Flintshire Freeze see off Raptors in 13-1 eye popper.

Sunday night welcomed local rivals Lancashire Raptors to Deeside Ice Rink for a game sponsored by Specsavers.  Last home game’s hero Phil Crosby started between the posts behind a Freeze squad which appeared on the ice with apparently impaired depth perception through injury, illness and other issues. Despite the apparent distortion, the available team were a sight for sore eyes for the home crowd and laid  on a great visual display keeping their undivided attention during a 13 -1 blinder against the visiting Lancashire Raptors. It was great to see Matt Wainwright lose the cage for a clear visor – let’s hope he could see just as clearly after celebrating his 18^th J

 

The first period saw Freeze come out with their eyes on the prize as they threw in plenty of speculative shots up front. Within the first few minutes, Ben Simister had had an up close examination of the Raptors’ net, Andy Chappell tried to dig out a loose puck floating in the crease and Si Furnival flashed a shot across the goal from behind the Raptors net. James Parsons then fired a laser shot over the crossbar and his usually excellent peripheral awareness let him down when he lost focus on the rebound in clear view of the Raptors’ net.  As the resulting play took a shufty at the other end of the rink, the Raptors managed to slip in a goal to take a rather cockeyed lead at 0-1. Play continued in the same frantic style with shots flying in at the Raptors’ goal. Parsons watched a shot saved and roll enticingly close to the line only to slip round the post and Gavin Austin kept his eye on the puck to force a save from point. First penalty call of the game saw Raptors lose a man for 2 mins for an icing infringement and Freeze’s Mike Jones took full advantage passing the puck from behind the Raptors net when he spied Andy Chappell lurking ready to lift the puck for a sweet power play goal to take the game level to 1-1 just after the halfway point of the period.  Within 2 minutes the pressure paid off again for the Freeze when a flurry of sticks in front of the net saw Chappell get the last touch to take it to 2-1. The home crowd couldn’t take their eyes of the game for a second as Parsons hit the post and Callum Ruddock shot high. Then, from the restart at the blue line, Parsons picked up the puck, danced towards the goal and lined up a shot. The Raptors goalie saved but the puck dropped behind him on the goal line and the crowd held their breath and squinted from behind their hands for what seemed an age….until the Raptors goalie back heeled it into the net for Freeze’s third.  Marc Lovell eyed a spot on the score sheet with a hard shot which was saved but, in the fading seconds, it was Parsons who scored his second to end the first period in style.

Period score 4-1.SOG made Freeze – 23 Raptors – 6.

 

Second period – and the crowd at the café end suffered eye strain as all the play seemed to be down the other end. They didn’t need binoculars to see the trip that got Ruddock in the bin for 2 mins or the cross check that got him 2 + 10 when he returned to the ice. Nor did the skill of Parsons need to be put under the microscope as, like a blinkered race horse, he swiftly scored his hat trick by picking up the puck from the restart at the café end and jinking down the ice for a superb short-handed and unassisted goal. In the wink of an eye, he bagged another whilst still short handed, but this time ably assisted by Furnival and Austin. Back to full strength and on a roll, Furnival took the Freeze lead to 7-1 with over half the period left. Play continued to buzz around the Raptors net until an Aled Roberts shot bounced back for Ben Simister to slide in the Freeze’s 8^th.  Freeze now looked comfortable – in a different class even –  as play stayed focussed around the Raptors’ net and the home fans eyeballed the clock wishing the start of the period would quickly come so they can cast their eyes in another direction and save the crick in the neck!

Period score 8-1.SOG made Freeze – 26 Raptors – 7.

 

The third period saw a change of end but no change in the prescription as Freeze continued their domination of the game. Within 2 minutes, Captain Lovell made the score sheet when he set his sights on the Raptors net for a brilliant unassisted goal. No one called the Referee’s eyesight into question  (and they didn’t even need rose tinted spectacles) as the game continued to keep the fans’ attention focussed with plenty of action to see and minimal interruptions to viewing- only 6 penalties called for scrutiny for the whole game.  Shots continued to pepper spray the Raptors’ goal and their net minder had no chance to blink with Lovell hitting the cross bar, a Chappell shot just trickling wide and Simister slamming one wide into the back boards. Eventually Ruddick slotted home goal number 10 for the Freeze and his first for the team – a brilliant goal for the stalwart defender. Despite the apparent Freeze domination of the game, the Raptors never gave up and Assistant Captain Alexander made an amazing clearance when a Furnival shot was dropped by his goalie and the puck was rolling with its sights clearly set over the goal line. Freeze’s 11^th goal marked a hat trick for Chappell whilst at the other end Crosby was kept on his toes pulling off a fine save making sure he stayed in the crowd’s line of vision. Normal service was soon resumed and the crowd at the café end were thrilled to get an eyeful of the action when play is in their visual field.  Lovell soon set his sights on the Raptors net and was assisted by a cross form Jones to take it to 12-1.  In the last 3 minutes, the pressure piled on by the Freeze rewarded the home crowd at that end with a bird’s eye view of the final goal of the game. Just inside the last 3 minutes, that man Parsons clearly had 20/20 vision when it came to goal scoring, and the Freeze’s no 5 scored his goal no 5 of the night.  No guide dogs required to see this was an emphatic victory putting Freeze tantalizingly in sight of that elusive play off place.

