Banners On The Road – Streatham IHC vs Slough Jets 25/2/24

NIHL South 1 Cup Final, second leg

Streatham IHC 1-0 Slough Jets

Redhawks: Skokan eng

Jets:

Streatham win 3-1 on aggregate

The idea for this piece is it’ll be a bit more article/prose than a straight match report to go a bit more in depth and give this game what it deserved.

Dedicated to the memory of Dayle “Keeno” Keen, who gave so much to and loved this sport

I was born in South London though I’ve not been back for some time before today. I’d forgotten just how thin the roads were. I’d also forgotten that nearly everywhere now seems to have a 20mph speed limit, which having bombed legally down the motorway at a much higher speed, and by the time I reverse parked into one of the very thin spaces in the car park, I’m tired and late.

I’d not been to Streatham as a place since long before the refurb of the ice rink and what I was greeted with was of a lot of the more modern style of building. Lots of steel and glass greeted me along with the sight of EIHA off ice official, Steve Merry pulling the tags off the soon to be awarded cup winners hats.

Heading upstairs to an ice rink will never not be odd to me. A crowd are milling about at the top of the stairs watching the cross-ice junior games happening and I’m greeted by Dawn D’Anger, one half of Streatham’s married owners. Dawn is a very tall, jovial women but clearly had things on her mind when I asked to speak to her. Where her husband Graham looks after supporting the on-ice activities as opposed to her more off ice role, I feel I have to ask the question I’ve asked a lot of people during the build-up to the game.

“How am I feeling? Nervous, but confident. If the boys play their game, then they’ll be alright. I’m looking forward to it.”

I’m pointed where to go and after dumping my bag by where I intend to sit, I head towards the Streatham dressing room, manoeuvring my way through the mass of children and parents given the junior games have finished.

After asking one of the bench staff to fetch him, Streatham player/coach Ben Paynter strode out of towards me, half dressed. Paynter and I have chatted a lot across the season, he and I live about 20 minutes apart, and I’ve spent some time in the build up to the game trying to get some idea into his mindset and how he approaches the plate spinning act of coaching and playing.

From our discussions, my usual impression of Paynter is that he’s a very laid-back individual but also very driven. In speaking after the 2023 National Final loss to Solway, even in his sadness I could see he was planning his next move. He plans then he plays and doesn’t try to overcomplicate things.

Stood before me, in half his kit, something strikes me. During the week, Paynter had told me he was nervous and excited for the weekend but when he’s at the rink, it melts away. However, as he’s standing before me, I see something that I had to mention.

“You look nervous”, I say.

“Me? Nah, I feel great. It all goes away now.” The energy is very clearly there though. All hockey players shuffle their feet and don’t stand still well but Paynter is almost at 1.5 speed. If he’s not nervous, he’s certainly energetic during our chat.

Paynter wasn’t happy about how the Redhawks had gotten into penalty trouble the night before and neither was JJ Pitchley when he popped out to speak to me.

“I was in a foul mood before the game yesterday, but I feel alright today. Just want to get on with today now, I’m excited.”

JJ is a unique character; as blunt as a snapped pencil, I once told him that on the ice he could get under the skin of the devil. Off ice, he’s a much calmer personality and even now, where his coach seemed to be a bit more energetic, Pitchley is almost statue still.

As players head back to the room, one man stands coffee in hand and watches. Looking very dapper in a blue suit, brown shoes and a sovereign ring big enough to knock out a bouncer, Josh Ealey-Newman is smiling through his frustration.

“Hate the fact that I can’t play. We live for games like this and when you can’t be out there. The hope is I’ll be ready for the playoffs but I know the boys can do it.”

During the week I’d spoken to Jets defenceman, Charlie Ottowell who had said to me that the way the Jets would win is because they’re a tight knit group who would do whatever it takes to win so I asked Josh the same question. How would Slough beat Streatham?

“Not let us settle and if we get into penalty trouble again like yesterday. They’re quick, they’re energetic but we’ve got enough to counter it. We think we’ll win, they think that they can win. We’ll see in a bit.”

I headed to the back row of the rink to sit alongside Chris Beal, Streatham’s match night updater. Both sides were suffering with injuries. The hosts were without a raft of player to the point Ben Paynter had called his predecessor, former player/coach Michael Farn, out of retirement to help on defence. The Jets were without one of the league’s best players. Jack Goodchild had sustained an injury the night before and wasn’t risked by Jets’ coach Lukas Smital.

Unsurprisingly for a team full of young players, the Jets came out flying, if you’ll pardon the pun but after an initial flurry, the hosts woke up and the game locked into the heavyweight slugging match many had anticipated. The feeling out process was long gone for these two sides, no working out the distance, the metaphorical jabs were already flying with Danny Milton and Brett Massey needing to be aware early and often.

A charging penalty to Brandon Miles immediately set everyone around me on edge. A powerplay meant extra space for Slough to work with but the penalty kill unit were up to the task.  More penalties followed as Michael Farn and Luke Smital started what would be an evening long battle earning them a seat and Ryan Watt was called for slashing. That powerplay produced arguably the best chance of the game to that point, as Ollie Hemmings-Maher fed Jacob Minter in front, but his onetime shot from the top of the crease sailed wide.  The Redhawks responded with their own shorthanded chance but Ben Ealey-Newman was denied by Massey.

Streatham then had their own powerplay and their own huge chance; Ziggy Beesley muscled his way past seemingly the whole Jets penalty kill unit before setting up Pitchley who hooked his shot wide. The first came to an end still tied at 0-0 on the night.

