2009/2010 News

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Match Report: Guildford Lightning 2 v 4 Sheffield Shadows
At the time we didn’t know this match was to be Guildford’s swansong, but in their first encounter with Sheffield, unbeaten this season, Lightning put on a magnificent display which rocked the Shadows on more than a few occasions.

All the girls played at the top of their game and in spite of the Shadows’ relentless attack they managed to hold them off until almost the end of the first period, when they fired in an opening goal with seconds to spare.

In the second Guildford came out with their heads up and continued to take the fight to Sheffield even after the visitors scored a second goal three minutes in. Shortly after Shadows took a penalty for roughing and Alanna, skating across the mouth of the goal, turned and fired in a great shot at waist height into the back of the net to make it 1-2. She was assisted by Amy. Within minutes Sheffield had scored again, but Lightning refused to give in.

The battle continued in the third period until, just after midway, Shadows made it 1-4. Guildford pulled out all the stops and, as the pace hotted up, successfully killed two penalties. Then with less than ten minutes to play, Grace scored Lightning’s second goal with assistance from Charmaine and Kirsty.

Unable to field a team for the rematch in Sheffield a couple of weeks away, Guildford reluctantly forfeited this final fixture of the season. So, on the strength of one more win than us, Kingston Diamonds take the fourth slot in the Playoffs at the end of May.
Well done and Congratulations to them, and we wish all four teams a great weekend.

For Lightning it’s disappointing not to be going to Sheffield. But no one who watched the game on 9th May could be in any doubt that Guildford Lightning will be strong contenders in the League next season. Bring it on!

Match Report: Guildford Lightning 3 v 1 Solihull Vixens
In the first of two back-to-back home games, Lightning at times made hard work of it, but came away with a much-needed win.

Alanna opened the scoring with an unassisted goal just before the halfway point in the first period and all Solihull’s attempts on our goal were thwarted by the defence. In the second Guildford seemed to lose their way a little and there was a lot of wild passing. Some of the girls thought Charmaine had scored when the puck hit the inside of the bar and rebounded out of the goal, but the goal judge didn’t see it. We don’t know who he was but apparently he’s just bought new glasses! Still, with less then three minutes to play, Amy Lack fired in a second unassisted goal to put Lightning 2-0 up.

Early in the third period, with the Vixens serving a penalty for interference, Ally cracked in a shot in the powerplay to make it 3-0, assisted by Charmaine. And that’s probably how the game would have ended if a bit of sloppy defending hadn’t allowed Solihull to grab a consolation goal with less than 30 seconds left.

Match Report: Guildford Lightning 0 v 2 Bracknell Queen Bees
Although a line shorter than their opponents, Lightning put up a brave fight and did well to hold them deep into the third period. Bracknell have some well-drilled set pieces and the quality of their passing is one of their strengths. Even so, after our girls had survived a penalty early on in the first, shots on goal and scoring opportunities were fairly evenly matched for most of the game, with play changing from one end to the other.

For the first five minutes of the second, there was not a single shot on the Guildford goal, but after that the Queen Bees strengthened their attack. Still they failed to capitalise on two more penalties and the period again ended with no score.

In the third, Lightning upped their game and reversed the shots on goal rate in their favour. So it was unfortunate that a lapse of concentration allowed Bracknell in to make it 0-1 on 46.24 and after both teams earned a penalty for roughing less than two minutes later, they were able to increase their lead.

After that all hell broke loose! Kirsty got boarded, the Bracknell player who boarded her earned a match penalty, Guildford pulled their netminder Robyn and put six players on the ice – but it was unfortunately too late to affect the scoreline.

So who is going to be the wild card at the Playoffs this season? At this point we still don’t know. We have to wait for next weekend to decide.

Match Report: Kingston Diamonds 2 v 1 Guildford Lightning
It was the Charge of the Light Brigade all over again with a very depleted Guildford bench taking on a Kingston squad with twice as many players. Kingston Diamonds seem to get better each time we play them and they have the most realistic chance of beating us into the Playoffs.

The girls rose to the challenge and all went well in the first period when Grace fired Lightning ahead on 9.11 with Alexis assisting. Although a one goal lead always looked precarious they then managed to hold off Diamonds’ relentless attack into the third period. Kirsty, Lucy and Charmaine in defence were on the ice for most of the game and they had great support from all the team including newcomers Anna Marie Baisden and Connie Everard. But with only nine players Guildford were fighting an uphill struggle and Kingston eventually got the equaliser. With less than four minutes to play they then made it 2-1 and although Chelsea took the valiant decision in the dying moments to play with an empty net, it was not enough to save Lightning from defeat.

Still it was a great effort by all the girls, not least by Chelsea, who played a blinder in the net, facing 46 shots to Kingston’s 15.

Match Report: Guildford Lightning 2 v 6 Slough Phantoms
In our first encounter early in the season, Slough Phantoms dominated the game and treated Lightning to a 7-0 drubbing. But this time despite the scoreline they didn’t have everything their own way.

