Match Report | 21st April 2007 » Guildford Flames 5-4 Sheffield Scimitars

Face Off: 3.00pm, Saturday 14th April 2007

Scimitars narrowly loose out but Spartans bring home silverware.

Scimitars lost their semi-final clash with the Guildford Flames with just eighteen seconds of overtime left on the clock, after sixty minutes of high octane hockey that produced some of the best on-ice entertainment of the year could not separate the two sides.

The first three or four minutes showed that both sides intended to play a hard and fast brand of hockey with the Flames just about having the edge despite having two short-handed sessions to Scimitars one. The Surrey side opened their account at 5.55 when Hemmings snapped a shot from the hash marks that found a way through Raitanen's legs. Scimitars increased the pressure on the flames and when two penalties in quick succession gave Sheffield a two-man advantage. After Towe played a great puck from the corner, Millie levelled the scores with a slap shot from the blue line that hugged the ice to squeeze into the bottom corner of Watkins' goal at 12.55.

Guildford's power play line put them ahead again in the fifteenth minute when Kohut shot the puck through a melee of players in front of the Scimitars net and past an unsighted Raitanen. Scimitars were not behind for long as one of their rapidly rising young stars, Lloyd Gibson, who was clearly thriving playing alongside the highly experienced Millie and Stewart put one past Watkins from close range just 12 seconds later.

The second period started with Scimitars on the power play again. Eighteen seconds in and just before Flames returned to full strength Stewart and Shudra set up Dowd to knock in a backhand shot at the post of their opponents goal. This time it was flames who responded to the deficit quickly with a Marian Smerciak slap shot caught Raitanen unsighted again to pull level at exactly 23.00. There was a scare for the Scimitars just 58 seconds later when the puck was again in the back of their net after a goal mouth scramble but the referee, wiped it out as the puck had been kicked over the line. After killing off two more penalties, Scimitars found themselves with the manpower advantage and a Shudra signature shot put them back ahead at 29.40.

The lead was held for the next twenty minutes of play despite Flames getting in plenty of good shots that Raitanen was equal to but Ricky plant scored the game tying goal just before the 50th minute. The final ten minutes of regular time were fast and frantic with both teams getting power play opportunities but failing to break the deadlock.

Overtime started with three players per side and Flames had the edge on scimitars in terms of shots on the net testing Raitanen to the limits, it looked as if the game would go into overtime but Plant scored his second of the night to send scimitars home empty handed.

The second semi-final was won by league Champions Bracknell Bees on sudden death penalties after sixty five minutes of hockey left the sores tied at one apiece. Bees went on to win the double on Sunday with a 3-2 victory over the flames.

Scoring Details: Guildford: Plant 2+0, Smerciak 1+1, Hemmings & Kohut 1+0, Milicherik 0+3, Bronnimann 0+2, Skene, Dixon, Zavoral & Watkins 0+1. Sheffield: Millie 1+2, Dowd & Shudra 1+1, Gibson 1+0, Stewart 0+2, Towe 0+1. MOM Towe.

Next Match Report: Sheffield Steelers 3-3 Sheffield Scimitars
14th September 2007
Previous Match Report: Sheffield Scimitars 5-2 Swindon Wildcats
21st April 2007

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