The Nottingham Mavericks celebrate their first piece of silverware of the 2021-22 season.
After a long day of intense competition and an exciting final which ended with a scoreline of 2-1, The Nottingham Mavericks are officially the IceFest 2021 champions.
The Nottingham Mavericks started the tournament with a dominant 7-0 win over the Nottingham Cyclones. From this victory, the Mavericks would go undefeated in the group stages and claim first place in Group A with 14 goals scored in 3 games.
The first semi-final saw the Nottingham Mavericks face-off against a balanced Nottingham Outlaws team who finished second in Group B. However, from the very beginning, the Mavericks set a fast pace of play which remained for the duration of the game and one which the Outlaws could not match. With strong performances from the Mavericks first line of Jacco Renstrom, James Lamming, Bryan Lim Chee Ming, Reece Clarke and Ellis Martin, the team cruised to a comfortable 4-0 victory and began making preparations for the IceFest Final.
The IceFest 2021 final saw the Mavericks come up against an impressive Nottingham Knights team who had gone undefeated in Group B and who had not conceded a single goal up to the final. The game remained an intense affair throughout, with outstanding performances from both teams netminders.
The Mavericks however drew first blood with a buzzer-beating goal following a breakaway by Ashley Johnson who slotted the puck into the top right corner of the net. The scoreline was further extended to 2-0 by Ellis Martin with a sniper-like shot following a strong forecheck by Jacco Renstrom and a pinpoint pass by Bryan Lim Chee Ming.
The Nottingham Knights were able to claim one goal back following a successful penalty shot to take the game to 2-1, however, the Mavericks stayed strong and closed the game out with an unyielding defensive performance to claim victory and the IceFest 2021 trophy.
Captain of the Nottingham Mavericks winning team, Jacco Renstrom, commented on the team's performance throughout the tournament "From the first game to the very last, the team's performance was exemplary. Everybody gave this tournament their all and I couldn't have asked for anything more. I am proud to of played with this amazing group of players and very happy to bring some silverware home for the club. Hopefully, this performance sets a precedent for the upcoming 2021-22 season and this is just the first of many trophies for the club this year".
Nottingham Mavericks IceFest Champions Team List:
Netminder - James Guest
First Line - Jacco Renstrom, James Lamming, Bryan Lim Chee Ming, Ellis Martin and Reece Clarke.
Second Line - Evan Klajnscek, Josh Deeley, George West, Ashley Johnson and Will Heath
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