Haringey Huskies 7, Invicta Mustangs 5
Eddie Joseph Memorial Cup
31st October 2026
Was that sufficiently horrifying for you? Appropriately ghastly and blood curdling? And I’m not just talking about Invicta’s first goal…
Saturday was brilliant, and another fantastic advert for how good hockey night can be in South 2. The effort that went into putting on the whole night, and from those turning up and getting involved was amazing. Well done to all involved.
Kernkraft 400 by Zombie Nation was the first single I ever bought with my own money, when that was the kind of thing young people did (this ages me). I very much enjoyed hearing that pump out around the rink. The first album? Big Willy Style by Will Smith. Less said about that the better.
It’s sad to see Leo De Souza Saoncella move on. A mainstay for the last five years and so popular with the Haringey fans. His work rate and attitude endear him, and he always seemed to be a player that wanted to do things in the right way.
He chatted with me a couple of years ago and spoke about how he wanted to improve his game and how he looked to the senior guys in the room for advice and help. Plagued by injuries the last couple of seasons and struggling for ice time in a team that is much changed with several new and very experienced players in forward positions, a move to South 1 Romford Buccaneers is probably no bad thing, considering.
It’s rare for us to be outshot at the Palace. Rarer still to be outshot and also win. Invicta with 41 to our 33. It’s a real back and forth tussle. This has to go down in the pantheon of completely bonkers games against Invicta. A rich and storied tapestry by now.
We make a ferocious start.
Thirty seconds in and we’ve hit the back of the net. First Courtney Grant with an effort then Marton Szasz from the right, falling, goes across goal and it’s 1-0. What a start! But it doesn’t last.
The Mustangs’ first goal is the stuff of nightmares. They pick up a couple of penalties and we have 30 seconds of 5-on-3 on the powerplay. Everyone’s in the offensive zone, set up with skaters at the point. Despite this we look hesitant, unsure of what we’re doing, reluctant to put anything on net. An element of fear, ironically.
Invicta turnover possession and do what they did all game; be very direct and drive the net. Forward Jake Stedman with no one near him has centre ice and the defensive zone to compose himself and beats Luke Clark 1-on-1 on the breakaway from the right. Awful, awful, awful.
I was so incensed and furiously trying to write all of that down that I missed our instant response. Twenty seconds after the restart and it’s 2-1, James Pentecost with a goal from the slot (I think…).
A mad start. Luke makes an outrageous save from the crease, blocking it point blank. He gives up five goals on the night but there’s some incredible saves in there, and a big part of getting the result over the line.
Chris Beckett with hands across the blue line but his shot on net’s held, too central. Luke’s there again after a turnover in the neutral zone; makes the save from the slot, rebounds off the plexiglass behind net, back in front for another save short side.
Invicta tie it up with just over eight minutes to go in the period. They shift it from the left across the slot, it’s pinpoint across the crease, past Luke’s outstretched skate and tapped in at the backdoor by their man of the moment James Laming.
A minute later and they’ve taken the lead. It’s route one, lobbed over centre ice, Haringey caught out of position and Invicta punish us again, scoring from the right. 2-3. It’s one of those games.
George Hagon finds Ruskin Springer Hughes who can only swipe at it, firing wide. George is back to work in the d-zone cutting out a dangerous pass across the slot.
Stephen Woodford with bigger twists than M. Night Shyamalan’s back catalogue, finds his way out of trouble in the d-zone. Conor Pollard picks up a good position in the slot but his shot’s blocked.
The Mustangs start the second better, but it’s the Huskies who score first. It’s a moment of brilliance from Conor, picked out by Nathan Long he sends a wrister top right from the high slot which comes off both posts before crossing the goal line. What a finish.
Chris hits a slapshot short side which is held. Better from Huskies since the goal. Invicta go close from the slot, a whisker away from the far post.
They make it 3-4 soon after. Jake Stedman again, sets himself from the blue line and it’s a horror show deflection off a Haringey leg that sends it right into the bottom corner of the net. Nothing Luke could do about that one.
Nathan almost provides for Conor again from the point, but the tip in front of net flies wide. Luke again makes a monstrous stop, this time from the point as Invicta have a few efforts on goal.
We draw level again for 4-4, it’s Pents, waits to gain the zone and finishes maybe 5-hole from the slot. Another brilliant individual moment in a game full of them.
Conor spins and shoots from the slot, stick save out-of-bounds. Clarky covers from the left. It’s so congested, no time on the puck. Both teams forechecking tirelessly and anything in centre ice is immediately contested.
The Mustangs wrestle the game away from us again, this time Ed Stedman with yet another breakaway goal for Invicta scored short side from the right. Five left in the second. It’s a very close game but my word it’s exhausting.
Clarky comes up big again, a huge glove from the left after the toe drag. Chris and Robbie Rejna have opportunities, Pents finds Conor in the slot whos shot spirals agonisingly wide.
The finale to the second is remarkable, and an example if any was ever needed of why you never give up. As the clock ticks down Woody carries it behind the goal line and puts it back out front for Chris to slam a onetimer into the net from the left with five seconds remaining on the clock. What a way to end the period.
It’s two powerplays in the last seven minutes that give us the edge in the third, and ultimately the game. We finally have space on the powerplay, work it from D to D before finding Nathan who puts a bomb on net from the point which flies in. No stopping that.
Invicta could have tied it again but for a huge miss from the slot, a big let off for Haringey. With five minutes left Ruskin extends our lead for 7-5, his shot from the right D going top corner short side. Yesssss.
Invicta call timeout. Richie Pickering winds up from the defensive line which I don’t mind at all, but sees it fly wide. The Mustangs miss another big opportunity at the back post as they push and push for something more from the game.
I thought they might pull the netminder, but they didn’t. We get out with the lead intact and three points in a pig of a game and a competition that takes no prisoners.
If you thought the nightmare was over, think again; we welcome the Mustangs back to the Palace for our last league game of the season in March. What a way to end it…
Let’s Go Huskies.
Photos: Luke O’Donovan
