The Play-offs - Metros vs Barons
Saturday: Solihull Barons 3 – 6 Trafford Metros
Sunday: Trafford Metros 6 – 1 Solihull Barons
Aggregate: Trafford Metros 12 - 4 Solihull Barons
Last weekend saw two games to decide which team should play in Division One next season, the two most important games of the season for both teams. Survival in the top flight was essential for the Metros to keep hold of budding stars such as Max Drakeley, Andy McKinney, Declan Ryan, John Murray and Jake Nurse all of whom have iced for the EPL Phoenix this season. Solihull was a squad to be reckoned with containing several skilled and experienced players and that had lost just four games all season.
The Metros have been short of three senior players, through injury, since just after Christmas: Jon Maw, Tom Hurley and Nick Alley and disappointingly, for the first game, work commitments meant that Kevin Cassidy and Max Drakeley wouldn’t ice. Five senior players down was almost too much to countenance, so in a piece of hasty registration, three of the Phoenix U-18 squad were drafted in: Ollie Bayne, Rob Finnen and Tom ‘Carlos’ (Tevez) Revesz. All three took their shifts in rotation and none looked out of place, a good sign of things to come for next season.
Saturday: Away
A power-play goal by John Murray, the first of his hat-trick, assisted by the first of Jake Nurse’s hat-trick of assists, and a second assist to Brian Worrall, just short of the half-way point of the period, put the Metros into the lead. Despite this, there was evidence that the seven week lay-off from competition was having its effect as the Metros looked somewhat rusty. Solihull came back and scored their own power-play marker at 15.27 when Edward Slater lifted a shot into that impossible spot over the goalie’s shoulder.
The second period was practically all Metros and two quick scores in the twenty-third minute put them on the path to victory. First, the Murray/Nurse combination restored the lead and that was quickly followed by a blue-line shot from Robyn Crebbin (assists to Sean Day and Andy McKinney). The Barons pulled back to 3-2 through Richard Slater at 28.08, but the Metros weren’t to be resisted and they scored two more in fairly short order at 33.12 (Sean Day from McKinney and Tom King) and a short-hander at 36.28 (Jake Nurse from Dan Berry and Jordan Bannon).
In period three, the Metros settled back a little and took some unnecessary penalties. Solihull had always looked dangerous throughout the game, particularly on the break and with five minutes left a power-play goal by Andy Ayers pulled the difference back to three.
A three goal lead is often said to be the worst in ice-hockey as one goal puts things back into the melting pot. So there was everything to play for on the Sunday evening in Altrincham. Both teams had given everything to make an exciting and skilful game and two teams of bruised and tired bodies would come out to do it all again at the Dome.
Sunday: Home
The Barons seemed to have suffered more overnight as by the halfway mark of the opening period, the home side had plundered a three-goal advantage on the night to make it a six-goal spread. The quickfire trebel came courtesy of Jordan Bannon (assists to Alex Burgess and Jamie Rogerson ) at 5.18; Jamie Rogerson from Max Drakeley at 6.54 and John Murray from Brian Worrall at 10.20. A power-play goal from Jamie McKinnon pulled one back for Solihull, but this was to be the Barons’ only joy for the remainder of the game.
Trafford put the two-game series out of sight in the second period, scoring two goals to make the aggregate score 11-4: Sean Day from Robyn Crebbin, at 31.07 followed just over a minute later by Bannon, with his second of the game, from Burgess and Rogerson.
The third period was really a formality and to Solihull’s credit, they never gave up or resorted to cheap-shots. The game continued to be played as competitively as the previous five periods of the series and the large crowd, supporters from both teams, relished the whole evening. The final two minutes saw a few penalties called, borne of tiredness rather than malice, upon which the Metros iced the cake with a power-play goal scored by Brian Worrall, assisted by Drakeley.
A Metros’ spokesman said, “The team responded to the challenge of the double-header weekend superbly. Both teams played a couple of really competitive matches. The game in Solihull could have been much closer as Declan made a number of saves in the third period that kept us in front. Equally, mention must be made of outstanding contributions to Saturday’s win. John with his hat-trick; Jake with his four point game, Andy McKinney’s overall performance and many others. Sunday was one of those games that will stay in the memory for many seasons to come. The whole team played superbly, the three U-18s were nowhere near phased by the occasion and made their contributions and the atmosphere was terrific, a massive thanks to the EPL fans who came to support us. There were several aching, weary, but happy bodies in the bar afterwards. One thing that does need consideration at the EIHA AGM is the delay between the end of the regular season and these games taking place. The delay was less for Solihull, but their season end was an unsatisfactory ragged affair. It suited neither team. Should the league structure continue unchanged, the format needs some careful thought.”
Stats
Saturday
Metros Man of the Match: Declan Ryan
Shots on Goal (shots on Metros first): 22 – 28
Penalty minutes: Metros 48 Barons 76.
Metros’ scoring: Jake Nurse 1+3, John Murray 3+0, Robyn Crebbin 1+1, Sean Day 1+1, Andy McKinney 0+2, Jordan Bannon 0+1, Dan Berry 0+1, Tom King 0+1, Brian Worrall 0+1.
Nets: Declan Ryan 22/3 77.27%
Sunday
Metros Man of the Match: Jordan Bannon
Shots on Goal (shots on Metros first): 35 – 53
Penalty minutes: Metros 16 Barons 18.
Metros’ scoring: Jamie Rogerson 1+2, Jordan Bannon 2+0, Alex Burgess 0+2, Brian Worrall 1+1, Max Drakeley 0+2, John Murray 1+0, Sean Day 1+0, Robyn Crebbin 0+1.
Nets: Declan Ryan 24/1 95.83% (48.12mins) Tom Mac Donald 9/0 100% (11.48 mins)
