Once more, thanks to Bobblehat for the report....
Cobras started this game as they obviously intended to go on. Harrying the Bees at every opportunity, forechecking, backchecking and even sidechecking. They chased everything and won most of the 50 - 50 chances. It was excellent on-the-road hockey, not pretty to watch from a Bees' supporters view, but it was effective and threw the Bees completely off whatever game plan they may have had. The Cobras' tenacity paid off for them early on, as, with Matt Cote sitting out a 2min holding penalty, a dreadful mix up between Reggie and Brian Greer (who had been given the nod over Bernie for this one) allowed Jamie Pegg to put away a good goal from passes by Booberman and Roy Mitchell.
At the resultant face off, Ref Boniface showed his inexperience as he decided to drop the puck with his back to the Chief and that naughty Mr Trumbley. Naughty Mr Trumbley needed no other incentive, as he slashed the Chief behind across the back of the legs. I thought this may have put the Chief out of the game, as, for a minute it looked like he was badly injured. This incident was witnessed by a linesman who informed Boniface, and the two went into deep conversation that continued at the penalty box. Interestingly while all this was happening and most of the players were around the consulting officials, Trumbley was skulking like a naughty schoolboy on his own by the Cobras bench. Is this guy a Psycho or what? The result was a resounding nil, so he got away with it again. When will he banned from the Brirish scene?.
The game then went from bad to worse for the Bees as the Cobras showed spirit and enthusiasm and the Bees passing and general play was well below what we fans were hoping for. In the 11th minute, Vani was through on Greer with two Bees in attendance, and his poked shot slid tamely under the Bees netminder for the second Cobras' goal at 11min 1sec. assists went to Norton and LaScala. I think the Bracknell announcer was surprised at the goalscorer as his name was not mentioned in the team lineups announced at the start of the game. After that soft goal what little heart the Bees had for the game all but disappeared and the Cobras were looking for their third. They nearly got it in the 13th minute as Brian Greer pulled off a tremendous diving stop, and as the rebound was put upstairs stretched out the glove to deflect the puck over the bar. Those saves just about made up for the horrendous second goal. As the period was coming to a close, Dennis Burke was away on his own, but softly shot straight at Foster in the Cobras' goal (I seem to have written a line like that in a number of reports recently - perhaps Dennis should take up one on one practice:o(). First period therefore ended with the Cobras leading 0-2 and well worth their lead.
The second period opened with the Cobras again hunting Bees and their tactics paid off as early as the 9th second into the period as Jonathan Weaver put them 3-0 ahead with assists going to Booberman and Mitchell. The Bees were all but down and out, but 45 seconds later, and out of nothing, a rocket shot from the Chief went through a wall of players into the Cobras' net past an unsighted Foster. There followed a period of pretty uninspiring hockey with the Cobras happy with their play and lead, and the Bees unable to overcome their tactics. It all went pear shaped for the Bees again in the 28th minute as a Cobra was given the freedom of the Bees defence zone and skated rings around the defence. The result was a goal from Majic with assists from Norton and Pegg at 28min 45secs. Oh dear here we go again 1-4 down and nowhere to go. A great 3 on 1 chance as the Cobras made a very Bees like sloppy line change in the 32nd minute was wasted as DeCosty missed the yawning emptiness of the net as Foster had been drawn to the side of the goal. Then another goal out of nothing from the Bees. After the first real sustained piece of pressure from the Bees the puck was moved back to Todd Kelman at the point, and his speculative shot crept just inside Foster's right-hand post with the netmunder again unsighted. A good time for Todd to score his first home goal of the season. This was timed at 34min 30 secs with an assist from Leedle Tommy Gomes. So endeth the second period, 2-4 to the Cobras and no real change in the fortunes of the teams.
Before the start of the third, us knowledgeable(?) Block 5ers said we must score early in the third to stand any chance. The third period started and who was that team out there against the Cobras? It certainly wasn't the side that appeared in the first two periods. We wondered what Jim had said in the period break - it must have been a very long speech punctuated with ********** and the occasional word "Ayr". Right from the start of the period the Bees attacked and produced a sustained and constant barrage on the Cobras goal. At 43min 1sec the Chief blasted a slapshot in from the blueline from a pass by Rob Stewart. 3-4. At 46min 7sec, Colin Ward slid the equaliser in from a pass by Dale Junkin. 4-4. At 47min 45secs after a well worked passing movement, Derek Decosty made up for his previous miss and gave Foster no chance from close in, with assists to Leedle Tommy Gomes and Greg Burke. 5-4 and the Bees in the lead for the first time. Psycho Trumbley then got in on the act again as he high-sticked the Chief and got 2min in the bin for his troubles. A great way to pay this off would be a goal and the Bees duly obliged as Colin Ward was allowed to skate around in front of goal and to put the puck beyond the reach of Foster at 49min 47 sec. So 6-4 and 4 goals had gone in in under 7 minutes - a real purple patch for the Bees but why had they taken so long to put it together? Perhaps the Cobras were now running out of steam? No they were not as they scored again on the powerplay at 51min 29secs as Brett Stewart scored with assists going to Randy Smith and Frank LaScala. At 52min 29 secs Brian Pellerin got a 2+2 and the Cobras had 4minutes of powerplay. The Bees had however remembered how to play shorthanded and easily killed off the Cobras' attacks. (I can say easily now, but at the time watching it was far from easy.) Foster was pulled with one minute to go and we had to endure further Cobras' attacks. However the Bees held firm to come out with a 6-5 victory. For the Cobras, a good game plan that oh so nearly brought success. They might have snitched a point but for the PPG scored with Psycho in the bin. Please let's not see him again icing in this country after the end of this season. For the Bees let's hope they have learned from this. To win you must want to, and play for 60 minutes. So its Sheffield in the semis and let's hope for two good competitive games - with the Bees winning in the end of course - biased? whose biased? :O))