STREATHAM REDHAWKS VS BRACKNELL BEES
STREATHAM HIGH ROAD
27/10/18
PRE GAME
After seeing the home winning streak ended the weekend before by Swindon Wildcats the Streatham Redhawks came in to this game looking to bounce back. With a full roster compliment icing they would fancy their chances of bouncing back against a high flying Bee's team they had bested at the High Road just a few weeks prior.
Bracknell would hand a debut to new import signing Dan Millner. Josh Smith would sit out, while among the familiar faces of former Redhawks in the Bee's line up Ryan Watt would make his return to the High Road
1st Period
The Redhawks would win the opening face off, and immediately go on the offensive gaining zonal entry on the Bee's from the start. However the Bee's denied the Redhawks the center of the ice and so all attempts at offensive pushes were forced out wide and in to the corners. This offensive pressure would not last as the Bee's would take hold and keep the game trapped between their blue line and the Hawks defensive zone.
Josh Martin would get the first real shot of the opening phases of play, catching the Hawks on the break Martin would fire the puck in. It would bank goal wards off of a Hawks defenseman and Damien King before coming to a rest in the blue paint of Kings crease and was covered before a scrum could erupt
Going back the other way Rupert Quinney would get two shots in on Miltons net only to see both sail wide on both occasions. The puck would turn over and Martin and Antonov would take the puck up the ice in the opposite direction but King would make the glove save on Antonovs shot.
The Redhawks would get a chance to capitalize on their strengths on the power play as Alex Roberts would be hauled down by Shaun Thompson when breaking away with the puck off a feed from Ranson. However the Hawks usual powerplay dominance would desert them. The best chance would come when Wood, Soar and Webb would work together to get a shot off that forced a sprawling save from Milton
A turnover by Jamieson at the blue-line would unleash the Bee's deadliest break away specialist in Vanya Antonov, however Damien King would make the save to keep the scores level and help the Hawks to take the play back the other way where a Ben Russell point shot would squeeze by in the crease behind Milton but a waiting Carr just couldn't slide it by to put the Hawks on the board
Soon after killing that penalty the Bee's would find themselves back on the PK as Aidan Doughty would be called for charging. But this time the Bees PK would refuse to let the Hawks get set on the puck and a lot of aggressive active stick work combined with going after the puck carrier meant very little meaningful offence was generated before the kill ended
The penalty pendulum would swing the Bee's way at 15:48 after a high sticking call against Farn. However their powerplay was just as ineffective as the Redhawks had been. In total managing just 2 shots on net by Thompson and Antonov. As a result of the Redhawks keeping the Bee's to the outside on the kill
The first would end 0-0 and an even period with both teams enjoying periods of dominance, and both goalies already standing on their heads to keep their team in it.
2nd Period
The second period would begin with Cornish switching things up a bit line wise with Leigh Jamieson taking the place of Alex Roberts on the first line alongside Carr and Ranson. However the switch wouldn't really be effective as the Bee's would instantly begin applying pressure off the face off, and with the Hawks trapped in their defensive end and unable to clear the puck at 20:39 Watt found himself on the doorstep with the puck on his stick, however despite King foiling his attempts to go round, him the puck would come lose to Antonov who set up Roman Malnik who potted in to the gaping net to make it 1-0 to the Bee's
The Redhawks attempts to answer back continuously found themselves stalled at the Bee's blue line, as plays were broken up by active stick work or puck carriers found themselves being forced wide towards the boards. While going back the other way the Redhawks would win an edge defensively for a short while turning their own blue line in to a turn over zone. With the Bee's themselves unable to get anything past the waiting fore-checkers.
The game of mental and tactical chess was also showing the Bee's had scouted the Redhawks tactics well, and the Hawks were being denied the center lane. A favorite shooting and skating area of Alex Roberts when on the puck, he would find himself neutralized as a result of this. However despite this the odd forward charge would break the blockade and one saw Carr and Roberts in together with Milton at their mercy all Carr had to do was pull the trigger however he miscued the shot and Milton sprawled out from his crease to make the save and freeze the puck
Webb and Siagris would then attempt to get on the board, rushing in from the neutral zone getting right in front of Milton but with no result on the end of the play as again Milton made the save.
The best chance would fall to Adam Wood, after being forced to make a save off a shot by Beesley Milton wold deflect the puck to Wood who had a sitter and the goal at his mercy. However the back hand shot sailed wide continuing the frustration for the Redhawks
The Bee's would then try to add to the lead as Ryan Watt would dangle up ice with Malnik in support. His shot would go wide and bounce off the boards to the trailing Malnik but Damien King would make the save to keep the Bee's only 1 ahead
The period would end with the Bee's 1-0 up. With the Redhawks needing to find a way to dial in the sights on the long range shots and find someone to be in the right place at the right time to stiff home a rebound or one timer past Milton and make all the pressure they had enjoyed in the later part of the second pay off
3rd Period
The 3rd would start in strange fashion as turnovers by one team to the other were answered in kind by more turn overs. Trapping the puck in the neutral zone for the opening minute or so. The period was only 2 minutes old when Scott Spearing was called for Hooking.
