Freeze fight off battling Bradford Bulldogs

Deeside Leisure Centre welcomed Bradford Bulldogs to the ice arena for Sunday evenings ENL2 game and the home fans anxiously awaited the possibility of the first home win of the season for the Flintshire team.

Things did not get off to a promising start and the home crowd had a sense of déjà vu as the Bulldogs were first on to the score sheet within a minute with a goal from Dacres. At least Mr Evans was not in charge this week! The Freeze just couldn’t get a grip on this period and after 3 minutes Marc Lovell was sent to the bench, along with the Bulldog’s Boothroyd, for interference and slashing respectively. They are soon joined by Chris Jones and Bradford’s Brown who get 2 minutes for delaying the game as frustration come to a head. Play carries on 4 on 4 and James Parsons and Simon Furnival see a fine joint effort saved. Between the posts for Freeze, Phil Crosby starts off a great night’s work with some great saves; both stretched across the ice and plucking from the air but is let down by some sloppy defence. At the other end, the Freeze get in plenty of attacking play but nothing will go in. C Jones got back onto the ice only to return to the sin bin for elbows and Lovell topped off a poor period for the Freeze defence when – unusually for him – he is back there too for another penalty. The period ends with a C Jones shot flying off the cross bar over the nets and slamming into the plexiglass in the stands.
Period score 0 -1 SOG : FF – 9, BB – 15

The second period started with an early high sticks penalty for Callum
Ruddick, giving the Bulldogs a man advantage. They score – but the goal is disallowed as it came after the whistle. The first team actually on the score sheet this period is the Freeze, when Parsons converted a Furnival pass for a fabulous first Freeze goal. Freeze continued to put the Bulldogs under pressure and the visitors then went a man down when Pallister sat out two for hooking. Freeze took full advantage of the power play when Gavin Austin picked up the puck behind the Bulldog’s net and wrapped it around to C Jones for him to slot in a superb second for Freeze. Twelve minutes, later Freeze took advantage of another power play when C Jones picked up a clearance from Crosby in front of the Freeze goal and just danced down the ice to the home crowd’s delight for a dazzling third goal to take the Freeze to a 3 -1 lead. The Freeze were on fire and, when another shot hits the back of the net but is disallowed with 2:17 on the clock, the Bulldogs call a time out to regroup. This worked well for them as soon after the restart they pick up the puck and head goalward. Lovell for the Freeze brought the charge to a halt but took 2 mins for interference as the Bulldogs were awarded a penalty shot with 18 seconds left on the clock. Bradford’s Stockton cleanly put this away for their second. In hindsight, Freeze should have called a time out here, for sure, but didn’t and Dacres quickly followed with their 3rd goal with just 3 seconds left on the clock.
Period score 3 – 3. SOG FF – 17, BB – 13

With everything to play for both teams came out determined in the third, but it was the Freeze who made it count when Parsons sneaked a shot inside the Bulldog’s left hand post to take it to 4 – 3 inside 5 minutes. With C Jones paying his 3rd visit of the night to the sin bin for cross checking, Crosby again proved himself solid between the posts locking down some great saves. Suddenly, an attack up front saw Parsons take a hard check at the boards behind the Bulldogs net and lose his helmet. This got him a two minute illlegal equipment penalty. Unperturbed, the Freeze defence found their form and prevented the Bulldogs taking advantage. Soon after returning to the ice, Parsons takes a great pass from Lovell and slides a shot under a diving Parker in the Bradford net to get his hat trick and Freeze were 5 – 3. But as soon as play restarts, Bradford’s Stockton squeezes their 4th inside of Crosby’s right hand post and it was 5 – 4 with under 5 minutes to go. Freeze show their mettle and from the re-start attack, with C Jones keen to get his hat trick. He fired at the side of the net and coolly picked up the rebound behind the net whilst a penalty was called against the Bulldogs to finish the scoring at 6 – 4 with a delayed penalty goal. With a minute left on the clock and the home crowd raising the roof, Bradford try to lessen the blow by pulling their netminder, hoping an extra out player can help them score. But they end up defending as Flintshire take shot after pot shot at the open Bulldog’s goal. The game ends 6 – 4 win Flintshire SOG: FF – 9, BB -13.
MVP – FF No 40 Phil Crosby (facing 41 shots on goal)
- BB No 2 Dean Bothroyd

View from the Freezer – A Freeze fan report.

