Cobras VS Solihull Grizzlies CUP GAME
The Linemate Apparel Challenge Cup...... Coventry Cobras, Coventry Spitfires, Peterborough Flyers, Solihull Grizzlies, Nottingham Outlaws, Telford Spartans and the Sheffield Vipers. These are the 7 teams involved in the Linemate Apparel's début Challenge Cup. All of the teams will be looking to take 1 of the top 4 spots to challenge each other at a finals weekend in Coventry towards the end of the Rec season. Each team will play each other at home and away and the 4 teams with the most points will go through in August to fight for top spot.
Your almighty Coventry Cobras kicked the season's cup of to a home fight against travelling Solihull Grizzlies. They came to us on the 16/01/2016. The last time we had played the Grizzlies we had given them a fair beating with a 15 - 1 win. There would be no underestimating the potential of this Rec team considering that was in April 2014. With that mind set in place we faced off and within 15 seconds... YES 15 SECONDS the Cobras had their first goal. #3 Tomas Kostelnik scored with the single assist from #88 Arnis Meijers. Great Start! It wasn't long before we realised that we where being closely followed and the Grizzlies replied with their first of the match after 2 minutes. The First continued and both teams where fighting hard. Cobras slipped another past the Grizzlies net minder #10 Elliot Folley. #16 Manager/player Adam Matteri scored with the assist of #21 Scott Venus. Once again celebrations where short lived as the Solihull team came back in quick succession scoring their second just over a minute later. We had to get away from this team. They have clearly come on a lot since we played them last and where not to be messed with. The Cobras burst into action scoring in the first like it was their last game. #21 scott Venus, 2nd for #3 Tomas Kostelnik, #92 Ashley Tyrrell, and hat trick in one period #3 Tomas Kostelnik. The score at the end of the first was showing 6 goals to 2. Maybe this was gong to be like the old days after all.......
The Second period had faced off and within 5 minutes the breathing space for the Cobras was getting smaller and the Grizzlies put one in. The game turned stale mate as nothing happened as far as goals are concerned for a good 12 minutes. The Cov team where fending off the Grizzlies new found tempo and the Solihull team where keeping Cobra's attackers at bay. Finally something give and the Solihull team slipped through the net again 3 minutes before the end of the second. The game had hardly restarted and the Grizzlies fired a bonus attack and getting their 3rd of the period right before the buzzer with less than 2 minutes left on the clock. The second period ended at 6 - 5 Cobras. That's 1 to the cobras and that's 1 to the Grizzlies. who will take the 3rd?
Puck drops and within the first 8 minutes the more established than before Grizzlies scored!!!! 6 - 6. This is defiantly not how we intended to start the season. Something had to change. The Cobras realised the seriousness of this Solihull team. In the 54th minute something did change. Your favourite Cov team had found just enough in them for the last 7 minutes of play and punished the Grizzlies for thinking they could take us at our barn on the first day of the cup. 3 goals went flying in at 54:38, 56:28 and 56:42 scored by #8 Luke White, #88 Arnis Meijers and 4TH GOAL OF THE GAME!!!!!!!!! #3 TOMAS kostelnik.
What a close game and more importantly a WIN for the Cobras. The Grizzlies have become a greatly established team and are a team to be careful of in this cup. Great game. We hope to see you at our next cup game.