News Report

Chieftains win Playoffs!

Two cracking games, two superb wins, one playoff champion!

• admin
• 08 April 2024

I think you'll all agree that the Chieftains put on two stunning displays against Oxford City Stars in the quarter finals to power them through to the semis.

The playoffs this year were held in the iconic venue of Alexandra Palace, and before the Chieftains started their match, you could see the swathe of supporters, all geared up to cheer on and support the Chieftains.

Slough took an early lead with a short handed goal, but Grant Bartlett was able to pull that back with an excellent powerplay goal, and the first period ended 1-1. Both teams had 10 shots on goal, highlighting how even the first period was. Slough took an early lead in the second through another powerplay goal,and the Chieftains fans were a bit subdued at this point, but just five minutes later, Grant Bartlett brought the score line level once more. At this point, it went a bit crazy! Just thirteen seconds later, T.J. Fillery scored to make it 3-1, and then 40 seconds later, Alan Lack made it 4-1. Three goals had been scored in less than 60 seconds. The travelling Chieftains fans were raising the roof of Alexandra Palace, the sound was deafening. Slough Jets looked shell-shocked, and the Chieftains kept attacking. Two more goals came in the period for the Chieftains, courtesy of Jay King and Sasha Maltsev. The second period finished 6-2, Lawday faced 9 shots and Slough faced 17. For the final period, it was obvious that the Chieftains were in control, they were passing the puck, making Slough work for it, and they successfully controlled the pace of the period. At 48:06, Grant Bartlett made it 7-2, followed up by another goal shortly afterwards at 48:47 to make it 8-2. Slough tried to mount various attacking plays, but Jordan Lawday was like a brick wall. The crowd was loving it as they chanted, "Lawday! Lawday! Lawday!". Slough were becoming increasingly frustrated, and penalties were mounting up for them. At 51:02, Sasha claimed the last goal of the match. The game ended 9-2, and with a superb display from the team, they'd made it through to the playoff finals!

For the playoff final, the Chieftains fans were behind the Solent bench, and right from the start, they were making themselves heard. With only 58 seconds being played, Grant Bartlett scored to make it 1-0. The Chieftains carried on their attacking play, and Solent defended hard. Just near the end of the first period, Damon Porter scored at 19:01 to make it 2-0. The first period ended, Lawday faced 7 shots, Solent faced 15. The second period was a lot more even, and at times, the Chieftains were having to absorb the pressure as Solent tried to get themselves back in the game. At 28:01, Solent scored to make it 2-1, but at 29:33, Cameron Bartlett extended the Chieftains lead once more to make it 3-1. The second period ended 3-1, Lawday faced 13 shots, Solent faced 12. The second period had been a much closer game, and the Chieftains didn't disappoint during the third. With just 16 seconds being played in the period, Cameron Bartlett scored to make it 4-1. Again, Solent tried to fight back, and at one point, Jamieson slipped for the Chieftains. Solent was one-on-one with Lawday. Jordan calmly came out of his goal to cut the angles, got hunched down, and successfully eradicated the threat. It was brilliant to watch, and the Chieftains fans broke out into further chants of "Lawday!Lawday!Lawday!". Just as in the third period of the previous night's game, the Chieftains were in control, and when opportunities arose, they attacked. At 52:39, Grant Bartlett scored to make it 5-1, and as the final minutes were running down, Grant Bartlett scored another at 57:44 to make it 6-1. The Solent Devils were looking subdued at this point. With only 30 seconds left to play, the Chieftains fans were all on their feet cheering loudly for the team, and as the final buzzer went, the Chieftains players, threw their gloves and everything else in the air. They'd done it, they were Playoff Champions! 

The team played amazing all weekend, always looking in control but defensively holding strong when needed. The travelling fans were amazing, you could hardly hear the opposing fans, it really was deafening at times!

What an amazing end to a strong season! Cliff has had a phenomenal first season, and we're so pleased he's at the helm for next season too!

Thank you to the players for all of their hard work, commitment and for entertaining us most weekends. Thank you to the volunteers and people behind the scenes who work so hard to make it all possible. We really do have a great hockey family at Chelmsford, and of course, we definitely have the best fans!

Enjoy the summer break, don't miss hockey too much, and you can be certain that next season will be even better than this one!

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

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

#LetsGoChieftains #WhatASeason #PlayoffChampions