Taking The High Road Martelly Magic

 

Taking The High Road

              After 18 months, the long wait was finally over on Sunday the 5^th September. As the Streatham Redhawks hosted the Romford Raider jrs in a preseason challenge game. In football they call these friendlies, but if the night befores action was anything to go by it would be anything but friendly.

              Streatham entered the game 2 men down as Danny Ingoldsby and David Millner would not be icing. As challenge games do not count towards his suspension Brandon Miles would be in the line-up. The Raiders fielded a full bench with James Hounsome, Villius Krakauskas and Alan Lack the danger men to watch. While Danny Milton would be looking to repeat the head stands that had seen him shut Streatham out on his last visit to the High Road.

              There was a great deal of buzz ahead of puck drop surrounding Streathams two new junior recruits in Millique Martelly and Harvey Briggs who had shown up quite well the night before and had made good on the extra ice time the absence of Millner and Ingoldsby had given them. With Briggs scoring his first goal at this level of play.

1ST PERIOD

              Off the draw the puck found its way into the Streatham end where an attempt to play up the boards by the Redhawks would see an icing call put them back in their own end. However, the Redhawks D would choke off the Raider attack despite a shot from Fay forcing a save from Gregory. Martelly would then make the first of many men of the match plays as he forced a blue line turnover. Releasing Antonov, Martelly matched pace with the winger and was able to link up for the shot but Milton was equal to the early attempt.

              Next it would look like Raiders would get on the board as Cooper would play it across the crease to a waiting Holicka who’s shot almost found a way under Gregory at point blank range. But Gregory covered it.

              From there the play would be all Streathams as the Redhawks choked off the neutral zone. Every Raider attempt at going forward was met by a wall of Streatham players forcing turnovers and mistakes. And it wouldn’t take long till at 5:38 Joshua Ealey-Newman was found by Sam Waller. With Raiders around him Ealey-Newman was able to spin and fire the puck by Milton to make it 1-0

              More Streatham pressure would follow till the Raiders earned a power play off Josh Baileys interference. However, the Raiders couldn’t get settled on the puck and it was Vanya Antonov with a golden chance on a breakaway that he couldn’t quite get lined up on net for that looked more dangerous in these 2 mins.

              Soon as he returned to the ice Bailey would get an up-ice rush and while he couldn’t convert on 2 chances the momentum was in full favour of the Redhawks as Ziggy Beesley set up Harvey Briggs who’s shot bounced off the post and back to a waiting Conner Smith who fired it in to make the score 2-0

              The Raiders would end the period on the Powerplay but again couldn’t gain ground and were consistently driven out by the Redhawks D with the best chance being a tight close range shot for Alan Lack that hit the side netting of Gregorys net and was cleared

2ND PERIOD

              The second period would see the Redhawks start on the back foot again as an early shot attempt created a face off. Which lead to Villius Krakauskas getting a shot away off the face off that Nathen Gregor was equal to. The Raiders began to get a little more purchase on the play here with Streatham struggling with mistakes on drop plays on break outs and at their own blue line. Forcing the D to work hard to clear the puck. Once such forced turnover off Ryan Watt would see Gian Marco Pascale break up ice. Andrew Cook would force him behind the net, but he would find a way to play it Tjay Anderson who was able to get the puck on net. Gregory had no idea in the net front chaos where the puck was but was eventually able to cover it up. 

              Harvey Briggs would then show another flash of brilliance collecting the puck in the right-side circle cutting behind the net back up and firing low from the half boards, only to be denied by Milton low glove side.

              Warman would then sit 2 for tripping after a puck battle in the corner with Wilson and Lack. On the following powerplay Lack and Donald Campbell would both find themselves with chances in the slot that they would fan on. Lack would then be called for interference ending the man advantage. The Redhawks would capitalize on this to apply some pressure that would eventually see Watt and Waller combine passes to set up Michael Farn who unleashed a shot on net that flew by Milton and in to make the score 3-0 Streatham.

              Raiders would try to fire back with Fay setting up Pascale at the point, but Gregory continued his denial of every shot coming his way.

              Then came the goal that got the biggest cheer from the home crowd, as the two junior grads linked up on the power play. Harvey Briggs would feed Millique Martelly at the point. Martelly would fire the puck netward and see it sail in for his first goal against pro level opposition.

              With the score now 4-0 the Raiders would call a time out to try and figure out a way back in the game. It seemed to work as Lack and Hounsome linked up on a 2 on 1 but neither could apply a finish. The same would happen when Dunnage and Casey Wilson got up ice 2 on 1 but again, they were closed out and neither could get a shot off.

Then would come one of the games flash points as Vanya Antonov would break on the wing at speed with 2 Raiders climbing all over him. He would cut across Milton and with an open net would be denied by the post. In the scramble for the lose puck Antonov would be felled. This would enrage Brandon Miles who would charge in and receive 5+Game for checking from behind.

3RD PERIOD

              This would leave the Redhawks starting the third on the back foot and at 41:01 the Raiders found a way to get on the board. Off the face off the Redhawks found themselves trapped in their own zone and set up work from Vilius Krakauskas Samuel Cooper found Ewan Hill alone on the doorstep able to fire it under Gregory to break the shut out.

              Still on the kill as Miles’s penalty was a major, Streatham found themselves in more penalty trouble as Josh Ealey-Newman got himself a roughing penalty to put the Redhawks on a 5 on 3 penalty kill. Fay and Lack would set up Pascale off the next face off for a point shot but it would be saved by Gregory. Before Wilson would feed Hounsome from the half boards but again Gregory would be equal to the blast from the point.

              Streatham would successfully kill the rest of the penalty minutes on the clock, Gian Luca Pascale would get 2 chances in quick succession firing off the wing before grabbing his rebound. But the Raiders would now enter penalty woes as they would be called for too many men on the ice.

              A minute later the Redhawks would capitalize at 47:34. With a series of shots on net Antonov, and Ben Ealey Newman would create enough chaos that a goal mouth scramble would find the puck on Beesley’s stick with a prone Milton at his mercy. Beesley would fire it in to make it 5-1 Streatham

              At 50:22 the game would then see its next flash point as tempers flared when Alan Lack boarded young Harvey Briggs in the corner. Briggs would fortunately spring back to his feet seemingly unaffected. But This drew the ire of Ben Ealey-Newman who would grab hold of Lack and an exchange of fists took place as Ealey-Newman showed he was more than willing to stick up for his teammate.

              The game would become bad tempered from here on both sides, but in between the Raiders continued pushing. Gian Luca Pascale would intercept an attempt to release Watt and find himself in on Gregory. But Gregory would once again save and clear, this would see chances for Bailey and Farn the other end. This would then see another moment of Martelly magic as the young defenceman did his best Rupert Quiney or Vanya Antonov impression charging from one end of the ice to the other with such speed, he left the Raiders D for dead. It was only Milton who was able to stop him. Ben Paynter would then get a cross check penalty allowing the Raiders a breather as they went on the PP

              Casey Wilson would get a shot off from a tight angle forcing a sprawled save from Gregory, before Samuel Cooper would break down the wing and fore low in to Gregory’s glove. Ultimately another fruitless PP for the Raiders though.                     

              A huge hot by James Warman on Dyaln Holicka would draw a crowd, and a charging call at 59:54. In the aftermath Daniel Fay would get mixed up with Ryan Watt. Watt would be sat for roughing, while the Raiders would receive a bench minor penalty for abuse of official. At the next face off Fay would then be ejected for unsportsmanlike conduct. Seeing there was just seconds on the clock and sensing a brewing storm the referee decided to call the game early

              Reaction

              Many years ago, I was fortunate enough to see Vanya Antonov playing for Bracknell Bees. He wasn’t the star first line forward he is today. But I remember commenting he was vicious on and off the puck, tenacious, fearless, and so skilled when on the puck combined with his speed. He looked like a player full of potential, a few years later I was lucky enough to see the same when I saw Liam Kirk play for the first time. In this game Millique Martelly put this league on notice, and I saw what I saw in Kirk and Antonov. Tenacity, fearlessness, skill, speed and so much potential, if he plays every game like that, we have found money on our hands

              Harvey Briggs wasn’t putting in flashy up ice rushes, but he put in a solid performance that showed he belongs at this level as well. It was quite wonderful that Briggs was the player to provide Martelly the service for his goal. Again, if Briggs continues to play that way more found money is on the table.

              With David Millner and Danny Ingoldsby absent, I have doubts last nights lines were the finished article. In fact I expect Michael Farn to give them some tweaks this week ahead of next.

Nathen Gregory was tremendous in net staking a claim for starting when King and Annett’s are unavailable. Sam Waller on his return looked solid and reliable. And played well in the system Streatham uses of forcing the play wide and choking the middle lane.

              All in all a sold 48 hours from the RedHawks, with plenty to be hopeful and excited about going in to regular season action next weekend against Slough and once again against the Raiders.