SUNDAY 21ST SEPTEMBER 2025
Pressure Pays Off v Wildcats
Match Report by Chris Beal
The RedHawks put on another edge of the seat thriller for those in attendance on Saturday. As they skated away with a 5-2 win over the Swindon Wildcats 2. But as with the last game on home ice v Slough Jets the RedHawks had to battle back from behind to get the win.
Streatham would apply heavy pressure to the Wildcats net with Brendan Clarke Leach stopping everything thrown at him. The heavy Streatham pressure also meant the Wildcats would be offensively limited to counterattack strikes. Meaning every chance, they would get needed to be executed perfectly.
And it was one of those counterattack chances that gave them the lead at 455 as Jay Warren would collect the puck from Charlie Turner on a 2 on 1 and score past Brett Shepherd to put the Wildcats up by over the hosts
Streatham would apply pressure through the period but would be unable to break the seal on the Swindon net. That pressure would continue at the start of the 2nd and finally pay dividends at 2617. Harvey stead would set up Danny Ingoldsby for an attempt on net, Clarke-Leach would get enough of the puck to stop it dead on the line before a waiting Dan Rose would sweep it home for his first as a Redhawk tying the game up
The Wildcats would exploit something that has become a weakness in recent games for Streatham to get back ahead. As at 3129 the father son duo of Jan Kostal and Jan Kostal would combine to put the Wildcats ahead 2-1. With Kostal sr applying the finish that beat Shepherd
Streatham would answer back almost immediately, taking advantage on the power play. Aidan Doughty would apply the finish off a feed from Louis Colvin to equalize for the hosts making it 2-2
3 minutes later at 3555 Streatham would take the lead in the game as Brett Shepherd would collect the rare goalies assist point as he fed the puck out to Harvey Stead who would release jared Lane in behind the Wildcats defence and who would lift the puck over Clarke Leach to make it 3-2 Streatham at the close of the 2nd
The 3rd would see Streatham camped out in the Wildcats zone for extended periods of time. With Clarke Leach standing on his head to keep everything out as Streatham threw everything including the kitchen sink at him trying for a 4th goal.
That 4th goal would come at 5915 on the clock, but only after Clarke Leach had been pulled to make way for the extra attacker. However, the plan backfired as Streatham would force a turnover from a face off releasing Danny Ingoldsby to score the empty netter.
The RedHawks would then add goal number 5 at 5937. Vanya Antonov would collect the puck down low and feed it back hand to a waiting JJ Pitchley who with time and space was able to slot the puck in for the 5th Streatham goal
The game would end not long after the final score Streatham 5-2 Swindon
Post-game head coach Paynter was pleased with the result, and how the team had been patient in dealing with an opponent who knew how to frustrate the team’s offence
"We know how they play, they’re very good at taking the middle of the ice away, very good at frustrating the offence. They have a very good goalie, and we knew we’d have to be patient which paid off. Got us a 5-2 win, which I will take all day long against a team that I thinks going to be really competitive all year".
Streatham would then suffer the first defeat of the campaign the following evening as they lost 3-1 to the Chelmsford Chieftains at the Riverside. Ziggy Beesley with the lone goal for Streatham while the Bartlett twins Cameron and Grant along with Tom Soar got on the board for the Chieftains.