English National League Division 2 North
Fylde Flyers 6 - Sheffield Senators 9
Period Scores: 2-1, 1-4, 3-4
Shots On Goal: Flyers 64 - Senators 74
Penalties In Minutes: Flyers 30- Senators 18
Flyers Scorers: Caunce 1+5, Gillingham 1+2, Melbourne 1+1, Whitby 1+1, Veldze 1+0, Hall 1+0
Flyers MVP: Bobby Caunce (in photo)
Referee: Pering
Attendance: 151
Match Report:
Fylde Flyers ice hockey team failed in their attempt to notch up three consecutive home wins with a frustating performance against 5th placed Sheffield Senators at the SubZero ice arena in Cleveleys.
It is said that lightning does not strike twice in the same place but anybody who used to watch Roy Castle's Record Breakers on TV will remember the park ranger in America who got hit by lightning 5 times or more and lightning also struck twice last night as the Flyers were once again turned over - as they were just over a month ago - by an average looking Senators team who won this match merely by plodding along and taking chances as they came to them.
Flyers got off to a, well, flying start with an opening goal after just 36 seconds and a second just 3 minutes later. Fans who might have been hoping for another dazzling performance as was seen in recent games against Sutton and Flintshire - both superior sides to the Senators - will, however, have been disappointed as that was it. Unable to build a commanding lead. the home side did not find the back of the net again until some 30 minutes later, by which time Sheffield had scored 5 goals of their own and edged comfortably ahead.
Having gone penalty free for the first period, the Flyers took 12 minutes of penalties in the second and this seemed to knock them off their stride. Admittedly, many of these penalties were coincidental penalties with opposition players but, all the same, it mixes up the lines when a player is in the penalty box and some of these penalties looked easily avoidable. Some of the younger team members seem a little over keen in getting involved in situations where they could possibly walk away and let the opponent take the penalty on his own and give their side a powerplay advantage.
It is not just the younger players either, Janis Grinbergs took a completely unnecessary 2+10 for checking from behind on a player who was not involved in the action when neither of them were anywhere near the puck. Rather ironically, the Latvian's dismissal coincided with Flyers best period of play - scoring 3 goals in an exciting 5 minute period to pull the score by then back to 6-7. With 10 minutes to play - there was till time for a rousing finale!
Unfortunately the Senators struck the next goal and then Elvis Veldze put himself out of the game with a 2 minute penalty for charging just at the time when the Flyers needed to be at full strength.
Another Senators goal after 57 minutes completed the scoring as Flyers were unable to regain their momentum and, as things turned out, the final score of 6-9 was probably a reasonable reflection of the match.
Next Saturday, the Fylde Flyers entertain the Hull ENL Stingrays in their last home league match of the season - 5pm face off.
