Author Archives: Tom ORourke

Lions Run Rampant To Secure League Title

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Nottingham Lions 15 Blackburn Eagles 0.

The Nottingham Lions were crowned champions of the NIHL Division Two North on Sunday evening thanks to a resounding victory at home against the Blackburn Eagles.

Champions!! – Post-game celebrations in a steamy Lions dressing room.

Nottingham took all the spoils in a triumphant night at the National Ice Centre as they enjoyed a massive win in front of a larger than usual home crowd. It leaves them five points clear of second placed Solihull Barons with a total of 36.

The Lions came out playing at full intensity – an unusually high scoring first period was the result. Daniel Hazeldine was the first to net one with help from Elliott Perrin and Stuart Parker on the assists.

Less than 40 seconds later veteran Simon Hunt got on the score sheet and then Parker was involved again in the third goal in as many minutes as Nottingham took advantage of the power play opportunity.

The Lions’ dominance continued throughout the rest of the period as the Eagles, who have failed to register any points this season, had no answer to the onslaught of attacking play from Nottingham. In fact, net minder Alan Levers only had to make three stops in 20 minutes.

Just before the 12th minute, Hazeldine scored his second and Michael Rose made it six without reply less than a minute later.

Nottingham then saw fit to toy with their opponents for the next five minutes, biding their time until Hunt flicked the puck into the roof of the net just before the break for his hat-trick.

Gareth O’Flaherty fires home another Lions goal.

The second period was a less eventful affair, with Matt Greaves scoring in the 25th minute and Hunt getting yet another goal six minutes after – his eighth of the season. Again Levers and Sam Gospel only had seven shots to deal with in the entire period.

It seemed that Nottingham were happy to defend their lead and were not desperate to increase it, although they did manage 18 shots at the Blackburn goal in total.

While the period didn’t produce many goals, it did yield the most penalty minutes in the game. Blackburn accrued 26, clearly frustrated at their lack of possession and goal scoring opportunities.

However, Nottingham did their fair share of roughing, with Hunt relishing the chance to get in the face of a few of the Eagles players. However, it was Cameron Good who racked up a 10 minute penalty in the 37th minute for incitement.

The final period produced similar results to the first. Ryan Rathbone opened up the scoring for Nottingham this time after 45 minutes, with assists from Hunt and Hazeldine.

The Lions then netted twice in the following five minutes courtesy of Jospeh Steeples and Parker respectively – it was his sixth goal in seven games for Nottingham.

Rose got his second goal of the night and fifteenth of the season with little more than five minutes left to go – the league title looked a certainty at this point with no way back for Blackburn.

The Lions could have been excused for relaxing a little but they stayed focused until the very end and thumped in two more to close out the match in style. The goals came from American Luke Branin and Gareth O’Flaherty respectively.

As the buzzer rang to signal the end of the game the whole team skated out on to the ice to celebrate together and the fans cheered on as the champagne flowed. Blackburn could only look on with forlorn faces as they had no answer to Nottingham’s relentless form in front of goal.

Four goal hero Simon Hunt receives his Man of the Match award.

Sunday evening was the culmination of a fantastic season for the club, which has seen some new faces establish themselves in the team and some old faces return to the fold in what was always a promotion campaign.

Quality performances from both individuals and the team has ensured Matt Bradbury’s men have bounced straight back after last season’s unfortunate relegation. Despite a couple of bumpy patches, the Lions have looked unstoppable on the ice and can look forward to playing Division One hockey come September.

LionsTV goal highlights, post-game interviews and celebrations will be available to view in the next 24 hours by clicking here.

While Nottingham are now officially league champions, they still have three games left this season. The first of them is at home to last Saturday’s opponents Fylde Flyers with face off at 19:15. Ticket details are available by clicking here.

Match Stats:

Luke Thomas 0+4, Daniel Hazeldine 2+2, Stuart Parker 2+4, Gareth O’Flaherty 1+2, Michael Rose 2+3, Simon Hunt 4+2, Luke Branin 1+2, Christy Johnson-Brown 0+1, Cameron Good 0+2, Ryan Rathbone 1+2, Matt Greaves 1+0, Elliott Perrin 0+2, Joseph Steeples 1+0.

Period Scores: 1st 7-0, 2nd 2-0, 3rd 6-0.

Penalty Minutes: 1st 2-6, 2nd 16-26, 3rd 4-2. Overall 22-34.

Shots: 1st 25-3, 2nd 18-7, 3rd 24-3. Overall 67-13.

Lions MOTM (Sponsored by the Castle Inn): Simon Hunt.

