Hawkseye View: Everything and the Kitchen sink

SATURDAY 17/03/18

STREATHAM REDHAWKS VS SWINDON WILDCATS

NIHL SOUTH DIVISION 1

PLAY OFF QUARTER FINAL

Pre Game

So we begin first by offering our congratulations to the Basingstoke Bison on winning the NIHL South 1 league title last weekend.

With the business of the league wrapped up the previous weekend with back to back defeats, the Redhawks now turned their attention to the business of the play offs. Making their way to the High Road on a snowy Saturday night were the Swindon Wildcats.

The Wildcats were fresh off breaking a long trophy drought the night before having defeated the Basingstoke Bison to lift the Autumn Cup, so also our congratulations to the Wildcats on that. Encounters this season between the Wildcats and Hawks at the High Road has been interesting affairs. The Hawks had been one of the first NIHL classic sides to claim the scalp of an ex EPL side against the Wildcats earlier this season at home, after losing out by only one goal only a few weeks previously.

However when the Hawks had traveled to Swindon this season, they had really struggled. So with Swindon holding the home leg advantage the aim of the game was simple for coach Cornish's teams. Concede as few as possible and score as many as they could to limit any damage the next day.

The Hawks would look to exploit as much speed as possible to out pace a larger more physical Swindon side. For Swindon the game plan would need to be clogging the neutral zone and forcing that speed up the boards where the Hawks puck carriers would be susceptible to physical play.

1st Period

The Redhawks would win the opening face off, but it would be a very tentative start from both sides, with probing attacks being made up the boards from the Hawks while Swindon looked to catch the Hawks off guard on the break and take the puck up the middle lane.

Despite this tentative back and forth play, Birbraer would force a stunning save from Colclough at 3 mins with the puck seemingly impacting the net minders body and running across his chest and away. Going the other way the Swindon defense was forcing the Hawks in to a corner war, lacking in comparative size the Hawks were repeatedly coming up on the losing end of this.

Soon however the Hawks found a way through and Siagris, and Farn would both find themselves with golden chances to get the Hawks on the board but neither could find that finish.

5 minutes in Ryan Webb would give the Wildcats the first powerplay of the game, after an attempted lofty clearing attempt went out and over the glass resulting in a delay of game penalty.

The Wildcats Powerplay would dominate possession, and the puck movement of the Cats did a good job of stretching the usually well disciplined Hawks PK, the best chance would fall to Birbraer who's shot would be gloved by Colclough.

The Hawks would kill the penalty successfully, despite sustained pressure and few chances to clear the puck or make a change. Seeking to get on the board the Hawks would push forward, but found that most chances were being forced high in the zone at the face off circles as the Cats D denied them any route to the net

It would be the Wildcats though that would break the deadlock with a delayed Powerplay goal. Birbraer and Nell would get mixed up in a battle for the puck behind the net with Gregory and Farn. Eventually Birbraer would come lose with the puck in front of net and it was only a slash from a Hawks player that stopped him scoring. But it wasn't enough to stop Nell scoring after collecting the lose puck. and it was 1-0 Wildcats

2nd Period

The Redhawks would win the face off to start the second and once again attempt to use speed up the boards to generate chances. The Wildcats while quite passive in the first period would now ramp up the physical play in order to stop this and try to take control of the game.

Farn and Webb would combine for the best chance of the opening minute with Webb firing from range but Marr able to save it. Ryan Watt had been attempting to crash in and there was some afters as a result.

The second period would see the neutral zone become turn over central with both sides attempting to use this to their own advantage, Floyd Taylor would seek to continue the Cats game plan of taking the center lane by skating in unopposed before firing it in to Colclough's glove

But it was another turnover that would lead to the Wildcats extending their lead, Jordan Kelsall would intercept the puck in the neutral zone, and get a pass to Max Birbraer who would find Aaron Nell out in space, Nell would skate in and slot the puck home to make it 2-0.

The Hawks looked to retaliate, with Andreas Siagris leading the charge. Repeatedly trying to make something happen with Aiden Doughty and Alex Sampford in support. Skating in from the blue line Siagris would take the puck past the entire Wildcats line but would fire wide. This then followed by Brendan Baird going close.

The saying goes, in hockey. The worst lead to hold is a 2 goal lead, you either go all out to get another goal and risk conceding, or you sit back and soak it up. With Renny Marr playing a blinder the Wildcats decided to sit back and control the game. Every Redhawks forward advance was met with deflection at the blue line as the Cats choked off the Hawks offence.

3rd Period

The Hawks would begin the 3rd urgently looking to get a goal, the early going would see Farn setting up Sampford in the slot who's point blank range blast would be directed straight at Renny Marr. Siagris would seek to force home the rebound but to no avail.

This would then be followed by Doughty making a play, that had it gone in would be goal of the year candidate as he broke down the wing alone, and with seemingly the entire Wildcats D cutting to the front of the net and it was only the combination of Sam Godfrey and Renny Marr that stopped him scoring.

