League leaders too much for Devil B’s

A relatively up-beat third ranked team arrived at Streatham to see away a home match with the division leaders. In the second game without coach Coolegem the B-Team were confident in themselves although this may have manifested into arrogance. A solid pre-game tactics session by bench coaches Dolan and Runcorn made sure the team knew what was required of them, but concerns over Warwick’s player stats and top scorers stole the focus. Added to this the line-up was missing key elements, treachery on the half of Assistant Captain Matt Nolan (#53) and Treasurer Nathan Jones (#40).

A ridiculously strong line-up of 21 Warwick players took to the ice to face off against Imperial’s 13. From the opening face-off the puck went to the Devils’ defensive zone, we were going to be on the back foot all night. Determined resistance from the Devils delayed the first goal until 3 minutes in, but we were not disheartened. Imperial conceded 3 in the first, and ended the period on a penalty as Centre Sofie Liljegren (#23) was called for tripping.

It was clear to all where the Devils were going wrong and coach Dolan spelled it out. Back on the ice, the Devils held out for a further 6 minutes, but conceded a total of 5 more goals. Praise must be given to goalie Gemma Bale for exceptional efforts to keep the puck out but often defensive errors left her outnumbered in the goal-mouth. The same mistakes were coming up, but the Devils were outclassed and, in frustration, resorted to physical play in the third. Another goal was followed by a penalty for cross-checking by Captain Will Mason (#52). However, the Devils steeled their resolve and a complacent Warwick let Rob Barakat (#11) score from Eugene Lau (#27) on a breakaway. The heat was turned up and a double penalty awarded to both Imperial and Warwick for two players’ attempted checking. Warwick retaliated with a goal, before Barakat (#11) slotted a last second goal to end the game. The final period a 2-2 draw didn’t tell the whole story as Warwick walked out with a 10-2 victory. Nevertheless, the Devils were proud to have outskated them in the third and will be sure to hit the ice for some hard consolation training. MVP (Most Valuable Player) went to Sofie Liljegren (#23).