The Wightlink Raiders wasted no time to shake of the cobwebs from their extended Christmas break as they surged to an impressive 7-4 win against the Invicta Dynamos the team that dominated the league from so many years.
It looked like it would be the Raiders night from the first puck drop as Jeremy Cornish and his men dominated the Gillingham based side from the start. Gritty forward Steve Gossett ensured both teams were in the game from the start dropping the gloves with Dynamos Corey Watkins at 1.27, a bout that seemingly ended in a draw.
It didn’t take long for the Raiders to strike, with flashy Canadian forward Joe Rand scoring his first of the night with just over 3 minutes on the clock. Nathan Taylor and skilled youngster Conor Pollard would score before the end of the opening period giving the Island side the lead at 3-1.
It was 6’5” Dominic Hopkins that stole the show in the second beating Invicta goalie Andy Moffet twice to score both Raiders goals and sign off the period with a 5-2 lead.
The third period was perhaps the most evenly matched of the game, with both teams scoring a pair each to finalise the score at 7-4 in favour of the home team. Raiders goals came from the eventual man of the match Nathan Taylor and Joe Rand finished as he started closing the Raiders account at 49.17.
The Raiders have another big weekend coming up as they take on the improved Streatham Redskins at Ryde Arena on Saturday before travelling to Slough on Sunday for a matchup with the ENL Jets.
After a rather mediocre start to the season the Streatham Redskins are a greatly improved outfit since the Raiders last met, not least due to the addition of hard working ex-Raider Stewart Tait. The have also recently added Andy Cox and Dax Hedges from the defunct Oxford City Stars, along with Sam Shone from Slough ENL2 and Sam Sheema from the Guildford junior set up. After a strong weekend just gone the Redskins will be looking to continue on a high and are set to be a exciting opponent for the Raiders this Saturday…
Doors open on Saturday at 5.15pm for a 6.00pm faceoff against Streatham, with the Raiders hoping for a big crowd as they embark on the playoff run in and look to establish a good run of form.