Again we were playing with a short bench, and after new signing Angela Taylor scored for Slough less than half a minute into the game Guildford might have been expected to lose heart. Instead they kept their heads up and fought back. Chelsea in the net kept her cool under constant fire and Susan and Kirsty gave her sterling support in defence until a controversial penalty at 15.41 put Susan in the box and enabled Phantoms to score again in the powerplay.

Chelsea handed the net over to Robyn for the second period and the girls stepped up their game and continued to take the puck into the Slough half. Just before the halfway point Slough made it 0-3. But they had barely finished celebrating when a determined move by Lightning saw the puck turned away by the Slough goalie only to be picked up by Kirsty and fired over her right shoulder into the net. Guildford survived two more penalties before the second period ended. Shots on goal in this period were 16 on Robyn and 11 on the Slough netminder.

Although showing signs of tiredness in the third, Lightning never let up. After several minutes of hard play on both sides Slough had scored three more goals with five minutes left to play. Then at 56.27 Grace made it 2-6 with assists from Alexis and Kirsty.

A terrific game to watch! Our thanks to the large group of supporters who turned up to cheer Lightning on. The Slough supporters didn’t seem to have half so much fun!

Match Report: Solihull Vixens 1 v 1 Guildford Lightning
Lightning came up against a rejuvenated Solihull side in this encounter and did well to hold them to a draw. With our captain, Lucy Johnson, away on honeymoon and a number of other players unable to make the game, we were playing with a very short bench. And with Chelsea in the net there was no one to coach from the sidelines.

Guildford responded by going on the attack and fought hard through the first period to counter the Vixens’ considerable numerical advantage. Solihull have some new acquisitions and were playing with great determination.

The game hotted up in the second and after serving two early penalties Solihull went ahead at 25.24 with an unassisted goal from Kirsty Venus. Guildford were unbowed and continued to take the fight to their opponents. They survived a penalty themselves and kept their heads up until Grace equalised with an unassisted goal shortly before the break.

The third period continued with Solihull pressing hard and Guildford refusing to give way. They fought off another penalty in the last few minutes and the game ended with the scores unchanged.

Sheffield Game Postponed
The game originally scheduled for Sat 09 Jan 2010 has been postponed due to adverse weather conditions. The fixtures page will be updated once the game has been rescheduled.

Streatham Game Cancelled
Streatham Storm have forfeited the game versus Guildford on Saturday 27th December due to lack of numbers. Guildford have been awarded a 5-0 win.

Good Luck to Robyn and Alanna
Robyn Maby and Alanna Byrne are off to Dunkirk, representing GB against France. The 2 friendlies will be on Monday 21st December and Tuesday 22nd December.

Match Report: Newcastle Lady Vipers 0 v 4 Guildford Lightning
Undeterred by the tactics both off and on the ice, the girls all made it up to Newcastle and came away with another satisfying win.

The first goal came only 1.28 minutes into the game when Charmaine, on her knees in a scrum in front of the net, received the puck from Lydia and passed it on to Alexis, who popped it in the back of the net. Charmaine then became the target for some pretty rough play resulting in a tripping penalty against Newcastle at 6.25. In the powerplay that followed Charmaine skated the puck all the way down the ice before being knocked off her feet, but Alexis picked it up and passed to Charlotte Rodgers who made it 0-2 with her first goal for Guildford. The Lady Vipers served another penalty before the end of the period.

A third penalty for roughing early in the second gave Lightning the powerplay again and this time Lucy fired in a great slapshot after a pass from Alexis. Undaunted, Newcastle continued their very physical play and several of our players have the bruises to show for it. However, the girls kept their cool and their discipline and were rewarded towards the end of the third period with a fourth goal from Kirsty’s slapshot, assisted by Grace and Amy.

The Lady Vipers had chalked up 14 minutes of penalty time without scoring a goal and Chelsea had chalked up a shutout.

Match Report: Streatham Storm 1 v 10 Guildford Lightning
Lightning continued to improve with this resounding win against Streatham Storm. After a confident start Grace Drake opened the scoring a little more than five minutes into the game, assisted by Alanna Byrne, and less than a minute later Lydia Zaprihacova tipped in a second with the assistance of Amy Lack. A penalty for tripping was effectively killed off and shortly after Alanna outfoxed the netminder and fired in an unassisted goal. Streatham managed to survive two penalties despite Guildford putting together a determined powerplay. Then just before the break Grace scored again, this time with Amy assisting. Kate Alexander in the Streatham goal had already withstood 29 shots, and the strain was beginning to tell.

The second period had scarcely begun before the Lucy-Grace-Alanna line struck again, Alanna the scorer this time. Then followed ten minutes of tense end to end play with Guildford’s defence team turning back every attempt by Storm to break through. Just after the halfway point Ali Emery found the net with a great shot into the top corner after assistance from Amy and Grace and a minute or so later Charmaine Easton made it 7-0, Josie Griffiths assisting.

Into the third and the challenge from Streatham was beginning to fade. They survived a penalty for roughing early on but Lightning kept up a continuous barrage of shots on the beleaguered goalie. In the last ten minutes Charmaine scored again, assisted by the ever-reliable Amy. Then a momentary defensive lapse allowed Storm to take a consolation goal, before Lydia took her second of the game, assisted by Alexis Hamilton and – you’ve guessed it – Amy again, winning her fifth point of the match. Alanna then finished off the evening with her third, Grace taking the assist.