Lions Humble Hull To Go Back On Top

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Nottingham Lions 8 – Hull Stingrays 0

The Nottingham Lions reclaimed the top spot in the NIHL Division Two North on Sunday evening with a commanding win over Hull Stingrays at the National Ice Centre.

After beating the Stingrays 6-0 in an away clash last week, the Lions headed into the game brimming with confidence. Hull sought to quash this psychological advantage with an aggressive start to the game.

Simon Hunt returned to claim a goal and two assists.

Nottingham could not be bullied out of executing their game plan though and stuck ruthlessly to their task. They were rewarded in the eleventh minute with unlikely scorer Reece Glossop poking the puck beyond Hull netminder Jack Dalby’s reach into the net.

The Lions remained persistent in their counter attacks and Michael Rose made it 2-0 eight minutes later with a well taken shot on the breakout. Nottingham were then happy to ride out their lead to the break and ended the first period with a two goal lead.

The Stingrays refused to accept the game was beyond their grasp and started the second period with the same vigour they showed in the opening ten minutes of the first. However, the Lions kept their cool and veteran Simon Hunt showed his class, hammering home the third goal with authority after just two minutes.

The Lions then effectively put the game beyond the Stingray’s reach with goals in the 26th and 37th minutes by man of the match Dan Hazeldine and Ben Wood respectively.

The Lions started the third period with a healthy five goal advantage and continued their habit of scoring early on. Joe Wightman made it 6-0 within four minutes of the restart.

With the game seemingly beyond them, Hull looked again to impose themselves on Nottingham, checking hard and sending a few Lions players scrambling to the ice.

However, the Lions even had an answer to Hull’s attempts to physically dominate them in the latter stages of the game. Hunt racked up all 16 of his penalty minutes in the final period for some tough challenges, making it clear that Nottingham would not be backed into a corner.

The rest of the Lions showed their fighting spirit in the form of even more goals. Another veteran, Stuart Parker put one in after 53 minutes and American import Luke Branin completed the rout three minutes before the final buzzer, much to the chagrin of the travelling supporters.

While the Lions supporters were delighted at such a comprehensive victory, the night ended less than pleasantly for Nottingham netminder Alan Levers who took an unfortunate puck to the groin from Hull’s Brett Chapman’s slapshot which was taken after the whistle had been blown. As a result, Sam Gospel had to make a cameo appearance to see out the remainder of the game for the Lions.

Mikey Rose and Brett Chapman ‘dropping the gloves’ in the final period.

Chapman was involved again moments later when play restarted. He and Rose gave the fans what they wanted when they threw down their gloves for an on-ice brawl that saw them both sent to the penalty box.

With two resounding wins over Hull in as many games, Nottingham seem to have well and truly put their defeat to the Stingrays in November last year behind them.

Solihull Barons’ earlier victory over Deeside Dragons on Sunday meant the Lions overtook Deeside and Sheffield, finishing the week at the top of the table. They now go into next Saturday’s away clash at Blackburn (face off 17:45) knowing their league title prospects are much brighter.

LionsTV post-game interviews with both sets of players and coaches will be available to view here from Monday evening.

Match Stats:
Luke Thomas 0+1, Daniel Hazeldine 1+1, Ben Wood 1+2, Stuart Parker 1+1, Gareth O’Flaherty 0+2, Michael Rose 1+2, Simon Hunt 1+2, Joe Wightman 1+1, Luke Branin 1+0, Reece Glossop 1+0.
Period Scores: 1st 2-0, 2nd 3-0, 3rd 3-0.
Penalty Minutes: 1st 0-4, 2nd 4-2, 3rd 20-24. Overall 24-30.
Shots: 1st 17-6, 2nd 23-14, 3rd 8-7. Overall 48-27.
Lions MOTM (Sponsored by The Castle Inn): Dan Hazeldine.

Lions Leave It Late To Snatch Draw

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Sheffield Senators 3 – Nottingham Lions 3

The Nottingham Lions left it until the last few seconds to earn an away draw at Sheffield in a tense encounter.

Having beaten the Senators in their last three meetings, the Lions were odds on favourites to take all the points. However, they found themselves behind early on as Sheffield’s Tom Proctor fired past Nottingham’s debutant netminder, Dan Green, around the eight minute mark.

“Outstanding debut” – Dan Green.

A scrappy first period nearly ended all square after Michael Rose hit the post for the Lions with two minutes to go. Despite Sheffield’s lead, Nottingham had begun to gain some confidence after their early setback.

The Lions continued their momentum into the second period – Ollie Betteridge and Joe Wightman combined well but failed to yield any goals between them.

Sensing an opportunity to capitalise against an under-strength Lions side, the Senators piled on the pressure towards the end of the period. However, Nottingham held strong and closed out, still trailing by just the one goal.

