By Tom Pink
We’ve got to savour these.
There’s now only so many opportunities left this season that we get to watch these Haringey Huskies. The games are simply running out.
I thought Saturday was good though.
The result is closer than it should be. Far closer. Haringey should be well out of sight, and on another day they might have been.
Our chance creation is often exemplary even if that final bit of quality is sometimes missing, as it was on Saturday and has been at other times this season. I thought Lee Mercer was right in Coach’s Corner, and it’s great to hear that they’re identifying and addressing problems.
If you want to talk about control, I thought we had it in spadefuls. We do so well to stifle Chelmsford and limit their ability to progress and get going offensively. Our control of the puck across the neutral zone, our forecheck, our possession retention were all top notch.
Naomi Healey gets the nod in net, and Luke Martin slots in for the absent Matt France. Ryan Payne marks his 150th game for Haringey. Another of the stalwarts who’ve recently hit big numbers, Ryan is synonymous with hockey in Haringey, and I thought he had a great game on Saturday and was very unlucky not to score.
It’s an electric start for the Huskies, plenty of pressure, plenty of energy. Plenty of chances in the opening period.
Joe Willingham has a couple of looks from the blue line, as does Ryan who sees shots from the point whistle agonisingly wide. Robert Rejna gains the zone, forehand, backhand, and sends a backhander wide of the post from the hash marks. Pete Toth rips a one-timer from the right, held by the Chelmsford netminder.
It’s feisty and there’s hits and there’s a constant sense of niggle and bite in every coming together. We deal really well with the physical side of the game. Nine times out of 10 whenever Matt Ganas has the puck, he’s getting a whack, he’s getting a swipe, but he doesn’t rise to it. Marton Szasz is way too strong, shrugs the Chelmsford skater off the puck and finds Stephen Woodford whose effort on net is saved.
It’s interesting that Matt Ganas plays D. Whether this is tactical or something else, it’s never a bad thing to get good players on the ice, whatever position, and Matt is a very, very good player. Signed from Lee Valley in January, he’s still their top goal scorer in the league this season by some distance and finished 2023/24 with 19 goals and 9 assists. I’d like to see him in the offensive zone more often than not myself, as he’s a proven clinical goal scorer.
Matt Hepburn is dispossessed in the slot by a sliding Chelmsford D-man. Marton finds Stuart Appleby, but he can’t sort his hands quick enough to shoot.
I thought the best chance fell to Robert Rejna who had time and space at the crease after being fed by Benet Beldecos who shows strength and determination to carry it along the boards, hold off the skater and find the pass.
Stephen Woodford makes the breakthrough near the end of the period, however. Matt Ganas barrels down the left wing and puts it on the tape for Woody to lift into the roof of the net. A well deserved and long coming 1-0.
There’s an early scare in the second as the puck bounces across the slot but the danger passes with no one in black and gold able to reach it.
Leo De Souza Saoncella goes 1-on-1 on the breakaway, only able to find the netminder’s pad. Woody and Marton both have chances, before Marton makes it 2-0 on the powerplay. Circling back around to the right hash marks, he sends a wrister high into the corner of the net with a lovely finish. Haringey are motoring and beginning to find success for all the hard work.
Matt Hepburn picks out James Hepburn hugging the blue line, with his shot from the left saved. Naomi is called into a rare bit of action and deals with a couple of shots from the right.
With 10 minutes left in the second, Marton scores again after several attempts to clear the zone from Chelmsford miss the mark. He gains possession and carries it to the crease, shooting far side beyond the netminder. 3-0.
Robert almost finds Oli Cooper in the slot, before Woody picks out Stu who hits it out of the air baseball-style, but it’s held firm. Matt Hepburn’s denied from the crease.
The Warriors do get on the board before the period is over, and it’s just a small reminder to Haringey that this isn’t over yet by any means. The puck’s chipped in from the neutral zone, picked up in the slot and roofed from the crease. Chelmsford more alive to the situation, and a shame as nothing had really taxed Naomi up to that point, who had been on course for our first shutout of the season. Second period ends 3-1.
Throughout all of this, Chelmsford captain Nick Green is desperate to fight someone. He has a look at Matt Ganas and Leo at various points during the second, before scouting the Haringey bench for an opponent. In reality, there was only ever going to be one person who would step up to the challenge. Ready, willing, and able.
As soon as the puck’s dropped for the third, so do the gloves as Luke Martin and Green go at it. The Tkachuck brother’s effect? Possibly not. These two liked fighting well before the 4 Nations Face-Off last month.
Jaden Boolkah sends one beyond the post from the point. Cass McCormack spins in the slot but can only shoot wide. Oli and Robert have shots gloved, and Matt Hepburn tips wide from the crease from Doc’s pass.
It’s a weird situation and strangely finely poised for a game that has been so one sided. At 3-1 Chelmsford are still very much in the game without really having created a lot or look like they’re going to. But with the Huskies unable to kill the game, there’s always the fear that the Warriors will drag the game down and make it an uncomfortable finish. Which is what they try to do, and why Haringey call timeout with five minutes left on the clock. Calm heads needed.
Doc goes through 1-on-1 but it’s an easy, chest-height save in the end. Marton finds Robert across the slot, he tries to return the pass but it’s all a bit tight and intricate and Chelmsford are back to cover. Should have shot.
With a couple of minutes left Chelmsford pull the goalie, sensing they can still get something from the game. Even with the extra skater they never really force the issue, and Cass comes agonisingly close to reaching the puck on the breakaway with the empty net.
We should score more. Luke Conley puts in a heroic performance between the pipes for Chelmsford and is rightly named their Player of the Match. Only giving up three from 76 shots faced is some going. But we should score more.
Marton is awarded Player of the Match for Haringey, with two very well taken goals. His all-round play and physicality were brilliant.
It’s been a nice little run of wins since the Wilkinson Cup semi-final, and the Huskies will want to keep this rolling into the playoffs. Invicta on the road, Bristol at the Palace, then a maximum of six games in the playoffs. There may not be many, but they’re all tough from here on out.
Savour these. Enjoy them.
All eight of them with any luck.
Let’s Go Huskies.
Photos by Phil Hutchinson (@77phil77sports)
