SKATER HOCKEY: Flames win derby as goals flow at Dorcan (From Swindon Advertiser)

SKATER HOCKEY: Flames win derby as goals flow at Dorcan

5:50am Tuesday 29th May 2012 in Other Sport

THE fourth round of the BISHA South West Senior Hockey League produced an avalanche of goals, with 120 coming in only seven fixtures at Dorcan Leisure Centre.

League leaders Cardiff Voodoo were the top performers, scoring 30 in their two matches, and opened the precedings with a hard-fought 11-7 victory over local rivals Cardiff Panthers.

The previously unbeaten Panthers continually took the lead throughout the match, but Voodoo battled back on every occasion, and after finally taking the lead they never relinquished it.

In the second game of the day Swindon Flames met the Swindon Devils, the club’s second team, and despite being short of a number of players made their superior experience count with a comprehensive 13-2 victory.

The Panthers were also missing a number of players for their second game, but returned to winning ways with an ultimately comfortable 11-4 victory over the Oxford Blues who competed well in the early stages of the contest.

Voodoo consolidated their lead at the top of the league with their second victory of the day in a comfortable 19-2 win over the Sprint Raiders, who were missing their regular netminder and were forced to play an outfield player in goal.

Swindon Devils went down 10-3 to the Oxford Blues in the two sides’ second match of the day, although the Devils initially provided stubborn resistance holding the Oxford side to a 1-1 draw in the first period.

They kept things close in the second period, missing a number of chances including a penalty shot, before a late collapse saw the Oxford side stretch their lead.

The Swindon Flames ensured a number of previously absent players were available for their clash with the Panthers, which turned into another highly entertaining shootout with the Welsh side initially taking the lead.

Each time they scored the Flames came back to keep things close before the game swung decisively in the Flames’ favour when they edged in front for the first time at 6-5.

From then on the Swindon side kept a grip on the game and were able to secure victory despite the Cardiff side scoring a couple of late goals.

In the final game of the day, bottom-of-the-table Swindon Devils put in a brave performance to take a 3-1 lead against Sprint Raiders, but they were soon pegged back as the Raiders eventually ran up a big score against a tiring Swindon side.