Season 2017/18 - February 24th - 25th

(action from Oxford City Stars win over Swindon Wildcats 2 on Sunday evening in South Two, thanks to @pfozz19 for the photo)

Saturday 24th February
NIHL South One (Britton)
London Raiders 1-6 Peterborough Phantoms
Streatham 10-2 Cardiff Fire
Basingstoke Bison 4-0 Swindon Wildcats
Milton Keynes Thunder 2-3 Bracknell Bees

NIHL South Two (Wilkinson)
Invicta Mustangs 0-6 Oxford City Stars
Guildford Phoenix 2-7 Chelmsford Chieftains
Haringey Huskies 3-2 Bristol Pitbulls
Slough Jets 4-1 Peterborough Phantoms 2
Swindon Wildcats 2 1-5 Bracknell Hornets
Cardiff Fire 2 6-3 Basingstoke Buffalo

Sunday 25th February
NIHL South One (Britton)
Invicta Dynamos 3-4 Milton Keynes Thunder (OTW)
Bracknell Bees 4-8 Basingstoke Bison
Swindon Wildcats 3-2 London Raiders

NIHL South Two (Wilkinson)
Oxford City Stars 8-6 Swindon Wildcats 2
Chelmsford Chieftains 11-1 Haringey Huskies

NIHL South One (Britton) Standings
1. Basingstoke Bison Played 29 Won 26 Pts 52
2. Peterborough Phantoms Played 29 Won 24 Pts 50
3. Swindon Wildcats Played 30 Won 20 Pts 44
4. Bracknell Bees Played 29 Won 15 Pts 32
5. London Raiders Played 28 Won 16 Pts 32
6. Streatham Played 29 Won 14 Pts 29
7. Milton Keynes Thunder Played 29 Won 9 Pts 24
8. Invicta Dynamos Played 29 Won 7 Pts 18
9. Cardiff Fire Played 30 Won 0 Pts 2

NIHL South Two (Wilkinson) Standings
1. Oxford City Stars (Q) Played 23 Won 21 Pts 42
2. Solent Devils (Q) Played 20 Won 18 Pts 37
3. Bracknell Hornets (Q) Played 18 Won 17 Pts 34
4. Chelmsford Chieftains (Q) Played 19 Won 14 Pts 28
5. Peterborough Phantoms (Q) Played 21 Won 14 Pts 28
6. Guildford Phoenix Played 21 Won 12 Pts 25
7. Slough Jets Played 22 Won 9 Pts 18
8. Haringey Huskies Played 22 Won 9 Pts 18
9. Cardiff Fire 2 Played 19 Won 8 Pts 16
10. Bristol Pitbulls Played 19 Won 7 Pts 15
11. Basingstoke Buffalo Played 21 Won 5 Pts 13
12. Invicta Mustangs Played 22 Won 6 Pts 13
13. Swindon Wildcats 2 Played 20 Won 3 Pts 7
14. Lee Valley Lions Played 19 Won 0 Pts 3

In NIHL South One the top two continue to churn out wins, Basingstoke Bison netted another two with wins over third placed Swindon Wildcats and then fourth placed Bracknell Bees to go two clear at the top.  Peterborough Phantoms remain second after they thrashed London Raiders in Romford, and the Raiders fell to fifth after they also lost on the road to Wildcats.  Streatham are only three points off fourth now after they thrashed bottom side Cardiff Fire in South East London, whilst down at the bottom Milton Keynes Thunder lost to Bees before bouncing back to defeat second bottom Invicta Dynamos after overtime in Kent, meaning their is now a six point gap between them now.  It's looking likely that the top three (Bison, Phantoms and Wildcats) will end up finishing in the top three, as third placed Wildcats hold a twelve point lead over fourth placed Bees.

Into NIHL South Two and Oxford City Stars opened up a five point lead at the top after picking up two wins at the weekend and taking advantage of a gameless Solent Devils.  Stars shut out Invicta Mustangs on the road before defeating Swindon Wildcats 2 in a high scoring contest in Oxford.  Third placed Bracknell Hornets had beaten Wildcats 2 the previous night and are a further three points back behind Devils, whilst Chelmsford Chieftains recorded another double this weekend, moving up to fourth after they netted another eighteen goals in the two games against Guildford Phoenix and Haringey Huskies, which also saw the Riverside outfit qualify for the post season playoffs.  They replaced Peterborough Phantoms 2 in fourth after the Phantoms lost at Slough Jets, who themselves remained seventh, whilst the Huskies are in eighth after they beat Bristol Pitbulls although they were destroyed in Chelmsford by the Chieftains the following night.  Cardiff Fire 2 beat Basingstoke Buffalo to settle in ninth, just two points behind the playoff positions, however the top six are looking likely to stay their meaning a battle between possibly three/four more teams for the remaining playoff positions.

