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The Inferno
NIHL1 Devils v Streatham Redskins
18th Sep 2012 | Posted by Geraint Walters
NIHL action returns to the BBT this Saturday as the home side play host to the Streatham Redskins. After a difficult season last year, partly disrupted by a mid season move to a new ice rink, Streatham have added impressively over the summer. Now playing out of a shiny new, albeit temporary, ice arena in Brixton, the London based club bolstered their blue line with 2 huge defencemen. Tyrone Miller piked up from league champs Romford Raiders and All Star defenceman Dom Hopkins from the IOW, both provide a physical presence as well as big shots. They also picked up ex-Cardiff Devil Phil Manny, who having relocated for his job to London, has also moved positions on the ice. Expect to see Manny playing centre for the Redskins this weekend. Finally but by no means least, they surprised Chelmsford Chieftains by signing last seasons top scorer to fill one of their import slots.
Streatham's season so far has shown promise despite losing both their opening league games. They have had two very narrow defeats to heavy weights IOW and Romford, but ran up a cricket score when they faced Slough NIHL Jets in the cup. Slough, relegated to the NIHL last season saw 19 goals shipped passed them, providing the Redskins with some good finishing practice and giving them a much needed confidence boost before they travel to Cardiff.
Cardiff in the meantime have started to find out a little more about themselves and are starting to see a few players gel. These first few weeks may seem some tweaks as they look to get the best combination of players playing together. Exciting new import Scarborough has started to settle nicely to life and hockey in the UK and we expect him to go from strength to strength.
Some very open and heartfelt comments from Redskins player David Carr of ProHockeyNews fame. Catch his NIHL write ups @
UK hockey can be a depressing place at times and believe me there have been many times in my twenty three years of playing the game that I have wanted to scream in frustration. Constantly split between the haves and the have not’s with egos, money and agendas dividing the clubs, fans and players, it is a minority sport with so much potential that is often its own worst enemy.
The home side tonight you will probably be familiar with, a bunch of local guys playing for the love of the game and proud to wear the colours of one of the biggest clubs in the UK. The visitors, dressed in black are perhaps at first glance, a team from the big city full of cockney geezers and full of attitude.
That stereotype could not be further from the truth. In contrast to the brash confident and dare I say arrogant image of London, Streatham are a historic hockey club still rebounding from an illustrious past tinged by a fall from grace. You could say they are one of the past victims of the afore mentioned trio of ego, money and agendas not to mention the changing landscape of British hockey.
A club reformed after nearly a decade of absence by local players and enthusiastic fans that have seen their amateur team progress steadily in the third tier of UK hockey despite a history that suggests they should be aiming higher.
To an outsider, and even a Northerner like me, the traditional view of Streatham in recent years would be of a hardworking if unspectacular outfit playing out of an old decrepit ice arena and not particularly holding any allure or affection to a neutral.
But as an insider now since 2009 I can tell you that Streatham is a special club currently looking upwards, it really is. Last season we went through so many emotions.
Leaving our 80 year old home mid-season and winning our last league game at the old barn (despite having been trounced most of the season) was like something out of a movie, and the following evening an End of Era game played just 24 hours before the wrecking ball arrived could rival any occasion of emotion.
If this wasn’t enough we then avoided relegation on the last day of the season by thumping a Slough side by double figures in their own rink despite only tying 2-2 with them the week before on home ice.
We skated out on to that ice in Slough and there were fans from all over the leagues along with a couple of hundred of our own supporters dressed in the famous red and white jerseys of the club. People had travelled from far and wide, some having not watched hockey in years to see one of the famous old names of the past battle to avoid humiliation.
It was this moment that showed to me just what Streatham means to British hockey, a romantic notion that despite the differences between fans and clubs, despite the current unforgiving and ‘I’m alright jack’ nature of the game in the UK, and despite the fact that many of Streatham’s rivals since our formation in the 1930’s have long since vanished, some people still care about this hockey club in the depths of the UK capital.
For a player like me, who grew up in Durham in a junior development system that was second to none, I watched the Durham Wasps go from the kings of British ice hockey to oblivion so I respect and treasure hockey history more than most.
This season has seen our Coach Barry Spours capture some quality players in the summer and the team now looks like a solid unit. We probably won’t challenge for the league title but we will give teams a tougher test than we did last season.
The new rink is due to open in November next year and there is a genuine upbeat mood boosted by our current temporary rink in Brixton which is shiny and new.
Streatham fans deserve to see their team compete and challenge at this level at least and who knows, in future maybe the EPL will see a Redskins side emerge from the shadows. The building blocks are being built, there is a core of people who care enough to see it come to fruition and even though I would be unlikely to ice for a Streatham side in a higher league, I would certainly smile and be happy to see it.
Enjoy the game and remember, just as the streets are paved with gold … Morphs also get shot in London… honest
Stats from last season
1. Stephen Balmer 36 21 14 35
2. Jaroslav Pavlus 22 14 16 30
3. Russell Stevens 28 12 9 21
4. Peter Molnar 23 7 11 18
5. Norman Pinnington 24 9 8 17
NIHL1 Cardiff Devils v Streatham Redskins | Saturday 22nd September | 7PM FO | Entry £6 Adults/£4 with a ST/Kids £4/DCF Members £1
Streatham's season so far has shown promise despite losing both their opening league games. They have had two very narrow defeats to heavy weights IOW and Romford, but ran up a cricket score when they faced Slough NIHL Jets in the cup. Slough, relegated to the NIHL last season saw 19 goals shipped passed them, providing the Redskins with some good finishing practice and giving them a much needed confidence boost before they travel to Cardiff.
Cardiff in the meantime have started to find out a little more about themselves and are starting to see a few players gel. These first few weeks may seem some tweaks as they look to get the best combination of players playing together. Exciting new import Scarborough has started to settle nicely to life and hockey in the UK and we expect him to go from strength to strength.
Some very open and heartfelt comments from Redskins player David Carr of ProHockeyNews fame. Catch his NIHL write ups @
UK hockey can be a depressing place at times and believe me there have been many times in my twenty three years of playing the game that I have wanted to scream in frustration. Constantly split between the haves and the have not’s with egos, money and agendas dividing the clubs, fans and players, it is a minority sport with so much potential that is often its own worst enemy.
The home side tonight you will probably be familiar with, a bunch of local guys playing for the love of the game and proud to wear the colours of one of the biggest clubs in the UK. The visitors, dressed in black are perhaps at first glance, a team from the big city full of cockney geezers and full of attitude.
That stereotype could not be further from the truth. In contrast to the brash confident and dare I say arrogant image of London, Streatham are a historic hockey club still rebounding from an illustrious past tinged by a fall from grace. You could say they are one of the past victims of the afore mentioned trio of ego, money and agendas not to mention the changing landscape of British hockey.
A club reformed after nearly a decade of absence by local players and enthusiastic fans that have seen their amateur team progress steadily in the third tier of UK hockey despite a history that suggests they should be aiming higher.
To an outsider, and even a Northerner like me, the traditional view of Streatham in recent years would be of a hardworking if unspectacular outfit playing out of an old decrepit ice arena and not particularly holding any allure or affection to a neutral.
But as an insider now since 2009 I can tell you that Streatham is a special club currently looking upwards, it really is. Last season we went through so many emotions.
Leaving our 80 year old home mid-season and winning our last league game at the old barn (despite having been trounced most of the season) was like something out of a movie, and the following evening an End of Era game played just 24 hours before the wrecking ball arrived could rival any occasion of emotion.
If this wasn’t enough we then avoided relegation on the last day of the season by thumping a Slough side by double figures in their own rink despite only tying 2-2 with them the week before on home ice.
We skated out on to that ice in Slough and there were fans from all over the leagues along with a couple of hundred of our own supporters dressed in the famous red and white jerseys of the club. People had travelled from far and wide, some having not watched hockey in years to see one of the famous old names of the past battle to avoid humiliation.
It was this moment that showed to me just what Streatham means to British hockey, a romantic notion that despite the differences between fans and clubs, despite the current unforgiving and ‘I’m alright jack’ nature of the game in the UK, and despite the fact that many of Streatham’s rivals since our formation in the 1930’s have long since vanished, some people still care about this hockey club in the depths of the UK capital.
For a player like me, who grew up in Durham in a junior development system that was second to none, I watched the Durham Wasps go from the kings of British ice hockey to oblivion so I respect and treasure hockey history more than most.
This season has seen our Coach Barry Spours capture some quality players in the summer and the team now looks like a solid unit. We probably won’t challenge for the league title but we will give teams a tougher test than we did last season.
The new rink is due to open in November next year and there is a genuine upbeat mood boosted by our current temporary rink in Brixton which is shiny and new.
Streatham fans deserve to see their team compete and challenge at this level at least and who knows, in future maybe the EPL will see a Redskins side emerge from the shadows. The building blocks are being built, there is a core of people who care enough to see it come to fruition and even though I would be unlikely to ice for a Streatham side in a higher league, I would certainly smile and be happy to see it.
Enjoy the game and remember, just as the streets are paved with gold … Morphs also get shot in London… honest
Stats from last season
1. Stephen Balmer 36 21 14 35
2. Jaroslav Pavlus 22 14 16 30
3. Russell Stevens 28 12 9 21
4. Peter Molnar 23 7 11 18
5. Norman Pinnington 24 9 8 17
NIHL1 Cardiff Devils v Streatham Redskins | Saturday 22nd September | 7PM FO | Entry £6 Adults/£4 with a ST/Kids £4/DCF Members £1
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