With a slightly larger team than for the first tournament, but still under full strength, we made the journey down to The Charterhouse Club in Godalming at what felt like the crack of dawn. With only seconds to spare we took to the rink for our game against Basingstoke Barracudas.
Basingstoke have always been a tough team and were partly responsible for our second place in the league last year.
Unfortunately there were several 2-minute penalties for both sides. Both Jarek and Adrian did time for Crusaders. Jens and Josh formed a nearly inpenetrable defense and Artu is a most capable addition to the defensive team. His sense of calm punctuated by his insane chuckle amid the surrounding frenzy made for a happy team.
I wish that that there was more to say about our second game against East Kent Warriors. They have some great players and play a good polite game. However the fire-power from our forwards brought us a 16-2 victory that heralded very little in response. Bram scored his first two goals for the team so the drinks are on him. Rob's performance in goal was near faultless, apart from one that seemed to bounce off his shoulder and another unstoppable shot from directly in front of goal.
We are in a good position in the league with only one defeat so far to London Sharks(5-4) and that can be put down to tiredness and the absence of a goalie. I know that Sunday mornings are not conducive to train journeys and exercise, especially in the winter, but with solidarity and commitment to the team we should be able to win the SE Division title.
London Sharks are a good team, but when I see our best forwards on top form, I feel it's like watching a 1st Division match in Sweden.
Adrian.