The Powerplay off this would lead to a sustained period of Redhawks dominance, as coach Nell decided to opt for soaking up the pressure with a 2 goal lead. Watt, Farn and Carr would all come close. However despite the Hawks forwards forcing the Cats to collapse deep with heavy net pressence most attempts were from range, and going wide.

At one point it looked like Swindon would add a third as Brendan Baird fanning on a puck would lead to Jan Kostal breaking away only for Colclough to keep the deficit at 2 as he gloved the puck.
Webb and Carr would seek to half that deficit going the other way with Carr getting a shot off from a tight angle but this would fly up and out off of Renny Marr.

With time running out the Hawks would throw everything and the kitchen sink at the Wildcats looking to get at least one goal on the board. Playing the high fore check to try and do this, Jacob Ranson would force a turn over that would leave him 1 on 1 with Marr but as was the story of the night for Hawks players the puck was fired wide.

The final minutes of the game would be frantic as the Hawks would see multiple chances cleared and saved by Marr and the Wildcats defense. Short of pulling Colclough the Hawks tried every trick in the book and saw pucks cleared off the line and out of the crease multiple times

But in the end the buzzer would sound and the final score would be Wildcats 2 Hawks 0

Post Game

Hats off to the Wildcats they came in and played a perfect road game and stuck to the game plan they had coming in. They choked off the neutral zone and forced the Hawks to go wide looking for a break out. Renny Marr stood on his head and while Aaron Nell was the man with the game winning goals, it was Renny Marr's series of incredible saves that denied any goals for the Hawks that won the game and put the Wildcats in pole position going in to Sundays second leg. For that Renny Marr was more than deserving of his man of the match beers

The Redhawks on the other hand suffered from a lack of finish on the night. It was once again a matter of quantity over quality. Nearly all of the shots generated were either sighted by Renny Marr or were through too much traffic to make it to the net.
Andreas Siagris was the most deserving recipient of the man of the match beers as he had been the driving force behind the Hawks offence all night, and both personally had many golden chances to get the Hawks on the board as well as creating many chances.

A 2 goal lead is not an insurmountable obstacle, but considering the Hawks have lost all their games in Swindon heavily this season the odds are not in their favor. But then this is play off hockey who knows what could happen in the next 60 minutes.

NIHL PLAYOFF WEEKEND SURVIVAL GUIDE

PLEASE NOTE THIS WAS WRITTEN AHEAD OF THE 2018 PLAY OFF WEEKEND. SOME INFO MAY HAVE CHANGED AS I HAVENT BEEN TO COVENTRY SINCE 2019 DUE TO LOCKDOWNS

BUT I HOPE ITS STILL USEFUL TO YOU ALL

2 FOR FLINCHINGS
NIHL PLAY OFF WEEKEND SURVIVAL GUIDE

So the season is winding down, and we are approaching the first ever NIHL play off weekend(a continuation of the EPIHL Play off weekend format)

For some of you among the various fan bases of the NIHL, in particular any of you who joined the hockey family this season this may be your first time experiencing such an event. You are in for a great time, some of my best hockey memories come from the time I have spent at the EPIHL and BUIHA nationals weekends. Below are a few helpful hints on Coventry that should help you survive the weekend

The Skydome

 Skydome operates a no outside food restriction, bag searches will be conducted. If you have a medical reason for needing food that isn't deep fried or sugary, such as diabetes or are on a prescribed diet you will need something that says this is a medical requirement. Hopefully that should stop them taking anything you have. Alternatively just use smuggling methods like I do.


 In spite of the above I recommend NOT EATING THE SKYDOME FOOD....except maybe the Papa Johns Pizza. If you really want to eat cardboard I suggest visiting the nearby Hobby Craft, it'll probably have more nutritional value.

Food policy aside the Dome is a great place to watch hockey, if you ignore the usually sticky floor in places. There are very few restricted views in the arena,though it does have a bit to make up in the way of disability access, with the only viewing for wheel chair users being at ice level or on a platform at the open end of the arena. Crosby's the stadium bar serves well on game day, and its also where you will find the Papa Johns. There are also multiple concession stands through out the dome on both sides.

Also in the open end of the dome you will typically find stalls selling hockey merchandise themed around the weekend and Team GB(Please note I am basing this off previous years and do not know if this will be the case this year)

What Do I Do If My Team Didnt Make it? 

With 19 teams across North and South leagues, and only 4 places up for grabs at the finals weekend there is a good chance your team may not have made the final 4. Some decided to cancel the whole weekend at this point and stay home. I'd advise against this, simply chose the lesser of two evils(as we used to say at EPIHL Finals, anyone but Guildford). In recent years at EPIHL weekends I found myself cheering for Swindon,Peterborough and Milton Keynes when the Bison had been eliminated. Some of the most fun I have had at a finals weekend, was when the pressure was off and all my friends and I had to do was drink and have fun without worrying if our team won. Or alternatively just stay neutral, chirp everyone or even cheer for the refs. Just stay and enjoy the hockey. Take the time to meet and have fun with fans from other fan bases. Whether its been by way of a friendly chirp or by mutual introduction some of the most fun I have had at play off weekend has been by forgetting the tribal rivalries and just having a laugh and talking with other fans . My first year, though a Bison fan I spent the whole weekend away from games among friends I met from Milton Keynes and Peterborough, chanting Jaffa Cakes are not a biscuit. Before the next year those same MK fans threw me in to a chant off with the Manchester Phoenix Choirboys!