The second period initially lacked the fluidity of the first. The sides came out with the same intensity, but the neutral zone was becoming clogged, not helped by the extra length the sides were skating for the long chance. Streatham were particularly guilty of trying to make all their passes thread the thinnest of needles which was easy for the Jets to pick off. The issue for the visitors was that they couldn’t get room in the middle of the ice, immediately pushed wide by the Streatham defenders and nullifying numerous attacks.

It was going to take a moment of magic or an error to make something happen and it was the later that put the crowd’s hearts into their mouths. Jack Hoppes was guilty of puck watching, the shot coming in and shouldered away by Milton. However, with the defence out of position, Jets’ captain Conor Redmond had the puck and space. He skated hard to the net, drawing Milton down and he lifted the puck up only to see it go agonisingly over the crossbar.

The Jets had the momentum which the hosts had to hold firm to resist. Tempers flared as the second period concluded, which saw players shouting at each other and Ben Ealey-Newman flapping chicken arms at Jacob Soper. The sides could still not be separated on the night but with only 20 minutes to go and Streatham still a goal to the good.

After watching the unrivalled rarity that is someone winning at Scoro, a real atmosphere came over the building as everyone knew what was about to happen. It was a minimum of 20 minutes for glory but first, someone had to find a way through.

The Jets necessarily started pushing the pace and again, the hosts were on the back foot. Danny Milton was suddenly called into action after one of his colleagues decided that the top of the crease was the place to do a fiddly transition from forehand to backhand with the puck. Beesley forced a save from Massey before Milton stoned Dylan Holicka who had been left alone in front.

When JJ Pitchley was called for slashing whilst subsequently being tripped himself, the home fans were indignant as the away fans sensed that this was their moment but the Jets just couldn’t generate enough quality offence on the powerplay, the best chance coming from a Seb Mohr shot that whistled over the bar.

It was time for the heavy artillery from the visitors. It was shots and pressure from all angles that forced Milton into saves from all angles, even to the point where a deflection off of Tomasz Skokan’s stick left him no choice but to sling his own head backwards and head the puck over the crossbar using the backplate of his mask.

Milton then almost caused his own issue, a hesitation coming for the loose puck saw him dealing with a Jets player steaming in towards him. The puck squirted away and Christian Mohr had the chance but couldn’t get the puck on target as the netminder and defender sprawled across the ice to block the way.

Time ticked on till eventually, the moment came. A faceoff in the Redhawks end saw Lukas Smital motion to the officials and the Jets took their timeout. Plans were made and Brett Massey stood at the end of the bench. With less than two minutes to play, the time was now. The puck dropped and the Jets just couldn’t control it, the play was loose in the zone and eventually Michael Farn found Tomasz Skokan in their own zone. The Pole looked up and fired, the Jets unable to do anything but watch the puck glide into the net and the cup slip out of their hands.

The Jets kept pressing, Massey again being pulled for the extra skater but it wasn’t enough. Where there had been an inevitability about the league title win, this had been a literal war for all sides. 120 minutes of hockey had pushed both teams to their limits. As equipment arced its way through the air and the home fans roared, Streatham hadn’t walked their way to another South 1 Cup, they had seen their chin tested and survived.

I can only imagine the heartache being felt by the Slough Jets players. Conor Redmond made a point of making sure that the team acknowledged their fans at the end for their support but make no mistake, this side gave them something to cheer. I’ve said last year that the Slough Jets were fun. This year they’ve been fun and very, very good. They have their deficiencies for sure; I’ve mentioned before about how I feel that they’re a bit too structured and the lack of Jack Goodchild’s attacking creativity and hockey IQ hurt them on the night but dear Lord, this is a very good hockey team at this level.

People will talk about the skill level or even the skill mix but what they are, and Ottowell alluded to it earlier in this piece, is that they are a unit. No man doesn’t understand or know his role. Defensively, they didn’t put a foot wrong on Sunday, beaten by a necessary risk that teams in their position have to take. The effort didn’t warrant the outcome but they were arguably a bit guilty of just not having enough ideas to get past their more experienced opponents.

Everyone wants the end of Rocky 2 but to get to Rocky 2, you have to have Rocky 1. This was Slough’s Rocky 1 moment. Be under no illusion though, if the core stays together for a bit, the time will come for this Slough Jets group and you cannot bet against them for the playoffs.

As for Streatham, the dominance continues. Yes, they had help, and Michael Farn looks like he’s never been away. Yes, they had their deficiencies as well like always looking for the perfect pass and arguably showing their opponent a little too much respect at times but experience, nous, savvy, call it what you will was the key. They didn’t panic, they didn’t let the Jets settle and when all is said and done, winners win.

It was all the little things that went well. The ability to ice Skokan and Farn as a defence pairing aside, the team defence to force the speedier Jets forwards wide and controlling the middle of the ice to minimise chances was a massive boon. Also using Brandon Miles, your most physical forward, as a defender on the penalty kill to clear the net was inspired. Then to round it all off, even when he had a wobble, Danny Milton couldn’t be punished. To concede one goal across the two legs is championship calibre.

Streatham’s time at the top will not last forever, but they know that. There was a period where every Redhawks player on the ice was over 30 and every Jets player was under 25, time alone will catch them up and they know it. There are youngsters coming through, Harvey Briggs will be amazing with time, but this team is about making hay while the sun shines. This win further stamps what we already knew which is that at Division 1 level, Streatham are one of the best. The eyes are firmly on the prizes left in store. 2 down, 3 to go.

As the fans celebrated and Brandon Miles hit the griddy, I took my leave and headed into the South London night. Pottering through South London towards the motorway home, I thought about what comes next for both these sides. If I am honest, I believe that there’s a real likelihood we will see this repeated at Alexandra Palace in April.

Lowlight of the night: That there had to be a loser. This might just be the best game I’ve seen this season.

Highlight of the night: The game itself was not a technical classic but it was entertaining. Respect to both sides for the show they put on.

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