Monday 10 December 2007

Return Leg v Swindon

Sunday night saw the return leg against Swindon at sunny Streatham. The game started off with another tense and cagey first 2 periods, the Statesmen had 3 lines and couldnt really get off to the start we had on the Friday night. the scoring was opened by James (1st of 4 for the night) and a powerplay goal to boot (1 of 2 which is highly unusual) after 10 mins, only for the Knights to score a minute later with Robin Littlewoods 1st of a natural hat trick which wrapped up the scoring for the 1st period.
The second started off much the same with the Knights scoring after 4 mins only for the Statesmen to get 1 back a minute later, then the Knights scored again after a couple of mins only for the Statesmen to score the second PP goal scored by Ty a couple of mins later, that wrapped up the 2nd period with the scores tied at 3-3.
Like last Friday the Statesmen started the 3rd a lot livelier and a goal from Lukas after 7 mins, only for the Knights to even it up again a couple of mins later. Then the Statesmen seemed to pick it up and scored 3 goals in 1min 10 secs of the 3rd to take a commanding lead and with a late goal from James and 1 in the last minute from the Knights Geoff Collins that wrapped up the game and see the Statesmen win 8-5.
MOTM Paddy (Blimey!)

Milestones

Congratulations to Nigel for surpassing 50 points in the game against Swindon.

Monday 3 December 2007

Friday Night at Swindon

Friday night saw the Statesmen travel to our old friends and adversaries the Nationwide Knights, with confidence at a high after the last couple of games we were looking for something not done in a long while at Swindon, which was a win.
The game started off at a nice tempo but first blood went to the Knights at 4 mins of the 1st, in a cagey first period this wasn't tied up until the 12th min by Lukas, 2 mins later the Statesmen struck again with a goal from Mark Fenwick (congrats on his 1st for the club) and this rounded out the first period scoring.
The 2nd was a completely different matter with Ty scoring in 30 secs of the restart and the first of four for the night off a nice feed from Lukas (I like). This started off a scoring spree with 4 unanswered goals 1 from James (hat trick on the night), 2 from Ty and 1 from Isaac, this is where the game got interesting and with the Statesmen 7-1 up the Knights started their comeback with a goal with 30 secs to go in the 2nd.
Starting off the 3rd the Statesmen were 7-2 up and with a natural hat trick from the Knights Shaun Littlewood the game started to get interesting and the Statesmen were flustered, then the Knights scored their 6th goal and a time out was needed. This seemed to get our heads back into it and a goal from Ty off a feed from the corner from James straight after the time out steadied the ship and got us back into it, another 2 goals with only 1 reply from the Knights and a final goal from James late on, on a spectacular solo effort saw the Statesmen come out 11-7 winners in the most exciting 3rd period played in a long while. Looking forward to the rematch on Sunday.
MOTM Lukas (this is getting boring now)

Game v Legion 21st Nov

With the Statesmen buoyed by the come from behind draw against Invicta went into the Legion game full of confidence and it payed off. For the first time in a long time we played all 3 periods at the same pace and didnt let off for a minute for a resounding 8-1 victory.
The Statesmen in full control and never looked like losing , only a bit of handbags with the tour de farce of the legion team did it look like getting out of control, a conselation late on for the legion halted the hopes of the shutout, didnt really matter as the game was won. Well done to all involved.
MOTM (cant remember but I bet it was Lukas).

Monday 12 November 2007

Draw at Streatham

Last night saw the Invicta Knights visit Streatham for the return leg, the game started with what seemed to be the complete opposite of the game a couple of weeks ago and while the Statesmen just couldnt seem to find any rythm, the Knights raced away to a 3 goal lead and a short-handed one to finish off the period in the last minute.
The Knights carried that momentum into the second and scored just after 5 mins to take a commanding 4-0 lead, it seemed like it was going to be one of those nights (pardon the pun) until Ty scored just a couple of mins later from a nice feed from Lukas. This sparked off tit for tat goals in the second with the Knights scoring 4 mins after then Milan 2 mins later the Knights 2 mins after that and Ty 1 min after to finish off the period at 3-6.
The Statesmen had renewed confidence in the 3rd and with James and Lukas linking up well they went on a roll of 4 unanswered goals between them for the Statesmen to take the lead, in between was some slight handbags seeing 2 Statesmen ejected and 1 Knights player. Unfortunately the lead lasted only a couple of mins and the Knights equalised with 4 mins to go, a tie game and an enjoyable one.
MOTM Lukas (can he do no wrong?)

