By Tom Pink
Got, got, got, need, got, need, need, got, got…
There’s a generation of people (generations now, probably) for which the words Panini, Merlin, or Topps evoke memories of the bike sheds, of the playground, of the deals done and bartered for.
My first dalliance was with the 1995 rugby world cup sticker album. Don’t ask me why, I don’t even like rugby, and no other right-minded seven-year-old at my school was collecting them, so I had no one to trade with anyway.
But if there’s things to collect, things to be traded, things that are shiny and can be pored over and kept safe, young people (and now many older people it seems) will want to collect them.
The Haringey Huskies Blindside trading cards are a glorious bit of fun. Unsurprisingly they sold out on Saturday night. I felt slightly awkward queuing up among the many young people to buy my two packs. Someone a couple of places ahead of me, and of a similar age, came away with what must have been 30-50 packs of cards, literal armfuls, and I immediately felt much better about myself. Nostalgia’s a powerful drug.
It was the last league game of the 2024/25 season for Haringey on Saturday. Bristol turned up having had a torrid year. From league champions two years ago, to a fifth-place finish and playoff quarter-finalists last year, to scrapping for the last playoff spot from ninth position this year. Only three regulation wins from 17 games. They’ve got to take something from Cardiff in their final league game and hope Chelmsford are beat by Oxford to stand a chance. Something’s certainly not right at the moment.
The short bench didn’t help their cause, travelling with only 10 skaters and two netminders. Someone much smarter than me said that it wouldn’t be the first period where the game was won, but the second and third as legs start to tire. And that’s the way it played out.
Bristol take the lead after a couple of minutes though. It’s a bizarre goal, on the powerplay, bundled in from the slot straight from a faceoff, the puck looping, spinning above and over the outstretched glove of Dylan Phillips and into the net behind. Kind of happens in slow motion but a really odd one.
Matt Ganas weaves through centre ice. Robert Rejna steals the puck, drops off to Conner Smith who shoots wide.
Haringey level through Jaden Boolkah after eight minutes. Jaden receives the puck on the left, opts not to hit the one-timer but controls, then sends a wrister far side. A well worked goal on the powerplay.
Stephen Woodford robs the puck at the crease after some miscommunication but can’t find a pass. There’s a glorious chance to take the lead, with Robert and Conner both bearing down on net but they can’t work out whose going to take the shot, and the chance comes to nothing.
The second Huskies’ goal does come though, and it’s a wonderful passing move through Bradley Hildreth, Courtney Grant, and Oliver Cooper, who goes bottom right-corner from the slot after some brilliant interchange and play around the net. He gets better and better every time I see him.
Bristol made it tough in the first period I thought, and forward Joe Caccavale in particular was a bright spark for them all game. But in the second, Haringey stamped their authority.
It’s 3-1 after five minutes, with Marton Szasz getting the tip at the crease after Stuart Appleby had put it on net. Dylan stands tall and deals with a 2-on-1 situation with a save from the right. Ryan Payne with a well-timed hip check to deny an attack. Matt Ganas and Corey Taylor link up well, from D to D, across both lines, but Matt can’t reach the return pass in the slot.
Marton and Stu deliver again, with Stu finding Marton in the slot who hits a one-timer from the right to make it 4-1. Marton’s hit some brilliant form recently with plenty of goals in the last few games. Bristol call timeout to try and regroup, but Haringey come again.
Conner and Benet have chances before Jaden strikes for his second, a very similar goal to his first. The puck’s played point-to-point from Matt France and Jaden puts it far side again for 5-1.
I have to admit I missed the sixth Huskies’ goal, and Oli’s second of the night. It was the closest anyone’s ever come to winning the 50/50 that I’ve been with, and as we studiously checked the numbers, the roar went up.
Naomi Healey comes in for the third period. James Hepburn with a fantastic hit on Woody in centre ice. Something to remember him by? Doc then finds Matt Hepburn who shoots wide from the slot. Courtney and Benet have shots saved, before Naomi puts in a string of good saves to keep the Pitbulls out.
With 10 left in the game, Conner makes it 7-1 to Haringey. A deft backhand shot from the slot lifts the puck over the netminder and into the roof of the net. Jaden hits a slapper from the point which falls to Bradley at the crease, but it’s snuffled away and covered.
Oli is inches away from his hat trick, ringing the puck off the crossbar after receiving it from Courtney. There’s serious pressure on the Bristol net, with what feels like 10 or so shots in quick succession. They change netminders and Rhys Evans replaces Alex Cole for the last six minutes.
Benet bags a sublime goal to get Haringey’s eighth of the game; gains the zone, heads to net and finishes 5-hole from the left. There’s a consolation at the end for Bristol, a slapshot from the left finds the top corner and it’s 8-2 on the night. Marton picks up Player of the Match.
And that’s the 2024/25 league season wrapped up for the Huskies. It’s been mixed, some brilliant moments but also some frustrating ones. There are still games to play, and we’ll find out the overall winner this coming Sunday.
That there’s a team that’s accrued 48 out of a maximum 54 points, has scored a league-leading 125 goals, has the three highest point scorers this season, has the highest goal scorer this season, has only lost one game in regulation in the league and a record of 15-1-1-1, and yet still will not be crowned champions is, frankly, completely and utterly wild.
The margin for error in South 2 is miniscule and unforgiving, as we know all too well. Unfortunately for Peterborough, barring a major upset next Sunday Guildford will take the title.
There’s still silverware to play for though, as Woody mentioned. It’s all but confirmed that Haringey will play the Cardiff Canucks in the quarterfinals. It was a narrow 3-4 victory at the Vindico and a more resounding 6-2 at the Palace. But Cardiff will be pleased as punch at reaching the playoffs in their first year as a club and will see this as a free hit. Caution needed.
We still (hopefully!) get to see him play six more times, and as sad as it is that he’s leaving I think it’s very good news that he’ll still be associated with the club in some capacity.
His numbers over the last eight years speak for themselves. Consistently among our best players, consistently brilliant for Haringey on and off the ice. The PR job he’s done cannot be overestimated, and I wonder how many future players we’ll see at the Palace who got into hockey because they saw this guy play, because he took time out to speak with them, to have a photo with them, to take an interest in them.
He will leave as top all-time point scorer, all-time goal scorer, former club captain, with the highest total points in a single season (50 in 2019/20), the most goals in a single season (32 in 2019/20), and the love and adoration of all who have ever turned up on a Saturday night to watch Haringey at the Palace.
The countless photo ops with fans, the celebrations after the games (this is the guy who was fined for extended celebrations and not getting off the ice quick enough…), the goals, the lung-busting determination and effort, all of it. We will miss it sorely.
I wrote in one of my very first match reports that Woody was something of a club legend even then, and I think that’s undisputable now. There’s few that have done it better in the black and white of Haringey, to my mind.
Now, is anyone willing to trade? I’m after a spectrum Matt Hepburn. Anyone?
Let’s Go Huskies.
