Alley reflects on opening-day cup loss

Lee Valley Lions head coach George Alley looked for the positives after seeing his side lose their opening game of the 2016/17 season at the weekend.

Lions went down 5-2 against Swindon Wildcats in a National League Division Two South Cup tie, despite goals from captain Nick Alley and Matthew Hepburn.

But coach Alley said: “The team played with a good intensity throughout, we kept Swindon pinned in their end for good periods of the match.

“I thought our goalie (James Andrew) had a strong game as well.”

The home side were comfortably outshot 47-21 on the night and Alley felt their possession could have been better.

He added: “Our puck control wasn’t as good as it should be and as a result we gave away opportunities in dangerous areas.

“We also needed to take more shots in crucial areas of the ice and follow up the rebounds their goalie let out.

“When we have the puck we need to be a little more patient and aware of our team-mates’ positions on the ice.

“We made too many blind passes on the assumption that someone would be there to receive it, and as a result we turned the puck over much more than I would like.”

Alley praised Swindon, though, and felt their small squad coped well when Lions tried to apply more pressure in the middle stanza.

He said: “Swindon played a very smart game and were very patient when carrying the puck.

“They handled our pressure well throughout the game, particularly when the game got very physical in the second period.”

Lions are back in action on home ice this weekend when they welcome Slough Jets to Lea Bridge Road for their first league match of the new campaign.