Ice-hockey: Tempers flare as Streatham earn 9-2 win over local rivals Invicta Dynamos
The South Londoners found a way back from two early one-goal deficits to be victorious.
Harvey Stead was given a two-minute penalty for cross checking after four minutes and Dynamos scored on the following powerplay through former Redhawk Tom Soar.
Streatham immediately applied offensive pressure and were rewarded on six minutes. Ethan Lane banked a puck in off the skate of Dynamos’ Dylan Worthy.
Dynamos restored their lead after 13 minutes, as Dan Scott and Soar linked up to make it 2-1.
Streatham hit Dynamos with wave after wave of attack in the second period, looking for a break in the wall that was Mo’s netminder Brad Windebank.
Jared Lane tied up the game on 33 minutes. Aaron Connolly delivered a cross check to Ziggy Beesley on the restart and that led to Ryan Watt putting Streatham in the lead a minute later on a powerplay.
A fighting major for former Redhawk Callum Burnett on 39 minutes helped Streatham double their lead on 39 minutes – Luke Brittle netted with 10 seconds on the clock in the second period.
As Burnett’s penalty was a major, he remained in the box and Streatham capitalised on their numerical advantage, scoring twice in the opening minutes of the third period through Stead and Jared Lane.
Lane soon completed his hat-trick on the night as the tempers that had been bubbling up all game finally boiled over at 46 minutes – Ethan Lane dropped the gloves for a fight with Worthy after a hit in the corner. Danny Ingoldsby and Brittle wrapped up the scoring.
Assistant captain Ziggy Beesley said: “Their five-minute penalty killed the game. We weren’t as good as we would have liked to have been in the first. But we got the job done in the second and third periods.”
Coach Ben Paynter added: “They came in short-benched. We knew that if we stuck to our game plan, we’d keep wearing them down and be in a very good position by end of the game. And we did just that.
“I don’t think our first period was great. It wasn’t our game plan to finish the first 2-1 down. The second goal was a bit of an unlucky bounce, those things happen. But the hockey gods gave us a warning there to turn it on a bit, and in the second period we did just that. From then on we were in control from start to finish.”
Streatham host fellow title hopefuls Slough Jets on Sunday (6.45pm).