Everyone Active Raiders head coach Sean Easton was pleased to see the under-18s seal a 6-3 victory over Slough in a pilot-event game at the Sapphire Ice & Leisure Centre.
A brace each from Gian Luca Pascale and Tjay Anderson as well as goals from Gian Marco Pascale and Dylan Holicka sealed the victory, much to Easton’s delight.
The senior team head coach has been working closely with the under-18s in recent months, in the absence of any senior hockey, to help them prepare for the step up.
Easton said: “With the looming prospect of no junior league during the 2020/21 season we can’t just have a year off, so a group of coaches and the under-18s have been working hard to get them ready for senior hockey in one year's time.
“We could see the hard work pay off in the game. We played very well considering how match rusty both teams were after a nine month lay-off from matches.
“We came out fast and continued to frustrate Slough the entire game and picked up a 6-3 win.
“We have an extremely young team and their development from training shows that we could do very well in the league if and when it eventually runs.
“Slough were an A league team last season while Romford were in division two, so this win shows we will be fine in the top league and the work that players and staff are putting in is paying off.”
The Great Britain under-18s coach also admitted it felt brilliant to have a competitive fixture after such a long time away from the sport due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
“Despite everything that was going on, we knew there was a game on Saturday, but it didn’t really kick in until the referees turned up and the puck was dropped - due to anticipation of cancellation.
“That game day vibe that we have not had since March was back, the nerves and excitement, but at the same time having to make sure everything was Covid secure for the teams and parents was a distraction from the game.
“You could see the joy in the players arriving to actually play a competitive game and the weeks leading up to it there was a purpose to train, they had a real buzz.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here