Thank you to Mike "Bobblehat" Blackmun, our man in Bracknell, for this report:
Bees 6 Somebody else 3
Ref Craiper Linesmen Young jnr, Norcott
Much as we love Jamie he is not a Premier ref and he spoilt this game with niggley, wrong and stupid calls on both sides - linesmen also not up to Premier standard - more in the report.
First Period as seen from behind the Cobras goal in Block 1
Bees caught cold at 17 seconds on Cobras first attack. No one picked up Askew in front of goal and despite Bernies efforts the puck was slipped under him. The 25 Cobra supporters went wild. End to end from then on, Cobras looking very sharp and very fast on the break and Bees lucky to hold them. 5 mins. and Whistle misses from in front after being set up by Richards. Rautio makes the save but I think it was more of the puck hitting him than anything he did. Shortly after this Mike Ellis clobbers Brebant, who has turned out for the Cobras, by the boards behind the Cobras' goal and Brebant leaves the ice with a leg injury and doesn't return. 8 mins. and on a very fast Cobras breakout Koskela nets a rebound from Bernie. Cobras fans beserk. (Jim has some funny lines going. Apart from the first line of Bucsis, Junkin, Pellerin the other lines are all jumbled. We have Brant, Ferras and Johnstone; Whistle, Richards and Sneezy!; Romeo Spike and Sparky.) 2 mins. later Bucsis again hits the puck straight at Rautio when it was easier to score - is it going to be one of those nights? 3 mins later this thought gets reinforced after Joe gets the puck in the net following an excellent wrap round only for Jamie to disallow the goal because Dale Lambert, who could see it coming, had purposely knocked the goal off the net. Lambert 2 mins for delay of the game and goal wiped out. (I thought that if a player received a penalty when stopping someone scoring a penalty shot should be awarded - perhaps I'm wrong). Cobras kill powerplay but not before a very sweet Bees move. Stewart to Brant on the Bees right, Brant brushes past one man and from just inside the Cobras blue line places an excellent cross ice pass to the fast approaching McCosh on a diagonal run from the Bees left wing. McCosh first times it, beats Rautio all ends up, but only to see the puck hit the cross bar and away. This gives the Bees the hint that although Rautio is good on low shots he can't cope with the high shots across him. Period ends with the Bees still attacking and they are now closing down better on the Cobras forwards. All in all the Cobras are lucky to be two goals ahead.
Before second period your intrepid reporter visits friends upstairs in Block 8, and on finding an empty seat next to them sits down for a chat. Its a very long chat which lasts throughout the rest of the game!!!
Second Period as seen from Block 8 upstairs.
Cobras again out of their starting blocks fast, but Jim must have had a good talk to the Bees, and they pick off the forwards easily. Bees much more in control and have several good chances, which Rautio saves, before a scramble in the corner, Pellerin gets the puck passes to Bucsis in front of the Cobras net, and despite him facing towards the Bees end he somehow spins round, catches Rautio by surprise and slips the puck in the net at 28.17. Bees fans go wild, and from this point on I have never heard the home crowd make so much noise or get behind the Bees so much!! 29.50 its Stewart to Brant on the Bees left he cuts in from the blue line and despite the close attention of a Cobra lets fly a Brant special. Its high and across the net minder and is in the net before Rautio has moved! 2-2 and its the turn of the Bees fans to go beserk!!!! The rest of the period shows the Bees gradually grinding down the Cobras and getting on top, and only a very rare Cobras breakaway gives Bernie any trouble but he is up to it. The period is also marked by some very dodge calling. Cobras player standing Bees side of the Red line receives a pass from behind Cobras blue line no offside call, and to make matters worse there are 6 Cobras players on the ice at the time!!! Only good work by McCosh prevents a goal chance. "Little Matt" is then called for charging following a legitimate check which I must admit was a good 'un. It looks as though a player only has to go down on the ice for Jamie to call something!! Period ends with Bees on the attack and the Cobras looking decidedly relieved at the buzzer.
Third Period as seen from Block 8 upstairs.
Bees start the period as they left off - attacking and with the crowd at full volume. (what happened to the Cobras cheerleaders?). 41.41, and after a prolonged Bees attack Brant shoots Rautio parries and before he can recover the Chief slots it home. 3-2 and the Bees fans have passed from delirium into hyper mode!!!!! Now its all Bees, but that ref has a say in the matters. Matt gets a two minute penalty for tripping - the Cobra fell over in front of Jamie. Bees kill this penalty but immediately a Cobra collides with Bucsis who gets two minutes for interference. Ross Lambert, who has been niggling at the Chief all evening, finally gets him to retaliate with an arm lock round Lamberts head. Lamberts helmet goes flying, the Chief leaves the scene and some 15 seconds later Jamie spots the helmet and calls the Chief for roughing!!! Now its 5 on 3 and the Bees are doing fine until Ross Lambert from behind the Bees net hits the puck out, it deflects off Stewart passed an unsighted Bernie. 3-3 and a muted cheer from the Cobras fans who even though they have seen their team draw level can see the writing on the wall. 51.54 Bees on a rare power play - good attack - Junkin in front of goal - no mistake!!! Crowd noise hurts now!! 4-3 and better to come. Its Bees all the way now. The Chief breaks free in the neutral zone two Cobras give chase - Chief versus Rautio - no contest5-3!!! If the crowd noise hurt before its incandescent. A Chief hat-trick and the celebration war dance in the centre circle. Cobras fans so disgusted with their teams performance that some of them rip off their black and whit shirts and throw them on the floor. But its not their team's fault its just the Bees have stepped up two gears and the old team spirit is seeing them through. Bees are attacking all the time, the roof is lifting with the constant noise, but then the Cobras stage a rare attack which is halted by the puck being frozen by Bernie. 58.00 and before the face off the Cobras call a time out and pull Rautio. Bees attack and pass the puck when a shot would have scored! Cobras come back, Pellerin steals on the Bees blue line, moves up and the puck glides majestically into the empty net!!!There goes the roof!!!!!!!! 6-3 and the rest is an anticlimax!!!
Well it was something like that but I do have a somewhat lurid memory.