Things heated up in the third period and the Lions were subject to some intense pressure early on. Dan Green, brought in from the Panthers as last minute replacement for the injured Sam Gospel, made five good saves in quick succession to keep Nottingham in the game. However, after the Lions were called for having too many men on the ice, Sheffield used the advantage to score on the powerplay, courtesy of former Lions defenceman Jonathan Bell.

Undeterred, Nottingham pounced back two minutes later as veteran Stuart Parker, another Lions debutant, scrambled the puck home after a melee in front of the Sheffield goalmouth.

“Man of the Match” – Stuart Parker.

Buoyed by Parker’s goal, the Lions equalised in the 52nd minute when Luke Branin put the puck in the net off a rebound – the game was now there for the taking.

However, the Senators’ Joel Aheran burst the Lions’ bubble by putting Sheffield back in the lead with less than five minutes to go.

Sensing it was now or never, coach Matt Bradbury pulled Dan Green off the ice with just under two minutes left in the game. His gamble paid off as, with just 16 seconds to go, Michael Rose thundered one into the net, salvaging a point for Nottingham and delighting their traveling support.

By no means was this one of the Lions’ best games, yet they showed great resolve to remain focussed despite being behind for the majority of the game. In the end, a superb team effort paid off and Nottingham rescued a point that may prove vital in their promotion campaign, with several tough games ahead in the next few weeks.

One of those is next week’s away fixture at Deeside Ice Rink against Deeside Dragons on Sunday (January 20th). 6.40pm face off.

LionsTV post-game interviews with Man of the Match Stuart Parker and head coach Matt Bradbury are now available to view via LionsTV our official online TV channel.

Game Stats:
Luke Thomas 0+1, Michael Rose 1+1, Luke Branin 1+0, Stuart Parker 1+2.
Period Scores: 1st 1-0, 2nd 0-0, 3rd 2-3.
Shots: 1st 4-8, 2nd 10-7, 3rd 13-19. Total 27-34.
Penalty Minutes: 1st 2-4, 2nd 4-18, 3rd 22-22. Total 28-44.
Lions MOTM: Stuart Parker.

Lions Pride At Ice Locker Opening

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On Friday evening, the Nottingham Lions were on hand to help open the newly re-fitted Ice Locker store at the National Ice Centre.

Matt Bradbury, head coach for the Lions, says they were happy to help Ice Locker:

“They’re a good friend of ours and it’s great to able to help them out on such a momentous occasion.”

The Lions were there to pose for photos and promote the opening of the biggest ice sports shop in the country. It is more than double the size of the previous store, and took five weeks to re-fit.

The Lions and Store Manager Phil Jones outside the all-new Ice Locker store.

Philip Jones, Ice Locker store manager, was on-hand to cut the ribbon. He applauds the store for the quality of the equipment, its services, and its ability to cater for all ice sports, unlike its competitors:

“We offer a skate technician five days-a-week and, at 60 hours, offer the longest opening hours in the trade. Also, our closest rival is only half the size of this store.”

Bradbury adds “It’s a wonderful thing to have such a facility on our doorstep in Nottingham. They stock some fantastic gear here for everyone of all ages- it’s all fantastic.”

He also stresses the importance of the Lions’ partnership with Ice Locker:

“Obviously, it’s great to have the opportunity to sell our merchandise, but I think the bigger picture is it’s great for the youngsters who want to get out and play ice hockey. They’re the future of the sport.”

“It helps to raise the profile of everyone involved- the Lions, Ice Locker and the National Ice Centre. It’s all about working together and helping each other out in the future.”

Jones praises the National Ice Centre for their partnership with Ice Locker and the Lions, who helped get the project underway through funding, saying that it’s now his job to “take it further and give back to the community.”

He is optimistic about what the opening means for ice sports in general. adding:

“We offer payback schemes for all the clubs who buy from us, so it allows us to put money back into sport. We’re not just here to make profit- we have initiatives that mean we put money back into local sport, and to help develop it long-term throughout the country.”

Bradbury has his eye on a few things himself- “I really fancy those white Bauer ice skates- they look fantastic… and maybe a new whistle!”

(L-R) Danny Harrison, General Manager of Nottingham Lions; Phill Jones, Retail and Merchandising Manager at Ice Locker; Michaela Watton, Assistant Merchandise Manager at Ice Locker; Mikey Rose, Nottingham Lions player (sponsored by Ice Locker), Geoff Huckstep, CEO at NIC; Callum Worthington-Evans, Nottingham Lions player (sponsored by Ice Locker); Martin Ingham, Finance Director and Deputy CEO at NIC; Matt Bradbury, Head Coach for Nottingham Lions and Sports Development Officer at the NIC.