Here are this weekend's fixtures
Friday March 2nd 
NIHL Autumn Cup Final First Leg
Basingstoke Bison vs Swindon Wildcats

Saturday 3rd March
NIHL South One (Britton)
Swindon Wildcats vs Bracknell Bees
Milton Keynes Thunder vs Cardiff Fire
Peterborough Phantoms vs London Raiders

NIHL South Two (Wilkinson)
Haringey Huskies vs Slough Jets
Lee Valley Lions vs Chelmsford Chieftains
Bracknell Hornets vs Solent Devils
Cardiff Fire 2 vs Swindon Wildcats 2
Basingstoke Buffalo vs Guildford Phoenix

Sunday 4th March
NIHL South One (Britton)
Invicta Dynamos vs Streatham
Peterborough Phantoms vs Basingstoke Bison
Bracknell Bees vs London Raiders

NIHL South Two (Wilkinson)
Chelmsford Chieftains vs Lee Valley Lions
Swindon Wildcats 2 vs Bristol Pitbulls


This weekend sees the first final get underway on Friday evening as Bison host Wildcats in the First Leg of the Autumn Cup Finale.  Also on Sunday evening the top two in NIHL South One meet in Peterborough as Phantoms host Bison.  Also third placed Wildcats host fourth placed Bees on Saturday evening and then on Sunday Bees and Raiders face off in Bracknell.  And in South Two third plays second as Hornets host Devils, so plenty of big games to look forward to this weekend!!!

Season 2017/18 - February 14th - 18th

I'll start this week’s blog with my first trip to The Sapphire in Romford as the London Raiders hosted NIHL South One (Britton) league leaders Basingstoke Bison:-

London Raiders 1 Basingstoke Bison 2

I made the trip to the newest arena in the NIHL South on Sunday evening as London Raiders, formally known as Romford Raiders of course, moved back to Romford at the start of the month, and this was their third game in the arena.  And another healthy 1000+ crowd packed into the Sapphire to see if their side, currently fourth, could topple one of the league’s best in Bison.  The first two periods yielded plenty of fast and furious action, with the match end to end as both sides traded attempts on goal, however both net minders were in good form and this meant going into the final period the contest remained goal less.   The deadlock was finally broken early into the final period though when a misplaced pass from the visitors was pounced upon by Ayliffe and he took aim and fired home to give the hosts the lead.  And it looked like this goal may well be enough for the hosts to claim a superb win, however Bison kept plugging away and with under four minutes remaining finally breached the hosts defence when Connolly netted after Raiders could not clear, and then with 1:02 left saw Sutton fire home to turn this one on its head.  Raiders almost found a way back in the final minute but Bison held on after some rather interesting tactics in the final few seconds, and it meant Raiders took nothing from the contest, which was very harsh indeed.  However Bison found a way to win, which is what champions do, and they remain top and ahead of Peterborough Phantoms on tiebreakers.  It was an enjoyable game of hockey it has to be said and a good experience too, will most certainly return to watch more games no doubt.

Here are some photos from the Sapphire on Sunday evening:-

Right lets get into the results for the latest round of matches

Wednesday 14^th February

National Cup Semi Final South First Leg

Swindon Wildcats 3-3 Telford Tigers

Thursday 15^th February

NIHL South One (Britton)

Invicta Dynamos 3-7 Swindon Wildcats

Saturday 17^th February

NIHL South One (Britton)

Swindon Wildcats 6-2 Streatham

Cardiff Fire 3-4 Invicta Dynamos (OTW)

Basingstoke Bison 5-2 Bracknell Bees

Peterborough Phantoms 5-1 Milton Keynes Thunder

NIHL South Two (Wilkinson)

Cardiff Fire 2 3-11 Chelmsford Chieftains

Invicta Mustangs 3-2 Basingstoke Buffalo (PSOW)

Lee Valley Lions 0-8 Oxford City Stars

Guildford Phoenix 7-2 Swindon Wildcats 2

Haringey Huskies 1-7 Solent Devils

Sunday 18^th February

NIHL South One (Britton)

London Raiders 1-2 Basingstoke Bison

Cardiff Fire 2-3 Swindon Wildcats (OTW)

Bracknell Bees 2-6 Peterborough Phantoms

Streatham 5-1 Invicta Dynamos

NIHL South Two (Wilkinson)

Bristol Pitbulls 5-9 Bracknell Hornets

Basingstoke Buffalo 5-2 Lee Valley Lions

Chelmsford Chieftains 6-3 Slough Jets

NIHL South One (Britton) Standings

1.       Basingstoke Bison Played 27 Won 24 Pts 48

2.       Peterborough Phantoms Played 28 Won 23 Pts 48

3.       Swindon Wildcats Played 28 Won 19 Pts 42

4.       London Raiders Played 26 Won 16 Pts 32

5.       Bracknell Bees Played 27 Won 14 Pts 30

6.       Streatham Played 28 Won 13 Pts 27

7.       Milton Keynes Thunder Played 27 Won 8 Pts 22

8.       Invicta Dynamos Played 28 Won 7 Pts 17

9.       Cardiff Fire Played 29 Won 0 Pts 2

NIHL South Two (Wilkinson) Standings

1.       Oxford City Stars (Q) Played 21 Won 19 Pts 38

2.       Solent Devils (Q) Played 20 Won 18 Pts 37

3.       Bracknell Hornets Played 17 Won 16 Pts 32

4.       Peterborough Phantoms 2 Played 20 Won 14 Pts 28

5.       Guildford Phoenix Played 20 Won 12 Pts 25

6.       Chelmsford Chieftains Played 17 Won 12 Pts 24

7.       Slough Jets Played 21 Won 8 Pts 16

8.       Haringey Huskies Played 20 Won 8 Pts 16

9.       Bristol Pitbulls Played 18 Won 7 Pts 15

10.   Cardiff Fire 2 Played 18 Won 7 Pts 14

11.   Basingstoke Buffalo Played 20 Won 5 Pts 13

12.   Invicta Mustangs Played 21 Won 6 Pts 13

13.   Swindon Wildcats 2 Played 18 Won 3 Pts 7

14.   Lee Valley Lions Played 19 Won 0 Pts 3

In South One Swindon Wildcats had a busy few days, playing four times, and after drawing their Semi Final 1^st Leg at home to Telford Tigers, thrashed Invicta Dynamos the following night on the road, before recording an impressive win at home to Streatham.  They then were given one hell of a fright by bottom side Cardiff Fire, who at one stage led, however the Wildcats fought back to win in overtime and make it three league wins for the week.  Fire, who had no points from 27 games, went to overtime in both their games this weekend, but lost both, however did pick up two points overall so that’s progress surely!!!  Bison and Phantoms both picked up two wins each over the weekend to remain the top two in the division ahead of third placed Wildcats, and despite Raiders loss to Bison do remain fourth after Bracknell Bees lost both games at the weekend against the top two to remain two points behind in fifth.  And Streatham remain in touching distance of the top four after bouncing back to thrash Dynamos on Sunday night, with Thunder, Dynamos and Fire making up the bottom three.

Into South Two and the top two both recorded easy wins to secure qualification for the end of season playoffs.  Leaders Oxford City Stars netted eight in a shutout win at bottom side Lee Valley Lions whilst Solent Devils remain a point behind in second after they put seven past Haringey Huskies at Alexander Palace.  Bracknell Hornets remain third after making it 16 wins from 17 with victory at Bristol Pitbulls, whilst fifth placed Guildford Phoenix recorded a comfortable home win over struggling Swindon Wildcats 2.  Highest scorers of the weekend were Chelmsford Chieftains, who netted 17 goals in their two games, 11 at Cardiff Fire 2 before netting six at home to Slough Jets, this after they trailed at one point too.  It also meant that there is now an eight point gap between sixth placed Chieftains and seventh placed Jets, meaning the top six are now starting to pull away from the rest.  Basingstoke Buffalo had a mixed weekend, losing on penalty shots at fellow strugglers Invicta Mustangs before bouncing back to beat Lee Valley at home, however it’s unlikely anyone from the bottom few places will make much of an impression on the post season. 

Here are next weekend’s fixtures

Tuesday 20^th February

National Cup Semi Final South Second Leg

Telford Tigers vs Swindon Wildcats (3-3 after First Leg)

Saturday 24^th February

NIHL South One (Britton)

Streatham vs Cardiff Fire

London Raiders vs Peterborough Phantoms

Basingstoke Bison vs Swindon Wildcats

Milton Keynes Thunder vs Bracknell Bees

NIHL South Two (Wilkinson)

Invicta Mustangs vs Oxford City Stars

Guildford Phoenix vs Chelmsford Chieftains

Haringey Huskies vs Bristol Pitbulls

Slough Jets vs Peterborough Phantoms 2

Swindon Wildcats 2 vs Bracknell Hornets

Cardiff Fire 2 vs Basingstoke Buffalo

Sunday 25^th February

NIHL South One (Britton)

Invicta Dynamos vs Milton Keynes Thunder

Bracknell Bees vs Basingstoke Bison

Swindon Wildcats vs London Raiders

NIHL South Two (Wilkinson)

Oxford City Stars vs Swindon Wildcats 2

Chelmsford Chieftains vs Haringey Huskies 

Season 2017/18 - February 7th - 11th

(Raiders defenceman Sean Barry celebrates after scoring the equaliser for London Raiders in their match with Swindon Wildcats, thanks to John Scott for the photo)

Wednesday 7th February
NIHL South One (Britton)
London Raiders 5-4 Swindon Wilcats (PSOW)

Autumn Cup Semi Final Second Leg
Hull Pirates 1-4 Basingstoke Bison (aggregate score 4-8)

Saturday 10th February
NIHL South One (Britton)
Invicta Dynamos 1-7 London Raiders
Swindon Wildcats 2-5 Basingstoke Bison 
Cardiff Fire 0-6 Streatham
Peterborough Phantoms 3-2 Bracknell Bees (OTW)

NIHL South Two (Wilkinson)
Cardiff Fire 2 2-8 Solent Devils
Bristol Pitbulls 9-1 Swindon Wildcats 2
Basingstoke Buffalo 3-8 Peterborough Phantoms 2

Sunday 11th February
NIHL South One (Britton)
Basingstoke Bison 9-0 Cardiff Fire
Bracknell Bees 5-3 Swindon Wildcats
Milton Keynes Thunder 3-2 Invicta Dynamos 
Streatham 0-2 Peterborough Phantoms

NIHL South Two (Wilkinson)
Oxford City Stars 8-1 Cardiff Fire 2

Latest Standings
NIHL South One (Britton)
1. Basingstoke Bison Played 25 Won 22 Pts 44
2. Peterborough Phantoms Played 26 Won 21 Pts 44
3. Swindon Wildcats Played 25 Won 16 Pts 36
4. London Raiders Played 25 Won 16 Pts 32
5. Bracknell Bees Played 25 Won 14 Pts 30
6. Streatham Played 26 Won 12 Pts 25
7. Milton Keynes Thunder Played 26 Won 8 Pts 22
8. Invicta Dynamos Played 25 Won 6 Pts 15
9. Cardiff Fire Played 27 Won 0 Pts 0

NIHL South Two (Wilkinson)
1. Oxford City Stars Played 20 Won 18 Pts 36
2. Solent Devils Played 19 Won 17 Pts 35
3. Bracknell Hornets Played 16 Won 15 Pts 30
4. Peterborough Phantoms 2 Played 20 Won 14 Pts 28
5. Guildford Phoenix Played 19 Won 11 Pts 23
6. Chelmsford Chieftains Played 15 Won 10 Pts 20
7. Slough Jets Played 20 Won 8 Pts 16
8. Haringey Huskies Played 19 Won 8 Pts 16
9. Bristol Pitbulls Played 17 Won 7 Pts 15
10. Cardiff Fire 2 Played 17 Won 7 Pts 14
11. Invicta Mustangs Played 20 Won 5 Pts 11
12. Basingstoke Buffalo Played 18 Won 4 Pts 10
13. Swindon Wildcats 2 Played 17 Won 3 Pts 7
14. Lee Valley Lions Played 17 Won 0 Pts 3

