Warriors make it 2 for 2 in BS&B Cup
On Sunday 11th February, our Warriors 1 team travelled to Planet Ice, Blackburn to take on the Renegades in their second game in the "Blood, Sweat & Beers" Cup.
The Warriors won their first game in the competition, beating the Ice Tigers on home ice, but this was likely to be a tougher game - an away game on a larger ice pad. The Renegades were also icing some familiar names, like Duthie and Fleet, so the Warriors knew this wouldn’t be easy.
In team news, the Warriors were without some key players - Dylan Noonan (F), Niks Kamaldins (F), Matt Gatenby (F), Ellen Gallimore (D), Nathan Clegg (D) and Ollie Gannon (D). The starting netminder was Ben Briggs with Lewis Pickering as back-up.
1st period
The opening period was end to end, with both teams trading chances. But it was the Warriors that opened the scoring, with an unassisted goal from #22 Mitch White. But overall, the Renegades had settled into the game quicker than the Warriors who were adjusting to the size of the ice pad.
What followed was a bad 6 minute period for the Warriors as the Renegades netted 3 times to go 3-1 ahead by the 15th minute.
The next goal was crucial. The Warriors needed to respond quickly and stop the bleeding before the game became out of reach. Thankfully, the response was immediate, as #74 Wes Nixon scored from #53 Sam Forrester and #78 Tyler Heming assists at the 16 minute mark.
The period ended 3-2 to Renegades, meaning the Warriors were still in the game and able to regroup during the interval.
Renegades 3 Warriors 2
2nd period
Coach Sam Forrester wanted more intensity and tempo from the team in the following period. The team had now had chance to adjust to the rink and needed to take it up a notch.
As it turned out, the middle period was a big one for the Warriors. But, it didn’t start well - within the first minute of the restart, the Renegades extended their lead to 4-2.
But the feeling on the bench was that we were in this game and the Renegades were there for the taking. The team never became disheartened and kept fighting. Within a minute, the Warriors reduced the deficit to 4-3 with a #79 Sam Cromack goal, assisted by #22 White.
But this was an end to end game and the Renegades kept coming back. The hosts scored their 5th goal of the game on 22 minutes, meaning 3 goals had been scored in the opening 2 minutes of the period. The Warriors needed to sure up their defence and quickly. Again, the Renegades had daylight between the teams at 5-3.
Fortunately, #22 White was able to close the gap to 5-4 after netting from #16 Andy Giles and #8 Chris Preston assists (25 minutes).
The Warriors were hoping to push on from this and claw themselves into the lead, but the hosts had other ideas and kept responding. They scored their 6th goal of the game on 29 minutes to maintain the 2 goal gap at 6-4.
Undeterred, the Warriors rallied and embarked on what would be a game-defining 10 minute period. The Warriors scored 4 unanswered goals, starting with a #45 Simon Morrow goal from a #30 Chris Blaschko assist on 29 minutes.
A minute later the Warriors were finally on level terms at 6-6. #87 Ash Pryce scored a brilliant goal from a #10 Chris Giles assist (33 minutes) and in the following minute the Warriors were back in the lead at 6-7 when Will Gibbons pounced on a #74 Nixon assist.
But the game remained tight and the Renegades continued to look dangerous. The Warriors needed the insurance goal. And thankfully they got it - #22 White bagged his hat-trick goal on 38 minutes after an assist from #8 Preston. 6-8 Warriors.
The Warriors had won the period 3-6 and the game was now in their hands.
Renegades 6 Warriors 8
3rd period
The Warriors knew the Renegades would throw everything at them in the final period and they needed to be ready. The game was far from won and they needed to extend the lead to feel more comfortable.
Therefore, it was a relief when #22 White bagged his 4th of the game (unassisted) within a minute of the restart. 6-9 Warriors.
But fair play to the hosts - no sooner had the puck dropped again and they had pulled it back to 7-9. The Warriors couldn’t afford to slack off as the Renegades kept coming back. 6 minutes later, the hosts closed the gap further to make it a one-goal game at 8-9 on 47 minutes.
A one-goal lead was too close for comfort and the Warriors needed the insurance goal again.
2 minutes after the restart #22 White scored his 5th and final goal of the game, after receiving a fantastic stretch pass from #12 Tom Mallon. 8-10 Warriors.
The Warriors were able to feel like they had the win on 52 minutes when #79 Cromack scored his 2nd of the night (assists from #87 Pryce and #38 Niku Ghaemi) meaning the visitors were now 8-11 ahead with 8 minutes remaining.
That said, the Renegades still had the belief and kept fighting - scoring their 9th goal on 57 minutes. But all that remained was for the Warriors to run down the clock. which they did successfully, winning the game 9-11.
Final score:
Blackburn Renegades 9 Leeds Warriors 11
Points scorers:
Mitch White 5+1
Sam Cromack 2+0
Ash Pryce 1+1
Wes Nixon 1+1
Chris Preston 0+2
Simon Morrow 1+0
Will Gibbons 1+0
Andy Giles 0+1
Chris Blaschko 0+1
Chris Giles 0+1
Niku Ghaemi 0+1
Sam Forrester 0+1
Tyler Heming 0+1
Ash Pryce
Warriors’ player of the game
Simon Morrow
Captain’s player of the game
The Player of the Game for the Warriors, as selected by the Renegades, went to Ash Pryce for a great performance, collecting 1+1. And the Warriors’ helmet went to Simon Morrow who posted 1+0 and worked tirelessly all game.
Honourable mentions go to Mitch White, who scored 5 goals! Also, Tyler Heming was immense in D throughout the game.
Thanks to Blackburn Renegades for an exciting and competitive game which was played in the right spirit. We’ll see you on 20th April for the return game in Leeds.
Our next game in the ‘Blood, Sweat and Beers’ Cup is at home to Manchester Swarm.
Game details below:
