Match report by Georgia Thomas
Join us for our next home game against Chelmsford Chieftains on Saturday 8th March at 7pm. Tickets are available on the door or click HERE to book online.
Cardiff Fire at Streatham Redhawks
Saturday 22nd February | Streatham Ice, London
Going into the last hockey weekend of February, Fire knew that it was going to be a tough one. Saturday’s away game was the rescheduled match up against the Streatham Redhawks which was cancelled due to Storm Darragh back in December. A must win for both teams with the Redhawks chasing the Slough Jets current lead in the league and Fire in a battle for that final playoff qualification spot of 8th place.
Having beaten a good Solent team a few weeks ago, Fire were not to be underestimated going into the game. However, with an ok start and a quick lead of 3-0 goals against Fire, the Redhawks continued their momentum in play to increase the lead up to 8-0 within the first 10 minutes of the second period. After taking a total of 58 shots against him, netminder #41 Ben Scanlan was swapped for #42 Brochan Evans, swap timed at 32:31. In the third period, Fire put in a strong defensive effort, nevertheless it was not enough to stop the Redhawks who wrapped the game up with a final score of Streatham Redhawks 12-0 Fire.
Player of the game went to 17 year-old netminder #42 Brochan Evans with 30 saves out of 33 shots faced for an impressive 90.9% save percentage.
2 – 3* 
Oxford City StarsCardiff Fire vs Oxford City Stars
Sunday 23rd February | Vindico Arena, Cardiff
On Sunday with almost 500 people in attendance, the final match up against Oxford City Stars was imperative for a win in order to qualify for the playoffs and what was a very entertaining game.
Just ten minutes into the first period #17 Aaran Ragan scores the first goal of the game, assisted by #21 Kris Kasjanovs and #28 Joe Llewellyn, timed at 10:08. The Stars answered this with a powerplay goal timed at 16:10. The second period saw great defensive playing from Fire, as well as multiple shots hitting the post and narrowly missing the net. At the end of the second the score remained 1-1.
Fire tried to keep the momentum going into the final period, possession being in favour of Fire throughout. After a number of near misses #34 Bailey Hind-Pitcher secured a goal, with his second assist of the night #28 Llewellyn and #78 Ian Spridgeon timed at 46:50. However, again the Stars were close behind to return the goal and even the scoreboard for the remainder of the third period.
Final score at the end of regulation time: Fire 2-2 Stars.
After an intense five minutes of overtime playing 3 v 3 and then 4 v 3 due to a penalty against the Stars went down to the wire and ended with no further goals, the game went to penalty shots for the second time against Oxford this season.
Penalty shootout:
Fire: X O X X X
Stars: X O X O
Having scored two penalty shots after 4 players going Oxford didn’t need to take a fifth shot to win.
Fire’s penalty shots were taken as follows: #40 James Matthews, #21 Kris Kasjanovs, #34 Bailey Hind-Pitcher, #27 Carter Lloyd and #33 Aaron Moody.
Even with narrowly taking the win on penalty shots, Stars take home two points while Fire took home one and remain one point ahead in the league table.
In his post-game interview with announcer Chris O’Brien, Player Coach Elis Shepard eloquently reminded the team that this young side from Fire just last season were playing at the top of NIHL 2 (a lower league) and the season before that struggled to make the playoffs in that same league. There is still a lot of positives to take away from the game, possession was clearly in favour of Fire, two goals that were disallowed and lots more scoring opportunities but ultimately they ran into one of the top keepers in the league against Ross Miller. These are the fine margins that make all the difference in the game.
As he continues to play exceptionally and after scoring another goal for his first goal on home ice, Fire’s player of the game went to #17 Aaran Ragan.
It was great to see so many fans coming out to show their support for Fire, as this season is continuing to be exciting and we look forward to seeing you guys again at the rink for our next home game against the Chelmsford Chieftains on Saturday 8th March.
Click HERE to view the team stats.
| Time | Goal | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| 10:08 | 17 Aaran Ragan | 21 Kris Kasjanovs, 28 Joe Llewellyn |
| 46:50 | 34 Bailey Hind-Pitcher | 28 Joe Llewellyn, 78 Ian Spridgeon |
Post-Game Interview
Photo Gallery
Photos by James Assinder & Dan Minto
