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| Adam Jenkins scored 4 goals for the Raiders at Blackburn (Photographer credit to be advised) |
Blackburn Buccaneers 1 – Riverside Raiders (Widnes) 10
Period Scores: 1-2, 0-3, 0-5
Penalties in Minutes: Blackburn 10 – Raiders 22
Raiders Scoring: Gez Evans 4+1, Adam Jenkins 4+0, Owen Tennant 1+1, Howard Hughes 1+0, Adam Murphy, Dave Priestley & Eemeli Vuorihovi all 0+2, Jack Walker and Mike Teinert both 0+1
The Widnes-based Riverside Raiders maintained their challenge for honours at the top of the Puckstop Summer Classic table win a creditable 1-10 win over the Blackburn Buccaneers away at the Silver Blades Blackburn Arena on Saturday night.
They needed a hatful of goals in order to try and make some headway into the goal difference advantage that league leaders Grimsby Stormers currently enjoy and while the result was eventually quite emphatic, for much of the game, it was an awful lot closer.
The opening phase was very tense affair with both teams testing each other out while trying to give away. The score actually remained at 0-0 until the 14th minute when Owen Tennant broke the deadlock in favour of the visitors. Gez Evans doubled the advantage 3 minutes later but the Buccs pulled a goal back within 30 seconds of the restart to end the period just 1-2 behind.
The Raiders began to take control in the second period and two goals from Adam Jenkins reinforced their superiority. Owen Tennant fell foul of the match referee at the mid-point after questioning a decision and was banished for the remainder of the game for “abuse of an official” but a goal from Howard Hughes in the dying seconds of the period extended the lead and put the Raiders well on top heading into the final third.
Any hopes that the Blackburn team had of pulling themselves back into the game were hampered by the string of penalties that they picked up in the third period. The first of these – for hooking – was punished by a powerplay goal by Gez Evans in the 47th minute and further strikes by Evans (2 more) and two more for Adam Jenkins rounded off the scoring for the night.
The result sees the Raiders move to within 2 points of Grimsby Stormers at the top of the Puckstop Summer Classic table with a game in hand. They could match the Lincolnshire side on points if they win their last game at home to the Buccaneers on Sunday 23rd July.
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Next Sunday - 16th July - the Widnes Wildcats are in action at home to Kingston Cobras in the Summer Cup at Silver Blades Widnes, where they are still looking to pick up their first win of the competition. The game faces off at 4.30pm and admission is free.