Lions sponsor Ice Locker are open seven days-a-week. They stock Nottingham Lions and Nottingham Panthers merchandise, as well as equipment for a range of ice sports. Full details of their products and opening times can be found on their website.

As well as their range of goods, Ice Locker offer a 10 percent discount online and a price match guarantee, where customers are refunded the difference on an item if they find it cheaper elsewhere.

Lions Claw Back Well-Earned Draw at Deeside

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Deeside Dragons 3 Nottingham Lions 3

After a two-week lay-off, the Nottingham Lions continued their unbeaten run in the league with a hard-fought draw against Deeside Dragons last night at the Deeside Ice Rink.

The game was a mixture of physicality and counter attacks, creating a scintillating spectacle for the fans, being everything you would hope for from a clash between two of the league’s top sides.

“Lions’ first goal” – Gareth O’Flaherty.

Superb individual performances from goalies Sam Gospel (Lions) and David Clancy (Dragons) prevented the score line from escalating, as they continually frustrated the opposing teams’ forwards with astounding saves time after time.

The game began with spirited displays from both sides, with Deeside reveling in their size advantage and attempting to bully a stubborn Lions side into submission. However, despite an enthusiastic start, the first period failed to produce a score until the final minute, with the Dragons’ Richard Hughes capitalizing on a Power Play opportunity to give his side the lead 1-0 going into the second period.

After a rather tame first period, and with only one goal separating the sides, the game looked to be up for the taking.

Thankfully, to the delight of the fans, the second period produced far more attacking vigor.

Unfortunately, the Lions were on the receiving end yet again in the twenty second minute, as Simon Furnival gave the Dragons a two goal advantage.

This, however, seemed to stir up a fire in the Lions, and they retaliated a little over thirty seconds later, with a goal from Gareth O’Flarthy bringing the score to 2-1.

With renewed confidence, the Lions took the game to the Dragons, and started to match their physical presence in the rink. Tempers even boiled over in the twenty-fourth minute, when a brawl erupted between the Lions’ Michael Rose and Deeside’s Michael Jones after Rose’s casual check of the opposition’s goalie went down unappreciated.

“Blood on the ice” – Lions’ Michael Rose inflicts some damage on Dragons’ Michael Jones.

Rose’s resulting four plus two minute penalty left the Lions temporarily weakened. With the Dragons’ testosterone boiling over, they looked to impose themselves on the game once more. Yet the Lions remained strong in their resolve, and held on to close out the second period trailing 2-1.

The third period, though, served up a nail-biting finish and had the crowd on the edge of their seats.

It didn’t look good for the Lions at the end of the forty-fourth minute, when the Dragons’ Richard Hughes netted his second of the match to give the Dragons a seemingly convincing lead, eliciting a gleeful response from the home crowd.

Any ominous feeling that third goal created in the Lions camp was swiftly erased a mere minute later, as Ben Wood hit back with a superb goal that had the Lions breathing down the back of the Dragons’ necks once more.

Ollie Betteridge then stunned the Dragons fans to silence at the end of fourty-sixth minute, with an equalizing shot. Deeside looked flabbergasted at the sudden turn of events- the Lions had stamped their authority on a game in which they had looked dead and buried in the space of about three minutes.

More hard-hitting play ensued for the final thirteen minutes of the game, with both sides opting for a gung ho style, clearly both of the opinion that they deserved the full two points.

The Dragons came closest to clinching the win, with one shot in the fifty-sixth minute bringing the fans to their feet as it rocketed off the top of Sam Gospel’s goalpost.

However, despite, strong attacking displays from both teams in the final ten minutes creating an electric atmosphere, it was ultimately not to be for either team, as the game ended in a 3-3 draw.

Overall though, the point will be appreciated by the Lions after a tough away game against the early-season promotion favourites.

It’s safe to say that Nottingham more than made up for a stale first period, and can go into their next game on Sunday 28th September against Sheffield Senators at the National Ice Centre (7-15pm Faceoff) with plenty of confidence.

Game Stats:

Ollie Betteridge 1+1, Jack Baveystock 0+1, Ben Wood 1+0, Joe Wightman 0+2, Gareth O’Flaherty 1+1, Michael Rose 0+1.

Period Scores: 1st 1-0, 2nd 1-1, 3rd 1-2.

Shots On Goal: Flyers-Lions – 1st 10-7, 2nd 12-13, 3rd 10-18. Total 32-38.

Penalty Minutes: 1st 4-2, 2nd 10-6, 3rd 6-2. Total 20-10.

Lions MVP: Sam Gospel.

 

LionsTV post-game interviews with Lions and Dragons players and coaches are now online via LionsTV - our official online TV channel.