South One action got underway on Wednesday night in Romford as London Raiders took on Swindon Wildcats at the Sapphire, and it was the hosts who prevailed after penalties to close the gap to the Wildcats in third.  Raiders also thrashed Invicta Dynamos on Saturday evening meaning they are only four points off third spot, this after Wildcats lost twice more over the weekend to make it an awful few days for the Swindon side.  This meant the top two, Basingstoke Bison and Peterborough Phantoms, increased the gap to the rest to eight points after Bison recorded two victories, over the Wildcats and then Cardiff Fire, whilst Phantoms also recorded a double, defeating Bracknell Bees after overtime and then winning at Streatham the following evening.   Bison have also made the Autumn Cup Finale and will play fellow South One side Wildcats after they saw off Hull Pirates 8-4 over two legs in the semi finals.  Fifth placed Bees did bounce back from their defeat on Saturday to record victory over Wildcats, whilst Streatham did beat bottom side Fire before their loss at home to Phantoms, making it a mixed weekend for the South East London outfit.  MK Thunder took victory at home to Dynamos, whilst bottom side Fire are still pointless after 27 games.

In South Two Oxford City Stars remain a point clear of Solent Devils after they thrashed Cardiff Fire 2, whilst the Devils thrashed the same side the night before, meaning a weekend to forget for both Fire sides.  Bristol Pitbulls thrashed Swindon Wildcats 2 on Saturday evening to go eighth whilst Peterborough Phantoms 2 netted eight on the road at Basingstoke Buffalo, meaning they remain in fourth spot.

Here are next weekend's fixtures
Wednesday 14th February
National Cup Semi Final First Leg
Swindon Wildcats vs Telford Tigers

Thursday 15th February
NIHL South One (Britton)
Invicta Dynamos vs Swindon Wildcats

Saturday 17th February
NIHL South One (Britton)
Swindon Wildcats vs Streatham
Cardiff Fire vs Invicta Dynamos
Basingstoke Bison vs Bracknell Bees
Peterborough Phantoms vs Milton Keynes Thunder

NIHL South Two (Wilkinson)
Cardiff Fire 2 vs Chelmsford Chieftains
Invicta Mustangs vs Basingstoke Buffalo
Lee Valley Lions vs Oxford City Stars
Guildford Phoenix vs Swindon Wildcats 2
Haringey Huskies vs Solent Devils

Sunday 18th February
NIHL South One (Britton)
London Raiders vs Basingstoke Bison
Cardiff Fire vs Swindon Wildcats
Bracknell Bees vs Peterborough Phantoms
Streatham vs Invicta Dynamos

NIHL South Two (Wilkinson)
Bristol Pitbulls vs Bracknell Hornets
Basingstoke Buffalo vs Lee Valley Lions
Chelmsford Chieftains vs Slough Jets


I will be attending London Raiders vs Basingstoke Bison at The new Sapphire Ice and Leisure centre in Romford on Sunday, Raiders are looking to chase down third placed Swindon whilst Bison will look to maintain top spot over Peterborough, so should be a good battle in that one!!!  Plenty of games to go and see over the coming week so why not go and watch some fast flowing hockey!!!

Season 2017/18 - February 3rd - 4th

(The wonderful looking Sapphire Ice in Romford, pictured here as London Raiders took on Cardiff Fire in the first game at the Arena, thanks to Raiders for the photo)

Saturday 3rd February
NIHL South One (Britton)
London Raiders 5-2 Cardiff Fire
Bracknell Bees 5-1 Invicta Dynamos
Swindon Wildcats 8-3 Streatham
Basingstoke Bison 4-3 Peterborough Phantoms

NIHL South Two (Wilkinson)
Solent Devils 7-2 Guildford Phoenix
Bristol Pitbulls 6-2 Lee Valley Lions
Invicta Mustangs 1-3 Bracknell Hornets

Sunday 4th February
NIHL South One (Britton)
Invicta Dynamos 4-7 Basingstoke Bison
Cardiff Fire 1-5 Bracknell Bees
Streatham 4-3 London Raiders

NIHL South Two (Wilkinson)
Cardiff Fire 2 3-2 Haringey Huskies
Guildford Phoenix 1-2 Peterborough Phantoms 2
Chelmsford Chieftains 12-2 Basingstoke Buffalo

