Free-Scoring Seahawks Celebrate Four-Point Weekend
Hull Reckitt Seahawks v Romford Raiders – 08/02/2025
A comprehensive 8-4 victory against the Romford Raiders at home and a 6-5 overtime win in a keenly contested away game to the Peterborough Phantoms has helped the Hull Reckitt Seahawks open a three-point gap on the chasing pack as well as narrowing the distance on the third-placed Swindon Wildcats to just seven points, as the end of the regular season hoves into view.
Saturday night fixtures are occasions for fans to savour at Hull Ice Arena and the result against the Raiders will certainly have been enjoyed by the vast majority of the 1,292 strong crowd.
The Seahawks made light work of their southern opposition as they steamrolled into a 5-0 lead by the first period intermission.
The first goal came on 03:08, courtesy of Czech forward Emil Svec who crashed a shot into the net via the underside of the crossbar high on Raiders’ goalie Ethan James’ stick side, assisted by Bobby Chamberlain and Owen Sobchak.
The Seahawks second arrived just over three minutes later (06:41). This time, Captain Chamberlain finished an effort at the backdoor, with Svec turning provider and ably assisted again by Sobchak.
A Romford penalty at 09:19 then offered an opportunity for the Seahawks to further extend their lead, this time on the powerplay, as Sean Barry sat a two-minute penalty for hooking. Lee Bonner took full advantage of the extra-man, at 11:08, finishing an excellent passage of play thanks to neat passing from Chamberlain and Svec.
Hull’s fourth came at 13:51 through Jason Hewitt after patient build-up play from Canadian forward Johnny Corneil. His perfectly weighted pass found the end of Hewitt’s stick and the former GB international finished the chance with ease.
As the first period entered its final minute, the Seahawks all but made the game safe with Bonner netting a one-on-one chance on the breakaway, at 19:35, assisted by Hewitt and Corneil, to send the home side into the locker room with an unassailable lead.
To the Raiders credit, they did make more of a game of it in the second period, scoring twice through Jake Sylvester, at 29:39, and Shaun Miller, at 33:34, with their goals coming either side of a sixth for Hull, scored by Corneil; assisted by Lee Haywood and Tom Stubley.
However, with the Raiders maybe having one eye on next weekend’s NIHL Cup final against the Leeds Knights, a comeback was always unlikely. In fact, unlikely became almost certainly early in the third period as the Seahawks scored a seventh, at 43:27, through Hewitt’s second of the night; assisted by Haywood and Bonner.
Romford did add to their goal tally, at 45:12, thanks to Reed Morison, but it was a bit of a moot point when, 48 seconds later, Haywood decided to get in on the goal scoring act for the Seahawks as the defenceman netted number eight for Hull.
A final goal by Romford, on the powerplay, through Jake Sylvester; his second of the night; did add some respectability to the final scoreline, at 49:55, and the crowd was then entertained by some fisticuffs between Seahawks’ defenceman Josh Hodgkinson and Raiders’ forward Morison to bring the game to a close.
“It was a big win for us. We needed that after last weekend’s results,” said Hull Coach Matty Davies.
“It was brilliant to see the goals spread around across the lines tonight and I must give a lot of credit to Jordan McLaughlin who made some important saves in the first period to set us on our way.
“Looking ahead to tomorrow’s game against Peterborough, our mindset will need to completely change from that of tonight.
“It’ll be a totally different game down there. It can be a very unforgiving rink to go too, but we owe them one from the last time they played us up here.”
Hull couldn’t have asked for a better start in Cambridgeshire as they got on the front foot early in the first period, with Canadian forward Owen Sobchak opening the scoring at 02:35, assisted by Declan Balmer and Bobby Chamberlain.
However, the home side turned things around with a quick-fire double in the 11th minute through goals by Cameron Hough and Austin Mitchell-King to go 2-1 up.
Less than a minute later, the Seahawks did tie the contest back up through an Owen Bruton effort, at 12:18, assisted by Declan Jones and Alex Kent, but the Phantoms forced their way back in front 25 seconds later thanks to Luke Ferrara.
A Hull penalty on 14:30 then provided the Phantoms with an opportunity to go further ahead, which they did, on the powerplay, through Hough’s second of the night while Jason Hewitt sat a two-minute interference call.
That wasn’t the end of the scoring in the first stanza, as Hull brought the match back to within a single goal thanks to Johnny Corneil’s goal at 17:44, assisted by Lee Bonner and Lee Haywood, to end the first period 4-3.
Into the second period, Hull equalised for the second time in the contest, at 25:58, through Jamie Chilcot; assisted by Corneil and Chamberlain; but Peterborough would find the lead again through a powerplay marker by
Ferrara, at 36:44, while Jones was in the penalty box, for the Seahawks, for cross-checking.
However, Hull would not lie down and brought the contest level for a third time at the start of the third period, with Corneil netting his second of the night, this time on the powerplay, at 41:10.
With no more goals in regular time, the game went into overtime, and a powerplay strike from Emil Svec, at 63:39, proved decisive in securing the points for the Seahawks and making the long bus ride home a little more enjoyable.
By Mark Bateman
