Ice-hockey: Streatham back on the ice after Covid-19 outbreak forced fixture shutdown

BY DAVID CARR

Streatham’s season resumes this weekend after an extended festive break following a Covid outbreak in the squad prior to Christmas.

A road trip to Romford for a London Cup fixture awaits Michael Farn’s men tomorrow before they host Slough Jets in the league 24 hours later in SW16.

Both fixtures will prove an intriguing test for a RedHawks side who have a large number of players icing for the first time since returning positive Covid tests three weeks ago.

“It has been a break with a difference,” admitted player-coach Farn, who also recovered from Covid himself.

“It’s always difficult to come back after any length of time away from the ice and these were pretty unique circumstances, but it also gave us a chance to get some injured guys back too.

“Neither game will be easy, particularly as both sides have young, quick rosters. But we’ve beaten both of them already this season and there’s no reason we shouldn’t be aiming for maximum points.”

Streatham face an exciting month of fixtures, with the two-legged NIHL South Cup final against Invicta Dynamos scheduled on January 15 and 16th.

“Aside from the points this weekend, what I’m looking for is the lads to start building some momentum again ahead of the cup final,” said Farn.

“We trained hard this week and we’ll only be on the ice three more times before we skate out in the final, so every minute is vital to get the lads into the rhythm again.”

Streatham have no fresh injury concerns ahead of the weekend, and will be hoping for a better crowd than the previous home game that was down on usual levels. The cancelled games before Christmas have now been rescheduled for later in the campaign.