NIHL South One (Britton) Standings
1. Basingstoke Bison Played 23 Won 20 Pts 40
2. Peterborough Phantoms Played 24 Won 19 Pts 40
3. Swindon Wildcats Played 22 Won 16 Pts 35
4. London Raiders Played 23 Won 14 Pts 28
5. Bracknell Bees Played 23 Won 13 Pts 27
6. Streatham Played 24 Won 11 Pts 23
7. Milton Keynes Thunder Played 25 Won 7 Pts 20
8. Invicta Dynamos Played 23 Won 6 Pts 15
9. Cardiff Fire Played 25 Won 0 Pts 0

NIHL South Two (Wilkinson) Standings
1. Oxford City Stars Played 19 Won 17 Pts 34
2. Solent Devils Played 18 Won 16 Pts 33
3. Bracknell Hornets Played 16 Won 15 Pts 30
4. Peterborough Phantoms 2 Played 19 Won 13 Pts 26
5. Guildford Phoenix Played 19 Won 11 Pts 23
6. Chelmsford Chieftains Played 15 Won 10 Pts 20
7. Slough Jets Played 20 Won 8 Pts 16
8. Haringey Huskies Played 19 Won 8 Pts 16
9. Cardiff Fire 2 Played 15 Won 7 Pts 14
10. Bristol Pitbulls Played 16 Won 6 Pts 13
11. Invicta Mustangs Played 20 Won 5 Pts 11
12. Basingstoke Buffalo Played 17 Won 4 Pts 10
13. Swindon Wildcats 2 Played 16 Won 3 Pts 7
14. Lee Valley Lions Played 17 Won 0 Pts 3

In South One (Britton) this weekend Basingstoke Bison reclaimed top spot on tiebreakers after they won the big top two clash against Peterborough Phantoms on Saturday evening before then defeating Invicta Dynamos on the road the following evening to make it a four point weekend and wipe out the Phantoms advantage.  Bracknell Bees finally ended their long winless run with a weekend double, winning at home to the Dynamos before winning at bottom side Cardiff Fire the following evening, closing the gap to fourth placed London Raiders to just a point.  Raiders themselves won their first ever match at their new Sapphire Ice and Leisure home back in Romford against bottom side Fire, however they then lost on the road to Streatham the following evening.  It was a mixed weekend for Streatham though as they were thrashed away at Swindon Wildcats the previous evening.  The Wildcats are five points behind the top two in third spot.

Onto South Two (Wilkinson) and this weekend saw Solent Devils keep the pressure well and truly on the Oxford City Stars with victory over Guildford Phoenix, meaning the Gosport side are now just a point behind the Stars with a game in hand.  Phoenix also lost at home to Peterborough Phantoms 2 the following night, hence losing ground on the top four.  Bracknell Hornets remain third after winning their 15th game in 16 as they saw off Invicta Mustangs in Kent, whilst Chelmsford Chieftains bounced back from a humiliating loss at Stars last weekend to trounce Basingstoke Buffalo at Riverside, and leave them six points off fourth spot with four games in hand.  Finally their were also wins for Cardiff Fire 2 over Haringey Huskies and Bristol Pitbulls over the winless Lee Valley Lions.

Here are the upcoming games this weekend
Wednesday 7th February
NIHL South One (Wilkinson)
London Raiders vs Swindon Wildcats

Autumn Cup Semi Final Second Leg
Hull Pirates vs Basingstoke Bison (Bison lead 4-3 from First Leg)

Saturday 10th February
NIHL South One (Britton)
Invicta Dynamos vs London Raiders
Swindon Wildcats vs Basingstoke Bison
Cardiff Fire vs Streatham
Peterborough Phantoms vs Bracknell Bees

NIHL South Two (Wilkinson)
Cardiff Fire 2 vs Solent Devils
Bristol Pitbulls vs Swindon Wildcats 2
Basingstoke Buffalo vs Peterborough Phantoms 2

Sunday 11th February
NIHL South One (Britton)
Basingstoke Bison vs Cardiff Fire
Bracknell Bees vs Swindon Wildcats
Milton Keynes Thunder vs Invicta Dynamos
Streatham vs Peterborough Phantoms

NIHL South Two (Wilkinson)

Oxford City Stars vs Cardiff Fire 2