 

Final score: 6-3. SOG made Freeze – 27 Raptors – 5

Total penalties incurred: Freeze – 18 mins, Raptors – 2

MVP: Freeze – 13 Matt Wainwright

Raptors- 20 Curtis Elliot

Total shots on goal: faced by Freeze: 18, by Raptors: 76

 

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Flintshire Freeze finish off feisty Fylde Flyers in 6 – 3 goalfest

Blackpool side Fylde Flyers made a colourful Deeside debut with their star player Elvis Veldze in the tangerine no 5 shirt and not a diamante studded suit with a huge belt and collar. The only prop he needed was team mate Bobby Caunce to help him give the Freeze defence some grief and to grab all of the visiting teams 3 goals between them. But there was noLas Vegaspayoff for Fylde as Freeze hit the jackpot to score 6 for the win.

 

Phil Crosby started in goal for the Freeze and did a sterling job (which eventually earned him MVP) whilst at the other end, the Freeze forwards came out guns blazing to show the visitors and their large supporting contingent that they meant business. In the first minute, Si Furnival hit the side netting. Then a Chris Jones shot slammed wide into the boards within 5 minutes was soon followed by a Mike Jones shot over the crossbar. Fylde closed down any Freeze attacks with some hard checking and at the other end Veldze was getting shots in too – 5 on his first shift.  ButCrosbyheld firm between the posts and the Freeze defence dug in when Furnival took 2 mins for crosschecking.  Whilst down to four men, Freeze once again find their form as James Parsons picked up a loose puck to jink down the ice for a lovely unassisted shorthanded goal squeezed between Fylde goalie Heyes and his right hand post. The home team were first on the score sheet just over the halfway mark. Steve fellows and C Jones combined nicely up front to keep the pressure up with C Jones taking a few testing shots. But he couldn’t get through and ended up frustrated and taking 2 mins for slashing. The Freeze defence again dug in andCrosbysaved more shots, including a save from Veldze with his leg pad. Then Captain Marc Lovell picked up another save rebound and slinked off up the ice for a superb unassisted shorthanded second to take the score to 2 – 0 with under 3 mins of the period left. Seconds later, returning to the ice from the sin bin, C Jones ran into a Fylde player and was sent back in and ended up sitting out the end of the period with 2 mins for interference. Period score 2-0.SOG made Freeze -12 Fylde -10.

 

Inside the first 3 mins, Crosby saved with his head and then with his stick continuing his great job between the Freeze posts. Freeze piled on the pressure at the other end and finally sneaked in goal no 3 just under 5 ½ mins in with C Jones assisting Ben Simister onto the score sheet.  Whilst Veldze tried hanging on the Freeze blue line as a tactic to get Fylde onto the score sheet, it was at the other end where things heated up after a Parsons shot zinged off the post. The resulting difference of opinions saw M Jones and a Fylde’sMelbourne take 2 mins penalties for roughing. Freeze defended the Veldze tactic by copying Fylde’s hard checking in defence to close down Fylde attacks and the few that got thorough faced Crosby making some fantastic crucial saves. M Jones gave Fylde a power play opportunity sitting out two minutes for high sticks and that man Veldze headed goal wards only to be stopped by a superlative 1 on 1 save from Crosby. Parsons also had a shot saved, as did Simister just as the Freeze got back to full strength, with Crosby joining in the show with another save with the head.  Callum Ruddick took a blow to the face in a Freeze push and Crosby ended the period celebrating his 2^ndperiod with a clean sheet making another brave save from

Veldze but with 1 second on the clock C Jones followed a 2 min minor for interference by disagreeing with the ref and getting a personal 10 minutes for misconduct. As both teams left the ice a second later tension bubbled over and the resulting kafuffle saw M Jones and Ruddick receive 10 mins each for incitement along side Marriott for the flyers.

Period score 3-0.SOG made Freeze -13 Fylde -10.

 

The third period started well for the Freeze with shots on goal from both Simister and Parsons and the latter soon assisted Furnival to a class goal to take the score to 4-0 after 5½ minutes.  Then, within 20 secs of the restart a Fylde shot slips under Crosbyprone on the ice from a save and the score is 4-1.  Within 2 minutes and against the play, they quickly netted a second to go 4 – 2. Freeze regrouped and, with the 3 players in the bin for 10 minutes returning to the ice, retook control of the game for the final 10 mins. As two Fylde players took minor penalties for holding and tripping, they found themselves briefly at 5 on 3, then 5 on 4 but yet again fail to capitalise on the power play despite throwing in shots from all over the ice. Only when Fylde get back to five on five, does Freeze player number 5  – Parsons – score their goal number 5 and take the lead back to a less threatening 5 – 2. Crosbypulled some more great saves out of the bag and Freeze pushed forward until Furnival slid a pass to Parsons waiting in front of the Fylde goal for a sweetly worked 6^th with just over two mins left to go 6-2 in the lead.  Fylde fought hard for a consolation goal and got one with 68 secs left on the clock ,when Caunce flashed a shot acrossCrosby’s crease and Veldze converted the clearance to end the scoring at 6-3.  Once again C Jones ended a home game with a penalty in the dying seconds of the game – this time he joined a Fylde player in the sin bin for roughing with just 15 seconds on the clock.  His only hat trick tonight was ending all three periods in the bin, whilst Parson made the score sheet 3 times. The faithful Freeze fans went home happy and Elvis left the building with no points for his team but having put on a great show. Thank you very much. Huh, huh!

 

Final score: 6-3. SOG made Freeze -20 Fylde -15. Total penalties incurred: Freeze –46 mins, Fylde – 18

MVP: Freeze -  Net minder Phil Crosby

Fylde – 81 Daniel Fearon

Total shots on goal: faced by Freeze: 35, by Fylde: 45

 

 

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