A great win for Guildford with all lines working well together and nearly every player getting on the scoresheet.

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Match Report: Guildford Lightning 3 v 1 Kingston Diamonds
Guildford Lightning got back on track with this well-deserved win against Kingston Diamonds after losing their last two games. On Sunday 4th October the girls were on the receiving end of a 7-0 whitewash at Slough. Then two weeks later, with Chelsea in the net and no one to run a shortened bench, they suffered a shock 1-0 defeat at Swindon. It didn’t help that the Topcats’ single goal was won by Dahlia Neradova, last season’s top scorer for Guildford.

They came to this game determined to reverse their fortune and went on the attack right from the start. Charmaine Easton opened the scoring at 8.57, assisted by Alexis Hamilton, and less than two minutes later Susan Gregersen in defence made it 2-0 with an unassisted shot. Diamonds replied with some slick passing and well-rehearsed moves resulting in an unassisted goal from Natalie Davies at 12.55.

A young, well-drilled squad with the support of a strong junior programme, Kingston Diamonds may well be the club to watch over the next few years. Certainly they never gave up in this encounter and they kept our defence players on their toes,with no. 7 always looking dangerous.

In the second period, however, Guildford intensified the pressure and the shots on goal came thick and fast. At 31.35 the first penalty was awarded against Kingston for bodychecking. Lightning responded with a tightly controlled powerplay and with seconds to go, captain Lucy Johnson passed the puck back to the defence and Ally Emery netted a third goal with a superb slapshot from outside the circle. A second penalty for Kingston produced no repeat and the period ended 3-1.

Guildford dominated play in the final round and did well to kill off three penalties awarded against them. But the game ended with no change to the scoreline. Shots on goal were: on Guildford 30, on Kingston 42.

Match Report: Guildford Lightning 5 v 2 Cardiff Comets
As usual Cardiff put up stiff resistance in this encounter at the Spectrum, managing to keep the scores level until past the game’s halfway mark despite being outshot 5:1 by Guildford.

Newcomer Amy Lack gave Lightning a dream start when she scored only 12 seconds into the game, with an assist by Kirsty England. But Lightning were slow to capitalise on their advantage and Cardiff fought back to take the lead with two quick freak goals. The first at 11.29 a puck on its side curls at the last minute to deceive Robyn in net, and the 2nd at 15.30 which rebounds of Robyn’s blocker on the ridge after her save, goes over her head and just creeps over the line with Robyn completely unaware where it had gone. Ending the first period 1-2.

Eventually at 24.38 Susan Gregersen broke the deadlock with a fine shot buried in the net to score the equaliser, assisted by Grace Drake and Lucy Johnson. Now Guildford began to assert themselves. With a forward charge from Defence Kirsty delays and plays a lovely backhand pass to Amy who in turn does the same across goal to another new player, Charmaine Easton, who opens her Guildford account and puts them ahead at 35.53, assisted by Amy Lack.

The number of shots on the Cardiff goal continued to pile up, and early in the final period Alexis Hamilton fired in an unassisted goal to extend Lightning’s lead to 4-2. Then when Kirsty England’s slapshot was turned away with eight minutes to go, Kirsty went in and retrieved it and dumped it in the net to wrap up the proceedings.

Match Report: Bracknell Queen Bees 5 v 1 Guildford Lightning
The lightning were subject to yet another season with the joy of playing the first game. This was less than ideal as Guildford doesn’t start training until this coming Friday. So under prepared and with players still on holiday Guildford travel to Bracknell with 7 players short and with 1 unable to turn up till the 2nd period. So with 2 full D and Lucy dropping back from forward the battle begun.

Lightning held their own for the majority of the first with some chances going both ways and ending it a nil-nil period. With the limited bench of Guildford unlike their rivals who had the same number of players not actually make the ice all game, it was all about hoarding some reserves for the rest of the game and defend well. This they managed for 35mins, before the 6th penalty of the game caused former GUnit L.Ganney to net two power play goals in quick concession. Guildford held out another 15mins of play before S.Phillips got Bracknell’s 3rd. Despite Guildford tiring and not capitalising on some opportunities, some great movement from defence all the way to Grace in front of net see’s Guildford get there first goal of the season. G.Drake (57.09) Assisted by C.Easton & K.England. 3-1 was short lived as damage limitation had to kick in with another penalty going against Guildford. Another power play goal to Bracknell at (58.25) see’s C.Newman get her first and with 6 secs left A.Von Hasleberg.

Guildford come away with team spirit still intact as they no on the return that score line will be tipped on its head.

Guildford’s Pre-season Tour of the Czech Republic & Poland
The tour started on Thursday with a friendly against Karvina where G’ford wn 4-0. In the tournament on Friday, they recorded a 4-2 win against one of the best teams in Poland, UKH Biale Jastrzebie, followed by a 3-1 win on Saturday. Guildford take runners up in the final with a cracking game of hockey.

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