhawks dominating possession and penning the Fire in their own zone, trying to sweep pucks through the crease looking for tips and to catch Lawday off guard.
1 minute in, the Hawks would make the possession pay, and make it 2-0. James Warmans dump from the point would find Adam Carr who was able to put the puck on Ryan Webbs stick who was able to slip it by Lawday after it hit the back post and trickled in.
The Fire became galvanized to respond after this, and in quick succession, Buglass, Hart and Prince would all get a series of chances on Colclough of rebounds but the Hawks goalie maintained the wall in net. Soon though the mountain for the Fire to climb in order to get back in contention would become higher
Joe Allen and Michael Farn would contribute in quick succession to make the score 3 and then 4-0 a minute apart. Allen capitalizing on pressure and chaos in the crease area to make it 3-0. And Farn after once again pinching down from the point to go top shelf to make it 4-0 at 22 minutes.
The Fire would look to respond but despite plenty of possession it would always result in turn overs at the Hawks blue line, with the Hawks active sticks breaking up the play. Despite this the play kept flowing, with very few icing or offside calls as the only respite. During one of these at around 10 minutes coach Cornish would take the opportunity to swap Matt Colclough for Nate Gregory.
Soon after this, the WCW line would work its magic again. Webb and Carr would link up allowing Carr to go from wing to slot dangling the puck past the entire Fire team and firing past Lawday to make it 5-0 Hawks.
Again the Fire would try to get on the board as Price would create a breakout for Elias who would cut to the center looking to lift the puck over Gregory, but he is hassled all the way by Hawks defencemen and can't get the shot on target. But the shutout would break soon after as Haslam would win a corner battle for the puck and put the puck in to the crease area where Jordan Powell was skating in to squeeze it past Gregory, Bobby Orr style and make it 5-1.
Despite this spark of hope for the Fire, the Redhawks would soon put the Fire to the sword. First after a puck battle at the boards, Joe Allen and Jacob Ranson would find themselves on a breakaway effort, with speed and space in their favor, Allen found himself forced wide. Dumping the puck goalward it would be won in a goal mouth battle by Ranson who managed to back hand the puck five hole past Lawday and it was 6-1.
In quick succession the Hawks would make it 7-1, Ben Paynter and Aiden Doughty would bring the puck in and close on the net creating chaos as the Fire defense collapsed in on the net. This would allow Andreas Siagris to force home a lose puck, making it 7-1.
The Fire would call a time out after this, to try and regroup. Shortly after this the Hawks would take a Too Many Men penalty. Presenting the Fire a chance to mount a fightback. At first the Fire Powerplay looked dangerous, the Hawks penalty kill has been one of its strongest elements this year. But the Fire were able to stretch the PK out of shape, Powell would have the best chance in the slot area and was only just stopped by Gregory.
However after this early flourish, the Fire power play struggled to even gain zonal entry, eventually these struggles would lead to the Hawks 8th goal as Jordan Gregory engineered a breakout. Watt would skate in down the wing un-apposed and getting in close would put it through Lawdays five hole to make it 8-1 Redhawks.
Carr would round out the period for Streatham making it 9-1. Going it alone, again the Fires passive fore check allowed the Hawks centreman to cut inside before he was forced out wide. But he was able to get a pass cross slot to Brendan Baird pinching down from the point to fire it past Lawday and make it 9-0
The second period was all Streatham, having been unable to find a finish in the first, they found all the finish in the second. The Hawks were scoring so quick I almost missed some goals as I was noting the scorer in the program. The Fire's style, in playing passively and backing off to avoid penalty trouble had created the trouble of being unable to stop the Hawks doing what they wanted to with the puck.
3rd Period
Fire would win the opening face off for the 3rd, but the Hawks had opted to park the bus and force the fire to engage in an energy sapping physical game by dumping it to the corners. While when on the offensive the Hawks were looking for tip in goals by firing pucks through the crease area.
David Manning would look to make something happen, as early on he was able to carry the puck in alone from the neutral zone. But Gregory was able to deflect this wide. Manning would then link up with Elias and Prince to get a shot in from the slot but again Gregory was able to save this.
Soon the Fire would get another chance at trying to add to their total on a holding penalty to Brendan Miles. But again despite a promising start from the Fire power play unit, the Hawks would eventually force the puck up high in to the neutral zone. This would see Watt and Webb collect the puck on a turn over and try to score another short hander on a cross crease pass. Hart would answer back for the Fire getting through all by himself and trying to go back hand high on Gregory but he was stripped of the puck.
Eventually they wold be rewarded though, with Nate Gregory out of the play after a collision at the boards the Fire would work the cycle on the opposite side. A shot wold be fired in but intercepted, Tamas Elias would collect the lose puck and squeeze it home to make it 9-2.
Alex Sampford and Jacob Ranson would finish off the game soon after though, with the Fire's players having tired a fresh Sampford and Ranson were able to exploit speed to carry the puck in 2 on 1 and out dangle Lawday at the finish to make it 10-2
Post Game
After seeing the performances the Fire had put in the weekend before, I was worried this game could be a bit of a banana skin for the Hawks. With the Fire finally clicking to get points on the board I said this game may not be an easy win. However the short bench created a situation that meant the Fire had to bunker down and hope luck went their way. Unfortunately playing a passive fore check against a team like Streatham with so many high energy, offensively gifted will only get you so far. Jordan Lawday deserved his man of the match beers, he single-handedly was able to keep the score 1-0 for the duration of the first. And despite the mounting scoreline kept making saves. The old hockey adage goes he was hung out to dry by his D. On some goals this may have been true, but fact is when your team only has 10 skaters and they're all exhausted the goals are going to mount up when you're facing a full bench. Despite that Josh Haslam, Jackson Price, Jordan Powell and Tamas Elias where all players who deserved the beers as well. As what little offence was being created was often driven by them.
For the Redhawk's as the saying goes you can only beat whats in front of you, and in sports like hockey all you can do is keep pushing forward to put the puck in the net, and they did this a lot this game. Joe Allen was deserving of the beers, his line was a constant threat and he was the creative spark behind it. As always the WCW line was working to deadly effect, between them Watt, Carr and Webb combined for 4 goals and 4 assists on the night. With Ryan Watt making a bid for goal of the season with his back hand spinorama goal.
Up next for the Hawks its another single game weekend, a Sunday road trip to Invicta, the Hawks will be looking to extend their undefeated streak against the Mo's. Before rounding out the season with a visit to Peterborough and the season concluding game against the Mo's ahead of the play offs. The Hawks will need to pick up as many of the points on offer in the next 3 games, and hope their opponents drop some in the race for 4/5th place with the Raiders and Bee's both within striking distance going in to the final two weeks.
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