ICE HOCKEYWightlink Raiders 5, Chelmsford Chieftains 1
WIGHTLINK Raiders secured four valuable points with double victory over old rivals Chelmsford Chieftains last weekend, starting with an exciting 5-1 home win at Ryde Arena.
Raiders opened the scoring after ten minutes to give Chelmsford a real shock, Danny Hughes leading the way with a goal assisted by Alex Murray and Stewart Tait.
Midway through the second period, Murray made it 2-0, although his effort was cancelled out shortly after when Chelmsford got off the mark.
Undeterred, the Raiders pressed ahead and head coach Jeremy Cornish continued his points run with a goal at 37.33.
The third period opened with more hard hitting hockey from the Raiders, allowing Chelmsford little room to get back in the game. Murray bagged his second of the match with a high-speed wrist shot before Luke Reynolds scored the Raiders’ fifth, and sealed the well-earned victory.
Chelmsford Chieftains 3, Wightlink Raiders 4
For the return leg, the Raiders were in buoyant mood despite the fact it has always been difficult to gain points at Chelmsford’s rink.
And history looked to be repeating itself when, by the halfway point of the game, Raiders were 3-0 down.
With a mountain to climb the Raiders set about their task, with Cornish narrowing the gap at 32.46, assisted by Steve Gossett.
The third period belonged to the Raiders, with Dan Scott bagging his fourth goal of the season early in the period. With the comeback on, the Raiders bombarded Chelmsford in the final minutes.
Their reward came when Hughes levelled the scores and, with less than four minutes left on the clock, Tait netted the game-winner, much to the delight of the travelling Raiders’ fans. Raiders only have one game this weekend, away to Bracknell Hornets tomorrow (Saturday).