Also make sure you get your moneys worth on the ticket, do not miss the Sunday morning game. In recent years the U20's final has proven a great form of post night before entertainment. There is little on the line for fans, unless your a parent of those playing. Last year we had great fun cheering on Blaze's U20's, while also trying to figure out if Doug Clarkson was the father of one Blaze U20, the season before Billingham and Guildford academies put on an incredible show. And you got to see the potential future of the sport. This year I am hopeful that the NIHL 2 North vs South final will provide just as much entertainment and fun, so is most certainly not a game to skip to sleep off the hangover before the final.

Saturday Night at the Windmill with the MK Barmy army,Bison and a lone Phantoms fan. The Night of the Jaffa Cake chant

Where Do I Stay?

The best choices for a hotel would be either the Ramada or the Premier Inn over the road, or the Premier next to the Belgrade theatre which is 10 mins walk away, also about 10 minutes away is the Britania. There are other options, though the IBIS is not ideally situated as its on the opposite side of the city, but its actually about 15-20 minutes walk depending, but its also 5 by taxi. These are of course the chain hotels, and further out there is another Premier Inn, however there are many B&B options as well as independent hotels nearby as well.

What to see and do

As a city Coventry gets a bit of a bad reputation, as someone who lived there 3 years all I can say is, yes it has its wrinkles, what city doesn't? Location wise the Skydome is perfectly situated, located near to several large hotels(The Ramada and 2 Premier Inns) The Dome is 10/15 mins walk away from the nearest train station, and 15/20 mins walk from the local bus station. As well as being situated right next to the city centre

The Dome is well serviced for food and drinking options with a Wetherspoon's within 5 mins walking distance, and a top notch local Noodle bar that will deliver to the Dome area. On top of this there is Spon Street, home to multiple bars in which to dance the night away. Spon street is also home to the spiritual home of the now defunct EPIHL weekend, The Windmill pub, where you can purchase pints of the local breweries best offerings.

In the city centre the Broadgate shopping Mall situated near the statue of Lady Godiva, boasts a Las Iguanas,Five Guys, Bistrot Pierre, Botanist, Wagamas and the Cosy Club. Something for everyone on any budget right there. 

 If you would much rather stay near the dome there is obviously Crosby's, during game day Crosby's is a sports bar, by night a dance club. Coventry city centre is also just a short walk away, and on the Friday and Saturday the Coventry Market is also open just across the road from the dome. The Nearby West Orchard Shopping centre provides the closest McDonald's, KFC and other chain outlets.  And if you fancy a read but forgot to bring a book there's also a nearby Waterstones.

If you forgot any toiletries, or any other items needed for the weekend. The city centre has you covered. With a Tesco's, 2 Poundlands, a Boots and for those who venture further out a Sainsburys. As well a Primark, and Sports Direct for any clothing needs all again a short walk from the dome.

Coventry veterans will be sad to learn that Cosmo is no longer open nor is Feast Junction. However they will be happy to learn the the best curry house nearby as rated highly by many Ackbars, just opposite the Ramada hotel is still open

For those looking to try and stay in shape, and maybe work off some of the weekends over indulgence, there is of course the local Pure Gym where you can purchase a day or weekend membership. And Located down stairs the Genting Casino if you want to try your luck at the tables.

Coventry also offers some great evening entertainment for when the games have ended. The Belgrade theatre could offer a welcome distraction in the evening, or alternatively the local Odeon for a cinema trip. For those looking to take in some sights, at a leisurely pace a visit to the either the Transport Museum or the Herbert Art museum, and of course next door to the Herbert you will find both the old Coventry Cathedral and the new one. All of which are again a 20 minute walk from the Dome.

ONE LAST PIECE OF ADVICE

Overall, the best way to survive this weekend, IS HAVE FUN!

This is not just a weekend of hockey games, its one big party. Eat till you can eat no more, drink till you can drink no more(though hopefully so you can still walk) chirp to your hearts content, and try to make friends among those not wearing the same jersey as you. Even indulge in fancy dress if you like. We are all hockey fans at the end of the day, yes those of us in NIHL 1 and 2 have been thrown together through some tragically ridiculous circumstances(and no doubt the rumour mill be in over drive during the weekend about the future) but for 48 hours just sit back, enjoy a beer or 3, have some laughs and have fun, you'll go home hopefully with so many happy memories, you'll be counting the day till next year.

Thanks To Jo Loat for taking my photo at several play off weekends that I have borrowed for use in this article. The rest are taken by myself.