The Redhawks powerplay had looked a shadow of itself earlier in the night. However this power play was a much improved performance. The Hawks would focus on blasting pucks from the point looking for a deflection or a bounce off the board to a circling Hawks forward. A broken would see Jamieson in with the puck and Milton at his mercy however the shot would wind up blasting in to the pads. The next phase of play would see Farn play it down from the point to the doorstep only for Carr to be unable to force it home. Last gasp attempts from Gregory and Jamieson again would be denied as the Bees killed the penalty
However the Bees would have long to rest, as Ryan Sutton would find himself called for an elbow. This would lead to the controversial moment, where it looked like the Hawks had finally broken Milton's shut out. Jordan Gregory would storm in from the point with the puck on his stick, his shots rebound would go lose and the rebound would find Tom Soar who would stuff the puck in to send the home fans in to raptures. Only for referee Hewitt to rule the goal disallowed as it had been brought to his attention a 6th Hawk was on the ice at the time. With too many men calls usually associated with the puck being by the bench on a line change and not down by the goal line this drew the ire of many in attendance. As did the subsequent too many men penalty called against the Redhawks
The Bees would look dangerous on the ensuing powerplay and almost made it 2-0 with chances from Antonov on the doorstep being forced wide by King. The Bee's were really stretching the Hawks PK as was evidenced by several open net back door chances to Bees found themselves gifted. However each time King or a Redhawks player was able to get in the way of the puck.
After this the Bees would go in to shut down mode, with King and Milton standing on their heads to keep their teams chances alive. Doug Shepperd opted to play shut down hockey and choke off any chance the Redhawks had at capitalizing on the stone wall performance King was putting in, while relying on Milton to keep doing just the same.
Ryan Webb would eventually find a way through the blockade off a neutral zone turn over, however he would blast this high and wide. The Bees would turn the play back the other way as turnover from the Hawks would release Vanya Antonov in 1 on 1 with King. However King would make the save to deny the speeding sniper.
With the game entering its closing phases the Redhawks would keep pressing. Farn, Roberts and Gregory would all go close with a quick succession of chances. However Milton continued to maintain the shut out. With the Redhawks pressing Ryan Sutton would be forced to take a penalty in order to stop a scoring chance for Alex Roberts as he was called for slashing.
The Redhawks would press hard on the powerplay, Jamieson and Roberts would be a constant threat looking for a shooting lane. But would only find shot blockers or Miltons pads, or the back boards as their shots went wide. Jamieson, Carr and Roberts would work hard for chances in this power play but Milton and the defense was equal to everything being thrown their way.
Just as Suttons penalty would expire Brendan Baird would then take a tripping penalty felling Ryan Webb. The best chance of the powerplay would come when the puck would be worked across the center hash marks to a waiting Roberts, like so many times we had already seen this season. All he had to do was hit it and the score would be tied. However the stick and puck failed to connect and the puck sailed out the half boards.
The clock would run down and the Bees could celebrate a hard fought win, and a shut out for young Dan Milton. While the Redhawks would rue a close game, that had been lost by a moment of ill bench discipline and lack of clinical finishing and just like against Swindon bad luck.
POST GAME
So once again another entertaining game at the High Road, the only frustration is the result. I know it seems odd, but I had my concerns over the teams scoring this night even before the game had begun. While the warm up is not always an indicator, Alex Roberts and a few others were really finding accuracy hard during drills. This spilled over in to the match itself and we could all see as the game wore on the confidence of the forwards was dropping as their luck deserted them.
Despite the result of the game, there are positives to take in. To limit the league leaders and one of the title favorites to one goal on our own ice is a strong performance defensively and the defense must be commended for this. Especially Damien King who was a wall in net and it was only an unlucky bounce that cost him his chance at a shut out. The offence however in this game needed to work on a plan B, it became apparent after the Bees begun denying the center ice line that a new tactic was needed and it didn't really come until late in the third when Milton was riding a wave of high confidence allowing him to stop anything. The bench minor that cost the game tieing goal is just one of those things, though I am sure Cornish will be asking why the 6th man was released like that, but in this case its magnified by the fact that it happened at such a crucial moment that could have changed the game.
The team will now need to rebuild and put in a strong performance against a Basingstoke Bison side who are proving me and a lot of others wrong with their early season form, especially on a wide open rink like Basinsgtokes. However having turned Swindon over in their barn there is nothing that says lightning couldn't strike for the Redhawks in Basingstoke. It will all depend on if the big guns get their sights dialed back in, before the return to Streatham in two weeks against the Raiders
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