Monday 29 October 2007

Loss in Invicta

In a closely fought contest at Invicta on Saturday night the Statesmen ended up 7-9 losers. The Statesmen raced to a 3-0 lead by 13 mins in the first with goals by Lukas (2 of 4 for the night) and Nigel, the Knights then ended the period with a goal to bring it back to 3-1.
The Statesmen then seemed to relax in the 2nd who appeared to have thought the game won and would be able to cruise for 2 periods only to see the Knights with 4 unanswered goals in the first 10 mins of the 2nd, a quick couple of goals by Lukas and Ty seemed to spur the Statesmen on only for the Knights to answer back with 2 of their own just after and take the wind out of the Statesmen sails.
The final period ended up 2-2 with 2 late goals by Lukas and Ty in the last 2 mins but the game was out of reach. An enjoyable game and look forward to the re-match on the 11th Nov.
MOTM was a well deserved Lukas.

Friday 19 October 2007

Coming soon to a rink near you?

What next?!

http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/heated-blades-thermablade-hockey

All little more info Wayne Gretzky has invested in the company and says it will revolutionise hockey and a few NHL players are going to test them out in practice.

Monday 3 September 2007

Milestone- the 200

Not quite the 300 but Ty hit 200 goals against the Legion on Thurs.

Legion of Gloom

The Statesmen took part in what was an entertaining game against the legion on thurs 30th Aug, this was a close game with only a couple of goals in it all the way. The Statesmen started off at a furious pace which only slowed down in the second period due to fatigue.
It was a good performance and a good game which should have been won if not for an allowed goal towards the end that was clearly not a goal, this rattled the team and we never got back from that and having to push forward conceded a couple of late goals.
It could have been all different if Ritchies 'ghost' goal had been scored, only the supporters seemed to notice it as it hit the net and come back out so fast that no-one else saw it, must be his new stick.
Daylight robbery is a term that comes to mind and we look forward to the next game.

Saturday 25 August 2007

Maddening loss @ Medway

Fri night saw the Statesmen visit the Medway Madness, last time the 2 teams met it was a resounding victory for the Statesmen. They have improved a lot since the last meeting and with the Statesmen only having 8 players in what was a good natured and very close game the Madness came out 6-5 winners, scoring the winner with 5 mins to go.
Well done to Nigel who got a natural hat trick with the Statesmen not scroring until the second period from 1-0 down to take it to 2-1 and then 3-2, the scoring was back and forth with only ever 1 goal in it, this added a nice competitive edge, also needs mentioning that Jacob got 3 assists, the whole team played well but we just couldn't seem to get that extra goal needed to take the lead.
Thanks to the Madness for the game and we will be looking forward the return leg later in the year, also to the Statesmen who made the journey.

Monday 6 August 2007

Statesmen on Facebook

To enter the world of technology even more there has been a group created on facebook called Westminster Statesmen, anyone from the team can join so feel free and upload any photos, hockey related or otherwise.

Tuesday 31 July 2007

No Laughing Matter

The Statesmen took on an old foe and recent Swindon Tournament adversary, the Basingstoke Hyenas on Sunday. In what was a fast and furious first period the Statesmen wrapped up the first period 6-0, with a brace from James and debutant Dan Shreim. The Hyenas then came out of the blocks a lot harder in the second and it was more of a close affair with the period being 4-2 to the Statesmen. Though generally a friendly game as it always has been between the 2 teams it did get a bit chippy in the third though I think this more to the battling nature of the Hyenas than anything.
The game finished out 12-6 to the Statesmen, well done to us though I think we could be a bit more consistent and well done to the Hyenas for battling hard and not giving up. Well done to Dan Shreim for scoring on his official debut and has now learnt the value of crashing the net. MOTM Freddy, though after looking at my skate yesterday and realising that one of my blades has snapped in half, I think for the first time in my life I will be asking one of the D to keep the puck 'up'. For info my skates are fine and well and getting some much needed TLC down the Rom Valley Way.

Swindon Tournament

The Statesmen finished a very respectable 3rd place at the Swindon tournament, winning the Bronze in a penalty shootout of all things. Well done to Benny who saved all 3 shots and Ritchie for scoring the loan goal and shoving it up the 'frenchies'.
Well done to everyone who went and everyone had a very good time, it looks like there will be another tournament next year as well to look forward to. Still waiting for the official stats and they will be put up when received.

