There are countless tales across sport of teams that have had to wait for their moment.

The Chicago Cubs waiting 108 years between World Series championships. The St. Louis Blues going 52 years without a Stanley Cup (this doesn’t help my point, but it still brings me joy to also list the Toronto Maple Leafs who have the longest active running drought of 57 years). Jurgen Klopp lost six consecutive cup finals before eventually winning the Champions League with Liverpool in 2019.

I didn’t make the Eddie Joseph Memorial Cup final against the Peterborough Phantoms. You can’t come much closer than that without winning, and by all accounts it was a brilliant, gut-wrenching, heart-breaking game. I’ve said it before, but I’d be more worried if Haringey weren’t consistently in the conversation for honours each year. Eventually one of these will drop for us, and I’m convinced it will be much sooner than the examples above.

On Saturday I had the shock of my life, as a game in which one team had nothing riding on turned into one of the monsters of the season. Due to other results the weekend before, Haringey had already confirmed their third-place finish in the league. Cardiff were playing for the difference between seventh and sixth, which could be pivotal for their season.

Naomi Healey starts in net, who’s had a torrid year blighted by injury, so it was great to see her back and able to play.

It’s end-to-end early on without any real chances of note.

Marton Szasz takes the initiative and goes coast-to-coast, sending a backhand over the bar. Robbie Rejna finds Will Nowik at the crease who can only shoot wide. Good opportunity.

Cardiff have a five-minute spell, with Naomi making a string of saves. Carl Etuazim races through after a Cardiff error but fires wide. Pete Toth inches wide from the blue line. Benet Beldecos dangles but slides it wide of the left post. Haringey knocking but can’t find twine. Cardiff happy to ease themselves into the game and not get overrun early on.

Haringey come out and take the lead after the restart. It’s a snipe from Will that goes top shelf from a tight angle across goal. A wonderful finish. Stanley Ratcliffe controls, spins and puts a backhand on net. Kicked out.

Naomi shuts the door on a breakaway for Cardiff. Stan takes out Robbie with a sliding tackle to block a shot from the blue line. Both thankfully OK!

Cardiff get the equaliser seven minutes into the period. It’s worked behind the goal line and back out into the high slot. It’s a one-timer that beats Naomi for pace and finds the bottom left corner.

Even though the Canucks have skin in the game it’s all felt a little pedestrian so far, a little cagey, but it does boil over moments later. Ill-feeling out on the ice, the first of a few fractious moments during the game.

Matt Ganas rips across goal from the right. Wide. Will slaps a one-timer, then again from the right. Both wide of the mark. He carries all the way to the crease, protecting the puck, but the shot’s saved from close range.

Pete shifts from point-to-point and Ryan Payne hits a slapper into the body of Cardiff netminder John Dibble. Oli Cooper bundles through, his shot bobbling up and wide after taking a deflection. There’s a fantastic play at the end of the period between Benet, Stuart Appleby, and Marton but they can’t get a shot away.

Cardiff come out with purpose in the third.

Johan Persson cleans up in the slot and Naomi denies a barrage of shots early on. What a game she’s having. Stu finds Will from behind the goal line who takes a couple of whacks at it, both saved. Cardiff turn the screw now and have another five-minute spell.

Naomi makes an amazing double-save, first right then left to keep it tied. It drifts a bit, it’s scrappy and stop-start, and there’s an air of inevitability about overtime. Johan puts an absolute bomb on net from the point, then again seconds later but both are saved. Benet gets two bites, first saved then wide.

The period ends with a monumental stand by Naomi to deny Cardiff with an athletic save at the backdoor. What a finish to regulation.

Haringey have opportunities to clinch it in overtime. Carl goes through on the breakaway 1-on-1 but his shot’s saved down low at the back post. Marton flies along the boards, cuts and is gloved top right. There’s an immense penalty kill in there as well, as the Huskies see off a five-minute penalty on Robbie for checking from behind.

We head to the shootout.

I’m trying to remember the last time we went to a shootout in the league, as they don’t seem to happen that often. You have to go back to the 2023/24 season when we beat both Bristol and Invicta after overtime. That Invicta game was one of the most stressful games I’ve ever watched.

Only one penalty shot is scored out of six, and it’s the first one. Cardiff’s Carter Lloyd drifts left from the centre spot and scores low across goal. Marton dekes, heads right at the crease and has his backhander saved. Former Husky Joe Tearall skates right and shoots wide of the mark. Benet ends up with John Dibble lying on the ice across goal but can only shoot into his pads. Steve Osman goes right then left at the crease, pad save by Naomi. Carl makes a slow approach and ends up firing wide. For a brief moment I thought it was in, but it wasn’t to be.

Cardiff win 1-2 after the shootout. Naomi gets Player of the Match and there was no way it could have been anyone else to be honest. A monumental performance between the pipes, and a game in which both netminders put on an amazing, disciplined display.

It’s a huge shame that there won’t be a second leg for the quarter-final tie this weekend. The Canucks have a decent record at the Palace and we know what they’re capable of when there’s something on the line, as evidenced by last weekend and last years’ playoffs match-up. It’ll be a tough, tough game that’s for sure and I think they’re a stronger side than last year as well.

Haringey can beat them and have beaten them already this year, the fact that it’s now a one game tie doesn’t change much, we still need to win.

If you’re coming on Saturday, remember to vote for your Supporter’s Player of the Season as well. I have an incredible record of never voting for the winner, so apologies in advance. Probably says more about my judgement than anything else.

Let’s fly into this one, Huskies. Full pelt.

Let’s Go Huskies.