News Report

Essex Derby Part III

Another great win for our final home game of 2023!

• admin
• 12 December 2023

Romford are known for being a very fast-paced team. They were just coming off a win, beating the Oxford City Stars 11-3. The Chieftains had a difficult away game against Solent the night before. This game was going to be a tough call, it could go either way!

This game was going to be a special night. It had been chosen as the club's charity night to raise funds for two great charities close to the club's heart, Aching Arms and 4Louis. There were great expectations amongst the fans to see the team's kit. As the players walked out, they all looked like Christmas elves, with both netminders looking like Father Christmas. The fans were definitely not expecting that! Hopefully the Christmas magic would favour the Chieftains! 

The puck dropped for the first period, and it was fast-paced right from the start. For the first few minutes, the Chieftains passes weren't connecting, but defensively, they were very strong. Every time Romford came on the attack, the Chieftains defence was on top of them, blocking shots before they could even make it through to Jordan Lawday. The play felt very open, and the action was end-to-end. The Chieftains started to gain their rhythm. Alan Lack made a superb charge on goal. He was absolutely flying, but he soon ended up in the back of Romford's net. It happened so fast that a lot of fans didn't notice that he was, in fact, tripped by Courtney Grant. The Chieftains were awarded a penalty shot. Upstepped Cameron Bartlett to take the puck towards Phillips. With a slight flick of the stick, the puck was in the back of the net, the Chieftains were 1-0 up, and the Riverside rocked. At this point, the Chieftains were in control. In just under a minute, Cameron Bartlett was able to get another goal, unassisted. With the tightest of angles, he had managed to get the puck past Phillips and into the back of the net. It was now 2-0. Romford were fired up and came straight on the attack. The Chieftains defence held strong. Romford were able to force some superb saves from Lawday but nothing was getting through. The Chieftains passes were connecting more, but at times, when there was a chance to score, the Chieftains just couldn't quite get behind the puck to give it the direction it required. At 19:22, there was a scramble in front of the Chieftains net. The puck appeared to flip up in the air and creep past Lawday. Donald Campbell had scored for Romford, it was now 2-1, and this is how the period ended. Jordan Lawday faced 16 shots, Phillips faced 11 for the period.

The first period had been so fast-paced, and this is exactly how the second period started. The Chieftains soon gained control of the period. It wasn't long before Grant Bartlett was able to score at 21:09, assisted by Ben Russell with a fantastic goal to make it 3-1. The Riverside had a great atmosphere, and this goal ensured that it continued. The shots were raining down on the Romford goal, and the pressure was definitely on Phillips. At 28:13, Logan Prince was able to score another goal for the Chieftains, unassisted, to make it 4-1. There was a cheer on the ice as his fellow team members went to congratulate him, which was great to see. The open play continued, again, the Chieftains defence was holding strong when called upon, but to be fair, it was all about the attack on Romford's goal. At 32:13, Cameron Bartlett was able to score the third goal of his night, assisted by Richie Pickering and Ollie Balldock. It was now 5-1 to the Chieftains. The period ended with Lawday facing only 5 shots, whereas Phillips had faced 20!

The second period had been a great display of teamwork, and to be fair, both teams had kept up the pace. As the puck dropped for the third period, the Chieftains continued where they left off. The game started to become more physical. At 43:32, Elliot Dervish got James Pentecost in a head lock, and it all looked like it was going to kick off. The referee was soon in to split up the skirmish, and both players got 2 minutes for roughing. Romford was becoming frustrated. They just couldn't break through the Chieftains defence. Jordan Lawday was pulling off some phenomenal saves. At times he was 1 on 1 with Romford on the attack, and he calmly saved the shots. He was definitely playing his part in keeping the Romford scoreline low. However, at 47:32, Tjay Anderson was able to pull a goal back for Romford to make it 5-2. Their fans celebrated, but they were soon drowned out by the home supporters getting behind the Chieftains. There were a few penalties for the Chieftains, but Romford just couldn't take advantage of the powerplay. This really was a strong display from the Chieftains defence. As the final seconds were running down on the clock, the home fans started to celebrate early. This time, the bragging rights for the Essex Derby were heading back in the direction of Chelmsford on the A12.

That was the last home game for 2023, and what a way to end the season so far!

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

We can't wait to see you back at the Riverside next year!

#LetsGoChieftains #OhMyLawday #CantWaitFor2024