Warriors 1 at RECFEST 2024
On the weekend of Saturday 17th August - Sunday 18th August 2024 our Warriors 1 team competed in the annual RECFEST tournament at Ice Sheffield for the first time.
The tournament consisted of 15 teams, split into three groups of 5.
Games consisted of a one x 14 minute period with a running clock.
After the first day of round-robin games, the top 5 teams would go through to the ‘Championship’ group, the following 5 would be placed into the ‘Plate’ group and the final 5 teams would go into the ‘Cup’ group.
Further round-robin games would be played on day two to determine the winner of each group.
For the group games on day one, the Warriors were placed into a group with :
Cardiff Dragons, Cleveland Comets, Nottingham Outlaws and Solihull Vikings.
The other competing teams were :
Tri-Base Lightning, Don Valley Vikings, Sheffield Blazers, Coventry Snipers, Chester Road Reapers, MK Hurricanes, Connah Quay Cobras, Cardiff Eagles, Birmingham Rockets, Solihull Jesters.
Team news
The team were without some important players for the tournament : Sam Cromack, Adam Gibbons, Simon Morrow, Niku Ghaemi, Chris Preston, Wes Nixon and Nathan Clegg.
Roster:
Lewis Pickering (NM)
Chris Giles (C)
Andy Giles (A)
Chris Blaschko
Ellen Gallimore
Tyler Heming
Matthew Gatenby
Tom Mallon
Ollie Gannon
Sam Forrester
Niks Kamaldins
Jordan Batty
Dylan Noonan
Mitch White
Will Gibbons
DAY 1
Game 1 - versus Cardiff Dragons
The Warriors opening game was against an unknown quantity in the Cardiff Dragons.
The team started strongly, opening the scoring in the first couple of minutes when Andy Giles scored from an Ollie Gannon assist. As the game progressed, the Warriors became dominant and were able to score 5 more goals over the next 12 minutes to put the game to bed.
Winning their first game by such a large margin was ideal for the team’s confidence and a great start to the tournament. The team now had a short break before they came up against the Cleveland Comets.
FINAL SCORE
Warriors 6 Dragons 0
Points:
Andy Giles 2+1
Sam Forrester 1+1
Ollie Gannon 1+1
Will Gibbons 1+1
Mitch White 0+2
Dylan Noonan 1+0
Jordan Batty 0+1
Niks Kamaldins 0+1
Will Gibbons
Player of the game
DAY 1
Game 2 - versus Cleveland Comets
The next game was against the Cleveland Comets. A familiar team to the Warriors. The Comets have always been a tough opponent and so the team were braced for an intense game.
After the teams had felt each other out in the opening exchanges, the Warriors were able to take the lead and keep pushing forward throughout the game to bring home a resounding 4-0 win.
Final score:
Warriors 4 Comets 0
Points:
Sam Forrester 1+0
Ollie Gannon 1+0
Tom Mallon 1+0
Mitch White 1+0
Andy Giles 0+1
Ollie Gannon
Player of the game
DAY 1
Game 3 - versus Nottingham Outlaws
The Warriors third game of the day was against another unknown quantity, having never played against the Outlaws before. But from reputation, we assumed this would be a tough one. We were right. This was an exciting encounter between two evenly matched teams. In such a short game, it was clear that only one goal would be needed for either team to take the win. Thankfully for us, Will Gibbons scored the only goal of the game, from a Mitch White assist, ensuring the Warriors took the points and were now 3 for 3 on day one.
Final score:
Warriors 1 Outlaws 0
Points:
Will Gibbons 1+0
Mitch White 0+1
Matthew Gatenby
Player of the game
Break time
The team had played three of their four scheduled games for day one and now had a break for a few hours before their final game against Solihull Knights.
DAY 1
Game 4 - versus Solihull Vikings
Final game of the day! After 3 hours rest and recuperation the Warriors’ aching bodies and full bellys now needed to ready themselves for a game against one of the top teams in the tournament.
The game turned out to be one of the hardest the Warriors had ever experienced. The Vikings were full of speed and skill and it was too much for the Warriors to deal with at times. The Vikings ran out easy winners at 4-0.
A disappointing end to the day, but the Warriors had won 3 games out of 4 and could be proud of that. The team were hopeful that the days efforts would be enough to leave them in 5th spot or above, in order to be placed into the ‘Championship’ group on day 2.
Final score:
Warriors 0 Vikings 4
Later that evening, the team got confirmation that they came 5th on day one and would be competing in the top tier on the Sunday. They would join Solihull Vikings, MK Hurricanes, Tri-Base Lightning and Coventry Snipers in this group.
DAY 2
Game 1 - versus Tri-Base Lightning
The Warriors have played against Tri-Base previously but they were usually short-benched. It was clear that with a full bench they would be a strong team. And that’s what the Warriors were now up against.
The game was fairly even throughout, but the Warriors just couldn’t make the breakthrough - coming up against a strong netminder. Unfortunately, at the other end, the Lightning were more clinical with their opportunities, scoring twice to win the game.
A tough start to day 2 for the Warriors, but there were still 3 more games up for grabs.
Final score:
Warriors 0 Lightning 2
DAY 2
Game 2 - versus MK Hurricanes
Unfortunately, things weren’t about to get easier for the Warriors. From the weekend’s results it was clear that the next opposition were very strong.
The game played out in a similar fashion to the previous Lightning game. The Warriors were creating chances but just couldn’t put the puck in the net, whilst the Hurricanes managed to cut through twice. The second goal coming quite late to kill the game off.
Final score:
Warriors 0 Hurricanes 2
DAY 2
Game 3 - versus Coventry Snipers
The Warriors were yet to record a win or score a goal on day 2 and were now up against one of the tournament favourites. The Snipers team included a lot of talented eastern European players who put the Warriors under a lot of pressure from the get-go. The Warriors battled hard to contain them, but the Snipers eventually made the breakthrough. With the clock ticking down quickly, the Warriors had to gamble and push forward for the equaliser. But unfortunately, they were caught out in D, conceding a second goal late in the game.
Final score:
Warriors 0 Snipers 2
DAY 2
Game 4 - versus Solihull Vikings
The Warriors opponents in their final game were the Solihull Vikings. The Warriors lost 4-0 to the Vikings in the final game of day one, so they knew this would be a tough game.
Fortunately, the Warriors were more ready for their opponents this time round. The difference between this game and the previous encounter was like night and day. The team were sharper and more solid across all areas of the ice and it could have gone either way.
Unfortunately, the Vikings were still able to steal a goal and keep our guys out, giving them the 1-0 win. But, nevertheless, it was a great effort from the Warriors - who could hold their heads high.
Final score:
Warriors 0 Vikings 1
Tournament points scorers
Andy Giles 2+2
Mitch White 1+3
Sam Forrester 2+1
Ollie Gannon 2+1
Will Gibbons 2+1
Tom Mallon 1+0
Dylan Noonan 1+0
Jordan Batty 0+1
Niks Kamaldins 0+1
Dzintars Jonuss
Warriors’ Player of the Tournament
The Warriors finished in 5th position out of 15 teams, which they can be proud of.
The eventual Championship group winners were Coventry Snipers.
The Plate group winners were Connah Quay Cobras.
The Cup group winners were Cardiff Dragons.
It was a fun weekend of hockey and it was also a nice social weekend for the team, being able to hang-out with fellow team-mates, having some laughs and a few beers etc.
Thanks to the EIHA for putting on this tournament free of charge.