     Flintshire Freeze V Bradford Bulldogs

This Sunday the FREEZE, after picking up big losses from what are expected to be the top two teams in the league will be looking to get back to winning ways against the visiting Bradford Bulldogs.

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Sutton Sting buzzing as Freeze fall foul to harsh reffing.

Another Sunday evening, another home game for the Freeze and another visiting team cause a delay to the start of the game. This time Sunday’s visitors to the Deeside Ice rink – Sutton Sting – arrived in their home strip (!) which was practically identical to the Freeze’s as you could only tell them apart by their socks – theirs yellow & ours white!. The game eventually started late whilst the Freeze’s away strip was being fetched but, regrettably, it was only to end with another Freeze home defeat.

The first period started confusingly enough with both teams in practically the same strip but went on to be one of the most bizarre 20 minutes of ice hockey seen at the Deeside Arena. Sutton scored in the first five minutes and Freeze retaliated by netting a shot 3 minutes later only for it to be disallowed for allegedly being scored with the hand although it looked like an own goal to the crowd. Freeze seemed to have got the Sting rattled and play was even but eventually blighted by some interesting refereeing decisions. With Steve Fellows in the bin for a bench penalty for ‘icing the puck’ another Freeze shot hits the back of the net but is once again disallowed. This time for an interference penalty and Andy Chappell joined Fellows in the sin bin. Not surprisingly, Sting take advantage at 5 on 3 and score their 2^nd  goal and quickly followed this with an even handed 3rd  goal to the home crowd’s disgust. To add insult to injury, and with the ‘boos’ still echoing around the arena, Freeze’s top scorer Chris Jones is then sent from the ice after catching a Sting player with his stick when turning to play after the whistle had blown. His very harsh 10 mins plus game penalty really was the sting in the tale of this period. Period score: 0 -3 SOG: 7 – 13

Having decided to stay ice side and not to take their break in the temporary referee’s rest room, the officials had a quieter start to the second period as the Freeze were clearly subdued and the crowd very unhappy.  Sting scored a couple of even handed goals in the first five minutes. A flurry of penalties against the Sting, including 10  mins to James Goodman for misconduct, didn’t prevent them scoring a shorthanded goal against a  Freeze side still shell shocked from the shenanigans of the first period.  Period score 0 -6 SOG: 10 – 9

Sutton opened the scoring in the third within 3 minutes and follow it up with a power play goal whilst Freeze’s Kenny Williams sits out 2 minutes for boarding. But Freeze finally started to get to grips with Sutton and are rewarded at the half way mark when Parsons finally gets in a shot that no-one – not even the ref – can deny is a goal.  Just as in the first period, the Sting players are rocked and Freeze are back in the game. Sutton called a time out when both sides took penalties for slashing during a Sting attack and seconds after getting back to the game they scored their 9^th. Freeze showed their mettle and some lovely play from Chappell and Fellows results in Parsons picking up a pass near the centre line and heading one on one with the Sutton netminder and a jinky dummy results in a sweet second goal for him and the Freeze much to the crowds delight.  Michael Jones soon followed on to the Freeze score sheet lifting a shot into the back of the net or the Freeze’s 3^rd but this was quickly answered with Sutton’s tenth. A brave fight back in the third by the Freeze against a strong team who could only take advantage of what was handed to them on a plate left the disillusioned  home crowd rueing what could have been… if only..?  Final score: 3 – 10 SOG: 13 – 14 (30 -36)

MVP: Sutton Sting – 13 Ben Lowe (hat trick) Flintshire Freeze-5 James Parsons

Flintshire Freeze 3 vs Sutton Sting  10

Match Report To Follow