Basingstoke Buffalo 18/11/07

Lee Valley Lions -v- Basingstoke Buffalo (Away)
18/11/07 (Win 4-3)

Lee Valley Lions

Basingstoke Buffalo

04
09
10
15
17
19
22
24
25
26
31
32
37
49

Justin Grant
Nick Alley
Scott Beeson
Scott Pollak (C)
Stas Prokofiev
Romanas Fedotovas (A)
James Hatfull (A)
Alastair Band
Michael Ranby
Michael Jacobs
Andrew Holdaway
James Scott-Joseph
George Alley (G)
Andrew Boot (G)

04
05
06
07
08
09
10
11
12
14
15
16
17
18
19
24
26
31
44

Neil Leary (C)
Mark Pitts
James Broadhurst
Mark Stratford
Michael Leary
Ashley Skinns
Dean Phillimore
Richard Hardy
Callum Heath
Joe Boot
Tom Pope
Matthew Thornhill
Daniel Lackey
Simon Beere
Scott Padwick
Ryan Cathcart
Adam Franks
Craig Astill (G)
Leigh Baker (A)

 

Goals

Penalties

Lions
Buffalo
Lions
Buffalo
Period 1:
2
1
2
6
Period 2:
1
1
6
6
Period 3:
1
1
2
2
MATCH TOTALS:
4
3
10
14

 

Shots on Goal
Lee Valley Lions
(shots on Alley)
Basingstoke Buffalo
(shots on Astill)
Period 1:
9
9
Period 2:
16
15
Period 3:
9
6
MATCH TOTALS:
34
30

 

Lee Valley Lions

Basingstoke Buffalo

Highest Scorer in Match:
Michael Ranby (1+2)/Stas Prokofiev (0+3)
Simon Beere (1+1)
Man of the Match Winner:
George Alley
Simon Beere

Additional Comments:

The Lions had suffered a heavy defeat the previous month against Basingstoke Buffalo, losing 6-16, and previous clashes had been even worse. Heavy traffic meant the Lions had to rush to get on the ice but this didn’t seem to affect their concentration or determination to make a mark on the game this time.

It was Basingstoke who opened the scoring with a short-handed goal, Mark Pitts putting the puck past George Alley while colleague Ryan Cathcart sat out 2-mins for Elbows. In the Lions’ camp Michael Jacobs was firing on all cylinders and his chance to equalise came at 10:51 with a nifty goal that was assisted by Michael Ranby and Stas Prokofiev.

Both sides held strong, but it was the Lions who slipped into the lead at 17:01. This time Ranby came to the fore and Andrew Holdaway got his first point of the season with an assist. After the previous weekend’s disappointing performance against Streatham the Lions had every reason to be pleased with themselves as they returned to the dressing room at the end of the first period.

The second period was as close as the first and again, it was Basingstoke who scored first to equalise. The puck slid into the corner of the net on a delayed penalty, the credit going to Daniel Lackey assisted by Mark Stratford. There was jubilation amongst the Lions at 35:50 when a shot from Scott Beeson put the Lions 3-2 ahead, Stas Prokofiev and Michael Ranby assisting again.

Tension and excitement ran high during the final period as Lee Valley could sense they were on the verge of causing a major upset. Basingstoke Buffalo were, after all, sitting third in the league table, six places higher than the Lions. The one-goal lead was very fragile and no-one wanted that lead to collapse in the dying seconds as it had during the recent away game against Slough.

Basingstoke had just that intention, however, and it appeared that they were going to rob the Lions of at least one point when Tom Pope scored at 48:02, assisted by Richard Hardy. The Buffalo were foolish to celebrate too soon because Scott Beeson had one final trick to pull, scoring his second of the night at 49:29. Stas Prokofiev assisted once more, alongside Nick Alley.

The tactic from this point was to prevent Basingstoke from gaining possession of the puck. This worked like a dream and the Lions secured a well-deserved win.Throughout this match Lee Valley played as a team, not a collection of individuals. The effort paid off in grand style and made the long journey worthwhile for players and fans alike. Every member of the team should feel extremely proud of their achievement.

Referee was O’Halloran, Linesmen were Rownding and Davies.