Romford Junior Raiders were taught a lesson by National League Division One South rivals Oxford in the university city on Sunday.

Only 20 seconds had been played when Mike Whillock put the hosts ahead and Josh Oliver doubled Oxford's advantage with less than two minutes gone.

But Raiders hit back with a power play goal from Tommy Huggett, assisted by Vilius Krakauskas, after Ruslan Cernych was binned for hooking.

Josh Florey restored the two-goal gap only to see Joe Edwards binned for holding just over a minute later.

But Stars survived the shorthanded spell and, when Huggett picked up minor penalties for slashing and unsportsmanlike conduct, went 4-1 up with a power play goal from Whillock.

Raiders were caught cold at the start of the middle session as Joe Edwards made it 5-1 after just 24 seconds but Jan Marcilis hit back, assisted by Callum Burnett.

Raiders joy was shortlived as Dax Hedges made it 6-2 just 23 seconds later, but Craig Ellis then netted from Ewan Hill's pass and Krakauskas claimed a fourth Raiders goal in the 28th minute.

Stars called a timeout, then lost Ryan Widmar to a kneeing penalty, but Matt Lawday made it 7-4 while the home side were shorthanded just before the game's midway mark.

Florey was called for hooking and Cernych followed him to the penalty box for cross-checking 32 seconds later to hand Raiders a spell of 5-on-3, with Alex Staples the next home player to fall foul of the officials with a roughing minor.

But the visitors could not capitalise on their numerical superiority and then fell further behind as Olly Shone made it 8-4, leaving Raiders with a mountain to climb in the final stanza.

Any hopes of an unlikely comeback were soon dashed as the gap grew wider with barely two minutes of the third period gone as Shone scored his second goal of the night, with Raiders then having to kill off an interference penalty against Joe Allen.

The hosts hit double figures with just under nine minutes to go as Widmar found the target and Callum Burnett was then binned for goaltender interference, allowing Stars to strike on the power play once more as Whillock completed his hat-trick.

A 2+10 boarding penalty against Allen then handed Shone to finish off his own treble and Stars made it an unlucky 13 for Raiders in the final minute when Lawday claimed his second.