Blizzard at Streatham

The Statesmen welcomed the Bracknell Blizzard to Streatham at the first meeting of the 2 clubs on 8th July. The Statesmen won 18-0, despite the scoreline the Blizzard kept playing hard against us and kept going till the end and never lost it and earned the respect of our team. Well done to everyone involved.

Tuesday 5 June 2007

No Dinotopia at IOW

On Sunday the Statesmen travelled down to the Isle of Wight, we were expecting a close game and it didnt disappoint until the last ten minutes, eventually losing 13-7 but the scoreline doesnt reflect the closeness of the game.

The first period finished off 2-1 to the statesmen, the game started off at a fast pace and there was chances at either end until the deadlock was broken at 10mins, only for the dinos to even it up 4 mins later. Then the Statesmen finished off the period with Ty's second of the game with only 6 seconds left.

The 2nd period started like the first and the Dinos got their nose in front after just 44 seconds, which then the Statemen replied with Isaac scoring only 30 secs after that goal, all level again. A loss of concentration from the Statesmen saw the Dinos score 3 goals in a 3 min span just 20 secs after the tying goal, a quick regroup and the Statesmen finished the period with 3 goals from Milan, John W and James scoring on his debut with 30 seconds left in the 2nd. All level again going into the 3rd.

The 3rd was a bit tighter affair with neither team seemidly able to break the deadlock until after 10mins the Dinos scored another 3 quick goals in less than a minute, the Statesmen pulled one back straight after with John W's 2nd of the night but it wasnt enough and with the Statesmen looking tired the Dinos got another 4 unanswered goals to finish the match. It was a good game overall and everyone enjoyed it and will be looking forward to the return leg.

Well done to Paul D and James who got points on their debuts for the Statesmen and James with a well deserved MOTM.

Swindon Tournament Poster

Here is the poster for the Swindon tournament, we now have a full roster. Good luck everyone.

Wednesday 23 May 2007

Team Photo from Holland

Here is a team photo from the Holland tour 2007, note Ritchie on the end getting ready for the casting of the strip at the end of Slap Shot 3 - revenge of the wobbly.




Friday 18 May 2007

Swindon Knights - 15yr Anniversary Tournament

The Swindon Knights are holding a 15 year anniversary tournament on Sat/Sun 30 June & 1st July. We have about 10 people already interested and will take a max of 15 as normal, should be good fun so if you are interested let Graham know.

1. Teams

I'm pleased to confirm the following teams will take part:

Nationwide Knights (Swindon, England)
Westminster Statesmen (London, England)
Isle of Wight Dinosaurs (England)
Basingstoke Hyenas (England)
Rouen Gentlemen (France)
HC Great Pillnach (Finland/Germany)

2. Format

The tournament will be played as a round robin for the initial games (each team plays five games). Then there will be two semi-finals (1st v 4th, 2nd v 3rd from round robin); then 5th place play-off (bottom two teams in round robin), 3rd place play-off (losing semi-finalists), 1st v 2nd (final). So each team gets a minimum of 6 games, the top 4 get 7 games.

3. Timings

Saturday 30 June - 12 noon to 7pm
Saturday night - players party!
Sunday 1 July - 6am to 8pm (21 hours in total)
Each game will consist of 2 to 3 min warm-up, 2 periods of 20 minutes running clock with a 1 minute interval. Then a resurface. (Total time 1 hour).

Monday 14 May 2007

Video

Good video to watch on the Bracknell Blizzards website, very interesting.

Enjoy:-

http://members.lycos.co.uk/bracknellblizzards/

Saturday 5 May 2007

John Gets 100 Milestone

At the game against Slough Satans John Cavannagh gets his 100th point. Although he was a lot quicker to get to 100 PIMs!! He's also closing in on 25 goals with 23.

Congratulations John.

Sunday 29 April 2007

The Magnificent Seven Defeat Slough

Only seven players turned up on Saturday, April 28 to take on the Slough Satans - but that was all that was needed. The seven players (Ben Durcan, Paddy Durcan, John Cavanagh, Milan Kocybala, Michael Baker, John Leslie, and Steve Potts) faced a squad of 17 from the Satans, yet managed to pull out a win in a game that had everything in it including: fights, break-away rushes, crazy goals off deflected shots, a penalty shot (saved by Ben Durcan!), come-from-behind scoring, and real grit and determination from a very short Statesmen bench.

The Statesmen did well in the first period to control the pace and keep the game within reach until the final minute when exhaustion and mental fatigue took its toll and the Slough Satans scored twice just before the buzzer to finish the period 1-4.

