News Report

Chieftains beat Invicta!

Damon Porter scores an amazing goal in overtime to seal the win for the Chieftains.

• admin
• 05 December 2023

For this game, the Chieftains were down on players. Grant and Cameron Bartlett weren't available, as well as Dan Fay and Jay King. The team was bolstered by Rhys King, Eden Rolfe, and Alex Howe, all stepping up from the Warriors. Invicta were also down on key players, this game was set to be a close (and feisty) affair.

The puck dropped for the first period, and the Chieftains went straight on the attack. With only 35 seconds being played, assisted by Damon Porter and Leigh Jamieson, Hallden Barnes-Garner was able to slot the puck home and take the Chieftains into a very early lead. As you'd expect, Invicta came back hard. There were various charges from the Dynamos, and at times, the Chieftains were struggling to connect passes and were looking slightly out of sync. At 06:46, the Chieftains bench took a penalty for delay of game. This put the Dynamos on the powerplay, and at 7:54, Tommy Huggett was able to equalise for the Dynamos to make it 1-1. The Chieftains were misfiring. They were struggling to get into a rhythm. At 13:47, Dan Hitchings took a penalty for delay of game. Once again, the Dynamos went on the attack and scored courtesy of Oliver Bronnimann. It was now 1-2. Just two minutes later, the Dynamos charged forward once more and scored again. It was now 1-3. This time, the Invicta goal was scored by Mads Thune. Lewis Clifford called for a timeout. The home crowd got behind the team, chanting and banging drums, showing the team their full support. The first period ended 1-3. Lawday faced 18 shots, and the Invicta netminder faced 11.

As the Chieftains stepped out onto the ice, the team looked down, but as the puck dropped for the second period, they went straight on the attack. The passes were connecting, the play was fast, and whatever had been said in the changing room had done the trick. At 21:10, assisted by Oli Baldock and Damon Porter, Hallden Barnes-Garner was able to score the second goal of the night. It was now 2–3. You could see the fire in the eyes of the Chieftains, the fightback had started. The Chieftains were making great charges forward, slowly gaining control. At 24:02, assisted by Oli Baldock and Damon Porter, it was Ethan Reid's turn to score with a fantastic goal. It was now 3-3. The action was end to end, both teams fighting hard to gain control. The Chieftains were definitely getting the better of the second period. Jordan Lawday was pulling off fantastic saves when called upon, and the defence was holding strong. As the attacking play continued from the Chieftains at 38:16, assisted by Damon Porter and Ben Russell, Oli Baldock was able to take the Chieftains in the lead once more with a well-placed goal. The Riverside was rocking! It was now 4-3, and this was how the period finished. Lawday faced 7 shots, but the Chieftains attacking prowess showed with 14 shots on the Invicta goal.

The noise up until now had been incredible in the Riverside. The fans were enjoying a close game, getting behind the team, and the team had made an incredible fight back. The third and final period was going to be a close call! The puck dropped, it came to Leigh Jamieson, he passed it to Damon Porter, who then passed it to Hallden Barnes-Garner. Hallden was just past the half-way line at this point. He looked up, and took a shot on goal. Rider saw the puck coming towards him and put his stick out to deflect, but the puck bobbled over his stick and went in the net. The Chieftain fans couldn't believe it! A goal within 11 seconds of the puck being dropped. Rider did not look happy. The Chieftains were now winning 5-3. Once again, Invicta came on the attack. Various waves charged forward, and at 42:50, Stanislav Lascek was able to score and edge Invicta ever closer. It was now 5-4. The game was becoming more physical. There had been no penalties for the Chieftains in the second period, but Invicta was drawing the Chieftains in to their usual tactics. At 45:23, Keiran Raynor made a mild hit on Harrison Lillis, and Lillis fell to the ground like a sack of potatoes. He had been attempting to wind up the Chiefains all night, but as per the previous meeting, when it came to it, he just didn't live up to expectations. There was a bit of furor around the referee, and it took a while for the ref to sort things out. To get behind the team, large swathes of the home fans stood up chanting "Lets Go Chieftains." I've never seen or heard anything like it! The roof was nearly taken off the Riverside. The Invicta fans were well and truly drowned out. Kieran Raynor, Harrison Lillis, and Richard Harris all got 2 minutes for roughing. Invicta held strong in the powerkill, and they continued their attack on the Chieftains goal. Again, there were various scrambles around the goalmouth, and Jordan Lawday was making some phenomenal saves. However, at 47:45, Ruskin Springer-Hughes was able to equalise once more for the Dynamos. It was now 5-5. This game really was on a knife edge. The penalties crept in more for the Dynanos. At 50:15, Oliver from Invicta got 2 minutes for hooking. The Chieftains were on a powerplay and went straight on the attack. It wasn't long to wait for Ethan Reid to get his second goal of the night and put the Cheiftains back in the lead at 6-5. He was assisted again by the fantastic pairing of Porter and Baldock! Invicta came on the attack. They were having a good spell of control. There was a period of continuous, applied pressure to the Chieftains goal, and at 53:17, Stanislav Lascek was able to bring things level once more at 6-6. There was nervousness among both sets of fans. People were expecting overtime, and that's exactly what happened. The third period finished at 6-6. Lawday faced 18 shots, and Invicta faced 8.

The puck dropped for overtime, and the Chieftains soon took control. Passes were sweet and accurate. The play slowly escalated, shots were made and saved by Invicta, but the Chieftains showed their talent. Alan Lack had the puck, he passed to Damon Porter. Porter weaved through the Invicta players and headed towards the Chieftains net, but as he got to the half-way line, he turned around and made a charge at the Invicta goal. He weaved through their defence once more, but headed to the left of the goal, but as he got nearer, he was able to flick the puck in the opposite direction, fooling the Invicta netminder and scoring an amazing overtime goal in the top-right corner. The home crowd erupted. Invicta had really brought the fight, but the Chieftains had secured a much-deserved win!

Damon Porter received Man of the Match for his five assists and final goal of the game. Well done Damon!

What a game we all witnessed - phonomenal achievement, a real display of grit, and determination to fight back from 1-3 down. Even with the missing players, it shows how much depth, quality, and experience our team really has.

If you'd like to see the stats for the game, just click here.

We can't wait to see you back at the Riverside very soon!

#LetsGoChieftains #RaiseTheRoof #AlwaysBringTheNoise