Warriors 1 tame the Ice Tigers
On Saturday 8th June our Warriors 1 team travelled to Ice Sheffield to take on the Ice Tigers.
This was the second time the two teams have met this season, with the Warriors having taken a 6-4 win when the teams met in Leeds on 27th January 2024.
This was likely to be another tough game for our first team, especially when considering the lack of numbers and having some important players missing.
The Warriors were without :
Dylan Noonan
Sam Cromack
Niks Kamaldins
Joe Quinn
Simon Morrow
Dzintars Jonuss
Jordan Batty
Chris Preston
Wes Nixon
Dressed players
Ben Briggs (NM), Lewis Pickering (NM), Chris Giles (C), Andy Giles (A), Adam Gibbons, Ellen Gallimore, Tom Mallon, Ollie Gannon, Tyler Heming, Chris Blashko, Mitch White, Niku Ghaemi, Sam Forrester, Will Gibbons and Jamie Farrar*
*18 year old Jamie Farrar was making his Warriors debut
1st period
The Warriors started the game strongly and looked confident going forward. With only 3 minutes on the clock they were ahead when Niku Ghaemi scored from Mitch White and Andy Giles assists.
The Warriors were dominant in the first period but the hosts had their moments in front of goal and the warning signs were there for the Warriors. The Ice Tigers eventually converted after 14 minutes to tie the game, leaving the Warriors to rue their missed chances.
But if anything, this spurred the Warriors on, striking back within less than a minute! The puck came out to point-man Chris Giles who hit a shot towards goal where Tyler Heming managed to redirect the puck into the goal. 1-2 Warriors!
The period ended with a slender lead for the Warriors. The game could easily have gone either way at this point. But, the team felt they had an extra gear and the Ice Tigers were there for the taking.
Ice Tigers 1 Warriors 2
2nd period
This would be a game defining period. The Warriors came out determined and it only took 3 minutes for the team to get the insurance goal they needed. #69 Niku Ghaemi bagged his 2nd goal of the night with assists from both line mates, White and A. Giles.
With the wind in their sales, the Warriors were now going for the jugular. Bagging goal number 3 after only a further 5 minutes of play. White getting his first of the night, unassisted on 28 minutes. 1-4 Warriors.
The team were now purring - creating multiple chances, whilst also snuffing out the Ice Tigers.
10 minutes later, as the period was coming to a close, Ollie Gannon picked up a loose puck just inside the offensive zone and was able to pick his spot in the top right corner to make it 1-5 Warriors.
At this point the game looked done. But the team would be wise to avoid over-confidence and complacency.
Ice Tigers 1 Warriors 5
3rd period
With a healthy lead, the Warriors knew they just needed to keep doing what they were doing and keep their defence tight.
But the Ice Tigers hadn’t given up on this game. Within a minute of the restart the hosts had struck back to make it 2-5.
The Warriors were finding it increasingly difficult to create chances are were now on the back-foot. The Ice Tigers were able to capitalise on the visitors dip in confidence and and scored 2 quick goals on 49 and 52 minutes, bringing the score to 4-5 Warriors.
What had been a comfortable game for the Warriors had now turned into an all out battle. The next goal was crucial. Would the Ice Tigers complete the comeback in the final 8 minutes or could the Warriors grab the insurance goal and see the game out?
Thankfully, within a minute of the restart, Warriors’ Mitch White scored his 2nd goal of the night to make it 4-6 Warriors. Assist from A. Giles.
This was a massive blow to the Ice Tigers, whose hope and optimism now seemed to crumble. The Warriors were now able to see the game out and take the victory, despite the scare.
4-6 was a repeat score-line of the previous meeting between the two teams in Leeds in January.
Final score:
Ice Tigers 4 Warriors 6
Points scorers :
Mitch White 2+2
Andy Giles 0+3
Niku Ghaemi 2+0
Ollie Gannon 1+1
Tyler Heming 1+0
Chris Giles 0+1
The Player of the Game for the Warriors, as selected by the Ice Tigers, went to number 69 Niku Ghaemi who played brilliantly, picking up 2+0.
The Captain’s helmet also went to number 69 - Niku Ghaemi. It was quite the night for our 69!
Thanks to the Ice Tigers for another competitive game of hockey!
Watch this space for future Warriors 1 fixtures.
