News Report

Chieftains beat Invicta!

An amazing night at the Riverside, a contender for game of the season so far!

• admin
• 14 November 2023

Last season, the Invicta Dynamos always got the better of us. At the start of this season, Invicta beat us again. Coach Cliff commented that the team just ran out of steam towards the end of that game as the scoreline came close in the final period. How would the team fair this time on home ice at the Riverside?

As the team came out onto the ice, fans could not see Jordan Lawday. Instead, we had Dominic Rae and Chelmsford Warriors' young, talented netminder, Luke Conley. The puck dropped with Dominic Rae in between the pipes for the Chieftains. This game was going to be a real test for him, and he didn't disappoint! The first few minutes of the period were taken up with end to end play. When Invicta were on the attack, the Chieftains' defence were acting well as one unit. Dominic Rae was tested early on, but he made some great saves and he looked very calm and in control. The Chieftains were looking very dangerous in attack, passes were clean, and the Invicta defence looked shaky at times. At 12:27, assisted by Jay King and Sasha Maltsev, T.J.Fillery was able to find the back of the net from a rebound off the pipes, taking the Chieftains into the lead with a well placed goal. The Riverside was rocking! It definitely felt like the Chieftains had control of the game, but not long after T.J's goal, Matty Bell, assisted by Gregor McAllan, was able to mount a charge on the Chieftains and equalise the scoreline at 14:04. As per previous games, you could tell there was no panic amongst the Chieftains, they had their game plan, and they were sticking to it. The first period finished 1-1, with Dominic Rae facing 12 shots, and Invicta facing 11. This was surprising as it definitely felt that the Chieftains had most of the period.

The puck dropped for the second period. The Chieftains went straight on the attack. At 20:31, assisted by Leigh Jamieson and Grant Bartlett, Alan Lack was able to get himself on the scoresheet and put the Chieftains back in the lead. It was now 2-1. The perfect start to the second period! As the period continued, the Chieftains really took control. The invicta defence was holding, but the shots kept coming thick and fast. At 25:13, Ben Russell took a shot from distance and it sailed into the back of Invictas' net. It was now 3-1 to the Chieftains. Invicta were getting frustrated. At 30:31, both Alan Lack and Harrison Lillis dropped gloves, Lillis doing so with great bravado. The crowd were definitely up for watching this fight. However, Lillis just fell to his knees, appearing not willing to fight at all. The home fans mocked Lillis with a lot of laughter and cheering. The referee stopped the "fight". Lack got 2 mins for fighting, whilst Lillis got 2 minutes for interference. Shortly after both players had returned to the ice, Mads Thune, assisted by Lascek and Springer-Hughes was able to get one back for Invicta. It was now 3-2. The Chieftains continued their attacking play, and at 36:45, assisted by Leigh Jamieson and Damon Porter, Ollie Baldock was able to extend the Chieftains lead once more. The second period finished 4-2. Dominic Rae faced 6 shots, Invicta faced an astonishing 28!

The puck dropped for what was going to be a very busy third period. With only 34 seconds of the period being played, Invicta had managed to get a goal back courtesy of Mads Thune, it was now 4-3. For a short while, the game felt on a knife edge, but the Chieftains took control and continued the attacking play that had seen them through the second period. At 44:17, Laming from Invicta got 2 minutes for holding. The Chieftains were on a powerplay. Assisted by Alan Lack and Jay King, Leigh Jamieson scored a fantastic goal at 44:25 to stretch the team's lead. The home fans had only just finished celebrating, when just 20 seconds later, assisted by James Pentecost, Alan Lack was able to get his second goal of the night. The Chieftains were really firing on all cylinders now. It was already loud in the Riverside with the home support cheering and chanting. Each goal seemed to ramp up the volume even further. But the Chieftains weren't finished. At 46:16, assisted by Sasha Maltsev, Dan Hitchings took a shot and turned around almost instantly to head back. The crowd cheered, Dan turned back on goal, appeared surprised, his shot had actually gone in! Three goals in just as many minutes, it was now 7-3. Invicta called a timeout, their players appearing to be berated, but the home fans just cheered for the Chieftains, enjoying an amazing game. Rallied by the timeout, Owen Dell for Invicta was able to score at 47:37. Their fans were celebrating like they had won the game, but there were more goals to come. At 57:45, Sasha got a penalty for hooking. The Chieftains were on the powerkill. Invicta just didn't appear organised, Lascek looked tired, they looked stunned by the recent Chieftains' onslaught. At 58:08, Hallden Barnes-Garner was able to take advantage. He made a superb charge on goal and scored yet another. The Riverside was well and truly rocking. The fans couldn't believe it. To add insult to Invictas' injury, Grant Bartlett was able to score the Chieftains' 9th and final goal at 58:52. The Chieftains had really shown their dominance over Invicta. The game finished, the Chieftains had won 9-4. Dominic Rae faced 13 shots in the final period, Invicta faced 24!

Dominic Rae won man of the match for the Chieftains. It was well deserved. He made some fantastic saves, keeping the scoreline in favour of the Chieftains when it mattered. This game showed how far the Chieftains have come in such a short period of time; a team firing on all cylinders, the defence was solid, and the firepower was there for all to see. 

If you'd like to see the stats for the game, just click here.

Well done team, we can't wait to see you back at the Riverside soon!

#LetsGoChieftains