Saturday's man of the match Damon Larter had a goal disallowed in the first period. Picture by Peter Boam.
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ICE HOCKEYChelmsford Chieftains 3, Wightlink Raiders 5
(Raiders reach the final 7-5 on aggregate)
WIGHTLINK Raiders pulled out all the stops to defeat Chelmsford Chieftains at The Riverside ice rink on Sunday, treating an army of travelling fans with a performance to savour.
They turned around a 3-1 deficit to beat the Essex side by two clear goals, guaranteeing themselves a place in the English National League play-off final against Bracknell Hornets.
And it means the Island outfit have a real chance of gaining their first silverware since winning the Millennium Cup in the 2000-2001 season.
Ironically, Raiders defeated Chelmsford to reach the final in that competition as well, and the scenes following the win echoed those of a decade ago.
Chelmsford made the brighter start, taking a fourth-minute lead but soon Raiders were back level, Damon Larter scoring while on the powerplay. Jerry Pavlus put Chieftains back ahead in the eighth minute and, early into the second period, they made it 3-1.
A goal from Danny Hughes brought Raiders back into the game, before fisticuffs between Chelmsford’s young upstart, Novak, and Raiders’ Stewart Tait saw play grind to a halt. Novak received a five plus game penalty for high sticks, while Tait received a two plus match penalty for roughing — a penalty which means he misses the first leg of this weekend’s final.
Undeterred the Raiders pushed on and levelled through Kevin Tanner, five minutes into the final session.
Victory was completed with just minutes remaining, when Alex Murray converted from a goalmouth scramble as the Raiders took the lead for the first time in the game.
Then, with around a minute left, Jeremy Cornish scored with a deft wrist shot to secure a famous win.
Man of the match was Toby Cooley.
Wightlink Raiders 2, Chelmsford Chieftains 2
THE previous night, a packed house at Ryde Arena did all they could to cheer their side on in this crucial first game at home to Chelmsford on Saturday.
Prior to the game fans were sure a good victory at home would be needed here to ensure a better chance of progressing to the finals.
However, a tense draw was what they got.
Looking back, Raiders may feel hard done by that they did not take two points from this match, especially after man of the match Larter scored a clear goal which was washed out by the referee, Rene Ross.
The first-period 'goal’, scored by slapshot into the bottom right-hand corner of the Chelmsford net, was called as a goal by match official Shelley Crossley, and celebrated by the hoards of Raiders fans watching from that side.
However, as the puck bounced straight back out again, Ross signalled that play should continue.
At that point the sides were locked at 1-1. Kevin Tanner’s rich vein of form had continued for the hosts, scoring the game’s opener after just two minutes.
Tanner, assisted by Murray and Cornish, was on hand to pounce on a puck left behind by a Chelmsford defenceman and he coolly slotted on the backhand.
However, Chelmsford always looked threatening and, on the face of it, had the officiating gods on their side as they were able to intimidate the Raiders with physical play without reproach. They equalised after just four minutes with a goal from Novak that the Raiders defence will surely want back.
After Larter’s goal-that-never-was, Raiders took the lead officially just 25 seconds from the start of the second period, with another Tanner goal, this time assisted by Murray.
However, that was the last Raiders fans would cheer, as with just seconds of the middle session to go Chelmsford, while shorthanded, equalised.
A goalless third period was not without its chances for either side, but the final result meant the tie was neatly poised going into the deciding match on Sunday.
Reporter: sport@iwcpmail.co.uk
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