Ice-hockey: Streatham set up semi-final play-off tie after defeating Swindon Wildcats 2

BY CHRISTOPHER BEAL

Streatham RedHawks sealed a place in the NIHL South 1 play off semi-finals with a 12-3 aggregate win over Swindon Wildcats 2 last weekend.

The South Londoners produced a 4-1 win on home ice on Saturday and finished the job the following evening with an 8-2 win in Wiltshire.

Streatham will face Chelmsford Chieftains next over two legs with the home one taking place on Sunday (6.45pm).

Ethan Lane took just 2:11 to open the scoring in the first leg against the Wildcats, with their 18-year-old netminder Ben Clarke-Leach then withstanding 14 minutes of heavy pressure.

Streatham added two more before the end of the first period through Luke Brittle and Danny Ingoldsby.

Wildcats cut the deficit when Jan Kostal Jr set up his father.

Harvey Stead shovelled Streatham’s fourth in the third period.

Ingoldsby scored twice in the first period of Sunday’s fixture but Swindon tied it up at 2-2 through Ben Nethersell and Kostal Snr.

Head coach Ben Paynter must have given his team the Sir Alex Ferguson hairdryer treatment in the interval as they came out all guns blazing.

Stead netted at 42:26 to restore the four-goal lead and put Streatham 3-2 ahead on the night. RedHawks seized control with five unanswered goals.

Ingoldsby went on to take his personal tally in the second leg to five.

Ziggy Beesley and Ethan Lane also found the net, the latter rounding off the scoring.