Blyth asks team to silence Thunder again

London Raiders coach Alan Blyth wants his side to produce a new year repeat when they host Milton Keynes tomorrow (Saturday).

Raiders broke a 19-game losing run with a 4-2 win over Thunder last Sunday to end 2014 on a high and Blyth is aiming to complete a quickfire double at Lee Valley this weekend.

He said: “We will not be changing a single thing. We need to go out and prove to people the result was not a one off and that we mean business.

“We are a team that is now full of confidence and need to use that as a springboard for the rest of our season.

“We will be going about our business just as we did last Sunday and looking for another positive result.

“I have every confidence in the players that we have and the couple of additions that we are looking to make that we will have a strong finish to the season.”

Raiders welcomed the experienced Grant Taylor back to their line-up last weekend and will have David Oliver in gold and blue again as they begin 2015.

Blyth is well aware of their importance as they look to climb the National League table, adding: “Last week was good for us as a team and it showed what we are capable of when we add a bit of experience to the youth we have.

“Grant came in on Sunday and made an instant impact both on the ice and in the dressing room. We started the game well and controlled the play throughout. “We took a few weak penalties that need to be ironed out and will be. We played three lines throughout and this allowed our players to be fresh and ready throughout the game. We fought for every loose puck and finished every hit.

“It was a good “team” performance. We need to continue in the same manner and do so right from the start again.

“We have the added experience of Big Dave in the line-up and this will only help out younger players further.”

Raiders announced the signing of forward Alan Lack on Wednesday, but he will not make his debut until the trip to Oxford on January 11.