Sam Bunce, Kian Gadsby, Tom Henigan, Aaron Jaffe, and Jocey Nel
The University of Nottingham fell to defeat in a thrilling 5-7 loss to Nottingham Trent in the Varsity Ice Hockey fixture, in front of a sell-out crowd at the Motorpoint Arena.
One of, if not, the most highly anticipated varsity event of the university year, rumbled with great excitement.
The fans flooded, in seas of green, gold and pink, through the gates of Motorpoint Arena, as the ice hockey spectacle was to begin.
Laura Urquhart’s University of Nottingham side were hoping to exact revenge after the 17-4 loss they suffered to Nottingham Trent in last year’s varsity clash.
Marks Kanins came close for Trent within the first minute, hitting the post from the right-hand side after the Green and Gold got off to a slow start.
The away side then immediately capitalised on a two-minute penalty awarded to UoN for tripping, grabbing the opener through Sam Peters a minute later.
Kanins and Peters continued to pose a threat in the opening few minutes, firing countless shots at Caspar Timothy.
NTU doubled their advantage through Harry Macgarvey, drifting through the centre of the field and slotting through the legs of Timothy.
Despite NTU being firmly on top in the opening stages, UoN started to find some fluidity in their offense with Austin Mitchell-King setting up Edward Brown to halve the deficit.
With two Trent players receiving penalties within minutes of each other, UoN levelled the scoring during the powerplay. Having assisted the first goal, Mitchell-King found the equaliser, firing the puck into the bottom right corner.
Both goaltenders were forced into making some exceptional saves throughout the first period, with Timothy denying Kanins, Peters and Wyatt Scott.
Timothy made a sensational stop to deny Kanins again in the final minute before the first interval, making himself big and keeping the game level.
NTU started the second period as they did the first, scoring in the early stages, with Kanins finally getting a goal for his efforts in the first period.
However, UoN immediately went down the other end and made it 3-3, courtesy of an excellent strike from Brandon Chard.
A sin bin for another tripping caution for the Green and Gold was yet again costly, this time Matthew Bell taking the lead for Trent five minutes into the second period.
Mitchell-King forced a crucial save out of NTU’s goaltender James Guest after the left-winger glided past a sea of pink shirts with a magnificent display of skills.
A lengthy delay to ensure that the standard of the ice was playable derailed the home side’s momentum that they were starting to build.
The delay, followed by another UoN tripping penalty, proved costly once again with Trent combining for a fifth goal. Harry Macgarvey added his second of the game, finding plenty of space and rifling an effort into the back of the net.
NTU seemed in cruise control as the second period entered the final minute. They added to UoN’s misery with number six of the night. Wyatt Scott’s initial effort was parried by Timothy, but Marks Kanins was present to convert the rebound.
The Green and Gold did manage to find a goal before the end of the period, with an immediate response before the buzzer sounded at a full Motorpoint Arena.
The home side started on the front foot in the final period, knowing they would have to claw a two-goal deficit in the final twenty minutes.
Chard and Mitchell-King both had attempts on goal inside the first five minutes as UoN started to pile on the pressure against Pete Burgin’s Trent team.
With ten minutes left on the clock, NTU clinched a seventh goal, virtually putting the game out of sight for the Green and Gold. Matthew Bell secured his brace, skating away to celebrate with the rest of the squad by the benches.
UoN weren’t going to leave without putting on a fight, yet again finding a way through Brandon Chard, who powered his way through the Trent defence and placed it past the goaltender to make it 5-7.
With less than a minute remaining, UoN pulled the goalie for an extra attacker in search of a goal, but were unable to find a solution for NTU’s strong defence.
Varsity events continue with Thai Boxing, Netball and Futsal in the week commencing March 23rd.
The University of Nottingham will be hoping to improve on the 5-5 draw overall in the 2024 competition.
UoN Player of the Match: #54 Poon Harnchaipibulgul
NTU Player of the Match: #22 Harry Macgarvey
Sam Bunce, Kian Gadsby, Tom Henigan, Aaron Jaffe, and Jocey Nel
Featured image courtesy of @rc_scout via Unsplash. Image use license found here (Unsplash). No changes were made to this image.
In article image 1 courtesy of @uonsport via Instagram. No changes were made to this image.
In article image 2 courtesy of @uonsport via Instagram. No changes were made to this image.
In article image 3 courtesy of @nottinghamtrentuni via Instagram. No changes were made to this image.
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