Warwick slide to defeat at hands of ice cold Coventry

Star Performer: Jack Meadows – very nearly hauled Warwick back into the game with a slew of late goals.

In a consistently fiery affair untempered by the cold environs of the rink, Coventry drew first blood in the big show with a 14-9 win in the Ice Hockey opener. It proved to be a tense contest. Warwick pulled ahead in the very early stages via their standout performer, Gothenburg-born International management student Jakob Engstrom. This, however, would be the only time Warwick led in the contest. Coventry began to increasingly impose their dominance, aided in part by their larger player roster.

A Coventry goal from range immediately from the restart set the tone for large parts of the opening period, with Warwick struggling to build momentum in the face of a Coventry side quick to retrieve the puck and even quicker to attack on the breakaway. The blistering pace of Coventry’s John Storey, coupled with some all-round incisive interplay and clinical finishing, saw our opposition glide into a commanding 12-1 lead a mere 13 minutes into the second period.

To the credit of our team, against the deafening backdrop of profane home chanting, Warwick rallied: ex-Deeside Dragons hitman Jack Meadows sparked a flurry of three unanswered Warwick goals. The second period ended with the deficit chiselled down to 12-4 and the away fans in fine voice – seemingly out of nothing, an unlikely turnaround became a possibility.

It would be easy to assume that the two Coventry goals in the opening half-minute of the third period poured cold water on Warwick’s newfound vigour. Instead, the crowd in the following twenty minutes witnessed a Warwick display which captured the imagination and teased a historic Varsity comeback.

Image: Facebook/Warwick Sport

Goaltender Dan Harrison, a Warwick alumnus who raced to the fixture from his workplace in Swindon, went on to produce a string of saves of the highest calibre – rivalling the earlier heroics of his counterpart in the Coventry goal. Audacious individual goals from Meadows and Varsity veteran Axel Hakansson injected new life into the fixture and all of a sudden, we had a titanic sporting contest to savour.

A thrilling move by Hakansson’s compatriot, the marauding Engstrom, saw the Swede weave his way through three Coventry players along the right flank, before goal-line controversy ensued. With the goal given, the atmosphere in the Warwick crowd was ramped up to an elated 11. The tide was beginning to turn, and it was the prolific Meadows again who completed a swift Warwick counter-attack, exhibiting the kind of talent that has seen him register 25 goals in 19 games for Coventry and Warwick Panthers this season.

Seconds later, Engstrom wriggled the puck home from the tightest of angles, increasing his own tally and leaving the scoreline at a much more respectable 14-9. With seven minutes remaining on the clock, and seeds of doubt planted in the minds of the Coventry team, Warwick dared to dream.

Cruelly, time simply ran out. Coventry were able to see the game out in the closing stages and the final klaxon sounded with Warwick agonisingly five goals adrift. Though ultimately undone by their slow start to the contest, a stirring show of belief and fight – though arriving too late in the game – meant that our team could return to campus with their heads held high. The loss aptly compounded Warwick’s slow start to Varsity overall, with the result leaving the standings at 8-2 in Coventry’s favour – but with all to play for in the days ahead.