The Connah's Quay Cobras team celebrate after their 5-6 win away over Shropshire Huskies
Saturday 21st October – Laura Carillo Memorial Match: Shropshire Huskies 5 – Connah’s Quay Cobras 6
The Connah’s Quay Cobras picked up a sensational 5-6 win away over the Shropshire Huskies away in Telford on Saturday night. The game was a memorial match arranged by the Shropshire club in memory of Huskies player Laura Carrillo who was tragically killed in a motorbike accident 10 days ago, aged just 27.
It was the Cobras’ first game of the new recreational season, which runs from October to October although due to ice time availability, “rec games” generally tend to be played more in the summer months when the professional leagues have their break.
The Cobras’ line up features an exciting mix of former Deeside juniors, traditional rec players and a number of former league players with NIHL experience. A new signing for this season is Kieran Clarkson, who played over 100 competitive junior games for Deeside and Manchester and also spent three seasons in the NIHL with Altrincham Aces and Bradford Bulldogs.
This game was very close throughout and was played in great spirit. It took until the 13th minute for the first breakthrough – and that fell to the hosts. The Cobras equalised on 16 minutes with a debut goal from Clarkson but Shropshire hit back with a powerplay goal just 30 seconds later and another strike just 20 seconds after that to lead 3-1 at the first period break.
Connah’s Quay halved the deficit just 44 seconds into the second period with a goal from Sam Krempasky and another lengthy spell stalemate ensued.
The Huskies scored again on 33 minutes but another powerplay goal from Krempasky brought the score to 4-3. However another Shropshire strike just 37 seconds from the buzzer meant that the score stood at 5-3 after two periods.
The Cobras upped their game in the third period and they outshot the Huskies by 14 to 6 over the final 20 minutes. That pressure paid off as they managed to draw level with goals from Louis Ellwood on 47 minutes and Clarkson, again, on 53 minutes.
A hat-trick goal from Kieran Clarkson on his Cobras debut with just over 2 minutes left on the clock secured a 5-6 victory for Connah’s Quay and also the MVP award for himself.
The Cobras have a number of games planned for the coming months, with the next one at home to the Widnes based Riverside Raiders on Sunday 26th November at Deeside Leisure Centre, 8.30pm face off.