In the second period, the Statesmen rallied back and, despite an unfortunate deflection that resulted in a Slough goal in the first minute of the period, the score was 5-5 after 40 minutes.

With the game tied going into the third period, the visiting Statesmen were feeling confident and optimistic about the possibility of not just finishing with a respectable scoreline, but stealing a win from the Satans. This confidence was tested early in the third period when Slough scored twice in the first 7 minutes. But Paddy Durcan, who provided a solid back line for the entire game, opened the scoring for the Statesmen in the final period. This was followed by Steve Potts, a pair from John Leslie, and a cracking goal in the final 90 seconds off a slap shot by Michael Baker to seal a 10-8 win for the elated visitors.

All seven Statesmen players rose to the challenge and played a great game which was a real treat for the supporters on both sides who braved the late night to come out and watch. Milan Kocybala had an impressive five assists, John Cavanagh was a real playmaker on the team with one goal and five assists, John Leslie put on the jets in the third period with two goals and two assists, and Steve Potts got Man of the Match with five goals and two assists.

A legendary game for the Statesmen!

Sunday 18 March 2007

Statesmen v Nationwide Knights (0-5)

Friday night saw us play against our old friends and rivals the Nationwide Knights to come out the wrong side of a 5-0 scorleine. Knowing that it was going to be a tough game and travelling with a weakened squad as some players pulled out at the last minute the statesmen defended resolutely and although under a lot of pressure kept a 0-0 scoreline till an error led to a breakaway and Ben had been standing on his head the whole game took it literally and slipped over to allow the Swindon player to score.
Ben deserves a lot of credit and kept the scoreline low until a couple of goals late in the 3rd all but sealed the win. The statesmen tried to avoid the shut out and came very close in the last minute but just couldnt put the puck in the net. It was a good contest and we will be looking forward to the return leg match April. MOTM - Neil Wells.

Saturday 10 February 2007

Player Stats















































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































NoNameGPGAPtsPIM
2Ben Durcan630114
3George Prich161631937
4Ritchie Zimmerman4120244424
5Jake Switzer114590
6Darcy Dando101711280
7Bob Heldley17510152
8Neil Wells10837629938
9John Cavannagh21030110140305
10John Johnston313633694
11Michael Baker288217091120
12Paul Martin143948578
13Steve Potts6238347210
14John Weatherill123360
15Mikko Rovamaa30220
16Ty Chinnery210264184447194
17John Leslie371220322
18Lukas Hanus1727224922
19Mark Freitag16156214
21Chris Hodson80110
22Isaac Howard703130616
23Paddy Durcan8213284198
24Mark Fenwick5230396830
25Mike Holmes23811194
25Julian Matthews203582
27Jyri Petri-Siljamo25651155
29Nigel Auguste644539848
31Chris Halls-Hayes350000
36Jean Whitney123470
39Graham D'Anger14709914
40Marcus Cast161220324
44Pete Holecek10110
55Paul Danis3359146
67Tom Lahtinen54370
69Stig158122027
71Brandon Paluzzi211452
73Milan Kocybala2719234253
74Frank Bruce60222
78Freddy Karlsson92350
79Jeff Round30440
80Daniel Shreim74260
83Dan O'Dell8217466340
88Mark Wells77519240
89Gavin Lattimore50102
90Paul Denaeghal1101122
91Jamie O'Dell2569156
93Jason Ashworth5102122
97James Wood5080611418
Glen Moorhouse50002
Richard Jones512312

Monday 29 January 2007

Slovakia Tour - Aug 2006


Jyri trying to drink the club dry of vodka.

An excellent trip saw the statesmen go to Slovakia for the first time in August 2006 to play games in Bratislava and Trencin. We got stuffed but it was fun and drank lots of pivo (beer). All organised by our friend Jo (http://www.hockeyline.sk/) who's chance meeting in his shop in Bratislava is how the tour came about and who's Slovak hospitality made everyone more than welcome.


We played in the main rink in Bratislava (home of HC Slovan (7000 seater)), watched the national team train before the first game, but no one wanted to kick them out of their changing room and Jan Lasak watched us for a bit but I don't think the scouts were too impressed. A very good standard of hockey was played the classic quote coming that the last game wasnt that good to watch but one of our players saying 'we watched a very good game' and the trip was rounded off with a well deserved trip to the spa (and waterslides), I dont think anyone would have been able to walk without it.