This was game which neither team needed to win, and so was never going to be a highly physical or intense encounter. That said, it was still an entertaining match, and both sides but on some skillful play at times. Scott Campbell was again suspended for Bracknell, whilst long-term injury Tomlinson and Ketola (nursing his bals) were out for the Storm. Bernie and Sjerven in nets.....
The game started quickly, and Bracknell got on the board after just over a minute. The puck came out to Shane McCosh on the blue-line, who belted it back towards goal. Sjerven appeared to have it covered, but Junkin was in the slot to tap it down and past the stranded keeper. Bracknell came close again shortly afterwards. Chief took a belter of a shot, which flipped off the top of Sjerven's glove and fell just wide of the pipes. Matty lost the puck on the Storm's blue-line, and set up Jablonski to skate the length of the ice, only for Bernie to stack the pads and stonewall him. Great save! However, the play was all Bracknell's, and they got their reward on 7:36. A period of sustained pressure by Bracknell saw Storm unable to clear their zone. The puck was sent round to Joe Ferras behind the net, and he flicked it into the slot. The Chief fanned on the shot, but it ran on to Matty behind him, who shot it in thanks to a nasty deflection by a Storm stick.
Bracknell could have increased their lead still further, when Junks wrapped around the goal and squared the puck for Colin Ward on the back post, but he couldn't connect properly. There was a minor bout of handbags between Tommy and Jago in the 14th minute, resulting in both sitting for 2 minutes. The extra space should have suited Storm's style of play more, but it was the Bees who went closest. Todd Kelman let rip from the blue-line, it was saved easily but Colin was the first to the rebound and sent it just wide. Bernie's shut out was broken after 16 minutes, after a mistake by Tommy. He had the puck against the boards in the Bees zone, and mistook Brebant for Reggie Crawford (yep, easy to do), so flipped it out to him. Brebant said thank you and crossed the puck for the unmarked Flinton to get his first of the night. And that was how the first period finished.
Into the second and once again the Bees gave up an early goal. There was a bit of a scramble in front of the net, and up stepped Wiklander to crash home the loose puck. Storm went on the powerplay after 24 mins, but it was to be the Bees who benefited. Storm's attempts at breaking the box were going nowhere, and Reggie Crawford stole the puck and broke down the left wing. He had two defenders in front of him as he crossed the blue-line, but saw Dennis Burke skating hard and unmarked down the centre. Timing his pass to perfection, Reggie split the two d-men and put the puck right where Dennis wanted it. He was able just to stretch forward and knock it past Sjerven, who wasn't able to get back in time. Two minutes later Storm regained parity, through some bad defending. Wiklander shot from distance, and Bernie easily saved. The shot rebounded to the right of goal, to where Morrison was suffering the attentions of a defender. However, despite this and the very narrow angle, he was still able to shoot behind Bernie for the goal.
And two minutes later, Storm took the lead for the first time on the night after Neumeier dug the puck out on the boards and Flinton was able to hammer it home. however, gone is the Bracknell of old. In the past their heads would have dropped and that would have been the end of the game. Not so anymore. The team rallied and pulled the game back to level terms through Colin Ward. Pelly and Colin were in the Storm zone on an odd-man break, Pelly slid the puck forward to Colin, who had no difficulty deking Sjerven and sloting home. It looked like the Bees would regain their lead just seconds later, when McCosh drove the length of the ice, but was stopped by Sjerven's pads. However, only a minute and a bit after Colin's goal, Bracknell did retake the lead. Greg Burke shot from the point, the rebound fell to brother Dennis, who calmly skated round Sjerven to backhand into the net. Late in the period, Rubaduk had a break-away, shot on goal and on came the red-light. Strange, because the puck was actually over in the far corner. :-)
Into the third, and the teams were playing very evenly matched hockey. Jago, who had been taking stick all night from the home crowd, was starting to show the strain and respond. Despite plenty of good hockey, it looked like neither team would get any further goals. Bracknell came close in the 48th minute, when Chief flipped the puck out from behind the net for the shot. Sjerven blocked it with no trouble, but the rebound hit a defender's back and almost fell back into the goal. Finally, after 56 minutes, Bracknell were able to increase their lead. The Bees turned over the puck on the edge of their zone, and found themselves with a 3-on-0 break. Whis slid the puck forward to Joe Ferras, who skated in on Sjerven and back-handed it over him. The game appeared to be over, but, with only 9 seconds left on the clock, Chief was put in on goal by Tom Gomes and somehow he back-handed it past Sjerven, who really should have stopped the shot.
So, Brackell won 7-4 and thoroughly deserved it. Manchester didn't have their hearts in it after last night, but they were still playing for pride, and they certainly didn't throw the match. The whole team played well, but Shane McCosh certainly deserved his man of the match award, although my choice would have been Dennis Burke. Dennis has really come on well in the past few months, much in the way that Jeff Johnstone did last year. I have no doubt that that's in some way linked to Jim's coaching, and I'm very concerned that Jim may not return next season. Still, we can but hope.
Flinton had an OK game for his MOM, although Brebant was at the centre of many of the Storm's moves (as usual). Sjerven was playing terribly. I think he's really suffering for not having a proper back-up. He should have saved at least three of Bracknell's goals tonight. On this form, I really can't see Manchester beating Ayr in the semis, let alone in the final if they make it. They really need to improve, and fast. It doesn't help that they're missing Tommlinson and Ketola of course.
And so the curtain is drawn on a decade of hockey at Bracknell, and by far the best season to be witnessed at the Hive so far.....