Humanity Hallows Issue 5 Out Now
Pick up your copy on campus or read online
By Adam McKinney
A resurrected Storm took to the ice on Sunday after years in the hockey wilderness against the Nottingham Panthers in the last but most vital game of the season. This was a chance to secure a place in the League playoffs and re-establish themselves in the upper echelons of British ice hockey.
With the Arena sold out well before face-off, the thunderous rapture of the home fans could be felt in the Storm shelter; anxiety and anticipation in almost equal measure. If Storm could better the score between Coventry Blaze and Sheffield Steelers in a game that started 30 minutes earlier than this, they would make the play offs.
From the drop of the puck the Storm reacted with urgency, their offensive line looking hungry. In the opening minutes both goalies were tested with several shots which were beaten away or smothered.
The Storm weathered the pressure and began to look dominant. Bone-crunching hits left the safety boards round the rink rattling and the action was edge of the seat stuff in a tense opening period.
Storm broke the deadlock first as Mario Trabucco netted on the break with a blistering wrist flick, to the elation of the crowd. As the first period came to an end fans around the Arena could be heard keeping track of the Coventry-Sheffield result.
Brave saves by both goalies marked the early action in the second half until Panthers’ Jason Williams equalized with a wonderful solo effort.
Storm responded well and began to control the game using a well drilled system in the offensive zone and the hard work paid off when Trevor Johnson rifled home a wristflick like a bullet.
With Storm leading 2-1 the place was rocking, but the cheers had not died away before a moment of pure hockey magic saw Andy Sertich stickhandle through solo and deke the keeper to level the scores at 2-2.
With the ice thawing and ruled unfit to continue play, both sides agreed to a shootout, which Nottingham won to make the final score 3-2.
The result means Panthers finish fourth in the Elite League and now go into the play-offs against Sheffield Steelers. Because Coventry lost 4-1, Storm qualified for the play offs and now face a trip to Cardiff for their tie on Saturday.
Is 2017 an unexpected year of glory for the Storm? I’m sure all Storm fans and hockey fans around Britain are hoping so.
Following the passing of iconic Stone Roses and Primal Scream Bassist Gary ‘Mani’ Mountfield, there have been growing calls for him to be immortalised in a way that reflects both his cultural impact and the deep affection shared between the musician and his home city. GRIT Studios has answered the calls from fans, announcing plans…
Featured image: Evie Peattie Often overshadowed in popular narratives by the heritage houses of Paris or Milan, London’s fashion ecosystem has long traded on creative freedom. As London Fashion Week prepares for its 42nd year, running from the 19 to 23 February, the British capital is poised to reaffirm its reputation not simply as a…
Featured image: Sebastian Garraway Beats vibrate through a polished floor. Bodies move with a swinging grace, surrendering to the rhythm without hesitation. An instinctual sliding jig sways wide-legged jeans cut just above the ankle. Sweat drips from sharp scissor-cut hairstyles onto porous Fred Perry polos. You’ve guessed it: Northern Soul. The late 1960s phenomenon is…
Featured image: Evangeline Causton Local lad Harry Styles will take to the stage at Manchester’s Co-op Live for the city’s first-ever Brit Awards, before returning for his one-night-only show on March 6 to celebrate the arrival of his fourth album, Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally. When cryptic billboards bearing the words “WE BELONG TOGETHER” appeared across Manchester city…
Leave a reply