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By Tom Pink

This isn’t the game we all wanted, but it’s the game we get.

We would have loved to have had the league riding on this one, for that one last push, that do or die. As it is, that’s all been tied up beforehand and we’re left with Haringey playing for pride and a chance at revenge.

Any fears of a dead rubber were very quickly and resoundingly allayed though. These are two teams desperate to win, regardless of the implications.

Matt Hepburn and Sam Roberts put themselves about early on. Guildford have sustained possession, and are camped in our defensive zone for the first three minutes.

On first look it’s similar to the game a fortnight ago where Guildford have spells of possession and Haringey look to break.

Tom Avery gets down the left and goes close, but it’s straight back down the other end and a marauding Luke Clark almost gets caught out of net, but manages to get a stick on the puck to clear.

Ben Beldecos gets past three Guildford players but has his tame effort saved. Someone rings a shot off the post, which I missed but definitely heard.

Joe Tearall shows great awareness and anticipation to intercept a pass in the offensive zone and turn the forecheck into attack. Marton Szasz and Stuart Appleby are high energy in the forecheck too to gain possession. John Beldecos heads towards goal but can only find the side netting, with Joe Tearall in support.

There’s lots of good work but no final product as yet. Guildford continue to knock at the other end.

With five minutes remaining in the period, Guildford get their noses in front. It’s a shot from the slot which takes a couple of awkward deflections and ends up spinning into the bottom left. We have a few chances to level, Stephen Woodford fires over the bar from the faceoff, John draws a leg save from the right, Sam’s intercepted by a diving block at the hash marks, but Guildford finish the period strongly and see it out.

It’s a good start to the second for the Huskies.

Marton dangles across the blue line but sees his shot saved from the left. Leo de Souza Saoncella has a look from the left wing but it’s a leg save and out of play. There’s more energy and purpose in attack for Haringey.

Our response comes after five minutes. There’s a great passing phase across the neutral zone and into the final third for the Huskies, and it’s ends with Woody sending a laser into the top of the net from the right as he travels backwards. 1-1 and game on.

Corey Taylor joins the attack and sends a wrister over the bar after some great skating by Joe Tearall. There’s two or three scares in front of the net for Haringey, with the puck finding itself in awkward places before they can clear.

Luke makes a string of good saves before the Phoenix take the lead once more. Guildford win the faceoff and carry the puck across the slot, and Ollie Denis lifts it backhanded top shelf for a power play goal.

They increase their tally three minutes later. Haringey lose possession in the o-zone, and Guildford race away down ice on an odd-man rush. A pass across the slot takes out the defender and it’s a quick wrister fired in from the left that makes it 3-1 to the Phoenix.

All thoroughly demoralising stuff.

The start of the third couldn’t be more different though. Stu makes a brilliant diving block early on, putting his body on the line to deny a shooting chance. John goes on one of those attacking forays that he’s shown over this season. Across both lines and his slapshot from the right is blocked and covered.

Another player who had a fantastic game was Joe Tearall, and he gets the first one back for Haringey after some dogged perseverance. Joe battles to win the puck back in the offensive zone, heads to the net and fires in a wrister for a short-handed goal and the Huskies’ second of the night.

Game very much on.

It’s frantic and end-to-end with still 16 minutes on the clock. The Huskies can sense something here though.

It finally comes in emphatic fashion. With Haringey on the power play, Conner Smith rips one form the right in classic Conner Smith fashion, and the roof nearly comes off. Honestly, what a goal and what a moment.

At 3-3, having clawed back the two-goal deficit, I’m yet again thinking that Haringey will go on to clinch it.

Sam shoots over the bar soon afterwards. There’s a monstrous save by Luke in the Haringey net. With three quarters of the goal empty, it’s a hand from the absolute depths of nowhere that rises to glove a shot that had no right being saved.

Both teams are energised, both sides pushing for the winner in regulation. But it’s sadly a familiar story.

With 10 minutes left, Guildford regain the lead; a low and hard shot from the blue line nestles into the bottom corner on the power play, and leaves Haringey chasing the game yet again.

Joe Tearall comes close with a spinerama in the slot but the backhander’s knocked away by the netminder’s leg. Tom Avery has a look from the point, John shows his strength to hold off his man and hold onto the puck, before Woody takes over and has his shot held.

In one of the moments of the game, Sam comes out of the penalty box, inflicts a huge hit, flooring the Guildford player, before nonchalantly skating back to the bench.

Haringey push and push and push but Guildford just hold on.

Player of the match is awarded to John Beldecos. I think John is in with a very good shout for supporter’s player of the season, along with Conner and Stu in my opinion. I said to one of the volunteers on Saturday, the biggest compliment I can give John is that across all his performances this season, you’d be hard pushed to pick him out as one of the players stepping-up to the senior side for the first time this year. He just exudes confidence and calm.

There were emotional scenes at the end. The end of a long and hard-fought league campaign comes to a close. It looks like it may be the end for Sam Roberts’ playing days as well.

I don’t want to pre-empt anything and I’m sure the club will put something out in due course, but I’d like to say a couple of things here as a fan.

Sam’s been one of our best players and a certified fan favourite for the last few years, I think a lot of people would agree with that. Top goal and points scorer across consecutive campaigns in 2021/22 and 2022/23, part of a small group of players who can say “I’ve scored against Petr Cech”, Sam brought so much to the team in terms of his finishing and attacking play but I also think he brought so much more as well.

As a senior player he set the standards for others to follow, standards that are expected for anyone wearing the black and white. It’s his arm around the junior players and the bit of advice in their ear, it’s involving the mascots during the warm-up drills, it’s the time he has for anyone who’s there on match day.

He gets it. He gets what it’s all about. Sam’s embodied so much of what it is to be a Haringey player.

Yes we’ll miss the goals and the talent he brought on the ice, but I think he’ll leave a much bigger hole with all of the other things he brought to the team and the club with his experience and personality. Hopefully we get to see him play for Haringey at least four more times!

Thank you, Sam. It’s been a pleasure.

We have confirmation that we’ll face the Invicta Mustangs in the playoff quarter-final next weekend. Last year’s winners, and participants in one of the most stressful games of hockey I’ve been witness to. My blood pressure still hasn’t forgiven them…

The Mustangs perhaps haven’t done as well as they’d have liked this year in the league, but they will be very difficult to get past. There’s no easy games in the playoffs, and on any route to the final you have to play the best teams in the league. But them’s the breaks.

I won’t be at either of the quarter-final games but I will be following along as best I can from the in-laws in Italy.

Forza Haringey. Crediamo. Sosteniamo il bianconero!

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